LAU NAU

The Nordic countries have a reputation for generating the most interesting alternative music bands. Iceland was the first to gain attention, with the off-kilter but haunting music of Björk, and then, of course, there was Sigur Rós.

Lately, Sweden has been getting a lot of attention: from the experimental sounds of Wildbirds and Peacedrums, to the melancholic pop of El Perro del Mar and Lykke Li, altfolk fans like myself have been eager for more.

[sidenote: it is very difficult to find a map of the scandinavian peninsula that is not overtly phallic. ok, back to the music...]



Perhaps now it's Finland's time to shine: I recently stumbled upon the music of Lau Nau who hails from Kemiö Island. Ruususuu was the first track I heard from her new album, Nukkuu, and I was hooked immediately - dissonance and harmonies entertwining, all over the tones of a staid piano. Check her out on Myspace, or visit her gorgeous website: haamu.com/launau/.

CHICKEN

So I don't like chicken, for the most part. The only chicken products I enjoy are the following: (1) chicken fingers with honey mustard dipping sauce, (2) General Tsao's chicken (again... battered, deep-fried, and slathered with sauce), and (3) occasionally chicken sausage (but why not just use regular pork sausage?) or a perfectly seasoned, perfectly cooked roast chicken (and only sometimes). I like other fowl: turkey, duck, and even quail. But chicken... to me one word describes the taste of chicken: "veins."

So I can't identify with Nas and Busta about their love for fried chicken (or with the metaphor they use to describe their love), but this song cracks me up. It's worth hearing the dirty version, now available at okayplayer.

...AND SPEAKING OF L.A. BANDS...

...Sure, they won't be winning any beauty contests anytime soon...


But Abe Vigoda, these four kids from L.A., have a pretty cool sound. Check out their myspace page for big fun summer music. They're on tour with No Age (L.A.) and High Places (B.K.) right now, stopping in DC at The Rock and Roll Hotel on the 8th.

...I mean, really... those pictures make me want to send them money. Are they okay?

HEALTH

Only half awake, so must think in bullet points:

• ...am pretty excited about the existence of HEALTH.
• ...am only so-so excited about the new remix album.
• ...want the shirt pictured to the left.
• ...think this Pitchfork review is HILARIOUS, esp this part:

Which brings us to this remix album that feels like an argument: HEALTH's discography is here to mend those leftover rifty, provincial scenes where the guitar dorks and electro goobers still get aesthetically territorial at each others' keggers. Just a couple of weeks ago, I saw opener the Death Set put a crowd of (to safely generalize) dance-kids awaiting a Bonde Do Role and Villains card on edge by screaming "Come on, you motherfuckers, this is a punk rock show!" While, yup, the Death Set remix dance tracks and all, their own stuff is hooky hardcore, in some ways a better bridge from Death From Above 1979 into MSTRKRFT than that, ugh, DFA1979 remix album (plus all them groups are/were kinda dickish on stage). What I'm trying to say is that the overtly dancefloor DISCO/DISCO+ is a whole other thing from HEALTH's previous output, and yet, it works.

HEALTH ran so lean that you wanted to offer it some smoked gouda and cherry pop, so one might expect a rework-roster of blog-friendly artisans to supply the cheese and, well, coke.

I would never offer anyone smoked gouda and cherry pop. That's just gross.

SIGUR RóS

Gobbledigook!

Euy mechink Sigur Rós ghifntz plurk albumish noumbertz fiife! Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust erst mausak "electro" claust natz machnickingnecht... Furdhi hurdie naudischtlutrk. Mmm bort bort bort!!!

STRAIGHT PUNCH TO THE CROTCH

No, seriously. Don't let the Unicorns on the album cover fool you - the band Straight Punch to the Crotch is neither adolescent-angry pop nor Barney-esque children's car tunes. Their album "We Are Star Children" is worth a listen - it's upbeat, inventive and yes, even a little silly.

Look below for some memorable tracks!

MP3: Through the Night
MP3: Sushi Conquistador

COSMOPOLITAN

Lady D here, with a playlist ready for your listening pleasure.  Thanks to finetune, internet radio is even better: while sites like Pandora serve up streaming music based on genre and musical likeness, finetune allows you to build your own playlists. This one is for a mellow evening, or perhaps a quiet day at work.

GEORGE CARLIN

He's right. He will never die.

Jerry Seinfeld on Carlin's style: "His performing voice, even laced with profanity, always sounded as if he were trying to amuse a child. It was like the naughtiest, most fun grown-up you ever met was reading you a bedtime story." (link) (And here's another on his love of language)

EMMYLOU

"Luxury Liner"

At the end of her concert tonight at the Charlottesville Pavillion, Emmylou Harris brought her dogs out on the stage and encouraged everyone to adopt one of their own.

It was that kind of night.

For a superstar, she's believably down-to-earth, and it seemed so appropriate that we should be sitting on the grass on a cool June evening with fireflies. I think that's what I like best about Emmylou: her great generous, thankful spirit. She played an epic set, gave credit to her band when it was due (which was often---they were great), covered Gillian Welch with reverence, talked about Gram, and was just so durn humble the whole night.

And she has collaborated with just about everyone with a bit of twang in their sound, including Beck.

Oh... and did I mention that she went to my high school? Crazy.

OH YOU TWO...

So this is the blog to go with the show that still is not a reality...

...yet...

But I thought I'd get things started since there's so much fun to share between now and then.

Like this documentary of the Belgian group Soulwax, which looks awesome, and it comes out on DVD in August.

So very.