Click image to go get your download of "MV"
Get it while you can!
Vague-à-bonde’s “MV” will be available for free download for 5 days (Until Sunday at 11:59 PM)
AND, the new album, Involution/Evolution, is available now through iTunes — get it here
Filed under Check 'em Out!, downloads, listen, new albums
Click image to go check out the video
A brand new free download is available for Greg Laswell’s new single, “Come Back Down,” from his upcoming full-length LP Landline. The album’s to be released on April 24th. “Come Back Down” features Sara Bareilles and Greg Laswell sharing vocal duties. I am so excited I almost started crying while watching the video!
Download the single and watch the video for “Come Back Down”
The wait for the Santigold’s album, Master of My Make Believe, is almost over! Today she releases the first official single, “Disparate Youth.” Produced by Santigold and Ricky Blaze, the track is a contemporary rebel song with a new spin on punk & reggae that underscores its message of pushing through all roadblocks and claim “a life worth fighting for.”
Last month Santigold released the video and MP3 for “Big Mouth” to great acclaim. Santi calls out all trash-talkers on “Big Mouth,” with a schoolyard taunt melody backed by an explosive carnival beat that will shake the streets from Bed-Stuy to Baja. The track was produced by Switch and Buraka Som Systema and is available for free download at www.santigold.com. If you’re heading to SXSW this year, be sure not to miss her there!
Filed under Highly Anticipated, listen, new albums
FILTER Magazine continues its 10th Anniversary celebration with the launch of Issue 47, which hit newsstands a couple days ago. For its latest issue, the ‘Good Music’ publication takes readers inside the music surrounding the longest-running scripted show in television history, The Simpsons, as it reached its 500th episode milestone- which aired Feb. 19, on FOX.
FILTER speaks to Simpsons creator Matt Groening, among others involved in the animated series, on everything from the show’s musical guests, original compositions and his own personal music tastes. The article goes on to touch onto the rare 35-piece orchestra that scores the show to the instantly recognizable theme song. Even at episode 500, 23 seasons on the air and 18 years in syndication, The Simpsons continues to bring laughter, drama and culturally relevant content to viewers around the world.
On The Simpsons
“Every so often a show comes along where all of the pieces fit in a really magical way, and The Simpsons is one of those…and when it happens, everybody tries to recreate it, but you can’t” – Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa Simpson
On The Simpsons musical guests
“I’m amazed by what good sports the guests are. It’s fun to see Mick Jagger burst out laughing when Dan Castellaneta as Homer doesn’t want to test the microphones and asks Mick Jagger to do it. You just feel like nobody has said that to Mick Jagger in decades.” – Matt Groening
On The Simpsons Theme composed by Danny Elfman
“I love it,” says Groening. “I love how it is a really complicated theme and there’s a lot to it. “
Over the course of the series the theme song has been recorded by Yo La Tengo, Sonic Youth, Los Lobos, Green Day, Tito Puente, NRBQ, Fall Out Boy and some of Groening’s more eccentric picks, such as the cult English trio The Tiger Lillies and Texas’ Brave Combo polka band.
The Simpsons has featured more than 85 guest musicians since the show’s debut in 1987 including:
50 Cent, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica, Bette Midler, U2, Coldplay, Elvis Costello, Elton John, three Beatles, Aerosmith, Johnny Cash, The White Stripes, even Lady Gaga.
The cover
The cover art features both vertical and horizontal unique images of Homer created especially for FILTER by Simpsons lead artist, Julius Preite.
“Issue 47 of FILTER Magazine is incredibly special for us as it marks the first issue of our 10th anniversary year,” said Alan Miller, Co-publisher of FILTER Magazine. “We are excited to provide our readers with an exclusive inside look into the music of The Simpsons as they celebrate a milestone of their own. This is a truly unique story that we know good music fans will appreciate as much as we do.”
More Highlights from Issue 47
The Shins: One Man Band (page 62)
In a conversation with James Mercer, the Portland native maintains that “the Shins is a band,” but makes it clear that it is and has always been his band, assembled to present his songs and ideas and “involves people from all parts of my friendships.”
