laura gibson: beasts of seasons.

dl: LAURA GIBSON - Spirited (alt)
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Laura Gibson's latest offering is the perfect album for citizens of snowglobes. Beasts of Seasons, produced by Tucker Martine (Sufjan Stevens, The Decemberists), finds Gibson prancing through an acoustic and ethereal landscape like a less jarring, slightly less majestic Joanna Newsom. Everyone needs that one album to listen to while curled up in blankets, and you'd be damn smart to choose this as yours.

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little pictures: small voices remix.

dl: LITTLE PICTURES - This House Can Fit Us All (Small Voices remix) (alt)

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I can't really explain what's so appealing about this remix. I mean, it's not as if there's anything particularly unappealing about it. Musically, it's a little repetitive, resulting in a hypnotic haze that I just can't shake.

So without further ado, I present Small Voices with the Blogger's Choice Award in the Little Pictures remix contest. What does this mean? Bragging rights. And you get to borrow my imaginary best friend Muffy for a day.

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head like a kite: daydream vacation.

dl: HEAD LIKE A KITE f/ ASYA of SMOOSH - Daydream Vacation (alt)
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There was a hot minute in my life when Smoosh was my favorite band in existence. For the duration of that minute (which I dropped, given that it was hot), the band consisted of two pre-teen girls named Chloe and Asya. There was just something so magical about these two little girls making such glorious pop tunes. I mean, while they were recording their first full-length album, other girls their age would have been watching Lizzie McGuire. Or like, playing with power tools? Fuck gender norms y'all.*

Without my Smoosh obsession, I would have never encountered Head Like A Kite. And if I hadn't been doing research for a piece I wrote for CinemaBlend, I would never have realized that they released another album. Not only that, but this album includes yet another collaboration with Asya from Smoosh. They first joined forces for "Noisy at the Circus", a tune on HLAK's 2006 debut album Random Portraits of the Home Movie, and the follow up is the slightly darker "Daydream Vacation". I honestly can't decide which I prefer, and I hate to admit it... But I think I only really love Head Like A Kite when Asya's singing. Can't they just put her in the band? ::sigh::

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BONER TRACK: HEAD LIKE A KITE f/ ASYA of SMOOSH - Noisy At The Circus (alt)
BONER TRACK II: SMOOSH - Rad (alt)

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* I'm not saying this because girls should be able to play with power tools. I'm saying this because I watched Lizzie McGuire all the fucking time. I have this secret dream that Lalaine (Miranda Sanchez) is going to have an Emancipation of Mimi-style comeback. Remember when she tried to have a music career? Remember when her character committed suicide on a season seven episode of Buffy? Remember when she did CRYSTAL METH? My mind is blown, and I love that this post was an excuse for me to write a whole lot about motherfuckin' Lalaine Vergara-Paras. She's my favorite actress in the history of everything.

fol chen: believers.

dl: FOL CHEN - The Believers (Clifford Lidell remix) (alt)
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From the moment I first heard Fol Chen's "Cable TV", I thought I had died and gone to indie-pop heaven. So you can imagine my confusion when I received a link for the video of "The Believers". The song was much darker than what I would have expected. Especially from a band who made a song about dancing in underwear that references Janet Jackson's "When I Think Of You". The vid was extremely engaging on an aesthetic level, and the song wasn't bad... it just surprised me.

I enjoy the mystery of Fol Chen. I'm in love with a band, and I don't even know what any of them look like (I mean, if they're ugly, I totally can't like them, right?). Based on these dramatically different songs, I have no idea what their signature sound is or if they even have one. Will the album flow at all? Will I pass go and collect two-hundred dollars? I'm on the edge of my fucking seat here.

Also, why is "No Wedding Cake" so damn good even though it's so damn repetitive? I am going to lose some hairs waiting for this album to drop.

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BONER TRACK: FOL CHEN - The Believers (alt)
BONER TRACK II: FOL CHEN - Cable TV (alt)
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little pictures: remix contest extension.

The Little Pictures "This House Can Fit Us All" remix contest deadline has been extended to December 7, 2008 due to a zshare problem and a last-minute endorsement from BIGSTEREO. What do you have to lose? Nothing. What do you have to gain? A vague mystery prize! Download the original song and remix kit here.

