Chicago shows in August, Yo La Tengo (MP3), Bassist Wanted comic, more

Chicago shows I'm most excited about in August:

• 8/4-8/6 Lollapalooza, obviously ($65/day at Grant Park)
  
• 8/7 Wolf Parade ($18 at Metro)
  
• 8/13 Silversun Pickups, Page France (just $8 at Schuba's Tavern and Bar, amazing!)
  Shoot, I'm on call that day. =(
  
• 8/23 Cajmere & Derrick Carter (free at Petrillo Music Shell)
  
  
• Yo La Tengo - Pass the Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind
  Yo La Tengo played this at Pitchfork yesterday, along with Beanbag Chair and some older hits. I love the 'Sister Ray'-style guitar breakdown.
  
  
  
  
  
• Bassist Wanted: A comic strip about music, man.
  This is a pretty funny comic about music that I might have to add to my daily reads. The one above from July 26th is great.
  
  
• How to be friends in 2006: Friends list [Scribbling.net]
  This one's a riot for all you geeks out there.

Labels: humor, indie rock, mp3

Pitchfork Music Festival Day 2 Wrap-Up

I'm going to be fairly critical of the Pitchfork Music Festival. Feel free to take my comments with a grain of salt as I was only there for the latter half of the second day. From what I saw: Mission of Burma were pretty rockin', Devendra Banhart kinda put me to sleep, Yo La Tengo were good but not appropriate for a summer festival type of venue IMHO (and I love them), Spoon was excellent, and Os Mutantes were crazy and energetic. Here are my grades:


• Lineup: B
  Maybe last year's lineup was better, but this year's was pretty solid as well. Yo La Tengo makes this a solid B.
  
• Weather: D
  Simply put, it was hot and humid as hell. I could not wait to get home and shower.
  
• Sound system: D
  Is it just me or was the Intonation sound system better (or at least louder)? The speakers provided such a limited soundstage that you had to be positioned somewhere in between the main speakers and at a reasonable distance to hear well. It was hard to achieve a happy medium of temperature comfort and sound quality. A lose-lose situation if you ask me.
  
• Sound team: D-
  Ok, the occasional but annoying cutting in-and-out and sudden volume changes of vocals and instruments may be something I might expect from a high school sound guy, not a sound professional. I didn't know Pitchfork interns were at the mixing board. For some reason, Os Mutantes sounded really good though. I don't know if it was their instruments or if they turned up the gain or fixed some wires or what.
  
• Crowd: B-
  The crowd was generally cool and respectful. But there were too many hot and sweaty bodies, and some who really needed some fragrance assistance. There was definitely some jailbait. I also couldn't believe how many brought their babies and toddlers out. I hope none of them got heatstroke.
  
• Food/Beverages: B
  Quite a good selection of reasonably priced food items. Beer was $4, Fuze went from $2 down to $1, water was $1. Good job here.
  
• My pictures: F
  Nothing even worth showing. I didn't want to get close to the stage because of the extreme heat.
  
• All in all: C
  Yeah, I'm a tough critic.

Labels: indie rock

Pitchfork Day 2

Labels: indie rock

The Rapture - Get Myself Into It (MP3)

Labels: electronic, indie rock, mp3

Teddybears feat Mad Cobra (MP3) and feat. Iggy Pop (MP3)

Teddybears feat. mad Cobra - Cobrastyle

Teddybears feat. Iggy Pop - Punkrocker
I recommend this one!

What if you put Ratatat, Roll Deep, and Can in a blender? Well, you might get something that sounds like Teddybears, a bizarre but catchy mix of punk, electro, dancehall, and krautrock. Their album is due out September 12th and includes remixes from Diplo, Squeak E Clean, and Spank Rock.

Labels: indie rock, mp3

Outkast - Morris Brown (video)

Labels: hip-hop, video

New Basement Jaxx, New Scissor Sisters

• Popbytes has two new Basement Jaxx tracks, including the much buzzed about track featuring Robyn, "Hey You". I have a feeling this one is a grower. It starts out a bit like "Rooty" then gets all brassy and gypsy on ya. I can't wait for the 12" remixes. Definitely worth checking out.
  
