Filter Mag's Top 10

1. MGMT, Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
2. Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
3. Dr. Dog, Fate (Park the Van)
4. TV On The Radio, Dear Science (Interscope)
5. Foals, Antidotes (Sub Pop)
6. Bon Iver, For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
7. She and Him, Volume One (Merge)
8. M83, Saturdays = Youth (Mute U.S)
9. Cut Copy, In Ghost Colors (Modular/Interscope)
10 The Dears, Missiles (Dangerbird)

[Filter Staff Selections]

Bold choice at number 1. I've heard all of these but Dr. Dog so I'll have to check that one out. I'm working on my list right now, it should up next week.

Wordle

...is pretty chill...

John Frusciante Update: The Empyrean Part 2

[Photos]

From his blog:

Journal Entry #3

The Empyrean is a story that has no action in the physical world. It all takes place in one persons mind throughout his life. The only other character is someone who does not live in the physical world but is inside it, in the sense that he exists in peoples minds. The mind is the only place that anything can be truly said to exist. The outside world is only known to us as it appears within us by the testament of our senses. The imagination is the most real world that we know because we each know it first hand. Seeing our ideas take form is like being able to see the sun come into being. We have no equivelent to the purity of that in our account of the outside world. The outer world appears to each of us as one thing and it is always also a multitude of others. Inside to outside and outside to inside are neverending. Trying and giving up are a form of breathing.

- John

Franz Ferdinand Winter Tour

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand drops on January 27:

12-03 Montreal, Quebec - La Tulipe
12-04 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
12-06 Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre (WFNX show)
12-08 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom (KNRK show)
12-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore Ballroom
12-11 Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena (Live 105 show)
12-12 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint (KVGS show)
12-14 Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheatre (KROQ show)
12-15 San Diego, CA - Canes

Tracklisting:

1. Ulysses
2. Turn It On
3. No You Girls Never Know
4. Twilight Omens
5. Send Him Away
6. Live Alone
7. Bite Hard
8. What She Came For
9. Can't Stop Feeling
10. Lucid Dreams
11. Dream Again
12. Katherine Kiss Me

Video: Arcade Fire - "Neon Bible" in an Elevator

Synechdoche, New York

Synechdoche, New York was everything I hoped for in Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut: ambitious, hilarious, touching, amazing.

McCarthy on Film

Blood Meridian is now under the supervision of Todd Field. This, coupled with the knowledge of Andrew Dominik (see The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford NOW!) tackling Cities on the Plain, and things remain right with the Cormac McCarthy film adaptation part of the world. Blood Meridian is due next year, with Cities slated for 2012. Once scheduled for the '08 holiday season, The Road, is now looking like a 2009 release as well. I would love to see Field & Dominik tap into the Nick Cave/Warren Ellis reservoir. Director John Hillcoat (The Proposition) already has Ellis scoring The Road. From Paste:

A Los Angeles Times article on the upcoming film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's The Road (starring Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron) curiously dropped this little nugget of information: writer/director and sometimes actor Todd Field is currently working on an adaptation of McCarthy’s Blood Meridian novel. Ridley Scott had previously been attached to direct the tale, said to be a brutal 1850’s Western where Native Americans are slaughtered for profit. [Paste]

Hellified

[Photo Credit]

"Matt is getting in the comfort zone," Moss said. "He's playing some hellified ball."

If you would've told me the day after our Super Bowl loss to the Giants that Brady would be out for the entire 2008 season and Matt Cassel would step in and keep the team in division/playoff contention, and, along the way compile back to back 400+ yard passing games, I would've told you you're full of shit.

It's becoming apparent why we didn't panic and look for another quarterback on the waiver wire when Brady went down.

Omar Creates

[Photo Credit]

Dating back to May of 2007, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (lead guitarist, The Mars Volta) has released eight solo albums. They are:

Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo
Omar Rodriguez Lopez & Lydia Lunch
The Apocalypse Inside of an Orange
Calibration (Is Pushing Luck and Key Too Far)
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & Jeremy Michael Ward
Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fungus
Minor Cuts and Scrapes in the Bushes Ahead
Old Money

Two more (Megaritual & Despair) will be released on December 1st through Willie Anderson Recordings.

He also teamed up with Hans Zimmer to compose score for Guillermo Arriaga's (writer: Amores Perros, 21 Grams, Babel) directorial debut, titled The Burning Plain. (Se Dice Bisonte, No Bufalo is listed as the official soundtrack to the Arriaga-penned El Bufalo de la Noche.)

Omar also has two films (directing, producing & acting) in various stages of production.

