Central Village

The 40 Best Songs of 2007

I'm not gonna do an albums of the year list because there were hardly any full albums that I really got into. Of Montreal, Tegan and Sara, The Maccabees, Paramore and...thats about it. There were lots of albums I listened to, but hardly anything that I went back to over and over throughout the year. So that's that. There were, however, a lot of songs that I was really excited about this year. Separate from the album they appear on. I'd go back to these before the rest of the album. They defined 2007 more than any individual album, save the four mentioned above. So here is my top 40 of 2007.

40-21, Alphabetically...

Ryan Adams - Halloweenhead (m4a)
Aside from just being a nice song, it was the ring-tone for my alarm clock phone for the latter part of the year. So I wake up to "I've got a baaad ideeea..." every morning. Somehow, it still made the list.

The Black Lips - O Katrina (mp3)
This song...this band in general, just doesn't sound 2007. Despite the, um, topical lyrics. Like a completely different era. All said, probably the most enjoyable live band of the year. This is their best song off the latest album.

Digitalism - Pogo (mp3)
I didn't want to put this on as a "representative" of this great album, because it's such a departure from the rest of the band's stuff. Regardless, it's still a great tune. If there's one song to take off of that album tho...one song that I'll listen to on its own a year or two on the line, this is it.

El-P - The Overly Dramatic Truth (mp3)
I can never get into El-P's flow, but his beats are the best. This one wins on that alone.

Justice - Stress (mp3)
This song is off the charts intense. Maybe not as listenable as some of the other songs on this album, but I like music that creates subliminal reactions. This song makes me twitch.

Menomena - Wet and Rustling (mp3)
I couldn't ever get past the first three songs on this record, but man are they good. This is the best of the three, I suppose. My opinion on them changed almost daily when I used to listen to this more often.

Modest Mouse - Dashboard (mp3)
I really really liked this Modest Mouse album when it came on. It was a perfect progression past the mainstream 'Float On' era into a new comfort zone. This was probably the best song on the album, tho there were other contenders. I haven't listened to it much lately, but I should. It was good.

The National - Mistaken for Strangers (mp3)
The "Silvery Citibank lights" line, the "Showered and blue blazered" line. The National creates great images. Stuff I can kind of relate to. This song just feels like walking down Lafayette street at 3AM in the rain. I like that.

Of Montreal - She's a Rejector (mp3)
Jeez, it's been so long since I've spent a lot of time with this album, it's hard to pick songs off it. The entire album could have probably made this list had the record been released 6 weeks ago. It was my favorite this year by far, but looking back now, its hard to pick favorites. This was the last song that I decided was my favorite before I stopped listening to this album every day. So points for that.

Okkervil River - Our Live is Not a Movie or Maybe (mp3)
I never got into this OR album, despite loving them more than ever leading up to the release and it getting a ton of great press. Every time I try to listen to the album, I really get into this jam (first track on the record) then kinda lose focus.

Paramore - Hallelujah
Another alarm clock song. The pre-chorus hook is so huge I love it. Also, I like the way her voice starts at a higher pitch than expected. Thats fun.

Pela - Waiting on the Stairs (mp3)
This was the song that made me say whoh...these guys are great. Must have seen them live 5 times at the beginning of the year, still love hearing this song. Great moment towards the end of the song where they slow it down and are all "Come sit next to me..." Terrific song.

The Photo Atlas - Light and Noise (mp3)
In the end, this was a far better song than the rest of the album, which was probably why I never really noticed them take off. This song kind of takes everything I like about music over the last 6 years and mushes it into four minutes.

Kellie Pickler - I Wonder (video)

Listen, I know this song is total cheese, but out of all the rest of the shit out there, this one kinda stuck with me. Everything about it is just total trash, but it still resonated somehow. If the song wasn't enough, that CMA performance where she ended in a pile of tears was one of the most genuine, oddly touching live moments on TV this fall. Something about people actually caring about what they're singing really works for me.

R. Kelly/Usher - Same Girl
This shit was just genius. Sure, the video was what really put it over the top, but the back and forth dialog, the lyrics about TBS, Waffle House, and that magical "She gonna be looking so stupid when she see us together!!!" line was what won me over. Kudos, Kel.

Rihanna - Please Don't Stop the Music (mp3)
Best song off an album that had several other fairly decent tracks. I get excited when I hear this instead of Umbrella at a Knicks game or a Christmas party.

