happy new yearses
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Beer Of The Year
Lawson's Sip of Sunshine wins our "Beer of the Year" award. As the co-host of our recent "best of the year" radio show noted, it's "The easiest to locate hard-to-find beer in the Northeast."
Labels:
beer
Best Things That Happened on TV in 2015
Extremely hastily thrown together list that must be finished and posted within 9 minutes or else. Don't expect any deep commentary, we only have 8 minutes left fuck.
There are probably a few amazing moments that we're forgetting but whatever.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: D'ANGELO ON SNL
I MEAN DUH
Best Halloween Episode: Bob's Burgers
Mostly because it climaxes pretty early, and then the last 6-7 minutes are all an extended epilogue which could only still be dope on Bob's Burgers.
TV MOMENT #10: Celebrity Jeopardy Reunion
We thought this special was gonna suck, but it was actually ok.
#9 The Eric Andre episode that was all "Bird Up" stuff
#8 The Jinx Last Episode
No spoilers. Although this does happen:
#7 Nathan For You Suing Best Buy
We think he sued them. Did that happen? Was this the one where he went on a craigslist date with the mall goth? That probably all happened.
#6 The last 20 minutes of the 9th episode of Fargo.
The last episode kinda sucked, but mostly because the episode before that left everyone being all like "no fucking way." No spoilers.
#5 Tweek and Craig
#4 Zoot Suit
I mean come on. Zoot suit.
#3 "Stakes"
8-part mini-series/story arc thing. No spoilers, but we will say "Fuck The King Of Ooo, that dude sux"
#2 Bojack "Escape from LA" Episode
We forget the deer family's name, but this is one of the best episodes of any show from this decade. Can't post videos or else there will be spoilers.
TV MOMENT #1: Mr. Poopy Butthole
The last thing that happened in the whole season after the credits of the last episode. "Come and get it kitty."
There are probably a few amazing moments that we're forgetting but whatever.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR: D'ANGELO ON SNL
I MEAN DUH
Best Halloween Episode: Bob's Burgers
Mostly because it climaxes pretty early, and then the last 6-7 minutes are all an extended epilogue which could only still be dope on Bob's Burgers.
TV MOMENT #10: Celebrity Jeopardy Reunion
We thought this special was gonna suck, but it was actually ok.
#9 The Eric Andre episode that was all "Bird Up" stuff
#8 The Jinx Last Episode
No spoilers. Although this does happen:
#7 Nathan For You Suing Best Buy
We think he sued them. Did that happen? Was this the one where he went on a craigslist date with the mall goth? That probably all happened.
#6 The last 20 minutes of the 9th episode of Fargo.
The last episode kinda sucked, but mostly because the episode before that left everyone being all like "no fucking way." No spoilers.
#5 Tweek and Craig
#4 Zoot Suit
I mean come on. Zoot suit.
#3 "Stakes"
8-part mini-series/story arc thing. No spoilers, but we will say "Fuck The King Of Ooo, that dude sux"
#2 Bojack "Escape from LA" Episode
We forget the deer family's name, but this is one of the best episodes of any show from this decade. Can't post videos or else there will be spoilers.
TV MOMENT #1: Mr. Poopy Butthole
The last thing that happened in the whole season after the credits of the last episode. "Come and get it kitty."
Labels:
adult swim,
adventure time,
bojack,
eric andre,
hannibal,
nathan for you,
rick and morty,
snl,
south park,
the state
Thing Of The Year 2015: Sad Satan
Even now, six months after this video mysteriously appeared, no one can produce any information about it. Mystery is the key to allure. It's creepy and weird. Thing of the year, no doubt.
Labels:
sad satan,
video games,
viral videos
we scored huge in 2015
With only hours to spare, we have officially entered triple-digit posts within a calendar year. This is our first year surpassing 100 posts since way back in 2012. Let's make it happen again next year.
Labels:
taste my kids
BasedGod is Back?
After laying low for a year, is it possible that Lil B is planning a huge comeback in 2016? Only time will tell. His new based mixtape dropped yesterday: http://www.datpiff.com/Lil-B-The-BasedGod-Thugged-Out-Pissed-Off-Mixtape.756747.html
Labels:
lil b
they go in 3's
Lemmy, Meadowlark Lemon and John Bradbury all left us within 24 hours. Is it true that celebrity death always happens in 3's? We would like to find more evidence of this.
Edit: And now Natalie Cole. Unforgettable. :(
Edit: And now Natalie Cole. Unforgettable. :(
Labels:
r.i.p.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Ten Nice Songs from 2015 Reissues
Youtube, where ya at?
10. Pavement “Sue Me Jack”
Originally from the b-side of the deleted "Trigger Cut" 7-inch in 1992. Re-released on The Secret History, Volume 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h5fDmYLq7U
9. Neneh Cherry & The Circuit “Dead Come Alive”
From Trevor Jackson Presents Science Fiction Dancehall Classics.
https://soundcloud.com/on-u-sound-records/neneh-cherry-the-circuit-dead-come-alive
8. David Bowie “Holy Holy (Spiders version)”
Originally from the a-side of a deleted 1971 7-inch. Re-released on Five Years (1969 - 1973).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1ePZDxIoY
7. Revelons “The Way (You Touch My Hand)”
7-inch from 1979. Released on Ork Records: New York New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovM1idnJ4Vo
6. The Coneheads "Out of Conetrol"
Originally from 2014's Total Conetrol cassette. Re-released on 14 Year Old High School PC-Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo for the Sake of Extorting $$$ From Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L.P.
5. Mary Afi Usuah “Mma Ama Mbo”
Originally from 1975's Ekpenyong Abasi LP.
The song we liked best is not on Youtube. Here's a different song from the same album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bIfPOLIWA
4. Francis The Great “Look Up In The Sky”
Originally from 1977's Ravissante Baby LP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hhun3NtkTw
3. Alex Chilton “All of the Time”
Originally from 1975's Bach's Bottom LP. Re-released on Ork Records: New York New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnqninI9Kd4
2. Lead Belly “They Hung Him on the Cross (Version 1)”
From Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44aTJdCnblM
1. Ata Kak “Obaa Sima”
Originally on cassette in 1994. Preserved at awesometapes.com in 2010 and on vinyl in 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd0PV82e1jE
10. Pavement “Sue Me Jack”
Originally from the b-side of the deleted "Trigger Cut" 7-inch in 1992. Re-released on The Secret History, Volume 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h5fDmYLq7U
9. Neneh Cherry & The Circuit “Dead Come Alive”
From Trevor Jackson Presents Science Fiction Dancehall Classics.
https://soundcloud.com/on-u-sound-records/neneh-cherry-the-circuit-dead-come-alive
8. David Bowie “Holy Holy (Spiders version)”
Originally from the a-side of a deleted 1971 7-inch. Re-released on Five Years (1969 - 1973).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gc1ePZDxIoY
7. Revelons “The Way (You Touch My Hand)”
7-inch from 1979. Released on Ork Records: New York New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovM1idnJ4Vo
6. The Coneheads "Out of Conetrol"
Originally from 2014's Total Conetrol cassette. Re-released on 14 Year Old High School PC-Fascist Hype Lords Rip Off Devo for the Sake of Extorting $$$ From Helpless Impressionable Midwestern Internet Peoplepunks L.P.
5. Mary Afi Usuah “Mma Ama Mbo”
Originally from 1975's Ekpenyong Abasi LP.
The song we liked best is not on Youtube. Here's a different song from the same album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1bIfPOLIWA
4. Francis The Great “Look Up In The Sky”
Originally from 1977's Ravissante Baby LP.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hhun3NtkTw
3. Alex Chilton “All of the Time”
Originally from 1975's Bach's Bottom LP. Re-released on Ork Records: New York New York.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnqninI9Kd4
2. Lead Belly “They Hung Him on the Cross (Version 1)”
From Lead Belly: The Smithsonian Folkways Collection.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44aTJdCnblM
1. Ata Kak “Obaa Sima”
Originally on cassette in 1994. Preserved at awesometapes.com in 2010 and on vinyl in 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd0PV82e1jE
Labels:
big star,
bowie,
pavement,
random lists,
vinyl
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Vid Kids 2015: The Big Fuckin' List
"Watch Me Nae Nae" was a good video too. Don't think we forgot.
We better hurry up and post the big list now, before we think of 1 or 2 really obvious choices that we will get pissed about forgetting.
Cyriak "Malfunction" (bonus)
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats "Melody Lane" (bonus)
David Bowie "Blackstar" (Honorable mention)
David Hasselhoff "True Survivor" (Honorable mention)
#10 Mark Ronson featuring Mystikal "Feel Right"
#9 Trust Fund "Cut Me Out"
#8 Homeshake "Slow"
#7 Beastie Boys featuring Nas "Too Many Rappers"
#6 Run The Jewels featuring Zack de la Rocha "Close Your Eyes (And Count to Fuck)"
#5 Young Thug "With That"
#4 Kendrick Lamar "For Free? (Interlude)"
#3 Oneohtrix Point Never "Sticky Drama"
#2 Peaches "Rub"
#1 Rihanna "Bitch Better Have My Money"
#0 Kendrick Lamar "Alright"
More stuff coming soon.
