Nintendo's Next System

So, E3 is this week. It's pretty much the big nerdy video game conference each year. Is it as nerdy as Comic-Con? Close. Here is a clip from Nintendo's press conference showcasing the new system, Wii U. Pretty insane... That's the controller above, and that's Zelda below along with the clip showing more...

The Strokes on Ellen?

CLICK HERE to see the Strokes make their daytime television debut. Ellen. How funny...

Happy Strokes Day

FWYH has gone back to its original banner/header in honor of the release of the Strokes new album, Angles. Welcome back, fellas.

1 Week Until ANGLES

The Strokes have placed Angles on full stream on their website (Click). One week from today, this new venture will be in the public's hands. As a Stroke fanboy from the get-go 10 years ago, I wait with baited breath. A four year hiatus with numerous solo acts (Albert Hammond's two albums, Fabrizio's Little Joy, Julian Casablancas - Phrazes for the Young, and Nikolai's NickleEye), the band is back together. After reading the review of 2006's First Impressions of Earth and the subsequent cover story in SPIN, I feared the worst. I was reminded of reading about the Beatles circa Abbey Road and the White Album. The boys of NYC are no Fab Four, but they were just as disjointed. Recording their parts individually with engineers and the like rarely being together as a band in the studio. Tensions were high. SPIN stated that this sounded like the last Strokes album. I agreed... While technically savvy, F.I.O.E. was a mess. Polished in many ways but in the end it seemed like lipstick on a pig. Nothing cures tensions like a lengthy Tour.... I was sure they were done. Apparently, we were wrong.

As I await Angles, I find myself back in 2005/6. Has absence made the heart grow fonder? For them? For me? For anyone? The recording process went down much like they did in '05. The band got together in the studio in NYC or in upstate NY at Hammond's place. The common theme was the lack of a lead singer. Julian was never in the studio as a creative force. In an attempt to lessen his hold on the "wheel" of the band, he stepped back. There are other creative voices at work in this group, and he let them speak. While the band laid down the tracks upstate, Julian was on tour promoting his solo debut. Later, he would step into famed Electric Ladyland studios in Manhattan to record vocal tracks that would be sent as digital files to the rest of the band. This situation had to make for a frustrating process. Lead guitarist, Nick Valensi, was the lone member without a solo effort. Did he like the idea of going rogue?

"I'm not a huge supporter of side/solo stuff. I'm of the opinion that you're in a band and that's what you do. If there's leftover material and time, then sure, by all means. But if you're playing material that you haven't even shown to your main band and you're just sort of keeping it for yourself, I'm not a big fan of that."

The band's original fan club started in 2001 under the guise Alone, Together (after the Is This It track). This moniker couldn't describe the state of the band any better... With the fourth album looming, Julian has his reservations.

Do you like the finished product?

Julian: "I mean... yes... It's a tough question because I think the whole point was that I was going to let things go so there's a bunch of stuff [on the record] I wouldn't have done."

Is this the last Strokes album?

Julian: "I definitely think there will be a fifth Strokes album. I mean, I hope so."

Time to hold my breath....

Death Cab for Beastie Boys

Wha? Album art and release date confirmation has arrived from the both camps (Death Cab for Cutie and Beastie Boys). Ben Gibbard and Co. are ready with their follow up to 2008's Narrow Stairs, while Adrock, Mike D, and MCA are back with Hot Sauce Committee Part 2! Part 1 was shelved in 2009 due to MCA's cancer bought, but Part 2 appears eerily similar.... Either way, 2011 is shaping up well so far!

Beastie Boys - May 3

Death Cab - May 31

God Bless, Italy (not Galliano)

Videos of the higher ups at J. Crew bombing around Italy - awesome...

About a SHOE (CLICK HERE)
















About a THREAD COUNT (CLICK HERE)

How great to see people that take such pride in their work? (work that many Americans would snub their nose at) - Bravo, J. Crew - way to step it up the past couple of years...


and a silly video or two for a laugh

New PAINS of BEING PURE at HEART

POBPAH are back with the first single off next month's new album, BELONG (March 29 - Pre-order)
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Belong by Slumberland Records
Gone are the Robert Smith influences. They've traded "Friday I'm in Love" for "Cherub Rock". 90's alt-rock is very apparent on this track. Hmmm....

The Strokes - Under Cover of Darkness

***UPDATED***

Well the new album almost here - until then here IS

a teaser of the 1st single....

Instant review? premature evaluations? GO!

New Fleet Foxes!

Hallelujah! it's about time! It's out May 3rd- they're playing the Ryman on Friday the 13th of May!!!! Tickets on sale this Friday, February 4th.

Listen to the new song from SubPop below:

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop

Little Barrie is back!!!

