I was absolutely that girl in high school that thought Courtney Love was the perfect grunge goddess, and while I was excited about the recent news of the Hole reunion, a tiny bit of worry sunk in that it would be a in cohesive money grab. Worried for nothing, Courtney Love released her newest single “You Know My Name” yesterday and it’s catchy, raw, melodic; everything you’d want in a Hole song. With an anthemic punk sound that is still all Courtney, she turns her voice on a dime from whispery cooing to unabashed perfect screaming. Full of edge yet carefully produced, it’s got me ayi-yi-yi-yi-yi-ying all over the place. Listen to “You Know My Name” here:
Iggy Azalea drops her album The New Classic today, and from the first listen it sounds like she’ll be the Queen of the summer. Born in Australia, she moved to Miami at 16 to chase a rap career, got her chops honed working with the ever sexy T.I.and her Clueless-inspired video for “Fancy” with Charlie XCX has been playing every time I get in the car already. With her swaggery Missy Elliott cadences and appreciation for dancehall, Iggy brings something unique and good-weird to the table. Watch “Fancy” here, I only wish she had worn a white Calvin Klein dress for the party scene:
Penthouse Magazine published some of my photos in their piece on Puff, Pass and Paint for the May Issue, and I think it’s the best thing ever. It was quite an adventure trying to track it down, I went into every creepy gas station on Colfax, Barnes & Noble, and even waited outside erotic store Romantix for the second they opened like some total weirdo. Then there was the guy that dropped the women’s bodybuilding magazine when I walked up on him at Wal-Mart (they don’t carry Penthouse). It’s easier to find nudie mags in the woods!
New music to listen to this week- the sun is shining, spring has arrived, and I’m really feeling sunny, dreamy songs with the occasional dance beat to get down to. Here are some of my favorite songs that have been released recently that you should check out:
Yann Tiersen “A Midsummer Evening”- Toy instruments mix with acoustic to create a warped, gorgeous song complete with angelic backing vocals. Psychedelic church.
Medeski, Martin and Wood + Nels Cline “Bonjour Bese”- mixing wild spacey reverb noise with the heavy hitting sounds of MMW is a dream come true. If you don’t like dissonant noise fast forward three minutes (but really you should embrace the noise, it’s beautiful). Exclusively at Esquire here: http://www.esquire.com/blogs/culture/mmw_nels_cline
Alpha Consumer “Ms Positron”- taking cues from 80’s art rock and adding mega fuzzy guitar riffs and catchy hooks, this Minneapolis group has collaborated with everyone from Andrew Bird to Brother Ali and are releasing their new album April 15th.
Thee Oh Sees “The Lens”- yet another awesome track from the upcoming release. Monty Python-esque psychedelic videos that are done well are always a treat.
Allah-Las “Had It All”- california psych pop with a delicate touch and throwback as hell
Chain and the Gang “Devitalize”- some of my favorite garage rock that doesn’t take itself so seriously. Plus, I’m a sucker for really bratty vocals.
Horse Thief “Little Dust”- psych tinged roots rock from Oklahoma City with theatrical fascinating Cameron Neal’s quirky pretty vocals taking the lead.
Driving Mrs. Satan “Hells Bells”- when I got an email about this band and saw “acoustic heavy metal” I put it on thinking I would get a laugh. Instead, I found they have beautiful arrangements, gorgeous vocals, and I like it better than the original.
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