Posts Tagged ‘Music’

Parsing the lyrics to new Vampire Weekend single “Step”

March 19, 2013

Yesterday post-colonialist indie darlings Vampire Weekend released two songs off their upcoming album, ‘Modern Vampires of the City’:

  • Lead single “Diane Young,” in which Ezra Koenig laments the loss of an arsonist girlfriend
  • “Step,” a low-key paean to international studies classes.

The web is ABUZZ with people wondering what it all means. Could “Step” be a hidden tribute to the ABC show ‘Step by Step’, which dealt with familial discord in the same uptempo, driving fashion as sophomore effort ‘Contra’? Do the pitch-shifting “babys” on “Diane Young” suggest surprise parenthood for lead singer Ezra Koenig, and if so who is the mother? Mindy Kaling?

Obviously we’ve all got a ton of questions. But you know what? Lifting Fog has ANSWERS.

Keep reading!

Prisoners At Gitmo Testify To Being Forced To Rock

October 22, 2009

Bansky GitmoThrough new interviews with detainees, startling new techniques of interrogation have been discovered from the halls of Guantanamo Bay. In my long standing career as a Qualified Torturer of Sisters (QTS), I never realized the American government was utilizing the same tactics. New information reveals that prisoners were forced to listen to a range of American music at loud volumes, including the Sesame Street song!? BRUTAL. And here I am as a young lad thinking this kind of audio assault was only useful at detaining my sister in her room. Here is the list of music used, via CNN: Gitmo Playlist.

Judging by the tracklist, it’s clear that the songs were selected well before 2009, with possible evidence to suggest they were selected as far back as 2000. Who is this mysterious “Limp Bizkit” band? There is no evidence of their existence today. Also, judging by the range of genres used, it’s clear that it was created before the advent of the Genius Mix. The Bee Gees on the same mix as Saliva? iTunes wouldn’t stand for such injustice today. What’s even more shocking is that the government is clearly demonstrating use of illegal downloading procedures. In 2005, tell me what MP3 store you could find the following tracks:

  1. The Barney Theme Song
  2. “Meow Mix” Jingle
  3. The Sesame Street Theme Song

Uhhhhh, using LimeWire to speed up the interrogation process much, George W.? I’m with the rest of the bleeding heart liberals on this front: Guantanamo Bay needs to be closed, if only for introducing foreign nationals to some of the worst examples of American music EVER. Chalk this one up to “Why They Hate Us“, Fareed Zakaria; if I had to listen to (Hed) P.E. more than ten seconds a day, I’d start reevaluating my allegiances as well.

Questioning The Digital Age

September 3, 2008

This started as a plug for the iTunes exclusive “Rain of Madness” but opened some wacky doors… then became bigger than I had expected… and finally took the typical Henning turn into meandering essay territory. So you should totally read on! Still, the question of cinematic accessibility is one that interests me quite a bit – call it a passion project – and I’d like to write more. Best left to the pros? You be the judge.

I’ve recently become the worst type of movie-goer, namely one who doesn’t actually go to see movies. According to my ticket stubs (yes, I save them), the last two I caught were Pineapple Express and Step Brothers – neither anything to write home about, but more importantly neither premiering past the second week of August. What’s happened to me? Have the shackles of pseudo-employment kept me away from the theater? I can partly forgive myself knowing that the last weeks of summer are typically a dumping ground for second-tier comedies and Nicholas Cage action movies (this one’s called BANGKOK DANGEROUS… actually, that’s kind of awesome), but the guilt remains – I’ve got to get back on the movie wagon. With fall’s numerous prestige pics approaching, the options are plentiful. Toronto Film Festival? Venice? Pssshh. Why book a flight when the whole world is online? Read more!

Trendsetter Gambling

July 28, 2008

I’m not really cool in a traditional sense, like the Fonz. And even Seth Cohen would probably beat me up if I claimed non-traditional, ironic coolness. I just can’t pull it off. The closest I’ve come to either, anyway, was one time in 7th grade when I received a botched haircut that made me look like a retarded Beatle. So yeah – coolness has always been largely out of reach for yours truly. That doesn’t mean I’ve ever given up…

Black Kids, a band I shouldn’t like but, well, do, recently released their first LP Partie Traumatic and have their single I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You featured on the American Teen (more on this one soon) soundtrack. Rolling Stone declared them last November a “band to watch” in 2008. I would agree. “Wow,” you say to your friend or co-worker, “another endorsement for some obscure band that will more than likely stay obscure. Why did you send me to this kid’s blog again?” Then you click on Perez Hilton to restore your faith in the blogging community. It’s true – I have nothing new to offer here in the way of music promotion. If you’ve read all 13 (!) posts on this site or know anything about me, you’ve already figured out that my cultural receptors very rarely pull in anything that isn’t film or television related. Black Kids have already received their share of viral recommendations, anyway. Another from me is just white noise. (more…)