Sasquatch Day 2 review and more photos

Recap of events from the second day of Sasquatch now up at Bumpershine. The Wrens (pictured above, Wrens axes Greg Whelan and Charles Bissell,) once again, were the highlight of the festival for me, but there were some interesting performances from TV on the Radio, Of Montreal and St. Vincent as well.

Now Downloading: New Releases 05.26.09

For a holiday-shortened week, there's no lack of quality in the releases department. This week, in fact, features my two most listened to albums from the past two months, in Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest and Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. But it doesn't stop there, as new releases from Viva Voce, A Hawk and a Hacksaw, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Jenny Owen Young, Sunn 0))), The Bats and some kick ass soul from Naomi Shelton.

Playlist: New Releases 05.26.09

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Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

First thing's first: Go and delete any crappy leak you may (or may not have) "aquired" and obtain the real thing, as this is one album that requires full fidelity in order to appreciate it's majesty. Veckatimest follows through on what 2006's stellar Yellow House merely promised. A nearly perfect album from start to finish, with it's only flaw being it's perfection, an envious paradox to have, for sure. Named after a tiny island near Martha's Vineyard (the band recorded the album in Cape Cod,) Veckatimest is teeming with precision and bursting with moments of harmonizing glory, as if alternating between lakeside surgery and wondrous visitations from the Lord (the album was finished in a church in NY). From the start, the band dares us to follow them through on the journey ("You’ll never find me now" - "Southern Point,") but follow we must, bouncing through their most accessible song yet ("Two Weeks,") and joined in by disembodied choirs ("Cheerleader,") they lead us to some dizzying heights. If we were looking for someone to challenge Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion for album of the year, I think we have our challenger (and eventual winner). Other recommended tracks, "Ready, Able" and... heck, who am I kidding, the whole shebang. Pick it up, NOW.

Free AOL Album Stream

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Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, like GB's Veckatimest is a giant leap forward for the band, combining the promise of their debut (2000's United,) with the uneven brilliance of their third album (2006's It's Never Been Like That,) into an effortless pop gem. If many of the songs seem to be cut from the same cloth as their 2006 hit "Long Distance Call," it can be forgiven, as that song is the perfect blueprint for the band. "Lisztomania," "1901," "Lasso," and "Girlfriend" all fall into that effortless synth-driven indie rock pop feel, and with the advancement of singer (and Sofia Coppolla squeeze) Thomas Mars lyrical play, it's hard to beat. Almost like a lyrical tweet, Mars' bite size couplets are intriguing, take the opening salvo: "So sentimental, not sentimental, no!/ Romantic, not disgusting yet," it's a back and forth of contrasts and paradoxes that occur throughout the album. Even the mostly instrumental "Love is a Sunset," follows the paradox, taking musical cues from their countrymen Air (and some Tangerine Dream circa Risky Business, thrown in for good measure). There's beauty in an ending ("When did we start the end?") and the song accomplishes the feat in spades (Part II - can't say I'm a fan of them breaking up the song into two parts for US release).

Free AOL Album Stream

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Viva Voce - Rose City / "Devotion" [mp3]
A Hawk and a Hacksaw - Deliverance
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us / Free AOL Album Stream
Jenny Owen Youngs - Transmitter Failure
Sunn 0))) - Monoliths and Dimensions
The Bats - The Guilty Office
The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Smoking Acid
Naomi Shelton - What Have You Done, My Brother? / "What Have You Done" [mp3]
Tiga - Ciao / Free AOL Album Stream / "Mind Dimension" [mp3]
The Paper Chase - Someday This Could All Be Yours Vol. 1

REISSUES
Miles Davis - Sketches in Spain: 50th Anniversary (Legacy Edtion)
Charles Mingus - AH UM - 50th Anniversary (Legacy Edition)

tags: music, album review, phoenix, grizzly bear, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Sasquatch Day 1 review and more photos

A few words, finally, on each set I saw from day one, along with more photos are now up over at Bumpershine. Day 2 tomorrow, and then I'll have all the photos up on flickr later.

The 5 Craziest Moments from Sasquatch 2009

It was quite the eventful Sasquatch! Festival this year. Oh sure, anytime you throw that many people in a confined space with entertainment and their own plentiful supply of drugs and alcohol, crazy things are bound to happen. But this year, there were some exceptional moments.

