Spectacle - Bruce Springsteen, Part 1 & 2

Spectacle: Elvis Costello with... closed out it second season with the kind of episode I wish they'd been doing all along. In fact, the season was sandwiched with episodes of that stature. Of course, you can't get U2 and Bruce Springsteen for every episode. My hope is that enough artists, make that legends, think it's a worthwhile enough venture to be on the show that Elvis Costello has to come back for another season. All it takes is one Bob Dylan here, a Paul McCartney there... maybe the Kinks rumored reunion? I'm just saying...

Playlist: Spectacle - Episode 2.06-2.07: Bruce Springsteen, Pt. 1 & 2
01. "She's the One" - Bruce Springsteen: sung by Costello as intro
02. "Wild Billy's Circus Story" - Bruce Springsteen
03. "The River" - Bruce Springsteen
04. "American Skin (41 Shots)" - Bruce Springsteen
05. "I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down" - Elvis Costello (Sam & Dave cover): Springsteen and Costello
06. "Radio Nowhere / Radio Radio" - Springsteen/Costello mashup
07. "Oh, Pretty Woman" - Roy Orbison: Springsteen & Costello
08. "Seeds" - Bruce Springsteen
09. "Black Ladder" - Patti Scialfa: Sung by Costello
10. "Galveston Bay" - Bruce Springsteen
11. "The Rising" - Bruce Springsteen

Previously: Lamontagne, Lovett & Prine

Now Downloading: New Releases 01.26.10

And on the fourth Tuesday of January, 2010, let it be known that the motherload hath officially dropped. I had this date circled some time ago thanks to new releases from Los Campesinos!, Beach House and Magnetic Fields, but there's also fine fare from the likes of Four Tet, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Retribution Gospel, Harvey Milk, Jaga Jazzist, Bettie Serveert, cars & trains and new EP from Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug under the moniker Moonface.

Playlist: New Releases 01.26.10

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Los Campesinos - Romance is Boring
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

I don't know about everyone else, but I think I have my early contender for album of the year. The hot mess that is Romance is Boring has a misnomer of a title. It's not the slightest bit boring, and yet has an underlying romantic notion throughout. According to the band, RiB is "about death and decay of the human body, sex, lost love, mental breakdown, football [ahem... soccer] and, ultimately, that there probably isn't a light at the end of the tunnel." That's a lot of ideas swirling about, but it all jells, much like the cornucopia of musical ideas that are brought together in this delicious post-punk package.

The lyrics alone could provide a month's worth of tweets/facebook updates, while the dual guitar action provides a cacophony of sound that moves between deftly between jarring and orgasmic release. "There Are Listed Buildings" and "Straight In At 101" are brilliant guitar pop, and, well.. the rest is just so great I can't be bothered to single one out. RiB isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, I realize, but I firmly believe even the musically timid will appreciate this release with patience, as the initial chaos opens itself up nicely with repeat listens. Los Campesinos! are really hitting their stride now, and with their already prolific pace and growth as artists, it's entirely possible that RiB will be topped this year by their next album. One can dream...

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Beach House - Teen Dream
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

On the other side of the coin is Beach House's third release, Teen Dream. No exhilerating highs or noisy moments here, instead just dreamy comfort in the lush vocals of vocalist Victoria Legrand. With TD, their Sub Pop debut, the Baltimore duo have merely polished their already lush sound by upgrading their recording studio. Some of the intimacy of their first two records (Beach House, Devotion), maybe lost in the move, but they more than make up for it in sweet ear candy.

