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New War On Drugs video: Holding On

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Video: The War On Drugs – “Holding On”

From A Deeper Understanding, due August 25 on Atlantic.

So what happens when an indie band signs with a major label? They get to make a big budget video starring Deputy Commissioner Ervin Burrell from “The Wire.” It’s a song about how you can’t go home again (or can you?), and the video is well acted and perfectly directed and touching as hell. There’s hope and sadness and nostalgia and friendship and longing, which fits just right with the music.

When you talk about the past
What are we talking of?
Did I let go too fast?
Was I holding on too long?

It’s a great video and well worth however much money that Atlantic spent on it.

War On Drugs: web, twitter, fb, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

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New Carl Barat video: Burning Cars

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Video: Carl Barat & The Jackals – “Burning Cars”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A52Ealej7dk

When we first interviewed Carl Barat with Dirty Pretty Things in 2006, his first foray outside of The Libertines, he told us that he liked the idea of being in a gang. It was an idea that fellow Libertine Gary Powell also referenced and probably led him to join Barat in the new jam.

Fast forward eleven years and Dirty Pretty Things is no more, The Libertines are back to being a functional band, and Carlos seems to finally have his gang with side project The Jackals. The video for “Burning Cars” finds Barat and pals playing at being hooligans drinking, fighting and burning…well, not cars but pallets. There’s only so much budget.

From the Harder They Fall, out now on PledgeMusic.

Carl Barat: web, twitter, fb, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

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New Iron and Wine video: Call It Dreaming

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Video: Iron & Wine – “Call It Dreaming”

From Beast Epic, due August 25 on Sub Pop.

Do you miss the old Iron & Wine? When it was pretty much just Sam Beam and a guitar? Before he got all into world music or whatever the hell he’s been doing for the past ten years? You’re in luck! Beam says, “I feel there’s a certain kinship between this new collection of songs and my earliest material.”

Well, this new song isn’t as stripped down as The Creek Drank the Cradle but it’s closer to Our Endless Numbered Days than anything since then. And that’s a good direction. With optimistic lyrics and acoustic instrumentation, it’s easily the best Iron & Wine song I’ve heard in a decade. Plus, I’m a sucker for the sentiment of reminding folks to let your loved ones know you care about them before they die.

And we get a chance to say
Before we ease away
For all the love you’ve left behind,
You can have mine

Iron and Wine: web, twitter, fb, amazon, apple, spotify, wiki.

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New Regrettes video: Seashore

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Video: The Regrettes – “Seashore”

From Feel Your Feelings, Fool! out now on Warner Bros. Records.

The kids are alright. The Regrettes range in age from 16 to 20 and they’re not taking any of your shit. “Seashore” is an anthem for young folks who are exhausted by the condescension of grownups. And I believe singer Lydia Night when she deadpans, “I’ll still kick your ass even in my skirt.” So watch out, fellow old people: the Regrettes have officially put us on notice.

You’re talkin’ to me like a child
Hey I’ve got news, I’m not a little girl
And no I won’t give you a little twirl.
You’re talkin’ to me like I’m sad
Hey I’ve got news, I’m not doin’ too bad
Even though sometimes I might get real mad.

Sock it to the MAN! I think I have a new favorite band.

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New Milk Teddy video: Rock ‘n’ Roll Cretin

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Video: Milk Teddy – “Rock ‘n’ Roll Cretin”

From Time Catches up with Milk Teddy, out August 11 on Lost and Lonesome.

I’ve been following the Lost and Lonesome Recording Co. since the days of my beloved Lucksmiths. They’ve consistently put out well-crafted, charming Australian indie pop. Milk Teddy is no exception. “This one’s for the working rockers / You’ve been working too much.” After a couple of minutes of what you’d expect, they veer off into a bit of an instrumental freakout. Which is not what you’d expect, so good for them!

Milk Teddy: fb, soundcloud, amazon, apple, spotify.

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New Torres Video: Skim

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Video: TORRES – “Skim”

This song is cool and the video is creepy. Mackenzie Scott is hanging out in your Aunt Phyllis’ house (complete with pool table and intercom!) and getting groped by disembodied arms while she walks around playing the guitar. Eventually she gets down with Ruth Bader Ginsburg and another, more scantily clad hottie. The guitar tone is paranoid and the lyrics are evocative: “There’s no unlit corner of the room I’m in.”

The “Skim” single is out now on 4AD.

TORRES: web, twitter, fb, amazon, apple, wiki.

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New Strypes video: Behind Closed Doors

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Video: The Strypes – “Behind Closed Doors”

From Spitting Image, due June 16 on Virgin/EMI/UMG.

These Irish kids had a song called “What a Shame” back in 2013 that I really loved. It was a cautionary tale of a young band who got manipulated by their record company into making all kinds of bad decisions to try to sell more albums.

This new one is a little less garage rock and a little more power pop new wave. Still good though!

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New Liam Gallagher video: Wall Of Glass

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Video: Liam Gallagher – “Wall Of Glass”

I am an unapologetic fan of Oasis. I like a little attitude in my rock and roll and the Gallagher brothers deliver that by the truckload. Noel’s clearly the funnier of the two (and funnier than pretty much everyone), but the younger Liam wins on pure shit-eating grin attitude. His stance alone tells you all you need to know about him, and it’s that trademark posture that takes center stage in the new video, “Wall of Glass” for his debut solo track.

Because he’s Liam Fucking Gallagher, there’s no need for a plot or a narrative in this stylized video full of blinking lights, seedy hotel lobbies and a hall of mirrors. What does it mean? Nothing! The director knows what he has to work with and just sets our kid up in different situations in which to be snotty. And let’s be clear: he delivers.

More importantly, this is the best track Liam Gallagher has released since “The Shock of the Lightning” from Oasis’ final album, Dig Out your Soul in 2008. There were a number of tracks I liked from Liam’s first venture out sans The Chief, Beady Eye, but this track has the right combo of hooks and instrumentation to cut through the noise that makes for a great Gallagher Bros. track.

“Wall Of Glass” is the first track to preview his forthcoming album As You Were, due in October on Parlophone/Warner Brothers.

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The Kills cover Rihanna

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Video: The Kills – “Desperado” (Rihanna Cover)

From the Echo Home – Non-Electric EP, out June 2 on Domino Records with a limited edition 10” vinyl release due August 18.

Let’s count the number of acoustic covers of hip hop songs that don’t suck. Zero? Sounds about right.

Remember downloading the Gourd’s version of “Gin and Juice” in the earliest days of filesharing? We all got a good chuckle out of that one. Jonathan Coulton made “Baby Got Back” sound like a John Denver outtake. But the worst of this genre is Dynamite Hack’s “Boyz In The Hood”. There’s always a sense of “ha ha ha aren’t we cute? aren’t we funny? get it? because we’re not gangster at all!” which ends up kind of gross. Or maybe I’m a humorless grump.

Acoustic covers of pop songs, on the other hand, can strip away the glossy production to reveal the solid bones of the songwriting underneath. I still like Travis’ earnest cover of “Baby One More Time” which made me realize how sad that song really is (“my loneliness is killing me”).

This Rihanna cover is somewhere in between. It’s not jokey at all, but it doesn’t really shed any additional light on the original. It sounds cool, and Alison Mosshart’s voice is smoky and menacing as ever. Which is good enough for an acoustic b-side.

The Kills: web, twitter, fb, amazon, wiki.

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