MJTV: Joss Stone - Tell Me 'Bout It

Poor Joss... she's getting skewered in the UK press for losing her British accent:

One of the big questions on everyone's lips at The Brits was what has happened to Joss Stone's accent? The 19-year-old is from Devon, but is now talking in an accent that one onlooker described as sounding like Paris Hilton one minute and Barbara Windsor the next.

Has Joss gone California? Judge for yourself with the video for the first single from her upcoming Introducing Joss Stone.

MJTV: Wolfmother - Woman (live)

Cleveland Scene interviews Wolfmother...

"We'd just hang out and jam for ages," Ross says. "And eventually, we decided to do a show, which meant we had to write some songs first. I was kind of digging jamming, but I just really enjoyed being put on the spot and the pressure of having to perform right there and then. So once we did one show, all three of us were like, 'Yeah, let's do more.'"

By then, the band had gravitated toward a brand of bluesy, psychedelic heaviness that's frequently compared to such '70s icons as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. "After our first show, people would say, 'Oh, man, you guys, you've got this huge, like, Sabbath sound,'" Ross says. "And I'd be like, 'No fucking way. You kidding me? That's fucking awesome!'"

MJTV: Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks

From today's Chicago Tribune "Sweden's Peter Bjorn and John: A trio that knows how to whistle":

Though the trio slyly parodied typecasting in the video for "Young Folks" (a boy
teaches his girlfriend to whistle the tune before suggesting "My place?"), the band soon will have to face the most perplexing question of its career. How do you keep the momentum after penning one of the year's most unexpected indie-pop anthems?"

It does worry us a bit; it can take the focus away from the band as a whole," singer-guitarist Peter Moren said. "But we can't complain. It's the one downside of having a hit."

MJTV: Son Volt - Drown

Son Volt's new CD, The Search, hits next Tuesday. From the sound of the horns on the first single "The Picture", it looks to be a bit more diverse sounding than previous records...

Here's a flashback to the first Son Volt effort, the classic Trace...

MJTV: Thom Yorke - Videotape

We've been playing this on MJ for awhile now. Here's the video...



In other Thom Yorke news, he's been having a bit of a spat with Oasis' Noel Gallagher:

The outspoken Oasis star fumed earlier this month (Feb07), "Thom Yorke sat at a piano singing, 'This is f**ked up,' for half an hour. We all know that, Mr Yorke.

"Who wants to sing the news? No matter how much you sit their twiddling, going, 'We're all doomed,' at the end of the day people will always want to hear you play 'Creep'. Get over it."

But Yorke is adamant his education has provided at least one vital lesson Gallagher would be wise to adopt. On Radiohead's website he retorts, "It taught me to respect other artists."

March is "Boycott the RIAA" Month

Musical Justice supports Gizmodo's call to boycott the RIAA in March...

Firstly, I encourage everyone to purchase music from unsigned bands and bands on independent record labels. There are tons of great artists out there, many of which you're probably already a fan of, that have nothing to do with the RIAA. Buy their records at eMusic, an online store that sells independent tunes in beautiful, DRM-free MP3 format.

Secondly, you can still support RIAA-signed bands without buying their music. Go see them live and buy their merchandise; they get a hell of a lot more money from that then they do from album sales. And hey, you could benefit from getting out more, couldn't you?

If you are unsure whether or not an album is put out by an RIAA label, the handy RIAA Radar will clear everything up for you. They have both a search engine and a great bookmarklet, so be sure to get yourself hooked up.

Here's their Anti-RIAA manifesto...

The RIAA is the industry group that represents the four major record labels — Warner Music, EMI, Vivendi Universal, and Sony BMG — and all of their subsidiaries. They work on behalf of their members, and they have been accused of a wide range of offenses, from price-fixing to stifling innovation. They're able to perpetuate these crimes due to their huge bankroll, but that happens to be the one aspect of their organization we have control over. As consumers, we are the ones who stuff their coffers. By buying albums released by RIAA labels, we're giving them the money they use to sue our peers, stifle innovation, and force DRM down our throats. By cutting off their income stream, we can help make the RIAA less effective and therefore less damaging.

