Thank heavens Portlandia returns tonight with new a brand new season.
As many of you know, Fred and Carrie churn out one of the cleverest sketch shows on the scene. For those who haven’t yet visited Portlandia, grab your bike, catch up and catch on. 
New and improved formula now includes chunks of Eddie Vedder. Yum. 
Who watched the premiere of Oprah’s Next Chapter last night? Oprah visited Steven Tyler at his Sunapee, New Hampshire home and more often than not it was awkward and uncomfortable. First, Oprah showed up with two huge buckets full of hydrangeas “she cut herself from her garden,” as a totally random gift for the singer. Without their personal assistants to wrangle the flowers, Oprah and Steven dithered indecisively over where to set them down until eventually plopping them down next to a tree.
In case you didn’t know, Steven Tyler randomly bursts into song without provocation. Regular Oprah Winfrey Show watchers remember how embarrassing Oprah gets in the midst of live music. The two of them together made for some weird moments over the first hour. Tyler intermittently released guttural screeches, and in response Oprah froze in an uncomfortable smile, not sure of whether to do her usual pretend lip synch routine, laugh, or gaze on in admiration. 
Even though it was laced with uneasiness, we learned a few things about Steven Tyler from the interview. He believes the rest of Aerosmith envies him – a phenomenon his describes as LSD – Lead Singer Disorder. Tyler literally thinks he’s magic and proclaims he always knew he would be a famous rockstar, informing his mother of the fact as a child. In a nutshell, he totally buys into his own delusions of grandeur. As Steven pontificated on his many gifts, a wash of recognition came over Oprah as she realized he sounded like a self-aggrandizing asshole. Did the queen of self-reflection consider whether she came off equally as pompous when talking about herself? This remains to be seen. 
Later in the interview, during a ride in his antique car, Steven clasped Oprah’s hand and said, “I’m so lonely in life. I have no friends like you. I’m alone. I’m alone.” Oprah responded, “Now you’re not, cause now we will be friends.” How can you be friends with a self-important, insufferable asshole who believes musical talent and a lot of good luck makes you a superior species? And I say that with a total fondness for the delightful kooky genius that is Steven Tyler. 
During the last twenty minutes of the 2 hour program, Tyler’s new fiancé Erin Brady joined the interview. In an unexpected turn, I kinda like her.
Industry gossips say Oprah and the pockets behind the struggling network were hoping Next Chapter would improve the ratings and begin to turn things around at OWN. While the interviews may perform decently in the ratings, this is not Oprah at her best. And I don’t think I’m the first to wonder if much like Madonna, her best days are done. 
12 Drummers Drumming
11 Pipers Piping
10 Lords a-Leaping
9 Ladies Dancing
8 Maids a-Milking
7 Swans a-Swimming
6 Geese a-laying
5 Golden Rings
4 Calling Birds
3 French Hens
2 Turtle Doves
and a partridge in a pear tree.
Hey music muffins. Last night was all about Lykke Li and the Swedish Star didn’t disappoint. She made us wait, but when she arrived on a sparse stage with white lights and super long black curtains, she served up the best of her 2 album catalog.
What she wore? Proving once again bodycon is dead, she appeared in a very interesting get-up indeed. Mizz Li werked some kind of black pants (possibly a bodysuit?) with some flowy, scarvy type action. There might have been a robe involved. See below. Very Stockholm. This totally modern choice kept the focus on the music. The hair? Ombre bitches.
The music was fantastic. We had some serious bass moments, a dance break, some Kanye, and even a little Righteous Brothers. She kept the energy up through the relatively short set and took off like a whirling dervish prior to breaking for the encore. 
Lykke Li proved again her vocal nuance is no studio magic. This girl can sing and she does so in an original, creative, and self-restrained way. Her cover of Unchained Melody was enchanting perfection, and that song usually kind of annoys me.
This week I had the pleasure of visiting two of my very favorite people in one of the world’s most enjoyable cities for the Portishead show. No, we did not stumble into a portal which transported us back to 1994. Before we arrived, one of the crew asked what the crowd would be like. “Old,” I replied. Lest we forget that 1994 was 17 unforgiving years ago.
Truthfully, I haven’t listened to much of Third, Portishead’s most recent record from oh-eight. During a certain moment in time, however, I wore Dummy out. In the mid-nineties, ubiquitous Dummy was in everyone’s collection, at least in my drugged-up slutty circles. Is there anything druggier or sluttier than Portishead? Sour Times for Good Times.
Turns out, Portishead live is a deeply conflicting experience. Apart from some short-lived glitchy sound issues, the selections from Dummy were sublime. In particular, Wandering Star was a well-executed highlight. 
With regret I must confess I did not connect to their newer more “experimental” offerings. At their worst, Portishead sounded like the off-key bastard child of Sonic Youth and Evanescence. It was two songs worth of misery interrupted by an old familiar fave followed by more loud pain. The contrast was jarring. The crowd was especially limp and unresponsive to the less familiar material as is usually the case, but in this instance magnified. One review described the audience as “rapt,” which really wasn’t an accurate reading of my area of the room. Curious about the set list? Silence, Hunter, Mysterons, The Rip, Sour Times, Magic Doors, Wandering Star, Machine Gun, Over, Glory Box, Chase the Tear, Cowboys, Threads, with an encore: Roads, We Carry On.
During Glory Box my friend leaned forward and yelled in my ear, “Oh yeah, this is that song from The Craft. I totally feel like I’m being sexually assaulted in the woods by Skeet Ulrich.” And that pretty much sums up the experience.
Hate to kick it off with such an obvious recommendation, but do consider Jay-Z and Kanye’s Watch the Throne. Never thought these two massive egos could fit comfortably on one collaborative effort, but somehow they managed to pull it off. The album ain’t half bad. Not as great as Twisted, but also not a complete waste of time.
The Rapture shows progress on In the Grace of Your Love without abandoning their clangy roots. This collection of songs is a little more mature and melodic than previous offerings, but still full of energetic fun. Good thing we got something new from The Rapture because now every time I hear Echos I can’t help thinking of Misfits (the awesome show, not the band).
Mz. Anderson’s Past Life Martyred Saints is every bit as bueno as the critics say. Won’t bore you with a gush, but getcha some of this goodness for sure.
