Andrew Bird's video for Eyeoneye is craft-tastic

Recently, music videos have been making a big comeback, I feel. MTV and VH1 have long since abandoned the business that originally buttered their bread, for better or worse. Thankfully, there was Youtube to pick of the slack and now dedicated sites lie Vevo have given a home to videos from 3 of the big four record companies (Sony, EMI and Universal. Warner Brothers signed a rival deal with MTV). I've always been a big fan of music videos, I have fond memories of digging through the internet to find videos after the dedicated channels started distancing themselves from videos. Vevo is a pretty great site all told. Sure, they have edited versions of songs which sucks and their selection isn't as wide as it could be only having big labels, but the quality is high and their apps for the iPhone and Xbox 360 have been really great.

Another thing I love is Andrew Bird's latest album Break It Yourself. I've liked Andrew Bird here and there before, but this is his first album that I've listened to a bunch of times front to back. So given that these are two things I think are pretty great, Andrew Bird releasing a music video has me really excited. And he released it on Etsy somehow. I don't really know how that works exactly, but it's fitting. The video has the homespun charm that you'd expect from Etsy a fun little animated bit with a construction paper aesthetic.

Hannibal Buress tells comedic jokes on Animal Furnace

Comedian Hannibal Buress is one of those guys you hear about a lot if you're a comedy nerd. If you're not deeply invested in comedy though, you might not know him. He's written for 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live and appeared on a wide variety of late night talk shows but he's not nearly as ubiquitous as the elder statesmen of the comedy scene. That's not a knock against him, he's still relatively young and extremely talented and there's no doubt that one day he'll be as popular in the mainstream as some of those guys.

His second album, Animal Furnace is as good a place as any to get to know Buress. He starts out fairly low key, but his energy level ramps up as the show goes on. Fortunately, his delivery works well on both ends of the spectrum. Whether talking about brushing his goatee in preparation for his special or impersonating his teenage cousin whom he has just accused of masturbating, everything he says has a distinct tone. It's impressive that he's found such a strong voice at a fairly young age.

The jokes on the album are almost universally strong. A particularly great bit has him taking down a college newspaper in Indiana that did a write up of his show. The writer clearly had no real clue about Buress or his comedy, or really how to write about a comedian, using terms like "comedic jokes" and how Buress brings "diversity" to the campus, fleeting though it may be.

Bits like this are angry and he has a few other jokes that are about how easily he gets angry at people for small reasons. I'd hesitate to call Buress an angry comic though. There are touches of the surreal mixed in with his anger. Not to give too many jokes away, but in one instance he talks about getting angry at a guy who talks on his phone hands free but isn't doing anything with his hands, so he wants someone to throw a pumpkin at him.

Weirdly, probably the weakest bit on the album is his closer. It's good and all, but doesn't really end the set on the strongest note. There's also a bit about people asking about his name that appears on the previous album almost untouched. There's not a lot else to hold against Buress though. Animal Furnace, a title that's never explained unfortunately, is a remarkably strong album and hard not to recommend to anyone that's serious about comedy.

Top Of The Charts 05/29

Back from Memorial Day, instead of looking at the Billboard Hot 100 like I normally do, I'm going with the slightly more dynamic iTunes top 10 singles for today.

1) Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
2) Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know
3) Maroon 5 - Payphone
4) Justin Bieber - Die In Your Arms
5) Philip Philips - Home (American Idol Performance)
6) Pitbull - Back In Time
7) Rihanna - Where Have You Been
8) Fun. - We Are Young
9) Justin Bieber - Boyfriend
10) Flo Rida - Wild Ones

Man, I should have switched to these charts ages ago. First of all, that god awful Train song is in the top 10 of the Hot 100 and is nowhere to be found on the iTunes top 10. Also, it's easy to see and parse the iTunes chart. The Billboard website is, frankly, awful. Everything's too big, has too much useless information and you have to click to see each new group of 10 entries on the chart. On iTunes, all you have to do is scroll down a touch and you see the top 10, click through and you see the top 200 in an easy to read format. But enough about reading the charts, this is more about the contents.

