The Last Shadow Puppets

I’ve never been able to get into Arctic Monkeys. On paper, they should be one of my favorite bands: British? Check. Intelligent? Yup. Upbeat? Definitely. They’ve just never clicked with me. I think they might actually be too British, too intelligent and too upbeat for my tastes. I never thought I’d see the day.

Still, I have enough respect for Arctic Monkeys that I pay attention to what they’re up to. I snapped to attention recently when I heard frontman Alex Turner had formed a retro side project called The Last Shadow Puppets, designed to pay homage to the ’60s and ’70s sounds of folks like Scott Walker and David Bowie. We’re talking English-accented crooning, orchestral backing and Spaghetti Western style string arrangements.

I like the sound of that. The Last Shadow Puppets’ description reminded my somewhat of one of my favorite Brit-pop bands, Pulp. So I gave the Puppets’ a listen, and it only took seconds for me to become a fan.

Here’s the video for the title track to The Last Shadow Puppets’ debut album, “The Age of the Understatement,” out now.

Or, check out the group’s MySpace page.

What do you think of The Last Shadow Puppets?

 

        Flogging Molly

A few days before St. Patrick’s Day, I picked up Flogging Molly’s new album, “Float.” These guys have been a staple on the Celtic-punk scene for years, but somehow I never got around to buying one of their albums. I guess I had gotten my fill of Celtic-punk through some of my longtime favorites like Dropkick Murphys and The Tossers.

So I’ve been listening to “Float” now for more than a month and I still have it in heavy rotation. If I had to choose a favorite album of 2008 so far, this might be it. The seven-member Los Angeles band, led by native Irishman Dave King, obviously  is inspired by Celtic-punk originators The Pogues, but Flogging Molly’s sound on “Float” is less ramshackle and more focused, with Bridget Regan’s fiddle giving the songs a traditional feel while Dennis Casey’s electric guitar adds a contemporary snap.

It looks like I’m far from the only Flogging Molly fan out there, based on the 5 million views of the group’s MySpace page, where about half of the song’s on “Float” are streaming in their entirety. If you only have time to listen to one song, I’d suggest “The Lightning Storm,” which seamlessly flows from fast to faster to warp-speed. I recently was jogging when the song came on my iPod, and I felt like it transformed me into an Olympic sprinter, if only for a few minutes.

What do you think of Flogging Molly?

                               Green Day

Earlier this week it was made official that Foxboro Hot Tubs, which is releasing its debut album, “Stop Drop and Roll” on May 13, is in fact made up of Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool.

Which brings up a big question: Is “Stop Drop and Roll” the follow-up to Green Day’s “American Idiot”? Or is it merely a Green Day side project? Hopefully, one of the guys will clarify things in the near future.

In the meantime, you can check out Foxboro Hot Tubs’ sound at the group’s MySpace page. Personally, I kind of like it. It sounds like Green Day reinvented as a bunch of rockabilly greasers.

What do you think of Foxboro Hot Tubs?

  The Gaslight Anthem

Up-and-coming rock band The Gaslight Anthem, a New Jersey group that melds punk rock with soul and country music, has a thing for The Clash.

One of the songs on The Gaslight Anthem’s excellent debut album, 2007’s “Sink or Swim,” pays homage to The Clash in the form of a song about what it feels like to hear the UK punk legends for the first time.

Take a look at the lyrics to the chorus of The Gaslight Anthem’s “I’da Called You Woody, Joe.” Anyone who was floored the first time they heard The Clash surely can relate.

“I heard it like a shot from my skull to my brain / I felt my fingertips tingle and it started to rain / When the walls of my bedroom were trembling around me / This ramshackle voice over attack of a bluesbeat / Telling me he’s only looking for fun / This was the sound of the very last gang in town.”

Listen to “I’da Called You Woody, Joe” at The Gaslight Anthem’s MySpace page here.

Or, check out the song’s video below.

 What do you think?

                                            Zooey Deschanel

Yes, actress Zooey Deschanel of “Elf” is in a band. But unlike so many other groups fronted by a famous actor or actress, Deschanel’s band doesn’t suck.

In fact, Deschanel’s group, She & Him, has the potential to become huge. The actress, who sang so memorably in “Elf,” is joined by indie-rock troubador M. Ward in She & Him, instantly giving the project plenty of credibility.

She & Him’s debut album, ”Volume 1,” comes out March 18. The group is offering a taste of its sound on its MySpace page, with the song “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here.”

Over a jittery piano and acoustic guitar, with a few electric guitar licks here and there, Deschanel’s voice absolutely shines on “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here,” with the sort of smoky exuberance not usually found in a pop song.

