Archive for August 2011
Low End Lion-O: A Review of Thundercat, The Golden Age of Apocalypse
Posted by: Keith Meatto on: August 30, 2011
- In: Music | Record Reviews
- 5 Comments
Many bass players are wallflowers. Stephen “Thundercat” Bruner is not one of them. On his debut record, the 25-year-old bass phenom moves like Charles Mingus, bumps like Bootsy Collins, jams like Jaco Pastorious, and wields his electric fencepost like a weapon of mass seduction. Despite its ominous title, The Golden Age of Apocalypse is less [...]
The Top 10 Videos of July-August 2011
Posted by: L.V. Lopez on: August 29, 2011
The summer was a slow time for new music releases, but it proved a spectacular time for new music videos. There were so many outstanding releases over the past two months that we had to exclude clips from site favorites like St. Vincent, Fucked Up, and Bon Iver. Given that we did not publish a [...]
For the Love of Arsenal – An Essay by Jay Tarbath
Posted by: Keith Meatto on: August 25, 2011
- In: Essays
- 8 Comments
Football’s a funny old game, as a reasonably famous television pundit in Britain once said. And he was right. One moment you can be beguiled by its beauty, the next you are mugged by its ability to frustrate and disappoint. I chose to support Arsenal Football Club having watched them lose a cup final. Yes, [...]
What My Spanish Mom Taught Me
Posted by: freyabellin on: August 24, 2011
For six months I lived in Sevilla, Spain, with my very own temporary Spanish family. My Spanish “mom” had very little in common with my real mom, but they both had a penchant for worrying about me, and feeding me. Actually, I think the two (worrying and feeding) are inversely related for them both: worry [...]
Another Travelin’ Song: A Review of The War On Drugs’ Slave Ambient
Posted by: Peter Lillis on: August 22, 2011
Adam Granduciel obsesses over the journey. His songs depict a nomadic life that exalts heading off into the unknown. What’s wonderful about the latest effort by his band, The War on Drugs, is its attempt to shed the undying romanticism with the road. Ditching the Americana-label for a gazier, psychedelic drone, Slave Ambient suggests that not every [...]
Brooklyn Hipster Chicks – The Chicken Meetup
Posted by: Keith Meatto on: August 18, 2011
- In: Essays | Food
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We didn’t know very much about chickens when we received ours in May, but as with most things (a kitten or puppy, a 100-year-old house, and I assume human babies), a lot of the experience is learn as you go. Still, I wanted to make sure we were doing right by our hens. The friend [...]
The Class of 2011: An Interview with Twin Sister
Posted by: L.V. Lopez on: August 17, 2011
- In: Band Profiles | Interviews | Music | Record Reviews
- 1 Comment
Long Island’s Twin Sister have been gaining momentum. Last year, their EP Color Your Life finished 13th in Gorilla vs. Bear’s best of 2010 list, and the band finished 3rd in the “Best Hope for 2011″ category of Pitchfork’s Readers’ Poll. 2011 has arrived and, following a well-received set at the Pitchfork Music Festival, they [...]
Less Is More – A Review of Beirut’s The Rip Tide
Posted by: Keith Meatto on: August 15, 2011
- In: Music | Record Reviews
- 3 Comments
Zach Condon is a tough guy to categorize. The Gulag Orkestra, his debut album with the band Beirut, was a hectic homage to Eastern Europe, inspired by a trip to the Balkans. His second album, The Flying Cup Club, was a love affair with French language and culture. On the new Beirut record –now streaming [...]
Frontier Mixology: The Maximilian Affair
Posted by: Roddy Rickhouse on: August 12, 2011
- In: Drinks
- 2 Comments
Of all the strange cul-de-sacs of European aristocracy, one of the most bizarre is Ferdinand Maximilian Josef, an Austrian prince whom Napoleon III installed as Emperor of Mexico in 1860s, and who was overthrown and killed three years later. Born into the House of Hapsburg, Maximilian was the son of Princess Sophie and Archduke Franz [...]
Two Brief Highlights: Bon Iver at Prospect Park
Posted by: L.V. Lopez on: August 11, 2011
Last night, Justin Vernon and his eight best friends played an epic show for a crowd of people in plastic-frame glasses as part of the Celebrate Brooklyn series in Prospect Park. We wish we could re-create the entire performance for you, but, in lieu of that, please enjoy the two highlights below: a Vernon solo [...]
