Happy Holidays

Joe Strummer-8/21/1952 - 12/22/02

Joe Strummer died 7 years ago today. He is a true legend and shall never be forgotten. The Clash were the best and my favorite (as evidenced by the ink on my back) . Both the band and Joe died way too young. The progression and output from album to album, in such a short period of time, is staggering and phenomenal. They really were "the only band that mattered," and Papa Joe led the way...



Back in June of 1981, the Clash played New York City for 17 days in a row, sometimes playing matinee shows before the evening gigs. This is an interview from the "Tom Snyder Show" during that 17 day stand.



Without the Clash there would be no M.I.A., no U2, no Green Day, no some many hundreds of other bands. They were the first to blend rock and hip hop together, and inspired so many. True pioneers.



If you're a fan of the Clash, or of music and music documentaries in general, you must watch "Westway to the World" and "The Future is Unwritten."





Hope you're still singing in heaven, Joe! We miss you.

Japandroids

One of my favorite things about the end of the year is reading everyone's "best of" lists. It's a friendly reminder of what you may have missed throughout the year. I'm kinda upset that I didn't hear Japandroids album, Post-Nothing, until this weekend. To me, Japandroids is like that person that you were kinda of friends with but never REALLY hung out with too much and then all of sudden you hang out for real and think, "Why haven't we hung out before, you're like the coolest person ever." I had been hearing good things about Japanroids throughout the year, and just missed their set at Pitchfork. Minor fail for 2009, but better late than never.

The thing that I like most about Japandroids is that it reminds me of some of the music I was listening to circa 1999. It's got that dualing vocal, fist pumping, sing along, call and response that I dug back then. I think they have a name for that kinda music, but I forgot what it is...

Watch Japandroids perform, "Young Hearts Spark Fire" at Pitchfork below. Download below that.

"I don't wanna worry about dying, I just wanna worry about those sunshine girls."



"Young Hearts Spark Fire"-Japandroids (Zshare)

"Who Cares?" Gnarls Barkley Video by Tyler Mintz

My dear friend, Tyler Mintz, has made a video for Gnarls Barkley's, "Who Cares?" Tyler resides in Brooklyn, where he is getting his Masters in Visual Arts Design, at the School of Visual Arts, which is nothing like ordering pancakes at the International House of Pancakes. Apart from being one of the hairiest people I know, Tyler is obviously one of the more talented people that I've met. Need evidence? Watch the video below! When he's not creating badass videos, Tyler likes eating Zebra Cakes, Barry Manilow, and dancing to Simian Mobile Disco in his Snuggie.

Anybody have Cee-Lo's or Danger Mouse's number or email? I think they need to see this.

Correction: Tyler is studying Design, not Visual Arts Design. I am studying neither.

WHO CARES? from tyler mintz on Vimeo.

Together Through Megabytes #2-Diamond Rings

We are super pleased to be doing our 2nd edition of "Together Through Megabytes" with John O., the man behind the mask, er, eye makeup, of Diamond Rings. Diamond Rings has been catching some serious buzz lately with the single and video for "All Yr Songs" So much so, that it was named "Video of the Year" and the #5 top song for 2009 on this very blog. John O. was nice enough to sit down and answer some questions regarding the video, warm sweaters, and Canada. Results below.

MRLT: For all of those who don't know, who is Diamond Rings?

John O: Diamond Rings is the name of my personal musical project. It's basically a chance for me to let things out and follow whatever influences and desires I feel inspired by in the worlds of music, fashion, and art. It's a really important thing for me right now.


MRLT: "All Yr Songs" has caught some attention since its release, were you a
bit surprised?

John O: Yes and no. Both myself and my pal Colin Medley (who directed the vid) were really pleased with everything once we'd got the finished product together, but the Internet is a weird place! There's so much great stuff floating around out there but if things don't catch on right away it's easy for them to get buried. So we put it out thinking that our friends would like it and although we were hoping for it to catch on internationally, we weren't going to let that affect how much we really enjoyed the process of producing the work itself.


MRLT: Is the song directed at someone specifically, cause I don't know about
you, but I don't lend my warmest sweater to just anybody, especially in the winter?

John O: Yeah, especially when you live in Toronto! It's cold here! But seriously, I don't like to reveal too much in the way of the meanings behind my lyrics because I want people to be able to interpret my songs in their own unique way. All I can do is write for myself and put it out there for others to internalize and project on to their own real life situations. But I will say that the song is definitely directed towards a specific person with whom I share a close relationship.


MRLT: Lets talk about the video, how did it all come together?

