Chapstick Weekly
For the prudent gentleman or gentlelady
Top Tracks List
Crimewave – Crystal Castles vs. Health
Duke Dumont – When I Hear Mu’Sic
Shine – Ashbury
Hot Chip – Boy From School (Erol Alkan’s Extended Re-Work)
The Koop –
The Kills – Cheap and Cheerful
Instituto Meicano del Sonido – Escribe Pronto
Ghostland Observatory – Dancing on My Grave
cLOUDDEAD – Dead Dogs Two (Boards of Canada Remix)
Neon Neon – I Lust You (feat. Cate Le Bon)
Albums in my Car
Flying Lotus, 1983
Crystal Castles, Crystal Castles (Bonus Track Version)
Justice, Cross
Hot Chip, Coming on Strong
Gnarls Barkley, The Odd Couple
Smooth Lips and Hot Chips
Here’s a hot tidbit. One of the current members of Hot Chip is also a current member of LCD Soundsystem. Here’s a hotter tidbit: I’m going to see them on Thursday in
Clay,
I am going to karate-chop a live panther. Right in the neck or square in the head.
I am also going to participate in a live bake-off on stage as a piece of performance art with inspiration provided by the music of Hot Chip.
Not really either of those, but I do expect to shake my legs to rubber and wear clear through the soles of my shoes by the end of the show. If you haven’t seen the surprise 70’s twist that
Packed in the imaginary suitcase: a 6 ft. rubber dinosaur, 4 tablets of Metamucil, one 60lb oxygen tank, 14 clean pairs of white underwear, a late-model defibrillator, one unisex bed pan, and 60 individual servings of salted cashews.
What’s New to Me and Maybe New to You
The Crystal Castles
Wowpants. There are some tracks on their Bonus Songs release that will literally make you grab onto your socks. Are you looking for something danceable with an extra helping of sprinkles? You’ll be picking small sugary crunches out of the cracks of your dance shoes for weeks.
Flying Lotus
Let’s not forget that there was once a strong genre of music called lounge which can also be called downtempo. Flying Lotus is the glorious return of sitting and sipping and listening to music. It is also recommended for mid-day back massages, late-night rendezvous, and two-person bathtubs.
Colin Meloy
The singer for the Decembrists, his live album just came out, and is very good. His voice is haunting, his lyrics penetrating, and his guitar-playing more than adequate. He’s one of those guys that a guitar player looks at and thinks, I wish I were him.
In Case You’re a Dummy
Buy the Calvin Harris, I Created Disco disk. Don’t think about it, just do it. You’ll be dancing before the end of the first song, and you won’t stop until you break something or someone. He created disco, and that says a lot.
The
Chip. Chipchip.
Don’t forget Hot Chip, Coming on Strong. Their first proper (to use the British word) LP and a gem (ps. it’s probably the Hottest Chip), you can hear tantalizing lyrics such as “Even Stevie Wonder can see things,” “I was stunned by your revelations, then I forgot them,” and “Riding in my Pugeot, hey! 20-inch rims with the chrome, now, hey! Blaring that Yo La Tengo, hey hey. Hey hey.” You can’t go wrong on this album, and it’s like running into an old friend at the local produce section, then running into them again later on at the Hot Chip concert.
Where’s my Chippie?
I still can’t decide if all of their references are intentional, but I think even they would say it doesn’t matter. Let it play, put your windows down, go for a drive, and try not to dress like the lead man in Hot Chip, who seems to encourage wearing inappropriate outfits in appropriate situations.
There you are Chippie...There’s my Chippie.
Technology for Sounds: Pandora Radio
If you haven’t at least looked at Pandora Radio, go there and try it out for the day. www.pandora.com. You set up your music liking and it will really play some great tunes. Like any radio though, it has its drawbacks. You can, however, add friends, see what your friends are listening to, skip songs, view music profiles and offer reviews. Also a Plus: You can put it on your google home page. It’s worth a look and listen.
Some Things Are Funny
Like Bob Dylan and the Pulitzer Prize. You know, right now. At this very moment. That I am writing. “Bob Dylan – Mr. Tambourine Man” is the #3 YouTube rated video. How does stuff like that happen? It seems like news pushing news pushing pop culture is a swirling porcelain fiasco where nothing really advances.
I mean, I went and saw Bob Dylan play this summer. It was awful. If I hadn’t been with my family, I would have left. Him being awful now, doesn’t quite speak to his majesty during the great years, obviously. That sort of backwards logic doesn’t work on me, so don’t even think about giving me the Catholic guilt.
He was awful and that’s that.
Bob Dylan received a special citation for "his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power." That impact has come and gone. The only impact he is having on young artists now is finding a second career before they turn 70.
What impact is he having now? The #3 Youtube download. In association with his Pulitzer mention, Bob Dylan rises to the top of Youtube with one of his most over-played, easily-interpreted lyrics.
Is anyone else finding this to be crazy? I am. I mean, the song was used in Dangerous Minds as an example. Hey Mr. Tambourine Man, bring me some drugs because that’s what the kids are into.
The true influence here: don’t make anything too hard to understand. If you do, you may get respect for it, and a mention in a Pulitzer Prize ceremony (although he didn’t win anything). But you will be most well known and remembered by your barely-masked drug references
Side note: On Youtube, #2 is “amazing guitar player” (I’m not even going to watch that, although I’m now very tempted to. Someone watch it and let me know if it’s worth my time).
Side note: Sark (
Next Week:
Ghostland Observatory, AIR revisited, Mark Ronson, The Magic Numbers, the Hot Chip Recap, and more gloss for those puckering kissers.
