Wilco’s new video for “Dawned on Me” combines some of the things dearest to our hearts: Jeff Tweedy and old black-and-white Popeye shorts. It’s a clip that’s both fun and visually interesting, not to mention the first hand-drawn Popeye cartoon that’s appeared in the last 30-something years. But Wilco is far from the first band to hit upon the idea of including animation in their music videos. Cartoons in videos stretch back from the days of a-ha’s “Take On Me” through Björk and Radiohead. After the jump, check out ten of the best animated music videos we’ve ever seen — tell us about your personal favorites in the comments.
According to the British, last week contained the most depressing day of the year. Other accounts swear it’s always the Monday of the last full week of January. For us, February always seems bleakest — winter’s been happening for much too long, and there are still way too many weeks to go. Either way, the season of depressing weather and agoraphobia has begun, so we thought we’d help you out by offering a list of devastatingly sad movies for you to watch while you hole up in your apartment for the next three months. You may wonder why we prescribe depressing movies for the cold — after all, shouldn’t we be trying to perk you up? — but the Greeks traditionally put on tragedies in the winter months, believing that to be the time for catharsis, whereas the summer months were better for lighter fare. It’s time to embrace the bad weather and your growing grouchiness and watch these ten films, each guaranteed to be more devastating than the last. Film not your thing? Check out our lists of sad music and sob-worthy books. Did we miss your favorite? More tragedy — let us know in the comments.
Last week we stereotyped you by your favorite books, and this week it’s time to apply a bumper edition of our gratuitous generalizations to the world of music. Our stereotyping posts have become something of a tradition at Flavorpill, but still, here’s our obligatory disclaimer: this is an entirely tongue-in-cheek exercise, so don’t get all offended — and also, as ever, several of our favorite records are on here, and we’ll totally own up to all the stereotypes that apply to us. Anyway, with that said, here are 50 albums that keep cropping up on end-of-year lists and the sort of people that like them. Read More »
Where do you like to string your tinsel and LED lights? On your house? On your tree? On your body? This time of year, holiday parties and city streets are overwhelmed with costumes parodying Christmas’s jolliest bearer of gifts. Inspired by Katy Perry’s opening monologue ensemble from the latest installment of SNL, we’ve decided to take a look at an earthlier, rarer costume alternative — the Christmas tree. It’s pretty, it’s bright, it smells good. What’s not to love? Dangle a few ornaments from your ears, coat yourself in lights, and stick a star on your forehead — you’ll light up any office party with an accessible power outlet. The following celebrities know what’s up; take note from some intentional and accidental Christmas tree costumes after the jump. Read More »
When established artists decided to lend their talent to the music world, the creations that result from the collision of egos and imaginations are often mind blowing. From Pablo Picasso’s costumes for an avant garde ballet by Erik Satie to Andy Warhol’s management of the Velvet Underground, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite artist and musician collaborations. How did Salvador Dalí and Alice Cooper meet? How did the world survive? Read on to find out and drop us a comment if you think we missed any biggies. Read More »
Thursday’s meal may not be a crowning moment for the avian kind, but birds have done well making a name for themselves in pop culture. From the lovable Woodstock to Harper Lee’s lessons in morality, the trendy act of microblogging to birds that actually microblog, they have left their tiny tracks all over our consciousness. With anthropomorphic birds (see Big Bird), humans channeling birds (see Björk), and even birds killing humans (see Bird Flu), it seems that the two species have never been more closely linked. Below the jump, we’ve rounded up 40 cultural it birds who did better for themselves than the one on your Thanksgiving table. Read More »
In case you were wondering why fans of both The Hold Steady and Friday Night Lights have been losing their shit all week, here’s what happened: the band’s frontman has announced plans to release a solo album called Clear Heart Full Eyes, an homage to the show that was recorded in Texas and whose title is a play on FNL‘s most memorable catchphrase (“Clear eyes, full hearts can’t lose”). The news got us thinking about how wonderful it would be if our favorite programs were scored by bands we love, which led us to compile the following wish list of TV shows and the musicians who were born to soundtrack them. Add your pairings in the comments. Read More »
We were recently both delighted and spooked to see some of our favorite cartoon characters transformed into the undead. Today, the pre-Halloween zombification of familiar faces continues with Swiss comic-book artist Frederik Peeters‘ Portraits as Living Deads, a vast collection of illustrations that imagines what celebrities might look like as extras in a George A. Romero movie. Over the course of a long-term blog project, Peeters created hundreds of these portraits — since he finished in 2009, by far the creepiest images are of those who have already died, from Amy Winehouse to Muammar al-Gaddafi. After the jump, we’ve posted some of our favorite pieces from the pop-culture realm, including everyone from Bob Dylan to Karl Lagerfeld to Björk. And if those aren’t enough for you, page through a whole lot more at Peeters’ blog.
If you’re not über crafty, fashioning a unique Halloween costume that sets you apart from the pack of party-store drones could pose a problem. Thankfully, there’s an army of skilled crafters and artisans who are willing and able to bring your fantasy Haunting Season ensemble to life — for a price. In case you have some extra dough lying around, we’ve followed up last year’s incredible list of high-end Halloween costumes with a gallery featuring extravagant Beetlejuice, My Little Pony, and Muppets-inspired outfits of the hand-crafted variety after the jump.
In her CD Covers Tribute series, Amsterdam-based illustrator Elena Lloveria pays homage to famous bands by recreating record cover art with a twee twist. The seven-piece collection commemorates beloved covers such as The Beatles’ A Hard Days Night, Michael Jackson’s Bad, and Bjork’s Homogenic, depicting the musicians as doe-eyed anime characters with oversize heads. While Lloveria’s chibi-inspired style complements some of the artists in the series, Marilyn Manson and Prince look creepier than ever after their kawaii makeovers. Check out the covers, and decide whether you’re charmed or repulsed, after the cut.
