Animal Collective to Dole Out Delicious Preserves to Underprivileged UK Children
By Nobodaddy on 08-23-2007
Look out, world! Even as we speak, everyone's favorite band of spaz-tastic, mammalian musical masterminds Animal Collective are draping their birdcages with blankets, dropping their puppies off at the kennel, and settin'-free all of those field mice that they were keeping in Converse All-Star shoe boxes, as they make their preparations to once again doggy paddle their way across the Atlantic this fall for a new round of UK and Ireland dates.
Unless you're just not indie-cool these days, you're already well aware that these dates will undoubtedly be in support of the AC's release of Strawberry Jam, which is due "the 10th of September 2007 worldwide," according to Domino Records, and of which you've obviously already eagerly pre-ordered the Double Vinyl... dude, haven't you???!
But knowing those kooky Collective boyz, "supporting a new record" on tour is, of course, a relative term, especially with Alpha-male Avey Tare recently voicing the group's dedication (in so much as committing to something as noncommittal as pursuing flights of fancy can semantically constitute "dedication") to constructing a new set's worth of material on a monthly basis. After all, there's nothing like polarizing an audience to keep your career fresh, is there?? So get ready, fans! YOU could be the lucky one to have your opinions DISMISSED by Panda Bear! He's so cute...
Delicious New Dates:
William Elliott Whitmore Has One Name Too Many, Tours Anyway
By Hatchet on 08-23-2007
One of my favorite movies is Pepe le Moko. Jean Gabin plays the title character, a suave and powerful criminal trapped in the Casbah of Algiers. The police are after him, as are his rivals, but Pepe is safe in the fortress of the winding streets and alleys of the Casbah. If he leaves, the police will surely pick him up, and Pepe wants to leave. A lovely woman from Paris takes his heart, and Pepe risks safety for love and freedom to catch her before she leaves Algiers.
Pepe le Moko came out in 1937. In 1938, it was remade for America as Algiers> It pales in comparison, but nonetheless gained a few Oscar nominations.
In 1942, a movie called Casablanca came out. Rick, a criminal in a different light, is stuck in his purgatory of Casablanca. In pain if he stays, unable to go because of his past, Rick is in limbo. You know the rest.
Ten years or more have gone by since the initial appearance of this Casbah criminal-lover character cropped up. Why have I gone through this? Well, Casablanca is a movie that's remembered, but it is important to know the history behind it. The influence on Casablanca, a great movie in its own right, is obvious, and it is indebted to Julien Duvivier's film.* It is worth noting, however, that it could have easily been another forgettable movie that the Hollywood system of the time churned out. Algiers comes to mind. So again, why have I gone through this?
Knowing history is important to artwork, for consumers and artists. A tradition is established and new forms are built and influences from years past are worked and reworked. Traditions are enriched by serious artists because they are at the very least known, if not appreciated. The danger comes when we forget our origins and believe that the present artwork is wholly original. Bogart's Rick didn't begin in 1942 but in 1937.
In that respect, it takes some ego to call yourself an artist today. To think that you have something new to say, and that it is important for everyone else to hear -- that's something, that's really something. I don't think William Elliott Whitmore, a folk-blues singer who is constantly touted as "unique," who has "the voice Tom Waits wished he had," has that kind of ego. I think he's an artist who knows his history, and I think his marketers and apologists are doing him a disservice by not knowing theirs and comparing him to Tom Waits and Iron & Wine -- the Casablancas, the Algiers, the followers. William Elliot Whitmore is a follower too, in a larger and deeper tradition, and he's singing about death and sin and the typical fare, but I hope, I hope he knows his history, whether he's saying something new, or in his case, building on the past by not.
# Tim Barry, Josh Small
* Cartoon character Pepe le Pew (Looney Toons) debuted around the same time, if not a couple years later. His origin, at least the name and Mel Blanc's voice-acting, comes from Algiers.
Why Does Saturday Look Good To Me? Because They Are Touring, That’s Why
By Scout Leader Kyle on 08-23-2007
Saturday is the official start of the weekend, and we always equate the weekend with good vibes 'cause we typically don't have to work our day jobs. But since nothing in this world is perfect, is it possible that Saturdays can bring up terrible memories and evoke a sense of dread? Of course. So, I've asked some of my fellow TMT writers to help me paint a portrait of the collective psyche regarding Saturday not looking good here at TMT. One person responded. ONE. Either everyone is apathetic, has really good Saturdays, or dislikes me. You decide. Hopefully it's 'cause everyone has really good Saturdays though! In either case, the following is only one actual account of a Saturday being horrible, wrote so kindly by our residential Automatic Mix Tapes Editor, Trillian:
My worst Saturday was during my senior year of high school. I'd focused all my energies that week on being prepared to compete at the forensics tournament Saturday morning (public speaking, not dead people) and was consequently somewhat worn out. I performed in an event called Impromptu Speaking, chosen because it required little from me besides being debonair, full of shit, and attractive in a suit. I was a god. Judges and competitors alternately feared, respected and lusted after me. I was tired but composed and immaculately arrayed that particular Saturday for the most difficult tournament of the year. As I moved to my first point during the last round, I remember thinking my first place medal was in the bag.Then my garter snapped. My stocking came slithering down to the top of my knee, just under the hemline of my provocatively tailored pencil skirt. I was so flustered I stopped mid-sentence (cardinal sin) and stared at the audience like a deer in the headlights (another big no-no). I blathered out a few disconnected thoughts, then made an attempt to move to my last point with knees firmly clenched together. No luck, the stocking fell to my ankle and I was barely able to hold myself upright for a half-assed conclusion and an awkward limp to my seat.
I lost the tournament, and was so shook up about it that later I shouted at my little cousin over something stupid until she cried at her birthday party."
If you feel Trillian's pain, go see Saturday Looks Good To Me on these dates, preferably on the Saturdays.
