Here’s the new video from the just-released Know Better Learn Faster by Thao with the Get Down Stay Down.
SPOILER ALERT: The album is one of this year’s absolute best, and will undoubtedly be making its way to our Best of 2009 list. Check out the video for “When We Swam” and just try to get the strutting melody and exuberant hand claps out of your head.
Anna Ternheim recently won Swedish Grammys for “Album of the year” and “Female artist of the year,” and she just released the Bjorn Yttling (of Peter, Bjorn, and John)-produced Leaving on a Mayday on August 11, 2009. Ternheim’s lyrical confidence and directness make he songs particularly refreshing in a climate often dominated by bands looking for someone else’s sound. For a sample of her style, check out this MP3 of “What Have I Done?”
Ternheim is currently finishing up a North American tour, with four nights on the eastern seaboard through this Saturday. See below for her Poetic Memory and tour details. Continue reading
President Obama, the liberal media announced this morning, has won the Nobel Peace Prize®.
The third sitting president to receive the award, Obama is honored by the bestowal and, frankly, a little relieved. “I am honored by the bestowal and, frankly, a little relieved. Maybe now people will forget that I couldn’t bring the 2016 Olympics to the United States,” the president probably said. “Also, it’s great to get the recognition because I was worried that I wasn’t really doing anything. Clearly, that can’t be true. They don’t just give these things out for political reasons to show predecessors just how much the international community didn’t like them.” Continue reading
Factory 25, a new independent film and vinyl label based in Brooklyn, specializes in packaging indie DVDs with limited edition vinyl, posters and other goodies.
They’re about to release a slew of new stuff on October 27, including the films High School Record, All The Way From Michigan Not Mars, and You Weren’t There. The latter two releases come with special edition vinyls.
Out already (September 29) is Damon and Naomi’s 1001 Nights, a comprehensive anthology of videos and live performances from 2001 through 2009.
The folks at Factory 25 are rightly excited about these films, some of which feature indie music luminaries like No Age, Minutemen, Rosie Thomas, and Sufjan Stevens. More info and trailers after the jump. Continue reading
Chris Hickey has recorded with musical luminaries like Joe Henry, Michael Penn, and Indigo Girls, and he’s a former member of the bands “Uma†and “Show of Handsâ€. Now, he’s released Razzmatazz, his third solo effort.
One highlight of Razzmatazz (among many) is Hickey’s tribute to Jack Kerouac. He says, “I’ve only recently discovered Kerouac and I agree with Allen Ginsberg when he said that Kerouac’s work is ‘The most sincere and holy writing I know of our age.'” Hickey does the man justice with “Kerouac” (MP3).
The album was written in song-a-day fashion over the course of three weeks, and the result is “16 songs, vocal & guitar, recorded on a hand-held voice recorder…so, for better or worse, it’s sketchy, low-fi, quirky…but it might be charming or something.” It’s been listed listed as a New and Noteworthy on release on iTunes. You can purchase it here (iTunes).
We recently sat down with him to talk Poetic Memory (below). He used his own formatting when he sent us his list, and we decided that it works best that way. Enjoy! Continue reading