Labels:
random lists,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #0: Kendrick Lamar "Alright"
Very few "Best Videos of 2015" lists that we could locate offered much variety. ("Feeling Myself" is in pretty much all of them even though it's not really all that different from most of Beyonce's other videos from the past 3 years.) The majority of these lists (possibly all of them) properly included "Alright." We wanted to include "For Free" because it's a great video that didn't appear on ANY of these lists. And we really wanted Rihanna at #1. However, this leaves us with the unfortunate task of figuring out how to still ensure that "Alright" is not forgotten. Placing the video at "number zero" probably doesn't sound very impressive to most people. But rest assured, zero is the hero.
There's a lot to say about "Alright," and it's been reviewed so many times in the past 4 weeks that it's pointless to add much beyond these two notes:
#1 Back in March, we posted a call to action requesting the return of upside down rappers. And then two months later, Kendrick not only answers our fucking prayers but places it into probably the best upside-down rapper video ever made.
#2 The cinematography in this is SO right on - the best in a hiphop video since "99 Problems" - but we haven't seen it praised elsewhere. (Perhaps it was so obvious that it wasn't worth mentioning.)
There's a lot to say about "Alright," and it's been reviewed so many times in the past 4 weeks that it's pointless to add much beyond these two notes:
#1 Back in March, we posted a call to action requesting the return of upside down rappers. And then two months later, Kendrick not only answers our fucking prayers but places it into probably the best upside-down rapper video ever made.
#2 The cinematography in this is SO right on - the best in a hiphop video since "99 Problems" - but we haven't seen it praised elsewhere. (Perhaps it was so obvious that it wasn't worth mentioning.)
Labels:
kendrick lamar,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #1: Rihanna "Bitch Better Have My Money"
Videos like this make us long for the days when late-night MTV2 would air those "20 Most Controversial Videos" specials like the one hosted by Andrew WK way back in 2003 (the only instance when videos like "Closer," "Smack My Bitch Up" or "What It Feels Like For A Girl" were shown completely uncensored).
In modern day pop videos, the "NSFW" tag doesn't seem to matter nearly as much. Matt and Kim or The Flaming Lips can shoot a full-frontal video anytime they want. Whoopie. Those videos probably wouldn't have been eligible for MTV airplay anyway. What really makes an impression in 2015 is when a HUGE (big-business AND critically beloved) artist makes it abundantly certain that she gives a grand total of zero fucks.
We have to be honest for a second: After going to bat for Rihanna many times between 2005 and 2012, we were starting to give up on her. When a pop artist releases big albums with multiple radio hits three Novembers in a row (2010, 2011 and 2012), oversaturation might become inevitable. It started out as only mildly grating somewhere between "I Love the Way You Lie" and "Run This Town," but the annoyance probably reached its apex right around the 200th spin of "We Found Love." We never thought we'd be so happy that she disappeared out of nowhere.
2014 - her strategically planned year off - did her a WORLD of good.
She is now probably the coolest rock star to chainsmoke in a video since the days of Nirvana Unplugged. (Anyone seen Taylor Swift chainsmoking lately? Def not, because Taylor Swift is boring. #truth) But that's not all:
- She lets the puppy live.
- She somehow found one of the world's only remaining functioning payphones and proceeds to beat the shit out of it.
- Slow motion walk away from burning car.
- Vomit.
- Shoots fireworks gun from a kiddie pool.
- Smokes joints.
- Shoots a cellphone.
- Weed dance party in hotel room with the Bitch character tied to the bed and blindfolded.
- "Available Balance: $420"
- Celebrates having her money returned by smoking weed naked in the middle of a park covered in blood and dollar bills.
Probably our favorite video since "Bombay."
In modern day pop videos, the "NSFW" tag doesn't seem to matter nearly as much. Matt and Kim or The Flaming Lips can shoot a full-frontal video anytime they want. Whoopie. Those videos probably wouldn't have been eligible for MTV airplay anyway. What really makes an impression in 2015 is when a HUGE (big-business AND critically beloved) artist makes it abundantly certain that she gives a grand total of zero fucks.
We have to be honest for a second: After going to bat for Rihanna many times between 2005 and 2012, we were starting to give up on her. When a pop artist releases big albums with multiple radio hits three Novembers in a row (2010, 2011 and 2012), oversaturation might become inevitable. It started out as only mildly grating somewhere between "I Love the Way You Lie" and "Run This Town," but the annoyance probably reached its apex right around the 200th spin of "We Found Love." We never thought we'd be so happy that she disappeared out of nowhere.
2014 - her strategically planned year off - did her a WORLD of good.
She is now probably the coolest rock star to chainsmoke in a video since the days of Nirvana Unplugged. (Anyone seen Taylor Swift chainsmoking lately? Def not, because Taylor Swift is boring. #truth) But that's not all:
- She lets the puppy live.
- She somehow found one of the world's only remaining functioning payphones and proceeds to beat the shit out of it.
- Slow motion walk away from burning car.
- Vomit.
- Shoots fireworks gun from a kiddie pool.
- Smokes joints.
- Shoots a cellphone.
- Weed dance party in hotel room with the Bitch character tied to the bed and blindfolded.
- "Available Balance: $420"
- Celebrates having her money returned by smoking weed naked in the middle of a park covered in blood and dollar bills.
Probably our favorite video since "Bombay."
Labels:
rihanna,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #2: Peaches "Rub"
FUSE offered Peaches a reality show about her day to day existence - possibly titled Peaches and Cream. She brought a camera crew to her commune, although no one knows where it exists. Not even Peaches. She just somehow shows up there when she returns from tour. They shot 4 seasons of the show and condensed all the best parts into this 5-minute video.
Peaches - Rub (Uncensored) from Peaches on Vimeo.
Labels:
peaches,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #3: Oneohtrix Point Never "Sticky Drama"
Is this the future of LARPing? Back in the day, kids used to play capture the flag. Now they play Game Of Thrones on molly, incorporating drones, texting devices, tamagotchis and gooey Nickelodeon products like Floam and Gak. Princess AOL Start-Up Disc rules from her bed throne next to her OneDirection shrine. Seems like the backstory is intensely intricate and incomprehensible. What will happen to their universe once they go off to college? Will they reunite for ongoing adventures during Thanksgiving Breaks and Winter Sessions? Or will new young recruits carry their legacy?
Labels:
oneohtrix point never,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #4: Kendrick Lamar "For Free? (Interlude)"
Some of this video's publicity placed emphasis on the unexpectedly brilliant track selection, a rare instance of a skit receiving video treatment. (It's tough for us throw the tag "skit" onto a piece of work that's so musically and lyrically dense, but that's a discussion for a different blurb.) We usually prefer when videos present an unexpected reflection of a song's musical atmosphere without visually interpreting its lyrics. But here, everything is so strongly aligned: Lyrics, music, atmosphere and cinematic visuals interwoven into an insane 2.2 minute blast so intense that we wouldn't be surprised if it's already influenced a few dozen thesis projects.
Labels:
kendrick lamar,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #5: Young Thug "With That"
We love Big Head Mode. If anyone wants to come over later for some N64 GoldenEye, we're down to go right for the big heads. LSD in the summertime.
Labels:
vid kids 2015,
young thug
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #6: Run The Jewels featuring Zack de la Rocha "Close Your Eyes (And Count To Fuck)"
MTV once created a simpler gateway for young filmmakers to generate name-recognition in a way that doesn't seem to be catching quite as easily in the Youtube/Vimeo era. The 2010s doesn't really have any big "pop video director" names like Jonas Akerlund, F. Gary Gray, Mark Romanek or Hype Williams. Although, if this decade had one of those names, it would be AG Rojas. For us, his video for "Earl" by Earl Sweatshirt was like the 2010s version of Sam Bayer's "Teen Spirit" video, hitting at just the perfect time when the world of music and pop videos desperately needed the excitement that Odd Future happily provided.
Just the same, the state of the world at the beginning of 2015 needed a strong reaction. And it had been a very long time since world events properly aligned with a cultural movement that didn't feel self-serving or grossly heavy-handed. For example, 9/11, the invasion of Iraq and Hurricane Katrina were expected to coincide with strong cultural movements that never really happened. Reactions to those moments throughout the world of music frequently appeared very self-serving. U2 was somehow present for all of them. Sam Bayer - 14 years after "Teen Spirit" - reacted to Iraq with possibly the worst video of the 2000-2009 decade, Green Day's "Wake Me When September Ends."
2015. We're finally experiencing a cultural movement that can produce a video like THIS, equally moving and appropriately poignant. We don't wanna blow our load too soon before Hot Mix, so we'll cool down our reaction to the world at large. But yea, "Close Your Eyes" is one of the strongest reactions to this era from any medium.
