BizNassTime

The worst song of all time?

2009-08-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

In the wake of Michael Jackson's death, I found myself rewatching "We are the World," cheesy as I've always thought of it as being, and realizing that while not having the most profound of lyrics, and having a facile, borderline maddening chorus melody, it is pretty damn catchy. Which is the point. Other points: bringing together an absurd collection of musical genius: Stevie! MJ! Hall! Oates! and raising desperately needed money for desperate Ethiopians.
Then there's "Voices that Care." Somehow I avoided seeing this as a child, or did see it and then scrubbed it out of my memory with steel wool. I went my whole life blissfully unaware of its existence, until today. The assembly of early-90's soulless dorkery made me incredulous that I wasn't watching a Team America parody song. But that movie makes fun of clueless Hollywood lefties. This one's even more trite, clueless, and takes "caring" to mean our brilliantly successful first Gulf War. How could you, Will Smith?

The one below is brilliant in comparison, right?

Epic video trailer for new Julian Casablancas album

2009-07-16T20:11:00.000-07:00

Somehow despite managing to fit the entire universe into 1:36, it leaves you wanting more. Like, maybe some singing. Really digging the visual aesthetics and the music sounds great; hoping the sound on the rest of this album is in this vein. Seems to be a real departure from the Strokes, who have not broken up but rather woken up from their hibernation and are working on a new album. Casablancas will tour solo in the U.S. later this year.

50 Cent on rooftop with annoying kid

2009-07-02T20:22:00.000-07:00

I don't get it. Did 50 invite this kid to NYC to hang out with him after watching a video of the kid making fun of him? Or did the kid become disillusioned and dis him after the hang session?

Also: Is it a little racist for white people to intentionally pronounce it "Fitty"?

Also: This kid is kind of me at 15.

Michael Jackson, R.I.P.

2009-06-25T22:01:00.000-07:00

Today the world says goodbye to a deeply disturbed man who produced some of the greatest pop music of all time.

I first heard the story indirectly on a Spanish language radio station, where the DJ presented it as like some weird morbid trivia teaser that they never gave the answer to: Guess which huge music star of the 80s had a cardiac arrest 15 min ago! then I switched to the hip-hop/R&B station where they said that TMZ had reported his death.

I was completely shocked, then they played Billie Jean, which I normally think of as just a perfect dance pop song, but given the context it just seemed unbearably sad. The fact that some reports say it was a suicide, on top of all MJ's other problems really does elevate it to the level of a seriously fucked-up Greek tragedy. When I got home I went on Facebook and literally every one of my friends' 20 newest status updates were tributes and/or expressions of shock. My eyes started welling up watching CNN this evening, which does not happen to me often. Maybe it's sad that this get to me more than what is happening in Iran or any number of world tragedies, but such is the unique force of nature/freak of nature that was Michael.

Patti Boyd neé Harrison

2009-06-08T23:10:00.000-07:00

Patti, 21, with George, 22, in 1966.

Now the factors leading to this masterpiece of frustration become more understandable:

...Nah, Clapton's still a douchebag.

What if Kanye West is Retarded?

2009-06-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

What does it say about music in the 2000s that I think Kanye West is one of the most brilliant artists of the decade and still think that this article from humor site Cracked.com is entirely plausible?

Babelfish Translation Hilarity

2009-05-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to read this interview with Phoenix's Thomas Mars on Fluokids, but of course it's in French. So I decided to utilize Yahoo's Babelfish service to translate it for me. I had never used the translator on such a big block of text, and the results make for some hilarious reading that defies comprehension. Read a paragraph or two for laffs. I doubt anyone will read down this far, but the highlight for me was their translation of the "pain" part of T-Pain's name, rendering him "T-Bread"! So...can anyone recommend a good online translator?

Then Saturday Night Live?

Already, I am hyper fan. One subdued the old sketch with Eddie Murphy or Bill Murray, in round, as you ace never time to really subdue a film…

But to play there, it was lunatic! One of my preferred moments. Because of makes when you cheeks into live the interest it is the fact that you can plant yourself. And there there is million guys, you know that if you plants, are finished to you in States. Inevitably you think of Ashlee Simpson when it is covered with sheet metal. I subdued full with performances which I found enough nazes. The trick is made in an odd way, you master keys three days of Thursday at Saturday to be repeated. At the end you, you can more about it arrive in a fright, are to you there “go ahead, complete, finished me the trick”. All is made so that you stress and that you say yourself “I go foirer”.

But at the same time, be bichonné to you as in Entourage. You requests a pizza pie, they you bring fifteen of them. They want to you saouler the mouth. The cameras pass to you to one centimetre of the mouth. And at the same time any walk miraculeusement because the guys who work are the best in all than they make. You ace impression to be in a kind of Rolls. You subdue Thirty Rock? It is a series on the back of the decoration of Saturday Night Live, that retranscribed well the trick. All around you, you ace these guys who are bloody iconic, the “pagers” which are out of suit and which have small NBC logos everywhere. And each guy you ace impression that it is right a dispach rider, but each guy is qualified like the caretaker of Ritz. They can have you what you want in the city, they have all the telephones of the White House, of the incredible tricks! It is the ultimate experiment ricaine.

Two hours before one plays, they said to us “good then, there is that Coldplay, U2 and Mc Cartney have which have required to play three songs like that”, that puts serious the pressure to you and in more they ask us to sing “Too Young” which one has not played for one year. What is sad it is when it is finished, you requests if you will remake it one day. And at the same time what is nutcase it is that the album did not leave yet and that one is perhaps more the small group whom they ever took over there.

And before did that, the United States, you feel it how?

It was felt that it occurred a trick. It was felt that the guys were excited because the rounds which one had made had passed well

[...]

But, there are nevertheless dissensions, you like all the same thing?

There was of it but not the large ones. It is when somebody likes a really extreme trick. Extreme for us it is not an elegant trick. For example in the last T-Bread, there is a lunatic trick, that me I adore, that all are liked, it is the piece “Can' T believe it” with Lil Wayne. The side autotuné rappor, foncedé, you feel that he plays just with the machine, there is a trick which corresponds to our worship of the first catch, of the things impossible and hyper-spontaneous that you do not reproduce afterwards. This piece contains moments nutcases so much. In the same way there is full with small groups which flirtent with the bad taste, but you find that which you need in it.

...

