Truth.com time
December 20, 2006
October 17, 2006
thought for the week
July 27, 2006
Britney Spears is slowly going insane
Britney Spears has posted a short note about how much she likes tigers in the "Love B" section of her official website. I don't want to suggest that she has a future as a poet laureate, but take a peek at what she's written:
"In some ways, people are a lot like animals. I'm mesmerized by tigers. Their eyes, their stripes, their constant quest for survival. They almost have a sense of mysteriousness about them. They pull you in and make it difficult to look away. They make you wonder what is behind their gaze. A sense of eerie awe comes over you in their presence. The fear they give you when you pass them is stunning. Behold the beauty of the tiger."
I think the Superficial put it best: "This is something a fourth grader would write if they were told to do a report on tigers and were too lazy to do any research. It's like Britney received her latest issue of Zoobooks and felt inspired to share her new discovery. Only the issue was on elephants. And she was typing on the piano."
It's fun watching celebrities go bat-shit insane right in front of our very eyes!
June 21, 2006
Monthly Music Roundup
So could someone please burn us a copy of the new Yeah Yeah Yeahs album? We've heard it's good but want proof - inquiring minds need to know. Also, the Gnarls Barkley album is pretty good, though it's your call whether or not you wanna go for that sort of Gorillaz-meets-Hnadsome Boy Modeling School-kinda thing. We've heard the new Keane is good, too, although only one song from it has been officially confirmed as "rad".
Man, we have been on quite the Daft Punk kick lately, too....
OH WAIT WE ARE ALWAYS ON A DAFT PUNK KICK
June 13, 2006
On the Subject of Albums...
People are telling Planetarium that we need to hear the new Sonic Youth album, Rather Ripped. It is being touted as their pop album. Which is promising. Not only that, but folks with some authority on the subject have even gone so far as to compare it to the Byrds. The BYRDS, people!!! Which means we will have to listen to it. This will be a big step, considering a Sonic Youth album hasn't been purchased by Planetarium since 1995's Washing Machine. At the time, that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Remember that awful "Little Trouble Girl" song Kim Gordon sang? Yeah, so do we. Nevertheless, we have amortized our feelings and are ready to tackle the ennui that comes with a new SY album. Bring it on, nerds!
May 05, 2006
Oh My God the New Pearljam Record is so Awesome
Seriously, it is kicking our ass. They haven't sounded this fresh since, well, the last record, but this new one is out for blood. They sound angry, which is something that hasn't been heard since Vitology. Lots of loud, fast, pissed-off songs that reverberate with a new urgency. Apparently, being freed from a major label has given them a new sense of purpose, and they're out to carve a new stake in the musical landscape. Hopefully it will keep sounding this fresh.
April 27, 2006
Is it a Surprise to Anyone...
that the Springsteen Seeger album is pretty great?
No, it is not.
April 11, 2006
We Love the Indietits.
Obscure indie rock jokes are funny to us still. We're sure this will slowly fade as we age, but for now, this world is still eminently mockable.
March 25, 2006
Honorable Mentions
A few remaining folks who didn't get mentioned but who nevertheless still kicked out the jams:
Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine
Sleater-Kinney - The Woods
Tortoise - It's All Around You and covers album w/ Bonnie Prince Billy
The Soviettes - LP III
Ladytron - Witching Hour
The Posies - Every Kind of Light
dEUS - Pocket Revolution
March 24, 2006
LPs, anyone?
Alright, we admit it - we dropped the ball this year in our best-of list. We only got out movies and the worst-of lists, though we did manage a best singles of the year, which we're moderately proud of. However, there was no album list, and for this, we heartily apologize. So let us attempt to make it up to you: though there will not be the usual paragraph-long explanation extolling the many virtues of each of these choices (really, 2005 turned out to be an awesome year for music. Except for that Bo Bice fellow - he can go take a flying liplock on a stick of dynamite) we nonethelesss hope you are inspired to check out a few of these options. Without further ado (again, bear in mind, though MOST of these are new albums, some are pre-existing jams it took us until the past year to finally discover):
1. Four Tet- Everything Ecstatic
It's really hard to make emotionally affecting - but still bumpin' - electronic music. This has the goods and then some. Even the Boss felt compelled to give it props.
2. Foo Fighters - In Your Honor
All is forgiven, Dave. We've put "Learn to Fly" out of mind, and re-give you mad props. This is one of the only good straight-up hard rock records that has been on a major label for a long time. (though that 2nd "quiet" disc is kinda bogus, brah.)
3. Metric - Live it Out
It's no Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?, but the high points are higher, and it's definitely more effecting, lyrically and melodically.
4. Tegan and Sara - If It Was You
Man, these sisters make really good records. Period.
5. Cat Power - The Greatest
We were NEVER a Cat Power fan. She's a weirdo. But this new record, oh SNAP. She got herself the Memphis Rhythm band (read: Al Green's old backup players) and pounded out her most accessible album yet. It literally sounds like a collection of old standards, classics she re-did - um, we're trying to think of a bigger compliment.
6. Missy Elliott - The Cookbook
Missy be the name that ya already know.
7. Idlewild - Promises/Warnings
Aside from the obnoxiously emo title, there's nothing emo about these Brits. In fact, we're having a hard time recalling the last time we really dug a record of slow-cooking, powerful anthems made by Brits. (Shut up, already - Radiohead don't make anthems, no matter what you say.)
8. Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love
This is the best, most gorgeous jazz soul singer on the planet right now. Just an upright bass, mellifluous drumset, and the most incredible voice in the world. She could sing the phone book and we'd cry.
9. Dessa - False Hopes
Relative to her actual talent, by FAR Doomtree's most underrated rapper. And it's only an EP! It's that good.
10. Bruce Springsteen - Devils & Dust
Like, duh.
