This weekend managed to prove once again that I am getting too old to party like a rock star two nights in a row. The whole thing began Friday night where I set out to, and I quote myself here, "get Lucero drunk", and I am happy to announce that the mission was a complete success. The trade off of that is that recollection of the show is slightly hazy. A lot of the reviews I read leading up to Lucero's show here were about the crowd. That frat boy concentration levels were reportedly getting dangerously high, but [...]
Are they twee? Precious? Cute? Yes. Talented as well? Definitely yes. Star & Micey's self titled debut album is chok full of: - Touching, funny, touchy-feely lyrics. On "Salvation Army Clothes," a jilted lover says, "You're a fool for letting all the good people go/Like Salvation Army clothes." - Great guitar work. See the break on "Salvation Army clothes." - Neat guest stars like Luther "The Black Crowes" Dickinson; Jody "Big Star" Stephens; and Rick "Lucero" Steff. - Terrific vocals, with range and emotion. You can practically hear the tears on "So [...]
There's a progression at play here. There was Sigur Rós filming hairless young things frolicking in the woods for " Gobbledigook ," surpassed many months later by Girls' XXX "Lust For Life" video featuring Hunx's junk, which itself was trumped by the Flaming Lips' " Watching The Planets " which was a showcase for Wayne's coyne. The untapped avenue for flesh-tones? Interactivity, no doi. Enter Yeasayer. The band released a great single with two great remixes so I think we can all agree it's time to take all your [...]
The Antiheroines series features author Jami Attenberg interviewing up-and-coming female comics artists. In May I saw Lisa Hanawalt, author of I Want You (Buenaventura Press) and the Ignatz award-winning mini-comic Stay Away From Other People , do a slide show presentation as part of a group show at Hi Christina , a wee venue in Williamsburg. During Lisa's extremely dry but charming performance, she did this short bit about her week. [...]
Ozone Park is EAR FARM's first original comic strip. It is very much rooted in the classic framework of Sunday comics, recalling a similar brand of doe-eyed simplicity and innocence but applied to the jaded and micro-niched world of New York indie rock. Previously, in Ozone Park ... the guys started a band , had their first practice , realized they needed some appropriate Brooklyn band clothes , and bought said Brooklyn band clothes ... below is Episode #5, 7pm-8pm. Events occur in real time. [...]
I've said it before and I'll say again, Skidmore is on the rise. With Micah Sloat getting his huge break in Paranormal Activity and Ratatat placing two songs on Kid CuDi's debut I'd say we're doing pretty good. So what better time to feature some Skidmore music on EMPT.? On top of that G.O.V. sent me a remix he did of Wildcat in which if I understand correctly he's talking all the girls he meets during happy hour at Benihanas, nice. I've always been one to appreciate all the work girls put into their fashion, especially the girls [...]
The Fiery Furnaces have a new album called Take Me Round Again that was released digitally only on November 5th. In theory, Take Me Round Again is a collection of cover, but it is also a collection of alternate takes of previously released songs. In other words, it features the members of the Fiery Furnaces re-writing each other's work. As Eleanor (who accounts for 1/2 of the Fiery Furnaces) put it: "I've gotten into the habit of rewriting songs Matt has written, just as a way of practicing and singing at home. Originally, I had [...]
God Help The Girl - Stills An update email from God Help The Girl , brimming with news on the tour, a new EP, the film and more. Here goes: "The second installment of songs from last year's recordings is now available digitally. The 'Stills' EP features five songs which didn't make the album, but which were recorded at the same time in Glasgow, with some orchestral parts being added in [...]
Wikipedia knows next to nothing of the Stockton-on-Tees noisenik quartet undulating the underground enough to crack Geordie pavements. Lead barker Kingsley Hall may well be the most articulate cult figurehead to shred the pages of NME with unequalled bravado and outspoken chivalry since Morrissey. Taking on the mainstream, one sycophant-smashing step at a time, The Chapman Family may well be the dark horses to back over the dingy, hurdled tracks of a recession-obsessed England. Brace yourselves- it's lenghty. But comedic genius shouldn't be abbreviated... Dots: The majority of those aware of the cataclysmic [...]
The Modern Skirts play three shows in our area this week. They'll be at Schubas in Chicago on November 18th , Mad Planet in Milwaukee on November 19th , and the Project Lodge in Madison on November 20th . Please take this chance to catch these guys live if you can. If you have not yet heard their fantastic 2008 release, All of Us in Our Night (that's the awesome album art above), please add it to your collection. You won't be disappointed. Speaking [...]