I’ll go out on a limb and say “Elf” is the best Christmas movie of the ’00s, and Deschanel’s singing was one of the best parts of the movie. I can’t wait to hear more from She & Him.

Listen to “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here” here.

What do you think?

                                                  R.E.M.

Just in case any R.E.M. fans out there missed it, last week Spin posted the first review I’ve seen of the group’s new album, “Accelerate.” The reviewer gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, which is 1/2 of a star away from “classic.” Somehow, I doubt the album actually is going to be that good, but I’ll have to wait until the April 1 release date to find out for myself.  I absolutely loathed R.E.M.’s last album, “Around the Sun,” but maybe the band is due for a comeback.

You can read Spin’s review of “Accelerate” here.

Check out the video for the album’s first single, “Supernatural Superserious,” below.

What do you think of R.E.M.’s new (old) revved-up sound?

                       Sons & Daughters

Anyone out there who misses the female-fronted disco-stomp of ’90s British rockers Elastica might want to give a listen to Sons & Daughters. The Glasgow group just released an excellent new album, “This Gift,” which matches razor-sharp guitars with singer Adele Bethel’s intoxicating Scottish burr.

Here’s the video for “Gilt Complex.” I absolutely love this song, and there are plenty more like it on the album.

Thoughts?

                                                       “Once” soundtrack

As my adoration of “Once” continues, I’m happy to report that the Oscar win for “Falling Slowly” has sent the movie’s soundtrack to the top of the sales charts on iTunes and Amazon.com over the last couple days. I wouldn’t be surprised if “Once” ends up being the top album in the country on Billboard’s next sales chart.

That’s right. THE TOP ALBUM IN THE COUNTRY. Unbelievable. It’s such a great feeling when a deserving underground phenomenon becomes a mainstream hit.

I’m happy the soundtrack is selling well, since I think most casual movie goers will respond better to the soundtrack than the actual movie. I loved the movie, but I could see how its loose structure and slow pace could turn off mainstream movie goers. If you’re looking for the antidote to Broadway musicals, you’ll love “Once,” but if you’re expecting an indie-rock Broadway musical, you’ll be disappointed.

Do you prefer the “Once” movie or just the soundtrack? 

                                                    Gary Busey

I mentioned in the previous post about Ryan Seacrest and Gary Busey’s run-in on the red carpet. Here’s a summary of the incident from the Associated Press.

BUSEY BODY: Gary Busey lived up to his reputation by strangely crashing Ryan Seacrest’s interviews on the Academy Awards red carpet.

While Seacrest was interviewing Jennifer Garner and Laura Linney on the live E! pre-show broadcast, Busey repeatedly interrupted.

After Busey warmly greeted Linney, Seacrest introduced him to Garner, whom he promptly gave a bear hug. Garner was clearly annoyed, and was left wondering why “this man” had just grabbed her. Linney tried to usher them both out of the interview as Garner curtly replied to Seacrest’s final questions.

As Busey continued to linger, Seacrest politely suggested they catch up later in the evening.

“I’ll see you later at the party. You know the one,” said Seacrest.

When an E! co-host asked Seacrest what had happened, Seacrest was dumbfounded and acknowledged he had never met Busey before.

The 63-year-old actor has parodied his out-there reputation on HBO’s Hollywood insider comedy “Entourage.”

   Marketa Irglova and Glen Hansard of “Once”

“Once” wins! “Once” wins! I was thrilled to see the beautiful “Falling Slowly” from the beautiful “Once” win Best Song at the Oscars on Sunday.

Not only did the song win, but Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova’s acceptance speeches were a couple of the show’s many highlights. I’ve never seen a performer invited back on stage like Irglova was to finish her comments! John Stewart must be a fan. Good joke, too, about the duo’s backstage banter about their statues, which Stewart said went something like this:

Hansard: Let’s make them kiss!

Irglova: But they’re both boys!

Hansard: That’s OK, this is Hollywood!

If you haven’t heard “Falling Slowly” yet, check out the previous post for a video.

As for the rest of the show, I was thoroughly impressed with the program’s pace and the overall quality of the acceptance speeches. Tilda Swinton, Javier Bardem, Daniel Day-Lewis and University of Iowa graduate Diablo Cody all had memorable speeches.

The weirdest moment of the night came before the show even started, when Gary Busey accosted E! host Ryan Seacrest when he was interviewing Jennifer Garner. Seacrest usually is so smooth, it actually was nice to see him get frazzled.

What did you think of “Once” winning and the rest of the show?