- Aqualaygualry in arcade fire - black wave/bad vibrations Today i watching overlay from here. this is wondeful film. Who are watching this?
- cattartiste in arcade fire - black wave/bad vibrations SplitVideo is a freeware virtual video clone and split video nick driver in behalf of connecting disparate applications to a single video...
- Peggus-interruptus in The Temper Trap Lovin’ The Temper Trap!
I am going to defer a full review to a talented writer, but until that time, I offer you my one sentence review - despite Scarlett Johansson’s new album being subpar, due it deriving completely from a mix of all her favorite artists, much like a concoction of all your favorite sodas at the McDonald’s fountain…I’d still do her.
We had Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story at the theater-pub I work at last month and it was one of the rare movies our whole staff was sad to see go. I’ve been waiting until it came out on DVD to tell you all to check it out. That day has arrived, my friends.
This is not the funniest movie ever made, but but if you’re at all a music fan, this rock n’ roll biopic spoof is kind of a must-see. Here’s why:
- Judd Apatow’s script spoofs Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, and Jim Morrison.
-The songs are actually funny and actually good songs.
- Jack White plays Elvis like you’ve never seen Elvis played before (though probably close to what he really was like.)
- The Beatles: Jack Black (Paul), Jason Schwartzman (Ringo), Justin-I’m a Mac-Long (George), Paul Rudd (John). Inter-Beatles bickering. Acid trip. Watch for this scene alone. 
- After Dewey gets into acid, he makes an epically weird album that never finishes. He wants “an army of didgeridoos” and his band mate (SNL’s Chris Parnell) to “learn to play the fucking theremin!” Two words: Pet. Sounds.
- Dewey becomes relevant again after a rapper named L’il Nutzzack samples Walk Hard. (Yes, there are lots of ‘Cox’ jokes in this movie, but we’re talking about the music here.)
- Eddie Vedder as himself presents Dewey with a lifetime acheivement award, followed by a Lyle Lovett/Jewel duet of Walk Hard.
For being kind of a dumb comedy, it’s pretty smart. And quotable. See it.
Apparently the Lazy Local News Human Interest Story Du Jour in recent months has been the local spotlight on emo–how it stands for “emotional,” of course, and how it could be affecting your child! First there was the classic WDAZ-Grand Forks lead story on the dangers of emo, and tonight, viewers of FOX 32 in Chicago got to meet “northwest suburban college students” Addison Park and discuss The Emo Backlash! Click away and witness the glory as local news squares attempt to enhippen their audience with the following gems:
-Emo musicians write and sing about what they feel!
-Blink-182 and Green Day are apparently emo now!
-Apparently an online video shows an “emo” kid being “assaulted” by a classmate! (which, awesome)
-YouTube user TheKingoftheWorld says, “Zomg the birds r dying!”
-Most importantly: Addison Park are horrible.
Don’t be too embarrassed, Chicago–up here in Wisconsin, our local news is maybe even more hysterical, what with all the panic about salvia, the new legal high that your kid could be on RIGHT NOW! “Zomg,” indeed.
(p.s. Yes, i purposely used the photo of Addison Park on a goddamn railroad track because apparently those schmoes have never been to the Rocknrollconfidential Hall of Douchebags. Just because you photoshopped in an oncoming train doesn’t make your cliche’d railroad photo any less lame, you shitwits. And for fuck’s sake–mandals? Mandals?)
(p.p.s. Thanks to my pal Chris in Chicago for warning me that this was gonna be broadcast tonight.)
Not one for the written word, We will let the Rocque speak for itself.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present, The Upper Crust!
We highly recommend checking them on the people’s forum,http://www.myspace.com/theuppercrust, and soaking up “High Falutin’”
Consider the glove thrown!
It’s a little late for Best of 2007 lists, or is it? Most of my favorite releases have been touched on by others herein, and better, so instead I’m going to revisit the 5 most important musical events of last year:
1) Britney Spears - back on top: Teen-idol-turned-homebody Britney Spears put
the critics to sleep this year with her stunning return to the spotlight, Elvis-comeback-style. The reclusive mother of two had been living out of the public eye for much of the past two years, which earned a number of comparisons to Bob Dylan’s ‘middle period’. But out from anonymity came her hit album Blackout, which stunned audiences and critics alike from the opening salvo in which she bravely announces, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked… it’s Britney, bitch.”
