We're half awake in a fake empire

Watched some really hideous looking/ tired/ old white people (and hockey moms) conventioneering tonight... that was good for a laugh. Surely its a lock for the good guys this time around, no?

Meanwhile, back on our planet...
Obama Ad (featuring "Fake Empire" by The National)

Song :: Fake Empire by The National

Everything else is just borrowed

Great new tune and vid from The Streets...

Song :: Everything is Borrowed by The Streets
Video :: Everything is Borrowed by The Streets


This recent video from The Streets is pretty clever too. The new album is out in two weeks.

Neon Bumbag

A new one from Stereolab - some nice visuals to perk up a rainy Tuesday. Excellent timing on this one too since Rachel just sent me Stereolab's 1996 album "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" the other day. Woo-ho:

Neon Beanbag


Song :: Neon Beanbag by Stereolab

It's well weapon
(yes, I've been into this lately).

Keep it dusty, yeah.

Left of Centre

Putting aside Swedish uke-n-accordian tunes for a mo...

A smiley summer single from this hip young dude... the video shows Mr. Esser, all retro'd up, having a block party with his fellow Chelmsfordians.
Headlock


A new single from Mr. Bright Eyes...
Video :: Souled Out!!! by Conor Oberst


Eugene Hütz starred in “Everything is Illuminated” but is really getting a name for himself on the touring circuit through his band Gogol Bordello - a gypsy-themed punk band that has done for gypsy music what The Pogues did for Irish music (bastardized and sped up). Gogol Bordello are a band that "the Scot down the road" will go to any lengths to see live. I can see why...
Video :: Wonderlust King (live) by Gorgol Bordello


Song :: Headlock by Esser
Song :: Souled Out!!! by Conor Oberst
Song :: American Wedding by Gogol Bordello

The Format's Nate has a new band: "Fun". They sound like a cross between The Format (those vocals are just too distinctive) and The Hidden Cameras...
Song :: Benson Hedges by Fun (UPDATED link)

Bottle Rocket

The Go! Team tops my list of bands-I-must-see-before-I-get-really-old-and-can't-bop-my-head-up-and-down-anymore. Here's a fan's eye view of the energy they created recently during their hour long, daytime stint at the palooza...

Fan Video :: The Go! Team live at Lollapalooza, August 1, 2008, Chicago

Song :: Bottle Rocket by The Go! Team

Glósóli-leg hún

Here's a newly available live performance... yet more proof that Sigur Rós may very well be the most brilliant band on the planet, or at least the most brilliant band on the planet that continues to upload free, exceedingly lengthy, high quality video clips. Doubters can tune in between the 5 and a half and 7 and a half minute marks where Glósóli reaches its crescendo and Jónsi's perfected, other-worldly vocal melds effortlessly with the smashing wall of noise. This should not be possible:

Video :: Sigur Rós live at MOMA, NYC, June 2008

Looks like Jónsi's mullet's coming in just fine. A new one from them, the excellent Við spilum endalaust (featured in the MoMA clip, beginning at 16:37):
Song :: Við spilum endalaust by Sigur Rós

Oh my, the kid from Witness now has facial hair!

Brand Spanking New Video :: Cath by Death Cab for Cutie


Song :: Cath by Death Cab for Cutie

3 MC's and one DJ

Scary
Here’s a song I knew and loved in the 80’s. Until now, I had never known what Lene Lovich looked like. This is exactly how I pictured her - especially the way she contorts her gruesome face during all those “uh-oh, uh-oh’s”:
Video :: Lucky Number by Lene Lovich


Death by Cardigan
Here’s a song I knew and loathed in the 80’s. Until now, I had never known what MC Miker G and DJ Sven looked like. This is no way near how I had pictured them. Turns out they’re Dutch, mustacheod and all cardi’ied up - who’d a thunk it?
Video :: Holiday Rap by MC Miker G and DJ Sven'


Canadian Content
Here’s a song I used to be scared of. Down right tame these days. Yes, there was a time when the number of punk-rock go-go dancers equaled that of your band members… A fuckin' classic.
Video :: Hawaii by The Young Canadians


Swede n’ Shouty

The indie-snob in me tried unsuccessfully to not like the original, and now Love is All provide the perfect cover - unique enough to stand on its own while ever respectful of the songs roots. Or whatever...
Song :: So far way from me (Dire straits cover) by Love is all

Roller skating bliss with FOTC

Ladies love the feel of the wheel...

Song :: Ladies of the World by Flight of the Conchords
Video :: Ladies of the World by Flight of the Conchords

Found the plot

Looks like, with their new album, Coldplay is poised to put to bed all the mocking they have been receiving over the past few years. Somewhat justified mocking I would say (they were trying a little to hard to achieve superstardom and got caught out). But all appears well again... they knew they had to change some things around with their sound and they did. Without going all Radiohead and inaccessible.

The songs from the upcoming "Viva La Vida or Death And All His Friends" are surprisingly excellent. Like this one with its propulsive hand-clap beats:
Song :: Cemeteries of London by Coldplay

Hopefully this stuff has some legs (they've fooled me before).

The New Music

Alison Goldfrapp offers up a breezy summer tune complete with breezy skater girl...
Song :: Caravan Girl by Goldfrapp
Video :: Caravan Girl by Goldfrapp


80's-inspired (jam-packed with every stereotypical 80's sound imaginable) tune from the band with the attention-grabbing name:
Song :: Slow Motion Tag Team by Natalie Portman's Shaved Head

dada da da da-da dada da da da-da dada da da da-da...
Song :: Time to Pretend by Mgmt

No one comes to Reseda

The video for Rogue Wave's catchy "Chicago x 12" is quite clever - playing up on the lyrical misunderstandings we all suffer from occasionally. Some suffer more than others! I had this "problem" constantly while growing up and get bugged to this day for believing "Elvira" was "We'll fire up". An honest mistake... on the part of everyone else (I mean, COME ON, check it out!!!)

