Candy Beans by Joe Coscarelli

Just to recap: I have moved on

2009-07-14T14:29:00.002-03:00

"Big ups, to all my h8rs" -- ME, ELSEWHERE, MORE

2008-08-04T17:18:00.002-03:00

1988: Morrissey: Viva Hate
1989: The Cure: Disintegration
1990: Cocteau Twins: Heaven or Las Vegas
1991: My Bloody Valentine: Loveless
1992: R.E.M.: Automatic For The People
1993: Liz Phair: Exile in Guyville
1994: Nas: Illmatic
1995: Oasis: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?
1996: Weezer: Pinkerton
1997: Third Eye Blind: Third Eye Blind
1998: Neutral Milk Hotel: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
1999: Sigur Rós: Ágætis byrjun
2000: Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker
2001: Against Me!: Reinventing Axl Rose
2002: Broken Social Scene: You Forgot It In People
2003: Jay-Z: The Black Album
2004: Rilo Kiley: More Adventurous
2005: The National: Alligator
2006: Brand New: The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me
2007: Lil Wayne: Da Drought 3
2008: Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III / No Age: Nouns

"Me and Mariah go back like babies and pacifiers."

2008-06-30T17:21:00.003-03:00

Tilly and the Wall - O

Tilly and the Wall have never been shy about getting a little bit feisty. On their debut album Wild Like Children they famously – among their die-hards, anyway – chanted "I wanna fuck it up and I feel so alive," in an ode to those high school kids who dress in drag and can't stop touching each other. And so 'Night of the Living Dead' became the group's rousing anthem – an entire teenage experience colored by nostalgia and packed into a tight four minutes – but their fascination with naive experimentation, both in pushing the boundaries of authority and of a more sexual nature, didn't end there. Instead of "maturing" and becoming jaded, the band's sophomore album, Bottoms of Barrels, paired the passion of green youth with the expanding of sonic boundaries, perfected on the latin-flavored, Almódovar-biting 'Bad Education', a song packed with more cross-dressing and more urgent humping. Kids grow up so fast these days. READ THE REST

"I do what I do." -- NYU-LOCAL LAUNCH

2008-04-08T03:26:00.004-03:00

NYU-Local is a beta-go. Entertainment is also a work in progress. Check back often.

"Fifty ways to get lost."

2008-04-04T21:04:00.001-03:00

"I hate myself for hating them."

2008-03-25T12:36:00.004-03:00

For those with a savvy eye, and who might be quick to point a finger, I'd like it to be on record that this review was turned in before M. Hogan 's was even published on the 'fork. Because of site problems at WB, mine was just posted.

Los Campesinos!
Hold On Now, Youngster...

Los Campesinos!, the scrappy septet of ragtag record store regulars from Wales, have not crafted a weighty, serious record in Hold On Now, Youngster... but the questions it raises are of a personal variety and take a high level of self-awareness to confront. Ask yourself if you have the stomach for this, and be honest; it will save you some time and save us your bitching. Do you finish the sour sugar at the end of a bag candies or do your teeth shiver at the thought? Let this answer guide you. READ THE REST

Please do.

Los Campesinos! Don't Tell Me To Do the Math(s)

"Your little hoodrat friend makes me sick." -- REVIEW ROUND-UP

2008-02-24T12:29:00.005-03:00

Remember me? I've been writing reviews. In order of preference:

Born Ruffians
Red, Yellow, and Blue

What if Born Ruffians, the hyper-active Canadian four-piece, founded their own nation? A question bordering on inane, sure, but let us just conceptualize. If the band's music is any indication, things in this land might be rather anarchic. In this fantasy world a neurotic leadership would attempt to quell a population of equally high-strung, overmedicated wanderers ('Barnacle Goose'), basket cases ('I Need A Life') and dream-chasers ('Hedonistic Me'). Still, the higher-ups would be painfully unfit for the job, their primary concern being the flag's aesthetics ('Red, Yellow, and Blue'). There would be an insatiable thirst for nothing in particular ('Red Elephant'), but the revolutionary spirit would run deep, expressed in a series of public demonstrations in which vandalism would play no small part. Granted, this is all purely speculation – with the only certainty the national colours – but that is one world that could be imagined and illustrated on Red, Yellow, and Blue through pop-rock nuggets and waltzes, vigorous gang chants, and unsophisticated but endearing charm. READ THE REST

But more importantly, get the album. ^^^^^

Jason Collett
Here's to Being Here

The quest for the next Bob Dylan has always been inherently paradoxical. After all, the reason you'd even want another is because the first was never defined, never fully understood, and never pinned down. The man and the myth – so arduously defined in last year's Todd Haynes "biopic" I'm Not There – remains as elusive a legend as pop music has ever had, culturally camouflaged and bouncing between fake idol and true prophet, sometimes playing both simultaneously. Still, bits of Dylan's legacy can be found in Conor Oberst's wide-eyed idealism and sharp tongue, M. Ward's rustic timelessness, Elvis Perkins' quirky and winding wordplay, and here noteworthy, Jason Collett's vocal timbre. READ THE REST

Last and least...

Lightspeed Champion
Falling Off the Lavender Bridge

Far too few music fans worry about the effects of the Indie Rock Machine. While McDonalds and Starbucks permeate every last inch of the globe, consumers cower in fear of the looming corporate shadow. Of course, they still line up for their decaf-double-tall-mint-non-fat mocha, but most will feel that itch of conscience about the big business invasion they're supporting. Are we paying for consistency or blindly backing homogeneity? Your answer depends largely on a semantic battle – a slight disparity in connotation. Apply this to music. What happens when an indie rock superpower starts drifting into monolith territory? What happens when your favorite midwestern basement startup-turned-empire colours the debut from a British near-sensation? READ THE REST

Born Ruffians This Sentence Will Save/Ruin Your Life

Jason Collett Roll On Oblivion

Lightspeed Champion Everyone I Know Is Listening To Crunk

"You should tip her."

2008-01-19T14:54:00.000-03:00

SPIN.com Artist of the Day

Hello, Blue Roses

Who? The love child of two multi-talented, multi-tasking eclectics, Hello, Blue Roses pairs visual artist/vocalist/flautist Sydney Vermont with her scraggly-haired sweetheart, artsy singer/songwriter Dan Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers, Swan Lake), to make up this charming duo. Their intimacy beget a distinctive and engrossing debut album, complete with the awww-inspiring title, The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed to Capture Your Beauty... due Jan. 22 via the Locust label.

What's the Deal? Like a Sonny & Cher for the hippest sectors of the Great White North, these Vancouverites are anything but frigid, delivering 14 warm embers of by-the-fire folk fitted for the lovelorn literati. Written by Vermont and arranged by Bejar, the set sounds pristine and nearly regal -- Vermont's chandelier-shaking falsetto ever-climbing as on the autonomous lead track "Hello Blue Roses" and Bejar's compositional majesty unleashing glimmering galactic synths on "Shadow Falls" or his signature '70s-gone-bare wailing riffs riding acoustic strums during "Coming Through Imposture." Elsewhere, the almost-medieval "Come Darkness" conjures frills and flowing dresses in a flute-filled reverie while their cover of Kevin Ayers' "Hymn" demonstrates a couple's premonition in a winding acoustic duet, each idiosyncratic voice rising, falling, and breaking in harmony.

Fun Fact: "My art usually comes out of books of fiction, and tends towards women," Vermont tells SPIN.com. In fact, the band takes its name from the Tennessee Williams play, The Glass Menagerie, in which the tragic female lead Laura explains her affliction as pluerosis, misunderstood by her great love Jim as "Blue Roses." JOSEPH COSCARELLI

Now Hear This
Hello, Blue Roses - "Shadows Fall" DOWNLOAD MP3

On the Web:
Hello, Blue Roses at MySpace

via SPIN.com

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" -- GLOSSARY OF TERMS FROM THE ALBUM-OTY

2007-12-31T02:33:00.005-03:00

Da Drought 3 is my favorite album of the year. And when forced to single out the one aspect of the two-disc mixtape that kept me coming back constantly, I have to point toward the hundreds of references in Wayne's lyrics. Nearly all of the album's metaphors are used for bragging, many are obscene or inappropriate but hardly any are completely random. Weezy is extremely deliberate in his moments of pop culture reference and the more I heard the songs, the more I learned about his personality. Subtly, they reveal his genius.In "Seat Down Low," after a particularly regional reference, Wayne stops rapping and explains how you'd have to be from New Orleans to understand what he's talking about. But geography isn't the only limitation to his style of wordplay -- piling obscure sports reference on to fashion slang next to gun talk mixed with '80s movies and food, it's a seemingly scattered combination of rather small niches. It's frustrating for many and straight over even more heads. But unlike Cam'ron -- whose looney namedrops make sense only in his own mind -- Wayne's precision, when examined closely, is commendable. To me, the entire tape was a game of Trivial Pursuit: Pop Culture Edition, or an extended riddle. I couldn't get enough, so I started jotting down some of the smarter ones. I left out the numerous rapper shout-outs, some obvious branding (alcohol, for instance), and stuck mainly to the proper nouns, which forced me to leave out many of Drought 3's most clever lines ("I've got the hardest bars/Call me the warden"). But if Lil Wayne left you scratching your head at any line this year, let this be your guide. Without further ado, I bring you...

Da Drought 3 For Dummies: The Lil Wayne Learner
A Multimedia Glossary of Terms

1, 2, 3, etc.

1825 Tulane
Song: "Seat Down Low"
Line: "I'm so New Orleans like 1825 Tulane"
Meaning: Referencing his birthplace, Wayne invokes a famous local commercial for a furniture store, Rosenberg's, and their ubiquitous jingle known far and wide by Louisiana residents:

Rosenberg's, Rosenberg's, you've got a lot to gain. Rosenberg's, Rosenberg's, eighteen twenty-five... Tulane.

