Ever make a mistake?  Twice?  Apparently Pavlov was wrong.  We once again took leave of our minds and lost track of Ireland’s Villagers.  Thanks to a new album (Darling Arithmetic on Domino Records) and La Blogotheque’s Take Away Shows below featuring songwriter-leader Conor J. O’Brien, this memory-lapse has been corrected.  Again.  Check out the beauty found in these lyrics expressed so well in a church, the perfect reverberating backdrop for O’Brien as he performs Hot Scary Summer (worthy lyrics at very bottom) off of the new album.

Afterwards, watch O’Brien performing Everything I Am Is Yours acoustic with accompanying harpist.

And finally, watch O’Brien accompanying Ala Ni covering Cry Me A River in that same church.

Villagers will be coming through California the first week in June and the dates can be found HERE.

“Ohh Lord

So you thank me for my hard work
But you’ve had it up to there
‘Cos this shouldn’t be hard work
But I’ll fight to care if you’d care to fight

Thank you for your hard work
But I’ve had it up to here
‘Cos this shouldn’t be hard work
Least not the kind that makes us half a person
Half a monster
Stuck together in this hot scary summer

Ohh Lord
Hot scary Summer
Ohh

Remember kissing on the cobblestones
In the heat of the night
And all the pretty young homophobes
Looking out for a fight

We got good at pretending
And then pretending got us good
We’ve always been up against it
But now it’s sad to see
We’re up against each other in this hot scary summer

Ohh Lord
Hot scary Summer
Ohh

I live inside you
And you live in me
And I live inside you
And you live in me
And Nothings gonna change that dear
Nothings gonna change that dear
Not even being apart
We travel right to the heart
Of this Hot Scary Summer

Ohh Lord
Hot scary Summer
Ohh

So you thank me for my hard work
But we’ve had it up here
‘Cos this shouldn’t be hard work
Least not the kind that make us
Half a person
Half a monster
Stuck together in this hot scary summer”

Now that all the Letterman hoopla is (unfortunately) over, it’s time to get back to some new music.  And the music that’s resonating most on this gray, oil-slick California day is Canada’s The Weather Station and the sterling track Tapes off of their new album Loyalty.  Tamara Lindeman is the Canadian singer-songwriter that is The Weather Station, and she is emblematic of the best of Canada’s female singer-songwriters.  On the intimate Tapes below Lindeman manages to channel the Canadian greats Joni Mitchell, Mary Margaret O’Hara, and Kathleen Edwards all in one heart-breaking, haiku-like, cautionary lament.  Cautionary in the sense that we, like many, have got some tapes laying around that no one may ever hear.  Check Tapes out below.  The song’s lyrics are at bottom, though the singer’s mournful vocals convey as much or more.

We’ll have more on The Weather Station and the critically-acclaimed Loyalty soon.  Loyalty was recorded in France with Bahamas’ multi-talented Afie Jurvanen and engineer Robbie Lackritz (Bahamas, Feist).  In short: we concur completely with the acclaim of those critics.

TAPES

“I found the little tapes you kept under your bed, and I played and played and played
them, over and over again. Years ago, walking alone, you sang “Oh.”
In your high strange voice, your feet scuffing along the pavement. Trying to sing what
you meant, late at night
–
it was too important.
I’m older now than you ever were, or ever would become.”

Well here’s something you haven’t seen on The Lefort Report: the Foo Fighters. Nothing against the Foos, but they seem to be doing alright without any coverage by this humble rag.  In honor, however, of the great David Letterman and his favorite band and song, check out below the Foo Fighters performing their song Everlong last night as the culmination of the last episode of the Late Show with David Letterman.  We will say this about the Foos (in addition to Dave Grohl’s huge-heartedness):  Taylor Hawkins shreds on drums.  Wow.  Check it out.  So sorry to see you go Dave Letterman.  An era ends, but happy trails to one of the greatest entertainers to ever live.

Whoa…it’s been a crazy-busy time with all sorts of stuff goin’ down.  Chief amongst the “entertainment stuff” going down is David Letterman’s retirement after tonight’s last show of his 30+ year rein. Dave’s had a gaggle of great guests on the past few weeks in particular (the high point being the inimitable Tom Waits last week). And all the while the other talk show host have been paying tribute to Dave (Jimmy Kimmel’s choked-up tribute last night was sweet) and plying their wares.

For example, on Monday night Jimmy Fallon had on the highly entertaining Janelle Monae.  We’ve been touting Monae since 2010 so it’s great to see her finally getting her due and scoring big.  On Fallon, with superb support from The Roots and her pal Jidenna, she simply took over the studio and scintillated with her new track Yoga.  The song is as catchy as SARS and, to our ears, takes a page out of M.I.A.’s estimable songbook.

Check it out and if you want more, watch her desk-stomping performance on the Letterman Show in 2013 HERE.

After the Fallon vignette, check out the official video for Yoga.

Following last night’s Waits-ian finale on Letterman, it makes sense to refresh and update our old TW on TV compendium.  As mentioned earlier today, one of our favorite songwriters, performers, and interviewees is Tom Waits. With respect to the latter, his television interviews/performances are legendary, dating from the mid-70s on The Mike Douglas Show and the underrated Fernwood Tonight. This is one very talented, bright and hilarious lad. And it’s the stellar string of Letterman Show performances over the last 30+ years that best capture the humor and live performances. He’s a national treasure, plain and simple.  This was further supported last night with Waits’ final appearance on the Letterman Show.

