Ear on TV: Week of 07.27.09: Spinal Tap

The 25th anniversary party just rages on for This is Spinal Tap, and the fictional band at its core. First came the "Unwigged" tour and then, last month, came a new album, Back From the Dead. This week the film sees it's release on Blu-Ray, giving us a chance to see Nigel's skeleton t-shirt in in high definition. To quote Sir Denis Eton-Hogg: "and so say we all, Tap into the future!"

To help promote the release, Spinal Tap are appearing on both Jimmy Fallon (Monday) and The Daily Show (Tuesday), pulling double duty with a performance and interview.This is Spinal Tap on Blu-Ray is out tomorrow.

Working either as a counter or a compliment to This Is Spinal Tap (all depends on how you look at it), IFC is airing The Decline of Western Civilation, Part II: The Metal Years (1988), a striking documentary about the glam-rock scene in Los Angeles. The combination of both films and their depiction of excess have been credited with some in the fall of heavy metal and, similarly, the rise of grunge.

Other notable music appearances this week include Jarvis Cocker on Jimmy Fallon (Thursday), Passion Pit on both Jimmy Fallon (Wednesday) and Alexa Chung (Thursday); and the network television debut of Cage the Elephant on Letterman (Thursday). Now, go forth and DVR!

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, July 27
IFC: From the Basement: Neil Hannon (REPEAT)
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: Billy Bragg, Robyn Hitchcock (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Revolution Mother
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Spinal Tap
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Adele (REPEAT)
Tuesday, July 28
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Silversun Pickups
COMEDY CENTRAL: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Spinal Tap
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Underoath
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Duke Spirit (REPEAT)
Wednesday, July 29
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: the Sounds
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Elbow
IFC: Decline of Western Civilation II: The Metal Years: Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, KISS, Ozzy Osbourne
IFC: From the Basement: Beck (REPEAT)
IFC: The Henry Rollins Show: The Stooges, Gogol Bordello (REPEAT)
MTV: It's On With Alexa Chung: Silversun Pickups
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Passion Pit
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Lykke Li (REPEAT)
SUNDANCE: Spectacle: Elvis Costello With...: Elvis Costello, The Police (REPEAT)
Thursday, July 30
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Cage the Elephant
MTV: It's On With Alexa Chung: Passion Pit
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Regina Spektor
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Jarvis Cocker
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ben Harper & Relentless7 (REPEAT)
Friday, July 31
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Diane Birch
NBC: The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien: Ben Harper & Relentless7
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Crystal Antlers (REPEAT)
Saturday, August 1
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Phoenix (REPEAT)
PBS: Austin City Limits: Wilco (REPEAT)

Now Downloading: New Releases 04.13.09

After an extra deep week, those of us who are compiling lists like this get a bit of a reprieve. Still plenty of releases to talk about, though, including the latest from Metric, Papercuts, Ida Maria, Silversun Pickups, John Doe (w the Sadies,) Telepathe, The Handsome Family, Juan Maclean, The Boy Least Likely To and Grand Duchy - the husband-and-wife duo of Black Francis and Violet Clark. Reissues also rule the day, with the LITA release of The Monks and the offbeat folk album Beck did for K Records,One Foot in the Grave.

Playlist: New Releases 04.14.09

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Metric - Fantasies
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

A super-glossy power grab at pop stardom, combining the best parts of their previous two albums and making it extra shiny. I'm sure many in the Broken Social Scene circle of fandom will be turned off by Emily Haines and co. reach for he brass ring, but I think it works better than they'll likely ever get credit for. Not going to make a year-end list, but a surprising good listen nonetheless. Recommended: "Help I'm Alive," "Gimme Sympathy"

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Papercuts - You Can Have What You Want
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

Not quite the revelation that 2007's Can't Go Back, but the subtle pop of You Can Have What You Want still sneaks up on you with it's charms upon repeat listens.

"You Can Have What You Want" [mp3]

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The Monks - Black Monk Time
Stream / Purchase [mp3]

The Monks are an early a group of early 60's GI's who stayed behind in Germany and form a garage band that predicted punk rock. Light in the Attic does what they do best here, packaging up this crazy album complete with a 30-page (!) booklet of liner notes. Lovingly done, it's a great document to a lost piece of punk rock's odd history.

