Not only is Tune Yards selling Bell House out these days, but Merrill’s adoring fans knew all the words and sang along without being asked. Merrill was in a great form, and the bass guitar is a nice addition.

If you haven’t watched my Secret Garden session with Tune Yards, watch it here.

Look out for Ana Lola Roman! She’s like the punk-rock*, real life version of Uma Thurman’s character in Pulp Fiction. She even dances like her. It was a little difficult to get a good sense of the overall aesthetic from her set at Don Pedro’s last night (presented by Impose Magazine’s Test Patterns series); lots of texture was coming from pre-recorded sound bytes off her laptop, she was playing her synth, and she had a drummer. Noticeable right away, though, is that she’s very much a performer, doesn’t care too much about her tight pants hanging too low, and has an incredible voice. Being the simpleton that I am, I’d really like her to sing with just a good old piano at some point; her voice shouldn’t have to  hide underneath all that other noise, but then she’s the real life version of Uma Thurman’s character in Pulp Fiction, so I’m sure she enjoys the chaos.

*I use this term to loosely define a lifestyle.

Download Untitled, Track 2 (off Naturally More Molatov)
by Ana Lola Roman (via Impose, with permission)

As soon as I read Development As Freedom, I decided Amartya Sen was one of my heroes. And since the chances of me getting more stupid every year is extremely high, I’ve taken to the idea of re-reading it each year as a way to provide much-needed nourishment to my brain; but most of all, to continue to make sense. Its vision is so complete, simple, free of controversy and politics, appealing to the best of human nature, and rational without compromising on ethics that if it ever replaced the bible (it’s my bible), I’d expect the world to explode of over-perfection. Needless to say, I cannot wait to get to his new book, The Idea of Justice, which Sylvia Nasar introduced as a lifetime’s work (she modestly introduced herself as a “journalist” but she’s also the author of John Forbes Nash’s biography, A Beautiful Mind).

The talk took place at Old St. Patrick’s Youth Center and moved back to McNally Jackson book store for signing. It was filmed for C-SPAN so hopefully the video will be available soon. Lots of photos included here.

Sylvia Nasar

Kristian Matsson / The Tallest Man on Earth. Photo: Sarahana

The Tallest Man on Earth’s next album will be The Wild Hunt, and he’s switched labels to Dead Oceans. The album is set for an April 13 release in the US. Everyone’s live favorite “King of Spain” (below) is the first listen we’re getting from it; as you might’ve expected,  it’s pretty true to the live version. He also played a song called “The Wild Hunt” at the last few New York shows. Can’t wait to hear the rest!

Download “King of Spain” (album version)
Download lots of other Tallest Man goodies on this site.

The Tallest Man on Earth, The Wild Hunt album artwork

I know, it sounds like a joke.

Those who don’t believe in buying music won’t care for artist information. Maybe severe punishment can discourage them from pirating but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will start buying. And given that internet has become a basic commodity (so closely tied to access to information, communication channels, education), shutting down internet connections and banning users from getting one is a morally corrupt idea. It’s the internet equivalent of capital punishment.

Not everyone has the time to scour the web for new music. Finding and downloading MP3’s and getting around to listening is a lot of work for most people (even I, as a semi-music-blogger, find it too tiresome to keep up). Good-hearted enthusiasts are exceptions, but they can’t possibly pay for every band they discover (if the choice is between paying for every band and forgoing a few bands, by necessity they’ll have to forgo a few bands). The real untapped money is with the majority who are willing to pay for new music but who aren’t invested enough to discover proactively. First of all, they’re quite content with their old collection and aren’t desperate for newness, which means they’re a bit passive. They are likely to skip music blogs and  just listen to NPR and KCRW because new music curated by a credible tastemaker whose taste they already trust is a huge convenience. This is why “Best of year” lists on Lala or Hype Machine can potentially affect sales positively, and why something like Hype Machine needs to be legally protected (it makes sense out of clutter).

So in the absence of real authoritative voices, how can we make discovery a pleasant and convenient experience for this relatively passive group with spending money? That’s the real challenge.

Maybe the industry needs to back outlets that stream (in full) strongly curated playlists; collaborate with and support innovators on the web instead of seeing every one of them as a threat. We already know that handing out free music like it’s Christmas only gets you so far, and locking it up like it’s treasure will only make it less accessible. Maybe there can be promotions that let users stream an entire album a few days before it actually comes out.

Don’t neglect record player owners; they are invested collectors. One great potential for music sale is when it functions as a gift, so maybe there’s a way to make it more gift-able.

The real profit is in digital, however, so don’t make syncing to our different devices and computers such a pain in the neck. I know storage is moving to the web, so maybe this problem will fix itself over time.

Don’t underestimate the enthusiasts. They are often more effective than publicists.

And if added incentive is what’s missing, then it needs to be a meaningful incentive: maybe a ticket to an exclusive show or a unique password to a pre-sale;  maybe quality bootlegs and/or demos or extra “song credits” (or “points”) with every purchase.

A very high percentage of blogging encourages the purchase of something. Makes you think the “Buy Nothing Day” sentiment is out of place; the new sentiment is definitely buy something, but buy it from the right people. Slavoj Zizek’s website tells you to buy his books. So does Naomi Klein’s. And they’re both anti-capitalism. Going by the trends of a very young 2010, people are gonna have to start paying for New York Times online, to watch “Modern Family” on Hulu, for the music they listen to (for real), and so on, because people spend their lives creating meaningful or beautiful things and the only way to reward them is to purchase their work. Sigh. So shop this weekend heartily with an open wallet while this philosophical quandary remains unresolved:

Lomography Gallery Store NYC’s 1 Year Anniversary Sample Sale

Over the year we’ve accumulated some stock from press samples, returns where the packaging is slightly imperfect, or a few floating cameras or accessories that seem to have lost their packages all together. So for 2 DAYS ONLY we’re offering them to you at insane discounts! Save a whopping 15% to 50% off on that camera, lens, bag, t-shirt, book, or accessory you’ve been coveting! Get a Diana F+ for as low as $47.50, or a Horizon Perfekt for $75 off! This is the sale of year, folks, we’re not kidding!

Housing Works Bookstore kicks off an all-day geek sale that runs through Jan 29.

Housing Works Bookstore Cafe kicks off the new year in a nerdy way with our Geektacular Sale January 23-29. For seven full days, score with huge discounts on our already-low prices. Peruse our fantastic selection of records and comic books, which are 5 for $1. Science fiction books and CDs are geektacular too, and marked down 30% for the sale.