Check out the 1976 piano performance and interview with Mike Douglas to start and then his Fernwood Tonight (The Piano Has Been Drinking) spot, and then a series of Letterman segments, and at the very bottom a Conan spot and then a stunning delivery of Tom Traubert’s Blues, and a few others to boot. There’s lots more where these came from so we’ll just keep updating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAAzhm1YBBY&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gwUtEEjZJ8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BU-vNpmjfsI&feature=related

Here’s part 2 to that 1983 Letterman segment. Check out his performance of On The Nickel. If you aren’t moved by this song, starting at 1:59, you simply have no soul.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdL-fOFNVFs&feature=related

Tom Waits on Late Night With Conan O’Brien 05.04.2007 from Anti Records on Vimeo.

And then it gets really heart-felt, and you have to Waltz with Matilda and Tom right here:

Simply put, Tom Waits is a national treasure.  He has graced us with some of the best songs ever written, is a legendary performer, and has been a storied guest on the late night TV circuit for four decads.  We’ve had coffee with he and his friends, spent New Years Eve with him (sure, with a thousand others at the Orpheum in San Francisco on 12/31/90) and caught him live on multiple occasions.  We have yet to feel under-entertained by Waits.

Such was the case last night when Waits appeared on one of the last Late Shows with David Letterman.  Waits performed a new wistful homage to Letterman entitled Take One Last Look (lyrics at bottom).  Waits introduced the new song by saying: “This one’s for you, Dave.”

As usual with Letterman, Waits also gave his now-standard interview with Letterman before performing.  Check out both below.  Très charmant.  Waits rarely performs live these days, last appearing two years ago at Neil Young’s Bridge School Concert.  If you get a chance to catch him, don’t miss it.

We will next post a refreshed and updated compendium of Waits other historic late night performances and interviews.  There goes your Friday.

“Let’s watch the sun come up in another town
Try our luck a little further down
Leave the cards on the table
Leave the bread on the plate
Put your hand on the gear-shift
put your foot off the brake.

And take one last look at the place that you are leaving
Take one last look
Oh take one last look at the place that you are leaving
Take one last look

Our bed was something that the wind can carry
The arrow points away across the waiting prairie
This car looks like it could give us a good run
Our choice to leave was a good one.

And take one last look at the place that you are leaving
Take one last look
Oh take one last place at the place that you are leaving
Take one last look

Let’s look forward to the lights that are new
The world is a ribbon of road for you
All towns have churches and tire shops
They put up speed limit signs in the eye of the cops

I love to see the wind in your hair
All we ever need, we can get anywhere

And take one last look at the place that you are leaving
Take one last look
Oh take one last place at the place that you are leaving
Take one last look”

We recently stumbled upon Brighton, England’s new pop sensation, Remi Miles.  Miles recently released his debut EP entitled Under Light Symphonies.  We are completely hooked on the title track in particular, but check out all four gems off the EP below.  The title track just managed, seemingly all by itself, to disburse the clouds outside and bring forth the sun’s rays.  Superb stuff from Remi Miles that bodes incredibly well for this new artist.

Spoon’s 2014 album, They Want My Soul, was one of the Best Albums of 2014, and the track Inside Out was one of the bests of that Best.  So much so that the band recently released a four-track EP of remixes of the song and the original demo of the song. And, in connection with his Eaux Claires Music Festival (at which Spoon will play), Justin Vernon has done the song justice by covering it well.  And now the song has been honored with its official video, which you can check out below.  The video was directed by LeBlanc + Cudmore (ALt-J, Belle & Sebastian).  In the video, time has indeed gone inside out with sepia-toned vignettes of a robbery, a heinous fight; a prowling vixen in a tawdry motel; a backup singers’ studio session; and a too-young wedding.  Most of the scenes have some unsavory flavor to them, playing into our prior theorem about the song’s lyrics.  Check the video out below and solve the visual riddle for us.

In the meantime, Spoon remains out on tour and is headed to California later this month.  We can’t wait.

It’s that time of year.  In the next month-plus the best of our athletes will head toward the California State Track and Field Championships, NCAA Championships, NAIA Championships, USA National Championships, and eventually the World Championships.  For some athletes their season/career is complete, all effort given and exploited in their exploits.  Some may have remorse (or joy) in being done.  Regardless, as Stephen Malkmus wrote:  “Carry on, it’s a marathon.”

As we’ve done in the past (HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE), we add a season-end song to the Track and Field Mixtape:  Sprinter, the title track of Torres’ brand new album that is justly receiving critical huzzahs.  May this headstrong song serve as encouragement on any and all levels.  First we sprint.  And then we run.  Choose to run.  Choose the sun.

We’ll soon have a full review of Torres’ formidable new album.  Until then, put Sprinter on repeat below.  The song’s commendable lyrics are at bottom.

“Word of Life
On severed tree
I picked it up
And took a swing

My pastor told us,
“Don’t you worry,
Even Zaccheaus
Found his glory.”

I was a sprinter then
Living to see it end

Well, pastor lost
His position
Went down
For pornography

So I found myself some
Ground to stand
Bound to be
The better man

I was a sprinter then
Living to see it end

Wound up in
A holding pattern
Circled my landing
In a lather

Unnerved, I laughed,
“I planned the snag!”
Then went down
For a dipso jag

I was a sprinter then
Dying to see it end
I was a sprinter then
Dying to see it end

There’s freedom to
And freedom from
And freedom to run
From everyone

There’s freedom to
And freedom from
And freedom to run
From everyone

Well, what I did
Is what is done
The Baptist in me
Chose to run

But if there’s still time
To choose the sun
I’ll choose the sun
I’ll choose the sun

I’ll run it back
I’ll choose the sun
I’ll run it back
To everyone

If there’s still time
I’ll choose the sun
And I’ll run it back
To everyone”