Neon Grey Midnight Green

New Neko Case record alert! I had a feeling this might happen this year since our favorite twangy chanteuse is touring and it's been so so long since her last record -- her latest is titled Neon Grey Midnight Green and you can pre-order it (vinylly speaking) over at her webstore right now. It'll presumably be for sale in all of the other locations as well shortly but I searched Amazon and came up with nil right this second. Anyway I'm seeing her in October on the new tour and hope to have the entire new record (which lands on September 26th) memorized in time! Here is the first single titled "Wreck" for your ears:

Queen Neko Continues Her Reign

Well here is a happy thing to combat the... everything... MNPP fave Neko Case is putting out an album on Friday! Granted it's a "career-spanning retrospective album" (which I guess is how you say "Greatest Hits" now) so it will presumably be mainly old music, but she does promise one new song called "Oh, Shadowless" and that it will also feature a bunch of essays and commentaries from frequent collaborators -- one assumes some of this will be alongside a vinyl edition that hasn't been revealed yet. All we have now is the news, and some new tour dates, including one here in NYC in Brooklyn in September. And now I have to decide if I think I will be mentally there, able to go to a concert come September. What do y'all think? Are you going to concerts yet? I would love to see my Neko again. Anyway stay tuned for more info on this when we have it on Friday. I love Neko so much!

Hell On Here

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I was going to share two lovely songs with you today but we've been demoted down to just a snippet of one -- that there above is fifty lovely seconds of a new Neko Case song titled "Hell-On" from her upcoming album of the same title. Hell-On is out on June 1st, and you can buy it right here - when you do they'll send you the whole damn song; I recommend doing just that. That way you don't have to watch snakes crawling over her like in the above video-clip - yikes! I do love the album cover though:

And now I was going to share the new and beautiful Sade song from A Wrinkle in Time with you, but the song has been yanked off of the internet in the past couple of hours after director Ava DuVernay went and shared it herself last night. Wonder what that is about! Sade being all mysterious, per usual. I managed to download the song last night when it was still up so I have it on my iPod, if any of you want to hear it just come find me, I'll give you a listen. (Don't actually do that, please.)

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I'm Not So In Love With Ya, Honey

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I'm an episode behind on Vinyl and already I'm not sure I want to keep watching it - when the premiere wasn't boring me it was indulging in straight-white antihero antics that I'm frankly pretty tired of at this point in television's "golden age." (I mean I hated the ending, with Cannavale's character stumbling unscathed out from that building collapse - the show seemed too concerned with his "revelation" to even spend a second on the horror around him, except to make it kind of pretty.) But that said I do know Bobby gets his dick out on this week's episode so... maybe I'll catch up.

On the good side I did love Juno Temple (of course your mileage may vary since I usually always love Juno Temple and I know she's divisive) and the soundtrack's a lot of fun, which is why I'm even posting about it right now (okay Bobby Cannavale's dick is also a reason) -- anyway I guess there's a new Neko Case song on it, either this week or next; a cover of the Anne Murray classic "Danny's Song" of all things!!! WTF. And it's already shown up online - you can listen to it here:

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Don't Be Thor With Me

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I'm heading off for the weekend a wee bit early (Neko Case here's I come!) so this is me telling that-is-you to have a nice weekend -- start it off nice with Chris Hemsworth's big bright blue eyeballs and work your way down from there. See two more pictures from this shoot for Vanity Fair over on the Tumblr! Bye!

I Am Link

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--- Third Times A Harm - I'm pretty sure that Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne and so on will all be in the third Insidious movie, I seem to remember that being mentioned around the time that writer-actor Leigh Whannell was named as its director, but I could be totally off, who knows, my brain's a poisonous sieve. But this we know for sure - one of the girls from the upcoming Jem and the Holograms movie will be acting in it! Her name's Stefanie Scott and she's a cute teenybopper thing.

--- Better Beastly - Guillermo Del Toro is too busy with [insert name of fifty billion other projects here] so he will not be directing the live-action Beauty and the Beast movie with Emma Watson that he'd been attached to for awhile now. He will be producing it and writing it though, because god forbid he not do more than any sane person should be doing at any one given time.

--- Bones For Belting - Hey look there's a cute funny little chait with my beloved honky-tonk songstress Neko Case at The New York Times where she's asked about her style choices and they are as in her usual awesome way awesome. It involves skeleton pants from a Halloween store and a bare-chested Adam Ant costume, in case you're wondering. She is so kick ass.

