Stop Okay Go

Quickies

++Click here to stream Fields, Jose Gonzalez' and his new project Junip's latest release. Junip will play Henry Fonda Music Box on 11/14.

++Listening to this song Skyscraper by John Gold I wonder why more bands don't sample more real life sounds (like the dialing beeps Gold uses)..or at least hire Michael Winslow. (I was going to say that Winslow probably needs work but he's actually got the lead in a new project.) (You win this round, Winslow.)

++Slipknot's Joey Jordison has been named the top drummer of the past 25 years. Here he is in action, spinning, strobe lit and upside down; uhh yeah, but can he do it on a roller coaster?

Mod Selector

From the inbox:

Bad Panda Records sent over this lovely reworking of the Twin Peaks Theme from experimental composer Ben Chatwin, who goes by the name of Talvihorros. In this interview Chatwin talks about what song he would like played at his funeral.  Find out what it is in my footnotes to the interview after the cut.......

Talvihorros Twin Peaks Theme mp3 was here.

The Band

 

Am posting this Harvey Milk video really as an excuse to post some o' the best Sasha Frere-Jones' tweets of the past week. SFJ is quietly observant, and his twitter is clean and informative. It's always interesting how much of a person's personality comes through in 140 little characters.

Also, the lesson for today: Annie Lennox= momrockiest.

Harvey Milk's latest, A Small Turn of Human Kindness, is out now on Hydrarock.

(via)

Harvey Milk Death Goes To the Winner. mp3 was here.

Thrown Pencils

From the inbox:

There's a ton written about the dynamics of love and marriage, though not so much on business and creative partnerships. Probably 'cuz it's hard to make stories about accounts receivables *pop*.

It can be done; I've liked learning about how Anna Wintour and Grace Coddington make it work in The September Issue and Elton John and Bernie Taupin, and their shared custody of the fax machine.

Here Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. (and Sebadoh) talks about his ongoing power struggle with J.Macsis. Like any relationship, it's hard to describe invisible bonds, and what amounts to a lot of history and ephemera.

Here's some of Barlow's newer work (he stays very busy),a very 90s flavored, tribal song. Goodnight Unknown is out now on Merge.
Lou Barlow Gravitate mp3 was here.

Crash Boom Bang

Well, after much searching today, finally found a song I can get behind. Via KEXP, this is elusive and unpredictable.. with thoughtful, jangly guitarwork that seems to portend bad things to come. In fact, the whole thing starts off mysteriously with various Autoluxian images of disintegration, gets boppy with maybe the promise of some twee in the middle before crashing beautifully and decisively in the end.

Versus Into Blue mp3 was here.

Learn more about Superchunk's pals Versus, and their new album On the Ones and Threes here.  Yay rock chicks! The girl singing is named Fontaine Toups. Their only tour dates are in Philly and Boston. Booschnickens.

Bargain Mirror

Got a Kelly gripp-a stuff from the inbox:

++Crossword puzzle surname favorite India.Arie has teamed with Carlos Santana and Yo-Yo Ma for a cover of While My Guitar Gently Weeps. While that sentence would seem to add up strange, it really works. Much like Fiona Apple's Across the Universe, instead of whittling the song down, the trio inflates it and gives it a little sway:

 

++Bad Books is the new project from Kevin Devine and Manchester Orchestra. Their self-titled debut album drops October 19th and they will play NY's Bowery Ballroom on 10.20.10. Devine was an English major at Fordham, and takes word choice seriously.:

Bad Books You Wouldn't Have To Ask mp3

Jazz Flute

Phew! Busy day. Let's get to it.

++ Pasta Primavera has a new one by Truman Peyote and the ethereal Emily Reo, who was mentioned here a few weeks back. They've got a nice chemistry together; sounds like Geddy Lee playing at a church.

++Don't know that I agree with the esteemed MOKB on Real Estate sounding like surf pop. It could be that there's so much surfy music these days that the phrase needs to be broken down. This is less 60s Beach Boys (see Surfer Blood) and getting more into a groovy mid 70s Topanga Canyon Firefall sound. (Oh schnap, Firefall's from Colorado. Whatevers.) Love the gorgeous laid back guitar noodling.:

Keeps You Up When You're Down

Got a bunch of potpurri today:

++Crawlin' Back by Dominic Talarico is all sessy attitude. Want!

