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Kim Powers <kpowers11@gmail.com>
Pop! Goes the Culture - 2/13 & 2/20 DELAYED DOUBLE ISSUE!!!
Kim Powers <kpowers11@gmail.com>Tue, Mar 3, 2009 at 1:43 AM
To: Kim Powers <kpowers11@gmail.com>Under Cover Bears:(I've been hiding out in a warm, mushy bowl of oatmeal)Hi! Welcome to the beginning of March, and welcome to the return of Pop! Goes the Culture. I know, I know, I should have probably startedoff this paragraph with a bigger bang than Hi! but trust me, I've re-written this opening paragraph countless times over the past two or soweeks. However, the one question that has always remained is:Where on earth have YOU guys been? I mean, I've been sitting here poppin' pretty and...and...okay, so I really haven't been poppin' in abit. 23 days to be exact? (thanks Paul for the guilty reminder).Unfortunately, while I would love for Pop! to be my non-stop party people poppin' priority 24/7, there's this little thing called real life, and itmust take precedent before online videos of kittens looking adorable (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtX8nswnUKU
 
). Combine that witha trip to Vegas and family in town, more real life shenanigans, and you've got a whole lot of excuses and very little Pop!Even though I usually write these things in a night, and most of you probably think these things magically appear in your inbox with asprinkle of fairy dust, there's actually a lot of prep work (reading, watching, etc.) that goes into preparing these things, and well, it's prettyeasy to get burnt out.Besides Google thanking me for not hogging their image search tool over the past two weeks, the one upside to all this has been the worryand concern of you, dear readers. Dave W., you win for the best e-mail (no, you didn't get dropped off the list, and I once again fail for note-mailing you back), Nick wins for most facebook posts, and just all the texts/facebook messages/being polite and not bugging me while Islack have made me realize that there's someone else besides my mom reading this thing (Shout out to JP what what!)This unintended hiatus has made me re-think the logistics of Pop!, and hopefully in the next month or two I will have some excitingannouncements of taking this thing to the next level (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G54lfxiid_w) *But my promise, to you all, is thatnext time I decided I'm going to take time off (unintended or not) I will be sure to let you all know, so you can like, read Perez Hilton or some shit for a week. For now, however, the game plan is as follows: back issues now (2/13 & 2/20) and last week's scheduled issue, 2/27,will be out today or tomorrow. And then, your regularly scheduled Pop!So here's the part where I would talk about my trip to Vegas. No $1,000 pulls this time around, but I have to give a +5 to Mr. Tim Ryan,who randomly happened to be in Vegas with his dad the same weekend I was in Vegas with my family. Also special shout out to my sister,
Gmail - Pop! Goes the Culture - 2/13 & 2/20 DELAYED DO...http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=02ec4e8a3f&view=pt&s...1 of 183/3/09 1:44 AM
 
Allison, and my brother-in-law, Nick, who loved hanging out in Vegas with me so much that they followed me back to Los Angeles. You'llsee bits of their trip in this (and the next) issue, but I think my sister's first trip out to LA was a good one. Except she said there are toomany "freaks" here, which should tell you 1) how different my sister is from me and 2) probably why I fit in so well here.But enough with the rambling and the whambaling (I would think whambaling is quite similar to this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpu2W9QHAK8). I know what you all really came here for...my goods. My sweet, popping goods.Let's get started, shall we?*When I hear the phrase "taking things to the next level", this is what immediately comes to mind. Interpret that as you wish.
Music:2/13 Mixtape Link:http://www.mediafire.com/?ygnqlwni41u2/20 Mixtape Link:http://www.mediafire.com/?tv3jm3midox
(Google image search: decompose st. helen's guitar palm)1) Decomposurehttp://www.myspace.com/erusopmocedI love discovering half downloaded or forgotten files on my computer, and while searching through my download folder, I found a half completed mixtape from December. Completing the download, I was rewarded with some sweet tunes from Canadian Caleb Mueller,
Gmail - Pop! Goes the Culture - 2/13 & 2/20 DELAYED DO...http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=02ec4e8a3f&view=pt&s...2 of 183/3/09 1:44 AM
 
otherwise known as Decomposure.Decomposure is actually a pretty fitting artist for this long delayed-issue, as said mixtape, Humidity Patient Guide, was first started back in2007. The album is 50 minutes of many different landscapes, yet it all flows incredibly well. Of course, there are parts that feel a bit moreexperimental (in the middle) and there are some (minimal) bumps, but the stream of consciousness approach to an album is a refreshingand exciting one. Instead of tracks there are just excerpts, so I understand just taking these snippets and placing them on a mix probablydefeat the purpose of having one long track.While I would be bummed to have to wait another two years or so for a new Decomposure mix/album, I would certainly wait if it wasanywhere as engaging as this mixtape is.2) Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Bandhttp://www.myspace.com/mtsthelensvietnambandMmm...I've really been digging this Seattle band lately. First of all, I am in love with their drummer, probably from this video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoEXcIgx46o. Second of all, this is a band that embraces what they probably listened to when theywere 13 or 14 - punk/pop punk. Maybe it's just Benjamin Verdoes' vocals, but there's a swelling yelp about the way he sings that evokesGet Up Kids, or even Rufio. Okay, so maybe not Rufio, but I could imagine this band having a Rufio chant before each gig(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um8mMa5w41A).3) Cymbals Eat Guitarshttp://www.myspace.com/cymbalseatguitars+5 right off the bat for this band for seamless use of the vibraphone in their songs. I'd probably deduct a point or two for the band nameCymbals Eat Guitars, but the more I see it typed up on the screen the less it bothers me.Myspace tells me these guys are from Staten Island, although I think they may have a Delorean up their sleeve, because their soundreminds me a lot of early '00 indie. With a dash of class, because, ya know, they rock the vibraphone. I'd imagine these guys to be pretty jumpy and active on stage, and I have a feeling their songs, bubbling but not quite bursting on record, would explode with an audience andsome lights.4) Hearts of Palm UKhttp://www.myspace.com/heartsofpalmukRCRD LBL is slowly becoming my new favorite, well, record label. They posted tracks from all-girl band Hearts of Palm UK, who are justaround the corner, residing in Echo Park. An initial layer of electronic, but I think this band is more pop than anything.The more I listened to their songs, the more visions of Zelda and Link came to mind. (yeah, I'm pretty sure I posted this before, but oh well.It's too good not to:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPxY8lpYAUM). There's something very "end of a video game when the princess iscaptured" about their synth lines. And to that I say "yes, please".2/13 Track Listing:1. A.C. Newman - Take On Me (from Starbucks "Sweetheart" comp CD)2. Bibio - Mr. & Mrs. Compost3. Casiotone For The Painfully Alone - Old Panda Days4. Decomposure - Excerpt 15. Decomposure - Excerpt 46. DeVotchKa - Til The End of Time7. Ferris Wheel - Lay Down (thank You Ain't No Picasso for this awesome track)8. Fiona Apple - Love Ridden9. The Long Lost - Amiss10. Mimi & Richard Farina - Reno Nevada11. The Miserable Rich - Early Mourning12. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Who's Asking13. Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band - Dull Reason14. Spacehog - In the Meantime15. tUnE-YaRdS - Sunlight16. UNit 4 + 2 - Concrete & Clay
Gmail - Pop! Goes the Culture - 2/13 & 2/20 DELAYED DO...http://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&ik=02ec4e8a3f&view=pt&s...3 of 183/3/09 1:44 AM
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