It’s not hard to be a fan of Scarlett Johansson’s …music. She is ridiculously hot sings ok sometimes and other times, not so much. Having read about her collaboration with middle of the road-er Pete Yorn a few months back, I was more puzzled than amused, since Johansson has actually exhibited pretty damn good tastes. But the first single from their Break UP record is actually kind of a toe-tapper. Even if you close your eyes.

At a stop in Kentucky yesterday, Cursive played a free in-store at CD Central. Stripping down to acoustic guitar, Tim Kasher pulled out an obscure Cure cover with “The Lovecats” off The Cure’s stop-gap compilation Japanese Whispers from 1983. It’s kind of a shitty recording, but the cover is amusing, if you happen to like Cursive and The Cure. Kasher’s vocal ticks have often betrayed more than a mere fondness for Robert Smith’s idiosyncratic wail. [mp3 via You Ain’t No Picasso]

Cursive – The Lovecats.mp3

With a name which possibly references a Broadcast song, San Francisco’s Papercuts play a dreamy retro sort of mellow pop “touching on ’80s/’90s Creation and 4AD records, The Zombies, 60’s French pop.” Works for me. (via Stereogab / Aquarius Records)

Pretty amazing early days interview with Duran Duran. A film crew just randomly spotted the then unknown band in the midst of a photo shoot promoting its debut LP and stopped for a quick interview. The band sounds very earnest about its quest for mainstream dominance. Andy Taylor even goes so far as to proclaim – with a straight face – that the band doesn’t drink or do drugs, while Simon Le Bon and John Taylor can barely keep their laughter stifled. The interview is evidently a secret bonus feature of the DVD Listen to London, which chronicles the “UK Post Punk Indy Rebellion” in 1981.

I’m rather curious about the timing of The Antlers review that showed up on Pitchfork on August 4th, 2009. Seems like a hell of a delay considering Drawer B posted about them in January after reading about them on Music for Kids Who Can’t Read Good, and even NPR did a feature in March ’09.

I don’t make a habit of reading Pitchfork, but aren’t they typically way ahead of the curve? What gives? I mean, it’s great that they gave it an 8.5, but why’d it take so long?

Just curious.

Solved: Originally self-released, Hospice will be re-released in a remastered format by Frenchkiss on August 18

When he’s not playing ping-pong in leisure attire with bulbous women adorning his side, Julian Plenti has time to cavort around with Metric’s Emily Haines in this cinematic video for “Games for Days” off Julian Plenti Is…Skyscraper, which hit stores this past Tuesday via Matador.

The song is available from Radiohead and proceeds support the British Legion.