The Closest You Can Get To Owning A Pet Cheetah

Just heard about this new cat breed called the savannah, which is a hybrid between a female house cat and a male serval (which is a medium-sized wildcat native to Africa). Suweeet! They're allegedly super loyal and friendly and will follow you around the house like a dog, as well as playfully pounce or headbutt you when you get home. It can jump 8 feet from a standing position and likes to play in water. It also eats raw meat. I'm having legitimate difficulty wrapping my brain around how awesome this pet is! Basically a mini-cheetah that will fist-bump me with its head when I get home and then we can eat beef jerky together and then hop in the shower....OHMYGOSHINEEDITNOW!!!!

Coolest Blog Ever

I stumbled upon this blog this morning, and just have to post about it. It's one of the best I've ever seen. Jack Kerouac meets Motorcycle Diaries meets Endless Summer? I dunno. Something about it is just very entrancing. The pictures and the cinematography and the music are all excellent. Artistic without being artsy. Read what it's about HERE. Enjoy the ride HERE (best to start at the bottom of the page, which is the beginning of the journey).

p.s. Someone please forward this on to Holman. 

Amazon Daily Deal: Death Cab For Cutie's "The Open Door EP"

You can head HERE to grab DCFC's little EP of extras from the Narrow Stairs sessions. 5 songs (4 unreleased plus a Narrow Stairs demo) for just shy of a buck.

KOL Tell Mojo "New Album Might Be Hard To Swallow"

First of all, I can swallow anything from the Kings of Leon. N. E. THING. Second of all, awesome. I'm not mad/upset/bothered/annoyed/etc. at their recent success in the least bit. Glad people are coming around. But the majority of their last effort didn't do it for me. Just didn't think the material was that strong. Some of the lyrics felt a little contrived. Some of the lyrics were just plain awful (see "I Want You" ["Home-boy's so proud finally got the video proof / the night vision shows she was only duckin' the truth / it's heavy, I know, the black guy with the gift down below / a choke and a gag, she spit up & came back for more"....seriously?!? that lyric is about a (presumably) white guy that used a video recorder to somehow catch his girlfriend choking on a black man's large penis and enjoying it...I mean, seriously?!?]).

But I digress. I'm excited that the band is looking to push themselves musically into some different territory. I know that opening for bands like U2 and Pearl Jam (moreso the former than the latter) informed a lot of the way OBTN sounded. Maybe having the Walkmen open for them will inform a bit of what this next album sounds like. All in all, I'm hoping this means that the Kings will be putting a new foot forward. Or maybe they'll be putting an old foot in a new direction. Or a new foot in an old direction. I guess I don't really care. Just ready for something other than what I got last time. 

LOLing For Realz

NSFW

HardTime :: Illusion from ze frank on Vimeo.

New Regina Spektor Song/Video: "Laughing With"

This video's been around for a few days, but I'm just stumbling onto it now. It's a new song, presumably the first single off of Regina's upcoming Far (out June 23). If you didn't like Regina Spektor before, it's unlikely that this song will do anything new for you. But if you're like me and find her particular brand of quirky piano pop enjoyable, then you'll probably dig this song as well (unless you hate God, then you probably won't get the message). Very pretty. Pretty sad.

Laughing With

Grizzly Bear Live Video: "Ready, Able"

I've never been a die-hard GB fan. I enjoyed Horn of Plenty a bit, but no matter how hard I tried, no matter how many blogs or critics called it a masterpiece, I just could not get into Yellow House. Sure, there were a couple of choice tracks on that album ("Knife" [obvi] as well as "Colorado" and one or two others), but as a whole, it just didn't move me. It felt sterile or something. This new album, however, has thoroughly impressed me. Each listen reveals something I hadn't heard on the last listen (more often than not, some gorgeous harmony), which I love. It's like listening to new versions of the same song, which makes for lasting enjoyment. The album's definitely not for everyone. It requires a bit of patience to unfold, and even then it's not an easy sell for some. But for me, Veckatimest has sold me on the idea that this band has something really great to offer. One of my favorite tracks off of the new album, followed by one of my favorite tracks of 2009.

"Ready, Able"

"Two Weeks"

Tiny Vipers: "The Dreamer"

Heard of these guys before, but never really gave a listen. Feeling bad about that. This song is off of their upcoming Life On Earth, out July 11. Don't really want to ruin it with some half-ass blurb. It's stark and spare and sparse and haunting and beautiful and deserves to be heard and that's all you need to know.

tiny vipers :: the dreamer

"You're all stupid...if you don't support each other"

I'm not sure what exactly this is. Some sort of fake clip for a fake show that Judd Apatow did to promote a movie...or something. If this were real, I would watch it. Srsly. I'd put it up there with Boy Meets World.