Album Cover of the Year

Anyone who has been in a National Park in the past few years knows what I'm talking about. The title and photo make me laugh. Then cry. From Wiki:

Minor Cuts and Scrapes in the Bushes Ahead is a mostly instrumental record by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez released by Willie Anderson Recordings. Recorded in 2001-2002, shortly after completing the Tremulant EP, the album was initially made available only to friends on minidisc format.

Paste's Top 50

Interesting, to say the least. It's good to see MMJ up there, but I don't quite follow the barely-in-the-Top-50 placement of Dear Science,...

50. TV On The Radio - Dear Science (Interscope)
49. Sandra McCracken - Red Balloon (Towhee)
48. REM - Accelerate (Warner Bros.)
47. Laura Marling - Alas, I Cannot Swim (Astralwerks)
46. Lykke Li - Youth Novels (LL)
45. M83 - Saturdays = Youth (Mute)
44. Kathleen Edwards - Asking For Flowers (Zoë)
43. Amanda Palmer - Who Killed Amanda Palmer (Roadrunner)
42. Thao Nguyen and the Get Down Stay Down - We Brave Bee Stings & All (KRS)
41. The Tallest Man On Earth - Shallow Grave (Gravitation)
40. Flight of the Conchords - Flight of the Conchords (Sub Pop)
39. The Dodos - Visiter (Frenchkiss)
38. Jamie Lidell - Jim (Warp)
37. Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit - A Larum (Lost Highway)
36. The Bridges - Limits of the Sky (Verve)
35. Colour Revolt - Plunder, Beg and Curse (Fat Possum)
34. Torche - Meanderthal (Hydra Head)
33. Santogold - Santogold (Downtown)
32. Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea (Drag City)
31. The Walkmen - You & Me (Gigantic)
30. I'm From Barcelona - Who Killed Harry Houdini? (Mute)
29. Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (Cash Money/Universal)
28. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
27. Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning (Yep Roc)
26. Lee Ann Womack - Call Me Crazy (MCA Nashville)
25. Mugison - Mugiboogie (Ipecac)
24. Santogold & Diplo - Top Ranking
 (Mad Decent)
23. Mates of State - Re-Arrange Us (Barsuk)
22. No Age - Nouns (Sub Pop)
21. The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust (Vice)
20. Hot Chip - Made In The Dark (Astralwerks)
19. Gentleman Jesse and His Men - Introducing Gentleman Jesse and His Men (Douchemaster)
18. Death Cab
 for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
 (Atlantic)
17. Bonnie 'Prince' Billy - Lie Down In The Light (Drag City)
16. My Morning Jacket
 - Evil Urges (ATO)
15. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!! (Mute)
14. Langhorne Slim - Langhorne Slim (Kemado)
13. Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart (Waterfall/RCA)
12. of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping (Polyvinyl)
11. The Hold Steady - Stay Positive (Vagrant)
10. Deerhunter - Microcastle (Kranky)
09. Lucinda Williams - Little Honey (Lost Highway)
08. Sun Kil Moon - April (Caldo Verde)
07. Girl Talk - Feed the Animals (Illegal Art)
06. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (Sub Pop)
05. Okkervil River - The Stand Ins (Jagjaguwar)
04. Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago (Jagjaguwar)
03. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL)
02. Sigur Rós - Med sud i eyrum vid spilum endalaust (XL)
01. She & Him - Volume One (Merge)

Trailer: The Wrestler

"Ulysses"

Well, I just got really excited for the new Franz Ferdinand album. The first single, "Ulysses," is up on their MySpace page and it's damn good.

Listen

Can you find 12 differences between these covers?

One of them is the cover of the new John Frusciante album. From John:

The Empyrean is my new record and will be released worldwide via Record Collection on January 20th 2009. It was recorded on and off between December 2006 and March 2008. It is a concept record that tells a single story both musically and lyrically. The story takes place within one person, and there are two characters. It contains a version of Tim Buckley’s, ‘Song To The Siren’ and the rest of the songs are written by me. My friend Josh plays on it, as does Flea. It also features Sonus Quartet, Johnny Marr and The New Dimension Singers. I’m really happy with it and I’ve listened to it a lot for the psychedelic experience it provides. It should be played as loud as possible and it is suited to dark living rooms late at night.

- John Frusciante, November 3rd, 2008

The Empyrean Track listing:
1. Before The Beginning
2. Song To The Siren
3. Unreachable
4. God
5. Dark/Light
6. Heaven
7. Enough Of Me
8. Central
9. One More Of Me
10. After The Ending

Split (click on the icon that says John in the lower right hand corner) your wig.

