A half-dozen cool things in music, from two points of view:
Radiohead, "The King of Limbs." No matter what you think of their music, by unexpectedly self-releasing their new material as soon as they finished it, Radiohead triumphantly brought back the thrill of an actual record-release day. In a music world where every new album eventually leaks, fans of the band all heard the new songs on the same day, creating a collective buzz that was refreshing and rare.
Fleet Foxes, "Helplessness Blues." A stunning, gorgeous re-emergence for the Seattle sextet. The title track from their May 3 album is an exquisite, majestic number that soars effortlessly and leaves the listener utterly transfixed.
"Portlandia." This hilarious sketch-comedy show on IFC, written by and starring Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney) and Fred Armisen ("Saturday Night Live"), gently pokes fun at the hipster culture that pervades Portland (and most other U.S. cities). Featuring cameos by Colin Meloy, James Mercer, Corin Tucker and Aimee Mann, the show packs an indie punch as well as countless laughs.
ERIK THOMPSON, ST. LOUIS PARK
Rachelle Ferrell, Dakota. The jazz/soul/gospel vocalist extraordinaire was organic, adventurous, indulgent and in-the-moment. She sang her patter, offered tastes of songs from her upcoming album, wowed on old favorites and "My Funny Valentine," soared like Minnie Riperton and then got down like Larry Graham in the same phrase, and gave eight clubgoers a chance to vocalize with her band. By the end of the two-hour-and-20-minute set, there was only one word: Fer-nomenal.
Rebecca Black, "Friday." It may be the dumbest lyric ever but with a catchy hook and savvy marketing, this video has become the latest YouTube and iTunes phenomenon. Before she landed on "The Tonight Show," Billboard figured the 13-year-old made at least $25,000 in the week since "Friday" went viral. Duh, winning.
Ted Leo's Twitter tips, Billboard. Christina Aguilera just started tweeting last week. She and other artists could use indie rocker Leo's tips on using Twitter as a business tool: reply to fans, boost impressions and be authentic -- and loose.
JON BREAM, STAR TRIBUNE
