Cannibal Cheerleader has long been the apologist blog for Scarlett Johansson’s solo career, even though the brilliance that was Anywhere I Lay My Head deserved no such excuses, and her new album Break Up with Pete Yorn is no exception – here’s a sure to be misunderstood record that features the starlet’s haunting vocals alongside sparse instrumentation, all the while lamenting about love and loss. Not necessarily the most unique or original concept album but a winner nonetheless, considering the nuance and passion Johansson injects into every verse. Definitely worth a spin!
Love her or hate her (we here at Cannibal Cheerleader are definitely in the former category) Scarlett Johansson is back again, only this time instead of the great Tom Waits, she’s covering Jeff Buckley’s “Last Goodbye” for the soundtrack to her newest film, He’s Just Not That Into You. It’s lacking the effervescent David Sitek production but the sparseness of Johansson’s smoky croon over a simple piano line is a refreshing change of pace. Give it a listen over here.
We are eagerly awaiting the release of Static Tensions, the newest release from Atlanta metal-gods Kylessa, and from the sounds of the newest track on the band’s Myspace “Said and Done” this will be the band’s magnum opus. The track is reminscient of the leap forward Mastodon took with Blood Mountain, so here’s hoping for big things from these guys. Head on over and check it.
Our favorite New York-based dream poppers Asobi Seksu, fresh off the release of the excellent Hush, have released their new video for single “Me & Mary”. As whimsical and esper-filled as the music itself, the video depicts the band’s two chief members dancing through a shapeshifting cartoon wonderland. Check it out below!
NEW KAREN O NATIVE KOREAN ROCK VIDEOS Our friends over at The Modern Age managed to capture some excellent videos of KO and the Native Korean Rock crew performing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs frontwoman’s stripped down songs of romance and desire lost at sea.
Here’s there show review:
“The stage was set up like a kid’s school production of “South Pacific”, with a nautical extravaganza situated on the stage. A ship bow dead smack front and center, silver cellophane covering the floor, reflecting the blue and purple clear cellophane positioned by the monitors and drum kit–giving the impression of a dreamy sea. A foamy seascape hung as a backdrop.
When the band came out, they were all clad in white, with little sailor’s caps donning their heads. As the ship’s leader, Miss Karen was decked out in a checked button down shirt, black poofy skirt with pockets, and a captain’s hat with “Native Korean Rock” written in the band.
The subdued, 30-minute set was charming way to spend the evening. The songs were quiet, sweet, and whimsical–perfectly showcasing Karen O’s uncanny ability to sing songs with an intimate vulnerability that always rings true.“
And of course, here are the videos of the songs “Days Go By” and “Comes the Night”. Check it people!
Native Korean Rock – “Rapt” ******************************************************************** SCAR-JO POSTS ITUNES PLAYLIST Our favorite Tom Waits-covering A-list actress Scarlett Johansson recently had her music tastes prodded in the iTunes music store. The 20-song mixtape, which leaned heavily on classic singer-songwriters like Bob Dylan and showmen like Frank Sinatra, featured a few left-field choices as well, including the Arcade Fire and one of our personal favorites, Celebration, of which Johansson states “I love the female vocals by Katherina. It inspired me to explore a new realm for my own vocals.” Come to think of it they do sound pretty similar – perhaps a ScarJo album covering Celebration is in order? You can view the list by clinking on this link or by going to Scarlett’s music Myspace. In other news, Scarlett Johansson has a music Myspace (who knew?)
Scarlett Johansson – “Innocent When You Dream (Live)” ******************************************************************** NEW COLD WAR KIDS There’s a lot going apparently in the world of The Cold War Kids who last we heard were entrenched deep beneath the earth at work on their sophomore LP. Well the Kids have emerged into the sunlight and the result is Loyalty to Loyalty which comes out Sept. 23rd according to Stereogum. They’ve also got a new track up on their Myspace called “Something Is Not Right With Me” which retains the yelping, carnival-esque noodlings of their past sounds but adds a little bit more bounce and a harder edge that we hope hints at an album of soul-shaking rock and roll from these guys. Also, it looks like the troupe will be swinging through Austin on Oct. 24th at Emo’s so be sure and check that out as well. Here’s the tracklist for L2L:
1 Against Privacy 2 Mexican Dogs 3 Every Valley Is Not A Lake 4 Something Is Not Right With Me 5 Welcome To The Occupation 6 Golden Gate Jumpers 7 Avalanche In B 8 I’ve Seen Enough 9 Every Man I Fall For 10 Dreams Old Men Dream 11 On The Night That My Love Broke Through 12 Relief 13 Cryptomnesia ******************************************************************** NEW GNARLS BARKLEY VIDEO Not much to be said about this Odd Couple standout except, why are Gnarls Barkley so damn clever? Great tunes, great videos, great pairing. Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse 4 lyfe.
