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: The irrepressible heroine of The Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen.
Fans of ’90s indie pop will know Manda Rin as the frontwoman of Glaswegian trio Bis, who broke up in 2003. These days, after weathering a difficult MS diagnosis, Rin has embarked upon a solo career and also makes art. In addition to creating graphics for an iPhone game called All Fridges Are Psychotic, she showed some new work over the weekend at Glasgow Popfest 2011. Titled Cover Versions and Other Hits, the exhibition collects Rin’s remakes of classic album covers, in the signature manga-inspired style that was ubiquitous in Bis’s album art. Check out some of our favorites, from Nirvana to X-Ray Spex to Sleater-Kinney, after the jump. Then visit Rin’s website to see more. Read More »
Rolling Stone readers polls are the worst. Remember their “Top Ten Live Acts of All Time,” which was so terrible the entire Flavorpill staff came together to post an alternate list? Well, the aging rock magazine has done it again: Last week brought “Readers Poll: The Best Punk Bands of All Time.” And guess what? Not only did Green Day — Green Day! — take the #1 spot, but there wasn’t a single woman on the list. So, in an attempt to correct this latest grievous error, we have compiled a list of 15 essential women punk icons. Let’s be clear: These are hardly the only noteworthy women in punk. They’re simply the ones we think have absolutely earned a spot in any discussion of the best punk bands of all time.
Today is May 1, which doesn’t mean a great deal in America, but is celebrated in much of the world as International Workers’ Day. Given that it commemorates American history (specifically, the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago in 1886), it’s strange that the date has no currency here, but for whatever reason, the USA has stuck with Labor Day in September – perhaps because of the more radical associations of May 1, which is celebrated by many communist and anarchist organizations. In any case, here at Flavorpill, the global waving of the red flag has got us thinking about how many great musicians have had leftist leanings over the years. Here’s a selection of our favorites. (Obligatory disclaimer: Flavorpill doesn’t necessarily endorse these bands’ politics; we just like the music.)
One of the great advantages to being a culture nerd in the era of the internet is its ability to provide context for your obsessions. Learning about an artist’s life and interests outside of the field for which they are known can change your perception of their work and allows you to discover more awesome art in the process. We all know how wrong this can go when huge stars try to capitalize on their fame in every possible market (see: celebrity perfume lines). Thankfully, today, with the ease of self-release and DIY art, smaller and more interesting musicians are broadening their creative horizons with fabulous results. With that in mind, here are a few artists whose musical work we love, but who have other creative projects that deserve more attention. As always, please leave your own additions to the list in the comments.
There is something endlessly fascinating about seeing members of our favorite bands wearing the T-shirts of other acts. Sure, these wardrobe choices may sometimes be ironic. But for the most part, musicians seem to wave other musicians’ flags for exactly the same reasons we do: to proclaim our undying fandom. And it’s always exciting to see that someone whose music we’re into shares some facet of our musical taste. After the jump, we’ve collected 20 great photos of our favorite icons — Joan Jett, Kurt Cobain, Thurston Moore, Jay-Z — wearing other bands’ T-shirts.
While the Sleater-Kinney-shaped hole in our hearts remains gaping, some serious consolation can be found in Corin Tucker’s debut solo album, 1,000 Years. The riot grrrl-turned-righteous mama blends her fierce wail and earth-shattering guitar licks with softer touches of strings and acoustic guitar on her “middle-aged mom record,” an album that she admits is “not a record that a young person would write.” In fact, Tucker’s nine-year-old son and two-year-old daughter come first, traveling with their mom on short tours in support of the record.
As 1,000 Years proves — in tracks like the hard, fast “Doubt” — being a mom doesn’t stop the rock. In fact, lots of ladies have mastered the art of rocking and rearing. After the jump, we celebrate Tucker’s return to music with our list of the toughest rock ‘n roll moms, who balance the two roles without missing a beat.
Music fans, drop what you’re doing, because this is the most exciting news you’ll hear all week. There is a new supergroup in town. It’s called Wild Flag and — are you sitting down? — here’s who’s in it: Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney), Janet Weiss (S-K/Quasi), Mary Timony (Helium), and Rebecca Cole (The Minders). Pretty crazy, right? It’s kind of like someone’s been fishing around in our fantasies, because this is the kind of line-up we dream of. Of course, since various pairs of band members have already worked together, it also totally makes sense. All we know so far is that Wild Flag are signed to Merge and expect to release their first album in 2011 — and that’s really all we need to know, too. [via @Maura]
In recent years, reunions of well-regarded bands have become commonplace, occupying regular paths on the touring circuit and inspiring music-blog speculations as to which underground act will be the next to regroup. Rarer are the reunions, like Mission of Burma’s, that yield impressive, new creative output. At their best, albums made after a long absence can be essential: a restatement of what made an artist great, or a revelation of something fresh and unexpected.
What follows is a look at ten of the year’s most notable musical comebacks: some from recently reunited bands, others from long-dormant projects that never really went away, and a few from musicians bringing new outlets into the spotlight. They range from minimalist electronic music to classically-inspired post-rock, from autobiographical ruminations to three-chord punk.
In her new book Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music, Marisa Meltzer takes readers on a journey from the moment when Tobi Vail first transfigured the word “girl” to “grrrl” all the way to the current cultural supremacy of all things Miley. As she explains in the preface: “The story of girl power kicks off with riot grrrl, but this isn’t a book just about riot grrrl, or even the nineties. It’s also a book about how everything that happened afterward was just as, if not more, important: how an underground movement trickled up from punk-rock utopias to teen girls’ bedrooms around the world.”
To celebrate its release, we asked Meltzer to provide a list of the most essential female artists from the ’90s — the decade that birthed the girl power revolution. Chime in with your own music heroes in the comments.
, Marisa Meltzer takes readers on a journey from the moment when Tobi Vail first transfigured the word “girl” to “grrrl” all the way to the current cultural supremacy of all things Miley. As she explains in the preface: “The story of girl power kicks off with riot grrrl, but this isn’t a book just about riot grrrl, or even the nineties. It’s also a book about how everything that happened afterward was just as, if not more, important: how an underground movement trickled up from punk-rock utopias to teen girls’ bedrooms around the world.”
