News
Arizona Considering Pulling L.A.’s Power? Go Ahead, Make Their Day
Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, May 21st, 2010 3:10 pm
In response to the Los Angeles City Council’s boycott of all things Arizona, the Arizona Corporation Commission, which controls Arizona’s utilities and power, has flirted with the idea of denying L.A. electricity from Arizona. Arizona power makes up about 25% of the supply for Los Angeles, so this statement would be a massive one if it actually happened…which it should, in my opinion. Bring it on and turn it off, Arizona. Let’s see just how much good it does you, shall we? MORE »
News
“Get Out Of There!” Montage Is The Best Thing I’ve Seen All Week
Amy Laviero :: Friday, May 7th, 2010 5:00 pm
Although the Guy Bauer Half Hour’s “we’ve got company” montage was pretty good, the “get out of there!” montage is even better. Hh1edits, a video editor through Pajiba, created the four minute gem which contains clips ranging from Apocalypse Now, to Family Guy, to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. You may already know hh1edits’ equally genius “160 Greatest Arnold Schwarzenegger Quotes” video, or “100 Cheesiest Quotes of All Time” montage. If while watching the video you find yourself drawing a blank, Pajiba has provided a complete list of the shows and films referenced in the video. Click through to check it out. MORE »
Shit Going On In The World, technology
Cupidtino, The Awful New Dating Website For Lovers Of Apple Products
Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, May 5th, 2010 3:00 pm
Do you base your entire personality on the fact that you own the same popular, expensive technology as most of the people around you? Well, luckily for you, there’s finally a dating website that can bring you together with singles just as bland as you are! Cupidtino, a dating website that will launch in June 2010, is a “beautiful new dating site created for fans of Apple products by fans of Apple products!” This raises a few interesting questions. What does this say about the extent to which Apple has invaded our culture? Could this website even work without quickly devolving into a gold-diggers’ paradise? How can a dating website even be “beautiful?” And last but not least, what? MORE »
Should I Listen?
Track Review: “Tell ‘Em” - Sleigh Bells
Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 2:40 pm
“Tell ‘Em,” the new track from indie darlings Sleigh Bells, debuted today. It’s kind of insane, but not quite in the way that it was intended to be. The music is reminiscent of a fight song played at an enormous stadium, and I feel that it would probably be best experienced in a similar way. Maybe if I had heard this song amid hundreds of grinning, sweaty, slightly drunk revelers, I’d be more inclined to like it. As it stands, I’m not looking to listen to the grating “Tell ‘Em” during my day-to-day life in the same way that I’m not trying to make “Who Dat?” part of my regular rotation. The song’s tone is certainly different from a lot of other music garnering attention right now, but sometimes different isn’t enough to compensate for tunelessness…or the fact that I feel like it would be fitting to witness a pack of scantily-clad, overly-tanned women jump and gyrate in the middle of a field with this as the score. Sleigh Bells are incredibly talented, but this song is a misstep.
Books, Celebrities
Marilyn Monroe, Soon-To-Be Published Author
Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 1:30 pm
In October, Farrar, Straus & Giroux will publish Fragments, a book of uncollected writing by Marilyn Monroe. It’s reported to include poetry, letters, previously unreleased photographs, and other work. Monroe had a notorious (if somewhat superficial) obsession with literature and poetry, and this book may be a reflection of that interest. I’m sure that no matter the quality of the writing itself, it’ll be an engaging insight into one of America’s most recognizable icons.
The Dust Bin
The Perfect Spring Album: The Byrd’s Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 12:45 pm
Typically, I make playlists for each season…and not always just one. My iTunes has about five of them just for June-August, labeled accordingly: Summer Life, Summer Rain, etc. This spring, I’m changing my ways. The only music I want to accompany the newfound greenery and sweater weather is the classic country record Sweetheart of the Rodeo by the Byrds, featuring the inimitable Gram Parsons. MORE »
Lists
Playlist: MGMT’s “Brian Eno” and Other Weird Musical Shout-Outs
Amy Rose Spiegel :: Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 11:40 am
On their new album, Congratulations, MGMT pays a rather strange quasi-homage to the mack daddy of ambient music, Brian Eno. The song, aptly titled “Brian Eno,” was described in this way by band member Andrew VanWyngarden:
“It’s kind of a vampire-punk-rock song about finding Brian Eno in like a cathedral in Transylvania. He’s like a dark wizard. We originally asked him to produce the track, but he hadn’t heard of us.”
“Dark wizards” were chiefly characterized by their ability to create pleasant, minimalist music? I have to brush up on my fantasy stories, I guess, because I don’t remember anything that sounded like Another Green World in the Harry Potter movies.
This bizarre tribute got me to thinking about some of the other questionable shout-outs that have been done in song. Here’s a brief list of my favorites. MORE »
Guest Blogger, Magazine, Shit Going On In The World
Guest Article: Gavin McInnes Discusses Roman Polanski And Child Predators
Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, February 12th, 2010 2:30 pm
Roman Polanski’s 18th feature film, “The Ghost Writer,” opens this week. Its imminent release has reignited the well-worn debate about Polanski’s arrest in 2009 for a rape charge that is now over 31 years old. Below, a timely discussion about what makes a predator a predator by the writer and media polymath Gavin McInnes. This article originally appeared in the fifteenth issue of Death+Taxes.
News
10th Annual WFUV Music Feastival!
Francesca Galassi :: Thursday, November 19th, 2009 1:00 pm
As per New York Thanksgiving tradition, WFUV will air its Annual Music Feastival November 26th and November 27th. Catch the likes of Andrew Bird, Gillian Welch, Ben Harper, and The Avett Brothers rocking out as WFUV presents some of the best performances and concerts of 2009.
More info after the jump!
News
Television’s Richard Lloyd One Night Special
Francesca Galassi :: Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 2:30 pm
Television’s Richard Lloyd will be performing Nov. 12 at Webster Hall!!
Lloyd left the influential ’70s punk band Television in the summer of 2007 and was replaced with Johnny Ripp. Television’s fist album “Marquee Moon” was number 128 on Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.
More info after the jump!
Contests, News
Monsters of Folk Video Contest Goes LIVE Today
Francesca Galassi :: Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 1:30 pm
Our contest with Shangri La Music calling YOU to direct a video for Monsters of Folk’s new single, “Dear God,” goes live today, brought to you by D+T and YouTube!
Death and Taxes and You Tube are giving you the chance to direct a video for the new Monsters of Folk single “Dear God.” The winner not only gets the glory of directing the band’s new music video but will win $5,000 (!) a Gibson acoustic guitar signed by the band and Final Cut Pro. 5 runners up also get some cool stuff like vinyl. Submissions will accepted until Jan 1.
Wanna submit? Details are after the jump. MORE »
News
Har Mar Superstar’s Return
Stephen Blackwell :: Monday, October 26th, 2009 1:50 pm
Har Mar Superstar, the fat, balding Minnesota native who made waves in the electroclash scene of the early aughts, is back after a five year hiatus. For those of you who have forgotten, he was the ironic R&B foil to the Strokes’ retro rock and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs dissonant, pre-”Maps” dance pop.
Har Mar doesn’t have any signature songs to speak of, but he is one of the best, if not the best, performing musician to watch while you’re drunk, or even slightly buzzed. Lucky for us New Yorkers, he’ll be performing two NYC shows this week, and will continue touring through the beginning of November. See the tour dates after the jump. MORE »
