What began as a recent interview about the new POS & Astronautalis project (The Four Fists) sparked an interesting discourse on the current state of indie music on the Absolute Punk message boards with very interesting insight provided by Astronautalis himself. PartyEnds has never been one to fan flame wars or what have you (tho, we’d still love to see La Snacks take on Brothers and Sisters once and for all…) but the  personal reply from Astro is full of introspection, attention to detail and commentary on pop culture that deserves to be acknowledged and thought about. What could have been a simple ’haters gonna hate’ message board response became essentially a McSweeney’s expose wrapped in a grad school thesis on rap vs hip hop and even the music business as a whole.

Excerpt:

“Just because it is made by black dudes who like 808s and synths more than old funk breaks and sing about a neighborhood you wouldn’t set foot in, doesn’t make it a bad record, it certainly doesn’t make it insincere. On the flip side, just because it is made by a white guy from the suburbs and packed full of abstract word association, doesn’t make it better than everything else. The “Rap VS Hip Hop” argument comes off as naive and arrogant, it is always fragranced with subtle undertones of, “what i like is smart and what THEY like is dumb”…and it is generally never based on any actual real research. I grew up talking houses of shit about southern rap…then i actually listened to it and I found it to be more unique and heartfelt than most of the NYC boom bap I was into. It really upsets me when I see people write off music because of the person making it or the publicity push behind it…that is about as terrible as it gets. What really changed it for me was the argument i used to make against traditional rap, “these guys just talk about how rich and tough they are”, when a friend said to me, “all the indie rappers you like just talk about how sad and fucked up they are”. Those are both HUGE generalizations…but not totally unfounded either. Additionally, to say that Rap-A-Lot has been dead, is totally absurd, especially when you compare it to Def Jux…which is ACTUALLY dead and out of business…while Rap-A-Lot continues to succeed without any big radio hits and plenty of quality rap. We can argue taste all we want, that is silly, your taste is your taste and i would never try to sway that, however, there a lot of people out there making terrible rip offs of Atmosphere and Sage Francis all to make a lot fans…meanwhile, there are a lot of people making very creative music who just so happen to HAVE a lot fans. I think that everyone should check out all of it and see what all the fuss is about…instead of writing it off because it isn’t like what you normally like.”

Read the whole exchange HERE. It is very interesting especially considering that it was written at 4am from a Prague hostel.

Lastly- did you know that the upcoming Four Fists record is based on the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald?! It promises to be out by the end of the year and I can not wait.

(image credit)

Chromeo is criss-crossing the country promoting their new smooth vocorder and synthesizer filled hotness Business Casual and the nation has risen up in unison and said “yes!”

Have you seen the equal parts creepy and groovy house party video for Don’t Turn the Light On? Only Chromeo and Roger from Mad Men can pull of black face this well!

Dig the song? Then you are going to LOVE the Aeroplane and Christian Martin remixes!

MP3: Chromeo: Don’t Turn The Lights On (Aeroplane Remix)

MP3: Chromeo: Don’t Turn The Lights On (Christian Martin Remix)

Preorder the new Chromeo album HERE . May I recommend the vinyl? It comes with a MP3 download yo.

Today’s heat index is 130 degrees in Austin so you’re going to need some new tunes to help get you thru. Or , at the very least, new variations on songs you already know. The mashup ninja master Mochi Beats has a whole new album of jams for you to download for FREE as either one continuous mix of as individual extra-fly MP3s HERE!

Need to load up the iPod for a Trudy’s Triathlon? Need to fill up the Zune with music to surf on the lava flowing down Congress? Need something to blast on the stereo while you eat Fruity Pebbles and drink Red Bulls? This is it. Its 24 free tracks featuring over 100 chunks of other songs in the DNA- do the math! Grab the whole thing HERE! And look- homie’s on the Twitter : @MochiBeats

MP3: MochiBeats- Lollipop Ghost

(photo: Captain EO!)

