A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, August 3: Levon Helm (original air date July 9)
Tuesday, August 4: Kelly Clarkson (July 13)
Thursday, August 6: St. Vincent (pictured, photo by Annie Clark, June 24)
Friday, August 7: Anthony Hamilton (February 11)

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, NBC
Monday, August 3: Gomez
Tuesday, August 4: All-American Rejects
Thursday, August 6: the Jonas Brothers
Friday, August 7: Flo Rida

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS
Thursday, August 6: Glasvegas
Friday, August 7: Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, NBC
Monday, August 3: Incubus
Tuesday, August 4: Arctic Monkeys
Friday, August 7: Julian Plenti

Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC
Tuesday, August 4: the Script
Wednesday, August 5: Miike Snow

Last Call with Carson Daly, NBC
Monday, August 3: Brett Dennen (rerun, April 23)
Tuesday, August 4: White Lies (April 24)
Wednesday, August 5: Lily Allen (May 5)
Thursday, August 6: Ida Maria (June 24)
Friday, August 7: Bobby Ray (May 6)

Saturday Night Live, NBC
Saturday, August 8: Fleet Foxes (rerun, January 17)

For those who missed it, here’s Regina Spektor performing “Laughing With” on Conan last Thursday, from her new album, far.

A weekly bulletin on musical guests playing late night TV; set your TIVOs or DVRs if you’ve got an early bedtime.

The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS
Monday, July 27: Dave Matthews Band
Tuesday, July 28: Silversun Pickups
Wednesday, July 29: Elbow (The British alt rockers are currently on tour with Coldplay.)
Thursday, July 30: Cage the Elephant (They don’t have a new album out since their 2008 self-titled debut, but they did play a much-talked-about set at Bonnaroo.)
Friday, July 31: Dave Matthews Band (Two nights of DMB on Letterman. Woo fucking hoo!)

The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, NBC
Monday, July 27: the Fray
Thursday, July 30: Regina Spektor (Check out my review of her new album and two of her new videos here.)
Friday, July 31: Ben Harper & Relentless7

Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, CBS
Monday, July 27: Gavin DeGraw
Wednesday, July 29: Rodney Carrington
Thursday, July 30: Franz Ferdinand

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, NBC
Monday, July 27: Spinal Tap (pictured)
Tuesday, July 28: Sean “Diddy” Combs (Likely promoting his brand and his latest MTV band search show, Making His Band, which premieres on July 27)
Wednesday, July 29: Passion Pit
Thursday, July 30: Jarvis Cocker
Friday, July 31: Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Kimmel Live, ABC
Monday, July 27: Sean Patrick McGraw (rerun, June 14)
Wednesday, July 29: the Sounds
Thursday, July 30: Jack’s Mannequin
Friday, July 31: Diane Birch

Last Call with Carson Daly, NBC
Monday, July 27: Adele (rerun, April 14)
Tuesday, July 28: the Duke Spirit (April 15)
Wednesday, July 29: Lykke Li (April 16)
Thursday, July 30: Ben Harper & Relentless7
Friday, July 31: Crystal Antlers (April 22)

Saturday Night Live, NBC
Saturday, August 1: Phoenix (rerun, April 4)

For those who missed it, here’s a double-shot of late night tastiness from last week: UK 80’s retro throwback group La Roux performing “Bulletproof” on Jimmy Kimmel Live, and from Late Night with David Letterman, Ginuwine featuring special guest Missy Elliott doing “Get Involved.” Is it me or does it look like Elliot is lip-synching?

It’s been three years since Soviet-American songstress Regina Spektor first enchanted us with the soul-pop perfection of Begin to Hope and proved herself a storyteller with a keen sense of detail and drama, a confident singer with a broad vocal range — from high and pure to low and sensual — and a poet with a unique use of words and an alluring inflection, not as if English were her second language, but as if she’s established a whole new charming style of speaking.

