[Video] Liars: "Houseclouds"

Lots of new videos today, including this impossibly cute video for Liars‘ “Houseclouds” — Who knew Angus, Aaron, and Julian were so good with animals? Video is simply yet beautifully directed by Sonny Gerasimowicz.

[Video] Panda Bear: "Comfy In Nautica"

Maybe it’s a little late for this video to just be released, but in any event it’s a video for a track from quite possibly my favorite release of 2007. I know Panda is an avid skater, so the video makes sense… but seriously, “Comfy In Nautica” deserves much better than a poorly-shot skate video with less-than-impressive tricks.

[Video] Georgie James: "Need Your Needs"

Here’s the new video for Georgie James‘ song “Need Your Needs” off of their 2007 debut Places. The video was directed by Eric Cheevers and Scott Meuller and produced by Parasite Films.

Previously: 3 MP3s from Georgie James’ Places »

Shugo Tokumaru: "Parachute"

It’s hard to dig up any real ‘dirt’ on Shugo Tokumaru, a Japanese folk/pop artist whose latest album Exit is expected here in the States sometimes in 2008. So far I’ve managed to learn that he’s been praised by both Coke Machine Glow and Pitchfork, he’s commissioned videos for three songs on Exit thus far, and he’s a talented multi-instrumentalist who plays over 100 instruments, all by himself.

Exit is Shugo’s third full-length in four years, a gorgeous collection of songs both understatedly delicate and wildly complex. I can’t offer much to what his Japanese influences might be, but I’d be surprised to learn if Shugo wasn’t at one point in his life obsessed with all things Peter Gabriel. Combined with a healthy dose of adrenaline and fast-as-lightning melody shifts and sonic movements, Exit is as exciting as any club release this year, if not more so. Here’s the opening track “Parachute” along with an interlude of sorts, “D.P.O.” »

[MP3] Shugo Tokumaru – Parachute
[MP3] Shugo Tokumaru – D.P.O.

Here’s a bonus MP3 of Shugo covering Peter Bjorn & John’s “Young Folks” »

[MP3] Shugo Tokumaru – Young Folks

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Official Site | MySpace | More MP3s

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Happy Halloween!

Halloween, for many people and many different reasons, is one of the best holidays the year can offer. Aside from consciously creating cavities, the eve of All Hallows Day has transformed into (nearly) a week’s worth of reasons to dress up in something bizarre and go out and have fun. It would make perfect sense to find some “spooky” songs or some “haunting” stories to please your senses, but why not do the obvious?

I could just combine a list of Clay Aiken and Paris Hilton tracks and go “BOO!” to the same effect, but that’d be taking the easy route. Thanks to an insightful list from Halloween/music lover Dave White (a former Louisville classic rock DJ) compiled, I’ve managed to showcase the (somewhat) scary MP3s and a portion of the cynical lyrics that accompany them – resulting in a far more haunting effect than any version of “Monster Mash” may have had on you.

[MP3] Warren Zevon – Werewolves of London
“I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand / Walking through the streets of Soho in the rain / Better stay away from him / He’ll rip your lungs out, Jim!”

[MP3] Jim Stafford – Swamp Witch
“Blackwater Hattie lived back in the swamp, where the strange green reptiles crawl / Snakes hang thick from the cypress trees, like sausage on a smokehouse wall! / Where the swamp is alive with a thousand eyes, and all of ‘em watchin’ you / Stay off the track of Hattie’s shack in the back of the Black Bayou!”

[MP3] Alice Cooper – This House Is Haunted
“I was sitting in my room, dark and gray and crying / Someone in my life, I fear, was at the point of dying / A cold wind blew right up my spine, it was the break of dawn / A little voice way deep inside told me she was gone”

[MP3] The Doors – Ghost Song
“The music and voices are all around us / Choose, they croon, the ancient ones / The time has come again! / Choose now, they croon, Beneath the moon, Beside an ancient lake!”

