More indie rock in commercials:
M. Ward- "To Go Home" appears in a Mastercard commercial, kinda lame. But the Mastercard commercial is about baseball, priceless. (****EDIT**** apparently M. Ward is neither performing the song, nor is it his original)
Postal Service- Ok, the Postal Service got in a little dispute with the real postal service, the United States Postal Service that is. Due to similarities in their names the musical Postal Service agreed to let the USPS use some of their songs so they didn't get sued, seemed like a practical solution and "Such Great Heights" was used to sell stamps. Then marketing genius Ben Gibbard (and bandmate Jimmy Tamborello) sold "Such Great Heights" to the USPS natural, unsubsidized rival UPS. Apparently negotiations with Fed-Ex are on going.
29 July 2007
28 July 2007
Who's Selling Out Now
I've been noticing alot of indie songs in commercials lately. Is it because super cool, good looking, intelligent people listen to indie rock and today's corporatations are trying to cash in on that image? I have to think so. Anyway, here is who is doing it for money:
Chromeo - "Needy Girl" in an advertisement for Reese's cups. Yep, nothing says buy some chocolate and peanut butter better than cheesy 80's synthesizer rock.
Feist - "My Man, My Moon" in a Verizon cell phone commercial. Miss Feist apparently turned down a million dollar offer to use "Mushaboom" in a McDonald's commercial. I guess she had a change of heart and joined the Verizon stable that includes super hip artists like Robin Thicke.
Wilco - Nobody knows how to go bigger than Wilco, as they sold most of their new album to Volkswagon. That's approaching territory only Moby has ever ventured into. Beware Wilco, the last time we heard from Moby he was being smacked down by Eminem, yeah, the Eminem that hasn't been relevant in five years.
Peter, Bjorn and John - The catchy whistling of "Young Folks" has appeared in both the edgy CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother" (which has also played Islands "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby", damn they have a good music guy), a Cingular commercial and a Levi's commercial (***EDIT**** the song in the Levi's commercial is the equally awesome "Up Against The Wall"), which proves, if you're buying, PB&J are selling.
Chromeo - "Needy Girl" in an advertisement for Reese's cups. Yep, nothing says buy some chocolate and peanut butter better than cheesy 80's synthesizer rock.
Feist - "My Man, My Moon" in a Verizon cell phone commercial. Miss Feist apparently turned down a million dollar offer to use "Mushaboom" in a McDonald's commercial. I guess she had a change of heart and joined the Verizon stable that includes super hip artists like Robin Thicke.
Wilco - Nobody knows how to go bigger than Wilco, as they sold most of their new album to Volkswagon. That's approaching territory only Moby has ever ventured into. Beware Wilco, the last time we heard from Moby he was being smacked down by Eminem, yeah, the Eminem that hasn't been relevant in five years.
Peter, Bjorn and John - The catchy whistling of "Young Folks" has appeared in both the edgy CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother" (which has also played Islands "Don't Call Me Whitney, Bobby", damn they have a good music guy), a Cingular commercial and a Levi's commercial (***EDIT**** the song in the Levi's commercial is the equally awesome "Up Against The Wall"), which proves, if you're buying, PB&J are selling.
24 July 2007
May '07 Releases
Ah, May, it wasn't super hot and the All-Star game was still two months away, yeah, May is all right by me. Aside from being the most pleasant month of the year, May also brought us these albums:
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
BRMC followed up 2003's critically acclaimed "Take Them On, On Your Own", with a more laid back, more accoustic, and more reflective sound on 2005's "Howl". The natural question is where will "Baby 81" fit into BRMC's catalog? Will it be the hazy, straight ahead rock reminicent of Jesus and the Mary Chain or will it be the blues-y, Americana sound they most recently experimented with? The answer is, of course, somewhere in the middle with some deviations.
"Baby 81" gets a kick start with "Took Out a Loan" and "Berlin" two straight forward rock songs. However, where early BRMC had subtlety, these two songs add up to little more than what is heard on the first listen. Unfortunatly this is a problem that plagues "Baby 81". The more soulful and blues based songs like "666 Conducer" and "All You Do Is Talk" aren't so charming or insightful that they can stand on their own, while rock songs like "Lien On Your Dreams" and "Need Some Air" lack the sexiness and edge needed to make them interesting.
Now don't get me wrong, none of the songs on "Baby 81" are bad, in fact most sound like they require a good bit of technical expertise, but in the same respect they are songs trying to live in two worlds and getting stuck somewhere in the middle.
