My friend Marco Collins brought this Nirvana Christmas greetings video to my attention & I thought maybe I ought to share it with you. It appears they were doing this for RuPaul‘s talk show on MTV in the early 90′s. It’s being directed by RuPaul herself, and a lovely version of “We Wish You A Merry Christmas” it is they do.

Don’t you kind of want “Smells Like Teen Spirit” to be the Xmas #1 in England this year? At this point, it’s a strong contender, but the only way it can win is if you buy it.

Buy it from iTunes UK Now and it has a chance.

Nirvana – D-7 [Live at the BBC]

If news that the classic lineup of Guided By Voices — including Tobin Sprout (who hit the bricks in 1996) — were recording a new album didn’t jar you to sit upright, let this notice grab hold of you: they WERE recording a new album (past-tense) and have now finished it. Let’s Go Eat The Factory (out 1 January 2012 digitally & 17 January 2012 cd/vinyl), may not be the GBV record of your dreams, but it’s a damn good record nonetheless.

Bob Pollard’s ability to be prolific as a songwriter can in some ways be linked to his recording and songwriting style, which can be best described as “fast, cheap and out of control”. This sort of “get it out of my brain before it has a chance to be fucked with” way of cutting tracks is a formula which works for him in particular & certainly, the method works its magic here. Nothing is too hashed out — it’s a raw, unadulterated collection of melodies and occasional afterthoughts from a group of men who sound like they’re having a great time.

Let’s Go Eat The Factory will not change the course of history; the fact that these guys managed to get back together for another record and tour already has. As a veteran concertgoer from the Bee Thousand-era GBV, I’m just thrilled to hear them turning out new material which is this strong and performing live at a level which confounds the average listener. Far as I’m concerned, any new Guided By Voices has my complete attention.

:: Respect is Due to :: NPR

:: TRACKLIST ::
01 Laundry and Lasers
02 The Head
03 Doughnut for a Snowman
04 Spiderfighter
05 Hang Mr. Kite
06 God Loves Us
07 The Unsinkable Fats Domino
08 Who Invented the Sun
09 The Big Hat and Toy Show
10 Imperial Racehorsing
11 How I Met My Mother
12 Waves
13 My Europa
14 Chocolate Boy
15 The Things That Never Need
16 Either Nelson
17 Cyclone Utilities (Remember Your Birthday)
18 Old Bones
19 Go Rolling Home
20 The Room Taking Shape
21 We Won’t Apologize for the Human Race

Check out the new video from the duo of DFA Records lovelies known as Prinzhorn Dance School. We last heard from Tobin Prinz & Suzi Horn in 2007 when their self-titled debut album was released on DFA. We’re overdue for some wonderful new d-punk, and I think this is a sound introduction to their second full-length Clay Class which comes out on 30 January 2012.

Prinzhorn Dance School – Happy In Bits

Mikael Colombu heads on a breath-taking ride to an Ethiopia of the future with The Weeknd? That’s what this video / short film is, and it goes deeper than maybe you’d planned. As you might recall, this track appears on the House of Balloons mixtape, but the video is brand new, just in time to make the Best Video of 2011 considerations. Enjoy.

The Weeknd – The Knowing

I had a whole thing written up about this track, but at the last minute I decided I’m not gonna run it — this time out, I want to hear from my readers. To me, the flows from every one — PAT24seven, Skewby and Pule — are dope, and Web (of The Machine)‘s production & beats are solid.

Like it / hate it / love it? What do you think? I do have a comments section for a reason.

PAT24seven x Skewby x Pule – Other Sh!t (dirty version)

Controversial? New video? Common? Am I seeing this right? Well, this was filmed in Haiti, and the track … well, it’s definitely not what I’m used to from Common. He went H-A-R-D.

