SYTYCD - Audition Rundown

So You Think You Can Dance is back and if the past 2 weeks of auditions are any indication season 5 will not disappoint. This year has thus far brought a lot more tapping, the wisdom of Lil C (please make him a permanent judge), the amazingness of Adam Shankman and oh yes the return of Sex. While there were plenty of good dancers showcased here are our top 3 guys, girls and couple. You people are lazy so let's start with the best.

Nathan Trasoras (my overall favorite) - What can I say - I'm a sucker for a boy that can turn. Unfortunately Nathan was too young to make it onto Vegas. Lucky for us the gods are gifting us with a Fall season of SYTYCD (auditions in Atlanta Monday!). I would be shocked if we don't see Nathan in the Top 20 come November.

Erik "Silky" Moore - One of several great tappers showcased thus far but Silky added his own hip-hop touch. If you're worried he won't be able to tackle contemporary choreography check this out.

Evan Kasprzak - So different from what we normally see on this show and so entertaining. Oh and did you see that leap?



Natalie Reid - After being the last one out of the Top 20 last year Natalie is back and in my opinion better than before.



Gabi Rojas - She grew up in the circus and it shows. A little bit of contortionist, a little bit of theater and a lot of great dancing.



Anna Dunn - The judges took exception with her "head banging" but I loved her interpretation of the music and her choreography.



Asuka and Ricky - They're no Pasha and Anya but definitely the best ballroom dancers we've seen.

Your Weekend Homework

He made us bring em out and taught us that with swagga like us we can have whatever we like. He's the King of ATL and now he's incarcerated. Won't you show some love to T.I.? In the midst of all your weekend revelry and mastery of renal physiology take some time and drop the man who brought you party jam after party jam a quick note and let him know you appreciate him.

CLIFFORD J HARRIS
REGISTER NUMBER: 59458-019
FCI FORREST CITY LOW
FEDERAL CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION
P.O. BOX 9000
FORREST CITY, AR 72336

P.S. If you feel so inclined please share your note with the world in the comments.

Frightened Rabbit: "Swim Until You Can't See Land"

New Frightened Rabbit!!! This solo acoustic performance by Scott Hutchison isn't perfect (you can actually hear helicopters, etc) in the background, but I guess that's what you'd expect from a guy playing his guitar on a park/garden bench. Frightened Rabbit's most recent album, The Midnight Organ Fight, is one of my absolute favorites from 2008. "Swim Until You Can't See Land," recorded for Off The Beaten Tracks, makes me confident that their next record will be just as good.

80's Dancing? Yes Please!

So our music guru has already shared his thoughts on Phoenix's new album but we came across this video and just had to share. What happens when you mix catchy pop with classic 80's movies? Pure magic. We can only hope one day to have the dancing skills of Molly Ringwald.

Dark Was The Night: Streamig Concert (NPR)

Photo by Natasha Ryan [via Brooklyn Vegan]

Remember that amazing compilation album that benefited the Red Hot organization? Well, a bunch of artists featured on Dark Was The Night came together for a concert at Radio City Music Hall on May 3rd. You probably weren't there (we certainly weren't), but the great great people at NPR (seriously, they're everywhere) have streaming audio of almost the entire concert... which featured a veritable Who's Who of critically-acclaimed musicians. Even better, you can download the concert as a podcast and take it with you wherever you go! Set-list [via Pitchfork] is below.

Dirty Projectors:
"Useful Chamber"
"Stillness Is the Move"
"Ambulance Man" [ft. David Byrne]
"Knotty Pine" [ft. David Byrne]

My Brightest Diamond:
"Feeling Good" (Nina Simone cover) [ft. the National]

The National:
"Vanderlylle Cry Baby"

Dave Sitek:
"With a Girl Like You" (The Troggs cover)

David Byrne:
"Don't Fence Me In" (Cole Porter cover)
"Dreamworld: Marco de Canavezes" [ft. Bon Iver]

Bon Iver:
"Brackett, WI"
"Blood Bank"
"Big Red Machine" [ft. the National]
"Flume" [ft. My Brightest Diamond]

Feist:
"Train Song" (Vashti Bunyan cover) [ft. Bon Iver]
"Someday Baby" (Bob Dylan cover)

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings:
"Not Gonna Cry"
"When I Come Home"
"Inspiration Information"
"100 Days, 100 Nights"

Dark Was the Night All-Stars/Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings:
"This Land Is Your Land"

What We're Listening To

Wale: "Hot Shyt" [feat. Peedi Crakk, Black Thought, 2Face, and Young Chris]
Whoa... this track is unbelievable, and although you'd think that at 5 verses, "Hot Shyt" might be long and overbearing, it's machine-gun like quickness prevents you from doing anything other than hitting the rewind button. Just a great track by Wale and his friends from Philly.


Bowerbirds: "Northern Lights"
This has been circulating for a while now, and it's quite possibly the prettiest song we've heard this year. If it sounds like it was written during a warm, summer night in the Appalachians, well then it very well might've been.
MP3:> Bowerbirds: "Northern Lights"

BBU: "Chi Don't Dance"
BBU stands for Bin Laden Blowin' Up. Now that we have that out of the way, enjoy this infectious proclamation of dance refusal... for those stubborn kids in Chicago won't do it. Juke? Yes. Dance? Hell no.
MP3:> BBU: "Chi Don't Dance"

Free Energy: "Dream City"
If I have to wait for an indefinite amount of time for another LCD Soundsystem album, then I guess I'll have to do with this fantastic band James Murphy just signed to his DFA label. "Dream City" is a throwback, and it's just in time for summer.
MP3:> Free Energy: "Dream City"

Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson: "Winter Song"
This week's most popular audition song for lyrical/contemporary dancers on SYTYCD is actually a Christmas song, but because it's so pretty we'll let it permeate our springtime tunes. Bonus trivia: This song was also performed on another show featured on GSATW - any guesses?


