MetaFilter posts tagged with pop and rock

It's Time To "Party"

Damn That Television — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:18:12 -0800

November 13, 2001: Musical unknown Andrew W.K. (Previously 1, 2) releases his debut album "I Get Wet." It is a simple rock record of power chords and unabashed, un-ironic party music -- exemplified perfectly both by its first song, "It's Time To Party," or its lead single, "Party Hard" -- released during a month of American depression, paranoia, and insincerity that borders on nihilism. The album finds mainstream success, selling over 30K copies in its first three weeks, with songs from the record appearing in commercials, movies, and television shows, not to mention heavy rotation on MTV and awesome appearances on Conan and Saturday Night Live. While Pitchfork gives the album a 0.6 out of 10 (in a review written by its founder, Ryan Schreiber), most of the music press gives the album warm reviews - with Rolling Stone (4 out of 5 stars) saying that "To experience "Party Hard" is to refuse to believe your ears" and even the notoriously dismissive Robert Christgau gave the album an A-, saying "It's simple enough once you accept it for what it is." Possibly The Onion's A.V. Club said it best in an interview preamble: "...he's clearly dead serious about his music and its potential to inspire a world in need of passion and commitment." [In fact, the Onion's interview with AWK is one of his most candid and fascinating, with Andrew touching on his childhood ("Very good. Very Solitary."), his personal philosophy ("This is about working hard and inviting everybody into an unending, inexhaustible source of strength and energy."), and his resistance to change his music for corporate forces ("People give them too much credit—these corporations, or whoever is ruining people. Well, you may allow them to ruin you, but they don't touch me").] Buoyed by the critical reaction, Andrew W.K. tours. And tours and tours, not stopping partying for anything, even performing in a wheel chair due to a broken foot. His high-energy shows, goofy behavior, and seeming limitless devotion to his fans -- mixed with mid-set speeches that border on motivational speaker territory -- help him build an underground following to supplement his mainstream appeal. The album eventually sells over 250K, and, of course, he gets huge in Japan. Over the course of the decade, Andrew's quirky, sincere dedication to his fans finds a seemingly unlikely companion in MTV when they produce the series Your Friend, Andrew W.K., where fans would write him letters, and he'd fly to their homes to help them with their problems. Additionally, he continues to perform and record new material, ranging from similar up-tempo party anthems, to piano pieces, to covers of music from an anime series. December 15, 2009: In a hybrid interview/lecture video released by RockFeedback, Andrew W.K. admits that "Andrew W.K." is a construct, played by several different auditioned actors/musicians and created in secret by different groups working "in the spirit of commerce" to devise the ultimate popular/underground musical frontman. (Parts 2, 3, related)

"Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound, funny, but it's folk/psych/prog/70s Korean rock to me

