As I mentioned in my post yesterday, the N.A.S.A album, The Spirit of Apollo, has continued to rock since its release in early 2009. In addition to all the musicians who collaborated on the music, fine artists were paired with animators to create all of the album’s official videos. One of my favorites, “Whachadoin?” is below. I hope that we don’t have to wait another six years for the next album.
N.A.S.A. – Whachadoin? (ft. M.I.A., Spank Rock, Santogold, & Nick Zinner):
-Melissa
Filed under Jam of the Day
After a 30-year court battle, the Shinnecock Indians of Long Island finally won their case, proving that they meet the criteria for federal recognition as a Native American tribe. This federal recognition will allow them to pursue their plans to build a casino in New York City or its suburbs. The Shinnecock Indian nation has 1,066 members, most of whom live on 800 acres in Southampton, NY. As Randy King, chairman of the Shinnecock trustees said in a statement cited by the Times, “This recognition comes after years of anguish and frustration for many members of our Nation, living and deceased … Perhaps this recognition will help some of our neighbors better understand us and foster a new mutual respect.” The Shinnecocks would only be approved to build a “Class II” casino on their own land, which could feature video slot machines but no table games. Some tribal leaders have expressed interest in building elsewhere in the state so that they could build a “Class III” casino which they think would be more lucrative for the tribe and the state. The state would get no proceeds from the “Class II” casino, but they would be likely to insist on a percentage of the proceeds if the tribe is allowed to build elsewhere.
Money is what it’s all about these days and N.A.S.A. knows how the Shinnecock’s are feeling. That’s just what they’re talking about in “Money,” one of the best singles of of their debut album The Spirit of Apollo that came out earlier this year. We first talked about N.A.S.A. back in April and we haven’t stopped listening since. N.A.S.A. is a creative collaboration between Sam Spiegel (Squeak E. Clean) and Ze Gonzales (DJ Zegon). Sam Spiegel is a producer, composer, DJ, and remixer based in L.A. and Ze Gonzales is a DJ who made a name for himself on the Brazillian club scene and later as part of the rap-rock group Planet Hemp.
There are so many people on this album, including Kanye West, M.I.A., Santogold, Lykke Li, Spank Rock, and some of their musical heroes like Tom Waits and David Byrne (who is featured on “Money”). N.A.S.A. stands for North America/South America and is rooted in and permeated by Brazillian funk. There are a number of unexpected collaborations on the seventeen track release. As Spiegel explains on their MySpace page, the tracks themselves dictated who would be asked to collaborate, “we never said, ‘let’s make a track for this person.’ We’d usually make something we liked, and then as we were starting to write the song, it would tend to go in a direction that we’d be like, ‘this sounds like George Clinton,’ or ‘this sounds like Method Man.’ We would start to feel the song out, and feel the artist through the song as we did it. Basically, we’d sit around as we were making these tracks and say the nuttiest combination of names, like our dream of who we could get on the song. It’s crazy, a lot of times they actually happened.” A full-length documentary film about the creation of the album is nearing completion. It is said to include interviews with many of the artists who contributed to The Spirit of Apollo and some footage from the studio sessions. It’s the type of album that you listen to again and again and always hear something new. It sounds like the soundtrack from an epic party that you will never forget. This album rocks and I think it’s selling now for only $10 on iTunes; I know what my friends are getting this holiday season.
N.A.S.A. – Money (feat. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge, & Z-Trip):
-Melissa
Filed under Jam of the Day, Local News
Today, three Senators, John Kerry, Democrat of Massachusetts, Joseph Lieberman, Independent of Connecticut, and Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina sent President Obama a letter outlining their plan for a climate change and energy bill that they believe can win the necessary votes (60) to push the bill through next year. They timed this proposal to ensure that the delegates that are attending the United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen know that the U.S. Senate is serious about getting a climate bill passed and enacted. According to the Times “The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman proposal sets a greenhouse gas emissions reduction target “in the range of” 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020, the level contained in a bill passed by the House earlier this year.” It’s encouraging that these Senators are working together on this bill but the U.S. needs to make some major changes soon, before it’s too late.
Another collaboration that is still maintaining their status as our favorite (and folkiest) of the year, are Jim James (or Yim Yames as he is referring to himself these days), Conor Oberst, M. Ward, and Mike Mogis, who together form the Monsters of Folk. Many of the songs on the album are stellar but my favorite of the moment is the first track, “Dear God.” There is something very seventies and soothing about this jam. The boys of Monsters of Folk are soliciting entries for homemade videos for “Dear God.” The winner will receive a prize including $5,000, Final Cut Pro software, a signed Gibson Guitar and the winning video will be featured on monstersoffolk.com. I just checked and I don’t see anything up there yet so get your submissions in!
Monsters of Folk – Dear God:
-Melissa
Filed under Jam of the Day
There was a major blast from the past last week when this year’s Grammy nominees were announced. Daryl Hall and John Oates (Hall & Oats) ended up with a nomination (for pop performance by a duo or group with vocals) for “Sara Smile,” a 34-year-old track from their self-titled fourth album. They were nominated for a live performance of the song from the 2008 album Live at the Troubadour. This nomination for Hall & Oates that puts them alongside fellow nominees Bon Jovi, Black Eyed Peas, the Fray, and MGMT was a big surprise to many, including Hall. If they do win, it will actually be their first Grammy. In an interview with the Times where he was asked for his reaction to the news, he explained that the song “defines me as a songwriter, on my own. I’ve sung that song thousands of times, and I’ve never sung it the same twice. It’s a song that in its simplicity has a lot of flexibility built into it. It evolves, and it remains timeless. I use it as the centerpiece of any show that we do.” I mean it’s a good song and all but listen here and see for yourself if it resonates with you in 2009.
Another Grammy nominee this year, Bon Jovi just announced that the opening act for their February, 2010 tour will be Florida’s own Dashboard Confessional. For Dashboard Confessional’s new album Alter the Ending, front-man Christopher Carraba is joined by a full band, a departure from some of the more earnest singer-songwriter tunes he has been known for. Dashboard Confessional is playing tomorrow night at the Middle East is Boston and this Friday at the Highline Ballroom but the shows are sold out so you’ll have to check them out when they open for the Bon Jovi tour this February. Check out the first single off of the album, “Belle of the Boulevard,” below.
Dashboard Confessional – Belle of the Boulevard:
-Melissa
Filed under Jam of the Day, News
We checked out Animal Hands in late September and they put on a really stellar show. They recently released their Suntan EP and their new album Unrealists is coming out soon. Here are two videos from the night that are up on the EV2BK.com Youtube channel now. Because the sound quality isn’t perfect, I included the recorded versions below each, which the boys of Animal Hands were nice enough to provide us with. We can’t wait to see these guys again, they are playing this Friday at 8 at Union Hall w/ Marcellus Hall and Jirapah so if you like what you hear, head on over and check them out.
Animal Hands – Lavender Lakes:
Animal Hands – A Choir Invisible:
-Melissa
Filed under Music, Performance
East Village to Brooklyn 
RT @TheGuardian – Copenhagen climate change conference: ‘Fourteen days to seal history’s judgment on this generation’
As the Guardian points out, in a sort of primer to the actual editorial piece, it is immediately obvious that the “the sole representative of the world’s second biggest polluter” – us over here in the U.S. – is the Miami Herald. Then this line is just too good not to quote: “It is hard not to be struck by the parallel with the Kyoto agreement when the US stood to one side as the world began to move against climate change.”
WHERE IS CAPTAIN PLANET?
-Drew
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Filed under Comment, politics
Tagged as climate change, copenhagen, the guardian