Their song “If Nothing Happened” is currently featured in a new ad for DayQuil. This is GREAT news for independent music, since they got in simply because someone on their ad team had the CD and thought the song fit. They’ve got no manager or label—all promotion is through fans and word of mouth. Gives you hope for music after all, eh?

Keep your eyes and ears open for the commercial featuring a snowball fight on TV… and if you want to hear the song, it’s streaming on their website. They’re also offering up FREE monthly downloads from Ballad Nerd Pop on their download page! Right now, you can get the demo of “Did It To Myself,” produced by guitarist Patrick’s brother Michael Moloney, also a member of an Irish band called Director. They just ask that you spread the word and become a fan on Facebook (it’d be great to see them have 1000 fans by Halloween)!

They’re always playing to packed venues in NYC as well, so catch one of their upcoming shows! The next one is on Halloween at Crash Mansion, and as always, it’s sure to be an awesome night of dancing. They easily draw over a hundred fans just though word of mouth—not to mention, they’re all pretty damn attractive (Chip, the drummer, is even one of Gotham Magazine’s top 100 bachelors, right next to Justin Timberlake!). Best time to catch on to them is now. This is about to get epic…

http://www.imogenheap.com/ellipse

What do you think? A review will follow shortly… Happy New Music Monday!

Lady Blanche, a.k.a. Tracy Shapiro, is a singer/songwriter here in Brooklyn who is actually on tour across the east coast right now with the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players–but she’ll be back in New York playing Sidewalk Cafe on August 5. Her songs are catchy and most have pretty hilarious lyrics. She’s even got a song about wanting to be a trophy wife, for all you rich dudes out there…

…but “The Bartender Song” is awesome and perhaps the best of her demo CD. It also hits a bit close to home since I’m a bartender (she even kinda dedicated it to me when she played at Stain), although of course it’s a little exaggerated. She also does a great acoustic cover of “Too Sexy” by Right Said Fred! It’s definitely an act to catch live, though, ‘cuz the demos on her MySpace don’t really do the comedy much justice.

Check out: Lady Blanche – “The Bartender Song” (zSHARE)

* Music Monday tomorrow! Who will it be? Tune in and find out!
* Concert and album review of Tall Tall Trees (Kate Havnevik’s bassist Mike Savino is in it!)
* Well-planned Michael Jackson Tribute. Yes, everyone’s doing it, but it’s a good thing. Plus our post from the other day was really quick just to pay our respects…
* Afro-Punk Festival reviews from me and Carrie! Yes, Janelle Monae is supposed to be there!
* Independence Day & Summer Vacation special podcast by ME! My turn, bitches!!
* Cerfew Reunion post!!!

And many more things to come as well, so stay tuned!

-Drew

Michael Jackson died today. Many words to say, but also none at all yet. Sad times. He was my idol and favorite singer throughout childhood… There will be a MJ deication week, but for now, let’s celebrate his legacy! More later…

The good news is the fans finally get a few live gems in studio form like “Dance Anthem of the 80s” and “One More Time With Feeling” (which, it seems, she pepped up a bit). My personal preference is the slightly electronic “Machine,” not only for the obvious electronics in the background, but also for Regina’s quirky way of singing and harmonizing in the chorus… but “Dance Anthem” may be the best intro to Regina’s album as well as her signature quirkiness. Also at first listen, “Folding Chair” seems to be a great Summer tune for us beach-goers not so into the reggaeton and hard-hitting dance beats.

Overall, Far is a cute listen that is very… well… typical of Regina, and that’s not a bad thing! The single “Laughing With” really doesn’t do the album justice. If you’re a Regina fan, you’ll probably love these tracks if only for the fact that she’s performed many of them live throughout her career. Otherwise, it’ll at least grow on you if it isn’t an instant hit to thoe already into her past singles. At any rate, Regina holds a special place in my heart since she represents one of my two favorite cities (NYC), and Far is definitely a top pick of 2009 so-far!

Check out: Regina Spektor – “Dance Anthem of the 80s” (zSHARE)

Funny enough, flipping through my old burnt CDs, I found their debut album! It’s pretty much two girls singing folky harmonies with ukulele and guitar, but the lyrics are pretty fuckin’ funny! It’s not your average folk music with boring twangy vocals.

Take the song “Shit Makes the Flowers Grow” for example… it’s a simple song about how you grow from bad experiences, but the humor is all in the way they sing it. And there’s my favorite track that ends the album and comes completely out of nowhere, “Motherfucker Got Fucked Up.” That’s one you’ll just have to hear, so I’ll share it with you! You can pretty much catch the odd gig or two if you keep up to date on their website, but it seems they stay in Texas and out west. Enjoy, and happy Music Monday!

Check out: Folk Uke – “Motherfucker Got Fucked Up” (zSHARE)

Because everyone needs a little love in their lives.

Tracklisting:

1. J*DaVeY, “Finer Things”
2. Britney Spears, “Don’t Hang Up”
3. Róisín Murphy, “Leaving the City”
4. André 3000, “Love in War”
5. Goldfrapp, “Let It Take You”
6. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Skeletons”
7. TV on the Radio, “Love Dog”
8. Lamb, “Heaven”
9. Yael Naim, “Toxic”
10. Björk, “Cocoon”
11. Brazilian Girls, “Sexy Asshole”
12. Janet Jackson, “Would You Mind”

Listen and download here: http://drop.io/sshplovesongs
HQ album art here: http://ssfhp.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/sshp-sexy.png

If you like a bit of Outkast with your electro-pop, you’d like Toronto’s Fritz Helder & The Phantoms (Pastel Supernova, Silk Helder and Diego Superstar). As a matter of fact, they were the only group to have the audience up and dancing. The music is kinda funky, dancey, electronic pop, and their stage show is way energetic. They’re all about fashion, and their look is pretty androgynous and original. The best track of the set was definitely “You Ain’t Vogue/Louis Vuitton,” which starts off listing fashions and attitudes that “ain’t vogue” and morphs into a song about Pastel Supernova’s love for Louis Vuitton (she’s the girl, btw).

Their single “Lagerfeld Lady,” about a fashionable lady that catches the eye, ended their set at Superfraiche, but you know what? Every bit of their set was catchy, if slightly shocking at first following Kate’s laid-back set. Their act is also apparently enough to get Nelly Furtado excited, since she gave them a deal on her label Nelstar Music. Not too shabby a start, eh?

Check out: Fritz Helder and the Phantoms – “Lagerfeld Lady” (zSHARE)

According to Yahoo news, Kanye, with help from J. Sakiya Sandifer, wrote Thank You And You’re Welcome, a 52-page collection of “Kanyeisms” sure to top Oprah’s book club any day now. Yes, I’m a few months late on this news, but I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a Kanye follower and would definitely not expect him to do anything like this…

As Kanye told Reuters, “Sometimes people write novels and they just be so wordy and so self-absorbed. I am not a fan of books. I would never want a book’s autograph.” I’m sure the book don’t be wanting your autograph, either, Kanye. Dude, stick to rap and buying fur coats, okay? (Nothing against fur coats, just Kanye’s growing stupidity.) At least his music isn’t half bad. “Love Lockdown” is actually really catchy. I just wonder what his late English professor mother would say?