Gnarls Barkley - Run (video), Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew (video), TSA Gangstaz (video), Tilly & the Wall (video), The Kooks (video), more

• Gnarls Barkley - Run (video)
  Hot new video for Gnarls Barkley's excellent new single, "Run". The trippy part starting at around 2:15 is amazing.
  
  
• Broken Social Scene Presents Kevin Drew - Lucky Ones (video)
  Recipe for a good time: 600 shots and Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene.
  
  
• TSA Gangstaz (video)
  OMG. If you hate airports, this will be right up your alley. Hilarious stuff. It is NSFW though and potentially offensive for the prudish.
  
  
• Tilly and the Wall - Beat Control (video)
  
  
• The Kooks - Always Where I Need To Be
  Catchy new song from the Kooks off their forthcoming album.
  
  
• Did you know that there is a mini art museum on the Moon?

Labels: humor, indie rock, pop, video

The Velvet Underground - I'm Not A Young Man Anymore (MP3)

The Velvet Underground - I'm Not A Young Man Anymore (MP3) | mirror (MP3)

If you couldn't tell from the title of my blog or other obvious hints, I'm a huge fan of The Velvet Underground. Imagine my surprise when I encountered this apparently new quality bootleg LP (entitled 'Live at the Gymnasium') featuring a previously unreleased VU song. The name of the song is "I'm Not A Young Man Anymore", and it is a rockin' unofficial prelude to the raucous turbulence of 'White Light / White Heat'. Link to the full album cover for the green vinyl LP.

Thanks to Dead Flowers for sharing this with the blogosphere. The full bootleg LP is available to download there as well.

Labels: mp3

Jimmy Kimmel - I'm F*cking Ben Affleck (video), 79 Years of Oscar Best Picture Posters, Britney will not age well, Auditory Illusions

• Poor Jimmy Kimmel must have been heartbroken when he learned that his wife Sarah Silverman was f*cking Matt Damon. Well, Jimmy Kimmel has plotted the perfect revenge. With cameos by: Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, Robin Williams, Cameron Diaz, Joan Jett, Josh Groban, Meatloaf, Harrison Ford, Perry Farrell, Macy Gray, Christina Applegate, McLovin, Don Cheadle, Dominic Monaghan, Rebecca Romijn, Pete Wentz, Good Charlotte, Lance Bass, and Huey Lewis.
  
  
• Congrats to the Coen brothers on finally winning long overdue Best Picture and Best Director Oscars. Here's a cool post: 79 years of Oscar Best Picture winners in posters
  
  
• Britney Spears will not age well
  Britney Spears Age progression pics if she keeps up her fast food lifestyle. I wonder if this is with or without lipo.
  
  
• Five great auditory illusions
  Worth a listen. It's funny how our auditory cortex plays tricks on us.

Labels: audio, humor, movie, video

Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (MP3)

*Link fixed 4/6/08*

Wiley - Wearing My Rolex (MP3) | mirror

"What would we do? Usually drink, usually dance, usually bubble."
"That's when I start promising the world to a brand new girl I don't even know yet. Next thing, she's wearing my Rolex."

This grime meets electro tune is receiving major buzz in the UK. This is an incomplete rip, but the cleanest one I could find out there. Cop the single when it hits stores.

Labels: electronic, mp3

Ry Cooder - Long Ride (MP3), My Blueberry Nights movie review

Jude Law and Chan Marshall


Norah Jones and Natalie Portman


Jude Law and Norah Jones

Ry Cooder - Long Ride (MP3) | mirror

If there's any doubt that Ry Cooder is the greatest slide guitarist of our time, just take a listen to the above. His material is the perfect contribution to a road movie. My first exposure to Ry Cooder was his excellent and haunting theme to one of my favorite movies: Paris, Texas. (In fact, some elements of the tune above seem to be improvised riffs from the Paris, Texas theme). Ry's been around since the days of Captain Beefheart and The Rolling Stone's "Sister Morphine", and he also has an extensive body of other collaborative, solo, and soundtrack work. (Note: Amazon lists the above track as being by a band called My Good Eye, but they are mistaken).

