Friday, July 16, 2010

Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest Cover Art + Tracklist


Deerhunter have announced details for their forthcoming new record Halcyon Digest.  That's the cover art above.

And here's the tracklisting:

01) Earthquake
02) Don't Cry
03) Revival
04) Sailing
05) Memory Boy
06) Desire Lines 
07) Basement Scene
08) Helicopter
09) Fountain Stairs
10) Coronado
11) He Would Have Laughed

Halcyon Digest drops September 28.

Album Review: MGMT - Congratulations

So...if I'm really going to be serious about this 'blogging' thing, I guess I should be reviewing albums, right?  (Am I serious about this hobby?  Fuck if I know.)

Anyway, this is going to be a review, but I'm not going to assign a numerical score.  Maybe I'm 'not ready' to do that yet.  Maybe I work with numbers all day long in my job as a market research professional, and find the very idea of assessing my enjoyment of or the quality and cultural significance of an album (or any work of art - book, movie, TV show) via a number to be offensive.  Think that's a cop out?  Go fuck yourself.  I will express my honest opinion of an album in the form that I so choose.

MGMT's sophomore record Congratulations is my favorite record of the year...so far (It's July.  There are records from of Montreal, Deerhunter, Panda Bear, and Arcade Fire on the way.  This race is far from over.)

I won't waste too much time discussing what other people think about this album, but Congratulations has seen its fair share of negative reactions.  It's hard to reconcile that fact with the joy I experience from this record.  This wasn't what people were expecting after Oracular Spectacular.  That's the best I can come up with.  I have encountered others who absolutely love this album, like I do, so I know I'm not crazy.

MGMT's debut record Oracular Spectacular was a cool slice of electro pop.  At least the singles were - "Time to Pretend", "Electric Feel", "Kids".  Congratulations, on the other hand, is a psychedelic freak out, and it doesn't contain a single song comparable to any of those hit singles.

What is common between the two MGMT records?  They both sound lush, alive, filled with energy.  If you look past the singles at some of the other songs off of Oracular, the leap between albums doesn't seem so large.  They did weird stuff on that record too.  But this time, that's all you get.

I will now proceed track-by-track...

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Inception

So fucking excited to see this.  I love the concept - apparently about a dude who goes inside people's minds to steal their ideas.  "Your mind is the scene of the crime".

Then you've got the fact that Christopher Nolan, who's made not one but two of my all-time favorite movies (Memento + The Dark Knight).  And you know what, I've really come to enjoy Leonardo Dicaprio as an actor - Catch Me If You Can, Gangs of New York, The Aviator, The Departed, and most recently Shutter Island - Leo's awesome in all of those movies.

I hated Revolutionary Road though...weird fucking movie.  Painful.  Not so much because it's terrible, but because it's painful stuff to watch.  But also, it's not great.  Nothing Leo could do to save that one, though.

Anyway, Inception hits theaters tomorrow, and it's looking like a strong 'movie of the summer' contender.

Arcade Fire - 8 Album Covers for The Suburbs

The 8 album covers for Arcade Fire's new record The Suburbs have been revealed!  Now, they're all essentially the same cover, or at least, the same concept.  You have that same car on every cover, just parked in a different suburban scene.

Kinda like "this is the suburbs", whether you're in New York, Florida, California, Texas, Canada, or wherever.  Some of the details might be different, but the suburbs across the land all follow a similar formula.

The Suburbs, which seems to be taking its sweet ass time arriving (it feels like AGES since we first heard the title track and "Month of May", drops August 3.

Nelly

Wolf Parade @ Terminal 5 - 7/13

Wolf Parade put on an epic fucking show Tuesday night @ Terminal 5.  They played a lot of new material from Expo 86, and it sounded great.  "I'll Believe In Anything", standout from the band's debut Apologies to the Queen Mary, got the most enthusiastic audience reaction.  But I'd say "Fine Young Cannibals", from overlooked-initially-but-is-probably-really-their-best-album At Mount Zoomer, was the 'finest' performance of the night.

I made one song request from each of their three albums (via Twitter), and all three were met!  Not that I think I had anything to do with it, but I got my wish!  My picks were "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts", "Kissing the Beehive", and "Pobody's Nerfect" (definitely my favorite cut from Expo 86 so far).

"We built this city on cocaine lasers"

I'm gonna have to get more ambitious with my wishlist next time, with some non-album cuts - "Bones", "Killing Armies", and "Lousy Pictures".  I'd REALLY love to hear "Bones" - why the fuck hasn't this amazing song been recorded for an album yet?

