Kanye West VMA meltdown

He may be talented but Kanye West is also a self-absorbed cry-baby. Once again, he cries over losing an award. "Give a Black man a chance." Is he serious?

2007 VMAs worst award show in music history

First, I have to say I was essentially forced to watch this. But it ended up being entertaining in it's absurdity. I haven't seen the Latin Grammys or any Country music related award shows ever but I'm pretty sure last nights VMAs was the most pathetic music awards show ever. From the immobile, sterile Britney Spears to Sarah Silverman's monologue bomb, the beginning was only the beginning of a long, embarrassing night. First of all, all of you hoping for a Britney Spears comeback (and I don't know who you are), tuck the hope away for a few years because it's not happening anytime soon. I have no idea what she was doing up there. At one point in looked like she was immitating being pregnant, which is suitable for her but just not the best impression for a live performance.

Britney Spears performance:



The night then proceeded to suck. The awards have now been given weird, hyperobolic names such as "most awesome monster earth shattering song" award. The presentation of the nominees on the screen was a sensory overload. You never quite knew when they were highlighting someone -you could only hear the song for 5 seconds -It was as if was a game and they wanted you to listen and guess who was nominated. Of course, they did say their actual names so that gave it away. Ongoing parties were boring to watch and boring to hear, as you can only watch Kanye West jump up with his arms in the air so many times or listen to the Foo Fighters play virtually the same song over and over. Unless we're at the party, why show it? It has nothing to do with awards -all it's going to do is piss us off that we're not famous enough to be there. Then gain, watching the parties, few of us would want to be there -making it more pathetic. It also seemed like the presenters were given free liberty to say whatever they wanted it was never cohesive and it was capped off by Jennifer Garner announcing the "Gym Class Fallout" as the Best New Band.

Sarah Silverman's monologue:

There were a couple redeeming aspects -homeboys from Superbad, Seth Rogan and that dude form SNL introduced the "Best new Artist" nominees throughout the show, imploring us to not vote for who we wanted to win -but to not vote for who we didn't want to win or vote for who we didn't want to lose. They were good. Miss Teen South Carolina was good as well, as she parodied herself with her signature blunder VMA style...emphasizing "such as".

Miss Teen South Carolina:

Rumor has it, Kid Rock walked up and decked Tommy Lee. This probably followed Tommy Lee's antics, when he kept yelling something at his ex during Pamela Anderson's speech about something no one remembers. Another bizarre point of the awards, which could have been a highlight had we known what the hell he was yelling. It was like it was a free-for-all for all the presenters, attendees and anyone at the local parties. Whatever it was, it royally sucked.

Tommy Lee vs. Kid Rock:

Dwight (Jim Mike) scores US Womens Soccer PR gig

Album of the week

Spokane
Little Hours (Jagjaguwar)









The preferred music for minimalist museums, Spokane gives us another bleak, stark and very minimal look into their seemingly haunted lives. "Seemingly" being the key word as surely Spokane strives for an aesthetic that is beautiful and uplifting, an irony to the mood of the music -similar to Low. Little Hours achieves an accessibility that their last release, Measurement, didn't. Then again, calling a Spokane album more accessible that another is like saying one David Lynch film is easier to understand than the other. For example, while Little Hours may be more substantial in content than Measurement, it doesn't quite deliver the memorable melodies that past albums such as The Proud Graduates and Able Bodies does. Still, there is much to enjoy on Little Hours, especially for fans of bands such as Low, Bedhead, and Idaho. Spokane is at it's finest when they incorporate strings into their arrangements, most notably in the beautiful, chilling "Building" and "Minor Careers." Other impressive tracks are awashed in piano, such as the aforementioned "Building" and the standout "Thankless Marriage."


hear: Minor Careers, Thankless Marriage, Building, Middle School, Leases & Promises


www.myspace.com/spokanemusic
www.jagjaguwar.com/home.php

Okkervil River video - "Our Life is not a Movie or Maybe"

The first video from their excellent and much adored The Stage Names, the video for "Our Life is not a Movie or Maybe" (or "Our Live Is not a Movie..." -if you bought the deluxe edition) finds the boys from Okkervil River living it up -or down- 70's style.

Camera Obscura @ South Street Seaport 8.24.07

Usually when I go to a show I expect the band to play from their finest album. The dilemma with Camera Obscura is that their last album, Let's Get Out of This Country- although inferior to the excellent Underachievers Please Try Harder -is what multiplied their fan base tenfold. So I guess the masses that turned out on a beautiful evening by the Brookyln Bridge were probably more familiar with Country than Underachievers. The sound was great and Camera Obscura is always very charming. Still, it would have been nice to hear more than 2 or 3 songs from Underachievers, especially since they played an hour+ long set.


www.camera-obscura.net

Album of the week

Caribou
Andorra (Merge)








hear: Melody Day, Sandy, After Hours, Eli, Sundialing



www.caribou.fm
www.mergerecords.com

Sigur Ros releasing epic film

Titled "Heima", meaning "home", the film is to be released sometime this Fall(October?) and will have a bonus CD which will include previously unreleased songs as well as live recordings. The entire film follows Sigur Ros around their tour of their native homeland.

