March 14, 2010
I think that the new Lady Gaga video manages to find the tedious and dull side of derivative and grotesque. But even if it doesn't work for me, her work tends to be worth talking about, and a lengthy conversation...
January 26, 2010
Jim Carroll was just one of the people who died in 2009. This video was made by a friend of the blog, and his flying monkey assistants. Baltar's writing a review of the shows, with links to downloads of the...
January 23, 2010
I kind of love the conversation with two teens in the Album of the Year discussion....
January 04, 2010
Since none of us want to be at work today, here's a little diversion for anyone still reading the blog. Since there's a fair bit of diversity in our group when it comes to musical preferences (well, a fair bit...
October 28, 2009
Parts two and three here....
July 20, 2009
July 15, 2009
This is absolutely awesome. Marc Lynch explains the battles between rap stars via international relations theory. And it works....
June 20, 2009
Bummer. The Georgia Theatre has been gutted by a fire. Wilmot Greene, 38, the current owner of the theater, sat on a wall in a bank parking lot, drinking bottled water and smoking cigarettes while firemen fought the blaze. He...
May 30, 2009
Since we all love (or hate, but probably mostly love or laugh at) the original - this is funny....
May 14, 2009
I have no idea what the point of this West Virginia Public Radio story on the "Battle of Ringtones" was meant to convey. The story had a very pro-coal vibe to it (the only ringtones discussed were pro-coal ones; none...
April 22, 2009
Including the kind they don't pay for....
April 14, 2009
A friend of the blog interviews Jack White about his new, um, band: Before you start freaking out about when the next White Stripes album is coming out, or whether the Ambassador of Rock is stretching himself too thin, know...
March 30, 2009
Last night 2/3 of the Bloodless Crew (Armand is in Dubai) plus a few grad students drove up to Pittsburgh to see The Gaslight Anthem at Mr. Small's theater. It was pretty fucking freezing for spring, and that the overzealous...
March 23, 2009
This makes me happy: supergroup!...
March 22, 2009
Drive-By Truckers 1/30/09 Asheville The Company I Keep from steely74 on Vimeo. Another great one after the jump....
Awww - I just had a flashback to some fun shows back when I was in grad school....
March 17, 2009
I'm not Irish. But these guys were. (Bonus points for anyone who actually knows that Metallica covered this, not wrote it.)...
March 09, 2009
That's what Stephen Walt is wondering. And since I'm the least musical of the Bloodless crew, I figured I'd open it up to you to tell me what he's missing from the 21st century. Way, way back in the mid-80s...
March 07, 2009
Katy Perry singing (if that's what you want to call it) a ballad. When will her 15 minutes end!...
March 03, 2009
Do You Realize is now Oklahoma's official rock song. HT to a regular reader...
February 21, 2009
So, regulars know that Baltar and I, like some other IR/poli sci people out there, have a little thing about the Drive By Truckers. While I travel to see bands - I do live in West Virginia after all -...
December 18, 2008
So since I shared these thoughts with Ryan last night I thought I'd note them here too. First, in light of another lovely performance last night, I'd love to see Ellen Greene as an Emmy nominee for her work on...
December 14, 2008
Now that would have been a fun band in the inauguration parade....
December 07, 2008
Specifically, to sustain one's interest in applying a skim coat to the ceiling: Drown Culture (which, by the way, you should be checking out anyway) stellastarr* As long as I don't start making up lyrics about joint compound in my...
December 03, 2008
November 28, 2008
Stupid fuckers. This time it was Muxtape. Don't know if you ever used it, but it was essentially mixtapes on the internet that people would put up. It was really cool. And it was a great way to find new...
November 21, 2008
As previously mentioned, I go to movies with Armand, and concerts with Baltar. It's our thing. Or one of our things. Armand and I also debate the merits of Tilda Swinton and Adrien Brody, but that's neither here nor there....
October 28, 2008
Wayne Coyne, guitar hero (good stuff starts after 2 min mark)....
October 25, 2008
Finally saw Matthew Sweet last night, as he brought his California sunshine drenched music to a gloomy, rainy fall night in Pittsburgh. As is required of anyone of my age group, there was a time in the early nineties where...
October 13, 2008
That's McCain's new song? I get what they are going for, but doesn't picking a song that is older than many of my friends further reinforce the image of McCain as someone who's old, really old, and whose cultural...
October 06, 2008
Over the course of the last couple years I've had a lot of negative things to say about Pete Wentz in conversations with various young attorney/law student acquaintances of mine. Given this, I take it back (well, some of it)....
September 30, 2008
There's always this: March of 1000 Skeletons! Want to participate in this year's March of 1000 Skeletons? Place your order for your admission, costume, t-shirt, and torch package at the Flaming Lips official online store here. Here's a few things...
September 26, 2008
Getting ready for the debates tonight, where the bloodless crew will assemble with friends to document the atrocities. Or try to, unless we have to start drinking massively. To prepare, I am watching the Flaming Lips from last year's Bonnaroo....
