Spoon: Transference in “Nothing Not New”

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…

Editors: In This Light and On This Evening in “Nothing Not New”

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…

M.I.A. to Drop New Record

M.I.A.’s new record is slated for release this summer, and you can expect that it’ll be a bit different from Kala. She said that on her record she’ll be singing as well as rapping and that her inspirations were a little less conventional than usual. One song, “I’m Down Like Your…

Neil Hamburger’s Advice to the Youth of Tempe in Video

Neil Hamburger has been referred to as “America’s Funnyman,” “the world’s ‘worst’ stand-up comedian,” and as having a sense of humor “drier than the Sahara.” Full of awkward moments, the anti-comedian alter ego of Gregg Turkington (who did, in fact, live in Tempe for some time) comes up with awful…

American Carnage Tour Postponed

air metal fans of the Valley, take note: The superstar-studded American Carnage Tour (which featured the ’80s triple-threat of Slayer, Megadeth, and Testatment) has been postponed indefinitely. The concert was scheduled to take place on January 23 at Dodge Theatre, but has been put on the shelf due to major…

Leonard Cohen and the Most Overlooked Live Album of 2009

Leonard Cohen Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 is not just some re-mastered re-issue. It ain’t no run-of-the-mill recording. This is the first time that Cohen’s entire performance at the historic festival has been released. Why is this exciting and noteworthy, you may ask? For several reasons.   Firstly, Leonard Cohen…

New Animal Collective Video “Brothersport”

In the wee hours of this morning/last night, Animal Collective posted the video for their track “Brothersport”at myanimalhome.net. The sneaky bastards have outdone themselves this time around, as the video is pretty out there — complete with day-glo eggs, mischievous children and creepy ’70s-era animation. Despite the band’s Merriweather Post…

Kings of Leon Start New Fashion Line

I realize this may be a highly unpopular thing to say, but I think it’s time for the Kings of Leon to go on sabbatical. The Tennessee quartet and their overplayed songs have found just one more way to make being a hipster more obnoxious and, yes, more expensive. The…

Surfer Blood: Astro Coast in “Nothing Not New”

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…

Marilyn Manson + Evan Rachel Wood = Engaged

Evidently, this is the week for shocking celebrity engagements. Less than 48 hours ago, it was Russell Brand and Katy Perry. Now this. As Spin mentions, the news is a whole new kind of creepy. He’s said publicly that he fantasizes about smashing her skull in. In one of his…

New Issue Lowdown

We can officially look back at 2009 in the dust trail behind us. It’s over and done, and we are just finishing up contemplating what the year brought us. For the music crowd, that means a reflection of any and all recordings that made 2009 what it was. Music editor…

Yeasayer: Odd Blood

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…

Year in Music: Phoenix, Passion Pit, Neko Case, and the Rest of the Village Voice Music Editor’s Rob Harvilla’s Records of the Year

Yeah, pal, that’s “college rock,” scare quotes very much included. Look, it’s a meaningless term. As are “indie,” “alternative,” “hipster,” etc., etc. Let’s not overthink this: Here we have 10 splendid records with an amorphous rock ‘n’ roll designation, albeit in a perhaps slightly more experimental and thoughtful vein than…

Year in Music: The Most Unintentionally Hilarious Lyrics of 2009

The lowest common denominator having been achieved in 2005 with the release of the Black Eyed Peas’ Monkey Business, popular musicians have had to work extra hard in recent years to find new and inventive ways to be inane. They found great success in 2009, with artists as varied as…

Nothing Not New: Cold War Kids

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Each Monday through Friday, he will listen to one new record (no best ofs, reissues, or concert recordings) and write about…

Russell Brand and Katy Perry Gettin’ Hitched

Does anyone else find this to be a “What the fuck?!?” moment? I was surprised that they were dating, and now just four months later, they’re engaged. The most sickening part: The picture you are viewing was posted on Perry’s Twitter page with the caption, “He built this for me…”…

Owl City’s Album Art Also Unoriginal

[jump] Here we can see the original picture, taken by Ben Eubank (flickr user benisntfunny): Now, I present booklet page 2 from Owl City’s most recent album Ocean Eyes: As you can clearly see, Young just up and took Eubank’s photo and made it is own, not before adding a…

Nothing Not New: Vampire Weekend

Welcome to “Nothing Not New,” a yearlong project in which New Times editorial operations manager Jay Bennett, a 40-year-old music fan and musician, will listen only to music released in 2010. Why? Because in the words of his editor, Martin Cizmar, he suffers from “aesthetic atrophy,” a wasting away of one’s ability…