Ear on TV: Week of January 15

This week features a couple appearances by an artist who's quite literally an offspring of television. Singer Robin Thicke owes a lot to the television world as his parents wrote the theme songs for both Different Strokes and spin-off The Facts of Life. His father is actor/tv host Alan Thicke (Growing Pains, and even this week's release of Alpha Dog) and mother is singer/actress Gloria Loring (Days of Our Lives,) who were married from 1970 until 1983.

Now son Robin could become a star in his own right, as part of the blue-eyed wing of the Neo-soul movement (see Justin Timberlake, Remy Shand, Jamiroquai, etc.) With the backing of Pharrell Williams (both on his label Star Track and via production from his Neptunes team,) Thicke has got a decent shot at selling a few discs. His emulation of the purple one (Prince) doesn't hurt one bit either.

Elsewhere, I strongly recommend checking out North Carolina's Annuals as they bring their indie rock ensemble to Conan on Thursday night.

Monday, January 15
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: America with Ryan Adams and Ben Kweller
Tuesday, January 16
SYNDICATION: The Oprah Winfrey Show: Corinne Bailey Rae, Mary J. Blige, Carly Simon
Wednesday, January 17
CBS: Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson: Common
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Robin Thicke
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: KT Tunstall
Thursday, January 18
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Robin Thicke with Pharrell
NBC: Late Night With Conan O'Brien: Annuals
Friday, January 19
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Slayer
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Rocco Deluca and the Burden
Saturday, January 20
PBS: Austin City Limits: Dixie Chicks

tags: music, television, soundtrack, talk shows, robin thicke, growing pains, neo soul, facts of life, pharrell, annuals, indie rock, rhapsody

Infinite jest

This week's new releases caught me offguard, as I was still in holiday mode, and fully focused on the January 23rd date for the first wave of releases of the year. There's some truth to that, but to ignore this week would mean missing this long (long) player from Canadian power-pop legends Sloan. They do love to have fun with their album titles, and Never Hear The End Of It clocks in at over 76 minutes with 30 tracks total, but the end does come, and you'll find yourself hitting play once again.

Album: Sloan - Never Hear The End of It

It figures that Sloan would make a big album like this, as they're best albums have been 70's-rock-ambitious like this (One Chord to Another, Navy Blues) and this one takes it to it's ultimate progression. An album with this many songs can try one's patience (and this is one is no different to some degree,) but it's so diverse in it's reverence for Rock and Roll with only a few misteps that it's worth the effort. It veers from KISS to Big Star to AC/DC to The Beatles seemlessly. Seriously... the songs run into each other like Abbey Road, some clocking in as short as 52 seconds, and there are so many great hooks, it's nearly impossible to highlight just a few. But I will anyway - "Can't You Figure It Out?" and "Fading into Obscurity" are definitely one's to check out, if you can't hack the full 30-track endeavor.

tags: music, album review, sloan, power pop, indie rock, canada, rhapsody

Rabbit, run

As I mentioned earlier in the week, The Shins are going to be everywhere, and they made an appearance (in advance of this coming Saturday's SNL performance) in last night's episode of The O.C., opening with the track "Turn On Me," from their forthcoming album Wincing the Night Away.

But don't go thinking the song's inclusion is purely promotional, as the lyrics reveal much about the episode:

"So affections fade away,
And do adults just learn to play
The most ridiculous, repulsive games?
On the faith of ruddy sons,
And the double-barreled guns,
You better hurry,
Rabbit, run, run, run."

The first lines about the playing ridiculous relationship games is pretty obvious to the plot (Summer & Seth playing a game of matrimonial chicken, Taylor & Ryan playing... whatever it is that they're playing,) but also notice the 'rabbit' reference here. Ok... I'm not suggesting the rabbit here is a direct reference to Summer's rabbit 'Pancakes,' but instead John Updike's Rabbit Run, which details the dangers of marrying your high school sweetheart at too young an age. Summer here is Updikes 'Rabbit' Angstrom character in reverse, as instead of reflecting on her past as Rabbit does, she sees her future (as a 'newpsie bride') and runs away before the marriage can even happen. It seems 'Pancakes' the rabbit might have just really been a physical manifestation of this literary comparison all along.

