What the Pitchfork is going on here?!

So, WRUW regularly receives concert tickets to local shows to give away to listeners. All these concerts are listed in a big book at the station, and DJs sign up to give them away on a first-come-first-serve basis. We usually only have two sets of tickets to give away. And, being a college station chock-full of hipsters, most of the very indie shows are taken well before I get to them.

So that is why I am completely baffled by this: No one signed up to give away tickets to the upcoming Serena Maneesh show! Serena Maneesh, the Norwegian shoegaze band that Pitchfork regularly piddle themselves over! Completely vacant! I wasn't quite as blown away by the album as the magaziners were, but it's still quite good. And I hear they put on an amazing show. The only reasonable explanation I can come up with is that people stayed away since we don't have the album at the station, hence they can't play them on air unless they have their own, probably imported copy. Who knows. Either way, their bashfulness has left me with awesome tickets to give away. I am excited.

The show is at the Grog Shop Wednesday March 30th, at 9pm. The Volta Sound, a Cleveland band [I am personally unfamiliar, see their website for samples of music] and Henry James are openers. If you're interested in going FOR FREE, listen to Music Is My Boyfriend on WRUW FM 91.1 on Monday March 27th from 3-5pm for a chance to win a pair of tickets.

Maybe I'll even get a staff ticket. That'd be fun. And very very loud; I have a feeling earplugs will be a must for this show.

I may get Sir Mix-a-Lot all hot and bothered, but I cannot find a skirt

I went shopping with my mother today. I made a pretty decent haul, but was unsuccessful in finding the one thing I wanted for the upcoming warmer weather: a skirt. And there's one main reason for my failure:




Why must every skirt have a waistband of this sort? Why?! Here's a hint to designers: thick waistbands like this RARELY work for those of us with significant junk in our trunks and/or large hips!

Seeing as how I've been told on several occasions that I have "child birthin' hips" and a "badunkadunk," I have just about given up on this style of skirt. But damn it, they're all so pretty!

P.S.- On an entirely unrelated note, I noticed very odd music choices in two different establishments this afternoon.

1) Gap was playing "Funny Little Frog" by Belle and Sebastian (off of their newest album The Life Pursuit). Quite odd, indeed. Especially considering that their other album titles include The Boy With the Arab Strap. "Arab Strap" meaning the sex toy.

2) Fuddruckers played "Move Your Feet" by Junior Senior. It's a delightful song, but a bit unexpected from a burger chain famous for their excessive 1lb burger.

Boy, Can't You See We're Through?

It's obvious that girl-pop and I are not going to be through any time soon.

My newest love is the Pipettes' "You're Kisses Are Wasted On Me," which can be downloaded here (via Fluxblog) for a short time. You can also stream it and other Pipettes songs on their myspace page. If visuals are your thing, the video for "Your Kisses..." can be seen here (via YouTube).

The song starts out as pretty typical girl-pop fare; cheer-like shouts to the backbeat of handclaps and rhythmic pounding. I immediately liked it. Certaintly something I'd dance to, though nothing amazing. A bit bratty sounding.

But then! That chorus! I've heard a few Pipettes songs before, and never did I expect such a lovely voice. Seriously, where did that come from? I knew they could craft a nice hook, and knew their way around vocal harmony--but this? Wow! It's catchy, gorgeous, and delightful.

The combination of punk-girl spunk and almost 50's doo wop vocals is very interesting indeed. Modern, but classically catchy. I love it.

" Aw frig, my microwave popcorn!! "

Lately, I've been thoroughly enjoying Dinosaur Comics. For those unfamiliar, the somewhat daily internet comic uses the same panel of pictures for each comic. The only thing that changes is the text. You'd think it might get old after a while, or come off a bit gimmicky. But somehow, Ryan North really pulls it off. It's always different, interesting, and funny. I have yet to tire of it. Part of the fun is seeing how he'll transform the same old pictures each day. Of course, his geeky sense of humor helps a lot too.

In the usual boredom associated with being home, I was wandering the site and found that there is a wealth of Dinosaur Comic merchandise. The T-shirts, like the comic, are quite amusing. For obvious reasons, I was drawn to this one in particular:


(Taken from www.qwantz.com)

As their description of this shirt says, it's based on a character mentioned in only one comic. Somehow, I think that fact makes the shirt even funnier. And independent from the comic, you can't deny the humor of a diplodocus wearing a mortarboard named "Professor Science." I mean, come on.

Needless to say, I must have this shirt. Just in case I ever become a professor.

The Ear's March Munchings

After a long and unannounced hiatus, I have returned. It's spring break and I believe things have finally calmed down long enough for me to attend to my much neglected blog. And the first matter on the list is updating "The Ear's Current Cravings" section. As you may have noticed, the selections were a bit . . . old. Sure, it's possible that I've been listening to Low's Christmas album through the holiday season, all the way into March. But, really, I don't like Christmas music that much during Christmas. So I certainly wouldn't prolong the experience. Even if Low is wonderful.

I've decided to write a little blurb on the albums I select each time I update the section. I like the idea of having a personal record of what music I liked and why at different times. And, who knows, maybe people are curious. Or maybe I have an inflated ego.

I haven't been very aggressive in finding new music to listen to lately. Most likely a result of being overworked and stressed out. The majority of these are favorites that I've rediscovered as of late.

Björk - Homogenic
I've often heard people complain of not liking Björk's vocals. And I remember being among them for a short while. I had to be in just the right mood to listen to her. But, having given Homogenic a good proper listening, I can't find any justification for my prior feelings. Her talent for arranging and composing is self evident throughout the album. She has quite the knack for combining avant sensibilities with more traditional composition techniques. And good grief can she sing. Examples: "Immature," "Bachelorette."

Rachel's - Selenography
I have yet to discover a Rachel's album that I dislike. But of the ones I've heard, Selenography is my favorite. It's a bit more traditional than, say Systems/Layers, but it still manages to be captivating, complex, and original. It's also a bit more cohesive than some of their other works. The overall mood of the album is somewhat dark and brooding--when I played one of the songs on my radio show, a caller commented on how "haunting" it was. All in all, it is lovely music.

New Pornographers - Mass Romantic
Needless to say, I love me some good pop music. And that is exactly what New Pornographers provide. Honestly, it took a while for this album to grow on me. Though I'll lose a bit of "indie cred" for this, Electric Version was the first New Porno's album I heard; I didn't listen to their earlier work until later. After a few listens, however, I quite like Mass Romantic. They really use Neko Case's powerful vocals to their fullest here. There are fewer "oh wow! This is so catchy!" moments than Electric Version, in my opinion. But when they do happen, they'll be in your head for days. "Letter from an Occupant," anyone?

Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit
The only recently new album on the list! I'm not familiar with the entire Belle and Sebastian repertoire, so I'm not qualified to judge their latest effort in full context. But, based on its own merit, I quite like The Life Pursuit. It is delightful, catchy, well crafted power-pop. It's far more upbeat than anything I expected from them. Sometimes, though, surprise is nice.

Rockpile - Seconds of Pleasure
I owe Matt (aka The Definitive Source) for this discovery. This Nick Lowe fronted band has a real knack for fun, clever songs. They sometimes get a little silly (see "A Knife and a Fork," a song about a woman eating herself to death), but never lack wit. It's a short and sweet, effortless-sounding album with plenty of catchy moments. After singing "When I Write A Book" in my head for nearly a day straight, I am convinced of Nick Lowe's song writing brilliance.