  
• Into the Groove has new Scissor Sisters. Doesn't do much for me, but I'm sure BeeGees fans will like it.

Labels: electronic, mp3

Lily Allen in GQ, Stereogum got H4X0Red, Live Orbital Flashback (MP3)

• Lily Allen in next month's GQ
  And Smile is #1 for the second week in a row in the UK.
  
  
• Ouch. Stereogum got H4X0Red
  Get well soon.
  
  
• Orbital - Halcyon + On + On (80s remix live)
  Here's a flashback for ya to get your weekend started. This is my favorite mix of my favorite Orbital track. If you can't wait for the payoff, fast forward to the 5:30 mark and forget about everything else.

Labels: electronic, mp3

The Big Lebowski - F_cking Short Version, Girl Talk (MP3s), The Roots (MP3s), New Wilco, Austin City Limits lineup

• The Big Lebowski - F_cking Short Version
  Video meme of the week. Great editing.
  
  
• If you think that mash-ups are dead, you haven't heard Girl Talk, who elevate the phenomenon of the mash-up to the level of illegal sample overload. Sure, too much mashing can be a bad thing. But don't tell that to this guy.
  
  Girl Talk - Bounce That
  Try to identify all the samples: Earth Wind & Fire, Purple Ribbon All-Stars, LCD Soundsystem, The Breeders, Wreckx N Effect, Elastica, Ciara and Ludacris, ok I'm tired.
  Girl Talk - Too Deep
  Too much going on in this one for me to enjoy it.
  
  
• I am very excited about The Roots and their forthcoming LP, "Game Theory", the long overdue follow-up to The Tipping Point. [via]
  The Roots - In the Music
  The Roots - Clock with No Hands
  
  
• Scenestars has a new Wilco song as performed on Conan
  
  
• The Austin City Limits lineup makes me hot. It makes the Lollapalooza lineup look pedestrian.
  Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3

Labels: hip-hop, mash-up, mp3, video

8 1/2 Mile (video mash-up), New Pharell and Jay-Z, New Luda and Pharrell, more

• 8 1/2 Mile
  Mash-up of Fellini's 8 1/2 with Eminem's 'Lose Yourself', hence 8 1/2 Mile. If you haven't seen or don't love 8 1/2, that's a damn shame.
  
  
• Check out Nah Right for the new Pharrell and Jay-Z as well as the the new Luda and Pharrell, both guaranteed to be played out by the end of the summer. Also, check out the Papoose mixtape.
  
  
• DJ Merge serves opponents at the Guitar Center Spin-Off. This is straight-up murdah on the 1's and 2's, and he was only 2nd place. Wonder if he'll be at the DMC US DJ Championship in Chicago next month.
  
  
• Last.fm debuts their new look
  
  
• Would you kick a hot inmate outta bed?
  Vote for Miss Hoosegow 2006
  Jesika and Tammi look decent. Ashley A might would have promise if she didn't look methed out.
  
  
• The Who on tour again
  
  
• Out Hud's Done
  Too bad. I liked their stuff more than !!!.

Labels: hip-hop, video

Spoon Re-Release MP3s, House of Dominoes (video)

• Spoon backcatalogue re-releases: Telephono and Soft Effects!
  Spoon - Mountain To Sound (from Soft Effects)
  Spoon - Idiot Driver (from Telephono)
  You can certainly hear the seeds of their great indie rock brewing here.
  
  
• BakuTen - House of Dominoes
  Pointless but fascinating domino set-up with household objects. It's also a Rube Goldberg device. Looks like a great way to kill time if you get REALLY bored. From Japanese TV, of course!

Labels: indie rock, mp3, video

RIP Syd Barrett, New Talib Kweli, Funny Zidane Headbutt Animations

• RIP Syd Barrett
  Pink Floyd Co-Founder Syd Barrett Dies At 60
  Was it LSD or schizophrenia that led to his bizarre behavior? Maybe a combination of both, though we'll never know what made Syd Barrett tick. His legacy to psychedelic rock is the brilliant "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and his perplexing solo albums. I'll never forget the first time I heard 'Astronomy Domine', probably my favorite pre-Meddle Pink Floyd song.
  
