Diggin
Music: I’m really loving two new records this week. First is No Age’s Nouns, the follow-up to their much-hyped EP compliation Weirdo Rippers. It’s streamlined noise-pop mastery at its best and manages to rattle through its songs fast enough that any sense of pretension or posing never materialises. The other is the amazing Music Hole by a capella chanteuse Camille which expands on the rough-hewn fun of Le Fil and creates a tangible world for her to exist in.
I managed to get hold of two great Jim O’Rourke soundscaping albums (Bad Timing and I’m Happy, I’m Singing, And a 1,2,3,4) and they are proving fantastic for working. As a general rule of thumb, krautrock and motorik electronica are efficient soundtracks for writing. I’m still obsessed with Bon Iver’s For Emma, Forever Ago which might be my favourite album of the year so far.
I got to see Sebadoh play Bubble & Scrape live as part of the Don’t Look Back series from ATP and that was some experience. The crowd didn’t quite get the concept fully, constantly requesting during the album portion of the show, but the band were affable and in good spirits so they took it well. For the record, it’s a much better album live.
Elsewhere, the new Scarlett Johannson record has a couple of nice moments but is mostly a slightly misguided folly. Death Cab for Cutie’s follows the trajectory of Plans in being good enough but not really closing in on the brilliance of Photo Album, We Have the Facts and We’re Voting Yes and their masterpiece, Transatlanticism.
Portishead are reassuringly brilliant and Wolf Parade are spiky but not fully satisfying. I haven’t absorbed My Morning Jacket’s Evil Urges yet but first listen reveals an album falling somewhere between the church-hall grandiosity of the first two and the slinky brilliance of Z.
Pop Life
We’re going back to all-encompassing pop culture and politics links posts now. The pop culture ones will be every day and the politics ones on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. As I’ve got a new gig writing film reviews for Screenjabber, I don’t need to devote the blog to film. Enjoy the change back, folks.
The AV Club pays tribute to Alien.
The Hold Steady’s new record has a release date.
Uwe Boll is suing Billy Zane.
Everyone seems a little middling on the new Boris record. Pitchfork also has an interview with the guys from earlier in the week.
Not so with the new Portishead, greeted with almost universal acclaim.
PopMatters has a piece exploring the work of John Cage.
Vanity Fair talks to James Frey.
Esquire interviews Tina Fey.
The Guardian goes on the road with Dolly.
Andrew Kuo charts his enjoyments of gigs by The Dodos, Dirty Projectors and Hot Chip.
Roseanne Cash discusses her songcraft.
Slate briefs on Spring Books.
Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan talk to The Independent.
The 2008 List of Time’s Most Influential People is out. Colbert loses to Rain again.
Finally, here’s the High School Musical 3 press conference. Those eyebrows…
Pop Culture Week
The Measure for Measure blog on the art of songwriting continues with Darrell Brown.
The Guardian interviews the premium baller currently playing and maybe, just maybe, the new Michael Jordan, LeBron James.
Acid-house survivors relay their tales.
Andrew Kuo creates a chart to explain his enjoyment of The Boredoms.
Here’s an interview with Gervais.
The Boss came out for Barack this week.
Bob Forster donates a loving tribute to his songwriting soulmate, the late Grant McLennan.
Pitchfork highlights a few new indie hip hop records that almost escaped its radar.
Robert Greenwald portrays the attack being made on Iran by, who else, Fox News.
Colbert serenades Mrs Obama.
Metal fandom with John Darnielle.
Also from PopMatters the post-masterpiece malaise which impaced The Jesus and Mary Chain.
Sasha Frere-Jones shows the love for Portishead’s Third.
I also want to point you folks to Pitchfork TV which really is darn tootin’ good.
Pop Culture Week
Andrew Bird continues his blogged journey into songcraft.
Julie Burchill discusses fifty years of a living Madonna Ciccone.
Kitty Empire digs the darker moods of Portishead.
The Times profiles I Am Kloot.
Christopher Hitchens again indicates his almost pathological inability to not be an inflammatory, literate tosser.
Ben Gibbard has contributed an essay to Paste.
Feist is to appear on Sesame Street.
Spinner interviews hardcore frontman, uncompromising author and kickass mofo Henry Rollins.
More New Yorker fiction from TC Boyle.
Esquire has a list of the five most humiliating cover songs.
Pitchfork loves the new Sun Kil Moon record.