New York City is pretty much already the definition of sensory overload, all by itself, on a random Tuesday, in the middle of nothing, when half of the city calls in sick. So when it’s time for the annual cluster-you-know-what known as the CMJ Music Marathon? If I were Johnny-Five, my circuits would have shorted. Lucky for you, I just eeked by in the “living to tell about it” category, so I here I am, living. And telling you about it! In no particular order, I present to you: my favorite finds from CMJ 2011.

BUXTON

It’s possible that when I saw Buxton at the Living Room on Thursday, I wasn’t even planning on staying. In fact, I think there might’ve been something upstairs or next door or across the street or in the ladies’ room that I’d actually intended to see — until I walked in and heard Buxton.

Most any six-piece can’t help but catch your attention by sheer size alone, but these guys caught my attention and kept it. Well, guy. Singular. Jason Willis, lead guitar, at your service for fast, effortless and wildly roaming guitar melodies. Right underneath them you’ll find a rich layer provided by two more guitarists and keys and these big, unabashed drums. And then, just fade it all out for a minute so you can sink into the unassuming vocal — sort of sweetly drunken, love-song-folk.

DATAROCK

The Datarock set at Brooklyn Bowl Thursday night sort of happened to me, the way really good things often do. I’d actually come for the DJ set that was happening later but then there they were, in all their track-suited glory, like the uncle you should probably find creepy but is somehow pretty endearing.

Upon further investigation, I’m fairly sure that this was a legitimately impromptu-type situation. Not sure who was meant to be there that night, but after the guys reenacted the final scene from Dirty Dancing (complete with appropriate soundtracking) and had everyone sit cross-legged on the floor, I don’t think anyone cared. They sang “California” for the crowd that resembled, from my vantage point, an oddly grown-up-sized kindergarten class during music time. It was perfection. I only wish I could’ve joined them all down there, but the ensemble I’d chosen that evening would not have supported floor-sitting without me showing everyone my Britney Spears.

Alas. Next time, guys.

BLONDE SUMMER

Never was a band better matched with its name and its homeland. (Okay, maybe once.) Danceable, surf-inspired rock with solid pop songwriting and just enough reverb on the guitar to never let you forget you’re in the Sunshine State.

Blonde Summer – Silver Jesus

WIM

The award for best on-stage banter definitely goes to the lead singer from WIM, who paused before the song “Moth” to remind us that a moth only lives for 24 hours. And a lot of stuff can happen in 24 hours. One can live, one can love, one can die.

One can buy shrooms?

Incidentally, though, I can’t stop listening to that very song. It’s got these big playful choral hooks and bouncy, jam-band-prog-inspired organ/guitar melodies with about three different movements that ebb and flow into each other — it wants to be its own little opus. When I listen to WIM I sort of feel like I should be at a planetarium. Or watching one of those weird shape-shifting screen savers from early versions of Windows.

One can buy shrooms?

CITIES AVIV

Cities Aviv said “fuck all you bloggers” during his set more times than I can count (thankfully somebody did it for me), but you can’t really take it personally when he also did a few rounds of “fuck everybody here.” Fuck everybody? I’m not even special anymore. All fucking aside, I’ve liked this kid since I first heard Digital Lows and he’s one of the few solo rappers who rhyme with DJs that I even care to see live. Maybe it’s that fuck-all attitude or just the style of his flow, but I tend to forget there’s no band and just lay into the tracks. His CMJ show was no different, and I think the packed house at Pianos agreed.

Planet (ft. Clement Roussel x Alexia Gredy) by Cities Aviv

ARMY NAVY

Army Navy was possibly the only band during CMJ that I saw more than once, and though I knew they would make this list I was having a hard time articulating exactly what it was that I liked about them so much — until I came home, starting writing and found the music video you see above. You’re welcome.

A HOUSE FOR LIONS

I had a 90s alternative rock dream, filled with the kind of music best punctuated by the rhythmic passing of streetlights on some interstate in the middle of nowhere. But then I woke up. Turns out? I was at The National Underground on Friday night, seeing A House for Lions. In my case (unlike Biggie’s) it wasn’t all a dream — but while there are flashes of Gin Blossoms or Toad the Wet Sprocket or Better than Ezra in there, there are also these lovely little patches of John Hiatt and veritable miles of Lyle Lovett.

