Justice - Sexclusive for The Fader 50
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Justice
Alright, since its Wednesday and everyone I know is drinking in their respective offices, enjoy this Justice mix done exclusively for The Fader's 50th anniversary party...Its nasty...I realize you could just go there and get it but hey...
Justice - Sexclusive for The Fader 50
Justice - Sexclusive for The Fader 50
Friday, December 14, 2007
The Beautiful/Decay Gift Guide
This is genius...a clever video presentation by the B/D folks...possibly inspired by their recent Vis/Ed presentation? Who knows.
Enjoy and Happy Holidays.
Beautiful/Decay Gift Guide
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Enjoy and Happy Holidays.
Beautiful/Decay Gift Guide
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Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
Album Review: Hot Chip - Made In the Dark
So I just got to interview Owen from Hot Chip (he is second from the center above, kind of looks like a member of new order...more on that later) about their new album "Made In the Dark". We had a great little conversation that will eventually end up in MetroPop magazine.
In natural preparation for the interview I spent the last couple days balls deep in the new album (due out next February) and it's fantastic. Its a huge spinning blender of all the elements that make Hot Chip interesting: UK garage, Prince-worship, charmingly bad musicianship, found sounds, roaring synths, hip-hop posturing, afro-beat (?), and the fantastic sequencing of dancing and subsequent chilling.
They've also done a better job of capturing their live sound. Hot Chip live shows sound nothing like their albums. A few songs on here fully capture the energy they pull off live...because they were recorded live. "Shake a Fist" opens up the album a complete ecstatic freakout that breaks down, stops, starts, and discos the fuck out into a huge party anthem. "One Pure Thought", with its lyrics based on simply being confused and scatterbrained, opens with a rhythm guitar lick so nice it sounds sampled (its not) and eventually devolves into a talking-heads type chanted rhythm session with Alexis coo-ing, "I'll help you on your way...there is nothing more to say". "Hold On" follows the same idea of the uni-rhythm, clipping along for six minutes of actual "jamming" until it becomes a toy percussion afrobeat thing, ending with the statement, "I'm only going to heaven if it tastes like caramel".
Its not all absurd fun though, the album slows down on shit like "we're looking for a lot of love", with its slow jam sensibility and blasts of tape hiss, and "made in the dark", the effortless title track about elements that just seem to come together on their own.
I don't know, Im crawling up my own ass here, but the album is great. It has everything you want from a Hot Chip record. Its flawed in only charming ways, and I think by the next record they will have perfected the "Hot Chip Sound". Which is fine because watching them change has been fucking fantastic. Finally, just listen to "Ready For the Floor". Its brilliant, pop damn music.
Ready for the Floor
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Also...the first time I saw them in person I thought they were some kind of fucked up supergroup...observe.
Bottom (Left To Right):
Owen - "The Joy Division One". Looks like a cross between Ian Curtis, Stephen Morris and...Buck 65...
Felix - Angus from Liars.
Alexis - Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo.
Top (Left to Right)
Al - Trey Anastasio from Phish
Joe - I couldn;t really place him...the best I could do is Shane Smith, co-founder of Vice magazine...
That took way too long...with minimal returns. Have a great day.
So I just got to interview Owen from Hot Chip (he is second from the center above, kind of looks like a member of new order...more on that later) about their new album "Made In the Dark". We had a great little conversation that will eventually end up in MetroPop magazine.
In natural preparation for the interview I spent the last couple days balls deep in the new album (due out next February) and it's fantastic. Its a huge spinning blender of all the elements that make Hot Chip interesting: UK garage, Prince-worship, charmingly bad musicianship, found sounds, roaring synths, hip-hop posturing, afro-beat (?), and the fantastic sequencing of dancing and subsequent chilling.
They've also done a better job of capturing their live sound. Hot Chip live shows sound nothing like their albums. A few songs on here fully capture the energy they pull off live...because they were recorded live. "Shake a Fist" opens up the album a complete ecstatic freakout that breaks down, stops, starts, and discos the fuck out into a huge party anthem. "One Pure Thought", with its lyrics based on simply being confused and scatterbrained, opens with a rhythm guitar lick so nice it sounds sampled (its not) and eventually devolves into a talking-heads type chanted rhythm session with Alexis coo-ing, "I'll help you on your way...there is nothing more to say". "Hold On" follows the same idea of the uni-rhythm, clipping along for six minutes of actual "jamming" until it becomes a toy percussion afrobeat thing, ending with the statement, "I'm only going to heaven if it tastes like caramel".
Its not all absurd fun though, the album slows down on shit like "we're looking for a lot of love", with its slow jam sensibility and blasts of tape hiss, and "made in the dark", the effortless title track about elements that just seem to come together on their own.
