R.I.P. Idolator

I never got around to dropping a link over in my sidebar, but Idolator was one of the regular music blogs I visited from time to time. I won't claim it was a daily stop because honestly, about half of the pop stuff they covered I could care less about, but when I did it was generally a good read. Sometimes a little heavy on the snark, but even that was typically balanced out by the kind of intelligence and thought that is all too uncommon in today's big hype blogs. Former fearless leader Maura Johnston, always a fun read, parted ways with Idolator on Monday and the site pretty much went directly into a tailspin. The two new writers Robbie and Becky have done little but regurgitate press releases and bash out gossip-less gossip in a style that would probably make a seventh-grade paper editor pause. It's rare to be able to watch a beloved blog crash and burn in almost real time. A few choice nuggets courtesy of the new content providers (I really can't call them "writers" at this point):

Oh, well. At least some Amerie posters and album samplers were given away at the album release party thrown at San Francisco’s Gus Presents Social Club the other night, right?

Rihanna was honored as one of Glamour Magazine’s Women of the Year last night, beginning her speech by crying and admitting “I’m PMSed, sorry.” So this is the new face of PMS? A gorgeous, exotic pop star? I guess now guys can stop complaining when their girlfriends get bitchy once a month in the hopes that they turn into Rihanna.

Is my review bias? Mmm, perhaps, since I happened to be sitting three rows behind Billie Joe Armstrong and Tre Cool and stared at the back of their heads during song breaks, but that rockstar spotting was just the icing to an already awesome show. [Fantastic use of grammar in that first sentence.]

Another day, another super hot but kind of creepy thing Shakira does with her body. Shaks (we’re on a nickname basis) performed “Give It Up To Me” on Letterman last night, showcasing her usual body contortions, but with one new addition: dreadlocks. [Shaks? Really? Shaks? Don't we already have one Perez Hilton?]

You get the point. I'm sure there are some people that love this gossipy style of music news reporting, but I don't think any of them were regular Idolator readers before this change. Such a shame to see the site sink to these depths.

As mentioned on this post a couple days ago, I recently wrote a review for the new Flaming Lips album and it has gone up at a completely new outlet for me, Metro Pulse. You can read it here.

np: "Apathy's Last Kiss" - Smashing Pumpkins

It appears that a new Smashing Pumpkins album is imminent. Well, I suppose album is a bit of a misnomer. Let's call it the new Smashing Pumpkins project. And I have to admit that despite my recent misgivings about the band I once loved more than pretty much any other music out there (detailed in length here), the format of this thing could work out to be pretty cool. Apparently Billy and whomever is actually in the band this month are gearing up to release the first song of Teargarden by Kaleidyscope (I know, right?) as an absolutely free digital download in the coming weeks. But this isn't one of those hook 'em in with the first track free and make 'em pay later, no. The entire 44-track album is to be available as free digital downloads, with a new track to follow about once a month. The real money will be made by packaging physical bundles of the songs as limited-edition, collectible EPs every 7 or 8 songs. And if I know nothing else about Pumpkins fans, they will happily cough up cash at any opportunity to buy product. So it'll probably work, as long as Billy is able to maintain momentum on the project. I'm just happy that I'll be able to keep an errant eye on the band's new work without paying out the nose for it. Considering the Pumpkins are little more than a Corgan vanity project at this point, free is about the only price I'm willing to pay for new music in 2009. But hey, if they can convince me otherwise, I'll be a satisfied fan once again. The free download trick just may be enough to gain back some of the lost goodwill.

np: "Powerless" - The Flaming Lips

Embryonic is a treat, to be certain. An unexpected slab of brilliance that will add another bright, shining star to the shimmering galaxy that is the Flaming Lips discography. At the very least it rates right up there with Clouds Taste Metallic and In A Priest Driven Ambulance as their three best albums. But more on that when my review goes up shortly. For now I want to share what I believe to be one of the standout tracks from the album. Actually this song represents the middle third of the the three-track run that cemented this as one of my favorite albums of the year. For those of you still missing Ronald Jones, the fantastic guitar work here should give you another reason to give the band another chance.

