One of my favorite djs, Z-Trip, remixed the Dead Weather’s Treat Me Like Your Mother. He has worked a special place into my heart with his wonderful remix of I Want You Back by the Jackson 5. He is also featured in the movie Scratch and had mixes in the DJ Hero game.
Like the Arctic Monkeys, the Cold War Kids second cd was such a disappointment that I have approached everything after wtih caution. Maybe that is why I have been thoroughly enjoying their newest EP, Behave Yourself, that came out a month ago or so. Check out Audience and others on their Myspace. And the reason I bring up the Cold War Kids now is because the man known as thePhantom alerted me to a video of them playing CCR’s Long As I Can See The Light for Rolling Stone.
Another thing worth a listen is a mixtape promoting a new (Marky Marky produced!) HBO show called How To Make It In America. You can listen to (and download) artists including Yacht, Florence + the Machine, Kid Cudi and Dan Black over at Facebook. (Via, where else, Pop Candy.)
Not only is this band worth a post/listen because they are an awesome soul band, but also because they are from the only American city to elect three socialist mayors. Kings Go Forth are currently on David Byrne’s label, Luaka Bop, and have an album coming out soon. Check them out on their Myspace, YouTube, or the Hype Machine. (via Soul-Sides)
If are a person that evaluates the Super Bowl by taking into account the quality of the ads, then maybe this super bowl wasn’t as great. I, myself, was actually a little disapointed in the Puppy Bowl this year. Videogum has a collection of the funny (relative term) ads, but it didn’t mention some of the awesome songs used.
Arcade Fire is notorious for not letting their songs be used for ads, but justified it by donating the money they made to Haiti. If you aren’t familiar with their first album (the one with Wake Up from the ad), I can’t recommend it more.
The other band I wanted to get to was The Heavy. I have mentioned them before, but they now have a newer cd out that is also worth a listen. Definitely check out How You Like Me Now and Sixteen (with the Screaming Jay Hawkins sample).
Some music happenings:
Lots of music singles for Haiti. There is the Hope for Haiti with a bunch of artists. Lionel Richie got a bunch of celebrities together to remake We Are The World (“flashes of Quincy”). (Which still won’t be as good as the Band Aid’s Do The Know It’s Chirstmas or the less popular but still amazing version by Gram Aid.) Simon Cowel put together a star studded remake of Everybody hurts. And last, but not least, is Shane MacGowan and his bat-shit crazy partner are covering I Put A Spell On You also with celebrity backing.
AA Bondy is the singer-songwriter/indie-ballad type that Norah should be all over. He gets a lot of plays on my ipod because he is the first artist alphabetically and gets covered a lot on Rollo & Grady, but I mention him now cause he has a session available at Daytrotter.
Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are coming out with a new album and are giving away their first single.
Adam Bones, of the late The Late Nights fame, is trying to play South By Southwest. You can help him by watching his video.