Best Song I’ve Heard All Day — Llama Edition

(part 687 in a 1001 part series)

I’ve really been enjoying the new album by Dirty Projectors, Bitte Orca. It’s a complicated and challenging record, but the complexities are rewarding if you spend some time with these songs.

Take a listen to one of the highlights “Stillness Is the Move” and watch this great new video directed by Matthew Lessner.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMPF6lpM0XM[/youtube]

*Note: You may or may not recall that I first covered Dirty Projectors in 2007 in this Song of the Day review.

Talk Show Music Roundup

Lately, I seem to have gotten back into the routine of watching late night talk shows again. Not sure if it’s because of Conan taking over the Tonight Show, the Roots serving as house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or just a recent string of good musical guests, but there have been some incredible bookings of late.

Here is a quick rundown of a few from just the last week:

The Dead Weather on Conan O’Brien:

Elvis Costello on Conan:

Wilco on Conan:

Sonic Youth on Jimmy Fallon:

St. Vincent on Letterman:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGG6ukPDgVA[/youtube]

and even The Roots themselves debuted a new song on Fallon:

Reblogging: Icons and Record Club

Had a couple new things go up on the NPR blogs in the last week or two, but thought I’d continue to share them here as well.

Last week, I interviewed the filmmakers behind a fantastic new jazz documentary Icons Among Us. In part one, I talked with one of the co-directors Michael Rivoira for NPR’s jazz blog, A Blog Supreme.

In part two, I talk with the executive producer, John Comerford.

On the All Songs Considered blog I wrote a quick bit about a new Beck project, where he and bunch of musicians and friends will start covering albums in their entirety, starting with the classic The Velvet Underground and Nico. You can read that, and see the first song “Sunday Morning” here.

Since I heard Beck cover this song, I have been revisiting this album, and even learning to play “Sunday Morning.” It’s such a great simple pop song. Check out this cool, rare footage video of an early version of the song:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cWzxJvgWc8[/youtube]

UPDATE 6/26: Beck has posted the second song from The Velvet Underground and Nico, “Waiting For My Man:”

Reblogging: Fiona Apple Plays Piano Bar Tune And It’s Good!

Wrote another piece for the NPR jazz blog, A Blog Supreme today (well I wrote a few weeks back, but finally published for the fans).

This week, a look at Fiona Apple’s glorious cover the Cy Coleman-by way of- Frank Sinatra standard “Why Try To Change Me Now.” Read that piece here.