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| SW1 |
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
New Music Tuesday!!
Every Tuesday is an exciting new day for music! Here are a few
selections worth checking out (or avoiding), with links to articles,
reviews, videos and anything else the Internet could provide...Happy
Listening!
New Releases.
Riding high from the amazing release week we just had, I was quickly brought back down to earth this week, which has proven to be nothing but disappointment for me and my ears. -PL
Mumford & Sons
Spotify: Mumford & Sons – Babel
Mumford & Sons is an amazing act and I have nothing but positive things to say about them as people, the music and lyrics they write and the happiness I usually feel after listening to them. While I don't think this album is at all bad, I am a little underwhelmed. This might as well be Sigh No More, because that's all I heard while listening to Babel. Only, Sigh No More had "Little Lion Man," and this album does not. I fail to hear the glaring hit they scored with "The Cave," in their eye-opening performance at the 2011 Grammys. That song, that performance, was a call to arms, awakening people to a genre of music long since forgotten by fans and even the industry. Not only did that performance launch their career, it also launched the entire genre into the mainstream. Babel does not have the same uplifting feel and for that disappointment comes.
Because I am such a HUGE fan of this band, and who they have become over the last two years, I will keep listening to this album, until the disappointment subsides and happiness overcomes me... -PL
Tracks: Babel, Holland Road
No Doubt
Spotify: No Doubt – Push And Shove
It doesn't suck as much as I thought (read: hoped) it would. But it's not good. Much like the Commercially Driven Corporate Punk Rock Group formerly known as Green Day, No Doubt is so far from where I thought they would be, disappointment doesn't even begin to explain how I feel about this album.
In 1995 I thought Tragic Kingdom was one of the best albums I had heard at the time. Fast forward 17 years and three albums, I wouldn't recognize this music belonging to this band if I had heard Push and Shove in passing. To me, this album is not No Doubt. It's Gwen Stefani. Nothing about this album says Tony Kanal or Adrian Young (or Tom Dumont. I didn't want to leave him out). Push and Shove should have been a Gwen Stefani solo project, plain and simple. It actually pisses me off a little that Kanal and Young (and Dumont) allowed the No Doubt name on this album. What I don't understand is, Stefani doesn't need to ride the coattails of the No Doubt brand in order to sell records. She has had a very successful solo career, why did she need to attach the band name to this album? A question that can't be answered. Or at least not by me.
Perhaps my nostalgia gets the best of me and, unlike the band, I am unable to move on from the past but this album is simply a disappointment. There is no rock. There is no roll. There is nothing but an album full of dance-pop hits, created purely for the sake of making money. I will not buy this album. I will not go see them live (not even if it's free, ZING!). And as far as I am concerned, No Doubt is dead to me *dramatic expression* -PL
Tracks:
For a complete list of new releases, please visit Album of the Year!!
Anticipation.
Muse - 10/2/12
Converge - 10/9/12
Bat For Lashes - 10/16/12
Ben Gibbard - 10/16/12
Pinback - 10/16/12
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - 10/23/12
Further Seems Forever - 10/23/12
Paul Banks - 10/23/12
SOUNDGARDEN!!! - 11/13/12
Alicia Keys - 11/27/12
New Releases.
Riding high from the amazing release week we just had, I was quickly brought back down to earth this week, which has proven to be nothing but disappointment for me and my ears. -PL
Mumford & Sons
Mumford & Sons is an amazing act and I have nothing but positive things to say about them as people, the music and lyrics they write and the happiness I usually feel after listening to them. While I don't think this album is at all bad, I am a little underwhelmed. This might as well be Sigh No More, because that's all I heard while listening to Babel. Only, Sigh No More had "Little Lion Man," and this album does not. I fail to hear the glaring hit they scored with "The Cave," in their eye-opening performance at the 2011 Grammys. That song, that performance, was a call to arms, awakening people to a genre of music long since forgotten by fans and even the industry. Not only did that performance launch their career, it also launched the entire genre into the mainstream. Babel does not have the same uplifting feel and for that disappointment comes.
Because I am such a HUGE fan of this band, and who they have become over the last two years, I will keep listening to this album, until the disappointment subsides and happiness overcomes me... -PL
Tracks: Babel, Holland Road
No Doubt
It doesn't suck as much as I thought (read: hoped) it would. But it's not good. Much like the Commercially Driven Corporate Punk Rock Group formerly known as Green Day, No Doubt is so far from where I thought they would be, disappointment doesn't even begin to explain how I feel about this album.
In 1995 I thought Tragic Kingdom was one of the best albums I had heard at the time. Fast forward 17 years and three albums, I wouldn't recognize this music belonging to this band if I had heard Push and Shove in passing. To me, this album is not No Doubt. It's Gwen Stefani. Nothing about this album says Tony Kanal or Adrian Young (or Tom Dumont. I didn't want to leave him out). Push and Shove should have been a Gwen Stefani solo project, plain and simple. It actually pisses me off a little that Kanal and Young (and Dumont) allowed the No Doubt name on this album. What I don't understand is, Stefani doesn't need to ride the coattails of the No Doubt brand in order to sell records. She has had a very successful solo career, why did she need to attach the band name to this album? A question that can't be answered. Or at least not by me.
