– Bonnaroo 2010 well underway. Tune into NPR or YouTube for live streams of 40+ sets if if you can’t make it to the farm this weekend.

– Lollapalooza finally revealed its schedule. This means that single-day tickets are now available. This also means that attendees have some tough decisions to make (Lady Gaga or Strokes? New Pornographers or Devo? Black Keys or Hot Chip? And this is just DAY ONE.)

– If you needed further confirmation that our site is more or less a shrine to all things Arcade Fire nowadays, check out footage from their first show in three years.

– The Strokes are back.

– Kanye West is back.

– Lady GaGa unveiled her latest music video. Watch it. If you’ve already watched it, then watch it again.

– Following last year’s successful European run, Spiritualized will perform Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space in its entirety for one night only at Radio City Music Hall next month.

– Speaking of one-offs, Pavement will reunite with original drummer Gary Young for a gig in their hometown of Stockton, CA.

– Prince dropped a new track called “Hot Summer”. M.I.A. dropped new material too.

– Panda Bear confirmed the release of the first single from his third LP as well as a few U.S. tour dates.

– It was a week of interesting collaborations: Matt Groening and Devo, Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, Jack White and Conan O’Brien, and Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples.

– Stuart Cable of Sterephonics fame passed away at the age of 40.

– Frank Mojica reviewed the indie-heavy soundtrack for the latest installment in the Twilight franchise.

– People either love or hate Ariel Pink. This is what Philip Cosores had to say about it.

– Mark Knoplfer played London’s Royal Albert Hall last week. Read Tony Hardy’s report here.

– You can also read E.N. May’s report of Wakarusa 2010 if you’re interested.

– The year is still young, but there are still plenty of new albums to buy. Thirty-five of them to be exact.

Also, a special thanks to this week’s sponsors: Forecastle Music Festival, Nateva Music Festival, Gathering of the Vibes Music Festival, and Ottawa Bluesfest.

It’s only fitting the once pot-planter-wearing foursome are celebrating their return into the world’s collective consciousness by making their animated cartoon debut on the only show where they would actually fit in – Futurama.

I mean come on, when you really think of it wouldn’t Bender fit perfectly into the Akron four-piece’s lineup?  Maybe he could play the tambourine or something.

According to a press release, Mark Mothersbaugh & Co. are set to appear on the show’s 100th episode, which is tentatively titled “The Mutants are Revolting”. In it, the band is campaigning for mutant rights on behalf of Leela’s parents who are “second-class, mutant citizens who live underground in the sewers.”

Apparently Devo think that is no way to live. No word on whether the protests will be peaceful, but all this begs the question: Where were they when the X-Men needed them?

Don’t worry though. Even though the legendary rockars are playing animated activists in the year 3000, Devo are still focused on the “devolution” of the human race. In fact bassist Jerry Casale recently elaborated on his band’s role in society.

“We’re not the guys who freak people out and scare them,” he said, “We’re like the house band on the Titanic, entertaining everybody as we go down.”

Well that’s assuring. If you can’t make it out to see the band live, then tune in to Comedy Central when Futurama celebrates its 100th episode on September 2nd.

“Holy shit! I’m a Simpson! I made it… I don’t need a damn Grammy or anything. That’s the sort of magic all this madness is for.”

– A few weekends back, Joanna Newsom took part in the Matt Groening-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties festival in Minehead, England. In turn, The Simpsons creator rewarded Newsom for her appearance with the ultimate prize — a Simpsons cartoon (via). Needless to say, per her recent interview with the Guardian, she was quite thrilled by it.

Apparently, while Groening is creating some of the most prolific comedy/satire today, he is listening to the collaged musical oddities of People Like Us (Vicki Bennett) and Wobbly (Jon Leidecker). While each figure has made significant impact with their individual experiments in the realm of audio and/or visual sampling, their upcoming collaborative effort reaches news heights of poignant absurdity. According to label Illegal Art, best known for Girl Talk, Music for the Fire is a plunderphonic concept album told through hundreds of samples, accompanied with an illustrated lyric sheet which reproduces the countless sampled voices as a single if utterly schizophrenic text — a bedtime story that is wildly inappropriate for actual children.

Music for the Fire is not set for release until June 15th, but in the mean time, take a listen to the madcap world of “Giant Love Ball”. You can also pass the time by visiting People Like Us and Wobbly to discover a more obscure side of sampling.

