Music Tells The Story

Sonic Youth Live on Gossip Girl

2009-10-14T13:45:00.000-04:00

via Videogum

I didn't catch it until I saw it on Videogum today, but apparently Sonic Youth appeared doing an acoustic set on Gossip Girl last night. You can watch the clip above (they start about 1:15 in) and catch the full episode recap by clicking the via Videogum link.

Unreleased Bob Dylan Song on NCIS

2009-10-14T11:12:00.000-04:00

via Pitchfork

In the past Bob Dylan had been outspoken against lending his music/likeness to the entertainment industry, but he's noticeably changed his stance in the last decade. He's appeared, along with his music, in Victoria's Secret commercials. Cool to find out that his next venture into the entertainment industry will have his music being used in the CBS show NCIS. The show will actually premier an unreleased track called "California", from the Bringing It All Back Home era. As an added promotional tie-in, the song will also be featured on the second volume release of the show's soundtrack.

Levis + Final Fantasy

2009-10-12T13:16:00.000-04:00

via The Playlist

Saw this Levis ad this Sunday and finally found it on The Playlist blog. It uses music by Final Fantasy and gives off a really great vibe. Definitely would like to see more commercials like this.

2009-10-06T09:00:00.020-04:00

ALBUMS:
A Place to Bury Strangers - Exploding Head
Air - Love 2
Built to Spill - There Is No Enemy
Eugene Mirman - God Is a Twelve Year Old Boy
Horse the Band - Desperate Living
No Age - Losing Feeling EP
Toro Y Moi - Blessa single
The xx - [self-titled]

REISSUES:
Betty Davis - Is This Love or Desire?
Black Sabbath - Vol. 4 & Sabbath Bloody Sabbath
The Jesus Lizard - Goat
Kraftwerk - Autobahn, The Man Machine, Radio-Activity & Trans Europe Express
New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies

DVDs:
A Charlie Brown Christmas [BluRay reissue]
Chinatown [reissue]
Kevin Nealon: Now Hear Me Out
Man vs. Food - Season 1
Snow White & The Seven Dwarves [BluRay reissue]

2009-09-29T09:00:00.005-04:00

ALBUMS:
Chromeo - DJ Kicks
Cymbals Eat Guitars - Why There Are Mountains
Dethklok - Dethalbum II
Fool's Gold - self-titled
Ghostface Killah - Ghostdini The Wizard of Poetry
Paramore - Brand New Eyes
Where the Wild Things Are OST

DVD:
The Dark Crystal [BluRay reissue]
The Girlfriend Experience
How I Met Your Mother - Season 4
Kings - Season 1
Labyrinth [BluRay reissue]
The New York Ripper [BluRay reissue]
Traffik (miniseries)

This is the Cleveland Show

2009-09-28T10:47:00.003-04:00

Last night marked the Fall season's premier of the FOX Sunday Animation Domination lineup. With new episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy came a spin-off of the latter, called The Cleveland Show. I'll reserve judgment for a few more episodes to see how it turns out, but I enjoyed what I saw. Particularly the show's theme song, which complements the cool '70s-style animation with a '70s sitcom inspired sound. The theme song (and remainder of the episode) are embedded above, and you can also watch the full thing at Hulu.

Mos Def and Damon Dash to Produce Documentary on Punk Band Death

2009-09-25T10:58:00.000-04:00

via The Playlist

Mos Def and former Rocafella exec. Damon Dash will be collaborating as producers of a documentary on the recently rediscovered proto-punk band Death. The band underwent a revival earlier this year when Drag City released their lost album ...For the Whole World to See. I'm pretty hyped to see the results when this movie is released as I'm a big fan of both Mos Def and Death. Should be interesting to see what his unique vision brings to the project. Music video directors Coodie & Chike are set to direct the doc.

Death's release For the Whole World to See was released earlier this year on Drag City. You can buy it here.

2009-09-15T09:00:00.019-04:00

It's a special New Release Tuesday here at Man Made as Dan Venne's band Cougar's sophomore album Patriot is being released today! Go grab it!

ALBUMS:
The Black Dahlia Murder - Deflorate
Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon
Lil Boosie - SuperBad
Q-Tip - Kamaal the Abstract [long due release finally out officially]
Thrice - Beggars
Tyondai Braxton - Central Market

DVDs:
An American Werewolf in London [BluRay reissue]
Army of Darkness [BluRay reissue]
The Big Bang Theory - Season 2
The IT Crowd - Season 3
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - Season 4
Stella - Live in Boston

On a final note, Rest in Peace Patrick Swayze

Vote for MMM at SXSW 2010!

2009-09-02T16:07:00.001-04:00

paste the following code to post the flyer on your blog or website

You get to program SXSW 2010!!
"TV Resurrects the Radio Star"
This year SXSW is asking for YOU to vote the panels that you want presented at SXSW 2010. Man Made Music is looking for your vote!
Please vote for Joel Beckerman's panel - TV RESURRECTS THE RADIO STAR:
Click the link....
http://tinyurl.com/SXSW2010
Register at SXSW, search for “Beckerman” and vote for his panel!
all the best,
Man Made Music

2009-09-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

ALBUMS:
Andrew WK - 55 Cadillac
Killer Mike - Underground Atlanta

REISSUES:
Dr. Dre - The Chronic

DVDs:
The Ascent of Money: The Financial History of the World
Heroes - Season 3

Favorite Color

2009-08-28T12:27:00.003-04:00

Here's an awesome picture of the fine folks at Favorite Color rocking our Man Made Music hoodies.

Nike's Sub Pop Sneaker

2009-08-28T11:07:00.005-04:00

via Pitchfork

Amidst the ever-expanding collaborations between the music and sneaker industries, here's an unexpected new shoe from Nike: the Sub Pop Records Blazer SB Elite

Sub Pop Records Official Site

Cameron Crowe's New Pearl Jam Video

2009-08-27T09:00:00.002-04:00

via The Playlist

Here's a new video from Pearl Jam, directed by Cameron Crowe (both of whom we've covered here before). It's a live video for their track "The Fixer". The video makes really cool use of the behind-the-band live projection screens, blurring the line between those and the band. Nice visual trick.

2009-08-25T09:00:00.001-04:00

ALBUMS:
The Bloody Beetroots - Romborama
Imogen Heap - Ellipse
Koushik - KG Rhythm Trax Vol. 5
Matisyahu - Light

REISSUES:
Radiohead - Amnesiac, Hail to the Thief, Kid A
The Smiths - Meat Is Murder, The Queen Is Dead, The Smiths, Strangeways, Here We Come [vinyl reissues]
Sun Ra - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra
Wilco - Being There, Summerteeth

DVDs:
Adventureland
Gangland - Season 4
Goodbye Solo
Patton Oswalt - My Weakness Is Strong (or on CD)

Classic Movie Mondays 35: IN THE CITY

2009-08-24T12:06:00.003-04:00

In 1979 one of the greatest gang flicks ever made hit the big screen. The Warriors was directed by Walter Hill and based on the 1965 novel by Sol Yurick. Although the powerful images he used to tell this story are what mostly stick in our head, it is the music that defines this movie for me, especially the creepy underscores by Barry de Vorzon. It also contains classic hits by Joe Walsh and Arnold McCuller. I've attached a few of my favorites below.

Joe Walsh - In The City (fan video)

Barry de Vorzon - Fight

Buy The Warriors soundtrack here

Man Made Music News Site Up

2009-08-14T10:17:00.003-04:00

Here's a video that Man Made music supervised of CBS' fall preview with the Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling" from our new Man Made Music News page. There you can find the latest work we've done with embeddable video.

