VIDEO: The Boss Turns 60!

If you're a friend of mine, then you know I only wish belated birthday wishes. So in that vein, consider this my happy-belated to The Boss (who turned 60 on Wednesday).

And for a pretty amazing post with 60 facts for 60 years of rock & roll, go HERE. Enjoy.

VIDEO: Into The Clouds by The Sound of Arrows

If you haven't checked out The Sound Of Arrows yet, do it now. Seriously. Everything these two Swedes have put out so far has been M.A.G.I.C.

VIDEO: The hope for our future

No matter how bad things get, at least we all know that this kid is going to make the world a better place.

NEWS: Mason Jennings record has a name and a date

Back in March we posted the good news that Mason Jennings was working on a new record that was, in his words, "on the rock side of things". Recently, in a post on the Brushfire Records website, we got some more details on the record: it's called Blood of Man and it's due out September 15th on Brushfire Records. Mason also elaborated on his move to a more plugged-in sound, which involves The Who, Christmas ornaments, and dancing children (read it here).

Mason also posted a tour announcement on his website last Tuesday (my birthday!) that went like this:

"I can't wait to get out on the road and play the new songs from Blood of Man. This batch of songs is so intensely personal, so dark, and so rocking that I am a little afraid of what will happen. That's why I am bringing out my good friends Brian McLeod on drums and Chris Morrissey on bass. I will be playing a lot of electric guitar and I can honestly say that I have no idea what will be conjured up. I only know that it will be really open, really loud and really real."

Wow. So dark? So rocking? Conjured up?! There's a bunch of good news in there - but mostly that Mason's hooking back up with his Use Your Voice-era lineup: Brian McLeod and Chris Morrissey. Honestly, I can't tell you how excited I am about that. These three probably make up my favorite live-incarnation of Mason's music - bringing the heart and soul of his music like no other backing band has been able to. Here's a clip of them bringin' it in Charlottesville, VA to demonstrate:

Also, through August 1st iTunes is offering an exclusive Mason track, benifitting the Surfrider Foundation. Go grab it.

(Thanks to Ty for the tip!)

CONCERT: The Antlers in Indy!

Whoa whoa whoa. Remember when there used to be a blog here? Yeah, me too. Sorry about that. I know I said I was back at the end of June, and I was. But since being back, I packed up everything I own, drove it across the country, unpacked most of it, and started dental school in Indianapolis. We just now got our internet situation figured out. In the meantime, Logan's been back and forth to CA, figuring out his near future there, and our server has been (of course) down for the count.

So. We're trying to figure the server thing out ASAP. Until then, we'll try to post as regularly as we can - throwing up videos or something. We're not done here. Not even close.

On Wednesday night I got my first taste of Indy's music scene when my wife and I headed down to The Vollrath to see The Antlers (thanks, MOKB). Though the crowd was pretty light, the music was anything but - in fact, the amount of sheer sound this three-piece of a band made up there was pretty impressive. They covered just about all of Hospice, their recent record that's been making some waves (read our take on it HERE). Peter Silberman (who was the sole Antler until recently) was nothing but gracious all night, and had a pretty endearing stage-presence. Be sure to check them out if they're coming through your town.

Anyway, here's a video from their myspace page, because we don't have our server back yet. We'll get that figured out soon. Promise.

VIDEO: Patrick Wolf "Hard Times"

I've delved a little bit into glam rock as of late.
My interest was spurned by Okkervil River's fantastic ode to Bruce Wayne Campbell (better known as Jobriath) and continued onto other acts like David Bowie, The New York Dolls, and even Twisted Sister.
I don't know what hooked me. The larger than life characters these musicians create or their often times larger than life music?
And its fun to see that the spirit of those artists are still alive, most notably embodied within Patrick Wolf.
Want a crash course in glam rock? This is glam rock. Enjoy.

mp3: Patrick Wolf - Accident & Emergency
from the album The Magic Position (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: The Cold War Kids get interactive

Ok this is fun. Those Cold War Kids have gone and made an interactive video for their song "I've Seen Enough", and it's kind of great. The film was directed by Sam Jones (he did Wilco's I Am Trying to Break Your Heart), and has four distinct versions of the song that the viewer can switch between or mute altogether. Mix and match! Like I said, it's actually pretty fun. Check it out at mtvmusic.com.

And here's the regular (un-interactive) version:

VIDEO: The National on Jimmy Fallon

I know, I know - two posts on The National in just two days. But this is pretty great.



And yes, there was a little Nico Muhly in there.

ARTIST: Tinted Windows

Ok, so you might have heard of the supposed-supergroup Tinted Windows, made up of Taylor Hanson (of MMMBop fame), guitarist James Iha (from The Smashing Pumpkins), bassist Adam Schlesinger (from Fountains of Wayne), and drummer Bun E. Carlos (from Cheap Trick). I'll be honest, after laughing at the absurd-sounding collaboration, I didn't even bother listening to them - I mean, there's really no chance I'd like anything they're making. C'mon.

Well, I just happened to stumble on these videos of them performing on some show I've never heard of (with a ridiculously awkward host), and I must have been bored or something, because I watched them. And you know what? I don't hate them.






Ok, so what do you think? I mean the songs are pretty much fluff, but I was expecting that. They're obviously not gunning for anything too weighty - but the songs are hooky and pretty rockin', and the music sounds pretty close to the 90's power-pop I loved in junior high. Basically, I thought they're pretty fun despite myself, and that was worth writing about. The funny thing to me is that with Taylor Hanson heading the group you'd think there might be some heart-throb potential there, but I just don't see that happening with Carlos (who's close to 60) jamming right behind him. But who knows.

Also, happy Cinco De Mayo you guys.

