Watch Flaming Lips Video For Embryonic Cut, “Watching the Planets,” In Which Wayne Coyne Gets Completely Naked, and a Giant Fur Monster Gives Birth to a Ton of Naked Adults…Flaming Lips, You’ve Gotten So Predictable (Uh, this is Most NSFW Thing Since This) [NME]
Stream Joy Orbison’s Remix of Four Tet’s Single “Love Cry” (Which Sounds Almost Nothing Like the Original Track…Which May or May Not Be a Good Thing); Elsewhere, the Original Version “Love Cry” is On the Upcoming There Is Love In You, Due Out January 26 [Gorilla vs. Bear]
Watch Trailer for Mogwai’s Live Documentary, Burning; Sadly, Trailer Contains No Fire, Just Dramatic Black and White Shots and Post-Rock; Burning Released 2010 [NME]
Lil Wayne Finally Gives Rebirth a Release Date (December 15); 2010 High School Grads Dread Possibly Being Named “Prom Queen” For Fear of Tiresome Chanting, Weezy Mimicry [Tiny Mix Tapes]
Hey, You Like the Hold Steady? (Yes, You Do). Then You Should Probably Be Psyched For Craig Finn’s Former Band, Lifter Puller, Re-releasing All Their Music, Along With a Commemorative Lifter Puller Book. (You Will Be Excited, Or I’ll Make You Excited); Elsewhere, I Am Unhealthily In Love With the Hold Steady [Pitchfork]
Stream Hot Chip’s “Take It In” off the Upcoming (And Announced Yesterday) One Life Stand; Elsewhere, I Beg the Question: Who Likes Hot Chip? I Have Heard They Are Huge, But Have Never Met a Single Person Who Would Call Themselves a Hot Chip Fan. Prove Me Wrong, Readers [Prefix]
Watch Brooklyn’s Merrill Garbus, Better Known as Tune-Yards (Even More Better Known as tUnE-YaRdS) Perform “Real Live Flesh” in the 4AD Studios. It’s Good and Local…Just Like Us [Prefix]
Stream New Atlas Sound, “The Screens,” Which May Be the Most Stripped Bare, Fragile (And Possibly Best) Song Bradford Cox Has Ever Recorded – Download the New Virtual 7 Inch Here [Gorilla vs. Bear]
compiled by Max Sebela
photo by Natasha Ryan
LIVE JOURNAL
JezebelMusic.com @ Le Poisson Rouge
October 20, 2009 | Selmanaires, Atlas Sound, Broadcast
The first night of CMJ always makes me feel like a kid and each year I try to arrive early with wide-eyed anticipation. By the end of the week, though I’m back to being a jaded adult (or since this is related to indie rock, a post-kid?) feeling satisfied but a little empty. This time, I began at Le Poisson Rouge to see the Selmanaires, Atlas Sound, and Broadcast.
Selmanaires came on stage and I had no idea what to expect. Four guys from Atlanta, Georgia looking like they just stepped out of a 9 to 5 software developing job to relive their youth. Also there were bongos. Naturally, I kept hoping for a slightly aged version of Vampire Weekend or something equally goofy. I was only slightly let down: while their set was very engaging and at times beautiful, their music sounded as dated as their appearance. The first track was like if Blonde Redhead were around in 1985. Imagine creepy bedroom pop or any other genre that could be considered both ambiguous and boring. The aptly named lead singer, Herb Harris, showcased some jerky motions in front of his Mini-Korg synth, and dipped heavily into every strum of his guitar. Surprisingly, the bongos added a great deal to the sampled drums without sounding too cheesy and still really, really 80s. The music changed as the set went on, adding some live drumming from multi-instrumentalist Jason Harris (Herb’s twin! No, seriously!), and picked up quite a bit. Selmanaires sound ranged from 80s-esque, to bafflingly New Wave or even Krautrock-y at times, exchanging the slow pace for tribal, angular pop, including a cover of the B-52s’ “Deep Sleep.” It was definitely solid music, but seemed as if it hit a dead end long ago, like when they were all still in high school. Like, you know, in the 80s.
