It’s not every day that you get to see Incubus up close and personal, let alone on a rooftop with complimentary spicy whiskey, a taco bar, and a patio size Twister board game; we were fortunate enough to be invited to such a soiree. The event was part of 98.7 KYSR-FM’s Penthouse Concerts at the historic Hollywood Tower series.
I didn’t think it was possible, but I’ve fallen even more in love with the Kings of Leon. Last night I went to the premier screening of Talhina Sky: The Story Of Kings Of Leon at Tribeca Film Festival with my brother El and friend Billy, aka Drummer Boy, (guess what he does?) whose band, The Postelles, opened for KOL last summer at the infamous pigeon fiasco concert. I went in excited to see the film but not expecting the band to be there as it was just a screening. However who should walk right by me as I’m walking in? None other than ¾ of the Followill clan, brothers Caleb, Nathan and Jared. Naturally I put on my best “jaded New Yorker” and acted nonplussed as the (ridiculously good looking) boys in my favorite band walked right next to me, however inside I was screaming like a teenage girl whose just seen Justin Bieber. The film, directed by Stephen C Mitchell, a close friend of theirs, was an unapologetic, intimate look into their lives that was simultaneously humorous (particularly Caleb’s drunken monologue about living), absurd and at times, quite sad. After the film the band and Mitchell came up for a brief Q&A; the boys were wonderfully sarcastic yet genuine. They were raised very religious and when asked how they intend to raise their children, Caleb brilliantly replied “Scientology of course! We’re celebrities!” Hero.
When it comes to a collaboration between Sade and Jay Z, it’s pretty much impossible to go wrong or disappoint (according to the ever reliable and trust worthy pandabook). “The Moon and the Sky” (Remix) actually surfaced last Friday (after my glorious post was published), so if you’ve already heard this track, well, here’s a chance to bask in it once (or multiple times) more!
Damn, too many this week… Paul Simon returns to the grandiosity of Graceland 25 years later… the other big drop would be Foo Fighters and their Wasting Light…Meat Puppets are still going strong after 30 or so years with Lollipop… Alison Krauss recoups after her successful pairing with Plant and flies solo again in Paper Airplane…and Thursday returns with No Devolucion, whatever that means.
The Apache Relay – American Nomad
Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys! [CD release]
Joan As Police Woman - The Deep Field [CD release]
letlive. - Fake History
Holy Ghost! Holy Ghost! – self titled
k.d. Lang - k.d. Lang And The Siss Boom Bang: Sing It Loud
Rebirth Brass Band - Rebirth Of New Orleans
Alison Krauss & Union Station - Paper Airplane
Bell X1 - Bloodless Coup
Jessie J - Who You Are
TV On The Radio - Nine Types Of Light
Agnes Obel - Philharmonics
Emilie Simon - The Big Machine
He Is We - My Forever
Vivian Girls - Share The Joy
Thursday - No Devolucion
Foo Fighters - Wasting Light
Atmosphere - The Family Sign
Wild Palm - Until Spring
Crystal Stilts - In Love With Oblivion
The Feelies - Here Before
Paul Simon - So Beautiful Or So What
Meat Puppets - Lollipop
Low - C’mon
Sonny And The Sunsets - Hit After Hit
For those of you who will be down in Austin for SXSW (totes jealous), be sure to stop by Jack White’s latest Third Man endeavor; a fully functioning traveling record store, which, along with exclusive Third Man products (including “drinking accessories” – natch), also “boasts an all-inclusive sound system backed by two turntables and a microphone.” All kinds of magic happening in that bus.
“Wolves” is the first track I heard from The Good Natured and it was love at first listen; reminds me of a mix between La Roux and Ladytron (which is clearly not a bad thing in the panda book). The guys were recently signed to Regal/Parlophone Records (Gorillaz, Bat For Lashes, LCD Soundsystem) so we’ll hopefully be hearing some more new tunes from them soon. In the mean time, check out “Wolves” and “Your Body Is A Machine” below!
So I’m back in my favorite city in the world, lovely London (sorry New York, I do love you and you are incredible, but I’m afraid London wins in my book) and what better way to start this week’s post than with two tracks from UK based Jamie Woon, a singer/songwriter whom I’m definitely digging. First up is “Night Air”, off last year’s EP (co-produced with Burial) and “Lady Luck” is the first single off his upcoming debut album Mirrorwriting; listen to both here. Also check out this video of Woon singing in a canoe in Cambodia; no bells, whistles or fancy camera work, just a simple video of Woon sitting in a canoe. In Cambodia. Singing. Awesome.
Today’s bloggin best…
- Kyp from TV on the Radio reviews movies—on a one to five burger scale. Stereogum
- Todd Edwards has never been this cool. Gets Joy Orbison remix. The Fader
- Shameless Peter Hook to play Joy Division tribute show without the rest of New Order. Prefix
- New Chemical Brothers video, “Escape Velocity.” Discobelle
- Lil Wayne protects other prisoners on suicide watch. SOHH
- In-N-Out Burger upped their prices by a dime. LAist
TV on the Radio has been making music since 2001 in New York City. Their sound is like a mixing bowl full of electronica, jazz, hop-hop with a dash of soul. Its unique fusion has made these guys a critically acclaimed act. When I see them play it feels as though they have been around inventing sounds forever, and yet, they are younger than me. What have I been doing with my life?