I’ll admit that I’m starting to lean toward really regretting the newly maternal MIA’s decision to fade away, rather than burn out (thanks a ton Pineapple Express); a position I was adamantly reversed on back in 2008. After all, at the time we had two respectably innovative, yet danceable records that were game changers for both the indie and main-stream music industries, and very little else to indicate that all of her subsequent releases, now two years on, would be just plain, well- not good. I stop short of bad, because they are still much better than the drivel we have to put up with every time we turn on a top 40 station in the continental United States, but that’s just not saying much.

So, wow, the new track. Jees. XXXO, a tie-in to her newly cultivated AIM, Compuserve era internet aesthetic; the title might as well be ‘LOL, OMG‘, but whatever. While I was into the kitsch of the animated GIF, over the top, Xenga look for a while, carrying it into a whole new album seems like spreading the theme a little thin. I’ll admit, I enjoyed this video once through. It’s clear MIA and her team of obviously wistful motion graphics youths have created a more humorous than substantial little visual treat- charming in it’s enthusiasm for irony most of us probably burned out on a few years back.

But enough about the video, let’s talk about the song. How terrible is this!? I literally turned off my computer’s sound mid-way through the second chorus because I couldn’t take it anymore. Genuinely, if this is a joke, and I’m simply not in on it, please someone tell me. I won’t be mad, I just want to know. Not only are the lyrics atrocious and trite, but the sonic choices are painful, possibly intended as radio friendly, but ultimately just plain awkward and unpleasant. I have pretty much nothing good to say about this song- please let this be another case of Bird Flu (not the disease, but the single off of  Kala), in which the first single is the worst track on the album. See for yourselves, but maybe keep your finger hovering above the mute button… just in case.

Happy Friday friends! Hopefully your had a good week, or have blocked the traumatic memories of the last five days through deep psychological denial- either way, we have something that’ll make you Gregorian chant ‘TGIF’ (or you can Tuvan throat sing it, if you prefer).

You know CUSTODIAN, the Austin based art-rap duo we’ve lauded so highly for the last year or so. You know they are the jam. You know they recently released their debut EP Ultra Fresh to great critical acclaim (from us, at least- I don’t really read anything else). And now you know that Party Ends has an exclusive, hot, dacin’-y remix of their track Get Thru for you to rock out on your boom box while you mop the bathroom or the dance-floor. You can only get this track from Party Ends (you’re welcome), so make your move now!

M4A: CUSTODIAN – Get Thru (PartyEnds.com Remix)

Well Played…

I just stumbled onto this amazing video and wanted to share. As much as I like Massive Attack, in theory / the 90’s, I certainly don’t follow them- hence why I didn’t catch this when it was ‘new’. Genius concept and execution of a creepy and weird idea that only gets creepier and weirder.

MASSIVE ATTACK – Psyche (Feat. Martina Topley Bird) from Masha Frolova on Vimeo.

By now you’ve realized that our Fun Fun Fun Fest lineup was totally fake fake fake. Sucker. It was hard to keep a straight face.  You were so adorable getting excited about Faith No More and a reunited Hagfish. You weren’t ready for the truth, you couldn’t handle it. Behold the REAL Fun Fun Fun Fest 2010 lineup !

“Weird” Al Yankovic 

A-Trak

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti

Bad Religion

Best Coast

Big Freedia

Black Congress

Black Nasty

Butcher Bear and Charlie

Cap’n Jazz

Crocodiles

DâM-FunK

Deakin

Deerhunter

Delorean

Designer Drugs

Devin The Dude

Devo

Dirty Projectors

DJ Bird Peterson

DJ Nick Nack

Dominique Young Unique

Dum Dum Girls

Eagle Claw

Floor (reunited, mem. of Torche)

Gwar

Hatred Surge

High On Fire

Indian Jewelry

Invincible

Jean Grae

Jeff The Brotherhood

Junius

Kaki King

Kylesa

Magic Kids

Man Man

Margot And The Nuclear So And So’s

Mariachi El Bronx

Mastodon

MGMT

Monotonix

Mother Falcon

Municipal Waste

OFF! (mem. of Burning Brides, Circle Jerks & Hot Snakes/Earthless)

Os Mutantes

P.O.S.

