Dick of the Week

Dick of the Week: M.I.A.

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, May 28th, 2010 2:35 pm

M.I.A. (or Maya, or /\/\/\Y/\, or 8====D), you dick! Over the course of the past year or so, M.I.A. has been many things: political pundit, designer of weird, geometric leggings, pregnant, champion against the ginger race — you get the picture.

Recently, she’s done many things in what appears to be part of another personal pursuit — becoming completely fucking obnoxious. MORE »

David Mitchell Wants To Be England’s Andy Rooney

Gray Hurlburt :: Friday, May 28th, 2010 2:30 pm

English comedian David Mitchell was once a fantastic awkward humorist, up in the cadre with Americans Larry David and Ben Stiller. Except, unlike the Yanks, he made his mark in the UK, where a show like his, Peep Show, had far lesser boundaries on what’s taboo and what’s not for public broadcast.

Watching that sitcom was often an exercise in trying not to puke in revulsion between fits of uncomfortable laughter. The entertainment was in following two sexually-frustrated men in their late twenties, played by Mitchell and Robert Webb, who would eat a girlfriend’s pet dog they killed to hide the corpse and get some booty at the end of the day. That’s funny. What’s not is watching what Mitchell took to after that project, which is to emulate Andy Rooney as a high-brow curmudgeon with a smug, Dickensian wit. MORE »

Fat Cop, Bad Cop!: Obese Mexican Officers Put On Diet Plan

Gray Hurlburt :: Friday, May 28th, 2010 1:15 pm

Everyone knows that police officers come in two varieties. First, there’s the butch, action-figure type that are packaged with a taser, tribal arm tattoo and, for the sporting edition, a flash Smith and Wesson mountain bike. And then we have the iconic, Boss Hog sort, with donut-filling stains on their uniforms, pudgy girth drooping over their action belts and not a lof of the useful can do for running down the bad guys.

However, this later version has been pushed to the rear of public interest in the current days of tightened homeland security, with citizens now preferring the He Man persona over the cute and comical fatty. For good reason, too: danger seems waiting to pounce around every other corner. Such is certainly the case in Mexico, where drug cartels have waged a violent war against everyone standing in their way. Just like in America, apparently, Mexico has an obesity problem. Look at the food they eat: beans, tacos, beef, sugary drinks. To help get their fatty five-o’s into shape, Mexico has restricted the calorie intake of it’s overweight officers in department cafeterias from 4000 to 2500, which, to me, is still a ton of shit to put into your body. MORE »

How To Destroy Angels’ First EP Available June 1st For Free

Gray Hurlburt :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 7:25 pm

Once again, Trent Reznor has a remarkable surprise for his fans. While, one month ago, the reveal of his new band How to Destroy Angels took the web by storm, his new project then revealed videos to tracks on their forthcoming EP. Now, today it was announced that this 6-track will be available in just a few days on June 1st…for FREE! It will be available gratis through their store next tuesday, where you can also pre-order the HD version and immediately download the single “The Believers.” Leave it to big artists to experiment with new distribution models. I’m excited to see how this “drive it before you buy it” method pans out—if listeners will be driven to purchase the lossless version of the EP. Then again, there’s an army of NIN die hards who won’t need to think twice about it. Sterogum indicates that the CD release will be July 6th via Null Records, with a record release sometime after. Full tracklist after the jump. MORE »

Muziic DJ Turns YouTube Into Mixing Station

Gray Hurlburt :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 4:15 pm

One of the more accessible sources for music, when you need to find a single to show your friends, is, of course, a video on YouTube. Be it for synching playlists to a party or for browsing an artist before you buy their album, we’re all well familiar with how integral it’s become to our audio lives.

Not long ago came the release of the Facebook app Muziic, which brings music and playlists to your profile via a YouTube source. And now the creator of that program has released a freestanding internet app called Muziic DJ. It works like two turntables with a mixer, giving you the ability to synch and meld songs together into an endless dance track. While the songs spin, their videos stream side by side for your viewing pleasure. The functions available to you include a fader, loops, reverb and brake. I’ll be sure to have fun with this on upcoming summer nights, with buddies huddled around the laptop to take our turn at being Girl Talk. [Mashable]

Lost Phone Leads To Child Porn Ring

Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 3:30 pm

Apparently child pornographers aren’t just an abhorrent breed of filth lower than the smallest single-celled organisms; they are incredibly stupid as well. After 50-year-old Michael Fraser left his cell phone on a bus in the UK, police were able to crack a child pornography ring allegedly 70-men deep. The bus driver discovered dozens of pictures of naked children after a passenger handed him the phone, and he subsequently turned it over to the police. Even though it was a prepaid phone, cops were still able to track down the supermarket Fraser had purchased credit from. The wheel-chair bound Fraser was sentenced yesterday, and is the fifth person sentenced in connection to the cross-country network. MORE »

Fuck Atkins, I’m On The Clinton Diet

Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 2:40 pm

In a move not seen since Father Of The Bride, Chelsea Clinton instructed her father, Bill “Slick Willy” Clinton, to lose 15 pounds before her wedding sometime this summer. Apparently Chelsea’s only request for her father is that he “look good” walking down the aisle, and that means drop the flab. Kind of a bitchy request if you ask me, but that’s beside the point. As all men of great integrity do, Clinton stepped up to the plate and is now about “2 pounds” away from his goal. Good for you Bill, now I’m just wondering what his weight loss secret is. MORE »

New Gang Of Four Song (!?)

