I know it's early yet, but the holiday season is all a-buzz around us and I thought I'd go ahead and get the end-of-2009 stuff going with a little listmaking cheer. A warning, though: I'm an English major. This means I write a lot . So there's many a paragraph to brave. But you can make it. I have faith in you. ten favorite albums 10 • Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix I tried not to let Phoenix's show-stopping performance [...]
author's note: This post is stupidly late. Like a month late. We were waiting for the drawings. I'm sure you'll agree that they're totally worth it. The Get Up Kids are touring again, and, if their Twitter is to be believed, they'll continue touring for awhile. This is very good news. If you haven't seen them, and you're not afraid of getting kicked in the face 1 , you should catch a show. Three Would-be Hipsters sneaked out of work to get to the ridiculously early show at the Avalon, where I ran into [...]
Hey loyal readers. And, most likely, random passers-by. As you may have noticed, LMS has moved on to her own project, Panel. (If you're loyal enough to follow us on twitter or facebook, there's no way you could have possibly missed this.) This is just a quick note to let you know that while LMS is gone, the rest of us are still here, geeking out over good music and pie. In fact, we've got a lot of changes in the works, including a new layout, new features, and even a new Would-be Hipster. That's why things are [...]
Two years ago, we started this blog...to get free stuff and foist our opinions on others. One Christmas compilation , twenty-six months, numerous trips to House of Pies, and a zillion Swedish indie rock references later, I can now say: Mission accomplished. Confessions of a Would-Be Hipster is not shutting down. m.a.b., L.A.R., ako, lmc, and cev still have your musical back. However, starting today I'll have a new Internet home. Together with Darius Fong (a.k.a. producer extraordinaire), we'll be running WEarePANEL.com and the "We [...]
Make Moon is a band of guys who know how to follow instructions--going so far as to tell us what they sound like, dropping a CD in the mail, and then following up with an e-mail. Bands everywhere take note: this is how you get a review. Food for thought. Thankfully, Make Moon also makes particularly enjoyable music. A solid rock band, their sound is accented with unexpected elements of jazz, psychedelia, new wave and good ' ol fashioned pop. Their self-titled EP is a slippery thing--just when you think [...]
I'm floating in a bit of a bubble this week with limited Internet access. Somehow, this feeling of disconnect—like I've somehow managed to fall off the grid, makes Thao 's (and her band, the Get Down Stay Down) new album Know Better Learn Faster just a bit more extraordinary. I can't access the cheat sheet press release, and Thao defies easy summaries. It's a fair trade. Thao's music simultaneously boasts an old-fashioned throw down musicality—not unlike a few great American songwriters you could easily Google (Muddy Waters and Bob Dylan immediately come to mind) and [...]
I love rock documentaries. Don't Look Back , Woodstock , The Kids Are Alright , The Devil and Daniel Johnston , DiG! - any excuse to watch great musicians play great music and talk about how messed up they are, I'm there. I think it stems from the fact that, as much as I want to be a rock star, I never will be. Watching rockumentaries reminds me that these people are human too, and generally, their lives are actually worse than mine. If they have to be talented, rich, and good-looking, at least [...]
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Last week three of the Would-be Hipsters headed off to the Knitting Factory in Hollywood for a night of Scottish indie-rock perfection. Well, almost. First opener was We Were Promised Jetpacks , who were brilliant. Loud, just poppy enough, great bass lines, clever lyrics, totally adorable and Scottish. I don't know how I've not had them in my life for so long. They've become my new walking-to-lunch music, and last week it took every ounce of composure not to dance down Fairfax while singing the chorus of "Quiet Little Voices." 1 [...]
For the record: I'm not stalking Loney Dear (a.k.a. Emil Svanängen). But if he's going to insist on playing Los Angeles three times in any given year--once as a supporting act for another great artist, and once at my favorite club --before returning a third time with a notable opener of his own...well, I fail to see the downside of going for the trifecta. First off was the sock-of-nickels sonic assault of Asobi Seksu . Despite demonstrating just how poorly balanced the Troubadour sound system was, and hypnotizing the audience with [...]
After seeing her live , and being enchanted by her new album East of Eden , we're sad to think that others may not get a chance to see Victoria Bergsman (a.k.a. Taken By Trees ) preform. The dilemma straight from the lady's mouth ( or rather fingers ): Dear All I never thought it would come to this, me pleading for your help and support. Here I am with a finalised album and a excellent band willing to help me out, [...]
