Had the distinct pleasure of schooling these Aussies on their Spanish whilst visiting the legendary Sound Factory studio in Hollywood, where Temper Trap have just finished mixing their new album with producer Tony Hoffer. Read about it via SPIN, and revisit the band’s big breakthrough jam below.
Tagged Australias, Sound Factory, Temper Trap, Tony Hoffer
Guitar god and Megadeath mastermind Dave Mustaine (above, left, a lot younger) invited SPIN magazine into his home to document his most prized possessions, some of which were M&Ms, medieval weapons and a miniature horse named Rocky. We overheard some strange things whilst there–talk of an upcoming apocalypse the details of which shall be revealed to “the elites”–but this article is just the fun stuff. (Buy me a beer and I’ll tell you what Lauryn Hill has to do with any of this.) You know, anecdotes about selling pot, finding God, and buying crossbows for small children. Cool video too. Check it.
Tagged crack cocaine, Dave Mustaine, Illuminati, M&Ms, Megadeth, miniature horses, Rocky, Ted Nugent
Attack on Memory by Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings is the first contender (and admittedly an early one) for the Best Album of 2012. Find out why via SPIN.
Posted in album reviews, SPIN
Tagged 90s, best of 2012, Carpark, Cleveland, Cloud Nothings, Dylan Baldi, emo, grunge, post-punk
Cool shit. Read about it. (via SPIN)
More behind-the-scenes business from last month’s HARD Haunted Mansion EDM festival in Los Angeles via SPIN. Further reading: yesterday’s post for the sexier stuff from HARD, and this lengthier feature on Electric Daisy Carnival (et al.) which digs into the cultural and financial capital that these events trade in.
Posted in event previews, features, SPIN
Tagged EDM, festivals, Gary Richards, HARD, raves
Posting this nearly a month late because it’s taken that long to recover. HARD Haunted Mansion, Los Angeles’ premier Halloween (don’t-call-it-a) rave found yours truly crawling through the catacombs of the historic Shrine Auditorium with photographer Erik Voake on a quest for some truly exclusive content for SPIN. Diametrically opposed to the common sense of all involved, we were allowed into the artists’ dressing rooms to witness pre- and post-game rituals, most of which involved copious amounts of booze (duh). The article appears as a photo gallery on SPIN.com, so here it is indexed for easy access:
I’m always the happiest when I can bring something local to the pages of SPIN. Though Grouplove’s constituent players are from all over the map, and they met on a small island in Greece, they call Los Angeles home and we’re happy to have ‘em. There’s an element of the blindly treacly in their songs, but just as beauty in music doesn’t equate to dullness, happy doesn’t always mean it sucks. Besides, there’s a decent amount of dark creeping through their stuff, so, you know, sharpen your sweet tooth or lay flat. Read the piece here, which includes footage of three songs performed at the SPIN offices. Gruesome video after the jump.
These #chillwave bros make power (106) moves on their new mixtape, Moon Killer, which features drop-ins from Das Racist’s Heems, a.k.a. Young Cocoa Butter. Plus, they sample Nas. Read at SPIN; stream and download below.
Posted in album reviews, SPIN
Tagged chillwave, Das Racist, Long Island, Nas, Small Black, Washed Out
Sharing this here a bit belatedly (it’s from October’s issue of SPIN), but it’s no less relevant today than it was a couple of months back. In a music industry (#whatindustry?) that has been in a constant state of tumult for more than a decade, the business of dance is booming. We’ve all heard that old “DJs are the new rock stars” chestnut a gazillion times, but it’s never been truer. Actually, it’s also misleading — rock stars had chart hits and huge record labels backing them. These guys commission their own jets to shows where thousands of kids await their favorite songs that have never been played on the radio. This article is, on a macro level, about the love-hate relationship that the mainstream has with rave culture. On a micro level, it’s about Los Angeles, Electric Daisy Carnival, Sasha Rodriguez, the nightly news and millions of dollars. (via SPIN)
Tagged dance, death, dollars, EDM, Electric Daisy Carnival, HARD, Insomniac, Los Angeles, rave, Skrillex, whatindustry
This dude had a heavy hand in making one of the best records of the last decade, Dirty Projectors’ Bitte Orca, and now he’s trying out his solo man steez. At SPIN.
Posted in album reviews, SPIN
Tagged anticon., Dirty Projectors, James Blake, Panda Bear, Raleigh Moncrief
