
Social theory and good tunes go so well together. One of my favorite writers in this vein is Georges Bataille [1897-1962] and the songs collected below are assembled in the spirit of his work. Mystic, pornographer, frustrated dialectician, art critic, political and economic visionary –Bataille's oeuvre is frighteningly bizarre and profound. Most people know of him for Story of the Eye , a classic pornographic novel. But in truth his best writing is social theory; in particular his ideas of the low, debasement, economic surplus, and useless expenditure seem as timely as ever. His later mystical writings about self-consciousness [...]

I'm sitting in Podcast Jack's basement. He's more drunk than Ken or I have ever seen in our entire lives. No, wait, Ken just remembered that Jack puked two years ago at the Broadway Diner in Summit, New Jersey -- but he had also been smoking grass that night, and it totally threw off his equilibrium. Or, so he says right now. Jack wants me to write about how "we" (and by that he means the Obscure References crew, I think) are a failed culture. "Jack, how are we a failed culture?" I ask. "Fuck." he [...]

I'm sitting in Podcast Jack's basement. He's more drunk than Ken or I have ever seen in our entire lives. No, wait, Ken just remembered that Jack puked two years ago at the Broadway Diner in Summit, New Jersey -- but he had also been smoking grass that night, and it totally threw off his equilibrium. Or, so he says right now. Jack wants me to write about how "we" (and by that he means the Obscure References crew, I think) are a failed culture. "Jack, how are we a failed culture?" I ask. "Fuck." he [...]
well the france love/hate swingometer lunges around like a spastic drunk on a partick night bus, finally unsteadily stopping firmly vomit flecked in the love half once again. no plasticine-like tent pegs and stroke-inducing lost boys-style dutch kids roaming wild and unfettered and unbeaten this time round. possibly vital to the enjoyable sense-stroking gastronomical hard cock wet [...]
Norway Rat ( Årabrot , Noxagt ) has signed punk-rockers Lydia Laska and will be releasing the new 7" "Could I have a go on your girl, please?" b/w "Mandy" , a new version of the old track from their "We're nothing compared to ourselves" EP. Guests on the a-side include Emil Nikolaisen ( Serena Maneesh ) on guitar and Sissy Wish on backing vocals. Expect it sometime in November. The band is also working on a new full-length with an eye for a February release.
Danish experimental/post-rock act Under Byen will be collaborating with Norwegian noiserockers Noxagt on a new piece of music to be premiered at Nordic Music Week in Stavanger, Norway in early November. Read more: http://www.nordicmusicweek.com /
noxagt are norwegian. this much i know for sure. they have drums, thunderously precise drums. they have a bass, brutally downtuned to mess with yr inner ear. they used to have a screeching viola (which some of the time was unrecognisable anyway), now they have splintered jaggy guitar. they are signed to load records. they [...]
well this is quite the line-up. quite the choice selection of cured meats and smoked cheeses indeed. all the noise, danish wind instruments, distortion, electronickery, kosmische musik and occasional folkiness you can shake a big bloody black-clad stick at. following all tomorrows parties slow descent into some incestuous groundhog day love-in (the portishead one excepted) and the apparent [...]
What's up with this "The '90s Show" episode? They really shouldn't have signed a multi-season contract a few years ago if they were just going to run out of ideas before the thing even came into effect. Watching these new episodes is like watching puppies being put to sleep. Sweet, innocent, delicious puppies that could have been adopted by suitable families who would treat them well and shower them all the love and attention they so deserve. People like my old Chinese neighbors in New Jersey, who winked when telling my parents, "Oh, we take care of dear" that one [...]

The Nordic countries of Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark, and Iceland have sent many artists to entertain at previous SXSW festivals, but this year is especially good. This is a collection of all the Nordic bands and artists I could find appearing at SXSW. This is by no means all of them... although you surely can't quibble at forty-five free mp3s, can you? David and The Citizens (Sweden - pictured above) a heart and a hand and the love for a band big Chill let's not fall apart [...]

Not fully back yet, but I will do a slight update regardless. I didn’t have much trouble removing and replacing my old computer. This new computer really has shown me how far behind I was technologically with my old computer. It’s amazing really; I didn’t think it was THAT bad. Regardless, I am still importing music and such, which is taking more time than I would have liked. It will be nice to have a lot more on here than I was able to keep on the old computer. [...]
One thing to know about Oslo: Most people are honest (except cabbies), friendly (except customs agents), extremely beautiful (no exceptions), and obsessed with the export of their arts. So Øya is ostensibly an international festival, drawing on credible, on-the-rise indie...