Leonard Cohen's deep and steady voice returns on his latest studio album Old Ideas. Don't expect any hopeful and uplifting revelations from Cohen this time around. It isn't called "Old Ideas" for nothing. Here you'll find the dark and regretful musings fans of Cohen are used to, with some dark humor peppered in. Don't let this turn you away though, Cohen's music and voice are deep, thoughtful, raw, and beautiful. Fans of his are sure to appreciate Old Ideas, and new listeners will surely find something they like as well.
Paul McCartney's new album Kisses On The Bottom will be available February 7th. It's a collection of standards he's wanted to do for quite some time and includes two original songs.
The album features virtuoso pianist (and wife of Elvis Costello) Diana Krall and her band of high-quality jazz players. There are also cameos from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder.
We introduced you to Graffiti 6 a collaboration between Jamie Scott and Tommy D a month ago. The two Londoners met in 2008 after working separately with heavyweights Alicia Keys and Kanye West. British artist Jimi Crayon was recruited to design a logo and the duo released their debut full-length Colours January 24th.
This week itunes has made the first single Free available as a free download. Grab it here.
Florence Welch (of Florence & the Machine) and Kanye West have talked about collaborating, but they might want to reconsider after a recent night together in NYC. According to a recent story, Florence had a few too many dirty martinis ("a few too many" being 17) with Kanye before returning to the Bowery Hotel, passing out, and setting her room ablaze. Don't worry, she's not a pyromaniac -- Florence says she accidentally left a candle burning when she rolled in after a rowdy night that ended with a ripped dress, chipped tooth, and burnt hotel room. Hurricane Florence has arrived.
I didn't realize Florence was such a wild child, though I'm happy to see she has officially attained her rock star badge by getting drunk and trashing a hotel room. Cliche, yes. Rock 'n roll is here to stay!
We've sifted through the new releases for this week to save you some time at the record store.
Might we suggest...
Gotye - Making Mirrors
Gotye's monster song "Somebody That I Used To Know" has proven to be 2012's biggest surprise hit so far. The artist known as Gotye is actually 31-year-old Belgian-Australian Wouter "Wally" de Backer. He's already got a couple albums to his name(2003's Boardface and 2006's Like Drawing Blood), but Making Mirrors is sure to be his breakout release. If you're wondering what to expect from Gotye on Making Mirrors...expect everything. The album is a refreshing musical trek through an array of sounds - I sure wasn't anticipating to hear the doowop flavor of "I Feel Better." It's a fresh, unexpected sound that you'll want to spin again after a first listen. We can probably expect to hear more singles stemming from this very accessible indie record...maybe "Eyes Wide Open" next?
P.S. It's pronounced "GOH-TEE-YAY"
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
The internet hype machine has been a little cruel to Lana Del Rey, seemingly shoving her through the new music life cycle too quickly following her disappointing performance on Saturday Night Live recently (it was pretty cringeworthy). But Lana Del Rey (real name: Lizzie Grant)'s sound is still catchy and representative of the image she has cultivated as a "gangsta Nancy Sinatra." She oozes old Hollywood glamour, and songs like "Video Games" are haunting and interesting (if not polarizing). Lana Del Rey's album Born To Die boasts plenty of alluring pop songs - lines like "You fit me better than my favorite sweater" from "Blue Jeans" are catchy gems. Who can blame Lizzie Grant for shedding her past (unsuccessful) musical attempt in favor of something new? We all deserve a fresh start. Lizzie just needs to fully embrace & own the character she's created.
OTHER NEW RELEASES:
Joe Louis Walker - Hellfire
Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas Leonard's first album of new material in seven years
Mike Doughty - The Question Jar Show A 2-disc live album from his '09 tour
Ringo Starr - 2012 Featuring David Stewart, Benmont Tench, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Joe Walsh
Meet Bowerbirds, if you haven't yet. Fans of Blind Pilot, Andrew Bird, and Mumford & Sons will probably enjoy the sound of this North Carolina folk group. Philip Moore & Beth Tacular have been crafting folk songs since 2006 with an organic sound that seems to have sprouted from roots in the soil. Listen to their new song "In The Yard" from their forthcoming album The Clearing (out March 6th) below.
"In The Yard" has me thinking spring, delivering a sunny soundtrack for a future bike ride through the countryside. Put this little ditty on your picnic mixtape as we wait for warmer Wisconsin days. If you dig it, you can download it for free here. And guess what? Parts of The Clearing were recorded right here in a studio (Justin Vernon's) in Wisconsin. What's not to love?
Might I recommend their song "Northern Lights" as a next step? It's a personal favorite of mine.
Jack White began streaming a new single Love Interruption today. The song is a duet with Nashville artist Ruby Amanfu. His self-produced solo effort Blunderbuss drops April 24th.
White says Blunderbuss is "an album I couldn’t have released until now. I’ve put off making records under my own name for a long time but these songs feel like they could only be presented under my name. These songs were written from scratch, had nothing to do with anyone or anything else but my own expression, my own colors on my own canvas.”
