Music on TV - Week of 05.30.11: Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters play the 2011 MTV Movie Awards

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is King. Not to say the Foo Fighters are metaphorically one-eyed, but their scheduled live performance at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards is not the norm for this column. Having seen them perform again just this past Friday night at Sasquatch! (I took the photo above from it), I can say that the Foos are unapologetic pros at this live music thing. Dave Grohl has this thing down pat.

Their latest release, Wasting Light is a surprising in that it's a return to their nearly great early recordings. I say "nearly" because I've mostly just appreciated their recordings. Live, though... Grohl and co. can seemingly do no wrong. So, take that to the bank, or something.

Elsewhere, My Morning Jacket has a couple appearances this week on smaller screens, the first being a special live stream Unstaged performance in their Kentucky home town of Louisville, directed by Todd Haynes (I'm Not There, Velvet Goldmine, the recent HBO mini-series Mildred Pierce). The other small screen appearance, and this would've been the lede story if I'd been aware sooner, is on VH1's Storytellers, which premieres on Friday, June 3. The performance is heavy on the new album, Circuital, released this week, but also features some old classics as well.

Picks for the week
Monday, May 30
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Rammstein (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Wynton Marsalis (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Game
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Sergio Mendes with Siedah Garrett (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Twisted Sister (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Death (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: FaR*eAst Movement (REPEAT)
Tuesday, May 31
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: I See Stars
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Emmylou Harris (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Friendly Fires
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Morning Benders (REPEAT)
Wednesday, June 1
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Brother (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Tinnie Tempah
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: The Civil Wars (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Twin Shadow (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ted Leo, The Greenhornes (REPEAT)
PBS: American Masters: James Levine: James Levine, Placido Domingo
TBS: Conan: Teddy Thompson (REPEAT)
Thursday, June 2
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Lykke Li
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Twilight Singers (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Hanni El Khatib
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Iron & Wine (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Oh Land (REPEAT)
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Panic! at the Disco (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Panic! at the Disco (REPEAT)
Friday, June 3
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Wiz Khalifa (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Friendly Fires
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: The Airborne Toxic Even (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Lenny Kravitz (REPEAT)
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Foster the People (REPEAT)
VH1: Storytellers: My Morning Jacket
Saturday, June 4
PBS: Austin City Limits: Esperanza Spalding, Madeleine Peyroux
Sunday, June 5
MTV: 2011 MTV Movie Awards: Foo Fighters, Lupe Fiasco with Trey Songz

Now Downloading: New Releases 05.24.11

Heading into the holiday (re: Sasquatch!) weekend, this week's crop may not have much for year end lists, but it's still deep in worthy releases. Of note are the latest from David Bazan, White Denim, Art Brut, Sonic Youth, Joseph Arthur, Foster the People, Nat Baldwin, The Men, Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside, Dead Can Dance's Brendan Perry and two, count 'em two releases from drone metal purveyors Boris.

Playlist: New Releases 05.24.11

---

David Bazan - Strange Negotiations
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When David Bazan debuted as a solo artist with Curse Your Branches, it signaled a change in sound from his days of Pedro the Lion. The struggles with faith were still there, but the sound was a more classic singer/songwriter acoustic-based joint. With Strange Negotiations, his second solo full-length, Bazan has brought back the full band sound of Pedro the Lion while perhaps dialing back on the faith struggles -- or, at the very least it's just less overt. It's a solid release all the way through, even if it's hard to pinpoint a highlight.

Free AOL Album Stream

---

White Denim - D
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

After recording their last album quickly (and releasing it for free -- the spontaneous Last Day of Summer) D sounds more like a labor of love. Austin's White Denim added a fourth member (appropriately named Austin) and the dual guitar attack compliments the amazing rhythm section nicely on D. While they often veer dangerously into noodle/jam band territory, the King Crimson progressions and Jethro Tull flute solos from left field make it more a 70s AOR kitchen sink love affair. Key party, anyone?

Free AOL Album Stream
Download: "Drug" [mp3]

---

Art Brut - Brilliant! Tragic!
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

After two attempts at trying to recapture the magic of their debut, Eddie Argos & co. take baby steps into new territory with Brilliant! Tragic!. Back behind the glass is Charles Thompson aka Frank Black aka Black Francis, and besides punching up the band's sound, he's got Argos singing (!) and Ian Catskilkin playing extended guitar solos ("but only on two strings" assures Argos, and if so, then on "Axl Rose" he must have burned through several of those 'two strings'). If treated as a transition album, this could be an album to look back on with elevated interest, but in and of itself, it's at best a mixed bag. Highlights include the aforementioned controlled chaos of "Axl Rose" and "Lost Weekend."

