July 2009
22 posts
4 tags
"...everything indicates left on a map..." (APW...
(We’ll be at APW on Friday and Saturday this weekend with periodic coverage both here at CotP and on my Twitter feed here.) Last year’s All Points West Music and Arts Festival was a reasonable success. The shindig was initially billed by the folks at AEG/Goldenvoice (and as a result, the press) as “Coachella East,” but with the promise of more hipsters given the short distance between...
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Tell me, What Will It Be?
I know I just claimed that Highlife track to be my favorite of ‘09, but this one by funky NYC crew Javelin is a close contender. Yes its a summer jam, but I don’t think its crazy to imagine that it will still be fun to listen to once it gets cold again. There are enough squiggles and squeals in here to keep everyone happy. Like they are laying out a sonic buffet and sincerely asking,...
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Highlife
I have been dealing almost strictly in hyperbole as of late, so I have no problem saying that this is my favorite song of 2009 (thus far at least). If there is any trend that I am happy to embrace in pop music it is the growing influence of the African diaspora (in this case highlife). I am certainly no expert in the nuances of genres originating from the continent, but I pretty much appreciate...
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Bicycle Horror
UK crew, the Horrors, remix Memory Tapes “Bicycle”, the first single off his upcoming full length Seek Magic… awesomeness ensues. mp3:Memory Tapes - Bicycle (Horrors Cosmic Dub) Also check out Memory Tapes interview with P4K, the veil of mystery has been lifted! And I could honestly care less, dudes the man.
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Culture Club - 7.28.09
An FYI: Culture Club posts will now be primarily music links, with only a link or two to the most interesting non-music content I’ve come across. I pass along all sorts of other good stuff on Twitter. Follow me here. To the links! -Sasha Frere-Jones is writing a short MJ book -Funny series over at Chicago Public Radio: helping bands fix their Wikipedia entries -Judging from the trailer, Tron...
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Doizenberry 7.28.09
It’s been a while, so here’s some of the videos I’ve been enjoying of late. Fantastic HD video Kuroshio Sea, the 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world, set to “Please Don’t Go” by Barcelona) Wu-Tang (Legos): Da Mystery of Chessboxin’ (via) The Fader talked with Esau and Radioclit of The Very Best Finally, First Showing has a wonderful new video piece...
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Pitchfork Recap, Part Deux
I, too, attended Pitchfork’s festival last weekend in Chicago, but I wasn’t on the ball, so here are my tardy thoughts on all the good music we saw. The Very Best (Sunday night) In my mind, the most memorable performance of the weekend came from The Very Best, the wonderful collaboration between Esau Mwamwaya and Radioclit. They were pitted opposite the Flaming Lips, and D, Laura, Liz and I...
6 tags
It Will Burn Out Your Heart
I have been on a literal Sweden binge as of late. Maybe it is their ridiculously high standard of living (that inevitably stems from their ridiculously homogeneous population, but that is an argument for another day) that endows them with some preternatural ability to create perfect pop gems. It seems as if each track is a 101 course on the positive aspects of the democratization of music in the...
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Phrazes for the Young
I was a huge fan of Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti’s side project Little Joy so there’s no reason to doubt the new project by Strokes front man Julian Casablancas (transitive property, obviously); especially not after watching this incredibly awesome, if not slightly foreboding, preview. Check it out.
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Suckers
In the wake of the P4K festival this weekend I have been craving new Yeasayer, but according to recent interviews it will be at least until winter before we hear anything new. In my desperation, I backtracked to the Suckers EP that got released a few months ago remembering that Anand Wilder of Yeasayer helped produce the album; I’ll take what I can get at this point. I am pretty sure I...
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Pitchfork Festival Recap
A brief recap of the ups and downs of this weekends festivities through my slightly more intoxicated eyes…I’m sure Sam will have plenty to add later The Very Best (Sunday Night) I’ll come right out with this one and say that this was my favorite performance of the weekend. Stacked up against the Flaming Lips for the final spot on Sunday night, the team of Esau Mwamwaya and...
