Music Report

This is the pre-pilgrimage edition of The Report as I return this weekend to the Big Apple to participate in the scene I comment on weekly.

Neutral Milk Hotel is a group getting buzz right now for some reason. The group disbanded shortly after the release of their seminal album In The Aeroplane Over the Sea in 1998. Jeff Mangum, the driving force behind the group, also hasn’t recorded or performed solo since. Their sound reminds of the Decemberists and the Arcade Fire as they were undoubtedly an influence on those groups.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutral_Milk_Hotel

How I Became the Bomb is not the title of my upcoming autobiography to be released on the Random House imprint. It is the next band in this week’s Report. Diversify the Music Report like a well balanced portfolio, this is our first group of out the Music City. I’ll cautiously compare their sound to that of Devo and The Cars. In 2006, they released an EP entitled “Let’s Go” and are working on a full length release. Recommended Track: “Killing Machine”
http://www.howibecamethebomb.com

Now for the Blake Olson special. Madeline Peyroux is a French jazz songstress who has soulfully and sometimes sultrily interpreted the standards as well as the songs of contemporary artists including Tom Waits and Leonard Cohen over the course of her three albums. I can hear you saying as you read this, “Sure, but has she ever done a duet with k.d. lang?” Yes she has and it is entitled “River.”
http://www.madeleinepeyroux.com

Am I the only one that cries during “We Will Rock You” for the lost talent of Freddie Mercury? I’m happy to say my tears were of joy when I heard Ghostland Observatory’s song entitled “Dancing on My Grave.” This two man band has captured a little bit of Queen and put an electro spin on it throughout their upcoming (available next Tuesday) release Robotique Majestique. They’ll also be coming to town for a raucous live show March 28th at Webster Hall.
http://www.myspace.com/ghostlandobservatory

Have you ever thought, “I wish there were more songs that sounded like ‘Dick in a Box’ but were slightly more orchestral and without the funny lyrics?” Neither have I but the band No Kids created the song “The Beaches All Closed” anyway. Their other songs take an unrelated series of different directions “turn[ing] the mundane into [a] cinemascopic musical extravaganza.”
http://www.myspace.com/nokidsband

Don’t think I’m gonna end this thing without a dose of rap music. Junk Science perpetuates the dark, quick-slow brand of angry white boy hip hop developed by El-P, founder of their label Definitive Jux. Fortunately Junk Science get a little more playful with their craft. Based in Brooklyn, JS can be frequently be found playing shows around town independently or as part of their Nuclear Family crew.
http://www.nukfam.com/junkscience/