We're huge music fans here at Gizmodo, and that's why it's really hard to advocate not purchasing albums from artists we love. However, what everyone needs to understand is that we are in no means advocating piracy or not supporting musicians. The fact of the matter is, the RIAA's practices do not, in the end, support musicians or put money into their pockets. A fraction of the money from album sales actually makes it to artists, and not a single penny that the RIAA has received from their series of lawsuits has actually made it back to the artists that had their "copyrights infringed" in the first place.

MJTV: Graham Parker - Local Girls

Here's an archived video performance from underrated rocker, Graham Parker. I remember seeing this video back in college and going to the record store to buy the classic Squeezing Out Sparks the next day. Graham's got a new record, Don't Tell Columbus, coming out on March 13th. You can check out a (free, legal) MP3 for "Stick to the Plan" from the CD at Bloodshot Records right here.

Buy These Now! 2.27.07

A short list of new releases in stores today from MJ artists...

• Dean & Britta - Back Numbers
• Money Mark - Brand New By Tomorrow
• Winterpills - Light Divides
• Dr. Dog - We All Belong
• Willard Grant Conspiracy - Let It Roll

MJTV: The Pipettes - Your Kisses Are Wasted On Me

From today's Billboard news...

U.K. buzz act and modern girl group the Pipettes have linked with Interscope Records imprint Cherrytree in the United States. The act released its debut, "We Are the Pipettes," in July of last year on London-based indie Memphis Industries.

Cherrytree, which is also home to Canadian singer/songwriter Feist, is planning to re-release "We Are the Pipettes" this summer, according to label sources. It is not yet known if the U.S. edition will contain extra tracks not available on the U.K. version.

The Pipettes will play their first major North American shows in March. The act has a sold-out date March 13 at the Bowery Ballroom in New York, and then will play multiple showcases at the South by Southwest music conference in Austin, Texas, which runs March 14-18. The Pipettes are also expected to announce a Los Angeles date.

TiVo Alert

This week's late night TV musical highlights...

Monday - Brand New (Letterman), Solomon Burke (Conan), Incubus (Kimmel)
Tuesday - Everclear (Leno), Silversun Pickups (Carson Daly)
Wednesday - Silversun Pickups (Carson Daly), Tom Morello (Kimmel)
Thursday - Son Volt (Conan), Silversun Pickups (Carson Daly)
Friday - Mellencamp (Late Late Show), Silversun Pickups (Carson Daly)

MJTV: Electric Six - I Buy The Drugs

Is there a better party band than Electric Six?

MJTV: Beth Orton - Conceived

Great song. Goofy, trippy video... Kinda the opposite of the uncensored Strokes video for Juicebox.

MJTV: MIKA - Grace Kelly (live)

The current UK #1 performed live on "Later With Jools Holland".

MJTV: Teddybears (featuring Iggy Pop) - Punkrocker

Is there anyone else besides Iggy that could have done this song as well? A moment of musical perfection...

MJTV: The Shins - Phantom Limb

If a school play was directed by Mel Gibson, it might look like this video...

Most Wanted: 2.23.07

This week's Musical Justice top 20 airplay chart:


Rank Title - Artist (Label) Audience Spins
1. Rootless Tree - Damien Rice (Vector) 674 22
2. Dashboard - Modest Mouse (Epic) 652 22
3. Phantom Limb - The Shins (Sub Pop) 654 20
4. Hang Me Up To Dry - Cold War Kids (Downtown) 649 20
5. Chelsea Dagger - The Fratellis (Fallout) 579 16
6. Black Mirror - Arcade Fire (Merge) 495 16
7. After The Gold Rush - Thom Yorke (The Bridge School) 488 14
8. The Picture - Son Volt (Transmit Sound) 414 13
9. Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs (B-Unique) 398 13
10. Here It Goes Again - OK Go (Capitol) 382 11
11. Heavenly Day - Patty Griffin (ATO) 373 11
12. Are You Alright? - Lucinda Williams (UMG) 357 12
13. Young Folks - Peter Bjorn & John (Almost Gold) 356 12
14. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty) 341 11
15. Leave Before The Lights Come On - Arctic Monkeys (Domino) 329 10
16. Love Reign O'er Me - Pearl Jam (Columbia) 311 13
17. Tell Me 'Bout It - Joss Stone (Virgin) 306 11
18. Woman - Wolfmother (Interscope) 302 11
19. Flathead - The Fratellis (Interscope) 289 10
20. Grace Kelly - Mika (Casablanca) 288 9

MJTV: The Strokes - Juicebox

The official original video featuring David Cross as a sleazy, clueless DJ. The version that MTV played was heavily edited (censored, according to the video's director here)

MJTV: Arcade Fire - Wake Up (live)

Remarkable video of the band singing "Wake Up" from the middle of the audience at their 2/17 show at Judson Memorial Church in NYC.

