Are you feeling down? Is life just worth living any more? Has Zoloft or Prozac just stopped working? Well, maybe what you need to kick those blues is a little Kill With Video in your life. It’s been clinically proven to make you happy.

Put on some headphones, get in a comfy chair and hit play. We guarantee you’ll be smiling ear to ear in no time… Just try it is all we’re sayin’.

Music: “The Scrappy” by BS2000

Effi Briest – Rhizomes (2010) [Sacred Bones] // Grade: A-

Effi Briest is music made for autumn, hollow gray and orange, when the leaves are on fire and falling and darkness rumbles at you like a train. They’re not the Sugarcubes, not exactly, but it’s easy to imagine them in a similar space: a tumble of toms, a backwards run of squeals and hazed-out guitars, Kelsey Barrett’s vocals blowing around leaf-like from whisper to squeal. Not a breeze, but wind.

They’re also not strictly krautrock, or post-punk, or even all that goth, though they tiptoe ’round those worlds too. This six-piece Brooklyn collective—yes, collective; see: Amon Duul—has character that reminds but doesn’t define; it’d be disingenuous to even try for a single comparison. Psychedelic but seriously angular. Darkly propulsive (especially “Mirror Rim”) but with a bass-and-tom focus just as much Siouxsie’s “Into The Light” as Can’s “You Doo Right”. And even then, it meanders beyond; Rhizomes is cohesive enough to suggest a concept album or psych opera. The songs stand up on their own, sure—but god damn, they’re amazing huddled together.

And maybe they’re too similar, too expansive—the track flipped more than once without my realizing it—but Rhizomes seems to sneer at any break in mood. If you’re in it, you’re in it for the long haul, you’re seeing this midnight acid trip straight through the finish. It may be too same-sounding for some, but that sound is so worth repeating: heavy and autumnal, eerie and exuberant—an endless October amped up for Halloween. Listen to this immediately.

Major Lazer & La Roux Present: Lazerproof (Free Download)!

Looks like Elly Jackson, better known to most as La Roux is the next chanteuse in line to work with Diplo on a mixtape. You all hopefully remember and have copies of the aural awesomenss that was Piracy Funds Terrorism Vol. 1 (still waiting for vol. 2 over here) with M.I.A. and of course Top Ranking with Santigold. And how well did things turn out for those ladies afterward eh? Pretty, pretty, pretty good!

I have to be honest, I was pretty slow to embracing La Roux’s debut. I kept wanting it to be Ladyhawke and it wasn’t, but as with most well-crafted pop the album has really grown on me over the past six months.

I haven’t even heard a single track off of this Lazerproof project with Major Lazer, so I’m recommending it totally unheard. But you know what? I think we an all safely agree that a mix of Diplo, Switch and La Roux is bound to be a really, really good thing. Plus it’s thing is a free download, what do you got to lose? I’m hoping this shit gets all electro Chaka Khan on me, guess there is only one way to find out! *click*

I love that bootleg looking Iron Man 2 cover by the way. Check out the tracklist after the jump!

Just a heads up, it looks like Mad Decent’s site is taking their sweet ass time in emailing download links. Be patient I suppose!

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This Thursday, Nadastrom will kick off their UHall residency in Washington DC. The prolific duo has been traveling worldwide, destroying parties left and right while still cooking up a slew of new tracks and remixes! Wel this week the boys come home, and they’re gonna stay a little while!

Hopefully you guys all remember Nadastrom from their dark and epic 4th installment to our Keep Watch Mix Series. Matt Nordstrom and Dave Nada have spent years creating their own style of dance music which fuses elements of House, Techno and Bmore with a touch of Heavy Bass, and when these guys come to party, they come to motherfuckin’ P-A-R-T-Y!

The duo recently released an amazing remix of AC Slater’s “Take You Higher” giving it massive amounts of steam and an epic build up with just the right amount of vocals to really take you higher! You can find this gem of a remix over at XLR8R. In the meantime, while you pack an overnight bag for DC why not download their most recent mix, Brass Tack to get yourself psyched for some dance floor annihilation.

