song of the day 11/9

this is a french band called general elektriks, whose keyboardist, rv salters, pulls out some sweet dance moves while jamming. i guess they’re famous in france? and i guess he is known for doing this when he performs? i’m not sure.

like really, i know nothing about this band or rv salters. but he is awesome. just watch. this is “raid the radio,” off their newest cd, good city for dreamers. plus, it’s actually a good song. like portugal. the man + mgmt + mute math.

fanfarlo covers neutral milk hotel

“in the aeroplane, over the sea,” yall!! (try to imagine the tone of voice i would use while saying this.)

i’m seeing them in a month or so. cant waittttttttttttttt

(via consequence of sound)

the roots join MoF on “dear god”

monsters of folk were on fallon last night, and jimmy’s house band, the roots, joined them on “dear god (sincerely m.o.f.)”

sounds gooood.

i don’t know if it’s the suits or what, but this performance reminded me of the munsters. also, when will conor cut his hair????

this one’s for you, gib.

 

song of the day 11/5

i know i just blogged about these guys, but i am obsessed with them right now, so please deal with it.

their album, weathervanes, is probably one of my favorite albums of the year. (foreshadowing!)

i wish this video was of better quality because it’s really hard to hear any vocals, but just use your imagination. it is soooo goooooood. maybe i will put it on a mix cd for you someday if you ask nicely.

“kilojoules” – freelance whales (remember? like in chemistry? haha)

amazon’s 100 best albums of 2009

good grief. it’s already starting.

which means it’s time for me to think about my year-end list as well.

i’ve bolded the ones i’ve bought or listened to extensively enough to judge. tell me if you think i need to listen to any of the others. (except the first 2 because i dont wanna.)

1. Middle Cyclone  by Neko Case
2. It’s Blitz! by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix
4. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart by The Pains of Being Pure At Heart
5. I And Love And You by The Avett Brothers
6. Album by Girls
7. Merriweather Post Pavilion by Animal Collective
8. Troubadour by k’naan
9. The Blueprint 3 by Jay-Z
10. My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
11. Fantasies by Metric
12. Wilco [The Album] by Wilco
13. Manners by Passion Pit
14. Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear
15. Strict Joy by The Swell Season
16. Townes by Steve Earle
17. Song Up In Her Head by Sarah Jarosz
18. Welcome to Mali by Amadou & Mariam
19. Live In London by Leonard Cohen
20. Primary Colours by The Horrors
21. Crack The Skye by Mastodon
22. Dark Was The Night (Red Hot Compilation) by Various Artists
23. Around The Well by Iron & Wine
24. Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future by The Bird And The Bee
25. The Crow: New Songs for the Five String Banjo by Steve Martin
26. Get Lucky by Mark Knopfler
27. Roadsinger by Yusuf/Cat Stevens
28. La Roux  by La Roux
29. Welcome Joy by The Cave Singers
30. Ellipse by Imogen Heap
31. No Line On The Horizon by U2
32. Get Guilty by A.C. Newman
33. Julian Plenti Is… Skyscraper by Julian Plenti
34. Preliminaires by Iggy Pop
35. The Crying Light by Antony & The Johnsons
36. Together Through Life by Bob Dylan
37. Catacombs by Cass McCombs
38. Swoon by Silversun Pickups
39. Bitte Orca by Dirty Projectors
40. Actor by St. Vincent
41. Fondo by Vieux Farka Touré
42. It’s Not Me, It’s You by Lily Allen
43. Creaturesque by Throw Me The Statue
44. Beware by Bonnie “Prince” Billy
45. Born Like This. by Doom
46. Wild Young Hearts by Noisettes
47. A Strange Arrangement by Mayer Hawthorne
48. Know Better Learn Faster by Thao with The Get Down Stay Down
49. 11:11 by Rodrigo Y Gabriela
50. Incredibad by The Lonely Island
51. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band by Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band
52. Time To Die by the dodos
53. Hold Time by M. Ward
54. Guns Don’t Kill People…Lazers Do by Major Lazer
55. Elvis Perkins In Dearland by Elvis Perkins In Dearland
56. Over And Over by The Legends
57. Popular Songs by Yo La Tengo
58. Give Up The Ghost by Brandi Carlile
59. Heartbeat Radio by Sondre Lerche
60. Sainthood by Tegan And Sara
61. A Brief History Of Love by The Big Pink
62. Six by The Black Heart Procession
63. …For The Whole World To See by Death
64. LP by Discovery
65. God Help The Girl by God Help The Girl
66. The Ballad Of John Henry by Joe Bonamassa
67. Where The Wild Things Are by Karen O And The Kids
68. Closer To The Bone by Kris Kristofferson
69. American Central Dust by Son Volt
70. The Sun Came Out by 7 Worlds Collide
71. A Pipe Dream And A Promise by Finale
72. All I Ever Wanted by Kelly Clarkson
73. Fork In The Road by Neil Young
74. The First Days Of Spring by Noah and the Whale
75. Songs In A&E by Spiritualized
76. Kundalini Meditation Music by Various Artists
77. Lost Highway by Willie Nelson
78. xx by Xx
79. Divided By Night by Crystal Method
80. Grand by Matt & Kim
81. Heart To Elk by Point Juncture Wa
82. The Rose Hotel by Robert Earl Keen
83. Double Booked by Robert Glasper
84. White Water, White Bloom by Sea Wolf
85. Crossing The Rubicon by The Sounds
86. Curse Your Branches by David Bazan
87. Lungs by Florence + The Machine
88. Fortress ’round My Heart by Ida Maria
89. The Resistance by Muse
90. Reservoir by Fanfarlo
91. No Nations by Jets Overhead
92. Hello Hello by Midival Punditz
93. WPA by Works Progress Administration
94. Between My Head And The Sky by Yoko Ono Plastic Ono Band
95. Amesoeurs by Amesoeurs
96. Still Night, Still Light by Au Revoir Simone
97. Heartbreak On Vinyl by Blake Lewis
98. Blood Bank by Bon Iver
99. Scary Fragile by Butterfly Boucher
100. Roadhouse Sun by Ryan Bingham

