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Archive: April 2009 (111-120 of 171)

Apr 10 2009 08:04 PM ET

Songs as celebrity booty calls: Yay or Nay?

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: Do My Job For Me

Princesalmahayek_l

Much has been made over the past week of "Valentina," Prince’s new LotusFlow3rode to lusciously badonky actress Salma Hayek, in which hesings to Hayek’s toddler daughter, "Hey Valentina, tell your mama sheshould give me a call/ When she gettired of runnin’ after you down the hall/And she’s all worn out fromthose late-night feedings/and she’s ready for another rock and rollmeeting."

His Royal Purpleness may be the first to actually proposition a baby toget to said baby’s hot mom, but he’s hardly the only one to use hismusical platform as a sort of high-wattage Craigslist ad forcelebrity booty. Blessedly disbanded boy band LFO’ wrote their 1999 single "Girl on TV" for Jennifer Love Hewitt, who also starred in the video — and apparently used to whisper to sad bandanas and frosted tips before turning her attention to ghosts.

How about part-time Moldy Peach Adam Green’s bittersweet lullaby, "Jessica Simpson"? What the video lacks in actual JSimp cameos, it more than makes up for in dreamy ping pong rallies. We’ve also got Justin Timberlake’s brutal Britney kiss-off "Cry Me A River" (complete with blond video doppelganger), a sort of come-on in reverse — more of a stay-away, if you will. And a couple years ago, Neil Diamond even confessedthat his smash "Sweet Caroline" was about Caroline Kennedy, who was(erm..) only eleven when the song first stormed the charts in1969.

I’m strictly counting romantic odes here, not general celebrity name-checking (see R.E.M.’s Andy Kaufman-inspired "Man on the Moon" and Madonna’s Hollywood Babylon roll call "Vogue"), though I’m sort of wondering if Kim Carnes’ "Bette Davis Eyes" counts. And lest I forget, the ever-mysterious maybe-it’s-Warren-Beaty-maybe-it-ain’t debate over Carly Simon’s "You’re So Vain"… Damn these clouds in my coffee!

What do you think, readers? Do you find this stuff charming or just weird? What other songs am I missing in my celebrity-proposition songbook?

Apr 10 2009 06:27 PM ET

What's your favorite Michel Gondry video?

by Simon Vozick-Levinson

Categories: Michel Gondry, Music Videos, Paul McCartney, Radiohead, White Stripes

Most music video compilations are best thought of as reference items — nice to own for completists, but how often are you really going to sit through that entire DVD? One huge exception to this rule: clips directed by French auteur Michel Gondry. I can’t count how many hours I’ve spent watching and re-watching the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director’s supremely trippy 2003 The Work of Michel Gondry DVD. The man is a master. So I’m beyond pleased that Gondry is releasing another DVD next week with even more of his awesome music-video work.

My personal favorite Gondry videos are probably on that first compilation. ("Let Forever Be"! "Come Into My World"!! Sorry, my brain is exploding even thinking about that DVD.) But there are some truly great ones on the new compilation, too. You’ve got Radiohead’s "Knives Out," which I can’t embed here but which nonetheless rocks (though Thom Yorke reportedly disagrees?); the White Stripes’ "The Denial Twist," below; Paul McCartney’s "Dance Tonight," Bjork’s "Declare Independence," and Beck’s "Cellphone’s Dead," all after the jump; and tons more. So let’s hear it: What’s your favorite out of all Gondry’s videos? And will you be buying this DVD?

The White Stripes, "The Denial Twist"

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Apr 10 2009 05:11 PM ET

Does your favorite band hate animals? Let PETA be the judge

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: Misc.

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As you may have heard, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals recently asked British synth-pop duo the Pet Shop Boys to change their name to the Rescue Shelter Boys — in order, they say, to call attention to the "cramped, filthy conditions" of many breeding facilities.

The band gracefully turned them down, while acknowledging that it does "raise an issue worth thinking about." And the Music Mix agrees!

