thus spake drake

Now Downloading: New Releases 01.24.12 - Cloud Nothings

2012-01-25T13:27:00.000-08:00

Dylan Baldi's Cloud Nothings get it together on Attack on Memory.

As the first month of 2012 nears its close, we have our very first year-end contender with the sophomore release from Cloud Nothings. Steve Albini's production combined with Dylan Baldi surrounding himself with a full band makes for a giant leap from his debut. Besides that, there are noteworthy releases from The Hold Steady's Craig Finn stepping out solo, The Darcys taking on a Steely Dan classic album, Sweden's First Aid Kit, the return of baroque pop legends Cardinal (Richard Davies/Eric Matthews), Chairlift, Nada Surf, Laura Gibson, Foxy Shazam, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Maccabees, and an interesting collection of Bob Dylan covers to celebrate 50 years of Amnesty International.

Playlist: New Releases 01.24.12 / Spotify

Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory
Purchase [mp3] / Spotify

At first glance, the initial concept behind Attack on Memory is kind of funny, given that Cleveland's Dylan Baldi is just 20 years old and has but one full length under his belt prior. There's not a lot of memory to attack, but attack he does, laying to waste any concept you might have had about the pop/punk leanings of his Cloud Nothings project. First off, there's a full band now, one that's built up a solid rep as a great live band, so having that at his disposal in the studio already changes the game. But then Baldi went and got Steve Albini to record his sophomore release, instantly upping the ante. The opening track (and first submitted single) "No Future/No Past" makes the statement up front - this is going to be an entirely different affair than the last. With it's moody beginning and dynamic shifts it oozes Slint, and not just because they share an Albini genetic marker. While it's still easy to hear Slint in the songs that follow, the rest of the album prefers to keep the foot on the gas (starting with the amazing "Wasted Days"), making for an exhilarating ride through the early 90s, a time just before Baldi was even born.

Download: "Stay Useless" [mp3]

Craig Finn - Clear Heart Full Eyes
Purchase [mp3] / Spotify

I'm not sure how I feel about The Hold Steady's Craig Finn paraphrasing Friday Night Light's inspirational call to action on his debut solo release. On the one hand, it's great that there's enough of us FNLHeads out there for it to be a cultural touch point, but if you're going to use it -- even in its scrambled form -- better make sure it's apropos to the album's content, and aside from Finn recording this in Austin (where the series was filmed), there's not a lot of parallel. Speaking of Austin, Finn's slow drive from the bars of Minnesota to the... Um... bars of Brooklyn, briefly led him to Memphis, making this entry into "Texas Forever!" territory like a brief respite from THS. The widespread reach of his regular gig had to have become a bit stifling to Finn's previous intimate Catechismic sketches, and Clear Heart Full Eyes gets back to Finn's altar-boy-needs-a-fix ways. But here he plays it pretty much straight, minus all the rock bravado and bombast that Tad Kubler helped provide. And while the tumbleweed dotted landscape of a steel guitar proves an interesting backdrop for Finn's sing-talky delivery, it's hard not to feel at times like a dramatic turn via brash guitars is needed to kick Finn's character study forward.

Free AOL Album Stream

Music on TV - Week of 01.23.12: Wilco, They Might Be Giants

2012-01-23T00:30:00.000-08:00

Wilco performs on Conan, Monday.

Man... I think I broke another finger. Have to take a rain check on the 'blurbage' today, but a good portion of the talkies are on vacay this week anyway. Highlights are Wilco and They Might Be Giants on Conan, Young the Giant on Kimmel, and Austin City Limits has a young lady twofer with Florence (+ the Machine) along with Sweden's Lykke Li.

Picks for the week
Monday, January 23
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Young the Giant
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Snow Patrol (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Chris Cornell (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The War on Drugs (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Cee Lo Green, Reggie Watts, Delta Spirit (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Wilco
Tuesday, January 24
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Barr Brothers (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Wild Flag (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Wiz Khalifa, Manchester Orchestra (REPEAT)
Wednesday, January 25
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Big Freedia
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Robin Thicke (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Weezer, Cold War Kids (REPEAT)
Thursday, January 26
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Seal
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: John Fogerty (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Tom Morello with Ben Harper (REPEAT)
Last Call With Carson Daly: Wale, Portugal. The Man (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: They Might Be Giants
Friday, January 27
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Boyz II Men
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Yo-Yo Ma & Friends (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Common (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 28
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Ed Sheeran
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Michael Buble (REPEAT)
PBS: Austin City Limits: Florence + The Machine, Lykke Li
Sunday, January 29
HDNET: HDNET Concert Series: Widespread Panic, 311, Sublime

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone

2012-01-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

Angelo Moore fronting Fishbone at the Palace in Hollywood, CA - May 17, 1985

So who actually was able to see Everyday Sunshine on PBS tonight? I'm curious as to the markets it played, as the Northwest markets just aren't hip to the AfroPoP series (film kicked off season four of the documentary series -- this year hosted by Comedians / Daily Show contributor Wyatt Cenac).

We already previewed the doc earlier in the week, but I'm curious what you thought about the doc, the relationship between Norwood Fisher and Angelo Moore and Fishbone's place in music history? I've always wondered what the band could have achieved if Kendall Jones and Chris Dowd hadn't left the group after their almost breakthrough release (The Reality of My Surroundings), as the band just seemed to get further and further out there -- mainly Angelo Moore. I still appreciate the releases that came later, but they were miles from what they could have done.

Playlist - Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone [Rhapsody / Spotify / iTunes]
1. "Party at Ground Zero" [mp3]
2. "Skank N' Go Nuttz" [mp3]
3. "Everyday Sunshine" [mp3]
4. "Live Fast, Die Young" - Circle Jerks [mp3]
5. "Ugly" [mp3]
6. "Say it Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" (James Brown cover) [mp3]
7. "Skankin' to the Beat" [mp3]
8. "Modern Industry" [mp3]
9. "Fishbone (Is Red Hot)" [mp3]
10. "Jamaica Ska" (Byron Lee & the Dragonaires cover -- for Back to the Beach soundtrack) [mp3]
11. "Subliminal Fascism" [mp3]
12. "Sunless Saturday" [mp3]
13. "Faceplant Scorpion Backpinch" [mp3]
14. "Riot" [mp3]
15. "End the Reign" [mp3]
16. "Servitude" [mp3]
17. "I Like to Hide Behind My Glasses" [mp3]
18. "Ma and Pa" [mp3]
19. "Rock Star" [mp3]
20. "Chim Him's Badass Revenge" [mp3]
21. "We Just Lose Our Minds" [mp3]
22. "Karma Tsunami" - Angelo Moore / Dr Mad Vibe
23. "Let Dem Ho's Fight" [mp3]
24. "Change" [mp3]
25. "Bonin' in the Boneyard" [mp3]

Previously: Music on TV - Everyday Sunshine preview

Chuck vs the Bullet Train: The Torn Identity

2012-01-20T23:00:00.000-08:00

Like the speeding train running the rails throughout the episode, Chuck is hurtling closer and closer to its final destination. Not to go too far with the train metaphor, but this series has been the Little Engine that Could, willing itself -- thanks to critics and fans -- to make it to its destination, despite the paltry ratings.

The big twist at the end wasn't much of a surprise, given how the first hour of next week's episodes is titled "Chuck vs Sarah Walker," but it's still an interesting one given that a "Chuck vs Quinn" episode would seem kind of a boring way for the series to go out. I'm sure the Chuck-Sarah 'shippers are betting true love is the antidote to her memory loss. I'd only bet the finale will not be an unhappy one -- seems pretty safe.

Musically, it was quite a treat to hear Crooked Fingers backing just about anything, but especially having "She Tows the Line" playing while Sarah's intersect (and memory) is torn from her the hands of Quinn. The series has had to slash budgets nearly every season, but I hope they've saved some cheddar for a few musical surprises in next week's 2-hr finale.

Playlist: Chuck - Episode 5.11 (Spotify)
1. "Days Are Forgotten" - Kasabian [mp3]
2. "Misspent Youth" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah [mp3]
3. "O Canada" - Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band, US Marine Corps [mp3]
4. "Another Wave From You" - M83 [mp3]
5. "She Tows the Line" - Crooked Fingers [mp3]

Previously: Chuck vs the Frosted Tips (Episode 5.03)

Now Downloading: New Releases 01.17.12 - Guided By Voices

2012-01-19T23:00:00.000-08:00

The 'Classic' lineup of Guided By Voices returns with the first of two releases for 2012.

2012 continues to be slow, with only the excellent return of Guided By Voices to show for this week. Looking back through my archives, by this time last year we'd already had several albums of note, including Wire, Smith Westerns, British Sea Power and the debut from Tennis. Other releases of note include the latest from Kathleen Edwards, The Big Pink, Frankie Rose and Herman Dune.

