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Music in the Movies: Jack Goes Boating With Grizzly Bear

BuzzSugar — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 10:30:16 PDT

Opening in limited release this weekend, Jack Goes Boating is Phillip Seymour Hoffman's directorial debut. A drama about a burgeoning relationship, it's not just indie in regard to film genre; its soundtrack is stuffed with indie-rock cred as well. There are tracks from Fleet Foxes and Cat Power, but the movie's musical godfather is Grizzly Bear. The Brooklyn-based band collaborated on the score and provided one of their songs for their soundtrack, "All We Ask." From last year's album Veckatimest, the track is as emotional and gentle as I expect Jack Goes Boating to be.

What Is the Best Indie Album of 2009?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:30:08 PST

Some of these gifted artists may be bigger than what you consider "indie," but they all captured the spirit of the genre in '09. It's hard to pinpoint why they're just so cool, but they make it seem effortless. Personally speaking, I've been listening to Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix and It's Blitz! by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on a repeat loop, but there were plenty of other albums to choose from. Which one is your favorite?

Don't forget to check out the rest of my best of 2009 polls and Best of the Decade community group!

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 11:30:56 PDT

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 PDT

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

Link Time! 12/30

BuzzSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:45:54 PST

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 PDT

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,

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

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Jun 2007 16:17:34 PDT

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. Source

Song of the Day: Grizzly Bear, "Graceland"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 12:51:09 PST

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.

Matt Damon Shares a Scene With a Giant Grizzly Bear

Lauren Turner — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 13:52:00 PDT

Matt Damon welcomed a special costar onto the set of We Bought a Zoo in LA yesterday. He was in front of the cameras with a huge grizzly bear, but the actor was safely inside a car for the scene. Matt's getting back to work on his wild movie after taking a break to promote and release The Adjustment Bureau. The action film didn't get a lot of love at the box office, but we enjoyed all of Matt's press stops like his hilarious appearance on The Today Show. He also shared some sweet love advice as he made the rounds and showed off his own happy relationship at the Valentine's Day premiere.

Tonight, You Can See What Happens at Sarah Palin's Salon

Annie Tomlin — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:04:33 PDT

You could be forgiven for not noticing tonight's debut of Big Hair Alaska, a reality series about the Beehive Beauty Shop. The two-part special, which follows the workers and clientele of a Wasilla, AK, salon - yes, it's where Sarah Palin has her hair done - airs this evening on TLC. Yet oddly, there's nary a mention of it on TLC's homepage beyond its small inclusion in a schedule. A preview suggests that the Beehive is more than just a primping parlor; it's a place where Wasillans share stories, advice, and chit-chat.

Still, the show doesn't sound like an obvious must watch for the beauty-obsessed or reality-loving crowd. Whereas other salon reality shows have involved an element of creative competition or celebrity glamour, Big Hair Alaska seems to rely mostly on telling hairstyling stories with a grizzly-bear twist. And as election season puts Michele Bachmann in Palin's former media spotlight, a vague Palin connection isn't as much of a selling point as it might have been even six months ago. If this show aims to make for water cooler conversation, it'll need strong story lines to lure viewers into palling around with colorists. Big Hair Alaska airs on TLC tonight at 10 p.m.