I have no clue what I just wrote. But if you somehow do, you might have gathered that Quebec City is hosting the aptly named Quebec City Summer Festival this summer. It runs July 4-14, dates which are similar to Ottawa’s Blluesfest, and the cities are close together, and feature several similar acts. We get The Black Keys, Rush, Wu-Tang Clan, Weezer, Belle & Sebastian, Tiesto, Passion Pit, Eagles of Death Metal, Father John Misty, and many more. I don’t think Bonhomme will be making an appearance – he’s more of a winter snowman. Check their website to give yourself a French lesson and to try and buy some tickets.
Daft Punk Single Out Next Week? If Not, You Can Still Watch Nile Rodgers
And the awkward headline award goes to – me! We have rumours floating around that seem more like they are a publicity stunt for a French DJ than the truth, but we’ll still run it as our lead story. The DJ, who I won’t name because he is likely trying to get his name out there, said “Good news, our french robots Daft Punk will premiere their new single next week on the french radio ‘Fun Radio’, i didnt say anything : )” (via Gigwise).
Seriously, “Fun Radio” is the best name they could come up with? Is “Good song” the second single? Despite the potentially terrible song names, we do have an exciting new episode of the Creators Project, which is focusing on people who assisted Daft Punk on their new album. Episode 1 had Giorgio Moroder and Episode 2 had Todd Edwards, and the new Episode 3 has Nile Rodgers. Rodgers discusses jazz fusion, his work with David Bowie, and his role on the new album, Random Access Memories (which is out May 21).
Daft Punk, Random Access Memories – The Collaborators: Nile Rodgers
Paul McCartney Should Sell Off All the Random Parts of His House
Former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, is a famous dude. So much so that someone bid $8,000 for the front door of his childhood home (via Gigwise). Yes, I also have no idea why someone would want this. The door was from 20 Forthlin Road, Lancashire, which is where Macca lived in the early 60s. Sir Paul would’ve opened this door between the ages of 13 and 22, and he might have touched it during the days when he wrote Love Me Do, I Saw Her Standing There, and more. I know – the very same door!
People seem up in arms about Jay-Z and Beyonce going to Cuba. Sure, Americans need special government permission but the media outrage has been a bit. In a reaction to this, Jay-Z roped in producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz for new track, Open Letter.
We have a slick beat and fresh raps from Jay-Z, including the killer “Boy from the Hood, but got White House clearance” and not so killer lines “I’m in Cuba, I love Cubans” (followed by cigar puffing sounds). We also get his thoughts on the Brooklyn Nets. Check out Open Letter below.
Jay-Z’s Made in America Festival Returns with Some Good Acts
It looks like Jay-Z’s Made in America festival wasn’t a one-shot cash grab – it’s now a two-shot cash grab. The rapper has curated the Philadelphia festival once again, slated for August 31 and September 1 this year. Bands playing include Nine Inch Nails, some Beyoncé singer, Deadmau5, and Phoenix as headliners. But it doesn’t stop there, we also get Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, A$AP Rocky, Calvin Harris, the Gaslight Anthem, Public Enemy, and Solange (via Rolling Stone). The lineup has tons of collaborating potential, too – make it happen, kids! Made In America, featuring a headliner from France and from Canada – I guess ‘Half Made in America’ was taken.
Beady Eye’s Flick of the Finger was an Oasis Track
The slightly new direction Beady Eye have taken with new track, Flick of the Finger, was originally supposed to be for another band – Oasis. The song was originally called Velvet Building and was going to be on a 2004 EP produced by Death to Vegas (via Gigwise). That never happened, so here we are.
The sophomore album for the band, Be, will be out June 10/11. And amazingly, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds shared a track by track review by Beady Eye on their new album. Not sure if he was taking the piss or being nice, but we shall see.
