Ear on TV: The Week of March 24

During the writer's strike, I found myself searching up the dial for live music performances, finding only a few nuggets, one of which was Current TV. My favorite new program is a 30 minute program called Fix Extended Play, which every Tuesday focuses on new music and rock journalism. This week features Detroit rap artists Black Milk and Guilty Simpson along with the electro pop of Yacht and one of my new faves Neon Neon.

The Cardiff, Wales act Neon Neon is the collaborative project of electronic producer Boom Bip and Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys. The resulting product is 80's style electro and guitar pop, but far more rich in texture and less hollow than you might remember that decade sounding. Their album Stainless Style, released this month, is a rock opera about John DeLorean, the American auto engineer famous for the Pontiac GTO and his failed De Lorean Motor Company. The use of 80's style music works perfectly for the 1980's story of excess, making it the perfect album to play in your DeLorean DMC-12 while trafficking cocaine.

Playlist: Picks for the week

Monday, March 24
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Howlin Rain
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Sheryl Crow (REPEAT)
Tuesday, March 25
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Panic at the Disco
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Raveonettes
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Bell X1
CURRENT TV: Fix Extended Play: Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, Neon Neon, Yacht
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Steve Earle
Wednesday, March 26
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Langhorne Slim
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Jose Gonzalez
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Björk (REPEAT)
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Lupe Fiasco (REPEAT)
Thursday, March 27
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Bad Religion
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Allison Moorer
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Ghostland Observatory (REPEAT)
OVATION: A Story of Modern Jazz: Doc on the founding of Blue Note Records
Friday, March 28
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Serj Tankian
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Ziggy Marley
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Wombats, Mike V. and the Rats
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: k.d. lang
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Sondre Lerche (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Shiny Toy Guns (REPEAT)
RAVEHD: Later with Jools Holland: Crowded House, Angie Stone, Kurt Elling, Richard Thompson, Battles and Roisin Murphy
SYNDICATION: Live With Regis and Kelly: k.d. lang
Saturday, March 29
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Wilco (REPEAT)