Sorry, gang. Not too much to report today. Plus, today was one of those days where everything just seems to weigh a bit heavier than usual, whether it be the weather, the books, the soul-crushing depression, or whatever else, and I couldn't really muster the energy. But some pretty pictures of penguins always helps.

Anchorman 2??

Click HERE for more info.

Patrick Watson -> Artist To Look Out For?

I'm not sure. I haven't decided yet. But he keeps on popping up everywhere I look, NPR and videos on tons of different blogs. Lot of people seem to be making a big deal that he and his band use strange objects for instrumentation. Although, to be honest, I don't really find that all that impressive. After seeing Willie make a bass stringed instrument out of disposable earplugs, I guess some of the mysticism has been stripped away. Personally, I think it's the off-kilter rhythms and chord progressions as well as Watson's voice (somewhere between M. Ward, Scott Matthews and Chris Garneau) that provide the real appeal. His latest album was just released a few weeks ago and has been getting some pretty good feed back. Check out the goodies below.

For your eyes:

#97 Patrick Watson / Part 4 - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

For your ears:

Tracy’s Waters

Man Under The Sea

New "Between Two Ferns w/ Zach Galifianakis" Video: Actor Brad Cooper

By now it should be no secret that I love these.

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis from Between Two Ferns

Amazon Daily Deal: Grizzly Bear's "Veckatemist"

Head over HERE to grab Grizzly Bear's much ballyhooed new album, Veckatemist, for just 4 bones. P4k gave it a 9.0, if that means anything to you. The Onion A.V. Club gave it an A.

Woods: "Military Madness"

Woods is a new P4k-backed band, but thus far I haven't really been able to get behind them. Nothing there that really grabs me. However, there is one song on there that jumped out at me, as it reminded me of some sort of 70s-era off-the-cuff hippie circle protest song (which I loved). Upon further research, I learned that "Military Madness" is originally a political ballad by Graham Nash (as in Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), which explains the vibe I was picking up on. Replete with trippy/wah-wahed lead guitar, shambly acoustic rhythm, a folksy bassline, and near-falsetto vocals, it's definitely worth a listen.

Woods- Military Madness (Graham Nash cover)

Morning Benders Finish Mixing New Album

According to MB guitarist/lead singer Christopher Chu's twitter page, the band have finalized the mixes for upcoming sophomore effort Big Echo, produced by Grizzly Bear multi-instrumentalist/producer Chris Taylor. Real excited about this one. No word on a release date.

The Morning Benders - “Waiting For A War”

Pearl Jam on Conan

According to The New York Times Magazine, Will Ferrell and Pearl Jam will be the first two guests on Conan O'Brien's first show as host of "The Tonight Show," Monday, June 1.

Grizzly Bear and Doves on Black Cab Session

Not together, of course.

Click HERE to listen to Grizzly Bear's GORGEOUS harmonizing on "All We Ask," which is going to be on Veckatemist, out Tuesday. Make sure to stick till the 3.36 mark. That outro is just pure pop goodness.

Click HERE to hear Doves' do "Kingdom of Rust," which sounds downright mesmerizing when stripped down. The bare instrumentation and semi-melancholy melodies gives it this sort of "medieval bard's tale" type feel to it, and I LOVE bards' tales.

I Like Sportz

I was watching this you guys! I was at a bar, just kicking back some cold ones with another dude, watching sportz, and then this happened...

This is a video for one of my favorite Lil' Wayne songs. It's pretty lewd. Definitely NSFW. But I sort of have a theory that the song is  more of an homage to women masked in overly and overtly chauvinistic tones rather than a straight shot of misogynistic disrespect. Sort of like hip-hop's version of the Beach Boys "California Girls."

Still pretty lewd though.

Just in case the other one didn't play (it didn't for me).

New Grizzly Bear Video: "Two Weeks"

Two Weeks

Chicago (don't) Dance Song

P4k just tweeted this as "an insanely catchy summer jam." I don't know if I would give it the "insane" label just yet, but it is catchy. And because Chicago is the subject matter and they use the word "percolate," it gets enough bonus points to warrant repeated listens.

BBU: "Chi Don't Dance"

Amazon Daily Deal: Essential Rod Stewart

C'mon. Rod Stewart. 4 bucks for 31 songs. Do it. HERE.

My Heart Is Getting Hard...

