Video of the Day: She & Him perform “The Christmas Waltz” on Leno
The downside to this is you have to look at StaticBlog persona non grata Jay Leno for 10 seconds, but then you get to stare at Zooey for over three minutes. No winking this time.
– Lang
Video of the Day: Kimbra, “Settle Down”
According to Warner Bros., New Zealand singer-songwriter Kimbra Johnson’s Australasian debut, “Vows,” will not be released in the U.S., but she is working with Greg Kurstin (The Bird and the Bee, Lily Allen) and Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple) on a U.S. debut. Still, her “Settle Down” EP is getting a push: this is iTunes’ Video of the Week, so expect the big marketing guns to begin firing once this U.S. debut is ready next year.
– Lang
Video of the Day: Das Racist perform “Michael Jackson” on “Conan”
Depend on it: there was nothing cooler or stranger on television last night.
A million dollars. You feel me?
– Lang
Video of the Day: Cee-Lo Green, “Anyway”
Honestly, “Anyway,” an add-on track for the new “Platinum Edition” of “The Lady Killer,” does not meet the standard of almost everything else on that album, but Cee-Lo is just so damn good that he elevates even middling material. Oddly enough, this middling material was co-written by Rivers Cuomo, a fact that you can discern a little in the chorus.
– Lang
Video of the Day: Paul Weller, “Around the Lake”
Last year’s “Wake Up the Nation” featured a fully reinvigorated Paul Weller, following up his adventurous 2008 cobweb-clearer “22 Dreams” with an album that sounded like the logical extension of The Jam — an considering that Bruce Foxton played bass on a couple of tracks, it was as close as we’ve come to a full-fledged reunion for a band that so many of us love so much.
But in keeping with the restless spirit that Weller has recaptured in recent years, he seems to be shifting gears yet again with the forthcoming “Sonik Kicks,” due in March 2012 on Yep Roc. “Around the Lake,” the teaser single, is a two-minutes-and-change blast of spooky modern psychedelia. Who knows if “Around the Lake” is emblematic of the entire album or if Weller is laying out another cornucopia of his diverse musical ideas a la “22 Dreams,” but I love the fact that the Modfather is so active and so interesting these days.
As a bonus, Spotify users should check out this track from “22 Dreams,” titled “Empty Ring.” The loops sound like something from the Avalanches.
– Lang
Electric Six Covers “You’re A Mean One, Mr. Grinch” for The AV Club’s “Christmas Undercover”
Dick Valentine is here to steal your roast beast — you can “fa who forays, fa who dores” all you want.
– Lang
Electric Six covers "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"
Video of the Day: North Highlands, “Benefits”
In “Benefits,” the video image of singer Brenda Malvini seems powered entirely by her voice — if she stops singing, no Brenda.
– Lang
Video(s) of the Day: Kimbra, “Cameo Lover,” “Settle Down,” “Good Intent,” “Settle Down,” “Two Way Street” and “Plain Gold Ring”
My friend Tony Shanks posted the official video for 21-year-old New Zealand singer Kimbra Johnson’s single “Cameo Lover” on my Facebook page yesterday. While her EP, “Settle Down,” is now available domestically, Warner Bros. seems to be taking it slow and carefully regarding her full-length debut, “Vows.”
They really need to put wheels under it.
In the meantime, I found a series of live in-studio performances from Sing Sing Studios that truly showcase the talent at hand.
– Lang
“Cameo Lover”
“Settle Down”
“Good Intent”
“Two Way Street”
“Plain Gold Ring” (Nina Simone cover)
Catching Up with LOOKatOKC’s “Got It Covered”
For those who have not been introduced to it yet, about five weeks ago I started a new series titled LOOKatOKC’s Got It Covered, in which I selected 12 famous songs by Oklahoma artists and asked several local musicians to show up at Saints in the Plaza District and offer their interpretations. Each one has been great in its own way: my hope was that each artist would bring something of him or herself to the song rather than do a straight cover. This week’s edition features O Fidelis doing Color Me Badd’s “I Wanna Sex You Up.”
Past performances:
1. Denver Duncan, “King of the Road” (Roger Miller)
2. Chase Kerby, “Cocaine” (J.J. Cale)
3. Justin Witte, “Fujiyama Mama” (Wanda Jackson)
4. Jabee, “MMMBop” (Hanson)
Video of the Day: DJ Shadow featuring Little Dragon, “Scale It Back”
Shadow has scaled it way back — not much to suggest inventive turntablism here. And yet, this random set of papier-mache’d Rube Goldberg incidents offer a nice brain teaser for Memory Man.
– Lang
