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(05/06/11 3:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>John Vanderslice, the singer-songwriter who began his career with the band Mk Ultra, has been a solo act since 2000 — the year that began his run of 9 studio albums in 11 years. His most recent work, “White Wilderness,” was released on the Bloomington-based label Dead Oceans. Before he played at The Bishop Thursday with Damien Jurado, we caught up with JV to run down everything from his music to bin Laden to Twitter.IDS Your previous works had a meticulous sound — Pitchfork has called you a tinkerer. What was it like recording “White Wilderness” in three days?JV It was very different because I ceded a lot of control to other people, and that was the first time that I’d really done that. There was also a ridiculous time constraint on the record. Everything was mixed down and done in eight days, so it’s essentially a live record. I was listening to a lot of big band stuff, like Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra, and I really wanted a cohesive, all-in-one-room sort of sound. It was a huge challenge, but once the tape is rolling you just do it. There’s a lot more pre-production though, you can’t really just make shit up.IDS You’re on Twitter, which has become sort of a polarizing medium for a lot of celebrities. What are your thoughts on it?JV It’s remarkable how immediate and personal it is. It’s amazing — I forgot my charger in the hotel room, and I put on Twitter that I needed a charger and someone loaned me one. That’s pretty minor but also kind of major. Compared to two years ago, it’s such a bizarre but more efficient way to communicate. And as far as being limited, brevity is a good thing. There’s no cap to content on the Internet except Twitter, so there’s something interesting about that.IDS Some of your previous works dealt specifically with 9/11 and the aftermath. What was your reaction to the death of Osama bin Laden this week?JV I had sort of a non-reaction. I don’t think it meant a whole lot to me. Everything is still in place and still going. These people are created for a reason. They’re an important focal point to drive policy, and I don’t really think it’s about individuals. That stuff is all content-driven, and until you understand the reason why people want to attack you or bomb your airports, then it doesn’t matter if one person dies.IDS You’ve started this audience participation project. What is that all about and how did it happen?JV Basically I’ve never believed there was a real line between audience and performers. I’d always assumed that at a show there were good musicians and songwriters in the audience. It’s not so rare to get up on stage and play your music; other people do it too. There’s something interesting about not having any barrier between audience and performer. It feels honest and it feels natural. A little chaos is good during a show. Bands can really calcify into a performance, and this catches you a little off guard. It can be terrible and it can be amazing. But it’s important.IDS Does playing in Bloomington have any special significance since it’s the home of your record label?JV Oh yeah. For sure. We want to play well, and it’s really important. You want to keep your team excited about what you’re doing. For me, it’s one of the more important shows on the tour.IDS Everyone talks about touring getting old. Your blog specifically mentions you missing your cats. What are your future plans?JV Jason (Slota) and I are touring Europe in September. We’re also playing a couple really special shows that are not announced yet. We’ll also start working on the next record which will be another record with the Magik*Magik Orchestra. I definitely have some stuff to take care of at home, and I want to get going on that.
(05/06/11 3:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Free Comic Book Day might sound too good to be true, but it most certainly is not. On the first Saturday of May every year, local comic book stores around the country give away comics to anyone who walks into the store. It’s both a celebration of the genre for current fans and a way for aspiring fans to better discover the world of comics.Bloomington’s Vintage Phoenix Comics has participated in Free Comic Book Day every year since its inception 10 years ago. Being that it’s the store’s single biggest sales day of the year, this year will be no exception, manager Matt Traughber said.“We give away thousands of comics, like 3,000 or 4,000, to over 1,000 people,”Traughber said. “Sometimes people buy things, but if not, that’s great. It’s really all about the free comics.”The free comics are not throwaways either. Many authors and artists print or re-print new material especially for the cult holiday, and this year’s comics range from adult-aimed comics, like the “Darkness 2” prequel, to those more for kids, such as “Darkwing Duck.” There are over 35 comics in all. “[Comic Book Day] is about comics being great entertainment, not something to simply hoard or collect,” Traughber said. “I mean you can do that, but the entertainment is what they’re really worth.”Bloomington resident Ian Winningham has been reading comics since the early 2000s. He said he’s picked up some Comic Book Day leftovers in the past, but is considering attending for the first time this year.“I support the idea of the day. Comics can seem like a really expensive hobby, but this is a good way to get people exposed and see it’s not intimidating,” Winningham said.Indeed, sharing and community are aspects of comics that Traughber considers important and encourages.“We try to avoid any sort of clubhouse mentality,” he said. Vintage Comics opens at 11 a.m. Saturday and maintains its regular hours for Free Comic Book Day. It will have some decorations and some contests, but Traughber said Phoenix tries to keep it pretty streamlined because, after all, it is all about the comics.