kkokkodalk — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:35:32 -0800

Boys dared to grow their hair and girls dared to wear mini skirts and in Korea indecency officers patroled the street with scissors and rulers, publicly cutting hair too long and checking if skirts were too short. Shin Joong-hyung, was there with his 70s hit, Beauty, as were other musicians and artists like Sanullim and the Key Boys. Shin's memorable hook from "Beauty" of "I look at her once, look at her twice, I want to keeping looking at her” matched with an addictive beat and guitar riff created the trend of "I _____ once, _____ twice, I keep wanting to ______" wordplay according to Jishik Shidae's E documentary on Shin (link to part two, giving video clips, photos and some of the music from the time). Shin was performing since the 50s, beginning his career entertaining US troops, and in the 60s in bands like Add4 and he continued to pump out popular hits that are still familiar to the ears of many Koreans today. For example, Beautiful Rivers and Mountains, topped the charts again in the 80s when it was covered by power vocalist Lee Sun-hee, and is now considered one of her greatest hits (song clip is actually from a 2003 performance in North Korea as part of a "Reunification Concert" where South Korean singers went to perform in North Korea). Shin, who is considered the godfather of rock and soul in Korea, was an influential guitarist and musician. He also wrote songs for and worked with other acts like the Pearl Sisters (1, 2). Another one of his great hits, Officer Kim Returning from Vietnam, was performed by Kim Chu-ja. Sanullim were also a force to be reckoned with. Even though they created progressive and psychedelic music, the trio were also responsible for many recognizable hit now part of the Korean pop music lexicon with hits and exploded onto the scene with "Oh, no! Already?" (linked above) from their first album. From Sanullim's first album: Restless Heart Open the Door Girl A couple of songs from Sanullim's second album: I Think It's Really Like That Dear One Leaving Me Lining My Heart With Silk The Key Boys were responsible for another one of the most recognizable Korean songs Let's Go to the Beach, a karaoke favorite and covered by numerous performers, including punk band No Brain in 2001. It wasn't just the boys who got to play, there were also female artists with a more pop sound like Kim Jung-mi and Yoon Si-nae Another song that most Koreans are familiar with: Song Gol-mae's 80s hit, You, Who I Accidentally Ran Into To see album covers read up some more info (including how much collectors are paying for some of these albums!) check out Belgian Psyche Van Het Folk radio show's collection of Korean psychedelic folk music and their labyrinthine links. Other folk-style acts to note: Yang Hee-eun Onions Kim Jung-ho One of Shin Jung-hoon's hits was One Cup of Coffee, (performed by the Pearl Sisters). Interestingly enough, one of the more current incarnations of Korean folk and psych tradition, Chang Ki-ha and The Faces, were able to escape unknown indie band status with another coffee-themed hit, Cheap Coffee. Chang Ki-ha and The Faces perform with an enigmatic, silent and stony-faced background dancer/backup singer duo named The Mimi Sisters," an obvious nod to the 60s-70s both in the naming convention and in their sometimes retro style of dress: Why Does that Man...? The Moon is Becoming Full Accept Me

Friday Night, 1974, and there's nothing going on

philip-random — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:34:10 -0800

Here’s a cool concept. Top breakthrough bands of the day playing LIVE on TV late every Friday night. Such was The Midnight Special - from 1972 - 1981 (though the glory days were the early to mid 70s, that lost decade somewhere between the meltdown of the hippie dream and the coincident eruptions of PUNK + DISCO upon planet rock). Burt Sugarman was the man behind it all. You name ‘em. They played it. From the sublime to the ridiculous ... ABBA Argent Badfinger Bee Gees (pre disco) Earth Wind + Fire Electric Light Orchestra (again) Guess Who Manfred Mann's Earth Band Curtis Mayfield The Steve Miller Band Ted Nugent Billy Preston Todd Rundgren T-Rex Thin Lizzy War Gary Wright All apologies for the hairstyles but, as some wise guys said, those who forget history are condemned to repeat it.

Long Distance Winners

ageispolis — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:36:44 -0800

Before Fleetwood Mac, there was Buckingham Nicks. Their seminal s/t album (1973) has never been released on CD. "So Keith [Olsen] and I started working together. This was in like ‘68, ‘69 probably. And that’s - from then on that’s when things started happening. That’s where Keith one day came and said, 'I’m bringing this couple down from North California, named Stevie and Lindsey. And I want you to play on their record.' I played on the Buckingham Nicks record. The three of us became very tight, tight friends. We were always together. And then I got my record deal, and they got theirs. And we all got mutually screwed at the same time." - Waddy Watchel Buckingham Nicks (1973) mp3s donated by Tom Moncrieff, former bassist for Buckingham Nicks. 1. Crying in the Night (S. Nicks) 2. Stephanie (L. Buckingham) 3. Without a Leg to Stand On (L. Buckingham) 4. Crystal (S. Nicks) 5. Long Distance Winner (S. Nicks) 6. Don't Let Me Down Again (L. Buckingham) 7. Django (J. Lewis) 8. Races Are Run (S. Nicks) 9. Lola My Love (L. Buckingham) 10. Frozen Love (S. Nicks, L. Buckingham) More music of Buckingham Nicks, including two live sets donated by Gary Hodges, former drummer of the band. (/index) And for some counterbalance, Fleetwood Mac before Buckingham & Nicks.