The follow-up and Spektor’s fifth studio album doesn’t quite attain the catchy ease of its predecessor, but far (Sire Records) carries its own abundance of appeal.

In the bouncy opening track, “The Calculation,” Spektor playfully ponders the mathematical equation of love and the surprising fury of its burn while in “Folding Chair,” she enjoys a casual day at the beach with her sweetheart and daydreams of domestic bliss (“Let’s get a silver bullet trailer, and have a baby boy / I’ll safety pin his clothes all cool and you’ll graffiti up his toys”). “The Wallet” shows her way of making the mundane seem remarkable with a touching ballad about finding someone’s lost wallet, and she combines quiet, abstract contemplation with grandiose stretches of piano and rhythmic flourishes in the melancholy yet somehow uplifting “Eet.” (Video after the jump)

Spektor hasn’t lost her knack for taking life’s darknesses lightly, bringing wit and irony to far’s much-discussed humor-free first single, “Laughing With,” where she points out all those times when people aren’t laughing at God (in a hospital, in a war, when they’re starving or freezing or so very poor, etc.). “But God can be funny,” Spektor implores, “At a cocktail party while listening to a good God-themed joke / Or when the crazies say he hates us and they get so red in the head you think that they’re about to choke … God can be funny / When told he’ll give you money if you just pray the right way / And when presented like a genie / Who does magic like Houdini / Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus / God can be so hilarious / Ha ha / Ha ha.”

But she excels most when she gets quirkiest, like in “Machine,” the electro-fied sinister satire on technology and the future-present we live in, or in “Two Birds,” a Eno-esque pop ditty that uses two birds on a wire as a metaphor for trust, with moments of utter beauty interrupted by warm bursts of fat tuba. Those bursts are incorporated into the rhythm of the subsequent club-worthy dance number, “Dance Anthem of the 80’s,” and are paired with programmed beat-boxing and Spektor’s cadenced delivery and unorthodox enunciation.

The NYC-based songwriter collaborated in with four separate producers to craft far, but Spektor’s own vision is never tainted, and the album’s weaknesses are those moments when she gets earnest and slow and sad, and while she does it well and with heartfelt sincerity, it makes the album’s ups and downs more than a little jarring.

“Laughing With”

“Eet”

Random news bites from the last several days (excluding anything about Michael Jackson … well, mostly).

Regina Spektor’s new album, far, debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 this week and the lovely Russian-born songstress is scheduled to perform on Late Night with Conan O’Brien on Thursday, July 30. Slipping to the No. 2 spot this week are the Jonas Brothers with Vines And Trying Times, which held last week’s No. 1 position. Black Eyed Peas have moved to the top of the charts with The E.N.D. And in case you BEP fans were worried, the title doesn’t foreshadow the band’s immenint break-up, but stands for “The Energy Never Dies.” Clever.

Seattle grunge metal makers Alice in Chains have confirmed the dates of their upcoming world tour, sans lead voice Layne Staley, who, if you recall, faded away into reclusivity before he speedballed to his death in 2002. The tour supports the band’s first new studio release in more than 10 years, Black Gives Way to Blue (in stores September 29). The first single, “A Looking View,” is currently streaming on their MySpace page and definitely has the feel of classic Alice in Chains, complete with the hard-meets-soft harmonies by vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrel and Staley replacement, vocalist/guitarist William Duvall. Here’s a statement the band released about the new song: “The song basically speaks to any number of things that keep you balled up inside. A cell of our own making with an unlocked door that we choose to remain in. Focusing our attention inward instead of reaching out to a much larger world. I think this is common to us all. It’s funny how hard we fight to hang on to a bone we can’t pull through a hole in the fence, or how difficult it is to put down the bag of bricks and move on.” Current confirmed U.S. stops include Detroit, DC, Chicago, NYC, Milwaukee, Portland and San Francisco. No telling whether the tour will bring them to Florida.

