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Tumblin'

2009-05-28T07:06:00.000-04:00

Oh yeah. I got a Tumblr.

Tumblr.

Tumblr.

Tumblr.

You can read that now. Not this.

Yoni Wolf solo videos are a steady jam

2009-05-21T09:27:00.002-04:00

WHY? consistently blows me away. Both on record and live. The way the band can craft all the layers on the records, adding a slightly different flavor and sound super full while not doing too much at all is mind blowing. This is shown on the "Almost Live..." album where the live versions of album tracks are performed.

But sometimes you forget that taking everything away - all the production, all the layers - these really are some kick ass songs. Yoni's been playing some solo shows for a while now with just his voice and a Rhodes. And these hints at new songs are making me hella excited for a new WHY? album.

There's more on this site called YouTube.

Dam Funk remix Animal Collective

2009-05-19T08:25:00.002-04:00

Just the other day I put on Merriweather Post Pavilion and was like, "Damn, this really is one of the best records to be dropped this year." In the whirlwind of crazy good music that has come out since January (That shit has been out since January. You had the bootlegs since, what, November last year?), it almost got lost in the mix. But the feel of the whole thing is getting re-introduced as a summer hit. Now, Dam Funk is remixing their songs and it is good.

I really think the FADER said the best and most accurate thing about this track:
The funny thing about this is how it's not even that much of a stretch for Animal Collective circa 2009. If you told us six years ago that the band who recorded an entire album on a couple mini disk players while sitting on a porch would be soliciting remixes from West Coast funk revivalist Dam Funk, we'd probably be like, Who is Dam Funk? And then we would try to tell you about the first TV on the Radio EP. But it's here now, and it sounds kind of like "My Girls."

Yup.

Cop it HERE.

FRESH FRIDAY 2K9

2009-05-15T09:31:00.003-04:00

Vince told me about Mayer Hawthorne forever ago. And I was like, "Shyeah. This rules. And it's great production. But. It's not really a booty bass jam, so maybe I'll put it on the backburner for a while."

Well, a while is up and I am flippin' out as hard as Mr. Suchanek was before anyone. This is old motown soul, with '09 swagger and some hipster glasses thrown in for good measure. I'm getting more and more into chilled out tracks lately. (Maybe I'm getting old. Maybe I just don't stay up late enough for bangers to make sense to me anymore.)

Mayer Hawthorne played at the American Museum of Natural History last week, as part of the FADER's One Step Beyond (with Peanut Butter Wolf! And! Dam-Funk!)Wish I coulda been there. Probably would've met the love of my life while kickin' back Bud American Ales. Guess I'll never know, right?

Anyway, Czech the video for "Just Ain't Gonna Work Out." That is the actual single that is being passed around in the video. Colored, shaped vinyl. Totally hip.

Dirty Projectors are killin' it! Such the best band!

2009-05-06T16:14:00.003-04:00

Just when you thought Dirty Projectors couldn't get any cooler. Just when they release a second jam with David Byrne and perform live with him at Radio City Music Hall. Just when Angel Deradoorian is releasing her solo record (I didn't end up attending the release show last night. You know: broke, sleepy). Just when Bitte Orca is already rising among the already high as fuck ranks of phenomenal records this year.

THEY GO AND RELEASE THE THING ON FUCKING CASSETTE!

Side A
01 "Cannibal Resource"
02 "Temecula Sunrise"
03 "The Bride"
04 "Stillness Is The Move"
05 "Two Doves"

Side B
01 "Useful Chamber"
02 "No Intention"
03 "Remade Horizon"
04 "Fluorescent Half Dome"

Seriously dudes, get cooler. Like, what are you going to do next to break my brain? Re-make a Black Flag ablum? Done. Rock with a Talking Head? Done. Play a show with Bjork in a bookshop in SoHo? Doing it. Write the craziest, best harmonies and guitar parts I've ever heard? Done. What? Maybe you'll just broadcast the record in its entirety on AM radio and people have to record it themselves? Wait...do that one!

I am so happy about all of this!

Gone Fishin' just in time for summer

2009-05-05T11:34:00.002-04:00

Blog, blog, blog.

The Cool Kids and Don Cannon dropped a new mixtape yesterday called "Gone Fishin'." Not a lot of surprises on it, but when you're doing something based on being smooth, simple and fresh like the Cool Kids, I'm OK with that. Put this on and just let it ride, you know?

Also, this video for "Pennies" somehow slipped past my radar.

Continuing to be crazy

2009-05-04T09:11:00.003-04:00

So everyone does know about how awesome this is going to be, right? And about how not a joke it is too, right? IT'S BOTH! I haven't said anything on here about Kanye in a minute (I sort of stopped reading his blog. Sorry.) But I am so glad that the comeback post about Yeezy is that he is DOING A SONG WITH JERED LETO! I aspire to be as confident as Kanye West, doing the most ridiculous shit and just approaching it with swagger (even if maybe faux or misguided).

Yeah, I still want him to put out a new album where he actually, you know, raps. But more importantly I just want him to keep doing crazy shit and maybe blowing up and TYPIN' SO HARD HE MIGHT BREAK HIS MACBOOK AIR!!! Also, we should probably be friends.

FRESH FRIDAY 2K9

2009-05-01T19:00:00.003-04:00

Last night I went to JAMS at Le Poissoin Rouge. It was a of fun and should prove to be a good weekly party to go to if you're into dudes in t-shirts and blazers and a group of people (us) in the middle of the floor grinding and yelling everytime our collective jam comes on.

Being out late on a Thursday night is something I, as an old man, am not used to. I still had to get up and leave for work by 5 AM this morning. The resulting fatigue caused me to miss afternoon happy hour with co-workers, fight back sleep while watching LOST and have a super satisfying, lengthy nap.

BUT. This is a price I am paying. Summer is upon us, and that means there may be many tired mornings following grind-filled, sweaty nights. To celebrate, I have my playlist titled SUMMZ.2K9, that makes me wish Muxtape was still cool. I would love to send you a copy. We can listen to it in sync with one another and it will be like we're living the same lives, right? Here is just ONE hit off it. (Note: this may not be the playlist you are expecting from me).

The Hard Lessons apparently make a good video

2009-04-28T17:52:00.002-04:00

Being from Michigan kind of means loving The Hard Lessons, right? They're so fun and rowdy and kind of just a good reminder of what ROCK AND ROLL is all about. This video for "Sound the Silent Alarm" is a lot of fun. My favorite parts are when it cuts to them and Javs dancing. It is such a good reminder of bands actually liking each other and wanting to have good times. Good, good ass times. I don't really think there is anything else that needs to be said about it, but if I forgot something feel free to let me know.

Discovery are feeding my smooth jam love

2009-04-27T07:50:00.002-04:00

If you know me, you know that summertime is a very, very important part of my life. Some of the best things that have happened in my life happened during the summer. And one of my favorite things to do is craft playlists designed for loungin' summer days. Whether you're drinking 40s and giving hair cuts in the front lawn (listening to A Tribe Called Quest), going to a party (listening to "A Whole New World"), or perpetually grindin' (listening to Bangers and Cash).

This summer appears to be all about indie bands getting it. People want to listen to smoothed out R&B jams. They can have some indie pretension in them if they want, as long as you can sway to them. We saw this already with Dirty Projectors' "Stillness is the Move," and the latest is Discovery.