More on CMJ 2009: Selmanaires, Atlas Sound, Broadcast @ Le Poisson Rouge | 10.20.09
Watch New Girls Video For Girls Highlight “Laura,” Which Is Like a Really Hip, Joyous Version of the Opening to The Brady Bunch…Only With More Tattoos (Maybe; They Rarely Took of Their Shirts on That Show) [NME]
Dancey Portland Band Starfucker (Who, You May Remember, Was Unhappy With Their NSFW Band Name) Changes Name to PYRAMID; Elsewhere (Specifically in North Carolina), There Is Already a Band Called Pyramid [Brooklyn Vegan]
Brooding UK Indie Band Editors Launch Their Own Version of Google Street View, With Specific Locations Playing Songs From Their New Album, In This Light and On This Evening — This Is Probably A Lot Cooler For Someone Even Remotely Familiar With London’s Geography [NME]
Weezer Frontman Rivers Cuomo To Sit Down and Write Songs With Katy Perry Next Week; Possible Results: “I Kissed a God Damn Half-Japanese Girl,” “Only In Ur Dreams,” “Waking Up In The Garage (If You Want To Destroy My Career)” [Pitchfork]
Courtney Love Owes Over $300,000 In Back Taxes, Shuts Down Her Twitter Account – Two Stories Unrelated, As Twitter Is Free Service [Prefix]
New Zealand Innocuously Good Indie Poppers The Ruby Suns Announce New Album; Fight Softly Released March, 2010 [You Ain’t No Picasso]
Stream Bon Iver’s Final Concert; In Other News, Bon Iver’s Hiatus Very Temporary, I Get Bombastic In Attempt to Cause Controversy On Our Website [Radio Milwaukee]
Stream Title Track From Brooklyn’s Acrylics’ Upcoming EP All of the Fire; Produced by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor (And Released on Terrible Records, His Label), EP Released October 28 [Jezebel Music]
Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox To Release Bonus EP With Atlas Sound LP Logos When Ordered From Rough Trade; I Haven’t Looked Into Yet, But Knowing Cox’s Security Practices, EP Probably Leaked Before It Was Even Recorded [Pitchfork]
Guard Arrested For Assaulting a Fan Taking Pictures at House of Blues Chicago; Weirdly, Assault Took Place at Hanson Concert – And What Else Is There To Do When Seeing Hanson, Except Twittering Pictures of Hanson, Still In Disbelief They Have Songs Other Than “Mmmbop” [Idolator]
Baritone California Mope-Folker Mark Everett, AKA Eels, AKA Mr. E, AKA E, To Release Basement Tapes Album; End Times Released January 18 [NME]
compiled by Max Sebela
Stream Shoegaze-y New Panda Bear Track, Performed Live This Weekend At All Tomorrow’s Parties NY (Warning: Recording Is Incredibly Janky, For Lack of a Better Word) [Gorilla vs. Bear]
Watch Kanye West Completely Ruin Taylor Swift’s “Best Female Video” VMA Win, Believes “Single Ladies” Best Video of Decade; Elsewhere, Kanye Apologizes (Sort Of: “I AM VERY HAPPY FOR TAYLOR” Followed By: “I GAVE MY AWARDS TO OUTKAST WHEN THEY DESERVED IT OVER ME”) [Entertainment Weekly]
Stream Death Cab for Cutie Song For Twilight Sequel New Moon, “Meet Me on the Equinox” (MTV Calls It “Perfect” Accompaniment For the Upcoming Film; MTV Correct: It Sucks) [MTV]
Watch Trailer For Documentary On Michael Jackson’s Last Planned Tour, This Is It (From The Look of It, Film Features Less Emotive Footage of Jackson’s Last Days; More Dancing and Pyrotechnics) [Prefix]
Former Rolling Stones Guitarist Mick Taylor Broke As Hell; Meanwhile, Keith Richards Sleeps On Seemingly Bottomless Pile of Gold, Cocaine, and Mickey Mantle Rookie Cards [Prefix]
