If you’ve spent any significant time ’round these parts, you’d know I’m fond of a certain trans-sexual folk/country singer from Calgary by the name of Rae Spoon.  Bryan from Herohill tipped me off to a fantastic collaboration Spoon has done with multi-media artist Alexandre Decoupigny that blends Spoon’s folk sounds with a more European back beat.  The project is called What Are You Waiting For? (Worauf Wartest Du?), and is based on teh desires and dreams of those standing on the platform waiting for German subways.  Hey, if Sufjan Stevens can write a symphony for an expressway, I don’t see why this can’t work.  And it does, beautifully.

MP3: Rae Spoon and Alex Decoupigny “U Bahn”
Myspace: Rae Spoon

Long time no Contrast Podcast info ’round these parts, too, so I thought you might be interested in their theme this week:  Mondegreen.  Yes, you heard me right (bonus points for knowing what it actually means before you go and check it out).

Podcast: Contrast Podcast 186 Mondegreen

Not that I claim to be a big fan of The Rakes, but I was saddened to hear of teh band’s untimely demise this week, especially in light of the fact they’re about to release their third LP ’round these parts on Tuesday.  Klang has been out in the UK since March, but I really didn’t get any info about it until just recently.  I really liked their 2007 LP, Ten New Messages, and the way they could blend the angular post-rock sounds of Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand with a decidedly stylish flair for catchy melodies.  Another one bites the dust, I suppose.

MP3: The Rakes “That’s The Reason” (from Klang, 2009)
MP3: The Rakes “The World Was a Mess But His Hair Was Perfect” (from Ten New Mesages, 2009)
Myspace: The Rakes