On paper, pretty much everything about this movie sounds dope. When You’re Strange, directed by Tom DiCillo is made up of archival footage, documenting the legendary band from their rise to stardom up until Jim Morrison’s death in 1971. With narration by Johnny Depp, the film will give its audience a chance to see live performances and studio footage not seen anywhere else. When You’re Strange is an official selection for Sundance, as well as the LA film festival, and will be making its debut this June. For now, peep the trailer above.
It’s a beautiful morning out in LaLa today. For the record, Tha Boogie and Breezy Lovejoy did their thing at the Little Temple last night. Keep an eye on those cats. Anyway, I woke up feeling like it was time to sprinkle the front page with some new shit once again. Like most weeks, this one brought with it a handful of quality music. And as usual, it’s more than we can really drop on day-to-day basis. Not to mention it’s been a crazy week. The four-year anniversary of Jay Dee’s untimely passing on Wednesday, and the shocking and tragic death of fashion icon Alexander McQueen really put things in focus. Life is too short, so we really do have to live for today. Danny, thanks for the valuable perspective. My dude Matt will be celebrating tonight. I suggest you join him. We got a lot to celebrate.
This is just a pretty ass song. Over the second half of the last decade, Hot Chip became one of the most buzzed-about indie bands, and with good reason. Tying together a pretty diverse range of influences (as far as I know, they’re the only indie band to cover “Sexual Eruption”), the London-based outfit was responsible for some of the most forward-thinking electro-pop in recent memory. One Life Stand is the latest from Hot Chip, led by the two singles “One Life Stand” and “Take It In”. While the singles are both dope, “Alley Cats” is a little more of a departure from their signature sound, building off subtlety more than anything else. The album’s out now. So cop it here.
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“When I sit and close my eyes,
A gentle thought comes in my mind,
My love is burnin’ brightly
My moon and stars shine nightly…”
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This was a long time coming. There’s simply too much great music being made around the world, and being released via the blog world to narrow down to single posts. Believe me, it’s never easy to narrow it down. Besides, who are we to say what music you’re gonna feel? In the interest of giving credit where it’s due, and keeping the Bowties faithful up to speed, we’d like to present The Leftovers. More slaps. One post. As always, the feedback is appreciated. Happy Friday.
For those of you who might’ve missed the video a couple months back, peep it immediately. It’s just necessary. Charlotte’s IRM, produced and written entirely by Beck, is one of the more interesting indie albums to drop in recent memory. Put together in the wake of life-threatening brain surgery as a result of a water-skiing accident, the album is full of thoughtful meditations on life and death, with “Heaven Can Wait” standing as the most direct example. If she looks familiar, it’s because of her prowess as an actress, with roles in films like 21 Grams and an award-winning turn in Antichrist. Cop the album here, and catch her at Coachella later this year.
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It’s looking like Yeasayer might have the next indie hit on their hands with this one. At first it took me a couple listens to really get into it. A few days later, I don’t really feel like listening to anything else. And believe me when I say that for a dude with musical ADD as bad as me, that’s rare. “O.N.E.” is one of those rare 5 minute songs that has enough going on in it keep you listening to the end every time. The Brooklyn quartet will drop their sophomore LP Odd Blood next Tuesday, before making their way out to Coachella in April. Cop here.
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I’m not usually one to post remixes, but every once in a while one just catches my attention. If you’ve been anywhere in the vicinity of my apartment over the last few days, you’ve already heard this one more times than you probably wanted to. The original is dope, but experimental producer Matthew Dear’s take on “VCR”, one of the standouts from The xx‘s breakout debut last year, does exactly what a remix is supposed to do. The whole vibe of the song is different, transforming a settled love song into something that could get a club rocking in seconds flat. Check the MORE for that bonus.
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“When it’s all said and done, remember the fearless, remember the dreamers, remember those who represent the ghetto… The fairy tale of nothing to something. I’m briefly saddened by negative comments, but I have to remember those people are scared, incapable or just plain idiots. We are the fucking rock stars baby. No cocaine, just life my niggaz. No cocaine, just life! It’s funny, to me when fashion bloggers down our outfits and then super jock outlandish shit on the runway but then they dress mad prude and don’t live fashion. We live it man. Fuck that, we live it!!! We live it so hard people live through us! We represent your inner spirit!!
Max told me he was trying desperately not to play out “Vaporize”. Truth be told, I’ve been trying to do the same with “High Road” since it dropped around Christmas time. The fact that both those songs have been in heavy rotation for weeks, and I’m not sick of either one has me convinced we’re in for something serious when Danger Mouse & James Mercer drop their collab album in March. I’m not really sure why any of the shit that happens in this video happens, but it’s nice to look at anyway. Make of it what you will I guess. Sophie Muller, on point as usual with the visuals.
“When I die and they lay me to rest,
Gonna go to the place that’s the best,
When I lay me down to die,
Goin’ up to the spirit in the sky…”
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Just in time for the Coachella, Gorillaz dropped the first single from their upcoming Plastic Beach this afternoon. This time around, it looks like Damon Albarn took a decidely more electronic approach, putting together something that sounds more like ’80s or ’90s electro than the dusty breakbeat indie Danger Mouse constructed for Demon Days. Still a hitter though. Not to mention, pulling Bobby out the cuts is one of the coolest things you could possibly do. Mos rounds out the track, taking his place as Sun Moon Stars, the latest fictional character in the crew. With a guest list that includes Paul Simon, Snoop, De La Soul, Lou Reed and Little Dragon, I don’t really have to tell you Plastic Beach is looking pretty serious.
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After the Treasure Island Festival, I realized the true beauty of a music festival. Not just for the type of atmosphere it provides, but for how crackin shit can be. Last time I saw MGMT I was in a tree with Nick. Needless to say it was a memorable moment. I suggest cruising with a mixed crew, because once the music hits, you’ll want a sweetheart near by. Placing big name artists, alongside you and your friends favorite band ensures a rich collection of music for the weekend. From Jay, to La Roux, to Sly & The Family Stone, there is truly something for everybody. Kinda like the bowties. 3-day passes are $269, and one days are $99 but I need a confirmation on that. For more info hit up the Coachella website. This one should be fun.
If for no other reason, Dirty Projectors are cool because they don’t sound like anybody else. Pulling together influences from just about everywhere, Dave Longsreth’s group came with one of last year’s most interesting albums with Bitte Orca. The David Byrne co-sign was enough to get my attention, but “Stillness is the Move” was the one that really got folks talking. Last week saw the release of their latest 7″ single, with “Ascending Melody”. Took a couple listens to grow on me, and now I can’t stop listening. More from Dirty Projectors here.
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Malcolm Gladwell, the brilliant sociologist behind The Tipping Point and Outliers, would tell you that with 10,000 hours of practice, you can master just about any craft. The only catch is that 10,000 hours is somewhere in the ballpark of 3 hours a day, for 10 years. It also can’t hurt to be as talented as Jonah though. For the record, he’s all of four years old. Guess he has a headstart on all of us. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to get on the grind. Call it a New Year’s resolution.