"My Blueberry Nights" is Wong Kar-Wai's latest movie. The soundtrack features three contributions from Ry Cooder. MBN served as the opener for last year's Cannes film festival. It did not win the 2007 Palme d'Or as Paris Texas did in 1984. That honor went to a depressing but highly recommended Romanian film: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. Part of the reason for some difficulty with critics may have been that the movie is a departure for Wong in many ways, being his first movie using an English script and American American and British actors (i.e. Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, and Natalie Portman) and one of his few movies without Tony Leung (he and Leung are like Scorsese and De Niro.) Another big risk was casting Norah Jones as the lead actress since she had no prior acting experience. She is decent, but unspectacular. David Strathairn and Rachel Weisz give really good performances, however. Of note, the movie features Chan Marshall (Cat Power) in her acting debut (I won't give away her role in the film).

I recommend "My Blueberry Nights" if you like Wong Kar-Wai films, arthouse films, or road movies in general. It's certainly not his strongest film -- it's not as energetic as "Chungking Express", as poetic as "Happy Together", or as visually gorgeous as "In the Mood For Love". However, it is enjoyable and accessible, unlike the beautifully confounding "2046". Limited US release begins April 8, 2008. The soundtrack, which also features a contribution from Norah Jones and two from Cat Power, will also be released in early April.

Labels: indie rock, movie, mp3

Dwight Howard 2008 Slam Dunk Contest (video)

Dwight Howard 2008 Slam Dunk Contest (video)
"He's a videogame, he's not a real person!" Superman dat ball, Dwight.

Labels: video

Professor Murder - Dutch Hex, remixed by Girl Talk (MP3)

Professor Murder - Dutch Hex (Trey Told 'Em) (MP3) | mirror

Gregg Gillis, better known as Girl Talk, does this remix as part of the remix duo Trey Told 'Em with his buddy Frank Musarra. Combine Professor Murder's unclassifiable mix of dance, dub rock, and punk with paraphrased lines from Crass and the Smiths, then throw in Trey Told Em' crazy remix shenanigans, and you have a stompin dance tune.

Another Trey Told 'Em remix:
Tokyo Police Club - Cheer It On (Trey Told 'Em) (MP3) | mirror

Labels: indie rock, mp3

Sian Alice Group - Motionless (MP3)

Sian Alice Group - Motionless (MP3) | mirror

At first, it sounds like it could be a classic Detroit or tribal house intro, until you realize that it is hypnotic, tribal-like live drumming. The drums will suck you into Sian Alice Group's lovely blend of improvisational rock, avant garde soul, and unclassifiable dance while Sian Ahern's voice carries you to unexplored blissful states of consciousness. I'm really looking forward to hearing more from these guys. Their forthcoming album '59.59' is due out February 19th.

Labels: indie rock, mp3

Valentine's Videos for the Romantic and the Curmudgeon

• Chris Vincze - EVOL
  I'm almost embarrassed to post this. It's a way too cute video with the charm of a Charlie Chaplin silent film, except the schmaltzy music, which is a bit much. Anyway, guys, show your sweetheart this and you will certainly score some extra points.
  
  
• For the rest of you: Rejected Valentine Cards

Labels: humor, video

The New Pornographers- Myriad Harbour (video), Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game (video), Mobius Band Free EP!

Happy Valentine's Day!


• The New Pornographers- Myriad Harbour (video)
  Here's the new awesome, trippy video for Myriad Harbour. It's about time! Probably my favorite of the new year so far.
  
  
• Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Losing Game (video)
  Newly released and just in time for Valentine's Day. Get back on the wagon, Amy, and come back to the states.
  
  
• Mobius Band - Love Will Reign Supreme EP
  Mobius Band loves us a lot and proves it with their free EP of covers entitled 'Love Will Reign Supreme'.
  Tracklist:
  1 Razor Love (originally by Neil Young)
  2 Baby We'll Be Fine (The National)
  3 True Love Will Find You In The End (Daniel Johnston)
  4 Mobius Band In A Green Cotton Sweater (Casiotone For The
  Painfully Alone)
  5 I'll Keep It With Mine (Bob Dylan)
  6 Digital Love (Daft Punk)

Labels: indie rock, mp3, pop, video

Kanye West - Flashing Lights (video), When Will Your Favorite TV Show Return?, America's Most Miserable Cities, more

• Kanye West - Flashing Lights (video, NSFW)
  Kanye posted the Flashing Lights video on his blog, but I think it's only part of the full video. It debuts on BET later tonight. It's certainly different and rather twisted. What else would you expect from Spike Jonze? Note: probably NSFW.
  
