Crib Notes

Of all the musical combos that will probably never occur, a collaboration between the Carpenters, Metallica and Lil Mama has to top the list.

But thanks to Pittsburgh-based Greg Gillis — the man behind Girl Talk — such aural fantasies can finally come to fruition. (Don’t tell me it’s not a combo you’ve lain awake nights dreaming of?)

His newest album, the 14-track Feed the Animals, continues the trend that gained popularity with his ’06 release Night Ripper — a CD that featured him mashing together absurdly diverse elements to create infectious pop music. The new album is currently available for download from Illegal Art in the same name-your-own-price format Radiohead used last year with the successful release of In Rainbows.

The more you pay for Feed the Animals, the more features you’ll get. Five dollars buys mp3s or the option of FLAC files, plus a one-file seamless mix of the album; $10 gets you mp3s, FLAC files and the physical CD when it is released.

Those who choose to download the mp3s for free are forwarded to a rather guilt-inducing option list where they must check why they prefer not to pay. It reads:

(more…)

Bookmark to:

Radiohead plays Thursday at Lakewood Amphitheater and, being the eco-conscious angst-ridden gents they are, have suggested fans use public transit if possible. MARTA will be operating a shuttle service between the Lakewood/Fort McPherson station (s4) and the venue tomorrow night. Gates to the venue will open to MARTA customers at 5:30 p.m.The shuttle stops running one hour after the amphitheater closes. Fare’s $1.75 and covers both the shuttle and rail services. Parking at MARTA stations is free as long as you’re not there for more than 24 hours.

So jump on the North-South line and make Thom Yorke smile, maybe even cry. If you’d like to see how you can get from home to the MARTA station without having to drive at all, click here and tell the navigation droids what they want to know.

Bookmark to:

Today, rock ‘n’ roll sacred cow Radiohead cryptically announced the cities that will be blessed by its presence on its upcoming In Rainbows tour. And one of those towns includes Atlanta. There were no dates or venues mentioned, just the names of the cities. How lovely.

As you can tell by my sarcastic tone, I’ve never been a huge Radiohead fan. I think the band’s albums are OK, but it’s just never been my type of critical fruitcake, I guess. But the band puts on a mind-blowing live concert. I saw the band back in 2004 on its Hail to the Thief tour, and it was utterly amazing, one of the best arena shows I have ever seen. In fact, I had sworn off arena shows for many years, writing them off as impersonal and alienating, but Radiohead reconverted me to the experience of hearing great music amid a sea of thousands.

So yeah, when Radiohead finally announces a show date and venue, and if you can get yourself a ticket, then you should definitely go.

Bookmark to:

Since the Guardian interviewed musicians about overrated albums, I’ve decided to compile my own list. Please feel free to post a comment if you agree or disagree.

Nirvana – Nevermind
This has become the sound of 99X or any “alternative” radio station out there. It’s responsible for spawning some of the most heinous bands ever (i.e., Nickelback, Puddle of Mudd, the Vines). Critics say it’s great, because it brought the underground to mainstream audiences. No, it didn’t. What it did do was bring a watered-down, derivative parody of underground music to the mainstream. In other words, they threw the Pixies, Mudhoney, and the Wipers into a blender and filtered it through Butch Vig’s cheesed-out, pop-metal production. Now it’s considered the album that saved rock or something.

Arctic Monkeys – Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

From the amount of press these guys got, you’d think they were the Second Coming. It’s become a habit for the British music press to shit their pants every time a band of scruffy, doe-eyed, twentysomethings comes out of the woodwork (cough, cough, the Strokes). The problem wasn’t as much the album, but the insane amounts of hype it received. Unfortunately, the tunes couldn’t stand up to the hype. Now the band is facing a shit storm of backlash.

Radiohead – OK Computer
Have you ever noticed that the people who mention Radiohead as one of their favorite bands are always dumbasses? Hey, guy, guess what? Radiohead has been aping other bands forever. Sure, it adds some nice space echo and electronic bleeps and farts, but that doesn’t change the fact that “Just” is a rip-off of “Shot by Both Sides,” and “Let Down” is a Stone Roses song. Don’t get me wrong: I loved this album when I was in eighth grade, but I’ve come to realize how remarkably mediocre it is. Let’s face it. There are arguably two great songs on here – “Paranoid Android” and “Karma Police.” The rest is just decent, safe Brit pop with abundant bells and whistles.

Oasis – Definitely Maybe
I have to hand it to these guys for cultivating such hilarious, over-the-top rock-star personas. Their moron-brothers shtick aside, this album is B-O-R-I-N-G. Definitely Maybe is an exercise in how many different ways you can put together the same five barre chords. It’s the British Dookie. With that said, I still have a soft spot for “Live Forever.”

Pink Floyd – The Wall

I don’t think much needs to be said about this one. It’s the most bloated, self-important album of one of the most bloated, self-important bands. The scary thing is how the band stretched an EP’s worth of material across a double LP.

Bookmark to: