Tiny Mix Tapes

Musical Analysis: Dirty Projectors' "Jolly Jolly Jolly Ego"

Benjamin Bernstein — 2009-11-09T14:46:10Z

[November 2009] When a new compositional technology becomes available, a seemingly endless amount of ideas arise on how best to employ it. But it was the advent of electronic recording capabilities that revolutionized the way almost every modern musician operates, not just by shifting the primary document from the score to the recording, but also in creating new ways to edit, manipulate, and ultimately compose sound without any “real instrument” in hand. Sound becomes data. (...) - ARTICLES

Treasure Island 2009

Chris Lindsey, Elzee — 2009-11-03T13:50:56Z

[October 17-18, 2009] Chris Lindsey: On my way to the Treasure Island Music Festival, my friend texted me: “I feel like I'm in an American Apparel ad.” Of course, it is no longer a surprise, this ghoulish bunch of copycats, poseurs, and hangers-on. I wonder why I feel the need to open every article I write with these indictments? So, let's dispense with the hazy and bitter memories and focus on the reality of this moment: The Treasure Island Music Festival is an (...) - ARTICLES

Pop Montreal 2009

Mangoon — 2009-10-29T06:52:13Z

[September 30 - October 4, 2009] For eight years now, music fans and industry heads alike have been drawn to Montreal for its annual Pop Montreal fest. The event is something like Canada's version of CMJ, and one week a year the "Paris of the North" offers up its mixture of old-world sensibilities and modern metropolitan appeal to even the most haggard of hipsters. More than just a music festival, Pop Montreal has evolved into a full on multimedia event with bands, movies, (...) - ARTICLES

Riot Fest 2009: Butthole Surfers, The Dead Milkmen, Screeching Weasel

Joe Hemmerling — 2009-10-21T13:34:39Z

[10-07-2009] [PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4] Commemorating the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention for the fifth year in a row, Riot Fest 2009 leaned heavily on Chicago heritage acts (or “nostalgia” for those less charitably minded). The four-day, multi-venue punk extravaganza included some of the heaviest hitters to emerge from Chicago's hardcore scene in the ‘80s and ‘90s (Naked Raygun, Screeching Weasel, Alkaline Trio), as well a veritable (...) - ARTICLES

Riot Fest 2009: Part 2

Joe Hemmerling — 2009-10-10T13:34:00Z

[10-09-2009] [PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4] Friday night's show was frontrunner for the Chicagoiest night of the entire festival. The lineup consisted entirely of quixotic hometown favorites, save only for West Coasters Wax. Riot Fest '09 marked their first show in almost a decade-and-a-half, and they appeared no worse for the wear. Their brand of snappy pop struck a chord with the audience, assisted in no small part by lead singer Joe Sib, who swept across the stage with (...) - ARTICLES

Riot Fest 2009: Part 3

Joe Hemmerling — 2009-10-10T13:34:00Z

[10-10-2009] [PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4] Saturday night drew the youngest crowd of all the Metro shows. The lineup was decidedly teen-friendly, although that might not have been apparent from watching openers Anxiety High, whose bro-flavored brand of punk was largely unremarkable. If there's one thing I learned from this show, it's that Teen Idols really want you to know their name. In addition to the large, black banner they hung from the rafters, each band member (...) - ARTICLES

Riot Fest 2009: Part 4

Joe Hemmerling — 2009-10-10T13:33:00Z

[10-11-2009] [PART 1 - PART 2 - PART 3 - PART 4] Sunday at the Congress Theater concluded an otherwise marvelous weekend with a proverbial whimper. The deficiencies were due, in large part, to the venue itself. A significantly bigger venue than The Metro, The Congress has a high ceiling that played havoc with the acoustics. Even bands that played well didn't sound great, their crisp guitar lines often reduced to broad, hazy slashes of distortion. Moreover, the fucking security was (...) - ARTICLES

The Apotheosis of U.S. Televisual Culture:

Timothy Terhaar — 2009-09-24T16:57:38Z

[September 2009] I was still in high school when the Best of Both Worlds Tour controversy erupted. Tickets were being resold for as much as $20,000. Children and teens countrywide were clamoring for the opportunity to crowd into a stadium to hear one body embody two or four personae, to hear one voice sing two sets of songs, probably neither written by her, Miley Cyrus. Fitting that "Miley Cyrus" is not her birth name (it's Destiny Hope Cyrus), because it's hard to guess at (...) - ARTICLES

All Tomorrow's Parties New York 2009

Benjamin Bernstein — 2009-09-18T15:25:45Z

[September 11-13, 2009] Friday Saddling up with my photographer and go-to-bro Ben Seretan, we hit a rainy Interstate 84 in hopes of catching the first minutes of All Tomorrow's Parties NY, but thunderstorms and an exploded pickup delayed us by a couple hours. After a long but giddy ride, we sauntered up to stage one (Kutsher's main ballroom) shortly before The Dirty Three played their lauded Ocean Songs and, after a deep breath, began processing what was about to happen. (...) - ARTICLES

Monolith Festival 2009: Day 2

Gumshoe — 2009-09-17T13:31:38Z

[09-12-2009] Day 2 of the Monolith Festival was a far different animal from Day 1, mostly for personal reasons: a) no rain b) no kid in tow c) no wife in tow d) no responsibilities/worries/stress in tow e) several brownies and other goodies in tow As you can see, I was sittin' prettier than Madoff pre-bust. And, as an old roommate of mine once told me, the only thing better than going to a movie/event with friends and loved ones is going to a movie/event all alone. I (...) - ARTICLES