Playlist: New Releases 01.17.12 / Spotify

Guided By Voices - Let's Go Eat the Factory
Purchase [mp3] / Spotify

While it was surely expected that Robert Pollard would bring back Guided By Voices, one cannot underestimate the joyous surprise that has been the year+ long reunion of the classic lineup circa '93-'96. The pearl at the center of this GBV reunion is a pair of new albums, the first coming this week, and it slots beautifully with the lineup's run of albums. It's a lo-fi wonderful mess, the kind GBV fans love cleaning up with their ears, full of song ideas that spring forth and then fade out leaving you hungry for more. The fact that they were already working on a second release (Class Clown Spots A UFO, due May 22), bodes well as it seems that the band had a lot of ideas that no single album could capture. While this has always been Robert Pollard's outfit, Tobin Sprout kind of steals the show here, having seemingly stockpiled good material in case a GBV reunion album came to be. Sprout's "Waves" is the album's best song, while tracks like the wonderfully schizophrenic "Spider Fight" and "God Loves Us" seem tailor made for Mitch Mitchell's guitar windmills. Pollard has a couple instant classics himself, with the anthemic first single "The Unsinkable Fats Domino" and sugary "Doughnut for a Snowman." Let's Go Eat the Factory meets the hyped expectations, and while it's not as great as the other albums during this lineup's reign, it certainly bodes well for late May and Class Clown Spots A UFO, when Pollard rises higher to the challenge.

Download: "The Unsinkable Fats Domino" [mp3]

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Kathleen Edwards - Voyageur / Free AOL Album Stream
The Big Pink - Come Sunday
Matthew Dear - Fallen Empires
The Shins - Simple Song
Frankie Rose - Know Me
Herman Dune - Tell me Something I Don't Know / Free AOL Album Stream
Anthony Green - Beautiful Things / Free AOL Album Stream
Howler - America Give Up
Cate Le Bon - Puts Me to Work / Free AOL Album Stream / "Puts Me to Work" [mp3]
Pan Am: Music From and Inspired by the Original Series

tags: music, album review, alex chilton, indie rock, new releases

Music on TV - Week of 01.16.12: Fishbone, Fleet Foxes

2012-01-16T00:30:00.000-08:00

Angelo Moore of Fishbone in a scene from Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone.

As much as the VH1 Behind the Music series was great for music documentaries in theory, in practice it's tried and true formula has made for a lot of lazy filmmaking. Thankfully, that's not the case with the music doc Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone.

It's a really hard documentary to get right. You have a devoted fan base that knows everything, but as a filmmaker you want to tell a universal story that anyone can identify with. - Filmmaker Chris Metzler

The film, while still in its theatrical run, is getting a national television debut this Sunday, launching the 4th season of AfroPoP on PBS. Sadly, the Seattle-Tacoma market has yet to pick up any of the great AfroPop entries thus far, so no matter where you are, make sure to check your local listings. (Unless your in the aforementioned Sea-Tac area, as both KCTS and KBTC are leaving us high and dry on this one).

Luckily, the DVD comes out a month later (February 21), so the wait is minimal in that regard.

Fleet Foxes and Joanna Newsom on Austin City Limits Saturday. Photos by Scott Newton

Speaking of being left high and dry by our local PBS stations, both KCTS and KBTC have been notoriously absent in the airing of the long running Austin City Limits. This week sees the potent combo of Fleet Foxes (they're local, fer crissakes) and harpist/sprite Joanna Newsom. While PBS has enjoyed the success of Downton Abbey (deservedly so -- congrats on the Golden Globe win for, what was it again? A mini-series?There's a second season in my DVR queue that tells me otherwise), a lot of interesting cultural programs (like AfroPoP and ACL) continue to get passed over.

Elsewhere, the always great 7-piece from Wales, Los Campesinos!, make an appearance on Letterman Friday to belatedly promote their 2011 release, Hello Sadness. While completely a break-up album, Hello Sadness was written and recorded shortly after frontman Gareth had a sad break up with is girlfriend, so much of that sadness set the tone for the recordings. Their live act is too energetic for anyone to think it too depressing, thankfully.

Picks for the week
Monday, January 16
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Boyz II Men (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Seal
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Parachute
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Chiddy Bang
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Goldheart Assembly (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: St. Vincent
Tuesday, January 17
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Grouplove
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Kathleen Edwards
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Outasight
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Thievery Corporation (REPEAT)
Wednesday, January 18
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ellie Goulding
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Parachute
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Wale
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Decemberists (REPEAT)
Thursday, January 19
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Keke Palmer
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Joseph Arthur
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Avett Brothers
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Foster the People (REPEAT)
Friday, January 20
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Filter
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Los Campesinos!
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Cults
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Mona (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 21
PBS: Austin City Limits: Fleet Foxes, Joanna Newsom
Sunday, January 22
PBS: Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone: Fishbone

Now Downloading: New Releases 01.10.12 - Alex Chilton

2012-01-12T14:47:00.000-08:00

Alex Chilton takes a smoke break during the legendary "1970" sessions recorded in 1969.

So far, 2012 has proven to be a slow starter on the music front, with no one wanting to jump in while folks are still debating each others' year end lists. One gem coming out in odd fashion is a reissue of Alex Chilton's "1970" Sessions that he recorded in 1969 (hence the "" -- explained below). This release from Ominivore Recordings is odd in that it skipped out on the big box set/reissue gift giving season of late November / early December. But we'll just have to look past the mouth of this gift horse from the new Omnivore Records.

Playlist: New Releases 01.10.12 / Spotify

Alex Chilton - Free Again: The 1970 Sessions
Purchase Vinyl / Alex Chilton on Spotify

Joining Light in the Attic Records in the music reissues for music fans, relative newcomers Omnivore Recordings have had a impressive start to their catalog, launching the business with a limited edition original pressing of Big Star's Third on clear vinyl for Record Store Day 2011. They've since scored with reissues of Richard Thompson, Leon Russell and The Motels and now the famous 1969 session recordings of Alex Chilton while he was under contract while with The Box Tops. Because he was locked up with The Box Tops, the recordings have always had the "1970" title, the year that he would be "Free Again" from the suffocating contract. While with the Box Tops, Chilton had no outlet for his songs, as Dan Penn pretty much controlled what songs the group recorded and performed, so Chilton started sneaking off and recording stuff that interested him in his spare time, and Free Again collects the best of those. Originally released in 1996 by Ardent, this reissue adds several previously unreleased tracks with the CD version. While the material predates Chilton's best work (with Big Star), it's a fascinating road map for what's to come.

"I Can Dig It"
Stream the song "EMI (Smile for Me)" (omnivorerecordings.com)

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
The Little Willies - For the Good Times
Charlie Haden and Hank Jones - Come Sunday
Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires
Young London - Young London
Grand and Noble - Grand and Noble / Free AOL Album Stream
Yo Gotti - Live From the Kitchen

tags: music, album review, alex chilton, indie rock, new releases

Music on TV - Week of 01.09.12: Lana Del Rey

2012-01-09T00:30:00.000-08:00

Lana Del Rey (AKA, Elizabeth Grant) makes her network TV debut on Saturday Night Live.

I'm still not sure how I feel about "new sensation" Lana Del Rey. Posing as a self-made artist, the New York artist broke on the scene towards the end of 2011 with her David Lynchian YouTube video that appeared for the song "Video Games." Later, folks figured out she was formerly known as Elizabeth Grant, a run-of-the-mill pop singer with two failed albums.

Sure, there's something to be said for reinvening yourself, but the controversy around Rey is palpable, given she's got major label dollars behind her, and has already been signed to a modelling contract before her first LP (Born to Die) hits the shelves (January 27). Tipping the scales further is that her national television debut not only precedes her album release, but it's on Saturday Night Live, which has no historical precedent that I can think of. Needless to say, she'll be performing under quite a bit of scrutiny. Showing a lot of leg -- which so far appears to be her secret weapon -- will go a long way to placating some of that. (I'm just kidding.... or am I?)

Picks for the week
Monday, January 9
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Uh Huh Her
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Snow Patrol
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Augustana
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Surfer Blood
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Biffy Clyro (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Gavin DeGraw
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Gavin DeGraw
Tuesday, January 10
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Will Hoge
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Little Willies
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The War on Drugs
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Joy Formidable (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Doyle & Debbie
Wednesday, January 11
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Dolly Parton
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Robin Thicke
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Airborne Toxic Event (REPEAT)
Thursday, January 12
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Common
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Death Cab for Cutie (REPEAT)
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Snow Patrol
Friday, January 13
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Tony Bennett
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Graffiti6
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Meshell Ndegeocello
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Atmosphere (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 14
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Madonna
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Lana Del Rey
PBS: Austin City Limits: Arcade Fire
Sunday, January 15
HDNET - HDNET Concert Series - Seal, George Michael

Best Songs of 2011 -- as told to me by my 4-year old

2012-01-04T23:03:00.000-08:00

In lieu of a New Releases post this week (the crop really didn't justify the effort), I'm tossing in one more 2011 wrap up, and this one is being written mostly around my 4-year old. My youngest, like many kids his age, LOVES music, with a stash of favorite songs to rival any teen out there.

Below you'll find the list of songs released in 2011 that were played most by my little man Z. For the first time, there are songs that he (and/or his brother) have introduced to me -- like Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" and Hot Chelle Rae's "Tonight Tonight," -- which is something I expect to be seeing more of going forward.