Nightlinking
REM songs this week folks.
Pitchfork reviews the new REM. Doesn’t hate it.
The AV Club has a list of fictional drugs.
Viral marketing is hurting girls who are actually called Sarah Marshall.
Take a tour of Scranton’s office.
James Wood comments on the art of Richard Price’s prose.
The BBC interviewed Goodfellas-basis Henry Hill recently.
Entertainment Weekly list the twenty scariest movies ever.
Liz Phair is reissuing Exile In Guyville.
The Hold Steady are profiled on PopMatters.
Jezebel asks what the least mood-inducing books are?
The debate on Michael Haneke continues.
The Guardian comments on ‘Rickrolling’.
Nickelodeon is gearing up to challenge High School Musical.
Diablo Cody’s comedy pilot is moving closer to probable.
The final trailer for Grand Theft Auto IV is available.
The Killers will headline Reading and Leeds.
Portishead are planning another record after Third.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin play a session for Daytrotter.
Kiefer Sutherland is to direct the new Feeling video.
No Link Advice
Trey Parker and Matt Stone talks to The AV Club.
Interview magazine has a tribute collection to Heath Ledger.
Why do white people like Stuff White People Like?
Ewwww… Screech is back…
Here’s the video for ‘Machine Gun’ by Portishead.
Pitchfork has details on the new Roots record.
A Beatles version of Guitar Hero… please. When is the Whitesnake one coming??
Zeppelin tour dates?
Simon Cowell isn’t quite so mean it seems…
Michael Cera is teaming with Edgar Wright for the Scott Pilgrim movie. Yippee!!!
Five years on in Iraq… The Huffington Post has some stats to ponder.
Cheney is warning against Iranian armament.
Hillary Clinton: Experienced? Hmm…
Sasha Frere-Jones is attempting to launch a new musical genre.
TV Squad interviews Lewis Black.
Leatherheads is having a hometown premiere.
Big Linkin
McSweeney’s has a fake musical starring Roger Clemens.
PopMatters gives its opinion on the sanitised Dexter.
The Guardian has just a whole host of good bits today. An interview with Portishead, another with Larry Clark and an acid test for Skins as real-life teens give their verdict on its verisimilitude.
Kosovo has declared its independence from Serbia.
The New York Times has reviews of the best short film nominees at the Oscars.
Should Hillary be advocating caucuses in Michigan and Florida? Jonathan Cohn at The New Republic asks just that very question.
The rumours are flying as to who will be McCain’s running mate. Condi? Pawlenty?
The Boston Globe investigates the modern evolution of the music video.
Oscar predictions galore at the moment. Here’s what The Washington Post expect.
Hillary Clinton has challenged Barack Obama to a debate on policies ahead of the Wisconsin primary.
The Hudge takes in some songwriting action. She probably doesn’t even need those hacks. She could just freestyle.
The Independent takes on Marvin Gaye’s ‘Here, My Dear’, his post-break up apoplectic rant set to a sumptuous, claustrophobic soul soundtrack.
Spinner has a list of the best ever band logos.
Esquire has a truly furious recollection of working at The Baltimore Sun by Wire-creator David Simon. Also it explores the political theorums and philosophy of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Link Link Baby
Bright Eyes talks to The AV Club. He really should cover the Art Garfunkel tune.
PopMatters highlights some hip hop tuneage for your delectation.
Sasha Frere-Jones likes slow jams with his mocha-latte.
Paul Rudd + Jason Segel = me looking forward to a movie.
You may have heard that Led Zeppelin reunited last night. Here’s an okay video of ‘Stairway to Heaven’.
A few photos from the Portishead-curated ATP for you. John from Rate This Day will review soon.
Time has released a list of its top ten graphic novels for the year.
The Olsens are being lambasted by PETA... what do you think of their campaign?
Breaking news… Rhys Ifans and Sienna Miller occasionally shop at Tescos.
Ex-X-Factor presenter and editor of quality old-skool pop bible Smash Hits is pregnant, and QI‘s Alan Davies attacked a homeless man by chomping on his ear. Weird.
Also though, check out this really moving and beautifully judged online comic concerning New Orleans and Katrina.
And finally, check out this Pippi Longstocking t-shirt from Topshop! Ahh, childhood memories! While we’re at it, this bag is rather yummy and Prada-esque…
Electricity & Lust 
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