(04/27/11 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This spring, students from IU have been working together with students from the Putnamville Correctional Facility in a class called “Place, Culture, Prison” as part of the Inside-Outside Prison Exchange Program, according to a press release.The class is made up of 13 IU students and 12 inmates. The class met weekly in the Putnamville facility. Students will make their final presentations about what they learned in the class at 9 a.m. Friday. The class aims to foster a better social understanding of crime, class, incarceration and the like.“The students have come together over a social barrier that rarely gets crossed. That in itself has created incredible insight about society, social categories and the divisions among us,” said instructor Micol Seigel in a press release. Seigel is an IU associate professor in the Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies and the American Studies Program.While this is the second spring that Seigel has taught the class, the Inside-Outside program was founded in 1997 and became a national program in 2004. Since then, it has expanded to include about 275 different courses and about 8,000 students.“The students have come together to produce artistic performances reflecting on the theme of critical moments in time,” Seigel said. “The results are very beautiful and satisfying to all of them.”
(04/08/11 1:49am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Because of the entries from the blog Hipster Runoff, chillwave may be seen as a joke of a genre, but in Bloomington that may not be the case, as Toro Y Moi played to a sold-out crowd Wednesday at The Bishop.Frontman Chazwick Bundick, armed now with three bandmates, was showered with love from the time he arrived onstage. He wore a red henley and circular, rimless glasses and was quick to applaud both the crowd and his band.“I’ve really been on the chillwave bandwagon from the start, and he’s kind of the king of chillwave right now,” said Preston Surdo, a senior from Purdue who traveled from West Lafayette with two friends to see Toro Y Moi.Other people from out of town at the show included Ball State sophomore Seth Johnson, who applauded both the show and the venue itself.“The atmosphere here is really good, especially for his kind of music,” Johnson said. From the time the squeezable synth line of “Still Sound” dropped, the crowd was drenched in a friendly frenzy of head-bobbing and twisting.The group from Columbia, S.C., played in Bloomington two years ago as an up-and-comer at Greek’s Pizzeria.Toro Y Moi soothed the audience with funky, spaced-out cuts from both “Causers of This” and “Underneath the Pine” in front of a lighting backdrop that looked like a rainbow on a microslide. While a Bishop sellout pales in size to something like South by Southwest (Toro played there two weeks ago), Bundick said he doesn’t mind places like The Bishop.“Actually I like this better,” he said. “Here you actually get some time. It’s all about time, you know, and here it’s much nicer.”
(04/06/11 10:49pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With last Friday’s agreement between Matthew Weiner and AMC, “Mad Men” enthusiasts can enjoy their Season Four DVDs with the certainty of a fifth season for the popular drama.Contract disputes will delay its start, and the fourth season’s wild ending makes it a long wait. The 13 episodes witnessed some serious tonal changes and showcases some of the characters truly at their worst. Jon Hamm is absolutely brilliant as Don Draper in “The Suitcase” while co-star Elisabeth Moss continues to blossom as Peggy Olson all season. Both are early Emmy favorites.Extras are few in quantity, but great in depth. They include several short documentary films on subjects like advertising strategies, the Ford Mustang and divorce in the 1960s — all require more patience, but at greater reward to truly interested watchers.The usual audio commentaries are very good as well. Matthew Weiner and the technical staff provide the most interesting insight, while Christina Hendricks is also charmingly observational.
(04/04/11 12:38am)
Toro Y Moi with Adventure & Braids9 p.m. WednesdayThe Bishop, 123 S. Walnut St.Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 day of show.