Playlist: Zane's Faves of 2011 (Spotify / Rhapsody)
1. "Dynamite" - Taio Cruz [mp3]: THE summer camp song of 2011, where kids changed the lyrics to "I throw my sandwich at the Subway guy, singing 'Hey-o, need more mayo."
2. "Party Rock Anthem" - LMFAO [mp3]: Was fave before the Chipmunks covered it -- became obsession afterwards.
3. "Gangsta" - tUnE-yArds [mp3]: Developed a dance to the song. Wish I'd shot some video since he's moved on from it.
4. "Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster the People [mp3]: It's a catchy song about a school shooting, so of course a kid's gonna love it.
5. "Witch is Witch" - Jonny [mp3]: A Scotland (Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub) and Wales (Euros Childs of Gorky's Zygotic Mynci) summit produces great kids song.
6. "Nightcall" - Kavinsky with Lovefoxxx [mp3]: Thinking we might have to get him fitted for a scorpion-odorned gold satin jacket, and even when ketchup gets spill on it, the jacket remains on.
7. "Second Chance" - Peter Bjorn & John [mp3]:
8. "The Wall" - Yuck [mp3]: it's kind of cool (and eery) how closely my boy can match the vocals of Daniel Blumberg on this. I guess 90s-inspired slack vocals can sound kind of whine-y.
9. "Weekend" - Smith Westerns [mp3]: Technically, this was released as a single just prior to the year starting, but we'll it slide (he's 4!).
10. "Under Cover of Darkness" - The Strokes [mp3]: At least somebody was on their side this year.

Music on TV - Week of 01.02.12: Guided By Voices

2012-01-02T01:27:00.000-08:00

The Classic lineup of Guided By Voices appears on Late Night with David Letterman January 3, 2011.

The reunion of Guided By Voices' classic lineup ('93-'96) was one of the great stories of 2010 (reunion at Matador 21), 2011 (touring all over) and with the release of their first album of new material together in 16 years (Let's Go Eat the Factory -- out January ), 2012 is already shaping up to make it three years in a row for Robert Pollard and the gang.

As the lineup would suggest, LGETF is a throwback to the Vampire on Titus, Bee Thousand and Alien Lanes days of lo-fi goodness. For GBV fans, there's a lot to love, especially guitarist Tobin Sprout contributions, which have been missed as a foil to Pollard's sometime need for an editor. NPR still has the album streaming as part of their First Listen series. The process must have been great for the band as they're already finishing up the follow-up (Class Clown Spots A UFO, due in May).

They play The Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) for the first time on Tuesday. The last time the classic lineup was on the tube, I believe, was back in 1995, on the Jon Stewart's short-lived talk show on MTV (video below).

Elsewhere, Seattle folkies The Head and the Heart continue their meteoric rise with a performance on Austin City Limits. Can you think of any band to get a headline on the long-running show this early in their career? They're joined on the program's lineup this night by the UK band Gomez, who've been around considerably longer. (Preview below.)

Watch The Head and the Heart/Gomez - Preview on PBS. See more from Austin City Limits.

Picks for the week
Monday, January 2
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Twin Shadow (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Laura Marling (REPEAT)
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Coldplay (REPEAT)
Tuesday, January 3
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Mariachi El Bronx
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Guided by Voices
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: will.i.am
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Black Star
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Horrors (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Everlast
Wednesday, January 4
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: WU LYF
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: RZA
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Shaggy
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lykke Li (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Chris Isaak
Thursday, January 5
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: tUnE-yArDs
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Barr Brothers
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Chris Cornell
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Roll the Tanks, Fool's Gold (REPEAT)
Friday, January 6
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Boyz II Men
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Blind Pilot
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Van Hunt
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Wild Flag, David Murray sits in with The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Frightened Rabbit (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 7
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Noel Gallagher
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Kelly Clarkson
PBS: Austin City Limits: The Head and the Heart, Gomez

2011 - The Year in Photos

2011-12-29T14:29:00.000-08:00

Fan's dragon fly at Flaming Lips show, Sasquatch Music Festival in Memorial Day weekend.

It's no secret that I take a lot of pictures. What's becoming less of a secret, though, is that I'm becoming less bad at it.

Having spent so long as a photo editor, I'm naturally a bit more critical of photographs -- and especially my own. But thanks to lens upgrades (purchasing a 50mm prime, renting a 70-200mm) and software (Lightroom, Picknik), I'm getting awfully close to taking photos that I can hang a hat on (and I have a lot of hats, so...).

Anyway, here's some of my favorites from a great year of live music (note: In the Summer Bonfire series collage, half taken on Samsung Focus mobile phone.)

Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters, Sasquatch Music Festival -- Memorial Day weekend.

TP flies over the Gorge in celebration of Black Joe Lewis at Sasquatch Music Festival -- Memorial Day weekend.


Robyn @ Sasquatch -- Memorial Day weekend.	Thurston Moore @ Capitol Hill Block Party -- July.

Les Savy Fav - AKA Tim Harrington's Wild Ride at Capitol Hill Block Party, July.

The Posies' Jon & Ken catching air at Capitol Hill Block Party -- July.

Mastodon opens for Soundgarden @ the Gorge, July.

Champagne Champagne at Doe Bay Fest -- August.

Pickwick gets some spiritual back up during "Hacienda Hotel" at Doe Bay Fest, August.

Tyler Williams (The Head & the Heart) lends a shovel to Kelli Schafer @ Doe Bay Fest, August.

Artist Home's Summer Bonfire Series -- All summer.

Mavis Staples summons a higher power at Bumbershoot, September.

Minus the Bear guitarist Dave Knudson at Bumbershoot, September.

Kaylee Cole in the spotlight at Bumbershoot, September.

Phantogram's Sarah Barthel illuminated at Bumbershoot, September.

Charles Bradley spreads the love around at Bumbershoot, September.

Previously: Favorite photos of 2009, if you don't mind looking through photos of my kids, you can find most my shots over at my Flickr site.

Top Movie Soundtracks of 2011: Drive, Zoo, Muppets

2011-12-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile, a movie comes along and just lays waste to any expectations you might have had going in. Whether the average viewer recognizes it or not, a lot of that has to do with the soundtrack. This year's list topper was one of those films that defied any expectations going in, and the moment you realize that things are going to be different with Drive was a few minutes into the film when Kavinsky's "Nightcall" played in its entirety for the opening credits.

Ok... I have to come clean. I did not see as many of these films as in the past five years of making this annual list. Since having kids, it's hard to get to the theater to see a film that isn't animated, but I make up for it by being choosy with I do see and then catching up by feasting upon award season screener DVDs in December. So even though I got to see what I consider to be the best films for music of the year (Drive, We Bought a Zoo, The Muppets), not having access to screeners like in the past has made this list more based on music alone (along with reputations/word-of-mouth/etc) than I'd normally like.

Anyway, I hope you take this somewhat subjective, aloofly arbitrary list in the spirit was meant to be taken. (As religion, of course!)

10. The Art of Getting By

Album stream / Purchase [mp3]

Poorly reviewed and little seen, this indie flick came and went in a flash mostly leaving us only with this soundtrack to remember it by. Sure, you can still catch the film on DVD, but it's likely the soundtrack will all you'll remember it for, which, for purposes limited to this blog post, make the film a success. Any film that utilizes Leonard Cohen, Pavement's "Here," French Kicks, Mates of State, Earlimart and The Shins in one fell swoop would be hard to knock out of this top ten, regardless of how bad the film might be.

9. Submarine - Alex Turner

Album stream / Purchase [mp3]

I'm pretty sure every top ten soundtrack list I've done contains at least one quirky coming of age indie flick, and filling that slot for this year's countdown is the sublimely funny Submarine. Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys reportedly was inspired by the Scott Walker covers of Belgian great Jacques Brel when he sat down to compose tracks for the film. While they don't come anywhere near the heights of Walker's genius interpretations, the resulting acoustic-based songs work wonderfully well with the film's subtle gifts. And since I'll look for just about any excuse to get Scott Walker into a blog post, this soundtrack was a near shoo-in. Just kidding. (Or am I?)

8. The Descendants

Album stream / Purchase [mp3]

The bragging rights The Descendants can lay claim to is it's the first big budget film to feature an all Hawaiian performed soundtrack. Gabby Pahinui leads the charge of modern slack key tracks, which also features similar giants of the era in Sonny Chillingworth, Ray Kane and Keola Beamer. Director Alexander Payne even brought in University of Hawaii's ethnomusicology professor Jay Junker to consult with music supervisor Dondi Bastone to help make what some are already calling the best compilation of Hawaiian music ever assembled.