Just the same, the state of the world at the beginning of 2015 needed a strong reaction. And it had been a very long time since world events properly aligned with a cultural movement that didn't feel self-serving or grossly heavy-handed. For example, 9/11, the invasion of Iraq and Hurricane Katrina were expected to coincide with strong cultural movements that never really happened. Reactions to those moments throughout the world of music frequently appeared very self-serving. U2 was somehow present for all of them. Sam Bayer - 14 years after "Teen Spirit" - reacted to Iraq with possibly the worst video of the 2000-2009 decade, Green Day's "Wake Me When September Ends."
2015. We're finally experiencing a cultural movement that can produce a video like THIS, equally moving and appropriately poignant. We don't wanna blow our load too soon before Hot Mix, so we'll cool down our reaction to the world at large. But yea, "Close Your Eyes" is one of the strongest reactions to this era from any medium.
Labels:
dirty south,
rage,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #7: Beastie Boys featuring Nas "Too Many Rappers"
"BUZZ CLIP"
In the mid-2010s, it unexpectedly became very easy to pretend it's the '90s. We're all for it. Yo look, it's the B-Boys! With Nas! Being all wacky in a grocery store! It's like nothing ever changed. We wonder if MTV would have made this a Buzz Clip, like how they would occasionally slap the tag onto videos from bands that were already nationally established, ie "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Where It's At" and "El Scorcho."
In the mid-2010s, it unexpectedly became very easy to pretend it's the '90s. We're all for it. Yo look, it's the B-Boys! With Nas! Being all wacky in a grocery store! It's like nothing ever changed. We wonder if MTV would have made this a Buzz Clip, like how they would occasionally slap the tag onto videos from bands that were already nationally established, ie "Bullet With Butterfly Wings," "Where It's At" and "El Scorcho."
Labels:
beastie boys,
nas,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #8: Homeshake "Slow"
Special thanks to our associates for recommending this one. As Youtube's Autoplay function suggests more Homeshake videos, they all appear warped by a specific strand of fogginess. "Slow" is fascinating enough, but their videography as a whole seems framed through a lens of robo-trip bleariness.
For example, the 2 videos for "Heat" very different. (Pretty sure one of them is way more official than the other.) And yet both seem similarly alien.
For example, the 2 videos for "Heat" very different. (Pretty sure one of them is way more official than the other.) And yet both seem similarly alien.
Labels:
homeshake,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #9: Trust Fund "Cut Me Out"
This video requires a bit of backstory: The band Trust Fund do this cool thing where they're always cracking up. And that's basically the entire backstory. They are the undisputed champions of contagious giddy roffles, surpassing probably any other band in rock music history (and we're probably not exaggerating). Also puppies!
Labels:
trust fund,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 #10: Mark Ronson featuring Mystikal "Feel Right"
I guess we'll go with this one for #10, even though we've seen videos like this one a few times before. The kid gets called a nerd, and then he overcomes the challenge to un-nerd himself. It's a feel good hit. (Also, we're bummed that we couldn't find room for this to place higher than #101 in Hot Mix 2014, so perhaps this will make up for our blunder.) Also for some reason, this made us miss 2002-era MTV2.
Labels:
dirty south,
vid kids 2015
Friday, December 25, 2015
Vid Kids 2015 (HM): David Hasselhoff "True Survivor"
We kinda fucked up here. We just watched this again and realized that we don't actually want it to be #10, which is tricky because now we have to find another "Top 10 worthy" vid. No big whoop tho. We'll find it now.
Labels:
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015 (HM): David Bowie "Blackstar"
Winner of our coveted "Best Choreography" award (referring mostly to the convulsions). In a year when various track premieres and album releases were treated like "events" thanks to overzealous publicity agents, the "Blackstar" premiere actually lived up to its event-ness. In the parallel universe where MTV still shows videos and labels them with tags like "Breakthrough Video" and "Buzz Clip," this vid might have received a red carpet premiere not unlike GNR's "Estranged."
Labels:
bowie,
vid kids 2015
Vid Kids 2015: Our Top Vids
Merry Christmas to all!
Hey, our supercomputer with all the Hot Mix commentary just died! WOO!
Luckily for us, we had our "Vid Kids" list memorized. And no time like the present. 2014 was a better year for videos than 2015, but that's ok. Let's begin with our bonus choices:
Cyriak "Malfunction"
Set against the backdrop of 1950s Americana, a friendly mutant creature struggles to locate his home. His best friend is a thirty-something housewife. She is unable to see the creature until after ingestion of barbiturates.
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats "Melody Lane"
Uncle Acid continues to establish themselves among the greats of found footage presentation. Our only complaint arrives in response to the video's ending when an album advertisement appears without warning. (Once upon a time, MTV would have simply presented the album title at the video's beginning and end.) This is also probably the band's first vid cameo. (We're assuming that's them.)
Hey, our supercomputer with all the Hot Mix commentary just died! WOO!
Luckily for us, we had our "Vid Kids" list memorized. And no time like the present. 2014 was a better year for videos than 2015, but that's ok. Let's begin with our bonus choices:
Cyriak "Malfunction"
Set against the backdrop of 1950s Americana, a friendly mutant creature struggles to locate his home. His best friend is a thirty-something housewife. She is unable to see the creature until after ingestion of barbiturates.
Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats "Melody Lane"
Uncle Acid continues to establish themselves among the greats of found footage presentation. Our only complaint arrives in response to the video's ending when an album advertisement appears without warning. (Once upon a time, MTV would have simply presented the album title at the video's beginning and end.) This is also probably the band's first vid cameo. (We're assuming that's them.)
Labels:
uncle acid,
vid kids 2015
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
We Reviewed K-Rock's Top 92.3 Songs of 2003 and 2004
With end of year lists and holiday celebrations abound, it probably doesn't make much sense to post stuff about our recent nostalgia for K-Rock in New York. But we're gonna do it anyway.
At some point throughout the past year, we remembered that somewhere in our storage locker was a series of CDRs containing two broadcasts that took place in late December of 2003 and late December of 2004 on WXRK in NYC. The station was then "92.3 K-Rock," NYC's only modern rock station during the 2000s and the flagship of Howard Stern's morning show from 1985 until his move to Sirius in 2005.
After a few months without having a chance to dig into our archives, we finally located these CDRs back in November and decided to rip all of them to mp3. This eventually led to this past weekend when a 15+ hour drive from Louisville to Baltimore - and then to Brooklyn - seemed like a great opportunity to roll through the tapes.
The two shows were K-Rock's Top 92.3 songs of 2003 (probably broadcast on December 26, 2003) and their top 92.3 songs of 2004 (most likely aired on the same date in 2004).
2003's list is available here and does not include two of the songs aired:
- Yeah Yeah Yeah's "Date With The Night" - the .3 song (the song they played first which technically would be song #93, except they only played 3/10ths of it).
- 50 Cent's "In Da Club" won some type of "Best New Artist" award (which basically proves that they didn't alter their poll results) and was broadcast somewhere in the middle of the whole thing.
2004's list can be found here. At the time, we were only able to tape chunks of it. Disc 1 has #92.3-70. Disc 2 has #58-38. Disc 3 includes #15-1. The 2004 list presented a notable increase in variety from the previous year, although it was also the final Top 92.3 that the station ever aired. The DJs sarcastically mocked when Nickelback and Linkin Park placed, who they were probably sick of hearing by that point.
These two shows were examples of rare instances when the K-Rock DJs were asked to collaborate. Every 2 songs, there would be a talkover from a different DJ. Matt Pinfield appears frequently in the 2003 list, although he typically only announced music during a two-hour Sunday Night show called "The Buzz" and never throughout the week. By 2004, Jake Fogelnest from MTV's Squirt TV was present, although Cabbie - a loudmouth metalhead DJ and Desert Storm veteran - was absent.
We're pretty sure Cabbie is the bald dude in the center of the picture we posted with Incubus. We originally thought he was absent from the 2004 list for one of two reasons: #1, The show might have taken place during his suspension from WXRK, after he played album tracks from Pantera and Queens of the Stone Age out of rotation during an early morning shift around 4AM. Or #2, It might have happened while he was institutionalized after breaking holes in the walls of his apartment searching for cameras while convinced that Howard Stern had planted them for the purpose of shooting a secret reality show. However upon viewing his wikipedia page, we were reminded that December 2004 was shortly after he was imprisoned after admitting live on Howard's show that he hadn't paid taxes in several years.
For those who remember, K-Rock in 2003-2004 was probably not the best example of a rock station with a widely varied playlist.
Their "heavy" rotation was their top 20 new songs. They would play a couple of these every hour.