Nike Promotion Turns Athletes to Rappers

2009-08-10T12:11:00.003-04:00

This promotion Nike's running is awesome and funny too. They turned a group of athletes into a crew of vintage-styled rappers called Hyperize (plus DJ Quik), and made this promo music video for their track "Don't Criticize (Hyperize)". Always a good look when sports stars show they're comfortable poking fun at their image.

Them Crooked Vultures

2009-08-06T15:48:00.004-04:00

via Rolling Stone

Chris sent me this cool promo video for the badass new supergroup (if a group ever deserved that title it's this one...) comprised of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones. They have an album 'Never Deserved the Future' coming in October and are going to make their live debut as early as this Sunday (August 8th). Can't wait to see what kind of rock these dudes bring about. It's hard to believe all involved parties kept quiet about it for so long...

Heath Ledger's Posthumous Modest Mouse Video

2009-08-06T09:12:00.001-04:00

via /Film

Here's an animated video for Modest Mouse's "King Rat" conceived and directed by the late Heath Ledger, brought to life by the production house The Masses. It's a great, layered animation inspired by Terry Gilliam's films and his segues and shorts from Monty Python. It's also a really cool integration of bands working together with modern production houses to achieve a coherent aesthetic vision (care of Ledger). So often these sorts of high-profile collaborations can turnout a stale product, so when I see something genuinely interesting like this it inspires.

Sunn O))) in Jeans Commercial

2009-08-04T21:08:00.002-04:00

via Metal Sucks

Found a cool jeans advertisement through the via Metal Sucks blog today, it's for a Swedish clothing/design company Anti-Sweden and uses a track by avant-metal pioneers Sunn O))). It's a good look for this company to use such jarring music, it goes well with the image they're presenting. Check the ad out, it's embedded above. Also, the company's logo is pretty cool:

2009-08-04T09:00:00.001-04:00

ALBUMS:
Dam-Funk - Toeachizown Vol. 2: Fly
Greymachine - Disconnected
Kool Keith - Lost Masters Collection
Modest Mouse - No One's First, and You're Next

REISSUES:
Monty Python's Flying Circus Album
Oasis - Definitely Maybe & (What's the Story) Morning Glory? [vinyl reissues]

DVDs:
Big Trouble in Little China [BluRay reissue]
Flight Conchords - Season 2
The Italian Job [BluRay reissue]
Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! - Season 3

Friday Newsblast

2009-07-24T10:04:00.000-04:00

Most of Paper Heart's music and score is made by its stars, Charlene Yi and Michael Cera
via The Playlist

Thom Yorke rumored to be doing music for 'New Moon'
via The Playlist

Daft Punk are scoring the 'Tron' sequel 'Tron Legacy'
via Pitchfork

Nick Cave is releasing his collected soundtrack work, including his new score for 'The Road'
via Pitchfork

Sufjan Stevens is releasing his 'BQE' movie and soundtrack this October
via The Playlist

2009-07-21T09:00:00.005-04:00

ALBUMS:
Bo Diddley - Ride On: The Chess Masters Volume 3
Clint Mansell - Moon [official soundtrack]
Flying Lotus - L.A. EP 3x3
Riceboy Sleeps - self-titled

REISSUES:
Eric B. & Rakim - Follow the Leader [vinyl]

DVDs:
2 or 3 Things I Know About Her
Coraline
The Manchurian Candidate (remake) [BluRay Reissue]
The Mighty Boosh - Season 1, 2 & 3
This American Life - Season 2
Visioneers

High-Profile Ads With Great Music Pt. 2

2009-07-17T09:30:00.003-04:00

In the second part of this post, I want to show this ad I saw not on TV, but online. I don't remember exactly where I saw it, either on Hulu or NBC's websites, but it struck me. It's an ad for the new Palm Pre and features music from M83. Really powerful imagery in this one.

High-Profile Ads With Great Music Pt. 1

2009-07-16T09:30:00.003-04:00

I wanted to highlight two recent advertisements I've seen recently that have great music selection behind them. Today I'll highlight this Lance Armstrong/Nike ad entitled 'Racing Against Cancer' that I saw while watching Good Morning America last week. It features Mogwai's "Auto Rock", which is one of my favorite songs from their album Mr. Beast. The track was also featured memorably in the final scenes of Michael Mann's 'Miami Vice'. It creates such a poignant atmosphere and matches the visual well. Check back tomorrow for another recent ad with some great music behind it.

Jonathan Glazer Directs Dead Weather Video

2009-07-15T15:22:00.000-04:00

Here's a new video for the band Dead Weather (who feature Jack White), directed by Jonathan Glazer (whose done videos like "Karma Police"). It's for their song "Treat Me Like Your Mother". The video is White and Dead Weather's other vocalist, Allison Mosshart of The Kills, involved in a badass desert shootout. Very austere, very awesome. Check it out above.

via The Playlist

2009-07-14T10:21:00.003-04:00

ALBUMS:
Arsonists Get All The Girls - Portals
David Bowie - VH1 Storytellers
Discovery - LP (I highlighted this last week, but looks like it's coming out today)

REISSUES:
Beastie Boys - Ill Communication
Neil Young - After the Gold Rush, Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere & Harvest

DVDs:
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Collection 4
Mad Men - Season 2
REC
The State - Complete Series

Friday Newsblast

2009-07-10T12:07:00.006-04:00

Write a theme song for 'Lost' that could be played at Comic-Con! Details are here
via TV Squad

Mark Ruffalo's directorial debut to be scored by The Besnard Lakes
via The Playlist

Fifth Column has had some great posts recently about new media and music videos
via Fifth Column Blog

Quentin Tarantino put four additional tracks into 'Inglorious Basterds'
via The Playlist

It's a Disaster!!

2009-07-08T14:28:00.002-04:00

Similar to the edit of Diff'rent Strokes into Disturbing Strokes, the footage from the upcoming 2012's trailer has been re-edited and scored with '70s action/funk music (by the Incredible Bongo Band) and turned into a whole 'nother beast. These images can look so silly when rendered over music like this and stripped of their intended serious tone.

via /Film

Love Found Today at Man Made

2009-07-07T11:41:00.002-04:00

Chip found by our own Kim Paster

2009-07-07T10:00:00.002-04:00

ALBUMS:
Discovery - LP - Another contender for my favorite release of the year. Pick this one up!
High Places / Soft Circle - split release
Oneida - O

REISSUES:
Bob Marley - Catch a Fire, Exodus, Legend [vinyl]

DVDs:
Garrison Keillor: The Man on the Radio in the Red Shoes - Saw this on PBS' American Masters this weekend. Really solid and uplifting documentary on the host of Prairie Home Companion.
Young and Handsome: A Night With Jeff Garlin
Kath & Kim - Season 1
Reno 911 - Season 6

Department of Eagles & Brad Pitt in Japan

2009-07-02T15:37:00.004-04:00

So Spike Jonze directed an advertisement for the Japanese mobile providers Softbank that stars Brad Pitt and a sumo wrestler and features music from Department of Eagles. They're an awesome sounding duo, with one member also in Grizzly Bear. The track "In Ear Park" is used here and definitely evokes that ornate feeling a lot of Grizzly Bear's new tracks do. Too bad ads like this only play in Japan.

via Pitchfork

M.I.A. Directed Rye Rye's "Bang" Video

2009-07-02T09:30:00.001-04:00

I'm a huge fan of this Rye Rye track and now it's got a sick video directed by yet another musician-ternt-director M.I.A. Turn it up and enjoy the 4th of July weekend!

via Pitchfork

The Invention of Lying

2009-07-01T14:58:00.004-04:00

I saw the trailer for Ricky Gervais' new comedy 'The Invention of Lying' on /Film today and noticed a great track that turned out to be ELO's "Mr. Blue Sky". I'm a big Ricky Gervais fan.. whether it's for his sitcoms or standup and I'm definitely enjoying this trailer. It also seems like there's a lot of great talent involved like Louis CK. Looks like the movie will come out on September 25th.

