There are few words that fully describe the Texas-bred Paper Chase, and even fewer that lead singer/guitarist/songwriter John Congleton would like to hear. Granted, the band's trademark is an uneasy yet confident mess of found sound, haunting piano, a dirty, thunderous rhythm section and Congleton's sprawling, squealing guitar attacks. Yet it's the 32-year-old's writing and delivery -- tense, sometimes comically fervent warnings of murder, guilt and the rapture -- that have spawned thousands of critics to wrongly deem the group as humorless, art-house horror junkies. In truth, the band's version of the dramatic owes as much to Queen as it [...]
Sometimes, my dears, in my relentless perusal of the internet, I will come across an article that is absurd, miserable, and unintentionally hilarious. Often, this article will try to prove a point, but in trying to prove a point will actually do just the opposite; it will prove MY point. And sometimes, this article is so fun to bash, that I just have to talk about it here, in a public forum, in a new segment we shall now call… Ivyy Reads Between the Lines... [...]
Artists that write from a retrospective view often do it for good reason. It is a characteristic that can carry into their music, since reflecting upon one's experiences with a modernistic mindset can provide aid for their struggles in the present. In the case of songwriters, artistic difficulties are encountered rampantly throughout one's career regardless of their natural ability. Plenty of them have astounding potential, but an emphasized swagger and impatience can cause a disturbance in their artistic development. If an enlarged ego prevents them from reflecting upon past failures in addition to the triumphs then they will never move [...]
With the possible exception of ferreting through Dad's closet in search of his mythical porno stash, nothing is as overtly masculine as Heavy Metal. It's music by men for men, the natural outgrowth of the "Get Rid Of Slimy GirlS" club, the place where fancypants musings on love and loss are usurped by heady ballads about pillaging, nuclear war, and how kickass dragons are. Critics call metal "subliterary" and "banal." Fans found those critics and got biz-zay with some truncheons. Now, admittedly, this is the narrow view. Bands [...]
What up doe it's ya boy M-P!!!! (The one in orange lol...) Decided to push back my music picks a little bit since the summer semester just got started. I will keep it short and to the point so let's get to it.... Rapper Big Pooh-The Delightful Bars: North American Pie Version When one is a member of an acclaimed [...]
S P I T/ U / O U T VIDEO STACKERR words: Jamie Milton Last week's stacking went pretty smoothly, and it seems the way to go for the blog. Let us know if it's increasingly annoying you but here comes some more stacking. All of these are really fantastic videos for really fantastic songs. Check them all out. ------------------------------ ------------------------------ - Fever Ray - When I Grow Up [...]
Chaos has descended upon our nation's capital and 2 million people have come to welcome our new president. This means that I have been subjected to tour buses trying to parellel park on the street, masses of people lost on the metro, and near stampede's outside of Ben's Chili Bowl 1 as the nation lines up for a half-smoke and to see where our new president had a mikshake. In the midst of all of the insanity, the following musically related things have gotten me through the inaguration. 1. Jets to Brazil - "Sea Anemone" [...]
This is the cover story from the GAMBIT by our friend Noah Bonaparte Paris. It tells the tale of how my good friends Chris and Sabrina have come back to town (with a little help from yours truly in the loading and unloading of a Budget truck). Enjoy! Indie rock hasn't always been an integral part of the New Orleans music industry. Chris Watson and his Park the Van Records aim to change that. I have no idea if I'm just a careless dreamer [...]
We're not gonna lie, we're mighty proud of yesterday's list . It's not everyday you mull over a hundred albums, and it takes a brave soul to hang it all out there, especially amongst all you voraciously hungry, yet charmingly cynical readers. But let's be honest, it was one fatty of a list, and with so much room, it's easier to fit more in and make everyone happy (even if we didn't). So, we decided to amp up the challenge. You might notice the list has moved from 100 to just 50 now. Reason for that is, [...]
Kristin Reger The word opportunity seems to have all but disappeared from our vocabularies this last month. It is as if in a matter of weeks the sun has stopped rising, the pen has run dry, the paint has stopped flowing, and all resemblance of common sense has gone the way of "The Market". Where do you go when all else seems lost? What did you find yourself doing last week? I found myself digging a little deeper and trying a little harder to find the essence of creativity. I wanted to swim in [...]
Ryan Adams (in a DIO shirt) at The House of Guitars in Rochester, NY The Cardinals The Auditorium Theatre 9/27/2008 Rochester, NY Reviewing a Ryan Adams show is growing more difficult. I've seen him in concert so many times; I've found myself getting all willy-nilly when it comes to the performance of individual songs. A statement like "'Dear John' wasn't as good as last year's arrangement," does not make for a good review. However, that's where I'm at and, for the record, "Dear John" [...]
I love the Muppets. Looking back, my adoration for Jim Henson was probably my first huge gay crush. I think what impressed me most about the Muppets was that despite the fact that they seemed geared toward children with their technicolor felt skin and bugged-out eyeballs, they weren't talking down to me or underestimating my intelligence. I got all of the sex, drugs, violence and political humor (and if I didn't I'm sure the dialogue shaped my future ideas on the world). In their movies they routinely shattered the fourth wall with complex themes of films within films in a [...]
myspace " No one knows where go when we're dead or when we're dreaming ." After powering through most of God Is Not Great on the plane yesterday, it's hard to immediately change gears and spend time questioning what happens after you die. That being said, when the questions come courtesy of the beautiful songs Chad Van Gaalen wrote for Soft Airplane , the experience is a rewarding one. Chad has always written tales of death, murder and rage, but in a way that forces you to start asking [...]
Vampire Weekend - Cousins
WKND PLYLST!! This has nothing to do with NEW MOON!
Bobby B's Top 50 Albums Of The Decade (#25-21)
Tila Tequila NSFW UStream Freak Out (Video)
HOT CHIP TAKE another crack at IT and I’m IN
