In a world where the size of album cover art continues to slide smaller with each new format, I salute Beck in his efforts to have a little fun with what visual space is left. Next week's release of his new Interscope CD, The Information, comes as a do-it-yourself project with a set of stickers and a blank cover as your workspace. Four different artists designed unique sticker sets, making each self-personalized cover a special little snowflake of love. Other goodies include homemade videos for every song, and the video for the first single, "Cell Phone's Dead," directed in black and white by the amazing Michel Gondry.
Talk about dance fever! Oil up your shimmy, don a fez, and get ready to swing, shag, and sweat with the lucha libre hooded kings of surf, as Los Straightjackets have teamed with the World Famous Pontani Sisters (and Kaiser George) to whip this obese nation into shape one hip gyration at a time. No cynics are allowed in next Tuesday's release of Twist Party, a deliciously fun romp of 13 original new "twist" classics and three covers. From the infectious "Twistin' Gorilla" - which could have been slipped into any corny Elvis movie - to the groove of "All Back to Drac's," the Yep Rock Records release is like admission to a secret dance-party roadhouse, just down the bend from the B-52's "Love Shack" where Otis Day & the Knights open for Booker T. and the MG's every Saturday night. The Pontani Sisters are serious about the health benefits of being a twister hipster, as the accompanying DVD features the aerobic Go-Go Robics in action.
Television Alert:
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno welcomes Diana Krall tonight, Amos Lee on Thursday, Snow Patrol on Friday, John Mayer on Monday, and Jet on Tuesday; Late Night with Conan O'Brien boasts The Wreckers this evening overnight, Evanescence on Monday overnight, and The Decemberists on Tuesday overnight; and The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson hosts M. Ward on Thursday overnight and Starsailor on Friday overnight.
New Releases Coming Tuesday, October 3:
... and like the winds, young grasshopper, are subject to change.
Thavius Beck - Thru (Mush) with guests Mia Doi Todd and Saul Williams
Kath Bloom - Finally (Chapter Music) includes "Come Here," featured in the film Before Sunrise
Brazil - The Philosophy of Velocity (Immortal) six-piece collective from Muncie, Indiana, produced by Dave Fridman
The Break-Up - original motion picture soundtrack (Lakeshore) featuring Social Distortion, Johnny Nash, and - dig this - Telly Savalas asking "Who Loves You Baby"
Brothers & Sisters - Brothers & Sisters (Calla Lily) easy-beat sunshine jangle-rock from Texas; highway cruisin' with the top down in the same lane as Cracker, Meat Puppets, the Mamas & the Papas, and the Rolling Stones' "Far Away Eyes"
Lindsey Buckingham - Under the Skin (Reprise) long-anticipated return of the Fleetwood Mac guitarist, touring nationally starting October 6
Cities - Variations (Yep Roc) CD EP of eight songs tweaked and knob-twisted by Ladytron, Free the Robots, Fog, CasheFlowe, and the group's remix-contest winner, Mike Westbrook
Elvis Costello & the Imposters - Club Date: Live in Memphis (Eagle Vision) Blu-ray DVD
Dan the Automator - "Don't Hate the Player" (Decon) 12-inch single featuring E-40 and San Quinn
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife (Capitol)
Delerium - Nuages du Monde (Nettwerk) with guests the Mediaeval Baebes, Punjabi singer Kiran Ahluwalia, and Zoe Johnston of Faithless
Destroy All Humans! 2 - original video game soundtrack (Lakeshore) with exclusive new music from The Greenhornes and The Redwalls
The DFA - Remixes: Chapter Two (Astralwerks) putting their spin on tracks by Junior Senior, Nine Inch Nails, Hot Chip, Tiga, Goldfrapp, Unkle, and more, with exclusive tracks split between the eight-song CD and five-song 12-inch vinyl LP
Don't Die Cindy - Most Imperfect Skies (Cake) arty, pop theatrics from Florida that deftly craft sad emo melodies and punchy, indie-prog gyrations, begging the question: Can a Rush fan paint his nails black?
Evanescence - The Open Door (Wind-Up) with former Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo
The David Grisman Bluegrass Experience - DGBX (Acoustic Disc) smokin' bluegrass featuring the freight-train boogie of the Monroe brothers' "I'm Rollin' on" and the band's own theme song for public radio's Car Talk program, "Dawggy Mountain Breakdown"
David Grisman Quintet - Dawg's Groove (Acoustic Disc) celebrating 30 years, with an homage to the late Vassar Clements in "Blues for Vassar"
Hawerchuk - "Four Messengers" (Planet Mu) 12-inch single using spoken-word samples of horror icon Christopher Lee
Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 - Olé Tarantula (Yep Roc) surrounded by members of R.E.M. and the Minus 5, with guests Kimberly Rew, Ian McLagan of The Faces, and Chris Ballew of the Presidents of the United States
Jade Warrior - Floating World, Waves, Kites, and Way of the Sun (Eclectic) remastered CD reissues in beautiful slipcases
Jet - Shine on (Atlantic) featuring the single "Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is"
The Killers - Sam's Town (Island/Def Jam)
The Kooks - Inside in/Inside out (Astralwerks) domestic issue of this big UK hit, featuring an exclusive song and the video for "Eddie's Gun"
Sean Lennon - Friendly Fire (Capitol) with guests Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto, Jon Brion, and Bijou Phillips
Mad Tea Party - Big Top Soda Pop (Mad Tea Party) driven by Ami Worthen's sly vocals and gypsy ukulele, this is cool retro flapper jazz for indie rockers, featuring a wild interpretation of an 1874 poem by Arthur O'Shaughnessy
Mastodon - Blood Mountain (Relapse) limited-edition colored-vinyl LP edition in a special gatefold sleeve
Mercury Rev - Stillness Breathes: 1991-2006 (V2) two-CD anthology packed with Peel Sessions, remixes and crazy covers
Cale Parks - Illuminated Manuscript (Polyvinyl) sweet home-studio DIY effort from the writer and poet, using odd found instruments and noisemakers
Pillar - The Reckoning (Flicker) also available in a deluxe edition with a bonus DVD
Pixies - Live at the Paradise in Boston (Eagle Vision) DVD with bonus footage from 1986
Planes Mistaken for Stars - Mercy (Abacus) closed-fist, whiplash assault from Colorado, featuring beautiful CD cover art by Chris Taylor
The Protector - original motion picture soundtrack (Bulletproof) score by RZA
The Slats - Boom Patrol (Latest Flame) bratty, herky-jerky trio emulsified with Devo convulsions and new-wave sauciness
Spady - The Long Way Around & Other Short Stories (Post Script) long-time-coming debut from Spady Brannan, a seasoned Nashville session player and producer who's written songs for Roy Orbison, Kenny Rogers, and Trisha Yearwood
Spitalfield - Better Than Knowing Where You Are (Victory) pensive emo-pop from Chicago that alternates between breathy pause and paranoid roar
The Stranglers - Suite XVI (EMI) all new and import-only
Subtle - For Hero: For Fool (Lex) new from Adam Drucker of cLOUDED and the Anticon collective
various artists - Chrome Children (Stones Throw) featuring new exclusive tracks from artists on the label's roster, working in conjunction with the animators of Adult Swim
various artists - We'll Inherit the Earth: A Tribute To the Replacements (1234 Go Records) with cover contributions from The Urchin, Against Me!, The Queers, Blotto, Hi Ho Six Shooter, and 18 others