2009-05-20T15:03:00.000-07:00

Fever Ray to tour America

2009-05-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Fever Ray Tour 2009 from Fever Ray on Vimeo.

Fuck yeah! October 5th at San Francisco's Grand Ballroom, a creepily great time will be had by all.

A pair of awesome Letterman performances

2009-05-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

While Jay Leno books whatever crap is on the charts (lets hope Conan puts an end to this), David Letterman continues to give interesting, unusual musical acts their five minutes in the national spotlight, even if he does gently mock them sometimes. Here's Animal Collective doing "Summertime Clothes":

And Bat for Lashes with "Daniel." God this is a great song.

If you're reading this...

2009-05-08T13:03:00.000-07:00

Hit me up.

(via Street Carnage)

Outside Lands lineup: WTF?

2009-04-27T23:03:00.000-07:00

Last year's inaugural Outside Lands festival in Golden Gate Park was certainly not without its problems: overselling of tickets, difficulty in getting from one stage to another, low volume at side stages. But all it really needed to redeem itself was that magical nighttime closing performance by Radiohead.
This year...well let's just say the headliners are not up to the same caliber. Let's look at 5 of the top 7 acts on the bill: Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, Incubus, Black Eyed Peas, and Jason Mraz. If that was the entire lineup, I'd rather go 12 rounds with Manny Pacquiao while wearing a straightjacket than go to this festival. But they complicate things by throwing some bands I really would like to see (MIA, Band of Horses, Q-Tip, Modest Mouse, Atmosphere) and some that I haven't really gotten into but I'm sure would at least be interesting, possibly amazing (Mastodon, Kinky, Deerhunter, Built to Spill). Then there are the complicated ones like Beastie Boys (they've made some of my favorite records of all time but dudes in their mid 40s rapping in jumpsuits seems kind of embarrassing), The Mars Volta (Used to literally be my favorite band but their last few albums have done nothing for me. Edit yourself, Omar! It's not a contest to see how many notes you can play per measure!) and TV on the Radio, who I unequivocally love on record but based on the recordings I've seen/heard of their shows, I really don't think they can recreate their studio sound on stage and I'd probably be left disappointed.
But I'll be interested in seeing how the day-by-day breakdown ends up. I'll probably end up going, and maybe some of these bands I've never heard of will pleasantly surprise me. But seriously guys, TOM JONES?

Swine flu is not antisemitic

2009-04-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

So I spent most of this morning reading and freaking out about the Swine Flu outbreak. There have been outbreaks in Spain now, governments are canceling flights and advising against travel to the U.S. But I think back on freakouts over Mad Cow, Bird Flu, SARS, ad infinitum and I don't think it's going to end in a pandemic (I can't say that word now without thinking of The Wire). For me all it's going to mean is another reason I probably won't go to Mexico any time soon. Hopefully they get the situation there under control quickly, but this story from the AP left me in disbelief more than anything else I read today:

Israeli official: Swine flu name offensive

I can't wrap my head around the quantum leap in this logic. There's a world health scare that has killed hundreds of people, which came from pigs, and they think that its name is an antisemitic slur? A swine is just a pig. I don't think I've ever heard Jews or Arabs referred to as such; you could more convincingly argue that the name is offensive to police officers. Or capitalists. But it doesn't stop there. Their proposed inoffensive name change? MEXICAN FLU. Yeah, that doesn't have any negative connotation for any ethnic group. Way to keep things in perspective, Israel. Now let me go back to worrying about the prospect of the fucking Lakers winning another Championship. No offense is intended to anyone who resides on or near a lake.

Dub Mission

2009-04-26T00:26:00.000-07:00

I also made it down to the Elbo Room last Sunday for Dub Mission, the weekly dub/dancehall/roots reggae night, and I was impressed by all the DJs, along with the tolerant attitude toward indoor blazing, but DJ Sep especially blew my socks off. She cuts up dub in an electronically-informed style to make it nearly unrecognizable but completely awesome. Check out her Myspace page.

Sébastien Tellier live in SF

2009-04-25T23:25:00.000-07:00

Sébastien Tellier came to the Independent in San Francisco last Saturday, sans Daft Punk robots, but with a kick-ass live drummer, two synth/keyboard players, a polygonal guitar, and a quickly emptied bottle of white wine. The show wasn't as raunchy as the accounts I've read of some of his shows, and he skipped a few of my favorite songs in the brief performance, but I was never bored and I guess he was going for the "leave 'em wanting more" approach. At least he played "La Retournille." Here's a video of a retooled version of his Eurovision jam "Divine" (sans helium.) Chairlift opened with a wonderfully hazy shoegazey pop set and their lead singer set the bar for Tellier to follow when she discreetly lied on her back behind her keyboard and chugged from her bottle of red.
Chairlift:

Tellier et bande (click photos to see in full):

Fever Ray video: If I had a Heart

2009-04-12T13:00:00.004-07:00

Now this is how you make a disquieting video. From Fever Ray, AKA Karin from The Knife.

Jager Behavior

2009-04-11T15:35:00.002-07:00

I was recently shown this video and still don't get it. It's one big WTF non-sequitor after another, but it's pretty funny and it puts a classic ODB song to good use.

New Zion I

2009-04-11T15:02:00.002-07:00

Oakland's Zion I have a trippy, Donnie Darko-inspired video out for their new song "Geek to the Beat." I've seen these guys play at Sac State twice, but this time they're bypassing the campus to play at Empire. Full list of tourdates and a gang of new songs at their Myspace. They also have a different version of the song "Don't Lose ya Head" with Too $hort that was originally over a remix of Radiohead's "Nude" on Amplive's amazing Rainydayz project.

Zion I "Geek To The Beat" from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

Phoenix on SNL

2009-04-06T16:18:00.002-07:00

Is it just me or is there a lot of really good music coming out of Paris these days? Phoenix has been around for a while, but now they're apparently big enough to play Saturday Night Live, and even got the rare opportunity to play a third song over the credits. Their new album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix not only has a great title, but it's probably the most consistent album they've put out. They sounded super tight live, hoping they do a full U.S. tour.

And they encored with "Too Young" from their first album. I remember having this on the Lost in Translation soundtrack before I knew who they were. It actually really derails the mood of the soundtrack, but what a great song.

