Slumberlord
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Saturday, August 14, 2004
Return of the G(iorgio)
File under "indie rockers liking cool non-indie-rock music," courtesy of Lost At Sea:
John Vanderslice: "Ghostface Killa - Pretty Toney Album - I like the celebratory lyrics, I love all the Motown samples - it has a very summery, airy feel to it."
Mike Kinsella (Owen): "My favorite summer album is Technique by New Order because I like all the jams on it."
Technically he's just Ghostface now, but let's not split hairs. And New Order goes a long way toward explaining how Mike of American Football fame is the more electronically-minded (not to mention talented) Kinsella.
Speaking of Kinsellas, Lost At Sea also hit me upside the head with a new Joan of Arc track. I know, I didn't want to listen either, but like when a bus full of tone-deaf high school band members crashes into a student art film festival, I can't help but slow down and gawk. Honestly this song is not bad at all - but hating is fun.
My comments for the above LAS feature aren't nearly as interesting. I'm more fond of my thoughts on Miss Kittin, possibly for another upcoming feature on female artists:
She may not go down in the annuls of history as a cultural freedom fighter or pioneering feminist, but perhaps a small 2004 footnote will be penned for DJ and electro-popstress Miss Kittin and her song "Requiem For a Hit." As a DJ and producer, a thankless role even more male-dominated than that of the rapper or rock star, Caroline Herve has dropped a track that begins simply enough with guest vocalist LA Williams repeating the words "I'm going to beat that bitch with a hit" over Kittin's bumping beats. It seems to be an ordinary enough piece of machismo until Kittin's own vocals cut in halfway through, at first almost playful, then taking up Williams refrain and reversing the apparent harassment. The song's presumed original message is scattered and the song's purpose thrown back to the listener – Is the bitch the man, the audience, or someone else? It is reinforced by the ambiguity of what kind of "hit" she is talking about – A hit record? A hit of acid? Or something else? It's a strange message of ambiguous dominance: In the world of music, everything is fluid, and gender roles are no exception.
My review of the Roots "The Tipping Point" was posted some time ago during my whirlwind moving process. I hope to write more for Stylus in the future, because they are one of the online publications I read the most, and not just to stare dreamily at my own stunning prose. There are people on there even better than me! No I'm serious!
Sometimes hotness is best done without writing and analysis, as is the case with these paired songs at Ten Cool Things. Each song is partnered with the song from which it takes its sample. A great idea that should be explored further. To whit, Outkast's "Return of the 'G'" mixed in with Giorgio Moroder's "Theme From Midnight Express".
File under "indie rockers liking cool non-indie-rock music," courtesy of Lost At Sea:
John Vanderslice: "Ghostface Killa - Pretty Toney Album - I like the celebratory lyrics, I love all the Motown samples - it has a very summery, airy feel to it."
Mike Kinsella (Owen): "My favorite summer album is Technique by New Order because I like all the jams on it."
Technically he's just Ghostface now, but let's not split hairs. And New Order goes a long way toward explaining how Mike of American Football fame is the more electronically-minded (not to mention talented) Kinsella.
Speaking of Kinsellas, Lost At Sea also hit me upside the head with a new Joan of Arc track. I know, I didn't want to listen either, but like when a bus full of tone-deaf high school band members crashes into a student art film festival, I can't help but slow down and gawk. Honestly this song is not bad at all - but hating is fun.
My comments for the above LAS feature aren't nearly as interesting. I'm more fond of my thoughts on Miss Kittin, possibly for another upcoming feature on female artists:
She may not go down in the annuls of history as a cultural freedom fighter or pioneering feminist, but perhaps a small 2004 footnote will be penned for DJ and electro-popstress Miss Kittin and her song "Requiem For a Hit." As a DJ and producer, a thankless role even more male-dominated than that of the rapper or rock star, Caroline Herve has dropped a track that begins simply enough with guest vocalist LA Williams repeating the words "I'm going to beat that bitch with a hit" over Kittin's bumping beats. It seems to be an ordinary enough piece of machismo until Kittin's own vocals cut in halfway through, at first almost playful, then taking up Williams refrain and reversing the apparent harassment. The song's presumed original message is scattered and the song's purpose thrown back to the listener – Is the bitch the man, the audience, or someone else? It is reinforced by the ambiguity of what kind of "hit" she is talking about – A hit record? A hit of acid? Or something else? It's a strange message of ambiguous dominance: In the world of music, everything is fluid, and gender roles are no exception.
My review of the Roots "The Tipping Point" was posted some time ago during my whirlwind moving process. I hope to write more for Stylus in the future, because they are one of the online publications I read the most, and not just to stare dreamily at my own stunning prose. There are people on there even better than me! No I'm serious!
Sometimes hotness is best done without writing and analysis, as is the case with these paired songs at Ten Cool Things. Each song is partnered with the song from which it takes its sample. A great idea that should be explored further. To whit, Outkast's "Return of the 'G'" mixed in with Giorgio Moroder's "Theme From Midnight Express".
