Results tagged “sonicyouth”

We already mentioned in an earlier post that the unconventional Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There gets released today. Although the soundtrack of the film has been out for some time, we thought we'd take this opportunity to review it - especially seeing as how it's a review copy of the album that we've been listening to and all. We're not just late on the review because we're lazy, though. There's a lot of music...

Free Yr Radio, a campaign launched by Toyota and Urban Outfitters in support of independent radio, is getting a soundtrack. It's a benefit compilation CD that's coming out tomorrow (a release date chosen to coincide with non-commercial radio's biggest event, the CMJ conference in Manhattan - an event we've gotten more press releases about than we can count). The compilation features a collection of live music, B-side tracks and previously unreleased material from the campaign's participating bands, and it's available exclusively at Urban Outfitters stores nationwide, and from the retailer's catalog and web site at www.urbanoutfitters.com. All profits from the CD will be divided among the campaign's participating radio stations (one of which is our very own Y-Rock on XPN in Philadelphia).

There are songs that just capture you, and you can’t resist finishing. Whatever the preoccupations of the moment - whether it’s that insatiable ear searching for new music, or something you hear on the Internet on the way to something else – there are songs that are too engaging to allow for any interruption. This was precisely the case when we first heard the title track “23,” by Blonde Redhead. When trying to describe the...

Know who's playing the Electric Factory this coming Thursday? Arctic Monkeys (MySpace) and be your own PET (MySpace). If you don't know why this will be an awesome show... well, first of all, where have you been and what's wrong with you? And second of all, these are both bands that are known to be even better live, and their recorded stuff already rocks. BYOP is Sonic Youth-approved, and all crazy lyrics and smashing indie rock. They've got a new drummer, a new album due out this summer, and are ready to roll. As for the Monkeys, they're one of those way-hyped bands that pretty much lives up to all the talk. The first time we heard Arctic Monkeys was on a live recording; it was so awesome, we picked up their first studio album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, right away, and were actually a little let down by it, not because it was bad, but just because it didn't have quite as energetic and explosive a sound as that live recording. Since then, we've also purchased their latest disc, released in April, Favourite Worst Nightmare, and it's more of that same fantastic, bouncy, full-on indie-rock-with-an-English-accent that we've come to expect from the Monkeys. The lyrics are clever and biting, the music grabs you and shakes you in your chair and won't let go. We've also made our peace with their studio sound, and are loving it quite a bit. But we're still looking forward to getting the real live experience on Thursday. Come on out, too, if you wanna. Tickets are still available as of this writing, but snatch 'em up, because we're sure they'll all be gone soon.

Saturday night: Deerhunter at Johnny Brenda’s. It was dark, and we were puzzled. Never have we seen a stage so dimly lit. We wondered why. An added aspect of mystery? An act of kindness to all of the dilated pupils in the room? Then, from the center of the darkness, came a huge wall of sound that almost knocked us on our ass. We were glad we didn’t partake before this show, because had we been anything less than sober, we would’ve puked. It was that insane.

We here in the Ist-A-Verse know that we're sensational, but it's very rare that we get a chance to be sensationalistic. This week, we've decided to have ourselves a little fun and try our hand at tacky tabloid headlines, using nothing more than our favorite posts from this week.

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to...

Update: Fixed a few typos and small factual errors, and added a more correct image credit. Thanks, Maria!

Be Your Own Pet are endorsed by Sonic Youth (Thurston Moore's label is putting out their records), which is practically enough right there to make us like them. But it turns out their music is good, too! As R5 Productions says, they sound like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs when the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were still good. Crazy, brutal rock with a lead singer who even sounds a bit like Karen O. But they rock in their own right, delivering pure, full volume, head-banging thrash music. And they're playing the First Unitarian tonight at 7:30PM with the very '60s retro rock Black Lips (whose live show is apparently crazy wild, involving violence, nudity, arson, and flying bodily fluids - so be warned!) and "demented and manic" local band Clockcleaner. Doesn't sound like an appropriate group of bands for an all ages show in a church, but...whatever! Rock and roll!!!

Is it silly to preview a show that's sold out? We don't know. But we're going to do it anyway, because this is Sonic Youth. That's right, Sonic Youth, the gigantic, mighty ancestors of today's indie scene. It's their 25th anniversary and they're still rocking the hardcore experimental punk/indie stuff. Just look at their latest album, Rather Ripped, which came out yesterday. It's the same kind of amazingly powerful, imaginative art-music they've been doing for years. Which is both exciting and a bit boring at the same time. But still, it's Sonic Youth!! They are it. They are a huge cornerstone in the foundations of rock. They made cool. Everybody should see them at least once.