San Francisco indie rock duo The Dodos (pictured) are set to release their third album, Time To Die, via Frenchkiss on September 15. Produced by Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Fleet Foxes, The Shins), the album is marked by the band’s key instrumental elements — the energetic percussion of Logan Kroeber and the finger-picking acoustic guitar work of frontman Meric Long — with extra texture created by Keaton Snyder on vibraphone. The Dodos will embark hit the road this September and October, making stops in Tallahassee on Tuesday, October 6 at the Club Downunder, and in Atlanta Wednesday, October 7 at The Earl.

American-Australian multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter John Butler has returned with an all-new trio and a forthcoming album featuring the fresh lineup, which includes two Aussie natives: drummer/percusionist Nicky Bomba and bass player Byron Luiters. The John Butler Trio is not coming to a venue anywhere near you, but watch out for the new album. Butler’s a pretty great songsmith.

Jeff Tweedy has always gotten under my skin. As much as I like Wilco’s music, the frontman makes headlines far too often for some asshole maneuver — like when he punched an over-rowdy fans in the face when a simple “Get the fuck off my stage” would’ve sufficed — and he oftentimes comes off as a total dick and says mean things he can’t take back. The latest was the sort of stereotypical ugliness you’d expect towards the hippies of San Francisco. After his son Spencer went shopping in Berkeley and returned dressed head-to-toe in tie-dye, Tweedy reportedly cried, “Look what you’ve done to my son, you dirty hippies!” Then, to his son, he yelled, “Now go take a bath.” What a classy guy!

All right, I know I promised no Michael Jackson news, but I just had to share this little tidbit: Jermaine Jackson, Michael’s far less successful older bro, has followed the path of the rest of the family and made a statement. “”He went too soon. I don’t know how people are going to take this, but I wish it was me.” What I want to know is, when did Jermaine lose his sense of self-worth? Poor guy.

VINYL:

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO – Dark Side Of The Black Moon: What Planet Are We On?
More proggy psych from Acid Mothers Temple — mixes Pink Floyd with fuzzy wah guitars and cosmic sounds. Double LP includes an exclusive bonus D-side track.

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone

Dinosaur Jr. - Farm
Double LP comes in beautiful litho-wrapped gatefold jackets and includes MP3 download.

Earth - Radio Live
Vinyl only release. Radio Live is comprised of two tracks from a live radio broadcast on KFJC (12/31/07) and two tracks from a live performance in Vienna on their 2008 European tour.

God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl
After the success of Belle And Sebastian’s most recent album, The Life Pursuit, band leader/singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch decided to pursue the writing of a rock musical scored for female singers. After auditioning vocalists via Internet contests, he made his choices and, with all members of Belle And Sebastian backing him up, recorded this record. It combines the strengths of early Belle And Sebastian records in a broader musical palette, drawing equally on musicals, ‘60s girl groups, ‘80s indie, and classic pop. LP includes MP3 download.

Green Day - Know Your Enemy 7”
Ultra-limited edition 7” single features the non-album B-side “Hearts Collide”. We have a limited few remaining after Vinyl Saturday!

Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar (and other love songs)
The second solo record from the leader of the Drive By Truckers. Most of his DBT band mates join him, along with Don Chambers, Will Johnson, and Scott Danbom from Centro-matic.

Grace Jones – Nightclubbing
180 gram reissue.

Of Montreal - For Our Elegant Castle 7”+MP3
The third single from Skeletal Lamping is backed with a remix by Depressed Buttons (Todd and Jacob of The Faint). Initial pressing is limited to 2000 copies on colored vinyl and includes digital download code with songs and bonus video.

Pavement – Brighten The Corners: Nicene Creedence Edition 4xLP+MP3
Vinyl edition of the deluxe reissue of Brighten The Corners includes eight extra tracks not on the CD reissue, several of which are previously unreleased. Also includes material from the CD version: the re-mastered original twelve song album, ten non-album B-sides, ten outtakes, and fourteen live radio session tracks. Super deluxe M-Pak accordion style box set, 16-page, 12″x12″ full color booklet, MP3 coupon, and huge essay by New Yorker critic Alex Ross.

