Big thanks to Cable and Tweed for recording this.

Fat Planet is the Ruston, LA band formed by future E6-ers Robert Schneider, Bill Doss, Will Cullen Hart, Peter Ehrchick and Charlie Johnston. This is them doing “Warm Milk and Chocolate,” a song Robert wrote when he was a kid.

Yeah, I’m a bit behind with this. I saw Tropic Thunder yesterday; afterwards a friend pointed me to this “viral video.” Love it.

Best part: RDJr’s laugh after kicking Jack Black the first time.

E6 indie-poppers Dressy Bessy will be making their return to record stores and the road this year. They’ve got a new album out this fall and they’re ready to tour in support of it. First up will be a stop at the YANP-promoted/beloved Monolith festival. I’ve got one ticket left to give away, so pounce on that!

MP3: Dressy Bessy - Electrified

Dressy Bessy Tour Dates
9/13- Monolith Festival, Morrison, CO
9/19- Replay Lounge, Lawrence, KS
9/20- Vaudeville Mews, Des Moines IA (quite possible 2 shows, all ages and 21+)
9/21- The Picador, Iowa City, IA
9/22- Bottom Lounge, Chicago, IL
9/23- Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
9/24- Club Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
9/25- Arlene’s Grocery, NY, NY
9/26- Union Hall, NY, NY
9/27- Talking Head, Baltimore, MD
9/28- T.T. The Bear’s Place, Cambridge, MA
9/30- Black Cat (Backstage), Washington, DC
10/2- The Fire, Philadelphia, PA
10/3- Gravity Lounge, Charlottesville, VA (NOTE: this changed from 10/2)
10/4- Tin Roof, Charleston, SC
10/5- Pirate’s Cove, Myrtle Beach, SC
10/7- Smith’s Olde Bar, Atlanta, GA
10/9- 40 Watt Club, Athens, GA
10/10- The Nick, Birmingham, AL
10/11- The End, Nashville, TN
10/12- Young Avenue Deli, Memphis, TN
10/17- Opolis, Norman, OK
10/18- Bluebird Theater, Denver, CO
10/24- The Whole Music Club, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
10/25- The Cave, Carleton College, Northfield, MN
10/29- The Turf Club, St. Paul, MN
10/30- University of Wisconsin, Stout, Menomonie, WI
10/31- The Duck Room, St. Louis, MO

Dressy Bessy on Myspace

Man, I’m bummed that I missed Okkervil River at Lollaplooza. Their new record The Stand-Ins is another great album in their history of great albums. But, I wasn’t feeling too well, so what can you do?

MP3: Okkervil River - Pop Lie
“Pop Lie” doesn’t have the best lyrics of an Okkervil River song, but it deserves an award for its premise, if not its catchiness. Though unfortunately it’s apparently not an answer to Prince’s “Pop Life,” “Pop Lie” makes me grin each time I listen to it. In a way it’s absurd: people becoming riotously angry because a pop singer lied in a song. I mean really, how many times have you listened to pop songs that told you that everything works out and love wins in the end? You didn’t actually believe them, did you? Well the people in “Pop Lie” did — and they’re pissed. It’s like Nick Horby said in High Fidelity: “People worry about kids playing with gun, and teenagers watching violent videos; we are scared that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands — literally thousands — of songs about broken hearts and rejection and pain and misery and loss.”

Well here’s a song for the people who do worry.

Okkervil River on Myspace

While watching the Americans destroy every gymnast in the world I stumbled upon a bunch of new Decemberists songs. I haven’t been keeping up with the band lately (most of these are from earlier this year), but a few of these might win me back. “The Hazards of Love 1 and 2″ in particular sounds amazing; it reminds me of Radiohead’s “Follow Me Around” — and it’s not just the tuning.

All of these are live recordings.

MP3: Colin Meloy - Burying Avy
MP3: Colin Meloy - Hazards of Love 1 and 2
MP3: Colin Meloy - Night/Rake
MP3: Colin Meloy - Valery Plame
MP3: Colin Meloy - Hazards of Love 3
MP3: Colin Meloy - Raincoats

MP3: The Decemberists - Zoot

Pierre de Reeder, one of those Rilo Kiley guys — all of whom seem to enjoy putting out solo records, has a new record out. The Way That It Was is a great little pop collage, pulling from some of the best out there while adding lots of his own.

MP3: Pierre de Reeder - That’s The Way That It Was
If you can imagine an alternate career path for Weezer (one where their mid-career stuff sounded more like Ben Kweller), then Pierre’s record might be Rivers’ eventual solo album. “That’s the Way it Was” starts off as a simple folk-inspired pop song, but quickly erupts into a sunny pop tune backed by some a great pairing of banjo and brass.

Pierre de Reeder on Myspace

It’s my day off, but I can’t stop listening to this song like it’s my job. This is a Funkadelic cover from My Morning Jacket’s 3+ hour set at Bonnaroo. So Kentucky kids, let this be a reminder to you to get your tickets for this Saturday’s three hour show at the Waterfront.

MP3: My Morning Jacket - Hit It and Quit It (Funkadelic)

Download the full show here and see lots more of my photos of that show here.

As some Brooklyn Vegan commenter once pointed out: We Are Scientists are the ultimate “bigger in Europe” band from America. Over here they tour with medium sized indie rock bands (Oxford Collapse) and open for other “bigger in Europe” bands (Kings of Leon). Over there they’re practically chased down the street.

MP3: We Are Scientists - Impatience

And that’s all fine with me. Personally I’m OK with being able to see a band I love at a reasonably sized venue like the Southgate House. It was my third time seeing the band since their first/last appearance in Kentucky and it was undoubtedly the best.

Chris and Keith were their usual selves: half comedy duo, half rock stars. Between songs they cut wise about celebrity deaths, tour pals Oxford Collapse and whether we were a “Kentucky audience” or an “Ohio audience” (I was literally the only person who shouted for Kentucky…). They even stopped “Inaction” cold before the last verse to all have a celebratory sip of water, pause, then finish the song where they’d left off. Such a fun time.

Oh yeah, and there was music too. All their hit songs sounded fantastic, as did the new ones I wasn’t so familiar with. I’ve got to say that the set-closing “Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt” really made me believe the band behind all the NME-hype. They’re a really tight, fantastic band that have gotten better each time I’ve seen them. It’s apparent that they’ve been honing their craft in Europe and bringing all that love back here to the states.