So everyone else is vaguely unsettled by this weather recently right? I mean, I’m not saying that I don’t like that it’s 66 degrees at the end of November in NYC, but then again IT’S 66 DEGREES AT THE END OF NOVEMBER IN NYC. Perhaps Harold Camping was right after all… Anyway, this is all my roundabout way of introducing this Peaking Lights video.

I find it to also be extremely pleasant while at the same time borderline threatening and creepy. Peaking Lights’ 936 was sort of a sleeper hit for me this year (due in no small part to the fact that for like 4 months I thought people were talking about Pretty Lights, which is, uh, not my cup of tea) and “Hey Sparrow” was one of my favorite tracks. The video, the song, and the weather all bring me back to summer.

I’m showing my work at Miami Art Basel this year with a bunch of other great artists at the Mighty Tanaka booth. For all of you going to Miami, this booth is not to be missed. Come and enjoy the fun in the sun with us at the Fountain Art Fair, December 1st – 4th!  This is MIghty Tanakas first year going and we couldn’t be more excited.

For this event, we will be exhibiting artwork in two (yes, two!) booths. In one, we will be hosting a full scale installation of mind blowing art by Miguel Ovalle while in the adjoining booth we will be displaying a myriad of talented artists who truly represent the raw and the refined.  We hope to see you there!

December 1st-4th, 12PM-7PM
Fountain Art Fair
2505 N. Miami Ave (at 25th St.)
Miami, Fl
Tix $10 Daily/$15 Weekend Pass

Chill out, dude, Chillin Island is back! In the event that you are a noob and have forgotten what Chillin Island is, I’ll tell you: It’s Dapwell from Das Racist‘s web show. Okay, glad we got that straightened out. So this is episode two, featuring special guest Tiombe Lockhart (no relation to Heather Locklear). Lockhart is an R&B singer who was born in Georgia and, as a matter of fact, got her start backing one of my favorite artists, Bilal. Also in this episode the DR gentlemen take a trip down south and play shows, hit the studio, and watch some ass shaking.

We already clued you in that The Hood Internet would be collaborating on their third release with us, a self-titled mix of original production material and remixes, which will be dropping real hot next week. But we neglected to mention one particularly delicioso aspect of this thing: the cover. The glorious, Taco Bell cover. After being part o’ the Bell’s “Feed The Beat” program, The Hood internet was given $500 of Taco gift certificates.

Over a year of touring, they somehow did not spend all of it (or nearly any of it), and they decided to put the remaining +$400 to good use. Artistic use. With a plethora of tacos in hand, of both the regular and volcano-red shell varieties, the guys teamed up with photographer friend Clayton Hauck and Chuck Anderson from NoPattern, to create the masterpiece you see above.

After you get back from the Taco Bell run that this will inevitably inspire, be sure to grab your tickets to The Hood Internet’s performance/release party at the Knitting Factory this weekend, and mark your calendars to download The Hood Internet for FREE next Tuesday.

Saturday December 3rd, Midnight
Knitting Factory
361 Metropolitan
Brooklyn, NY
$10 Cover | All Ages

Little Dragon – Ritual Union (2011) [Peacefrog] // Grade: C+

Since forming in 1996, Little Dragon has been known for singer Yukimi Nagano’s voice. It’s elegant and lulling, leaving a mark that’s sexy and subtle in the best way possible. So, it came as no surprise when the Swedish quartet’s footprint deepened after she lended her voice out to Swedish peers like Koop, Herd or José González through the 2000s. Then,  after a band-wide collaboration with Damon Albarn and his Gorillaz for 2010 “Plastic Beach” tune “Empire Ants,” the Swedish-American Nagano was wanted. Songs with the likes of Raphael Saadiq, DJ Shadow, Maximum Balloon and SBTRKT were all released this year alone and news on two forthcoming tunes with Big Boi also surfaced in late October. Now that the quartet’s third album, Ritual Union is finally here to follow 2009’s Machine Dreams, it’s difficult not to wonder how the band’s self-identity has been influenced by all this associate work.

Sitting somewhere between light, quirky electronic pop prod and chilling nocturnal soundscapes, Ritual Union is pleasing like that of a background soundtrack but fails to create any lasting engagement between listener and artist, lobbing around confusing tracking errors and unfinished directions- it’s exactly what I had feared. Outside of tunes like “Crystalfilm” (remember Sam Sparro’s moment, “Black and Gold?”) and title track “Ritual Union,” much of the album is devoid of those moments that make electronic pop, ahh, pop and not just atmosphere. Few songs give off the hooks and choruses they deserve, oftentimes coming down to a simple misfortune in follow through. Take “Summertearz” where an Atari-Pong-ball-bouncing-from-paddle-to-paddle beat stifles itself from the swell the song could be at, the completely unnecessary album closer “Seconds” or “Phase Turn” which sounds like a cheap and novice entry to the bedroom electronica contest.

