German electro-punks Atari Teenage Riot had something of a zeitgeist moment in the mid-90s by blurring hardcore punk, jungle, noise, and bloodcurdling screaming, turning all that stuff into a hyperspeed mush that basically forced you (well, me) to stop doing your homework and run around your bedroom screaming, "Deutschland! Has gotta! Dieeeee!" The one time I saw them live, they exited the stage to a wall of white noise so loud it made my stomach hurt. They were something to behold.

Atari Teenage Riot were signed to the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal label and toured with the likes of Beck, Rage Against the Machine, and the Wu-Tang Clan. The group has been effectively disbanded since founding member Carl Crack died of a drug overdose in 2001. But NME reports that the group will reunite, with founders Alec Empire and Hanin Elias joined by late-90s member Nic Endo and new recruit CX Kidtronik, who has worked with Saul Williams.

According to Alec Empire's website, Atari Teenage Riot have several tour dates lined up for Europe this summer. NME reports that on May 17, they'll release the new single "Reactivate" on their own Digital Hardcore label. It may very well have some screaming on it.

Kimberly Caldwell has found herself up against against some stiff competition over on The Hot Zone’s weekly Head To Head Music Challenge in the form of fellow American Idol alum Jason Castro. Who will win? It’s a somewhat tight race so far, with Kimberly trailing behind a tad. To ease the tension, the singer hit up The Ellen DeGeneres Show yesterday to belt out her current single “Mess Of You.” Head below to see the performance.

Following the taping of her Ellen performance, Caldwell posted this TwitPic photo with the caption “This is my band who killed it on @TheEllenShow”:

Kim’s been keeping her laundry list of chores filled in the lead-up to the April 6 release of her debut album Without Regret. In addition to lording over the creation of her own Justin TV channel (where she’ll be appearing live tomorrow at 11 a.m., and promises, “I’ll answer anything!”), the blonde AI Season 2 bombshell tweeted that today alone she’s planning stops at the Los Angeles Times office, MTV and VH1 while on the promo trail.

But here’s hoping some wily Kimberly Caldwell fan hops into that Justin TV chat tomorrow and asks just exactly what was being implied at the end of her “Mess Of You” video when she walks off with herself hand-in-hand, leaving her cheating boyfriend in the dust. We have a feeling she’s got a good tongue-in-cheek answer stored up for that one.

Roman Flügel, better known as one part of Alter Ego, has also been DJing and producing solo work for years under a number of aliases, but until now, he's never released an official mixed CD. The venerable Live At Robert Johnson series has tapped him for the fifth installment, and he brings an eclectic array of sounds to the table, featuring everything from the old-school jackin' of Armando to the quirky new sounds of Ratsnake, as well as two new exclusive tracks from Flügel himself. Check out the complete tracklisting after the jump!

read more

Speaking in Code, director Amy Grill's documentary about the global techno scene, follows some of the genre's bleeding-edge names, like Modeselektor, Monolake, the Wighnomy Brothers, and Pitchfork contributor Philip Sherburne. It features appearances by Ellen Allien, Akufen, Wolfgang Voigt, Reinhard Voigt, Michael Mayer, Apparat, Miss Kittin, and more. Co-producer David Day, a former Pitchfork contributor and Grill's husband at the time, also features in the movie.

Tomorrow, the movie comes out on DVD, and you can order it right now from the Speaking in Code website. The DVD includes extras like uncut footage of Modeselektor's performance at the 2007 Sonar festival, as well as a tour of the Kompakt Records store and office given by Michael Mayer, which you can watch below or over at Pitchfork.tv Below, you can also watch the film's trailer.

And head on over to Forkcast to download a podcast mix that DJ Baltimoroder put together for the film.

Speaking in Code trailer:

Kompakt tour:

In its initial form, Here We Go Magic was the 4-track project of Luke Temple. Since then, he’s surrounded himself with a few friends — Kristina Lieberson, Michael Bloch, Jennifer Turner, and Peter Hale — who you’ll eventually hear playing together on the band’s second album Pigeons (out 6/8 on Secretly Canadian). For now, get [...]

While you’re waiting for Eric Wareheim to take Dr. Steve Brule’s catch phrase to the realest level with his his next video directorial assignment for your HEALTH, there’s this new remix to keep you busy. Because all you do is track down Tim & Eric news and wait for HEALTH jams. The band’s called this [...]

