“Just Like Christmas” by David Bazan // Originally by Low
The AV Undercover series is back with it’s holiday selections and one of them happens to be David Bazan covering what is possibly my favorite (non-traditional) holiday song, Low’s “Just Like Christmas”. Bazan and his band do a solid job with the cover, actually bringing on more of a somber tone, which actually works. Good stuff.
“HONEY BUNNY” by Girls // Pitchfork Special Presentation
Pitchfork got Girls to perform in an abandoned church in Brooklyn with a full backing band and recorded it for your listening and viewing pleasure. Here is the sassy-as-all-fuck “Honey Bunny” from the remarkable new album “Father, Son, Holy Ghost”. Good stuff.
“The Undiscovered First” by Feist // Black Cab Sessions (2011)
It’s pretty much impossible for me not to hum along to everything that Leslie Feist writes. It all gets wrapped up in a nice ear candy flavored bow (tastier than you’d guess) and stored in my brain for automatic repeat listens. Here she is playing a track off of her wonderful new album, Metals, in the back of a cab for London’s Black Cab Sessions.
“Give Up the Ghost” by Radiohead // Live on Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon
Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood stopped by Jimmy Fallon to perform a haunting rendition of the standout track from The King of Limbs. As per usual, they turned out something stunned and wonderful. Give it a watch in the event you missed it last night.
“Winter Beats (Bedroom Session)” by I Break Horses
This is a wonderful, stripped back, in-studio version of one of my favorite songs of the year. I Break Horses have been pretty much on a roll these past few months, releasing two great singles and a phenomenal album, and yet it’s still impressive seeing Maria Linden bring her songs to life in an in-studio session. Really great stuff.
“Different Names for the Same Thing” by Frightened Rabbit // Originally by Death Cab for Cutie
Well, this is a nice little cover recorded for the Ugandan charity, Invisible Children. Definitely a must hear if you’re a fan of either band.
“INNI” by SIGUR ROS
Not sure exactly what this video is in reference to (new album? new live dvd?), but it popped up earlier with an invitation to “sign up for INNI updates”, and if Sigur Ros is up to new material, then count me in completely. At any rate, it’s an interested video.
“Cold Nites” by How to Dress Well // Live with Strings (Yours Truly @ P4K Fest)
It’s fairly obvious to anyone who follows my posts that I’m a big fan of Tom Krell’s How to Dress Well, and so any opportunity to see the man perform his work in a new vibe is aces by me. Here, he takes a new track for a spin with strings just like he did on his recent EP, Just Once. The result is another heartbreaker. It’s stunning jam that I’d love to hear committed to tape in a produced version. In the meantime, we’ve got this excellent live video courtesy of P4K & Yours Truly.
“Pleasure Principle” by Sufjan Stevens // Live on Soundcheck @ WNYC
Here’s a video of Sufjan Stevens performing the final suite of his track “Impossible Soul” alongside The National’s Bryce Dessner. It’s nice to hear it cut away from the original 25 minute track as it stands on it’s own very well, so if you’re into tight closeups of Sufjan’s face and pretty acoustic ballads, this is your video.
“Parentheses” by The Antlers & Bear In Heaven // In-Studio Session
Well here goes a full on jam session between two of the most exciting bands out there right now. The Antlers invited Bear in Heaven into the studio to collaborate on a jam session of “Parentheses” and this sonic madness occurred. It’s a long one, but it’s interesting ear candy all the same.
“Higher Love” by Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr // Originally by Steve Winwood
Bon Iver is bringing back the Bruce Hornsby so it’s only natural that someone would bring back the Steve Winwood. That band is Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr and they do a hell of a job. It immediately makes me think of Dennis Reynolds (of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) and his love of Steve Winwood, but it also makes me just enjoy the hell out of a flashback from the early-mid eighties. Now, if only someone would get on the Eddie Money covers.
(via danceyrselfclean)
“O Leãozinho” by Beirut // Live @ the Red Hot + Rio 2: Loft Party
Here’s a great little video of Zach Condon discussing and performing his contribution to the recent charity release, Red Hot + Rio 2, at an intitmate loft show in Brooklyn back in March. Naturally, it’s all very wonderful.
“Echoes” by M83 // Album Tease
Here’s a little musical tease from the forthcoming album by M83. Here’s what Pitchfork had to say about the project:
Previously, Gonzalez has let the world in on a few details about the follow-up to 2008’s great Saturdays=Youth. Talking to Pitchfork, he said that the new LP would be “very, very, very epic” and “very orchestrated.” And talking to Spin, he said that it will be a double album, it features a Zola Jesus collaboration, and it’ll be “mostly about dreams.”
So yeah. Something to look forward to in the later part of the year.
Ricky Gervais present’s the first look at “Life’s Too Short”.
Get in front of my fucking eyes, right now.
