July 10, 2002

12:46 PM

New Beck song here.

New Weezer video (with the Muppets) here (it's a RealMedia file).

New Coldplay single here in WindowsMedia and here in RealAudio.

Feel free to argue the artistic merits of these three performers as well as whether this post is worthy of a front page post in the thread (like you people wouldn't do that anyay).
posted by Reggie452 (34 comments total)

Huh?
posted by donkeyschlong at 12:49 PM on July 10, 2002

Neato! Thanks, Reggie452. No need to be defensive. Surely new Beck and Coldplay songs are well worth offering - better than games. Downright generosity, if you ask me. :)
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:52 PM on July 10, 2002

Good post, thanks. Not my alltimefavoritebest artists but refreshing links nonetheless.

Insteady of arguing, how about people post their favorite online videos and songs? Nice change of pace.
posted by cell divide at 12:53 PM on July 10, 2002

Does anyone else think Coldplay's "In My Place" is a take on The Beatles' "In My Life"? You know, "There are places I remember...in my life, though some remain..."

And that Coldplay is verging dangerously on Bryan Adams territory, specially orchestration-wise?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:57 PM on July 10, 2002

I wasn't trying to be defensive, really, just sort of laughing at the inevitable backlash whenever major label music gets posted on MeFi.I love all three of those songs/videos, so I thought a lot of other people would, too.
posted by Reggie452 at 1:00 PM on July 10, 2002

Although all three of the artists mentioned in the FPP don't really do much for me, I'd much rather hear them than the majority of what's on the radio these days (of course, what is on the radio these days, I haven't listened in years).

If you're in the mood for some cool videos, check out the new Warp Records Animation subsite. Both of the Plaid videos are excellent, the Pleix one is beautiful in all of its twisted glory. Oh, and the new Prefuse 73 roxors.

Of course, if those aren't good enough, probably my favorite video is still on the Warp Records site (under Warpvision). It's a tie between Squarepushers "Come On My Selector" and Aphex Twin's "Come To Daddy." Chris Cunningham directed both of them and they're highly excellent.
posted by almostcool at 1:02 PM on July 10, 2002

That new Beck song is great. I can't wait for the new album, especially now that it seems Mutations-esque.
posted by Fahrenheit at 1:02 PM on July 10, 2002

American Memory, over 7 million digital items from a very cool government source. The Library of Congress.
posted by anathema at 1:03 PM on July 10, 2002

What is with that Beck song? It is s-o-o-o-o-o slow. The thing takes forever to get to the chorus -- and the chorus is a huge letdown. In between the lines all you have is that strum-strum-strumma-strumma to hold your interest -- and it doesn't hold your interest. Has anyone ever listened to this song more than once? Doesn't your mind wander when you're listening to it? Don't you think about the thousand other songs you'd much rather be listening to rather than this one? Where do people get the patience to listen to this stuff? Now the Weezer song -- that was all right. That was good. And how about those muppets. Haven't checked them out for years. Kermit really sounds different without Jim Henson's voice. He's not the same, and don't let anyone kid you. Just like all those Warner Brothers cartoon characters who now speak in close-but-no-cigar voices since Mel Blanc died.
posted by Faze at 1:08 PM on July 10, 2002

Beck's song? Devilishly good

Wilco's cool too

that Coldplay is verging dangerously on Bryan Adams territory
They've always been there, Miguel. I mean, "Yellow"?
"I drew a line for you, oh what a thing to do, and it was all Yellow"???
posted by matteo at 1:09 PM on July 10, 2002

Oh yeah, and the new Flaming Lips video is some good stuff, although I'm still warming to the song. The album as a whole (upcoming) is pretty damn amazing, though.
posted by almostcool at 1:11 PM on July 10, 2002

songs can be slo-o-o-o-w and good
posted by folktrash at 1:29 PM on July 10, 2002

If you could create a soundrack for the frustrated 15-year-old that I once was, it would surely be full of Weezer songs. Shamelessly bubblegum and emo ... and damn good!
posted by TBoneMcCool at 1:29 PM on July 10, 2002

folktrash, I agree that some songs can be slow and good. For instance, listen to Elvis's version of Rodgers and Hart's "Blue Moon" on his first RCA album. That's slow. But the melody does interesting things. Perhaps the world to use for the Beck song is "plodding". It begins with a completely uninteresting melodic statement, then repeats it, and repeats it again with no development -- which, of course, describes a lot of rock music. But, usually, you make up for repetiveness and lack of melodic invention with a kind of energy and tension below the surface. Let me draw your attention to Lou Reed's "Take A Walk on the Wild Side" which is slow, but gripping. I mean, couldn't you write a song as good as Beck's "Golden Age"? Anybody could! If they could stay awake long enough.
posted by Faze at 1:38 PM on July 10, 2002

that one flaming lips song, yoshimi battles the pink robots pt. 1, rocks like no other... too bad there isn't a video for it yet. i'm not a huge fan of beck or coldplay, but thanks for the weezer video. i've always loved the muppets... i guess my favorite music video that i've ever downloaded would have to be one mentioned a while back, at www.nevergetoveryou.com.
posted by lotsofno at 1:48 PM on July 10, 2002

My current fave video is still Cornelius' "I Hate Hate," available on the third page of listings under the letter "C" at this Sputnik7.com page. A short, funny, very different music video. And be sure to check "Headcleaner" in the film section, too. Creeeeeepy.
posted by mediareport at 1:49 PM on July 10, 2002

I'm a bit of a sucker for the 80s vibe of Les Rhyhmes Digitales in (Hey You) What's That Sound?

