Non-Vampire-Romance-Related Pop Culture

I'll admit that over the course of the past couple months, I've become a big fan of HBO's True Blood. It's pulpy, sexy and a whole lot of fun. I also thought very highly of the Swedish horror pic Let the Right One In. It's unbelievably fucked up, yet seeped in genuinely cute puppy love. And anyone that knows me knows of my affinity for Buffy. But really now, can we give the bloodsucking romances a short time-out? This Twilight shit has clearly gone too far, and god knows what kind of copycats Hollywood is about to follow up with. So with that in mind, here's a pop culture (and thus, pop music)-oriented post that has nothing to do with vampires. You're welcome.

So despite the steady stream of leaks that have been pouring forth from Kanye's 808's & Heartbreak, I've refused to feature any on the site thus far, mainly because everyone else was doing it, and partially because I wasn't quite sure what to make of it all yet. Well I've been forced to change my tune today, because 'ye just dropped "Welcome to Heartbreak", the best track from the album yet, so good that it seems to validate his whole crazy experiment thus far. "Hearbreak" is easily the bleakest song Kanye has ever done, so much so that it risks veering into melodrama, but the detached nature of the already-infamous Autotune makes it all work. It's a tiny masterpiece of a song, and something that further signals Kanye's progression from a superior pop artist to icon-in-the-making. The polished version of 808's & Heartbreak finally comes out Nov. 25, though you can basically find all of the songs floating around the net right now, thanks to Kanye's own leaks.


---------------------Song of the Week----------------------------
Kanye West - "Welcome to Heartbreak"



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Another pop figure who's made a surprising transformation (albeit a slightly more mainstream one) in 2008 would be the one & only Akon, who began the year by producing stellar indie-pop (if such a thing exists) for Lady Gaga, before transitioning to work on his newest LP, Freedom, all somehow while curbing his old impulses to over-expose himself. During the course of all this, he's gained a little bit more of my admiration. For some reason, while I should despise the man on paper, I can't deny that he can write some pretty solid pop songs. And if the tracks that have leaked from Freedom are any indication, he's actually improving. Thus, despite the presence of a man who seems to have taken over Akon's old job of guesting on fucking EVERYTHING, I present a song which is genuinely awesome, even if you'll be sick of it a year from now:


Akon feat Lil Wayne - "I'm So Paid"

I don't know what's in the Australian waters these days, but I for one am glad to see an emergence of music other than dancey-dance-rave stuff (not that there's anything wrong with Cut Copy, The Presets or Panther DLX, it's just that it's all getting a bit stale). Leading the new pack of mainstream-ready rock acts are The Panics, a not-quite-Coldplay act that feature a lot of horns, which if you didn't know, can make me instantly like any band. "Don't Fight It" has begun to catch on in the US, over a year since the band's first LP, Cruel Guards was released. With luck, the rest of the album may finally find an audience as well.


The Panics - "Don't Fight It"

And finally, I've got an awesome, 80s-tinged remix from The Teenagers (a band I saw a while back at Part-Time Punks that's really a lot of fun live), of Vampire Weekend's awes.......................Waaaaaaaaaaiiiiiitt! Well look at that. Guess I just plum failed you all. Oh well. Who could have possibly seen this post ending like this? Well, sorry guys. I guess the bloodsuckers won after all! (Cue Looney Toons-style shrinking fade-out, with whacky send-off music to match).

Vampire Weekend - "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" (The Teenagers' remix)

Blowing Up 2: The Sequel

So Shark Party has now joined the MOG Music Network, which means even more people are coming to the site, as evidenced by the new deluge of downloads and band e-mails I've been getting. It's certainly exciting, but a bit scary since now, people are, you know, reading and stuff. On another note, I recently had one of my entries from October ("Strange New Strange", featuring TV On the Radio, Shiny Toy Guns and others) taken down by Blogger because of an anonymous record label protest. So if all of a sudden any of my entries vanish into the ether, that would be the cause. While it's understandable on Blogger's part, it's also a bit frustrating, given that it tosses the baby out with the bathwater and destroys my entire post, for the sake of one asshole. So if it happens again, I may restructure how I post here. For now, though, I'll keep chugging along.

