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November 29, 2004
Fire in Cairo
Sadly, and suddenly, writer Larry Brown passed away over the weekend at age 53.
Rhino is reissuing Three Imaginary Boys, the first album by The Cure. This will mark the first time the album is available domestically as anything but an import, as well as being a reminder that Robert Smith did not always look like a post-'85 Elizabeth Taylor.
I was so pissed that Ice-T didn't call my house at 6:30 AM on the day after Thanksgiving. If anyone talks to him, tell him I better be first on the list next year.
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 29 November 2004 at 06:33 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 28, 2004
Why Settle for a Lesser Evil?
IA! Ia! Plush Cthulhu Fhtagn!
Posted in Quoi? | 28 November 2004 at 01:24 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 21, 2004
Fairytale of New York
Whoa. Ted "Theodore" Logan (aka Keanu Reeves) will be starring in Spike Lee's newest film. This news carries the heady stench of crap to come. {Via largehearted boy}
The Flaming Lips + The Dandy Warhols + videogame about zombies? Genius!
Nooooooo! Shellac to appear with the Minutemen Duet! Only in England! Take me with yooooou!
Blues/jazz/rock power trio Cream are getting back together, posing the question: what happens when you get three virtuosos back together sober?
The Slits—whom, if you couldn't guess, were an all-female punk band—debut album, Cut, is being re-released early next year.
It's coming up on that time of year again, so check out falalalala.com. I promise, there's nothing there you're going to hear at your local Borders. {Via largehearted boy}
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 21 November 2004 at 01:44 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 17, 2004
Whiteout
If you haven't yet heard, the ever-entertaining Ol' Dirty Bastard has passed away.
Speaking of entertaining, Fat Lip is re-joining The Pharcyde.
After 10 years together, Brit-poppers Gene are calling it quits.
In an effort to keep things real and show support for the indie community that made them the juggernaut they are, Death Cab for Cutie have signed to Atlantic Records.
Surprise, surprise: the Team Sleep album has been pushed back. Again.
The innovative Brookynites known as TV on the Radio won this year's Shortlist Prize.
Go catch yourself a nice case of Bungle Fever. {Via largehearted boy}
Wired Magazine has embraced the innovations of Creative Commons Licensing with the release of this year's Christmas CD.
If I were ever in a life-threatening situation, David Lee Roth would be the last member of Pasadena's EMT squad that I'd want showing up at my door. {Via largehearted boy}
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 17 November 2004 at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 12, 2004
Back Alley Trash
DUDE! Gang of Four is getting back together!
One of my favorite pop bands, Versus, will be reuniting for a show at Black Cat on February 25th to benefit Teenbeat Records.
Scottish rockers Idlewild will be releasing their forthcoming fifth album to the world next March.
The awesome Ted Leo has announced that he will be extending his current tour in the company of Matt Pond PA and Mary Timony.
Ex-Jam frontman Paul Weller has been hospitalized due to acute tonsilitis, which prevents him from even speaking, let alone singing.
Greg Graffin, certified genius and frontman for Bad Religion, is writing his PhD dissertation on bad religion.
In weirdness, check out David Byrne covering Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody."
And if anyone has a copy of The Arcade Fire covering "This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)"—my favorite Talking Heads song—please let me know.
I'd be tempted to wear one of these out of the house, if I had one.
For the other print/paper people reading this, I'm really into the idea of embossed tin books. Heavy, but durable!
My Christmas list is short this year, and it offers further proof that I am a big dork: iPod Car Vent Mount and (when it is released) the iPod Traveler Case. As always, CDs, DVDs and cash are also accepted.
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 12 November 2004 at 02:13 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 10, 2004
I'll Make a Liar Out of You
SubPop continues its quest for world domination with the release of a career-spanning Saint Etienne comp.
Sure, Diego is fey and coiffured, but "Misfit" is a damn good song, which you will be able to purchase when Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid is re-released.
If you can't see DBT live, bring the Truckers to you. {Via largehearted boy}
I love The Smiths. Really, who doesn't? But a musical? That might be taking the Moz lovin' a little bit too far.
Speaking of which, VH1 attempted to reunite The Smiths. It might sound good on paper, but I have a suspicion that will never happen. Then again, who thought Suede would get back together? {Via [information leafblower]}
The geek in me is totally prepared to spend $160 on a pair of Bang & Olufsen headphones. Fortunately, my bank account does not agree with my geek.
Check out the cool, quirky, crafty stuff The Sampler sends out. {Via largehearted boy}
How to do all the cool stuff that your iPod should already be capable of. {Via largehearted boy}
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 10 November 2004 at 10:55 AM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 09, 2004
It Was Only a Kiss
I heard the new Flaming Lips song on "Morning Becomes Eclectic" this morning, and I can only say that it made me smile. A lot.
Of late, I've spent a lot of time clearing out my CD collection, separating the wheat from the chaff. I've discovered that my taste in music is a result of a nearly Puritanical adherance to my idea of what good music is. I've also discovered that, over the years, my tolerance for marginal or generic music is lessening. I also have no patience for 'it' bands, so my curiosity only rarely gets the better of me, resulting in an ever-decreasing number of CDs I don't listen to. Some may call that narrow-minded. I prefer to think of myself as discerning.
However, if anyone's interested in buying some crap, let me know!
Though I don't especially care for Bright Eyes, I loved the Desaparecidos and I'm happy for Conner Oberst—he is the first artist since Puffy to nab two spots on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart at the same time.
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 9 November 2004 at 05:51 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 08, 2004
Suckerpunch
In a completely unsurprising show review, I'd like to report that Ted Leo was, as always, amazing. Even performing as a three-piece, he and his band put on an awesome rock show.
