More From The Street

Here's another musical performance from Sesame Street.  This one you've got to see to believe.

Congratulations!

Amoeba Music in Hollywood was recently voted the Greatest Thing About LA by readers of Los Angeles Magazine.  The record store lasted through six rounds of voting to come out on top, beating out other fixtures of Los Angeles such as Sunset Boulevard, Disneyland, In'N'Out, USC Football, The Beach, and even The Weather.  Now it's official, if you're ever in Los Angeles, the one thing you have to do is visit Amoeba Music.  Congratulations to Amoeba and all who voted!

Nas vs. Fox News

Yesterday, Nas and Color Of Change took to the streets of Manhattan to protest Fox News' racist and misogynistic reporting.  And we couldn't agree more.  It's about time someone protest Fox News and we'd like to apologize for not being the first.  The bullshit has got to stop.  For more, check the video below.

On The Horizon

This summer has already brought us a couple of big releases (Beck, Sigur Ros) and promises to bring us a few more.  In the coming months, be on the lookout for the following:

Conor Oberst (out August 4th)

The Faint - Fasciination (out August 4th)

Calexico - Carried To Dust (out September 9th)

TV On The Radio - Dear Science (out September 23rd)

Common - Invincible Summer (out September 23rd)

Cold War Kids - Loyalty To Loyalty (out September 23rd)

Be sure to check out Cold War Kid's new single "Something Is Not Right With Me" over at the band's LameSpace.

Feisty!

Saturday was the night, Feist at The Greek Theatre.  And believe us, homegirl put it down!  This was easily a Top 5 concert experience.  Absolute brilliance!  Ms. Leslie & Co. perfectly balanced moments of delicate subtlety and outstanding showmanship all into an evening of pure uninhibited joy.  This performance far surpassed any expectations we had going in.  Particularly impressive was Leslie Feist's stage presence.  She was both larger than life and intimately personal at the same time, improvising lyrics, bantering with the crowd between songs and summoning up cheers with a raise of her guitar.  And of course, most impressive of all was her voice.  Only one word can describe it: Grace.  

Ear-worthy!

A couple of new projects have some new tunes out on the world wide web for your enjoyment.

First and foremost, the previously plugged new project from Zack De La Rocha of Rage Against The Machine, One Day As A Lion, has posted a new tune up on MySpace.  This one is everything you've been waiting for from Zack, overtly political, bombastical and wildly international.  Grab the self-titled EP on Tuesday.

Next up, also via LameSpace, Karen O of Yeah Yeah Yeahs has dropped a handful of stripped down acoustic love songs, under the name Native Korean Rock.  Karen's put together a "motley crew of NYC natives" for a couple of performances, but no word on whether these tunes will ever surface on a release.

Take a listen and let us know what you think.  

PS, Mac users, you may want to try the above links out in Firefox, apparently MySpace doesn't like Safari.

Free Coldplay

It seems like all of Coldplay's good songs were left off of Viva La Vida.  First the acoustic take on "Lovers In Japan," which we briefly featured here and highly encourage illegally downloading, which we normally do not condone, and now "Death Will Never Conquer," which you can grab for free here (legally).  This one's got an old timey church feel to it.  We dig it!  What are your thoughts?

Free Converse

Oops, we meant to to say free music from Converse.  Click here to check out "My Drive Thru" performed by Santogold, Pharrell, and Julian Casablancas of the Strokes.  Great summer track!

Counting To 4

Feist will be at The Greek Theatre this Saturday.  Yeah!  In the meantime, catch her at your favorite childhood music venue, Sesame Street.  (Video Below)

Awesome!  Makes me wish I was 4 years old all over again.  (By the way, Is it just us or does Sesame Street look a little different?  Maybe a bit more Uppper West Side than it used to be?)

From The Studio...

Comedy Hour With Airbag Radio

While we're still laughing about Sonny J's work on the MPC (see previous post) we thought we'd provide you with some more comedy.  Click the pic below to get a bigger view of this hilarious story.  Painful!

You Have To Hear This!

Apparently a handful of remix artists got together to honor one of their favorite icons (and ours), Mr. Johnny Cash.  Sounds like a pretty good idea on paper.  Dope beats laced with the deep tones of the Man In Black himself.  Well, it's too bad it sounds like a shit idea on record.  Seriously, this stuff is so bad, we can't help but ask ourselves, "Are these guys fucking serious?"  You have got to check it out here.  You won't know whether to laugh or cry.  Our favorite has got to be "Country Boy (Sonny J Remix),"  There must've been a typo on the memo because Sonny Boy's remix is more akin to Will Smith's "MEN In Black" than to the MAN In Black's original classic.

