Massive Attack on Jimmy Kimmel

Here is Massive Attack playing the song "Tear Drop" on Jimmy Kimmel, May 21, 2010. It's off of their new album Heligoland. Pretty cool stuff.

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The National (and Some Other Guy) Perform "Afraid of Everyone" on Letterman

I'm going to be up front: This is not an objective post. If you've followed this blog at all, I've made it pretty apparent what I think of The National and their music. In fact, a few weeks ago I referred to them as "the best band this side of the Atlantic". I know, that's a pretty lofty declaration. I also know that anything I say beyond this point will probably now be chalked up to fanboy bias. But don't allow that to distract you; the proof is in the music. High Violet has done nothing but solidify their status as one of the best bands out there. And, by the way, if you somehow need more proof, look no further than their performance on The Late Show last night. They brought Sufjan-freaking-Stevens on stage with them, tossed him over to the side, had him oooooh and ahhhhhh and shake a tamborine a little bit, and that was it. His name was never even mentioned! I realize the guy isn't a household personality, but he did manage to produce one of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 00s, didn't he? Anyway, this song is filthy good. Check it:

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New Video: Minus the Bear's "My Time"

Well, "My Time" now has a video, and it's a bit odd, to say the least. To be fair, these guys have always been a bit squirrelly, but lately they've been crossing the border and touring the land of confusion. I can live with the bad dancing. But Jake Snider masquerading as a skinnier version of early 80s Brian Wilson? That's just creepy. And we certainly cannot overlook the greatest atrocity of all: Dave Knudson has been relegated to the role of "backup singer"! And if you've heard the new album, you know this isn't just an anomaly. That being said, don't get it twisted; there are much worse things out there a person could be listening to, that's for sure. I just hope this is only a phase:

Minus The Bear - New Music - More Music Videos

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STP: "Between the Lines"

Ok, wait. I know what's going through your mind right now, but you've got to fight the urge to hurl your KFC "Double Down" at the screen. It's true; no one in this band has been remotely relevant in 15 years, but just hear me out. We all know that these guys are responsible for two of the best alternative rock albums of the 90s. You can also add to the equation that I am truly an eternal optimist. Ergo, I gave it a spin. Easy enough. Nothing controversial about that. However, what cannot be so easily explained away is the question of how I could possibly enjoy what I was hearing. I mean, seriously, these guys have done nothing but poop out absolute garbage material since the clock rolled over a new millennium. No matter whether it was collectively, alone, or as part of some feeble excuse for a "super" group, it was all awful. I had to listen to "Between the Lines" twice, just to confirm that I was, in fact, getting some gratification from what I was hearing. Unbelievably, the gratification was confirmed. It's hard to know why, or what to blame it on: The fact that finding a single alt-rock song that doesn't totally suck in today's music scene would be akin to discovering that unicorns are, in fact, real? Maybe. A pre-midlife crisis that has me searching for a new pre-game pump up album? Possible, but not likely. Maybe it's the fact that that this new track hearkens back to the sound of Tiny Music and Scott Weiland's first solo album, both of which I enjoyed? Hard to say. Whatever the case, it's certainly better than anything Velvet Revolver or Talk Show ever thought of producing. I know, the album will probably be atrocious, but you don't refuse to stop and smell the roses just because you know there's a landfill waiting for you on the other side of the train tracks, right?

By the way, in case you're still here, and somehow interested, the new album, entitled Stone Temple Pilots, drops May 25. Forgive me.

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Jonsi on Craig Ferguson

Here is Jonsi on Craig Ferguson, May 11, 2010, doing "Go Do" from his new solo album Go. It's a really good performance despite the fact that he looks like he got beat up at a renaissance festival. Enjoy!

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New Videos: The National & Ratatat

Two great songs that've already been featured at Fikak! (deservedly) get some visual added to their audio. Enjoy:

The National's "Bloodbuzz Ohio" from High Violet

Ratatat's "Party With Children" from LP4

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2 New Iron & Wine Songs Live

These are 2 new songs from Iron & Wine called "Half Moon" and "Mary Anne." They were recorded live (by some guy i guess) at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville, VA, 5-4-10. The sound quality is actually pretty decent. And, Beam just happened to mention that they just finished recording a new Iron & Wine album. Good to hear that it's close. It'd be nicer to know if it's mixed and mastered, but I'll take it!

