Filed under: 20 Watts Radio | Tags: 50 Cent, Annie, Beach House, Best Coast, Beulah, Britney Spears, Circulatory System, Elephant 6, Euroboys, Grizzly Bear, John Mayer, M.I.A., Madonna, Nana Grizol, Neutral Milk Hotel, of Montreal, Radio, Real Estate, Rihanna, The Apples in Stereo, The Gerbils, the olivia tremor control, WERW
20 Watts played Annie, Elephant 6 and more on WERW
Eric, Chris, Caitlin AND special guest Mary are in the studio this evening! We’re playing an hour of new music, an hour of Elephant 6 and an hour of local music. Tune in by clicking this link — we’ll be here until 1!
Want to talk to us or request a song? IM werw1570, tweet @20_watts or call (315) 443-1278.
New tracks are in bold, local artists are italicized.
And don’t forget to tune in to 20 Watts’ Audiocandy+ shows on Wednesday and Thursday from 9-11 p.m.!
Title: My Love Is Better [16/20 watts -- read the review]
Artist: Annie
Album: Don’t Stop
Title: Me Against the Music
Artist: Britney Spears and Madonna
Album: Greatest Hits
Title: XR2
Artist: M.I.A.
Album: Kala
Filed under: Genre Columns, Indie Rock, Movie Music | Tags: Bon Iver, Death Cab for Cutie, Grizzly Bear, Harry Patch, Hearing Damage, indie, new moon, Radiohead, These Are My Twisted Words, Thom Yorke, twilight
Thom Yorke and pale teenage heartthrobs… Like peas in a pod
PREVIEW: STREAM Thom Yorke’s “Hearing Damage”
The corporate entertainment method of using depressing and ghoulish themes and imagery to swindle the money out of disaffected preteens and their parents strikes again with the upcoming release of the Twilight sequel “New Moon.” The “New Moon” soundtrack reflects this money grubbing model by having an all-star listing of gloomy Indie bands contributing a song each. Nevertheless, in this showing of instant classic Indie groups — ranging from Death Cab for Cutie to Bon Iver and Grizzly Bear — who first made their mark earlier this decade, their contributions are easily trumped by the godfather of the beautiful doom-and-gloom style of alternative rock: Thom Yorke. (more…)
Filed under: 20 Watts Radio | Tags: Atlas Sound, Portishead, Wale, Grizzly Bear, DJ Shadow, Dark Was the Night, Arcade Fire, new moon, The Fountain, Asobi Seksu, Massive Attack, Echo and the Bunnymen, Audiocandy, Yeasayer, Bibio, Blue Lines, Dummy, Tricky, Maxinquaye, rewolf, omar rodriguez lopez, xenophanes, attention deficit, ambling alp, memory tapes, seek magic, future islands, post office chapel, the apple and the tooth, a sunny day in glasgow
20 Watts played Asobi Seksu, DJ Shadow and more on WERW
Eric, Chris and Caitlin are in the studio this evening spinning an hour of new music, an hour of trip-hop and an hour of local songs! Tune in by opening iTunes and selecting radio > college radio > WERW or by clicking this link. We’ll be in the studio until 1 a.m.!
Want to talk to us or request a song? IM werw1570, tweet @20_watts or call (315) 443-1278. The third caller gets Chris Parker’s voice on their voicemail… it doesn’t get much better than that.
New tracks are in bold, local artists are italicized.
And don’t forget to tune in to 20 Watts’ Audiocandy+ shows on Wednesday and Thursday from 9-11 p.m.!
artist: Asobi Seksu [read our review of Transparence]
title: New Year
album: Rewolf
artist: Echo and the Bunnymen [13/20 watts -- read the review]
title: Life of a Thousand Crimes
album: The Fountain
artist: Omar Rodriguez Lopez
title: Azoemia
album: Xenophanes
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Amon Tobin, Andrew Youssef, Beach House, Blockhead, Bonobo, Dynomite D, Epitaph Records, Grizzly Bear, Kid Koala, Michael Buble, new moon, Ninja Tune, Oprah Winfrey, Slew, Sub Pop, The Blood Brothers, The Bug, twilight, Wolfmother
Michael Buble's Crazy Love's record sales skyrocketed past New Moon's this week after an appearance on Oprah
Not even the New Moon crew could use their vampire powers to outdo Michael Buble’s release of Crazy Love, reports Rolling Stone. The crooner appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, causing album sales to skyrocket to over 55% more than during the record’s first week on shelves, outdoing the new Twilight soundtrack by a score of 203,000 to 115,000, respectively, according to the Nielsen SounScan. Oh, the power of Oprah.
