Julian Casablancas' solo album "Phrazes for the Young"
If the lead singer of The Strokes is saying anything to the young with “Phrazes for the Young,” it’s that The Strokes are still awesome. His solo album is a departure from traditional Strokes material, but only in the same way each new record The Strokes put out sounds a bit different. Clearly, “First Impressions of Earth” was a much more mature and produced album than the previous two. “Phrazes” just sounds like what The Strokes would if they continued their evolution of sound. All that said, the record is great. Read my FULL REVIEW to the big picture.
-Kegan
Most of you probably don’t read the tech and IP blogs out there. So it seems appropriate for me to point y’all toward something currently making IP wonks go nuts worldwide–and which will, if passed, become a really big, bad deal.
Cory Doctorow over at boingboing was probably the first one on the scene, raising the alarm admirably with an article entitled “Secret copyright treaty leaks. It’s bad. Very bad.” This article gives a decent run-down on the leaked document from the ACTA negotiations, a series of secret meetings in which the world’s top Intellectual Property exporters are whipping up a document to mandate strict IP laws worldwide. You can check out the document itself here–it’s pretty short.
To look at, the 3-page paper doesn’t seem like something Earth-shattering. To the policy nuts who pay attention to this sort of thing, it’s one of the biggest and most cynical power plays imaginable. Here’s a breakdown of a few key points:
- ACTA is being negotiated, in secret, by high-ranking unelected trade representatives from only the world’s highest IP exporters. It’s built to be beneficial to those countries, and screw everyone else (the developing world). Hey, Argentina. Need AIDS medication for dying citizens? Sorry, you can’t produce low-cost generics because Pfizer owns the patent! Et cetera.
- ACTA will require ISPs to be criminally liable for all content on their servers. Think we’re entering a new golden age of user-generated content, like Wikipedia, Youtube and Facebook becoming part of everyday life? Not with ACTA, we’re not. If anyone–anyone!–so much as contacts the ISP hosting your files and claims that you may be somehow violating their copyright, that ISP is now obligated to take down your shit. No judge, no jury, only executioner.
- The bill is being modeled on the American Digital Milennium Copyright Act (DMCA), a bill which most of the more enlightened thinkers in copyright will tell you was a horrible, horrible idea going forward (including William Patry, who literally wrote the $1500 book).
This is just a brief overview. Sure, there are upsides for content producers (like musicians, duh) having their copyrights, and I’m not disagreeing with that. But this innocuous document seeks to impose a draconian system of enforcement upon the new era of communications, and as we move into a more and more networked world, we really can’t have that. Check the links, as they give a much better view of what’s going on than I’ve done here. If you want me to go more in-depth with the theory behind why this idea is a terrible one that will backstab the world, let me know and I’ll do another post on it.
Scary shit, but it’s not passed yet. What should really worry you, though, is that if not for the leak a week ago, we wouldn’t have known a thing about this until it was law–no congressional debates, just the chamber of commerce and corporate wallets.
-Owen
P.S.–check out the comically boring press release.
I don't know what this dog was so stoked about, because it wasn't this album.
My girlfriend has this thing about The Simpsons. With a few notable exceptions, every episode produced past the tenth season fills her with a deep sense of emptiness. She tells me that after watching the fifth and sixth seasons, any of the newer stuff just seems devoid of life, a walking shell of the glorious thing it once was.
You can tell how I feel about Weezer’s new album, Raditude, by how I opened this review.
In the past, Weezer has been known for their stubborn tendency to stick to exclusively the sounds one can produce with a drumset, bass, guitar, and a bunch of amps. I have nothing against bands going synth; the obvious example of Kid A negates that being a problem. So the drum machine which kicks off track 2, “I’m Your Daddy,” though surprising, wasn’t necessarily unwelcome. The trouble is what they’ve done with it.