  
• Talib Kweli - What I Feel
  Funky new song from Talib Kweli (from a forthcoming soundtrack, not from last year's album). [via]
  
  
• Hilarious compilation of Zidane headbutt animations [via].
  
  The circumstances surrounding the Zidane headbutt aren't so benign. But at least people can have fun with the image itself.

Labels: hip-hop, humor, mp3

Thom Yorke - The Clock (live video), Lily Allen #1 in UK

• Thom Yorke - The Clock (live on Henry Rollins show)
  
  
• Lily Allen has the #1 single in the UK, Smile
  
  
• Real-life re-creation of Seurat's "Afternoon on the Island"
  
  
  

Labels: indie rock, video

Liz Phair in Chicago, Jonesin for House, What was the #1 single and album the day you were born?, Paperclip-for-house trade achieved

• Liz Phair was great, for the few songs I heard live at the Petrillo Music Shell at the Taste of Chicago. She didn't only stick to stuff on her latest album. I misjudged how long World Party and Fountains of Wayne would play. Oh well, it was free anyway. And sorry I forgot my camera, sheesh.
  
  
• I've been jonesin for some good house music blogs. Anyone know any, besides Digital Eargasm? I've heard a lot of shite on Radio One that I'm just not feelin'. In the meantime, enjoy one of my faves from 2004.
  Narcotic Thrust - I Like It (original mix)
  
  
• What was the #1 single and album the day you were born?
  Mine was Dr Hook - "When You're In Love With A Beautiful Woman" and Abba - "Greatest Hits Volume 2", respectively. Yikes.
  
  
• The guy actually did it. In one year, he traded a red paperclip for a house. Amazing.

Labels: electronic, indie rock, mp3

Collection of Lily Allen videos!, Camera Obscura - Lloyd... (video), The Knife - Silent Shout (video)

• Ok, I thought I'd consolidate all the good quality Lily Allen videos I know of for those of you who are obsessed with her, myself included.
  
  Music Videos:
  Lily Allen - LDN (video)
  
  Lily Allen - Smile (video)
  
  Live Videos:
  Lily Allen - Smile, Live on "Top of the Pops" (video)
  I love her expressive eyes.
  
  Lily Allen - Smile, Live on "T4 Pop Beach" (video)
  She looks overwhelmed by the huge crowd in this one. Her voice cracks up a bit.
  
  Lily Allen - Smile, Live on "Transmission" (video)
  Probably her best performance of the three.
  
  Interview:
  Lily Allen "Transmission" Interview (video)
  
  
  
• Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to Be Heartbroken (video)
  Reminds me a bit of "the Umbrellas of Cherbourg", with cheesiness factor multiplied by 1000. Still love this song though.
  
  
• The Knife - Silent Shout (video)
  Taking a page from Aphex Twin's videos, this video is trippy and kinda creepy. If you have epilepsy, I suggest you not watch it.

Labels: electronic, indie rock, pop, video

Mash-up: Gnarls Barkley vs. The Raconteurs vs. Grandmaster Flash (MP3), New hot dog record

• The Legion of Doom has an excellent mash-up of Gnarls Barkley vs. The Raconteurs vs. Grandmaster Flash.
  The Legion of Doom - Crazy As She Goes
  You can go to their page to download it.
  
  
• Kobayashi: New hot dog eating record, 53 3/4

Labels: mash-up

Revisitng UK 2-step garage (MP3), Flosstradamus (Twista vs. Sigur Ros mash-up MP3) wtf?, Sebadoh 'III' re-issue (MP3s)

• Grime's hard edge sometimes makes me long for the days of UK 2-step garage. Not that I don't like grime; I feel it sometimes needs to be tempered with some more soul. Something besides Roll Deep. I have not been keeping up with the genre so I have no idea if Artful Dodger, Todd Edwards, or MJ Cole have made anything worth listening to lately as the genre has gone mostly underground. This UK one-hit wonder always puts me in a good mood: Sweet Female Attitude - Flowers (sunship edit)
  I hope it does the same for you.
  
