Fluxtumblr

Nov
4th

Wed

With Or Without You.” Twice. Which I think really captured how he was feeling at the time. Or rather, the world perception of him as an artist, his brand identity at the time, like, not being able to live without Neil Diamond songs because they are everywhere you go, and not being able to live with them because they are not in the Rock Hall Of Fame yet. Or, another interpretation is that you can’t live with the songs because you don’t like them, but you can’t live without them, because you sort of do like them. The songs, you know, they creep inside your soul while you’re asleep through the radio waves even if the radio is off, so you’re both living with them, because they are inside your soul, and living without them, because you’re asleep when you’re hearing them. The second time round I sort of tried to change the lyrics a little bit, slowed down the tempo … I can live with you / I can’t live without you / Neil.

— Bono attempts to console a distraught Neil Diamond in the second edition of Liz Colville’s hilarious Corrections to Other People’s Music Writing.

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Nov
3rd

Tue

Jonathan Ames’ Bored To Death is my favorite show on television right now.

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Wild Beasts
“This Is Our Lot”
Live in Juan’s Basement, 2009

This song a slow burn, but the moment when Hayden sings “I couldn’t be more ready, I couldn’t be more ready!” is a hot white flash of pain and desire. Intense stuff.

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Dolly Parton
“Baby I’m Burning”

Yeah, you sing it, creepy Sim version of Dolly Parton! Sing it ‘til my heart bursts!

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Weezer with Kenny G
“I’m Your Daddy”
AOL Session 2009

Rivers Cuomo has Lil Wayne guest on his record, jams live in session with Kenny G, and is selling his new album as a bonus gift with a Weezer-branded Snuggie. He exists in a continuum of irony and non-irony so hilarious and confusing that if he’s not the new Andy Warhol, he’s at least rock’s answer to Jeff Koons.

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Foo Fighters
“This Is A Call”
Live on Late Show with David Letterman, 1995

Yeah, this was almost 15 years ago. My review of the Foo Fighters’ Greatest Hits is up on Pitchfork today, and I’ve already received some email from readers thanking me for not being a dick about this band. I am genuinely amazed and disappointed that they didn’t call this thing The Best Of Foo, but maybe they’re waiting to use that for a box set or something…

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Nov
2nd

Mon

It was the first song I wrote on computer. Before, I had a typewriter. The reason is my handwriting changes dramatically day to day. I don’t trust it. I will write one of the best lyrics ever and discard it because the handwriting looks like shit. Or the handwriting looks good but it’s a crap lyric, lo and behold, it’s in the song. Too late.

— Michael Stipe, discussing the song “Drive” in the new issue of Rolling Stone.

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Live Wrong and Prosper...the Book!

Please support Kali Holloway in raising money to produce a book version of her brilliant website Live Wrong and Prosper.

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The Ballad Of That Guy From Titus Andronicus

Patrick Stickles’ account of his ordeal playing a Vice Halloween party is depressing, but it’s a well-told story.

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I’m also not really sure that I would classify the hesitation to spew unapologetic hate speech on stage as “shyness.” It’s more like self-preservational common sense, and also a modicum of human decency. He might be an unfunny nightmare with hate in his heart, but he is not a stupid nightmare with hate in his heart! He knows that you can’t just say the stuff that he just says.

— What We Talk About When We Talk About Jeff Dunham Gabe Delahaye continues to tear into the wildly racist ventriloquist Jeff Dunham.

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Belmondoful
“The Neighbors”

There’s almost no information about this, but it’s a recording of a man singing a St. Vincent song with only piano as accompaniment. It’s an interesting take on the song — I like his voice, he makes some interesting choices in terms of tone and phrasing. However, for some reason, he omits the best part of the song: “How can Monday be all right, then on Tuesday lose my mind? / Tomorrow’s some kind of stranger who I’m not supposed to see.”

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Wild Beasts
“Hooting and Hollering”
Live in Juan’s Basement, 2009

I noticed recently that the outro of this song echoes the musical theme from “Two Dancers,” which in turn suggests that this song approaches the same horrible event from the opposite perspective.

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Beta Satan
“666”

This song should be an enormous hit, but uh, this video may not be the best path to that goal. NSFW.

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Oct
31st

Sat

Bat for Lashes
“Siren Song”
Live in Melkweg 2009

“It won’t be long until you’re running…’cos I’m evil.”

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Dick Valentine of the Electric Six makes his third appearance on Fox News’ Red Eye, 10/10/2009. “I have an English degree, so things like that mean a lot to me.”

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