bjork

OK, here's the thing. Bjork has a new album out. Fantastic, I like Bjork. But there's also a series of iPad apps and a 90-minute documentary. Wait, what? I don't think anyone even watches music videos anymore! I don't think we're looking for more immersive experiences, you know? I just want to listen to some tunes while I work. How about just focus on the music, ok?


I suppose if this process was like super-fun and inspiring for our icelandic friend I don't really object, I just don't think it is necessary for music to evolve into being something else (being music is enough) - and if I'm not mistaken, most of the attempts to do so haven't really caught on. Bjork has made a career out of being different so I suppose if anyone was going to go there she was, but I think I'd have preferred 5 more good tracks over a bunch of multimedia that will be obsolete and forgotten in 3 years. What do you think?

Karen O

Karen O does a sparse interpretation of "Mamas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys" in support of a family-farming movement.

Fiona Apple & The Watkins Family Hour

I was a little skeptical when a friend told me about this, but it is pretty good. Fiona Apple and The Watkins Family Hour cover Dolly Parton.

Solomon Burke

While this blog could, in fact be just a long series of embedded Gillian Welch videos, I promise not to do that. Still, I just found out about and enjoyed this song by Gillian & Dave that they did with Solomon Burke:

I didn't discover Solomon Burke until a couple years after this was made, when I stumbled onto this fantastic song of his from Don't Give Up on Me:

Releasing tomorrow

Andrew Bird's soundtrack for the movie Norman drops tomorrow; I'm excited about it.

Ryan Adams has a new album dropping tomorrow as well.