k e e l y | d u n n

Culture Bully reviews Lykke Li @ Varsity Theater

So, she closed the show with a cover of A Tribe Called Quest's "Can I Kick It". Why wasn't I at this show (other than the obvious, it was in Seattle Minneapolis, and I'm in England)?


Lykke Li - Hip Hop freestyle from Brody McCoy on Vimeo.

Lykke Li @ Varsity Theater 02-08-2009.

the catch-22 of DRM

xkcd's Steal This Comic.

tranzmitors in calgary june 21

Catch Bryce and the rest of Canada's best power pop outfit the Tranzmitors at Calgary's Marquee Room with the Subliminals. $10 at the door, 10pm (plus rock 'n roll time) start.

idolator's list of awesomeness: tracey thorn - "raise the roof"

Idolator has grown to become my favorite of all the Gawker Media blogs (followed by Gizmodo, Jezebel and Lifehacker, which all fill up my RSS feedreader) because not only does it offer often satirical commentary on the music biz but it also recommends some great music that I used to find on video channels like MuchMusic (back when they played music and not reality TV) and can't find on the radio.

Idolator's 2007 Top 40Llist of Awesomeness featured this gem at No. 18, and I can't get it off my playlist:

..."Raise The Roof," in which Thorn rues the parts of her life that she's spent sitting on the sidelines over a stop-start beat that methodically marks the time she's lost, is absolutely stunning. Thorn's alto alternately pushes someone to take chances and laments her squandered days, and the brittle keyboards that blow in occasionally only heighten the tension. "Roof" doesn't have the motivate-you-through-volume of, say, Amerie's "Gotta Work," but its gentle push from someone who has--and hasn't--seized the day in the past is just as galvanizing. (via Idolator)

I loved the earnest symbolism of all the shots of their feet. The song itself sounds even better on the album, as the production alternately mutes and brightens like your confidence. It's gloriously sweet.

radiohead defies the industry - people will pay when asked nicely

The interblogs buzzed with the news yesterday that Radiohead has released their new album, In Rainbows, for download as basically donationware. Not only was the demand so crushing the server went down yesterday, but fans are actually voluntarily paying close to retail prices for the DRM-free MP3s, but also choosing to advance purchase the deluxy-pricey box set at over $80 a pop in gratitude at the band's gleeful thumb-nosing marketing tactic.

I've never bought a Radiohead CD in my life and won't start now, but a serious round of applause for the boys.

Link: Radiohead Spokesperson: Fans Paying Close to Retail for Pricing-Optional Album on Listening Post.

UK articles on the tranzmitors

It's a cavalcade of posts! Follow the link to a really cool junket about the almighty Tranzmitors on skiddle.com...

“Most people don't have the balls to even try making music this perfect and catchy,” says Seeing Eye Records’ Sir Teddy. “It’s pretty clear why this band is appreciated by punks, hipsters, and garage-geeks alike...” On stage, The Tranzmitors have “a stage presence similar to a band like Cheap Trick in their prime,” reckon Exclaim magazine, “complete with epic guitar solos and infectious sing-alongs.” As another US review said of a January 07 show, “the group put out enough straight-from-the-garage energy to make you wonder what you ever saw in The Hives.”

Link: THE TRANZMITORS: Album + on Tour NOW!!! Music Reviews, Interviews, What's On Guides and Listings.

The second is an interview by Jenni Cole of musicOHM.com:

Throughout the interview, we've been periodically interrupted by Terry, a local Camden casualty who met the band for the first time tonight but is now their greatest fan. For all his incoherence through much of the proceedings, discussions of the band's influences bring out a period of lucidity in him: even if it is only to claim they sound more like punk band 999 than anyone from the Stiff or 2 Tone scene.

"These are the most important bands that have arrived in this country for a very, very long time," he imparts with remarkable earnestness. "They're the best band since The Clash, Primal Scream, the Stone Roses and Flowed Up. I think these guys are really, really important." There's something in his tone that makes it clear they've touched a nerve.

Click here for the full article.

the tranzmitors available at Tesco.com!

Following up on their successful tour in England in August, my brother's band is now so hot that they are available online at one of the biggest big-box retailers in the land. Holy crap!

wired celebrates the birth of the mash-up

A quick read about the birth of dub and what we now call the mash-up.

Certainly, the genre's cutting-edge production techniques and intoxicant-friendly island vibe have earned it the highest respect among producers, musicians and DJs. But it is the reggae producers' penchant for turning out remixes and cover versions of popular songs that has left the biggest impression on today's share-alike digital culture.

"Reggae is all about the mashup," says Paul Miller, widely known as DJ Spooky, one of the compilers celebrating Trojan's 40th year. When putting together his own mix, In Fine Style: 50,000 Volts of Trojan Records, Miller discovered the Jamaican knack for recycling the hits.

Link: Upgrading Jamaica's Cultural Shareware: Trojan Records at 40.

Boing Boing: Good Copy, Bad Copy: superb copyright documentary on the remix wars

A quick little movie starring a couple of my heroes, Danger Mouse and Girl Talk, highlighting the meritorious copyleft arguments that mashup masterpieces provide.

Link: Boing Boing: Good Copy, Bad Copy: superb copyright documentary on the remix wars.

Byron uses his talent

Props to Mr. Byron Mueller, lovely life companion of my good friend and hockey teammate Ramona, on his debut release in the UK. Phonotactic's Use Your Talent (If You Can) is now available on Juno Records. If you dig downtempo electronic music, all four EP tracks can be downloaded in sets of two for £1.29 or £1.39 at 320kbs mp3. Quality!