AOL Album Stream
Download: "Norway" [mp3]

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
The Magnetic Fields - Realism
Four Tet - There is Love in You
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM / Free AOL album stream
Retribution Gospel - 2 / Free AOL album stream / "Hide It Away" [mp3]
Harvey Milk - Harvey Milk
Moonface - Dreamland EP: Marimba And Sh*t-Drums
Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
Bettie Serveert - Pharmacy of Love
cars & trains - the roots, the leaves / Free AOL album stream / "Intimidated By Silence" [mp3]
AFCGT - AFCGT / Free AOL album stream / "Two Legged Dog" [mp3]
Thavius Beck - Dialogue
Oh No Ono - Eggs / "Helplessly Young", "Internet Warrior" [mp3]
Erland and the Carnival - Erland and the Carnival
Steve Kilbey & Martin Kennedy - Unseen Music/Unheard Music / Free AOL album stream
Patty Griffin - Downtown Church
Fucked Up - Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009
Tindersticks - Falling Down a Mountain
Mondo Drag - New Rituals
Joe Firstman - El Porto
Good Shoes - No Hope, No Future
Never Shout Never - What is Love?
Soweto Gospel - Grace
REISSUES
Animal Collective - Campire Songs
David Bowie - A Reality Tour / Free AOL album stream

tags: music, album review, los campesinos, beach house, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Chuck vs First Class: Up in the Air

The slow evolution of Chuck from geek guy to chic spy has been sped up a notch, with the aid of Shaw (Brandon Routh), forcing Sarah to let Chuck "out of the car." It's funny the odd parallel here between Chuck and Breaking Bad. With BB, the slow evolution feels more deliberate because of the pacing of the show, whereas on Chuck, the comedy and action can take your eye off the the progress ball.

Besides the fun in the air (and what is it with all the shows in the past week having to subdue bad guys on airplanes? Human Target, this ep, and tonight's NCIS), Chuck had some fun subtle cultural touchpoints, with two Superman-associated guest stars in Brandon Routh (Superman Returns and Kristen Kreuk (Smallville, along with the (somewhat weak) My Bodyguard B-story, a movie where Adam Baldwin first made his name. Overall, though, a very fun episode, and I'm liking how they're handling the new intersect.

Musically, Chuck is working under a lower budget this year, and is more reliant upon score from both Chuck composer Tim Jones, and some repeat work from Daniel May. But they did end with some apropos French pop from the country's first lady, Carla Bruni. In case you were wondering what she was singing in the chorus:

I'm the lover, I'm your lover
And I sing for you the only of all things
That needs to be here, that needs to be here

Playlist: Chuck - Episode 3.05
1. "Respect" - Otis Redding
2. Frank Sinatra Jr.?
3. "Wake Up" - Mackintosh Braun
4. "Ready, Aim, Fire" - unknown
5. "L'Amoureuse" - Carla Bruni

Previously: Chuck vs Project Awesome (Ep 304)

Swimming with Phoenix: Live report from 01.23.10

I think it's a safe bet that Phoenix won't be skipping Seattle on their next tour.

Armed with a veteran stage presence and material from four plus albums, the Frenchman had no trouble winning over the packed house, and overcoming the notoriously bad acoustics at the hangar-like Showbox SODO (where sound goes to die, since 2007). Starting off the night with the triple punch of crowd pleasers "Lisztomania ," "Long Distance Call" and "Lasso" will get the audience on your side, but truth be told, they could've mostly played old material and the crowd up front would've still been eating out of their hands. I went in assuming that all these youngsters would only be familiar with material from their 2009 breakout Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, but there was plenty of recognition of material going back to 2000's United ("Too Young," "Funky Squaredance" and "If I Ever Feel Better").

The setlist sized up half AMP and the other half older material, which is a pretty good ratio to work with (scroll down for setlist and playlist). When they said goodbye the first time, dedicating "Rome" to Federal Way (must've stopped there on the way into town?), "1901" had yet to be played, so the encore mystery wasn't really a mystery at all. Yet they still surprised, coming back to play a stripped down version of "Everything is Everything" and the aforementioned "If I Ever Feel Better" before launching into their car commercial (video):



After the song came to its normal ending, singer Thomas Mars wasn't done, walking right by us through the crowd towards the mixing boards at the edge of the fenced off over 21/drinking area. From there, Mars 'swam' through the audience, passing by us once again on his way back to the stage, where he then invited all the folks in the front to come on stage for the final few chords of the night.



