With Anya Marina you can have "Whatever You Like" (a.k.a. that song from Gossip Girl)

Who watched Gossip Girl this week? While that disgusting threesome between Dan, Vanessa, and Hilary Duff was going on, Anya Marina's "Whatever You Like" played in the background. While I wasn't vomited from the thought of the three of those together, I was entranced by Marina's cover of T.I. Check out the video for the song above.

Backstreet Boys unleash new "Bigger" music video

There's probably a lot of jokes to be made at the expense of the Backstreet Boys and their new video "Bigger," but a certain guilty pleasure side of me still enjoys it. The boys are certainly showing their age with each and every closeup, and wasn't going to Japan a washed up joke in Spinal Tap (and confirmed in the real life equivalent, Anvil! The Story of Anvil)? Time will only tell with the latest from the Backstreet Boys, This Is Us, which was released last month.

Freelance Whales and Fanfarlo head out on the road together

Both Fanfarlo and Freelance Whales had a lot of buzz surrounding them at CMJ--I didn't get to really check out either of them, unfortunately. However, it looks like I'll get my chance after all. Band bands are hitting the road (together actually), kicking off tonight at the Triple Rock Club in Minneapolis, MN. The tour concludes right here in New York City at Webster Hall on December 18. All tour dates are posted after the jump.

Freelance Whales/Fanfarlo tour dates:
11/11 - Triple Rock Club - Minneapolis, MN
11/13 - Moe's - Englewood, CO
11/14 - The State Room - Salt Lake City, UT
11/16 - The Knitting Factory - Boise, ID
11/17 - Crocodile Cafe - Seattle, WA
11/18 - Media Club - Vancouver, BC
11/19 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
11/22 - Rickshaw Shop - San Francisco, CA
11/23 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
11/24 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA
11/27 - Muddy Waters - Santa Barbara, CA
11/29 - Club Congress - Tucson, AZ
11/30 - Santa Fe Brewing Co - Santa Fe, NM
12/02 - The Independent - Austin, TX
12/03 - The Loft - Dallas, TX
12/04 - Walter's on Washington - Houston, TX
12/06 - The Bottletree - Birmingham, AL
12/09 - Metro Gallery - Baltimore, MD
12/10 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA
12/11 - Iota Cafe - Arlington, VA
12/12 - Brillobox - Pittsburgh, PA
12/14 - Majestic Cafe - Detroit, MI
12/15 - El Mocambo Club - Toronto, ON
12/16 - Il Motore - Montreal, QC
12/17 - TT the Bears - Cambridge, MA
12/18 - Webster Hall - New York, NY

"I was NOT expecting naked Wayne Coyne" (NSFW Flaming Lips video)

My friend Bryan at Hilly Town sent this to me with the above quote as an introduction. It's the quite naked and totally NSFW new video from the Flaming Lips that is up on NME's website. It's all about naked people...including Wayne Coyne. It's sort of more of what I would expect from Foot Village, but it works for the Flaming Lips as well. I tried to embed it using the code, but it seems you'll actually have to make your way over to NME.com.

A fun. music video (+ tour with Jack's Mannequin)

"All the Pretty Girls" is the new video from fun. The band have been on tour for most of 2009, and it looks like 2010 is scheduled to be just as busy with recently announced dates with Jack's Mannequin. Check out the full list of shows after the jump.

fun. tour dates:
Dates marked * w/ Jack's Mannequin
Nov. 11, 2009 - Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
Nov. 13, 2009 - West Hollywood, CA @ Troubadour
Feb. 5, 2010 - Seattle, WA @ The Showbox *
Feb. 6, 2010 - Portland, OR @ Roseland *
Feb. 7, 2010 - Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory *
Feb. 9, 2010 - Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue *
Feb. 11, 2010 - Sacramento, CA @ Cal State Union *
Feb. 12, 2010 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues *
Feb. 16, 2010 - San Antonio, TX @ The White Rabbit *
Feb. 17, 2010 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues *
Feb. 19, 2010 - Kansas City, MO @ The Beaumont *
Feb. 20, 2010 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue *
Feb. 24, 2010 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room *
Mar. 5, 2010 - Norfolk, VA @ The Norva *

Cave In to release Planets of Old as a CD/DVD in January

We've already announced the release of Cave In's vinyl release Planets of Old, but the band are taking things one step further by releasing the four song record on CD next year. Included with this CD will be a DVD with footage from the band's reemerging performance in Allston, MA. Check out the track listing for the record after the jump, and be sure to check out the band as they go on tour soon.

Planets of Old track list:
CD:
1. Cayman Tongue
2. Retina Sees Rewind
3. The Redtrail
4. Air Escapes

DVD:
1. Luminance
2. Retina Sees Rewind
3. Moral Eclipse
4. Juggernaut
5. Dark Driving
6. The Red Trail
7. Cayman Tongue
8. Trepanning
9. Air Escapes
10. Summit Fever
11. Vicious Circles
12. Big Riff
13. Inflatable Dream

Cave In tour dates:
Dates marked + w/ Trap Them and Narrows
November 19 - Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY +
November 20 - First Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA +
November 21 - Club Hell - Providence, RI +
November 22 - The Middle East Downstairs - Cambridge, MA +

Album Review: Katy Perry - MTV Unplugged

KATY PERRY
MTV UNPLUGGED
(Capitol Records)
www.katyperry.com

The latest incarnation of MTV Unplugged has performances from Adele, Silversun Pickups, All Time Low, Paramore, Vampire Weekend and Katy Perry. Several of these are up online already at unplugged.mtv.com, but so far only Katy Perry has announced plans to release her performance on CD/DVD. The performance won't be shown on MTV high-definition channel, Palladia, until November 27, but fans can head on down to the store on November 17 to purchase the CD/DVD combo. But does Katy Perry's performance hold up to the grand tradition of the show, which includes many memorable performances from acts like Eric Clapton, Nirvana, and Jay-Z?

The strange thing is that Katy Perry's unplugged performance is an interesting take on the pop star's hits. It's a weird twist on pop, maybe not as much as some of the past greats--such as Nirvana's twist on grunge, Jay-Z's twist on hip-hop, or even Korn's twist on nu-metal--but it makes it interesting and different enough. "I Kissed a Girl" gets stripped down to a sort of jazz root, kicking off the set with a new take on one of the singer's biggest hits. It's still familiar yet strangely different.

A downside of the DVD is that it seems entirely too short--a mere 7 songs if I count correctly. It just seems over way too fast. Quite possibly, this will simply fit the performance into an hour time frame (making room for commercials, obviously). However, it also may be due to the fact that unlike a lot of artists of Unplugged past, Katy Perry doesn't have quite the body of work that previous performers have. This will be her second album. Being Unplugged on MTV may not just be a reinvention of some of Katy Perry's songs, but having an artist so young behind the ears might be a reinvention of MTV's Unplugged as well.

El Perro Del Mar opened for Peter Bjorn and John at Webster Hall on Monday night (photos)

El Perro Del Mar | Webster Hall | November 9, 2009

Though she would later that night go on to sing "Young Folks" with Peter Bjorn and John, El Perro Del Mar kicked off Monday night by opening for the band at their Webster Hall gig. Though her set was beautiful, it was sort of weird to see the opener so pushed to one of the sides of the sides. Hopefully, she's be a bit more front and center as she continues to open up for the Swedish trio across North America.

www.elperrodelmar.com | www.controlgroupco.com