[MP3] Black Sabbath – Black Sabbath
“Big black shape with eyes of fire / Telling people their desire / Satan’s sitting there, he’s smiling, watch those flames get higher and higher / Child cries out for his mother / Mother’s screaming in the fire / Satan points at me again, opens the door to push me in!”

[MP3] Led Zeppelin – The Battle Of Evermore
“The drums will shake the castle wall / The ringwraiths ride in black, Ride on / Oh dance in the dark of night, sing to the morning light / The magic runes are writ in gold to bring the balance back”

[MP3] The Kinks – Wicked Annabella
“In a dark and misty house, where no Christian man has been / Wicked Annabella mixes a brew that no one’s ever seen! / Don’t go into woods tonight, cause underneath the sticks and stones / Are lots of little demons enslaved by Annabella, waiting just to carry you home!”

Practice your debauchery responsibly, eh? Have a great night!

Piece o’ Pop

“I’m Miss Bad Media Karma / Another day another drama / Guess I can’t see no harm in working and being a Mama”

The new Brit is nifty. Throughout the past decade, pop’s success and Spears’ fame have been engaged in an ongoing relationship but tabloid drama has recently been the King of the two. Blackout was moved up to an earlier release thanks to similar leaky sources Radiohead avoided with their self-release. It’s hard to imagine this album being recorded during her “Dark Ages”, Britney still capable of producing electricfying pop that will find a way to your ears. Sure, her voice sounds like the Brit-Bot it’s slowly de-evolved into but if produced correctly can yield smash hit after smash hit.

[MP3] Britney Spears – Piece Of Me

Sometimes you get hooked on other gems, you might do the same:

[MP3] Lil Wayne – Beat Without Bass
[MP3] Justin Timberlake – Lovestoned/I Think She Knows (Justice Remix)
[MP3] T-Pain – I’m So High
[MP3] Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry (Sean Kingston Remix)

Piece o’ Pop

“I’m Miss Bad Media Karma / Another day another drama / Guess I can’t see no harm in working and being a Mama”

The new Brit is nifty. Throughout the past decade, pop’s success and Spears’ fame have been engaged in an ongoing relationship but tabloid drama has recently been the King of the two. Blackout was moved up to an earlier release thanks to similar leaky sources Radiohead avoided with their self-release. It’s hard to imagine this album being recorded during her “Dark Ages”, Britney still capable of producing electricfying pop that will find a way to your ears. Sure, her voice sounds like the Brit-Bot it’s slowly de-evolved into but if produced correctly can yield smash hit after smash hit.

[MP3] Britney Spears – Piece Of Me

Sometimes you get hooked on other gems, you might do the same:

[MP3] Lil Wayne – Beat Without Bass
[MP3] Justin Timberlake – Lovestoned/I Think She Knows (Justice Remix)
[MP3] T-Pain – I’m So High
[MP3] Fergie – Big Girls Don’t Cry (Sean Kingston Remix)

[Live] The New Pornographers @ The Roxy 10/23

Live Review by Elise Rodgers

Now, once again, it is time to praise Canadian exports. Let us give thanks for maple syrup, and rejoice in the gift that is (well, that was) Mike Myers. Let us hold our fair sister of the north tight to our bosom and whisper “thank you” for all these culturally perplexing things: for plaid, for Tim Horton’s, not for Celine Dion, for that Mountie cartoon segment on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show, for hats with earflaps (probably) and most of all, for the New Pornographers.

Fortunately for us, this multi-dimensional indie conglomeration of awesome took some time off from bear wrestling (official Canadian pastime) to tour America (official Canadian crotch-itch, I’m sure) in promotion of their newest album, Challengers. Most recently, they appeared at the Roxy on Tremont in Boston, a venue most often reserved for the Chippendales assemblage of nude, performing men. When not filled to the brim with nakedness and thrusting gyrations set to 90’s hits, the Roxy is actually an accommodating venue for acts that require more talent than an especially limber pelvis. It’s surprisingly open with more than ample stage room. There’s also a central bar where absurdly overpriced drinks are available, and circling that is some staggered open seating and a wide dance floor, which is where I, your intrepid reviewer, stood for 9 (not true) hours so I could see everything, because concerts intrinsically discriminate against short people. I mean, let’s just be honest.