Mercer also dives into the themes that run through his new album, Port of Morrow:
“I’m fascinated by people who don’t care about the truth, which is something I’ve realized – I care about the truth. I want to know the truth. I feel like it’s one of the things humans can do that’s special and different from the rest of the animal kingdom. It amazes me it’s not something a lot of people are really interested in.”
A Broken Hallelujah: The Incomparable Musical Journey of John Cale (page 86)
FILTER speaks with the musical legend John Cale on his road from his early days with The Velvet Underground to his legendary production work as well as his upcoming album for Domino Records.
“The only reason we wore sunglasses onstage was because we couldn’t stand the spotlight of the audience” – John Cale, on the Velvet Underground
The article also features Steven Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees, artist and Andy Warhol muse Ultra Violet, and LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy on their experiences with Cale.
CIUDAD DE MORRISSEY: A Homecoming in Mexico City (page 40)
Morrissey declares his homecoming in Mexico City, halfway through his greatest hits set:
“I’m home, I’m home, I’m home.”
FILTER takes you inside the experience of Morrissey’s “homecoming” performance in Mexico City along with local culinary delight highlights and more.
Why So Serious? Some Joking Aside with Jason Sudeikis
FILTER Magazine chats with the “SNL” star on everything from his upcoming role on “Eastbound and Down” to how his hectic schedule and incredible work ethic have caused his “What’s up With That” skit to become his main workout routine.
“I think work ethic comes from having enthusiasm for what I get to do and the joy of getting to work with amazing people…You learn by being around these smart, funny people…you can’t help but accidentally get better when you’re sitting at a rewrite table with Tina Fey week after week.” – Jason Sudeikis
To read more on the Simpsons cover feature and the latest good music news from FILTER Magazine, pick up FILTER 47 issue, on newsstands now.
Filed under Interviews, Whoa!
You may have checked ’em out when I posted about them before, so you may have heard Gigamesh’s “People in the World.” And if you have, you may remember hearing a girl’s voice singing. That girl is Nicole Godiva, and she also performs under the name Vague-à-bonde.
In two days, she’ll be releasing her first solo album, called ↓↑ Involution/Evolution. She describes it as “beat-driven bedroom pop. It’s basically Fleetwood Mac meets K-pop.”
Check out my favorite song from her: Vague-à-bonde – “Something”
And here’s a remix to Beyonce’s “End of Time” to check out too: Vague-à-bonde – “End of Time”
Filed under Check 'em Out!, listen
Gordon Voidwell teamed up with NYC’s Kids Table production crew for his new track “XO Boyfriend” to create a music video that draws from Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” video. The styling, choreography, set design, and photography all take cues from Whitney’s mid-80’s classic. The homage was filmed in a hot Brooklyn warehouse in the summer of 2011, but GV had been keeping it under wraps until the right moment, which unfortunately arose this week with the untimely passing of the legendary singer.
In regards to the concept of the video, director Steve Pristin says “Gordon Voidwell’s music and style is often compared to artists of the 80’s — rather than fight that notion I wanted to fully embrace it, while paying homage to one of the most iconic musicians and music videos of the 1980’s. Growing up, in my home, Whitney Houston was viewed with a reverence unmatched – she will be deeply missed.”
Gordon Voidwell, who just this past week released his brand new MalcolmXXXMclaren mixtape added, “It’s amazing to think that in 48 short years, Whitney Houston covered the entire range of human emotion through music. From epic love ballads to 808-driven synthpop to gospel music, her voice spoke the complexity and depth of being human. On a selfish level, I’m saddened to think there will never be any new Whitney Houston music. She’s inspired a lot of what i do.”
Free Download: MalcolmXXXMclaren Mixtape
Filed under Check 'em Out!, downloads, video
The High Strung, and especially frontman Josh Malerman, are enthralled with blending fact and fiction. Malerman’s Facebook page declares he worked at “General Faw Faw’s Impossible Meats” in 1852 and that he attended “Fabulous Posture University” for the 95 years leading up to 1902. Because of this, their history and experiences are like big riddles, short puzzles that are as artistic as the albums they’ve made. And of their six albums, none captures this fascination with the absurd better than the new one, rightly called ?Posible o’ Imposible?
When describing how the band formed, Malerman either discusses grade schools and gym classes or, more recently, mental homes, where he says he was a patient and guitarist Stephen Palmer was an orderly, before the two realized they worked well together and busted out.
