Another day, another e-mail from Universal Music Group Distribution CEO Jim Urie. Last time he urged people to write to Congress to support Music Rights Now, an organization that wants Congress to step in on music pirating. All well and good, except that their thinking is fairly backwards, and the organization’s wish to get Congress … [Read more…]
Free the Music is a guide to new albums, EPs and songs that are available for free online. Today’s drop is: Caddywhompus – Remainder. At any one moment in indie music history, there are a number of divergent sounds heating up the national scene. They’ve got their communities, they’ve got their fans and they may or may … [Read more…]
Hot indie bands, one hilarious comedic-actor and a hip-hop mixtape. Great combination, right? Well, almost. Childish Gambino’s new mixtape, I Am Just A Rapper, has so much potential. Yet, the results are a little mixed. Childish Gambino, otherwise known as Donald Glover, is someone to watch out for. When it comes to rhymes, Glover’s got … [Read more…]
It’s hard to sum up an entire year of pop music in one concise “best of” list. Instead, here’s a tidy little look at some of the highs and lows in pop music over the past year: Hip-Huh?: The New Yorker‘s Sasha Frere-Jones declared that hip-hop was dead and upset a lot of hip-hop heads. … [Read more…]
The new year is almost here, and with it comes a maelstrom of “End of the Year Lists.†Here on Ex-Spectator, I’ll be rolling out a few “End of the Yearâ€/â€End of the Decade†lists. Today’s list: The Best Albums of 2009. As I’ve mentioned previously, there are a lot of pitfalls for “best of†… [Read more…]
I started writing here at True/Slant with a little piece that questioned the nature and purpose of year-end-lists. Who’s an authority on anything? Isn’t it all arbitrary? True, but, as I mentioned, it’s a bit fun to do. So, though we’re not even into December, I present a list of five memorable singles from the … [Read more…]
Woodie. Whatever possessed mtvU to name their annual music award as such is beyond me. Is it supposed to be a joke aimed at their college audience? Cause I’m pretty sure college kids these days are smart enough to figure that one. Anyway, mtvU recently released the ballots for the awards show. What’s the big … [Read more…]
Amazon released their list of the 100 Greatest Indie Rock Albums of All Times. As with any “definitive” list, Amazon’s has some flaws, and some seem to stand out like sore thumbs, especially moving from one individual’s taste to the next. As a side note, yes, Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion is a great album and … [Read more…]