So as y'all may have noticed, the posting on this bliznog has gone down a bit. That's because I started a prep class and it takes up nearly ALL my time (and we haven't even really started yet). To make sure that I stay on top of my game with all that jazz, I'm going to be posting a little less. I probably won't be putting anything up during the day. Maybe just two or so per night. This could be a good thing, though. It means I'll have to really only put up the things I think y'all will enjoy or the things that I really really enjoy, and can probably squeeze in a bit more commentary than usual. Either way, for all four people that read, I appreciate you staying on this long.

For Thom and Blyth

This is by far the worst Blink song ever, but it's still nice to see them playing together again.

Coldplay....

Well I don't know what to say about this one. I feel like Coldplay has never tried to hide the fact that they are ttrying really hard to impress us, which isn't a bad thing. It's sort of refreshing to get away from the nonchalant/I don't give a fuck mentality that too many musicians have, although haven't earned. Well, I'm impressed. If you're not impressed, you're a robot. 

If you can't wait, the sweetness happens at about three minutes in.

Dr. Jack Shepherd on Kimmel

I like the return of the buzz and I love the addition of that new badass skull/crossbones tattoo, but I wish he would stop shaving that chest. Who am I supposed to rally behind?

White Rabbits KILL It On Letterman

Is it just me that thinks this movie looks pretty sick?

Video Games - E3 2009 - Attack of the Show

Just bough tix the other night to go see the Veils with Foreign Born as openers. I've only got two Foreign Born tracks, but I've been listening to 'em non-stop today. I love when the music I'm listening to "fits" the weather (i.e. the way Bon Iver fits late fall and winter like a glove), and these two songs are really fitting the Chicago weather today.

Foreign Born - “Early Warnings”

Foreign Born - "Vacationing People"

Amazon Daily Deal: Passion Pit's "Manners"

Well worth the three bones for this one. Grab it HERE.

Sherlock Holmes Trailer

Mystery Team Trailer

Whether you realize it or not, you all probably know who Derrick Comedy is because you all have probably seen the "bro rape" skit. They made a movie on their own (which probably explains the somewhat weak-looking production value), that supposedly did really well on its limited film festival run. This is the trailer.

New Little Joy Video: "Next Time Around"

Really summery. Couldn't come at a better time.

KOL Do "Use Somebody" On Leno

Hear Some Super Short Clips Of New Arctic Monkeys Songs

They're hidden in there, but they sound great (or as great as 10 seconds of live audio can sound).

Download A Free Paul Banks Solo Song

Remember that Interpol-singer-Paul-Banks-solo-project that I told you about? Well, if you're interested, you can grab a track off that upcoming album for free from HERE.

Download A Free Coldplay Concert

Coldplay are giving away a free live album. Grab it HERE.

New Phoenix Video: "1901"

The video is pretty sweet. You can check it HERE (scroll to the bottom of the page). Who's getting psyched for that Chicago show in a month? Me. That's who.

New Ra Ra Riot Video: "Can You Tell"

LOST SPOILER ALERT

So if you haven't seen the Lost season finale, don't read this, although it's not really the biggest spoiler.

Richard's response to Illana's question "What lies in the shadow of the statue?" was in Latin, and despite my extensive Latin training, I couldn't decipher it right away. I finally have, and his translated response was "He who will save us."

They were laying the Christian allegories on pretty thick last night, weren't they?

Kings of Leon will be performing on the MTV Movie Awards.

Not sure how I feel about this one. On the one hand, I have been pushing the Kings on everyone I know since I stumbled upon their sophomore effort Aha Shake Heartbreak, and I'm glad to see that the American people are finally starting to get it. On the other hand, I think the American people only like/know two songs ("Sex On Fire" and "Use Somebody" [the latter being the song that will grace the movie awards]) off arguably their weakest album (Only By The Night). And now they're on MTV, which has abandoned any pretense of being interested in/about music. 

I guess, in the end, I'll take the Kings any way that I can get them, but boy do I sure wish there was another way to get them.

Lonely Island on Fallon: "On A Boat"

With the Roots backing (and killing).

It's New To Me: Ra Ra Riot

So I'm starting this new gimmick called "it's new to me..." I'm going to use it when there is a band that has been around for a bit that I never got around to listening to that blows me away when I finally hear them. 

Enter Ra Ra Riot. 

I don't know why I never gave them a chance before, because besides having a crazy sad rock 'n roll story (band did a show in Rhode Island and the original drummer/co-founder/co-songwriter disappeared after the gig only to be found dead three days later) and a crazy hawt band member (the cellist), the band has got the chops to back it up. Fans of Vampire Weekend will probably find a lot to like here, what with the vocals sounding not too far of from Ezra Koenig and all the string arrangements. 