Jay-Z and Beyonce Go to Cuba, Forget That Americans Hate Cuba
“Welcome to Havana; Smoking cubanos with Castro in cabanas” is a line that probably endured Jay-Z to Cubans, and it might also describe how he spent his weekend. Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary and decided to pop down to Cuba, site of the Cuban Missile Crisis that USSR used to terrorize USA / almost ended the world back in the 1960s. Despite Cuba being a tourist destination for us Canadians, Americans require special permission from the government (via Billboard).
I’m assuming since President Obama records video messages for Jay-Z’s music festivals, it shouldn’t be a problem? A couple of no good Republican members of Congress have gone as far to ask the US treasury department to confirm that the musical couple have permission to make the trip. They’re fuckin’ Jay-Z and Beyonce – they do what they want!
Snoop Lion Doesn’t Think Homosexuality Will Ever Be Accepted in Rap Culture
If television and movies have taught me anything, it’s that humping an apple pie is just like sex both rappers and the mafia do not like homosexuals. Snoop Lion / Snoop Dogg was commenting on Frank Ocean’s coming out last year, noting how he doesn’t think it’ll ever be acceptable in rap music. Snoop tells the Guardian, “Frank Ocean ain’t no rapper. He’s a singer. It’s acceptable in the singing world, but in the rap world I don’t know if it will ever be acceptable because rap is so masculine. It’s like a football team. You can’t be in a locker room full of motherfucking tough-ass dudes, then all of a sudden say, ‘Hey, man, I like you.’ You know, that’s going to be tough.”
Snoop himself doesn’t hate gays, which is obviously a nice thing: “I don’t have a problem with gay people. I got some gay homies. Yeah, for real. People who were gay used to get beat up. It was cool to beat up on gay people back then. But in the 90s and 2000s, gay is a way of life. Just regular people with jobs. Now they are accepted, not classified. They just went through the same things we went through as black.”
Flaming Lips + Ke$ha = Lip$ha. No, It Really Does!
The Flaming Lips previously teamed up with Ke$ha on their collaborative album The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (which just saw the bizarro video for the song with Bon Iver). The two acts are now working on a full album together (via NME). And yes, it will actually be called Lip$ha.
Singer Wayne Coyne revealed the info during his Reddit AMA session by saying, “She is a blast on all levels. She’s funny, she’s humble. She’s badass. She’s everything. She’s awesome. We’re actually already working on an album with her. It’s called Lip$ha.”
No word on any release date and other crazy kind of release gimmicks like locks of hair or bloody fingertips.
Not a Facebook Phone but a Facebook Home
Facebook had their big announcement yesterday. While they didn’t announce a Facebook phone, they did announce a new social hub that is central to your phone’s usability. It’s called Facebook Home. Facebook Home will transform the home screen of your Android phone (sorry iPhones!) into the ‘cover feed’, which is essentially the news feed of Facebook. There’s also the terribly terribly terribly named “Chat Heads”, which is a way to chat via Facebook on the phone. Despite the dumb name, it could spell the slow decline of messaging apps like WhatsApp. Some Android users will be able to get Facebook Home starting April 12. No word on how music apps and features will be enhanced by Facebook Home.
That Didn’t Take Long – Justin Timberlake Announces New Album Follow Up
It seemed like just the other day Justin Timberlake was making bizarre video trailers to announce that he is making music again. Today, he releases his first album since before Dick in a Box, with his 20/20 Experience album. Last night, he addressed rumours of another album in the works (or already in the bag), saying “I’ve got to clear up the rumors. This whole thing about this only being the first part … is true. There is another half. I’m not giving you a release date” (via Yahoo).
Pro-Radiohead and anti-Timberlake fans might not like this next statement, when talking about album closer Blue Ocean Floor, “I’m a huge Thom Yorke (Radiohead frontman) fan, and I was listening to some ‘OK Computer’ and ‘Kid A’ and this song just happened. This is probably the most unique so far and probably took me out of my comfort zone.”
I can see the headlines now – “British prog rock band inspires former mouseketeer from Mickey Mouse Club.”