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Ratatat "Party With Children" on LP4

It's that time again! Yep, Ratatat LP4! It is being released June 8th on XL Recordings. Here is the first single called "Party with Children." You can download it on the Ratatat page of XL's website. The album tracklist is below. Now's the time to start getting pumped about, once again, having a perfect soundtrack for your summer.
Ratatat - Party With Children

LP4:

01 Bilar
02 Drugs
03 Neckbrace
04 We Can't Be Stopped
05 Bob Gandhi
06 Mandy
07 Mahalo
08 Party With Children
09 Sunblocks
10 Bare Feast
11 Graper Juice City
12 Alps

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Avi Buffalo - What's In It For?

Avi Buffalo is the new band from 18 year old singer/songwriter Avigdor Zahner-Isenberg. The album is self titled and just came out on Sub Pop on April 27th. This is the new video for "What's in it for?" It's pretty catchy stuff. If you're into The Shins or Loney, Dear or anything similar, this is probably your wet dream.

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The Black Keys - Next Girl

Here's the fantastic new song from The Black Keys called "Next Girl." It from their new album "Brothers" that comes out May 18th on Nonesuch Records. The video is actually kinda cool. It looks like it's from the '70s and features some serious tail, plus a pretty entertaining scroller at the bottom.

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Kele Okereke - Tenderoni

This is the new video from Bloc Party frontman, Kele Okereke. The track is called Tenderoni and is from his upcoming solo album entitled "The Boxer." It comes out on June 21st on Glassnote Entertainment Group in the US. And think of it this way, if you happen to go out to buy it and accidentally end up buying The National's - The Boxer, Chromeo's song Tenderoni, or even Bobby Brown's song Roni, you still in REALLY good shape!

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Alkaline Trio covers Archers of Loaf

Here is another in the A.V. Club series. It's Alkaline Trio doing Archers of Loaf's "Web In Front." It's not fantastic or anything, but Archer's of Loaf is one of my favorite bands, who are no more, and it is a really good song of theirs. The Archers' version is below, and if you're pressed for time maybe just listen to that one. Check it.

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New Pornos on Fallon

Short on time, so I'll just say 3 things:

1. This is one of the best performances I've seen on Fallon.
2. The new album is awesome.
3. These guys rule.

Enjoy:

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New Music; AKA: Completely Overwhelmed

Life has been busy as of late, and so have some of the best bands that are out there. I literally can't keep up with all the music that's been released recently, and I'm experiencing some anxiety over making sure all these albums get a fair shake. Thought I'd share some very vague first impressions from this carnival of musical awesomeness:

• The National High Violet - Probably my frontrunner for album of the year at this point. Great album, and it gets better with every single listen. In other words, it's the balls.

• Gorillaz Plastic Beach - You might recall me expressing my boredom with this album back in early March. You've probably also seen this thing get nearly universal acclaim everywhere else. Well, there's an easy explanation for that: I'm an idiot, and I got a hold of the fake leak with a bunch of remixes of b-sides, etc. Forgive me. This thing is legit.

• Medications Completely Removed - It's a little more poppy than you might expect, but it's probably the best thing yet from the guys who used to be in Faraquet.

• Minus the Bear Omni - I think this is a pretty solid bunch of songs, but it's definitely not what you expect (or maybe want) from a MTB album. The synth/guitar-shredding ratio is just way out of whack. Not sure what they were shooting for here, but I'm not giving up on it yet.

• Band of Horses Infinite Arms - I'll go ahead and say it. I was about 90% sure this album was going to totally suck. And you know what, I think I was absolutely wrong. These guys are definitely in a different place than they were back in 2006, but aren't we all? Besides, I'm a sucker for those Beach Boys-ish harmonies and Ben Bridwell's voice.

• Broken Social Scene Forgiveness Rock Record - I think the consensus on this one is that nobody knows what the crap is going on with BSS. But, at the same time, nobody ever really knows what's going on with these guys, and that's kinda what makes them awesome. I'm reserving judgement until a later date.

• Jonsi Go - This has been out for a few weeks, but I haven't had a chance to say much about it. So here you go: It's really friggin' good. Get it. The end.

• The New Pornographers Together - Just got a hold of this, but it sounds like it's right on par with everything else these guys have done, which is saying a lot.

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