Culture Greyhound

Trailers for upcoming movies. Some are good, some not as much.

Back in the 70′s, there was only Johnny Carson.  But since the retirement of the undisputed King of Late Night in 1992, there has been a plethora of new shows pop up, each with the same basic formula, but unique in their own way. After reading Bill Carter’s The War For Late Night, I have become addicted to late-night television all over again.  So I am starting a new series of posts dedicated to the many hosts out there currently making us laugh after prime time, analyzing one at a time.

After Strangers With Candy and a long, successful stint on the Daily Show, Stephen Colbert had a pretty genius epiphany.  With the aide of Jon Stewart, he launched the Colbert Report, modeled after the insanity of conservative television pundits on Fox News, blindly partisan and patriotic, ignoring facts over feeling.  The prime mocking/homage target was “Papa Bear” Bill O’Reilly, who, unlike his Faux News peers, has taken the jabs in good spirit and half-flattery.

While it was common knowledge Colbert would be playing a character every night, an irrational, interrupting, bombastic, overly patriotic, conservative blowhard, no one would have imagined the following he would capture, the media attention he would get, and the long-lasting spectacle that the character would become.  From delivering his press correspondent’s speech in character to visiting the troops in Iraq, to, most recently, lambasting the new de-regulation on election campaign finance by starting his own Super PAC, Colbert has lassoed in a slew of diehard followers, affectionately known as the Colbert Nation, who will follow him and Stewart, Glenn Beck-style, to the National Mall donning costumes and humorous signs.

And while Colbert usually gets lumped as Robin to Stewart’s Batman, the show and demeanor are anything but alike.  While the Daily Show attacks the issues of the day with a straight-forward, mocking, sometimes too-preachy-for-some tone, the Colbert Report is the lighthearted alternative, focusing on the absurd and more visual gags.  He tackles the issues in a different light, mocking, yes, but as an individual pretending to defend idiocy and hypocrisy.  And if you’re not in on the joke, you just might be fooled.  It’s that level of creativity that makes Colbert sometimes even sharper than his “opening act.”

It’s been taking forever and ever, but True Loves, the debut from Brooklyn psych-dance-pop masters Hooray For Earth, finally drops June 7th.  And the group recently leaked another amazing, catchy, ghetto-blasting banger from the album, the brilliant “No Love.”  Grab it and blare it repeatedly.

Hooray For Earth – No Love

While you’re at it, revisit my 31st favorite song from 2010, the infectious title track.

Hooray For Earth – True Loves

And revisit my 63rd favorite from last year, the band’s collaboration with Twin Shadow.

Hooray For Earth and Twin Shadow – A Place We Like

The Cars – Blue Tip

buy album

Cheeseburger – Tight Jeans

buy album

Marissa Nadler – The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You

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Iceage – Broken Bone

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Jhene Aiko – Club Stranger (Nguzunguzu Remix)

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JAMES BLAKE – LINDISFARNE from martin de thurah on Vimeo.

Every Saturday, I post a 15-20 minute podcast featuring some tracks I’ve been jamming the previous week, as well as some commentary and random musings from yours truly. Enjoy!

Tracklist:

Cheeseburger – Winner
Kreayshawn – Gucci Gucci
S.C.U.M. – Summon the Sound (Purity Ring Remix)
Drake – Dreams Money Can Buy
Wiz Khalifa – Wake Up

Radio Hits One: Shinedown’s Marathon of Rock Radio Domination (Village Voice)

The Worst Thing About The New Generation Of “Raunch Pop” Is The Way It Makes Sex Utterly Boring (Village Voice)

Poptimist #39: Continuing Backwards (Pitchfork)

Music, Movies, Television, etc. Pop culture reviews for the short-attention-span Internet age.

The Lonely Island – Turtleneck and Chain

SNL’s Digital Shorts peeps are back with a sharper, funnier, and musically more enjoying album than Incredibad, if that was even possible.  While there were many highlights and instant classics on the trio’s fake-rap debut, there was a strange amount of filler.  But Turtleneck and Chain sums things up in less than forty minutes with all gold, save for a weak Santigold track near the end.  Duets from Akon, Snoop Dogg, and the one and only Michael Bolton (best song on the album for sure) keep things fresh and funny.  Bonus points for the album cover.

Rating: 8

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It’s just a few months old, but cassette-based WHOA WHOA Records is already making a splash in the underground lo-fi scene with two impressive releases, and much more to come. The first is from Pakistani cowboys Sunny Ali & the Kid, whose new EP Try Harder is a 50’s-influenced, fuzzy free ride.

Next up is Teen Witch, my new favorite garage band. Listen to a track from their self-titled EP below, available for purchase from WHOA WHOA.

TEEN WITCH – I Don’t Mind by WHOA WHOA

Grab both EPs here, and look out for more WHOA WHOA releases coming soon, including material from up-and-coming Lubbock rockers Naked Pictures and Altered Zones-lauded Night Manager. Listen to a track from the latter below.

Night Manager – Do I by WHOA WHOA