While there’s nothing really wrong with Cat Power, Fleet Foxes, or Modest Mouse (has anyone ever met a really aggressive, braggy mouse?), senior EW writer Clark Collis suggests that the chorus to Nine Inch Nails’ 1994 f-bomb anthem "Closer" could quite easily be changed to the more pro-critter "I want to make sweet, gentle love to you like an animal."

Other options? Legendary ’80s industrial outfit Skinny Puppy may have struck a more positive note as Adequately Cared For Puppy Who Just Has A Really High Metabolism. Or, as our own Aly Semigram emails, trading in Def for the more au courant Hearing Impaired Leppard (pour some Splenda on me?) would please not one, but two special interest groups.

Staffer Michele Romero also helpfully suggests that the Psychedelic Furs could become the Psychedelic Fauxs without hardly changing their tour merch, and resident Idol elf Michael Slezak offers both a nice Stray Cats alternative — Formerly Homeless But Now Happily Adopted Cats Dozing on a Sunny Patch of Living Room Carpet? Strut that! — and, for Danger Mouse, the far more fair-minded Calculated Risk Mouse. (Our editor Rob Brunner points out that the name of Scottish rockers Dogs Die in Hot Cars is, essentially, already a public service announcement. So no dice there, PETA.)

Readers, we open up the floor to you — what other creature comforts might un-PC band names provide, with a little tweaking?

Apr 10 2009 03:48 PM ET

Feist's short film with Cillian Murphy: Watch it here

by Jeremy Medina

Categories: Feist

There’s no doubt Feist’s "The Water" is a chilling, beautifully-sung song, but I’m not sure if it warranted this 15-minute short film directed by her Broken Social Scene pal, Kevin Drew. Airing this week on Pitchfork.tv and IFC, the frosty tale features Batman Begins co-star Cillian Murphy and Canadian actor David Fox.

The two essentially find a mummified body (Feist) in the snow, thaw it out, and then the three sit in silence in front of a crackling fireplace, which isn’t really broken until the Feist song kicks in toward the end. Despite the snail’s pace and curious ending, there are certainly far worse things than staring at Feist and Murphy for 15 minutes, though, so watch it after the jump and tell us what you think. Just know it is about as stark a contrast from "1234" as you can get.

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Apr 10 2009 02:38 PM ET

American Idol's Adam Lambert and Antony Hegarty: Musical Kin?

by Ben Spier

Categories: American Idol

Does current American Idol contestant Adam Lambert give you a tingling flush of deja vu? A similar sensation came over this indie-pop diehard yesterday as I watched a clip of the putative AI front-runner emoting his way through "Tracks of My Tears." Something about his quavery tenor put me in mind of none other than Antony Hegarty, English-Irish frontman of the art-folk experimentalists Antony and the Johnsons. That Tim-and-Jeff-Buckley impression of vocal kinship hit me even more forcefully with Lambert’s haunted, mournful rendition of Tears for Fears’ "Mad World."

I thought Lambert reined in his penchant for playing-to-the-galleries pyrotechnics to heart-stirring effect, though admittedly, Hegarty’s voice has a darker timbre than Lambert’s, and on stage, his Daniel Johnston-like twitchiness contrasts jarringly with the Idolette’s musical-theater showmanship. No doubt about it, though: Both are prodigiously gifted, soulful singers.

But decide for yourselves, Music Mix-ers. Give a listen to Antony Hegarty, especially on the aching "If It Be Your Will," from the Leonard Cohen documentary I’m Your Man, or his duet with Lou Reed on "Candy Says." Or compare the two singers via the embedded video clips below. Could Hegarty’s career choices herald an alternative, artistically risk-taking path for Lambert in the event that the AI brass ring eludes him? Has he already given us a taste of that future with his offbeat, Middle Eastern-flavored "Ring of FIre"? If you vehemently disagree, say so. If you hear traces of Meat Loaf or Cat Stevens in either singer, all well and good. Sound off to your hearts’ content.