Jeff Mangum: Starlight Crypt

msalt — Fri, 29 May 2009 11:23:31 -0800

In 1997, reclusive Neutral Milk Hotel mastermind Jeff Mangum performed a now-legendary set at Athens, Ga. coffee shop Jittery Joe's. One week only on Pitchfork.tv Previously 1 2 3 In the Aeroplane Over The Sea: Pitchfork review (10.0) Youtube: - 14 song playlist - Holland, 1945, live 10-14-97 - Song against Sex, live 4-12-98

100 Best Icelandic Pop & Rock Albums

Kattullus — Wed, 06 May 2009 19:14:58 -0800

100 Best Icelandic Pop & Rock Albums all streamable in full for free. Icelandic state broadcaster RÚV and Icelandic subscription music website tónlist.is have published what they, their team of experts and the Icelandic public consider to be the 100 best Icelandic rock and pop albums of all time. Björk, Sigur Rós, Múm and The Sugarcubes don't need much introduction but below the cut there are short description of the other artists. [via RÚV] 200.000 naglbítar: Name means 200000 Nippers (as in the tool for removing nails, this is a Halldór Laxness reference). Rose to fame in the mid 90s with an anthemic pop song about a woman who's hiding the fact her husband beats her up called Hæð í húsi (A Floor in a House). Their second biggest hit was Brjótum það sem brotnar (Break That Which is Breaks, as in the nihilist idea that nothing that can be broken should be left unbroken). They made an album with Lúðrasveit verkalýðsins (The Laborers' Marching Band) who also featured in Heima, the recent documentary about Sigur Rós. Ampop: Starting life as an electronic duo, they added a drummer to the line-up and became more melodic. Apparat Organ Quartet: The world largest quartet, comprised of four organists and one drummer. The band's main songwriter is Jóhann Jóhannsson started out as the keyboard player in goth-rock band Ham (see below) but has now become a respected composer. Baggalútur: The band version of Icelandic comedy website Baggalútur, which is the Icelandic equivalent of The Onion. Bjartmar Guðlaugsson: Folky singer-songwriter who was incredibly popular in the late eighties. He started out as a lyricist for others, including Björk at one point. Björgvin Halldórsson: A popstar in Iceland since the late sixties, with countless hits. His only album in this list is an album of children's music he made with guitarist Gunnar Þórðarson (see below). His son, Krummi, is the lead singer of Mínus (see below). Botnleðja: Started out as a catchy pop-punk band in the vein of the Buzzcocks, they went to write more complicated rock songs. Toured abroad under the name Silt, which is a direct translation of their name. Bragi Valdimar og Memfismafían: Bragi Valdimar is a member of Baggalútur (see above) and Memfismafían (The Memphis Mafia) is a collection of various other well known Icelandic musicians, including members of The Sugarcubes, Hjálmar (see below) and many others. The album Gilligill is a collection of humorous children's songs. Bubbi Morthens: The Icelandic Bruce Springsteen. Started out as a singer-songwriter whose songs were about life as a working class Icelander but he's since explored countless different musical styles. He founded Utangarðsmenn (see below) around the time he was first becoming popular as a solo artist. He later went on to found new wave bands Egó (see below) and Das Kapital. He later formed GCD (see below) with Icelandic sixties rock legend Rúnar Júlíusson, member of Hljómar (see below) and Trúbrot (see below). He's also worked extensively with singer-songwriter Megas (see below) as well as releasing a great number of solo albums. Dikta: A tuneful indie rock band. Dr. Gunni og vinir hins: Dr. Gunni is a long-time fixture on the Icelandic music scene, having been one of Iceland's premier alternate rockers in the late eighties and into the mid nineties. Abbababb! is his best selling album, a collection of children's songs, the breakout hit being Prumpufólkið (The Fartpeople). Egó: Iceland's premier New Wave band, founded by Bubbi Morthens (see above). Ellen Kristjánsdóttir: Sister of KK (see below), she's mainly an interpreter of other people's songs. The album on this list, Sálmar (Hymns), is a collection of traditional Icelandic Christian songs. Elly Vilhjálms: Sister of Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson (see below), who she sings with on the one album she has on the list. Iceland's premier female singer of pop and jazz standards in the sixties and seventies. Emilíana Torrini: Probably best known in the Anglophone world for singing Gollum's Song over the end-credits of The Two Towers, Emilíana Torrini has had a long solo career and has co-written a number of songs for other recording artists, including Kylie Minogue, and collaborated with Paul Oakenfold, Gus Gus (see below) and Thievery Corporation. Ensími: An alternative rock band. One of their albums, not on this list, was produced by Steve Albini. FM Belfast: Electro