January 2009
RIFF MARKET: RE HIPSTER RUNOFF'S ANIMAL COLLECTIVE... →
A very long and interesting post in which Nick Sylvester critiques Hipster Runoff and the site’s recent post about the Animal Collective. Very smart, but also slightly odd for me because (to varying degrees) I personally know just about everyone he’s talking about except for Carles, a person who for the longest time I assumed was Nick Sylvester.
Sean T. Collins on a style of dance music he calls... →
“People like superheroes, particularly in stressful times, because there are very...”
– Grant Morrison on Final Crisis and the superhero genre in Publishers Weekly
I absolutely loved the conclusion of Final Crisis, and this quote from Morrison gets to the heart of why it’s so wonderful. Also, if you have not read it yet, when you do, just imagine Mandrakk as the gnarled,...
Brian Raftery on the horrible phenomenon of... →
Not a joke, either. This is a fairly grim article.
“While Panda Bear’s modest ambitions for his adobe home jibe well with...”
– COME AND GIVE ME THE SPACE I NEED
Dylan Matthews parses the Animal Collective’s economic/housing policies. (Via Abby Jean.)
Duel To The Death On 8 Sampsonia Way →
You should stroll down the street, there’s more.
Don't Worry About 'Paul Blart' →
danhacker:
How does this keep happening!?! I expect more from you America and I keep getting let down. I went and watched ‘The Wrestler’ this weekend, but I guess everyone else thought ‘Mall Cop’ looked better. So far ‘Paul Blart’ has earned $64.8 million. That’s $64.8 million too much.
It grates on me so much when people bitch about this sort of thing.
Two things to consider:
1) Movie ticket...
FLUXCAST #30
fluxcast:
DOWNLOAD IT!
This episode features new music from Lotus Plaza, Andrew W.K., N.A.S.A., and M. Ward, among many others. The full playlist will appear here later in the week, but for now you can find that information in the metadata of the mp3. Feedback is appreciated!
Scharpling And Wurster Super Pack! Exclusive... →
This is a pretty amazing set, and it’s for a very good cause. Get bidding.
WatchMarnie Stern “Steely” Live at Cake Shop in NYC 2008
I’m hoping it’s true. I’m hoping for you.
Hey, remember Gina Arnold? Here's Gerard Cosloy... →
There’s a wonderful time capsule quality to this entire exchange; I’m very glad that it is preserved online.
Just Givin' Away Ideas
Matthew: I just had an idea for name for a music group -- Wireless Device. Maybe that sort of modern consumer electronics thing could be the new "wolf" or "deer" or "crystal." Cordless Phones. Hands-Free.
Josh: Bluetooth. Would these bands then utilize the sounds of these tech items for their new genre? Beats that mirrored vibration settings on cell phones, like vibe-dot-dash?
Matthew: Eh, they'd probably just be the same old bands. Let's not expect too much.
The Ticking Time Bomb Scenario
Matthew: CD in the mail today - Mistress Stephanie & Her Melodic Cat. It is described as "sado-vaudevillian punk," which I suppose is another way of saying it's like the Dresden Dolls. Mistress Stephanie has a flapper bob, and Her Melodic Cat is a man in drag with kitty cat make-up. On the front cover, Mistress Stephanie has gaffer tape over her mouth! Cos she's being silenced! By someone!
Sean: Bondage Enthusiast and Queen Peter Criss; that's a better name for them.
Matthew: It's also worth noting is that both of them are clearly some ways into their 30s.
Sean: Well, maybe it's like sex change operations, where you really can't do it until you're old enough to afford it. You can't be a Weimar-era cabaret act with a drag catman until you've got a good 401(k).
Matthew: Or maybe you have to get to a point where it's like "we are running out of time to successfully pull off our Weimar-era cabaret act with a drag catman," and it just becomes an urgent do-or-die endeavor.
Sean: It's a ticking time bomb scenario.
A Chat With Animal Collective →
I quite like this interview with Avey Tare and Panda Bear from the NPR site, particularly because they talk quite a bit about their creative process. I also enjoyed the part when the interviewer confronts them with a Peter Gabriel-era Genesis track that superficially resembles their most recent work.
Michael Emerson's Emmy Reel, 2009
The best part is how Ben does not respond to the hot pocket in any way until after it has hit the wall.
Max Tundra sings Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love"... →
He does reasonably well with it! I tried that song once on a lark, and it was so horribly difficult; just a totally embarrassing flame-out. That said, it’s nowhere close to the most difficult song I’ve ever attempted — that’s a two-way tie between “Peg” and “What A Fool Believes.”
“There is a generation of eighties semiotics students who wish that Barnes had...”
– Logic of Excess
Sasha Frere-Jones’ piece on of Montreal in The New Yorker is relentlessly on point, and strongly recommended, particularly if you’re the type of person who is not yet sold on the brilliance of Kevin Barnes. I’m especially glad that SFJ made this point: “After...
This Is How We Do It
Eric: So how many inaugural balls did you hit last night?
Matthew: None. No ballin' for me. I just played Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It" very loud in my bedroom, danced to it while wearing a tie, and called it a night.
Eric: No, that's a wedding reception. But only if it was followed by "Love Shack."
Matthew: Sure, but that's just what I did, on my own time. It was my own personal tribute to the new president. This, Eric, is how we do it.
“How righteous that 2008 should have started with some literally African-American...”
– The People vs. Vampire Weekend
An interesting notion from Simon Reynolds.
It's Pazz and Jop time!
The Village Voice’s critics poll is online. You can find my ballot here. Please don’t confuse my ballot with a year-end list — it’s not; it’s more about voting. Though the first seven or eight selections on the ballot accurately represent my major passions of the year, there was a whole category of records I enjoyed but didn’t feel a need to vote for, since I...
Watching The Inauguration
Chris: Ha, "Simple Gifts." Halfway through Weezer need to come out in the middle of some pyro and play "The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived" in front of the big Shepard Fairey Obama poster made from sequins.
Matthew: Obama should just sing it himself.
Chris: Tears his suit away, he's wearing his best Judas Priest bondage gear.
Matthew: He's been stoic all this time, but now he's got the office, and he's gonna get FLAMBOYANT. He's gonna start dressing like Sun Ra.
Chris: "I want to tell you all something... I've been holding a lot inside of me... and I've just got to... LET IT OOOUUUUT! KICK IT, RIVERS!" (shredding guitar)
Lots of Scott Pilgrim movie casting news. →
The most amusing bit of information is that Mae Whitman has been cast as Roxy Richter, opposite Michael Cera as Scott. What this means is: There will be a scene in which George Michael Bluth has a ninja fight with Ann Veal. This is going to be soooooooo much better than an Arrested Development movie, you guys.
The Circle Is Closed →
Mike Barthel on the rather drastic philosophical differences between Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl.
Complete lyrics for Max Tundra's Parallax Error... →
The words can come very quickly on record, so it can be easy to miss them entirely. These are some wonderful, clever, immaculately constructed lyrics. I am particularly fond of the language and premises in “Will Get Fooled Again,” “Which Song,” and “Number Our Days.”
HIPSTER RUNOFF PODCAST →
Just when you think Hipster Runoff has hit a peak, or that the premise of the site has fulfilled its potential, Carles takes it to the next level. This is brilliant.
Heather from Au Revoir Simone covered "Lovesong"... →
Listen, and read her explanation of the (very lo-fi) recording on her new tumblr blog.
