Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on TwitterBe a Facebook FanTumble us!

05 Sep 2009 16:08

tags

Music: Our Saturday Mixtape decade-in-review continues with 2001’s best

  • 1. Rufus Wainwright came out of the gate strong, and maybe lost a little steam after the second album, but “Cigarettes & Chocolate Milk” definitely isn’t the point where he lost the plot.
    2. Quiet wasn’t the new loud, but the sorta-movement created a couple of pretty solid bands between Kings of Convenience and Turin Brakes, whose “Emergency 72” holds up well considering its current lack of musical context.
    3. Britt Daniel of Spoon made a compelling argument for “The Fitted Shirt,” a style that’s evolved from the days of “ma’am and yes sir” to the style of choice for the male on the prowl. In the process, he made a very compelling argument for Spoon.
    4. It’s interesting how a band known for its guitar-shredding, the White Stripes, first hit mainstream consciousness with “Hotel Yorba,” a three-chord acoustic guitar ditty. No worry; they’d quickly become one of the decade’s biggest bands.
    5. Two years after Dntel’s “This is the Dream of Evan and Chan” came out, the ideas of this song were further explored with the uber-popular (and woefully neglected) Postal Service. And it’s obvious why. Jimmy Tamborello’s glitches and Ben Gibbard’s vocals made perhaps the best argument ever for indie-plus-IDM. source

07 May 2009 21:36

tags

Music: They’ve been silent, but: Lots of good news on the White Stripes front

  • marriage Meg White, the half of the White Stripes that only has one main gig, is getting married to fellow Detroit rock royalty – Jackson Smith, son of Patti Smith and Fred “Sonic” Smith (the late MC5 guitarist). White has been married once before – to the guy mentioned in the box to the right.
  • music Jack White, the half of the White Stripes that appears to always be working, recently noted in an interview that the band will be getting back together soon to record a new album, to come out next year. Good thing too – after their last tour went kaput, the band’s future seemed hazy.