I don't know, Im crawling up my own ass here, but the album is great. It has everything you want from a Hot Chip record. Its flawed in only charming ways, and I think by the next record they will have perfected the "Hot Chip Sound". Which is fine because watching them change has been fucking fantastic. Finally, just listen to "Ready For the Floor". Its brilliant, pop damn music.
Ready for the Floor
Add to My Profile | More Videos
Also...the first time I saw them in person I thought they were some kind of fucked up supergroup...observe.
Bottom (Left To Right):
Owen - "The Joy Division One". Looks like a cross between Ian Curtis, Stephen Morris and...Buck 65...
Felix - Angus from Liars.
Alexis - Mark Mothersbaugh from Devo.
Top (Left to Right)
Al - Trey Anastasio from Phish
Joe - I couldn;t really place him...the best I could do is Shane Smith, co-founder of Vice magazine...
That took way too long...with minimal returns. Have a great day.
Monday, November 12, 2007
"Don't Crucify Me Bro"
My boy Andrew over at Metropop has been taking full advantage of yer-boy-as-free-labor these days...I think this is the 5th review I have put in for their upcoming issue.
Fuck it though, I love writing, and the 100 word format is like trying to have an orgy in an outhouse. Great times.
Other than that, my sister was just out in New York (she helped write one of these) and I got a tattoo.
Can - Anthology
Well I was going to write a really snarky review here that name dropped James Murphy (the guitarist from Disincarnate and the hairy DFA guy), !!!, James Joyce, Gong, and your mom, but then this song, “Halleluwah” from CAN’s Tago Mago came on and I just gave up. I am now lost in the rhythmic absurdity that makes this band so damn great. This 2 disc set is a perfect collection of their music (for an absolute beginner like myself) that had me smacking my forehead repeatedly. I now know that CAN is responsible for all that time I’ve spent listening to Boredoms, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, Battles, and LCD Soundsystem …there I go name-dropping again…shit.
Beach House – Devotion
Yes, this is supposed to be all dreamy and lo-fi and quaint, but in the words of my sister (she’s 17 and really likes Cute is What We Aim For), “it’s kind of boring”. Devotion, the second album from indie darlings Beach House is full of great melodies, slow reverb, and distant tambourine slaps, which would be really cool if I was being seduced by Natalie Portman in a Wes Anderson flick…but I’m not. Instead I’m in my apartment, its raining, and I am illegally downloading The Darjeeling Limited.
Kisses,
Re-Re
Fuck it though, I love writing, and the 100 word format is like trying to have an orgy in an outhouse. Great times.
Other than that, my sister was just out in New York (she helped write one of these) and I got a tattoo.
Can - AnthologyWell I was going to write a really snarky review here that name dropped James Murphy (the guitarist from Disincarnate and the hairy DFA guy), !!!, James Joyce, Gong, and your mom, but then this song, “Halleluwah” from CAN’s Tago Mago came on and I just gave up. I am now lost in the rhythmic absurdity that makes this band so damn great. This 2 disc set is a perfect collection of their music (for an absolute beginner like myself) that had me smacking my forehead repeatedly. I now know that CAN is responsible for all that time I’ve spent listening to Boredoms, Frank Zappa, Talking Heads, Battles, and LCD Soundsystem …there I go name-dropping again…shit.
Beach House – DevotionYes, this is supposed to be all dreamy and lo-fi and quaint, but in the words of my sister (she’s 17 and really likes Cute is What We Aim For), “it’s kind of boring”. Devotion, the second album from indie darlings Beach House is full of great melodies, slow reverb, and distant tambourine slaps, which would be really cool if I was being seduced by Natalie Portman in a Wes Anderson flick…but I’m not. Instead I’m in my apartment, its raining, and I am illegally downloading The Darjeeling Limited.
Kisses,
Re-Re
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
A Place to Bury Strangers
I've been cramming this down many a throat lately, but I have forgotten to do it digitally. Call me a little late to this one, but Ive been happily ripped apart by these for a while now. Its all about the distortion, and the live show is pretty awesome...like if Joy Division fucked a modem through a broken amp at a merzbow show....or something.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Chill Will (Ft. Willis Hajitosan Jackson) - So Crazy
Alright. This is a collabo I helped put together. Shouts to Debbie for providing the rapper, me for providing the producer, and Jackson for being crazy.
Chill Will is the rapper, he's 19, and he's from long island. Yes, he's 19. Jackson is the producer, he is a lunatic I've known since middle school, now he lives in San Fran making beats and screaming on hooks.
GET THIS AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
The New Pop, Etc.