John O: Like I said, my pal Colin is a prominent fixture on the music scene here in Toronto. He's always shooting bands and I have the good fortune of sharing an apartment with him. I had just recorded the song and it was his idea to make a video for it. What we ended up with came out of our mutual love of early 90s rap videos and green screen effects. My cousin Lisa Howard did the make-up, styling, and choreography. It's worth noting that we shot the entire thing for about the price of two medium pizzas that we had for lunch on the day of the shoot.



MRLT: There's a bit of a controversy going on with the video and Youtube and
Sony, what happened and what's the latest news?

John O: Basically, Sony's UK office erroneously claimed copyright infringement because my stage name is the same as that of a single released by a rapper on their label called Chipmunk. Youtube deleted the video at Sony's request, and it wasn't until we went public through our Myspace page that a bunch of blogs started talking and word got back to Sony officials here in Canada. They realized that they had no real grounds to accuse us of anything and ended up putting the video back online pretty fast.

They're supposedly sending us some limited edition Modest Mouse 7" records and a Beyonce album as compensation for our troubles. We've been checking the mailbox every day and can't hardly wait!


MRLT: There's some serious NBA paraphernalia in the video, are you a big basketball fan?

John O: Growing up I was huge into sports. Now I'd say I'm more attracted to the iconography and the idea of sports than the actual players and teams themselves. There's a certain nostalgic appeal and a sense of belonging that comes with participation in the sports world and I find that rather comforting.


MRLT: When you were younger did you know that music would play such a big part in your life and what were some of your bigger musical influences growing up?

John O: When I was younger I don't think I ever really thought about music like something that was a part of me, but at the same time, when I look back a few years I can see how important it was in shaping who I am. My biggest influences were probably the bands and artists that I heard around the house growing up. Stuff like Fine Young Cannibals and Steve Winwood were huge. I got really into rap when I was in high school, so I'd probably have to put the late Notorious B.I.G. and Illmatic by Nas on the list, too.


MRLT: What is a typical day in the life of John O., is there a day job?

John O: I get up pretty early and make coffee and breakfast. Depending on what day it is I'll either work on my music or I'll work on some art. I'm trained as a visual artist and also do lots of design work for bands in Toronto. Silk screening shirts, putting together show posters, photocopying 'zines - stuff like that. I'll usually switch it up at lunch and do whatever I wasn't doing earlier. Sometimes I go to the library and get some books to read.

Right now I'm reading Gender Trouble by Judith Butler, which is from the early 90s and deals with lots of stuff that I'm finding relevant to my own work as Diamond Rings. It basically has to do with confusing traditional gender stereotypes through dress and fashion.


MRLT: How has growing up in Canada shaped you as an artist and what's it like being part of the Toronto scene?

John O: I can't really say because I haven't lived anywhere else, but I'd imagine that being in Canada has made me feel a bit more like an "underdog" if that makes sense. It's definitely harder to get international recognition north of the American border, and because of how our country is laid out geographically it can make touring a really big hassle. Toronto is great though, I've met so many great people since I've moved here and we all try to help each other out.

My favourite local band right now is called Ghost Bees. They're twins and they play really spooky music inspired by Eastern European folk traditions and witchcraft! Sometimes I perform with them, as well as my BFF Katie Stelmanis who makes totally bonkers MIDI beats and sings like she should be in the opera. I also play in an alternative rock band called The D'Urbervilles, who are the best people ever.


MRLT: There's a Diamond Rings full length coming out in 2010, what should expect from it?

John O: Yes, it's called Special Affections and it will be coming out in spring 2010. Musically I'd expect everything from early 1980s New Order to late 2000s Usher. It's all pretty much MIDI beats with lots of live piano and vintage synth overdubs. I'm mostly proud of the lyrics though. I wrote each of these songs for special people and I really think it captures an exciting and important time in my life. Colin and I are going to make videos for almost every song too!


MRLT: Should we expect a tour of the U.S and a visit to Chicago soon?

John O: Yes and yes. Although there's nothing confirmed as of right now. But you'll be the first to know.


MRLT: Lastly, top 5 albums of 2009 for you and is there anything you feel people might have missed in 2009 that you want them to know about?

John O: 1. Timber Timbre - S/T
2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz!
3. Fever Ray - S/T
4. Why? - Eskimo Snow
5. Handsome Furs - Face Control

And yeah, my number one pick Timber Timbre is probably the best artist in Toronto right now. His album is probably one of the most genuinely honest and downright spooky things I've ever heard in my life. He's great.

Look out for Diamond Rings in 2010. Watch a live performance of "Something Else" shot by Colin Medley below. This song is just as catchy, if not more than "All Yr Songs." Check it! And thank you, John O!



All Yr Songs-Diamond Rings-mp3 (Zshare)

Yeasayer-Odd Blood

With releases from Spoon, Interpol, Arcade Fire and the Strokes, 2010 is shaping up to be a colossal year for new releases. One album that might steal the cake is, Odd Blood, by Yeasayer. It's not even out yet, uh, it's not even 2010 yet and it's already making a case for album of the year for 2010. It's the Merriweather Post Pavilion of the new decade...