Jim Carroll, “Basketball Diaries” Author, Punk Frontman of The Jim Carroll Band, Passes Away at 60 [New York Times]
Atlanta Psych-Artists Deerhunter Announce Hiatus “For A Long Time”(Boo-Hiss); Frontman Bradford Cox Releases Atlas Sound LP Logos October 20 [Spinner]
Stream Dutch DJ Tiësto Track “Kaleidoscope” Featuring Sigur Rós Frontman Jónsi Birgisson, Kaleidoscope Released October 20 [Pitchfork]
Stream Toro y Moi Remix of Blog-Loved Washed Out Single “Feel it All Around;” – Not For Those With General Propensity To Feel Sadness/Regularly Tear Up At Brand New’s “Soco Amaretto Lime” [Gorilla vs. Bear]
Ohio Blues Duo The Black Keys Announce Hip-Hop Sideproject Blakroc; Blakroc Released November 27 (And Features Raekwon, Q-Tip, and Mos Def…Stream First Track [NME]
compiled by Max Sebela
September 10, 2009
Hidden Gems
HIDDEN GEMS
Snatch and The Poontangs | Snatch and The Poontangs
For the discerning fan of both electric blues and dirty words, you can’t do much better than the 1969 release, Snatch and The Poontangs. It’s the uncredited work of expert bluesman Johnny Otis and a tight backing band including his wunderkind son Shuggie. The Poontangs’ only album has 9 filthy, funny songs, including a super-bloody, sexed-up version of the Stagger Lee story (“The Great Stack-a-Lee”) that seems to have lyrically influenced Nick Cave’s similarly X-rated 1996 version. Other highlights include “Hey Shine,” where black boxer Jack Johnson saves all the other blacks from the sinking Titanic, and “The Pissed-Off Cowboy.”
by Justin Remer
The Dovers | We’re Not Just Anybody
Sixties garage rock enthusiasts may already know The Dovers, but I’d highly recommend them to the uninitiated, especially those of you who’ve been enjoying “Walkabout,” the newish single from Atlas Sound and Noah Lennox. That bubbling organ loop you hear on “Walkabout” is sampled from The Dovers’ single “What Am I Going To Do.” But The Dovers aren’t as cheerful as the “Walkabout” sample might imply: they’re California pop alright, but rain-soaked and full of teenage melancholy. The Dovers only recorded eight singles, which used to be pretty hard to come by, but now you can find them all on We’re Not Just Anybody, their 10” compilation.
by Erin Sheehy
More on Hidden Gems
Karen O’s Where The Wild Things Are Soundtrack To Be Released In Late September, But You Can Get A Teeny Preview Here [The Tripwire]
Robert Zemeckis To Remake Yellow Submarine. Let’s Hope It’s Windy Enough for Yoko [The Tripwire]
Watch The Walkmen’s New Video, “On The Water” [Pitchfork]
Listen To New Atlas Sound Track, “Attic Lights” [Stereogum]
RJD2 Launches Own Label, Celebrates By Digitally Reissuing A Ton Of Rarities, Dropping Fatty Vinyl Compilation, And Finishing His Next Full-Length. Whew. [Pitchfork]
Uh Oh, UK’s Lovvers Are Comin’ Back For More Kissin’ At CMJ! [Brooklyn Vegan]
Deerhoof To Star In Art Film That Refashions Sympathy For The Devil. Too Bad It Ain’t Cocksucker Blues. [Pitchfork]
Phil Spector Would Like To Move To Better Prison With Fewer “Scumbags,” And More, Ahem, People Like Himself? [Prefix]
Download DJ Jazzy Jeff’s Remix of Peter, Bjorn, and John [SPIN]
Okay, I Won’t Wear The New “Kanye Is A Whiny Bitch” T-Shirt, But I Might Be Obligated To Buy A “Slow News Day” One [Idolator]
compiled by Erin Sheehy