I'm pretty jealous of the lead singer for not only being in a great band, but also having impregnated this woman:

Next week SNL will try to keep up the streak of good musical guests with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, who also have a killer new album out. This is a good excuse to post their rad video for "Zero," which Idolator's Jess Harvell sums up better than I could: "There's something very retro about this video to me, but nothing so directly referential that you can pin it to a specific cultural artifact, much like the song itself." If I had to compare it to something I'd say Blondie, but it produces this weirdly visceral nostalgia in me for something I never actually experienced. Shot in SF too, maybe that's part of it.

Watch more VH1 videos on AOL Video

Another new Tellier video!

2009-03-24T14:28:00.003-07:00

Sebastien Tellier - Kilometer from Lucky Number Music on Vimeo.
Monsieur Sébastien Tellier has graced us with another new hilariously raunchy video, this time for the techno synth-stab-laden "Kilometer." I basically want to be him. Or this guy, who kind of reminds me of Tellier now that I think about it:

(pic from Vice Do's and Don'ts; video from GvB)

New Sébastien Tellier video: Rouche

2009-03-03T22:48:00.002-08:00

I still think Sébastien Tellier's extended piano-and-funky-drums jam "La Retournille" is one of the best songs of the decade and I've really grown to love his latest album, the moan-heavy Sexuality, with its smoothed-out "Daft Punk at their mellowest" vibe. Think "Something About Us." I can't wait to see him at the Independent next month and now he has released this epic video for "Rouche," in which Sexuality's cover art comes alive and he rides a horse across a giant woman's ass.

Sebastien Tellier - Roche
by RECORDMAKERS

Stevie Nicks: An example of good sound

2009-03-02T12:53:00.002-08:00

Pitchfork recently interviewed TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone about the sound problems when his band played Saturday Night Live. He said sound problems on the show were common, but knew that bands could sound good, holding up this 1983 Stevie Nicks performance as an example. He wasn't kidding.

Watch Stevie Nicks - Stand Back in Entertainment Videos and Music Videos | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Cussin' Obama-style

2009-02-25T21:45:00.002-08:00

Barack Obama read his own Dreams from my Father for the audio edition of the book. One chapter talks about his high-school friend Ray, who liked to use some colorful language. April Winchell uploaded some snippets in which the President quotes his old school chum saying things like, "You ain't my bitch, nigga, buy your own damn fries!" Somehow Barack still sounds wholesome even when the words "sorry-ass motherfucker" come out of his mouth.
Listen here.

NYU kids play revolution

2009-02-25T21:35:00.002-08:00

I'm all for affordable education, Palestinian rights, and totally against police brutality. But watching these schmucks barricade themselves in the NYU cafeteria and say that their adversaries "probably drink corporate water" (meant literally), I wanted to see the fascist pigs break out some tasers and wreck shop on these smug idiots.

I'm now ashamed to be a liberal with a MacBook.

Korean rock band covers J Dilla

2009-02-19T22:36:00.003-08:00

No Trivia has an incredibly in-depth, track by track series on J Dilla's classic instrumental album Donuts up right now, and the post for "Time: Donut of the Heart" features this video of a heavy, arty Korean band called Bulssazo playing a beautiful, mellow cover of the track, which itself is based on a Jackson 5 song.

These guys are clearly big admirers of Dilla; their MySpace also features a cover (labeled "Shoegaze Remix") of the Jay Dee-produced Common hit "The Light." It starts out quite nicely with the band's vocalist singing the chorus, but it gets weird when they drop in an alternate version of Common's verse from the original song. In my opinion they would have been better off just leaving out the rap, but it's still interesting. This and "Time" remind me somehow of the Lost in Translation soundtrack. Shoegaze plus Asia, I guess.

I watched the Grammys and I liked it

2009-02-08T20:33:00.005-08:00

I've really come around to contemporary pop music in the last year or so. Obviously it's not all good, and I still like a lot of weirdo stuff, but I've gotten to the point that I like a lot of radio hits, which would have been unthinkable in my punk days or even a couple years ago when I knew that REAL hip hop like Talib Kweli and Blackalicious was so much better than that commercial garbage. Take this as evidence: I'm watching the Grammys right now and enjoying most of it. The actual winners and nominees are mostly bullshit, so let's focus on the performances.

U2: Booo-ring! I was cooking in the other room.

Al Green: Let's Stay Together is really one of the greatest songs ever, and it sounds like the Rev's still got it. Justin Timberlake doesn't really add anything, but his singing is pretty good. With Keith Urban on guitar? And Boyz 2 Men on background vocals??? They're still together? I hadn't even noticed their vocals until JT pointed them out.

Coldplay: Chris Martin opens it solo on piano, then joined by Jay-Z who provides a decent verse, then the whole band appears and segues into Viva la Vida. The song has had diminishing returns for me, but this was a good performance. I dug the unusual drum kit and full-band harmonies at the end. Why in the name of all that is holy have Coldplay started dressing like that though? I described it to a friend as "Sgt. Pepper attacked by wild dogs" and then while accepting an award, Chris Martin himself refers to their look as a blatant rip-off of Sgt. Peppers.

Jonas Brothers: I had never actually heard these guys' music before. I hold an obvious bias because of promise rings and Disney, but this was really enjoyable. Oh it could be because they had STEVIE WONDER playing keys and singing with a TALKBOX. That was just for their own song, before they started playing SUPERSTITION! Screw it, these guys are awesome. Not to mention dreamy.

Mylee Cyrus and Taylor Swift: Another teen superstar I had never actually heard sing. I wasn't as impressed with her, is the country accent an affectation or does she really talk like that? Taylor Swift (only 19 herself) wrote the song, apparently. It's pretty good for what it is - I just can't get into country music. I hate the idea of holding genre-wide prejudices, but even "good" country just bugs me. Maybe I'm just racist against white people. Hence leaving out all the other country performances of this review. Ditto for American Idol-type crap like Jennifer Hudson.

Kid Rock: His hit song is pretty enjoyable, but I think it comes solely from the ripped off parts from Sweet Home Alabama and Werewolves of London. The other stuff is pretty bland. I don't really feel strongly about it one way or the other.

Blink-182 announces they've decided to get back together! I'm not too embarrassed to admit they were my favorite band when I was 15, but I'll probably never hear any new stuff they put out.

Katy Perry: This song is so obnoxious (especially with Craig Ferguson introducing it by reminding us how AWESOME lesbians are, brah) Having said that, I would smaaash!

