Today’s bloggin best…
- When did Beyoncé’s sister get to be so cool? The Smoking Section
- Here comes the new MGMT leaks. The Trip Wire
- Pavements drummer only dates Pavement fans. Pitchfork
- Weezer are bugs on Yo! Gabba Gabba. Stereogum
- LCD Soundsystem scores YSL runway show. BPM
- Of course Terry Richardson’s skate deck has hipster boobies. Format Mag
Hey all you blaspheming audiophiles! Here’s a nice and meaty list of new CD releases for March 9th.
Acrassicauda – Only The Dead See The End Of The War
Alberta Cross – Broken Side Of Time
Before Their Eyes – Untouchable
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Beat The Devil’s Tattoo
Broken Bells [The Shins' James Mercer and Danger Mouse project] – Broken Bells
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter Of Mixed Drinks
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
jj – jj n3
Liars – Sisterworld
Monica – Still Standing
The Morning Benders – Big Echo
New Young Pony Club – The Optimist
Numero Group – Good God! Born Again Funk
Pavement – Quarantine The Past: The Best Of Pavement
Josh Rouse – El Turista
Standard Fare – The Novelle Beat
The Steel Wheels – Red Wing
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
Ready….Set….Go! Austin we’re coming for ya!
Anyone remember these guys? I have something to get off my chest: As a heterosexual male, I got a lot of crap in my youth for liking the Pet Shop Boys. Still I remained rock-hard and steady in my Showboats, knowing that in between my copy of Olivia Newton John’s Xanadu and the soundtrack to Yentl I could find a copy of the album with “West End Girls” on it. All you haters, laugh if you want but it makes for a kick-ass soundtrack to a game of frisbee football or badminton even if repeated blows to the head have forced you to keep it to yourself on your iPod. The PSB (as aficionados such as myself refer to them) first gained infamy through that aforementioned track, and with New Order producer Stephen Hague playing on their team, that was all she wrote. Listen to Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe reminisce on Red Bull Music Academy Radio. Put on your (Domino) Dancing shoes, young man, and Go West!
Despite its clandestine location in what is pretty much an alleyway (make that a nice alleyway, aka Jessie Street, near 5th and 6th street in San Francisco), Mezzanine has been enjoying immense popularity in the club scene as well as a reputation for being one of the most musically diverse clubs in the Bay Area but also one of the most affordable: lots of alcohol, a $2 coat check and a criminally cheap VIP section. It’s a little hard to find in the sprawling metropolis of ‘Frisco but now that this article’s out, you have no excuse. And after cultivating a close working relationship with Red Bull Music Academy, as well as embracing the latest and most groundbreaking in the ever-evolving world of electronica music, Mezzanine has hosted the RBMA twice already and, with the help of stalwarts Major Lazer, has some huge shows planned.
Today’s Best Bloggin…
- Phoenix “Lisztomania” is covered by NYC elementary school kids. Prefix
- Wayne Coyne is making another movie. Billboard
- Blondie has a new disco-punk-new wave line of Converse. Spin
- D’Angelo pays for sex, but only $40. AOL
- NPR is streaming the new White Stripes live album. NPR
- Raaaaaaaandy disses Justin Bieber. 2DopeBoyz
- Keith Richards still gets hiiiiiiiigh! Rolling StoneDaily
Moody Mondays is my weekly feature were I ask a personality to pick a mood, and then choose 5 songs that put them in that mood.
This week I spoke with Kyle Patrick Alvarez, writer and director for the acclaimed film, Easier With Practice. This weekend Kyle took home the coveted Acura Someone To Watch Award from the Independent Spirit Awards in Los Angeles. He’s kind of a big deal! Sincerest congratulations Kyle!
Mood: Inspired
Heading to Italy any time soon? If so, why not spend a spell at the newly-opened Maison Moschino? From its fluffy origami cloud light installations to its candy-themed chandeliers, it is surely a one-of-a-kind gem in Milan’s hotel-scape. Situated in the building which once housed Milan’s first train station, it is described by Rossella Jardini, the Creative Director of Moschino, as the “home and place of enchanted fairy tales.” The common thread connecting the rooms is a fairy tale theme because to sleep is perchance to dream, and dreams are fairy tales that we are allowed to experience first hand, the fables of a fantasy world that we have created. This is an alternate life in which we direct & stage the scripts of our very own play.
DJ Alfred Darlington’s pseudonym is no throwaway–this Daedalus is as much an inventor as his mythical Greek namesake; his wings are his rhythms and rhymes, his beats and freestyles–and the Santa Monica-born spinner soars on his own anarchic sound that is as genuine in its extolment of the contemporary as it is old-school. I’ve gone overkill with the literary comparisons, but the point is his knack for interacting with the crowd and keeping the listener on the club floor, even if vicariously–something nowhere more evident than in his show in Italy at the 2009 Dissonanze Festival, available on the Red Bull Music Academy site. You listen to his music, you go to his show, and you’re borrowing his wings. His gift is his beatmatching, which is most likely to solidify his signature sound– it’s a versatile canvas of moods from so many different genres sprawling into each other perfectly, and something sorely absent from the club scene of today, which seems tepid in its experimenting with different scenes. His only drawback is the occasional foray into monotonous and run-of-the-mill beats, but what an innate talent the man has for mixing jazz with R&B, hip-hop with 8-bit Nintendo noise– or pretty much whatever he feels like at the moment.
“Anvil! The Story of Anvil”, was awarded the “Best Documentary” category at this year’s Independent Spirit Awards, which was held last night (Friday, March 5) at LA Live’s panoramic event deck in downtown Los Angeles. ANVIL also performed twice during the ceremony, which aired live and uncut on IFC. Below is a review of the film by Chris Gore. It’s good to see the Canadians having such a bang on year…first the olympics and now this! Rock on dear readers……rock on!
Rush is an epic band for the ages. Rush is also Canada’s pride and their best-known musical act. Rush has had hit albums for decades. Rush can fill stadiums on tour. Rush has universal appeal having been referenced in recent films such as Adventures of Power, Fanboys and I Love You, Man. Unfortunately, Anvil is not Rush.
Anvil is also from Canada and has been around for decades, but they are not widely known outside their small fan-base and they certainly can’t fill stadiums. Heck, they can barely fill a living room. Despite the fact that you’ve probably never heard of the metal sensation from the Great White North, Anvil is well-respected by members of other metal bands. In fact, when Lars Ulrich of Metallica is asked about bands that have been together the longest there are only two that come to mind, The Rolling Stones and Anvil.