(03/30/11 8:20pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Pusha T has spent most of his time being part of a whole, whether that’s half of Clipse or Kanye’s partner during his G.O.O.D. Friday run last fall. The dude’s been around, but we haven’t heard from Pusha in great solo volume.On his solo debut mixtape “Fear of God,” Pusha has his feet fully planted in two spheres, prophesying his rise in hip-hop while celebrating his well-publicized drug dealer past.In fact, “God” almost solely revolves around those two mutually exclusive worlds. Shoutouts to Soulja Boy and anecdotes about Wesley Snipes at the Oscars show how far from Virginia the former dope boy has come, but his constant harping on coke just shows his unwillingness to just put down the goddamn rock.“I Still Wanna” illustrates that about as unsubtly as possible — here Pusha’s vocals get a steely effect as he rips through one liners: “Security blanket of cocaine/ I am Linus.” Rick Ross polishes off the song as the mixtape’s biggest guest besides 50 Cent on the East Coast banger “Raid.”Freestyles over classics like “Can I Live” and “Money on my Mind” keep this technically a mixtape, but Pusha’s lyrical prowess and his good buddies’ beats (ahem, Kanye) elevate it to one of the best of the year, building the hype for his forthcoming solo debut.
(03/30/11 8:18pm)
WEEKEND fills out its lineup card with movies, music and Jeter's girlfriends
(03/09/11 11:21pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The idea of getting higher has become such a malleable term in music. From Jim Morrison to Ike and Tina Turner to Lil Wayne to Passion Pit, the term has been used with varying degrees of indulgence in respective songs. On Dum Dum Girls’ new EP, “He Gets Me High,” it means bolder sound throughout.Kirstin “Dee Dee” Gundred had the assistance of the Raveonettes’ Sune Rose Wagner and ’60s girl-group super-songwriter Richard Gottehrer on the release, and their keen ears for girl sounds and lyricism is evident. The title track gets slogs through a sea of echo and distorted guitar to paint a fairly dismal picture of drug entendres. “Take Care of My Baby” follows with something of a weeping, drawn out plea that forgoes percussion for an almost transparent texture, much like the song’s desperation.The first and last tracks, “Wrong Feels Right” and a cover of The Smiths’ “There is a Light That Never Goes Out” respectively, see Dee Dee reach her most intense and dynamic with her vocals, scorching faster tempos and more colorful instrumentation with her edge.“Wrong” is probably the EP’s best track, two and a half minutes of sexy surf-rock lust (and more drug metaphors) driven by a manic drum line that sees Dee Dee lose it in the best way by the ending, the highlight of her tremendous performance on the EP.
(03/03/11 2:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Cave Singers have explored a familiar career arc during their short stead in indie rock: a B-list band with a well-acclaimed debut (“Invitation Songs”) and a sophomore letdown (“Welcome Joy”) riding a wave of genre success (folk-pop) from a particular region (Seattle) that recently birthed a genre giant (Fleet Foxes).But band members Pete Quirk, Derek Fudesco and Marty Lund’s backgrounds are not so easily mad-libbed. They hail from new wave, art punk and synth rock projects, the influences of which were barely audible on the meandering, vaguely folk recordings of before.On “No Witch,” the band’s third LP and first since leaving Matador for Bloomington’s Jagjaguwar, the complete volume of the group’s combined dynamics finally fills the majority of the tracks. Feelings of loneliness and drugs anchor the darker instrumentations that infest “Witch”: floor toms on the edgier “Black Leaf,” violins dotting a barren acoustic landscape on “Distant Sures” and sheer punk viciousness on the concluding “No Prosecution if We Bail.”Such backdrops are commonplace, but Cave Singers are at their best with rollicking little numbers like “All Land Crabs and Divinity Ghosts” or “Faze Wave” that find a place somewhere between lyrical folk traditions and rock-based guitar and percussion, with ’80s flair in the form of synth or organs.The real star of the album is Pete Quirk, whose vocals range from gristly to near-pop, inspiring memories of everything from Collective Soul to Alex Ebert and elevating past the simplicity of basic folk-pop.
