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What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:30:56 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download.

Something sweet: Mandy Moore's new album is titled Amanda Leigh, which is also Moore's given name. It's a title that seems to signal that perhaps these new songs are, compared to the rest of her repertoire, the most representative of who she is. Her voice remains sugar-sweet and easy on the ears, but it lacks some emotional depth, which hurts the album as a whole. But there are some strong, stand-out tracks, including "Merrimack River," "Everblue," and "Bug."

Brooklyn's calling: I'm pretty pumped for the new album from Brooklyn-based Grizzly Bear. Veckatimest is getting pretty stellar reviews, and from what I've listened to so far, it's the perfect laid-back indie-rock album for sunny Summer days and road trips (although, for what it's worth, this video literally gave me nightmares). Check out "Two Weeks," "While You Wait for the Others," and "Cheerleader."

New Department of Eagles Video Is a Work of Art - Truly

BuzzSugar — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:30:56 -0700

This week, Department of Eagles duo Daniel Rossen (of the band Grizzly Bear) and Fred Nicolaus debuted their new video for the song "No One Does It Like You" at New York's Museum of Modern Art as part of the museum's ongoing PopRally series of events. The video's creators were on hand to chat about this amazing video with a sold-out crowd.

The director, Patrick Daughters, is also the man behind Feist's "1,2,3,4" video, so it's not totally surprising to find some impressive choreography sprinkled throughout. However, the overall effect is far from uplifting. The Civil War-themed clips are extremely haunting and, at times, totally creepy. The Department of Eagles' stirring (and awesome) pop song is only enhanced by these disturbing Tim Burton-esque images. A warning for the faint of heart: There is an amputation and blood. Lots of blood.

Ready to take a dive into the surreal side and watch for yourself? Just read more.

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Link Time! 12/30

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:45:54 -0800

Ten entertainment Davids who deserve kudos this year. - The TV Addict
Time to vote on what was the worst of 2008 TV (including "Worst Claire Wig": Claire Bennet of Heroes or Claire Littleton of Lost). - Watch With Kristin
Nine of the least-wanted TV neighbors. - TV Squad
Check out some first images from the next Transformers movie. - Cinematical
Did you see any of these 20 great concerts of '08? - Stereogum
Oooh - Whitney Port talks about The City and drops a bit of a Hills scoop. - Popwatch
Speaking of which, relive the year in Hills drama! - PopSugar
Hear Grizzly Bear remixing Feist's "My Moon My Man." - You Ain't No Picasso

Live Clip: Feist Sings "1 2 3 4" with Grizzly Bear, AC Newman and More on "Letterman"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:28:40 -0700

Monday's "Late Show with David Letterman" turned into a veritable convention of indie rockers when the musical guests took the stage. Feist dropped by the show to perform "1 2 3 4" from The Reminder, and she brought with her a full backing chorus - including AC Newman of The New Pornographers and members of Grizzly Bear, Broken Social Scene, The National and Mates of State.

As if it wasn't enough just to see them all sharing the stage, they also dressed in matching white outfits with sparkly armbands. Can you even handle the cuteness? To watch the performance, read more

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Concert Review: Feist and Grizzly Bear at the Fillmore, 6/27/07

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:17:34 -0700

Never having seen Feist perform live before, I wasn't sure quite what to expect from her live show this week at The Fillmore in San Francisco. Though I loved the "I Feel It All" video she did for the DL show, she didn't really take command of that tiny room, so I really wasn't sure how she'd do in front of a sold-out crowd.

To my delight, however, Feist had stage presence to spare at the Fillmore, laughing at her own forgotten lyrics, enlisting the crowd in a sing-along, and even hopping on top of the piano to croon the Broken Social Scene song "Lover's Spit" with the band's Kevin Drew. And yet the vibe never veered too far toward rock star; it was more like an insanely talented, yet still down-to-earth friend of yours had decided to bring her guitar by your living room for an evening.

The night began with opening act Grizzly Bear, who wasted no time captivating the audience with a set of mellow but richly layered songs that quickly drew the crowd in from the hallways. They were a worthy appetizer for the main event, so read more

Though she was backed by a full band that was heavy on the percussion, Feist's sometimes husky, sometimes soaring voice was clearly the centerpiece of the show. Her performance of "One Evening," from her first album Let it Die, was sultry and sexy despite - or maybe because of - her reliance on a tattered piece of cardboard bearing the lyrics. On the other end of the spectrum, uptempo rockers "I Feel it All" and "1 2 3 4" from this year's The Reminder felt breezy and beachy, more reminiscent of a summer festival than a smoky cafe.

The show's one downfall was the flow between Feist's wildly different styles, which sometimes felt a little rocky. Granted, it was her second night at the Fillmore, and she could have been trying to mix things up for the fans who'd bought tickets to both shows (of whom, judging from the crowd reaction when she asked who'd been at the first show, there were many). Whatever the reason, Feist saved many of her best songs for later in the show, and at one point, instead of paying attention to what was happening on stage, I found myself trying to figure out what her encore would be.

Luckily, it was an encore worth waiting for, containing both her piano bar-style rendition of "Lover's Spit" and an especially rollicking take on "Sealion" with the members of Grizzly Bear providing the backing vocals and hand claps. She then eased the crowd down from that high with a stunning "Let it Die," a perfect closer to a very good evening of music.

