End of the Month Music Bitchfest - January 2014

Nine Inch Nails
Some bittersweetness from/for Trent to start the new year...
Most of the bitterness was generated by the exclusive Beats Music remix EP with the stunningly original title Seed Eight (Remix 2014 EP).
Phew.
75% mung.
 100% shrug.
My review's here.

Then, there was the catastrophic "fuck you" to Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl and Lindsey Buckingham perpetrated by the Grammys. In a nutshell, these artists shared a stage for the finale of the Grammys...only to be preempted for a word from our sponsors.
Ouch.
Honestly though, no one gives a shit about the Grammys.

Then there's the big one: Reznor and Ross are teaming up, once again, to create another score for another David Fincher film, this time it's Gone Girl, about which I know nothing.
It's a book.
The upside to another score is that we know exactly when the film is set to come out (October 3rd, 2014) so we KNOW the new music will have to be out by then (or thereabouts).
The downside is that it's not Nine Inch Nails.
I'd rather have a new HTDA album than a new score (no matter how many discs there are).
I'm also hoping that Reznor and Ross get out of their studio for this one. I've enjoyed the last two scores very much, but I'd like to see something completely different this time around, not just the two of them using the knobs and buttons across the room from the ones they used on Social Network and TGWTDT.

Beck
Well, I still don't quite believe it, but, next time you hear from me, I guess we'll talk more about that.
Until that moment...apparently the new Beck album, Morning Phase*, is coming out on the 25th of February, same day as the new St. Vincent. The first single, "Blue Moon" has been released and it's real good. I was concerned that it would sound like any of the random bits and pieces he's been releasing for the past six years, but it feels...weightier, more important. It's hard to explain. Take a listen and get really excited.

Eels
New album, song, tracklist and album art just announced!
Based on the cover, title and first single, this might just be a bit of a personal record for E.
And a bit stripped down, musically.
Although, I've been misled before by Eels, so I'm going to try and sit tight until there's more to, you know, actually listen to.
I don't love what I've heard thus far though.
I do love that there's going to be a deluxe version with a second disc consisting of 7 non-album tracks and 6 live tracks from the recent tour.
Here's the trailer and the first single, "Agatha Chang".


The second new St. Vincent track (and its slightly creepy, entertainment-industry-in-Orwell's-1984 music video), "Digital Witness", has been released and boy oh boy has David Byrne been influencing our little Annie, both in sound and in content.
This new track could be a follow up to their song from Love This Giant, "I Should Watch TV".
Something I am super okay with. Here's the video.
On pins and needles for this album to drop.
More on that in a month.

So, I've been trying out Beats Music, not because I'm a huge fan of all things streaming and need to be on the cutting edge of such things,  but because Trent told me to.
Got to say, I don't really care.
Sory Trent.
Sorry Dre.
If you love being lazy and indecisive about what music you listen to and want to have a different computer algorithm do this for you, head on over and give it a whirl.

Also, as there were a whole bunch of "Best Of" lists circulating at the start of the month, I decided to jump right in, eyes shut, mouth open and drink in some pop culture, specifically what the culture thought was popular.

I ended up listening to:

•  the latest Bonobo, The North Borders, which I didn't care for 
• the latest Childish Gambino, Because The Internet, which, while it had some interesting moments and sonics on it, I didn't really care for
• Overgrown, by James Blake, which I liked very much. His voice reminds me a bit of a more polished Thom Yorke and the sparseness and coldness of the album created some great depth and mood. Plus, a love song with RZA? Not that that makes up for his crazy line about rape in "The Baddest Man Alive".
• The Lorde album the song "Royals" is on, which was nothing special, although that song is veritable ear herpes.
• the new Vampire Weekend, which was pretty damn worthy of all the best album fanfare. I haven't liked anything else of theirs ever (that I remember), but this is just so fresh and joyful and open. Really well crafted stuff. Cannot fight with this one.** Going to have to give these guys another listen.
• The latest release from The National, Trouble Will Find Me. While I didn't really love their last one, this one is pretty solid, with a few amazing stand outs (namely "Demons", "This Is The Last Time","I Need My Girl" and "Humiliation"). Sad bastardry done right.

And, finally, on the 25th, I saw Mother Feather at the Bowery Ballroom, my second show of theirs. God damn can these women rock cocks. Aside from the awesome show, they had copies of their new, unreleased EP, Living Breathing available. After getting into them this last year, the anticipation of this EP might have trumped that of some of my favorite bands.

I think it's a combination of knowing the people creating this music and the fact that the music is fucking tight. This isn't some obligatory/courtesy thumbs up for some people I went to college with.  Ann and Lizzie are awesome at this shit, they've got it nailed down.

You can read my sincere outpouring and review of both the show and the new EP here.

And that's it.
Still working on my BITCHWISHLIST.
Next time I spit words at you, there's going to be a new Beck album AND a new St. Vincent album.
Wow.





* Or Sea Change 2 if all the articles and album cover are to be believed.

** And, in case you think I'm going to pout over NIN losing to Vampire Weekend, I'm not. I'm a pragmatist when it comes to these things. There's no way that the best Nine Inch Nails album in history will ever beat anything by Vampire Weekend. They have too much street cred and popular appeal. I'm comfortable with that, if a bit bummed.