The Ear Hole

Diane Birch

Man, I've been digging on this chick for a few weeks now and it keeps getting better. 

Stop being so good, Diane. You're threatening my manhood. 

Also, I like your eyes. Nice work. 

Beautiful songwriting, lush melodies and a tight band. Starting to sound like Norah Jones with some indie grit. 

Dig it:

Nothing But a Miracle

buy it

Michael Jackson Dies at 50

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Michael Jackson has died of cardiac arrest at the age of 50. 

A moment of silence. 

And a fond look back at the good stuff...

Dancing Machine

Mama's Pearl

Never Can Say Goodbye

And Speak Low's dirty, fonky cover of Thriller:

Thriller

R.I.P, M.J.

Tuesday Grab Bag

OK, I take it back. The new Wilco is alright. Those who have streamed it will agree that Wilco (The Album) sounds a hell of a lot better as a package than what the individual leaked tracks had suggested.

That said, a couple more á la carte items:

Wilco - You And I (with Leslie Feist)

Everlasting

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On to the new Rhett Miller. Rolling Stone gave his latest solo effort four stars, calling it his best yet. I don't know about that, but it's definitely more ballsy than his first two. The Instigator and The Believer were poppy and radio-hopeful, and that's sort of what we've come to expect from his solo projects: a softer, more melodic side to his Old 97s' grittier-but-still-not-that-gritty sound. Sounds like Rhett tried to bridge that gap with this one, and the arrangements are headier than anything he's put out to date — either on his own or with his day-job band. Loyal fans might not call it his best, but it's definitely his most interesting set. And for you purists yearning for "Terrible Vision"-era Rhett, this is as close it gets on this record:

Rhett Miller - Another Girlfriend

buy it

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Orgone - Come Around

buy it

Diane Birch - Fire Escape

Diane Birch - Rise Up

buy it

The Dirtbombs - Do You See My Love (For You Growing)

buy it

New Wilco...blah (so far)

Haven't heard the whole thing yet...holding out for the real thing. 

Of the three tunes I've heard, though, I'm not going to say I don't LIKE  it...but I can't say I love it.

But I've had that first impression with other Tweedy records (let's face it: it's Tweedy, not Wilco) that turned out to be fantastic. 

So we'll see what happens.

Anyway, to single out a couple studio tracks...why the hell is everyone so horny on "Wilco (the song)"? I'll throw on AM if I want to hear that brand of Wilco. 

"One Wing"  is a bit closer to what I had envisioned for this record...but still not living up to my expectations.

Dig 'em both:

Wilco (The Song)

One Wing

Bonus:

Always and forever my favorite Wilco joint...

Pieholden Suite

Sound off...

Oh, by now you of course know they're streaming the whole damn thing right here:

http://beta.wilcoworld.net/records/thealbum/index.php

Flight of the Flula

Just in time for season two of Flight of the Conchords, dig German DJ Flula Borg's three-man rendition of "Hiphopopotamus vs. Rhymenoceros":

That's Flula's submission to the Flight of the Conchords Lip Dub contest. The vid will air on HBO if he takes the cake. So, if you're into it, pass this shit along to your peeps and make for Flula some very friendly ratings and commentings. He's currently hovering atop the leader board, so your bump may actually mean something. We do it!

Flula Borg - Dirk41 

Flula Borg - RoachBug 

Flula Borg - Kuhchen 

More f|u|a tunes and news on his Myspace page.

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Bonus

The Hood Internet - Superbowl Jesus (Kanye West + 1985 Chicago Bears vs Wilco) 

"Girl Talk's Hot Cousin"...

...or so the Super Mash Bros. describe their sound. Couldn't have said it better myself.

I've been waiting for something to pry me out of blog hibernation. Does the fact that it was a mash-up novelty act discredit me? Yes. But whatever, these guys are sick. 

New album in the works for a late-February release, according to their site. In the meantime, I doubt I'll tire of their debut, Fuck Bitches. Get Euros. 

Fiddy, M.J., Tenacious D, Jefferson Starship, Lenny Kravitz, Mariah Carey, Limp Bizkit, Coldplay, Eminem, A-Ha, The Beastie Boys, Modest Mouse, The Spice Girls and Sugar Ray have never made a better a tandem. 

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Super Mash Bros. - Monsieur Fischel, La Tour Eiffel 

Super Mash Bros. - I'm An Adler Girl 

Super Mash Bros. - Deuteronomy Blunts 

Get Fuck Bitches. Get Euros....fo' free.