R.E.M. – Murmur
R.E.M. – Reckoning

Rodriguez – Coming From Reality

Regina Spektor – Laughing With 7”

Regina Spektor – Far

Those Darlins – Those Darlins
After seducing live audiences nationwide while supporting artists as diverse as Dan Auerbach, Boss Hog, Wanda Jackson, Ida Maria and Deer Tick, Those Darlins quickly became the next “it” band at this year’s SXSW.

Tortoise – Beacons Of Ancestorship LP w/MP3download
Their first new record in over five years, Beacons Of Ancestorship gives nods to techno, punk, electro, lo-fi noise, cut up beats, heavily processed synths, and mournful, elegiac dirges. In fewer words, it is exactly what you’d expect from Tortoise.

Allen Toussaint – Bright Mississippi

Tom Waits – Swordfishtrombones
HQ-180 vinyl reissue.

Wilco – You Never Know 7”
Ultra-limited edition 7” single includes the B-side “Unlikely Japan”.

Wino - Punctuated Equilibrium LP+10”
This deluxe gatefold edition of Punctuated Equilibrium is manufactured on HQ-180 vinyl and features a bonus 10″ with four brand new bonus tracks unavailable on the CD.

Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson – Relator b/w I Don’t Know What To Do 7”
Ultra-limited 7” released ahead of their forthcoming collaborative album Break Up, due late-summer 2009.

Thou – Tyrant

Young Widows/Pelican split 7”
Third in the series.

Wolves In The Throne Room – Black Cascade

CDs:

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO – Dark Side Of The Black Moon: What Planet Are We On?
More proggy psych from Acid Mothers Temple — mixes Pink Floyd with fuzzy wah guitars and cosmic sounds.

Away We Go Soundtrack
With music by Alexi Murdoch (including 3 brand new songs). The soundtrack also features music from George Harrison, Bob Dylan, The Velvet Underground and The Strangers.

Black Meteoric Star – Black Meteoric Star
The latest project by longtime DFA alumni Gavin Russom is inspired by equal parts Euro-disco, wonky early electronic body music from America’s Midwest, and a fascination with the outer reaches of global psychedelic rock.

Tom Brosseau – Posthumous Success

Cage – Depart From Me
Production by El-P. Guitar by F. Sean from HATEBREED. Appearances by Aesop Rock. 12 page booklet and digi by renowned artist Alex Pardee. Single mixed by Dave Ogilvie of Skinny Puppy fame.

Cosmos – Jar of Jam Ton of Bricks
The latest project from Robert Pollard.

Def Leppard – Adrenalize 2xCD
Remastered deluxe edition includes a bonus disc with rare, live, acoustic and demo versions.

Def Leppard - Pyromania 2xCD
Remastered deluxe edition includes a bonus disc of a previously unreleased show from the L.A. Forum in ‘83.

Dinosaur Jr. – Farm
Their fifth full-length album with the original lineup. At times wholly ‘70s guitar-epic, at times perfect for sitting by a babbling brook with Joni and Neil. Deluxe 2xCD version features a bonus disc containing four non-album tracks.

Dream Theater – Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Special Edition version adds a second CD containing six cover songs, as well as a third CD of instrumental mixes of the entire Black Clouds & Silver Linings album.

Envy/Jesu - split CD
Over 37 minutes of newly recorded music from the two forward-looking bands who are entering a new phase.

Ginuwine – A Man’s Thoughts
Includes guest appearances from Brandy, Missy Elliott, Bun B and Timberland.

Goatwhore - Carving Out The Eyes Of God
Features current and former members of Acid Bath, Soilent Green, Crowbar, and Nachtmystium.

