Have you seen the Urban Yeti?

We were not familiar with the term and thus we had to consult the urban dictionary to discover the truth.

All kidding aside the reason for mentioning the urban yeti is that you actually see one in the new video from the band The Prairie Cartel for their catchy as hell track " No Light Escapes Here". The video was directed by the Chinese award winning film maker/animator Peng Lei. He himself is actually a musician and he plays in the band New Pants who's new wave/early punk style has made them one of the biggest bands on the pop scene in China today. Note as you watch this video his use of the image of Chairman Mao.



The Prairie Cartel themselves might not be a house hold name yet, but you might recognize them for having a song on the soundtrack for the video game Grand Theft Auto IV. Probably you have heard of the bands they were in before this project, which include Local H, Fig Dish and Caviar. Given the vast differences between the aforementioned bands it is no surprise that The Prairie Cartel is a mix of the above. For us they sound like the lead singer of The National fronting The Klaxons.

(mp3) The Prairie Cartel - No Light Escapes Here

Did you get this song stuck in your head at the end of Gossip Girl last week?

This past Monday (October 19th) we were watching and enjoying another great episode of this 3rd season of Gossip Girl. Towards the end of this episode when the producers felt we had enough story for next week and giving us tide us over till next week we heard a the sweet sound of some whistling followed by a man and woman with a little bit of drawl singing these lyrics "Home, Let me come Home, Home is Whenever I'm with you..."

The lyrics and melody sounded so quite familiar we could not quite place it. We went back and scoured some of our recently listened to music. We discovered that this song was by none other than Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes, we promptly spent the rest of the evening listening their jam "Home" on repeat as well as several other of their tunes. As luck would have it this 10 piece whirlwind of a band from Los Angeles, is coming to our neck of the woods to play a show on November 12th during The Kent State Folk Festival. This one of those song you just want to listen to on repeat and let it ooze into your skull where it will it get cozy and bury itself and not leave anytime soon.

(mp3) Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeroes - Home

Have you tried VIA?

This morning, we headed into bold new territory as we sampled VIA for the first time. If you are not familiar with VIA, it is Starbucks first attempt at instant coffee. Now, some of you when it comes to your cup of joe may scoff at the thought of instant coffee, but for us (especially in these times) we like to maximize the benefit of every last coffee crystal. Which is why we have been huge fans of Taster's Choice Gourmet Roast for years now.

We don't take our coffee with any cream, milk, or sugar - just a smidge of sweet & low and we're ready to go.

Both of us have been fans of Starbucks for quite some time, but like most of you, we have chosen to scale back on this indulgence (although, wine will always win out over coffee for us). Upon watching several VIA commercials while working out, we both became excited at the possibility of instant Starbucks coffee. So, this morning, as we type this, we are drinking Starbucks VIA Ready Brew Italian Roast.

Upon first sip, while the aroma isn't nearly as strong as "real" coffee, it still smelled refreshing. From a preference standpoint, it was slightly bitter until we added our favorite sweetening agent. After combining the two, the conclusion is. . .it does taste better than our regular instant coffee - but nothing beats a cup of joe, piping hot, and served with personality. We look forward to trying the Columbian Roast next.

Bonus:
[Mp3] Roger McGuinn and Calexico - One More Cup of Coffee (Dylan cover)
[Mp3] Motel Motel - Coffee

Do You Know What The Green Eyed Fairy is?

Earlier this week on our twitter page we posted a link to latest video from Los Angeles via Ann Arbor soul boy-wunderkind Mayer Hawthorne. We have been fans of his ever since hearing him first croon this past summer. Speaking of summer F THIS COLD WEATHER!!. And now back to the post....Mayer Hawthorne's jam "green eyed love" is a pure and simple track to chill to. We in our ignorance thought this song was ode to another woman or perhaps something else that is green & sticky? but we were wrong it is infact about absinthe.