Their "medium" rotation almost never changed from 2001 until the station's final broadcast in April 2005. 80% of it consisted of a firm unchanging selection of diamond megasellers, a list that couldn't have been larger than 100 songs: The singles from The Black Album, Ten, Core, Dookie and Blood Sugar Sex Magik. "Santeria," "Wrong Way," "Song 2," "Come Out and Play," "Self Esteem," "All Apologies," and the Stern show's impromptu acoustic version of "Everlong" were probably their most overplayed '90s jams. After 1999, they went nuts over Limp Bizkit, Korn, Eminem, Californication and The Battle of Los Angeles. After 2002, they played Audioslave so much that we are still to this day convinced that they were undoubtedly the worst band of the 2000-2009 decade. They basically owe that distinction to "I Am The Highway" becoming one of the few mid-2000s songs to enter K-Rock's longevity canon. (As if it wasn't bad enough that two of our all time favorite bands joined forces to create excruciatingly painful music, but then we also had to be reminded about it EVERY DAY thanks to K-Rock.)
Their "light" rotation consisted of a handful of songs that used to be in their heavy rotation, hanging on for dear life prior to being indefinitely forced into exile. The Darkness's "Growing On Me" and Radiohead's "Go To Sleep" received a few spins but didn't stand a chance of inclusion in the longevity canon.
Their General Manager, Tom Chiusano, remained insistent on a foolish notion that their audience was uninterested in hearing music beyond this very small selection of songs. Their occasional attempts at bringing back older jams were always attached with some sort of purpose, like Julie Slater's 30 minute "Flashback Lunch" (or whatever it was called) that aired weekdays between 12 and 12:30. Or the occasional "'90s weekend" celebration, when they would finally dig out Better Than Ezra's "Good" for the first time in God knows how long. Beyond that, the sense of adventure within their music programming was practically non-existent. For example, when Christopher Reeves died in September 2004, Chris Booker was only allowed to play 30 seconds of Our Lady Peace's "Superman's Dead," even though it was a #1 hit on K-Rock during the summer of 1997 and was fondly remembered by the large majority of its listeners. Chiusano remained completely unaware that their audience desperately craved a deeper playlist that they never received.
This lack of variety also contributed to a painful decrease in the representation of female fronted bands. Once upon a time, it was very common to turn on K-Rock and hear songs like "Stupid Girl," "Lovefool" or "Criminal." But by the time 2003 had arrived, those days were long gone.
Our frustration - and our hope that something might change - were probably a large part of the reason why we became so obsessed with K-Rock between 2003 and 2005. This was also when we started REALLY getting into Howard Stern, and that definitely had a lot to do with our addiction, but most Stern fanatics turned off the radio at 11AM. We kept listening, even though we knew we were just gonna hear "Otherside" and "Like a Stone" for the billionth fucking time.
K-Rock in 2003-2004 was probably the only moment within our lifetime when we can recall becoming fanatical over a specific radio station and all the personalities and nuances that went along with it. (To be fair, we were obsessed with radio as a whole and were recently honored with the "music director" position at a college station 60 miles north of Manhattan.) The mannerisms of K-Rock's DJs were different than any station we've heard before or since. They were always very conversational and casual, probably due to instruction from their program director to take cues from Howard Stern's relaxed demeanor. We've never heard another commercial station quite like it.
After Stern made his decision to move to satellite, Chiusano panicked and the station flipped formats at least four times between 2005 and 2007. It changed from "modern rock" to "all things rock" to "talk radio (during the week) and rock on the weekends" to what it is now, a painfully boring and unadventurous pop station. (Z100 has always sounded more adventurous to us. Over the past 3 years, they would try out hits like "Treasure" or "#Beautiful" or "Boom Clap" while 92.3 just stuck to the tried and true Billboard Top 30 without deviation.)
We remember the last day they were officially called K-Rock. One of the last songs they played was "L'Via L'Viaquez" by The Mars Volta, so they were definitely making strong efforts to play more alt and less butt. But the efforts seemed all for naught. As Stern's show took place that morning, the station's staff held a meeting and the format flip was effective immediately. After the Stern show was over, their former top 20 new rock hits were replaced with Ozzy, GNR, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, while the K-Rock longevity canon stayed intact. And that was the end of modern rock radio in NYC. It never returned quite in the same way. (Between 2009 and 2011, a fantastic NYC rock station briefly emerged with alt-leanings and adventurous playlists. The Cure, Lou Reed and Elastica were played alongside Megadeth and Primus. It was hugely appreciated, but it seemed like everyone knew it would never last. K-Rock had a following and their audience probably would have stuck with them, but unfortunately they decided to simply disappear.)
Not sure why this seems necessary, but based on what we can remember from those two broadcasts, here are our favorite K-Rock DJs, in order:
#1 Julie Slater
#2 Matt Pinfield
#3 Danni
So there's our top 3. Julie and Danni - K-Rock's only 2 female announcers - were always the station's most refreshing voices. Julie specifically owned the casual/cool demeanor, making her the perfect choice to segue out of Stern's show every morning. The super-knowledgeable and well spoken Pinfield misses out on the #1 slot because he wasn't on the air often enough.
#4 Cabbie
His strong personality frequently struck us as off putting, but he had a commanding presence that wasn't as common elsewhere on K-Rock. When he spoke, you always knew it was him.
#5 Booker
Booker immediately receives mad bonus points since he briefly hosted 120 Minutes between 1999 and 2000, including the episode where he interviewed The Get Up Kids. He also took our call and aired it, which was pretty cool. We didn't actually hear when it was aired, but we discussed Local H's cover of "Toxic" for about 30 seconds. About 15 minutes later, our friend called us and said "Dude, I turned on K-Rock and what do I hear??"
#6 Stuttering John
We can't say we were huge fans of his all-request 12PM-1PM slot (which was entirely pre-recorded during Howard Stern's show), but he earns points thanks to his placement in '90s Stern show history. We're pretty sure it was John who annoyed Billy Crystal enough that he eventually uttered his greatest catchphrase: "Alright, guys, it's not funny and it's not fun."
#7 Jake Fogelnest
"The Squirt TV dude" was an inspired choice for a new voice after Cabbie's departure. Jake's first K-Rock appearance was during a "Top 100 Worst Christmas Songs" special (either '03 or '04). Within a year, he left K-Rock to host a weekly countdown show on Sirius Radio's "Left of Center" channel.
#8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13 (6-way tie) Dimos/Maze/Cane/Brad Maybe/Ben Harvey/Dead Air Dave
Dead Air Dave was probably the dude who was super sarcastic about Linkin Park, and Ben Harvey might have been the dude who said "Nickelback sucks" after being forced to play that horrible "I like your pants around your feet" song. So consider them slightly higher than the rest. But otherwise, these guys are pretty much interchangeable. Oh yeah, also High Pitch Erik had a man-crush on Cane. Besides that, we can't remember anything else about these guys. (In that 100th of a fraction of a possibility that anyone who worked at K-Rock between 2003-2005 reads this, just wanna say we're sorry and we love you.)
Labels:
howard stern,
radio playlists
Friday, December 4, 2015
10 Jams from Scott Weiland
Sad news late last night. We're honestly bummed about Weiland's passing and have noticed a few friends posting their memories and favorite tracks on social media. We'd like to do the same here.
Through the 2015 lens, '90s modern rock presents an eclectic and varied spectrum, including a large fraction resting in an area similar to Stone Temple Pilots - the ones that were not easily categorized. Superficial claims like "they sounded like Pearl Jam" or "they sounded like Nirvana" never made much sense to us.
Alice In Chains' video for "Man In A Box" may have been the first "grunge" video to debut on Headbangers Ball early in 1991, before "Smells Like Teen Spirit" or "Alive." They didn't look like Megadeth or Metallica. But its groove was undeniable, and the images were different from anything aired prior. Contrary to popular belief, their presentation was calculated by managers and publicity agents to help them ride the crest set in motion by Nirvana and Pearl Jam. So by the time Dirt was released on September 29, 1992, they were prepped to enter the world of super stardom without really having to try.
Core and Dirt were released on the same day, but Core was not promoted by MTV for its first 6 months of existence while singles from Dirt like "Would?" and "Rooster" quickly became hits. It wasn't until early 1993 that "Plush" - STP's breakthrough - was able to earn the title of "Buzz Clip" with a presentation that seemed suspiciously familiar by then. To many, it seemed as if they never paid their dues. By late Spring, "Plush" was unavoidable, and Weiland's face found itself on countless magazine covers as the band received constant coverage on MTV.
If Core were their first and only album, Alice In Chains would have remained their closest sonic companion. But from 1994 onward, they wisely chose to distance themselves from the bands they were accused of emulating. John Lennon, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin and mid-'70s glam became their most frequently cited references as they sunk into their new niche: the bizarre uncategorizable mid-'90s pocket that continued to be branded as "alternative."
