Politics aside, I think we can all agree that Barack Obama far and away the coolest president we've had (in recent history). I guess you could argue your Bill Clinton playing sax on Arsenio or your JFK sleeping with Marilyn Monroe. But Barry O looks to me like an approachable, genuine, friendly person with a better-than-working knowledge of art and pop culture and a willingness to be in-on-the-joke, even if it's at his own expense.
He just seems like a REAL COOL DUDE and goddammit if I won't miss the heck out of him when he's gone.
I'm late to this party, but ever since I moved back in with my mother and heard my younger brother listening to this band, I've had this ache: what about this band is less cool than WHY? "Alopecia" is still one of my favorite records from the 00s—despite WHY?'s arguable recent decline in quality—but something about Twenty One Pilots grates on my nerves even though there's some serious similarities between the two. Nasal rapping about feelings, genre-hopping, somewhat esoteric feeling-talking.
Here's an HQ version without the "L-L-L-L-LA LEAKERS!":
https://soundcloud.com/atlaspeak/flying-lotus-feat-kendrick-lamar-never-catch-me
This shit is next level.
It's always nice to see him break his postmodern irony schtick. There's a great clip of Sonic Youth doing "100%" in '92. They all end up flailing on the ground by the end of the song, then Letterman steps in and has no idea what to say.
Late Night-era Fallon gives Letterman a run for his money. Odd Future at their peak? tUnE-yArDs w/ the Roots? The D-Plan's reunion? Questo's unabashed admiration of Stanier after that Battles performance? Great stuff.
Really makes you wonder what the hell SNL is doing wrong.
I haven't (but am about to) listened to this yet, but I just wanna put this out there: Songs From the Big Chair is such a killer album. Perennially underrated.
For what it's worth, I don't think it is (a coordinated joke). Colbert's probably got an infinite Rolodex and they had about a day to produce it, which is tough but maybe doable.
Whether or not this truly was a booking mix-up or some coordinated joke between Colbert, MTV, et al doesn't matter, because this video is unbelievable.
As a current UMass student, I love that you guys threw that song on this list. Killer track, wonderful summary of life at the University. I guess I'd add Caribou, but who am I to judge.
I gotta say, the Yellow House version of "Little Brother" is good, but it's nothing compared to the Friend EP version. That coda ("from the top of my head...") is mind-blowing. I wish they would re-record a lot of their earlier output like that. No that Yellow House and Horn of Plenty aren't good, but I remember seeing them at the MA MoFA a few years back and they did an electric version of "On a Neck" that was incredible.
Also, "Central and Remote" is just huge. Gigantic.
Any time I see the word "hipster" used as baseless derision, it makes me want to write a thesis paper on how the word doesn't mean anything anymore and how it's just a catch-all for something you don't like.
Seasame Street is hipster.
Pretty solid list, I'd just like to submit for your approval that "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" is not only Wilco's best song, but one of the best songs of the last decade. Two cents.
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