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More on the radar (and in the mp3 player) this week:
Ida Maria - Fortress 'round My Heart / Free AOL Album Stream
Silversun Pickups - Swoon
The Handsome Family - Honey Moon / "When You Whispered" [mp3]
Telepathe - Dance Mother / "Lights Go Down" [mp3]
Grand Duchy - Petits Fours
John Doe & the Sadies - Country Club
Bill Callahan - Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle / "Eid Ma Clack Shaw" [mp3]
Juan Maclean - The Future Will Care / Free AOL Album Stream
The Boy Least Likely To - The Law of the Playground / Free AOL Album Stream
Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door (EP) / Free AOL Album Stream
Fastball - Little White Lies
Medeski, Martin and Wood - Radiolarians II / Free AOL Album Stream / "Amber Gris" [mp3]

REISSUES
Beck - One Foot in the Grave
Siouxsie and the Banshees - A Kiss In The Dreamhouse
Siouxsie and the Banshees - Nocturne

tags: music, album review, the monks, metric, papercuts, indie rock, new releases, rhapsody

Ear on TV: Week of February 26

In what looks to be a pretty bleak week for musical guests, the LA band Silversun Pickups stand out with a four-night stand on Last Call With Carson Daly, starting late Tuesday night. While their debut album Carnavas was released last summer, it's finally starting to build momentum, thanks to airplay of the Smashing Pumpkins-like "Lazy Eye." If you're wondering how the band can be both playing Carson and be opening for Snow Patrol in Seattle on Tuesday night, it's because they recorded the performances in one fell swoop last week (February 20.) Silversun Pickups take the late night crown with their four-nights, as it one ups The Killers who pulled a three-nighter on Kimmel back in October. Any longer and you're in danger of becoming the house band (no offense Paul, Max and Kevin.)

Elsewhere, Son Volt has a new album coming out in a couple weeks (The Search) and are getting the jump with an appearance on Conan Thursday night.

This week's highlights:
Monday, February 26
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Solomon Burke
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Ludacris (RERUN)
Tuesday, February 27
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Silversun Pickups
Wednesday, February 28
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Silversun Pickups
SYNDICATION: Live With Regis and Kelly: Akon
Thursday, March 1
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Son Volt
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Silversun Pickups
Friday, March 2
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Cat Empire
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Silversun Pickups
Saturday, March 3
NBC: Saturday Night Live: The Shins (RERUN)
PBS: Austin City Limits: Rilo Kiley (RERUN)

tags: music, television, soundtrack, talk shows, silversun pickups, son volt, indie rock, rhapsody

Like spinning plates

I realized during last night's episode (the second to last ever for The O.C.) that I'm actually going to miss this show. I like to make fun and all, but occasionally it makes for inspiring television, specifically the use of music. Take for instance the opening, which used Radiohead's uneasy "Like Spinning Plates" to illustrate the post-earthquake wobbly foundation the characters find themselves on. It conveys beautifully both the tension and liquidity of the surroundings, and represents a bold music choice, considering it's inherent inaccessibility. The song crops up again following the aftershock, reminding us again that we can't be that sure of our footing.

Elsewhere, Sufjan Stevens' instrumental "The Incarnation" provides the right tension in multiple situations, and this song fades impressively into the next song used, Silversun Pickups' "Rusted Wheel," which also has an eerie tension associated with it. Finally, Bloc Party's "Kreuzberg" provides some resolution to this tension, uplifting the mood as the gang all bonds together for whatever comes next. Even as the mood lightens, lyrically, the song has us braced for change:

I have decided, at twenty-five
Something must change

Recognizing the end of the show has been one of the bright points of these last few episodes. Jokes about The Bait Shop ("how does such a small venue get such big name acts?") and other unanswered questions have dotted the path, and last night was no different. To help Ryan deal with his pain, Seth counts down all the folks that Ryan has punched in the face ("How about Johnny...did you hit him? Because I know a lot of people were pulling for that to happen.") Then later when Ryan finds out Seth donated blood for him, Ryan jokes that he has a "strange urge to listen to Death Cab and read comic books." To which Seth quips:

Ah, it's too bad (it's not true) because if we could've turned this into a body swap comedy, we could've squeezed another year or two out of this.

Maybe The O.C. could take a page from Buffy and extend the series through comic books. Kid Chino and The Ironist could swap bodies and... oh, never mind.

Playlist: The O.C. - Episode 415
Title track: "Night Moves" - Bob Seger

1. "The Sad Song" - Fredo Viola (MySpace) - A recap of the last episode.
2. "Like Spinning Plates" - Radiohead - The beginning of the episode as the characters are dealing with the initial aftermath of the earthquake. Again later as Seth and Ryan are walking down the street trying to stay focused by listing everyone Ryan's punched in the face.
3. "I Turn My Camera On" - Rock Kills Kid - Seth rides Summer on his bike handlebars, on their way to the Cooper's house.
4. "The Incarnation" - Sufjan Stevens - Taylor and Summer look for Pancakes. Again later while Sandy talks to a Doctor, and Seth looks for help.
5. "Rusted Wheel" - Silversun Pickups - Seth and Ryan are driving and get a flat tire.
6. "Kreuzberg" - Bloc Party - The end of the episode... everyone is together and thankful.

Previously: Love's fault (Episode 4.14)

tags: music, television, soundtrack, the oc, bloc party, radiohead, sufjan stevens, silversun pickups, indie rock, rhapsody