"Lost Weekend" [mp3] (via The Hype Machine)

---

Thurston Moore - Demolished Thoughts
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

When it became known that Thurston Moore was recording a mostly acoustic album with Beck producing, there had to be more than a few heads exploding. A mostly accessible album of folkish ruminations is about as out of left field as you'll get from Moore, who's 30 + years of experimentation with guitar nearly has him pigeon-holed (as someone who is hard to pigeon hole, of course). Demolished Thoughts (which is also the name of his side project with J Mascis and others), has Moore on either 6- or 12-string acoustics throughout, complete with Beck supervised orchestral backing here and there, but it'd still be mistake to call it folk. Take one of the album's highlight's "Circulation," which extolls the virtue of vinyl in the most hauntingly beautiful (and dissonant!) of fashions. But I might be biased. I named my dog after the man (and, coincidentally enough, it's furry Thurston's 11th birthday this week. Raise a paw, y'all!).

"Benediction" [mp3]
"Circulation" [mp3]

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Boris - Attention Please / Free AOL Album Stream
Boris - Heavy Rocks / Free AOL Album Stream
Foster the People - Torches / Free AOL Album Stream
Joseph Arthur - The Graduation Ceremony
Battles - Ice Cream (Single/EP)
Darwin Deez - Darwin Deez
Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat - Everything's Getting Older
Nat Baldwin - People Changes
Friendly Fires - Pala / Free AOL Album Stream
Brendan Perry - Ark
Amon Tobin - Isam
The Men - Leave Home
Sallie Ford & The Sound Outside - Dirty Radio
King Creosote & Jon Hopkins - Diamond Mine
Ear Pwr - Ear Pwr / Free AOL Album Stream
Bird of Youth - Defender / "Used to Be" [mp3]
Dear Lions - Dear Lions / Free AOL Album Stream
Motopony - Tenth Life / Free AOL Album Stream
Ash Black Bufflo - Andasol
She Wants Revenge - Valleyheart
Lady Gaga - Born This Way
Kate Bush - Director's Cut
The Hangover, Pt II: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

REISSUES
Love - Forever Changes (Expanded and Remastered)
Holly Golightly & Dan Melchior - Desperate Little Town

tags: music, album review, david bazan, white denim, art brut, indie rock, new releases

Music on TV - Week of 05.23.11: Bon Iver

Four years ago, Justin Vernon holed up in his father's cabin out in the woods of Wisconsin and poured his broken heart into the eight songs of For Emma, Forever Ago, the debut for the outfit known as Bon Iver. By 2008, when Jagjaguwar picked it up for release, that album went on to achieve incredible success, the kind of success that creates a fair bit of pressure on the follow-up. But if For Emma set an unbelievably high bar for their self-titled sophomore release coming in June, then Vernon & co. seem more than up to the challenge.

Just check out the luscious advance single, "Calgary," which the band will perform on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Monday night. When just 15 seconds were previewed last month, you could feel the internet's heart skip a beat. iTunes was so excited that they accidentally leaked the whole album a month early. To further get folks excited, Jagjaguwar just released all the lyrics to Bon Iver on the net. I guess you could call that one a controlled leak of sorts. In the meantime, you can also download a free mp3 of "Calgary" from the label site.

Continuing the recent trend of reuniting late 70s/early 80s bands (The Feelies, Devo, Duran Duran, Scritti Pollitti, Human League), Boston's The Cars finally found a way to blackmail Ric Ocasek into a reunion -- perhaps it was threatening to go out as The New Cars with Todd Rundgren one more time. In any case, Move Like This sounds like the 90s never happened, returning The Cars to their mid-80s sound. On Tuesday, the original members (minus bassist/vocalist Benjamin Orr, who succumbed to cancer back in 2000) will perform "Blue Tip" on Fallon

