Tuesday = Record Shop Day

I love heading to the local record shops on Tuesdays. Why you ask? Well, because it's New Release day of course. This week wasn't spectacularly note-worthy, but you can pick up the new Beck album Modern Guilt, as previously mentioned.

Nowadays it's easy to go in endless virtual-circles, hunting around, listening to music clips and purchasing from online retailers. But don't forget your local music merchants, first of all if you are into vinyl these guys have got your back. My local favs End of an Ear and Waterloo Records both stock new and used vinyl. Personally I don't own a record player but it's still cool to see the new Wolf Parade LP in all of it's giant cover art glory. Also, many labels are offering packaging that you can only find at your local record merchant. For instance, I noticed that you can buy the latest EP from the National packaged with a behind-the-scenes DVD for less than $20...but more than $10.

The inside back page of every Rolling Stone offers a few different charts to compare. They always list the Billboard top 40 albums but my favorite chart is the one that samples a local record shop. After the jump I've borrowed that idea and offered up some local charts vs. the Billboard chart.

Here's an Mp3 offering from one of the albums I picked up today at End of an Ear which, incidentally, isn't a new release per se. It's from the newest {{{Sunset}}} LP The Glowing City.

{{{Sunset}}} - When Perfect Flames Expire

Charts after the jump...

So, what's funny to me about this chart thing is how the Billboard chart seems to represent the casual music listeners. People who buy radio hits at their local Wal-Mart...not that there's anything wrong with that. I think the charts from independent record retailers reflects the tastes of hardcore indie-nerds who probably also shop at Whole Foods...not that there's anything wrong with that either.

So here's the Billboard Top 10 albums from Issue Date 7/12/2008...that's weird that's four days from now...whatever that's what it says so that's what I'm going with.

1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
2. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III
3. Soundtrack - Camp Rock
4. Motley Crue(sic) - Saints of Los Angeles
5. Three 6 Mafia - Last 2 Walk
6. Various Artists - Now 28 (28?!?! Damn I'm old)
7. Usher - Here I Stand
8. Shinedown - The Sound of Madness
9. Disturbed - Indestructable
10. Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad

Now let's compare that to the top sellers at, local-favorite, Waterloo Records for the week ending June 21st, 2008.

1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
2. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
3. Grupo Fantasma - Sonidos Gold
   
4. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
5. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
6. James McMurtry - Just Us Kids
   
7. Emmylou Harris - All I Intended to Be
   
8. Eliza Gilkyson - Beautiful World
   
9. Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
   
10. Robert Plant & Allison Krauss - Raising Sand

Compare that one to the legendary Amoeba Music out of San Franciso, reported on June 30th, 2008.

1. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid
2. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
3. Portishead - Third
4. Immortal Technique - 3rd World
5. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
6. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
7. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
8. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
9. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III
10. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair

Let's head North to a favorite of mine from my Boston days, Newbury Comics. I'm not sure of the date and they don't really have them numbered it's just a page of their top 25 so I will list what I assume to be their top 10...get with it Newbury Comics.

1. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
2. Night Ranger - Hole in the Sun (Night Ranger?!?! What is wrong with you people?)
3. Tech N9ne - Killer
4. Motley Crue(sic) - Saints of Los Angeles
5. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
6. Immortal Technique - The 3rd World
7. Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
8. RZA - Digisnacks
9. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
10. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Let's head to NYC and see what's selling at Other Music as of June 29th, 2008.

1. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
2. Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules & Love Affair
3. Jay Reatard - Singles Collection
4. Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer
5. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
6. Gas - Nah Und Fern Box Set
7. The Feelies - Only Life
8. Silver Jews - Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
9. Buddha Machine - Soundbox
10. Endless Boogie - Focus Level

How about the hipsters in Louisville? Kentucky gets a bad rap in the rest of the U.S. but I've been there and it's cooler than you might think. Check out what they're buying at ear X-tacy, who only offer up their top 5 whatev.

1. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
2. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death & All His Friends
3. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
4. Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III
5. Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal

The last record shop I want to stop by on our journey is in hipster/artist/musician-mecca Portland, OR. Representing Portlandia will be Music Millenium, who were more than happy to chat on the phone with a guy in Texas about their top 30 albums haha.

1. Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
2. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
3. Alejandro Escovedo - Real Animal
4. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
5. Ry Cooder - I, Flathead
   
6. Various Artists - PDX Pop Now Compilation 2008
7. Sigur Ros - Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
8. Duffy - Rockferry
   
9. Emmylou Harris - All I Intended to Be
10. Dr. John - City That Care Forgot
    

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Hercules and Love Affair

I've definitely been slacking on my blogging this week, but I have to pay the bills somehow right? Anyway, someone at work mentioned Hercules and Love Affair to me the other day and I had somehow missed them completely. The record is a recommended staff pick from the folks at Waterloo, so you know it's been getting some blog-hype already. Hercules and Love Affair is a project from Brooklyn-based DJ Andy Butler featuring Nomi, Kim Ann Foxman and Antony Hegarty. I'm not really sure who Nomi or Kim Ann Foxman are but I know Antony Hegarty. Hegarty is the lead vocalist for Antony & the Johnsons, a New York-based cabaret/lounge-style piano group.

I had the chance to see Antony & the Johnsons a few years ago at Boston's, Paradise Rock Club, and the show was pretty awesome. My only negative comment about it was that Antony Hegarty sings with very little effort, so the song moments that I thought would be heart-wrenching were just easily reached notes for Hegarty. This Hercules and Love Affair record is a completely different tone for Hegarty's voice but it matches up beautifully.

The sound is disco, with a more modern, urban edge the mix of Antony Hegarty's androgynous vocals make the songs haunting and somehow European-sounding. I suppose it's no coincidence that most of the tour dates for this band are in Europe. In fact they only have 4 U.S. dates listed on their MySpace.

Now I'm not entirely sure the Mp3 below will work for everyone but you should definitely try it out. See there is a "Free" Mp3 posted on the official EMI Chrysalis site for the band but the deal is you have to sign up for a mailing list. However I have taken the liberty of doing that for you to fetch this link:

Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules' Theme

Video and more after the jump...


I didn't mention above but Hercules is on DFA records, which gives them some serious cred. DFA is James Murphy's dance label based in New York, Murphy is the brains behind LCD Soundsystem. I caught LCD Soundsystem at Boston's, now defunct, Avalon and it was one of the most surprisingly awesome shows of my life. See I was trying to catch M.I.A. who was just opening for LCD Soundsystem, I only heard her do two songs, then LCD came out and just blew everyone away. Their live band syncopation is an undeniably ass-shaking, good time.

Here's a vid from Hercules and Love Affair:

Hercules and Love Affair - You Belong video via YouTube


Hercules and Love Affair - Blind video via YouTube

Oh NO! More videos!!


Antony & the Johnsons - Hope There's Someone video via YouTube


LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends video via YouTube

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No Age/Abe Vigoda

Noise is back y'all! That's right people tonight is the night to drag your drunk ass to Emo's Inside to check out some L.A. noise-punk. No Age, Abe Vigoda, and Infinite Body are live and direct from the I-10. Bring your open mind, and your earplugs 'cause Emo's Inside is always dangerous to your delicate auditory senses, but tonight they are doing a showcase of what the kids in L.A. are listening to. More specifically the kids who frequent tiny, all-ages, L.A. club, the Smell. This club has churned out so many buzzy bands this year that some journalists are using the term "Smell Sound". How awesome is that?

No the "smell sound" is not some really bad acid trip, at least not exclusively, it refers to artists like Mika Miko, HEALTH, Abe Vigoda, and No Age who all play the Smell. This whole movement has even been featured on that old stalwart of cool, MTV, marking the official death of the whole scene and sound. Just kidding John Norris, you're still relevant and young-looking :-)

I caught No Age at SXSW, you may have noticed the pictures in my little slide show over there ------------------------------------->. To be honest, the music is really not my style so I haven't even listened to Nouns but I will tell you that seeing them live was awesome. Same goes for HEALTH, they put all their energy out to the crowd, as they thrash and jump and drink and scream. In other words this is going to be a bad ass show to catch at Emo's Jr, expect lots of sweating, lots of screaming, maybe some "moshing" or whatever they call it now. In other words a really fun, loud, visceral, rock 'n roll experience. Tickets for tonight's show are only $8, and Sparks is only $3.50 once you're inside. Emo's is all-ages so bring your under-age girlfriend we won't tell.

No Age - Eraser (Repost)

More review, Music, and Videos after the jump...