A

Amil
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "Make that chick rock/Get my Amil on"
Meaning: Roc-a-Fella female artist best known for a guest appearance on Jay-Z's "Can I Get a…" Wayne cleverly plays with his ability to make a female dance, or "rock," and puns with Amil's label, the Roc.

B

Baker, Anita
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "Seat way back listenin' to Anita Baker/Right here by myself smokin' weed by the acre"
Meaning: A world famous R&B singer; an instance of Wayne showing off his impeccable taste

Bathing Ape
Song: "Dipset 2"
Line: "Gorillas turn into Bathing Apes when I make it rain"
Meaning: Asian designer Nigo's clothing line, aka Bape; extremely popular in the urban community due to a push by Pharrel Williams, the Clipse, or Lil Wayne, depending on who you believe. Sharp punchline -- get it? -- wet monkeys...Bishop Don Juan
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "And I got more green than the Bishop Don Juan"
Meaning: A pimp, hip-hop artist and fashion designer reveered in the rap community; notable for his green outfits and perfect for a money-boasting line.Bodyguard, The
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "I just be chillin' in the Phantom/Listenin' to opera/Gun is my bodyguard/Call it Kevin Costner"
Meaning: 1992 film starring Kevin Costner as a bodyguard to a pop star portrayed by Whitney Houston. Possibly coincidentally, the movie is sold as a two-pack with another film, The Phantom of the Opera. If Wayne constructed the line this way on purpose he really is the Martian he claims he is. Unreal.

Bonnie and Clyde
Song: "Dipset 2"
Line: "Riding shotty/A bad bitch/Clyde and Bonnie"
Meaning: Infamous outlaws and subjects of a 1967 film starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, with Bonnie as an archetype for the rap-approved ride-or-die chick.

Brown, Cole
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "And I'm Cole/Not dude off Martin"
Meaning: One of two best-friend characters to Martin Lawrence's lead on his 1990s FOX TV show Martin. Toying with cole/cold (as he does with Keisha on his much maligned "Barry Bonds" guest spot), Wayne pulls off one of the most obscure references on the album.Bryant, Kobe
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "I must be Lebron James if he Jordan/No, I want rings for my performance/I'm more Kobe Bryant of an artist/Same coach, same game, been startin'/Same triangle offense"
Meaning: NBA player often hailed as the next greatest -- Michael Jordan = Jay-Z. He is a 3-time world champion (rings) with the LA Lakers and coach Phil Jackson, best known for his "triangle offense."

Buffalo Bills
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "I'm cold/Yeah, I get my Buffalo Bill on"
Meaning: NFL team in upstate New York known for snowy games and "cold feet" in the Super Bowl, winning four consecutive AFC titles and a grand total of zero championships.Bunyan, Paul
Song: "Walk It Out"
Line: "Stayin on my toes you can call me Paul Bunyan"
Meaning: Mythical lumberjack, known for his towering height and his blue ox, Babe.
C

Campbell, Earl/Campbell's Soup
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "Campbell's Soup on the wrist/Just call me Earl"
Meaning: Calling attention to his gaudy jewelry using both a hall-of-fame NFL running back (from his hometown New Orleans Saints, no less) and America's favorite mmm, mmm good winter antidote.

Carruth, Rae
Song: "New Cash Money"
Line: "I'm killin' these niggas/Young Wayne Carruth"
Meaning: One of the more brutal punchlines, Rae Carruth is the NFL player currently imprisoned for conspiracy to commit murder after having his pregnant girlfriend killed in 1999. Carruth gathered some candy bars and bottles to pee in and hid in a trunk. Classy.

Carson, Sonny*
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "A black activist like Sonny Carson"
Meaning: A former gang member turned social servant, not unlike Malcom X, whose life and autobiography, The Education of Sonny Carson, was made into a film.

Claiborne, Liz
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "I'm straight from Claiborne/Just ask Liz"
Meaning: Another sly double entendre, Weezy refers to both the fashion designer/brand and either the parish/city or prominent street in Louisiana.

Cobain, Kurt/"Smells Like Teen Spirit"
Song: "Dipset 2"
Line: "Smellin' teen spirit/Like Kurt Cobain was here"
Meaning: A reference to the 1990s grunge rocker and Nirvana lead singer and the group's biggest hit; also a nod to the song from which this beat was taken, partner-in-rhyme Juelz Santana's "Dipset (Santana's Town)" in which JS spits, "The whole Byrd Gang's in here/Like Kurt Cobain was here/Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah."

Commission, The
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "The only down South rapper coulda been in The Firm/Or The Commission/Or Wu-Tang"
Meaning: Though Southern rap is often slighted for being gimmicky and full of one hit wonders, Wayne asserts his dominance by comparing himself to three classic NYC rap groups: The Firm (including Nas, Foxy Brown, AZ and more), The Commission (featuring Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z, Charli Baltimore, Puff Daddy, etc.), and Wu-Tang (RZA, GZA, Ghostface Killah, et al.).

Contra*
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "Tote big guns like I'm still playin' Contra"
Meaning: A classic shoot-'em-up arcade game.Costner, Kevin
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "I just be chillin' in the Phantom/Listenin' to opera/Gun is my bodyguard/Call it Kevin Costner"
Meaning: see Bodyguard, The

Creed, Apollo/Rocky
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "I’m a champion/Where's the fucking Rocky theme/Rest in peace Apollo Creed/I'm a monster/Everyday is Halloween"
Meaning: The reigning Heavyweight Champion of the world in the first of Stallone's Rocky series, Creed meets his untimely death against Dolph Lundgren's Soviet fighter Ivan Drago in Rocky IV. (See below).

Creatine
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "Big stacks/My pockets on Creatine"
Meaning: A commonly used performance enhancing dietary supplement, in this case used to indicate big money in Weezy's pockets.

D

Dampier, Eric
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "I ball and you're just Eric Dampier, dawg"
Meaning: While Wayne embodies Lebron, Jordan and Kobe all at once, Dampier is the representation of a painfully average NBA player. In the clip below he's the one getting dunked over.

Duncan, Tim
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "And I might do the Spurs/Sittin' on them Tim Duncans"
Meaning: Another NBA player, Duncan is the San Antonio Spurs star power forward -- a big man who wears the number 21, here used as a reference to giant rims (21 inches, to be exact) on a car.Dunkin' Donuts
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "And in the Lambourghini I do Donuts like Dunkin"
Meaning: A popular North American doughnut franchise made into a metaphor for reckless driving.
E
Energizer Bunny
Song: "Back On My Grizzy"
Line: "Like the Energizer Bunny with a battery pack/Boy, that drummer keep drumming like brrat-at-tat-tat"
Meaning: Popular ad campaign for Energizer batteries.

Favre, Brett
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "More like Brett Favre/Just like Brett Favre"
Meaning: NFL player and Green Bay Packers quarterback, Favre is well-known for his consistency including a consecutive games played streak currently at 253 regular season games (and going, and going, and going...).

F

Fergalicious*
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "I get em high/Higher than turbulences/White Phantom/Lookin So Fergalicious"
Meaning: Fergalicious definition make them boys go loco:

Firm, The
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "The only down South rapper coulda been in The Firm/Or The Commission/Or Wu-Tang"
Meaning: see Commission, The

Funyun
Song: "Walk It Out"
Line: "Yellow diamond ring lookin' like a little Funyun/Stayin on my toes you can call me Paul Bunyon"
Meaning: A chip-type snack, onion flavored in a ring shape.
G

Gervin, George
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "George Gervin/I'ma get my chill on"
Meaning: A former NBA player nicknamed the Iceman for his level head.

Gill, Johnny
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "In the New Edition/Yeah, I get my Johnny Gill on"
Meaning: Though Wayne is referring a new model of a car, he pulls out the name Johnny Gill, who was a member of the 1980s R&B boy band New Edition after the departure of Bobby Brown.

Gillie Da Kid
Song: "Live from 504"
Line: "I swim with the big/So I don't have time to deal with Willie Da Squid"
Meaning: A little swipe at a rival; Gillie claimed to have written some of Lil Wayne's earlier lyrics in a series of YouTube attacks and magazine interviews. Wayne riffs on his name and sea creatures with a cocky diss claiming that the two are not even in the same league.

Gladys Knight & the Pips
Song: "King Kong"
Line: "And I let him sing like Gladys Knight & the Pips"
Meaning: Apparently, when unleashed, Wayne's weapons sing like this historical southern soul act.

Godzilla
Song: "King Kong"
Line: "Godzilla, King Kong/And if I have to park/I will open up my trunk and it will be Jurassic Park" Meaning: Where the original "King Kong" track refers to a massive speaker system ("If you hear me 'fore you see me"), Wayne twists the cut to describe his guns in all their movie monster glory.Gore, Frank
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "Make your so-called soliders run just like Gore/Yeah, Frank that is from San Francis"
Meaning: Gore is an NFL running back for the San Francisco 49ers, not to be confused with Al Gore, who is also known for running.

Gremlins, The
Song: "Sky's the Limit"
Line: "Relying on rap, but in the kitchen I'm a chemist/And when I was 5, my favorite movie was The Gremlins/Ain't got shit to do with this, but I just thought that I should mention"
Meaning: In one of the more free-associative lines on the record, Wayne interrupts a drug tale with a childhood flashback, referencing this 1984 film about mischievous monsters. Trailer below.

