Filed under: News of Note | Tags: Broadcast, Chris Taylor, Editors, Embryonic, Grizzly Bear, Karen O, Lily Allen, Lykke Li, muse, music video, new moon, OK GO, Pitchfork, Radiohead, Rihanna, Stereogum, The Flaming Lips, The Killers, Thom Yorke, twilight, Warp Records, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
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: Features, XCLUS!VES | Tags: All Points West, Coldplay, Etienne De Crecy, La Roux, Lykke Li, Silversun Pickups, We Are Scientists
– Jett Wells
Filed under: Emerging Artists | Tags: Andreas Kleerup, Lykke Li, Mariah Carey, The Knife, The Meat Boys
Andreas Kleerup is a disco-loving Swede worth listening to.
READ: Swedish Meatballs #1: Familjen
I’ll be frank, until Caitlin tipped me off about Andreas Kleerup, I had no idea who this guy was. Fortunately, our staff has its ear close to the ground on news, so when Kleerup (solo — get this, he also plays with a band called, no joke, The Meat Boys) announced the U.S. release of his well-recieved, self-titled debut, they knew about it.
His work isn’t as quirky as some of the other dance music coming out of Sweden. Though a big fan of disco — evidenced by retro synth, cheeseball ’80s house vocals and four-to-the-floor beats all over the place — he still maintains that breezy lacksadaisical Swedish sound that makes tracks like “On My Own Again” jump out.
However, the track he does with Lykke Li, “Until I Bleed,” shows incredible range and depth that brings him head and shoulders above many producers, and comparisons to The Knife occasionally swim into my head, led by those dark synth lines. Definitely a Swede I’ll have to keep my eyes on. Every song I’ve heard of his is great, so dive on in!
Check out his Myspace here.
–Dan Creahan
Filed under: Features | Tags: Beatles, Blind Melon, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Discovery, Elliot Smith, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lykke Li, M83, MGMT, Passion Pit, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Rolling Stones, The Wallflowers
Hate DJing for your parents?
I just got back from a two-day getaway trip to UpState New York with my parents. It sucked, but I’m not going to get into that. However, it reminded me of an annoying occurrence that happens every time I share a car with my parents for a prolonged period—choosing music.
Every time, my mom or my dad asks me to put in my iPod, which is filled with tons of music I love, cherish and worship. To them, a lot of my music is challenging, repetitive and just plain obnoxious. Music is one of the many generational divides we face with our parents, but there are ways to pick music that all sides can enjoy. Keep in mind, this method doesn’t last forever, and you’ll get tired of it, but it helps. All parents are different, but the following tips apply to even the most conservative music lovers.
1) Avoid songs/bands/genres that are repetitive
This means no house music, techno, or Top 40 music. My parents hate hearing the same notes repeated over and over again. It drives them crazy, which is understandable. It’s not like you’re parents want to pull the car over and have a full-out dance party.
These two honor Lykke Li’s “Little Bit,” and Li knows all about them. She’s the one who tweeted the video. The girl in the video has nice range, and the ukulele is calm and soothing.
–Jett Wells
A resounding WTF? I got all excited when I heard Lykke Li and Amanda Blank were highlighted in this song, but not only is the song lame, but the video has nothing to do with the song, and interrups the song with Spanish gangster dialogue. It’s pothead entertainment at best.
–Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks, Free 4 All | Tags: Kanye West, Lykke Li, M.I.A., N.A.S.A., Santigold, Steve Aoki
This was posted on Pretty Much Amazing four days ago, but it needs to be shared some more.
DJ/Mixer Steve Aoki remixed N.A.S.A.’s “Gifted” (featuring Kanye West, Santigold and Lykke Li), and I’m happy to say it’s a masterpiece of house music and techno/hip-hop.
I’ve never heard a Steve Aoki remix before, but he’s gotten my attention. The original song might be awesome too, but this is a really impressive remix.
I love how big artists spend time working on small-time pet projects like this. M.I.A., Kanye West and Lykke Li do this all the time, and I give all the props in the world to them. It says a lot about their love for music.
Give the remix a listen and download it off Pretty Much Amazing. Great dance song. Period.
–Jett Wells, Reviews Editor
Filed under: Editor Picks, Features, Industry News, XCLUS!VES | Tags: All Points West, Animal Collective, Fleet Foxes, Girl Talk, Guided By Voices, Lady Boys, Lykke Li, MGMT, MSTRKRFT, N.A.S.A., Ra Ra Riot, Smash Brothers, The Handsome Furs, The Shins, The Smash Brothers, Tokyo Police Club, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
HEY Y’ALL.
Jett and I have some v. exciting news for you.
As if you weren’t inundated enough with podcasts, downloads and other new media ‘gimmicks,’ we have created the all-new – the exclusive – the amazing – 20 WATTS WEEKLY PODCAST.
Jett and I will sacrifice our time and reputations to bring you the week’s best music news and commentary, complete with song bytes and idiotic chatter.
FREE 4 ALL: 20 Watts Weekly Podcast #1
On Podcast #1: Food poisoning, Smash Bros side projects, bad remixes, worse top 100 lists, the difficulties of picking a day to attend All Points West and how naked you should be at a Girl Talk show.
This thing is in its baby stages, y’all, so PLEASE comment and let us know what you think. Do you want more music? More raciness? More Jett/less Caitlin? We also need a more creative name.
Until next Friday, then…!
- Caitlin, front of book editor
Filed under: Editor Picks, Features | Tags: Fleet Foxes, Lykke Li, MGMT, MSTRKRFT, Ra Ra Riot, Silversun Pickups, Tokyo Police Club, We Are Scientists, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
I’ve never been to major music festival in my life, and I’ve been waiting for the right one to come around. To my great excitement, I might have found one! If you’re going to be in NYC this summer, then All Points West is a must! The lineup is unbelievable, and the single-day pass is reasonable –only $89!
It’s okay if you want to salivate as you read some of the acts playing this year: Ra Ra Riot, MSTRKRFT, Lykke Li, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Tokyo Police Club, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, The Cool Kids, Silversun Pickups and We Are Scientists.
The only problem is that if you just want to pay the single-day pass, you have to pick the best day, because obviously you’re not going to get to see all these great bands in one day…which is why they want us to by the full pass– $199. There’s also a chance these prices might only be available for a limited time, so act quick and buy your tickets this Saturday on Ticketmaster!
I might not have a choice, so if you’re down, let me know!
[Ed. note: check back often for more extensive coverage of APW, as more news develops]
–Jett Wells, Co-Reviews Editor