Nick Nicoludis :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 1:25 pm

That’s right, those hip English post-punk rockers are back with a new song after what seems like a million years. I’ve always loved their mix of funk, punk and minimalism, and the fact they rhyme leisure and pleasure (see: “Nature’s Not In It”), something only a Brit can do. I know what you must be thinking: Great, another band I love from the ’70s is putting out new songs and touring just cause they’re running out of money and their kids are about to head off to college. Don’t be discouraged! The new track is reminiscent of their old bangers. Click through to hear the new jam. MORE »

American Idol, More Than Just a Franchise

Andrew Belonsky :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 12:40 pm

Let us rejoice! An American Idol has been named! Lee DeWyze now reigns supreme, and he and runner up Crystal Bowersox are free to forge their new careers. Hoorah! For all the news coverage of this story, one would think the Messiah had returned. It’s hard to understand the hubbub over what amounts to an updated Star Search. Yes, Idol’s a perplexing phenomenon, one dripping in advertising dollars and commercialization. It also provides a much-needed education.

Camera Obscura To Play Obscure Show at Brooklyn Flea

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 11:30 am

When researching for a book I wrote last year, I made it a point to go to every Flea Market around New York City. Hands down, Brooklyn Flea is my favorite. It’s got all the charm and panache of Hell’s Kitchen, but it’s closer to my house and they sell McClures pickles, and have amazing Asian hot dogs. But now, it looks like I’m gonna have to make my way back because Camera Obscura will be playing a free 2pm show on Sunday, June 6th. If you don’t have the $30 for their Grand Ballroom show the next night, you might want to make your way over to the Flea. MORE »

Arcade Fire Debut Two Tracks from New Album Today

Johnny Sanford :: Thursday, May 27th, 2010 10:00 am

Few bands have inspired the cult-like status that Arcade Fire has in just two full length albums time. With the release of Neon Bible in 2006, it’s been four full years since fans have heard a shred of new material, aside from the acoustic version of “Wake Up” on the Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack. That is, until today. At 12pm Eastern time, NPR will be hosting a live discussion, via this link. Music maven Bob Boilen will talk to Arcade Fire’s Win and Will Butler about their new record, The Suburbs, and offer a special preview of the songs “Month of May” and “The Suburbs.” The new album will be out August 3rd, 2010. Updated! MORE »

Fixed-Gear Culture Starting to Grind Mine

Amy Laviero :: Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 7:30 pm

Urban Outfitters’ moderately-priced, pseudo-hipster regalia has become a staple among suburbanites trying to achieve that “hip, urban” look. Stroll into any Long Island location and you will spot countless overprivileged kids donning sunglasses (inside), ready to pay for their goods with mommy or daddy’s credit card. UO is definitely self-aware; they first appealed to the suburban “hipster” culture with their vintage-inspired “Urban Renewal” line which takes vintage fabrics and repurposes them into new fashions. It’s a nice idea, and I guess it’s “green.” However, I still think it’s ridiculous that Urban Renewal also plucks items like bags and shoes right out of thrift shops, only to re-sell them at astronomical prices. I’d rather not pay $98 for a pair of beat-up oxfords Urban Outfitters got for five, but I guess it’s simply beneath some people to actually set foot in a thrift shop. UO has targeted subculture in nearly every way with their fashion, books, and home goods. It was only a matter of time before they graduated to the fixed-gear bicycle phenom, as well. MORE »

The Case For a B.P. Boycott

Johnny Sanford :: Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 6:30 pm

The pink shrimp in the room is covered in oil. More specifically, British Petroleum. It was April 20th, 2010, (37 Days ago) that the explosion on a B.P.-Leased oil rig exploded, killing eleven workers in the Gulf of Mexico. Initial reports of the incident focused mainly on the search and rescue operation, and briefly mentioned that there was a shit-ton of oil pluming into the Gulf’s pristine waters. MORE »

Review: BRAHMS At Pianos - 5/25

Gray Hurlburt :: Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 4:45 pm

View Brahms Photo Gallery

Photos by Xavier Aaronson

Last night was episode two of BRAHMS’ residency at Pianos, Manhattan, part of a three-date series stacked with a number of prodigious, electro groups, as well as some welcome surprises, such as the mellow rock group ARMS and the meat-loving rappers Das Racist. But yesterday will prove to be the most ebullient, when the red walls of the tiny back room shook with the music of Shadowbox, Gordon Voidwell, Das Racist, DJ Aaron Pfenning (of Chairlift fame), and the headliners, while people were packed within like jolly little sardines. MORE »

Coming to Grips with Forever Being Lost

Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 4:30 pm

It’s taken a few days to finally sink in, but after Tuesday night came and went without a bald man turning into a smoke monster or a Scotsman driving his car over people in wheelchairs I came to grips with Lost ending. The two and a half hour finale was vintage Lost – great action sequences, human emotion, a lot of questions, a couple answers, a reunion, and a shit load of rain. MORE »