All nostalgia aside, this is a band that has figured out how to craft a song, entirely in the present tense. The writing is simple, but evocative and intelligent. Mike Nissen’s guitar work is smart and versatile — warm where it needs to be, piercing through the texture where it needs to, calling up country and bluegrass on one track and settling into alt-rock reverb on the next. And on just about every track, my ear jumps at an inescapable comparison to Mark Knopfler. It’s these subtleties of tone that allow them to take their sound into a lot of different territories — so far they seem to be charting all of them with ease.

A House For Lions – Come On Let’s Go

The CMJ Music Marathon is held every fall in New York City. Details are available year round at cmj.com/marathon

Last weekend, after weeks and months of ignoring some band I kept getting emails about from Lafayette, LA named GIVERS, I came face to face with them at the Hi-Tone in Memphis for the Grammy GPS showcase & panels. I had planned to hang out for Cities Aviv and then go home, but once they took to the stage, I became completely engaged with what was happening in front of me.

The five piece band of young musicians — Taylor, Tiffany, Kirby, Josh and Nick — who cobble together Afro beat, folk, jazz, indie rock, funk & experimental sounds and do so with a complete sensibility of pop music, commanded the stage from the first note. I learned very quickly, standing next to Jody Stephens of Big Star (who marveled with me at their skill), GIVERS is not just a band, they are a phenomenon that only comes along once in a great while, steeped in the traditions of their Louisiana upbringing but so comfortable with those traditions that it makes them fearless to attempt new twists on those sounds. They create an environment of family at every show because of the tightly-knit family vibration within the band. It’s exhilarating and breathtaking, like a scene from a movie that you want to freeze frame and carry with you in your wallet to show to all your friends.

Seeing GIVERS live is the concert experience I’ve been waiting to have again for years, where I walk in to hear a band having never heard a single note of one of their songs & walk out an instant fan. I can’t wait to see them again and again and again.

AND HEY LOOK! Givers just got their track “Meantime” remixed by Greg Saunier of Deerhoof. Enjoy.

::: GIVERS – TOUR 2011 :::

Oct 13, 2011 (Thurs) @ Buckhead Theatre (Atlanta, GA)
Oct 15, 2011 (Sat) @ The Lyric Oxford (Oxford, MS)
Oct 17, 2011 (Mon) @ Kings Barcade (Raleigh, NC)
Oct 18, 2011 (Tues) @ Black Cat (D.C.)
Oct 20, 2011 (Thurs) @ Terminal 5 (New York, NY)
Oct 23, 2011 (Sun) @ Middle East Downstairs (Cambridge, MA)
Oct 24, 2011 (Mon) @ The Met Cafe (Pawtucket, RI)
Oct 26, 2011 (Wed) @ Wrong Bar (Toronto, ON)
Oct 28, 2011 (Fri) @ Exit In (Nashville, TN)
Oct 29, 2011 (Sat) @ Bottletree (Birmingham, AL)
Oct 30, 2011 (Sun) @ Voodoo Experience Music Festival (New Orleans, LA)
Nov 05, 2011 (Sat) @ Inrocks Festival/La Cigale (Paris, France)
Nov 06, 2011 (Sun) @ Concorde 2 (Brighton, UK)
Nov 08, 2011 (Tues) @ XOYO (London, UK)
Nov 09, 2011 (Wed) @ Academy 3 (Manchester, UK)
Nov 10, 2011 (Thurs) @ King Tuts (Glasgow, UK)
Nov 11, 2011 (Fri) @ Sage (Gateshead, UK)
Nov 12, 2011 (Sat) @ Constellations Festival (Leeds, UK)
Nov 15, 2011 (Tues) @ Revolver (Oslo, Norway)
Nov 16, 2011 (Wed) @ Debaser (Stockholm, Sweden)
Nov 18, 2011 (Fri) @ Magnet (Berlin, Germany)
Nov 19, 2011 (Sat) @ Motorbooty/Rock ‘N Roll Circus (Hamburg, Germany)
Nov 21, 2011 (Mon) @ Blue Shell (Cologne, Germany)
Nov 23, 2011 (Wed) @ Rotonde (Brussels, Belgium)
Nov 24, 2011 (Thurs) @ Primavera Club Festival (Madrid, Spain)
Nov 25, 2011 (Fri) @ Primavera Club Festival (Barcelona, Spain)
Nov 27, 2011 (Sun) @ Guess Who (Utrecht, Netherlands)

