Neil Young overcomes loneliness at the United Palace

In his song "A Man Needs a Maid," Neil Young sings from the perspective of a man who has been hurt and confused by human relationships and would rather have something that he can "understand." I was thinking that maybe I'd get a maid Find a place nearby for her to stay. Just somene to keep my house clean Fix my meals and go away. During his lively performance at New York City's United Palace Theater in Washington Heights last night, it was clear most of the audience knew the feeling. The crowd was so engaged and shouted between...

Music of the day is definitely Tex-Mex

I was blown away by this incredible video for the song "Frijoleros" by the band Molotov. Catchy tune, with creative graphics and great color sense. Check it out -- but be prepared to wait for a slow download. Also read this interview with the director of "Be Here to Love Me," a new documentary about singer-songwriter-senstive-and-cruel-70's-man Townes Van Zandt. Unrelated to Van Zandt, I love this part of the interview: Margaret Brown (the young director and NYU grad): You thought I was some dumb New York girl. Lee Daniel (veteran cinematographer): [laughs] Well, you know, NYU. Read a brief into...

The Greatest Love Story of the 20th Century

I finally saw "Walk the Line" last night. Joaquin Phoenix is amazing as Cash, catching all the facial tics and vocal depth. And Reese Witherspoon is equally great; she captures the professional cheeriness and inner depth the Carter family is known for. It's got the HJ stamp of approval! It reminded me of Sarah Vowell's story for 'This American Life.' She calls June and Johnny's relationship the "Love Story of the 20th Century." Go take a listen and decide for youself. (Link is on the side of the page, and Vowell's part begins around 47 minutes in)...

Tra-la-la

Courtesy of the great Media Funhouse, here's a music video to get the weekend started right. Touch the tra-la-la....

Stop Stop Snitching

You've see it around town. The t-shirt with a big red stop sign that reads: STOP SNITCHING. Now law enforcement is having problems with thug justice: Criminals have always relied on a code of silence to evade prosecution. But calls to "stop snitching" have grown louder in hip-hop, which grew out of black inner cities to become a huge influence on youth culture across America. Critics say this taboo on "snitching" or informing is now part of hip-hop's mystique and makes it increasingly hard for police to solve violent crimes in inner-city neighborhoods. "The cultural shift that it is acceptable...

Much love

It's not exactly Yalta, but there's a new peace accord in town. Nas and Jay-Z have officially ended their feud. It's probably good for the hip-hop community, but I can't decide whether this is good or bad for the music, since Jay-Z's attacks put Nas at the top of his game again....

How can i love you if you won't lie down?

Check out this monster interview with poet/musician/gum chawer David Berman over at Pitchfork. Buy everything with this man's name on it. Now....

More Appropriately Named the "Go Ahead, Look Back" Series

This article from the Guardian Online describes a current London concert series in which artists play an album live from beginning to end, including among others Iggy Pop's Funhouse and Gang of Four's Entertainment. The article then gives several artists' suggestions (I don't want to spoil the surprise, but let's just say the song "Sweet Leaf" is mentioned somewhere). Personal aside: Many years ago in Boston, we saw Red House Painters perform the Rollercoaster album from beginning to end, which was a particular surprise since they had a new album to promote. (I remember cracking up when Kozelek asked for...

Trapped in the Cliffs Notes

Although I finally got this song out of my head a few weeks ago, I wish with all my heart I'd written these Cliffs Notes for R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet." (Via The Black Table.) (You know it must be good if I break several months' silence to post!) Other R. Kelly goodies: Legal documents from the R./Jay-Z feud. More here. I Can Fly, the R. Kelly Story...

Shatnerized

Ok. For all you people who wonder whether that new William Shatner album is any good, I've got a little treat for you. Check out the song below and immediately go out and buy the album. Right-click-save-as this link to enjoy Shatner's "Has Been."...

Brian Dewan's Peculiar Patriotism

I first discovered the joys of Brian Dewan during the week of the election, when I kept seeing this strange show on Manhattan public access. It featured a musician in a red K-Mart jacket singing old political songs while alternating playing the music on the accordion and a zither (?). That I didn't even know what instrument he was playing intrigued me. And then there were these nutty watercolor backgrounds superimposed behind him. And always a stone-face, even when he sang a song about electing Alfred E. Newman for president. Eventually I got out a VHS and recorded half the...

Who Will Bring the Funk Now?

Rick James died today. (Please refrain from making any Dave Chappelle jokes for a full 48 hours, bi...) Best quote from the article: "Today the world mourns a musician and performer of the funkiest kind..."...