Top 5 Crazy moments from Sasquatch

1. Couple have very public sex during the Decemberists set, but experience The Hazards of Love when security comes and busts them:


2. The entire Monotonix set on Monday.
The Israeli band are usually guaranteed to have the craziest moment at any festival they perform at, and it took a live sex act to knock them off the top. Here's a short video of some of the highlights... you must make it to the end.
Insanity.

3. Murder City Devils' Spencer Moody goes on a crazy drunken rant against "the jocks" in the audience; makes out with audience; and rubs a photographer's face in his crotch (not cool).
Crazy, but in the end, kind of annoying.

4. Entire King Khan & the Shrines set, but especially when Saxaphonist Ben Ra pulled down his pants and tucked his package under for the great song "I Wanna Be a Girl." Ra's little dance recalls the creepy scene of Buffalo Bill dancing in Silence of the Lambs ("Would you f*ck me? I'd f*ck me. I'd f*ck me hard.")

5. Kevin Whelan from The Wrens was on fire the whole show, throwing his bass into the stratosphere and then into the audience, topping it off with a leap so high off the top of his bass cabinet, that folks swear my photo of it is doctored somehow when I show them.

Climax to my favorite set from the festival.

Honorable mention goes to Of Montreal's theatrics on Sunday night, and Tim & Eric's always zany antics in the comedy tent on Saturday night.

Anybody else got some craziness to add?

Sasquatch Day Two

Like yesterday, some photos are up over here. I've gone through both days photos, and they'll trickle in first over at Bumpershine and then here (and my flickr acct.).

Sasquatch Day One

Some photos are up over here. There's a ton to go through from both days, and they'll trickle in first over at Bumpershine and then here (and my flickr acct.).

Hunting Sasquatch - A Saturday/Sunday Primer

The Sasquatch Music festival has always been my favorite, and it's primarily due to it's location, the majestic gorge in South Central Washington. The lineup of artists ain't too shabby either. I've always found myself avoiding the mainstage in the evenings, and this year, with headliners like Kings of Leon and Nine Inch Nails, that tradition remains intact. The Wookie Stage draws smaller crowds and quite often, better acts. I've got my schedule mostly set, and it's embedded below.

Who am I excited to see this year? Well, readers of this blog won't be surprised by most. On Saturday, there's Passion Pit and King Kahn and the Shrines in the early part of the day, and then Animal Collective and Bon Iver in the evening. Sunday features St. Vincent, The Wrens, TV on the Radio and Of Montreal, who are all need-to-see when in town. The early part of Monday is what I'll be sad to miss -- Grizzly Bear, Deerhoof, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Santigold, The Duchess and the Duke, Monotix, Fleet Foxes all play in a span of about four hours.

It's been four years now since I was last here, a period of time marked by having kids and schedule conflicts (bar mitzvah, wedding, etc.). The weather has also been freakish in the years since I've been, so it's nice to see that we're expecting 85 degrees and dry for both days.

Here are the expected points where my camera will be getting a workout:

Now Downloading: New Releases 05.19.09

I took a couple weeks off from dishing on the new releases due both to being ridiculously busy and not being inspired by enough I was hearing. I'm still busy, but it's hard to ignore this week (and the next,) with the latest from Jarvis Cocker, Grandaddy's Jason Lytle and White Rabbits. Meanwhile, Phoenix's wonderful Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix has been digitally available for a few weeks already in Rhapsody (and a week in iTunes) and there's other new releases from John Vanderslice, Passion Pit, Au Revoir Simone, Jeffrey Lewis, Apostle Of Hustle, Clues, The Field and the rarities collection from Iron & Wine.

Playlist: New Releases 05.19.09

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Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

There's always been a sort of weird parallel between Jarvis Cocker and Nick Cave, and with Further Complications, Cocker has released his own kind of Grinderman, the raw and rockish side project from Cave. Both projects reflect the artists at the height of depravity -- libidinous come-ons and bruising put downs. "Leftovers" is the song most will refer to, with the opening line (a callback to the Pulp classic "Common People") "I met her in the museum of paleontology / And I make no bones about it," "I said, 'If you wish to study dinosaurs, I know a specimen whose interest is undoubted.'" Then later, if we've somehow missed the hints of Cocker cocksure, we get "I don't need a relationship, I need a receptacle." Steve Albini as producer is a perfect match for Cocker's cartoonish bravado, with that big drum sound forcing Cocker out of his usually more laid back delivery. It's a big and dumb clever rock record that's a kick.

