Our Brother The Native, Dr. Dog and Peter, Bjorn and John Songs Set to a Creepy 1963 Bicycle Training Video!
Ok this is just bizarre. Pitchfork posted the strange Our Brother The Native video that adopts footage from a 1963 bicycle training video (watch the original.) Finding it rather fascinating, (the video, not the fact that Pitchfork posted it) I passed it along to my friend Erin, who in return, sent me a Dr. Dog video that uses the same footage! From there, I stumbled upon a fan-produced Peter, Bjorn and John video that…you guessed it! Get ready…
Our Brother The Native – “Younger”:
Dr. Dog – “Fool’s Life”:
Peter, Bjorn and John – “Young Folks”:
Final assessment? The footage is creepy no matter what song it is set to.
The Sky Is the Limit When it Comes To Loving Children
Robin’s post from yesterday inspired me to seek out my all-time favorite kids video. Spike Jonze’s directorial classic of Biggie Smalls single “The Sky is the Limit,” off Smalls’ posthumous Life After Death album is brilliant. I totally understand Robin’s aversion to children, but when you see them dressed up like ‘lil gangsters and bitches, it is hard to not smile.
Iggy Pop Rocks David Bowie’s Head Off
Like downing a bag of Pop Rocks and chugging a Coke, Iggy is well versed in the art of explosive music. This weekend I was stuck in an airport for a number of hours and went through a couple of my favorite Iggy albums. After listening to The Idiot and Lust For Life from start to finish, my flight was still delayed. So having the down time, I listened to David Bowie’s attempts at covering “China Girl,” and “Tonight.” As I have said before, and I’ll say again, I’m a true blue Bowiephile BUT David has nothing on Iggy in terms of these songs…even if he did co-write them.
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40 Years Later, "I’m Not A Young Man Anymore," A Never Before Heard Velvet Underground Song, Rings True
What a wonderful way to start the day! A new Velvet Underground song? It can’t be! Hoooray, but it is! Velvet fans everywhere will be thrilled to hear “I’m Not A Young Man Anymore” from Gymnasium, the rare bootleg recording of a 1967 performance at New York’s Gymnasium. Apparently, this album is also rumored to be John Cale’s last performance with the band as well.
Velvet Underground- I’m Not A Young Man Anymore
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Former Dirty Projector Nat Baldwin’s "Lake Erie" Floats My Boat
Just this morning, I became aware that the amazing Nat Baldwin, former Dirty Projectors bassist, is putting out a new solo album this Spring. Most Valuable Player will be released at the end of April on Broken Sparrow Records.
Baldwin’s haunting, plaintive voice and utterly unique string bass lines have never been more gorgeously eerie than on this track. No pun intended. The vocals for the theme melody are quite buoyant and parallel a similiar “bounce” to the carrying bass and 12-string work.
SOS, Nat Baldwin! We desperately desire the rest of this new album to carry us to shore! Pre-order Most Valuable Player at Amazon.
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The Sound of No Kids Is Music To My Ears
Even though kids are my least favorite thing in the world besides beef, No Kids is my most favorite band in the world at this moment.
I was immediately attracted to this Vancouver-based trio for the assortment of highly eclectic tracks on their recently released album, Come Into My House (Tomlab 2008). This album is getting constant rotation in my iTunes, and no two songs sound entirely alike.
Decide for yourselves! Download these two tracks and play along with me:
1. Bluster In The Air – A soft, sultry tune for lounging with gentle harmonies and a piano line that reminds me of early Lauryn Hill beats.
2. Four Freshmen Locked Out As The Sun Goes Down – A throwback to barbershop quartet days with obvious, dead-on vocal harmonies and a pervasive Beach Boys vibe.
Like what you hear? Purchase the album immediately. You’re in for a treat.
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No Kids – Four Freshmen Locked Out As The Sun Goes Down
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Sexy Glam Rocker Suzi Quatro Is A "Daytona Demon"
Mega-babe Suzi Quatro’s 1973 single, “Daytona Demon” is a prime example of how sex and rock and roll go together like groupies and condoms.
Suzi will kick your ass with her glam-rock groove that features T.Rex-like chants and wails. Of course, having good hair is a crucial step in producing this caliber of music.
This is one type of girl-power that needs a revival! Check out the song’s music video, with its cheesy, yet awesome saturated effects:
Need a wild chick? Buy Suzi Quatro’s Greatest Hits!
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Young Marble Giants are Masters of Minimalism
Every so often I am caught off guard by how comprehensive Youtube is as a music resource. More than a couple Young Marble Giants videos from the early 80s can be found on the site. For those unfamiliar with YMG, this ragtag bunch of musicians are the best thing to come out of Wales since Tom Jones.
