Song of the Day

**5/30/10

Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside

----------------Today neighborhoods around the nation opened their chlorine, urine-detecting swimming pools to the masses. I was among those paler than snow pilgrims, and needed something new to listen to while roasting the melanin in my bod. I slathered on some Broken Bells, a New York duo that melds together minimalist electro-rock.

Broken Bells "The Ghost Inside" from Broken Bells self-titled album claps around a tick-tock guitar and a catchy sing along chorus fit for Bee Gees singers and helium users. Other songs from the album like "The High Road" messes with cheesy jazz keyboards, suddenly nodding into a glassy ride around acoustic guitars and an outlaw atmosphere.

http://www.myspace.com/brokenbells

Song of the Day

**5/29/10

Kele - Tenderoni

------------------After a week of listening to new Kanye West tracks, Drake and Jay-Z collabs and nineteen-year-old brit crossovers, I'm saturated in upcoming music from artists that we've already got on our ipods.

Kele Okereke stood at the front of three albums Bloc Party. Now he's taking the party into the club with full-force in his album, The Boxer.

If you've already booked Kele for your Summer Rager playlist, good for you. I'm listening to it for what will be the fifth time in a row and I'm still nodding my head. "Tenderoni" harkens to the strobed, sweaty dance clubs, electrifying with an eighties jungle drum beat and lyrics Madonna would die over.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdQioZHYpvQ

Spin Magazine's Bonnaroo Mixtape

Can't wait for June 10-13? Get the low down on SPIN magazine's top picks for Bonnaroo with sixteen tracks from the Tennessee festival's top acts. Allyagottado is follow the link and get some free music!

Here's the list, so adorably (not really) named "Campfire Jams"

1. The Gaslight Anthem, "American Slang"
2. The National, "Bloodbuzz Ohio"
3. Manchester Orchestra, "Shake It Out"
4. Kings of Leon, "Cold Desert"
5. Local Natives, "World News"
6. Blitzen Trapper, "Heaven and Earth"
7. Phoenix, "1901 (Live in Sydney)"
8. Samantha Crain, "Lions"
9. Bomba Estereo, "Fuego"
10. Tinariwen, "Lulla"
11. Mumford & Sons, "White Blank Page (Live)"
12. Jamey Johnson, "Place Out on the Ocean"
13. The Young Veins, "Change"
14. Dawes, "When My Time Comes"
15. Gossip, "Are You That Somebody (Live Aaliyah Cover)"
16. Chromeo, "Night By Night"

At least they didn't pick the King's song "Use Somebody," am I right? I took a listen to it, and found some new favorites from the likes of Dawes and Bomba Estereo. The word "stereo" is in the name! So if you're working in the fish and biology tutoring industries like me over the summer and can't spare a gold dubloon for the ultrasuperpricy ticket price.

http://spin.com/articles/free-album-spins-picks-bonnaroo-2010

Song of the Day

**5/17/10

LCD Soundsystem - Someone Great

---------------When albums are given five stars or at least an eight out of ten rating in magazines or music sites, there's usually some speculation as to what record exec paid off which CEO to get the album into good graces. LCD Soundsystem probably didn't have to do too much, however, with an exceptional release entitled This is Happening.

LCD formed in New York by dance-punk label cofounder James Murphy. Murphy's fear of never amounting to the status of New York now-legends The Strokes and competing against four Columbia grads ends with the nearly perfect, This is Happening. Check out "Someone Great" and "Daft Punk is Playing at My House."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwoLACv_srQ

Ok Go at The Visulite May 12, 2010

Apart from the completely appalling floor plan drawn up by monkeys in The Visulite, Ok Go was a decent show. Any Bud Light-toting guy and maxi dress wearing girl who wanted to stand was uncomfortably squeezed into a shoebox sized floor shoved up by cutesy candle lit tables.

Remember how I said Ok Go's new album was produced by Dave Friddman (if you read that is!) and he worked on MGMT and Flaming Lips? This lil' factoid wouldn't quit buzzing around my head for the whole set. It's not an unforgivable effort, but I would rather shell out twenty gold dubloons to see the other two and get a supremely excellent show over an imitation.

Song of the Day

**5/12/10

Ok Go - This Too Shall Pass

-------------It's been almost four years since the YouTube sensation "Here It Goes Again" treadmilled its way into our lives...then we sorta forgot about them. Until recently, I hadn't seen or heard much from the windy city band - Lady Gaga and the freshly revived pop queen phenomenon has formed a sort of drunken haze over rock music in general.

But the touring foursome haven't been beaten by the bad romance between rock and radio play. Ok Go are promoting a new album, Of the Blue Colour of the Sky, and are catering to an electro-indie rock crowd who may see "Here It Goes Again" as a pop chart Grammy sellout. The album was produced by Dave Friddman, who worked with MGMT and the Flaming Lips (you can instantly tell where the influences came from). Still, it put them on the radar enough for me to shell out the cash to see them tonight.

http://www.myspace.com/okgo

Song of the Day

**5/8/10

Katy Perry feat. Snoop Dogg - California Gurls

------------------Now, unless you've been violently immersed in Russel Brand's Booky Wook, you remember that he's the hubby wubby of indie pop tart Katy Perry. She and her collaborator, Snoop Doggy-dogg are representing California (ish) in her new single, California Gurls.

Singing over a uni-synth mixer about Daisy Dukes and sex on the beach and sippin' gin and juice (ooh, it's like, a reference to that one song!), Perry's summer popsicle will be unabashedly licked by every radio station Top Ten. There is nothing new but something catchy about "California Gurls," and it seems to be just the right stuff for radio fodder. Eat it up!

http://katyperry.com/

And We're Talkin' Bout...

Miley.

Yes, the bare-backed, dating-older-hunks, dancing-on-poles exDisney star has done yet another think to make the press cringe and ask in mock-parental tones "Now, is SHE a role model?!"

Just watch Cyrus' new video for her song "Can't Be Tamed" from her upcoming June 22 release. Judging by this video, we're expecting the Party in the U.S.A. had some dark stuff passed around under the table.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/05/06/entertainment/main6465685.shtml

Let's forget about her supposed case of Lohaneimia for a second. The video is fine; Miley's just trying to cater to the holdouts who

still won't buy her albums...maybe she should give them a Domino's pizza as a bonus.

"Can't Be Tamed" is Britney Spears. Seriously, there's feathery flouncing boom-cack dance moves and a beat from "Circus."

At least Cyrus hasn't showed us a shaved head or snorting cocaine in nightclubs with Kristen Cavalleri...yet.

A Single Link, A Sensational Cover

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CZeP7EJ504