2) Axl Rose chooses to spend the night popping pimples instead of releasing Chinese Democracy: the legendarily erratic lead singer of Guns ‘n Roses opted to stay in last Saturday night and squeeze whiteheads out of his forehead, and pop those weird, stinky polyps on his crotch, in lieu of unleashing the much-anticipated Chinese Democracy album. Rose’s publicity agent, Izzy Stradlin, said that while the album is nearly ready for release, Axl was also considering shaving and is soon expected to formally announce that Democracy will be posthumously released.
3) Radiohead sues fans for downloading new album In Rainbows: citing solidarity
with Metallica and Prince, Radiohead brought lawsuits against fans that downloaded the band’s new release before it could be released on CD and LP. A spokesperson for the UK megaband reminded fans that making music costs money, and that even if fans would pay, say, $0.05 to $0.99 a song, then Radiohead wouldn’t be forced to incarcerate downloaders who take the music for free.
4) Amy Winehouse’s personal troubles become 2007’s #1 source for good jokes: news networks and blogs had a field day all year with clever headlines about the troubled soul singer’s well-documented battles with substance abuse, husband Blake Fielder-Civil and being basically full-frontally fucked up. “They tried to make her go to rehab, and she said, ‘Yes, yes, yes’,” printed one skillful celebrity gossip blogger to much acclaim and cackling. Otherwise witless and quiescent commentators were also given voice by the diva’s many implosions, including Bill Smith who knocked co-workers dead at the offices of Progressive Insurance outside of Cleveland with the quip: “Looks like she’s really living up to her name. You know, like her last name is Winehouse, and everything.”
5) Superstarcastival garners website acclaim, beer: the #1 musical event of the year, the highly successful Superstarcastival, solidified both the reputation of the burgeoning website, and also the livers of most of the staff. “The whole weekend was amazing, the bands that played were great, and it was everything we were expecting and hoping for,” said Joie, who later admitted to not actually remembering anything after Delilah’s the night before. “Obviously a banner year for SSC,” she went on, “what with a successful festival and that high-profile Butler tiff and all.”
And that’s 2007! Already a long time ago…
Kevin Federline is giving up the dreams of being a world famous rap star.
Upon seeing this update scroll across the news ticker, the entire world immediately removed the blood-soaked cotton balls that were shoved into their ears after the release of Playing with Fire in 2006.
Instead, Kevin Federline is now becoming a producer and is going to nurture new artists from his home studio.
Upon this news, the entire world went to research ear drum surgery or checked out a book on Van Gogh from their local library (yes, that was an art joke).
Really, Kevin? You think that you really hold the key to an artist’s success when your album only sold 20,000 worldwide? I can only imagine some of the precious nuggets of advice coming from the Federline Studio & Waffle House:
- “Y’all got nice clothes? Trust me, throw em out and invest in Hanes tank tops.”
- “Know any hot rich babes? You should prolly fuck ‘em. Twice.”
- “The key is to look like you know nothing. Even better is actually knowing nothing. Here’s a hammer…”
- “What I think you… Jayden! Sean! Stop messing with my stuff or I’m gonna send you back to your Mom!”
Maybe some of the children’s crying will make it onto tape when the cardboard vocal booth’s duct tape finally wears out.
I’m obsessed with the names people give things.
I don’t really know why, but it’s true nonetheless. We established this fairly early on in this site’s history, but it certainly hasn’t gotten less true over the intervening time.
And so, as I was idly looking through some album reviews today, my eye was drawn almost inevitably to the titles. And I started thinking to myself, “you know, some of these titles are awful” — at which point, a light went on in my head. “What are the worst titles people have given to their albums?” I thought, followed almost immediately by, “I should write that up for Superstarcastic.”
Compiling the list was pretty tough, actually. I had to leave off such venerable classics as the fourth Led Zeppelin album, Achtung Baby, and The Mars Volta’s De-Loused in the Comatorium, for instance, and I didn’t even have room for either of my (least) favorite titles from Helloween, Pink Bubbles Go Ape and Rabbit Don’t Come Easy. Given the depth of the competition and the sheer number of options, I could easily have inadvertently left something else off too — I’m sure most of you cyberspace music-obsessives have your own examples of atrociously-named albums, and I hope you share them in the comments; I don’t consider my list the last word on the subject by any stretch of the imagination, and I’d love to read your examples. But, to get things started, here’s what I came up with.