Grier, Pam
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "My girl get her Pam Grier on"
Meaning: Wayne's women allegedly all look like this beautiful actress.Gucci
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "Fresh!/A bunch of little G's on my kicks"
Meaning: An upscale brand and in this case, sneaker reference.Gushers
Song: "Walk It Out"
Line: "Explode in a bitch mouth like a Gusher"
Meaning: A fairly disgusting and graphic sexual reference to this delicious candy snack.

H

Hall, Dante
Song: "Dipset"
Line: "I'm like Dante Hall/I just throw up the X"
Meaning: An NFL player nicknamed X-Man or X-factor, as well a reference to the drug Ecstacy.Harding, Tonya
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "Yeah excuse me, pardon/I break down a bitch like Tonya Harding"
Meaning: Harding is a notorious ice skater charged with conspiring to have her chief competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, hit on the knee with a crowbar. Later, in the Olympics, Harding placed eighth while Kerrigan healed and earned a silver medal.

Hardy, Ed
Song: "Dipset"
Line: "In California poppin'/Ed Hardy rockin'"
Meaning: Hardy is a California-based tattoo artist turned clothing line turned energy drink (?!).
Harry and the Hendersons
Song: "King Kong"
Line: "Married to the Benjamins/Battle all my enemies/Riding with Big Foot/Harry and the Hendersons"
Meaning: By naming this 1987 John Lithgow film, Wayne continues his reference to guns as monsters but makes in downright silly. Completely absurd -- one of the top 5 lines on the mixtape. Hilarious clip:

Hearns, Tom
Song: "Don't Stop, Won't Stop"
Line: "And I knock this shit out like Tom Hearns"
Meaning: Hearns is a 7-time world champion professional boxer.

Hilfiger, Tommy
Song: "Dipset"
Line: "This ain't no Tommy Hilfiger/This that Polo, ho/We be the biggest group alive that get that solo dough"
Meaning: Tommy Hilfiger is a clothing designer who makes apparel not quite as nice as that made by Ralph Lauren, including his signature Polo brand.

Hill, Stephen
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "Black Entertainment/Yeah, I get my Stephen Hill on"
Meaning: Hill is an executive at the television channel Black Entertainment Television."Hot In Herre"
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "And I know this old but I'm really "Hot in Herre"'
Meaning: Wayne is so hyper-self-aware in his references that he even slights himself for dropping the title line from this 2002 Nelly hit.

Hoya
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "Yes, I'm a dog/I'm a Hoya homie/I'm a boss/Ya man's just an employer, mami"
Meaning: In this swipe at Jay-Z over his girlfriend's beat, Wayne compares himself to the bulldog mascot for Georgetown University athletics.Hughes, Langston
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "Listen how my words are poetic like Langston/Dreads down my back like I come straight from Kingston"
Meaning: Hughes was an African-American writer and poet during the Harlem Renaissance.

Hussein, Saddam
Song: "Back On My Grizzy"
Line: "My game goes Saddam Hussein/I missile launch"
Meaning: This mention of the former Iraqi dictator seems a bit misguided; apparently Wayne bought into WMDs, too.

I

J
James, Lebron
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "I must be Lebron James if he Jordan"
Meaning: see Bryant, Kobe

"Jesus Walks"
Song: "Intro"
Line: "Come from da land dat Jesus walk through/Sacrifice me life man I bleed for me own crew"
Meaning: In conjuring both this Kanye West song and the Lord and Savior himself, Wayne calls himself martyr and insists his level of loyalty would carry toward crucification. Oh, and it just so happens to be at the time when Mims' "This Is Why I'm Hot" takes a little foray West...

Johnson, Avery
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "It's a new game/And I'm the coach like Avery"
Meaning: Johnson is a former NBA player and currently the coach of the Dallas Mavericks.

Jolie, Angelina
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "Need a bitch with some lips like Angelin/-A Jolie/Holy God flow"
Meaning: Superstar actress well-known for her full lips. The magic here is the little hanging syllable trick, generally used flawlessly by Andre 3000.Jones, Toccara*
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "My pockets stay chubby like Toccara/Or should I say fat like The Parkers?"
Meaning: Toccara is a popular model in the hip-hop community known for her thick body -- I guess Juelz likes 'em a bit smaller.Jordan, Michael
Song: "Upgrade U"/"Put Some Keys On That"
Line: "Young Carter darlin', understand I am Michael Jordan ballin'" ….. "Two niggas can't guard me/You lookin' at Jordan"
Meaning: Generally considered the greatest basketball player of all time; a six-time NBA champ.

Jurassic Park
Song: "King Kong"
Line: "Godzilla, King Kong/And if I have to park/I will open up my trunk and it will be Jurassic Park"
Meaning: Take it as a threat -- mess with Wayne and the chaos will be unleashed like the Michael Crichton book turned Spielberg dinosaur film.

K

King Kong
Song: "King Kong"
Line: "(I got King Kong in the trunk)/And I feed him banana clips"
Meaning: see GodzillaKing, Stephen
Song: "We Takin' Over"
Line: "I'm a king/You ask Stephen if I'm lyin'"
Meaning: Child's play for Wayne -- a quick little mention of the world-renowned horror author.

Klumps, The
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "Pockets just fat like the Klumps and Norbit"
Meaning: Another big money reference, this time at the expense of two awful Eddie Murphy movies with obese leads in which Murphy plays multiple characters: 2000's Nutty Professor II: The Klumps and this year's Norbit. Remember when this man was funny? Wayne was still in short pants. L

Laimbeer, Bill
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "I'm dirty/I get my Bill Laimbeer on"
Meaning: A former NBA player known for his dirty play. On the left:
Largent, Steve
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "She better catch like she's Steve Largent"
Meaning: Wayne in his zone: sex & sports. Largent is a hall-of-famer as a former NFL wide receiver with the Seattle Seahawks.Lee, Spike
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "From the side like Spike at the Garden"
Meaning: The film director is known for his courtside seats at Madison Square Garden and consistent support of the New York Knicks.

"Let It Burn"
Song: "Walk It Out"
Line: "Only if I say that she can 'Touch It' like Busta/But she might touch you and 'Let It Burn' like Usher"
Meaning: WFB molds a couplet using this 2004 Usher song and a 2006 Busta Rhymes single to describe his power over women and their subsequent power over "you."

Lincoln, Abraham (also: Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Jackson, Benjamin Franklin)
Song: "Dipset 2"
Line: "The bank is here/Lincolns here/Grant is here/Jackson's here/Franklin's here/Them dead muthfuckas"
Meaning: Lincoln, along with the other U.S. historical figures, all appear on currency.

Liu Kang
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "Tryna tell you I can kick it like Liu Kang nigga/Got the Sub-Zero flow how you want me, ma/Nigga get over here like Scorpion"
Meaning: A character from the popular video game and movie series Mortal Kombat, Liu Kang is known for his kicking techniques. See below:

Loch Ness monster
Song: "Live from 504"
Line: "Flow sick, so sick need a doc, yes/A creature, monster like the Loch Ness"
Meaning: This mythical creature is purported to live in Scotland's Loch Ness and is also the subject of a recent film titled Water Horse.

M

"Macarena"
Song: "Boom"
Line: "One named Mac/One named Nina/They hit you/Make you do the 'Macarena'"
Meaning: A 1990s dance craze by Los Del Rio. You know this one, I just wanted an excuse to post the video. Mac and Nina refer to guns, a MAC-10 submachine gun and a 9 millimeter, respectively.

Maloof family
Song: "Blooded"
Line: "And I own my team/I'm like a Maloof"
Meaning: Wayne is the man in charge of his "team" -- Cash Money Records -- as are the extremely wealthy Lebonese family the Maloofs, who own the NBA's Sacramento Kings.

Manning, Peyton
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "Peyton Manning flow/I just go/No huddle"
Meaning: Manning is an NFL quarterback for the Indiannapolis Colts. Where most QBs meet with their team before each play, Manning is known for running a no huddle offense. Wayne compares this to most MCs writing down their rhymes, where he claims to go off the top of his head.

Martin
Song: "Get High Rule the World"/"Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "An extravagent crib/I'm on the toilet watchin' Martin just laughin' and shit" … "I'm "What's Up?" like Martin"
Meaning: see Brown, Cole. This must be Wayne's favorite show.

McNabb, Donovan
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "Fly like an eagle but no I'm not Donovan/Boy you better go eat some soup with ya mom and them"
Meaning: McNabb is an NFL quarterback most notably of the Philadelphia Eagles who appeared in commercials with his mother for Campbell's Chunky Soup.

Ming, Yao
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "And I don't mean basketball when I say I don't know Yao"
Meaning: Ming is a Chinese basketball player.

MySpace Tom
Song: "N.O. Nigga"
Line: "Tell ya bitch stop sendin' them pictures to my Sidekick/And quit Instant Messaging my IM/Myspace Tom/Bitches actin' like I'm him"
Meaning: On a technology kick Wayne references the MySpace founder and everyone's first online friend.
N

Norbit
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "Pockets just fat like the Klumps and Norbit"
Meaning: see Klumps, The

O

Obama, Barack*
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "I'm feelin' like a Black Republican -- nah, I can't call it that / More like a black Democrat, runnin' em out of office / Young Baracka Obama I'm all for it"
Meaning: An allusion to the post-2006 Congressional election and Juelz Santana's presidential endorsement for the Illinois senator?

O'Neal, Shaquille
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "I never miss a game/No Shaq O'Neal"
Meaning: A world-champion NBA center notorious for missing many games due to "injury."

