City Pages
Contributions made to the Twin Cities alt-weekly City Pages, from 2008 to 2009.
- Murs, Slug & Aesop Rock get their cake on ()
To express anything remotely resembling a slanderous shot at Rhymesayers is typically grounds for an ass-kicking in the Twin Cities. And if you take that one step further and talk smack about Atmosphere, you might as well start shutting down your Facebooks and your MySpaces, because some serious hate is coming your way. Even when […]
- To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie “In People’s Homes” Video ()
Continual Stereogum darlings Jehna Wilhelm and Mark McGee have popped up on the music site once again, this time debuting a new music video from their latest album Marlone. If anything, “In People’s Homes” is an outlier in terms of what can be expected from the band, but a diversion that is as enjoyable a […]
- To Kill A Petty Bourgeoisie release “In People’s Homes” video ()
Continual Stereogum darlings Jehna Wilhelm and Mark McGee have popped up on the music site once again, this time debuting a new music video from their latest album Marlone. If anything, “In People’s Homes” is an outlier in terms of what can be expected from the band, but a diversion that is as enjoyable a listen as […]
- Mashups of the Week: GZA & Johnny Cash ()
Technically this probably lands closer to a remix than a mashup, but considering the source it’s not a stretch to include it in this week’s post. The Hood Internet was recently asked by Wu-Tang’s GZA to put a spin on Mando Diao’s “Dance With Somebody” in order to appropriate the track for some fresh lyrics […]
- Stream Bon Iver’s final concert (ever?) ()
Bon Iver’s October 11 performance at the Riverside Theater in Milwaukee may very well be the band’s last… well, at least “until next year, or something.” Justin Vernon, whose heart has continually beat with For Emma, Forever Ago running through his veins since its independent release in 2007, is putting the band on an indefinite hiatus as […]
- Jeremy Messersmith to perform live at lunchtime ()
“I figured that those of you trapped in cubicles eating your paper bag lunches may need a bit of cheering up on a cloudy day like today” writes Jeremy Messersmith on his blog today. But even if you’re not in need of some emotional enhancement it’ll likely be worth your time to tune into Messersmith’s online […]
- Michael Ian Black; Michael Showalter Critics’ Pick ()
Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter are anything but strangers to one another. Both were members of the sketch comedy show The State, which found a home on MTV in the mid-’90s; both played roles in the 2001 summer-camp spoof Wet Hot American Summer; and the duo represents two-thirds of the Stella comedy trio (which landed the group a series on Comedy Central). Before […]
- Mashups of the Week: The Beastles return & “Glee” ()
After a few weeks of crapping it up, lobsterdust nailed a remarkable mix this week, utilizing a track from Queens of the Stone Age layered within some fresh Air. Though the song isn’t built on material from Air’s most recent release, Love 2 (which is highly recommended, by the way), it retains the French duo’s leisurely approach to […]
- Mashups of the Week: Obama & Lady GaGa ()
The Ting Tings have been completely played out this year, and in the process “That’s Not My Name” has unfortunately undergone the same treatment that Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” did a few years back. It’s still a solid song, but it’s been repeated to a point of exhaustion; no place else is this more truth than […]
- AFI Critics’ Pick ()
What a difference a decade can make. A Fire Inside initially formed in 1991, but disbanded shortly thereafter as core members enrolled in separate colleges. Over the next few years the band would reunite and record their first two full-length albums, but by 1998—which saw the release of both A Fire Inside EP and Black Sails in the Sunset—the original lineup […]
- Mashups of the Week: Reba McEntire & Brother Ali ()
With all the love Brother Ali has been receiving for his newly released album Us, it’s no wonder that the MC has received a little love from the mashup world as well. DJ STV SLV of Chicago’s Hood Internet recently dropped a track that combines Ali with the brilliance that is Flying Lotus. DJ STV […]
- Mashups of the Week: Girl Talk & Tron ()
This is the first clip (above) from RiP: A Remix Manafesto, one of the most important documentaries dealing with the remix generation and copyright laws in recent years (if not thee most important). It’s hard to tell someone that a mashup of Slayer and Madonna is a piece of art, but the idea behind separating sourced […]
- Mashups of the Week: Amanda Blank & the Beatles ()
Received this directly from DJ Paul V late last week, but considering today’s Q&A with the rapper/singer and her show this evening at the Triple Rock with Matt and Kim, posting it seemed oh-so-timely. From Paul, “Pretty simple A + B vs. C – but hopefully making for some happy, sex-sweaty dancefloors! J’adore the new Amanda Blank CD, and forever […]
- Japandroids Critics’ Pick ()
After a hazy guitar intro, the second track on the Japandroids’ debut album, Young Hearts Spark Fire, rolls into a an introductory beat comparable to that on Phoenix’s summer hit, “Lisztomania.” Mere moments after that the similarities between the two bands end, however, as the Vancouver-based duo take flight into the sonically explosive track with an energetic power […]
- Matt and Kim Critics’ Pick ()
Recent statistics show that nearly 10 percent of the adult population in the U.S. is affected by some sort of depressive disorder. And not to detract from the seriousness of the issue, but the vast majority of those afflicted could offer themselves some temporary reprieve simply by attending a performance by Matt and Kim. There’s something […]