Watch the video(SFW!) for the amazing new single "Ambling Alp" below.



Yeasayer plays the Metro on April 29th, 2010

Top 20 Albums of 2009

Making lists is hard, but fun. These are my top 20 albums for 2009. I definitely had multiple silent raves listening to all of these throughout the year. Everyone should listen to these albums. There's something for everybody. If you're looking to get your dance on, or your rock on, or your sad on, or your juke on, or your "we're like the 900th band to sound like Joy Division, but somehow do it well without sounding like complete and total ripoffs," or your Canada on, or your makeout on, or your " I feel like I'm running in the Olympics in slow motion and dancing at a rave at the same time," or your Jigga on, or your leather on, or your French pop that's sung in English, that is so amazing even though sometimes what you're singing about doesn't make complete sense to me and at times it sounds like you're singing with marbles in your mouth, which is an endearing trait that you carry and if my Ipod could talk to me, it would say, "can we please listen to something else! Sheesh." I think you get my point. Tres bien Phoenix! Tres bien 2009!

P.S. Where's my jetpack? You promised!

20. La Roux-La Roux
19. Jay-Z-Blueprint 3
18. Discovery-LP
17. The Rural Alberta Adavantage-Hometowns
16. White Lies-To Lose My Life
15. Jack Peñate-Everything is New
14. The Very Best-Warm Heart of Africa
13. Morrissey-Years of Refusal
12. Fuck Buttons-Tarot Sport
11. Kid Sister-Ultraviolet
10. We Were Promised Jetpacks-These Four Walls
9. Annie- Don't Stop
8. The Horrors-Primary Colours
7. The Whitest Boy Alive-Rules
6. Delorean- Ayrton Senna
5. The Big Pink-A Brief History of Love
4. Animal Collective- Merriweather Post Pavilion
3. Yeah Yeah Yeah's- It's Blitz!
2. The xx- The xx
1. Phoenix- Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

New Hot Chip Video-"One Life Stand"

I'm gonna wait on my top albums until Monday. Till then watch the new Hot Chip video for "One Life Stand." The song is a definite toe-tapper.

Hot Chip - One Life Stand (MySpace Exclusive)

Hot Chip | MySpace Music Videos

Top 40 Songs of 2009

Here are my top 40 songs for 2009. I love all these songs and at some point or another during 2009, I would play these over and over, like a little kid. I think I played "Big Bills" about 30 times in a row the first time I heard it. These really should read 1A to 1NN, they're all so good. Each song comes with a link so you can hear them/watch the video.

1. Big Bills-Flosstradamus
2. 1901-Phoenix
3. VCR-The xx
4. My Girls-Animal Collective
5. All Yr Songs-Diamond Rings
6. Runaway- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
7. No Reasons-Vega
8. Bulletproof-La Roux
9. Paranoid-Kanye West
10. Empire State of Mind-JayZ feat. Alicia Keys
11. Animal-Miike Snow
12. 11th Dimension-Julian Casablancas
12. Drugs in My Body-Thieves Like Us
14. When We Swam-Thao and the Get Down Stay Down
15. Ulysses-Franz Ferdinand
16. Audacity of Huge-Simian Mobile Disco
17. Warm Heart of Africa-The Very Best
18. Sea Within A Sea-The Horrors
19. Something Is Squeezing My Skull-Morrissey
20. Feather-Little Dragon
21. Death-White Lies
22. Deli-Delorean
23. Hazel- Junior Boys
24. Dominos-The Big Pink
25. Dustland Fairytale-The Killers
26. Bad Times-Annie
27.The Fear-Lily Allen
28. Things Will Never Be The Same-jj
29. M.A.G.I.C.-The Sound of Arrows
30. Only if We Run-Julian Plenti
31. Hell Knows I'm in Love-Hamarrin and Robin
32. Thunder and Lighting-We Were Promised Jetpacks
33. Pull My Heart Away-Jack Peñate
34. Jake Summers-Fight Like Apes
35. So Insane-Discovery
36. The Reeling-Passion Pit
37. Right Hand Hi-Kid Sister
38. Keep A Secret-The Whitest Boy Alive
39. In the Summertime-The Rural Alberta Advantage
40. Destroy-Moneypenny

Best/Favorites of 2009

Top 5 Concerts
1) Phoenix-Park West, Chicago-6/13/09 - a couple weeks after the "official" release of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, these dashing and smiley Frenchmen destroyed the Park West. It sure helps that Thomas Mars sang "1901," on a table right above me for an encore. Only regret is that I didn't put a thousand dollar bill in his pants for playing such an awesome concert.

2) Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Lollapalooza, Chicago 8/8/09- "We're not even suppose to be here."- Karen O. Replacing the Beastie Boys as Saturday night's headliner, Karen O showed that she was born to headline.

3) The Very Best-Pitchfork Music Festival, Chicago 7/19/09 While folks watched the Flaming Lips do the same ol' thing for 900th time, a select few cut some serious rug over at the Very Best stage to end the weekend in style.

4) My Bloody Valentine-Coachella, Indio,California 4/19/09-Green grass, palm trees, mountains and the sound of 100 airplanes on 50 lawnmowers going off at the same time=Priceless.

5) Cut Copy-Vic Theatre, Chicago, 3/18/09-Favorite album of 2008, seen live in 2009.

Favorite concert moment: The Cure being shut down at Coachella. First they turned off the big screen TV's. Then they turned down the music. Then they cut off everything but the bass. Then everything. But after more than 3 hours the Cure kept on going, the crowd helping them on vocals, and ending with Robert Smith screaming the lyrics to "Grinding Halt." A fitting and epic end. Cure.


Best Thing I Heard Said at a Concert: Morrissey at Coachella "I smell burning flesh." Classic Mozzer.


Best New Artist: The XX. Honorable Mention: Delorean

Favorite Twitter: @Diplo. The man never sleeps. Just tweets. It takes real talent to be able to be so funny with only 140 characters on a consistent and daily basis.

Favorite TV Show: Gossip Girl. Only bad thing about this show is that it's called Gossip Girl. It's kinda difficult being a straight man and starting a conversation with, "Hey, did you watch Gossip Girl, last night?!?" XOXOLOLZ. Bonus points for the music they play during the show and having Sonic Youth on a episode.

Favorite Movie: Che. Ok, so it was officially released at the end of 2008, but I haven't seen a better movie since. Talk about epic. How Benicio Del Toro, and the film in general, did not receive some serious hardware in 2009 is beyond me. I can only begin to wonder why....

That's all for now. Top songs tomorrow, followed by albums on Friday. Stay tuned.

SURFER BLOOD

I will continue my "Best Of 2009" tomorrow, but I just wanted you to take a listen to Surfer Blood. They're from Florida and they're GOOD. You really can't go wrong with a name like Surfer Blood.

"Take It Easy"-Surfer Blood-mp3(zshare)

Video of the Year-2009-Diamond Rings-"All Yr Songs"

There's so many things that are right with this video. Winter sweaters, the running man, and dueling Glenn Robinson and Larry Johnson basketball jerseys are just a few of the highlights that are squeezed into this 2 minute and 44 second masterpiece. Not to mention the song is just so damn catchy. So catchy, that I bought the 7 inch immediately upon hearing it and I don't even own a record player. Well done, Diamond Rings!

UPDATE!!!: 12/9/09-I just received this email from John O. of Diamond Rings....

Hey Mauricio,

Wow! Well I'm totally flattered. Thank you so much. I'm glad you liked the video. Unfortunately, Sony BMG isn't so thrilled. It was taken down this morning on account of some sort of copyright violation. Here's the press release we've been sending out. Feel free to spread the word.

For Immediate Release:

Sometime on the morning of Wednesday, December 9th the Diamond Rings
music video "All Yr Songs" was removed from Youtube at the request of
Sony/BMG on the grounds of copyright infringement. Neither video
director Colin Medley or myself were consulted by either Sony/BMG or
Youtube before the video was removed and we therefore are unclear as
to whom or what we are infringing upon.

Colin has since received an email from Youtube stating that "we
received a notification of claimed copyright infringement regarding
the video from Sony BMG Music Entertainment. When we're notified that
a particular video uploaded to our site infringes another's copyright,
we remove the material as the law requires." To make matters worse,
he has been informed that his Youtube account status is "not in good
standing" and further "strikes may result in the termination of your
account". Colin's numerous videos have helped a great many bands reach
far beyond the physical boundaries of the Toronto scene, so for him to
potentially lose a means of disseminating his hard work would be a
real setback for our entire music community.

Despite all the crap, we're working hard to get the video back online
as soon as possible and will keep everyone notified with any new
developments in "Colin and John O's Most Bogus Corporate
Misadventure". Hopefully this is all just a big misunderstanding and
Sony/BMG will call us up tomorrow to offer the both of us a whole
bunch of autographed Beyonce or Modest Mouse albums for our troubles.
In the meantime I'm totally throwing out my Sony Sports Walkman.
Panasonic Shockwave XBS rules!