Peelander Z

Pharoahe Monch

Polvo

Power Trip

Ringworm

RJD2

Royal Forest

Slick Rick

Snapcase

Strike Anywhere

Suicidal Tendencies

The Appleseed Cast

The Briggs

The Bronx

The Casualties

The Dwarves

The Gories

The Hold Steady

The League Of Extraordinary Gz

The Vandals

Toro Y Moi

Valient Thorr

Wavves

Woven Bones

Yelle

This is HUGE everyone. The official announcement comes Wednesday at 3pm but we just can’t hold this smokin’ hot reconnaissance in. Is this the lineup for the 2010 Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo Park on November 6th and 7th? You heard it here first. Here we go in alphabetical order:

Animal Collective

BACON SHOE

Belle and Sebastions

Body Builders

Brother Ali

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth

Butcher Bear and Charlie

CHERYL

Cap’n Jazz

Caribou

Complete

Dirty Projectors

Dorito

Doughnuts

Eagle Claw

Earthless

Faith No More

Forgetters

Fourtet

Gang Gang Dance

Gary Numan

Grizzly Bear

Hagfish

High On Fire

Hot 8 Brass Band

Interpol

Jean-Eric

Kid Capri

Madlib

Matt Bearden

Mayer Hawthorne

P.O.S.

Pissed Jeans

Place to Bury Strangers

Poison the Well

Qui

Sebadoh

Slash Solo

Sleigh Bells

Slick Rick

Snapcase

Suicidal Tendencies

Surfer Blood

Tabacco

The Departed

The Hold Steady

The Obits

The Sword

Tia Carrera

Warpaint

Washed Out

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Yeasayer

Yelle

Youth of Today

It’s been a few years since D.A.N.C.E., the only real ‘hit’ I know of from the frenchy-dance wunderkind Justice, blazed it’s way from the seedy back-alley’s of Myspace to the seedy limelight of legit Billboard charts, marking the high point of the 00′thousands’ indie-electro obsession and the dawning of even skinnier jeans, more-undersized leather jackets, allover-er printed hoodies, and larger novelty basketball sneakers throughout America’s Urban Outfitters. Now, weather you were down with that whole thing or not, there is one point that the entire world united on, and that was that the music video for that song was really effin’ cool.

Animated T-Shirts! Whaaa? So, apparently the crew that brought us this gem back in 07′ , the now infamous French directors Jonas & Francois, has been pretty much up to the same groundbreaking shenanigans ever since. This new video, for a pretty descent, though simplistic dance track from Audiobullys, a Stereo MC’s-ish outfit from London, is in the same vein, but updated with an even more complex visual concept and a few solid technological steps into the future. It’s the next logical step- ANIMATED TENNIS SHOES!

audiobullys – only man from EL NINO on Vimeo.

First up- a hearty thanks to Gorilla Vs Bear for the above charming little found footage video from Stones Throw Records! It brought a smile to my face. The video features the music of electronic music pioneer and all around hugely influential dude Bruce Haack set to a bunch of awkward popping, locking and coke drinking 80s teens.  It is a great way to spend 5 min.

Also- IFC’s rock and roll cooking show  Dinner with the Band is winding down with another party machine: Andrew WK (and a grand piano.) Check out his performance of Ready To Die and check your local listings to catch the show in it’s entirety.

The three lads in Clubfeet make excellent poly-layered dance music from down under. Here, with the track the Edge of Extremes, the band crafts an odd seemingly nonsensical catchy song with grace and poise that lends itself to being played on repeat. That was a warning, you will listen to this song more than you intend to.   Not too much like the Teenagers and not too much like LCD Soundsystem: Clubfeet gets a hearty double thumbs up from PartyEnds.

MP3: Clubfeet- Edge of Extremes

You can grab some cool records from them and a whole slew of other Plant Music artists HERE.

(image of Salvador Dali and a rhinoceros taken from this amazing collection of rare photos of famous people)

Shangri-La has been cultivating quite the indie trivia night for some time now and I can’t stop hearing about it. It sounds pretty awesome from the group of nerdy regulars! What better way than to reward your shear amount of brain cells than by destroying them with booze?!  Look!  A website!