September 22, 2008
The Righteous Path: And for my money, the song that best captures the economic anxieties and aspirations voters are feeling now - and the song of the 2008 cycle - is "The Righteous Path" by the Drive-By Truckers. Take a...
September 15, 2008
Baltar emailed me the news earlier today. I couldn't really think about it until now, and I find myself disproportionately sad. I know Syd was the first to die, but the Pink Floyd I loved was the one that...
September 08, 2008
And of course, it was for The Flaming Lips....
September 07, 2008
Tbogg's use of the Hold Steady takes my mind off of all the nonsense and reminds me that in the next month or so I am not only going to see the Hold Steady three times, but also the Drive...
August 28, 2008
Matthew Sweet's new album, Sunshine Lies, came in the mail today. Good shit, nice art and signed to boot. I cannot wait for the Pittsburgh show....
August 11, 2008
Who knew that McCain was such an ABBA fan?...
August 03, 2008
July 31, 2008
Joe Reid says it here....
July 27, 2008
So the leader of the Tories gave Senator Obama some cds - The Smiths, Radiohead, and Gorillaz. I don't know if I'd vote for the Conservative Party if I was British, but it's nice to see politicians who'll readily admit...
July 12, 2008
In the larger scheme of things, Clear Channel Communications is only moderately evil. They don't actively kill people (Zimbabwe, Myanmar), don't actively impoverish them (Monsanto, Dow), nor do they violate anyones civil rights (Bush, Telecom companies). They just took over...
July 11, 2008
I have been guilty of a few of these in my time. Via...
July 03, 2008
FSP talks about the ways in which scientists are - and are not - like rock stars. I've thought about this before, but more in terms of the similarities in being on stage and being public personalities. When I first...
May 01, 2008
Drown Culture is playing Friday night at 123 Pleasant Street in Morgantown, and will be selling copies of their new CD Contest of Human. I've linked to the streaming version before, but now have an advance copy of the CD...
April 23, 2008
Actually I don't remember some of these. But yeah, True Blue was pretty damn unfortunate....
April 09, 2008
Do they scare me? You bet. But they also amuse me. Now they are adapting a classic The Eurythmics....
April 06, 2008
Couldn't go to SXSW? That's OK, you can still listen. And if you don't want to listen, you can still read gems like this: When you were 23 and living alone without many friends and definitely no girlfriends, did you...
April 05, 2008
Last time I mentioned Wheeling's Drown Culture, which is kind of local to us. This time it's a band that has its roots in Tuscaloosa (yeah, I know there's probably some rule against a transplanted Gator having anything to do...
March 25, 2008
Okay, maybe that'd be more appropriately a song of the week in 1987, but I am in even more of a New Order mood than usual lately (which is pretty close to impossible, yet somehow has happened), and this song...
March 24, 2008
I don't know what I'd say the Top 10 are, but this list features some I imagine a fair number of people would agree with. I think the listings of Needle in the Hay and Waterloo are great choices....
March 19, 2008
Drown Culture is streaming their new, er, maybe album. They have posted that the destination is unknown (when you hear the songs, you'll get why that is such an appropriate statement), meaning there is as of yet no actual album....
March 16, 2008
A little meandering brain action...on music, photos, friends....
That's what stands to be revealed in the discovery phase of a suit against the RIAA: Lybeck tells Ars that he'll be digging into agreements between the RIAA, RIAA member companies, MediaSentry, and the Settlement Support Sentry. Part of that...
March 08, 2008
I had forgotten about this video. Alice Cooper and Clint Eastwood! p.s. For the fan geeks, there's a TV documentary call The Madness of Prince Charming, part one here....
March 01, 2008
Anyone? Anyone?: "Artist managers and lawyers have been wondering for months when their artists will see money from the copyright settlements and how it will be accounted for," said lawyer John Branca, who has represented Korn, Don Henley, and The...
February 28, 2008
February 27, 2008
Maybe you saw the Groovy Girl dancing to Harder, Better Faster, Stronger or the fabulous Daft Hands. There's a new(er) vid that just crossed my view at Videosift (a delight for the ADD/MTV generation that thinks watching something for 5...
January 29, 2008
But it's a cool meme (or would be if I had better programs than Paint). The reference photo, band name, and title....
January 20, 2008
Yes, it's another review/discussion of the Drive By Truckers. It's (partially) my blog, so I get to do these things. The Drive By Truckers have released a new album (Brighter Than Creation's Dark); it's substantially better than 2006's "A Blessing...
December 03, 2007
This is probably off most of y'alls' radar, but I know we have a couple of readers - at least one across the pond - who will be eager to know that there are now 30 second teasers up for...
December 01, 2007
Just an informational post: I found this website which is keeping track of a whole mess of "best of 2007" lists. Everything from books to music to architecture to stereo components. It's a work-in-progress, so new stuff gets added all...