Barenaked Ladies Move On From Making Beer, Sign New Record Deal
Barenaked Ladies are celebrating their 25th anniversary of being a band by signing with Vanguard Records, releasing a new album, and going on a tour with Ben Folds Five and Guster (via Hollywood Reporter). 25 years – does this mean the rock and roll hall of fame will be calling? And I don’t know about you, but I think I liked the band more when they were making yummy beers.
Valentino Khan keeps getting everyone’s attention. Partly because he tries to pay for goods and services with ancient gold coins from his bathtub, but also because he’s an extremely talented producer.
Sitting in a tub of coins is actually quite uncomfortable.
The Los Angeles producer has been releasing all sorts of genre-bending, floor rattling bass music – first grabbing our attention with his re-imagination of the Jay-Z/Kanye West album Watch The Throne – a very impressive piece of music. We’re betting that this guy has a bunch of huge radio hits in his head – but we’re hoping that he keeps pushing genre boundaries.
This time, he’s produced a bunch of Trap tracks and released ‘em as free downloads on his Soundcloud page. So head over to whichever of your friends has the most kick-ass sound system, load this track, and watch the floor shake.
The Oscars were last night, and doesn’t my bookie know it, as I locked down on Christoph Waltz at 21:1 odds back in December, Argo at 5:1, and Ang Lee at 5:1 – true story. Maybe I should start up PeteHatesMovies, too? Music is an integral part of movies, and it was no different at the Academy Awards last night.
A personal favourite part of the night was the sound employed to force long-winded speech givers off the stage. Instead of having the orchestra subtly play in the background, the theme of Jaws was played, forcing immediate fear and urgency into the speaker. Perhaps it lacked tact, but it didn’t lack awesomeness.
Host Seth MacFarlane noted that there was a musical theme to the Oscars, and this was definitely the case, as there was plenty of boring songs throughout the night. The highlight was the Family Guy-esque, semi-offensive, “amazing if only for Naomi Watts’ AND Charlize Theron’s reaction” song, We Saw Your Boobs, sung by Seth MacFarlane himself. Check it out below (before those lawyers have YouTube take it down).
Seth MacFarlane – We Saw Your Boobs
An Arcade Fire Baby is On the Way
Arcade Fire singers Win Butler and his wife, Régine Chassagne, are expecting a baby (via Consequence of Sound). The City With No Children is about to have one. No Wasted Hours with those two. Was the baby conceived In The Back Seat? Or perhaps in an Empty Room? Will these lame puns ever end? Answer: yes!
The new Justin Timberlake song, Suit and Tie, has a throwback, brassy sound to it. It’s a bit of a different direction for him. He managed to rope in Jay-Z for the track. For the video, he landed David Fincher, director of Fight Club, Zodiac, and the JT-starring The Social Network.
Timberlake posted on his website, “We are pleased to present the OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO for ‘Suit & Tie ft. JAY Z’. Before Fincher directed his trademark edgy films like Seven, Fight Club, and Panic Room, he cut his teeth making iconic music videos, including Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Love Is Strong’, amongst others.”
An old-fashioned song deserves an old-fashioned video, and that’s what we have in this video – sort of. We have an old club and tuxes, but we also have um, lasers. Check it out below, and see if their rumoured joint tour comes into fruition.
Tag Archives: Jay-Z
Morning Music Notes – Bonhommepalooza
Festival d’été de Québec – Mon Dieu!
I have no clue what I just wrote. But if you somehow do, you might have gathered that Quebec City is hosting the aptly named Quebec City Summer Festival this summer. It runs July 4-14, dates which are similar to Ottawa’s Blluesfest, and the cities are close together, and feature several similar acts. We get The Black Keys, Rush, Wu-Tang Clan, Weezer, Belle & Sebastian, Tiesto, Passion Pit, Eagles of Death Metal, Father John Misty, and many more. I don’t think Bonhomme will be making an appearance – he’s more of a winter snowman. Check their website to give yourself a French lesson and to try and buy some tickets.