Every Monday night at 7pm sharp the Weird Trivia Quiz takes place! The tall boys are $2 and the pizza is FREE. Of course, it’s free to play and prize-filled lightening rounds are abundant, which results in random free beers and plenty of glory. (UPDATE: no more free pizza- BUT prizes each week from Tabu Toys and End of an Ear Records! )

So- that’s something to do on Mondays. Hitting up the SUPER popular East Side bar on an off night is the most pleasurable way to do so, because on a Friday or Saturday it is sweaty tattooed elbow to sweaty tattooed elbow in there.

What else is new? How have you been? How is the family?

Inspired by one of those fancy websites that actually posts relevant content everyday, I thought I’d take a quick moment to profile some potentially excellent music related products that are coming out this summer. In all honesty- I will probably just be listening to Will Smith’s Summertime on repeat for the next few months but let’s humor the music industry for a moment shall we?

July 6th:

Big Boi: Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty [Def Jam]- Big Boi has a guest verse on the pre-summer jam Janelle Monae’s Tightrope and with that it was made clear that the Outkast member who doesn’t dress like he’s a space caddy from the future is as awesome as ever. I skipped everything involved with that movie they made so this is the first I’ve heard out of the pitbull enthusiast since Kryptonite. The whole album is streaming on his mysapce page HERE. Is it sacrilegious to point out that the name for this highly anticipated release is completely silly? Like, F5NL Destination silly. Download a nothing but Big Boi Mixtape (with a slightly better title) Mixtape for Dummies HERE.

July 13th:

M.I.A.: / \ / \ / \ Y / \ [N.E.E.T./Interscope]: Does she still have it? We’ll see….

Panda Bear: “Tomboy” 7” [Paw Tracks]: This will make a ridiculous amount of money.

Paul Wall: Heart of a Champion [SwishaHouse]: Yes! Finally, I’ve been dying to know how Paul has been doing with his paper stacks, his grill making and his extreme gastric bypass weight loss. No joke.

July 20th:

Bill Callahan: Letters to Emma Bowlcut [Drag City]: I have no idea what to expect from this book, but my fascination with Bill Callahan has me liking it before cracking the cover (which has a three legged dog on it.) Kudos to Drag City for putting out oddball products now and then and not just records.

The Coathangers: ”143 (Dan Deacon remix)” b/w “Artritis Sux (Judi Chicago Remix)” [Suicide Squeeze] I like the Caothangers. I like Dan Deacon. This has my interest peaked.

August 3rd:

Arcade Fire: The Suburbs [Merge]: This will make a billion dollars.

Bun B: Trill O.G. [Rap-A-Lot]: This will make a trillion dollars.

August 17th:

Chromeo: Business Casual [Atlantic]: New awesome synthesizer, vocoder and drum machine music from the guys from the Bushmill’s billboards. Catch them in Austin at Stubb’s August 24th.

August 24th:

!!!: Strange Weather, Isn’t It? [Warp]: Oh yeah, I remember this band. I really liked them. Glad to hear they are still at it.

Brian Wilson: Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin [Walt Disney]: Wait, really? I love the Beach Boys probably a little more than the next guy but this doesn’t excite me at all. I had the pleasure of seeing Brain Wilson in 2004 right before SMiLE got a proper release and he seemed pretty fried. Instead of letting this guy “Reimagine” Gershwin songs- make Okkervil River be his backing band and put out a new record of never released Beach Boys tracks.

The Sword: Warp Riders [Kemado]: Warning: this will be played in all of the East Austin bars nonstop.

August 31st:

Miles Davis: Bitches Brew: 40th Anniversary Collector’s Edition [Rounder]: The best part about this anniversary celebration is that there will be a special Dogfish Head commemorative beer that will feature three threads of imperial stout and one thread honey beer with gesho root. I can’t imagine a more innovative and creative beer to go with a more innovative and creative album. According to Dogfish founder Sam Calagione:  Bitches Brew is “the ultimate partner for chili or spicy curry chicken” and best enjoyed “sipped cool, not cold, from a snifter or red wine glass while listening to the Bitches Brew album.” Can’t wait. Read more HERE.

There are a ton more sprinkled each week all summer long but these are just the ones that perk my ears up. Happy summertime.

