Depeche Mode - Wrong

Depeche Mode's new (and 12th) album "Sounds of the Universe" drops (if you will) April 20th...almost like a belated birthday gift to me...thanks guys....Anyway this is the video for the first single off the album entitled "Wrong"...It's got an interesting sound, not so much like the Depeche Mode sound that lingers in my internal soundtrack, but not entirely offputting either. It's interesting. The song has that undercurrent of darkness that's always been layered under their sound, even their more poppy sounds, and which has undoubtly attracted me to the band time and time again. I actually like this track alot better than "fragile tension"., which was leaked onto the internet earlier this month. Although Dave Gahan has stated interviews that the version of that song was actually a rough cut not the finished product. The video for Wrong is interesting too. How unlucky can one guy get? Think you had a bad day? Think again.
DM is also slated to play the Garden in August....I'd like to see them live again...

ADELE - Make You Feel My Love

Adele's cover of Dylans's to make you feel my love is really quite beautiful. FYI she's not lip synching in the video, she was filmed singing live. Which is pretty interesting and very cool in this day and age. The album cut of the song and video stirred up quite dichotomous emotions in me. The single sounds hopeful and pretty and almost like a spontanous outpouring of devotion in a candid moment, while the video on the other hand felt depressing and desperate. (yet in no way detracting from the song's appeal) More like supplication to an errant boyfriend or love. Whom I suppose actually does call in the end, albiet well past 4am, but lets not split hairs....Maybe I'd do better to just enjoy the song without being overly analytical.
I wanted to find a clip of Bob Dylan performing the song, just to compare and contrast, but really audio sucked on all the clips I found on youtube...unless I wanted to suffer through a "tribute" video...and really I think we're all better for not viewing one of those...oh well

The Amazing Ny Race

Last Sunday I took part in the amazing New York Race. It is, as the official website calls it, "Part scavenger hunt, part obstacle course, ALL New York." The races are organized by Pogo events and there are a multitude to choose from. All of which take you on an interesting hunt around NYC, trying to solve clues and complete tasks within the designated (approx 4 hour) time frame. I'm sure you're familiar with the CBS show, (which the website is quick to point out they are not at all affiliated with), so you can pretty much grasp the concept of the races.
The one I took part in last Sunday was the underground race. It took place entirely in the subway system, which even for a native NYer can be tricky to navigate at times. Anyway each team was given a packet at the start of the race, which included pictures of different places of interest withing the subway system. Murals, artwork and such. Some of which were fairly easy to locate (like the Alice in Wonderland mural at 50th st), and various tasks, such as "take a picture with a person wearing red shoes" and "take a picture with 5 men in suits in Grand Central". Each team had to take a picture to document their accomplishment of each thing on the list, and each team member had to be in the picture. There was also a road block,a mental road block, which was a list of letters,each of which was a letter from a famous corporate logo. And a detour which was a choice between either collecting 10 matchbooks from restaurants (near impossible in smoke free NY) or collecting 10 business cards from ice cream parlors. Everything on the list had points attributed to them, with a bonus 15 points if you arrived back at the meeting point by 5:45. My team of 3 (myself, Steven and Beth) choose the name "The F N 1ers"...the effin oners...nice NY tude eh? It was quite a whirlwind running around subterranean NY. For the most part the people we encountered were really into it. Everyone was pretty compliant with our at times weird demands. I mean is there really a non-weird way to ask someone if you and 2 friends can take a picture with them while they're talking on the phone? Or to buy a newspaper just to ask someone to "please pretend to do the crossword puzzle, while we take a picture?"
The few notable, non compliant individuals were: the surly token booth agent who refused to let us take a picture, the old man in grand central who ran from me clutching is wallet, when I approched him. (FYI in my humble experience muggers do not approach their victims with a kindly "excuse me sir" while wearing name tags), and the man at the newsstand who refused to be photographed holding a SI swimsuit issue (the challenge was to take a picture with someone holding a girlie mag) because he would much prefer to be holding "golf digest"...yea I know....what would people on facebook think if that picture ever surfaced...oh the shame...
Anyway, our team came in somewhere in the middle of the pack with a respectable 238 points. The winning team had 280 something points, but that victory was rife with controversy. Originally the winners were announced to be "The trainspotters" (a team comprised of our friends), until the winning team demanded a recount and were declared the actual winners. Ah, well all is fair in love and scavenger hunts I suppose.
All in all it was a really good time. It's a fun way to see the city and interact with people, all while depending upon your wiles and organizational skills to get yourself through the day. Great cardio workout too!
Check out more about these races at pogoevents.com and maybe sign up for one yourself. I'd do it again sometime. Hmmm..maybe I'll even get to compete against you....

Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles

Cool band. They've got that 90's alt sound I miss so. Not to mention , in the shadowy quality of the video the frontman kinda looks like a young Billy Corgan, doesn't he?

Cool random concert info

So here's a cool tidbit if you're a TMBG fan. I just recently discovered that the last Saturday of every month They Might Be Giants play @ Le Poisson Rouge in NYC.
Tickets are only $28 (plus a $4.50 fee), which is fairly reasonable not only if you're a fan of the band, but also for a grammy winning one (they recently won a grammy for best musical album for children for their album "Here come the 123s)
Le Poisson Rouge is located at 158 Bleecker Street, and you can learn more about not only TMBG shows but other upcoming (and reasonable priced) shows and events at their website http://lepoissonrouge.com/ Even in these bleak economic times, you can still go out and have fun on a budget!

Dirt Off Your Android- Jaydiohead

Jaydiohead - Dirt Off Your Android from Minty Fresh Beats on Vimeo.

Whoever woulda thunk Jay-z and Radiohead would mesh so well? Well they do! I'm completely not a fan of the rap rock genre, and was skeptial at first, but I would totally be down with a Jigga man and Radiohead collaboration! I love when two seemingly diverse musical genres are able to merge into something new and altogether original. I doesn't always work so well. I think this nifty little musical marriage is what the organizers of Amsterjam (which promised amazing live mashups) were hoping for and never delivered. Maybe if they could make this happen, they would bring the festival back...NYC is quite devoid of music fests...and seeing Snoop do and Red Hot Chili Peppers together or (the less random pairing) of Foo Fighters and Tom Petty was pretty nifty...oh well....anyway you can check out more songs like this @ jaydiohead.com

Bon Iver -- Lump Sum

I'm currently digging...Bon Iver. His real name is Justin Vernon. The moniker Bon Iver is actually a take on the french term "Bon Hiver" (which means good winter), which the singer was inspired to adopt after hearing the phrase mentioned on the series Northen Exposure. His album For Emma, Forever Ago was written during a period of isolation while he was recooperating from a bout of mononucleosis of the liver in his father's cabin in northern Wisonsin. Iver's vocals are haunting, angelic and all together moving. For Emma feels so personal, it almost feels intrusive at times listening to it. It's beautiul and simple. Iver plays all the instruments and relied heavily on overdubbing on the tracks. Check him out...

Joaquin Phoenix Rap Concert At Vegas Club Tavo, Fails Miserable, Drunken Stumble Fall Off Stage

So Joaquim is giving up acting for a career in rap....The beard is very Rick Rubin-esque isn't it? I'm so in love right now with all the controversy this is causing. People seem so invested in his career.. I think it's going to make a hellofva documentary. It's just so very Andy Kauffman (who was billiant by the way) and unlike most other celebrity antics, which leave me well bored to tears, this is interesting...rap on Joaquim...rap on....