November 29, 2007
For any of you who don't know, Taxman is my least favorite song in the universe. I loathe it. Hate it. Despise it. Want to break any stereo playing it.So I was bored tonight and came out to the coffee...
Usually. However, even though I agree with the judgements of craptaculence about Do They Know It's Christmas, I think a couple of the criticisms of the lyrics are a bit off. First, the title lyric itself. Some of the critics...
November 27, 2007
... send your money straight to the rockers!...
November 23, 2007
Yeah, I ate leftovers and decked the halls instead of blogging. Some more bands I've enjoyed seeing in the last year or two, below the fold......
November 19, 2007
So today Andrew Sullivan is running an 80's music video poll. Well, 3 polls actually. There's the best, the worst and the best-worst. The worst list is kind of weak - some of those videos really aren't too terrible, and...
November 16, 2007
I think there are probably some missing variables influencing this report, and that we are looking at correlation, not causation: The poll by Harris Interactive, an independent research company, showed that 88 percent of people with a post-graduate education were...
November 07, 2007
But I prefer to think happy thoughts... Confetti, right? Nature's confetti?...
October 29, 2007
But hey, I think it's funny, especially since it comes from Jonathan Adler of all people: what I would describe as a clever-but-juvenile, hard-edged blend of Panic! at the Disco and Bowling for Soup...
October 25, 2007
Last night Baltar and I drove to Cleveland and back (yes, that's a couple hundred miles each way) to see the Drive by Truckers. It was the shortest set I've seen them play yet, and Patterson Hood was in a...
October 19, 2007
Border patrol is keeping us safe from indie rock: The guitarist for indie pop rockers Death Cab for Cutie still expects to release his solo album in January even though federal border agents seized a computer hard drive containing the...
October 04, 2007
If you like cars, F1 racing or Ferraris, you can't help but like this ad. As I said, the old ones sound much better than the new ones......
September 15, 2007
"The way you get to Carnegie Hall is to practice, practice practice!" Leslie Feist said this to the crowd, in Pittsburgh's Carnegie Hall, as she began to lead us in singing three part harmony in accompaniment. Clearly, though, she and...
September 14, 2007
This is a fun post. And of course Don't You Forget About Me has to be on it, and I love the inclusion of the Lauper song from The Goonies - but any such list of seven that doesn't include...
September 03, 2007
So I'm reading papers write now, listening to Radiohead's "Let Down". It's been 10 years since OK Computer came out, right? Well it's been quite a bit of time at any rate. and I've got to say that that song...
August 13, 2007
There has been quite a bit of attention paid to the recent censoring of Pearl Jam's performance. ATT claims that it was an error related to their policy of editing out profanity, but Pearl Jam and advocates of net neutrality...
August 12, 2007
My foray into the world of Doctor Who seems to have sadly come to a close, as it appears that none of the episodes since season 2 have been released on dvd. That's too bad as I am quite enjoying...
August 01, 2007
...this is big country! The whole thread. Hat tip to Shez....
July 25, 2007
Remember the scene when Pippin knocks the skeleton down the hole, and then the drums begin, beating a slow, regular cadence that heralds the imminent doom of the journey through Moria? Every summer, summer begins to end with the sound...
July 10, 2007
Interpol's latest video. I've got to say I like it, and I'm happy that people still find ways to do these that are original and interesting. This definitely fits those two categories better than most videos I've seen for, well,...
July 03, 2007
So since the Coup is about to splinter for a bit, how about a friendly music question on this night - the last for a bit when we'll all be in town. Last week Julian Sanchez had a post up...
July 01, 2007
"I want to feel his salvation, all over my face ..."That classic Cartman line repeatedly came to mind as I drove through central Pennsylvania today. That part of the state may or may not equal Alabama. It might (or might...
June 30, 2007
Yeah, it's summer, and I have outrage fatigue. Fucking Supreme Court decisions, corruption, Ann Coulter, blah blah fucking blah. Always something there to remind me......
June 27, 2007
The RIAA - one of my personal favorites - and its lobbying are about to kill internet radio. If you listen to any internet radio at all, check out these links, and contact your representatives in Congress right away. 1....
June 20, 2007
I'm having one of those mornings when I want to listen to "Blocalicious" again and again and again. Maybe that's what's making the cat so extra testy/playful today....
June 19, 2007
So since people are discussing Hillary's choice of a Celine/Air Canada song for her campaign (and The Sopranos spoof she made as an ad for it), I think discussing what we think of as "good" campaign songs is in order....
June 16, 2007
Was this produced on company time? Hat tip to Baltar...
June 01, 2007
Of the guitar variety (wait until the cute monsters start biting into buildings): I have a headache, and can't muster a post on Friday night....
May 30, 2007
Turns out that you no longer have to wonder what that would look like - as Garbage has answered the question in their latest video. I like the song, and it's certainly an interesting video, and I imagine Binky might...
May 26, 2007
Live it up this weekend, and travel safe, wherever the holiday weekend takes you....
