Music on TV - Week of 11.07.11: Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel

Brian Eno appears on The Colbert Report on Thursday.

Fall of 2011 is proving to be the busiest of seasons for Brian Eno. The seminal artist from the 70s who helped pioneer electronic music quickly transitioned into one music's most engaging producers (David Bowie, Devo, Talking Heads, U2, etc.) and still remains at the forefront of 'knob-twisting.' In the past month, Eno has resurfaced, thanks initially to the 20th anniversary reissue of U2's Achtung Baby and his work on Coldplay's latest, Mylo Xyloto. Eno then proceeded basically took over this year's Moogfest, held annually in Asheville, N.C. Named after the creator of the innovative keyboard, Bob Moog, this year's fest might as well have been called EnoFest, thanks to his much talked about 2-hour talk/presentation, his art installation (77 Paintings by Brian Eno) and his being pretty much everywhere.

At the festival, Eno fans were able to get advance copies of his latest work, the EP Panic of Looking, which is a six song collection of recordings from the sessions he did with poet Rick Holland, that resulted in the album Drums Between the Bells (released earlier this past summer). Then, last week Eno launched a new exhibition at the Science Museum of London with a talk about the role of technology in music -- including a bit on all the bizarre musical instruments that have sprung over time. , an exhibit that will run through the rest of the month, and I imagine some of that conversation will come up when he appears on The Colbert Report, Thursday evening.

Elsewhere, you can't go wrong with either St. Vincent (Monday) or Chromeo (Tuesday) on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but let's give some digital ink to another seminal artist from the 70s (and on) who is back as well this week. Peter Gabriel returned last week with a new album (New Blood) and will be performing on The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday, which has the distinction of being his first American TV performance in over a decade.

Picks for the week
Monday, November 7
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Junip
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Joan Baez & Kris Kristofferson
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Bouncing Souls
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: St. Vincent
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lykke Li (REPEAT)
Tuesday, November 8
ABC: The 45th Annual CMA Awards: Sugarland, Miranda Lambert, Grace Potter
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Wale
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Four Year Strong
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Lyle Lovett
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Chromeo
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Decemberists
Wednesday, November 9
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Thompson Square
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Peter Gabriel
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Vanaprasta
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Death Cab For Cutie, Girl in a Coma
Thursday, November 10
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Joan Baez
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Colbert Report: Brian Eno
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Sharks
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lupe Fiasco, Atmosphere
Friday, November 11
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Bouncing Souls
VH1CLASSIC: Metal Evolution: Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, GWAR
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Kermit the Frog
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Beyonce, Johnny Gill
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Thievery Corporation
Saturday, November 12
BBCAMERICA: The Graham Norton Show: Snow Patrol
EPIX: Britney Spears Live: The Femme Fatale Tour: Britney Spears
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Coldplay
PBS: Austin City Limits: Randy Newman
Sunday, November 13
HDNET: HDNET Concert Series: John Fogerty

Now Downloading: New Releases 09.23.08

My birthday week has historically been kind with great new releases, and this year it's certainly the case. TV on the Radio is the release of the week (year!), but I poached it for last week's post. But there' still plenty of releases to focus on, including a poach or two from next week's releases. New releases this week include albums from Jenny Lewis, Blitzen Trapper, Brightblack Morning Light, Mogwai, Cold War Kids, All Girl Summer Fun Band, KatJonBand, Kings of Leon and the soundtrack to Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. In Rhapsody a week early is the latest collaboration between David Byrne & Brian Eno, Swedish Psych Rocker Dungen, and the 82-track collection of B-Sides, singles demos and alt takes of songs from The Jesus and Mary Chain.

Playlist: New Releases 09.23.08

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Blitzen Trapper - Furr
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Blitzen Trapper's Sub Pop debut continues some of the restless mixtapery found on their prior release Wild Mountain Nation, creating perhaps sharper collages of 70's hippyish rock. Neil, Dylan and the Dead are all present, and when they turn it up a notch, I even hear some mid-70's Robert Palmer, another branch of the long haired boogie rock of the 70's. Furr, while not as good as Delta Spirit's debut (Ode to Sunshine,) builds on the hippie indie rock sound of Cold War Kids and Dr. Dog, with BT sounding a bit like an Americana version of the retro paisley 90's band Jellyfish. Lots of 70's pop and rock mishmashed together in a manner that's quite pleasing, even if you've heard it all before. When the steel guitar and other alt country leanings creep in is when BT really shines, like on the highlight title track and beautifully lazy "Stolen Shoes and a Rifle."

