Over the past couple of months, I’ve found myself watching an unhealthy amount of television in my spare time. Of course, during this span, a number of familiar songs have made their way onto quite a few commercials. The amount of times I would see each of these became so frequent that I decided to go ahead and make a list of some the more recent ones. As with the majority of these commercial posts, this is usually what makes me decide to compile one of these.
These advertisements are still a fantastic a way for a song to find a much wider audience; and for the most part, seeing these on television can still be a great way of discovering new music (though, the internet kind of killed that).
Plus, I think it’s a good idea now to ditch the term “sell out” in regards to any of these indie bands/artists letting their music be used. Bands need to make money some way or another, so unless you’re Coldplay or something, who the fuck cares?
Without further ado, let’s get to the good stuff! Links to each video and MP3s are included after the cut.
Saw this video for Matt & Kim’s “Lessons Learned” over at Rock Insider and just had to give it a mention. The video premiered on MTV (or is it MTVu? I dunno the difference) and to be honest, the less you know about this video, the better the surprise will be. Let’s just say that the duo are portrayed having a jolly stroll through Times Square. They’ve certainly come a long way since I first heard them back in 2006. Their reputation for having a crazy live show seems to precede them, no matter where they play now.
In other news, another video I just happened to watch a few minutes ago comes courtesy of the “American Idol” contestants singing Lykke Li’s “I’m Good, I’m Gone.” I watched maybe 30 seconds of it, before I had to turn my head away in disgust. Ouch. If the casual viewer was blind to Lykke Li before, than I’m pretty sure this did absolutely nothing to pique any kind of interest in hearing the original. You can watch it for yourself here.
We’re nearly three weeks into 2009, but you could argue that the year (in terms of music) officially begins this week. Lots of big name players have albums out this week and trying to single out just one to purchase wouldn’t be fair. New stuff from A.C. Newman, Animal Collective, Andrew Bird, and Antony and the Johnsons? Just those alone would make it a worthwhile week for most, but that is in fact just from the letter “A.” It’s silly, isn’t it?
With these huge release weeks, i’ve always been curious as to whether having all of these high-profile albums bunched together is even considered a good idea. Are people willing to shell out enough money to buy a handful of albums in a single week? I certainly am not. I would probably be willing to buy two at the most. I guess it doesn’t matter too much, as you could just pick something up at another time. But as far as my buying history goes, albums that I don’t purchase within the first week of release, the need for them diminish over time and/or I tend to forget about them completely. Do any of you have an opinion on this?
Also, just a little something to add in regards to Merriweather Post Pavilion, from someone who’s never particularly understood Animal Collective at all. Considering the massive hype surrounding this album’s release (hello 9.6 Pitchfork review), I was hesitant to listen to this one, and was ready to throw massive amounts of flaming hatred towards my friends who have righteously defended this band. Keeping things short, I am seriously impressed at how aurally and lyrically pleasing this record is. I’ve probably listened to “My Girls” and “Guys Eyes” more than any song so far this year. I think coming from a non-AC fan like myself, I certainly enjoyed listening to this one, and they’ve really turned the corner in terms of accessibility.
What do you get when you combine two of my favorite things, cooking shows and music? Well you get this web show Dinner with the Band! It’s almost like a show specially catered to me! I’m an avid watcher of the Food Network and of course I love indie music, so this is some sort of match made in heaven. The show has just wrapped up it’s first season and though i’ve known about it for months – i’ve just never bothered to watch the damn thing. I think it’s just some issue I have with watching crap on the internet. I’d rather just download it on my iPod (which you can do) and check it out at work.
Basically the concept of the show involves the host and chef Sam Mason, who invites different indie bands to come and cook interesting and “edgy” (as they’ve coined it) types of food recipes or or as the website says “intellectual food.” Whatever, food is food. Past episodes have included a few of our favorite bands including Matt & Kim, Tokyo Police Club and Pela. I hope the show finds success, but I think it’s dealing with a very niche audience and that could possibly be sort of a stumbling block.
I’ve included clips from the Matt & Kim segment, just because I love them and all of their wild energy they bring. You can watch the entire first season on the Dinner with the Band website. Watch more videos after the cut.
It seems lately that i’ve been writing a majority of the time about indie pop bands. Which honestly is what I’d rather be hearing sometimes, i’ve been listening to all kinds of music but some days this is what moves me to write anything. I’m sure i’ll bump this trend soon enough but for today it’ll continue with the lovely pop sounds of Matt & Kim.
This two-piece from Brooklyn’s sound is just as simplistic as their name with Matt’s energized vocals and Kim’s frantic drumming. That’s basically it, a simple formula that’s been refined with other boy-girl duo’s like Mates of State and The Submarines (another band i’ve been meaning to cover here). It’s got everything you’d expect of this brand of music with it’s catchy keyboard melodies, quirky vocals and all the pop your face can handle.
All the pictures i’ve seen of their live shows look crazy, as they appear to be playing in random houses. According to their website they’ve completed the final mix of their album with a release date expected in October. They’re also playing a slew of live dates so definitely check them out.
Aug 21 | Troubadour | Los Angeles, CA
Aug 22 | Casbah | San Diego, CA
Aug 24 | on the radio KXLU | Los Angeles, CA
Aug 26 | che Cafe | San Diego, CA
Aug 29 | Check yo! ponytail – safari sam’s | Los Angeles, CA
Sep 13 | tba | Providence, RI
Sep 14 | tba | Northampton, MA
Sep 15 | lilypad | Cambridge, MA
Sep 16 | I AM FESTIVAL – early show | New London, CT
Sep 16 | house show | Philadelphia, PA
Sep 17 | at a radio station | College Park, DC
Sep 18 | The Bonezone | richmond, VA
Sep 20 | Relative Theory Records | Norflok , VA
Sep 21 | pirate radio station | knoxville, TN
Sep 22 | Secret Squirrel | athens, GA
Sep 23 | gallery | savannah, GA
Sep 24 | Fort Booyah | St. Augustine, FL
Sep 27 | Sluggos | Pensacola, FL
Sep 28 | Satori Sound | mobile, AL
Sep 29 | The Coach Haus | new orleans, LA
Sep 30 | Dunbar Park | lake jackson, TX
Oct 1 | The Proletariat | Houston, TX
Oct 2 | tba | san antonio, TX
Oct 3 | the new tillery | austin, TX
Oct 4 | 1919 hemphill | ft. worth
Oct 5 | Tree house | Little Rock, AR
Oct 6 | house show | louisville
Oct 7 | Hospital (arthospital.net) | bloomington, IN
Oct 8 | house show | Covington, (cincinatti suburb), KY
Oct 10 | tba | chicago, IL
Oct 12 | rocketstar | Kalamazoo, MI
In other news, another video I just happened to watch a few minutes ago comes courtesy of the “American Idol” contestants singing 
What do you get when you combine two of my favorite things, cooking shows and music? Well you get this web show 
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