Photos: The Asteroids Galaxy Tour at Le Poisson Rouge on March 22

It's always fascinated us here how artists, bands and fans outside of the US seem to take to the sounds from the twenty years from the day that rock 'n' roll as a genre happened.  They simply "do" the music better than any of us, with more fervor than any of us and with the panache and vigor that seem to be all but gone from our minds here in the states.  With the handful of people that make up Copenhagen, Denmark's The Asteroids Galaxy Tour, this all couldn't be more true.  They've taken to the 60s soul, psychedelia and bubblegum like no band we've seen before--and remarkably, they've only been around for about a year.

And Sunday night, at their packed show at NYC's Le Poisson Rouge, throughout their 45-minute set of brassy, dancey and spunky tunes, they showed just how easy it is to win over hearts.  With guitar, keyboard and brass-laden tracks like "The Sun Ain't Shining No More" and the iPod commercial used "Around The Bend", singer Mette Lindberg chose to let her voice do the, er, talking, flowing in and out of her range (massive for a woman so small of frame) and while the idiosyncrasies of her voice--which tends to squeak and bend somewhat randomly--may turn off some listeners, we didn't find it a trouble at all.  What was most fun for us though, was that you couldn't have wiped the smile off of her or her bandmates' faces the whole time.  Refreshingly simple, infectious and capital-F fun, we cannot tell you enough about putting this band on your watchlist.  And seriously, prepare to have your summer taken over when the group's debut full length, Fruit, comes out May 19.

(mp3)    The Asteroids Galaxy Tour - Push The Envelope

Godspeed!

Lists: "So '08" vs. "So '09"

(photo collage by Krissy Sellout)

In the hopes that this year brings nothing but golden nuggets to the cultural landscape, we here at THE CULTURE OF ME present you, our dear readers, with this, a list of all of the things that were big in 2008 that we hope to bury this year, along with what we hope will be their replacements in 2009.  Some are very very obvious while others, not so much.

Many thanks to all our contributors, including but not all-encompassing: Franki Chan, LA Riots, AC Slater, Krissy Sellout, Udachi, Famous Friends, Alex English and Purple Crush.  The first item in the list is "so '08", the second, "so '09".

01 Asians in ball caps.  Filipinos.
02 Bush.  Obama (yes!!).
03 Diplo.  Anyone but Diplo.
04 Hi Tops.  Hi Tops.
05 Leggings.  Leggs.
06 Non-Rx glasses/shutter shades.  Perfect vision (LASEK).
07 Internet memes.  Dudes/girls in bear suits.
08 DJs.  Bands (time to sell your turntables).
09 “Day N Nite”.  Kanye West remixes.
10 iPods.  Mixtapes.
11 Teddy Grahams.  Money Grams (please?).
12 Mom Jeans.  Jeans that fit as they are supposed to.
13 Danny Masterson aka DJ Momjeans.  Scooby Doo (probably a better DJ).

More from this list, after the jump.

Lists: The "Un-Top-10" as told by Charlotte of Luxe

Continuing our collection of hilarious-or-not-at-all list-getting from all of our friends, today's "un-top-10" comes from Charlotte, promoter for Luxe Presents (who brings the monthly Rock Me Sexy Brooklyn party to Europa) and Chicago transplant, sent us in her list and said, "since I'm the best dressed promoter in town (holla!), I thought I'd do the un-top 10 list of hipster what not to wear."

10 Ironic tee shirts: you already have an ironic mustache, why do you need your shirt to point out your wit?
09 Bright colored tights: your legs should not look like pixie stix.
08 Hippie headbands: do you really need to secure your bangs to your forehead?
07 Men in low-cut v-necks with hairy chests: ew.
06 Men in woman's jeans: double ew.
05 Metallic leggings: you're asking people to notice your big ass and thighs.
04 Reebok Freestyles: you look like you have a neon Michelin man on your foot.
03 Keffiyehs: If Rachael Ray wore it in a Dunkin’ Donuts ad, the trend’s over.
02 Mom jeans: Most guys don't find fupa's hot.
01 Glasses with no lenses: You should be happy you have good vision!