What to Do This Saturday: East River Music Project

A friend forwarded this to us today about the East River Music Project, which is hosting a free show this Saturday, July 24 at the East River Park Amphitheatre. It's a fun place to hear music, and the kids (and by "kids," I mean, "adults") love Ted Leo, so I thought I'd pass it on. Additional info is here. * * * * * * * East River Music Project in cooperation with NYC Parks & Recreation presents: Tigers and Monkeys Sea Ray The Natural History Ted Leo & The Pharmacists Saturday July 24 1:30pm "doors," Show from 2-6 Free...

I think I need a rum & Coca-Cola

I'm sure most of us are at least aware of William Shatner's past musical pursuits. Well, he's back with a new album. Follow the link, if you dare, to hear Captain Kirk and Joe Jackson (!) covering Pulp's "Common People." Jarvis says, "Pour me another."...

Tuesday Jukebox: April March

Many years ago, a friend (now long lost to the clutches of law school) gave us a now-legendary set of mix tapes culled from his voluminous stacks of vinyl. From Killdozer's cover of Neil Diamond's "I Am, I Said" to the Rolling Stones's "2000 Man," these tapes struck the perfect balance between music that was new to us and stuff we already liked but didn't own. Among the tracks were several songs from the 1993 Voo Doo Doll EP by April March (nee Elinore Blake), whom I'd never heard before. With her adorable voice, a French-pop-inspired sound, and witty lyrics,...

Thursday Jukebox: The Go-Betweens

Because I saw this Guardian review of their show in London (doubt they'll be touring here anytime soon) and now have them on the brain (and in the CD player), I thought I'd post a couple of songs by the fantastic and completely underrated band The Go-Betweens. If there were justice in the music world, these guys would be diving into swimming pools full of money in Brisbane. Right-click-Save-Target-As... to get the songs, and then go buy some already (also, I haven't read this, but it looks interesting -- the 2003 David Nichols book, The Go Betweens). The Go-Betweens -...

Honky Tonk Blues on PBS

PBS is airing (in NY on Thirteen) its American Masters episode "Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues" tonight at 8. For any fans of Hank's, the episode web site has some great information: an essay, career timeline, additional footage, and interview with filmmaker Morgan Neville. If you haven't seen it already (it's a DG oldie but goodie), check out Aaron Augenblick's mesmerizing, strangely moving animated robot singing Hank's "Ramblin' Man." (Photo from Hank Williams: Snapshots from the Lost Highway, available here on Amazon). What's your favorite Hank Williams song? (Mine is -- well, today, at least -- "I'm So Lonesome I...

50 Coolest Song Parts

Why don't we just hang it up and start a music blog, because that's all I've been blogging these days. Via The Morning News (now with 15% more Kevin Fanning!), this list of the 50 coolest song parts is great fun, some of the songs complete with clips. Heavy on punk and classic rock, the list captures some of the most memorable moments in some otherwise not-so-memorable songs. Favorites? UPDATE: Under Led Zep III, there is a link to this. "Valhalla, I am coming," indeed!...

Friday Jukebox

What a coincidence. After recently pulling out an old Edith Frost album to use a song for a mix CD group I'm in, I found out today through a comment on Chicagoist that she has a blog and a new collection of demos, available only online. Frost's songs are haunting and spare and best enjoyed late at night. And I was thrilled to see a cover of Lefty Frizell's "Look What Thoughts Will Do" among the other songs on the collection. Right-click-Save-Target-As... to get the songs, or get more from Comfort Stand, which has loads of great music for free,...

Take the Pixies Quiz!

How well do you know the Pixies? As The Guardian quips, "it's educational." (I scored a somewhat-disappointing 7/10)....

Pretend It's the Mid-90s All Over Again

The Guardian Online has a semi-positive review of PJ Harvey's latest album, Uh Huh Her: PJ Harvey has a knack of writing love songs that make being loved by PJ Harvey seem only marginally preferable to a barium enema. Her sixth album, Uh Huh Her, contains Who the Fuck?, ostensibly inspired by a disastrous visit to the hairdressers. At a time when a single called Fuck It has recently been deposed from the Number One spot by a single called Fuck You Right Back, it seems fairly unlikely that the odd fuck could still shock anyone. But it's all...

More Merrittocracy

The always-excellent Onion AV club has a nice interview with Stephin Merritt. O: Do you follow your reviews? SM: About once a year, I'll see what people think. My favorite review of myself was in People magazine. They were reviewing the first 6ths record, and they said that ordinarily, "he sings the songs himself. He has a voice like the wind moaning through a small, relatively leafless tree."...

