February 19, 2009

Why I can't post the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

So...that sucks. I posted the new single by them and less than 24 hours later received an e-mail from blogger about how I was in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. So I can't post it. But don't you worry! I'll figure something out.
February 18, 2009

We like her, and we like her too!



It's hard to avoid singing this song when driving through FSU's campus and being barraged by the beautiful bionic women.

These hoes is God's gift- like Christmas.

I wish I could fuck every girl in the world
I wish I could fuck every girl in the world
I wish I could fuck every girl in the world
I wish I could fuck every girl in the world
I wish I could fuck every girl in the world
I wish I could fuck every girl in the world
I wish I could fuck every girl in the world
February 16, 2009

George Carlin on the change of American censorship

I was looking for clips of Flip Wilson when I stumbled upon this excerpt from his visit to the the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. After a brief introduction George Carlin makes his way out onto the guests' couch. I find the conversation, and the show's sponsor seen at the end of the clip, to be an interesting look at American values.
February 15, 2009

I'm on a Boat



There aren't words to describe this. Well, yes there are. It's exactly what you would think of T Pain rapping about being on a boat.
February 13, 2009

Ace Boon Coon feat. Rickity Ross & Young Drizzle



Addictive, yes?

Bergen



There's something special about the music scene of Bergen, Norway. Apart from being famous for its beautiful scenery and its always extraordinary amount of rain, the city of Bergen also manages to again and again raise new and exciting bands that make people want to dance. Most of these artists are gathered in the local label Tellé, a label that unleashed international celebrities like Röyksopp, Annie and Kings of Convenience upon Norway and the world.

2005/2006 saw a lot of great releases from Bergen (and the extended Tellé family), including Whitest Boy Alive (picture above) and Datarock's debut albums.

Whitest Boy Alive - Burning
Datarock - Laurie

But since then, things were disappointingly quiet from Bergen for a while. Until now, that is! 2008 saw the release of California-based duo Rubies debut album Explode From The Center on the Tellé label. In includes guests appearances and help from some of my favorite artists - Feist and Kings of Convenience - and I've grown to love the Rubies just as much as I love these long-time favorites of mine.

March 2009 will see the release of the Whitest Boy Alive's second album, which follows up the funky minimalist pop of the debut, but adds a stronger influence of dance/house music (but still using live instruments). This new direction of sound is especially clear on Courage, listen for yourself. Röyksopp will also make a much-anticipated return later this year, and the new single Happy Up Here is sounding very fresh and promising.

Another Tellé release worth watching out for in 2009 is the debut album of the newcomers The New Wine. They sound like a Whitest Boy Alive gone electropop with chipcore Nintendo influences. The latter influence is something they hardly try to hide - the four geeks are spotted wearing Legend of Zelda t-shirts at live shows and credit Zelda and Super Mario soundtrack composer Kōji Kondō as one of their main influences. Check out their early demo "I Had To Tell You", it's funky as hell.

Rubies - Stand In A Line

The Whitest Boy Alive - Courage

Röyksopp - Happy Up Here

The New Wine - I Had To Tell You

I hope you'll enjoy some of these as much as I do. And hope they'll make you want to daaaaance!

Cocteaus Twins were a highly prolific Scottish outfit active throughout the 80's and early 90's. Extremely influential to both the Post-Punk and Shoegaze bands that followed them, Cocteau Twins had a sound that was like no other, as well as a consistently evolving and maturing style. Walls of effects-saturated guitars propelled by Elizabeth Fraser's impressive and almost nonsensical vocals (buried in the mix, of course) are pretty much the M.O. here.

After a few releases in the 90's, Cocteau Twins broke up, due to creative differences. No dead members, drug problems, just plain ol' fading away.

"Cico Buff" is a track from their fifth LP, Blue Bell Knoll, released in 1988. I consider this their best release, as later albums are more radio-friendly pop than the more dreamy, ethereal 80's releases. The video is of a live performance of "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops" from 1984.