Not sure how many of you out there have tried absinthe. If you have never had the chance, you now one because coming up here on October 30th @ The Cleveland Museum of Art from 5:30 to 9 p.m there will be an absithe tasting. The reason for this tasting will be in celebration of the recently opened Gauguin: Paris, 1889 & Mr. Gauguin himself loved to drink the green eyed fairy. Also if you have not had a chance to view this exhibition (we went on the first day it was open.) we suggest you do so. Why would you not want to look at great art and drink absinthe? You have no excuse not to go :)

(mp3) Mayer Hawthorne - Green Eyed Love (Classixx Remix)

You Know What Girl Talk Can Do But Have You Heard What E-603 Can Do?

With the explosion of Girl Talk's popularity, you knew it was only a matter of time before other artists would start attempting to create mash ups on his unprecedented level. E-603 comes into the conversation because he is the first artist on our radar from the post Girl Talk mash up genre. Haters will probably say this is the same as Girl Talk, but this kid is taking that game to the next level. E-603, who's real name is Ethan Ward, hails from New Hampshire and has been touring for awhile now. He has toured with the likes of such taste makers as The Hood Internet, The Cool Kids and Yo La Tengo. He is currently on tour with Passion Pit (what a sweet tour that is).

When it comes to samples, you can't help but be impressed by an artist's ability to take someone else's art and make it their own. Part of the fun with this form of mash-up is seeing how many of the samples you can recognize on each one of his sonic collages. If you need some help there is a Wikipedia article listing the samples and how long it appears for on each track.

If you are interested in checking out the entire album, you can grab it here. Come on, you can't help but smile when you hear Dre and Snoop spitting on top of Starship's "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us" :)

(mp3) E-603 - Lights Out (from Torn Up, his latest album)

(mp3) E -603 - Money and Girls (from Something For Everyone) Love it on this one when Slim Thug is throwing bars down on top of Postal Service

Whatever You Like...Some Covers For This Friday

Recently, we had been made aware that the lovely and talented Ms. Anya Marina had done a cover and video, putting her own touches on T.I.'s hit "Whatever you Like" - this prompted us to share it with you. Really, who would have ever thought Anya Marina would take this song and sing it. . .and, in a sex shop no less??

In addition to Anya's unique rendition, you should take a listen to another cover performed by Rome, the new singer of Sublime. Now, whenever you take over for an iconic band and the lead singer has passed away, those are some tough some shoes to fill. However, we feel that Rome is most definitely going to help keep the flame of Sublime blazing strong.

Lastly, after watching these two videos - one should be sure to watch the original so you can gain some perspective and appreciate the different interpretations of this great song.

Whatever You Like - Anya Marina

Whatever You Like - Rome (of Sublime)

Whatever You Like - T.I.

The Japandroids Are Coming To Town Tomorow!

The Japandroids - duo from Vancouver B.C. can't quite put your finger on. They got some soaring dare that feels like my youth when I used to go see bands like this who rocked hard, but at the time created beautiful distortion at places like the grog shop, the Euclid tavern and Speak in Tongues. This type of music really has a soft place in my heart for when I used to listen to all band that were post hardcore/emo, and everything in between. While this band is only a duo they beautiful noise that they are able to conjure would make you swear that there are at least two maybe three more people in this band. This is truly the power of two.

Earlier this year they had a full schedule through the United States including several major festivals but had to back out to due to a life threatening perforated ulcer suffered by guitarist Brian king. We are so lucky now that he has recovered they are bring their awesome sound to such a intimate venue to Now That's Class tomorrow October 8th. They will be heading a bill that includes The Coathangers, Megachurch, Church of the Snake

(mp3) The Japandroids - The Boys are Leaving Town

(mp3) The Japandroids - I Quit Girls

A Different Kind Of Island...

Hopewell "Island" from Painless Surgery on Vimeo.

This new video from Brooklyn's finest dark cinematic psychedelic rockers : Hopewell is something to be hold. It is a great non pop video with it's use of archived World War II clips are inter spliced with modern scenes. Overall it has a very Kurosawa-esque quality to it. The music perfectly compliments the mood and tone of the song. The director (Art Boonparn who is a friend of the band and has directed videos for The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Cold Cave ) was inspired by the 1971 Japanese cult film "Throw Away Your Books, Let's Go Into The Streets" from director Shuji Terayama. Below you can check out a clip for the aforementioned film.

(mp3) Hopewell - Island