October 15th, 2009 §
I’ve been a bit busy making giant amounts of money writing elsewhere, thus I’ve been ignoring this free to read pile of crap. Anywhere look at things here!
Top Ten Reunions We’d Like to See
In recent history we’ve been treated to the reunions of Mission of Burma, Gang of Four, Antipop Consortium, among others. This year, Faith No More, Sunny Day Real Estate and Pavement got back together, and, of course, there’s the ever pervasive rumors of Soundgarden reconvening at some point. But who’s still left? Are there any bands out there with the majority of their members still alive that haven’t reunited already? Here’s the reunions we’d like to see. Check out our wish list and feel free to weigh in with yours…
Top Ten Reunions We’d Rather Not See
There have been a lot of bands in the history of the universe and most of them, at one point or another, have broken up. Surprisingly, we’ve found the majority of them have reformed despite themselves. Another surprise is the amount of bands still playing — Better Than Ezra, Seven Mary Three, the Troggs, and the Zombies — despite their lack of a mass audience. Last week, we waxed on our dream reunions. This week, we offer up ten bands we think should just stay dead, for one reason or another…
Ten Potential Supergroups We’d Like To See
It seems like we can’t go a year without running into a few new supergroups popping up to play a show or record an album. Whether it’s Danger Mouse teaming up with Sparklehorse, Monsters of Folk, or, most recently, Flea and Thom Yorke, musicians are constantly looking for new ways to present their ideas and sounds. It got us wondering about what potential super groups might be waiting on the horizon, simply biding their time before a surprise show or pay-what-you-want download. Check out the ten potential collaborations we’d dreamed up after the jump and, of course, feel free to contribute some ideas of your own…
More things to come soon, including detailed notes on the “final” Simoebic Dysentery build, thoughts on several games, and bonus ridiculous stories and hilariously terrible scripts involving vampires, robots and maggots.
June 25th, 2008 §
Since my stint at the Westword appears to have been put on hiatus, I figured I’d throw this one down — indulgent, questionable, and to some — a downright blasphemous rant. I say, “go fuck yourself Radiohead fans,” you’re already masturbating into a jar of your own shame by claiming allegiance to one of the most uptight piles of pretention to grace the earth, you might as well feed your narcissism by saving copies of yourself for clones. Be sure to follow the links for a more informed view.
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Radiohead’s OK Computer is considered one of the greatest albums of all time by fans and critics alike. Most would be willing to take off their glasses and argue with anyone who said that the band went to hell right after this release. Since being a journalist is all about taking risks and challenging danger with a stern look and half-ticked grin, it is the declaration of this reviewer that Radiohead did just that. Now before your undies get crunched into a ball and your fists tighten, calm yourself with a glass of tea, close your eyes and think really hard about what the band has done for the last 11 years.
After OK Computer was released, Radiohead felt like they had something to prove. When a band thinks they have something to prove, the missteps and faults in their plan become more and more apparent. Radiohead lost sight of what it was that drove them to make an album like OK Computer, they began making albums because they didn’t have any other choice.
When looking back on their earlier releases you’ll notice common themes that run through both the lyrics and the music – they sound like a band. A band that was doing what they did simply because that is all they wanted to do, not because they had to. Pablo Honey and The Bends showcase a band that was coming into itself and exploring a number of styles and themes. Without effects Thom Yorke’s vocals were haunting yet eerily familiar, the guitar was layered and pulsated through tracks that were full of life and hope. OK Computer brought everything together – it showed how technology and instrumentation could combine in a fashion that still felt like a full band was sitting inside the recording booth. It was a release that redefined pop music, and even those that don’t appreciate it can appreciate many of the other bands that were afforded an opportunity because of Radiohead’s success. Arguing whether or not OK Computer is a great album is pointless, because it’s not the actual content of the album that matters, but the subsequent fallout in the industry. Pop music was now able to be looked at from new directions and viewed through a looking glass that was not always in 4/4 time, not always at 120 beats per minute, and not always in tune.
» Read the rest of this entry «
June 11th, 2008 §
(You know, I just can’t get away from chances to rip on Radiohead and their fans… Here is my newest oppurtunity from the Westword).
He is sitting in the waiting room of Dr. Cynthia Mason’s plastic surgery clinic in Denver, Colorado, tapping his foot in eager anticipation. Clad in a tight cowboy shirt and even tighter jeans, 25 year-old Steven Muldue doesn’t appear to be the type of person that you’d likely expect to see in a plastic surgeons waiting room. With a sleek and slightly mussed haircut and an air of vintage vogue, Steven may be a better fit at a high fashion photo shoot or dingy nightclub – his anticipatory foot tapping seems to be to the tune of a straight 4/4 riff, his eyes glossed with a gleam of waiting for a day he thought would never come.
That’s because most thought it never would.
The waiting room has been filling with types like Muldue for the past six months, after a recent surgery by Dr. Mason gave local Radiohead enthusiast Michael Garafalo a treatment that made him look more like Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke. The treatment, which Dr. Mason perfected by slicing a small section of the eyelid, has been dubbed by local fanatics as the Yorke-cut. In the simplest terms, the $600 surgery gives fans a chance to recreate on their own person the trademark Thom Yorke Amblyopiatic left eye.
more…
via [Westword]
