Foster the People nullify my Top 100 entry this week

I included a irrelevant quote to inspire you. You're welcome.

"I'm gonna kick until 

I need new shoes"

Foster The People is one of my current favorite bands. First of all, I enjoy that they want to foster us and that they are super delicious looking. I'm only human.  I also like that I can't quite put a finger on who they remind me of, and that they make me think of driving along the beach on a recent kick-ass vacation. Finally, it doesn't hurt that they inadvertently introduced me to Grouplove through their Mercury Lounge show (which also constituted my very FIRST blog post). I guess what I'm saying is that I'm a tad biased, so sue me. Either way I was super psyched when I sat down to write my top 100 (top 100 whenever the hell I feel like it, clearly) to see that their album Torches was at NUMBER 6 on iTunes. Our little boys are growing up!

So now that their concerts are going to go from 15 dollars to 30, the way I see it is you all must make it up to me by listening to their album, which is magical by the way. Also its 8 bucks, you spend that much on a beer (like a nice, micro-brew beer). Roll your windows down, stick your hand out, turn this on and get your ears drunk. You and your summer playlist will thank me later.



Warrant - Foster the People

Whatchu Think Wednesdays: lexieblacklock

Thats right y'all, we are still calling it Whatchu Think Wednesdays. You'll grow to love it. Our third installment of guest bloggers brings you Miss. LexieBlacklock. Lexie enjoys fake-quoting Disney movies, vodka gimlets and dressing like Lydia from Beetlejuice (among other things). She takes rad pictures and listens to rad music, check out her review on planningtorock after the jump.

Gotye Milk?

Gotye (pronounced “gore-ti-yeah” so I guess the milk thing doesn't really work) is a self described "music-making mutant." Boy is he ever. Born in Belgium, raised in Australia, member of some band called The Basics, proud producer of two studio albums and his real name is WOUTER. I'm not even kidding its fucking Wouter. You can call him Wally. 

Little Scream, Big Voice

today is one of those days at work where i find myself wanting to pull a naomi campbell and throw my wacom tablet at someone's head (not to mention i just discovered my fly has been down for an unknown amount of time). that's basically my build up for letting you know i don't have much time to blog today. in my 15 minutes of down time/"serenity now" pep talk, i want to share little scream aka laurel sprengelmeyer (that's some last name, boy) with you. she's all the rage these days, linking up with members of arcade fire and stars for her album the golden record. listen to two of her buzzed about tracks below (showing off her diverse sound).

if you like sprengelmeyer (i really love saying that name): check out washington (she's a favorite of ours here at doors)

"Cannons" by Little Scream by DOJAGSC

Little Scream - The Heron and the Fox by stanaleshin

here's a washington song, also. she's so cute.

Back from the other side of the world with island tunes.

This is an actual picture from my trip. Well, the real thing was less purple. 

Hey bitties and whatever the guy equivalent of bitties is. I'm back bitches! Maybe you didn't notice but my partner in blogging crime, Ms. CM has been holding down the fort for the last week in my absence. Seems like I missed a doozy, White Lies and The Head & The Heart live?! Its a good thing I was in motherf*in Hawaii and not say, Idaho (no offense Ida-hoes) otherwise I would be hella jealous. Luckily I did bring back a taste of the pacific with me, in some jams old and new and a Tuesday island playlist, just.for.you. 

1. John Legend and Reggae = match made in heaven. 'Nuff said.

2. Graffiti 6's "Stare Into The Sun" sounds straight off the Blue Crush soundtrack. I know because I watched Blue Crush last night.

3. Tanlines is a little funky electro meets reggae sort of feel, lots of percussion in "Real Life" makes you want to get native with yo' bad self and "Z" featuring Glasser is a more mellow tune with Glassers pretty ooh's and aah's kind of making you want to sway, or at the very least twirl.

4. Finish that shit off with my favorite song to blast when driving along the beach (how can you resist a meeting of Passion Pit and Cold War Kids, the curiosity!)