Perhaps my nostalgia gets the best of me and, unlike the band, I am unable to move on from the past but this album is simply a disappointment. There is no rock. There is no roll. There is nothing but an album full of dance-pop hits, created purely for the sake of making money. I will not buy this album. I will not go see them live (not even if it's free, ZING!). And as far as I am concerned, No Doubt is dead to me *dramatic expression* -PL
Tracks:
For a complete list of new releases, please visit Album of the Year!!
Anticipation.
Muse - 10/2/12
Converge - 10/9/12
Bat For Lashes - 10/16/12
Ben Gibbard - 10/16/12
Pinback - 10/16/12
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - 10/23/12
Further Seems Forever - 10/23/12
Paul Banks - 10/23/12
SOUNDGARDEN!!! - 11/13/12
Alicia Keys - 11/27/12
Monday, September 24, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
And the Emmy goes to...
Hollywood's night for glitz and glamour!
The best dressed goes to...
Tina Fey in Vivienne Westwood
Julianna Margulies in Giambattista Valli
Leslie Mann in Naem Khan
Lucy Liu in Versace
Edie Falco in Stella McCartney
Photos care of US Weekly
Friday, September 21, 2012
New Music Tuesday!
Every Tuesday is an exciting new day for music! Here are a few selections worth checking out (or
avoiding), with links to articles, reviews, videos and anything else the
Internet could provide...Happy Listening!
New Releases.
Dinosaur Jr. (9/18/12)
Spotify: Dinosaur Jr. – I Bet On Sky
Usually it's not that hard for me to find the words to talk about an album I love, but I've written and re-written this review about 10 times, unable to settle on the message I want to send. So, when the words don't come I've found it best to just be short and sweet and to the point. I absolutely love this album. From start to finish there isn't much, actually anything about I Bet On Sky I would change. From guitar solos to J's voice, everything feels and sounds as it should be.
Tracks: They're all AWESOME, but Rude is my absolute FAVORITE!
Grizzly Bear (9/18/12)
Spotify: Grizzly Bear – Shields
I’m a bit burned out on music at the moment and given that I mainly listen to most new music on my work computer these days, I find it can be hard to focus on what I’m listening to. Once I start getting into a song my work phone blows up and interrupts whatever mood the music had put me in. Then I get irritated that I’m at work (where I don’t want to be) and not fully immersed in the music (where I want to be). I apologize if this sounds rushed and confused, but I’m going to give my reactionary impressions of these two albums without delving deep into the mechanics of either of them.
This Grizzly Bear album is, well, I don’t know - it’s just kind of there. I like “Sleeping Ute” a lot but right after that the album kind of disappears until I don’t even notice it’s over. How long have I been listening to silence? Is it a good thing that I don’t know how to answer that question? This has happened three times in a row now. My ears occasionally perk up here and there but for the most part my brain is on autopilot. I don’t know if that’s really a knock against the album because when I actually pay attention to the songs I don’t actually hate any of them. -TB
Tracks: Sleeping Ute, Yet Again, Gun-shy
Which brings me to the xx album.
I hate actually saying whether or not an album is good because who am I to tell you what you would or wouldn’t enjoy? If you are a fan of both of these bands then I can’t see any reason why either of these albums would turn you into a full blown hater (though I’d be interested to hear the opinion of those that have that experience). Consequently I also can’t find anything here that’s going to pull any haters on board. I know that’s about the biggest cop-out in album review history but you’ll have this. -TB
Tracks: Angels, Chained, Sunset, Tides
Anticipation.
Converge - 10/9/12
Bat For Lashes - 10/16/12
Ben Gibbard - 10/16/12
Pinback - 10/16/12
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - 10/23/12
Further Seems Forever - 10/23/12
Paul Banks - 10/23/12
SOUNDGARDEN!!! - 11/13/12
Alicia Keys - 11/27/12
New Releases.
Dinosaur Jr. (9/18/12)
Usually it's not that hard for me to find the words to talk about an album I love, but I've written and re-written this review about 10 times, unable to settle on the message I want to send. So, when the words don't come I've found it best to just be short and sweet and to the point. I absolutely love this album. From start to finish there isn't much, actually anything about I Bet On Sky I would change. From guitar solos to J's voice, everything feels and sounds as it should be.
Tracks: They're all AWESOME, but Rude is my absolute FAVORITE!
Grizzly Bear (9/18/12)
I’m a bit burned out on music at the moment and given that I mainly listen to most new music on my work computer these days, I find it can be hard to focus on what I’m listening to. Once I start getting into a song my work phone blows up and interrupts whatever mood the music had put me in. Then I get irritated that I’m at work (where I don’t want to be) and not fully immersed in the music (where I want to be). I apologize if this sounds rushed and confused, but I’m going to give my reactionary impressions of these two albums without delving deep into the mechanics of either of them.
