Matthew Mcconaughey loves pussycats

Movie hunk Matthew Mcconaughey proved he was a real-life hero when he saved a cat from being set alight by thugs in Sherman Oaks, California.

The Sahara star spotted the kids covering the frightened feline with hairspray and trying to light it.

He leaped out of his car, snatched the cat and after shouting at the gang, took the pet to an animal refuge.

A pal says, "He was so angry he went on about it for days."

Postcard from Cabo San Lucas...Senor Frogs edition

The staff here at ISSFT have been traveling the last week and that is the reason that new posts have been infrequent and lacking. The Macintosh computer we are using has been unable to insert the hillarious photos and video antics that you the reader are used to. Regular awesome-ness to resume next week sometime.

Illegal Cat

A stowaway who made it past Customs agents and into the United States on the metal frame of a fertilizer truck has won over locals.

The illegal is a cat ( now named Canada) who hopped aboard a semi-trailer hauling fertilizer from Esterhazy, Sask., to Eldridge, North Dakota, and rode the entire way clinging to the truck's metal frame.

"I don‘t want to see her deported now that they‘ve tightened the immigration laws," Society spokeswoman Deb Archambeau joked. "She‘s sweet and friendly and deserves a good home. She‘s the sweetest illegal immigrant we‘ve ever met."

The Walkmen - Louisiana

This song kicks in real good when the horns come in.

Stream the single "Louisiana" from the upcoming new album
WM Hi: http://streamos.wbr.com/wmedia/wbr/walkmen/audio/walkmen_louisiana_128.wax
WM Lo: http://streamos.wbr.com/wmedia/wbr/walkmen/audio/walkmen_louisiana_56.wax
QT Hi: http://streamos.wbr.com/qtime/wbr/walkmen/audio/walkmen_louisiana_128.mov
QT Lo: http://streamos.wbr.com/qtime/wbr/walkmen/audio/walkmen_louisiana_56.mov

Cat saves baby, would like a case of Pounces as reward.

In Cologne, Germany the loud and persistent meowing of a cat was able to awaken a homeowner in the middle of the night who found a newborn baby boy had been left on the homeowner's doorstep.

Temperatures were near zero when the baby was found, but the cat saved the baby from dying from severe and life-threatening hypothermia.

The Passion Of Morrissilly

BBC3 TV broadcasted a special where they interpreted the story of Easter using songs written by Manchester artists.

Jesus sings Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" while breaking bread with his apostles during the last supper



Jesus starts with "You're Gonna Need Someone On Your Side" And Judas comes in afterwards with "Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now" after betraying Jesus. Judas played by Tim Booth of James fame. Jesus played by Darren Morfitt.



Tip of the hat to Stereogum for posting these on their site.

laser cats

On paper an SNL digital short with Andy Samberg about cats that shoot lasers out of their eyes should be hillarious. Check it out for yourself.

Laser Cats

Versus North

Land of Talk are from Montreal.
Their first EP just dropped.
I listened to ''Sea Foam' four times in a row.
Moon Pix North.
They are playing tonight in NYC at The Knitting Factory.
Had I known that earlier I would have changed my flight just for them.

Land of Talk - Sea Foam
Land of Talk - Breaxxx Baxx
Land of Talk - All My Friends

The Bert and The Jansch

I watched The Squid and The Whale the other day, the film about a divorce...from a good ending. The movie reminded me that I liked Bert Jansch who I had retired from my mind a few years ago. Jansch was the Scottish born 60's folk singer sometimes characterized as a British Bob Dylan. He also was a founding member of the renaissance faire house band Pentangle who recorded an 18 minute epic 'Jack Orion' on their record Cruel Sister. I'm listening to it as I type, sitting here in my armor and playing Dungeons and Dragons. Jansch is playing the Devendra curated day of All Tomorrows Parties next month, he will probably be sporting a beard.