I should also mention that just because I haven 't listened to Nouns yet doesn't mean I won't gush about it later. It has been on a lot of lists already this year and you can expect it to make a lot of year-end lists as well. Also, I am a huge fan of Radiohead and Jonny was spotted wearing a No Age T on one of Radiohead's webcasts.


No Age - Eraser video via YouTube.


Abe Vigoda - All Night and Day video via YouTube


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Modern Guilt

Leave it to Beck to come up with an album title as brilliant as Modern Guilt. All I've heard from this record is the first single, Chemtrails. The full album Modern Guilt sees its official release on July 08, '08 and from what I can tell, so far, the internet-leakage hasn't really been an issue. Actually I'd say so far there is very little internet buzz for a new Beck record period.

Chemtrails is a great track, it has a timeless quality that references late 60's psychedelic music. Modern Guilt is another Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton production, this is the same guy that brought you Gnarls Barkley, the latest Black Keys records...his production credits are numerous and impressive. The idea of Beck and Danger mouse in the studio together seems like an exciting, yet logical, step in both their careers. They are both wacky, sampling fools, whose styles could both be called pastiche.

Beck - Chemtrails
Link hosted by ThanksCaptainObvious.net

Video and more after the jump...

Beck has all sorts of clever little promotions for Modern Guilt you can text "BECK" to 40411 and find out where you can listen to a preview of the new album...hint you might want to check a TouchTunes Jukebox near you. Those are those clever, Bose jukeboxes that have touch screens, hence the name...TouchTunes.

This clever promo has an Amazon tie-in they have the "exclusive" promo video for Modern Guilt but I also found the video on YouTube so there goes that one...but I won't embed it 'cause once amazon figures out it's there it's gone.

There's also a "video" for Chemtrails, but it's just a still shot with the new song laid over it. Which is cool if you haven't heard it.

Here's an official Beck video or two, but if you're bored you should check out all of the official Beck videos on the Universal Music Group YouTube channel.

Well forget the official part...UMG doesn't allow embedding, so we're keeping it underground, blog-stylee:


Beck - Nausea, fan video via YouTube.


Beck - Gamma Ray, video via YouTube.

Here's a Chemtrail video that's a little different, but still relevant:

Alex Jones/InfoWars video about one of the many ways, in which we are doomed via YouTube.

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Welcome Back Conor

Back when the ACL-fest line-up was announced, I remember being intrigued by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band. Conor Oberst is the prolific singer-songwriter, from Nebraska whose voice you will recognize as the voice of Bright Eyes. If you don't know Conor's whole back story already I highly recommend the Wiki, it's a nice American tale. When I'm 40, there will probably be a Conor bio-pic starring the newest model of actor-droids...and we'll have flying cars powered by pollution from the past.

There still aren't any samples of the music or video from this new band on the ACL site, however. Conor Oberst.com has been revamped for the new band. So head on over and hear two tracks from Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band's album due out in early August and check out the tour schedule. This band is playing in places that I have never seen on any other tour schedule ever. Well, that's not true it's sort of like Manu Chao's tour schedule.

Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band tour schedule and Bright Eyes videos after the jump...


Bright Eyes - Four Winds via YouTube

• 7/16 - Studio SP, Sao Paulo, Brazil (tickets onsale at venue only)

• 7/17 - Studo SP, Sao Paulo, Brazil (tickets onsale at venue only)

