Yo La Tengo Is Not Afraid Of You...

So how many of you are into the whole iTunes/buying digital music scene? No one? That's cool. I didn't really think you were. It's probably safe to assume, then, that you haven't heard the Yo La Tengo iTunes exclusive live EP, right? I actually hadn't heard anything about it until I happened across it completely by chance.

From the Matador website: "There's really no better way to commemorate the way Yo La Tengo's awe inspiring 'I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Am Going To Beat Your Ass' has been screwed in so many of the year end polls (admittedly, not all of 'em, just those that we'll never again try to rig ) than with a new EP, exclusively available from the iTunes Music Store."

Amen.

The four tracks on the EP could not be more different. Two of the tracks, "Pass The Hatchet..." and "The Weakest Part," are from I Am Not Afraid Of You... The third track, Luci Baines, as I have discovered after copious amounts of research, is a cover of the mid-60's Arthur Lee track by the same name.

Yo La Tengo- Luci Baines

From Allmusicguide: "Like most of Arthur Lee's pre- Love releases, "Luci Baines" is a copy of another record, this time the Isley Brothers original, pre- Beatles version of "Twist & Shout." Written as a tribute to then-president Lyndon Johnson's daughter Lucy Baines Johnson, the almost bossa nova rhythm is about as infectious as the Isleys' version, and the band performance is pure frat house groove."

I'm not exactly sure where the last track is from. Someone want to fill me in?

Yo La Tengo- El Es Gay

Also, just for fun, and to stick with our Daniel Johnston theme (well, I guess it's not a theme yet. I'll establish it as a theme now)

Yo La Tengo- Speeding Motorcycle

Daniel Johnston- Speeding Motorcycle

I used to have a really cool version of speeding motorcycle that Yo La Tengo did for a WFMU pledge drive, where Daniel Johnston actually calls in and does the vocals over the phone. If I can find that, I'll put it up later this weekend, so check back.

Oh, to Have a Home to Go to...

My sincerest apologies for the lack of posts for the past week or so. I have been, well, homeless. Thank god for friends with couches, am I right?

I seem to have found a resting place for the time being, though, so hopefully I won't be leaving you like that again any time soon.

I haven't come across a ton of great new music lately, but there are a few things I would like to share.

I have, in my possession, M. Ward's upcoming single, To Go Home, from his 06 album, Post-War. As long as you haven't been living under a rock (or maybe you haven't had a home...), you've probably heard Ward's cover of Daniel Johnston's To Go Home. What a great track. I would have picked Chinese Translation for my first single, but To Go Home is cool, too.

Daniel Johnston- To Go Home

As usual, I have fallen in love with a couple of the b-sides...

M. Ward- Cosmopolitan Pap
M. Ward- Headed for a Fall

Headed for a Fall is a Jimmie Dale Gilmore cover, and features Jim James, Neko Case, and guitarist Nels Cline. It seems to be moving up on my list of favorite M. Ward songs.

Also worth noting is M. Ward's appearance on the latest Bright Eyes EP, Four Winds.



Ward appears on the third track, Smoke Without Fire. Trost put me onto this track. I'm not a huge Bright Eyes fan, but I'm digging it.

Bright Eyes- Smoke Without Fire

The M. Ward To Go Home single will release February 20th on Merge Records, and the Bright Eyes Four Winds EP will release March 6th on Saddle Creek.

One final note... Props to Trost for the layout. He's got our humble little site lookin all fresh and whatnot. Also for checking up on me while I was scrambling for a place to stay.

That's all for today.

Enjoy.