At 9 o'clock on Thursday night, I will be gladly putting down whatever work I have to do and rush to claim the TV lounge in my dorm. For Thursday night is the night of nights. That's right…the season premier of The Office. We have experienced three incredible seasons of tensions filled hilarity, and I fully expect the same from the fourth. So many questions will hopefully be answered this time around (or they might just be drawn out for a fifth season). Will Ryan help Dunder Mifflin rise above the competition? Will Dwight and Angela reveal their secret relationship? [...]
In the coming weeks, the big music industry guns are dropping hot new records--Vanessa Carlton, Dashboard Confessional, among others. Oh yeah, and there is this northwestern indie band named Band of Horses that has a new album, Cease to Begin , coming out on October 9. Lead single "Is There a Ghost" has essentially been engrained into the brain of every indie rock fan, but the rest if the album is good too. ______ One or two of the tracks are a bit too country for my tastes, but most of Cease to Begin shoots for the [...]
I just updated my iTunes/iPod software and now it has some of my artists re-arranged. Trail of Dead is now down by Animal Collective and Andrew Bird and the number artists are at the end. I have to go all the way down the list to listen to 50 Cent and 4 Non Blondes! (only half kidding) Not to mention the fact that A Tribe Called Quest now resides with the Rs and all my Blur song reviews have been reduced to one star. OK so that last one was me :) 50 Cent - In [...]
The new CBS reality show, entitled "Kid Nation", isolates 40 children from adult society for 40 days, thus forcing them to feed and clothe themselves and interact peacefully with one another. Essentially, the concept is Lord of the Flies with cameras and slimy executive producers. I hate reality TV and the idea of people humiliating themselves for fame or money, not to mention the television networks who take full advantage of these participants. Nonetheless, I really have no moral objections to adults trying "survive" on an island in Australia or whatever, and I do watch Flava of Love. [...]
Coldplay is currently in the midst of recording their 4th album with several producers, including Brian Eno. Coldplay's drummer, Will Champion, says they have been rehearsing the new songs for six months and are 60% done with the album. I'm excited so that means that the seven of you who read this blog must be excited too. -Zack
Yeah, so I don't know, OJ Simpson apparently tracked down some of his memorabilia which had been stolen and reclaimed the items. Whether guns were involved is disputed at this point, but OJ adamantly denies it being a robbery. As he reasoned with one of the funniest quotes I've heard in a while,"I'm OJ Simpson. Who am I gonna rob?" Well reasoned, Mr. Simpson. And furthermore, when has OJ ever lied to anyone, or done anything, ya know, questionable? I'm not posting OJ-themed mp3s, but if I did.... Jane's Addiction - Been Caught Stealing
While I appreciate his production of 50 Cent's "Peep Show," I think most people kinda would rather hear a new Marshall Mathers disc. I have not actually heard Encore but "Just Lose It" is Em's worst single, and album reviews were lukewarm, so I don't think I missed much. Even if the new one sucks, at this point rap music needs all the help it can get, considering Pharoahe Monch may walk away with the hip-hop record of the year. I mean, Desire kicks ass, but it's no classic. Anyway, old school Em and new school [...]
The six members of Ra Ra Riot are relatively new to the music scene, but have wasted no time in writing some catchy tunes for their self titled debut EP. The band has bounced back from the recent tragedy in the untimely death of their drummer, John Pike, in early June. They finished their summer tour which included a performance in our very own Laberton Hall at Lehigh University. Not really knowing what to expect, we (Erik, Mike, and myself) were greeted by a terrible opening band, who I won't give the gratification of talking about. [...]
Yes, "refix" not remix, according to Pitchfork. This reworking of Graduation standout "Flashing Lights" finds DJ Benzi placing Clipse verses (circa We Got it 4 Cheap, Volume 2 ) over Kanye's superb synth backdrop. The refix provides the rhymes that could have transformed Graduation into a classic, and suggests that if Clipse ever team up with Kanye, look the fuck out. Clipse-Flashing Lights (Benzi Refix)
Another great album being released this week is that of Brighton, England's The Go! Team. Entitled "Proof of Youth," it carries many similar elements from their first record, "Thunder, Lightning, Strike!" including the incredibly unique mixture of live and sampled instrumentation that is The Go! Team's trademark. The samples used here are fantastic and diverse; they include 80s funk/reggae band The Politicians, Glen Campbell, and even live vocals from the legendary Chuck D. That's not to say the songs aren't great too, in fact, I feel like this album is just as good as "Thunder, Lightning, Strike!" was, and perhaps [...]
