Oh My God Whatever

Wrapping up the first month of this blog’s existence, thought it would be a good time to round up some of the best tracks featured on Oh My God, Whatever, Etc. throughout February, along with a few extras from artists that have popped up often in recent posts.

Download the ohmygodwhatever.com-feb08-mix here.

1. “cold wind” (six feet under soundtrack) - arcade fire
2. “it’s not over yet” (live acoustic) - goldfrapp
3. “i feel it all” (gonzales remix) - feist
4. “paper planes” (remix for the children by ad-rock) - m.i.a.
5. “you want the candy” - the raveonettes
6. “intervention” - madonna
7. “gone” - esthero ft. cee-lo
8. “love is a losing game” (rhodes piano version) - amy winehouse
9. “theologians” - wilco
10. “sweet darlin’”- she & him

This is also a nice chance to thank everyone who’s been reading - it’s honestly surprising to already see a steady stream of traffic coming through this site, with visitors from places like Switzerland, Costa Rica and Singapore somehow finding their way here. Please continue to check back often and feel free to leave comments on posts if you get the chance. Enjoy your weekend

You may recognize Zooey Deschanel from her roles in Weeds or movies like Almost Famous or Elf but here’s betting even some of his fans still wouldn’t recognize M. Ward (despite releasing several brilliant albums and working with the likes of Bright Eyes, Jenny Lewis and Cat Power). The two have chosen an appropriately indistinguishable name, She & Him, for their musical collaboration, with the resulting record simply titled Volume One.

M. Ward co-produced Jenny Lewis’ first solo album, a similarly lo-fi affair, but the two actress-turned-singer/songwriters are decidedly different in terms of singing or writing styles. Deschanel wrote the majority of the tracks, with the exception of 3 covers, with Ward as producer (also on guitar and background vocals). The band cites Nina Simone, Linda Ronstadt and the Carter Family as musical references, all influences easily heard on these songs.

It’s the kind of record that’s strength speaks for itself, so download it here. It will officially be released 3/18.

The Oscars aren’t even over yet but just wanted to say that it was really nice that they let Markéta Irglová (who won Best Original Song with Glen Hansard for Once) come back out onstage to say her thank-yous after the mic was cut off during the actual acceptance speech. Since it’s a bit too soon for the performance from tonight to be available on YouTube, here’s the scene from the film that features the song, “Falling Slowly”:

It was also great to see Tilda Swinton win for Michael Clayton. Highly recommend checking out that movie (which is both out on DVD and in re-release in theaters) if you haven’t seen it already.

UPDATE: One more thing, here is a pretty crazy video of Gary Busey attacking Laura Linney and Jennifer Garner on the red carpet. It seems like neither of them are quite sure who he is.

Body of War is a documentary (set to be released in theaters in March) about Tomas Young, a 26-year-old veteran who was shot and paralyzed from the chest down after only a week of service in Iraq and is now using his experiences to speak out against the war. TIME Magazine called it “a superb documentary … almost unbearably moving.”

Body of War: Songs that Inspired an Iraq War Veteran will be released on 3/18 (exactly 5 years since the beginning of the US invasion of Iraq) and will include contributions from Eddie Vedder, Neil Young, Tori Amos, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, and Bright Eyes. Each of the songs was personally selected by Tomas Young. Political artist Shepard Fairey designed the cover art for the album and donated it to the project (the image on the left is Fairey’s though not the album cover, which has not yet been released).

All proceeds from the soundtrack will be donated to “Iraq Veterans Against the War” (IVAW). Visit the offical website for “Body of War” at www.bodyofwar.com to find out more about the film or pre-order the soundtrack.View the tracklisting below:

Disc 2:
“Devils & Dust” - Bruce Springsteen
“Masters Of War” (Live) - Pearl Jam
“When The President Talks To God” - Bright Eyes
“Gimme Some Truth” - John Lennon
“The Restless Consumer” - Neil Young
“Battle Hymns” - The Nightwatchman
“Anthrax” - Kimya Dawson
“WMD” - Blow Up Hollywood
“State Of The Union” - David Ford
“Yo George” - Tori Amos
“Love Vigilantes” - Laura Cantrell
“Black Rain” - Ben Harper
“To Kill The Child” - Roger Waters
“Day After Tomorrow” - Tom Waits

This has been up for a couple weeks now but it’s definitely worth a mention - continuing a trend of innovative promotion for their album Neon Bible, Arcade Fire have released an online interactive video for the track “Black Mirror” at the website http://www.rorrimkcalb.com (As the intro prompts you, you need to be patient and let it load to “100″). In addition to viewing the official video, visitors can essentially remix the song in real-time by pressing numbers on the computer keyboard which correspond with vocal and instrument tracks. There’s much more involved and it’s pretty much too cool to describe in words so check it out yourself. More from the band is also available at www.neonbible.com

One of the highlights of Bjork’s Volta (which admittedly failed to make a huge impression on these ears) is set to be released as a single on 4/14, including remixes by Mark Stent, Matthew Herbert, and Ratatat (who have recently opened for her on tour). For the collectors out there, limited edition 12-inch vinyl white labels of the “Wanderlust” single will also be available through Bjork’s official website.

After shows in Japan and China this month, Bjork is scheduled to head to the UK for a tour through April.

For more background on Bjork, here is an incredible interview from the New Yorker in 2004 during the recording of Medulla.

There’s been little definitive information about Madonna’s new album, due out 4/29, until now but Rolling Stone finally has a preview of 5 tracks and some quotes from one of its producers. Early demos that leaked of 2 songs last year suggested the album might be a giant misstep but, encouragingly, Rolling Stone says:

“Fans who worried that Madonna might be losing inspiration as she approaches fifty need not be concerned. The new album takes a few steps away from the hyper-polished future disco of Confessions toward a more urban-oriented, thumpy funk.”

SXSW (South By Southwest) organizers released the A-Z list of showcasing artists scheduled to play the Austin, TX festival taking place March 12 - 16, 2008. Among the more established names on the list of over 1,500 acts are R.E.M., My Morning Jacket, Yo La Tengo, Pharrell’s N.E.R.D, as well as lesser known favorites like Vampire Weekend, Simian Mobile Disco, and Tiny Masters of Today.

R.E.M. is likely to debut material from their new record, Accelerate, due out April 1, 2008 in the US. The first single “Supernatural Superserious” is currently streaming on their official website.