Empty Skeleton: 2008

Monday, December 22, 2008

James Pants

Continuing to reflect, another of the This Year's Dopest Tracks.

According to Stones Throw, Peanut Butter Wolf dj'ed at James Pants's prom. What? (Texas.) And then James pants talked to Peanut Butter Wolf and scored an internship at Stones Throw. And then a record deal. What???

It makes sense if you hear the music.

Dragonslayer

Haha James Pants was probably at the Stones Throw pool party with me at Winter Music Conference and I didn't even know because I was hanging out with a 7-foot-tall Rainbow Gathering/FSU kid named Tom Treetrunk... oh. Crap.

More James Pants at RCRD LBL. Also noticed J Rocc has a podcast up on the Stones Throw site.

Detroit/My Heart

Dear Marshall Crenshaw,

I apologize for leaving you out of my Detroit dj set a few weeks ago. I did not realize at the time that you were born there.

You are awesome because you sound like Buddy Holly and remind me of spring-- probably a result of your growing up in Berkeley.

Love,

Mary Claire

Cynical Girl

The Detroit Grand Pubahs (for good measure).

Sandwiches

Saturday, December 20, 2008

The Teenagers

Two French guys and a Londoner, the Teenagers raised for a lot of people this year the question of bad art/taking the piss. Is this what happens when a band forms as a joke? (They did.) And if so, is it worthwhile? Sort of a J.T. LeRoy issue I guess.

In particular, the song "Homecoming" tells the story of a young English man who travels to visit his step-aunt in California and sleeps with her virgin-whore daughter. One of the French guys sings the dialog of the English character, an American woman the valley-girl step-cousin responses. Bayside stereotypes + dirty language = fun with national identity and sexual politics. Bad art, whatevski.

The "Homecoming" remix by Gentlemen Drivers also wins for its choice of vocal sample.

Gross 7" cover posted in lieu of dirty hipster photo.

Most of the standout tracks from the full-length, Reality Check, are up on their Myspace. But my favorite's not. Hear below.

Streets of Paris

Friday, December 19, 2008

Thieves Like Us

Proud Factory Records knock-off. That's why they named themselves after a New Order song. 2 Swedes and a New Yorker; met in Berlin, "exiled" in Paris. Go figure.

"Drugs in My Body" has been kicking around since 2006, but their album Play Music just came out this year. This song and another good one you can descargar free from RCRD LBL.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Colourmusic

Reflecting on everyone's Top-Whatever lists for 2008, for mine I'd like to stick with stuff that's not being covered as much. Instead of Top 10 I'm just gonna go with Bomb Tracks Released en Este Año.

Here's what I told people at WRIR about Colourmusic:

Another band that killed SXSW. An English guy was studying abroad in OK when he made an Oklahoman friend, and together they started Colourmusic. The band sounds different from British psychpop in that its sunshine seems a bit more essential, more from-the-core. Wheat fields. They’re into color theory. Their lyrics are vivid.
RIYL Donovan, Love, The Bees, Os Mutantes, British Sea Power, White Flight

And the track I choose is... (I hate picking just one)...

Yes!

f, monday, orange, february, venus, lunatic, 1 or 13 from Great Society records. The whole album is great, even though they were on NPR. Buy it; see them live.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Zombie Zombie

I would have been way more demure when I met these dudes if I had realized they're famous in Europe. When I went to see them during Pop Montreal, I thought they were just a cool band on Myspace. Turns out they played at several of the Euro silly-season festivals this year, and NME featured them in June.

Etienne Jaumet plays synths, and Cosmic Neman drums. That's it; that's the whole band. And that's all they need... to just keep right on inducing trancey prog-seizures.

I don't know Neman's last name, but Etienne later told me over Facebook that his bandmate is also the drummer for Herman Dune. Neman confirmed this via Myspace.

A Land For Renegades = one of the remarkable releases of 2008. On Versatile records.

"Driving this road until death sets you free." The video is a remake of John Carpenter's movie The Thing.

Cars & Trains

The Needle's Spinning

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Titus Adronicus

Jersey boys with a Jersey rock sound. And by "Jersey rock," I mean loud and angry. Thanks to Charlie Johnston who turned me on to these guys about 15 minutes ago. He's from Jersey, too. Bastard.

My Time Outside The Womb

Wallpaper

I post this track for all the weekend warriors out there.

Wallpaper's real name is Eric Frederic; he's also a member of the band Facing New York. As Wallpaper, he seems like kind of a tool, but I think that's part of the persona. I think. Big in San Francisco.

T Rex

Monday, December 15, 2008

Paper Route Ganstaz >> The Hood Headlinaz

The Hood Headlinaz collaborate with MIA-producer Diplo and DJ Benzi as the Paper Route Gangstaz. Last month they released the (slammin) Fear and Loathing in Hunts Vegas mixtape, which they're selling Radiohead-style through Diplo's label, Mad Decent.

The Hood Headlinaz are five guys: Mali Boi, Money Addict, Mata, Jhi Ali and Gunt 1/3. Listening to the tape, I realized that between them they wrote all the best songs.

Yes, "Hunts Vegas" = Huntsville.

Naturalz (screwed)

Mali Boi's their producer-- he got the loop for "Naturalz" from Art of Noise's "Moments in Love."

Electric President

Ben Cooper, one half of this duo, is also a pretty kick-ass painter. I bought a bear with a shotgun from him. It really livens up the room.

Robophobia

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Passion Pit

Sleepyhead

Tony Dekker

Great Lake Swimmers' front man, Tony Dekker, solemnly covers a classic Diamond hit. This was crafted for Greg Kohs' Song Sung Blue. I was fortunate enough to snag a press screener of this real life love story a few months back. It's a dark, unexpected and stranger than fiction glimpse at the lives of a Neil Diamond cover couple. A train wreck in mid-collision, it's worth a watch.

Song Sung Blue (Neil Diamond Cover)

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Soulwax

London's Ether film fest premiered the Soulwax documentary, Part of the Weekend Never Dies, back in April. The DVD has just become available in the States.

Update: Pitchfork.tv is running an excerpt of the film this week.