Check Out:
“Giant Love Ball”

First and foremost, Courtney Love and the current incarnation of Hole will appear at next month’s South by Southwest in Austin, TX. The appearance, which will feature a lineup of Love along with new members Micko Larkin (guitar), Shawn Dailey (bass), and Stu Fisher (drums), will use the opportunity to showcase its forthcoming studio album, Nobody’s Daughter. Exact specifics have not yet been released.

Now on to the good news. Among one of the three acts recently added to the Matt Groening-curated Weekend #1 of the All Tomorrow’s Parties music festival is none other than the lovely duo of M. Ward and Zooey Deschanel, aka She & Him. According to ATP’s Twitter, the appearance will mark one of the duo’s first ever appearances outside the U.S. (the festival’s publicist confirms additional dates are likely coming soon). So if you add the She & Him U.K. debut with the other new additions of the Liars and  Trash Kit, as well as the previously announced likes of The Stooges, Spiritualized, Panda Bear, The xx, and Hope Sandoval among others, you basically get one hell of a festival. Maybe even better than what Pavement put together! Incredibly, limited tickets are still available.

The music featured on The Simpsons is an integral component to the show. Like most television programs, it opens with a theme song; an iconic theme song most of us have heard as many times as such classics like “Happy Birthday” and “The Wedding March”. Show creator Matt Groening has made his mark on the indie community through his work with ATP. The show has also had numerous musical themed episodes and some completely musical episodes. It has even spawned the release of a series of soundtrack albums, which include Songs in the Key of Springfield, Testify, The Yellow Album, and more.

Musical guests are also commonly featured on The Simpsons, beginning with Ringo Starr in an episode about Marge’s devotion to the Beatle and continuing through the years to include R.E.M., Aerosmith, Sonic Youth, Green Day, and a laundry list of others. But, it is the original numbers that are the most memorable (not to say that the melodies aren’t parodies of other songs, but the content of the songs is original). These are 10 musical moments that capture The Simpsons at their best.

10. “Homer’s Hat Dance”

There are many moments like this throughout The Simpsons‘ history; brief musical interludes of common songs with hilarious alternate lyrics courtesy of Homer (also of note: “Nacho Man” sung while wearing a delicious looking nacho hat, Bart and Homer’s conga-style declaration that “you can’t make friends with salad”). Watching Homer’s excitement to hear “The Mexican Hat Dance” as a ringtone is a weird reminder that ringtones used to be a new thing; hell,  even cellphones used to be a new thing. The Simpsons has run through the rise of both and manages to incorporate whatever technology is current into its episodes on a weekly basis. I haven’t stayed as current with the show in recent years, but I imagine Homer now has a Twitter.

9. “Ode to Branson”

From season 13, this song is featured as part of a plot where Grandpa starts driving again to impress a lady at his retirement home. This song was nominated for an Emmy and strikes me as funny and interesting for the following reason: the song is a celebration of former stars who have fallen into obscurity and must now perform in this small Missouri town, but this is a fate that The Simpsons have watched befall on contemporaries while remaining immune to it themselves. Because it is animated, the show could literally run forever. This song reminds of an awesome gag from this episode: the I-wish-it-were-real town of “Bronson” where everyone looks like Charles Bronson.

8. Who Needs the Qwik-E-Mart?

This number runs the full emotional spectrum, beginning as a fun number and ending with Apu’s heartbreaking realization that he does need the Qwik-E-Mart. Bart’s “let’s hurl a brik-e-mart” line and Homer’s inability to insert a line that rhymes provide laughs in an episode that also features James Woods as Apu’s Qwik-E-Mart replacement. But this is Apu’s time to shine, an opportunity that The Simpsons‘ has bestowed on countless supporting characters. The show also manages to do something quite unique in that it often begins characters as obvious stereotypes only to slowly expand on them until they are much more than just an “Indian convenience store owner” or “Jewish clown” or whatever. I guess that one of the benefits of having 20 years under your belt.

7. “Mr. Plow Rap”

In the season nine episode about a plow business war between Homer and Barney, several plow commercials run and each of them provides the charm that any-one who has even watched late-night local cable advertising can appreciate. But, when Homer attempts this rap, he takes bad taste to a new level that anyone who has ever had parents can appreciate. Commercial jingles can be completely annoying and infectious at the same time and the Mr. Plow/Plow King songs are reminders of both. Also, Linda Ronstadt is featured in Barney’s song, a throwback to your mom’s (mine, at least) favorite singer.