Free album stream from AOL
Download: "Furr" [mp3]

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Jenny Lewis - Acid Tongue
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Splitting the difference between her gospel-tinged solo debut (Rabbit Fur Coat, with the Watson Twins) and her latest 70's AM radio-like offering with Rilo Kiley (Under the Blacklight,) Acid Tongue ultimately fails to capture the attraction of either. There are plenty of highlights that suggest that this could've been a great album, like the gospel of the title track, the rocking fun of "Fernando," and epic "The Next Messiah." The strangest thing for me is that "Carpetbaggers" actually suffers from having Elvis Costello lending vocals, sounding more like stunt casting than collaboration. It might be that my expectations were unrealistic, but I still can't even make it all the way through the opening track ("Black Sand") without grinding my teeth, and that's never a good thing. It's an album that's sure to have plenty of fans (just not me).

Free album stream from Warner
Download: "Furr" [mp3]

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David Byrne & Brian Eno - Everything That Happens will Happen Today
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

1981's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts, the previous collaboration between David Byrne and Brian Eno, was a landmark recording for many reasons, including it's pioneering use of sampling. It was released with little fanfare, slowly building an appreciation over the years for it's fusion of African rhythms, paranoid funk and voices echoing a cult of personality. 27 years later, they're back, but Everything That Happens will Happen Today shares almost nothing in common with their cult classic. In fact, with the prevalence of an acoustic guitar throughout, it resembles more in mood the innocence and laid back qualities of Talking Heads' Little Creatures. Songs like "Life is Long" and "Strange Overtones" are immediate, feeling effortless and oozing positivity, a far cry from the paranoia of previous collaborations. The few times the duo stray back into the experimental sounds of their previous effort, it doesn't seem to work. The trip-hop of "I Feel My Stuff" feels like an unwelcome left turn when it arrives, and "Poor Boy" just feels wrong for some reason in the context of the album. It is still Eno and Byrne, though, so even the misteps are more interesting than most can offer these days.

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
TV on the Radio - Dear Science (Review last week)
Dungen - 4 (in Rhapsody a week early)
Jack White w/ Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die (single, theme to Quantum of Solace)
Brightblack Morning Light - Motion to Rejoin / "Oppressions Each" [mp3]
All-Girl Summer Fun Band - Looking Into it
The Jesus and Mary Chain - The Power Of Negative Thinking: B-Sides And Rarities (in Rhapsody a week early)
Mogwai - The Hawk is Howling
KatJonBand - KatJonBand / "Bad Apples" / "Do You" [mp3]
Kings of Leon - Only by the Night
Cold War Kids - Loyalty to LoyaltyFree album stream from AOL
Koufax - Strugglers (AOL Stream)
Charlie Haden - Rambling Boy
Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
Thievery Corporation - Radio Retaliation / Free album stream from AOL
Tracy Shedd - Cigarettes & Smoking Machines / "Whatever it Takes" [mp3]
The Pica Beats - Beating Back the Claws of the Cold
Old Crow Medicine Show - Tennessee Pusher / Free album stream from AOL
Ten Kens - Ten Kens
Max Richter - 24 Postcards in Full Color
Laura Warshauer - Laura Warshauer / Free album stream from AOL
Lights - Lights EP
These United States - Crimes (AOL limited stream)
Starfucker - Starfucker (AOL limited stream)
Ed Laurie - Meanwhile in the Park / Free album stream from AOL

tags: music, album review, tvotr, blitzen trapper, jenny lewis, david byrne, brian eno, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Just like Tango & Cash

This month's Spin has a feature on the team-up of Johnny Marr with Modest Mouse and in support of that, lists the 25 greatest team-ups in popular music history. Starting chronologically with the Million Dollar Quartet (Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins) and ending with Modest Mouse's latest, the list is full of great albums that prove egos can mesh.

Playlist: Spin Magazine's 25 Greatest Team-Ups

There are a few team-ups missing that are pretty glaring. While they included one great Brian/David team-up (Eno/Byrne's My Life in the Bush of Ghosts) they missed the most important one with the album Low, where Eno teamed up with David Bowie to change the underground music landscape forever.

Other more recent oversights include the debuts from Gorillaz, New Pornographers, and The Raconteurs. I'd even include Robert Palmer's debut Sneaking Through the Alley, which featured the team-up of Lowell George (Little Feat) and The Meters.

What are some of the less memorable team-ups? HSAS (Hagar, Schon, Aaronson & Shrieve,) Planet Us (Hagar and Schon again,)Asia, GTR, and really, for that matter, the other Robert Palmer team-up The Power Station.

Think of any other great and forgettable team-ups?

tags: playlist, music, classic rock, spin, modest mouse, brian eno, david byrne, david bowie, robert palmer, gorillaz, new pornographers, indie rock, rhapsody