Stop Okay Go

Man or Machine?

So I got to wondering what's been up with the Klaxons after seeing this wonderful old acoustic version of Golden Skans....

The band's status is confusing for the time being and it's hard to know what's what or what to believe* when it comes to their next album.

After making a huge splash in 2007 with both bloggers and critics with Myths of the Near Future the band took a long hiatus before compiling 28 new songs. According to NME, as of June they weren't able to find a producer to put the songs together into an album. Other reports say that the densely experimental songs were rejected by their label.

Fans on the band's message board have noted that there's a countdown clock(pictured above) on their official website, but there's no indication as to what the clock is counting down or possibly up to...although it does appear that Ross Robinson has signed on as producer.
So unless there's an article I'm missing we're left to wait and see what will come next for the Klaxons in 2010.

They really should just ditch the electronica bells and whistles and go unplugged, like they do in the video. I had no idea they were so talented sans machines.
(*Much like asking a nearby possibly crazy person whether or not a vending machine is working.)

(*Or Keeping Up with the Kardashians.)

Jelly Tears

Old School wedding singer and Kathy Nijimy's husband Dan Finnerty of The Dan Band will be performing at the B.B. King Blues Club and Grill in New York this New Year's Eve (sold out). They'll also be in L.A. at the Club Nokia on the 19th of February. They say tix are hard to come by so gett'em now if you're a fan. Nsfw-ish: Dan Band Total Eclipse of the Heart was here.

Free Time

++Gail Simmons from Top Chef wonders about the television viewing habits of Gucci Mane. Aziz Ansari is intrigued.

++Yeasayer will be playing the *Natural History Museum* in L.A. on 2/5! Like Yeasayer's music ain't already scary enough without having the stuffed birds watching over your shoulder. Yikes.

++Not to get all open letter, but I wish Miles Fisher would put out more music. I love the pure, choirboy quality of his voice in This Must Be the Place and play it all the time.  I mean how's a bloggah supposed to lovingly mock someone and then later complain of the declining quality of their work if they don't give them enough to work with. (Just being clear before we enter into this relationship, Fisher. See Paragraph 2.5b, clause 15.)

Quickies

Special nonsense holiday hiatus edition:

++Every Christmas I watch Sound of Music on the teevee; this was the first Christmas I've noticed how several of the elder nuns bear a striking resemblance to Ricky Gervais. But, sadly for me not the first time I've wasted time obsessing over Gervais' looks.

++Jerks.

++ Been watching this video for Drivin' Me Wild by Common with Lilz Allen.

• This seems to be some sort of Dr. Drew like diatribe against chasing fame and materialism but I'm too easily distracted to figure out what it is. Ooh, astronaut! Explosion! Yay!
• I'm gonna bet that while Piven was pretending to scam on chicks he actually picked up a few chicks. He'll go Truffaut up on you like that sometimes.
• Noted: Pesos rhymes with "Labos" (labels.)
• Common's razor sharp pleats get my Gramma's seal of approval. If guys are wearing tees with pleats 6 months from now, and we're looking for someone to blame may I present above the bald smoking gun.

Did Someone Blink?

I like how, unlike other celeb-fronted bands where the star guy tries to play off that he's the main draw to the band, Jason Schwartzman never has any problem putting his best face (1:30) forward as Coconut Records.

Quickies

++With her unconventional looks, Philly rapper and friend of Spank Rock, Amanda Blank is not "the pearly-toothed high school cheerleader dating the quarterback, she's the cigarette smoking metal chick that sits out Phys Ed, is already hooking up with guys in college, and doesn’t have time for your high school bullsh-t."

++LOL.

Portraiture

From the inbox:

I've been listening to a beautiful Elliott Smith track, Cecilia/Amanda...(don't know if I'm technically allowed to post it. It's a free download if you go here and register for a ThinkIndie account.) The song is being given away in promotion of an album that is coming out in April, a reissue of Smith's debut, Roman Candle.  The song was written by Smith's high school band Stranger Than Fiction. There's been a lot of Smith news bubbling to the surface lately, go to Rawkblog for a brief discussion of the new documentary "Searching For Elliott Smith."

To Swear

++I haven't posted on Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros because there was a week there, y'know, back in 2009, when it seemed like everyone and their uncle was posting about them. But I'd be remiss if I didn't make space for them somewhere on these pages. Here's that somewhere.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros 40 day dream was here.mp3

++Gospel reunites.

Litmus Tests

In an interview with Absolute Punk from earlier this year, Jon Burr, lead singer of How I Became the Bomb, talks about their admiration for Clay Aiken and ELO and how a so-called friend gave the band its name.. partially because of Burr's resemblance to Dr. Strangelove.