[The opposite of alt-rock - mainstream bands who did not present any form of alternative - have never been difficult to locate throughout the past 40 years. And we strongly prefer to distance STP from this grunge-lite lineage: Counting Crows, Soul Asylum, Collective Soul, Seven Mary Three, Goo Goo Dolls and Dishwalla. They begat the post-grunge megasellers of the TRL era and beyond: Days of the New, Creed, Staind, Godsmack, Puddle of Mudd, Nickleback, Hinder and Daughtry. Most who choose to insert STP into this atrocious lineage might just as easily blame the band who wrote "Territorial Pissings."]
In retrospect, "alternative" was a very accurate tag, since a lot of these bands seemed very left-field and strange, although frequently melodic and with plentiful distorted guitars. But most importantly, they were always adventurous. STP doesn't get enough credit for that aspect of their music. Thanks to the popularity of Core, they remained the biggest rock band of this era alongside names like The Toadies, Spacehog, Garbage, Veruca Salt, Superdrag, Sponge, Local H, Fountains of Wayne, The Cardigans, The Flys, Tripping Daisy, White Town and Primitive Radio Gods among countless others.
They were the square pegs that were too glossy for college airplay, and except for STP, they were all too strange for mainstream rock longevity or their own headlining arena tours. In one MTV interview, Billie Joe Armstrong asked, "Everyone keeps calling it 'alternative,' but it's an alternative to WHAT?" In retrospect, the answer seems a lot more obvious.
With this said, we're pretty much now ready to present our 10 Scott Weiland picks. Our chronology begins just as the promotion cycle of Core almost too perfectly segued into Purple via "Creep" and their episode of MTV Unplugged, first broadcast in January 1994. The chronology ends 12 years later as Velvet Revolver was winding down the promotion for their debut album.
#1 Stone Temple Pilots "Andy Warhol" (David Bowie cover, 1993)
For their Unplugged episode taped late in 1993, MTV chose to cram "Crackerman" and the four singles from Core into a tight 30-minute episode. In the unaired hour-long version, fans would have been treated to the live debut of "Big Empty." This performance was used as the song's only promo video a few months later when it was chosen as the lead single for The Crow soundtrack. Two other notable Unplugged exclusions: A version of Vince Guaraldi's "Christmastime Is Here Again," and their cover of David Bowie's "Andy Warhol," which later appeared as a b-side on the CD maxi-single for "Vasoline."#2 Stone Temple Pilots "Sex Type Thing (Swing version)" (1993)
In the original closer to STP's Unplugged episode, Weiland asks "Hey there, how's your steak?" for no apparent reason, and the audience cheers.#3 Stone Temple Pilots "Pretty Penny" (VMAs, 1994)
The arrangements from the Unplugged episode must have struck the band with a freshly uncovered sense of cohesion since they used it many more times throughout the next few years, including a 25-minute all acoustic mini-set that was placed in the center of their live shows throughout the Tiny Music tour, not to mention their unfortunately overplayed cover of Led Zeppelin's "Dancing Days." It also found its way onto Purple in the form of "Pretty Penny." This vid also might jog memories of the odd post-"Lithium" era when rock bands were encouraged to choose non-singles for their VMAs performances.#4 The Magnificent Bastards "Mockingbird Girl" (1995)
Later re-recorded with electronic drums for Weiland's 12 Bar Blues LP in 1998. We prefer the guitar rock version with real drums. (Also, kinda unrelated, but check out the intro: Better Than Ezra playing deadpan basketball with a bear. No does deadpan anymore. "Weird for the sake of weird." We need more of this.)We might as well also include "How Do You Sleep" for the sake of completing their 2-song discography. We're not sure if The Magnificent Bastards were intended as anything beyond a project for one-offs and comp submissions that seemed uninteresting to the other members of STP. In either case, both "Mockingbird Girl" and the John Lennon tribute turned out surprisingly decent. Failure (as The Replicants) released an equally explosive arrangement of the same song a year later.
#5 Stone Temple Pilots "Adhesive" (1996)
They get frequently labelled as a "singles band," although an imaginary 7-song EP pulling only from Purple and Tiny Music's non-singles would have been among the very best releases from any mainstream '90s rock band. Our dream track-listing would keep the middle section of Purple as Side A - "Still Remains," "Pretty Penny" and "Silvergun Superman" - and then flip over the tape for Tiny Music's Side B - "Art School Girlfriend," "Adhesive," "Ride the Cliche" and "Seven Caged Tigers," with "Adhesive" as our personal highlight.#6 Scott Weiland "Lady, Your Roof Brings Me Down" (1998)
Released during the first week of 1998 on the Great Expectations soundtrack with Sheryl Crow playing accordion. (Proud to say we got to see one of the sets from the 12 Bar Blues tour in May 1998. Pretty sure they did "Tumble In The Rough," "Vasoline," and either "Piece of Pie" or "Sin" - plus a handful of his solo songs, including a loud-guitar version of "Lady Your Roof...")#7 Stone Temple Pilots "Glide" (1999)
We never hear anyone talk about their 1999-2003 era beyond "Sour Girl," so we were hoping to highlight this section of their output. It was a tough call between this one and "Church on Tuesday."#8 Stone Temple Pilots "Days of the Week" (2001)
Talk about remembering where you were... I recall this album being a topic of discussion on the night of September 10, 2001. Yeah anyway, "Days of the Week" is their most underrated lead single. Pretty sure it was the only song from their 5th album performed during their headlining hour-long set on the 2001 Family Values Tour (with Linkin Park and Staind). If memory serves correctly, they closed the show with The Beatles' "Revolution" as Weiland emerged wearing only an American flag. As the crowd cheered, he tripped out of the flag and ran off stage naked.#9 Stone Temple Pilots "Hello It's Late" Video (2002)
In November 2003, they released Thank You, a retrospective that included a bonus DVD with all of their videos presented chronologically and concluding with "Hello It's Late," the final video prior to their first break-up and hiatus in November 2003. It might have something to do with Weiland's beard and clothing, but something about this has a very distinct Abbey Road feel to it, as if they secretly knew it was their final moment.#10 Velvet Revolver "Fall to Pieces" Video (2004)
Kinda chilling to watch this now in light of the recent news. Weiland chose to participate in a decently brave and ballsy video performance, literally lying on the floor of a backstage area and revived from a heroin overdose by Duff McKagen - one of the last musicians to speak with Kurt Cobain while he was alive and probably GNR's 2nd most notorious victim of intense drug addiction (after Steven Adler). And plus, this was definitely Scott Weiland's last great song.
Labels:
r.i.p.,
stp,
taste my kids
Thursday, November 12, 2015
The New Shit Radar: Nov 12, 2015 (Stove, Dornik, Palm, Migos, R. Ring and more)
Only 12% of 2015 left to go. Way too many year-end lists start to give up around this time, but finishing strong is the key. There's a lot out there that you might have missed, and that's when The New Shit Radar comes to the rescue. You never know until you try it.
Stove "Lowt Ide Fins"
THE FADER says: "[It] makes you feel feels even when you're not exactly sure why." Hell yeah, dude. Let's feel some feels. Stove Is Stupider is out in 8 days. Get hyped:
Surface To Air Missive "Everyone's Nobody"
The Bandcamp link labels this as a non-album track, which is crazy sounding to us because this jam rips and cuts. One video from an LP2 track did emerge back in August, and although they just finished up yet another U.S. tour with Of Montreal, no actual release date has been announced just yet.
New Dornik Video: "Strong"
A new video from one of the more probable inclusions in our top 20 LPs of 2015.
New Daniel Johnston Documentary, Hi, How Are You?, Now Has a Trailer
Check it out over here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/hihowareyou
Palm "Doggy Doctor" Reviewed on Pitchfork
Congrats to Palm for gaining one of the fastest growing fanbases of any band we've seen throughout 2015. Their new single kicks serious ace. Here's the Pitchfork review:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/17815-palm-doggy-doctor/
Migos Announce Their "Hottest Air Jordans of Alltime" List
Some hot shit right here:
http://migosatl.net/4953339-6032
Trust Fund "Dreams"
New shit from the wild and bratty punks with the most adorable smiles ever:
Frankie Cosmos "Young"
In Goodfellas when Frankie Carbone is like "ey, che si dice? como se va?"
The Drummer from R. Ring Has a New Skate Video
If it's the same dude who we saw slowly headbanging behind the super minimal drumkit back in July, we fully support viewing this in its entirety:
Stove "Lowt Ide Fins"
THE FADER says: "[It] makes you feel feels even when you're not exactly sure why." Hell yeah, dude. Let's feel some feels. Stove Is Stupider is out in 8 days. Get hyped:
Surface To Air Missive "Everyone's Nobody"
The Bandcamp link labels this as a non-album track, which is crazy sounding to us because this jam rips and cuts. One video from an LP2 track did emerge back in August, and although they just finished up yet another U.S. tour with Of Montreal, no actual release date has been announced just yet.
New Dornik Video: "Strong"
A new video from one of the more probable inclusions in our top 20 LPs of 2015.