band with three singers. Features Örvar Þóreyjarson Smárason of Múm. On the album How to Make Friends they cover old school techno smash Pump by Snap. Fræbbblarnir: Iceland's first punk band. For some reason their selected album, Viltu nammi væna? (Do you want candy dear?) is not playable. GCD: One of many popular bands founded by Bubbi Morthens (see above) this time as a collaborative project with bass guitarist and singer Rúnar Júlíusson, former member of Hljómar (see below), Trúbrot (see below) and many other bands. The name comes from what are supposedly the three most common chords in rock songs. Grýlurnar: New wave all-girl band. Made Iceland's all time most popular movie Með allt á hreinu (Everything Clear) with the band Stuðmenn (see below). The movie featured both bands on a tour of Iceland competing for popularity. The lead singer of Grýlurnar, Ragnhildur Gísladóttir, went on to join Stuðmenn. Gunnar Þórðarson: Former member of Hljómar (see below), Trúbrot (see below) and many other bands. Primarily a guitarist and songwriter his solo works have been collaborative, such as Himinn og jörð (Heaven and Earth), which features a number of singers, such as Björgvin Halldórsson (see above) and former Hljómar and Trúbrot singer Shady Owens. GusGus: Started out as an artistic collaborative, with music only being one part of what they did, but soon the band aspect became the main focus. Countless people have at one time or another been members of GusGus, including Emilíana Torrini (see above) and Daníel Ágúst Haraldsson lead singer of Nýdönsk (see below). Through the years their music has progressed from trip-hop to electro. Ham: Iceland's foremost goth rock band. They never quite managed to record a proper full-length album, but their defining statement as the live recording of their final concert, released as Ham Lengi Lifi! (Long Live Ham!) The principal songwriter was Sigurjón Kjartansson, who was also one of the two main singers (singing in an operatic style), the other being Óttar Proppe, who growled. They were fiercely loved by their followers (including Björk) while they were active but never widely popular. Sigurjón Kjartansson later went on to become one half of Iceland's most popular comedic duo, Tvíhöfði (Biceps or Doublehead). Ham always had a streak of humor in them, covering Abba's Voulez-vous and The Motors' Airport. Hjaltalín: An indie pop band whose cover of Þú komst við hjartað í mér (You Touched My Heart) by Páll Óskar (see below) was a huge hit in Iceland last year. Hjálmar: Iceland's finest reggae band. Members of Hjálmar later went on to back Megas (see below) as Senuþjófarnir (The Scene Stealers). Hljómar: One of countless Beatlepop bands which sprang up around the world in the early sixties. Singer and bassist Rúnar Júlíusson had the distinction of also being in Iceland's national soccer squad and dating, and later marrying, Miss Iceland. Hljómar featured under the name Thor's Hammer on the second volume of garage rock compilation series Nuggets. Hrekkjusvínin: A supergroup of folk and rock musicians who came together to make a children's album in 1977, starting an Icelandic tradition of serious rock musicians making children's music in Iceland. All lyrics on their only album, Lög unga fólkins (The Young Folks' Songs), were by novelist and poet Pétur Gunnarsson, all music was by Valgeir Guðjónsson of Spilverk þjóðanna (see below) and later of Stuðmenn (see below) and Leifur Hauksson of folk group Þokkabót. The lyrics were quite subversive and anti-capitalist but despite that (or perhaps because of that), the album instantly became a classic of Icelandic children's music. Jeff Who?: Icelandic indie rock band. Jet Black Joe: Rock band whose music has often been compared to grunge. They were very popular in the early nineties before disbanding. The lead singer, Páll Rósinkranz, went on to be a singer of Christian spiritual music before reforming the band in this decade. KK: Folk and blues musician. Real name Kristján Kristjánsson, he's the brother of Ellen Kristjánsdóttir (see above). Lay Low: Stage name of Lovísa Elísabet Sigrúnardóttir. She's a singer-songwriter who plays slow, atmospheric music. Magnús Þór Guðmundsson: A long time fixture of the Icelandic music scene, first as a member of the band Change. He released a number of solo albums, including the one on this list, Álfar (Elves). Mannakorn: Seventies rock band. Maus: Indie rock band popular in the nineties and into this decade before they disbanded. Roger O'Donnell, keyboard player of The Cure, played with Maus on the album Lof mér að falla að þínu eyra (Let Me Fit Your Ear). Megas: His public image in Iceland is some combination of Bob Dylan, George Bataille and a bum. Starting out as a folk singer with an eponymous album in 1972, he would later explore a number of musical styles. He is also considered one of the Iceland's best poets. His lyrics