Apr 10 2009 01:00 PM ET

Dirty Projectors' 'Stillness Is the Move': Download it for free

by Simon Vozick-Levinson

Categories: Dirty Projectors, Downloads and Streams, Indie Rock, Snap Judgment

Dirtyprojectors_l The indie blogosphere has been collectively flipping over Dirty Projectors’ new single "Stillness Is the Move" ever since the band debuted it at SXSW last month. I’ll be the first to admit that I did not 100 percent get this song after hearing a live recording, but I stand corrected: The studio version of "Stillness Is the Move" is a total jam. Right now Domino Records is giving away a free MP3 of "Stillness Is the Move" to anyone who signs up for an email newsletter. Take them up on that offer ASAP so you, too, can appreciate the very weird but fairly wonderful combination of Amber Coffman’s Mariah-esque trills with a distorted, jangly art-rock groove.

What’s more, this isn’t even the best song on Dirty Projectors’ album Bitte Orca, due June 9. (For my money that’s the sad, lovely "Two Doves," which I fully intend to place right after Antony and the Johnsons‘ also-excellent "One Dove" on a mixtape at the soonest opportunity.) Anyway, click over to Domino to hear "Stillness Is the Move" now, then let us know: What do you think of this song?

Apr 9 2009 08:06 PM ET

Kanye West responds to 'South Park' mockery

by Simon Vozick-Levinson

Categories: Kanye West

Kanyegayfish_l What, you thought Kanye West wasn’t going to say anything after South Park accused him of being an egomaniacal gay fish (or whatever) last night? Of course he struck back today with a 234-word all-caps rant on his blog. But wait! Kanye’s latest post is free of the unhinged rhetoric we’ve come to expect when he addresses his detractors. Not a single "SQUID BRAINS" or "You’re f—ing trash" in sight. In fact, Kanye calls the South Park gag "PRETTY FUNNY" and admits that the "CRAZY EGO" he’s known for might have outlasted its usefulness: "I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I’M NOT ACTUALLY AHUGE DOUCHE BUT I’M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. I’M SURE THE WRITERS AT SOUTHPARK ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE." Wow. He even embedded a YouTube clip of the very South Park episode that mocked him! (That clip has since been yanked from YouTube, but here’s the original in case you missed it.) Talk about killing ‘em with kindness.

The whole post is a fascinating look at where Kanye’s head is at these days. As far as I’m concerned, he deserves points for rising above criticisms with humility and honesty. Check it out and let us know: What do you think of his new tone?

Apr 9 2009 08:03 PM ET

The Killers' Brandon Flowers disses Kurt Cobain: Is he crazy, or crazy like a fox?

by Leah Greenblatt

Categories: Rock Stars Say the Darndest Things, The Killers

Humanordancer_l Oh, B-Flow, you’ve done it again. The famously filter-less frontmanfor Vegas glam-rock revivalists the Killers seems to have a gift forembroider-this-shizz-on-a-pillow quotes, and his latest verbal cherrybomb is kind of a doozy, even for him.

On the 15th anniversary, no less, of Cobain’s suicide (or, at least, the discovery of his body), Flowers told the UK’s DailyStar, "I don’t mean it in a bad way, but I think Kurt Cobain and grungetook the fun out of rock ‘n roll. Everything’s changing, though, andit’s starting to become a lot more playful and brighter."

(Then again, he also went on to say, "I grew up seeing people likeMorrissey. I think I’ve still got a lot to learn, but there’s somethingabout performing a big show that makes it more incredible for me."Because Moz, as you know, is a real ray of sunshine.) They’remostly silly words from a man known for silly words — and this is comingfrom an unabashed Sam’s Town fan — but it does raise the question:

Did Cobain, Eddie Vedder, Layne Staley, and other Singles-erasuperstars really snuff out the fun-lovin’, lipsticked lights ofPoison, Motley Crue, et al? Is the later success of bands likeNickelback and Buckcherry, with their whiskey-swilling,groupie-guzzling hedonism, just part of rock & roll’s circle oflife? (Hakuna matata to you, Hinder!).

