BuzzSugar

Love It or Leave It: TV on the Radio Covering Bowie's "Heroes"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:30:49 -0800

Normally, I'm nowhere near as fond of a cover as I am of the original song (few people are, I'd wager). Usually they just sound like cheap knockoffs. So I expected little of TV on the Radio's cover of David Bowie's "Heroes," and maybe that's partially why I liked it so much. It's different from Bowie's but familiar enough to not destroy the memory of the original. Also, I'm intrigued by the fact that Bowie himself chose both the band and the song of his that they should cover for the title track of this benefit album of covers.

Take a listen and tell me: Do you dig it? Or not so much?

Source

Heroes - TV On The Radio

Link Time! 9/16

BuzzSugar — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:31:41 -0700

What if silent film enjoyed a revival? Which modern actors would do well with this format? - FilmExperience
I might like this post about Bonnie Hunt's new talk show more than I would like the show itself. - Popwatch
Still trying to wrap my head around this TwilightMoms contest which rewarded women for cleaning their homes during the weeks leading up to the Breaking Dawn release. - MTV Movies Blog
What the set of Fringe is really like. - The TV Addict
Yup, Kanye's "Love Lockdown" has been remixed a bunch already. - Pretty Much Amazing
NBC's Ben Silverman was talking crazy again at the New York TV Festival. - Vulture
For whatever reason, I find the new video for TV on the Radio's "Golden Age" ridiculously amusing. - Stereogum
Some suggestions for fixing The Hills that I mostly agree with, except for the one about ditching Kelly Cutrone. - TiFaux

Source

Link Time! 8/19

BuzzSugar — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:39:13 -0700

They're not going to allow TV critics to screen the 90210 spinoff in advance, and at least one critic thinks this makes perfect sense. - Popwatch
Bands based on Harry Potter and Twilight pave the road for future movie-inspired rockers. - MTV Movies Blog
A new Danish sitcom, The Terror Cell, follows the lives of terrorists conspiring in Denmark. Yeah, sitcom. - CitizenSugar
Anna Faris has a lot to say about being producer, creator, and star of House Bunny. - E!'s Lyons Den
Check out a newer, longer, juicier trailer for the next season of Heroes. - TV With MeeVee
Here are the top 10 TV faces to watch this Fall, according to one blogger. - TV Addict
There's a brand new track by TV on the Radio, available for your ears. - Stereogum
Daniel Radcliffe is going nude in a Harry Potter movie?! - Cinematical

Photos courtesy of The CW

Scarlett Johansson's Album Might Actually Be Good

BuzzSugar — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:03:58 -0700

When I first heard that Scarlett Johansson was recording an album of Tom Waits covers, I didn't quite know what to think. Sure, she proved she could sing when she joined Jesus and Mary Chain onstage at Coachella, but Waits's music seemed like an odd - and challenging - choice for the actress.

Now, Pitchfork has revealed some new details about the album, and it actually sounds quite promising. It's being produced by David Sitek of TV on the Radio - a band that knows a thing or two about production - and will feature members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. She's been recording in Louisiana, according to the Daily Advertiser newspaper in Lafayette, which reports:

Wal-Mart, margaritas and music was the life for Johansson, who spent 33 days in Maurice recording her debut CD at Dockside Studio. Owned by Steve and Wish Nails, Dockside is a 12-acre recording complex hidden along the Vermilion River. ...

Johansson, star of The Horse Whisperer, Girl with a Pearl Earring and other films, worked from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily in the studio with producer Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Celebration also performed on the recordings, which Steve Nails describes as cinematic rock.

"It's like theater, big screen," said Nails, who sat in on all the sessions. "Lots of heavy bass tones in it."

Wow, apparently Scarlett is even hipper than I thought. What do you guys think? Would you buy her album?

Source

Adult Swim Gives Away Free, Awesome Music

BuzzSugar — Tue, 22 May 2007 09:01:41 -0700

I still associate Adult Swim more with off-color, late-night cartoons than with indie rock. That may change, however, if Warm & Scratchy is any indication. The free, downloadable album is stocked full of new, rare or exclusive tracks from The Good, The Bad and the Queen, TV on the Radio, Les Savy Fav, Broken Social Scene and 10 other awesome bands.

I'm not sure if this is a promotion for a new show or just a charitable contribution to my iTunes library, but either way, it's well worth checking out. There's also a very funny, Adult Swim-produced music video for the TV on the Radio Song "Me-I," featuring an angry cloud and an evil sandwich, among other cartoony creations. You can check out the video and download the 14 tracks here, or to hear a stream of the songs, read more

Wrap-Up: BuzzSugar's Top 20 Albums of 2006

BuzzSugar — Sun, 31 Dec 2006 06:07:20 -0800

Not every year can be a great year for music, and 2006 was just okay. It didn't help that this year was sandwiched between 2005-which gave us great albums by Kanye West, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, and Sufjan Stevens-and 2007, which promises new releases from Wilco, Arcade Fire, and Timbaland.

Thankfully, I managed to scour enough of the year's music to bring you BuzzSugar's Top 20 Albums of 2006. I've been posting my reviews all week, but here at last is the list in its entirety. Don't forget to bookmark the albums you thought were Buzzworthy this year!

20. The Clipse, Hell Hath No Fury

19. Band of Horses, Everything All the Time

18. Howe Gelb, 'Sno Angel Like You

17. Magnolia Electric Co., Fading Trails

16. Johnny Cash, American V: A Hundred Highways

15. Destroyer, Destroyer's Rubies

14. Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins, Rabbit Fur Coat

13. Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood

12. Califone, Roots & Crowns

11. M. Ward, Post-War

To see the Top 10, read more

10. Justin Timberlake, FutureSex/LoveSounds

9. The Pipettes, We Are the Pipettes

8. Yo La Tengo, I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass

7. Drive-By Truckers, A Blessing and a Curse

6. Islands, Return to the Sea

5. TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain

4. Cat Power, The Greatest

3. Bob Dylan, Modern Times

2. Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit

1. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America

BuzzSugar's Top Albums of 2006: Part IV

BuzzSugar — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 05:14:15 -0800

Thankfully, I managed to scour enough of the year's music to bring you this four-part series, BuzzSugar's Top 20 Albums of 2006. Now for the final installment: the Top 5! (Read yesterday's post on albums 6 to 10.)

5. TV on the Radio, Return to Cookie Mountain

After Justin Timberlake, possibly no musician this year utilized falsetto better than TV on the Radio, albeit to a very different effect. Floating eerily above the surface, the band's two vocalists-one with a high-pitched wail and the other with a Bowie-like croon-give the listener an entry point into the band’s dense, puzzling sound. With their skittish beats and bleating saxophones, TV on the Radio’s industrial jams combine elements of marching bands and electronica for a sound you'll be hooked on before you understand why.

4. Cat Power, The Greatest

Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) traveled to Memphis to lay down the tracks for her newest record, which is easily one of her boldest and most beautiful. Fittingly evoking a steamy blues bar, the album alternately makes you want to gyrate in tune to the muted trumpets, then weep into your whiskey along with the mournful strings. With her lonely ballads and swaying piano-driven tunes like “Willie,” Power provides a lesson on creating jazz-inspired rock that’s gentle but not the least bit soft.

To see the rest, read more

3. Bob Dylan, Modern Times

Few people, besides me, seemed to dig Bob Dylan’s 2001 album, Love and Theft, but Modern Times is winning fans left and right. That's because, on the new album, Dylan uses many of the same elements from its blues-obsessed predecessor but improves on them exponentially. Though not as consistent as Dylan’s older albums, this CD runs the gamut of lyrical fodder to produce two instant classics: “Thunder on the Mountain” and “Workingman’s Blues,” which, when I heard it in concert, took me a minute to realize it wasn’t one of Dylan’s early masterpieces.

2. Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit

When I first heard that Belle & Sebastian were releasing an album this year, I almost ignored it on the assumption that The Life Pursuit would be another fairly mediocre album from an increasingly irrelevant band (like 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress). But lo and behold, the band completely blew me away by breaking its usual twee habits and forging a refreshingly new sound. The Life Pursuit takes elements of classic Tigermilk-era B&S and organ-heavy mod rock. Particularly stunning is “White Collar Boy,” which mixes everything from deep fuzzy beats to girly choirs to growling guitar riffs for a pop song that’s extraordinarily weird and irresistibly danceable.

1. The Hold Steady, Boys and Girls in America

There is a distinct subset of music fans who grew up listening to Bruce Springsteen, graduated to punk and grunge in high school, and spent their 20s getting just a little bit too wasted. For that discerning generation, there is The Hold Steady. At its most basic, the New York-by-way-of-Minneapolis band plays pure, triumphant rock with a steady beat and the occasional piano bludgeoning. Then, there are the band's stellar lyrics, delivered in frontman Craig Finn's unique hybrid of singing, shouting, and slurring. But what sets The Hold Steady's rock apart is the band's ability to capture the drastic highs and lows of youth, lust, and indulgence. On the band's third full-length, the music makes you want to join the party one minute, and the next thing you know, you're being dragged into the dark and eerie comedown. That every part of the journey is a total blast makes this easily my top album for 2006.

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:30:32 -0800

New DVD and music releases are the perk of Tuesdays, and today's album picks are fresh, fun, and guaranteed to liven up your iPod. I've checked out today's new music and have some advice for what's worth the download.

Don't stop partying: I'll resist doing a full-on album review for Weezer's Raditude; it's tempting, because I've always been a fan and have much to say about the band's transformation over the last 15 years. That said, if I forget about how lyrically deep Weezer used to be, I can enjoy the band for what it is now: a group of guys who write catchy, rocking party songs. I'm definitely enjoying this album way more than the last two simply for the fun factor; first single "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To" is permanently stuck in my head and I don't mind. "Let It All Hang Out," with lyrics written by Jermaine Dupri, is exactly what you should blast at your next party when you're worried no one's having a good time; and continuing with the obvious theme here is "Can't Stop Partying" with Lil Wayne guest-rapping.

Ultimate TV karaoke If you're obsessed with Glee already, you may want to get your hands on the show's first soundtrack, Glee - The Music, Vol. 1. The offerings on the album are songs that have been on the season so far, plus a few from the next episode. "Don't Stop Believin'," the first song that captured the country's attention, is worth having (especially to remind you that for every awkward Mr. Schu rap, there's a gem like this). There's also the goosebump-inducing "Somebody to Love." Finally, there's one I'm especially excited about that has yet to air: Artie's slowed-down version of Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself," where the oft-overlooked glee club member finally gets his own episode and electrifying solo.

Hear one more new release when you read more.
America's country idol: Country cutie Carrie Underwood is back with another disc of songs, Play On, that utilize her sweet voice to tell you she's not a doormat. Her first single, "Cowboy Casanova," warns ladies of players in 10-gallon hats; this infectious tune will probably be dominating the radio the rest of the year. Another catchy tale of heartbreak you're sure to hear a lot of is "Quitter," but I prefer the more uplifting title track "Play On," which showcases Underwood's pipes rather than her sassy attitude.