Deerhoof is a weird-as-fuck band from San Franciso (figures as much), that has been fairly prolific, despite living on the musical fringe for some time now, but may have a chance to break through to a wider audience (if not exactly the mainstream) with their new LP, Offend Maggie. Lead vocalist Satomi Matsuzaki still packs as much quirk as ever, but the rest of the band has beefed up its sound, layering harsher guitars and experimentation to her light and fluffy delivery. The final product is a cheerful clash of sound that puts the "rock" back in "art rock", and stands as one of the most engaging things I've heard all year. It's also bordeline ah-mazing if you're under the influence of something else that comes from California, or at least so I hear. It's always a good thing when I wrestle with which song to post. I love a few on the album near-equally, but I figured I'd give the this one the spotlight, considering it's the right season and all. Make sure to seek out "Fresh Born" and the incredible title track though, if this doesn't convince you to buy the damn thing. Angelinos can check out the band this Friday when they play The Echoplex with Experimental Dental School. I'm jealous of anyone who gets to go.

----------------------Song of the Week-----------------------

Deerhoof - "Basket Ball Get Your Groove Back"

.............okay, because it's just so fucking good, here's the aforementioned title track, set to a suitably weird-ass video:



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From a band I absolutely love to one I might learn to like, we come to The Stills. Upon their arrival five years ago, I was immediately turned off by singer Tim Fletcher's Ian Curtis syndrome, an illness which has instantly killed some (She Wants Revenge) and yet merely held others back (Editors, Interpol) for me. I assumed The Stills fell into the first column, even after I heard their second album had a crazier, more psychadelic vibe. Their newest album hasn't won raves, but ironically, I much prefer it to their first effort. It's not mind-altering stuff, but it finds the band crafting some memorable hooks, and some arena-ready choruses. The best example can be found with "Being Here", which sounds like the song bands like Daughtry or Razorlight have been attempting to make for the last few years, and never quite capturing (to put it mildly). My ears could be decieving me, but I think it's quite good (arena rock can be your friend).


The Stills - "Being Here"

Next up is a song I've been meaning to write about for a while, from a band that until recently, I'd written off as a one-hit-wonder (and a slightly overrated one at that), with the Aoki-clan (or if you're in NY, the MisShapes scene)'s favorite song of 2007, "We Are Rockstars". The band in question is British electro-rockers Does It Offend You, Yeah?, who have recently re-appeared on indie103 with their second single, "Dawn of the Dead". It's lighter than "Rockstars", despite the title, and is a nice throwback to Duran Duran-era British pop. It also forced me to examine their debut LP, which was far better than it has any right to be, coming off as a more earnest Electric Six crossed with some extra 80s synths. If you're into that sort of thing (and who isn't), it's more than worth a gander.


Does It Offend You, Yeah? - "Dawn of the Dead"

Finally, I've got something just for fun. Friday night in West Hollywood, me and my friends decided to get happy & go see "Repo! The Genetic Opera". If you haven't heard of the film, it's easily summarized as a graphically violent, gothic rock opera starring Sarah Brightman, Giles from "Buffy", the girl from "Spy Kids" and Paris Hilton, directed by the guy who did some of the "Saw" movies. If you're not sold yet, you probably never will be. Whatever the case, I decided that if I ever were to see the film, it would have to be in just the environment I ended up putting myself in: intoxicated, surrounded by an army of "that girl"s, all of them as doughy as they were angry, dressed to the nines in costumes from a film that had yet to come out, marching down the theater line singing songs from said film, while being cheered on by the film's director, as well as the cast (including Hilton). The film is retarded on every level imaginable, but the environment was 100% conducive to having a good time, and thus, I had a blast. On top of that, the cast is 100% committed (even Hilton, who's used as a twisted-Edie Sedgick-style prop), and the music is memorable. Not always great, but never less than memorable. Submitted for your approval is Vega's sexy (relax, she's 20 now) defiant "fuck you, dad!" declaration of independence, which is inexplicably aided by Joan Jett on guitar. Yeah, like I said, it's pretty retarded. But kind of awesome at the same time. grrl pwer!!!


Alexa Vega feat Joan Jett - "Seventeen"

PS: Paris' face peels off during the movie, mid-dance routine, so that alone is reason to see it. Don't look at me like that.