Thursday May 27th, 10pm
U Street Music Hall
1115 U St. NW
Washington DC
$5 @ Door/Free when you RSVP
18+ To Enter

Wild Nothing – Gemini (2010) [Captured Tracks] // Grade: B

The brainchild of the young and multi-faceted Virginian, by the name of Jack Tatum (also of Jack and the Whale and Facepaint), Wild Nothing’s debut offers the sort of sophisticated multi-layered musicianship that is rarely seen on a debut album by someone at the age of 21. When “Chinatown”  made it’s rounds not too long ago, It’s feel for Icelandic pop, angelic flutes and synths made it clear that Wild Nothing’ full length was something people needed to keep an ear out for in 2010.  Gemini lives in the universe where it’s uplifted sense of melancholy makes you want to spend hours alone with your imagination and wherever it may  may take you. Tatum’s successfully evokes a nostalgic element throughout Gemini that you can distinctively hear as familiar influences weave in and out within his song writing. From the downtempo shoegaze of “Drifter” and “Pessimist” reminiscent of Cocteau Twins through to hints of the Smiths carried by Tatum’s youthfully optimistic voice on “Live In Dreams” and “O, Lilac.”

the lyrics mostly feel like an after thought (something Tatum himself admits), work well nonetheless on Gemini. The stream of conscious approach to fit into the music works well with Wild Nothing’s youthful, carefree innocence; Anything more substantial and the songs would have felt weighed down and Tatum deserves credit for being able to integrate them with organic ease.

Gemini is the sort of light and breezy album perfect for a Summer. It is bound to be the soundtrack to many road trips to the beach or country side. Gemini may take a couple listens for those on the fence to truly appreciate the complexities and dreamy pleasures of Wild Nothing’s music, especially If you’re already not enamored with, or just over saturated by the throngs of new dream pop or shoegaze readily available. But I suspect even the skeptical will discover Gemini a beautiful and even challenging surprise if given the chance.

Secret Avengers #1
As I mentioned last week, we’re entering the Heroic Age. And no Age would be complete without seventeen Avengers titles to back it up, would it? So without having read them all, I’m going to blindly and foolishly tell you this: if you’re only going to read one Avengers title, pick this one up? Ed Brubaker has consistently rocked out on both Dardevil and Captain America through the years. The answer to the trivia question, “Who could bring Bucky back to life and not have it suck” will always be Eddie. And then there’s Daredevil. I can’t remember a more tortured and nuanced dude than Matty, and Brubaker took the reins from Bendis back in the day and it was a seamless transition.

So no, I don’t know what the fuck is going on in this title. Coming off of Siege, Steve Rogers ain’t no American captain anymore. Instead he’s dubbed some bullshit like “America’s Top Cop” (he’s Nick Fury), and apparently these are his Avengers that are also a secret. This is your on-ramp to the title, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to be the same as every other first-issue of a JLA or Avenger’s title these days: just the means through which the team comes together. For better or worse.

Around the Marvel Universe, there’s some other legit stuff dropping you might want to check out. For starters, there’s Fantastic Four #579. And if you read this column even semi-regularly, you’ll find me throwing rope over Hickman’s rendition of Marvel’s first family all the time. Buy this comic book, share it with your friends. Incontrovertible proof that Reed Richards can be more than a douchey guy in the Fox movie. I promise. Then there’s the latest issue of Thunderbolts, which has Luke Cage running the team.  And Juggernaut? What the fuck?

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Speaking of Cain Marko, what the fuck is that guy up to these days? Besides being on the Thunderbolts, apparently. I remember when I was growing up Juggernaut seemed so fucking cool. I mean, he was a guy who could run a lot, and smash stuff with his head. As a kid, this was precisely what I spent most of my time doing. Running into shit, and smashing my head. The idea that it would make me a bad ass, and not make girls laugh at me as my size 15 feet tripped was comforting.

Also, where’s my Juggernaut/Juggalos cross-over? This seems like an untapped brand, right here. What happens when the Juggernaut becomes a Juggalo? It seems like it almost makes too much sense.

Cain Marko and the Juggalo-nauts. Boom.