are written according to traditional Icelandic poetics, but his subject matter is routinely very subversive and has been from the very first. His life has been just as controversial, having often been on the brink of death from ODing on drugs. Á bleikum náttkjólum (In pink nightgowns), which he made with Spilverk þjóðanna (see below) in 1977, is widely acknowledged to be his masterpiece, a caustic punk-influenced rock album that routinely tops Icelandic album best-of lists (along with Ágætis Byrjun by Sigur Rós, Homogenic and Debut by Björk and Lifun by Trúbrot (see below)). Referenced in the song Iceland by The Fall. Mínus: Hardcore punk band fronted by Krummi, son of Björgvin Halldórsson (see above). Mugison: Experimental singer-songwriter from Ísafjörður in the Westfjords. Nýdönsk: Pop band who were very popular in the nineties. Olga Guðrún Árnadóttir: Though she later went on to be a playwright Olga Guðrún Árnadóttir is to this day most famous for her 1975 children's album Eniga Meniga. All the lyrics were written by novelist Ólafur Haukur Símonarson. Páll Óskar: Brother of Sigrún Hjálmtýrsdóttir, singer of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see below). Páll Óskar is most famous as a singer of disco songs but he's done all kinds of other music. Shocked some Icelanders in the early nineties by being very open about his homosexuality. He also had a long-running Dr. Love type show where he educated a generation of Icelanders in matters of the heart and pants. Pétur Ben: Singer-songwriter and trained composer. Purrkur pillnikk: Early Icelandic punk band, fronted by Einar Örn Benediktsson, later singer of The Sugarcubes. Purrkur pillnikk's motto, það skiptir ekki máli hvað þú getur heldur hvað þú gerir (it doesn't matter what you can but what you do) became the call to arms of a whole generation of Icelandic punk bands. Bass player Bragi Ólafsson would also found The Sugarcubes with Einar Örn. Quarashi: Icelandic rap band who had a minor worldwide hit with Stick'em Up. Sálin hans Jóns míns: A pop band that has been very popular for the last twenty years. Spilverk þjóðanna: Folk-rock band. Stuðmenn: Iceland's all-time most popular pop band. Originally started as a joke by Valgeir Guðjónsson of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see above) and Jakob Frímann Magnússon in 1970. The name Stuðmenn was their idea for the worst possible bandname, stuð meaning both shock (as in electroshock) and good times and menn meaning men. A translation of the name would be something like The Good Time Guys. Valgeir and Jakob fleshed out the joke with members of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see above) and put out the album Sumar á Sýrlandi in 1975 which they performed anonymously in animal masks. After releasing a follow-up to the unexpectedly popular Sumar á Sýrlandi the band was shelved for a while as Valgeir focused on Spilverk Þjóðanna. In 1982, after Spilverk þjóðanna had quit, Valgeir wrote an album's worth of songs that he thought would fit Stuðmenn. Instead of just releasing an album the band decided to make a movie about a fictional band, called Stuðmenn, who would tour Iceland in competition with the all girl new wave band Grýlurnar (see above). The movie, Með allt á hreinu (Clear on Everything), became a massive hit and remains to this day Iceland's all time most popular movie. Stuðmenn went on to release a slew of popular albums and is still playing, after a hiatus in the nineties. Sykurmolarnir: The Icelandic name for The Sugarcubes. Todmobile: Popular rock band in the nineties. Trúbrot: Sixties rock supergroup, made up of members of Hljómar (see above) and Flowers. Lifun was their masterpiece, a concept album about the human lifespan that is unusually short for a prog rock concept album. Lifun routinely tops Icelandic rock album best-of lists. Utangarðsmenn: Very popular punk band founded by Bubbi Morthens (see above). Vilhjálmur Vilhjálmsson: Popular singer in the seventies. He died shortly after releasing his most popular album, Hana nú, in a car crash in Luxembourg. The song Söknuður (Sorrow) has become a standard at funerals. Þeyr: One of Iceland's best punk bands. One of the many bands to have members later go on to found The Sugarcubes. The band worked with Jaz Coleman of Killing Joke but the resulting material was never released. For some reason the album that's on the list, Mjötviður mær, is not playable. Þursaflokkurinn: A folk-rock band fronted by Egill Ólafsson of Spilverk Þjóðanna (see above) and Stuðmenn (see above). [Full disclosure: One of the guitarists in Maus is a friend of mine, Valgeir Guðjónsson is my first cousin, once removed, Baggalútur once made fun of me, I once worked in a bookstore with Ham's Óttar Proppe and I once worked with Höskuldur Ólafsson of Quarashi and Árni Vilhjálmsson of FM Belfast doing groundskeeping and MeFi's own svenni is in FM Belfast.]