It's the dude from Vampire Weekend and the dude from Ra Ra Riot. But I wouldn't call it a "supergroup" or anything like that. The tracks on their Space have been around for a while. They're just good-old-fashioned hits.

GWAR FRIDAY!

2009-04-24T09:17:00.003-04:00

Taking a break from getting down. I tried to keep it fresh yesterday by going to Dust La Rock to see hip art and sip Red Stripes. Line was super long and they were doing that one-in/one-out thing like you're the kids on the Simpsons trying to go into the comic book store (REMEMBER THAT EPISODE?). So I decided to go home and watch infomercials instead.

To keep things really real, though, today is all about GWAR! And drinking home-brewed beer! And going to punk rock shows! (Does Pete Nelson read this blog? I should get Pete Nelson to read this blog.) Czech it.

Grizzly Bear's Record Store Day release

2009-04-22T19:16:00.002-04:00

Forgot to post about this before. But just so you know, the Grizzly Bear Live on KCRW 7" that they released as a Record Store Day exclusive is pretty jamful. Veckatimist hit-since-last-summer "While You Wait For The Others" is the A, while "He Hit Me" provides a solid B side. For some reason, Mark's copy sometimes doesn't like to play "While You Wait For The Others" all the way through, which is pretty dumb and provides infinite bummers. But it was cool to support Other Music and Grizzly Bear.

The State finally getting released

2009-04-20T18:43:00.002-04:00

THE STATE IS THE BEST!! All of the best comedians from the past, psh, like, forever were one this under-appreciated (but that's such a wanker thing to say) cult show (even more of a wanker thing to say). But seriously. It's from that golden era of MTV when it just started showing non-music programming, but all the shows were wacky and not just Sluts Getting Slutty: Volume Slut. (I have all volumes of that on DVD.)

Here's the trailer for the July 14 release.

Someone please buy me this for Bastille Day.

HERE is a link to the YouTube search results for "MTV the state." Just to make it that much easier for you to get yourself acquainted if you're not already.

Thanks, World, for giving this to me.

Dancing in outer space

2009-04-20T07:41:00.003-04:00

This weekend, I won two free tickets to One Step Beyond, with Kode 9 and Flying Lotus. (Thanks to the FADER and me being always on the internet) So Ben and I went to the American Museum of Natural History to czech it out. Here's what went down:

You can't tell from that video, but there is a meteorite behind all of those people. A real one. A huge rock that is older than all of the life on earth. And I'm standing there dancing to Flying Lotus with a Bud American Ale in my hand. All in all, it was just OK. Flying Lotus kicked out some severe grooves. Kode 9 was cool and seemed ultimately kickwithitable, but not entirely my jam. Ultimately, though, it is just a great sign of the times that I can have no plans in the morning, and by midnight I am half drunk getting down in outer space. What a life we live!

FRESH FRIDAY 2K9

2009-04-17T09:22:00.002-04:00

I hate the FML trend so much. It's all about giving a platform for haters to hate. I'm loving life so hard lately and I there's a lot of people I know who are stoked on the daily as well. Yeah, there's little things that you can blow way out of proportion and put up on FML. But if those little things are all you can pay attention to in your life that is a huge bummer.

It's Friday. The sun is shining. I'm going to ride my bike. Rollerskating and Colt 45 may be in my near future. And Joey Lawrence just told me there's nothing his love can't fix.

To the top of Kilimanjaro!

2009-04-15T06:08:00.003-04:00

Lupe Fiasco: "Part of the motivation is beating Kenna to the top. Sabotaging his tent, taking the lining out of his coat, lacing it with ants or something like that."

Justin Timberlake: "We'll climb for a week straight, carrying 30 pounds on our backs. It's going to be intense, but it's going to be so rewarding. Plus, we're going to be ready for it."

Kenna: "I refuse to work out with [Timberlake], because he's way fitter than I am. I'm training in secret."

THEY'RE CLIMBING A DAMN MOUNTAIN, DUDES! Seriously. Going to the top of Kilimanjaro. Here is a picture of Kilimanjaro.

Here is a picture (amazingly dated, of course) of Justin Timberlake.

AND HE'S DOING THAT! It's to raise awareness about clean water and water-borne diseases, but I am not really sure how. The info (as much as there is, anyway) is HERE. Get pumped because who knows what feats pop stars are going to start doing next. Shark taming? Storm chasing? Middle East peace talks? Yes, please!

I've been watching little else

2009-04-14T08:49:00.002-04:00

This Rob Roy video for "Fur in my Cap," brought to me by @questlove, has been on constant repeat for me. I love the stop motion video. I love the Conan O'Brien-esque greenscreened in mouth. I love his awkward, awesome flow that just catches you off guard over and over again. I love everything about this.

Does anyone know what that song at the end is? SO HOT!

FRESH FRIDAY 2K9

2009-04-10T09:39:00.002-04:00

I have been telling people about The Champions of Breakfast for a while now. And, despite listening to the tracks on MySpace over and over again, I still never really thought this band was real. A quick Google search, though, shows that this band has actually been pretty active around Detroit for a while now. Who knew? The future is now!

Everyone loves unicorns and D&D and mythology and lore and video games and fun and cardboard instruments and getting down. Everyone. Period. So that is why you will love this band. They're playing tonight at Piano's here in New York and as soon as I am out of work you better believe I will be there. This is where the party is.

Not your sister's Mariah jam (but kinda)

2009-04-08T08:55:00.002-04:00

"Stillness is the Move" is breaking my brain. Yeah, to the internet this is pretty yesterday, but I was busy selling running apparel all day yesterday and didn't get a chance to listen to the studio version of "Stillness is the Move" until this morning. I also know that I am not the first to comment on the '90s pop sensibility of the track. Still going to say it. It's the first studio track to come off the anticipated Bitte Orca.

It's just...

just...

so good! That crazy guitar jangle, Angela's sweet crooning, the way summer '09 is riding in on these sweet waves of nostalgia. Czech it.

It makes me wish I were more rich and quick so that I could've shelled out the $100 to go see them with Björk at Housing Works. PLEASE TAKE MANY YOUTUBES OF THIS SHOW!

Cool Javelins vinyl release

2009-04-06T10:06:00.003-04:00

I never really crossed that line into the realm of actual vinyl nerdiness. Obviously, I wish I had. There have been times that I've gotten stoked on certain releases or finds - finding a copy of WHY?'s dumb hummer 7" when they had told me at the show that there weren't any more copies in existence, getting limited-edition colored discs or first edition Kraftwerk records. But I'm not the type to scour eBay on a mission or anything like that. Just a guy who browsed at FBC every day for 5 years.

That being said, this Sub Sprawl release of Javelins' hit record from last year "Heavy Meadows" is pretty great. From the site:

"This is a special limited edition pressing of Javelins' Heavy Meadows album. Limited to only 200 copies, this thing goes all out for you.

- The jackets were designed by Shawn Knight and lovingly screenprinted by VGKids.
- The 140 gram vinyl is a tasty orange color (with the occasional white or black - It comes with a CD version of the album attached to it (with new disc face artwork).
- Aaaaaannnndd, it's held together by magnets.
- MAGNETS."

PLUS! This record does rule most hard. And I'm all about supporting bros. And I wanted another reason to watch this video where Rickle does that sassy hand-on-his-hip thing.