Picks for the week
Monday, May 23
ABC: The View: Lady Gaga
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Foster the People
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Vaccines
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Bon Iver
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Airborne Toxic Event
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Steve Earle
TBS: Lopez Tonight: The Game with SkeeTox
TBS: Conan: Yeasayer
Tuesday, May 24
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Britney Spears
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Ben Harper
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Cars
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Foster the People, MNDR
TBS: Conan: Beardyman
Wednesday, May 25
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Maybach Music Group featuring Rick Ross
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: Lupe Fiasco (REPEAT)
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Foster the People
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: David Crosby & Graham Nash
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Buck
TBS: Conan: Ben Harper
Thursday, May 26
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Big Sean
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Arctic Monkeys
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Amos Lee
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ra Ra Riot (REPEAT)
TBS: Conan: Tinie Tempeh
Friday, May 27
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Morning Teleportation
NBC: The Today Show: Rihanna
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: INXS
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Knux (REPEAT)
Saturday, May 28
PBS: Austin City Limits: Steve Martin (REPEAT)

Now Downloading: New Releases 05.17.11

Still a lap behind after last week's Blogger shutdown -- why couldn't it have happened this week? It's not the greatest crop of releases, but it's worth sniffing the latest collaboration from Danger Mouse (with Daniele Luppi), 13 & God, Damon & Naomi, Chad VanGaalen, The Elected Mai Doi Todd, Moby, NRBQ and a slew of remastered reissues from Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

Playlist: New Releases 05.17.11

---

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi - ROME
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse, has always worn his love of Spaghetti Western soundtrack master Ennio Morricone and in Italian film composer Daniele Luppi, he's found his equal in Morricone obsession. But far from just a tribute to their hero, Barton & Luppi have guest vocalists Jack White and Norah Jones to add some flesh to the skeleton of slinky instrumentation.

Free AOL Album Stream

---

13 & God - Own Your Ghost
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The unclassifiable product of the Notwist and Themselves returns, expanding on their slippery 2005 self-titled debut. This time, the theme is our inevitable death, and the march of life towards it.

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Damon & Naomi - False Beats and True Hearts / "Shadow Boxing" [m4a]
Chad VanGaalen - Diaper Island / "Sara" [mp3]
The Elected - Bury Me in My Rings
Mia Doi Todd - Cosmic Ocean Ship
Moby - Destroyed
NRBQ - Keep this Love Goin'
Glasvegas - Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\
Levon Helm - Ramble at the Ryman
Face to Face - Laugh Now, Laugh Later
Ben Harper - Give Till It's Gone
Dylan Champagne - Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Vol. 1
Bahamas - Pink Strat
Cat's Eyes - Cat's Eyes

REISSUE
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Let Love In (2011 Remaster)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads (2011 Remaster)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call (2011 Remaster)
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - No More Shall We Part (2011 Remaster)
The Go Go's - Our Lips Are Sealed (30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition - 2011 Remaster)

tags: music, album review, 13 and god, danger mouse, indie rock, new releases

Chuck vs the Cliffhanger: Russians... so many Russians

For all the grief I sometimes give Chuck, they sure know how to do finales. "Vs the Cliffhanger" rolled all the best parts about this fourth season into one epic package. The Buy More took a backseat, for the most part, but with the Spy and family worlds pretty much merged now, it's becoming less noticeable when they disappear. Chuck got their season 5 renewal recently (to be their last), and thank God, because there's a STORY that needs to be told/seen.

The need to save Chuck's love (and the series' #2) was front and center, and the weaving in of their pre-wedding run through (vows done to Typhoon's "Firewood") along with the actual wedding towards the end was quite touching. Anytime you want to pull some seriously subtle heart strings, you go for Sigur Ros -- or in this case, frontman Jónsi, with the emotive "Sinking Friendships." All that, though, was just leading up to the Morgan plum, and the more I think about how the series could go forward with them running independent of the CIA with Morgan as their new Chuck... salivation.

Playlist: Chuck - Episode 4.24
1. "Here With Me" - Battleme [amazon mp3]
2. "Conscience Killer" - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club [amazon mp3]
3. "Firewood" - Typhoon [amazon mp3]
4. "I'm a Pilot" - Fanfarlo [amazon mp3]
5. "Sinking Friendships" - Jónsi [amazon mp3]

Previously: Chuck vs the Last Details (Episode 4.23)

Music on TV - Week of 05.16.11: Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes play Fallon on Friday, May 20

There's just enough advanced warning to grow your beards and dig out your flannel, as later this week on Fallon there's a NW beard folk double feature, with The Head and the Heart on Wednesday and Fleet Foxes on Friday, the latter of which we're more excited for. Last week, we went into how great FF's latest, Helplessness Blues, is, and now they're finally on the tube stateside to play it live.

