We All Want Someone To Shout For

It’s been 5 years since we have gotten a new album from Broken Social Scene. Damn! It’s been a while! I know that some people are more excited than others, but I think anyone who enjoyed fine song writing should be happy to see BSS back in business!

They gave the world a free download of their new song via mp3 format. The song is called “World Sick” and it is a 7 minute long epic. If a song is over 6 minutes, isn’t it pretty much epic just by default? “World Sick” is a tasty piece of rock and roll that is crafted with plenty of love and care. Would lush be a good word to describe “World Sick”? The song sorta has a Sigur Ros like atmosphere. It builds and builds within itself creating an beautiful jam that is a good “remember us” statement. I am blown away by how good this is.

World Sick will be off their new album, Forgiveness Rock Record, which is going to see the light of day on May 4th on Arts & Crafts. The band has trimmed down to an “official” 6 piece now. That still means plenty of guests on the album though! Leslie Feist, members of Pavement, Metric, Stars, Do Make Say Think, the Sea and Cake, and Tortoise will all have some guest duties on the album!

[mp3] Broken Social Scene – World Sick

Yesterday we gave Vampire Weekend’s new video “Giving Up The Gun” a quick preview for you, but now the real thing is here. And, it is GREAT! It is a lot of fun to watch, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Most music video’s bore my to death, but this video had me entertained throughout. All of the guest starts that were casted were great! Jake Gyllenhaal and Joe Jonas were hilarious as tennis players, props to both of them.

Vampire Weekend’s friend, Jenny, takes on many different opponents in a weird dreamy tennis sequence that is shot with perfect execution from The Malloy brothers who directed the clip. They make Vampire Weekend look cool and stylish, like a band that has been doing this for years. It still amazes me to see how far along they have come from 2008. Still blows my mind!

Watch the video below, it’s great! :

I have been slacking on getting my posts out lately, so don’t hate me that I am a little bit late on this one. I have been sitting on it for a while, and decided that enough was enough. Time to get it out! I have not been going too Arctic Monkey crazy with you either, because they have been doing their thing on tour. Aside from their announcement of My Propeller as the third single off of Humbug, they have been pretty quiet. Well actually, they recently played a huge gig in Valencia for MTV. I have the audio on my desktop, but have not gotten around to it yet! If you want it, you know how to ask!

In the meantime, I realized I never got around to sharing the newer, better quality, acoustic take of “Joining The Dots” that the Monkeys did earlier this month. This wonderful live acoustic take of “Joining The Dots” needs to be heard. It is stunning. The only version I shared with you previously was the so-so sound quality one from that youtube video from the RXP NYC Session. This new performance was for the Portuguese radio station RTP. Alex’s vocals are flawless as usual, and he puts his all into this excellent take of the soon to be fan favorite b-side. The man cannot write a bad song. He won’t allow it!

Check it out:

[mp3] : Arctic Monkeys – Joining The Dots (RTP Session)

Joining The Dots is a b-side on the My Propeller single which is release on March 23rd. More info at the Arctic’s site!

Calling songs “new” has lost it’s meaning lately. This song is new to me only because I found an mp3 of it. But it was streamed on Drag City last week. The song hasn’t officially come out, so the song is unknown to most, and will be considered new. So what the hell is “new” anymore??? I am rambling…

Anyway, the point being is I am just getting my mind wrapped around the pretty fantastic “new” Joanna Newsom song “Good Intentions Paving Company”. It is one of the many songs that will accompany her pretty epic triple album, Have One On Me. If you are unfamiliar with Jonna Newson, go grab her album Ys and then give this a listen. If you can’t resist hearing it, you should be aware that Joanna Newson is not for everyone. Her voice may sound grating at first to some, but to others it sounds like an angel. She plays the harp, and has a pretty organic/classical sound.

“Good Intentions Paving Company” is a 7 minute beauty full of delicate sounds and lyrics of love. The song is very much fresh, and I don’t think you can find another artist like Joanna Newsom out there.

[mp3] : Joanna Newsom – Good Intentions Paving Company

Have One On Me is out of 2/23 on Drag City. You can pre-order it right here.

