Monday, May 07, 2007

Ear on TV: Week of May 7

Canada's Leslie Feist is poised to breakthrough in the US on the strength of her latest album, The Reminder, released this past week. When she performs "1234" on Leno Tuesday night, her effortless artistry may only initially be noticed by her ardent followers, but her voice should appeal to a wider base of fans like that of platinum-selling artists like Norah Jones and Corinne Bailey Rae. The album was on repeat at the local Barnes & Noble yesterday, as I watched my son playing with trains, which took me by surprise a little. Not that The Reminder sounded out of place, just that Feist cut her teeth playing with acts like Peaches and Broken Social Scene, who are pretty far away from the radio (and bookstore) play that this album will be getting.

Meanwhile, Kelly Clarkson's already had her breakthrough, but she worked it in reverse of Feist's trajectory. Starting as an American Idol winner, she had a built-in fanbase of pop music buyers, but she craved some more 'cred' and garnered it with the song "Since U Been Gone," appealing to indie rockers and Idol fans alike. But she still knows to stick with the fella that brought her to the dance, so while next album, My December, doesn't come out until July 24, Clarkson is making several appearances this week to coincide with Idol's May sweeps run to the finish. She'll be performing her single "Never Again" on Letterman (Tuesday,) Regis (Wednesday,) and Jimmy Kimmel (Friday.) We can assume there will be more in the coming weeks.

Finally, promising 23-year old Patrick Wolf makes his network television debut (on Conan Wednesday,) this on the heels of his announcement that a concert coming up in November will be his last. He's clarified it as more of a hiatus, but it's still alarming given his quick rise thanks to his incredible release The Magic Position. It's Hunky Dory-meets-Odelay pop artistry is a bold revelation, and if Wolf leaves that as his final parting shot, it's quite a mark, to be sure.

Picks for the week
Monday, May 7
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Cat Empire
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Paul Wall (REPEAT)
Tuesday, May 8
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Kelly Clarkson
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Feist
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Bloc Party
Wednesday, May 9
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Kooks
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Dinosaur Jr.
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Aqualung
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Patrick Wolf
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Joseph Arthur
SYNDICATION: Live With Regis and Kelly: Kelly Clarkson
Thursday, May 10
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Nelly Furtado
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Stephen Marley
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Bird and the Bee
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Kanye West
Friday, May 11
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Kelly Clarkson
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: Chris Cornell
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ying Yang Twins
Saturday, May 12
PBS: Austin City Limits: Ray Davies (REPEAT)

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3 comments:

Shawn Anderson said...

Talk show picks for the week of 05.07.07

1. Sly - The Cat Empire
2. Break Em' Off (Chopped And Screwed) - Paul Wall
3. Never Again - Kelly Clarkson
4. 1234 - Feist
5. I Still Remember - Bloc Party
6. Naive - The Kooks
7. Almost Ready - Dinosaur Jr
8. The Lake - Aqualung
9. The Magic Position - Patrick Wolf
10. Take Me Home - Joseph Arthur
11. Say It Right - Nelly Furtado
12. The Traffic Jam (Main) - Stephen Marley
13. Again & Again - The Bird And The Bee
14. Impossible (Radio Edit) - Kanye West
15. You Know My Name - Chris Cornell
16. Jigglin - Ying Yang Twins
17. After The Fall - Ray Davies

Anonymous said...

I really can't get enough of Feist recently. Her lyrics for 1234 are delightful, and its music video just makes me smile. The Reminder is my favorite of hers so far, although I think the majority of me favorite Feist songs are still on Let it Die.

Anonymous said...

Feist was also on repeat at Starbucks!