soviet panda

listening


visiting
Catch Dubs
Coax Me
The Modern Age
Pitchfork Media
The Strokes (for tour diary)
more

heavy rotation
The Walkmen - Everyone who pretended to like me is gone
The Strokes - Is This It
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
Liars - They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs EP
Ryan Adams

reading
Arcadia - Thomas Stoppard
Hamlet - Shakespeare
The New York Times Magazine
The Rules of Attraction - Bret Easton Ellis
The Fader Magazine

watching
SNL: Weekend Update
Chinatown
L.A. Confidential

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soviet panda

this ain't no party; this ain't no disco

saturday, september 21
 
ok... i have to say, Bauhaus "Third Uncle" and Interpol "Say Hello to the Angels"... pretty damn same.
posted by peter . 5:01 PM

 
nobody told me Beck did an electro song!
we like to ride on executive planes
we like to sit around and get real paid
posted by peter . 4:28 PM

 
haha. how to be electroclash
i dont know how i found that.
posted by peter . 4:18 PM


friday, september 20
 
ugh. college applications, tired, GETTING ATTACKED BY MOSQUITOES ON WEDNESDAY AT MARCHING BAND PRACTICE TO THE POINT WHERE I COULDN'T PLAY AND WANTED TO CRY AND GOT 15 MOSQUITO BITES ON MY LEFT ARM AND THEN THIS MORNING AT PRACITCE I PUT MY FINGER IN MY EAR AND GOT MOSQUITO DEAD PARTS AND BLOOD ALL OVER MY FINGER WHEN I TOOK IT OUT, tired, a cool psychadelic furs song, tired, marching band game tonite, tired, and I wrote that whole newspaper article in half an hour. I hope it gets in, but it very well may not. oh well i'm stupid.

i guess i'm just gonna post the article until I think of a better way to present that stuff:

I <3 NY Music
What do you think of when someone mentions New York City with regards to music? Chances are, at best, you remember Frank Sinatra’s hit “New York, New York.” If you are a little more cultured, you might recall the great bands that came out of CBGB’s in the late 70’s and early 80’s, like the Ramones, and the Talking Heads. But if you were asked about the current music scene in NYC, you would probably draw a blank.
In reality, New York City’s music scene is far from blank. New bands with only a few shows and maybe one or two singles under their belt are getting huge amounts of exposure. While the majority of them look back to rock music in the 70’s and 80’s for inspiration, they all sound incredibly different. Here’s a breakdown of some of the biggest bands coming out of New York recently, including their sound, their style, and suggested listening.
The Strokes – The first band to accumulate a huge amount of hype from the British music press, their debut The Modern Age EP (XL Recordings) got critics excited again for the future of rock music. The Strokes draw influence from a number of NYC bands, including the constant chugging guitars and distorted vocals of the Velvet Underground and the two-guitar interplay of Television. They add an unstoppable backbeat and lyrics about life in the city to create their own distinct blend of rock. Their debut LP is entitled Is This It (RCA) and, if you’re smart like me, you already have tickets to see them in all their thrift-store glory at the Aragon Ballroom on October 11th.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Guitar, drums, and vocals are all this NYC trio needs to make its danceable blend of raucous, raunchy rock. Led by the unstoppable Karen O, whose voice switches from carefree “doo-doos” to a blood-curdling scream in seconds, the YYYs have earned an amazing amount of press coverage in the UK. They have gained a large group of fans based solely on the strength of their self-titled EP (on Touch and Go Records), which sounds like it was recorded on a old four-track in the dirtiest, sleaziest basement of a club you can imagine.
The Liars – An LA art student, two Nebraskans, and a moustached, mulleted Australian lead singer named Angus make up the Liars, a New York group that turns the most dissonant noise into a danceable funk. Unstoppable bass lines, disco drumming, nonsensical lyrics, angular guitar riffs, and samples ranging from handclaps and cowbells to telephones and type writers all go into their debut LP, “They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top” (Blast First/Mute). You could listen to the CD to dissect the complicated songs or to have the most insane dance party ever. Angus will be joining his girlfriend Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs on a US tour that hits – or slams – the Fireside Bowl on October 26th.
Interpol – A well dressed quartet that sounds sort of like the Strokes, if the Strokes listened to a lot more Joy Division. Interpol puts their reverb drenched guitars, dark, stately vocals, and complex song structure on both a self-titled EP and their debut LP, “Turn On the Bright Lights,” for Matador Records. Elaborate guitar interactions, dark sounds and lyrics, and Interpol’s ability to switch from rocking to soothing in a second make them one of my most favorite new groups.
The Rapture – The guys that make up the Rapture have a lot of guts. By that, I mean that it takes a lot of courage to admit a love of disco to the entire world. I dare you to listen to their latest 12” single, “House of Jealous Lovers,” and not dance. It’s all fat bass lines, driving disco beats, twangy guitar riffs and shouted vocals.
Other suggested New York City listening: Enon’s “High Society,” Erase Errata’s “Other Animals,” Sonic Youth’s “Murray Street,” The French Kicks’ “One Time Bells,” The Walkmen’s “Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone.”

