This Is The Last…

I have been watching Demetri Martin’s comedy act and he makes my face hurt from laughing so much. He’s all deadpan one-liners. You might recognize Demetri from his small role on Flight of the Conchords as the keytar player for Crazy Dogggz. He also writes for the Daily Show. Sometimes he uses humorous drawings as visual aids, which would serve either as the punchline or a background. And sometimes he strums his guitar while talking.

Trendspotting - Social Networking

Bell, a New York-based band led by Russian-born, Alaska-raised songstress Olga Bell, is what I’ve been listening to all week, over and over. She has an ethereal voice, that has drawn comparisons to Bjork. If you haven’t heard Bell yet, she has a couple songs streaming on her MySpace.

You may have heard her cover of ‘Its Oh So Quiet’ on Stereogum’s Bjork tribute album, check it out here.

I can’t stop listening to her cover of Radiohead’s ‘On Videotape’/Thom Yorke’s ‘The Eraser’ here.

This is just an adorable cover of Moon River. I always thought that song was lacking xylophone.

She also has an EP for sale for $5 here. That’s a steal, for how good the album is. Isn’t this how music should be distributed? From musician to fan? Cut out the greedy middleman.

(Via Stereogum, Pitchfork, and Brooklyn Vegan)

Yeah, yesterday was April Fools and Bjork even got in on the action.

In an interview with New York Times, Bjork and the directing team ‘Encyclopedia Pictura’ faked everyone out by talking about the making of a 3-D video for ‘Wanderlust’.

Here’s the real video in 2-D. I love it.

Wanderlust - 2d

Stereogum has just released Enjoyed: A Tribute to Bjork’s Post. Stereogum has kindly made it available for free download here. Trying to cover Bjork is a very ambitious thing, but they pulled it off.

And the lineup of artists is not too shabby either…
1. Liars - “Army of Me”
2. Dirty Projectors - “Hyperballad”
3. High Places - “Modern Things”
4. Bell - “It’s Oh So Quiet”
5. Pattern Is Movement - “Enjoy”
6. Evangelicals - “You’ve Been Flirting A
7. Xiu Xiu - “Isobel”
8. Final Fantasy & Ed Droste - “Possibly Maybe”
9. White Hinterland - “I Miss You”
10. El Guincho - “Cover Me”
11. Atlas Sound - “Headphones”
12. No Age - “It’s Oh So Quiet” (Alternate Take)

Download here.

Today I was really in the mood to hear Depeche Mode’s “Death’s Door”. I was shocked and ashamed to discover that its not in my music collection. Can anyone tell me which album, this song is on?

On Modern Age I heard about a really good band called The Virgins. They describe themselves as new wave mixed with soul. They’re playing all over the U.S. this Summer, check out the tour dates here.

The Virgins - “Rich Girls”

NPR has posted Yo La Tengo’s SXSW performance, recorded live at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, TX. You can check it out here.

(Photo by Joel Didriksen of kingpinphoto.com)

People In Planes, who are returning in the summer of 2008 with their new album Beyond The Horizon, have just premiered a video for lead single “Pretty Buildings.” I’m really digging this new song and can’t wait to hear the new album.

Watch the video for “Pretty Buildings” right here.

Tour Dates w/ Jupiter One
24 March 2008 ~ Annapolis, MD - Ram’s Head
25 March 2008 ~ Long Branch, NJ - Monmouth College
26 March 2008 ~ Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell’s
29 March 2008 ~ Cambridge, MA - Tommy Doyle’s
1 April 2008 ~ Vienna, VA - Jammin’ Java
5 April 2008 ~ Brooklyn, NY - Luna Lounge
6 April 2008 ~ Buffalo, NY - Michalina’s Bistro
11 April 2008 ~ Kent, OH - Fat Jimmy’s
12 April 2008 ~ Pittsburgh, PA - The Hood House
13 April 2008 ~ Cleveland, OH - Peabody’s
14 April 2008 ~ Grand Rapids, MI - The Intersection
16 April 2008 ~ Marquette, MI - Upfront & Co.
17 April 2008 ~ Marquette, MI - Upfront & Co.
19 April 2008 ~ Chicago, IL - Cubby Bear

Via Prefix:

Sigur Ros is screening its full-length DVD documentary “Heima” on YouTube’s homepage, starting Friday. This is the first time a band screened an entire DVD on the website. The documentary consists of shows the band played in Iceland throughout 2007. Sigur Ros being Sigur Ros, the band picked some unusual venues, including fish factories, community halls and caves. Check it out.

PlayRadioPlay! is a one-man electronic/pop band created by 18-year-old Daniel Hunter of Aledo, TX. He writes, performs, and records all of his own music using Propellerheads Reason, Pro Tools, and Logic Pro. His sound kinda reminds me of Postal Service.

His debut album, Texas, is out on March 18th on Island Records. Here’s the first single off the album.

Madi Dont Leave.mp3

Spring Tour Dates:
3/07 Salt Lake City, UT Avalon
3/08 Denver, CO Gothic
3/10 St. Paul, MN Station 4
3/11 Chicago, IL Metro
3/12 Lansing, MIMac’s Bar
3/13 Detroit, MI Majestic Theater
3/14 Cleveland, OH House of Blues
3/15 New York, NY Irving Plaza
3/16 Boston, MA Middle East
3/17 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero
3/19 Baltimore, MD Recher
3/20 Greensboro, NC Green Street
3/21 Atlanta, GA Masquerade
3/22 Orlando, FL House of Blues
3/24 Tampa, FL State Theater
3/25 Ft. Lauderdale, FL Culture Room
3/26 Tallahassee, FL The Beta Bar
3/28 New Orleans, LA House of Blues
3/29 Austin, TX Emo’s
3/30 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
3/31 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
4/03 Boise, ID Big Easy
4/04 Seattle, WA El Corazon
4/05 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theater
4/06 San Francisco, CA Great American Music Hall
4/08 Ventura, CA Ventura Theater
4/10 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
4/11 San Diego, CA House of Blues
4/12 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues
4/13 Pomona, CA The Glass House
4/14 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theater

This video features Justin Timberlake as the host of a TV dance party. Its pretty damn good. The Odd Couple is out 4/8.

Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova for Best Original Song.
“Falling Slowly” from the movie Once. Pitchfork has a really nice post-Oscar interview with them here. This song gives me goosebumps.


Diablo Cody for Best Original Screenplay for “Juno�.