Heads High,
John O

The xx-Bottom Lounge 12/1/09

...but I was there. In 2009, when The xx played Chicago for the first time... When I start losing my edge I'll be able to tell the kids that I, indeed, was there. The xx is the best new band of 2009. And not just on record, but also in concert. Like the album, the xx's live show transfixes you with their subtle beats, and dreamy boy/girl vocals. It's like somebody is coming up from behind you and whispering something in your ear that you may or may not want to hear. And then you turn around and face your whisperer with the, "Oh, wow. I can't believe you just told me that" face. The music is dark and sexy, as is the stage show. You could barely make out the band members faces, who were dressed in all black and resemble teens that haven't fully gone through puberty, with their fresh fades and shy eyes. Young in looks, but mature in sound, The xx sounded like they'd been on tour for years, and not on their first go-around of U.S. cities. Many complain that there's nothing new and exciting in music, but this is it. I can't wait till they turn 25. No pressure, dudes. I'm excited. Watch some video that I shot of The xx performing "Crystalised" below.

Together Through Megabytes-The Hood Internet

Welcome to a new segment of the blog that we would like to call "Together Through Megabytes." We will be providing you with interviews, conducted via the internets, with some of our favorite bands and artists. First up, is the Hood Internet. The Hood Internet just released their 4th mixtape full of mashups earlier this month. If you've never heard of the Hood Internet think Girl Talk, but with less chaos. And if you've never heard of Girl Talk, your life is probably boring and you should stop reading this right now and re-evaluate things. If you're still reading, read on and listen to what 1/2 of the Hood, STV SLV, has to say about the new mixtape, smoking weed with the GZA, and world domination.

MRLT: Mixtape 4 was released this month, congrats. Did you guys do anything special to celebrate such a momentous occasion?

STV SLV: I emailed ABX some virtual champagne.

MRLT: What's the process you guys go through putting a track together?

STV SLV: Sometimes it's a great idea that works right away, moreso there's a lot of trial and error, but generally it's things like: isolating loops to make instrumentals, getting the vocal cadence to fall in the right place, tempo stretching, pitch bending... various permutations of those processes.

MRLT: Have there been instances where you guys try a combo and it just doesn't work?

STV SLV: Numerous. We post some of those (that fall on the tolerable side) at the end of every year. Some are too bad for that, even. I did this Doobie Brothers vocal over a Broken Social Scene track... major fail. That one probably won't get out.

MRLT: Some might say that you're trying to be ironic mixing all this Southern hip hop and indie together, but you're really big hip hop fans and Cash Money for life, right?

STV SLV: Yep. I didn't really get into hip hop until college, and I started out on that underground shit (Hieroglyphics, Rhymesayers) before I got hipped to CMR and Three 6, etc. There's so many good facets to almost all styles of rap and hip hop. Just as there are to almost all genres of music.

MRLT: Recently heard that you guys did some work with the GZA. How did that come about, and did you have WTF moment, like "he's from the slums of Shaolin and I'm from Minnesota?"

STV SLV: The GZA is a big Mando Diao fan and wanted to rap over one of their tracks, so he called on the Hood to remix their song "Dance With Somebody" so he could put some bars on it... then we flipped it and got the homie Cadence Weapon in on it too. Had a bit of a WTF moment since it's one of the biggest projects we've worked on to date, but the WTF was moreso from the amount of weed being smoked, less regarding geographic origins.

MRLT: Ever tried to get any of the artists that you use to perform together? Friendly Fires and Bon Iver could have worked at Lollapalooza... And if you could get any of the combos that you've guys have used to play live together which would you like to see?

STV SLV: There was actually a performance on the Brit Awards earlier this year where Estelle and the Ting Tings performed together in the precise style from a Hood track that had preceded the award show by 8 months.



MRLT: How'd the cover art come about and are your muscles really that big?

STV SLV: We hit up our girl Karen Tisel to make this cover epic. We were thinking: Mixtape Volume Four, we're gonna need four swords. And the only reason to have four swords is if you're slaying a fucking dragon among a bunch of other what have you. As you can see from the cover, all of the aforementioned was slain.

MRLT: Now that the mixtape is out what are you guys working on next? World domination?

In 2010 we'll be working on a Hood Internet album that's not going to be mashups. We're gonna have a bunch of original production on there with some guest spots from musicians that are our friends or acquaintances. From there, yes: world domination.

Download the Hood Internet's lastest mixtape, Volume 4, over here

Blur Documentary-No Distance Left to Run

This looks absolutely amazing.

Fuck Buttons-Empty Botttle-11/21/09

It should be noted that in a 48 hour period, the Empty Bottle had 3 different shows with headliners named Fuck Buttons, Depressed Buttons, and Fuck Knights. Sadly, I missed the last two because I am neither depressed or a knight, but I'm super into buttons and I don't give a fuck, so I just had to see this show. Right, right, right....

