Blog: The Modern Age

I don't know why, but every time I see Christopher Abbott come on screen as Charlie on Girls , I can't help wondering..."Wonder what Ezra Koenig is up to." Whelp, now I know:

I was very happy to have Purity Ring be my first concert of 2013 at their first stop on this leg of their American tour, at the NYC show at Webster Hall . A lot has changed for the duo since the first time I saw them in 2011 at CMJ : At the start of 2012 they were signed by 4AD and Last Gang Records, and in July of that year they released their stellar debut album, Shrines . The difference was even clear from their [...]

I love me some HAIM . Never has stuttering been so damn appealing:

Kinda feeling this song by English up-and-comer Charli XCX this AM:

I was very happy to have Purity Ring be my first concert of 2013 at their first stop on this leg of their American tour, at the NYC show at Webster Hall . A lot has changed for the duo since the first time I saw them in 2011 at CMJ : At the start of 2012 they were signed by 4AD and Last Gang Records, and in July of that year they released their stellar debut album, Shrines . The difference was even clear from their [...]

I mean c'mon, this song, "Pilgrim" is kinda amazing: AND she's Danish.

• MØ - Pilgrim

I remember a time when I would be headed out to a show around 9 or 10 and someone in my family would say with exasperation, "I can't believe you're going out this late!" and I would kinda scoff and roll my eyes and think, "OMG, IT'S NOT EVEN LATE!" as I rushed out the door to meet my friends. Today, as I was putting on my Chucks in my apartment at 8:50pm in preparation to head over to Bowery Electric to catch a 9:20 set by JJAMZ for CMJ [...]

Believe it or not, this will be the 11th CMJ I've attended (yes, that's right, I started going to CMJ when I was 11 years old. Amazing, I know). During the time I first started attending the annual event, things were very different. CMJ felt really really important to me at the time - this was the age of Napster, and the Velvet Rope message board, and loads of other stuff that will make me feel old to remember them. This was before SXSW blew up and Coachella was a two-week affair. It was where I was introduced [...]

Wow . Can you believe it? Everyone made it through the second night of Jack White 's two-gig stint at New York City's famed Radio City Music Hall . No one got yelled at! No one got booed at! No one got stabbed! No one got shot! No one got called a NPR listener! An amazing, heroic job by all. I don't want to brag, but I'm pretty sure everyone who was there will be nominated for a Nobel Peace Price . *Buffs nails on shoulder* Just sayin' . Is group Catholic sainthood [...]

Uh oh. Sounds like the sh*t went down . On the first night of his two night stand at Radio City Music Hall, Jack White and his band played a 50 minute set, at the end of which they left the stage...and did not return. After about 30 minutes of trying to get an encore, the announcer came on stage and told the show-goers that the gig was over and that they should leave. That is when people started freaking out, chanting "F*ck you, Jack!" and "We like Meg better anyway!" Needless to say, the [...]

His name is MAX and he was wearing a shirt that said "Bat Fiends" A quick Google search reveals that the Bat Fiends are "a NYC local skate gang consisting of two member, MAX and Chris." They've got a sweet video up using the song "Sports" by the Screaming Females . MAX has mad cool style. Check out his Tumblr where he showcases his artistic talents.

Play it on mute, play it with sound, any way you slice it, Interpol front-man Paul Banks is dreamy . Here he is letting Noisey get the "behind-the-scenes" look into the making of his newest solo album, Banks (!!!!!) You may remember Banks's former solo project, Julian Plenti , which was laid to rest earlier this year after dying of mysterious causes.

Does anyone have $100-300 that they'd like to give me for the sole purpose of having me produce the world's greatest hatewatching review of a live musical performance? If so, please contact me, because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to finally earn the title of Player Hater of the Year at the Player Haters' Ball . Anne Hathaway will be singing the songs of Kander and Ebb's wartime Berlin musical, Cabaret , live in concert on October 24th at [...]

Sad, but true. I know it's hard for these Hollywood actors to understand but PEOPLE HAVE SUNG LIVE WHILE BEING FILMED BEFORE . These people are talking so self-righteously, it's like they just stole a loaf of bread to keep from starving or something: Really Anne Hathaway? "There seemed to be something selfish about trying to go for the pretty version" - really ? Doing a wimpy sob/speak Rex Harrison version of one of the greatest diva songs in musical theater is definitely way "less [...]

So I saw The Master yesterday at Nitehawk in Williamsburg, BK while stuffing my face with Nitehawk queso , a Nitehawk burger with tots, and croquettes. (What? The movie was 2 hours and 15 minutes long - what did you want me to do, starve?) Despite what you may have read on the internet , I did not see this movie because I was wooed by some arty trailer campaign, I saw it because of my love for Philip Seymour Hoffman (in [...]

If you haven't seen this yet, you're welcome: Emily from The Devil Wears Prada is not amused. Neither is Taylor Jacobson from the Rachel Zoe Project: For the full bitchface DIY , check out the original DIY post on Rookie mag.

My long-standing girl crush on Nelly Furtado has been renewed with the release of her new album, The Spirit Indestructible . She's totally underrated by music critics for some reason (perhaps Randall Roberts of the LA Times is right - she'd get more buzz if her dad was a Sri Lankan rebel), but I'm always excited when this lady drops an album. "Big Hoops" and "Bucket List" are already on my favorite's playlist, as well as this little ditty, "Parking Lot": Sing it, girl!

Hold me, I'm scared. Up until now I've been spared witnessing The Strokes being sung on one of those reality shows because most regular 18 year old Americans have no idea who the Strokes are other than "that band that the Killers really liked." But unfortunately in Britain, it's a different story, and last week a young lad by the name of "Eddie String" (nee the decidedly less rock 'n' roll Eddie Wilkinson) took to the "X Factor" stage in London and beat "Last Nite" into submission within inches of its life . [...]

If you are a mid-century furniture buff (or you just like watching Mad Men , visiting Apartment Therapy , or have a Pinterest account ), you probably know the name Eames . Or if you don't know the name, you know the look: via Herman Miller Yup, that Eames. Well if you are a bit of a neophyte, to furniture design such as I, what you may not have realized [...]

Seriously. Don't even try. Alexander Wang's niece Aila Wang during NYFW12 via Telegraph UK via Caroline's Mode .