Archive: March, 2010

NEEDLE EXCHANGE 012: An Exclusive Mix By … Gavin Russom

March 30th, 2010 | File Under: Needle Exchange | 3 comments

Gavin Russom’s done it again, shifting from the shady synthscapes of Black Meteoric Star to the spellbinding 12-inch premier of The Crystal Ark, a groove-engulfing stab at the South American music Russom became obsessed with after a trip to Brazil. DFA’s undisputed dark horse recently moved back to New York after a brief run in Berlin. We’re pretty psyched to have him playing random DJ gigs in town again, and can’t wait to hear his contributions to James Murphy’s current LCD Soundsystem lineup.

In the meantime, we’ve got the following mix, a 90-minute battle between darkness and light that also happens to be one of the richest s/t sets yet. Not one to share all his secrets, Russom explains the Crystal Ark and its relation to his record crate with a playlist-eluding essay after the jump…

Posted in: Needle Exchange

MOVIES FOR THE BLIND: Cage Tells George Romero To Drop Dead, Takes Off All His Clothes At a ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ Screening

March 29th, 2010 | File Under: Movies For the Blind | 12 comments

The water's fine in 'Hot Tub Time Machine'

Chris Palko first stormed onto the underground hip-hop scene as Cage with “Agent Orange,” a Clockwork Orange-sampling single from his 2002 album, Movies For the Blind. His free associative film column pays tribute to that record and runs on our daily site every Monday.

Posted in: Movies For the Blind

NOW PLAYING: Various Artists, ‘Enjoy the Silence’ (Mule Electronic, 2009)

March 29th, 2010 | File Under: Now Playing | Leave A Comment

The Details: Various Artists, Enjoy the Silence (Mule Electronic, 2009)

A Quick Review:

Continue reading »

Posted in: Now Playing

1MM @ SXSW: Sneaking Into Showcases With the Black Keys, Broken Bells, Scissor Sisters and Nas

March 29th, 2010 | File Under: 1MM, SXSW 2010 | Leave A Comment

Photos by Jen Maler

Just when you thought we were done with our South By Southwest coverage, two of our favorite freelance photographers filed some killer candids and live shots from the front lines of the fest. This post is devoted to the headline-hogging acts we somehow avoided the entire week.

Posted in: 1MM, SXSW 2010

1MM @ SXSW: Courtney Love, Still Our Favorite Kind of Crazy

March 28th, 2010 | File Under: 1MM, SXSW 2010 | Leave A Comment

Photos by Jen Maler

Just when you thought we were done with our South By Southwest coverage, two of our favorite freelance photographers filed some killer candids and live shots from the front lines of the fest. First up in our final hour rundown: the eagerly-awaited return of Hole and, more importantly, Courtney Love.

Posted in: 1MM, SXSW 2010

NEEDLE EXCHANGE 011: An Exclusive Mix By … Nils Frahm

March 28th, 2010 | File Under: Needle Exchange | 2 comments

As much as we love extreme music—ear-gouging stuff like the Ben Frost set we saw at (Le) Poisson Rouge the other night—it’s not allowed anywhere near our Sunday morning stereo. That spot is reserved for sedate but stunning records like the spindly piano pieces of Nils Frahm, a young Berliner who’s been cultivating a cult following based on two recent Erased Tapes releases, The Bells and Wintermusik. You can download them both here without paying steep import prices, or you could listen to the following mix to get a glimpse of Frahm’s creative process and chilly record collection.

Meaning: this Needle Exchange set is exactly what you’re gonna want to hear after a long day’s journey into Saturday night, from the delicate orchestral folk of Nick Drake to the visionary soundtracks of Jim Jarmusch.

Posted in: Needle Exchange

FROM THE STACKS: Golden Triangle

March 27th, 2010 | File Under: From The Stacks | One comment

[Photo by Sebastian Miynarski]

We get a lot of crap CDs at the self-titled offices. But once in a while, a pleasant surprise slips into our promo stack. Here’s a recent delivery that knocked the s/t staff on its collective ass.

Posted in: From The Stacks

1MM: A Drug Cartel-Free Look At the MtyMx Festival, Including Photos of Dan Deacon, HEALTH, Lemonade and High Places

March 26th, 2010 | File Under: 1MM | One comment

Since our staff didn’t have the cojones to cover Monterrey’s MtyMx Festival right after South By Southwest, we sent our new favorite Dutchman, Nick Helderman, down to document it for the rest of us. The following post is his photo essay version of what we like to call the Todd P Experiment. (A killer slideshow version is also available here.)

Oh, and if you want to play “Where’s Waldo?” with the shots, these artists make an appearance somewhere along the way: Mentira Mentira, Das Racist, Pictureplane, High Places, Alexico, Best Fwends, Dan Deacon, Ratas Del Vaticano, HEALTH, Indian Jewelry and Lemonade. Can you spot them all?

Posted in: 1MM

Liam Gallagher Goes Gunning For Ben Sherman With His New Pretty Green Line

March 26th, 2010 | File Under: News | Leave A Comment

[Photos by Boo]

“Get off the stage, grandpa” wasn’t the only thing we kept thinking during the Who’s Super Bowl halftime show last month. We also couldn’t help but wonder when some of the sharpest-dressed British dudes of all time lost their Quadrophenia look for good. While we realize a bunch of 60-year-olds shouldn’t be sprinting across the stage in mod attire, there are ways to age gracefully without becoming a total reunion tour cliche.

Liam Gallagher is still a few decades away from being in the same position as his British Invasion forebears—he’s not even 40 yet—but that doesn’t make his decision to launch a clothing line any less appropriate. After all, a Noel-free Oasis album isn’t expected until 2011, and Pretty Green actually got its start in the UK last summer. So a stab at the stateside Ben Sherman market was only a matter of time, really.

“Clothes and music are my passion,” Gallagher said in a recent statement. “I’m not here to rip anyone off and I’m not doing it for the money either. I’m doing it ‘cuz there’s a lack of stuff out there of the things I would wear.”

And by that, he means lots of tightly-tailored, late-’60s inspired clothing, although the singer assured RXP that “I’m a bit of a mod, but I don’t sleep with a scooter or anything.” Fair enough. Take a look at some standout look book shots after the jump…

Posted in: News

COVER STORIES: From Leather-Clad Goth Kids To Their Soft Spot For the Soft Pack, Nada Surf Rationalizes Their ‘If I Had a Hi-Fi’ Record

March 25th, 2010 | File Under: Features | Leave A Comment

Photo by Autumn de Wilde

Utter disbelief. That’s the reaction we got from a close friend after revealing just how much we love Nada Surf’s Let Go album. What do we look like? The kind of guys who only listen to death-metal and ultra-limited noise LPs? Actually, don’t answer that question. Go ahead and grab Let Go, though, especially the songs that make us scream like a little girl every…single…time: “Blizzard of ‘77,” “Blonde On Blonde” and Nada Surf’s finest moment, “Killian’s Red.” (Sorry kids, but “Popular” will forever remind us of Weezer, not Nada Surf.)

In honor of the trio’s special Let Go show at Bowery Ballroom tonight, we asked them to share the back story of If I Had a Hi-Fi, a cover song collection that reveals some surprising influences on the Nada Surf side of things. No death-metal or noise, but there are slivers of Depeche Mode, Kate Bush and Arthur Russell. Rock!

If I Had a Hi-Fi is only available at shows right now, but will be pressed by the band’s Mardev Records imprint on June 8.

Posted in: Features