We're off to NY dirty for a multitude of shows (Bright Eyes, CSS and hopefully Coltrane Motion) but leave you with a few buttery beats with which to hit your respective streets.
Please excuse me but I got to ask, are you f-ing kidding? Kids, no beats are sacred from the diabolical digis of Lupe Fiasco and his crescenfresh crew. Spine Magazine posted the track below with Lupe, Kanye and Pharrell flowing steadily over the previously soothing piano drone of Yorke's "The Eraser." Now look, you've upset Thom.
Evidently the magical hip hop sample well's run dry as a bone, as Kanye is voraciously copping indie rock staples for his upcoming album Graduation and a new mixtape. But nothing boosts bootleg sales n' street cred like the cheery Swedish whistlings of Peter Bjorn & John; Vegas had better odds on this ending up in a Tampax commercial.
The Butter Team crew also takes slight offense at the Daft Punk sample, as it's überweak. Hopefully they kick his ass in the video (just a news link).
Props to our DC counterparts All Things Go for the samples. The good news from all this is that according to Kanye's Mom, "Graduation is his best album ever - musically as well as lyrically," so. We see why.
Me and you and everyone we know all enjoy a good Blonde Redhead song, especially our Hell's Kitchen correspondents from Saja. But Miranda July, who poses 306 times in the 2nd video from their 7th album, 23, is prolly their number 1 fan.
Buy 23 at Insound. Buy Miranda July's book from this site made up entirely of magic markers on kitchen appliances.
Oh, plus Choose Your Own Adventure is awesome. You might still have some of their books from the old days. But what if you live for zany adventures, hate reading with a passion and/or are lazy? Listen to this snippet from CYOA Episode #1, The Abonimal Snowman, now available via audio so you don't have to make all those stressful decisions. You head to the Himalaya in search of the mythical abominable snowman. But when your climbing partner Carlos goes missing, things get twisted:
Imagine the amazing journeys you could have on the subway every morning while all the other suckers have to listen to boring music. They would know you're in the middle of a wild and crazy audio adventure, and they would be jealous. This version alone has 28 possible endings, 13 Yeti sightings, 1 helicopter crash, 2 alien encounters and one Unicorn sighting, so.
Special Butter Team Contest -
Nominate your favorite Choose Your Own Adventure book and tell us why it's a classic. Or you may create a NEW CYOA title and give us a description (bonus points for bad drawings). We will send the winner a copy of our favorite CYOA book signed by Alec Baldwin!*
Use the comments section to enter and be sure to leave some way we can notify the winner in the next few weeks (note: if no one else has commented yet, your chances of winning are strong to very strong). And please, folks, don't spoil all the endings.
*Authenticity of Alec Baldwin signature not guaranteed.
Undisputed Norwegian nerd folk master Eirik Glambek Bøe is now spreading longsleeved twee gladness via his fourth proper musical vessel (including Skog). He brought you slow slacker coffee shop heat with Kings of Convenience, he delivered Simon GarFunk with Whitest Boy Alive, and now he lavishes lava lamp'd lyricism via the lavatory-themed Kommode. Please to enjoy a few tracks and let us know which is your favorite for enjoying that illegal park bench nap.
Although The National released Boxer yesterday, they also saved a few knockout tracks for the UK-only Mistaken for Strangers single. Luckily, Butter Team is a global entity so we acquired said single and report that "Blank Slate" and "Santa Clara" are dope. You could even argue that both are good enough to be included on Boxer but that's b-sides the point.
German electro heaters Digitalism won't release their debut album (Idealism) until later this month but they've already worked the blogorati into quite a frenzy. Could this be because their beats are tasty, or their videos fresh? You decide. We also threw in a Wham! mashup and a few extras because they're still getting radio play in Germany, because in Germany, only the hottest beats get played no matter how old your songs are, what label you're from or who your daddy is. In this musical meritocracy, Wham! still rules with a firm but gentle hand.
Did you like Point Break? What about Bad Boys 2? Have you ever watched them back to back in your Umbros? Then you need to see the UK blockbuster Hot Fuzz, where police officers not only watch those movies in this movie, they also re-enact the scene where Keanu Reeves shoots into the air in frustration after failing to cap a mulleted Patrick Swayze in a Nixon costume.
