MUSIC: Sea of Led

Oh look, on this dreary, rainy, early March day I think I need to post a video of my favorite Led Zeppelin song...which is of course, The Honeydrippers' 'Sea of Love':

MUSIC: I See 'Luminous'

One of the best UK bands of the last ten years, The Horrors are set to release their fourth album, Luminous, this May. If this first single is any indication, it will continue the smoothed out, 'pop'-ed up trajectory of contemporaries Wild Beasts and their recent fourth album release.

Both bands had their jarring, pre-synth early moments but have now become streamlined and shiny (but still dark) premiere UK rock bands.

Shades of early Suede, Psychedelic Furs, James, Inspiral Carpets, shoegaze,  etc., they are hitting all the right points with me...again.

The video for The Horrors 'I See You'

MUSIC: Cherry (Non) Jubilee

We have to go back 25 years to hit a time when Swedish-born (you all thought she was American, or at least British, right?) rapper Neneh Cherry had the attention of the American public. 'Buffalo Stance' was a huge hit and for good reason; it was a clear cornerstone of 'hip-house' - the late '80s UK genre merging two great musical movements of the '80s: hip-hop and house, of course.

Fortunes waned as Cherry entered the '90s pop world. Her follow up LP, 1992's Homebrew was just as well-crafted as her debut, but her pop moment had passed in America. Her third album Man fared even worse, not being released in the U.S. at all (although becoming a hit elsewhere, especially in Europe, where she was a much bigger star). In France, she had a #1 single for 17 weeks(!) in 1994. What do Americans know about pop music anyway?

Fast-forward 18 YEARS (and a few low-profile side projects) and Neneh is finally back with  a proper new solo album, The Blank Project. Co-produced by Four Tet, the album is a far cry from the glossy pop of any of her previous work.

The Blank Project has a dry, demo-y quality to it, casting an indie sheen on a former rap princess. Rap, by common definitions, is almost entirely absent from this album; Neneh sings everything, for better or worse. Never what you'd consider a stellar vocalist, Cherry has a distinct brittle, limited range that is distinctly hers. Distinct. What more could you ask for in a vocalist?

Even with the attention-grabbing inclusion of a Robyn guest spot on 'Out of the Black,' the album is almost defiantly anti-pop. There is no 'Buffalo Stance' if you're are searching for former glories, part two. Even Robyn is subdued.

The Blank Project is a mood piece - somber and agitated, acoustic and electronic, but still very 'live' sounding. Can you handle this new stance?

MUSIC: A 'Sea' of 'Mornings'

I've been a fairweather Beck fan since...well, forever. He charms me with a song like 1994's 'Beercan' or 1999's 'Nicotine & Gravy' and then bores with a whole album like 2008's Modern Guilt. It seems like I'm a fan of the synthy and the funky with Beck, but I'm also surprisingly a big fan of his acoustic guitar-and-voice phases too.

One of my favorite Beck moments is his 2002 album Sea Change. A hazy, melancholy suite of break-up songs, the album just glowed with a warm sadness.

His new album, the freshly released Morning Phase shares Sea Change's acoustic, pensive mood. It's a perfect companion piece to that 2002 masterpiece. It sounds like not a day has passed in Beck's voice, still a honeyed boyishness to his weary tones. I'm enjoying it immensely. And some claim I only like synths.

TV: A Real 'Card'-Carrying...Claire

Season 2 of the political thriller TV series House of Cards came out on Valentine's Day; it is sure to be the sweetheart treat to binge watchers everywhere.

The centerpiece of the flurry of activity in the White House drama is not Kevin Spacey, although he is the star. No, the eye of the hurricane is Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) - political wife and ice queen power diva; she slays as she walks in the room.

Has a character ever rocked such a modern, austere, chic, minimalist wardrobe in a TV series like her? She has a mood for every one of her neutral showpieces.

Sky blue Oxford button-up shirt and tortoise shell glasses - Smart, concerned, flicking through endless reams of reports while plotting another lawsuit against her enemies.

Black, draped-sleeve and cinched-belt dress + black leather handbag - A mysterious Claire, coyly looking around the corner to see if the paps are ready to snap pics of her dealing with that pesky art photographer she romps with (on and off).

A simple navy, short-sleeved, body-hugging dress - Showing off her pristine bod and seducing both sexes as she simply crushes secret service men with her patented death glare.

A bone- (or is it eggshell-) colored tube dress - A press conference for another scandal? She was asked to change into something more...conservative. So naturally...sleeveless and skin tight. It screams 'respectability' and 'poise,' doesn't it? They will wish they never crossed Claire Underwood.

Death by 'ecru.'

MUSIC: De La Awesome

Just Thursday I learned that rap legends De La Soul were releasing a surprise for Valentine's Day: almost their entire back catalog (seven albums!) was going to be released on their website for FREE for one day only. 24 hours of free De La Soul.

This is part of a larger promo deal to promote a new EP due in March and a full-length album later in 2014. Is that a genius marketing deal or a complete money-loss for the band to give away almost their entire music back catalog?

Due to their heavy use of samples in a majority of their work, they found the legal ramifications of licensing to be too complicated and costly for releasing their music digitally, and decided to release it all for free. I'm assuming that bypasses the need for clearance if the music is not being released for sale?

Anyway, I'm not gonna fuss over the background details. I'm just glad I have new copies of their first two albums, 1989's 3 Feet High and Rising (the first rap album I bought) and its just-as-stellar follow up, 1991's De La Soul is Dead. 

I'm also excited to dig in to their 3rd and 4th, Buhloone Mindstate and Stakes is High, two albums I initially skimmed over or passed up altogether. It's crazy to think that 3 Feet came out 25 years ago.

What underrated legends.

MUSIC: Happy 'Valentine' Ladies

It's been so long since the Japanese-American duo Cibo Matto released new material, I almost forgot they existed at all, just a fever dream of '90s cool and hip-hop experimentation. They even appeared performing on the 2nd season premiere episode of 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer; yes, 'Buffy.' It wasn't the Peach Pit, but it was close.

Although members Yuka Honda and Miho Hatori have released various solo albums over the last decade or so, the band as 'Cibo Matto' have not released an album of new material in...15 YEARS? See, I knew it felt like a '90s time capsule. That is about to end this week; Cibo Matto are back. And no, it is not an album with songs about food.

Hotel Valentine is the band's new album, a concept piece about life in the titular hotel for a ghost who doesn't know how to leave or doesn't want to. The album splits the difference between the sounds of the first two Cibo Matto studio albums: the skittery trip-hop electronics of their debut Viva! La Woman (my favorite) meets the more band-based, acoustic elements of Stereo*Type A (much less so).

I'm a sucker for the idea of a trip hop revival (it's time) so the moody track 'Empty Pool' is right on time. But the album is not all hazy samples and lackadaisical tropicalia; the track 'MFN' would slip in perfectly on M.I.A.'s last album. The candy-colored video proves these women have not lost their love for hyper-neon visuals.

These ten short tracks never overstay their welcome; we're in and out of this Hotel in 37 minutes. Along with Neneh Cherry's upcoming new album, it is time for a serious re-evaluation/renaissance of reclusive '90s alt-pop/alt-hip hop artists.