Actually, I had to see the show cause Fuck Button's sophomore album, Tarot Sport, has been in my playlist quite alot lately. The English duo, consisting of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power, got things off to a banging start on Saturday night with "Surf Solar," the lead track off Tarot Sport. From there they just kept on going for an hour straight, barely stopping, and continuing their aural assault on an audience that, at least in the front, was feeling the beat. In concert, Fuck Buttons raise their music to another level. The noise is louder, the beats are heavier and the atmospheric epicness is increased tenfold. The music makes you feel like you're running in a marathon in slow motion and you're about to win the race. Like "Chariots of Fire," but with a really fat beat. I think it would be fair to say that all in attendance won the race, but probably lost some hearing...

Between the Pixies and Fuck Buttons it was a highly successful weekend of music! A few Fuck Buttons pics below.

The Pixies-Aragon Ballroom-11/20/09

The Pixies played the Aragon on Friday night in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of Doolittle. The night started with the some b-sides, then Doolittle was played in its entirety, in order, note for note, and done so with precision and perfection. As uncomfortable as they may seem on film, the Pixies seemed pretty comfortable playing together on Friday night. Simply put, they were amazing. Highlights included a sing along during "Hey," strobe lights galore during "Into the White" and a all girl mosh pit during "Isla de Encanta" and "Nimrod's Son." People still mosh? Click here to view the setlist. Pics below.... And video of "Dead!"

Cousins-New Vampire Weekend Video

2010 is looking pretty darn good for new releases. Spoon, Hot Chip, Interpol, and Vampire Weekend will all be releasing new albums before you can even say Arcade Fire. Watch "Cousins," the first video from VW's sophomore release, Contra, below. Such a catchy, little song, innit?

THE HEAVY

Thoroughly enjoying The Heavy's sophomore release, The House That Dirt Built. The Heavy hail from the UK and cross genres like soul, garage rock, and reggae that help create a chaotic beauty of an album. Would not be surprised to see them hit up the U.S. summer festival circuit as the token "soul" band.

Watch the video for the rocking single, "How You Like Me Now?" below.

Annie-Don't Stop

After much delay, Annie will finally be releasing her 2nd album, Don't Stop, this Tuesday. This album finds the Norwegian making a slight change in sound. The beats are harder, the voice is stronger, all the while Annie maintains her adorable Scandinavian charisma that made her first release, Anniemal, so addicting. On "The Breakfast Song" Annie asks, "what do you want for breakfast?" Well... Pannekaker, Annie! Duh. And your hand in marriage...

Watch the video for the ready for the dance floor banger, "Songs Remind Me Of You" below.

In the Flowers- New Animal Collective Video

Probs my favorite track off Merriweather Post Pavilion. The video, like the song, is everywhere, but equally as awesome.

"No more missing you while I'm gone."

The xx-Islands

Just watch and listen and enjoy... "I am yours now, so now I don't ever have to leave."

Goodbye Sonotheque...

Sonotheque will be closing its doors for good this weekend. Sonotheque was most definitely, by far, my favorite place in Chicago to go cut the rug. It was a club, without being a "club." You could wear whatever you wanted to, and the buttoned down shirt, douchebag factor was almost non-existent. The thing that I liked most about it is that it crossed genres. Indie kids, hip hop heads, goths, and just regular old people looking to have a good time got down to business on the dance floor together with no real pretensions. It goes without saying that the soundsystem was banging and the dj's, no matter what night, got people moving.

I will forever associate Sonotheque with a certain group of people and a certain place in time...Blackout Sunday during Lollapalooza won't be the same without a trip to Sono. Where else could I have met Hot Chip and in a drunken stupor ask them repeatedly who their favorite soccer teams was? I think the Chubby Chipper wanted to kill me, I annoyed him so much. Ahh, too many fun memories...

Rest in peace Sonotheque... and lets cross our fingers that something lame doesn't open up in your place.

Joakim Hearts Diplo

Joakim Noah getting down to Diplo at Lollapalooza this year. Also, if you're wondering, Joakim is wearing Le Coq Sportif hi-tops this season. How cool is that? Thanks for the info Mikeshot.

Morrissey-Started Something, But Couldn't Finish (again...).

Morrissey took a bottle to the head last night in Liverpool and instantly said goodbye to the stage and audience. Just two weeks ago Morrissey collapsed onstage and had to cancel some dates on his current tour. Poor Moz...

Oh Yoko

Will you tell your mom to quit screaming into the microphone... Yoko Ono and The Plastic Ono Band visited the Jimmy Fallon Show on Thursday night. Results below...

Halloween-Minor Update

I'm still trying to brush off all the candy from Halloween so we'll keep this simple...

Chromeo, Crystal Castles, and Boys Noize was pretty amazing. Scariest costume of the weekend has to go to Alice Glass from Crystal Castles dressed up as herself. Seriously, she is absolutely mental. I think she eats children at snack time.