Oh! Oh! Oh! Also! Javs did a Daytrotter Session that was pretty rad. Especially this version of "The Pounding." Get those tracks HERE.

FRESH FRIDAY VERSION 2K9

2009-04-03T12:38:00.002-04:00

So I came into hip hop in a really roundabout way. That is not unlike any white kid who grew up in a place that even Google Earth couldn't see. Through punk rock I got into jams like the Beastie Boys and probably like some old Outkast stuff. Then I remember being blown away in like 7th grade by Jurassic 5 and Del Tha Funky Homosapien. I took the "underground" or "indie" hip hop stuff for a ride for a while.

My discovery of Anticon happened after I had already gone away to college. One night I came home from an art opening in Detroit and Chase, my then-roommate, was like "Dude, you gotta hear this. It has been breaking my brain." It was WHY?'s "Elephant Eyelash" record. It was about 2 AM at this point and I had to be at work at 6 AM. I stayed up listening to that record on repeat. Chase and I then, obvz, got way into the Anticon catalog - Themselves, cLOUDDEAD, WHY?, 13 & God. This also brought about Aesop Rock, Sage Francis, Astronautalis, and that whole crew of emcees.

It wasn't until later when realized how much I liked to party that I got into top 40 hip hop jams. I re-discovered what everyone was flipping out about when they listened to Juvenile's "Ha" or Nelly's "Country Grammar." AND IT RULED! I got super into re-discovering these tunes through this new light. I just wanted the songs that I could put on at a party and get booties shaking damn everywhere. Then realized great stuff like The Cool Kids and Spank Rock and whoever else - people making these party jams for THE NOW! Nothing was better than this.

The new Themselves mixtape put out by Anticon, theFREEhoudini (which, you know, is free. HERE.), is taking me back to what I used to love in hip hop. It might be because I just don't party that much anymore, so that's not my main concern in music. But, this mixtape, man. It's all about the delivery and being smart and groundbreaking and progressive. Dose One knows how to ride the edge of a beat so that I am literally on the edge of my seat listening to his rhymes. The flows on this are just so intense and driving, with themes of the economy and rising up popping up throughout. Aesop Rock, Yoni Wolf + Odd Nosam, Sole, Busdriver and just about everyone you want makes an appearance on this.

Listen to this last jam on the record. Tell me you don't love it.

the Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship record is great

2009-02-02T16:37:00.004-05:00

Listen, blogosphere. I never intended to drift away from you. How was I supposed to know that 2009 would be the year that I return to a two-job lifestyle and take on an unprecedented sleep schedule involving me waking up at 4 AM every day? Nobody saw this coming, but the best we can do is just roll with it and deal with my relative lack of updates.

2009 has so far been overwhelmingly amazing for music and it is showing no signs of stopping. "Merriweather Post Pavillion"? "The Crying Light"? "The Blood Bank EP"? "This Charming Mixtape"? Everything that's been released of "Dark Was The Night"? The forthcoming Grizzly Bear and Dirty Projectors records? And we're only 1/12th into the year.

But this, this I didn't even realize was coming. Hidden Ghost Balloon Ship is Trever Naud (of Zoos of Berlin, South South Million, PAS/CAL, ex-Red Shirt Brigade) and LTD (of PAS/CAL). Apparently the thing is, LTD writes and records drum tracks first and then Naud writes songs using those beats, shaping them around what he's playing. The debut record is up for free download HERE. It is a great reverb-soaked jam from the future and I can already tell this is going to get mad play by me.

The Forms, still into 'em

2009-01-19T01:41:00.004-05:00

When I first saw The Forms, it was at an all ages Church space in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, playing shows with Anathallo. At the time, I enjoyed watching them preform and couldn't exactly put my finger on why. It was this captivating band, from New York, who came to a small town in Michigan to play for a crowd of highschoolers who didn't quite know how to process them. So, for a while, I just had The Forms in the back of my head as a band that I knew I was into, but was still not entirely sure why.

Then when their self-titled album came out in 2k7, I began to be able to place why I like them so much. They play rock songs with a typically rock tone and cadence. But with a different approach; with a slightly mathy, slightly off-kilter attitude. Playing this sort of rock music with the intellectual songwriting strategy is what makes this band so amazing to listen to.

I saw The Forms tonight in Brooklyn and all of these old feelings about them came back. They are sooooo good live. Although the two records are great, they do not do them justice. After the set ended, I just couldn't wait until the time that I get to see them again.

David Byrne + Dirty Projectors HELLS YEAH!

2009-01-15T12:29:00.003-05:00

The compilation "Dark Was The Night" is starting to drop. They'll be posting the tracks in order each day on MySpace. And if the first track is any indication of what is to come I am FLIPPING OUT!

David Byrne and The Dirty Projectors recorded a song called "Knotty Pine." Listen to it HERE (via Stereogum). I am still waiting for the new DP album to hit this spring, which I suspect won't be much like this track, but will probably be one of my tops of the year.

UPDATE:
I forgot to include the tracklist for "Dark Was The Night." It kinda rules.
Disc One
01 “Knotty Pine” - Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
02 “Cello Song (Nick Drake)” - The Books Feat. Jose Gonzalez
03 “Train Song” - Feist + Ben Gibbard
04 “Brackett, WI” - Bon Iver
05 “Deep Blue Sea” - Grizzly Bear
06 “So Far Around the Bend” - The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly)
07 “Tightrope” - Yeasayer
08 “Feeling Good” (popularized by Nina Simone) - My Brightest Diamond
09 “Dark Was the Night” (Blind Willie Johnson) - Kronos Quartet
10 “I Was Young When I Left Home” (Bob Dylan) - Antony + Bryce Dessner
11 “Big Red Machine” - Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner
12 “Sleepless” - The Decemberists
13 “Stolen Houses” (Die) - Iron and Wine
14 “Service Bell” - Grizzly Bear + Feist
15 “You Are The Blood” - Sufjan Stevens

Disc Two
01 “Well-Alright” - Spoon
02 “Lenin” - Arcade Fire
03 “Mimizan” - Beirut
04 “El Caporal” - My Morning Jacket
05 “Inspiration Information” (Shuggie Otis) - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
06 “With A Girl Like You” (The Troggs) - Dave Sitek
07 “Blood Pt 2″ (based on original song “You are the Blood” by the Castanets) - Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
08 “Hey, Snow White” (Destroyer) - The New Pornographers
09 “Gentle Hour” (Snapper) - Yo La Tengo
10 “Another Saturday” (traditional song) - Stuart Murdoch
11 “Happiness” - Riceboy Sleeps
12 “Amazing Grace” (traditional song) - Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
13 “The Giant Of Illinois” (Handsome Family) - Andrew Bird
14 “Lua” - Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch
15 “When the Road Runs Out” - Blonde Redhead + Devastations
16 “Love vs. Porn” - Kevin Drew

new Beirut video

2009-01-14T10:55:00.003-05:00

This guy. Going to Mexico to work with a 19-piece band to get that PERFECT world music sound. The video (via Stereogum) is for the track "La Llorona." It is from the EP "March of the Zapotec," which will come out next month along with an EP called "Holland" released under the name Realpeople. The video is smartly animated and makes you feel like you're really in Mexico. Probably. I've never been to Mexico.

can't get enough "Blood Bank"

2009-01-09T09:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Bon Iver's "Blood Bank" EP became available to stream on MySpace. Obviously, "For Emma, Forever Ago" had been a fairly constant jam for me in 2008. But with these four new tracks, I am floored in a completely different way. Justin Vernon was able to reach into a new creative sphere. Beginning with the extremely subdued title track, taking the listener through the piano-vamping "Babys" (which gets the award for best title), and ending with the autotuned-as-fuck "Woods" which has been breaking my brain with every listen. Somehow in the past two days this has become more rocked than Merriweather Post Pavillion.

