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Last night we got word that our OMG fave band received some casual, inevitable namedrop love on indie-talk overloading dramedy Gilmore Girls. From the Grizz's MySpace:

May 1 2007 8:36P

I believe it was in this context:

(girl is talking about touring with this band)

"OMG, it's going to be so cool, we'll meet other cool bands like tokyo police club and grizzly bear!"We asked Droste Bear for comment. Said Ed: "We've arrived." Indeed they are following in the hurdy gurdyed footsteps of CW success. A shitty NBC buddy sitcom is sure to follow. Congrats GBears!

Les Georges Leningrad was a band from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Their quirky stage costumes were accompanied by an equally quirky sound. As mysterious as their music was so were their interviews. The band was know for purposely giving ridiculous answers to questions about their past or/or future.

Les Georges Leningrad - Fifi f (mp3)

Les Georges Leningrad - Black Eskimo (mp3)

Sadly Les Georges is no longer according to their myspace page. Their music lives on & can be found via all the usually avenues; Amazon, ebay.

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Crystal Understanding was described to me as “fake-rave electronic weirdness” which is kinda dead on — though it seems everything is slapped with rave these days just cause. Crystal Understanding’s debut Hold The Gen reminds me a bit of DIY electro-popsters the Blow… same sort of feeling.

My only real complaint about this album is the male/female vocal duets. I wish some it was toned down a bit, but that’s my own personal taste. I’ll never be crazy about duets.

That said — “World With No Windows” is perfect pop… perfect. I want to listen to it on repeat for like the next week.

Crystal Understanding - “World With No Windows” (mp3)

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Fake Problems - To Repel Ghosts

There's no getting around it, Florida is a strange place. Maybe it's the sun, maybe it's all the oranges, but something freaks me out about people who can walk around and act like a bunch of alligators in their back yard isn't a big deal. And then that's not even getting to the elections--they just can't seem to get through one without mucking something up. And I'm not just talking about 2000--heck there was craziness in '06 just North of where this band, Fake Problems hail from. Sheesh.

Anyway, my point is, for good or ill, the place makes you bonkers. In the case of Fake Problems, that is a good thing.

The reason I like their new album How Far Our Bodies Go so much is because of this crazy wreckless abandon they play with while still hanging onto an earnest sentiment and addictive melody.

From what I can tell, Fake Problems call themselves a punk band, but in today's microgenre absurdity, that doesn't really do them justice. They play some kind of crazy country-fried rock or maybe punk rock on moonshine but really it's closer to Bright Eyes or one of my favorite newish bands, Vietnam, than what usually gets called punk these days (not that I don't like that stuff too!).

So this track, To Repel Ghosts is really the heart of this killer hobo boxing match of an album. You've already gone through a few early rounds of getting your teeth loosened when they knock you out with this one. There are faster tracks and then there are quieter tracks and this one really ties the whole thing together.

The album just came out last week. You can buy it directly from the label, Sabot. Check out Sabot for their tour dates as well, they're rockin the East Coast right now, including NYC on Cinco de Mayo I believe.

From the folks that brought you Jagjaguwar and Secretly Canadian comes a new sister label Dead Oceans, and DO is getting off to a solid start with its inaugural release, the first proper studio album from perennial blog faves Bishop Allen. Last year, Justin, Christian et al set their buzz machine to churn at regularly scheduled intervals, releasing an EP a month for the course of the year. For their Dead Oceans release Bishop Allen And The Broken String, the Brooklyn indie pop band culled their ten faves from those twelve EPs and took 'em into the studio for their first record outside the bedroom. The album boasts twelve tracks, meaning two are truly new, including "Rain," a typically infectious slice of BA's buoyant hooks and sunshiny day melodies.

Bishop Allen - "Rain" (MP3)

So to recap, that's Bishop Allen And The Broken String, out on Dead Oceans 7/24. The good Bishop will tour in support of the album in July and August, kicking off with a show at the South Street Seaport (pigeons love it there) with Rock Central Plaza 7/20. More dates when we get 'em.

Break up with Kelly and have a string of hits written about you. And, apparently, have her haunt your imagination by singing in your ear, suggestively petting your face, and performing in an anything-but-business suit. In other words: Break up with Kelly.

April's been a busy month for Swedish garage rockers the Hives, though Howlin' Pelle's recent journal entry offers little info on the band's forthcoming release (date TBD, title rumored to be the humble The World's First Perfect Album.) Instead, Almqvist's screed details the Swedes' April of interesting cameos. First up, their day with Timbaland:

Three hipsters go out for a night on the town and never meet, though they have a very special something in common: their blood, piss, and drool are liquid silver and like totally magical! While the Canadian electro-duo's So This Is Goodbye standout sets the soundtrack, the three party stars slump in alleys and on benches, eventually disappearing into their mystical bodily fluids. "In The Morning," that is.

Every week, we dig in the archives for videos that we find noteworthy, memorable, or just unbelievably stupid. And then, we break 'em down for you. Why Video Hangover? Because when you watch as many videos as we do, you're going to feel it afterwards.

"Say Say Say"
Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson, 1983

If the elixir really works, why do they still need the scam?

R. Kelly has set aside the Trapped In The Closet hip-hopera (Chapters 13-22 out via DVD this July!) long enough to be touched by, and offer support for, the Virginia Tech tragedy. Kelly's releasing "Rise Up" digitally on May 15th, with Jive contributing 100% of the proceeds to the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund, assisting Va. Tech victims and their families. The AP says that Kelly the ballad after "watching the events unfold on television while he was on tour." Sample lyric:

Rise up, when you feel you can't go on, rise up, and all of your hope is gone, rise up, when you're weak and you can't be strong

R. Kelly - "Rise Up" (Clip) (MP3)