Jason Wade: "You Belong to Me"
Some of my college friends and I like to play a little game called "If I were on American Idol what would I sing?" Since Idol is over, it's time to spread the love to SYTYCD. If I were to audition for the show this year I would definitely choose this tune from the Shrek soundtrack. It's acoustic, sweet and totally evokes emotion that would totally win over Nigel and Mary. Send me straight to Vegas!!

Mos Def: "Casa Bay" Video

Mos Def raps fast. He also mumbles. A combination of speed and mumbling is probably not the best thing for being able to understand what a rapper is saying. This video for Mos Def's newest track "Casa Bey" (which we've been meaning to post for a minute) serves as an assistance for those us who can't quite catch everything.

Morning Videos

Since we spent an entire day covering all things Grizzly Bear (sorry Mr. Colbert), it's time to start cleaning house with all of the great stuff that's been flooding the internets recently.

Peter Bjorn & John: "It Don't Move Me"
Napolean Dynamite, I wish it were... but this video isn't that bad. What is it about skinny, tall, white guys in wind breakers that make dancing look so awesome? Oh yeah... nothing.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs: "Heads Will Roll"
Yep, this is basically exactly what I expected in a video for this song. Wolf-man (rocking skinny tie) dancing on lighted floor, Karen O wearing something that may or may not have wings, and a lesson in why you always let Wolf-man win a dance contest.

American Idol Controversy!

Photo courtesy of www.nj.com

Yesterday, the New York Times reported that AT&T may have influenced the final results of America's favorite karaoke competition. If you're like me, you're completely unaware of how anything with American Idol actually works. Apparently, viewers can either call or text their votes over a specified time period, with this time period generally extended for the show's finale. Additionally, the only way you can text votes is if you have AT&T. This is where the scandal begins...

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette first reported that representatives of AT&T provided "free text-messaging services and lessons in casting blocks of votes at parties organized by fans of Kris Allen." Not good. Even more damning, neither Fox nor AT&T would make statements regarding the allegations, leading to further speculation of complicity in altering the outcome of the competition. But what exactly constitutes "services" and "lessons?" The "lessons" reportedly focused on how to send "power texts," or the method of sending at least 10 votes at a time with a single text. The "services" may be even more disconcerting... AT&T, in a statement released yesterday, admitted that “In Arkansas, we were invited to attend the local watch parties organized by the community. A few local employees brought a small number of demo phones with them and provided texting tutorials to those who were interested.”

The NYT article lays out how this situation clearly violates the rules of American Idol voting:
"The show broadcasts an on-screen statement at the end of each episode warning that blocks of votes cast using 'technical enhancements' that unfairly influence the outcome of voting can be thrown out. And the show regularly states that text voting is open only to AT&T subscribers and is subject to normal rates."

So the good people of Arkansas may have cheated to help their home-town boy win. But in a competition that elicited almost 100 million votes, how significant could this have been? Let's do a little rounding. Let's say that voting is open for about four hours. Let's also assume that creating a "power text" of 10 votes (the minimum, remember... it could be even higher than 10) and sending it in takes about 30 seconds. That means that one person could vote approximately 4,800 times in 4 hours. Now let's assume that people who have to call in to vote (and deal with busy lines) can vote approximately once every 1.5 minutes. That's approximately 160 votes in 4 hours. Clearly, a 4,640 vote advantage is insignificant on an individual level. But let's assume that these "voting parties" had about 200 people at them (not inconceivable in the least). That becomes 928,000 votes... about 1% of all votes submitted. Wow.

Are these numbers hard and fast? Not in the least. And I have no idea what the actual margin of victory was for the competition (although Audra claims it was in the multiple millions... in which case, this entire point is moot). But how far have we fallen as a nation when elections are potentially corrupt?? Wait...

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

So we christened yesterday "Grizzly Bear Day," partly because we had a lot to post about them, partly because Veckatimest was released, and mostly because internet hysteria is funny... and people were geeking out about that album. But Tuesday is "Album Release Day" for everyone, and that includes Phoenix. And although their Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix won't likely be an "Album of the Year" contender in many people's eyes, it's definitely in the running for a "Top 10" spot, and if their three-song performance on Saturday Night Live is any indication, its clean, polished production and infectious pop hooks will undoubtedly appeal to much larger audience than Veckatimest, Merriweather Post Pavilion, or any other number of critically-acclaimed albums released this year. Take a listen!!

Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

Look up "Veckatimest" on Wikipedia and you'll find an entry for this album. You'll also find an entry for "Veckatimest Island," the smallest, uninhabited island of the Elizabeth Islands near Cape Cod, MA. I don't know what inspired Grizzly Bear to title their third LP after this, but you can be positive of one thing: the island is not a metaphor for the album. In Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear have orchestrated a beautiful, nuanced (at times, almost painfully so), and sonically populated album that not only improves on their sensational Yellow House, but challenges the concepts of "immediacy" and "sprawl" by creating an album that truly encompasses both without being defined by either. Don't believe the hype, because it's entirely possible that this album might be even better.