March 14, 2006
Debbie Harry, still bitchin' it up
Blondie was inducted into the Rock n' Roll hall of fame last night, and it seems knives were drawn:
As Blondie's Deborah Harry, Chris Stein and Clem Burke received their awards, they barely acknowledged former members Frank Infante, Nigel Harrison and Gary Valentine, reports the Associated Press. The slight prompted Infante to plead to perform with the band: "Debbie, are we allowed?" he begged before Blondie played "Heart of Glass," "Rapture" and "Call Me." "Can't you see my band is up there?" Harry snapped, prompting Infante to groan into the microphone as the three rejected members walked offstage.
February 21, 2006
The indie tits are back!
Little birds who talk about obscure bands and make stupid jokes. Good to have them back after a little hiatus.
February 09, 2006
Tegan and Sara are great.
Never heard them? Need proof? Here you go.
January 29, 2006
this is amazing.
Can't believe no one's ever sent us this David Hasselhoff video before. It's inspired. Probably by peyote.
January 24, 2006
odd days
We just noticed, while perusing the site, that it appears for some reasons that Sundays and Mondays have become completely anathema to blogging for the past month or so. We promise this will change. After all, Monday is the day when you take a look and catch up on what you missed over the weekend. Bad, bad blogger. Dirty, sinful blogger. As punishment, we will now re-read the Lindsay Lohan interview in the latest issue of Vanity Fair again.
Remember how Tegan and Sara's last record is really, really good? Well, it turns out the one right before it, If It Was You, is totally awesome as well. Great hooks, a little rougher and less-polished, it kicks pretty tough. True, a couple of the slow ones are a little cheesy, but overall, still an 8 out of 10. Go get it.
January 17, 2006
home again.
Back in Planetarium central offices, fully unpacked, and listening to the new Fiona Apple, which is definitely growing on us, as is the Great American Songbook CD included with the new issue of MOJO that has Springsteen on the cover. Everyone should go out and get it- only 8 bucks for the best boss interview we've ever seen in a magazine as well as a great collection of old story-songs by a variety of masters of the art.
Now that life is settling down once more, those long-heralded lists should be arriving very shortly. Sorry for the delay this year. But seriously, enough with the saucy emails wondering if the lists are made of magic and invisible.
December 12, 2005
A peace offering
For the recent complaints about movie news, here's something completely different: Leonard Nimoy singing "The Legend of Bilbo Baggins". Things like this are, as we always say, what the Internet was invented for.
December 04, 2005
R.I.P., electroclash
Last night at the bar, Planetarium was chatting with satellite-ers Kenny and AdamW when a particular tune from a couple years back came on, prompting Kenny to wax nostalgic about the brief reign at the top that electroclash enjoyed. "It came and went too fast." True, there are times we do hanker for the days of yore, when catchy beats and cheesy lines dominated the day. We have a feeling that when electroclash takes corporeal form to explain its untimely demise, the title of its autobiography will be The Hold Steady Killed Me. If you've a mind to, put on some Ladytron today and think about those halcyon times gone by, when even dorks with guitars were trying to seem sophisticated. (Hey Interpol, 1960's Paris called- it wants you to stop desecrating its corpse.)
November 14, 2005
More Presents!
November 05, 2005
sad Scottish
Planetarium finally "got" the new Idlewild album, Warnings And Promises TOok a while before it sunk in, as it's a very different record. Despite the totally emo album name, it's a good, dark record that really is- tonally at least- about being happy about being depressed. The good feeling that comes from an inspired kind of sadness. Mucho change of pace from the anthemic, it's-gonna-be-all-right of the last one, The Remote Part. So worth picking up, very much so, just be ready to adapt.
Also- the new Ashlee Simpson is pretty crucial.
October 23, 2005
Jaunts.
So, first off, apologies for the posting absence. Planetarium was at a friend's wedding in Iowa, where the population of Irish-owned Mexican restaurants is a lot higher than you'd think it would be. This week does promise some exciting things, not the least of which will be Martha Stewart shitting out her own head, having been buried deep within her own ass since jailbreak, due to the satisfyingly miniscule ratings her TV show has gotten. Some NBC execs must be playing Rochambo to see who gets to fire her bitchy ass. Also, Fitzgerald is supposed to hand out some indictments like they were Halloween candy. Dope. And I know all Planetarium's Minneapolis-based readers are particularly excited for the release of Saw II.
October 05, 2005
Let's Live it Out, Bitch!
Those of you who took to heart our year's-best-albums list back in January will recall that among the top five was a little gem by a band called Metric entitled Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? The album was great, but we are pleased to report that their new one, Live it Out (released today) just may surpass the first one in terms of quality and sheer ass-kickery. The angular guitar hooks, keyboard, and bad-ass vocals are all still in place, but they explore a bit more territory this time, a little artier. a little angrier, but still some of the catchiest new-wave-meets-seventies art rock music you could imagine. This is definitely a Planetarium pick of the litter, so go get it today.
September 27, 2005
Nice.
For Immediate Release September 27, 2005
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN:
COLUMBIA RECORDS TO RELEASE HISTORIC 'BORN TO RUN 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION' ON NOVEMBER 15
BOX SET WILL INCLUDE THREE SEPARATE DISCS INCLUDING A STUNNING DVD OF THE LEGENDARY 1975 HAMMERSMITH ODEON CONCERT; A DVD OF "WINGS FOR WHEELS: THE MAKING OF BORN
TO RUN," WITH NEVER BEFORE SEEN ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE AND NEW INTERVIEWS WITH ALL THE BAND MEMBERS AND MANY OTHERS; AND A CD OF THE BRILLIANTLY REMASTERED 'BORN TO RUN'
Columbia Records will release the 'Born To Run 30th Anniversary
Edition' box set on November 15. Personally supervised by
Bruce Springsteen and Jon Landau, the box set includes
"Hammersmith Odeon, London '75," an astonishing film of
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's legendary 1975
concert at the Hammersmith Odeon in London; the new film
"Wings For Wheels: The Making of Born To Run;" the classic
album in remastered CD form; and finally, a 48 page booklet
of previously unpublished photographs. With its two DVDs,
the package offers approximately four hours of previously
unseen footage.
