this blog goes to 11.

Bands with cool videos and even cooler web sites

My friend Steph sent me this link to a video from a band I don’t listen to a whole lot.

This is Architecture in Helsinki’s video for their track “Like It or Not.” Its really original and creative, not to mention the music is good. It definitely makes me want to listen to one of their full albums. Check out the video at the bottom of this post.

If you’re not familiar with the band, their web site is awesome and definitely worth checking out. I’ve never seen a band do anything quite like it, but they do a great job coercing the user to interact in an interesting way without getting too confusing.

Now that I’m thinking about bands with cool web sites, Subtle, one of my personal favorites, is going to be releasing a new album this month and has put up an online graphic novel that is jam-packed with awesome stuff from their new album. Even if you aren’t familiar with the band, its worth a peek simply because the flash and graphic design is great (something I’ve come to expect from Subtle), so waste an extra 30 seconds online clicking around exitingARM.com today.

Oh yeah, here’s the Architecture in Helsinki video.

When good publications go bad…

For a long time I’ve loved RS for their great writing, hard-hitting features and thoughtful (albeit liberal) political articles.
However, I just saw the cover of the newest issue of Rolling Stone (that is probably sitting in my mail box as I type) and I threw up in my mouth a little bit.
None other than the four main characters of The Hills dressed in skanky little hot pants were staring back at me…like, OMG, were Heidi and Lauren really on the set of the same photo shoot?
Is this some sort of stunt for Rolling Stone to try and steal the trashy mainstream audience Blender currently caters to? Did the editors think they should shoot more for the middle-school girl demographic?
But, more importantly, why is a respected music publication wasting my money and time with a feature about garbage that belongs in Maxim?
The headline of the article captured my thoughts exactly…”Are They For Real?”
Its depressing because I can read 80% of Rolling Stone’s content online and now it seems that the other 20% is becoming drivel about MTV reality shows.
Thanks anyway Rolling Stone, I prefer music news to celebrity gossip, but good luck competing with Blender…maybe you can beat them to a 12 page feature on the editor-in-chief of The Paper.

Yo Gabba Gabba and The Aquabats

Until yesterday, I just thought “Yo Gabba Gabba!” was another run-of-the-mill kid’s show on Nickelodeon. Turns out there’s a lot more to it than I thought.

It all started when I was reading Pitchfork Media and I saw a new Shins video. After I clicked the link and began watching the video, it immediately became clear that the Shins were performing not on Saturday Night Live or Jay Leno, but on Yo Gabba Gabba!, a children’s show I only knew of because it was a recurring joke on The Soup. To make things even more confusing, they were performing an original song they had written specifically for the show.

I didn’t know what to think, so I did some research with the aid of Google and discovered a link to my younger years that I had no idea existed.

The creators of Yo Gabba Gabba are two members of my favorite band for the duration of middle and high school: THE AQUABATS! As I did more research, I found that they created the show because they were both young parents and wanted a program their children could watch that would compare to children’s classics like Sesame Street. So, why not introduce young children to music worth listening to while they were at it?

I couldn’t believe the list of cameos when I read it. Rapper Biz Markie is a recurring character on the show with a segment entitled, “Biz’s Beat of the Day.” Rahzel, the human beatbox made famous for his work with The Roots, has made an appearance. Shiny Toy Guns, more appropriately renamed The Shinys, have performed…the list goes on. Even The Aquabats themselves have performed on the show…awesome.

Its so refreshing to see musicians doing something you can tell they truly care about, and interesting to see that not all celebrities react to having kids by going insane, dating paparazzi and ending up in a mental institution. I hope the tradition continues and Yo Gabba Gabba inspires the creation of more children’s shows that can be enjoyed by kids and parents alike.

New music from CSS

Today CSS, the electro-pop band made famous when their song, “Music is My Hot Hot Sex,” was used in an iPod commercial, released the first single from their upcoming album online.
The track is called “Rat is Dead (Rage)” and can be downloaded from the band’s web site, or a number of blogs around the Internet.
I was looking forward to hearing the new single because I’m a big fan of the synth-heavy, dance-rock vibe that made CSS’ last album so fun to listen to.
Unfortunately, this song was a huge letdown. It seems that CSS has completely abandoned their electronic sound in favor of very generic sounding, Donnas-style pop-punk…yuck.
I can’t say expected something really spectacular, but one of my pet peeves when it comes to music is when a unique band completely changes their sound to something mediocre and run-of-the-mill.
If you’re disappointed about this song being no good, check out Does It Offend You, Yeah? A great up and coming dance-rock band that will make you forget all about CSS.