So much has been made of early singles "Two Weeks," "Cheerleader," and "While You Wait For The Others," the latter of which could very easily be the best song released this year. Both "Two Weeks" and "While You Wait..." capitalize on a theme of minor verses that segue into expansive, echoing major choruses that find the whole band embracing the chorus-in-an-empty-church sound so prevalent on Yellow House, but with an added fullness that feels like the sonic equivalent of moving from black & white TV to color (or maybe more aptly, from regular TV to HDTV). The album provides a natural ebb-and-flow, and while many people may find the temporal downshifts towards the middle encumbering, the contrast helps display the variegated sonic palate of the band, and by the time we arrive at "Foreground," the steady repetition of keys, string accompaniments, and upper-register vocals sound like the coda to an album-length song with different movements. Although each track is capable of standing apart, they're significantly more powerful as a sum of parts.

Opposition is key. People who aren't competitive have never truly reached the height of their potential. Just ask Magic and Bird. Sampras and Agassi. Palmer and Nicklaus. Truly transcendent talents thrive and flourish with a worthy competitor. They painstakingly work on and develop their talents, gradually ascending to the highest levels, seemingly improving when it doesn't seem like improvement is possible (or necessary). And so here we are... Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest receives its proper release. Almost three months after being leaked and six months after the release of Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion, we can now truly ring the bell on what will no doubt be a heavyweight fight between the two for the title of "Album of the Year". Did Grizzly Bear craft their album as a response or challenge to Animal Collective? Absolutely not. But regardless of how well Veckatimest stands on its own (and we're talking about British Guard-level standing), it will always be compared to MPP. And (in 2009), Grizzly Bear will always be compared to Animal Collective. Maybe that's a good thing... maybe it's bad. Or maybe we should just be thankful that two incredible albums were released in the same year.

Stream:> Grizzly Bear: Veckatimest

Grizzly Bear: "All We Ask" (Black Cab Sessions)

Background... "Black Cab Sessions" take place in (obviously) a black cab traveling the streets of London (top form!). They host a variety of musicians, some you've heard of, many you haven't. The performances are (as you can imagine) very stripped down due to the inability of cabs to accommodate amps, drum kits, etc. Our recommendation? Check out Grizzly Bear's performance of the amazing "All We Ask," then have some fun going through the other chapters. Man, the Brits are great!

Grizzly Bear: Various Songs (Live on WNYC)

You thought we were kidding about Grizzly Bear Day?!? Not even in the least. The gang stopped by WNYC (can you guess which city that's in?) to play/record four Veckatimest tracks: "Foreground," "Two Weeks," "While You Wait For The Others," and "All We Ask." Without question, these are four of the strongest songs on the album, and the recording provides a nice, mostly-acoustic rendition of each of them. If you watched the video below, hopefully this picture to the left convinces you that the guys don't always look like possessed dolls exploding in church. Sometimes, they just look like super-trendy indie-rockers... actually, are we sure which one is worse?

Stream:> Grizzly Bear: Various songs on WNYC

Grizzly Bear: "Two Weeks"

Patrick Daughters is apparently a big deal... he's directed videos for Feist, The Shins, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He's also responsible for creating one of the creepiest videos I've seen in a long time with Grizzly Bear's "Two Weeks." The facial movements of the plasticized band members are slowed down and emphasized as light begins to emit and burst forth from their heads as the song climaxes. They're at church, so maybe it's the word of God, or maybe their chamber-like harmonies are angelic (although I'm not sure that would make their heads explode)... or maybe it's just an interesting visual concept. In any case, prepare to be creeped out.

5/26/09... aka Grizzly Bear Day!

If you read this blog, or basically any other music blog on the planet, than you're well aware that today marks the much-anticipated release of Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest. In honor of the big day, we'll be posting (almost) exclusively about Grizzly Bear. We'll try to get around to writing a review, but chances are it'll be much less professional and much more fan-boyish than what you can find here or here or here or here... well, you get the picture. All we'll say for now is that for an album that leaked in March, Veckatimest has maintained relevancy and buzz. Even better, it comes as close as humanly possible to living up to the hype... not a small feat.

Your American Idol....

The American Idol finale is one of the biggest spectacles put on outside of the big awards shows. With the amount of people that tune in they are able to pull some of the best acts in the business. This year was no different with a couple of great surprises. Here's a rundown...

Lil and Queen Latifah - Not going to lie - I fast forwarded.

Jason Mraz + Idols - I'm Yours. Don't think I've mentioned this on the blog before but Jason Mraz is THE most represented artist on my iTunes and one of my alltime favorites. This song really showed off the contestants vocals and made me sad Alexis Grace wasn't in the competition longer.

Kris Allen with Keith Urban? Yes please! Such a perfect combo that this performance should be released for radio play tomorrow.

Fergie/Black Eyed Peas Medley - I was hoping I wouldn't have to hear Megan's voice again but I guess dreams can't always come true. It's probably been a couple of years since the BEPs have performed live all together. I forgot they were actually a pretty entertaining group.

Side note - The Kara, Bikini Girl bit was pretty funny. Nice of Kara to get some exposure (literally) before she (hopefully) gets the boot.

Allison and Cyndi Lauper - 2 unique voices + classic song = fabulous performance

Danny and Lionel Ritchie - Crazy how much better Danny's voice sounds after a week of rest.

Adam and KISS - Way to bring it all out for the finale - sequined, cage-like shoulder pads, rhinestone eyeliner, platform shoes. I kind of love it. I can't even imagine how awesome it must have been for Adam to be onstage with them - it was amazing to watch and to see his family's reaction.

Santana + Idols - Though I can't say I'm the biggest Santana fan but it's pretty impressive when you can perform a song 10 years later and it's still just as good.

Steve Martin, Megan and Michael - what?? I couldn't get past 30 seconds - it was just too weird.

Rod Stewart and the Idol men - Idol men > Rod. That is all.

