Spoon, The Shins' James Mercer, Yo La Tengo Cover Love Songs for Starbucks Valentine's Comp; Are You Listening, Rachael Ray's Husband?

By Nobodaddy on

In 2005 (a.k.a. the Golden Age of music sales), Starbucks’ then cutting-edge Hear Music label poured millions and millions of marketing dollars into thinking up a fantastic name for their first Valentine’s Day compilation CD of Indie LITE artists covering classic love songs… then they looked down at some of those candy hearts or something and decided to just call the damn thing Sweetheart instead… then they realized that they had no business trying to sell their own new music in their stores and kinda stopped doing a lot of that… then last year, they released a sequel to the series anyway… and now, with the economy doing better than it ever has in history, Starbucks has dropped yet another Sweetheart album.

This time around, they’re really hoping that your lady is totally INTO covers of songs she’s never heard before unless she’s a music person and owns the songs already. Killer strategy, right? The Shins’ James Mercer collaborates with his brother Robert on a version of Bob Dylan’s “Spanish Harlem Incident,” Spoon take on The Damned’s “Love Song,” Yo La Tengo try out The Zombies’ “You Make Me Feel Good,” (okay, that actually sounds awesome) and José González contributes his version of Kylie Minogue’s “Hand on Your Heart” (yeah, man, digging deep here). Elvis Perkins, Grand Archives, Mates of State, The Long Winters, and The Avett Brothers also make some Starbuxianly (I just made that up) non-offensive appearances.

But the best part? Dude, the comp’s for sale on iTunes RIGHT THE HELL NOW. Valentine’s Day shopping = all done, man. Now we can hit up the In-N-Out Burger, get some burgers, some beers, have a few laughs or whatever…. Your former troubles are over, dude.

Sweetheart 2010:

01. José González: “Hand on Your Heart” (Kylie Minogue)
02. Grand Archives: “Cupid” (Sam Cooke)
03. James Mercer & Robert Mercer: “Spanish Harlem Incident” (Bob Dylan)
04. Spoon: “Love Song” (The Damned)
05. Elvis Perkins: “Teneme en Tu Corazon (Keep Me in Your Heart)” (traditional)
06. The Long Winters: “Give Me All Your Lovin’” (ZZ Top)
07. Yo La Tengo: “You Make Me Feel Good” (The Zombies)
08. Céu: “Eu Amo Você (I Love You)” (Tim Maia)
09. Diane Birch: “I Go Crazy” (Paul Davis)
10. Jason Collett and Zeus: “Every Night” (Paul McCartney)
11. The Avett Brothers: “I Love” (Tom T. Hall)
12. Mates of State: “Long Way Home” (Tom Waits)
13. Angelique Kidjo: “Ne Me Quitte Pas (If You Go Away)” (Jacques Brel)
14. Hey Marseilles: “True Love Will Find You in the End” (Daniel Johnston)

Raekwon Promises via Twitter Two New Solo LPs in 2010

By Mike McHugh on Jan 20 2010

And so, let it be known that the Wu’s own Raekwon rang in two-oh-ten twitting a very tall tweet. How tall of a twat was the tweet, you ask? Well, son, I’d be lyin’ if I didn’t tells ya that it’s just about the tallest tweet I ever did done see betweeted upon the twitterverse. Here’s the Chef in his own words:

O I forgot my announcement on jan 1st to give yall so ima tell ya now! “I WILL BE DROPPIN 2 ALBUMS THIS YEAR!” Rt this crack….

Hmm… I want to believe you, Rae. Don’t get me wrong, I very much want to listen to those new records. I really do. But it’s just that, well, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II (TMT Review) took like 10 years to see the light of day, and you promised us that new joint with you, Meth, and Ghostface would drop in February, and… well. Whatever. I’m sure all those things are gonna come out eventually and they’ll be great and everything, but man, I just want to hear them soon. Like you’ve promised. Okay, enough grumpy grumbles. Let’s all just lose our inhibitions in a glass of red wine and a bubble bath and watch the Wu-Massacre series all over again (check out a leaked track from the upcoming album over at the Chocolate Grinder).