Only six of the top ten are the same between the two charts, and none of them are in the same positions. It's inevitable that Jepsen will overtake Gotye in the coming weeks on the Hot 100, but it's already happened here. In addition, there's also that American Idol song, awful though it may be (those songs always are) and that only came out this past week. I don't follow American Idol at all so I really don't know anything about this guy, but American Idol has produced a lot of really interesting careers, though perhaps not the best careers.

It makes me wonder just how much longer the Billboard charts are going to be around. I'm sure many other people before me have had this same realization, but it's one of those industry stalwarts that is going to be pushed out by the digital age. Their charts are static, even when there's an influx of new talent and songs, at most they change once a week. I don't know how often iTunes updates their's, but there's no reason the chart couldn't be updated on a minute to minute basis if they so chose. Billboard, however, has an insane process of working their charts. There's a week and a half of tracking airplay and sales, so by its very nature, it can't move as fast. Hell, they took years to even figure digital sales into the formula at all. We've seen multiple industry waver and fail due to a lack of foresight into the digital age, and before long, this is going to catch up to Billboard as well.

Look Back: Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual

Cyndi Lauper's She So Unusual has been oddly written off by time. Whether it's the fact that it's really the only album she released that's listenable front to back or the fact that people just focussed on her style or people just heard "Time After Time" far far far too often over the years, it's been written off almost entirely. The album, Lauper's first, came out almost 30 years ago. The singles, especially the first four that were released, are indelible parts of the pop culture landscape. Thanks to the resurgence of synth based pop the album has actually aged surprisingly well. Having a singer as talented as Lauper at the front doesn't hurt either.

The first track, "Money Changes Everything" acts as a declaration of intent for the rest of the album. On the surface, there are big synth heavy pop hooks, and Lauper belts the lyrics with her trademark nasally enthusiasm. There's some serious stuff going on though and underneath the fun candy coating is actually a really bitter song. I always love a secretly dark pop song, and She's So Unusual is chock full of them.

"Girls Just Want To Have Fun" comes next, the first single to be released before the album came out. I've long said that "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" is one of the best pop songs ever written. The lyrics are great, the melody is unforgettable and that guitar riff is instantly recognizable. Also, if you ever doubt just how talented Cyndi Lauper actually is, check out Robert Hazard's demo version of the song.

Enough has probably been said for the big hit singles that you don't need to read any more about it. "She Bop" is great in that same subversive way and "All Through The Night" is the sort of amiable dreck that litters the radio. I've never held any reverence for "Time After Time" but I understand that many people do. Okay, got those out of the way.

More interesting are the other songs though. "Money Changes Everything" was released as a single, but never really went anywhere, unfortunately. Even more unfortunate was the fact that the next single, "I'll Kiss You" never even hit the Hot 100. Lauper's insane vocal gymnastics are just great fun to listen to while the synths freak out in the background. It's one of those songs that you can tell the artist had fun making.

She's So Unusual is daring in a way that pop albums just aren't anymore. From the sheer darkness of many of the songs to the crazy annoying voice Lauper adopted for "Witness" (later, she'd also use the voice in her live shows) it's just something that's not done these days. It's also a complete album, something not a lot of pop acts can boast. Also, it has "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" which I think I'll just listen to on repeat for a few hours now. And try to forget about Captain Lou Albano.

Top Of The Charts 5/21

1) Gotye - Somebody That I used To Know

2) Maroon 5 - Payphone

3) Fun. - We Are Young

4) Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

5) Flo Rida - Wild Ones

6) Nicki Minaj - Starships

7) One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful

8) The Wanted - Glad You Came

9) Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

10) Train - Drive By

A new song this week in the top 10. Not exactly a new song, "Drive By" has been on the airwaves for some time now. I always dread every time I hear a new Train song. Their lyrics are awful and the music generic. They're clever for no reason, people love them though because they're clever. The Magnetic Fields have clever lyrics, lord knows "Weird Al" Yankovic has the cleverest lyrics around. Why then, does Train get all the attention? They started their career as a fairly standard 90's guitar band, shortly after the term "alt-rock" lost all its meaning and suddenly Nine Days and Tonic were considered alternative. Since then, they've had a string of hits that sound absolutely nothing like the mediocre but amiable days of "Meet Virginia". They're bound to have more hits that sound exactly like this one.