++Here's an older interview with Scott Miller of Game Theory whose latest project is called Loud Family. In the interview, he decides against the creation of a Loud Family drinking game. Besides, these days, isn't alcohol a member of the family anyway?

++The Perms sent over this video. The lead singer's voice is Grohl-icious.Keep sending more stuff, The Perms. Err, or as 'Dmitri' says, "De Purrrrms!" Oh Dmitri.

 

++GVB has a new song by Ducktails called Art Vandelay. So much Seinfeld everywhere these days.

++From the inbox: Dead Confederate will be playing the Troub on 9/11. This short and sweet song has a rich Nilson quality to it; give it a few seconds to take flight. Their sophomore album Sugar is out today. See their glossy video with J. Macsis here. 

Dead Confederate Run From The Gun mp3 

Quickies

++It's fascinating how it's now possible to watch a creative project grow and reach fruition right before your eyes on the Net. Brooklyn's 'Shark?' (who I profiled here a few months back) will soon be passing out cigars for their new album. And we the public can all be miniature investing Harvey Weinsteins.

++With his new movie If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don't Rise, Spike Lee is giving Tyler Perry a run for his money in the lengthy title department.*

From the inbox:

++Now that Crime In Stereo may be defunct, Scottsboro Alabama's promising Latin For Truth may have a shot at the crossover hardcore (but don't call them hardcore) crown. This song starts out intensely but then gains some melodic momentum in the middle, bringing to mind Green Day*. Latin For Truth's digitial only release Diatribe or Die can be found over at Absolut Punk.

Latin For Truth: Mexicaine de Perforation.mp3

**Time Warner will shorten the title (and give it's opinion on the movie) anyway.

**For disambiguation see Greenery Day.

The Monkey Tail

Presenting...

YOU TUBE COMMENT THEATER

Starring Australia's Kite Club and You Tube Commenter Common Dick. For the following video for the song (via) Going Swimming:

Commondick: GREAT song and film clip, very different and origional [sic], where is this from? they will get big i think!

Kiteclubclub: @commondick. I am from your childhood. I promise.

Sinister music plays. Scene.

Eat your heart out, @ Ibsen!

See also: YANP's review.

Wake Me Up

Feeling this one by Air Conditioning School. It's got a mellow Todd Rundgren vibe, y'know, now without all the pesky eyebrows. Ahhhh (sigh), Todd Rundgren jokes. So current on this site, and such. AC SChOoL up on mp3 was here.

Quickies

Even more from the inbox:

++Former members of the bands AYWKUBTToD and Voxtrot form The Black, and they are back with a new LP on October 12th titled Sun In the Day Moon At Night. The band plays The Mint on 9.5.10.: The Black Love Don't need a reason mp3 was here.

++CFCF, he of the starkly pretty album art, has put together a mixtape called Slow R&B for Zeller's Locations Canada-Wide, that has been described by The Fader as "good music for wandering through a department store." Zellers are department stores in Canada that have restaurants that sell Tuscan chicken salads of love (amore)! Along with CFCF's music it's all so romantic.

Different but definitely worth a listen.:

++Yay!  Two more songs by Paul Bessenbacher. They're not long enough, as usual.

++Spanish actor Oscar Jaenada sure does have the right look to play Cantinflas, much more so than John Leguizamo.

The Kneeslider

From the inbox:

++Indie film Wah Do Dem comes out on DVD on October 26th. The film stars Sean Bones, a blond Norah Jones and has guest appearances by Yeasayer, MGMT and Santigold. Trailer here.

++Mickey Factz started out as a paralegal, notoriously a gateway career into rapping. He's made his way up by leaking songs.  I keep wishing more people would use skull crushing or Flying Lotus-ish bass.The kind that would knock someone off their uno-motorcycle. But this isn't bad, feels purposely spare and Clipse-ish*. 