7. Our Idiot Brother - Eric D. Johnson (Fruit Bats) + Various

Album stream / Purchase [mp3]

Our Idiot Brother director Jessie Peretz has an inside track on the importance of music, having started out his entertainment career as a founding member of The Lemonheads, so perhaps it's no surprise that he (along with music supervisor Susan Jacobs) found the perfect songwriter to back this quirky comedy in Eric D. Johnson of the band Fruit Bats. Johnson's slack pop folk pop fit, along with a couple select tracks from Willie Nelson*, are a perfect fit for the marijuana loving character Ned (Paul Rudd). Throw in Thao and the Get Down Stay Down's awesome "Cool Yourself" and a couple compositions from Shudder to Think guitarist Nathan Larson and you have a tight collection to, um... imbide to.

*Ned's dog is named after the cannabis-loving country music star.

6. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross

Album stream / Purchase [mp3]

Even if you haven't seen the film, you've likely seen the trailer featuring the goose bump-inducing version of "Immigrant Song" featuring Karen O's voice over Trent Reznor's signature sound. While the rest of the soundtrack doesn't (and really shouldn't) reach that level of "holy shit," it reinforces the notion that a David Fincher-Trent Reznor-Atticus Ross combination is a winning formula for sight and sound.

5. Young Adult

Album stream / Purchase [mp3]

Young Adult is a re-teaming of the Juno juggernaut Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, along with Seattle's own Mateo Messina as film composer. So it should come as no surprise we have another soundtrack hit, this time drawing the early-to-mid 90s slacker alt rock. Any film that uses Teenage Fanclub's "The Concept" as its corp musical queue is aces in my book. The Replacements, Dinosaur Jr and the Lemonheads all are featured prominently, and then, as commentary on the protagonist's self-consciousness, we get Messina's marvelous lounge-y interpretations of select hits from the era, like Beck's "Where It's At," Pearl Jam's "Evenflow" and an amazingly sublime take on Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun."

4. Hanna - The Chemical Brothers

Purchase [mp3]

The Chemical Brothers have never been one for subtlety, so it's perhaps appropriate that their first foray into soundtrack composition is for what is essentially an action film. Since it's not your typical action film -- the action is mostly by a 16-year old girl and takes place across Europe -- the ChemBros brand of "electronica for folks who don't necessarily like electronica" works remarkably well. The soundtrack moves between a child-like innocence ("Hanna's Theme,") reflective of a girl who was forced to grow up too soon, and the pulsing rhythms of the action sequences that follow. And helping it move up the list here, the album works well as a fine listen independent of the film. You don't need to see the film to appreciate its charms -- but hopefully those that purchase it as the Chemical Brothers' latest will be spurred on to see the film.

3. The Muppets

Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When word came that Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie was going to be writing the music for the new Muppets venture, the films' seat at this table for ten was all but assured. Previous Muppets songwriter Paul Williams has left some pretty big shoes to fill (oh, the irony), but McKenzie was more than up for the task. Aside from the Chris Cooper rap (which was very Flight of the Conchords, minus most of the charm), McKenzie knocks this one out of the park -- especially the "Man or Muppet" song (official video below). Throw in a Muppet barbershop quartet featuring Beaker and the Swedish Chef doing "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and you have some serious musical movie magic. Ending with the Muppets classic "Mahna Mahna" was just the cherry on top.

2. We Bought a Zoo - Jonsi

Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi has been crafting cinematic soundscapes long before getting the call to actually score a film (We Bought a Zoo is his first), so it's surprising that it has taken this long for him to get the call to compose. Given that Sigur Ros was apparently playing in the background throughout the making of 2001's Vanilla Sky ("Svefn-G-Englar," "Agaetis Byrjun" and a live version of "The Nothing Song" ended up in the film), is was only a matter of time until Cameron Crowe made that call. Crowe utilizes Jonsi like Cat Stevens was to Harold & Maude, or like Elliott Smith in Goodwill Hunting, with the soundtrack almost serving as a Jonsi primer. There are new tracks here, including a track co-written by Crowe himself (in English, which feels weird considering all of Jonsi's past recordings utlize the made-up 'Hopelandic' language, mish-mashing Icelandic with syllables that serve the melody).

1. Drive

Purchase [mp3]

From the moment Kavinsky's "Nightcall" kicks in on the opening credits, you just knew you were in for a wholly different movie going experience. Director Nicolas Winding Refn was going for a kind of John Hughes experience, where songs get played in their entirety, but Hughes' influence pretty much ends at using full songs. The amount of blood and gore help suggest another musical influence, the minimalist score to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which composer (and ex-Red Hot Chili Pepper drummer) Cliff Martinez said was used repeatedly as a note by Refn on the score. "Make it more like Leatherface," he'd say, as a way to incorporate horror into a non-horror film. Kraftwerk was an obvious reference point here as well, but it's the previously recorded song choices, thanks to the John Hughes music video school of direction, that put the soundtrack over the top. Besides Kavinsky (with great help from CSS' Lovefoxx), the 80s synth heavy sounds of Desire, College and the Chromatics all provide counter balance to the unexpected violence and gore that's to come. And what kind of twisted mind uses music from the horribly offensive film Goodbye Uncle Tom (1971) to underscore a crucial scene? I don't know, but man... that shit worked.

Also worth mentioning:
Like Crazy - Dustin O’Halloran
Rango
Bridesmaids
Norman - Andrew Bird
Bellflower
The Dilemma
Gnomeo & Juliet
Pearl Jam 20

Previously: Top Ten Movie Soundtracks of 2010, Top Ten Movie Soundtracks of 2009; Top Movie Soundtracks of 2008; Top Movie Soundtracks of 2007

Top 50+ Albums of 2011: Featuring Destroyer, Girls, tUnE-yArds, M83, Bon Iver

2011-12-27T12:42:00.000-08:00

Top 10 includes Destroyer, Girls, tUnE-yArds, M83, Bon Iver, James Blake, PJ Harvey, St Vincent, Shabazz Palaces, Real Estate

If 2010 was 1993 all over again, 2011 seemed to ignore this trend (and all the corresponding 20 year anniversary reissues), instead reaching back a decade prior. Releases from Destroyer and M83 mined that decade to make great albums, while several bands of that era (Gang of Four, Wire, The Feelies) returned with new releases. Another minor trend we noticed here was artists absolutely obliterating the tired "sophomore slump" myth, with Girls, tUnE-yArds, Bon Iver, Real Estate, Fleet Foxes, Male Bonding and Smith Westerns all having strong follow ups to their hyped debuts.

2011 also marks the second year in a row where anyone of my top 5 could have nabbed the top spot, but Destroyer's Kaputt edges out the aforementioned sophomore releases from Girls, tUnE-yArds and Bon Iver along with a career defining release from M83.

As a side note, I've had this Top 50+ Album list done for weeks now, but it's been a real bear to get formatted and find time to write. And since I want to get it out before the year ends, some of the writing is TBD (look for more in the coming days). But the albums are the meat of the matter, right? Here's the list. Hate it, debate it, relate it, whatever -- in the end, I'm just another jackass with a blog and a list.

Playlist: Top 50+ Albums of 2011

1. Destroyer - Kaputt
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
Every once in awhile, an album comes along that makes you rethink your past listening habits -- a re-evaluation of what is kitsch and what is genuine art. The smooth 80s sax solo, for instance, has long been filed in the 'bad idea' folder (and I'm a sax player!), but in the hands of Dan Bejar, it's a revelation. Much like listening to Steely Dan back in the day, you feel like your hearing something much greater than the smoother-than-smooth parts making up the song. Kaputt does that and more. I didn't know what in the Hell was going with it when I first heard it a year ago, but it quickly became the 'go to' listen for nearly all of 2011.

(Review, January 25, 2011)

2. Girls - Father, Son, Holy Ghost
Stream / Purchase [mp3
Frontman Christopher Owens was raised in a cult, and with every stellar release, he's unwittingly creating his own. Father, Son, Holy Ghost not only beats the sophomore slump, it's miles beyond and not looking back. The nods to 70s rock abound, with all the modern touches you can't do without -- like Elliott Smith fronting Pink Floyd, with even a nod to Deep Purple ("Die") thrown in for good measure. Required listening.

(Review, September 13, 2011)

3. tUnE-yArDs - w h o k i l l
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
Another impressive sophomore long player, w h o k i l l is a brilliant anti-pop pop masterpiece that mixes R&B, folk, jazz, afro hop and funk for an addictive concoction. And Merrill Garbus does it mostly herself, even live, sampling drums, guitar and all her vocal calisthenics. One of the few truly great odd albums that is enhanced tenfold in a live setting.

(Review, April 19, 2011)

4. M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Stream / Purchase [mp3]
Anthony Gonzalez continues to mine his childhood for nuggets of nostalgia, and his fifth release ups the ante to a double album. Hurry Up We're Dreaming mixes up the best parts of his previous releases and throws in some Peter Gabriel-like vocal squalls in case you didn't get the 80s decade reference in the music.

(Review, October 18, 2011)

5. Bon Iver - Bon IverStream / Purchase [mp3]

Bon Iver's gotten a lot of love during this year-end list season, and with good reason. With his eponymous sophomore release, he's injected his gorgeous sound with some of the adventure of the side projects he's dallied in (Gayngs, Volcanic Choir), making the songs on Bon Iver reach for, well... more. I didn't find myself returning to this album as much as the other top four, so that's why it's here, but there's a greatness here that provides ample reason for it's near consensus "album of the year" tag that you'll find elsewhere.

