Music: Mike Patton and Imogen Heap

New Must-Have Album: Peeping Tom

One of my favorite albums of all time is by Lovage, a brief but amazing collaboration between Mike Patton (Faith No More), Nathaniel Merriweather (AKA Dan the Automator), Jennifer Charles (Elysian Fields), and Kid Koala. Their album, Music to Make Love to Your Old Lady By, is unlike anything I've ever heard before. As is usually the case, I discovered it a few years after it had been released, and so the founding collaborators had long since gone their separate ways.

This morning, much to excitement, I signed onto Myspace to browse the music scene, and on the home page there was an ad for a new band called Peeping Tom. I saw Mike Patton's name an immediately went to the band's page. His new album is described as Experimental/Ghettotech, but Patton describes it as his version of pop music. It sounds great so far, and even more exciting is that it features collaborations with several great artists, including some of the gang from Lovage!

Peeping Tom's debut album includes contributions from a mind-boggling variety of artists, including Amon Tobin, Bebel Gilberto, DubTrio, Nora Jones, Kid Koala, Dale Crover, Rahzel, Dan the Automator, Jel, Odd Nosdam and Dose One of hip hop collective anticon.

The entire album is streaming on Myspace-- you NEED to check it out. I'm planning on pre-ordering a copy from Amazon. (It comes out May 30th)

Speaking of albums that I've discovered late in their existence, Frou Frou's Details is beautiful. I only knew their song "Let Go," from The Garden State Soundtrack, and I loved it so much that it went on my wedding cd. But I was skeptical about the rest of the album being as good. IT IS. The vocalist from Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, released a solo album last year called Speak for Yourself, and I want it.