There's a McDonald's commercial with little kids playing soccer that uses an Os Mutantes song. Weeeird.

Kanye West and Estelle: I got so hyped. I fucking love this jam, even though it was a truncated version. I expected them to go into one of Yeezy's solo joints. What's with his quasi-mullet? And her dress is bizarre, still think she's kinda hot though.

Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I.: I like Swagger Like Us more than most and this was an awesome live performance, with a good live band (prominent lead guitar especially stood out) and a hugely pregnant M.I.A. singing the chorus of Paper Planes that was sampled for this song. It's pretty awesome and unbelievable that she was nominated for Record of the Year (She didn't win, of course), but I would have liked to have seen her sing more than just "swagger like us/swagger swagger like us."

Sir Paul McCartney: How can you go wrong with Beatles classics like I Saw Her Standing There? Wait, that's it? I assumed this would be a medley. It was great, but kind of a random choice of one song to play. At least he didn't go for something maudlin like "Yesterday"...

Adele: My first time hearing this Chasing Pavement song. The girl can sing, but this kind of stuff really doesn't do anything for me.

Radiohead! With the USC marching band! Just like Fleetwood Mac's Tusk! 15 Step was a good choice for this setup, but there was something anticlimactic about it. They need to give these bands more time; all the songs are cut down to like 2 minutes. And was it just Thom and Johnny there? Surely the other guys could have done something. Still, it's nice to see the actual best album of last year -that'd be In Rainbows- nominated for Album of the Year.

T.I. and Justin Timberlake: These guys both get to perform twice, huh? I like this song, not much to say about it. It's no My Love.

The legendary Smokey Robinson introduces the Four Tops, who are down to only 1 or 2 Tops with the passing of lead vocalist Levi Stubbs, then joins them onstage along with Jamie Foxx and Ne-Yo. Even Paul McCartney is impressed.

Lil Wayne: going the serious route (sans his Serious Glasses) and doing his subdued N'awlans tribute Tie My Hands with Robin Thicke. Thank God he dodn't do one of his new "rock" songs. At the end of the song an old guy busted out a piano solo and a horn section came marching out. Then Tha Carter III won best album and Weezy's family including his "daddy" Baby piled on stage. Oh, Weezy.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: I think this is the song Plant said he wrote with Jimmy Page post-Zeppelin. I like the arrangement: just stripped down drums, upright bass, an acoustic-electric and an electric. Song of the Year might be pushing it. Wow, they won Album too.

And Stevie comes back to play us out. Welp, see ya later.

Lindstrøm live in San Francisco

2009-02-04T21:52:00.002-08:00

I saw people taping at the amazing Lindstrom party (show) I went to at Paradise Lounge last Saturday, so I'm glad they made it onto YouTube. Sound quality is good, but they're chopped rather inconveniently into 11 parts; here's the first:

On part 3, the sound goes out at 2:00, I'd recommend skipping to part 4 from there.
The light show was incredible but there was a smoke machine suspended from the ceiling that was leaking hot oil on people. Some wasted guy wanted to fight my friend because he thought he had burned him with a cigarette. My friend's response to calm the guy down: "I'm not smoking! I have a joint, though, if you want we could smoke it."

El Guincho live: "Club de Rusia"

2009-02-04T21:24:00.004-08:00

This new track recorded live in NYC is on the more uptempo side of El Guincho's trance-inducing tropical formula, with metallic keyboard flourishes and an almost reggaeton groove. He's joined here on percussion and backing vox by Aleix Clavera of Extraperlo who looks like a character from an 80s John Hughes movie. Ahhh, Spain. Excuse me, Catalunya.
(via Pitchfork)

Here's "Verbena de los Delfines," a 'cover' of Guincho's other band, Coconut.

I'm listening to the Extraperlo tracks on their Myspace and I really dig them, but the vocals are like weirdly flat and restrained. I could see myself really liking them with a little time.

Katie Couric: Apparently not a Gangsta

2009-01-30T15:16:00.004-08:00

I can't embed this for some reason, so go here for the lolz. I like his Serious Glasses. He wore them on his ESPN appearance too.

OH SHIT! GANG GANG!

2009-01-29T22:02:00.002-08:00

Along from Merriweather Post Pavillion (rad official video at link), Gang Gang Dance's Saint Dymphna is one of those recent albums that I can't stop listening to and keep getting more amazing with every listen. Here's a clip that sheds some light on the recording process of the track "Princes" featuring UK rapper Tinchy Snyder.

New Adek Dark's Video

2009-01-23T17:33:00.005-08:00

I told you about French rapper Adek Dark's and his banger "Alchimiste" months ago. Now it and a couple more tracks, like the Carole King sampling " Le parcours d'une grotte d'eau" are on his Facebook and MySpace pages. His Space also features this short but extremely high-quality video clip for "Ce que j'ai". Now I just gotta learn French.

Adek Dark'S - Ce que j'ai
by CarpeDiem_Music

How to be cool

2009-01-23T16:38:00.002-08:00

Have things in your household gotten so bad you've resorted to eating a baseball cleat?
Did your first summer job involve organized homicide?

Stevie Wonder and the Eye-talian Pastafarian

2009-01-16T13:42:00.002-08:00

And just so you don't think I'm heartlessly mocking a musical genius, check this out:

German children attempt to elope to Africa

2009-01-07T20:45:00.002-08:00

With Israel showing no signs of stopping its brutal "retaliation" against the people of Gaza, it was nice to come across a news story about children that doesn't involve violence and poverty.

Top 10 Albums of 2008

2008-12-30T22:29:00.007-08:00

I listened to more new full albums this year than probably ever, largely due to having a fast internet connection, a stretch of unemployment, and a desire to put this list together. These rankings always change/potentially become embarrassing with time, but as of the second day of the new year here's my tops (update: I had to change this around a little after listening to the Erykah Badu obsessively).

10. Amplive - In Rainbowz (Radiohead In Rainbows Remixes)
The DJ/producer from Zion I turns my favorite album from last year into haunted hip hop/electro bangers. Who thought you'd ever hear Too $hort and Thom Yorke on the same track?

9. Q-Tip - The Renaissance
"What good is your ear if Q-Tip ain't in it?" The Abstract proves he's still on point (without Phife) with an incredibly tight, focused album of organically grooving jams that reminds you of the glory days without sounding stuck in the past.

