I’ve had my eye on La Strada for a few months now, so it was pretty natural that I include them on a list of suggestions when Takka Takka asked me if I could recommend a band for an opening slot at one of their Pianos shows. La Strada is part Sufjan Stevens, part Bowerbirds, part Arcade Fire, part string trio, and part everything else in between. Read more

Found while visiting our friends over at Gorilla vs. Bear, these babies are FRESH and NEW and things. You will enjoy them now. You’re welcome.

above: “Breaking It Up” by Lykke Li

above: “The Escapist” by The Streets

above: “Kim & Jessie” by M83

above: “Comfy in Nautica” by Animal Collective

In between pummeling eardrums and dropping jaws via their traveling carnival of a live show, the lads of Drink Up Buttercup have gotten nice and cozy in the studio as well. Working diligently and oft-distractedly on their debut album, they were thoughtful enough to film much of the process and allow YOU a unique perspective on what’s been going on during their sessions at American Diamond studio.

And contrary to what’s suggested in the picture above, it doesn’t ALL involve hanging out front on a prolonged smoke break. See for yourselves below: Read more

Entropy Reigns (Pearson and Usher’s Second Law Dynamix) by Kelley Polar which clocks in at 8:30.
Above video created using footage shot at the Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration.

Buy Entropy Reigns EP on Amazon.

EAR FARM’s 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. Click HERE to see the songs recently featured in EF’s 8+.

Listen to one of Takka Takka’s Pianos residencey shows in its entirety over at Breakthru Radio

AOL names Bowery Ballroom, Joe’s Pub and…..Webster Hall!!!??? as its top three live music venues

Entertainment Weekly lists 25 New Classic One-Hit Wonders

The Black Crowes sue Gretchen Wilson over apparently ripping off the melody from “Jealous Again” in Saving Grace commercials

Jim O’Rourke to release double-album drone called long night on August 19th on Drag City

Silver Jews are releasing a documentary and encouraging fans to cover their songs too

The Avalanches finally near completion on their second album

Stereogum’s Quit Your Day Job trains its focus on The War On Drugs

Is Dave Grohl the nicest guy in rock?

The BBC is fined for faking phone-ins and misleading its audiences

What’s it like to start a record company? And why on earth would anyone decide to start one in an era when the head of Capitol Records probably can’t afford having Baja Fresh for lunch? Aren’t compact discs dead?

Precisely the point, dear reader. Meet Keith Abramson: music fan, A&R rep for Kemado Records, and harbinger of the CD’s apocalypse. His new Kemado imprint Mexican Summer launches in September with a unique business model, pressing very limited quantities of vinyl - with accompanying digital downloads - available on a subscription basis and at a select group of retailers (mom and pop not Wal and Mart) across this great land. In other words, vinyl and digital only. Sorry CDs, you’re fucked. We recently chatted with Abramson to hear firsthand about this exciting venture… Read more

Below are videos from music types celebrating birthdays today, July 30th. Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Paul, Frank, Kate, and Iaaaannnn…. happy birthday to you.

above: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Paul Anka who turns 67 today

above: “Far From Over” by Frank Stallone who turns 58 today

above: “Running up that Hill” by Kate Bush who turns 50 today

above: “Rooftops” by Lostprophets whose lead singer Ian Watkins turns 31 today

EAR FARM’s Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted whenever the mood strikes us. Click on the band name to visit their site, click on the song name to listen to the song. Read more

She & Him is the new duo consisting of Zooey Deschanel, whose day job is on the big screen, and M. Ward, already a darling of the indie scene.

They blend early ‘60’s influenced pop and country, light-hearted tales of love and heartbreak, and a reverence for times past with impressive sincerity and confidence. Read more

Buy the awesome new Walkmen album for 5 dollars three weeks before it comes out and help fight cancer

Another lost Brian Wilson album from the 60s will be released this fall, titled A World of Peace Must Come

Last night’s Butthole Surfers concert at Webster Hall nearly ends in a riot

John Lydon threatens to take newspapers to court

Drowned in Sound talks to Ed Droste about the progress of Grizzly Bear’s new album

The Killers to release their third album in November

More TV on the Radio tour dates, including two October shows at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple

Alicia Keys and Jack White team up for the new James Bond theme

WIRED looks at The Dark Knight’s many musical mutations

Juliana Hatfield is a true Renaissance woman, holding any or all of the following titles at one time or another over the last two decades: singer, songwriter, Blake Baby, Lemonhead, Gen X icon, actress, author, and now subversive artist (well, subversive if you’re a Yankees fan).

It’s true; the latest issue of SPIN revealed this fairly amazing - and nearly completed - painting of loathed Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez currently on display in her Cambridge apartment. As she explained: Read more

1999 marked the release of D.A.F.T. - A Story about Dogs, Androids, Firemen, and Tomatoes, Daft Punk’s collection of videos from the Homework album. They are, quite possibly, the coolest group of music videos ever to spell out a band’s name. Check it.

Dogs:

“Da Funk” directed by Spike Jonze

Androids:

“Around The World” directed by Michel Gondry

Firemen:

“Burnin’” directed by Seb Janiak

Tomatoes:

“Revolution 909″ directed by Roman Coppola

I fill with rage when the haters dismiss Ween as a joke band, a Weird Al for stoners. This is such bullshit, because while Gene and Dean may not take themselves seriously, they certainly take rocking seriously. And their refusal to follow the tides of musical fashion or to be defined by a particular style has allowed them to pursue their sick, crazy, glorious experimentations wherever they may lead. Read more

Listen:“Gene By Gene” by Blur from Think Tank

View: Image search results for Gene By Gene - above image is from the first page of results when searching for large images (and was originally from HERE).
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EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss is a weekly feature (every Tuesday) wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted. You can see all of EAR FARM’s Hit-or-miss posts thus far right HERE.

Remembering the genius who Stanley Kubrick stole music from

Chicago Tribune: How Lollapalooza changed Chicago’s concert landscape

Gnarls Barkley cover Radiohead at Hollywood Bowl

Are the days of arena rock coming to an end?

The Donkeys to release sophomore LP on Dead Oceans with supporting tour dates announced as well

Best Buy stores will start expanding into carrying musical instruments

Deerhoof announce massive tour

David Byrne announces details of his collaboration with Brian Eno over on his blog

Jack Bruce wants more Cream reunion gigs

Watch Lykke Li and El Perro Del Mar do a Take Away Show over at La Blogotheque

A new Whitney Houston song leaks over the weekend