The short version would be to say that it sounds as though Lady Gaga was the primary influence on Raditude. The longer version would go on to comment on how fucking creepy the subject matter is. Rivers Cuomo is a 39-year old dude, however much like a 20-year-old nerd he may appear. So when the lyrics are clearly appealing to the Disney Channel crowd—squealing thirteen-year-old girls—it gets uncomfortable. Can you imagine lyrics like “Leopard handbag/outta sight!” or “We watched Titanic and it didn’t make us sad” on the Blue Album? (“I’m Your Daddy”—yes, he really could be).
All pedophilia aside, the real problem is that this album is straight up not about anything. Weezer have moved from the alcohol-fueled father issues that powered their early hits to songs like “In The Mall” and the absolutely horrifying “Can’t Stop Partying,” which is essentially a Lil Wayne-infused clod of monkey poop flung at every kid who ever cried to “Only In Dreams.” The production is clean, well-balanced… poppy, but there’s nothing inherently wrong with it. Maybe Weezer is just all out of great songs to write.
Want to know the weird thing? I actually really liked their “Kids”/”Poker Face” cover. So it’s not that they can’t make good music, do the synth-pop thing well or whatever. It’s just that they aren’t bothering to do it, choosing instead to pop out stereotypical, ready-made music and make huge wads of cash.
On the whole: Go out and get the Blue Album instead. Already have it? Get it on vinyl. Or get something else. Just don’t buy this audio turd.
Today Maine seems to have failed a test of its willingness to accept the reality of gay couples’ existing in the open. In a way, this is a really important moment in the process of acceptance of people of all descriptions; at the same time, though, it’s not. A wide majority of Maine youth support marriage equality, and most of the vocal dissent has come from older generations. Barring a sea change in American politics, as today’s youth take over the middle class over time, it will begin to be astounding that there was ever a question. Today, however, the margin was very close.
The battle, politically, was an interesting one. No On One (the supporters of Maine’s gay marriage law) had a highly organized campaign with extremely enthusiastic volunteers and funds nearly doubling those of their opponents, from over ten thousand contributors. They received complaints, in fact, because people were getting too many calls reminding them to vote. While many of the volunteers were very young, rallies and phone banks saw wide and enthusiastic turnout.
Stand For Marriage Maine, the group pushing for repeal, received most of its funds from the Catholic organizations in Maine, along with a national money tank against gay marriage which has drawn federal action for its refusal to disclose listings of potentially illegal contributions (the same campaign behind the now-infamous “Gathering Storm” ads). The “Yes” campaign has also drawn criticism for misleading ads, which claim that the law would cause “homosexual marriage” to be “taught in school.” The attorney general of the State of Maine has issued a notice debunking this claim, prompting more recent Yes On One to feature the slogan “Don’t be fooled!”
As a young and incredulous voter, I was personally surprised by the barrage from both sides. But what struck me in particular was the difference in what each side played to. Early on, No On One used fairly traditional ads claiming equality for all people under the U.S. constitution. What I did not expect was the angle from which the Yes campaign approached their voting bloc: straight-up fear and misinformation. The first, obvious point is the claim made by SFMM and other nationwide same-sex marriage opponents that same-sex marriage would be somehow “taught” in public schools: a meaningless statement (how do you “teach” marriage? Pretty sure I was never “taught” heterosexual marriage in my public education) that nevertheless carries a strong message: fear for your children. The secondary point, which doesn’t seem to have gained as much traction with voters: The government is trying to keep the people from getting to decide on this issue. (Which, of course, is why there’s a referendum. And why we elect officials to make laws. Nonetheless, this is another of their big issues.)
Illuminating the baseless fear which underpins some of the most vocal protests against same-sex marriage in Maine was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle which interviewed, among others, several Maine preachers. The first, Ken Graves, made the following statement:
“What got me is how the homosexual community being portrayed in this campaign is a gross misrepresentation of how it really is,” Graves said. “You see these commercials of two happy moms, or two happy dads and happy siblings – when in fact they are not happy families. They are depressed.”
