Dead Weather played Prospect Park

Not too many people would have the audacity to walk on stage, blow torch in hand, and proceed to light their front woman's cigarette. Then again, not everyone is Jack White. The Dead Weather was in full force from the moment they graced the stage. The all-black-everything entourage attacked the stage with pristine white guitars that were used as battle axes as they attacked the stage with their raw sound. Alison Mosshart prowled the stage taking complete command of each song as White's drumming thundered between wails on guitar and tight thumping bass. Song after song pummeled the crowd, showing that their strong suit really is in the live performance, as the set built to the electrifying "Will There Be Enough Water?" Once Mr. White strapped on his six string there was no turning back. He ripped through the track while sharing lead vocal duties and microphone battles with Mosshart. Despite being behind a kit instead of his usual lead, White still ran the show, top hat, feather, and all. His fills on the skins were pulsating all evening however, on both the occasions he took duty on guitar his true talent was unveiled. Few have been as productive as Jack White in this past decade and while I still believe that neither of his recent projects have matched the brilliance of the White Stripes, the Dead Weather truly earned much respect last night.

Setlist:
1. 60 Feet Tall
2. Hang You From The Heavens
3. You Just Can't Win (Van Morrison cover)
4. So Far From Your Weapon
5. I Cut Like A Buffalo
6. No Horse
7. The Difference Between Us
8. I'm Mad
9. Rocking Horse
10. Hustle and Cuss
11. Die By The Drop
12. New Pony (Dylan cover)
13. Will There Be Enough Water?
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14. Forever My Queen
15. Blue Blood Blues
16. I Can't Hear You
17. Treat Me Like Your Mother

Plastic Bertrand pulls a Milli Vanilli

According to a recent BBC report, the UK Top 40 hit "Ca Plane Pour Moi" by Belgian act the Plastic Bertrand was not actually sung by the esteemed pop star. The song received minor attention in the States perhaps most notably on the soundtrack in National Lampoon's European Vacation, however in the UK it reached number 8 on the charts in 1978. Now producer Lou Deprijck is stating that he recorded the vocals and took 0.5% of the royalties in return. After recent court battles and claims from both parties, Bertrand was quoted saying: "I don't mind saying it wasn't my voice," he said. "I wanted to sing but he wouldn't let me into the studio." He added "I'm the victim. I wanted to sing but he wouldn't let me into the studio. This is going to dog me till my dying days. I'm really fed up."

Caribou - "Sun"

Caribou's latest release Swim continues his trend of twisted jangly dream-pop and electronica/IDM with what could possibly his most well crafted album to date. While Andorra may have been more accessible with lead single "Melody Day" the tracks off Swim show the progression of Caribou's complex textured sound.

Deadheat Summer - the heat stroke mixtape

While the 4th of July may have passed, summer is certainly in full swing. That means roof-top parties, beach trips, sitting in A.C., and anything free outdoors. Below is my first ever mix-tape (or playlist) for all to enjoy for the rest of this wickedly hot summer. These tracks have been blazing through my speakers for the better part of 2010 and some are sure to make my top tracks of the year. So whether you're chillin' by the pool, sweating to death on the MTA, or still setting off some fireworks, these tunes should keep you entertained.

01. Sleigh Bells | Tell 'em
02. Crystal Castles | Celestia
03. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti | Round and Round
04. Wavves | Post-Acid
05. HEALTH | USA Boys
06. Japandroids | Younger Us
07. Fang Island | Careful Crossers
08. Big Boi | Be Still (featuring Janelle Monae)
09. LCD Soundsystem | Drunk Girls
10. Titus Andronicus | A More Perfect Union
11. Arcade Fire | We Used To Wait
12. Panda Bear | Slow Motion
13. Broken Social Scene | Sweetest Kill
14. Caribou | Odessa
15. Beach House | 10 Mile Stereo

(edit: i was asked to remove the download. visit the youtube links above.)