Download: "Angela" [mp3]

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White Rabbits - It's Frightening
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Just like Jarvis Cocker, Brooklyn's White Rabbits breathed new life into their sound through a new producer, in this case Spoon's Britt Daniel. It's Frightening is marked by the same 'less is more' that Daniel's Spoon has perfected over many releases, and it suits White Rabbits well. Emphasis on rhythm and space in songs make up for the occasional dip in songwriting. The album sounds (and feels, thanks to the emphasis on the pounding skins) great.

Free AOL Album Stream

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Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, The Commuter
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When Jason Lytle disbanded Grandaddy, it was understood he would carry on solo with much the same sensibility as his old outfit, but Yours Truly, the Commuter feels like more like outtakes from previous albums than a step forward. There's a few songs that would be standouts on previous Grandaddy albums, but here they suffer from getting lost in a certain sameness a Lytle lazily sticks to the mellow side, giving up on the occasional dynamics that his former outfit would throw our way. In the end, it's pleasant, but yawn-inducing all the same.

Free AOL Album Stream

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
John Vanderslice - Romanian Names / "Too Much Time" [mp3]
Passion Pit - Manners / Free AOL Album Stream / "Moth's Wings" [mp3]
Au Revoir Simone - Still Night, Still Light
Iron & Wine - Around the Well / "Belated Promise Ring" [mp3]
Jeffrey Lewis - Em Are I / Free AOL Album Stream / "Slogans" [mp3]
Apostle Of Hustle - Amatoria / Free AOL Album Stream
Clues - Clues
The Field - Yesterday & Today / Free AOL Album Stream
True Blood: Music from the HBO Original Series
Elfin Saddle - Ringing for the Begin Again
The Curious Mystery - Rotting Slowly
The Warlocks - The Mirror Explodes / "Red Camera" [mp3]
Method Man and Redman - Blackout 2

REISSUES
Nick Cave - The Firstborn Is Dead / Free AOL Album Stream
Nick Cave - From Her To Eternity
Nick Cave - Your Funeral... My Trial
Nick Cave - Kicking Against the Pricks
Lenny Kravitz - Let Love Rule: 20th Anniversary Edition

tags: music, album review, phoenix, white rabbits, jarvis cocker, jason lytle, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Glee "Pilot" - Open Yourself Up to Joy

Even with all the problems the much-hyped Glee pilot for FOX had, if you "open yourself up to joy" even a little bit, it's hard not to walk away smiling from this introduction. First and foremost, there's lots and lots of music, and more importantly, there's nobody bursting into song -- a fear I'm sure plenty of the musical-phobic had coming in.

Click through for full article and video. (Tracklisting and playlist below.)

Playlist: Glee - Pilot (Ep 1.01)
1. "Let Me Be" - Josh Gabriel - cheerleaders practice
2. "Shining Star" - Earth Wind & Fire - move through school
3. "Where is Love" from musical Oliver! - glee club rehearsal
4. "Flight of the Bumblebee" - The Swingle Singers - used several times throughout as a Rachel theme
5. "Soul Bossa Nova" - The Swingle Singers - Will picks a name - used several times throughout as a Will theme
6. "Respect" - Aretha Franklin - Mercedes' audition
7. "Mister Cellophane" from musical Chicago - Kurt's audition
8. "I Kissed a Girl" - Katy Perry - Tina's audition
9. "On My Own" from Les Miserables - Rachel's audition
10. "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" from Guys & Dolls - glee club first rehearsal
11. "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" - 101 Strings Orchestra - Will brings sandwich
12. "A Fifth of Beethoven" - The Swingle Sisters w/ Shlomo - a cappella score
13. "Can't Fight This Feeling" - REO Speedwagon - Finn singing in the shower
14. "Lovin' Touchin' Squeezin'" - Journey - flashback w/ groundskeeper
15. "You're the One That I Want" from Grease - glee club rehearsal w/ Finn
16. "Chewing Gum" - Annie - Rachel flirts w/ Finn
17. "Rehab" - Amy Winehouse - Vocal Adrenaline, Carmel High School (download Glee cast version via iTunes)
18. "Don't Worry Be Happy" - Bobby McFerrin - Steel Drum band
19. "Allegro (From Sonata No. 14 - Moonlight Sonata)" - The Swingle Singers - Rachel begs Finn to stay in Glee
20. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Journey - Greenskeeper / revisted at end w/ New Directions rehearsal
21. "That's the Way" - KC & the Sunshine Band - '93 glee club championships
22. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Glee Cast (iTunes download)
Compiled then double-checked against Avalon's official listing posted on niptuckforum.com

Ear on TV: Week of May 18: Grizzly Bear (loose in my neighborhood)

Fans of Stephen Colbert are well aware of his obsessive fear of grizzly bears*, so when it was made known that Letterman had booked both Colbert and the band Grizzly Bear on the same night (Wednesday,) there were more than a few knowing chuckles.