You’d be hard-pressed to call most of today’s rock stars fun,per se — unless chatting with Coldplay’s Chris Martin about free tradeagreements and Gwyneth’s tofu-quinoa casserole gets you juiced – butit really depends what you’re looking for. Is musical escapism theanswer to these economically scary times? Or should what comes out of your speakers reflect what’s going on in the world?

Apr 9 2009 05:33 PM ET

Snoop Dogg wants to make 'gangsta pop music' with the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus: Bring it on!

by Simon Vozick-Levinson

Categories: Hip-Hop/Rap, Jonas Brothers, Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg, What the...?

Snoopjonasbros_l If you’re a journalist interviewing Snoop Dogg, obviously one of your first questions is going to be about whether he’d like to record with… Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers? Okay, maybe not, but I’m very glad that an E! Online reporter broached that topic this week, producing the following reply: "Hell yeah! We’ll make some gangsta pop music." Sounds like a plan! Miley and the JoBros are growing up fast, after all, and what better way to signal their newfound maturity than by inviting the cuddly TV dad who recorded "Deep Cover" into the studio?

Truthfully, I am of the belief that few artists’ work could not be improved by a small pinch of big Snoop from time to time. At worst, you’ll get some quality LOLz and a few days’ worth of head-scratching blog mentions; at best, some of the man named Dogg’s indestructible charisma will transfer itself to your music. I’m going to guess that anything Snoop recorded with Miley or the Jonases would fall in the "Wha?!" category, which is fine by me.

So let’s all hope that this materializes (it won’t), and that Snoop Dogg extends his spirit of collaboration to all sorts of unexpected artists. The less likely the better. I’ll also take this opportunity to note that singer Ed Droste, of Music Mix faves Grizzly Bear, recently tweeted a possibly-semi-serious invitation for Snoop Dogg to hop on a remix for his band’s "Two Weeks." Make it happen, Snoop! Don’t you agree?

Apr 9 2009 04:11 PM ET

Billy Bob Thornton: What's his problem?

by Clark Collis

Categories: What the...?

Billybobthorton_l There is an entertainment-industry truism that the older someone is before they become famous, the nicer and more accommodating a star they are likely to be. (In the corridors of the Music Mix this is known as "The Wayne Coyne Rule.") There are exceptions. Justin Timberlake was hugely famous at a young age, but in person comes across as a very friendly and comparatively grounded guy. Then there is Billy Bob Thornton, who didn’t become a celebrity until he was in his 40s, yet seems like one unpleasant dude.

His prickliness was fully displayed yesterday morning during an utterly bone-chilling radio interview conducted by Canadian radio host (and Moxy Fruvous member) Jian Ghomeshi with Thornton’s country-inclined musical outfit the Boxmasters. Thornton appears to have become upset after Ghomeshi mentioned his acting career while introducing the band. What happens next really has to be seen to be believed. Highlights include Thornton responding to a question about his early musical influences by discussing a magazine about monster movies, and later asking Ghomeshi whether he would refer to Tom Petty’s interest in music as his "first love" if the host interviewed the Full Moon Fever rocker.

The truth is that if you were interviewing Petty about, say, his King of the Hill character and decided to throw in a reference to the fact that he also writes the occasional song, it is highly unlikely he would throw the kind of icy, sulky tantrum that can be witnessed below. And if Thornton is serious about the Boxmasters (and one assumes he is, given that they have released three albums over the past year), then it might behoove him to dial down that prickliness. Because while this clip is a must-see, it’s difficult to imagine too many media outlets lining up to help further publicize the band after seeing it — or many music fans responding to this kind of diva behavior.

What do you think? Has Mr Thornton hurt the Boxmasters’ chances of success? And would anyone care to defend him?

More on Billy Bob Thornton:
Review of his 2001 debut album
Review of his 2007 movie Mr. Woodcock