Beastie Boys Release New Video

I had been hearing a lot about this new instrumental-jazz record that the Beasties are getting ready to put out, and to be honest I wasn't really all that interesting. Everything that has enticed me about the BBoys has always been lyrical (or at least had to do with the vocal stylings) but after hearing/seeing this vid, I actually think this record is going to be really cool. The video has a nifty retro feel, and the song (which starts kind of slow) really rocks out by the end. I'm really loving the electric-era Dylan feel to Mike D.'s style. The song is called Off the Grid.

Weekend Concert Roundup: Los Angeles

Friday, May 18th
The Autumns, The Sugarplastic, The Mojondles
@ Spaceland
The Section Quartet, The Submarines,@ Echo
Melt Banana, Mike Watt & The Missing Men, Bizzart@ Troubadour

Saturday, May 19th
Melt Banana, Free Moral Agents, Dogs of Ire@ Glass House
The Sea and Cake, Robbers on High Street, The Zincs@ Troubadour

Coming Attractions: Melt Banana

Before there was Lightning Bolt, there was Melt Banana. Hailing from Toyko, the trio best known for their innovative noise-core style have put out 8 full lengths and 23 EPs to date. This band was introduced to me by my immediate supervisor at work as, "music to have seizures to." Where do I sign up? Skip on over to the band's MySpace for more recordings, but I've read that the recorded material doesn't stand up to the live experience. Melt Banana will be playing the Troubadour tonight with Mike Watt & the Missing Men and Bizzart. Doors at 8. Melt Banana will also be playing another show tomorrow night in Pomona at the Glass House. Both shows have been named Ohmyrockness.com's suggested shows of the weekend.

May Mix - 8. Journey - Open Arms

I had been on the search for an upbeat, energetic song to kick off side B, but this song was brought to my attention and tookover the top B spot. Not only is it an inspiring power ballad, but it clocks in at a tidy 3:18. It's soaring highs and crushing lows are everything that this mixtape club is all about: emoting in under three and half minutes. I'll let this YouTube do the rest of the talking, thanks Jeff!

Two Gallants: Blowin' Up

San Francisco's Two Gallants have been keeping themselves busy. Having already recorded their new full length that's due out in June, the duo is currently in the midst of a European tour with a full run of the States starting later this month. As one of the very few Saddle Creek Records bands that aren't from Omaha, you can be assured that Two Gallants offer up something a little different than the usual alt. country-rock band. After surviving a huge (semi-famous) legal fiasco last year, they are eagerly plodding into 2007 at full steam. Check out this song called "Seems Like Home to Me," from the upcoming release, The Scenery of Farewell.

Vintage Bright Eyes Thursday

This week's Bright Eyes video comes from one of the 2003 Lifted tours. This is probably my favorite live video of this song, because it came in the heyday of the Bright Eyes live show. This was still when they made a living with constant tours and weren't afraid to break out the back catalog. I especially love the energy when the chorus hits around the 2:15 mark. "The Calendar Hung Itself" is great with tension and release with how the verse's restrained percussion allows for the explosion of the snare in the chorus - and this video is a great display of this duo.

Girl Talk, Dan Deacon to Play Dance Party of the Century

Girl Talk's upcoming tour has just been announced today, and on it is a mysterious date almost a month after the tour is over with Dan Deacon at the EchPlx here in Los Angeles. The show is slated for August 28th but isn't confirmed by either musicians' MySpaces. They are both on the bill for the Pitchfork Music Festival earlier in the summer but have no other dates together set except for the L.A. one. I'll get back to you when more is announced. For now, check out the Girl Talk remix of Grizzly Bear's "Knife":

NEW KANYE WEST

Here's the first leak from Kanye's upcoming Graduation. I'll let you listen for yourself, it sounds a little lame, but exciting nonetheless. I'm holding out that this might be one of the slower, lamer cuts off the new album. I dig the sample, but I wish the song had some more energy. Still not as cool as the remix he did a couple months ago.

