Pop! Goes the Culture - 6.5 and 6.12! Yay!!!

Kim Powers <kpowers11@gmail.com>

Pop! Goes the Culture - 6/5 AND 6/12! Yay!!!

Kim Powers <kpowers11@gmail.com>Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 1:36 AM

To: Kim Powers <kpowers11@gmail.com>Confused 8-Balls:(because 8 Balls need breaks too)Hi thereeeee and welcome back to another DOUBLE issue of Pop! Goes the Culture because two issues in one means less e-mailsfor you to read! Less work all around! Actually, I've heard from some readers that they enjoy double issues, so hey, gotta make thosepeople happy.And the reason for doublin' up? A quick jaunt to NY for some familial festivities. Speaking of family, make sure you stop by thetelevision section this week for some words of wisdom from the Powers gang. It's always nice to head back east (if you didn't see methis time, don't worry, I'll be back late July), even if it's only for a weekend. I don't know about anyone else, but when I'm in NY, mybody automatically shifts into "24/7" mode where two hours of sleep a night seems entirely functionable. Really, it's not a true tripunless you're hanging out and suddenly realize it's light out...because it's 8:00am and you've yet to go to sleep.But enough about NY, because friends were missed in LA. And by friends, I mean the newest occupants of our apartment. There'snothing I've been enjoying more lately than coming into the kitchen at 3:00am bleary eyed, turn on the light, and see little flecksscurry across the floor. No, not mice. No, not termites (see: former apartment). Nope, we've been joined by the most hipster of allinsects - Silverfish.When I first saw one or two silverfish moving about, I did the bad karma thing of killing them. However, after a couple of days, Ibegan to notice the same silverfish milling around. And so, I did what any rational adult would do - name them. Berta's the biggest of the bunch, and a bit darker in color than the others (this also makes me think she's a he), then we have Shrimp, a tiny fella who hastrouble shimmering in a straight line. Dot and Spot are the two who like to hang out near the bottom of the stove, and Sloth is thesilverfish in my bathroom who is always hiding under my rug. Really, I'd like to think of them as the Fraggles of Brentwood. Except,ya know, they don't sing, and I think they may be trying to eat my books.Thankfully, there's only one delusional arrested-in-development occupant of this apartment. My roommate, upon learning of theproblem, promptly went out and bought repellent. I think she's gonna have a hard time saying goodbye to Shrimp though.

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Before it's time for my nightly silverfish meetup, let's get started, shall we?

Music:Mixtape Links:

http://pop.pizzapartyweekend.com/2009/pop0605.ziphttp://pop.pizzapartyweekend.com/2009/pop0612.zip(There's a bit of color exploding going on right now)1) Explode Into Colorshttp://www.myspace.com/explodeintocolors

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Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but the Free Music Archive (http://freemusicarchive.org

) is an amazing place to find all sorts of interesting music (new and old). Directed by one of the best NY/NJ stations, WFMU, it's easy to get lost listening to good sounds onthis site.Explode Into Colors is one band I got lost listening to. A three piece from Portland, these guys mix verb with a great Eastern backbeat. They also have some sick guitar work (just listen to the opening riff in "Two for Jazz"). I imagine people doing a choreographeddance to their songs - not quick paced moves, but rather, a series of slow twists and turns.2) Prabir and The Substituteshttp://www.myspace.com/

prabirandthesubstitutesThese guys are a fun myspace find from Virginia. They have super catchy melodies, but I think my favorite aspect of the band is their lead singer, Prabir. Look, to me, instrumentation will always be my first and most important factor when evaluating a band. But anamazing band with a shitty vocalist? I probably wouldn't give them the time of day. So it's always refreshing when there's a band thathas some slight above average musical talent but are just elevated to another level by strong vocals.3) Fanfarlohttp://www.myspace.com/fanfarloFanfarlo is one of those bands that I heard and read about but never took the time to sit down and listen to their stuff. However, whenI saw they were offering their latest album, Reservoir for a mere $1, I knew it was now or never (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlIQYiSqGRg).Well, now I want it all (or nothing at all). Okay, O-Town references aside, this band has everything I like: layers, melodramtics, andorchestrations. Not as bombastic as the Parenthetical Girls, but they actually make use of having instruments like the violin andtrumpet in their band.4) Ganglianshttp://www.myspace.com/

ganglianThank you Michael for never steering me wrong. Ganglians the name makes me think of mythical creatures who, instead of living inthe woods or under the sea, live in the heart of gang land, where they try to help one young boy from the wrong side of the tracksmake it in this crazy, gang-filled world.Ganglians the music leans a bit more towars the woodsy location. Yes, they're another lo-fi ambient type, however, there's a greatblues undercurrent going on. I'd feel just as comfortable chasing after fairies in the woods listening to this than I would be kickingback shots of gin with the devil down south. Either way, the band makes me drip of dramatic descriptions. Which is always a goodthing.6/5 Track Listing:1. Belle & Sebastian - I'm Waking Up to Us2. Circulatory System - Overjoyed3. Explode Into Colors - Sharpen The Knife4. Explode Into Colors - Two For Jazz5. Family Portrait - Mega Secrets6. Fastball - The Way7. The Fresh & Onlys - Happy To Be Living8. Graham Coxon - In The Morning9. Ithaca College Campus Band - Super Mario Brothers Medley (I may or may not be playing xylophone in this song. And +10 if youcan pick out which one is the xylophone)10. Owl City - Hot Air Balloon11. Prabir and The Substitutes - Who's Gonna Love Ya12. Prabir and The Substitutes - The Kiss13. Slow Club - It Doesn't Have To Be Beautiful14. Spottiswoode & His Enemies - In The Pouring Rain15. Target Market - At the Point of Singularity16. Thelma Houston - Don't Leave Me This Way

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