*Oddly enough, as I'm writing this, a very hungry bear (fresh from hibernation) is running loose in my neighborhood of Ballard in Seattle. The bear is a mere 10 blocks away, which is CRAZY -- racoons or possums, sure, but a BEAR? All of a sudden, Colbert's fear no longer seems as comical.

Grizzly Bear, for their part, is set to release one of the most critically anticipated albums of the year next week, with Veckatimest, which is a stunning collection of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys harmonies paired with folk-based arrangements. The last time they appeared on Letterman, nearly a year ago (video) they debuted the song "Two Weeks," creating quite a stir in the blogosphere.

Ok, the bear hasn't been caught yet, but is now more 20 blocks away, so my threat level has moved from a "Colbert-Red" down to "Grizzly Adams-Gray." Also, he's apparently on the small side (but still HUNGRY).

Also making an appearance this week is Iron & Wine, hitting Fallon on Tuesday, in support of the b-side and rarities collection Around the Well. It's not often that artists will tour and make appearances in support of rarity collections, but the two-CD collection from singer/songwriter Sam Beam is rich with songs that would be treasured album cuts for most artists.

Bear is still on the loose, having a field day, no doubt, with it being garbage pick-up day in the morning here. While he's dodging tranq guns, it's past 2AM and I feel like I've been hit by one, so I'll sign off now and leave the bear to my dreams.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, May 18
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Franz Ferdinand (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: White Rabbits
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Method Man & Redman
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Crystal Antlers (REPEAT)
Tuesday, May 19
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Eminem
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Mims
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Iron & Wine
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Keane
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: No Doubt
Wednesday, May 20
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: No Doubt
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Grizzly Bear
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Airborne Toxic Event
Thursday, May 21
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Common, Busta Rhymes
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Presets
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Billy Boy on Poison
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Kills
Friday, May 22
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Eminem
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Green Day
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: The Decemberists
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Glasvegas
SUNDANCE: Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man: Leonard Cohen, U2, Nick Cave, Rufus Wainwright, Martha Wainwright, Beth Orton, Jarvis Cocker, Teddy Thompson
Saturday, May 23
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Lily Allen
PBS: Austin City Limits: Dixie Chicks (REPEAT)

NBC's Must-See Music-filled finales

I finally found myself laughing at Parks & Recreation, and it's their (short) season finale. Six episodes seems to be the going rate these days (see Dollhouse) for a show to get their bearings, and while NBC has flailed w/ drama, they've shown incredible patience in allowing their comedies to develop despite early struggles (see The Office, 30 Rock, etc.). And while this P&S episode was leaps and bounds better than the feeling out process we've been witnessing, I wonder if much of it was due to a setting change, specifically getting out of "the office."

Actor Chris Pratt, who plays Andy Dwyer, had mostly been underused thus far this season (which is understandable given that his character is purely peripheral to the central story,) and he finally gets a chance to shine. We'd known that Andy had a band (last I heard it was Just the Tip... or was it 3-Skin?) but who knew they were so... um... together. Scarecrow Boat already has a website (what, no Mouse Rat?) up with free downloads of all the songs they performed in the episode, and a bio description that's nearly apt: What if Dave Matthews joined the Counting Crows?

Meanwhile 30 Rock put together a star-studded benefit song, "Kidney Now." Bio-dad needs kidney, Jack pulls some favors (and blackmail - Elvis Costello, "or should I say Declan McManus -- international art thief) and presto! It's a "We Are the World" spoof, complete w/ original participants Michael McDonald and Cyndi Lauper. Also featured: Mike D and Adam Horovitz of Beastie Boys and blink-and-you-missed-it Rhett Miller:

State of the blog...

A change at work has made it nearly impossible to do any writing for the past couple weeks.

Casualty #1: New release posts... these take a long time to set-up and I will probably have to change the format, making them a lot less deep and/or just concentrating on a couple reviews and linking to a playlist w/ tracklisting.