The XYZ Affair @ Union Hall, 8.22.07

The best unsigned band isn't unsigned for a lack of being concert-savvy. These young, up and coming chaps deserve the small stir that they are making in the indie under-underground. They impress via your stereo and their stereo both, with their excellent debut album, A Few More Published Studies, and a solid live presence. It's obvious they're young in the game. I mean, everything wasn't waxed and sanded to perfection -but that's forgivable since it's live. They often sang small barbershop-esque lullabies to usher in tunes which is definitely original. Check 'em!

www.thexyzaffair.com

Album of the week

John Vanderslice
Emerald City (Barsuk)










Normally it would be annoying if an artist was still hung up on the events of 9/11 in his songs, especially if he isn't from New York and didn't have any personal losses. It's not that 9/11 shouldn't still be addressed -it's just odd that he is still hung up on it. But with John Vanderslice, it doesn't matter. His lyrics are so clever and the music is always a crisp union of acoustic guitar, piano tenderness and the more electronic, back beat earnestness that result in intoxicating songs that hook you in. With Emerald City Johnny may not have equaled what he delivered a few years back with Cellar Door- one of the best albums of the decade- but he has once again put together a solid group of songs that together act almost as an eulogy to his last effort, Pixel Revolt, as both albums are calmer and slower than Cellar Door and the lyrical content of both reflect the same subjects.

Granted, not all the songs are about 9/11 and not all are calm -check out the impressive "White Dove" and "Time to Go." Some songs deal with personal relationships and the denial of his French girlfriend's visa("Central Booking"). I don't know if this has been confirmed, but he may think 9/11 was one grand conspiracy: "What happened on Septemeber 11th was a fake" he sings on "Tablespoon of Codeine." Then again, his rhetoric can be a bit complex so it's not obvious as to whether that's his thoughts or not. Either way, it's obvious the government has to wake up pretty early in the morning to get one by John. Vanderslice is definitely one of the most important singer/songwriters today as he is actually one who can combine intelligent lyrics with intelligently constructed music and have it result so accessible.

hear: Kookaburra, Time to Go, White Dove, The Minaret, Central Booking

www.johnvanderslice.com
www.barsuk.com

Menomena visits Daytrotter

It seems every week we have a reason to celebrate the indie wonder that is Daytrotter. This time, the goodness has been brought by the unassuming, complex minds of Menomena. It feels like it's been more than just 7 months since we were blessed with Friend and Foe. The band from Portland may not make it easy to understand their music as they challenge your ears, but they never fail to impress and keep you wanting. Apparently it was the first time a band brought Moog Taurus pedals into the studio. Here, they lay down 3 tracks, all from Friend and Foe: "Weird", "Rotten Hell" and "The Pelican".

Push for Menomena Daytrotter session

www.menomena.com

The Head Set @ Mercury, Thursday 8.16.07

So we were invited by The Head Set's management to attend this show last Thursday night at Mercury. It was time well spent. A relatively new band -they boast a decent EP and a solid LP from last year. They don't tuck away their influences, which either are the same as The Strokes or The Strokes themselves. But enough of the bad news and on with the good: Lead singer, Jordan Blaugrund , is engaging and somewhat demands your attention, almost as much as similar frontmen from The National, The Walkmen, and The Veils, who are also groups that The Head Set could be lumped with sonically. There may be nothing that sets them apart for the time being, but with a charismatic singer and songs that hint at future success, they're going in the right direction.

www.theheadset.com

Band of Horses unveil "Cease to Begin" cover art

There it is. It looks an awful lot like a For Stars album cover but maybe it's just the lighting. I like the simplicity, a trait that Band of Horses look for in their album covers apparently. I don't know if they thought of having a dolphin in a mid-air jump featured right there in the moonlight, but it would have been awesome. The highly anticipated album drops on October 9th.

www.bandofhorses.com

Album of the week

Okkervil River
The Stage Names (Jagjaguwar)










hear: Our Live is Not a Movie or Maybe, Unless it's Kicks, Savannah Smiles, You Can't Hold the Hand of a Rock and Roll Man, John Allyn Smith Sails


www.okkervilriver.com
www.jagjaguwar.com

Not so indie - the arrival of Terminal 5

It's the beginning of the end -or maybe the beginning was a while ago, but Terminal 5 proves to be a catalyst in the death of indie. Oh I'm sure it will nice and neat and the sound won't be too bad. I may go to a show here and there, but if there's anyway possible that I can see a band without having to resort to this bureaucratic -perverted extension to indie music, I will surely do it. The whole idea of opening a new venue to exploit the larger -and growing -indie market is sickening. Sure, bands get bigger. But we already have venues for them. We don't need New York City's prime indie venue staple -Mercury Lounge and Bowery Ballroom to sell-out to the masses. It's all fun and games until your 6th-grade sister is headlining Mercury, accordian in hands. Isn't anything?