Masters of minimalism, this trio aimed to “make music sound like a radio playing quietly late at night, in between channels, so that the songs were indistinct and all that could be heard were stray sounds and noises.” Their outcome, in the form of the 1980 Rough Trade album Colossal Youth, is in fact quiet and somewhat introverted, however it is much more accessible than their original intentions. Here is a live performance of “New Life,” taken from the BBC program Something Else.
Young Marble Giants – N.I.T.A.
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Kelley Stoltz and His Modern 60s Pop
Luckily for me, I was just introduced to the music of Kelley Stoltz a month before he is scheduled to play a show in Philly. Ah, the wonders of serendipity! On tour supporting his latest Sub Pop release, Circular Sounds, Stoltz is a no-frills, real deal songwriter who has been making music for a while. His records are simple and honest. They aren’t trendy, they aren’t fashionable; they are just filled with well-made music crafted in the spirit of songwriting rather than scenester-ing. Thank God.
If you like The Kinks, chances are pretty good that you will like this mp3 of “Let’s Go Out Tonight.” This is the tune that made me fall for Kelley Stoltz.
He is on tour right now with The Dirtbombs and I recommend going to see him in your city.
2/28 Independent – Noise Pop SAN FRANCISCO
3/17 Proud Larry’s Oxford, Mississippi
3/18 Blueberry Hill St. Louis, Missouri
3/20 Rudyard’s Louisville, Kentucky
3/21 Jakes Bloomington, Indiana
3/22 Mercy Lounge Nashville, Tennessee
3/24 Tone Cafe Memphis, Tennessee
3/25 Revolution Music Room Little Rock,AR
3/26 H.O.B. Dallas, Texas
3/27 Emo’s Austin, Texas
3/28 Rudyard’s Ranch Houston, Texas
3/29 One Eyed Jacks New Orleans, Louisiana
3/31 The Orange Peel Ashville, North Carolina
4/1 Bottle Tree Birmingham, Alabama
4/2 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia
4/3 Local 506 Chapel Hill, NC
4/4 Sonar Baltimore, Maryland
4/5 Rock and Roll Hotel Washington DC
4/6 Maxwells Hoboken, New Jersey
4/8 Cafe Nine New Haven, Connecticut
4/9 Mercury Lounge New York
4/10 Johnny Brenda’s Philly
4/11 Bowery Ballroom New York
4/12 Middle East Cambridge, Massachusetts
4/13 Cabaret Music Hall Montreal, Quebec
4/15 Babylon Ottowa, Ontario
4/16 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, Ontario
4/18 Frankie’s Toledo, Ohio
4/19 The Blind Pig Ann Arbor, Michigan
4/21 Empty Bottle Chicago, Illinois
Kelley Stoltz – Let’s Go Out Tonight
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Serge Gainsbourg, Whitney Houston and The Delicate, Drunken Language of Love
This Youtube video should have been a prophetic red flag for Whitney Houston, warning her about the perils of the music industry. It only goes to show how the longer one stays in the entertainment business, the better the chances one has of showcasing one’s substance abuse issues on national television.
Kim Jong Il’s Communist Jams
In the spirit of recent cultural diplomacy, I thought a post dedicated to bridging the North Korean / American gap was in order. While Kim Jong Il did not attend last night’s New York Philharmonic concert in Pyongyang, that doesn’t mean “The Great Leader” isn’t a fan of good music. This gave me chills just watching it!
Scary scary scary. Check out a few of my favorite Commie jams. These tunes should have you calling your friends comrades by the end of the day!
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Woody Guthrie – When the Curfew Blows
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Neutral Milk Hotel – Communist Daughter
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The Scorpions – Wind of Change
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Blue Orange Issues Free International Indie Comp, Highlights Include C-60 and De Atige
Our good friend Kevin at Mp3hugger tipped me off to Blue Orange Records‘ awesome free compilation, Come Tomorrow. It features a wide array of new indie/electro/punk bands from all over the world.
Two tracks, in particular, caught my attention. The bare-bones stomper “Mutters Kleine Helfer” from Austrian electro-punkers C-60 with its dentist chair synth drills and the fluffy, dead-pan charmer “Oh Oh, Let’s Go Go!” from Danish cuties De Atige. Don’t think too hard about these nuggets, just enjoy the exotic weirdness.
Check out another track from the comp by Spanish shoegazy band Clovis at Mp3Hugger. Afterwards, head over to Blue Orange for the full collection. Trust me, you will feel way cooler after doing so.
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De Atige – Oh Oh, Let’s Go Go!
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