(mp3)    Matt And Kim - Good Ol' Fashion Nightmare

Godspeed!

Lists: The "Un-Top-10" as told by Alex English

As part of our just-thought-of-it year-end list gathering from people we know, we received this healthy chunk of a countdown from DJ/promoter/forever-smiling Alex English, of his "un-top-10" (what he's calling his "10 songs I can do without forever").  Enjoy them.  There will sure be more to come as this, like any other year, carries with it a handful of good things and a ten-pound bag of gripes.

The "Un-Top-10"

01 "Cross The Dancefloor" by Treasure Fingers
02 "My Moon My Man" by Feist remixed by Boys Noize
03 "American Boy"
04 Calvin Harris remix of "Hearts On Fire" by Cut Copy
05 I personally need to retire the live version of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk
06 Everything by Yelle
07 "Day n Nite" by Kid Cudi (Crookers remix) OMG!!
08 "Kids" by MGMT and all of its remixes
09 "Show Me Love" by Robin S. (even though it was not released in 2008)
10 "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance w/ You" by Black Kids

(mp3)    Treasure Fingers - Cross The Dancefloor (Flufftronix remix)

Godspeed!

THE CULTURE OF ME presents... Top 12 of 2008

Sure, year-end lists are boring, obnoxious, subjective, never 100% right, lame and useless, but be honest.  You guys love to see who picked what, especially when it comes to something as fickle and fleeting as music has become in 2008.  So, this list is a representation (in our minds at least) of the impact of twelve records that changed the year for us, all for the better.  We'd do a "bottom" list, but that would be way too long and we just don't have the time or patience for that shit right now.  So, without much more ado, here they are, in particular order, without comment from us.  Leave your opinion in the comments section if we missed something or if you think we're horrifyingly wrong.

12 Hot Chip, Made In The Dark

11 One For The Team, Build It Up

After the jump, the top ten from us, your besties, THE CULTURE OF ME.

Reviews:Chinese Democracy. Who cares?

Fine.  We get it Axl.  You've finally unleashed the album you've spent 13 million dollars of some other people's money to make, rid yourself of everyone who gave you help/fame/guidance/awesomeness from the previous 15 years of "production" of this album, and now it's out.  Congratulations.  Chinese Democracy will finally see the light of day.  We'll take our Dr. Pepper.  Because, to be honest, this record (crucify us, whatever) is the undoing of everything we've wanted to hold true of Guns N' Roses.  Sure, you pulled out every GN'R trick you've ever used and compiled them into one massacre of music you've worked so "hard" to create and perfect, but none of it really works to a success.  We'll buy it just so we can know that the last album we ever actually pony money up for will be the one that serves as the final death knell for capital-R rock.

(mp3)    Guns N' Roses - Bad Obsession

Godspeed!

Review: AmpLiveRainydayz Remixes

For those of you not in the loop (and be honest, how could you NOT be), you'd not know that this project has been done for quite some time.  The LA hip hop artist known as AmpLive wanted to create an homage/remix to Radiohead's epic and non-label oriented masterpiece, In Rainbows.  He was going to release it for free to the masses, so long as you proved you paid some amount for Radiohead's record.  The whole deal hit a snag when Warner Music Group hit the guy with a cease and desist order, claiming that he hadn't sought the right approvals for the work, etc. etc.  So, THEN, AmpLive goes on to plead and plead and plead his case (even via video) that if the project was at least heard, they'd let him release it.  After weeks, all are agreed and we now have it.  FREE.

"And what of the product?" you ask.  It's fucking massive.  Dude's pulled together a talent pool that is unmatched in our eyes for a full-on remix project, what with the likes of Too $hort, MC Zumbi of Zion I, Chali2na of Jurassic 5, and Del the Funky Homosapien lending their rhymes.

The six tracks featured (cut, spliced and re-taped together) get the kind of love you would find suspect from a hip hop artist, if you didn't know any better.  The end result of all of this is a shining, ridiculously fresh and bold take on an already classic artwork, remade for all to enjoy.