posted by peter . 4:55 PM


thursday, september 19
 
I cannot get into "Unknown Pleasures." partly because it only plays in certain CD players; partly because it's not very accesible, i dont think. but i like a lot of Joy Division, so i'll keep trying

and i want television, and the smiths. and jesus and mary chain, and talking heads, and ramones, and sex pistols, and gang of four, and psychadelic furs, and bauhaus, and I need money

ChronicShpilkes (11:47:08 PM): i have lost all desire to do beyond ravinia

Auto response from mooch 1 1 (11:47:08 PM): beyond ravinia

ChronicShpilkes (11:47:17 PM): or to do ravinia
ChronicShpilkes (11:47:29 PM): who needs a diploma, when they can have MEXICO, BABY!!!!!
mooch 1 1 (11:49:13 PM): lol
mooch 1 1 (11:49:16 PM): rofl
mooch 1 1 (11:49:19 PM): good point!
mooch 1 1 (11:49:22 PM): mexico it is
mooch 1 1 (11:49:25 PM): back to work :-(
ChronicShpilkes (11:49:40 PM): NO! MEXICO!

Auto response from mooch 1 1 (11:49:40 PM): blah

ChronicShpilkes (11:49:45 PM): DON'T LEAVE ME ON THIS, LANSKY!
ChronicShpilkes (11:49:54 PM): we could be so successful
ChronicShpilkes (11:49:59 PM): we're white
ChronicShpilkes (11:50:08 PM): and have american high school educations
ChronicShpilkes (11:50:13 PM): well, 3 years of high school
ChronicShpilkes (11:50:23 PM): but that puts us so far ahead of the majority of mexico!
ChronicShpilkes (11:50:27 PM): we'll make millions!
ChronicShpilkes (11:51:05 PM): wow, and you're blond and blue-eyed... you could be the next conquistador!
ChronicShpilkes (11:51:17 PM): i can't write a personal statement
ChronicShpilkes (11:51:33 PM): i just want to curl up in a ball and hope i freeze that way
ChronicShpilkes (11:51:42 PM): you know, like if you make a funny face, it'll freeze that way?
ChronicShpilkes (11:52:05 PM): then i could be a human rolley polley!
ChronicShpilkes (11:52:17 PM): and instead of going to college, people can just push me places!
ChronicShpilkes (11:52:26 PM): and it will be fun
mooch 1 1 (12:01:02 AM): rofl
mooch 1 1 (12:01:07 AM): i like your way of thinkin lady
ChronicShpilkes (12:01:16 AM): thank you!

posted by peter . 11:56 PM

 
best tv show ever: trigger happy tv
it's british Jackass. a guy in a gorilla suit steals a baby carriage, drops it, the baby falls off, and the father chases after. in broad daylight.

in other news, having non-divorced parents is probably a lot nicer than having divorced parents

posted by peter . 10:24 PM


wednesday, september 18
 
from Laura: The Vines do a video for "Outtathaway."
Craig sounds like he's gonna puke. Craig looks like he's gonna puke. The video makes me wanna puke. I mean it makes me dizzy and shit, yo
I have to watch it on a TV, but so far... it bites

CatchDubs is updating again... he talks about this concert, NYU's Freshman Orientation "Mystery Concert" at Irving Plaza. Their fucking orientation is played by Phantom Planet, Superdrag, and OK Go. and is attended by Fab Moretti and Ryan Adams. what the fuck dude? i'm so goin to school in NYC it's not even funny

Sigh... nothing happens in Chicago, while in Cali... Mr. Thom Yorke makes an appearance

Gotta love those musicians for political activism...

So tired. So headachey. But I've got Count Chocula, so it's all good yo

posted by peter . 4:29 PM


tuesday, september 17
 
I stopped watching the Real World halfway thru the hour long episode. Why:
1. The producers forgot the cardinal rule that all housemates must be attractive
2. The producers forgot their precise demographics: no gays!
3. Now, we all know that people on the Real World have a reputation for being stupid. The people on this show were not only stupid; they were actively stupid. Every single thing said was so completely moronic it stopped being funny [they didn't give the only seemingly intelligent guy any time to talk].
4. The housemates reminded me of going to camp at U of I. Everyone acts like they're in junior high and can only talk about couples being cute and hooking up while they are there.
5. One of the housemates reminds me of an ex-girlfriend. An ex-girlfriend with an attention-craving disorder.
6. Las Vegas gets a lot older a lot faster than scenes from downtown Chicago.
7. If the female half of the cast has to get completely naked in the first episode, you know it's awful.
8. I saw a commercial for a new show on MTV. Set to Interpol's "Untitled." Shoot me.
posted by peter . 9:50 PM

 
I burned my mix cd. It's on the last song. Lemme just say, it is really fucking good. I mean, like all compilations, it suffers from the fact that it wasn't produced by the same person or as a whole album. But it's really really good.