Orbit
Song: "Put Some Keys on That"
Line: "And bitch I'm fresh like a pack of Orbitz"
Meaning: Gum, see below:

P

Parkers, The*
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "My pockets stay chubby like Toccara/Or should I say fat like The Parkers?"
Meaning: A UPN spin-off of the Brandy's show Moesha starring Mo'Nique Imes and Countess Vaughn as the overweight leads.
Peanuts/Charlie Brown
Song: "Walk It Out"
Line: "I'm just tryna get my Peanuts/I'm like Charlie Brown"
Meaning: A money-oriented punchline using Charles Shultz's historic comic strip and doomed lead character.
Polident
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "Bet I get all in her mouth like Polident"
Meaning: Another vulgar reference to oral sex (see Gushers), Polident is a denture cleaner.

Polo (by Ralph Lauren)
Song: "Dipset"
Line: "This ain't no Tommy Hilfiger/This that Polo, ho/We be the biggest group alive that get that solo dough"
Meaning: see Hilfiger, Tommy

Pop-Tarts
Song: "Boom"
Line: "They know I keep that toaster/You can be my Pop Tart"
Meaning: Besides sports, food is clearly Wayne's forte. Here, he uses this toastable breakfast snack as a come on just after comparing his gun to a toaster.

Popeye
Song: "Blooded"
Line: "Popeye flow/Ya'll niggas Sweet Pea"
Meaning: A reference to the popular cartoon, Wayne's flow is Popeye, or the strongest, while everyone else is Sweet Pea -- the small, helpless baby who is always in tears.

"Poppin"
Song: "N.O. Nigga"
Line: "My shit poppin' like I'm Chris"
Meaning: A 2006 Chris Brown single featuring Lil Wayne on the track's remix. A little self promotion never hurt anybody.

Q

R

Rapunzel
Song: "Intro"
Line: "Dreadlocks swing down me back like Rapunzel"
Meaning: Wayne compares the length of his hair to the Brothers Grimm fairy tale in which Prince Charming rescued Rapunzel from her high tower by climbing up her beautiful, flowing hair.
Rawlings/"Ballin"
Song: "Seat Down Low"
Line: "I be with Jim Jones and we be 'Ballin'/Ballin', yea baby/We ballin' like Rawlings and Spaulding"
Meaning: Quoting the Jim Jones mega-hit, Wayne also drops two of the most well-known makers of athletic balls, Rawlings and Spaulding.

Red Hots
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "Ya'll sweeter than a box of Red Hots"
Meaning: More food. This time, a cinnamon candy.

Rock of Gibraltar*
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "The Rock of Gibraltar has now fallen/On ya"
Meaning: The Rock of Gibraltar is a mythical reference to the Pillar of Hercules and refers to a limestone promontory in southwest Europe. I'd imagine if it fell on you, you'd be crushed.
Rolling Stones, The
Song: "Dipset"
Line: "I'm Rolling like the Stones"
Meaning: Everyone's favorite immortal rock band and another nod to the drug ecstasy.

Romo, Tony
Song: "Back On My Grizzy"
Line: "You niggas act like Tony Romo/No homo"
Meaning: Dallas Cowboys NFL quarterback who choked unbelievably bad in a playoff game against Seattle. Observe:

S

Sanders, Deion
Song: "Back On My Grizzy"
Line: "You know I'm gonna score like Deion after picks"
Meaning: Former NFL cornerback known for scoring touchdowns off of interceptions. Highlights:

Scorpion
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "Tryna tell you I can kick it like Liu Kang nigga/Got the Sub-Zero flow how you want me ma/Nigga get over here like Scorpion"
Meaning: Another Mortal Kombat character remembered for his signature move and catch-phrase, "Get over here!"

Seal
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "Only talk to models/Yeah, I get my Seal on"
Meaning: Singer and husband of model Heidi Klum.
Skittles
Song: "I'm Blooded"
Line: "Skittles on my wrist/Yeah nigga the bright pack"
Meaning: A brightly colored candy similar to Wayne's jewelry.

Spaulding
Song: "Seat Down Low"
Line: "I be with Jim Jones and we be 'Ballin'/Ballin', yea baby/We ballin' like Rawlings and Spaulding"
Meaning: see Rawlings

Sub-Zero
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "Tryna tell you I can kick it like Liu Kang nigga/Got the Sub-Zero flow how you want me ma/Nigga get over here like Scorpion"
Meaning: The third Mortal Kombat character in the line, Sub-Zero is cool like Wayne's flow.

Sullivan, Ed
Song: "Black Republicans"
Line: "Been had they cake/They late like Ed Sullivan"
Meaning: The deceased host of The Ed Sullivan Show, a popular variety show in the 1950s and 60s.

Sweet Pea
Song: "Blooded"
Line: "Popeye flow/Ya'll niggas Sweet Pea"
Meaning: See Popeye.

T

Tarzan
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "You can be my Jane/I'm your Tarzan"
Meaning: Quite romantic by rap standards, Tarzan is the King of the Jungle and Jane, his queen.

Till, Emmett
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "Beatin' up your block/Yeah, I get my Emmett Till on"
Meaning: One of Wayne's most historical and insensitive lines, Till was an African-American teenager beat to death in Mississippi in 1955, helping to spark the Civil Rights movement.

Toronto Maple Leafs
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "Put a motherfucker on some ice like the Maple Leafs/That's a hockey team/And I ain't know no hockey team"
Meaning: An NHL professional hockey Team; see "Sportscenter" from Dedication 2.

"Touch It"
Song: "Walk It Out"
Line: "Only if I that she can "Touch It" like Busta/But she might touch you and "Let It Burn" like Usher"
Meaning: A 2006 Busta Rhymes song; see "Let It Burn" -- Video for the remix below:

U

V

Vokal
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "I like a bitch with an apple bottom like Vokal"
Meaning: Rapper Nelly's clothing brand featuring a line of Apple Bottom jeans. Let's also not forget the short-lived reality show hosted by Nelly which sought to find the perfect ass to model the pants.

Vonage
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "I hit niggas in the head like Vonage"
Meaning: A cell phone ad campaign in which people are clocked in the head by flying boxes, spawning innumerable YouTube parodies.

W

Wayne, Dwayne
Song: "Sky's the Limit"
Line: "My world is different like Dwyane Wayne"
Meaning: Like Cole Brown (see Brown, Cole), this obscure television reference cements Wayne as a pop-culture genius (edit: even if Lifetime plays the re-runs). A Different World followed college students, including one Dwayne Wayne, in their effort to get an education.
Wayne's World
Song: "Get High Rule the World"
Line: "Party time, excellent/Yeah, Wayne's World"
Meaning: A Mike Myers and Dana Carvey SNL skit turned movie featuring a signature line: "Party time! Excellent!"

Where's Waldo?
Song: "President"
Line: "I'm somwhere in the house and it's like Where's Waldo?"
Meaning: Wayne's house is so big that he gets lost like the children's book series in which you must find Waldo in large, crowded pictures.

Williams, Jason
Song: "Swizzy"
Line: "Keep a shotgun/Yeah, I get my Jason Will- on"
Meaning: Another cold-blooded punchline, Jason Williams is a former NBA player charged with manslaughter after killing his chauffer with a shotgun.

Wonder, Stevie
Song: "Upgrade U"
Line: "They cannot see me/They are like Stevie"
Meaning: Not unlike his verse on DJ Khaled's "Holla At Me" ("Ms. Stevie Wonder/She ain't lookin' at ya'll"), Wayne is talking about the classic blind musician.

Wu-Tang Clan
Song: "Dough Is What I Got"
Line: "The only down South rapper coulda been in The Firm/Or The Commission/Or Wu-Tang nigga"
Meaning: see Commission, The

X

Y

Z

If you can think of any that I missed and should be included, please feel free to let me know.

Happy New Year to all.

Lil Wayne Swizzy (remix)
Lil Wayne Dipset 2
Lil Wayne Gossip
Lil Wayne I'm Me

"The party's over. The CD's skipping. It's the same hook repeating. Grows more grating with each passing second..." -- ALMOST EVERYTHING-OTY

2007-12-31T01:50:00.000-03:00

Here is my Writer's Poll as submitted to Wireless Bollinger:

Album of the Year

1. Lil Wayne - Da Drought 3
2. The National - Boxer
3. St. Vincent - Marry Me
4. Jay-Z - American Gangster
5. Kanye West - Graduation
6. Tegan and Sara - The Con
7. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
8. Pharoahe Monche - Desire
9. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
10. MIA - Kala

I realize it's highly controversial to pick a mixtape as my favorite album of the year, but put simply, there's nothing I enjoyed more in 2007. As good as Boxer and Marry Me are, Wayne took it to levels I didn't even know existed with his wordplay, references and most importantly, his unbridled enthusiasm and enjoyment for his art. His work ethic is unmatched, his excitement is contagious and for me, he's all around undeniable.

My #11-20 picks include near misses like Vampire Weekend, Feist, Marissa Nadler, Jens Lekman, Bright Eyes, Elvis Perkins, and Kevin Drew.

Gig of the Year?

1. Girl Talk - 9th February, 2007 - Studio B, New York, NY
2. Kevin Drew / Broken Social Scene - 14th November, 2007 - Webster Hall, New York NY
3. The Mountain Goats - 2nd October, 2007 - Studio B, New York NY

Three fan favorite filled encores from John Darnielle; Kevin Drew featuring Spiral Stairs (of Pavement) and Emily Haines (of BSS and Metric) for nearly two and a half hours breezing through Spirit If... and treating us to the Scene's greatest hits; Girl Talk in a packed dance club = pure insanity. 'Nuff said.

Song of the Year

1. LCD Soundsystem - 'All My Friends'
2. UGK ft. OutKast - 'International Players Anthem (I Choose You)'
3. Jens Lekman - 'A Postcard to Nina'

A truly epic and affecting song, James Murphy is a master of bottling nostalgia in a way that feels neither contrived nor conventional. While Andre 3000's opening verse in 'International Players Anthem' was one of the most joyous pop moments, never leaving me anything but elated, 'All My Friends' made me yearn for things I didn't even know I was missing.