Johnny Greenwood sending an email to Colin O'Brien's iPhone

Say hi to Radiohead.

The Golden State EP

It's pretty clear that Eddie Vedder and Corin Tucker have a good thing going. "Hard Sun" still gets better with every listen and the two are together again for a John Doe (and Kathleen Edwards) cover. Maybe these two will decide one day to record an album. It worked out pretty well for Plant & Krauss. The Golden State EP is out now.

Cloud Cult @ Bowery Ballroom, 11/11/08

Cloud Cult, Bowery Ballroom

Every time I see Cloud Cult in concert, it's another reminder as to why they are one of my favorite bands. They truly are one of the kindest, most gracious, and talented bands on the scene today. While still largely unknown, it's that much more rewarding to look around Bowery Ballroom last night and know that we all share the same secret. The songs last night focused entirely on their last 3 albums. I was a little bit disappointed that they didn't play "Living On the Outside of Your Skin" but I'll deal. Here is my attempt at the set list:

"Light At the End of the Tunnel" --> "Intro"
"Brain Gateway"
"No One Said It Would Be Easy"
"Chemicals Collide"
"Everybody Here is a Cloud"
"When Water Comes to Life"
"Million Things"
New Song? --> "That Man Jumped Out the Window"
"Pretty Voice"
"You Got Your Bones to Make a Beat"
"The Ghost Inside Your House"
"Bobby's Spacesuit"
"Must Explore" --> "Journey of the Featherless"
"Start New"
"Love You All"
"Story of the Grandson of Jesus"
"The Tornado Lessons"
----------------------
"Transistor Radio"
"Take Your Medicine"

Paste Mag Picks 11 Best TV On the Radio Songs

Paste Mag selected the 11 best TV On the Radio songs (right now) and since it's an ode to Travis Morrison (The Dismemberment Plan) and I happen to love TVOTR, I'll post their list followed by my own picks.

11. "Province" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
10. "Halfway Home" (Dear Science)
9. "I Was a Lover" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
8. "Love Dog" (Dear Science)
7. "New Health Rock" (New Health Rock EP)
6. "Golden Age" (Dear Science)
5. "The Wrong Way" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
4. "Ambulance" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
3. "Young Liars" (Young Liars EP)
2. "Wolf Like Me" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
1. "Staring at the Sun" (Young Liars EP/Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)

I actually agree with the first two selections but in reverse order. I would go with something like this:

1. "Wolf Like Me" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
2. "Staring at the Sun" (Young Liars EP/Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
3. "King Eternal" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
4. "Golden Age" (Dear Science)
5. "Playhouses" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
6. "Young Liars" (Young Liars EP)
7. "Blues from Down Here" (Return to Cookie Mountain)
8. "DLZ" (Dear Science)
9. "Halfway Home" (Dear Science)
10. "The Wrong Way" (Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes)
11. "Satellite" (Young Liars EP)

The Hold Steady & Drive-By Truckers @ Terminal 5, 11/7/08

The Rock + Roll Means Well Tour @ Terminal 5

I've yet to read a review of a show at Terminal 5 that didn't criticize the venue in some way. For that reason, I've been avoiding it like the plague. I bought tickets for this show mainly because I was annoyed at the fact that I hadn't yet seen The Hold Steady live. After last night's show, I don't really have a negative opinion of the place. Yes, it's very crowded on the floor during a sold out show but I was standing near the back and had no issues with the sound. I actually prefer it to Roseland and probably Hammerstein too.

I started listening to DBT only after seeing that they were the co-headliner on this tour. I've been focused on The Dirty South and Brighter than Creation's Dark with a plan to check out Decoration Day next. Maybe it was the beer or the fact that I only had chocolate for dinner (probably both) but by the end of their set, I wanted to hang out with these guys and hear their stories. Great set. Consider me a fan.

People either love or hate The Hold Steady. I'll be the first to admit that I was in the latter group until I heard Boys & Girls in America. I'm not going to say anything new here, their performance last night was nothing short of amazing. They played b-sides to please the die hard fans, tracks from their last two albums to please people like me, and ~ 25 songs in an hour and 45 minutes to please every last person in the venue. Any fan of this band really has to see them live or you're missing half the fun. To cap off the night, Patterson Hood and some other members of DBT joined The Hold Steady during the encore for a version of Minutemen's "History Lesson Part 2," AC/DC's "Walk On" and Blue Oyster Cult's "Burnin, for You." Seriously.

I was thankful that Terminal 5 didn't keep me away from this one. It's the best double bill I've been to in a long time. Call it a celebration of historic proportions (see post below).

True

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