LCD Soundystem - This Is Happening

LCD Soundystem's third album finally has a title and artwork.  It's called This Is Happening.

LOST - Richard Alpert

This week on LOST, we took a break from peering into flash-sideways of a parallel universe, and we finally got the backstory for Richard Alpert, the ageless dude who's been on The Island for over a century and has been a guide of sorts, working for Jacob.

Very cool episode.  Gave us a self-contained story that also answered big questions and brought the series one step closer to the endgame.

Richard's life sure did suck back then.  He accidentally kills a doctor trying to get medicine for his ailing wife, only to find that he's too late to save her.  He gets thrown in prison and is about to be executed.  A priest refuses to even give him absolution of his sins, so he thinks he's about to go to Hell.  He gets a reprieve in the form of being sold into slavery, and his slave ship the Black Rock crashes onto The Island.  He has a bitch of a time trying to get out of his chains, and is scared shitless by the smoke monster, who makes him watch losing his wife a second time.

Eventually Richard is free and the smoke monster (now in human form) tells him to go kill Jacob, 'cause he's the devil, of course.  And if he does so, he'll get to see his wife again.  Richard gives it a shot, but his assassination attempt is a no-go.  Jacob doesn't just stand there and take it (like he will later with Ben).  He smacks Richard around a bit, dunks him in water (a baptism?), and then tells him his side of the story.

I've heard some people lament that the show is boiling down to a good vs. evil chess game between Jacob and the smoke monster.  I do hope it's not as simple as all that, as the show has tackled some interesting themes beyond that (science vs. faith, can you fuck with destiny), but I like what they're setting up here.

Jacob explains that The Island is a place where a great evil is contained.  Using a wine bottle to illustrate, the cork in the bottle is The Island, and the wine is all the evil mojo seething beneath it.  If the bottle was ever to be uncorked and the wine was spilled, well, that'd be a shitstorm.

So wow, I feel like I have a sufficient explanation as to what The Island is and why we should give a shit about which one of the Candidates is gonna be Jacob's successor.  I wasn't completely sure that was ever gonna happen.

There's no chance in hell that every question I've ever been curious about throughout LOST's six seasons is going to get answered, but I have faith that all the major ones will. 

By the way, the LOST recaps posted on Videogum are fucking hilarious.

Wolf Parade 3rd Album

More exciting upcoming album news!  According to prefix, Wolf Parade have finished recording their third album.  They recorded so much material that it might end up being a double album - or at least an album and an EP.  Tentative release date is June 29.

I went back to Wolf Parade's previous record, At Mount Zoomer, after being blown away by Dragonslayer, the latest from Spencer Krug's other band Sunset Rubdown.  I found I hadn't really given the album a proper chance - it's totally underrated.  

Also, I was surprised how much I loved the songs lead by Dan Boeckner.  For those of you who don't know, Wolf Parade have two vocalists - Spencer and Dan - and they basically trade off vocals from song to song.  Spencer and his yelpy vocals had been my favorite, but Dan and his raspy voice really shine on Zoomer.

Anyway, add this to the list of my eagerly anticipated new albums.

The Dead Weather - Sea of Cowards

Sea of Cowards, the second album from The Dead Weather, one of Jack White's many bands, is on its way.  The Dead Weather's debut album Horehound came out pretty much yesterday, so this is kind of a surprise.  But not really.  Whatever you wanna say about Jack White, the dude is incredibly prolific.  Likes to go into the studio and bang out an album in a week, or so I'm told.

But seriously, I'd be hard pressed to name anyone other than Bradford Cox (Deerhunter, Atlas Sound) and Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake, Moonface) who rivals White in releasing so much material across multiple bands. 

I never really listened to Horehound cover-to-cover, but I dig You "Treat Me Like Your Mother" and "Cut Like a Buffalo".  Much as I might like another White Stripes record, or even a Jack White solo record, I'm definitely down to listen to another Dead Weather effort.