Merriweather Post Pavillion

2009-01-05T15:32:00.003-05:00

Of course this record is amazing. From way back when I went to that listening party for Merriweather Post Pavillion I knew this was going to be one of the tops of 2k9. Still not over this album art, either.

It will have its share of competitors for the album of the year spot. With Grizzly Bear, Dirty Projectors, Antony and the Johnsons and Beirut dropping discs this year I am pumped to say the least. And I'm sure there will be some new shit that blows me away like there is every year. Anyway, if you don't have Merriweather yet, get it. It hits stores 2morrow.

goodbye, Lansing

2009-01-04T15:26:00.003-05:00

Guess this is turning into a LiveJournal. Not bummed about it.

Thanks to everyone who was involved with/came to/had anything to do with the surprise party that was thrown for me last night. That was one of the best things that has ever happened to me. For real.

These are the things (not the people, you all know who you are) from Lansing that I am going to miss like hell:
- Flat Black and Circular
- Golden Harvest
- Woody's Oasis and The Peanut Barrel and knowing everyone in both of those places at any time
- Big Ten Burrito (R.I.P. EAST LANSING BRANCH!)
- Quality Dairy
- Being able to walk anywhere if necessary
- Traveler's Club
- Video To Go
- Realizing that a lot of the things I'll miss are food-related

Moving happens so soon.

BARFIGHT

2009-01-03T11:41:00.006-05:00

At the risk of sounding nothing but self-congratulatory, I want to say that BARFIGHT's show on New Year's was one of the most fun things I have ever done. Thanks to everyone who had a blast at JT's place. Thanks to everyone in BARFIGHT for being bros 4 eva. Thanks to Joe and Derek and Finn and James and Nathaniel for all playing music as well. Thanks to the dollar store for providing tons of goofy string. Here are some hit pictures, taken by Nick Dentamaro and posted on the internet by Laura Leebove (don't know who to give credit to, so both y'all are getting it!). 2k9 is off to a rowdy start!

best things of 2k8

2008-12-31T11:10:00.002-05:00

2008: Closer to Better. That was what it was deemed in the wee hours of January 1 in that Chicago apartment. And with 2k9 shaping up to be a helluva year (woah, "helluva" doesn't get the red misspelling underline?), I feel it is important to discuss the moments of the year that brought us all closer to better. Not at all comprehensive, and in semi-chronological order:

- "WHAT ARE YOU EATING!?"
- That perfect day of sledding, eating tacos, drinking Dewar's + cocoa, and watching Help! + Science of Sleep with Willow.
- Laughing harder than anyone everyday at work with Alexa and Mac, making Morrisey/Huckabee collages and listening to jams.
- Being able to see Lil' Wayne for free and getting "fuck bitches, get money" into the newspaper.
- The days Nick D. and I would go to Golden Harvest after Jackie's photojourn class.
- Being all sweaty when meeting Ira Glass because I had ridden my bike to Wharton.
- State News banquet afterparty.
- Graduating, I guess, was neat.
- Riding around Philly with Alex and Aly, including the pretzel ride, karaoke and not being able to see the Liberty Bell.
- The Threadless friki tiki party in Chicago, and the days preceding it with Chase and Javelins.
- The day Foods for Living's freezer broke and everyone got a ton of free frozen food. Also, the group dinner we made with the food we got.
- Mojito night and water balloon fight day.
- Singing punk rock songs with Nick Dentamaro and Pete.
- Deconstructing that windmill with Brian in Holland. Using the money we got to eat at Falafel City and drink at Kafe Belgie. And to take it all in.
- Staying at Shakespeare and Company in Paris for three weeks, sleeping in the books.
- Seeing No Age, Why?, The Notwist, and Sigur Ros at the same show.
- Andrew and Misch letting me sleep on their couch for an extended period, for which I am eternally grateful.
- Girly drink birthday.
- Election night at Scott's with everybody. Listening to "Paint it Black" and "Obama Way" a ton.
- Julie's art show in Grand Rapids followed by '80s night at The Drink.
- BARFIGHT ruling that New Year's Eve masquerade ball.
- All year riding bikes with sweet people.
- All year spending time/money at Woody's with sweet people.

I am moving to NYC. I hope I can see everyone before I move, but if not we will be in touch and you should all come and visit me.

Santa's Coming Over

2008-12-01T09:59:00.004-05:00

Lansing's giant Christmas tree is lit, Julian Koster came to play carols in my house, I just downloaded the Suburban Sprawl Christmas CD. I am somehow getting very into this season. Then I watched the new Low video for the song "Santa's Coming Over" and got totally freaked out.

Little kids looking scared as hell that Santa is going to break into their house.

The Music Tapes caroling

2008-11-30T01:02:00.002-05:00

Julian Koster just played in the living room that I sleep in as part of his caroling tour. It was awesome. If he is coming to your town, or if you want him to, I highly recommend it.

Pitchfork review Canopy Glow

2008-11-24T12:21:00.003-05:00

The Pitchfork review of the new Anathallo record, Canopy Glow, is slightly less scathing than their take on Floating World in 2006. But they still can't get over that Sufjan comparison, right? It seemed like every other sentence in the review was about Mr. Stevens and not about 'Thallo. Even the positive reviews the record has gotten make the Sufjan reference (I'm looking at you Paste).

viral as hell

2008-11-19T16:47:00.003-05:00

This video hit the internet today. And at the time of me writing this it has gotten more than 330 THOUSAND PLAYS. That means it is important. That means it is ground breaking and if you haven't seen it by tomorrow you will be so behind.

It is a video of a kid who made a huge Guitar Hero screen replica and rides around on his mountain bike scoring so many points. It is pretty amazing.

Kanye vs. The Paps

2008-11-17T10:55:00.003-05:00

I had heard Kanye got arrested last week. And I admit, I didn't do the relentless searching I should've at the time (aka reading Kanye's blog).

Some important sentences from Kanye's explanation (the caps are all his):

IF YOU LISTEN TO MY MUSIC, HOW COULD I DELIVER SO MANY POSITIVE UPLIFTING MESSAGES AND BE THE MONSTER THAT THE MEDIA PAINTS.

RIGHT NOW THE PAPS ARE ABOVE THE LAW AND THE PEOPLE THEY SHOOT ARE BELOW IT.

I AM NOT A CELEBRITY. I'M A NORMAL PERSON THAT'S JUST FAMOUS.

HE TRIED TO MAKE ME SOUND LIKE A CRAZY PERSON AND PEOPLE BELIEVED HIM. WHAT MERIT DOES THIS GUY HAVE THAT HE CAN SAY SOMETHING ABOUT ME AND PEOPLE TAKE IT AS LAW?