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Song of the Day: Grizzly Bear, "Graceland"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:51:09 -0800

Grizzly Bear's second album Yellow House is a beautifully textured, trippy, and mellow piece of folk. On this cover of Paul Simon's "Graceland," they apply the same formula to an entirely different sort of folk music for a sound that's at once warm and chilling and very novel. Listen below and let me know what you think.

Highlights From the 2009 Treasure Island Music Festival

BuzzSugar — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:05 -0700

As expected, this year's Treasure Island Music Festival was a well-rounded weekend of awesome live music, dancing, and pretty views of San Francisco. The gorgeous and warm weather on Saturday fit the bill for the lineup that had a heavier concentration of electronic music and DJs (like MGMT and Girl Talk), while on Sunday I bundled up and chilled out to The Decemberists and Grizzly Bear. All in all it was an awesome weekend that ended with a bang as The Flaming Lips closed down the party. Check out some photos of my favorite acts from the weekend.

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New Moon Soundtrack Out Today! What to Sink Your Teeth Into

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:44:25 -0700

The film version of this Fall's sequel to Twilight isn't all fans have been rabidly anticipating - the New Moon soundtrack picked up enough steam to be released today instead of next Tuesday. It's no wonder it was rushed out; Death Cab for Cutie's video for "Meet Me on the Equinox", premiered to much fanfare, as did the tracklist, revealed barely a month ago.

The wait is over, and you can go buy the disc, download it, or stream the soundtrack on MySpace for free today. I've been listening for the past couple of days, and like my feelings for Robert Pattinson, I'm crushing pretty hard on it. Music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas did a great job compiling songs - all originals for the soundtrack - that evoke the teenage heartbreak vibe of New Moon while featuring a roster of talented bands.

Find out what's worth the iPod space when you read more.

I'm a pretty big Death Cab fan, but "Meet Me on the Equinox" doesn't do much for me - instead, The Killer's "White Demon Love Song" is the better rocking, evocative love song.

It was interesting to me when people were perplexed about Thom Yorke's appearance on this soundtrack, when there was an awesomely-placed Radiohead song over Twilight's end credits. Yorke's solo effort, "Hearing Damage" has the same edgy feeling as "15 Step," and I'm definitely trying to figure out when it will play in the movie (it sounds ideal to break down to).

It's fun to play the where-does-this-song-go game; "Monsters" by Hurricane Bells has to be played when things are good between Bella and Jacob, while "The Violet Hour" by Sea Wolf is another one of the few upbeat songs on the album. I'd bet the relieved-sounding ballad "Shooting the Moon" by OK Go ends up being one of the movie's last songs.

Considering the movie's plot, there are the expected mournful tunes, such as the remarkable "Possibility" by Lykke Li, who came into my consciousness last year and is about to hit everyone else's this year. Grizzly Bear's Slow Life also beautifully illustrates Bella's sad sack mood (total break up song).

Stephenie Meyer's favorite band Muse of course appears with "I Belong To You" - and it's a lively, bittersweet track (I'm betting it's wrapping up the credits).

Have you gotten a chance to listen to the New Moon soundtrack? Tell me what songs have caught your ear below, and to talk more album reviews, join the Music Review Group or the Movies of Twilight group in the community!

What to TiVo: Monday

BuzzSugar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 23:50:28 -0700

ABC is new with Dancing With the Stars and Castle
CBS is new with How I Met Your Mother, Accidentally on Purpose, Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, and CSI: Miami
FOX is new with House and Lie to Me
NBC is new with Heroes and Trauma
The CW is new with One Tree Hill and Gossip Girl
ABC Family is new with Lincoln Heights and Greek
MTV has True Life, and is new with the premiere of Gone Too Far
TLC is new with Jon & Kate Plus 8
VH1 has repeats of Tool Academy 2 and Real Chance of Love 2: Back in the Saddle
Bravo is new with The Rachel Zoe Project
Late-night highlights include Garry Shandling, Kaley Cuoco, and Tim McGraw on The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS; Dana Carvey and Justin Timberlake on The Jay Leno Show on NBC; David Duchovny and Kid Cudi on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC; Jamie Foxx, Jason Alexander, and Grizzly Bear on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien on NBC; David Boreanaz and Dierks Bentley on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson on CBS; and Penn Badgley on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon on NBC

The New Moon Soundtrack - Revealed!

BuzzSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 11:30:45 -0700

Finally! For weeks, there's been gossip about which artists would land a coveted spot on the New Moon soundtrack, and now we have the final list. We knew that Death Cab for Cutie's "Meet Me on the Equinox" was going to make it on there, and Thom Yorke, Muse, and The Killers were rumored as well.

Still, I'm psyched to see a few unexpected names on the roster (like Bon Iver and Lykke Li), as well as some relatively unknowns. Alexandra Patsavas put it all together - she's also the music supervisor for Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl - and her eye for artists is always spot-on, so I can't wait to download the whole thing. The soundtrack hits stores October 20th, but until then, check out the full playlist and tell me what you think!

To see the full list, read more.

Death Cab For Cutie - "Meet Me on the Equinox"
Band of Skulls - "Friends"
Thom Yorke - "Hering Damage"
Lykke Li - "Possibility"
The Killers - "A White Demon Song"
Anya Marina - "Satellite Heart"
Muse - "I Belong to You (New Moon)"
Bon Iver and St. Vincent - "Rosyln"
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Done All Wrong"
Hurricane Bells - "Monsters"
Sea Wolf - "The Violet Hour"
Ok Go - "Shooting The Moon"
Grizzly Bear - "Slow Life"
Editors - "No Sound But the Wind"
Alexandre Desplat - "New Moon (The Meadow)"

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