Ziggy really sang, screwed up eyes and screwed down hairdo

fire&wings — Sun, 03 May 2009 12:53:06 -0800

Of all the pretenders to the throne of "British Elvis" in the pre-Beatles UK music scene, none had the swagger or moves quite like Vince Taylor. His stylings, pitched halfway between Gene Vincent and Pressley, found success in the early 60's, especially in France. The man who Joe Strummer described as "the beginning of British rock'n'roll," was on the verge of stardom in 1963, but already hooked on a cocktail of Preludin, speed, LSD and alcohol, he instead fell apart. Believing himself to be the apostle Matthew or the son of God, he gave sermons on stage while wrapped in a white sheet, ate only eggs, and carried around a map of Europe, trying to point out to people where the UFO's would land. David Bowie, living in London in 1966, met and was transfixed by this already burnt out, drug addled heartthrob who had "fallen into a chasm too deep to ever climb out of." Inspired by the rock star who "thought he was some composite between the Son of God and an alien," he put pen to paper. The song? Ziggy Stardust. From the late 1960's it was all downhill, and although Taylor emerged sporadically for various comebacks, a few albums (including 1972's "Vince is alive, well and rocking in Paris") his later years were for the most part a blur of incoherent performances on small scale tours and periods spent in religious communes and psychiatric wards. He died in 1991 after a short period working as an aircraft mechanic in Switzerland. --- Vince Taylor: * There's a Whole Lotta Twistin' goin' on * Shakin' All Over * Peppermint Twist * Too Much * 20 Flight Rock * What I'd Say * Brand New Cadillac (audio only)

What is important to me.

therubettes — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 07:56:46 -0800

What is important to me? Short video interviews with mostly alternative rock/pop folk, in which they answer the question 'What is really important to me'. For Elbow it's hope, Lambchop breakfast, Bob Mould turning life upside, New Model Army a sense of proportion, Nada Surf respect and caring, Sterolab hedonism, Calexico space...the rest are here..

Acoustic performances at LiveDaily Sessions

Kattullus — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:02:53 -0800

Concert promoter LiveDaily has an acoustic live sessions program (video starts playing). It's been running since March of this year and so far 33 artists have performed: Priscilla Ahn, The Raveonettes, Black Lips, Paddy Casey, Dawn Landes, Lykke Li, The Duke Spirit, Frightened Rabbit, Foreign Born, The Dodos, The Virgins, Radar Bros., Langhorne Slim, Shwayze, Joseph Arthur, Missy Higgins, Wild Sweet Orange, Le Switch, Deadly Syndrome, Steve Poltz, Weather Underground, Imaad Wasif, Rogue Wave, David Ford, Takka Takka, Black Ghosts, The Airborne Toxic Event, Tally Hall, Lionel Loueke, Calico Horse, Rademacher, Judith Owen and Carrie Rodriguez

Guardian's Top 50 Arts Videos

djgh — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:42:57 -0800

The Guardian has compiled a list of their top fifty arts videos, the majority being from either rare or obscure sources and uploaded onto YouTube.