WHO'S WINNING, ME OR THE MEDIA?

winter

2008-11-16T11:16:00.002-05:00

Waking up today with snow on the ground and still falling from the heavens has made me realize I need to cultivate the essential winter jamz playlist. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. But nothing official can be announced until after Thanksgiving. Be on the look out.

no postin'

2008-11-14T11:18:00.002-05:00

I haven't posted anything in a week. I hope it isn't because the internet has become stagnant or I have ceased to have the ability to find the gems worthy of being posted. I have been looking for a job, playing Mario 2, listening to '90s R&B and having pretty great times. Things will get better soon.

WHALE WARS IS AWESOME!

2008-11-08T02:54:00.002-05:00

Do people know about the show "Whale Wars" on Animal Planet? It follows the crew of the Steve Irwin - a ship run by the organization Sea Shepherd which takes on the responsibility of SINKING JAPANESE WHALING SHIPS! Seriously.

For a while in the beginning of 2008 I was going to join Sea Shepherd and be one of the volunteers on board one of these missions. The organization was started by Paul Watson - one of the founders of Greenpeace. He was kicked out of Greenpeace because he was too intense for them. So Sea Shepherd gets real and flies the Jolly Roger flag as it scours the oceans to find the people killing whales and try to stop it. It is sort of mind-blowing to see the people they actually take on as volunteers. They are just like I would be. They don't have any experience on ships or in anything related to the task at hand but are super into the project and super into the intensity of the whole thing.

On the first episode people get shot, fall into arctic waters, throw up all over the place, learn how to throw gaseous grenades and basically are the best.

Every Friday night at 9 p.m. from now on I am going to be watching this show. Everyone should either join me or watch it and call me during the commercials.

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-11-07T14:21:00.003-05:00

Why? "Dumb Hummer"

Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart"

Koushik "One in a Day"

Nas "If I Ruled the World"

will.i.am HOLOGRAM!

internet happening

2008-11-07T09:48:00.003-05:00

Yesterday there was a potluck over at a friend's house. The usual things happened - a ton of delicious food was provided (including my BBQ tofu), a box of Franzia, dudes freestyling to Ratatat, other dudes doing bike tricks on the street outside. That's what Lansing, MI looks like in Barack Obama's New America.

At one point though, I was asked "Hey Matt, what's new on the internet?" At first I was all "You know, just the usual stuff." But then I remembered these two videos which recently shook up my perception of internet videos.

The first gives me huge amounts of respect for the roots of amazing videos as well as faith for the future of YouTube. The second...bums me out.

today is finally here

2008-11-04T02:15:00.001-05:00

VOTE! This is so important!

SPOOKY FRIDAY

2008-10-31T18:56:00.002-04:00

DUH! IT'S HALLOWEEN!
Bobby "Boris" Pickett "Monster Mash"

Screamin' Jay Hawkins "I Put a Spell on You"

MC Hammer "Addams Family Groove"

Michael Jackson "Thriller"

Werewolf Bar Mitzvah

Also, HERE's a mixtape of spooky songs. Happy H-Ween.

Music Tapes Christmas caroling

2008-10-31T12:41:00.003-04:00

This is absolutely one of the most amazing things I have heard of a band doing in a long time.

The Music Tapes have always done things that are cooler than other bands. For example, a 7 foot metronome as a regular member of the band. A robot on stage with them. Taking like 8 years to record their first album because it had to be made on the most antiquarian and perfect recording equipment.

And I thought the singing saw Christmas record was really cool. But they took that a step further by SCHEDULING A CHRISTMAS CAROLING TOUR! Seriously, they will come to your house and sing a combination of Christmas carols and Music Tapes songs. All you need to do is invite them! You can e-mail musictapescaroling@gmail.com or write to:

MUSIC TAPES CAROLING
C.O. G.Stewart
175 Talmadge St
Apt 1
Athens, GA 30605

I really want to try to get this to happen in Lansing. They have a tentative list of cities, but will come to places if they are invited by people. Here's the cities, but e-mail them anyway because this is awesome!

Tentative list of cities*:
November 14th Atlanta, GA
November 15th Savannah, GA
November 16th Northern Florida
November 18th Baton Rouge / New Orleans, LA
November 19th Houston, TX
November 20th Austin, TX
November 21st Denton, TX
November 22nd Oklahoma City, OK
November 24th Lawrence / Kansas City, KS
November 25th Ames, IA / Iowa City, IA
November 26th Minneapolis, MN
November 28th Madison, WI
November 30th Ann Arbor, MI
December 1st Toronto, ON
December 4th Montreal, QC
December 6th Bennington, VT
December 7th Providence, RI
December 8th Tivoli, NY
December 10th Northhampton, MA
December 12th New York City, NY
December 14th Philadelphia, PA

*List of cities subject to change, so send your invitations even if your city is not mentioned above!

Check out The Orbiting Human Circus for more info.

Beirut news!

2008-10-30T15:24:00.003-04:00

Wunderkind (I don't even know what that means. I mean, I know what it means. It means very successful for your age, so I guess it makes sense. But...it's a weird word) Zach Condon recently announced the end of his retirement and the news of not one, but two new EPs in the early months of 2009. He's kind of doing the Bright Eyes "I'm Wide Awake..."/"Digital Ash..." thing by releasing one record of electronic stuff under his moniker Realpeople, and one as hip world music Beirut tunes.

"I've realized with my attention span and whatnot, that these little series might do really well for me. I seems to go really strong for four or five songs, and then sometimes run out of ideas," Condon said on a Pitchfork interview today.

I'm excited for him to get back. He traveled more (to Mexico and Morocco according to the interview), and will surely continue to be innovative and very prolific for his age. I'm excited!!

Oh yeah, here's the tracklists.
Beirut - March of the Zapotec
01 "El Zocalo"
02 "La Llorna"
03 "My Wife"
04 "The Akara"
05 "On a Bayonet"
06 "The Shrew"

Realpeople - Holland
01 "My Night With a Prostitute From Marseille"
02 "My Wife, Lost in the Wild"
03 "Venice"
04 "The Concubine"
05 "No Dice"

not reviews

2008-10-29T00:46:00.003-04:00

I never had the intentions of writing reviews on this space. So this is not going to be a post reviewing things.

But.

Today I saw the new Charlie Kaufman film "Synecdoche, New York." Obvz, Kaufman is one of the best writers working today. And I don't mean just in film, but across the board. I am floored by his ability to weave stories in and around themselves, to address multiple themes and give the audience enough credit to analyze the validity of those themes, to address emotions in a non-trite or overly-pretentious way and to just make an enjoyable product. Kinda makes you appreciate the patience it takes to construct a product, and to not jump at simple answers.

Also, I went to the listening party for Animal Collective's new record "Merriweather Post Pavillion." We didn't know exactly where the bar was for the party, but luckily found some drunk kids with iPhones to show us the way. I ordered a Heineken and the record began shortly after we got there. It's constructed in the Animal Collective way - heavy on the percussion, sweet on the hooks and Brian Wilson melodies - and heavy on the club beats. Maybe spacey, dancey, beachside jams. And have you guys seen this cover?

Awesome. All I wish now is that I didn't have to wait til January when it drops.

It's strange how someone telling you the end of a movie could ruin it, but someone telling you the end of a record just makes you stoked to get there. Right?

