The kings and queens of shoegazing have announced the dates for their first tour in more than 15 years. Bring earplugs, kids:
6/23, 24 London, England
6/28, 29 Manchester, England
7/2, 3 Glasgow, Scotland
7/03-06 Roskilde, Denmark - Roskilde Festival
7/09 Paris, France - Zenith
7/17-20 Benicàssim, Spain - Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
7/25 Naeba, Japan - Fuji Rock Festival
8/08 Oslo, Norway - Øya Festival
9/05 Isle of Wight, England - Bestival
9/19-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York)
09/22, 23 New York, NY - Roseland
09/25 Toronto, Ontario - Ricoh
09/27 Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
09/30 San Francisco, CA - The Concourse
10/1, 2 Los Angeles, CA - Santa Monica Civic
5/07/2008
Superhero Wonderland
Iron Man opens this Friday, May 9th, but already a sequel is being seriously talked about. But wait--there's more: Thor and Captain America are rumored to be individually making it to the big screen in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Hmm...maybe Entourage was onto something.
Oh, and The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton opens June 13th.
Oh, and The Incredible Hulk, starring Edward Norton opens June 13th.
Mixtape Confessions: When They're 65
"What will some of today's most well-known hip-hop artists be doing in 2035? Maybe they won't be running the music world, but they'll probably be doing something beyond applying Fixodent to their grills."
Forgive PopMatters' Ben Rubinstein for being a tad optimistic, at the very least. Here he plays hip-hop Nostradamus and attempts to forsee what the future holds in store for a dozen or so artists of the genre.
Forgive PopMatters' Ben Rubinstein for being a tad optimistic, at the very least. Here he plays hip-hop Nostradamus and attempts to forsee what the future holds in store for a dozen or so artists of the genre.
5/06/2008
New Releases
This week's include:
BARENAKED LADIES Snacktime! (Nettwerk/Desperation)
BRIAN BLADE FELLOWSHIP Seasons of Changes (Verve)
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS Momofuku (Lost Highway)
THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS Age of the Understatement (Domino)
EVAN PARKER/TRANSATLANTIC ART ENSEMBLE Boustrophedon (In Six Furrows) (ECM)
BARENAKED LADIES Snacktime! (Nettwerk/Desperation)
BRIAN BLADE FELLOWSHIP Seasons of Changes (Verve)
ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS Momofuku (Lost Highway)
THE LAST SHADOW PUPPETS Age of the Understatement (Domino)
EVAN PARKER/TRANSATLANTIC ART ENSEMBLE Boustrophedon (In Six Furrows) (ECM)
Hex on the City
With the opening of the Sex and the City movie on the horizon, we thought we'd share our thoughts with you.
Yes, we like and enjoy the fact that our native NYC has become safer and cleaner in the last decade plus. But one thing we miss about the NYC that we knew prior to the last 15 years is how neighborhoods were never status symbols. Generally speaking, unless you lived on Park Ave, Beekman Place, or suburbia, on the one hand; East New York or the South Bronx on the other; your neighborhood was maybe a little safer or a little sketchier than ours. No big deal. It's just how it was.
One of the reasons why even traditional working class neighborhoods have gotten expensive here is out of town folk being sold on the whole “NYC is super expensive” mantra. They come, get price-gouged, accept it as the norm and on they go on the vicious circle merry-go-round. Right or wrong, for the most part, native NYers have too much of a sense of history about their city to fall for the fetish or the fee. (“I’m not paying $1600 for a one bedroom in Park Slope. That block used to be a dump when I was a kid.”) Sex and the City’s crime is how it has glorified, and to many, validated the worst aspects of that phenomenon: the blatant, albeit kindler, gentler materialism, highlighted by the ravenous and highly impractical pursuit of $3000 shoes and other ridiculously priced accoutrements; the proliferation of soulless establishments who shamelessly proffer a wide variety of $14 flavored martinis; and most importantly the non-apologetic evaluation of dating partners based solely on their financial worth and/or connections. (A few years ago the show’s creator Candace Bushnell offered up a pseudo mea culpa in stating that maybe women were scrutinizing their potential partner’s professional resume much more than the personal resume. "Pot, I’d like you to meet Kettle.")