February 10, 2009

Grammys 2009





I never really pay attention to the Grammy's; in fact, I think music as a whole has become so vast in it's repertoire that having something like the Grammy's is pointless. I ended up watching this Grammy's show anyway and I was pleasantly surprised. Not by the awards given out, but by the performances and news given. I've posted what I think were the two best performances of the night...M.I.A.'s due date was the date of the Grammy's and she performed anyway. She's just about the only person bad ass enough to pull off a scantily clad outfit in such a condition, but she pulled it off amazingly. Next up is Radiohead with 15 Step (wtf? Radiohead plays the Grammy's?); to be honest, I was a little let down by Radiohead's performance, only Yorke and Greenwood showed up...but being accompanied by a fucking marching band playing in 5/4 is pretty sweet.

Oh, yeah, Blink 182 announced that they are reforming. I was a Blink fan a long long time ago, so I thought that was a pretty cool bit of info. Thank god Billy Corgan didn't get on stage and announce plans to do some other game-changing project, I don't think I can handle another let down.

EDIT: Videos removed from YouTube by the Grammys
February 8, 2009

M83's Saturdays=Youth



From M83's "Saturdays=Youth" we have the video for "Kim & Jessie", my favorite song on the new album.

This album is quite a bit more approachable than say, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts, which could border on alienating (the desired effect, of course) with songs like Cyborg and 0078h, along with the entire content and subject matter for the album Before The Dawn Heals Us, which discusses planetary destruction and the human condition of our modern, bioindustrial age. Let Men Burn Stars, and In The Cold I'm Standing, are also two styles of songs, and when they do they are much more pleasant, with piano melodies and gender balanced vocals with plenty of repition and a southing soundscape, like the first track "You, Appearing" and even the track "Highway of Endless Dreams" has a forcefulness about it that makes the song uplifting.

Anthony Gonzalez has done it again, and this album is absolutely amazing. It won't wake you up in the middle of the night to strange and disturbing noises like Dead Cities would do to me sometimes.

Here are two tracks from the new album:

Kim & Jessie
We Own The Sky



February 3, 2009

Smashing Pumpkins FOL


FOL

So, Billy Corgan is done with making full length albums. From now on, he's sticking strictly to releasing singles; the first was with GLOW, which I posted earlier. I suppose this is the second in line...this song debuted on a Hyundai commercial for the Super Bowl and was made available to download for free from the Hyundai site after that. It's pretty boring; Pitchfork described it well by saying "You liked Zero, right? This isn't as good."

The Pharcyde - "Drop"




A four piece hailing from what was once known as South Central L.A., The Pharcyde represents the epitome of early-90's alternative Hip-Hop. The group consisted of Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Fatlip. In 1991, The Pharcyde released Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde, a welcome reprieve from a West Coast scene increasingly obsessed with violence and the gang lifestyle. Thoughtful Hip-Hop at its best.

The group's second album, Labcabincalifornia, was produced (for the most part) by J-Dilla, whose name should be familiar to fans of other alternative groups (The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Common). "Drop" is from this album, and the video is directed by Spike Jonze (omgwtfreally?).

Hopefully, if Bootie Brown sounds familiar to you it's because you know he guested on the Gorillaz track "Dirty Harry," and not because you know someone named Bootie Brown. And if you DO know someone named Bootie Brown, PAY HIM THE $5,000 YOU OWE HIM, BITCH!!!
February 1, 2009

Bill Hicks

I hope you all are familiar with the comedic stylings of Bill Hicks. In David Letterman's apology to Hicks' mother, Letterman mentions how Hicks is often considered ahead of his time. Hicks was a dark horse that hopefully will be remembered as the saving grace of stand up comedy in the 90s. Here is the routine that was censored fifteen years ago (skip ahead about two minutes to just watch the comedy).

So Patton Oswalt is going to be at the 40 Watt here in Athens, GA this Friday the 6th. Obviously Patton is no stranger to Athens (I enter the video below as my first piece of evidence). I've got my ticket. Do you?



And coming Wednesday March 4 is Bltizen Trapper with Alela Diane. Honestly I'm more excited about Alela Diane than Blitzen Trapper, but Blitzen Trapper is pretty good too. "Furr," the track Yousuf posted a while back is an obvious stand out by them. As far as Alela Diane goes, here's her wonderful "Dry Grass and Shadows" as well as a video for "White As Diamonds," her most recent single.





from The Family Album compilation, Grass Roots Records (2006)
Dry Grass and Shadows