Maroon 5 is sure to challenge Gotye for the top spot next week. He's been there for close to a month (maybe more, I haven't been counting) and he can't stay there forever. Maroon 5 has been itching to climb up the charts since they debuted "Payphone" at number 3. They knocked fun. down a peg this week and I'd put money on them hitting the top next week. Then they'll be there a few weeks and maybe by then we'll have a new contender. Someone's gotta release a new song by then, right?

Music Of Mad Men: Part 2

Last week, I wrote a piece about the music on Mad Men. It focussed mainly on the season 5 premiere episode. There was a significant amount of music in there and it was fairly meaningful. However, it was written before last sunday's episode (Season 5, episode 7 "Lady Lazarus") had aired, much as this one has been written before episode 8 airs. I stay a few days behind the show for technical reasons I won't get into, but it sure came back to bite me in the ass last week. I mentioned how the show never really tackled the Beatles, despite them being the biggest band in the world in the time period of the show. "Lady Lazarus" however, had an entire subplot about choosing the music for an ad and not only mentioned the Beatles, but Megan Draper buys her husband a copy of The Beatles Revolver and licensing fees be damned, they play "Tomorrow Never Knows." This reportedly cost a cool quarter million to license. Possibly why you just don't see them too often.

"When did music become so important?" Draper asks as the search for the perfect song for the ad continued. Of course music was important before The Beatles, but with them it was moved to the center stage. Draper feels completely out of touch because he doesn't really care about the band. Out of touch is really the last thing you want to be if you're an ad man, so when his wife gives him the record, he puts it on without hesitation. A bit of confusion maybe, but not hesitation. 

"Tomorrow Never Knows" is really weird track to choose for a lot of reasons. First, it's a weird track. It's renowned for it's use of layers and layers of effects. Looped tapes, backwards guitars and psychedelic lyrics. It's an album full of songs instant recognizable to even non-Beatles fans. "Elenor Rigby," "Yellow Submarine," "Got To Get You Into My Life," the list goes on. Instead, Megan said to start with the last song on the album and the song that would transition straight into the sound of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. For a man who feels stuck in the past, she opted to show him what the future will be.

But that's the end of the episode, what about the song that company chose for their ad? The ad is for Chevalier Blanc and the Hard Day's Night style hysteria it might cause. The company says that they want the fun and craze of The Beatles without the lofty price tag. Their choice is "September In Th Rain," a song written 30 years prior to when the show takes place. The Beatles had in fact recorded, but never released a demo of that song in 1962. The song does sound like the band, but in their early days. this makes the choice of "Tomorrow Never Knows" all the more relevant. Just 5 years prior, which is within the time frame of the show's earlier seasons, this was what the biggest band on the planet sounded like. By this time, however, the band had moved so far past that period that they no longer even sound like the same group.

The world is moving forward, a common theme on the show. For the first time though, we're seeing a crack in Don Draper's armor. The superstar of the advertising world can no longer connect with the people he is marketing to. Interesting stuff.

Top Of The Charts 5/14

1) Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

2) Fun. - We Are Young

3) Maroon 5 - Payphone

4) Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

5) Flo Rida - Wild Ones

6) The Wanted - Glad You Came

7) Nicki Minaj - Starships

8) Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

9) One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful

10) Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

Well, I mentioned last week that the top 10 is even more stagnant than ever. Well, you outdid me Billboard Hot 100. This is just getting silly at this point. I guess I should mention that I have warmed up considerably to "Call Me Maybe". It's typical pretty white lady pop ephemera, but it's pleasant enough and catchy as all hell. Better at least than recent pretty white ladies. I'm looking at you Colbie Callait.

