I’ll admit-I sort of have a mancrush on Mike Doughty. The former Soul Coughing frontman-turned singer/songwriter/electronic musician/DJ/author/blogger has a certain relatability that actually seems to be quite prevalent among his generation’s spate of singer/songwriters. Anyway, Mike’s current album “Sad Man Happy Man”, which was released late last year, is quite a treat, as is the first video from the album-“(You Should Be) Doubly (Gratified)” (Mike is apparently a big fan of the parentheses, as am I). He shot the video in Cambodia (not the world’s most common video-shooting spot), and I think I can safely say that this video is the closest I’ll ever get to Southeast Asia. AOL spinner premiered the video yesterday, and we have it here for you today.
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New Releases 1/12/09: Vampire Weekend and More!
Let’s get right to business.
*Vampire Weekend’s debut was my favorite album of 2007. It was really light in mood, had a fun vibe, and was different from just about any album that came out that year. In the fickle world of indie-rock blogging, you’re only good until the mainstream has caught up with you, and with a guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live” and almost 500,000 albums sold, they certainly don’t qualify as anyone’s secret anymore. While I have no doubts about the musical merits of their sophomore release, “Contra” (which is out today), I am curious to see how many hipper-than-thou types turn their noses up at the band when they wet their pants at the mere mention of the band’s name two years ago.
*If you’re like me, you hear the name “OK Go” and you think “treadmills”. Their video for “Here We Go Again” was a viral sensation. Even though I knew of them before the video (thanks to a song called “Get Over It” from their first album which appeared on an MTV compilation), they’re going to be stuck with that video probably for the rest of their careers. Anyway, the power-pop band is releasing album #3 today. “Of the Blue Colour of the Sky” is the title-and I assume said title is a joke and not the band trying to be pretentious.
*For those of you who make sure to tune in to “106 & Park” every night, you’ll be very happy to know that former B2K member Omarion is releasing his latest album, called “Ollusion”. This guy has a pretty dedicated fan base, but for whatever reason he just can’t seem to cross over. Two of his three previous solo albums debuted at #1, but quickly skidded down the charts and neither has crossed the million-sold mark here in the States. Having been released from his Sony Music contract, Omarion is now on his own EMI-distributed label after brief and unproductive stints in the camps of Timbaland and Lil Wayne.
*Isn’t it good to know that Ringo Starr’s still kickin’ around? The legendary ex-Beatle releases “Y Not” today, and it’s filled with as many guest appearances as one would expect from someone who gathers a ton of A-list musicians and heads out on the road every year. The featured artists on Mr. Starkey’s latest effort include Ben Harper, Richard Marx, Joe Walsh and some guy named McCartney.
Get the full list of this week’s releases (as well as future release dates) over at Pause and Play .
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Cowell Quits
Multiple sources, none more important than the man himself, confirmed today that Simon Cowell is leaving American Idol after this season, which starts Tuesday.
Cowell is regularly chastised for his heavy-handed treatment of contestants on the popular singing show, but is also routinely recognized as the most accurate judge.
Sonic Clash readers shouldn’t dig too deeply into the tea leaves on this one. The 50 year old music magnate is the executive producer of the wildly popular show The X Factor, a phrase he tries to insert into Idol commentary every so often. His Idol contract included a non-compete clause and when Cowell couldn’t get traction on having that clause waived, he announced he would let his contract lapse and bring an American version of The X Factor to Fox.
As with most things, Cowell’s decision appears to be financially influenced. As the defacto star of American Idol, Cowell’s compensation is lucrative, but nowhere near as lucrative as executive-producing his own show. We see this same trend in bands all the time. The band members who write the songs make more money — a lot more money — than those who only perform.
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