Artist/Band of the Year

Lil Wayne

The artist of the year was Lil Wayne, without question. With innumerable mixtapes, guest appearances and random mp3s he became an omnipresent force in rap music. More importantly, he embraced the internet age -- he managed all of this without releasing an album, but through a constant stream of downloadable, shareable music all the while insisting that the only thing that mattered was people hearing it. Hear it they did and minds were blown as he reinvented the rap metaphor, manipulated his froggy voice in countless ways and built a mythic persona for himself.

Best Local album - New York

Without counting Animal Collective or the National, who occasionally call NYC home, I'll go with A Place to Bury Strangers' self-titled debut. A New York City band through and through with a terrifying roar, making shoegaze scary by devouring the pretty parts, gnashing them up and spitting them back out.

Disappointing Album of the Year

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

What are you looking forward to in 2008?

The explosion of Vampire Weekend and/or Born Ruffians, hopefully both. Dr. Dre's Detox and G'n'R's Chinese Democracy, but most of all Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III.

mp3
Main Drag All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem cover)

"The dashboard melted but we still have the radio." -- THE BEST THREE (3) SUCCESSIVE TRACKS- OTY (No Contest)

2007-12-23T16:41:00.000-03:00

#1 R. Kelly - "I'm A Flirt (Remix)" > "Same Girl" > "Real Talk"

Even after these three untouchable moments of pop-music genius, it's hard to say R. Kelly is having the best year ever. Despite a pretty successful string of singles and guest appearances that really did remind everyone that he is the King of R&B (no T-Pain), the man is still in a lot of trouble. His previously delayed trial, in which he faces charges of child pornography, is finally getting under way. Unfortunately, no one told Kells and he missed an appearance, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest. So the Law isn't exactly happy with him and supposedly we're going to see a real trial. All of this on top of the departure of his longtime publicist (worst job ever?) who said, " "I ended my relationship with Kelly because there are some lines you just don't cross," prompting more rumors about his dalliances with young girls -- daughters, even -- of those close to him. Hmmm.

But STILL, this three-track streak of genius is enough to make an otherwise outrageous record/existence something worth talking about. With the release of the year's best hip-hopera, Trapped In The Closet 13-22, R. Kelly solidified himself as the most self-aware persona that exists in pop culture in which people continue to think "he doesn't get it." I think he does. K. Sanneh of the New York Times wrote of Trapped, "Many of its biggest fans seem to think they're laughing at Mr. Kelly not with him, as if the whole thing were some sort of glorious, terrible mistake." But while we may not be laughing at him anymore, it's clear he has become a caricature of himself, so overblown, egotistical and sexed-up, that it's nearly impossible to draw the line between straight-faced braggadocio and tongue-in-cheek pranksterisms.

The "Flirt" remix transcends all of it as soon as those first piano chords and R.'s canned stutter hit. Probably the only T-Pain appearance that doesn't grate after the 1,011th play, "Flirt" is a bragger's anthem and is responsible for the best punch-line of the year not authored by a certain Weezy F. Baby: She be callin' me Daddy / And I be callin' her Mommy / She be callin' you Kelly / When yo' name is Tommy. Another classic R. Kelly remix where no one had any idea an original version existed.

"Same Girl" and "Real Talk," meanwhile, play on the whole conversation-as-song conceit Kells has been running with for a few years now. But where normally the element of dementia is played up by the fact that Kelly either sings back and forth to himself or plays every character, in "Same Girl" he somehow convinced Usher -- a pretty low-key guy as far as R&B personalities go -- to play his foil. The song is sort of an update of Joe's "Stutter" on 'roids where two men find out their sleeping with the ... get this ... same girl (!) and chaos ensues. It was surreal to hear this track on the radio and I couldn't believe there wasn't a twist ending involving identical twins.

The rest is after the jump, as well as two mp3s.

"Real Talk" speaks for itself:

Oh yeah, and "Speedin" is too great. Ricky Ross in '08.

Rick Ross ft. R. Kelly Speedin
Rick Ross ft. Flo Rida Street Money

"I get no respect." -- THE MOST UNDERRATED OVERRATED RECORD-OTY (aka MOST INCORRECTLY RANKED)

2007-12-21T19:56:00.000-03:00

#1 The National- Boxer

For a minute, this is the record that I thought beat backlash. When it first hit, everyone was singing its praises, even those who prematurely shot it down as a disappointment after Alligator -- for them, a step below "nearly perfect" is still "pretty damn great." Maybe it was the echo-chamber effect of the internet finally wearing off but the haters finally came out usually with a one word retort like "boring." Fine, put Person Pitch on again and have a ball.

Bottom line: this is the finest proper full-length of the year, and the only record behind my real number one, which I admit is my fake number one and probably shouldn't count at all (more on that soon). But year-end list time has basically came and went and The National were promptly shoved to the side. They're that girl you brought to prom because her mother was friends with your mother but after the photo-op, you ditched to get drunk and try your luck with some dirty floozy. Little did you know, that first girl -- the one who wasn't quite so "exciting" -- she's the one to whom you should've given the ring. This record belongs in single digits.

I wrote an acceptance speech for their number 18 finish at Tiny Mix Tapes.

18. The National - Boxer
[Beggars Banquet]
by Joseph Coscarelli

On 2005’s Alligator, The National’s Matt Berninger told Karen, "Fuck me and make me a drink," solidifying himself as the Clive Owen of this indie rock shit. Masculine, but with a tragic streak, sounding like he might as soon reach back and hit you as break down and cry — as if he had any other option with that godlike baritone. Whereas Berninger then had black birds circling his bed, 2007 found bluebirds on his shoulder, but only in words. Boxer dipped into the morose like fiction –- each tinge of gut-churning guilt and unsteady nostalgia welcomed in its beauty. Berninger sounded worn; sage and tense, bordering on batty, dapper but dampened, slurring lines about "prison for jerks" on "Guest Room," but still managing to woo anyone with a pulse on "Slow Show." Opener "Fake Empire" began Boxer with flawless execution — the closest thing we have to revving up with "Thunder Road" — and when we heard it, we knew it was a sweet-talker, not to be fully trusted, with a horn section so debonair and triumphant in its final coda that you forget the first two minutes stomped on your heart. In the summer, it was easy to call Boxer a quintessential record for New York City-type nights, but now it’s winter, our bones are cold and we can just stop at ’essential.’ from HERE.

The National Karen

"Working that 9-5 and staying cute like you do." -- THE TOP THIRTEEN (13) ALBUM COVERS-OTY

2007-12-18T17:35:00.000-03:00

Inspired by THIS. 2007 extravaganza coming Thursday 12/20 at TinyMixTapes.

#13

Okkervil River- The Stage Names

#12
Justice- †

#11Blonde Redhead- 23

#10Sunset Rubdown- Random Spirit Lover

#9KT Tunstall- Drastic Fantastic

#8Wiley- Playtime Is Over

#6 Angels of Light- We Are Him

#5Panda Bear- Person Pitch

#4Sir Richard Bishop- While My Guitar Violently Bleeds

#3Elegi- Sistereis

#2Yeasayer- All Hour Cymbals

#1 Paul Duncan- Above the Trees

"I don't wanna fuss and fight no more." -- THE SONG-OTY ON A PISS POOR ALBUM

2007-12-17T16:56:00.000-03:00

#1 "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley

If people listened to albums the way they used to -- by wrestling with plastic wrap for 4-and-a-half minutes before prying the disc out, popping it into a car stereo and leafing through the CD booklet while the first sounds ring -- I would've thought Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight was the Album of the Year for exactly 3 minutes and 36 seconds. Now, of course, this isn't how things work anymore so by the time I heard "Silver Lining" I had already suffered through the overlong, oversexed, mini-movie for first single "The Moneymaker." Expectations instantly lowered.

Somewhere deep down I still hoped the faux-'70s slutty romp guitar cheese of "The Moneymaker" stuck out on the album like a sore single but RK really fucking like Fleetwood Mac (guys, just cover "Dreams'). Problem is, where Stevie Nicks was allegedly so coked up that she had a personal assistant to administer her drugs through other means because her nose was so royally fried, (" Some of y'all nose hairs is burnt.") Jenny Lewis remains too damn wholesome (see below). Point being, the whole album feels fake. Contrived, pre-packaged, cheap.

But whereas the stretch of Blacklight beginning with "Dejalo" (the worst Spanish I've ever heard) and pretty much continuing through the album's final track make me want to either die/kill/listen to "'97 Bonnie and Clyde" to release some rage vicariously (with "15" and "Smoke Detector" as the most egregious offenders), "Silver Lining" is absolutely perfect pop music. The elementary boom-clap-boom-clap beat feels full and exciting and the long ringing three-chord piano base resonates beautifully. The sing-songy guitar riff is dreamy but not gaudy, working melodically in a similar style to the one in the third verse of "It's a Hit" -- the first track on the band's last album More Adventurous. Lewis, though, is the highlight (do we still say "duh"?) and sounds confident, affectionate and flat-out in control. The harmonies in the hook are gigantic, full-bodied and classic. The entire chorus just shimmers. Solely because of this song I feel better about Rilo Kiley's future in music than I did before Blacklight even though I think that collectively it's an awful collection of casual trash.

I said what amounts to the same thing when I reviewed the band's New York City show in September:

But the radiant 'Silver Lining' -- Blacklight's shining beacon -- in a spirited and harmonious rendering, glistened with the hope that Rilo Kiley's song-writing, along with their performance and professionalism, is still on the rise. With their crisp live show as an indicator, if not with Under the Blacklight, someday soon they'll have the hits they covet.

