Stream Wilco's New Album

New album appropriately titled Wilco (The Album) is available for stream here!!

It will be out no later than June 30. Produced by Wilco & Jim Scott. Holler!

Wilco (The Album) track list
1. Wilco (the song)
2. Deeper Down
3. One Wing
4. Bull Black Nova
5. You And I
6. You Never Know
7. Country Disappeared
8. Solitaire
9. I'll Fight
10. Sonny Feeling
11. Everlasting Everything

Bon Iver

"For Emma" (Live in-studio at MOKB/WEEM) from LaundroMatinee

Easily my favorite artist of the winter 2008-2009, which is appropriate as Bon Iver is French for "good winter." You know the story...Justin Vernon moved to his father's cabin in the Wisconsin wilderness after being dumped, feeling ill at ease with his current musical project, etc and just wanted to "get away from it all" with no intentions of writing any music. For Emma, Forever Ago is breath-takingly beautiful, (Vernon wrote all the music and lyrics while in the woods). January marked the release of Blood Bank EP.

Hope you enjoy this...looks like it is performed in a high school English class.


Skinny Love

Stream more here.

Flight of the Conchords

FOTC shows across the country sold out in record time. Scalpers bought up all the tickets in the pre-sales, so we real fans missed out. I was pretty bummed the night before the show as my brothers told me they would get me a ticket for my birthday on Craigslist (where, mind you, even there the $38+fees tickets were going for $95-$300) but "didn't get around to it". I decided I would check TicketBastard one last time, and lo and behold, I found one lone ticket in the Mezzanine of Jones Hall.

As hit-or-miss this season of FOTC has been (in my opinion, it pales when compared to the first), their live performance was HILARIOUS. I didn't stop laughing. They are exactly like one would expect; I honestly don't know if they are playing characters or playing themselves. Bret had a plastic rhinoceros figurine glued to the top of his acoustic guitar. Jermaine did most of the talking/dancing/voices. Even Eugene Merman (aka: the landlord) who opened by doing his "making fun of Jews, but I am Jewish so its ok" stand-up was a total riot.

My videos are no where near as good as these so I will post real ones instead.
"Business Time"



My all-time favorite from the show, "Foux Da Fa Fa"



And this little gem....their first ever televised performance of "Bowie in Space" (Bret was 23...)


Concert Rating: A+

Bat for Lashes on Letterman

I heard on XM radio this was a great performance...

if you don't know much about Bat for Lashes, get on it.



"Use Somebody" (Kings of Leon Cover)

FrankMusik

I just discovered this guy from the UK. He's been blowing up the scene in London. Enjoyyyyy


This one is a little crazier:

YELLE

This French electro-pop singer is making some of the crazier music videos I've seen in a while. YELLE (a feminized version of the acronym YEL, "You enjoy life") gained fame after a number of hit singles in Europe, but her videos are what really got me.

I was first shown a TEPR remix of her song "A Cause Des Garcons" (aka "Because of the Boys") which has some of the more enviable dance moves I will never learn....




And another great song, that shows Yelle at her best,"Je Veux Te Voir" which translates to "I Want To See You"



Bon appetit!

A BAND OF BEES

How am I JUST now finding out about these guys??? They had a song on some mix tape a friend made me years ago and I never thought about checking out the actual album from which it came! Oi! So dumb. Anyways, needless to say, A Band Of Bees is great.

They combine a mixture of something you might hear in your Dad's record closet with a sort of funk-the-nation steal-your-woman kind of way. Great. Great. Great. Besides they aren't afraid to use that brass and everyone needs a healthy dose of brass every now and then, right? If you think you'll like a bluesy Beatle/Kinks baby then go out and buy all of their albums right now.

DISCOVERY

This is quite new to me... Wes Miles (of Ra Ra Riot) and Rostam Batmanglij (of Vampire Weekend) joined together to form "Discovery." Expect an EP this summer (says Fader)...proclaimed "electronic R&B" not much is known about the side project, but we can expect more, as these two bands won't be leaving us anytime soon...

Download the track "Orange Show" from Transparent.

And listen to
Osaka Loop Line

M83 80'S reVIVAL

Owning shoegaze 80's rock forked with synthesizer anthems that stick out noticeably in this new age of garage bands and cover-thump disco acts is an accomplishment M83 can be proud of.

Harking from Antibes, France, this band has paid their dues. Congealing in 2001, M83 have release five albums to date and don't seem to be slowing down. These super seniors are picking up the speed with their most recent gem Saturdays = Youth. This more than notable tribute to the 1980's has me reeling with neon joy wishing acid wash, flattops and legwarmers were still respectable terms.

Make the effort to see them live and you will realize why they are celebrated. Past affiliations include acts like The Rapture, Sigur Rós, Goldfrapp and Bloc Party, respectively. They toured with the Kings of Leon in the UK in 2008 and in 2009 they will lock in with Depeche Mode and later in the year with the Killers in Australia. Signature blue synthesizer docks are the order for the day. Make sure you bring your oversized suits and Movados!

SOLEDAD BROTHERS

It's tough, the music business. Especially when every other rock band around sports their "unique" blues influence around their necks. It's even worse when you're an honest blues rock trio that actually has good songs. Thankfully, the Soledad Brothers have not disappeared into that fading blue landscape of rock gravestones.

Before their breakup in 2006 they managed to release four full LP's that harnessed a true delta blues and Brit-rock soul. Curiously, one of the founders Ben Smith (AKA Ben Swank) was the room mate for some time in the 1990's of the White Stripes' Jack White who might have had something to do with the continued success of the now defunct band.

White engineered their self titled debut in 2000 with occasional guest percussion by the incomparable Meg White. As a side note, the other founding member Johnny Wirick (AKA Johnny Walker) taught Jack White how to play slide guitar and is featured playing slide on two songs on the White Stripes debut album. The third member, Oliver Henry, who played sax and guitar for the band was also recruited by fellow stompers The Greenhornes just before the release of their second album.

Posthumously, Walker now plays in a band called the Cut In The Hill Gang based out of Covington, Kentucky. They released a single vinyl in Fenruary of last year through The Little Room Record Co. and have a full LP scheduled for release this summer.