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of montreal: skeletal lamping.

dl: OF MONTREAL - Gallery Piece (Z)

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I just copped Of Montreal's latest album Skeletal Lamping off of AmieStreet the other day, and I'm pretty in love with it. I've always had a passive love for Of Montreal, based off of a few songs I've heard here and there. I know, I know. It's a sin that this is the first album I own by them, so give me time to fucking repent and shit, ok?

Since anyone who would care about reading this post probably already has a copy of Skeletal Lamping, I've also included an older remix by Seattle's U.S.E. (United States of Electronica) who need to drop their new album, like, yesterday.

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BONER TRACK: OF MONTREAL - Requiem for OMM2 (U.S.E. remix) (Z)

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little pictures: remix contest.

dl: LITTLE PICTURES - This House Can Fit Us All (Z)

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It's been a minute or 4 million blogyears since ITMS!! has held a remix contest, so it's time to do it up big with New Zealand's electro-bedroom-pop darlings Little Pictures and their tune "This House Can Fit Us All". The rules are pretty much the same as before. Anyone is eligible, anything goes. What are you waiting for? Download the remix kit below and make some magik happen. Obviously you don't have to use everything included in the remix kit. Hell, submissions can even be covers or reinterpretations.

The rules are a bit different this time around, as the winner will be chosen by the ITMS!! team and ultimately the original musicians. Because apparently, this time around, I think democracy is overrated. A few choice runner-ups will be written up on here, and the grand prize winner will receive...

• a signed copy of Owl + Owl.
• a temporary place on Little Pictures' myspace player.
• a customized ITMS!! badoodle.
• A SPECIAL MYSTERY PRIZE!!
  

Submissions can be sent to itisthemoneyshot.info@gmail.com. Deadline is now December 7, 2008. The winner and all runner-ups will be announced in a series of posts starting in December.

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dl: LITTLE PICTURES REMIX KIT (SHAREBEE)

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azeda booth: in flesh tones.

dl: AZEDA BOOTH - Big Fists (Z - YSI)

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It's easy to forget about the sad, slow songs when it's summertime. I feel like my ears and body instinctually crave upbeat jams that correlate with the sunny weather, barbecues, and beach-time. Even if it's a cloudy day, I'm grill-less, or I get to the beach so little that I still look Casper the Friendly Ghost's first-cousin...there's some sort of innate tendency to stray away from what I like to call "indoor songs"---the slower, sadder, occasionally experimental tunes I listen to while curled up under a blanket on my couch, reading or drinking a hot cup of tea.

This explains why it's taken me so long to write about Azeda Booth's debut album In Flesh Tones, which was released on Absolutely Kosher back in late July. It's not the type of music to fit in my playlist between BMX and Passion Pit, yet it's one of the best albums that came out this summer. It just, well, shouldn't have come out this summer. The album's opening track "Ran" has managed to get a good amount of hype since the release. But if that's the only song on your iTunes, you're seriously screwing yourself. The musical arrangements paired with Jordon Hossack's scary-ass "I can't believe it's not (but) her" falsetto throw you into a forest of emotional ambiguity. I can hardly understand a word he's saying, I'm not really sure if it's all necessarily sad, and it all makes me want to bust out into some modern dance moves that incorporate a dash of delicious movement.*

This isn't an album made for shoving hot dogs and potato salad into your face, so don't let your summertime musical instincts get in the way when sampling this track. Even if you have to wait until December to grab a copy of In Flesh Tones, you won't regret the purchase.

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* I love that Eiko Otake's wikipedia entry includes this sequence of sentences: "She is teaching classes in both the dance and east asian studies departments in addition to intermittently organizing delicious movement workshops. They love to dance!" More importantly, I love Eiko Otake.

a.human: pacey singer.

dl: A.HUMAN - Pacey Singer (Z - YSI)

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A.Human are following up their first single, "Black Moon," with "Pacey Singer," another song on the Nick Cave does Depeche Mode tip. This band seems to be rapidly developing into one of those bands to chase, appealing to all points of my fifteen odd years of music fandom in some way. They're brilliant acoustic, they're good fun electric, and they're not bad in the club either. What's not to love?

Oh and hi. I used to keep an mp3 blog, back in the more formative days of all of this, that none of you ever read called Uncritical. I'm helping out Mr JJS III for a bit. I'm no kind of artist, but I'll be posting art by friends in the future.

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BONUS BEATS: A.HUMAN - Pacey Singer (Ocelot Remix) (Z - YSI)

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pink nasty: untitled dog song.

dl: PINK NASTY - Untitled Dog Song (demo) (Z - YSI)

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Miss Jackson if you're nasty? Or maybe you like it Nastia. Or maybe you should just listen to some Pink Nasty.

