Monday Music Roundup
While not as insanely hilarious as ThingsMyBoyfriendSays.com, this site fills that same voyeuristic niche of eavesdropping into the (unintentionally funny) things people say with no regard for who is listening. OverheardinNewYork.com solicits contributions from New Yorkers with good ears, and the result is a site that I regularly lose track of time on:
Hobo: Go shorty, it’s your birthday…
Drunk black woman, joining in: Yeah! Go, go!
Hobo: Shorty, it’s your shorty…
Drunk black woman: You singing it wrong. It’s, ‘We gonna party like it’s your birthday.’
Passerby gives hobo two dollars.
Drunk black woman: You need to give me half of that, I helped you out with the words.
–Overheard on E train
14-year-old girl: I had like eight shots of vodka, and I didn’t get drunk or anything. I just couldn’t feel my face.
–Overheard in Forest Hills
Tight jeans #1: It’s like the only way to be a punk these days is to be a Republican.
Tight jeans #2: I know.
–Overheard on 2nd Ave, between 7th & 8th St
Dude, I’m so punk rock. Finally. Here’s some handpicked freshness for the new week:
Feel Like Taking You Home Now
Brendan Benson
A new tune off Brendan’s MySpace, this one definitely has a darker, more driving edge than some of his past sunny alternative pop. Perhaps all that time with Jack White is taking its toll. I do like this song, especially once the drum builds and it turns into a gloomy rocker. It’s from his untitled forthcoming solo album, and in the meantime Brendan’s also on the new Stooges record singing back up on a song called “Free and Freaky.” For some other new song samples from Brendan, thanks to So Much Silence for pointing me here.
Weapon of Choice
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
San Francisco’s Black Rebel Motorcycle Club‘s third album Howl was a catchy, loose, bluesy-Americana treat in 2005. This sonic sample from their new album Baby 81 (due May 1) is definitely fuzzier and anthemic, although it also still has the tambourine that I love. It’s a trend I’m noticing more lately, a gravitation away from the young and bluesy sloppiness and into the more produced, larger sound. It will be interesting to see what the album as a whole is like. There’s one more sample song, 666 Conducer, streaming on their site and BRMC recently announced a tour with The Killers.
The Now
Mouthful of Bees
Having a mouthful of bees is pretty much my worst nightmare. Maybe an earful of bees. Whereas I can handle spiders completely without cringing, and once fearlessly killed a scorpion in El Salvador (okay, I had, because he was in my hostel room and no way we were sleeping together), something about bees literally gives me the cold shivers and a primal panic in my gut.
All that to say that I like this song despite the band name — kind of a David Byrne fronting a surf-music-trio vibe. Extremely fresh. Mouthful of Bees is from Minneapolis, and this song is from their 2007 album The End, out now on Afternoon Records.
Maybe We Should Fall In Love 
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers
Here’s the first official mp3 released from the Roger Clyne camp for his new album No More Beautiful World, due out March 20. This one has an acoustic Mexican-seashore feel that’s a little more relaxed, similar to the reworkings of songs on the Four Unlike Before EP last year. It’s fun; it doesn’t grab me as unyieldingly as some of the cuts off Americano! but I still like it. Clyne is, of course, relentlessly touring as usual — starting in the homelands of AZ and CO, then up and down the West Coast in April, and from there . . . everywhere. An excellent show.
Brianstorm
Arctic Monkeys
And finally we have a (non-radio-rip) mp3 of the new tune from Arctic Monkeys off their forthcoming album Favourite Worst Nightmare. It appears to be about someone named Brian who gets top marks for not trying and is apparently both smooth and wet, but other than that I can’t translate much. It is, however, relentless from the opening notes and catchy as all get out. I’d expect nothing less from these fresh-faced NME wunderkinds. The much ballyhooed followup to their 2006 album Whatever People Say I Am . . . is due out April 24th on Domino Records, and they just announced a North American tour which, unfortunately, skips the Rocky Mountains completely. Boo to that, but yay to this song. If it doesn’t make you dance a bit this Monday morning, then you clearly need some more coffee.
Name: Heather Browne
you made my day with that link to those brendan benson tunes.
c — March 12, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
It’s always nice to hear some new BRMC. (By the way, “Howl” was their third record – not second).
daniel — March 12, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
BRMC and Arctic Monkeys? Going to be a good spring.
Anonymous — March 12, 2007 @ 8:08 pm
Awesome Brendan Benson tune. Sweet!!!
Eric — March 12, 2007 @ 8:55 pm
That Overheard in New York site is awesome! I like this one:
Mother: You have to cut her chicken fingers up. I gave her a whole one the other day and she almost choked to death.
Father: I like for her to learn to take bites.
Mother: She’s not ready.
Two-year-old daughter: I’m not ready, Dad.
