'this is a pretty sweet place for dipset to play'

jim james acoustic at that weird synagogue on norfolk for the fader mag release... there were candles everywhere... it wasn't crowded... they were serving cheap beer in aluminum bottles... good vibes! and jim james totally killed it! he played 10 or so jams and wailed through them. they sounded like new songs completely, and the shitty casio keyboard was right up my alley. no 'i will sing you songs' or 'one big holiday', but that's ok.

it took me a hot second to get into my morning jacket, and there are moments that i don't like, but it's hard not to admit that this guy writes great songs.

i didn't care for his rants about 'lifestyle' and 'hot sauce' as he puts it [check the link]. i mean, he's on a magazine cover behind a [great] rapper who raps about selling drugs and making money. what hot sauce is jim using? hey i'd put jeezy in front of him too, i'm just saying.

and of course he supports his weird lifestyle... but he writes great songs and sells out venues... jim we have to work our 9-5 jobs to afford your $25 tickets. why don't you give your album away then instead of going through a major label?

i dunno i just don't like how every acoustic performance has to have an anti-corporate undertone. this isn't protest music... and i'm glad! he was fucking amazing! congrats fader!

http://www.thefader.com/blog/articles/2006/09/29/it-beats-4-us

'we make a bed out of dead leaves and branches'

uh-oh! only my new favorite band, no big deal! stuart lupton from jonathan fire*eater's new group! i saw them play the knitting factory about a year ago and it was great. [the casual review is in the archives somewhere]. sloppy, jangly, melodic, damaged, and under-developed songs. it was great i'm telling you...

they're on loog records, run my an ex-NME editor. what about being label-mates with the bravery and the horror?

really, i'm about as excited about this band as anyone could be. chalk it up again for nostalgia! i like their whole shit! more more! i'm freaking out a little.

http://www.myspace.com/childballad

do it. just drop him.

"Veteran power forward Maurice Taylor will fly from his home in Houston to New York today but realizes his stay may be very brief. Taylor said he and his reps have discussed a buyout the past two weeks and it could be done before Monday's training camp."

6.3 points 3.4 rebounds in 18 minutes per? not bad... but if isiah wants to dump him he should just go for it. or trade him... 9 mil of an expiring contract is sweet too, but if the knicks do try to move him, let's try to not to get jeff mcinnis...

takers or leavers

love em or hate em, k is giving away a blow 'poor aim- love songs' e.p. until the l.p. comes out next month.

a few of the songs are pretty annoying but go get it for 'knowing the things that i know' and 'hey boy'

they're good songs!

http://www.kpunk.com/

"you totally nailed it!"

ok here are some shows i've seen at roseland...
the ramones/social d
beastie boys/rollins band
dino jr [2 times]
nirvana [!]
sonic youth [4 times]
unrest
fugazi [4 times]
jesus and mary chain
ned's atomic dustbin [twice]
james
smashing pumpkins
slowdive
and some more i can't remember right now

and now.. dr dog! they opened for the raconteurs, who were not terrible, but very forgettable. the dog was great. loud! they played 'easy beat' and 'die die die'. they looked weird on that stage. totally comfortable, but kinda dwarfed too!

top 10 redux redux

top 10 records from 2006. monday, september 26. it's casual!

10. jesu- silver ep
9. camera obscura- let's get out of this country
8. lil wayne- dedication 2
7. TI- king
6. destroyer- rubies
5. sonic youth- rather ripped
4. silversun pickups- carnavas
3. mountain goats- get lonely
2. islands- return to the sea
1. beirut- gulag orkestar

who else thought the walkmen covers record is amazing? that one's great. the hold steady is disappointingly not on here. no annuals- the ending chorus of 'dry clothes' is the ugliest thing ever. the islands are still rad despite their rap song. still gotta hear the excepter record. dr dog would've been on here but the album is coming out in 2007. white magic would be close. half the tv on the radio album is zzz city. anyone heard the new ludacris? i bet killa season gets back on the list by december. did i miss anything?

what's that sound?

it's the chatter of the beginning of the nba season! this time of year is sick... the MLB playoffs, football, and the motherfucking NBA! and dajuan wagner got signed! who else is pulling for this guy? i hope he gets a starting spot on golden state, especially if the warriors trade dunleavy and pietrus [who will never be any better than he is now. fuck 'upside']. dammit where's the NY drama? they're gonna release mo taylor? fine! larry brown is suing dolan? good! bring the season on! those $15 shoes will fuck marbury's feet up and it'll be the 'franchise' and nate show!

boys and girls in amercia

new hold steady. i've spent some time with it this weekend... and i have to say it's disappointing! there're some jams for sure. charlamagne makes a re-appearance, it's still craig singing, the band is all there from what i can tell, but it just never hits the peaks of the last two. 'chips ahoy' was leaked weeks ago, and even though that track jams, i thought we were in store for some more epic moments. but 'chips ahoy' is kind of the highlight.

the tempo kinda drags, and it's loose, but i expected a lot more from this band... i mean, they're great. sure, the songs will make more sense live but after 7 listens to this album i'm not totally feeling it...

reagan youth at tompkins sq park

hardcore is cool. have you heard? kind of a rad set up for this show... a stage in the middle of the park and people walking around it. but it's amazing to me how little to no progression this genre has made in 25 years. just going through the motions... slam dancing. barely. 'are you hurt?' 'my mom's gonna kill me when she sees the bruise on my arm'. seriously it was all kids, except for the super bitter older hardcore fans standing and glaring at each other. and showing off their ink. it looks like blobs, dudes.