Last week I realized that it's hard to say who's to blame for the fact that the Hot 100 has barely changed in the past 2 months. It'd be easy to blame the record companies. They've been the de facto bad guy in the music industry for over a decade and there's really no reason to stop that now. They're over the hump of the "Sue every pirate!" tact they took after Napster nearly destroyed them and have settled in pretty nicely into the digital age. It took them far too long and they took lots of really terrible missteps along the way, but the outlook is strong. The problem with them now is infrastructure. They're still set up the same basic way as when they were making money out the wazoo in the golden age before Napster. Now they're becoming more and more obsolete because artists, once the make a name for themselves, no longer need them at all. They can just release albums on their websites and circumvent the entire process. Though we've really yet to see that from a major act, you can feel it coming. The moment Lady Gaga puts out a pure digital release, it's over for them and they know it.

There's another problem though. The record companies are figuring out how to move forward, but the erstwhile radio industry really isn't. For a growing contingency of people, radio isn't necessary. Everyone has an MP3 player. Every new car comes with a jack that you can hook your MP3 player into, some even come with a hookup to Pandora. Even people who like hearing what the DJs have to say or enjoy listening to the local morning show, they have podcasts. Radio is still making tons of money for now, but who knows for how long. Being as worried as the radio industry has to be means there's no way they're taking risks on unproven acts. What was the last one hit wonder that you remember? Gotye, fun. and Carly Rae Jepsen might be on their first hit right now, but you know that's not the last you'll hear of them. 

Well, maybe next week.

Albums Of The Week 5/11

Choice Of the Week: The Cribs - In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull

This is by no means the best Cribs album, but there's still plenty to like here. I have a long history with the band, so I guess I can't help but be a little let down by an album that's really best described as aimless. There are songs that are obviously singles, and there are songs that are obviously filler, like any album really. The singles are really great, but the filler really does nothing for me. Check it out.

Damon Albarn - Dr. Dee

When you see that the guy from Blur wrote an opera, it's hard to keep your your expectations in check. You know that it's not going to be great, but you can't help but hope for some of the charm and fun of Parklife or Modern Life Is Rubbish. It's pretty good, and nothing if not ambitious. Ambition on this scale will often lead to spectacular, fascinating failure, but I wouldn't it's quite that. I definitely want to spend more time with it before making a firm decision on it.

Classic Pick: The Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique

The untimely passing of MCA, Adam Yauch, is a damn shame no matter how you slice it. Even if you didn't like The Beastie Boys, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy and the world is a worse place without him. If, like me, you've listened to more Beastie Boys than just about any other hip hop, his death hit you especially hard. Paul's Boutique. There's no reason for you to not own this already. It's a great, great album that with the way litigation and sampling has gone, can pretty much never happen again.

Review Of The Cribs - In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull

When Men's Needs, Women's Needs Whatever was released to critical acclaim, it felt like validation for the longtime Cribs fan. We loved their first album, we tolerated The New Fellas, then people caught onto them and we felt fantastic. It was a great album, no doubt helped by the production of Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos. Since then, it's all been a little fuzzy. The brothers Jarman who had comprised the group since its inception were joined by Johnny Marr, guitarist for the legendary Smiths. The Smiths' sound was defined by Marr and after doing some quality work with Modest Mouse, many were sure that The Cribs were destined for great things.

But Ignore The Ignorant wasn't great. Sure it was okay, and had some good songs, but the staying power just wasn't there. Marr's guitar, like his image in any of the band's promotional shots, stood out in the foreground and felt unnecessary. The songwriting has certainly matured since the Cribs' early days, but to little end. That brings us to In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull.

The songs here sound much like Ignore The Ignorant, but without Marr's guitar. The shout laden choruses, the wandering melodies, even the production sounds lifted from the previous album. That's not to say that it's entirely a bad thing. The singles are still a lot of fun to listen to. "Chi-Town" and "Come On Be A No-One" are fun standouts that could stand proudly with the best of The Cribs. It's the other tracks that feel particularly aimless. There is simply no world where "Back To The Bolthole" makes any album better.

