Transmission keeps bringing the goods, and this year they’ve certainly increased the exposure for the finest little fest in ATX; Pitchfork announced yesterday they’re hosting the first-ever webcast for Fun Fun Fun. That means all you unlucky souls who can’t make it out to the Shores, or Austin, can still partake in one of the finest lineups ever concocted for this festival’s short life. All four genre-specific stages will be accounted for on the webcast, though Pitchfork hasn’t announced who exactly will be shown. A location change, an app with a taco locator, a lineup the size and stature of Texas, and now a webcast? Hosted by Pitchfork?! The McDonald’s of hipsterdom?! Looks like Fun Fun Fun Fest is on its way from the underdog to a major player. They keep this up, they might need a fourth Fun.
This is the third and final post for my picks for SXSW 2011. Today I’m looking over the parties that span many days and feature a slew of bands and musicians.
Today is Part 1 of my picks for shows/parties at SXSW 2011. Â Today, I’m covering my picks happening during the Interactive portion of this year, from Saturday, March 12 to Tuesday, March 15. Â I couldn’t find anything crazy awesome for Friday, March 11 that wasn’t “badgeholders only” or “sold out,” so if you know of something, get at me! Much obliged! Let the party begin!
Saturday – March 12
Okay, first up is the Mogwee Party, which you need to RSVP to here, which is happening at the world-famous Mohawk. Â Not the best lineup, IMO, but it’s something to get me into the SXSW groove, and I wouldn’t mind seeing Washed Out and Black Joe Lewis again.
Including this one, an in-depth analysis of the phenomenon that is the Gathering of the Juggalos.
Today, Consequence of Sound released their Top 100 Albums of All Time list, and it’s pretty damn impressive, if you ask me. Take a gander.
Finally, Pitchfork had a pretty cool article on the new trend in indie album covers – amateur retro photography. Think the latest from Vampire Weekend and Crystal Castles.
Perhaps it’s my jaded cynical old age catching up with me, but lately I have been exposed to some things in the pop culture world that really irk me. And as a form of self-therapy, I’d like to share them with you today.
For the most part, when browsing Pitchfork’s recently-posted Top 50 Music Videos of the 90’s, four names dominate: Chris Cunningham, Hype Williams, Michel Gondry, and Spike Jonze. And all four of these men completely deserve their recognition – they all, in their own way, directed only the finest of what is considered to be the best decade for music videos. MTV was still influential and watchable, and the medium of video promotion was still powerful in the music biz.
This burgeoning new phenomenon had transformed into a well-produced, highly-financed, ultra-creative artistic landscape that the 80’s products couldn’t touch. By the time of the 2000’s, however, the luster was lost – the best videos were buried in the over-saturation of the Web, and the “music” cable channels ceased music programming. Still, we have the 90’s – the golden age of the music video, and Pitchfork, more or less, covered the highlights.
There are many personal favorites of mine that didn’t make the cut – perhaps one day I will compile my own list of top videos from the 90’s. While video lists usually lean towards either ranking in terms of influence or innovative spectacle, Pitchfork teeter-tottered between the two, leaning toward the latter. With this in mind, it’s a decent list – like most lists, it has some glaring omissions, which are recognized after the jump.
Tuesday thru Sunday will be post-less, as I will be traveling and partaking in SXSW 2010. So, to get the rest of you as pumped as I am, here are my personal picks for parties/shows happening this year. These aren’t all necessarily shows I will be attending (I’m sure a lot of them are happening at the same time), but they are all ones that I would probably go to if they were more spread out. In this vein, SXSW is a blessing and a curse….but mostly a blessing.
Also, check out The Top 13’s list of day-show picks – pretty awesome.
I saw these guys open for Ted Leo at CMJ in October, and it was a pretty enjoyable show overall. I remember thinking that there are a lot of bands that are trying this indie-electro/tribal music in the vein of MIA, et al, but few manage to deliver with such irresistible swagger and inescapable melody.
Today the duo releases a new EP titled Settings (pictured above) and they have a slew of SXSW dates planned, so I definitely plan on seeing them again to observe their progression. In the meantime, I’m jamming this track, “Real Life,” featuring a dominant drum beat that feels like it’s about to collapse but keeps coming back on rhythm, speeding up to catch up with the rest of the song. And it succeeds, everytime.
