This Week in WTF?

This Week in WTF?

Mix and Match! Flea, Thom Yorke, Weezer, Lil' Wayne, Danger Mouse, James Mercer

So, this week has been a doooozy for WTF collaborations. First of all, Thom Yorke, from Radiohead or something, will be playing two shows with his "solo" band in L.A. the Sunday and Monday. The bass player in said band is none other than Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, which makes me go "...?" The band also includes Radiohead's producer Nigel Godrich who is like the George Martin of Radiohead. According to Thommy, the strange band is just “for fun” and in a truly inspired comment he said, “We don’t really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz .. well .. we haven’t got that much material yet,” on Radiohead's blog. Brilliant. Plus I think he reads teen girl novels. I hope this means Radiohead's next album is completely mid 90's funk and they will all wear cock-socks during shows.

But wait! The fun continues. You know how Weezer is all weird and goofy and does whatever they want? Well apparently Rivers Cuomo got cough syrup enthusiast Lil' Wayne to rap on a song for Weezer's forthcoming (and radically titled) album, Raditude......?... OH! Get it? Like Weezer and Weezy? Perfect sense, right? Again, in rather inspired comment, Cuomo said "Any other rapper would've just done, 'Yay, we're partying! Let's drink and have fun,' but [Wayne] gave it the edge I was looking for." But really Weezer doesn't need any help in that regard. I mean, what is edgier than "Pork and Beans"?

And finally, the most promising of WTF collaborations. You know Danger Mouse, the guy who created The Grey Album, produced DangerDoom, and is half of Gnarls Barkley? He is definitely now in a band, tentatively called Broken Bells, with The Shins crooner James Mercer. This one makes me go "...?..!" So yeah, they have a release planned for early 2010 on Columbia Records.

Via P4k, "Mercer and the Mouse are apparently in it for the long haul and already have plans extending past their first album." Legit!

UPDATE: somehow I left out the other indiefolkie/hip hop collab. GZA and Devendra?!? As DiS writes:

So, though their mutual respect and the prospect of them working together is fairly clear, just what sort of material they'll produce is not. Rapping over folkish guitar lines and arrangements? Or some ROUGH BEATS backed by some ethereal whining? Or, perhaps, just something completely left-of-field like, I dunno, them covering the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein. We can't rule anything out at this stage but we wait with a ridiculously high level of anticipation.

YES!

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.

Black Box 3/27/09

Black Box 3/27/09

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.

...................................................................................................................................

Björk and Dirty Projectors to do Benefit

This Stereogum sponsored awesome-fest is in support of Housing Works, an NYC non-profit that has fought against both AIDs and Homelessness since 1990. It is set to go down like this:

In a brand new collaboration, Björk will perform music composed for her by David Longstreth. The suite, written for five voices, will pair Björk with Longstreth and Projectors' Amber Coffman, Angel Deradoorian, and Haley Dekle. The band will also perform material from Dirty Projectors' oeuvre, using only voices and one acoustic guitar.

If you happen to live in NYC (then why are you reading this blog and not this one?) the show is on Friday, May 8th, at 8PM at Housing Works Bookstore & Café (126 Crosby Street) in Manhattan. More via Sterogum.

...................................................................................................................................

Prince Does Leno. Three Times.

If you couldn't help but notice your life was a little short on the funk-o-meter, Prince as arrived. His purpleness is making quite a splash this year performing three nights in a row on Leno, playing three shows in one night, and releasing three albums in one year day. Im starting to think he might be blessed. MPLSoUND, Lotusflow3r, and Elixer out on Sunday at...Target.

...................................................................................................................................

Animal Crack Box sells, Then Doesn't
Like we said, Animal Collective's Animal Crack Box was up on ebay for $2,425 which it eventually sold for. However, it turns out that the winner (loser) couldn't pay up, which seems like a mean thing to do to a charity. Catsup Plate's website says to keep looking at Catsup Plate's website for information about a relisting.
...................................................................................................................................

All Five of Death Cab's New EP available at Stereogum

As a redux to some certain strong opinions regarding the new Death Cab offering, The Open Door EP, here are links to all the tracks. The EP is available online at the end of the month on Atlantic.

01 "Little Bribes"
02 "A Diamond And A Tether"
03 "My Mirror Speaks"
04 "I Was Once a Loyal Lover"
05 "Talking Bird" (demo)
...................................................................................................................................

Sunset Rubdown announces Third LP, Dragonslayer
Spencer Krug is a busy person. Besides releasing two albums in the last two years with two different bands, he already has another album ready with another different band. Dragonslayer is out 6/23 via Jagjaguwar along with a picture disc 7" called Introducing Moonface that'll include "Coming To The Dawn" and "Insane Love Is Awakening." It's out in early April via Aagoo.

01 "Silver Moons"
02 "Idiot Heart"
03 "Apollo and the Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!"
04 "Black Swan"
05 "Paper Lace"
06 "You Go On Ahead (Trumpet Trumpet II)"
07 "Nightingale / December Song"
08 "Dragon's Lair"

...................................................................................................................................

Metric's New Album Fantasies streaming online

The Album is out digitally in a couple days (on 30th March) and the album will be released physically, four weeks later, on 27th April. But if you can't wait, that is what myspace is for .

...................................................................................................................................

Blender Mag Gone Under

Alpha Media Group closed Blender magazine today, eliminating about 30 jobs and reducing its portfolio of titles to Maxim alone. The April issue of Blender out now will be its last. Not that I ever read the magazine. It is sad to see people lose their jobs.
...................................................................................................................................

Muppets Interview Shins

...................................................................................................................................

Los Campesinos! Recording Another Album

Via their new blog:

"We’re about 7 tracks (probably about halfway) into our over-thought, over-long, over-the-top sophomore album, and I’m thinking this is probably going to be our 'Coke Album' what with the track-numbers piling up, egos a-flailing and a Gallagher-sized sense of misplaced belief in our own band. Sadly though (for you) there’s not a sniff of white powder in sight, so it might not be as bombastic as we’d all hope… (though i’m sure if we went searching in the cracks of the SSL board here at Carriage House we’d find enough to make Be Here Now 2). So it’s probably gonna be more of a 'Diet Coke Album'."

They are working with John Goodmanson for this record, who has produced both Blonde Redhead and Hanson. Maybe they can get sweet hookups with some Tinted Windows.

Shins Shed (Some) Sub Pop Skin

Shins Shed (Some) Sub Pop Skin

The Shins to Self-Release Fourth Album

In a recent Billboard article, Sub Pop favorites and notable appendages, The Shins, announced that they are likely to forego the aforementioned hometown label in order to self-release their next album through James Mercer's Aural Apothecary label. Instead of a Radiohead variation, the release would be more like a partnership. According to the article:

"The deal will be more of a [pressing and distribution] deal than a traditional record deal," Shins manager Ian Montone tells Billboard. "That partner could very well remain Sub Pop, who have done a remarkable job with the band and have a great staff of people who really love music. It could be a digital partner with respect to other rights. All of this is being determined. The first goal is to make the record and see where that takes us."

Says Sub Pop general manager Megan Jasper, "The Shins have been a huge part of Sub Pop's story. We'd love to continue working with them."

A huge part indeed. The single for New Slang is one of Sub Pop's top three selling albums, along with Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" and Nirvana's Bleach.

The Shins will also be embarking on a short May tour after taking some time off to have a child and star in a movie. You can viddy all the tour dates here. And, if you do, you will notice that they start the tour with a couple shows at the Showbox. Tickets are $35.00 and available here.