Janelle Monáe on Letterman

Pop R&B may have found its new shining star in Janelle Monáe. The level of excitement and energy is barley containable in this blistering performance Monáe made on The Late Show a few weeks ago. Although her performance seems to merely gobble up and spit out famous performers of yesteryear, to see them spewing forth from this young lady is awe-inspiration. Guaranteed to crack a smile on your face.

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper

Prince - "Creep" [Live At Cochella]

I remember reading about Prince performing a cover of Radiohead's first hit, but nothing can describe the satisfaction of actually hearing it. It's once again a testament to the brilliance of the artist - talented and humble (in the idea that he's playing such a powerful rendition of a song that's not his own), probably the two best traits to have go hand in hand. Although it would have been nice to hear him tackle the emotional climax of the original version's bridge, Prince's soulful interpretation of the lyrics (slightly modified to fit his own style), is nothing short of amazing.

Charlotte Gainsbourg - "Time Of The Assassins" Video

For those who haven't checked it out yet, this the new surrealist video from Charlotte Gainsbourg's Beck-produced album, IRM. "Time Of The Assassins" is one of the many great tracks from the album, showcasing the dreamier side of its multi-facets.

Jay Bennett's Death : One Year Later

A year ago today, former Wilco member Jay Bennett was found dead in his home, the victim of an accidental overdose on muscle relaxers. The loss to the music world was great, not only in that it lost one of the most gifted musicians of this generation, but also in that it was the unfortunate end to a music career that was already considerably curbed because of his firing from the band that made him at least somewhat famous. I wish I could say I've enjoyed his post-Wilco solo work, or his band Titanic Love Affair, but unfortunately his output since his departure has always fallen under the mark - a Q without a U, much in the same way most of Wilco's work has suffered without their former multi-instrumentalist (A Ghost Is Born aside). A part of me always held out hope that Bennett and Jeff Tweedy would reconcile their differences and collaborate again but instead, Bennett's abrupt end has left a void like an unfinished book, a wrong that never will be made right. His death is one of the most regrettable losses I have come to know and it will continue to pain me every time I think of what could have been.

Just a thought

When I was a teenager, I was very reluctant to give new artists a shot. I had spent most of my childhood building a foundation in 90's alternative rock as it was happening, and had become drastically disillusioned with the idea of "current" music - a direct effect from the influx of horrendous artists that emerged between 98-01. I would like to go on record as saying that this period was one of the worst ever in terms of mainstream music. With alternative rock acts becoming old hat, the scene defaulted back into pop - really bad pop. Boy bands, nu metal, rap rock, dinosaur rock acts returning to great success. When indie started getting back in style again with the "garage revival", I really wasn't interested anymore. My tastes had moved into the past, building up my classic rock and post punk collections. I really didn't wake up and smell the coffee until about 2006, when a legion of new artists like Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs had already released their milestone records (for the record. I was into some new bands such as The White Stripes, but I could have been much more active in the music scene).

In recent years, I've been making up for lost time, and am much more immersed in current music. This being said, there are some artists I feel like I just don't need in my life. The Black Keys for instance. They're a good band. I listened to their new album, Brothers, the other day and it was very enjoyable. I just don't feel like this is something I'm going to be going back to years from now. Another example is Band Of Horses who I just watched on Letterman a few minutes ago. A good tune, sort of catchy - completely unnecessary to have to hear again. It's a shame, because when I see people responding positively to an artist, I kind of always want to be in on it, but ultimately I only have so much room in my brain. I keep a watchful ear on everything out there and am always interested in new sounds. A group like Band Of Horses though I feel won't stand the test of time. I feel their legacy will be viewed like the way we look at a band like Tripping Daisy now - clever, but pretty much disposable.

LCD Soundsystem - "Drunk Girls"

I haven't picked up This Is Happening yet, but this video is keeping me busy in the meantime. A total one take freakout, "Dunk Girls" will be a tough act to beat for Sacotn's video of the year (although there's seven more months for everyone out there to start trying).

New Pains Of Being Pure At Heart Song/Video

I've recently been pulled in by the Brooklyn band, The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart. While I enjoyed the Psychocandy-esque songs I heard on their eponymous debut, the memory quickly faded and I never went on to actually picking up the album. Having heard two newer songs by them recently, my interest has been renewed. The first here is their latest video for the title track of their semi-recent EP, Higher Than The Stars (2009). The song is an absolutely delicious synth pop stroodle (a song that would have fit nicely on The Cure's The Head On The Door). Likewise, they have a new song called "Lost Saint", which is a guaranteed summer staple.

Here is the video for "Higher Than The Stars". "Lost Saint" is linked above via Drowned In Sound.