Can't Be My Lover - John Legend feat. Buju Banton
Stare Into The Sun - Graffiti 6
Real Life - Tanlines
Z - Tanlines feat. Glasser
Mine Is Yours (Passion Pit Remix) - Cold War Kids

white lies at terminal 5

photo to the left: white lies or next harry potter book cover? discuss...

who are the white lies? let's get a blender out...add one dash of brandon flowers, a pinch of muse, a tablespoon of depeche mode and a cupful of dapper british lads..mix it all together and you've got yourself some white lies. voilà !

i went to check these guys out at terminal 5 last night (let it be known i loathe terminal 5. i feel like hell may be something similar?) but i actually enjoyed it. these guys were dark and powerful (as expected), locking in the audience with an intense, jolting light show and their goth-like sound. they played a happy medium of both albums keeping the crowd pleased, but let's be honest, there's not much of a difference. so what? who cares? it was all awesome...a danceable, post-punk show. don't get me wrong, i get the critics who are calling these guys some glorified joy division, but i must say, joy division was the shit and the live show was completely engaging and worth the experience (not to mention front man harry mcveigh who had the females swooning).


here is a snipet from the show...

the head and the heart have me head over heels

so, by chance (AKA a little angel friend named josh-thanks again!), guest blogger jMcnamee and i maneuvered our way onto the guest list to check the head at the heart at mercury lounge last night. it was....SO. GOOD....no. what's a better word for good? MARVELOUS. (minus the frat boy weendogs that were in front of us). i'll spare you all the details about how i want to marry lead singer jonathan russell and focus on the music....

for those unfamiliar with this band (you should be JG blogged about them last month!), they are drawing lots of comparisons to a folksy beatles or crosby stills nash & young. singer/song writer damien jurado is on the record saying they “could very well be the next biggest thing to come out of the northwest, since fleet foxes.” i say take all of that and multiply by utterly amazing. tambourine? check. violin? check? amazing guitars? check. phenomenal vocals? check, check. they gave such a fantastic live performance. it went from feet tapping, hands clapping and people dancing to goosebumps because it was so beautifully raw, honest and touching. (i'm completely obsessed with female member charity rose thielen's voice and adorable stage presence). i can't say enough good things about these folks. if you ever have an opportunity to check them out, please do.

if they aren't swinging through your area, you can check them out on jimmy fallon tonight!

watch!: lost in my mind from last night

new! new! new! bon iver

waiting for the new self-titled bon iver album to come out has been like trying to fall asleep on christmas eve night knowing what was in store the next morning.

justin vernon has me on the edge of my seat, and after hearing first leaked track calgary i am even more excited to see what the entire album is all about. i feel like it's going to be comparable to the power wheels barbie jeep i never got as a child.

listen, like, love, fall in love again, re-visit the love and spread the love.

file this under: SCARED!

today is: rainy, wet, gross, nastyville, USA and any other words thesaurus.com can offer up to describe the outdoor conditions. to put it all in perspective, my hair looks like an unkempt poodle that stuck it's little paw into an electrical socket and my jeans are wet from my knee cap to hem (to top off the fact that i slept through my alarm this morning and broke my umbrella on my what feels like 6 mile walk to the subway). why am i telling you all this? read on...

alex winston just recently released a video for her single sister wife. let's preface this with: i want to be her, i want to sing like her, i want her hair, i want to steal her clothes, etc. there's not really anything that you could say or do to make me feel anything but extreme love for alex winston, yet after watching, i am completely terrified. just take a little gander and see for yourself. if you are impatient you can just skip straight to the 2 minute mark to really absorb the creep factor.

the moral of the story: no matter how frizzy my hair is today, or wet my clothes from the rain, or how late i was for work...at least i don't have a cat spewing blood on my face.

Alex Winston - "Sister Wife" from stereogum on Vimeo.

