Lily Allen

British import Lily Allen visits the show this week. Tune in to sample her sweet and salty musical concoction and hear how she went from MySpace.com to a full-blown American invasion.

Lily Allen
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Many recent news stories have been about the music industry struggling to change its current paradigm. This week is no exception. With the rise of digital music distribution, the need to pay money for a hard disc no longer seems so great. So, the question is: how will musicians continue to make money? Tim Fite's answer is, "I won't." The Anti- recording artist has decided to make his latest album, Over the Counter Culture, available for free on his website. Jim and Greg talk to the musician, who can be described as an intersection between De La Soul, Beck and the folk singers of O Brother Where Art Thou, about his decision not to use his label's resources. Fite explains that the album is anti-commerce, so the album's distribution had to be as well. While Anti- probably hopes this freebie will fuel future for-pay-albums, Fite hopes this model can survive in the future.

Lily Allen

British import Lily Allen is Jim and Greg's guest this week. The hosts have been fans of the 21-year-old for over a year, however her album Alright, Still, was just released in the U.S. While Lily is now launching a full-blown American invasion with major label backing and major press and appearances, she started with more humble means. The singer/songwriter initially drew buzz after posting some songs on her MySpace.com page.

While her career is grassroots, Lily's upbringing still has star power. Her father is British comedian and personality Keith Allen, and she spent many of her family vacations with Uncle Joe. (That's Joe Strummer to you and me). In fact, the singer can boast that she has performed at Wembley with The Clash before she was old enough to buy herself a pint.

Jim and Greg are drawn to Lily's sound, which is a pastiche of pop, reggae, ska and even a bit of '60s "space-age bachelor pad" music. But, it's her lyrics that really "slay" them. Lily writes about everything from an average life in London to a failed relationship with a great deal of honesty, humor, and most of all, attitude. Listen to her performances of hits "LDN" and "Smile," and check out these exclusive bonus tracks.

Cê Caetano Veloso

Ce

Legendary Brazilian composer Caetano Veloso has a new album out this week called Cê. Veloso first emerged as a member of the Tropicália movement in Brazil in the 1960s. Now he's back with his 40th album, but is proving to be as experimental as ever. Cê is Veloso's version of a rock album; He is backed by musicians three generations his junior, and his son is the album's co-producer. While neither Jim nor Greg speak Portuguese, both critics are impressed with the lyrics' translations. Jim, however, does not think this is a success from beginning to end. Greg, on the other hand, doesn't think Veloso has ever sounded better. He finds the artist to be improving with age. Therefore, Cê gets a split vote of Burn It and Buy It.

00:45:30 Review: Peter Bjorn and John

Writer's Block

Next the critics give their opinions on Writer’s Block, the third album from Swedish pop group Peter Bjorn and John. The trio has gotten a lot of great reviews and even some mainstream buzz due to the inclusion of their song, "Young Folks," on Grey’s Anatomy. (Unfortunately the biggest Grey's breakout thus far has been The Fray). "Young Folks" features former Concretes singer Victoria Bergsman, but it's the 00:45:01 whistle and the bass line that are the real stars for Jim and Greg. Both Jim and Greg love the pop songs on this record, which are full of eclectic touches and catchy hooks, and give it a Buy It.

Jim

Jim's Desert Island Jukebox pick is an act of punk rebellion. One of his favorite singles, "Everybody’s Happy Nowadays" by The Buzzcocks, has been co-opted by AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) for their recent ad campaign. AARP has been trying hard to attract younger people, but they seem to have missed the point of the song. It's an ironic statement on how crummy life can be, rather than a celebration of getting older and retiring. In an effort to reclaim this great track, Jim steals it away to his deserted island.

Dear Listeners,

For more than 15 years, Sound Opinions was a production of WBEZ, Chicago's public radio station. Now that the show is independent, we're inviting you to join the band and lend a hand! We need your support more than ever because now we have to do all the behind-the-scenes work that WBEZ handled before (like buying insurance and paying for podcast hosting, ugh). Plus, we have some exciting ideas we'd like to try now that there's no one to tell us no!

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