[ GIVERS OFFICIAL SITE | GIVERS ON FACEBOOK | GIVERS ON TWITTER ]

Sometimes I need to connect with my inner BAMF. Go HAM. Or (insert assorted acronyms here). And lately when that happens, I listen to Childish Gambino.

If you’ve turned on a television any time in the past year, you probably recognize Donald Glover as “Troy” from NBC’s Community. And if you and I were really meant to be friends forever, then you’ll remember him from the internet sketch comedy phenomenon known as Derrick Comedy. Either way, reintroduce yourself to Childish Gambino: prolific, witty, masterful.

After releasing an untitled EP earlier this year, the first single from his debut album dropped a couple of days ago. But the bigger news? He’s about to hit the road for the “Sign Up” tour in support of his forthcoming album CAMP, and it all kicks off two weeks from today right here in Memphis. CAMP is due out November 15. Check out all the dates below, and enjoy the aforementioned single “Bonfire.

Bonfire by Childish Gambino

::: TOUR DATES — Childish Gambino :::
10/5 – Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theatre
10/6 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
10/7 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre
10/8- Orlando, FL - The Plaza ‘LIVE’
10/30 - Asheville, NC – “Moogfest”
11/1 - Silver Springs, MD - The Fillmore
11/2 - Boston, MA - House of Blues
11/3 - New York, NY - Terminal 5
11/4 - Atlantic City, NJ - House of Blues
11/5 - Austin, TX - “Fun Fun Fun Festival”
11/12 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia

::: MP3 ::: Childish Gambino, “Bonfire”

The Michel Gondry-directed video for Björk’s song “Crystalline” from her app-album Biophilia has arrived. Enjoy.

::: Purchase Biophilia for iPhone or iPad :::

Few relationships in music video history have the longevity of the Beastie Boys creative partnerships with Spike Jonze. Once again, the Academy Award-winning director/screenwriter teams up with the B-Boys (as he has so many times) to whip up an inventive video, this time turning everyone involved into action figures. “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win (feat. Santigold)” is one of the standout tracks from what is arguably the best Beastie Boys album since Ill Communication. Watch this video and tell me what you think.

And since they were kind enough to premiere it last night, check out the short version from Funny or Die.

Yesterday, Calgary’s Chad VanGaalen released his newest album, Diaper Island on Sub Pop. I’ve been quite impressed and curious to see what direction the notoriously guarded songwriter will take which, in this case, seems to be somewhat more of an album of rock songs painted with his trademark dark restraint. Check out this song from the album, “Peace on the Rise” & the accompanying video.

Chad VanGaalen – Peace On The Rise

The rise of bands like Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings sort of renews my faith in the general ear of humanity. Makes me think that in the past 50 years or so since the birth of soul, that part of us that’s seduced by a knock-out voice over the perfect combination of bass and horns never went away. Maybe it just needed to be waked up. Well wake up baby, because the alarm is going off, and it’s the smoky voice of Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears.

This week they released a new video for “Livin’ In The Jungle,” and after the audible buzz floating around SXSW about these guys (though shamefully I never caught them myself, though I knew someone who thought them good enough to see twice), I’m just hoping I’m still a “late-comer” and not yet to “band-wagoner” status. They’ve announced some tour dates, as well, (some with that very Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings) and I’ll be front and center to see them at Bonnaroo on June 11th and again at the Hi-Tone June 23. It’s on the calendar. In pen.