Bruce Springsteen - Radio Nowhere (mp3)
I thought this was a killer single. Exactly the kind of song that makes people remember that you're Bruce Springsteen and this is what you do. Not the greatest thing he's ever done, but it was fun for a couple months towards the end of the summer.

Sum 41 - With Me (mp3)
One scene on Gossip Girl with Chuck and Blair going at it in the back of a limo and I was sold. I know nothing of what this band is up to since the Fat Lip days, but whatever. I found this song after that episode and listened to it over and over.

Tegan and Sara - Knife Going In (mp3)
My second favorite song off my second favorite album of the year.

Wilco - You are My Face (mp3)
I guess this pick came from those VW ads. I heard this song first on there, followed up with the full record and settled back on this song after listening through a couple times. The "I have no idea how this happened!" part, and the guitar part leading into it is one of the top 10 stuck-in-you-head musical moments of the year.

And the top 20...

20. Hot Club de Paris - Clockwork Toy (mp3)
Kept coming back to this song over the others. I liked the perpetuallness of the sound as a whole. Not as fun as some of their other stuff, but better.

19. Good Charlotte - I Don't Wanna be in Love (video)

There's a lot to hate about this song. The (Dance Floor Anthem) qualifier. The "but most suckas hate it" lyric. But man is there a lot of things working here too. Safe to say this is the best thing Good Charlotte has ever done. I absolutely hated with a passion their early stuff like "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous." Maybe more than maybe any band ever. But this is, overall, some really good stuff.

18. Maccabees - X-Ray (mp3)
Quietly turned out to be one of my top 5 albums of the year. Still one of my go-to albums 10 months after first hearing it. This is the best track on the album, tho I could probably make a case for 6 or 7 of them.

17. The Shins - Australia (mp3)
Another overlooked album based on principal. These guys had no chance after Garden State, but you know what? They held their own and put out a pretty cool record. This is one of the better Smiths ripoff songs I've heard in recent years.

16. Bright Eyes - Cleanse Song (mp3)
Haven't listened to this album in a few months, but this song makes me wanna go back and get back into it again, cause I really loved it the first time through. This was the album-stopping track for me. Great imagery.

15. Nakatomi Plaza - A Manifest Destiny Grows In Brooklyn (mp3)
I loved this record. Top 5 of the year, maybe. This opening track is a killer...vintage Rainer Maria. Wish more people listened to them cause I think there's a pretty big audience out there that'd be into what they've got to offer.

14. Black Kids - I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You (mp3)
You know, drop all the hype and nonsense and these guys have exactly 2 excellent songs. There's no way around that. This one is the better of them. Someday, they will be a footnote on the Wikipedia entry for "2000's Indie Rock" as the band that finally killed the blogrock trend, but for now we can just enjoy this jam and worry about the consequences later.

13. Of Montreal - Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse (mp3)
This album was greater than the sum of its parts. There are some songs that stood out, but the whole thing was what made it so great. This was the first song I remember hearing off the record where I was like "whoh, we've got something special here."

12. Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah (mp3)
I hated this band so much when I saw them perform that "I don't hate you, but I really really really don't like you" song (actual lyrics) on TV once. But their placement on the emusic top 10 taunted me for long enough that I finally had some extra credits and gave it a shot. Turns out this song is quite a burner. A bit corny, for sure, but catchy and endearing enough to work on me.

11. Maximo Park - Books from Boxes
I loved the last Maximo Park album, but didn't listen to this one much. BfB was a major standout track, but the rest was quickly forgotten.

10. GladOS (Portal) - Still Alive (mp3)
(Portal Spoilers ahead, for anyone who is planning on playing it wait on reading this.) Every geeky gamer owes it to themselves to have this in their top 10. Imagine the roller coaster of emotions, playing a 2 hour long puzzle game, until suddenly (SPOILERS) you're thrust from the game world, trying to escape the lab the game had previously been contained in. After another adventure that lasts almost half as long as the entire 18 levels previously, you defeat the boss that had been directing/taunting you the entire game, and the last moment is you, dead on your side, but aboveground in the real world. You destroyed the system, at the expense of your life. Bittersweet, but satisfying.

BUT THEN...this song comes on. And not only is it the boss you were supposed to have just defeated singing about being still alive, but the song is actually catchy and somewhat incredible. And the lyrics are right there on the screen as you sit in stunned disbelief reading along to the song. And then it ends. After all that, you lost. Your 3 hour sacrifice, trying to escape the testing facility to save however many others might have come after you is all for naught. You lose. It's over. The bad guys win. What could have been a more satisfying twist?

9. Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma (mp3)
I hated these guys on principal until I actually saw them live and heard their songs. Turns out, they're goofy college rock! And awesome! If the Black Kids killed blog rock, Vampire Weekend handed them the rifle. If a band that sounds like this can get pretentious music fans on board, then there's really nothing left to argue about.

8. Band of Horses - No One's Gonna Love You (m4a)
Such a great song. Loved hearing it on Chuck a few weeks ago. Band of Horses is good for 1 amazing song off each album, which pushes the album of otherwise above average tracks to an overall great listen. Kinda like that one kid who throws off the class curve. The Funeral was that track last year, and this is the one for 2007.

7. Black Lips - Hippy Hippy Hurrah (mp3)
This is barely even a song. One epic guitar sequence and a lot of incomprehensible mumbling. But it's so great, isn't it? simple, effective. Good beyond explanation.

6. Kings of Leon - McFearless (mp3)
Kings of Leon are good for at least one amazing song of the year contender per album. Their last two albums have been really solid overall too, but this is just a different level. Surprised they don't have more mainstream traction. What about this would a Nickelback fan not like?

5. Feist - My Moon My Man (mp3)
This was the Feist song in an ad you saw every 5 seconds before that was cool. Aside from being an impossibly catchy jam that could have been a late 90's Jennifer Lopez supersmash in a different life, it provides a perfect speedwalking pace. I've never been late to work while listening to this song.

4. T-Pain/Cloud Cult (Hood Internet) - Collide You a Drank (mp3)
Better than both originals by far. How they're able to make those CC hooks work 100x better than they already were is incredible. Taking the rest of the world's song of the year and mashing it up with one of my favorite bands of the decade is a special thing. Hood Internet is genius.

3. Pinback - Good to Sea (mp3)
Silly puns aside, I love this song. The last Pinback album had remarkable lasting power, and while this one didn't quite stick with me like I hoped it would, this song sure did. One of my most listened individual tracks of the year.

2. Tegan and Sara - Nineteen (mp3)
For the rest of my life, if I ever hear the phrase "I felt you in my legs, before I ever met you" shout out at me from a jukebox, I'll think of 2007. Fondly. Brilliant song. The best by far from one of the only albums this year that actually mattered to me.

1. Paramore - Misery Business
I was pretty high on this song already, but it jumped to all time fav territory once I read Hayley's livejournal explaining the history behind it. This is the best song of the year.

---

So that's it! I've been working on this post for 2 weeks, and am sure that I left off something I'll smack my head for forgetting. I'll have all these songs in a YouSendIt .zip file or something up by the end of the week, if anyone is interested in that.

Also, check out Kelly's list. Not too much overlap aside from the top spot.

Madina Lake

I can't support those haircuts, but this music is undeniably good.

You know, sometimes you just have to look beyond looks and image to recognize good music. For a band that looks like the Bravery meets Flock of Seagulls, I would suspect many fans not interested in that sort of thing to overlook these guys completely, and for the most part that makes sense. I probably wouldn't have given them a first look if I didn't stumble across them at Bamboozle earlier this Summer. See, there was a bunch of downtime before Muse and MCR that day, which led to a bunch of aimless wandering trying to avoid having to listen to Cartel or Say Anything, and at one of the side stages we found this band I ended up really liking called Manchester Orchestra. I bought their CD and hoodie that I have been wearing and listening to a bunch all year. So once they were done, the band next to them immediately came on and it was these goofy fellas pictured above. I distinctly remember saying that I thought they sounded great, but looked so silly I couldn't take them seriously.

Well now, like 4 months later, I their name kept popping up, and I'd hear a song here or there that, of course, was pretty rad, so I finally tracked down their album. It's great! I've been listening to it for the last couple weeks and really dig it a lot. There is a microscopic line between emo-pop shit and success, and this record squarely falls on the side with MCR, Taking Back Sunday, Armor for Sleep and the rest of the good guys. Sure, it's big and obvious and really easy to fall into all those massive hooks, but sometimes (often times) that's exactly what I want to listen to.

Oh, by the way, did I mention this is a concept album?  OH YES. Just found this out while googling the band this AM. From wikipedia: (and I have no reason to question it's validity here...)

"Madina Lake is named after the fictional 1950's town from a story Matthew penned. The town is turned upside down when its most famous socialite, Adalia, mysteriously disappears."