September 17, 2005
Song of the Day
"In Your Honor", the title track off the new Foo Fighters record.
From the moment that Dave Grohl screams "Can you hear me?", after thirty seconds of a spacey fuzz and guitar riff, you know that you're hearing one of the best adaptations of Pink Floyd to have come along in a decade. We're serious, too- this song is a total Pink Floyd rip-off. Which makes it all the more amazing that the track is so good. Grohl proves that Roger Waters should have done more screaming. The rest of the album is really winning us back over to being an official Foo fan, as well, but there's time for that later. For now, go to Itunes, check out the track, and decide for yourself.
September 07, 2005
Five million against one
Every couple of years, a new Pearljam record comes out, and every couple of years, we waste our breath trying to explain to people who will never even hear the album that Pearljam has evolved into a great classic rock band, one of the best working today, in fact. And every year people go, "Oh, Pearljam, they're so bad," likely with visions of "Last Kiss" or "Elderly woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" running through their heads. These poor naysayers- so sad- don't know what they're missing. Planetarium finally got around to picking up their 2-disc odds-n-sods collection, Lost Dogs. It must really bum out some dudes that this bands' collection of throwaways is better than the best record their bands will ever create. Ever.
And hey- didn't we tell you to go buy Sleater-Kinney's The Woods? What's the holdup?
August 09, 2005
Patriotism to the nth degree
This guy really, really loves America. And he wants to sing about it. This is not for the faint of heart.
July 28, 2005
Good and Good
Planetarium World Headquarters has been a punk rock dance fiesta ever since the newly remastered version of X-ray Spex's classic album Germ-Free Adolescents arrived in our offices. If you've never heard this album, you should go buy it now. For you new-school folks, imagine Bikini Kill covering Sex Pistol songs. Seriously, Kathleen Hanna, you're biting Poly Styrene's styles pretty hard. It's an amazing record, though, and doesn't sound outdated in the slightest- unlike, say, the aforementioned Pistols tend to these days. And there's a saxophone; how can you beat that?
Also, the latest Boondocks collection is pretty great, despite being a few years behind, politics-wise. Consider this offering from 2003:
Huey: You think the Democrats in California are going to beat "the Terminator"?
Cesar: Depends. Is it too late to run John Connor?
May 25, 2005
Kidz Bop
Not sure to what extent you'll all familiar with the "Kidz Bop" phenomenon, but either way, this is pretty weird. Courtesy of Planetarium staffer andymcc comes this link, which if you scroll down and click on the 2nd paragraph, you'll be treated to the Kidz Bop version of "Since You've Been Gone" by kelly Clarkson. If you've seen Kelly's original video, there's a deeper appreciation, but either way, this is extremely weird and more than a little unsettling.
May 24, 2005
Into the Woods
Oh my god the new Sleater-Kinney record is SO FUCKING AWESOME. Got it last night, and spent the next hour driving around in the Planetarium-mobile listening to it. Um, can you say Zeppelin? Yeah, that's right. This record, we think, is going to make some Sleater-Kinney fans less than thrilled. Why? Because it will be TOO FUCKING ROCK for them. The first track, "The Fox", blows your eardrums off, and then number 2 is a little more "standard", just to remind you that, yes, it IS still S-K, and then they're off to the races again. Damn, this record is good. The Woods. Out now.
May 21, 2005
Blowin' Up
So we went out and got the new Hold Steady record yesterday, and from early indications it's just as rockin', if not more so, than the last one. Also, they're about to be fucking famous, so check it out before it goes to their heads. They're in Entertainment Weekly's frickin' "Must List" this issue, for God's sake. But man- really good rock n' roll.
April 16, 2005
You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You're Gone
It's rainy and dreary and beautiful today, and we're filling the PLanetarium office with the smoky sounds of Madeline Peyroux's new album, Careless Love. Who the hell is this thirtysomething-year-old white woman who can channel the spirit of Ella Fitzagerald so effortlessly? And break our hearts into tiny little pieces every time? And who else can turn a lesser Bob Dylan tune into an absolutely gorgeous jazzy soul number?
April 13, 2005
Best Single....of the past 4 months
Really, it seems like it might be a tie at this point:
-Gwen Stefani, "What You Waiting For?"
vs.
-Kelly Clarkson, "Since You've Been Gone"
Both songs have a strong argument to be made for them, Gwen's can't-stop-the-beat against Kelly's i-dare-you-to-fuck-with-THIS-hook. Any takers as to the winner? We just can't decide. (If you've been living on the moon with your fingers in your ears for the past six months, then head over to Itunes, where you can hear both songs for free if you watch the videos.)
March 07, 2005
Sisters and Brother
Time for a quick music Monday. Turns out Kate Silver was right about the lcd soundsystem record. It's really pretty good, and more diverse than the recent offerings from similarly-sounding cats like !!!. (Though, to be honest, "Most Tired when I'm waking Up" is a horriffically lame slice of Britpop. But other than that, good.) Planetarium finds it vaguely annoying when the British press are right about something.
But back on this side of the Atlantic, we have the lovely new record from Tegan and Sara, which has wormed its way right into our heart. Do you miss that dog? Tegan and Sara sure seem to. In spite of that, they've made an album that, while pretty "same-y" song-wise, nevertheless works great as an album, because it hits that perfect mood, and the hooks are just SO damn endearing and hummable.
On a quick note, if you've always wished that The Magnetic Fields were more electronic and that a girl would sing almost all the songs, then The Fiery Furnaces' new EP is just up your alley. Planetarium staffer Brunansky also commented that one of the songs sounds like Abba, so there you go.
March 02, 2005
Oops.
From Jan. 21st MPR story on the Current, 89.3 FM:
"Kling says the audience for the new service could reach 100,000 or more listeners each week. The two stations cost MPR $10.5 million. Kling says MPR officials are still developing the fundraising strategy listeners will hear, but the amount of on-air fundraising will be less than on the other services, at least initially. He says financial projections indicate the station can pay for itself."
We Were Right- Redux
From the Planetarium posting of January 6, 2004:
Every single uber-pretentious, too cool for school music critic from Village Voice to Spin to Skyscraper has just torn Britney's new record, In the Zone, a new asshole. A typical example would be Minneapolis' CityPages, in which a certain Matthew Wilder uses his review of In the Zone as an excuse to make all sorts of obnoxious comments, most of which seem to center around the fact that he is smarter than most critics....The fact is, Britney's record is just dandy. Better than dandy. If Wilder et. al would stop and notice the details, they would see they aren't wrong when they talk about the best producers money can buy. And those producers have crafted a damn fine modern dance-pop record, just like they were paid inordinate amounts of money to do....we guarantee "Toxic" is one of the best songs of the year and will be the biggest single from the album.
From Planetarium's Jan. 31st posting:
-Britney Spears' "Toxic". The best song of last year. Also, the first and likely last time we will agree with Keith Harris about anything.See, critics came 'round after pretending they were too cool for school.
From Dylan Hicks' essay on the Current in the latest issue of City Pages:
If I ran a radio station, I'd want the smart-pop snobs to hear Britney's Spears's "Toxic" not as corporate effluvium, but as an inventive, complex, silly, and damn fun piece of dance music- like the Postal Service, only better.
February 07, 2005
Kevin Bacon joins the music biz
We here at Planetarium have a new favorite music nerd site: Band to Band. Yeah, you guessed it: It's basically six degrees of separation for the indie/punk music scene. And they've really covered a LOT of their bases. We were able to get from Bad Religion to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in just seven degrees.
February 03, 2005
Dance everybody
First of all, before we commence with today's posting, the staff of Planetarium would just like to thank the Bush administration for moving ahead with its plan to completely dismantle the safety net that would have made sure we could survive after our retirement. We're SO glad the money will be placed in the stock market. To quote another smart person, "Have you FOLLOWED the fucking stock market lately? Why not just take all the money and bet it on a horse?"
Ahem. Anyways, in case you weren't aware, Universal International has finally gotten off its butt and given us a reissure of the Slits' classic album Cut. And it's a real doozy, with the remastering process giving the notoriously lo-fi album just enough warmth and punch to make it a lot better bang for your buck. Of course, it's a great fucking record to begin with (ever wonder where the Clash got some of their "let's incorporate dub" ideas? Look no further), but we were never really happy with the sound. Now, there's no excuses left for you to not own this. The women of the Slits deserve their place in punk rock history for this album, and we're glad to give it to them. Commence capitalistic duty.
January 31, 2005
...But surveys always suck
A musico survey, courtesy of Kate, who has passed the mic to me.
What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
Only 49 in Itunes, and an album or two that was burned via Toast (a fab program). Call us old-fashioned, but we like the feel of CDs, and the sense of "playing" something that's not a "file".
The CD you last bought is?
Hit up Cheapo last week and procured 4 albums for the Planetarium office: the new Low album, The Great Destroyer, which is actually a very good record- we're curious to see what the hip-critic lemmings decide they think of it, collectively; Die Electric's Push/Pull, which is rock and roll in the great American tradition of "rock and roll"; PJ Harvey's Dance Hall at Louse Point, picked up upon a certain bass player from Die Electric's insistence that it was her best release; and a new copy of Pavement's Wowee Zowee to replace the worn-out one. Which, by the way, also happens to be Planetarium's favorite album of theirs.
What is the song you last listened to?
"Since You've Been Gone", by Kelly Clarkson, which is fucking genius. They should hand out awards for songs like this. Oh, wait, they do. Anyways, it's phenomenal- what Avril Lavigne wishes she could do.
Write down five songs you often listen to or that mean a lot to you.
-Metric's "Combat Baby". File under: what all great rock songs should aspire to be like. A perfectly constructed song.
-Britney Spears' "Toxic". The best song of last year. Also, the first and likely last time we will agree with Keith Harris about anything.
-Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run". Duh.
-Low's "Little Argument With Myself". Quick, grab that beauty before it evaporates again.
-Idlewild's "Roseability". We're all always teenagers. And Gertrude Stein said that's enough.
Who are you going to pass the stick to?
Ben, who sure does like baseball.
January 09, 2005
Tops in 2004
Alright, we've been polling the office, tallying the results, arguing amongst ourselves, arm-wrestling, and of course lots and lots of drinking, but Planetarium is finally ready to present, slightly overdue, it's BEST ALBUMS OF 2004. Now remember the rules: These are not simply albums that came out in 2004, they are anything that we heard for the 1st time this time. Also, you will note that some of the reasons are rather abstract. This does not take away from the fact that they are still right. We're particularly surprised by the fact that, for the time in years, our list is dominated by rock albums. It's been years since rock has even cracked our top three, let alone practically run the board. Feel free to drop us a comment about one of your favorite albums from the past year, we're always on the lookout for the next band to earn a permanent place in our CD changer. (Or, if your recommendation sucks, we're always on the lookout for a new album to make fun of on the site.)
