Dirty Projectors New Record Streaming on NPR

Dirty Projectors New Record Streaming on NPR

I hadn't really listened to The Dirty Projectors before this year. That was mostly because their releases prior to this year have been mostly inaccessible, art pieces that never really caught my ear. When I first listened to Dark Was the Night, I found my self coming back to the summery-morning-feeling opener "Knotty Pine" with its enrapturing piano hook and vocal variety. This then piqued my interest about their forthcoming LP Bitte Orca, which leaked quite some time ago. After the initial confusion about the frenetic song structures and vocal interplay, I completely fell in love with the album. That is to say, if you haven't had a chance to hear the Dirty Projectors new album, I absolutely recommend that you head over to (the great) NPR to check it out. Seriously. About half of this album is on my "Best songs of '09" iTunes playlist.

Buy Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca

Idiot Box - Lots of Videos About Music 5/14/09

Idiot Box - Lots of Videos About Music 5/14/09

Idiot box

n. Slang

A television.

I am pretty sure that the best podcast ever is This American Life from NPR. And even more sure than that, Andrew Bird is pretty much the most NPR friendly musician ever. This all makes this video not only make sense, but be really awesome. The track is called “Eugene”, via here.

One of the albums that I absolutely cannot get enough of this year comes from the francophone Amadou and Mariam whom Scott turned me onto last year. The song is right from the middle of their album Welcome to Mali and is called "Masiteladi." For sure worth a watch. The whole album is this immediate and listenable so if you dig this, definitely check out the album.

On the Shins current tour they have been playing a couple new songs. One is called "The Rifle's Spiral" and the other (below) is called "double bubble" which features the rhythmic stylings of Modest Mouse's drummer Joe Plummer. It certainly is a lot more bouncy. Look for a new album 2010ish maybe. Via Stereogum

SNL. JT. Blah Blah. Funny etc.

Here we have The National playing their Dark was the Night Favorite "So Far Around the Bend" on Fallon. I really dig this track even though its a little peppier than most of Boxer. I would love to see them center around an album around this "its fall and I am melancholly but still in a good mood" vibe.

Uhhh. Half of Death Cab doing an interview on...CNN? Yeah idk why. For ten minutes too. Best question ever "How do you guys get your mojo?" Chris Walla looks like Luke Skywalker. Also apparently Death Cab is the "perfect marriage of four guys."...Sexy.

Idiot Box 5/5/09 - Lots of Videos About Music

Idiot Box 5/5/09 - Lots of Videos About Music

Idiot box

n. Slang

A television.

From Billboard: "A star-studded medley of musical guests played tribute to Pete Seeger at a benefit concert for the legendary folk singer's 90th birthday. Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Ani DiFranco and" (and Arlo Guthrie) "were among the 40 musicians performing in Madison Square Garden for the Sunday night show, a benefit to raise awareness for Hudson River Sloop Clearwater.

In what is most certainly the best description, the ubiquitous Dark Was the Night features the biggest names in "NPR-friendly indie music." That being said, the vast majority of the two disc set is filled with ethereal covers and collaborations for an really good cause. And that being said, the recent live performance of the albums, featuring most of the people that contributed must have been fantastic. However, the best part about the NPR friendly nature of this performance was hands down, the moment when it became completely self conscious. That was thanks to Sharon Jones who effectively says "This land is your land, but this song is mine now." Ooooh, burn.

Once upon a time Train Conductor Rivers Cuomo lead a group of eager fans from Long Beach, Calif. in a lively rendition of the Pinkerton Classic, "El Scorcho." This is not a dream that I had once. This happened. In a record shop. The clip is from the DVD Not Alone Rivers Cuomo & Friends Live at Fingerprints. High points include Rivers getting all gangsta around the half minute mark, singing (a beautiful) harmony on the chorus, everyone yelling "how cool is that" way too early, and the actual train whistle (to fit his apparel) that he utilizes about 1:55 in.

Mr. Banhart (whom you can dress) has graced our ears lately with some new tunes. Now there is also this Ameoba Music in-store performance video that features a pretty rad version of "Little Yellow Spider" among seven other stellar takes. (At the 25 min mark, I swear Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes fame shows up on screen). Also check out this awesome interview.

Ólöf Arnalds is from Iceland and writes songs that sound like other things that dont sound like much else. And she probly know that Bjork references will rain down upon her like frogs in Magnolia, but she is still playing a show with her (and the Dirty Projectors) on the 8th. If you are in New York and not going I hereby declare you foolish.

Yesterday I posted a live Akron/Family video that made me physically exhausted just by watching it. This is way way beyond that. This video is by a song called "Celebrate the Body Electric" from Ponytail off their 2008 album Ice Cream Spiritual. If you can watch the whole thing straight through, I will give you a dollar. Also, this song sounds like it would make the best show ever.