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Sense and Sensibility #1
I’m pretty sure that if this comic book doesn’t feature zombies, no one is going to read it. Sry, yo! No seriously, who in their right fucking mind is going to buy this comic book? Academic geeks like me? Natch. I just spent five months reading British women’s literature from this time period. I have no desire to see this novel drafted panel by panel. Girls? Double natch. They’re all iCarly and shit. They don’t need to walk into the creepy comic store dungeon with their father and pick this up. So uh, who exactly? Completionists? Pedophiles? Maybe.

Is this some sort of reverse cash-in? With Pride and Prejudice and Zombies making everyone go fucking bananas, did they think that maybe slipping out another Jane Austen book in comic form, sans zombies, could drum up some interest? Who knows. I had to listen to the professor from said class drone on and on about how misogynistic P&P&Z despite the fact that a) half the class was female and b) they had dug it. So if anything, I’ve learned something about Sense and Sensibility from this exercise: if it’s not being misogynistic, it’s going to be too boring for people to pick it up.

(Don’t hate on me, I actually enjoy Austen.)

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For all you ollie popping, skateboard pushers out there who, like us, love to read Born Ugly magazine, you’ll be happy to hear that we just got a fresh re-up on the latest issue of the zine. And we were able to get this particular stash of zines hand delivered by the editor of Born Ugly himself, Michael Broth!

When Michael isn’t busy catching frontside boardslides in a bowl he’s fine tuning each issue of Born Ugly too meet the standards of all of their loyal fans. On this day Michael just happened to pop in to the grab a few tee’s for the up and coming warm weather and happened to realize that we were fresh out Born Uglys and brought us some more.

So after reaching into his bag of trick Mike grabbed a grip of mags and stickers for us to hand out. If I were you I’d hustle down to 350 Broadway and get your hands on the few that we still have laying around. These really tend to fly out the door the second we get them in. But if don’t have anymore swipes left on your Metrocard and can’t make it down here you can always download a PDF of their latest issue #666!

Мишка
350 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY
718-388-1725

J/M/Z to Marcy Ave.
G to Broadway
L to Lorimer

Hüsker Dü – Zen Arcade (1984)

Vs.

Pavement – Slanted and Enchanted (1992)

The Game is simple… if only one could exist which would it be? What’s more important… personal relevance, cultural significance, or simply being the better album all other things aside? Choice is yours…

Thanks to all that made it out for my opening at Fuse Gallery this weekend, I had so much fun seeing all of your beautiful faces at the opening reception.

The show will run at Fuse Gallery until June 19th and is viewable from Wednesday through Sunday from 3-8pm. I hope you all get the chance to see it in person.

All of the pictures have these handmade frames by Sullivan Walsh that really tied together with my work perfectly. Something you can only really appreciate when seeing the work in person.  But those of you who If can’t make it down to New York,  you can still check out (and buy) the images via your computer over at Fuses’ online gallery.

It was a fantastic night full of family, friends and fans of my work. And as if you couldn’t already tell, Igor from Driven By Boredom was also in attendance with his camera and has a great gallery of images from the evening!

Living Proof magazine was also in attendance taking pictures, check out their write up on the show as well.

In other gallery news, I’m showing at the Annual Erotic Art Show at the Parlor Gallery in Asbury Park, NJ. If you need to get out of town and go to the beach this weekend, I suggest hitting up Asbury Park!

There are actually a bunch of art shows opening in Asbury Park this Saturday, and a dance competition at the Bowling Lanes later that night where I will be one of the judges. I hope to see you there!

Yesterday the Ninjasonik crew held a premiere and party for their brand new video “Bars.” And today, we can share that video with the rest of the world! The whole thing has degenerate Summer party anthem written all over it…We love it and the love Ninjasonik gave us in the video. There are a few Summer 2010 previews floating around in the video like the Мишка’s Playhouse Painter’s Cap Jah is wearing throughout the video.

The video was directed by Jason Goldwatch for Decon Creative Group and it does a great job of capturing a night out with the crew.

P.S. Never, ever take the train with anyone in or related to Ninjasonik. F’reals!