Stereogum gives us a look at last night’s Grizzly Bear gig at the Hollywood Palladium in L.A. with some pretty sweet pictures courtesy of Andrew Youssef. Beach House, the opening act, played a few tracks that will appear on their new release, Teen Dream, due out from Sub Pop Records on January 26th.
Seattle’s post-hardcore pioneers The Blood Brothers practiced one of the 2000s’ most unique forms of punk, and after their breakup in 2007, fans were left with little to cling to other than their old Blood Brother’s records. Until now, that is. Epitaph Records is planning to re-release the entire The Blood Brothers‘ catalogue, minus their 2000 debut, This Adultery Is Ripe, reports Pitchfork. Look for it to the reissues, which will come stocked by B-sides, videos and live performance videos, when they drop on November 17.
Canada’s Kid Koala, Dynomite D and Wolfmother’s ex-rhythm section Chris Ross and Myles Heskett make up the psych group Slew. Their debut release, 100%, is set to be reissued by Ninja Tune, the label responsible for the likes of Amon Tobin, Blockhead, Bonobo and The Bug, just to name a few, reports Pitchfork. Look for the turntable-heavy sounds of Slew when the record drops on November 24th.
– John Luposello
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: sufjan stevens, Grizzly Bear, Bon Iver, Bob Dylan, Wings, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Volcano Choir, Collections of Colonies of Bees, Chris Taylor, Charlie Sexton, Vish Khanna, Acrylics, Terrible Records, Molly Shea, Jason Klauber, The Cars
Legendary guitarist Charlie Sexton reunites with Bob Dylan's live band
Bob Dylan fans recently got the long-awaited opportunity to celebrate the return of the Texas-native blues-rock guitarist Charlie Sexton to Dylan’s live band, reports RS. The return of Sexton means that the Tambourine Man can now play lead guitar and organ lines, which are an asset to his sets. Dylan celebrated Sexton’s first gig with the band since 2002 with a three-night stand in L.A. at the Hollywood Palladium, where Sexton reportedly held center stage for most of the night with a dominating stage presence. Dylan and Sexton apparently battled all night for stage superiority amidst a set dominated by Dylan’s well-known electric blues. The night was capped off with a forceful rendition of “All Along the Watchtower”, during which Dylan appeared all too pleased with his old friend’s return. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Music Biopics]
While making it clear that he won’t be retiring, Sufjan Stevens has recently bared his concerns and misgivings regarding the creative process, as reported by Stereogum. Stevens said in a recent interview with Vish Khanna that while he is famous for his epic endevours regarding the production of albums, they never really start out as the odysseys that they eventually turn into. Sufjan also put to bed the rumors that swirled regarding the possibility of his retirement, explaining that, “I would never explicitly say something like that. But I definitely feel like ‘What is the point? What’s the point of making music anymore?’” Excuse our skepticism, but you’re making us a little nervous, Sufjan. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Sufjan Announces an Intimate Tour]
Folk rock icon Bon Iver has recently come off of tour promoting his critically acclaimed LP For Emma, Forever Ago and sophomore effort, EP Blood Bank. According to leader Justin Vernon’s website, Bon Iver has played it’s “last show for the foreseeable future,” according to Pitchfork. The show went down at Milwaukee’s riverside Theater on October 11 and has been named as the band’s final show “before taking a well-deserved break from public performance. Although it’s a pretty major blow to folk rock fans, Vernon will most likely be taking the time to spend working on his side project, Volcano Choir, a collaboration between Vernon and Collections of Colonies of Bees. The group recently released their debut full length, Unmap, to plenty of critical acclaim. We’d say it’s enough to keep pining Bon Iver fans satisfied. The performance is available for streaming and download here. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Volcano Choir's Unmap]
Brooklyn-based AOR pop group Acrylics recently spoke with Pitchfork about some of their recent happenings. They’ve managed to distinguish themselves from the indistinguishable herds of patchy indie groups that have been pouring out of Brooklyn recently with their debut EP All of the Fire, which is scheduled to drop on October 28th on Chris Taylor’s (Grizzly Bear) label, Terrible Records. From their beginnings as a rock group called Standing Nudes to recording an EP in a church, the group’s leaders, Molly Shea and Jason Klauber, shed a bit of light on what it means to be a pop group from Brooklyn. They cite some of their influences as The Cars, Wings, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and plenty of other pristine pop groups from the 60’s and 70’s. Check out the record’s title track here.
