Break ups can be a real bitch, can't they? Wouldn't it be nice if both parties could just go their separate ways, cordially, without rancor, and without, say, the desire to take a Louisville slugger to anyone's headlights, to make harassing phone calls at dinnertime, name-calling, jealousy, screaming, crying on the kitchen floor, all five stages of grief, begging, pity parties, ill-advised sex, or way-too-long Dear John messages left on answering machines?
Well, here's a li'l mixtape to get all of that out of your (or your ex's) system, for any future break ups you might experience. These artists do all the heavy emotional lifting--and tire-slashing--so you don't have to. Once played, this mix will enable the listener to make a crime-free, self-respecting, graceful exit. I guarantee it.
The Kills have not stopped moving since the March 2008 release of their latest album, Midnight Boom. They have bounced back and forth from the US to Europe to Australia on tour, had their bus stolen out from under their noses in Texas, played gigs with The Gossip and The Raconteurs and made music videos for half the tracks from Midnight Boom. Yet they are still accessible, even in this latest bout of explosion into rock royalty status. Alison "VV" Mosshart blogs every few days about the journey they’ve taken, going into smoky detail about venues, friends they’ve seen, meals they’ve eaten and sleep they haven’t had, often signing off with a "we love you" or "cuts and kisses" to the fans she isn’t even sure are reading. It is an intimate and special glance into Mosshart and Jamie "Hotel" Hince’s road ragged existence, but just as their lyrics say, they continue to go steal ahead. Read more after the jump!
Even though I'm currently on vacation, I still need an extra boost to get out of bed sometimes. Coffee is great and a cold shower is effective, but neither are as fun as listening to jumpy, catchy music. So, consider this your 25.4 minutes slice of WAKE UP heaven.
Politically motivated and feminist-y hip-hop artist Nakaaya Sumari just signed to Sony Music after her independently released debut album, Nervous Conditions, took East Africa by storm last year. Will she be able to maintain the radical spirit of her music on a major label?
Singer, Fairuz
(Lebanese for ‘turquoise’), is one of Lebanon’s most celebrated
national treasures. Don’t take my word for it though—she’s often
referred to as the Soul of Lebanon, our Ambassador to the Stars, the
Arab’s Ambassador, Neighbor to the Moon and the Poet of the Voice. Listen to her amazing voice after the jump!
This edition of BitchTapes is dedicated to confidence, audacity and chutzpah. We can always use a little inspiration to hold our heads high. These tracks never fail to keep me faithful that I can conquer anything. So do what you’ve gotta do, because you can.
Malori brought us all up to speed yesterday on the Asher Roth phenomenon, I thought I'd call everyone's attention to point out that his new video, for the song "Be By Myself," only digs himself a deeper hole for anyone hoping to see anything other than a spoiled frat boy in the young pop culture phenom. More after the jump.
The underground rock scene used to be something of a "boys only" club, despite the efforts and talents of a great many amazing female musicians. Even as late as the mid-nineties, the all-female Lilith Fair rock festival seemed necessary as a showcase for the women who managed to shred their way through the flannel-swaddled man-zone of grunge. But after attending Sunday night's Dark Was the Night show at Radio City Music Hall, it seems to me that maybe women are approaching parity at the top of the indie rock scene. (More, plus a video of the amazing finale, after the jump.)