Of course, this being NYC, none of it is a new thing. But Jeffrey Hyman never thought he’d ever belong or even be let in at Le Cirque or Studio 54—at least not until he became Joey Ramone—now every Tracy, Dee and Harriett off the bus at the Port Authority thinks they can be the next Carrie Bradshaw. And why not? “If some Ruth Buzzi-lookalike-in-a-tank-top, of maybe average intelligence can do it, then why not me?” they probably tell themselves. Carrie Bradshaw—and by extension, Sarah Jessica Parker, who like her co-star Kim Catrall, are under the impression they really are Carrie and Samantha, blurring the lines between the character and the person playing her in a way we'd not seen before. At least not by any actor/actress who was respected for their craft—is basically Donald Trump in designer pumps. Not a pretty sight neither figuratively nor literally. That, in a nutshell, is the show’s legacy.
The Sex and the City movie opens in theatres on May 30th.
Yes, we like and enjoy the fact that our native NYC has become safer and cleaner in the last decade plus. But one thing we miss about the NYC that we knew prior to the last 15 years is how neighborhoods were never status symbols. Generally speaking, unless you lived on Park Ave, Beekman Place, or suburbia, on the one hand; East New York or the South Bronx on the other; your neighborhood was maybe a little safer or a little sketchier than ours. No big deal. It's just how it was.
One of the reasons why even traditional working class neighborhoods have gotten expensive here is out of town folk being sold on the whole “NYC is super expensive” mantra. They come, get price-gouged, accept it as the norm and on they go on the vicious circle merry-go-round. Right or wrong, for the most part, native NYers have too much of a sense of history about their city to fall for the fetish or the fee. (“I’m not paying $1600 for a one bedroom in Park Slope. That block used to be a dump when I was a kid.”) Sex and the City’s crime is how it has glorified, and to many, validated the worst aspects of that phenomenon: the blatant, albeit kindler, gentler materialism, highlighted by the ravenous and highly impractical pursuit of $3000 shoes and other ridiculously priced accoutrements; the proliferation of soulless establishments who shamelessly proffer a wide variety of $14 flavored martinis; and most importantly the non-apologetic evaluation of dating partners based solely on their financial worth and/or connections. (A few years ago the show’s creator Candace Bushnell offered up a pseudo mea culpa in stating that maybe women were scrutinizing their potential partner’s professional resume much more than the personal resume. "Pot, I’d like you to meet Kettle.")
Of course, this being NYC, none of it is a new thing. But Jeffrey Hyman never thought he’d ever belong or even be let in at Le Cirque or Studio 54—at least not until he became Joey Ramone—now every Tracy, Dee and Harriett off the bus at the Port Authority thinks they can be the next Carrie Bradshaw. And why not? “If some Ruth Buzzi-lookalike-in-a-tank-top, of maybe average intelligence can do it, then why not me?” they probably tell themselves. Carrie Bradshaw—and by extension, Sarah Jessica Parker, who like her co-star Kim Catrall, are under the impression they really are Carrie and Samantha, blurring the lines between the character and the person playing her in a way we'd not seen before. At least not by any actor/actress who was respected for their craft—is basically Donald Trump in designer pumps. Not a pretty sight neither figuratively nor literally. That, in a nutshell, is the show’s legacy.
The Sex and the City movie opens in theatres on May 30th.
5/05/2008
This Week's Playlist: Wave Goodbye
This playlist is a bit grim: songs by and or about death or dead people. Welcome to Monday morning: Enjoy!
1. THE BEATLES “Julia” (Apple)
2. JEFF BUCKLEY “The Sky is a Landfill” (Epic)
3. CHRIS CORNELL “Wave Goodbye” (A&M)
4. NICK DRAKE “Pink Moon” (Island)
5. EELS “Suicide Life” (Vagrant)
6. THE MARS VOLTA “The Widow” (Interscope)
7. HENRY MENA “Jacques Cousteau” (One Seventeen)
8. PINK FLOYD “Wish You Were Here” (Columbia)
9. ELLIOTT SMITH “Happiness” (Dreamworks)
10. TEMPLE OF THE DOG “Say Hello to Heaven” (A&M)
1. THE BEATLES “Julia” (Apple)
2. JEFF BUCKLEY “The Sky is a Landfill” (Epic)
3. CHRIS CORNELL “Wave Goodbye” (A&M)
4. NICK DRAKE “Pink Moon” (Island)
5. EELS “Suicide Life” (Vagrant)
6. THE MARS VOLTA “The Widow” (Interscope)
7. HENRY MENA “Jacques Cousteau” (One Seventeen)
8. PINK FLOYD “Wish You Were Here” (Columbia)
9. ELLIOTT SMITH “Happiness” (Dreamworks)
10. TEMPLE OF THE DOG “Say Hello to Heaven” (A&M)
Cinco de Miles
[May 5th, 1959 was the release date for Miles Davis' seminal album Kind of Blue. We've scoured the "5" vaults and are reposting our review here for all of you that may have missed it the first time. And, no, smart ass, we didn't write it in '59. -KJ]
MILES DAVIS Kind Of Blue (Sony-1959)
A landmark record which we happen to love more and more with the steady passage of time, what can we say about Kind Of Blue that hasn’t been already said a million times and rightfully so? Absolutely nothing. But we’ll say it anyway: A work of pure genius that is cerebral yet accessible; largely improvised but played in a very cohesive manner by a stellar lineup of jazz greats in their prime; loved by neophytes and jazz scholars alike. Kind Of Blue is arguably—actually, the dissenters number as many as the dodo bird—the greatest of all jazz albums. Adding to its stature is the fact that half a century after its original release it sells at a rate of 5,000 copies a week, making it the biggest selling jazz album of all time. (No, Virginia: Kenny G is not fuckin’ jazz!!)