He goes on to explain that he does not personally know outwardly gay people (wonder why they don’t come out to him?) but instead relies on information received from anti-gay think tanks such as Focus on the Family and the Family Research Council.
The second, Bangor’s Roger Tracy, went further with the following statement: “The idea that Christians are supposed to be tolerant is nonsense.” I don’t have to tell you that this is an untruth, at direct opposition to numerous Bible verses, and exceedingly depressing coming from a man who is supposed to be a leader in Christian worship.
What this does not illuminate is mean-spiritedness or ‘stupidity,’ as one instantly-popular Facebook group claims. To my eye, it merely shows ignorance of the reality of the situation. In the case of Graves, that ignorance is deliberately created by people who have a vested interest in it (the conservatism market is a tremendous moneymaker for organizations like NewsCorp, but that’s for another article). It could possibly be helped if there were a voice of reason able to calmly deliver facts. In the age of talking heads, however, this looks increasingly unlikely.
The moral of the story? No different from what I said at the top. Gay marriage is on the path to acceptance—even if older generations somehow never get informed, as the years go on, the idea of different sexual orientations being as natural as different skin colors will become mainstream, and then simply the status quo. In the meantime, however, it’s a turbulent and frustrating and exciting time for a large number of Americans. And it’s important that we do what we can to help them live freely in their lifetimes.
-Owen
Okay, so I know what you’re thinking but this CD is actually really good. Thom Yorke slays everyone with an awesome track, The Killers sound good for once and OK Go, the most gimmicky band ever, contribute one of the most artistically creative songs on the album. The movie will probably be shit, but if the music is this good I could really care less. Read the full review HERE
-Kegan
Sony/CMJ Wrap-up: Union Line, Civil Twilight, more Temper Trap, more Alicia Keys, Violens, Sharon Von Etten, Rain Machine and…ROBIN WILLIAMS
I’m back in the wonderful forested state of Maine, and I come back with some photos and videos from various Sony Music and CMJ showcases. Also…I got to meet Robin Williams (more of that in another post)! For now, here’s some vidvid and phopho:
Union Line (Cameo Gallery, 10/22):
I got to go to a surprise concert tonight: Alicia Keys.
I never considered myself a fan, though I have liked songs of her in the past (with the exception of that “no one” song), but I was really blown away by the show.
It happened at this small venue owned by NYU, and it was started with an interview session between Keys and MTV correspondent Sway (which was another awesome surprise, though I haven’t been a fan of MTV for a long time). read more…
I work for Sony Music Entertainment as a College Marketing Representative, and right now I’m down in New York City for a big four day meet-up with reps from all over the country that coincides with the CMJ Festival.
Last night, all the alternative and country reps were treated to a full-length preview of Broken Bells’ upcoming album, a collaboration between James Mercer of The Shins and Danger Mouse. It was an amazing event, because we were all given Sony Walkmens with the album on it and then we went on this double-decker bus and was given a tour of the whole city.
The new Broken Bells project is a great step away from the sound of The Shins, and it takes James Mercer’s voice in a whole new context. The production utilizes a lot of synthesizer effects and solid drum beats along with many other electronic flourishes. While Mercer’s voice is recognizable in most of the album, there are points where you can hear him pushing his singing style and going somewhere he hasn’t gone before. I wish I could listen to it all over again, but we had to give the Sony Walkmens when we finished.
After the tour/listening party, we headed back to the Sony Suit at Buckingham Hotel and actually got to hang out with James Mercer and Danger Mouse. Since I was a huge Shins fan in high school, I hung out and Mercer for the most part and talked to him about director Matt McCormick and his songwriting for The Shins. McCormick directed “The Past and Pending” video for The Shins, but he’s also an amazing documentarian. Turns out Mercer is going to be in one of McCormick’s next films.
Well, that’s all for now. I have to run to the Sony building for some breakfast.