Of course it is. I also learned that the two twins in the band took prize money from winning fear factor to record the first demos. So there's that too?

Listen, all the pieces fall into place for this to be a band that gets endlessly mocked if they are lucky enough to break out beyond their already somewhat sizable fanbase. The twist is they're significantly better than the rest of their bands from their genre. Hope that helps. They also seem like nice guys from this MTV2 interview, for whatever that's worth. Anybody who bitches about all the style over substance bands owe it to themselves kick that attitude in reverse and give these guys a shot.

Madina Lake - Here I Stand (mp3)

Madina Lake - Now or Never (mp3)

More at Myspace, etc.

Really?

Seriously...haven't we gotten past this? I know it's fashion week, but it's not like this band doesn't exist the other 51. What...who...what the hell? I feel like my inbox just got set back 5 years. Thanks, Musebox but I don't think I'll make it to that karaoke bar to see your band play.

I did enjoy that Gridskipper interview, tho. The only thing better than a band that looks and sounds like this is one that takes itself too seriously. Go get em!

Big Week for the Knicks

This is a big week for the Knicks. Tomorrow, August 28th, Zach Randolph trade throw-ins Dan Dickau and Fred Jones become tradable, which equals $6.1 Million in expiring contracts. This is the last shot for the knicks to make a move and turn a borderline playoff team into an actual contender. As a season ticket holder, I've gotta hope (and assume) that something can still be done before the start of the season.

It looks like Kobe has accepted the fact that he'll be playing in LA next season, unhappy or not, and I'm sure that the Lakers aren't feeling any pressure to move him anymore. THAT SAID...next year's free agent class is a big one, and IF the Lakers were willing to sacrifice one season for the greater good, this would be the year to do it. Unforch, if the decision is made, the Knicks simply don't have enough to get the Lakers off the hook. While the 6.1 mil, plus Balkman and Lee would be a start, there's no way they're taking back anything else the Knicks have to make up the salary difference. So barring some magical NBA level intervention to re-establish the league in the east, that one's not even worth discussing.

That basically leaves Artest as the guy to get, and it is this blogger's opinion that it's a move the Knicks would be foolish not to make. We're not going to get the Kings to bite on a Jerome James or Jared Jefferies that easy, but the expiring contracts plus a Nate Robinson and a draft pick is a deal any Knick fan must take in a second. I'm a little bit torn on Balkman and Lee, because while I love both players, they just don't fit on this team anymore. Especially Lee, who will demand big money when he becomes a free agent, or will level out this upcoming season and lose value. I mean, Lee simply doesn't fit into this team's future plans. We've got 2 big men signed for a long time. He can't play the 3. So we're either gonna overpay him to be a backup into his 30s, (remember...he's got 4 years on many of the kids in is draft class as he graduated College,) or let him go somewhere for free. The only move is to trade him. Sooner rather than later. Maybe he'll have more value at the deadline, when some new players might become available, but that's a crapshoot.

3 options for getting Artest:

1. Try and get the Kings to bite on the 6.1 plus a Robinson and a pick.
2. Give them the guy they really want, Lee, but force them to take back a player to ease up on our contract burden (James or Rose or Q or something). Save the contracts for a potential deadline deal (or just let them go)
3. Bite the bullet and just give em Lee or Balkman and filler for Ron.

I'm hoping we can trick them into the first 2 options, but I've accepted I'd be OK with #3. I just don't understand the "Lee is offlimits" Camp. Why??? He's not a 19 year old project. He doesn't fit into the teams current or future plans, he's probably reached his peak as a player and he's got that weird nagging injury which doesn't seem 100% healed yet. Plain and simple, he won't help this team win a single game they wouldn't already win. Artest probably gives them 5 wins himself. Maybe more. That could be the difference between a borderline 8th seed to a 4 or 5. I love Lee as a player as much as the next guy, but he has no place in New York. Not with Curry and Zack up front. Not this year, not next year and not after a large FA contract. It sucks, I know, but it's the fact.

I think Balkman is a great guy off the bench to backup at the 2/3. Jefferies grew a beard in the off-season and bulked up, so I'm willing to give him a shot. Rose is a capable backup. Collins is a solid backup PG in the NBA. The Rookies can be end of the bench guys who might have a reason to prove something. Richardson and Robinson seem a bit excessive at this point, but I'm not sure what to do with them. I guess we'll have to suck it up. Same goes for jokes like James. The Knicks aren't perfect. But they could be better. Even if it takes an unpopular move.

