When I was little I VOWED to one day have a giant warehouse loft apartment in which to have a ton of mirrors and a solitary chair, thanks to this video and a little movie called Flashdance. Well, um, the one I have now is lacking the square footage but I do have lots of light (note to real estate agent: SUCK IT). At least now that I’m (sort of) grown up I have lots of cropped jean jackets and Adidas kicks. With that in mind, EVERYONE do a hair toss today for the one and only JJ. Happy birthday Miss Janet (’cause we’re nasty)!
Happy Birthday Janet Jackson
The World Is a Better Place
Carrying on the legacy of little-kids-playing-grown-up-in-a-music-videos, here is the latest chapter: a tribute to MCA in the remaking of the Beastie Boys “Sabotage.” James Winters, whoever you are, thank you.
PS – if you are in New York City at 11AM this Saturday May 19th, it’s MCA Day in Union Square. Spread the word!
Here’s my favorite little-kids-playing-grown-up-in-a-music-video a la Spike Jonze. Which is your favorite?
Posted in Respect, Videos
Tagged adam yauch, beastie boys, cover, james winters, mca, mca day, notorious b.i.g., rip, sabotage, sky's the limit, spike jonze, tribute, version
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I Break Horses LIVE at Terminal 5
Photos by Abbey Braden
Terminal 5
New York City
May 10, 2012
Last week I Break Horses made their New York City debut. Straight outta Stockholm, y’all! Handpicked by M83 for the Midnight City tour across the U.S., Maria and Fredrik debuted their four piece live band at Terminal 5 and it was breathtaking… like this hazy arpeggiated dreamscape where you can be happy being sad and sad being happy. Here’s the part where I should just STOP, because equating the I Break Horses live experience with actual words seems downright disrespectful. Having seen them over the last 3 months play a church in Oslo and La Scala in London (ugh even I hate myself for typing that sentence), there was something special about this pared down set – perhaps having less people on stage makes it easier for Maria to shine through. Seriously she concocts so many layers in her music she could be up there totally by herself and still sound like she was backed by a symphony.
Whatever the case, as soon as they started playing all the concert photographers kind of went into trance (as opposed to rabid paparazzi mode) which was beautiful to behold. Note to self: get some tote bags printed that say “Keep Calm and Stop Shooting So Damn Much” and give one to Culture of Me for shared sentimental value. Speaking of tote bags, I Break Horses, if you are reading this, please get some merch whipped up, because I am dying to see that cover art splashed over multiple objects. I Break Horses’ debut album Hearts is out now on Bella Union. There is limited edition vinyl too (featuring the aforementioned artwork)! Keep track of their live dates here – they hit the road for a headlining tour after M83 wraps up, and then the festivals begin. Trust me – “Winter Beats” merits being experienced in concert. Truth.
Posted in Know This Band, Shows
Tagged bella union, fredrik Balck, hearts, i break horses, m83, maria linden, midnight city, terminal 5, tour, winter beats
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Know This Band: Kindness
Ah, Kindness. Where does one begin? It’s a project that’s actually a solitary person – Adam Bainbridge – but thanks to him it’s also a new state of mind in the electronic landscape. As my friend Dave P has been proclaiming left and right, Kindness is a #GAMECHANGER. Me? I think he’s going to be this generation’s David Byrne – he possesses that subtle handling of pop that can toy with your emotions in a single key change. Seriously swoon-worthy. Kindness’ debut album World, You Need a Change of Mind is out now and we highly recommend picking up a copy. Check out the video for his latest single “House” which will be coming bundled with b-sides (yay!) and exclusives mixes June 19th on Terrible/Casablanca Records. The video was directed by Adam and Dan Brereton. Kindness will make his NYC debut this Thursday May 17th at Le Poisson Rouge – Dave P has worked very hard to get him back to the US, and it’s only fitting that Adam will headline one of Dave and Josh’s legendary FIXED events. See you on the dancefloor! Summer tour dates after the jump. Continue reading
Oh How I Have Waited For This Day: Album Releases May 15th Edition
Well it only took 3 years, but Rye Rye‘s Go! Pop! Bang! debut is out today – as are epic releases by Gossip, Beach House, Fixers, Simian Mobile Disco, and The Cribs!
