BuzzSugar

How Do You Like Your Jack White Best?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:30:08 -0700

Jack White is a bit of a jack of all trades. Last week his band The Dead Weather released its first album, but that's hardly the only thing on his plate. He's been rocking riotously with former flame Meg White in The White Stripes for more than a decade, jamming with Brendan Benson, Patrick Keeler, and Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs for about half as long, and popping up occasionally on the big screen in the meantime. That's quite the eclectic résumé. For me, Jack will always mean The White Stripes, but I'm also really digging this Dead Weather CD. How do you take your Jack?

What to Download: New Music on iTunes

BuzzSugar — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 16:32:26 -0800

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

Hip hop hooray: I'm always looking forward to new Common albums and have been especially excited for his eighth release (I made it one of my must haves this month). This new album as a whole is getting mixed reviews that lean toward the negative side but I'm really enjoying several tracks. The title track, "Universal Mind Control (UMC)," is cool, as is his collaboration with Cee-Lo, "Make My Day." His duet with Kanye West, "Punch Drunk Love," is also a great track to download.

Cover girl: Oh boy, I do love me some Cat Power, and I really liked her covers album Jukebox when it was released earlier this year. So I was happy (and surprised) to see that a handful of other songs were originally recorded for that album and were just released today. I've already downloaded her cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Fortunate Son" and her amazing take on Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)."

One more still to come, so read more.

A single: The Raconteurs is one of my favorite bands these days, and I've really been enjoying the group's most recent album, Consolers of the Lonely. Today they've released what amounts to a bluegrass remix of a song from that album, "Old Enough," featuring Ricky Skaggs and Ashley Monroe. The harmonies in this version are pretty - well worth the re-do!

Treasure Island Music Festival: Just as Awesome as Last Year

BuzzSugar — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 14:30:55 -0700

Last year's Treasure Island Music Festival was such a great time that I couldn't wait for the 2008 edition. The early-bird tickets went on sale in April, and though that translated into five months of anticipation, I was delighted to find my expectations matched - if not exceeded.

The festival had an impressive and varied lineup of bands between the two stages, named Bridge (the bigger of the two) and Tunnel (the smaller). There was a little something for everyone, from electronic dance groups like Hot Chip, CSS, and Justice to relatively mainstream acts like Vampire Weekend and The Raconteurs. It wouldn't be a festival without some suitably indie bands, represented by Tokyo Police Club, Fleet Foxes, and Foals. For those not interested in checking out each and every show, there were many other diversions: a Ferris wheel, a haircutting booth, throwing down a blanket on the lawn, and a wide variety of (expensive) food and drinks - though it seemed like many people managed to smuggle in some contraband digestibles.

Everyone was bussed to the festival site from San Francisco on eco-friendly coaches, since Treasure Island has limited access. The whole process of boarding, traveling, and walking toward the grounds together fostered a communal feeling among the audience that I haven't experienced at many other concerts. It's a cool thing to be a part of, but that wasn't the only great thing about the weekend - to see my list of highs and lows, just read more.

The Lowlights:

Chester French: Maxwell Drummey and D.A. Wallach are riding on a lot of hype since they scored a record deal with Pharrell Williams's label, but their live show left a lot to be desired. Their Pharrell connection seemed promising and my interest in them was piqued last month when Maxwell married the British celebrity Peaches Geldof in Vegas. It turns out their music was as superficial as the reasons I was interested in them; their lyrics are boastful and unoriginal, which is only amusing because they tout their Harvard degrees at every opportunity.
Hot Chip: Lots of people were rocking out to these guys, but their closing with Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" made me a little confused. Apparently they cover that song often, but it still seemed like a downer at a happy outdoor show.
Goldfrapp: Her high-pitched melodies seemed out of place in the middle of Saturday's schedule. I noticed a lot of people wandering around during her set, so it seems like I wasn't the only one to feel that way. Also, she lost in the wacky costume contest to the front-ponytail-sporting, puffy-silver-suit-wearing Lovefoxxx from CSS.