--- White Hat - The news that Tom Hiddleston will be playing country-western legend Hank Williams sounded funny at first, you know it did, but if you look at pictures of them together it's not actually that bad a job, physically. And Tom can do an American accent just fine. Can he sing though? Does he sing in Only Lovers Left Alive? I remember guitar playing but not specifically singing.

--- Speaking of Hiddles, that adaptation of JG Ballard's book High Rise (note to self: you still have to read that!) that he's making with Sightseers director Ben Wheatley is going to have to invest in a lot of closet space in that titular apartment tower, because Noted Homosexual Luke Evans has just joined the cast.

---  Super Duper Heroes - Did y'all see that list of superhero movies that Nikki Finke (who just reignited her fiery online presence yesterday) says that Warner Bros. and DC are planning on gunning into high gear soon? It's pretty bonkers, I don't know if I buy it. Three superhero movies in 2016 and three superhero movies in 2017? Shazam and Wonder Woman and Justice League and a Green Lantern/Flash team-up movie? They better know they have to mix this shit up - nobody is gonna want to watch building fall on people this much.

--- And With Regards to all that overwhelming news, The Playlist looks at the rumors that a third Spider-Man movie is getting delayed for a bit, which they think (and I agree) is good news what with all the superhero pile-up coming our way. Andrew Garfield needs to go do some proper acting anyway, I miss that. He is so good! He'll still fit in those tights in a couple of years.

--- And Finally I have resisted watching the trailer for Birdman before now because I can't stand director Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu so so so much, but I suppose I have to after reading Nathaniel's "Yes No Maybe So" on it at The Film Experience and seeing the amazing visuals we're getting via DP Emmanuel Lubezki. All that plus Edward Norton wrestling in lil' fancy-man briefs? Dammit I am gonna have to see this movie.

I Am Link

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--- Man Spivet - Because we must encourage Helena Bonham Carter whenever she works with someone whose name doesn't rhyme with Him Curtain, here's the trailer for The Young and Prodigious Spivet, the new kid's movie from Jean-Pierre Jeunet. It co-stars Battlestar's sexy evil cyborg (man version) Callum Keith Rennie! (see a couple nice pictures of Callum Keith Rennie right here.)

--- Spacy Scarlett - I've been purposefully avoiding details about Jonathan Glazer's upcoming movie Under the Skin as much as possible, just since I love Birth enough to know I'll be seeing this and so why ruin the fun, but here's the trailer for the "Scarlett Johansson = alien" movie if you wanna see. I haven't bothered, because of what I just said.

--- And Speaking Of things I haven't watched, here's a five minute long featurette on the making of 12 Years a Slave, no doubt including footage of Fassy and Chewy and all the gang

--- Benny Shot First - Yesterday we heard a rumor that Benedict Cumberbatch might reuniting with his Star Trek director JJ Abrams for the new Star Wars movie - today that rumor has been shot down, just like Greedo.

--- Oscar Flops - I've got to confess, I wasn't able to participate in this month's Team Experience Top Ten at The Film Experience, which is about the ten biggest Awards Seasons flops, aka the movies that seemed at first like surefire contendors but when it came down to it the Academy said you know what? No thank you. But they came up with a great list anyway -- even without me!

--- Toronto Cometh - Relatedly, as Joe Reid takes a look at the movies getting about to get hyped at the Toronto Film Festival, I can't help but look at them thru the lens of "Which ones will turn out to be big duds?" I personally am extraordinarily cynical about August: Osage County. That thing's trailer is annoying with a capital Annoy.

--- Bled Dry - I still haven't finished watching the last season of True Blood, I just can't get myself into it, but now that there's word that next season will be its last I feel like I can take my time. Alexander Skarsgard's penis and Joe Manganiello's haircut will always be there, waiting for me. Also Anna Paquin's gotta be so relieved - she must be so sick of Sookie by now, dontcha think?

--- Harder Things - Neko Case's new album is terrific, you should buy it. I especially love the song "Local Girl," which I have stuck in my head right this very minute. Anyway she was on Jimmy Fallon last night and you can watch the videos right here, if you like.
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I Am Link

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--- Mood For Cutting - Apparently Michel Gondry's new movie Mood Indigo, which stars Romain Duris (swoon) and Audrey tatou, is getting totally re-edited for release outside of France; nearly forty minutes is being cut, and it's all being shuffled all over the place. Not sure if this is Gondry's own doing or someone else's; I don't think reviews have been all that good, so maybe Gondry wanted to work on it himself?