God Help The Girl - God Help The Girl
After the success of Belle And Sebastian’s most recent album, The Life Pursuit, band leader/singer/songwriter Stuart Murdoch decided to pursue the writing of a rock musical scored for female singers. After auditioning vocalists via Internet contests, he made his choices and, with all members of Belle And Sebastian backing him up, recorded this record. It combines the strengths of early Belle And Sebastian records in a broader musical palette, drawing equally on musicals, ‘60s girl groups, ‘80s indie, and classic pop.

Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul (Deluxe Edition)
Remastered 40th Anniversary Edition features two bonus tracks, new photographs and expanded liner notes by Jim James (My Morning Jacket)!(?)!

Patterson Hood – Murdering Oscar (and other love songs)
The second solo record from the leader of the Drive By Truckers. Most of his DBT band mates join him, along with Don Chambers, Will Johnson, and Scott Danbom from Centro-matic.

Jedi Mind Tricks – Greatest Features
All of the tracks that Vinnie Paz has recorded outside of the Jedi Mind Tricks umbrella are collected in one place for the fans’ listening pleasure. Featuring 7L & Esoteric, Guilty Simpson, Percee P, Apathy, ILL Bill, Outerspace, and more.

LANDy – Eros And Omissions
LANDy is occasionally famous actor/filmmaker/musician Adam Goldberg, plus Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips), Aaron Espinoza (Earlimart), a host of others, and often times, Goldberg very much alone.

Lemonheads – Varshons
Produced by Gibby Haynes (Butthole Surfers) and featuring guest appearances by Liv Tyler and Kate Moss, the collection is filled with strange bedfellows, from G.G. Allin and Townes Van Zandt to Wire and Leonard Cohen.

Bob Marley - B Is For Bob
Executively produced by Ziggy Marley, B Is for Bob is a collection of original Bob Marley songs re-imagined for kids (and fans of all ages).

The Mars Volta – Octahedron
The Mars Volta’s punkperverted neo-psychedelia goes acoustic on Octahedron. Says the band’s Cedric Bixler Zavala: “There’s electricity throughout it! But that’s what our band does-celebrate mutations.”

Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster - III

John Mellencamp – Life Death Live And Freedom
Live performances of key songs from Mellencamp’s 2008 release, Life Death Love And Freedom. These live versions are presented just as they were performed: no overdubs or studio enhancements of any kind were added.

Merzbow - 13 Japanese Birds V.6
Sixth in the 13-month series of releases inspired by Olivier Messaien’s Catalogue D’Oiseaux.

Mount Eerie – Dawn CD+Book
The music of Mount Eerie and The Microphones has always been a very personal, almost voyeuristic, view inside the mind of Phil Elverum. Dawn is an archival core sample from an intensely creative period of Elverum’s life, the winter of 2002/2003 spent in arctic Norway, a kind of “lost album” finally properly recorded on just guitar and singing. Packaged with a 144-page hardcover book and 16 color photo cards, all bound in simulated “wood” paper.

Native Window – Native Window
Members of Kansas. Really.

R.E.M. - Reckoning
Remastered and expanded — includes the original album and a bonus disc of a previously unreleased concert from 1984 at Chicago’s Aragon Ballroom.

Regina Spektor - Far CD/CD+DVD
New album spotlights Spektor’s daring piano pop, vocal acrobatics and offbeat wit. Special Edition package adds a DVD featuring four videos.

Spinnerette - Spinnerette
The band lineup on the record includes Johannes (Queens of the Stone Age, Eleven) Tony Bevilacqua (The Distillers) and Jack Irons (Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Tortoise - Beacons Of Ancestorship
Their first new album in over five years, Beacons Of Ancestorship gives nods to techno, punk, electro, lo-fi noise, cut up beats, heavily processed synths, and mournful, elegiac dirges. In fewer words, it is exactly what you’d expect from Tortoise.