QUEEN!!! - OK I geeked out again with this one. Then all I could think was how much I'm going to miss seeing Kris Allen on my TV every week. Le sigh. Nice of the producers to give Kradam some screen time to express their mad love for each other.

And now for the results...APOWIFEJAOIFWJEOAWEJFOIPJAFEOIJFEOAIJEFAWO
KRIS ALLEN!!!! I've never been SOOOO happy to be wrong. I know I've gushed a lot about him over the season but Kris has honestly been one of my favorite contestants ever on Idol and I have no doubt he will have a successful career. Can't wait for the album! And so another season of Idol comes to an end. It's been a memorable one for sure and GSATW are glad you came along for the ride. And just as you're thinking January is too far away to bear just remember...

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE STARTS TOMORROW!!!!!

What We're Listening To

Shiny Toy Guns: "Season of Love"
If you're a watcher of Gossip Girl, you know why we're hooked on this song (Chuck and Blair 4ever!) The beat is infectious and the lyrics are simple - a perfect addition to your Memorial Day weekend soundtrack.


Cool Kids: "Pennies (the updated rosters remix)"
This fantastic remix of "Pennies" (found on Cool Kids' summer-time-soundtrack-worthy Gone Fishing) features an awesome Ludacris drop and an even better Bun B verse featuring the lyric "I'm so sick with it, better pass me the Tamiflu."


Little Boots: "New In Town"
Apparently the next big thing in British pop, the diminutive, aptly-named Little Boots' "New In Town" is incredibly infectious, and the video (NSFW-ish towards the end, but not any more-so than a Brittney video) features some pretty great choreography... dancing bums = fun!!


The Rural Alberta Advantage: "Don't Haunt This Place"
Canada! Cellos!! Male/female harmonized vocals!!! I'm giving you excited fragments because I don't know anything about this band except that their debut album is due out in July via Saddle Creek, and if this track is indicative of their overall sound, I'll definitely be checking it out.

Harlem Shakes: "Nothing But The Change II"
Honestly, there have been two albums playing on an essential repeat for me the past week, and Harlem Shakes' Technicolor Health is one of them. This is the opening track, and it builds perfectly from beginning to end, with each verse/chorus cycle adding a little more texture.


Passion Pit: "Little Secrets"
Passion Pit's Manners is the other album, and "Little Secrets" is my current favorite. Although there's a very good chance that'll change in the next few days... I've already switched the title of "favorite" two times in a week. It's so good!

Passion Pit: Manners

"That's a deal-breaker ladies." And so quoth Liz Lemon on the last two episodes of 30 Rock (which were excellent, by the way)... the joke being that there are some things in a burgeoning relationship that are not up for negotiation. Sadly, I see that happening for Passion Pit. Listen to the first 30 seconds of "Make Light" or "Little Secrets" and it's almost impossible to imagine not liking this band. The keyboards wail alongside catchy beats, and then it happens... the voice. "Deal-breaker." Or at least, we hope not, because although Michael Angelakos voice isn't classically beautiful by any stretch of the imagination (did he take a hit of helium before singing??), it stands as a perfect compliment to the kind of high-energy, dance-floor-ready tracks on Manners.

If there is a better four-song combo to open an album, I'd like to know what it is. Because from the first hard synth hit on "Make Light" to the ghostly outro on "The Reeling," Passion Pit have compressed a level of songwriting into 18 minutes that most bands don't reach over the course of an entire album. It's fitting that the New York City PS 22 student chorus recorded back-up vocals on this record... it exudes childhood innocence and joy, and when those kids start singing "Higher and higher!" on the brilliantly hook-laden "Little Secrets," you get the feeling that the entire song (and maybe the album) was built around those fleeting moments of childrens' voices. Using the well-established mix-tape rules of High Fidelity, Passion Pit starts off with a bang ("Make Light"), takes it up a notch ("Little Secrets"), and then brings it down a little with "Moth's Wings," a gorgeous, steady ballad that finds Angelakos' voice in an octave that most humans can hear. That leads into the clean-up hitter of this Murderer's Row, "The Reeling," which has been out (and remixed multiple times) for a few months. Sounds of the 80s permeate in the background as more modern synth lines dominate. The tempo moves methodically and surprisingly... it feels like it's moving a lot faster that it actually is, kind of like walking on one of those people-movers at the airport.

Manners lives up to all the hype it's received, and Passion Pit have created an instantly-likable, easily-danceable, endlessly-replayable record (not unlike Cut Copy's In Ghost Colours from last year). I couldn't be more excited for their concert with Harlem Shakes in a couple of weeks... if they're half as good live as what I've read, that show is going to be insane! Although it would be easy to call the vocals a "deal-breaker," it would also be unfortunate... if nothing else, listen to it for the kids!

NPR: Live Concerts

NPR's music division is excellent. This is probably painfully obvious and unnecessary to say to anyone who listens to/reads NPR regularly. Between their "All Songs Considered," various in-studio performances, and excellent profiles on artists from all genres of music, you could spend days sifting through well-written, well-researched content and still have some left over. One of my favorite sections of their site contains live concerts that you can stream from the website. Usually, the bands have come through Washington, D.C. on tour and NPR is there to record. This is great because although we all want to get out to shows, sometimes it's impossible (and sometimes the artist doesn't tour in your city). Here are some of the recent additions to their concert series:

Dan Deacon (this one even has a time-lapsed video of the concert!)

Animal Collective

White Rabbits (they might be in every post today)

For even MORE live concerts, you have to subscribe to the "NPR: Live Concerts from All Songs Considered" podcast on iTunes. They've got a 100 concerts up there, some with video and some without. It's a veritable gluttony of riches, and you can almost surely find at least a couple of bands you'd like to hear live.

