Tonight in Seattle:  

brit-pop

Countdown to the Royal Wedding! Let's talk {indie-rock} royal couples

Cutest Royal Couple: Kim and ThurstonThe world is a buzz with Royal Wedding chatter... and I am all for it. I love talking about royal matchings, probably because of all my fond memories of the glory days when Damon {Albarn of Blur} and Justine {Frischmann of Elastica} ruled the Britpop scene.

These days I get to fantasize of the regal day to days of Ad-Rock and Kathleen Hanna {who brilliantly blend mainstream and indie success into one fantastic machine}.  And, of course, the cutest couple of all time award goes to Thurston Moore & Kim Gordon {followed closely by Matt & Kim in second place}.

Who are your favorite {indie-rock} royal couples past and present, local and national?

Latest comment by: Imaginary Nicky: "

Jenny & Johnny; or maybe Ben & Zooey?

"

(500) Days of Summer: She & Him cover The Smiths

Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward, She & Him

One of the most enjoyable films I saw at SIFF this year was the Marc Webb directed/Scott Neustadter penned (500) Days of Summer – which packed in enough pop culture references to make me feel really nostalgic. Of course this carries over to the soundtrack, something that I’m HIGHLY anticipating (out July 14th on Sire Records).

But I digress: I mentioned before that Zooey Deschanel’s band She & Him would have an exclusive track covering The Smiths “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” and lucky for us, Stereogum is featuring it! Click here to read the article, listen to the track - and see a cute video of Zooey & co-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt gabbing about karaoke tunes. 

Complete soundtrack listing:

more...

Harry Potter movie makes me want to go record shopping in London

Besides tuckering me out, last night's Harry Potter IMAX movie made me long for the days of wandering of past holidays spent wandering Britain's streets from record store to striking monument to historical Britpop landmark. It's got me feeling sentimental... and look what I found!

more...

Latest comment by: diana: "i can't remember if i've ever mentioned them, but check out London's Stars of Aviation -- i came across them randomly one night at a bar in London, sadly though they have never toured the US and probably aren't going to in the near future "

Nothing cheers me up like a boxset!

Forget those $50 White Stripes Meg and Jack jump drives, I NEED this boxset. It is made up of songs that were my favorites at one time or another (my eyes have skipped over that Oasis track on there) and packaged to look like a typical English phone booth-- complete with a battery-powered flickering lightbulb-- and an 80-page booklet bursting at the seams with photos, interviews, essays, and memories from the likes of Creation's Alan McGee, producers Stephen Street and Alan Moulder, and numerous Brit Box artists.

more...

Latest comment by: MC "Big Freak" Estey: "I just want to put a passionate plug in as well for Shout F.! for the amazing Harry Smith 2 CD/2 DVD set (with Nick Cave's ferocious take on "John The Revelator," Lou Reed's mind-melting "Keep My Grave Clean," and brilliant performances by Costello and ...