Elsewhere, TV on the Radio is back on TV for the first time since the death of their bass player, Gerard Smith, who lost his battle with lung cancer last month at the tender age of 36. They'll be on Leno, unfortunately, so I doubt we'll get anything besides a performance. You know Fallon would try to get them to sit down for a talk, exuding the twitchiest of empathy over their loss.

Also look for Cee-Lo Green on VH1 Storytellers (Friday) and the legendary Randy Newman on Fallon (Monday).

Picks for the week
Monday, May 16
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Raphael Saadiq (REPEAT)
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: White Lies
FUEL: The Daily Habit: She Wants Revenge
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Tedeschi Trucks Band
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Cee-Lo Green, Randy Newman
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Biffy Clyro (REPEAT)
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Fitz and the Tantrums
TBS: Conan: Raphael Saadiq
Tuesday, May 17
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Tinie Tempah
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Wavves
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: TV on the Radio
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Death Cab For Cutie, Robert Randolph
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Black Angels
PBS: Tavis Smiley: k.d. lang
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Donny & Marie Osmond
SYNDICATION: Live With Regis and Kelly: Ellie Goulding
TBS: Conan: The Joy Formidable
Wednesday, May 18
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ben Harper
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Foster the People
NBC: The Today Show: Nelly
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Iron & Wine
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: The Head and the Heart
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Kills
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Sheila E
Thursday, May 19
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Rammstein
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Bayside
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Nicole Atkins and the Black Sea
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Prince (REPEAT)
Friday, May 20
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Airborne Toxic Event
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Foster the People
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Fleet Foxes
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Frank Turner
PBS: Tavis Smiley: k.d. lang
VH1: VH1 Storytellers: Cee-Lo Green
Saturday, May 21
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Jennifer Hudson
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Lady Gaga
PBS: Austin City Limits: Sarah McLachlan, Duffy (REPEAT)

Now Downloading: New Releases 05.10.11

Thanks to the Bloggerpocalypse that occurred earlier this week, this nearly finished post was lost forever when Blogger reverted back, jettisoning out over 30 hours worth of posts/comments. The work that was published has mostly been brought back, but, as in my case, drafts were lost or reverted back, losing all updates. Too bad, to, as this was a pretty deep week for releases, one that deserves attention. Between releases from Okkervil River, Man Man, The Antlers, Sloan, Sam Roberts Band, The Felice Brothers, Raphael Saadiq, Mountains, The Sea and Cake, The Lonely Island, Joan of Arc, Le Butcherettes, interesting-to-great returns from Urge Overkill, The Cars, Peter Case and Greg Brown along with (finally) the US release of Howe Gelb & a Band of Gypsies. Like I said, too impossible to ignore, so instead of just moving on and trying to get ahead of next week's, I'm recreating most of what I did earlier... abridged to say the least.

Playlist: New Releases 05.10.11

---

Okkervil River - I Am Very Far
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Will Scheff, emboldened by his production and backing of the 2010 Roky Erickson collaboration (True Love Cast Out All Evil), took the reigns for the first time in the studio for Okkervil River, and no expense was spared. Orchestras, guest musicians... the unemployment rate in Austin had to have had a decent dip during the recording. And while it's not as essential a release as the excellent Black Sheep Boy, it's streets ahead of their past two releases.

Download: "Wake and Be Fine" [mp3]

---

Man Man - Life Fantastic
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Philly's Man Man gets reigned in a bit, recording for the first time with Saddle Creek producer a la casa Mike Mignola, and the result if their first album that didn't expand the sound of the one prior. But this is still a great Man Man album, and still has the manic gypsy barker delivery backing Honus Honus' dark and frightening lyrical magic.

"Life Fantastic" [mp3] (via The Hype Machine)

---

The Antlers - Burst Apart
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

We're not in a Cancer ward anymore (2009's breathtaking Hospice), but frontman Peter Silberman's haunting falsetto is still devastating, even without the conceptual flourish.

