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May 29, 2006
Shorties
Billboard examines the growing symbiosis between emerging bands and big business.
Today there are many emerging, well-financed new-media and telecom services that are happy to help launch a struggling artist's career in exchange for a chance to beef up their brand's presence in the music scene. And contests are helping these acts -- and services -- stand out from the pack.
The Mirror lists "20 crazy facts" about Gnarls Barkley.
The Hartford Courant examines the current "roaring torrent" of protest music.
The role of protest music has changed since the 1960s. Popular culture, once something of a monolith, has broken into stratified niches, and audiences have a seemingly infinite number of distractions vying for their time and attention.
The New Yorker features a short story by Alice Munro, "Dimension."
TravelGolf lists the best golf books of 2006.
The San Diego Union-Tribune interviews Eric Howarth, owner of M-Theory Records.
What's the best part of your job?
The best part of the job is turning people on to music that will become their new favorite band. Also, hosting amazing in-stores by the likes of Spiritualized, Nada Surf, Hard-Fi, David J, Adam Franklin, Mark Gardener, Mondo Generator, Broken Social Scene, Album Leaf, Louis XIV, etc. Through these in-stores, we end up becoming good friends with these musicians we admire so much.
January reviews Douglas Coupland's latest novel, jPod.
jPod is a delight. A completely novel approach to novel making, which should not be a surprise, considering the source. Fifteen years after Douglas Coupland changed the way we viewed the world with Generation X, the author is still astonishingly fresh and relevant. He nails more than the dialog of the early 21st century cubicle worker: he brings home the desolation masked in irony covering hopelessness that this sad new century has brought in with it.
James Blunt's songs were banned by a UK radio station to "give listeners a rest."
World Hum is counting down the top 30 travel books.
The Daily Scotsman offers summer reading recommendations, as do the Boston Globe and Newsday.
The Chicago Tribune profiles teen indie rock sensations Smoosh.
"The freshness of what they do, the emotional sweetness of it ... when you listen to them you can hear somebody finding their voice," said Douglas Wolk, who wrote about the band for Blender magazine and Seattle Weekly. "I don't think of the music as above and beyond their years. I think of it as of their year, but really, really freaking good."
Will the iPod become a portable gaming platform? Gamespot thinks it might.
The Morrissey-solo forums are a great place to look for live show and video downloads from the Moz.
