I read the piece earlier and I thought Diplo's comments were the most damning too. The writer's input, as well as that of the political analyst, was hardly flattering either, but criticizing MIA's political credibility (or lack thereof) is hardly anything new. What's so brutal about Diplo's comments is that they seem to hit her where it really hurts: her artistic credibility. This is someone who knows her very well basically calling her a manipulative liar, which I think is a hell of a lot worse than implying she's a bit naive where global politics are concerned.
No matter how unflattering the article may have been though, there's zero defense for posting the writer's phone number on Twitter, which was a disgustingly immature and thin-skinned move on Maya's part. I've defended her a few times here and there in the past, but somehow I don't think I'll feel compelled to do that again anytime soon.
What a sad way to kick off SXSW. I've only gotten into Big Star in the last couple of years, but it doesn't take much exposure to their music to realize that, as was said above, this is indeed a great loss to the music world.
I find it very hard to believe that Damon Albarn made a conscious decision to copy Eddie Grant's song, blatantly avoid getting proper clearance, and then release his own song as the lead single to his new album - but according to The Guardian article that's pretty much what Grant's claiming. Like nearly everyone else has said, yeah, it sounds the same, but I'm sure it's hardly the only time that particular three-note progression has been used in a song.
Yeah, that was pretty awesome. I can't wait to hear the whole album. It seems like these guys just keep getting better and better.
I have to agree with the people who said that the sound was reeeeaaaally muddy though. Great song, not-so-great mixing.
I was so sad to read about this late last night. He was a brilliant, underrated musician. I'm a big fan of his music and as such I wanted to say something more poignant, but the bottom line is that this just really, really sucks. Best wishes to his friends and family.
I'll add my name to the "impressed" column. I think it's one of the better albums I've heard this year. I love albums that grow on you and reveal themselves slowly, and I think Plastic Beach is definitely going to be one of those for me. Each time I've listened to it I like it a little more, different songs make themselves noticed, and so on - and to me, that type of intricacy is the mark of a good album. I do agree that there's a lot to digest, but thus far I'm having a great time doing so.
I'm all for unique marketing techniques and making yourself stand out from the crowd, but an unusual idea doesn't necessarily equate to a good idea. What exactly does a scratch-off album cover have to do with their music again?
I've kind of come to expect great videos from these guys, and this one is no exception. I had a bit of an "er, I don't know about this..." moment when I first realized it was a blend of live action and 3D rendering, but that quickly passed. Damn, what an awesome video (and an awesome song too, imo).
That random lady-hater who insulted me for no reason was just having a conversation with himself?! I feel used.
Anyway, now that I finally have the password reset thing squared away (I'm smart, really), I love the new look and all the little changes. Way to go, Stereogum!
A counterargument:
1. 11 of the 21 videos above are from the last 15 years. Unless your recollection is exceptionally horrible, I'd say that puts over half the list within memory of the average Stereogum reader.
2. How does being older excuse the shitty production? There are plenty of amazing music videos (and songs too, for that matter) from the eighties and nineties.
3. I don't know what you're on about with "ur hipster bands should make a superstar charity video then lol!!!!" thing, other than falling back on "hipster" as an (overused) insult. I'd like to think most people would agree that a bunch of indie musicians getting together to create a schmaltzy, badly produced cover would most likely result in a really terrible song too, but maybe that's just me.
4. I'm not sure if this is what you're getting at, but I don't think anyone here is even remotely disparaging the sentiment behind these songs/videos. There's no harm in pointing out the fact that they're all varying degrees of hilarious/cringe-worthy.
5. Following up a statement like "I can't believe you would sink so low!" with a bunch of childish insults = lame.
I was all set to say that I didn't want to be cynical since these were all done for good causes, even if the music is bad, but... yeah, these really are abysmal. I'll just remind myself that "We Are The World 25" is making a shitload of money for Haiti and never watch any of these again, ever.
All of those bad videos did inspire a truly awesome song/video by Pulp though. Now this is how you do (read: parody) an all-star charity music video, folks: http://video.yahoo.com/watch/2022514/v2155719
Everything's relative. It's not "meh, FAIL" in itself necessarily, but I think it's easy to call Bonnaroo 2010 lackluster when compared to Bonnaroo's past lineups and what other festivals have to offer. Of course there are quite a few good artists in there... but there's a lot of crap too, and with the exception of Stevie Wonder the headliners are just not that impressive. Coachella already got Jay-Z, and the rest of their top tier acts blow Dave Matthews Band and Kings of Leon out of the water. If you'd rather see them over Gorillaz, Pavement, and Thom Yorke, that's cool, but I think most people would disagree. Hell, I don't even like Muse and I'd take them over DMB and KoL in a heartbeat.
And as for the price, it's really not such a bargain when you consider the fact that you could spend roughly the same amount and see a shitload of awesome bands at nearly any major festival you choose. It's only a bargain if they're offering a better product or a better price, and I don't see how Bonnaroo is doing either. I'm not doing any festivals this summer (unfortunately), but if I was I would look elsewhere.
I'm with you on the DJing thing. I think it's just something he really likes to do, and it's something he's done since he was in college. And as for doing it at the Roosevelt, I'd read before that it was just convenient because Nigel has connections there, but either way I don't think it's such a big deal. (But hey, if you want to pick on Thom for doing something uncharacteristically awful, there's always Twilight...)
And as for the "wrap party"... couldn't it also just mean they were wrapping up their LA sessions? I read about this several days ago, and I still think it's a bit too vague to get super-excited over. A little excited, sure, but not new-album-level excited.