Speaking of Ryan Adams, looks like no "Is This It" cover album from the Adams man. But he's friends with the Strokes. Shit he lives across the street from them. NYC, once again, here I come.

The White Stripes make the next Eagles Greatest Hits? ...It's all in the details.

Dumb Blondies.

So glad I didn't see them. No one told me they were at the Aragon tho, jeez.

Um, Dave Grohl loves an emo band. Who woulda thunk

Still waiting for the Real World to come on... and I still have to write that damned film paper and article and read

posted by peter . 7:04 PM

 
I just read the White Stripes bio that Ryan Adams wrote at Triple Tremolo, the best White Stripes site. This makes me think Ryan Adams is really cool.. unlike his last album. Comments anyone?
posted by peter . 4:55 PM


monday, september 16
 
Ok, since my last post, I fell in love with the (I)NC. So sue me.

Real World Las Vegas starts tomorrow!! Woooooooo!
I know how bad it is. Really, I do. That doesn't change that it's the only TV show I watch faithfully. Tuesday nights at 9.

Music: Clinic [perfecto]

posted by peter . 11:49 PM

 
The (International) Noise Conspiracy makes me sad. Cause they suck so hard.

I mean, they look really cool. and the song "smash it up" gets this really cool groove going and has this awesome guitar sound at the chorus [that needs to be louder]. and the lead singer can execute the mid air scissors kick almost as well as howlin' Pelle.
but they have all this pseudo-political bullshit about socialism and like 'fight for your rights!' and of course some ignorant suburban kids are gonna be like 'oh they're so bad ass, and for a reason too!' They're all smoothly marketed to MTV2 and that's what they're against. And their politics are all really broad... like "capitalism is evil. stand up." and that's all they say.
and they have that wussy keyboard player

I guess what I'm saying here is that the Hives and the (I)NC should have a brawl. Cause the (I)NC would be like "you guys are tools" and the Hives wouldnt know what they were talking about, so they'd just beat them up.

posted by peter . 12:47 PM

 
So today I felt really crappy. I decided to lie down on my bed. I lined up some Walkmen songs to play on my computer, and I realized I don't have too many, so I lined up a bunch of other songs too, and then mixed them up according to what I wanted to hear. I was listening on my bed... and it was damn good. I've come up with this amazing mix. I call it "that great love sound." not because it's about love, or even that it's centered around that song. but it's a good name.
That great love sound
The Walkmen - Everyone who pretended to like me is gone
Ugly Casanova - Things I don't remember
Joy Division - Love will tear us apart
Interpol - Specialist
VU - Who loves the sun
Les Savy Fav - Je Taime
Pavement - Spit on a stranger [ahh, the pinnacle starts here]
The Raveonettes - That great love sound [continues here]
Sonic Youth - Karen revisited [cools down here]
The Walkmen - Wake up / Les Savy Fav - No sleeves [i can't decide]
Sparta - Mye
Talking Heads - Psycho killer
The Jesus and Mary Chain - Just like honey
The Smiths - Bigmouth strikes again
The French Kicks - Close to modern
Television - Marquee moon
The Walkmen - We've been had>
posted by peter . 12:24 AM


sunday, september 15
 
i am a scenester!




How indie are you?
test by ridethefader

You are so indie it hurts. You hang out with the coolest people in your city. It doesn't even bother
you that none of them know your name. You know lots of bands personally, you know a couple of
guys from We Hate The Mainstream Records, and you blag your way into getting almost
everything for free. That fanzine you write gives you extra kudos. You probably don't
even care that non-scenesters think you're a pretentious fuck.

posted by peter . 11:49 PM

 
From Laura... Kelefa Sanneh proves once again that if you're willing to sleep with anyone, you can get a job as a music critic for the New York Times. He says absolutely nothing about QotSA.
posted by peter . 3:19 PM

 
Sweden rocks: Maria Andersson, the 21-year-old guitarist and singer for Sahara Hotnights, had a blunter explanation for Sweden's prolific rock output. "Italy has sunny beaches," she said. "We have high suicide rates."

B..B...Beatles? George Harrison thinks something is too far out?

I got beat up last night. By 2 of my closest friends. Woooo

posted by peter . 12:26 PM


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