Rollercoasters

Florence and the Machine share "Breath of Life"...Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp cover Carly Simon (what?)...Neutral Milk Hotel...

Well, let's start this off with Florence Welch...she hit the scene hard with her track, "Dog Days (Are Over)," and like most people on this planet, this is how I became acquainted with her. I remember specifically driving toward downtown Austin for a night of debauchery, and a friend playing this song in the car, and immediately being overcome with her vocals, and asking, "Who is this???" Then, I heard the song EVERYWHERE, saw her fantastic performance at the VMAs, and the rest, as they say, is history. Now, I haven't taken a good-enough listen to her second LP, Ceremonials, so I kind of need to get on that. But remember, one of the running themes of this blog is that I'm constantly trying to catch up, so who knows when I'll get down to listening to the album, maybe in 2021? But, Florence and the Machine have released a song for the movie, Snow White and the Huntsman, starring one of my favorite actresses, Charlize Theron. You can hear the track below:



In other weird news...Marilyn Manson and Johnny Depp recorded a cover of Carly Simon's "You're So Vain." Now, when I read the headline, I thought this was a joke, or a parody track. Which, I'd appreciate Manson more if he did come out and say it's a parody because if he is taking his version seriously...then the man has truly lost his mind. The song is recorded as a supposed bonus track for his upcoming record, A Born Villain. But, you can hear the uncomfortable display of a classic (to some) track below:



LISTENING: Gearing up for a trip to Austin to go see Jeff Mangum play the ACL Live Series, I've spent the better part of my morning listening to On Avery Island, Neutral Milk Hotel's first full-length LP. While it doesn't hold my heart on a platter like In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, this album is phenomenal nonetheless, and if you haven't heard of Neutral Milk Hotel, it's actually understandable. They reached their heyday in the 90s, and now their recycled albums have been passed around indie circuits and hipster cliques; however, the legend behind these guys is legitimate and well-deserved. Until I discovered this band, I had never heard a singer/songwriter like Mangum, and his lyrics basically made me a full-fledged worshiper of this dude's prowess as a writer. You can listen to any song by them to witness that for yourself, but take a listen to this track off of On Avery Island, titled "Gardenhead / Leave Me Alone."



That's all. PEACE.