++The versatile Mr. Factz did some work with Colin Munroe last year that was far less Clipse-y, and more on the pop side. Munroe's mixtape included a variety of hip hop and R&Bers, like Blaqstarr below, who bring some depth to his sleek sound. He's got a lot of friends.

Paxil Pal

++Sometimes I get excited about a new discovery--like Barbara Panther-- and follow the trail of that artist's associated acts and sometimes it leads to videos like...Mr. Wobble's Nightmare by Kid 606. (aka what you might get if you were to commission Eli Roth to do an educational nutrition special.*)  Kind of cool:

P.S. Please, no one ever commission Eli Roth to do educational films.

(via)

++C'mon Cho, more anecdotal stories about Brendan Benson and less about the jalapeno chips. Focus!

++Also a little distracted, Matt Taibbi, who's talking David Stockman, the GOP and Justin Bieber.

Fear of Snakes

Pasta Primavera has a few words on Yellow Ostrich's I'll Run, a song that sounds something like Radiohead playing a jamboree. It works, though. Much like Typhoon's Starting Over this is more of a meditation than a traditional song and really stunning. Yellow Ostrich is the latest project from The Chairs' Alex Scaaf.

(Yeah this voice has broken a few hearts; those lyrics! Hang on til the very end when it changes up a bit, the jammiest orchestra tune up ever.(via Largehearted Boy).: The Chairs If You were A murderer mp3

Your Empire's Falling

Wow, so how did I not ever hear about Barbara Panther? Answer me, internet. Answer me! Don't you walk away!

A lil Yoko Ono meets Bjork and catfights with Eartha Kitt thing going on here. More, please.:

SOG object of affection & supertalent Matthew Herbert has been working with Ms. Panther on her new album. The first track is unusual/unclassifiable with a kind of energy that I haven't heard in a long time:

It's a fantasy matchup for sure, but it's these songs that I want. Ferociousness! :

He's A Twitcher

This song immediately conjured up the image of someone, waking up on the floor of a bar in the middle of the desert, something or someone slapping his face in time to the languid beat. That would've been my Treatment*(without Elvis Mitchell) for the video.

What the band went with instead, is a simple and compelling tale of a monkey. And while it won't win its director a fetching portrait on the cover of Time, the video's got all you need in a story: corruption, justice, and an ending similar to my idea, and, to the end of Lost.

Toronto's Ten Kens' newest work, For Posterity is out August 30th. More video after the cut.(via.)

Ten Kens Yall come back now mp3 

*see also: concept for a re-make of Michael Jackson's Beat It video starring Ned Beatty. "Just Beatty! Beatty!" with classic footage of Ned Beatty.

Chopper Image

++ Jeff Lynne is working on some new material as well as a new album for Joe "Carlito's Way" Walsh, above, and says the remaining Travelling Wilburys will travel no more.

++Here's video of Raisa Khan, one part of Michachu and the Shapes playing an instrument that Mica made out of wood called "The Chopper." If you missed this video in which Mica gets all Bob Villa up on it, do check it out.

++Bummer. It appears Crime In Stereo have broken up. Sad face.

The Best Is Yet To Come

 

++Singer Michael Buble is engaged to, (deep breath) Luisana Loreley Lopilato de la Torre, above, and has been sporting an engagement ring.

The couple plans to name any future children after the characters in the Twilight movies. No word on where Buble, the lucky lady and the velocirapator are registered.

++Bring It Over Here: It's obvious when someone just puts their name on a product vs. when they're involved with the design and in this case, I can totally see Missy Elliott wearing these winter boots.

++From the inbox: New video for the song Downtown by Kids of 88:

Say That Again

There are times when a song has a slight imperfection and then there are times when the entire thing is a beautiful, bloody, off-kilter Dorian Gray mess.

This song is passionate and trance-like all at once..via the always friendly folks at Musicisart. Last year, Dot Allison contributed her spooky chanting to Dirge, by Death In Vegas...after the cut. Dot Allison and Pete Doherty I Wanna Break Your Hat Heart Was here mp3

 *Sort of sounds like they're saying "I Wanna Break Your Hat." I suggest if you're ever accosted by these crazy diamonds, by all means just give them the hat for the breaking.