Panther Picks (Episode 12) - Down and Out
Maybe it’s the death of Isaac Hayes (not to mention Bernie Mac, wtf?!), or maybe it’s the fog that keeps destroying San Francisco’s summer nights, but I’m feeling a little down and out. So I apologize if these picks aren’t as upbeat as normal. At least Outside Lands is almost here… MP3s:Isaac Hayes - “Walk on By”Beck - “He’s a Mighty Good Leader” Rogue Wave - “Eyes” Sea Wolf - “You’re a Wolf” Kings of Convenience - “Know How” [f. Feist] Meow Mix (Episode 4) - Tasty MP3s for Kats
This is probably the most excited I’ve been since I started doing this four weeks ago. One track that deserves special attention is Jon Lucien’s “Search for the Inner Self,” another sickening piece of the flawless Gilles Peterson Digs America collection of Jazz & Soul. Also, I had to give Deerhunter two tracks on this episode of Meow Mix because ever since a friend recommended Cryptograms I haven’t been able to stop listening. Hopefully this finds you all a little less woeful at the start of another week out in the workforce. MP3s:Jon Lucien - Search for the Inner SelfKid Sublime - The Harder I Rock Deerhunter - Heatherwood The Brian Jonestown Massacre - Servo Feist - When I Was a Young Girl CocoRosie - Not for Sale Fela Kuti - Water No Get Enemy Deerhunter - Cryptograms Arcade Fire - Rebellion (Lies) The Animal Collective - Fireworks Feist on the Colbert ReportFeist delivered a stunning performance of “I Feel it All” on the Colbert Report last night. OK, so the VP has a slight crush. Feist - “I Feel it All” [Live on The Colbert Report]MP3s:Feist - I Feel it All [Live] - The Colbert ReportFeist - I Feel it All [LP Version] Feist - I Feel it All [Britt Daniel Remix] Nike features Saul Williams Song in New TV Commercial - VP Freaks Out
When I first saw Nike’s new television ad during the other night’s episode of South Park, I couldn’t decide what I was feeling. Anger, joy, discontent, surprise, shock, dismay? Saul Williams’ righteous anthem – “List of Demands (Reparations)” – raises the hairs on the back of my neck. But now that Nike has plundered it for the “My Better is Better” campaign, I can’t decide if I should be outraged or pleased. NoisePop 2008: What Happened?
Download: AmpLive - Reckonerz [f. Charli 2na] AmpLive – Nudez [f. Too $hort & MC Zumbi of Zion-I]Best Albums of 2007 - Vague Panther
So, apparently you can’t start a music blog without having a top ten list of the past year’s best albums. Even if it’s about a month too late. That’s what Editor-in-Chief The Stranger claims… but relax, the Vague Panther’s list is clearly the best. Best Albums of 2007 - The Stranger
2007 started off fairly slowly, but ended up as a very strong year for indie music. I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing, but a lot of my favorite releases came from an extended indie family (I’m fairly sure that Leslie Feist has dated, toured with or lived with almost every one), and more surprisingly, not a single hip-hop or electronic artist made my list this year. With the advent of iTunes, I feel like music has returned to a singles-based model, but was pleasantly surprised to find more true albums (not collections of random songs) come out in ‘07. Without further ado, here are my picks for the best of 2007: |
With Noise Pop 2008 ending yesterday, I thought it a good time to ask a simple question: What the fuck happened? Last year the line up was an indie kids’ wet dream with the likes of Tapes ‘n Tapes, Josh Ritter, Sebadoh, John Vanderslice, Ted Leo, Midlake, Spinto Band, Vic Chesnutt and The Coup. The 2006 lineup featured a pre-iPod commercial Leslie Fiest, The National, a Britt Daniel (of Spoon) solo set and Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips exploding one of his famous confetti balloons all over Bimbo’s 365 Club.
This year, we get the Mountain Goats and the Magnetic Fields? WTF? Don’t get me wrong, I actually like some of these bands, but for an event that touts itself as one of the premier independent music festivals alongside Austin’s SXSW, this lineup is not even close to acceptable. I’m writing off Noise Pop 2008 as both an anomaly and a blessing, given that I don’t have the extra few hundred bucks I’d likely blow had the list of performers been anything close to years past.
One bright spot on this year’s bill is local yay-area DJ, Amplive, of Zion-I fame. The Oak-town native got the party started this past Tuesday night at the Rickshaw Stop by spinning his recent remix of Radiohead’s In Rainbows. If you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard the RainyDayz EP (which features none other than Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Chali 2na of Jurassic 5), 