May 22, 2007
Whether this is a mark in the "pro" or "con" column of indie rockness, I still haven't decided, but I pretty much missed out on all that early 90s alt rock stuff. For example, as a Flaming Lips lover (shut...
What say you? Some interesting picks, although I think he misses the boat with my band by going too early and skipping the powerhouse from 1999....
May 19, 2007
It's like having Antiques Road Show at your fingertips. There's this guitar that my mom let me take last year, as I was once again muttering about learning guitar. Of all the instruments - normal and exotic - I play,...
April 21, 2007
Via FDL. And hey, when did Donita Sparks start blogging? RAWK!...
April 11, 2007
So here I am in the office listening to The Shins sing "Girl on the Wing", a great song, and I am once again wondering - what the hell is a tidal rabbit?...
April 06, 2007
Rumors have it that Jason Isbell (one third of the guitar/songwriting team of the Drive By Truckers) has left the band (if rumors can be said to be a post on his own myspace page). There is no further explanation...
March 24, 2007
All the cool kids are doing it. And that means by the time I'm getting on the bandwagon, it's probably not cool anymore. Nevertheless, in preparation for the road trip to South Carolina next week:...
March 16, 2007
Would you like some wine with your cheese? Yes, I went ten for ten. Cheesy Rock Ballads Quiz No. 1 Score: 100% (10 out of 10) Hat tip to mister ed....
March 10, 2007
"They were going to start an experimental/math-rock band together. Dan had a really nice Moog synthesizer and an original pressing of the first Squirrel Bait EP."...
March 09, 2007
Or, when mods go bad. At first it seems like a funny joke. Ha ha. Maybe a little passive aggressive trolling. The cool kids picking on the drama club. And then it gets mean. And it probably doesn't feel funny...
March 05, 2007
I sure do like Helio Sequence. Maybe that contributed to me liking Stranger Than Fiction (I spotted a poster for a Rogue Wave/Helio Sequence show posted in Maggie G.'s bakery). Well, I liked that movie regardless - but that was...
February 14, 2007
My intense dislike of this supposed holiday is well known. Is it to celebrate love? Romance? Relationships? Russell Stover? Tacky "cute" teddy bears? Some saint that lost his feast day decades ago? It's a vague mess that makes certain singles...
February 13, 2007
It's always nice to think about summer, camping, and patchouli: The Police - Tool - Widespread Panic - The White Stripes - Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals - Flaming Lips - Wilco - Manu Chao - The String Cheese...
February 11, 2007
Generally, everything sounds better when run through a Marshall Stack (Note: I realize this isn't true for everything (Neko Case, which I was listening to as I cooked breakfast this morning, is a clear exception), which is why I put...
February 10, 2007
With not much to do on a cold Friday night, after doing some reading I settled down to do some surfing. I hang at a couple of music related discussion boards, and one pretty frequently over the last four years....
January 21, 2007
Live music is an odd event. The band is, after all, playing something you've (probably) heard before; you have the CD/album/stolen MP3 - so you've likely played the songs before. The live concert, ideally, is supposed to do something the...
January 15, 2007
If I had not been at The Rock Show on NYEE and NYE, I would have considered this extravaganza. If you don't have the patience for the whole thing, check it out from about 3 minutes in through Bohemian Rhapsody...
January 10, 2007
Have you checked out Centro-matic? You should, at either their home and their MySpace or live if you get the chance. They were the opening act at the shows Baltar and I attended over the holidays (nice life I have...
January 07, 2007
Or a lame third rate echo of the latest YouTube war on the A-list part of the blogosphere:...
January 06, 2007
For the last three years, I have participated in an online Secret Santa. We're all regulars of a music discussion group. That makes me laugh to say it, because normally music is not what gets discussed. It's more like, a...
January 02, 2007
For some reason I've been listening to this old gem from 2000 all afternoon. I guess the "some reason" is that it's damn good. I used to love these guys live. Not because of any great charisma or astonishing production...
December 17, 2006
The song may be unremarkable but this Mr. Mister video has to be one of the most 80's-ish things ever created. There are so many observations about the styles of the era that are seen here - almost every frame...
December 09, 2006
I guess Binky should be afraid, "You Know My Name" is on the (lengthy) list. Does anyone have anything to say about any of these? I suppose I've heard a few of them but the only ones that I could...
December 07, 2006
In case you've had a lobotomy and actually care who the Grammy nominees are ... Wow. There's a lot of crap out there. Award-worthy crap? Eh ... it's the Grammys. And who knew Elvis Costello and Lionel Richie were still...
December 05, 2006
If anyone cares, I suppose these are my "best of 2006" music selections. I say "suppose" because I've never really thought of which is better or worse, but I certainly have ones that I've played more than others. These are...
December 02, 2006
I just became aware of what's quite possibly the weirdest thing I've ever heard about who's won Oscars - or, rather, who hasn't won Oscars. Did you know that no James Bond theme song has ever won an Oscar? Given...
November 26, 2006
Because we can never have enough lists to discuss - here's TIME's list of the 100 most influential records (which goes all the way back to 1954 and Frank). Praise it or smack it (these things tend to be built...
