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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

10 of the Funniest Love Songs in History

By Tom Hawking on

Jens Lekman’s new record I Know What Love Isn’t is out this week, and on the whole it’s a pretty morose affair, as befits its status as a breakup album. Still, even on a record this subdued, Lekman’s signature humor can’t help but shine through, despite the fact that he’s left some of his funniest recent songs (namely “Waiting for Kirsten” and “An Argument With Myself”) off the tracklisting. The fact that Lekman’s songs are often as witty as they are moving is something that we’ve always liked about him — after all, love is frequently as bewildering, ridiculous, and, yes, funny as it is wonderful and inspiring, and love songs are a whole lot more effective if they eschew clichéd romanticism for realism. With that in mind, here’s a selection of wry, witty, and/or plain old silly love songs that make us laugh, starting with one of Jens’ best. Let us know your favorites in the comments. … Read More

Music

5 Albums to Stream for Free This Week: The Magnetic Fields, Andrew Bird

By Tom Hawking on

If you’re anything like Flavorpill, Monday mornings never get any easier, especially if Sunday evening came with a bottle of syrah and an extra serving of existential angst. But! Never fear, because there’s always new music to, um, brighten up the morning. This week’s installment of our regular Monday roundup of new records streaming on the internet for free encompasses an extra dose of existential angst from Magnetic Fields, a compilation of nasty minimal wave, new albums from Andrew Bird and Memoryhouse, and the answer to what School of Seven Bells sound like minus a Deheza twin. Click through and get listening. … Read More

Music

9 Alt and Indie Rockers’ Non-Rock Side Projects

By Michaelangelo Matos on

Sometimes you’ve gotta rock, and sometimes you want to just do something else–preferably something as not-rock as possible. That’s where a lot of alt and/or indie rock musicians have found themselves over the years, whether or not they actually act on the impulse. Here are nine artists who did just that. … Read More

Music

Mixtape: 10 Songs for English Majors and Other Word Nerds

By Judy Berman on

Everyone, even the harshest and most jaded of critics, had their first musical loves. One of ours was Weird Al Yankovic, that delightfully geeky master of parody. A decade and a half later, we still adore him — and a recent, non-musical stunt only renewed our passion. We won’t spoil the video for you, but we will say that it’s 20 seconds of pure, grammar-worshipping goodness.

The clip got us thinking about the way two of our favorite things, music and language, can join forces to create epically wonderful songs. English majors and fellow fans of grammar, vocab, linguistics, and literary devices in general, this mixtape’s for you. … Read More

Music

10 Films About Music We Can’t Wait to See

By Tobias Carroll on

There’s something spot-on about a good film about music. When done right, the marriage of the two forms leads to an end result where the music has enriched the film, and the film has provided an expansion of the music. Films about music have had protagonists ranging from composers to critics; they encompass fiction, nonfiction, and metafiction. Here, for your consideration, are ten upcoming films, from fiction to documentary, from abstract compositions to starkly linear narratives, covering music ranging from punk rock to large-scale choral works. … Read More

Earplug

Flavorpill’s 12 Most Anticipated Albums of 2010

By Judy Berman on

2009 has been such a fantastic year for music that, honestly, it’s difficult to start thinking about 2010 so soon. How can we, when we still haven’t tired of milestone albums from the likes of Animal Collective, Atlas Sound, The Flaming Lips and Dirty Projectors? Thankfully, next year is shaping up to be equally exciting, with new offerings on the horizon from Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer, Spoon and many more. After the jump, we pick the 12 albums we’re most excited for in 2010. Which records are you looking forward… Read More

Theatre

Neil Gaiman's Coraline Gets a Magnetic Fields Makeover

By Caroline Stanley on

Henry Selick’s Coraline, the not really for kids kid’s movie based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel of the same name, didn’t break any box office records (it only made $74m), but before the film was released plans to stage a musical adaptation of the tale were already in the works. And this morning we found out that it will feature music and lyrics from Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields. … Read More