Moore Emphasis on the Riff

As we sit in painful anticipation of Street Sweeper, Stanton Moore dropped us some waiting-room muzak a couple months ago. 

Actually it's pretty damn good, even if Emphasis! (on Parenthesis)*—much like his past solo effort—does sound a bit like a Robert Walter record. 

But the hard-hitting drummer found himself a fitting formula on Emphasis. Keyboardist Walter and guitarist Will Bernard (T.J. Kirk) accompany, the latter injecting a six-string riff-rock attack not heard on any of Moore's previous solo efforts. Nawlins funk, Zep rock and Garage-a-Trois jazz...with a smudge of curried hip-hop, as heard on "Wissions (of Vu)"

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Stanton Moore — Wissions (Of Vu)

Stanton Moore — (Who Ate The) Layer Cake?

Stanton Moore — (Late Night At The) Maple Leaf

Stanton Moore — (Proper) Gander

Robert Walter — Cure All

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Buy Emphasis! (On Parenthesis)

Buy Cure All

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But back to Streetsweeper. Word is the Moore, Tom Morello, Boots Riley joint is recorded and being mixed. No release date, but I'm guessing winter '08/'09.

A look at this savage in action. This gets filthy a little less than halfway through. Wait for the cowbell beat:

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Bonus:

Andrew Bird — Heretics (Early Version)

* plural = parentheses, Stanton. Learn it. 

Urges

The hype is real, folks. My Morning Jacket took a giant step with Evil Urges. Purists will say otherwise, but for my money, Urges is MMJ at its best. The band proves with these 14 tracks that you can go poppy and catchy without compromising a tried and true formula rooted in experimentation. 

In other words, it's no Sky Blue Sky. More like a Blood Sugar Sex Magic.

The tempos are ramped up, the beats souled up and the guitars cranked up, with the MMJ-brand hooks and melodies plenty recognizable beneath it all. Case in point:

My Morning Jacket - Highly Suspicious

If you haven't already, be sure to check out the Black Cab Sessions version of "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream Pt. 2".

Buy Evil Urges

Also be sure to check out Current Fix's Extended Play later today for a full half hour of MMJ-related pods. Also airing on Current TV at 7 pm PT. Here's where you can find it:

+ DirecTV:  366
+ Comcast:  107
+ Dish Network:  196
+ Time Warner:  Digital basic
+ AT+T Uverse:  189

Say It Loud

Big ups to the UK's Record Kicks for giving us Iowa City's Diplomats Of Solid Sound. The Diplomats have a similar formula to their labelmates—and Ear Hole favorites—the New Mastersounds, but maybe with a little more grit. Hard drums, J.B.'s horn lines and nimble rhythm guitars bedrock these smart funk compositions, many topped with the golden female throats (c'mon, Google hits!) of the Diplomettes. Say it loud: I'm Iowan and proud.

Diplomats of Solid Sound - B_a_b_y

Diplomats of Solid Sound - Plenty Nasty

Diplomats of Solid Sound - Soul Connection

Get the rest

Rewind

Speaking of Ear Hole favorites, let's take a moment to rediscover Ubiquity's Rewind 5, shall we? Some cool remakes of classics by The Sylvers, Led Zeppelin and Burt Bacharach:

The Rebirth - Handle It

Nuspirit Helsinki - No Quarter

El Michels Affair - Walk On By

Get the rest

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Currently on Current

Do yourself a favor and bookmark the Daily Fix, The First Music Blog on TV. From breaking artists to live performances to on-the-pulse industry news, the show covers some really cool shit. Best of all, it does so in quick, 3- to 4-minute pods you can digest while your boss waddles toward the shitter. Definitely worth a daily check-in. I mean, it's like a blog that you don't even have to read. 

As long as you're over there, you may as well take in Current's intimate look at the Air Guitar Championship, featuring the indestructible Ricky Stinkfinger. 

"It's like being a mime, but not as stupid."

Heavy Rhyme, No Reason

Can you detect the theme this morning? 

There isn't one. Just take them, pet them and love them. Rufus is watching you.

The Raconteurs -These Stones Will Shout

Buy Consolers Of The Lonely

Rufus Thomas - Walking The Dog (Live)

Buy Live In Porretta

Wilco - Pieholden Suite

Buy Summerteeth

The Brand New Heavies - Soul Flower (feat. Pharcyde)

Buy Heavy Rhyme Experience