Seriously, I can't recommend this band enough. Check out this great track from the debut full-length The Rhumb Line. 

Ra Ra Riot - "Oh, La"

And then check out this great live video of "Dying Is Fine."

More of Willie as a Kid

Happy Mother's Day

More Bruno

I feel like "vassup" is going to be 2009's "high five." Not looking forward to it.

Meinspace Vassup!

The National on Fallon

Sharon Jones on Fallon...Dayum

Girl knows how to bring it.

Iowa City Has Become Authentic/Alt/Meaningfulcore

That's the Summit on Hipster Runoff. We did it, you guys. We did it.

New Incubus Video: "Black Heart Inertia"

I've been an Incubus fan for quite some time now, but this new one's just not doing it for me. Thoughts?

Paul Banks (of Interpol) Goes Solo

According to S'gum, Paul Banks, going under the moniker Julian Plenti, will be releasing a solo album on August 4. You can see a picture of Paul/Julian looking partied out and listen to some really short snippets HERE. I'm down.

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings on Jimmy Fallon Tonight

Tune in to Fallon to catch possibly THE MOST legit soul singer around right now.


Also, for those interested and NOT going to Passion Pit that night, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings will be playing in Chicago on June 14.

Editors New Album News

Not too much to report on this one. Just a little snippet that was posted in early April. But I've been a big Editors fan and am praying for a chance to see them somewhere small in Chicago next year. Frontman Tom Smith's performances are extremely kinetic, to say the least. The band sorta sounds like a Coldplay, U2, Joy Division, Interpol orgy baby. But I warn that the vocal style can be a little polarizing. I love it.

Album update.

"An End Has A Start" live @Lowlands.

I Know How That Guy Feels

Just watching some old 30 Rocks in between study seshs, and I don't think I really appreciated how funny this scene was the first time I saw it.

New White Rabbits Video: "Percussion Gun"

This song is excellent. The video's really great, too. Seriously. Watch it. The band gave the song out for free, so you can probably find it on Hype Machine or with a simple google search.

Do you guys remember how awesome this song was/is?

Buddy Holly Gets Rickrolled

I occasionally go through these weird intense periods of obsession with bands that I had never really been hung up on before. Last summer it was Sam Cooke. This past winter it was Nirvana (Kurt Cobain more specifically). There's usually a small event that prompts the obsessive period. For Sam Cooke, it was a vinyl I snagged at a garage sale. For Nirvana, it was the excellent Kurt Cobain movie "About A Son." Now it's Buddy Holly, possibly prompted by last February's 50th anniversary of Buddy's death and last night's win of an excellent Buddy Holly and the Crickets vinyl off of ebay. I can't stop reading about him and looking at pictures and listening to tunes. I stumbled upon this audio recording of a phone call Buddy made to his label boss. The background for the call is simple enough: Buddy Holly and his band were recording some bomb-ass tracks, and the label was sitting on them. Buddy wanted to take the songs to someone that would put them out. Just a classic example of music industry mismanagement. But I include the audio because Buddy just seems like the nicest guy in the world his sense of style was just flawless and it makes me sad that he was getting Rickrolled and it makes me sad that he's gone.

Buddy Holly gettin' screwed.

Just decided that this may be one of my favorite songs ever.

Sears Tower Glass Ledge

Have all y'all Chicagoans heard about this new Sears Tower gimmick? The glass floor/wall/ceiling viewing balcony thing? Supposed to be put in by June. Looks awesome and terrifying.

Pitchfork Fest Shaping Up Pretty Nicely

I may have to make my return to the fest this year, as it seems to continue to get better. The lineup (with the bands that I'm particularly interested in in bold):

Saturday
The National
Beirut 
DOOM
Yeasayer
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
Fucked Up
Plants and Animals
Matt and Kim
Lindstrøm *
Wavves
Ponytail *
Charles Hamilton
The Duchess and The Duke
Disappears

Sunday
The Flaming Lips
Grizzly Bear
M83
The Walkmen
Pharoahe Monch
Blitzen Trapper
Frightened Rabbit 
The Mae Shi 

The Wisdom of West

This tidbit is in Kanye West's new mini-advice book.

"When walking down the street, you can walk in one 

line perfectly without ever falling over. Now take that 

same city block, make it a foot wider and then put it 

a hundred stories high. You're going to be so focused 

on the fact that you don't have a banister, that you're 

more likely to fall because of it.

When you're so focused on what you don't have…you won't have!

Isn't it interesting how one thing changes everything?"

I doubt this is something he came up with on his own, but I'm finding it pretty germane to where I'm at right now.