6. “We’re Sending Our Love Down the Well”

The boy-stuck-in-a-well prank got a update this year with the balloon boy, so maybe it is time the celebrity sing-a-long gets an update too. In the style of “We Are the World”, the song features an all-star group headed by Krusty and Sting. McBain and the mascot for the Isotopes also contribute this charity number. Hilarity ensues.

Watch here!

5. “See My Vest”

Sung to the tune of “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast, this Mr. Burns show-stopper is both an ode to animal cruelty and a tribute to the sacrifices for high fashion. Or maybe it is anti-animal cruelty. Who knows? Either way, the fun comes through the reaching rhymes (“see my loafers, former goafers”) as Mr.Burns tries to go all Cruella DeVille on the Simpsons’ puppies. This is also featured on a very strong season nine.

Watch here!

4. “Lisa’s Birthday Song”

Trying to find information about the Michael Jackson episode of The Simpsons is like trying to uncover truths about the Kennedy assassination. The story goes that Jackson agreed to do the show under a pseudonym but would not voice the singing parts. Others say that he voiced all of the episode. Still, others say it was all performed by a Jackson sound-alike. Whatever is the truth behind this, the song is an adorable tribute from a brother to a sister and the episode stands as one of the more normal and endearing parts of the Michael Jackson mystique.

3. “Dr. Zaius”

A true nerd-pleaser. This number from Planet of the Apes: The Musical is sung to the tune of “Rock Me Amadeus” and is only slightly less awesome than the original. I didn’t mean for this list to be all sentimental, but we have another fallen celebrity featured on this song, Phil Hartman. Not as iconic as Michael Jackson, Hartman was a frequent contributor to the show who’s death was sudden and tragic. A side note, why has there not been a real Planet of the Apes: The Musical. One ticket sold right here, guaranteed!

2. “We Do! (The Stonecutter’s Song)”

Before there was The Da Vinci Code, there were the Stonecutters, a secret organization of Springfield’s elite. Well, actually, not elite, just a bunch of the dudes. And, an alien. This song was nominated for an Emmy in the original music category and is featured on a sixth season episode that is considered a classic by most Simpsons afficiandos. If you are looking for a hip Simpsons-related tattoo, the Stonecutters’ symbol might be a good choice.

1. “Talkin’ Softball”

A parody of Terry Cashman’s song “Talkin’ Baseball”, this number was featured as the closing number to an episode that featured big league baseball players as softball ringers. The lineup consisted of now-legends (Ozzie Smith, Wade Boggs), now-coaches (Mike Scioscia, Don Mattingly), and now-jokes (Daryl Strawberry, Jose Canseco). This song captures two American staples and in a sepia-tone, immortalizes them both with a child-like sense of wonder.

A few months and a plane ride across the Atlantic later, ATP’s New York incarnation, ATP New York, will return to Monticello, NY for its third edition. This year’s festivities will go down from September 3-5 (Labor Day Weekend!) and, as we learned today, will include the four following acts performing the four following albums:

The recently reunited Iggy & the Stooges performing Raw Power, Mudhoney performing Superfuzz Bigmuff, Scientists performing Blood Red River, and the also recently reunited Sleep performing Holy Mountain.

Of course, plenty acts for both events are still forthcoming. Tickets for All Tomorrow’s Parties are on sale here. Tickets for ATP New York, priced at $250 + booking fee, are on pre-sale now via Paypal direct to ATP. To buy tickets email feedback@atpfestival.com with NEW YORK TICKET BUY in the subject line and specifying how many tickets you would like to purchase. Got it? Good.

Groening will choose the lineup for weekend #1 of the festival, which takes place from May 7-9, 2010 at Butlins in Minehead, England (Pavement will handle weekend #2). And, as Prefix points out, if you put much stock in past history — Groening previously curated an ATP event in Los Angeles in 2003, where he chose Cat Power, Sonic Youth, The Shins, Daniel Johnston, and others to appear — the bill will probably turn out alright.

None of Groening’s selections have been unveiled yet (keep an eye here), but tickets will go on sale beginning this Friday, October 16th via atpfestival.com.