12/31/2009

David Bowie-Ashes to Ashes (Video)

One of David Bowie's most succesful singles of the 80s, Ashes to Ashes revisits the character of Major Tom, the doomed spaceman from Bowies mid sixties hit Space Odditiy. The video features spectacular costumes and advanced video editing techniques for that time. Not much needs to be said for Bowie's fashion choices for this video, it speaks for itself. Enjoy. Happy New Year!

12/29/2009

Lissie: Fat Possum's New Sweetheart

Lissie
In August of this year a young woman living in LA by the name of Lissie Maurus had put together a few songs and sent them to Fat Possum Records and the EP happened very quickly. There is a lot of buzz around this beautiful young singer songwriter and rightfully so with exquisite soulful songs sung with a voice that cuts like hers. The country/folk scene is burgeoning in LA and with music like this coming out of it you can see why its growing and making an impact. The first song "Little Lovin" may be the appropriate single off the EP and if you watch the second video there is a short interview with her. She has opened for people like Ray Lamontagne and will be at the 9:30 club January 7th opening for City and Colour.




12/28/2009

The Runaways

To most Flock Alone readers it’s no news flash that a biopic of the original all girl power punk band, The Runaways is in the works for 2010. That being said we’ve written nothing on the topic and it’s about time we did. The film is based on lead singer Cherie Currie’s book, “Neon Angel” about the meteoric rise of the world’s first all girl punk band. Readers unfamiliar with The Runaways might remember their first megahit “Cherry Bomb” or at least Runaways guitarist Joan Jett’s solo smash hit “I Love Rock and Roll.” As a classic punk enthusiast and avid moviegoer I think it’s about fucking time that a commercially viable film about the early days of the American punk movement was made. Would I rather see a gritty story telling of the genesis of New York Punk in Max’s Kansas City and CBGB’s? Of course I would, but I’ll settle for the sexier, needle free story coming out of LA right around when all the genre’s founders started either OD’ing, killing each other or ending their careers in prison.

The real story to watch here may be that of the movie’s stars. Teeny boppers Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning play the lead rolls of Joan Jett and Cherie Currie, respectively, in their first films as sexy adults playing sexy adults for the enjoyment of adults. The obnoxiously popular Twilight series may inspire hipsters nationwide to protest the selection of Stewart to play the iconic Joan Jett. But the same hipsters need look no further than this summer’s Adventureland to see Kristen Stewart demonstrate her dramatic range, as well as her innate ability to inspire a hopeful hard-on in the oddest of oddballs. It’s easy to point fingers at the suddenly successful, but this Flocker is making a call, Kristen Stewart is as talented as she is hot, and the best candidate to helm a young Joan Jett’s “fuck me or fuck you” persona.

As for Dakota Fanning’s selection as lead singer, Cherie Currie, it’s tough to say how moviegoers will react. Love or hate the Twilight movies, Kristen Stewart enjoys the benefit of having entered the public arena as a love interest, teen or not. Fanning made her first impression on most of us as the adorable baby girl of a retard in I Am Sam, and despite her undeniable talent, most viewers will have trouble looking into that face and seeing anything other than that adorable little girl. Her success or failure relies on the aforementioned undeniable talent. Dakota Fanning’s selection of this role was no doubt a deliberate move to reintroduce herself to the world as an adult you don’t have to be a pedophile to find hot. It remains to be seen if the world is ready to see her that way.

Three things are certain to come of this film. For one, a fuckton of money. Stewart’s and Fanning’s last collaboration on Twilight: New Moon has brought in nearly $300 million in the past month alone, proving the two are financially viable, whether or not the movie sucks. Secondly, you can count on a lot more teenagers taking an interest in 70’s era rock and punk, which is probably a good thing for those of us old geezers sick of hearing the shallow crap that floods the airways these days. Third and most importantly, the trial by fire of two young ladies soon to find out if their acting careers have a future after high school.


12/23/2009

Carol of the Bells

ukarine xmas
Carol of the Bells is a choral miniature which was written many moons ago by a Ukrainian composer by the name of Mykola Dmytrovych Lentovych. The basis for the song comes from a traditional folk chant and the language of it was thought to have supernatural powers because of the way it manipulated the number 3. Mykola Dmytrovych Lentovych was murdered in his parents home in 1921 by a man working for Vladamir Lenin's soviet state security. His composition will live on for ages to come. The first video is a version that is a choral arrangement sung by people I cannot name and sounds eerie as I think that it should sound. There is some anime in there for visual stimulation. Also there is George Winston's version done on piano.


