Blog: The Village Voice: Sound of the City

Last year, O.G. English space-rock collective Spiritualized reissued 1997's dreamy classic Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space, and commemorated the occasion by doing a series of ATP-spo... Continue reading "Spiritualized's Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space Lands on the Bowery" >

Is it any surprise that M.I.A.'s semi-secret, Opening Ceremony-sponsored record release party last night at P.S.1 ended in chaos, disarray, and confusion? /\/\/\Y/\, the record we've all heard to... Continue reading "Last Night: M.I.A. Got Kicked Off Stage At Her Own Record Release Party at P.S.1" >

The Roots and friends Prospect Park Bandshell Sunday, July 11 Welcome to another preposterously well-attended Celebrate Brooklyn! fete, David Byrne-ian in its excess of humanity, thousands upon ... Continue reading "Live: The Roots Regale The Teeming Prospect Park Masses With -- And Why Not -- "Sweet Child O' Mine"" >

Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival Brooklyn Bridge Park Saturday, July 10 Fully equipped with chicken skewers and beer, a DJ tent, live street-art exhibitions, custom-made jewelry, and graffiti-styled T-... Continue reading "Live: De La Soul, Pete Rock and CL Smooth, And DJ Premier Wax Gloriously Nostalgic At The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival " >

From the great Rich Four Four comes this profoundly disturbing article of baby clothing, apparently for sale on the Atlantic City boardwalk. "I can't even, really," he notes. "This is maybe the gr... Continue reading "Here Is The Most Wildly Inappropriate Michael Jackson-Themed Onesie Imaginable (NSFW, Let Alone For Your Baby)" >

In the week we put the worst band name in New York to a vote (Phil and the Osophers, you are no match for Freelance Whales), we watched as LeBron James put his own name in as the most hated in Ne... Continue reading "Week in Review: Taking Our Talents To South Beach" >

Ask Ted Leo sometime about the brutal, unforgivingly marginal economics that confront indie musicians who work without the benefit of a major-label backer or any kind of meaningful record sales. H... Continue reading "Phosphorescent's Van, Gear Stolen in Greenpoint Last Night" >

On Sunday afternoon, FIFA will crown the 2010 World Cup winner. At that very same time, Jelly NYC will be hosting its first Pool Party of 2010. To immerse yourself locally in the World Cup final... Continue reading "Answers To the Annoying Questions Your Indecisive Friends Will Ask About The First Jelly NYC Pool Party. (Yes, You Can Probably Watch the World Cup Final There.)" >

Our love for both hip-hop scribe Dave Tompkins (read our "mega q&a" regarding his essential new vocoder-history book How to Wreck a Nice Beach here) and rap/street-art icon Rammellzee (read our ob... Continue reading "Dave Tompkins Salutes Rammellzee: "I Will Miss Our Annual Halloween Phone Calls"" >

Yesterday, a minor scandal broke out as video surfaced of Beach Fossils bassist John Pena chucking his instrument into the East River after a particularly heated 4th of July performance at Long ... Continue reading "The Beach Fossils Bassist Responds: Why John Pena Threw His Bass Into the East River" >

Here we have America's Sweetheart on TV this morning, warbling through "Someone to Watch Over Me" while engulfed in smoke, and "Bad Romance" while leading a band all dressed up to storm the gate... Continue reading "Watch: Lady Gaga's Smoke-Machine-Addled Today Show Performance " >

And thus did Greenwich, Connecticut become the vortex of bad publicity and ill-advised decisions last night, as LeBron James brought along a good luck charm to an hour-long press conference that ... Continue reading "You Can't Make It Up: Kanye West Was At the LeBron James Press Conference Last Night" >

Start your weekend off with a tropically infused dance party. The Que Bajo crew take on Turntables of the Hudson (though they'll be at the Water Taxi Beach) as an ending to the Latin American Musi... Continue reading "I Don't Go Clubbing, I Go Dancing: The Weekend In Nightlife, Starring Que Bajo, Joakim, Reggaeholics, DJ Shark, And DJ Maseo" >

Recently, the multi-instrumental Latino hip-hop rock troupe Ozomatli were appointed United States Cultural Ambassadors. They've been vocal proponents of a growing, musician-led boycott of Arizona,... Continue reading "Q&A: Ozomatli, Who Are Performing at Celebrate Brooklyn Tonight, on Boycotting Arizona, Longevity, and Latino Gay Awareness" >

So here is delightful footage of, yes, Beach Fossils' notably spastic bass player chucking his axe into the river during a Water Taxi Beach show. This is a thing with this band, apparently: 45 m... Continue reading "List: Top Ten Brooklyn Vegan Commenter Reactions To The Video Of The Beach Fossils Dude Throwing His Bass Into The East River" >

Recently, Kanye West returned from retirement to visit New York and the "Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs" exhibition at the Discovery Times Square Exposition. "He said it was somet... Continue reading "Kanye West Meets the Gilded Coffin of Tjuya: An Imaginary Conversation" >

L Magazine's repeatedly endorsed these lo-fi monsters, having them play more than anyone else at last month's Northside Festival, getting the official Conklin must-see nod, and doling out an Hon... Continue reading "Brooklyn's Shark? Become Another Kickstarter Success Story, Now Just Have To Write Songs About Subjects Benefactors Choose" >

To say that Drake's June 15th free, outdoor show at the South Street Seaport was cancelled would be an understatement--more like dissolved into a lawless riot. The cops eventually broke that show... Continue reading "Drake Will Never Play Outdoors For Free in This Town Again: Central Park Show Next Week Cancelled" >

Yes In My Backyard is a semiweekly column showcasing new and emerging MP3s from local talent. Brooklyn jazz-punks Father Figures bring old-school Knitting Factory aggro-improv kicking and squeaki... Continue reading "Download: Father Figures, "Patty's Cats"" >

• Father Figures, "Patty's Cats" » 5039110.0.mp3

Here is the punchline to all those outraged tweets during Coachella, when people were shocked at that the crowd for Phoenix dwarfed that of indie-rock journeymen Pavement, who had the misfortune t... Continue reading "Phoenix Are Playing Madison Square Garden in October" >