New Music Tuesday - 12/06/2011

Amy Winehouse - Lioness: Hidden Treasures

This is the first posthumous album from Miss Winehouse since her untimely death in July. After so many years of recording sessions and promises of a release "soon," it's sad that it took her passing for a follow-up to Back to Black to be released. It is a welcome release, though. Featuring new songs, re-recordings of old songs and covers, it serves as a respectful eulogy for a great artist. Rest in Peace, Amy.
"Our Day Will Come"

The Black Keys - El Camino

Ah, I've been waiting for this one, actually pre-ordered the vinyl as soon as the album and release date were announced. It came today, along with a t-shirt, which I'm wearing right now while watching a live stream of their free show at Webster Hall in NYC. Yeah, I don't like this band at all. It's another great album from a great band, and my prediction was right, this will definitely be on the year-end list of my favorite albums of the year.
"Gold on the Ceiling"

Hooray for Earth and Cymbals Eat Guitars in Indy

Following the epic but disappointingly short Asobi Seksu show in Bloomington, I headed an hour north to Indianapolis for another night of great music.

My day began early in order to participate in the Indianapolis Green & Clean in preparation for Indianapolis' holding of the next Super Bowl. This was followed by lunch with a friend who will soon be relocating. A little bit of shopping after, then I headed over to meet up with the friend I would be attending the concert with.

After hanging out for the afternoon, we headed to the concert. My first thought upon entering the venue, the White Rabbit Cabaret, was that it seemed too posh for the show that would later be there. Heck, it's an actual cabaret, with cocktail tables, lush colors and fluffy furniture. Once the show started, however, the vibe completely changed.

The first act was Hooray for Earth, a synth-pop band that simultaneously reminds me of Cut Copy, Yeasayer and all that chillwave that's been going around. They didn't have the most energized presence on stage, though their drummer was awesome to watch (goodness, I love me some drummers). The show, overall, was good, but they didn't stray far from the sound on their album.

The second act, Cymbals Eat Guitars, managed to insert a lot more energy into their set and, I think, did more to pull the songs beyond how they sound in their releases. The band takes many cues from '90s indie rock. Unlike other indie revivalists like Yuck, they turn the genre a little bit on its head. There's a fair amount of experimentation that really sets them apart. Their set definitely had some interesting moments not directly related to their music. About halfway through, the lead singer confessed to experiencing heart palpitations and had to lay down a few moments...on the stage. It was a little strange, but the keyboardist filled the awkward moment with a little small talk.

I had purchased the vinyl of Cymbals Eat Guitars's new album, Lenses Alien, between the sets and decided that I wanted it signed. I headed to the merch table after the show, chatted a bit with the gorgeous lead singer and nervously asked for them to sign my album. They were so gracious to that request. The drummer actually ran around once trying to find a Sharpie and then again to find the keyboardist for him to sign.

Yay!

Two great bands, both definitely worth the time to check out!

New album from The Black Keys!

This is something I thought was a way's away. I knew that Dan and Pat were recording a new album, but didn't think it would actually be released until well into next year. Monday, though, I learned that the album, titled El Camino, would be released in fewer than two months!

The duo announced the album with a hilarious video featuring Bob Odenkirk from Mr. Show:


To go along with the faux car commercial is a website showing the El Camino for sale with some information on the condition of the car. There's also a phone number, which takes you to a pre-recorded message from drummer Pat regarding the vehicle.

The album artwork isn't as striking as that for Brothers, but the band shows that they're still willing to go against the norm when it comes to promoting and packaging their work. With most bands simply posting an ad on a website and visiting a few late shows, this definitely stands out.

I already know what may very well be topping my year-end list in January!

The Fearless Mr. Gosling

An amazing video has been making the rounds on the Internet over the past few days. It features hottie, actor and occasional musician Ryan Gosling breaking up a random street fight in New York.

Well, this just makes me love the guy more!

Already, some are calling for Gosling to take Chuck Norris' throne at the subject of "don't mess with him" jokes. My favorite: "There used to be a street named Ryan Gosling but they had to change it's name because no one crosses Ryan Gosling and lives."

Swoon!

Killing it

The Kills have been one of my favorite bands for the past two or three years. I've been intermittently obsessed with No Wow, it's one of the few albums out there that I can easily return to at any time and still love to listen to. They released a new album, Blood Pressures in April and have, of course, been touring behind it.

I had planned to see them in Nashville, TN during Memorial Day weekend to take advantage of the longer weekend. I flipped back and forth on whether to attend until the Wednesday before the concert, when I decided to go. I sat down during my lunch break to purchase the ticket only to realize I had left my wallet at home. I logged on immediately when I got home to complete the purchase only for the tickets to have sold out between lunch-time 6:00 PM.

When it was announced around June that they were expanding their tour, including a date in nearby Columbus, Ohio, I bought my ticket almost immediately, no way was I missing out again.

The concert happened last weekend and it was (mostly) spectacular. Of course, there was an opening band, Bury Strangers. They started off well enough, fairly basic hard rock, lots of reverb and feedback. They quickly resorted to every rock star cliche in the book, 1) play with your teeth, behind your head? Check. 2) "Meaningful" glance out at the audience while playing an actually melodic lick? Check. 3) Destruction of equipment? CHECK! They...weren't good, but thankfully, that is not who I was there to see.

The Kills came on to great fanfare, now here is a band that doesn't need gimmicks. I had been looking forward to seeing what Alison Mosshart, the band's vocalist, would wear since she is an amazing style star, but she was pretty basic in all black. Oh well.

Her usual fabulousness (flickr: TheUniversalCynic)

Their set started poorly, though by no fault of their own. For the first half of "No Wow," her microphone was turned so low, you could barely hear the vocals. It took the sound guy almost half the song to realize, "Hey, maybe we should turn her microphone up."

The rest of the show was amazing. They definitely have the rock star stage presence down, but it doesn't feel cliched or forced (the opening back should have been taking notes).

They performed a mix of songs from all of their albums, including "Future Starts Slow," "Pots & Pans" and "URA Fever." They had an actually meaningful and poignant moment with the audience performing "The Last Goodbye." I really, really hope that the opening band was paying attention.

flickr: Jagrap

Great concert, well worth the wait. If you ever have the chance to see them, don't miss it for anything!

Urkel!

If you've been wondering what Jaleel White has been up to since "Family Matters" went off the air more than a decade ago...he's starring in music videos. Dressed like a student at Morehouse, he's starring as Cee-Lo Green for the "Cry Baby" song.

I am loving this so much!

I Likey

Please enjoy this video of male models singing and dancing to Elvis' "A Little Less Conversation." And make sure you have a towel, you may drool.