Don’t get us wrong.  The Flaming Lips have produced a few of our and your favorite albums (The Soft Bulletin, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Transmissions From the Satellite Heart) and songs (Do You Realize, Waiting For Superman, Race For The Prize, A Spoonful Weighs A Ton) of all-time.  But lately the psychedelic/psychological wheels seem to have fallen off The Flaming Lips proverbial tour bus.  Wayne Coyne and the boys have over the past year put out some of the more bizarre, dystopian, nudity-laden videos out there, drawing the ire of Erykah Badu (featured in one of the videos) and others.  All of which causes us concern for the band’s direction, which is a shame sense we love their music.  We should have known given the early She Don’t Use Jelly that things could get out of hand.

Despite the recent unpleasantness, we were pleasantly surprised last night on the Jimmy Fallon Show when The Flaming Lips performed and Coyne appeared with actual pants on (as far as we can tell).  Check out the band bathed in phantasmagorical lighting performing Try to Explain, a song from their most recent album The Terror, along with a fantastic cover of David Bowie’s Heroes.  Check out the performances below.

While their new album Modern Vampires of the City continues to spin on repeat at Chez Lefort, Vampire Weekend have been out performing in support of the album.  On Monday night they followed their Saturday Night Live performances by performing on the Jimmy Fallon Show.  Check out all below (in our order of preference).

If you haven’t heard the voice of this beehive already, you will soon be hearing a big buzz around Mikal Cronin’s second album entitled MCII (on Merge Records).  Starting right now.  MCII was released last week and is one of the freshest, most consistently-enjoyable albums of 2013, and is on constant repeat at Chez Lefort.

Cronin, who may be best known as the best-thing-about Ty Segall’s fuzz-laden band, grew up in Laguna Beach and all of its surroundings.  So it’s not surprising that sophisticated, California-infused power-pop songs drip off him like saltwater onto the shore after a surf-session.  To get a feel for MCII musically, conjure an album that combines the melodic acumen of Elliott Smith, The Pixies (check out the Velouria in Cronin’s Turn Away), R.E.M., Wilco, and even Tom Petty, with Beach Boys-caliber vocals and harmony arrangements.  Add to that the grit and aggression of Husker Du/Sugar and you’ve got the picture.   Don’t get us wrong; this is no nostalgia-addled homage but instead a bright, vibrant new twist on those influences.  The music is deceptively simple, but closer scrutiny reveals chord changes and vocal and string arrangements that belie Cronin’s BFA degree in music (though not in a studied way).  There’s something for everyone here:  power-pop jangle, rockers, and even a piano ballad (the closing masterpiece, Piano Mantra) on which Cronin limns Lennon and Tweedy in a heartrending performance.  With a few notable exceptions, Cronin played all the instruments on the album, and yet the album comes off as a full-band project full of life.  There’s enough variety, dynamism and complexity for all.

Thematically, Cronin has matched his sunny-sounding music with darker lyrics that speak of self-doubt, the search and coming-of-age.  At 27, Cronin is closer to 30 than 20, and naturally seems to be searching to find his proper place in the maturing world and its manifold relationships.  There is a constant tension and resolve in the album’s lyrics.  On Weight “I’ve been starting over for a long time, I’m not ready for another day I fail at feeling new” is followed by “No, be bolder, golden light for miles.”  On Shout It Out, “I’m pretty good at making things harder to see, And turning problems back to me, It’s not the way I want to be” is followed by “But I’ve been thinking ’bout that time you came around, And took my head up off the ground, Now that’s a place I want to be.”  On Piano Mantra, “A fine line is crossed, no way back over, A long time, I’m lost, I can’t see over” is followed by the album’s closing couplet: “I’m coming back home, Sink my roots and I’ll be gold, Your open arms are giving me hope.”

As mentioned, Cronin plays every instrument and handles all vocals on MCII, with the exception of guest appearances by K. Dylan Edrich (viola and violin on Peace of Mind and Change), Charles Moothart (drums on Change and Turn Away), Petey Dammit (slide guitar on Peace of Mind, and Ty Segall (guest guitar–his best use as best we can tell).

You can listen to Weight, Shout It Out and Piano Mantra below to get a feel for MCII.  His current tour dates are listed at bottom.

We see a bright future for Cronin and can’t wait for MCIII, MCIV and (naturally) MC5.  Do yourselves a favor and go stream and buy MCII now HERE!

Album highlights:  Peace of Mind, Change, Weight, Turn Away, and Piano Mantra.