November 23, 2006
The Raconteurs Steady as she goes owes more than just a wee debt to Joe Jackson....
November 19, 2006
I realize that it looks like all we do is sample stuff from YouTube, since that seems to be a good percentage of what we post. I also realize that claiming we don't obsessively watch YouTube 23 hours a day...
November 18, 2006
I always loved this video, probably more than I should. I saw them play in 1987? 1988? at the Hollywood Sportatorium. Public Image Limited was the Opening act. Shitty arena, great show....
November 16, 2006
...and that pair of Wayfarers that I left on the beach. That's when I used to listen to the King Biscuit Flower Hour in my bedroom, tuned in to WSHE 103.5, "She's Only Rock and Roll" out of Miami. There...
November 14, 2006
Marisa Monte is playing a show tonight in NYC. I wish you could all see her live. She's everything the NYT says she is and more. Her new record returns to samba roots, and I heard some wonderful snippets on...
November 05, 2006
Found at The DBT message board....
November 04, 2006
...and I've got too much to do to sit at the compu, here's another Voodoo artist (but not a video from Voodoo, which you can find here)... The Brazilian Girls, with Jique:...
One of the things we did in New Orleans is attend a benefit at Tipitina's to raise money for their foundation. I'm neither the first nor the last to tell you that there is still a long way to go...
October 30, 2006
How was your weekend? The Flaming Lips Drive By Truckers (and they seriously gave my favorite band on the planet a run for their money on best show ever) Duran Duran (who unlike the Cure are neither bloated nor at...
October 23, 2006
The NYT titled its article "Stand or Fall." "As Baghdad goes, so goes Iraq," observed Lt. Gen. Peter W. Chiarelli, who commands American forces throughout Iraq. Like any good child of the 80s, to escape the depression on thinking that...
October 18, 2006
University ballrooms are not the best venues, confirmed tonight before leaving the Wilco show early. Plus, I hate to say it, but Wilco was boring. Especially after seeing Drive By Truckers on Sunday. That the sound mix was like mud...
I'm sitting here getting ready to go see Wilco tonight at the university ballroom. I'm a little apprehensive, as anything in a university ballroom is likely to be a little too squeaky and bright. It's got me thinking about the...
October 16, 2006
Small venue: check. Older-than-18-years, non-wet-behind-the-ears, enthusiastic crowd: check. Pyro: Nope.Lasers: Huh? Smoke: only from cigarettes. Cigarettes: so many that it looked like professional smoke. Video Screens: No. Disco Balls: None. Velvet Elvis in front of the Drum Kit: Yup. Elaborate...
October 10, 2006
...we have animated album art. Stolen from a Non-Lipper, as usual....
October 05, 2006
Since Binky has tried to movie the blog back in a musical direction in the last week (or at least in more of a Radio Indie Rock direction) I just thought I'd say, apropos of pretty much nothing, that my...
October 03, 2006
Yes? The Hold Steady - Barfruit Blues [3:32] - Almost Killed Me Destroyer - Priest's Knees [3:09] - Destroyer's Rubies Talib Kweli - Flash Gordon [4:12] - Right About Now Robert Pollard - Kick Me And Cancel [2:10] - From...
September 28, 2006
Radio Indie Rock, or at least a version of it, has been resurrected. DJs Steven and Schroeder have started streams at Live365. Go. Listen. Now. Long live Radio Indie Rock. Viva! Viva!...
September 26, 2006
Bands. Bands you don't want to like. Bands you actively try not to like. Bands for whom you can come up with a list of reasons not to like, starting with pretentious and running all the way to melodramatic and...
I vote for the record store exec (emphasis mine): "I complained at the NARM [the National Association of Recording Merchandisers] convention that [For Your Entertainment's] record prices were too high," Shears told MTV News over the weekend at Baltimore's Virgin...
September 19, 2006
Fuck. How do you miss the fact that a site that you always think of as your very very favorite(est), has gone dark? Probably for some of the same reasons it went dark. Grown up life. Being away from home....
September 13, 2006
There is a student who is in both my class and Baltar's, who was discussing the possibility of skipping class to attend the Journey/Def Leppard show. A smart guy, who could skip many classes with no worries. I was worried,...
September 02, 2006
Okay, I might be rather late to this party. I didn't even know until this week that Jared Leto had a band. But having been made aware of that fact and having finally seen this video, I have the following...
August 25, 2006
It was just recently that I wrote about Maynard Ferguson, after seeing a clip at Crooks and Liars. Now he's gone. Jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson, known for his soaring high notes and for his recording of "Gonna Fly Now," a...
August 18, 2006
The Bands I've Seen Live Edition An incomplete list, at best. And you're all really missing out, because I couldn't find a good one of Sepultura....
August 17, 2006
Oh, yes, she did. With Metal Skool....