i was kinda weirded out by the scene.... oh, the music you ask? pretty boring. 'this song is about the man! ok 1-2-3-4! fuck the man! fuck the system! i'm awesome!'. there's great hardcore stuff out there. today i was not lucky enough to hear it.

it felt so much more crucial in 1993... or when you're a kid i guess. damn those shirts looked cool. i mean look cool.

haha i'm a grumpy old man!

viva last guggs

will oldham and andrew wk tv show taping at the guggenhiem...

oldham was funny! he totally had svenonius rattled and they looked like they were miserable up there. in a good way. they chatted. svenonius asked dumb questions, oldham laughed, svenonius laughed, it was actually super entertaining. who wants to hear a real interview? i wanted jokes, and i got them!

talk about a 'real' interview... andrew wk was a snoozefest. he got up there with the 'i'm not as dumb as you think i am just look at my crossed legs' mission. he talked about influences. classical music! didn't see that one coming did ya? he also talked about process. in classical music terms! zinger! i like his music pretty much, not mad. but this intervew was like watching a train wreck. instead of coming across smarter, i think remaining in 'character' would've benefited him better. zzz to infinity. more monday night football anthems please...

'i can't feel my face' prequel

i caved and got the mick boogie tape, before the drama tape. there are a million new songs on here, so i was swayed. what can i say i've turned around on 'dedication 2' and julez' stuff has always been great, but always better as a compliment to cam, or in this case, wayne!

this is great, obviously. i'm too lazy to start quoting lines, but they're funny trust me. this is kind of a fantasy tape for me, but i wish cam was on here. he's to busy filming killa season 2. c'mon they have to edit 200 hours of tom-foolery to a 3.5 hour epic. will it be about dealing drugs? i hope so!

go ahead and get this tape. the drama one will be better but it's taking them forever...

masterpiece theater

this hagerty-directed spot for the new BPB is amazing. i swear i've watched it a dozen times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PR8TEW5qESg

also, how great was oldham on conan last night? andrew WK on the keyboards!

what about the new NBA live pics!

toosh report 9/20/06 and/or pitchfork r.i.p.

first line: "There's plenty afoot in the metal underground-- it's the mainstream version that desperately needs a new set of heroes."
last line: "Please welcome the new monsters of rock."

man, they have been OFF in the last year. i don't entirely hate on pitchfork. i think they're fine, but the 'best new music' section this year has been baffling. almost arbitrary! who's editing these legions of writers?

ok albeit stosuy is probably my fave writer on this site, but the new mastodon as the 'greatest big-time metal crew on earth'? 'remission' was great. totally great. 'leviathan' was bad. kinda bad. 'blood mountain' sucks. ok so you're a hardcore mastodon fan and you like all three. but, 'Please welcome the new monsters of rock.'? gush much? there's gotta be some better nu-metal out there to gush about...

bands noted? jehu? josh homme? mars volta? i just don't know... those are pretty lite references...

the album gets a 3.1... stosuy as a music writer gets a 8.3... and pitchfork post 2005 gets a 3.7

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/38617/Mastodon_Blood_Mountain

november 25th!

what you know about me and the wildman going to see texas is the reason SON!?

it's not reigning anymore

"Shawn Kemp's planned workout at the Berto Center never materialized Monday, and it's unlikely the six-time NBA All-Star will receive another invitation from the Bulls."

"Kemp, 36, who retired in 2003 after 14 seasons because of weight issues, also missed a planned workout with Dallas earlier this year."

damn i really wanted to see shawn kemp back in the nba. this dude was fucking sick! you think amare's fun to watch now? remember this guy and GP? even the fat cavs days were funny....

do a google search for 'shawn kemp'

haha awesome

what do i do? what do i do? without you?

new mountain goats! 'get lonely' late i know, but hey, i'm a slacker.

and it's so great! i've been on a bit of a darnielle tear as of late. been jamming 'hot garden stomp' to 'sunset tree' to 'we shall all be healed'. i used to drive around in high school blasting 'hot garden stomp'... 'you were quiet for a while and that was nice, then you came along with your questions... always questions... i hear you talking... shut up...' tapes, man. they were rad.

aaanyway 'get lonely', a good 13 years later, is a perfect progression. this record is a heavy one... how is this guy not happy yet? he sounds more miserable than ever, and content with it. instead of 'dying to tell you he was dying' back in 1994, it feels like he's telling us now 'i'm willing to tell you i'm fucking miserable, if you're interested'. this makes for an awesome record i think. i feel like it's complicated, but not really...

the new grizzly bear LP

"yellow house". now how are you going to avoid talking about the animal collective biting? they're in close proximity of eachother, the both have animal references in their names [in not just the word, 'animal'], and they sound very very similar. yeah, the griz are probably huge fans [do they deny it] of AC, but who isn't?

the new one tries harder to find its own voice, but it's still dave portner stylings everywhere. and it's not all that bad- there are moments of radness, but i just can't shake the comparison. at their best GB sound like a sloppy, big, jam band. at their worst the sound like a lot of other songs you've heard before. a nice revord cover, well produced songs. good, well produced songs!

but it's still totally biting, dudes!

tonight

i promised glick i'd post this flier for her friend's show. go! then stick around for leo and o'dell's tender DJ movements...