I do realize you're probably joking, but I'll say this anyway. Money and candy are one thing, because they won't land you in jail! I'm sorry, but if you're going to court (whether it's the first time or the billionth time, as in Doherty's case) YOU MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE FUCKING HEROIN WITH YOU. It may be rock and roll, but it's also just plain idiotic.
And goddamn, someone really needs to get Doherty help already, because he's obviously not going to do it on his own. The whole situation is just really, really sad and pathetic at this point.
Any chance of a re-up on that recording? It's at the limit already, according to Yousendit.
What an epic setlist! It must have been an incredible show. I'm so jealous of everyone who was there, and at the same time so happy that they raised that much money for Oxfam. Over half a million dollars for such a tiny gig is quite an accomplishment.
Why thank you. (I am supposed to take that as a compliment, right? :-P) I usually don't mean to leave long comments, but they seem to come out that way more often than not. I think I just take both music and writing a bit too seriously.
I'll defend Alex on this one. The bottom line is it's his song, and it's a shitty move on the label's part. Sure, Epic is legally allowed to let McDonalds use the song, but hearing about decisions like this being taken completely out of the hands of the people who should matter the most (that is, the musicians) makes me really uncomfortable. I don't care what Franz Ferdinand have done with their songs before. Even if they had, for instance, recorded an exclusive jingle for Burger King or whatever, if they don't want to let McDonalds use their song that should be their decision - not that of some random guy at a desk.
Haha, it's cool. Being called a Radiohead fan with a bit too much time on my hands is hardly the worst accusation that's even been aimed at me.
In all seriousness though, I agree with you for the most part, but I'm perfectly fine with the ticket prices. It's for an excellent cause, and it's in LA so people will surely pay for them. (Plus I think it's fair to say that Radiohead's usual ticket prices are reasonable enough for a band of their fame/caliber.) I'm curious to see how expensive they'll get - this is one show where I'd actually love to see the ticket prices increase by a ridiculous amount.
No offense, but some people (like me) just genuinely don't care for their music, you know? I can't speak for everyone but I really don't care what bands I'm "supposed" to like or dislike or whatever. It has nothing to do with hype or backlash, I just happen to find Vampire Weekend kind of dull.
My train of thoughts upon reading this:
One: Aww, that's wonderful that they're doing a Haiti benefit!
Two: OMFG THEY'RE RECORDING YES
Three: Damn, I wish I was in LA.
Four: ....
Five: OMFG THEY'RE RECORDING!
....I'm a horrible person.
No. I actually kind of love that they seem to adore Radiohead/Thom just as much as I do. It's not like they cover EVERYTHING anyway (well, pretty close to it, but still). He did a secret DJ set for a Haiti benefit in LA last night, which is kind of noteworthy, and that's not on Pitchfork (yet).
Anyway, he does have indeed have killer taste in music. He seems to be really into dubstep lately, but dubstep's awesome so it's all good.
If your comment was directed at me, I assumed that the Pavement and Thom Yorke sets would overlap based on how things were done at All Points West (which is run by the same people who do Coachella), where the two acts listed right beneath each night's headliner usually did overlap by a significant degree. Being a perpetually broke resident of the East Coast, I've never been to Coachella before but I figured it wouldn't be unreasonable to think it would be similar to APW.
Also, unless you have some sort of insider information, "stupid" is a bit unnecessary. You don't know Coachella's schedule any more than I do, so save the insults for a situation that warrants it.
Seriously, anyone who thinks that the Gorillaz set will be anything less than amazing needs to check out some videos of their live performances. I wouldn't be at all surprised if their set ends up being the highlight of the entire weekend, especially if they're planning to go all out like they have for the small handful of shows they've done in the past.
I wouldn't exactly say I'm drinking the Vampire Weekend Kool-Aid either, but come on dude, really? Sorry, but I think "garbage" is pretty damn hyperbolic - have you seen what else is on the charts this week? I don't really care for Vampire Weekend, but I couldn't be happier to see a true indie album (or hell, music made by people who know how to write a fucking song, for that matter) top the charts. Saying that's no small feat is a huge understatement.
Long story short - save your vitriol for the real enemy. And yes, Ke$ha is an excellent start.
Awww, Noodle's all grown up!
This post is so much win. Love the new song, and that tracklist is crazy in a very good way. I didn't know it was possible but I'm looking forward to Plastic Beach even more now.
(Also... Monkey: Journey to the West wasn't a "proper" enough opera for Damon? Oh, you crazy Brits. <3)
This. I love Blur, but I'd argue that everything Damon Albarn has done on his own since Blur stopped making new albums is even more impressive. He's really proven himself to be an incredibly creative and ambitious musician. At this point I look forward to pretty much everything he does.
Sunday's lineup alone is pretty amazing. I'm almost (emphasis on almost) glad there's no way I'll be able to go just because I think I would spontaneously combust if I had to choose between seeing Pavement and Thom Yorke.
Wow, sad news. I was always a bit turned off by his attitude, but 29 is far too young of an age for anybody to die, no matter how they may have (or may not have) lived their life. All the best to his friends and family.
A new M.I.A. song AND (most likely) a new Joanna Newsom album?! I wasn't expecting so much good news from Stereogum tonight, but I'll take it! I really like this new song. Like just about everyone else has said, it's unexpected in a very good way... and I can't wait for her next album.
Pitchfork is saying it's confirmed (title is "Have One on Me" and it is out on 2/23), for what it's worth. That's awesome news if it's true. I know rumors have been going around for a little bit, but I definitely wasn't expecting something this early in the year. (That being said though - I kind of still want this to also mean she hides small people under her dresses.)
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