CITYist

With Jerry Lee Lewis piano, Sex Pistols attitude and Little Richard swagger, the Jim Jones Revue brings back old time rock ‘n’ roll in a big way. Catch the band next week at their shows in New York and check out our interview here.

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

From high up in the Japanese mountains to a 16th century Norviliskes Castle, music festivals have cropped up in some fascinating and little-known locations over the past several years. Whether you’re an electronic music aficionado, traveling with a kid onboard or itching to get a taste of unique global culture, these six festivals offer a bit of something for everyone not found at your average corporate-sponsored event. Open your eyes, your ears and your minds to what they have in store.

Remix albums can sometimes feel like a “last call” for album sales: the same tracks, the same lyrics and familiar baselines. Not here. Au Revoir Simone’s Night Light is like listening to a new album all over again. The Williamsburg-based trio blends fluffy clouds of synth beats and lo-fi pop, for a melancholic sound that’s by no means simple. It features rehashed tracks from talents like Angel Deradoorian (from The Dirty Projectors), Aeroplane and Jens Lekman, to name a few. Although it’s a much livelier version of the previous Still Night, Still Light, their trippy, wispy vocals are still heard throughout.

If you’ve escaped this week’s oppressive heat for the seaside breezes of the Hamptons, then we’ve got some weekend happenings for you. On Saturday, stop by Intermix to meet Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Tori Praver and get a chance to shop her new swim collection. Later, stop The Memory Motel for a performance by Preacher and the Knife.

Seeing as Janelle Monae was trending on Twitter last night, just released an album that scored a coveted 8.5 on Pitchfork and and counts Barack Obama as a fan, we figured we should share our inside look into Monae’s creative process for her new, genre-defying record, The ArchAndroid. Check out our interview with Monae by clicking here.

It’s unclear why parents thought it was appropriate to take their 8-year-old daughters to the Lady Gaga concert last night at Madison Square Garden. Gaga is one part pop princess, one part soul songstress, one part activist, one part dominatrix and one part provocateur—and her favorite word is four letters long. Last night, the whole gang came out to play: the bra and panties ensemble from “Alejandro” and “Telephone,” the skirt composed of spikes, the disco stick, the red latex, the two cross strips of tape covering a very delicate area. And as Gaga cycled through hit after hit, “Poker Face,” “Paparazzi,” and “Bad Romance,” to name a few, her enthusiasm and compassion were unmatched. Often with tears in her eyes, she continually declared her love for her hometown, trying to give back the only way she new how, screaming, “Tonight, you will be set free!”

Everyone knows that the Fourth of July is all about the fireworks and the music—and if you’re in Boston, Chicago or The Hamptons, then we’ve got some plans for you.

Cee-Lo has covered one of our all time favorite songs, “No One’s Gonna Love you” by Band of Horses. The Gnarles Barkley singer is going solo with his upcoming album, Cee-Lo Green Is the Lady Killer, and this is our first listen to the mix of soul singing and electro pop. Shunning Band of Horses’ quiet alt country emotion for a more grandiose, synth-injected arrangement, the song holds up nearly as well as the original. In the video, a couple goes on a sort of rambling road trip adventure, and we see their relationship morph through a series of quick jumps of convertibles, cliff-jumping, nudity and American flags—somehow very suitable for this Fourth of July weekend. Watch and listen after the jump.

Like a true rock ‘n’ roll archeologist, Archive 1887 unearths concert tee gems of yesteryear and aims to put them straight on your back. We’ve shown you some of the tees before, and we’re pleased to discover that Fall 2010 is about to roll in with the same rebel yell as the first season. And this go around, they have one of our favorite icons—Iggy Pop—at the core.

So it’s no secret that we get a severe hankering for the West Coast due to the laid back, sunshine infused stylings of Wavves and Best Coast. Now, Best Coast has released another single that brings to mind a female version of the Beach Boys. “Boyfriend” is a psychedelic, sun-drenched confection with singer Bethany Cosentino declaring her love high school style (take a listen after the jump). Meanwhile, we’ll be seeing Wavves perform tonight (!!!) at The Fader’s issue release party—be jealous, but don’t worry, there’s enough to go around. Due to leaks on the Internet, the iTunes release of Wavves much-anticipated LP, King of the Beach, has been moved up from August to July 1st.

If you haven’t already heard, Jay Z and Eminem performed live on the roof of the Ameritania Hotel on W 54th St on Monday intending to make the ultimate New York statement—but The Beatles on top of Apple Studio this is not. For one thing, the performance was taped and is slated to air on the David Letterman show this Friday. For another, although it was supposedly intended to be an impromptu, unannounced affair, the ensuing after party, which featured P Diddy and Ashlee Dupre (who certainly goes along with the New York theme), suggests otherwise. Check out some photos of the performance after the jump and let us know if you find the situation a celebratory one or a PR spectacle.

