Rodarte teams up with another indie band!

A few months ago, the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte teamed up with Deerhunter for a short film featuring Elle Fanning. Well, the girls have done it again, this time, with No Age.

This film is quite a bit different from their first, focusing on their exhibit in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. The sisters talk about their designs and the inspirations behind them. I wish I could be in LA to see the exhibit in person, but I'll just have to settle on this short film.

Any time will do

Welcome to another round of sweet music videos!

PJ Harvey - "The Colour of the Earth"

Harvey has kept true to her promise to release a video for each of the songs on her new album. This is the fifth video (er...short film).

TV on the Radio - "Will Do"

A beautiful song and video to match.

Dodos - "Black Night"

I wish my local bar had an underground fight club ring that pit mustached women against overweight office workers.

Akron/Family - "Island"

This was perhaps the most subtle song on the band's latest album, and for that reason, they're most beautiful as well. The video is a perfect accompaniment.

New Music Tuesday - 03/29/2011

All Tiny Creatures - Harbors

They describe themselves as "electroacoustic," can there really be such a thing? Rather or not, it's good stuff. This is a side project of Volcano Choir's Thomas Winchek and features a collaboration with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver!).
"An Iris"

Ayọ - Billie Eve

Sure she's a French-born Nigerian/German woman, but she's got good ol' American R&B down pat, as well as adding in her own style perhaps born of all those elements that make up who she is.
"I'm Gonna Dance"

Broken Bells - Meyrin Fields

With both of these guys (Danger Mouse and The Shins' James Mercer) so involved in a myriad of other projects, it was easy to assume that their album, Broken Bells, would be a one-off release. Thankfully, it's not, though this release is just as EP. Looks like there's much more to come from these two.
"Meyrin Fields"

Mountain Goats - All Eternals Deck

This is one of those bands I wish I had gotten into years ago. I only recently discovered them, but already, it's love.
"Damn These Vampires"

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

There's a lot of Indie Pop out there (wow, what an oxymoron) and a lot of it tends to run together. Some, like this band, are better. Reminds me a lot of '80s new wave, but manages to bring a new element into the mix.
"Heart in Your Heartbreak"

Peter Bjorn and John - Gimme Some

They may have reached their pinacle a few years ago with the incrediby catchy "Young Folks," but these guys have put out a lot of good stuff since then. Another (hopefully) great album is here, I'm excited!
"Breaker, Breaker"

Yelle - Safari Disco Club

More French music, though this one sings in French. Yelle does a fine job of bridging the gap between two genres that France has become well-known for; electro and pop (and does it in a way that does not sound like Gaga). The results are great.
"Safari Disco Club"

My recent obsession with Tropicalismo will soon be well-rewarded

I don't know exactly why, but I've been somewhat obsessed with modern Tropicalismo music lately. Tropalismo, FYI, was a music movement in the late 1960s that combined elements of Brazilian folk, samba and psychedelic rock.

I think it started when The Strokes released their last album. While, of course, The Strokes are not Tropicalismo music, one of the members, Brazilian Fabrizio Moretti, covered an album in that style with his band Little Joy, which involves Los Hermanos' Rodrigo Amarante and Binki Shapiro.

I had been listening a lot to the album over the past couple of days and decided to explore some of the other Tropicalismo-inspired music I have in my collection. I listened to The Bees' (or Band of Bees, depending on which country you're in) "Every Step's a Yes" and Devendra Banhart's "Smokey Runs Down Thunder Canyon."

Well, lucky me when I found out this great bit of news. In June, the Red Hot Organization will release Red Hot + Rio 2, the proceeds of which will go to benefit AIDS research. The album pays tribute to the Tropicalismo movement and features Beirut, Dirty Projectors, St. Vincent, Neon Indian, Beck and many more.


Beirut's cover of O Leãozinho, originally by Caetano Veloso

Os Mutantes, spearheads of the Tropicalismo movement

If you're gonna try to walk on water

Les Savy Fav - "Sleepless in Silverlake"

What happens when a Marilyn Monroe impersonator, a Jerry Lee Lewis impersonator and a human statue get together?

The National - "Conversation 16"

Kristen Schaal as the POTUS, and her bodyguard has a crush on her. She chooses the Russian leader, but Roger Sterling is so much better looking.

Jamie Woon - "Lady Luck"

Jamie Woon is riding that electro-R&B wave along with another Brit, James Blake, How to Dress Well and Frank Ocean. All are pretty awesome.

Alex Turner - "Piledriver Waltz"

I'm honestly starting to think that Alex Turner (of the Arctic Monkeys) is one of the best young songwriters out there. The video makes me want to see the movie Submarine (for which Turner recorded a soundtrack) even though I still have no idea what it's about.

Shakin' All Over

I wasn't feeling well yesterday. I spent just about the entire day laying either on my bed or on the couch with my heating pad tight around my tummy. By the evening, I had started to feel better and wanted to escape my apartment.

I got onto Citybeat to see what was going on around Cincinnati that evening. And what did I see, but a Wanda Jackson concert across the river in Newport, Kentucky. Honestly, I'm a new Jackson fan, coming in with her last album, The Party Ain't Over. I've had very little exposure to her work pre-Jack White, so this concert was a good introduction to much of her earlier work.



She did sing her classics, as well as some of the new songs, including "Shakin' All Over" and her cover of Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good." The woman is 73 years old and still going strong. The show was energetic and fun. You could tell that many in the audience had been fans for years, even though many were my own age (in other words, many of our parents weren't even alive when she started).

She even managed to give some of a history lesson during the show, talking about what was going on in her life around the time that the songs were initially released. She talked about be mentored by (and dating!) Elvis Presley, transitioning into rock 'n roll from country and even her acceptance of Christianity, which did happen to turn some fans off, as one man very loudly proclaimed (I don't think he realized how loud he was talking).

I'm definitely going to start exploring her back catalog. She seems to be a very gracious artist and had a great rapport with the fans. Oh, and by the way, I touched the queen of rock 'n roll's hand!!!

Add another store to my black list

A few months ago, I stated that I would stop shopping at Forever 21 largely due to their unapologetic copying of high fashion designs. Well, I now have another store to add to my short black list, but due to very different reasons.

I became mildly obsessed with American Apparel a few months back. There was something I loved about them having such a broad selection of basics and active-wear in almost any color you can imagine. I knew of past issues with the company (or, more specifically, the founder), but the accusations, mentioned in the next paragraph, were a couple of years old and something I figured had been dealt with and resolved.

Well, apparently not. In just the past week, at least two lawsuits have been filed against CEO and founder, Dov Charney. The lawsuits, which are similar to those accusations from a few years ago, allege sexual abuses of female associates and models.


Dude just looks creepy...

Whether or not the accusations are true, what really amazes me is that there's not attempt from other high-ranking people within the company or other chairpeople (Dov himself is a chairman) to lessen his role or even remove him from his position. Instead, they just keep defending the man and accusing the women of orchestrating a shake-up or conspiracy against the company.

There have reports lately of American Apparel experiencing some financial problems. I've begun to wonder if these issues are related to the accusations against Charney in the past and now. The financial problems that the company is experiencing makes it even more surprising to me that other stakeholders are putting up anything. It is a public company, so there is an obligation to shareholders. They better do something soon, or these accusations could potentially spell the death of the company.

So, until American Apparel makes it apparent that Charney's actions are unacceptable and makes a move to remove him or to diminish his role, I don't see the point of gracing them with my dollar.