Mash Up Mondays: Marley Meets Mgmt

i'm going to keep it real. i am not a huge fan of the mash up scene. whatever, get off my back! i do, however, have a special soft spot in my heart for this little diddy. it's marley (so clearly it's amazing) and when mixed with a little mgmt i feel like i want to get my fancy dance shoes out (i just purchased some glittery keds that are probably only acceptable to wear to aforementioned dance party) and boogie the night away.

this nugget of mashery is brought to you by xaphoon jones, a philly man and the dj dude for chiddy bang. he has a bunch of mix tapes available for DL, so jump on it.

here's his first & second mixtape (bc i know i would be too lazy to actually google it myself): http://www.sendspace.com/file/3ze7b3 AND http://illroots.com/2011/04/01/xaphoon-jones-mixtape-vol-2/

I Wanna Know Now (Bob Marley, MGMT) by skipthesynapse

sunday show spec-tac-u-lar!

here she is...your list of shows for the week!

tuesday, 5/17
lykke li @ webster hall (wednesday show also)
vivian girls @ 285 kent (brookyln)
the head & the heart @ mercury lounge

wednesday, 5/18
elvis costello @ wellmonet theater
ummmm! en vogue @ bb kings
the felice brothers @ bell house
fleet foxes and the cave singers @ the united palace (thursday show also)

thursday, 5/19
adele and the civil wars @ beacon theater
junip @ bowery ballroom
the white lies and school of seven bells @ terminal 5 (see you kids there!)
little scream and the antlers @ music hall of willamsburg

friday, 5/20
real estate @ the bell house
the antlers @ bowery ballroom

saturday, 5/21
real estate @ maxwells

Wild Beasts 'Smother'

2009 marks the anniversary in which i first fell in love with the wild beasts. jg and i spent a solid 6 months randomly busting out a "waaaatttcchhh meee, waaattcchh me" (listen below and you will too) at all inappropriate times ie almost getting kicked out of a cab, but that's a whole other story. i am head over heels in love with their new album, smother. ***disclaimer*** i am well aware this band can be a bit (very) creepy. all that aside, it's quality stuff. they are on the record for saying the novel Frankenstein has been a pivotal point of inspiration for this new material (which, again, does sort of translate to creepy), but is also quite genius when you sit and think about it. i have read that damn book for school AT LEAST 5 times, so email me if you need a cliffnote version and we can break it down metaphor style. they contain a wonderful sense of imagination and whimsical elegance not to be messed with. it's just their thing, and they do it well. two thumbs up, smother. you have me hooked (again).

peep the creepy video for All The King's Men (aka waaattttccchh me waaatttccchh me)




NEW! albatross
Wild Beasts - Albatross by rockfeedback

Wolf Gang not Puck, not animals.

Wolf Gang, a multi-instrument playing, self taught, pop-rock extraordinaire out of the UK released his EP, Dancing With The Devil in March, and um... its rad. He's got the infectious fun, dance around your bedroom thing going on here. If the EP says anything, the album when released should be.... rad-er?

Listen to this Wolf if you like: Empire of the Sun, MGMT maybe even a little Scissor Sisters? Jurys out on that one.

If you dig it check out: Foster The People

Wolf Gang - Lions In Cages by Posh Magazine

Wolf Gang - Dancing With The Devil by wolfgang

Top 100 .... Twendsay? And how I hate when TV and Music collide

Eek, sorry kids. I've been so busy that I didn't have enough time for the Top 100 post yesterday, but I didn't want to leave you guys hanging. Turns out I totally should have.

Read on after the jump to see what happens when Glee fans are the only ones that buy songs on iTunes and discover how grouchy I am when made to listen to complete shit for an hour straight.

Glee, Skrillex and Christina Perri after the jump, and its shorter now. I deleted my thoughts for you. You're welcome.

Whatchu Think Wednesdays? JMcNamee

yoohooo...what's up, guys? it's whatchu think wednesday at doors (remember? our weird name for guest blogger)...and today we have a one justin mcnamee. justin enjoys a good game of darts, watching UConn basketball like it is going out of style, being smashed in the face with taco meats and awesome tunes. check him out..

Portugal. The Man -- They. Are Good

Nothing sucks more than waiting years for your favorite band to release a new album, particularly when said album turns out to be an unmitigated disaster, as anyone dumb enough to wait for Chinese Democracy will tell you. And that is kind of what makes Portugal. The Man. so refreshing (despite their struggles with basic punctuation). Since this foursome made their way down to Portland from Alaska, presumably via a block of ice, they have been steadily cranking out albums with a prolific-ness (MADE UP WORD) that has Conor Oberst busting through his studio doors to start a new album. And none of these albums have sucked or had the word Chinese or Democracy in their titles.

