Have u heard the new mp3 by the Books off their upcoming hit album The Way Out? Have u heard of The Books?
Back in 2005, The Books released some album called “Lost and Safe.”
I think it was ‘culturally relevant’ cuz it was kinda like art + music. From what I understand, they take ‘tons of audio samples’ then rearrange them to make songs, or something. Sorta like an even more artsy version of the Avalanches or something. “Less poppy.” For some reason, I think rearranging audio samples of people talking + miscellaneous sounds was a more marketable meme in 2k5 since indie rock was kinda vanilla, and more indie fans were ‘yearning for an conceptual experience.’
Wonder if they were the forefathers of indie sample-based music. It’s so weird when a band comes back from hiatus, and they are evaluated with the same scrutiny/critical/socially-aware review system that modern buzzbands have to get run through. Feel like 2k5 was sorta like ‘playing tee ball’, but 2k10 is ‘the mother effing big leagues’ of independent music. Buzzbands have to be on their a-games, dropping memes, making sure they stay authentic, or else buzz blogs will shit all over them.
It seems like concept music has come so far in the past 2-3 years. An Co Merriweather Post Pavvy. The chill wave era. Tons of other mediocre concept bands that have garnered critical approval even though their product is kinda mediocre. I feel semi-stimulated listening to the new mp3 “Beautiful People” by the books, but I wonder if my taste is ’so refined’ that this doesn’t really do much for me any more. Like I need a 360 degree stimulating, socially relevant + aware meme dropping band to fully garner any sort of high level praise from me.
From what I understand, The Books consists 2 bros. One on a cello and another one on guitar. Seems like they really turned their live indie performance into an ‘artistic experience.’ I wonder if they will ‘go mainstream’ and sell albums to tweens, or if they are stuck with their same fan base from 2k5.
Back in the day, I feel like I had more time to listen to bands talk about their artistic gimmicks, branding themselves as ‘interesting artists/humans’ in long interviews. Not sure if I have that kinda time with so many music / ginger / mp3 memes flying around at such a rapid rate. Just need a band to produce some good mp3s, a decent album, a conceptually interesting music video, play some talk shows, play live in my local scene, then I will be happy.
Will The Books release a Top 10 album of 2k10? What score will the Books album get from Pitchfork? Do u feel like the Books had it easy, back when the indiesphere wasn’t so competitive? Are bands not conceptually relevant until the headline coachella / have an art show at the Guggenheim? Do you still enjoy conceptual music, or is chillwave the only sample based music that you choose to enjoy? Is chillwave the perfect sample based music, and everything else is sorta ‘too artsy’ and not accessible enough? Will The Books be overrated in a Broken Social Scene kinda way, making it more difficult to genuinely appreciate their music in an authentic way? Do the Books have an ‘uphill’ battle ahead of them by re-entering the indie buzzosphere after a long hiatus?
A photograph of Zooey Deschanel from 2002 emerged, and you can see that she wasn’t always a ‘hipster diva’ who inspired tons of alternative bros to metaphorically ‘get hard’ 4 her on internet music blogs. Seems like she was going for a ‘different vibe’ or something. I wonder if this is ‘the real her.’ Maybe the world was completely different in 2k2, and this was an authentic vibe.
Do u think this was ‘before she was rich and famous’, then she was able to hire a personal stylist to ‘put on dark eye liner to showcase her beautiful blue eyes’ + put her in ‘cutesy hipster girl’ outfits?
Maybe things were different in 2k2. Like there wasn’t a defined aesthetic for ‘being alt’ and people ended up with kinda weird personal brand. Is this ‘the real Zooey Deschanel’? Is she a mainstreamer ‘moonlighting’ in alternative markets? Do u think her hair + makeup is a ‘complete disaster’? Would u rather date Zooey Deschanel in 2k2 or 2k10? Can u hold some1’s mainstream past against them? Do u want to see more pix of alternative celebrities ‘Before They Were Alt Stars’? What is the optimal bang length? If Feist looked switched bodies with Zooey Deschanel, would she have sold more records/been more famous than Lady Gaga?
M.I.A. is under immense scrutiny for her recent Ginger Genocide Video [link]. Critics are scratching their heads, wondering if her vision is coherent, or if the shock value of the meme has weakened her product. Several days ago, M.I.A. tweeted a picture of her Apple Macbook desktop, possibly in an attempt to let the world know that she is monitoring our perception of her. She also ran a google search of “Pitchfork Media” in order to gauge the mainstream perception of their brands side-by-side after she chilled on their twitter all day to promote her own memes/web presence [link].