In one of the more unlikely collaborations of rock and roll, Wilco has teamed up with Popeye.
Yeah, that spinach lovin' cartoon character who's always getting into run-ins with Bluto is part of the newest WIlco video, for the song "Dawned on Me."
It's the first new hand-drawn Popeye cartoon in 30 years. You can find more Popeye inspired Wilco fun here.
Nobody whistles like Andrew Bird. His 6th album Break It Yourself is due March 6th. Recorded in his Western Illinois barn/studio Break It Yourself features long-term collaborator Martin Dosh on drums, Jeremy Ylvisaker on guitar and Mike Lewis on bass.
Bird performs at the RIverside Theater Saturday, March 24th. Check out the first single Eyeoneye below.
I already have hoarding tendencies, so it's probably not a great idea to start a new collection.
But this one is so awesome. I was inspired by a new feature on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she celebrates very bad album art. So while making my...
Leonard Cohen's deep and steady voice returns on his latest studio album Old Ideas. Don't expect any hopeful and uplifting revelations from Cohen this time around. It isn't called "Old Ideas" for nothing. Here you'll find the...
The New York Giants may have been the official winners of Super Bowl XLVI, but it was a victory of Mother Nature as well. This year, the NFL along with the Indianapolis Super Bowl XLVI host committee worked to reduce the environmental impact more than...
When I posted this week's photo, I wasn't too sure I was going to get any good captions.
Well my friends, I was certainly wrong. The hard part was narrowing it down to a few. EXCELLENT JOB EVERYONE!!!
We start , as always, with the...
Paul McCartney's new album Kisses On The Bottom will be available February 7th. It's a collection of standards he's wanted to do for quite some time and includes two original songs.
The album features virtuoso pianist (and wife of...
People often ask me if I get nervous being on the radio. When I first started in this business, I would get a few butterflies in my stomach before going on the air, but not anymore. People also ask if I get nervous hosting Live from Studio M sessions...
Time to file taxes. Don't get caught with these errors. Errors made on tax returns may delay the processing of your tax return, which in turn, may cause your refund to arrive later. Here are nine common errors the IRS wants you to avoid to help...
Buying the right mattress, while it might seem like an enormous hassle, is actually one of the most important things you can do for your health. Think about it. You sleep on it everyday, for hours at a time.
"It's a delicate balance," ...
I already have hoarding tendencies, so it's probably not a great idea to start a new collection.
But this one is so awesome. I was inspired by a new feature on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, where she celebrates very bad album art. So while making my...
Leonard Cohen's deep and steady voice returns on his latest studio album Old Ideas. Don't expect any hopeful and uplifting revelations from Cohen this time around. It isn't called "Old Ideas" for nothing. Here you'll find the...
The New York Giants may have been the official winners of Super Bowl XLVI, but it was a victory of Mother Nature as well. This year, the NFL along with the Indianapolis Super Bowl XLVI host committee worked to reduce the environmental impact more than...
When I posted this week's photo, I wasn't too sure I was going to get any good captions.
Well my friends, I was certainly wrong. The hard part was narrowing it down to a few. EXCELLENT JOB EVERYONE!!!
We start , as always, with the...
Paul McCartney's new album Kisses On The Bottom will be available February 7th. It's a collection of standards he's wanted to do for quite some time and includes two original songs.
The album features virtuoso pianist (and wife of...
People often ask me if I get nervous being on the radio. When I first started in this business, I would get a few butterflies in my stomach before going on the air, but not anymore. People also ask if I get nervous hosting Live from Studio M sessions...
Time to file taxes. Don't get caught with these errors. Errors made on tax returns may delay the processing of your tax return, which in turn, may cause your refund to arrive later. Here are nine common errors the IRS wants you to avoid to help...
Buying the right mattress, while it might seem like an enormous hassle, is actually one of the most important things you can do for your health. Think about it. You sleep on it everyday, for hours at a time.
"It's a delicate balance," ...
Leonard Cohen's deep and steady voice returns on his latest studio album Old Ideas. Don't expect any hopeful and uplifting revelations from Cohen this time around. It isn't called "Old Ideas" for nothing. Here you'll find the dark and regretful musings fans of Cohen are used to, with some dark humor peppered in. Don't let this turn you away though, Cohen's music and voice are deep, thoughtful, raw, and beautiful. Fans of his are sure to appreciate Old Ideas, and new listeners will surely find something they like as well.
Gotye - Making Mirrors
Lana Del Rey - Born To Die
Meet Bowerbirds, if you haven't yet. Fans of Blind Pilot, Andrew Bird, and Mumford & Sons will probably enjoy the sound of this North Carolina folk group. Philip Moore & Beth Tacular have been crafting folk songs since 2006 with an organic sound that seems to have sprouted from roots in the soil. Listen to their new song "In The Yard" from their forthcoming album The Clearing (out March 6th) below.