i’m not sure how they came up with this list. maybe sales or something?? i’m surprised #’s 17 and 24 made it into the top 25. also, #59? i kind of hated that album. and #72????? also looks like #’s 14 and 39 are slipping after being touted as for sure top 10’s by many, although #7 is still holding on. i’m a little surprised humbug didn’t make this list. or monsters of folk. not saying they deserved to, but im just surprised.

and man, i am SO GLAD that #90 is starting to get the attention it deserves.

(via amazon)

the norah jones and ryan adams collab we’ve been waiting for

npr is streaming norah jones’ new album, the fall, before it comes out later this month.

listen to the song she wrote with ryan adams, “light as a feather”, here. (sadly, no vocals from dRA.)

insanely terrible youtube video of the week 11/3

time to get in the christmas spirit.

this one isn’t really about people butchering a song; it’s more about why anyone would really create something like this in the first place. my friend allison showed me this one as we were discussing one of our favorite christmas songs, “baby it’s cold outside.”

her thoughts on the video were: “white trash meets white christmas” and “i don’t understand people.”

i echo those sentiments. wholeheartedly. especially the latter.

song of the day 11/3

i watched a really good movie this morning (yes, morning) called lymelife. i won’t get into details, but if you like those character-driven dysfuctional family type movies like i do (think: the squid and the whale, junebug, lars and the real girl, igby goes down), you should watch it. 2 of the culkin brothers are in it, and so is julia roberts’ niece, who i think is sooo talented. also, alec baldwin and tim hutton. not a whole lot of plot action, but i thought it was excellent.

the film was scored by the director’s younger brother’s band, the spaceship martini, and i absolutely loved this song they played during the closing credits.

“running out of empty”- the spaceship martini

rivers cuomo mocks chris martin

or weezer covers coldplay last wednesday night. whichever you prefer.

i love that he’s wearing a tracksuit. and that he has to read the lyrics off a piece of paper.

(via stereogum)

weezer and vamp wknd play dress up

oh, you know. halloween! how did everyone celebrate?? i was in a car that got pushed by the spirits of murdered children over a haunted bridge, then almost got arrested for loitering in a cemetery while looking for a glowing blue tombstone. true story! i’m a grown up!

musicians celebrate halloween too! (“celebrities…they’re just like us!” -us weekly magazine) weezer played the hammerstein ballroom on saturday night. aside from covering “seven nation army,” “kids”, and “pokerface,” they were also dressed as bugs. i think? rivers looks like barney.

reminds me of honey i shrunk the kids. fun!

and vampire weekend played a secret, last minute, and FREE show in los angeles on halloween but didn’t dress up. but then they did the next night. you know, for dia de los muertos. ezra’s costume was “i won a $200 shopping spree at express for men,” and rostam’s was just plain awesome. .

i love how the most stoic band member is dressed the most ridiculously. hilarious. i dont think baio dressed up at all, and i think tomkins was a zombie beach boy? vampire beach boy?

(via consequence of sound and brooklyn vegan)