You probably don’t know this, but for the past few years I have been in a secret affair with Spike Jonze. It started out casually with me watching “Adaptation” at friends house. I played it cool, ya know. Acting interested but not THAT interested. But then things started to get serious. “Being John Malkovich” was pretty much a love letter to me and before I knew it I was involved. Like involved, involved. Then “Where The Wild Things Are” came along. All of a sudden Spike was all “Oh I can’t have dinner, I have to go meet with Maurice Sendak.” “Yeah Baby I can’t go bowling I have to go hang out with Dave Eggers in San Francisco.” And then before I knew it he was gone, off in Australia hanging out with giant stuffed animals and some 9 year old boy. Real creepy Michael Jackson type of shit.

This past weekend some friends and I went to go witness first hand the fruits of Jonze’s labor. And then the next night back I went to witness them again. And then I promised some more friends that I’d go see it again this weekend. In essence, this movie Fucked me up. Capital F. I emerged from the theater bewildered at the world as for the past hour and half I had left, immersed in Jonze’s imagination. Though die hard fans of Sendak’s book may gripe and moan, this film serves not so much as an adaptation of the book but as Jonze’s personalized interpretation. By taking what was personally important to himself Jonze brings the movie to new highs, giving the audience an entry point into his unstable world. (more…)

Crouch End? CROUCH END?

…Who could ever think such an amazing array of notes could come out of a town that sounds like its near Hogwarts. The boys of Bombay Bicycle Club ( boys being Jack/lead vocals, Jamie/lead guitar, Ed/bass & keyboard, and Suren/drums), are the cutest blokes I have ever laid eyes on…but this isn’t Cosmo so lets get to their music! I was introduced to my new obsession sometime in the middle of week 1 by my friend Adrian, an exchange student, who went to school with members of the band. I would not classify myself as an indie rock listener but for some reason, Bombay Bicycle Club offers a little something extra. Unlike other indie bands I have heard, the bass is more predominant and when its not, it plays around with the guitar- like a girl and her gay best friend (friendly rivalry but with an always present underlying ambition to be the dominant one in the relationship).

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Glo-fi?  Chillwave?  Hypnagogic pop?  Music journalists have been desperate searching to categorize what they see as the emergence of a new wave of artists creating lo-fi bedroom recordings of electronic music.  Whether or not this warrants a new genre name is up to the masses, but these artists have carved out a certain niche in indie pop.  It is characterized by hazy electro-pop with a penchant for imposing a hallucinogenic effect on the listener and nostalgia for childhood.  One artist being lumped in with this movement is Neon Indian, who released his debut album; Psychic Chasms on October 27.  Neon Indian is composed of merely one member, Alan Palomo, who some of you may recognize from earlier this year under his VEGA moniker.  The hype surrounding Neon Indian has been steadily building since the summer when he released an EP of the same name, so does his full length debut live up the promise?  Although not an all out success, the album is for the most part stunning.

The album kicks off with brief interlude entitled “(AM)”, but really gets into the heart of things once recent summer jam, “Deadbeat Summer” enters the fray.  A laidback track marked by video game sound effects, rhythmic guitar work, hushed vocals and a (implosive) propulsion usually found in a more “serious” forms of electronic dance music.  One the album’s highlights come midway through, “6669 (I Don’t Know if You Know).”  A track that manages to effortlessly combines the elements found in “Deadbeat Summer” into something sleeker without coming off across as cheesy, which is one of my main criticisms of the album.  At times, all of the bizarre effects and synth noises scattered throughout songs are just too “cutesy,” which would tie in the album’s theme of childhood, but just sound ridiculous at times.  “Mind Jokes” displays a throbbing bassline that recalls the best of 80’s synth pop and Italo disco, transforming into one of the most euphoric songs of the year.  If there is one artist that Neon Indian clearly brings to mind, it is Cut Copy, who on last year’s In Ghost Colours, smoothly combined synth-pop, electro, French house, and indie rock into a fascinating collection of tracks.  Neon Indian draws from a similar template yet is not as concerned with crafting structured songs.  They instead opt to deliver pop bliss of a more deranged style that is amorphous in the best of ways, much like what Bradford Cox has done with his Atlas Sound project.  Palomo has proved on their debut that he is a promising young talent with an ear for catching shards of melody among the foggy haze of acid-drenched noise.

