Sundermann

Grizzly Bear
Radio City Music Hall
Monday, September 24

Better than: Watching replacement refs ruin the NFL.

A mere three songs into Grizzly Bear's two-hour set at Radio City Music Hall last night, the band already managed to exceed expectations. Singer Daniel Rossen stood proudly at center stage before the crowd, engulfed in a swirling rainbow of light. Behind him, a collection of at least 18 individual orb-shaped lanterns bounced around, appearing like large white roses lit up with candles, slowly and distinctly moving and circling each other in rhythm. "Dreamed a long day, just wandering free," he crooned. To both his left and right, the rest of the Brooklyn four-piece wailed on their instruments, cranking out "Sleeping Ute" at its highest throttle. The track is the lead single from their fourth and most recent record, Shields, which was released earlier this month -- and on this evening, the song's sonic eruption of fluttering and polished guitar work combined with its whimsical lyricism to set the appropriate tone for the rest of the show.

More »

Benjamin Lozovsky

Wayne Coyne (left) and Stephen Colbert. See more photos from Colbchella here.

Colbchella: fun., Grizzly Bear, Santigold, Flaming Lips
U.S.S. Intrepid
Friday, August 10

Better than: All the world wars and Woodstocks combined.

Don't you ever question America's might. We do things bigger and crazier than other countries—and then we televise it. And while Stephen Colbert didn't officially endorse that message, he concurs. On Friday night, he took over the U.S.S. Intrepid for a nautical, turret-blazing salute to US military, industrial, and Indie rock superiority.

In dire response to the proliferation of "half-naked, patchouli-soaked, white guy dreadlock festivals," Colbert concocted Stephest Colbchella '012 Rocktaugustfest as an assertion of his fundamental conservative values and reverence of corporate sponsorship ("Pepsi, the official drink of my throat"). Colbert brought acts like The Flaming Lips, Santigold, Grizzly Bear and fun. to support his ultimate (if satirical) political goal: Self-aggrandizement and narcissistic back patting.

More »

Their album covers are still way better, though

I will admit to being pretty super excited to learn that deathless heavy-metal icons Iron Maiden (who we love around here, as you may have heard) were suddenly taking public shots at Jay-Z's favorite Brooklynites. Confused? Yeah, that too. Skeptical? Definitely. And yet here it was, allegedly pulled from a band press release:

More »

If given the choice between debuting a new song on a music blog, Twitter, your own website, etc., why not choose the Washington Lottery? Starting today, an ad will start running in that state, featuring a new, unreleased track by Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear. Cole & Weber United, the ad agency that made this clip, are clearly fans: it's directed by Patrick Daughters, who also made the band's "Two Weeks" video (another song that was prominently licensed), and showcases a kind of whimsical choreography that seems more at home in the indie world than in the blaring, mouth-covered traditions of lottery advertising. May the band see a wonderful check off this ad, which you can watch at EW. Now can anyone tell us if we actually heard what we thought we heard on television yesterday, which was Free Energy being used in separate Target and a Best Buy commercials?

LULZ. [To the Maxx via Heems]

With that kind of wistful, out of focus glaze, this picture could easily double as the greatest high school yearbook photo of all time. (Hopefully he got the wallet-sized ones, too.) Time for all of us to put "embracing a koala bear" on the ol' bucket list, I guess. [Grizzly Bear Galore]

Any mix that has "For Want Of" and the Promise Ring on it has our vote. New from Chris Taylor's Terrible Records, who sure picked a nice day to release a mixtape. Elsewhere in TR news? A show at Mercury Lounge in a couple weeks, featuring Acrylics (whose All of the Fire EP is out now) and the label's newest signees, Class Actress, playing alongside Violens. Let this hold you over til then. [Download at Grizzly Bear Galore]

--R.I.P. Brendan Mullen, who was one of the first DIY promoters of punk and independent rock and the first regular booker of punk bands in Los Angeles. The Masque, a venue that became home base for all that is first-wave L.A. punk--including the Germs and the Weirdos--was in essence his baby and brainchild. The venue's Monster Island-like proportions (10k square feet) became famous as a cheap place to have shows and rent out rehearsal space until it was shut down by local authorities in 1978. Mullen, an otherwise completely healthy 60-year old, died of a sudden stroke. "Sometimes, your number is just up," said one of his neurologists.

More »

--Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor has started a new label. It's called Terrible Records, and so far, the label's two-release slate looks pretty impressive. October 13 will see a split single from Taylor and departed avant-disco downtown icon Arthur Russell. And, a couple weeks later, on October 28, Terrible will release the 10" debut of Brooklyn softies Acrylics--a record that Taylor also produced. That's not a bad month for any label, brand-new or otherwise.

More »

--Jay-Z held a formal news conference yesterday to discuss plans for his upcoming Answer the Call September 11th benefit show at Madison Square Garden. Sitting beside Governor Patterson, Jay remembered September 11, 2001, the day the original Blueprint was released, and the days that followed. "I turned the TV on September 12th and I saw footage of these heroic actions," Jay said. "People running to buildings and saving each other and I saw the strength of New York. It made me proud. So, as I was embarking on putting out Blueprint 3, it was only right that we revisit that day. This is my chance to do something to help out." Also, you can hear Blueprint 3 free today at MTV.com.

--Them Crooked Vultures will hit the U.S. next month. They're still holding out on New York, but you can catch them at Philly's Electric Factory on October 12th. Presale starts Friday.

More »