OK OK OK. I know I do this a lot, but I've been Awol. I did a sick amount of writing gigs and did the whole CMJ thing, and I've been trying to differentiate my ass from my elbow ever since. Here you will find:
1. A piece I wrote for the inimitable New Pop in Connected Magazine
2. A few reviews I did for MetroPop magazine.
3. A video of the horrifyingly good Justice performance at Exit (Terminal 5) that almost lost me my girlfriend. Note the version of "We are your friends" hacked into Ministry's "Psalm 69". Genius. Sorry about the shaky video, I really only posted it for the audio...and no, that fool singing along to the samples is not me.
4. The newly released video for the live version of Daft Punk, "Harder Better Faster Stronger". Filmed live at that show in Brooklyn they did that changed my life. Yes. Changed my life.
You guys are pretty damn cool I tell you. Thanks.
THE NEW POP - Connected Magazine
The NEW POP. It’s a play on pop art I suppose, but damn if they aren’t perfectly suited for our “Hey look at me I’m fuckin awesome” times. Not only are they set up to work within this culture of self-gratification, cool shoes, and egos, they are set to break new ground. NEW POP.
I’m getting ahead of myself. The NEW POP is a tight crew of New York City (all born and raised) artists and thinkers that are so driven it makes anyone standing near them say, “Damn I need to get my shit together”. There’s Trevz, the videographer, TONE, the photographer/videographer, and recent addition Texas, photographer and official NEW POP muse.
The NEW POP started as Trevz’ project, but evolved into its own after TONE joined, and became complete once Texas jumped on board. They are a family, and their shared blood is New York. It is their common love for that wild city that holds them together, inspires them.
What they do is documentation. They go out into the world and use a combination of video, photography, and music to create mini-documentaries that they post on their site, www.thenewpop.com. The format of one of their “episodes” is an examination of a theme (nightlife, graffiti, general NYC culture, streetwear, current events, music, etc.) set within a framework that fits short attention spans (episodes range from 3-9 minutes) but caters to the hard thinkers and big idea people alike.
On the surface, there’s a tendency to lump them in with the trend of “nightlife photography”, but NEW POP’s “art from art” is a little different than the half nekkid drunk folks on nightlife photo blogs. Sure they go out at night and capture people having a good time, but more importantly, The New Pop chases down genuine New York City culture, and celebrates the amazing things said culture can accomplish under the right conditions, nah, any conditions.
On a deeper level, there’s also a desire in their work for something larger, more substantive. In New York City right now, in the music and arts culture, egos are winning. The NEW POP are looking to balance things out a bit. In everything they do, there is a need for something more genuine, positive. More for the ‘whole’ and less for the ‘scene’…
So what’s next? Well, right now is a great time for The NEW POP. As the seasons change they are coming into their own so successfully, they couldn’t even stop if they tried. With the help of recently enlisted bad-ass Katie Longmyer (Good Peoples) handling their business development, The NEW POP has huge plans for ’08. I’m not saying their competition should be scared, I’m just saying they had better be ready to play catch up.
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – 45:33 + Bonus tracks
For my money, the best part about LCD Soundsystem’s music is that moment when it breaks past the point of “song” and heads into “freakout”. Where ol’ James Murphy pushes a song’s groove to its absolute peak and then sets it free, letting its own momentum carry to the end. The songs on this EP don’t really do that. The 45 minute Nike track is amazing and I am so glad they inserted track breaks, but the rest of the B-sides on this didn’t really grab me. I mean, I don’t really see the point of a “North American Scum” without the genius vocal, but its on here anyway. This is great for rabid fans/track stars, but if you really want an LCD EP, get the one with the John Cale version of “All my Friends”. Shiny.
RADIOHEAD - IN RAINBOWS
This album is brilliant. Let’s put aside the shouts and hollers that “the Radiohead model is changing the music business” and just realize that this record is concise (Hail to the Thief was a little long for me), beautifully layered, simply directed, and balanced, in that there is enough wanky Thom Yorke glitches and quality ‘rocking’ to make everyone happy. I can’t asses it any further now; I’m too excited to experience this one in every possible state of mind: Staring at my eyelids with my headphones on, riding in a stolen car, sitting solemnly under my home speakers, playing it on sticky jukeboxes, and finally…hopefully…with my hands in the air at a show. See you there.
SONS AND DAUGHTERS – THIS GIFT
This is one of those bands I have trouble classifying because I never listened to this type of shit when my brain was soft. I’m sure if I listened to more PJ Harvey and less Norwegian black metal I would have more reference points. Anyway, this is good music. It’s a little dark, flashing a female Joy Division at random points…like if Ian Curtis’ wife was writing the songs and not him. Yet again it has high points, with tons of tambourines, angular rockabilly riffs, “na-na-na-na” chants, and all kinds of mutated Americana-via-Glasgow. This is the best music to come out of a barn in Scotland that I have heard all month.
Justice - We Are Your Friends (Live Psalm 69 Pigfuck Version)
Yup..................
OK BYE.