–Anish

Backup – What you do when you sight a skunk in the woods.

Bar code – Them’s the fight’n rules down da local tavern.

Bug – The reason you is a giv’n for calling in sick.

Byte – What yer pit bull dun to cusin Jethro.

Cache – Needed when you go to da store.

Chip – Yer cusin’s uncle’s mother’s boyfriend’s name.

Terminal – Time to call da undertaker.

Crash – When you go to Junior’s party uninvited.

Digital – The art of counting on your fingers.

Diskette – A female Disco dancer.

Hacker – Uncle Leroy after thirty years of smoking.

Hardcopy – Picture looked at when selecting tattoos.

Internet – Where cafeteria workers put their hair.

Keyboard – Where you hang the keys to the John Deere.

Mac – Big Bob’s favorite fast food.

Megahertz – How your head feels after seventeen beers.

Modem – What ya did when the grass and weeds got too tall.

Mouse pad – Where Mickey and Minnie live.

Network – Scoop’n up a big fish before it breaks the line.

Online – Where to stay when taking the sobriety test.

Rom – Where the pope lives.

Screen – Helps keep the skeeters off the porch.

Serial port – A red wine you drink with breakfast.

Superconductor – Amtrak’s Employee of the year.

Scsi – What you call your week-old underwear.

When I heard of super-group Monsters of Folk a few months ago, I did not know what to expect but I knew whatever it was, it would be amazing.  The four members – Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, and M. Ward – were sure to create music that would turn some of their fans to mush.  And after hearing the self-titled album, I was one of the many in the liquid pile of ‘okay this is so amazing, let’s listen to it again.’  So when I scored tickets (thanks to UCLA Radio) for the show on Sunday, October 18th at the Greek Theatre, to say I was excited is an understatement.

Indeed, the four members are great when they’re focusing on their own respective bands, but together?  They’re absolutely breath-taking.  Jim James’ sweet southern vocals mixed with the raspy voice of M. Ward and the flowing tone of Conor Oberst is enough to make any fan rejoice.  However, each member did sing a few songs from their own band(s), mixing up the setlist and uplifting the audience by playing some favorites.  An obvious crowd favorite was performed by all of Monsters of Folk, but lead by Conor Oberst, as they did their own rendition of the Bright Eyes song “At the Bottom of Everything.”  Another memorable performance was the Monsters of Folk song “Dear God,” as they all came together to remind us of what a super-group can really do.  At different parts of the night we found ourselves watching only one or two members on stage – Jim James and M. Ward, Conor Oberst and M. Ward, Conor and Jim James, or just M. Ward or Conor Oberst – for other tunes.

As if the scenery of the Greek Theatre isn’t enough, the audience was kick-back and clearly in for a good time.  Monsters of Folk gave us all about 3 hours of good folk and indie music at a place that seems ideal for a folk show.  I look forward to any shows they’ll have in the future and definitely recommend you check out their self-titled album Monsters of Folk.  Their next show will be a show you don’t want to miss.

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Produced screenwriter and professional script reader Script Doctor Eric joins Brit-Vicious, Jimmy, and Miss Honeypants in the station this Friday, October 23rd at 1pm to talk movies, screenwriting, and everything else on their show “Erotic Thriller.”

On Friday, just click “Listen Live” to tune in…yeah, the headphones.

Send your questions for Script Doctor Eric during the show via AIM (BruinRadio) or call in!

The Decemberists opened their Hazards of Love tour at Royce Hall Monday night, a show completely separate from UCLA events and happenings. I can hands down say it was the best concert that I have been to; my eyes were dry from lack of blinking. (more…)

Vh1 and its Save the Music Foundation has teamed up with Sean Kingston and DoSomething.org, a pioneer in organizing and empowering youth to take action in their communities, to promote their Save the Music Campaign. (more…)

Mos Def proves that music has no boundaries through the compilation of songs on his latest album “The Ecstatic.”