In the screen grab, you can analyze her computing habits, the Apple programs that she uses, and her organizational methodology.
Do you think her desktop is messy? Does she have too many icons in her dock? Does she need to create more folders to be more organized? Do u think she might be running spyware or malicious programs, or is she safe on her Macbook? Do u think she has a Macbook Pro or a vintage iMac? Do you have any tips for M.I.A. to help her get her computer organized? Does she use any programs that seem ‘entry level’? Which alternative celebrity’s macbook do you want to see a screen shot of? Do u feel worried for M.I.A. because her battery is about 2 die? Is it ‘alt’ to keep your dock on the left side, or is that the most functional location for it? Can you spot any sort of anti-Ginger / terrorist photoshop files on her desktop? Can any1 guess M.I.A.’s iChat screen name?
Some blog that probably tries to sound ‘all innovative’ about music and the internet came up with this infographic. It seems like it is trying to compartmentalize types of fans, and how bands can exploit them to make money.
There are four tiers of fans: True Fans: bros who are way into a band and will buy something stupid General Public: Random ass people who have no identity, and just want to buy what other people are buying Local Concert Goers: People who don’t realize that the internet is the ultimate buzzband incubator, so they accidentally get way too into ‘local music’/the live concert experience, and blow money when they pass by merch tables Friends and Family: The sad people who are guilted into going to shows / supporting a band, even when a band sucks/doesn’t deserve to make more money. Your friends and family who are afraid to tell you that your band sucks + probably won’t ever attract a larger crowd.
What band do u like? What type of fan are u for that band? Does Animal Collective have the highest density of ‘true fans’ in the history of music?
Based on the graph, I have come up with the following broad assumptions about music fans / buyers of music
True fans are super annoying, but u can make a shitload of money off of them if you make them feel special
ur band is pointless if you can only sell ur CDs to friends and family
local bands are worthless to the ‘general public’
The general public doesn’t really identify with a band’s music, but are sort of just shopping for something that makes them appear to be ‘more cultured.’
Blogs that try to direct ‘the general public’ towards good music are for entry levelers
The goal of life is to exist on a level that transcends this chart, where you illegally download albums + get into shows for free + eventually become bros with the bands
Bands that make the most money exploit the ‘General Public’
Bands can make more money than they deserve by exploiting local concert goers who buy merch
Which band do u feel the most spiritally / emotionally / financially connected to? Have you ever been guilted into going to your friend’s band’s show every weekend for a 1 year span? Do you h8 the mainstream general public who just aimlessly fill up their iPod with iTunes recommendations? Are blogs for super fans, the general public, or macro-micro-local audiences? What is a good way for a band 2 make a shit load of money? Do u feel sad for bros who are ‘way into local music’ and don’t realize that the buzzcentric internet is the optimal format for consuming new artists? Do you think it is more valuable to have a core group of super fans, or just to create a poppy, accessible album that you can trick the general public /Middle America into buying? Is Nickelback / the Beatles / Radiohead / U2 the best band of all time because the general public = super fans? Is life just about accumulating a tribe of followers who will pay you to release kewl / interesting / functional products? Should music be free?
Steve Aoki apparently designed some new tennis shoes / sneakers. They seem like they are supposed to be very alternative, since they don’t include the mainstream technology called ’shoe laces.’ Instead, they feature 4 futuristic straps. Maybe they are marketed towards people who never learned how to tie shoes, but no longer want to wear dorky velcro shoes.
Finishing up the Spring 2010 NS lineup is the Strapped II. Steve Aoki's signature shoe has been completely redesigned from the original – the new model retains the signature four-strap design while sporting a taller cuff and lower-profile vulcanized sole. The Strapped II will be relaesing over the next two months in Black Full-grain Leather, White Canvas and Acid Wash Denim versions.
Do u think Steve Aoki shoes will become ‘the new Michael Jordans’? Do u still wear sneakers, or are they for entry level alternative bros? Do u like his shoes? Are shoe laces alt or mainstream? Do u own a pair of sneakers? What is the most authentic footwear?
Are velcro orthopedic shoes the new alt trend? Is Steve Aoki the ultimate Renaissance man? Is Steve Aoki better at being a DJ or better at being a shoe maker / designer / cobbler?