(Review, June 21, 2011)

6. James Blake - James Blake
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 8, 2011)

7. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 15, 2011)

8. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, September 13, 2011)

9. Shabazz Palaces - Black Up
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review June 28, 2011)

10. Real Estate - Days
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, October 18, 2011)

11. Atlas Sound - Parallax
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review November 8, 2011)

12. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review May 3, 2011)

13. Black Lips - Arabia Mountain
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review June 7, 2011)

14. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring for My Halo
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

15. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Live recap, July 27, 2011)

16. Cut Copy - Zonoscope
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 8, 2011)

17. Male Bonding - Endless Now
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, August 31, 2011)

18. Radiohead - The King of Limbs
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, February 22, 2011)

19. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

20. Wild Flag - Wild Flag
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, September 13, 2011)

21. Fucked Up - David Comes to Life
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, June 7, 2011)

22. Yuck - Yuck
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

23. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, January 18, 2011)

24. Ty Segall - Goodbye Bread
Purchase [mp3]

(Review, June 21, 2011)

25. Thee Oh Sees - Carrion Crawler / The Dream
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

(Review, August 11, 2011)

26. Wilco - The Whole Love (Review September 27, 2011)
27. The Antlers - Burst Apart (Review, May 10, 2011)
28. Tom Waits - Bad as Me (Review October 2, 2011)
29. Beirut - The Riptide (Review October 2, 2011)
30. Mastodon - The Hunter (Review September 27, 2011)
31. Drake - Take Care (October 15, 2011)
32. Cults - Cults (Review June 7, 2011)
33. Dawes - Nothing Is Wrong
34. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong (Review March 29, 2011)
35. Panda Bear - Tomboy (Music on TV preview, )
36. White Denim - D (Ear on TV preview for July 11, 2011)
37. Battles - Gloss Drop
38. Toro y Moi - Underneath The Pine
39. Elbow - Let's Build a Rocket, Boys! (review March 8, 2011)
40. EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints
41. Campfire OK - Strange Like We Are (Review February 1, 2011)
42. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks - Mirror Traffic (Review August 23, 2011)
43. Thurston Moore - Demolished Thought (Review May 24, 2011)
44. Wire - Red Barked Tree (review January 11, 2011)
45. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
46. Wye Oak - Civilian
47. Washed Out - Within Without (Review July 12, 2011)
48. Eleanor Friedberger - Last Summer (Review July 12, 2011)
49. Lykke Li - Wounded Rhymes (Review March 1, 2011)
50. Das Racist - Relax (Live recap + photos)
John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves
Dum Dum Girls - Only In Dreams
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
Okkervil River - I Am Very Far (Review May 10, 2011)
Boston Spaceships - Let it Beard (Review August 2, 2011)
Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme Some (Review March 29, 2011)
Thao & Mirah - Thao & Mirah
Handsome Furs - Sound Kapital (Review June 28, 2011)
Cass McCombs - Wit's End (Review April 26, 2011)
Charles Bradley - No Time for Dreaming (Live Bumpershoot recap with photos -- September 20, 2011)
Shelby Earl - Burn the Boats (Live recap with photos from Doe Bay Fest -- April 26, 2011)
Times New Viking - Dancer Equired (Review August 25, 2011)
Megafaun - Megafaun (Review September 20, 2011)
Richmond Fontaine - The High Country (Review September 20, 2011)

Would you believe this is the 16th Top Albums of the Year list that I've done? Here's links to the lists still out there on the web: Top 50+ Albums from 2010, Top 50 Albums from 2009, Top 50 Albums from 2008, Top 100 Albums from 2007, Top 100+ from 2006, Top 50 from 2005, Top 10 from 2004

Music on TV - Week of 12.26.11: New Year's Eve with Coldplay, Drake, Lady Gaga

2011-12-26T01:28:00.000-08:00

New Year's Eve: Coldplay on Austin City Limits / Drake with Carson Daly / Lady Gaga for Dick Clark/Ryan Seacrest

With every New Year's Eve comes the pressure to ring in the new year with a bang, but for most, the evening generally ends up at somebody's house (usually your own) with a TV that gets turned on to mark the countdown.* With that in mind, there are a few decent options to have on the tube in the background of wherever you find yourself inching towards 2012.

*That is usually it goes down for me -- but not this year.

As a music-only option, for the first time in Austin City Limits nearly 40 years, the program is broadcasting a New Year's Eve special, and they've called upon Coldplay for their first. ACL executive producer Terry Lickona said in a press release, "We decided to go big with Coldplay — really big. So we came up with the idea of celebrating New Year’s Eve with a 90-minute special. All the hits plus their brand new songs. It’ll be a great way to kick off 2012!" There's probably bigger and better they could go with, but NYE requires a vanilla-like reach, so Coldplay is the ticket for 2012.

Elsewhere, you have the usual suspects, firstly with the Dick Clark's Rockin' NYE (ABC) annual tradition (torch still slowly being handed over to co-host Ryan Seacrest), this year featuring Lady Gaga as the featured music act, but a who's who of Billboard chart toppers chime in with a song: Nicki Minaj, Florence + the Machine, Blink-182, Justin Bieber, LMFAO, Pitbull, Will.i.am, OneRepublic, Taio Cruz, Gym Glass Heroes, the Band Perry, and Hot Chelle Rae. Meanwhile, NBC has New Year's Eve with Carson Daly, which usually gets the slight music edge, but this year is they've gone a tad more MOR, with Drake, Jessie J, Cee Lo Green, The Roots, and the legend himself, Tony Bennett.

UPDATE: Spin Magazine has an extensive guide out now that covers live NYE shows in major cities across the country. So go rock 2012.

Picks for the week
Monday, December 26
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Paul Anka (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Lenny Kravitz (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jimmy Cliff (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Thievery Corporation (REPEAT)
Tuesday, December 27
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Pink Martini (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Coldplay (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: We Were Promised Jetpacks (REPEAT)
Wednesday, December 28
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Yelawolf (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Rufus Wainwright (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Pitbull (REPEAT)
Thursday, December 29
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: My Morning Jacket (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Shelby Lynne (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Cake (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Young the Giant (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Paul Simon (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Wye Oak, Butch Walker (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Seether (REPEAT)
Friday, December 30
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Young Jeezy (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: My Morning Jacket (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Foster the People (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Kylesa, Cliff Martinez (REPEAT)
Saturday, December 31
ABC: Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest: Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Florence + the Machine, Blink-182, Justin Bieber, LMFAO, Pitbull, Will.i.am, OneRepublic, Taio Cruz, Gym Class Heroes, Hot Chelle Rae
NBC: New Year's Eve with Carson Daly: Drake, Jessie J, Cee Lo Green, The Roots, Tony Bennett
PBS: Coldplay New Year's Eve: An Austin City Limits Special: Coldplay

Music on TV - Week of 12.19.12: Florence + the Machine

2011-12-19T00:30:00.000-08:00

Florence + the Machine appear on The View (Monday) & VH1's Divas Celebrate Soul (Thursday).

Since we're well into the holiday season (Merry Chrismakwanzukkah!), the blog will likely be easing back on the throttle a bit -- not that we've exactly been prolific of late. Hopefully we'll have our year-end list(s) out soon (they're done in principal, just require the time for mundane formatting).

Speaking of year-end lists, Florence + the Machine's latest, Ceremonials, has made it on quite a few already. Florence Welch is second only to Adele as "breakout artist of 2011" and with that British chanteuse still on the mend, it's been up to Welch to carry the talk show / specials circuit this month. Welch & crew visit the view this morning, and then later in the week (Thursday), Welch joins other female powerhouses in a pre-taped performance saluting the women of soul, on VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul.

Picks for the week
Monday, December 19
ABC: Good Morning America: LMFAO
ABC: The View: Florence + the Machine
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: T-Pain (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Goo Goo Dolls
NBC: The Today Show: Shaggy
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Pink Martini
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Carole King
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Mastodon (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: The Klezmatics
Tuesday, December 20
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Kooks (REPEAT)
CBS: The Talk: Carole King
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Mariachi El Bronx
NBC: The Today Show: Carole King
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Rufus Wainwright
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Joy Formidable
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Merle Haggard
TBS: Conan: Patton Oswalt
Wednesday, December 21
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: J. Cole
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Black Dub
NBC: The Today Show: Tony Bennett
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Johnny Mathis
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Louis C.K.
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Kylesa
Thursday, December 22
ABC: Good Morning America: Andrea Bocelli
CBS: The Talk: Alison Krauss
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Childish Gambino
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: The Black Keys (REPEAT)
NBC: The Today Show: The Fray
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Laura Marling
TBS: Conan: Glen Campbell
VH1: VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul: Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, Chaka Khan, Mavis Staples, Jessie J, Erykah Badu, Florence + the Machine, Wanda Jackson, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, The Roots (house band)
Friday, December 23
ABC: Good Morning America: The Philadelphia Boys Choir & Corale
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Lenny Kravitz (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Chris Isaak
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Muppets
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Foster the People
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Alison Krauss
Saturday, December 24
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Military Wives Choir
PBS: Austin City Limits: Tom Waits (REPEAT)

It's That Rankin-Bass Time of Year Again

2011-12-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

Heat Miser does battle with brother Snow Miser in the Rankin-Bass holiday classic The Year Without a Santa Claus

It's well into time of year where I re-package my Rankin-Bass obsession. But since there's still time to catch the specials on TV (check schedule below), I humbly give you an updated version of this yearly recycled piece. Holidays are for re-gifting!