SONG: French Navy

Camera Obscura's latest record, My Maudlin Career, has got me pretty well under its spell. Especially this song. The strings, the dramatic stops, Tracyanne Campbell's hopeless romantics - it's all here. And it's got a pretty adorable video too, especially for someone who's planning on backpacking Europe this summer...

If you like this one, check out the album. It's a pretty great one from these Scottish retro-poppers.

Camera Obscura - French Navy
from the album My Maudlin Career (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: Decemberists v. Colbert: Round 2

WARNING: When Shara Worden started singing Chris kind of died and felt weak at the knees. So take precaution.

I know there are a lot of you that are still on the fence about the Decemberists' latest The Hazards of Love. I think its fantastic.
And I hope this little performance they did for Stephen Colbert will convince a few of you of the majesty that is this album and the power that is the Decemberists.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Decemberists - The Wanting Comes in Waves
colbertnation.com
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VIDEO: Captain Eo & The Power of Music

Basically we learn here that music has the power to turn evil cyborgs into colorful dancing extras, and evil lairs into Roman gardens at twilight. But why not? Mostly this was just really nostalgic for me. I need to figure out a way to watch this in 3-D again.

Also: "We're gonna do it right this time cuz we're the best."

UPDATE: And here's the songs. Enjoy.

Michael Jackson - We Are Here To Change The World (from Captain EO)
from Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection (iTunes)


Michael Jackson - Another Part of Me
from the album Bad (iTunes)

VIDEO: Zooey Deschanel can do no wrong

So apparently in an effort to prove to us all that she's adorable no matter what she's doing, the gentler half of She & Him has gone and written a jingle for Cotton. That's right. Like the fabric, cotton. And it's the first jingle to ever get a 5-star rating on my itunes. So there. You win, Zooey. You win.



Here's the full mp3, which you can also download here.

Zooey Deschanel - Fabric Of My Life
from Cotton


And as a bonus, here's a little pre-She & Him track from Zooey and M. Ward. It's off The Go-Getter soundtrack. Enjoy!

M. Ward & Zooey Deschanel - When I Get To The Border
from The Go-Getter Soundtrack

VIDEO: Joe Cocker translated

Most of my generation recognize this song as the opening theme to The Wonder Years, a retrospective series about life in the 60's (and one of my favorite tv shows of all time). I think this four minute clip might give a better impression of what that decade was actually like.

I laughed pretty hard at this.

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends
from the album With A Little Help From My Friends (Amazon/iTunes)

VIDEO: The Whispertown 2000's 'Old Times'

To quote my very good friend Niels: "I dare you not to smile while watching this video."

I pass along that dare, and I might even upgrade it to a triple-dog. Fans of Jenny Lewis and Neko Case will enjoy this. Check out their website HERE.

VIDEO: Where The Wild Things Are

Ok. I just pee'd my pants.


Arcade Fire - Wake Up
from the album Funeral (iTunes)

VIDEO: Winter Gloves 'Let Me Drive'

I haven't listened to Winter Gloves at all. But this. This is pretty great.

This was pretty much my dream as a 10-year-old, as I may or may not have made countless flip-book animations throughout most of grade school.

VIDEO: The National & Dark Was The Night

The National contributed one of the stand-out tracks (of many stand-out tracks) to Red Hot's Dark Was The Night compilation released a few weeks ago. Pitchfork.tv posted this pretty great little behind-the-scenes look at the production of that song and the comp as a whole.

Enjoy!



The National - Tall Saint (demo)
from The Virginia EP (Amazon)

VIDEO: DCFC's 'Grapevine Fires'

Check out the latest video off last year's fantastic Narrow Stairs below. Animated by Walter Robot (aka artist Bill Barminski and writer Christopher Louie), it adds an interesting dimension to what was already a rather poignant song.

Written about the 2007 California wildfires, this song's a stand-out on that album for me. There were several times in my childhood when I'd sit on a high hill and watch the nearby landscape burn and the sky fill up with smoke and ash. It's always so surreal. I had a few friends that lost their homes in 2007's blaze, and the thought is always in the back of my mind that maybe it'll be ours next time. This video seems to capture that sense of mortality.

Check it out below, and as a bonus, try to spot the smoke monster from LOST in the first few frames:

CONCERT: Andrew Bird + Loney Dear

Andrew Bird played Wednesday night at In The Venue in Salt Lake City, along with Sweden's Loney Dear (formerly "Loney, Dear" - they've recently dropped the punctuation), and now I'm sitting here wondering what in the world I could write to do it justice. I already expressed my feelings for Bird's new record, and I think a lot of those same feelings of awe are very apt for his live show. Between the tape-looped whistling and violining, Martin Dosh's genius percussion, and Bird's own amazing ability to just put on a fantastic show, I just can't express how great it was. Unfortunately, I'm a loser and forgot to charge my camera battery, so I have no pics for you. Lame, I know.

The setlist is below, along with a video of Mr. Bird playing on Letterman a few weeks back. But now I'd like to take a second and just say "Holy crap!" about the opening act, Loney Dear's performance. Fronted by Emil Svanängen, these guys completely floored me. I know how hard it is to make beautiful and intimate music on a stage in a room full of strangers, and the fact that these guys did it so well makes it clear that they've got something special going. I promise I'll be writing more about them later. In the meantime, check out a track from their 2007 release, Loney, Noir (below).

Here's Andrew Bird's setlist:

Instrumental intro / Masterswarm / Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left / Tenuousness / Natural Disaster / Effigy / Oh No / Plasticities / Nomenclature / Not A Robot, But A Ghost / Armchairs / Anonanimal / Fake Palindromes / Imitosis / Headsoak / Tables and Chairs

Encore: Why? / Fitz and Dizzyspells

Loney Dear - I Am John
from the album Loney, Noir (Amazon/iTunes)