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January 22, 2009
Shorties (White Hinterland, Kaki King, and more)
Pitchfork reviews White Hinterland's Luniculaire EP.
Luniculaire uncovers a surprising side of Casey Dienel. We knew her as the deviser of jazzy, brightly melodic, and somehow disarmingly childlike tunes. This EP introduces an artist willing to embrace the ugly sound, to forgo indie-pop politesse for art-rock attitude, to sing in a language she can't flawlessly speak.
As part of its ongoing 1000 novels everyone must read, the Guardian lists the best gothic novels, best radical reads, and the best dystopias in fiction.
Mike Doughty talks to the Ithaca Journal about songwriting and blogging.
In addition to an adept songwriter, Doughty is articulate, thoughtful and forthcoming about matters musical in general. He maintains an active blog, something he has updated consistently for more than five years. "I blog because I want to blog. I guess I do it because my audience is interested and I just dig it, and I want to write about things that are a little bit more linear than things you can put in a rock song."
The Guardian examines the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah breakup rumors.
MTV wonders if the United States is ready for Barack Obama's "emo America."
Living in the U.S.S. (the United States of Sufjan) would be great. We would all wear sweaters and rejoice and be seen as the weird, asexual cousins of the world. We would be sensitive and join hands and sing songs like "The Black Hawk War, or, How to Demolish an Entire Civilization and Still Feel Good About Yourself in the Morning, or, We Apologize for the Inconvenience but You're Going to Have to Leave Now, or, 'I Have Fought the Big Knives and Will Continue to Fight Them Until They Are Off Our Lands!'" in warbling, threadbare falsettos. Some of us would wear angel wings and play ukuleles. America would certainly be a kinder, gentler place. And that would definitely be a step in the right direction.
IGN lists the best greatest hits albums.
The Village Voice's 2008 Pazznjop music critics poll results are online.
Daytrotter's Thursday session features in-studio mp3s from Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter.
With Britney Spears in talks to sign a book deal for her autobiography, PopSugar asks, would you read it?
TIME examines the current state of the book publishing industry.
Your Book Tube is the "definitive, most easily accessed, non-competitive, centralized online library of book videos on the internet."
Hero Complex profiles the band Previously on Lost, which recaps every Lost episode in song.
The drama and suspense that keep viewers compulsively tuned in inspired the band to take their music to the next step. Midway through the third season, Curtain recruited a collective of five other musicians who were willing to make watching "Lost" their part-time jobs. Together, the band created a separate world based on the TV show, complete with instruments disguised as various inflatable fruits and plants.
Kaki King talks to AfterEllen about religion and her dislike of The L Word.
The Santa Barbara Independent also profiles King.
The New York Times' The Caucus blog has news of an upcoming private Arcade Fire/Jay-Z show for President Obama's staff.
KCRW's Bookworm interviews author Toni Morrison.
Drowned in Sound has news of a Thom Yorke biography, Thom Yorke: Radiohead & Trading Solo (out February 26th).
Ear Farm lists 10 Brooklyn bands you should hear right now.
Slidejams shows you a slideshow of your favorite band in concert while the site streams their music.
NPR's All Things Considered examines the genesis of Woody Guthrie's anthem, "This Land Is Your Land."
He was irritated by Irving Berlin's "God Bless America," sung by Kate Smith, which seemed to be endlessly playing on the radio in the late 1930s. So irritated, in fact, that he wrote this song as a retort, at first sarcastically calling it "God Blessed America for Me" before renaming it "This Land Is Your Land."
also at Largehearted Boy:
Online "best of 2008" music lists
Online "best of 2008" book lists
daily mp3 downloads
Try It Before You Buy It (mp3s and full album streams from this week's CD releases)
weekly music & DVD release lists
tags: music books popculture indie news