So, yeah, apparently you can challenge the New Pornographers to any type of competition you want. That is, if you enslave yourself on their behalf and perform myriad tasks to prove your loyalty and post said tasks on everyone's favorite video site. I don't know about you, but my ideal grand prize would simply be a lock of the famous Bej-Fro.... Hehe. The announcement video
I meant to post about this yesterday, but believe or not, the man is not going anywhere, nor is debate over this album, so today should work. Last year, Nas, in a not-so-subtle-manner, proclaimed hip-hop dead. Essentially, he speaks the truth, as neither he nor Jay-Z can carry the game, nor Eminem, nor Wu-Tang, nor anyone still living that once ranked among the all-time rap greats. ______ And here comes Kanye. Already with two of the decade's best records, West steps into the spotlight once more to pat himself on the back, shout-out to Jigga, and, on the [...]
A funny article on theonion.com regarding a certain music criticism publication.
This week is pretty the mother of all musical excitement: the highly anticipated showdown between 50 and Kanye, the return of the Go! Team, the re-emergence of Black Francis, the stateside release of Simian Mobile Disco's super-duper Attack Decay Sustain Release . However, above the else, the record that may be 2007's best finally hits stores. _______Whether the mainstream acknowledges it or not, Animal Collective is undeniably one the best half a dozen bands of the 21st century. They demand your full attention as they switch up their sound every album while simultaneously taking you away to their tribal [...]
Throw the "W's" up, folks! The Shaolin octet (no love for Cappadonna, sorry) finally returns in November with 8 Diagrams , the first group effort in 6 years. The GZA has proclaimed hip-hop is lacking "a main element," and that the Clan is hungry to fill the void. As he humorously described on www.wutang-corp.com, "What you heard on 36 Chambers was the hunger and the thirst," GZA analyses. "Wu-Tang Forever was quenching that thirst - like, 'Aaah, that water and food tasted so good!' I would say The W was on some, 'Let's eat again, I'm kinda hungry again.' [...]
Little did I realize how far the process of going to college would put me behind in the music world. Due to my mind being preoccupied with other things, I somehow failed to realize that the new Beirut album was being released on September 4th. As you may have guessed by now, Beirut is one of my favorite artists. This coupled with the fact that I never miss a leak made this all the more shocking to me. Anyway, I got The Flying Club Cup a few days ago, and I think it's easily [...]
Up until yesterday, the "forthcoming" Radiohead album seemed like a mere myth. Sure, song titles have been thrown around, live bootlegs have circulated, and Thom Yorke has hinted at album's actual existence (amongst his dozens and dozens of environment-driven blog posts). Now, the band has actually "finished recording," according to guitarist/superman Jonny Greenwood. Now, of course, the real fun begins: editing, mastering, finding, you know, a label to release the thing. Here are two of the ballin' tracks that will (presumably) appear. Radiohead - 15 Step Radiohead - Bodysnatchers
With two-thirds of 2007 gone already, some of us have a lot of catching up to do. Instead of trying to listen to every Pitchfork recommended record, here's a brief recap of what you should have heard as of September 8. Check it. Simian Mobile Disco - It's the Beat Panda Bear - Bros LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends The Field - A Paw In My Face Battles - Atlas [...]
Okay, a bit of an overstatement. Nonetheless, a blog named after the hilarious scene in spiderman 3 involving james franco and his love of pie can only be of a ceratin high quality. Like most modern blogs, I intend on delivering breaking news and hot new mp3s ranging from indie rock (duh) to dance (maybe just M.I.A., if you consider that dance) to hip-hop (you know, if anyone actually releases a worthwhile rap record this year). At the same time, I and my fellow editors may spontaneously post whatever older material we feel is worth hearing. You may even see [...]
How's the pie?
Bison - Quill
Neutral Milk Hotel- Aeroplane Over the Sea
Shinichi Osawa – Big Beach Mix 2012