Coming Attractions: Fujiya and Miyagi

This Thursday, Fujiya and Miyagi are coming to town to play The Echo just before they head back off to Europe for a string of dates. Hailing from the UK, this electronic duo has been gaining a lot of momentum with their catchy hooks and danceable rhythms. This White Stripes inspired video for one of their singles, "Ankle Injuries" is one the coolest stop motion tricks I've seen in awhile. Their record, Transparent Things is out on Tirk Records.

Fun New Music: The Saturday Knights

The Saturday Knights, an underground hip-hop foursome from Seattle have been getting a lot of love lately. With features in both the Seattle Times and on MSNBC.com their popularity continues to grow. Currently, they only have a 4 song EP out, but the full length is on its way. They're slated to play the Sasquatch festival later in May and probably will tour once the record comes out. Check out this song called "45" or head over to their MySpace to hear another one.

New Smashing Pumpkins Album Artwork

So Wednesday is here and apparently no one at my new job is excited about Lost tonight. Instead, the talk of the of the office today is the new Smashing Pumpkins album artwork for their upcoming release, Zeitgeist. So here it is in all of its Planet of the Apes glory. I guess they're jumping on the political bandwagon about 5 years or so too late. This sucks because I'm really looking forward to this release and had more faith in Billy's artistic direction. On the bright side, the 30 clip that they posted yesterday did show promise.

Patrick Wolf Tonight! @ The Troubadour

I'm posting another live Pat video because I'm pumped to see him tonight at the Troub in all of his sequined glory. This one comes from a live performance in London and is of the opening song on the new record called "Overture." Hopefully I'll be able to sneak in a camera and get some photos to post, because it's going to be a sight to see.

May Mix - 7. Hank Williams - Alone and Forsaken

The last song on Side A for May comes from Hank himself. This song has been covered a few times, most notably by Emmy Lou Harris on a tribute album and then Neko Case on her Live in Austin record. I really like the original - not just only for its geniune and heartfelt delivery, but also for it's efficient pacing that clocks in at a cool two minutes. Williams had a knack for conveying raw emotion and I think this song is a perfect representation of an entire sub-genre of waltzes - the cowboy ballad.

Wilco Highlights May 15th Record Releases

Wilco's Sky Blue Sky is really the only record I'm excited about tomorrow. They even released a heartfelt plea for all their fans to go out and buy the record (which I plan to do) - and so would you after reading it. Here is the rest of the scheduled releases in an otherwise ho-hum week:


Dungen - Tio Bitar
Fennesz / Sakamoto - Cendre
The Horrors - Strange House
Linkin Park - Minutes To Midnight
Dolores O'Riordan [of The Cranberries]- Are You Listening?
Rufus Wainwright - Release The Stars
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Gretchen Wilson - One Of The Boys

Dan Deacon: Blown Up

I just caught a few new Dan Deacon live videos on the 'Gum and wanted to share one. This comes from one his shows from this weekend at the Mercury in NYC. It makes me even more excited for his 2 night L.A. experience in mid-June. This comes off the heels of a career day for Deacon on Friday where Pitchfork Media gave his new album an 8.7 and featured him in the Best New Music Section. Sometimes you wish Pitchfork wouldn't ruin all chances at getting into a small show, but he's been making music for a long time and deserves the credit. This will certainly be one of the best shows this summer.

May Mix - (Honorable Mention) Seal - Kiss From a Rose

Depending on who you talk to, today's song comes from either 1994's Seal or from 1995's Batman Forever Soundtrack. I remember being in 5th grade flexing my music knowledge by proving to people that this song wasn't actually written for Batman. I wasn't sure if I wanted to put this song on the mix because I have a feeling that the kitsch value would eventually wear off. As you all are aware of, there isn't a skip track button on the tape player - hence the Honorable Mention tag. Plus upon doing some research this song is actually in 6/8 time... According to Wiki this song is about cocaine.