some funny for you

Not really all that music related, but I came across some hilarious clips from a new animated show on HBO called "The Life and Times of Tim". According to their website the show debuts September 28th. If the whole show is as funny as these teaser clips it's going to be a new favorite.

Unofficial, but cool, Wolf Parade video

I stumbled upon a wonderfully unique video for the song "Kissing the Beehive" off of Wolf Parade's grand new album At Mount Zoomer. The video is simply "Kissing The Beehive" over a crazy short film from 1964 entitled The Hangman. The Hangman is an eerie animated short (and by animated I mean illustrated, not too much movement in this other than the camera panning over an image) based on an old children's poem about a mysterious stranger who arrives in a town, builds a gallows in the town square, and condemns the residents to death one by one. This isn't one of those Dark Side Of The Moon - Wizard of Oz type synch-ups, the music doesn't necessarily follow the story, although you will get the occasional shiver down your spine and arms when something synchs up perfect (especially the broken guitar at the end), but it is a completely unique and engrossing backdrop for an amazing song. Check it out below.



Wolf Parade - Kissing The Beehive (mp3)

From At Mount Zoomer (buy here)

I'd also like to note that I recently attended Wolf Parade's sold out La Zona Rosa show and I, unlike a couple of people I've spoken with, absolutely loved the show. I loved the old songs, I loved the new songs, I loved it all and at the end of the show I left a bigger fan that when I walked in. They absolutely killed the song above to close their main set. My ears are still buzzing a bit.

Get the new Walkmen album for $5

The Walkmen have a new album coming out in August entitled You & Me. I love The Walkmen but I'm not posting about this because of that love, I'm putting this up because The Walkmen are currently selling the album ahead of it's official release date (8/19 on Gigantic) as a digital download for only $5. This is a deal in and of itself, especially since it's in delicious 320kbps, but these wonderful gents are giving 100% of the proceeds from these prerelease digital purchases to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. It's such a humbling and selfless act in this day and age and really hits close to home for me. A few years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and went up to Sloan-Kettering for her surgeries. It was a terribly trying time for her and our entire family. As anyone who has had a loved one in a situation like this can tell you, it really rips your life apart. Everything you took for granted before becomes a question rather than the statement it once was. You start adding question marks to so many sentences that didn't need them before. Thanks to the people at Sloan Kettering most of those question marks went away. They answered every question we had, and in the end they successfully operated on my mom. The rehabilitation was long and at many points seemed as if it would never end, but here we are 4 years later and my mom's happy and healthy as can be, thanks in large to the folks over at Sloan-Kettering. Anyway when I read about this today on GorillaVsBear (who always seems to post the most relevant content around in my opinion) I just had to tell everyone about it. If you have a couple extra bucks, I can't think of a better way to spend it. You get a fantastic album in really high quality, completely legally and pre release, and you get to help write more stories like the one I just told. Alright, that's my piece, everyone be good and I'll try to make this whole posting thing a more than once or twice a month deal.

Download the new Walkmen album You & Me here for only $5.

All proceeds benefit the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center

In place of relevant content

I present this video of some guy covering the Pixies' Debaser in his car on a Ukulele and a tambourine. Enjoy

I'm terrible

Updates coming soon....I swear.....

Mogwai @ Stubbs 9.12.08

Set your fucking calendars ladies and gentleman because Mogwai are coming to town and if you don't plan on going you are going to miss out on the most crushing live band in the world. I first saw Mogwai at La Zona Rosa in 2001 when I was just shy of 18 years old and my ears have never stopped ringing. Seeing Jeff Buckley perform in a Brooklyn church at age 11 started me on this whole music thing, but seeing Mogwai at 18 absolutely shook me. I didn't quite understand what I had seen or exactly how to articulate the way the music made me feel, but I knew that I loved it and I have never looked back. Since that first time seeing them, I have only had a handful of opportunities to see Mogwai live again, but each time I am there and each time they are amazing. As an added incentive, you don't need one but it's nice anyway, Fuck Buttons will be opening the show. I have seen this UK based electronic/noise/casiosandloopersandshit duo twice in the last few months (once at SXSW and once opening for Caribou at Emos) and have been very impressed both times. Can you tell that I'm excited about this one? The show is at Stubbs outdoors which will make this show unique for me having previously only seen the band in dark poorly ventilated rooms. Tix are $18 plus fees and go on sale this Saturday June 14th via Frontgate Tickets.

Mogwai - Like Herod (live)

Buy the new Young Team remaster here

Fuck Buttons - Sweet Love For Planet Earth

Buy Street Horrrsing here

In other Mogwai news, they are set to release a new EP shortly followed by a new LP later this summer. The Batcat EP, which features contributions from Roky Erickson of The 13th Floor Elevators is out on September 9th (digital and vinyl only for us in the US) and then a few weeks later the big daddy, Mogwai's new LP The Hawk Is Howling comes out on September 23rd. Both are due via Matador Records.

Frightened Rabbit/French Kicks show at Mohawk on Thursday 6.5.08

The band behind one of my favorite releases of the year, The Midnight Organ Fight, is set to play the Mohawk this coming Thursday. The band I speak of is Selkirk, Scotland's Frightened Rabbit. The trembling Leporidaes were last spotted by yours truly playing some exceptional shows during SXSW. While their recorded music takes pains to show some restraint, their live show really allows the songs to breath and quiver a bit. I really can't recommend the show more. Also be sure to stick around to check out New York's French Kicks who are headlining the show. I've seen them a time or two before and have always enjoyed their sets. They've got a new album out that, sadly, I haven't heard in it's entirety yet, but I'm going to try to get my hands on it before Thursday comes around.

Frightened Rabbit - The Modern Leper

Buy The Midnight Organ Fight here

French Kicks - Abandon

Buy Swimming here

Buy tickets to the show here.