We at the culture of me are pretty sure that Rainydayz is a perfect specimen of how an homage can be divine on its own.  And who says the rock kids don't like hip hop?  Can you prove that the hip hop kids don't secretly love rock?

Get the whole record here for nothing out of your pocket.

(mp3)    Weird Fishez

Godspeed!

Review:Goes CubeNot What We Thought

We're no strangers to Goes Cube and we certainly couldn't possibly hide our previous gushes about them.  So it shouldn't come as any surprise to anyone who peruses this blog on a sort-of-regular basis that the latest release from the Brooklyn trio, often described as "brutal", "punishing", "destructive", "painfully loud", etc., would be well received by the culture of me.  But what we weren't expecting before hearing the new EP was how much we were going to like it.  Or how different it sounds from everything else the troops have ever put out.

Let it be known that the boys haven't "departed" from their normally brick-shattering soundscapes or vicious lyrical tomes.  Not even close.  They know what works.  And it really really works.  What we meant by that "sounding different" thing wasn't the band's "sound" but the "sound" of the record.  The first thing we wrote down in our heads as we were listening was about how lead David Obuchowski's vocals are noticeably, well, noticeable.  Meaning, you can hear them and stuff.  Which is such a ridiculously pleasant change.  And the production notes don't stop there.  The low end of the mix is so crisp it made us well up with tears and smiles.  Producer/mixer Dean Baltulonis should get pats on the back for creating such a crisp dare-we-say fucking masterpiece.  Everything seems to fit right in its place, with only pregnant pauses here and there sticking out.

Not What We Thought is a work from a band on the verge of deciphering both who they are and who they want to be perceived to be.  We think both of those identities are what make Goes Cube one of the most promising groups on the scene right now.  The band has exerted every possible ounce of themselves into Not What We Thought and what's come out as product is astonishing.  The record will be available only at shows on tour from March 5th to March 28th with the exception being the show on February 22nd at Magnetic Field for the BAM Next Fest in New York City.

(mp3)   Goes Cube Song 57

Godspeed!

Review:VHS or Beta"Burn It All Down" single & remixes

We wouldn't necessarily think that a group of guys from Louisville, Kentucky would know anything about new wave or electro.  But VHS or Beta has, time and time again since we first heard them on Le Funk, proven to be an anomaly worthy of hearing.  That record, much like this year's excellent Bring on the Comets, is an epic landscape of electronic music that's really only comprised of guitar, bass and drums with the occasional (though much more prevalent now than 5 years ago) vocoder and keyboard line.

While some acts that qualify as "electro" as seeking out romance on the dancefloor and still others are just trying to find out if you "D.A.N.C.E.", a group like VHS or Beta, with the lyrical content of "Burn It All Down" at least, is looking more to create something out of its music.  Something like a "Disco Bloodbath", even.

These remixes (by Surkin, Fred Falke, and Midnight Juggernauts) all offer a differing take on the original track.  The album version, also featured on the B side of the record, reads like a long-lost remix to a demo track by Tears for Fears or something.  Maybe a little bit Depeche Mode, too.  The Fred Falke remix (our least favorite of the bunch) is all housey repetitions, ripping the chord progressions of the original's chorus, adding some reverb and much much much more bass drum, and letting it go on.  To what seems like forever.  The Surkin and Midnight Juggernauts versions both seek to keep the "robot rock"-esque (read: the undeniable influence of Daft Punk on the Kentucky band) vibe that the original encompasses, though each tweaks it a tad bit from
center.  We dig the Surkin take the most, but it's always up for debate, so, you know, leave your subjectivity in the comments section, why don't you?

(mp3)    Burn It All Down (original)

(mp3)    Burn It All Down (Surkin remix)

Godspeed!

the culture of me presents....top 25 of 2007

25 Dizzee Rascal, Maths & English

(mp3)    Flex

24 50 Cent, Curtis

(mp3)   I Get Money (I Dap Money remix)

23 Kate Nash, Made of Bricks

(mp3)    Skeleton Song

22 Against Me!, New Wave

(mp3)    Reinventing Axl Rose (acoustic)

21 Great Northern, Trading Twilight for Daylight

(mp3)    Just a Dream

After the jump, the rest of the list.