After a 10-year hiatus, Alec Empire & Co. are getting together for a one-off show at London’s Electric Ballroom on 5/12. The anti-Fascist “anarchist” techno-heads recorded a new single “Activate” for the occasion. It’ll be out 5/17 on their Digital Hardcore label, but there’s currently a free remix at NME.

VH1’s Unplugged series is back, and last night’s episode featured none other than Australia’s latest obsession Adam Lambert. Recently Best Week Ever noted that Adam “planted his sparkle-seed in our earholes from the moment he opened his 24K-gold lips” when the episode was taped a few weeks back. And with such a highly naughty endorsement, how could we not tune in? Head below the jump see if you agree!

Here’s Glambert singing about disco rodeos, hoes and gigolos in a stripped-down performance of his For Your Entertainment bonus track “Down The Rabbit Hole.” Dig the bongos!

He also performed “Whataya Want From Me,” “Mad World,” Music Again” and “Broken Open”—though the VH1 Unplugged site doesn’t seem to be fully up and running yet with the videos.

In this short interview clip, Adam says of his organic Unplugged experience, “It actually allows you to kind of play with the melody and the rhythm even more, because you feel it more. It’s live. There’s actual human touch going on. There’s something really beautiful about that.”

Adam kicked it out pretty fantastically here, but to be honest, our favorite unplugged performance by the American Idol Season 8 superstar is still his gig at L.A.’s Belvedere middle school, where he rocked out “Whataya Want From Me” with the lucky music students.

Adam Lambert for Teacher Of The Year, anyone?

[Videos via MTV Buzzworthy Blog]

Pure Ecstasy are from Austin, TX, so maybe the trip to SXSW won’t be as exciting for them as it will be for anyone hoping to catch them live. Their tracks on their MySpace are promising, but “Voices” is the best of the bunch. Here singer Nate Grace offers soft pleas over watery guitar chords. [...]

It's that time again, upward mobility-seeking readers! The Pitchfork.tv office in scenic Greenpoint, Brooklyn is in need of interns to assist in production and administrative capacities. Our ideal candidates will be available 10-15 hours a week (minimum), based in the New York area, and willing to work for experience or school credit. To be more specific, here are the types of people we're looking for:

1: PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

Pitchfork.tv is seeking New York-based interns with experience in shooting and cinematography. The ideal candidate will be well-versed in various SD and HD cameras, with lighting, mic placement, and live shooting experience a plus. Duties include (but are not limited to): prepping gear for shoots, white balancing, syncing, coordinating mic/line inputs, and monitoring audio recordings, as well as some actual shooting. This position exists predominantly in the field and will largely occur on evenings and weekends. Because many of our shoots take place at music venues, candidates under 21 cannot be considered. To apply, please send your cover letter, resume, and samples of your work (links only, no attachments please!) to jobs@pitchfork.com with "Production Assistant Internship" in the subject header. Submission deadline is Wednesday, March 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

2: ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS

Pitchfork is seeking administrative assistants in our Brooklyn, New York office. The ideal candidate will have prior office experience and familiarity with business applications (you know, like Microsoft Office). A good presence on the phone and strong writing skills are mandatory. Tasks include, but are not limited to, coordinating schedules and assisting all departments with daily operations as needed. To apply, please submit a resume and cover letter to jobs@pitchfork.com, with "Administrative Assistant Internship" in the subject header. Submission deadline is Wednesday, March 31 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

On last night's "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon", epic Brooklyn rockers the National played the opening track from their forthcoming LP, High Violet, due May 10 in the UK and May 11 everywhere else via 4AD. "Terrible Love" has a crescendo and horns and chiming guitars passed down from the Edge. It's a song by the National. Check it out below.

And head to their website to see some shaky in-studio footage of the group recording the new album, as well as a picture that looks a lot like the High Violet album cover (above).

Ellen ran on stage and hugged Tim Urban. Simon told Kara her critique of Aaron Kelly was “utter rubbish.” And Michael “Big Mike” Lynche brought Kara to tears, leading Simon to console her with a big ol’ hug. What was going on with the judges Wednesday night? Or, perhaps more importantly, what exactly were the eight remaining guys doing to get the judges so emotional?