Aimless is a word I've thought about using a lot for this album. There's no real push to it. It feels like an album that was released for the sole reason of releasing an album. It's a problem without an answer really. It's plagued some of my favorite performers ever. Guided By Voices, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, the list goes on. Bands pretty much have to release an album every two years or risk people forgetting about them. When that timer runs out, you pretty much just have to put out what you've got and that's what this feels like to me. This is all sounding way more negative than I mean it to. I do think this albums is pretty good, better than most even. A little more drive and this could have been something special.

The Music of Mad Men: Part 1

Mad Men is probably the best show on television right now. There are those that would say Breaking Bad, there are those that would say Community, both of these are great answers, but when push comes to shove, few shows in history can hold up to Don Draper and company. It's ostensibly about an ad agency in the 60s, but over time it has become a chronicle of where it all went wrong. Everyone looks back at the idyllic '50s as the last time America was really great. Those people are lunatics, mind you, but there's no doubt that it all seemed so much easier back then. All you had to do was shut your wife up, hit the kids and everything was okay. Mad Men, with its advertising backdrop shows how America's preferences change and shows the old guard getting pushed out for new, progressive ideas. Like a female copywriter or truly artful advertisements.

But why would I, a music blogger, chose to write about a TV show? It's pretty interesting the way the show has been using music this season. In a way, music on the show has always been interesting because of how it features music frequently, but only has passing mentions of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, two of the biggest acts in history that were in their heyday during the period the show is set. Take a look at the first episode in this season, "A Little Kiss." All anyone talked about the next day was Megan (Jessica Paré) and her performance of French song "Zou Bisou Bisou." It was a sultry performance meant to perk Don Draper up a bit on his birthday. It backfired because Draper's an asshole, but damn if it wasn't memorable.

What really caught my ear though was the song that ran over the credits. Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" thematically fit the show, as it's about a woman desperate to receive just an inkling of the devotion and care that she shows towards her man. Megan threw a big extravaganza for Don and all he did was say that she "embarrassed" him. [Side note: Originally, Dusty Springfield's "The Look Of Love" was supposed to be in the episode, but was cut because it didn't come out until 6 months after the episode took place]

it's also interesting to note that Dusty Springfield is one of the most popular artists of the Blue-Eyed Soul movement. It was a term that denoted white people singing traditionally african-american songs. Dusty even recorded a version of "Can I Get A Witness," a classic song performed originally by Marvin Gaye and written by the most famous african-american songwriting team in history: Holland, Dozier, Holland.

What makes this more interesting is the racial tension that has been bubbling under the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce offices this year. Earlier in the episode, the lobby of the firm was filled with african-americans responding to an ad that said that SCDP  was "An equal opportunity employer." This was meant at a jab at another firm, but it led to the hiring of Dawn, a black woman, as a new secretary. Previously on the show, the only characters that has been anything other than lily white were The Drapers' maid/nanny and the firm's cleaning personnel. Given the way the timeline has been going it's not a stretch to say that the show will deal with Martin Luther King Jr's shooting before the season is up.

I don't know if this was meant intentionally or not, but it certainly says something that the show had two different attempts to to squeeze Dusty Springfield into the season premiere. In a show that's starting to tackle the racial issues of the day, it's telling that they went with a white woman singing songs that ape the styles of african americans of the time. This isn't the last I'll be writing about music in Mad Men, stay tuned for further articles that dig way deeper than they probably should.

Finally, a review of Master Of My Make Believe

Santigold's first album, back when she was known as Santogold, was a surprise smash hit. Singles like "L.E.S. Artistes" and "Creator" made her name on the scene. She wrote what were essentially pop songs, but with dashes of strangeness that made the songs way more interesting than straight pop. She became more famous when her song "Lights Out" was featured in a Bud Light with Lime ad. The beer may be an atrocity, but the catchy, breezy summer jam stuck in many people's heads for years. Partially because they've been running that commercial for years. I guess other artists have actually tried Bud Light with Lime and want nothing to do with it.

But that was 4 years ago. Now, Santigold released "Masters Of My Make Believe". Right off the bat, you can tell that it's going to be a darker album. Featuring, as many great songs do, Karen O, the first song "GO!" has flashes of the same pop gold that made her first album so damn much fun. It's a great song that'll probably get your hopes up too high for the rest of the album. No other song is as much fun as "GO!", in fact the best parts of the rest of the album are where Santigold slows it down a bit.