1. A piece I wrote for the inimitable New Pop in Connected Magazine
2. A few reviews I did for MetroPop magazine.
3. A video of the horrifyingly good Justice performance at Exit (Terminal 5) that almost lost me my girlfriend. Note the version of "We are your friends" hacked into Ministry's "Psalm 69". Genius. Sorry about the shaky video, I really only posted it for the audio...and no, that fool singing along to the samples is not me.
4. The newly released video for the live version of Daft Punk, "Harder Better Faster Stronger". Filmed live at that show in Brooklyn they did that changed my life. Yes. Changed my life.
You guys are pretty damn cool I tell you. Thanks.
THE NEW POP - Connected Magazine
The NEW POP. It’s a play on pop art I suppose, but damn if they aren’t perfectly suited for our “Hey look at me I’m fuckin awesome” times. Not only are they set up to work within this culture of self-gratification, cool shoes, and egos, they are set to break new ground. NEW POP.
I’m getting ahead of myself. The NEW POP is a tight crew of New York City (all born and raised) artists and thinkers that are so driven it makes anyone standing near them say, “Damn I need to get my shit together”. There’s Trevz, the videographer, TONE, the photographer/videographer, and recent addition Texas, photographer and official NEW POP muse.
The NEW POP started as Trevz’ project, but evolved into its own after TONE joined, and became complete once Texas jumped on board. They are a family, and their shared blood is New York. It is their common love for that wild city that holds them together, inspires them.
What they do is documentation. They go out into the world and use a combination of video, photography, and music to create mini-documentaries that they post on their site, www.thenewpop.com. The format of one of their “episodes” is an examination of a theme (nightlife, graffiti, general NYC culture, streetwear, current events, music, etc.) set within a framework that fits short attention spans (episodes range from 3-9 minutes) but caters to the hard thinkers and big idea people alike.
On the surface, there’s a tendency to lump them in with the trend of “nightlife photography”, but NEW POP’s “art from art” is a little different than the half nekkid drunk folks on nightlife photo blogs. Sure they go out at night and capture people having a good time, but more importantly, The New Pop chases down genuine New York City culture, and celebrates the amazing things said culture can accomplish under the right conditions, nah, any conditions.
On a deeper level, there’s also a desire in their work for something larger, more substantive. In New York City right now, in the music and arts culture, egos are winning. The NEW POP are looking to balance things out a bit. In everything they do, there is a need for something more genuine, positive. More for the ‘whole’ and less for the ‘scene’…
So what’s next? Well, right now is a great time for The NEW POP. As the seasons change they are coming into their own so successfully, they couldn’t even stop if they tried. With the help of recently enlisted bad-ass Katie Longmyer (Good Peoples) handling their business development, The NEW POP has huge plans for ’08. I’m not saying their competition should be scared, I’m just saying they had better be ready to play catch up.
LCD SOUNDSYSTEM – 45:33 + Bonus tracks
For my money, the best part about LCD Soundsystem’s music is that moment when it breaks past the point of “song” and heads into “freakout”. Where ol’ James Murphy pushes a song’s groove to its absolute peak and then sets it free, letting its own momentum carry to the end. The songs on this EP don’t really do that. The 45 minute Nike track is amazing and I am so glad they inserted track breaks, but the rest of the B-sides on this didn’t really grab me. I mean, I don’t really see the point of a “North American Scum” without the genius vocal, but its on here anyway. This is great for rabid fans/track stars, but if you really want an LCD EP, get the one with the John Cale version of “All my Friends”. Shiny.
RADIOHEAD - IN RAINBOWS
This album is brilliant. Let’s put aside the shouts and hollers that “the Radiohead model is changing the music business” and just realize that this record is concise (Hail to the Thief was a little long for me), beautifully layered, simply directed, and balanced, in that there is enough wanky Thom Yorke glitches and quality ‘rocking’ to make everyone happy. I can’t asses it any further now; I’m too excited to experience this one in every possible state of mind: Staring at my eyelids with my headphones on, riding in a stolen car, sitting solemnly under my home speakers, playing it on sticky jukeboxes, and finally…hopefully…with my hands in the air at a show. See you there.
SONS AND DAUGHTERS – THIS GIFT
This is one of those bands I have trouble classifying because I never listened to this type of shit when my brain was soft. I’m sure if I listened to more PJ Harvey and less Norwegian black metal I would have more reference points. Anyway, this is good music. It’s a little dark, flashing a female Joy Division at random points…like if Ian Curtis’ wife was writing the songs and not him. Yet again it has high points, with tons of tambourines, angular rockabilly riffs, “na-na-na-na” chants, and all kinds of mutated Americana-via-Glasgow. This is the best music to come out of a barn in Scotland that I have heard all month.
Justice - We Are Your Friends (Live Psalm 69 Pigfuck Version)
Yup..................
OK BYE.
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