– John Luposello
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Annie, Arthur Russell, Blue Rodeo, Broken Social Scene, Carly Simon, Corb Lund, David Boies, Grizzly Bear, Iron & Wine, Joan As Policewoman, Joel Plaskett, K'naan, Laurie Anderson, Lil Wayne, Martha Wainwright, Raditude, Ron Sexsmith, Smalltown Supersound, Starbucks, stars, Steve Earle, Sun Kil Moon, Weezer, Wilco
Carly Simon sues Starbucks
Not only will Canada be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to show off their pristine, snow covered hills and universal healthcare, but they’ll also be throwing some of Canada’s most famous indie acts on stage during the games, reports Stereogum. From February 12-28, expect to see Broken Social Scene, K’Naan, Stars, Joel Plaskett, Steve Earle, Laurie Anderson, Martha Wainwright, Blue Rodeo, Iron & Wine, Corb Lund, Ron Sexsmith, Joan As Policewoman, and Sun Kil Moon featured. Wilco has also been confirmed to play at an Olympic event at Vancouver’s David Lam Park. Apparently, the Olympics will also be taking place at some point between all of the performances.
Carly Simon will be teaming up with high-profile attorney David Boies in a suit that she will be filing against coffee empire Starbucks, reports RS. Simon claims that Starbucks is to blame for the disappointing sales of her new album, This Kind of Love. Sales of the record numbered about 124,000, which Simon claims is due in part to mismanagement and poor promotion of the record on Starbucks’ end. Simon was looking to have this record support an early retirement, but due to the monetary concerns presented by the album’s flop, it seems like retirement may be out of the question at the moment. Looks as though she may have to remain for the time being as a “working girl”.
Fear not, Weezer fans. The long-anticipated release of Weez’s Raditude, which is scheduled for October 27th, is fast approaching. If you can’t wait that long, though, we’ve got good news. The album is now available for preview on iTunes in 30-second clips, which may not seem like much to some. Don’t worry. It gets the job done. RS reminds fans to check out “Can’t Stop Partying”, their collaboration with rap giant Lil Wayne. Weezy and Weezer? Sounds like a match made in promotional heaven.
Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor has been hard at work with his solo project, CANT. Not only did he appear on Monday’s episode of the Tonight Show, but also released his project’s first single, entitled Ghosts. The track is backed up by the unreleased “Come to Life” from minimalist Arthur Russell, as reported by Pitchfork. Check it out here.
Scandinavian pop icon Annie has been met with nothing but trouble regarding the release of her second album, entitled Don’t Stop. After braving a gauntlet of blown release dates and a deluge of leaks of the album, she’ll finally be releasing the album with Smalltown Supersound on November 17, says Pitchfork. Check out her latest single, “I Don’t Like Your Band”.
– John Luposello
Foreign Born's "Winter Games" provides some surprising, and slightly-tropical indie rock
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Foreign Born’s “Winter Games” MP3
Admittedly I heard about Foreign Born because of a tweet by Grizzly Bear’s Ed Droste back in February. Ever since, I’ve been hooked on their cogent sense of melody and spacious, tropical sound.
The band’s most recent effort, Person to Person, came out earlier this year, and, unsurprisingly, it is just as energetic and free-flowing as their debut, On the Wing Now. Rolling along at a steady pace throughout, the album expertly trades off between reserved surf and arena indie rock, for a combination which is neither groundbreaking nor startling, yet still interesting, to say the least.
