News
Ten Bands To Check Out On NPR’s Bonnaroo Stream
Colin Jones :: Monday, June 7th, 2010 7:00 pm
Taking a page from their impressive live concert streams and in-studio performances, NPR, the place where everything from things to songs are considered, announced that they will be streaming performances from this year’s Bonnaroo. Starting this weekend, NPR.org will feature over 25 shows from the prominent festival. In addition to the live streams, select concerts will be archived for on-demand listening. MORE »
Opinion
Worst Week Ever (For CD Sales)
Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 20th, 2010 12:30 pm
In a world that has a shitload of free torrents, it’s only natural that this week was the worst week for cd sales since 1991 (New York Times). Justin Bieber came out with a strong 60,000 this week, barely beating out the Lowest Selling Soundscan Album in History, which was the Dreamgirls Soundtrack in 2007. But do such sour sales say anything more about pop culture than the fact that we like free music? Yes. It’s the fact that people don’t like the music that is considered “popular” anymore. More and more, people are moving away from shitty, shitty music. Yes, this is going to be a rant. MORE »
News
Austin City Limits 2010 Lineup
Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, May 18th, 2010 2:00 pm
SXSW marks the start of the music season where up-and-coming acts schlep their way into Austin and take over downtown. ACL is when the established bands roll into town and get to have some fun.
Today, the live music capital announced the lineup for the 2010 ACL Festival at Austin’s Zelker Park on October 8-10. Similar to previous years it boasts arguably one of the best festival lineups of the year. Headlined by the Strokes, Muse, Flaming Lips, Vampire Weekend, M.I.A., Phish, and The Eagles, ACL has a little something for everyone. The blue capital of our country’s reddest state can sure throw a party: great music, beer, and BBQ. The 3-day passes for the festival sold out in a mere 14 hours. Single day passes go on sale today. Check out the full lineup after the jump. MORE »
News
Sufjan Stevens Backs The National on Letterman
Amy Laviero :: Friday, May 14th, 2010 2:15 pm
I love The National and I love Sufjan Stevens and the two together are just divine. Last night, the Brooklyn rockers killed yet another late night appearance with their performance of the beautifully desperate “Afraid of Everyone” on Letterman. Stevens, who supplied the track’s backing vocals on High Violet, came through to sing during the Letterman performance as well. Click through to check it out. MORE »
News
Stream Official Version of the National’s “Blood Buzz Ohio”
Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 1:20 pm
Earlier today, BBC 6 Music premiered a version of The National’s “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” a song that they began playing live nearly a year ago. A rip of the radio debut was posted to the internet almost immediately, but the band is now streaming the official album version via their website here.
The song will be the first single off the National’s upcoming album, High Violet, set for release on May 11.
News
Jimmy Fallon May Not Be Funny, But He Knows Good Music
Matt Kiebus :: Friday, March 12th, 2010 3:00 pm
Jimmy Fallon seems to be a likeable guy. Sure, he laughs at his own jokes, he’s awkward when interviewing people and comes up with dumb half-thought out games. All of these things are fine, for your average drinking buddy. But for some reason Jimmy Fallon isn’t average. In fact he’s really fucking famous, so all these in adequacies add up to 55 minutes of god awful late night television. However the whole hour isn’t a complete waste of time, because those last 5 minutes are normally music gold. MORE »
TV Performances
The National Debut “Terrible Love” on Jimmy Fallon
Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, March 11th, 2010 3:30 pm
Last night The National debuted “Terrible Love,” the first track off their upcoming release High Violet due out May 11th. For a band that has been playing for over a decade, The National still bring it hard and this song is going to toss their newest album into some unknown outer space area where incredible songs go to live forever. See the video after the jump. MORE »
Today In Music
Today In Music
Amy Laviero :: Friday, March 5th, 2010 3:00 pm
The National announce High Violet album information.
Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon prints art book, Performing/Guzzling.
Belle and Sebastian enter the studio and announce festival dates… in Scandinavia and Japan.
Dakota Fanning pretends to be musically inclined.
Despite the show’s cancellation, Flight of the Concords live on.
Animal Collective stood totally still during their art installation last night at the Guggenheim.
Stream Ted Leo + Pharmacists’ upcoming album, The Brutalist Bricks.
Events
Vincent Moon Screens Take-Away Shows in NYC This Weekend
Matt Kiebus :: Friday, February 12th, 2010 4:15 pm
La Blogotheque’s founder Vincent Moon is holding a special screening of his “Take-Away Shows & Other Music Shorts” this Saturday at Union Docs in Williamsburg at 7:30 p.m. The 30-year-old Parisian music director has already put his uniquely innovative stamp on music videos. His La Blogotheque website is a collection of acoustic videos shot guerrilla style throughout Paris. Bands ranging from REM, The National, and Arcade Fire to Phoenix, Grizzly Bear, and Vampire Weekend have all participated in Moon’s Take-Away Shows. Moon’s real talent lays in being able to use the backdrop of beautiful city, like Paris, without aid of special effects, quick cuts, and multiple takes to create a striking finished product. The result gives fans a more intimate relationship to the music. MORE »
News
Ambush of New Album Announcements
Shannon Hassett :: Friday, January 29th, 2010 1:00 pm
It may have been a slow week with regard to news (unless you’re the sort that found the State of the Union entertaining), but as for music, there were enough new album announcements to tide us over for a year. The artists themselves seemed to be just as excited about the prospects, with a slew of sources publishing interviews and information on the upcoming releases. For your (anticipated) listening pleasure, a summary of the week’s heavier hitters. MORE »
Events
The National’s Dessner Twins’ The Long Count
Isaac Lekach :: Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 6:05 pm
Bryce and Aaron Dessner of The National’s latest collaboration is called The Long Count. The Breeders’ Kim & Kelley Deal and artist Mattew Ritchie are also involved. It opens tonight at BAM’s Next Wave Festival. Click here for more information on the event and here to read an interview NY Mag did with the Dessner twins.