Lee Dewyze — “Fireflies” by Owl City
With his raspy Scott Stapp-esque vocals, Lee has secured his position as the corporate rock-ready crooner of the Season 9 Idol pack—so now he decides to do Owl City’s “Fireflies”? Kudos to him for switching things up a bit and taking the risk. But this song just doesn’t really work unless you’re a sensitive, pseudo-creepy basement dweller with floppy emo hair and a penchant for teardrops and GarageBand. Randy kind of agrees, saying that “for me it was strange song choice.” But then he adds, “You really kind of made it your own.”  Simon sums it all up best with this assessment: “Nothing to rave about after that.”

Alex Lambert — “Trouble” by Ray LaMontagne
Well, Alex’s mullet is looking real classy lately. It’s got quite a shiny glint to it under those lovely purple stage lights, too! Oh, right—the song. Well, he went off key a bit. The tune itself kind of set a boring tone for the night—a problem that’s occurred one too many times this season as is. But the ladies in the audience—and at home, too, apparently—seem to like him, and that’s all that matters in the end, right? Ellen says something about Alex becoming a mushy banana—a reference to her critique of him a couple weeks back where she said he needs to ripen up a bit. It’s Simon, however, who goes for the OTT judgment tonight, when he tells Alex to imagine Randy in a bikini and loosen up a bit.

Tim Urban — “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley
Tim has been beaten down so much this season. And when it’s announced he’ll be doing Jeff Buckley’s version of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” you just kind of want to hand him his pink slip before he even opens his mouth and give him an easy out. Surprisingly, though, he’s actually not bad. In fact, he sort of rocks it out properly. Granted, Tim’s take on “Hallelujah” isn’t on the Jason Castro level. But compared to his rendition of OneRepublic’s “Apologize” two weeks ago, the kid sounds like Pavarotti. The judges are duly floored, with Ellen pulling an American Idol first by running up onto the stage and hugging Tim. Simon tells him it’s his strongest performance of the competition so far.

Andrew Garcia — “Genie In A Bottle” by Christina Aguilera
Now, let’s not mince words, folks—Andrew’s just going for stunt covering at this point. He’s clearly trying to recapture the Paula Abdul “Straight Up” magic he had during Hollywood week. Thankfully, the judges call him out on it—as they should, because tackling Xtina proved to be just a mediocre, unsatisfying experience for all within earshot. Simon cuts right to the chase and points out that it “was a little bit desperate.” This could be the end of the road for our stay-at-home dad friend.

Casey James — “You’ll Think Of Me” by Keith Urban
Well, we really weren’t kidding about Wednesday night’s boring streak. Casey kept the snooze train rolling with his acoustic guitar sit-down rendition of Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think Of Me.” Yeah, wishful thinking with that title, Casey. Kara says she’s kind of back on the Casey train, but she wants to see a little bit more from him. Maybe he’ll take that to mean removing his jeans as well as his shirt to get back in her good graces next week?

Aaron Kelly — “I’m Already There” by Lonestar
Aaron has the distinction of being the first performer of the night without a guitar. Though his voice is shaky at first, the 16-year-old manages to get his mojo back toward the middle of the song. And he’ll probably be safe, because as Justin Bieber proved this week, there are plenty of rich cougars out there with credit cards and free minutes to burn through. The real fireworks begin, however, when Idol’s own cougar, Kara, notes that the tune—which details a man longing to return home to be with his family—wasn’t relevant to Aaron’s life. This causes Simon to shoot her down by saying “what Kara said was complete and utter rubbish… It’s just a nice song. Get over it.” Yeah, Kara! You didn’t see Andrew Garcia literally dressed in drag and trying to squeeze his stocky frame out of a glass bottle, now, did you?

Todrick Hall — “Somebody to Love” by Queen
Call us crazy, but Todrick didn’t really wow us with this. Mind you, he can sing. But the whole performance just seemed utterly bland. We were hoping for a stadium rock rendition, but it felt like we got the Glee cast version instead. But the judges seemed wowed, nonetheless, with Randy declaring, “Todrick is back!” At least Simon is on our side. “It was good in parts, he says. “Not the whole way through.”

Michael Lynche — “This Woman’s Work” by Maxwell
Big Mike chooses Maxwell’s cover of Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work”—clearly with his wife and their newborn baby in mind—and knocks it out of the park, falsetto bits and all. Of course, keep in mind that it doesn’t really take too much this season to knock it out of the park, unfortunately. Anyway, this all leads Kara to turn on the waterworks and acknowledge that she understands why he chose the song while also making it about herself by working in that she doesn’t have any children of her own. Randy says it was hot. Ellen announces, “Oh my god, that was beautiful,” and Simon is left hugging a teary-eyed Kara.

