Jewel goes country!

Jewel is getting ready to release a new album on June 3, titled Perfectly Clear. It's a country album! I think this could work for her... I'm not a big fan of country music, but I think she does a pretty good job on the album. Wanna hear it?

:: You can stream the entire album for free here ::

This week is "World Vegetarian Week" and after doing a little research I realized just how many musicians are vegetarians/vegans. I seem to come across more and more people these days that have made the choice to stop eating meat. Here are just a few musicians on the list:

• Prince
• Elvis Costello
• Bob Dylan
• All of the B-52's
• Meatloaf (ironic ain't it?)
• Peter Gabriel
• Morrissey
• All of the Beatles
• Chrissie Hynde
• Peter Buck (REM)
• Robert Smith (the Cure)
• Sarah McLachlan
• Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)

And Vegans?

• Fiona Apple
• Weird Al
• KD Lang
• Moby
• John and Yoko
• Amy Ray (the Indigo Girls)
• Steven Tyler

This is just a partial list of musicians I found. It would be really interesting to see a pie chart of vegetarians broken up by profession. If you've been considering plunging into the vegetarian lifestyle, this is the perfect week to do so. If you need some motivation to trade in that pork chop for some tofu, check this out. And here is an excellent resource for all things vegetarian. Just some food for thought (no pun intended). Here's one last thought that's been on my mind... if vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat???

Another big music festival has been added to this summer's lineup. Anthony Kiedis, singer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, is curating the New American Music Festival (couldn't he have come up with a more creative name?) in Pittsburgh, PA. Bob Dylan, the Raconteurs, Gnarls Barkley and Spoon are all on the lineup. For those who think seeing 20 bands in one weekend is the ideal summer vacation (I can't be the only one), here are some festivals you might want to look into.

Bonnaroo
Manchester, TN :: June 12-15
The festival started off as a big jam band fest in 2002, but has evolved into an all-encompassing event. This year's headliners include Jack Johnson, Pearl Jam, Metallica and Kanye West. The festival has been named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the "50 moments that changed rock history." Other highlights in the lineup: Robert Plant, Death Cab for Cutie, Swell Season, Levon Helm, Ben Folds, Rilo Kiley, My Morning Jacket, Drive-By Truckers and Minus the Bear. If you want to win a pair of Preferred Access passes, check out www.tideradio.com and tell us, "What Would You Do for Bonnaroo?" Last year's winner wrote us a song!
Lollapalooza
Chicago, IL :: August 1-3
Jane's Addiction singer, Perry Farrell, started this festival in 1991. This year's lineup includes Radiohead, Wilco, Rage Against the Machine, Kanye West (have you heard about his glow in the dark tour??), Nine Inch Nails and the Raconteurs.
Austin City Limits
Austin, TX :: September 26-28
Lineup includes the Foo Fighters, Neko Case, the Swell Season, the Silversun Pickups, Stars, Jenny Lewis, What Made Milwaukee Famous, M. Ward, Hot Chip, Beck and a ton of other artists that are bigger than the ones I just named. I think I just got drool on my keyboard.
Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival
San Francisco, CA :: August 22-24
This is a brand new festival, which will be held at Golden Gate Park. Lineup includes Radiohead, Ben Harper, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jack Johnson, Wilco, the Black Keys, Andrew Bird and more. A fun fact for you... Radiohead will be ther first artist to ever play at night in Golden Gate Park!
Floyd Fest
Floyd, VA :: July 24-27
You won't have to travel too far from home for this one, which is set along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Amos Lee, Rusted Root, David Grisman, Railroad Earth and Donna the Buffalo make up a mostly Bluegrass lineup. Heck, I think I might go just to see what a band called, "Yo Mama's Big Fat Booty Band" sounds like. Check out the full lineup here.

Death Cab for Cutie = One damn good band.

The day has come... the new Death Cab for Cutie album hits stores tomorrow! The album is called Narrow Stairs and I was ecstatic when I received an early copy of it in the mail right before the weekend. Let me tell you, this album does not disappoint. I feel like their last album, Plans, was a little too polished and over-produced, compared to the band's earlier releases. I'm sure this was due to the pressure that comes with releasing a major-label debut, because band member Chris Walla produced this album (along with all the other Death Cab albums). Credit must be given to the fact that Plans helped Death Cab for Cutie break into the mainstream. They went from a college band with a loyal following, to a band that was at the top of the charts at many radio stations throughout the country, and they didn't seem to lose any of their loyal fans along the way. Regardless, it's nice to see the band is back to their original sound on Narrow Stairs.