Playlist: Phoenix setlist - 01.23.10 Seattle (estimated)
1. "Lisztomania"
2. "Long Distance Call" (It's Never Been Like That)
3. "Lasso"
4. "Rally" (It's Never Been Like That)
5. "Fences"
6. "Girlfriend"
7. "Armistice"
8. "Love Like A Sunset Part 1"
9. "Napoleon Says" (It's Never Been Like That)
10. "Too Young" (United)
11. "Consolation Prizes" (It's Never Been Like That)
12. "Rome"
13. "Funky Squaredance" (United)
ENCORE:
14. "Everything is Everything" (Alphabetical)
15. "If I Ever Feel Better" (United)
16. "1901"

The Soft Pack opened with an upbeat set that suffered a bit by the poor acoustics of the place. Still, if you squinted your ears just right, the songs "C'Mon," "Answer to Yourself," and "Pull Out" sounded pretty good. Will be interesting to hear them when they come back and play a better venue. Here's a playlist of a good chunk of the songs from their set:

Playlist: The Soft Pack - Setlist 01.23.10 Seattle

Ear on TV: Week of 01.25.10: Springsteen on Spectacle

So, after a crazy couple weeks in late night, most the talkies are on vacation to begin this new post-Coco* world. Thankfully, there's still enough music this week to placate a hungry DVR, including the season finale to Spectacle, the second hour of the two-part love-fest between Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello.

*At least until Conan surfaces on another network in seven months.

While it's best to see both parts, either episode works surprisingly well as standalone, and the interplay between Costello and Springsteen finds both artists uncommonly warm. The set list was impressive as well (Playlist: Spectacle - Episode 2.06-2.07), including a creative mashup of Springsteen's "Radio Nowhere" and Costello's "Radio, Radio," which starts off this second part. Too early to know whether this is a season or series finale, but given Costello's wishy-washy desire to be a host at all, I wouldn't be surprised if this was the end. Which is too bad, as there is still a long list of artists who I need to see given the Spectacle treatment, including living legends like Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Ray Davies, Pete Townshend and Stevie Wonder along with R.E.M., Prince, and... List. Goes. On.

One talk show host not going on vacation this week is The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and this week, Ferguson welcomes Wilco on Thursday. The Jeff Tweedy-led outfit was just nominated for a grammy for their 2009 self-titled release, and are in the news this week for offering free downloads of recent shows to benefit the victims of Haiti. Fans can download albums from their site asking only in return that they make a minimum $15 donation to either OXFAM or Doctors Without Borders. And while we're talking about roots-rockers, it's imperative to mention that influential singer/songwriters Steve Earle and Kris Kristofferson will be on this week's Austin City Limits (as always, check local listings).

Finally, the annual music industry back-slap known as the Grammys is this Sunday, and promises at least a couple of memorable musical performances in the form of neo-soul singer Maxwell and whatever Lady Gaga chooses to wear. Novelties this year include an opportunity for the audience to pick which song Bon Jovi will ape on stage, and a special 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson, who picks up some posthumous hardware in the form of the non-ironic Lifetime Achievement Award.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, January 25
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Soft Pack
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Shwayze (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Franz Ferdinand (REPEAT)
Tuesday, January 26
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Silversun Pickups (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Low Anthem (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Motion City Soundtrack
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Snoop Dogg (REPEAT)
Wednesday, January 27
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Mayer Hawthorne
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Findlay Brown (REPEAT)
CURRENT: Embedded: Common, Silversun Pickups (REPEAT)
FOX: Lopez Tonight: Cheech & Chong
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Warpaint
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Cold War Kids (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen (part 2)
Thursday, January 28
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Hotrats (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Wilco
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Ringo Starr (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lily Allen (REPEAT)
Friday, January 29
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Julian Casablancas (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Ke$ha (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Phoenix (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 30
PBS: Austin City Limits: Steve Earle, Kris Kristofferson
Sunday, January 31
CBS: The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards: Rihanna, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Black Eyed Peas

More Cowbell (Coco) Please!

