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Music

The 10 Best New Songs We Heard This Week: Joanna Newsom, Beaches

By Tom Hawking on

Over the last year or so, we’ve been spending our Friday mornings rounding up the best downloadable MP3s from around the web. Over that time, it’s become clear that the (legally) downloadable MP3 is in something of a decline — the advent of Soundcloud and Bandcamp has meant that bands are far more inclined to stream their work than offer it up for free, which is entirely fair enough, and it’s also meant that of late we’ve missed being able to share a whole bunch of new music that wasn’t downloadable. So from here on in, we’re sharing the best new songs we’ve heard over the course of the week, and offering them up for you to stream at your leisure. This inaugural edition features work from Joanna Newsom, Beaches, Dam-Funk, Motion Sickness of Time Travel, and plenty more. Happy Friday! … Read More

Music

The 10 Creepiest Soundtrack Songs to Be Murdered By

By Matthew Bower on

What would a cinematic serial killer be without a chilling, trademark theme song? Save certain polymaths of music and murder, like Charles Manson, most real-life killers don’t get the luxury of a hair-raising soundtrack accompaniment. Scary movies draw on a lot of varied sources for creating the perfect murderous mood music. Sometimes, it’s a tinny, crackling old lullaby played from a broken radio in another room. Other times, murderers require a more epic, haunting buildup. And occasionally, it’s a song that we otherwise wouldn’t find creepy at all, but somehow becomes permanently attached to a nightmarish slasher scene. In lieu of unscary Halloween novelty standbys like “Monster Mash,” we offer 10 of the creepiest songs from our favorite murderous soundtracks. Be forewarned, some of these clips are a bit on the NSFW side. … Read More

Music

50 of the Best Closing Lines in Music

By Tom Hawking on

It was about 18 months ago now that we collected an epic selection of our favorite opening lines in music, and we’ve been meaning to get around to closing lines ever since. There are plenty of candidates for such honors as far as films and books go, but surprisingly few for music — it’s a more difficult exercise than it looks, perhaps because heaps of songs end with multiple renditions of the chorus rather than a punchy parting shot. Still, we’ve put together a bumper selection: 50 of the best.… Read More

Music

Watch Joanna Newsom Make Ridiculous Faces in ’7 Minutes in Heaven’

By Caroline Stanley on

For the 28th (and unfortunately, final) installment of his always amusing 7 Minutes in Heaven web series, Saturday Night Live scribe Mike O’Brien invited folk chanteuse Joanna Newsom to hop in the closet, play a tiny keyboard, and have a little chat with him. The resulting conversation is both entertaining and enlightening — for example, did you have any idea that Newsom was allergic to cats? — but be warned: you do not watch this clip if you’re afraid to see what her evil clown face looks like. And reader, you should be. … Read More

Music

10 MP3s You Need to Download for Free This Week: Joanna Newsom, Joe Jackson and Iggy Pop

By Tom Hawking on

It’s Friday, and we’re back with another installment of our regular roundup of downloadable MP3 goodness from around the web. This week, there’s a live version of a new track that Joanna Newsom played recently, which will no doubt have fans salivating. There’s also Joe Jackson duetting with Iggy Pop, Corin Tucker being raucous, an undiscovered Exile on Main Street cut*, and new tracks from Thee Oh Sees, Mungolian Jetset, and The Raveonettes. (*Possibly.) In other words, there’s plenty of interesting sounds awaiting you after the jump, and since they won’t cost a penny or land you an RIAA lawsuit, as your attorneys we advise you to start downloading immediately. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Just a day after the trailer was released, the full version of Lana Del Rey’s video for “National Anthem” — in which she plays both Marilyn Monroe and Jackie O opposite of A$AP Rocky’s JFK — has arrived online.

2. If you’re lucky enough to be going to San Diego Comic-Con this… Read More

Music

10 Free MP3s You Need to Download This Week

By Tom Hawking on

It’s Friday, and we’re back with another installment of our regular roundup of downloadable MP3 goodness, both from around the web and from our own servers. This week there’s lots of spacey, ambient, atmospheric stuff to ease you into the weekend, along with a new song from the ever-prolific Dâm-Funk, a cracking track from new Flavorpill faves Light Asylum, a previously unreleased Joanna Newsom instrumental, and an entire mixtape from Titus Andronicus. In other words, there’s plenty of interesting sounds awaiting you after the jump, and since they won’t cost a penny or land you an RIAA lawsuit, as your attorneys we advise you to start downloading immediately. … Read More

Television

The 10 Best Portlandia Guest Stars

By Judy Berman on

Tonight, Portlandia comes to an end after its second too-short season. The past nine episodes have brought us a “cool wedding,” the dream of the 1890s, a band with a cat in it, and a campaign against the Olympics — which were really never in danger of coming to Portland, anyway. We learned that durian fruits are actually aliens (which made a lot of sense) and that there are entire companies dedicated to sourcing bad art for coffee shops. And, of course, we enjoyed guest appearances from all kinds of celebrities, from indie rockers to filmmakers to A-list comedians. To celebrate another successful series of hipster-mocking sketches and yuppie-lampooning gags, we’re counting down Portlandia’s ten best guest stars — so far. … Read More

Music

Musical World Tour: San Francisco

By Tom Hawking on

Every Friday, we take a look at the way various cities from around the world have been depicted in song, choosing five of our favorites about a given location. Having spent the last month across the Atlantic, we’re heading back to USA for a few weeks, and starting on the west coast this time. Specifically, we’re going to San Francisco, a city with a particularly fruitful musical heritage, and a place that’s been immortalized in song more times than you can poke a stick at. As ever, this isn’t meant to be a definitive list of the best songs ever about the city, just a selection of our personal favorites — and suggestions are always welcome. … Read More

News

The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories

By Caroline Stanley on

1. Hollywood big shot Brian Grazier has stepped in to replace Brett Ratner as the producer of this year’s Oscars. Despite some initial speculation, Grazier now says that there’s no way that he’s going ask Eddie Murphy to reconsider his exit as host. [via Deadline]

2. Ricky Gervais says that NBC wants him… Read More