Tour:

05/14 Paradiso, Amsterdam (NL)
05/15 Nouveau Casino, Paris (FR)
05/16 Tuffnel Park Dome, London (UK)
05/17 Great Escape Festival, Brighton (UK) – UNCUT stage
05/18 Le Guess Who? May Day, Utrecht (NL)

05/23 San Diego, CA- Casbah
05/24 Los Angeles, CA- Echo
05/25 San Francisco, CA- Rickshaw Shop

06/06 Mississippi Studios Portland, Oregon
06/07 Tractor Tavern Seattle, Washington
06/08 Ole Beck VFW Post 209 Missoula, Montana
06/10 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, Minnesota
06/13 Silver Dollar Toronto, Ontario NXNE Festival
06/14 Silver Dollar Toronto, Ontario NXNE Festival
06/15 Silver Dollar Toronto, Ontario NXNE Festival
06/16 La Divan Orange Montreal, Quebec
06/17 Great Scott Boston, Massachusetts
06/18 Kung Fu Necktie Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
06/20 Bowery Ballroom New York, New York
06/21 Comet Ping Pong Washington, DC
06/22 Emerald Lounge Asheville, North Carolina
06/23 The Earl Atlanta, Georgia
06/24 The Stone Fox Nashville, Tennessee
06/26 Club Dada Dallas, Texas
06/27 Mohawk (Inside Stage) Austin, Texas
06/28 Padres Marfa, Texas
06/29 Club Congress Tucson, Arizona

07/19 PITCHFORK FESTIVAL Chicago, IL

The National will release their new album Trouble Will Find Me on May 21st.  The band Tweeted earlier today to announce that you can now stream and pre-order the album at iTunes.  Do it.  You won’t be disappointed.

Iron & Wine’s new Ghost on Ghost is unsurprisingly one of the best albums of the year.  Songsmith Sam Beam and his Big Band are out on tour now in support, and recently slayed on Conan and Fallon.  Check ’em out below performing three songs for WFUV off the new album, one of which (The Desert Babbler) we have not seen/heard live before. Check all three out below.  “California’s going to kill you soon.”   Indeed.

For all the moms out there whose kids aren’t with them on Mothers’ Day, and for those moms that have gone before us, watch Ryan Bingham sing Tell My Mother I Miss Her So, all as captured by WNRN Radio.

Caitlin Rose has been garnering praise for her recently-released album The Stand-In.   We have heard/seen some of her live performances before and have naturally been drawn to her beguiling mix of country, rock and pop music.  She’s a good turn on a Linda Ronstadt motif and shines particularly live.  We were anxious, then, to hear the album from which many of the live songs had sprung.  After giving a good listen to The Stand-In, we continue to tout Rose, her band and compositions.  Unfortunately, the spark that we have heard in these songs live has, to our ears, been smothered by one of the least dynamic, flattest, overburdened production jobs we’ve recently heard (calling all artists: don’t forget the old adage “a fool has himself for a client”).  And that’s a crying shame because the singer and songs warrant better.

To hear what we’re talking about, check out a few sterling live performances below (with stellar pedal-steel and other fine contributions from the band).  We particularly are fond of the song I Was Cruel (here, recorded live for KINK Radio) off the album, in which the protagonist admits he/she (the song was written by album contributor Jeremy Fetzer) wasn’t exactly innocent in a doomed relationship (turns out nobody’s faultless–who knew?).  After, check out Waitin’ from the album and then her cover of Nick Lowe’s Lately I’ve Let Things Slide (sung by Rose on a countrified collection of Nick Lowe covers entitled Lowe Country).  And then go listen to the recorded Stand-In album HERE.  We can’t wait to hear Rose captured on her next album by a producer worthy of her music.  Where is Peter Asher (Ronstadt’s long-time producer) when you need him?

We’ve quickly become fans of Britain’s Savages (need it narrowed down more?).  Check out the all-female band’s take-no-prisoners performance captured two nights ago at Ministry of Sound courtesy of the Creators Project.  Literate, uncompromising, relentlessly high-energy.  We’ll take ’em.

“Supergroup” RNDM (Joseph Arthur, Jeff Ament, and Richard Stuverud) showed up on Conan the other night to play The Disappearing Ones off their album Acts. Watch the band in full Conan regalia (replete with wigs) as they start out in vintage black-and-white and then shift to full color mode on the chorus.  Spectacular power pop made even more so by Stuverud’s pounding drumming and Ament’s propulsive bass. Great stuff.  Can’t wait to see the band’s get-ups when they play Chelsea Lately.

The National have nationalized all media outlets this week in advance of the release of their new album Trouble Will Find Me on May 21st.  In addition to announcing new tour dates (including the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on August 11th), performing new song Sorrow for six hours straight at New York’s MoMA PS1, playing a concert captured by Artist’s Den, they’ve also now released the official video for Sea of Love.  Check it out below.