Erik Burg

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One Week Only: Joy Division

Posted in Video with tags Documentary, Ian Curtis, Joy Division, pitchfork on Monday, January 19, 2009 by Erik Burg

joy-division-doc As some of you might be aware of, Pitchfork Media has their own internet t.v. station called, well, pitchfork.tv. The station runs various live concerts, music videos, interviews and the such as you might expect, but one cool feature of the site is that it streams different movies or documentaries each week. The segment is called “One Week Only” (the creative guys over at p4k don’t seem to be too creative lately) and like I mentioned, it actually shows some pretty cool movies. This week though, One Week Only has hit its peak, premiering the wonderful documentary “Joy Division.” I’ll keep on pace with the whole not creative thing and point out that the title of the movie is exactly what the movie is about. The documentary follows the rise and fall of one of the greatest and most influential bands of all time, Joy Division, and the beyond crazy antics and visions of lead singer Ian Curtis.

This documentary has been critically acclaimed and I certainly found out why when I watched it. There are countless interviews from the members, managers, and everyone seemingly ever involved. There are of course rare live video footage and images that are able to keep the documentary flowing and keep the viewer interested, because let’s face it, documentaries always get a little dry. So yeah, give it a shot and see what this segment and Joy Division are all about. Enjoy!

home page : Pitchfork.tv

One Week Only : Joy Division

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Flight of the Concords to release new song every week

Posted in News with tags cold, flight of the conchords, HBO, mp3, new zealand, television on Thursday, January 15, 2009 by Erik Burg

Can’t wait to get your hands all over the new Flight of the Concords mp3s every sunday after their new episodes? Well during Season 2 each Monday after the episode airs, the duo will release the songs from that episode on iTunes for download. A nice gift to go along with the new episodes I’d say.

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fofthec

So no complaints here, I’ll definitely be rocking out every Monday to the sweet sounds of hilarious parody-folk, and I hope you will be too. If you haven’t streamed the first episode of Season 2 yet you’re missing out, lucky for you the site is still streaming it here.

Go and indulge yourself, I have about three times now thanks to this damned Minnesota winter. Can you say Cabin Fever?? Well, I can.

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Hot Track: “Preservation”

Posted in Downloads with tags Aesop Rock, Del the funky homosapien, eminem, mp3, Wu-Tang on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 by Erik Burg

I was first tipped off on this track by the fine people over at our Minnesota counterpart Culture Bully, and I couldn’t be thankful enough. As their article states, the beat from this Aesop Rock and Del the Funky Homosapian collaboration is the foundation for the new Eminem track that’s recently leaked and been floating around the world of all things Marshall Mathers for a few weeks now. I’m not ready to give any new Eminem a listen to until it’s finished on the production line, so I’ll just get a quick word in on the beat instead. “Preservation” comes from some Wu-Tang material in 2005, but I’m just hearing it now for the first time. And if you’re in the same boat as I was and have enjoyed any past material from either of the artists you need to give this track a spin, I mean, it’s the only track that I’ve played in the last week from an artist without a fake name or mask (animal collective). The two collaborators work together perfectly and create a track that not only flows better vocally than 90% of rap out there, but the piano key sample in the background is absolute fire. Not much else to say about it, other than I highly suggest it for anybody interested in anything hip-hop. Until next time, enjoy!

Mr. Del The Funky in all his close-up glory

mp3: Aesop Rock and Del The Funky Homosapian – “Preservation”

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Review: Los Campesinos!, We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed

Posted in Music Reviews with tags Indie, Los Campesinos, mp3, pop, Review, wales, we are beautiful we are doomed on Monday, January 12, 2009 by Erik Burg

lc_-_wearebeautifulwearedoomed Los Campesinos! new album “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” is an exciting and fun album from a group whose initial LP “Hold On Now, Youngster” was a let down after a series of excellent EPs. The six family members from Wales, all bearing the awesome last name of Campesinos, rebound extremely well on this LP thanks to the title track and other heartfelt songs of typical indie pop noir. Though lyrically and idealogically (sic) typical of what you might expect from this type of music, Los Campesinos! continues to be unique in the way their vocals are presented and executed.

In line with all of their other releases, the band utilizes two vocalists equally on every track; one guy and one girl. There are certainly other groups out there that track vocals in the same sort of manor (see dirty projectors or fiery furnaces) but it’s the way Los Campesinos! present their lyrics through this unique format. Many if not all of their songs touch on love, sex, and any or all topics surrounding subjects, so using the vocals of opposite sexes allows for story telling and funny lyrical quips to be a strong asset for the group.