  
• An interesting and fun mash-up here with Twista (Overnight Celebrity) vs. Sigur Ros (Staralfur); however, it's hampered by the flawed execution. The clash of the Twista and Sigur Ros vocals is mildly grating but enough to ruin my complete enjoyment. The beat is also very generic. Flosstradamus - Overnight Star
  
  
• Domino Records is re-releasing an indie classic, Sebadoh's "III", as a double album including a disc of rare singles and demos. Keep the August 8 release date on your radar.
  
  Sebadoh - The Freed Pig from "III"
  Probably the most accessible song on the album.
  
  Sebadoh - Gimme Indie Rock from rare 7"
  A hilarious brief history of indie rock a la Lou Barlow.
  
  
  Sebadoh - III
  

Labels: electronic, indie rock, mash-up, mp3

Stanley Kubrick's lost first short film, Live Tilly and the Wall, Sonic Youth - Incincerate (video), My Saturday Night

• This is supposedly Stanley Kubrick's lost first short film, which was recently unearthed: Day of The Fight.
  Not that exciting, but you have to start somewhere.
  
  
• Really nice soundboard recordings: Live Tilly and the Wall at Houston's Walter's on Washington.
  
  
• Sonic Youth - Incinerate
  Music Video
  Video - Live at Bonnaroo
  
  
• The Taste of Chicago is awesome! I quite literally gorged myself on Stuffed Spinach Deep Dish Pizza, Barbecued Rib Tips, Toasted Ravioli, Pad Thai, Samosas, and a Fresh Strawberry Sundae. That was all for dinner! Somebody find me a bariatric gurney.
  
  
• I feel sluggish and my head hurts, in a good sort of way. I drank more than I have since college. I was about to call it a night when my friend called at 11:30. "Wanna go out?" "Sure, why not? Where?" "Rush and Division".
  
  First place we hit was the Northwestern/UIC party at Bella Lounge. Supposedly, it is one of Vince Vaughn's favorite haunts and cover is usually $15-20. We got in free saying we were with Northwestern (friend of a friend). Pretty nice place. The trendy, upscale atmosphere is a welcome change from the dingy, smelly spots that are more the rule rather than exception around Rush & Division. It got crowded and loud, but you don't mind it much when you're mingling with the good-looking, sophisticated crowd there. Drinks were good and moderately priced.
  
  Next was Bar Chicago. Cover was average but the place was unspectacular. Drinks were reasonably priced. The crowd was a mixed bag, but generally on the younger side. The floor was wet with various forms of alcohol, but it was not that slippery because it was dirty. The 'dancefloor' in the back got quite crowded, but it was actually fun to mingle there. Unfortunately, there was a drippy ceiling with smelly water that was seeping onto one of the table areas. I do not want to know what or where that water was coming from.
  
  Next up was the 36th floor Hyatt penthouse. It was my friend's sister's friend's post-wedding party that we crashed. My friend said this would be my first "brown party" (his words, not mine!), meaning Indian party. Whatever, I thought maybe there would be a few white, black, Asian people mixing it up there. Nope, all Indian. Hehe, guess who doesn't belong here? I grabbed my rum and coke and my other friend and floated down to Hard Drive, a club in the lobby of the Hyatt. And just in time, because we saw Hyatt personnel approaching looking all hardcore because of noise complaints.
  
  All I have to say is, it's good to know people who know people. I would not think of paying $20 cover for the Hard Drive. It goes without saying it's upscale, it's the friggin Hyatt. However, $21 for two drinks and a water is grand larceny. The music felt like a club/house throwback to 2000-2003. It was good to revisit those years, except for the European dudes who thought it was their personal Ibizan dancefloor. Also, I could have done without the periodic fog and foam. Maybe most of the ladies had better places to go (granted, it was almost 3 am), but it seemed a bit of a sausage fest. Needless to say after the last ill-advised SoCo lime, I was gone. I staggered home but was sober enough to make sure my friend didn't get run over.

Labels: indie rock, video