There's a whole generation of us who grew up on Rankin-Bass' stop-motion animated holiday specials that are now of an age in control, so it's no wonder the specials have been an anchor of ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas schedule going back to 1996, when it was still FOX Family. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, and the cult favorite The Year Without a Santa Claus were always required viewing growing up in my household this time of year, and I continue to find myself searching these titles on the TV schedule, to rekindle that old magic.

Early on, these holiday productions of Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass were certainly magic, but the pressure to catch lightning in a bottle over and over again made for a lot of misfires, like the long forgotten Rudolph And Frosty's Christmas In July, or The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold (video) and the LOTR inspired The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus (now conveniently packaged with Nestor the Christmas Donkey!), which puts Claus in the fantasy drama, pitting him against characters like The Gnome King and the Commander of the Wind Demons. (See trailer below.)

While most of the Rankin-Bass titles were based on existing Christmas songs, many original songs were written for these specials that quickly became part of the holiday tradition. For instance, Johnny Marks, who had written "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," was brought in to write seven more songs for the Rankin-Bass production of the same name, and much like Vince Guaraldi did for A Charlie Brown Christmas (which airs tonight, December 15, @8PM), these songs elevate the animated special to holiday classic.

I've ranked my top five favorite Rankin-Bass holiday musical memories below, and as expected, Rudolph's nabbed the majority. You'll also notice, these are all original songs for the specials, so no pre-existing classics like "Rudolph," "Frosty," "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Blue Christmas" here.

5. "Silver & Gold" - Sam the Snowman (Burl Ives) / Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) [video]

It's probably surprising that it's not ranked higher, as the song is undoubtedly the most recognizable of the bunch here. But having the narrator Sam the Snowman singing it separates it a bit from the Rudolph story, and even beyond that, when you hear it, a visual of Burl Ives comes to mind more than his animated character, Sam. To tell the truth, I'm creeped out by both visuals, as Sam was one ugly snowman. Apparently, he was drawn to look like scriptwriter Romeo Muller, who at least as a snowman, was certainly no Romeo.

Already aired -- before Thanksgiving, November 23rd on CBS :(

4. "We're a Couple of Misfits" - Rudolph (Billie Mae Richards) and Hermey the Elf (Paul Soles) / Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) [video]

When Rudolph met Hermey: Rudolph is a tale of alienation, with the underlying message that it's okay to be different. I get the feeling if Hermey D.D.S. was introduced today, the Christian right would wrongfully target him like Tinky Winky and SpongeBob Squarepants. Thankfully, no one wants to sully our memories in political correctness. Oh, wait, I guess they do. Looking at it again, Hermey and Rudolph are kind of gay -- and by gay, I of course mean happy.

Already aired -- before Thanksgiving, November 23rd on CBS :(

3. "Put One Foot In Front of the Other" - Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney) and Winter Warlock (Keenan Wynn) / Santa Claus is Comin' To Town (1972) [videos all taken down]

Besides "Silver & Gold," this has to be the other most memorable song in the Rankin-Bass canon. I've always found myself singing its ridiculously catchy chorus, but it's the verses that still stand the test of time. It's no wonder some identify it with AA's 12-step process.

If you want to change your direction
If you're time of life is at hand
Well don't be the rule -- be the exception
A good way to start is to stand.

Airs Christmas Eve - Saturday, December 24th at 7PM (ABC Family) -- see schedule below for more

2. "There's Always Tomorrow" - Clarice (Janet Orenstein) sings to Rudolph / Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) [video]

This is probably the most underrated Johnny Marks song, and easily the best ballad from the Rankin-Bass collection. This tune really should rank up there with Disney's "When You Wish Upon a Star," but it's never truly been given its due. Red Red Meat covered it majestically a few years back, and when I find myself singing it as a lullaby to one of my boys, it never fails to give me goosebumps.

Already aired -- before Thanksgiving, November 23rd on CBS :(

1. "Snow Miser / Heat Miser" (Dick Shawn, George S. Irving) - The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974) [video]

Really, the only reason TYWASC achieved cult classic status is because of this song and the dueling half-bros Snow and Heat Miser. It's the snappy delivery from Dick Shawn (as Snow) and George S. Irving (as Heat) that make it a classic, and this song will always be the one I think of whenever Rankin-Bass comes up. Sadly, there's never been a digital release of the soundtrack, so no song is technically available to download or stream. A remake that aired in 2006 nearly ruined the legacy of TYWASC (Just watch what they did to the miser bros duel to see what I mean. Thankfully, disappeared from everyone's memory quicker than The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold. An ABC Family original sequel entitled A Miser Brothers Christmas did nothing to alleviate the damage (video), instead merely piled on. Lesson learned -- the miser legacy should be left well enough alone.

Airs Christmas Eve - Saturday, December 24th at 7PM (ABC Family)

Bonus playlist: Here's a collection of artists who grew up with Rankin-Bass doing covers of songs from the animated specials:
Rankin-Bass Holiday Covers

Previously: Miser in Reverse ("A Miser Brothers Christmas"), Ranking the Music of Rankin-Bass (Tracklisting)

Glee - "Extraordinary Merry Christmas": Perspective

2011-12-13T23:00:00.000-08:00

Did New Directions really just sing "Do They Know It's Christmas," a song about starving kids in Africa, to a homeless shelter? In the original Band Aid version, it was Bono who sang the odd line "Well, tonight thank God it’s them, instead of you," a line meant for you, the listener, to feel lucky that you're not a starving child in Africa. It was a troubling line even in the original, and here, it's unforgivable. The gift that New Directions is giving these down on their luck homeless folks is... perspective?

Meanwhile, I'm always curious how they portray Rachel during Christmas episodes, being Jewish, and it's pretty varied, schizophrenic, inconsistent. This year, she's a greedy shrill who's all about getting full Santa. Not that we need another series to carry the Chrismukkah torch, but aside from a funny quip from Sue, there was little in the way of the sometimes awkward Jewish perspective of this time of year.

Playlist: Glee - Episode 3.09
1. "All I Want For Christmas Is You" (Mariah Carey)- Mercedes [mp3]
2. "Blue Christmas" (Elvis Presley)- Rory [mp3]
3. "River" (Joni Mitchell)- Rachel [mp3]
4. "Extraordinary Merry Christmas" (Original)- Rachel & Blaine [mp3]
5. "Let It Snow" (Vaughn Monroe)- Kurt & Blaine [mp3]
6. "My Favorite Things" (from The Sound of Music)- Rachel, Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine [mp3]
7. "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" (Bruce Springsteen)- Puck, Finn [mp3]
8. "Christmas Wrapping" (The Waitresses)- Heather Morris [mp3]
9. "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (Band Aid)- New Directions [mp3]
*10. "Santa Baby" (Eartha Kitt)- Santana [mp3]

*Didn't make final televised edit...

Previously: "Mashoff" (Episode 3.07)

Music on TV - Week of 12.12.11: Wild Flag

2011-12-12T00:30:00.000-08:00

Wild Flag performs on The Late Show with David Letterman (Tuesday).

It's tempting to look at Wild Flag as a sort of Sleater-Kinney 2.0, given it's got 2/3 of that illustrious band's members in Carrie Brownstein and drummer Janet Weiss, but more than that, it's a celebration of music in general -- both the listening and the playing. With Mary Timony (Helium) and Rebecca Cole (The Minders) rounding out the quartet, the band's sound is one of rollicking guitars, Brownstein leg kicks and smiles reaching from ear to ear.

When the ladies make the band's network television debut on The Late Show with David Letterman (Tuesday), one would assume they'd be playing "Romance," but of late, they've been putting forward the Mary Timony songs, as if to counterbalance the press calling this a Carrie Brownstein-led joint.

Picks for the week
Monday, December 12
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Kooks
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Foster the People
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Manchester Orchestra, Wiz Khalifa (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Noel Gallagher
Tuesday, December 13
ABC: Good Morning America: Alicia Keys
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Death Cab for Cutie
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Wild Flag
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Lenny Kravitz
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Manchester Orchestra (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Weezer, Cold War Kids (REPEAT)
Wednesday, December 14
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Young Jeezy
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Louis C.K., Common
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Beyonce (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Decemberists (REPEAT)
Thursday, December 15
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Lenny Kravitz
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Wild Flag
DOC: Innovators in Music: Steve Earle
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Robin Thicke
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Death Cab For Cutie, Girl in a Coma (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Dawes
Friday, December 16
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Gary Clark, Jr
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Chris Cornell
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lupe Fiasco, Atmosphere (REPEAT)
TNT: Christmas in Washington: Cee Lo Green
VH1: Foo Fighters: Back and Forth: Foo Fighters
Saturday, December 17
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Alesha Dixon
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Michael Buble
PBS: Austin City Limits: Esperanza Spalding, Madeleine Peyroux (REPEAT)
Saturday, December 18
DOC: Musician: Ken Vandermark

Now Downloading: New Releases 12.06.11: The Black Keys, The Roots

2011-12-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

The Black Keys' El Camino will likely make a dent in the holiday season.

