This week, Jennifer makes NTSIB one of the few places on the internet where you will see the words “killer xylophone action” used together.
No shows this week, so I’m dipping into the video vault (aka YouTube) to highlight some music I’ve enjoyed recently:
Jail Weddings – I Just Thought You Were Someone I Knew
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR–xZltoAE?fs=1]
I have already enthused at y’all about their EP Inconvenient Dreams, which is a five-song slice of joy. Now I am here to be flappy and flaily about their latest full-length release, Love is Lawless, which is both delicious and dirty. As you will see from the video, there are a lot of them, and they harmonize beautifully while singing songs with titles like “What Did You Do With My Gun?” The track in this video is something of a bitter kiss-off to a cruel, inconstant lover, with some killer xylophone and fiddle action.
Tour status: They just wrapped up a West Coast run, but it looks like they’ll be playing at The Echo in Los Angeles on Nov. 29, along with The Black Apples, Dante vs Zombies, and My Pet Saddle.
Surfer Blood – Floating Vibes
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_RBxVpM_AI?fs=1]
A couple of weeks ago I had cause to get up at 5 in the morning to watch Subterranean a show on MTV wherein they actually play videos. (I know! On MTV! Has the world slipped off its axis?) The show is meant to be the reanimation of 120 Minutes, but it doesn’t quite get there, mainly because – at least in the episode I saw – the artist being interviewed between videos doesn’t seem to have much of a connection to what is being played. The videos themselves were actually quite interesting. I pulled this one out to share specifically because I like the “cable access tv” visual style they have going on, as well as their guitars.
Tour status: Currently running around Europe with Interpol, though they will be part of the Bruise Cruise to the Bahamas in February.
Christina Perri – “Jar of Hearts”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvnASKvi2H8?fs=1]
Perri recently rocketed up the charts and into a record deal almost literally overnight after this song was featured on So You Think You Can Dance Canada. I happen to like this version better than the “official” video because I think it being just her and the piano showcases the power of her voice. Also, this is the kind of song you play – loudly, repeatedly, and as often as necessary – to stop yourself from taking a bad boy/girlfriend back into your life.
Tour status: She’s making appearances at various Christmas-special style shows; check her listings to see if there is one near you!