Best of the night: Michael Lynche. Ellen anointed him the “one to beat now.” (That said, we still kind of think it’s early to count out a couple of the girls.)

Worst of the night: Andrew Garcia, straight up.

Final thoughts: The girls played it safe Tuesday night, and the guys were pretty cautious, too. At this point, the Ellen DeGeneres curiosity factor has worn off, so Idol really needs something—and hopefully that’s a contestant—to finally start shaking things up.

Regardless, after tomorrow’s results show, we’ll know who Season 9’s official Top 12 contestants are. And we have a feeling it’s going to be curtains, at least, for Paige Miles and Andrew Garcia.

Reader Clifford McC. and his (female) partner both receive Bicycling magazine (which, he explains, is more of a free advertisement that they get whether they want to or not).  In any case, this month’s issue was the 2010 Buyer’s Guide and, though the issues each received were identical, the one addressed to his partner was stickered:

The sticker read, “BONUS! SPECIAL WOMEN’S SECTION.”

Perhaps they were trying to be inclusive, but a sticker advertising a special women’s section just goes to show that the magazine is, first-and-foremost, for men.

For the same phenomenon elsewhere, see our posts featuring websites selling dinosaur toys and Legos (see “exhibit three”), each with a special section for girls.

(View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)

db, Lindsey B., and ABC News asked us to talk about the recent scandal over Walmart pricing a darker-skinned version of the Ballerina Theresa doll less than its white counterpart.  The evidence (from FunnyJunk):

Walmart claimed that the doll was priced less because they were trying to move inventory (ABC News).  It’s possible that the doll wasn’t selling (low demand) or they had ordered more than they could sell (high supply) and so the doll went on sale.  In fact, we know that people of all colors tend to absorb a color hierarchy in which whiteness is nicer, more beautiful, and more valuable (test your unconscious preferences here), so maybe the white doll WAS outselling the non-white doll because both white and non-white people were buying it, but not the darker-skinned doll.  Walmart, in this case, would only be following the market so as to maximize profits.

Walmart, however, could have chosen, in this case, to opt out of profit maximization.  The market isn’t physics; a company doesn’t have to follow its laws.  Walmart could have said, “You know, putting the dark-skinned doll on sale symbolically values whiteness higher than blackness.  Perpetuating that stereotype isn’t worth the money.”  That is, they could have decided that anti-racism trumped profits.

But they didn’t.

It’s important to say that I know of no study showing that, as a rule, white dolls are priced higher or are less likely to go on sale than other dolls.  It may be true that, if we were paying attention, we’d see all kinds of disparate pricing and it wouldn’t pattern itself on race.  Even in this case, I still think that companies need to be cognizant of the context in which they price their products.  In fact, I will go so far as to say that I think it is perfectly fine to discount white dolls while other dolls are left undiscounted, but not vice versa.  Why?  Because we live in a world where discounting dark-skinned dolls resonates with a discourse the symbolically devalues dark-skinned human beings.  Discounting white dolls simply does not carry the same problematic message.

Costco faced this kind of problem when it’s black Lil’ Monkey doll was pulled from shelves.  It turned out that the Lil’ Monkey doll came in three different races, but the black doll carried connotations that the others did not because black people have been compared to primates for centuries in an effort to dehumanize them.  A black Lil’ Monkey is wholly inappropriate in a way that a white Lil’ Monkey is not.

Companies make and sell products in a context.  Following market demands is not opting out, it’s reproducing the status quo.

(View original at http://contexts.org/socimages)

"Pursuit of Happiness", Kid Cudi's spaced-out MGMT/Ratatat collaboration, already had a video. It involved both Drake and slow-motion champagne spillage, and it wasn't that good.

But an alternate video for the same song made its way onto the internet earlier this week, as New York magazine points out. And hey! This one is way better! Director Megaforce brings out some gravitational weirdness that could well make you nauseous, and Ratatat actually show up in this one. Watch it below:

Annie Clark doesn’t mention the album they tackled, but the St. Vincent mastermind did Tweet that she teamed up with Tropicalia stalwarts Os Mutantes and Liars for one of Beck’s Record Club collaborations and that it’ll be online “soonish” and was “serious fun.” (Guess: First Suicide record?)

The uber-cool Cologne dance label Kompakt has announced that they will be distributing the new label Tri Angle, run by Robin Carolan, a writer for the British music blog 20 Jazz Funk Greats. The label will devote itself to a genre of music so new that nobody quite knows what to call it yet. A story in The Guardian about the new label's launch suggests the name "drag", which will have to do for now.

