Four 2008 Albums that Sound Even Better in 2009
In addition to getting psyched for the new year, now is the inevitable time where I look back on the preceding year and either a) remember how much I loved certain albums or b) catch up on albums everyone else was talking about that I didn't find as much time as I would have liked to listen to. That sentence was kind of terrible, but the albums below definitely are not. A couple fall into the a) category, and a couple in the b). But I'll let the song from each do the talking. Enjoy! ... read more
The 17 Best Romantic Comedies This Decade
New York Times critic A.O. Scott said it best: "It might be Kate Hudson, or maybe Mandy Moore, or possibly Rachel Weisz, Lindsay Lohan or a Jennifer (Lopez? Aniston? Garner?) But if it's February, you can be pretty sure that some pretty, plucky actress will be traipsing around some glamorous and photogenic American city (or its Canadian double) in search of the dimple-chinned fellow who embodies her one true love." Sure enough, he's right: Hudson can currently be seen in Bride Wars, and Aniston in He's Just Not That Into You (which opens today). That's not even mentioning Renée Zellweger... read more
These five song titles are complete sentences.
One-word song titles are easy to type into iTunes and all, but I like it when artists go all out and use complete sentences for song titles. It's more revealing...especially when the sentence is "I Am Totally Not Down With Rob's Alien" (Minus The Bear). Here are five of my other favorites. ... read more
Six Reasons Why Fall Out Boy Does Not Suck as Much as You Think
In fact, they don't suck at all. One of the most unfairly maligned bands in all the land, Fall Out Boy is despised for such sins as getting really popular and having a glammy showboat playing bass. At least one reviewer pouted that the band's addictive new album Folie a Deux, is too ambitious. Oh, please. Does anyone say that about Radiohead or Animal Collective, or any of the sanctified indie saints? Ambition is good. Ambition means you're trying. Ambition means you have ideas and want them to get a public airing (which is pretty much the essence of the creative... read more
The Day The Music Was Re-Born: 17 tracks in Memory of Ritchie Valens, Buddy Holly and The Big Bopper
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper—though always lumped together because of the cruel hand they were dealt one winter night in 1959—were really a varied bunch of musicians, all with different sounds and all at different stages in their respective careers. But the three were tied together by the bonds of rock ’n’ roll, still in its nascent stage, still magical and—mostly—unjaded. Don McLean dubbed their tragedy “the day the music died” in his legendary tribute song “American Pie,” and he was right, in a way. For rock ’n’ roll, that crash was—on a smaller scale—like the Kennedy... read more
The 10 Funniest Commercials from Super Bowl XLIII
Hundred-yard interception returns and last-minute acrobatic game-winning catches aside, the best part of the Super Bowl is the commercials. We're suckers for animated potatoes, dudes getting hurt, attack ostriches and, especially, Richard Dean Anderson. When it looked like the Steelers were going to blow out the Cardinals, these are what kept us watching until the exciting end. Here are the 10 funniest commercials during Super Bowl XLIII: 10. Pepsi Max: I'm GoodFrom The Three Stooges to the zipper scene in There's Something About Mary, we love us some slapstick comedy. Like Mike's Hard Lemonade before it, Pepsi Max tries to... read more
Ten Great Cardigans That Neko Case Might Also Love
This month, Paste celebrates its 50th issue, with cover lady Neko Case counting down 17 things she loves. Meanwhile, I'm having my own little celebration because, do you know what I love? I love cardigans. And do you know what Neko is wearing on our cover (and possibly also in the photo above)? Totally a cardigan! This is quite exciting because, while we've had many a blazer and innumerable hoodies, never once has a cardigan graced the front of Paste. ... read more
Whoa, We're 8.333% There: The 10 Greatest Musical Things I Experienced in the First Month of 2009
So much for January 2009, huh? That was quick. Seems like only yesterday we had a different president, Valentine's Day was more than a couple weeks off and, um, other vaguely January stuff was happening left and right.... read more
Green-Collar Rock: Great Nature Songs Vol. 2 (Land & Sky)
With last week's inauguration of new President Barack Obama, there's been a lot of talk about green-collar jobs and making long-term investments by implementing environmentally sound policies now. It got me thinking about what we're protecting by doing this—first and foremost, the health and well-being of ourselves and future generations. But it's also about preserving this beautiful natural world we inhabit. There is no shortage of amazing songs that celebrate or draw from this beauty. Classics like John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" and The Beatles' "Blackbird" come immediately to mind, but there are so many more. Here are a few... read more
The Ten Most Inappropriate SXSW Band Names
Looking through the roster of artists playing SXSW this year, I was appalled at the number of absolutely inappropriate band names. Why would you name your band Kittens Ablaze? I don’t get it. These may be the ten most amazing bands of 2009, but I’ll never know. You know why? Because I WON’T LISTEN TO A BAND CALLED FUCKSHOVEL. I’ve provided convenient links to the bands I wasn’t too embarrassed to Google. As for the rest, you’re on your own. ... read more
Five Reasons to Watch Tonight's Top Chef