12/22/2009

Richard Marx-Right Here Waiting

Unlike George Michael who was another 80's sexual icon, Richard Marx clearly has something to hide. His wedding ring isn't convincing anyone. His fluffy mullet and his penchant for playing piano accompanied by spanish guitar say it all.This ballad was the biggest hit off of his 1989 album Repeat Offender and one of the best power ballads of the late 80s.

Wham!-Careless Whisper

George Michaels is undeniably one of the most iconic sex symbols of the eighties. This sultry hit from 1984, entiltled: "Careless Whisper" was one of the biggest hits of George's career and reached the top of the pop charts in over 25 countries and sold 6 million records world wide. The song's elegant video features a very hirsute Michaels singing in a tuxedo while holding onto a somewhat phallic rope (?) and as expected also gallivanting around town with various women...especially one who appears particularly attractive while lounging on a yacht in a white full piece bathing suit . As the story progresses in the video however, you realize she isn't the woman whom George is truly lusting after, and it ends with him sad and alone...fitting for a song featuring a prominent saxophone solo.

12/21/2009

Jay Z: Empire State of Mind

Jay Z

Jay Z in this photo is keeping warm at the Inauguration of President of Barack Obama back in January. Here in DC with the Snowpocalypse this weekend I could have used his hat. He has also released a song this year that may just be the most likable song of the year and makes me miss my hometown of New York.

Surfer Blood: Swim (to reach the end)

surfer blood

Surfer Blood's music fits conveniently into the coined term "beach music" and this year with bands like Ducktails and Real Estate has become one of the most overused terms of the year. If you are looking for a lengthy review please visit www.obscuresound . The song below is now what some are considering the hit.

Surfer Blood: Swim (to reach the end)


Bonus: The Grizz Weighs in on Surfer Blood. "Hold on Firenzi Imma let you finish but.." This band blew em back at last years CMJ festival in NYC and was declared "the winner" by way of the fact that they acheived the most press out of the event. My personal favorite jam off their forthcoming release "Astrocoast" is Floating Vibes, which mines the same powercords, song structure and basic style of Pavement (minus the self satisfied snark of Stephen Malkmus' pre-ironic self conscious posturing) and sticks to the subject matter of surfing before devolving into a facemelting guitar solo.

Surfer Blood: Floating Vibes

Vandaveer: DC Locals

Vandaveer
Vandaveer is from the Washington DC area and this two piece act is on their way. They recently opened for Holly Golightly at the Iota Club and Cafe. With the power of the two harmonizing voices and very good songwriting they have become local darlings.

Robyn Hitchcock: Up to Our Nex (Fan Made Video)

Robyn Hitchcocck

Robyn Hitchcock has been making great tunes for many years now and I felt it was about time we gave him some love. This is a video that is made by a fan and the song "Up to our Nex" will lift spirits.


12/14/2009

Paul McCartney-Wonderful Christmas Time (Video)

I would like to thank Paul McCartney for turning in a video for his sweet upbeat Christmas jingle that is more like a drugged out psychedelic horror film then a holiday celebration. From the group of Santas that come flying out of the back of a van like they're about to commit a home invasion, to the groups of floating lights that hover and morph around McCartney's body as he lip synchs the words to this hit from 1979.

12/13/2009

MGMT-Art is everywhere (Video)

This originally aired on Nick jr on a show called Yo Gabba Gabba, which People magazine says is a favorite at Brad Pitt and Anjelina Jolie's house. I wonder if they saw this, and I wonder what they thought. I'm at a total loss on this one.

12/11/2009

Red Fang: Prehistoric Dog

Red Fang
Red Fang is a sludgy hard rock band out of Portland. The music is loud and the battle between the nerds and the beer warriors is outstanding in this video of theirs. I especially enjoyed the intro with the line, "Hey...Gandalf nice dress." The video also has a very unlikely conclusion. Tell us what you think.

12/10/2009

Foreign Born: Early Warnings (NEW VIDEO)

foreign born
Foreign Born is the band responsible for one of the best albums of 2009 "Person to Person". Below is the new video for the song "Early Warning". The finger picking in the song has an almost african feel to it. This band has gone unnoticed for too long, even after their song appeared on NBC's sitcom "Chuck" in 2007. Also in 2006 they toured in a van that they called Dios Malos and it was powered by vegetable oil. They stole the vegetable oil from restaurants and lead man Matt Popieluch is quoted saying "We had special clothes, we had grease clothing that we used. It was a very messy process. And it’s methane free. We didn’t have any financial support, so we needed to do everything we could to save some dough. Also, politically it’s good, I guess."