(03/02/11 5:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The band is late and its replacement won’t answer the phone.“They never answer their phone,” Dan Coleman says, shaking his head as he paces the floor of The Bishop. His loud, cobalt blue sweater stands out against the bar’s dark walls. Dan booked all three bands for the evening’s show as an independent music promoter.“The lead has a flat tire, and they won’t be here until 9:30 now,” he says to Andy, the Bishop’s talent buyer. “Secrets Between Sailors will have to go on first – I hope.”“You can’t just tell them to come in earlier?” Andy asks.Dan stops to stare at him through thick square-rimmed glasses.“I’m sorry, is this your first time working with a local band?”Andy pauses, as if slightly confused by the question. Dan laughs.“Don’t worry about it,” he says. “Just stop asking stupid questions.”Dan’s not an intimidating figure, standing a few inches below six feet at a middling weight.Now, he and Andy are bent over a table examining some promotional posters that Dan hates and debating what band played with Neon Indian at one of last fall’s shows.It was Jukebox the Ghost, Andy says. He remembers because it was 200 people, at capacity. He remembers because they were late. He remembers for several reasons.Once he rests his case, Dan speaks.“No, it was Freelance Whales. That’s who it was,” he says, relaxing his shoulders and turning to walk away.Ah, you’re right, Andy confesses. Of course he is: he’s the man who runs Bloomington’s music scene.---If Dan opens his arms, you can see a tattoo on the inside of his right wrist: the logo for his company, Spirit of ’68 Promotions.’68 is essentially his own moniker as an independent promoter, since the staff begins and ends with Dan, save a couple interns. He books all the shows, pays all the bands and shakes all the hands.He first arrived in Bloomington to finish his master’s degree in journalism and graduated in 2006. Then, as a music columnist for the Bloomington Herald-Times, he started booking shows at Bear’s Place on Tuesday nights. One day soon became two days per week and continued to grow, eventually becoming what is now something of an empire: Spirit of ‘68 brought 73 shows to Bloomington last year.One show is great, but 70 are a job. Dan has little free time and can’t remember the last time he went to a concert that wasn’t one of his own.He has no office, working out of his home and the Blueline Gallery. He also has no car and uses buses, his shortboard, and his feet for transportation.He keeps jobs on the side, bartending at The Atlas Bar and picking up 4 a.m. shifts at Target. All of it underscores the one big problem with ’68.The job that he created for himself, that has asserted him as Bloomington’s music force, doesn’t pay. ---Dan thinks The Bishop’s bartender’s girlfriend is too hot for him.Jay, the bartender, turns around, smiles and shrugs – this is a regular topic of discussion between the two of them.“Get rid of her,” Dan says.“Why? So you can date her?” asks Jay.“No, because she told you to lose weight.”“So the new plan is diet and exercise.”“No, get sad and don’t eat,” Dan says. Jay rolls his eyes and returns to the tap while Dan reminds everyone one more time that Jay’s girlfriend is out of his league.Because of his shows, most employees and regulars know Dan at The Bishop. Someone walks in the door, exchanges hellos with him at the bar and goes into the show. If you stand with him long enough you’ll get the feeling he knows the whole bar.He’s something of a local celebrity. People pass him on the streets and recognize him, sometimes suggesting one band or thanking him for another. He listens and often maintains arms-length relationships with students.And students know him.A few weeks ago, two kids sat on a bench at an IU bus stop, one with iPhone in hand.“Oh, Dan Coleman just tweeted about the Freddie Gibbs show!” “Nice, I just posted that on Facebook. I beat Dan Coleman to it,” the other says with a laugh.“Yeah, but you told like two people. Dan Coleman just told like 10,000.”