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Wilco's last two albums ("Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "A Ghost is Born") were undoubtable brilliant and cemented Wilco as one of America's greatest band, but they were also uneven and aloof. "Sky Blue Sky" appears to be a reflection of lead singer Jeff Tweedy's attempt to slow down and level out after a multi-year struggle with pain killers and depression. Whether it's the apathetic, life goes on attitude of opening track "Either Way" or Tweedy's unique way of looking on the bright side on the title track, "Sky Blue Sky" is fluid, genuine and unforced. Jams on "Side With the Seeds" and "Shake It Off" are pleasant but sound restrained, as if a conscious effort not to relapse into previous destructive behavior. Wilco does take a courageous step on "Hate It Here", a song about being left in middle age, but performed with all the angst and desperation of teenage heartbreak. "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)" tenderly outlines Tweedy's dependence and loneliness. "Walken" follows in the mold of "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "I'm a Wheel", relieving the tension Tweedy has slowly been building. The single "What Light" touches on Wilco's country roots, but is fairly indescript.
"Sky Blue Sky" closes with "On and On and On", frankly one of the most romantic alternative songs I think I have ever heard. "On and On and On" describes a couple going, well, on and on and on through life, staying together, working things out and trying to make things better. It's not the type of song one would play at their wedding reception, but rather a song that would be better suited for a few hours after the guests had gone home, genuine, unassuming and intimate. Unfortunately, it probably won't help Wilco sell any Volkswagons.
Feist - The Reminder
Until recently, Leslie Feist hadn't had alot of commercial success in here career. While she was lauded for her part as one of the brilliant Canadians that make up Broken Social Scene and her most recent album, 2005's jazzy "Let It Die", was very smooth and sexy, the records just weren't flying off the shelf. Then middle America came calling, Feist was selected to be one of the VH1's always edgy "You Oughta Know" artists, spiking "The Reminder" into the Billboard Top 20 albums along side the likes of Fall Out Boy and Fergie.
Feist's push to the attention of the VH1 crowd doesn't seem to be entirely coincidental. Her vocals have been pushed to the forefront of the "The Reminder", despite Feist saying less than she did on "Let It Die". Single "My Moon My Man" makes a conscious effort not to deviate into anything interesting. "The Park" drags on for nearly five minutes without any real focus. "The Water" unsuccessfully tries to stretch Miss Feist's vocal range without providing anything tangible for the listener to latch onto. "Sea Lion Woman" and "Past in Present" return to Feist's usually jazz infused style, but I have to be skeptical anytime hand claps are used on back to back songs.
Very few of the songs on "The Reminder" feel relaxed, spontaneous or personal. The lack of these characteristics makes Feist's current work little better than slightly interesting background music.
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Baby 81
BRMC followed up 2003's critically acclaimed "Take Them On, On Your Own", with a more laid back, more accoustic, and more reflective sound on 2005's "Howl". The natural question is where will "Baby 81" fit into BRMC's catalog? Will it be the hazy, straight ahead rock reminicent of Jesus and the Mary Chain or will it be the blues-y, Americana sound they most recently experimented with? The answer is, of course, somewhere in the middle with some deviations.
"Baby 81" gets a kick start with "Took Out a Loan" and "Berlin" two straight forward rock songs. However, where early BRMC had subtlety, these two songs add up to little more than what is heard on the first listen. Unfortunatly this is a problem that plagues "Baby 81". The more soulful and blues based songs like "666 Conducer" and "All You Do Is Talk" aren't so charming or insightful that they can stand on their own, while rock songs like "Lien On Your Dreams" and "Need Some Air" lack the sexiness and edge needed to make them interesting.
Now don't get me wrong, none of the songs on "Baby 81" are bad, in fact most sound like they require a good bit of technical expertise, but in the same respect they are songs trying to live in two worlds and getting stuck somewhere in the middle.
Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
Wilco's last two albums ("Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" and "A Ghost is Born") were undoubtable brilliant and cemented Wilco as one of America's greatest band, but they were also uneven and aloof. "Sky Blue Sky" appears to be a reflection of lead singer Jeff Tweedy's attempt to slow down and level out after a multi-year struggle with pain killers and depression. Whether it's the apathetic, life goes on attitude of opening track "Either Way" or Tweedy's unique way of looking on the bright side on the title track, "Sky Blue Sky" is fluid, genuine and unforced. Jams on "Side With the Seeds" and "Shake It Off" are pleasant but sound restrained, as if a conscious effort not to relapse into previous destructive behavior. Wilco does take a courageous step on "Hate It Here", a song about being left in middle age, but performed with all the angst and desperation of teenage heartbreak. "Leave Me (Like You Found Me)" tenderly outlines Tweedy's dependence and loneliness. "Walken" follows in the mold of "Heavy Metal Drummer" and "I'm a Wheel", relieving the tension Tweedy has slowly been building. The single "What Light" touches on Wilco's country roots, but is fairly indescript.