Unwilling to settle for the typical sounds of hip hop, Mos Def crosses genres, along with borders, to incorporate music from around the world. His incredible writing abilities allow him to lyrically adapt to any style of music, especially styles that wouldn’t necessarily be thought of as hip hop. (more…)

Name: DJ Unibomber

Position: New Media Director

Show Name & Time: ZOMG Radio, Wednesdays 12-2 pm

Favorite Album Discovered in the Last Week: Embryonic by the Flaming Lips

Best Concert Experience: The Mae Shi & Mika Miko in Kerckhoff Grand Salon @ UCLA

What are You Listening to Right Now?:

1.  I Can Be a Frog by The Flaming Lips
2.  Beach by Mew
3.  Make Her Say by Kid Cudi f/ Kanye West & Common
4.  The Wolf is Loose by Mastodon
5.  Hooker with a Penis by Tool

Name: Sephora Woldu

Position: Intern, Art & Design Department

Show Name & Time: All Souled Out, Fridays 6-8

Favorite Album Discovered in the Last Week: The 60’s by Capitol Gold Records

Best Concert Experience: Q-Tip @ The Mezzanine in San Francisco

What are You Listening to Right Now?:

1.  I Was Born a Loser by Alton Ellis
2.  Electric Relaxation by A Tribe Called Quest
3.  Do You Know the Way to San Jose? by Dionne Warwick
4.  Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry
5.  Make Her Say by Kid Cudi f/ Kanye West & Common

–Peter Wardell

Miss out on the last installation of Cultural Affair Commission’s Monday Night Jazz Series? Don’t worry. UCLAradio.com has your back. Here for your personal enjoyment, or sharing privileges, is a recording of what at least one person has deemed the “carnival-like debauchery” that is a Pangolin performance. Enough said. Enjoy!

As you may have heard, UCLAradio.com and the Cultural Affairs Commission have teamed up to record performances at Monday Night Jazz Series. But we haven’t stopped there. We will also be recording performances at CAC’s Eclectic Open Mic Series, which takes place in the Kerckhoff Coffee House on Wednesday nights from 7:00 to 9:00. You can access the recordings on this Blog. Aww yeah!

This past week’s event featured musical sets by Sklyer Gray and Auni, the freestylin’ talents of Alex, a spoken word performance by Sonic, and a standup routine by comedian Aristotle. And in cased you missed out, their performances are all available here for your enjoyment.

Intro

Skyler Gray

Alex

Sonic

Auni

Aristotle

Make sure to check back every week for updated posts of recordings from the Eclectic Open Mic Series.

In case you missed the great news, UCLAradio.com and the Cultural Affairs Commission are teaming up this quarter (and hopefully for many quarters to come) to document and record performances at Kerckhoff Coffee House Jazz Nights. The event takes place every Monday night from 7:00 to 9:00 and features an array of jazz performers.

While the excitement of the music is best experienced in person, you may not always have time to make every show. If you find yourself unable to attend, or maybe just want to share a particularly inspiring performance with a friend, you can now visit our Blog to listen to the show via stream in its entirety!  That’s just awesome.

This past week’s event showcased the sounds of the exciting student jazz combo Mike Greenwood & Sports. And, as promised, you can listen to their entire performance by using the player below. Enjoy!

So you’re a musician and you have a demo and you want to submit it to college radio?

That’s cool.  Do it.  Look up stations, find their address, etc.

So you haven’t heard back because the stations get a ton of stuff?  Damn, now what?

Now send it to a specific DJ.  Like me.  DJ Octoon.

(I posted about how to do this on my own blog, so instead of being repetitive, click that link.)

So send me your demo and I’ll review it, just like my blog says.  Seriously.

-DJ Octoon

PS. Here’s a funny video of Hitler.

In a blog posted on their Myspace on Monday, The Flaming Lips announced that they would be playing a concert at the Nike Montalban Theatre on October 15 (tonight) at 7 PM.  The best part is that the show is FREE!

The poster for the show promises a night of music off the band’s amazing just-released album Embryonic, autographs, smiles, and a chance to touch the band’s hair.  I don’t know about you guys, but I’m disappointed that they’re not promising a chance to get inside lead singer Wayne Coyne’s giant bubble.

The show is first come first serve, so if you want to be a part of the Flaming Lips mayhem tonight, get there early, and practice your hair touching.

–DJ Unibomber
ZOMGradio: Snubbing Miley Cyrus every Wednesday from 12-2 PM