The Occupy movement is famous for welcoming anyone who wants to join. But you can’t help but wonder if, for campers who’ve endured taunts and snow and pepper spray, some musical guests are more welcome than others. Yes, it’s a thrill to see Philip Glass using the people’s mic at Lincoln Center, but too many of the celebrities who visit OWS seem (at the risk of being uncharitable) to be using its fame for their own good instead of vice-versa. One wonders, for instance, how many impassioned discussions of banking regulations and foreclosure statistics were ever interrupted by the comment, “You know who I’d love to hear right now? Third Eye Blind.”
With that in mind, we offer ten dream concerts for OWS — double bills of music that’s relevant and rousing, from artists (unlike these movement-friendly newcomers) with enough name recognition to draw both fans and media attention to Zuccotti Park, or anywhere else the 99 percent are trying to make themselves heard. Read More »
Sure, cooking the turkey so that it’s not underdone and not too dry is difficult enough. But the hardest thing about Thanksgiving Day with your family is, inevitably, the music. Your parents want something dire from the ’70s, like Neil Diamond or Creedence; that cousin from Jersey who you never speak to has somehow heard that you “like music” and wants to play you the new Nickelback record; and your kid sister keeps demanding to connect up her iPod to the stereo so she can play her Miley Cyrus record. Argh. So let us help out with a selection of Thanksgiving records that’ll at least placate your folks, and hopefully Jersey cousin too — you might need to just lend kid sister your headphones and hope for the best, though. Read More »
When the advertisement for Dell’s new laptop started airing last week, it came accompanied by a song that was kind of like Broken Bells, only shittier. Unfortunately, this is far from the first time a band has had its music “borrowed” for a commercial — the sound-alike has a long and ignominious history, and since suing for music-related copyright infringement is notoriously difficult, it’s unlikely to stop any time soon. After the jump, we’ve collated some of the more notorious examples from years gone by. Read on and shake your head in disbelief. (We also can’t help but be amused that several of the most shameless examples have been quickly dragged off YouTube by the companies involved on the basis of, yes, copyright infringement. Ha.)
The music industry has grown increasingly diverse and decentralized in recent years, but you’d hardly know it from watching television. From Grey’s Anatomy to Gossip Girl, the same bands seem to sound week after week, with the music supervisors’ mainstream indie rock picks serving as an (all too) easy emotional shorthand. Need a scene to say “sexy”? Just add The xx. Cathartic closure? The National. Perhaps hearing Sleigh Bells on yet another CW show lends a hint of the commonality that watching Elvis Presley perform on The Ed Sullivan Show had decades ago. Or maybe it’s just easier to conjure meaningful emotion with a zeitgeisty song than from a Botox-ed lip or a flighty teen starlet . Whatever it is, here are five bands you’ll hear on TV again and again — this year, at least.
1. This year’s 2010 Mercury Prize, the annual award for the UK and Ireland’s “most excellent” LP, went to the xx for their self-titled album. [via Stereogum]
2. Billy Ray Cyrus and his son Trace are working on a paranormal investigation show for SyFy. Says Billy Ray: “I hope this series can shine a light on some of the activities we have questioned, and the mysteries that have long inspired us.” [via THR]
3. HBO has green lighted the pilot for a half-hour comedy about “the assorted humiliations and rare triumphs of a group of girls in their early 20s” from Judd Apatow and indie filmmaker Lena Dunham. [via Deadline]
4. Word is that Jean-Luc Godard may be accepting his honorary Oscar after all. [via Deadline]
5. What is Google’s logo trying to tell us about today’s big announcement? [via TechCrunch]
1. Did The Situation go around his Jersey Shore castmates and strike a secret season three salary deal with MTV last night? Yes, he did. [via TMZ]
2. The xx and Dizzee Rascal are among the 12 acts shortlisted for this year’s Mercury Prize. [via Spinner]
3. The American Customer Satisfaction Index has found that users rank Facebook right alongside the IRS tax e-filing system, airlines, and cable companies. [via WSJ]
4. Thanks to a drastic price cut for the Kindle, Amazon says it’s selling 80% more downloaded books than hardcovers. [via LAT]
5. So, thanks to a new heart pump, Dick Cheney is kind of a vampire. [via NYT]
Today at Flavorpill, we looked at pictures of former “human meme” the Hipster Grifter in her almost birthday suit. We ventured inside of architect Gary Chang’s tiny apartment in downtown Hong Kong. We got one virtual step closer to ending the war between the sexes. We watched World War II unfold on Facebook. We got a sneak peek at the cover of “Fame: Lady Gaga,” a comic book that hits shelves in a few weeks. We met some of YouTube’s best butt-chuggers, which is even worse than whatever you’re thinking right now. We had a case of the squeamish giggles after looking at this Marge Simpson pork chop zombie from last night’s episode of Top Chef Masters. We wondered if one day they’ll teach Madonnaspeak on college campuses. We fell in love with the music of The oo — a Japanese xx cover band. And finally, we couldn’t believe that Weezy got busted for having headphones, a charger, and a watch that doubles as an MP3 player in his jail cell. They should be happy it wasn’t cough syrup.
Although you may not recognize every band on this week’s mixtape (yet), rest assured that most of these acts will be ubiquitous soon enough. Familiar faces (Kisses, Freelance Whales) and recognizable names (of Montreal, Voxtrot) aside, some are ‘90s bands gone solo (Admiral Hadley, Pete Francis) and others are breaking bands that deserve your attention (Quadron, Hooray!). Be sure to Right Click + Save As the following ten individually, or scroll down to the bottom to download the entire mix all at once.
Indiscriminate, random insanity in music videos is never a bad thing, and this week’s batch of music videos offer up plenty of eyebrow-raising WTF moments, both hilarious and horrifying. You’ll try to figure out the prerequisites for summoning your favorite musician if it’s as fun as it is to find Moby, want to join LCD Soundsystem even if it means going through the hazing, and wonder just what exactly Devendra Banhart’s sex life is like behind closed doors (on second thought, that one might not be at the top of your list). Also, this week includes the debut of our nomination for the best music video so far this year: Editors’ “Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool,” an intensely wrought animation epic with overt but non-intrusive social symbolism/commentary. After the jump, view all of our picks for best music videos of the past week, and let us know in the comments section if you agree.
In addition to the bigwigs (Blonde Redhead/Band of Horses) and mainstays (Woods/The Antlers), this week’s mix also features bands that have been under the radar because they’re either from across the Atlantic (Mystery Jets/Pony Pony Run Run) or just completely new to us. Get familiar with the next ten, and be sure to Right click + Save As the songs you like after the jump.
