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Oh boy am I excited! ALmost as excited as I am for the new Sufjan album (downloads below). Maybe even more! The Undisputed Heavyweights have a new website finally! Woohoo! Built by Schram Industries' design arm Schram Design with help on the initial conceptualization and infra-structure by the Petrol Club. Check it out at BetterThanElvis.com and let me know what you think. :)



Now, who decided to hire Stephen Colbert to speak at the White House Correspondents dinner? Who thought that was going to be a good idea? The speech was spectacularly ballsy and razorsharp. The President was sitting two seats next to him and plenty of eye contact was made. Watch it on YouTube (Via StereoGum):

Part 1 HERE
Part 2 HERE
Part 3 HERE

Read Jon Stewart's reaction and Stephen Colbert lookback HERE. Colbert made fun of his mixed reception at the dinner, re-running the tape of one of his jokes with the audience barely reacting. He described this as "very respectful silence," and said that actually the crowd loved him. "They practically carried me out on their shoulders," he said, "even though I wasn't ready to go."

Download of the Day
More new Sufjan! Via BV via StereoGum and Pitchfork
Sufjan Stevens - Dear Mr. Supercomputer (MP3)
Sufjan Stevens - The Hennybuggy Band (MP3)

More and more podcasty interview bloggy type of things keep popping up. Audiovant is easily one of the more interesting ones. Check out these entertaining exclusive interviews. They actually get Alec of CYHSY to say some stuff I haven't read about yet in the countless other interviews they've done. The Tapes boys are charming as always.

For the Tapes N Tapes interview click HERE

For the Alec of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah interview click HERE (picture by Jasper)



Sufjan Stevens is releasing a companion album to his brilliant and successful Illinois release. It will be titled The Avalanche: Outtakes and Extras from the Illinois Album and will features...well...what I just said. This is dangerous! How could stuff that didn't make the album I love so much really not be a dissappointment??? Scary! I have posted a the title track below. Still trying to decide it I like it or if it's a little dissappointing. (Picture via GvB)



More albums added to my iTunes.



Wu-Tang Clan - Forever (1997) :: Follow up to their classic debut Return To The 36 Chambers and it sounds a lot better than I remember. Wow! A double LP with not too much filler, very rare especially in hip hop. If you know and love the Wu there is not too much I can say about this album. It's very Wu. The beats are grimy and dark, filled with piano stabs and static. The rhymes are complicated and intense and often non sensical. Great album.

Sigur Ros - Svefn-G-Englar EP (1999) :: This EP was released after Ágætis Byrjun but before ( ) and consists of two songs from the former and two that do not appear elsewhere. Look at my keyboard skills as I type some of these titles Viðar Vel Til Loftárása, Nýja Lagið" and "Syndir Guðs. Whoa! that alone makes this EP worth the purchase. It's really quite stunning aside from that though. Ethereal, desolate, lonely, sad, intense, uplifting. The fact that I don't know what they are talking about makes it so that I can project whatever I am feeling and it works. Tonight I'll try it while cooking and I'll imagine them singing recipes.

Joy Division - The Complete BBC Sessions :: Turns out Ian Curtis, revered in indie rock all around, can't actually sing very well. This live registration is pretty awful. Just goes to show you that dying is GREAT for your indie cred.

Download of the Day
New Sufjan track off the upcoming companion piece to Illinois! Via the great GvB.
Sufjan Stevens - the Avalanche (MP3)

As I ventured through the snow in the East Village and thoroughly enjoyed the absence of cars and people combined with the illusion of the city being rather clean I saw a doggy jump up and down in a field of snow higher than his own body. I also saw a photographer taking pictures of the dog, and then when I got home a few hours later I found him again on the DrudgeReport's front page.



I'm not sure if anyone noticed but the Winter Olympics just started a few days ago. The Netherlands naturally won a bunch of medals already. People here seem to think we're a very cold and snowy country, commenting I must be used to 'this kind of stuff' (referring to the snowstorm). But no, we hardly get any snow anymore. And it's not that cold. It just rains a lot. Think London weather with mellow seasons (not too cold, not so warm). Our people are a little mellow too, but that is why it's great our queen's son (the to-be king) married an Argentinian girl, so we get some fire back in the culture. This is them cheering on our speedskaters while they win medals.



