Well, that was another terrible Saturday Night Live episode last night. Sigh… Aside from the bits from criminally underutilized host Zach Galifianakis, and to a lesser degree Vampire Weekend, this was a serious letdown. Even VW didn’t bring anything new to their growing late-night performance repertoire. The performed Contra tracks sounded almost indentical to their punky, yet fastiduious original recordings.
Galifianakis introduced the quartet with a funny Hoobastank gaffe/joke and then our Issue #30 cover subjects delighted the live audience. Almost two years ago they graced the same stage and this time the indie-pop group seemed more confident as they performed two tunes from the recently released Contra. First up was the frantic debut single “Cousins” and the song #2 slot went to a string-laden “Giving Up the Gun.” “Gun” also featured SNL’s house band as backup singers. The Billboard #1 band did pretty well for themselves. Sadly, you can’t say the same for the very unfunny SNL cast. Watch both VW clips right here. Contra is out via XL.
Joanna Newsom is truly a unique artist and Friday night she sang to a much larger audience on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. She performed a piano-led, slightly abridged version of “Soft As Chalk” for the studio audience. The rollicking track is off her new triple album, Have One On Me.
Of course, she was nothing less than brilliant. Dressed in red and accompanied by a jazzy ensemble, Newsom gave an immaculate, captivating performance. Make sure to check it out above. Hey, Fallon sure loved it! Newsom begins her world tour in Grand Rapids, MI on March 12th.
Summer Camp: “Ghost Train” Video
Check out the brand new vid from one of the most promising indie-pop groups: London’s Summer Camp. It’s a washed out clip for a sunny track. The video syncs up the music to Last Summer (1969), starring Richard Thomas.
Today, Pecknold uploaded to his YouTube page a heartfelt, and stripped-down acoustic cover of “On a Good Day.” It’s a lovelorn tune and the shortest song on Newsom’s epic new triple LP Have One on Me. Beautiful stuff. I hope this is a preview of a live duet to come. Watch the clip above.
The Fresh & Onlys
“Diamond in the Dark” MP3 / “Vanishing Cream” Video
Mar 05, 2010
First off, these San Francisco dudes truly rocked their supporting slot at the Foreign Born show at this year’s Noise Pop Festival. The Fresh & Onlys even got the crowd dancing to their Mekons-influenced rock tunes. The brand new EP, August In My Mind, is out now through Captured Tracks, and the distortion-heavy “Diamond in the Dark” is its opening track. Enjoy the swampy thump on this one.
Also, check out their psychedelic new video for “Vanishing Cream” below. (Via P4k.tv.) The Fresh & Onlys just extended their spring tour. too. The “Vanishing Cream” 7-inch is out on Plastic Spoons. The band’s currently working on a third LP, produced by Tim Green. That will be released via In the Red in the fall.
It’s sorta funny when David Letterman calls Spoon a “fine young band” but anyone that watches the show semi-regularly will notice he says that for just about any band CBS books for his late-night slot.
Last night, said fine young band played “Got Nuffin” for the veteran comedian’s rapt audience. The rough and ragged Transference cut “Got Nuffin” gets pretty tense here. Well done drumming too. You can watch the YouTube video to the left.. Check Spoon’s tour dates here.
Annuals
“Loxtep” MP3
Mar 05, 2010
Here’s, “Loxtep,” the opening cut from Annuals’ forthcoming Sweet Sister EP. The Raleigh, NC indie-rock sextet get a little tropical on us after the sound of a freight elevator signals the beginning of the song/release. (And yes, the title of the track is a cute play on words of the phrase “lock step.”) Sweet Sister drops March 30th via Banter. Watch out for tour dates coming soon.
Cults
“Go Outside” MP3
Mar 05, 2010
The bio information for Cults is naturally slim, but that only adds to their appeal. “Go Outside” is an excellent ear worm of the first order. It’s taken from a recent 7-inch you can download at their site. All the elements are in place for an blog hit: a wobbly, glockenspiel-led melody; sun-kissed vocals; and lyrics about wanting to play in the fresh air even when you’re deep under the covers of a snug bed. (Oh, and there’s also that spooky sample of Peoples Temple founder Jim Jones to underscore the group’s stage name.)
First off, these San Francisco dudes truly rocked their supporting slot at the 
Here’s, “Loxtep,” the opening cut from 
The bio information for 
