May 18, 2005
Midweek culture roundup
Here are some things I have been listening to/watching in my idleness:
Hot Chip, Coming on Strong: I think I might enjoy this U.K. next next next big thing if I was sitting in an all-white Swedish modern apartment and took two shots of Nyquil. It's not downtempo per se, but it lacks excitement and feels clean and soothing, like witch hazel. Expect all the people who were going nuts over the Postal Service last year and are currently going nuts over Headphones to go nuts over this once it gets released stateside.
Weird War, If You Can't Beat 'Em, Bite 'Em: Like most people, I never understood The Make-Up's whole "Gospel Yeah Yeah" thing either, and I read the manifesto on the record sleeve of In Mass Mind three times. Ian Svenonious's newest band keeps rollin' with the white boy funk, but adds harder guitars that muddle the requisite odd lyrics. Standout tracks include "AK-47" and "Store Bought Pot."
Season 1 of "Sex and the City": Thank goodness TBS finished the series and is starting over again. Since it's been forever since I saw the first season, and it's a bit jarring to see how much it has changed since the beginning. Gone are the man-on-the-street clips and the honest-sounding monologues of the bit part. I understand that in order to get past the material in the original book, the writers had to wrap everyone up in season-long plotlines and cut the cast down to a few regulars. Sure, it was good up to the very end, but something was lost in the process.
SNL with Will Farrell: The "more cowbell" act during QOTSA's performance was funny. Nothing else was.
Posted by rj3 at May 18, 2005 1:48 PM
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Comments
Don't step on the children.
You never understood that gospel yeh-yeh sound because you never saw the true live, matching-polyester-uniformed glory that was the Make*Up.
Favorite show: SEIU Union Hall, Justice for Janitors benefit. Soggy carpet, horrible acoustics, I wore my best checkered shift dress and sparkly white go-go boots, my escort wore his finest faux-snakeskin trousers, the band wore their best yellow-and-black numbers, we were all way too cool for school.
I am now way too dorky for school, but Ian and co. continue to carry the flag. And that's what growing up in DC is all about. None of this uber-trendy Manhattanite bs, just a filthy union hall and a bunch of black-haired scenesters making a ruckus.
Northwest, baby! Northwest.
Posted by: b. at May 18, 2005 3:39 PM
You'd think that the janitors would do something about the carpet...
Posted by: rj at May 18, 2005 3:45 PM
Today is my sister's birthday and we've been rocking out to season one on TBS. It's odd how polished Carrie became in latter seasons, we agree; we miss her much more realistic slovenly nature of the early episodes, and I even miss the graceless asides and odd camerawork that the yearling show was fooling around with.
Posted by: JK at May 19, 2005 2:31 PM