Admittedly, it wasn't until 2010's American Ghetto that I got really into these guys, so imagine my happiness in seeing a new album due out already in July. Peep “Got it All,” the first track of In the Mountain, In the Cloud below. And then if you're in the NYC area, snag some tickets to their June 3 show at Webster Hall and sweat through your shirt(s). Also included below is a gem from American Ghetto. And finally, since who knows if I’ll ever end up invited back here, I added three bonus tunes wearing out my headphones lately. Get involved.


If you like, listen to: Wilco, Local Natives

New! Portugal. The Man: Got it All



"60 Years" by Portugal. The Man by Portugaltheman

All Die Young by Smith Westerns

GUARDS - Don't Wake The Dead by 3 Syllables Records

O'Death - Bugs by cityslang

take me to youth lagoon

in keeping with the "holy mama jama, i wish i were a bird soaring over a lush tropical rainforest" song kinda day jg and i seem to be having, let me introduce youth lagoon (semi-fitting for the mood). this experimental sound is brought to you from boise, ID, by a guy named trevor powers (the main dude) and this other guy Erk Eastman (the addition for live shows dude). i imagine the song cannons playing as i jump from a high cliff over a crystal clear waterfall in slow motion....or drinking rum with jg...or just listen if you're trying to fall asleep. same thing. put this little slice of awesome on your ipod stat. also, check 'em out on bandcamp (link below) for a free download.

also, here's a fun fact: the hodge-podge of home videos for cannons below was created by trevor himself.

http://youthlagoon.bandcamp.com/

A permanent kick of whats kicking me

What feeling is better than accidentally stumbling upon a song that is SO good it completely takes over your brain and melts it into a mixture that feels like melted butter and joy? Nothing is better than that feeling. Melted butter is fucking delicious.

This is exactly how I feel when listening to Vacationer's "Trip." With a soft mellow electronic vibe and a background flocked with bird calls and jungle sounds, this song brings you straight to a float in the pacific ocean, eyes closed, sun rays, ocean breezes... and rum. Melted butter rum. 

Close your eyes and listen to this. You will thank me later, your frequent flyer miles on the other hand, may not. 

sidenote: this is the only track by Vacationer so far, as it is a side project of Brooklyn based band Body Language, if you're interested.

Vacationer - Trip

If you like it check out: The Foreign Exchange, Arts the Beatdoctor

Mash Up Mondays: PS 22 Chorus

i knooow, i knooow, these guys are not "mashing" anything up, but i can't help but post them. my dad (thanks, big jim!) told me about the ps 22 chorus about two years ago, and each time i hear them cover a new song i want to squeeze each and every one of them so hard 'til it hurts. seriously, look at them when they are singing...i can't handle it. oh, and the girl singing the adele cover...no words. (that's what i think i sound like when i sing karaoke)

teacher, gregg breinberg, is pretty much a walking saint. he cares so, so deeply about these children, it is truly moving. he has taken the time to tap into these kids' spirits and talent, helping them achieve world-world success: meeting famous musicians, tv appearances, news and most recently performing at the oscars. check out a few of their covers below.

put this on your: i now want to be a Big Brother/Big Sister playlist

http://ps22chorus.blogspot.com/

sunday show spec-tac-u-lar!

hey ya'll (said in a britney voice)...here are some shows to check out this week.

monday, 5/9
j. roddy walston and the business, gary clark jr., these united states @ brooklyn bowl

tuesday, 5/10
yo la tengo @ the bell house
raphael saadiq @ webster hall
paul simon @ beacon theater

wednesday, 5/11
dale earnhardt jr. jr. and the generationals @ mercury lounge
james blake and active child @ bowery ballrom
building pictures @ rockwood music hall

thursday, 5/12
cass mccombs @ bowery ballroom

friday, 5/13
...and you will know is by the trail of dead and surfer blood @ music hall of williamsburg
the besnard lakes and wintersleep @ bowery ballroom
the feelies @ the bell house
john vanderslice @ the rock shop

saturday, 5/14
crosby & nash @ town hall
echo & the bunnymen @ irving plaza
here we go magic @ mercury lounge

The Vaccines, like ones that don't protect you from things.