You can READ THE REST of the review, too, if you please.

Oh, and the video for the song is great as well. Blake Sennet is scary short. After the jump.

mp3
Rilo Kiley Silver Lining

"I'm trying your monogamy in increments of 1, 2, 3." -- THE CUTEST CROOKED SMILE-OTY (ever?)

2007-12-16T01:15:00.000-03:00

#1 Ellen Page

I saw Juno. but... Caveat emptor: it was free, so yeah, that may have colored my thoughts.

Overall, it was pretty enjoyable if you're not looking for it to change your life (see below) and more importantly, pretty low on the chick-flick scale -- a legitimate concern as the pregnancy developed. But be warned, all of the reviews (mainly the ones that matter) that mention how contrived the beginning feels are accurate -- stick it out, it gets much better. 3.5/5
This bullshit, though, is unacceptable:

Diablo Cody crams so many unlikely gluts of verbiage into so many sterile, undeveloped characters that the whole production is the ultimate act of masturbatory puppetry.

Seriously? Maybe Mr. Film Freak was using literary device, but if we want to talk about "masturbatory puppetry" and "gluts of verbiage" let's all read that review aloud together. This movie is getting strawman-ed left and right because obviously it's an easy target. Hip this and hip that... I get it, I really do. Selling kitsch and quirk to blank-mind masses can be frustrating, and we're turning into "Generation Urban Outfitters" (yo, DS) for a reason.

And yes, the characters occasionally speak like Rory and Lorelai. Congratulations! You're a hack!

That said, I trust that enough people of age that care about things of this nature have the self-awareness and understanding of how the world works to a) not get fooled by the film's "indie cool" and b) to be able to enjoy it in spite of its missteps.

If you want to skip it on moral grounds -- "They're pre-packaging indie culture and selling it back to kids who don't have any of their own.." -- then okay. And if you want to see it to shit on it, it's certainly not hard (see above review). But if you just want a cute (yeah, what?) movie with some good performances, it's damn enjoyable. See AO Scott (linked above):

“Juno” ... respects the idiosyncrasies of its characters rather than exaggerating them or holding them up for ridicule. And like Juno herself, the film outgrows its own mannerisms and defenses, evolving from a coy, knowing farce into a heartfelt, serious comedy.

More importantly though, Kimya Dawson's music was used in a way that could have been so ham-fisted, but turned out to be just plain endearing if you have a beating heart. Each track is sincere, playful, insecure, naive, etc. Adolescence in song form. Be a good person and buy some Moldy Peaches for the teen in your life this holiday season. IT'S GOOD FOR THE KIDS. Life changing? Maybe, maybe not.... but Jesus, at least Diablo Cody lets you decide.

The Shins. You know 'em?

mp3
The Moldy Peaches Nothing Came Out
The Moldy Peaches Anyone But You
Type rest of the post here

"I'm not unfaithful but I'll stray." -- THE ALBUM-OTY I SHOULD'VE (and ONCE) HATED

2007-12-10T17:39:00.001-03:00

#1 TEGAN & SARA - The Con

Aly & AJ and t.A.T.U. are two groups of young women (girls?) that, to me, were all but equal to T&S before 2007. Sure, Rock God Jack White only chose to cover one song from their collective catalogs (Answer: T&S's "Walking With a Ghost" from 2004's So Jealous) but let's be serious, lesbian Canadian twins with acoustic guitars aka card-carrying Ani Difranco fanclubbers? They put out a new album, I put it on, and it bled -- one track into another. Lackluster, zzzzz. Where are the hooks? But by the time Wireless B. editor Justin Pearsall wrote on the year's "sleepers," I was windtalking. I wrote:

“I approached The Con with a bit of undeserved cynicism with regards to their substance. Sure I'd hummed along with 'Walking With A Ghost', 'I Know I Know I Know' and of course, the ubiquitous 'You Wouldn't Like Me' from their last album So Jealous, but I just never put much stock into their skill as songwriters – Canadian twins just sounds like a fun gimmick. When I first heard the new record it was accessible and slick, but to the point of being slippery, in one ear and out the other. I had trouble discerning tracks and was content to let it slide by as background music. Then, out of nowhere, I unknowingly took the bait, leaving myself happily infected. The hooks on this record come rapid-fire; I can't even imagine how I initially missed them. The girls' sugary sweet voices never let up, constantly taking their harmonies to new levels of contagiousness. It's revealed itself as some of the best pop songwriting I've heard in a long time and positioned itself atop my most listened to albums of the year.”

And shit, whatdoyouknow? I still love it. Now, my mother and sister ride around in the car singing along (it's the only album I've purchased this year -- yeah, I paid $0.00 for R-head, but so did you). I also saw them motormouth through a live set. Then, I interviewed Sara Quinn. This was the result:
On her recent trip to New York City to perform at the city's Webster Hall venue, Sara Quin was spotted. A well-intentioned (if uninformed) young girl, around 13-years-old by Quin's estimation, lassoed in one-half of the sisterly duo with a baldly exclaimed fact. "You're that singer that was on MTV," the child asserted. She was indeed correct.

Named MTV's Artist of the Week earlier this year after the release of their fifth LP The Con, the network revealed Tegan and Sara to an entirely new demographic. But perhaps "revealed" is too euphemistic. Commercial segments were shown between and after every show on the network, sandwiching the twins' infectious acousti-pop between episodes of Real World: Sydney and Pageant Place, among handfuls of other reality programming. READ THE REST

mp3
Tegan and Sara I Was Married
The White Stripes Walking With a Ghost

"Umbrella" after the jump...

"I'm bubblin' like soda foam."

2007-12-05T22:05:00.000-03:00

A place-holder. Year-end festivities start soon. Yezzur.

mp3 R. Kelly Fiesta (remix)

Type rest of the post here

"And I'ma let karma catch up to Jaz-O, whoa."

2007-12-04T17:33:00.000-03:00

Part II of this little recap. F.F. Coppola made the rules. II > I.

Here's a nice little New Pornos write-up; Newman is a cordial dude. The K.Drew piece, though, is one of my favorites almost solely based on the gem that he dropped at the end. I included the whole thing after the jump. Trust a recommendation, I dare you.

The New PornographersSpeaking on his band's website The New Pornographers' frontman Carl "A.C." Newman addressed the subject matter of the title track to the group's new album Challengers, noting the song's "convoluted subtext." He continued, referencing a quote by author Albert Camus that he found in the lyrics to a Scott Walker album:

"Work is nothing but the slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great images in whose presence his heart first opened."

But catching up with Wireless Bollinger from a tour stop in New Orleans, Louisiana, Newman was candid, his clarity startling. READ THE REST
Bonus Live Review: The doorman at Webster Hall was perturbed. He had just been informed that the show was over and soon hundreds of satisfied fans would be pouring passed him and back on to the rainy street. "Are you sure that's it or are they going to do it again?" he shot back crossly over walkie-talkie. The night's headliners, Canadian don't-call-'em-a-supergroup The New Pornographers, had just finished their last of two encores, fitting finales for a star-studded night. READ THE REST

Kevin DrewThe Broken Social Scene tag strikes fear in the heart of venues and their sound technicians; stages quake under the weight of its ten-plus musicians. The moniker also implies a level of grandiosity where an individual song's layers may include dozens of tracks until the sonic haze sounds thick, busy, distorted, and garbled – but chaotically beautiful. And so for the group's co-founder (and mouthpiece), Kevin Drew, when it came time to do something on his own, it really wasn't on his own at all.

The New Pornographers Entering White Cecilia
Kevin Drew Cocaine Skin

"Once I went as far as I could and felt satisfied, I could feel the longing of what I knew so well which was my friends from Social Scene. As we had more people come into the studio, it was hard not to have everyone there in the end. I love watching and listening to people play on songs I have written." Drew said, in reference to the 20-plus guest musicians on his new album.

As Drew continues, he insists that the process did not go against any distinct yearnings for individuality. "I wasn't trying to prove I could do anything on my own," he said. "I was just trying to guide something from myself with people I like to create with."

Born from this collaborative love was Spirit If…, a marathon 14-song collection that never strays too far from the signature Social Scene scope (vast and crowded), but with a hint of autonomy from the Kevin Drew side of things. Where BSS records feature tracks lead by everyone from Drew's co-founder Brendan Canning to Andrew Whiteman (aka Apostle of Hustle), Amy Millan (of Stars), Emily Haines (of Metric), and the ubiquitous Leslie Feist, Spirit is dominated by Drew's dreamy whisper and frenzied howl, often in the same song. Helmed by long-time collaborators Ohad Benchitrit (of Do Make Say Think) and Charles Spearin, it was this project's core which lead Drew to the thin-ice that is a solo album.

"Ohad let me puke all over the place with my ideas and content," said Drew. "It was becoming clear through the subjects and the chords that it was headed in a solo direction for me and it became my home for a while." Thus, the individuality of the record comes from a far more philosophical place. "In this home I started to be able to do whatever I wanted and had no obligations to anyone except my own honesty."

In all, the process really was not so different from what Drew has been directing since he started Broken Social Scene with bassist/vocalist Brendan Canning with the 2001 release of the then-duo's largely instrumental album Feel Good Lost. "After Feel Good Lost was finished, we attempted to learn songs for a show but we ended up writing new songs and started singing anthems," recalled Drew.

From there, the numbers grew and the Scene became a wide-reaching web, as musicians with their own projects were often happily trapped in a giant co-operative Canadian musical collective. But after two more LPs, 2002's flawless You Forgot It In People and 2005's massive Broken Social Scene, the band hinted at an indefinite hiatus, and Drew was quoted as saying, "We've lost that thing that we had at the beginning where we tried to challenge each other."