One of my favorite bands of the 00's is also one of the most overlooked - Little Barrie. A vintage blues/classic rock trio in the vein of Spencer Davis Group (minus the horns) or Cream before them, Little Barrie debuted in 2005 with their Edwyn Collins produced album, We Are Little Barrie. Check the review on AllMusic.com. Barrie Cadogan is the front man. After years as a studio guitarist in the UK and a touring guitarist for many solo acts (Collins and Morrissey to name a few), Barrie put together his own group. Their music and sound are nothing short of spectacular. Great riffs, classic sounds, & very tight production make it all go down easy. At the end of the day, they're just cool. It's music that hip dads and hipster sons can find common ground. Designer, Paul Smith, didn't miss them apparently (here). They're from his hometown, Nottinghamshire, UK. Their second album, Stand Your Ground, came around in 2006/2007 with a little more fanfare from the press. Critical acclaim but no fanbase - happens all the time. Now they've been relegated to international releases. Their new album, King of the Waves, was just released in Japan. I have acquired it via the interweb. Nothings changed. They're still rocking. No one notices, but I advise you to give them a listen. They're a great addition to your iPod.

Here's a sampling from their first 2.
The entire new album follows.

Dr. Joshi - I'm yours once again

In February 2008, I went through Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox. 21 days. Whitney and I slaved through 3 weeks with no red meat, dairy, sugar, processed foods, wheat, pasta, nuts, white rice, bread, fruit (except bananas), limited vegetables (nothing of the nightshade family...tomatoes, potatoes, peppers etc), no fish except oily fish (you can have salmon, thank God), caffeine, etc. It's 21 days to revert your body from our normal acidic diet to a more alkaline pH. It sucks at first and temptation abounds. It basically should be called the no friends, anti-social detox, because eating out with friends is either impossible or a backbreaking nightmare. You have to drink warm water with lemon juice in the morning, snack in mid morning and mid afternoon, and drink some crazy ginger root/herbal tea/ grapefruit madness on your 7th and 14th day all the while making 3 squares that fall into the rules of Dr. Joshi. Based out of London, he was Princess Diana's personal physician and has been Gwyneth Paltrow's guru for years (she's not in shape at all.....she's Country Strong).

I'm four days in and this time the transition wasn't too awful. I eased into it. Last time it was party time up until the first day. Then about the 3rd day of the detox, my body shut down like I was kicking heroin. That day felt like detox. How am I doing? Coffee has been replaced by ginger tea, peppermint tea, chamomile (at night), and the occasional green tea (allowed but sparingly due to caffeine). I haven't done the hot lemon H20 in the AM.... All in all I feel great so far. No real temptation except for the chocolate all around the house and the workplace food.... You gotta take your lunch to work. You also have to get up at the crack of dawn everyday to prepare your breakfast and your lunch for the day (boiling water, chopping veggies etc). This weekend will be the true test of wills that I never faced in Boston. Tonight, I have Dental Study Club which entails of a nice steak dinner (curses!). I can't wait for my colleagues to hear me request the vegetarian option..... Friday night is the kicker. JP's Mexican restaurant birthday celebration.... crap. My favorite food on earth with have to be tip-toed around like never before. Have you ever gone to a Mexican restaurant and not touched the chips? If so, you have a problem and don't need to be in a Mexican restaurant in the first place! I'm going to have to be that guy (GIRL). "Can I have a piece of chicken, beans, no cheese, red sauce or tomatoes of any kind?" - YUM! No margarita, salsa or Negra Modelo either? Shoot me. I'll let you know if I survive.

PS - I have the book if you'd like to read it.....
No takers? Shocker!

Something to Look Forward To

Tennis - Cape Dory (January)
Denver's Indie Rock married couple ala Mates of State make their debut after EPs in 2010
Iron & Wine - We Kiss Each Other Clean (January)
Sam Beam's major label debut
The Decemberists - The King Is Dead (January)
Overly dramatic theater club rock - Are you excited!
Cold War Kids (January)
Bar-room low end rock
Tapes n Tapes - Outside (January)
can the Minnesota Indie blog darlings reclaim the former glory? doubtful

Telekinesis! - 12 Desperate Straight Lines (February)
Death Cab's Chris Walla is back to produce the sophomore effort
The Go! Team - Rolling Blackouts(February)
Lead single, "Buy Nothing Day", features Best Coast's Bethany Cosentino

Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Slumberland (March)
More from the NYC group worshiping at the altar of Robert Smith and Johnny Marr
REM - Collapse Into Now (March)
Athens boys forge ahead
Peter, Bjorn & John - Gimme Some (March)
Swedish pop trio try to re-claim the glory of 2007's Writer's Block (will there be a whistle?)
The Dodos - Time to Die (March)
folk/arsty, percussion heavy trio return after touring with New Pornographers last year

Jeremy Jay (April)
wannabe Lou Reed is back with more coolness and skinny jeans
The Black Lips (April)
gar-age rock forged in the veins of Mark Ronson - can't wait

Fleet Foxes ?
who knows when and one can hope
The Strokes ?
production is through and they claim to be holding to the original March release plan...

