I don't get it.

"The Dark Knight" made me cry, and kind of hate... everybody.

Good movie?

(Or is this more entertaining?)

Sorry for sounding self-righteous(?), but the gratuitous violence n this film -- and the seemingly indifferent response to it by the majority of its audience -- really got to me. I can see the superficial intent of making this a film about why "violence is bad", but the obvious glorification of hyperviolence, the overwhelming number of "throw-away" casualties featured, and the fact that this was a film made and distributed by a massive commercial studio for PROFIT, not principle, overrules any moralistic leanings the director might have dared to suggest. It also really irks me that the most vile, reprehensible character in the film will be the Halloween costume of choice for thousands of young boys this fall, because, you know. Cool make-up. Right?

But I'll shut up before I spoil all the fun, I guess. Violence isn't real if we don't want it to be! :)

a mixtape named cudi

man on the moon, KiD CuDi

Cleveland's KiD CuDi, whose obsessively good "Day N Night (Crookers Remix)" dropped earlier this year, just put out a free(!) mixtape that's making its way around the music blogosphere as of late. I finally downloaded it, and my initial impression of it is good. Given that my first exposure to CuDi was the considerably upbeat Crookers remix, the mixtape is a lot more slow-jam/R&B-influenced than I expected, but I think the chill vibe suits CuDi -- just listen to the chorus of "Day N Night" or the track "Maui Wowie" and I think you'll see why. And we can always leave it to the blog-house circuit to upgrade the tracks to bangers, I suppose (lol). There's also a sick Band of Horses sample on one track that I really enjoyed, and CuDi also name-drops Justice, Google, and Barack Obama at points -- I chuckled accordingly.

Get KiD CuDi's "A Kid Named CuDi" mixtape HERE.

**End-note**
Based on the photo above, is it not glaringly obvious that KiD CuDi's signed to Fool's Gold? (heh)

siren fest 2008, coney island, nyc (aka, surface of the sun)

photo courtesy of... Google image search?

Last weekend, some friends and I headed down to Coney Island to catch the Village Voice's annual Siren Fest Music Festival and roast ourselves in the nearly unbearable 100° heat. Despite a few unfortunate circumstances and mishaps -- overlapping set-times, a long trek between stages, and friends were dropping like flies due to dehydration -- I managed to squeeze a decent concert experience out of the day. Highlights:

- We first caught Parts & Labor at the main stage. They were fun, though I can't say they blew my mind.
- Tracked down my roommate while waiting for the Dodos to get started. They ended started a half hour late because they took an eon to set up. I ended up catching just a slice of their set, though my friend reported back that they could only manage to squeeze in three songs. Bummer?
- Next, Beach House: I was super excited to see them, but rather unfortunately, 30 seconds into "Gila" one of my friends passed out. We managed to get him on his feet and on his way home in time for the last few songs of their set.
- Islands was my favorite of the day. They're genuinely good performers, and I loved the array of instruments on-stage -- including a violin, a xylophone, an accordian, and a garbage can.
- Stuck around after Islands and spied Ted Leo inconspicuously DJing up-stage. I've always loved Ted Leo, and it was kind of funny to see him just chilling and singing along to whatever it was he was spinning.
- Caught the first half of Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks. I've heard plenty of Pavement but I can't say I've heard much of Malkmus' solo-(ish?) work, but I did really enjoy seeing him and the Jicks. He's also a pretty funny guy, which made for some entertaining banter between songs.
- Headed back to the other stage to see the end of Broken Social Scene. They sounded great, but their were so many friggin' people! I actually regretted not sticking around for more of the Jicks' set, as I had a much better vantage point and plenty more elbow room over there.

Overall, it was an interesting day. The distance between the two stages was pretty frustrating, though, and I lost a lot of time shuffling between the two. It will be interesting to see what happens with Siren Fest next year, as the amusement park is shutting down at the end of the summer.

Next up on the summer festival line-up -- ALL POINTS WEST, August 8!!!! (read: RADIOHEAD!!!!!!!!11!1OMFG!)

kanye writes his blog! RLY!!

kanye hearts blogging

Question: Do you read Kanye West's blog? Well if you don't... I'll be honest, it's actually a pretty damn good read. Kanye, being Kanye, is way in the loop on a whole lot of the fashion, music, and design industries, so he posts about lots of REALLY cool, futuristic designs - like architecture, sneakers, and paper napkins, to name a few. The blog also features some great commentary from Kanye, including such gems as "Great furniture affects me emotionally."

Now, I'll be honest... Ye's blog gets updated a LOT, so I always assumed there was a ghost blogger involved. As it turns out, some guy came out recently claiming to be Kanye's ghost blogger, and the Ye tweaked! He immediately posted a short rant about it:

I DON'T KNOW WHO THE HELL THIS IS... BUT I COVERED HIS NAME AND FACE SO HE WOULDN'T GET THE PUB HE WAS OBVIOUSLY LOOKIN' 4!