It's effectively the last week for new releases, as the inventory shifts to high ticket unit shifters for the holiday season (i.e. special reissues and box set compilations) before going dormant until 2012. Most significant albums have either been released or are pushed off to January (see Guided By Voices' first post-reunion offering coming January 1) so as not to get lost in the holiday shuffle. A couple releases look to make their way into a few stockings, though, with The Black Keys likely to outsell their last, Brothers -- which has nearly gone platinum), by a decent margin. The Roots have the other release which, thanks to their nightly exposure on TV, should also shift enough units to justify a December release.

Playlist: New Releases 12.06.11

The Black Keys - El Camino
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The Black Keys have had an unlikely rise to the top of the indie rock heap, buoyed in part by both the slick production of Dangermouse and the absolute clinic they put on for commercial song licensing for 2010's Brothers. Video games (FIFA 11, NHL 11, Rocksmith), soundtracks (Limitless, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, I Am Number Four, Bad Teacher) and countless ads (Suburu, etc.). Their sticking to the formula with El Camino, and this album is built for song licensing. From the opening strands of "Lonely Boy," all the way to the final note fading out for "Mind Eraser," it's an assault of radio-friendly-glam-blues pop. The riffs are so welcoming to the ear, it becomes easy to forget after a listen, but it's hard to deny going back for another run. Lyrics have never been a strong point for the Akron, OH duo, and there's no escaping the inanity here as well, but T. Rex/Bo Diddly/ZZ Top combo will scratch an itch you didn't even know you had.

Free Stream of 5 Tracks

The Roots - Undun
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Undun, the band's 13th long player, is the story of the fictional Redford Stephens, running from his death by gunshot in reverse to his birth. It's the Philly outfit's first concept album, and it was born from a Sufjan Stevens' piece (from the album Michigan). (Wrote more about this a couple days back -- obligatory link back.) It's a sonically stunning, and if there's any drawback it's Black Thought's usually obtuse rapping, which makes following the story frustrating at times. There's a whole iPhone/iPad app to go along with it, featuring interviews, photos and music videos to help with the back story, but I'm not equipped for playback, so I can only speak to the music -- which is stunning enough for this to be considered their best album yet.

Album Stream via NPR's First Listen

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Boris - New Album / Free AOL Album Stream
Lucero - Mi Secreto De Amor
Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures
The Cure - Bestival Live 2011
Nils Lofgren - Old School
The White Buffalo - Lost and Found EP / Free AOL Album Stream
KOAN Sound - The Papercut Chronicles / Free AOL Album Stream
Robin Thicke - Love After War
Miracles of Modern Science - Dog Year
Dia Frampton - Red
Loka - Passing Place / Free AOL Album Stream
Great Aunt Ida - Nuclearize Me / "Romance" [mp3]
T-Pain - rEVOLVEr
The Maine - Pioneer

tags: music, album review, the black keys, the roots, indie rock, new releases

Music on TV - Week of 12.05.11: The Roots

2011-12-05T00:30:00.000-08:00

More than a house band for Jimmy Fallon, The Roots pull double-duty as the musical guests on Tuesday.

Nearly three years ago when The Roots were announced as the house band for the new Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the news was met with mixed feelings. While it was great to have access to the band on a nightly basis, there was some fear that the night-in-night-out punching of the clock might beat some of the creativity out of the Philly act. 2010's How I Got Over quickly refuted that theory, but it's their latest, Undun (out this week), that really helps define what the Late Night experience has contributed to the band.

Undun is the band's first attempt at a concept album, and follows the life -- in reverse -- of one Redford Stephens, a fictional character we meet dying of a gunshot wound on the streets of New York. The concept was inspired, in part, by a performance on Late Night by *Sufjan Stevens, and the band incorporates Stevens' "Redford (For Yia-Yia & Pappou)" to kick off a four-part suite to end the album. Through the experience of booking and often backing so many diverse acts, Questlove and co. have truly begun to transcend hip-hop, without becoming anything you could label as fusion.

*Between the inclusion in Undun and getting name dropped by Childish Gambino, how crazy is it that Sufjan Stevens has become cool for hip-hop?

Picks for the week
Monday, December 5
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ryan Adams
FOX: American Country Music Awards: Kristin Chenoweth, Miranda Lambert
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Alison Krauss & Union Station
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Weezer (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Yelawolf
Tuesday, December 6
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: T-Pain
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: 50 Cent
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Black Dub
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: The Black Keys
NBC: A Michael Buble Christmas: Michael Buble, The Puppini Sisters, Ed Helms, Oscar the Grouch
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Taio Cruz
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Portugal. The Man, Wale
Wednesday, December 7
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Lukas Nelson & the Promise of the Real
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Neil Diamond
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Coldplay
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Bear Hands, Tom Morrello
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Lenny Kravitz
Thursday, December 8
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Chevelle
DOC: John Lee Hooker: That’s My Story: John Lee Hooker
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Gym Class Heroes
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: fun., Ziggy Marley
TBS: Conan: Blink 182
Friday, December 9
NBC: The Today Show: Robin Thicke
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Aretha Franklin
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: M83
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Lady Gaga
Saturday, December 10
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Coldplay
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Robyn
PBS: Austin City Limits: Patty Griffin, Shaun Colvin, Emmylou Harris
Sunday, December 11
HDNET: HDNet Concert Series: REO Speedwagon

Feist + Mastodon = Feistodon

2011-12-01T12:37:00.001-08:00

Take that Loutallica!

What seemed a surreal rumor a few days ago now has full confirmation: Indie pop princess Feist is teaming up with metal purveyors Mastodon for a split 7" to be released for 2012's Record Store Day (April 21). Mastodon's bassist/singer Troy Sanders confirmed the rumor in an interview with MTV Canada yesterday (video snipped below): "The idea is for Mastodon to cover a Feist song and throw some hair and dirt on it. Then [Feist will] take a Mastodon song and pretty it up a little bit."

The whole mutual admiration society was born from a television appearance on the BBC music talk show Later with Jools Holland, where Feist, Mastodon and Bon Iver made for a sort of dream lineup. The Beauty and the Beast portion of the lineup seemed to hit it off. Feist told of the meeting in an interview with HitFix last month:

"So backstage I’m thinking about letting these two worlds collide, how they should collide, so I'm like 'How about Metals meeting metal?' Brent was like, 'Well, I do like that "Bad in Each Other" song, I could see that.' Maybe now I will look into learning to cover "Oblivion" -- or anything off [The Hunter]. That album's amazing."

The clock is ticking on the availability for both artists to complete the recording, as Mastodon's Troy Sanders puts it: "We only have a short window to make that happen, and that's the month of December."

Music on TV - Week of 11.28.11: She & Him, Black Keys

2011-11-28T00:30:00.000-08:00

M. Ward and Zoe Deschanel as She & Him appear on Leno (Monday) and Ellen (Thursday).

The holiday season is in full swing and She & Him have one of the only albums we can recommend to accompany your egg nog. They appear on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday and then dance with Ellen on Thursday.

The Black Keys make a return trip to Saturday Night Live this weekend and one hopes that they brought along actor/security guard Derrick T. Tuggle to dance along to the T Rex-meets-Bo Diddly joint "Lonely Boy." Their forthcoming release, El Camino, is out next week.

Picks for the week
Monday, November 28
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Civil Wars
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: David Crosby & Graham Nash (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: She & Him
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jimmy Cliff
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Cold War Kids
TBS: Conan: Das Racist
Tuesday, November 29
CBS: Victoria's Secret Fashion Show: Jay-Z, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Foster the People (REPEAT)
NBC: The Today Show: Hot Chelle Rae
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Dodos with Neko Case
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Trentmoller
SYNDICATION: Live With Regis and Kelly: Cobra Starship with Sabi
TBS: Conan: Morrissey
Wednesday, November 30
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: My Morning Jacket
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Civil Wars (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Needtobreathe
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Bono
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: Stephen Sondheim
NBC: The Today Show: Neil Diamond
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Iron & Wine
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Hot Chelle Rae
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Mona
SYNDICATION: Live With Regis and Kelly: Hot Chelle Rae
Thursday, December 1
ABC: Good Morning America: Alicia Keys, Bono
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Civil Wars
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Peter Gabriel (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: T-Pain
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Dum Dum Girls
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Delta Spirit, Reggie Watts
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: She & Him
Friday, December 2
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Jane's Addiction (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Goldheart Assembly
Saturday, December 3
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show:
NBC: Saturday Night Live: The Black Keys
PBS: Austin City Limits: Spoon (REPEAT)
VH1: ATL: Big Boi, Andre 3000

Music on TV - Week of 11.14.11: M83

2011-11-21T08:30:00.000-08:00

M83 performs on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Monday, November 21.

