Andrew W.K. Is Awesome.

So the internet has been blowing up with hilarious Andrew W.K. videos recently, and who am I to stop it? The man is always having a good time. He loves to party, headbang, wear white all the time, play classical piano, and even though he got is break being a musician, he goes on "tour" as a motivational speaker.

So, first up, we have Andrew W.K. on a late night comedy-disguised-as-news show (as opposed to news-disguised-as-comedy a la Stewart or Colbert) that's on super early in the AM on Fox news:

(Thanks to George.)

Next is Andrew W.K. on a local Fox channel as guest weatherman.

(Thanks to Adam and videogum.)

Third, we have Andrew W.K.'s performance at Gathering of the Juggalos '08.

(Thanks to Matt.)

And finally, Andrew W.K. has a new show that just premiered on Cartoon Network. It involves kids, explosives, and Andrew W.K. Here's the trailer for that:


Look awesome? Thought so.

Okay, I'm done. Sorry this post didn't have much to do with music. My excuse? Andrew W.K. is awesome.

Now listening to: Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness (2005)

If Feedback’s Nonlinear, It Can’t Be Straight

Here's an interesting article I just found on Tiny Mix Tapes. It's titled "If Feedback's Nonlinear, It Can't Be Straight: Noise Music as Queer Expression," which is an awesomely witty title if I've ever heard one. The basic argument it makes is that both traditional concepts of tonality and traditional concepts of sexuality are arbitrary, meaning that we have similar misconceptions about noise music and homosexuality. Since they can relate to something that is seen as being outside the social norms, it follows that the noise genre attracts more homosexuals per capita then traditional music genres. It's definitely an interesting theory, and a good way to link two things that we as young, socially-conscious music lovers can relate to, in a way that I surely never could have.

FYI there are a number of references to lyrics about homosexuality, sadomasochism and other kinds of "deviant" sex. You've been warned. Skip reading the article if those are things that make you uncomfortable.

Now listening to: Dodos - Time to Die (2009)

jj?

So, you're all already aware that I'm a big Air France fan. When their No Way Down EP dropped last summer, their shimmering, Baleric-tinged songs were billed as the humid summertime answer to their Sincerely Yours labelmates, The Tough Alliance.

And this summer, here comes jj, whose new EP, jj n° 2, is billed as the humid summertime answer to their Sincerely Yours labelmates, Air France. Hm. I didn't know Air France became an electroclash act in the past year. In my humble opinion, The Tough Alliance is already pretty clearly dance-lite, and being two generations lite-er than that is going to have you walking a pretty fine line.

All this is to say: I really want to like jj, if only because of their association to Air France and Sincerely Yours. But I don't know if my stomach is tough enough to handle something that sounds this much like Enya. Other things that I'm torn about regarding this record include the lead single "Ecstacy" that samples Lil Wayne's "Lollipop," and that cover art up there (cool concept, but anything with a pot leaf on it loses major cred points, cause that's lame). I'll keep you updated and let you know if this is a turning point in my life, in which Sleepy Hollow becomes my favorite radio program.

Decide for yourself:
jj - Ecstacy
jj - From Africa to Málaga

Now listening to: jj - jj n° 2 (2009)