Best Coast – Where the Boys Are EP (2009) [Blackest Rainbow] // Grade: A-

Bethany Consentino is better known as one half of the psych/drone/noise outfit Pocahaunted. A challenging and prolific band who drop new releases (some great, some not) at a clip that seems like they’re intent on either wearing out that pretty awesome band name, or simply making sure Thurston Moore always has reason to name drop them as a favorite band. Joined here by Bobb Bruno, Best Coast however is a complete about face from Pocahaunted’s experimental sound and into catchy, drone drenched Lo-Fi Pop.

The cassette only Where the Boys Are EP is right up there with Dum Dum Girl’s Catholicked EP as one of the most earnest and irresistible Lo-Fi releases of this year. By off-setting Lo-Fi’s current default of 60′s Garage/Psych Pop with a gritty snarl reminiscent of Hole & Babes in Toyland that’s then further augmented with the sort of trippy drone mastery Consentino brings over from Pocahaunted, Best Coast have a unique identity that’s not only captivating but easy to recognize against the ensuing tidal wave of new Lo-Fi bands.

The only way this EP could get any better is if someone has the forsight to package it along with the equally great 3 songs from the also recently released Sun Was High (So Was I) 7″ into a mini LP/CD.

After last week’s underwhelming episode, True Blood came out sucking with Jason getting a consecrated BJ from Sarah in the church choir loft. I’d say the show really got back to its roots with this installment: fucking and Bill’s accent. The Fellowship stepped up their creepy game by leaps and bounds this week, as Reverend Steve practically busts in his pants thinking about the construction of a platform so that they can watch vampires burn alive in the sun. Then there’s Luke constantly spouting homosexuality-is-a-sin rhetoric. Luke will most definitely take a dick this season.

Later on, Sookie and her pretend fiance Hugo attempt to infiltrate the Fellowship, fail miserably, and in perfect, over-the-top True Blood fashion, are dragged down to a basement which looked impossibly furnished. Steve seemed to already know that Sookie was a mind-reader, so there must be some kind of vampire informant working for the Fellowship. Who can it be? I dunno, I don’t think too hard about the twists of True Blood and I like it that way. Tits and fangs.

The episode’s biggest pay-offs were the flashbacks of Bill not as the wise, restrained vampire-saint, but as the young, enthusiastic devourer of humans. What a great moment in the history of television: Lorena grinding Bill on a bloody bed with a still-living victim on it, their fucking only interrupted when Bill takes a necklace from the bloody, gushing throat of the woman. Gory, funny, sexy, and self-aware…that is True Blood. FYI: The song Bill was singing/playing on the piano was “Hard-Hearted Hannah,” a song which references a vamp from Savannah, GA. How subtle.

In case anyone hasn’t seen it yet or for those who don’t wake up at 5:00am to write about tv shows before work, here’s the preview of the rest of season 2 which was shown at SDCC.

Blurring the line between forensics and fine art, Arthur “Weegee” Fellig (1899-1968) captured the greatest moments of his subjects’ worst moments.

I typically get squeamish when looking at photos of dead bodies, but Weegee’s imagery is gorgeous…in a very, VERY grizzly and morbid sort of way. This is a strange thought, but if you were murdered, wouldn’t you want an artist like this guy taking your last photo?

As if his crime scene photography wasn’t enough, he was also quite the documentarian of New York culture and night life.

I wonder if people will look back at the lastnights-cobra-boredom-digital-demons photos with the same enthusiasm as we do for artists like Weegee and Arbus?

So as mentioned in earlier posts, we spent most of last week in San Diego for Comicon 2009. While we had a great time and all at Comicon, the real reason we were in San Diego was for Tim & Eric’s Awesomecon! Held in the park behind the convention center, Awesomecon was three hours of good times with Tim, Eric & a slew of the cast! There were games, karaoke, a trivia and costume contest… but best of all was just getting to meet all of our favorite people from the Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!… Like Palmer Scott who did just what promised and sat right on Greg’s lap!

Accompanying Greg & myself was Miranda who runs Unsteady out in San Diego. James Quall took a particular liking to Miranda and I think he may have even slipped her his digits!

I on the other hand met the kind of guy I could be best friends with! After Awesomecon we headed over into town to get some magnetic piercings and had dinner at Red Lobster where we got the hook-up (manager’s special!). Then it was off to the beach for some virgin coladas (no rum!). Best vacation ever!

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Keep Watch Vol. X: Major Laser T-Shirt Available Now!

Today marks the tenth installment of our illustrious Keep Watch mixes. From the outset, music has always played a big role in shaping our brand. With strong ties to various artists, and a creative team that is constantly inspired and influenced by their musical predilections the Keep Watch mixes have become as much of the Mishka fabric as our seasonal line.

Ten volumes and approximately one year later, the mixes have greatly exceeded all expectations. As a result, we?ve decided to celebrate the 10th installment in a special way. For our tenth volume, we enlisted the services of electro-reggae-dancehall virtuoso Major Lazer. And to coincide with the special mix, Mishka produced a limited run Major Lazer tee designed by Skinny Digital. Long time supporters of Mishka and often considered family, the t-shirt was a perfect way to compliment the Major Lazer curated mix which is available in Black and White.

Keep Watch Vol. X: Major Lazer by Мишка Bloglin

Major Lazer is a Jamaican commando who lost his arm in the secret Zombie War of 1984. The US military rescued him and repurposed experimental lazers as prosthetic limbs. Since then Major Lazer has been a hired renegade soldier for a rogue government operating in secrecy underneath the watch of M5 and the CIA. His cover is that of a dancehall night club owner from Trinidad and he enlisted the help of long-time allies and uber-producers, Diplo and Switch, to produce his first LP. His true mission is to protect the world from the dark forces of evil that live just under the surface of a civilized society. He fights vampires and various monsters, parties hard, and has a rocket powered skateboard.

Zola Jesus - The Spoils (2009) [Sacred Bones] // Grade: B

If you grew up in the Midwest, you’re probably not surprised that the brand of lo-fi industrial led by Madison, WI’s Zola Jesus is the thing there right now. We’ve always had a soft spot for this stuff; something about the nasty winters, rampant racism and widespread poverty embeds in us a god-is-dead-and-no-one-cares vibe that we just can’t shake. Trust me. I’ve tried.

But however influenced by it, Zola Jesus (a.k.a. 19-year-old Nika Roza Danilova) isn’t writing from the standard Midwestern Ministry-Skinny Puppy tip. The Spoils is more Throbbing Gristle and Red Lorry Yellow Lorry than anything, and even then it’s softer and more subtly creepy, clearly a product of a classic Madison winter. I hate to make a Siouxsie reference—every remotely gothy girl gets that comparison, however inappropriate—but The Spoils really does feel like 10 versions of “Voodoo Dolly”, each of them rambling, atmospheric and eventually explosive in the way Siouxsie so deftly perfected.

That said, Zola Jesus—particularly her first two, way less sophisticated releases, but The Spoils too—is really polarizing. If you’re cool with aimless, zoned-out creepfests and don’t mind the occasional self-indulgent artiness, you’ll get into this, no problem. But if you cringe at stuff like Salem, and Wavves’ bedroom production ruins your life, don’t even try it. Unless you’re a closet-goth from the Midwest, in which case: Go. Buy. Now. We won’t tell anyone you secretly love it. Promise.

Midnite Till Death No. 25 was a scary fuckin’ time and I thought I was going to die. What made it so terrorizing was that the Mishka Monster Crew showed up and ruined everything. Mike Jones showed up early, effed up on muscle relaxers, his head rolling around on his shoulders and drooling on himself. His shit was falling out of his pockets and he just let it stay there. Dumb twelth grade fools who follow him around like Manson girls kept trying to shove his shit back into his pocket but he kept swatting at them like they were bad dreams. That guy is a hundred percent scum. When he dies I’m throwing a party.

Ease DaMan showed up around the time that the Men started doing their high energy, technical brain buggery razzle dazzle. “What is thizzzzzz fuckin’ shittttt?”, he loudly asked, to no one and everyone. His dick was hanging out of his pants and there was a GI Joe tied to it by a length of shoelace. I think the GI Joe was Shipwreck for those of you who are stupid enough to care. It was hard to understand him but he was high or dying or something and he kept trying to pull the sneakers off of everyone there and screaming,”These mine! I know they mine! You bitch! You fucking bitch! You fucking shoe stealing bitch!” Eventually he tired himself out and just took a nap in a corner with his butt in the air.

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Roy Andersson’s new film You, The Living (Du Levande) opens in New York this week and I can’t wait. I have no idea what it’s about and what it’s about is probably the least important reason to go see it (though it’s a safe bet that there will be much sadness, an execution, and the living dead). Andersson’s films are incredibly beautiful and painstakingly made – he does EVERYTHING, from writing the script to designing and constructing the sets and editing the final product. This slow and obsessive process has yielded a scant four films over 40 years, but they’re worth the wait.

When not spending months slowly realizing a single scene, Andersson has been cranking out the greatest TV commercials in Sweden and possibly of all time, ever. Ingmar Bergman said they were his favorites.

You game?