Peaches’ pansexual aesthetic still has the capacity to gross people out but on her latest electroclash album, I Feel Cream, she seems more interested in making them dance their butts off. The balloon animal fetishists in this Frederic D-directed clip for Peaches’ “More” are pretty harmless, but if you have little kids, it’s probably best not to let them watch. They might turn into a weird clown with a strange fondness for rubber animals. Uhhh, yeah, maybe Peaches is still pretty weird. I Feel Cream is now out on XL and Peaches will be interviewed in the Summer ‘09 Issue of Under the Radar.
The Lonely Island’s hilarious late-night television premiere of “I’m On a Boat” tied a nice ribbon on the comedy troupe’s quick ascension in popularity, since it was Jimmy Fallon that got the trio their first stable writing gigs on Saturday Night Live. Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg’s performed the nautical jam sans T-Pain (he just had a a kid) but The Roots filled in admirably on auto-tuned vocals and back-up band duties. I’ve noticed that the best nights of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon happen to be when Fallon has his fellow SNL alum in the studio. (Yes, I’ve been watching despite the horrible reviews.) He seems much more composed and not quick to sprint to the next punchline when BFFs like Tina Fey and The Lonely Island stop by for a chat. As for “I’m On a Boat”? As Samberg says, “This is the story of three guys who went on one magical adventure and one idiot who did not not.” The song’s so riddled with expletives that the producers had to Whack-A-Mole with the bleep button. The trio were joined by a group of scantily clad dance girls, a blowup dolphin, and a man with a boat on his head. “I’m on a Boat” is taken from Incredibad, the troupe’s debut album, which includes the dorm room classics like “Dick in a Box” and “Jizz in My Pants.” The Lonely Island are interviewed in the current Spring 2009 issue of Under the Radar.
The Shins
“Double Bubble” (New Track, Live at Hollywood Palladium) Video
As we reported last week, Shins frontman James Mercer announced a lineup sea change, saying that the new lineup alligned more with his desire for the next Shins record being more percussive and rhythmic. “Double Bubble,” a new song the band performed in L.A. this week, points towards that direction. It’s not as limp-wristed as the snore-inducing back half of Wincing the Night Away and actually sort of aggressive without the keyboards. Well, agressive for The Shins anyhow. A new LP is expected in 2010 via Mercer’s Aural Apothecary label. [Stereogum]
Animal Collective
“Summertime Clothes” (Live on David Letterman) Video
When it was announced earlier this week that Animal Collective were slated to appear on Letterman this Thursday, I was sure they going to bust out the always-tasty aural treat “My Girls.” It won’t freak out the Letterman crowd too much since its the trio’s most accessible song to date. Instead the New York kings of indie dove into the dense waters of upcoming single “Summertime Clothes.” Like it’s been noted before, it’s great that a band like Animal Collective got this gig. Props go out to their publicists. There are some dancing amoeba men/women in the background and in the foreground of that Day-Glo bombast, the gear table is lit up like a flying saucer. You got to love seizure-inducing light displays. Animal Collective’s still revelatory Merriweather Post Pavillion is out now via Domino, or as Letterman puts it: “look for it in the wallpaper department of your favorite store.” AC was one of our Detection artists in our Winter 2009 issue.
There’s an old saying around the Under the Radar HQ: “If it sounds like Grandaddy then it must be Grandaddy. Well, that or Jason Lytle.” Former Grandaddy frontman Jason Lytle’s new album, Yours Truly, The Commuter is coming down your fast lane May 19th, via Anti-. The title track is floating around the interwebs but here’s the video for “I Am Lost (and the Moment Cannot Last).” Makes you want to listen to The Sophtware Slump on your Disman, don’t it? There’s a great orbital atmosphere to this cut even if it’s over before it begins. An unpictured Lytle sings to a group of smalltown diner patrons bathed in the glow of the afternoon sun. What’s going on with the guy out in the parking lot? Nobody seems to care or maybe they’re lost? I bet the creepy guy staring you down at the end of the video knows. For more unsolved mysteries read our Self-Portrait feature on Mr. Lytle in the current Spring 2009 issue of Under the Radar. (via MBV)
God Help the Girl
“Come Monday Night” MP3
May 07, 2009
The material for the 2010 film God Help the Girl started rattling inside Stuart Murdoch’s mind while Belle &Sebastian toured for 2003’s Dear Catastrophe Waitress. Murdoch explained the new music/film project’s genesis story on the official God Help the Girl site earlier this year: “I was out for a run and I got this tune in my head and it occurred to me that it wasn’t a Belle & Sebastian song. I could hear female voices and strings, I could hear the whole thing, but I just couldn’t envisage myself singing it with the group.” Though Murdoch claims these new songs have very little to do with Belle, you can certainly hear the iconic Glaswegian band’s indie-pop stamp in God Help the Girl’s first single, “Come Monday Night” (out May 11th on Matador). The polished single’s music video recalls ‘60s girl groups and the quieter moments nestled into your favorite Hollywood musicals. Catherine Ireton’s voice is the clear powerhouse here. Karen Carpenter anyone? Likewise, she appears on most of the forthcoming soundtrack’s cuts. Unfortunately, the acting during the Gentle Ben-watching intro scene reminds you a little too much of college films. Small quibbles though, since these are singers first and foremost. It’s interesting the ladies are watching Gentle Ben because “Come Monday Night” has the kind of lived-in ethos that a cozy book/TV series about a boy and his bear would possess.
And boy is the singing phenomenal. God Help the Girl also features vocals by Asya, lead singer of the Seattle teenage indie band Smoosh, and Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy. A competition (shown here in this earlier clip) helped Murdoch choose the some of the other female voices that join Murdoch and various Belle & Sebastian alum. Murduch asked hopeful singers to add their own vocals to the demo recordings of Belle & Sebastian’s “Funny Little Frog” and “The Psychiatrist Is In” and post their results on the iMeem social networking site. This attracted roughly 400 entries. The contest victors included Brittany Stallings and Dina Bankole, as well as Celia Garcia and Alex Klobouk. The God Help the Girl soundtrack will be released in the U.S. on June 23rd (Matador) and on the 22nd in Europe (Rough Trade).
Holy mustachioed backup band Batman! Jenny Lewis and the dudes trailblaze through through Acid Tongue‘s ‘70s rocker “See Fernando.” The 2008 cut gets a slightly more locomotive tempo as the band throws in some furious solos. Lewis definitely seems like she’s having a ball up there with her main squeeze, Johnathan Rice, singing backup. The band’s website announced last week that Jenny and Co. is hitting the road for a quick burst of tour dates (May 27 to June 9). Ms. Lewis had a cover feature in Under the Radar‘s Fall 2008 issue.
Everybody’s favorite dance-rock quartet visited the late night show circuit this week. The arty Scotsmen flounced through Tonight‘s huge single, “No You Girls,” because as Dave quips, “if it was tomorrow night they wouldn’t be here.” There was a Detection feature on Franz Ferdinand in the Winter 2009 issue of Under the Radar.