Other costumes that I enjoyed included Teen Wolf, a very nicely constructed "Were the Wild Things Are" costume by my old roommate and her boyfriend, and myself as Prince. I also played DJ at a Halloween party on Saturday night and by all accounts it was a raging success. FYI, I am available for all occasions. Baby showers, Thanksgiving, golf outings, etc. You just let me know. Oh, and all apologies to the girl dressed up as Lady GaGa who kept asking me to play Lady GaGa. I'm sorry, but I don't support terrorism.

Look out for a ton of concert reviews, some album reviews and maybe an interview or two in November. It's all happening...

Julian Casablancas-"11th Dimension" Track Review

Julian Casablancas is coming out with his first solo album next Tuesday. He's the lead singer in this band called the Strokes. They're good. Actually, they rule more than ruler. Sadly, it seems like the Strokes are having a little bit of trouble recording their 4th album, but luckily we have Julian's record to hold us over until the Strokes get it together (get it together, dudes. please. thank you).

"11th Dimension" is the lead single off Julian's new album, Phrazes For The Young. It sounds like the Strokes crossed with Miami Horror and the theme song from "Saturday's Night Main Event." The Strokes definitely tried to play with keyboard/synth sound on songs like "12:51" with guitar pedals but on "11th Dimension" Julian says fuck it, this is my own album and goes all out with the synth which sounds amazing and ridiculously catchy. Julian's voice is just as wonderful as he delivers those awesome one liners like he did with the Strokes ( "I just nod, I never been so good at shaking hands." Simple, yet awesome.)

Personally, this track sounds just as good or maybe even better than anything that the Strokes have released. It's possible that it just sounds refreshing to me cause Julian is taking a chance with some different sounds on this tune and hopefully the rest of the album, which I can't wait to hear.

Phrazes For The Young will be released next Tuesday, November 3rd. You can buy it on Itunes for the low, low price of 4.99 or as Julian's website states, for less than a pack of smokes.

Travis-Martyr's 10/24/09

I was first introduced to Travis back in 1999 when I made a visit to London to see some friends that were studying abroad. I bought both Good Feeling and The Man Who at a CD shop at Heathrow while waiting for my plane back to the U.S. I really fell in love with The Man Who. So much so, that I remember going to one of those Q101 Jamboree crap shows just so I could see Travis (sidenote, I saw alot awful things that day, like the Bloodhound Gang. Gross.).

Fast forward 10 years to Saturday night and there I was seeing Travis for the 2nd time. Well, it wasn't all of Travis, just half. Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop played a stellar 2 1/2 hour set that spanned the bands career and they did it in chronological order, starting with the first song that Fran ever wrote, and ending with the last one.

Best part of the show, actually there were two best parts of the show. 1) Fran gave insight to every song that they played that night. Did you know "Driftwood" was inspired by "Cheers?" Or that "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" was written because of a rainy holiday in Israel, and not cause it "rains on his soul"(insert French accent) like a French DJ suggested at the height of the song's popularity?

2) There was a projection screen at the back of the stage that allowed Fran to show pictures of everything, from pics of the band with Paul McCartney to pictures of his 3 year old son who is obsessed with Michael Jackson.

I'd be a fool to go through all the songs that they played. Lets just say that if you're a Travis fan, all bases were covered. From beginning to end. If they come to your city, go see this show. Or go to New York in a couple weeks. They're playing something obscene like 6 shows in a row while in NYC. If you don't, it will rain on your soul.

La Roux

La Roux was scheduled to play the brand new Lincoln Hall tonight, but had to cancel due to illness (already rescheduled for 2/1/10). I've caught some flack for enjoying La Roux's music, but I'm not quite sure why. La Roux's sound is like the Knife and Robyn had a baby. La Roux combines the darkness of the former and the pop of the latter, all the while keeping the infectious beats that made both Robyn and the Knife successful.

Here's a clip of La Roux performing the totally awesome "Bulletproof" at Germany's Melt! Festival this summer...

Halloween

What are you gonna be for Halloween this year? Here's what I'm thinking...

Anybody want to be part of the Revolution?

Rain Machine-Double Door 10/17/09

A couple things should be noted about this show...

1) The crowd was rather scarce. I would be polite if I said the Double Door was half full (maybe a 1/4 full?). This was surprising. You would think that in being part of one the most critically acclaimed bands of the past decade (TV on the Radio) that Kyp Malone's side project would be able to a draw crowd. This did not happen. I can only wonder why.

2) Kyp Malone's facial hair is amazing up close. It's like he's wearing a ski mask where you can only see a person's eyes and nothing else. His beard engulfs his face like Santa Claus. How his girlfriend or wife finds his lips to kiss him is beyond me. He's like an Ewok, and his voice is his weapon.