"I Don't Want Love" [mp3] (via The Hype Machine)

---

Sloan - Double Cross
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Sloan has been rockin' the good fight up North for 20 years now, and they released their best release (2006's Never Here the End of It) late in their career. The Abbey Roadish connection of songs (30 of them!) was a epic, and while The Double Cross only clocks in around 33 minutes, there's a brilliant string of connected songs to start that for a moment makes you believe NHTEOI take two is in session. It loses a little steam after that, but the boys from the great white North still bring it.

"Unkind" [mp3] (via The Hype Machine)

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Howe Gelb & a Band of Gypsies - Alegrias / "4 Door Maverick" [mp3]
Sam Roberts Band - Collider / "Longitude" [mp3]
The Felice Brothers - Celebration, Florida
Urge Overkill - Rock&Roll Submarine
The Cars - Move Like This
The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chain
The Sea and Cake - The Moonlight Butterfly/ "Up on the North Shore" [mp3]
Raphael Saadiq - Stone Rollin'
Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact
Here We Go Dance - The January EP / "Hands in the Sky" [mp3]
Mountains - Air Museum
Manchester Orchestra - Simple Math
Booker T Jones - The Road From Memphis
Lee "Scratch" Perry - Rise Again
Joan of Arc - Life Like
The Shivers - More / "Used to Be" [mp3]
Sleepy Vikings - They Will Find You Here
Antietam - Tenth Life
Le Butcherettes - Sin Sin Sin
Peter Case - The Case Files / "Round Trip Stranger Blues" [mp3]
Psychedelic Horsesh*t - Laced
Greg Brown - Freak Flag
Wild Beasts - Smother
Hugo - Old Tyme Religion
Balkans - Balkans
Delay Trees - Delay Trees / "Cassette 2012" [mp3]
Other Lives - Tamer Animals / "For 12" [mp3]
COMPILATIONS
Randy Newman - The Randy Newman Songbook Vol. 2
REISSUEs
Laura Veirs - The Triumphs and Travails of Orphan Mae
Holly Golightly & Dan Melchior - Desperate Little Town

tags: music, album review, okkervil river, man man, indie rock, new releases

Glee "Prom": Dancing Queen

I hope that the song "Friday" is not going to be a staple at high school proms occurring this month. Can you imagine looking back at your prom and remembering that tripe? I had thankfully avoided the song the first time it made the rounds via YouTube sharing, but was forced here to take in the middle school poetry. Worst. Lyrics. Ever.

That it was sandwiched in between two great renditions ("Isn't She Lovely" and "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance") only made it harder to take.

Playlist: Glee - Episode 2.20
1. "Isn't She Lovely" - Glee Cast [amazon / itunes]
2. "Rolling In The Deep" - Glee Cast [amazon / itunes]
3. "Friday" - Glee Cast [amazon / itunes]
4. "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance" - Glee Cast [amazon / itunes]
5. "Dancing Queen" - Glee Cast [amazon / itunes]

Previously: "Born This Way" (Episode 2.18)

Chuck vs the Last Details:

Haven't touched the past few Chuck episodes for a few reasons, first being a certain lack of interest. But since we're approaching another season finale, it was time to play catch up, as Chuck has been 2 for 3 on their finales thus far, so there's hope that they pull it together after dancing all season around their network orders for episodes.

Last week, the reveal of Vulkoff as Agent X and bringing in Ellie into the inner circle set things up nicely for tonight's episode, which was the perfect mix of Spy, Buy More and Star Wars references. It's entirely possible that next week's finale ("Chuck vs the Cliffhanger") will be the series last, as there has been no season 5 renewal announcement yet (probably won't hear until the fall schedule is revealed next Monday morning), and it will be interesting to see how they potentially go out. Ending this episode with the Jeff-made Sarah montage backed by Bright Eyes ("First Day of My Life") was a nice touch (and you know they won't kill of Sarah).

Playlist: Chuck - Episode 4.23
1. "Everything Falls Apart" - The One AM Radio [Amazon mp3]
2. "The Imperial March" - John Williams [Amazon mp3]
3. "You Are A Tourist" - Death Cab For Cutie [Amazon mp3]
4. "First Day of My Life" - Bright Eyes [Amazon mp3]

Previously: Chuck vs the A-Team (Episode 4.18)

Music on TV - Week of 05.09.11: Okkervil River

Okkervil River play Letterman on Friday, May 13.

After taking a year off to back and collaborate with the legendary Roky Erickson, Okkervil River is thankfully back with a new album of literate Americana -- I Am Very Far, out Tuesday.

