new bon iver

Here’s the new track “Calgary” from Bon Iver’s upcoming eponymous album due on June 21. The first couple seconds seriously gave off the vibe like you’re about to hear a cover of Foreigner’s “I Want To Know What Love Is,” until Bon Iver’s trademark falsetto kicks in and you get an idea of how much the band has expanded its sound.

New Junior Boys!

Electropop duo Junior Boys recently posted their latest track “Banana Ripple” to their website to herald the release of their next album It’s All True due on June 14, 2011.  “Banana Ripple” is uptempo and danceable, clocks in with a lengthy 9:15 runtime yet hooks you right from the start.  I loved 2006’s So This is Goodbye, but this is a welcome contrast to Junior Boys’ previous works, which were rewarding if you were patient enough.

Enter the Geek Zodiac

GeekTyrant has come up with a Geek Zodiac, a new twist on an old Chinese restaurant standby.  It’s got all the potential for disappointment of its Chinese counterpart, as you get your hopes up at being something awesome like a dragon only to find out you’re a goat.

Smooth Y Funky

Super 8 film has a warm and fuzzy appearance to it.  Toro Y Moi’s track “Still Sound” gets me feeling warm and fuzzy inside.  This track is currently on repeat.

Hesher trailer is a winner

If a trailer’s job is to make someone want to see the movie it’s advertising, they’re doing an excellent job at failing these days.  Maybe that’s why Hesher’s trailer has my attention, or maybe it’s because it once again proves Metallica and vans (the automobiles, not the shoes) are a winning combination.  Selling Hesher to audiences based on its highly-marketable actors seems easy.  I imagine getting people interested in a slice-of-life movie about a widower, his 13-year-old son and their heavy-metal housemate, is not.  Hesher doesn’t look like it’s for everyone, and it could easily turn out to be another in a long list of movies whose trailer was more entertaining than the actual product.  But for the time being, the trailer’s mix of small-scale pyrotechnics, random destruction and a Wes Anderson-like sense of gloom really makes me want to see Hesher.

Shameless yet Courageous

When I first saw the title I thought it was some sort of ethnic version of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, but it actually just turned out to be some guy showing off his cunning thesaural skills.

Super Bowl Shuffle This Is Not

You don’t have to be a sports fan to recognize this song is TOTAL CHEESE.  From the looks of it, the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team got together and made an inspirational song and video for the 1990 World Cup and this was the result.  Nothing says teamwork like playing soccer on the beach without shirts while showing off their mullets and/or hairy chests, not to mention having an O.J. Simpson cameo!  Suffice to say, things didn’t work out so well for the Americans.  They finished 23rd out of 24 teams in the tournament.  Go U.S. Soccer!

Help, I need to find this person

via thescottbishop‘s Twitter

Planting Seeds

Touring in support of its recently-released album Seeds, Hey Rosetta! stopped by Schubas in Chicago on Feb. 25.  The band’s set featured tracks from each of its three LPs, including blaring anthems like Yer Spring, A Thousand Suns and Red Heart to softer pieces like Bandages and We Made A Pact.  Many of Hey Rosetta’s tracks start soft and build to a rousing, satisfying finish.  They throw in some curveballs to that formula, though, whether it’s jamming at the end of There’s An Arc, the multi-faceted drum solo on Seeds or covering Cyndi Lauper.

Birthdays according to Jon Lajoie

Comedian Jon Lajoie provides one of the most detailed and ultimately inappropriate birthday songs ever.  Anyone have a birthday coming up?