---With little pay, difficult hours and a lot of what he calls “babysitting,” why does Dan do what he does? It’s because whatever chase goes on behind the scenes is more fascinating than the show itself. It’s about being part of a process that people don’t see, monitoring the turnstile of What People Are Listening To and negotiating the band into town.So he checks out who’s talking, waking up every day around 7 a.m. to send e-mails and make his rounds on daily music blogs to monitor buzz and find acts.“If you book a show with Soulja Boy’s manager, that’s cool,” he says. “But in two years when Soulja Boy’s not cool anymore, then what do you have?”--- Dan is always on his phone.He sits at the bar, wondering where his band is, e-mailing agents and watching “Friday the 13th Part 3” play out in front of him with the TV on mute. He orders a Boddingtons Pub Ale and switches over to play Bejeweled on his iPhone. That agent was annoying him anyway.The e-mails are from a Los Angeles-based entertainment agency attempting to promote one of its smaller bands through Dan.He is, however, not interested. He doesn’t want a band that “outside of two clubs in LA, no one gives a shit about.”He goes on, talking about smaller agencies that he works well with. His relationships with agencies are the key to his success.The reason is power. While the public’s often-fickle taste can dictate the success of a musician, agencies are not so vulnerable. They control most of the booking and have a much more stable position of influence.“You can either throw money at people like the frats do during Little 5 or you can build relationships,” he says. “How else do you think I got Girl Talk for ten times less than the next time he came?”His impeccable memory can recite a resume of Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver and Sufjan Stevens, among a plethora of other indie darlings. But shows mean something different to Dan now.“When people hear a band, they think, ‘when can I get this?’ Now I just hear them and wonder how long will it take me to get that band here.”He gets up to pace some more – with show time rapidly approaching that’s what Dan does.All three of the bands have arrived now, and Dan greets each of them in a friendly, but not overly talkative, manner.As the band starts to play, he looks over and says, “I wish you would have come for a bigger show.” Then he quickly turns and walks away, stopping to make fun of Jay with his too-hot girlfriend, who is now seated at the end of the bar.---Dan admits that eventually he must expand his revenue stream, whether it’s through merchandise, freelance public relations work, or something he hasn’t thought of yet.“I’m trapped,” he says quickly. “There’s a me in every major market in America. I kind of have a thing going here.”2011 will be Dan’s fourth full year in the business.He’s constantly building something, adjusting to the learning curve of promotions. For now though, Dan can get by in Bloomington, so that’s what he’ll continue to do. “I’m an independent promoter. I just want to make it to the next show,” he says again, then turns his head.“In theory, one day it will all click. I’ll sit down and get to it.”
(02/28/11 11:03pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Oscar broadcast was so dull on Sunday night, we had to do something to keep ourselves busy. So members of the WEEKEND staff and former editor Cory Barker participated in a live chat throughout the ceremony.We racked up over 500 comments and an additional 100 reader comments throughout the agonizing four hour broadcast.For those of you who missed it, enjoy this sampling of some of the Greatest Hits of our live chat a la AV Club.As Scarlet Johannson is being interviewed on the red carpet:
Cory Barker: ScarJo's date is walking around daring someone to ask him who the hell he is.
As Oscar hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway enter the stage
following a pretty lame pre-recorded segment of them being included in
all the Best Picture nominees:
Matt Lyles : Franco smoked a joint while they were playing that. That's what all the smoke was.As the first award of the evening, art direction, goes to "Alice in Wonderland" over BWelk's pick in the category for the Outguess Ebert competition, "The King's Speech:" Brian Welk: WHAT ALREADY LOST MY $100,000!?As Kirk Douglas presents (eventually) the award for Best Supporting Actress:Cory Barker: Wasn't the goal of hiring the younger hosts to appeal to younger viewers? As the nominees for Best Supporting Actress are announced:Cory Barker: If you saw Animal Kingdom, I'll PayPal you a dollar. (Brian did)As BWelk goes 0-4 early on after "The Lost Thing" upsets Pixar's "Day and Night:"Brian Welk: How did the Academy not choose the one short
film that EVERYONE has seen? I'm not saying that based on quality but
simple technicality and logic. As Lee Unkrich gives his acceptance speech for "Toy Story 3" winning Best Animated Feature:Cory Barker: Hey Lee, you don't have to sell ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD about the awesomeness of Pixar. As Aaron Sorkin is announced as the winner for Best Adapted Screenplay:Cory Barker: [Enter Sorkin cocaine joke here.] As the music attempts to play Aaron Sorkin off stage:Mikel Kjell: Play him off keyboard cat.As Aaron Sorkin finally concludes his speech:Brian Welk: Good speech Sorkin. But Paddy Chayefsky's movie doesn't have Network in the title. The title IS Network. As they announce the nominees for Best Original Score and prepare to perform them live:Matt Lyles: How is a symphony going to play Trent Reznor?As "Inception" gets its first of three technical awards of the evening:Cory Barker: First thing I thought of when the INCEPTION title card hit at the end: That's some good fucking sound mixing. As the presenters continue to trudge through Sound Editing and Mixing:Cory Barker: Were all presenters required to take and subsequently fail a drug test? As the "Inception" train kept rolling:Cory Barker: I love how the last two winners have made sure to point out Nolan's awesomeness as to tell the Academy to go fuck themselves. After an awful auto-tuned version of "Harry Potter 7," "The Social Network" and "Twilight: Eclipse."Cory Barker: So that was this year's Ben Stiller in a terrible costume, right? As a certain African American female media mogul announces the Best Documentary nominees: Brian Welk: Oprah's Banksy. As the cast of "Sherlock Holmes" presents the next category:Brian Marks: Is Jude Law still relevant?And the Instant Poll results: 40% Yes 40% No20% Who's Jude Law?As Billy Crystal makes the one slightly funny appearance of the evening:Cory Barker: Jesus, has Bill Crystal aged since 1992?Brian Marks: He runs on a nuclear powered core.As Jude Law continues to prove his relevance: Cory Barker: And apparently, Jude Law when makes jokes about RJD's past it's cool. When Gervais does it, it's awful. On "Inception" getting snubbed from the Film Editing category:Cory Barker: How stupid is it that Inception wasn't even nominated in this category? Brian Welk: The time shifts and perspective shifts in Social
Network are totally Rashomon. As riveting as 127 Hours was, this
deserves it. Although I am surprised the big action movie didn't get a
nod. Cory Barker: But Inception doesn't work without the editing. (of course, apparently I'm the only person in this chat that likes Inception.) Brian Welk: Well, no movie "works" without the editing.Cory Barker: I HATE YOUFollowing a user comment that claimed "127 Hours" was the "BASIS of Film Editing:"Brian Marks: Yes, the best editing category was created decades ago in anticipation of 127 Hours As Jennifer Hudson introduced the third of four Original Song nominees:Mikel Kjell: Rock man is how hudson pronouced A. R Rahman's name, he should win this just because he is actually mega man I guess. As Gwyneth Paltrow, "Country music's newest star," starts to perform a song from "Country Strong:"Matt Lyles: The minute I come back I have to watch Gwyneth Paltrow singing country music? Fuck you, Academy. On Randy Newman's Best Original Song victory for "We Belong Together:"Mikel Kjell: Randy Numan is terrible Brian Marks: He used to be important. Before he sold his soul to Pixar. Mikel Kjell: Sing more about stuff you see Brian Welk: I thought he was exaggerating, but he really has been nominated 20 times. Matt Lyles: Randy Newman sounds too much like Christopher Walken for comfort right now. Cory Barker: There is no awards show that requires a full
calendar year of distance from it as soon as it's over like the Oscars.
