Tag Archives: NPR

Flaming Lips throw Naked Bike Ride for Music Video Shoot (Portland, OR)

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flaming_lips-balloons
NPR’s Carrie Brownstein reports for “Monitor Mix”

As every nude-cycling enthusiast knows, The World Naked Bike Ride only occurs in June, so this Flaming Lips video is your chance to strip down for a second time this year! If you’re feeling shy, however, and wondering about the nature of the event — no pun intended — here’s a bit of encouragement:

As with other naked rides, the event is meant to be freespirited rather than lewd, [Wayne] Coyne said. “There’s a difference between pornography and just freaks who are naked. This is about unrestricted freedom and a good lawlessness that’s always sort of implied at our shows.”

On the other hand, it is The Flaming Lips, so be prepared for this:

I’m having one of my giant space bubbles covered in fake fox fur,” Coyne said. “It’s going to look like some giant fur egg, and the people on bicycles are gonna sort of be born and erupt out of this fur, vaginalistic thing.

The video is for the song “Watching the Planets” from the Lips’ upcoming album Embryonic.

Event details:
Flaming Lips naked bike video shoot
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. (drop-in)
The top of Mount Tabor, by the basketball courts
No RSVP needed. Just show up wearing clothes, please.
For more information, contact bikeforthelips@gmail.com

Exclusive First Listen: M. Ward's 'Hold Time' on NPR Music next Monday

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See also: Andrew Bird – ‘Noble Beast’ exclusive stream on NPR

Full disclosure, Matt is without a doubt my favorite solo artist post ’00, so i’m a WEE bit excited for this :)

holdtime

Exclusive First Listen: M. Ward’s ‘Hold Time’ : NPR Music.

The songs of singer-guitarist M. Ward seem to drift in on the crackling radio waves of a distant time. Warm and intimate, his largely acoustic and usually spare arrangements are a tribute to what Ward sees as the greatest era for American music: the 1950s and early ’60s, when singers like Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison infused country-rooted pop with honesty and romance. Ward’s latest album, Hold Time, continues this tradition, with a gorgeously produced mix of finger-picked guitars, upright bass and shuffling rhythms, all tied together by his achy voice.

Hold Time won’t be released until Feb. 17, but listeners can hear the entire album here on NPR Music as an exclusive preview, beginning at 11:59 p.m. ET Monday, Jan. 12.

The new disc was mixed by producer and multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis, with guest appearances by Lucinda Williams, Zooey Deschanel (She & Him), Rachel Blumberg (The Decemberists) and others. Though it mostly features all-new songs, Hold Time includes a handful of cover tunes, including Don Gibson’s “Oh Lonesome Me” and “Rave On,” made popular by Buddy Holly.

“I think the songwriting style of (Buddy Holly’s) period was superior,” Ward says in an interview with All Songs Considered host Bob Boilen. “There was a certain amount of joy in it, no matter how sad the song is. You get joy in listening to these Buddy Holly or Roy Orbison sad lyrics. I’m attracted to songs that have balance between the darks and the lights and giving them all equal opportunity.”

Watch the video for the title track, ‘Hold Time’

Pre-Order Hold Time