Cutting through the hyperbole often associated with popular unpopular music.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Video: Andrew Bird - "Fitz and Dizzyspells" (Live on "Late Show with David Letterman"
Watching this clip of Andrew Bird performing "Fitz and Dizzyspells," of his brand spanking new Noble Beast record is pretty remarkable, and not because of the enthusiastic accolades that both David Letterman and Paul Shaffer shower Bird with. It's remarkable because Bird unleashes a fury of violin plucks while bobbing his head to and fro like a white Stevie Wonder. Not only that, but he's backed up by MPLS musicians Martin Dosh--he of the tremendously underrated Wolves and Wishes--and Jeremy Ylvisaker. But NOT ONLY THAT (capitalization courtesy of John Hodgman), there are horn amps from Chicago in the background. Not too shabby, any way you look at it.
Watch Andrew Bird's performance of "Fitz and Dizzyspells" at the top of the post.
Video: The Duke Spirit - Live on "The Late Show with David Letterman
You still have until the end of today to win Duke Spirit/Mercury Rev tickets for this Friday's show at the Fine Line. We're giving away three pairs of tickets to three lucky people. All you have to do is write to jon@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com Then, we'll pick three random people to receive the tickets. It's easy like Sunday morning. In the meantime, watch video of The Duke Spirit performing on the "Late Show With David Letterman" at the top of the post.
Video: Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - "Fix It" and "Cobwebs" (Live on Letterman)
(Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - "Fix It" - Live on "Late Show With David Letterman")
Not sure what was going down at Lenscrafters, but Letterman lets us know that all is apparently well. Even if it weren't, listeners could see that, unlike Lenscrafters Ryan Adams and The Cardinals only take 3:44 to "Fix It". That, my friends, is well under an hour. Indeed, one of two songs that the alt-country crooner and his band of merry men (perhaps I'm mistaken, but wasn't there a lady as well?) is the lead single from Pitchfork-smacked down Cardinology. Dave is clearly enthused by having the band there, and he informs viewers that after the band's televised performance, they can go to the "dubya dubya" to watch an exclusive, on-line performance. Naturally, that performance has leaked. You can watch the video for "Cobwebs", another jammy ballad, below.
(Ryan Adams and the Cardinals - "Cobwebs" - Live on "Late Show With David Letterman")
Cardinology is out now. Buy it here. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals play the Target Center on December 10th.
Video: The Hold Steady - Live on "Late Show With David Letterman
The Brooklyn-via-Minneapolis quintet, whose latest album, Stay Positive, was physically released on Tuesday, play first single "Sequestered in Memphis", with horn help from the "Late Show" band, led by Paul Shaffer. Additionally, the group participated in a "Late Show" sketch (that's the "help" that Letterman is thanking them for at the end of the clip), but so far, footage of that has not yet surfaced. Once it does, you can bet we'll post it, as the sketch is about the life and times of "America's Rock Band". Sah-weet.
Watch "Sequestered in Memphis", live on the "Late Show With David Letterman" at the top of the post.
Video: Vampire Weekend On "Late Show With David Letterman"
SomebandfromNewYork played the "Late Show With David Letterman" on Friday. Apparently, there's beensomediscussionabout the group in recent times. Did they put an album out last week? Somebody want to shed some light on this for me? Anyone? Anyone at all?
("Superstar", Live on "Late Show With David Letterman")
Probably the only thing right now that David Letterman and Ice Cube have in common right now is that they both have beards. That, and they have new videos. Well, more so in the case of Ice Cube, seeing as Letterman just had Lupe Fiasco on his show, the first in the two months since the WGA strike began, last night. Ice Cube's new video, for a track called "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It", is a satirical jibe at those who think gangsta rap is ruining America. This means you, Bill O'Lielly.
While the track and video are excellent concepts in theory, with Cube taking on the mocking position that everything was hunky dory before ole gangsta rap came along and invented concepts like murder, rape, and armed robbery, the video itself is heavy-handed in its execution. This is particularly true during the prologue, where a classroom session in a dystopian future is dedicated to warning the youngsters about the evils of "gangsta rap". The kids, smart as they are, don't buy it. The rest of the video is Cube performing with intermittent clips of violence flashing on the screen. It's good to see Cube taking on the man again (I'd imagine that Are We There Yet? would have that effect on someone), but the track could have been more subtle in its jabs. But then, we probably wouldn't be talking about it, would we?
Speaking of satire, Lupe Fiasco's "Superstar", the first single of his excellent release, The Cool, is a dig at material desires and the conquest for fame. Unlike Cube's song, Lupe's is a bit more humanistic. Fiasco recognizes the traps and the bullshit and, yet, still wants to participate, to a degree, because who wouldn't want to have their music heard by everyone? That would certainly explain his energetic, immensely appealing performance of the song on Letterman's show. Fiasco's rendition of "Superstar" effectively makes a case for Lupe as both a critic of society at large and as a kinder, gentler and more thoughtful example of what a Superstar can be.
Watch both videos at the top of the post. For a live version of "Superstar", recorded at Chicago's House of Blues, go here.
Specifically, Iron and Wine perform the song "The Devil Never Sleeps" from the recently released The Shepard's Dog on "The Late Show With David Letterman". The performance is from the 5th, but it just showed up on YouTube recently.
Iron and Wine start a tour of the UK on Oct. 23rd. More details here.
Feist Performs With A Back-Up Choir Of Indie Rock's Finest
Check out this video of Feist performing "1234" off her stellar The Reminder album. Backing her up are a whole bevy of indie-rock royalty, including members of The National and The New Pornographers. It's like reading a hipster Where's Waldo with really easy answers.