Various Artists – Dillanthology, Volume 2
The second volume of the Dillanthology series focuses on a collection of J. Dilla’s unique remixes for artists including Busta Rhymes, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Artifacts, and Masta Ace.

Various Artists – Milky Disco 2
A collection of beats, textures, and melodies that mixes Detroit techno, German experimentalism, ’80s West Coast vibes, Italo disco, soul, industrial, ambient, and avant garde– what could loosely be called exploratory space dance music.

Widespread Panic – Huntsville 1996
This 3 disc set, released on their own independent record label, Widespread Records, available only at select independent record stores.

Woolfy - If Ya Know What’s Good For Ya
Woolfy’s vast knowledge and influences produce a blend of funk, pop, dirty disco, rare grooves, and new wave.

Pete Yorn – Back And Forth
Back And Fourth follows Yorn’s first three albums, which he considers a trilogy, and is his first album in three years. Yorn wrote all ten songs and recorded the album in Omaha, NE, with producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes, Rilo Kiley). Rick Rubin helped guide the project from its earliest demo stages to final mastering. We have an added-value acoustic CD to give away with purchase (while supplies last).

DVDs:

Jandek – Glasgow Sunday
His music crosses boundaries between folk, country and blues and his public image had been careful to ensure that Jandek himself remains a mysterious, anonymous figure. But 2004 saw Jandek step out of the shadows to play some shows and the unpublicized excursion included here sees him performing with a two-piece back-up band.

Jandek – London Tuesday
55th Jandek release. Recorded live at London’s St. Giles In The Fields church on October 18, 2005. Quite possibly an extended song divided into eight parts entitled No Mind Was A Good Mind. The cover features a man in black posed at a gate overlooking a town somewhere in the UK. The Corwood representative performs solo on acoustic guitar.

John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band – Live In Toronto ’69
Filmed on the eve of the release Abbey Road, this is the only performance ever caught on film of John Lennon & The Plastic Ono Band.

Amanda Palmer - A Collection Of Music Videos
Subtitled: A Surrealist Mini-Mystery By Michael Pope. Featuring additional videos by Alex De Campi, Chip Yamada with The Danger Ensemble. Includes exclusive interview footage.

Various Artists - Punk In London
The London punk scene of the late 1970s is captured for posterity in this documentary that showcases some of the era’s most important bands. Includes interviews and performance footage featuring The Adverts, Chelsea, X-Ray Spex, The Lurkers, The Red Cow Club, The Jolt, The Killjoys, Subway Sect, The Jam, The Boomtown Rats, The Clash and more.

Various Artists - Punk In England
Picking up where Punk In London left off, this music-packed sequel features a variety of punk, post-punk, ska and new wave acts. Includes legendary performances and insightful interviews from The Clash, The Jam, Spizzenergi, Madness, The Pretenders and more.

Several days ago, while watching Marco Benevento fire up his piano on a YouTube video, I got to thinking — who are some of the best keyboardists around right now, the ones who truly bring chops to the table, either via instrumental compositions, or songwriting, or both? I’ve tried to go less obvious — no one’s questioning the skills of Gregg Allman, or Keith Emerson, or Count Basie, or Richard Wright, or George Duke, or Dr. John, or interchangeable piano men Billy Joel and Elton John, or even the wondrous Stevie Wonder. We all already know those dudes are at the top. But what about some of the less obvious, but no less great? In the vein of Ivan’s Top 5 Bass Players Ever — except that, despite the title of my post, I’m not really claiming these are the best key players ever, just my favorites — I’ve put together the following list, in no particular order, and with video.

Marco Benevento
He’s among the most talented keyboardists around right now, in my humble opinion. He’s pretty hip to current technology and usually incorporates it into his compositions. I’ve seen him play in his main band with drummer Joe Russo, the Benevento/Russo Duo, I’ve seen him perform as part of a Led Zeppelin tribute, Bustle in Your Hedgerow, I’ve seen him tear it up with Russo, Mike Gordon and Trey Anastasio during the GRAB tour, and I’ve seen him in his solo project, a trio with badass bassist Reed Mathis and drummer Matt Chamberlain. The following video Marco with his trio playing “Twin Killers” from a May 13 show in Philly.