RIP Ronnie James Dio

When I was a freshman in high school, my friend Chris used to drive me home frequently. A close friend to everyone in my family, he had just gotten his teaching degree and was working at another school close to where I went. On these rides, he used to blast a wide array of tunes - some good, some bad...always diverse. One day when flipping from some Beastie Boys to Machine's "There But For The Grace Of God Go I", Chris pulled out a metal mix, on which the main star was the great Ronnie James Dio. The CD contained tracks by Black Sabbath, Elf, Rainbow, and of course his titular band, Dio. For years since, RJD has been my go to man for rambunctious, dramatic, classic metal. I'm saddened by his passing and hope his legacy will live on, especially in car rides home from school. Here is a clip of my favorite Dio song.

Strange Powers at the Bell House 5/10/10

On Monday night, I was lucky enough to attend a screening of the new documentary Strange Powers, that chronicles the work of Stephin Merritt and The Magnetic Fields. Among the attendants of the viewing were the film's directors, Kerthy Fix and Gail O'Hara, Sleater-Kinney's Carrie Brownstein, a guy who either was, or looked exactly like Justin Peroff from Broken Social Scene (it probably wasn't him; I think the band is touring Canada presently), and most importantly, long time Magnetic Fields member, and Merritt's manager, Claudia Gonson. Gonson, who just recently gave a solo performance at that Chris Knox benefit last week everyone was hollering about, performed again by herself, playing a medley of David Bowie songs while she recalled anecdotes involving herself, Stephin, and David Bowie. A rather hilarious twenty minutes or so later (Gonson played piano next to a portrait of a Ziggy Stadust era Bowie), the film began and I finally had numerous questions concerning Merritt and his past that I have pondered about for quite some time, answered (for instance, his songwriting and recording process). Like all documentaries about artists I love, I would have liked it to have been longer (although at 90 minutes, it was more attention I had ever seen a screen give to Merritt and company).

After the film, the directors and Miss Gonson took the stage for Q&A. While the crowd was timid at first, people eventually began asking pretty poignant questions concerning the film and the history of the band. One question that I felt was particularly notable was that if original MF vocalist, Susan Anway was contacted for interview (she was, but scheduling and personal conflicts prevented it from taking place). I asked Claudia if a Magnetic Fields live album had ever been considered, and that if the home release of this film could potentially yield a concert DVD as a bonus feature. While she pretty much ruled out the idea of a live record (Stephin apparently detests them), she did call to attention a fully edited video that exists documenting one of their 1999 shows where they performed 69 Love Songs in its entirety. While a release is not exactly under discussion right now, she did mention it as a remote possibility for the future. Until then, be on the lookout for Strange Powers as it will be receiving a theatrical release this Fall. Here is the trailer.

Sleigh Bells - Live at Ridgewood Temple 5/11/10

Last night, noise pop extraordinaires, Sleigh Bells, played a show at Ridgewood Temple in Bushwick, Brooklyn. The first opener, Sundelles went on around 9:30, rumbling forth with sunburned indie rock. While standing on line for beer, I noticed a tall, broad gentleman walk in, hand in hand with a pretty, young girl. It took me a second, but I quickly realized they were Brian Oblivion and Madeline Follin of dreampop upstarts Cults, who I had posted about earlier. Accompanied by a full backing band, Cults' live sound is a lot different than what their etheral single, "Go Outside", would suggest. While that song sways in the gentle breeze on vinyl, the addition of drums, bass, and a second guitar player, gave the song a funkier sound, that suited it well, although it didn't quite have the magic of its "studio" counterpart. The band seemed a little tense at first but eventually eased into the set - an understandable, minor flaw considering this was approximately their third show ever.

The wait between Cults and Sleigh Bells seemed infinite, considering the instrumentation setup was minimal. Finally the lights dimmed as a metal song blasted from the monitors, eventually breaking apart like a scratched CD fighting it's way off a stuck note. In a flash, Derek E. Miller took the stage, guitar held prominently in his hands - he banged out the first chord like a siren calling the crowd to arms. Suddenly, an explosion of sound began with the thunderous canon blasts of "Tell 'Em", the first track off Treats, the band's debut album, released digitally that day. Alexis Krauss took the stage wearing a tie dyed moo moo and leather coat. Strutting her stuff on stage, she delivered her sugar-tinged vocals like a sexy, disinterested waitress telling you the specials - and there were many specials. Meanwhile, the crowd was flipped into absolute ecstacy, jumping and dancing in a sea of sweat and warm bodies. The liberating nature of the destructive music got cranked into full blast as they pounded into the tribal, "Infinity Guitars", probably the most decipherable song lyrically in their repertoire, evident in the audience's accompanying vocals.