During the interim, the members' individual works – far from vanity projects to begin with – starting reaching unforeseen heights. The international success of Feist's The Reminder, and her presence from Starbucks shops to iPod adverts, is only one example of the success of the Arts & Crafts (the label Drew co-founded in 2002) alum world-wide. When asked about competition between main projects, side projects and collectives, Drew sounded his most unsteady, diverting from his usual mantra-spitting positivity.

"We used to challenge each other – on a musical level," he said. "Now the people have chosen who the bands are they love and we’re just trying to make sure that we follow our own path."

So Spirit If… -- a record about "believing in the beauty of a belief again and not about the fear of being crushed every time we walk outside" -- was his version of a big bandage. "It was more about making music again as friends. What this record, in my mind, was going to do was keep us together – as it felt like we were falling apart."

The album, his life preserver for a huge sinking ship, bears the tag "Broken Social Scene presents…" – a testament to a hope of putting it all back together again. Canning's own solo record, the supposed next installment in the series, is labeled a "a John Denver/Sonic Youth album" by Drew, and he sounds optimistic about the future of the collection. "We wanted a new outlet for more music that can't fit under the band’s name but also wanted to stay within the brand that we had worked so hard creating," said Drew on the choice to include the group's name. "We wanted to stay with our fans."

But with the series just getting started, Drew remains wary of become solely a brand, and no longer a band. Astoundingly articulate and brutally honest, Drew's raw words carry the most weight – nostalgic for yesterday and hopeful for tomorrow:

"I want to get back to the way it was in general. I want to be able to sit with friends again at the dinner table and be short $150 when the bill arrives, because someone never thinks of the tax and tip. I want to be able to be on stage and close my eyes and know I’m surrounded by these people I love and admire. I want the success of all their bands to never truly be as successful as when we play music together but then at the same time, I just want everyone to be happy." PUBLISHED HERE

"The girl can't help it."

2007-12-03T04:01:00.000-03:00

My post-CMJ hangover was more like a terminal illness. But I Magic Johnson-ed and now allow me to re-introduce myself. Please catch up with some Wireless Bollinger cover stories.

Animal Collective

In a Right-Click-Save-As world, a scene actively concerned with the next day's buzz band, Animal Collective strain for artistic permanence, almost fighting the foundation on which they are built. True, for the group it has been much more of a slow burn; the embers of Campfire Songs fanned to form the flame of Sung Tongs, which burned wildly into the Feels period – highlights from a storied discography for an ever-evolving group. But even with the timeframe extended, the dot-com world caught on. While mainstream rock acts such as U2 can still fill arenas 30 years later, the booming indie-rock scene has refreshed Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame into a more accurate 15 seconds, or even 15 blog posts, only to have acts fade into obscurity. And yet Animal Collective remain a favorite band for the internet age, sedating restlessly eager fans with hypnotizing, high-octane evolution and a bit of humanity in a technologically cold world. READ THE REST

Andrew Bird

On the first track, 'Fiery Crash', from Andrew Bird's latest full-length, Armchair Apocrypha, he sings ominously the words from the song's title: "you've got to envision the fiery crash". Curiously enough, in speaking with Wireless Bollinger, Bird spoke those same words with reference to his own live show. Nearly quoting his own lyrics, Bird spoke of the frenzy he works himself into before he takes the stage. To him, the anticipation is a necessary pessimism. To the observer, though, the performance from this poised gentleman of a violinist and songwriter is much more like a smooth, airy glide than the burning wreckage of his own imagery. READ THE REST

Animal Collective Derek (live)

Andrew Bird A Nervous Tic Motion of the Head to the Left (Fingerlings 3)

Type rest of the post here

For the Pink Palace in the sky... -- Bands Twenty-One (21) to Twenty-Seven (27); Day 5

2007-10-24T03:07:00.001-03:00

At 11 PM Saturday night, over 120 hours since I first began my CMJ journey, I stood on a Manhattan subway platform, patiently waiting for the L train. "So, would you do it again next year?" a friend asked. "Ask me again in a month," I told her, unable to muster a reasonable answer between the shrill pitch of the buzzing in my ears and spinning of my head. By this point, I no longer remembered what the inside of my eyelids looked like, I had forgotten the sound of silence, and I probably couldn't even tell you my name were it not printed on the all-access badge in my back pocket -- the laminated card that had come to replace my identity and soul. But I was revitalized by Indian food and coasting on adrenaline. Oh, and triumph.

Believe it or not, the impending train was to take me on my victory lap. To the winner's circle. An encore, if you will. Matt & Kim -- my 27th New York City band during the five days of 2007's annual College Music Journal Marathon. But first, a recap of the final six.

There's nothing like a little bit of home field advantage so in the afternoon I headed over to the Deli's unofficial CMJ party at Fontana's for a generous helping of hometown bands, planning to catch a few acts before parading up the Bowery for my last few bands. Who would've thought I wouldn't be able to tear myself away from the dark ambiance of Fontana's downstairs stage and the blooming NYC acts that graced it? The rundown...

Six to go. Radio America took the stage with some stunning three-part harmonies, the likes of which I haven't seen from an all male group since the last time I caught the Beach Boys live. But really, these boys had more of an E Street Band or Aerosmith vibe than the breezy sway of Endless Summer. Young, strapping fellows, Radio America probably have cool fathers because they know their classic rock. With the reverence of the Hold Steady and a little punk rock kick, the scorching dueling guitar solos were straight up face-melting.

One down, five to go. The Velocet somehow made 80s post-punk ballsy, like if Robert Smith could toss a pigskin. The guitars didn't so much wander as attack and the creeping rasp to Michael Davidson's voice had a ferociousness that's missing from a lot of the lemme-whisper-you-my-secrets "rock" of today.

Four to the floor. The next band was like a spoonful of Robitussin without Poppins and her goddamn sugar -- that garbage is for kids. Undersea Explosion, on the other hand, are men. Rapping on a cowbell, their lead singer didn't play with dance-punk irony, instead looking like he really wanted to make a dent in the thing. Behind him was a vigorous distorted bass and hints of some Sonic Youth discordance, but more apparent was a sludgy grit like the desert rock of Queens of the Stone Age.

Twenty-three plus 1 = Anthem In. The thing with this band is that by the time they got to their last song, "Down," I started to wish they just would've played it 6 times over, filling their whole set. A&R is asleep at the wheel on this one because with its disco beat high-hats and lyrics about the "dancefloor" there is no way this song is anything but a chart-topper. It's not even that their other songs are no good, but with something as contagious as "Dance," your job is done.

By this point I could pretty much taste it but when Bella Watt took the stage they exuded a freshness only a young band could. A male and female vocal trade-off topped atypical grooves spiked with psychedelia and the result was sufficiently hypnotizing, building a measured, spacey atmosphere. The haunting hymnal that was their last song teased some truly poignant moments to come in this band's career.

I couldn't have asked for a better 26th band than Sikamor Rooney. As I crossed the finish line, they whizzed by me, seemingly unaware the race was over. Their rapid-fire country punk sneered and spat with disregard like an unchained beast with rock star swagger. Scathing and snotty like the Black Lips with some of the retro sass of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the trio barn-burned through grimy numbers like the Iggy Pop-ish "Dirty Dog" noticeably drunk even though it was only 5:30. Their final song couldn't have been a better finale with a more perfect title, wrapping up my marathon with three fateful, self-explanatory letters that sum it all up: "N. Y. C."

Later that night, for shits and giggles and to flaunt my stamina, I headed to the Music Hall of Williamsburg for final bow, a curtain call. DIY hipster lovebirds Matt & Kim are sweeter than chocolate covered cotton candy and though I came out of there with three cavities, not once did I stop smiling. Seriously, though, my cheeks were sore. Kim punishes the skins at a mile a minute while Matt pounds on screaming synth keys, taking breaks only to tell us in the crowd how "fucking awesome" we all were and to read passages from his favorite book, Letters to E.T. Best stage banter? Without a doubt. Happiest crowd surfers? Mmhmm. A storybook ending to my CMJ epic? I think Matt & Kim and everyone else in the Music Hall said it best: YEA YEAH YEA YEAH YEA YEAH YEA YEAH YEA YEAH YEA YEAH YEA YEAH. - Joe Coscarelli

via The Deli Magazine which has collected my entire 5 day journey HERE

mp3 Matt & Kim Yea Yeah

"You think it's tough now, come to Africa." -- Bands Nineteen (19) to Twenty (20); Day 4

2007-10-21T22:24:00.000-03:00

Sasha Frere-Jones, the pop critic at The New Yorker, recently wrote a controversial� article (among music nerds) titled "A Paler Shade of White" with the subtitle "How indie rock lost its soul." The piece's basic argument is that the new era of independent rock music has rid itself of any black influence including syncopated rhythms and other elements of soul and blues music. Frere-Jones slights indie behemoths like The Arcade Fire for their "end-of-the-world" style that eventually grates and falls flat because it's just too white. His argument has holes like cheese of the Swiss variety, but he argues vehemently with no trepidation in making grand claims (see: "You could argue that Dr. Dre and Snoop were the most important pop musicians since Bob Dylan and the Beatles."). Point being, let's hope Frere-Jones skipped CMJ this year.

Things this week have been blindingly white. Sure you've got your Q-Tips, your Devin the Dudes and your Cool Kids, but you've also got every skinny white boy and his six-string playing a version of the same "college rock" that dominated campus radio when people actually listened to campus radio. There are groups who pull it off, managing a fresh spin, and I've seen a few of them this week but the problem is that the bands who don't make it harder to enjoy the bands that do, inundating the listener with stale homogeneity. So on Friday night I switched it up.