The first opener of the night swaggers out wearing what looks like medieval headgear, which turns out to be one of those neck-worn harmonica holders a la Neil Young and the Chimney Sweep in Mary Poppins. Personally, I have trouble looking one way and walking another, so I automatically give props to anyone who can play two instruments at the same time. Kudos to you and your above-average motor skills, Benjy Ferree! He and his band played a number of reasonably melodic songs, the energy level of which far surpassed the lyrical or musical talent, but much can be said for compensation. Overall an enjoyable 15-or-so minutes in which nothing exceptionally memorable happened save for the occasional New Pornographer head popping out from behind the curtain to stare at the crowd while Benjy and his band got down. Following him was the milkmaid-esque Emmy Pollock who sipped Sam Adams and charmed us all by saying ordinary things in an Irish accent, thus lending her an automatic aura of coolness, while leaving me with a nagging feeling that somewhere, the pipes, the pipes, were calling. Her voice had a clear, deep, but by no means powerhouse, quality to it that was certainly pleasant, but worked surprisingly better on the upbeat, high-energy numbers, as opposed to the slower ballads during which I thought of things that bring me joy in dark times, but alas, to no avail. She finished a solid set and her Sam, then quickly left the stage, leaving us all to quiver in excitement, together, sweating in the dark—like any effective foreplay should, musical or otherwise.

Finally, The New Pornographers unceremoniously take the stage. They sort of sauntered out with all the enthusiasm of returning a library book and picked up their instruments. That’s not to say there wasn’t a ripple effect of batshit-screaming fans radiating outward; there just wasn’t too much from their end. Fortunately, all eight Pornographers are genuine musicians and they make ridiculously good music when they get together, so again, there is something to be said for compensation. While perhaps the performance aspect was slightly lacking, the instrumentation and vocals were still sensationally good. Barring a scant few technical difficulties involving mics and suchlike, the acoustics were good—partially on account of the more intimate scale of the room, but also because Neko Case has some serious fucking pipes.

It was well on its way to being a solid show from the opening number “All The Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth”, a stellar example of that pitch-perfect counter pop that they seem to pull off so effortlessly. From there they went into “Use It”, a song from their 2005 album Twin Cinema. They pulled off an agreeable blend of new Challengers stuff, and older numbers like “Mass Romantic”, “Sing Me Spanish Techno” and “The Spirit of Giving”, all songs I am quite partial to. Not that I don’t very much like the new album—quite the opposite in fact as I’m (unlike most fans, it seems) more into this album than their previous ones—but here the new songs complemented rather than overshadowed, which made for a set that kept both the crowd energy and the general flow of the songs afloat. They came out for an encore with “These Are the Fables”, which is a lovely song but killed the energy the way I kill babies (that is, swiftly and without mercy). That, coupled with “The Slow Descent into Alcoholism” as the finale, resulted in a somewhat lackluster finish that didn’t do the rest of the show much justice.

Most flaws were promptly forgiven though, in realization of how totally crazy Dan Bejar actually is. Sure Destroyer is oft the lyrical equivalent to a mumbling homeless guy on the subway, but you don’t come to terms with how bizarre this all is until he’s right there on stage, staring into space and clutching a small, orange ball singing “NoNoNoNoNoNoNo” on “A Testament to Youth and Verse”. This somewhat eccentric attitude is actually a welcome one, as it certainly adds an extra-special something to the band as a whole, both musically and in regards to attitude as things can get quite dour, or at least quiet down with the clearly introspective Carl Newman and Case as frontmen. Not that both don’t bring an obscene amount of musical and vocal talent to the table as well, they just aren’t as apt to clutch balls over it.