Phoenix’s breakthrough album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, is an opus of electronic pop exuberance—which is why it’s so interesting to see their six-song set on MTV’s Unplugged. Watch the performance, featuring acoustic guitar and a xylophone, after the jump. It’s also interesting to note that Phoenix will be providing the soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s upcoming film Somewhere. And, if the trailer is to be believed (which features an acoustic Strokes song), the soundtrack should be all sorts of mellow and soothing, perhaps further showcasing Phoenix’s stripped-down talents.

If you’d like a slice of California to go along with the weather’s chill summer vibes, we’d recommend you take a listen to Wavves and Best Coast. Those are the bands/monikers of two 60s-inspired, lo-fi, punk, Beach Boys-infused West coast fixtures. Wavves, aka Nathan Williams, will be releasing a new record appropriately named King of the Beach that’s now available for pre-order and will be ready at the beginning of August. Best Coast, who happens to be Williams’ girlfriend, has a girl group take on the music with a similar SoCal vibe. Look for her full-length release in July and check out both Wavves and Best Coast’s music after the jump.

The king of glam rock photography, the appropriately named Mick Rock, will be honored with an exhibit of rare photos and interviews at M Project Gallery. Sadly, the Wednesday night opening fête is invite-only, but that doesn’t mean you have to miss out on Rock’s work, which includes photos, album covers and music videos for acts like Queen, David Bowie, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and The Stooges, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and Blondie (yes, you read that right). Email rsvp@mprojectgallary.com to request a private viewing.

So, lot’s of people have lost all hope for MGMT ever since they turned their backs on the infectious pop melodies of their first album Oracular Spectacular with their less accessible follow-up, Congratulations. The video for the first single was similarly strange, although the music this time around sounds like old-school Pink Floyd era psychedelia to us, and isn’t that the point? Perhaps audiences will be more pleased with their new video for “It’s Working,” featuring rainbow lava lamp colors, a floating ballerina and a giant machine. You tell us.

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

Everyone knows music is much better outdoors. So, we’ve rounded up the best concerts happening outside in NYC—with the beginning and end of the summer predominantly at the beach at Governors Island and the middle at Central Park’s summerstage—so you can better plan your musical outings. From CITY favorite Passion Pit to modern day hippies Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, there’s something for every musically inclined urban taste maker.

The Black Keys do not want you to watch their video. Literally. In the video for their single “Next Girl” off their new album Brothers, a dinosaur puppet mimes singing as a bikini-clad girl writhes on a beach chair. Across the bottom of the screen, a scrolling message denounces the video and claims it’s purely the result of the record company. “They [The Black Keys] disavow any responsibility for it and wish you would stop watching,” the message reads. Well—fat chance. Until we’ve got the record in our hands (which is a bit of a comeback for the Ohio-based blues-rock duo), the music is too good to turn it off. Watch the horrible kind of awesome video after the jump.

With Bonnaroo starting tomorrow and a whole slew of summer concert festivals just around the corner, we bring you the lowdown for braving the vast wilderness of musical campgrounds—and doing it in style. From killer backpacks, nature-inspired sunglasses and hipster sunblock to stylish sleeping bags, we’ve got you covered for the long, potentially showerless season ahead.

Photography by Phil Knott

Coming soon in CITY’s Music Issue.

The new Neon Indian video for low-fi single “Sleep Paralysist” feels like wandering through the inside of a series of Polaroids—colors and images distort around you as the environment is shaken for developing. The Austin-bred artist, who just signed to Fader, broke from working with Brooklyn video and visual artist Alicia Scardetta to partner with Focus Creeps, the filmmaking duo behind many of the Girls videos. The result, three minutes of psychedelic nostalgia and paranoia, is pure shock art.

Have You Heard? is our weekly roundup of items we may have previously missed (or would like to remind you of again). So as you plan the week ahead, take a look at our cherry-picked selections of what’s hot in art, music, film and fashion right now.

Robyn and Kelis are due to touch down in New York in August, and tickets go on sale Friday at noon. Robyn, well, we’ve talked about her before. A few times. As for Kelis, she’s miles away from milkshakes—her new, more electronic album comes complete with a futuristic look (check out her video for “A Capella” after the jump, as well as Robyn’s new video for “Dancing on My Own”). It seems she has realized that in pop circles, performance art is the newest fad. In other music news, don’t miss Yeasayer this Saturday for free at the beach on Governor’s Island. Did we mention it was free?