I had also been promiscuous. Jumping from venue to venue was starting to feel empty and I was getting a reputation, so on this night, I settled in at the Filmore New York at Irving Plaza to take in the Afropunk showcase. The night was a marathon in itself, taking me past 1:30 AM with little in the way of New York City acts, but a thirst for some diversity prevailed. READ THE REST

mp3 Santogold ft. Spank Rock Shuv It

"Ball 'til I fall." -- Bands Nine (9) to Eighteen (18); Day 3

2007-10-21T22:06:00.000-03:00

I'm absolutely killing the game right now. Please call me Genghis Khan the way I conquered. From the early morn' to the early morn' I watched bands. In record stores, empty rooms, packed clubs and apartments. They played on high stages, low stages, the floor, the couch, and in chairs. They broke strings, sticks, light fixtures and hearts. And then they broke my will. Almost.

Thursday. Thirteen hours of live music. Ten NYC bands. Many more from places that don't matter nearly as much. The stalwarts, the amateurs, the boys, the men, the girls, the women, the ear-splitting, the soothing and The Next Big Huge Thing. Let me take you there.

My first stop was breakfast -- scrambled eggs and sausage -- hoping to provide myself the sustenance I needed to suceed. Then, Vampire Weekend�scored breakfast at Other Music. As in, "got it for free" (we all did). And as in, "provided the music for." Say what you will about their preppy quirk, pop-kitsch lyrics and subsequent short shelf-life. Will our children know who Lil John is? Probably not. So what. Fact is, these boys are near-perfect. Beyond the fact that the songs are infectious and clever, the band is flawless. Smack in the middle of a silent record store every sound better be squeaky-clean, circular guitar licks and Casio whirrs included. And it was. After the show, the band was traveling to the UK to open for The Shins. In a few months it could very well be the other way around.

The remainder of the daylight hours were spent patrolling the LES, centered around the Gothamist House at The White Rabbit. Here, New York City represented hard and often. For instance... Once upon a time there was a boy named Thurston. He fell in sloppy slacker love with Kim and they formed an eternal bond (and band), and so there was Sonic Youth. This is a guitar-rock fairytale that The Muggabears know very well with '90s worship present in every sludgy note. Three piece. Female bassist. Assault of the tremolo bar. Remember Sister and Murray Street? So do The Muggabears - check out this mp3. READ THE REST

"I like everything better when I make it." -- Bands Five (5) to Eight (8); Day 2

2007-10-19T19:30:00.000-03:00

It's 3 AM and my head is ringing like Mike Tyson just boxed my ears. The thing is, it's not that recurring dream where Oscar De La Hoya dresses up in women's clothes and I'm a heavyweight champion (as opposed to real life where I'm only a featherweight champion). But let me back up.

Rolling on 4 hours of sleep when an early evening lull hit, I crashed for a power-nap, setting an alarm for 6:45 PM. The time came and in a sleepy haze I decided I had a few more minutes to rest before I would book it to Brooklyn. The next time I opened by eyes it was 9:45. Jay Garrick style, I was in Greenpoint in time for The Vandelles (picture) and the greater part of a CMJ showcase at Europa. Initially, I was the least hip person in the room as I was the only one to approach the stage -- guess I just didn't get the memo.

While the self-proclaimed "loudest band in New York City" were killing time in Williamsburg until their night-cap, undoubtedly reciting their Best New Music 'fork review to one another from memory, Brooklyn's The Vandelles were doing all they could to usurp the title by fuzzy coup. While A Place To Bury Strangers ride aggro-shoegaze revival, The Vandelles skip the gazing all together and just pulverize ears, burying their Dandy Warhols psych-rock in a deep, dark place.

The rhythm section, wo-manned by two unassuming, comely females, was a true force -- bass dipped in a hot vat of distortion and drums clawing and clamoring to be heard. You know the scene in Kill Bill where Uma Thurman is buried alive, forced to karate-chop her way through wood and tightly packed dirt? In that adrena-frezy, she'd play the drums like the chick from The Vandelles. Three-quarters through the set, the sound guy chimed in: "You're gonna have to turn that down." READ THE REST

A Place To Bury Strangers Missing You

"Wocka Wocka Wocka!" Day 1 -- Bands One (1) to Four (4); Day 1

2007-10-17T14:26:00.000-03:00

This year a monolithic pairing between NYU and CMJ finds the Marathon's headquarters at the historic Puck Building. Think of it as a sort of indie-rock Death Star -- the center of the CMJ universe. Amidst promotional booths and piles of free swag sits the Day Stage, home to performances throughout the week. People mulled around with gift bags and free mags, Mountain Dew and energy drinks flowing like water. Dirty beards and thick-rimmed glasses were countless. On your marks, get set ...

The first stride in my marathon was Takka Takka's 1:00 PM Day Stage set. The boys from Brooklyn didn't so much kick things off as ease them in, their bright clean guitars weaving tight patches, always calming and clear. Pavement had riffs like this but they felt dirty, loose and sorta zany -- Takka Takka's intertwining grooves are polished and fine. The five-pieces' clarity was ideal for the daylight hour, sunlight shining in spears through the building's windows. Any brooding that might find itself at home in a dark, dingy club or bar was absent, replaced by laid-back, shuffling percussion and melodic bass-lines. The highlight, though, was the spirited facial expressions, winces and grimaces from the band's rhythm (and 3rd!) guitarist while providing smooth vocal harmonies. Entertaining, yes, but wholly unwarranted. An embodiment of effortlessness, Takka Takka don't toy with pain nor strain.

mp3 Takka Takka We Feel Safer At Night

My night in Alphabet City ran as smoothly as a three-wheeled wagon. Marred by my own inexperience, I tripped and ate a little mud (to 'run' with this marathon metaphor). Day 1 saw me miss three scheduled bands (sorry guys!) to be replaced along the way. Hear you me -- I will make up the ground I lost. READ THE REST

"I feel fine."

2007-10-15T21:47:00.000-03:00

by Joseph Coscarelli

The CMJ 2007 Music Marathon & Film Festival lasts from October 16th-October 20th, five days of the world's best up and coming bands and filmmakers in rapid-fire succession. Running the CMJ Marathon in the name of The Deli Magazine consists of braving the elements -- long lines, big crowds, pricey drinks, etc -- and seeing twenty-six (yes, 26) New York City bands in this five day period.

Five straight days can feel like an eternity.

Legend has it that one Marathon runner swore off alcohol. But not prior to running, as part of some fascist training regiment that champions purity and protein shakes. No -- this is a different breed of race. After the CMJ Marathon, where the 26 performances replace 26 physical miles, with his wallet bled dry and liver soaked with booze, the only viable option was abstaining from drinks altogether. Get on the wagon.

Burnt out and dried up might be the only way to come out of this. Pheidippides, the Greek soldier from whose exploits the term "marathon" comes, was not so lucky. Upon arriving in Athens after his run, he collapsed dead from exhaustion.

And yet it's all so alluring. Imagine sprinting stage to stage, bolting venue to venue and dashing from party to showcase. The experience -- a form of binge-drinking for the show-going set -- is not exactly glamorous but there's something mythical about the urgency of it all.

Like a correspondent from the front lines, ducking bombs and dodging bullets in the form of power-chords and drum fills, it will be my job to bring the action to you, the sane music fan, while you pace yourself, see a few shows and enjoy what you miss through capsulized recaps and innumerable photoblogs.

Maybe I'm a glutton for over-exertion, constantly stretching myself too thin. Or maybe I just revel in a good challenge. Whatever the case, I'm charging into this year's Marathon (featuring NYC acts like Professor Murder, O'Death, Aa and many, many more) head on, with reckless abandon. If I come out on the other side hating alcohol, or worse, live shows, the suffering will be worthwhile if only for the stories I will tell.
Tuesday 10/16
1. Takka Takka - 1:00 PM - Puck Building Day Stage

2. Swati - 7:00 PM - Mo' Pitkins New Arrivals Showcase

3. Rachael Sage - 7:30 PM - Mo' Pitkins New Arrivals Showcase

4. The Felice Brothers - 8:30 PM - Southpaw

5. AA Bondy - 9:30 PM - Southpaw

6. Dean and Britta - 10:00 PM - Bowery Ballroom

7. The Rosewood Thieves - 11:30 PM - Southpaw

Wednesday 10/17
8. Excellent - 7:30 PM - Europa

9. Freshkills - 8:30 PM - Europa

10. The Vandelles - 9:30 PM - Europa

11. Bloody Social - 10:30 PM - Europa

12. Theo and the Skyscrapers - 11:30 PM - Europa

Thursday 10/18
13. The Jaguar Club - 6:00 PM - Indaba Loft

14. The Epochs - 8:30 PM - Blender Theater at Gramercy

15. Orba Squara - 9:00 PM - Southpaw (iPhone song!!!)

16. Pela - 11:00 PM - Bowery Ballroom

17. Elk City - 11:30 PM - Joe's Pub

18. Camphor - 12:30 PM - Joe's Pub

Friday 10/19
19. The Muggabears - 2:15 PM - Gothamist House

20. The Jealous Girlfriends - 3:00 PM - Gothamist House

21. The Big Sleep - 3:45 PM - Gothamist House

22. Sam Champion - 6:45 PM - Gothamist House

23. Santogold - 8:50 PM - Filmore at Irving Plaza

24. Earl Greyhound - 9:40 PM - Filmore at Irving Plaza

Saturday 10/20
25. Nous Non Plus - 7:00 PM - Indaba Loft

26. Matt & Kim - 11:00 PM - Music Hall of Williamsburg

Stay tuned for full blog coverage HERE.

CMJ stars I'll be skipping:
mp3s
M.I.A. Paper Planes ft. Bun B and Rich Boy
Justice Phantom pt. II