Mr. West followed up with a couple pics of himself, in the studio, updating the blog. Um, LOL, Kanye. I'm still not sure I believe him, but it is kind of cool to see him on a MacBook Air, in the midst of recording, pounding out a blog post. Thanks, Kanye, for being a good example for bloggers everywhere. We appreciate it.

***KANYE BONUS***

Ye was featured (for like, the millionth time) on the Sartorialist today. What a classy guy. (I love his accessories!)

tha 'YE

quote of the day

busy p -- photo c. 1973

Busy P, to P(utz)fork:

"I just met [Justice] at a raclette* dinner that [Ed Banger's graphic designer] So-Me invited me to. I was the oldest one at the dinner, and they later told me that they were a bit impressed that I was there. At the end of the evening they asked me if they could play me a track, which was "We Are Your Friends". I took the track, told them to come to my office the next day, and signed a contract with them. That night I had a party at the Le Pulp club in Paris. I played the track, and the club went crazy. I knew I had something special. For me this record is a generational anthem, and I think it will be something that the kids of today will still like to remember when they are 30 years old."

Yeah, Busy P. We'll remember it when we're thirty, and we will listen to it and reminisce about our youth and the glory days of Ed Banger. We will do this when we are thirty, because, you know, we'll be SO OLD then.

Isn't Busy P like, 40 or something? Dude's old. WTF?

*On a side note, raclette is the best/most dangerous way to eat food EVR. Totally almost burnt down a raclette restaurant in Paris once.

the nuances of "blog house", as analyzed by HRO

LFO, "Summer Girls"

Hipster Runoff is a snide, irreverent blog on "ALT" pop culture written by the elusive Carles, who I can only guess is either Perez Hilton's hipster younger brother or an LOLCat. In the same "mock-your-idols" style as Perez, Carles daily ridicules musicians, "alt-celebs," and anonymous European hipsters alike. Last week he posted a ridiculous commentary on the "blog house" phenomenom that left me stifling giggles at my desk. My favorite part was his break-down of whether a slew of popular music acts were or were not "blog house." Highlights:

• Feist (no)
• Feist (Boys Noize Remix) (deffs)

• Lil Wayne/Coldplay/Radiohead (They are always popular on hypem, does this mean they are blog house?)

• Does it Offend You, Yeah? (Tough to tell with those British bands for British People)
• LFO song "Summer Girls" (yes)

• The Black Kids/The Cool Kids (I still don't know the difference between these two artists)

• Animal Collective (did u srsly just ask that? ur ghey and don't know shit abt music)

• Chromeo (this is a brain teaser!)
• Daft Punk (n0 way)
• Digitalism (Maybe just the song "POGO")
• Creed (no)
• David Matthews (yes)
• Rob Thomas solo (no)
• Santana (ft Rob Thomas/Michelle Branch) (yes)

"WTF is Blog House?" From Hipster Runoff.

someone's dad is gonna be pissed

Urban Prankster posted this hilarious piece of street art a few days back. I'm giggling profusely at the moment. I wonder if Dane Cook has heard about this? (Remember Dane Cook??) Regardless, well played by mastermind behind it. (Original post and detail photo here.)

new bodies of water LP is refreshingly cool (lol)

When I first heard Bodies of Water, I admit I sort of wrote them off as a poor-man's Arcade Fire. However, being a bit of an AF fanatic, I wasn't entirely opposed. Their newest album, A Certain Feeling, pushes any of my doubts about their authenticity aside. The orchestrations are tight, the vocals are soaring, and epicness abounds amidst hint of Americana. I *love* the two tracks I've snagged thus far, and can't wait to get my hands on the full album - I'm a sucker for modern baroque pop.

Bodies of Water // Under the Pines (via la-underground)
Bodies of Water // Gold, Tan, Peach, and Grey (via gorilla vs. bear)

little boots, of many varieties

(is it just me or does she look a lot like kate hudson?)

Little Boots is a British pop chanteuse (formerly of Dead Disco) who gained considerable buzz on the blog-circuit earlier this year with the release of the aptly-named "Stuck on Repeat." She's back with a noteworthy follow-up, "Meddle." It's catchy, sassy, and kind of makes me want to drive around with my girlfriends and blast it with the windows down? I really like the subtle spoken male vocals hidden behind the verses, and the (JT-esque) choral interlude is tight. Free mp3 via onewordfish:

Little Boots // Meddle

Speaking of little boots, I've been seeing these crazy little ankle boot/sandal hybrids all over the Interweb:

(from the Face Hunter...I covet those tights)

(from the Sartorialist)

I think I like the leather version better. They're both cute, though. Hopefully UO is stocking an adequate pair of knock-offs?