Wednesday, March 10, 2010

HIPSTER RUNOFF

HIPSTER RUNOFF

Did Zooey Deschanel rip off Britney Spears and/or Feist in her new music video?

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 05:48 PM PST


Zooey Deschanel is in a band called She & Him with some bro named M Ward. For some reason, they have indie credibility, I think because she has cute bangs, and because she is married to the Prince of Indie Music, Benjamin Gibbard. In She & Him’s video for “In the Sun”, you can tell that they are jonesing for mainstream traction.  They utilized several different visual gimmicks to attempt to subconsciously appeal to the mainstream music fan.

Even though the song itself is sorta honky and her voice is ‘interesting’ in a way that you could say might be negative, it seems like it is in the perfect position to ‘cross over’ and end up on the mainstream radio. Feel like there are a few flaws with the video. They should not have let the bro from the band play the love interest because he looks like he is a 40 year old high schooler. In addition, the dancers aren’t graceful enough.

Sorta feel like this video ‘ripped off’ the contextual setting of Britney Spears’ hit debut video “Baby One More Time.”

Do yall prefer skanky backup dancers?

Or some bro in a lil scarf?

Video: Britney Spears – “Baby One More Time”

I think the ultimate goal of this video might be to brand the band as something similar to . The video for “1-2-3-4″ confirmed that cute indie girls also have to be whimsical dancers who are just looking to be ‘free spirited’ in a some what surreal context.

Circular imagery + crane shots seems important.

’s pre-iPod brand was definitely aided by her desire to ‘just dance’ [via Lady Gaga]

Does Zooey Deschanel need to go for upmarket audiences, or ’shorten that skirt’ and go after the Britney Spears fans?
Is She and Him a ‘good product’?
Is Zooey Deschanel a relevant alt female?
Did Joanna Newsom teach us that “they can’t all be ”?
Will Zoey Deschanel have a Britney Spears-like breakdown and bitter divorce from Ben Gibbard that alt blogs use to fuel content for 1-2 years?
Is She & Him’s target audience male or female?
Hit Me Zooey 1 more time.

Is Jared Leto the most Desirable Alternative Man in the World?

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 02:21 PM PST

Photos by the cobrasnake


I was recently looking at a cobrasnake photograph album which contained documentation of a 30 Seconds To Mars show somewhere in France. 30 Seconds to Mars is the alt rock band which contains as the visionary mastermind bro.  I started wondering if is the most desirable alt man in the world.  Like any alternative female in the world would feel comfortable dating him, no matter how terrible his music was.

Wonder if alt bros should be jealous of Leto because of his authentic career as an actor in alt movies, and his successful band. Even if their music is kinda like fruity alt rock, they seem to be well monetized. He seems ‘beloved’ by his fans + women. That is probably the goal of all men in music.

Remember back in the day when he represented a bro in the Fight Club, the club that every1 wanted 2 be in.

It seems like is a bona fide rock star, like the kind that tweens pay $30-40 to ’stand in the pit’ then spend the whole time taking pix on their cell phones / digital cameras.

Even the tweens know that they are supposed to wear white in order to be members of the tribe. They even doodle iconography on their skin to show they are part of the tribe.

He is sort of like a ‘god’ to his fans. This means he has succeeded at the ultimate goal of all musicians.

Large, black security guards must protect him.

He is also a chill bro who can play some acoustic guitar.

In touch with new sounds, he isn’t afraid to play some sweet riffs/jingles on a high level synthesizer.

After the show, takes time to meet with fans, understanding that it takes an authentic connection to build a loyal tribe of customers.

Even this tiny alt wanted to get a piece of .

She tilted her camera at an upward angle as he approached her. Wonder if she should have embraced him like a human, instead of taking a pic of him like he was a zoo animal from 3 feet away.

Wonder if 30 Seconds To Mars is trying 2 build some sort of cult. Watched their recent music video when I was up late one night watching MTV in HD. Seemed ‘hilarious.’ Like tons of alternative underground people riding zany bikes around.

Maybe they are trying to promote street pack living + using bikes instead of ‘gas guzzling cars.’ They make me worried that there will be an urban apocalypse soon, and we will all have 2 raid Hot Topics to find clothing + food.

seems desirable.
seems like a visionary.
seems like he exists on a different plane of humanity than most people.
seems like he can ‘bang’ any alt baguette’ in the world.