- Mashups of the Week: “Hook” & La Roux ()
I have no idea what to call this, but if ever the term held true, bastard pop might be the most suitable categorization. I’m clearly late to the game in terms of this guy’s work, but Western Australia’s POGO has amassed a stunning collection of similar videos that have received a breathtaking response on YouTube; the producer’s […]
- Autolux Critics’ Pick ()
Pop quiz: Name a band from Los Angeles that has connections with a Nobel Prize winner, St. Louis Park, and Trent Reznor. Give up? The answer is eclectic California rock quartet Autolux. The band formed in 2000 when Carla Azar and Eugene Goreshter met while writing the score for Accidental Death of an Anarchist, a play written by Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo. By […]
- Lucy Michelle & the Velvet Lapelles Critics’ Pick ()
It’s been a little over a year since Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles dropped the band’s independently released debut album, Orange Peels and Rattlesnakes—and, oh, what a year it has been. A month and a half after the CD-release show, the band, led by the ukulele-strumming songstress Michelle, edged out Gospel Gossip by a mere two votes […]
- Mashups of the Week: Daft Punk & classic rock ()
Mark Vidler is widely considered one of, if not thee best producer to ever concern himself with mashups; then he retired for a while; then he un-retired… Now Vidler, under the guise of his Go-Home Productions moniker, has taken an advanced step towards pushing the understanding of a bootleg forward into mainstream production by shifting […]
- Kelly Clarkson Critics’ Pick ()
Few artists have seen such levels of both success and criticism in 2009 as Kelly Clarkson. Take her latest release, for example; All I Ever Wanted debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and has already outsold 2007’s My December. In January, the album’s first single, “My Life Would Suck Without You,” leaped from #97 to #1 on the Billboard Hot […]
- Bonnie Raitt Critics’ Pick ()
While names such as Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, or Ida Cox might initially come to mind when thinking of classic female blues singers, it’d be hard not to include Bonnie Raitt among the names of the best blues singers—male or female—who followed. And she can play, too. Despite having released 15 studio albums, Raitt might best be known for her biggest […]
- Kid Rock and Lynyrd Skynyrd Critics’ Pick ()
It might not make complete sense to call it the “CMT generation,” but the country music channel has certainly had an undeniable effect on the face of the genre. Historically, there’s clearly been crossover appeal between the country standards and Southern rock bands, but the past decade has seen an unusual collision between country, pop, […]
- Mashups of the Week: Madonna, Kylie Minogue & more ()
After opening with “It’s A Fact (Printed Stained)” at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, Matt & Kim broke into a song that found the crowd responding with a boisterous thunder: a rendition of Dead Prez’ classic “Hip-Hop.” The song’s electronic-based loop is one of the most recognizable to come from the decade and one that […]
- Reel Big Fish Critics’ Pick ()
Despite having been a band since 1990, Reel Big Fish didn’t really make waves until ska’s revival in the mid-to-late ’90s, when the band had their biggest hit to date, “Sell Out.” Later, they appeared in Trey Parker and Matt’s Stone’s spoof comedy BASEketball, in which they performed a rendition of a-ha’s “Take on Me.” Potentially it was simply a […]
- Blink-182 Critics’ Pick ()
Nearly four years after the group went on hiatus, the members of Blink-182 announced at the Grammy Awards this past February that they would be reforming. With an album of new material in the works, the group took to its first tour this past July—a 50-plus-date journey that will see the band on the road through October. Known for […]
- 40 oz. to Freedom Critics’ Pick ()
Though it might be a little much to expect any surprise guests to show up (as happened at the band’s recent Hollywood show, where Angelo Moore of Fishbone joined the band for “Date Rape”), it wouldn’t be unreasonable to hope to see a few shots of Jäger to be downed, or a hell of a show from what is arguably the […]
- Mashups of the Week: Bootstock, Jamie Foxx & more ()
Though he’s been on a hiatus from creating mashups (since his contribution to last year’s 2008 Mashed compilation, actually) Sweden’s Copycat has returned with a fresh track in celebration of AudioPorn Central‘s two year anniversary. From the Cat: “One of my absolute favorites during APC’s two-year existence is without a doubt Little Boots. We were quite early picking up La […]
- 999 Critics’ Pick ()
While there are many bands who helped shape the face of punk, many of them are rarely recognized for their work. Including bands such as Wire or Sham 69, the list of groups who helped steer the direction of the genre is a lengthy one. Another band of such caliber is 999–and unlike those previously […]
- Mashups of the Week: Annie Lennox, Iron Maiden vs. the Monkeys & more ()
A few weeks back Jimmy Kimmel hosted an interview with comedian David Cross on his late night TV program (though somehow the video now alludes me). Throughout the lengthy discussion Cross talked about his single attempt at trying crack an how he (sort of) met a member of Korn (which made for a fairly smooth […]
- Vans Warped Tour Critics’ Pick ()
Now in its 15th year, the Vans Warped Tour is returning to the Twin Cities with an impressive lineup of nearly 70 bands. As with years gone by, the tour is largely constructed from a solid foundation of punk bands; this year the lineup includes such Warped Tour veterans as Anti-Flag, Less Than Jake, Bouncing Souls, and Bad Religion. But this […]