This week sees the release of the new solo album from Christopher Owens, formerly of Girls and now of lovelorn solo balladeering endeavors. The album’s called Lysandre and is particularly notable for being based around a narrative thread about Owens’ love affair with the girl of the same name. The story behind the record is an interesting one, and it got us thinking about the real-life stories behind some of our other favorite love songs, and we’ve related a selection of the best of them… Read More
Red Hot Chili Peppers
12 Notable Music Videos Directed by Famous Filmmakers
As we reported last week, Gaspar Noé — the man responsible for the French films Enter the Void and, shudder, Irreversible — has directed the video for the rather excellent new Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds single “We No Who U R.” The video is rather restrained by Noé’s standards, but it fits the song beautifully, and it got us thinking about other well-known directors who’ve moonlighted in making music videos. There have been plenty over the years, some triumphant, some rather less so — so here’s a selection for your viewing delectation! Marvel, giggle, shake your head in despair, and then let us know if we missed any. … Read More
10 of the Most Unspeakably Filthy Basslines in History
As of this week, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea is 50, a fact that makes us feel a little older and a little grayer ourselves. But we also noticed that Mr. Balzary just about shares a birthday with… Ginuwine! Remember him? “Pony”? That video in the hillbilly club? That utterly filthy bassline? The cosmic coincidence got us thinking about some of the other naughty, naughty basslines from throughout the history of music — of all instruments, bass has the power to get the hips shaking, both on the dance floor and, y’know, elsewhere. We’ve selected some of our favorites, so let us know your suggestions, too. Just don’t do anything unspeakable in the comments section. … Read More
The Most Beautiful Skate Parks in the World
Sure, all the world’s a stage, but it’s also one giant playground. In the spirit of summer and all things fun under the sun, we thought we’d take a look at one of the greatest ways to conquer urban terrain by looking at the stunning architecture of the modern day skate park.
Born sometime in the late 1940s, skateboarding was the brainchild of SoCal surfers wanting something to surf when the waves were flat. Enter “Sidewalk Surfing” aka skateboarding. The downtime activity of soulful surfers and sappy street gangs has come a long way since the days of Thrashin’, the seminal 1986 American skater drama starring Josh Brolin and the earliest incarnation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. From a colorful outdoor “youth factory” to a hunting lodge that doubles as an indoor skatepark, click through to check out our roundup of skate parks that will blow your mind. Tell us in the comments which is your favorite, or nominate a park we’ve missed in the comments below! … Read More
These Are the Bands That Make You Totally Undateable
A couple of weeks back, our esteemed literary editor Emily Temple surveyed the books that might make you beat a hasty retreat if you saw them on a potential date’s bookshelf, or in their handbag. The post got plenty of heated comments, and it also got us thinking about the other place you might look to snoop on a date’s cultural credentials: their record collection (or, failing that, their iPod.) And so, as we did for books, we asked around Flavorpill central to find out which artists might, if discovered on a potential date’s playlist, put an end to that date pretty damn quickly. We received plenty of responses, and the entirely personal, subjective, and often hotly debated results await after the jump. … Read More
Bonnaroo 2012 Announces ’90s Nostalgia-Heavy Lineup
Major music festivals attract no shortage of criticism for recruiting nostalgia acts as headliners. While these gripes are sometimes exaggerated or misplaced, Bonnaroo has just announced its 2012 lineup, and the big names are basically a mid-’90s mixtape: Radiohead, Phish, and Red Hot Chili Peppers are headlining, along with the reunited Beach Boys (whose Grammy performance didn’t exactly leave us craving more). Of course, the rest of the bill is full of the usual suspects — recent Grammy winners Skrillex and Bon Iver, acts that harken back to the festival’s collegiate jam-band roots (Dispatch, Umphrey’s McGee, Superjam), and indie-mainstream cross-over bands like Foster the People, The Avett Brothers, and Feist.
This isn’t to say that Bonnaroo (and even some of the acts in the categories above) is bereft of exciting bookings. We’re certainly excited to see tUnE-yArDs, Flying Lotus, Yelawolf, St. Vincent, Phantogram, Kurt Vile, Alabama Shakes, Big Freedia, The War on Drugs, and especially — because we love her but her music isn’t obvious summer-festival fare — EMA on the bill. Check out the entire lineup after the jump, acquaint yourself with any unfamiliar artists via this handy Spotify playlist, and let us know whether you’re planning a trip to Manchester, TN this June 7-10 in the comments. … Read More
The Morning's Top 5 Pop Culture Stories
1. Alec Baldwin was kicked off a plane at LAX yesterday because he wouldn’t stop playing Words With Friends during the flight’s departure. He later tweeted that American Airlines is “where Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950′s find jobs as flight attendants.” [via NYT]
2. Guns N’ Roses, The Beastie Boys, and… Read More
The Morning’s Top 5 Pop Culture Stories
1. Rocketjuice and The Moon, Damon Albarn’s recently-launched supergroup with Flea and Tony Allen from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, have posted seven live tracks online, with a debut album planned for release some time next year. [via NME]
2. It looks like Chinese authorities are after Ai Weiwei again, this time serving… Read More
10 Music Videos Starring ‘Saturday Night Live’ Cast Members
As much as we love SNL digital shorts and all the vulgar laughs and Justin Timberlake cameos they may bring, let’s take a break before this weekend’s season premiere to acknowledge another variety of Saturday Night Live music videos, shall we? Y’know, the ones that weren’t produced by Lorne Michaels. Every now and then, a current or former “Not Ready For Prime Time Player” will lend a hand as the protagonist of a real music video for an actual musician, and some of these guest appearances are pretty great. Check out ten of our favorites after the jump. … Read More
In Defense of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
So the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album is out, and if anyone under 30 or so is excited, we’d be surprised. But we understand — for most of the 2000s, the band have been purveying nondescript Cali soft rock, and these days, it’s far more fashionable to hate on the Chili Peppers than to admit you like them. But it wasn’t always thus, y’know. And we’re of the opinion that these days, they’re a band whose legacy is both under-rated and often unfairly maligned. So, in the latest of a semi-regular series, we step up to the plate with a mixtape of ten Red Hot Chili Peppers songs that are entirely worthy of a place on your iPod. … Read More
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