Category: Artists (Page 53 of 262)

Seen Your Video: OK Go, “End Love”

June 15, 2010 /

Sweet Jesus. OK Go has done it again.

What I love about “End Love” is that the stop motion photography reminds me of Zbigniew Rybczyński’s groundbreaking videos in the early ’80s, particularly the Art of Noise’s “Close (To the Edit)” and Lou Reed’s “Original Wrapper.” Only, of course, OK Go takes the concept into outer space by turning the clip into an all-nighter and, in the end, a giant group production. Along with a few very curious geese.

Tim is clearly the best dancer of the bunch here, but that’s almost become an in-joke of sorts. If Dan and Andy suddenly learned how to be as fluid as Tim, it wouldn’t look right. The occasional inclusion of super slo-mo shots was a nice touch too, but nothing touches that human cyclone at song’s end. And now that they have gained control of the album and released it on their own label, we don’t have to worry about any of that ‘no embedding’ nonsense. Get comfy. You’re going to need to watch this one a couple times to catch everything.

Alternative, Artists, CD Reviews, Dance, Pop, Rock, Seen Your Video, Videos

Devo: Something for Everybody

June 15, 2010 /


RIYL: Jerking back and forth, whipping it, playing peek-a-boo

Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison and Kurt Cobain lived and died in less time than the gap between Devo’s last decent album and the present. (Add a year if you want to go back to their last truly good album.) The band’s last album, Smooth Noodle Maps, is almost old enough to buy its own beer, all of which is a flowery way of saying that it’s been a long, long time since Devo was even close to being on their game.

Devo_01

Or maybe they were just biding their time. After all, there was no point in Devo releasing new music in the ’90s or even the first half of the ’00s, as the musical climate would have been indifferent at best and hostile at worst. Now, on the other hand, is a damned good time to be Devo, on a number of levels. Between the New New Wave movement (most of which, frankly, stinks) and the emergence of former alt.rock chart giants dominating the kids music circuit, Devo, for the first time in decades, has options. And they’re striking while the iron is hot.

Something for Everybody, Devo’s first album in 20 years, is an embarrassment of riches. The songs are insanely catchy – “What We Do” and “Human Rocket” are among the best songs the band’s ever done – and the production deftly blends classic Devo (think Freedom of Choice, New Traditionalists and Oh No! It’s Devo) with modern-day flourishes. The lyrics are still oddball, but tamer; there’s no talk of slapping mammies or altruistic perverts, and that’s just fine. Not everything here works – “Cameo” tries a bit too hard, and “Sumthin'” is too slavish in its attempt to channel “Whip It” – but this is far better than anyone had a right to expect from a band nearly 30 years removed from its commercial peak. Bravo, gents. (Warner Bros. 2010)

Devo MySpace page
Click to buy Something for Everybody from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Dance, Pop

Me, Myself, and iPod 6/9/10: They work in bars. Whether they are all on drugs remains unknown

June 9, 2010 /

esd ipod

Strange. I thought that the closer we got to summer, the more awesome mp3s I’d have for all y’all. Instead, it appears the opposite is happening. Like I said, strange.

The Chap – We Work in Bars
I’m not 100% sold on this London band, but there’s a spirit to the work that I find appealing. Definitely want to hear more before officially passing judgment.

The Mercury Program – Arrived/Departed
This made the cut for one reason: the delay-driven guitar line at the beginning of the song is a near note-for-note copy of the beginning to the song “Outside” by the late, great band Tribe. These guys obviously took it in a much different direction (an instrumental, moody jazzy direction, that is), and that’s cool.

Hot Hot Heat – Goddess on the Prairie
You have to feel a little bad for these guys. When people start making jokes about the ’00s, these guys will be near the top of the One Hit Wonder joke list, and the worst part is that even the members of the band don’t like that song and wish they had never recorded it. This song, from their new album Future Breeds, which came out this week, shows the band, well, pretty much where the world left them. Give them points for not suddenly pretending to be Franz Ferdinand.

Parlovr – Pen to the Paper
Is Montreal the new Brooklyn? Or was Montreal Montreal before Brooklyn became the destination of choice for musical immigrants? Either way, this song has a driving quality to it that brings out the New Order fan in me.

Alternative, Artists, CD Reviews, Dance, Downloads, Instrumental, Jazz, Me Myself and iPod, Pop, Rock

We Are Scientists: Barbara

June 9, 2010 /


RIYL: Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, Sloan

After spending two albums and roughly four years shuffling around the EMI family tree – Virgin released their 2006 album With Love and Squalor (a.k.a. The Kitty Album), while 2008’s Brain Thrust Mastery was released by Astralwerks – New York smart alecks We Are Scientists are going out on their own (with the help of R.E.D. Distribution) on their fourth album, Barbara. Now that the band is paying the bills, it should come as no surprise that they jettisoned the sonic experimentation of Brain Thrust Mastery in favor of the ‘record only what we can play’ approach of With Love and Squalor, though in fairness to them, economics are only half of it; the band has a new full-time drummer in the form of ex-Razorlight skinsman Andy Burrows, so you can see why head Scientists Keith Murray and Chris Cain were eager to get back to sounding like a live band rather than a studio creation.

_MG_3590

The album is not a carbon copy of Squalor, though. Yes, leadoff track and first single “Rules Don’t Stop” will have fans of “The Great Escape” jumping for joy, but Murray isn’t ready to give up on the melodic territory he explored with his vocal tracks last time around. “I Don’t Bite” has a high, ringing vocal that was nonexistent on Squalor, and “Pittsburgh” has the album’s best pure pop chorus. Pity the band phoned in the album’s artwork, which looks like it was assembled in the cab on the way to the printing plant. (Masterswan Recordings 2010)

We Are Scientists MySpace page
Click to buy Barbara from Amazon

Alternative, Artists, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Power Pop, Rock

Me, Myself, and iPod 6/3/10: A true Disney princess

June 3, 2010 /

esd ipod

Memorial Day, plus a super-busy movie screening schedule, threw this week into complete chaos. It didn’t help that I’ve been sick. I know, wah wah wah. Sorry, I’ll quit whining.

The Like – He’s Not a Boy
With Mark Ronson at the helm, the Like out-Locksley Locksley with this catchy slice of ’60s pop.

Cowboy Junkies – Cicadas
The press release boasts of the band finally operating independently, but that’s about the only thing that appears to have changed about the band, from the sound of this song from their upcoming album Renmin Park.

Quitzow – Cherry Blossom
Man, who slipped Daft Punk the ecstasy? I want to shake that person’s hand.

Setting Sun – Sacrifice
Fans of Joseph Arthur and Pete Yorn, take note.

Anna Rose – Whispers
She’s Alan Menken’s daughter. Yes, that Alan Menken. But this tune is closer to Joni Mitchell than “Kiss the Girl.”

'60s, Adult Contemporary, Americana, Artists, Dance, Downloads, Electronica, Me Myself and iPod, Pop

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