• 7/18 - Cine Arte Normandie, Santiago, Chile - Buy Tickets

• 7/19 - La Trastienda, Buenos Aires, Argentina - Buy Tickets

• 7/20 - Porto Alegre (BR) Centrol Cultural Santader

• 7/25 Billings, MT Bones Brewing - Buy Tickets

• 7/27 Calgary, AB Calgary Folk Festival - Buy Tickets

• 7/29 Vancouver, BC Richards on Richards - Buy Tickets

• 7/30 Seattle, WA Neumo’s - Buy Tickets

• 7/31 Bend, OR Midtown Ballroom - Buy Tickets

• 8/02 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill - Buy Tickets

• 8/03 Santa Cruz, CA Rio Theatre - Buy Tickets

• 8/05 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour - SOLD OUT

• 8/08 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge - Buy Tickets

• 8/09 Carrboro, NC Cats Cradle - Buy Tickets

• 8/10 Norfolk, VA Norva - Buy Tickets

• 8/11 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero - Buy Tickets

• 8/12 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT

• 8/17 Saratoga, NY Saratoga Music Festival - Buy Tickets

• 8/22 Leeds, UK - Leeds Festival - Buy Tickets

• 8/24 Reading, UK - Reading Festival - Buy Tickets

• 8/26 Portsmouth - Wedgewood Rooms - Buy Tickets

• 8/27 London - Electric Ballroom - Buy Tickets

• 8/28 Manchester - Academy 2 - Buy Tickets

• 8/29 Inveraray Castle, Scotland - Hydro Connect Music Festival - Buy Tickets

• 8/30 in Belfast, Spring & Airbrake - Buy Tickets

• 8/31 County Laois, Ireland - Stradbally Hall / Electric Picnic - Buy Tickets

• 8/01 San Francisco, CA Bottom of the Hill - Buy Tickets

• 9/3 Brussels - Botanique - Buy Tickets

• 9/4 Luxembourg - Den Atelier - Buy Tickets

• 9/5 Zurich - Rote Fabrik - Buy Tickets

• 9/7 Munich - Backstage Werk - Buy Tickets

• 9/8 Zagreb - Studenski - Buy Tickets

• 9/9 Vienna - Arena - Buy Tickets

• 9/10 Prague - Roxy - Buy Tickets

• 9/11 Berlin - Columbia Club - Buy Tickets

• 9/12 Cologne - Gloria - Buy Tickets

• 9/13 Paris - Nouveau Casino - www.fnac.com and www.ticketnet.fr

• 9/2 Amsterdam - Melkweg - Buy Tickets

• 9/20 Omaha, NE Anchor Inn - Buy Tickets

• 9/21 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium w/ Jenny Lewis

• 9/22 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre w/ Jenny Lewis

• 9/23 Fayetteville, AR George’s Majestic Lounge w/ Jenny Lewis - Buy Tickets

• 9/24 Oxford, MS The Lyric w/ Jenny Lewis - Buy Tickets

• 9/25 Tulsa, TX Cain’s Ballroom w/ Jenny Lewis - Buy Tickets
  

• 9/27 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits - Buy Tickets

• 9/14 Larmer Tree Gardens, North Dorset - End of the Road Festival - Buy Tickets

• 10/03 Brisbane, AUS Tivoli

• 10/04 Sydney, AUS Enmore

• 10/05 Sydney, AUS Great Escape - Buy Tickets

• 10/21 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda

• 10/22 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda

• 11/08 New York, NY Terminal 5 - Buy Tickets

• 11/09 New York, NY Terminal 5 - Buy Tickets

• 10/02 Melbourne, AUS The Palace
  

Bright Eyes - Hot Knives via YouTube


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MGMT's New Video

This is just a brief video post about MGMT, who put out one of my favorite, records of '08 thus far. Expect some self-indulgent lists in the future. I think all music people love lists, regardless of their subject, but I digress. From the "Best of the mid-year" lists I've seen so far MGMT's, Oracular Spectacular, seems to have been forgotten.

I think the January release date made it easy to think that it came out in '07, chances are it leaked in '07. The other thing is Oracular Spectacular is a summer record, it has that sort of road-trip, dancing in the car vibe. Some tracks are more obvious singles than others. But the band shifts it's sound throughout the record, so if you've got the album mixed in a big playlist you mind find yourself double-checking to see if

I saw these guys, with Yeasayer at Emo's in January. Actually, it was the day Oracular Spectacular came out, the 22nd. I like Tuesday, Wednesday shows...especially during the school year. In any case if you get the chance to catch these guys out on tour, you should. The music was on-point live, these guys didn't sound sloppy or bored. If they were drunk they didn't do too many shots. The sound is dance music, with a darker, more psychedelic edge.

Video after the jump...

MGMT - Electric Feel (New)
by wonderful-life1989

Way to not allow embedding YouTube. If you weren't so iPhone compatible you would not have gotten that link over Daily Motion. Technically, it's Sony BMG that are being douchebags about the embedding. Way to use a dinosaur business model Sony BMG.

Download MGMT - Time to Pretend in .MOV format.