New Daniel Johnston Documentary, Hi, How Are You?, Now Has a Trailer
Check it out over here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/hihowareyou
Palm "Doggy Doctor" Reviewed on Pitchfork
Congrats to Palm for gaining one of the fastest growing fanbases of any band we've seen throughout 2015. Their new single kicks serious ace. Here's the Pitchfork review:
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/tracks/17815-palm-doggy-doctor/
Migos Announce Their "Hottest Air Jordans of Alltime" List
Some hot shit right here:
http://migosatl.net/4953339-6032
Trust Fund "Dreams"
New shit from the wild and bratty punks with the most adorable smiles ever:
Frankie Cosmos "Young"
In Goodfellas when Frankie Carbone is like "ey, che si dice? como se va?"
The Drummer from R. Ring Has a New Skate Video
If it's the same dude who we saw slowly headbanging behind the super minimal drumkit back in July, we fully support viewing this in its entirety:
Labels:
daniel johnston,
dornik,
frankie cosmos,
migos,
music videos,
new music,
palm,
skating,
stove,
surface to air missive,
trust fund
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Type O Negative Interview (1991)
The video posted below was available without subtitles during the first few years of Youtube. This version of the video appears to have been removed. In its place, someone found a much cleaner VHS copy of the same interview and posted it with subtitles at some point in 2010.
Without subtitles, we were left somewhat baffled by what Peter Steele (a.k.a. Lurch from The Addams Family) and the interviewer could possibly be speaking about. It looked like a very disturbing conversation with random Dutch words framing the phrase "Jesus Hitler Adolf Christ." It turns out that the interviewer was basically quoting a Type O Negative song, and that Peter Steele was merely stating his strong opinions about unemployment benefits.
We're unsure who the true star of this video is, but the interviewer is definitely either a serial killer or a baby molester of some sort. He is one of the most fucked up and scariest looking people we've ever seen. If we ever end up doing a "best video clips of the '90s" feature, this will absolutely be included in the 1991 chapter.
Without subtitles, we were left somewhat baffled by what Peter Steele (a.k.a. Lurch from The Addams Family) and the interviewer could possibly be speaking about. It looked like a very disturbing conversation with random Dutch words framing the phrase "Jesus Hitler Adolf Christ." It turns out that the interviewer was basically quoting a Type O Negative song, and that Peter Steele was merely stating his strong opinions about unemployment benefits.
We're unsure who the true star of this video is, but the interviewer is definitely either a serial killer or a baby molester of some sort. He is one of the most fucked up and scariest looking people we've ever seen. If we ever end up doing a "best video clips of the '90s" feature, this will absolutely be included in the 1991 chapter.
Labels:
interviews,
type o negative
2015 homestretch
The digital media is now a cesspool of thinkpieces and listicles, and if we had enough time, we would do our best to offer alternatives to these.
With that said, we've been throwing together personal year-end lists for ourselves every year since 1993 (still in 8th grade at the time), and we simply can't help but indulge. It's annoying because it's time-consuming as hell, but ultimately it's too much fun to ignore. And once everyone else's lists get posted, we get jealous and want ours to be up there also.
The rules we set for ourselves in 1993 have stayed intact for the most part. November 15th is first draft day, even though there's still another 12% of the year left to go. December 5th is 2nd draft, and December 25th is the final version. (This aligns so that Page 1 - tracks #100-91 - can be posted on December 26.)
From 1993 until 1999, this big list only manifested through cassette mixes. 1993's version was 22 songs filling a 90-minute tape. From 1997 until 2003, this grew to two UR-120 Maxells, packing between 60-70 songs (and the occasional movie snippit) onto four hours of cassette tape.
TMK first launched on Geocities in 2000, which provided us with a way to cheaply (for free) post our year-end nonsense.
Our radio series began on WXCI in 2002, and we were granted both the Music Director position and our own specialty show (called "Mixtape") in 2003. So December 2003 was a particularly pathetic month for us, since this was the only case when four year-end lists of tracks were compiled for separate purposes:
#1 Our radio station's official "top 103 of 2003" (comprised of selections from heavy radio rotation),
#2 the TMK version - apparently a top 200, and apparently not archived on the Wayback Machine (what a relief),
#3 our own personal top 100 "2003 mixtape" for radio (basically the same list as #2 but with most of the Top 40 choices removed and broadcast live over an 8-hour span on 12/22/03),
#4 the 60-70 track cassette version. Yeesh.
(Come to think of it, I also somewhere have a digitized copy of K-Rock's top 92.3 of 2003 which I've been planning on uploading at some point, with DJ announcements, commercials and all.)
We left WXCI in January 2015, so this might be the first year since 2003 when we're not planning on a radio list. Maybe it will happen, but probably not? Who knows.
Besides that, we kinda liked how we did it last year, so this year we'll probably try something similar: Hot Mix 2015, an albums list, our 10 favorite tracks from reissues, and our 10 favorite live sets of the year. We stopped doing a "vomit" (worst tracks) list a few years back. We also used to have a separate guilty pleasures list, but now we just incorporate them into the Hot Mix.
We'll be throwing all of this together over the next 6 weeks. Yes, we know it's really early for this.
With that said, we've been throwing together personal year-end lists for ourselves every year since 1993 (still in 8th grade at the time), and we simply can't help but indulge. It's annoying because it's time-consuming as hell, but ultimately it's too much fun to ignore. And once everyone else's lists get posted, we get jealous and want ours to be up there also.
The rules we set for ourselves in 1993 have stayed intact for the most part. November 15th is first draft day, even though there's still another 12% of the year left to go. December 5th is 2nd draft, and December 25th is the final version. (This aligns so that Page 1 - tracks #100-91 - can be posted on December 26.)
From 1993 until 1999, this big list only manifested through cassette mixes. 1993's version was 22 songs filling a 90-minute tape. From 1997 until 2003, this grew to two UR-120 Maxells, packing between 60-70 songs (and the occasional movie snippit) onto four hours of cassette tape.
TMK first launched on Geocities in 2000, which provided us with a way to cheaply (for free) post our year-end nonsense.
Our radio series began on WXCI in 2002, and we were granted both the Music Director position and our own specialty show (called "Mixtape") in 2003. So December 2003 was a particularly pathetic month for us, since this was the only case when four year-end lists of tracks were compiled for separate purposes:
#1 Our radio station's official "top 103 of 2003" (comprised of selections from heavy radio rotation),
#2 the TMK version - apparently a top 200, and apparently not archived on the Wayback Machine (what a relief),
#3 our own personal top 100 "2003 mixtape" for radio (basically the same list as #2 but with most of the Top 40 choices removed and broadcast live over an 8-hour span on 12/22/03),
#4 the 60-70 track cassette version. Yeesh.
(Come to think of it, I also somewhere have a digitized copy of K-Rock's top 92.3 of 2003 which I've been planning on uploading at some point, with DJ announcements, commercials and all.)
We left WXCI in January 2015, so this might be the first year since 2003 when we're not planning on a radio list. Maybe it will happen, but probably not? Who knows.
Besides that, we kinda liked how we did it last year, so this year we'll probably try something similar: Hot Mix 2015, an albums list, our 10 favorite tracks from reissues, and our 10 favorite live sets of the year. We stopped doing a "vomit" (worst tracks) list a few years back. We also used to have a separate guilty pleasures list, but now we just incorporate them into the Hot Mix.
We'll be throwing all of this together over the next 6 weeks. Yes, we know it's really early for this.
Labels:
taste my kids
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
"Best of 2000s" playlist now on Youtube
View our favorite 2000s clips without entering 100 URLs.
Throw it on at the big office party, or leave it on while vacuuming the astroturf. Whatever.
Throw it on at the big office party, or leave it on while vacuuming the astroturf. Whatever.
Labels:
2000 jams
Thursday, October 1, 2015
2000 Jams from the 2000s: Bonus Epilogue (2010)
| 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 |
| 2010 [Bonus] |
Time to call it a day. But what became of those happy times in the 2000s decade? The only way to know for sure is with another set of hot jams.
2010 was peak internet. It just was. It seemed like shit was about to go off the rails after the surplus of outstanding Youtube content throughout that year. But after 2010, viral content hit an unfortunate plateau in quality.
It bugged us too much not knowing what a "hottest of 2010" would have looked like. Because we know this year was fresh as fuck. But also because we're victims of a compulsive weakness.
THE 10 HOTTEST VIRAL VIDEOS OF 2010.
#10 P The G "She Mad"
#9 Andrew W.K. "I Am A Real Person"
#8 Die Antwoord "Zef Side"
#7 Trololo
#6 Speed Darlington "Let's Dance"
#5 Insane Clown Posse "Miracles"
#4 El Guincho "Bombay"
Probably our favorite music video of all time.#3 My VCR Collection VHS Recorder
We have probably watched this 15 times.#2 "Viral Vacuum" & "Bare-Arsed Tedda"
Wendy Vainity has certainly earned her position among the MVPs of viral Youtube videos. We were never able to figure out when the first Tom R Toe shorts began arriving, but "Viral Vacuum" and "Bare-Arsed Tedda" were both definitely from 2010. It was basically impossible to choose between these two, and so they've both been posted here.#1 "Gimme Pizza Slow"
This entire page is basically akin to the NBA in 1992. The GOATs. The Dream Team. The legends of Youtube. And yes, "Gimme Pizza Slow" just happens to be the Michael Jordan of the entire internet. It deserves to be crowned with royalty.Thanks to everyone who allowed this bonus epilogue chapter to take place. They all lived happily ever after.
