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09 Mar 2009 00:49

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Music, Politics: Our rating of the redesigned Pitchfork Web site

09 Mar 2009 00:42

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Music, Politics: Pitchfork redesign: Uber-clean, no blue stuff overload anymore

The Onion A.V. Club wanted to do this with their redesign. But Pitchfork actually did it. It rules. source

06 Mar 2009 13:44

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Music: Pitchfork Fest 2009: Getting us worked up already

  • The bands so far: Some of the bands already on board for the July 17-19 fest – which has only been partly announced – are killer. The first night is full of classic indie rockers like Built to Spill and Yo La Tengo. Day two boasts more recent indie faves like our current musical crush The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. And day three already boasts The Walkmen and Grizzly Bear. Sounds amazing. source
  • The bands so far: Some of the bands already on board for the July 17-19 fest – which has only been partly announced – are killer. The first night is full of classic indie rockers like Built to Spill and Yo La Tengo. Day two boasts more recent indie faves like our current musical crush The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. And day three already boasts The Walkmen and Grizzly Bear. Sounds amazing.
  • A cool new idea: The last few years of the fest have featured All Tomorrow’s Parties-sponsored shows featuring such luminaries as Public Enemy playing their greatest albums in full. But this year, they’ll allow fans to vote for what the bands play in their setlists. Want to hear Yo La Tengo play nothing but stuff from “I Can Hear the Heart Beating as One”? Or more recent stuff? Your vote counts! source

05 Mar 2009 09:45

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Music: Amusing catfight #1: The Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne vs. Arcade Fire

  • I don’t know why people put up with it. I wouldn’t put up with it. I don’t care if it’s Arcade Fire or Brian Eno. If either of them walked into a room and treated people like (*&% I’d be like, ‘%*%& you, get outta here.’
  • Wayne Coyne • In a Rolling Stone interview where he ripped everyone’s favorite indie band a new one. Coyne has a history of this – he famously ripped Beck a while back. Arcade Fire lead singer Win Butler responded by saying he played with the Lips over three years ago when the band was jet-lagged. “I am not sure Wayne is the best judge,” Butler wrote. • source

27 Feb 2009 14:40

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Biz, U.S.: Know your hipster neighborhood? It’s dying out.

  • Decemberists no more Early this decade, it was a new tale of urban bohemia. Neighborhoods in cities across the country were starting to become hip, complete with flower shops, coffee huts, boutiques full of random crap you’d never buy, and so on and so forth. Still cool middle-age white people going to Whole Foods. And they were all listening to indie rock and growing neckbeards. source
  • Decemberists no more Early this decade, it was a new tale of urban bohemia. Neighborhoods in cities across the country were starting to become hip, complete with flower shops, coffee huts, boutiques full of random crap you’d never buy, and so on and so forth. Still cool middle-age white people going to Whole Foods. And they were all listening to indie rock and growing neckbeards.
  • The economy of suck One neighborhood, Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock, is a good example of the downward trend. The recession, killing home prices nationwide, is also having an effect on the shops that hipsters descend upon while listening to Rilo Kiley on their iPhones and drinking their vegan mochas. Eagle Rock lost many of their cool shops recently due to economic turmoil. source
  • Decemberists no more Early this decade, it was a new tale of urban bohemia. Neighborhoods in cities across the country were starting to become hip, complete with flower shops, coffee huts, boutiques full of random crap you’d never buy, and so on and so forth. Still cool middle-age white people going to Whole Foods. And they were all listening to indie rock and growing neckbeards.
  • The economy of suck One neighborhood, Los Angeles’ Eagle Rock, is a good example of the downward trend. The recession, killing home prices nationwide, is also having an effect on the shops that hipsters descend upon while listening to Rilo Kiley on their iPhones and drinking their vegan mochas. Eagle Rock lost many of their cool shops recently due to economic turmoil.
  • How residents feel Residents are, admittedly, kind of sad about the loss, even if they’ve found it tough to actually shop there due to constricting wallet size. Eagle Rock resident Emily Cook, a screenwriter, lamented the loss of scene but has learned to live without it. “When we first moved here,” she said, “I wanted it to be cool. But that stuff doesn’t matter anymore.” source

14 Feb 2009 09:42

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Music: Grizzly Bear has an upcoming album. It’s named after an island.

“Veckatimest” is a small, uninhabited island off the coast of Massachusetts. Look it up, indie nerds! source

10 Feb 2009 11:09

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Music: Art Brut has an upcoming album. It’s probably high-concept.

“Art Brut Vs. Satan” comes out in the U.K. on April 20. Hahah, 420, get it? source
 

28 Jan 2009 20:28

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Music: Indie rock invades the Billboard 200 charts in a big way

  • Forget that Taylor Swift’s at No. 1 again. The real story is Andrew Bird (with Noble Beast) at No. 12. And Animal Collective (with Merriweather Post Pavilion) at No. 13. And Bon Iver (with the Blood Bank EP) at No. 16. All three are career bests. And all three albums are pretty well-reviewed, too. Some music blog jerk somewhere is thinking that this is a sign of the commercialization of indie. We want to tell that guy to shut up and just enjoy the moment for what it is, OK? source

23 Jan 2009 12:00

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Culture, Music: Ryan Gosling (along with some other guy), indie rocker

The Oscar-nominated Gosling leads Dead Men’s Bones. They sound spooky. source

21 Jan 2009 12:25

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Music: Matt & Kim: Two tunesmiths to watch out for in 2009

The synthy, youthful sound of Matt & Kim is best experienced with “Daylight.” source