np: "Public Display of Dismemberment" - Slayer

One of the most essential American metal groups of all time unleashes their tenth(!) studio album, World Painted Blood, on the world today and it is quite the scorcher. This particular two minutes and thirty-five seconds of hellfire is one of the more obvious highlights. Dave Lombardo attacks his kit with the same fiery abandonment as usual, but at speeds I really didn't think he was capable of anymore. Toss in a dissonant solo and you've got proof positive that this band is far from washed up.

np: "Surprise Stefani" - Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon can be a lot to take. He's kind of like that hyperactive genius kid that everyone knew in grade school, the one nobody could stand to be around. Not because he was annoying per se, but just because he'd rather invent new ways to make every game "more awesome" than actually just playing the game. Always bouncing from idea to idea, barely allowing anyone within earshot to take a breath. Deacon's live shows are certainly no exception, between songs he is breathlessly exhorting the audience to split down the middle, form circles, do crazy dances, count backwards, etc etc. It's nothing less than exhausting.

For me, Deacon's recorded works suit me just fine, where I can take him on my own terms without the hippy-dippy mumbo-jumbo and the annoying fans. Where I can appreciate the Baltimore musician for what he really is at heart, a truly outstanding and inventive modern composer.

Take "Surprise Stefani", the sixth track of his 2009 release Bromst, as a perfect example of his compositional skills. It starts out calmly with a modulating vocal sample that is quickly joined by some slow, spacey synths that wouldn't sound out of place on an early-80s science fiction soundtrack. Just as you start to get lulled in, everything drops out to be be replaced by layers upon layers of chopped up and manipulated vocal samples over sparse, droning keyboards. It's briefly disorienting, but pretty soon you become too overwhelmed to notice. Your ears are busy trying to pick out just one vocal melody or rhythm to latch onto, but it's a worthless exercise - there is just enough variation in each layer to have you jumping at each twitch. It's a neat trick and repeated listens reveal just how structured this is, this isn't mere chance and chaos. Eventually the vocals drop off and the focus turns to the drums and twinkling xylophone, one of Deacon's signature moves. Listening to this section on headphones is even more of a trip, as the modulation jumps from channel to channel. Finally the drone drops out and the last twenty seconds leaves us with bright, shiny and surprisingly tuneful xylophone.

It's difficult to express the experience of hearing this song in words, one would be far better served giving this one a spin for themselves. The point of this entry is to call attention to that aspect of Deacon's music that seems to be overlooked when the attention is on his live antics and cartoon vocals. Namely, Deacon is a composer more than he is your typical "indie" musician. His work pulls almost directly from the minimalism of Steve Reich and the looped oscillations of John Adams, and should almost be approached in a similar way. That's how his work has clicked for me at any rate, maybe that approach will work for you. I'm still not going anywhere near his live show though.

np: "Sleepyhead" - Passion Pit

Okay, this song is a little old now, but it just snuck up on me this afternoon and revealed itself as one hell of a great little tune. I found Manners, the debut full-length by Boston's Passion Pit, to be fairly spotty on initial listen. It seemed like the type of bedroom synth-pop being done by lots of other bands in more exciting ways. Spinning it again after some time off I'm finding it a little stronger, none as much as this particular track. Swirling, joyous, and whimsical - a hard combination to pull off without sounding too twee, Passion Pit nails it though. A great beat and a solid hook, but its the tinny chipmunk thing winding throughout that seals the deal for me.

np: Muse - "Unnatural Selection"

I'm beginning to wonder if I'm one of the last non-diehard fans to "get" Muse. I keep reading review after review of the new album, The Resistance, ridiculing the band for taking themselves too seriously and for lacking a sense of humor. Really? I mean, are these critics listening to the same band? I'm thinking the critics are the ones lacking a sense of humor, since they seem to be the ones completely unable to "get" this band. Of course Muse are over the top. Of course the lyrics are ridiculous sci-fi hysteria paranoid technobabble. That's entirely the point. I firmly believe that Matt Bellamy and the boys are perfectly aware of how ridiculous they are. That's what makes them so damned lovable. They aren't a great band, no. But they fill that stadium-packing niche that Billy Corgan abandoned nine years ago to go... well, whatever the hell it is he decided to go. Muse don't play rock shows, they put on spectacles. And in an era of record label cutbacks and shrinking budgets, what could be more antiestablishment than wanting to perform rock music laced with clarinet solos (clarinets for god's sake!) while dancers hang from helicopters skids? That's awesome. Embrace the ridiculousness.