I just want your extra time, and your... Mix.

Eideteker — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:21:11 -0800

Classic tracks: Can't seem to face up to the facts? Searching for the heart of Heart of Gold? Mix Online delves deep into your favorite jams, to find out what was in the air when they were conceived. Know what I mean? via

"Of course, neither Simon nor Garfunkle has been identified as a Nautical Expert"

Navelgazer — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:57:15 -0800

Chief Justice Roberts (mis)quotes Bob Dylan* in his dissent on Sprint Communications Co. v. APCC Services, Inc., making this the first known time that a Supreme Court Opinion has used a "rock song to buttress legal opinion," according to Alex B. Long of the University of Tennessee. Mr. Long knows a thing or two about this**, having authored [Insert Song Lyrics Here]***, a Washington & Lee Law review Article on the subject of Pop Music in legal writing. The article is funny†, insightful, comprehensive in its musical background††, and surprisingly knowledgeable about good taste in writing.††† *To be fair, Alex Long misquotes the line as well. For a full performance, see here. ** The Top Ten Most Cited Musicians (according to Long's admittedly flawed study) are: 1. Bob Dylan 2. The Beatles 3. Bruce Springsteen 4. Paul Simon 5. Woody Guthrie 6. The Rolling Stones 7. The Grateful Dead 8. Simon & Garfunkle 9. Joni Mitchell 10. R.E.M. *** This is a link to a site where you may download the pdf. Also, I should mention that this is the priority link, See † Pro Tip: In legal writing, the footnotes are used not only to exhaustively cite one's sources, but also to provide humor, irreverence, and "off-the-record" personal opinions where they would otherwise not be appropriate. This article is full of both. †† A fun "mix tape" of a small few of the cited songs: Cracker, Teen Angst The New Pornographers, The Laws Have Changed Ludacris, You's a Ho Violent Femmes, Add It Up Elvis Costello, Less Than Zero Tupac Shakur, Holla if You Hear Me Elvis Presley, Mystery Train Chuck Berry, Nadine The Beatles, Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and my Monkey The Kinks, Lola The Undertones, Teenage Kicks R.E.M., It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) ††† If anyone knows how to do proper footnotes on MeFi, please let me know. Bonus: The "Hum a Few Bar Exam," from Prof. Eugene Volokh of Volokh Conspiracy

Let's write a sawng

zippy — Sat, 31 May 2008 04:50:32 -0800

Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer) picks the theme, "80s radio," and develops a song, step by step, collaborating with some of his fans. Watch some of the responses. It's not his first collaboration, and he's no stranger to the internet.

But for now we are young, let us lay in the sun

ludwig_van — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 17:57:19 -0800

In the Aeroplane Over the Sea was released 10 years ago today. Happy Neutral Milk Hotel day. The article in the third link above was written by Will Sheff, frontman of Okkervil River.

You're just too, too obscure for me... so take me away, I know not where.

sleepy pete — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 11:04:17 -0800

Heavenly Pop Hits: The Flying Nun Story. New Zealand rock doc (in 9 parts). Bonus youtuberance (there you go, dersins): The Clean/The Great Unwashed/David Kilgour The Chills Sneaky Feelings The Verlaines Straitjacket Fits The Gordons The Bats The 3Ds Toy Love/Chris Knox/Tall Dwarfs dead c TVNZ Dunedin and Christchurch bands doc from 1984 with some live footage, parts one, two, and three.

The Best Music of 2007 According to

Soup — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:13:53 -0800

The best music of 2007 according to Stereogum, Pitchfork, All Music, NME, PopMatters, The A.V. Club, Rolling Stone, TIME, MTV, the Guardian, eMusic, Amazon, Spin Magazine, Q, Largehearted Boy, and more. Among the most frequently listed are Radiohead, Spoon, Arcade Fire, Of Montreal, Feist, and The National.

Jew - Not a Jew.

