1. Outkast rapper Big Boi was arrested yesterday in Miami on drug charges after he was “busted by drug-sniffing dogs while getting off a cruise ship.” In his possession? Viagra, ecstasy pills and powdered MDMA, so we’re assuming that he had an active vacation. [via Gawker]
2. “There is so much bullshit going on in the music industry right now. Someone needs to make a difference. People treat me like Hitler.” – A snippet of a 10-minute rant from Kanye West at this weekend’s Big Chill Festival in the UK [via NME]
3. Tribal leaders canceled the final day of the Escape from New York music festival — which was meant to feature a performance by headliners of Montreal — after overnight rains made the Shinnecock Indians meeting grounds where the main stage was located unsafe for concertgoers. Despite the setback (three-day pass holders lost one-third of their entertainment), promoters say the festival “looks forward to returning next year.”[via ArtsBeat]
4. We’re not surprised to hear that FX has renewed Louie and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but as for Wilfred — otherwise known as the Elijah Wood comedy about the talking dog — really?! [via Pop Candy]
5. If you’ve ever wondered what Lady Gaga would look like if she dressed up like a young Bob Dylan, then her new “You & I” single artwork (which sees the pop star revisiting her drag king alter ego, Jo Calderone) is a good place to start.
Conventional music wisdom is a tedious business. Given that rock ‘n’ roll was supposed to be about self-expression and individualism, it’s rather sad that such an orthodoxy has arisen around music criticism over the years — there’s the albums that you’re absolutely not allowed to dislike (our distaste for Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band always gets us in trouble here), and conversely, there’s the albums that it’s pretty much taken as read that everyone hates. This can be a pretty dirty business — while there are certain albums that absolutely deserve all the vitriol that has been poured upon them, there’s also those that have been unfairly maligned. Here’s a selection of ten albums that we think have got a raw deal from the critics. What are your suggestions?
We read with interest this morning that Prince had pronounced – via Fox news, no less – that in his opinion, cover songs should be banned. Specifically, he railed at the fact that “there’s this thing called compulsory licensing law that allows artists through the record companies to take your music at will without your permission.” This is true, from what we can gather – provided that by “the record companies” he means the companies who hold publishing rights, which isn’t always the same thing – although the law does also specify that licensing fees must be paid to the songwriter. It’s an interesting point, as very few musicians own their own publishing rights. But equally, it’d be a shame if he’d had his way all along, because there have been some cracking Prince covers recorded over the years. Check out our favorites, and suggest yours, after the jump.
Yesterday, we looked at great songs from otherwise awful (or at least comparatively disappointing) records. There’s an obvious flipside to this –- songs that blot the copybooks of otherwise excellent records. Rock history is full of these -– the tracks that have you reaching for the remote control or tabbing your way across to iTunes to skip over them while wondering what on earth the artist was thinking recording them in the first place. We’ve collected a selection after the jump, but as ever, we’re open to suggestions.
If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s ink and paper representation of the quintessential American dream — with a dark side.
As any Lou Reed or Keith Richards fan can tell you, few things go together like music and drugs. And with that in mind, the NME is celebrating that cosmic connection this week, in a feature counting down the 50 druggiest albums of all time — tied to a special issue celebrating the 20th anniversary of Primal Scream’s Screamadelica. (Guess which record comes in at #1?)
It’s a strong list, full of classics from the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix to Spiritualized and Missy Elliott. We do have one complaint, though: Where are all the new albums? Sure, there a few obvious choices(Lil Wayne, MGMT) and some questionable Brit picks (Libertines, Klaxons). But, with the help of Flavorpill’s shrewd staffers, we’ve come up with our own list of ten great 21st-century drug albums — those that were made on drugs or about drugs, along with those that seem designed to listen to in an altered state. Add your own suggestions in the comments.
If you’ve ever wondered what your favorite literary characters might be listening to while they save the world/contemplate existence/get into trouble, or hallucinated a soundtrack to go along with your favorite novels, well, us too. But wonder no more! Here, we sneak a look at the hypothetical iPods of some of literature’s most interesting characters. What would be on the personal playlists of Holden Caulfield or Elizabeth Bennett, Huck Finn or Harry Potter, Tintin or Humbert Humbert? Something revealing, we bet. Or at least something danceable. Read on for a cozy reading soundtrack, character study, or yet another way to emulate your favorite literary hero. This week: everyone’s favorite chosen-child-boy-wizard, Harry James Potter.
In a recent New York Times article, Converse announced its plans to open a recording studio for struggling bands in Williamsburg. In the same piece, media critic Douglas Rushkoff pointed out that this is “just like the great painters… in the Renaissance, when it became impossible to sustain oneself as an artist without a patron.” This inspired us at Flavorpill to look back at the evolution of brand/band connections. Follow along as we trace the history, from early merchandising debacles to the present, when brands rely on artists to create a cool cache, while bands need brands’ financial support now that the record label system has come apart at the seams.
Will music ever see another David Bowie? Caspar Llewellyn Smith doubts it. In a recent Guardian piece, he argues that the recent Bowie revival, from Lady Gaga to a new covers compilation, is shallow and misses the point. “Yes, image was crucial to Bowie,” Smith writes, “but it wasn’t just his look that mattered; through the invention of multiple, subsequent personalities, he invited a different perspective on his art – his music.”
Now, we agree that it takes more than guyliner (hi, Brandon Flowers) or ringmaster status (what’s up, Mark Ronson) to earn a Bowie comparison. But we also think Smith is missing out on a handful of current musicians who really could live up to that legacy — and that he’s made up his mind on Gaga too early, considering that much of the Bowie legend has to do with how long he’s remained relevant. Page through our list of seven potential heirs to Bowie’s legacy and defend your own picks in the comments.