White Rabbits: "Percussion Gun" (Live on Letterman)

I'm not sure how many times we've linked to this song or said the same thing about White Rabbits (i.e. they rock, their new album It's Frightening, was produced by Spoon's Britt Daniel, they opened for Spoon on tour last year, they kind of sound a little like Spoon, [insert something else about Spoon], etc), but their performance on Letterman last night was excellent, and I get the feeling that this sextet from Brooklyn is on the verge of breaking through. It's Frightening is out now... go get it!

AI: Final Performances

Round One - Adam made a good choice by picking "Mad World" - one of the most downloaded songs this year. I'll hold my tongue about the Matrix coat. I really wasn't sure what song Kris would pick but "Ain't No Sunshine" was a good choice. He hadn't really hit his stride when he performed it the first time so this time it was infused with more confidence and mojo.

Round Two - Simon Fuller proves himself to be a much better song picker than any of our judges by providing both contestants with timeless classics that could be interpreted in a variety of styles. Well done Simon F. If there's anything Sam Cooke's classic "A Change Is Gonna Come" doesn't need - it's screaming. While I liked the bluesier feel of Adam's version I think the song is better served with subtler vocals. Conversely I thought Kris' "What's Going On" may have been a little too safe and a little too similar to past performances.

Round Three - The much anticipated and much dreaded final song. Let's just go ahead and say that the song sucks, but that's par for the course. For the first time this season I actually think Adam hit some bum notes in the first chorus but he came back strong and finished the song very well. Clearly this isn't the kind of music Adam would or should make so it's a little unfair to judge him on it. The song was slightly more suited for Kris but there were still some whack notes. Kara should take note that a song is probably not that great if 2 really good singers can't even make it enjoyable.

This is going THE hardest prediction to make of the entire season. I'm going to go against my personal feelings and say that Adam will pull off the victory. Looking forward to the performances and results tomorrow!

Watch This Show!

If you're anything like us grad students your plate is pretty full with television these days. Tonight alone we have to tackle the finale of Dancing with the Stars, 90210's season finale AND the final performance show on Idol. But while all your favorites are winding down, why not try something new? Tonight after American Idol Fox will be premiering the pilot of it's new series Glee. This is an interesting move since another episode won't air until the fall but I think it could be smart. By pulling Idol viewers in the musical component of the show they could have an established fan base by the time it has to compete with other premiering shows come September. If you know me you could probably guess that I would love that show. I mean let's be honest, I was in show choir. But even if you're not so show tune inclined I think this is a show you could enjoy. Why? First off it's brought to you by Ryan Murphy - the man behind Nip/Tuck so you know it's going to be a little bit dark and a lot bit funny. It has a good mix of actors whose faces you'll recognize but not necessarily know their names and unknown Broadway talent. It's not show tunes but the sounds of Amy Winehouse, Journey, Jazmine Sullivan and more. And finally it combines our two favorite things - music and TV. Too often shows that put a different spin on your typical sitcom or dramedy don't get a decent chance to make it. Tune in tonight and see what you think!!

What Did You Record In 5th Grade?

Because I'm guessing that whatever it was pales in comparison to what those awesome kids from PS22 in Staten Island are doing. While making my way over to Passion Pit's MySpace page to stream their excellent new album Manners (out next Tuesday!), I found a video from The Fader that documented some of the recording process for the previously-mentioned album. And sure enough, a majority of the clip focuses on PS22 recording their parts for the album (I know for sure they're on "Little Secrets" and "The Reeling"). I can't even imagine how great of an experience this is for those kids. The best part is when one of the members of Passion Pit talks about how, in his head, so much of the music sounds like it's being sung by a school choir, yet he had trouble getting a choir to help record. Passion Pit, meet PS22.

30 Rock - The Kidney Now! Beneft!

You can expect a rundown of the various shows we watch now that they're all ending, but last night's season finale of 30 Rock featured some big names in music. Goofing on the tradition of benefit songs, Alec Baldwin's Jack Donaghy assembled an all-star cast of musicians for Kidney Now! in an effort to get his new-found father (played by Alan Alda) a kidney transplant. That's right folks, a benefit for one kidney. Innovation at its finest. Check out the list of musicians and the clip below.

Elvis Costello
Mary J. Blige
Clay Aiken
Sheryl Crow
Adam Levine (Maroon 5)
Adam Horovitz & Mike D (from The Beastie Boys)
Sara Bareilles
Wyclef Jean
Norah Jones
Talib Kweli
Michael McDonald
Rhett Miller
Steve Earle
Moby
Robert Randolph
Rachael Yamagata
Cyndi Lauper

New Albums are Streaming!

It's only noon and there's already multiple bands streaming their forthcoming albums on the internets. Check them out at your leisure, but my guess is that they aren't staying up for too long.

White Rabbits: It's Frightening - If you're a fan of Spoon, you should enjoy these guys.

Passion Pit: Manners - If you don't want to listen to all the tracks, PLEASE listen to "Moth's Wings." It's fantastic!

Freeway: Philadelphia Freeway 2 - His Philadelphia Freeway mixtape last year was really solid... hopefully he can replicate much of the same

The Mom Translator

Amid all of the great sketches on Saturday Night Live this past week, one of their best "commercial" bits almost slipped through the cracks! I can't even recall how many times our family has been sitting at the dinner table and my mom will start to tell a story that involves a celebrity (usually an actor). Inevitably, that story devolves into the three kids guessing who she's talking about for 5 minutes while she attempts to help us out with clues like, "You know! He was in that movie a couple years ago... there were police and some of them were corrupt... and I know he's dating that other girl from TV... I think she's on Fox." Maybe it's only funny if you've experienced it, but I'm glad to know that the Mom Translator is a more universal need than I expected.