Talking to The Guardian, Carolan described the sound thus: "It's like a witching-hour vision of Cocteau Twins dream pop, meshed with the soundtrack to a particularly angsty Gregg Araki film full of Gen X shoegazer atmospherics and industrial beats, brought bang up to the date by the influence of raw hip-hop mutations like chopped and screwed and juke."

The Guardian credits the hypnotic, remix-happy band Salem as being the genre's creators, but Salem aren't scheduled to release anything on Tri Angle. Instead, the label's roster includes so-new-it-hurts artists like oOoOO, Slava, Balam Acab, and Creep, who the Kompakt folks mysteriously call a "female supergroup". (Creep's MySpace lists DJs Lauren Flax and Lauren Dillard as members.)

Along with Group Tightener and the Market Hotel, Tri Angle is presenting a SXSW showcase next Wednesday at Cheer Up Charlie's (formerly Ms. Bea's). Label acts Creep and Slava will perform, as will more familiar names like Best Coast, These Are Powers, and Javelin.

Did You Hear?

:: Lily Allen will be the subject of a new reality show that will chronicle her latest endeavor, the opening of a designer clothes rental shop called Lucy in Disguise. Apparently she succumbed to “The Fear” of becoming unable to pay rent once she stops releasing new albums. [Spinner]

:: Leona Lewis takes a break from riding the coattails of Avatar and instead rides a horse. [Just Jared]

:: Ludacris filled in for Regis Philbin on Live with Regis & Kelly and found how how low Kelly Ripa could go. (Answer: pretty low.) [Rap-Up]

:: The-Dream plans to retire once his upcoming album Love King drops. We believe this as much as we believe Jay-Z’s last three retirement announcements. [The Boombox]

:: Madonna’s first-ever clothing line will include a tween collection inspired by her daughter, Lourdes. (Plans include a “Material Girl” apparel collection and the “Truth Or Dare” underwear line). Here’s hoping she spends more than 4 minutes on the design. [Blackbook]

After the jump: famous twin brother musicians celebrate their birthday.

Music on TV Today:
:: Late Show with David Letterman (CBS) – John Hiatt
:: Tonight Show with Jay Leno (NBC) – Colbie Callait
:: Last Call with Carson Daly (ABC) – David Gray
:: Late Show with Jimmy Fallon (NBC) – Broken Bells
:: Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson (CBS) – Ryan Bingham
:: The View (ABC) – Elton John

VIDEO REWIND OF THE DAY: It’s Joel and Benji Madden’s 31st birthday today, so let’s celebrate the twins’ big day with Good Charlotte’s music video for “Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous.” The single, released in 2002, was the band’s biggest hit here in the States, peaking at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100. (The rockers built a much bigger fan base in Down Under—their 2007 song “Dance Floor Anthem (I Don’t Want To Be In Love)” reached #2 on the Australian charts).

It’s ironic the brothers recorded a song with the title “Lifestyles Of The Rich & Famous” since both of them would end up dating two of the most prominent figures to grace the pages of modern day gossip rags. Joel is the proud poppa of two children with fiance Nicole Richie, while Benji is probably still trying to wash off the remnants of his nine-month relationship with Paris Hilton.

(Keep your eyes peeled for a cameo from N Sync’s Chris Kirkpatrick as a saucy witness named Chadwick Merryweather Hardy III.)

Have a great day!

Gefeierte Vereinigung

Wenn man ein paar Bands aus dem Indiesektor nennen müsste, die in der jüngsten Vergangenheit in aller Munde und Ohren waren, fallen einem sofort diese beiden ein: Vampire Weekend und Mumford & Sons. Schön, dass diese nun jene mal auf ihre Art und Weise gecovert haben. Mehr

Pop

Erste Ausschnitte aus ihrem "Tron"-Soundtrack veröffentlicht

Seit bekannt gegeben wurde, dass Daft Punk am Remake des Science-Fiction-Klassiker „Tron“ für den Soundtrack verpflichtet wurden, vergeht kaum eine Woche, in der im Netz nicht ein paar Snippets aus dem angeblichen Score die Runde machen. Im neuen Trailer zu „Tron: Legacy“, der in den USA Mitte Dezember ins Kino kommt, gibt es jetzt wirklich etwas Offizielles zu hören. Mehr