Foreign Born - Vacationing People

12/08/2009

Chromeo-My Girl is Calling Me a Liar (Prince Klassen Re-Edit)

Chromeo is one of those bands that get remixed to death, they're the predominant purveyors of Blue Eyed Soul, and their campy take on 80's pop funk is light hearted enough to not be too weird, without losing a decidedly tongue in cheek approach. You can tell that they're just having fun, and that's what counts. No one uses a vocader seriously, no one.
Prince Klassen is a DJ out of texas who first came to my attention by re-editing classics by Arethra Franklin and Roxy Music. He stands out of the way of the tracks and accentuates the bounce of the original, retaining the flavor of the original while enhancing it's danceability. Many people have taken on Chromeo tracks, but Klassen is one of the few who manages to make them better.

Chromeo-My Girl is Calling Me a Liar (Prince Klassen Re-Edit)

12/02/2009

Foreigner-I Want To Know What Love Is

When i was a young boy, my mother didn't trust me to spend time at the house by myself for long periods of time, and who can blame her after I broke her station wagon's front windshield with a slingshot. So, she would take me with her when she ran errands and went shopping. The supermarket she went to was always playing a radio station with an adult contemporary format called WBEA ("Light on the bays").
It's Because of WBEA that I know all the words to "I want to Know what Love is", an absolutely epic power ballad from the multi-platinum selling British-American band Foreigner.
"I Want To Know What Love Is" builds to a soft rock climax with lead singer Mick Jones pouring his heart out as the New Jersey Mass Choir repeats the chorus over and over and over again while Foreigner's unintrusive synthesizers and drums color this fantastic vocal performance. It's timeless song, that absolutely everyone knows; and only the most hardened cynic can deny.

11/30/2009

Never Home-Delancey Lounge

Free Vodka shots all night long, nothing more needs to be said. Email me and I'll hook you up with two VIP tickets.

Mumford & Sons: Little Lion Man

Photobucket
Mumford & Sons is a new folk rock band from London and have released their new single called "Little Lion Man". This tune is intense and very catchy with some great lyrics like "Its not your fault but mine/ It was your heart on the line/ I really fucked it up this time..didn't I my dear." This song is off their debut album with Island Records and these boys have already done some touring with another hot act out of London, The Maccabees.

11/25/2009

Bring Me Gold Dance Party

In NYC tonight, free tickets available if you email me...its gonna get loud and weird.

11/24/2009

Dan Auerbach: Trouble Weighs a Ton

dan auerbach
Dan Auerbach from the Black Keys has teamed up with Dante Schwebel from the band Hacienda on this live performance done in the studio at Sirius radio. The first question asked by my friend when I forwarded it on was “is that a cover?” because it certainly sounds like an old folk song. But the song was written by Dan himself and is a good song to listen to before bed, a nice lullaby.

11/22/2009

Barry White-I'm Gonna Love you a Little More, Baby

This kicks off with a drumbeat and organ riff that lets you know you're about to hear someone come on to you, and Barry doesn't disappoint. He more than fulfills that promise with a (softly) spoken word introduction that sounds like hes whispering into your ear, so that by the time he starts singing "deeper and deeper" you know exactly what he's getting at. This was Barry's first big hit and in 1973, it rose to #3 on Billboard's pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart. The track came off of his first solo Ep "Ive got so much to give", which was the first of many big albums for him during the seventies.

Barry White-I'm Gonna Love you a Little More, Baby


Watch this video!! He completely pulls off a white turtleneck, that's smooth.

11/20/2009

Atlas Sound: Virtual 7"

Atlas Sound
Bradford Cox the lead singer from Deerhunter is working on some new solo recordings under his moniker Atlas Sound. He has recently posted a few songs on his blog for everyone. The first song "Doctor" sounds as if it were written in the 60's and recently has resurfaced in a Wes Anderson movie. "The Screens" is stripped down, idiosyncratic and makes my heart hurt a bit.

