popcorn youth

I wish I were going to the CMJ music marathon from Oct. 31 — Nov. 4. There are panel discussions, showcases of bands, and mini-film festivals. It is, however, only 4 hours away at the Lincoln Center, NYC, so if all you music nerds out there feel so inclined, here are my best picks for […]

Courtesy of P-Dork, it has been brought to my attention that SY will be releasing a rarities comp titled The Detroyed Room: B-side and Rarities. It’s out on Geffen Dec. 12, just in time for the gift-giving season (cough, cough).
01 Fire Engine Dream [2003, previously unreleased Sonic Nurse outtake]
02 Fauxhemians [2001, from the Noho Furniture […]

I’ve checked all my facts and I’ve got all the proof I need.
I keep forgetting why I’m here, I keep feeling I shouldn’t be.
The looks I keep getting, the talk in my ear keeps reminding me.
It reminds me how our friendship died, how my presence here is a thorn in your side.
I keep forgetting why […]

Fall has established itself quite firmly here in Ithaca. Blustery, relentless winds; burnt yellow and ochre leaves; thick scarves and socks required. A record I always return to when October rolls around is Six Organs of Admittance LP School of the Flower. Perfect balance of folk — New Weird America, to be precise — and […]

Adrian: I felt I got pretty good at working with painting and abstractions and colors but not forms and representational things like drawing. I even had some art shows and sold a bunch of paintings but people kept criticizing me like, “You should learn how to draw, your paintings will better.” But even though I […]

EDIT: Girl Talk show is Friday night, not Saturday. Ergo, no conflict with show at No Radio on Saturday. Ignore what you read in the papers people!!

SECOND EDIT: I would like to sincerely apologize to the three owners of No Radio Records. A retraction must be made: The record label, No Radio, is a joint […]

For some reason, this week seems especially exciting, and not because Halloween is a mere week away. For starters, “A Private Eye: Dada, Surrealism, and More from the Brandt Collection ” at the Johnson Museum just opened this past Saturday. Our art critic Arthur Whitman will review the show in this week’s […]

In the middle of the stage where I stand as the bass player of Sonic Youth, the music comes at me from all directions. The most heightened state of being female is watching people watch you … Loud dissonance and blurred melody create their own ambiguity — are we really that violent? — a context […]

Inspired by a lovely sequence of events, I was prompted late last night to return to Max Richter, whose work “The Blue Notebooks” was first exposed to me in August of 2004. Ethan Rose takes a similar, albeit slightly less chilly approach, with his solo work, which I know I’ve discussed at great length before, […]

I can’t decide if this makes me feel better about the impossibility of physical perfection, or if it makes me feel worse because it is exactly this kind of mechanical and artificial process that creates the kind of icons and beauty standards that we worship. It’s the sort of transformative process that’s hypnotic to watch […]

loudQUIETloud: A Film About the Pixies, is playing at Cornell Cinema. Pretty good timing, considering I recently finished reading this book on their 1989 record Doolittle. I’m going to be honest, I’ve never listened to huge amounts of Pixies before, but the book was still a good read, and who doesn’t own Doolittle, anyway?
You […]

Okay, I know the Small Sails show was almost a week ago, but better late than never, right? The show raised some extremely interesting questions on the nature of performance as a band and certain factors that completely alter the experience of the viewer/audience in terms of traditional band setup. Small Sails, as I’ve said […]

I wish I were at the Shanghai Biennale.
Here’s the first in an ongoing series of posts where I talk about something going on that I wish I could attend, but sadly won’t be. Especially events that are in, you know, China. Please look at this and fantasize about going. I’ve had the pleasure of travelling […]

Hopefully you’ve already read and spotted the ridiculous number of times the blog was mentioned in this week’s paper. Today marks the official unveiling of Popcorn Youth, and I’m all atwitter with excitement! Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect from the IT A&E section this week.
Here is this week’s Encore. Just […]

Here’s a slideshow of the series of gorgeous photos Amelia took of the Collegetown installation “Half a Dozen of the Other,” by artist Patrick Dougherty. The Times review, written by our art critic Arthur, can be read here.