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The album's out now (and comes highly recommended from me, like all things Chad), but if you need some more convincing, you can jam Soft Airplane right here .
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Stream Chad VanGaalen's 'Soft Airplane'
Video: Brian Wilson Hits On Zooey Deschanel
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Artist on Artist: Brian Wilson & Zooey Deschanel "You're a very pretty girl!" the former Beach Boy tells the She & Him singer at the end of their MySpace chat. Can't say I blame him.
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Blogger Vacation -- Back 9/22
Photo by David GreenwaldAnd when I return -- the back-to-school list you didn't know you'd been waiting for. Stay tuned to Camera Obscurist for postcards from the road.
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New Music: Jenny Lewis - "Acid Tongue"
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The first and only time I saw Rilo Kiley, they were opening for Elliott Smith at the Henry Fonda Theater. Jenny Lewis, the band's lead singer, was in obvious awe of the now-late songwriter, thanking him for asking her band to play the show by saying, "It's like opening for John Lennon." This, needless to say, endeared her to me immediately.Five years and a few studio misfires later, Jenny's won...
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Guys, Let's Have A Heart-To-Blog About 2008
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Fleet Foxes / Photo by David GreenwaldI hate to say it, but '08's not so great so far. Last year I had most of my year-end favorites early on thanks to Rawkblog staples such as the National, Wilco, Elliott Smith and Jens Lekman, but most of my regulars have taken this year off. I'm still excited about Cut Copy, Fleet Foxes and the Hold Steady but outside of that, I don't know how things are goi...
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Backstage At The VMAs: Top 10 Moments
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Artist:The Jonas Brothers
Photo by David Greenwald1) Talking to these gentleman, particularly Clark, and lamenting that Clark and Michael (my favorite webisode series of all time) hasn't returned for a glorious second season. Clark, if you're out there, I didn't get the chance to tell you that your suit was incredible. High-five on the pocket square.2) Russell Brand's entire opening monologue and every joke thereafter a...
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The Muppets Play "Sequestered In Memphis"
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Have a good weekend, folks.~~
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Meet The Global Hipster -- And The End Of Pop Culture
I purposefully avoided blogging about Adbuster's recent cover story , "Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization," mostly because while it made a few good points, it smacked of bitterness -- a late 20's writer on a sub-30K salary who was born too early (or too nerdy) to partake in the teenage electro orgy. Which is a position I'm not unfamiliar with, but the piece was more editorialized t...
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The Movies @ Echoplex, 8.22.08
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All photos by David Greenwald The Movies are old pals with the Beachwood Sparks, so it was no surprise to see them and fellow Sparks friends Mia Doi Todd and the Tyde opening for the Sub Pop act's first L.A. reunion gig. While the Silver Lake act wasn't quite cinematic, their slinky grooves and refridgerator-voiced singer did manage to recall another frosty act, Dean Wareham's Luna. As us...
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The Movies @ Echoplex, 8.22.08
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All photos by David Greenwald The Movies are old pals with the Beachwood Sparks, so it was no surprise to see them and fellow Sparks friends Mia Doi Todd and the Tyde opening for the Sub Pop act's first L.A. reunion gig. While the Silver Lake act wasn't quite cinematic, their slinky grooves and refridgerator-voiced singer did manage to recall another frosty act, Dean Wareham's Luna. As us...
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Scenes From Sunset Junction, 8.24.08
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All photos by David Greenwald Apologies for the tardiness of these photos. They were snapped wandering around my first trip to the Sunset Junction festival on Sunday, a sweaty, blissful experience that found me eating Silverlake's finest sandwich at Casbah Cafe, deciding Onitsuka Tigers (Mexico '66, obv.) are the finest sneakers on earth, and reveling in the sweet sounds of the Beachwood S...
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Video: Chad VanGaalen - "Molten Light"
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While it wouldn't have been my pick for a second single from Chad VanGaalen 's upcoming, glorious Soft Airplane -- I hereby nominate "TMNT Mask" for jam of the millennium -- "Molten Light" is one of the most blood-soaked, vengeful tracks VanGaalen's ever released, a perfect exemplar of his twisted take on vintage murder ballads. The video, animated by Chad himself, gets even weirder, an R. C...
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First Look: Herman Dune - 123/Apple Tree EP
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Even before I knew the duo behind Herman Dune were Jewish, I had my suspicions. There's a Eastern European folk sensibility and a self-deprecating humor at work on the 123/Apple Tree EP that's unmistakable. Well, that and dudes have a song about naming their dog after Golda Meir. Isaac Bashevis Singer would've been all over this. The title track calls attention to their religious heritage w...
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Ryan Adams' "Infinity Blues"
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Rad cover, but will he go on a book tour?! A blogger can dream... I'll be buying a first-run hardcover, obv. Keep an eye on his publisher, Akashic Books , and you can too. No word yet on a release date, but all signs point to fall. Meanwhile, the endless tour continues (and continues to avoid L.A.), he has a new blog , etc .~~
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Video: Anthony Rochester - "I Love You"
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There's something about that accent. The dryness of it, the somber quality -- English wit squeezed free of its little moisture. Yes, by some feat of culture or isolation, Australian singer-songwriters have managed to become the world's current finest purveyors of sad pop songs. Sweden may loom larger on indie-pop maps these days, but those songs have less gravity, ballooning upward with heli...
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Pop, Obv.: David Cook is totally Edwin McCain
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Track:The Time of My Life
Maybe it's just because I'm hearing David Cook 's "The Time of My Life" with fresh, mostly Idol -free ears, but dude's playing on "The View" right now (I'm at work, the TV's on, I love Whoopi, alright) and this song is totally (superior) 1998 sensitive rocker jam "I'll Be" by Edwin McCain (no relation, I'm sure). What the hell, America? Compare 'em after the jump. [Continue reading...] D...
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Live: Beachwood Sparks @ Echoplex, 8.22.08
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All photos by David Greenwald It was a triumphant return to Los Angeles for hometown heroes Beachwood Sparks , reunited after a half-decade off. Not off? The band's chops, which were sharper than ever. Their best material, especially songs from their self-titled debut like "Canyon Ride" and "Silver Morning After," was rich and lush live, alternatively twangy and surreal. They were just as ...
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Live: Mia Doi Todd @ Echoplex, 8.22.08
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All photos by David Greenwald New! Click any photo to open gallery . The original MIA was sublime in her opening performance for the reunited Beachwood Sparks at the Echoplex on Friday, offering Eastern-tinged folk quietly enlivened by her only accompaniment, a particularly enthusiastic bongo player. Lucky for me (and anyone with ears), Mia Doi Todd closed her set with "What If We Do," ...
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