2009-06-29T17:00:00.000-04:00

Posting this up today because I won't be here tomorrow. There's a scant amount of stuff dropping this week but if I had to recommend one thing it'd be the 1st season DVD of Eastbound & Down! Catch it!

ALBUMS:
Moby - Wait for Me
Wilco - Wilco (The Album)

DVDs:
Do the Right Thing - 20th Anniversary Edition
Eastbound & Down - Season 1
The IT Crowd - Season 2
Se7en [BluRay reissue]
Trailer Park Boys - The Complete Series

Friday Newsblast

2009-06-26T10:00:00.017-04:00

Musical in production featuring members of Arcade Fire and Beirut
via The Playlist

Tenacious D have written a song for the 'Heavy Metal' movie that's in development
via /Film

Unreleased Jeff Buckley cover of Elton John song to appear in My Sister's Keeper
via Pitchfork

2009-06-23T09:00:00.006-04:00

ALBUMS:
Darkest Hour - The Eternal Return
Dead Prez - Pulse of the People
Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Spinal Tap - Back from the Dead (definitely a big Man Made favorite)
Tortoise - Beacons of Ancestorship

REISSUES:
Al Green - Let's Stay Together, I'm Still in Love With You, Greatest Hits [vinyl]
Tom Waits - Swordfishtrombones [vinyl]

DVDs:
Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern - Collection 3
Tom and Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection

HBO's 'The Pacific'

2009-06-22T12:37:00.005-04:00

This trailer for HBO's forthcoming miniseries 'The Pacific' dropped recently. It looks astounding and the original score sounds intense. I've not seen HBO tease things so far in advance like they're doing for this. Online speculation leads me to think this comes out nearly a year from now in March 2010. To be building up the hype for something so far away must hint at their confidence in the miniseries. Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks' involvement as producers must certainly help out with that too.

(Also, this is the 200th post on this blog, cheers!)

Friday Newsblast

2009-06-19T15:00:00.000-04:00

Here's some interesting music-related news from the last few weeks.

Musicians become directors; directors become musicians!
Cat Power to direct vodka commercial
via Pitchfork
David Lynch to release album
via /Film

The band in the upcoming Scott Pilgrim movie will be pantomiming to Metric
via The Playlist

A movie is in production about legendary British producer Joe Meek, called 'Telstar'
via The Playlist

Documentary 'It Might Get Loud' about the history of the electric guitar to drop August 14th (trailer above)
via /Film

'Looking at Music: Side 2' exhibition at MoMa featuring art from vanguards of the early punk and indie-rock scene like Raymond Pettibon and Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon
via Brooklyn Vegan

Some soundtrack listings for upcoming movies via The Playlist
Public Enemies
I Love You Beth Cooper
500 Days of Summer

2009-06-16T09:00:00.001-04:00

Not much new music coming out this week. I'm pretty curious to see how that Major Lazer album sounds, the single featuring Andy Milonakis is insane.

ALBUMS:
Devin Townsend - Ki
Juicy J - Hustle Till I Die
Major Lazer - Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do

REISSUES:
The Beach Boys - Sunflower, Surf's Up [vinyl]
Big Star - #1 Record/Radio City
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Mother's Milk [vinyl]
Roxy Music - Country Life [vinyl]
The Specials - The Specials [vinyl]

DVDs:
Burn Notice - Season 2
Dr. Strangelove [BluRay reissue]
Generation Kill [BluRay]
Ghostbusters [BluRay reissue]
Spaceballs [BluRay reissue]

Classic Movie Mondays 34: DANCE MAGIC DANCE!

2009-06-15T13:24:00.003-04:00

All time cult classic The Labyrinth gave David Bowie the awesome opportunity to sing and dance with a bunch of puppets. You know you want to do that before you die! I've included two awesome songs from the film "Dance Magic Dance" and "Within You". I love the 80's synth leads going on in "Dance Magic Dance".

Where Is My Mind?

2009-06-10T10:00:00.004-04:00

Here's a pretty great promo spot for HBO's premiere of 'The Dark Knight' this Saturday. It uses Pixies' track "Where Is My Mind?", which non-fans might recognize from the climax in 'Fight Club.'

via The Playlist where you can catch the other version of the promo.

A&E Goes Viral: Hammertime

2009-06-09T12:12:00.004-04:00

This video is best seen with fresh eyes, so watch it before continuing if you don't want it spoiled.

This is a great stunt/prank done in the style of Improv Everywhere, where a large group of people dressed in parachute pants flashmobbed a trendy clothing store on Sunset Blvd. and proceeded to do the synchronized dance from the video to MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This". Hilarious as you'd expect, the dancer's reactions actually turn out funnier than the crowd's. They're just so committed. This was done as viral promotion for the A&E series Hammertime that premiers this Sunday at 10pm.

2009-06-09T09:30:00.000-04:00

ALBUMS:
Black Eyed Peas: The E.N.D.
Busdriver - Jhelli Beam
Deerhunter - Rainwater Cassette Exchange
Mos Def - The Ecstatic
Sonic Youth - The Eternal

REISSUES:
Guided By Voices - Alien Lanes

DVDs:
The Cleaner - Season 1
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind [BluRay reissue]
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace & Music (Director's Cut)

Classic Movie Mondays 33: NERDS!

2009-06-08T10:16:00.002-04:00

In this edition of CMM I am reaching back to those golden days of the 80's. This movie was on TV late last night and although there are many amazing musical moments (ie: All Night Party) there can be only one. The Tri-Lambs needed a killer performance to win the Greek Games and stay on campus. Gilbert, Lewis and the gang kill it!

CT Burners & Jubilee - Kick It!

2009-06-04T12:01:00.005-04:00

via Nightshifters

The Nightshifters label put out this free EP today featuring a collaboration by (Man Made's own) CT Burners and Jubilee and remixes by The Squire of Gothos, WZRDZ and DJ Donna Summer.

• You can download the EP here.

Here's what Nightshifters had to say about the release:

We received this track in from CT Burners and Jubilee and decided it was too good to just send out by itself, so we got a few remixes and now we’re happy to give to you our first FREE Nightshifters EP!

Of course you probably already know our own superstar Dj, Jubilee who is one of our residents @ Nightshifters, but she’s joined by DnB producer CT Burners to give you a proper rave-tastic jam. Like we said we grabbed 3 remixes for this one as well. The Squire of Gothos are two louts from Sheffield and their version has deep wobbly bass synths with just a smidge of poundy kicks. The American bi-coastal WZRDZ deliver a solid slab of side-chain pogo-electro for your peak-time needs, while our resident Dj Donna Summer tries his hand at a sort of dubstep-rave-breaks affair.

All tracks are free as the wind, and if you dig it- PLEASE SPREAD THEM AROUND!