Annual New York Music Film Extravaganza CMJ Announces Initial Line-Up: Atlas Sound, Cymbals Eat Guitars, and The Antlers All Confirmed (Man, I Wish That Was Just One Showcase); CMJ Runs October 20-24 [Brooklyn Vegan]
Black Eyed Peas Set New Record For Most Consecutive Weeks As Number One Single; Music Fans Confused As To Who Exactly Has Been Listening To The Black Eyed Peas [NME]
German Electronic Pioneers Kraftwerk To Release Epic 8-Disc Box Set, With Not So Epic 8-Bit Artwork [Pitchfork]
Michael Jackson’s Doctor And Dermatologist To Be Charged With Manslaughter According To…Err…Fox News? [NME]
Patrick Wolf Apologizes For Stage Freakout; More Importantly, Video Of Freakout Remains Mildly Humorous [Pitchfork]
Stream Danish Shoegazers Mew’s New Album, No More Stories…, (Just a Little) Early; Released August 24 [NME]
Banned And Unflattering 1972 Rolling Stones Documentary Cocksucker Blues Streaming On Internet – See Mick Jagger and Keith Richards Come Off As Assholes BEFORE That Was Obvious Upon Seconds of Exposure! [Prefix]
Southern Rap Pioneers OutKast’s Big Boi Announces New Solo LP, Sir Luscious Leftfoot: Son of Chico Dusty (Uhh..Awesome); Will Be Released “In A Few Months” [The Tripwire]
compiled by Max Sebela
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s Frontman Alec Ounsworth Releases A Surprise Solo Album, Skin and Bones, Buy It Here; Ounsworth’s Solo Debut (Uh, I Guess Not Anymore…Follow-up?) Mo Beauty Released October 20 [Brooklyn Vegan]
Stream New Wavves Song, “Cool Jumper,” Allegedly Featuring Hella’s Drummer Extraordinaire Zach Hill…It’s Six Minutes Long, And, Hate To Admit It, Pretty Cool [Gorilla Vs. Bear]
Stream The Notebook Star Ryan Gosling’s Band Dead Man’s Bones’s New Song “My Body’s A Zombie For You”…Weirdly, That’s Exactly What The Song Is About, And Features A Chorus Of Children Singing About Said Zombies; Dead Man’s Bones Released October 6 [Pitchfork]
MTV Gives Up Times Square Studio, Famous As TRL’s Home – Backstreet Boys Unsure Of Where They’ll Announce Umpteenth Reunion Tour, And Perform A Capella Cover of Some Boyz II Men Song In Front Of Dwindling, School-Cutting Preteens [Idolator]
Stream Justin Vernon’s (Bon Iver) New Project Volcano Choir’s First Song “Island, IS” (This Song Is Proof That Bon Iver Could Record A Dance Album); Volcano Choir’s Debut, Unmap, Released September 22 [Pitchfork]
Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones’ Them Crooked Vultures Unveil 14 Seconds of Song, “Nobody Loves Me And Neither Do I” [Spin]
The Lower East Side to Tribeca And Now to Williamsburg New York Venue The Knitting Factory Announces Les Savy Fav Will Headline Their Opening Show On September 9; Knitting Factory Also Announces Plan To Get Priced Out In a Few Years, And Be Forced To Move Again [NME]
Popular LA Venue (And Birthplace of No Age and Abe Vigoda) The Smell Announces DVD Live at the Smell; Released September 1 [Pitchfork]
Britpop Giants The Verve Break Up For The Third Time (Which Is Good, Because Without The Verve Making New Music, They Can Be Properly and Exclusively Remembered For This) [Guardian]
Norwegian Electopop Queen Annie’s Second Album Don’t Stop To Finally Be Released October 19, Nearly A Year After It Leaked [Pitchfork]
Deerhunter’s Bradford Cox, AKA Atlas Sound, Releases Fleetwood Mac Cover, “Walk A Thin Line”; Stream It [Deerhunter Blog]
compiled by Max Sebela