Of all of its steadily-floating songs, however, none sticks out more than “Winter Games.” Not so much bouncy, as it is just buzzing with excitement, the song centers around its summer atmosphere and banging-on-a-trash-can percussion section.
Scenic, and at times, mesmerizing, Person to Person struck me immediately as one of the easiest listens of the year back in June, and still does now in October. Sadly, it’s nearly-certain to end up being among this year’s most overlooked. Except by Ed Droste and me.
– John Cassillo, Reviews Editor
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Iggy Pop, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, Stereogum, The Fiery Furnaces, Pitchfork, Sebastien Tellier, The Morning Benders, Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report, All Tomorrow's Parties, Mountain Goats, pavement, Girls, Filter, Danger Mouse, The Life of the World to Come, The Dandy Warhols, Jay Reatard, Growing, Amazing Baby, Viva Radio, +1 Records, Ida Maria, Jemina Pearl, Sparklehorse, The BPA
Is Animal Collective releasing another album before the new year?
PREVIEW: Download Animal Collective’s “Brother Sport” MP3.
Both Stereogum and Pitchfork commented today on Animal Collective’s latest plans, namely a random, coverless album that’s cropped up on Amazon.com. It’s called Fall Be Kind and is available for pre-order for a mere $11.83. Currently that’s all that anyone knows about the release. In other news, the experimental film that the band’s been working is nearly ready for release. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Best Albums of the Year So Far]
Stereogum also premiered a new Ida Maria video today. Ida Maria re-released her song “Oh My God” from the album Fortress Round My Heart, this time with vocals from the legendary Iggy Pop. Stereogum took issue with Iggy Pop’s baritone vocals supporting acts like Jemina Pearl, Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse and The BPA, not to mention on his own jazzy releases. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Iggy and The Stooges Get Nommed]
Did you miss the Mountain Goats on “The Colbert Report” last night? Watch their performance of “Psalms 40:2″ here on Colbert’s website. Colbert had a field day with the Mountain Goats’ biblically inspired latest album, The Life of the World to Come. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews The Mountain Goats’ The Life of the World to Come]
For all the European Pavement fans out there disappointed by their NYC reunion, do not fret. Pavement are scheduled to headline All Tomorrow’s Parties on May 14-16 in Minehead, England, Pitchfork reports. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor’s Pick #180: Pavement’s Reunion]
Brooklyn’s own Viva Radio has announced the release of a compilation including the likes of The Dandy Warhols, Jay Reatard,The Fiery Furnaces, Growing, Amazing Baby, and Sebastien Tellier, reports Filter. Entitled The Best of Me + You Vol. 1, the album was recorded between 2007 and 2009 in their Brooklyn studios and will include interviews and songs from some of the station’s guests. To make the offer even more enticing, the disc is available for purchase along with a limited edition Me + You t-shirt. We’re sold!
Filter also reports that Berkeley-based indie rockers the Morning Benders will play several shows with Grizzly Bear and Girls during their Fall tour. The Benders hooked up with Grizzly Bear on the production of their latest album, Big Echo, which was co-producer by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor. The album is set to drop in March 2010 on +1 Records. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage:Editor's Pick #172: Grizzly Bear's "While You Wait For The Others" (Feat. Michael McDonald)]
– 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Radiohead, The Killers, Rihanna, Lily Allen, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lykke Li, Grizzly Bear, Broadcast, Stereogum, Karen O, Pitchfork, The Flaming Lips, Thom Yorke, muse, twilight, new moon, Embryonic, music video, OK GO, Editors, Warp Records, Chris Taylor
For better or worse, New Moon's soundtrack will feature some of our favorite indie artists
Thom Yorke, The Killers, Grizzly Bear, and Muse have all signed on to contribute to New Moon’s soundtrack. Other artists that will be on the Twilight sequel’s soundtrack include Lykke Li, OK Go and Editors. The full track listing can be viewed at NME.COM. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Thom York and Bon Iver Soundtrack New Moon]
Stereogum reported today that The Flaming Lips released a new video for the song “I Can Be a Frog,” from their new album Embryonic (to be released 10/13). The short song might not seem to make a great video on first listen, but Coyne’s animalistic lyricism makes for a lot of quirky pencil drawings in this unconventional music video. The bikini-clad actress mouthing Karen O’s “noises” surprisingly adds to the video, but who doesn’t want to see the real thing? Maybe next time. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: The Flaming Lips at ATP, 20 Watts Reviews The Flaming Lips' "Silver Trembling Hands" (from Embryonic)]
Birmingham-based electro-pop group Broadcast have announced their second release with Warp Records. Their full-length debut was punctuated by the extensive use of loops and lead singer Trish Keegan’s 1960s psychedelic rock vocals. Filter reports that the EP, entitled Broadcast & Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults of the Radio Age, is available for download from iTunes immediately, but won’t be hitting the shelves until October 27th. The EP can be previewed for free, though, at your next psycho dance party with the help of their trusty Myspace.
