Category: unsorted

Cult Bit: Silversun Pickups on Jeopardy!

The LA Weekly runs an exceptionally solid music blog called West Coast Sound. I’ve contributed little bits in the past (Coachella coverage, and this Snoop Dogg thing), but in conjunction with WCS stepping up its coverage yet further, I’ll soon be contributing weekly. Expect breaking news, brief interviews and the occasional wry note on my usual musical obsessions (peep the Tag Cloud, yo).

Today’s posting is somewhat old news, but odd news nonetheless:

Feature: For Beauty And Terror

Andrew Broder, best known for his work with the criminally slept-on Minneapolis outfit Fog, has churned out no fewer than ten the new albums this year. But they’re not what you’d expect. These digital, label-less releases are improvised and edited instrumentals for guitar, turntables and various noisemakers. Moreover,  they’re inspired by drone music and doom metal. Click over to Decider Twin Cities to read my interview with Broder, and check out the other half of the piece here, with streaming audio and reviews of each record.

Further listening: In the Lala player, you’ll find my very favorite Fog song, “Us Beneath” from 2006’s Loss Leader EP (Lex Records). The lyrics hit home:

The other night, a firefight / Bursts of sewing machine gun fire
From your position / Barricaded behind the piano.
I return with small arms / Stuttered shots from typewriter keys.

And yet in the silence / Between the volley
The hearts of weary camps / Sing to each other

However faintly / As we each seek to claim / Disputed territory
The us beneath the other / Which is rich / In natural resources.

We’re number one on Amazon!

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It’s not out until October 13, but The A.V. Club‘s “Inventory” book (see earlier entry) is currently the number one best seller in two Amazon.com categories: Music > History & Criticism, and Movies > History & Criticism. I added my two cents, mainly as related to Mike Patton, Brotha Lynch Hung, and The State.

The book’s actual title is Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined By Saxophone And 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists, and you can read more about it here.

Cult Bit: trippy kids shows

If you’re not familiar with The A.V. Club‘s “Inventory” feature, it’s time to get acquainted. These esoteric/nostalgic/encyclopedic lists are great reading — pretty much as good as it gets to a pop culture geek, no matter what bug you’ve been bitten by: music, TV, film or literature. The “Inventory” posted today is a fantastic one: “25 Notable Trippy Kids Shows”. I contributed the entries on ’70s shows The Electric Company and Lancelot Link, Secret Chimp.

Lancelot Link and Mata Hairi: on the case.

Lancelot Link and Mata Hairi: on the case.

An “Inventory” close to my heart ran in March, “25 Great Albums Best Listened To Start To Finish.” I covered records by King Crimson, Neutral Milk Hotel, Deltron 3030, Wyclef Jean, The Flaming Lips, and Parenthetical Girls.

Q&A: Grizzly Bear’s Daniel Rossen

Decider New York has just posted my interview with Daniel Rossen, co-mastermind of both the fantastic Grizzly Bear and the wonderful Department Of Eagles. There’s a lot to love there, and plenty to talk about (like that incredible new record, Veckatimest), so hop on over here to join the conversation. Will be adding a sweet Griz tune to the Lala player asap. In the meantime, scroll through the playlist to find “Herring Bone” by DOE. Should tide ya over. If not, this might:

Inside Daniel Rossens mind.

A live capture from inside Daniel Rossen's mind.

Barely notable quotables from The A.V. Club

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A faithful reader clearly after the A.V. Club heart asked us to regale him with some of our favorite obscure/out-dated/underrated/totally forgotten quotations. At the end of the feature, which includes choice references to Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Rudy Ray Moore and Wet Hot American Summer, you’ll find my entry, rightly dominated by the greatest sketch show that ever was, The State. Check that out here (I’m on page two).

Also, if you haven’t seen this, consider browsing my crowning achievement at Filter: an oral history of The State carved out of interviews with all 11 original members (including, of course, your favorites from Reno 911, Stella and, for those who remember it, Viva Variety). Nifty sidebar too.