The Daily Distraction: May 8

by: Chandler Levack

May 08, 2009 3:30 PM

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This edition of The Daily Distraction goes out to my l’il bro Holden. He is 19 today and can finally not dance at indie-rock concerts. Happy birthday Holdies!

1. David Lynch, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse debut album (seriously)
Dark Night of The Soul, the new audio/visual collab between cult filmmaker David Lynch, MC Danger Mouse and indie icon Sparklehorse will be relased this summer. It features appearances by Black Francis, The Flaming Lips, Iggy Pop and Julian Casablancas, among others. Though a leaked copy was streaming on blog Chromatics this morning, Lynch’s stealth publicist has already put the kibosh on it. In the meantime, satiate yourself with this oblique teaser for a project that looks at least as intriguing as Inland Empire.

2. Jarvis Cocker speaks French badly, dances with children
In the most surreal video you’ll download at work this afternoon, Pulp front man Jarvis Cocker plays babysitter to a gallery full of French enfants as he debuts his new single, “Angela.” The act is part of a six-day project at Parisian Galerie Chappe, in which Cocker will attempt to answer, “What is music?” by making a spectacle out of the living art form. Previous exhibitions have included a public jam session, and scoring a local yoga class. View project details and live steaming here all week.

3. Bangers in mash
Every so often, a mash up is so perfectly well played it transcends the song itself. Mash up artists The Hood Internet have released their first mix tape of dirrrty hip hop songs and popular indie, including Rihanna (feat. Jay-Z) vs Menomena vs M83 (“Cyborg Umbrella”), Ghostface Killah (feat. Jacki-O) vs. Spoon (“The Ghostface Of You Lingers”), and Khia vs Dan Deacon (“Snatch Da Crystal Cat Back.”) Download their debut album, or check out these killer tracks:

Download: Dead Presidents vs. Grizzly Bear - “Two Weeks Of Hip Hop”

Download: T-Pain vs. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart

Download: Phil Collins vs. Yelle - “In The Air Ce Soir”

4. New York Times’ reveals St. Vincent’s inner creepiness
Though St. Vincent (a.k.a. Annie Clark) is staggeringly beautiful, the New York Times’ Melena Ryzik has gotten to the heart of her insecurities in a great profile published May 6. Here’s a sample:

A few days later, over breakfast at Marlow & Sons, a regular hangout near her apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Ms. Clark explained her aesthetic. “I like things that are unsettling or a little bit creepy,” she said. Her stage name was inspired by the hospital where Dylan Thomas spent his last hours. “It’s the place where poetry comes to die,” she said, joking. “That’s me.”

The phenomenal video for St. Vincent’s new album Actor features hopefuls at a casting session weeping their eyes out in hopes of getting a part. Actor, St. Vincent’s follow up to 2007’s acclaimed Marry Me, was released on Tuesday.

5. The entire history of punk rock in eight minutes or less, or your money back
Maybe it’s been awhile since you read Please Kill Me. Maybe you took The Fugs off your iPod once you realized how good Kylie Minogue sounded. Don’t despair, however as anti-folk New York rocker Jeffrey Lewis encapsulates the entire of history of punk rock, from its freewheeling inception in the New York '60s folk scene, to its eventual selling out. The best part is the musical excerpts strummed on his guitar, great for playing catch up on the most important songs of the genre.

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The Daily Distraction: May 8

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