UPDATE: Another point...The best thing the Knicks have going for them this decade is that any player who is not a complete and total bust gets hyped to no end. WE NEED TO START TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THIS! Anyone still wishing we held onto that core of Frank Williams, Make Sweetney, Trevor Ariza and Madje Lampe?  Remember all these highly touted kids who got a lot of nice things written about them while the Knicks limped to another 35 win season? Renaldo Balkman and David Lee might have nice careers, but I can assure you that these players will never come back to haunt us. Our best assets are the young and unproven kids that get a ton of articles written about them before their faults are exposed. Move them now. I'm telling you. We're lucky we got something for Channing after his pedestrian second season. Remember when he was untouchable? And was a great draft pick and all that? Well is anyone worried that 5 years from now we'll be saying "Man...how did we give him up?" No way. This cannot be repeated with Balkman and Lee. ESPECIALLY Balkman. He is an exciting, but very flawed player. This year his faults will be more exposed. Remember this, Knick fans, when we're either trying to salvage something for Lee next season or trying to dump Lee's contract in 3 years. Like we're doing with Nate now.

Is R. Kelly a Self-Aware Goofball?

The Tori Episodes are really a creative drain, so I've got nothing today. Programming note, however, that tomorrow morning from 7-9, the Saved by the Bell Vegas Wedding movie will be shown in its entirety. At least DVR it? It's pretty awful, but it's so good.

The debate whether we're all laughing at or with R. Kelly is an interesting one. For Trapped in the Closet, the answer is clearly that he's in on the joke. SaH explains it all, and it's tough to argue. I've yet to see the new ones, but I agree that, while still enjoyable, the series did lose some focus after chapter 5 or 6 (once they became videos rather than just songs.) Whether or not we're laughing at him during songs like Real Talk (below) or Same Girl is another story. Trapped is it's own thing, but I can't believe he's turned his entire career into a satire, right? This is off of his latest album, "Double Up":

R. Kelly - Real Talk (mp3)

I mean...really?

Vampire Weekend

Hey! It's O.A.R. 2007! Who knew? These guys are one of those bands that I kept hearing so much about to the point I was just so tired of them before ever actually listening to them. This actually happens fairly often. Could call it the Cold War Kids Syndrome? Since I went like literally 18 months before actually giving them a shot (while they were playing Madison Square Garden, no less.) So anyway, back to Vampire Weekend. I was informed earlier that they would be opening for New Pornographers at Bowery Last night, and while I didn't go out of my way to try and get there early to see them, I caught a good chunk of their set. A couple thoughts...

How on EARTH did these guys become a 'blogger' favorite? If you ask me, it sounds like early 00's college rock. Like shit that people over the age of 30 have never heard of despite the fact that they sell out arenas across the country and everyone who went to college this decade had all their albums on their computer at some point. Is there anything wrong with this? I guess not. It's perfectly good music for what it is. It just sounds a lot more like something I'd be embarrassed to tell people I liked, rather than something I'm embarrassed to tell people I've never listened to. That make any sense?

The name 'Vampire Weekend' is the most deceptive name ever. It's like if Death Cab didn't have the 'for Cutie' qualifier. Before listening, I figured these guys were some electro-Faint thing that sounded like a 72-hour non-stop party. After listening, I can't help but picture them playing the Monster Mash at the school dance on a Boy Meets World episode. There is nothing 'Vampire' about them. They should just be called 'Weekend.'

I downloaded the EP off e-music this AM. Listened to it a few times, along with their impressive Exit Music (for a film) cover from the Stereogum OK Computer thing. Like I said, it's silly, goofy mindless music, and I probably like it so much because it sounds absolutely nothing like what I expected and I'm still sorta delirious from the shock. I'm not sure how a label like XL plans to recoup on these guys who fall into a genre defined by the associated band's complete lack of album sales, but I'm sure they'll do fine in some way. I kinda regret not buying a t-shirt. They seemed like nice guys.

Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma (mp3)

MTV Still Knows How to Pound a Song Down Your Throat

Not sure what type of deal Paramore broke with MTV, but Misery Business must get played on a promo literally a dozen times an hour on that channel. Plus there's some face time on that "This isn't a beach..." ad. It's quite overwhelming. Not that I have anything against it. Paramore is a pretty good band, and Misery Business is a jam, it just seems like a pretty hard push for a band that's by no means the biggest act in the world right now. Assuming this isn't some sneaky powerplay by Fueled by Ramen to get one of their rising stars some exposure...wait a minute, of course it is. Here I was almost trying to assume that there was some sort of logic and ethics behind ad-music placement. Well whatever. I'll take this leading up to the VMAs over a month of various Pete Wentz muggings.

