I attended a screening of Notorious (Fox Searchlight), the Notorious B.I.G. biopic out Jan. 16, the other night. Newcomer Jamal Woolard does the best he can do portraying this hip-hop icon, but the film (directed by George Tillman, Jr.) falls flat in many ways. Read my “First Look” for the LA Weekly here.

LA’s Anavan has a new record out, Cover Story (Slanty Shanty), that offers up some pretty irresistible electro-dance-punk. The band has a more precise sound than many of their Smell-affiliated cohorts, but that’s part of their charm. Read my review here.

Oh, Ween, you’re so awesome. Remember back in the early ’90s, when you weren’t an epic touring band, instead playing your inside-joke songs onstage with a DAT machine? If you don’t, read my review of their new live CD/DVD set, At the Cat’s Cradle 1992 (MVD Audio), here.

Some ex-Blood Brothers are now Past Lives, and their debut EP, Strange Symmetry (Suicide Squeeze) shows the depth and creativity they honed over the past few years with a solid centerpiece of melody. Punky screamo, sure, but it works. Read my review here.

Shitty sound, but here you go:

Let’s get bored together. Read why Thievery Corporation inspires snooze here.

The Rapture’s newest album was not a studio-produced session, but instead a mix CD – part of the K7 collection. Tapes interestingly explores various elements of hip-hop, disco, and house, showcasing the many influences on the band’s original work. Read my review here.

Secret Machines released their new self-titled album a few months ago, after their relationship with Warner Brothers disintegrated. What could have been a fresh start for the band turned out to be a rather boring misstep. Read my review of the new album here.

But it is Christmas, and you know how much musicians like to cover Christmas songs. The Machines’ Brandon Curtis, helped out by a vocalist named Tamaryn (with an EP coming out on Troubleman), has covered the classic “Silent Night,” available for download from their website. You can make a donation, if you wish, which will benefit Safe Horizon, a children’s charity.

“We originally released it in 2006 as a little Christmas gift of our own, on MySpace,” says Curtis. “Tamaryn and I were both performing in New York at the time, and we were looking for an opportunity to work
together on some music. It was December and we were confined by the cold, confined by the holidays, and confined by our own disillusionment.” In other words, happy holidays.

Do yourself some good and check out this excellent new album from the Calgary-based band Women, produced by Chad VanGaalen. Read all about it right here.

I have a couple of articles running in this week’s SF Weekly. First up is my second review of the excellent new Wilderness album, (K)no(w)here (Jagjaguwar). Second, I tackled the shockingly controversial subject of electronic artists like Matthew Dear deciding to go on tour with live backing bands! Read at your own risk!