The Train of Thought Lounge: Radiohead

Howdy folks, it's another long-overdue installment of The Train of Thought Lounge, this time featuring one of the classic music videos of all time. It's Radiohead's "Just" off of 1995's "The Bends," widely seen as the band's breakthrough record in the U.S. If you aren't familiar with this video, just follow it all the way through to its particularly chilling ending. The song also kicks ass, might I add, and was covered by British superproducer Mark Ronson, who also made his own spoof version of the video.

Radiohead - Just

The Train of Thought Lounge: Tokyo Police Club

Hello all. Today's installment of The Train of Thought Lounge features a Canadian band called Tokyo Police Club, if that isn't too confusing. They sound somewhat like a cross between Bloc Party and The Decemberists, their songs mainly consisting of frenetic, two-and-a-half minute pop-powered energy bursts. I really was put on to this band, quite simply, because of its name. I thought it sounded cool. Luckily, out of a slew of indie bands with avant garde names (Feist, Spoon and Vampire Weekend come to mind), Tokyo Police Club live up to the anticipation with a refreshing sound.

Here they are live on the David Letterman Show performing "Nature Of The Experiment" off of 2006's "A Lesson In Crime" album. The band has subsequently released "Elephant Shell" in 2008.

Tokyo Police Club - Nature Of The Experiment

The Train of Thought Lounge: 2 for 1 Saturday!

Welcome all to the latest installment of The Train of Thought Lounge. Today we feature the newest singles from two of my absolute favorite bands in the world. First up is the new Weezer song, "Pork and Beans," off the upcoming Red Album which is slated for a June release.

Weezer - Pork and Beans

Next is the new single from The Roots, the scorching-hot "Rising Up" featuring D.C.'s own, Wale and hook chanteuse supreme Chrisette Michele. Enjoy!

The Roots - Rising Up

GTA & Rising Down out today: holy crap!

A double-whammy of big releases takes place today as both the new Grand Theft Auto and Roots album Rising Down hit the shelves. The release of GTA 4 is clearly the most-anticipated for any video game in history, with sales expected to top $400 million in the first week. Somehow, I have been able to resist the lure of the game up to this point. This is basically because I knew that if I ever did own the game, I would probably have to drop out of school. But now that JJ will be getting his pre-ordered copy, he will force me to indulge in the violence and I won't try to stop him.

As for the new Roots album, I am completely blown away that this album is already out. I knew it was slated for a 2008 release, but what a pleasant surprise to have it out in stores this soon. The Roots' last album, Game Theory, was released in late 2006 to the usual critical acclaim, but very little buzz from the general public or otherwise. Rising Down is only poised to top its predecessor.  

Common. Mos Def. Talib Kweli. Saigon. Styles P. And probably my favorite-named rapper of all-time, Porn. All appear on the album. But the absolute shocker is the appearance of Wale, the great hope for D.C. rap, on the go-go tinged track, "Rising Up." Unfortunately, I cannot provide a full album review because I refuse to download this album, I will wait to buy it in stores (I could not uphold this pledge when Game Theory came out). But if anyone else has the money, I implore you to BUY THIS RECORD!

In other news, the Wizards face elimination tomorrow night, nobody gave the Montreal Canadiens the memo but they are not allowed to lose, and what???? Furthermore, WHAT????????   

Laters, y'all.

The Train of Thought Lounge: Bad Brains

Today's installment of The Train of Thought Lounge features Bad Brains, one of the most influential and innovative bands in the history of hardcore/punk rock. All four original members hail from Washington D.C. and they are one of few punk bands to feature an all-Black lineup. Bad Brains, along with other local bands such as Fugazi and Minor Threat, established DC as a major scene for hardcore music from the late 70's to the early 90's.

Adding to the band's lore, Bad Brains were actually barred from performing in Washington's three main music venues and relocated to New York City. They also found success in the U.K. The group has done shows and recorded on and off to this day.

Bad Brains - At The Movies

The Train Of Thought Lounge: Arctic Monkeys

What's up, good people? I thought I'd try my hand at this here Lounge dealy, seeing as how I love nothing more than to lecture anyone & everyone at pretty much anytime about music I like/think they should become obsessed with. Ok I'm clearly exaggerating, but I do want to take this opportunity to hip you guys to Arctic Monkeys, a band comin' straight outta Sheffield, U.K.

I was telling JJ that I like this band because basically most of their songs are about going out in Sheffield and doing the kind of stuff that we do almost every weekend. This song is a prime example: "Last night, what we talked about made so much sense/But now the haze has ascended it don't make no sense anymore." True indeed.

Arctic Monkeys - From The Ritz To The Rubble

Random bonus post: Gnarls Barkley 'The Odd Couple' album review

I know J said he would posting more this week, but I couldn't help myself. I had to get in on the action, especially while this stuff was all still relevant, so this week should be an all-out Train Of Thought bonanza!

Last Tuesday, Gnarls Barkley released their second full-length album 'The Odd Couple' to the web, while the album will be in stores tomorrow. The follow-up to the duo's seminal debut album, 'St. Elsewhere,' not only proves that Gnarls Barkley are no one-hit wonders, but that they have the ability to improve on the design they first created. Their first album was like nothing I had ever heard; fresh, bold, experimental without feeling forced. Danger Mouse had been known as the king of music's equivalent to a random hook-up, working with artists such as MF DOOM, Jay-Z and Gorillaz, but lacking a clear identity as a producer. Cee-Lo had reinvented himself from his days with Atlanta outfit Goodie Mob and even as a solo artist. 

Instead of picking up where 'St. Elsewhere' left off, Gnarls produced a stronger, more uniform, more compact album. Where 'St. Elsewhere had a hit-or-miss quality from song to song, 'The Odd Couple stays strong throughout, employing a 'less-with-more' strategy expertly. "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" is as stripped down as necessary, with just a soft drum line, a mandolin and Cee-Lo's smoky retro soul vocals. "Going On" (possibly the first single) also adopts more of an homage to the 60's throwback sound, with a melody simple enough to work but also unique enough to instantly quantify it as Gnarls Barkley's signature sound. "Open Book" and "Would-Be Killer" are more of a departure from the rest of the album without being wildly different. Keeping with the retro sound, "Surprise" bears a strong resemblance to the recent work of British producer Mark Ronson, most notably his tracks on Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black.' 

The gem of the album, however, is the last track, 'A Little Better,' in which the bassline, vocals, hook and harmonies combine to bring out the best in both Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse.

Though I'm unofficially the resident sports guy around here, I'm gonna try and strengthen my music writing through time. It will improve in the future but this will have to do for now because Futurama is about to come on and I'm going to watch it. 

DOWNLOAD THESE: A Little Better, Who's Gonna Save My Soul, Going On