Last night, French alt rock band Phoenix made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien and performed their hit song “1901.” I was glad they finally stopped by The Tonight Show to play for Conan and Andy, because lately it seems like they’ve been popping up everywhere else.
Brooklyn-based indie rock foursome Grizzly Bear just released their latest music video for their song “While You Wait for the Others.” The video was directed by Sean Pecknold, perhaps best known for creating Fleet Foxes’ “White Winter Hymnal” music video. Fun fact: his brother is the bushy-bearded Robin Pecknold, frontman of Fleet Foxes.
Sean Pecknold’s filming style is definitely one of the more distinct ones out there, since he makes heavy use of stop motion and overall weirdness (Is that even a valid technique?). I mean, in this video alone there is a masked fencer interacting with alarm clocks, parakeets, bunnies, elephants, kickballs, fake dogs, and creepy-looking naked dolls. Let’s not even get into the clay-mation, nightmare-inducing video for “White Winter Hymnal.”
Anyway, watch Grizzly Bear’s music video and let us know what you think. [read more…]
17 Hours have never passed so quickly. Maybe it was the stop at Sonic that kept us going (us New Englanders think of it as some Holy Grail of fast food), but most likely it was the excitement of Bonnaroo finally becoming a reality. Honestly, I feel like my visit in Manchester, TN was a fantasy I dreamt up for my own fun. But it happened, and I have the lime green wristband, 3D ticket, and tie-dye t-shirt to prove it.
Even when you talk with people who went, Bonnaroo is hard to describe. If there’s a God, I hope heaven is a big ol’ Bonnaroo in the sky (sure as hell I’d go to church more often). Some friends from Boston College plus some and I all arrived around 5 am on Thursday, pitching our tent and canopy by the light of the sunrise. We napped, and then the adventure officially started.
Here’s the layout of Bonnaroo, 700 acres of former farming lands: Centeroo is an area where all the stages are located and carnival-like vendors. That majestic red archway you see in your friends’ Facebook albums? That’s the entrance to Centeroo. They sell anything from traditional pizza to deep fried gator, and as far as souvenirs go, buy a cool band posters or a didgeridoo. When and if you go, make sure to stop at the Wonder Waffle stand to get the hot waffle sandwich: a cube of vanilla ice cream between two thick waffles smothered in chocolate syrup. Surrounding Centeroo are all the campsites grouped by movie titles and divided by that movie’s characters. Ours was Pussy Galore in the James Bond area… we all got a kick out of that. Port-a-potties are located throughout, and you get used to peeing in the dark after the first two nights. Showering is a no-no. I mean you can for a little less then 10 bucks, but if you’re going to Bonnaroo you might as well do it up right. [read more…]
Once upon a time there was this brilliant film director named Patrick Daughters who directed short films, commercials and videos for indie artists. They were brilliant. The end?
Ooh, not even close. This Cali cool man is all but 33 years old, pumping out more indie-related videos than a 17-year-old guitar player with a bad haircut and a YouTube account. He’s the one behind the avant-garde, split screen video of King of Leon’s ‘Bucket’ and the iPod-induced sensation of Feist’s ’1234′ (not to mention the ultra chic ‘My Moon My Man,’ ‘Mushaboom,’ and ‘I Feel it All’). [read more…]
This week, I feel like showing some love to the up-and-coming rap genius Wiz Khalifa. Originally hailing from Pittsburgh, the 21-year old Wiz Khalifa has already shared the stage with the likes of Ghostface Killah, Styles P, Lupe Fiasco, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Cham, Little Brother, Clipse, Lil Wayne, Young Jeezy, Lil Scrappy, Mario, T.I., Nas, and Rich Boy. Back in 2008, his hit single “Say Yeah” dropped to critical acclaim. I remember I had that track on repeat for days. Khalifa’s version of “Say Yeah” was even mashed-up in the song “Don’t Stop” off of Feed the Animals by Girl Talk. [read more…]
It may not need justification, but it’s become so obvious that I have to talk about it.
Artists love It’s Blitz!. They just want to get their hands around it, their fingers in it.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs have succeeded in making even the alternative unorthodox with this latest album release. And track by track, the remixes pour out. Ears first perked with Animal Collective’s take on ‘Zero,’ a dark horse remixer if that race ever existed. Intriguing, worth the listen, but nothing to write home about. [read more…]
Last night, M.I.A., Kanye West, Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, and T.I. performed their highly anticipated rendition of “Swagga Like Us” at the 2009 Grammys. Donning a black and white polka-dotted outfit, M.I.A. was the first one out on stage. Nine months pregnant, the British phenom looked as if her water was going to break if a stiff breeze hit her. When a familiar beat started playing, it seemed as if she was going to perform her hit single “Paper Planes” until she uttered her famous hook, “No one on the corner has swagger like us.” Then, Kanye, Jay-Z, Lil’ Wayne, and T.I. popped out on stage dressed in fresh looking tuxedos. Each of them took one verse of the song and killed it. I found it a little weird, however, that the signal faded in and out of black and white. Anyone else feel the same way? Check out the video: [read more…]
Last night, M.I.A., Kanye West, 