CT Burners and Jubilee- Kick it (NS008) (49.3Mb- all tracks 320Mp3 + artwork)

http://www.nightshifterslabel.com/NS008/CTBurners+Jubilee-Kick_It.zip

The Hold Steady & Top Chef

2009-06-03T12:45:00.000-04:00

Bravo's Top Chef Masters is keeping up the rock with their Foo Fighters episode from last season's Top Chef, but now with The Hold Steady. They're one page of a two-page ad in this month's Rolling Stone. It focuses on food (namely a recipe, and a food-centric interview), and detailing the band's appreciation of the show. Something about balls-to-the-wall rock bands and gourmet cooking goes together really well...

via Pitchfork News

2009-06-02T12:00:00.003-04:00

ALBUMS:
Amadou & Mariam - Welcome to Mali
Emery - ...In Shallow Seas We Sail
J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid

REISSUES:
Cocteau Twins - Garlands
Ray Charles - Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music
The Who - The Who Sell Out

DVDs:
Fletch [BluRay reissue]
Inside Man [BluRay reissue]
Jeff Buckley - Grace Around the World
The Graduate [BluRay reissue]
Weeds - Season 4

Rapper Ternt Singer Ternt Actor

2009-06-01T16:55:00.006-04:00

T-Pain (a known fan of Adult Swim's Aqua Teen Hunger Force, with his Mooninite pendant) starred as Frylock in last night's episode of the show. Being the season finale, the writers wanted to go out with a bang so they turned the animated show into live-action for an episode. Sadly it's not up on the Adult Swim website yet, but it should be soon. Once it is I'll embed it into this post. But suffice to say it was certainly weird, but incredibly funny.

Update: here's a clip from the episode where T-Pain uses autotune to say regular dialogue. You can watch the whole episode at AdultSwim.com.

via /Film

Dr. Drepper

2009-05-29T12:52:00.003-04:00

So this Dr. Pepper advertisement made its way to the internet today (should be on TV starting Monday). It features Dr. Dre (get it?) and a snippet of one of his 'Detox' beats. The short part of the beat we do hear is quite good though. Definitely dig that Dre is into the idea of pre-releasing his music, especially when the music's actual release is as indefinite as 'Detox' has proven to be.

via Pitchfork

Werner Herzog's 'Bad Lieutenant'

2009-05-28T13:06:00.004-04:00

I caught this trailer for Werner Herzog's half-remake/half-sequel of 'Bad Lieutenant', called 'Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans' last night, and didn't know what to think. I've seen a small number of Herzog's films, but none of his recent ones aside from 'Grizzly Man'. This looks interesting to say the least; the music definitely grabs attention. I can't find eactly what music is being used, but it follows in the tradition of recent trailers like 'Public Enemies' and 'The Girlfriend Experience' where the frenetic, distinctly live-sounding music is at the forefront. It's a much different, more inviting feel than a lot of other recent trailers that try to build their momentum from quick cuts and dramatic, suspenseful atmosphere. Definitely looking forward to see this movie.

via /Film

2009-05-26T11:48:00.004-04:00

Not too much this week, but what is being released is solid.

ALBUMS:
Black Moth Super Rainbow - Eating Us
Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest
Lindstøm & Prins Thomas - II
Sunn O))) - Monoliths and Dimensions

REISSUES:
Charles Mingus - Ah Um

DVDs:
BBC's History of World War II (Haven't seen this, but looks too good to miss)
Children of Men [BluRay reissue]

Friday Newsblast

2009-05-22T09:30:00.006-04:00

I won't be able to make this a weekly post because there's not a wealth of music-related movie/tv/media news every week. But when there is, I'll be sure to collect it here for this feature.

Jarvis Cocker contributes music for 'Fantastic Mr. Fox' [via Pitchfork]
Not only is former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker contributing music to Wes Anderson's upcoming movie 'Fantastic Mr. Fox', he's written a song for it with Wes Anderson. He also now has a role as a puppet playing mandolin. Should prove to be an interesting movie.

Soundtrack listing for 'Inglorious Basterds' [via Ain't It Cool News]
Quentin Tarantino always has phenomenal soundtracks and his latest movie seems to be no exception. Including lots of Ennio Morricone, but also a David Bowie/Giorgio Moroder track and a Lalo Schifrin track (check out our post for Lalo Schifrin's 'Enter the Dragon' score here).

Linkin Park's song for 'Transformers 2' now available [via /Film]
Linkin Park's original song for the 'Transformers' sequel is now available to stream at their website and for download on iTunes. I like the idea of releasing original soundtrack music (that isn't a score) in this format because I can remember so often buying a soundtrack CD just for the one song I wanted then being disappointed by the rest of the tracks. I think highlighting individual song releases with movie tie-ins will end up benefiting most in the long-run.

Mike Patton and others team up with Alan Moore for multimedia project [via Pitchfork]
This is a really cool bit of news involving comic writer Alan Moore's new multimedia project that's going to be comprised of art, a photographic novel and an audiobook. There will be a soundtrack featuring Mike Patton, Doseone (of Anticon), Fog, and Jesu, and it will be released on vinyl.

Cougar - 'Patriot' EPK

2009-05-21T10:01:00.002-04:00

Embedded above is the new electronic presskit for Cougar's excellent sophomore album 'Patriot' (due this August on Ninja Tune/Counter Records). You can hear clips of four of the album's tracks throughout the video. I've had the pleasure of hearing 'Patriot' in full and have got to say this video is only a quick glimpse of its awesomeness. Anyone familiar with Man Made might recognize Dan Venne as one of Cougar's guitarists.

Cameron Crowe's Top Music Moments in Film

2009-05-19T11:11:00.006-04:00

Empire Magazine recently posted a list of Cameron Crowe's hand-picked Top 10 (Or So) Music Moments in Film. It's a great list from a director known for the iconic music selections in his movies. My personal favorite moment from his list is the use of Harry Nillson's "Everybody's Talking" from the opening scene of 'Midnight Cowboy'. It says a lot that two Harry Nillson songs show up on Crowe's list too... And it's sadly not on YouTube, but for the record, my favorite music moment in a Cameron Crowe film is Sigur Rós' "Untitled #4" being used in 'Vanilla Sky'.

2009-05-19T10:22:00.004-04:00

Two insanely good albums dropping today: The Field's and Passion Pit's. You can stream the entire Passion Pit album at their Myspace page. These two albums are going to be the soundtrack to my summer; so blissful.

ALBUMS:
Eminem - Relapse
The Field - Yesterday & Today
Hot Chip - A Bugged Out Mix
Passion Pit - Manners (Only $3 for the MP3 album on Amazon.com today!)

REISSUES:
Lenny Kravitz - Let Love Rule
Leonard Cohen - Songs From a Room, Songs of Leonard Cohen & Songs of Love and Hate [vinyl]
Nick Cave - From Her to Eternity
Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi [soundtrack]
Savath & Savalas - La Llama
Tom Tom Club - Tom Tom Club

DVDs:
Batman [BluRay reissue]
Friday Night Lights - Season 3
The Machinist [BluRay reissue]

Classic Movie Mondays 33: ENTER!

2009-05-18T22:13:00.002-04:00

Now some of you may say, "hey man this is a score not a song..." however I beg to differ. If you would bump this on your stereo, ipod, turntable, laptop, or whatever musical gadget you are rocking these days it's a SONG. So for this edition of CMM I am bringing that 70's martial arts disco funk with the theme song from Enter The Dragon. The whole soundtrack is a crazy blend of synthesizers and traditional chinese instrumentation and it WINS! Lalo Shifrin really knocked this one out of the ballpark. Please excuse me, I'm about to start doing karate in front of the mirror.