I had a few people who I told about the show ask me what the band sounds like, and..."there's one dude who plays keyboard and has a yelpy Bowie vocal delivery, and another dude who plays guitar and has more of a barking voice, and there's MASSIVE energy in the air as they battle each other for supremacy of the audience"...something like that.

Soldier’s Grin

What Did my Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)
Palm Road
Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
Ghost Pressure
In the Direction of the Moon
Fine Young Cannibals
Cave-o-Sapien
This Heart’s on Fire
I’ll Believe in Anything
Little Golden Age
California Dreamer
Pobody’s Perfect

Encore:

Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
Shine A Light
Kissing the Beehive

Thanks go to Consequence of Sound for the photo and setlist.

Contra Cover Girl Sues Vampire Weekend

Kristen Kennis is such a contra.

That's her above, on the cover of Vampire Weekend's sophomore record Contra.  She's suing the band for $2 million.  A photo release form was signed, though Kristen claims the signature is not hers.

Fucking hilarious.  The thing about these types of lawsuits is, even though the 'wronged' parties know full fucking well, and ahead of time, that an album/book/movie/TV show containing or based on content that is supposedly 'theirs' is about to come out, they wait until the media is released, and is successful, and makes a bunch of money, before they say ANYTHING.

It's bullshit, plain and simple.  So transparently an attempt to grab a piece of the money someone else is making.  Anyway, I'm sure Vampy Weekend (or their lawyer) can handle it.

Congratulations, Kristen, you're making the kid who was the baby on the cover of Nevermind look good.

Panda Bear - Tomboy Single

The new single from Panda Bear, "Tomboy", title track from the forthcoming album, digitally drops (via iTunes) next Tuesday 7/20.

The release will also include b-side "Slow Motion".

Massively excited for the new album.

Alicia

of Montreal - False Priest Trailer

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Neon Indian Tour Dates

Neon Indian has announced more tour dates!

Via P4K:

07-13 Mexico City, Mexico - Covadonga
07-15 Chicago, IL - Bottom Lounge 
07-17 Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall Ballroom
07-18 Chicago, IL - Pitchfork Music Festival
07-25 San Francisco, CA - All Shook Down Festival
07-30 Boston, MA - House of Blues
07-31 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis 
08-14 New York, NY - The Beach at Governor's Island
09-19 Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
09-21 San Diego, CA - SDSU Open Air Theatre
09-22 Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl Concert Theater
09-23 Salt Lake City, UT - The Rail Event Center
09-26 Vancouver, British Columbia - PNE Forum
09-27 Seattle, WA - Showbox
09-28 Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
09-30 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine
10-01 Los Angeles, CA - Henry Fonda
10-02 Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
10-05 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
10-09 Athens, GA - 40 Watt
10-11 Chicago, IL - Metro
10-12 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace
10-14 Las Vegas, NV - House of Blues

Now I just saw Neon Indian at Music Hall of Williamsburg, but seeing them play outdoors at Governor's Island would be pretty sweet.

Eminem - Going Through Changes

Whatever you think about Eminem - love him, hate him, used to love him but don't give a shit lately - you gotta listen to this one track off of his latest album Recovery, "Going Through Changes".

The Ozzy-sampling track covers drug addiction, relationships that you just couldn't make work, sycophants and hanger-ons, falling off your game.  It's an incredibly powerful track.  Marshall Mathers hasn't had this much impact on me since his 2nd LP.

The album has some other songs that I like, but this is the clear standout. 

Saturday, July 10, 2010

of Montreal - Coquet Coquette EP

of Montreal have released an EP for "Coquet Coquette", the first single from new record False Priest.  The EP includes remixes via Starfucker and Yip Deceiver). 

Honestly, I don't know who either of those people are, nor have I listened to the remixes yet.  But the original is fantastic.  The cover art seems to confirm my assessment of the False Priest art (a war is happening in Heaven?)

You can download "Coquet Coquette" for free on their website.  Definitely do that at least.

Coquet Coquette EP on iTunes

Best Coast Debut Record

Crazy for You, the debut album from Best Coast, has been unleashed via the internet.  Fucking finally.  Feels like I started listening to Best Coast about a year ago, and here I am only listening to a full album from them today.

It's great, as I expected.  Sunny rockin' tunes.  Love the vocals.  Subject matter (wish this person I love and have so much fun with and seems to love me would just be my significant other already) incredibly 'relevant' to my life right now.