Conan ended his final Tonight Show by picking up his axe and jamming with a motley band of musicians (including Beck, Ben Harper and ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons) through a Will Ferrell-led rendition of "Freebird."

Now that's how you say goodbye.

Now Downloading: New Releases 01.19.10

It's another decent week for new releases in this first month of 2010, with the much anticipated latest from Drake fave Spoon (is every post this week going to feature Spoon? Perhaps). Other notable releases include new ones from Supergrass offshoot The Hotrats (profiled last week), Eels, Surfer Blood, Josephine Foster, Barton Carroll, RJD2, Vulture Whale, Editors, the soundtrack to Crazy Heart, a tribute to Elvis Costello and the comedic stylings of Aziz Ansari.

Playlist: New Releases 01.19.10

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Spoon - Transference
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Coming off their most commercial effort to date in Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference feels like a retreat back to basics, going all the way back to Drake Tungsten, Britt Daniel's now defunct alter ego/solo lo-fi project. A Series of Sneaks, Spoon's only major label release from 1998, is the album I'd compare it to, as its collection of rough sketches hint at something great and rely in the listener to finish. The album is Spoon in its rawest form, with nearly half the album remaining in demo form, which works well with a common Spoon theme of break-up. It's the sound of a heart refusing to break, yet breaking all the same. Lead single "Written in Reverse" has Daniel writing himself out of a relationship, which is an act both of defiance and depression. Similarly, another standout track, "Is Love Forever?", juxtaposes parental love with that of "some ex-girlfriend, call her Heather." Since the album title is defined as a "redirection of feelings and desires towards a new object," if Daniel is using the album (and, in turn, us) as part of his psychotherapy, slap a beard on me and call me Sigmund Freud.

AOL Album Stream

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The Hotrats - Turn Ons
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

In the (fabulous) spirit of David Bowie's Pin Ups comes this great collection of covers from bands that have inspired Supergrass' Gaz Coombes and Danny Goffey. The Oxford lads play it mostly straight on the selections, only re-imagining Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)," while the production of Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) unfortunately keeps it from getting too raucous. But you can still hear the glee in their rendering of Bowie's "Queen Bitch," and Elvis Costello's "Pump it Up." And just about any cover of The Kinks' "Big Sky" (I miss you Flop) is sure to please, in my book.

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Eels - End Times / Free AOL album stream
Surfer Blood - Astro Coast / "Swim" [mp3]
Josephine Foster - Graphic as a Star
Barton Carroll - Together You and I
RJD2 - The Colossus
Vulture Whale - Bamboo You
Editors - In This Light and on This Evening / Free AOL album stream
Crazy Heart Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Various Artists - Almost You: The Songs of Elvis Costello
Tape Deck Mountain - Ghost
Danny Barnes - Pizza Box
Aziz Ansari - Intimate Moments For A Sensual Evening
Elvis Costello - Live at Hollywood High
REISSUES
Nouvelle Vague - Nouvelle Vague
Bob Log III - School Bus

tags: music, album review, spoon, hotrats, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Chuck vs Project Awesome: I am Chuck's cold sweat

Legend has it that once upon a time the idea was floated that Captain Awesome would turn out to be a spy. But in that scenario, the character (played by Ryan McPartlin) would have to meet an early end. McPartlin's "Awesome" was just too...well... awesome for that to happen. Knowing that, seeing Captain Awesome mistaken for a spy in this episode it's like coming full (inverse) circle. Of course, outside of the abandoned idea from the writer's room, why would anyone think he was a spy? Nobody's confused about whether Shaw is a spy, thanks to the Superman looks of Brandon Routh (who kind of looks like a goyish model version of Josh Schwartz, no?).