Phoenix: "1901" - Official Video

Yesterday was "Streaming Albums Online Day." Today is most certainly "Phoenix Day," as their official video for "1901" made its way onto the interweb. Unfortunately we can't embed the video here, but you can find it at Dazed Digital, which was specially commissioned for the project. The lead-single off their forthcoming Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart gets a brilliant, seizure-inducing light treatment that will have your eyes and your brain fighting with each other. At least your ears will be happy!

Phoenix: "Lisztomania (Acoustic)"

May 26th is going to be amazing... not only is Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest coming out, but French phenoms Phoenix (yeah, that's alliteration homie) will be dropping their amazingly awesome Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix as well! Now I would never download and listen to a leaked album, but if one were to do something like that, then he or she might say that "Lisztomania," the album's opening track, is one of the best. This stripped down, acoustic version of the song removes a lot of what makes the album-version great (synth, drums, etc), but it's only 2 minutes long. What ELSE would you do for the next 2 minutes?? That's what I thought.

WOOOO!!!!

I screamed.... I screamed REALLY loudly. I'm actually surprised my neighbors didn't call the cops. KRIS ALLEN IS IN THE FINAL 2!!!! It's my Elliott Yamin all over again except this time my fave actually made it. Next weeks Kris and Adam showdown should be a great one and I can't wait to see which song from the season they'll repeat and what kind of lameass song the producers force upon them. Oh and just in case you didn't remember MY IDOL RECORD FOR THE YEAR IS STILL PERFECT!

WTF? Idris Elba - R&B Singer??

Listen, I'll be the first to defend Idris Elba. His portrayal as Stringer Bell on The Wire was phenomenal and a major reason why that series is probably the greatest ever. He's even been introduced to white, non-HBO America through his recent arc as Charles Miner on The Office (and I guess, anyone who's seen Obsessed, which I'm guessing is "hardly anyone"). Apparently, Mr. Elba is also a musician and will be releasing an album as Driis. Besides not knowing how to pronounce that or understanding its significant, his foray into R&B starts with "Best That I Can." Hopefully he can do better...

Iron & Wine: Around The Well (Streaming)

Today is a great day to have an internet connection! First, we get word that Wilco's newest album, Wilco (The Album), is streaming from the band's website, and now we find out that Iron & Wine's upcoming rarities and B-sides compilation Around The Well is all available from the band's MySpace page! If you're a big fan of Iron & Wine, most of these tracks will be familiar, but the 2CD/3LP compilation is a nice, tidy compendium of those great songs that never made it on any of their albums. You've got originals, covers, Sam Beam solo home recordings, full band studio tracks... it's really a grab bag of everything and should offer a nice addition to the Iron & Wine catalogue. Take a listen!

Wilco (The Album) Streaming Now!

Wilco's newest album, creativelessly-title Wilco (The Album) is streaming from their website. Go now!! The album is out June 30th, so enjoy listening a full month and a half before it comes out (unless you already found a leaked copy of it somewhere, in which case, drop me a line and possibly a link to download that bad boy... JUST KIDDING! I would never illegally download music.... that's just wrong, and people who do that are the worst ever. I mean, these are artists we're talking about, and album sales are their* livelihood. I don't want to take food off Jeff Tweedy's table!).

* Their = the record company's

Heartless vs. Heartless

I mentioned Kris Allen's version of Heartless from Idol last night being inspired by Mia from Taking the Stage so I thought I'd post it for you to see for yourself. Who best channelled their inner Kanye?

Music We're Listening To

It's been a while since our last installment of "Music We're Listening To." Rest assured, this wasn't because we stopped listening to music. We're just lazy. Get down on some of this sweet, sweet sound...

Jesse McCartney: "How Do You Sleep?"
Another classic summer jam from J-Mac. Seriously though... if you're a girl leaving Jesse McCartney, how do you sleep with yourself? Add in Ludacris and you'll be blasting this with the windows down. Bet me.


Biz Markie: "Just A Friend"
All I can say is that advertising must work, because I've had this song in my head ever since the NBA playoffs started and that Heineken commercial keeps coming on. Oh well, at least it's a good song.


Dodos: "Fools"
Speaking of commercials, this phenomenal song was used in a Miller Chill commercial. PLEASE buy a Dodos album... they need money!


Benjy Ferree: "Fear"
I read a review of Ferree's Come Back To The Five And Dime, Bobby Dee Bobby Dee a while ago and thought to myself "that sounds really cool, I should check it out." Since finally getting it on the iPod two weeks ago, I've probably listened to it 8 times. Definitely one of my favorites from 2009.


Jessie James: "Wanted"
I've never heard of this gal, so I'll quote Audra: "Christina Aguilera's country pop vocal doppleganger. Plus she's from Atlanta!" And her name is like Jesse James (coincidence!).


Harlem Shakes: "Sunlight"
Great, happy, fun music to walk along to while in the sunlight, this aptly-titled track from the Harlem Shakes' newest Technicolor Health is an album highlight. Looking forward to catching them at the Drunken Unicorn!

AI:Final Three

The top 3 is usually my favorite episode of all the Idol season. This year we're getting a bit gypped with only 2 songs instead of the customary 3 but it's still exciting to see these three guys go head to head.

Danny - The Goke kicks things off tonight with an obscure choice from Paula. The song worked well with his voice but I don't think it's anything anyone will remember past 8:30. His second song was a much better fit for his vocal style and made a much more lasting impression. He even managed to pull off his falsetto in the final note - something we all know didn't work last week. Nice of Simon to brush off the old vocal master class comment for this one.

