Teenage Dirtbag, Baby

This morning, I had a craving for Wheatus's Teenage Dirtbag and much to my dismay, I could not find it in my itunes, so I went searching on youtube, only to come across their GREAT video for the song. It's from 2000, so maybe the lead singer's baby blue bucket hat and yellow sunglasses were cool then, but now they're just funny. It's also starring some early 2000s big players- Jason Biggs and Mena Suvari. Wheatus is basically a one hit wonder band (as far as I know) but it's a great single.
Check out the video for a study break...you won't regret it!

Bliss n Eso

The Sunday before Finals Week is fun for no one. All weekend, I've been doing work and trying to gear up for my final week of sophomore year. I love to listen to music while I study but it usually distracts me too much. My most recent favorite distraction song is "Reflections" by Bliss n Eso, an Australian hip hop band. It's addicting and reminds me of a combination of Cosmo Jarvis and Atmosphere. The song is off of their upcoming album, Running on Air. They'll be on tour in Australia, so if you happen to be in the Southern Hemisphere this summer, check them out.

It's Most Definitely a Great Song

MOS DEF
An addicting fan video to go with an addicting song from 2009's "The Ecstatic"

Check it out...I'm sure you won't be able to stop listening.

The Old Becomes New Again: Simon & Garfunkel

My love for Simon & Garfunkel runs deep, so I was happy to hear that their 1970 album Bridge Over Troubled Water was being reissued by Sony. The new edition includes a DVD of a 1969 television special and a making of feature. Their final studio album together, Bridge Over Troubled Water is a great album, chock full of some of my favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs. I decided to choose just one to stream for you here:
"Song for the Asking"

The Family Sign

Atmosphere released their newest album today, "The Family Sign". Known for their intense, hard-hitting lyrics and upbeat melodies, "The Family Sign" breaks away from this characteristic style a little bit. The original Atmosphere duo, Slug and Ant, has expanded for this album adding a keyboardist and guitarist and the melodies are more laid back and a little solemn. Though this album is very different from the masterpiece that was "When Life Gives You Lemons, Then Paint That Shit Gold," my loyalty to Atmosphere runs deep and I feel like this album still has serious potential. Listen to the whole album for free here: http://www.myspace.com/atmosphere.

Roadtrip Music

Jayne and I went to her house this weekend and ended up spending a few hours en route on a bus either way. Before the trip, I loaded up my iPod with some roadtrip music. Here are a few of the songs I was listening to as we traveled all the way across the state of NY.

EDDIE VEDDER- NEW SOLO ALBUM + TOUR

I am SO excited! I just found out (and I may be late to the party on this one) that Eddie Vedder will be releasing a solo album on May 31st, called Ukulele Songs and will be on a month long summer tour. As a big fan of Vedder's solo work (especially for Into The Wild), I am crossing my fingers that I can find a way to see him play this summer. If I can't see him live, I will just have to console myself with the cd, which judging from the single, is going to be awesome. You can buy the single "Longing to Belong" on iTunes right now.
TOUR DATES

Elevator Music

In honor of my live music radio show tonight, I'm sharing the best video I have seen for a "live" performance. Arcade Fire performs, violins and all, in an elevator. The most impressive part is that the percussion is played by ripping a magazine page at the beat. CHECK IT OUT

Outtakes, Extras, B Sides

Whatever you want to call them, artist's B sides and extra songs released in addition to their albums are sometimes a lot of stuff that maybe shouldn't have ever been produced, but other times they are gems that come to be favorite songs for fans. The Avalanche, an album comprised of the extras and outtakes from Sufjan Steven's Come On Feel The Illinoise, has a mixture of both. One of the best songs on the album is The Perpetual Self or "What Would Saul Alinsky Do?" It has been on repeat on my itunes for the past few days and hopefully it will make it onto your newest playlist.

Visit Sufjan's Myspace page to hear some more music:http://www.myspace.com/sufjanstevens

Angles!

The day has finally come! Or it came... yesterday. The Strokes released their newest album "Angles" and they did not disappoint. It has a very different sound from "Is This It" and "Room On Fire", some of their earlier albums, but the new direction they're taking is definitely a good one . This album may require a few listens to fall in love, but I'm already really enjoying most of the songs, especially "Taken for a Fool", "Machu Piccu" and "Under Cover of Darkness". I would kill to see them at MSG on April 1!

All the Kids....

My friend Natalie turned me onto this song and it is GREAT. Even better with the music video.
Check it out. Foster the People with their new song Pumped Up Kicks

NEW Alexi Murdoch

Singer-Songwriter Alexi Murdoch is back with a new album, Towards the Sun. It will be released on March 8, but until then, you can stream it in its entirety on NPR. Its 7 tracks are very slow and folky and he sings about heartbreak and love. It may sound very common, but Murdoch does it uncommonly well.
Check out the new music, but also check out some of his older stuff. I would recommend "Orange Sky" and "Song For You" from his album Time Without Consequence.

Tiny Desk, Big Voice

NPR has these great acoustic, in office concerts called Tiny Desk concerts where artists come to play a set of roughly three songs. Recently, they had Adele in the studio to sing "Someone Like You", "Chasing Pavements", and her new single "Rolling in the Deep." She sounds great on the video, just as good or better than her recorded songs.

I can't embed the video, so here is a link to the site where you can watch, listen, and read about the concert!

ADELE TINY DESK CONCERT

Last Night on Earth

Noah and the Whale, an indie rock group from London, is back with their third album, Last Night on Earth. The video below is for their single L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. If you don't know the band, their first album, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down is a great album, with the standout, 5 Years Time. Their name is taken from a combination of a favorite movie The Squid and the Whale and it's director Noah Baumbach. Their second album, First Days of Spring  tells a story and has an accompanying music video, extended film (think a precursor to Kanye West's Runaway). The new single is catchy and a little less folky than their other pursuits.

Look for the album on MARCH 7.

Visit their website HERE for more music/info.  Their music video for LIFEGOESON is on their myspace: HERE