Feist: "Bittersweet Melodies"

Feist's Metals came as a disappoint to anyone expecting 1,2,3,4 part 2 - but we loved it. It made our top records of the year. Here's the latest video "Bittersweet Melodies" featuring those awesome photos from Irina Werning.

New Video: Feist - "How Come You Never Go There"

[mp3] Feist: "How Come You never Go There"

Check out Feist's new video for "How Come You Never Go There" off her most recent record, Metals.

Record Club Project: Feist + Jeff Tweedy + Beck = Video

Record Club: Skip Spence "Broken Heart" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Good morning Vietnam! Ready to go back to work today? You know you are!

They are five months in now, mentions Beck, to the Record Club project. Calling upon some of today's seminal Americana, rock and folk hero's, Beck hopes to further extend his musical footprint by reworking some classic records; the only limitation, an entire album music be recorded in-full, in one day. It is an organic and off-the-cuff working environment with little to no rehearsal and a grab-it-and-go mentality. For this, the third installment of the Record Club project, Beck & Co. join forces to tackle Skip Spence's (former drummer for Jefferson Airplane) 1969, one-and-only record, Oar. Tracks are released from the sessions once a week and this week's track, "Broken Heart," comes courtesy of Feist and Wilco's Jeff Tweedy -- two modern musicians that need no real introduction.

See more videos from this album's recording session including appearances by Jamie Lidell, Nels Cline and more from Feist after the jump.


"Weighted Down (Feat. Feist and Nels Cline)"

Record Club: Skip Spence "Weighted Down" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

"War in Peace"

Record Club: Skip Spence "War In Peace" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

"Cripple Creek (Feat. Jamie Lidell and Beck)"

Record Club: Skip Spence "Cripple Creek" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

Poni Hoax - Images of Sigrid

Rating: 80
Dance parties beware! Best known for their single "Antibodies" this French-based electro-pop group combines baritone vocal lines, a female back-up singer and driving beats. Don't go looking for this in record stores just yet -- it is merely a french import. It is hard to draw references from this album, where as the mood, musical styles and vocals drift in and out of genre classifications. Punk guitar rifts here, energized beats and group choral singalongs there. Overall, an auspicious and powerful record.

Ezra Furman & The Harpoons - Inside the Human Body

Rating: 75
Furman relies heavily on his band of college buddies, which might have been a mistake. The Harpoons lack tight musical skills making the more prominent instrumental backing on this album hit-or-miss. We are here for Furman and there is not enough of him. While the more punk/rock n' roll-infused tracks show an exciting new side of Furman, they lack the intimacy of Furman past -- to-date, this album is the biggest departure from previous records.

Chairlift - Does You Inspire You

Rating: 73

Another band made famous by Apple. This record, however, is balanced nicely. Chairlift's ominous and sprawling musical techniques work from song-to-song. IPod tune "Bruises" is more fun than the lyrics may suggest. The song bounces along as Caroline Polachek's vocals bring to mind other indie-popsters such as Feist, Laura Marling, and Camera Obscura. The album ebbs and flows through angelic vocal harmonies, electronic beats and vamped guitar lines.

After the jump.

1-2-3-4 Monsters Walking 'Cross the Floor

Leslie Feist does Sesame Street. The pure hilarity of this video was enough for a post. As if you weren't already sick of the song, now you are going to have to deal with your children. Can you imagine it now? A small child in the kitchen with Oshkosh Bgosh corduroy overalls, stomping around screaming "1-2-3-4, I'm done my milk. I want some more" or some variation. Everything is going to be in 4s. 1-2-3-4 knocks on the bedroom door. 1-2-3-4 buy me something from the store. FOUR.

Let's not overshadow the fact that it is or was a great song. But we can take four no more.

(As reported by Stereogum.)



After the jump.

Review: Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008/Sub Pop)

Today, it has become increasingly rare to have all of the disparate opinions of music critics line up behind one artist or band. In most cases, that band is new, and proceeds to have a very big year. I give you Fleet Foxes.

This Seattle band's press file includes raves from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, Blender and Fader. The list is seemingly endless. The blog world embraced them early, and more mainstream critics quickly followed suit as well. Fleet Foxes released an excellent EP earlier in the year which caught the attention of a very inviting critical pool. Subsequent tours followed, as buzz grew leading up to their LP-release-day last week. They landed the highly sought after 9.0 from Pitchfork, and sold 8,000 records in their first week. Sub Pop has found the formula for breaking new bands and Fleet Foxes are reaping the benefits.
MORE AFTER THE JUMP.

The first and most important step is, clearly, to make an excellent record. Fleet Foxes have. Their eponymous debut often lives in several worlds at once. At times it sounds like a distinctively modern "indie" rock album, with its reverb-drenched vocals and haunting Grizzly Bear harmonies. Yet, what makes this album so fantastic, is its ability to draw from old sounds and styles, as well as new. Not just old as in the '60s-influenced baroque pop their sound echos, but old as in dusty Alan Lomax field recordings. Yeah. That kind of old. There's an ancient aura at play throughout the record, drawing from rural America and medieval sounding instrumental lines. Somehow Fleet Foxes mix the country with the city, the old with the new and create a potent and highly enjoyable record.

So what happens next? In the past, when the critical cosmos has aligned in such a way, it meant big things for that artist. Small "indie" rock artists have become household names: Feist, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse come to mind. Will Fleet Foxes be selling out Radio City Music Hall this year? No. The record lacks that one hit to land them the coveted iPod commercial or prominent TV placement. Ultimately though, they are not that kind of band. Fleet Foxes have made a complete album that, thankfully, is not a passing sweetness; it is long lasting and stays with you even after it's gone. In that way, listeners will keep coming back to Fleet Foxes, and in turn, the band will find ample amounts of success.