8. Fucked Up- The Chemistry of Modern Life
It's been a looong time since I liked a hardcore album this much. That sun shining through city blocks is the perfect cover image, symbolizing the ultimate positivity of this band despite its ugly elements. It makes me feel like I can take on the world, despite everything.

7. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter 3
It was Wayne's year, without a doubt. This album showcases not so much the flow that took him to the top, but rather the weirdo pop smarts that's keeping him there. Let's hope he gets out of his "singing in Autotune and pretending to play guitar are awesome" phase and tops this.

6. El Guincho - Alegranza!
Its title is a rarely used word for 'happiness,' which seems appropriate. Endless tape loops, tribal chanting, innovative percussion, bizarro samples. The weird thing is that everyone was saying that he sounds like Animal Collective, but that wasn't true until the stuff on AC's new album.

5. Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit are The Very Best
Another feel-good one, this time in a more traditional way. The Malawian sings gorgeous original melodies in his native language over a diverse array (MIA, Vampire Weekend, Michael Jackson) of backing tracks.

4. Gang Gang Dance - Saint Dymphna
Despite being apparently the most accessible album by this band, it's still definitely a grower. I love the freak-out live percussion skittering over the synths as the singer does otherworldly things with her voice.

3. Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
This record proves that great songwriting and amazing electronic sounds aren't mutually exclusive. The acoustic guitars meld wonderfully with the keyboard arpeggios and 90s rave synths and the songs are sequenced in a way that you're totally ready for the four-on-the-floor, hands in the air moments.

2. Erykah Badu- New Amerykah Part One (New World War)
I had always seen Ms. Badu as merely an above average hippyish R&B singer, not really my cup of tea, and was not prepared for an album of this depth and magnificence. The lyrics explore complex social realities and the whole thing has a simultaneous 70s soul/avant garde hip hop vibe to it, like Stevie Wonder mixed by the spirit of J Dilla.

1. TV on the Radio - Dear Science
This started as my least favorite TVOTR album, and there are few tracks that still don't totally work for me (like the opener), but I've fallen in love with the rest of it. The addition of Antibalas as a horn section and the increased emphasis on funk were absolutely steps in the right direction, but the slow burners (Family Tree, Stork and Owl) are among the best they've ever done too.

Honorable Mentions:
Santogold's proper album and Top Ranking mixtape, Lindstrøm, Flying Lotus, Vampire Weekend, The Walkmen, Sigur Rós, Sébstien Tellier, Black Milk.

An Animal Collective Christmas

2008-12-25T01:13:00.005-08:00

I tend to overuse the word "amazing" but I think it applies to this new Animal Collective song, even as an unmixed live recording from last year's Coachella. Between this and Brother Sport , I'm super excited about the album. Apparently there's some hulabaloo about rabid fans trying to get it leaked NOW cause THEY CANT WAIT! It comes out in a week on vinyl and in less than two weeks when it becomes the first CD I've actually bought in DAYS.

On another note, Merry Christmas. I love my family, hope you do too. This should get you feeling good, if nothing else will. John Lennon is great "get my life on track, never drinking again" hangover music too.

What? John and Yoko too political and self-satisfied for you? Try not to smile through this one then.

Pop songs of the year

2008-12-14T15:29:00.002-08:00

I've burned myself out on a lot of these, but here are the 10 pop singles from the past year that I enjoyed the most.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

Music Moments of 2008

2008-12-11T13:17:00.004-08:00

I'm kind of a nerd about "best of the year" music lists and I've been looking at a lot of them and downloading a lot of things I hadn't heard yet so I can come up with one of my own. For now here's 5 random music-related moments that I truly enjoyed this year:

-Being part of the massive dance party whipped up in a big dusty field by a skinny, scruffy canario by the name of El Guincho using only a sampler, a microphone and rudimentary percussion at his free show in Madrid.

-Singing along to the "all she wants me to do is fuck the po-lice" line in Lil' Wayne's "Ms. Officer" the second time I'd ever heard the song, then trying to hit Bobby Valentino's high notes the next hundred times.

-Finally seeing Radiohead live as they became the first band ever to play Golden Gate Park at night and having it be all I'd ever imagined (minus the sound going out twice for like a whole minute each time), especially after a tragic incident of buying tickets to see them in Barcelona and having the tickets go to waste due to extenuating circumstances.

-Sac promoter Jerry Perry's 40th anniversary show for quite possibly my favorite album ever, the Beatles' White Album. The local bands were a mixed bag, but obviously all the songs were great. Surreal highlight: Ride! doing a free jazz version of Revolution 9 as pretty girls dressed in white held white balloons and picket signs bearing slogans like "Count me in/out".

-Lupita requesting Britney Spears' "Gimme More" at Piccadilly in Valencia and not remembering the title. "La en que dice 'It's Britney, Bitch,'" she said to the probably non-English-speaking DJ, who recognized it istantly. Then we were the only people getting down to it on the dance floor. "This is such an amazing song!"

Young Barack Obama, I'm all for it

2008-11-01T19:29:00.002-07:00

It's been a while since I've written anything on here, but after seeing a couple Obama speeches on CNN today while caulking in hotel rooms (my preferred way to describe my current job, since pronounced out loud it might lead you to believe I were a gigolo) I've gotten more and more excited about our next president. (Jeb's not counting the votes this time, right?) My feelings have come in waves: believing in the possibility of true change, then thinking Obama will be just another centrist Democrat, then back to hope, where I stand now. Hearing him affirm that every young person should be able to afford college, that health care should not be denied for the seriously ill, sent goosebumps down my back. These rights should really go without saying, and the fact that believing in them gets you called a radical in this country is disgusting, but if a majority of the American voters feel agree with Obama's platform enough to cast their ballots for him, maybe I'm not so radical after all.
The New Yorker recently featured a clever piece by Hendrik Hertzberg highlighting the absurdity of the Republicans' calling out of Obama as a socialist. Also on that magazine's website, George Packer quotes Obama's book "The Audacity of Hope" which in turn quotes economist Warren Buffet, which I will in turn quote here in its entirety:
They have this idea that it’s “their money” and they deserve to keep every penny of it. What they don’t factor in is all the public investment that lets us live the way we do. Take me as an example. I happen to have a talent for allocating capital. But my ability to use that talent is completely dependent on the society I was born into. If I’d been born into a tribe of hunters, this talent of mine would be pretty worthless. I can’t run very fast. I’m not particularly strong. I’d probably end up as some wild animal’s dinner. But I was lucky enough to be born into a time and place where society values my talent, and gave me a good education to develop that talent, and set up the laws and the financial system to let me do what I love doing—and make a lot of money doing it. The least I can do is help pay for all that.
Packer closes with, "What this suggests isn’t socialism, but wisdom."
Ironically enough, that "hope" image I used up there came (via a Google image search) from a horrendously designed, poorly punctuated site which paints He With the Evil Middle Name of Hussain as a socialist, pointing to the revolutionary imagery as proof. Check it out for a laff.
I leave you with a video of Lil' Wayne and Juelz Santana's version of Nas and Jay-Z's "Black Republican," theoretically because it contains the line I named this entry for, but mostly because it's a hella tight song.

