Culture Greyhound

Total Babes – Be So True

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The Tallest Man On Earth – Weather of a Killing Kind

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Clams Casino – Wizard

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Mikal Cronin – Get Along

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Elite Gymnastics – So Close to Paradise

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I once told Alan Palomo in person he looked like Jake Gyllenhaal, to which he replied jokingly, “Only my mom thinks that.” But judging from the pic above, I’d say the new look for the former Austinite is more resembling of a Keanu Reeves. Nevertheless, Neon Indian has returned, and on September 13, he will drop Era Extrana, his highly anticipated follow-up to the brilliant Psychic Chasms, my pick for Album of the Year way back in 2009. The first leaked track is called “Fallout,” which you can stream here at Pitchfork, and you can download via the widget below. Not sure what I think of the track yet, to be honest – pretty low-key compared to the dance-heavy vibe “Deadbeat Summer” and “Terminally Chill” brought. Perhaps it will grow on me as September rolls around.

Regardless of what you thought of this year’s Angles (it sucked), there’s no denying the awesomeness of the Strokes July 2001 debut, Is This It, which turns ten years old this month. And as SPIN recently did in honor of Nirvana’s Nevermind, Stereogum has posted a tribute featuring a diverse collection of modern artists covering tracks from the album. Download it for free here.

There are definitely some standouts here; I would gather this tribute is even more diverse than the interesting Newermind from SPIN. Most notable is Chelsea Wolfe’s haunting take on “Modern Age.” Frankie Rose makes “Soma” a dream-pop event, replacing jangly guitars for synth hums and soft crooning. And with covers from Real Estate, Owen Pallett, and Austra, the album certainly remains an overall low-key affair, more subdued than its garage-rocking source material.

My personal highlights are the Morning Bender’s upbeat, true-to-form electro take on “Last Nite” and Heems’ scathing commentary on officers of the law over a sped-up sample of “New York City Cops.” Grab the mix and listen for yourself.

This September, as I’ve recently mentioned, one of the most influential albums of the last quarter century turns 20 years old. I’m talking about the major label debut from Nirvana, of course – 1991’s Nevermind. And according to Pitchfork today, Universal Records is pulling out all the stops, releasing three different packages and a separate CD/DVD of a rare live performance.

On September 27, look for a remastered version of the album, as well as a Deluxe Edition with a second disc featuring “accompanying studio and live B-sides, a set of demos recorded at producer Butch Vig’s Smart Studios, boombox recordings of rehearsals, and a pair of previously unreleased BBC recordings.” The Super Deluxe Edition includes all of the above, plus the famous Devonshire Mixes, where Butch Vig produced and mixed the album himself, as opposed to Andy Wallace doing the mixing.

I’m probably springing for the Super Deluxe Edition, because it also includes a 90-page booklet and a CD/DVD combo of the famous Halloween 1991 Paramount Theatre show (which will also be available separately, apparently.) The DVD will also have the music videos for the Nevermind singles. And, just in case you forgot what year it is, the collection will be available in digital and 180-gram vinyl as well. So, Mom, if you’re reading this, Christmas has been taken care of. Love ya.

Trailers for upcoming movies. Some are good, some not as much.

Hooray For Earth – “Sails” from Dovecote Records on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

M83 – Midnight City
Butch Walker and the Black Widows – In Bloom
JEFF the Brotherhood – Something In the Way
Pusha T and Tyler, the Creator – Trouble On My Mind
Run DMC – Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do?

I recently wrote about a tribute album to Buddy Holly featuring new and old artists covering the legend’s hits.  This tribute album I’m writing about today is a completely different animal – an impressive handful of contemporary bands came together for SPIN Magazine to pay homage to one of the finest albums of all time, Nirvana’s Nevermind, which turns 20 this year.

While bands like Surfer Blood and Titus Andronicus give us pretty straightforward covers of the driving tracks “Territorial Pissings” and “Breed,” respectively, most chose to stick to their signature sounds, which provides for an interesting listen.  Midnight Juggernauts synth up “Come As You Are,” Butch Walker and the Black Widows turn “In Bloom” into an optimistic singalong, Foxy Shazam gets a little Elton on “Drain You,” JEFF the Brotherhood turn “Something In the Way” super heavy, and 62-year-old soul crooner Charles Bradley steps out of his comfort zone for “Stay Away,” by far the weirdest cover of the bunch.

But probably the coolest thing about the album (which is free for all – grab it here on the SPIN Facebook page) is the fact that two bands Nirvana famously covered on a regular basis, most notably on the Unplugged album, the Vaselines and the Meat Puppets, return the favor in their own special ways.  As a tribute to what is still a pretty stellar, timeless album twenty years down the road, I’d say the kids over at SPIN did a pretty good job.  I mean, they ought to, after snubbing the disc back in ’91 for Album of the Year over Teenage Fanclub.