For addiitonal info, hit up BrooklynVegan, who seem to be part of Terminal 5's PR team if one didn't know better.

Bowery Presents pushes the dagger in further

Inside sources have spilled about NYC's Bowery switching entirely from Ticketweb to the anything-but-indie Ticketmaster. Now, you can see your favorite indie band at Mercury Lounge by simply going online and paying a service fee that is more than the ticket itself. For people who aren't able to make the trip to Mercury in their spare time to get tickets for shows at Bowery, Webster, Town Hall, Terminal 5, Music Hall of Williamsburg, Mercury Lounge, et al., they will have to drop much more cash to see their favorite independent acts. Just think -that Panda Bear/Wilderness/XYZ Affair show will be featured on a nice, slick piece of ticketmaster paper. And don't forget about the Pizza Hut coupon on the back! I can see it now (and myself sick afterward): Mark Kozelek, Will Johnson, and Bonnie 'Prince' Billy written among the endless numbers, sponsors and whatever that is a Ticketmaster ticket. But it's much more than a ticket. It's a symbol of a loss of innocence and purity in music here in New York City. It's a symbol of current trends that are approaching indie music from a growing capitalistic standpoint. The storied Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge are treasured indie music venues that will be forced to yield. The ticketing dragon has been summoned by money-hungry Bowery Presents and there's really nothing the bands or fans can do about it. That's right J. Bax: Move over Punk, indie rock is dying.

Keepon throws another Spoon dance party

Keepon, the adorable yellow robot that can only be described as a hybrid between a snowman and a baby chick, has returned to master yet another Spoon song. First, it was "I Turn my Camera on." Now, it's "Don't You Evah" from Spoon's latest release. When two such forces combine, monumental feats are sure to follow. Just check out the videos!

Album of the week

1990s
Cookies (Rough Trade)









I've already written a bit on 1990s a few days ago after their excellent show at Annex in New York City. 1990s' Cookies doesn't offer anything new to the music world but these 3 Glaswegians do shake up the British 80's-infused trend of the past few years. Not that the chaps don't resemble their contemporaries -most notably, Franz Ferdinand -they make music that's easy to shake to and provide modern-rock style hooks, but the punk-rockabilly, humorous swagger that layers their music is a refreshing change from the glossier sound that has defined much of British rock, resurging in the past few years with the likes of Bloc Party, Franz, Kaiser Chiefs, Etc. Whereas those bands could be linked directly to Gang of Four, 1990s would be linked with bands similar to the Ramones.


Although the lads have signed with relatively-powerhouse indie label, Rough Trade, they meander under the radar -and it seems maybe they prefer it that way as they are older and more mature than most new bands. On the solid "Cult Status", Jackie Mckeown sings "My cult status keeps me alive." I doubt anyone is telling 1990s what and how to go about their routine -another distinction from other contemporaries. Their music resonates with passion and an attitude free of pretenses that makes them easy to like: "I don't care about the clothes I wear, the color of my jeans, or the color or style of my hair." They aren't a young band trying to make it big. They're in the twilight of their youth, just having fun. Despite the humility emanated in their shows, the album is proof that these chaps want to have fun -and they want you to have fun as well. From the beginning, they keep the tempo upbeat and rarely let down the rest of the album, which is full of catchy riffs and melodies, full of "fa la las" and the such. Many of the songs reference drugs: “Now I’m here with my friends, we’ve been taking some drugs, it’s such fun, we’ll be taking some more soon." And with a song title like "Weed" as well, it's not too hard to figure out that these guys want to party. It's quite the dichotomy, considering their meek(yet intense) performance last week. Then again, they're Scottish.

hear: You Made Me Like it, See You at the Lights, Cult Status, Arcade Precinct, You're Supposed to be my friend



www.1990s.tv
www.roughtrade.com

Bonds Breaks Homerun Record!!!