Click for more Morning Music Notes
Morning Music Notes – Why Yes, I Do Want a Door From Paul McCartney’s Childhood Home
Daft Punk Single Out Next Week? If Not, You Can Still Watch Nile Rodgers
And the awkward headline award goes to – me! We have rumours floating around that seem more like they are a publicity stunt for a French DJ than the truth, but we’ll still run it as our lead story. The DJ, who I won’t name because he is likely trying to get his name out there, said “Good news, our french robots Daft Punk will premiere their new single next week on the french radio ‘Fun Radio’, i didnt say anything : )” (via Gigwise).
Seriously, “Fun Radio” is the best name they could come up with? Is “Good song” the second single? Despite the potentially terrible song names, we do have an exciting new episode of the Creators Project, which is focusing on people who assisted Daft Punk on their new album. Episode 1 had Giorgio Moroder and Episode 2 had Todd Edwards, and the new Episode 3 has Nile Rodgers. Rodgers discusses jazz fusion, his work with David Bowie, and his role on the new album, Random Access Memories (which is out May 21).
Daft Punk, Random Access Memories – The Collaborators: Nile Rodgers
Paul McCartney Should Sell Off All the Random Parts of His House
Former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, is a famous dude. So much so that someone bid $8,000 for the front door of his childhood home (via Gigwise). Yes, I also have no idea why someone would want this. The door was from 20 Forthlin Road, Lancashire, which is where Macca lived in the early 60s. Sir Paul would’ve opened this door between the ages of 13 and 22, and he might have touched it during the days when he wrote Love Me Do, I Saw Her Standing There, and more. I know – the very same door!
Click for more Morning Music Notes
Listen! Jay-Z – Open Letter (produced by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz)
People seem up in arms about Jay-Z and Beyonce going to Cuba. Sure, Americans need special government permission but the media outrage has been a bit. In a reaction to this, Jay-Z roped in producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz for new track, Open Letter.
We have a slick beat and fresh raps from Jay-Z, including the killer “Boy from the Hood, but got White House clearance” and not so killer lines “I’m in Cuba, I love Cubans” (followed by cigar puffing sounds). We also get his thoughts on the Brooklyn Nets. Check out Open Letter below.
Morning Music Notes – Couch-ella Webtimes
Jay-Z’s Made in America Festival Returns with Some Good Acts
It looks like Jay-Z’s Made in America festival wasn’t a one-shot cash grab – it’s now a two-shot cash grab. The rapper has curated the Philadelphia festival once again, slated for August 31 and September 1 this year. Bands playing include Nine Inch Nails, some Beyoncé singer, Deadmau5, and Phoenix as headliners. But it doesn’t stop there, we also get Queens of the Stone Age, Kendrick Lamar, Mackelmore and Ryan Lewis, A$AP Rocky, Calvin Harris, the Gaslight Anthem, Public Enemy, and Solange (via Rolling Stone). The lineup has tons of collaborating potential, too – make it happen, kids! Made In America, featuring a headliner from France and from Canada – I guess ‘Half Made in America’ was taken.
Beady Eye’s Flick of the Finger was an Oasis Track
The slightly new direction Beady Eye have taken with new track, Flick of the Finger, was originally supposed to be for another band – Oasis. The song was originally called Velvet Building and was going to be on a 2004 EP produced by Death to Vegas (via Gigwise). That never happened, so here we are.
The sophomore album for the band, Be, will be out June 10/11. And amazingly, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds shared a track by track review by Beady Eye on their new album. Not sure if he was taking the piss or being nice, but we shall see.
Click for more Morning Music Notes
Morning Music Notes – A Tumblr That Celebrates Cats and Music
Jay-Z and Beyonce Go to Cuba, Forget That Americans Hate Cuba
“Welcome to Havana; Smoking cubanos with Castro in cabanas” is a line that probably endured Jay-Z to Cubans, and it might also describe how he spent his weekend. Jay-Z and his wife Beyonce were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary and decided to pop down to Cuba, site of the Cuban Missile Crisis that USSR used to terrorize USA / almost ended the world back in the 1960s. Despite Cuba being a tourist destination for us Canadians, Americans require special permission from the government (via Billboard).
