The B-52’s 4th album, “Mesopotamia” has been generally seen as a bad departure for the pop/surf party band monolith. It was produced by David Byrne (y’no, Talking Heads), and naturally the talented egotist stamped his mark all over it. So much so that the sessions were abandoned and it was only released as an EP.
Behind the flashy camera coverage, slick goals and fireworks there is a much less savoury element to these large sporting events, with the case in point being South Africa, soon to play host to the 2010 World Cup. Officially, this is when the rainbow nation leaps onto the world stage, showcasing all the glory that democratic rule has brought. However, the reality does not live up to the rhetoric. All things considered for many South Africans, life has changed very little since 1994.
Tonight my little hipsterniks, I come in a less than jovial tone! I have a warning for you all! Last time I ignored a warning of this magnitude, a certain large town in northern Ukraine was somewhat destroyed by a certain nuclear facility. My good friend Denzil refused to hang out with me for a few weeks after that one so I shan’t make the same mistake.
Filmmaker and prolific musician (in the sense that he’s created more bands than actual songs for those respective bands) 8000 Bam Bam looks quite the character. In his press shot, he resembles some sort of hybrid (depending on how you define the term) between Terry Venables and your cliche modern hipster who can’t resist fiddling with their giblets over Animal Collective.
(via tastymusique)
I’m sure I wasn’t the only Lib Dem supporter to find myself shuddering on Wednesday at the sight of the Clegg-Cameron happy couple as they walked across the lawn together to meet the assembled press for the first time. They walked in step, called each other by first names, chuckled at each other’s jokes, and Clegg even laughed off reference to Cameron having referred to him as a ‘joke’ just a short time ago, back in the day when they were fierce rivals.
Many of us were disappointed by the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. And with good reason too; it showcased the fragmentation in the international community, the weight that recently emergent new world powers (China, India, Brazil) now carry, and moreover it was an unavoidably stonking let-down. Barack Obama couldn’t even shy away from this gloomy fact, declaring in ominous fashion “this progress is not enough”. However, a response to this ‘failure’, despite receiving relatively little coverage, provides some illuminating and radical solutions to the convoluted and preventative system in which climate-change related changes are expected to be made.
As the dust begins to settle on what certainly has been an interesting election, I can’t help but have a bitter sweet taste in my mouth. As a Liberal Democrat, it’s hard to really know what to think as insults are flying left, right and centre at Nick Clegg’s decision to join with David Cameron and the dreaded Conservatives, dun dun dar!
Fucking Lib Dems.
With all their masquerading as ‘progressive’ the liberal democrats have successfully managed to hoodwink a generation of gullible students. Waking up on the morn of our new ConDemNation you can’t help but feel a sense of vomit-inducing nausea as if all you drank last night was dirty pints.
If you’re like me and STILL don’t understand the recession, here’s something special from the desk of Katie Farmer.
For a year now, Atlas Sound’s ‘Walkabout’ has remained irresistible, and this little number is in a similar vein with it’s immediately gorgeous hook. Referring to themselves as 8000 bam bam and baby seal, it’s apparent they possess a very hipster aesthetic which might antagonise a few unforgiving gentlefellows. But to devise a song that includes such a bass heavy backing along with Animal Collective-esque vocals and still retain significant appeal and accessibility is quite the rare feat.
ahoy there summer!
We’ve all seen the soulless, pre-programmed way in which professional footballers - especially English ones - conduct themselves in front of the media (I’m looking at you Steven Gerrard//Frank Lampard). I mean, sure we’ve had some funny moments, but they’ve been outbursts that have been, regrettably, apologised for (I’m thinking of Rio Ferdinand’s goal celebration on becoming the face of the anti-violence-in-football campgain*).
There seem to be a lot of music journalists//bloggers throwing around descriptive phrases like ‘focussed’, ‘consistent’ and ‘refined’ to describe a wealth of new albums from various left-field acts this year. And before I start, may I clarify that I have nothing against an album being ‘consistent’; oh no. But I must warn you of this phrase dear reader. I must warn you, because these afore-mentioned phrases should not be taken at face-value; they are euphemisms. And euphemisms of the highest order at that.
Resident Fall obsessive Nigel Flange looks at the new record, and unsuprisingly finds it utterly mindblowing. Also includes the all important link to a legal full album stream!
Austin, Texas is abundant in contemporary garage/lo-fi (Strange Boys,Woven Bones to name but a few) and some of it when done right can antithetically remedy qualms concerning Brooklyn’s ‘next big thing’ and the effects of the internet age on new music. You get the sense that Harlem will continue to maintain this unassuming characteristic in their music even when the hype or the buzz or the…erm..moistness (?) surrounding new album ‘Hippies’ has died down, which ultimately is the foundation of their appeal.
A smiley face accompanied by ‘Free Drugs’ graced the cover of their first album, and a listen to lead single ‘Gay Human Bones’ chorus ascertains an evidently insincere sensibility: ‘My basketball team/they was Gay Human Bones’ - yet this is an attractive sensibility nonetheless, as although ‘Hippies’ may be accused of a misjudged embellishment of this premise i.e. overdoing it on the song count, the L.P. boasts enough tunes to compensate for this slight grievance.
Harlem are pretty much outsiders revelling in unpretentious garage-pop disorder, yet somehow I doubt they care much for my opinion.
Harlem – Hippies (spotify link to 2010 album ‘Hippies)
BAD ART
This is a fledgling blog pretending to be a website pretending to be something important. We'll mix politics/music/art/etc with posts from individuals.
Looking for something? Here are links to our individual sections..
Articles:
BAD MUSIC
In which we talk about sweet airs of the night.
BAD BANDS
In which we reveal potential new ariels to Prospero's isle.
BAD VCR
In which we reveal the finest moving pictures online for your good eyeballs.
BAD CINEMA
In which we mull over recent or ancient film reels.
BAD ART
In which we look at things, instead of listening.
I'M IN A BAD STATE
In which we complain about whoever is playing the Prospero in the world of politics.
BAD BOOKS In which we leaf through the tomes of the wise old magician and reflect on their merit. Or spit on their merit.
MILLIE'S ANARCHIC SOUP CORNER
In which we illustrate how fantastically political ideas blend with vegetables and stock.
BAD & MISCELLANEOUS
In which we gather articles of no relation in bin bag and dump it in an area of natural beauty.
Individual Contributors:
65ALEX
A fine young gentleman with an interest in poetry and science, he hails from the isle of wight
GEORGE MOSHINGTON An angry young man with an eye for politics and also hailing from a small incestuous island about 250 miles away
PARKIN OF PERU A man from brighton with music on his mind. He is of much travel and adventure.