Atlas Sound - Doctors


Atlas Sound - The Screens

Vampire Weekend: Cousins (NEW VIDEO)

Vampire weekend
Vampire Weekend is comprised of some Upper West Side Columbia University students who apparently wear pink shorts on stage. They garnered much attention with their self titled debut album and have the same tour manager as The White Stripes, a testament to how big these guys are making it. They are on the verge of releasing their second album and have released their first video for the song "Cousins" off the new album. The new video is posted below but I am going to add another video, the movie short that lead singer Ezra Koeing put together and where the bands name derived from.


11/19/2009

Little Fish: Darling Dear

Little Fish
This seductive, gritty, driving sound from Oxford England is sometimes just the dose of music some need. Little Fish is a rock duo and this song Darling Dear is a shot of life. Comparisons may range from Patti Smith to Chrissie Hynde from The Pretenders. I cannot tell if that is her screaming at the end of the song or if its her guitar, but if its her screaming I am impressed. They will release their LP "Baffled and Beat" in 2010 but this this song was leaked early.

Little Fish - Darling Dear

OX: Canadian Alt Country

OX

Ox is a band from Sadbury, Ontario and they have released their second album called Burnout this year. They have made a few videos with a filmmaker John Alden Milne who is also from Sadbury and done videos for another Canadian band Great Lake swimmers. Below are the videos for two cuts off the album "Prom Queen" and "Unknown Legend". If you have not heard the first album American Lo-Fi I recomend checking that one out as well.



11/18/2009

Menomena: Rotten Hell

Menomena and never ending story
Menomena from Portland Oregon seem to have a knack for feeling like a kid again. They have produced an image which sits above that is a homage to The Never Ending Story, the children's movie that most people in my generation have an affinity for. Also in this video below for their song "Rotten Hell" they have recreated what many of us in our middle school years used to dream about at night, a food fight of this proportion. If you do not enjoy this you may be becoming too disjointed from the happiness of youth.

11/12/2009

Luther Vandross-Never Too Much

Damn, Luther can never get too much of this girl. he wakes up and looks at a picture of her when he gets up in the morning, he calls her house but shes not home (pre cell phone days) and then hes about to leave for work and his girl is right there when he opens the door to leave! He displays himself to be completely fiscally irresponsible by deciding to hang out with his lady friend instead of going to work, even though his boss is really on his ass about being on time. Anyways this is the song that made Luther a star; he'd sang on other peoples tracks, including David Bowie's Young Americans album, but this was the first track that broke him, and you can see why. The warmth and cadence of his delivery is easily accessible to an Fm radio audience, and besides that those disco guitars really really kick. The song hit #4 on the Billboard dance charts in 1981.



Luther Vandross-Never Too Much

11/11/2009

Minnie Riperton-Les Fleurs

Minnie Ripperton had one of the most incredible voices to ever be recorded, and this song showcases its intensity and range, which you can feel when she's able to drown out an entire orchestra with her insanely high upper register. It's criminal that Minnie never was able to achieve the stardom which she deserved before she died of breast cancer. Les Fleurs is an absolutely beautiful pop song, that could be categorized as existing in a genre somewhere between opera and R&B. It could hardly be described as innacesable or weird, but this song was clearly too experimental to make it up the charts. Not many songs are written from the perspective of a flower, and when Minnie sings that "Inside every man lays the seed of a flower" You know that shes got it right.

Minnie Riperton-Les Fleurs

11/09/2009

Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Elvis Perkins

Elvis Perkins is the son of actor Anthony Perkins whose most notable role was in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Elvis's father was an expert in everything Elvis Presley and named his boy after him. Anthony lost his battle with Aids in 1992. Elvis’s mother was Berry Beneson a famous photographer; she died in the attacks on 9/11 aboard American Airlines 11 flight returning home from her vacation in Cape Cod. Elvis has lived a life with experiences of great loss and this is heard in his songs. His sound is sophisticated and there exists moments of hopefulness that shine through with elegance and grace. These songs are off his new album Elvis in Dearland which was released in March of this year.

Elvis Perkin in Dearland - Shampoo


Elvis Perkins in Dearland - Slow Doomsday

Ryan Adams Sweet New Haircut

ryan adams and mandy moore
Ryan Adams has dyed his hair blonde and married the pop singer and actress Mandy Moore. Some say that he has lost the alt country edge he once had in the epic band Whiskeytown and others have followed his prolific solo career closely. He has come out with a new song with some really goofy lyrics like the one “your in a time machine tripping on Robotussin and crack” This song put a smile on my face…hope it does the same for you.