Rain Machine's songs ranged from pretty good ("Give Blood') to downright epic ("Smiling Black Faces"). Backed by a band that just seemed happy to be on stage, Malone used the stage as his altar like he was giving the crowd a sermon. And like any good sermon, his voice had soul, power, and was simply mesmerizing at times. It sucked you in and took you on a journey, never leaving you feeling like you were being subjected to his feelings and thoughts; rather, it left you feeling like you were doing the happy dance with all the other Ewoks at the end of Return of the Jedi...

The Horrors

Due to a prior engagement called vacation, I will not be able to attend The Horror's concert on Sunday at the Double Door. If I wasn't busy trying to get the sand out of my shoe, I would totally go. Their sophomore release, Primary Colours, has been a favorite of mine in '09. Need evidence? Check this video for the, dare I say, hauntingly epic, "Sea Within a Sea."

Quickies

-Bad Lieutenant aka New Order without Peter Hook, plus some other guy are playing their first U.S. show at Park West on November 18th. There's a presale on Friday, password is sinkswim. In other news, Peter Hook has admitted to forging Ian Curtis' autograph on Joy Division memborbilia. Douche. Bag.

-Girl Talk is playing the Congress Theatre on NYE. Tix are already on sale and fairly cheap for an NYE party. 35 dollars. Last year's Justice NYE party at the Congress was pretty awesome...

-Chris Cornell joined Pearl Jam on stage last night in LA for "Hunger Strike." Temple of the Dog. Watch video here. This does not make up for the fact that Chris Cornell put out an album with Timbaland. Douche. Bag.

-Apparently, Animal Collective is putting out another album this year. Has anyone ever had the #1 and #2 album in the same year on Pitchfork's best album list???

-Thom Yorke told the crowd in L.A. that he'll be back next year to play again. Coachella rumors already started.

Phoenix-The Remixes

From Cadillac commercials to SNL, Phoenix has kinda been everywhere the past few months. By now it's safe to say that Phoenix has become a full blown French phenomenon, much like Gerard Depardieu in the 90's. Only time will tell if their 4th album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, holds up as well as Green Card did.

With an album filled with so many amazing songs, it is only logical that a gazillion remixes be born. In the past week we've already seen remixes of "Fences" by Animal Collective and the Soft Pack. The former sounding like, duh, Animal Collective, and the latter sounding like a lost Velvet Underground track that would make Warhol proud.

With that said, my favorite remix so far comes from FelipeMusica. I don't know much about Felipe other than he is French and that he's made an easy, breezy, super fantastique, reggae remix of "1901." This remix is the perfect background music for my dream vacation to Jamaica. Red Stripe, jerk chicken, reggae music and Phoenix! As fall and cold weather slip into our lives again, let this be our lead track on the soundtrack to our daydreams.

Listen to FelipeMusica's remix of "1901" right here.

Quickies

Listen or download Vampire Weekend's new single, "Horchata" here. I only got through 90 seconds of this song before my computer died. I then proceeded to take my daily afternoon catnap only to wake up with this song stuck in my head. Only 90 seconds...More cowbell? No. More xylophone? Yes, please. VW's new album Contra drops January 12, 2010.

Thom Yorke played the Echoplex in Los Angeles on Friday night. Band members included Flea, Nigel Godrich, and, uh, Thom Yorke! Download bootleg over herrre.

Jack Peñate-Everything Is New

Apart from having a sweet moustache and a Blagovejich-esque top, Jack Peñate has pure gold with his new album, Everything is New. The anxiety and urgency in Peñate's vocals immediately suck you in and take you on a journey through life, love, and death.

Peñate makes all three sound so good with bouncy, disco like bass lines and what at times seems like giant samba band backing him up. Standout tracks "Pull My Heart Away" and "Lets All Die" scream of, well, live audiences screaming the choruses back in celebration. In "Lets All Die" he celebrates and embraces death in a such a manner that it makes you want to start a conga line to heaven (or hell).

Watch his video for "Pull My Heart Away" right here. And see him live this fall opening for Miike Snow.

First Post-The Big Pink

Welcome to MauricioReyesLikesThis.blogspot.com. This is the first post of many to come. We have many things already planned including interviews with Beyonce, Daft Punk, and the Jo Bros. In this world you either get a big thumbs down or a big thumbs up. Lets get down to business...

The Big Pink

A BIG thumbs up has to be handed out to the Big Pink. Their first full length, "A Brief History of Love" has been getting some serious play on the Ipod and on constant repeat in my head for the past couple weeks. It combines all the things I love about British music. It's a got some shoegaze, big anthems, and that certain swagger that only Brit bands possess. And they have a girl drummer! You can never go wrong with a girl drummer. Watch the video for "Dominos" here.