Blog: Kofi's hat

NME's 6/18 issue includes "Green Day Present Generation Punk" - a CD of the band's favourite punk "anthems." Yes, there is a Green Day song -- I mean, anthem -- on the CD. Minor quibble: It would have been nice if the liner notes (with Green Day's comments on the songs and some biographical info on the artists) appeared in the CD booklet, rather than just in the issue of NME. The CD comes in a jewel case, anyway and they already included a fold-out insert. Without further quibblage, the track listing and a few songs from the CD: [...]

So far the self-congratulatory air surrounding Live 8 has been both annoying and unearned. Geldof & his Superfriends have done a great job at creating awareness of the fact that they aren't raising money this time. They have also reminded us how badly Geldof & co. screwed up the last time they tried to help Africa. Good intentions are nice, but not edible. I can't say Live 8 isn't benefitting anyone, though, because the performers in Philadelphia get gift bags! Specifically, Hugo Boss duffle bags and a chance to fill them in a "celebrity gifting lounge" set up to [...]

And lots of others... mp3: Paul Anka - Eyes Without A Face mp3: The Dears - Who Are You, Defenders of the Universe mp3: The Pursuit of Happiness - No Safe Place mp3: The Tragically Hip - The Dark Canuck mp3: [...]

I can't share fireworks or hockey as easily and I prefer music anyway, so here are some songs in honour of the day. mp3: Big Sugar - O Canada mp3: Arrogant Worms - Canada's Really Big (live) mp3: Rush - Lakeside Park mp3: Les Trois Accords - Saskatchewan Lyrics Translation, courtesy of Babel Fish : A beautiful morning I left [...]

Conor Oberst appeared "wildly intoxicated throughout" his set Sunday night on the John Peel stage during Glastonbury and unleashed a tirade of insults and bile fired in all directions . Throughout his set, he made "disparaging remarks about John Peel and the Make Poverty History campaign." I've pieced together some of what happened during the bizarre set: At one point, Oberst yelled, "John Peel was a cokehead. I suppose that's why I like him; we have a lot in common." Some audience members left; some heckled Oberst. "You're a dick!" was "the [...]

The Dandy Warhols have revealed the details of their next album, "Odditorium or Warlords of Mars," which will be released September 13 . The album is partially named after the band's "infamous Portland studio headquarters." Word is the Dandies have moved away from their recent heavily synthesized sound "into expansive new musical terrain, while frequently revisiting the stripped-down sound of their earlier years." Good news for those who miss Weezer's video for Undone (The Sweater Song)? "A video for first single "Smoke It" finds the band performing in front [...]

I wanted one that said "I whored out my personal data and all I got was this lousy gif" but no such luck. Actually, I like the gifs (you get a choice), and the questions weren't terribly intrusive. MIT's survey is a "general social survey of the greater weblog community." It's for science, people! The survey doesn't take too long either. Everyone who maintains a weblog (I wish they would say "blog") is invited to spill their guts about their blogging habits (reading and writing-wise). Questions also cover topics such [...]

Art Brut literally means Raw or Rough Art but the usual English phrase is Outsider Art . The term was coined by artist Jean Dubuffet to describe "art created outside the boundaries of official culture." He concentrated on art made by people who were committed to asylums, but the term also covers the work of self-taught artists, and others outside the mainstream art world. Art Brut the band is brash, fun, bitingly witty, bratty, but sometimes sweet. The subject matter of their songs reveals a wide range of [...]

There's more to Glastonbury than muddy tents and slacker youth who use adorable words like telly and chuffed. Fortunately, some of the three-day festival is accessible without traveling to England and going back in time ( all 125,000 tickets sold out within a day ). As part of their Glastonbury coverage, the BBC have named 6 Picks , their choices for "the best veterans and ones to watch" at Glastonbury. They selected Ash, The Magic Numbers, Maximo Park, New Order, Rilo Kiley, and The Tears. Those artists are given extra coverage [...]

The Magic Numbers are often compared to the Mamas and the Papas. The band does cite them as an inspiration, along with Lovin Spoonful, the Beach Boys, David Axelrod, and "many sources." They compare themselves to Beck and Flaming Lips in drawing from many sources to create a unique sound. Fair enough, and if you check out the mp3s at the end of this post (oh no, no one is reading the rest of this now ), you'll see... er, hear that there's quite a distinctly different sound, and mood between those two songs. Both have [...]

