Cat Power Live at Webster Hall

A band of old and shaggy men walk onto the stage, one at a time to their instruments and they begin to play something unrecognized. A few minutes later Chan Marshall walks out, holding a mug presumably filled with tea, to cat-call cheers coming mostly from the women in the crowd. She sets the mug down and says nothing to acknowledge the crowd, but sways in semicircles, tapping her palms on her hips until her first verse.

Her insecurity is so available that it cannot be hidden by the darkness on the stage. For a woman of such astonishing talent, she has no idea. There are no press photographers and no stage lights. Camera-phone displays light the faces of the crowd brighter than Marshall's, whose silhouette is all that appears in their photos.

St. Vincent Live at The Metropolitan Museum of Art

St. Vincent - Surgeon (free download) (pre-order)


Whereas Marry Me was pretty and whimsical, St. Vincent's second LP was cacophonous--its arrangements so dense to the point of being intimidating. "Surgeon" is an exploration beyond the depths of Actor that confirms her musical identity with its synthetic washes and guitar pedals. The first single from St. Vincent's upcoming LP is much like Actor in this regard; it is as if Annie Clark were an unmoving alabaster bust carried by a cloud of buzzing bees. That is, it is an experience in contrasting texture as much as in melody.

In Spin's September cover story, the magazine follows the infinitely endearing Annie Clark to an East Village restaurant and then The Met. On the way the author commits innumerable grammatical errors and at one point even divulges her own personal preference for pornography over fashion. It's a shame that Spin Magazine can't write a decent interview because they throw nice parties.

Nobodies

The Smashing Pumpkins - Bodies (buy)

One of the best songs about love and suicide. Forget how crazy Billy Corgan became, only a couple of singers yelled as well as he did.

Wye Oak Covers Mother

Wye Oak - Mother (live at Bowery Ballroom, courtesy NYC Taper) (buy)

Originally by New Jersey-based Danzig, the band whose frontman makes trips to the pet store in his band's t-shirt, and the band whose fans might as well have invented the fist pump. Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner faithfully covers the heavy metal band's biggest hit with her uninhibited, deep vocals and along with drummer, Andy Stack, they turn out an approachable indie cover that doesn't forget any of the crashing waves of its chorus.

Pool Swimmers

Real Estate - Pool Swimmers (buy)