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20 of the Flat-Out Funniest Songs in Rock ‘n’ Roll

By Tom Hawking on

In an attempt to save you (not to mention ourselves) from the general Monday-morning awfulness that tends to follow a lovely spring weekend, Flavorwire has compiled a playlist of indie/rock/generally guitar-based songs that are genuinely funny. These are 20 of the flat-out wittiest and most amusing songs we know — and we guarantee that at least one of them will make you chuckle. (Note: we’re discounting actual comedy songs here, so no Lonely Island/Flight of the Conchords/etc.) Keep the hilarity going by adding to our list in the comments. … Read More

Music

Watch a Fantastic LCD Soundsystem/Miles Davis Mash-Up

By Tom Hawking on

God bless the Internet, for it contains all of humanity — including, for instance, a dude who whiles away the lonely nights making a YouTube mashup of Miles Davis jamming along to LCD Soundsystem’s “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down.” The gentleman in question, one Alessandro Grespan, posted the video on his YouTube channel last year, but it gained a sudden shitload of attention yesterday when the band discovered it and reposted it to their Facebook page. We’ll leave the final word to LCD themselves: “I love people and the things they do,” the band wrote. “Honestly. This rules and is deeply hilarious.” Word. Check the video out after the jump. … Read More

Music

Watch Lance Bangs’ Tribute to LCD Soundsystem and New York City

By Judy Berman on

For the past decade, no band has been more closely associated with the spirit of New York City — or Williamsburg, at the very least — than LCD Soundsystem. From late-night debauchery to portraits of aging-scenester pathos to “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down,” James Murphy captured the highs and lows of post-9/11 hipster life so perfectly that when he announced the band was calling it quits, an era ended on the spot. In his five-minute film “LCD Soundsystem + NYC,” music video director Lance Bangs pays tribute to the symbiotic relationship between the band and the city, interviewing folks like Reggie Watts and Nick Kroll and interspersing their words with performance footage. The video is the first in a series of four shorts that accompany the upcoming release of Shut Up and Play the Hits, Dylan Southern and William Lovelace’s feature documentary about LCD, Murphy, and the group’s already legendary 2011 farewell show at Madison Square Garden. Watch “LCD Soundsystem + NYC” after the jump. … Read More

Music

11 Great ’00s Bands We’d Love to See Reunite

By Tom Hawking on

Having missed the chance to see Sigur Rós live, only to hear that they were going on “indefinite hiatus,” we spent a reasonable amount of the last couple of years cursing ourselves for our foolishness. But happily, the band sent word earlier this year that it was reuniting, and this week sees the release of the new album Valtari. It seems that wishing really hard can make your dreams come true, because apart from Sigur Rós, some of our other favorite ’00s bands — namely At the Drive-In, Death from Above 1979, and Grandaddy — have all announced in recent months that they’re getting back together. This has all put a sizable dent (albeit a very welcome one) in our list of dream ’00s reunions. But there are still plenty more that we can fantasize about, so here’s a selections of 10 such daydreams — let’s all hold hands and pray together, eh? … Read More

Music

10 of Indie Rock’s Finest Summer Anthems

By Tom Hawking on

The new Beach House record is out this week, and while we’ve always thought the band’s name was more wry irony than genuine summeriness — Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally’s music evokes the atmosphere of boarded-up resorts and empty beaches, as far as we’re concerned — we’ve got no doubt that Bloom is gonna be the soundtrack to many, many people’s summers. And, indeed, every summer needs a good soundtrack, so we thought we’d take this opportunity to take a look at some of our favorite indie summer anthems — songs that celebrate the sun, or just do a fine job of capturing the atmosphere of the season in all its complex, sweaty glory. … Read More

Music

10 of Music’s Unlikeliest Buzzbands

By Tom Hawking on

Boys & Girls, the debut album by Flavorpill faves Alabama Shakes, is out today. The band’s rise to prominence has been one of the more heartening stories of 2012, and not only because their music is great and entirely deserving of all the acclaim that’s been showered upon it. No, we’re also delighted to see Alabama Shakes somehow achieving full music industry buzzband status, with their decidedly un-hip rock ‘n’ soul sounds turning up in the most unlikely places (like MTV’s Buzzworthy blog). They join the ranks of similarly incongruous buzzbands from over the years, musicians who’ve ridden a wave of hype despite being unfashionable, unmarketable or just plain unlikely candidates for success. We’ve selected some other such bands after the jump — who did we miss? … Read More

Film

First Glimpse: James Murphy in ‘The Comedy’

By Judy Berman on

Back in December, we learned that James Murphy, released from his LCD Soundsystem voice-of-a-generation duties, has taken up acting. In some total no-brainer casting, he stars alongside Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim in The Comedy, a film about bored, aging Brooklyn hipster dudes. Although the movie doesn’t have a release date yet, director Rick Alverson has posted an early clip, giving us a chance to check out Murphy’s chops. Well, sort of. While Murphy is sitting between Tim and Eric in a cab as they mercilessly mock the driver, he doesn’t exactly say anything. He does do a pretty nice job chuckling along, though! … Read More

Film

Watch the Trailer for a Documentary on LCD Soundsystem’s Final Show

By Judy Berman on

As soon as LCD Soundsystem’s break-up and final shows were announced, people started freaking out. Friends we didn’t even realize were into James Murphy and co. were lamenting the end of an era. Phrases like “the most important band of the 21st century” were thrown around. And the rush to buy tickets for that last Madison Square Garden performance was nothing short of Beatlemania, ca. 1964.

So it’s sort of inevitable that the most bittersweet night in hipster history would be immortalized on film. Shut Up and Play the Hits, directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace (who you might remember as the team behind Blur’s No Distance Left to Run), chronicles the MSG show and the potentially generation-defining band’s demise. Judging by the trailer, the documentary will feature ample footage from the concert, some wistful interviews, critical input from Chuck Klosterman, lots of white people hugging, and more than one adorable shot of Murphy’s French bulldog. … Read More

Books

Literary Mixtape: Dorian Gray

By Emily Temple on

If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: everyone’s favorite hedonist, Dorian Gray. … Read More

Books

Literary Mixtape: Holly Golightly

By Emily Temple on

If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: Truman Capote’s “American Geisha,” Holly Golightly. … Read More