A case of mistaken identity as theme sort of crosses over to the Buy More, kind of, with the Fight Club references. The intersect in Chuck's head is kind of like his Tyler Durden - a romanticized version of himself that Chuck (as Narrator) has little control over. Notice, though, that with Awesome, he has little or no problem flashing when he needs it? With Fight Club, guest Angie Harmon (Baywatch Nights), and the flair on Morgan's vest (Office Space) it appears 90s pop cultural references have won the day over the usual 80s allotment.

To underscore the Fight Club scenes, they even employed The Dust Brothers' "Space Monkeys," from the soundtrack. But, like the first season, nothing sells action like Spoon, even if the new album (Transference, out tomorrow) doesn't have the same amount of metronome pounding rhythm of past albums. "Got Nuffin'" does the trick, though, even if the lyrical content has no relation to what's going on the screen whatsoever. And yes, Josh Scwartz is a fan.

Congrats to the new Ass Man for stopping Fight Club before it turned in to Project Mayhem.

Playlist: Chuck - Episode 3.04
1. "Space Monkeys" - The Dust Brothers (from Fight Club)
2. "Got Nuffin'" - Spoon
3. "Bears" - Sam Isaac

Previously: Chuck vs The Pink Slip/Three Little Words/Angel de la Muerte

Ear on TV: Week of 01.18.10: Spoon Sends Off Conan

Breaking up is hard to do. Just ask Conan O'Brien and NBC, or, better yet, the band Spoon. The Britt Daniel-led quartet has written a lot of songs on the subject, including a good chunk of their latest release, Transference, which is out this week. So it's appropriate that the band plays what might be Conan's last hurrah on The Tonight Show Tuesday* night, part of the host's send-off week.

*At the time of publish, Tuesday night was the last scheduled night for The Tonight Show. NBC is expected to make an official announcement today on as to the details of the talk show's future, with O'Brien's departure all but set for this week.

As a follow up to their biggest selling album, 2007's Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, Transference will probably confuse a few of those new fans as it's Spoon in the raw, with a couple of the songs even remaining in demo form and only a few others that recall the band at their catchiest. The band will likely be playing one of those songs, "Written in Reverse," Tuesday night on The Tonight Show, and if you look at the song through the right lens, you could pretend it's about NBC's Jeff Zucker: "No nothing was planned / You just can't help yourself / Some people are so easily shuffled and dealt." (Of course, they've written the ultimate vindictive song about a corporate glad hander with "The Agony of Laffitte," blistering written about A&R man Ron Laffitte, then with Elektra, featuring the lyric, "It's like I knew two of you, man / The one before and after we shook hands.")

Meanwhile, Spectacle's second season is winding down, when it seems it had just begun. The final two episodes are an edited down version of the four-hour love fest Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello put on last year at the famous Apollo Theater. The two spent so much time talking and playing the music they love, that there was just no way to edit all the magic down to one hour. At one point, Spingsteen posits "The greatest rock ’n’ roll musicians are desperate men," but the only thing desperate on this night was the need to hear more from these two legends of rock.