Buy the soundtrack here

"Sabotage" in Star Trek

2009-05-15T10:06:00.004-04:00

Apparently there's been some fuss over J.J. Abrams use of the Beastie Boys song "Sabotage" (embedded above) in the new Star Trek movie. /Film has a post detailing the fans' uproar and defending its use in the movie. They make a good case for it, and I agree with their reasoning overall. But this example does speak to the question of "how noticeable should music be when it's accompanying a visual?" If the song choice for that part of the movie was so noticeable as to cause controversy amongst some viewers, was it really the right fit? Or if the goal of the director was to have people's ears perk up and notice the music and what it represented for Kirk's character, then the song was the right fit after all. Obviously there's not "right" answer here, and there are many possible interpretations. But it's great that the music used in movies is on people's radar because that allows conversations like this to start. Anyone see the movie and think the song worked/didn't work?

via /Film

Honda Insight Ad Campaign

2009-05-13T23:15:00.008-04:00

I caught an ad for Honda Insight the other day and the music in it took me aback. It wasn't the usual, driving (no pun intended), car commercial music that I'm used to. It was much more relaxed and inviting. So I went online assuming I'd find it illegally posted on YouTube with a random comment saying what song it was, but was surprised to find a fully fleshed-out part of Honda's site that streamed each commercial and had info on the featured bands. Turns out I saw the "Gig" commercial, with the song "See You on the Moon" by Great Lake Swimmers. Anyway, it's a really intuitively designed site. It's great to see more sites like this being put up by big companies, who wouldn't have shined so much light on featured artists in the past. Another Honda-designed site for their campaign with Mickey Factz comes to mind as a similar example (which we wrote about here).

You can check out the website for the Honda Insight here

Yo La Tengo & 'Science Is Fiction'

2009-05-13T10:36:00.004-04:00

Last week Criterion Collection released a DVD of Jean Painlevé's nature films called 'Science is Fiction'. I read a good review on The Onion A.V. Club that highlighted Yo La Tengo's score for the films. As you can see from the clip above, it's a more abstract sound than Yo La Tengo are known for, but still has their essence. This is an interesting way to recontextualize older material through the DVD format, and I haven't really seen anything like it before. I wonder why silent film releases on DVD aren't given this same treatment by other artists; I think there's still a lot of unused potential in the DVD format where works like this could benefit.

2009-05-12T09:00:00.002-04:00

Today is a great day for BluRay fans... so many classics/recent classics getting reissued on BluRay.

ALBUMS:
Big Business - 'Mind the Drift'
Bloc Party - 'Intimacy Remixed'
The Crystal Method - 'Divided by Night' (haven't heard this album yet, but curious to see where they're at stylistically now)

REISSUES:
Lee Hazelwood - 'Movin' On'
Pulp - 'This Is Hardcore' [vinyl]

DVDs:
Big [BluRay reissue]
The Dana Carvey Show (great sketch show finally getting its long overdue release)
Fargo [BluRay reissue]
The Good, The Bad and The Ugly [BluRay reissue]
Major League [BluRay reissue]
Penn & Teller: Bullshit - Season 6
Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy (basically like a show made from only the cutaway gags from Family Guy)
There's Something About Mary [BluRay reissue]
Wayne's World 1 & 2 [BluRay reissue]

Breaking Bad & TV On The Radio

2009-05-11T11:30:00.006-04:00

I'm not sure how long this clip will stay up on YouTube, but it's from last night's episode of Breaking Bad, where TV On The Radio's song "DLZ" was used. It's a great track from their 'Dear Science' album that was released last year. (You can hear the whole track here on Last.fm.) Each episode of Breaking Bad usually really cool, smart musical choices, but this one in particular caught my ear because of how well it fits the show in both sound and content. The AMC Blog has the entire list of music used in past Breaking Bad episodes. I highly recommend checking this show out (though start it from the first season, then catch up to the new episodes), I'm a recent convert myself and have been enjoying it tons.

"Waverly Hills"

2009-05-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

I enjoyed this parody of Weezer's "Beverly Hills" that appeared on last Sunday's episode of The Simpsons. I've always known The Simpsons to incorporate actual songs into the show, especially during nostalgic flashback parts, but don't remember parodies being included until recent seasons. Wonder what Weezer think of this. I do remember seeing Simpsons stickers on one of Rivers' guitars in an old Guitar World magazine photo... (I think it's this one)

Francis Ford Coppola's Tetro

2009-05-07T09:50:00.002-04:00

Here's a gorgeous trailer for Francis Ford Coppola's upcoming 'Tetro'. The music is incorporated well, with a quirky mix of Latin guitar and Italian accordion in the beginning, culminating in intensity when a guitar onscreen is hit by a car. Presumably by the film's composer Osvaldo Golijov--a worldly classical artist from Argentina--the music plays a striking counterpart to the visual. The sparse sounds scoring the visual at 1:38 into the trailer are perfect. Then when this is followed up by the more oldschool fanfare-style classical that accompanies the few in-color scenes, I'm convinced this movie will be a unique audio/visual experience. Would you expect anything less from Coppola? After all, his films Apocalypse Now and The Godfather contain some of the most iconic musical moments in the past century of cinema.

Slow Motion Schweppes

2009-05-06T09:30:00.004-04:00

I saw this awesome Schweppes ad on The House Next Door earlier and dug it. The song featured is "To Build a Home" by Cinematic Orchestra (see the official live video below). Quite mesmerizing...

2009-05-05T09:00:00.009-04:00

ALBUMS:
A-Track - Fabriclive.45
British Sea Power - Man of Aran
Cam'ron - Crime Pays
DJ Paul - Scale-a-Ton (Skeleton)
The Horrors - Primary Colours (Co-produced by none other than Chris Cunningham, whose recent Gucci ad we posted about)
Isis - Wavering Radiant
Nomo - Invisible Cities

REISSUES:
Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus
The Rolling Stones - Sticky Fingers

DVDs:
Ferris Bueler's Day Off [BluRay reissue]
Monks: Transatlantic Feedback
Saturday Night Fever [BluRay reissue] (great soundtrack, don't hate!)
Wendy and Lucy

Classic Movie Mondays 32: RAD!

2009-05-04T11:56:00.002-04:00

This was one of my favorite movies growing up. In this scene they use a classic 80's Jam by Real Life called "Send Me An Angel". New wave hotness at it's finest. Enjoy the awesome BMX stunts and synthed out sounds on this rainy Monday.

and check out how RADICAL the original video is. They have horses and mystic creatures.

Pearl Jam on Cold Case

2009-05-04T10:47:00.003-04:00

I was watching TV yesterday morning and saw a promo for last night's episode of 'Cold Case'. The promo made it very clear that Pearl Jam would be featured in the episode. I hadn't seen the show before, so I was curious to see how exactly they'd fit the band's music into the episode. Pearl Jam is also notorious for having a decidedly anti-corporate agenda, refusing to use Ticketmaster in the mid-90s and largely eschewing the spotlight in favor of keeping their music more insular and personal. For them to agree to be featured on a primetime CBS show must've took them really believing in the show. I caught the episode and was surprised to find Pearl Jam songs featured across the board, and mostly from my favorite album of theirs 'Ten'. And they meshed well with the show's themes of adolescence and social service. Turns out last night's episode was just part one of the season finale and part two next week will feature even more tracks. It looks like CBS is really pushing the re-release of 'Ten' as well.

