January 2009
80 posts
Itunes Plus: iTunes Plus Upgrades Go A La Carte,... →
THANK GOD. I don’t have a lot of music I’ve bought from iTunes (I prefer Amazon MP3) but I was holding out on upgrading some of my purchased because I didn’t want a couple single track downloads upgraded.
DVR alert: Letterman honors the late, great Bill... →
If I’m reading the article correctly, this airs on Friday. That post links to a partial transcript (and an explanation of the 1993 incident) which is pretty funny. I’ll have to try to remember to record it.
"Dancing in the Dark" / "Backstreets" (Bruce... →
Ted Leo plays “Dancing in the Dark,” the dude from the Gaslight Anthem plays a cool version of “Backstreets,” and both discuss growing up in Jersey with Springsteen.
“Plus, it’s hard not to be in awe of 16-year-old boys who can solo on...”
– NPR: Schools Of Rock - Carrie Brownstein talks about the Paul Green School of Rock
I saw the School of Rock at Lollapalooza last summer and they were phenomenal. Brownstein’s article gives begrudging approval for the group (with her hesitation over the branding of it and the single minded...
LOL WORDS: Why The Worst Lyric On "Merriweather... →
It (the chorus to “My Girls”) resonates with people because it’s completely literal - you don’t have to think about it. On an album that buries many of its melodies, lyrics, and traditional pop elements underneath “experimentation,” it’s one of the few lines that can be heard and digested without having to consider it.
I’m convinced that people are...
TV On the Radio - "Heroes" (David Bowie cover)... →
This grew on me by the end of the song. Certainly worth a listen.
Wikipedia Essay: Don't stuff beans up your nose →
tristanjay7:
“This page in a nutshell: If you tell people not to do something, that may instead give them the idea to do it.”
True. Sometimes silent faith is better than a warning against it.
Speaking of Wikipedia and copycat behavior - how about Janis Joplin’s page after last week’s 30 Rock (or frequent Colbert jokes)?
wasted-efforts:
Los Campesinos! - This Is How You...
While I'm giving thanks
Thank you to all of the people putting parts of Rattle and Hum on YouTube in HD.
Radiohead to Perform at Grammy Awards Ceremony! |... →
Interesting. Now I’ll have to make sure to have it on in the background that night to catch it.
I seriously am blown away by the amount of love on...
shanexcore:
kari-shma:
roberto:
lickystickypicky:
Maybe we’re a sect. But what the heck? It is a breath of fresh air to hang around somewhere where people actually care….without really knowing those they care about.
It’s weird, it’s inexplicable, it may even be funny…but it doesn’t take away from how good it feels.
Good point!
Specifically, I’m blown away by the reblog love...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-1-25) →
Animal Collective (16)
Los Campesinos! (7)
R.E.M. (5)
No Dunks Inc. (5)
Neon Neon (4)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
“I don’t think the problem lies in the term itself as much as people’s fear of...”
– Speaking in Tongues
Contra fellow Wildcat Andrew Bird, when ppl say “indie rock,” I still think of Pavement and Sebadoh. ALL ABOUT THE HAIRCUTS DUDE.
(via offnotesnotes)
My issue with the term “indie rock” is that it’s not specific enough for me. It’s something that...
Puritan Blister #42 | Pitchfork →
I really don’t know what to make of this article. I enjoy reading Bowers’ overblown and almost manic style of writing, but it’s led me to ask a ridiculous question while reading this - is it true?
I think it has to be - it’s too raw, too dark, and too heartbreaking. It’s an excellent article, but am I wrong for thinking that I feel cheated/duped if it’s all...
“Unlike most other professions, this one drains you completely, refilling you...”
– Pencils Down, Bottoms Up - Proof Blog - NYTimes.com (via hardlikealgebra)
Round here, we call it “book club.” It’s a great read - thanks for posting it.
“[Rolling Stone]:Producer Brendan O’Brien said that for The Rising, Magic...”
– The Band on Bruce: Their Springsteen : Rolling Stone
I would love to hear what this version sounds like.
“It is vain to insist that what we are aiming at is good and what our adversaries...”
– Ludwig von Mises
People should have this branded into their brain. Thinking your intellectual opponents are evil, psychotic or just ill-willed is a losing proposition. Total waste of thought.
(via josephweisenthal)
(via offnotesnotes)
YES. We’re too quick to think that different=wrong. I...