PS.
These guys are from Brooklyn but they're way bigger in the U.K...and possibly Japan?
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A Show A Day

Maybe it's just me but I feel like June really zipped by quickly this year. I was looking at my calendar yesterday, when I realized we only have a week left of June '08! Big deal, so then I was over at Show List Austin and I realized you could see something cool every night for a week, and not just a Judeo-Christian week, but a Beatle 8-day week.
I suppose that's the whole reason to live here right? So anyway, this is what I would see if I went out every night for a week:

• Tonight Jun. 25th: Go to Emo's see THE BREAD, Spitting Bullets, Van Buren Boys
• Tomorrow Jun. 26th: It's your call, go back to Emo's and catch {{{Sunset}}}, or go to the Mohawk and see Peel, Frightened Rabbit, and Oxford Collapse. Or do both, cause the Mohawk show is early and free!
• Friday Jun. 27th: The Fuck Yeah Tour hits the Mohawk with Matt & Kim, Deathset...many others. Oh No! Oh My! and 3 others @ Emo's Lounge. Bird Peterson @ the Beauty Bar. Magnetic Fields tribute night?!?! @ Trophy's.
• Saturday Jun. 28th: Shapes Have Fangs @ Beerland. What Made Milwaukee Famous, Black Joe Lewis and the Honey Bears @ Keep Austin Weird Fest, on Auditorium Shores. Noise Revival Orchestra @ Lambert's. Alejandro (What's with all the hype this week) Escovedo @ the Continental Club & Auditorium Shores.
• Sunday Jun. 29th: Admittedly Sunday and Monday are going to be more roll of the dice experiences. On these nights I made my choices based on very little knowledge of the artists. That being said, I would check out Beerland to see what the hell "Atomic Honky Tonk Nite" means, then I would either take a bus up to Hole in the Wall for Funkatron, Hollywood Gossip, Widsom Teeth and Ideal Soul Mart. Or, I'd stay downtown and see Lymbyc Systym and Her Space Holiday at the Mohawk.
• Monday Jun. 30th: I choose metal/hardcore/whatever-core at Red 7 OR London After Midnight @ Elysium.
• Tuesday July 1st: We're back to exciting shows again. No Age, Abe Vigoda @ Emo's <----That's going to be a good one. It stands alone.
• Wednesday July 2nd: We're at the end of our Christian week. Austin Bloggy Limits favorites, Fleet Foxes @ the Mohawk!!
• Thursday July 3rd: We end our Beatles week with a Dj set by Andy Rourke of the Smiths @ Emo's Lounge? That's a bit anti-climactic. No way, I wouldn't do that to you. We're walking one door down to catch {{{Sunset}}} again @ Emo's Inside, because we really love {{{Sunset}}} even if we always have to search for the { } keys. Unless Morrissey shows up to see Andy Rourke, then we're totally bailing on {{{Sunset}}} sorry.
  

So I only put linkage to my highlights. Here's a song or two from some of the brightest highlighter colors on my list:

Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (Re-post)
No Age - Eraser


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Thievery Corporation @ Stubb's

So Portishead released their third album this year cleverly titled, Third. I didn't really intend to blog about it because it's effing Portishead. If you love it you love it. If you don't I feel sorry for you. But you've had plenty of time to find out about the record by now.

What does all of this have to do with Thievery Corporation? Very little other than setting a musical tone-scape for your mind to meander through while I tell you about what's happening tonight at the Waller Creek Amphitheatre.

The official Thievery Corporation show is "sold-out" at the moment, which just means you may have to get your ticket somewhere else along Red River. You could also just hang out in the general vicinity of Stubb's and listen to the dubbed out, electro-lounge, space-pop that is Thievery Corporation.

For my money I'd cross the street, walk a block and a half North to the Mohawk. For a mere 5 bucks you can catch the official Thievery Corp. after party. And since you don't have a ticket to the show at Stubb's you can beat the crowd to the after party. Will TC be performing? Who knows, but the after-party is listed on their MySpace blog and I've seen posters all over town for it.

See who will most deffinatly be playing the after-party after the jump...party.


This is what their blog has to say about the after-party:

Presented by Strangetribe Productions and ESL Music, the official Thievery Corporation after party takes place @ Mohawk (912 Red River) with Ocote Soul Sounds and DJ Bigface. Entrance $5. Tickets at door. 10pm

I would hope that there would also be a little mini-set from Thievery Corporation, but I'm not sure how these things usually work. The only "Official After-Party" I've ever done was after an Interpol show, the band showed up to drink at a small club across town and one or two of them spun some records. Perhaps since Thievery Corporation are a DJ duo they'll perform acoustic folk jams ala that guy on the stairs in Animal House?