  
• When will your favorite TV show return?
  Damn it. It's still a wait till April for most shows.
  
  
• America's Most Miserable Cities
  The Forbes list is as follows:
  1) Detroit, MI
  2) Stockton, CA
  3) Flint, MI
  4) NYC
  5) Philly
  6) Chicago
  7) L.A.
  8) Modesto, CA
  9) Charlotte, NC
  10) Providence, RI
  I'm not sure how valid their index is. I agree with the top three. Otherwise, this is a crappy list. Where's Baltimore or New Orleans on here? Also, NYC, L.A., and Chicago have been on some of their "best of" lists, so I'm not sure where they're going with this.
  
  
• Billiards + Dominoes = The Most Amazing Trick Shot
  
  
• The nail in the coffin for HD-DVD

Labels: hip-hop, video

Kanye West and Daft Punk at Grammys (live video), I Make This Sound (MP3s), Evangelicals - Skeleton Man (MP3)

• Kanye West and Daft Punk - Stronger (live at the '08 Grammys)
  Rather disappointing. It certainly doesn't compare to these performances: Daft Hands and Daft Bodies
  
  
• By now, you've probably also heard that Obama beat Clinton over the weekend. I mean at the Grammys too. He won a Grammy for spoken word recording, beating Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
  
  
• I Make This Sound - King and Queen
  
• I Make This Sound - One, Two, Three
  Shimmering indie pop/rock that will have you smiling, swaying back and forth, and tapping your fingers. I Make This Sound is a 7-piece band from L.A. whose forthcoming EP 'Staring At Yourself' is due out soon.
  
  
• Evangelicals - Skeleton Man
  It sounds like ghosts floating in and out of your head: friendly, happy ghosts. Fans of The Flaming Lips and Grandaddy will probably dig the distorted processing and reverb.

Labels: hip-hop, indie rock, mp3, video

The Aimee Mann Christmas Trilogy Parts 1, 2, and 3 (video)

Labels: humor, video

Hello, Blue Roses - Shadow Falls (MP3)

Labels: indie rock, mp3, pop

Thao Nguyen - Chivalry, Bag of Hammers, Beat (Health, Life and Fire)(MP3s)

Thao Nguyen - Chivalry (MP3) | mirror
Thao Nguyen - Bag of Hammers (MP3)
Thao Nguyen - Beat (Health, Life and Fire)(MP3)

Thao Nguyen writes bittersweet indie pop songs with hints of folk, country, and blues. She's often been compared to Cat Power and Fiona Apple, but it's hard to pinpoint what exactly makes her songs so catchy and charming. Perhaps it is the honesty and vulnerability in her voice that separates her from other singer-songwriters. "Chivalry" is off her first album 'Like the Linen' while the latter two are off her new album 'We Brave Bee Stings and All' on Kill Rock Stars.

Labels: indie rock, mp3

Man Man - Top Drawer (MP3); The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead (MP3); Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone (video)

• Man Man - Top Drawer | mirror (MP3)
  This intriguing new tune from Man Man sounds a bit like carnival music with a touch of Animal Collective in the chorus.
  
  
• The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead | mirror (MP3)
  Combine an laid-back indie rock style reminiscent of Band of Horses with touches of neo-psychedelia and you've got a great Sub Pop product and an album I'm looking forward to hearing more of this year. The song is on a forthcoming album of the same name.
  
  
• Lykke Li - I'm Good, I'm Gone (video)
  This is a neat acoustic version with guest appearances by Robyn, and members of the Shout Out Louds and the Concretes. I'm excited for Lykke Li's forthcoming album.
  
  
• Out of Context (video)
  Actors say funny things when taken out of context.
  
  
  
• FAIL blog is the new lolcats.
  
  
• Speaking of FAIL: Tom Cruise Scientology Video - UNMASKED!

Labels: humor, indie rock, mp3, pop, video