New Charlotte Gainsbourg And Beck Video "Heaven Can Wait"

by Meg Ruddick

French actress and singer-songwriter Charlotte Gainsbourg enlisted serial collaborator Beck to help write, produce, and mix her upcoming album, IRM. She recently debuted the video for the album's single, "Heaven Can Wait," on her Web site. The surreal video features Gainsbourg and Beck in a number of weird and completely random situations. Flying axes, half-beards, and a failed game of tennis round out this strange, but definitely entertaining clip. The song's pretty catchy, too.

IRM's trippy title track, which was inspired by Gainsbourg's frequent visits to the MRI after suffering a brain hemorrhage in 2007, was posted on her Web site back in October. You can download the song for free here.

2:15 PM ET | 11-19-2009 | permalink

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Beck Invites Wilco, Feist, Jamie Lidell Into Studio

by Meg Ruddick

For the past few months, Beck has taken on the task of covering his favorite albums in a project he calls Record Club. According to his Web site, "there is no intention to 'add to' the original work or attempt to recreate the power of the original recording. Only to play music and document what happens." He invites his musician friends to lend a hand recording the entire album in just one day. The songs and videos are then debuted in weekly episodes on the Record Club Web site. He has already finished The Velvet Underground & Nico and the Songs of Leonard Cohen with MGMT and Devendra Banhart.

This latest undertaking is the 1969 album Oar from former Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape member Skip Spence. Beck enlists the help of Wilco, Feist, and Jamie Lidell, who just happened to be in town. The first track, "Little Hands," went up today.

Record Club: Skip Spence "Little Hands" from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.

3:21 PM ET | 11-13-2009 | permalink

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Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City

by Bob Boilen

In 1965, The Beatles played a 34-minute set (standard fare for the times) at Shea Stadium (which was unprecedented for the times). Fans back then were truly fanatic. No one heard The Beatles music, really. The screaming was a steady roar and the sound system inadequate.

In July 2009, McCartney came back to site that used to be Shea Stadium, and is now New York's Citi Field. The sets were five times longer and probably five times louder. McCartney and his band tipped their hat to that '65 concert by playing "I'm Down." But all the other Beatles songs they played had yet to be written when McCartney last stopped at Shea, with his old mates. Here's McCartney and his band performing "Flaming Pie," from McCartney's 1997 album of the same name. It's a song inspired by a 1961 quip from John Lennon, who said, "It came in a vision -- a man appeared on a flaming pie and said unto them, 'From this day forward, you are Beatles with an A.' Thank you Mister Man, they said, thanking him."

On Nov. 17, this video, and the rest of the concert, will be released in multiple formats. I'll let the press release (after the jump link) in this instance get all the facts right.

There was a time when most people listening to rock music were probably under 25, and anyone over 30 was considered old. The idea that you could be 40 and still rock was really just a bad joke. Maybe it's seeing the world with my older eyes and hearing it with my older ears, but Paul can still sing and play the most lyrical bass lines, and write great songs.

After returning to the stadium site for the first time in several decades, McCartney had this to say: "It was three great nights for the band, and for me personally, it was very exciting to be back, opening a new stadium, on the site of the old Shea Stadium, where we had played 44 years previously. Even more exciting, because this time 'round, you could hear us!"

Continue reading "Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City" »

6:36 AM ET | 11-13-2009 | permalink

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Grizzly Bear Animated Video

by Bob Boilen

From the band's record Veckatimest comes this song by Grizzly Bear called "Ready, Able." It's done in loving stop-motion animation. It's the second video I've seen in as many days using this painstaking technique. When you're done watching this, I suggest you take a peak at the Low Anthem's Charlie Darwin video.

9:52 AM ET | 11-10-2009 | permalink

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OMG Charlie Darwin Animation

by Bob Boilen

This is one of the best songs of the year. It's by the Low Anthem, and the song is called Charlie Darwin from the album Oh My God, Charlie Darwin.

The stop motion animation is pretty wonderful, though anyone who wishes to explain what's going on is welcome to enlighten us all.

By the way, It was produced by Glenn Z Taunton and Simon Taffe, a portion of the design team behind The End of the Road Festival. They are a small team of painters, carpenters and handymen at a studio in Sussex, England.

The Low Anthem - Charlie Darwin - Official Video from End of the Road Films on Vimeo.