Casualty #2: Thought out and edited posts and/or playlists. Instead, the blog has been limited to quick reaction pieces, typically following episode airings.

Things will get a bit better soon, but I have a feeling they won't ever return to the way they were. I can't keep setting up/writing/editing after-hours 'til 2AM each night.

Goodnight, and be good...

More True Blood: Photos, Trailer

Besides music, I've found myself being the dark and twisty go-to guy for Film.com, and since the site has gotten bit by the vampire bug, you'll be seeing a lot of True Blood-related stuff from me both here and there.

Latest round of photos and a trailer (more Bob Dylan) were released a couple days ago, and I've finally gotten round to scratching something out about them over at film.com. Suck it now! (I think that's vamp for go there.)

Reaper - "To Sprong, With Love": Robot Suit Up

It's late and I need desperately to go to bed (and read more from my Preacher graphic novel) so I'm merely posting notes tonight, which should be recognizeable.

Good and bad news for Reaper fans: The Tyler Labine-starring Sons of Tucson has been picked up by FOX for next season. Just another nail in the Reaper coffin.

Does this episode seem remotely at all like the third to last for a series? A LOT has to happen next week, right?

I never saw Mr. Woodcock, but I feel like I should do some Wikipedia time on it to compare it to the Mr. Sprong storyline.

"I am Sock no longer, I am Wrenchy Bench... forever."

"Xavier comes around sniffing for Nina again, he's gonna have to go through these guys. Lilo & Stitch."

"Ooh, that was a terrible place for a ventilation hole."

Hearing The Roots' "Game Theory" now makes me think of Jimmy Fallon running up to high-five the audience. But the robot suit comes in a close second.

Playlist: Reaper - Episode 2.11
1. "Fool Yourself" - Adonis Tsilimparis
2. "Game Theory" - The Roots
3. "She's Expensive" - The Virgins

Previously: Dark Lord of Asses ("No Reaper Left Behind" - Episode 2.09)

Rescue Me - "Perspective": Chip Ahoy

Another strong Rescue Me episode, and a relatively quiet one as well. Music often serves as a crutch for the series, and when they're writing as many great monologues and tense scenes as they did here, music is a tool best left in the belt.

There were several monologues that reminded me of the first season, and top of the list is Tommy looking over ground zero. The ghosts may have been buried last season (through both Tommy's sobriety and Jimmy's distaste of Tommy permitting Damian to become a probie,) but after mentally re-opening the book on Jimmy, Tommy appears to be heading back to Ghost Town (one-year chip be damned).

We also got deeper into the 9/11 Truth business of both Franco and the actor who plays him, Daniel Sunjata. They're going to revisit it again, I believe, and it will be interesting how they handle it, given that Denis Leary believes it to be a crock of sh*t. The gang hating his position but still sticking up for him is a lot like Leary and the cast with Sunjata and his conspiracy theories. They may not agree with him, but they got his back, so I don't expect there to be any pointed ridiculing of the 9/11 Truthers by story arc's end.

If I have any fault with this offering, it's the ending. Honestly, it was like many classic Rescue Me episodes, where it just sort of feels like they ran out of time and decided that was as good as any place to fade out. Speaking of endinnnnnnn

Previously: White Noise ("Sheila," Episode 5.05)

Ear on TV: Week of 05.11.09 - Soulja Boy Tell 'em

Even though the hip-hop of Soulja Boy Tell' Em is not my cup of tea, you really have to admire what the 18-year-old has done in the short time he's been on the scene. Born DeAndre Way, the Atlanta native has helped usher in a new wave of Internet-savvy artists, with his embrace of social marketing and the viral nature of the web. Whether he's putting up another new YouTube video (the video for "Crank That" is the top viewed YouTube clip, at over 300 million views), Twittering through late-night jam sessions, or promoting his MySpace page on radio and television appearances, Soulja Boy has worked the Internet angle like a "playa macking his game."

It's fitting then, that he starts his week appearing on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, as Fallon just won a Webby award for "Person of the Year" for a similar geek embrace. Expect there to be a fair amount of tweets generated (?uestlove included - where's the Tweetup, son?) from the meeting on Monday night. But that's just the start to Soulja Boy's march on the airwaves, as he'll also hit BET's 106 & Park on Wednesday night and then even make an appearance on the season finale of The CW series The Game on Friday*. Of course, all these appearances mean he'll have a lot less time to post another YouTube video. Fans will just have to suffice with him on a much bigger screen.