The title track from “We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed” is not only the most stellar of all the tracks on the album, it plays perfectly well into what I was just describing. You can guess for yourself what the topic of the song is all about, but even though it seems cliched and over-done. The group makes silly teen love and depression a fun topic again. Yes, I do realize that last statement is ridiculous. But as I mentioned, the two view points of the guy and the girl are presented in a way that is interesting and fun enough to make this track one of the most heartfelt and enjoyable tracks floating around right now. The harmonies created by the vocal duo make for a triumphant crescendo at the end of the track and really set the tone for the entire album. The best example of this type of music is displayed perfectly well near the end of the track, as the music builds the two vocalists shout at the same time “We kid ourselves there’s future in this fucking, but there is no fucking future!”

If you’ve heard anything from Los Campesinos! in the past you have a pretty good idea of what to expect, but it’s a great thing to hear them return to their sound on their first two EPs instead of the obviously over-produced “Hold On Now, Youngster.” The fun-loving kids from Wales deliver a stellar sophomore album (not many times do you hear that, ha) and will without a doubt expand their already growing fan base with this album.

Check ‘Em Out: mp3s “You! Me! Dancing!” “C Is The Heavenly Option”

8.2/10

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Merriweather Post Pavillion Influence Mixtape

Posted in Downloads with tags animal collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion, mixtape, mp3, rare on Monday, January 12, 2009 by Erik Burg

Wondering where Animal Collective got their ideas for one of the best albums released in the past few years? Maybe you just want to know what’s on Panda or Avey’s iPod? Well look no further friends, because an eight track Mixtape was recently released for your listening pleasure. Initially created for customers who pre-ordered the January 20th CD release of Merriweather, copys have been making their way around the web all day as recipiants of the “rare and limited” tapes have been spreading the word about how much AC apparently loves Erykah Badu.

I’m anxious to give this mix a listen to not only because I’ve heard of only a few names on the list but also because of the way AC draws upon so many different sources to create their amazing music. Too bad I’m stuck in class right now, but oh well. Maybe if I get ambitious I’ll get a review up, but for now I’ll let you be the judge.

Rough Trade exclusive: Animal Collective Merriweather Post Pavillion Pavillion mixtape

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Review: Animal Collective, Merriweather Post Pavillion

Posted in Music Reviews with tags 2009, animal collective, Best, Downloads, freak folk, Girls, Merriweather Post Pavillion, mp3, Panda Bear, pop, Psychedelic, Review on Thursday, January 8, 2009 by Erik Burg

Pretty Much Amazing: “Take the time to really listen and understand what direction Animal Collective is trying to go. If you do, I think you’ll find a band you can really get behind: A band that makes music for music lovers.”

Pitchfork: “Although it will be tagged as Animal Collective’s “pop” album, Merriweather Post Pavilionremains drenched in their idiosyncratic sound, a record that no one else could have made.” “But Merriweather feels like a joyous meeting in a well-earned, middle place– the result of all their explorations pieced together to create something accessible and complete.”

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Not much has been left unsaid about Animal Collective’s newest album Merriweather Post Pavillion. Those two quotes above give a fine example of the kind of perfection and praise that this album is receiving, and has been receiving for weeks now.

My personal history with Animal Collective has been a bit rocky, I have to admit. At first I hated the group for their music, it was just so weird and different and felt so disjointed upon first look, but when I took the time to listen to an album all the way through it became quite apparent that they truly were making music for music lovers. And Merriweather is no different, an album steeped in more harmonious vocals and musical clarity than any of their other works, this disc is one of the most impressive I’ve heard in a very long time.

Tracks like “My Girls” and “Brother Sport” are monstrous songs that will catch you by surprise if you’ve never listened to Animal Collective before. As the P4K reviewer said, this disc is certainly their “pop” album, and that’s why it has so much potential. “My Girls” is their most accessible track to date, but that’s not to take away from it because it’s probably going to go down as their finest track ever laid down as well. “Brother Sport” reminds listeners of AC member Panda Bear’s incredible album Person Pitch released in 2007.

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It really would be easy to go on about Merriweather for thousands of words, but there would be no reason, because like any other Animal Collective album this just has to be heard and an opinion formed on your own, not through reading this review or another number of the thousands now out there. All I can say fro sure is that this is AC’s best album, most accessible album for first time listeners, and and album that will be talked about for years to come.

9 9.5 10/10

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January 2009 Playlist

Posted in Downloads with tags El Guincho, Evidence, Hercules and Love Affair, January, Kurtis Blow, LA Riots, mp3, P.O.S., Playlist, The Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, The Scanners on Saturday, January 3, 2009 by Erik Burg

These are breaks. Break it up BREAK it up BREAK IT UP!

