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Music

10 Egregious Omissions from VH1′s ’100 Greatest Women in Music’

By Judy Berman on

We recently took VH1 to task for including some fairly undeserving — and a few just plain awful — acts on their countdown of the “100 Greatest Women in Music.” So, who do we think would have been more deserving? We’re so glad you asked! Although it’s lacking in many categories, female rockers were especially slighted. We’ve attempted to point out some of the most egregious snubs, keeping two rules in mind: 1. VH1 has limited itself to the past 20 years, so it’s only fair to follow suit. 2. It’s not realistic to expect a mainstream TV network to acknowledge the existence of performers as obscure as, say, Carla Bozulich — so, while we certainly think she’s great, she’s not on this list. See who we would have included after the jump. … Read More

Television

TV Shows and the Musicians Who Were Born to Soundtrack Them

By Judy Berman on

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

Web

What’s On at Flavorpill: The Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we wished that the world had more adorable skydiving grannies like 82-year-old birthday girl/lifelong daredevil Judy Wade. We discovered that Mad Men screenshots and Arrested Development dialogue go surprisingly well together. We couldn’t believe that ABC thinks that they can replace Roseanne Barr with the likes… Read More

Music

Middle-Aged Indie Rockers We Wish Had Been Our Parents

By Zoë Leverant on

Many kids dream of growing up as someone else — in a royal family, on a distant planet, or as a movie star. But such aspirations don’t sound quite as fun in the long run as having amazing musicians for parents. By the time most rockers hit 40, they’ve calmed down enough to make a family and have years of experience to draw on for wisdom and guidance. And it’s not just any experience — the music industry often throws curve balls at its participants, and any parent who has had to contend with predatory label reps or getting their gear stolen on tour knows a thing or two more about overcoming obstacles than the average mom or dad does. Living in one of these seven artists’ households means a great record collection and a creative atmosphere to keep you company — even when you’re grounded. … Read More

Music

The Top 10 Indie Rock Hissyfits

By Todd Van Luling on

A few days ago, Neko Case hilariously flipped out on a concert-goer after a jewel case of her own album was thrown at fellow New Pornagraphers’ band member, Carl Newman. Although Neko only upped her street/comedy cred and failed to come across as the Bill O’Reilley of indie rock, this episode still got us thinking of some more hot-blooded hissyfits that have sprouted up amongst our favorite indie celebrities. Below, we have gathered our ten favorite so click through and watch when the Etsy bought mittens come off and your favorite stars of indie rock have most likely Pabst fueled moments of… Read More

Music

10 New Women in Music Who Should Be on Your iPod

By Brian Underwood on

Girl power has never looked (or sounded) as good now that these 10 ladies have arrived on the scene. From the synth-pop stylings of Class Actress to the dancehall beats of Lady Chann, we’re bringing you a list of our favorite new female-fronted music acts, along with a few free downloads. As always, we made a few comparisons to help give you an idea of what each sounds like — and point you toward the ones that you’ll want to have on your iPod stat. … Read More

Web

What’s on at Flavorpill: Links That Made the Rounds in Our Office

By Caroline Stanley on

Today at Flavorpill, we were excited to learn that Elizabeth Banks will be playing Alec Baldwin’s love interest on 30 Rock — but does she really have to channel Sean Hannity? We discovered that Tom Cruise was the original voice of Captain Planet. We wondered why anyone would be curious enough to drop… Read More

News

In Defense of Redheads: Flavorpill’s 10 Favorite “Gingers”

By Judy Berman on

Across the pond, debate is raging over a controversial new ad by online retailer Tesco. No, it isn’t racist or sexist or homophobic. But it does discriminate — against redheaded children. The copy plastered over an image of a carrot-top preschooler reads: “SANTA love all kids. Even GINGER ones.” Now, we’re not denying that Tesco intended the ad to be funny. We just don’t think a major company should be making jokes that could actually hurt red-headed little kids. They already have to grapple with insanely sun-sensitive skin.

So, as a bottle redhead dating a natural redhead (don’t worry, our hair isn’t the same shade; that would be weird), we feel the need to defend our people. To that end, we’ve compiled a list of our ten favorite gingers. Who’s… Read More

Music

Download 10 of 2009′s Most Under-Appreciated Gems

By Zara Golden on

Best of the Year lists shouldn’t bring the end. After all, these lists make for a great way to catch up on all that you might have missed while you were spinning that new Phoenix album endlessly. Making this time of discovery easier yet, Insound.com has rounded up their 50 most downloaded of 2009, and is offering everyone 10 free MP3s for download.

Looking at their list, we’ve eliminated albums that weren’t from 2009, and skipped over the obvious-es–the Grizzly Bear’s, the Pheonix’s and the Passion Pit’s. Those are for everyone else’s lists. Here are 10 deep cuts, just for… Read More

Music

Lollapalooza 2009: From Perry Farrell to Passion Pit

By Karsten Lund on

Total bedlam with a good soundtrack, that’s Lollapalooza. The last time I was in Chicago’s Grant Park with this many people — estimates show 200,000 bought tickets — we’d all just voted out a malevolent Washington administration that was past its expiration date. This time though, rather than packing in politely to hear a presidential victory speech, the masses and I were there to see as many different bands as humanly possible during a three-day free-for-all. People may not have been crying tears of joy in this case, but spirits were definitely high. It would be nice to think that the world is a gentler place now than it was last November, but it’s not exactly true. Instead, the Midwest’s main music festival just seemed to prove that we’re pretty good at ignoring hard times. As Perry Ferrell himself said, Lollapalooza is recession… Read More