Jesus this makes me want to drink heavily. As 11:00 rolled around:Matt Lyles: We've been doing this for 3 hours. Kirk Douglas took up half that time. As Celine Dion sings Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" over the In Memoriam segment:Cory Barker: Celine is thinking to herself: "I will never be in this montage. I will live forever."As the montage wraps: Matt Lyles: Corey Haim for the snub. Cory Barker: Thank god for the Internet and its ability to make Corey Haim not making the Necrology feel like a big deal. Matt Lyles: Corey Haim left a will. "I do not want to be in the In Memoriam segment if Celine Dion sings." Cory Barker: Matt Lyles, way to steal Tim Goodman's joke right off Twitter! As Tom Hooper accepts his Oscar for Best Director:Brian Welk: One of my friends pointed out that I look like Tom Hooper. Cory Barker: I mean loved The King's Speech, but fuck. C'mon. In 20 years, what movie gets remembered? Mikel Kjell: the damned
united is one of the best sports movies ever made but the direction was
just beautiful image after beautiful image, not a lot more than that. Cory Barker: Twitter hates Tom Hooper. As the Dude presents Best Actress:Cory Barker: Hey, it's TRON LEGACY's Jeff Bridges. As we near the end:
Cory Barker: Also when Dane Cook is making fun of your hosting through TwitPic, something might be wrong.Mikel Kjell: I dont think franco is high, I just think he doesnt give a shit about this anymoreAdam Lukach: I mean he's been hosting for 3 hours now. He's definitely come down if he was high. Cory Barker: I have to imagine that Franco is both high and trying something completely new with his performance. As Natalie Portman wins her Oscar for Best Actress:Cory Barker: Please don't laugh. Please don't laugh. As Sandra Bullock presents the award for Best Actor:Cory Barker: Sandra Bullock is awesome. I don't care. Judge me. Brian Marks: DoneAdam Lukach: Lots of judgment @ Cory As the clip from "The Social Network" plays in which Jesse Eisenberg recites, "You have the minimum amount of my attention:"Brian Welk: His speech is like an analogy for this broadcast. As Colin Firth claims his Best Actor Oscar for "The King's Speech:"Cory Barker: He's totally stuttering his way through this. Is this some sort of performance art? As we begin to make sickening realizations:Cory Barker: True Grit - 0, The Wolfman - 1, Alice - 2As "King's Speech" is declared The Best Picture of 2010:Mikel Kjell: Knew king's speech was going to win when they used it for the fucking narration of the nomineesCory Barker: I hope there's outcry on Twitter like the Grammys. "WHO THE FUCK IS THE KING AND WHAT IS HIS SPEECH." Adam Lukach: whatisakingsspeech.tumblr.com (not a real site) As the PS22 Choir performs "Over the Rainbow" as part of an Oscar finale:Adam Lukach: I hope Roman Polanski isn't there.
(02/24/11 2:21am)
Why they should, might, and won't win
(02/17/11 2:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>“Need You Now” became a multi-Grammy-winning song for Lady Antebellum after its release in 2010. “Zonoscope” opens with a track of the same name but wholly opposite results: high-pitched cowbell, moody vocals and synth that sounds like it’s coming out of an eye-dropper.Cut Copy, a quartet of Australian synthpoppers with a flair for taking 1980s new wave and making it super scene and super conscious, burns the wick on its “Need You Now” much slower than the aforementioned Lady A. It opens with a pulsation onto which the group patiently creates layer after layer of sound in true revivalist form, culminating in a beautifully earnest chorus that simply disappears at its conclusion. The album’s cover art is, at first, alarmingly “Day After Tomorrow,” with an enormous waterfall cascading through the streets of New York City. The group has talked down the apocalyptic talk, though, suggesting it represents something equal parts mechanical and organic, much like its sound.That’s a good idea. Forays into more pop-friendly areas like “Take Me Over” and “Where I’m Going” are indulgent ’80s delight, filling up the air with cooing background vocals and unrelenting melodies. “Strange Nostalgia for the Future” is an instrumental sequence that transcends the mood of album, helping it swing back and forth from pleasant to sad. The dancing chimes, sonic synths and constant keyboards make for a smorgasbord from beginning to end. Cut Copy begs, borrows and steals heavily from an era that never fails to be interesting, and it lives up to that billing.
(01/27/11 12:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The middle of January comes off as an odd release date for Tennis’ debut album “Cape Dory.” It’s a musical encapsulation of an eight-month sabbatical of husband and wife group Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore along the Atlantic Coast — not exactly Justin Vernon spending three months in the Wisconsin winter.Where Vernon and Bon Iver offer comfort in the face of sadness, the pair’s surf-pop inspire bliss and lightheartedness. Similar to current lo-fi peers Best Coast and Smith Westerns, Tennis borrows heavily from ’60s pop royalty, this time utilizing girl group melodies and Phil Spector-style sound.Plodding basslines hold the swooning vocals of Moore and equally groovy guitar bits in place on ballads like “Pigeon” and “Bimini Bay.” It’s the easiest kind of listening — cool, cozy pop music.Even on the most upbeat tracks (single “Marathon,” “Baltimore”), Moore’s charming vocals keep “Dory” quite grounded, with added keyboards or percussion for flavor.“Dory”’s blueprints were that of a hobby, a project from two former musicians to express a journey. For that reason, it’s a little single-minded, but it’s genuine and really quite lovely. Simplicity works here, maybe because Tennis doesn’t really care one way or another.
