New Music Fridays: Eytan & The Embassy, "Weekend Warrior"

Culture Consumption: Leogun, Chaos Chaos, James Bond, And Eytan & The Embassy

Hello and welcome to Culture Consumption, my weekly look at the best of pop culture!

Song Of The Moment

Leogun, "Let's Be Friends"
I still love this song so much.

Albums Of The Week

Chaos Chaos, S
Rising from the ashes of Smoosh, sisters Asy and Chloe have left their childhood behind and created Chaos Chaos, a more mature-sounding version of their former band. This is a spacey, dancey, insanely catchy, indie-pop album that will leave you marveling at the fact that the sisters are only eighteen and twenty because this is music beyond their years. S is only five tracks, but it gives you a sense of the greatness that will come from Chaos Chaos.
Consume Now: All five tracks, but listen to the incredible "Antibiotics" first.

Various Artists, Best Of Bond... James Bond
James Bond films have always been a hit-or-miss affair for me: some have really blown me away, but some have downright sucked. The same can't be said for the music. Most of the official themes from the movies have been downright awesome, with only a clunker or two along the way (Madonna's "Die Another Day"). Last week, Capitol/EMI released this double album which collects fifty Bond songs: all twenty-two official themes (except for Adele), Louis Armstrong's excellent "We Have All The Time In The World," and twenty-seven instrumental tracks. Truthfully, except for a few, I became a little bored with the instrumentals after repeated listens, but the first disc is top-notch and full of all the songs you love by some of the biggest names in the history of music: Shirley Bassey (who actually did two Bond themes), Nancy Sinatra, Tom Jones, Paul McCartney, Carly Simon, Sheena Easton, Duran Duran, a-Ha, Gladys Knight, Tina Turner, Sheryl Crow, Garbage, Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, Alicia Keys, and Jack White.
Consume Now: Opt for the single-disc version (and skip over the Madonna track).

Eytan And The Embassy, Everything Changes
We've reviewed an Eytan And The Embassy live show and spent Seven Questions In Heaven with Eytan, so you know we're obviously fans. So what do I think of Everything Changes? Simply put, it's one of the five best albums of 2012. The songs are happy and peppy, an indie-soul-pop hybrid, and sound at times like Crowded House mixed with Elvis Costello mixed with the Beatles and backed by some Motown horns. It's a damn amazing album from start to finish.
Consume Now: The entire album. And get a copy for your best friend while you're at it.

Concert Review: Eytan & The Embassy, Knitting Factory (NYC)

I walked into a very empty Knitting Factory around 8:15 PM on Saturday night. Starting to wonder what I had been sent into, I patiently waited with my drink and notepad as the opening band played on.

Around 9, it was like someone turned on a switch: the place filled up with Brooklynites of a range of ages, all ready for some great music. One more band was on before Eytan, and while they brought some incredible energy, the crowd was buzzing as the Embassy started to take the stage. A man behind me said "they can't fill a whole hour," but something about the excitement in this crowd told me otherwise.

The first note I jotted down was "KILLER ENERGY!!!" This band turned it up to 11 immediately, and showed absolutely no signs of stopping. Somehow, they managed to find this perfect balance of a good time without being insane on stage. They got the crowd involved, keeping up a great rapport as I believe only bands playing in Brooklyn seem to be able to do.

Seven Questions In Heaven With Eytan And The Embassy

At the end of June, we featured Eytan And The Embassy's "Everything Changes" as our Song Of The Day. Today, we're spending Seven Questions In Heaven with front man Eytan Oren.

Describe your music for our readers who may not be familiar with you.
It's a mashup of indie, pop, and soul music. We get inspiration from a lot of '60s and '70s music but I'd say it also sounds pretty modern.

Who are your musical influences and idols?
Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Brian Wilson, Otis Redding, Radiohead, The National, Springsteen, The Strokes, Amy Winehouse, Elliott Smith, and T. Rex are a few of our favorites.

What was the first album, cassette, or CD you bought with your own money?
Probably something super embarrassing like C+C Music Factory. You know those cool kids with an older sister in college that gets them into Pavement and Dinosaur Jr. when they're seven? I wasn't one of those kids. I was into terrible Top 40 music but also the classic rock that my parents listened to.

Eytan And The Embassy, "Everything Changes"

From 2012, here's Eytan And The Embassy with "Everything Changes."

Enjoy!