Word On The Streets

The Streets, aka Mike Skinner, aka the mind behind 2004's album of the year according to us, have new album forthcoming titled Everything Is Borrowed.  No official release date yet but look for the album to be released sometime late summer.  In the meantime, check out The Streets' myspace page to catch a listen to a medley sampler of 4 new songs.  

For the aforementioned, best album of 2004, check out The Streets' A Grand Don't Come For Free, a concept album with a fascinating story portraying everyday life and human emotion with vivid detail.  Infatuation, excitement, love, boredom, hate, depression, redemption.  You've really gotta listen to begin to peel back the layers.  

Be forewarned, if you have never heard The Streets before, this is British rap, so it may sound a bit odd or choppy at first to American ears.  Enjoy!

New Product...

There's a website too!

For Your Listening Enjoyment

Visit here to get a listen to Jose Gonzalez performing at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia.  Set Highlight:  Jose's encore take on Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart."  If you like what you hear, be sure to grab the studio version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" on the Stay In The Shade EP.  Special thanks to NPR Live and University of Pennsylvania's WXPN.

Going Gonzo...

There's a new bio-pic out covering the life and times of Hunter S. Thompson, one of the great journalists of the modern era. Check the preview below.



Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it'll be showing in Sactown, but we'll keep you posted on the DVD release. In the meantime, check out Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas for a glimpse into the life of Gonzo.

A Voice In The Desert

At long last, after 8 years of waiting, a voice in the desert has been heard.  That voice goes by the name, One Day As A Lion.  The words spoken: "One Day As A Lion is both a warning delivered and a promise kept."

Why do these words matter?  Who is One Day As A Lion?  What is the significance?  Well, one half of One Day As A Lion happens to be one Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine and One Day As A Lion stands as his first recorded project since 2000, when Rage Against The Machine released their final studio album, Renegades.  The other half of the equation happens to be one Jon Theodore, former drummer of The Mars Volta.  This combination of genius has us eagerly anticipating the band's debut, which will arrive in the form of a self-titled EP on July 22 via Anti-.

Here's more from the mouth of the lion:  “A defiant affirmation of the possibilities that exist in the space between kick and snare. It’s a sonic reflection of the visceral tension between a picturesque fabricated cultural landscape, and the brutal socioeconomic realities it attempts to mask."

How fitting for these times that we find ourselves in?

Check the band's page here.

Crate Diggin'

Another semi-irregular column?  That's right!  And this time we've got our sights set on kickin' it old sKool style.  (Yes, that's old sKool with a capital K, which means we're serious about kicking it old sKool!)  This stuff is essential for any music junkie's collection, and if you don't have it, grab it from your dad's record collection.  First up...

The Velvet Underground - Loaded

While digging through the archives of the Airbag Library Of Music & Arts, we stumbled upon this long lost gem, and we're amazed that it had sat on the shelf, collecting dust, for so long.  Much has been said about the significance of The Velvet Underground.  Under the weight of the band's legacy as pioneers of all things alternative, it is easy to lose sight of the band's music itself.  Initially discovered and showcased by artist Andy Warhol, The Velvet Underground made their debut in 1967 with the release of The Velvet Underground & Nico.  Loaded served as the band's fourth and final album for the original lineup featuring Lou Reed.  Musically, the album leans heavy on  steady-driving acoustic guitar, ramshackle percussion, and offbeat vocals.  Highlight of the album, "Sweet Jane."  Other moments of brilliance, "Who Loves The Sun," "Rock & Roll" and "Oh! Sweet Nuthin'."

MDYHTS

It's back! MDYHTS is our semi-irregular column featuring Music Documentaries You Have To See.  This time around it's DiG!, a 2004 documentary focusing on the bands, The Dandy Warhols and The Brian Jonestown Massacre.  Although the film follows the early careers of each of these bands, it is the drama and controversy surrounding The Brian Jonestown Massacre's leader Anton Newcombe, that really commands the attention of the viewer.  Over the course of the film, Newcombe's simultaneous creativity and instability bring new depth to the term "tortured genius."  This guy can write damn good music, but he is damn crazy too.  You'll be blown away by the dichotomy.  Enjoy!

Queen Josh Meets UNKLE

Josh Homme from Queens Of The Stone Age has lent his vocal talents to a song on UNKLE's forthcoming album. Listen below.



Look for the album, End Titles... Stories For Film, online July 15th and in stores September 2.