756


Via To New York with Love and Squalor
so we almost missed bonds hit his record-breaking 756th home run tonight because of an OCD gay man. well, we had been flipping between the game and bravo's latest gem of mindless, indulgent entertainment for the "urban & educated"--the show flipping out, which stars a neurotic, OCD, homosexual egomaniac "real estate investor" (read: house flipper in the west LA residential market). and anyway, we had just watched as jeff (egomanic) freaked out over his cat being late for its accupuncture appointment--when suddenly scott flipped back to espn out of some involuntary movement which apparently originated by an instinctual reflex in the nether regions of his heterosexual brain--and bam, barry was up. one pitch. and its solid gold, baby. my roomie ali was already asleep in the next room--but there was jumping and yelling and hugging. yeah, its good to be a giants fan.

Björk "Innocence" video winner

This is Björk's Innocence Video Competition Winner. Out of nearly 500 entries this video was Björk's favorite and also got the viewers. The Video was made by Fred & Annabelle of France. It seems like the trendy thing to do now -artists outsourcing their videos to fans, as Modest Mouse and Bjork have recently done. I'm not complaining -just look at them!

Low does Daytrotter

Low stopped in to play a set for Daytrotter - a set in Daytrotter time is 4 songs. All 4 songs come from Drums and Guns, Low's awesome 2007 release. The chosen four: "Breaker", "Violent Past", "In Silence", and "Sandinista". This session was actually recorded in May, just before the stint with Wilco, but wasn't released till recently. It's slowcore goodness for the whole family!

www.chairkickers.com

www.daytrotter.com

Modest Mouse video - "Missed the Boat"

It's a fantastic song from a fantastic album. Now there's a fantastic video to go along with it, courtesy of twelve fans who sent their homemade videos in for this fan contest that Modest Mouse had set up for the new video. One professional did ad some visuals -the director of the "Float On" video, Christopher Mills.

1990s @ Annex, Thursday night 8.2.07

These lads are commonly linked with Franz Ferdinand -mostly because they're both from Glasgow and because members of each band were cohorts in another musical outfit before the Franz Frenzy. But their music is quite different, showcasing some dance fever as Franz F. does, but with a more punk-rockabilly swag. Their debut album, Cookies, is a solid debut and hints at possible greatness for these 3 nice kids. Nice is definitely a word to describe them. All 3 were very appreciative and were trying to get intimate with the small crowd. They play to please. They have their live act down and you get the sense that they very much do care how the concert experience goes for each of their customers, nothing being done haphazardly, each bop-di-boop measured swimmingly and not reckless or lazy -and they do bop-di-boop a lot. What does bop-di-boop mean? I don't know, but it sounds fitting for some of the key lyrical pieces of many of 1990s' tracks. And no, there is no "the" or apostrophe in their name. So get it straight..cause they'll be around a while. As the predictable NYC music scene goes, 1990s will return probably in 2 years to play at Bowery -maybe Mercury- but not long after they'll hit Bowery. Then 2 years later they'll be back into he routine, playing Webster Hall. And then a few years down the road, we may have them at Radio City Music Hall or the Theatre at Madison Square Garden. That's how it literally went for the Decemberists.


www.1990s.tv

Album of the week

Ulrich Schnauss
Goodbye (Domino)










It's tough to catergoize Ulrich Schnauss's music. In the beginning he was a popular electronica producer, so his music has always fallen under that category even though most of his albums would be considered shoegaze. His latest work, Goodbye -while still accentuated by electronica beats- falls much more on the ambient and shoegazey side of things. Some songs feel more like an ethereal trance than anything. Ulrich succeeds in producing some solid songs on both ends of the spectrum, from the beautiful, melodic "Einfeld" and "Never Be the Same" to the running-beat rhythms of "Goodbye" and "Stars." It's almost as if good ol' Ulrich just wanted to take a break, kick back and see where that attitude would take his sound -but without forgetting his roots. Schnauss's voice kicks up in the second track, but most of the vocals come from the sublime voice of guest, Judith Beck. From the beginning, her minimalistic style voice hovers over the music, acting as a perfect companion to many of Goodbye's dreamy tracks, including the beat-heavier ones. Goodbye is definitely mood music and perhaps not for everyone. If you're a fan of bands similar to M83 or Slowdive, though, it will be an enjoyable listen and worth the effort. And if you really want to be treated to Ulrich Schnauss, check out the excellent A Strangely Isolated Place.

hear: Never Be the Same, Stars, Einfeld, Goodbye



















www.ulrich-schnauss.com
www.dominorecordco.com

Kanye West taps Zach Galifianakis for new video

Zach Galifianakis is the dude who was the comic auctioneer at the Bad Art Auction in New York City this past month, which featured a set from fellow Carolinians, Band of Horses -as well as the world premiere of this video.. Why Zach Galifianakis you ask? Cause it doesn't get much more gangster than the farmlands of North Carolina. The Video also features musician, Will Oldham.