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26 Dec 2009 17:02

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Music: Saturday Mixtape: The best singles of 2009, in no particular order

  • Lots of great singles came out this year – pieces of memorable mind candy worthy of (more than) a few minutes of your time. Here are a few of our faves.
  • one Instant euphoria, in just a few words. What else could you want?
  • two Crocodiles hit our Jesus & Mary Chain soft spot; they get in easily.

26 Dec 2009 00:41

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Music: Vic Chesnutt dies: Singer-songwriter noted for fighting adversity

  • I’ve flirted with death my whole life. Even as a young kid I was sick and almost died a few times. … Sometimes I’d be angry that they revived me. I’d be like, ‘How dare you?’…But of course as the hours and days wear on, you realize, well, there is joy to be had.
  • Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt • Who died yesterday after being in a coma this week. Chesnutt, 45, has had a long, sad history which often showed up in his well-regarded music. Wheelchair-bound by a car accident at 18, Chesnutt was discovered by R.E.M.’s Michael Stipe and later gained a huge following, best shown in the 1996 compilation “Sweet Relief II,” which featured alternative rock stars covering his tunes. Chesnutt, even in the tough times, was prolific – he released two albums this year alone – but the sadness around his life has now been accented by a Christmas death. Awful. source

24 Dec 2009 23:20

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Music: #ladygaygay: Lady Gaga fans strike back against a Fred Phelps protest

  • We decided to rebel against the shocking and sickening news of what (&^% Fred Phelps proposed to do. So all of us ‘Monsters’ united to show mass support to Lady Gaga and gay rights.
  • A report from “Gaganews” • Describing why they led a protest against Fred Phelps on Twitter, which both Lady Gaga herself and Perez hilton promoted by tweeting the official #LadyGayGay hashtag. Phelps, the “God Hates Fags” guy, plans to protest Gaga’s show next month in Missouri – a few months after she made herself a target by making an important speech at the National Equality March. Nothing like putting Fred Phelps, an icon of hate and vitriol, in his place. source

24 Dec 2009 13:07

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Music: Why “I Wish It Was Christmas Today” is an anthem for the ages

  • It was perhaps the best sketch Jimmy Fallon’s ever done. It was perhaps Horatio Sanz’s shining moment. And it’s definitely the best part of Strokes singer Julian Casablancas’ solo career thus far. So why not shake off that dusty SNL Christmas classic, “I Wish It was Christmas Today,” and share it with a whole new audience? Hells yeah. source

22 Dec 2009 22:19

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22 Dec 2009 21:39

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Music: T.I.’s out of prison, just in time for Lil’ Wayne to take his place

  • The Atlanta rapper was everywhere a year ago; will his star shine again? T.I., a.k.a. Clifford Harris Jr., was released from an Arkansas prison today and put in an Atlanta halfway house for three months. The “Whatever You Like” superstar was jailed on weapons charges – just like Lil’ Wayne is about to be. Won’t someone think of the larger-than life rappers? source

22 Dec 2009 09:07

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Music: New superduo Broken Bells sounds pretty awesome, guys

On one side: The lead singer and mastermind of The Shins, James Mercer. On the other: Danger Mouse. You got your Danger Mouse in my Shins! source
 

21 Dec 2009 12:02

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Music: Pitchfork’s top 50 albums: Which one sold the most, anyway?

  • 131k sales figures for Animal Collective’s “Merriweather Post Pavilion,” which topped the list
  • 205k sales figures for Phoenix’s “Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix” (No. 8), which is the highest-selling on the list
  • 3.4k sales figures for Real Estate’s “Real Estate” (No. 20), the lowest-selling on the list; you should buy it source

19 Dec 2009 20:40

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Music: ShortFormBlog Saturday Mixtape: Most inventive videos of 2009


  • High-Speed Nudity In Matt & Kim’s simple, clever video for “Lessons Learned,” they run through Times Square stripping all along. Best part? The cops that tackle them totally weren’t planned, but make the video ten times better.

  • Carl Sagan, Remixed When we posted about this a few months ago, we were shocked at how well this remix worked. Beyond being a good video, it’s a good song – way better than most video mashups turn out being.

  • Oddity with a budgetDan Deacon’s been on the winning end of the viral video game before, but he’s clearly never had a budget as big as the one for “Padding Ghost,” which is way more palatable than those videos, but just as fun.

19 Dec 2009 16:23

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Music: Warren G continues gangsta rap’s family friendly push

It was a clear black night, a clear white moon, and Warren G was at the Boys & Girls Club accepting an award. What happened, man? We thought you were gangsta! source