(01/27/11 12:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Mention Smith Westerns, and the one thing people usually will know is: “They’re really young, aren’t they?” With youth comes inexperience and rawness, both of which sum up 2009’s eponymous debut adequately. However, after the Chicago-bred group’s sophomore album, “Dye It Blonde,” such a simple reduction would be unwise.As most second tries are, “Dye It Blonde” possesses movement and polish that its predecessor lacked. The band has moved ahead by looking back; they’ve traded in some of their T. Rex-like glam rock tendencies for earlier 1960s rock riffs and pop tricks.“Weekend,” both the lead single and lead track, opens with a slightly meandering synth sound before abruptly belting out an overdone guitar lick that’s almost early Beatles. The kickers and moments on songs are sharply created and heavily reliant on instrumentation like guitar or piano (the upstart guitar in “Fallen in Love” is one of the best moments).Smith Westerns are still at their best when they let loose; that certainly hasn’t changed. But it’s the swooning organ introductions and Beach Boy-pretty harmonies on crooners like “All Die Young” that show the (quite rapid) maturation of the most interesting garage pop in a while.
(01/20/11 3:06am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On 2009’s self-titled debut, Cage the Elephant unleashed “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked” and a cohort of other visceral Southern alt-rock songs to UK and eventually, US success. “Thank You Happy Birthday” shouldn’t have to wait as long for homeland audiences to notice.But between souped-up Kings of Leon licks, there wasn’t much diversity on Elephant’s eponymous debut — a problem easily forgotten after “Thank You,” which borrows from Pixies, grunge and the raw guitar rock showcasing of the ’60s.Instead of meandering through these different sounds, lead singer Matt Shultz harnesses his own influences and the versatility of his vocals, syncing his sound with theirs.The tracks range from a darker funk on leadoff “Always Something” to a fuzzed-up, stretched-out crooner in “Right Before My Eyes,” a ’90s reincarnate that’s also the album’s best-sounding cut.“Shake Me Down,” the album’s first single, dials tempo and intensity up and down with effortless control, and they are able to carry that over to “Thank You” on the whole. At its highest, the wild rock ’n’ roll cuts are extreme, but the group has certainly found another, more tender side to their sound on the back half of “Thank You” that I hope will carry on.
(01/13/11 12:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>New Orleans-based duo Generationals are something of a musical oddity from the area with the jangly, soft-spoken pop tracks up and down their 2009 debut “Con Law.” Its mild sound emanates California ease or Midwest hospitality as much as anything from the Big Easy, all-American pop.The band’s new four-song EP “Trust” serves as a nice precursor to its sophomore LP expected later this year, adding a sheen to the pair’s cozy sound.“Say For Certain” leads off with understated brutal honesty, accentuated by vocal harmonies and an undercutting bassline — techniques repeated during the course of “Trust.”The basement-low sounds complement vocals that are never more than a croon. “Carrying the Torch” capitalizes on harsh self-loathing a la Death Cab’s “Narrow Stairs” while the chorus could be called lead singer Ted Joyner’s best Ben Gibbard impression. Again, thumping bass parts provide the drive for the last two tracks, “Victim of Trap” and title track “Trust.” The opening sequence of “Victim of Trap” utilizes some flushed-out electronic echoes to complement the simplicity of most of the instrumentation — in fact, “Trap” sounds like it could be straight off an Angels and Airwaves LP. The finale is the most accessible and well-crafted effort of the bunch, an absolute achievement on another savvy release from this up-and-coming duo.
(12/09/10 1:04am)
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