Fits the description of a female Wavves, which is definitely a compliment coming from me.  (If you don't know, this is kind of funny because Bethany Cosentino, frontwoman for Best Coast, is dating Nathan Williams, 'mastermind' of Wavves.  It's like a 2k10 indie rock version of Kurt + Courtney, except not, because Bethany does not seem like a horrible, horrible person)

Incidentally, the new Wavves record King of the Beach really is like Nirvana's Nevermind, not to compare the two (no "Nirvana rulez, Wavves is gay!" responses necessary), in that there is a much cleaner production vs. the previous record (Bleach + Wavvves), and that production really highlights sweet pop rock tunes that can be enjoyed by a wider audience.

But back to Best Coast and Crazy for You...

It is not sunny at all, this Saturday morning in July (this could be taken as either good or bad, considering the recent heat wave we've been suffering through this week).  But this record brought some sun to my bedroom.

Best Coast Blog

Wavves Blog

Shy Guy

I came upon this graffiti drawing while wandering around White Plains (by the Crowne Plaza Hotel and the Westchester Mall).  Really cool.  It's a Shy Guy!  Character from the Mario Bros. games (specifically originated in Super Mario Bros. 2).  Featured heavily in Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, a classic, and definitely on my list of Top Whatever Video Games.

"Shy Guys are timid troublemakers known for their robes and masks" -via Wikipedia

Anyway, whoever did this drawing, I love it, and it is now my Twitter 'profile pic'.

My Twitter

Friday, July 09, 2010

of Montreal - Hydra Fancies

A second cut from of Montreal's new record False Priest has emerged.  It's called "Hydra Fancies".

Now I'm a diehard of Montreal fan, so my endorsement should surprise no one, but Jesus, this song is sublime.  Make your day and listen to it.

of Montreal - Hydra Fancies

Kanye West - Power

Fuck yes.  This is a return to form for Mr. West.  "Power" describes this exactly.  I've heard this song samples King Crimson.  I don't know that band, but I do know that Tool are big fans, so they must be pretty cool.

This has been the first song I blast as I'm on my way to work every morning this week.  Gets me up, gets me going, makes me feel strong.  Lyrics about "jumping out the window" and "letting everything go" resonate with me this week.  I gazed out a window and seriously felt like jumping.  Shit's been bad this week, friends.  Anyway, this song is great.

P4K calls that artwork above 'baffling'.  I call it 'awesome'.

You can download "Power" for free somewhere, I'm sure...or you can download it on iTunes.

Nintendo 3DS

Isn't it pretty?  I love that it's got an analog control (about time), that it will have advanced graphics above and beyond the current DS, and somehow it's gonna have 3D effects without having to wear special glasses?  I'm sold.

The new Kid Icarus game looks pretty sweet.  Remakes of Ocarina of Time and Starfox 64 are imminent.

Can't wait to pick one up.  It comes out sometime next year, I think?

New Deerhunter Record Announced - Halcyon Digest


What a fucking day.  Usually I'm able to peek at what the internets have to offer several times a day.  Not today.  Today was work, work, nothing but fucking work.  So OF COURSE today is the day they announce the new Deerhunter record.

It's called Halcyon Digest.  Drops September 28.

According to Wikipedia, a halcyon is a mythical bird said to breed in a floating nest at sea during the winter solstice...cool.

Check out the website for the record here.  Apparently, if you print out their flyer, and send 'em cool pictures having posted up the flyer in your neighborhood, bedroom, what have you, you'll get a first shot at hearing the new single.  Hot damn.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

of Montreal - Tour Dates w/ Janelle Monae

Hitting one of the two Terminal 5 dates is an absolute must.

09-13 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-14 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
09-15 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
09-16 Boston, MA - House of Blues
09-17 New York, NY - Terminal 5
09-18 New York, NY - Terminal 5
09-19 Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
09-21 Covington, KY - Madison Theatre
09-22 Urbana, IL - Canopy Club (Pygmalion Music Festival)
09-23 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
09-24 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theatre
09-26 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
10-21 St. Louis, MO - Pageant
10-22 Omaha, NE - Sokol Auditorium
10-23 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall
10-24 Denver, CO - The Ogden Theater
10-25 Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
10-27 Seattle, WA - The Paramount
10-28 Portland, OR - Roseland
10-30 Los Angeles, CA - Palladium
11-01 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
11-02 Dallas, TX - The Granada Theatre
11-03 Austin, TX - East Side Drive In
11-04 Houston, TX - Numbers
11-05 Oxford, MS - The Lyric

Friday, July 02, 2010

Wavves - King of the Beach Out Now

King of the Beach, the fantastic new album from Wavves, is out now on iTunes

If you're not ready for a purchase just yet, you can stream + sample the new record for free here.  You won't regret it.  It's pretty much the perfect album for summer.  The 'lo-fi' trappings have been stripped away, and a clean production highlights the awesome pop punk tunes Nathan Williams has constructed.