So. Lets keep this shortish and sweetish. The Vaccines are a band out of London, formed in 2010 who's first album hit stores in the UK this March. I don't know if its here yet because I didn't look, google that shit. You're a big kid. Anyhow, their story goes a little something like this.......

Some idiot at a British Billboard type of place named these guys one of the top 5 new artists or something (i'm paraphrasing) and then everyone went all head over high heels thinking they were going to change the music world. You can tell I'm serious by the italics.

Then their album dropped and everyone was all, wait this sounds familiar.... and then they lost their rocker credit because one of them is rich or something, and obviously music is all about the amount of money the person singing has. Then nobody knew if they liked the album or hated it or just hated it because they hated rich people. Seriously.

In my opinion all we have to know is this: The music is enjoyable, which hello, it should be. Its very indie-rock, vocally monotone, three chord-ish type of shit. Kind of reminds me of The Killers thrown in a blender with the Smiths. I'm talking vibe-wise guys, don't go looking for another Morrissey or CM will come murder me in my sleep. Its not necessarily ground breaking, but it will make you want to drink something out of a keg in somebody's garage while pretending to flip through records as if you had any records that weren't purely for decoration.

Check 'em out if you like: The Killers, The Strokes, The Ramones, The Kooks (with all of these please apply the VIBE rule again please. thanks)


If you like them give a listen to: White Lies (actually listen to them anyway, they are amazing)


THE VACCINES Post Break-Up Sex by le daron rouge
The Vaccines - If You Wanna by Indiechorusly
White Lies - Death by marcuspessoa

also check out their track "All In White" on our Royal Wedding day playlist. My fav.

beat!beat!beat! (goes my heart)

can we just pause for a second and absorb how unbelievably adorable these guys are? i want to hang their posters in my office like tigerbeat days. (i'll probably get arrested for even saying that).

these little muffins hail from germany and to be honest, i really have no information to offer you on this band (other than the fact that i love them). i can't find anything that isn't written in german and i don't really care to invest the time to translate it, so deal.

anyway, they kinda sound like a poppier teenage version of the foals? yes, no, maybe? give them a few listens before you judge me.

I'm feeling so totally 90's today.

Maybe its that She's All That was on TV this morning, maybe it was the 90's alternative music category we had in trivia the other night, or maybe its that I found some rad 5" suede Steve Madden platform loafers in my closet. Nobody knows, but you can all thank Rachel Leigh Cook because I christen today (say it like a guy yelling into a tunnel) Throooowbaaaack Thuuuuursday!

And today your ears are going to feel soooooo back in the day VH1. You're welcome. 

Barefoot Hippies in a Desert Kind of Day

Holy shit Rajah. Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros FINALLY came out with a video for "40 Day Dream"... In February. Whoops. If you are familiar with these guys already you can just skip right to the video, which as expected, is really fucking weird.

If you are NOT familiar, then um, where the 'ell you been? Their album came out in fucking, '09 or something and their music has been featured in commercials and TV shows galore. They are a favorite of us here at Doors, partially because we're hippies at heart and partially because we saw them live last summer and despite literally NEVER being sweatier in our ENTIRE lives (it was insane), the show was amazing.

I mean, its a guy who basically fell in love with a girl and then starting driving around in a bus with her picking up other musicians like it was 1966. At their show they made the audience sit in a circle for a song while Edward ie Alex Ebert performed in the middle of it... like a stoned grownup show and tell. An entire sweaty concert hall sitting indian style with nary an objection. Amazing. Anywho check them out and of course the weird ass video for your viewing pleasure.

A rainy day in the City And Colour

Dallas Green aka City And Colour

If any of you readers out there are anything like me, then waking up on a wednesday (when you could have SWORN it was Thursday) to rain dripping down your windowpane and a cloudy sky, sparks a sort of mellow mood soothed only by quiet music and cappuccinos. These type of days my playlists gravitate towards Bon Iver, Coldplay, and usually some repeating listens of "The Funeral".