Rolling Stone reports that Rihanna’s next LP promises to bring its audience “Big beats and big bass.” She’s recruited producers Justin Timberlake and Chase & Status to help her bring them. This album is sure to take attention away from Rihanna’s past year of drama. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Jay-Z's "Run This Town" (Feat. Rihanna)]
Pitchfork reports that Grizzly Bear’s bassist and producer, Chris Taylor has started a record label called Terrible Records. Through his new label, Taylor will be releasing his solo work on October 13. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor’s Pick #172: Grizzly Bear’s “While You Wait For the Others” (Feat. Michael McDonald)]
It seems as though Lily Allen and Radiohead guitarist Ed O’Brien are close to duking it out, Pitchfork reports. Radiohead belong to the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC), a British musician’s advocacy group. Apparently Lily Allen disagrees with O’Brien’s stance on file-sharing. After the guitarist released a statement endorsing the practice, the infuriated singer posted her opinion on her MySpace blog. She believes file-sharing hinders the growth of up-and-coming artists. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: Editor’s Pick #93: Lily Allen Is Alright with Me]
Psychedelic folk legends Neutral Milk Hotel have announced plans to re-release their discography through Merge Records, as reported by Filter. The reissues of On Avery Island (1996) and the critically celebrated In the Aeroplane over the Sea (1998) will be released on vinyl along with a digital download code, so that listeners can enjoy the reissues without a turntable. Considering In the Aeroplane over the Sea was the best-selling vinyl album of 2008, there’s definitely a market for it though. [Previous 20 Watts Coverage: 20 Watts Reviews Circulatory System (Elephant 6)]
– 20 Watts Staff
Filed under: Editor Picks | Tags: beck, Bon Iver, Devendra Banhart, Grizzly Bear, happiness, Islands, Life during wartime, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, songs of leonard cohen, the mountain goats, Todd Solondz, welcome to the dollhouse
Devendra to release a new collaboratin with Beck
PREVIEW: DOWNLOAD Devendra Banhart’s “Shabop Shalom” MP3
Like we needed yet another reason to love Devendra Banhart! This ridiculously versatile polyglot can do no wrong whether he is confessing his true love in “Lover” or engaging in infidelity in “Carmensita.” A part of the New Weird American movement with the likes of Bon Iver, Islands, The Mountain Goats and Grizzly Bear, Devendra’s sound can only de bescribed as original and intriguingly strange.
Even though it has been about two years since his last full — and so far best — album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, Devendra has been dropping countless collaborations and side-projects with some of the coolest individuals in the business. One name appears increasingly often – Beck. Beck and Banhart collaborated on Beck’s second Record Club covers album, Songs of Leonard Cohen, specks of which have been gradually appearing on Beck’s web-page. Apparently these two hit it off pretty well since barely two weeks after the announcement of their co-artistic shenanigans, Pitchfork reported their next collaboration with Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness director, Todd Solondz. Looks like Solondz’s next film Life During Wartime will have an acoustic accompaniment to envy. Who knows? If we are lucky this one song project may even evolve into a full soundtrack.
– Irina Dvalidze, Multimedia Editor