1. Poster Children - TIE: "No More Songs About Sleep And Fire" / "On the Offensive" EP
Apparently, releasing their best album in years wasn't enough for the Champaign-based P-kids this year. They also had to put out an EP of six covers of classic underground fight songs, such as "The New World" by X, "Clampdown" by the Clash, and our favorite, "We Don't Need This Fascist Groove Thing" by Heaven 17. New-wave rock and roll hasn't sounded this fresh in quite some time. They're also still a perennial best live band list-topper around here. If you've never seen them, we're not sure what the hell you're waiting for.
2. Tyrades - st
Listening to this album is very much akin to hearing an old song on the radio that you've always loved. Only, the song sounds like a girl screaming over two ridiculously loud chords being played over and over. There's something so charming about the Tyrades' brand of old-school noisy-crazy-punk, as though the album was recorded in the 70's and spent dusty years in a dustbin before someone brushed it off and released it. It makes us feel warmly nostalgic- and, for possibly the first time ever, we mean that in a very good way.
3. The Butchies - Make Yr Life
The bubblegum on the front cover of the record is clearly no accident: this is the most pop-friendly thing they've ever done, and amazingly, it still kicks ass. Kaia Wilson has really amped up the hook-to-song ratio on this one, because it's actually possible to sing along to almost every song. By the time their gorgeous, slowed down cover of the annoying 80's song "Your Love" brings the album to a heartbreaking close, we felt guilty for wanting Kaia to have more relationships end, so that she can keep putting out albums like this. Melissa York is also still one of the best rock drummers around, for our money.
4. Bonnie Prince Billy - Master and Everyone
Man oh man, what can we say about this one.....your heart will simply melt upon hearing it. Just Will Oldham and his acoustic guitar, strumming along songs of loneliness and pain, and very occasionally hope. For all you people who usually hate this kind of crap (and believe us, we count ourselves among your numbers), please do yourself a favor and just download a song or two from Itunes so you can be convinced.
5. Desaparecidos - Read Music/Speak Spanish
Whooo. Emo-tacular? Certainly. Heart-on-sleeve political? You bet. Wildly unoriginal? Without a doubt. But Rumsfeld-isms aside, this somehow manages to be a damn good rock record. We know, we can't explain it either. Damn you Conor Oberst.
6. Metric - Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?
Now this is the shit. New millenium Blondie, is really perhaps the best way to describe the sound of this fantastic NY 4-piece. Dance grooves, dark lyrics, basically the definition of "cool" music. You know that music that pretentious people listen to? This is like that, only without the pretension. Also, bonus points for naming a song "Succexy".
7. Menomena - I Am the Fun Blame Monster!
Yeah, these guys know their way around a studio. Their songs steal just the right amounts of Trans Am, Radiohead, and - dare we say it?- Elliot Smith, without being buried under the weight of all that ponderousness. Slow-cooked Spiritualized, for people who prefer a little less stupid drug use and "lush" orchestration. Also, they're about to be huge, so jump on the bandwagon now so you can claim you liked 'em back when.
8. PJ Harvey - Uh Huh her
Was anyone else pretty sure her follow-up to Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea was gonna be a rock album? If so, then you, too, are dumb. This album doesn't really rock at all (except for the delightfully silly/angry "Who the Fuck?") , but man, can this woman sing. Really sing. And in a sultry, come-hither-while-I-cut-you-up-with-this-big-ass-knife way. Possibly the album that best showcases her voice from her entire catalog. We're a little worried, tho: supposedly she announced in December that she's never playing live again. Booooooo.
9. De la Soul - The Grind Date
We're pretty sure you're sick of hearing us crow about how great this record is on the site, so we'll leave it at that. Wait, why haven't you bought it yet?
10. The Hold Steady - The Hold Steady Almost Killed Me
It's a bar band, man. Anyone can tell you that. A really rocking bar band, with really good lyrics. Our favorite: "My name is Corey/I'm really into hardcore/People call me HardCorey". Craig Finn been down so long, feels like up to him.
11. Ladytron - Light & Magic
Okay, so those British folks really anticipated the 2000s a lot better than we did. By taking old-school, Kraftwerk-inspireed beats and loops and throwing some pretty female pop hooks on top of it, these guys became the instant soundtrack for assholes in SoHo apartments having coke parties. Despite that, they still managed to make a good record.
12. Pearljam - Riot Act
This was brought into the Planetarium office by a true believer of the band, so, of course, no one gave it the time of day for months. Oops. Our bad. Turns out, these boys learned how to make really great classic rock. They should be touring with the Who, or possibly the Band. Seriously, close your eyes, hold your nose, and give it a chance.
13. Pretty Girls make graves - The New Romance
Pretty Girls Make Graves is almost singlehandedly responsible for re-awakening our appreciation for rock this past year. Filled with songs that strike the perfect balance between reinventing the wheel and knowing which tried-and-true formulas shouldn't be messed with, they went and did something that almost nobody does anymore: make a consistently interesting and original rock album. We'd call it progressive rock if that word wasn't still a little too loaded with connotations. If you've stopped listening to Fugazi, because, really, what's the point anymore?- then these guys (and gal) are for you.
14. Green Day - American Idiot
Again, who would've thunk it? The boys pull out literally every rock trick in the book. Anything good from the past thirty years, they threw it in. Clash? Check. The Who? Check. Dillinger 4? Double-check. Pink Floyd? Check. Plus, PLanetarium's C.E.O. got through the breakup of his multi-year relationship with this album. You can't fuck with that. All you suck-ass fools who talk about hating cheesy lyrics, have your life's love detonate in front of you, then we'll talk.
WHOO. We're exhausted. All righty, then, that's enough for now. Think it over, and we'll chat more tomorrow.
December 29, 2004
Whew!
