will smith?

bahahahahha. some portland (i think?) hipsters doing a will smith medley. just for you guys. and whoever reads "look at this fucking hipster".

Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley from Goddamn Cobras Collective on Vimeo.

Big Fan of Phantogram

Phantogram.
I just wanted to jump on this before it was old news. I was bumbling around the blogosphere the other day and stumbled upon a new-ish band from New York called Phantogram.
I haven't really stopped listening to them since (minus an interlude for the new Yeasayer track, which is pretty sweet).
I've been trying to think of ways to describe Phantogram's sound, but I will let them speak for themselves:

"We wanted to incorporate all our own influences and created our own sound that's a combination of Serge Gainsbourg, sampling and Detroit hip-hop. How I explain it to the customers who come into the restaurant where I work is that we sound like a combination of Kanye West and Radiohead" - Singer, Sarah Barthel

Well I don't really hear the Gainsbourg, but I can get behind the Kanye/Radiohead description. Phantogram has attempted to layer two genres that are rarely successfully combined (If it's safe to call Kanye West and Radiohead genres)--and they pull it off.
As far as other influences, lets just throw in School of Seven Bells, Beach House, The xx, TV on the Radio, and M83 for good measure.
All genre confusion aside, Phantogram just write good songs. Barthel's voice is dynamic and nuanced as it soars over thick beats and subtle electric guitar lines. The songs are crisp and fresh; new but utterly familiar. I highly recommend it. Lets just start with the first two tracks of their forthcoming LP Eyelid Movies:

Phantogram :: Mouthful of Diamonds
Phantogram :: When I'm Small

Kings of Convenience: Soirée de Poche

Norwiegan duo Kings of Convenience's new album, Declaration of Dependence, has been in heavy rotation for me of late. Which makes this (charming) video that much better. For reserved Scandinavians, these two are extremely expressive and full of antics.

And as a side (bottom?) note, I need to mention that I absolutely love La Blogotheque, and not just because they are French and I like to pretend I can read French. I love them because they make videos like this all the time. "Les Soirées de Poche," according to the website "sont des concerts acoustiques et intimistes organisés par la Blogothèque dans des lieux privés." Love it.

CANT you dig it?

The Weird Looking Bass Player Can Sing Too, You Know.
Chris Taylor, the bassist for some band called The Grizzly Bears (I think they are from New York?), has started a label called Terrible Records and it's going to take a lot more than this song to live up to the name.
What song?
Well Chris Taylor also is venturing off on a "Grizzly Bear side project that sounds just like Grizzly Bear" called CANT. This guy has some self-esteem issues.

Cheer up Chris!

Well I have given the song a listen and it is good. Mr. Taylor has produced both Grizzly Bear albums, and it certainly shows here as he strikes out on his own. For those of you keeping score, I would mark it in the "Yellow House" category... which of course is a great thing.

Have a Listen,

CANT :: Ghosts

Alela & Alina: Harmonies Good for the Soul

Alela and Alina: Alliteration Abounds!
So, big news in the folk world (which consists of more people than just myself, turn out), is that Alela Diane and Alina Hardin are teaming up for an EP! It is called "Alela and Alina." Duh. It's being sold as a "companion album" to Diane's (excellent) album released earlier this year To Be Still.

There are six songs total on this ep: some old, some new. The three I have heard are absolutely lovely, my favorite being "Bowling Green"

While I must admit that I had not even heard of Alina's name before this glorious event, I gave both her and the duo a good listening to (based on the sole theory that anything Alela is involved with must be pleasant to the ears) and I was not disappointed. Alina has a soft, whispery voice, and a simple guitar to accompany her. Together, their voices find their home. Somehow they just fit perfectly. It is beautiful to behold.

The EP is available now via Rough Trade Records and there's even a special 10" vinyl. But, buy quickly. They are only printing 100 copies!

(plus, their song, "The Rake" correlates with my homework reading, so this can't even be considered procrastination. Thanks guys!)

This Week in WTF?

Mix and Match! Flea, Thom Yorke, Weezer, Lil' Wayne, Danger Mouse, James Mercer

So, this week has been a doooozy for WTF collaborations. First of all, Thom Yorke, from Radiohead or something, will be playing two shows with his "solo" band in L.A. the Sunday and Monday. The bass player in said band is none other than Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, which makes me go "...?" The band also includes Radiohead's producer Nigel Godrich who is like the George Martin of Radiohead. According to Thommy, the strange band is just “for fun” and in a truly inspired comment he said, “We don’t really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz .. well .. we haven’t got that much material yet,” on Radiohead's blog. Brilliant. Plus I think he reads teen girl novels. I hope this means Radiohead's next album is completely mid 90's funk and they will all wear cock-socks during shows.

But wait! The fun continues. You know how Weezer is all weird and goofy and does whatever they want? Well apparently Rivers Cuomo got cough syrup enthusiast Lil' Wayne to rap on a song for Weezer's forthcoming (and radically titled) album, Raditude......?... OH! Get it? Like Weezer and Weezy? Perfect sense, right? Again, in rather inspired comment, Cuomo said "Any other rapper would've just done, 'Yay, we're partying! Let's drink and have fun,' but [Wayne] gave it the edge I was looking for." But really Weezer doesn't need any help in that regard. I mean, what is edgier than "Pork and Beans"?

And finally, the most promising of WTF collaborations. You know Danger Mouse, the guy who created The Grey Album, produced DangerDoom, and is half of Gnarls Barkley? He is definitely now in a band, tentatively called Broken Bells, with The Shins crooner James Mercer. This one makes me go "...?..!" So yeah, they have a release planned for early 2010 on Columbia Records.

Via P4k, "Mercer and the Mouse are apparently in it for the long haul and already have plans extending past their first album." Legit!

UPDATE: somehow I left out the other indiefolkie/hip hop collab. GZA and Devendra?!? As DiS writes:

So, though their mutual respect and the prospect of them working together is fairly clear, just what sort of material they'll produce is not. Rapping over folkish guitar lines and arrangements? Or some ROUGH BEATS backed by some ethereal whining? Or, perhaps, just something completely left-of-field like, I dunno, them covering the songs of Rodgers and Hammerstein. We can't rule anything out at this stage but we wait with a ridiculously high level of anticipation.

YES!