Ryan Adams - Jimmy Whistlenut

11/08/2009

Grizzly Bear-Ready Able (Video)


One of the slower tracks from Grizzly Bear's delicate Veckatamist, Ready Able is a rewarding listen which halfway through picks up to a elegant waltz and sustains the promise of energy hinted at in the tense opening chords. The extraordinary visuals of the video gives you a reason to wait through the uneasy beginning and feel the climax of the track. Like the Knife video, Ready Able uses claymation in ways that would make Gumby sick.

Bonus:

11/06/2009

Cole Medina-Love You Inside Out (The Pinches Mix)

i dont really know who Cole Medina is, but this is disco on drugs. It slinks it stops it just keeps going and when the Bee Gees go in on top and start singing towards the stars you know you're flying. The song structure is loose but something holds it all together, and maybe it the beat even though it sounds like the music is getting sucked in and out of the speakers. It may be almost 9 minutes long, but can you really tell? What is time anyways? When music is this blissed out and the Bee Gees are mixed up and slowed to crawl, who cares.

Cole Medina-Love You Inside Out (The Pinches Mix)

Kashif-I Just Got To Have You (Lover Turn Me On)

I wish that this song would be playing in the Duane Reede when I walk in there late night for smokes and beer, sadly, I'd never heard this song until today. I guess back in 1983 that crazy weird synthesizer sound was all the rage. Kashif's eponymous debut (which contains this song) made it up to #29 on the R&B charts when it came out. I'm guessing that the Ghostbusters soundtrack. Michael Jackson, Cameo, Gapp Band and others was hogging up the top spots. Anyways I love this joint's synthetic baseline and freaky synths, this is the sound that Chromeo is aiming for, super sexy synth funk. This guy must've got all the honies soaked up back in the day with this sound and that stache he's wearing.

Kashif-I Just Got To Have You (Lover Turn Me On)

Kurt Vile and the Violators: DC Black Cat Backstage Show

kurt vile
Kurt Vile is a singer songwriter from Philly now touring with his band the violators. He has an approach to music that is certainly hard to define especially after seeing his live show last night at The Black Cat in DC. He has certain songs like “Freeway” that sound a little bit like they were inspired by classic rock and many have heard Tom Petty in it. This man’s music is very different and the show was at times disorienting but Vile’s creativity was something that was also comforting and for me sort of familiar. He started off the show with an acoustic song alone and the finger picking in this song was peaceful as he murmurs lyrics about tomboys and peeping toms. Ray Concepcion captured this song well in the video below.

The Silent Barn: Kurt Vile // Part One from Ray Concepcioñ on Vimeo.

Songs like “Freak Train” which are big major chord fuzzy rock were an exciting part of the show. He does some screaming during certain songs including this one and his voice is raw and does not fit into any real category of typical singer songwriter and it is definitely rough around the edges. The other guitarist picked up a saxophone and a harmonica during the set. I felt as if Vile has the obscure type of imagination of someone like Daniel Johnston especially in his lyrical ability that was hard to hear on some of the more rocking songs. His hair covers his face and you cannot really see him and at one point in the show someone yelled from the crowd “let us see your face” and he for a brief moment brushed his hair back for us to see. He ranges from fuzzy guitars to bluesy finger picking, speaking softly and yelling lyrics. The rhythms that drive through the songs seemed like they moved to Vile's beat, sort of jumpy and unpredictable. The show didn't end with any rock mantra wailing on into the night, it was him alone on an acoustic. There was no encore. Kurt Vile's live show... no pop sensibilities here.

11/05/2009

Ronnettes-Be My Baby

Some songs stand the test of time. Even if you dont know what a Ronnette is, you've heard this song. Its beautiful. The Ronnettes are two sisters and a cousin from New York City who kicked off their career as dancers in a Times Square club back in 1961, by 1963 they'd come to the attention of infamous producer/creepy murderer Phil Spector (above foreground) who signed them to his label and initially used them to back up his other acts. For their time, they had a bad ass image with heavy eyeliner, beehive hairdos, and tight skirts. Their first single "Be My Baby" was a huge hit, hitting the #2 spot on the U.S. pop chart and capturing the heart of Brian Wilson, who wrote the track "Don't Worry Baby" in response.
"Be My Baby" not only features fantastic singing from the ladies, but also benefits from Spector's superb "Wall of Sound" production skills. The track kicks of with a thump and a clap from the rhythm section before the piano, horns and strings kick in. The highlight of the track though is the chorus, the girls harmonize together like very few can, and the melody carries it home.

