Music Tuesday Newsday : New releases from Iron and Wine, Fujiya and Miyagi, Deerhoof, and Cold War Kids

January 25, 2011 - 5:01 pm

Iron and Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

This week: the highly-anticipated release from Iron and Wine, the crazy kids that are Monotonix (who really have to be seen to be believed because they are truly insane);  an ominous-sounding band name everyone can relate to, The Ex; Deerhoof fight the forces of evil; those crazy Cold War Kids; and perhaps the most-hyped new act I’ve been hearing about, Fujiya and Miyagi — who prove they’re hardly dummies with Ventriloquizzing. Things are finally making up for the latter lackluster months of 2010. See ya in a week…

Chikita Violenta – Tre3s

Nicole Atkins – Mondo Amore

Cloud Nothings - Cloud Nothings

Cold War Kids – Mine Is Yours

Amos Lee - Mission Bell

Death - Spiritual, Mental, Physical

Deerhoof - Deerhoof Vs. Evil

Destroyer – Kaputt

The Ex - Catch My Shoe

Fujiya & Miyagi - Ventriloquizzing

Gang of Four – Content

The Get Up Kids - There Are Rules

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

Monotonix - Not Yet

Praxis [Buckethead] – Profanation: Preparation For A Coming Darkness

Winsin & Yandel - Los Vaqueros: El Reseo

Wanda Jackson - The Party Ain’t Over

Music Mandy’s Music Mail 1/21/11

January 21, 2011 - 8:34 am

She and Him

Some awesome sauce happenings in the music world this week; one of those wonderful weeks where there was so much great stuff, it was hard to narrow down which ones to post. So, let’s get to it, eh?

I love, love, love She & Him (confession: I also have a total girl crush on Zooey Deschanel and kind of… sort of… okay totally want to be her BFF (clarification: NOT in a creepy Single White Female sort of way though). She’s absolutely gorgeous, makes awesome films (500 Days of Summer; Elf (don’t lie, you know you loved it); The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy) awesome retro-inspired music, wears the cutest clothes and just comes across as one of those people who’s just… cool, you know?). Anyway, so as I was saying, err, writing rather – I love She & Him. Miss Deschanel and M. Ward do some fine work indeed; there was a time in my life – what seems like many moons ago now – where I swear they wrote a particular song just for me. It literally depicted exactly how I felt at the time and ever since then I have completely loved these two. Check out their adorable, “retro-futuristic” video for the song “Don’t Look Back” directed by Jeremy Konner.

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Music Mandy’s Music Mail 1/14/11

January 14, 2011 - 9:16 am

Kanye West Jay Z: HAM single

And how is everyone doing on this fine Friday? Doubtless even better now that you’re reading this gloriousness, no?

So the first single off Watch The Throne, the collaboration album between Jay-Z and Kanye West, “H.A.M.”, was released this week and it’s such a let down. The beat, produced by 19 year old Lex Luger, (I know, ridic.) is gorgeous but Kanye’s first verse doesn’t flow with it at all, Jay’s was good but nothing spectacular… I don’t know, I guess considering the immense talent these boys possess, I expected something better. Paws crossed the rest of Watch The Throne is far better. Check it out for yourself below.

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Music Cold War Kids at Lollapalooza: Under The Alcoholic Sun

August 14, 2009 - 2:00 pm

 

Cold War Kids

Jeff Tweedy once publicly wondered why anyone would ever attend a festival. On Sunday afternoon, even the most dedicated festival-goers had such flashes of doubtful thought sweep through their minds — the breeze from Lake Michigan was simply not enough to stop the heat from taking center stage. The musicians performing on Sunday faced a challenge — to convince each and every ticket holder they had made the right choice. Cold War Kids, the California-based band born in the shadow of the blogosphere, overcame the challenges of the day’s agenda by focusing on some very basic, very intimate human elements — passion, emotionalism and heavy drinking.

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