If you live in/near the DFW metroplex, I can’t imagine a better way to spend your Boxing Day than catching The Quitters reunite for a one-off(?) gig at The Flying Saucer in Ft. Worth (10 PM). The Quitters feature Hypeful contributor Nico and the group is self-described as “everything you never wanted in a band and less” and it’s a mantra that they’ve always hilariously fulfilled. If you’re not near the gig, you can stream it below live tonight via the magics of the internets! If you’ve never seen them and want a taste of their tasteless tunes, you can also find some of those below.

MP3s:
The Quitters - “The Price is Right”
The Quitters - “STD”
The Quitters - “Burning Dead Hookers”

VIDEO:
Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV

Wrapping up the year-that-was would seem incomplete without taking a look back at the year’s best cover songs. (After all, 2008 seemed to be a particularly ace year for cover-lovers…)

If you’re as busy as I am swilling eggnog and trying to organize for the travel home, you’ll understand why the commentaries on each song selection are incomplete. I just wanted to get this post up ASAP so you could fill up your iPod with cover goodness for the journey home. Anyhoo, happy holidays everyone and here’s to a GREAT 2009!!!

Read the rest of this entry »

The long-awaited second season of Flight of the Conchords premieres online today (Dec. 17th) at Funny or Die and, thankfully, none of the hilarity was lost during the hiatus. The super-funny Season 2 opener kicks off with three two new songs (plus an amped-version of the oldie but goodie “Angels”) and jokes about the success of Bret and Jermaine’s Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling debut album. Check out the premiere and new songs below!

MP3s:
Flight of the Conchords - “Angels” (new version)
Flight of the Conchords - “Angels”
Flight of the Conchords - “Femident Jingle”
Flight of the Conchords - “Rejected [feat. Rhys Darby]“

VIDEO:

From grizzled vets to fresh-faced upstarts, Hypeful’s annual ranking of all the must-hear music for 2008 is finally completed! Although assembling a year-end list has certainly been a frustrating endeavor racked with difficult choices, the experience is ultimately a rewarding reminder of just how many great releases come out every year. (I’m so excited about 2009!) As always, I hope you enjoy my picks for the Top 30 Albums of 2008 and I look forward to hearing your choices, thoughts, and feedback!

Album commentaries coming soon!

(NOTE: If you’re wondering why three very excellent albums (Vampire Weekend’s self-titled release, MGMT’s Oracular Spectacular, and Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago) are missing from this list, it’s because I regarded them as 2007 releases and included them in last year’s best-of list.)

Read the rest of this entry »

As further evidence that Wayne Coyne does not sleep ever, The Flaming Lips will curate a day of the 2009 All Tomorrow’s Parties festival, which will be held Sept. 11-13 at Kutsher’s Country Club in Monticello, N.Y. They will perform and select around 15 artists to play on their special day, alongside other confirmed performers like Panda Bear, Atlas Sound, Animal Collective, David Cross, and Dirty Three. Sounds fun, no?

MP3:
The Flaming Lips - “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)”