Another rainy day favorite, though I might catch some flack for this, is John Mayer. Shut your judgy mouths and let me explain...There's something about Mayer's oozy vocals that recalls driving around in the rain singing about wonderland-like bods before we all knew he was such a fuckin' douchebag. So, I am delighted to share with you another heart stopper: City And Colour, aka Canadian singer Dallas Green (City/Dallas and Colour/Green, youre welcome) who's sound is something straight out of cute east village coffee shop.

Dallas is a Juno award winner (disappointingly, not the Juno that got pregnant but the Juno that gives out Canadian Grammys or whatever) and also sings for some band called Alexisonfire that's apparently whatever "post-hardcore" is. I dont really care, I just care that I found another croony guitar player to fill out my rainy day playlist needs. 

Check out a few of City and Colour's dreamier tracks below along with some other rainy day tunes for shits and giggles... and also because I like you guys. I like you oh so much.

Check him out if you like: Mellow guitar, John Mayer minus the pop aspect, black and white pictures of raindrops and your hipstamatic iPhone app.

Whatchu Think? Wednesdays: micvaki

hey kitty cats! wednesdays at doors are now "whatchu think?" wednesdays. (uhhh, what does that even mean?) it's our super cheesy way of telling you we have a guest blogger. yeah, i know. bad. anyway, let me introduce you to our first ever guest blogger, micvaki. she likes long walks on the beach, dumplings, awkward moments & music, obviously. check her out!...



you know when you read a book and then you see the movie and feel completely and utterly jipped?

not the case with alex winston.
alex first caught my attention, and perhaps a little late, on hypem with a remix done by jaybird of her song locomotive. after listening to a few more of her tunes on hypem and watching one of those music videos that make you start to believe in the radio again i headed off to mercury lounge for what i expected to be at least a great vocal performance. i'm always skeptic that the live show will not live up to the power and groove status that the tracks creates in my mind; to my astonishment alex winston and her trio of ladies kept all eyes on the show. its been a while since i've seen such a refreshingly fun performance. with big hair and vocals to match she took the stage to not only knocked the crowd on its ass but treated me to one of the better live shows i've seen in the past year. no jokes. just rock.




now if only we can upgrade that video...

the openers to the show at mercury lounge on april 5, 2011

dirty gold- if i was fifteen again i may have attacked these boys as they exited stage right. the california beach vibe was fluid from every angle of the song and stage. the songs were very summer road trip mix and the boys were still getting their stage legs, but they held their own and definitely had a following. imagine riding passenger side down the coast feet out the windows when listening to california sunrise. definitely a band a will continue to follow and see what they come up with next.

two lights- to say the least but maybe the most... jonas brothers and their dad go on tour with half baked lyrics and chords. i think they played 3 chords in 4 songs, which may have two chords too many. i'll spare you the link.

warm ghost- slip me some acid and the lead singers number. a visually stimulating array of photoshop filtered home-esque videos were accompanied by more serious vocals and synthesized droned out tunes. check out their video.

Just call me Casey Kasem - Top 100 Tuesday baby.

Doors, in an attempt to switch things up a little and bring you all together in a sweet sweet musical harmony (you can go ahead and refer to it as "music sex"), has decided to have a certain 'themed' post for each day of the week to give you all something to expect and hopefully look forward to. We totally forgot yesterday, whoops! You'll have to wait till next week for that one. As for Tuesdays... drumroll please. Top 100 Tuesday.

We know some of you dont like seeing all these bands you have never heard of, so on Tuesday we are going to write about some people you DO know, and then maybe we can give you a few indie suggestions to go along with them. Since Adele and Mumford are the top 2 albums on itunes, I refuse to go in order because you've all heard them a million times and we already have 80 Mumford comparisons in our tag section if you are interested. Nobody sounds like Adele so stop looking.

Your Top 100 picks this Tuesday.......

1. Lupe Fiasco - Lasers - Released March 04,  #47 on iTunes top 100 albums

Lupe, gotta love him. What with the whole Kid Cudi/Kanye obsession running rampant these days, little ol' Lupe really got left in the dust. Well his new(ish) album Lasers was released in March and by now you have all probably heard the single "The Show Goes On". Its juuuust not doing it for me. Seems like kind of a lame excuse for a bar/club song, and has nothing of the originality from his previous singles like "Kick Push" or even the crowd pleasing "Superstar". The album isn't all bad, and it does get a little spark from its collaborations. I still can't help feeling like he's trying to be a little bit too much like his competition, when what made him so amazing was, well, him. Had this been his debut album he would have gotten a lot less flack, but its just nothing compared to the Lupe we all fell in love with.