Anathallo "Bells" video

2008-10-26T18:33:00.002-04:00

I guess I didn't have my eyes on Pitchfork close enough. Friday they posted a video by Anathallo for the track "Bells." It's from the new album "Canopy Glow" that drops next month on ANTICON! Danny Bracken made the video. And he went to art school, so you know it's a good one.

If, somehow, people who are in Europe or Japan are reading this, Anathallo are coming there soon. Should be some good shows.

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-10-24T15:19:00.003-04:00

Flying Lotus "Dance Floor Dale"

Devo "Girl U Want"

Cale Parks "Wet Paint"

Enon "In This City"

McCain saying the c-word

bike culture

2008-10-24T02:00:00.002-04:00

Tonight I went on a bike ride with about a dozen people through East Lansing. While a couple of them were good friends who I have known for a while, most of the people riding I had just met or only been introduced to briefly. During my time in college here I got to see the bike culture change - from punk kids riding tall bikes and frankenstein bikes to a handful of fixie riders to a slew of people putting on themed alleycats and being super proactive about bike riding.

I think it is sweet that this happened. Biking is one of the best trends to have caught on in the past few years, and I am obviously supportive of everyone who has taken it up. But going on the bike ride with mostly a bunch of strangers, I felt sort of out of place. I don't want to say I felt old, because I don't think that is entirely accurate. But I definitely felt something odd about the whole situation.

That being said, I am happy about all the things happening. And everyone should try to go to this:

And ride safe and all that.

thinking about rhymes

2008-10-21T13:50:00.004-04:00

NPR just posted a story on the early subgenre of Fast Rap. It has some streaming tracks from Percee P and Organized Konfusion, and a pretty smart analysis of the style. Ever since taking a sweet linguistics class in college about the language of rap culture, I have listened to stuff like Pharaohe Monche in a much more cerebral and academic way, instead of just party jams.(I am not kidding anybody, though, if I say that I ignore the importance of party jams. That is simply not true). We read "Roc the Mic Right" by Sammy Alim where he fully analyzes the culture of the cipher and the process of creating flows. One of the sweetest things I did while in college was analyze a page of rhymes the professor gave us to determine if they were made inside or outside of the hip hop community. I got to write "if someone brought these rhymes to the cipher they would get straight bounced!" in a paper. That's cool. The intricacies of these rhymes are so mind-blowing and I love when smart outlets like NPR do write-ups on artists like this. It gives a greater sense of legitimacy to the whole thing.

I know we are past the point of saying things like "hip hop needs to be considered as more than just a fleeting trend." Obviously, people realize that this is serious and here to stay. But it is still not given a lot of the merit that it deserves, and these artists are not being recognized for creating whole new rhyme schemes and whole new rules for language.

tweetin'

2008-10-21T13:06:00.000-04:00

I'm late on this. And I understand it is because I didn't understand how sweet Twitter was when I first heard about it. But I have recently gotten superstoked on the instantaneousness of banality. The point: I signed up for Twitter.

So if you have one, lemme know so I can know everything about you that you put out onto these sweet internets. Plus, you know, I found that picture of the awesome Tweety Bird shoes up there and I needed a reason to post it somewhere.

back to blogging

2008-10-21T00:01:00.000-04:00

I just turned twenty-three in the living room of a good friend. This is what I look like doing that:

Now, 22 was a badass year for me. I did a lot of cool ass shit that I am really proud of. Including ghosthunting on Halloween, getting the words "fuck bitches, get money" into the newspaper, graduating college, living in a bookshop in Paris for three weeks, riding a lot of bikes and drinking lots of beers with great people. So, obviously 23 has a lot to live up to. I think we can do it though, you know?

It's strange - I don't have a job, I'm not in school, I don't have my own home. I have a bicycle, a bag containing a small amount of belongings and I have lots of great friends and nothing but wishful thinking for everything that is in front of me.

This video sums up a lot of things for me. Hopefully it will sum up what this next year in my life is all about.

Expect regular updates here again.

WTFUCK

2008-07-11T10:42:00.001-04:00

I fucking wish I was going to Whartscape! I am re-posting this from P4k.

"Dan Deacon, Naeem "MC Spank Rock" Juwan, and Gregg "Girl Talk" Gillis, all together?
...
Promising "all new material jams eternal" in a MySpace bulletin, the illustrious Mr. Deacon notes that "gregg and i have been talking about doing a band together for some time and i'm really excited naeem is going to be a part of it for this rad first birth. hopefully our sick jams turn out sick." How could they not?

As you know, in addition to this set, Dan will be doing one of his very own, plus a take on Ultimate Reality, his collaborative celebration of all things Arnold, with Jimmy Joe Roche. Gregg Gillis will be performing not as Girl Talk, but as Trey Told 'Em, his own collaborative venture with Frank Musarra. And Naeem sure is a trooper, as he's not only due in Baltimore next weekend, but also at Los Angeles' Hard Festival. Tour dates for all three are down below."

HOLY FUCK!!!!! EVERYONE GO TO BALTIMORE, LIKE, NOW!!!!

S.W.A.T. on Segways!

2008-07-10T16:30:00.000-04:00

Yep. The Segway revolution is happening. And I couldn't be happier.

RATATAT tour dates

2008-07-08T11:29:00.000-04:00

Hopefully I will be able to catch them on this tour. Because, damn, they are one of the best live bands there is. And it will bring me one step closer to becoming their best friend, which is the ultimate goal.

07-08 Portland, OR - Holocene !
07-10 San Francisco, CA - Slim's !
07-12 Los Angeles, CA - Echoplex !
07-15 Brooklyn, NY - Music Hall of Williamsburg !
07-18 Dour, Belgium - Dour Festival
07-19 Rotterdam, Netherlands - Rotown
07-20 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Paradiso
07-23 London, England - Cargo
07-26 East Anglia, England - Secret Garden Party
07-31 York, England - Duchess
08-01 Edinburgh, Scotland - Cabaret Voltaire
08-02 Glasgow, Scotland - The Captain's Rest
08-04 Stuttgart, Germany - Schocken
08-05 Cologne, Germany - Werkstarr
08-06 Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefahrlich
08-07 Berlin, Germany - Club 103
08-08 Munich, Germany - 59:1
08-09 Cannes, France - Pantiero Festival
08-14 Barcelona, Spain - Razmatazz
08-15 Almeria, Spain - Ola Festival
08-29 Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel Club Lounge
08-30 St. Louis, MO - The Gargoyle at Washington University
09-02 Englewood, CO - Gothic Theatre
09-03 Salt Lake City, UT – In the Venue
09-05 Seattle, WA - Showbox at the Market
09-06 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
09-08 San Francisco, CA - Fillmore
09-09 Hollywood, CA - Music Box at the Fonda
09-10 Hollywood, CA - Music Box at the Fonda
09-12 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
09-15 Austin, TX - Stubb's
09-16 Dallas, TX - Granada Theatre
09-17 Tulsa, OK - Marquee
09-21 Chicago, IL - Hideout Block Party
09-27 New York, NY - Terminal 5

! with E*Rock

the next generation

2008-07-07T11:18:00.000-04:00

High Places played a show at Stuyvesant Town in NYC last week. Apparently little kids love them. And these kids will probably grow up to be super hip.

FREEDOM FRIDAY

2008-07-04T12:59:00.000-04:00

Duh, it's Independence Day!