Finally, the Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House make their network television debut on Fallon Friday night, performing their lead single "Norway" in support of their third full length release, Teen Dream (out January 26, 2010). Awareness of the band has risen on the heels of singer Victoria Legrand's collaboration with Grizzly Bear and participation in the soundtrack to Twilight Saga: New Moon, but the majestic sound that is Teen Dream should make a splash all its own.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, January 18
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Really Doe (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Charlotte Gainsbourg was late scratch, instead The Heavy (backed by the Dap Kings horns)
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Steve Jones
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Cold War Kids
NBC: The Jay Leno Show: Ringo Starr with Ben Harper
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Cribs
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Weezer (REPEAT)
Tuesday, January 19
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Swell Season
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Suffocation
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Spoon
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Mountain Goats
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Xx (REPEAT)
Wednesday, January 20
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Pearl
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: James Taylor and Carole King
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Growlers
IFC: Dinner With the Band: Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen (Part 1)
Thursday, January 21
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Blind Boys of Alabama with Lou Reed
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Suicide Silence
Friday, January 22
ALL NETWORKS: Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief: Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, U2's Bono and the Edge, Coldplay, Keith Urban, Stevie Wonder, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Sting, John Legend
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Heartless Bastards
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Heavy (bumped up to Monday)
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: The Hotrats
FOX: Lopez Tonight: Omarion
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Beach House
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Gossip (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 23
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Rihanna (REPEAT)
PBS: Austin City Limits: The Avett Brothers, Heartless Bastards

Archer - Babytown Frolics

"Karate? The Dane Cook of martial arts? No."

All that and a Checkov's gun reference... I already love this series.

Archer is on FX, Thursday nights.

Spectacle - Lamontagne, Lovett & Prine

After several episodes featuring far too much Elvis Costello and not enough of his guests, this episode seems to find just the right balance. I was still left wanting more (of John Prine, especially), but at least I didn't feel like telling Elvis to STFU.

The music was great, and I was so glad to hear Prine singing "Lake Marie." The story of how he wrote the song illustrates how songwriting can be as intensive as writing a novel. Ray Lamotagne's voice is always incredible, and the version of "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)", with Elvis burning the axe, stood out even more thanks to the primarily acoustic surroundings. Fitting that they end with a Townes Van Zandt song ("Loretta"), as all the artists featured owe a bit to the Texas legend. Next week, it's Bruce Springsteen, part 1 of 2.

Playlist: Spectacle - Episode 2.05 (John Prine, Lyle Lovett, Ray Lamontagne)
1. "I'm Ahead If I Can Quit While I'm Behind" - Jim Ford: Elvis performs as introduction
2. "Lake Marie" - John Prine
3. "Natural Forces" - Lyle Lovett
4. "Jolene" - Ray Lamontagne
5. "Henry Nearly Killed Me (It's a Shame)" - Ray Lamontagne: performed with Costello
6. "Loretta" - Townes Van Zandt: Prine, Lamontagne and Lovett on guitar/trade vocals

Previously: Elvis Costello interviewed by Mary Louise Parker

Now Downloading: New Releases 01.12.10

It's first substantial week of new releases, thanks to Vampire Weekend's sophomore release, along with new releases from Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy, Laura Veirs, Freedy Johnston, OK Go, Jason Boesel and Ringo Starr and the tremendous score to the movie The Road by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Playlist: New Releases 01.12.10

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Vampire Weekend - Contra
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

I get the impression that there's kind of two camps for Vampire Weekend fans... those who enjoy the music, and those who secretly enjoy but claim not to like them because either VW misappropriates African music or have something against their Ivy League background. To that I say phooey. If you didn't like Vampire Weekend (or, rather, secretly liked it but show public disdain for the aforementioned reasons), Contra probably won't change your mind, as they're still employing African Soweto style (and have yet to renounce their Columbia University background). But for existing fans, there's the perfect amount of added weirdness that's artful and yet palatable. Take the opener, "Horchaata," which has a wordless and tribal chorus that's akin to something Animal Collective would do. It's the perfect opener, announcing both that they're still VW, yet willing to take some risks. Meanwhile, the final two songs are all about risk... that and The Clash. "Diplomat's Son," I assume, refers to Joe Strummer (who was the son of a diplomat) and it samples M.I.A., making a meta-reference thanks to the Clash-sampled "Paper Airplanes." And the last song, "I Think Ur a Contra," bubbles and floats us to the finish line, sounding nothing at all like anything on their debut. The journey there is worth the ticket.