We've dropped a few tracks from Supergrass and The Kinks, two bands featured in the movie that have been in the queue for posting anyway. You may also know The Kinks as the Custard Pie Appreciation Consortium.
After last week's hiatus we are literally knee deep in the beats people. Prepare to pop, lock and roll for the dangerous digitals coming your way this weekend. This first gem is by Best Fwends, remixed by Charm City's own Spank Rock and featured on Fabriclive 33, which you can sample and buy here. Sounds like they've got booty rock for days.
Lastly, a seemingly innocent game of girl-on-girl "telephone" goes horribly, horribly wrong:
Simian Mobile Disco - Hustler
Note after the fact: this video was definitely not suitable for our younger viewers, particularly the chaps/chappetes at Butterfield Preparatory School in Lombard, IL. If Kathy (principal) or anyone from the Butterfield PTA would like us to remove the video, just give us a shout. You guys are the future!
Fingerless gloves, sleeveless shirt, spiked hair/collar, gunplay, explosions and casual photography, ladies it's Don Johnson and he's lookin for a heartbeat. In what is the unquestioned all-time leading crossover musical debut from a former Miami Vice star (narrowly topping 1985's Living the Book of My Life by Philip Michael Thomas, which actually ages pretty well), DJ drops sultry heat in this masterfully-produced time capsule of 80s Hollywood hubris. We could offer literally thousands of words of satirical play-by-play commentary, but instead invite you to host your own mystery science theatre.
Don Johnson - Heartbeat
It's probably not a stretch to think that The Knife were driven by an urge to create after seeing this video in a VH1 "Worst Of" countdown. And who can resist a clever compilation of similarly-titled songs from an eclectic range of artists? Not us, that's for sure.
There's a popular saying in certain parts of the Southeast, "All great films begin with a shot of Scarlett Johansson's can." While Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation provides the perfect sountrack to describe isolation in a big city, viewers learn that hearty helpings of karaoke, Santori whiskey and ScarJo can be the perfect cure.
Baldwin Brothers fun fact: On September 30, 2003, the same week that Lost in Translation was released, Alec Baldwin made a $1,000 contribution to Vermont Senator James M. Jeffords, who was Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Coincidence?
awwww yeah ya'll. We're Brooklyn somethingists Purple Crush on the guest post tip; we put together this outfit with stuff from around the house you heard? Check our remix of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" which is straight killin the Deko Lounge in Hoboken right now.
In no way was our wardrobe inspired by KB's Hounds of Love album cover or this video. Respect.
Lead Silversun Pickups rasper Brian Aubert took some time last night to give a shot out to mommas (and baby's mommas mommas) around the world, see video below. Several people shouted "Golden Girls" for no discernable reason, and the band also played some live music. Check a few acoustic songs from another post here.
Future indie mainstays Sea Wolf took the stage prior to the Silversun's Mother's Day extravaganza. Besides having great music, which always helps these days, they also ACED the 2007 edition of our handy Buzz Band Bingo cards. Chick in a kimono-style dress playing the Moog? Check. Professionally-trained cellist with heavy eyeliner? Roger. Tweedy-esque, unshaven frontman wearing striped tee and dingy cardigan? That's a go. Guitarist (not pictured) sporting a dharma rail bum engineer's cap? Add in the free space, and bingo!
The Sea Wolf crew is different live than anything they have on record with a faster, fuller sound. The first two tracks below are from their Leaves in the River LP, which will hopefully be released later in the year so we can buy it.
Best Foot Forward is lobbying for more music from chicks n' guitars, and that's a platform we can stand behind. Brazilian bomber Rosinha De Valencia lays filthy licks over an elevator-music Shaft of lightly orchestrated afro funk, below. And because we name-dropped them in the title, enjoy some Decemberists (even though Jenny Conlee is more of an organist).
Thanks to the hard work of our Butter Team technical staff (left), the hosting server is up and running and all mp3 links are active. You can now find us at www.butterteam.com, no need for that blogspot nonsense (unless that's your steez).
The Butter Team hosting server is still under the knife so it looks like there will be no weekend beats (and we had some good ones too). Instead, please to enjoy the indie kid tested, model approved Peter Björn & John as they kick off their first full US tour at the 9:30 Club. Audio, photos and general badassness courtesy of NPR.