#10: Marillion, Anoraknophobia (2001)
Maybe it’s too easy to pick on a band that named itself after a J. R. R. Tolkien book and that spent most of its first decade of existence carting around a lead singer who called himself “Fish.” But there’s a sense in which Anoraknophobia distills into one “word” everything dislikeable about the dregs of the prog-rock movement: smug, self-satisfied cleverness that isn’t in the service of anything greater, and that doesn’t even have any self-relevance. After all, it’s not as if Anoraknophobia is a concept album about people who don’t like to wear winter coats (although Marillion are the sort of band whom I wouldn’t put it past to do something like that). It’s just a piece of meaningless wordplay that also served as the inspiration for some unpleasantly kitschy cover art.
#9: Soulwax, Most of the remixes we’ve made for other people over the years except for the one for Einstürzende Neubauten because we lost it and a few we didn’t think sounded good enough or just didn’t fit in length-wise, but including some that are hard to find because either people forgot about them or simply because they haven’t been released yet, a few we really love, one we think is just ok, some we did for free, some we did for money, some for ourselves without permission and some for friends as swaps but never on time and always at our studio in Ghent. (2007)
I couldn’t let this one go by without mentioning it, but I also can’t rate it any higher than this because it’s deliberately trying to make lists like this. As of this writing, this is now the longest title of any album ever released, and the paragraph of not-very-interesting prose that constitutes it is just an attempt to outdo Fiona Apple (more on her later) at her own game. It’s obnoxious and boring at the same time, a sort of calculated banality that’s just an excuse to try and get into the Guinness Book of World Records. Most of us were over that sort of thing by the end of junior high. But then again, if most of us had the chance to remix an Einstürzende Neubauten song, we wouldn’t freaking lose it.
#8. Sigur Rós, ( ) (2002)
Even though I’ll probably take some flak for it, I’ll be honest — I’ve never gotten into Sigur Rós, and I think it’s because they’re far too coy to really be good. I guess it makes sense to release an album like this with no track listing when you’ve made an entire career out of writing the same. exact. song. over and over again, but calling it ( ) when you could have called it Parentheses is the sort of art-school trick you pull when you’re more interested in designing the album cover than, you know, recording the album. And for the record, the album art is well executed, I guess, but it’s pretty bland. Kind of like the music it houses.
#7: Men Without Hats, The Adventures of Women and Men Without Hate in the 21st Century (1989)
This one’s easily my favorite album musically from this list, but the title is long, awkward, and makes it sound like the record’s going to contain nothing but, say, remixes of the Battlestar Galactica theme music. It’s an album that’s obsessed with themes of aging, and of time changing, but they could just as easily have called it In the 21st Century — which is the name of one of the songs, and which is also what everyone calls this album anyway — and saved themselves the trouble.
#6: Coheed and Cambria, Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 1: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness (2005)
I think the sub-Lovecraftian subtitle of this one (just a hair worse than the one attached to the band’s follow-up to this album, Good Apollo I’m Burning Star IV, Vol. 2: No World for Tomorrow) is what vaults it into the upper echelons of bad-album-namedom. Additionally, while it’s admittedly easy to claim to be uninformed about the work of a band that has devoted its entire career to churning out different installments in the same conceptual science fiction soap opera, I have no idea what the not-particularly-grammatical main title is even supposed to mean. I think maybe it needs some more punctuation, because there’s a big difference between, say, “Good Apollo! I’m burning star!” and “Good, Apollo I’m burning, star,” although neither option is really that much of an improvement…
#5. (tie) Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (1977); Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (1978); Peter Gabriel, Peter Gabriel (1980)
He gives these albums these titles so you can tell them apart, you know.