Panda Bear - "Tomboy" 7"

On Tuesday July 13, Panda Bear will release the first single off of his new album Tomboy, the follow-up to his 2007 critically acclaimed LP Person Pitch. The new tunes still seem to have the Panda Bear feel of sample heavy repetitive beats that recall a Beach Boys-esque psych-pop mood.However right now, you can hear the track of the same name as well as the b-side "Slow Motion." While these are not high-quality rips, nor are they authorized by Panda Bear, they give you a clear idea of the direction in which the new album seems to be taking.

"Tomboy":
ACT by a2592825

"Slow Motion":
ACS by a2592825

The xx - "You've Got the Love" (Remix) [ft. Florence Welch]

I wasn't the biggest fan of this song the first time around, but only once before have I ever seen footage of a remix done featuring both the original artist and the band doing the remix with such excellency. Florence kills the vocal work so hard that you don't believe it is live until she walks out on stage. Looks like the xx live show has picked up since I saw them last October.

Video: Crystal Castles - "Celestia"

Trance-goth duo Crystal Castles have released a video for the first single Celestia off their new album which is once again self titled. The elcectro assault continues on the new album with intense pulsing beats and dense vocals from Alice Glass along the lines of recent witch haus trends. This single along with the track "Pap Smear" are sure to jams at raves all summer and the rest of the year as well.

Wavves - "Post Acid"

Garage Pop act Wavves have in my opinion been one of the most overrated acts in recent years. Many have acclaimed the loud disjointed fuzzed out noise rock, but I have always looked the other way to acts like Crocodiles, No Age, Japandroids, and HEALTH. However the first single from the forthcoming LP King of the Beach has shifted my interest. "Post Acid" has a pop punk vibe to it but still carries a distorted lo-fi guitar jangle feel. Green Label Sound has a link for the mp3 here.

Rock the Bells 2010

I don't usually give much attention to hip-hop on here not because I'm not a fan, but because it is not really my expertise. I appreciate good hip-hop and will listen to most of it, commercial radio hip-hop/rap has never really sparked my interest though. However with that said, I feel I really need to address how awesome this years Rock the Bells festival is going to be and I have not posted in a while and this seems like the best thing to address. Along with previously mentioned acts like Wu-Tang performing 36 Chambers, Rakim, and Slick Rick yesterday the festival announced the additions of A Tribe Called Quest, Snoop Dogg, and the ever elsusive Ms. Lauryn Hill!

LCD Soundsystem played Terminal 5

LCD Soundsystem wrapped up their four night home town stint at Terminal 5 last night with their traditional house rocking tendencies. Despite performing the same set list all four nights the intensity on the final performance was still spot on. James Murphy and company rocked a wide selection of tracks all containing the dancy disco beats, post-punk bass, and krauty guitar which LCD is known. While Murphy's side comments were entertaining between songs, the man's song writing skills have certainly grown as time has progressed. Sound of Silver was certainly acclaimed by the blog world and This Is Happening may be even better. Murphy surely does his homework while crafting his tunes as his influences are highly visible throughout each album (listen to "All I Want" followed by David Bowie's "'Heroes'". However while his punk ethos remain true, his performance is unquestionably top quality. His backing band sounded flawless ripping through solos and moving the crowd for roughly two hours. Long time fans were rewarded and vividly apparent for classics such as "Daft Punk Is Playing at My House" and "Losing My Edge" but new favorite "Drunk Girls" catapulted the audience into a frenzy. In addition to the stellar musicianship ,a pulsating light show assisted in the intensity of the show. Main set closer "Yeah" lost the audience in a haze of fog accompanied by alien green lights and throbbing strobes. However it was home town anthem "New York I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" that, well... brought the house down especially when the chorus to Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" was added and ushered out what is rumored to be the last LCD tour. Although James assured us he'd be back to New York.

Setlist:
Us v Them
Drunk Girls
Get Innocuous
Yr City's A Sucker
Pow Pow
Daft Punk is Playing at My House
All I Want
All My Friends
I Can Change
Tribulations
Movement
Yeah
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Someone Great
Losing My Edge
New York, I Love You But Your Bringing Me Down