Not too many show coming up this week. Cross-Pollination is taking a week off, but of course the Heavyweights are preparing for a big night on Thursday. It marks not only Ms. K's triumphant return to NYC, her first time since last May, but also for our show at Southpaw where we'll share the stage with some pretty fantastic artists all in the country/bluegrass/folk field interestingly enough.

I have recently finally listened to Feist's album Let It Die. I was excited because I REALLY liked her song Mushaboom a lot. I was all in all pretty dissappointed in the album. Aside from Mushaboom there was one song I loved, Gatekeeper (see below for a remix), but other than that it was just a pretty voice meandering over music that wasn't that exciting or interesting however hard I tried. What a great looking CD though. Those two songs are REALLY great though. Recommended. I'll also include Brighteyes covering Mushaboom.



Download of the Day
Feist - Gatekeeper Remix (Mp3) Via ChildishGambino
Brighteyes ft Spleen - Mushaboom (Feist cover) (Mp3) Via BrooklynVegan
Sufjan Stevens - For The Widows In Paradise... (Mp3) Via CentralVillage
Regina Spektor - US Remix (Mp3) Via ChildishGambino

It's interesting how the body, the exterior, is influenced by the mind/heart and transforms to reflect the interior. My body completely fell apart in the last few days with fever, bad coughs, throat ache, clogged sinuses and headaches. Valiantly I managed to stay out til way too late last night with some good friends. Casey, Langs, Tom, Jeremy, and Chris all came out to see Derek play a show at Arlene's Grocery that was plagued by real crappy sound. I maybe should have stayed home, certainly hope I didn't make matters worse by catching an pneumonia. But sometimes it's just good to be among the people.

A mini mixtape of songs I have been playing a lot this week.

1. Death Cab For Cutie - What Sarah Said (MP3)
2. Morrissey - I Will See You In Far Off Places (MP3) Via SceneStars
3. Sufjan Stevens - Opie's Funeral Song (MP3) Via SceneStars
4. Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) (M4A)
5. Stars - Elevator Love Letter (MP3)

Death Cab's Plans has really grown on me recently. I thought it was pretty awful but now I listen to it a lot. Sometimes I judge too fast.

DVD's recently watched:



Both the Wilco and the Dandy Warhols/Brian Jonestown Massacre documentaries are interesting observations of people that are absolutely crazy. Mad genius types. The thing is, I don't think Wilco or the BJM actually make music to live up to their 'crazy genius' reputation.

Question: Why do I derive such a comforting feeling from rating movies on Netflix and songs in iTunes?

Download of the Day
New bootleg. Via UnderratedMagazine
The Undisputed Heavyweights - Mr. Murphy (MP3)

I think it's become pretty clear that I am a big fan of José González's music. A fresh new discovery of mine is Jens Lekman, another Swedish songster. I got pretty excited when I saw that Songs:Illinois was linking to an Italian blog called Lonoise and their post of 5 full length videos of Jens playing some beautiful music. Right click and save!



The cold swedish winter (38,1 MB)

Black cab (51,6 MB)


One of my heroes of comedy, probably my favorite stand up comedian ever, Richard Pryor, has quit smoking.



R.I.P. Richard Pryor

album listened to for the first time today:






Journey - Greatest Hits (live)
I had never heard a Journey song before listening to this album, aside from maybe unknowingly via radio, and really all that I associated with this band was that I think they get made fun of a lot, maybe for being cheesy? And yes it's definitely emotive in that early 80's kind of way, and therefor a little dated, but you know what? I actually enjoyed it. It made me sing along while making arena type of movements like pointing my finger into an imaginery crowd and moving it from the far left of my room to the very right. And that headbopping-to-the-beat-with-mouth-wide-open thing that I do so well. I mean how can you not with lyrics such as Someday love will find you, Break those chains that bind you, One night will remind you, How we touched, And went our separate ways... Fun album.

