My Presidential Election Playlist

Like most Americans with an internet connection and a functioning television, I have been besieged by election coverage for something like the last seventeen years. From the early days when everyone wondered what exactly was wrong with Mike Gravel, through the brief period when it looked like at least one human might vote for Ron Paul and right up to now, less than a week from Election Day, Americans have been supersaturated with political coverage. So, to overcome the soul-killing ennui that I have had towards the democratic process for the past several months and to stoke myself up for next week’s festivities, I have pieced together a little election year playlist. Read more

My Bloody Valentine Performs at Roseland, NYC - 9/22/08

Chapter One: Blown a Wish

I have resigned myself to my fate: I am a rock nerd born ten years too late. I had just started high school when Pavement broke up, I missed the best Built to Spill records by five years, the day of the fanzine had come and gone by the time I was old enough to care, blah blah blah. My greatest regret, though, is that I totally missed My Bloody Valentine. Loveless is one of my favorite albums of all time (which means I have a pulse) and their live show is one of the great legends of rock nerd-dom. [Author's note: I won't waste your time by trying to write about this record; instead, I'll refer you to Mike McGonigal's excellent 33 1/3 volume on the subject.] Read more

Miley Cyrus: A Bit Too Mature for Fifteen?

I recently spent a week at the beach with my family, which meant that I would have to take a vacation from the knobby indie rock and post-punk music that generally dominates my playlist for a brief jaunt into the world of corporate radio. Full disclosure: I do enjoy a brief trip right of the dial every summer, if only to see what kind of music major record labels believe humans should go apeshit over. As my taste in overproduced radio music veers more to top 40 than the boring and misogynistic post-grunge cock rock that populates guitar stations, I became familiar with a number of the hits of Party Summer ‘08. These ranged from pleasantly forgettable (Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl”) to abominably horrible (Jesse McCartney’s “Leavin’”). One song, however, stuck out from the rest: “See You Again” by barely pubescent media juggernaut, Miley Cyrus. Read more