Arcade Fire cover "Born in the USA"
My friend Kevin went to the ball honoring the Obama staffers tonight and tweeted that Arcade Fire played “Born in the USA” (Jay-Z was there too). Just a heads up that if video of this exists, the blogs will go nuts tomorrow.
That, and let me know if you find it - I’d love to see it.
“This is definitely something I’ve noticed a lot of lately: people are more...”
– This Modern Age: The Youth Ball Welcomes Obama with a Sea of Digital Cameras
I’ve been guilty of this from time to time (especially since I started recording video on my digital camera at concerts) but I try to look at it like the photographers in the photo pit - I pick one song that I want...
Here’s today’s post for Some Songs...
Lessons in Current History
inauguration:
byronic said:
I’m teaching my undergraduate Shakespeare class today 4-6pm - exactly the time of the Inauguration in the UK. I will ask my students to take a break from Hamlet and we’ll tune in together to the Oath of Office and Inaugural Address. This is history, I will tell them. We’re studying works full of violence, persecution, hatred and injustice here, but this is what people...
admorobo:
Guided By Voices - I Am A Scientist
...
“And really, what the Collective are doing is growing up. They’ve spent their...”
– Aquarium Drunkard » Animal Collective :: Merriweather Post Pavilion
I particularly liked the last couple of paragraphs of this review, especially the little nod to the Talking Heads at the end.
“I’ve been scouring the book of Revelation for some mention of this album,...”
– Johnny Cash Remixed | Pitchfork - that “little bits of hell” line is one of the best condemnations I’ve heard in a long time.
what is everyones twitter
gaseousbrain:
kari-shma:
leeshiebean:
betterthancupcakes:
melissamayhem:
johncody:
JohnCody
http://twitter.com/melissa_mayhem
Susiea
aliciabruce
Kari_shma
gaseousbrain
bwall05 - follow away!
“My own band, writing and recording our fifth record during the winter of 2001,...”
– NPR: Eight Years Gone - Former Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein wrote an excellent post summarizing her take on music during the Bush administration. I remember when this album came out - it sounded so striking during that climate of fear and idiological absolutism. I can remember being...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-1-18) →
Sigur Rós (21)
Slowdive (14)
The American Analog Set (12)
Animal Collective (11)
Japancakes (11)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Liquidation Overlords, Utter Chaos Have Taken Over... →
I went yesterday not expecting much and my expectations were met. I escaped without spending any money.
My advice - wait a couple weeks for the sales to go higher and hope that there’s something worth buying left.
“It wasn’t always an easy road, though. I learned many lessons the hard...”
– Letter From The Editor: So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - Lifehacker’s founder Gina Trapani is moving on from LH and today was her last day. In her “farewell” post, she provided one of the best descriptions of the appeal, value, and benefits to blogging.
“Dear President Obama,
When you are president, don’t eat junk food. Junk...”
– McSweeney’s Internet Tendency: More Letters From Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids’ Letters to President Obama.
tomewing:
somesongsconsidered:
“I Found that...
““If you go back to the late ’90s, people were really angsty about guitars, and...”
– marathonpacks.com is a total blam-blam
I somehow missed Perpetua’s chat with Fader when it ran, even though I was looking for it; Harvey finds this money quote.
(via offnotesnotes)
I’m still waiting for my LP to ship (I lose more and more patience with Insound every time I order and they...
Inauguration Speech Generator →
Mad Libs, Obama style?
Pavement To Play ATP? - Stereogum →
File under “I’ll believe it when I see it,” but let me tell you - if Pavement play ATP NY (which, at this point, I’m assuming this is completely false), I don’t think I have much of a choice but to go, do I?
Amazon.com: Meeting Across the River: Stories... →
I had never heard of this before tonight - a collection of short stories all based on “Meeting Across the River” from Born to Run. I’m intrigued.
I hate Sunday nights
I never get a full night’s sleep on Sunday, mostly because I sleep in on Sunday morning. Today, it didn’t help that I slept in, drank an entire pot of coffee (last cup: 7 PM), and haven’t left the house since early yesterday due to snow.
It’s 2:09 AM, I have to be up in 4 hours to go teach the youth of america. Too bad I can’t just show up and play The Youth of...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-1-11) →
Slowdive (15)
The American Analog Set (13)
Ted Leo and The Pharmacists (5)
Wilco (4)
No Dunks Inc. (4)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
New Look
It’s dark… where’s my night light?