AOL Album Stream
Download: "Horchata" [mp3]

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Owen Pallett - Heartland
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Ok, here's the deal as I understand it. Owen Pallett is giving up the name Final Fantasy after this release -- he wanted a clean break, but his decision came too late and it was cost prohibitive to do it. However, it takes little time to make the change digitally, so if you're downloading, it's Owen Pallett. Physical release = Final Fantasy. MP3 = Owen Pallett. Got it?

MySpace Album Stream

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Laura Veirs - July Flame
Freedy Johnston - Rain on the City / Free AOL album stream
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - The Road - Original Film Score
OK Go - Of the Blue Colour of the Sky / Free AOL album stream
Ringo Starr - Y Not
Jason Boesel - Hustler's Son / Free AOL album stream / "Hand of God" [mp3]
T-Model Ford - The Ladies Man
Polysics - Absolute Polysics
The Gilded Palace Sin - You Break Our Hearts, We'll Tear Yours Out
Ray Wylie Hubbard - A: Enlightenment B: Endarkenment (Hint: There Is No C)
REISSUES
Ween - The Pod
Elvis Costello - Live at Hollywood High

tags: music, album review, vampire weekend, final fantasy, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Chuck vs the Pink Slip / Three Little Words / Angel de La Muerte: 3 for 1

So the "24" method of launching apparently worked as far as premiere night, with some 7.7 million tuning in. Hopefully (for NBC's sake at the very least) most of those millions liked what they saw enough to tune in tonight for the 'awesome' episode.

It was a solid three-episode opening, but I'm of the mind that it would've worked better with just a heavily promoted one hour/regular night premiere*. "Chuck vs the Pink Slip" was oriented for that, obviously, with the Rocky III-referenced ending, and having it continue on to "Chuck vs the Three Little Words" sort of lessened the impact of the solid ending. Not that the second hour was a bad episode, more that it just wasn't as good as the first (or tonight's).

*Also works better to blog... without screners this year, it's just too hard, hence the three-for-one deal that's also tremendously late.

Musically, with a smaller budget, I'm not sure we can expect the quantity of music we heard in previous seasons, but in the first episode, there was the usual combo of indie rock (Frightened Rabbit, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart) and 80's referenced material (Survivor, Wilson Phillips). Tonight's episode featured some musica economia from band leader (and sometime actor - Rise) Jesus Alejandro Perez, aka "El Nino" and an unsigned artist Daniel Zott.

Playlist: Chuck - Episodes 3.01-3.03
1. "Black & Gold" - Sam Sparro: opening training exercise
2. "Wait It Out" - Imogen Heap: Chuck calls Sarah, plays later over first encounter at restaurant
3. "Just Dropped In" - Kenny Rogers & the First Edition: Bearded Chuck on sofa with cheese balls
4. "Hold On" - Wilson Phillips: Millbarge's unfortunate encounter with Javier
5. "Backwards Walk" - Frightened Rabbit: Flashback of Chuck & Sarah in Prague
7. "Young Adult Friction" - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart: Chuck, Casey & Morgan back at Buy Mart, Ellie/Awesome move out, Chuck & Morgan roommates.
8. "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor: Chuck and Casey spar off, ending like Rocky III
-------- Episode 3.02---------------
9. "Sexy Bitch (feat. Akon)" - David Guetta: Sarah and Corrina in the dance club, and later plays while they get dressed for engagement party
10. "?" - : Chuck runs into Sarah and Corrina
11. "Just Like Paradise" - David Lee Roth: Corrina enters the Buy More / later in Morgan's bedroom
12. "Model Homes" - In-Flight Safety: Sarah works out her frustrations on Chuck
13. "That Kinda Booty" - Dem Naughty Boys: Morgan's party
14. "Here Comes Trouble" - Maino: Morgan's party
-------- Episode 3.03---------------
15. "Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols: flashback to Ellie and Awesome in med school
16. "El Yerbero" - Jesus Alejandro "El Nino": Costa Brava consulate reception
17. "Cafecito Cubano" - Jesus Alejandro "El Nino": Costa Brava consulate reception
18. "Songozon" - Latin Mambo Orchestra: Costa Brava consulate reception
19. "Living a Lie!" - Daniel Zott: Awesome and Chuck talk

Previously: Bring on the Chuck!

