Album Review: Radiohead's 'The King of Limbs'
The British band's excess of atmosphere is surprisingly uncomplicated
Radiohead's "The King of Limbs"
I was planning a whole day on Saturday for Radiohead’s “The King of Limbs,” but since it arrived early, it claimed most of my morning. I took a run with it, and because New York isn’t Godless after all, the weather allowed for a walk with it; I headphoned and looped it after lunch.
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Watch: The Cars reveal first new song in two decades, 'Blue Tip'
Still waiting for hypercolor to come back into style
The Cars
Oh man, and I thought I dorked out when Devo dropped their new material.
The surviving members of The Cars have reunited and now the fruits of their recording sessions are finally arriving. The late-'70s/early '80s rock outfit has unleashed "Blue Tip," their first new song in 24 years.
Twenty-four. Years.
I had low expectations, despite the fact that I think Ric Ocasek is one of the most stellar rock frontmen of all time (no, I'm not exaggerating, just buy me a drink and I'll defend my thesis).
"Blue Tip" is solid. My hipster friends would play this at their Four Loko parties (if only it was on vinyl already...). My parents might put it on at their first barbecue this year. And as impossible as the maneuver is, a bunch of Austin pop-rock bands just deleted their MySpace pages to throw in the towel
Thanks to TwentyfourBit; now I'm excited for the full-length, "Move Like This," due May 10. Perhaps a a resurgence in mini-skirts and checkerboard print is next? At least we got the Ray-Bans right.
Watch: Lil' Kim’s Nicki Minaj diss track ‘Black Friday’ gets a video
Thoughts on the female MC infighting
If you haven’t been awake for the last 72 hours, then you may have missed the Great Lil' Kim Uprising.
Album Review: Bright Eyes' swan song 'The People's Key'
Does Conor Oberst's madman metaphors kill or get killed?
Bright Eyes
An utter prophet at time, and then, at others, a punk-ass kid. It’s difficult, of course, to call a 30-year-old man and esteemed musician a kid, but then again that’s one of Conor Oberst's very projected struggles on “The People’s Key.”
Song Of The Day: Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's new 'New Wonder' with Cairo Gang
Get mellow, for a good cause
Bonnie "Prince" Billy & The Cairo Gang's "Island Brothers"
Bonnie "Prince" Billy told us to "Beware" in 2009 and furthermore sent us to "The Wonder Show of the World" with The Cairo Gang last year. He and that latter group have a little more output to project this year, with a new two-song single due on Feb. 22.
"New Wonder" is the flip side of "Island Brothers'; it utilizes Will Oldham's delicate vocal features with the crackling, harmonic folk sounds of the Cairo Gang, led by Emmett Kelly (who has performed on BPB's other records, like heartaching "The Letting Go"). The flickering music video to "New Wonder" is below.
Now, I don't mean to hit you on Hump Day with a funeral, but the sales to "Island Brothers"/"New Wonder" go toward Edge Outreach, which helps provide clean drinking water resources to the people in Haiti, to battle cholera and future struggles of the ailing island.
Bonnie "Prince" Billy has only one show on slate currently, though don't be surprised at the speed at which that will change: he'll be at All Tomorrow's Parties NY (OK, OK, New Jersey), the three-day tickets to which are woefully sold-out and no I'm not done crying about it yet.
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Watch: Kerry Washington, Janelle Monae star in Cee Lo's 'Bodies' vid
Ladies love shoes, men love shades, love loves murder
Cee Lo Green
If the peacock version of Cee Lo Green at the Grammys this year didn't suit you, try the Lady Killer instead.
The singer and rapper stars in his "Bodies" music video, keenly directed by Mikael Colombu and co-starring Kerry Washington. Cee Lo is literally a killer of ladies (OK, and a doctor, too) in this animated adventure, which features the "Ray" actress seeing red at the heel of her own shoe.
But Green develops a crush on another potential victim, a "Tightrope"-walking circus star (I see what you did there) who has shady homicidal tendencies of her own. Mmmm, pulp fiction.
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Watch: Foo Fighters tap Lemmy for new '80s-loving 'White Limo' clip
Album title and tracklist (and new special guest Bob Mould) announced too
The Foo Fighters' name packs a punch of its own (get it?), but add Lemmy, and you've got a serious assault.
The legendary Motorhead frontman jumps behind the wheel of "White Limo," the fourth song from the Foos' forthcoming album, newly dubbed "Wasting Light."
A VHS camera later, we have the whole band -- Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear -- shoved into the back of the long car and sometimes rocking the hell out in a parking lot. Grohl's wife Jordyn even makes an appearance.
Forget Arcade Fire's "We Used to Wait" clip: this little firecracker is gonna take you back. There's a good reason people don't make hair metal videos like they did in the '80s any more, but "White Limo" certainly is a fun-to-watch reminder. On top of that, the growl of Grohl on this new track will have your fingers flying for those old Damned records (OK, OK, and Kilminster's greatest works).
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Album Review: PJ Harvey's 'Let England Shake'
Shaken and stirred: English songwriter soars in the terrors of war
PJ Harvey
It’s tough to dive entirely into PJ Harvey’s “Let England Shake” without a history lesson, and the richer the story, the deeper you go.
Watch: LCD Soundsystem makes its final TV appearance ever on 'Colbert'
'At some point, it gets embarrassing'
James Murphy and Stephen Colbert on "The Colbert Report"
Yes, you've died and gone to Brooklyn.
It was with those words that Stephen Colbert teased his musical and interview guest last night on "The Colbert Report": LCD Soundsystem was making its last television appearance ever.
James Murphy sat in the hot seat to field mostly one-liners from Colbert, who asked why his band was calling it quits.
"It seemed like the right thing to do," Murphy said, noting that he's 41 and "at some point it gets embarrassing."
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LCD Soundsystem adds four farewell show dates after MSG furor
Band heading to 'The Colbert Report' tonight
James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem
Sorry, rest of the country, but LCD Soundsystem just wants to take care of New York.
After thousands of fans were shut out from buying tickets to the electronic band's farewell show at Madison Square Garden, James Murphy and Co. subsequently announced the addition of four new dates at Terminal 5, leading up to the April 2 swan song. The MSG concert, dubbed The Long Goodbye, sold out in less than five minutes, with tickets going almost instantly up on secondary ticket market sites like StubHub.
Those prices -- some of which went up for $1,500 and more -- have dipped since LCD announced shows for March 28-31. Tickets for those go up on Feb. 18 via Ticketmaster for $40 plus whatever gnarly, evil fees are tacked on because the world is a cold, dead place. Ticket purchases are limited to 2 a piece.
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