Let’s Wrestle Release New LP on Merge, No Current Plans for Release-Show Cage Matches

By Liz Louche on Jan 20 2010

Let’s Wrestle, the London band responsible for lo-fi pop gems about Hüsker Dü, Hulk Hogan, and… stuff are now gonna be responsible for more songs about stuff… this time on Merge. Due for a March 23 release, the band’s first album for the venerable indie label is called In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s.

According to frontman Wesley Patrick Gonzalez:

Let’s Wrestle are Big Rock Stars in England, fighting off girls and suing all the other pop stars (they once sued Seal and Heidi Klum for custody of their children), but they are relatively unknown in the US of stateside. Let’s Wrestle are getting ready to play poker with the Yankee big dogs. Now when I say Yankee big dogs, I mean Great fucking Danes which is something you have probably heard about Merge.

Look out, Lady Gaga. It seems as if your throne is about to topple.

Man or Astro-Man? Reform for SXSW

By Mr P on Jan 20 2010

Starcrunch, Birdstuff, and Coco of Man or Astro-Man? have decided to stop not-reforming and reform, just in time for Austin’s SXSW Music Festival. Why? Apparently, they “must see what has become of earth in the wake of their absence.”

Activity dates thus far:

• 1992 – 2001
• 2005 – 2006
• 2010 – ??

They’ll be playing a bunch of SXSW shows (March 17-21), but you can check them out March 6 at The Bottletree (hi Leah!) in Birmingham, AL.

Madlib Preps Another Album for February, Intends to Surpass Sun Ra’s Discography by March

By Aaron Norman on Jan 20 2010

Madlib stays busy. In late 2009, it was announced that the DJ/producer would be releasing 12 albums, one for every month of the coming year. The first volume, Madlib Medicine Show #1: Before the Verdict, was released on schedule in early January, but by that time I guess Madlib had already become bored.

So now he has another project ready for release. Keeping with his tradition of drawing upon various pseudonyms, the new album Miles Away – the title an obvious nod to Miles Davis – will be released under the alias The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble; announced two years prior, Miles Away is being described by Stones Throw as a “jazz fusion” album. This isn’t the first time Madlib has used the “Electro-Acoustic” alias, nor is it the first time he’s tackled a jazz project.

The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble, a faceless and nameless collective in Madlib’s self-created world of jazz groups, was debuted on the album Yesterdays Universe in 2007. That compilation marked the end of Madlib’s first series of jazz records, the Yesterdays New Quintet cycle (2000-2007), and the beginning of a new era, an evolved sound, and many new names: The Last Electro, Jackson Conti, Young Jazz Rebels, Jahari Masamba Unit, Kamala Walker and the Soul Tribe… it goes on.

The current release date for Miles Away is set for February 23 via Stones Throw.

Real Estate and Woods Tour; Land Developers Are Cautiously Optimistic

By Heidi Vanderslice on Jan 20 2010

Finally, the corporate world of Real Estate and the nature-based politics of Woods have come to a mutual understanding and joined in a moneymaking venture known to many as a Tour. Real Estate will bring their extensive knowledge of fun in the sun and strains of weed indigenous to the New Jersey region to the table, and Woods will contribute their airy brand of folky versatility popular with the longhairs in a certain New York City borough. All of us here at Tiny Mix Tapes Corporate are quite pleased with this merger and plan to be present at one (if not all) of the following exhibition dates:

01.22.10 - Hanover, NH - Dartmouth College *
03.12.10 - Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg
03.13.10 - Montreal, QC - Lambi
03.14.10 - Toronto, ON - Horseshoe Tavern
03.15.10 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall
03.16.10 - Lawrence, KS - Jackpot Music Hall
03.17.10 - Austin, TX - SXSW
03.22.10 - Nashville, TN - The End
03.23.10 - Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
03.24.10 - Cleveland, OH - The Spot at Case Western
03.25.10 - Pittsburgh, PA - University of Pittsburgh
03.26.10 - Haverford, PA - Haverford College
03.27.10 - Washington, DC - Rock and Roll Hotel

* Real Estate only

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