August 12, 2006
Crooks and Liars has their late night music clip up, of a young Maynard Ferguson. I am waiting for the haters to start up in the comments. The thing about Maynard, though, is that even with the kitschy stuff (the...
July 31, 2006
A little Space Ghost in the afternoon?...
July 27, 2006
Courtesy of Stylus - their top 100 videos of all time! That should keep you busy. This is a surprisingly cool list in that it includes an unusually large variety of music (Judas Priest to Snoop Dogg to Britney to...
July 26, 2006
July 20, 2006
A formative year, for all of the reasons listed below. And this is the year I bought my first album. Guess which one of these it was. Without him, there'd be no Ted Leo. Sleek and creepy. Gritty club, pretty...
I feel remorse for all the recent video wars, and the flaunting of garbage. A token YouTube offering of penitence: Great song, fun album, crap video. Great song, cool video, classic collaboration. Great song, great album, beautifully produced video. Good...
July 14, 2006
My next door neighbor is having some work done on her box gutters, and the guy doing the work is doing a very nice job. He is also quite friendly. His taste in music, on the other hand, sucks a...
July 12, 2006
It's well-known to a few that "I Don't Believe You" by the Magnetic Fields is one of my favorite songs. And more than once (or twice, or thrice) I'vereferred to the lyric, "So you're brilliant, gorgeous and ampersand after ampersand"....
July 11, 2006
Syd Barrett has died at the age of 60. From the BBC: Syd Barrett, one of the original members of legendary rock group Pink Floyd, has died at the age of 60 from complications arising from diabetes. I've never been...
This is more than starting to be absurd, but there are still arrows in our quivers. Various charges of "doomsday weapons" were much over-rated. I have no idea who Karkis is, and never hope to meet them. Look at the...
July 08, 2006
Annoying, you say? Reliving your youth, you say? A challenge, you say? OK, I'll see your annoying, your youth reliving, and your challenge. Then I'll raise you an ear worm....
July 03, 2006
Just so we're clear on this: if you want to see music videos, go to cliptip, not some unnamed and/or upcoming video blog coming out of the Gawker "Empire" (explanation here). Gawker doesn't need any more money or exposure. Let...
June 28, 2006
June 11, 2006
So I joined the masses who've bought the All-American Rejects' album today. And I like it. Though I fear it - when I play the title track in the car I can't help but dance around like a wildly energized...
June 09, 2006
I think that ABC is actually pretty underrated in terms of their pop abilities. Which doesn't necessarily make them any more listenable for those who don't like pop - but if you can take it, their stuff seem like more...
June 07, 2006
Let's return to the 80's - better still, A-ha meets James Bond!The Living Daylights. As I recall, I liked that movie. And if I'm linking to 80's Bond themes you know I've got to link to A View to a...
June 06, 2006
There is no video for the song that made my morning - getting in the car on a sunny, warm summer morning to The Magnetic Fields's "Grand Canyon" is a very nice way to start the day (and of course...
June 05, 2006
Since YouTube's old videos seem to be entertaining everyone (I'd honestly forgotten just how much I really like "Just Another Day", and now it's just a click away) here are a few more for your entertainment: Let's see, You Spin...
June 02, 2006
The Oingo Boingo song remains a true classic of the 1980's, one that I love. But the video raises an interesting artistic/business question. How is it possible that no one on the creative team realized it was a bad idea...
May 21, 2006
Any respect I ever had for Sasha Frere-Jones's opinions (or merely confidence in his ability to think and reason) ended today. His campaign to label Stephin Merritt a racist is possibly the meanest and most pathetic thing I've learned about...
May 13, 2006
...for while the true Grail will bring you life, the false Grail will take it from you. You have chosen... wisely....
May 08, 2006
...but after makeup and hairspray:...
May 05, 2006
...I'd damn him to hell. OK, so he gets props for the Tomita, but I've been making myself ill all afternoon being unable to rid myself of uh-oh, it's magic!. Heck, I'll do it anyway. Damn you Norbizness!...
May 02, 2006
For, as best I can tell, no particular reason, Crooks and Liars has posted Metallica's "One". I think they want you to believe this has some relevant anti-war message. The video clearly lays out an anti-war position, but it was...
April 29, 2006
I am not the only one....
April 23, 2006
Yes, I'm still grading. And yes, I think my mind is turning to mush....
April 22, 2006
As Cher (the cute, perky one) would say - as if. Yeah, the combo of optimism and nihilism is interesting but ... still - yuck. The only one there that I think merits mention is the one by The Smiths,...
April 15, 2006
So I was driving around this morning, loving how warm it was, listening to Junior Senior, and thinking that album was just the right choice for getting going on a beautiful day this time of year (I was in the...
March 28, 2006
C'mon, you know you can make this quiz cry! For the record, I beat it with Mike Watt, Kim's Watermelon Gun, and Wayne Coyne. It got me on theramin at 16 questions, and Flock of Seagulls at 29....
March 21, 2006
You should all be afraid. Very afraid of what I will do with this new knowledge. Muwahahahahaha!...