The Ronnettes-Be My Baby

As a bonus I have to include this other standout from the Ronnettes
The Ronnettes-Do I Love You


Cam'ron: Cam'ron of the Island (Mashup Video)

We love us some mashup video (but you know that). Well, this one is a gem. We got Cam'ron's extremely tasteful ode to blow jobs "Suck it Or Not" over a new beat (the old one kind of sucked) that was constructed from a snippet of a song by Spanish flamenco master Camarón de la Isla. The video is pretty sweet and exactly what you would expect it to be: sort of awesome.

As a bonus from the man who brought you the catchphrase "no homo" comes a mashup that Cam'ron actually participated in. Here's Killa's take on Journey's Don't Stop Believin'. Despite the fact the fact that his first line is "Her shoes straight was hooker" and the track contains an appropriate amount of braggadocio, his later narrative about commiserating with a female protagonist over her family problems reveals a sensitive side, that's otherwise absent from his musical output.

Cam'ron-Just Us

Doobie Bros-What a Fool Believes

What a Fool Believes was co-written by Michael McDonald (second from right, above) and Kenny Loggins, a pairing which proved fruitful enough to produce one of the most touching love songs of 1978. The song raced up the charts that year to hit no.1 on the Billboard hot 100; and won two Grammy awards that year as well. The lyrics are written in a third person narrative about a man (the fool) who comes to sadly discover that the woman with whom he once had a relationship with, was never really all that into him. Even though she politely tries to break things off with our noble protagonist, nothing seems possible to disuade this 'fool' from continuing to fantasize that he can still gain a relationship with the object of his desire. Its a delicious slice of blue eyed soul which has stood the test of time on light FM stations throughout the years. The pleasant atmospheres of many a supermarket and drugstores are a result of McDonald's contributions to popular music with The Doobie Bros., Steely Dan and his celebrated solo career. Below I have embedded the disco remix of the track which has an added kick to the song's rhythm section, enjoy!

The Doobie Bros.-What A Fool Believes


11/04/2009

Carly Simon-Why

Every pop artist has a few gems in their closet that were missed attempts to hit the chart and didnt quite make it, be it that they were bad, or just plain weird. This track is one of the latter; produced by Chic, this mellow electro reggae track just doesn't have the Carly Simon sound, and thus you wont find this on any or her greatest hits albums. Released as a single for a terrible movie called Soup For One back in 1982, the track didnt strike a chord with Simon's fans but somehow it made strides over time in the burgeoning hip hop scene of the mid eighties.

Carly Simon-Why (12" Mix)

Tribe Called Quest-Bonita Applebum (Why Remix)

Tracks via: Longo

Bonus: Snippet of the original music video

Royal Bangs: My Car is Haunted

The sound of Royal Bangs is cacophonous and loud while retaining a just enough poppiness to create a killer melody, these guys know guitar hooks.. which they play loud and fast. If you mix in a littl bit of the pop sensibilities of of a band such as Passion Pit with the speed and ferocity of Death From Above 1979, you come somewhere close to whats happening. Listen for the drums, this band knows how to flesh out a song with alot of fills.

Royal Bangs-My Car is Haunted


Royal Bangs-Waking Up Weird


Hit up their myspace to cop their new album: It Beeps

Mountain Man: CMJ Performance

mountain man
In a Den in Brooklyn called Monkeytown during the CMJ festival three women from Vermont who call themselves Mountain Man were filmed by Ray Concepion. I thoroughly enjoyed this video as it sounded like the voices of George Clooney and Holly Hunters girls from O Brother Where Art Thou, as if they had grown up and formed this band. Truly fascinating and dream like performance.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner: Mountain Man [Part 2 of 14] from Ray Concepcioñ on Vimeo.

11/03/2009

Fanfarlo: Reservoir

Fanfarlo a band from Britain who released their debut album Reservoir last year has just hit my ears. There is an array of different instruments including trumpet, violin, and mandolin. They will be playing the Iota in Arlington VA on December 11th. Be sure to come back for a review of the show or you could just go and see it. Check the myspace page soon as they will be releasing a new video featuring one of Europe's top escape artist Roslyn Walker do the old classic Harry Houdini "Hanging Straight Jacket Escape".