Animal Collective "Fireworks"

MGMT "Kids"

Blood Brothers "USA Nails"

Will Smith and alien

Cool Kids mixtape

2008-07-02T15:56:00.001-04:00

It's called "That's Stupid." It's not, though. Stupid, that is. Download it over HERE and play it at parties that I go to from now on. Please and thank you.

Be KANYE

2008-07-02T10:22:00.000-04:00

Finally, the opportunity everyone's been waiting for.

www.beKANYEnow.com

Whartscape 2008

2008-06-27T11:08:00.000-04:00

I'm going to be gone for this. And a lot of people are probably going to be at Pitchfork, which explains why the Pitchfork reporting on Whartscape was somewhat subdued. But this event always sounds like it is the funnest time with some of the coolest bands in one of the weirdest/oddly nicest cities I've ever been to.

This year's Whartscape, which takes place to combat a Baltimore city-sponsored event called Art Scape I've been told, has a pretty killer lineup. Although Dirty Projectors aren't going to be there like last year (they'll be at Pitchfork), a lot of boner-inducing bands are. In a direct copy/paste from the web site, here is the lineup.

a murmured tale
ric royer
ben hursey
blue leader
negativland
teeth mountain
leprachaun catering
nautical almaniac
ultimate reality
matmos
missoula oblongata
eagle ager
andy abelow
matteah baim
santa dads
wheatie mattiasich
lesser gonzalez
jana hunter
arboretum
emmanuel and steve
daniel higgs
beach house
king cloud
smarts
benny stoofy
air waves
ed schrader
ecstatic sunshine
wzt hearts
facts
dufus
lexie mountain
bird names
eyeball skeleton
ddmmyyyy
the creepers
maeshi
the deathset
killer whales
thank you
celebration
oxes
food for animals
human host
blood baby
nuclear power pants
video hippos
cex
band we forgot
band we forgot
witch hat
jones
hearts of darknesses
dj
thrust lab
ear power
adventure
club lifestyles
kyle+MM+narwals
future islands
gregg gillis
height
grand buffet
double dagger
parts and labor
ponytail
black dice
dan deacon
smart growth
ninjasonic
teengirl fantasy
eqptytix
sewn leather
dj dog dick

woah

2008-06-25T12:46:00.001-04:00

Shaq still raps? About Kobe Bryant tasting his ass?

"Oxford Comma" video

2008-06-23T10:51:00.000-04:00

This confirms that VW want to write music to accompany Wes Anderson flicks. Also, that they are teen heart-throbs - duh!

UPDATE: Like just about everything I want to say, The FADER said it better: "What if you were in Vampire Weekend but you weren't Ezra? Can you imagine anything better?"

New Girl Talk

2008-06-19T12:44:00.000-04:00

"Feed The Animals" is available now. Go HERE to download it. You do get hassled if you choose to pay $0. But I am an asshole and unemployed so I had to do it. Sorry Gregg! It's downloading right now, so I haven't listened to any of it yet. I'm going to brew some coffee, toast some bagels and have a great afternoon (so what if it's 12:45 and I've only been up for about 10 minutes? It's summer, and like I said I'm (f)unemployed.)

La Route Du Rock

2008-06-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

I usually don't get super jazzed for festivals. They're usually crowded and hot and the sound kind of sucks. But I saw the lineup for this years La Route Du Rock festival in Saint Malo, France. And I'm tempted to go.

First of all, it takes place here:

It's a walled city. Pretty righteous, right?

Also, on the same day Sigur Ros, Why?, No Age, The Notwist, Bowerbirds and Menomena are playing. Psssshhhh... seems worth the 15-30 Euros it cost per day I think.

Tom Petty

2008-06-15T20:01:00.000-04:00

In the past 6-10 months I have really come around to Tom Petty. Partially because of friends who listen to him incessantly, partially because I have realized that he is a hella hitmaker. And then, Vampire Weekend (who I am not sick of, despite their ubiquity) and Andrew W.K. (who is probably cooler than any other person alive) cover "Don't Come Around Here No More." In Central Park. For free. In the rain.

Fuck yeah, summer!

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-06-13T12:08:00.000-04:00

The Rivieras "California Sun"

The Go-Gos "Vacation"

The Teenagers "Love No"

Air "Sexy Boy"

Anderson Cooper "My Boo"

don't kill over shoes

2008-06-12T17:55:00.000-04:00

buy a new pair

new Caribou video

2008-06-11T13:57:00.001-04:00

It's for the song "Hummingbird" off the tour EP. It's short and sweet and just feels nice to watch and listen to on a summer day.

another Sigur Ros post

2008-06-09T12:18:00.000-04:00

"með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust" is streaming at SigurRos.com. I'm about halfway through it right now. They're taking some chances on this record that I really like. And I think this album will actually be a summer joint, unlike most Sigur Ros records that I listen to sparsely throughout the year and then jam most hard in the winter months.

new Girl Talk album

2008-06-06T17:04:00.000-04:00

He's following the Radiohead model, as it has been dubbed by, well, everyone. It'll be a pay-what-you-will endeavor released sometime in the next couple weeks. It's allegedly going to be less ADD-inducing than "Night Ripper," which could be cool. Let's see if Gregg Gillis can overcome the hype and make another hit.

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-06-06T14:46:00.000-04:00

Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff "Summertime"

MGMT "Time to Pretend"

The Lovin' Spoonful "Summer in the City"

Kanye "Homecoming"

Ska Dad

Gobbledigook

2008-06-04T14:37:00.000-04:00

I just realized I haven't posted this video yet. Sigur Ros are getting real. Real naked. Real Sung Tongs-y.

But don't worry. There's another new song, "Festival," which is typical Ros fare. Meaning drawn out and slowly building in the most amazingly nostalgic way. Listen to that HERE.

Yoni Wolf on the new WHY? record

2008-06-02T12:04:00.000-04:00

"It's done. It's mixed. It's mastered."

"(The new record) is a little more sad, almost country. It is mixed like country. I mixed it with Mark Nevers down in Nashville. That was a fucking depressing time."

Sweet.

another "Flashing Lights" video

2008-05-25T12:41:00.001-04:00

Apparently Kanye is making three videos for this song. Which I guess is cool because the first two are both hella sexy.

more new Ratatat

2008-05-23T18:24:00.000-04:00

"Mirando" is the soundtrack to the best video game never made.

HERE it is.

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-05-23T12:02:00.000-04:00

Martha Reeves and the Vandellas "Dancing in the Street"

Cool Kids "Bassment Party"

Smokey Robinson and the Temptations "Tracks of my Tears"

Lauryn Hill "Doo Wop (That Thing)"

Diana Ross "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"

Science

2008-05-23T00:23:00.001-04:00

I'm pretty sure this is awesome.

Animal Collective remix Ratatat?

2008-05-22T12:17:00.000-04:00

So...I was drunk at a party last night and someone mentioned this. I had kind of forgotten about it until I woke up and started internettin'. But somehow Animal Collective (and Yacht, and some other people...) are remixing tunez off the new Ratatat joint. All I want to do is hear that, but there is nothing I can do (yet) to get those track. The internet needs to speed up.

Cool Kids EP streaming

2008-05-20T21:40:00.000-04:00

It's not like you didn't see this coming from about a year away. But this is going to be just about every party I have this summer. I've been waiting to hear "Bassment Party" since I saw these dudes open for M.I.A. So so so so so so so good.