Page McConnell
Didja really think I’d do a “Best keyboardist” list without Phish’s most dignified player? This dude knows how to texturize like few others and build a spacey odyssey of synthesized sonics, and he knows how to bring the dirty funk with his B3 technique and an ear for when and how to wield it. He has a rather nice singing voice, too. Here’s McConnell at one of the recent Hampton Coliseum reunion shows playing “Frankenstein” on keytar. That’s right, I said keytar, what of it?

Tori Amos
My first taste of feminism came from the fiery-haired songstress and she’s technically the first musician I ever saw perform live (I barely count the first, a David Bowie concert my mom dragged me to in the mid-1980s when her friend flaked, because I was too young to enjoy it). This video of “Silent All These Years” from her debut solo album, Little Earthquakes, is an old school taste of Tori, the footage from her performances on the Live at Montreaux 1991 & 1992 DVD. Favorite line from the song: “Boy you’d best pray that I bleed real soon / How’s that thought for ya?”

Ivan Neville
He usually goes unnoticed because of his more illustrious relatives — dad Aaron Neville, and uncles Cyril and Art. But Ivan can funk things up like no one’s business, especially when he’s playing with his own outfit, Dumpstaphunk. Here he is laying down the grooves on John Fogerty’s “Fortunate Son” as a rotating member of the New Orleans Social Club.

Fiona Apple
What can I say? I’m particularly fond of little Miss Apple. The soulful, smokiness of her vocal tone and clever nonconformist lyricism play well against some pretty stellar key-banging. Although she’s not the most prolific artist — she hasn’t put out a new album in four years, though she’s released all manner of tidbits via iTunes — what she does produce is always worthy of the wait. Here she is performing “Not About Love,” one of my favorites from her 2005 album, Extraordinary Machine.

John Medeski
The keyboardist for neo-jazz trio Medeski Martin and Wood is, in one word, awesome. He plays acoustic piano and a range of keys — Hammond B3, melodica, mellotron, clavinet, Wurlitzer electric piano, and moog, among others — and he’s a genious with subtlety. Here he is bringing the hotness to “End of the World Party” with MMW at a December 2005 show in Tokoyo, Japan.

Regina Spektor
As you may have already guessed, I have a soft spot for accomplished lady key player-songwriters, specifically those with gorgeous vocals and the ability to use them to deliver serious emotional impact without seeming disengenuine. The Russian-born songstress brings a little international flavor to her odes (some even sung in her native tongue), and those are some catchy odes, to boot. If you high-quality piano-driven pop music and don’t own Begin to Hope — among the best albums of 2006 — you are missing out, for sure. (For more on her upcoming fifth album, far, and the video for the first single, click here.) Here’s a 2006 TV performance of “Fidelity” from that album.

Ben Folds
No list of keyboardists would be complete without Mr. Piano Pop himself, Ben Folds. Here’s him playing “Rockin’ the Suburbs” on a 2006 episode of Carson Daly.

Robert Walter
Walter has nurtured quite the respectable solo career since the soul-jazz keyboardist came onto the scene more than 15 years ago with the Greyboy Allstars and helped pioneer a new brand of West Coast funk. Here’s a vid of him playing “Money Shot” with his solo band, Robert Walter’s 20th Congress.

Robert Walter’s 20th Congress w/Stanton Moore – ‘Money Shot’

Brian Eno
You may not think of Eno when you’re putting together your list of all-time bests keyboardists, but the dude virtually created the ambient genre of electronic music with his key and synth skills. This video features Eno brewing up some nice atmospheric textures in a collaborative performance of “Prophesy” with Indian-British musician Nitin Sawhney, as part of Eno’s 2007 “Stop The War” benefit concert.