Now GO VOTE!!!! Yes on 1A, 2 and 5! No on 4, 6, and 8!

Evangelicals (the good kind)

2008-09-23T16:12:00.003-07:00

Don't know too much about these guys, but I know I like 'em. Thought it was a chick singing at first but their Myspace reveals a strict dudefest. And the video is the good kind of low-budget; a B-movie horror throwback that fits the music quite nicely. If you listen to the video without watching it, the screams only heighten the song's intense mood.

The stuff of nightmares

2008-09-23T15:06:00.003-07:00

Imagine seeing this dude pull up next to you at the intersection of Mack and Valley Hi. You glance back and the driver looks completely normal again. My friend Mike saw a half-man/half-lion driving when he was about 12 and we still crack up about it. You know, to hide the terror.

New Nas video: Wow.

2008-09-23T12:34:00.003-07:00

More of a short film, really, soundtracked by "Y'all My Niggas" from his new untitled album, which I've yet to hear in its entirety. Nasir riffs on the ramifications of that infamous word he almost titled the album before sampling Master of missing the point Bill O'Reilly and closing things out with a screed expanding the boundaries of oppression.
This underlines how frustrating it can be to be a Nas fan: He'll drop something amazing like this, but his output is so uneven after a Shakespeare-level debut at age 20. I've been listening to his second album It Was Written in the car lately and the lyrics are still there, but outside of a few bangers, the production leaves you flat. Bangers i.e. the Lauryn Hill-assisted "If I Ruled the World":

Nasty is flirting with the Puff Daddy Times Squarification of hip-hop in the video, which became insufferable but was pretty fresh in 1996, and his lyrics, while touching on materialism (like you wouldn't have some jet skis if you ran the world), got a discussion of prison abolition on mainstream radio, just as he'll hopefully do now with an honest dialogue on race and class. Thanks Nas. (Thanks also to Sound Verite')

Lil' Wayne is for the children

2008-09-14T23:27:00.004-07:00

This is a great piece of writing by David Ramsey in the Oxford American about his experience as a middle- and high school teacher in post-Katrina New Orleans and how it all comes back to Weezy F.

Friday Jamzz

2008-09-12T14:02:00.003-07:00

It's Friday, man, you ain't got no (real) job; you ain't got shit to do; you two microbrews deep at 2 PM; you finna bust out a bike cruise in the mildly ghetto neighborhood you grew up in and then tear it up in some b-ball later, but peep some fresh jams first, son.

Adek Dark's: Rap Français Trés Fresh

2008-09-08T19:10:00.003-07:00

When I was in Paris this past winter, the friend I was staying with took me to an informal reunion of people she went to middle-school with, held at a neighborhood hookah bar/tea room in the suburb of Asnières-sur-Seine. It was a potentially awkward situation, considering that I don't speak French and most of them spoke only very basic English, but some of the friends were really friendly and made the effort to engage me in conversation. I talked at length with un mec named Marc, mostly about hip-hop. We exchanged emails and he said he'd send me some French hip-hop tracks, but never mentioned that he himself did music.
When he emailed me, I was surprised that the mp3 attached was by him. And even more surprising it was really good! I have basically no idea what he's saying (one line I did understand imagines "Obesity in Sudan, famine in America"), but he sounds awesome saying it. Dark's (I don't get the apostrophe either) mentioned his admiration of Jay-Z and Kanye West, and "Alchimiste," with production by the Soulchildren, sounds like it could be from a French version of The Blueprint.
He's supposed to send me some more stuff, which I'll be sure to share, but for now check out "Alchimiste" and a well-recorded live YouTube video from 2005 with a dude called Barbak le Demoniak.

Eugene Mirman: Who is Sarah Palin?

2008-09-05T12:26:00.001-07:00

She'll show those moose who's boss, that's for sure!

Fare 'n' balunst

2008-09-04T13:04:00.004-07:00

This is wonderful. If you hadn't heard, anyone who dares to criticize Sarah Palin is a sexist! Just ask such noted feminists and beacons for equal rights as Bill O'Reilly and Karl Rove.

Obama is going on The O'Reilly Factor tonight, and while it will surely be an unproductive affair that only legitimizes the blowhard as some sort of actual journalist, you can bet I'll tune in, probably at the gym where I can make my rage at the teevee into something productive.
In related news, the night of her speech was the first time I realized that her name is pronounced "pale in," which renders the puns "Palindromes" and "Just Palin Around" technically incorrect, but no less funny. Quick, someone start one called "Palin Comparison"!

Mediocrity's greatest hits

2008-09-02T15:19:00.004-07:00

There are actually a couple decent individual songs on this Ultimate Alt Rawk Comp, but can you imagine paying money for it? Why not just set your time machine for 2003 and listen to any buttrock radio station in the country?
Making it through the commercial was hard enough; I can only imagine the discs themselves are on heavy rotation at Guantanamo.

Ah, to be young and nerdy

2008-08-27T16:36:00.004-07:00

While languishing in the purgatory of waiting for potential employers to get back to me, I decided to do this survey thing that Gorilla Vs. Bear brought to my attention but apparently started here.
It's a list of my favorite albums from every year I've been alive. I'm doing this with the advantage of my 20/20 hindsight glasses, but I have tried to keep in consideration my tastes from back in those years (not too much, though; you won't be seeing any Kid Rock). Also, I wasn't really into the Replacements in my first year of life. These sites helped out a lot.