Beach House / Bloom
Best Coast / The Only Place
Black Tambourine / OneTwoThreeFour EP
Chappo / Moonwater
Cornershop / Urban Turban
Craft Spells / Gallery EP
Fixers / We’ll Be the Moon
Flosstradamus /
Garbage / Not Your Kind of People
Gossip / A Joyful Noise
HEALTH / Max Payne 3 Soundtrack
mewithoutYou / Ten Stories
Rye Rye / Go! Pop! Bang!
Santana / Shape Shifter
Simian Mobile Disco / Unpatterns
Slash / Apocalyptic Love
Squarepusher / Ufabulum
Tenacious D / Rize of the Fenix
The Cribs / In the Belly Of The Brazen Bull
Violens / True
Willie Nelson / Heroes
Video: Flight Facilities feat Grovesnor With You
If you’re a regular listener to our show, you might recognize the Flight Facilities name in reference to “Crave You” aka one of the best tracks of 2010, 2011, and now! It was the Australian DJ and production duo’s first exclusive composition (featuring vocals by Giselle Rosselli) and now they’re back with their new With You EP on Future Classic records. This features the title track, an extended cut for all you DJs out there and remixes to boot. Meet your new summer anthem, and dig the video – who doesn’t love the timeless tale of Love, Loss and Robots? Swoon. It was brought to life by the incredible Ben Drake, who was inspired by Megaman, Daft Punk & Astroboy for this anime odyssey. This time around the vocal duties are helmed by Grovesnor (former Hot Chip drummer, eternal album crush). There is no way you can listen to this song just once! Brilliant.
Posted in New Releases, Videos
Tagged anime, ben drake, crave you, ep, flight facilities, future classic, giselle rosselli, grovesnor, remix, video, with you
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Know This Band: Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts‘ new 7″ drops today featuring 2 songs, “Neon” and “Tears in the Rain“. There are an additional 2 bonus tracks in the digital bundle out now on ATG Records (the label which blossomed out of the DC-based All Things Go blog, which is awesome). Win. Check out this video for “Neon” which is directed by the so-cool-it’s-painful Between Man and Beast. It’s like if Alexis from Sleigh Bells woke up in Hoxton post-bender and took a stab at Supernature-era Goldfrapp. Considering that this sartorially chic pop diva is 24-years old, those references probably need not apply. Stream her debut EP The Arrival below. More to come – hopefully we’ll find out her real name! Even The Guardian doesn’t know!
Posted in Know This Band, New Releases, Videos
Tagged 7 inch, atg records, between man and beast, neon, queen of hearts, tears in the rain, the arrival
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A Case of the Mondays…
… The Happy Mondays that is! Here is today’s lesson in Madchester history. Did you know that at one point Johnny Marr (of The Smiths) was forcibly recruited by Shaun Ryder into his band at one point? YOU’RE TWISTING MY MELON MAN. Seriously.
Posted in Respect, Videos
Tagged happy mondays, johnny marr, kidnapped, madchester, manchester, shaun ryder, the smiths
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Video: Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeroes Mother
Happy Mother’s Day everyone! To celebrate the occasion, ES&TMZ‘s own Alex Ebert directed this video for “Mother,” a track the band contributed to the Every Mother Counts 2012 compilation album which you can pick up here. The proceeds go to improving maternal healthcare worldwide through the Every Mother Counts foundation. In Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros news, their new album Here drops May 29th on Community Records.
Posted in Charity, New Releases, Videos
Tagged alex ebert, charity, community records, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, every mother counts, here, mother
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VML Playlist 5-11-12 Stevie Nicks Tribute
A ginormous thank you to Maggie Poulos and Jazmen Flowers for taking the reigns on today’s Stevie Nicks Tribute show. On the one hand it was because I completely lost my voice, but on the other hand I probably wouldn’t have chimed in, because we were learning so much between the two of them! Good luck at Night of 1000 Stevies everyone! Here is what they played:
Buckingham Nicks / Crying in the Night
Fleetwood Mac / Rhiannon
Stevie Nicks / How Still My Love
Stevie Nicks / Planets of the Universe
Stevie Nicks / Blue Lamp
Stevie Nicks / Nightbird
Fleetwood Mac / Seven Wonders
Fleetwood Mac / The Chain
Fleetwood Mac / Gypsy
Fleetwood Mac / Dreams
Fleetwood Mac / Silver Springs
Stevie Nicks / Blue Denim
Stevie Nicks / Stand Back
Fleetwood Mac / Storms
Stevie Nicks / Soldier’s Angels
Stevie Nicks / Edge of Seventeen
