Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Black Kids - Partie Traumatic

I reviewed the brand-spankin'-new Black Kids record for PasteMagazine.com. Yessir!


Blog band delivers with danceable first LP

Childlike call-and-response vocals, ecstatic, shiny dance-floor sensibilities and enough hooks to reel in an entire sea of club-going teenagers buoy this debut full-length release from Jacksonville, Fla. quintet Black Kids. The band hits hard with the follow up to its 2007 demo EP Wizard of Ahhhs, which previously released four of the tracks on this new LP. Black Kids first experienced a massive hype wave last year in the U.K., then eventually in the States, despite having no proper record and being largely unable to afford any real promotion. Having finally nailed down solid support and with settling levels of backlash, Partie Traumatic makes good on the band's early promise with dance-pop anthems like "I've Underestimated My Charm (Again)" and the standout "I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance." [Read more...]

The LP releases today on Columbia, and can be found here. I wouldn't be talking about it if it wasn't a ton of fun.

Call it a silly love, but here's a video of my favorite track, "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You":


Lest we forget.

Friday, July 18, 2008

HearYa's Top 25 Mullets in Rock History


"Duran Duran is 80% mullet. What’s the other 20%? I’ll leave that to you."

PLEASE look at the rest of it. Seriously.

Sunday, July 13, 2008

FOAVOD: She & Him - "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

Haha, whoa.



I particularly enjoy the part where Zooey throws that ax and chops off her own head four times. And when M. gets carried away by the blue cartoon ghosts. I would also please like every item of clothing in this video. K, thanks.

She & Him play the Variety July 29th.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Dark Meats, Hotel Lights and Broken Letters: July's Southeast Performer arrives!

Drumroll please!

It's.....my very first cover story EVER!



This month's SEP's quite the milestone for your favorite writer's tiny career! I had the privilege of doing a piece on one of the most hectic bands I've ever witnessed. Athens' Dark Meat is just...a walking disaster that somehow manages to function to the enjoyment of lots and lots of devoted fans. If you've never seen 'em live, you just don't understand. The first time I saw them, I got pegged in the forehead with one of those little bouncy balls you get from grocery store vending machines...twice! It's a true testament to just how many bands per capita there really are in Athens, Ga. Behold:



Anyway here's the story:

Dark Meat
The Most Organized Chaos You Ever Heard


Ben Clack’s oversized eyeglasses reflect the light from the street as he sips his Schlitz at a table in the empty theater. The Dark Meat bassist gestures at the chaos outside. It’s unexpectedly the day of the spring football scrimmage in Athens, Ga., and inebriated (or at least enthusiastic) college kids clad all in red stumble by on the sidewalk. Clack and frontman Jim McHugh glance up disinterestedly from time to time, but turn rather soberly away from the window. They’re here to talk about their own brand of chaos, an infamous shape-shifting musical collective that is a completely different variety of social experiment and one of Vice Records’ newest signees. It’s a project that’s taken them on the road over and over again, wreaking havoc in clubs around the country and on the eardrums of their lucky listeners; they’ve started fires in venue corners and butted heads with bouncers, all while performing delicately-named songs like “Well Fuck You Then” and “Assholes Of Eyeballs.” Even if one considers the numbers by themselves, forgetting about the spectacularly schizophrenic live shows and broad-scope recordings, Dark Meat is a force to be contended with. The band contains at least 12 members at all times - sometimes many more, almost all of whom are in other Athens musical groups - and commitment seems the only way to keep an operation like this running. Luckily, Dark Meat has got plenty of it. [Read more...]

Mike from Deadly Designs took a bunch of the live shots, which are pretty damn cool. (I don't know why the photo credit says "Mick." Sorry, Mike.) Check him out for other awesome Athens band photography.

This month's Performer also has a feature on Atlanta rapper Quanstar, as well as spotlights on Bombadil, Hotel Lights and The Broken Letters. As always there's a slew of live reviews
and recorded reviews for you to devour as you will. If you're in a band, you'd do well to read all the stuff in the advice section about touring and gear and what not. Enjoy!

[M4A] Dark Meat - "Freedom Ritual" (sorry about format...too lazy to convert...)

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

FOAVOD: Lazer/Wulf - "Lagarto" live at Corndogorama


Kickass video via Ohmpark, who likewise kicks ass. Davy's got videos of tons and tons of the acts from this past weekend's festival (including the sweatiest ball of awesomeness Dan Deacon, the catastrophic Gringo Star set, Snowden's bucking and kicking, and many more) here, here, here, here, here, here and here. He's also got general blog coverage of the whole event. The thoroughness award goes to Ohmpark!

The sweetness/eloquence award goes to The Pop Filter.

The force-to-be-reckoned-with award goes to Have You Heard. More live sessions from these fellows soon...

The too-overwhelmed-to-blog-frequently award goes to me. I win.