Download: "Out of My Head (feat. Trey Songz)" if you're looking for one of those getting ready to go out songs
Also check out: The Roots most recent album How I Got Over (released last June), if you want a better version of what Lupe was attempting.

Lupe Fiasco - Out Of My Head
The Roots feat. John Legend - The Fire


2. Ellie Goulding - Lights - Released March 08,  #39 on iTunes 

Ms. Goulding has been popping up all over the place lately, especially with her recent appearance as SXSW and Coachella (which apparently she rocked at). She's got a folky electro sort of sound that reminds me a bit of Natasha Bedingfield, or at least the 3 Natasha Bedingfield songs that I know, or maybe its just the british thing. Whatever. The album is one of those that gets better as you listen to it. It's a little middle of the road, not really reaching too far into the folk or pop side, but like Foo Fighter fans might feel about my album review below, I think Ellie's getting a little too much flack for a valiant and fun if slightly mild debut album. If you're into European chicks with pretty voices and a slightly dancy feel, check this out, because I have nothing else to say about it.

Sounds like: Feist, Natasha Bedingfield, Kylie Minogue, if Sia sang for Chromeo
If you dig, check out: Marina and The Diamonds, The Knife (who's song "Heartbeats" has been covered by both José Gonzalez and Ellie herself) and Dragonette.

Ellie Goulding - Lights



3. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light - Released April 08, #25 on iTunes


I can't think of Foo Fighters without flashing back to driving around in high school and listening to "Learn to Fly" or playing "Everlong" on Guitar Hero. Surprise surprise, I actually LOVE Foo Fighters. They're such an interesting blend of 90's sort of "grunge-rock" and the mainstream anthem. They are beloved by all, or at least by all in my shop class. So unlike my usual cynical approach to all things that might be talked about by Ryan Seacrest one day, I was actually kind of amped to see that the Fighters had a new album out. Oh 90s, how I miss you so.

I just can't take this album. It has none of the roadtrip crescendo of their previous albums, instead choosing to mellow into one long uninteresting guitar riff that makes all the songs blend together. It makes me feel like i'm in a coma and someone keeps playing this album to wake me up but it's so confusing that I just CANT FIND MY WAY BACK. I got anxiety thinking about that, that's how much I don't like this album.

BUT, do not despair. The iTunes ratings from die hard Foo-Fans are all around the 4-5 star range, so there is still a chance that you will like it, and I'm the Roger Ebert of iTunes, just hatin' on some harmless fun. Don't expect anything life changing though kiddies. This is background soundtrack shiz.

download: Tracks 7&8, "Back and Forth" and "A Matter of Time" respectively, for the most old school Foo Fighters sound. "I Should Have Known" also isn't bad, throwing out more of a rockabilly Black Keys feel.

if you like Foo Fighters (like actually good FF), check out: The Sunshine Underground, Surfer Blood and Delta Spirit.

Foo Fighters - Back And Forth
Delta Spirit - Bushwick Blues
Surfer Blood - Floating Vibes

2011 Air Guitar Championships

oh my word. this is real life. 6/15/11 at bowery ballroom. tickets are $16. this doesn't really sound much different than a normal friday night with too many shots of whiskey for jg and i, but it may well be worth checking out.

Each US Regional will consists of two rounds. In Round 1, each competitor performs to a song of their own choosing. Competitors with highest scores from Round 1 advance to Round 2, where they must then perform to a surprise compulsory song. In each round, contestants perform to 60 seconds of a song, and are judged on a combination of Technical Merit, Stage Presence, and “Airness." All guitars must be invisible. In each city, the jury is a panel of independent judges that are hand picked by US Air Guitar. The results of the jury cannot be protested.

buy your tickets here!

Carmen Sandiego taught Cults all they know.

