that cuckoo clock…necessary!?

so i’ve had the bonnaroo myspace page open all day because they’ve been doing periodic updates on the lineup. why they couldn’t just announce it all at one time, i have no idea. personally, i think it’s more exciting to keep hitting refresh until the whole thing pops up and then react accordingly. im not being sarcastic.

anyway, they have this super obnoxious cuckoo clock that makes ridiculous noises every time new bands are added to the existing list of bands that will be performing at this year’s fest.

plus, there’s a countdown to the next “unveiling” so you can countdown.

hip. hip. hooray.

so far, no big surprises, but feel free to join in on the fun here.

UPDATE: CHECK OUT THE FULL LINEUP.

“it’s like surfing on ecstasy!”

talking about mgmt’s new album, DUH.

the tracklisting for congratulations is out (or has been?), and here’s what the guys have to say about it:

“It’s definitely going to shock people,” Vanwyngarden told Spin of the new album’s sound. “We dropped any sort of irony that was on the first record, and Congratulations feels true to who we really are.”

He went on to note that the album’s nine tracks, which includes the incredibly titled track “Brian Eno”, are “sequenced to flow with sonic and thematic coherence.” Basically, we’ll be surfing, as that will be the “unifying influence” on the album, Vanwyngarden explains.

“There’s a surfing thread throughout the record,” he explained, citing specifically a song called “It’s Working.” “When you’re surfing, there’s a specific break you’re paddling to. And when the waves are really good you say, ‘It’s working.’ The song kind of has a surf-y vibe. It’s like surfing on ecstasy!”

Other tracks on the album include a 12-minute-long track titled “Siberian Breaks”, which features a theme about surfing in the Arctic Circle by Russia, and the “very nightmare-ish sounding”, Lady Gaga-inspired “Lady Dada’s Nightmare”. You really can’t make this stuff up.

still not sure if they are being serious or not. guess we’ll find out on april 13th.

(via consequence of sound)

the many conflicts of guster

there’s a new studio journal entry from the guster guys, and it is hilarious.

they’re almost done with their new album, so they kinda took us on a brief historical journey through their previous releases, and how this new one came to be.

There are so many dynamics at play, it’s tough to say why this album has been over a year in the making, but over the course of our careers we’ve always had these forces to contend with in the studio:   Guster vs. Nature, Guster vs. Label, Guster vs. Technology, Guster vs. Lyrics, Guster vs. Producer, Guster vs. Guster.  It’s that last one that can be a real dagger.

you can read it all here.

song of the day 2/4

yeee odd blood comes out soon!

if you like cut copy, passion pit, or mgmt, check out yeasayer. here’s “ambling alp.”

song of the day 2/3

it’s a howie kind of day.

i don’t even like this song that much, but watching him perform it is mesmerizing. double the loop stations, double the fun. and yes, i know his hair is terrible.

“bunnies”- howie day

peter gabriel covers bon iver

remember back when i wrote about peter gabriel’s upcoming covers album?

well, the bon iver “flume” cover is out.

i’m disappointed it’s not as weird as i had been hoping. i don’t know how i feel about all the orchestral backup…sounds like it should be on the titanic soundtrack or something.

listen to it at stereogum.

“what does being nominated for a grammy mean to mgmt?”

quite possibly the most loaded question that has ever been asked on a red carpet. i literally held my breath because i was so afraid of what the answer would be.

this poor reporter clearly does not know to stay away from any kind of philosophical question that attempts to categorize mgmt’s music and/or taste. he is basically just asking to be destroyed. sadly, he does not seem to pick up on the fact that he is being mocked by the band for the entirety of the interview.

this is not a hallucination.

michael jackson tribute from the grammys, yall.

5:25 = too good to be true

da grammys.

man i really need to liveblog these next year. so, so many cringeworthy moments.

like right now, jamie foxx is singing “blame it on the alcohol,” but the performance began with some kind of greek-ish opera and was introduced by robert downey, who came on stage to keane’s “somewhere only we know.” oh, and jamie foxx is wearing a confederate soldier’s uniform. i know…WHAAAAAAAAAAAT?!?!? this can’t be real life, right?

oh wait. what LOOKED like a conductor in a white suit with crazy blonde hair turned out to be t-pain. t-pain, you trickster, you!!! and now there’s some other well-dressed rapper on stage too, and the crowd is going absolutely wild!!! i have no idea who he is, but i guess hes preeeeeetty famous because the people in the building are LOVING IT.

and slash has taken the stage. yes, we’re still talking about the same song.

sadly, i missed the first hour or so, so i missed what i’m sure was an EPIC performance by gaga. i’ve taken the time to list some of them. anyway, i’ve taken the liberty to list some of my favorite moments from tonight. you’re welcome.

• katy perry saying that alice cooper is her fashion inspiration
• pink swinging from the ceiling wrapped in a bedsheet, wearing nothing but pieces of tape (literally)
• miley cyrus introducing the black eyed peas (could a worse thing exist ever?!)
• fergie (and no one else in the room) giving kings of leon a standing o. sportsmanship!!!!
• kings of leon talking about how drunk they are (you’ve really worn out that talking point, dudes.)
• dmb loses to green day
• mgmt being nominated for “best new artist” and actually being in the audience, even though they didn’t win. inexplicably, i could not stop laughing because it was like a terrible anachronism before my very eyes. it was so weird to see them at a public, mainstream event because i swear, those guys are aliens.

when are we, as a country, going to stop excusing taylor swift from being the worst singer alive?! i love her, but come on, america, i’m pretty sure she’s tone deaf. what is this version of “you belong with me”? it took a turn for the worst as soon as the first note was played on the banjo. and stevie nicks is playing a tambourine that was bought at the souvenir table at the renaissance festival.

i must say, though, i love the grammys because you get to hear lionel richie’s “all night long” and seal’s “kiss from a rose.”

OH WAIT…3D GLASSES ON, GUYS!!!!! BECAUSE EVERY AMERICAN HOUSEHOLD HAS A PAIR OF THOSE JUST LYING AROUND SO WE CAN WATCH A MICHAEL JACKSON TRIBUTE VIDEO THAT IS ALSO A TRIBUTE TO MOTHER NATURE.

celine dion, carrie underwood, jennifer hudson, usher, and smokey robinson. together. at last (???)

i’m sorry, but is there a monkey in the background while celine is singing?! oh yep, and butterflies and a child acting “whimsical” (?). this is the creepiest thing i have ever ever ever seen in my whole entire life. i just texted my friend: “i feel like i’m smoking hashish. this can’t be real.” his response: “who is the hideous haircut blackwoman?”

THE AUDIENCE IS WEARING 3D GLASSES!!!! THE AUDIENCE IS WEARING 3D GLASSES!!!!

i’m emotionally drained. i’ve exhausted every ounce of brain power in my very being trying to rationalize everything that i just witnessed. to everyone that was watching: i think we, as a collective body, are all closer because of this. but i’m kinda mad i wasted that mind explosion graphic up there. sorry, guys. i just didn’t know.

so i guess this kinda turned into a live blog. i’m stopping now, though. i have nothing left to give.

“airplanes”- local natives: the video

one of my absolute favs from 2008. can’t wait for this album to hit u.s. soil next month!

more about “Local Natives – Airplanes“, posted with vodpod