The Highlights:

The Kills: Despite his recent breakup from Kate Moss, Jamie Hince seemed on top of his game as he and bandmate Alison Mosshart closed out the small stage on Sunday night. Their music doesn't always translate well through an iPod or CD, but in person they can really rock out. Alison has a mesmerizing stage presence, with her head-banging and gyrating dance moves, but she left something to be desired in the decorum department with her frequent spitting off the stage - ew.

Foals: This quintet from England didn't let a little technical difficulty on the smaller, solar-powered stage slow them down. They played smack-dab in the middle of Saturday afternoon, and their intense jamming seemed to really charge everyone up.

Nortec Collective: Bostich + Fussible: I had never heard of these guys before they took the small stage on Saturday, but the group from Tijuana, Mexico, had the crowd dancing with their upbeat tunes, despite the absence of vocals in their act. The band seemed to be having as much fun as the audience, which is always a plus.
The Raconteurs: Who better than Jack White to close a festival? He and his gang from Nashville played songs from their two albums on a dramatic, smoke-filled stage. The crowd was steadily thinning as people tried to beat the rush back to the busses, but that didn't diminish the intensity with which these guys played.

Atmosphere

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Tegan and Sara

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Vampire Weekend

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The Kills

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The Raconteurs

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Source, Source, and Film Magic

Link Time! 3/18

BuzzSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 13:30:52 -0700

Vulture (among other sites) is pretty darn sure we met the mother last night on How I Met Your Mother.
Need to talk about last night's premiere of The Bachelor: London Calling? Head on over to Popwatch, where they're "getting the panty party started."
Meanwhile, TV Cocktail has you covered if Dancing with the Stars is your thing.
FilmExperience boldly rounds up the top 12 actresses of the past 25 years.
Idolator wonders: Why, exactly, is the Raconteurs album being rushed to stores?
TV Squad has the details on the Lily Tomlin comedy that's no longer coming to HBO.
Need a pick-me-up? Pop Candy recommends Tim and Eric's greatest musical moments.
According to LilSugar, Soleil Moon Frye - a.k.a. Punky Brewster - had a baby girl!

Source

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:30:59 -0700

It's Tuesday! I've already given you some picks to beef up your Netflix queue, but now it's time for your iPod. Check out today's new music releases for what you should download.

The birth of new sound: The latest from The Flaming Lips, Embryonic, is the musical equivalent of an acid trip. The band reportedly improvised a lot in the studio, so the entire album feels raw and pretty much all over the place. MGMT joins in on the track Worm Mountain, Karen O lends silly animal noises (yes, really) to I Can Be a Frog, and a mathematician spouts out equation, x=y type stuff on Gemini Syringes. Weird? You bet. Every track is experimental, which means you'll either embrace it for its free-spirited creativity, or write it off as too strange. Either way, it's worth checking out.

Pop culture candy: Hell has frozen over - Jack White is on the 90210 soundtrack. Hey, I'm not knocking TV music - I've already professed my love for it - but I was surprised to see The Raconteurs associated with a CW show. The band lends a wicked guitar riff to the first track Many Shades of Black (featuring soulful singer Adele) to start the album off. The rest of the playlist includes a mix of new offerings from indie artists and more mainstream pop, but my favorites are the sleepy Valium by MuteMath and the Postal Service-ish Sunburn by Owl City.

See one more release when you read more.

Bah-hum-blah: I was pumped when I heard that Bob Dylan was making a holiday album. It may be Halloween time now, but I always love a good carol, and Christmas in the Heart includes 15 of my favorites. But that's where my excitement ended. Dylan's voice will always be uniquely his, but the throaty quality seems out of place here, singing famous ditties like Here Comes Santa Claus. It's almost like your uncle had too many spiked ciders and started caroling. Even so, I'll probably still download I'll Be Home For Christmas or Winter Wonderland just so I'm not a total Scrooge - the proceeds go to the charity Feeding America.