Here’s your reminder that Nirvana’s Nevermind was released 23 years ago today: September 24, 2014. Armed with new veteran producer Butch Vig and a happier outlook on life by Cobain, the songs were cleaner, catchier and much more accessible than its predecessor, Bleach (and definitely its successor). It also introduced a new drummer in Virginia’s own David Grohl, whose drumming was arguably as integral to Nirvana’s sound as Cobain’s songwriting. It also changed rock music forever. Sure, the words mostly made absolutely no sense whatsoever, but I guess that’s the whole point.* * One of the most amusing things from the Nirvana Wikipedia page is...
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Watch: A whole bunch of hip-hop all-stars on Arsenio Hall in 1994
It\’s Monday, so you probably need something awesome to watch. Well, here it is. Sure, Arsenio Hall has once again been cancelled, but twenty (!!) years ago, right when it was about to be cancelled for the first time, a group of east coast hip-hop all-stars came to visit the Arsenio Hall Show to show their support. Who? Oh, just: Yo-Yo, MC Lyte, Naughty by Nature, A Tribe Called Quest, Fu-Schnickens, CL Smooth, Guru, Das EFX, Wu-Tang Clan, KRS-One and Mad Lion. And now that you\’re done watching that, here\’s 94 minutes of 1994 hip-hop.
Continue reading...V+V 2014 Summer Jams Party in the Back Time Chapter V is for Victory
Welcome back to the V+V 2014 Summer Jams party. It has not gone unnoticed that this years’ contenders have been, for a lack of a better term, not as bad-ass as they could be. Sure, there’s some good tracks, performed by some talented musicians, and sure, some of them have been bad-ass to an extent. But, let’s throw one out there especially rocks. I’ve always said that if you like guitars you like Mastadon, so here’s one that just came out (off their upcoming album “Once More Around the Sun,” dropping 6/24), and I’ll even say, it’s for the nerds...
Continue reading...V+V 2014 Summer Jam Party Time Excellent Episode IV A New Hope
Welcome back to the V+V 2014 Summer Jam Party. For our fourth installment, here are a couple more songs vying for 2014 Official V+V Summer Jam. First, here’s Sia, who you may recognize from her having written a ton of huge hits for all kinds of pop artists, with her new single “Chandelier.” This one you could swear was one of those, until you realize it’s her singing, and her performance especially in the chorus weighs similar to getting hit by an out-of-control semi. Next is “Reflections” from MisterWives, which is so catchy I feel like I must have heard it before....
Continue reading...Today in History: The Sex Pistols play a poorly-attended show in Manchester
Today (June 4) marks the date in 1976 that the Sex Pistols played a show at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. There were only about 35-40 people there (the space was big enough to hold hundreds), but it’s considered still one of the most important concerts in music history. Why? Well, there’s this: “We know that Morrissey was there, who went on to form the Smiths. We know that the lads who went on to form the Buzzcocks were there because they organised the gig. We know that two lads from Lower Broughton were there...
Continue reading...V+V Summer Jam Super Fun Time Party Part Three3Three
Here we are, back again for another installment of our V+V Summer Jam Party. I just noticed that our first episode’s star, Fancy, is now at the top of the charts, so we’re doing some good work here. It just got super dark outside, and looks like some weather is going to fall, so I have to admit that it’s a little strange to be right now picking out what Summer Jams™ you guys are going to be rocking out to this summer. But never fear; I’m sure we can do it. Today’s track is “Rather Be” by Clean...
Continue reading...V+V 2014 Summer Jam Party Part Deux
Here we are back again, trying to figure out which of this year’s super summer jams can be the Official V+V 2014 Summer Jam. In this installment, we’ll bring another couple jams that most people wouldn’t listen to together. Just a note: I heard “Fancy” on the radio at the liquor store yesterday, so either I’m really good at this or really bad at this. Anyways, first off, here’s Lily Allen, who apparently is now back to making music. Sure, the young woman sort-of-alternative pop scene’s a little crowded, with Azealia Banks, Lorde and Lana Del Ray...
Continue reading...V+V 2014 Summer Jam Party Time
Back in the V+V hey day, we had a one-year tradition of throwing out some candidates for Official V+V Summer Jam™. Now that we’re clear of Memorial Day, and Wahurd is turning 34 this week (lol), seems time to dive back in and see what a. what the new hot summertime jams are, and b. if they’re any good. Here’s the first candidate, “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea (featuring Charli XCX). Pretty minimalist beat, but it’s catchy: Our second candidate of this installment comes from the the Black Keys. Their new single “Fever” off their actually-kind-of-boring new record...
Continue reading...Last Caress
Since I bought it a million years ago, my copy of The Misfit’s Static Age always had a weird skip on the first guitar strum of “Last Caress.” I listened the hell out of that CD for years, and it eventually found its way ripped to MP3s on each computer I’ve had since then (don’t even ask how I still have all my late-90s MP3s, but have exactly zero papers I wrote in college, including my thesis, in electronic format). So. it just came on my Pandora station, but the opening riff was actually correct, and it...
Continue reading...So somebody made a whole Daft Punk and Strong Bad mash-up album
I’m a litte late to this game (sorry), but last month Youtube user IAmArique made a whole album mashing up the entirety of Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories” and Strong Bad’s classic techno anthem “Everybody to the Limit” and it’s just great. And yes you can download the whole thing!
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