As Torrance Shipman once said in the 2000 classic, Bring It On , "Missy's the poo...so take a big whiff." While that quote doesn't really apply here (aside from suggesting that Gaga is indeed 'the poo'), the point is this: As the driving force behind the writing and recording process of her music, the creative director of her album artwork, music videos, tour visuals, merchandising and just about every other minute facet of her career, Lady Gaga is a very new kind of pop star; one that sings live, writes and records, dances, styles photoshoots, [...]
Eternal question: how to leave the rock, how to rock the rock? We no want to go away, we a want to stay. Love home, rep home. But yard hard. No soul want a be forever down, stepped upon. We assert ourselves against authority. We our own authority. But everyday downpressor on our back in everyway. What we gon do? The upward struggle of our living down-under make our music come strong, got to be tuff enuff to stand forward in the shit-storm. Take a little woman like this here hummingbird Cherine who sing eagle strong. [...]
Gangsters Want To Cuddle Me Har Mar Superstar (real name Sean Tillman) has just finished a short, sweet US tour with Bang Bang Eche , and continues on the road with his white-clad band, but touring is not all he's been busy with. The enigmatic soul-pop singer has been developing a sitcom pilot for HBO with Arrested Development 's Alia Shawkat and Ellen Page ( Juno , Hard Candy , Wilby Wonderful ), written a film script with Justin Long, been consistently churning out short [...]
We've been on hiatus this week test driving cars and listening to snarky salesmen pitches. What I wanted was a sports car so rad it would magically melt the clothes off any hottie on the street. Alas, what I got was a whole lot different. W e ended up with an affordable and easy on the gas Kia Sportage. I will say for a factory job, the audio system is banging, equipped with Sirius sat radio, a USB connection, iPod/mp3 player jacks. It also comes with all [...]
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Hanan Al-Shaykh's The Locust and The Bird is a unique memoir, a mother's life written by her estranged daughter, told in the first person. Not many authors could pull this off, but Al-Shaykh, widely regarded as one of the Arab world's finest writers, does so with incredible effect. Kamila (Al-Shaykh's mother) can neither read nor write, so she dictates her story of a forced marriage, search for true [...]
Neko Case - "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" Sparks - "Never Turn Your Back On Mother Earth" The name of the game was "Gotta Do It". The rules were simple: someone would name a deed (it could be something normal like "eat grass" or it could be something weird like "climb up Dead Dog's Tree and scream the name of your True Love") and point to a person and then the rest of the watching group would whisper "Gotta do it!" over and over until they, the chosen boy or girl, did it. Dickie [...]
Earlier this year I went all frothy over Two Door Cinema Club's rather zingful "Something Good Can Work". I even offered it as a free download, which would seem to be the ideal opportunity for me to link to it again. Only, er, in changing my hosting and whatnot that link don't work no more. PISS. Oh well, here it is again: In't that nice? (Yes.) Now they're back and they've got a noo single called "I Can Talk", the video representation of which you can see over the internet [...]
24 year old Ariel Sexton-Shaw aka Love Ariel is an Australian born, London dwelling artist whose new show, Satan, Sex & Salvation takes inspiration from model muses (Sophie Willing, Tallulah Morton, Jethro Cave) and as the name might suggest sex and violence. We recently caught up with Ariel to discuss Satan, sex, Pete Doherty's blood and life in London. You're in London for your new show "Satan, Sex & Salvation" can you tell us a bit about the show? Yes it's a pretty dark theme focusing on the Goddess [...]
In the first part of our Black Body Politic series, we briefly discussed the history of black models and fashion. This installment finds us chatting with up and coming model Khayattollah. Khayattollah has been a model and muse for the Boxing Kitten brand, an amazing company whose designs are based on the tradition of women with "ethnic rockability." You may have also caught her in the campaign for fashion brand A Peace Treaty (which made it's way to the e-pages of FADER ), as well as being featured by TRACE and more. [...]
Here's the old school for this week: Jeru The Damaja ~ " Ya Playin' Yaself " views:244,466 Mama always said watch what comes out your mouth Tight case for the DA from here to down South Knowledge wisdom understanding like King Solomon's wealth You're a player but only because you be playin yourself Samples: The New Birth ~ " You are What I'm [...]
new music from vampire weekend – cousins + music video
Friday Five: Surf Songs
HOT CHIP TAKE another crack at IT and I’m IN
No Curve Allowed (Grading This Week's New Tracks)