Though Ritual Union’s pop side suffers, the album’s other face, the cold and immersive one, hides its better moments. On “Brush the Heat,” it’s a smattering of R&B and light funk, under an off-kilter electro freeze or “Precious” which starts with a dripping witch house drag before moving to a funky, loungy jog. It’s near the end that Little Dragon really comes together with the lost-in-motion, six-minute slice, “When I Go Out.” It’s a different song entirely. You spend the whole record going between tunes that are cold and tunes that are quirky, Nagano’s voice always on top of the track. Here though, she’s squeezed through a vocoder, lost in the other room and hidden beneath the surface with the rest of the track- and band for that matter. It feels more like a group effort as opposed to just a voice on top of laptop beats. This is the issue at the heart of Ritual Union, a disjointed and anonymous record that has a hard time creating an identity for Little Dragon over one for Yukimi Nagano.

Hockey has always struggled to get a stranglehold on American viewership since the 2004 lockout. Prior to the lost season, one could find a game on ESPN on any given night followed by a highlight show. Since then, the NHL has acquired marketable stars but outside the Stanley Cup lacked another distinguishable platform to not only show them off properly but hand select who to feature. Enter the NHL’s Winter Classic. Having only been around since 2008, the yearly event has become the league’s marquee single game event when it pits two teams (usually rivals) outdoors in stadiums reserved for either football or baseball.

It has quickly become a fan-favorite among the diehards and has peaked interest from people who wouldn’t necessarily consider themselves avid hockey fans. Last year saw the league’s two biggest stars in Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin went head-to-head in front of 68,000 fans at Heinz Field (home of the Pittsburgh Steelers) as kind of a wet dream turned reality for the league. To further peak interest leading up to the New Year’s Day event, the NHL teamed up with HBO to shadow the teams in a never before seen uncensored inside access to the players, locker rooms, hotels, homes, and anything else fans would never normally get to see.

Anyone who has ever seen anything sports related on HBO knows it’s guaranteed to be damn good and 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic went above and beyond the call. In fact it was so popular that HBO plans to release it on DVD this month, a first for any of their 24/7 shows. With the success of 24/7 and the Winter Classic itself the NHL re-upped for this year’s edition between the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers which is to be played at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philly.

To give us a taste of what’s to come, HBO released the above 12-minute trailer to basically make our mouths water with anticipation leading up to the December 14th season premiere. What will make this season better than last is the teams involved are actual longtime rivals. Any hockey fan outside of DC or Pittsburgh will have you believe the Pens vs Caps rivalry isn’t all that grand compared to what you find around the league and they’d be right.

Unlike last year, the teams play in the same division and are also significantly closer in proximity. The antagonistic factors found in a roster featuring Sean Avery, Chris Pronger, Scott Hartnell, Jody Shell, Brandon Dubinsky blows it’s predecessor out of the water. Then there’s the always entertaining John Tortorella who’s stands a good chance of out cusring Bruce Boudreau in the first episode alone. Despite only having true success in baseball this city vs. city match-up itself is always great as both have a reputation as being a top sports town.

Anyway, I’ll be back throughout the series to do Bloglin recaps as it airs, thoughts, and analysis on the show which will be the best thing on HBO in December. Believe that.

OMG it’s really happening! Even though there has been news about it for a while, I guess there was always a seed of doubt in my mind about the eventual release of Tim & Eric Billion Dollar Movie. Well, that seed of doubt has been torn out like eyes by a crow, because Funny or Die just posted the first teaser for the movie. #shrim!

Not only will it be in theaters on March 2nd, but it will be on Video On Demand in less than two months! Say whaaaaa?! Tim Heidecker calls it the the most expensive movie he’s ever seen, and I for one have no reason to doubt him. If this teaser doesn’t win any awards come Oscar season I’m gonna be pissed…

Boy howdy, if you missed the Mr. Muthafuckin eXquire in-store performance a couple weeks ago you’re a sucker. Even if you just physically could not make it to the store, or simply to Brooklyn, you’re blowing it. Why, I was in the front row! Lucky for you, we’ve got some videos by Matthew Caron.

eX ran through the hits from Lost In Translation, including “Fire Marshall Bill” and “Huzzah,” a couple older tunes including “Power U“, and most importantly, debuted a couple new joints, “Gold Watch” and “Motivate To Be Rich” viewable up top. The new songs have that signature eXquire New York rap revival sound and are going to hit the web for your enjoyment in the very near future. Keep watch, and until then go download Lost In Translation, even if you already have it and view all the songs from the in-store over on our Vimeo channel.

