Your Grandpa’s New EP

Right before people die, they usually say their goodbyes to the people they love. But now some British folks might have one last wish: “turn me into a record, please.”For £2,000, you can ensure that your ashes will be sprinkled into the vinyl, according to Consequence of Sound. A record…

Dirty Projectors, “Stillness Is The Move” (Lucky Dragons remix)

Song: Dirty Projectors, “Stillness Is The Move” (Lucky Dragons remix) Context: Brooklyn-based indie/art rock ensemble Dirty Projectors announced yesterday that they’re re-releasing an “deluxe edition” of their breakthrough 2009 LP Bitte Orca later this month. In addition to the original album, the guaranteed money-maker two-disc set will also feature the…

Jenny & Johnny: I’m Having Fun Now

August just refuses — in any ungodly way possible — to go away. We’re cursed with 31 days of the month, and today, the last and final day of this mess, just had to fall on a Tuesday. What does that mean? Another ho-hum batch of new releases, this time…

Sonny and the Sunsets: Tomorrow Is Alright

Artist: Sonny and the SunsetsTitle: Tomorrow Is AlrightRelease date: August 31Label: Fat PossumFrom the Best Coast school of stoner pop comes Sonny and the Sunsets, a California band with a pop sound so casual that it feels almost tossed off. The beauty in Sonny and the Sunsets’ music is its…

Album Tacos For Everyone

What happens when delicious Mexican food meets the album cover of Billy Joel’s 1980 album Glass Houses? Hilarity. Such is the case for Album Tacos, a fantastic new Tumblr that popped up on the radar this weekend. Rocket science, this ain’t, but it yields some very funny and innovative results…

Sex Robots, “Jet Awesome”

ong: Sex Robots, “Jet Awesome” Context: While its neato-keen that the eggheads of science have created machines that can play chess, kick a soccer ball, or maintain national defense, there’s undoubtedly and certain segment of the population (read: shut-ins) that are eagerly anticipating the day when fully-functional erotic automatons will…

A Music Video That Takes Place Where You Grew Up

My head just exploded. JamBase has provided the hookup for Arcade Fire’s new interactive music video for “We Used To Wait” from their album The Suburbs.Arcade Fire shows the world what can be done with HTML5: you can write a postcard to yourself, simultaneously view multiple shots in different pop-up…

“Porirua Gurls”

Song: “Porirua Gurls”Context: In the wake of the “Arizona Gurls” video I went searching for the world’s most ridiculous parody of Katy Perry’s song. This one, named for a suburb of New Zealand’s capital and made by a radio station there, takes the cake. The references are totally incomprehensible, and…

Bob Dylan’s Ticketless Warfield Show Finds Underwhelming Support

America’s favorite old man/recording artist Bob Dylan tried to stick it to the man this past Wednesday night at San Francisco’s Warfield Theater.The 69-year-old folk legend decided he was going to rebel against Ticketmaster and surplus ticket charges and nix issuing tickets to his show altogether.It’s a noble experiment in…

NASA Wants You to Pick Out Music Used to Wake Up Astronauts

NASA has found a way to integrate the general public into their upcoming STS-133 mission.As NME reports, the task at hand is to decide what music should be used to wake up the astronauts while in orbit.Currently, there is a list of 40 potential songs that could be used as…

Ra Ra Riot: The Orchard

Artist: Ra Ra RiotTitle: The OrchardRelease date: August 24Label: BarsukIf you like Vampire Weekend, you’ll probably like Ra Ra Riot, a prim-and-proper chamber pop band that sounds more suited to a country club function than a night out at the rock club. These guys are vaguely danceable and indebted to…

Weezer’s Hurley as More Corporate Branding?

It was bad enough when Weezer felt the need to insert Best Buy into their incredibly overplayed radio hit “I Want You To.” Now it seems that their record Hurley, scheduled to be released on Sept. 14, may not be a direct reference to the Lost character played by Jorge…

The Maine, The Tubes, and More in This Week’s Issue

This week’s music feature is on The Maine’s rise to success, all the way from the networks of MySpace to their major label signing and $38 keepsake albums. Their adaptability has allowed them to chart and headline. And it doesn’t look like the power-pop force is gonna be on the…

The Philistines Jr., “The Bus Stop Song”

Song: The Philistines Jr., “The Bus Stop Song” Context: The Philistines Jr., a project from Peter Katis, the producer who makes The National and Interpol sound like they do (or at least how they did at their peaks) has a new record coming out in October — the first in…

Shape-Shifting with The Tubes

Somewhere, down deep inside each one of us, a Tubes song is playing. Possibly it’s “White Punks on Dope” or it might be “What Do You Want from Life.” Unfortunately, it is probably “She’s a Beauty.” The pre-punk, post-glitter rock of this bright band with its long, sparkly roots here…