The second track, "Disparate Youth" and mid album "The Riot's Gone" are great examples of what Santi White can do when she cools it off a bit. They're smooth, they build an atmosphere. Overall, it just sounds more mature than her first album. Taking 4 years to follow up can do that to a person I guess. It's clear Santigold wanted to make this album significantly different and on songs like this, she does that expertly.

There are other songs though that, though they have a way bigger chance to become hits, just don't feel right. "Freak Like Me" and "Look At These Hoes" just feel like shitty Nicki Minaj ripoffs. Nicki Minaj is huge right now and there are worse acts to bite, but we already have Nicki Minaj and a couple people exactly like her another one is completely unnecessary.

This album took a couple listens to grow on me, but I think I've reached the point where I can say definitively that it's good, not great. Kinda underwhelming, I admit. Sorta like the album itself. Just give it a few listens.

New Passion Pit Track

If you're anything like me, you sure did enjoy like 3 or 4 tracks off of Passion Pit's big full length debut Manners. A lot of people liked a whole lot more than that, but frankly I just found it a little tiring after some time. Those 3 or 4 songs though, those are some great songs. Manners was chock full of summer jams, and as we transition from complaining about how cold it is to complaining about how hot it is, Passion Pit is here to help once more.

The first single from their upcoming album Gossamer, "Take A Walk" has crazy synths and stomp-along back beats that you want from a Passion Pit song. Throw in some lyrical unrest and a bridge dripping with anger and you'll be shouting "Awwww, yeah! This is my jam!" on a hot, sticky day alone in your car, singing your frustrations away.

Top Of The Charts 5/7

1) Gotye - Somebody That I Used To Know

2) Fun. - We Are Young

3) Maroon 5 - Payphone

4) The Wanted - Glad You Came

5) Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe

6) Flo Rida - Wild Ones

7) Justin Bieber - Boyfriend

8) Nicki Minaj - Starships

9) One Direction - What Makes You Beautiful

10) Kelly Clarkson - Stronger

I'm gonna be perfectly honest here. I had to check 3 times to make sure I wasn't looking at last week's top 10. of all the top 10's I've written about, this has had the least change so far. I've complained about stagnation in the past, but this is just ridiculous. That Bieber song dropped 3 spots, "Call Me Maybe" leapfrogged "Wild Ones", Nicki Minaj swapped with One direction. That's it. The sad thing is that most of these songs are actually pretty good. "Glad You Came" is trash, "Boyfriend" doesn't play to Bieber's strengths and "Payphone" bites other Maroon 5 songs. The rest of the top 10 is at least good if not great.

Now, I don't expect to see Alabama Shakes mixing it up with the biggest stars the pop world has to offer, but surely there are other songs sitting outside the top 10 that are ready for the main stage. 10-20 has a pair of Drake songs from Take Care an album that had no business being as good as it is. Maybe I wouldn't like to see that Train song make it any higher than where it is at 12 though.

The Black Keys are insanely hot right now and at #4 on the Rock charts, the top 2 being the same as the Hot 100, they could easily break into the mainstream charts. I don't know whether it's a problem with the record industry still trying to steady itself in the digital age or the fact that the radio industry sees the future and are desperately clinging to the profits that they are still able to make right now. You'd think they'd learn from what the record industry went through that digging into the old ways will only make it harder to climb out of when the money dries up. More on that another time though.

Albums Of The Week 5/4

Choice Of The Week: Alabama Shakes - Boys And Girls

I think this actually came out last week, but I just got turned on to it. There's a lot to love about this album. The lead singer's soulful yells, the 60's garage feel (complete with hammond organ) and the fact that the songs themselves are exquisitely crafted. This is the first I've heard of Alabama Shakes, but I hope to hear more from them sooner rather than later.

