BUZZGRINDER

The Lonely Island (With Julian Casablancas) – Boombox

Sean Cannon — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:00:25 +0000

Still makes my heart stab itself lightly in the leg when I think about how bad Saturday Night Live is every week. But at least there’s a generic drug store brand compression bandage: The Lonely Island.

Come to BGBH at SXSW Thursday and Friday

Sean Cannon — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:00:11 +0000

We’re getting a little bit closer to the music portion of SXSW, which means we’re getting even closer to our two-day party with Buddyhead. And that means we’re getting closer to going off in Austin.

You’d better be there. We’ll cry if you’re not.

Venue: Annie’s West
Address: 706 W. 6th St., Austin, TX 78701
Dates: Thursday, March 18 and Friday, March 19
Times: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Broken Bells – Broken Bells

Josh Mock — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:00:39 +0000

Broken Bells sounds a lot like exactly what it is: a collaboration between Danger Mouse and James Mercer. Close your eyes for a minute and imagine what it would be like if Danger Mouse (half the brains behind Gnarls Barkley, 2006’s wonder child) produced The Shins (another mid-decade, on-the-verge-of-being-a-has-been act).

If those acts were your top-played fodder a couple years ago — and you didn’t think Danger-produced albums like The Black Keys‘ Attack & Release and the second Gnarls Barkley album were bland as all get-out — this might be worth checking out. If that’s you, you might want to take the following grumblings with a grain of salt: I like Mercer’s creations just fine, but, Danger Mouse tends to have Midas’s golden touch, except replace “golden” with “boring.”

Opening track The High Road is, coincidentally, ‘The High Point’ of the LP. It all smears together after that, each song becoming indistinguishable from the one before it. I made sure to run through the album three or four times before making that judgment call, but each time it rang true: I’d enjoy the first five or 10 minutes, and then I’d forget that I was was supposed to be paying attention so I could write you this fine review.

Hopefully I’m missing something. I’m willing to admit that might be the case. But, from what I can tell, this is yet another case of a big-name collaboration used as SXSW season hype that doesn’t pan out well when you actually listen to the music.

Evan Voytas – I Run With You, Spirit Animal

Sean Cannon — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:00:19 +0000

Typical story. Boy meets board, boy falls for board, boy changes clothes a dozen times behind board, boy wears chicken mask.

Whether it’s OSB with a veneer, COMPREG, MDF, laminate particleboard or — ooh la la — actual hardwood, Evan Voytas is giving us on of our generation’s great love stories.

Evan Voytas – I Run With You, Spirit Animal

Manchester Orchestra – In My Teeth (Live on Jimmy Kimmel)

Sean Cannon — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:00:02 +0000

Watching Manchester Orchestra on Jimmy Kimmel reminded me that Means Everything to Nothing has about seven legitimate singles on it. Such a good album.

Manchester Orchestra – I’ve Got Friends

A Grand Design: Titus Andronicus

Jay DiNitto — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:00:34 +0000

Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
Release date: March 9, 2010
[amazon.com]

So this album is about the first ironclad vessel in the United States Navy, the USS Monitor. Pictured here on the cover are all the band members, past and present, just before its maiden voyage. Get it? Because they’ve had a lot of members, I’ve heard…

Here We Go Magic Releasing Secretly Canadian Debut

Sean Cannon — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:00:08 +0000

Solid details have finally emerged about the Secretly Canadian debut from Here We Go Magic. And in addition to the news that the album, Pigeons, will be out June 8, the band has released a track from the upcoming record.

I’m enjoying Collector so far, but I don’t quite know what to make of it. Does it mark a progression away from the sound of HWHM’s first record, or is the track an inaccurate representation of the new material?

Either way, I’m not going to complain too much. Instead of being content to blow us away purely with his voice, Luke Temple is relying on intriguing cadences and quirky enunciation — alongside some interesting guitar work and solid instrumentation, of course.

Here We Go Magic – Collector

Pigeons track list
1. Hibernation
2. Collector
3. Casual
4. Surprise
5. Bottom Feeder
6. Moon
7. Old World United
8. F.F.A.P.
9. Land of Feeling
10. Vegetable or Native
11. Herbie I Love You, Now I Know

Morning Buzz: The Strokes, Andrew W.K., Armored Saint

Sean Cannon — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:00:10 +0000

:: Looks like we’ll be getting a new Strokes album in September.

:: Spinner talked to Andrew W.K. for their comprehensive SXSW coverage, and he admitted that he’s not a legend. But he does like to party hard.

:: Armored Saint likes to cook. Men after my own heart.

:: Bygones will be playing some shows in April.

:: Want to hear the new Small Brown Bike seven-inch? Of course you do.

Every Time I Die – After One Quarter of a Revolution

Sean Cannon — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:00:22 +0000

Ah yes, a performance-based video in a small venue with insane amounts of stage diving, crowd surfing and crowd walking — not to mention a fat dude being completely dropped as soon as he leaves launches himself in the air. Every Time I Die, thank you for magically transporting me back to 2001.

White Hinterland – Amersterdam

Sean Cannon — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:00:00 +0000

This White Hinterland video is very reminiscent of this clip from the Star Wars cartoon where Anakin Skywalker goes to some snow planet and hallucinates, seeing his future. Except that didn’t make me fall asleep halfway through.