The Welsh group People in Planes (not to be confused with Snakes on a Plane) should be getting more attention than they are. I was first taken by the band when I caught their 2006 SXSW performance—a short 45-minute set but powerful nonetheless. Their style - pop but with a theatrical twist - is best exhibited with their first single, "If You Talk to Much (My Head Will Explode)" from their March release, As Far As the Eye Can See.

When the task of creating a video for the straight-forward track reared its head, lead singer Gareth Jones and crew pitched the job to one producer who just wasn't available. When Joaquin Phoenix became an option, everything fell into place as Phoenix immediately envisioned the video's details. Influenced by society's reliance on cell phones and the impersonal nature of communication between strangers, the five-member group appreciated Phoenix's idea of filming at the Ontario International Airport. The result: a color-rich, poignant music video and a noteworthy notch in Joaquin Phoenix's directing belt. Discover People in Planes before they get big. Check out the video, then treat yourself to their debut album.

People in Planes—"If You Talk Too Much (My Head Will Explode)" People in Planes on MySpace, featuring streaming audio of "Barracuda" and "Falling by the Wayside"

I was a fan of Hot Fuss and I honestly would like to not see The Killers go the way of The Bravery, but it may be inevitable.  Flowers keeps opening his mouth and poop keeps coming out and they just become less and less appealing in terms of their band personality.  Plus, I really have no love for the new single and the dreaded “Sophamore Slump” seems to be the outcome.  They have received mixed reviews for their new album Sam’s Town, but I’ve only heard about five tracks and don’t want to pass total judgement yet.  They seem to be trying to shed their Vegas showmanship and move into a gruffer, tougher look and feel.  Flowers says they have pulled most of their inspiration from Bruce Springsteen, and the one thing I’ll say for them is at least they are trying new things.  Did they succeed?  Is is believeable?  Eh, not really.  Will they still be a commercial success?  Probably.  Flowers is pretty enough and the songs I’ve heard still have enough pull in multiple markets to sell a good share of albums.  I don’t know if they’ll see much success past this though.  Abandoning what made them a hit, at least in attitude and appearance, in the first place seems to be a silly way to go.  Part of the fun is watching how it all plays out though.

The Killers - When You Were Young (Jacque Lu Cont’s Thin White Duke Radio Edit Remix)

Sam’s Town will be released on October 3, 2006, but the album has leaked and is all over the place, so you can find a couple of the tracks from Sam’s Town is you look hard enough.  I encourage you though, if you are a fan, to go buy it this Tuesday.

Stars has a remix album coming out this Fall called Do You Trust Your Friends?.  I was in my local indie record shop the other day and found a free Arts & Crafts sampler with this advance track of The First Five Times remixed by Matthew Adam Hart aka The Russian Futurists.

Speaking of Stars, you can watch their performance from ACL 2006 here.

Stars - The First Five Times (Russian Futurists Remix)

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For the past four years, the hottest hip-hop night in the Valley apparently has been at the Blunt Club (hosted by Hollywood Alley in Mesa). I say “apparently” because I’ve yet to drag my sorry butt down there. That’s gonna change soon (I swear), especially if they keep lining up great indie hip-hop artists; Jeru the Damaja, Crown City Rockers, Abstract Rude and Souls of Mischief are just a few of the guests to come through.

Continue reading "Backyard Bangers: “New Math”"

I remember the first time I heard Nelly Furtado‘s “I’m Like A Bird”—as an intern for an online music editor, I often listened to the advanced copies and promo cds that made it to his cast-off pile. (To his credit, he appreciated more musically complex artists, as most musicians do.) In any case, that ultra-poppy single that eventually turned Furtado into a household name for Top 40 radio listeners caught my attention - not necessarily because I liked it, but because it just seemed like something I’d hear on a pop station. 

Continue reading "Sandi Thom, the next Nelly Furtado?"

Austinite Will Taylor has a good thing going. An accomplished jazz solo artist and masterful arranger/composer/producer, Taylor had one of those light-bulb-illuminating ideas back in 1999 that quickly became reality. Organizing a promising group of skilled soloists with various musical backgrounds, he began Strings Attached. The concept is this: invite a talented artist of any genre (rock, country, etc.) to a show and, with their help, rearrange their own songs into new, cross-genre creations. 

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The middle-aged indie pop rockers known as the Pernice Brothers are anticipating the imminent drop of their sixth album, Live a Little, next Tuesday. Their typical sound - a calm, low-key rock covered with Joe Pernice’s slightly sad, always subtle vocals - rings true on the advance single, “Somerville.” The melancholy melody camouflages lyrics indicative of a fed-up mind.

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