Stumbled across a stellar remix  by the xx of a Magic Wands song called “Warrior”. I saw it posted at Guerolitomusic, checked it out, and thought it was rad. Magic Wands are a pretty new bands themselves, and hearing this remix of their song has made me interested in them. They released an EP and a few singles. They are currently in the studio working on their debut album. Take a look at their myspace for more info!

[mp3] : Magic Wands – Warrior (the xx Remix)

That is according to the interview that pitchfork did with the band. The stuff that you need to know from that interview is that they are working hard to make an album that is more like Echos. The band is also aiming for a release in June or July. The band is now a 3 piece (see above!), after letting go of their former bassist. They left their contract with Universal and are looking for a new record label.

That is the goods. If you want more details, check out the full article. I am excited to hear that it is more like Echoes, and I am pretty sure I ain’t alone!

Check out the official video right below us for Passion Pits always uplifting current single, “Little Secrets”. It was directed by Timothy Saccenti.

Yes that is the the legendary, RZA, with one of my favorite bands. WHAT? Oh, and according to various sources, he is in their upcoming music video for “Giving Up The Gun”. So is Jake Gyllenhaal, Joe Jonas, and Lil Jon. I totally called that one…wait, what?!?!? That photo was posted on their website today, giving hint towards the music video.

Apparently Ezra came up with the idea for a tennis match between Jake Gyllenhaal and Mr. Jonas Bro. Lil Jon is the coach, and the RZA is the referee. My. Mind. Is. Blown.

Emmett & Brendan Malloy directed the clip & it is set to come out on Spinner tomorrow. I’m definitely interested to see how this thing pans out. This could be pretty damn spectacular, or confusing!

Luis, the man behind music blog Pretty Much Amazing is a very influential music blogger. He was one of the blogs that I looked up to as a music blog enthusiast before I started blogging myself. So it’s safe to say I trust his opinion, as do thousands of other people. When he posts a band and raves about them, I pay attention. When he personally reaches out to me via gmail instant messenger and introduces them to me personally, like he did with 1,2,3, I am going to listen to him. The band that Luis and I are both currently in love with is 1,2,3. You can read his post right here, and I recommend you do so. There is nothing like the joy of discovering a fresh new band that is bound for glory, and I think his piece on the band is a must read.

1,2,3 are Nic Snyder and Josh Sickels, two dudes out of Pittsburgh, PA. I did some research via twitter, and discovered that these are actually two guys from the band The Takeover UK, who called it quits. I actually posted about The Takeover UK almost exactly a year ago today. How funny is that? The two guys branched off and formed their own band, and I think it is shaping up nicely for them!

They released their first 7 inch single in January on Brooklyn based record label Oh La La Records, for their single “Confetti”. It was accompanied by b-side “Can’t Bribe God”. Both songs have a real old fashioned soulful feeling to them. Most of the artists who try to sound old fashioned come off as recycled and stale. When talking about 1,2,3, it’s is quite the opposite feeling! 1,2,3 makes retro rock sounds fresh and appealing. “Confetti” gets better with every take. I love how it starts out bare and acoustic, and then then kicks into a a sexy jam. “Can’t Bribe God” is a fantastic addition to the single. The band tips its cap off to their influences and does a mighty job at transferring them to the modern times.

There is another song available to stream at their myspace, and it is killer as well. These guys are pretty great, and I hope their future is bright. Luis was 110% right. Big things are definitely on the way for 1,2,3! You can download “Confetti” below,

[mp3] : 1,2,3 – Confetti

You can stream “Can’t Bribe God” over at PMA or their myspace like I mentioned above.

Be a good sport and purchase the single via itunes or on the colorful 7 inch vinyl.

Yours Truly teamed up with Pitchfork to bring us two great live videos with Best Coast. Yours Truly once again proves to us why they make some of the best band footage, right alongside the likes of La Blogotheque. They capture the band in between their tour with the wonderful Vivian Girls searching through record shops, and talking about the band. Then they dive right into some tasty live footage of my favorite Best Coast jam “When I Am With You”, along with a new song called “Crazy”. Both sound great live, and it makes me excited about possibly catching Best Coast alongside Japandroids and Midnight Masses at Bowery Ballroom on April 1st.

Check out the videos below. I love Yours Truly videos!!!!

When I Am With You

Crazy