"Sky Blue Sky" closes with "On and On and On", frankly one of the most romantic alternative songs I think I have ever heard. "On and On and On" describes a couple going, well, on and on and on through life, staying together, working things out and trying to make things better. It's not the type of song one would play at their wedding reception, but rather a song that would be better suited for a few hours after the guests had gone home, genuine, unassuming and intimate. Unfortunately, it probably won't help Wilco sell any Volkswagons.
Feist - The Reminder
Until recently, Leslie Feist hadn't had alot of commercial success in here career. While she was lauded for her part as one of the brilliant Canadians that make up Broken Social Scene and her most recent album, 2005's jazzy "Let It Die", was very smooth and sexy, the records just weren't flying off the shelf. Then middle America came calling, Feist was selected to be one of the VH1's always edgy "You Oughta Know" artists, spiking "The Reminder" into the Billboard Top 20 albums along side the likes of Fall Out Boy and Fergie.
Feist's push to the attention of the VH1 crowd doesn't seem to be entirely coincidental. Her vocals have been pushed to the forefront of the "The Reminder", despite Feist saying less than she did on "Let It Die". Single "My Moon My Man" makes a conscious effort not to deviate into anything interesting. "The Park" drags on for nearly five minutes without any real focus. "The Water" unsuccessfully tries to stretch Miss Feist's vocal range without providing anything tangible for the listener to latch onto. "Sea Lion Woman" and "Past in Present" return to Feist's usually jazz infused style, but I have to be skeptical anytime hand claps are used on back to back songs.
Very few of the songs on "The Reminder" feel relaxed, spontaneous or personal. The lack of these characteristics makes Feist's current work little better than slightly interesting background music.
06 July 2007
Fiery Furnaces at the Black Cat, Washington DC 7-5-07
Dios Malos opened with a sound reminecent of My Morning Jacket, but noticably less boring. The So Cal natives played a sharp set filled with wide open jams and full sounds. Unfortunately the Malos killed it by ending with two songs out of their apparent punk rock days. I don't care how much fun they were to play, the sucked, do you hear me Dios, they sucked, don't play them anymore.
A two cigarette smoke break caused me to miss the beginning of the Furnaces set. Dammit all. Appropriately enough the Furnaces were in the middle of "Vietnamese Telephone Ministry" when I returned. Matt Friedberger was on the organ, sis Eleanor was singing front and center flanked by a guitar and in front of a drummer and multi-percussionalist. As is the Furnaces style, everything was played up tempo, really accentuating the organ and percussion. While songs like "Blueberry Boat" and "Quay Cur" benefited from the change, the intricacies of "Benton Harbor Blues" were swamped out. Fan favorite "Single Again" sounded rushed as Eleanor spat the vocals with some intense angst. "Tropical-Iceland" also suffered from the Furnaces live treatment, nearly becoming a completely new song from the one they had previously played live. Unfortunately Matt decided to spend the entire evening on his organ, leaving all the vocal duties to Eleanor and depriving the audience of another element of the Fiery Furnaces.
Despite the stylistic adaptations, the Furnances played amazingly crisp and together, routinely snapping songs into completely new directioins. While they may have abandoned some of their pop elements, it was very impressive to see a band fearlessly attack their songs in new ways.
A two cigarette smoke break caused me to miss the beginning of the Furnaces set. Dammit all. Appropriately enough the Furnaces were in the middle of "Vietnamese Telephone Ministry" when I returned. Matt Friedberger was on the organ, sis Eleanor was singing front and center flanked by a guitar and in front of a drummer and multi-percussionalist. As is the Furnaces style, everything was played up tempo, really accentuating the organ and percussion. While songs like "Blueberry Boat" and "Quay Cur" benefited from the change, the intricacies of "Benton Harbor Blues" were swamped out. Fan favorite "Single Again" sounded rushed as Eleanor spat the vocals with some intense angst. "Tropical-Iceland" also suffered from the Furnaces live treatment, nearly becoming a completely new song from the one they had previously played live. Unfortunately Matt decided to spend the entire evening on his organ, leaving all the vocal duties to Eleanor and depriving the audience of another element of the Fiery Furnaces.
Despite the stylistic adaptations, the Furnances played amazingly crisp and together, routinely snapping songs into completely new directioins. While they may have abandoned some of their pop elements, it was very impressive to see a band fearlessly attack their songs in new ways.
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