Despite the threat of thunder, lightning, and pouring rain, yesterday’s show at Brooklyn’s McCarren Park Pool featuring MGMT and the Ting Tings filled the place to capacity–even on the celebrity side, as Agyness Deyn and Kirsten Dunst were both in attendance. Alas, I had a date with an awesome Mets victory, so I was not in attendance, but I got a feel for the afternoon’s vibe via those sweaty New York City types who can’t help but gloat about their ability to stand in line and, therefore, be better than everyone else in the comments section of Brooklyn Vegan. Their writings have been giving me fits of laughter/periods of despair at our future, and naturally, I couldn’t help but share some of the “best” comments, with the definition of “best” either meaning “funniest” or “aptly capturing the multitude of reasons I was happy that the Warped Tour was my weekend all-day outdoor concert of choice.” (Hey, I am a girl from Long Island. I know my place.)
Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times is taking a midseason look at the contenders for the Grammy Awards’ fourth or fifth most prestigious award: Best New Artist, which has been given in the past to such luminaries as Paula Cole, Arrested Development, and A Taste Of Honey. Looking at all the exciting music produced by those who qualify for the award, it’s really anyone’s guess who will take home the prize next February. No wait, the winner’s definitely going to be Duffy, isn’t it?
Since many people find it hard to tell the great from the godawful when it comes to 21st-century mainstream rock, welcome to “Corporate Rock Still Sells,” where Al Shipley (a.k.a. Idolator commenter GovernmentNames) examines what’s good, bad, and ugly in the world of Billboard‘s rock charts. This time around he discovers a trio of modern rock heroes releasing a hit single under everyone’s noses, finally hears a certain blog-buzz band thanks to their rock radio crossover, and tries to figure out what makes one brand of strident political mersh-punk different from another.
Over the last few weeks, Billboard‘s Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart has seen a new entry by one of modern rock’s biggest mainstays, but it took me a while to figure that out, since said superstars are operating incognito.
MTV discovers weirdo art-rock bands playing smelly punk houses in Brooklyn, and since online news clips are what the kids now have instead of 120 Minutes, here’s hoping this still means the Dirty Projectors will sell a few more records. More »
MTV discovers weirdo art-rock bands playing smelly punk houses in Brooklyn, and since online news clips are what the kids now have instead of 120 Minutes, here’s hoping this still means the Dirty Projectors will sell a few more records. More »