Fanfarlo - You are one of the few outsiders who really understands us


Fanfarlo - I am a Pilot

Jookabox: Dead Zone Boys Out Soon

As you sit and pick the tootsie rolls out of your teeth and polish off the rest of the sour patch kids at the bottom of the pillow case full of candy watch this video. It is Jookabox's high energy, visually stimulating, animation video for one of the songs off their highly anticipated album Dead Zone Boys.

Whoa! Black Rob is back

I never wondered what happened to Black Rob after his Bad Boy hey-day...k fine, I mean after he put out the song "Whoa"...which I gotta say...is pretty damn awesome. Guess what? Rob is in prison for stealing a purse from a hotel which had 6gs worth of jewelry in it. He's getting out in 90 days and hes been working on a new album while he was in the pen, and its called Bet On Black (nice Passenger 57 reference). All this is just to say that, this gives me a great excuse to post the Whoa video, here it is...

As a bonus, heres a really fun mashup from the Hood Internet of the Black Rob's classic "Woah" with Panda Bear's "Bro's". As far as mashups go, this is one of the best.

Hood Internet-Bro's Before Whoas

10/29/2009

Juliandrews International Debut

Oh man....there it is. Come check me out tomorrow night as play reggaeton and pop-punk all night long.

10/23/2009

Jemina Pearl-I Hate People (featuring Iggy Pop)

Where do old punks go after their prime? Well besides reuniting the Stooges, cutting an album Sum-41, and most recently making a jazz album, Iggy then completely redeems himself by creeping out this song by Jemina Pearl the ex singer for Be Your Own Pet. Her track has got a cute girl group sound to it, with a sick drum lick, but then she invited Iggy to do some leering in the background and what was once sexy is now sleazy. I couldn't have asked for more. Perfect.

Jemina Pearl-I Hate People (featuring Iggy Pop)

Japandroids and Real Estate

japandroid#1
Japandroids have released Post Nothing, a fantastically ironic album name and they are doing a lot of touring. They stopped in DC with a band called Real Estate and played the Rock and Roll Hotel. Real Estate is made up of some boys from New Jersey and they have a sound that encompasses a Jersey shore suburban kid vibe. They played around a lot with just instrumental stuff and may need some time to incubate as a band. What they are doing sounds nice though and their hit Beach Comber at the end is the final product of the types of songs that these boys are capable of.
Japandroids are from Vancouver and I swear recently Canada has been producing some musical talent that is absolutely ground breaking. This two -piece band creates a ginormous sound with a small drum kit and a guitar. Brian King has an enthralling energy on stage, dancing around and standing on his amp pumping out power chords. The microphone he uses has a large red sponge cover and this muffles his voice a little and when he sings loud it really comes across well.
japandroid#2
Halfway through the set David Prowse revealed that they had to stop the tour bus for King to throw up on the side of the road and that in fact King was very ill. As they were pulled over the van got stuck in the mud, King said, “yeah start a band your life will be filled with puke and mud.” He being sick did not stop him from putting on a good show and this band, if you are listening to the album and you dig it you must see live. Prowse came out after the last song when we were expecting an encore and said “Sorry guys Brian is on the verge of death so we cannot come back out.” A fan then screamed “DRUM SOLO!!” to which Prowse said before leaving the stage “drum solos are so lame man, c’mon.”

Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire


Japandroids - Sovereignty


Photos by Gabby Bond

Of Montreal-Grolandic Edit (Video)


I'm pretty sure I can feel my face melting as I'm watching this. Yup, it's melting.

10/22/2009

Chester River Runoff play Brooklyn on Sunday

It doesn't sound any more authentic then a bluegrass band that started in a barn surrounded by cornfields. But banjoist Sam Guthridge and guitarist/singer Ben Armiger met at a bar and began playing together in the back of Ben's farm; and soon after Marc Dykeman came into the picture on bass and Nate Grower also joined in and picked up fiddle duties to form the latest incarnation of Chester River Runoff.
Together they've played roofs, porches, isolated islands off the coast of Maine, and the streets of Nashville; now theyre coming to the Jalopy Theatre in Brooklyn this sunday at 9:30. Hit up our friends Chester River Runoff on their myspace for more details, more music, more everything...

Chester River Runoff-Morning Song

Never Home Play Pianos this Sunday

Check out the boys as the hit the heart of the Lower East Side on Sunday.