So the blog is basically shut down. all the links are dead (except these...for now) and the DCMA is making it pretty dang hard for me to share music with you guys despite the FACT that I have the exact same music as every other blog out there like Pretty Much Amazing, Sheena Beaston, Stereogum, Gorilla vs. Bear and so on yet for some bizarre reason they are immune to the shut downs. Whatever. I might resurface in a week or two once I figure out how to proceed without constant harassment from the record companies who I am really [...]
We regret being too busy in recent months to provide the microscopic coverage of Birmingham, England-based noise pop titans Johnny Foreigner per our usual modus operandi , and we're going to start making up for it right now. For example, did you know that the trio will finally issue a vinyl single from its superlative sophomore full-length Grace And The Bigger Picture ? The single -- the third from the latest collection after the freebie "Feels Like Summer" and "Criminals" -- is for the track "Every Cloakroom Ever," and just Monday night (when we actually [...]
Tony Sly has updated his list of upcoming tour dates. The No Use For A Name frontman will be on the road in the US and Europe on dates from February 5th through May. His shows include performances with Chris Shiflett of Foo Fighters , Joey Cape of Lagwagon , Jon Snodgrass , NOFX and Teenage Bottlerocket .
In our never-ending quest to dig up some great bands that cost less than a corned beef sandwich at Katz's Deli, we bring you another round of Blips. Blips highlights some great bands that are largely still in their larvae stage, but will soon morph into their beautiful butterfly. In this edition, we have some really cool new music, so take a sec, poke around the bands' various websites, and see what you think of these three under the radar acts… We Were Promised Jetpacks [...]
Most of you know her as Lady Gaga, but not to long ago she was just Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, a rising star living in New York City. Born into an Italian family, Lady Gaga attended Convent of the Sacred Heart, a private Catholic school in Manhattan. She told Allure Magazine that she used to sneak red lipstick and apply it to stand out from the day to day uniform. By 14 she started to perform open mic nights and soon after that got early admission to NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. [...]
S old! My apartment in New York City is in someone else's hands now, and I'm once again filled with wanderlust. First stop, New York City on February 17. Then London. Then Istanbul. Then who knows? When will I be back in Buenos Aires? April at the earliest. Maybe May. Maybe never. (Well, not never . I still have my apartment here.) The third leg of my upcoming journey was a toss up between Istanbul, Beirut and Cape Town. Beirut was coming out on top until I turned to a Time Out colleague, who'd recently moved there [...]
Hope everyone enjoyed part 1 of my Vancouver trip. The fish & chips and sushi covered in part 1 were a great introduction to Vancouver seafood. Things however we about to take a turn towards Pork Nirvana in a BIG way. My friend took me to a very small meat store called J,N & Z Deli Smoked Meat located at 1729 Commercial Drive in Vancouver. Quite simply put, this small space is the best meat store I have ever been in anywhere, which includes Biltong [...]
Welcome to my weekly roundup of inexpensive indie(ish) musical happenings in downtown Toronto, all for $10 or less. If I'm missing something you think I should list, or you have any comments, let me know. I star (*) shows that most interest me. Like this list? Join my Facebook group or subscribe to this blog. Subscribe to my podcast (or download the episodes) here , or through iTunes . The latest ones are here . Make sure to [...]
Some of you may have heard that Johnny Foreigner will be touring South Africa this year. While this UK indie rock band may be pretty far removed from electronic music we still though it would be rad to promote it a bit here. Griet are bringing them into the country and they represent a couple of the artists on electrotrash so yeah, spread the love! They have put together a promo sampler for you to download, along with album art that you can print out to make a complete package! Grab it below! [...]
Vinyl LP giveaway details at the end of this review. Vampire Weekend Contra XL Recordings out January 12th 79 /100 [ Rating Scale ] [...]