Ear on TV: Week of 01.11.10: Ringo Starr

For the longest time, we've all thought Ringo Starr was quite possibly the luckiest guy in all of rock and roll. (That is until we all tried playing drums on Beatles Rock Band.) Since the end of the Beatles back in '72, Starr's been content to put out the occasional album and even had a few hits ("Photograph" anybody?) but now with the resurgence of his old band through the 13 remastered albums and a certain video game, the famed drummer is striking while the irons are still hot with a new album.

Released this week, Y Not might be as close to a Beatles reunion as we're going to get right now, with Paul McCartney singing backup on "Walk With You," (written with Van Dyke Parks) and playing bass on another track ("Peace Dream"). The album also features guest appearances from Ben Harper and Joss Stone along with some other famous(ly forgotten) friends like Joe Walsh (Eagles), Dave Stewart (Eurthymics), Edgar Winter, Richard Marx and Gary "Dreamweaver" Wright. Ringo plays several times this week to promote the album, most notably on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Wednesday (with Ben Harper's band backing him).

Meanwhile, when UK's Supergrass had to deal with a long layoff due to a back injury to bassist Mick Quinn, the remaining members (singer/guitarist Gaz Coombes and drummer Danny Goffey) decided to play some gigs as a duo, and thus Hot Rats was born. Their debut release Turn Ons (out this week), is an inspired collection of covers, in the spirit of David Bowie's classic album of covers, Pin Ups (1973). Some of Supergrass' obvious influences are represented here, like The Kinks ("Big Sky"), Bowie ("Queen Bitch") and Squeeze ("Up the Junction"), but also contains some surprises like Beastie Boys' "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right to Party."
Hot Rats will playing (likely "Damaged Goods" from Gang of Four) on Letterman Wednesday night and Fallon on Friday.

Finally, our featured performer from last week's calendar, Vampire Weekend, is on pretty much every night this week, to promote the release of their sophomore album Contra. FUEL TV's The Daily Habit has VP as their house band for the week, while the band also plays The Tonight Show (aka, The Some Time Show with Some White Guy) on Monday night. The band also taped a performance for MTV Unplugged back in July that will be aired this Saturday night on MTV2, but you can also see most of it streamed online at Unplugged's home. At the time of the taping, the band was still in the studio putting the finishing touches on Contra, and tried out a couple of the songs on the audience, including this rousing rendition of "Cousins.":


Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, January 11
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ryan Bingham
FOX: Lopez Tonight: Ke$ha
FUEL: Check 1, 2: Ben Harper
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Vampire Weekend
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Vampire Weekend
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: David Gray (REPEAT)
Tuesday, January 12
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Findlay Brown
FOX: Lopez Tonight: Pitbull
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Vampire Weekend
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Rosanne Cash
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Ringo Starr, The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Raveonettes (REPEAT)
Wednesday, January 13
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Hot Rats
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Ringo Starr, Ben Harper
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Vampire Weekend
IFC: Dinner With the Band: Owen Pallett/Final Fantasy (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Ke$ha, The Roots
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lisa Hannigan (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, John Prine, Ray LaMontagne, Lyle Lovett
Thursday, January 14
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Low Anthem
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Vampire Weekend
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Loudon Wainwright III
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Pete Yorn (REPEAT)
Friday, January 15
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Vampire Weekend
FOX: Lopez Tonight: Snoop Dogg
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Hot Rats
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Paolo Nutini (REPEAT)
Saturday, January 16
NBC: Saturday Night Live: The Ting Tings
MTV2: MTV Unplugged: Vampire Weekend
PBS: Austin City Limits: Mos Def, K’Naan