MTJV: Matthew Ryan - Return to Me (live)

Great live footage of one of my favorite songs... Matthew's a great guy too, deserving of a much larger audience.

MJTV: Josh Ritter - Girl In The War

"If they can't find a way to help, they can go to Hell"...

MJTV: The Zutons - Valerie

Another great song from the Zutons.

MJTV: REM - So. Central Rain

Another REM classic from their first ever TV performance. How cool to see Mike Mills and Peter Buck handling the interview? How cool to be brave enough to play a song that's too new to have a name on network TV?

MJTV: REM - Radio Free Europe

Their first TV performance from 1983... a classic!

MJTV: The Fratellis - Flathead

Official video from the song on the iTunes commercial.

MJTV: Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko

Not sure that I get the ending to this one...

MJTV: Patty Griffin - Heavenly Day

A brilliant live performance from the new "Children Running Through" CD on late night TV.

MJTV: Damien Rice: Rootless Tree (live)

Live from Abbey Road... wow!

MJTV: Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby (TOTP)

Because I can't get enough of this song, here's the Kaisers from Top of the Pops...

MJTV: Kaiser Chiefs - Ruby

The Kaisers meet SimCity?

MJTV: The Shins - Phantom Limb

Buy These Now!

In stores today from Musical Justice artists...

• Aqueduct - Or Give Me Death
• Arab Strap - Ten Years of Tears
• Calla - Strength In Numbers
• Dolorean - You Can't Win
• Elvis Perkins - Ash Wednesday
• The Frames - The Cost
• Minus the Bear - Interpretaciones Del Oso
• Silos - Come on Like the Fast Lane
• Southern Culture on the Skids - Countrypolitan Favorites
  

Most Wanted: 2.16.07

This week's top 20 airplay chart for Musical Justice:

Rank Title - Artist (Label) Audience Spins
1. Dashboard - Modest Mouse (Epic) 691 21
2. Hang Me Up To Dry - Cold War Kids (Downtown) 646 22
3. Phantom Limb - The Shins (Sub Pop) 637 21
4. Ruby - Kaiser Chiefs (B-Unique) 620 23
5. Love Reign O'er Me - Pearl Jam (Columbia) 604 21
6. Rootless Tree - Damien Rice (Vector) 602 18
7. The Picture - Son Volt (Transmit Sound) 433 13
8. Leave Before The Lights Come On - Arctic Monkeys (Domino) 423 15
9. O Valencia! - The Decemberists (Capitol) 414 16
10. Heavenly Day - Patty Griffin (ATO) 390 16
11. Here It Goes Again - OK Go (Capitol) 341 11
12. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty) 337 10
13. Le Disko - Shiny Toy Guns (UMRG) 311 10
14. Flathead - The Fratellis (Interscope) 294 12
15. Wolf Like Me - TV On The Radio (Interscope) 291 12
16. Are You Alright? - Lucinda Williams (UMG) 285 12
17. Falling Slowly - The Frames (ANTI-) 271 9
18. Girl In The War - Josh Ritter (V2) 269 8
19. Valerie - The Zutons (Red Ink) 265 8
20. Black Mirror - Arcade Fire (Merge) 244 8

TiVo Alert

This week's late night musical highlights...

Monday - Silversun Pickups (Leno)
Tuesday - K-oS (Letterman), Explosions in the Sky (Conan), Ben Harper (Carson Daly)
Wednesday - Gomez (Leno), Cold War Kids (Kimmel)
Thursday - zzzzzzzzzzzz
Friday - Mickey Avalon (Kimmel), John Mellencamp (Leno)

MJTV: Lucinda Williams - Come On

So... the YouTube connection is back up. Why oh why did I break my rule against converting to anything with the word "Beta" associated with it?

Anyway, here's a great bit of live video of Lucinda from Later in the UK. "Come On" is a track from her new CD, "West", which came out last Tuesday.