Billboard reports that Iron & Wine and Calexico will release an EP, titled "In the Reins" September 20 and then tour together . They plan West Coast concerts for October; the East Coast will get its turn in December. They plan on having Iron & Wine and Calexico perform separately at each show, then close each concert with a final performance together. Iron & Wine's Sam Beam tells Billboard that the EP was planned for a couple of years, but Calexico's "pretty intense" touring schedule delayed it. Sure, Sam, blame the other guys. He also says, "We [...]

The lineup for tonight's episode of Hit Me Baby, One More Time underwhelms me. Greg Kihn - "The Breakup Song" (covering Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams") Why isn't he singing Jeopardy, which was a bigger hit ? The Breakup Song hit #15 on the pop charts; Jeopardy made it it to #2. This show is a sham! Moreso because the right artist rarely wins. Anyway, I feel like hearing Jeopardy. If you've got Greg Kihn there, you have him [...]

Seven songs in honour of the start of summer. I could really go for a popsicle right about now. mp3: 14 Iced Bears - Summer Nights Summer lovin', had me a blast... mp3: Felt - Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow You're trying much too hard to make your world seem like a dream [...]

Music magazines love making lists. No "greatest albums" list can please everyone, but they generally make for good discussion material, and they're fun. I like to think there are some people who will be motivated to check out the Pixies or The Smiths for the first time because of a list like this. The 100 greatest albums of the last 20 years, according to Spin : 1. Radiohead - OK Computer - 1997 ( .mp3: Radiohead - No Surprises , from OK Computer , You Send It Link) 2. Public Enemy [...]

So Rilo Kiley is playin' the big venues now. I have mixed feelings about the band's increasing popularity, but they certainly deserve success and they were excited to play at the Wiltern for the first time. And big venue and all, this was my favourite Rilo Kiley concert. The doors opened about 20 minutes late, but the show started right on time. The Brunettes , a winsome group from New Zealand, started the night off. Their sound is very much in a bubbly 60s pop/bachelor's lounge mode. Lots of handclapping and sha-la-las can't be a [...]

Paul Westerberg's latest release is Besterberg: Best of Paul Westerberg , which gathers some highlights of Westerberg's thirteen-year solo career and at long last gives Westy a chance to use a pun he has probably been wanting to use on an album for decades. Westerberg's solo career has been a bit under-the-radar, which is not necessarily a bad thing. His song Dyslexic Heart attracted a fair bit of attention on the Singles soundtrack, which likely helped his first official solo album 14 Songs snare some buzz (The Replacements' All Shook Down was [...]

I'm just sayin'. "A piece of art is not a loaf of bread. When someone steals a loaf of bread from the store, that's it. The loaf of bread is gone. When someone downloads a piece of music, it's just data until the listener puts that music back together with their own ears, their mind, their subjective experience. How they perceive your work changes your work. Treating your audience like thieves is absurd. Anyone who chooses to listen to our music becomes a collaborator. People who look at music as commerce don't understand that. They are [...]

Provide a zip code and The Starbucks Delocator will give you suggestions for independently-owned Starbucks alternatives in the area. Some of these places are kind of weird, with menu items like "coffee" in small, medium, and large sizes. The good thing is, if you try one and it freaks you out too much, you can always flee and find a Starbucks a yard or two away. Inspired by the Starbucks Delocator, the folks at Stay Free! have created the Alanis Morissette Delocator. Some folks are peeved at Alanis, and it's not [...]

Spinal Tap: realistic Poor guitarists ... they shouldn't have to fret too much about their facial expressions... and yet... some of these pictures are priceless: Guitar Players Painfully Overwhelmed by the Power of their Own Rocking: A Picture Thread

What have I gotten myself into? Wait. Meant to just think that part. Your humble blogger already co-runs unscripted.tv , and blogs her little heart out mostly about The Apprentice, which she has a love-hate relationship with, and Donald Trump, who she doesn't love at all. Eek, I've barely started this new blog and I'm already referring to myself in the third person. Anyway, my partner in unscripted crime and I have been pondering other blogging misadventures lately. Tonight, I attended the Aqualung show at the Amoeba Music on Sunset Boulevard, often [...]