Back in the 70′s, there was only Johnny Carson.  But since the retirement of the undisputed King of Late Night in 1992, there has been a plethora of new shows pop up, each with the same basic formula, but unique in their own way. After reading Bill Carter’s The War For Late Night, I have become addicted to late-night television all over again.  So I am starting a new series of posts dedicated to the many hosts out there currently making us laugh after prime time, analyzing one at a time.

Count me among the many who were certain Jimmy Fallon would fail. We had seen his spotty routines on Saturday Night Live – the little shit couldn’t keep from laughing in every sketch he was in (in retrospect, and considering the current state of that show, maybe we were too hard on the guy) – and we’d seen his short, unsuccessful foray into movies. So of course we were skeptical when he was announced as Conan O’Brien’s replacement for the Late Night dynasty – a dynasty created by the smart irreverence of a young David Letterman, and one that Conan made delightfully weird. How could this little unfunny prettyboy, even with a young writing staff and the best band in late night – the legendary Roots crew – successfully follow the great O’Brien?

The answer: a total re-invention of the show.  It’s true Fallon isn’t the funniest, quickest, or wittiest host in his time slot – that honor goes to Craig Ferguson – but Jimmy is young and hip, and he always goes out and acts like he’s having a blast every night.  Unlike an infamous flaw of Conan’s, spending too much time on his weaknesses, Fallon zips through the monologue and gets to the pinnacle of his program – the written bits and audience-participation game shows.  And while most of his material is akin to the laziness of Jay Leno (having your audience tell your jokes for you), Jimmy’s presence is so endearing, and the guy is so likable, he makes it work.  Or it could be that because his audience is younger than Leno’s, maybe they’re just generally funnier.  Whatever the case, his Web presence and interaction with viewers is fresh and creative – his weekly Twitter hashtag sketch puts Leno’s Headlines to shame, and the Late Night writers always find a way to inject some homage to/mockery of the game show they are blatantly, and absurdly, satirizing.

You know what else Jimmy does?  He really doesn’t interview that much.  How great is that?  I mean, wouldn’t you agree that’s usually the most boring part of late night talk shows?  Watching a comedian (who is usually sub-par at interviewing) let a Hollywood blowhard talk about how awesome his new movie is?  Jimmy Fallon treats interviewing like his monologue – short and sweet.  He tackles the big topics, throws some jokes in, and then finds a way to involve his guest in a bit or competition of some sort.  Fallon, who is likely the most competitive non-athletic celebrity in the world, is always challenging his A-list guests to simple backyard hangout games.  He’s beaten Betty White at beer pong; he’s lost a game of horseshoes to Kid Rock.  He may also involve them in a comedic musical bit, which is Fallon’s specialty.  He’s rapped an homage to hip-hop with Justin Timberlake; he’s danced around with Stephen Colbert to Rebecca Black’s “Friday.”  Hell, he even gets the stuck-up douches to loosen up and sing! (I’m looking at you, Blake Shelton.)

So let me just conclude with an apology – Jimmy, I’m sorry.  I underestimated you.  Your show is awesome.  It’s a late night show for the 21st century, surrounded by peers who are still trying to embody the long-gone spirit of a Johnny Carson era.  It’s fresh, it’s innovative, it’s interactive, and, most of all surprising, it’s actually funny.  And when you introduce a musical guest, you make me feel like you’ve heard of the band, or you’ve done research, and that you’re genuinely glad these people are performing on your show.  And as a viewer, I appreciate that.  Thank you for making a routine show not feel so…..routine.

Legitmix Empowers Artists from Legitmix on Vimeo.

I know I’ve been posting a lot recently about new developments in the Internet music world, whether it be the social networking/competitive music discovery tool Turntable.FM or the now-domestic Spotify.Com. My newest discovery isn’t necessarily for the average music consumer, but it certainly will have an audience, and on the business side, an impact.

The above video pretty much sums up what LegitMix.Com is all about – giving credit and compensation where it’s due, and without all the hassle and time constraints of getting samples cleared.  And anyone can participate, and it’s all legal.

To help promote the new site, still in beta testing, LegitMix has teamed up with the one and only Diplo, who has provided a mix for sale – Mad Legit.  You pay a small price for the mix itself, plus the price for the copyrighted samples it contains, which are included….and because you paid for them, you are free to do whatever you want with them – remix, mashup, etc.  Everyone on all ends earn their share, including bloggers when they promote the mixes (which I particularly like, obviously.)

I’ve been very excited to see all the new technology being developed to help progress the music business into a more practical 21st century model, increasing the ease of use for consumers and the ease of production and compensation for those behind the scenes, especially the artists, DJs, and producers.  Though I may not necessarily have much use personally for LegitMix.Com currently, I might one day, and I certainly support new ideas in this ever-changing world of music commerce.