Would u get on a bike and ride in a street gang with ?
Is 30 Seconds to Mars the most cultlike crappy rock band fan base in the world?
Does ‘get’ it?
What is ur fave movie?
Should tween fans learn to enjoy a show instead of holding up digital cameras the entire time?
Should I grow a mohawk?

In a world full of so many forgettable alt bros, is the ultimate Alt Alpha Male?

Where’s Leto?

Neon Indian responds to MGMT’s flop, strategically releases new MP3

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 12:54 PM PST

Download: http://www.greenlabelsound.com/neon-indian


On March 9, 2010, MGMT released an MP3 called “Flash Delirium” to promote their upcoming album. Many fans didn’t ‘get’ it, and have grown wary of riding the MGMT bandwagon into the future. In what must be a strategic response to try to steal some of their fan base, Neon Indian has released a new MP3 called “Sleep Paralasyst.”

The song was released by Green Label Sound, which is Mountain Dew’s “record label.” Basically, instead of buying ads, they are looking to be attached to authentic new mp3s by relevant bands so that Neon Indian fans will drink MTN DEW.  Chromeo participated in this same project, and I’m sure 5-20 more buzzbands will go through the same process in the next 2 years.  Wonder if Mountain Dew can effectively measure their ‘return on investment’ with Green Label Sound.

If/when MGMT’s album flops, it seems like many fans might ‘jump ship’ and become Neon Indian fans. MGMT performed this same audience hijack from Of Montreal. Wonder if Neon Indian is the next Vampire Weekend.  Wonder if their next album will be their ‘pop’ album.

I will copy and paste the whole ‘press release’ just because it is funny to read how some marketing bro figured

Neon Indian is Alan Palomo, the Mexican-born, Texas-raised, brilliantly lucid 21-year-old synth-wizard who learned his production chops as part of Ghosthustler and honed them as VEGA. In October 2009 Neon Indian released his critically heralded debut album, Psychic Chasms, nearly anonymously and drew wild speculation for months. As Neon Indian, Palomo has made an art of leaving out the details and letting the world draw its own conclusions… which is very much the case with the lyrics to his new Green Label Sound single, "Sleep Paralysist." Neon Indian kicks off 2010 by teaming up with Green Label Sound to release the psychedelic blip-pop song "Sleep Paralysist." This is the first new original Neon Indian material since 2009.

Neon Indian formed from a batch of off-the-cuff recordings that weren't quite right as VEGA songs. It turned into something much larger than the sum of its parts. The name itself was invented by Palomo's former band-mate and high-school friend who, in a round-about way, was the inspiration behind the project’s first track "Should Have Taken Acid With You" on Psychic Chasms. Not long after the music was released, Gorilla Vs. Bear blogged about it, Grizzly Bear tweeted their fan-dom, and Pitchfork sealed the deal when they bestowed "Deadbeat Summer," and Psychic Chasms with their Best New Music honor. "The project really finds its groove," wrote Pitchfork, "nailing perfectly the essence of woozily nostalgic synth pop." Neon Indian was outted and all of a sudden what started as a careless outlet for ideas too offbeat to fit the VEGA mold, had gone and defined a genre.

Neon Indian's sound is as Palomo describes it, "Childhood re-contextualized through a psychedelic, lo-fi filter. The idea of memory before you were old enough to have memories." Psychic Chasms intentionally captures the sound of records stored in sunlight and played to the breaking point. The album is a melting pot of hazy, lo-fi, sun kissed, electro-pop sounds that come together to form a kaleidoscopic collection of esoteric and inspiring songs.

"Sleep Paralysist" was written by Palomo, then recorded and produced in collaboration with Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear in Brooklyn at his elusive musical dungeon, Terrible Studios. Much like the music of Neon Indian's debut album, the new single embodies the feeling of a dream had while taking a nap under the summer sun: warm, emotive, and toned by hazy light seeping through closed eyelids.

Wonder if some1 should make that the wikipedia entry for Neon Indian.