In any case, Stubb's shows start and end early because of the open air noise ordinance who haw. Since the Mohawk is right down the street, this means the after-party will be an indoor affair (read hot, sweaty, drunk hipsters jammed into tight, dive-chic, spaces). Plan early, get home safely. Drinking and driving ain't coo!

There are no "official" free Mp3's to download From Thievery Corporation but if you want to hear what they sound like you can stream songs on their MySpace and record label page here.

Here's a vid I scrounged up:

Thievery Corporation - Shadow of Ourselves via YouTube

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Girl Talk's ADD Jams

Ok, so maybe it's a little unfair to compose a song entirely from the hooks of other songs, but life isn't really fair, now, is it? Pittsburgh DJ, Gregg Gillis aka Girl Talk makes music for the modern age. He is a laptop DJ that makes ingenious mash-ups taking recognizable bits from songs of any genre and making them into dance floor jams. Girl Talk is at his best when he makes you say, "Oh I love this song! What is it though?".

Nothing is off-limits, one of the most bizarre moments on his latest disc, Feed the Animals, is when Nirvana's Lithium, is mixed with Deee-Lite's Groove is in the Heart, with Salt-N-Peppa's Push It over the top. You can also hear Metallica's One mixed with Lil' Mama's Lip Gloss, which is apparently cool and poppin'. These are the sorts of crazy cross-genre, pop-culture references I've grown to love and expect from Girl Talk. But be warned, Girl Talk loves to use the raunchiest rap samples he can find. So you can expect to hear lots of sexually-explicit verses, as well as some violent ones, since he also loves to sample N.W.A.

Girl Talk - Shut the Club Down

Above link courtesy of Test Pilots Music Blog.

Feed the Animals was released In Rainbows-style, pay anything you wish. Personally I bought Radiohead's CD but not Girl Talk's, not because I don't love Girl Talk but when In Rainbows came out I wasn't "the Press". Also, I paid to see Girl Talk live last October, yeah I'm one of those people. Technically what Girl Talk is doing is illegal, making money from other people's music without having your samples cleared. It's for that reason that you're not going to find any of his music in a record store. However, you can purchase physical CD's and LP's of his mixes from Illegal Art records. A label that specializes in subverting Intellectual Property Rights Laws. It should also be noted that Girl Talks live performances, which are pretty much the same as the CDs, aren't illegal. The live performance is considered "fair use" but by releasing these performances on disc it starts to blur that intellectual-property barrier. Isn't borrowing and referencing pop-culture in a way that skirts the law the epitome of this digital life?

In person Girl Talk shows are a big party filled with energy, dancing and many moments of, "Oh my God I can't believe he is playing this". On CD I think that energy is captured quite nicely. Sure it can get a bit monotonous, listening to a four minute song that has 2 dozen samples to pick through. But that's also the fun of it, it's like trivial pursuit for music junkies. Sure you recognize that bass-line, but is it L7 or the Breeders?

Anyway, if you wish to pay whatever you want for a high-quality download you may do so here. Be forewarned if you choose to pay nothing you will be forced to explain why, but don't worry you just have to make a selection that accurately describes why you want it for free. If you do end up paying actual money for Feed the Animals then you can get a physical copy as well as a digital one. "I can touch it AND hear it!!"

This guy on YouTube has made mash-up videos to a bunch of the tracks from Girl Talk's previous album, Night Ripper. They are helpful if you get stumped about what songs are being sampled.

Here's one from Night Ripper:

Girl Talk - Once Again via YouTube

Or bask in the dorkiness that is Gregg Gillis creating one of his masterworks:

Girl Talk Creates a mash-up via YouTube

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Islands Waterloo Free

So you may recall I mentioned a band called Islands previously, well this is just a friendly reminder that they are playing a free in-store at Waterloo Records prior to their evening show at Emo's. That's all going on tomorrow here in Austin.


Tickets for Islands at Emo's Outside stage are only $8 and apparently the lead singer of the band Death from Above 1979 will be one of the opening acts. Doors open at 9 but trust me Island won't be performing till some point after midnight. So unless you want to hang out all night drinking Sparks I suggest a late arrival.

Here is a whimsical video from Island first release, Return to the Sea:



Islands - Rough Gem via YouTube

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