We have no Spotify playlist prepared to coincide with our hastily thrown together Hot Mix, but here's a very quick top 20 to play over the closing credits, along with an unrelated Spotify list that aligns with the original "2010's Greatest Hits" thing that we did between December 2010 and January 2011.
HOT MIX 2010
20. Willow "Whip My Hair"19. Ke$ha "We R Who We R"
18. Chris Weisman "Open Tuning"
17. Les Savy Fav "Let's Get Out of Here"
16. El Guincho "Bombay"
15. Grass Is Green "Tricky Tim's Night on the Town"
14. Japandroids "Heavenward Grand Prix"
13. Caribou "Sun"
12. Katy Perry "Teenage Dream"
11. Earl Sweatshirt "Earl"
10. Robyn "Hang With Me"
09. The-Dream "Yamaha"
08. Kanye West "Power"
07. Diddy Dirty Money "Ass on the Floor"
06. Deerhunter "Helicopter"
05. Wiz Khalifa "Black and Yellow"
04. Big Boi "General Patton"
03. No Age "Glitter"
02. The Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"
01. Nicki Minaj "Super Bass"
| 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 |
| 2010 [Bonus] |
Labels:
2000 jams
Wednesday, September 30, 2015
2000 Jams from the 2000s: Part 10 (2009)
| 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 |
| 2010 [Bonus] |
The final curtain. Sort of.
THE 10 LARGEST JAMS OF THE BIG '09.
#10 Kanye West "Gay Fish" (April 8, 2009)
Yes, we know there were funnier South Park moments from this year (and from this very episode [like the Carlos Mencia bit for instance]), but it's a catchy song, and we often find ourselves singing it while walking around the mall or the grocery store.#9 Attack Attack "Stick Stickly" (June 4, 2009)
#8 Michael and Michael Have Issues: Virginity Pledge (July 15, 2009)
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/e652c6a474/michael-michael-have-issues-the-virginity-pledge
#7 Keyboard Cat: Walker Texas Ranger (May 7, 2009)
We're sorry Haley Joel.#6 Xavier: Renegade Angel: Damnesia You (April 9, 2009)
#5 Creed Shreds 3 (September 15, 2009)
#4 Whoopsie Daisy (February 15, 2009)
#3 Gathering of the Juggalos 2009 Infomercial (July 17, 2009)
In subsequent years, these infomercials seemed to progressively lose their magic. 2009 was the best one of these. Also, most non-Juggalos didn't know about the festival until after this series of videos launched.#2 Keyboard Cat: Glenn Beck (April 27, 2009)
#1 The Room (March 8, 2009)
Didn't go viral until after the March 8th premiere of the Tim & Eric episode directed by Tommy Wiseau.Close calls:
- This Rammstein video: We still love the part when he's preaching at the podium. However, we somehow couldn't bring ourselves to place this one. (For the record, our favorite music video of 2009 is still "Trap Goin' Ham.")
- Delocated: Ska Mitzvah: "I am having a good time."
- Kanye interupt. No need to post an embed.
- More crabcore and keyboard cat videos.
At last, our final Hot Mix of this series:
HOT MIX 2009
20. Tyler The Creator f/ Earl Sweatshirt “Assmilk”19. Panic At The Disco “New Perspective”
18. Clipse f/ Pharrell "I'm Good"
17. Miley Cyrus “Party In The USA”
16. Ovlov “Mustachio”
15. Japandroids “Young Hearts Spark Fire”
14. La Roux “Bulletproof”
13. Merchandise “Kill The Light”
12. Taylor Swift “Forever and Always”
11. Bat For Lashes “Daniel”
10. Silversun Pickups “Substitution”
09. The XX “Crystallized”
08. Gucci Mane “Lemonade”
07. Ke$ha “Tik Tok”
06. Drake “Best I Ever Had”
05. Neon Indian “Should've Taken Acid With You”
04. Lady Gaga “Paparazzi”
03. No Age “Genie”
02. Pill “Trap Goin' Ham”
01. Animal Collective “What Would I Want? Sky”
Interesting Hot Mix this year, featuring the highest count of jams that did NOT appear on full length releases.
- 4 songs from EP's: #1, #3, #13 & #16.
- 4 songs from mixtapes: #2, #6, #8 & #20. (#6 is technically from an EP/mixtape.)
- And 1 non-album soundtrack single: #19
Perhaps the upsurge of non-album tracks were a sign of things to come. Not to mention we have FOUR jams that don't appear on Spotify. 2009, you're killin' us here.
"Forever and Always" / "Mustachio"
"New Perspective" / "Assmilk"
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| 2010 [Bonus] |
Labels:
2000 jams
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
2000 Jams from the 2000s: Part 9 (2008)
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This is the sail on your boat of life. The ocean is a spirit. The ocean is your imagination. The ocean is your power. The ocean is your emotion. The sail on the boat is the Golden Rule. The wind that catches the sail and pushes the boat into a lovely sunset of tropical design with the double rainbow. That wind is your spirit.
Well, that's now out of the way, so let's get on with it:
THE 11 HOTTEST JAMS OF 2008.
#11 "Spagett and The Quest for the Golden Treasure" (August 17, 2008)
#10 Gardening on Salvia (May 25, 2008)
We feel like salvia is VERY late 2000s (superseded by molly in the early 2010s). And this was around the time when those dudes at the convenience store near our job would always try to upsell with salvia and porn. Although Fox News didn't report about salvia as a fad until Miley got caught with it in 2011, so what do we know?#9 Reporter Hates Bees (June 10, 2008)
Doesn't get more genuine.#8 "For Your Wine" (January 27, 2008)
Sweet berry wine.#7 Stella: Birthday (December 18, 2008)
Their final hurrah of sorts.#6 Colin's Bear Animation (January 28, 2008)
Originally posted December '07 but the January date listed here was when the video went viral.#5 Jim & Derrick (August 31, 2008)
Sort of a precursor to Eric Andre's "ranch it up."#4 Norm Macdonald on the Bob Saget Roast (August 17, 2008)
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/661a77b3da/norm-macdonald-trolls-the-bob-saget-roast?_cc=__d___&_ccid=a1kstk.nsbf3k
#3 Iron Mic: Eli Porter vs Envy (August 10, 2008)
Originally shot in 2003, posted on Youtube in 2007, went viral in '08.The date here was its first Facebook embed according to KnowYourMeme.
Also we've now twice viewed a surprisingly entertaining (and peculiarly womanless) documentary exploring the events that lead to this video's creation. Available here: https://vimeo.com/26585091
#2 Intervention: Allison (August 11, 2008)
Full Episode: http://www.aetv.com/intervention/video/allison
Highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g99h4qaCio
#1 Human Giant: Will Arnett Sex Tape (March 19, 2008)
Cat Face narrowly missed the Top 11. But we like it anyway, so here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBQNQ6qzCA0
Weirdest "Hot Mix" of the bunch, although one of the rare occurrences where all 20 songs were actually on Spotify:
HOT MIX 2008
20. Jay Reatard "See Saw"19. FNU Ronnies "Normalcitizen"
18. Autolux "Audience No. 2"
17. Kanye West f/ Mr. Hudson "Paranoid"
16. Panic! At The Disco "That Green Gentleman"
15. Cut Copy "So Haunted"
14. The Brontosaur "This Is Not a Paradise"
13. Estelle f/ Kanye West "American Boy"
12. Blitzen Trapper "Sleepy Time in the Western World"
11. Black Moth Super Rainbow "Zodiac Girls"
10. The Knux "Cappuccino"
9. Big Boi f/ Andre 3000 & Raekwon "Royal Flush"
8. Deerhoof "Chandelier Searchlight"
7. MGMT "The Youth"
6. Snoop Dogg "Sexual Eruption"
5. Beyonce "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"
4. Ryan Leslie "Diamond Girl"
3. Portishead "Silence"
2. Lil Wayne f/ Babyface "Comfortable"
1. No Age "Teen Creeps"
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Labels:
2000 jams
Monday, September 28, 2015
2000 Jams from the 2000s: Part 8 (2007)
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Welcome to the final third of the 2000s, when everything basically turned to shit for 3 years.
Times were rough. Emo and crunk disappeared. However, let's not forget:
THE 10 HOTTEST JAMS OF 2007.