Now: swish your booty.

::: TOUR DATES — Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears :::
5/16 – Madison, WI – Capitol Theater*
5/17 – Minneapolis, MN – State Theater*
5/18 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Theater*
5/29 – Quincy, WA – The Gorge (Sasquatch! Music Festival)
6/4 – Houston, TX – Free Press Summer Fest
6/11 – Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo Music Festival
6/12 – Hoboken, NJ – Maxwell’s
6/12 – New York, NY – Madison Square Park (Big Apple Barbecue Block Party)
6/16 – St. Louis, MO – Off Broadway
6/17 – Columbia, MO – Mojo’s
6/23 – Memphis, TN – Hi-Tone Café
6/24 – Louisville, KY – Iriquois Ampphitheater
6/25 – Indianapolis, IN – The Lawn at White River State
6/26 – Columbus, OH – LC Pavilion
7/2 – Portland, OR – McCall Waterfront Park
7/3 – Portland, OR – McCall Waterfront Park
7/16 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival
8/6 – Philadelphia, PA – Theater of Living Arts
9/10 – Bowling Green, OH – Black Swamp Arts Festival

_{*with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings}

::: AUDIO: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears – Livin’ In The Jungle :::

Sleepy Rebels is exactly what I needed to soundtrack my Saturday afternoon: light, uncomplicated acoustic pop that is simultaneously anything but light and uncomplicated.

This is a three-piece that masquerades as a 75-piece, playing a laundry list of instruments (including an ocarina!), and making liberal use of the syncopated hand-clap where necessary. Perfect example: “Unbelievable.” The video for the single premiered yesterday, and they’ll unleash their sophomore full-length Yellow Tree on the world this Tuesday.

The video is directed by Christian Loubek — you might remember his work from the opening credits of Six Feet Under — and it’s the classic tale of what happens when a few handsome men randomly fall out of the sky by parachute into a village full of virile young women. And of course, we can’t forget the old people who laugh at the ensuing girl fight and (naturally) clap their hands.

Check out the “Unbelievable” video here. You can order your copy of Yellow Tree at SleepyRebels.com.

Undoubtedly one of the hottest new records in my regular rotation comes from New York City electronic dance pop masters Holy Ghost! whose self-titled full-length is out now on DFA Records. This tasty remix, courtesy of Eli Escobar, is a fetching piece of down-and-dirty disco. Having recently completed a series of dates with Cut/Copy, they’re playing select dates in Europe (including an appearance at the Primavera Sound Festival in Madrid) before returning to the U.S. to appear at Camp Bisco, Hard Summer Music Festival in LA and the Identity Fetival’s stop in San Francisco.

Holy Ghost! – Say My Name (Eli Escobar Remix) by EliEscobar

::: Holy Ghost! May 2011 Tour Dates :::

MONDAY 09 MAY 2011
Friendly Fires and
Heaven
London, UK

SATURDAY 14 MAY 2011
with Adam Kesher
La Flèche d’or
Paris, France

MONDAY 16 MAY 2011
Mascotte
Zürich, Switzerland

TUESDAY 17 MAY 2011
Pratersauna
Vienna, Austria

WEDNESDAY 18 MAY 2011
Rote Sonne
Munich, Germany

SATURDAY 21 MAY 2011
The Pink Floyd Sound and Holy Ghost!
with Shadow Danc, Shadow Dancer, and 1 more…
Paard Van Troje
The Hague, Netherlands

SUNDAY 22 MAY 2011
Twin Shadow and Holy Ghost!
with Esben and the Witch and Fastlane Candies
Botanique
Brussels, Belgium

TUESDAY 24 MAY 2011
The Ruby Lounge
Manchester, UK

WEDNESDAY 25 MAY 2011
Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen
London, UK