This Grizzly Bear album is, well, I don’t know - it’s just kind of there. I like “Sleeping Ute” a lot but right after that the album kind of disappears until I don’t even notice it’s over. How long have I been listening to silence? Is it a good thing that I don’t know how to answer that question? This has happened three times in a row now. My ears occasionally perk up here and there but for the most part my brain is on autopilot. I don’t know if that’s really a knock against the album because when I actually pay attention to the songs I don’t actually hate any of them. -TB
Tracks: Sleeping Ute, Yet Again, Gun-shy
Which brings me to the xx album.
The xx (released 9/11/12)
Spotify: The xx – Coexist
This band does not write barn-stomping stadium bashers. You will (most likely) not be blasting this out your car windows on a hot summer day, singing loud as hell at the top of your lungs. These are songs you hear in the back of your mind after a night out and you find yourself somewhere unfamiliar, making out with a stranger, and wondering just how you got in that situation in the first place. They are songs to listen to on the walk of shame while reflecting on your previous night’s choices. They can also be songs for wallflowers; each song playing out a little scenario in the head of that kid at the party who’s in the corner watching everyone without actually interacting with anyone.
I hate actually saying whether or not an album is good because who am I to tell you what you would or wouldn’t enjoy? If you are a fan of both of these bands then I can’t see any reason why either of these albums would turn you into a full blown hater (though I’d be interested to hear the opinion of those that have that experience). Consequently I also can’t find anything here that’s going to pull any haters on board. I know that’s about the biggest cop-out in album review history but you’ll have this. -TB
Tracks: Angels, Chained, Sunset, Tides
Anticipation.
Mumford & Sons - 9/25
Muse - 10/2/12Converge - 10/9/12
Bat For Lashes - 10/16/12
Ben Gibbard - 10/16/12
Pinback - 10/16/12
...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead - 10/23/12
Further Seems Forever - 10/23/12
Paul Banks - 10/23/12
SOUNDGARDEN!!! - 11/13/12
Alicia Keys - 11/27/12
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Physical Connection Series: Part II
On July 11th, I posted the first installment of this series. With an optimistic outlook I thought it would be no big deal to relinquish my iTunes account for indie record stores. Boy was I fucking wrong... Here's where it all went to shit. In spite of there being three record stores in my neighborhood, the problem became finding a record store that actually carried the album(s) I was in search of...
On the day of the physical release of Frank Ocean's Channel Orange (7/17/12), I happily walked into THREE record stores only to walk right back out unsuccessful in my task. Two of them were out of stock and one of them hadn't even got the albums in yet. I called yet another record store thinking I could stop on my way home but instead had a tragic conversation with one of the workers who was confused and thought the album didn't come out until the week after. Pissed off and frustrated I went home. Broke down and bought it on iTunes. *hangs head in shame*
About three weeks later, I returned to one of the record stores in my neighborhood and by some miracle they had the physical CD. So I bought it. I spent $25.98 (11.99 on iTunes and 13.99 for physical) for one album. Frustration.
A similar experience happened to me yet again tonight. In anticipation of today's paycheck, I made a short list of albums I wanted to buy - Passion Pit's Gossamer, Stars' The North, Dinosaur Jr.'s I Bet On Sky and Grizzly Bear's Shields. I walked away with half of my list. When I asked the worker at the record store if I just wasn't looking in the right spot, a woman (I presumed an owner) popped her head out of the office, said they did not have either album but could order for me. And then disappeared just as fast as she appeared. I came home. Opened up my computer and waved the white flag of surrender. This time without the shame. Thank you iTunes.
This challenge has been nothing but disappointment from day one...
Monday, September 17, 2012
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Queen of Hearts
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| Oscar de la Renta - Photo care of Nina Garcia instagram |
Fresh off the Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 Ready to Wear runway.
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| Oscar de la Renta Spring 2013 - photo care of WWD |
NYFashion Week Spring 2013: Rachel Roy
Rachel Roy
Select looks from the Spring 2013 Ready to Wear Collection
To view entire collection please visit WWD
Photos care of WWD
NYFashion Week Spring 2013: Jenny Packham
Jenny Packham
Select looks from the Spring 2013 Ready to Wear Collection
To view entire collection please visit WWD
Photos care of WWD
NYFashion Week Spring 2013: Oscar de la Renta
Oscar de la Renta
Select looks from the Spring 2013 Ready to Wear Collection
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| FAVORITE |
~ Oscar de la Renta is one of the most recognizable names in fashion and for good reason. Though I felt the casual wear aspect of this collection looked a little old (the hair extensions in bright colors were a nice attempt to freshen each look up, but I think it fell flat) my faith in OdlR was restored at the end. Flawless gowns, in vibrant colors.
To view entire collection please visit WWD
Photos care of WWD
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