Kristy — March 12, 2007 @ 8:57 pm
Noted, daniel. My counting abilities were impeded this morning.
And Kris, I laughed at that one too.
heather — March 12, 2007 @ 9:13 pm
I’ve been listening to the Arctic Moneys and BRMC as well, they’re both promosing records.
Would love to catch the Killers/BRMC tour.
F.J. Delgado — March 12, 2007 @ 9:25 pm
Thanks for the shout out to Overheard in New York. As a New Yorker, the humor hits on multiple levels. I get totally lost in the site and am keeping my ears tuned so I can report my own contributions…
Cheers
Bill
Oxypoet — March 13, 2007 @ 5:42 am
Top marks with these songs! Thanks for puttin’ em’ up!!
Cheers,
A new Dylan post about the 1966 over at the “115th Dream”…
http://doctormooney.blogspot.com
Doctor Mooney — March 13, 2007 @ 7:59 am
I’ve been laughing out loud at Overheard In New York for the last half hour.
Tourist: What’s that entrance right over there… Where it says, ‘Exit’?
Little boy: Mom, how did the dinosaurs cook their meat?
Mother: They didn’t, they ate it raw.
Little boy: Oh. [Long pause.] Are Japanese people dinosaurs?
Lauren — March 15, 2007 @ 11:18 am
This one wins.
Guy: I have a confession to make.
Girl: Can’t you make it to me after the movie?
Guy: I can’t help it, but I took a picture of your butthole last night while you were dozing.
Girl: You what?!
Obese lady in front row: Would you queers shut the fuck up?! I’m trying to watch this shit!
Anonymous — March 15, 2007 @ 11:25 am
Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers are on tour! Check out thier show in your area!
04/27 Allston, MA
04/28 New York, NY
04/30 Toronto, Canada
05/01 Cleveland, OH
05/03 Detroit, MI
05/04 Chicago, IL
05/05 Minneapolis, MN
05/06 Urbandale, IA
05/07 Brookings, SD
05/09 St Louis + In-Store!, MO
05/10 Kansas City, MO
05/11 Ft Collins, CO
05/12 Colorado Springs, CO
05/19 Puerto Penasco, Mexico
10/20 Rocky Point, Mexico
Their new double album NO MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD is out now! And it comes with a full length DVD. Pick it up at http://www.peacetimegoods.com for only $13 bucks!
sandpaperhearts — April 26, 2007 @ 11:12 pm
Catch BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB on tour! http://www.ticketmaster.com/arti…6799? brand=none for tickets!
Their new album BABY 81 is in stores now! Pick it up at Newbury Comics for only $10 bucks!
http://www.newburycomics.com/rel…upc=103- 107318N
May 5 2007 Marquee Theatre Phoenix, AZ
May 6 2007 House Of Blues San Diego, CA
May 8 2007 The Wiltern Los Angeles, CA
May 9 2007 The Filmore San Francisco, CA
May 11 2007 Roseland Theatre Portland, OR
May 12 2007 Richard’s On Richards Vancouver, BC
May 13 2007 The Showbox Seattle, WA
May 15 2007 The Big Easy Boise, Idaho
May 16 2007 In The Venue Salt Lake City, Utah
May 17 2007 Gothic Theatre Denver, Colorado
May 18 2007 Sokol Underground Omaha, NB
May 19 2007 Granada Theatre Lawrence, KS
May 20 2007 The Pageant St. Louis, Missouri
May 22 2007 First Avenue Minneapolis, MN
May 23 2007 The Rave Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 24 2007 Vic Theatre Chicago, Illinois
May 25 2007 St. Andrews Hall Detroit, MI
May 26 2007 Kool Haus Toronto, ONT, Ontario
May 28 2007 LaTulipe Montreal, Quebec
May 29 2007 Avalon Boston, Massachusetts
May 31 2007 Webster Hall New York, NY
Jun 1 2007 Theatre of the Living Arts Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Jun 2 2007 9:30 Club, Washington DC
Jun 4 2007 Newport Music Hall Columbus, OH
Jun 5 2007 The Music Mill Indianapolis, IN
Jun 6 2007 City Hall Nashville, Tennessee
Jun 7 2007 Roxy Theatre Atlanta, Georgia
Jun 9 2007 Culture Room Fort Lauderdale, FL
Jun 10 2007 The Social Orlando, Florida
Jun 12 2007 Zydeco Birmingham, Alabama
Jun 13 2007 The Republic New Orleans, LA
Jun 14 2007 Meridian Houston, Texas
Jun 15 2007 La Zona Rosa Austin, Texas
Jun 16 2007 House of Blues Dallas, Texas
Jun 17 2007 Diamond Ballroom Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Jun 19 2007 University Theatre Las Vegas, Nevada
sandpaperhearts — May 2, 2007 @ 3:47 pm