After lots of fretting, pacing, and hmmmmm-ing, Planetarium is relieved and excited to inform you all that De La Soul's latest release, The Grind Date, is everyting we hoped for and more. We seem to be falling in line with a number of other critics on this one, but it's true: the new album ranks right up there among the strongest things they've ever done. Now, don't get us wrong, 3 Feet High and Rising is a landmark hip-hop album, and will probably never be equaled by them again. (Admittedly, it's a little tough to completely reinvent a genre more than once in your lifetime.) But for our money, this soars past even such greats as 1996's Stakes Is High. And for a group that's been at it for over 15 years, that's really saying something. We usually reserve this kind of way-late-in-the-game comeback for folks like Philip Roth. Happily, it seems the De La boys decided to one-up the "twilight-of-their-career" award that was earmarked for The Plot Against America. From start to finish, this release stomps over its territory with the confidence of a Shaq. Whereas 2002's Bionix had the sound of a group wondering how the hell they were going to handle this getting-old thing, Grind Date is marked by a sense of control, skill, and perhaps most surprisingly, exuberance. Allow us to suggest that by jettisoning the deadline of finishing Art Official Intelligence: Volume Three (the planned 2003 release that was scrapped), and giving themselves time, De La Soul reclaimed their passion, and remembered why it was they loved dropping rhymes in the first place. Hats off, gents- and to the rest of you, go buy the album.
November 08, 2004
on tour
Not sure if we mentioned this earlier, but the reason Planetarium isn't posting right now is because we're on tour, merrily criss-crossing the country plying our trade. If you are so inclined, click here to findout ifwe'll be stopping through your hometown.
Back to regularly scheduled blogging as of Nov. 22.
September 19, 2004
Gold Star for Lobster Boy!
So Entertainement Weekly has published its list of the "25 most-anticipated albums of the fall" list, and frankly, Planetarium is more than a little embarrassed by the large number of records from the list that we're interested in. Our indie cred took a big hit after reading this list. But by the same token, most of these artists are actually good, not just a guilty pleasure-type thing. We thought we'd share a few of the more promising ones:
- Eminem- Encore: Come on, even your Mom is probably curious to hear what this is gonna be like. Hmmmm, let's see, if history teaches us anything, it's that if all your work so far has been awesome, then this will be, too. No, wait- history tells us you'e due for a misstep.
- U2 - Not yet titled: Give them their props. okay? "Beautiful Day" is an amazing song, and if the new album has even one song that good on it, then Planetarium is damn glad they're still making music.
- Handsome Boy Modeling School - White People: We're gonna go out on a limb here: there is NO WAY this will not be good. You heard it here first- when Dan the Automator and Prince Paul get together, the result is more gorgeous than a barrel of snot dumped on Donald Rumsfeld's head.
- Tom Waits - Real Gone: Admittedly, you either love him or hate him; but since Planetarium falls squarely in the former camp, we could really give a rat's ass what you think.
- De La Soul - The Grind Date: If you're a regular here, you know that one of our favorite pastimes has been speculating about the next De La Soul record, and understandably so: it's like Nirvana coming out with a new record, or possibly the Beatles. When you've reinvented a genre consistently and simultaneously managed to stay not only relevant but in the top echelons of the field, especially in hip-hop, well, you're doing something right.
And that short list doesn't even include new Destiny's Child, new Talib Kweli, new Superchunk, and many more. Damn, that's some money.
September 11, 2004
Spins for the Buildings-Falling-Down Memorial Day
In honor of the fact that there's been remarkably little 9/11 memorial hoopla crapola this year (a welcome change of pace if ever there was one), Planetarium decided to post the songs that have been rocking our offices during this most politicized of days. Some were chosen for tackiness, some were chosen for obvious reasons, but all of the following tunes rule, and all are 9/11-themed today. In fact, someone out there should make a mix tape (or CD) of these songs, that'd be a damn good collection. If you do, please let Planetarium know, we'd love a copy. Ooh, or maybe a DJ mix of them: the 9/11 remix.
1. !!! - "Shit Scheisse Merde Pt. 1"
2. Hockey Night - "Sunny Day"
3. Rank Strangers - "President, We Say Go"
4. Mark Lanegan Band - "When Your Number Isn't up"
5. T.Rex - "Bang a Gong (Get it On)"
6. P.J. Harvey - "Who the Fuck?"
7. Shudder To Think - "Survival"
8. Jean Grae - "Hater's Anthem"
9. The Hold Steady - "Positive Jam"
10. Askeleton - "The Future"
September 04, 2004
Rock and Roll Over
City Pages has an interesting little story about the Vote For Change Tour, and how it's discovering some of the fascinating facts about the world of 527s. Whether or not, for example, corporations can buy tickets to the concerts by the Boss and Co., or whether that'd be, you know, illegal.
August 12, 2004
A small plea
Planetarium, as is well known, is not shy about going on the record (repeatedly) to express our disappoint with De La Soul's 2002 album Bionix. It's the sound of a group treading water, content in their reinvention from the previous outing Mosaic Thump, the first of the still-unfinished Art Official Intelligence trilogy. It was sad for us true fans to behold such a sight with a group that had, previously, never been content with ANYthing. De La Soul repeatedly pushed hip-hop forward, so to watch their musical boulder roll back down the hill, so to speak, was disheartening.
But now comes news that their third and final installment is due out in the next month, so here's a fervent hope that they got bored with being the Kings of the Hill, and decided to scale a new one. On that otherwise misspent last record, there were two tracks that hinted at the greatness that lay untapped. "Held Down", featuring Cee-Lo, provided a glimpse of the kind of things De La should be tackling- the concerns of people who look around and realize that, at some point, the lights come on and the party ends. It's a beautiful, haunting track, perhaps hitting its zenith when beatmaker Posdnous describes his young daughter looking at the TV during the ethnic cleansings of the turn of the century, and when she asks "why those people were lyin' on the floor, covered in red/ I tell her they went looking for God, and found religion instead."