Kris - I think the OneRepublic choice lacked a little imagination from Randy and Kara. Kris already kind of sounds like the singer so there wasn't really much of a stretch. Despite this I think he turned in a better performance than Danny and made a wise choice to not push the high register in the chorus. When Kris announced he was doing Kanye's Heartless for his second song my heart actually stopped for a second. It stopped again when he performed. This had to be THE boldest song choice in Idol history - brilliant!! The only thing I was left thinking was....do you think Kris watches Taking the Stage?

Adam - U2's One on American Idol will always remind me of Elliot Yamin and Mary J Blige's superb duet in the finale of season 5. This arrangement was probably one of my least favorite Adam remixes - the melody got lost and the key was a bit funky. Similarly Adam's vocals got lost early in the second song because he was getting drowned out by the backup singer. Anyone else find it interesting that he chose a song the judges recommended for Danny last week?

To be honest this top 3 episode didn't have as many wow moments as other seasons. Kris' rendition of Heartless was definitely the most memorable and I think, hope and pray it will be enough to get him into the finals to face off with Adam. The judges have really been pimping an Adam/Danny showdown the whole season and there's still a good chance that could happen but never underestimate the voting power of teenage (and 25 year old) girls.

Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update - Celebrity Blogger

Maybe it's because we never wrote anything about the better-than-expected Zac Efron episode of Saturday Night Live. Maybe it's because new cast member Michaela Watkins' portrayal of celebrity blogger Angie Tempura (and her bitchpleeze.com reviews of new releases) is one of our favorite Weekend Update bits. Or maybe it's because I kept hearing her signature "Biiiiiiiiiiiitch pleeeeeeeeease" line as a young "Cavaliers" fan behind us at the Hawks game tonight was being really obnoxious (or at least as obnoxious as any 8 year old girl can be). Yep, it was definitely the last thing. Anyways, enjoy!

Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and Motherloving, Oh My!!

If you weren't aware, Grizzly Bear and Animal Collective are locked in a blogosphere battle for the ages. Not with each other, of course... but every talking head (er, typing hand?) has an opinion on which album is better: Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion (released in January amid massive hype) or Grizzly Bear's Veckatimest (set to be released May 26th... also amid massive hype). Naturally, we have an opinion as well, but we're reserving it until Veckatimest actually drops. In the meantime, both bands have been on the cathode-ray tubular device in the past week playing some of the highlights of their albums: Grizzly Bear on "Live with Jools Holland" and Animal Collective (complete with interpretive dancers) on Letterman. Take a listen!

... Oh yeah, and there was something about loving mothers? Or making love to mothers? Or mothers' love?...

Animal Collective: "Summertime Clothes"


Grizzly Bear: "Two Weeks"


Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg: "Motherloving"

In Case You Missed It

Justin Timberlake hosted SNL for the third time last night and once again delivered the goods.  He brought back all the favorites including another hilariously inappropriate digital short with Andy Samberg, the Barry Gibb Talk Show and my personal favorite - Plasticville.  Check it out below and the others on Hulu - bow down to the King of SNL.

Songs For Mom

Mother's Day is Sunday, and whether you're going to be at home, sending a card and flowers, or spending some time on the phone this weekend, we wanted to help out by giving you two of our favorite songs about moms. Have a great weekend, and don't forget to call!

Iron & Wine: "Upward Over The Mountain"
Easily one of the most beautiful songs in a long line of them from Iron & Wine. Don't pay close attention to the lyrics if you don't want to tear up a little.


Kanye West: "Hey Mama"
Recorded before Kanye's mother, Donda West, passed away in 2007, this is especially sad to listen to now. It's been extremely apparent how important his mother was to him, and equally refreshing that he has no problem rapping about it.

Fluteboxing and Superbeatboxing

It's entirely possible that you've already seen this, but when our most dedicated reader forwards along a video of something to post, we have to do it. Courtesy of Chrissy, enjoy this video of a dude beatboxing through a flute (definitely awesome), another dude doing some really complex beatboxing, and ending with a little duet. Something tells me that the kids need to work harder... luckily, they work for Google, so that won't be a problem.

AI Quick Note

More SYTYCD alum sightings!  Benji dancing backup for Paula Abdul.  It's good to see he's getting work in styles other than West Coast Swing.

I was right again but I can't say I'm happy about it.  Allison is so talented and it was nice to have a normal awkward teenager on the show.  This won't be the last we hear from her!

Kelly Clarkson: "Did You"

I haven't read any of the Twilight children's books, but I hear they're all the rage in the 12-19 year-old white girls with heartache issues demographic. Coincidentally, Kelly Clarkson also appeals to that demographic (and many others), and she really catered to the audience with "Did You." It sounds like a C-level song from Kelly... she undoubtedly went through the motions with this one and cashed the paycheck, because she's way too smart and talented to really care about a song for the New Moon soundtrack... right??

St. Vincent: Actor

We've been pretty sure (for a while now), that Annie Clark's newest album as St. Vincent was going to be spectacular. And sure enough, Actor is being hailed as one of 2009's best, receiving accolades from virtually every major magazine and blog. Metacritic does a great job compiling ratings and reviews, so if you're interested, you should definitely comb through them, but allow me to summarize: the sweet/soft physical appearance and vocals stand in sharp contrast to the content of her songs. The word "Disney" is getting thrown around in a lot of the reviews; partly because some of the arrangements recall early Disney classics, and partly because many of those same classics used the superficial guise of "cartoon" to depict dark, heavy themes. The comparison to Actor is appropriate, and on essentially every song, the sound belies the story. With such rich musical arrangements accompanying the complex lyrics, this is an album that almost demands multiple listens. Lucky for us.