I’m assuming since President Obama records video messages for Jay-Z’s music festivals, it shouldn’t be a problem? A couple of
no goodRepublican members of Congress have gone as far to ask the US treasury department to confirm that the musical couple have permission to make the trip. They’re fuckin’ Jay-Z and Beyonce – they do what they want!Snoop Lion Doesn’t Think Homosexuality Will Ever Be Accepted in Rap Culture
If television and movies have taught me anything, it’s that
humping an apple pie is just like sexboth rappers and the mafia do not like homosexuals. Snoop Lion / Snoop Dogg was commenting on Frank Ocean’s coming out last year, noting how he doesn’t think it’ll ever be acceptable in rap music. Snoop tells the Guardian, “Frank Ocean ain’t no rapper. He’s a singer. It’s acceptable in the singing world, but in the rap world I don’t know if it will ever be acceptable because rap is so masculine. It’s like a football team. You can’t be in a locker room full of motherfucking tough-ass dudes, then all of a sudden say, ‘Hey, man, I like you.’ You know, that’s going to be tough.”Snoop himself doesn’t hate gays, which is obviously a nice thing: “I don’t have a problem with gay people. I got some gay homies. Yeah, for real. People who were gay used to get beat up. It was cool to beat up on gay people back then. But in the 90s and 2000s, gay is a way of life. Just regular people with jobs. Now they are accepted, not classified. They just went through the same things we went through as black.”
Click for more Morning Music Notes
Morning Music Notes – Math with The Flaming Lips
Flaming Lips + Ke$ha = Lip$ha. No, It Really Does!
The Flaming Lips previously teamed up with Ke$ha on their collaborative album The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends (which just saw the bizarro video for the song with Bon Iver). The two acts are now working on a full album together (via NME). And yes, it will actually be called Lip$ha.
Singer Wayne Coyne revealed the info during his Reddit AMA session by saying, “She is a blast on all levels. She’s funny, she’s humble. She’s badass. She’s everything. She’s awesome. We’re actually already working on an album with her. It’s called Lip$ha.”
No word on any release date and other crazy kind of release gimmicks like locks of hair or bloody fingertips.
Not a Facebook Phone but a Facebook Home
Facebook had their big announcement yesterday. While they didn’t announce a Facebook phone, they did announce a new social hub that is central to your phone’s usability. It’s called Facebook Home. Facebook Home will transform the home screen of your Android phone (sorry iPhones!) into the ‘cover feed’, which is essentially the news feed of Facebook. There’s also the terribly terribly terribly named “Chat Heads”, which is a way to chat via Facebook on the phone. Despite the dumb name, it could spell the slow decline of messaging apps like WhatsApp. Some Android users will be able to get Facebook Home starting April 12. No word on how music apps and features will be enhanced by Facebook Home.
Click for more Morning Music Notes
Morning Music Notes – The Definitive Steve Jobs Movie, Made by Funny or Die
That Didn’t Take Long – Justin Timberlake Announces New Album Follow Up
It seemed like just the other day Justin Timberlake was making bizarre video trailers to announce that he is making music again. Today, he releases his first album since before Dick in a Box, with his 20/20 Experience album. Last night, he addressed rumours of another album in the works (or already in the bag), saying “I’ve got to clear up the rumors. This whole thing about this only being the first part … is true. There is another half. I’m not giving you a release date” (via Yahoo).
Pro-Radiohead and anti-Timberlake fans might not like this next statement, when talking about album closer Blue Ocean Floor, “I’m a huge Thom Yorke (Radiohead frontman) fan, and I was listening to some ‘OK Computer’ and ‘Kid A’ and this song just happened. This is probably the most unique so far and probably took me out of my comfort zone.”