As is usually the case, Will Scheff's printed lyrics are as big of a draw as the delivered music, with his finely tuned dark tales full of wit and subtext. But with I Am Very Far, there's a sense that the band is perhaps trying to move beyond cult status, and from the opening echoed beat of "The Valley," the album sounds like it could attract more than the current Okkervil stable of fans. There's a bit of the histrionics that propelled Arcade Fire to the next level, and the occasional nod to classic Talking Heads as well, to go with the usual Americana leanings. The Texas outfit takes the stage on Letterman on Friday, May 13.

Meanwhile, it's been 30 years since Reggae giant Bob Marley died, and to pay tribute to the legend, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon is hosting artists performing Marley classics all week.* The week fittingly starts off with famous son Ziggy Marley on Monday, and moves on to Chris Cornell, Jennifer Hudson, Jakob Dylan and Lenny Kravitz on successive nights. Ziggy plans to sit with Fallon himself, to talk a bit about his father's legacy on Monday, and there's a good chance a few reggae musicians associated with the Marley legacy will be sitting in with The Roots all week long. You don't want to miss it, mon.

*It's becoming a tradition the talk show started last year with a tribute to The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street, in celebration of the great album's reissue.

Picks for the week
Monday, May 9
ABC: Good Morning America: Donny & Marie Osmond
ABC: The View: Donny & Marie Osmond
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Wiz Khalifa
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: Lupe Fiasco
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Go! Team
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Ziggy Marley
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Soundtrack of Our Lives
PBS: American Experience: Soundtrack for a Revolution: John Legend, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean, The Roots, Harry Belafonte
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Jonny Lang
TBS: Conan: Amos Lee
Tuesday, May 10
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Calle 13
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Hugo
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Go! Team
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Def Leppard
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Chris Cornell
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Knux
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Stevie Nicks
Wednesday, May 11
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Zac Brown Band
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ray Lamontagne
FUEL: The Daily Habit: New Boyz
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Colin Hay
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Steve Earle
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jennifer Hudson
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Grouplove
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Musiq Soulchild
TBS: Conan: Ke$ha
Thursday, May 12
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Raphael Saadiq
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Manchester Orchestra
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Naked and Famous
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jacob Dylan
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Greenhornes, Hugo
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Def Leppard
Friday, May 13
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Okkervil River
FUEL: The Daily Habit: New Boyz
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Rodrigo Y Gabriela
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Lenny Kravitz
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Rhaphael Saadiq
Saturday, May 14
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: k.d. lang
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Paul Simon
PBS: Austin City Limits: John Legend & The Roots

Now Downloading: New Releases 05.03.11

We have a saying in Seattle that you may have heard before: "April showers bring May showers," or, at the very least, flowers that are drenched. Much like it was in April, it's raining new releases this week, with Seattle faves Fleet Foxes and the return of Beastie Boys heading the list. Also of note this week are new releases from Architecture in Helsinki, Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys, Small Sins, Priscilla Ahn, Cheeseburger and a live album from Brandi Carlile

Playlist: New Releases 05.03.11

---

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Since spreading through the indie rock landscape like a bandmate's beard, Fleet Foxes' frontman Robin Pecknold has proven himself to be a refreshingly earnest voice (and commenter) within the musical community. To that end, with their excellent sophomore effort, Helplessness Blues, Pecknold is far less obtuse in his lyrics, making a more straightforward approach. "So now I am older/Than my mother and father/When they had their daughter/Now what does that say about me?", begins Pecknold on the opener ("Montezuma"), setting the stage for the rest of the album's philosophical ponderings. Keeping the vocal harmonies front and center, Helplessness Blues doesn't stray too far musically from what worked before, adding a few instruments here and there (zithers, tamburas, Tibetan singing bowls, a Moog!), and trying out more adventurous breaks in the songs. Take the gorgeous title track, which breaks out of formula with an epic ending refrain of "If I had an orchard, I'd work 'til I'm sore," connecting with the everyman, only to hedge his bets by ending with "Someday I'll be like the man on the screen." It's the album's centerpiece and yet manages to sound unlike anything else on the release. Another highlight is "The Shrine / An Argument" which uses it's 8 plus minutes to encapsulate a breakup, likely Pecknold's that the painful making of the album rumored to have caused. Great beauty often emerges from pain, so our ears give thanks to Pecknold's bad fortune.