The quality of this show only confirms our earlier notion that Stockholm is indeed the new Cleveland.
We're in the process of doing some domain forwarding/server updates etc. and have been told things may be screwy for the next 24-36 hours. You won't be able to listen to any hosted mp3s for the time being, so instead enjoy this live Arcade Fire set couresy of NPR (and we'll let you know when things are back up).
"Wake Up" was played in the crowd so the audio improves from there.
Setlist: Wake Up Black Mirror Keep The Car Running No Cars Go Haiti Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son Black Wave/Bad Vibrations The Well And The Lighthouse Ocean Of Noise Rebellion (Lies) Intervention -- My Body Is A Cage Neon Bible -- Neighborhood#2 (Laika)
Also here's a Walkmen show from last May at the 9:30 Club thanks to NPR. The fledgling Butter Team was in attendance for this one, lots of sombreros and 'staches.
Setlist: 1. All Hands and the Cook 2. Danny's At the Wedding 3. Little House of Savages 4. Good For You's Good For Me 5. Thinking of a Dream I Had 6. Don't Get Me Down (Come on Over Here) 7. This Job is Killing Me 8. Wake Up 9. Emma, Get Me a Lemon 10. Bows and Arrows 11. Louisiana 12. The Rat 13. Lost in Boston
ENCORE: 14. Rue the Day 15. That's the Punchline 16. We've Been Had
28 Weeks Later comes out this week, silent fist pump. Not everyone was blown away by the first one, but you can't knock the premise of cleaning up an empty, post-apocalypse London. View the trailer here, which is sponsored by American Apparel. Those anonymous butts in panties are bannering everywhere these days. Who the arms, legs and butts belong to we demand to know.
But yo, if you're into both zombies AND reading, we highly recommend World War Z. Provides an oral history of a recent (fictional?) global zombie war. You look like a freak with this book on the train or bus so keep it domestic.
And now a break for some 60s psychedelic Brit pop:
How you mistake a bunch of indie kids in size zero Diesel jeans for the world's largest automaker? Poor teleprompting, and that's bush league Dave. You can't just say whatever they put up there homey. But no matter, the key here is that our boys are big (in the US, not Japan) with their first major network debut. They actually appeared on 4/19, but we just heard about this. Thanks to Culture Bully for the scoop. Here's an earlier post with unreleased stuff from their new album.
Contains 24 songs recorded between 94-97, when Smith recorded Elliott Smith and Either/Or. Buy it from Kill Rock Stars. Some of the proceeds benefit Outside In, a Portland-based social service organization serving homeless youth and low-income adults. NY Magazine feature here.
This show was dirty, not much more to say. As both bands have already been blogged senselessly, here we just compile some of the best clips available for inclusion in your art school trapper keeper.
Hitting up a hott Arcade Fire/National show in DC tonight. But for all those not in attendance, we've whipped up a few alternatives to scramble your wig for the weekend.
Are you a fan of Jack London novels? Do you collect British naval missile system replicas? Did you study colonoscopy at the University of New York at Stony Brook? If you answered yes to one or all of these questions, we've got the band for you. LA-based Sea Wolf is touring with Butter Team favorites Silversun Pickups right now, check here for dates. In contrast to the Silversuns' throaty SoCal fuzz and foot pedals, Sea Wolf summon Sunday mornings with flapjacks and flip flops.
Oh, note: Not affiliated with Wolf Eyes, Wolf Parade, We Are Wolves, AIDS Wolf, Wolfie, Wolf Colonel, Patrick Wolf, WolfMother or Guitar Wolf and they hate it when you ask. Thanks to Blogs Are For Dogs for the tip.
Surprisingly there are a few people out there who still haven't seen Donnie Darko, Richard Kelly's 2001 masterpiece that initially found some trouble getting distribution but has since become a cult classic. The soundtrack is based around life in the late haties (1988) and features some major heat, below.
Fun fact - U2's "MLK" was Kelly's original choice for the final sequence but they couldn't get rights, so Gary Jules stepped in with a creepy version of "Mad World" by Tears for Fears.
"Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion." Try to work this into your next drive-through order.
