REVIEW: DOOMTREE – FALSE HOPES 15 (2009)
5 emcees.4 producers.1 house. (give or take)15 false hopes. It’s got the makings of a reality television show. And that’s what’s behind the Doomtree collective out of the Twin Cities. While the one house may be a stretch, False Hopes 15 definitively debuted with Blowou
Review Roundup: Vampire Weekend, Crash Kings, Smile Empty Soul
Vampire Weekend – CousinsTruth be told, I wasn’t a fan of their debut. While refreshing and charming with its melodic pop, “A-Punk” and Co. lost its carbonation and became stale too quickly for my musical tastebuds. However, “Cousins” shakes off that perishable shelf-life
REVIEW: FELT – FELT 3: A TRIBUTE TO ROSIE PEREZ (2009)
Confession. I hate hip-hop. The beats are repetitive, unimaginative to the point it may as well be techno. Lyrically, it only (mis)treats drugs, abuse, and violence. There no true musicianship behind rap, nothing that makes me want to learn an instrument or be a better artist. Welcome to early 2003,
PHOTOGRAPHY: P.O.S IN PARIS (MAINS D’ŒUVRES)
Minneapolis’ P.O.S. traversed the St. Croix over to Saint-Ouen just north of Paris’ péripherique highway in support of his stellar Never Better, released earlier this year via Rhymesayers. The club is tucked away but still saw a strong showing including a couple more Minneso
ITUNES’ DIGITAL 45S DEBUTS
Yesterday New Music Tuesdays (Mardi Melodies in iTunes France) debuted a new salvo of sound in the form of Digital 45s. Those flippy black disks are back, digitized, heavily featuring tracks from the 1980s and earlier when you could actually find 45s in stores with relative ease. I may be young
PHOTOGRAPHY: JARVIS COCKER’S GALLERY WEEK IN PARIS
There are pluses and minuses to living in Paris. Minus, you’re in the #2 most expensive city to live in in terms of cost of living (Chicago, you’re #6). Pluses? The food, bien sûr. The concert life; a healthy mix of everything from everywhere. The art scene; traditional and eccentric. Two
Concert Review + Photography: Busdriver at Glaz’Art (Paris)
Busdriver (Los Angeles, CA)March 6th, 2009Glaz’Art in Paris, France Glaz’art is a unique venue in Paris. Of course there’s art gracing the walls, but atypically these are pieces you can actually purchase instead of look at. Granted, they’re out of my price range by…miles…i
CONCERT REVIEW + PHOTOGRAPHY: CHARLIE AT CAFÉ DE LA DANSE (PARIS)
Charlie (Lyon, France) and Barcella (France)April 28th, 2009Café de la Danse in Paris, France Talk about fresh new talent. The up-and-coming sweet chanteuse, Charlie, performed her first big headlining concert in a packed Café de la Danse in Paris. Selling out about 300 pl
FILM REVIEW: IRON MAIDEN: FLIGHT 666
With Earth Day wrapped up weeks earlier and environmentalism on the mind, the concept around Iron Maiden‘s Somewhere Back in Time World Tourcould shock some. Decked out in their own Boeing 757 dubbed ‘Ed Force One’, the band embarked on a global tour stopping both at familiar and far away lo