Sara Beck, the waffle-loving young woman who goes by the alias of Pink Nasty, has just liberated two new demos on her space. There appears to be some uncertainty about whether they'll make it onto the follow-up to her album Mold The Gold. I'm rooting for "Untitled Dog Song" to get itself a title, as well as a place on the album. Why? Because it's a song about getting drunk and buying a dog. 'Nuff said.

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josh jones: m.i.a. cover.

dl: JOSH JONES - Paper Planes (M.I.A. cover) (Z - YSI)
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When the new single from the 29-person Swedish pop group I'm From Barcelona popped up on stereogum, a lot of folks were disappointed that it wasn't a M.I.A. cover. Understandably so! The song in question, "Paper Planes", has the exact same title as what's now become dear ol' Maya Arulpragasam's first top ten hit. Up until that point, there'd been a handful of remixes of M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes", a bunch of versions with rappers hopping on the track, and a video of Rihanna doing a live cover. Surprisingly, there were no full cover versions cyber-seducing our secret lives...

That all changed over the weekend when the combined forces of The Yellow Stereo and Cable & Tweed came together to bring us a live cover by Chicago's Panda Riot. This happened to coincide with the actual panda riot that occurred this weekend in Williamsburg. Coincidence? I think not.

I don't know this Josh Jones character, but I heard his cover last week when I randomly decided to look at this guy's blog. It's so pretty that it should be in Sony Bravia commercials or some junk.

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BONER TRACK: PANDA RIOT - Paper Planes (Live M.I.A. cover) (Z - YSI)

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passion pit: audience critique.

dl: PASSION PIT - Live To Tell The Tale (Live Studio) (Z - YSI)
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Passion Pit have been getting hyped up the ass hardcore recently, and I have nothing new to say about them right now. Their show at Pianos was pretty spectacular, and I highly recommend checking them out on the 20th or 27th if you're in NYC (particularly if you like dancing in crowded rooms where no one else is dancing). Sound Bites has a review of the show, along with a video of the band performing "Sleepyhead" and "Smile Upon Me". I took a different approach to reviewing the show and took this opportunity to write my first post on AUDIENCE CRITIC.

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susan susan: 7 things (miley cyrus cover).

dl: SUSAN SUSAN - 7 Things (Miley Cyrus cover) (Z - YSI)
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Since I don't have a TV in my apartment, I occasionally like to indulge in watching some awful reality television with my parents when I'm visiting in the Jerz. This guilty pleasure reached an extreme low when I got hooked on Here Come The Newlyweds, yet it mostly results in watching a few episodes of American Idol or So You Think You Can Dance? every now and then. While Idol is essentially nothing more than a glorified karaoke contest, I enjoy watching it and debating with my father over the cultural relevance of Carrie Underwood and Fantasia Barrino. However, I was not enjoying Idol when this happened...

"Wow. That's pretty awesome. That song could be on a movie soundtrack right now. It really could. And who knows? Maybe it just will."---Paula Abdul commenting on David Cook's cover of Mariah Carey's "Always Be My Baby"

This is the performance she was commenting on. BLECK! But while we're on the subject of cover songs that could appear on movie soundtracks, let's talk about Denver duo Susan Susan's cover of Miley Cyrus tune "7 Things". Oh sure, it's not like this cover could pop up in an episode of Grey's Anatomy, but I have a very clear image of an imaginary (kind of lame) indie movie with Jena Malone in it. She plays an emotionally unstable teenager, and in this particular scene she is riding a red bicycle down a country road after a particularly embarrassing encounter with her love interest. The song stops when her bike crashes, and as she's lying on the ground she experiences some sort of epiphany on the depth of life. Then she cries and shit.

You see, I had a total crush on The Mae Shi's cover of the awesomely self-referential Cyrus jam "See You Again", but it seemed too self-aware that it's an ironic indie cover. I can't quite tell how sincere dear ol' Billy and Lindsay's "7 Things" cover is, but as trite and Paula Abdul as this sounds---they really make the song their own without throwing away too many aspects of the original, right down to the introductory "Sha"s. They manage to take a bratty tween love anthem and turn it into something quirky but not quirky-annoying. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, they bring out a brief vocal mash-up with Carly Simon's "You're So Vain", likely referencing Nick Jonas. Maybe I'm just being Miley. Or maybe this is awesome.