One of the best songs of the night was Bejar’s “Jackie Dressed in Cobras”. Everything really came together for that one. It was a fantastic number: not only because the music and the vocals were really on point, but the crowd reacted unanimously and vigorously. One girl behind me even did her best “Tone Deaf Neko Case” impression for a good chunk of the concert, which I responded to by giving her a roundhouse kick to the face. Not that I didn’t participate in my share of obnoxious concert behavior. I did spend a good deal of time dancing like I had epilepsy in my pants. Also I was one of those kids who had TONS of stuff with them, and as such needed a lot of space to have it all and to keep it safe. Yet, I received no bespectacled hipster glares, frankly because the crowd was so mixed in age and trend alliance that no social group was concentrated enough to register as the majority. Which, I think, says a lot about this band. They’re the approachable end of the indie spectrum, with the more experimental, quite often imposing stuff being released by Animal Collective and CocoRosie on the other end. IndieLite, if you will.

The New Pornographers’ music will hardly spiritually reawaken you to the beauty of sound, as all our favorite albums tend to do. But they use what they have—the genre-straddling songwriting, and of course the sheer manpower of eight very accomplished musicians—and work it to its every advantage. Live, they maintain a very professional, consistently good performance that resulted in an excellent hour and a half of high energy, Canadian-indie super rock. As an act, and even as a band in general, the New Pornographers are a lot like a fine Cajun gumbo, or a particularly well-devised evil plan, in that things really come together in the end. And that, to me at least, is something to clutch balls about.

SoCalled: "You Are Never Alone"

So I got to be Amish from Thursday-Saturday evening, well sort of. A fuse blew in my house that took all the electricity.. but only from my room. An extremely unfortunate and frustrating event but there was one thing I learned: an Amish Nathaniel is no match for a Jewish Cowboy. For those unfamiliar, SoCalled is the brainchild of Montreal native Josh Dolgin. Dolgin creates hip hop out of old klezmer records and his own genius. He’s got handfuls of interesting and great songs, “You Are Never Alone” being my absolute favorite and coming hand-in-hand with an amazing video. The first thing you’ll ask yourself, “Isn’t that Fink from Beerfest?” Indeed, the resemblances between Fink and Dolgin are spot on but don’t let that distract you from the creative video that cost $5,000 to make and scored over a million YouTube views in less than a week! The female vocals are stunning, the beats and use of brass are solid, and the video has great replay value.

[MP3] SoCalled – You Are Never Alone

Thursdays and Covers

[MP3] Phish – Rocky Raccoon (Live)

“Rocky Raccoon” is one of my more cherished Beatle tunes; it was one of the first in a handful of Beatles tracks I was turned onto as a youngling. I was curious as could be to find out what one of the biggest “jam bands” of all time had to offer McCartney’s lyrical story. Trey Anastatio does a great job narrating the story of Rocky Raccoon, and while the song lacks the trademark harmonica it makes up for it by playfully inserting a snare-sounding gunshot backed by a small chuckle. What kinda band is Phish when they’re not having fun?

[MP3] Johnny Cash – I Won’t Back Down

Although this Cash cover never got the airplay “Hurt” did, it shouldn’t take away from the impressive job the man in black does with Petty’s #1 hit. Cash takes the rock track and acoustifies it, singing the song as if it could be a companion song to the classic “I Walk The Line”. There was something about Cash’s smooth, stern voice that captivated listeners – and even though this song was recorded during the latter stages of his career, he still sings as solid as ever.

[MP3] The Gourds – Gin and Juice

Two Phish covers in one post? Not really, this awesome cover of “Gin and Juice” is more the brainchild of Primus bassist Les Claypool than of Phish The Gourds! Before I played this cover for the first time I thought, “No one can top Snoop Dogg’s too-cool-for-school vocal style!” I quickly changed my mind after hearing Gourd’s vocalist (who has a striking resemblance to Les Claypool’s voice) eccentric alternative-meets-country voice, an element that singlehandedly glorifies the gangsta track while making it burst with flares of originality. I wonder if The Gourds and Dr. Dre are actually homies..