Culture Greyhound

I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this recently, but I really love Fun Fun Fun Fest. This year’s lineup might be the best one I’ve ever seen, and they’ve now added some pretty big names to it, including Spoon, Black Lips, and a shit ton of more acts for the already-stacked yellow comedy stage. Peep the new lineup here and grab your damn tickets already!

I listen to a lot of music everyday, but there’s usually at least one song each day that either describes how I’m feeling, what I’m jamming to, or just something new I like. I’ve joined the Tumblr ranks to share these gems with you rather than clutter up this blog. I’ve avoided Tumblr long enough….if you can’t beat them. My first post is up, and it’s a gem from Reba McEntire….who else?!

Visit and bookmark the page at CultureGreyhound.Tumblr.Com

“Like a good compost, we needed to ferment and turn the manure and garbage into fine, nitrogen rich dirt.” That’s how Les Claypool describes the hiatus since the late 90’s for Primus, who are back and apparently funkier than ever. At least that’s the vibe I get from the first leaked track from Green Naugahyde, their first new LP in twelve years, out September 13.

The song itself is reminiscent of Seas of Cheese-era Primus, with a more jammy, liquid-bass feel akin to recent solo Claypool outings. It also immediately reminds me of later Primus work, like Antipop‘s underrated “Ballad of Bodacious.” Original drummer Jay Lane keeps the groove throughout, Ler’s guitar playing is a signature, eery backdrop, and Les still packs a mean punch on his bass, not that anybody’s surprised.

In typical Claypool lyrical fashion, the track is an odd commentary on what a lot of people, or at least many loony fundamentalists, have been warning the rest of us about: the end of the world. As Les puts it to the fear-mongers, “who says lemmings can’t dance as they go over the cliff?” Listen to “Tragedy’s a Comin'” over at SPIN.COM.

As previously mentioned, Feist, the iPod commercial queen, is back on October 4th with her new album Metals. The first single debuted today on some radio station far far away from me, but thanks to the wonders of the Internet, we can all listen to it together via Soundcloud. Yay!

How Come You Never Go There by Feist

Why Rick Perry Is Headed to the White House (CNN Opinion)

Another Texan For President? (The Atlantic)

Perry Begins to Fill In the Blanks (Washington Post Blog)

Surfer Blood – Tarot Classics EP (out October 25)

Mastodon – The Hunter (out September 27)

M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming (out October 18)

Hella – Tripper (out August 30)

Feist – Metals (out October 4)

Texas Is Bigger Than Rick Perry

Rick Perry Was a Horrible College Student

What to Expect From Rick Perry’s Prayer Festival

The FP – Trailer from Trost Bros. on Vimeo.

Austin’s Drafthouse Films (best known for bringing us the hilarious Four Lions film last year) has taken a left turn for their second film for distribution – The FP, which premiered at this year’s SXSW to positive reviews, has been picked up by the company for an early 2012 theatrical release.

Based on what I can gather, The FP is an insanely toungue-in-cheek homage to old-skool post-apocalyptic street fighting flicks, only the weapons are….your feet.  And how well you can move them on a Dance Dance Revolution-type game pad.  The dialogue is chock full of slang and profanity, the acting looks deliberately intense, and the “fight” scenes….well, they look surprisingly awesome.  This is one to look out for  The premise itself might make you roll your eyes, but it seems pretty obvious the utter absurdity (and the not-so-subtle tribute to sports and competitive flicks in general) is this film’s selling point.  And I’m sold.

For many years now, Ben Folds has garnered a huge fan following and significant exposure with minimal conventional promotion.  He’s probably the most popular modern (and musically active) pop pianist.  And he really hasn’t had a notable “hit” per se, at least not since 1997’s “Brick,” recorded with the long-disbanded Ben Folds Five.  And whether you’re a newcomer or a longtime lover of Folds, you’re likely to enjoy this year’s 3-disc The Best Imitation of Myself: A Retrospective, to be released October 11th.

The set impressively covers a prolific career; Folds has certainly released a lot of material over the years, but this cuts to the chase, focusing on highlights and favorites from his quirky work with the Five to his more introspective solo material.  CD2 features a plethora of recorded live tracks, and CD3 delves into deep cuts and rarities.  But the main selling point, for me, anyway, was the inclusion of three new Ben Folds Five tracks recorded exclusively for this retrospective, the first material they’ve recorded in over a decade.  There’s also 55 tracks available in an online vault, exclusively available online through Ben’s website.  Peep the tracklisting below and read more here.