Bert Jansch - Oh How Your Love is Strong
Bert Jansch - Running from Home
Bert Jansch - Strolling Down the Highway

cat, dog and joe cocker

This video is priceless but wait until joe kicks in, it takes it to the next level.

Joe Cocker - She Came In Through The Bathroom Windown
Joe Cocker - Cry Me A River

Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics

"They said it shouldn't be done, but we did it anyway. Starting in 1996, we've made an annual visit to WFMU during their fundraising marathon. People who pledge money to the station while we're on get to make a request, and we try to play it. And guess what? It's not that easy. Yo La Tengo Is Murdering the Classics is a 70-minute compilation drawn from 1996-2003, a Best-of, or Best-of-the-Worst, or Worst-of-the-Best, or . . . oh, what's the use, it's dreadful. No song titles will be provided, don't ask. Beautiful cover art by Adrian Tomine. Order at your own risk. No refunds."

Order the CD direct from their site

Listen to their version of the classic "The Batman Theme" from this years marathon

The Tengo's cover of Jackson Browne's 'Somebody's Baby' from Motel de Moka blog

My most favorite cover that Yo La Tengo has done is the Sandy Denny song 'By the Time it Get's Dark', the song's too beautiful.

Yo La Tengo - By the Time it Gets Dark (From the Little Honda EP)
Sandy Denny - By the Time it Gets Dark

screw you bow wow

Rupture Mice

I had a link to a stream of the new Rapture/Danger Mouse demo W.A.Y.U.H' on The Hype Machine, but it seems like the record company made everyone erase all existence of it. It's pretty incredible how fast songs are leaked on the internet these days, one day soon you'll be able to get em' before they're even written like when nerds find a way to hack into Surfajen Stevins head.

Q: Why does Serfujin Stephens love The Rapture.
A: Cause you're going to Hell.

From Chunklet's Overrated article in issue Nineteen.
The Rapture Echos
"If I want to get yelled at in a gay discotheque, I'll go to a gay discotheque wearing chaps that aren't assless"

COinCH

Stream the single 'Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken'
( http://mergerecords.com/m3u/loydmeadytoeeartbroken.m3u )

The Lyrics

A short clip of Camera Obscura playing a new song a few weeks back in Chapel Hill

It's you, it's you, it's you...you know the skies are rooting for you.

If anyone asked us, Lync’s 1994 album These are not Fall Colors would be in our top five records of the 1990’s. Why do we love this record? Because we still get shivers listening to the chorus of 'Heroes and Heroines'.

Lync-Heroes and Heroines
Lync - Cue Cards

A sad day for this camp was when our Lync button fell off on the street and the crime wasn't noticed till after arriving home.

We'd dig into Morrissey to see them reunite (See Millions of fans beg Morrissey to dig in)

You can still own this amazing recording on cassette!

"I dread the day that I die because I think, 'What the hell's going to happen to my collection?'"

An article I found interesting about obsessive music nerds in today's UK Guardian


'This one is Israeli acid-folk-psych. I saw it in a charity shop and thought, there's no way I'm leaving that' ... Gareth Goddard with his collection.

Fall Down Boy

In between rants of "This song is about wanting to burn the suburbs down" to "I'm sorry I'm a little down, I just threw up an hour ago" Fall Out Boy's emo hearthrob Pete Wentz took a stage dive from the balcony of New York's Knitting Factory at their secret show last week. Unfortunately for him confused fans parted and didn't catch him, Wentz landed on the concrete floor. A wobbly Wentz had to be helped back onstage by bouncers. Anxioiusly waiting for footage on YouTube

The Did See or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love 764-HERO

I started this whole blog site to give a shout out to John Atkins new band The Can't See, so blame them for this blog. Since my post on them in January I've seen them play live and I really, really liked the show, the three of them worked it. I had a good time swaying to Ken's piano playing and Thomas's shit kicking drumming, although I was completely drunk when they played I'm sure I'd sway sober. I'm sorry for kicking whoever's license plate off their car that night, I tried to re-attach it but don't remember much if it helped, I hope it was a rental.