Song :: Chicagox12 by Rogue Wave
Video :: Chicago x 12 by Rogue Wave


Video directed by Kermit the Frog apparently.

This town ain't big enough for the both of us

New Sparks... Song :: Lighten Up, Morrissey by Sparks

What kind of a crazy-assed world do we live in where it takes me two weeks to find out that Sparks have released a new album? That won’t happen under Obama’s watch! And it is not like I haven’t been looking either since Sparks are better than ever this particular decade. They have existed for 38 years and, more crucially, they have survived 38 years of questionable hair stylings. Not to mention a whole era of prog-rock. Here they are in vintage 80's glory:

Video :: With All My Might by Sparks

Make me invisible

90's ethereal shoegazers Lush have be reincarnated... in the form of Sheffield's Slow Down Tallahassee:
Song :: Electric Sun by Slow Down Tallahassee
Song :: The Beautiful Light by Slow Down Tallahassee

With only ourselves... we are truly free:
Video :: Electric Sun by Slow Down Tallahassee

My red balloon deflates every time I go into the office

Hailing from Portsmouth, The Strange Death of Liberal England (TSDOLE) are - so says TSDOLE - the sound of "an elephant arguing with a mouse!"

Song :: Oh Solitude by The Strange Death of Liberal England
Video :: Oh Solitude by The Strange Death of Liberal England


Also... the brand new video for Angelou features flamboyant hair and flamboyant tambourine.

Chip Chip

Someone standing on a stage, crouching behind a laptop, may not be your average Led Zeppelin fan’s vision of the proper historical progression of live music, but it is increasingly becoming the norm. In bizzaro-land indie circles that is. Plug in an iPod and a Game Boy and you have a full-blown band! Apparently there is a name for the blip-squeak-blooping sounds that emanate from laptop, various electronics and a Game Boy: chip/ bitpop. Sexy huh?

Chip/ bitpop is, at least, what one sixteen year old Swede, who goes by the name of Super Multifaros, refers to his Game Boy creations. The following, particularly fine, example of this music is the best darn thing I’ve heard all week (though I have, admittedly, hit a bit of a dry patch):

Song :: The Factory by Super Multifaros

Super says that, for a wee commission, he will gladly score for you some “hardcore” video game music should you have, you know, just completed programming your very own video game.

To further solidify my geekdom... there is a Bitpop/ chipmusic festival in Sweden in a couple of weeks that looks pretty cool. fsFreak does the theme song to the excellent digital poster:

Song :: About you now by Sugababes, remixed by fsFreak

Crystal Castles

In case there is any doubt regarding who the best new band over the past year is...

Song :: Crimewave by Crystal Castles

Here's the first minute and a half of Crystal Castles' "Black Panther":
Video Teaser :: Black Panther (now with 100% more lederhosen)

Best New Music of '08... so far

Okay, I've given "Hey Ma" a week of constant attention in order to rid myself of the bias that comes with judging new material from bands you've grown with over the decades. And I believe I have yet to fully discover just how brilliant this new James album is. This stuff needs to be heard!

Song :: Waterfall by James

"Waterfall" is a tight track and the chorus is "radio-friendly", in an alternative kinda way. Listen to how Tim Booth sings the criticized, not-so-original words "don’t take a phone company to tell you life’s pay as you go"... almost as a sigh. He is in top form here. Signature James guitars, piano and blaring horns flesh out this song. The album is full of this.

"My mirrors laughing at me, says boy are you getting old
There’s so much junk in your life what you’ve got you don’t even know
Don’t take a phone company to tell you life’s pay as you go
I wonder how much of life is set up in utero"

There is a "Hey Ma" rehearsal video and an excellent, fun interview here:
Myspace :: Jamesisnotaperson

One thing though... wherever you are, Tim Booth's 'fro... please come back!

Cull me morbid, cull me pale

PETA activist Morrissey has once again decided to boycott touring Canada in protest of our country's continued involvement in sealing. In response to the Canadian government's purported statement that the slaughter is necessary because it provides jobs for local communities, Mozzer noted that the "construction of German gas chambers also provided work for someone – this is not a moral or sound reason for allowing suffering." Morrissey has called for his fans to boycott Canadian goods, saying that Canada has "placed itself alongside China as the cruelest and most self-serving nation." Coincidentally, tonight I had yummy Chinese food served up from a Canadian restaurant. So I'll have to start my boycott tomorrow then.

Song :: Meat is Murder by The Smiths

Hey Ma! Where are you?

Today is new-album-release-day for James as their first output since the reformation gets unleashed on the world! Not quite... unless you live in the UK "Hey Ma" is not yet available (predicted Canada release is two weeks away). The seemingly long-gone practice of holding back foreign release dates (and watching loyal fans pay triple for imports) is not all that long-gone apparently. Congratulations music companies... just when we all thought you couldn't get your heads up your asses any further...

So, today, I bought the excellent Crystal Castles instead. Not quite in the same genre as James, this Canadian electronica duo's sound is more video game than the soaring anthems James has to offer. The video for Air War is listed as a fan creation but its pretty near spot-on and suitably creepy in its own unique little way...

Video :: Air War by Crystal Castles


Song :: Air War by Crystal Castles