I think its funny that MTV is overplaying a band to no end (at least as far as I'm concerned...me who watches hardly any MTV ever) without ever showing its video. The whiny complaint that MTV isn't about music anymore is kinda silly. Sure, they don't show videos, but everything they put on there, from the creepy dating shows to the latest Real world slutfest is draped in music. Current, relevant, popular music, too, not just background stuff. Much much more then similar shows on different channels, at least. MTV stopped showing music videos, but they certainly didn't abandon the whole Music Television thing. All they did was recognize that nobody will sit and watch a music video straight through, so they figured out different mediums to broadcast those same tunes. Sometimes it's having the band show you their house, sometimes it's to complement a scene on The Hills, and sometimes it's just straight up as an ad in-between shows. I mean face it...MTV has always just been a marketing ploy to sell music to viewers in ways that make the consumer feel like they're not watching an ad. Isn't this current system of incorporating it into shows much more convincing than the whole music video thing? If you like watching that kind of stuff, It's gotta be seen as a better alternative.

Paramore - Misery Business (mp3)

To Vegoose?

Brooklyn Vegan sorta summed it up, but to reiterate, the lineup for Vegoose is really tough to pass on. I know I travel a lot to music festivals, and one more does seem like one too many, but I have a free flight on JetBlue to use and it seems like the perfect time to use it. I've also never been to Vegas as an adult, and I have a hard time just going for a random vacation (so much else to do in the world!) This would provide the proper cover/excuse to make it there.

The lineup hasn't filled out quite yet, but what has been announced is a fairly unbelievable combination of, well, the most incredible live acts currently touring and a bunch of bands I'd like to see who I probably wouldn't if they toured through NYC. My justification for attending music festivals, aside from the atmosphere and locale, is just that. To see those few larger than life bands play in front of a massive crowd, and get a chance to check out those bands I'm interested in, but wouldn't wanna devote an entire night and ticket cost to it. Lemme break it down..

Tier 1: The best live acts today:
Daft Punk
Muse
Gogol Bordello*

Tier 2: Legendary bands I feel like I need to see once more (at least as an adult):
Rage Against the Machine
Iggy Pop

Tier 3: Bands I like that have gotten too big/expensive to see individually at home:
The Shins
QotSA

Tier 4: Bands I probably wouldn't pay to go see separately, but am very interested in checking out:
Umphrey's Magee
Mastadon
U.N.K.L.E.
Battles
Theivery Corporation
Sound Tribe Sector 9

Tier 5: Bands I just plain like:
Ghostface w/ a full band
Blonde Redhead
Ghostland Observatory
M.I.A.

*Based of rumor and reputation, not on personal experience.

So with half the lineup, more or less, up there, this seems pretty exciting. Sure, there are bands I could not care less about such as moe. and Cypress Hill, but that's about it. I'm excited to hear the rest of the bands announced. I suspect there will be a handful more tier 4 and 5's to be added. Its getting to the point where the only thing left to decide what hotel to stay at on the Strip...

Daft Punk at Keyspan Park

It was just a sea of hands and cameraphones out there!

This should properly blow your mind...

Breakwater - Release the Beast (mp3)

(It's the song Daft Punk sampled from for Robot Rock!)

More pics after the J.

CMJ Lineup Announced

First few bands listed here.

So...can Studio B just book the Justice, MSTRKRFT, Simian Mobile Disco, Kavinsky, A-Trak and Chromeo afterparty now? Or do they have to go through the whole process of contacting the bands, clearing the date, etc, etc?

Reviewing the reactions, I'm amused to see Pitchfork give 2006 Best New Musicians Islands the "Whoh, remember them?" tag, while Del Tha Funky Homosapien goes completely unchecked...

Also, a reminder that Gothamist is throwing another Gothamist House at the White Rabbit this year. I'm putting together the lineups AS WE SPEAK. Coheed won't return my calls, but Cambria seems down.

Daft Punk tonight...I think I literally know 50 or 60 people going to this show. That is unprecedented.

Equally unprecedented pic of the inside of DP's pyramid via Bruno. Nice to see they've got more than an iPod shuffle back there.