This is all running it's course in the background, while at center stage, Taylor and Ryan deal with literature on a more conscious level. Taylor's ex (played with pizazz by Sleeper Cell's Henri Lubatti) is in town promoting a memoir written about Taylor (A Season for Peaches) which is described as Bridges of Madison County meets The Notebook meets... porn. When with her ex-husband, Taylor is revealed to be a French culture tour-de-force: poetry (Anais Nin,) philosophy (Sartre) and even politics (apparently lunched with Jaques Chirac.) All this has Ryan feeling understandably intimidated.

Meanwhile, R&B singer Chris Brown is referred to as 'dorkalicious" (not 'darkalicious' as a couple websites misheard, nearly alerting the NAACP,) but he's certainly not acting-chopsalicious. One episode later, he's still stiff as a board. He sure can sing, though. And yes, that was Jason Schwartzman (Rushmore, Marie Antoinette) singing the close out song ("The West Coast.") Let's not forget he used to be in Phantom Planet, who perform The O.C.'s theme song.

The O.C. - Episode 4.10
1. "Turn on Me" - The Shins
2. "I Spy" - Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly (Video)
3. "I Ain't Losing Any Sleep" - The Sunshine Underground (MySpace)
4. "The West Coast" - Jason Schwartzman

Previously: Sinking Ship (Episode 4.09)

tags: music, television, soundtrack, the oc, the shins, chris brown, john updike, indie rock, rabbit run, books, anais nin, sartre, jason schwartzman

RIP: Sneaky Pete Kleinow

Pedal steel guitar legend Sneaky Pete Kleinow died Monday, January 7, at the age of 73. Kleinow was one of the founding members of The Flying Burrito Bros., after being spotted by co-founder Gram Parsons in 1968, and went on to lend his signature sound to the likes of John Lennon, Joni Mitchell, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, and even more recently with The Lemonheads. But what you may not know is that Kleinow was also sought-after in Hollywood as a stop-motion animator.

Kleinow got his start in 1963 working on the television show Gumby, and continued as an animator well into the 90's. You've no doubt seen much of his special effects work in films like The Empire Strikes Back, the first two Terminators, and Gremlins as well as on television in commercials like the Pillsbury Doughboy, and a nostalgic favorite show of mine Land of the Lost (video.)

Aside from composing the theme song for Gumby (video,) Kleinow's music oddly didn't carry over into his work in film and television (although, his pedal steel work in Johnny Lee's "Lookin' For Love" is certainly memorable in the movie Urban Cowboy.)

Here's a playlist of many of his more memorable turns at the pedal steel over the years.

Playlist: Sneaky Pete Kleinow

Sneaky Pete's work on Gumby (Theme song and animation:)


Another video: Sneaky Pete stretches out on "Lazy Day" with TFFB (1970) (via Stereogum)

tags: music, film, soundtrack, movies, television, sneaky pete, flying burrito brothers, obituary, rhapsody

I trust Kiefer Sutherland to market me

Ever wondered what Kiefer Sutherland does in his spare time (when he's not saving the world as Jack Bauer?) I doubt you'd ever guess it would be touring Europe as the manager of a struggling rock band - but it's true. That's the impetus of the fascinating documentary I Trust You To Kill Me (released on DVD yesterday) that follows Sutherland and his dream to help break a band he greatly admires: Rocco Deluca and the Burden.

Sutherland and his partner singer-songwriter Jude Cole run an independent label called Ironworks, and Deluca is their first artist signed to the label. While on holiday break from shooting 24, Sutherland sets off with the band on a short tour of Europe, working ostensibly as their manager. He coordinates with the venues, does phone interviews with radio stations and even carries equipment - he's the Jack Bauer of roadies, if you will.

