So here's the deal

The charger to my laptop broke so I can't update from there (which is a shame since that's where all the music is). So I'm on the boyfriend's computer right now. We had a rocking good time at The Hold Steady show last night (our ears are still ringing... ringing with awesomeness). Also Franz's mustache is a thing of many wonders. Photos and set list to come, when I get the lappy fixed.

In the meantime enjoy my interview with The Boy Least Likely To up on Crawdaddy. I chatted with lead singer Jof Owen via email about their new album, what it means to be twee, the English countryside, and “the most rubbish cartoon superhero ever invented.” He really is a thoughtful, articulate guy. Cute too.

The lemons, they dance!

The video for "When Life Gives Me Lemons, I Make Lemonade" is so adorable, it makes my ovaries weep. Honestly there is nothing cuter then dancing fruit and a sky full of rainbows and pinwheels. You've got to hand it to the Boy Least Likely To for crafting this twee masterpiece, not to mention one of the best albums of the year.

Did I mention they covered a song from Grease AND made me like it???

The One that I Want - The Boy Least Likely To (Grease cover)

Isn't it the twee-est thing you ever saw?

I am beyond in love with the new Boy Least Likely To album. Here's a video for one the catchiest tracks "Balloon on a Broken String". Like all their best songs, it's remarkably upbeat yet features deceptively melancholy lyrics. Here's hoping the boys find their balloons.
A Balloon On A Broken String from The Boy Least Likely To on Vimeo.

2009: Year of the Best Album Covers. EVER

I'm making that assessment based on these three upcoming releases alone. Neko, Morrissey and The Boy Least Likely To, how you never dissapoint! If the music is only half as spectacular as these images, I'll be more then satisfied.


I'm totally jealous of that baby. (Out February 16)


Stuffed animals and military weaponry - a brilliantly subversive combination. (Out March 3)


Neko. On a pimped out ride. Wielding a sword. What a bad-ass! (Out March 3)

And two preview songs to hold you over (sorry I don't have any new Neko tracks, but let me know if you do!)

All You Need Is Me - Morrissey
Balloon on a Broken String - The Boy Least Likely To

Bonus BLLT video for "The First Snowflake":
The First Snowflake from The Boy Least Likely To on Vimeo.

"I try to be cheerful but I can feel myself deflating all the time"

YES YES YES! FINALLY.

It's been three years since the British boys of The Boy Least Likely To have released an their debut album The Best Party Ever, which is quite possibly the finest, indie pop record of the 00s. No band combines peppy melodies, eclectic instrumentation (think: glockenspiel, banjo, clickity-clack percussion and recorder solos) with melancholic lyricism and wide-eyed innocence and wonder. It's sad scary world full of monsters and spiders and the onset of adulthood. We might as well clap our hands and sha-la-la while we have a collective twee panic attack.

So finally, finally, finally they have release a new song, which is said to appear on a new album due out sometime this summer. "A Balloon on a Broken String" doesn't stray far from their amazing twee template. The chorus is utterly endearing right from the first listen. And check out these lyrics:

I'm a balloon on a broken string
I'm not attached to anyone or anything anymore...
I'm sad and alone
But you'd never know it to look at me

SIGH.

Balloon on a Broken String - The Boy Least Likely To

And here's a near-classic track of their 2005 album The Best Party Ever
I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes - The Boy Least Likely To