Dream queens unite!While I’m not a huge fan of Best Coast, I did get a little twinge of excitement to read that front woman Bethany Cosentino had an email exchange with the great teen queen herself, Molly Ringwald (Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles). The two exchanged emails about such topics as living in the spotlight, musical tastes, astrology, Mary Oliver and advice to young folks trying to find their way. You can head over to The Thread to read the entire exchange. It’s worth it. And since Ringwald cites Suzanne Vega’s “Left of Center” as one of her favorite songs used in a John Hughes movie, let’s have a listen to that below.We can be heroesYou ever play Guitar Hero? I have! When the first instance of the video game came about, my friends and I were all over that shit. It became a contest over who could get the best score on Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark at the Moon” on medium because playing the song on “hard” or “expert” was absolutely impossible. Have you heard those riffs?! Anyhoo, after a brief hiatus, the game is back as Guitar Hero Live, and it’ll feature tracks by War on Drugs, Black Keys, Rage Against the Machine, Sleigh Bells, The Killers and more. The new game’ll drop this coming fall, so keep your eyes open for that.Mutilators and all thatObviously, I’m biased with this one. But I think Thee Oh Sees are one of the most refreshing, prolific groups to enter the rock canon in some time. Granted, many folks disagree on their placement, with each album offering psychedelic, garage and even some poppy numbers, but always with a ferocious bite to it, know what I mean? But now you can listen to the band’s new record Mutilator Defeated At Last in full over at Consequence of Sound, or you can just listen to the opening track below. If you feel like waiting, then you can purchase it this coming Tuesday. But who wants to wait for a promising rock album? You gotta grab it full force! Enjoy!An idol no moreI’m a little happy about this next one. After 15 seasons “American Idol” is finally getting the ax in 2016! Granted, I don’t own a television set, and reality shows just aren’t my thing in general, but this is a show that has seen so many gimmicks and a random assortment of judges (most of them talentless hacks) that I was done with it by season 2. Hey, we can always count on “The Voice.” At least that one’s more entertaining, no?Punch Brothers goin’ all reptileI don’t know much about the Punch Brothers, but if their performance covering The Strokes’ “Reptilia” is anything to go by, I have some homework to do. The A.V. Club has reignited their A.V. Undercover series, during which bands head to their offices and play a cover song from another artist. And the only reason I was remotely interested in watching their latest edition was to hear a cover of a Strokes song from when they were still good. Have a looksie at that below. PS: If you’re around this weekend, you might want to head to Sister (407 Central NW) on Sunday, May 17, to catch former Burqueño Willis Earl Beal play live. He’ll be bringing his low-fi, tweaked-ish take on soul to the venue around 9pm, and tickets are only $5. If you’re not familiar with the man’s oeuvre, a good place to start would be his second (though he considers it his first real release) album Nobody knows. And just for fun, catch a glimpse of what his live show might entail by viewing a video of him performing on “Later… with Jools Holland” below. Cheers!
Rooster Roundabout: This Week’s Music Highlights
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