SCARLETT JOHANSSON RELEASES EP, COVERS CURE Scarlett Johansson, much storied already in these pages (postings?) for her recent album of Tom Waits covers entitled Anywhere I Lay My Head, has just released a new live EP covering songs from said record as well as “Boys Don’t Cry”, the Cure classic. Given the live setting, one might think the songs wouldn’t translate as well without the David Sitek production touch. However, these tracks remain whoozy and beautiful with Johansson’s deep and whispy vocals providing an original and creative take on the bark and growl of Waits. Still, both artists deliver the songs with a common ingredient: soulfulness, and these tracks are chock full of it. Taking a hit to our wallets for the blogosphere, we at Cannibal Cheerleader purchased the EP from iTunes and will now post a few tracks for everyone.
NEW KANYE VIDEO W/ ANDRE 3000 Courtesy of Kanye’s blog, we have this completely awesome Michael Jackson meets Motown meets modern day track called “Everybody”, featuring the “Cool Outrageous Lovers Of Uniquely Raw Styles” (COLOURS for short, haha, oh politics) which features Andre 3000, Kanye West, and Sa-Ra. I also do believe that if you watch the video you’ll spot Chromeo spinning on top of the platform. Check it out y’all, see what you think!
BLOC PARTY BASSIST TAKES PATERNITY LEAVE Looks like our favorite post-punkster bassist Gordon Moakes of Bloc Party fame is going to be a daddy, and as such is taking a few months off the BP tour-wagon in order to be at home when the baby arrives. Says Moakes from a posting at the Bloc Party website:
“Unfortunately I’m not going to be able to join the boys during the next month or so of touring. The reason for this is that my wife is expecting our first baby in a few weeks and after some long hard thinking we all decided, band included, that it was a bit silly for me to be flying round the world at such a critical time in the pregnancy. No one wants me to wind up in the wrong continent should there be any complications or should the little one decide to put in an early appearance. So while the other chaps are jetting around the Pacific Rim I will be buying the groceries, attending ante-natal classes and generally preparing myself for the cloud of unknown that is becoming a Dad.
In my stead we’ve been schooling a friend of ours, Daniel Lindegren (aka Tommy Sparks), in the ways of the Bloc. For the next few weeks Daniel will be doing his best to cover my portfolio of bass, keys, buttons, knobs and things that go ‘clonk’. He is more than proficient at many of these things so I can’t see it marring anyone’s enjoyment of the Bloc Party experience while I’m away. All being well, I will return to reclaim my mantle around the end of August, possibly bringing with me some profound wisdom as a new father, if not a complete lack of sleep.“
Seems reasonable to us Gordon! Good luck with the baby, and stay tuned CC readers for more info on the upcoming third LP from Bloc Party. Here’s a little track that makes us hope this little guy continues the family lineage.
NEW BAND CHEER – THE SHONDES I was attracted to this band by a banner ad that read ‘The Shondes – The new Sleater-Kinney?”. While it may be a lofty comparison to set this Brooklyn quartet alongside the greatest American punk act of all time, the Shondes do bring the rock and definitely have some tracks behind them. With a combination of old school riot grrrl, neo-classicism, queercore, and traditional Jewish music (yeah, we don’t know how it all works together either), The Shondes pull off punk with the immediacy of bands like Bikini Kill but with the panache and songwriting skills of acts like Team Dresch. Definitely worth checking out if only for the killer violin parts; take a listen below and visit the band’s Myspace.
OF MONTREAL REVEAL SKELETAL LAMPING After a few news-releases and subsequent retractions over at Pitchfork, our favorite gender-bending Canadian indie-rockers Of Montreal have announced the details behind their upcoming album Skeletal Lamping (that’s the crazy and bizarre cover art up there). Read more details here, but if it’s anything like the band’s last LP, we can expect a brand of subversive pop that transcends boundaries yet again.
On a side note the band is swinging through Austin on their upcoming tour, though according to the Pitchfork article the band will be playing at “507 E. 6th St.”. What, no club, no Emo’s or Mohawk?
Here’s what Google Maps says 507 East 6th St. looks like but given this is away from West 6th St. (West of I-35 that is) and subsequently far from the downtown area where music clubs hold shows every night, we’re not sure what this place is, we’ve never been there. Looks like we’re going to have to a little CC investigating to see what’s so special about this location (Google Maps says it’s not a known business either) and why Of Montreal are playing there. Stay tuned…