And of course, the two Avalanches videos are fantastic.
posted by MUD at 2:36 PM on July 10, 2002

And at that Library of Congress site, check out the 1938-1943 Fort Valley Music Festivals. I got it from Bob Watt's iii--also from iii, cantabile-subito and Gongcast...
posted by y2karl at 2:37 PM on July 10, 2002

http://www.beck.com/preview/t1.swf.

(Right|Option)-click, Save As, drag into Moz or IE to replay. There don't seem to be any other tracks up at the moment.

I dig the track's warm, mellow simplicity and subtle Kid A-like undertones but, unless the entire album is similarly laid-back, I disagree with the placement of "Golden Age" as Track 1. It seems more like the traditional calm-after-the-storm afterglow song you would expect toward the end of an album, not unlike "Beautiful Way" on Beck's last album, Midnite Vultures (which, coincidentally, is in the CD player at time of post.)

Maybe they're releasing the tracks in (reverse|random) order...

I have to agree with MUD on the Avalanches videos. The first time I saw "Frontier Psychiatrist" was on MTV2 over the Christmas holiday, and was so impressed that I had to scramble to find something on which I could note the track name for later reference.
posted by Danelope at 2:56 PM on July 10, 2002

Thanks for the Weezer video. We enjoy Muppets over here...
posted by Samizdata at 3:13 PM on July 10, 2002

New Beck song here.
REAL Beck song here!
posted by quonsar at 3:18 PM on July 10, 2002

HA! That Weezer video almost made me blow my cover as a boring cubicle girl. I could barely stifle my laughter. The chickens! The penguins! Beaker's head! "They weren't half bad!"

I'm dieing here! Thanks for that.
posted by arielmeadow at 4:13 PM on July 10, 2002

[off-topic] does anybody know of a video-player that can read RealMedia and isn't made by Real?
posted by signal at 5:19 PM on July 10, 2002

Sorry - the Muppets win. Rivers can barely keep a straight face through the whole video, and that's saying something. Actually, I couldn't keep a straight face either.

Thanks for the smile, Reg.
posted by birddog at 6:23 PM on July 10, 2002

The outstanding new album from the Reindeer Section (a Scottish indie supergroup featuring members of Belle and Sebastian, Mogwai, Arab Strap, Snow Patrol and more), Son of Evil, is streaming in RealAudio and WindowsMedia formats here. (You need to wait for the stupid flash movie to end.)
posted by Marquis at 6:58 PM on July 10, 2002

The Weezer vid was indeed fun. It's also kind of odd, since it's pretty much the exact same idea as their Buddy Holly video, only with the Muppets instead of Happy Days. And somehow that makes all the difference, and this one is just so much more enjoyable. If only I could say the same for the song, which was only ok.
posted by GersonK at 11:03 PM on July 10, 2002

Faze: All I know is, I was captivated by Golden Age, and I was never much of a Beck fan. Sometimes a simple beauty alone can be enough to hold a listener's attention.
posted by stuporJIX at 1:09 AM on July 11, 2002

I didn't like Maladroit, but my sister (who's involved in the music biz) has been passing me the occasional Weezer Demo for their NEXT album, and... Weezer went classic rock. I'm talking about the amazing guitarmanship of the Woodstock era here. That's gonna be an album I listen to for quite a long time.
posted by SpecialK at 8:43 AM on July 11, 2002

The Coldplay song is a rip-off of, if anything, Eyes Without a Face by Billy Idol.
posted by pigasus at 11:40 AM on July 11, 2002

Weezer are better than ever, and so are their videos. Okay, Dope Nose wasn't immediately that funny, but Rivers with his old-man beard was pretty funny in the end. And, the Muppets? Yep, best Weezer video ever for Weezer's best album ever. I hope they keep it up.
posted by wackybrit at 1:52 PM on July 11, 2002

I've always liked Weezer, but never considered myself a fan. When I started listening to Maladroit that all changed, it is definitely their most listen-able album yet. I saw this post on my way out of the office and had to listen to the CD on the way home. Thanks for the link.
And thanks for the teaser SpecialK, I heard they were already to record another and I cannot wait to hear it!
posted by genapathy at 4:15 PM on July 11, 2002

Psst... you don't have to have a sister in the music biz to hear those Weezer Album 5 demos...
posted by toddshot at 8:42 PM on July 11, 2002

Ooh, I forgot. The best music video I've seen on the Web was for a crazy Indian song called 'Tunak Tunak'. A Google search indicates you can download the RealMedia video of it from this page. I just got the MP3 for old times sake, and it's still as hilarious as ever.
posted by wackybrit at 8:43 PM on July 11, 2002

The best video I've seen lately (though it isn't particularly new) is "Flat Beat" by Mr. Oizo. I haven't seen the Muppet one yet, but Flat Beat was my first exposure to puppets in videos. I didn't care for the song when the video started, but somehow watching a puppet bang its head to it is just really hilarious.
posted by frenetic at 9:30 AM on July 13, 2002