A four song set with interview from Seattle's KEXP
Listen via Windows Media
Listen via Real Media

Buy their LP Coma Comma No More at Luckyhorse, it comes with a CD of the LP.

A few of my favorite songs from John and Polly's band 764-HERO, there's not enough room here for all their good songs.



764-HERO - Dragon ( from We're Solids available from Suicide Squeeze)
764-HERO - Pitiful Rattle ( from Salt Sinks & Sugar Floats available from UP records)
764-HERO - Dodge ( from Salt Sinks & Sugar Floats available from UP records)

"Happy Ending or Broken Heart"

Man, I'm just reiterating my love for that new Futureheads song "Skip to the End"... but seriously the new Camera Obscura song "Lloyd, I'm ready to be Heartbroken" is better than love.

Don't mess with a Bunnyman

Ian McCulloch, The Echo And The Bunnymen frontman is accused of assaulting Gary Duncan and Juliet Sebley after a show in Scotland . McCulloch was not in court but pleaded innocent to two charges of assault and a third of breach of the peace by letter, reports the BBC. He is alleged to have kicked down a toilet door and hit Miss Sebley in the head. McCulloch is also charged with repeatedly pushing Mr Duncan and making threats at the pair.

Vetibeard

Oh how YOU love Vetiver, the best band to come out of San Francisco in the 21st century.

Skatterbrain blog has a new Vetiver song "Red Lantern Girls" from the upcoming May 15th released album To Find Me Gone.

The McCartney-ish song Quiri Quirano ( a minute and a half clip) from a CD included in Esopus Magazine (Fall 2005) is really great, the whole magazine is nice, buy it dude.

A for Effort

Future Ferdinand

The Futureheads are the only band I liked from British Invasion Part 14, Year 2005.


'Skip to The End', is the single from their upcoming sophmore album News and Tributes out in May. On first listen it might sound like The Proclaimers but you get over it after subsequent listens.
'Meantime' was voted most often played song on my iPod while set on shuffle.

The Futureheads - Skip to The End
The Futureheads - Meantime (Live from the Leeds Festival)
You can hear the entire Leeds Festival set at Rbally blog.

Telecaster wounds

This is what the band Arctic Monkeys sound like to me.



The only tune I like from them is the one that sounds like a ska song.
Here it is being performed on Saturday Night Live, the guitarist throws his guitar at his amp at the end, that's totally not ska, "pick it up, pick it up"

Steve Perry...Draw Back Your Bow

I can't remember how it came about about or when, but it's been haunting me for at least half a decade now. I can't listen to the recording of 'Cupid' by Sam Cooke without thinking of Journey's Steve Perry. It's been my curse and now it is yours.

Listen to a little bit of Perry first and then let Cooke loose.

Steve Perry - Foolish Hearts
Sam Cooke - Cupid

Seriously, when is Steve Perry going to run out of money so we can get a true Journey reunion.

Something in the way you love me won't let me be

Belle and Sebastian covering Madonna's 'Borderline' in Vancouver on March 24 2006

Two Headed Cat

Chins Up

You might have heard of the Chicago band Chin Up Chin Up because of the tragedy that struck the band on Valentine's Day of 2004. After leaving The Empty Bottle, their bassist Chris Saathoff and his girlfriend were struck by an SUV that careened through the intersection, striking and killing Saathoff as he pushed his girlfriend to safety. You can read more about the tragic events and the eventual conviction of the driver here

Chin Up Chin Up's third record will be released in October on their new label Suicide Squeeze. Think Lync/Six Parts Seven'ish musically and Stephen Pastel/David Gedge'ish vocally. I bet their live shows are like rocket launches.

Chin Up Chin Up - For All The Tanning Salons In Texas (From the 2005 S/T LP)
Chin Up Chin Up -Virginia Don't Drown (From the 2004 LP We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers)
Chin Up Chin Up - We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers (From the 2004 LP We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers)

Both LP's are available at Flameshovel Records