I LOVE MONEY

Sorry, Karl Marx. My love of money is representative of my love of life, and I don't think that means that capitalism has tricked me into not seeing the value of my labor as an expression of my self and my own actions. I am happy to finally look forward to receiving a pay check, and that I am receiving compensation for work in contrast to my endless output of unpaid interning, elder care, DJing, and school work. Putting a price on my time is the one sure way it receives recognition. I don't see that as a problem when that price and recognition then allow me to support myself.

REALLY?????

A 4.5?? Surely this is based on a scale of 1-10 in terms of Jay-Z. You can't bitch about the collabos, when someone reaches Jay-Z status they can work with whomever they please and there is no reason they shouldn't take advantage of that. This is in response to the griping in the first line. I'm not reading the rest.

i want this

http://www.yellowbirdproject.com/products/indie-rock-coloring-book

coloring is a form of therapy, no?

Shut Up, Pitchfork

Maybe it's just because I've been on a Bikini Kill kick, but I really like this new UK band Pens. And Pitchfork just gave their album Hey Friend What You Doing? a horrible review, which is actually quite comic in its blunt and exaggerated denigration. This is what I've been talking about. Honestly, why do they think it's okay to be this mean? What do you mean by "uninformed," Mr. Kelly? That they lack an artist statement of their influences and intentions with the album's place in musical history? Really.

They "can't play?" Is Hey Friend not up to technical par? Frank Black called simplicity an "epiphany," and "Where is my mind" is easy as shit to play. Does that mean the Pixies can't play? Mr. Kelly tries to focus on the overall quality of the music, their technical skill, songwriting and everything to judge the band, but it doesn't change the fact that he just doesn't get it. All of his criticisms are so arbitrary. They're doing the same thing as their contemporaries but not as well? How do you prove that? Their lo-fi guitars way more early 90s in their simplicity and singularity as opposed to today's super thick baths of layered guitar sounds. I would say that makes them different. The band name is a "dick joke?" Maybe to you, you pervert. Do you want to join the Pen 15 club? You get Pen 15 written on your hand to mark you as an honorary member. That's a penis joke.

This is definitely the kind of band that is going to bother peoples' ears. But that's just what it sounds like when you have girls yelling and banging around aggressively on their instruments. This is not about elegant musical splendor, this is about playing wrecklessly with a certain raunchy feminine swagger that pertains to this girl garage rock (i hesitate to say riot grrl). This is a question of genre and conventions, not of ability. If you're not used to it you're not going to like it. I don't listen to metal and if I had to write a metal or hardcore review I would probably vent all my irritation and qualms with conventions of the genre attributed to the particular band.

I hate Pattern Is Movement. They never sing in key, their overall song structures are cacophonous and annoying and I hated having to sit through them open for bands like Broken Social Scene and St Vincent. It was funny the first time, but I can only humor them so long. (Not a thoughtful or truly valid analysis, I know, but I'm not going to sit here and pull apart exactly what makes them suck and spit it back to you in a flowery, articulate critique). And I hate Be Your Own Pet and anything involving Jemina Pearl. If given the chance, maybe I would verbally eviscerate their music as well. I am willing to admit that maybe I just don't get it, though, or offer suggestions for what they could change to make me like them and praise an imagined, doctored version of their music.

When people read reviews they don't always keep in mind the tastes and biases of the reviewer and just trust what they read. This is dangerous because words are not sounds; what you read is not a replication of the music. When writing about music, you can really say anything. With sound you have the opportunity to write totally synesthetically and can label it almost whatever you want as long as you have some accurate reference points, naming a band a certain genre or lumping them in with similar bands. In truth it really means very little but "what is remembered becomes reality" and labels and conceptualizations of art and music and intangible things stick, grow and reproduce into a new palpable phenomenon.

It's really unfair for someone to write something so scathing knowing their responsibility as a 'tastemaker.'

I heard you like pâté, but I'm a little broke, so... Happy Birthday!

Bon Apetit!

I know, I never said you had a cat.

What?

Wow, you're really ungrateful. I just tried to get you a nice present and you don't even appreciate it. I put a lot of thought into this, you know.

Oh you can tell? You can tell?? No need for sarcasm. I'm sorry. Have a nice birthday.

Someone was lazy this holiday weekend

Wow, six Beatles reviews? Wow. Someone was at the lake this labor day and not working on anything new in Chicago.

What the hell are they saying?

trailer showing at the new museum's warp series as far as i know