(photo credit of Olivia Benson’s mom from Life Magazine)

It can be hard to keep up with the vast amounts of mashups on the internet, thanks to technology, more and more people can take part in shaping and reshaping pop culture, for better or worse. There are plenty of college thesises (thesi?) written about this with much bigger words than I’m capable of using.   With the surge, it’s good to remember the great uncles of the whole movement. San Francisco DJ pair A Plus D has been around since 2003 hosting the huge (and now international) party Bootie.

Now you can have the party right in your cubicle or on your living room rug with the free download of the continuous mix CD featuring A Plus D, Party Ben, The Kleptones, DJ Schmolli and hell… even the cast of Glee.  Some of the songs are a tad TOO dance clubby for my taste, (read: a little TOO mainstream) but there are some moments of true wit and skill that make this near solid collection worthy of your summer time.

Check it out and begin enjoying it all HERE.

Here is a fun lil appetizer:

MP3: DJ Schmolli- Bulletproof Radar (La Roux vs. Britney Spears)

As always, thanks for visiting PartyEnds.com. We appreciate it more than you  will ever know. You are the wind beneath our wings.  Have a good weekend.

(Image Credit : Alex Varanese)

I count myself among the fans of HBO’s True Blood. I mean come on! I love the South, over the top characters, and modernizing folk lore as much as the next guy, I can even overlook the second season’s overabundance of really annoying, obviously wrong choices made by main characters and Bill barking ‘SOOKI’ waaay too many times. But I don’t really number among the super-fans, which apparently include prolific rap legend Snoop Dogg.

Connected with the new season, which is finally here, is the D-oh-double-G’s latest single, a tribute to the often annoying heroine of the series that keeps things as dirty and hilarious as any other classic from Mr. Dogg. Everything is in here, from alluding to menage a trois with Tara, to a bevvy of badly costumed Sooki backup dancers, to a ‘True Nuts‘ prop held by a rap-video girl in a ‘Fangbanger’ t-shirt. If you’re not a fan of the show, you probably will think this is funny / awesome for the first minute or two, but the constant show references, topical word play, and obvious fandom keeps me entertained pretty much every time I watch it, which is now numbering in the double digits.

The New Movement Theater stays busy. Offering a ton of free and cheap shows throughout the week, the intimate room exudes laughter from each and every seat. Friday night’s first Overkill Show placed an emphasis on social media and embraced the phenomena in such a way that audience members were encouraged to interact on the digital plane with hashtags, upload videos to Ustream etc. It was very Web 3.0.  Openers and New Movement founders Chris and Tami used the audience’s most recent “check in” thingies from Gowalla and/or FourSquare as prompts for their collected and organic scenes which each developed in a way that only a pair who know each other that well could have pulled off. The two share more than eye contact and the improv building blocks that can be taught in books; being real life boyfriend and girlfriend Chris and Tami have a connection on stage that translates to incredibly “on” comedy that seems effortless. I’ve seen the two perform under the Terp 2 It nerdcore moniker several times, I’ve seen them work in ensembles, I’ve listened to the podcasts- but this was my first time to see the two do imporv by themselves and very much look forward to doing so again.  Keep up with all the shows at the East Austin comedy hotbed HERE.

Next up was a new Austin troupe called Spirit Desire who performed a hybrid of sketch and improv. The group was fast paced and had plenty of punchy and absurd gags that made for a great set. Become an early adapter and “like” them on the facebooks HERE.

Next time the Overkill is going down check it out and be sure to get there early for a seat and if you’re lucky – some free pizza.

Chris and Tami originally hail from New Orleans so here goes an semi- awkward segue-way into some music….. Have you heard the single from New Orleans’ Caddywhompus? It is super good. Their record came out in May and I am just now getting into their whole weirdo/tribal/prog/punk thing.  If you like the track below grab the WHOLE record for free from Community Records HERE.

MP3: Caddywhompus- Let The Water Hit The Floor

BUSY busy weekend going down in Austin as we approach the end of June.

Tonight at the Ghost Room, the Midget Men are taking a break from recording to pop up and open a show for San Saba County who are in turn opening for King Fisher. The working title for the fourth Midget Men record is allegedly Van Gogh Cut Off An Ear After Listening To Passion Pit. Awesome.