The thing I love about the new album, is that the band knows they have made it... they don't have to try any more to be something they're not. Every song is stretched to its potential, patiently building to a high point, that is well worth the wait once you get there. The single, "I Will Possess Your Heart," is 8 minutes and 25 seconds on the album and appears as the second track (the song was cut down to the 4 minute range as a radio edit). The build is incredible. Ben Gibbard doesn't actually start singing until well into 4 minutes. The instrumentation layers itself gradually and when Ben Gibbard starts to sing, it's just about perfect. Another one of my favorites on the album is "Cath." Even the opening guitar line has a strong hook. This is something the band has only become better at over time- catchy melodies, that never come off as sounding corny or too predictable.

One thing I've always loved about the band is that Gibbard doesn't try and hide his lyrics behind a wall of sound. He's a story teller and has a vulnerability to his songwriting, that might come across as kitchy to some and relatable to others. There is a short, two minute song on the album called "You Can Do Better Than Me." The lyrics are straightforward right from the start: I'm starting to feel, we stay together out of fear, of dying alone. He's always had an approach to his lyrics, which rests on both ends of the spectrum- confrontational lines mixed with genius metaphors. This one is a little bit more confrontational. The song ends with a display of Gibbard's vulnerability: There's times I think of leaving/But it's something I'll never do/'Cause you can do better than me/But I can't do better than you.

Death Cab for Cutie continue their streak of being a quintessential soundtrack for 20-somethings on Narrow Stairs. At the same time, I guarantee you will find atleast one song that hits home, regardless of age. If you are a new listener and haven't heard a lot of material from the band, this could actually be a good album to start with. It's one of their most melodic, but doesn't lack the creativity and patience that some have criticized their major-label debut for.

In conclusion (wow, this ended up being a much longer review than I expected), Death Cab for Cutie is one damn good band. Buy their new album.

People ask me why I don't own a tv and I've come up with some pretty good arguments in the past. Every argument/reason I've come up with is completely, 100%, without a doubt, validated by this commercial I just came across online. Have they really been airing this?! I feel so out of the loop... but for once, maybe that's a good thing.

That is Meatloaf with 80's pop-star Tiffany, singing about the "GoPhone." If this doesn't make you go out and buy a GoPhone, I really don't know what will. I can picture the AT&T marketing team now, sitting around the table brainstorming. I'm guessing the conversation went something like this:

"How can we get our message across?"
"How about if we get Meatloaf to sing a little jingle about the GoPhone?"
"And he can be singing with Tiffany! She's really big, you know?"
"And Tiffany can be walking in the door singing, while carrying an animal carcus and then she'll release a white dove into the air!"

Pure marketing genius.

**I'll admit, it takes a lot to make me laugh, so don't be offended if you think this is the funniest thing to ever hit television.

I once dated a guy that was obsessed with the Cure. In fact, one day he dressed up like Robert Smith (eyeliner and all) and started playing Cure covers with his band, outside our dorms in college. I think they got through 2 songs before everyone was yelling out the windows for them to shut the f--- up. Looking back, I should have realized what a schmuck he was right then and there (not because he was playing Cure covers, but because his band sounded like the noise a dog makes just before it throws up). He used to sit and listen to the band's Disintegration album straight through because there was no other way to listen to it, and anyone who skipped tracks on the album just didn't get what the band was trying to portray with this concept album (although I think he was just borderline OCD). Yes, I'll be the first to admit Disintegration is an excellent album, no matter how much I've tried to convince myself otherwise. Even Kyle from South Park will agree--one of the finer moments in South Park history was when Robert Smith was walking away and Kyle shouts, "Disintegration is the best album ever!" What an excellent line, from a show I had always felt somewhat indifferent towards.

The Cure are going to be releasing a new single, on the thirteenth of each month to gear up for the release of their thirteenth studio album. The first song will be released May 13. They will also be kicking off a big tour on May 9 in Washington, DC at the Patriot Center.

Coldplay has a new song that they are offering for free through their website. Get it free here.

Also, the other day I received the new Weezer single in the mail. It's called "Pork and Beans." No, I'm not joking. My initial thought was, "Rivers Cuomo went to Harvard and this is the best he could come up with?" Then just this morning I read that this was a response to his record label rejecting the original batch of songs he had delivered to them. He said he was told to write "catchier" songs, so this is what he came up with... a song with a deliberately inane theme. Way to stick it to the man, dude! Here are some lyrics from the song:

Everyone likes to dance to a happy song/With a catchy chorus and beat so they can sing along/Timbaland knows the way to reach the top of the chart/ Maybe if I work with him I can perfect the art.