The swirling rush of the show was so strong that before you knew it, you were back on the ground, waiting for the encore - this of course was not before Krauss stage dived into the audience during "Crown On The Ground", being carried all the way to the middle of the temple. The wait was brief, and she quickly came back and did a great rendition of "Rill Rill" (a song that's title seems to be disputed so much that even she drew attention to it saying, "this song is called 'Rill Rill', or 'Ring Ring' or whatever the fuck you want to call it" -paraphrased). The show itself was only about a half hour (roughly the length of the record), but the intensity was so strong that another five minutes would have felt like it was bordering on becoming dangerous.

When the show ended, I couldn't find my sweater which I had put on the front of the stage. I hopped on and ended up backstage where the band was with their friends. I asked Alexis if she saw it to which she told me she kicked it backward at one point during the show by accident. Eventually I located it and on my way out, briefly spoke with Derek who had just finished breaking down his equipment. A very nice fellow, we talked about the physical release of the album which he speculated would be June 1st. I thanked him and bid him adieu. A fantastic show through and through, and if the album lives up to my predictions, a show for the history books.

Check out Brooklyn Vegan for more pics.

Sleigh Bells - Treats

Do yourself a favor and listen to the first truly great record of the decade. NPR is streaming Treats for the rest of the week. Stop, collaborate, and listen...then go out and buy it.

Mother's Day Mixtape

In honor of Mother's Day, I have compiled a mixtape of the greatest maternal dedications. Whether they are songs of rejoicing or bitterness towards those that birthed them, these artists made their shout outs loud and clear, and that is - word to your mother.

click on the link to download

1. Moby - "Love Song For My Mom"
2. Jay-Z - "December 4th"
3. The Dead Weather - "Treat Me Like Your Mother"
4. Lenny Kravitz - "Always On The Run"
5. The Smashing Pumpkins - "Once Upon A Time"
6. The Police - "Mother"
7. Danzig - "Mother"
8. Genesis - "Mama"
9. The Beatles - "Your Mother Should Know"
10. The White Stripes -"I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother's Heart"
11. Jeff Buckley - "Mama, You've Been On My Mind"
12. The Knife - "We Share Our Mother's Health"
13. Johnny Cash & Bob Dylan - "That's Alright Mama"
14. Kanye West - "Hey Mama"
15. Sufjan Stevens - "Romulus"
16. Sugarcubes - "Mama"
17. LL Cool J - "Mama Said Knock You Out"
18. Tori Amos - "Mother"
19. The Beatles - "Julia"
20. 2Pac - "Dear Mama"

Bonus Track:

The Flaming Lips - "Pennyroyal Tea"

Before The Flaming Lips were our ambassadors for deep space music, they were just another one of those 90's hipster bands trying to fight their way through the masses and into your record collection. The difference between the Lips though and a band like say, Tripping Daisey, is that they were actually making amazing noise pop. Although most would place their best work in the keyboard laden, dream pop phase of their career, starting with their 1999 masterpiece, The Soft Bulletin, my heart still belongs to their early to mid 90s's work, where their sweet catchy melodies met with ear crushing distortion and feedback at every turn (not to mention the wily guitar gymnastics that Ronald Jones exuded). Here's a clip I just found of them covering Nirvana's "Pennyroyal Tea". Wayne Coyne's vocal is a little rough on the chorus, but regardless, this performance showcases the raw edge that the Lips once had in live performance, that is now swapped for bombast and showmanship (don't get me wrong, their current live show is great, but it's more about visual extravagance rather than musical performance).

Flaming Lips: Pennyroyal Tea (Nirvana) from Chris Buly on Vimeo.

Disregard the credit that says 1998, as this performance is clearly pre-Zaireeka.

Sacotn Suggests

Here's a sweet bar hopper track for ya. The band is called Foster The People, and they've existed for about one hot second. Unknown and unsigned, the band is sure to make some headway on the indie circuit with at least this song, a vibey anthem called "Pumped Up Kicks". When it becomes a hit, don't say I didn't warn you.

Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands....NOT

It seems like the Elliott Smith memorial wall just can't have any peace. Here's its latest trial:

Oh Well, Okay.

While the memorial remains in tact despite the mistake, this is not the first time the memorial has been messed with by the thoughtless and disrespectful:

Cults

As described in an earlier post, I intern for the A&R department of a major label. Here's a band they showed me this morning, that they're potentially looking at. Simply named Cults, there is very little else information about them out currently, other than they're a couple from NYC. They have one seven inch single that's A-side, "Go Outside", is a smokey indie pop gem. Whereas bands like Vampire Weekend take afrobeat and channel it through upbeat rhythms, "Go Outside" uses it to create a dreamy landscape, with a vivid vibe. Be the first on take them home with you (before they actually get a Myspace profile).