Every Jack Bauer needs a Chloe O'Brien, but in this enterprise, there's not one to be found. As a result we're treated to scenes of Sutherland losing his phone, his wallet, and even paying customers to the show in Dublin. Upon arriving to the Irish metropolis, it's found that they have exactly two tickets sold, so Sutherland calls up an old friend and they do a pub crawl giving away free tickets, leading to several exchanges that go much like this:

Sutherland: "Hey, you want to go to a free rock show tonight?"
Fan: "Don't I know you from somewhere? What's your name?"
Sutherland: "I'm Kiefer... Kiefer Sutherland"
Fan: "No your NOT!!!"
Other fan: "We're drinking with Jack Bauer!"

While the documentary spends a lot of time with the band and their music (probably too much, to be truthful,) Sutherland's journey is the heart of the film - and really, it's the reason to watch. To see him inebriated and tackling a Christmas tree is worth the admission alone, but it's also the quiet moments of reflection, that give you a glimpse not normally seen of an actor of his stature.

There's an underlying sadness that's hard to shake, none more so then Sutherland's look of hurt whenever someone doesn't react favorably to the band. If Deluca and his band were more kick-ass good, this probably wouldn't seem as sad. That's not to say they're terrible, they just come off a bit too derivative (Led Zeppelin, The Cult, Jeff Buckley,) to deserve such devotion from the star of 24. Sutherland even gets a tatoo of the band's album title (and, of course, the title of the film) on his forearm (written with Icelandic symbols.) It's this willingness to look ridiculous in front of the camera that makes Sutherland somehow come off both cool and sympathetic at the same time.

Album: Rocco Deluca and the Burden - I Trust You To Kill Me

tags: music, film, soundtrack, movies, documentary, kiefer sutherland, rocco deluca, i trust you to kill me, rockumentary, rhapsody

Deerhoof in the headlights

It seems like every year, the third week in January is targeted with great indie rock releases, and this year is certainly no different. I've already mentioned The Shins (as that's the date of their explosion,) but another January 23rd release I'd like to get the jump on is the ninth long player from Deerhoof, entitled Friend Opportunity (on Kill Rock Stars.)


Play: +81 EP
Download: "+81"

Last week, their advance single/ep +81 was released in a digital only format (Rhapsody, eMusic, iTunes, etc,) and features the lead single from Friend Opportunity and four other Deerhoof freakout jams. "+81" starts out like a marching band from the Midvale School for the Gifted, and then pushes into the cuddly n' chaotic pop that Deerhoof has drifted towards on their past couple releases. Listening to Friend Opportunity it's apparent that if you liked the direction they were headed with on 2005's The Runners Four, then you're in for a treat. Those that were disappointed should check their old expectations of Deerhoof at the door, as this is a more mature effort. That's not to say it's not a challenging release, as there's still plenty of the exciting weirdness of the old DH to be had. The closer for instance is awash with a dissonance that refuses resolution, like some lost Scott Walker track from last year's Drift. There's also a Buffalo Daughter-like track which imagines oneself a dog for you to throw a stick for. One track that's stuck with me the most is the song "The Galaxist" which seems to challenge the best of Chavez (which you already know, is an all-time fave of mine.)

I'm not going to give away anything more... you'll have to sit and wait until January 23. Stay.... good boy.

Apparently, Friend Opportunity is already available on iTunes (two weeks early.) So... go... fetch. Good boy.

tags: music, indie rock, deerhoof, kill rock stars, rhapsody

Sundance is alive with the sound of music

This year's Sundance Film Festival focuses their lens on a topic near and dear to my heart: the role of music in film. To that end, there's all kind of events tying the two art forms together - panels, roundtable discussions, a contest and all sorts of live performances. The first of these performances I'd like to profile is (appropriately enough) the Film.com launch party, January 21st at the Star Bar, featuring The Apples in Stereo and West Indian Girl.