March 14, 2006
February 24, 2006
You've got to be kidding me. This is who's now being investigated as a post 9/11 threat? Does anyone remember North Korea? Pakistan? Don't our government agents have more useful things to do? Why are we expending resources examining 80's...
February 20, 2006
Even after 20 years (or something like that) this Thompson Twins song pleases me a great deal. Other people in the office might be behaving like assholes, but listening to this washes that away (at least briefly)....
February 17, 2006
...or not teh suck. That is the question. Yes, those links at the top are to GNR demos. The rocking bits are not entirely teh suck, but the adult contemporary bits in between sound like the soundtrack from Firefly....
February 16, 2006
...but I think Willie Nelson is great....
...now that I'm never buying another record again? Just in case you thought that buying that CD meant that you have the "fair use" right to rip it to your iPod, the RIAA would like to remind you that you...
February 09, 2006
Tool of the Patriarchy!!! Why oh why did I even look at the grammy coverage? Oh yeah, the Gorillaz and Madonna mashup (just a smidge, in the middle)....
January 30, 2006
This rocks. Dude, where's the theramin?...
January 24, 2006
...on Twisty. Listen here. Wow! UPDATE: More tunes!...
January 14, 2006
Via No Rock 'N Roll Fun, the entire list of performers for this year's Austin, Texas, annual South by Southwest (or SXSW) festival. Some selected highlights I'd like to see: Animal Collective Antietam (rocky folky stuff; reunited) Athelete (supposed to...
January 11, 2006
Following on from my complaining about 2005 movies, I'm prepared to argue that there were few good music releases in 2005 (and what was good didn't sell much and was obscure). The charts back me up: During the last 12...
January 03, 2006
Gee, I wonder what happened: Music retailers suffered their steepest sales decline in three years during 2005. Compared with 2004 -- which, in a tic of the calendar, had a 53-week retail year -- the market for CDs plunged more...
January 01, 2006
My displeasure with Sony (and other record companies hiding stuff on computers) reaches new levels. And I'm not alone: The web has been outraged by the pure evil that is the Sony Music rootkit. Why bring this up here? Well,...
December 08, 2005
Scott Stapp: "I just felt hated so I wanted to go away," he says. Dude, you didn't just feel hated. You were hated, and are hated for the crap you put out and called music. And this statement isn't helping:...
November 30, 2005
In the wake of the news that our Dear Leader called for the bombing of a prominent media outlet in the Middle East (it's unclear if he was joking of not), Beautiful Atrocities is running a poll on which media...
November 27, 2005
In this post Julian Sanchez takes the time to dissect the lyrics to one of the best songs (maybe the best) on The Magnetic Fields' album i. My earlier comments on that album are here, though I was unduly harsh...
November 13, 2005
Just so we're clear on that. First, a baseline. When you buy a regular CD, you own it. You do not "license" it. You own it outright. You're allowed to do anything with it you like, so long as you...
November 07, 2005
Do you remember cassettes? I still have some of these with Led Zep bootlegs, and this kind with XTC and the Housemartins, and some of these with every lovelorn mix from 1987-1989. Why not take a walk down memory (memorex?)...
November 01, 2005
Or One More Reason to Get Pissed at the Music Industry. A geek read, but very interesting. The entire experience was frustrating and irritating. Not only had Sony put software on my system that uses techniques commonly used by malware...
October 25, 2005
I've been listening to their new album - Apologies to the Queen Mary - for over a week now. It's excellent. Go buy it now!Oh, if you want to learn a bit more about them first, this page has links...
October 17, 2005
... to be forced to endure "Luxurious"? This post is just for Baltar. My enjoyment of "Cool" as a nice mental getaway and counterpoint to the pressures of tense driving during a rainstorm does not mean I am now a...
October 09, 2005
I spent most of two days last week on the road to and from Avon, North Carolina (out on the Outer Banks, just a few miles from the Cape Hatteras lighthouse - an area which appears to be nirvana for...
September 28, 2005
Fans of fun rock music in the greater New York area might want to go to Northsix (Williamsburg, Brooklyn) tonight. Why? Deerhoof is playing there, and it's the last stop on their tour before they head across the Atlantic for...
September 13, 2005
What a weird, wonderful world we live in. The latest evidence of that – Death Cab for Cutie’s new album Plans is the #4 album in the country. I have loved ‘em for years, but I never thought they...
September 09, 2005
Who says ukuleles don't rock? This guy clearly does. Really amazing! Via Jesus' General guest bloggers. In a similar vein, catch Rasputina's Radical Recital if they come near you....
August 29, 2005
Via Pandagon and Norbizness, the music thing. Go to Music Outfitters, select the year you graduated from high school (actually, use my link and substitute your graduation year for "1986"), bold your faves, strike the ones you hate (the strike...
August 15, 2005
The BBC is starting to a series of articles on the heights of 1990's Britpop. Here they give a review of some of the highlights of the genre in 1995....