It's a short week, so we can give thanks while gorging on large flightless birds and watching overgrown men wearing protective padding run into each other. As such, the talk show listings are short and sweet.

The sweetest this week is M83 making an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon (Monday). Frenchman Anthony Gonzalez has crafted album after album of tributes to his childhood, and his latest, Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, is his pièce de résistance. Serving almost as an almalgamation of all his previous releases, HUWD is bigger, no grander, reaching for big moments in every song. His live shows have wowed audiences across the country and so there are expectations for him to push boundaries of the 'small screen.'

Enjoy your turkey, jive humans, and maybe I'll see you later in the week.

Picks for the week
Monday, November 21
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Needtobreathe
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: M83, Greg Phillinganes (Stevie Wonder, Toto) sits in with The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Joy Formidable (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Reggie Watts (REPEAT)
Tuesday, November 22
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Hot Chelle Rae
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: B.o.B.
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Portugal. The Man, Butch Vig (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Cobra Starship featuring Sabi (REPEAT)
Wednesday, November 23
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Miranda Lambert (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Kills, Justin Townes Earle (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Paul Simon (REPEAT)
Thursday, November 24
ABC: A Very Gaga Thanksgiving: Lady Gaga
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Feist (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: St. Vincent (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Foster the People (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Louis CK (REPEAT)
Friday, November 25
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Chris Isaak (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Gym Class Heroes featuring Estelle
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Airborne Toxic Event (REPEAT)
Saturday, November 26
PBS: Austin City Limits: Monsters of Folk (REPEAT)

Now Downloading: New Releases 11.15.11 - Childish Gambino, Drake

2011-11-18T12:03:00.000-08:00

Two actors-turned-rappers face off in this week's new releases, with Drake's nuanced sophomore release dropping the same day as Donald Glover's full length debut as Childish Gambino. Both rappers try to shrug off being called 'oreo' from certain circles in hip-hop, both having mostly grown up in white environs, both releases address, in some matter, this insecurity -- Glover's Childish Gambino seeming obsessed about it at times. Elsewhere, there's the latest from Los Campesinos!, Crystal Stilts, Goldmund, The Do, Odonis Odonis, a live release from Tegan & Sara, soundtrack to a Betty Wright movie with The Roots, and an all-inclusive greatest hits release from recently broken up R.E.M.

Playlist: New Releases 11.15.11

Childish Gambino - Camp
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Whether it's a sign or some weird career coincidence, in the same week that NBC puts Commmunity on the shelf for the winter, actor Donald Glover releases his full length rap debut (Camp, under the moniker Childish Gambino) and has his own stand-up special airing on Comedy Central (Donald Glover: Weirdo on Saturday). While the phrase actor-turned-rapper has never induced warm fuzzies for discerning listeners, with Camp, Donald Glover is proving hip-hop is more than a back-up plan. The kid has flow -- wicked, crooked, sick flow. And, in the post-Kanye world, he's combined the baroque with confessional, zig-zagging between rap's chest-beating/crotch-grabbing and dealing with his own insecurity of being an oreo -- a black kid who didn't grow up on "the street." This insecurity both makes this both a fascinating and frustrating journey, as Glover can't quite find his voice, shifting madly from going for street cred (with f-bombs and the n-word) to being that geek Troy that we love from Community. The Kanye-esque opening track, "Outside," makes it known immediately that Camp is serious, with its Hair-like chorus and examination of Glover's childhood, establishing Glover's alternative world of what things might have been if his parents hadn't moved out of the Bronx. His insecurity of 'not being black enough' becomes more overt on "Backpackers" with Glover addressing criticism from backpackers: "That well spoken token who ain't been heard, the only white rapper who's allowed to say the n-word. I buy a bunch of 'em and put it on my black card, now I got some street cred, use it 'til it's maxed out." After dropping more f-bombs and rapping about his dick, Glover swings back to the geek, like on "LES," Glover quips "She got ironic tattoos on her back / that ain't ironic bitch, i love Rugrats!" and "Fire Fly" has Glover as "the only black kid at a Sufjan concert."

Free AOL Album Stream

The frustration for me lies in a wish that Glover would settle in on a persona -- and of course I'm in favor in the pop-culture-geek who freely references Pitchfork. It's not that I don't appreciate 'the street' (I've had The Wire in my Netflix queue, wink emoticon), but coming from Glover it sounds less genuine and more like overcompensation. A song like "All the Shine" seems like it should really be a bonafide Childish Gambino hit, with a chorus that demands you download one of those stupid virtual cigarette lighter apps for you phone. But outside the chorus, the song is a white hot mess of Glover's insecurity. Glover's multiple personalities keeps Camp from being a great album, but it's this internal battle on display for all to see that keeps me coming back for more.

In the other corner of the actor-turned-rapper battle is Drake, with his second release, Take Care -- an album that is a huge leap in maturity for the Canadian born former star of Degrassi High. After the success of his debut, Thank Me Later, Drake threatened to do an album of straight R&B, forgoing rap for singing. While that didn't happen, the result at least feels like smooth R&B is the foundation the songs are built upon. It's incredibly smooth -- a marvel in the headphones. Recorded in the same studio that Marvin Gaye recorded his confessional Here, My Dear, Drake does his own navel gazing, with much of album seemingly a brutal analysis of his break up with Rihanna. The object of his pain appears as well on the gorgeous sounding title track, "Take Care," lending her vocals in response to Drake's pleading for her to return. Like Glover, Drake also has words for the hip-hop purist backpackers, although, he's in a much more forgiving mood: "The backpackers are back on the bandwagon / Like this was my comeback season back, back in the day." Unlike Glover, however, Drake seems a lot more comfortable in his own skin, and far less worried about the "not black enough" haters out there. The result is a smooth and wholly focused album, an admirable achievement for an artist so early in his career.

If there's any knock, it's that Take Care is perhaps too smooth, so shiny and comfortable that it doesn't require the repeat listens necessary to navigate the jagged edges. That's why I bet I'll be returning to Glover's debut again and letting radio airplay handle my Drake needs. For whatever that's worth.

Los Campesinos! - Hello Sadness
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Los Campesinos! no longer has the advantage of sneaking up on you. Their first three albums came sort of as a barrage, two in 2008 (Hold On Now, Youngster..., We Are Beautiful, We are Doomed) and then another in early 2010 (Romance is Boring), with each giving us a slight take on their unique energetic sound. As such, Hello Sadness won't surprise anyone familiar with LC!'s sound, with the only difference here being a much darker tone coupled with a general reduction in beats per minute. It's just another solid release from the Cardiff, Wales outfit, again backed by the steady production hand of John Goodmanson. If you like the band, you'll get it. If you don't you won't. And if you've been waiting on the sidelines to try 'em out, now is as good a time as any.

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Crystal Stilts - Radiant Door EP
R.E.M. - Part Lies, Part Heart, Part Truth, Part Garbage 1982-2011
Goldmund - All Will Prosper
The Dø - Both Ways Open Jaws / "Slippery Slope" [mp3]
Betty Wright and The Roots - Betty Wright: The Movie / Free AOL Album Stream
Gym Class Heroes - The Papercut Chronicles
Odonis Odonis - Hollandaze
Tegan & Sara - Get Along
Pterodactyl - Spills Out

REISSUES
The Who - Quadrophenia Super Deluxe Edition
The Olivia Tremor Control - Black Foliage: Animation Music Vol. 1 / Free AOL Album Stream

tags: music, album review, childish gambino, drake, indie rock, new releases

Glee "Mash Off": Mudslinging

2011-11-15T22:30:00.000-08:00

Well that makes two episodes in a row that have Glee dialing back their usual reach for the "big scene," putting story -- and collective themes -- first. The five that began the season had us at least entertaining the notion of deleting the DVR timer, but now that itchy trigger finger ain't nearly so... um... itchy.

It suits the series well, which reached its 300th performance with the final number, the Adele mashup performed by the new Glee kings of McKinley High, the Trouble Tones. While that performance won the day, you gotta give it up for the mustaches sported by New Directions during their Hall & Oates mashup. And that provides the perfect segue for me to plug my own mustache -- or moustache, as they're known in the merry month of Movember. My 'stache is coming on along nicely, all in the name of raising money to fight Prostate cancer.

Playlist: Glee - Episode 3.07 / iTunes
1. "Hot For Teacher" (Van Halen) - New Directions (boys) [mp3]
2. "You And I" / "You And I" (Lady Gaga/Eddie Rabbit & Crystal Gayle) Mashup - Will & Shelby [mp3]
3. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" / One Way Or Another" (Pat Benatar/Blondie) Mashup - New Directions / Trouble Tones [mp3]
4. "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)" / "You Make My Dreams" (Hall & Oates) Mashup - New Directions [mp3]
5. "Rumour Has It" / "Someone Like You" (Adele/Adele)- Medley- Trouble Tones [mp3]

Previously: "The First Time" (episode 3.06)