KevinSkomsvold — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:59:45 -0800

Know your musical Jews!

Six Great Apples

KevinSkomsvold — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 07:04:36 -0800

Think the Osmond Brothers didn't rock? Think again. "In spite of their squeaky clean image, the Osmonds had a soulful, sometimes raucous sound which was a precursor of the power pop of later years." Color my preconceived notions shattered.

BBC Podcasts to learn about bakery fresh British popular music

Kattullus — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 19:47:16 -0800

BBC Introducing is an excellent way to keep tabs on what's fresh in the British popular music scene without having to live in a rainsoaked armpit. There are four podcasts for you to download, the flagship Best of Unsigned Podcast, Homegrown Mix with Ras Kwame, Scotland Introducing and BBC Radio Northampton's Weekender. All feature bands that are either unsigned or just recently signed and the music ranges from hip hop to punk rock to what sounds awfully like the soundtrack for a NES game with half-hearted chanting over it. This is an excellent resource whether you're casual searcher for new songs or the kind of anorak who knows which British indie band was first to use an 808.

Pen point dulled

klangklangston — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 10:24:33 -0800

Stylus Magazine is closed. Home to some of the best writing about rockism, and Rasputin, slsking and The Stranger. Greatest hits/bluffer's guide here.

Before Rai Thistlethwayte Was Famous.

Second Account For Making Jokey Comments — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 18:40:29 -0800

Before he was the lead singer of popular* Australian rock band Thirsty Merc, which has produced songs such as 20 Good Reasons and Someday Someday, Rai Thistlethwayte had a short, unsuccessful career as a solo pop artist. The result was the song Give A Smile To The World.**

* Warning: Your-favorite-band-sucks-filter.
**Warning: Whether you love Thirsty Merc or not, this song is awful in countless ways.

The Coolest Train Wreck You'll See This Summer

peewinkle — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 11:37:28 -0800

"Once Were Kings" Some call them 1980's pop icons, others the Kings of Heavy Metal. Regardless, Van Halen has announced a 2007 tour with David Lee Roth. But without Michael Anthony, will it be worth paying to see? While Dave's current fan base is huge, others feel he has not aged gracefully. Well, it could be worse.....(youtube, ytmnd, and bad 80's haircuts warning)

But don't hate her when she gets up to leave

ludwig_van — Wed, 22 Feb 2006 07:51:28 -0800

Neutral Milk Hotel demos, videos, and bootlegs. Brainchild of enigmatic, now-reclusive singer/songwriter Jeff Mangum (not Magnum!), the "fuzz-folk" project known as Neutral Milk Hotel began and ended in the 90s and only released two LPs, but is still held as a touchstone by many indie rock critics. More live recordings can be found at the site for Elephant 6, the collective which included NMH and other bands like Beulah, Circulatory System, Elf Power, and Apples in Stereo. The complete discography and more MP3s. Some lyrics. (Previously)

Wolfgang's Vault

bigmike — Fri, 06 Jan 2006 05:27:38 -0800

Wolfgang's Vault : Bill Graham, of Fillmore fame, was born Wolfgang Grajonca in Berlin. He grew up to invent, more or less, the modern rock 'n' roll promotion industry. He also had an eye for the future, stashing away posters, T-shirts, backstage passes, tickets, and photography for posterity (us).
Now, 15 years after his death, you have him to thank not only for $350 Rolling Stones tickets but also for $3800 Rolling Stones posters.
Purchased from ~~Satan at a crossroads~~ Clear Channel a few years back, the vault also contains a bunch of audio and video that Clear Channel didn't know it had and which we may or may not ever get to experience.

uk music photographers

funambulist — Sat, 15 Oct 2005 11:54:32 -0800

Music photography goodness - some UK-based photographers with plenty of image galleries of rock and pop bands: Peter Hill (also see his livejournal for more pics), Ami Barwell, Michael Williams, Scarlet Page, Graham Smith (on livejournal too), Emma Porter, and the already mentioned Andrew Kendall (lj). Also UrbanImage which licenses the work of several photographers and has sections on jazz, hip hop, grime, reggae, punk, etc. as well as travel photography and other cool stuff (free registration required to access single galleries and images).