De La Soul + Nike Run

2009-04-30T16:05:00.004-04:00

Check out this promo video detailing De La Soul's new Nike Run mix 'Are You In' (you can download it through iTunes). The track's produced by Flosstradamus (the creator of one of my all-time favorite programs FlossyFX!) It comes in the tradition of a great series of mixes, along with Aesop Rock's and LCD Soundsystem's (probably my favorite of the series). Yet another example of promo done right that's both artful and beneficial to the involved parties.

via Discobelle

More Chuck

2009-04-30T10:35:00.005-04:00

As you might know from our last post on Chuck, the show knows how to showcase good songs. This week's season finale was no different. Above is a clip featuring Styx's "Mr. Roboto", but the show also had "Friday I'm in Love" from The Cure, "Now We Can See" by The Thermals, "Looking at the Sun" by Gramercy Arms, "Christmas TV" by Slow Club and "3 Rounds and a Sound" by Blind Pilot (full song list found on What's Alan Watching). It's a shame that this show's future is uncertain, but there's been a lot of calculated effort to save it. Check out the Save Chuck campaign or this YouTube video where the show's star, Zachary Levi, takes 600 Chuck fans to Subway in an effort to draw attention to the show. Let's hope for a third season!

You can watch the full episode of Chuck's season finale at Hulu

2009-04-28T09:00:00.006-04:00

I don't know of any truly awesome new albums coming out this week, but Rye Rye's excellent new single "Bang" (feat. MIA) drops today. She's also got a free mixtape called Blaqout produced by Blaqstarr that's well worth your time. Download it here. If you've got any recommendations, hit up the comments. On the plus side there are a few great DVD releases this week, including some I haven't before seen and would like to check out (Star Trek and the original Frost/Nixon interviews).

ALBUMS:
Acid Mothers Temple - Interstellar Guru and Zero
Bob Dylan - Together Through Life

REISSUES:
Flipper - Generic [vinyl]
Funkadelic - Cosmic Slop, Free Your Mind... [vinyl]
My Bloody Valentine - Isn't Anything, Loveless [vinyl]
Pulp - This Is Hardcore [vinyl]

DVDs:
Frost/Nixon The Complete Interviews
Gangland - Season 3 (check out the Gangland promo we did on our front page)
Martyrs
Star Trek - The Original Series [BluRay reissue]
The Steamroller and the Violin / Voyage in Time
UFO Hunters - Season 2
X-Men: The Animated Series Volume 1 and 2
Wilco - Ashes of American Flags (directed by Brendan Canty of Fugazi!)

The Simpsons A Capella

2009-04-27T11:59:00.007-04:00

It took a Vocal Writing course for me to be able to take acapella groups seriously. But when not done as a novelty, those groups can make some great tunes... I caught this during the credit roll of last night's Simpsons episode and regardless of the novelty-ish qualities, I can't deny its awesomeness (especially being as big of a Simpsons nerd as I am). It's done by the group Canvas.

You can watch last night's episode in full on Hulu.

Shakerleg

2009-04-24T09:00:00.006-04:00

I saw this excellent trailer for Steven Soderbergh's upcoming 'The Girlfriend Experience', and had to know what that awesome drum soundtrack was. Turns out it's local NYC drummer Shakerleg. He makes intense, but still groove-laden solo drum/percussion music (they also show a clip of him from behind towards the end of the trailer). The actual movie premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival next Tuesday (April 28), so go check it out if you're in town for that.

'Public Enemies' Trailer with Otis Taylor

2009-04-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

Michael Mann always had an uncanny ear for the music he puts in his movies, getting Tangerine Dream to score 'Thief', or putting Mogwai tracks in his remake of 'Miami Vice'. With the second half of this new trailer for 'Public Enemies', Mann is almost invoking an 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' atmosphere with the rambling bluegrass and old-timey setting (see the 'O Brother' trailer here). Of course, 'Public Enemies' is more serious in tone, but the end result is strikingly similar. Embedded below is the track used in the trailer, Otis Taylor's "Ten Million Slaves". Otis' website refers to his style of music as Trance Blues (rather than Bluegrass) and I think that fits well; the music is hypnotizing.

And I can't tell if the music in the first half of the trailer is another song or original scoring, so if anyone recognizes it, leave a comment.

Disturbing Strokes

2009-04-22T09:00:00.001-04:00

via /Film

To illustrate music's powerful influence over one's interpretation of a visual, I'm posting YouTube user Monty Propps' edit of the Diff'rent Strokes open. The original music (listen here) is replaced by tense, dissonant chamber music (originally from this movie), and the result is drastic. Originally a scene of youthful exuberance, the haunting music reimagines as dangerous and foreboding. It plays like something awful is about to happen to the family or that Mr. Drummond is about to bring ill will upon the children. Either way it's strikingly different from the original and all that's changed is music... Feels more 'Rosemary's Baby' than anything.

Kidz In The Hall Reebok Campaign

2009-04-21T13:59:00.009-04:00

Here's an awesome track by Kidz In The Hall that's also a great tie-in with Footlocker/Reebok Classix (like the Mickey Factz/Honda campaign we posted about). The Kidz In The Hall track, "I Got It Made 09" is a reimagining of Special Ed's single from 1989 (embedded below). The classic '80s track coincides with the style of the Reebok Classix being released. They've all got really slick retro designs and colorways. The only way to download the tracks is with the access code you get after buying the shoes, but it looks like the videos are all being released online as a teaser. It's just great to see these examples of promotions that make sense for the companies as well as the artists. It's a natural fit.

2009-04-21T09:00:00.007-04:00

ALBUMS:
Booker T - Potato Hole (catch his live performance on tonight's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon)
Depeche Mode - Sounds of the Universe
King Khan & The Shrines - What Is?!
Maria Bamford - Unwanted Thoughts Syndrome [stand-up comedy]
Owl City - Maybe I'm Dreaming

REISSUES:
Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls & Marches (this is the same relase as last year's Definitive Edition, but cheaper without the DVD)

DVD:
Frost/Nixon
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts (haven't had a chance to see this documentary yet, but it seems too fascinating to ignore)
Sin City [BluRay reissue]
Squidbillies Vol. 2
The Wages of Fear [BluRay reissue]
The Wrestler

Chris Cunningham & Donna Summer Get Gucci

2009-04-20T04:20:00.000-04:00

Director Chris Cunningham (most recognized as the director for many Aphex Twin videos) directed the latest commercial for Gucci's Flora fragrance. David Lynch directed the previous commercial, so he had a lot to live up to and succeeded. Cunningham actually produced and arranged a new version of Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" to accompany his stunning visual. And thankfully, the vocals were done by Summer herself, preserving the essence of the track. The result is beautiful and has become one of my favorite recent commercials. And yes, with commercials as cool as this, the word "favorite" applies!

You can read more about the commercials genesis and production at Dazed Digital.

via /Film

'The Hangover' Trailer's Got Tunes

2009-04-17T10:00:00.007-04:00

Director Todd Phillips' ('Old School', 'Road Trip') new movie 'The Hangover' has an awesome trailer featuring some smart music placement. My favorite track in the trailer is Butthole Surfers "Pepper", which was this semi-hit in the mid-90s, but is just a great track from a great band. They definitely used the coolest part of the track in here too, too bad it ends so soon. But the other songs are also great and fit the mood well. (Also featured in the trailer are: Phil Collins, Wolfmother and TI.) This is the type of trailer that really gets me amped to see the movie, because it seems like this is just a taste of how funny the full feature will be.