The rhythm section of Chad Stocker (bass) and Derek Berk (drums) are everything a music fan relishes; explosive, original, and danceable, too. When describing them, Malerman says he can’t remember if they “planted” him or if he planted them but “either way we grew out of the ground and picked each other and presented one another to mother in a vase.”
The songs on ?Posible o’ Imposible? are just as enigmatic. Thinking big is the main thread, but maybe it should be described as “imagining” big. The album is home to many modern characters, most of whom are on the verge of creating a grand spectacle. The hunter who tires of animals and seeks out black holes and planets in “Big Game Hunter”. The man who has toiled in obscurity only to be flooded with opportunities in “On Your Way Up!”. The man who experiences the weather before his peers in “Giant.” And, most notably, the world described in “Rats, Rats, Rats” where “there’s a job opening for a clerk at the Church of Satan” and a “dance tonight at the Church of Raging Hormones.”
The High Strung do not present themselves as ironic; their absurdist scenarios are delivered in a way that reveals they mean it. And the band is on their way up, having scored the theme song for Showtime’s new hit series “Shameless”, starring William H. Macy as an impossibly drunk father.
Live, the band verges on a variety show, traveling hucksters who have, as Malerman says, “between a dozen and two dozen melodies in jars, rhythms too, sentences too, and, on stage, if we get lucky, we open the corresponding jars so the songs make real sense.” The best known document detailing the experience of the band’s live show is a lengthy article in Vanity Fair that covers a two-show trip to Guantanamo Bay where Malerman fell in love with a female soldier, Berk was housed with an over zealous interrogator, and the boys “drank more rum than water.”
The High Strung are a rock band, of this there is no doubt, but one that clearly adores music, successfully injecting all this incredulity, absurdity, and irrationality into ?Posible o’ Imposible? and the shows that will accompany it. It’s the type of album kids will be downloading, illegally or not, as they discuss whether or not it’s true that Berk’s drums talk to him or, as Malerman says, “the first time we practiced together, the very first time we played, the boys all struck a C chord at the same time, without preamble. But I sang a D. And instead of thinking we’d fallen short of some cosmic relationship that was meant to be, I immediately understood we were destined to do something… different.”
Download: The High Strung – “On Your Way Up”
Filed under Check 'em Out!, downloads, listen, new albums
In honor of the iconic boxing film’s 35th Anniversary, Native New Yorker Rene Lopez is proving that he is “in his prime” with the release of the new video for “Shing-a-ling Is What I Bring”. Inspired by the movie Rocky, and his determination to succeed, Rene has encompassed the drive and passion of the character as he strives for a KNOCK-OUT album!
This month Rene will be performing at Nublu every Thursday. He will additionally be appearing for a performance at Arlene’s Grocery on February 28th. Rene will be playing old favorites as well as tracks off his latest album, ELS.
ELS stands for Electric Latin Soul, a term Rene has coined for the new style of music he has developed. A mixture of Latin soul and Boogaloo with elements of rock, hip-hop, and R&B – Rene’s sound is one that is distinctly Nuyorican. ELS features co-producers Mario Caldato Jr., a.k.a. Mario C (BeastieBoys, Jack Johnson, Bebel Gilberto) and Jason Lader (Julian Casablancas, JennyLewis), as well as special guests Joey Altruda, and Money Mark (John Butler Trio). The album as a whole is a nod to Rene’s Latin roots, with an eye on modern electronic music and good ol’ rock-and-roll.
A range of four exclusive Gorillaz-inspired Chuck Taylors, plus the next installment of the Converse ‘3 Artists. 1 Song’ project, featuring the assorted talents of Gorillaz, Andre 3000 of Outkast and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem/DFA Records.
Their track “DoYaThing” will be available for free via www.converse.com on February 23rd, with a brand new brain-melting Gorillaz video directed by Jamie Hewlett following on February 29th.
Murdoc says:
“I like the whole Three Artists. One Song idea. Gorillaz are all about collaboration, aren’t we, so it seemed like a perfect fit”.
Check out what else Murdoc had to say here. It’s pretty entertaining and don’t worry, contrary to some worry on part of the commenters, Murdoc isn’t going to die.
Filed under Highly Anticipated, Holy Freaking Crap!, Whoa!
Musically Amusing 