I’ll be honest: before his death yesterday, I never gave much thought to Michael Jackson. Beyond the hits and a mild interest in all those scandals, I didn’t know much about the King of Pop, and didn’t care to. Yes, his work affected a lot of people, and a whole generation grew up with his songs, but can’t you say that about any musician? What makes his death as newsworthy as everything else that happened this week?
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As I sit here thinking about life I can’t help but to think about how music affects all of us on a daily basis. One song in particular stands out to me and always puts a smile on my face, no matter what is going on in the world. So enjoy this fine Friday afternoon and listen to this good ol’ fashion classic (with a little twist)…
“The thing about bands like Dirty Projectors, Animal Collective, and Deerhoof,” a friend said to me recently, “is that I only like them on paper. They’re experimental, they’re pushing boundaries – but I can’t really listen to the music.”
Super Mash Bros, self-proclaimed as “Girl Talk’s hot cousin,” recently released their second album, ‘All About the Scrilions.’
I’ve always (well, since I heard of them about 6 months ago) been a fan of Super Mash Bros. In February, I wrote about their first album, ‘Fuck Bitches. Get Euros.’ And like the debut, Bros’ sophomore album has it all covered: the Beatles, classic rock, motown, 80s guilty pleasures, hip hop, 90s alt rock, pop, house…the list goes on and on. If you ask me, they’re better than GT, but what do you think? Download ‘Scrilions’ for FREE here.
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An interview on Time.com I recently read, with author and musician Elijah Wald being questioned on his recently released book How The Beatles Destroyed Rock ‘n’ Roll, got me thinking about the state of the musical record albums. Albums are fairly new, in the context of the history of music, and the creation of such has become an art form in itself.
Here is an Elijah Wald quote from the Time article:
The Beatles were the first superstar pop group to simply cease to exist except on record. As late as the 1940s, pop music was what bands played when people went out dancing. The records were just what you listened to at home. The Beatles were the first group to realize that pop had become records, and that they never needed to step on a stage again in their lives. That’s a huge shift, and [although] I think it would have happened without them, they were the catalysts.
According to the Twitterati, Thursday morning is bringing something nice: NPR First Listens will be streaming Wilco (The Album), which is set to be released on Tuesday.
For those of you in the New York area, some more Wilco (The Album) news: Brooklyn’s Bell House will be hosting an album release party on Tuesday night at 7:30 PM for free! Check Bell House’s website for more info.
Phish: The latest PETA target.
The animal-rights group is calling for Phish to change their name to Sea Kittens, according to a letter sent from PETA to the band, “because few people are aware that fish are actually smart animals with personalities.” (more…)
This is a video everyone should see: Radiohead at Glasto 2003.
Setlist and video after the jump!
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Sam Beam’s performance moniker, Iron and Wine, hardly needs an introduction; you should recognize it from an M&M commercial and that ubiquitous Garden State soundtrack a few years back. But on paper, Iron and Wine sounds like so many other alt-folk acts out there, with murmured vocals and the occasional slide guitar – what accounts for all this commercial success?
The appeal lies in Beam’s combination of aesthetic and content; alongside the hushed acoustic sound are uncommonly perceptive lyrics. “Naked As We Came,” for example, pairs a simple, repetitive guitar line with musings on the inevitability of death. Iron and Wine’s still waters run deep.
Coming into Delfest this past weekend, I really wasn’t sure what to expect. This was my first festival after all, and as much as I’d listened to what seems like endless amounts of festival stories (in addition to reading a few “festival guides” and “festival checklists” to preprare myself) I still had no idea what was about to unfold over the next few days. What I discovered was an incredible musical venture and an enjoyable, yet memorable festival experience.
Delfest 2009 in Cumberland, MD
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