Lucero were quite good, though unpolished. The mix of bands seemed a bit strange, but it was nice to finally see Lucero, as I've been listening to them since Tennessee.
But before I conclude, I must describe The Lashes. For those who are curious, The Lashes are now tied for first place as the worst band I have ever seen, the other two being whitestarr and Atom and His Package. Comprised of a bunch of indie poster boys, sporting dyed black, fashionably dishevled hair and tight pants, they posed and pranced around the stage like they were on a catwalk rather than performing trite, idiotic, uninteresting songs about girls and being best friends.
Aside from being terrible they were also overstaffed, with two guitar players, one bass player, a drummer, a keyboard player and a lead singer. One guitar player looked suspiciously like Chris Kattan playing Mango, while the other looked like he was just in this band because Tortoise wouldn't have him. Adorably, they have all adopted "Lashes" as their last name in an attempt to suck some credibility out of the Ramones' legacy—not that anyone would ever confuse one for the other, as The Lashes are a black, airless vacuum of talent.
The real winner, though, was the keyboard player. I could have cheerfully shoved a pen through either—or both—of his eyes. Not only was he dancing and stomping around the stage as though the songs weren't morbidly awful, he was wearing a cap slightly too large for his head that kept sliding over his eyes, forcing him to squint coyly at the audience while he banged on the keys and squawked tonelessly along with the "singer." All in all, not the harbinger of a great evening, but Ted and Lucero pulled the evening out of the hole The Lashes dug.
Amuse your eyes: check out f2design.
Just when you thought it was over, Andy Bell is back! Erasure is returning with Nightbird, the band's first album in seven years. Not to mention the upcoming live DVD, The Tank, The Swan and The Balloon Live!.
Sleater-Kinney have hopscotched around the Northwest, moving from their former home on Killrockstars to join the roster at the "indie" powerhouse known as SubPop.
Witness the majesty of The Flaming Lips' "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" in all its bizarre glory.
The new "Morning Becomes Eclectic" live comp will be coming out this January, featuring in-studio performances by Iron & Wine, Steve Earle and The Flaming Lips.
News on the new Queens of the Stone Age album, Lullabies to Paralyze, via Silent Uproar and ultimate-guitar.com. Two things concern me about this: the exclusion of Nick Oliveri and the inclusion of Brody Dalle.
Embracing their new roles as aging, chubby corporate puppets recycling their back catalog for profit, U2 will be premiering songs from their new album, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, on the terrible-yet-popular TV show "CSI."
When you resort to using Jerry Bruckheimer to promote an album, your career is officially over.
Odd, but true. Listen in on Rhett Miller interviewing author Tom Wolfe.
Rumors started circulating last week on gigposters.com, but it's official: legendary Minneapolis club First Avenue has closed its doors after the owner filed for bankruptcy, following in the footsteps of Chicago's Fireside Bowl, which closed a few months ago.
Not only is BitTorrent responsible for 35% of all traffic on the internet, it has now marked itself as the next target for the RIAA.
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 8 November 2004 at 02:01 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 05, 2004
The One Who Got Us Here
I don't care how hard you try, you just can't hate The Flaming Lips. Especially now, because in their new video for their song on the Spongebob Squarepants Movie soundtrack, they are dressed as food items performing inside a giant, salivating mouth.
Prog rockers take note: Robert Fripp has an online diary. {Via largehearted boy}
I'd like to know just what a musical collaboration between the author of Lemony Snicket and Stephen Merritt would sound like, especially since it's supposed to be a film score. {Via largehearted boy}
Matthew Sweet has gone off the record (label), opting instead to record, produce and market his own albums.
If you're thinking of starting your own record label, be sure to do your homework. {Via largehearted boy}
Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins injured his guitar-playing hand, but NME is reporting that he will be okay.
Boomboxes, one of the two major signs of hipness during my formative years (the other being wearing a backpack with just one strap), are making a comeback. Bust out your Melly Mel shirts, kids! The ghetto blaster is back!
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 5 November 2004 at 12:38 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 04, 2004
Boys Better
In a mere eighteen hours, I will once again be in the fortunate position of witnessing the rock spectacle known as Ted Leo. Rule!
Further, in an effort to distract myself from the quagmire that is the recent election, I decided to post something completely frivolous that will (hopefully) amuse everyone a bit. With that, here's my list of the five musicians I would jump in a heartbeat—significant others, geographic locations and the age difference not withstanding.
01. Ted Leo – Needs no explanation. Rowr!
02. John Doe – Also needs no explanation.
03. David Bowie – Please. Who wouldn't?
04. Josh Homme – Yes, he is an asshole, but that's part of the charm.
05. Courtney Taylor – Sure, he has expensive hair. And scarves. But it works.
Addendum:
06. Rhett Miller – I don't know how I forgot him, but I think it has something to do with the fact that he needs a haircut. Badly.
07. Kevin Griffin – I have a suspicion it's the cowboy shirts.
08. Prince – One of the two men (David Bowie being the other) on this Earth who can wear leather pants and look hot.
09. Andre 3000 – Dear Lord, just look at him.
10. Chris Isaak – I don't think there are any questions about this one.
11. Rory Henderson – He probably spends as much time on his hair as I do, but I just can't find the energy to mind.
Please feel free to post your own lists as you see fit.
Posted in A/V Dorkout | 4 November 2004 at 12:39 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
November 03, 2004
I'm Worried For My Tired Country
You've all heard the news already.
There are not words—and anyway, what could I say that hasn't been said already?
Posted in Damn Nation! | 3 November 2004 at 04:53 PM | Comments (0) | | Link