*Soulja Boy also finds his way onto The View next week (May 25). Lil Wayne last month and now Soulja Boy? Yo mama is getting schooled in new hip-hop.

Elsewhere, two big artists have big expectations to live up to beginning this week. Rapper Eminem has been out of the limelight for five years now, which is an eternity in hype-driven rap. Between the party antics of Asher Roth (on Fallon Thursday,) and the internet-driven shallowness of Soulja Boy, Marshall Mathers is a bespeckled, cardigan-wearing picture of maturity. I for one, hope he schools the youngins (Eminem appears on Kimmel Friday.) Meanwhile, Green Day has the unenviable task of following up the multi-platinum smash that was 2004's American Idiot. Since that album was helped by having an unpopular President, won wonders how 21st Century Breakdown will do in the age of Obama. They'll have this week's SNL season finale to help make their case.

And finally, remember last week we told you about Yusuf Islam having to cancel shows and appearances last week due to visa problems? Well, the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens has finally made it over the border and playing his first US show in 33 years Monday night in Los Angeles (El Rey Theatre). He'll follow that with appearances on Leno (Wednesday,) The Colbert Report (Thursday,) and a rescheduled appearance on Fallon (Friday). The visa problems will no doubt make his Colbert appearance that much more meaty.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, May 11
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Killers
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Soulja Boy Tell' Em, The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ben Harper & Relentless7 (REPEAT)
Tuesday, May 12
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Fake Problems
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Lonely Island w/ The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Cold War Kids
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Lady GaGa
Wednesday, May 13
BET: 106 & Park: Soulja Boy Tell' Em
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Bob Log III
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Yusuf Islam
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Brett Dennen
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, She & Him, Jenny Lewis, Jakob Dylan (REPEAT)
Thursday, May 14
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Airborne Toxic Event
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Rick Ross with Magazeen
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: Yusuf Islam
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Crocodiles
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: The Decemberists
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Asher Roth, The Roots
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Kelly Clarkson
Friday, May 15
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Eminem
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Mastodon
CW: The Game: Soulja Boy Tell' Em
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kings of Leon
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Yusuf Islam, The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Friendly Fires
SUNDANCE: The Rock and Roll Kid: Danny Sveinson
Saturday, May 16
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Green Day
PBS: Austin City Limits: My Morning Jacket (REPEAT)

Dollhouse "Omega" - Change Your Heart, I'll Astound You

Enjoyed the season (series?) finale for Dollhouse, but not nearly as much as I thought I would after last week's mind-bender. The episode (and the series) really worked much better when the focus wasn't on Eliza Dushku. It was a kick seeing Whedon vets Alan Tudyk (Firefly) and Amy Acker (Angel) burn the small screen, but it also made it even more apparent that perhaps Dushku shouldn't be the star here.

The series thus far has resisted using popular music, so it was a bit of a surprise to hear first the White Plains' "My Baby Loves Lovin'" in radio as Alpha and Echo drive in their stolen car. Then writer/director of the episode Tim Minnear (the go-to-guy for dark-y Whedon) has his Tarantino moment, with Roy Orbison playing ("In Dreams") in the background to a torture scene. But the prize goes to using Beck's fine cover of "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometimes," which many will recognize as the song from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, a film who's science obviously lines up nicely with Dollhouse.

The episode didn't feel like a series ending, and I hope that Dollhouse comes back for another go, because it really started to get its legs once the standalone episodes were burned and the mythology was able to develop. I fear, though, that this might very well be the end. The ratings have continued to sink, drying up a lot of hope that we'll get to see Alan Tudyk exercise the 48 imprint workout again.

Music from Dollhouse - Episode 1.13 ("Omega")
1. "My Baby Loves Lovin'" - White Plains - Alpha and Echo in the stolen car
2. "In Dreams" - Roy Orbison - Alpha tortures a client
3. "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometimes" - Beck - ending montage

Rescue Me - "Sheila": White Noise

There was no music whatsoever (song or score) this week in a chilling episode of Rescue Me, but that also is a soundtrack choice, and one that fit the mood.

From the start, with the shaky hand-held camera work to the multiple explosions from the suitcase bombs, the foreshadowing that 'sh*t was about to get real' was spot on. The sound editing and design was off-putting in a fashion that was perfect for the scene -- bombs going off, loss of hearing, the snow-like debris. That it turns out to be a Tommy dream doesn't lessen the impact. I had to rewind and watch it a third, even fourth time and hesitated deleting it.