8:03 AM ET | 11- 9-2009 | permalink

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Bon Iver And Megafaun at the Fillmore

by Meg Ruddick

Here's a video of Bon Iver (Justin Vernon) and Megafaun playing together at The Fillmore on September 22. Before their breakup in 2006, the indie-folk superstar and the North Carolina group played together in a band called DeYarmond Edison. Bon Iver has been touring with Megafaun for a number of shows this September, with six remaining shows in California, Arizona, and Texas.

The bands came together at the end of the night to play the folk song, "Worried Mind," off Megafaun's latest album, Gather, Form & Fly. The heartfelt performance features mandolin, fiddle, slide guitar, and banjo, along with gorgeous harmonies and some pretty impressive beards. The simple folk ballad transforms into a hymn as the audience begins to sing along, becoming more spiritual congregation than indie-rock crowd.

11:10 AM ET | 09-25-2009 | permalink

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New Video From Thom Yorke

by Meg Ruddick

This latest video from Thom Yorke is for his cover of "All For The Best," written by Mark Mulcahy, front man for late-eighties/early-nineties bands Miracle Legion and Polaris. The song is from the upcoming benefit album, Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy, which is dedicated to Mulcahy's wife. She died suddenly last year, and the proceeds will go to Mark as he supports his two young children. The album, available on September 29th, also features covers by The National, Dinosaur Jr., and Michael Stipe.

It's a beautifully dreamy video directed by Melinda Tupling, telling the story of a man and woman as they stumble through changing landscapes, city streets, catacombs, forests, and mysterious fields. Yorke's brother, Andy, sings harmony on the track. His band, Unbelievable Truth, also do a cover on Shining Star.

4:07 PM ET | 09-22-2009 | permalink

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Video: Tigercity Plays Leonard Cohen

by Bob Boilen

This week, we're featuring video performances of various artists playing the songs of Leonard Cohen. The video was recorded live at this year's South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

Of all the bands performing at "Happy at Last," the NPR/SXSW Tribute to Leonard Cohen, Tigercity was the band that surprised me the most. To start with, it tackled the song "Suzanne" -- Cohen's most emblematic song, besides "Hallelujah." The band also took this slow and gorgeous tune and rebuilt it as a slow-burning rocker. Now, if you'd told me that a version of "Suzanne" would rock, I'd have guessed it would be awful. But this Brooklyn band made it work.

9:54 AM ET | 08-28-2009 | permalink

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Video: The Hours On Leonard Cohen

by Bob Boilen

This week, we're featuring video performances of various artists performing the songs of Leonard Cohen. The video was recorded live at this year's South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

Members of the London-based band The Hours decided to tackle a Leonard Cohen tune from his 1967 debut album, The Songs of Leonard Cohen: "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye." There is cinematic simplicity in this version.

3:13 PM ET | 08-27-2009 | permalink

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Video: Laura Gibson Sings Leonard Cohen

by Bob Boilen

This week, we're featuring video performances of various artists singing the songs of Leonard Cohen. The video was recorded live at this year's South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

Laura Gibson's recent album, Beasts of Seasons, showcases the singer's stark narrative voice and flair for poetic songwriting. It's no wonder that she's attracted to the music of Leonard Cohen. At Waterloo Records, she performed a song from Cohen's 1988 album I'm Your Man. The track, "Take This Waltz," features accordion, a saw, some percussion and Gibson's gorgeous voice.

9:56 AM ET | 08-26-2009 | permalink

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Happy At Last: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen, Part II

by Bob Boilen

This week, we're featuring video performances of various artists playing the songs of Leonard Cohen. The video was recorded live at this year's South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas.

David Garza chose one of the best-known songs from one of Leonard Cohen's lesser-known albums: "Dance Me to the End Of Love," from the 1985 album Various Positions. Garza nails the Spanish and Portuguese influences in Cohen's music, though he may be coming to it as a Texas-based musician influenced by Mexican musicians.

11:43 AM ET | 08-25-2009 | permalink

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Happy At Last: A Tribute To Leonard Cohen, Part I

by Bob Boilen

Back in February, Leonard Cohen played his first U.S. concert in 15 years. Just a few weeks later, inspired by Cohen's resurgence, a group of artists at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, paid tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter by performing some of his work.

The event functioned as an open mic of sorts, and took place at a store in Austin called Waterloo Records. NPR Music and Sony Music went to Waterloo and captured the event. I've chosen five of the artists who played there, and this week, while All Songs Considered producer Robin Hilton and I are on vacation, we'll post a new video performance each day.