Moby "Shot in the Back of the Head"

2009-04-16T09:45:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week, Moby's latest song "Shot in the Back of the Head" premiered on Pitchfork.tv with an animated video directed by David Lynch. First off the song is beautiful, but pairing it with such stark and moving visuals sends it over-the-top. It's a very affecting experience that lives up to both Moby and Lynch's previous work. It's great to see such a high profile pairing taking advantage of the internet, having enough faith in their fanbases to premier the video on Pitchfork of all places.

via Pitchfork News

Who Created Disco?

2009-04-15T10:56:00.002-04:00

Those new Kia commercials that people either love or hate are bumping some fun songs though. In this particular one they use Calvin Harrs' "Colours". Super disco fun. In fact, it comes from an album entitled "I Created Disco". I personally love watching the hamsters get their head-nod on.

Check Out More Calvin Harris

'Chuck' Goes '80s

2009-04-15T10:00:00.003-04:00

In keeping with the '80s songs of this week's Classic Movie Mondays post, this Monday's episode of 'Chuck' featured not one, but two gigantic songs from the '80s. Towards the beginning of the episode was Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It", soundtracking a tongue-in-cheek scene of rebelliousness among the Buy More's employees (embedded above). The song was also featured in a badass action scene later in the episode. Embedded below is the other track featured - Duran Duran's "Hungry Like the Wolf", placed ironically during a chase scene with the very funny Ken Davitian (famous as Azamat from 'Borat'). You can watch the full episode and many more for free on Hulu.

2009-04-14T10:13:00.005-04:00

Wow, lots of great music coming out today! Here are the releases that we think you should check out:

ALBUMS:
Agoraphobic Nosebleed - Agorapocalypse
Big Business - Mind the Drift
Death Cab For Cutie - The Open Door EP
Juan MacLean - The Future Will Come
Medeski Martin & Wood - Radiolarians II
Metric - Fantasies
Mr. Lif - I Heard It Today
Mulatu Astatke and The Heliocentrics - Inspiration Information Vol. 3
Prefuse 73 - Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian
Venetian Snares - Filth
Woods - Songs of Shame

REISSUES:
Beck - One Foot in the Grave
Herbie Hancock - Thrust [vinyl]
Miles Davis - Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way, Sketches of Spain [vinyl]
Monks - Black Monk Time (CLASSIC garage! Can't recommend this album enough…) also on vinyl

DVDS:
nothing new to really recommend picking up this week except maybe Mean Girls on BluRay

Classic Movie Mondays 31: Mad World

2009-04-13T17:42:00.002-04:00

For some reason this movie has been the topic of many discussions over the past few days. I went back to the archive because I was almost positive I've included this on CMM in the past but believe it or not it wasn't up here. Now you may not agree that this movie is "classic" yet but I believe that this was an INSTANT classic. There are a ton of great songs on here so I'm going to include a two-for today. Aren't you lucky! The first is Gary Jules' version of "Mad World" and the next is Tears For Fears' "Head Over Heels" which surprisingly is not on the soundtrack.

Gary Jules - Mad World

Tears For Fears - Head Over Heels

Buy the soundtrack here

Josh Groban on Adult Swim

2009-04-10T11:11:00.007-04:00

Here's a fun video for a Friday. It's an odd bit of artist placement on an even odder show. Last week, Josh Groban was featured on Adult Swim's Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! performing re-imagined versions of songs by the show's fictional act Casey & His Brother. It's a parody of those commercials that sell compilation albums, but the end result is much stranger than simple parody.

Video Essay on Wes Anderson

2009-04-09T11:00:00.004-04:00

Moving Image Source has been running a feature by Matt Zoller Seitz about director Wes Anderson's stylistic influences. So far three of the five video essays have been posted and each has been eye-opening and entertaining. I wanted to highlight the second part because of how much attention is paid to Wes Anderson's use of music in film and where he gathered some of that influence from (Martin Scorcese, Mike Nichols, and Richard Lester). There's a lot of focus put on how editing can act as a complement or counterpoint to the accompanying music. I definitely learned a lot watching this. The video isn't embeddable, so go check it out and click the video box on the right side of the page: The Substance of Style, Pt 2. I highly recommend checking out the first and third video essays as well and keep checking back for the final two parts.

We want MORE!

2009-04-08T12:19:00.002-04:00

Last season we had the privilege of working with the gang over at A&E on the new season of their hit show Intervention. We found a brilliant song from an artist by the name of Tyrone Wells and it just reached out to us immediately. Being a music supervisor I really live for those moments when a particular song just jumps out in front of the pack. It's truly an awesome feeling. Tyrone received a ton of great coverage from the spot and we wish him continued success to an already great career. Hats off to the folks at A&E for producing such a compelling piece.

Intervention (Tyrone Wells - More)

Check out more programming on A&E

Victoria's Secret Ad Featuring Joanna Newsom

2009-04-08T11:46:00.002-04:00

via Stereogum

The newest Victoria's Secret ad features Joanna Newsom's "Sprout and the Bean". It's a slightly odd pairing considering Newsom's idiosyncratic approach to music, but it works perfectly with the excerpt that the ad features. Just delicate harp playing amongst a beautiful woman (Miranda Kerr) parading around the woods in Victoria's Secret. According to Stereogum, Lykke Li's music was used in a previous Victoria's Secret ad last September, so it looks like this is a new marketing approach the company is taking. It's individualistic, while still retaining the inherent sexiness needed to push the product.

Here's Newsom's original video for "Sprout and the Bean" from The Milk-Eyed Mender

2009-04-07T10:00:00.003-04:00

It's time to initiate a new feature here on Music Tells The Story. Every Tuesday we'll be posting a list of new releases that we recommend checking out. Whether it's a bunch of them or just one, this is what we think you should be up on.

New Music
Bat For Lashes - Two Suns (one of the interns here assisted in the record's production!) check out our post on "Daniel"
Black Dice - Repo
Jadakiss - The Last Kiss

New Music DVDs
Arcade Fire - Mirror Noir
Grails - Acid Rain

Reissues
Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
John Coltrane - Giant Steps [vinyl]
Black Sabbath - Paranoid [vinyl]
Captain Beefheart - Safe As Milk [vinyl]
Velvet Underground - Live at Max's Kansas City [vinyl]

DVDs
13 Most Beautiful... Songs for Andy Warhol Screen Tests
American History X [BluRay reissue]
Collateral Damage [BluRay reissue]
Max Fleischer's Superman
No Country For Old Men [2-disc BluRay reissue]
The Wedding Singer [BluRay reissue]

Classic Movie Mondays 30: 110th St.

2009-04-06T14:04:00.002-04:00

Back with another classic movie selection. This time we take it back to '97 and the cult classic Jackie Brown. This movie is filled with amazing music but the one scene that gets me most is the introduction. It starts off with Pam Grier cruising through the airport to the sweet sounds of Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street". Tarantino has said that in developing the script for Jackie Brown, he decided on the majority of the songs during the writing stage. He added: "More or less the way my method works is you have got to find the opening credit sequence first. That starts it off from me. I find the personality of the piece through the music that is going to be in it . . . It is the rhythm of the film. Once I know I want to do something, then it is a simple matter of me diving into my record collection and finding the songs that give me the rhythm of my movie."