Celebracione!

Need I say more? Here are some songs to celebrate a generally happy week. And when I say celebrate, I mean listen to cool music. In addition to a wonderful trip to NY that included some fun stops in the old LES stomping grounds (Pianos, Arlene's Grocery & more nostalgic waterholes), a lot's happened in just the few days since I've been back in LA. Don't know if you checked the news recently, but it's been kind of a good few days for the whole country.

So last night, I barely escaped one of the most wretched places on Earth: The House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Located inside Downtown Disney, the venue features overpriced parking, overpriced House of Blues Chicken Tenders, and overpriced Adios Motherfuckers (aptly renamed something involving the word "Blue" that escapes me). It also features the type of clientele that thinks all of this is awesome. Why did I choose to navigate this sea of horrors? Well, I got a free invite to see She & Him, so I figured it would be worth it. Despite the atrocious opening set by Lavender Diamond (honestly, so bad that I feel guilty for naming "Open Your Heart" one of my favorite songs of '07), it was indeed worth it. Consisting of actress Zooey Deschanel and veteran musician/producer M. Ward, She & Him emerged late last year and instantly carried more credibility than any Hollywood vanity project in history, thanks to the simple fact that the songs are actually good. Luckily, the two of them also are born performers, and last night, showcased a hell of a lot of charisma to match the charming tunes. Despite the fact that she faced down hecklers shouting "The Happening sucked!" (which, honestly, was kind of hilarious), Zooey worked the crowd and came off like a pro (and obviously a hot one at that), especially when only her and M. Ward were sharing the stage. I had heard some of their music before last night & liked it, but had never dove in headfirst. The show sealed my admiration for the duo, as I realized their songs have longer legs than I first suspected. The music's not Earth-changing stuff, but it's catchy and more than worthy of a listen:

She & Him - "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

My anticipation for the Killers' Day and Age is growing each week. Something tells me this one might be something special. Again, that might just be my man-crush for Brandon Flowers talking, but I think the new studio leak of "Spaceman" (the live version debuted on 'SNL' a few weeks ago) proves that there's reason to get excited. Despite the dark, anti-melodic tone of Sawdust's B-sides, the band seems to have reversed hard in the opposite direction, creating pure dance-rock, with emphasis on the "dance". Whatever your opinion of the band, you can't deny they can craft a seriously addictive hook. And if for some reason you can deny that, check out the song below.

The Killers - "Spaceman"

For those wishing to party like it's 1993 comes Abbot Kinney, a new band that (despite its ocean-side name) has been making waves on the East LA circuit for a while now. Their sound is unique to the Angelino scene; belonging neither with the art rockers emerging from downtown, nor the easygoing hipsters of Silverlake. Despite the fact that the 80s revival is somehow still trucking (The Killers, Crystal Castles), with a step back to the psychedelic 70s on its tail (MGMT, Beach House), Abbot Kinney has decided to move the jam session forward a few years. The band invokes a sound that culls from early 90s college radio, with The Pixies and "Pablo Honey" era Radiohead as specific influences, though the guys could hardly be called a throwback group, as they check the irony and self-sympathy of Generation X at the door. In its place is an Obama-era (an awesome and only slightly cloying thing to type) earnestness that showcases "emotion", while never succumbing to that word's first three letters. The band has thus far released a small batch of demos, which, while not yet polished, have still presented a wide variety of sounds and a startling maturity for such a new band. No EP is available for wide distribution, but you can check out some of the band's songs right HERE, and I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more from them right here in the near future.


Abbot Kinney - "Hope View"

Bringing back the early 90s in their own way is New Zealand's Cut Off Your Hands, who invoke the spirit of shoegazy acts like Catherine Wheel and My Bloody Valentine without letting the music get bogged down in the dreamy reverb. The songs propel themselves forward with lightening pace, and despite being labelled "power pop", they carry a considerable edge. They've just completed work on their first LP, You and I, and while it doesn't yet appear to be available on i-tunes, it's worth visiting Ameoba (or if you're in New York, Other Music) to snag. It's a brilliant debut for a band that will hopefully catch on in the US as well as they have back home.



Cut Off Your Hands - "Happy as Can Be"