Monthly Archives: December 2009

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Oddity The Bunny Museum: A Strange Brew of Rabbit Stew

by Jeff Nau
December 9, 2009 - 4:41 pm

bunnyfront

Upon first glance, The Bunny Museum might not seem out of place in an old Twilight Zone episode: Nestled in a quiet Pasadena suburb, the 1928 Spanish-stucco house is owned by a pair of rabid (ha!) though all-too-human rabbit aficionados–and not by giant hind-legged ambassadors of a planet of bunnies who greet their earthling visitors cheerily while they keep a steaming vat of human stew simmering in the back.

Though I was a bit alarmed when I tried to shake hands with owner Candace Frazee, who insisted cheerfully that “We don’t shake hands here at the Bunny Museum. Instead there’s the ‘Bunny Bump.’” For the layperson, this means a peace sign, or bunny ears, and then a traditional ‘knuckle’ fist bump.

As I surveyed the house, I found myself at a loss for words: It’s like one of those foam pits you used to see in a gymnastics or P.E. class, except it is FILLED WITH THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF BUNNIES.

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Music Cut Chemist: Blinding You with Science

by Shop Keeper
December 9, 2009 - 1:08 pm

cut chemist

If Quentin Tarantino were a DJ, he might be named Cut Chemist. Cut Chemist goes way back to the soundtracks of Sergio Leone and Shaw Brothers’ films, much the way Tarantino did (particularly in the Kill Bill movies). Then there’s the nice little touches that help enliven the experience, like watching the celluloid melt on the screen of an old 16 mm reel. Here you get the crackle of vinyl on each piece of soundtrack, played at length. He mixes in beats of other genres for good measure–reggae, blues and funk in particular–but it all adds to the vintage kung-fu/blaxploitation/grindhouse film feeling, only something you can dance to. But more importantly, this is a cinematic experience, a soundtrack to what might be your otherwise bland club-going experience. Dim the lights and get a dose of old school cinema on Red Bull Music Academy Radio.

Music Russian Circles

by Jeff Nau
December 8, 2009 - 3:41 pm

Russian Circles - Geneva

Sargent House | Russian Circles may beckon with their cacophony of happy-harmonies, but it’s only a ploy to sucker you into their black hole of musical dissonance. While that may sound a bit nihilistic, it’s really just a hint at how schizophrenic the band is capable of getting. It must be working: Alternative Press recently declared of their third album Geneva that “the maps have just been redrawn.”

Russian Circles – Malko

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Music Major Lazer Wants You!

by Shop Keeper
December 7, 2009 - 1:37 pm

major lazer

Ever seen a band that just completely and utterly lacked an ability to laugh at themselves? In trying to survive in today’s musical environment, having a healthy dose of self-effacing humor helps big-time, and one glance at the various websites related to Major Lazer (if the name alone isn’t enough) shows that the band is more than willing to laugh at itself. While the project is comprised of on-the-rise DJ/producers Diplo and Switch,  a band biography makes clear that “Major Lazer is himself a fictional animated character, who fought as a Jamaican commando and lost his arm in a secret zombie war in 1984.”  A closer look at his discography shows that he isn’t above collaborating with a wide range of different artists. Take a listen to “Hold the Line” featuring Mr. Lex and Santigold and get an idea how legendary Clint Eastwood western composer Ennio Morricone can be mashed with a flurry of different beats and Caribbean rhythms. They draw largely upon the Reggae influences of old, but channel it all in a new way. Check out The Red Bull Music Academy for more.

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