The crowd at a Modest Mouse show is similar to the type of people you’d see in a Denny’s at 3 am. You’ve got kids far too young to be out that late, teens trying desperately to be cool and look fashionable, the Denny’s staff who eternally look pissed off and, of course, the drunkards. Last Tuesday’s (2/24) Modest Mouse show (really more of a concert but it just breaks my heart to think of them as a band that plays ‘concerts’) was no different besides, perhaps, a few more drunkards.
Isaac Brock kept his talking to a minimum, which was nice seeing as how he’s an incredible prick. When he did talk between songs he made fun of some guys Smiths shirt. That was better than the last time I saw them, at least, where he told the whole crowd to fuck off before playing “Float On,” which, happily enough didn’t make the setlist this time around. The song selection consisted of a handful of songs off Good News, The Moon and Antartica, and The Lonesome Crowded West along with a few from We Were Dead and This Is A Long Drive and a relic from Everywhere and His Nasty Parlor Tricks.
The highlight of the night was easily “Talking Shit About a Pretty Sunset.” To hear Brock shout the lines, “You were looking kind of anxious in your cross armed stance, like a bad tempered prom queen at a homecoming dance.” to a room of thousands of cross armed Hollywood hipsters was the most blissful irony of my life. I was sure to put my hands in my pockets for that part.
“Dance Hall” off Good News For People Who Love Bad News.
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti is coming to play the Live Show on KSCR this Friday February 20th from 1-2pm. The L.A. five-piece will be opening for Animal Collective next Thursday the 26th at the Henry Fonda (a very, very sold out show). Tune in for a live set and interview.
Has anybody been feeling a little dicked around by Ticketmaster? If you purchased a ticket for the Henry Fonda show with Animal Collective, Lucky Dragons, and Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, then you may have received an alert via e-mail/phone yesterday that the show was re-scheduled for Monday 2/23. If you changed your schedule, then you may like me be totally pissed off that another alert arrived this morning that the show was re-scheduled again to the date AC has on their Myspace, Thursday the 26th.
We’ve already been through so many uncertainties and date changes. Ticketmaster really needs to get it together. I feel like I should at least be refunded my convenience fee.
The USC campus has never been immune to bicycle thievery, but in the last month this has proved especially apparent. Within my small circle alone, two bicycle thefts and two wheel losses (unfortunately including my own) have occurred in the last month. Here are a few tips for novices and experts for prevention:
Get a great U-Lock. This article by Slate may be two years old, but the principle remains the same: not all locks were created equal. Another lesson learned is that security may come at a price. The Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit U-lock was the winner and can be found on Ebay for as low as $50. An investment, really, as the true value of a bicycle is not known until it’s gone…
Even for short-term locking, use a cord lock in addition to the U-lock. Especially if you have quick-release wheels and even if you have a bolted-on wheel, an additional 15 seconds of locking really is worth it.
Lock through the frame, wheel, and to a rack, even if this means more walking to find an appropriate place. Pull the cord lock through your frame, front wheel, and to your lock.
Hello, Mellow, I know it’s hard to love an ordinary fellow muses Blu, on the track “Melo” off of the mixtape Her Favorite Colo(u)r, dropped earlier this week. A leaderin the reemergence of the Los Angeles underground hip-hop scene, Blu is hardly ordinary and extremely easy to love. Colo(u)r is a gem in the landscape of cluttered and over-produced internet mixtapes: simple, relaxed, and completely lacking in gunshots and sirens. It mixes samples ranging from the classic to the recent (including Billie Holiday, and a sequence from the 2004 movie “Closer”) with Blu’s meandering, laid-back flow reminiscent of Phife from the Tribe. The feel created is that of a sort of next generation Jazz rap; not quite as organic or ethereal, but just as poetic and honest.
Blu’s earlier work, on his debut album Below the Heavens, and his collaborations with Producer Mainframe under the name Johnson and Johnson, has shown Blu to be introspective and intelligent. His lyrics reflect a genuine concern for the state of the world, particularly the working youth. On top of that, he’s local. Her Favorite Colo(u)r showcases Blu’s growing talent and his maturity, still with the same flair for simple wisdom and multi-syllable rhymes.
See I’m not the same as Lil’ Wayne pleads Blu in the first verse of the songe “Untitled(LovedU)2″. In a world where autotune dominates (and in light of the release of “Prom Queen”) I think we can all be grateful for that.