We start with "Here It Is," from the album Ten New Songs, performed by the French folk duo Herman Dune. Like all of Cohen's work, the poetry is potent.

10:39 AM ET | 08-24-2009 | permalink

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New Video: The Antlers' "Two"

by Robin Hilton

The Antlers, the Brooklyn-based band behind one of this year's best albums (Hospice), has released its first-ever video. Directed by Ethan Segal and Albert Thrower, it's a beautifully animated companion to the Hospice song "Two."

I've really loved watching the progress of The Antlers this year. It began 2009 as a completely unknown band with a self-released album. Then Hospice was picked up by Frenchkiss Records. The number of fans at the group's live shows kept growing. The next thing you know, The Antlers' members are being featured on ABC News.

12:07 PM ET | 08-20-2009 | permalink

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New Video From The Music Tapes

by Robin Hilton

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child."
- Pablo Picasso

The Music Tapes, a sweetly quirky group of artists based in Athens, Ga., play with the innocent abandon and wild imagination of wide-eyed children. Admittedly, the group's toy pianos, singing saw, pump organ and various other mechanical instruments aren't for everyone. But I've always been drawn to the magical little world of sound they create.

The Music Tapes offer a glimpse into this world on a new video they've just released on the Merge Records site. It's for a new tribute song to Pluto called "For The Planet Pluto."

The song features backing vocals by a group of fourth graders at Barrow Elementary School in Athens. It also features a cameo from Kevin Barnes, frontman for the group Of Montreal. Both Of Montreal and The Music Tapes are part of the Elephant 6 collective.

Continue reading "New Video From The Music Tapes" »

10:33 AM ET | 08-19-2009 | permalink

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Video Of The Week: Malajube

by Robin Hilton

I probably should have already known about this group, but I'd never heard of the Canadian band Malajube before stumbling upon this new video for "Luna," from the group's latest album, Labyrinthes. It's absolutely mesmerizing. Great Beatles-y harmonies and an infectious melody, with some strangely dark imagery.

It's interesting to consider what this song would sound like without the video. I don't speak French, so I don't know what they're singing about, but the song itself seems much more joyful and upbeat than the video implies, so the images offer a nice contrast in tone, and add a little mystery to the tune.

Can you think of any other songs that take on a whole new feel or meaning because of a video?

4:58 PM ET | 07- 9-2009 | permalink

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The Week's Most Addictive Video

by Robin Hilton

I can't seem to stop watching this. It's for the song "Stillness Is The Move" from the Dirty Projectors album Bitte Orca. It's hard to beat llamas and synchronized dancing.

1:27 PM ET | 07- 2-2009 | permalink

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Start Your Morning Right: Michael Jackson Videos

by Lars Gotrich and Tom Huizenga

We're all still reeling from Michael Jackson's sudden passing. You can keep up with all the latest updates and remembrances by clicking here. In the meantime, spend your coffee break watching some classic MJ videos.

"Thriller" (1983)

More classic videos, after the jump.

Continue reading "Start Your Morning Right: Michael Jackson Videos" »

9:11 AM ET | 06-26-2009 | permalink

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Moby (The Dog) Interviews Moby (The Alien)

by Bob Boilen

Here's everything you want to know about the new Moby record Wait for Me in snackable cartoon form.

This interview is also a lesson for anyone wishing to become a music journalist: Don't ever be the dog, and always hope your alien is as nice as Moby. By the way, you can hear the entire album before it comes out as part of our First Listen series. It'll stream on the site until June 30.

Animations by Robert Powers, Justin Simonich, Ian Jones-Quartey, Chris Timmons & Chris Conforti

10:51 PM ET | 06-17-2009 | permalink

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Suburbia Is So Gangsta

by Robin Hilton

This video has been making the rounds for a while. But in case you missed it, a writer/comedian who lives outside Washington, D.C., and goes by the name Remy has put together a funny rap mocking his home of Arlington, Va. Really, though, it could be about any suburban city in America.

11:15 AM ET | 06-15-2009 | permalink

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Videos: The Best Live Band In America

by Bob Boilen

A new concert DVD from Wilco is out, called Ashes of American Flags. The film includes concert footage from 2008 at historic venues in Tulsa, Mobile, Nashville, New Orleans and Washington, D.C. The film was shot by Brendan Canty (of Fugazi) and Christoph Green.

Continue reading "Videos: The Best Live Band In America" »

2:36 PM ET | 04-27-2009 | permalink

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Antony In A Synagogue With Pitchfork

by Bob Boilen

I'm not a big reader of music blogs, magazines or interviews. I like to listen. So I really had no idea what it would be like to talk with Antony Hegarty of Antony and the Johnsons. I only know him from spending a lot of time with his previous album, I Am a Bird Now, and he didn't seem like a happy camper.

When I first walked into the Sixth and I Synagogue for the recent Antony and the Johnsons concert there, I wasn't sure if the images in Antony's music would feel out of place, or if they would take on new meaning. I did know it was something I'd never forget.

What surprised me most is this: He's actually a very chipper fellow. Smart, I figured; upbeat, I hadn't. I felt the same way when I saw Leonard Cohen literally skip off the stage like a child racing to an ice-cream truck. Go figure. In my interview with Antony, he reveals to me his three childhood heroes -- Anne Frank, Divine and Jesus -- as well as his desire to do cartwheels thanks to a music video by Kate Bush.

We have the entire show online for you to hear. You can also download a copy of the show by subscribing to our concerts podcast. My conversation with Antony can be heard here, or at the end of the concert podcast.

Antony and the Johnsons Interview:

Also, we're proud to announce a new partnership: NPR Music is teaming up with Pitchfork TV to find interesting music projects. So go watch video of Antony and the Johnsons' performance at the Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 3.

Here's a sample video:

11:02 AM ET | 03- 4-2009 | permalink

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SongSmith: Brilliant And Awful

by Robin Hilton

Earlier this month, Microsoft released a piece of software that's pretty unbelievable, both for its sheer genius and for its stomach-curdling execution. The program is called SongSmith, and it does what the musically challenged can't do: It writes songs.

If you can at least sing a melody of some kind, SongSmith can record your voice, at which point it will -- get this -- compose and perform a band's worth of music to accompany it, complete with drums, bass, guitars, pianos and so on. You can specify the tone (joyful, sad, et al) and style (jazz, pop and so on) you want.

The concept of the program, and the fact that it works at all, leaves me slack-jawed. But it will need endless development before it reaches a level that isn't painfully comical. Here's a commercial for SongSmith:

Microsoft offers a free, downloadable demo of SongSmith, which has led to a rash of inevitable spoofs. Users have begun adding famous vocal parts to the program to see what it spits out:

I mean, seriously. That's hilarious. But it is amazing that SongSmith can determine what key a person is singing in, as well as the tempo, chord progressions, and so on.

Give it a shot. Download SongSmith and send us your songs. You can post them somewhere, like Youtube, and send us a link, or email them to us.

5:07 PM ET | 01-26-2009 | permalink

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Calexico Video: Part Three

by Robin Hilton

Calexico is marking the release of its new album, Carried to Dust, with a series of videos that include some nice, live performances of their new songs. We began last month with the first and second installments of the videos. We've just gotten the third part:

Part Two:

Part One:

I've been spending time with Carried to Dust, and think it may be the band's best album. It's an elegantly produced collection of songs, with some wonderfully haunting moments. Joey Burns and John Convertino, the duo behind Calexico's music, draw heavily on their favorite sounds: Portuguese fado, spaghetti westerns, Mexican mariachi, folk and rock. It all comes together on Carried to Dust as a richly seasoned and mature mix.

Burns and Convertino have long been taken by what they see as the majesty and mystery of the American Southwest, particularly their hometown of Tucson, Ariz. (They talk a lot about this in the videos). The sprawling city, where they've lived since the mid-'90s, has been the subject and inspiration for much of their music over the years, and Carried to Dust continues to drink from that well with ghostly narratives about the "strange people" they've encountered. Calexico colors the scorched landscapes with enough romance and strange curiosities to make you want to linger.

3:49 PM ET | 10-14-2008 | permalink

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Shout Out For Some Rock Nerd Help

by Bob Boilen

Will Sheff plays DJ on All Songs Considered this week. Will is the songwriter and guiding light for Okkervil River.

One of the songs Will picked was by a group called The Penetrators. He thinks the band is from Syracuse, and says they might be an old soul band or garage rock band, but there's very little information out there about the group. We've seen a live album by The Penetrators on the Web. But the song Will played is from an old 45 he got from a collector friend down in Austin.

The song is called "The Scandalizer."

We want to know:

1. Who are The Penetrators?
2. Who wrote the song?
3. Who is singing?
4. Who is Curtis Seals?
5. When and where was this recorded?

Help us solve the mystery.

"Scandalizer"

2:42 PM ET | 09-29-2008 | permalink

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