Prince + Radiohead = Coachella

I know its all over the Internet, but Prince covering Radiohead’s “Creep” at Coachella? Awesome.

Coachella on the web

Well, today marks the start of one of the biggest music festivals of the year: Coachella.
I hadn’t actually looked at the full lineup until today because I knew there was no way I could go and I didn’t want to torture myself knowing about all the awesome music I’m going to be missing. Turns out the full lineup is pretty amazing.
My heart sank as I read down the list and saw some of my favorite bands on the list: Aesop Rock, Jack Johnson, Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, Hot Chip, Love and Rockets, Simian Mobile Disco, Stars…I could keep going.
However, I was surprised at the quality of the Coachella web site. It was pretty cheesy looking for the amount of money they probably had to spend on it. It kinda feels like something that would have been built in the mid-90’s, which I get from the fixed background with a header and body that scroll.
The blending (or lack thereof) doesn’t work very well either…it kinda just makes everything look like it was crudely cut out and sloppily pasted on top of a cool painting.
But whatever, I think the awesome lineup makes up for the lack of appealing web design, and I’m sure it didn’t affect ticket sales. Maybe in ‘09 they’ll deliver the whole package.

Program Council’s “big” show

I make it a point to check CU Program Council’s web site every so often because you never know when they’re going to shock you by booking a show you actually want to see.
After all the hype they put into this year’s “big concert,” it was finally announced and, once again, I am disappointed.
The headliners for this year’s big show at Balch Fieldhouse are going to be Medeski, Martin and Wood on the night of Saturday, April 26th.
I mean, the whole new jazz thing is pretty cool, but definitely not the most entertaining live show. I actually had a roommate who fell asleep standing up during a Medeski, Martin and Wood show.
However, it is cool that tickets are extremely affordable ($12 for students, $17 for everyone else), but that’s probably just because these guys are relatively affordable to book. I would have paid an extra 10 or 15 bucks to see someone like The Roots, Spoon or The Black Keys.
Oh well, better luck next year…I’ll be in Fort Collins to hear Frank Warren Speak that night anyway, and I would suggest everyone else do the same because a Frank Warren speech will definitely blow a jazz show out of the water.

Lollapalooza!

Since I’ve been working extra hard to catch up after my trip to Knoxville last week, I’ve been slacking on blogging and behind on music in general.
Today I finally got a chance to check out the full lineup for Lollapalooza and its ridiculously good. I mean, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine and Nine Inch Nails headlining? That alone is enough to make me ditch work and drive to Chicago for three days.
But it gets better. The Raconteurs, Love and Rockets, The Black Keys, Broken Social Scene and Lupe Fiasco…just to highlight some of my favorites.
At this point, I would say Lollapalooza is going to be a serious competitor for the best festival lineup of the year.

A different perspective on SXSW

When I saw that there was a disturbing video from SXSW, I had to check it out.

A band called InnerPartySystem made this video of their experience in Austin for South by Southwest 2008. I have to say, this showcases some pretty awesome editing and intriguing electronic music.

I don’t know why I hadn’t heard of this band before I saw their video on Blender’s music blog (which I actually have never read before) under the title “The Most Disturbing SXSW Video in Existence.”

So, check out this video and give their Download EP a listen.

People you may know

You know how Facebook sends you all those e-mails about who wants to be friends with you, what concerts you should check out and what not?
Well, today I got an e-mail from Facebook notifying me that someone I don’t think I know, but apparently should, joined Facebook. So, I logged on to see what the deal was. That’s when I noticed a new feature: the “people you may know” box. Turns out its just full of a bunch of people i went to high school with and don’t necessarily care to stay in touch with, but, regardless, its kind of creepy. I wonder who’s people you may know box I’ve been popping up in since the service has launched.
I can’t say I really have a problem with it because its obvious that the suggestions are made based on info you provide and is already public. I’m sure there’ll still be a virtual uprising from Facebook users who think this is an invasion of privacy, despite the fact that they openly post photos of themselves taking bong rips and doing keg stands on their profile.
Aside from that, there’s some interesting social issues attached. Have we really become so lazy that Facebook needs to suggest who we should be friends with in the virtual world? Apparently the progression has gone from going out and meeting people in real life to meeting people online to being introduced to other people online through an algorithm that chooses people you may know. Interesting.