Hello again boys and girls, it’s that time of the month again (no…not that time) for a nice little playlist to get you through these treacherous winter months here in the midwest. There’s no real flow to this thing, so it’s not a playlist as much as it is just tracks together in one spot that I’ve had on repeat lately. I suggest them all, of course, so if you’re bored or just looking for some new material to get into give these a peek. Hope you all enjoy! xoxo Erik

The Black Keys – “The Lengths”

Kurtis Blow – “The Breaks”

El Guincho – “Antillas”

Hercules and Love Affair – “Raise Me Up”

The Arcade Fire – “Cold Wind”

Evidence – “For Whom The Bell Tolls”

P.O.S. – “Goodbye”

The Scanners – “Lowlife (LA Riots Remix)”

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Hello 2009

Posted in Music News with tags 2008, 2009, animal collective, anticipation, avey tarre, geologist, mp3, Music, Panda Bear, resolutions on Thursday, January 1, 2009 by Erik Burg

: Their live show in ’08 was my high point, and their new album is shaping up to be my ’09 highlight too

It’s that time of year again, for a new year. And good thing too, I personally am beyond ready to put 2008 behind me, but what should I be looking forward too? Not sure really, resolutions? a “fresh” start? Obama? All of the above I suppose, but let’s face it, nobody sticks to their resolution (let me be the first to admit that I already ruined mine) and that whole “fresh” start thing is just lame.
2009 has started off pretty well for me (minus the whole resolution thing). I mean, the first two hours of the year was spent dancing to Hercules and Love Affair and then having a drink with the man himself. So maybe I should look forward to the new musical horizons. Yeah…there we go, music. And what better way to celebrate the first New Music Tuesday than with a stellar release from musical geniuses Animal Collective, their new release Merriweather Post Pavillion, which recently leaked, is shaping up to be one of their strongest releases to date.
So how about that, great music to jump start 2009 and hopefully pave the way for a year that’s much better, to me at leas,t than last year was. I’ll have a full review of Merriweather up as soon it hits shelves officially on the 6th, until then enjoy this new track. Happy New Year!

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A once in a lifetime news years party…

Posted in Music News with tags dance, Disco, Electronica, fun, Hercules and Love Affair, new years, party on Tuesday, December 30, 2008 by Erik Burg

…Well, if you’re into dancing your ass off and retro-disco music that is. New comers to Minneapolis, but far from new comers to the dance floors, Hercules and Love Affair will be headlining a spectacular new years eve blowout party at The Loft in downtown Minneapolis. The show also features sets from hip-hop DJ Klever and Le Castle Vania, who’s described as “stroboscopic sleaze-pop that sparkles and shines like Champagne at an orgy” by URB. Along with those three spectacular guests is So Gold who will be performing live, and who’s material I’ve just recently gotten into thanks to The Stay Spun. It’s all hosted my the Moon Goons so it’s sure to have a Minneapolis groove to it all.
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It’s hard to praise Hercules and Love Affair anymore than I already have, but it’s true, Andrew Butler is an absolute mastermind on the tables, just go listen to his various Beats In Space sets to see what I mean. And like I said, this is certainly a once in a lifetime chance to see Hercules shake their groove thang. The group never toured anywhere near here in support of their self-titled album (which took years to produce so don’t expect anything new for a while) so I wouldn’t expect to see Butler back here anytime time soon, if ever again.
So yeah, get your ass on the floor at The Loft on new years, enough said bitches. hope to see you there!!!

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Cool Cover: Spoon – “Decora” (Yo La Tengo Cover)

Posted in Music News with tags Brit Daniel, mp3, new, Spoon, Yo La Tengo on Tuesday, December 23, 2008 by Erik Burg

What’s not to love? Two heavyweights of the music industry and two bands that have expansive catalogues going back into the ’90s, one covers the other and what do we have? a really nice track to tide all those Spoon fans out their until their next album. While I’ve never been a huge Tengo fan, I’ve always appreciated what they’ve done fro music and how successful they are, but Spoon is certainly without argument one of the greatest bands of the indie circuit of all time, and I’m hoping for great things from them on the heel’s of 2007’s impressive Ga Ga Ga Ga.

There have been some live bootlegs of new Spoon material floating around the blogosphere for a while now, but this the first studio track I’ve come across. You can pretty predict what the song’s going to sound like, Spoon’s style has been pretty solid for a few albums now, and this track doesn’t venture from that. Have a listen for yourself, Brit and the crew deliver once again, but then again, everything from these guys seems to be golden.