Playlist: Music at Sundance 2007

You may remember Apples frontman Robert Schneider was most recently seen here singing the praises of a certain fake talk news host (see Guitarmaddeonit,) and the latest release from the band (New Magnetic Wonder, coming February 7) is through the new record label from Frodo himself (Elijah Wood,) Simian Records. This sunny psychedelic pop outfit is essentially the last band standing from the influential 90's collective known as Elephant 6, which also featured Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control. Since the subject matter is music in film, I guess it'd be criminal of me not to mention The Apples in Stereo's involvement with the film The Powerpuff Girls, as they contributed a song ("Signal in the Sky.")

West Indian Girl (on Astralwerks) I'm less familiar with, but they're from Los Angeles and have a song called "Hollywood" so I imagine that qualifies them enough. They're also playing in Sundance's 'Music On Main' free concert, on January 25th with Of Montreal, Shiny Toy Guns, and DJ J_Luvv (on Main street, naturally.)

Another music performance on January 24th (6:00 p.m. at Sundance House, The Kimball Art Center,) features Keb Mo, jazz great Terence Blanchard and songwriter Michael Penn. Speaking of Michael Penn, he'll be busy playing elsewhere as well, as every afternoon, running from January 19 through 27, the aforementioned Star Bar will be host to live performances from artists like the aforementioned Penn, folk-rock legend Donovan, Alexi Murdoch, Ron Sexsmith, Silversun Pickups, The Album Leaf, Rosie Thomas, Sparta, Jill Sobule and many more.

Elsewhere, in the festival, will be several music-related programs, the first of which is the fascinating experiment Film2Music, where filmmakers turn the tables and visually score the instrumental album Cinematic from composer Kubilay Üner (click here to see films entered.)

A celebration of music and film occurs January 21st at Sundance House (8:30 p.m,) featuring composers/musicians contributing to this crop of Sundance entries. This includes Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (Once,) Scratch Massive (Broken English), Craig Wedren (The Ten), and M. Ward (The Go-Getter.) And finally, there will also be a roundtable discussion featuring both composers (including George Clinton) and directors, Wednesday, January 24; 11:00 a.m. at Sundance House. Whew....that's a lot of music!

tags: music, film, soundtrack, movies, sundance, sundance film festival, west indian girl, apples in stereo, michael penn, glen hansard, m ward

Full range of emotion

There was plenty of magic in Seattle to go around this past Saturday night.

Shortly after someone sprinkled pixie dust on Quest Field (for one of the craziest NFL playoff finishes I've ever seen,) Neumo's was host to some plenty of great music and loads of generosity making for one special event. It might seem like a comedown to go from football screams to the laid back acoustic stylings of James Mercer (The Shins,) Eric Bachmann (Crooked Fingers, Archers of Loaf) and Joel RL Phelps, but the excitement never let really let up. Mercer summed up the evening with his final song, a cover of the Violent Femmes' track "Good Feelings." Longtime friend Mitch Leffler hosted, introducing each act with some personal recollections and witty asides, and the musicians took it from there.

Song: "Good Feelings" - Violent Femmes

Well... not just the musicians. The event raised around $13K for Charley's Fund, an organization gathering funds for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research. So a big thank you goes out to all that attended, and especially to those that contributed even more at the show. The Leffler/Schneider clan were visibly in awe by all the goodwill shown.

But it's not over folks.

Thankfully, there's another benefit show coming in late April/early May featuring Britt Daniel of Spoon, and a couple more exciting (and unconfirmed) special guests. So be on the lookout here (and here.)

Right-On has some fantastic shots from the show (like the Eric Bachmann one above)
Saturday, the Seattle P-I did a great story on the show, Aidan and the whole family.

tags: playlist, music, indie rock, muscular dystrophy, dmd, the shins, james mercer, eric bachmann, joel rl phelps, silkworm, benefit, aidan leffler, seahawks