Lynyrd Skynyrd's Skynyrd's Innyrds (wow now say that a few times fast) is good, took me a few listens to get into. I like it less than Journey and would be less likely to play it but I still liked some of the songs a lot.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Blood Sugar Sex Magik's is of course a classic with some classic songs, but I felt it was a bit lengthy. Produced by Rick Rubin who recently produced the new Neil Diamond album.

Curtis Mayfield - The Very Best Of. I can't really say much more about this one excpt for the fact that it's brilliant soul and classic R&B. Must have.

Mariah Carey's album cover are usually a little naked-ish. Not too much, though perhaps a little much for the Saudi market. See below for some examples of 'slight changes to the aesthetic'.







Download of the Day:
Via In House with Jeremy Petersen.
The Decemberists - Sunshine (B-side) (MP3)
Sufjan Stevens - Variation On 'Commemorative Transfiguration & Communion at Magruder Park' (MP3)

Tonight I went to the Bowery Ballroom for the first time. What a great venue. Sizable but not at all seeming to hold 550 even though it easily did with plenty of walking room for a sold out show. So classy, such great sound. The show was a top 3 show (Ryan Adams solo/Brussels/2002 and Radiohead/2003/Landgraaf being the other two) in for me with an amazing wall of sound, a fun and beautifully dynamic show and inspiration as I arrived home very late and went directly to my guitar. Sufjan Stevens I salute you. The show was great with the 9 person band (!!) dressed up as cheerleaders and doing funny peprally cheers between songs. The use of dynamics was specifically very impressive and the joy that was coming from the stage into the crowd was so infectious. I enjoy his Illinois record now much more than before. I love how a great show can do that. I especially love Shara Worden's background vocals all over the album and show. Buy or check it out HERE. See below for a download off the album.



The opening acts were very entertaining though Smoosh, two little 11 and 13 year old sisters, managed to attract a certain pedophile demographic which creeped most of the audience out. The girls were quite good but there was this one guy in particular who was just real creepy. He was middle aged and singing along to all the words in the first row desperately trying to make eyecontact with one of the girls who obviously recognized him from another show. Turns out he was the first in line that night and he was also sighted at, and kicked out of, the Spin Magazine offices where Smoosh performed days earlier. Nora talked about it HERE.

Albums listened to Today:
Xploding Plastix - The Donca Matic Singalongs (Really cool electronic music from Norway!)
Carol Thomas - Demo
Frank Sinatra - The Best Of The Columbia Years 1943 - 1952 (disc 1)

Download of the Day
Sufjan Stevens - Chicago (MP3) Via CentralVillage
Sufjan Stevens - The Lord God Bird (exclusive NPR track) (MP3) Via BrooklynVegan

I have always really enjoyed long and/or weird band names. And song titles (see daily download). Here are a few of my favorites.

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead
Chin Up Chin Up
I Love You, But I've Chosen Darkness
Dead Girls Make Pretty Graves
The Radio Department
Preston School of Industry
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her, Kiss Her
It's OK, We're Chainsaws
and of course the best of all: The Undisputed Heavyweights ;)

Listen to a recent Damien Rice interview HERE.

Last night I went to a birthday party in the Upper West Side at Mr. Wagner's appartment. Tremendous bean dip, addictive baby brownies and very good wine brought by a guest. Those 2003 Melbac's are really quite exquisite. Close to my departure some very argumentative Non-Brooklyn folks tried to convince me of the fact that I, Brooklyn resident and L-train sufferer, was wrong and that the L train was in fact running all night through and every day and night of the year. They weren't quite open to any differing opinions from a daily user of the often not-running-at-all L train. Amusing.

Albums listened to in its entirety today:
Rich Russell - Shattered Thoughts (7.9/10, such charming lo-fi folk recordings from Texas via LES)
Jesse Harris - Mineral
Angie Stone - Stone Love
Beck - Guero (8.7)
DJ L & DJ Suss One - The Best of Timbaland (8.9/10)
The Corruptor Soundtrack (6/10)
Mos Def - The New Danger (7/10, could have been so much better with an actual focus)

Downloads of the Day:
Supermegaindiebuzz theme!
Athony & The Johnsons - Frankenstein (MP3) Via Songs:Illinois
Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back from the Dead!! Ahhhh! (MP3) Via SomeDepression