Santigold - Master Of My Make Believe

Santigold's first album made a huge splash, bigger than I think most people would have expected. Thanks to being featured in Bud Light with Lime commercials, people quickly learned about her. This album veers pretty far away from the sounds of singles like "Lights Out." There's no fun summer vibe here. No song has a big enough hook to land another commercial spot and you have to wonder if that's on purpose. I meant to have a review of this up by now, but I was far away yesterday. Sorry for the outage, it should be up later today.

Classic Pick: Bruce Springsteen - Nebraska

I was listening to Justin Townes Earle's new album the other day and it reminded me of the time he covered Atlantic City for The AV Club, it's been stuck in my head ever since. The entire rest of the album is fantastic. Listen to it.

The Moonrise Kingdom soundtrack

Wes Anderson has always had strong soundtracks in his movies. Think back to the first time you watched The Royal Tenenbaums and how much you loved Nico afterwards. Or The Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday." The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is one of the few movie soundtracks I ever bought. I even bought the supplemental thing that Seu Jorge did of just more David Bowie covers in Portuguese (the best ones are already on the soundtrack). Today, the tracklisting for Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson's new film, was released. It features composer Alexandre Desplat, with whom Anderson worked with on The Fantastic Mr. Fox. Pitchfork has a full listing of the soundtrack as well as a piece from Desplat streaming, check it out.

Also interesting are the choices from composer Leonard Bernstein. The film is about two kids running away together, so it's neat that Anderson has chosen pieces from Bernstein's A Young Person's Guide To The Orchestra. Anderson sure does like his thematic consistency. Shame there's no Rolling Stones on here though. Also, I'm not looking forward to the scene that features "Ramblin Man". Not just because I hate that song, but also because there's only a few ways to use that song and they've all been done before. But hey, I trust Wes Anderson. And Paul Thomas Anderson while I'm at it, he's cool too. But not Paul W.S. Anderson. That guy sucks.

Look Back: Black Kids - Partie Traumatic

Originally Released: July 7, 2008

Hype is a strange thing. People first took notice of Black Kids after the Athens Popfest in 2007, shortly after, they release their first EP for free on Myspace. With The Wizard Of Ahhhs, the hype machine's wheels starting turning just about as hard as they possibly could. The band went from almost unknown to huge success on the strength of their first single "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance." Most people remember them, however for two reviews from the ever reactionary Pitchfork Media.

Pitchfork gave The Wizard Of Ahhhs EP an 8.4 and the coveted "Best New Music" tag. The pressure was officially on Black Kids. It would have been hard for them to live up to such a strong start in the first place, but now the eyes of the indie music dorks were upon them, waiting to take them down with the heaviest scoff possible. The release and subsequent Pitchfork review of Partie Tramatic saw an historically loud scoff. The review was simple: "3.3" and a picture of two puppies just captioned "Sorry :-/". A computer error led the score to originally be "0.0," but that was quickly changed.

But that doesn't really tell you anything about the music. Everyone who was interested in that album was going to check the Pitchfork review and they decided to be assholes about it, but that's neither here nor there. Right out front: nothing on the album stacks up to "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You." As a single, that song is almost too good. It's fun, catchy and relatable, add in a shout-along chorus and danceable beat and you have a near perfect pop song.

The second tier of songs are the ones that appeared on the EP, all of which appear again on the album. "I've Underestimated My Charm (Again)" and UK hit "Hurricane Jane" are fun and all, but leadoff track "Hit The Heartbrakes" is one of the few that comes close to INGTYBHTDWY (The abbreviation isn't much shorter is it?) The rest of the songs are solid and fun, but nothing to get too excited over. Maybe "I Wanna be Your Limosine."

Overall, this album is most definitely not a 3.3, but I can sort of understand why they might think that. Like I said, the best songs were already released and reviewed, remove those and you have a solid, but unremarkable album. Anyone that's read Pitchfork for any length of time know that they often reward originality over actual quality and severely punish those that are good, but not great. There are those that would say that Pitchfork shouldn't reflect backlash and that they should review in a bubble, but they're almost like a personality driven site, except the personality is the site itself. Pitchfork is Pitchfork, and Partie Traumatic is pretty good.