Blog: STOPLIGHT SLEEP: Music & Comics

About a month ago, picked my 10 favs of 2011 for The Elliot Potter Show with Jason Brown . I told him at the time that I could have picked 10 totally different albums and been happy with my list. Here are those 10. Tim Hecker Ravedeath, 1972 Why it didn't make [...]

Several months ago, I planned to do a podcast commentary with some friends for the Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World DVD. Those plans fell through, but I did come away with a sweet, "overclocked" remix of "Threshhold" from video-game enthusiast and electronic artist Mainfinger . Now it's my ringtone! Linky!

• Linky! » Sex Bob-Omb - Threshold (Main Finger Rem....mp3

Amidst recovering from a long, hazy weekend full of pizza and sugar and C 2 H 5 OH, I rediscovered Hail to the Thief , the only of Radiohead's four full-length releases (Yes, Com Lag , the In Rainbows b-sides, etc. are all good as well.) over the past decade that I wouldn't have previously labeled "a classic." I'm not sure why, but I'd never really fully understood the album, however enjoyable and punctuated with genius moments, specifically the shift in "2 + 2 = 5" and the opening riff of "There There." [...]

Remember, if you can, Dear Reader, the first time you heard that one album. That one time it took only the first few seconds for you to fall in love? A love so deep and painful that the only way you could express it would be to rip your skin off with pliers or at least bloody your hand on some rusty guitar strings. Maybe you've never had this experience, Dear Reader. In that case, I mourn for you. You've never had your Keep On Your Mean Side . [...]

Last year, Spoon and Joanna Newsom (among others) received heaps of praise for albums that—at least when compared to their previous work—were pedestrian, uninspiring, and, well, boring. Meanwhile, Broken Social Scene released yet another masterpiece, Forgiveness Rock Record . How this band isn't on the tip of everyone's tongue, I'll never understand. Perhaps I could write their lack of overwhelming success of to being Canadian, but who isn't (or doesn't want to be) these days. SS is, however, convinced that the under-appreciation of [...]

Seems like we only pop up when it's time to look back at some unit of time. Well, let's jump into it regardless. To start off our look back at the year, taste these succulent appetizers. "USA Boys" by Health When Health released "Die Slow" before their second album, the reaction was instant adoration, but when the rest of Get Color was less poppy overall, the feedback was mixed. In one interview, [...]

Not so long ago, Copy, Right? , fully supplied all the cool, unexpected covers you could ever need. I don't propose to ever replace her, but I will offer up a few of my favs from time to time. (And it appears there's a list of other blogs on the old site worth investigation.) Even though it's been two-and-a-half years since Stereogum posted a cover of "Close to Me" that replaces Robert Smith's girlish charm with [...]

As Record Store Day continues to grow, so does the list of limited edition vinyl, CDs, DVDs, etc. associated with the yearly event. Sorting through the pages of releases is quite a task, and remembering what to look for amidst all the live music, free food, and adult beverages could turn out to be daunting. I'll be at Euclid for live music by Art Majors and others. Here's what I'll be looking for: [...]

A futuristic techno train lurches from the station, slowly clacking and building electrosteam, its synthetic beat increasing with each turn of the virtual wheel. The whistle screams as it careens downhill, the sounds peeking into the playful clattering and hooks of "Out at the Pictures," the first track on 2008's Made in the Dark from the dancepop group Hot Chip. The bridge of "Out at the Pictures" features yelping, and is followed by the similar-in-structure "Shake a Fist." The track builds more quickly, anchored by a fat bass sweep and dense [...]

A handful of movies ( Monster , Boys Don't Cry , Grave of the Fireflies ) have ranked among the best of the last couple decades while ensuring that anyone would never want to see them a second time. These films are so emotionally raw and effective that only the most dedicated of cinephiles and drama junkies would willingly experience the journey again. "Support Our Troops OH! (Black Angels OH!)," the Generation Kill -inspired avant-jazz, spoken-word protest document at the center of Xiu Xiu's Fabulous Muscles is a [...]

While many are beginning their participation in National Novel Writing Month , Stoplight Sleep is beginning a project of its own. Over the next few months, I'll be writing about 100 of the greatest albums of the 2000s. Each album will get approximately 500 words, adding up to the 50,000 authors pen for NaNo. I'd call it Local Music Criticism Quarter, but it doesn't have quite the same ring to it, so you'll see "The Double Aughts" label instead. The first post is coming very soon, so be on the look out.

While I've been busy writing about other things in other places , I've also been thinking a lot about the best of the decade. I'll be doing individual posts on some of the albums I think are the best over the next couple months.

Maybe the 8-bit cover thing has jumped the shark (a phrase which has "jumped the shark"), but I couldn't help but love this one when I heard it during the latest Engadget podcast . Not a bad video , either. Dr. Zilog - My Girls (8-bit Animal Collective Cover)

It's no secret that Stoplight Sleep is a big fan of Why? , so it got a little electric over here when Pitchfork posted a new track from the upcoming album, Eskimo Snow . You can also check out Pitchfork's interview with Yoni Wolf , the mastermind behind Why?, and details on the upcoming tour over at our friends Insulinfunk . Meanwhile, another Anticon act, Serengeti & Polyphonic are touring to promote their new album, Terradactyl [...]

WARNING: The following post does not relate to the American government's space program or an 80s pop duo. The following video does, however, feature lyrics from Spank Rock, so, you know, NSFW. N.A.S.A. (the collaboration between producer Squeak E. Clean and DJ Zegon who released The Spirit of Apollo early this year) recently released an official video for their summer jam, "Watcha Doin?" The track, like the rest of the album, features several notable guests. In this case, you get Nick Zinner (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), Spank Rock, Santogold, and [...]

You can check out my review of the new album Upper Air from Bowerbirds on I nsulinfunk . </div Crooked Lust - Bowerbirds

No, this isn't a post about Stoplight Sleep favorite's Ra Ra Riot doing a Pantera cover. It's about this cool live video from Pitchfork!

I put in I'm Frightened , the new album from White Rabbits, which was produced by Britt Daniel. I flash back to the summer of 2001. Girls Can Tell is on my car stereo .

I've been writing a weekly feature (among other duties) over at Insulinfunk . Check out the reviews here . They usually go up on Fridays. While you're at it, check out The Rawking Refuses to Stop!'s Best of 2008 features . That's right, only 6 months later. Now that's some thoughtfulness I can get behind.

It must be the beginning of Fallout 3, the way Megatons were blowing up today. First, Valve and Microsoft announced Left for Dead 2 , the sequal to one of my favorite games of 2008. Some claim it's too soon, but I'm excited about the changes, namely a new setting, fresh characters, melee weapons, and an improved AI director. Now, players will experience changes in weather and environment. Also today, eMusic announced changes coming to their service . I'm still processing this, [...]