Brand New is a band that understands its strengths. Frontman Jesse Lacey put it best in the band's acerbic call to arms "Okay I Believe You But My Tommy Gun Don't": "We admit to the truth; we are the best at what we do." Indeed, they possess an almost preternatural ability to take a style I do not care for (what the world at large pejoratively refers to as "emo," though this feels like a criminally unfair description) and transform it into some of the most compelling music that has touched these college ears. 2003's Deja Entendu [...]
Seriously Chairlift , I love you. I really do. But...a headline set of eight songs and no encore? After June's killer Getty show , and of course the continuing Would-Be Hipster love affair with your debut album , I couldn't help but hope for a bit more. I'm happy you hit the highlights--"Le Flying Saucer Hat" is quite possibly one of my favorite new tunes. And who hasn't had a giddy moment while singling along to "Bruises?"--Which, for the record--you nailed. It's just...huh? In lieu of any additional content, I highly suggest you head on [...]
I've compared Letting Up Despite Great Faults to the Postal Service several times. All the touchstones are there: thoughtful electronic-based melodies, whispered vocals, modern romanticism. Although, as of late, I've been somewhat worried they were like the Postal Service in another way--After 2006's genteel EP Movement , word on a full-length hasn't been forthcoming. Were they too, ready to slink off into the perfect, electro-indie sunset, only to emerge in the legends of hipsters and would-be hipsters alike? No! The release date is still billed as "October 2009" but I'm happy to report [...]
Apoptygma Berzerk changed my life. Before they entered my frame of existence back in 2004, my father's Kraftwerk LPs and post- OK Computer Radiohead were the only exposure I'd ever had to real electronic music. Yes, I -- the man whose musical entity seems practically defined by synthesizers a mere five years later -- had never actually explored the possibilities of electronica. I liked what I'd heard, but somehow my then-high school freshman self never really considered pursuing the genre any further. And then Apop happened. The album was Harmonizer , the song was "Until [...]
I'll make this short and snappy--it's nearing the end of the holiday weekend, you need a good soundtrack to your assorted adventures or while venturing around town. Those darn Silver Lake kids have you covered... Karen O should be afraid. Very afraid. Coming across like a streetwise version of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Sarah Negahdari and the Happy Hollows are out to take no prisoners. If their Imaginary EP was like a brief flirty bar encounter, this is a full-fledged slap across the face...with a gigantic [...]
Author's note: If anyone actually reads this blog on a quasi-regular basis, they'll know that I like the Get Up Kids. A lot. So I'll spare you the "this is why they're good" bit and assume that if you like them you'll read this, and if you don't, you'll find LMS's most recent entry on someone who's probably Swedish. I now own three copies of The Get Up Kids' seminal sophomore album Something to Write Home About : the CD, released in 1999, a recently re-released record (on pink vinyl, no less), and now the [...]
Over the past week, my brain has filled with goo rendering all hints of intelligence null and void. Many will argue that this is how I live my life--and that no one can tell the difference. Honestly, who am I to argue? I'm goo girl. Surprisingly, as I discovered on Saturday, said goo often sounds not unlike the sweet cacophony of Modest Mouse live. Interestingly enough, they did not play any of their singles that brought them to the sort of public attention that allows them to play a venue the size of the Grove of [...]
Here we are again, another year of geeking out, geeking in, rocking out, and rocking in. We've doubled our writing crew, put together a charity album that we adore, and eaten enough pie to sink a ship. Not bad for a couple o' geeks, huh? In honor of our big 2, we asked a few friends, industry professionals, and family members what they thought of our blog. Needless we were flattered by their responses. Confessions of a Would-Be Hipster: The testimonials. What's a blog? - [...]
Is California on fire ? Yes. A post and playlist in honor of our stupidly brave partner-in-crime L.A.R. who is currently defying evacuation orders to work on art. Please, lift your Paps Blue Ribbon in tribute. mp3: " Cinder and Smoke " by Iron and Wine mp3: " Grapevine Fires (live) " by Death Cab For Cutie mp3: " I'm on Fire (live) " by Bat For Lashes mp3: " Ashes (demo) " by Rufus Wainwright mp3: " Don't Blame the Weatherman (live) " [...]
Confessions of a Would-Be Hipster
The Kills on Letterman (Video)
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
My Funny Valentines
Lana Del Rey - Without You (Kill Paris Remix) [Dubstep]
