December 2011
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We Listen for You's 10 music resolutions for 2012 →
Concert Goers Camera phone etiquette. I know that you want to get a shot of a band and then post it to instagram, twitter, facebook, etc so that everyone knows that you exist and do cool things, but how many photos do you need to take? The resolution for concert goers is take one photo per set and put your phone away. During the break in between bands, then send it to all your social media...
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airgordon:
It got harder to think and write about music this year, once I realized it was easier to get paid for opinions that came from the middle rather than my own myopic corner of the world. I suppose it would have been easier to stay unpublished, but not with bills to pay and professional connections dangling in the wind. I tried not to write disingenuously; I did enjoy the Katy Perry...
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matthewedwards:
animalnitrate:
and in honor of...
backleftlitz:
And, content with what he’d seen, ready to re-enter the world of lips and shouting and all kinds of crazy, buttonless ways of ‘liking’ things, the blogger shut his laptop, paused, and then beat himself to death with it.
Old emails
As of March 2010, Sharon Van Etten was doing press for Ba Da Bing Records’ Galaxie 500 reissues. There’s hope for you yet, publicists!
The Hospitality album
Can this band be the Odd Future of 2012, please? It’s making me feel actual feelings!
The 11 Most Infuriating Songs Of 2011, No. 3:... →
“Music made for Reddit”: worst musical trend of 2k11? And I actually like Pomplamoose — they’re genuinely hyper-enthusiastic about what they’re doing and reasonably musically talented, if not the saviors of twee-pop or whatever.
Caramanica goes in on "modern rock" →
And just nails it to the wall. Would disagree with his characterization of the new R.E.M. album as being as flat and boring as, say, Hot Chelle Rae, but otherwise he’s on point. Modern rock’s been in a slow-motion collapse since MTV first played the Strokes; I’m amazed the format exists at all, much less quietly sells millions of records.
As Caramanica notes, one of the only...
gifparty:
#menswear
Have you listened to Frank Sinatra's "Watertown"? →
You should! It’s a brilliant concept album and a total lost classic. Probably the best album ever about divorce and kids.
Attempting to chart every movie I've ever watched
For fun, maybe? I’m up to 639, which is starting to sound about right. If you don’t think the modern era is a good time for movies, look at the Box Office Mojo top 200 charts for, say, 2001. Also: thanks to my parents, I have seen so many terrible ’90s romantic comedies. Not thanks to my parents: the Pokemon movie.
"Carnage"
A film which doesn’t attempt to justify its transition from the stage to the cinema, but its quartet of actors are so fine and nervy, why bother? I wasn’t familiar with the play but the script is defter than a Sorkin pilot, angling from a schoolyard squabble to class conflicts, global politics and midlife crises with a gymnast’s ease. John C. Reilly (playing the version of John...
The Bird and the Bee's Hall and Oates tribute... →
This sort of sounds like the Twin Sister album with all the air sucked out of it. Nice synth sounds, though.
RICH: The idea of no consensus is sweet to me, in a year when popular gushing over mediocrity made me feel really isolated. Have fun slogging through Kate Bush’s “50 Words for Snow” for the rest of your lives now that you’ve canonized it, everyone!
From a necessary conversation at the Daily.
The NYer piece on Carrie/Portlandia →
Really great. Great enough to make me wish the show was funnier.
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An interview with producer John Congleton →
On Annie Clark:
She’s very open to ideas and she’s a great idea person, but I think that sometimes she finds the actual construction of a song kind of boring. Almost everything she comes up with is pretty spectacular, but I think that [she] is sort of like “Oh, now we have to put this into a song.” And that is not as inspiring for her.
Huh.
He’s worked on a lot...
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Grungy Gentleman's 2011 menswear awards →
This is fun, though it’s longer than most album of the year lists and I stopped reading to look at the pictures halfway through.
Anonymous asked: Dear Mr. Greenwald: Not long ago you reviewed an album by the Portland based band Parks & Recreation. They have just released a second album and I was wondering if you might be interested in reviewing it. Let us know if you're interested and we'll send you the link. Thanks!! Michael Johnson
"Crazy, Stupid, Love."
I liked this movie, despite the fact that the C story, about the teenage babysitter and Steve Carell’s son, somehow got more airtime than Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling’s EZ-Romance. The thing about Emma Stone: not only is she a fantastic comic actress, she commits, hard. You’re going to give her maybe five scenes in the whole movie after giving her fourth billing? Really? Still...
Had a dream about a Nitsuh Abebe Pitchfork blurb...
I think I have a problem.
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-12-25) →
The National (10)
Brian Eno (9)
The Mountain Goats (7)
Swahili Blonde (5)
Monster Rally (3)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
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When people hate Los Angeles →
Let’s get this out of the way: I hate LA.
I hate LA the way that any good New Yorker hates LA, with a passion bordering on paranoid psychosis. I hate the faux culture, I hate the vapid people, I hate the unctuous politics. I hate their smug attitude toward snow, unless it involves indie movie premieres near ski slopes. I hate the things that are too cliché to even mention hating: their tans,...
That awkward moment when you type “Rebecca Black Friday site:mediafire.com” into Google
Hipster Runoff's top 10 of 2011 →
Majestic is too crass a word.
Drake and Weezy's "The Motto" →
Hey, this is a good song!
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“If I hear a politician use the term ‘paying your fair share’ one more time, I’m going to vomit,” said Golisano, who turned 70 last month, celebrating the birthday with girlfriend Monica Seles, the former tennis star who won nine Grand Slam singles titles.
If I hear a billionaire complaining about anything at all, ever, especially on the record during the holidays, I’m going to vomit
10 Things Mr. Dool Would Like to See Less In 2012 →
Style advice for the Internet.
http://summerairandsunkissedhair.tumblr.com/ →
Is this what the future looks like
I wonder what other r&b records from 2011 those...
maura:
Sorry if this sounds snobby! It’s just, ugh, this is all reminding me of how Eminem gets airplay on rock stations. Cultural signifiers and aesthetic preferences becoming confused and elevating stuff for possibly weird reasons.
Three hours straight of “Countdown” should be mandatory before adding dude to iTunes
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Best Music Writing 2012 →
Submit your favorite music writing of 2011 here for the newly independent (and always excellent) series. Full disclosure: already totally nominated my own stuff.
Complex's list of Jewish references in hip-hop →
Pretty great. Missing my favorite: “It glues to a tightwad / the pyrex is Jewish!” from Clipse’s Hell Hath No Fury.
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2011-12-18) →
Devon Williams (43)
Felt (29)
Lambchop (11)
ARMS (11)
High Highs (11)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Made it into Silver in Starcraft II, finally
Whadda relief.
Spencer Tweedy is probably a better writer than me →
Not that that’s a surprise. Boy, is he good.
Probably going to retreat into 1960s screwball...
Also, Tintin.
"Young Adult"
Did anyone see this movie so we can talk about the stupid movie-ruining ending?