The Velvet Underground - Loaded

Just picked this (FUCKING!)gem up on vinyl. iHola! fuck. If you haven't listened to it lately, it's time to pick it back up. If you haven't listened to it all, there's little hope for you, but try to put in a hipster-ass effort anyway.

I haven't heard this for about a year, and the last time I heard it was in shitty ass 52kbps loss mp3. Regardless, it was a fuckin' gem then and it's a fuckin' diamond now. My mind has been in shambles for the last 3 hours just repeating and repeating(mostly the A-side, but who's gonna judge me, no one reads this anyways). This album basically formed modern indie sound as we know it.

No backstory, just listen and I'm 100% sure you'll be intrigued enough to move your fat ass hand to the browser bar and type in 'www.wikipedia.org'. Figure it out.

hate to give it a rating... but not really.

92%

Listen: While cleaning something.

Key tracks: too many... Who Loves the Sun(opener)

Jónsi - Go

This album is gorgeous.

Jónsi, the lead singer of Icelandic post-rock

heavyweights Sigur Rós, is releasing his second

solo album, "Go", on April 5th. Naturally, it leaked

a month before and I obviously capitalized.

I've been listening to this constantly for approximately

3 weeks, and it still hasn't lost it's touch.

Sigur Rós, being the wonder that they are,

gave me huge expectations for this album, and it didn't let down. It's a beautiful

dream-pop bubble the whole way through, and still holds on to the vocalist's

emotion as hard as any SR record.

Absolute magic.

84%

Listen: after bombing your next exam.

Key Tracks: Go Do(opener), Tornado(most heartfelt song on the record), Boy Lilikoi(personal favourite)

Spartacus: Blood and Sand

I'm addicted to this show.

It's a concoction of 300, Gladiator, Softcore porn (BABY BLUE), and low budget animated blood effects (which actually turn out to work very well for the atmosphere). And it's produced by Sam Raimi!

It's in it's first season, but is already scheduled for a second one.

Andy Whitfield, who plays the title character, was also recently diagnosed with lymphoma, but is recovering. BAD ASS.

get into it if you aren't already.

Smashing Pumpkins - Teargarden by Kaleidyscope

Over the years, I've gone through many(stupid and not so stupid) music phases, but one of the few artists I've always listened to - whatever phase I'm in - has been the Smashing Pumpkins.

Couldn't tell you what it is that's always kept me hooked, but it's definitely something uncontrollable. Fuck my past though. The future of the Pumpkins is headed in an awesome direction.

BIlly Corgan, the music industry beast that he is, devised a new plan to deal with all this internet music single track listen-once-then-move-on bullshit. Once a month since January, he's been releasing a track off of the new album, free of charge. A similar approach to new material was done by Radiohead in 2008 when they released In Rainbows as a full album for free on their website. And if you're as giant a band as any of these two, why not piss off your label by releasing your shit to make it more accessible rather than making it profitable? However, the difference between the Pumpkins and the Radioheads is that Billy learned how to make people really thoroughly listen to his songs in this digital shitbox we call the internet. He has to release it track-by-track so plugs like me won't just download the new album and skim through it(like I did with In Rainbows), picking out the catchy songs for awhile until we finally understand the music.

Anyways, it's worked for me. I've already overlistened all 3 tracks released to date, and am super excited for the next ones.

Teargarden by Kaleidyscope

Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

Well, the new Gorillaz album streamed on NPR sunday night at midnight, and less than half an hour later, it was leaked internet-wide. Being one to usually take advantage of such things, as I live in poverty, I waited up to swipe the leak.

Upon first listen, I wasn't fully impressed. This may be due to the fact that I was really tired, or that the leak I grabbed was a half-live homemade recording of the NPR stream. However, falling asleep that night listening to it, there were a few tracks that definitely piqued my interest before dozing.

In January, Damon Albarn (half of Gorillaz) guest DJ'd BBCRadio 1 and mixed a few of the new tracks and there was some serious excitement around random music boards. I'm a major major fan of Demon Days, so I decided I'd check the mix. He dropped the songs 'electric shock', 'broken', and 'stylo'. It didn't excite me too much but the fanboys were eating it up. Only 2 of these tracks ended up making the album, the former being removed.

Upon a full listen of the album (or 4) on monday morning, I started realizing why there was so much hype. Some great featurings including Snoop Dogg (Welcome to the World), De La Soul (Superfast Jellyfish), LOU REED! (Some Kind of Nature), and Mos Def (Sweepstakes). All of the featuring artists were used to great potential and make up some of the definite stand out tracks of the album.

Overall, though a convincing concept album, the tracks were definite hit/miss for me. Songs like Stylo and Superfast Jellyfish are fun standalone tracks, but in terms of the tone of the concept, I didn't feel like they fit. The track Glitter Freeze reminds me of the new Muse single (...), and Pirate Jet felt like a serious letdown in terms of conclusion tracks.

However, there are some golden songs on this record. Empire Ants has a beautiful build-up that to me concludes the first half of the album. But the second half is where this album really shines through. Really solid tracks. Highlights include Some Kind of Nature, a song that is impossible to not sing along to, Up on Melancholy Hill, which reminds me of beautifully-rendered roller-rink music, Sweepstakes, which Mos Def rips up, and the title track, which doesn't let down in terms of it's album position.

If you aren't a Gorillaz fan, I would definitely suggest picking up Demon Days before this album. If you are, you already have this album and are probably bouncing your left knee off the bottom of your desk listening to Superfast Jellyfish just as I am now.

Listen: when you're sick of indie-pop.

76%

Key Tracks: Stylo(First Single), Empire Ants(peak instrumental), Some Kind of Nature(Lou Reed singalong!), Superfast Jellyfish(funk bumper ft. De La Soul)

Vampire Weekend

For those who don't know Vampire Weekend, leave town.

In lieu of their new album (Contra) recently leaking/streaming on myspace, i'll drop a few words about one of the only good indie bands to come out of New York in the last decade (Pitchfork approved, you hipster fags!).

Upon receiving critical acclaim for their debut self-titled album, guitarist/leadvocalist Ezra Koenig claimed that the band was an africanpop + westernfolk fusion band. Crazy right? Apparently not. 3 UK charting singles and a Top 25 Modern Rock chart appearance later, they decided to start working on a new album.

As soon as i started spinning it(metaphorically), I immediately knew I would enjoy the album. The opening track is an immediate warm up for this cold-ass turn of weather, and it keeps you warm all the way through.

For this one, they decided to base loosely upon one of their biggest influences, the Clash. There are a few lyrical moments where there are direct allusions to Clash songs ("I Think Ur a Contra") and a couple heavily clash-esque guitar hooks. However, Koenig still keeps his guitar running at a VW pace, maintaining their distinct style.

One of the reasons I most enjoy this album is the low production quality sound that you don't typically hear in (fake)most indiepop formulas these days. It gives the entire album a really laid-back, takeitasitcomes attitude, which takes serious balls.

The positivity behind the sound and lyrics is another aspect that sets VW apart from the group. You can tell these guys are having the time of their lives, clearly not giving a fuck about the pressure associated with their new found fame. That in itself is what makes the album what it is: A stripped-down, popped-up, 10-track story of a couple guys doing what they love.

Listen: While cooking.

82%

Key Tracks: Cousins (first single), Diplomat's Son (samples M.I.A.), I Think Ur a Contra (try to find the clash reference!).

re-opened.

hey,

used to review music, then i didn't, now i do again.

to all of nobody reading this, welcome.

talk to you soon