[playlist] Hump Day Power Play (5-9-2012)

Spirit Animal Mix

One of my favorite questions to ask random strangers is, "What's your spirit animal, and why?" I'm more interested in the "why", since it's always interesting to see how one personifies their chosen animal. In almost all cases, their animal is somehow wise (e.g., elephant, owl, lion, eagle). If one were to image search "spirit animal" in Google, you'd find awesome pictures like the one above. If one were to ask me, I'd probably tell you the wolf is my spirit animal. Why? Well according to this quiz, it's because I'm loyal, devoted, and passionate... At any rate, it turns out I also happen to like a lot of bands named after animals, so I figured putting my favorite of those bands into this week's Hump Day Power Play was only fitting.

Hear it by simply clicking here. Playlist is below.

:: Hump Day Power Play (5-9-2012) ::
01 :: "Sea Ghost" - The Unicorns
02 :: "Modern World" - Wolf Parade
03 :: "What The Stars Have Eaten" - Deadboy & The Elephantmen
04 :: "No One Does It Like You" - Department of Eagles
05 :: "Revival" - Deerhunter
06 :: "Melody Day" - Caribou
07 :: "Sing It Softly in a Sigh" - Halcyonaire
08 :: "Little Brother" - Grizzly Bear
09 :: "Mykonos" - Fleet Foxes
10 :: "All Fires" - Swan Lake
11 :: "You're a Wolf" - Sea Wolf
12 :: "Revolving Doors" - Gorillaz
13 :: "Qui Dorm, Només Somia" - Deerhoof
14 :: "505" - Arctic Monkeys

Get Spotify (if you don't already have it).

[new music] Gorillaz - The Fall

New music from Gorillaz

The Holidays have caused a backlog of posts, which I hope I can remedy very soon. The first order of business is to report on the Gorillaz's newest album, The Fall, which was recorded in 32 days while the band toured the US. Leading up to the album's Christmas day release, an Advent calendar was counting down the days throughout the month of December, offering up fun gifts from the band along the way.

Much to the delight of Steve Jobs, or quite possibly in a ploy to receive free Apple products for life, Damon Albarn & Co. recorded the entire album using an iPad. To hear the album right now, you can stream it (here) over at the Gorillaz site. For those of you who are part of the Gorillaz Fan Club, you can download a digital copy with liner notes. What I found most comical in the track credits was from track 15, "Seattle Yodel." The last song on The Fall was recorded in Seattle on November 2, and it features the Yodelling Pickle (see below for demonstration) from Archie McPhee, a novelty store every Seattleite is familiar with.

So all in all, The Fall is quite good. It features Albarn almost exclusively on vocals, which is a major plus for my tastes. There's much less hip hop influence, and quite a bit more electronic interludes between tracks. It's a very chill album for ideal atmospheric play. Check it out.

Stream :: Gorillaz - The Fall

[new album] Gorillaz - New Album to be released on X-Mas

Gorillaz to release another album!

Head over to the Gorillaz's site and you'll notice an Advent calendar, which is counting down the days until the release of a new LP on X-Mas day. According to P4K, the album was recorded on Damon Albarn's iPad while on tour in the US. And the news gets even better, since it appears the album will be available for FREE! So far, the Advent calendar has revealed cryptic polaroid scans, Plastic Beach music videos, Gorillaz-themed desktop wallpapers, etc.

Since the band has been on tour, I wonder if this album will be less of a collaboration as Plastic Beach and feature more of the vocals from Albarn as with The Good, The Bad, And The Queen. I guess we'll have to wait until December 25 to find out.

[video] Gorillaz cover the xx's "Crystalised"

Gorillaz v. the xx

When two of my favorite bands cross paths, the potential for something special increases. Watching Wolf Parade's Dan Boecker perform on stage with Spoon while singing "Modern World" is a fantastic example. And while this particular case isn't nearly as epic as the aforementioned junction, apparently Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz project made a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge appearance this past weekend, and among the songs showcased was a beautiful cover of the xx's "Crystalised." Also, special guest Daley helped to perform "Doncamatic" and an exclusive stripped back version of "On Melancholy Hill" (see below). Check out the rest at Some Kind Of Awesome!.

[concert] Gorillaz @ Key Arena! (11-2-2010)

Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour 2010

Just announced via P4K, it looks like the Gorillaz will finally be taking their show through Seattle. And what venue could possibly accommodate such a large, orchestrated production? Looks like only Key Arena can contain such an extravagant show. Other dates are posted below, but make sure you mark November 2 and 3 on your calendar if you happen to live in the Northwest. Gorillaz hit Seattle on November 2, and Vancouver, BC on November 3. Tickets go on sale to the general public on August 20, but if you're a member of the Gorillaz fan club (sign up here), you'll get early access to some good seats.