Saturday night at the Ghost Room, Austin popsters Hollywood Gossip are celebrating the release of their first full-length titled Dear as Diamonds. See and hear LIVE in person the self-aware and dripping in candy paint songs as the band takes the stage after Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves and 100 Flowers.

Saturday night over at Club DeVille there is  yet another great show! Starting out with Laserz, then Wine and Revolution and finally- before the noise ordinance kicks in- La Snacks! Austin’s favorite band that is as hyper-literary as they are hyper-drunk will be showing off songs that they will be recording as they go into the studio to commit their next album to tape for. After their set ends, the crowd will be drenched in lonestar and sweat from frontman Robert Segovia and then immediately begin grooving to the hip hop disc jockey styling of Hip Hop Hooray’s Miss Manners. She will provide the tunes to keep you there until last call. Check out the facebook thingy HERE.

Down the street at Beauty Bar,  DJ Car Stereo (Wars) will be back in Austin forcing beats, hooks and irony down the dancefloor’s throat after openers Betaplayer do their nu-hip-hop thing.

Decisions decisions. I might just stay in and try to finish West Wing season 3.

MP3: Hollywood Gossip- Narcissus in the Window

(image credit)

Wait- no need to put that LSD in your coffee this morning. Just watch the highly addictive new video from Candi and the Strangers for their song Tetsu. At first it seems too simplistic and low budget to get into, but then a perfect physcadellic storm hits of strobe lights, vibraphones, blacklights, trippy film projections, shoegazy vocals and omnichords. I can’t stop watching it. It is burrowing into my head like an bollweevil on acid.

Candi&TheStrangers “Tetsu” from Mac&Cheez on Vimeo.

I’ve been racking my brain to identify the hook at the end of the track but it finally clicked. I know it from an old KVRX Local Live compilation (vol. 9 : College Ruled)! The song it’s referencing is Tokyo Drifters from the band God Drives a Galaxy, which apparently had members who are now in CatS (note: what a fun acronym!)  The full length CatS album is out now on iTunes and at a fine independent record store near you.

The video is directed by Stephen Fishman who also does projections and visuals for the band when they play around town. Be on the lookout!

Recently I was flipping through the late night channels, trying to find something to watch during the commercial breaks on Star Trek TGN on Syfy, like you do, when I stumbled into the middle of this great live performance on the Mo’Nique Show of the new single / heavyweight-contender-for-hottest-Summer-jam, Tightrope, by Janelle Monae. In full theatrical force, and simultaneously weaving all of her most obvious influences, from Michael Jackson to James Brown, into a serene, building crescendo that eventually reaches far beyond the single’s radio demeanor, any doubts that Mr.s Monae is riding a one hit pony are laid to rest. What you see in this video is the makings of a career that is going to reach far beyond the trappings of an indie-friendly, cross-genre radio tune. The transition from the single’s strait forward progression is seamless about mid-way into the video, and things only get better from there, so enjoy.

I don’t know how most people feel about the new Beck produced Charlotte Gainsbourg record IRM-  I’ve personally been on the fence about the whole thing since I actually got my hands on it, being mostly disappointing with her run in with Air on 5:55, but I’ll admit, I was expecting a lot from the new pairing. What we seem to have is a new-school Beck record with a so-so female vocalist- you can now officially hate me, but yes, I don’t think she’s a particularly good singer. I’m all for this new direction for Beck, as I believe I’ve pointed out before, so I think I’m ready for him to step it up a notch with something that’s as intriguing in practice as it is in theory. This new(ish) video for one of the Beck-y-est tracks on the album, Time of the Assassin, plays out similarly to the record itself: it’s not bad, and if you stay with it the pay off is aaaaaalmost there, but in the end your still just watching / listening to it because you like Mrs. Gainsbourg (and this goes for you ladies too, we are all inexplicably drawn to her).

You’ll spend most of the time watching Charlotte doing her Unhappy Hipster thing, morosely driving her fancy, probably bio-diesel car into the pretty countryside to sulk around in some forests and hills in designer clothes and pet horses- we know, that’s tough- before things finally get weird… well, a little weird. If you aren’t happy with the strange dream-tilt-walking here, I would suggest you please go watch the trailer for Inception (because it is suh. weet.).