Vampire Weekend - Contra 01. Horchata
02. White Sky
03. Holiday
04. California English
05. Taxi Cab
06. Run
07. Cousins
08. Giving Up The Gun
09. Diplomat's Son
10. I Think Ur A Contra Standout Tracks: White Sky / California English / Cousins Vampire Weekend [...]
![[DECADEnce] The Top 100 Albums of the 00s](http://cache.elbo.ws/posts/2251560_lg.jpg)
The end of DECADEnce may come a couple days late, as some of the massive pieces of writing I did last week, combined with a whole lot going on post-New Years pushed the time table for these lists back a little bit. At least it's finally getting done though, right? So what follows is the list that I consider to be the most important amid all the other lists I've written across the past 10 years. It is, after all, a grand summation of a decade's worth of fine records, these being the finest of the fine. Now before you [...]
What's the appeal of Vampire Weekend ? No, really. If they were anyone else, you'd probably think they were stuck up elitists - assholes even. (Hell, a few people out there think that already.) They smirk behind polished Ray-Ban's, they sing about weekend getaways to Cape Cod, and their frontman looks like the spokesman for Polo half of the time. On top of that, they're an outfit of crisp, white New Englanders, who write music that's drenched in African popular music. To sheepishly borrow from Keenan Thompson (of SNL), "What up with that?" There's a lot up [...]
I couldn't get a few songs by the Tallest Man on Earth out of my head in 2009 I'm not going to make a best-of 2009 list (thought I did post one other best of 2009 list ). I have about 2/3 of the year covered well but the rest of the year's releases I haven't covered as well. I still listen to music obsessively, though and so I can make this list without fear of inadequate preparation. As always with song obsessions, I don't really choose the songs, they choose me. I wish I [...]
Move over Storm, Rogue, Bat Girl and all of you other fine fictional heroines. There's a new chick in town, or at least on paper. Definitely not above wearing a big-ass cape and bustier on stage, Lady Gaga is far from Wonder Woman. But even though she can't exercise any super powers while doing her thing on stage, the outrageous pop darling will have the opportunity to get super-sized, if you will, as she's set to appear in a new comic strip series. According to US magazine, the series entitled Fame , will [...]
IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT (AND I FEEL FINE) R.E.M. Document I.R.S. : 1987 [Buy It] CROSSEYED AND PAINLESS Talking Heads Remain in Light Sire : 1980 [Buy It] ONCE IN A LIFETIME Talking Heads Remain in Light Sire : 1980 [Buy It] COFFIN FOR HEAD OF STATE Fela Anikulapo Kuti [...]
Before we kick off our Top 20 of the year, let us first state that such a task as to dilute a year in this way is actually impossible. However, we stayed away from the tune round up, that would have been a headache more painful than a New Year hangover and stuck with 20 or so artists that have in some way touched our ears and hearts this year. This should in no way be viewed as the definitive 20, well ok maybe it should seeing as we've said it is but before you go shouting and [...]
At first I thought I might tackle a Top 100 of the 00's list, but I realised a few crucial things about 5 minutes into compiling my list: My memory is hazy at best What can I say that Pitchfork hasn't already said? Instead, I'm compiling the most sexeriffic songs of of the 00's. Sebastien Tellier - Roche, 2008 Those stink lines you see coming off Sebastien Tellier isn't........OK. It probably is [...]
by Anthony Abboreno Wielding imagery of Victorian occultism and '20s pulp, The Lamp of Thoth are an eccentric doom band. The cover of their latest EP, Sing as You Slay ( Miskatonic Foundation , 2009), looks like the label for a bottle of 19th century medicine ("Do not ingest! May Cause Death!"). Their riffs are also hardly typical. Intead of galloping like Priest or working a bluesy Sabbath groove, they stutter and heave. "Into the Lair of the Gorgon" opens quietly before slamming [...]
Last year we unveiled our very first " Loved and Loathed " list for 2008, so the 15 Best Albums of 2008 list has been pulled from that post and amended to reflect what albums we feel have stood the test of time. Although we loved all of our selections, there were some that we mistakenly overlooked. For a full recap of what mattered to us in '08 check out our list HERE and stay tuned for Best Albums of 2009 and Loved and Loathed in 2009 lists coming VERY soon! [...]
TOUR: The Tallest Man On Earth Announces U.S. Dates
New Releases V2.9
Hot Chip: One Life Stand
This Week's Other Releases