Did Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear produce this track well, or does it sound 2 much like Grizzly Bear?
Is this song as good as any song from Psychic Chasms?
R u worried/excited for the next Neon Indian album in 2k11?
Will VEGA’s new album be able to compete with LCD Soundsystem’s latest release?
Is Green Label Sound authentic?
Should Mountain Dew stuff Neon Indian CDs into 12 packs of Mountain Dew?
Should more beverage companies start record labels?

LCD Soundsystem Debuts New Songs at Yves Saint Laurent Winter Fashion Show

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 12:14 PM PST

Link: http://dfarecords.com/main/archives/332

Yves Saint Laurent is apparently a high end fashion brand. They probably paid a lot of money to play at their fashion show. We can only presume that this is supposed to be a ‘teaser’ of how ‘crisp’/inspirational their new sound will be.

After listening to the song, it seems like hopeful electro music might be welcomed with open arms in 2k10. After the apathetic chill wave era, we are looking for deep reflection + inspiration opportunities when we listen to music. probably won’t ‘top’ Vampire Weekend with album sales, but it might slide past them in terms of ‘critical acclaim.’

wrote and performed a new song for the yves saint laurent women's wear fall/wInter 2010/2011 fashion show in paris yesterday. really wish this video clip included some footage of the band, but no fret its about what you hear. sounds to us like an amazing re-incarnation or lcd style interpretation of our soon to be released single from peter gordon & the love of life orchestra "another heartbreak / don't don't redux".

Is this the best song of 2k10?
Wonder if Yves Saint Laurent ‘gets’ .

seems like a chill bro.

Does this song represent an ‘electro revival’ or is ‘more than electro’ [via authentic disco]?
After hearing this song, is the ‘frontrunner’ for the ‘best album of 2k10′?
Will end the chillwave era by bringing incredibly high production value to the table and making chillwave bros obsolete?
Will DFA Records sign a chillwave act to take them to the next level?

Atlas Sound does Acoustic Cover of The Cranberries, Possibly Weakens Conceptual Brand

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 06:45 AM PST


Atlas Sound is the sound project of Bradford Cox. In this clip, he does a meaningful acoustic cover of the Cranberries’ hit song “Linger.” In 2009, Atlas Sound’s album “Logos” received an 8.2 from Pitchfork. Many music critics say that Panda Bear was responsible for 2-5 points of this rating, due to the strength of their hit collab song “Walkabout.”

I am not sure if covering the Cranberries helps your brand as an authentic/conceptual indie artist. Worried that this might be a step in the wrong direction, or maybe Bradford Cox is transitioning the Atlas Sound brand into a campfire singalong type of vibe.

What is the most authentic Cranberries song?
Are the Cranberries more alt than Pavement?
Will Atlas Sound ‘crossover’?
Is this cover a brand enhancer, or a brand weakening product?
Is the future of indie music the acoustic guitar bro + sing-a-long format?
What is the #1 Atlas Sound song of all time?

BREAKING NEWS: Die Antwoord plays First US show, secret show @ Cinespace

Posted: 10 Mar 2010 01:40 AM PST


Die Antwoord is a popular rap group from South Africa. The recently ‘went viral’, gaining attention from numerous media outlets and blogs all around the world. Even though they seem like a deliberately marketed product, it will be interesting to track their path to the mainstream as directed by their PR firm / brand manager / band manager.

Die Antwoord played their first US show at Cinespace in Los Angeles. Cinespace is widely known as one of the most important electro clubs of the blog house era.  The performance was apparently a ’secret show’, which was intended to generate buzz throughout the internet. At the moment, the footage captured seems mediocre, but it still seems ‘worth blurbing about’, since 2k10 is all about finding new content/bands to cover.

Photo via internettoday

Should Die Antwoord have brought the female from their band to America in order to make the event feel more complete?

Should I have gone 2 Tuesdays so I could see the most important US debut since the Beatles?

Is Die Antwoord in the USA recording a new record?
Will they do a USA tour?
Will Die Antwoord be able to be more than just an internet meme?

Photo via twitpic

Is Die Antwoord gonna ‘make it’ or are they just a viral meme gimmick?
Is this ’secret show’ the perfect way to generate strategically organic buzz?
Is Cinespace still a relevant alt hangout?
Is Ninja from Die Antwoord already a level 1 Alt Celeb?

…DEVELOPING…