Bravo’s foodie survival contest only has seven cheftestants left! Last week, a catatonic Radhika sabotaged her team by fumbling her front-of-house duties and exerting no discernible influence over her kitchen. Wounded that she wasn’t even there to wave goodbye at the end of the meal, the judges retaliated by sending her home. Who will suffer the judges’ wrath this week? We’d like to see revenge exacted on either Leah or Hosea, the cuckolding cheftestants who made out on screen last week despite having significant others back home. But as the judges are fond of saying, this contest is all about... read more
He Adored New York City: Woody Allen's 10 Finest Films
"I don't want to achieve immortality through my work...I want to achieve it through not dying." — Woody AllenLove him or hate him, Woody Allen is the most prolific filmmaker of our time. Vicky Cristina Barcelona—released on DVD today amidst Oscar buzz for its star Penélope Cruz and a Golden Globe win for best musical/comedy—is his 39th feature film, an astronomical figure. Inevitably, not all of those 39 are completely original or entirely worthwhile, but that oft-recurring phrase “Woody Allen’s comeback film” should be retired for good. That phrase was placed on 1999’s Sweet and Lowdown, 2005’s Match Point... read more
A dozen hilarious music-related YouTube videos
You're going to be very product at work today. Just not for a little while. What follows are some of the funniest musical moments ever synched to moving pictures, digitized and uploaded to the third most popular site on the Internets (even beating out Obamicon.me). Ah, the joys of a good YouTube video. Some of the following are old (by Internet standards), others will hopefully be brand new to you. But they're all musical, and they're all funny—whether that was the plan of those who created them or not. Put your headphones on, make sure your boss is on the... read more
The official Indie Rock Alphabet Book party-time playlist
Writing a book was fun enough, but now we get to have a party! If you and your kids (or just you and your self) happen to be in Decatur, Ga., this afternoon, swing by Little Shop of Stories for a little shindig to celebrate our Indie Rock Alphabet Book. Co-author Caren is up in Massachusetts doing her fancy book-learnin', but Kate and I will be there along with our incredible illustrator, Owen. We might even have a few special guests* reading from the book! Not sure if the Little Shop folks will let us hook up our own music,... read more
Nine Reasons Why the Scion Rock Fest Will Melt Faces
If you're a fan of heavy rock music, there's a good chance you've heard rumblings here, there and pretty much everywhere about the Scion Rock Fest. Organized by those metal-loving so-and-so's at Vice and Scion, the one-day, absolutely-free festival promises to take Atlanta's Masquerade by its shirt collar on Feb. 28 and shake the rock venue and every one of its denizens to their knees...for 12 hours straight! But don't take my word for it: peep the line-up, which is still growing, and enjoy the top nine reasons why I won't be standing at the end of that sure-to-be-unforgettable Saturday... read more
Green-Collar Rock: Great Nature Songs Vol. 1 (Water)
With this week's inauguration of new President Barack Obama, there's been a lot of talk about green-collar jobs and making long-term investments by implementing environmentally sound policies now. It got me thinking about what we're protecting by doing this—first and foremost, the health and well-being of ourselves and future generations. But it's also about preserving this beautiful natural world we inhabit. There is no shortage of amazing songs that celebrate or draw from this beauty. Classics like John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" and The Beatles' "Blackbird" come immediately to mind, but there are so many more. Here are a few favorites,... read more
Ten Nominations for Secretary of the Arts
Quincy Jones has officially called for President Obama (President Obama!) to create a Secretary of the Arts position in the U.S. cabinet. There’s an online petition for the cause, which has 170,350 signatures (and counting). Enjoy our list of nominees for the position: ... read more
The 29 Most Anticipated Movies of 2009
The new year is upon us and moviegoers are finally getting around to seeing some of 2008's big-name films (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino, Defiance, The Wrestler). But what about the rest of the year? Austin listed his five to watch a while back, but I will see his five and raise him 24. Here are the 29 movies due in 2009 that have caught my eye. What's missing? Let me know in the comments section.... read more
10 New Artists to Watch in 2009
Last year brought us terrific debut albums from Vampire Weekend, MGMT, Fleet Foxes, Santogold, Bon Iver, Lykke Li, Ra Ra Riot and more. So, who’s on deck for 2009? Here are 10 artists on my radar in the new year, excluding the artists we've given various amounts of ink to in the past. (That would be: Passion Pit, Janelle Monáe, Samantha Crain, Dent May, Glasvegas, Rye Rye and Chester French, all of whom will release debut full-length albums in the new year.) Feel free to comment on what bands you're anticipating in '09.... read more
40 More Awesome Obamicons
More than 70,000 Obamicons have been created since Paste first put out a list of some of the better early entries. So it seems like a good time to highlight my personal favorites—the editor's picks, if you will. Make your own at Obamicon.me. Now, you can even get it printed on a coffee mug.40. Clinton 2012We need the funk! We gotta have that funk!... read more
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