So, to summarize, what is it about this almost 50 year-old album that still captures our hearts after uncounted repeated listenings?
Is it that:
a) as musicians we can appreciate the artistry of Miles and the cast of heavyweights on it (including John Coltrane and Bill Evans)?
b) as music fans it speaks to us so profoundly?
c) its presence brings an added reflective quality to any situation: from conversation to romance to bliss?
d) perhaps, all of the above?
Answer: d), silly.
MILES DAVIS Kind Of Blue (Sony-1959)
A landmark record which we happen to love more and more with the steady passage of time, what can we say about Kind Of Blue that hasn’t been already said a million times and rightfully so? Absolutely nothing. But we’ll say it anyway: A work of pure genius that is cerebral yet accessible; largely improvised but played in a very cohesive manner by a stellar lineup of jazz greats in their prime; loved by neophytes and jazz scholars alike. Kind Of Blue is arguably—actually, the dissenters number as many as the dodo bird—the greatest of all jazz albums. Adding to its stature is the fact that half a century after its original release it sells at a rate of 5,000 copies a week, making it the biggest selling jazz album of all time. (No, Virginia: Kenny G is not fuckin’ jazz!!)
So, to summarize, what is it about this almost 50 year-old album that still captures our hearts after uncounted repeated listenings?
Is it that:
a) as musicians we can appreciate the artistry of Miles and the cast of heavyweights on it (including John Coltrane and Bill Evans)?
b) as music fans it speaks to us so profoundly?
c) its presence brings an added reflective quality to any situation: from conversation to romance to bliss?
d) perhaps, all of the above?
Answer: d), silly.
NIN Gives it Away
“Thank you for your continued and loyal support over the years--this one's on me."
And with that, Trent Reznor has jumped way ahead of the July release date for the new Nine Inch Nails album, The Slip, and made it available for free download on the band's website.
Starting today, May 5th, users submitting their e-mail address to the site, will be sent a link to download The Slip in various digital formats plus a PDF file with lyric and artwork.
Nine Inch Nails will be hitting the road this summer and have been offering fans the option to reserve premium seats before any exlusive pre-sales start, when they sign up for tickets via nin.com.
And with that, Trent Reznor has jumped way ahead of the July release date for the new Nine Inch Nails album, The Slip, and made it available for free download on the band's website.
Starting today, May 5th, users submitting their e-mail address to the site, will be sent a link to download The Slip in various digital formats plus a PDF file with lyric and artwork.
Nine Inch Nails will be hitting the road this summer and have been offering fans the option to reserve premium seats before any exlusive pre-sales start, when they sign up for tickets via nin.com.
Why?!
Boston will be releasing a new album and touring with former Stryper frontman Michael Sweet. Brad Delp, who sang lead on all the classic Boston tracks from the ‘70s, committed suicide last year.
Lucky 13?
The Cure’s 13th studio album will see the light of day on September 13th. Meanwhile, to promote the as-of-yet-untitled record, the band will release a CD and digital single on the 13th of May, June, July and August, respectively.
The Cure’s North American tour kicks off May 9th in Washington DC. Hmmm….any chance “The 13th” from their 1996 album Wild Mood Swings makes it to the set list?
The Cure’s North American tour kicks off May 9th in Washington DC. Hmmm….any chance “The 13th” from their 1996 album Wild Mood Swings makes it to the set list?
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