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With yesterday’s lineup announcement from Transmission, my heart is still a-flutter.  Though I’m not crazy about the move to Auditorium Shores, this year’s roster of talent has eviscerated any worry I had that this year might not be so fun fun fun.  The lineup is crazy good; though I’m not familiar with the Black stage as some of you (as is the case every year), I do have some picks from the other stages that you will most likely find me at come November 4-6.

M83

This is the one I’m flipping out over.  I’ve been dying to see an Anthony Gonzalez show for about three years and there’s no way I’m missing this one. Highest priority.

Hum

I’m a big fan of “Stars” and the rest of that seminal, yet somehow forgotten album You’d Prefer An Astronaut, and the kids at Transmission are like daytime talk shows for bands – they always can make a reunion happen.  I’m there expecting some spaced-out shoegaze rock.

Childish Gambino

Community might just be the best comedy on television, and Donald Glover’s Troy might be my favorite character.  But when Glover isn’t making me laugh (he’s also doing a stand-up routine on the Yellow stage), he’s wowing me with crazy wit rhymes.  Dude is a solid rapper, and this show should be nothing but fun.

tUnE-yArDs 

All I keep hearing is how amazing this girl is live, and I finally have the chance to witness it for myself.  Fest-goers and critics called her the indisputable highlight of Pitchfork in Chicago this year, one to not sleep on.  And as awesome as that new album is, you can bet I won’t.

Cold Cave

I saw them in 2009, but since then they’ve dropped the Depeche Mode/New Order thing for the most part – now the vibe, at least on their latest album, is more of a Bauhaus feel, and I’m curious to see how it translates live.

Radio Dept. 

One of my favorite albums of last year – Clinging to a Scheme – had that sweet, jangly shoegaze electro that I love so much down to a high-minded science.  This group has been around for a while, but they’re finally getting the hipster love they deserve, and I’m pumped to see the show they put on.

Cloud Nothings

If you’ve never seen Cloud Nothings kick out the jams, you’re in for a treat.  Just be prepared – you will not be able to stand still. At all.  Show is a rapid-fire blast of percussion and sweet hooks.

The Joy Formidable

One album most people have slept on this year is the surprisingly rock’n’roll Big Roar – I’m curious to see if these newcomers can translate their loud studio sounds and big choruses to a big ol’ park in downtown Austin.  I’ve got high hopes.

Public Enemy

This is probably the festival’s entire highlight – the one for the newspapers and bloggers and whatnot.  Austinites, riddle me this: if you had the chance to see one of the most influential, seminal, and downright badass hip-hop groups of all time, you’d go, right? Of course you would. Believe the hype.

Diplo

America’s Producer is gonna rock your world, along with his Major Lazer crew on the Blue stage.  And I thought I was getting spoiled when I saw A-Trak last year!

Neon Indian

I’m gonna hold off on this one until I hear the new album in October, but if it’s good, you can bet I’ll be wanting to hear those new tracks live.

Spank Rock

Fuck yes.  If any band can bring the fun x3, I’d place my bet on these guys. Sex jams and x-rated hip-hop.  Someone had to pick up where 2 Live Crew left off, and these guys do it properly.

Baths

One of the most legit producers I’ve seen in a long while, the beats and collages this guy cooks up just blow my mind, take a listen to Cerulean if you don’t believe me.

Purity Ring

I’ve been raving about this group for awhile – their music is encompassing of great pop and subtle sounds thrown in to create a pretty progressive, yet undeniably infectious, feel.  I’m very curious to see how they bring that studio texture to the stage.

WTF Award – Turquoise Jeep

I’ve slept on this, mainly because I’m not an Internet meme-chaser or whatever, but apparently these guys are a YouTube sensation and have been for a year or so.  Turquoise Jeep is a mysterious record label, headquarters location unknown, featuring a strange roster of artists that put out hilarious R&B/rap songs and post super-low-budget videos for them.  With a straight face…it’s hard to tell if these guys are in on their own joke or not, but I’m willing to bet they are.  Anyway, they’re booked for Fun Fun Fun, which is….well, it’s not the strangest thing Transmission has ever done, but it’s likely up there.

There are a ton of other bands on the lineup that I’m excited to see that I didn’t list here – these are just the ones that rank as high priorities for me (except for that last one, which I just thought was pretty damn funny.)  Once the schedule drops in September, there’s sure to be some nail-biting conflicts.  Like I said, I’m not too familiar with the Black stage roster, which is usually the case every year – not a big metal/punk/Danzig guy.  What are your picks for the fest?  What did I miss? What Black stage bands are you pumped about that I can’t miss? Educate me!