1984: Let It Be - The Replacements
1985: No Jacket Required - Phil Collins
1986: The Queen Is Dead - The Smiths
1987: Louder Than Bombs - The Smiths
1988: ...And Justice for All - Metallica
1989: Paul's Boutique - Beastie Boys
1990: Changesbowie - David Bowie (Does that count? If not, then 1,039 Smoothed Out Slappy Hours - Green Day. Wait, that's a compilation too. Damn it, 1990 sucked!)
1991: The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
1992: The Chronic - Dr. Dre
1993: Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) - Wu-Tang Clan
1994: Illmatic - Nas
1995: Ready to Die - The Notorious B.I.G.
1996: Sublime - Sublime
1997: The Carnival - Wyclef Jean (I want to see how this one stands up. Dude's kind of a cheeseball these days, but I remember this being amazing.)
1998: Aquemeni - OutKast
1999: Black On Both Sides - Mos Def
2000: Kid A - Radiohead
2001: Discovery - Daft Punk
(This is the point at which it becomes very difficult as I was becoming a music geek, therefore I begin cheating and listing more than one)
2002: Hold Your Horse Is - Hella | Blazing Arrow - Blackalicious (Sac Town what!)
2003: De-loused in the Comatorium - The Mars Volta
2004: Funeral - Arcade Fire
2005: Frances the Mute - The Mars Volta (shut up) | Late Registration - Kanye West
2006: Return to Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio
2007: In Rainbows - Radiohead | Person Pitch - Panda Bear |Kala- MIA | Sound of Silver - LCD Soundsystem
2008: No full albums have really grabbed my attention yet. Santogold?

This is what you missed by living in America.

2008-08-24T15:37:00.004-07:00

The EuroVision song contest is an annual event loaded with American Idol-style vocal acrobatics, costumes that figure skaters (except the one actually employed by winners Russia) wouldn't wear in public, and banal lyrics almost all sung in English. The two bright spots showed a self-awareness and intentional humor that underlined the ridiculousness of their competition.
"Baila el Chiki Chiki," Rodolfo Chikilicuatre, Spain

(official video)

(performance at Eurovision '08)

"Divine," Sebastien Tellier, France

(official video)

(performance at Eurovision '08)

Su Sussudio

2008-06-28T10:47:00.004-07:00

Phil Collins' "Sussudio" was apparently a popular choice for children's televised talent contests circa 1986. I may have performed it myself had I been older than 2. The damn thing's been stuck in my head ever since I saw this awesome performance at Street Carnage with an accompanying anecdote about precociously gay kids. It reminds me of the scene in American Psycho where he's flexing in the mirror during the threesome. Coincidentally I just finished reading the novel upon which it was based, which is funny and brilliant in its way but also has some incredibly graphic sexual violence that made me physically nauseated at times. I still prefer the movie. But back to this video, note the cool-guy host with the 80s face (seriously, it's not just the hair and clothes, there's no young people with faces like that anymore) who dances to stage left as the song starts.

Then there's this one featuring future stars Mario Lopez, already fancying himself a lady-killer, and one Stacy Ferguson. Hey, guess who had the worst singing voice and dance moves of the group? Hint: he or she (seriously, I'm not sure) is currently a huge pop star and quite possibly, to paraphrase Sports Illustrated, a sign of the immanent apocalypse.

El Guincho in Madrid

2008-06-23T10:51:00.006-07:00

Barcelona-based El Guincho took the stage solo on Saturday at a free show in Madrid as part of the European Day of Music. Armed with only a sampler, a mic, one tom drum and a tambourine, he whipped the crowd into a frenzy with his tropicalia-based electronica. I've heard him compared to Panda Bear, who I also love, but the only real similarity is that they're one-man bands singing over loops. El Guincho veers much closer to dancey techno, and while his recordings might seem borderline annoying if you listen to it while typing at your computer, I highly recommend them for your next open-minded dance party and by all means, catch him on tour if possible.

Also on the bill were electro trio The Pinker Tones, also from Barcelona, who mixed things up by playing live bass, guitar and a pared-down drum kit along with their mixing and scratching.

New Sigur Rós

2008-06-21T15:37:00.002-07:00

Sigur Rós is streaming their whole new album at their website, and you can also download the mp3 and watch the video for the amazing first single "Gobbledigook." Most of the album is what we've come to expect from the band, but "Gobbledigook" features acoustic strumming, a fast melody, and clocks in at under 3 minutes! This one especially and a couple more tracks have a very positive, upbeat feeling that I'm really enjoying. The video compliments the tribal good feelings of the song by showing naked youths frolicking in a forest. It is "inspired by and created in collaboration with" photographer Ryan McGinley, who apparently is currently boning the lead singer. Speaking of which, Vice recently published some cool early photographs by McGinley with little stories about their context.

Will Arnett is a hilarious bastard.

2008-06-21T15:32:00.001-07:00

The sketch comedy show Human Giant is an oasis in the vapid, soul-sucking desert that is today’s MTV. Here we have a guest appearance by GOB himself, Will Arnett, who seems to play the same character in anything I’ve ever seen him in, maybe that's his real personality but he still manages to be hilarious. It gets pretty raunchy, don’t watch it at work or in front of any impressionable children.

