Party Ends

let the debate begin

Administrator — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:42:20 +0000

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)

don’t turn the lights on

Administrator — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 15:11:53 +0000

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.

gotta testify

Administrator — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:25:12 +0000

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!)

juno mail

Administrator — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 19:11:11 +0000

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.

we got somethin’

Administrator — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 14:53:07 +0000

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…

an idea, like a ghost…

Administrator — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 15:35:37 +0000

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.

REAL and EPIC fun fun fun fest lineup! (really this time )

Administrator — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 20:39:22 +0000

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

fun fun fun fest leak?!

Administrator — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:50:32 +0000

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

sneaks

Administrator — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:25:35 +0000

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.

party machines

Administrator — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 18:04:44 +0000

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.