There are plenty of people I left out, but that’s not so surprising as this is an entirely subjective list. So, who’d I miss?

I fell in love with Soviet-born songstress Regina Spektor a few years ago with the release of 2006’s Begin to Hope. While I was initially turned off by the inherent pop marketability of the album (it’s almost too well-produced for its own good), I was drawn to her poetry, to the sweetness of her accented voice, to the moments of her singing in her native language. (There’s more of that on her earlier self-released albums, though she really does it best in her third album, Soviet Kitsch.)

Anyway, the point of this post is that Miss Spektor is set to finally release the follow-up to Begin to Hope and I am stoked. Other than her adorable duet with Ben Folds, “You Don’t Know Me” — the first single off his 2009 album, Way to Normal — Spektor has been virtually MIA for far too long. Now, she’s gearing up for a worldwide release of far, due out on Sire Records June 23. (The official press release with info on her upcoming Letterman and Good Morning America, track listing and European tour dates, and the video for her new song, “Laughing With,” after the jump.)

Sire Records is thrilled for the upcoming worldwide release of far, the highly anticipated new album from Regina Spektor. An artist known for an acute sense of detail both in music and words, Spektor continues to showcase her amazing ability to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary on far, which is set for a June 23rd US release and globally June 22nd. Spektor’s first single, “Laughing With,” is a perfect example of how she allows each enunciated word (or wordless vocal interjection) and each finger on the piano keys, to tell a fascinating story, that is both visionary and gripping. The response to “Laughing With” has been overwhelming; the video shot up to #1 on iTunes’ alternative video chart within it’s first 24 hours and the song was met with immediate approval among fans, resulting in over 500,000 plays and a tremendous amount of action on message boards. Spektor will perform “Laughing With” on Good Morning America on release day (6/23) and The Late Show with David Letterman on June 26th. Before embarking on a European tour that begins at The Glastonbury Festival on June 26th, Spektor will headline New York City’s Beacon Theatre on June 17th.

Spektor’s remarkable gift to craft intelligent and refreshingly honest odes to life has been captured by long-time friend, photographer / filmmaker / visual designer Adria Petty, with a series of viral videos that will be released up until release day. The first three, for songs “Dance Anthem of the 80’s,” “Man of a Thousand Faces” and “Eet,” can now be seen on MySpace and other sites.

Far is now available for pre-order on iTunes. Within 24 hours of its initial availability, far had reached #20 on the overall album charts on iTunes.

far track listing:

1. The Calculation [Produced by Mike Elizondo]
2. Eet [Produced by Mike Elizondo]
3. Blue Lips [Produced by Jeff Lynne]
4. Folding Chair [Produced by Jeff Lynne]
5. Machine [Produced by Mike Elizondo]
6. Laughing With [Produced by Jacknife Lee]
7. Human of the Year [Produced by David Kahne]
8. Two Birds [Produced by Jacknife Lee]
9. Dance Anthem of the 80’s [Produced by Jacknife Lee]
10. Genius Next Door [Produced by Jeff Lynne]
11. Wallet [Produced by Jeff Lynne]
12. One More Time With Feeling [Produced by David Kahne]
13. Man of a Thousand Faces [Produced by Mike Elizondo]

Tour Dates:

June 17th Beacon Theatre New York City
June 26th Glastonbury Festival UK
June 29th Serpentine Sessions London
July 1st Le Batacian Paris
July 2nd Gloria Cologne
July 4th Werchter Festival Belgium
July 6th Grunspan Hamburg
July 7th Postbahnhof Berlin
July 9th Hultsfred Festival Sweden
July 11th Oxegen Festival Ireland
July 12th T in the Park Festival Scotland
July 14th Paradiso Amsterdam
July 15th Villa Arconati Milan
July 17th Latitude Festival UK

Here’s the official video for the first single off her album, “Laughing With.”