Download: "Helplessness Blues" [mp3]

---

Beastie Boys - Hot Sauce Committee Part Two
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Hot Sauce Committee was supposed to be a 2009 release, but thanks to Adam Yauch's battle with cancer, we had to make do with the Nas guested "Too Many Rappers," which managed to wet many a whistle. With Yauch in remission, the Beasties scrapped the two release idea with the majority of Part 1's tracks intact. As hinted at, HSCP2 is a return to the sound of the Beasties at their commercial peak, specifically 1992's Check Your Head and 1994's Ill communication, sampling their own instruments and maintaining a level of controlled silliness. It's the trio back to not caring what you think of them, and it's welcome after the hard to digest To the 5 Burroughs. Album highlight is the Santigold-led ska stomp "Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win."

Free AOL Album Stream

---

More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Architecture in Helsinki - Moment Bends / Free AOL Album Stream
Gruff Rhys - Hotel Shampoo
Small Sins - Pot Calls Kettle Black
Brandi Carlile - Live at Benaroya Hall With the Seattle Symphony
Priscilla Ahn - When You Grow Up / Free AOL Album Stream
Cheeseburger - Another Big Night Down the Drain
Det Vackra Livet - Det Vackra Livet
Dave Depper - The Ram Project (Paul McCartney covers) / "Oh Woman, Oh Why," "Dear Boy" [mp3]
Owiny Sigoma Band - Owiny Sigoma Band / Free AOL Album Stream
Twin Atlantic - Free / Free AOL Album Stream
Prefuse 73 - Only She Chapters / Free AOL Album Stream
The Wave Pictures - Beer in the Breakers / Free AOL Album Stream
Vandervelde - More Than You Can Feel (Single) / "More Than You Can Feel" [mp3]
Destry - Waiting on an Island / Free AOL Album Stream
Secondhand Serenade - Weightless EP / Free AOL Album Stream
Stevie Nicks - In Your Dreams
INXS: Original Sin
COMPILATIONS
Loudon Wainwright III - 40 Odd Years
No Future: A Tribute To The Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Damned / Leatherface - "Melody Lee" (Damned Cover) [mp3]

REISSUE
Dwarves - The Dwarves are Born Again

tags: music, album review, fleet foxes, beastie boys, indie rock, new releases

Music on TV - Week of 05.02.11: Twin Shadow

Twin Shadow (George Lewis Jr) makes network TV debut on Fallon (Thursday, May 5)

Twin Shadow, a.k.a. George Lewis Jr., is a poetic re-imagining of 80s New Wave, with ever present hints of Morrissey, Depeche Mode and Echo & the Bunnymen.

Produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor, Twin Shadow's 2010 debut (Forget) was a year-end list favorite and their national TV debut this week couldn't come soon enough. On Thursday, Lewis & Co. will likely be performing the song "At My Heels" on Fallon.

Meanwhile, Saturday night Lady Gaga has her "first HBO concert special*" Her Madison Square Garden show is being shown not just on HBO but worldwide, featuring a 10-piece band and 10 backup dancers (and likely just as many costume changes).

*I guess this means more are on the way?

Picks for the week
Monday, May 2
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: k.d. lang
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Sounds
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Donny & Marie Osmond
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Broken Bells (REPEAT)
Tuesday, May 3
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: OK Go
FUEL: The Daily Habit: The Naked and Famous
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Ricky Martin
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
PBS: Tavis Smiley: Bootsy Collins
TBS: Lopez Tonight: 2AM Club
Wednesday, May 4
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Bad Religion
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Sergio Mendes with Siedah Garrett
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Goldheart Assembly
TBS: Conan: The Belle Brigade
Thursday, May 5
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Calexico
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Neon Trees
FUEL: The Daily Habit: David Banner
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Priscilla Ahn
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Twin Shadow
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Mini Mansions
SYNDICATION: The Ellen DeGeneres Show: Meat Loaf
TBS: Lopez Tonight: Carlos Santana
Friday, May 6
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Brother
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Bad Religion
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: The Civil Wars
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Airborne Toxic Event
Saturday, May 7
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Josh Groban
HBO: Lady Gaga Presents the Monster Ball Tour: At Madison Square Garden: Lady Gaga
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Ellie Goulding
PBS: Austin City Limits: K'NAAN, Mos Def (REPEAT)