The closer, "Trying People", is equally powerful, as though the group discovered that they have something to say before the album ends, frantically attempting to cram in the statements that carry the most weight, the grooves with the most pull. If they choose this path for the new one, things could be very good, indeed. Here's hoping for the bullies to find their pulpit.
August 10, 2004
Coming Out of the Closet
We can't believe we missed this when it first came out. After smacking ourselves repeatedly first, Planetarium now presents Bruce Springsteen's first-ever direct call to arms, at least in a media forum. He's been sprinkling his live performances with shit like this for years (in this last tour, he exhorted fans during a breakdown in "Born in the USA" to 'impeach the President!'), but he finally threw his hat in the ring. Good man.
July 19, 2004
Pimpin' Ain't Easy
This just in from AllHipHop.com:
"GANGSTA pioneer ICE-T aims to turn DAVID HASSELHOFF into a rap star — by producing the ex-Baywatch actor’s first hip hop album. Ice-T, one of the pioneers of 'gangsta' rap, told AP 'The man is a legend. We are going to show a whole new side of him.' The unlikely duo are near neighbours in Los Angeles and have struck up a close friendship. Ice is convinced medallion-man Hasselhoff can take on the biggest names in rap. He said from a New York hotel: 'He’s gonna come out as Hassle The Hoff. The Hoff will surprise people with his rap skills and humour.'”
Okay, sixty seconds of mockery.....GO!!!
*These days everybody wants to act like they got something to say but nothing comes out when they move their lips, just a bunch of gibberish, the muthaf***ers act like they forgot about Baywatch.
um...what else....oh!
*a baywatcher: $5
plastic bling: $5
"the hoff's" album: priceless
*screw you the Hoff. i will battle rhyme you any day of the week. your skillz are ineffectual and 1980s-related.
This is fun.
July 16, 2004
Best/Worst/What?!?!
The good folks at the Palm Post newspaper in Florida decided to try their hand at compiling a list of the worst songs by classic bands. Actually, they call it "worst songs by great bands", but we're gonna have to call b.s. on that. Come on- the Eagles? Really? Some of their choices for worst song are a little dubious, too. Sorry folks, but there are much worse Zeppelin songs than "D'yer Mak'er". Also, we at Planetarium think they missed a few. What about:
"Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town", Pearljam. Swear to God they were channeling Raffi for this one.
"Learn to Fly", Foo Fighters. This is just....forget it. We can't, it's too easy.
"I Love My Computer", Bad Religion. What in all that is holy they were thinking for this odious anti-technology screed, we don't know. Sample lyric: "I love my computer, you're always in the mood/ I get turned on when I turn on you." 'nuff said.
There's oh so many more, which you should feel free to utilize comments for, because nothing is quite so fun as seeing the worst in the best.
March 22, 2004
DJs of the Universe, unite!
Seems like everybody's looking for a copy of the DJ Dangermouse record these days...if you want a copy, email us here and we'll see to it you're directed to the proper folks....Planetarium doesn't feel like getting sued, so sorry for the lack of putting up a direct link to The Grey Album. You won't be disappointed by it, however. Great stuff, even if it's not usually your bag.
February 06, 2004
Are you there, God? It's me, Fargo
So, it appears that it's yet another Friday night, and Planetarium is at home, listening to/watching the Pearljam Touring band 2000 DVD. Amazing, of course, and an excellent soundtrack to melancholy. Those of you who haven't given Pearljam a chance in quite some time, wait until the next time you're melancholy, then try again- we guarantee you'll be surprised by how great it sounds.
So- Kerry/Edwards ticket? Kerry/Dean ticket, as Dean seems to be arguing for these days? Planetarium's holding out for the Sharpton/Mosely-Braun ticket.
January 06, 2004
Burning Spears
Okay, it's time to defend those who have been unnecessarily wronged. And today, everybody's favorite wannabe diva, Britney Spears, is busy getting her drunken marriage annulled, so we here at Planetarium thought we'd do the charitable thing and evxplain why her new album is really good, and the hipster critics are wrong.
Every single uber-pretentious, too cool for school music critic from Village Voice to Spin to Skyscraper has just torn Britney's new record, In the Zone, a new asshole. A typical example would be Minneapolis' CityPages, in which a certain Matthew Wilder uses his review of In the Zone as an excuse to make all sorts of obnoxious comments, most of which seem to center around the fact that he is smarter than most critics. The fuckin' irony here is that, just like every other faux-review, Wilder emphasizes repeatedly how he just wants to focus on the music, and whether it's any good. Unfortunately, aside from a comment about how Wilder doesn't think there is a strong single on the album (a debatable point), the man proceeds to completely ignore the music. No, wait- he does worse. He specifically identifies the fact that having the best producers money can buy is a really good thing- then contradicts his own point in his quest to say that the record sucks.
This seems to be the achilles' heel of every single review Planetarium has read. The Gods of Cred have decided that this album is poo-poo, and all good critics must fall in line. Normally, this is in the form of praise (Planetarium dares you to find a bad Yeah Yeah Yeahs review), but when everybody joins in for a good ol' fashioned dogpile on the diva, well, your roots are showing, folks. The fact is, Britney's record is just dandy. Better than dandy. If Wilder et. al would stop and notice the details, they would see they aren't wrong when they talk about the best producers money can buy. And those producers have crafted a damn fine modern dance-pop record, just like they were paid inordinate amounts of money to do.
