Believer magazine music issue

If you're not a fan already, pick up the current issue of Believer magazine. The interview with M.I.A. and the article about Nina Simone's life is reason enough. Did I mention it comes with an awesome compilation featuring a remix of Janelle Monae's Cold War?

Still Life With Woodpecker

"Goddamn it," she said. "A princess deserves better than this."

Spiritualized at Radio City Music Hall

Greatest. Show. Ever.

Also, the greatest concert review involving a mens room urinal here.

What was it you wanted?

In all the post holiday/ resolution/ hang-over delight, I got back to reading. While thinking of starting a book blog (yes, NERD ALERT! The world needs another blog perhaps?) I had to share the book I just finished. One, because it was awesome, and two, it was music related. For all you Bob Dylan fans who loved Chronicles: Volume I,(if you haven't read it, you should, it's great and a quick read) Suze Rotolo's A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties offers another perspective on a period of his life. For those of you who don't know, Suze was his sweet baboo as seen on the cover of his second album, as her memoir is cleverly renamed with. Beyond some letters included from Mr. Bob himself, it is another view on a romantic relationship, a feminist who was finding her own way in life while painting a picture of the 60s and her surroundings. She had an interesting life and I learned a thing or two about folk music.

"Exam should have 18 pages. Pls check."

FUCK.

My Nouvelle Vague Channel

Continuing on the theme from iMeem's sellout, which led me to Pandora...

My Goldenvoice email told me Nouvelle Vague is touring. Of course, in Los Angeles. Of course, in January - when I'm not there. Thank you, Goldenvoice.

Anyway, feeling the spirit, I typed Nouvelle Vague into my handy-dandy Pandora box. And so flowed the following progression...

Nouvelle Vague - Sweet and Tenger Hooligan
Bitter:Sweet - The Mating Game
Gotan Project - Epoca
Etta James - At Last
Prozac For Lovers - (Don't Fear) The Reaper
Madeleine Peyroux - Smile

Side note: I'm not good at very many things, but one thing I am good at is noticing something I like... and watching that something turn from nothing into amazing.

Each "new" song made me want to blog about it. So then I realized it wasn't really the music that deserved a post, but the importance of always willing to listen to it, to follow it, to let it develop on your taste buds. And in the end, sharing your opinion with others so that all things with talent receive the recognition they deserve.

Never enough hours for the endless amount of discoveries this world has to offer. The journey continues...

iMeem, Why Have Your Forsaken Me...

Just days ago, I posted how I used iMeem to test my hypothesis about Cat Power vs. Warpaint. Literally days ago...

Yesterday, following my normal routine, I went to the iMeem site and typed in "Weezer." What the hell. How did I end up on Myspace? I thought I had a brain-fart so I re-typed in iMeem into my browser and paid closer attention.

iMeem sold itself to Myspace. Why... oh, why.

I invested 30 whole seconds in an attempt to figure out how to play music without having to sign in (I had long since forgotten my Myspace password). No avail.

Desperation ensued. I started panicking, and ranted to my sister how I hoped iMeem creators banked major monies because they pretty much sold the soul of internet music (rant continued for about 5 minutes)... then my sister said, "What's iMeem?"

Me: What's iMeem?!? How do you listen to music?
Sister: I use Pandora.

That's right. I gave up on Pandora when they told me they didn't know who Ted Leo & the Pharmacists were. C'mon. But apparently, three years later, I was pushed to find a new internet music streamer... and Pandora has turned into something awesome.

I typed in Lily Allen. Don't judge. I'm studying and need the peppy yet cynical music. Then I heard Yael Naim, the Pierces, Frou Frou, Kate Nash, and other artists I was in the mood for.

So in essence, what iMeem did by selling itself to Myspace was not beneficial for Myspace... but a winner for Pandora. And you can go ahead tell that one to your kids.

Cat Paints War

Someone else on the internet brought this up, but I thought it was interesting enough to repeat.

Warpaint sounds a lot like Cat Power.

I'll be honest. I had Cat Power on my external drive, but didn't give her any real attention until her song popped up on Juno's soundtrack. Then, of course, I became the biggest Cat Power fan alive. To clarify, in my definition, "biggest ___ fan" simply means I listen to the album for about a month straight.

And because of the musical hibernation I was forced into by the iron claws of graduate school, I always jump at even the most abstract references to remnants of my past musical enthusiasm. In short, I saw "Warpaint sounds a lot like Cat Power" and thought, "Hey, I know Cat Power. I now have a basis to also build an opinion."

This aforementioned internetee built a clever playlist that is as follows:
1. Warpaint - Billie Holiday
2. Cat Power - Don't Explain
3. Warpaint - Stars
4. Cat Power - Still in Love
5. Warpaint - Krimson
... and so on.

Not surprisingly, I couldn't tell you which was which without actually reading my iMeem page. So I fail to reject the hypothesis that Warpaint does in fact sound like Cat Power.

Boring blog excused, Warpaint is some good, mellow shit.

Back to Basics

Lots to talk about in the coming days, hopefully, but in the meantime, a couple of cover songs:





I felt it most prudent to ease back into this blogging thing. Besides, it's what we do best here.

One Regret

The only thing for which I'd truly kick myself over skipping Coachella:



Otherwise, Monday begins the most masochistically fun part of the festival for me: bootlegs!!!