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 chosen-child-boy-wizard, Harry James Potter.
If you’re reading this, then odds are you’re not in route to Matador Records’ epic 21st birthday bash at the Palms in Vegas, where an amazing lineup of bands who have worked with the indie rock label — Sonic Youth, Pavement, Girls, Spoon, Belle & Sebastian, New Pornographers, and Superchunk, among others — will perform for three nights straight. Each evening’s show will be live streaming on Matador’s MySpace page, and will re-air again the following morning. Click through to check out the lineup, and plan your viewing accordingly.
2009 has been such a fantastic year for music that 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 to?
Further fanning the flames of anticipation surrounding their recently-bumped-up forthcoming album, Spoon has released the cover art for Transference, which is due out January 19, 2010 in the US. Finally. The photograph itself is one from 1970 taken in Mississippi by renowned photographer William Eggleston, a photographer accustomed to having his work featured on an album cover or two. It was originally published in Eggleston’s Guide back in 1976.
It’s lovely and it makes us a bit nostalgic for other great album art that came out of the gallery world as opposed to a record company’s art department.
With last week’s announcement of Spoon‘s new album Transference, the blogosphere has already started clamoring for the almighty album leak. Fortunately for Spoon, only one new song oozed out today: “The Mystery Zone.” It begins immediately, a simple, chugging drum beat at the start accompanied by echoing chords and Britt Daniel contemplating the ever enigmatic, “Mystery Zone.” Nearly five minutes in, the track cuts off suddenly. Oh the mystery! How did it leak? Will there be more?? Download the song below and give us your thoughts.
It’s highly unlikely that Laura Ballance and Mac McCaughan envisioned running a label twenty years after founding Merge Records; after all, they “never [even] had a five year plan.” [emphasis added] But that’s what they’ve found themselves doing. And it just so happens that what began “as a lark” is now one of the most successful labels in the country.
Indeed “Merge’s slow and steady rise from Laura’s bedroom to the Billboard Top Ten is, in many ways, an object lesson in what went wrong with the major labels.” And John Cook’s excellent chronicle of the rise, Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records, the Indie Label That Got Big and Stayed Small, can be considered an object lesson in what goes right when someone truly digs the music. But Ballance and McCaughan aren’t just avid fans, of course; they’re players with a fan base of their very own. In fact, their band Superchunk is both a large part of Merge’s success and one of the most influential indie bands ever. Read More »
Previously the term “wanderlust” evoked one image in our mind: mushrooms. And, Bjork’s amazing 3-D music video for the track “Wanderlust” directed by Encyclopedia Pictura… which absolutely involved mushrooms. But now it’s our favorite new music festival, too. According to its website, Wanderlust is a new kind of fest that marries yoga and rock n’ roll. Situated in Lake Tahoe in a lush part of Northern California, there were tons of opportunities for eating fruit, shopping for hippie accessories, and going on a hike or two in spite of the surprisingly sweltering weather. Read More »
Free MP3s are great, but they’re even better when they’re for new tracks from some of the bigger names in indie music. We also like to keep things fresh over here at Flavorpill, so we’ve also included a crop of new faces for your listening pleasure, too. Chances are you’ll probably end up liking them just as much — if not more. Click through for downloads from our last Viva Radio playlist, and be sure to check back and listen to the show itself. We update every week. Read More »
Flavorpill is sending one reader and their guest on an all-expenses paid trip to the brand-new Wanderlust Festival in Lake Tahoe, CA, which takes takes place July 24-26th. Unlike your typical summer fest, this one allows you to realign your chakras with renowned yogis as you boost your chi with live sets from Spoon, Girl Talk, and Amanda Palmer. It’s kind of like Burning Man meets Lollapalooza.
For a chance to score airfare, hotel, and full yoga and music festival badges, all you have to do is invite your friends to sign up to Flavorpill. For each one who subscribes, you get another chance to win the big trip.
, can be considered an object lesson in what goes right when someone truly digs the music. But Ballance and McCaughan aren’t just avid fans, of course; they’re players with a fan base of their very own. In fact, their band Superchunk is both a large part of Merge’s success and one of the most influential indie bands ever. 