Gorillaz tour dates:
10-03 // Montreal, Quebec // Bell Centre
10-05 // Wallingford, CT // Oakdale Theatre
10-06 // Boston, MA // Agganis Arena
10-08 // New York, NY // Madison Square Garden
10-10 // Camden, NJ // Susquehanna Bank Center
10-11 // Fairfax, VA // Patriot Center
10-13 // Detroit, MI // Fox Theatre
10-14 // Toronto, Ontario // Air Canada Centre
10-16 // Chicago, IL // UIC Pavilion
10-17 // Minneapolis, MN // Target Center
10-19 // Houston, TX // Toyota Center
10-20 // Dallas, TX // Verizon Theatre
10-22 // Austin, TX // Frank Erwin Center
10-24 // Denver, CO // Wells Fargo Theatre
10-26 // Phoenix, AZ // Dodge Theatre
10-27 // Los Angeles, CA // Gibson Amphitheatre
10-30 // Oakland, CA // Oracle Arena
11-02 // Seattle, WA // Key Arena
11-03 // Vancouver, BC // Rogers Arena
11-11 // Dublin, Ireland // O2 Arena
11-12 // Manchester, England // Evening News Arena
11-14 // London, England // O2 Arena
11-15 // Amsterdam, Netherlands // Heineken Music Hall
11-17 // Birmingham, England // NIA
11-18 // Brighton, England // Centre
11-21 // Berlin, Germany // Velodrom
11-23 // Paris, France // Zenith
11-25 // Antwerp, Belgium // Lotto
12-06 // Perth, Australia // Burswood Dome
12-08 // Adelaide, Australia // Entertainment Centre
12-11 // Melbourne, Australia // Rod Laver
12-16 // Sydney, Australia // Entertainment Centre
12-19 // Brisbane, Australia // Entertainment Centre
12-21 // Auckland, New Zealand // Vector Arena

[new music] Gorillaz - Plastic Beach Streaming at NPR

Stream Plastic Beach at NPR

Head over to NPR and get your first take on Gorillaz's newest album Plastic Beach, which doesn't hit shelves until March 9. Thanks to NPR's First Listen, you can hear the album in its entirety over a week before its official release. Marking the first Gorillaz album in over 5 years, after first listen I'm happy to say it was well-worth the wait. I mean, you really can't go wrong with an introduction track narrated by Snoop Dog...

UPDATE: The music video for "Stylo" is now on YouTube (embedding is disabled). Watch it here.

Stream :: Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

[news] Gorillaz - Plastic Beach Release Date

Gorillaz set to release Plastic Beach on March 9

Apart from headlining Coachella this year (April 19), the Gorillaz have also announced that their much anticipated third album Plastic Beach will hit shelves this March. The album's first single, "Stylo" (which reminds me of the Bee Gees) will officially drop on January 26, but you can hear it now over at Plastic Beach HQ. The track listing looks pretty amazing when you take into account all the collaborations and featured artists who took part in the making of this album (don't forget Alan Moore). Of note, Mos Def, Snoop Dog, Lou Reed, Mick Jones & Paul Simonon (The Clash), De La Soul, the list goes on.

Plastic Beach track listing:

1. Orchestral Intro (ft. Sinfonia ViVA)
2. Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach (ft. Snoop Dogg and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
3. White Flag (ft. Kano, Bashy, and the National Orchestra for Arabic Music)
4. Rhinestone Eyes
5. Stylo (ft. Bobby Womack and Mos Def)
6. Superfast Jellyfish (ft. Gruff Rhys and De La Soul)
7. Empire Ants (ft. Little Dragon)
8. Glitter Freeze (ft. Mark E Smith)
9. Some Kind Of Nature (ft. Lou Reed)
10. On Melancholy Hill
11. Broken
12. Sweepstakes (ft. Mos Def and Hypnotic Brass Ensemble)
13. Plastic Beach (ft. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon)
14. To Binge (ft. Little Dragon)
15. Cloud of Unknowing (ft. Bobby Womack and Sinfonia ViVA)
16. Pirate Jet

[news] Gorillaz Collaborate With Alan Moore

How Does One Top Demon Days?

When Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett set out to create their cartoon creature band Gorillaz, the story and concept behind the characters was just as important as the music. On tour, the two masterminds behind the project created theatrical masterpieces for the lucky individuals in attendance. Almost like an opera, the band performed live behind a huge projected screen, with only their silhouettes visible to the crowd. Attendees not only got to hear the amazing songs played in the concert setting, they also watched a cartoon storyline unfold as the show progressed.

Fast forward to today - Albarn and Hewlett are back into the creative process working on the the band's third album, tentatively titled Plastic Beach. According to a Mustard Magazine interview, the dudes have enlisted the great Alan Moore to help with the concept of the story. Moore, best known as the author of Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and From Hell (to name a few), will receive in return of his services a contribution to his new bi-monthly magazine Dodgem Logic, which launches this month. Here's what Moore had to say:

[The Gorillaz] came down to Northampton last week because we’re planning for me to do the libretto on their next opera project. Being an opportunist, I of course asked them if they’d be prepared to contribute some pages to Dodgem Logic. Rather than just doing an interview with them, I thought it would be interesting to hand over a few pages for them to curate...

So far, the rumor mill has the release date for Plastic Beach in the second quarter of 2010. Already getting anxious to hear it.

Gorillaz: Bananaz Documentary Out Today

Bananaz released today

For those of you who love the Gorillaz, you'll especially need to check out this documentary that's fittingly entitled Bananaz. Directed by Ceri Levy, Bananaz is a great 90 minute movie that follows the Gorillaz's creators Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett (aka J-Weasel) from 2000 to 2006. You'll get a rare behind-the-scenes look at the band's conception, both from the animation side of the project and the recording process. Also, you'll finally get to see the faces behind the voices of the "band members" Murdoc, 2D, Noodle, and Russel Hobbs.

What I found most interesting was the excitment from Albarn and Hewlett over the band's novel concept. At the start, it wasn't clear how the public would accept a cartoon band. Bananaz really portrays the hardships and adversities of delving into experimental projects - let's face it, the idea was pretty wacky to begin with: cartoon characters in a band, each with very strange and unique orgins and backgrounds.

Check it out (here). A DVD of Bananaz will be released June 1, 2009.

Also set to drop hopefully some time this year is the Gorillaz third LP...