OK, this post is the official end to any coolness I ever had, and it dates me with great accuracy - but I've just got to say that a great big smile came across my face yesterday when "I Just...
August 06, 2005
What is it with this band and the double word thing? Anyway, a certain friend of mine made me happy this week when he mailed me Hot Hot Heat's Elevator. I don't know why I'd put off buying it for...
August 05, 2005
I had a truly terrifying revelation yesterday. It occurred to me that the last two albums I bought were both products of Island Records. Any indie-boy cred I ever had is probably lost forever, and I feel like I need...
August 01, 2005
Some things from the 80s should remain in the mists of time. Though they don't seem to have gotten nearly as, ah, substantial as the Pixies. Hat tip to the Non Lips...
July 26, 2005
Uh, what I meant to say is "timeless classics of the 1990's". Norbizness has ideas for a two disc set. Binky will no doubt be infuriated by the jab at Wayne Coyne's fashion sense. As to my reaction - I...
July 16, 2005
Binky, risking life, limb and her sense of smell for the rest of her life, went off to the AllGood Festival yesterday. She went (obviously, for those that know her) mostly to see the The Flaming Lips, but was content...
July 14, 2005
Summer is funny the way it sends signals that it is over, long before the weather actually turns. There are the gradually waning days, the lunchboxes appearing in the grocery store, the petering out of blooming herbs, and the sudden...
July 13, 2005
Just now, driving through town, I had the radio tuned to the local AM talk station, and after the local news (interesting item, see extended entry) the intro music for the Sean Hannity show came on. This is the Unpleasant...
May 23, 2005
Since yesterday I decided to comment on one not remotely new album (though it was new to me!), obviously I should note an even older one today (spiraling backwards for no particular reason - yep, it's that kind of Monday)...
May 22, 2005
69 Love Songs will probably always remain one of those works that defines a certain period of my life. Friends and I played it constantly - and rightly so since it was utterly brilliant. The range of work in it...
April 27, 2005
OK, I should probably leave this post to Binky since she knows his work better than I do (so Binky, you know, feel free to write a new post on this, alter this one to add your thoughts, or just...
April 26, 2005
Last night, after seeing a speech by Seymour Hersh, I went to an old-time neighborhood drinking establishment. You can imagine my surprise that Eef Barzalay opened the door for me to go in, and you can imagine my further surpise...
March 08, 2005
Someone just asked me a question I don't know the answer to (yeah, there are a lot of those, but usually I can just make something up: this time I was stumped): How many syllables are there in the ideal...
January 31, 2005
Am I the only person who finds it peculiar that Matt Yglesias uses a line from last year's greatest thing ever (Franz Ferdinand) to describe this year's greatest thing ever (The Arcade Fire)?...
December 07, 2004
No comment.OK Joshua, here's the link to the major nominees....
November 26, 2004
OK, I feel like a whore for even bringing this up - I mean what are these lists but incredibly lazy attempts to get your product(s) noticed - but Rolling Stone is theoretically supposed to be a music magazine, and...
November 03, 2004
Well, with all the tiredness, disappointment and general political yuckiness today, I think I have an antidote (or at least, a small distraction). At the risk of provoking an eyeroll from Baltar, I offer you this little slice of happy...
October 04, 2004
Really. I'm not joking....
September 17, 2004
OK, obviously this is a subjective observation, but I spent last night at a New Wave Dance Party at our town's leading music venue and I've got to say that out of all the music played (and ok, in reality...
September 11, 2004
To me that pretty much sums up The Killers. This is a band that I should like. Their love for the sounds of the 1980’s pervades practically every bar of their music. They clearly seek to align themselves with the...
September 09, 2004
Franz Ferdinand is playing tonight at the Roseland Ballroom. In its blurb noting tonight's show The New Yorker describes them as "like the Strokes after a few semesters at the Sorbonne". I'm filing that away as the oddest bit of...
August 12, 2004
So I finally picked up The French Kicks album The Trial of The Century, and I'm very glad I did. Yes, it shares certain characteristic sounds with The Walkmen and The Strokes. And yes, if you liked their earlier stuff,...
July 13, 2004
No, they were not torn limb from limb by someone who snapped after hearing “Popular” one too many times. I knew they were still putting out music, and I knew that “Let Go” had gotten good reviews, but honestly it...
June 14, 2004
So I can happily report, having spent part of last week in Manhattan, that Franz Ferdinand is still in heavy rotation in bars and clubs all the way from the East Village to the West Village. As "it" bands with...
May 21, 2004
So, Nick Hornby thinks modern rock is either chasing the "Britney dollar" (read, "commercially successful and brainless") or choosing "the high-minded cult-rock route that leads to great reviews and commercial oblivion" that doesn't "want to engage with the mainstream, or...
May 05, 2004
...and I didn't even know it! This past weekend Bloodless Coup traveled to the Coachella festival to cover the event for the Summer issue of the zine. There were spectacles such as the reconstituted and extremely tight-sounding Pixies, Wayne Coyne...