Gorillaz - The Fall

New Gorillaz album for Xmas - made by Damon Albarn while on tour with the apps on his iPad - Impressive!

Listen below !

Here are the Apps he used:
(for all you Apple crazies)
Speak It! / SoundyThingie / Mugician / Solo Synth / Synth / Funk Box / Gliss / AmpliTube / Xenon / iElectribe / BS-16i / M3000 HD / Cleartune / iOrgel HD / Olsynth / StudioMiniXI / BassLine / Harmonizer / Dub Siren Pro / Moog Filatron

- My Widget isn't working....
head over to Gorillaz.co.uk and have a listen
http://thefall.gorillaz.com/

The Willy's Top 10

These are the real deal.

These ain't no "Slashies", y'all.

10. The National – High Violet
HV was a slow burner for me. It didn't have the pop of Alligator and didn't pull like The Boxer....at first. After some QT together, me and HV are copacetic. Every track blends seamlessly with the next. No song stands above the other. They stand together with High Violet being the ultimate product. I will say that "Bloodbuzz Ohio" is about the only thing I like about Ohio. The album is beautiful but beautifully sad like many of the National's efforts. Do not listen to this album if you are depressed, it may put you deeper. It would be a great alternative to the Smiths for that broken heart. Where was this stuff when I needed it back in the day?!? "I don't have the drugs to sort it out."

9. Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
I fought tooth and nail to get a first pressing vinyl of this at the beginning of the year - I got it! What a pleasant surprise. "Floating Vibes" made me feel like I was in high school again. "Swim" falls in line with the rest of the sunny songs this year. At times, this West Palm outfit reminds me of what My Morning Jacket would sound like if they were a band from South Florida. May be if they just "Take it Easy"?


8. LCD Soundsystem - This is Happening
This IS Happening. Every James Murphy project is a party. The party continues on, but let's be honest: Sound of Silver still reigns supreme. Regardless - at the 2:57 minute mark of "Dance YrSelf Clean", the party kicks into full gear and doesn't look back. "All I Want" is supposed to be the "All My Friends" of this album but never reaches those heights. For me, "I Can Change" has the most fun and the best hook to boot! House party anyone?

7. Magic Kids – Memphis
Guess where these kids are from? Their ode to their home is a power pop tour-de-force that is almost so sweet it's saccharine. "Superball" does something to you when you hear it. You almost spasm into full on noodle dance. "Hey Boy" sounds like a song your parents danced to at a middle school sock hop. The whole album sounds like a super group of the Spinto Band, Vince Guaraldi Trio, and the Boy Least Likely To produced by Ben Folds. Crazy.

6. Best Coast - Crazy for You
The companion piece to Wavves this year, Best Coast goes to beach less stoned with a female perspective. You'll be reminded of Hole's "Malibu". It's a whole album of Malibu. Less rough than Courtney Love's gnarl, Bethany Cosentino sings her simple guitar songs about boys, the beach, what it's like when you're here, when you're there, how you make her feel, and what she's gonna do about it. Simple. Straightforward. Don't think too hard. Just take it in and watch the sun go down. "When I'm With You", "Boyfriend", "Crazy For You", "I Want To"

5. Vampire Weekend – Contra
We know the place that the boys in cardigans hold in my heart. The returned with more of the same. You'd remember drinking "Horchata": here comes a feeling you thought you'd forgotten. "Cousins" fills that "A-Punk" sized hole in your heart. "Giving Up the Gun" is like nothing from their debut. It may be their strongest song, yet. "Holiday" deserves more than a Volkswagen and Hilfiger commercial (but I approve of both). "Run" and "White Sky" are classic VW. Sophomore's are never as fresh as debut's, but Contra stays in step with the original and surpasses in some areas.

4. Black Keys – Brothers
The all male White Stripes, the Black Keys, survived singer Dan Auerbach's solo career to put out one of their stronger albums since Rubber Factory. They've tapered back Danger Mouses production hands slightly, but his songs actually have the most bang for your buck. "Tighten Up" is one for the ages, while "Howlin' for You" sounds like a stadium anthem. And their "Next Girl" will be nothing like their Ex-Girl... They'll be her "Everlasting Light".