Black Box 4/10/09

Black Box 4/10/09

Friday's Black Box

Friday is a day to crash. Crash meaning "to kick back and relax." And also, for me, meaning to violently burn to the ground in a heap of broken pieces because of all of the things that I have neglected to write about during the week. Since this happens pretty much every friday, I've resolved to go the way of the airplane and record everything in a tiny black box. Also, for your convenience I have decided to forgo the inevitable casualties usually associated with plane crashes. Cheers.
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New Michel Gondry Video Collection

Michel Gondry directorial repertoire has embraced, in reverse chronological order (because I copied from IMDB), an episode of "The Flight of the Conchords," The Science of Sleep, Dave Chappelle's Block Party, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, White Stripes' "Fell in Love With a Girl", Björk's "Bachelorette", and Daft Punk's "Around the World" making him a good human being. But believe it or not, he has made even more visual candy throughout his career, some of which will be compiled on "Michel Gondry 2: More Videos Before & After DVD 1," due April 14 via Gondry's website. The vidlist is divided into a "Music Videos" section and an "Other Work" section. Some of the ones that I am stoked about are listed below.

From "Music Videos"
Paul McCartney: "Dance Tonight"

Björk: "Declare Independence"
Queen [ft. Wyclef Jean, Pras and Free]: "Another One Bites the Dust"
Radiohead: "Knives Out" *
The Rolling Stones: "Gimme Shelter"

From "Other Work"
"The Simpsons" White Stripes Parody
Booker T and The Michel Gondry’s
Michel Gondry Solves a Rubik's Cube With His Feet
Michel Gondry Solves a Rubik's Cube With His Nose
Jack Black Beats Michel Gondry With His Rubik's Cubes
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Sigur Rós' Jónsi has Side Project, Album

Ethereal Icelandic vocalist Jón Þór Birgisson aka Jonsi from Sigur Ros is planning to debut a side project entitled Riceboy Sleeps with his partner Alex Somers. You may have already encountered RS via the Philip Glass-y eight and a half minute Dark was the Night track "Happiness," which you may have noticed, was all instrumental. This is apparently true to form as July 20th will bring the debut release from the duo which is also completely instrumental.

According to a press release all of the songs are "played solely on acoustic instruments in Iceland (and featuring long-time string collaborators Amiina, as well as the Kopavogsdaetur choir) and then endlessly toyed with on solar-powered laptops in a raw food commune in some far corner of Hawaii." Awesome! Check the tracklist here, a video for "All the Big Trees" (which looks like a photo from Jonathan Safran Foer's Extremely Loud) and "Daníell in the Sea."

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Stream Part of Animal Collective's Remix of Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Zero"

While most 7"s are a chance for diehard fans to hear that b-side or alternate take that makes their collection complete, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs/ Animal Collective split 7" is generating a bit of buzz mostly due to AC's remix os YYYs "Zero." If you are that interested, you can listen to about 30 seconds of it here. There is an annoying little beep that interrupts the song so you dont steal it or something, but other than that it seems pretty interesting to me.

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Kanye West is a Gay Fish Says South Park

This sounds compellingly like "Heartless"

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Bat for Lashes "Daniel (lo-fi version)" Live

If you've been checking out Natasha Khan's new Bat For Lashes album, Two Suns, via myspace (or otherwise...) than you will most likely want to see this live version of an alternate lo-fi take of the excellent song "Daniel." I definitely love to see all the instruments they use. What is that tinkly thing?


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Ryan Adams + Mandy Moore =

Beirut Live Show/ New Song

Beirut Live Show/ New Song

At the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Senor Condon decided to play a new/old song. Its new because Beirut just started playing the track but it is old because Zachery wrote it when he was a wee 17 years of age. The track is called "East Harlem" and beaukuleleful. Beirut also played several other songs of theirs. The set material focused on the two new EP's. I though it was cool to see how they arranged the Realpeople songs for the whole band. They also played their contribution to Dark was the Night and a few old favorites. Wonderful music ensued. Watch over half of the show here, or else.

Video Tracklist:

1. "East Harlem" (New)

2. "The Shrew" (March of the Zapotec)

3. "The Concubine" (Realpeople Holland)

4. "Mimizan" (Dark was the Night)

5. "La Javanise" (Serge Gainsbourg cover)

6. "The Akara" (March of the Zapotec)

7. "Cozak"

8. "My night with a Prostitute" (Realpeople Holland)

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9. "Gulag Orkestar" (Gulag Orkestar)

10. "Forks and Knives (La Fete)" (The Flying Club Cup)

11. "Brazil" (Ary Barroso cover)

(Full track list here)