 

killing machine mp3 was here

Mind's Eye

Some people are upset that with her latest song, Miley Cyrus has appointed herself U.S.A.'s ambassador. But with her being constantly breathless during this performance and America's rampant obesity problem, I think she's a pretty accurate representation of us. (via)

Gifted

Part of the credit for Andy Samberg's successful digital shorts probably goes to Asa Taccone, brother of Jorma, who does a lot of the music for the the Lonely Islanders. Here's song by him..commenters noting how Chester Tam comes in at the end. Asa is currently working on an album, likely due next year:

Dance With the One What Brung Ya

Buncha news from the inbox:

++I applaud this guy for having vision, what with having no eyes (or other facial features for that matter.)

++I had no idea that Hanson once did a cover of Radiohead's Optimistic. It's not bad, either. The band will be playing the Bamboozle Festival in promotion of their new album that comes out in Spring.

++Listen to Julian Lennon's EP Lucy, dedicated to his childhood friend Lucy Vodden, who recently passed away from Lupus and who was the inspiration for the song Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds; proceeds will be donated to charity. It's been almost 10 years since Lennon's last release.

++Here's a video by the UK's Little Fish. The pair have been touring with Eagles of Death Metal and a slew of other bands. JuJu's fierce Chrissie Hynde growl/snarl, bloodcurdling screams and tough girl posturing seem awfully authentic. I'm a little scared. People who have met the duo in real life say she's nice. Then again she might have threatened them into making those comments. In all seriousness, Little Fish's album Baffled and Beat comes out in February and will probably make a big splash (said the blogger who bruises easily.)

Since 1943

Who's this sweet sophisticated lookin' lady and why's she got her hand up? Why, it's Asha Bhosle (12,000 songs!) and she's about to hit you with her unexpected funkiness, 'til all you can say is Tunaktunaktun.

2006 was a great year for Indian music.

Asha Bhosle's Jhanjar drum and bass mix was here mp3

Waterworlds

Here are a coupla half-baked ideas I've had for posts/playlists that will probably never come together...all songs that I've written about many, many times before: 1) Songs That Use The Sea as A Metaphor For Love or Life and 2) Sad Tales By Dudes Who Probably Aren't Really Surfers Involving or Idealizing Surfing.

Christmas Missus

From the inbox:
Fans of Jenny Lewis and/or Patsy Cline might like this song by Nashville's Jessie Baylin, who recently wed Kings of Leon's Nate Followill. She was inspired by her new matrimonial state to write the song below.

All the presents underneath the tree
Big or small it matters none to me
The life I've lead has lead me here
No treasure can compare
Oh just to be your Mrs. this Christmas

Jesse Baylin Mrs. Christmas mp3 was here. Hopes she craftz more notez.

Future Perfect Tense

Going to do my best not to make a Tiger Woods joke here..
They showed this gorgeous video by Kings of Convenience for the song Boat Behind on Subterranean the other night, parts of which remind me of the hazy movie The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  While I have nothing against technological advancement in film, I hope that we never reach a time when we don't get to see those pretty little octagons of light from the sun hitting the camera wrong that are, technically, imperfections but can add so much to a scene.

A sweet, mellow song:

Kings of Convenience Boat Behind was here and it was one of my favorite songs of the year mp3.thought you knew.

Scored Skins

Thanks to donewaiting, I'm just now discovering The Orange Peels, who these reporters (Web Fingors?) once described as having the "quintessential California sound", that comes from never leaving California, apparently.

As a plus for having done the research on them, I've also discovered how to turn those pesky orange peels into candy. 3R's!

I like the Fountains of Wayne-ish song below, despite the fact that it ends with all the notes dispersing and going their own separate ways.

Orange Peels We're Gonna Make mp3 was here and it was mellow

2020 is out now.

Polkafaces

 

From the inbox:

This is kind of novel, Patrick & Eugene doing a what sounds to be a polka cover of Kylie Minogue's Can't Get You Out of my head. Previously, the creative duo's handiwork has been used in VW commercials, a campaign for Payless Shoe Source and in the Coen Brothers' Burn After Reading as well as in a Mr. Bean trailer. Their US debut Altogether Now is out now.

Patrick and Eugene Can't Get You Out of my head mp3 was here

Q Trip

File this under news that's probably interesting to only the hardest core Stacey Q fans... the former 'Cinnamon' from Facts of Life either has or will have (I can't figure it out) an album coming out called Color Me Cinnamon.  The dance Queen is now 51 y.o.! Preview above.

Stacey Q Two of hearts mp3 wuz here

Loud Spring

Here's a video from a few years back for the song Knots by Pete and Pirates that they'll probably look back on fondly one day as the lightest expression of brio, creativity and youth.

And they didn't even have to hire Sofia Coppola.

In this older interview, Davy Pirate (they all have different Pirate names, just like the Honey Brothers) talks about rival band Peggy Sue and the Pirates and whether or not they'll ever hire Tim Curry as a clown.

Pete and the Pirate Knots mp3 waaaarghs here.