No Age hat

2008-05-19T14:00:00.000-04:00

You Ain't No Picasso is giving away a custom-designed No Age hat that the dudes made for the FADER. It's not really as cool as the Panda Bear one, but still pretty dope, ya heard?

live Why? video

2008-05-16T01:16:00.000-04:00

Here's a pretty cool video of Why? playing "These Few Presidents." I am not at all sick of listening to "Alopecia" yet, and don't know if it will happen. Yoni and the crew continue to impress me. Always.

awesome

2008-05-15T16:55:00.000-04:00

Here's some pictures of Kanye with naked astrobabes. Rules.

There's more HERE.

the MP3

2008-05-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

HERE's the MP3 of Ratatat's "Shiller." Thanks, Stereogum.

new Ratatat

2008-05-02T13:49:00.001-04:00

Shows how out of the loop I am. I didn't even know the release date for the new Ratatat record (titled LP3) until today. It's July 8. I was in FBC buying some Teenagers 7"s and John's all "New Ratatat single, you want it?" So obvz I wanted it. "I thought you would," he said.

If the two tracks on this single, "Shiller" and "Mahalo," are any indication, LP3 is going to be really weird. Not the pump up dance jams I have come to expect. But still just as thick as always (wasn't there like 200 layers on some of the "Classics" tracks?). Here's the album art.

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-05-02T13:25:00.000-04:00

I'm going out East.
Dan Deacon "Wham City"

Fresh Prince theme song

Andrew W.K. "I love New York City"

Bike Safety

the future

2008-05-01T20:41:00.000-04:00

Being in the future is wild. I don't completely understand how one day dedicated to bike maintenance has put me so far behind in the blogosphere. But, you know, whatevz. I'm OK with this being the first time today that I can kick back with a PBR and be on the internet. Anyway, what I missed was some Kanye-related business.

First: the spinning studio. Like, literally spinning. On an axle.

Spinning Studio from kwest on Vimeo.

Then he premiered the new fucking Justice video. And I'm like, holy shit. This is everything a video needs to be in 2008: dudes in Justice jackets CAUSING FUCKING HAVOC! It's like "Bad" meets "Smack My Bitch Up" meets the video I wish existed for "Cop Killer." I'm not sure if it glorifies violence or just makes you feel unfuckingcomfortable.

justice_stress
by 75_prod

So much shit happens inside my computer when I'm not watching.

new Radiohead video

2008-04-30T14:06:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking a lot about the relationship between aesthetics and statements in art. If you just have a message but nothing to draw people in, it's almost a lost cause. But if you are just doing art for the sake of making something pretty without really thinking about the meaning behind it then it is just artistic masturbation.

So Radiohead have basically already mastered what they want to accomplish aesthetically. And they've been weaving in politically and socially charged statements for years. I think the video for "All I Need" does a good job of providing meaning (and making you depressed about where your shit comes from) and being a fucking cool song and video.

At the same time, I saw the video for the White Williams song "New Violence" today. Pure aesthetics. I guess I'm just a shallow dude who's into girls in bikinis with big guns and strippers. (also, I just realized I couldn't find an embeddable version of it. So...deal.)

"Rockin n Rollin"

2008-04-28T20:08:00.000-04:00

Mickey Factz and the Cool Kidhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifs "Rockin n Rollin" from FADER. Simple. Sweet. I could see me cruising the strip listening to this track, if I cruised any kind of strip.

"every picture that I'm in is picturesque."

High Places makes sense

2008-04-28T09:23:00.001-04:00

I blogged about High Places' blog before. But they posted something this weekend that is really rad. So I am re-posting their post in its entirety.
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It's creeping me out how every magazine is having it's "Green Issue" right now, and it's all marketed like some current trend that will soon be outdated. I know it's Earth Day time and all, but seriously, I don't remember this from past years. And the weirdest thing of all is that the articles tell the reader of all these "sustainable" and "green" products to buy. It doesn't really make sense to tell people to buy more stuff if you're trying to encourage them to live in a sustainable way, does it? And printing millions of paper magazines to tell you to tread more lightly on the earth is just even more ridiculous. The articles give you the impression that if you would just buy this one particular $40 lipstick, you would be taking a giant step toward saving the planet...as if the entire process of creating that tube of lipstick was just a way of blessing the earth and undoing all sorts of previous evils. Ridiculous.
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summertime me

2008-04-23T15:03:00.000-04:00

Fla-vor-ice has descended upon my life.

Rock the Bells

2008-04-22T19:20:00.000-04:00

ATTN: Vince!

A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Mos Def, De La Soul, Rakim, Method Man & Redman, Raekwon & Ghostface, Immortal Technique, Dead Prez, Murs, Spank Rock, Kid Sister, Santogold, The Cool Kids, Jay Electronica, Wale, B.O.B., Kidz in the Hall, Amanda Blank, Flosstradamus, The Pharcyde, hosted by B-Real and Supernatural.

HOLY SHIT!

July
19 Chicago, IL
20 Toronto, ON
26 Boston, MA
27 New York, NY

August
2 Miami, FL
3 Philadelphia, PA
9 Los Angeles, CA
16 San Francisco, CA
23 Denver, CO
30 Vancouver, BC

Scarlett Johansson track

2008-04-22T10:49:00.000-04:00

I'm a little behind on posting this. But czech this out! ScarJo has a track from the album "Anywhere I Lay My Head" with David Goddamn Bowie. And it is good. Listen HERE.

Also, I wanted an excuse to post this video again.

Grizzly Bear on Conan

2008-04-22T10:08:00.000-04:00

Is Conan still good? I don't stay up past, like, 10:30 these days so I never watch it. But I know Grizzly Bear are still killing it. And they're going on tour with Radiohead. Woah, bros. They're going to be stadium status soon.

it's Record Store Day

2008-04-19T13:52:00.000-04:00

Celebrate Record Store Day.

This is where I go to buy records.

Thanks guys.

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-04-18T18:31:00.001-04:00

I haven't been blogging much. A couple reasons.
1. The world/school has been overwhelming me.
2. I decided to get into online Tetris.
3. I've been really busy listening to these tracks.

DMX "Party Up"

The Cool Kids "Oscar"

Positive K "I Got a Man"

Earthquake repsonse

Anathallo in Cosmo

2008-04-14T09:15:00.000-04:00

So...Cosmo Girl posted a write up for Anathallo. Go HERE to read it.

Really weird, but really awesome.

FRESH FRIDAY

2008-04-11T13:57:00.000-04:00

Jay-Z/ Jermaine Dupri "Money Ain a Thang"

MGMT "Electric Feel"

Aaliyah "Are you that Somebody?"

beating Mario 2

I'm in Chicago.

new Cool Kids

2008-04-10T15:58:00.000-04:00

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's on The FADER. It's got MC Hammer hooks.
Go HERE now to listen. Some things are really important.

this

2008-04-10T11:41:00.000-04:00

is how I feel today.
Ratatat - Germany to Germany

video sites

2008-04-08T11:15:00.000-04:00

Video's killing the internet star. Well...not really. But there are some new video sites that have launched in the past coupla days.

Videogum.

P4k.tv.

Czech it.

shoebike

2008-04-04T22:56:00.001-04:00

Have people seen this?