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Pitchfork - Sunday Preview
So, I know we promised daily updates, but it’s gonna have to wait until Monday. Quick synopsis: Yeasayer, Matt and Kim and Lindstrøm were awesome. Stoked for today, particularly: M83 - We Own the Sky The Very Best - Will You Be There
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Pitchfork - Saturday
Heavy D, Laura and myself are headed to Chicago tonight for the 2009 Pitchfork Music Festival. The lineup is pretty, pretty, pretty good, so if you enjoyed our Coachella coverage, please check back tomorrow, Sunday and Monday for more of the same. FYI: all of us are skipping tonight for various reasons, so don’t come looking for any Built to Spill setlists. We’ll be posting...
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Overnite Religion
Kurt Vile is my favorite new artist of the past several years. There I said it. As the frontman for War on Drugs or as solo hitmaker, the kid just makes music I want to listen to, plain and simple. I feel like I have to train (delude?) myself to like a lot of the music kicking around the blogosphere these days, but not the case with Vile. His brand of American-folk-rock-what-have-you feels...
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Thanks But No Thanks
When not making dope remixes the St Louis producer Phaseone is churning out some pretty dark electronic beats of his own. His debut LP Thanks But No Thanks is floating around for free on the web these days and is definitely worth the 2 minute Google search, and not just for the awesome title. Phaseone - Love Test (Only) Phaseone - Cadence + Athena
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Bump n' Run
I grew up a hip hop kid, with a few dashes of older reggae, Daft Punk and Dave Matthews Band. The former two have remained in heavy rotation up into adult hood, while the latter has, thankfully, fallen by the wayside. (Note: I wont attempt to defend liking Dave Matthews Band; at a certain age, you just don’t know any better.) But hip hop was always the staple growing up, from my first...
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Dont Look Down
Two of my favorite things about summer are sweet jams (see two posts down) and rooftop decks. I’m a man of simple pleasures… So naturally I am pretty stoked about P4k’s latest feature where they have bands play..wait for it… on roof tops in NYC. Genius! All jokes aside, their latest episode with Cymbals Eat Guitars is dope. I am surprised how well they come through live,...
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Big Baby
A few months back, my friend G-$ (pronounced “gee-money”) played me an interesting project titled My Number One Fan. The album is an interesting mix of synth, auto-tune and big drum beats and I really enjoyed listening to it; it’s a fun summertime record. Only after we listened to the album straight through did G-$ mention that it was the brain/laptop child of Mark Boccard. ...
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Raspberry Jam...
Summer is the time for music that fits squarely into the “jam” category. I’ve been enjoying my fair share of fruit preserves this summer. Here’s a few favorites: •Your Twenties is a new band hailing from Devon, England. As a former Devonshirite, or something, I’m inclined to enjoy this band’s fun, upbeat pop. My inclination isn’t necessary, Your...
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Culture Club - 7/9/09
Still catching up on things, but here’s a good batch of longer links from the last week or two. Music -Trent Reznor provides an interesting blueprint for up and coming bands -A video interview with Peanut Butter Wolf -From Pitchfork TV: Animal Collective’s P4k Festival set from last year and a highly entertaining documentary This is Jim Jones -Kelefa Sanneh on Michael Jackson -Sasha...
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Shout Outs.
Ladies and Gentleman, Please forgive my absence. I was enrolled in a fantastic intensive Spanish course with the good folks at Rassias and Dartmouth for the last two weeks. Believe me, I’d rather do anything but ignore our fine readers here at Cities of the Plain; yet, with all the classes (around eight hours each day), group meals and brain fatigue, I didn’t have the time to listen to or write...
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Life on Earth
I have been a little bit off my game lately, what, with the holiday and all, but I am ready to get back at it this week. Sporting a pretty serious 4th of July hangover I am in absolutely no mood for jarring music, so Tiny Vipers’ release of Life on Earth could not come at a more opportune time. Jesy Fortino, the haunting voice behind Tiny Vipers, impresses me for a number of reasons. Not...