Now I know Hollywood is a horrible place for female actors, but...

Pink to Play Janis Joplin in Big Screen Biopic Coming so soon after the news that Puff Daddy's going to play Jimi Hendrix......

Monday Jukebox

I'm home sick today, so posting will be sparse or nonexistent. Keep the blues away with this track from the Mississippi Sheiks, a popular country blues string band from the 30's. I have to thank Greg for turning me on to this disc, which only recently came back into print. Right-click-Save-Target-As... to get the song, and then go buy the thing already. Note: We have removed the link to the MP3. Because MP3s are for sampling purposes only, we do not always leave the links active....

Rock 'n' Roller Nerd Wards

Stereogum knows way too much about Billy Joel: Music fans stopped paying attention to Billy Joel at "We Didn't Start The Fire" (I remember one book named him the worst rock star of all time simply because "a list is not a song"). Blender's recent countdown of the 50 all-time worst songs included the rap-rock ballad at #41, citing special hatred of the line "China’s under martial law/ rock & roller cola wars!"). But here's a fun fact: the original line was "Poison apples in the stores, rock & roller cola wars." Then the whole Tiananmen Square thing replaced the...

i's on the Prize

Jolly misanthrope Stephin Merritt has a new album out today called i. Don't stop to collect your misery. Buy it now. Mr. Magnetic Fields was once a reviewer for Time Out NY, and his work there can still be found with search engines. Beyond his legendary reviews of Christmas albums (1998, 1999, 2000), he also reviewed NYC-area putt-putts and the music of someone else's century. God bless us everyone! For those with a Salon subscription or the willingness to suffer the indignity of a day pass, here is a bonus article/interview, which inspired several letters to the editor along these...

I Used to Do a L'il, But a L'il Wouldn't Do It...

Forget School of Rock. Enter L'il Gn'R, The First Ever Guns 'n' Roses Kids Tribute Band, complete with L'il Axl, L'il Izzy, L'il Duff, L'il Steven Adler, and everyone's favorite, L'il Slash. Yes, this is for real, but of course it was conceived by an NY comedian, Mark Malkoff. Read more about Mark's project in this Guardian article. An excerpt: "He finally realised what he had let himself in for when he took Li'l Gn'R to a hotel room for an afternoon. "They trashed it! There was silly string everywhere, chocolate and candy and soda all over the room. They...

Shane's Still on the Old Main Drag

"And now I'm lying here, I've had too much booze I've been shat on and spat on and raped and abused I know that I am dying and I wish I could beg For some money to take me from the old main drag"...

Oh yeah

Kimya Dawson. Listen. The girl's good....

It's Too Beautiful to Blog

Why write words when you can bask in the sun? I'm going to the park to spend my day off watching dogs, girls, and naughty nephews. In keeping with yesterday's post, I've got to plug Archive.org again. Not only do they keep public domain films online for all to see and use, but they also have old records and music for all to use as they see fit. This is how a culture remains vital, not through corporations and money-hungry relatives keeping perpetual copyrights, but through open source use and reuse. Download "White House Blues," an old bluegrass song about...

Tragedy Strikes Weird Al Household

This past Friday the parents of Weird Al passed away due to carbon monoxide inhalation. Try not to make any jokes or write any parody songs. When I was a kid I loved Weird Al. His song "Fat" was the height of hilarious. And his parents were often part of the act. Read his message for yourself here...

HOVA is Stained

Ok. This is brilliant. Jay-Z's vocal hip-hop mixed with Pavement's "Slanted and Enchanted" lo-fi slackercore creates The Slack Album. (via stereogum)...

'New Slang' Gang Harangues Fame

The Shins get the Q&A from Pitchfork (via Travelers Diagram): The real challenge of writing songs isn’t just writing a bunch of parts -- like a verse, chorus, verse, but making something that flows together, that brings you back. I mean, that’s the thing with progressive rock -- you come up with a million riffs, and you just plug ‘em in!...

The Triumph of Hipster Irony

Back in my day, there was a mini-craze among hipsters for semi-clueless musicians who couldn't hold a note but seemed compelled to perform music from the bottom of their hearts. There was the manic depression of Daniel Johnston and the schizophrenia of Wesley Willis. And now we have William Hung. The current craze for the American Idol reject baffles me. What Hung has in common with Johnston and Willis is a a certain naivite about creating songs coupled with a compulsion to create them. They're all bad singers who don't seem to know it, and that's part of their charm....