The Terrible Twos (or, at least, Matt Pryor and Eric McCann) put on a great show last night at Phoenix's Modified Arts. I'll have a recap with photos up soon, I hope, but in the meantime, here's 19 minutes of video from the show, featuring songs from both their albums, split up into 8 tiny nuggets.
The Terrible Twos - "Old Man Miller"
"A song about a porcupine..."
Laurie Berkner Does Have Nice Hair
Sometimes I get stuff in my inbox and don't get a chance to post until the next day. So in today's first example, I present to you Laurie Berkner's Soundcheck performance. Now, some people have spent almost as much time talking about the sponsor -- SUAVE! A Unilever brand! Plus Walmart! -- as on the show.
And so in response, I'll probably do the same. To be clear, aside from a five-second ad at the start of the full performance and a tiny logo in the lower right-hand corner and occasional glimpses of "Suave" from the rotating camera, it's definitely not a hard-sell. I'm not a fan of corporate sponsorship -- as far as corporate sponsorships go, this isn't bad.
Anyway, tracklist for the 20-minute video is after the jump. There are four videos from this week's release Rocketship Run, plus two Laurie classics. The interview, as others have mentioned, is worth watching.
Video: "Davy Crockett in Outer Space" - They Might Be Giants
I'm a little late in pointing this out, but They Might Be Giants have released a video for their contribution to the considerably-better-than-the-hipsters-might-expect Disney Music Block Party compilation, "Ballad of Davy Crockett in Outer Space."
The song is a decidedly odd updating of the theme song, but the video is totally low-tech in the best way.
They Might Be Giants - "Ballad of Davy Crockett in Outer Space"
Yes, that's a real chalkboard. Want proof? Read all about the behind-the-scenes process here.
Will The Album Packaging Be Cute Again, Too?
For those of you who liked the soft, soothing sounds of Renee and Jeremy's debut CD, It's a Big World! (I'll include myself in that group), good news -- the duo announced in their newsletter earlier this week that they're currently writing songs for the follow-up and plan to enter the studio in August to record it. (Does that mean they won't be using Renee's nursery like they did with the debut? Pity, though as I think about it, the nursery, empty as the pregnant Renee recorded the debut, probably has, you know, an actual child. How would you like it if somebody decided to record an album in your bedroom?)
Anyway, just because it's so beautiful, the title track's video is after the jump.
You Knew It Would Happen: Feist, "1 2 3 4," and Sesame Street
Yeah, I know some people are tired of Feist by now, but I still adore "1 2 3 4," and so do the fine folks at Sesame Street. They've helped rework Feist's hit song into the 3-year-old counting song it will inevitably be remembered as.
You must watch this. Now. (Or wait 'til it premieres on the 39th season premiere August 11.)
Feist - "1 2 3 4 (Sesame Street Version)"
They even used the original for inspiration. (Though there were no penguins in the original and Feist isn't nearly as spangly here.) Hat tip: Videogum.
After the jump, the original video, plus my favorite reworked Sesame Street song ever.
Video: "Pollywog in a Bog" - Barenaked Ladies
I can't say that "Pollywog in a Bog" ranks near the top of my favorite tracks on Barenaked Ladies' excellent Snacktime disk, but a good video can change one's impression of a song, no?
This is a good video.
Barenaked Ladies - "Pollywog in a Bog"
(featuring Kevin Hearn as the possum, Steve Page the owl, Ed Robertson the flying squirrel, Tyler Stewart the otter, and Jim and Andy Creeggan as the fox brothers. Puppets by Noah Ginex, directed by JP Riley.)