3. Harlem – Hippies
This is my pick. While it won't be on many if any lists this year. It's on mine. I love it. Garage rock trio minimalism that triumphs at SXSW. I listen to this one straight on through. "Someday Soon" has one of my favorite lines of the year. "Someday soon you'll be on fire, and you'll ask me for a glass of water. I'll say, 'nooooo'. You can just let that s**t burn." Please put me out? "Gay Human Bones" was the single. "Be Your Baby" swings with retro vibes and modern swagger. Each song wreaks of someone scorned. These songs are the rebuttle, the revenge. Whatever.

2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
After putting the dark themes of Neon Bible to bed, Arcade Fire triumph with what will likely bring them Grammy gold. The Suburbs returns to the neighborhoods of Funeral. "The Suburbs" sets the tone, while "Ready To Start" hits on all cylinders. I could go on and on about the whole album, but I don't have time and my hands are tired... "Rococo" and "Modern Man" power along like the rest of the album. "Sprawl II" is an interesting curve ball with lead singer, Win Butler's, bandmate/wife taking the lead for a Blondie channeling moment. Through and through The Suburbs are a joy.

1. Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
I'll be brief. This album slays. It was the kind of thing that you feel every blue moon when you hear an album - WOW. The Strokes - Is this It?, Vampire Weekend - s/t, Franz Ferdinand - s/t all gave me that funny feeling. It's back. Start to finish there's greatness. "Wide Eyes" opens your eyes and ears. "Airplanes" grabs your heart. "Sun Hands" makes you stomp. "World News" is a sign of the times. A surprise is their cover of the Talking Heads. "Warning Sign" would make David Byrne proud. GO GET THIS - NOW!

The Willy's #15 - 11

Halfway home....

15. Blitzen Trapper – Destroyer of the Void
After showing us the Wild Mountain Nation in 2007 and wowing me and the masses in 2008 with Furr, these NW reindeer trappers return with more of the same. D.O.V. doesn't have the immediate appeal of Furr, but it grew on me. The Black River Killer ep last year provides a good segue-way to this album. At times, this can feel like the Revolver to Furr's Rubber Soul if you follow me. "Dragon's Song" reminds me of Elvis Costello. The title track opens the album like a rock opera (much like "Sleepytime in the Western World" did in 2008), and "Heaven and Earth" sums it all up. DOV seems like an ode to the old west in all it's vast beauty but also the emptiness that can be found there, too. It's western like "True Grit" and "No Country For Old Men" just not as dark.

14. Wavves - King of the Beach
Nathan Williams, the one man tour de loser, is back and stoned as ever. He is one hyperactive user though playing more like a meth addict. I didn't care for the overfuzzed mess of his debut. I also didn't like his public fisticuffs with the Black Lips who I fully support. With the help of a quality producer in Dennis Herring (Modest Mouse, Hives, Fiery Furnaces, Ben Folds, Counting Crows, Elvis Costello), Williams finally has some constructive criticism to sharpen his sound. "King of the Beach" kicks you off in an instant and makes you reach for your shades. "Idiot" will have you having Incesticide-era Nirvana flashbacks. "Post Acid" just continues the party. Catchy pop punk abounds. More is to come with Best Coast...

13. She & Him – Vol. 2
Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are back again with more reverbed retro cuteness for you to be bop to. "In the Sun" is so cute it can only be outdone by the companion video that is an Indie "Hit Me, Baby (One more time)". While it doesn't seem as original this time around, Vol. 2 still has things to say. The Skeeter Davis hit, "Gonna Get Along Without You Now", translates well with Zooey's wall of sound. Folky Doo-Wop is here to stay?

12. The Walkmen – Lisbon
The Walkmen are still putting out the same product year in year out. This is probably their least angry output (I think there is only the trademark growl/yell on 1 song?). "Angela Surf City" has that growl, but it's one of the catchier songs this year. There was so much "fun in the sun"/beach music/summertime music out this year? "Woe is Me" will make you tap your feet. "Victory" sounds like most Walkmen songs - full on Afghan Whigs as the house band in Beautiful Girls. (What? Watch the movie-you'll hear it...)

11. Devo - Something For Everybody
Can this be right? Yup. I bought this on a whim and was blown away. Every last song on here is catchy. You feel like pulling out your Thompson Twins tapes and popping in your VHS copy of Weird Science. It is all 80's and fun as can be. "Fresh" kicks it off like the opening credits to your favorite 80's movie. "Mind Games" is like you fused your Atari with a 4-Track to make a song. "Don't Shoot (I'm a Man)" is like the Revenge of the Nerds got back together for a corporate anthem for their office space. Listen to the first half of this album. If you're not bobbing your head at that point, check your pulse. Guilty pleasure, what?