Nestled deep inside Jody Rosen's review of the Arctic Monkeys' new album was this gem of insight into the lyrics of Coldplay, U2, et al.:
Big Britpop groups like Oasis and Coldplay deal almost exclusively in abstractions-fire and desire and rain and pain-apparently believing that the grandeur of their music would evaporate with the mention of ( Read more... )

Show List Updated- now with Christmas gift ideas!!!
Also, as you may suspect, I have an Amazon.com Wish List with a variety of gifts ranging from cheeky and cheap to expensive and entirely unironic. Avail yourself while you can, and feel free to respond in kind!!! (Insert psycho-happy elf face here. Or don't.)

Somebody explain to me how The Ying Yang Twins' 'Wait' got nominated for a 'Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group' Grammy. I mean, seriously. 'Gold Digger' I understand, because that is some catchy shit, and not overtly misogynistic. However, let's have a look at 'Wait', euphemistically subtitled as '(The Whisper Song)' because the Twins in ( Read more... )

Belltown has been plastered with posters for the Daylight Basement show on the 2nd. (For those of you not in the know, Daylight Basement is a fairly new band that features Bre of KUMA fame.) I keep wanting to abscond with one for my own nefarious purposes, but it's like they used paste or something- completely not salvageable. Piffle. Can I just ( Read more... )

( This morning's brilliant train of thought: )

Oh, Whiskeytown, please stop breaking my heart.
I know so many people who mock country within an inch of its life, but I swear there's no better genre for mining the depths of everyday life. (Seriously, when's the last time you heard a relatable U2 song? Relatable Kanye West song? Sure, you may agree with them, you may like the clever conceits they ( Read more... )

Whee... I think I was in bed from 1 this morning to 3 this afternoon. There was lots of sleeping involved. It was nice. Not feeling good for much for the rest of the day, though. Laundry might be the most I can manage ( Read more... )

Okay, so, I realize that Joy Division has much to offer the world and that I shouldn't expect Interpol to be the only modern group mining them for 'inspiration', but... What gives, Editors? Could you be any more derivative without actually raising Ian Curtis from the dead ( Read more... )

Hey, does anyone have any input on the recent releases from Stars of Track and Field and Nada Surf? 'Say Hello' and 'Do It Again' are both giving me intense warm fuzzies at the moment, but I'm worried that those fuzzies will subside and I'll be left with nothing but Coldplay-esque meta-angst ( Read more... )

I have an extra ticket to see the Divorce tonight! It cost me money! I'd very much like to use it! Are there any people out there long-in-tooth enough to go to a 21+, yet young-at-heart enough to want to listen to awesomely derivative pop-rock with myself, ni_q and icebluenothing? I'll... uh... buy a round ( Read more... )