#4. Pete Best, Best of the Beatles (1965)
Yes, it’s got to be disappointing to be Pete Best and have to live the rest of your life knowing that the band you got kicked out of became the biggest group in the history of recorded music. (At least Stu Sutcliffe a) left the band of his own accord and b) died before they became even moderately popular.) But even that’s no excuse for this album title, whose smarmy pun of a title is simply an excuse to try and bilk consumers who don’t read the packaging very closely. It’s hard to imagine a scam like this getting Pete very many new fans anyway, although I can very easily see him picking up some enemies.
#3. Limp Bizkit, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water (2000)
A puerile, clunky band deserves a puerile, clunky album title, I suppose. Somehow, this thing sold 13 million copies worldwide, which is probably enough for me to lose any remaining faith I might have had in humanity, and certainly enough for me to lose faith in humanity’s ability to effectively judge album titles.
#2. Happy Mondays, Squirrel & G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out) (1986)
There are plenty of conversations in music history that I wish I could have been present for, but one that ranks very highly on that list is the one that must have followed Tony Wilson asking, “So, Mr. Ryder, what are you planning on calling your first record?”
#1. Fiona Apple, When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing Fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You’ll Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You Know That You’re Right (1999)
Eight years after this record was first released, I’m not sure it’s possible to ever top this title. Consisting of a poem — a poem of such dubious literary merit that it’s hard for me to imagine anyone over the age of fourteen not being too embarrassed about it to let anyone read it — that was apparently supposed to be some kind of response to criticism of Apple’s work, its astounding silliness was magnified several times by the fact that Apple took not only the title but everything else about her career with a deadly seriousness usually reserved for nineteenth-century German philosophers. To call your album this represents a severe flaw in judgment; to call your album this and mean it is indicative of such a stunning lack of self-awareness that I’m not sure it’s likely to be equaled in my lifetime — and certainly not on a major label.
I was doing a mean piece on the Backstreet Boys Unbreakable, and also a not entirely obsequious, but relatively positive review (’positive’ in that this album doesn’t make me want to punch an infant) of Ween’s La Cucaracha. Neither was working until I realized while driving around one night (what is it about driving?) that there are so many similarities between the two bands that not only should I review them concomitantly, but a) tax everyone’s ability to tell the difference between good contrivances and bad ones, and b) give everyone flashbacks to the dreaded SAT’s and ACT’s.
The idea is simple: I have culled bits and pieces of both of my reviews of these two divergent yet oddly alike albums (slightly edited for maximum ambiguity), and put them in a linear narrative with each paragraph [potentially] about one or the other with a multiple choice qua choose-your-own-adventure twist at the bottom of each (for most amusing results, don’t listen to either record first, if you haven’t already done so).
Best out of 10, see how you do. And the results may surprise you…
Ween is one of history’s most stupifying, and [insert answer 1 here] hilarious bands. Try as you might it’s impossible to be indifferent to them unless you’ve never heard of them, thus [insert correct answer 2 here]. Maybe you noticed them in passing on Beavis and Butthead when ‘Push the Little Daisies’ was the only song they had, but since then they’re done a thing or two worth mentioning, and the best cuts off of La Cucaracha are part of that pantheon. The ones that don’t work are, at least, admirably in-character.
1a) intentionally, 1b) politely, or 1c) accidentally
2a) you hate soft pretzels and angels, 2b) you need to take stock of your life, or 2c) your grandmother sucks eggs.
Then there are the Backstreet Boys, one of history’s most stupifying, and [insert answer 3 here] hilarious bands. Try as you might, it’s impossible to be indifferent to them unless you have never heard of them, thus [insert correct answer 4 here]. If you are one of the rare, uninitiated specimens, then pray that their latest effort Unbreakable doesn’t break your lucky streak, because…
3a) intentionally, 3b) studiously, or 3c) laugh-when-you’re-supposed-to-cry
4a) you’re fortunate, 4b) you don’t know what you’re missing, or 4c) you’re a hater
Those were giveaways… now starts the real exam:
5. When a band decides to provide listeners with a unifying theme, it sometimes signals a concept album. Not so on the latest. Every song may technically be about ‘relationships’ and each belongs between its predecessor and follower (the juxtapositions are sometimes jarring, but they work), but that by no means signifies that what has been done is above well-managed chaos. And while the question, “does this album show progress since their last release,” is moot, it is valid to ask if, within each song, are they using the full force of their abilities? In a few cases, yeah, and in others, sorta. Read more »
