Drag City has released “’81,” apparently the first single from Joanna Newsom’s TRIPLE DISC opus Have One On Me. (Via Gorilla Vs. Bear)
Hear what a full hour of what’s likely to be a two-and-a-half-hour collection (!!!) sounds like live in this morning’s bootleg post.
It appears this is it — our first listen to the new crop of Joanna Newsom songs. At one of the opening gigs of her current tour, the harpist played a full hour’s worth of material presumably slated for next month’s Have One On Me, including the 11+ minute (!) title track. (Several of the songs previously surfaced on YouTube.) Is this whole record? Or could there be more?! (Where’s “Esame?”) If it’s all as good as this, there can never be enough. Download the set after the jump. (Bootleg thanks to FanMadeRecordings) Read the rest of this entry »
Justin Timberlake has been curiously silent since 2006′s pop landmark FutureSex/LoveSounds, and it’s as if he’s been mustering all of his strength for this few minutes. As a vocalist, he’s never been better — an obvious must on a song where he’s competing with with the ghost of “Hallelujah’s” most famous renderer, Jeff Buckley, but the former *NSYNC singer’s performance is nevertheless shockingly great. A must-watch. Here’s to hoping he won’t forget about his seemingly newfound sensitivity in favor of another “Dick in a Box” sequel (though I wouldn’t turn one down) when it comes time for LP3. (Donate to Haiti relief via Hope For Haiti Now)
Echo Park newcomers LA Font play a brand of antagonistic cowpunk anchored by the I-V thump of bassist Greg Katz — former Rawkblog contributor and an extremely talented musician/DJ/producer. But the center of attention on these songs is singer Danny “Ricky” Bobbe, a Montana transplant who, contrary to his band name, seems at odds with the Opening Ceremony-clad L.A. scene: “There were 8, 9, 10, 11 of them / dressed to be killed, like Princeton gentlemen / what was I to do?” Then again, that may be a dig at Vampire Weekend — but I imagine a group called LA Font cares plenty about Oxford commas. Anyway: they’re sneering, snotty, not quite Snooki. You can pump your fists with them tonight at the Airliner downtown at 10 p.m.
(Update: hosting issue fixed, right-click, save-as to yr heart’s content)
LA Font – “Bright Red Flame”: mp3
LA Font – “The Strangest Dream”: mp3
More: New Music | 2010 Album Release Calendar
Tonight’s epic Radiohead setlist from their Henry Fonda gig, via LA Weekly, after the jump. L.A.’s new hometown heroes raised over $500,000 for charity. Send over your pictures/videos! Read the rest of this entry »
Jams: A First Look at Spoon’s 2010 AOTY frontrunner, Transference. A bootleg of one of Thom Yorke and his solo act band’s excellent L.A. performances. New Radio Dept., finally.
Live: Pepper Rabbit dig in at the Bootleg Theater.
Video: The Mountain Goats, live and neurotic.
News: Coachella 2010 lineup announced, Pavement inexplicably not headlining thanks to the Twilight soundtrack. Franz Nicolay leaves the Hold Steady, New Pornographers announce a new album, and Thom Yorke (but not Beck) deejays for Haiti. Ke$ha and Uffie: the same!
2010 Bands You Can Ignore: Surfer Bwuuuuud.
You take your car to work, I’ll take my bored. (Actually, these guys have some pretty unignorable moments — “Floating Vibes,” for one — but if anyone wants to champion this band, there’s some serious Rock and Roll you need to hear first.)
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Editor’s note: 2010 Bands You Can Ignore: Bands you can ignore this year. And probably next year.
MBV’s Matt LeMay has a sincere take on the disintegrating state of indie music fandom and our responses to the enervating cycle of hype/backlash/mainstream success. And kinda hates on Wavves. Essential reading.
