Zachary Dinerstein

All songs considered concert series. One of the best things to recently come out of NPR!

If you blanketed the ground with various sized snares, kick drums and cymbals and then, for some reason, a torrential downpour of drumsticks fell from the sky, you’d end up with a sound close to the brain-melting classical spaz of Venetian Snares. 90 hits-per-second. Blissfully random. Over-achieving techno; like shot of heroin to your cerebral cortex.

There has never been a cuter video than this. The end. Somebody shut down the internet.
-ZD

What is it, you ask? Nervous Brits rocking Ukulele! The Proms, a buttoned-up classical concert series in London, loosened its collective bow tie as The Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain (real name) plucked this Talking Heads punk classic. If, before playing, the band had introduced the song using a robotic beat piped from an 80s-style silver boombox, we’d have swooned. As it is, we’re still in love. -ZD

Hi Everyone,

Check out the newest episode of Feedback The Podcast featuring Ava Luna — the greatest glitch-punk, doo-wop scrambling, soul revivalists in New York City!

The seven-piece Coney Island band — who was crowned one of L Magazine’s “8 Bands You Need To Hear” in 2010 — inhales inspiration from sources as geeky as En Vogue and as modern as Flying Lotus. The result — a wholly original, Dirty-Projectors-style amalgamation of sensual sounds, searing aggression and shivering rhythms.

To listen to the podcast, CLICK HERE.

Enjoy!

-ZD

I believe the technical term for this style of playing is “Amaze-balls.” This guy can shred, and on the cutest instrument Hawaii’s ever imported. Jake Shimabukuro, the prodigious player, said in a TIME Magazine interview, “The words professional and ukulele player are kind of an oxymoron.” He’s making a convincing case against that notion.

Enjoy!

-ZD

The captivating weirdness of Grizzly Bear’s videos.

From manga-eyed robots discovering religion to a fencing student caught in a twisted Wes Anderson montage, to claymation swamp monsters.

Enjoy!

This week, Vampire Weekend released the first video off their forthcoming album Contra, due out on Jan 12th. The video is for Cousins, a bouncy punk track that’s corresponding visual, shot completely on shaky rails, is fittingly jumpy. The video features one street morphing through minute changes while band members — keeping with abstract video tradition — punctuate lyrics with smart and funny arthouse props and jump-cut body mods. After a single view, there’s at least one stunning visual trick that smacks of MTV’s best 80s experimentalism (you’ll know it when you see it).

With tight, urban compositions that sample a myriad of global musical languages, all while maintaining a sharp sense of humor — especially in their videos — VW are modern heirs to the Talking Heads, shouldering preppy-art-rock into the aught-tens. But don’t take my word for it — ask David Byrne.

Enjoy :-)

Jimmy Kimmel rips off Auto-Tune The News. The former co-host of Win Ben Stein’s Money steps down another rung on the slippery ladder of shame and injustice.

With trumpets blaring I’m proud to announce the brand-new track “Coal Dust” from Brooklyn’s own freak-folk siren Alex Drewchin!

Produced by myself at Williamsburg’s Shabby Road Studio, the song features the superb bowing of cellist Emily Hope Price and Carman Staff’s hauntingly-sweet accordion. A special thank you to Jesse Lauter for his nuanced mastering expertise.

Alex Drewchin “Coal Dust”

For a free download, click on the arrow to the right of the player.

Thanks for listening!

~ZD