All the hip kids love to paint Britney as an empty palette, a blank slate, soulless, on which any image can be crafted and remade to fit the target market mold. If that were true, don't you think Britney'd be a wee bit more popular at the moment? The truth is, Britney is getting dumped on so hard because she ISN'T being restrained enough. If her imagemakers had their way, she be smiling and sexy a lot more of the time, and putting her foot in her mouth a lot less of the time. This is not to be a defense of Britney the person, who may very well suck, but when you see review after review of supposedly independent people saying the same thing (and not just something like "War is bad!", but a convoluted theoretical argument on why you're not allowed to like a pop star any more), hey, something's rotten in Denmark.
So give it a chance. Hell, Planetarium will even burn you a copy. We at the head office have ben shaking our asses to "Toxic" for days.
Tomorrow: back to throwing up our hands in despair at the upcoming Democratic caucas.
December 13, 2003
2001 Revisited
Planetarium has been grooving for the past week to the rediscovered gem from the year that Bush started really screwing things up, Mogwai's first album of the new millenium entitled Rock Action. A great title that evokes exactly nothing of what you would expect from the record itself. Slow, haunting melodies that ebb and flow, with epic crescendos and valleys of sound that stick with you for days.
You can buy it here. Note that this is the Electric Fetus website, not Amazon. Now that everything is digital, gotta start finding new ways to support the independents. This seemed like a good way to do that. So, from now on, the first link will be to the Amazon site (just like on the Mogwai album link), so you can read about it, hear an mp3 or two if you choose, and so forth. Then, if you dig it, just click to the "buy it" link provided and help out the little guys. Hey, it's even the same price! Sweet!
November 28, 2003
The Pop-Rock Torch Passing...
Planetarium feels like there's rarely more than a few bands out there at any one time who actually INHERIT the great spirit of classic pop music. Not to say there's not other good pop bands out there, but that true ennui of great bands past is really only carried on by a very small number, wouldn't you say. And that spirit was carried for a good number of years there in the nineties by none other than....drumroll please......The Posies.
In order to illuminate how great they are a little better, allow me to present the logic analogy:
The Posies:Big Star::Big Star:Beach Boys
You follow? So rush right out there and pick up a copy of their classic 1992 major-label debut (and the best one), Frosting On The Beater. I wrote a review of it waayyyyyy back then about how the Posies were always kind of the band that it was cool to trash, but how they're inevitably worlds better than whoever's currently dissing 'em. So give yourself an early holiday treat, and check it out.
October 29, 2003
Elvis lives!
So, I have had an epiphany. For my birthday, I received a copy of The best of Elvis Costello. A 2-disc collection spanning pretty much everything the man has done since he started, right up to 2001. And, I have to admit, it opened my eyes. I had never been much of an Elvis Costello fan, not even after hearing the great stories of how Saturday Night Live had prohibited him from performing "Radio, Radio" on the show, and he went and did it anyway.
But I have to admit, I am now a changed person. Costello writes these songs that, at this point, sound like they were pretty much the definition of the eighties ballad tune, and they're AMAZING. No joke. So give Elvis a chance, check out this collection, and you won't be sorry. How can you hate a collection that opens with one of the best songs ever written: "What's So Funny ('Bout Peace, Love, and Understanding)"? You can't.
October 22, 2003
Tiny Music
Dear Planetarium, you haven't seen an update in several days. The red planet will likely return from orbit soon. In the mean time, I (Kate) am going to tell you about a record that you should hear.
Imagine a young Bob Dylan, having been shoved into the closet of some New York flat where he's chosen to crash, reaching for a guitar and singing himself demented lullabies. Singer-songwriter Ed Askew originally recorded Little Eyes in New York around 1971. It was his second record, recorded live-to-tape in a studio. It still feels pretty intimate, like he's camped out in your living room. The record was recently issued on the amazing local private-press De Stijl (responsible, in part for the recent festival and the revival of Michael Yonkers, whose Microminiature Love -- out last year on De Stijl vinyl -- was just released on CD by Sub Pop. The liner sheet even includes notes by Askew in lieu of lyrics: "The Face of Fire": Constructing a lyrical and passionate scenario; a love song to song." Fans of outsider/psych/folk/whathaveyou should investigate further into this record and label.
Read more about De Stijl here
September 04, 2003
Rock critics
Okay, my recent note regarding the absolute disaster that's passing for music writing at the Village Voice these days has apparently struck a nerve here and there with a few folks. Let me be clear: I didn't say YOU were an idiot for reading it- I say that THEY were idiots for writing it. Let me re-phrase that: THEY are complete, utter morons, the most pompous, self-satisfied pack of bastards that should be wiped off the face of the Earth, preferably with a large stack of White Stripes records.
Let me offer some rebuttals to these folks: Lester Bangs' Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung is music writing. Michael Azerrad's Our Band Could Be Your Life is music writing. Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk is music writing. Great writers, all three. And it's admittedly a difficult job. This dreck is an example of what is NOT good writing, almost a picture-perfect example of the kind of self-important crap I'm arguing against. You be the judge.
September 03, 2003
Top Five Lists
Okay, well, after perusing the lovely Kate Silver's blog today, and seeing how very likable and easy-to-read those "personal" blogs can be, I was a little moved. Especially by the lists of what music she's listening to right now. So, I decided to try it myself, and offer up to you, dear reader, the five "most unexpected" albums of the recent past. For example:
"Most disappointing album after a logical dose of High Expectations":
- De La Soul, Art Official Intelligence Vol. 2: Bionix
This album inspired me about as much as an episode of Gilligan's Island. It sounds bored with itself. De La had found an amazing path to maturity on AOI Vol. 1, and so to hear the follow-up be essentially the same thing- in other words, the guys got lazy- was a bummer. Especially from one of the best groups around.
There's 4 more...
August 09, 2003
Sing me a Song
God bless whoever invented Create a Band. This is the kind of absurd time-wasting mindlessness that the Internet was made for. Especially for dorky music nerds.