There’s! There’s! There’s comic books dropping this week. As per every week, lest the Good Lords strike me dead. I can’t fathom living in a world without the weekly comic book shuffle. Snag the rags, dissect the diegesis and party until my pants come off. This is Near Mint Condition, the column where I blather about the funny books dropping this week that are keeping my sanity afloat.

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Spaceman #2
Brian Azzarello and Edwardo Risso are dropping their second installment of the dark, entertaining science fiction book. Did you miss the initial issue? C’mon man! Or woman! It was only one buck. That’s like, inconsequential at this point in our wonderful times. That sort of deal is enough to get a thousand-ravaged Soccer Mom keeping in your sternum. The only problem is that it was a comic book and not some limited edition Fuzzy Gender Enforcing Doll. It also didn’t hurt that it was madcap wonky fun.

Yeah, I’m just combining words right now.

Shazam!

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Haunt #19
What the hell is Haunt? I have no goddamn idea. Why am I recommending it? ‘Cause it’s a new creative team jumping aboard, and the diabolical bastard penning the story is none other than Joe Casey. My boy Casey has been pumping out issues of Butcher Baker this year which are seven shades of fucking insanity. It’s a slow comic book week here for me (yeah I’m too far behind to read Fables #111, lay off) so I think I’m going to rub my fingers across the swollen glory of these pages.

If I remember. There’s a good chance I’ll forget, too busy oogling a life-size Buffy cut-out or some shit.

Seriously though, does anyone know what the fuck Haunt is?

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Ultimate Comics Ultimately Ultimates #4
The comic book with the worst title in the Marvel branch is also home to some of the most delicious, nutritious, and entertaining superhero team-up time you’re going to find anywhere. Fuck the Lee/Johns Justice League reboot. This is the hotness. Esad Ribic over Lee’s stale-assed pencils any day! Any day. You disagree? Meet me outside. I’m the kid in the fudge-rifted fruit of the loom undies. Eyes drunk with caffeinated oblivion. Just wait until my heart stops momentarily as it does once a day, and kick me in the ribs until I yield. You’ll be doing me a favor.

No seriously though this comic is fantastic, and since it is in the Ultimate universe, Hickman is given carte blanche to do whatever the fuck he wants. It smells like Ellis’ Authority, and looks like Heaven’s Bosoms. I’ll take it.

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Shaman Alan Moore’s Future Shocks Completed Edition
Big-ups to Douglas Wok over at Comic Alliance for bringing this bastard to my attention. Back in the wayback days when I was but a nascent tickle in my dad’s testicles (one I’m certain more than one person has wished he never answered), Moore wrote a great amount of short one-off science fiction stories for 2000 AD. Stapled into the gaping cavity is the entire collection. Santa Claus is coming soon guys. If you’ve been a good little soldier for Capitalist Jesus, I suggest you ask for this little puppy. I know I will be.

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Around The Horn:
Everyone is continuing to cheer for Daredevil, whose sixth issue is coming out this week. I may have to discard my antipathy forged in the fires of the first issue of Waid’s reboot and check it out. Also from Marvel comes the Kathryn Immonen penned Avengers: Thor: Origins: For The Movie Tie-In Duh #1. I don’t read the title, but Angel And Faith #4 features Rebekah Isaacs on art. That alone is tempting. Super Dinosaur #6 has dinosaurs…super-ing? I’m not sure.

Anyways I’m done blathering. What (better) comic books are you snagging this week?

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For more of my utter drivel, hit up Omega Level.

Tropic of Cancer – The End of All Things (2011) [Downwards] // Grade: B+

It’s more than just a bleak title: The End of All Things really does mark the end of some things, even if those endings are more notable for the beginnings they’ll spawn. Camella Lobo’s Tropic of Cancer (created in collaboration with J Mendez, a.k.a. Silent Servant) seems to be bidding sweet adieu to its start here, collecting the first two 10” singles — The Dull Age/Victims and Be Brave — and a handful of previously unheard tracks for the duo’s last release on Downwards.

And it’s almost like a farewell party in its way. One last, nostalgic look back before continuing on to a new homebase at Blackest Ever Black (who’ve already released ToC’s  dark-romance The Sorrow of Two Blooms). The hypnotic dreamscape of “The Dull Age” and “Victims” feels especially deserted when placed aside the gloomy hiss of “Be Brave,” setting the stage for their drugged and numbed cover of Soft Cell’s “L.O.V.E. Feelings”. But it’s the compilation’s last half that really hits hardest; from the laboring extravagance of “Distorted Horizon” to the gilded EBM vibe of “Chrome Vox” and half-lucid “Awake” — which sounds like the best power-pop ballad ever, played from a building away — these rarities suggest both the post-punk dream they’ve already explored and the dark new horizons they’re angling to discover. The end of some things as the beginning of others. Onward, Tropic of Cancer.