PS. Apparently, Lala may now require you to register with them so you can listen to certain songs. You can go here or here to read more about it if you want, but if you're asked to sign-up, just do it! It's the equivalent of signing up for something like Pandora, and it definitely shouldn't cost you anything (unless you want to start buying music from the site).

The Streets: "He's Behind You, He's Got Swine Flu"

Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, has been releasing a lot of his newest material in untraditional methods... most notably, through Twitter. "He's Behind You, He's Got Swine Flu" is ultra-topical, pretty damn funny, and the video splices together clips from zombie movies (hopefully you can put the symbolism together). Good times all around!

AI Recap - Rock and Roll!

Adam kicks off the show for once in what can only be described as a fashion atrocity.  I don't what was worse - the deep V or the spikes on the jacket.  Looking past that this week was pretty much made for Adam - over the top at its core.  It was a very good performance.  

In other news Kara has officially outstayed her welcome.  Her comments lack any insight and unlike Paula she's not entertaining in the least.

Tonight was probably my favorite performance from Allison.  Finally something showed off her voice and her musical style.  Unfortunately I feel like the judges are prohibited from giving her too much praise since the powers that be are set on an all male top 3.  

Renegade????? Styx?????  This has been one of my favorite songs since I danced to it in 9th grade so I geeked out a little when I heard Kris sing the first notes.  Can't really say that I enjoyed the duet and it's hard to figure out what the purpose of them is really supposed to be.  Is it supposed to be a head to head comparison?  Should we base votes on their performance as a whole? I don't get it.  Just like I don't get the dog collar the Idol stylist put around Danny Gokey's neck.  

It was a swoonless night for me as Kris disappointed a bit.  The song choice was a bit cliche and his voice really didn't sound great in the lower register.  I'd rate it at the bottom of the Kris Allen anthology but I still hope he makes it into next week.

And now a haiku for Gokey.....

Dearest Danny G  

Please spare my tender, young ears

Lambert you are not.

Holy tight pants Batman....waaaaay too much Glambert to behold.  He and Allison did a great job but the jury is in and the duets are dumb.  Along with the 4th judge they should go next year.

This week's elimination is a tough one to call.  While it will definitely come down to Kris and Allison I could honestly see it going either way.  I'm going to make the call and say Allison will be eliminated due to Kris' fans cranking up the voting after the judges' harsh comments tonight.

PS - I'd like a moment of silence in honor of Lil Kim's premature elimination on DWTS...........thank you.

PPS - Anyone else catch SYTYCD alums Travis Wall and Nick Lazzarini performing in the Stars of Dance number?  

Let the Up-Fronts Begin!

For those of you not in the TV know - it's that time of year when networks start to unveil their fall lineups - revealing which shows are getting renewed and introducing new pilots.  NBC led things off today.  While there is still no official word for Chuck fans, the most exciting news from today was the official pickup of a new comedy series called "Community."  With executive producers from Arrested Development and the comic talents of Joel McHale and Chevy Chase (yes that Chevy Chase) it certainly has the pedigree to be another solid addition to NBC's already superior comedy line-up.  It has just enough of the irreverent sense of humor and pop culture references we like here at GSATW - check out the preview clip below and let us know if you think you'll be tuning in come fall.

The Cool Kids: Gone Fishing

We were going to post about this last week, but all we could've offered was a single track ("Popcorn," see below). But good things come to those who wait (3 days) and this afternoon, The Cool Kids made their newest mixtape, Gone Fishing, available for free download at their site. We haven't heard anything but "Popcorn," and using that and their back-catalogue, you can no doubt look forward to some laid-back, bass-heavy, old-school jams about BBQs and... well, fishing. You know the lyrics are going to be excellent, and Don Cannon is a great, well-established producer. Hopefully a proper LP isn't too far in the future, but for now, just enjoy Gone Fishing with this quote from the guys:

"Its out.. Enjoy the Summer.. Hot Weather.. Beaches.. Road Trips.. and all that shit. Hopefully this will be the soundtrack..

Thank You.. Music makes the world go round.. glad to be involved Download it.. Burn it.. Listen to it from start to finish..

The Cool Kids"

Really Jen???

You couldn't have waited just a few more minutes before taking a potty break? Don't you know running suppresses your urge to pee?? All I know is if I were in a race for a million dollars I would have been ok with a little pee on the leg...I'm just saying. But due to your overwhelming pride we are stuck with the one of the rudest teams on TAR ever so thanks for that. Looks like the previews have the teams in Hawaii. With any hope Jamie and Cara will try to pull their same crap and get a big ole can of American whoopass unleashed on them. I can really only cheer for Victor and Tammy now - let's hope they can pull it off without a language advantage.

Jon Hamm as Lex Luthor

Some disclaimers: this came out a month ago, so it's not super current/relevant, it's not technically TV, and it's definitely not music. That being said, Jon Hamm is without question one of our favorite actors out there right now. Having burst into the spotlight with his award-winning role on Mad Men, Hamm has used his time away from the world of 1960s advertising drama to display his comedic chops. He was excellent on Saturday Night Live, had a great arc on 30 Rock, and this short Funny Or Die video is... well, just watch it. Hilarious.

Happy Saturday

This is pretty old, but it combines two of my favorite things: Wale rapping and Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." This is off Wale's mixtape 100 Miles And Runnin, a very solid preview to his amazing Mixtape About Nothing. You might need to listen to "W.A.L.E.D.A.N.C.E." a couple of times to catch all the metaphors and witty lyrics (ex. "I acquire more broads than Zach Morris"). Oh yeah, and the video is pretty cool too!