El Chiki Chiki en la luz del Quijote

2008-06-08T19:28:00.002-07:00

(English Translation coming soon)
Tuve el placer de ver por la primera vez la semana pasada el concurso anual de la Eurovisión. No había planeado verlo puesto que era el sábado justo antes de los exámenes finales, pero una amiga me acordó de su existencia cuando me contó que alguien la había invitado a una fiesta de ver el concurso.
—Pero debería estudiar—dijo.
—A lo mejor podríamos estudiar en tu casa y tener la tele encendido, el volumen bajo y nos pondremos atención cuando pase algo interesante—sugerí.
Estábamos en la tienda PC City donde estaba esperando para revolver unos ariculares. Le preguntó a un chaval de unos quince años esperando en un sillón igualito que lo en que ella sentaba.
— ¿Sabes cuando empieza la Eurovisión?
—Pues, creo que por las nueve, ¿no? Por las nueve. Pero el Chiki Chiki no estará hasta las once o por ahí.
Por supuesto, el Chiki Chiki. La selección de España para representarse en la competición y lo único que importaba a alguien aquí de ella. Había visto el video en YouTube, me hacía gracia, pero no entendía su popularidad enorme. Tomaba un café una vez con un grupo de españoles quienes empezaban discutir su estupidez y lo único que pude añadir a la conversación era, “Sí, pero es cómico, ¿no?”
Pero esto era antes de experimentar la misma Eurovisión y contemplar lo que intentaba hacer este Sr. Chikilicuatre. Después de mirar un par de canciones, me horrorizó el espectáculo de un desfile de canciones repugnantes, la mayoría con letras genéricas en inglés. No pude distinguir entre la competencia salvo un par que se destacaban por mostrar algo de la cultura del entrante o alguna gota de originalidad. La alternativa de ver más de este desastre hizo que nos apetecía estudiar para el examen del arte.
Eventualmente me noté la introducción de España. Subimos el volumen y miramos fijamente a la pantalla mientras Rodolfo Chikilicuatre empieza con un solo de unas notas de “Old MacDonald” tocado con su juguete guitarra y entonces canta, o mejor dicho, recita sus letras absurdas sobre su baile, “El Chiki Chiki,” los varios personajes que lo bailen mientras sus bailarinas se caían y entonces luchan a levantarse de nuevo. La interpretación terminó en la plaza décimo séptimo pero un solo país, Andorra, la dio su máximo número de puntos. Es una señal de brillantez que a pocos les encanta algo, mientras los demás lo odian o no se llama la atención.
Obviamente, no conozco las culturas de los otros países europeos como la española después de vivir aquí durante nueve meses, pero me dio cuenta que esta interpretación sólo podría venir de España. Es un espectáculo de fracaso en que el cantante no puede cantar y las bailarinas no pueden bailar. Mientras los otros países hacen alarde su conocimiento de inglés, Chikilicuatre utiliza unas palabras de inglés mal pronunciado y deletreados fonéticamente como si fueran español en una pantalla atrás, por ejemplo breakdance como “brikindans”.
Su uso del medio de la canción pop a burlarse del mismo medio viene directo del Quijote. Cervantes escribió una obra maestra que esencialmente es una burla de la forma popular en aquella época de la novela caballería. Por supuesto hay más temas del libro que los relacionados a la caballería, pero es una crítica directa a ellas. Siglos después, el Quijote sobrevive como la primera novela moderna y podría decir la mejor de la historia, mientras el genero de la novela caballería está muerto hace siglos.
Cervantes fracasó y fracasó con sus novelas ejemplares porque el público, producto de la sociedad del Siglo XVI, no conectaban los temas. Cervantes escribía de un amor totalmente desconectado de las ideas del amor cortés y amor de lejos. Sólo llegó a reconocimiento con la publicación del Quijote. Pero el público general no reconocía las como criticismo social, sino como algo gracioso. “Baila el Chiki Chiki” ha entrado al concurso Eurovisión por su humor absurda, pero es realmente una critica de un concurso ridículo y inútil. España no eligió la canción porque querían perder o querían hacer la peor canción en la historia del concurso. Al contrario, sabían que iban a perder el diseño del voto (que algunos países vecinos siempre se votan y uno del Oriente siempre gana) y la escogió para decir que estupidez a propósito es preferible a canciones ridículos y terribles que se piensan muy serias.
Cuando tomó la decisión a convertirse en un caballero andante, Alonso Quijano tuvo que cambiar su nombre también, ya que todo de su personaje se cambió. Eligió el nombre don Quijote, un nombre ridiculo. “Rodolfo Chikilicuatre” es una invención del humorista David Fernández Ortiz, que hasta invento una fecha y lugar de nacimiento para Rodolfo. El nombre mismo es igualmente absurdo a Quijote, utilizando la antigua palabra española chiquilicuatre que tiene muchas connotaciones, ninguna positiva. Como nadie llamó a don Quijote “Alonso” después de su conversión, la prensa juega junto con Fernández en tratar el personaje como si fuera el propio artista mientras insista que Chikilicuatre es su apellido natural. Me acuerda del final de la vida de don Quijote, cuando dice que estaba loco pero ya es cuerdo, y no es don Quijote, sino Alonso Quijano. Pero nadie lo acepta. Ya están metidos en su juego. Estoy seguro que hasta su muerte, la gente llamarán a David Fernández Ortiz como Rodolfo y le pedirán a bailar el Chiki Chiki.

In defense of Scarlett Johansson (kind of)

2008-06-08T13:30:00.005-07:00

So Scarlett Johansson's musical vanity project has been out for almost a month, and the critical response and sales have both been dismal. Critics have not been able to separate the music from the knowledge that it was made by a movie star with no real singing talent but high profile friends, and fans of her Hollywood movies looking for a typical pop album and finding distorted, slow shoegaze instead.
But the fact is, becoming famous enough to release a major-label album is a crapshoot based on knowing the right people and/or being in the right place at the right time. So her previous fame must be excluded from the discussion. Then there's the matter of her voice. It's deep and doesn't have much range; the comparison that comes to mind is Nico, who herself is proof that you don't need to have a great voice or write lyrics or music to make classic songs. And who is Johansson covering here? Tom Waits, the critical darling with a voice that makes Bob Dylan look like an American Idol contestant.
The production is courtesy of TV on the Radio's David Sitek, and the first single, "Falling Down" sounds like nothing more than his band as fronted by the actress. Obviously it's missing the two amazing vocalists of TVOTR, but crank it up and try to deny its apocalyptic, slow-building power as she sings, "I've come 500 miles just to see your halo..." The fact that David Fucking Bowie sings backup on it and he's the least remarkable part of the track has to say something.
Anywhere I Lay My Head is not a great album, but it's certainly not bad and has several amazing tracks, which would be a shame to miss out on regardless of your feelings on Johansson's acting or public persona.

SeeqPod - Playable Search
Playing the Ramones to Johansson's Nico fronting the Velvet Underground, this is Vivian Girls. I just heard three of their songs and don't know a whole lot about them except that they're from Brooklyn (where else?). They also have elements of shoegazey distortion in their guitar and production, but it's over super-poppy songs reminiscent of 60s girl groups. They have much sweeter voices than ScarJo and an overall punkier, less polished aesthetic. Possibly their catchiest song, "Where Do You Run To" is available over at Gorilla vs. Bear.

Rounding out today's trio of female-fronted pop is Sweden's Lykke Li, whose debut album Youth Novels just came out in Europe and is soon to follow in the States. You've probably already heard it, but I have to include my favorite version of "I'm Good I'm Gone" which was filmed in a bathroom and involves some creative water-based percussion. I really like the arrangement on her songs where it's kind of sparse in the verses and then all comes together for brilliant, hooky choruses.