Here's the tracklisting:

01) Blue Blood Blues
02) Hustle and Cuss
03) The Difference Between Us
04) I'm Mad
05) Die By the Drop
06) I Can't Hear You
07) Gasoline
08) No Horse
09) Looking at the Invisible Man
10) Jawbreaker
11) Old Mary

Sea of Cowards drops May 11.  Single "Die By the Drop" is out March 30.

Meanwhile, Jack White has recorded a song with Jay-Z!  Can't wait to heat that shit, damn.

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

Earlier today I heard that a 30-second clip of LCD Soundystem's new single "Drunk Girls" was out there, available for my listening pleasure.

Now I've been impatiently waiting to hear any new material from LCD's latest record, but I had no interest in this clip.  A song is the atom of music listening.  You can't split it any further.  One song can serve as a preview for an album, but preview a song?  No.

Anyway, lo and behold, a few hours later and the full song is unleashed on the Internet.

"Drunk Girls" is a fun, catchy party tune.  Very appropriately titled.  Anyone who says "Well, it's no Someone Great or All My Friends" is being silly.  Songs like that (or, at the very least, songs that capture different vibes) will follow on the full record.  This is a taste. 

Congratulations Streaming on NPR

For anyone who hasn't downloaded the leak of MGMT's new record "Congratulations", NPR is streaming it now.

Check it out here.

Best Coast - When I'm With You

Best Coast make perfect music for nice sunny days.  Very much looking forward to their debut album.

Mix 18 - Islands & Chasms

So I can't count, obviously. 

Btw, MGMT's "Congratulations" has leaked.

01) The xx - Islands
02) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Gold Lion
03) Atlas Sound - Recent Bedroom
04) MGMT - Congratulations
05) Animal Collective - I Think I Can
06) Yeasayer - Grizelda
07) Broken Bells - Citizen
08) Vampire Weekend - Giving Up the Gun
09) Deerhunter - Hazel St.
10) TV on the Radio - Shout Me Out
11) Radiohead - House of Cards
12) Spoon - I Saw the Light
13) The New Pornographers - Testament to Youth in Verse
14) of Montreal - She's a Rejecter
15) Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms

Mix 19 - Flash Phenomena

My latest mix starts off with two brand new tracks from MGMT and Neon Indian that dropped this week.

01) MGMT - Flash Delirium
02) Neon Indian - Paralysist
03) Yeasayer - I Remember
04) The xx - Crystalised
05) Spoon - Who Makes Your Money
06) The Shins - Turn a Square
07) Owen Pallett - Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
08) Micachu - Worst Bastard
09) Deerhunter - Saved By Old Times
10) The New Pornographers - Your Hands (Together)
11) Animal Collective - Peacebone
12) Wolf Parade - Fine Young Cannibals
13) TV on the Radio - Crying
14) of Montreal - Disconnect the Dots
15) Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Phenomena

Neon Indian - Sleep Paralysist

I've been listening to Neon Indian's debut album Psychic Chasms a bunch lately (in fact, I'm listening to it right now).  It's super chill, a bunch of synths, reminds me of old school video games, all good stuff.

I just discovered Psychic Chasms really, so I wasn't expecting new material from Neon Indian anytime soon, but lo and behold, we have a new track called "Sleep Paralysist".  It was co-produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor and is being released by...Mountain Dew?  Apparently the Dew has a record label called Green Label Sound.  Whatever, it's cool new music, I'm not gonna question it.

Download "Sleep Paralysist" here.  And Do the Dew.

Yeasayer - O.N.E. Video

Yeasayer just released a cheesy/awesome video for one of the best cuts off of their stellar new album Odd Blood, "O.N.E."  Check it out here.

MGMT - Flash Delirium

MGMT are offering their new tune "Flash Delirium", first cut off of their new album Congratulations, for free on their website. 

"Flash Delirium" has some Of Montreal style (not to mention bass), and the electronic backbeat reminds me of LCD Soundsystem's "Tribulations", but it all adds up to something undeniably new...and awesome.  Cue the flute solo!

Congratulations can't arrive fast enough.