#10 Human Giant MTV Takeover (May 19, 2007)
We especially like how the kids they pulled in from Times Square only wanted to be on TV and didn't give a fuck about anything that happened throughout the entire 24 hours despite that it was the only mildly interesting MTV moment from that entire year.#9 The Imaginationland Trilogy (October 17, 2007)
#8 "666 Murda Murda Jesus"
We don't know the exact date.#7 Tim & Eric: Carol (December 23, 2007)
#6 Tay Zonday (April 22, 2007)
The song is secondary. Tay is the phenomenon.#5 Cool Court starring Nachos the Cross-eyed Cat (April 25, 2007)
#4 "Lazy Horse Mattress Supply" (March 25, 2007)
#3 The original Adventure Time short (January 11, 2007)
#2 Ruth Carr "Come Over" (December 9, 2007)
#1 The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (October 19, 2007)
We're too lazy at this point to review stuff that we've forgotten about, but Clark and Michael and Wainy Days were probably both good enough to include here. Here's two randomly chosen episodes:
Clark and Michael: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6mvUkFFVJQ
Wainy Days: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk2CI8ppn84
HOT MIX 2007
20. Soulja Boy Tell 'Em “Crank That (Soulja Boy)”19. Beirut “Nantes”
18. Spoon “My Little Japanese Cigarette Case”
17. The Coathangers “Don't Touch My Shit”
16. T-Pain “Buy U A Drank (Shawty Snappin')”
15. DJ Unk f/ Outkast & Jim Jones “Walk It Out (Remix)”
14. Amerie "Take Control"
13. Animal Collective "Peacebone"
12. Deerhunter “Strange Lights”
11. Deerhoof “Matchbook Seeks Maniac”
10. Panda Bear “Good Girl / Carrots”
09. Pinback “From Nothing To Nowhere”
08. Rich Boy “Throw Some D's”
07. Ne-Yo “Because of You”
06. M.I.A. “Paper Planes”
05. Radiohead “15 Step”
04. Caribou “Melody Day”
03. Kanye West “Flashing Lights”
02. Against Me! “Borne On The FM Waves Of The Heart”
01. UGK featuring Outkast “Int'l Players Anthem”
Who's Nadafy from 2007?
"15 Step"
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Labels:
2000 jams
Thursday, September 24, 2015
2000 Jams from the 2000s: Part 7 (2006)
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"Get off my plane."
Wait, wrong movie.
The 2000s decade was still good at this point. Before we get into its boring final third, enjoy 2006's hottest jams:
THE 12 HOTTEST JAMS OF 2006.
#12 K-Fed "PopoZão" (January 1, 2006)
We like to watch this dude jam out.#11 Weird Al "White and Nerdy" (September 26, 2006)
Yes, THAT Weird Al.#10 Reh Dogg "Why Must I Cry" (October 28, 2006)
We always wanted to make our own video just like this. Reh Dogg lived our dream.#9 Head On (July 2006)
#8 Leprechaun Sighting (March 17, 2006)
#7 Dropping The Ball (October 13, 2006)
#6 South Park's Spot-On Family Guy Impression (April 5, 2006)
#5 Artie Roast Prank Call (June 8, 2006)
During an afternoon edition of the show when they were all drunk on the air with a live audience, a prank caller somehow figured out how to put the entire show on a 10-second loop. By the time 30 seconds had passed, four instances of Howard and Robin were talking at the same time. So trippy. After Baba Booey hung up on him, Howard said "that guy was awesome!" (Crackhead Bob's brief, incomprehensible monologue from the same show was the other noteworthy moment.)
#4 The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti (October 29, 2006)
#3 Flea Market Montgomery (November 30, 2006)
#2 Let's Paint, Exercise & Blend Drinks TV (October 2, 2006)
#1 Wonder Showzen: "Horse Apples" (May 12, 2006)
http://www.mtv.com/shows/wonder_showzen/wonder-showzen-season-2-ep-7-mathematics/1531545/playlist/#id=1531545
Dr. Rockso does cocaine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vL2tz8vG30g
Also "Dick In a Box," banana stickers and other phallic symbols didn't make the cut.
HOT MIX 2006
20. Panda Bear “Bros”19. Yo La Tengo “Pass The Hatchet, I Think I'm Goodkind”
18. Built To Spill “Goin' Against Your Mind”
17. Phoenix “One Time Too Many”
16. Pearl Jam “Umemployable”
15. The Killers “When You Were Young”
14. The Strokes “Ask Me Anything”
13. Fergie “London Bridge”
12. Silversun Pickups “Melatonin”
11. Thom Yorke “The Eraser”
10. Beyonce “Irreplaceable”
09. Justin Timberlake “Until The End of Time”
08. Boris & Michio Kurihara “You Laughed Like A Water Mark”
07. Yo Majesty “Club Action”
06. Be Your Own Pet “Adventure”
05. Nelly Furtado “Promiscuous”
04. Clipse “Trill”
03. Midlake “Young Bride”
02. TV On The Radio “Province”
01. T.I. “What You Know”
Only the 2008 version of "Club Action" shows up on Spotify. Here's the (superior) 2006 version from the Yo! EP:
And here's some sweet Nada-fy jams for that ass:
"The Eraser"
"Adventure"
"You Laughed Like a Watermark"
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Labels:
2000 jams
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
2000 Jams from the 2000s: Part 6 (2005)
| 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 |
Back again.
So here's this:
THE 12 HOTTEST BONER JAMS OF 2005.
#12 Kidz Bop "Float On" (February 22, 2005)
#11 Showdogs Moms and Dads: Crazy Vagina Lady (March 30, 2005)
#10 Ashlee Simpson at the Orange Bowl (January 4, 2005)
That dude who yells "you suck."#9 South Park police sketches (November 30, 2005)
#8 "This Is Beetle" (January 2005)
Beetle is cute. But if you tell him that, he'll tell you to fuck off.#7 Stella: Campaign (July 5, 2005)
Probably our favorite episode of Stella's TV series. We wish a better part of it were on Youtube, but the campaign ad isn't bad.#6 Wonder Showzen: Patience (April 25, 2005)
https://youtu.be/NonOIsMYbLI?t=5m38s
#5 Lucy, the Daughter of the Devil pilot (October 30, 2005)
Originally intended as the follow-up to Home Movies. Probably the most promising pilot of the 2000s, but its lack of success eventually lead to the creation of Bob's Burgers.
http://www.adultswim.com/videos/lucy-the-daughter-of-the-devil/hes-not-the-messiah-hes-a-dj/
#4 Scott Stapp on Casino Cinema (December 6, 2005)
Shot the same night as when Stapp threatened 311 and told them, "311, I am ready to fight."#3 House Of Cosbys (January 30, 2005)
#2 Steve-O on Too Late With Adam Carolla (September 26, 2005)
#1 Beat Kids (March 25, 2005 | April 22, 2005)
We couldn't decide between "Whose hat represents more oppression, yours or mine?" and "Here's my impression of you: Gamble, gamble, gamble diiiiiieeee...."The 1st one: https://youtu.be/QCohGwH2qek?t=3m21s
The 2nd one: https://youtu.be/FkYNkUC_M50?t=10m45s
More fun stuff from 2005
- Breaking Bonaduce was also in 2005, but we couldn't find any Youtube clips, so we can't really remember what happened.
- Also the hot Pat O'Brien voicemails surfaced this year which we suppose is still kinda funny.
- Same deal with Grapes Lady.
- We don't care all that much for American Idol. Leroy Wells tho:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrpTF5-mFuw.
"Sometimes Dead Is Better"
Marjorine might be our favorite South Park ever. In the commentary, Trey and Matt admitted they were unhappy about fitting too much plot into one episode. But they're wrong. Dead wrong. It's a perfect episode. While tough to choose a best moment, the creepy Pet Semetary dude is definitely a highlight.
HOT MIX 2005
20. Rihanna "If It's Lovin' That You Want"19. The Click Five “Just the Girl”
18. The Game f/ 50 Cent “Hate It Or Love It”
17. Missy Elliott f/ Ciara & Fatman Scoop "Lose Control"
16. The Darkness “Is It Just Me?”
15. Mike Jones f/ Slim Thug & Paul Wall “Still Tippin'”
14. Big Star “Lady Sweet”
13. Queens of the Stone Age “In My Head”
12. The Mars Volta “L'Via L'Viaquez”
11. Sufjan Stevens “John Wayne Gacy, Jr”
10. Fall Out Boy “Dance Dance”
09. Kanye West f/ Adam Levine “Heard Em Say”
08. MGMT “Kids”
07. Of Montreal “The Party's Crashing Us”
06. C.S.S. “Off The Hook”
05. Ciara f/ Missy Elliott “1, 2 Step”
04. Ying Yang Twins “Wait (The Whisper Song)”
03. Spoon “My Mathematical Mind”
02. Three 6 Mafia “Stay Fly”
01. Amerie “1 Thing”
NADA-fy jam:
"Lady Sweet"
| 2005 || 2006 || 2007 || 2008 || 2009 |
Labels:
2000 jams
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