Aaaaaah Cults. The as of now self released duo is the most ungooglable band in history. Until recently they didn't even have a website, and try typing cults in your search engine and getting anything not related to Scientology. On top of that, their promo images never show their faces, choosing instead to cover them with hair or paper bags. That was then, this is now. The kids are out of hiding and have been touring, ripping up the 'blogosphere' (typing that made me gag) and making fucking music videos with Emma Roberts pretending to be Brigitte Bardot. Although knowing that makes me want to stop writing this entry, Cults rock socks so, bear with me.

What do they sound like? They sound like they got ripped from the stage at the Pleasantville prom and thrown into 2011 where they just discovered color. They sound like they should be playing underground bars with fabulous people bouncing around with way too voluminous to be real hair, drinking soda pop or rootbeer floats or some shit. But guess what? EVERYONE LOVES ROOTBEER FLOATS. Except ironically, me. Check out the tracks below, betchya 10 bucks you've heard "Outside" already, everyone loves it. "You know what I mean" will Marty McFly your ass straight to the 50's. I'm sick of typing so just dig on it.

albums out in June fyi....

Listen if you like: late 50's early 60's sounding music, something that would be featured in an iPod commercial, maybe some of Dr. Dog's weirder stuff if their lead singer was a teenage girl who collaborated with Beach House or Tegan and Sara. I dont know dude I've been unable to figure out a good comparison. Let me know if you can pin it down. 

If you dig it you might also like: The Bamboos, Shimmering Stars, Eliza Doolittle,

Go Outside

You Know What I Mean

Most Wanted


and the video if you are interested: Oh Emma Roberts...

monday music: time to smile, people

it's a gloomy-doomy monday and we could all use a little pep in our steps. the remedy: music that will provide instantaneous foot-tapping and maybe put a little smile on your "i wish i were still in bed, what do you want from me?" face. check out of monsters & men and the narcoleptic dancer.





if you like these little babies, check out: camera obscura, edward sharpe & the magnetic zeros, belle & sebastian, she & him

Other Lives: "Tamer Animals"

5-piece Oklahoma band, Other Lives, drop their second album tomorrow. it's pure genius. i will have this on repeat on all day. that's all. i'm not even going to write anything else. just listen. and buy it.

sounds like: fleet foxes meet kurt vile meet the antlers meet band of horses meet the national meet the decemberists meet interpol.

bluegrass, my babies. bluegrass.

huddle up, guys. i get the whole "i listen to everything but country" thing, but c'mon people! it's time to open your hearts to the bluegrass movement. i'm not talking about downloading every reba mcentire album to your ipod (sorry if you're a reba fan! she does have sassy hair, i'll give her that), but embrace a banjo! mumford & sons have paved a small trail in the mainstream scene, but if you take a deeper look there's a whole gang of amazing bands out there!

check out the band trampled by turtles. even if you hate this, i double dog dare you to tell me you're not impressed by the super-human violin/banjo action happening in the videos below.

some other bands worth listening to: cadillac sky, the david mayfield parade, wye oak, johnny flynn & the sussex wit, laura marling.

sunday night show spec-tac-u-lar

hey, ny critters! i know you are all in denial that the weekend winding down and you have to return to the grind tomorrow, but do not fret! here are some note-worthy shows you can check out this week.

monday, 5/2
peter bjorn and john @ bowery ballroom
the airborne toxic event @ pianos *playing mercury lounge on tuesday 5/3, also!

wednesday, 5/4
foals, freelance whales & the naked and famous @ terminal 5 (chaaa-chiiing! 3 amazing bands all in one show. super score)
wintersleep @ union hall

thursday, 5/5 (cinco de mayo, yo)
cold war kids @ highline ballroom
gladys knight @ beacon theatre (yeah, the midnight train to georgia song)
?uestlove @ brooklyn bowl
the fiery furnaces @ rockwood music hall
jukebox the ghost, wakey!wakey! & pretty & nice @ bowery ballroom

friday, 5/6
alejandro escovedo and jesse malin & the st. marks social @ maxwell's (in hoboken)
interpol @ paramount theatre (asbury park) *playing sunday at terminal 5 also!
the pains of being pure at heart & twin shadow @ webster hall

saturday, 5/7
fang island @ brooklyn bowl
jarrod gorbel @ maxells (in hoboken)