In 1957 the Ruskies launched Sputnik 1 into the stratosphere and America said "Dammit, why didn't we do that first?" And thus, the space race was on.
You can't always be the only kid on the block to get that shiny new toy, and in the Internet world, that's doubly true. Chances are somebody's done it—whatever it is—before, so you might as well acknowledge it and move forward. That's the idea behind the Cosmonaut Dispatches. Here you'll find everything that makes us at Ground Control slightly bitter at the thought that we didn't come up with it. Look for rad music videos and interview footage, gadgets and games, pretty much anything that will make your musical life better.
This week's dispatch concerns French weblog La Blogotheque's The Take-Away Shows. Shot in one take in urban environments, the Take-Away Shows put bands on the spot, making them play with whatever they have, improvising along the way. The latest episode features Brooklynites (by way of Cincinnati, Ohio) The National playing two tracks from their upcoming album Boxer, out on Beggars Banquet on May 22nd. The video (below) for “Start a War” features the band and friends gathered around the dinner table, playing guitars, chopsticks, wine glasses, and even the table itself. The Take-Away Shows—which were created by Chryde and Vincent Moon, and are directed by the latter—spend the first week of their lives available to the public in HD, then live on as podcasts and in the world of streaming video. Check out the site for more performances from bands like the Cold War Kids, I’m From Barcelona, Islands, Jens Lenkman, Okkervil River, Xiu Xiu and Mojave 3.
For more, visit www.blogotheque.net/takeawayshows. In the meantime, watch the two videos from The Take-Away Show #40, featuring The National.