Andrew Garfield Is Spider-Man


Andrew Garfield is the new Peter Parker / Spider-Man.  I don't know who that is.

According to IMDB, his resume includes The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  Oh boy.  Oh, and he's going to star in upcoming 'Facebook movie' The Social Network.

Considering that the likes of Zac Efron had been tossed around as a prospect for the role, I'm gonna take this as good news.  I can imagine that dude above being Peter Parker.  Absolutely no idea about his acting skillz though.

Only time will tell if tell if this Spider-Man 'reboot' was the right idea, or if they should have given Sam Raimi + Tobey Maguire a chance to get 'back on track' with the Spider-Man 4 they would have made.

Marc Webb, who directed (500) Days of Summer (still need to watch that, got a downloaded copy that's just been sitting on my hard drive), is directing the 'reboot'.

Definitely don't belabor the origin story, dudes.  We already know Petey got bit by a radioactive spider, was kind of a jerk for a little while, and learned after the death of his Uncle Ben that 'with great power comes great responsibility'.  That story was put to film, and done well.  No need to reinvent the wheel on that one.  Show us something new.

Oh, and Donald Glover from the NBC comedy Community would have been an inspired choice.  In 2010, we've got a black President, but it's still too soon for a black Spider-Man.

Thursday, July 01, 2010

Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot - The Son of Chico Dusty

Big Boi's long-awaited record Sir Lucious Left Foot - The Son of Chico Dusty, is finally coming out, and now you can stream the record in its entirety on Big Boi's MySpace.

MGMT - It's Working [Digital 45]

MGMT have just leased a Digital 45, whatever that means, featuring two remixes of Congratulations opener "It's Working".

Remixes come courtesy of AIR and Violens.  You can download from iTunes here.

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2k10


Extremely timely reporting this is, with the Electronic Entertainment Expo being several weeks over.  Well this is a music blog first,and other entertainment/art such as movies, TV, and video games come second, so I can be forgiven for being late on this, right?  No?  Well screw you then.

To those of you who don't know, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, is the annual event where all the video game companies show off all their cool upcoming shit.  And there was a lot of cool shit to show off this year.

Goldeneye 007 Remake - Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64 holds a special place in video game history.  It was the first successful first person shooter on the consoles (as opposed to the PC).  It had awesome 4-player action.  It was a very rare licensed game that didn't suck balls.  And now Goldeneye is getting remade for the Wii.  Hell fucking yes.  Just don't screw it up, dudes.  This should be a slam dunk.

Donkey Kong Country Returns - The trend of making new games in the old 2D style (see Mega Man 10, New Super Mario Bros. Wii) continues with Donkey Kong Country Returns.  It's being produced by Retro Studios, who made the trilogy of Metroid Prime games, so I know its in good hands.

Kirby's Epic Yarn - See above about new 2D games.  Also, this has a crazy, trippy art style, and the graphics look positively gorgeous.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Well we knew this was coming, but it's a big fucking deal nonetheless.  Using the Wii remote enhanced with Wii Motion Plus to play fencing was mad fun, really gives you the experience of swinging a sword.  Combine that with epic Zelda action and now you've really got something.

Nintendo 3DS - Nintendo's new portable system.  The name is super obvious and genius.  Somehow, Nintendo managed to create a 3D display that doesn't require special 3D glasses.  I've been waiting for somebody to figure that shit out, because wearing 3D glasses on top of your regular glasses is super annoying.  (As an aside, do they make prescription 3D glasses?  If not, I should invent them)

Playstation Move - Both Sony and Microsoft had their response to the Wii's motion controls at this year's show.  Sony's Playstation Move is a controller that kinda looks like a lollipop.  Not sure what it delivers that the Wii controller doesn't.  Perhaps greater accuracy?  The ability to use 2 Playstation Move controllers at once could be cool.  But they'd better have some games that really show off the edge they have over what's already been done.  Otherwise, I can't imagine it being worth the money.

Kinect - And this is Microsoft's response to the Wii.  In a bolder move, Microsoft's Kinect (formerly known as Project Natal) uses no controller whatsoever.  Instead, a camera senses your movements.  Intriguing in theory, but...I really don't see this having the accuracy required to play a fucking game.

Deerhunter Finishing New Record

Deerhunter are finishing up their 5th record.  Ben Allen is mixing.  Ben's resume includes mixing Animal Collective's Merriweather Post Pavilion and Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere, so holy shit, as if I could be more excited about a new release from Deerhunter.

I kinda figured that Bradford Cox wouldn't let a year go by without releasing another record, but to find out they're so far along, that new Deerhunter could be mere months away, is very good news indeed.


No other details on the record, really.  Thanks go to Paste for the info.