Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere



Well this is the first youtube video I've seen that they won't let me embed, but still you need to click and watch it. Bruce's new single, Radio Nowhere, a return to his form of 30 years ago, is just tremendous. I love you Bruce. Also check out the absolutely lovely Girls in Their Summer Clothes, both off the new album, Magic. This is Bruce's 15th studio album in his 34-year career and his best rock album since Born in the USA. He's now 58 but you'd never know it...also don't miss this month's Spin with Bruce and Win Butler of Arcade Fire on the cover and giving a joint interview inside.

Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere video (unembeddable)

MP3 Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere

MP3 Bruce Springsteen - Girls in Their Summer Clothes (both from 2007's Magic)

Saturday, November 24, 2007

Radiohead - All I Need fan video

This is a fantastic fan-made video for my second-favorite song on the new album, All I Need.



Made by one J. Tyler Helms, with footage from the 1996 French film Microcosmos. Audio clip below is of Jonny Greenwood describing how the band created the white noise that dominates the last minute of this incredible song.

MP3 Jonny Greenwood discusses the end of All I Need

Saturday, November 10, 2007

PJ Harvey - Silence, White Chalk, Down by the Water, Desperate Kingdom of Love

On her new album White Chalk, Polly Jean throws everyone for a loop by abandoning her trademark noisy guitar and deep vocals for piano and her upper register.



MP3 PJ Harvey - The Mountain (the amazing closer from White Chalk, 2007)

Friday, November 9, 2007

Radiohead - Unravel (Björk cover)

Yesterday and today Radiohead have been giving us little glimpses of themselves fooling around in their studio in Oxfordshire, spinning very cool records like DJs and giving up this beautiful cover of Björk's Unravel from 1997's Homogenic. Thom has called this his favorite song of all time. The ending is especially lovely.



MP3 Radiohead - Unravel (Björk cover, live in studio, 11-08-07)
MP3 Björk - Unravel (from 1997's Homogenic)

And here's the mighty Reckoner all stripped down:



Pitchfork has the whole thing on video here, including the guys' DJ sets (Thom played Heart of Hearts!) and covers of The Smiths' The Headmaster Ritual ("a song about when we were younger, but we didn't write it," explains Thom) and Joy Division/New Order's Ceremony. Here's everything as MP3s. Thanks much, guys.

MP3 Radiohead - Faust Arp (just Thom & Jonny live in a field 11-09-07)
MP3 Radiohead - Bodysnatchers (live in studio 11-09-07)
MP3 Radiohead - Reckoner (live in studio 11-09-07)

MP3 Radiohead - I Might be Wrong (live in studio 11-09-07)

MP3 Radiohead - The Headmaster Ritual (Smiths cover, live in studio 11-09-07)
MP3 The Smiths - The Headmaster Ritual (from 1985's Meat is Murder)

MP3 Radiohead - Ceremony (Joy Division/New Order cover, live in studio 11-09-07)
MP3 New Order - Ceremony (1981 debut single, written by Ian Curtis of Joy Division)


And some lovely pictures of Jonny working on the string arrangements for In Rainbows:





Thursday, November 8, 2007

St. Vincent - These Days (Jackson Browne cover)


The lovely Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, formerly of the Polyphonic Spree, covers Jackson Browne last month in Forth Worth, Texas. She's 25 and originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Also listen to Now, Now from her solo debut released this year, Marry Me.

MP3 St. Vincent - These Days (Jackson Browne cover)
MP3 St. Vincent - Now, Now (from 2007's Marry Me)

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Bluegrass version of The Shins' Kissing the Lipless


This is great! A bluegrass version of The Shins' classic Kissing the Lipless from 2004's beloved Chutes Too Narrow. There's actually a whole album of these Shins bluegrass covers.

Bluegrass Tribute to the Shins - Kissing the Lipless
The Shins - Kissing the Lipless (from 2004's Chutes Too Narrow)

Nada Surf - See these bones


I love this song, the lead single off the band's upcoming (February 2008) fifth album, Lucky. Nada Surf is YET ANOTHER Brooklyn band (they met at Le Lycée Français de New York, Mur!) that's been around for 15 years, has had only one bonafide hit (1996's Popular), but always writes beautiful melodies and dreamy, romantic lyrics. For more examples here's Your Legs Grow off 2005's The Weight is a Gift (produced by Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla) and Blizzard of "77 off 2003's Let Go.

MP3 Nada Surf - See these bones
from 2008's Lucky
MP3 Nada Surf - Your legs grow from 2005's The Weight is a Gift
MP3 Nada Surf - Blizzard of '77 from 2003's Let Go