CMJ Day Three: A Triumphant Return To Mediocrity
The disadvantage of being an “actual college student” while covering CMJ is that you have to, you know, go to college. When I got home from the Beach House show at 2:30 a.m. Thursday, I had to write my...
View ArticleCMJ Day Four: Idolator Goes Back To Spain, Gets Carded
After much begging, pleading, questioning of press credentials, and discussion of karma, the doorman at The Annex mercifully let me–and my hands, each of which was decorated with a massive “X”–into...
View ArticleCMJ Day Five: In Search Of A Happy Ending
Saturday’s Daytrotter/Take the Handle/SnowGhost Music showcase at Brooklyn’s Glasslands Gallery had two things going for it: Wye Oak was on the bill, and it was in the afternoon. Hoping it might end my...
View ArticleJimmy Buffett To Swing Florida’s Vote With Nothing But An Acoustic Guitar And...
This weekend, Jimmy Buffett will strap on his boat shoes and head down to Tampa so he can play a free concert in support of Barack Obama‘s attempt to take the crucial swing state of Florida on Election...
View ArticlePanic At The Disco Go Pastoral
I spent part of my summer traveling around the country and talking to bandom writers (bandom, in case you are lucky enough to be out of the loop, is fan fiction about emo bands). The overwhelming...
View ArticleMIchael Jackson May Lead A Pack Of Synchronized Zombies Down The Great White Way
If there’s one thing you can be absolutely sure of, it’s that Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” will never, ever die, thanks to awesomely crappy early-oughts pop-punk, bad rom-coms, and silly world record...
View ArticleIdolator Live-Blogs The 2008 mtvU Woodies: Yes, For Real
Well, I no longer live in student housing, Rilo Kiley is unfortunately not in the building, and I’ll play the modesty card and argue that I’m not nearly as hilarious as Maura suggests, but yes, here I...
View ArticleMichael Jackson Continues His Journey Toward Infinite Creepiness
What is it about the spooky shell of a human known as Michael Jackson that inspires people to make such monumentally misguided decisions? Some people entrusted their children to him; now comes word...
View ArticleMark Hoppus Cranks The Blink-182 Rumor Mill
It’s been four years since Blink-182 petered out after their peculiar Robert Smith phase (which was not terrible, but just something of a death rattle). In the interim Mark Hoppus has been blogging...
View ArticleNo. 78: Wye Oak, “I Want for Nothing”
It used to be that you had to lurk on fan sites and wait for someone to post a concert bootleg to hear unreleased material from your favorite bands, but that process has since been boiled down to a...
View ArticleHeartbreak No. 1: “Mamma Mia” Misses The Essence Of ABBA
In addition to choosing our 80 favorite musical recordings, people, places, movements, and events of the year, Idolator has also chosen eight of its least favorites of 2008. In the first Heartbreak,...
View ArticleNo. 74: Jenny Lewis, “Acid Tongue”
In the era of Autotune, Jenny Lewis went analog. Acid Tongue is a testament to the sheer power of true musicianship. An organic, forceful album that feels like the upswing of a good beer buzz, it hops...
View ArticleNo. 43: The Curious Rise Of Jobromance
2008 will go down as the year that fan fiction and tribute videos finally realized their inevitable, terrifying synthesis. “Jobromance” is a generic term for a mashup of sorts, one made of a video...
View ArticleNo. 23: Santogold, “Lights Out”
“L.E.S. Artistes” may be the punchy, widely hyped lead track on Santogold’s self-titled debut, but the real gem of the album is “Lights Out.” There’s an effortless appeal about the song that both...
View ArticleNo. 12: Alphabeat Gets “Wonky”
Let’s face it: Wonky Pop has not exactly moved mountains in the past year. America has not yet gone down to its collective river to pray to the shiny Nordic purveyors of high quality throwback pop, and...
View ArticleThe Clique Girlz’ Sugary Sisterhood Might Be Turning A Bit Sour
It seems that the understandably pallid career trajectory of nobody’s favorite tweensploitation group, the Clique Girlz, is maybe, finally going to pick up with a promotion deal for Baby Bottle Pop,...
View ArticleLa Búsqueda De La Música Mexicana: Part 1
Recently the New York Times ran a feature about working-class Mexican immigrants using their cell phones rather than iTunes to buy and listen to music, which, as you can imagine, has sent both music...
View ArticleLa Búsqueda De La Música Mexicana: Part 2
Amigos, it’s been two months since our first expedition south of the border in search of Mexican music. Now that we’ve shaken off the mezcal hangover, it’s time to return to Mexico lindo y querido to...
View ArticleWild Moccasins Break In Their Touring Shoes
Houston band Wild Moccasins will be playing two shows in Brooklyn this weekend: Friday at Death By Audio and Saturday at Union Hall. I wrote a feature about them last summer in relation to local music...
View ArticleAn Idolator Enthusiastic Endorsement: Why You Should Drop Everything And...
Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak are either two of the most talented musicians currently out there right now, or they’re aliens from a distant planet where all beings are born with the inherent...
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