I can see the headlines now – “British prog rock band inspires former mouseketeer from Mickey Mouse Club.”
Barenaked Ladies Move On From Making Beer, Sign New Record Deal
Barenaked Ladies are celebrating their 25th anniversary of being a band by signing with Vanguard Records, releasing a new album, and going on a tour with Ben Folds Five and Guster (via Hollywood Reporter). 25 years – does this mean the rock and roll hall of fame will be calling? And I don’t know about you, but I think I liked the band more when they were making yummy beers.
Click for more Morning Music Notes
Weekend Music: Valentino Khan – 40 OZ
Valentino Khan keeps getting everyone’s attention. Partly because he tries to pay for goods and services with ancient gold coins from his bathtub, but also because he’s an extremely talented producer.
Sitting in a tub of coins is actually quite uncomfortable.
The Los Angeles producer has been releasing all sorts of genre-bending, floor rattling bass music – first grabbing our attention with his re-imagination of the Jay-Z/Kanye West album Watch The Throne – a very impressive piece of music. We’re betting that this guy has a bunch of huge radio hits in his head – but we’re hoping that he keeps pushing genre boundaries.
This time, he’s produced a bunch of Trap tracks and released ‘em as free downloads on his Soundcloud page. So head over to whichever of your friends has the most kick-ass sound system, load this track, and watch the floor shake.
Happy Weekend.
Morning Music Notes – Another Kanye West Rant, Thankfully Not at the Oscars
Oscar Wrap Up on a Music Site
The Oscars were last night, and doesn’t my bookie know it, as I locked down on Christoph Waltz at 21:1 odds back in December, Argo at 5:1, and Ang Lee at 5:1 – true story. Maybe I should start up PeteHatesMovies, too? Music is an integral part of movies, and it was no different at the Academy Awards last night.
A personal favourite part of the night was the sound employed to force long-winded speech givers off the stage. Instead of having the orchestra subtly play in the background, the theme of Jaws was played, forcing immediate fear and urgency into the speaker. Perhaps it lacked tact, but it didn’t lack awesomeness.
Host Seth MacFarlane noted that there was a musical theme to the Oscars, and this was definitely the case, as there was plenty of
boringsongs throughout the night. The highlight was the Family Guy-esque, semi-offensive, “amazing if only for Naomi Watts’ AND Charlize Theron’s reaction” song, We Saw Your Boobs, sung by Seth MacFarlane himself. Check it out below (before those lawyers have YouTube take it down).Seth MacFarlane – We Saw Your Boobs
An Arcade Fire Baby is On the Way
Arcade Fire singers Win Butler and his wife, Régine Chassagne, are expecting a baby (via Consequence of Sound). The City With No Children is about to have one. No Wasted Hours with those two. Was the baby conceived In The Back Seat? Or perhaps in an Empty Room? Will these lame puns ever end? Answer: yes!
Click for more Morning Music Notes
Watch! Justin Timberlake (featuring Jay-Z) – Suit & Tie
The new Justin Timberlake song, Suit and Tie, has a throwback, brassy sound to it. It’s a bit of a different direction for him. He managed to rope in Jay-Z for the track. For the video, he landed David Fincher, director of Fight Club, Zodiac, and the JT-starring The Social Network.
Timberlake posted on his website, “We are pleased to present the OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO for ‘Suit & Tie ft. JAY Z’. Before Fincher directed his trademark edgy films like Seven, Fight Club, and Panic Room, he cut his teeth making iconic music videos, including Madonna’s ‘Express Yourself’ and The Rolling Stones’ ‘Love Is Strong’, amongst others.”
An old-fashioned song deserves an old-fashioned video, and that’s what we have in this video – sort of. We have an old club and tuxes, but we also have um, lasers. Check it out below, and see if their rumoured joint tour comes into fruition.
Justin Timberlake (featuring Jay-Z) – Suit & Tie