--- Slash Dance - What an utter delight this list of the thirteen most awesomely terrible dance scenes from horror movies is. Thanks, Chiller! So much joy therein. this reminds me of how I've always wished that I had some musical talent because I want to form a band that only covers shitty songs from 80s slasher movies. There are so many (original songs on soundtracks and slasher movies were both hottest at the same time) and they're all so ridiculous.

--- Harder Things - As for actually good music, NPR is streaming all of Neko Case's new album! I porbably won't have a chance to listen to it so you guys tell me how it is, mkay? 

--- Gregg of the Galaxy - Back to bad slasher music though (in a roundabout sort of way) there's a great bad song in the terrific slasher movie Just Before Dawn, and one of the stars of that movie, the actor Gregg Henry, has just joined Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. It must mean something! Or not. Probably not.But I do wonder - will this mean that Gregg Henry and Clark Gregg will share the screen at some point? Mind blown.

--- Friends Til The End - There was a great piece in the Times this weekend (thx Mac) wherein Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, and Edgar Wright recounted how they came to know each other, and give some great little nuggets about their new delightful movie The World's End, out this upcoming weekend! (And which I reviewed right here.)

--- Fifty From Thirteen - My pal Joe Reid is helping out Nick Davis on rounding up "The Fifties," which is their name for their favorites of what they've seen so far this year, now that they've each seen 50 movies. Here's their take on the Supporting Actors of the year so far, and here's their take on the Supporting Actresses. More to come!

--- And finally, there's not really much to see in these three new shots from Prisoners... if you don't count Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal as "much to see" all on their own, of course, which is crazy talk. Crazy talk!

Holla, New Neko

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I haven't gotten the chance to listen to it yet but that right there is a new song off of Neko Case's forthcoming album titled The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, yes all of that, which is out in September and you should go and buy, like right now, because Neko Case rules so, so hard that you won't regret it, I can tell you that right here, right now, a full month before anybody even knows for sure anything. I know.

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Neko Case Is A Man

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Well that right there is the first single off of Neko Case's new album, The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, which we just got a trailer for the other day! The song's called "Man" and the image on the video there is of Neko Case dressed as a man - a cowboy, more specifically. I'm only stating obvious things right now because I haven't even listened to the song yet. Gonna get on and go do that right now, lil' doggy.

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The Harder I Fight For Neko

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I don't know if there's anybody I'm more looking forward to new music from than Neko Case, and we finally have something of substance after months upon months of tweeted asides from Neko herself telling us she's working on it. Last night she tweeted out that trailer for her album, apparently called The Worse Things Get, the Harder I Fight, the Harder I Fight, the More I Love You, which is so Case-ian a phrasing it alone is soothing my long-suffering want and need from her, a bit. Ahhhhh delicious. We still don't have a release date of course. Oh and we wait for tour news, too. But that snippet of song in the trailer is making those things momentarily stand aside... I said momentarily, Neko.

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My Own Blood Is Much Too Dangerous

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(via) Did somebody make this video just for me? This video of the gorgeous ladies of Quentin Tarantino's set to Neko Case's song "Hold On Hold On" seems as if it had to have been made just for me. I swear, I am tickled. Pink and black and blue and all the colors of the rainbow. This is amazing. Oh right wait this is Tarantino after all - this is motherfucking amazing.

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Neko Case Will Fight In The Hunger Games!

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Or at least she'll be singing along with one of her tuneful soul-infused ditties as they fight! Via her Twitter:

"Finishing up "Hunger Games" song. Heard the other tracks on the CD and DAMN! Theres some FINE singing on it! Lookin' at you Secret Sisters!"

According to here Neko's song is called "Nothing To Remember." I mean, a new Neko Case song is an awesome thing to celebrate, period, but conjoin that with The Hunger Games and my head be poppin' right off. Pop! (thanks to shawn for the info)

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Do Be A Dodo

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I'm not just the president of the Hair Club For Men the author of MNPP, but I'm also a client reader. So sometimes I post things to remind myself to watch them later when I have the opportunity, meaning I myself personally have not seen them yet and cannot vouch for the veracity of their worth to you, the readers who are not me. Case in point, The Dodos singing with Neko Case on Fallon last night. I forgot that she was even on their latest album No Color, which I think I have buried somewhere but think I also have forgotten to listen to (it came out way back in March). But it's got Neko going on so it's gotta have some something. It's gotta! Watch it over at Stereogum.

