The new season of the venerable Austin City Limits has begun with last week’s pairing of The Decemberists and Explosions in the Sky — creators of the music behind Friday Night Lights. While my initial (i.e. 2002-2003) love of Decemberists has waned in proportion to my hatred of singer Colin Meloy’s voice. However they showcased some prog-rock stuff in this episode that was kinda interesting. (If not only because during extended Moog solos Meloy cayyyrn’t douuewe his thing on the vowarls.)
Well I just checked in on the schedule and to my amazement I see that ACL has booked Wilco on November 3 and Arcade Fire November 10. Who needs triptophan, you can Tivo those for Thanksgiving and bliss out until Christmas…
Fred’s list, like the man himself, was admirable and accessible. As I am regrettable and prickly, here’s my list of great new music (conflicts of interest aside):
*Thee More Shallows: After moving from beloved Bay Area label Turn Records to indie hip hop mainstay Anticon, they turned in another blistering creep-out with Book of Bad Breaks.
*Mermaid Blonde: The Decemberists make lovely, lilting music about the sea and that’s all well and good. Mermaid Blonde churn out dark, hopeless sea shantys for sailors knowlingly about to perish into the murky void. If I ever finished it (couldn’t get past the LONG technical middle), I might say that Mermaid Blonde sounds like Moby Dick (the novel, not the drum solo).
posted by Fred Schroeder on June 30, 2007 at 3:08 am in Music3 comments »
Here’s a round up of the things finding themselves in rotation on my ipod that have come out recently. Be warned I’m not much of a music critic but I know what I like and maybe all you readers (all three of you) can come up with some more recommendations. Continue reading New Pop Music That’s Good
I don’t post enough music on BLUE MAG, so here is Elvis Perkins backed by Dearland from earlier this week on Late Show. I think this is the most beautiful song I’ve heard in a long while.
In an exclusive interview, Wayne Coyne, lead singer of the Flaming Lips, told EW.com that the psych-rock band will team up with acclaimed TV writer and show creator Aaron Sorkin to turn the group’s 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots into a Broadway musical.
Finally, a musical remake I can get behind. This is probably not going to help with Sorkin’s drug use scandal problems. And now I’ll try my hand at the obligatory Aaaron Sorkin-esque fake dialogue joke…
This pairing did not disappoint. The only thing better than Arcade Fire really nailing “Intervention” was Win Butler methoically smashing his guitar after. Best nonet ever? I wasn’t sure if they’d bother pulling of an “Office” spoof, so opening with that worked great for me. Jason Sudeikis’ “Jim smirk” was hilarious. The one thing I would have liked to have seen was some sort of bit involving the visual similarity between Will Forte
I’m not exactly plugged in to the whole music scene. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the Grammys last night, despite a modest desire to see the Police reunion. So I have nothing to say about that. What I do want to say is that I have only very recently been acquainted with Chris Brown, the R&B/rap artist (right), and come to realize that he was the young man recently appearing on “The OC.”
Which resolved for me the question of why that young man was such a terrible actor: he was not a terrible actor at all, merely just not an actor at all. This is what passes for an epiphany where the hip-hop world and I are concerned.
I’m not exactly plugged in to the whole music scene. I couldn’t bring myself to watch the Grammys last night, despite a modest desire to see the Police reunion. So I have nothing to say about that. What I do want to say is that I have only very recently been acquainted with Chris Brown, the R&B/rap artist (right), and come to realize that he was the young man recently appearing on “The OC.”