Meanwhile, having Sheila in therapy has been a blessing. Between that and her also seeing Jimmy in the news footage, she's no longer a cartoon character who's whacked-out persona is brought in make Tommy more sympathetic. Ditto for Sean getting renal cancer -- hard to look at him as just a punchline, especially knowing the secert he's going to hiding to keep his job. Finally, it's kind of funny that Janet is dating an exaggerated version of Tommy in Michael J. Fox's Dwight, and Fox's crazy is a wonder to watch. The scenes with Denis Leary were fun if only to see Leary as the passenger instead of the driver of the scene.

Previously: "Jimmy": Ghost in the Machine (Episode 5.04)

Beyond Here Lies Nothing (but more True Blood)

On the face of it, it's a strange example of product synergy, but Bob Dylan lending his song "Beyond Here Lies Nothing" for a new promo for the upcoming second season of True Blood, makes perfect sense. Dylan's latest album, Together Through Life, just came out this week, and his fans have a certain amount of blood lust, so it's a win/win, right?

Dressed in muted colors in a forest on a foggy night, Sookie, Bill, Eric and the rest act like their in some kind of vampire-themed perfume ad. The splashes of artfully placed blood really pop, and each character pantomimes some of what their characters will be doing this season (for Jason that means praying, for Bill and Sookie that means looking lustfully into each other's eyes). It's pretty, stylish, and features a lot of skin, not unlike another Dylan scored advertisement from a few years ago.

If you'll remember, Dylan previously sold a song for a Victoria's secret ad, which was perfect in that Dylan foretold of this in a humorous interview with the press nearly 40 years prior. "If you were going to sell out to a commercial interest, which one would you choose." Bob's reply: "Ladies 'garments." The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that Dylan would make a pretty funny vampire.

Here's the promo that premiered this past weekend:



Previously: Previewing Season 2 of True Blood

Ear on TV: Week of 05.04.09 - Animal Collective

For those that stayed up to watch it, the network debut of Animal Collective (on Conan back in October of 2007) was one of music on television's great WTF moments. The band was poised to move from cult favorite to being a top selling indie rock band, but instead of performing a song to expand their audience, Panda Bear and co. instead played the more 'difficult' "#1" amidst surrounded by smoke and flanked by a skeleton (scroll down for video). It surely left more than a few viewers scratching their heads, muttering "what in the world was that?"

Animal Collective are back on television again, and even an hour earlier, appearing Thursday on Letterman. This time out, the album they're promoting, album of the year candidate Merriweather Post Pavilion, is chock-full of Pet Sounds-era Beach Boys goodness, especially the glorious "My Girls," a song that is bound to win them more than a few potential new fans. Eschewing material possessions outside of "four walls and adobe slabs for my girls," the song especially strikes a chord in our troubled economy. It'd be hard to imagine them not playing the song, but then again, they recoiled from the brass ring last time out, so they could end up performing a song from their upcoming as-yet-untitled movie, which promises to be a less accessible venture.

Speaking of coming back for a brass ring recoil (and eschewing material possessions,) the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens, Yusuf Islam, was set to make a couple appearances Tuesday (The View and Late Night With Jimmy Fallon), and embarking touring for the first time in over 33 years in support of his latest release, Roadsinger. Unfortunately, visa troubles have reared their ugly head again with the artist, and he has had to cancel both appearances, along with the two small shows planned in New York and Los Angeles. Sharing a name with a suspected terrorist has made it difficult for the Cat, but you'd think that after all the hullaboo of four years ago, Homeland Security would have "Peace Train" cued up on their iPod by now. Sharon Jones will step in for Yusuf on Fallon, but no word yet on who takes the seat on The View, but there's bound to be some lively discussion about the 'no fly' list as a result. To quote Yusuf from a recent interview: "The idea of being safe is completely understandable, but when you start to misunderstand what kind of person I am, then something's wrong."



Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, May 4
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Whip (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Keri Hilson with Kanye West
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Hockey
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kathleen Madigan
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Adele
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lykke Li (REPEAT)
Tuesday, May 5
ABC: The View: Yusaf Islam (visa problems)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Franz Ferdinand
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Jenny Lewis
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Yusuf Islam (visa problems, replaced by Sharon Jones)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lily Allen
Wednesday, May 6
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ben Harper & Relentless7
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Van Morisson
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The National
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, Herbie Hancock (REPEAT)
Thursday, May 7
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Flo Rida
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Animal Collective
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Black Kids
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Ben Harper & Relentless7
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Black Kids
Friday, May 8
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Chris Cornell
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Devil Wears Prada
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ida Maria
SUNDANCE: Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul: Baba Zula, Orient Expressions, Duman
Saturday, May 9
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Justin Timberlake, Ciara

Let Me Plan Your Saturday

If you live in the Seattle area and are looking for something to do tomorrow, I've got it covered. If you have kids, you're even better off:

1. Wake up. I cannot stress how important this step is.

2. Find nearest comic book store. Go there and pick up a FREE COMIC BOOK. Also, pick up something else for yourself. (If it's been awhile, might I suggest Identity Crisis, Omega the Unknown, DMZ or perhaps something by Brian K. Vaughan (Y: the Last Man, Ex-Machina, Runaways)?)

3. Grab your kid(s,) put on some rain gear and head to the 2nd Annual Denny a Go Go, see The Presidents of the United States of America's Chris Ballew perform his new kids music side project, Casper Babypants (not much of a stretch from POTUSA). Also featuring The Recess Monkey, who are like pied piper to the kiddies.

4. Go home and get dry from the all the rain.

5. Find some earplugs and pawn the kids off for the night. It's the annual rock show benefit for Crohns & Colitus Foundation of America, with the UFO tribute band Flight To Mars (C&C sufferer Mike McCready of Pearl Jam). This year features Duff McKagan's Loaded as openers. Here's video from last year's classic rock jam.

6. Go to sleep. I cannot stress how important this step is.

Tonight is Monk Time - "Monks: The Transatlantic Feed Back" premieres on Sundance

If you're like me, your heads still bobbing (& throbbing) from the exquisite reissue that LITA did for The Monks' classic Black Monk Time. The music is great, but it's the historical context of LITA's liner notes that gives the experience that extra kick. Tonight on Sundance, you can add to that visceral thrill with the critically acclaimed German-made documentary Monks: The Transatlantic Feedback, as this week's Friday night RockDoc.

The documentary tells the story of the former GI's who formed their band in Germany, singing songs about war and peace to a proto-punk sound. The film catches up with them nearly 40 years later, punctuated by the band reforming and finally getting a chance to play in their native USA. I've yet to see it, but here's a trusted quote:

It takes more than just documenting a great band to make a great movie: the band has to be unique in spirit and story and fit into a larger picture of the rock canon, and the filmmakers have to find the cinematic language to bring that essence to the screen. Never have these rarities all come together more beautifully than in MONKS: THE TRANSATLANTIC FEEDBACK.

(Directors) Dietmar Post and Lucía Palacios have given us a brilliant journey with the most extraordinary rock band to ever cut vinyl!
-Allison Anders, Filmmaker, Los Angeles

And here's the US trailer for the film:


Previously: Now Downloading - New Releases 04.13.09 (Black Monk Time featured)

That's Really Super, Supergirl

It's a pulpy geektastic twofer this weekend, as X-Men Origins: Wolverine hits theaters today and it's Free Comic Book Day on Saturday. It also makes for a lame excuse to put together a gallery of female superheroes, now up over at film.com.

It's an extensive list, with over 40 entries, but I still feel like I'm missing a couple. Can you think of any more? I've got five different iterations of Catwoman*, three of Batgirl, and two of both Supergirl and Sheena (Queen of the scantily clad Jungle).

*Most folks have a favorite and I guess mine would be the first depiction I saw, Lee Meriweather, from the 1966 movie based on the classic TV series.

But I think my favorite find is a shot from the kids live-action series Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, which was part of Saturday morning's The Kroftt Supershow, which I watched religiously as a child. The series featured one Deidre Hall as Elektra Woman, who was about to take off as Dr. Marlena Evans on Days of Our Lives. Like most Sid & Marty Kroftt productions, it was good, campy fun:



Superheroine songs:
"That's Really Super, Supergirl" - XTC
"Wonder Woman" - Elvis Costello
"Barbarella" - Bob Crew
"Silk Spectre" - Tyler Bates

PS - I'm quite fond of the Helen Slater Supergirl photo I've employed here, if only for the Popeyes Chicken product placement (LOVE THAT CHICKEN!), but it also allows for both the most necessary XTC of the title, and a chance to pimp out Eric Snider's great piece on the film (Eric's Bad Movies: Supergirl).