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Lunchtime Music Break

Here's Neko Case and My Morning Jacket covering "Islands in the Stream" at their show in Pittsburgh last evening. (via)

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If only it were Neko Case and Dolly Parton, I might explode.

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Skarsgard Thrusting To Neko Case

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Did this week's True Blood really melodize the sight of Alexander Skarsgard's pumping bum to Neko Case singing one of my favorite songs of hers "I Wish I Was The Moon" or did I fall and hit my head and enter some strange dream netherworld where the greatest things I could ever imagine all mushed themselves up together into one big fat audio-visual ball of hallucinatory eyeball-bursting glee?

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Nick Cage & Neko Case Covering The Zombies

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It's a cover of the song "She's Not There," you can read more about it here - it's for True Blood - I heard about it awhile back and it's here at last!

But for now you can listen to it over at that first link or below, and you can download it right here! (I couldn't find an mp3 anywhere else so I made one myself dammit! Good enough quality.) It's so awesome, ugh, I love it. Love it!

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Less Than Forget But More Than Begun

I usually get frustrated with albums by The New Pornographers because I'm really just listening to them to hear some Neko Case is what it comes down to, and she's never in their songs enough. Never! I mean really all I want it her from first to last, so of course she isn't. But I guess they did an acoustic version of their song "Adventures in Solitude" for the "It Gets Better" project for bullied gay teenagers so I will share. I haven't listened to it yet so I can't vouch for amount of Neko within. (via)

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One Hundred Hipster Songs

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Last week I posted my five favorite albums of 2009. I rambled a bit in the intro about how I don't really get around, musically speaking - that I keep sorta self-contained to what I know and like and know I like. Well in an effort to listen to a little bit more that's out there, here's a treat via Stereogum. They did a post about Pitchfork's list of the Top 100 Songs of the year, and in the comments section of that post some kind fellow made a zip file of all 100 songs available for download. Click here for that (as long as it remains, that is).

This being a list by Pitchfork it skews toward the sort of music I gravitate towards anyway, there are several songs by Grizzly Bear and Neko Case and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Phoenix on the list, all bands that made my Top Five Albums list here. But there are bunches of songs by bands I've heard good things about but not listened to yet, so perhaps hearing what a semi-reputable source deems their most solid output will get my foot in the door of new music. Perhaps for y'all too. Yay stuff!
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5 Off My Head - Albums Of '09

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Let's just get this outta the way: I am not a music writer. I've tried to write reviews of albums in the past and it comes out, "Ooh I like the way this sounds. Durrr... pretty." The end. I just lack the skills there. Well everywhere really but especially there. And besides that... I just don't listen to a lot of music. I mean I listen to music all the time... it's just the same music, over and over. At this point in my life I appear to have begun closing myself off, walling myself up, in my occasionally twee indie mope-rock cocoon. It's safe from monsters like Fergie in here! Oh sometimes a good pop song will break through the defenses - like the rest of the world, I do believe that I'm kinda sorta addicted to some Lady Gaga right now - but mostly, I just stick to my happy place. Give a big-eyed boy with a squeaky voice a banjo and a background of harpsichords and trombones and I'm in love. (Hi Sufjan!)

So. I'm not gonna be getting around to my movie-related Best of 2009 posts until next year. No way around that - there's still too much for me to see, and I still need to ruminate about a lot that I have already seen. But I can burn this music list off easily, because of everything I said in the previous paragraph. And none of these will surprise anyone who's ever noticed any of my music-related posts. I'm not even gonna try to review them either. Just representin'! These are just the five albums of 2009 that I have listened to the most and loved the most, and so on. You get the gist. Durrr.... pretty. Firstly, 5 runner's up:


Metric - Fantasies; Florence and the Machine - Lungs; The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love; Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You; and the Dark Was the Night compilation.

And now... My 5 favorite albums from 2009!

#5 A Camp - Colonia

#4 Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

#3 Neko Case - Middle Cyclone

#2 Yeahs Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz

#1 Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest

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