Buy the soundtrack here

Mickey Factz Honda Commercial

2009-04-06T10:39:00.005-04:00

Honda has an interesting promotional tie-in going on with rapper Mickey Factz. It's called Rhymes & Reasons, and combines all sorts of things--now being referred to as Web 2.0--like a blog written by Mickey Factz, exclusive premieres of new tracks, viral video, and plenty of stuff for car enthusiasts. What I love about this campaign is that it seems so personal, totally the opposite of what you'd expect from a big corporation. You can tell Mickey Factz is actually writing the blogs and even the exclusive songs are available to download as free MP3s. I hope this inspires more projects that take a smarter approach to promotion by making friends with the audience as opposed to condescending to them.

Ladytron on NBC's 'Kings'

2009-04-02T14:43:00.007-04:00

I started catching up with 'Kings' after hearing the ecstatic reviews the show was receiving. People were praising everything from the show's acting to the cinematography to the clever biblical allegory. The reviews were on point and I've been really getting into 'Kings'. Above is a clip from last Sunday's episode that uses Ladytron's "Ghosts" as a musical backdrop. It's a great bit of music placement. You can watch the entire episode on Hulu. So far only three episodes have aired, so it's still pretty easy to catch up with what's transpired on the show so far. All three episodes are available to stream on Hulu until they expire next month. Definitely check out this show because of its greatness, but also because it's been getting low ratings and its future may be uncertain. If you need any more reasons to start watching 'Kings' read Paste Magazine's "Seven Reasons to Start Watching Kings Immediately".

Here's the music video for Ladytron's "Ghosts"

New Burner Brothers Single Out Today! Go Buy It!

2009-04-01T13:07:00.004-04:00

A. Burner Bros feat. Joe Philips – "Sinister"

B. Burner Bros feat. Erik Kang – "Police Raid"

Hailing from the Metro NYC Area, The Burner Bros, after a hiatus from the drum and bass scene make their triumphant return with this explosive single on Subsonik Sound Recordings. Sinister offers up grimy, pulsating bass leads, punchy drums, tastefully soaking wet electric guitar licks surrounded by an edgy sample hook, gradually growing in intensity throughout the buildup to the eventual drop. A rolling bassline and drum track compliments the full vocal essence of the track. A Signature Subsonik Sound track. Police Raid opens on a more intense note, as the crispy rolling breakbeats introduce you to the rugged, club ready banger. This track plays off its edgy rock guitar riff, and switches back and forth through several dance-floor oriented running patterns.
This is definitely one for the jump-up crowd!

Audio for "Sinister" Here: www.myspace.com/subsoniksound

Available Today @
www.beatport.com
www.itunes.com
www.trackitdown.net
www.juno.co.uk

Please Visit:
www.myspace.com/theburnerbrothers
www.myspace.com/subsoniksound

The BURNERS are BACK!

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 Remake

2009-04-01T10:22:00.004-04:00

I feel like this is becoming trailer central, but there's a lot of great music being inserted into trailers right now. Seems like the art of the trailer is being recognized a little more, in terms of trailers being considered as mini-movies. Here's an interesting article detailing positive/negative aspects of trailers; it also deals with trailers repurposing music from older movies.

So anyway, this trailer for 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3' caught my eye/ear this morning. In the beginning it features what sounds like an edit of Jay-Z's "99 Problems", then totally switches up the atmosphere with A Perfect Circle's "Counting Bodies Like Sheep". With "99 Problems" used in the beginning, it captures the raucous New York City vibe of that the trailer is trying to create. Then it's juxtaposed with the dark, underground subway scenes and "Counting Bodies Like Sheep" kicks in. Until I saw this trailer I was skeptical of the movie. I mean, how could a remake of such a great movie bring anything new to the table? But I will probably be checking out this movie when it comes out now.

You can watch the entire original 1974 version of 'The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3' on Hulu. I highly recommend checking it out.

We Are (and always have been) Rockstars, Yeah?

2009-03-31T10:46:00.003-04:00

Post WMC week continues and this would be a good time to point out some great electronic on TV these days. One of the biggest breakout electro house tracks of last year was by far "We Are Rockstars" by Does It Offend You, Yeah?. It's recently been popping up all over the TV on the Fast and the Furious 4 trailers. Heavy heavy tune that adds a great element of excitement to this trailer. Don't be afraid of the hard electro people, it could have HUGE impact for your next spot.

Here is a video of them kicking this out live at Coachella last year. Attention all advertisers, this is what happens when people here songs like this! Think about it...

Check out more Does It Offend You, Yeah?

Taking Woodstock

2009-03-31T10:30:00.002-04:00

Just caught this trailer for Ang Lee's next movie 'Taking Woodstock' (featuring Demetri Martin), and wanted to highlight the killer use of period songs from the '60s. First comes Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Run Through the Jungle", which is totally archetypal '60s music, but not as cliche or recognizable as their "Fortunate Son" (that seems to soundtrack an endless amount of Vietnam/1960s footage). Then to top it off, it's followed up by Jefferson Airplane's "Volunteers of America". Another great track, that isn't the stereotypical Jefferson Airplane track that people associate with the '60s (White Rabbit). Nice job changing it up!

Classic Movie Mondays 29: Post WMC Madness

2009-03-30T11:46:00.002-04:00

We're back from Miami and feeling more inspired than ever. Music is alive and well people! Electronic music is leaking into every aspect of main stream pop music and we feel like maybe this could be the year that actual "electronic" artists start seeing radio play and sales success here in the states.

I chose 24 Hour Party People for today's CMM because it really documents how rave culture came about back in the late 80's. In this clip from the final moments of the music you'll hear Happy Mondays "Hallelujah (club mix)". It is by far one of the essential rave tunes of this era. Dance music is alive and well and I think people cutting TV promos, advertisements, trailers, etc. get on the bandwagon and help take this genre to new heights this year.

Buy the 24 Hour Party People Soundtrack here

Dubstep Still Killing It

2009-03-26T13:07:00.008-04:00

There are a few dubstep fans here at Man Made Music, so I thought I'd highlight two recent dubstep items (a remix and a mixtape) that I've been digging and have been getting a considerable amount of attention lately.

The first is what's been referred to as an "unknown bootleg" of The Streets "Blinded by the Lights" but in actuality turns out to be a remix by Nero. I can't find anything about Nero online, so if anyone knows what's up, comment, because it's a sick remix.

High Rankin - "Special Music" mixtape
The next is a free mixtape by this dubstep artist High Rankin. It's a great mix of original material and some remixes he's done. The bass bangs, so turn your volume knob up. Here's the tracklisting, and here's a link High Rankin set up to download the mix.

'Where the Wild Things Are' Trailer

2009-03-25T14:43:00.010-04:00

(Tip: let the video finish loading before playing it, so it won't stall)

Just saw this trailer for Spike Jonze's forthcoming 'Where the Wild Things Are' (coming Oct. '09). The cinematography is breathtaking and the creatures look ridiculously cool and so natural/realistic. That coupled with the use of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" literally gave me chills and caused me to tear up at the end. It's an extremely powerful and affecting trailer (and real talk, I haven't even read the book). Hats off to whoever edited the thing.

Bat For Lashes - "Daniel"

2009-03-25T10:00:00.002-04:00

The video for Bat For Lashes new single "Daniel" is stellar. "Daniel" has a dark, sexy, M83 vibe that the video's aesthetic captures well. So far this is the only song I've heard from her upcoming album, Two Suns, but I'm way excited to see what else Natasha Khan will bring to the table with this release.