The cover was created for the Denver Show & Tell Project, in which a pool of Denver "bands/musicians/noise makers/friends" come together to make songs within certain guidelines. I believe July's theme must have been to cover a top 10 pop song, as you can listen on the page to Denver locals' reinterpretations of Rihanna, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Natasha Bedingfield, Leona Lewis, and Usher. This months theme is "collaboration song", and Susan Susan appears to be on board to contribute once again. Apparently they're sort of obligated to contribute because they created it. But as they say "not obligated in a bad way, because it's fun". If you're in Denver and happen to make sounds with your mouth or instruments, you should experience such fun!

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eureka gold: belly full of wine.

dl: EUREKA GOLD - Belly Full Of Wine (YSI)
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I began to have a total music crush on Eureka Gold in January 2007. This was back in the days when bands could only have four songs on their space pages, and I decided that they were "one of my favorite new bands" based solely on those four songs ("Just North", "Over Mountain", "Lovely Lovely", and "Peter Oh"). It's quite possible that this decision was made because I have always had this odd desire to run away to Nashville, TN. I've never been this fond of any other Nashville band, so it's likely that this isn't the case.

For the longest time, there was no digital method of getting a copy of their self-titled debut(?) album. In hopes of obtaining a physical copy, a few attempts were made to message the band asking for one. They failed miserably. Good things come to those who wait? The album is now available on Amie Street, currently priced at $2.30. If you're unfamiliar with Amie Street, songs are initially offered as free and rise in price up to 98 cents based on their popularity. It's a rather lovely system, and my only complaint is that I have trouble finding new tunes (recommendations would be appreciated). Okay. So that's not my only complaint. Ashley Alexandra Dupre somehow holds the number one and two spots on the All Time R&B charts. That's just the opposite of cute.

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little pictures: owl + owl.

dl: LITTLE PICTURES - Owl + Owl (YSI)
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It took me less than thirty seconds to realize that I was in love with Little Pictures. No joke. Shortly after opening their page on the space, I already started typing an e-mail to request to hear their album Owl + Owl. Electro bedroom pop from New Zealand with male/female vocals? "Sign me up!" I said. Though it took less than a day for me to receive the whole album, it sure felt like forever. I was craving these tunes like crackheads crave...um, crack. I was craving these tunes so much that I couldn't even come up with a proper simile to identify my cravings! Now that I have the album perhaps I can try once more, eh?

These tunes are as cute and awesome as...

• babies falling down and laughing about it.
• cleaning out your closet and finding a "do you like me?" note from fifth grade (on which someone circled "yes").
• a panda sneezing.
• baby lions.
• children in colored bear-costumes dancing (or not dancing) on a stage.
• an old couple holding hands.
• a duckling, turle, and guinea pig helping a puppy open his doggy door so it can take a wee-wee. (BEST SHOW EVAH)
  

Phew! That's all I got right now. Perhaps you can come up with something better? I know I can't beat the quote on their space---"Little Pictures make me happier then a sweater with 50 penguins on it." Damn that's cute!

An hour or so ago, I started choreographing a dance to the "Owl + Owl" chorus. I should probably mention that I was doing this in the sixteenth floor bathroom of my office building. Someone is going to walk in one day when I do this kind of shit, but my embarrassment will be alleviated by the glory of owning a copy of Owl + Owl. You should own a copy too! You know, just in case you need to alleviate the embarrassment of someone catching you choreographing dances in a public bathroom. Ha...ha? I'm not the only person that happens to, right? Anyone? Anyone?

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BONER TRACK: LITTLE PICTURES - Tiny Gaps (YSI)
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port o'brien: move bitch.

dl: PORT O'BRIEN - Move Bitch (Ludacris cover) (YSI)
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Back in December 2006, I fell in love with Port O'Brien's cover of "My Humps". This was prior to Alanis Morissette's viral cover video (probably the most amazing thing Alanis Morrissette she's done since Jagged Little Pill), so the novelty of a Black Eyed Peas cover was still fresh. Beyond that, their cover was tons more enjoyable to listen to than the Alanis version, though admittedly not as funny.

Well, the band decided to one-up itself. As promotion for their latest album All We Could Do Was Sing, they've recently provided a download of their cover of the Ludacris jam "Move Bitch". It appears that this cover has been a live favorite for over a year. It takes some of the best portions of Luda, I-20, and Mystikal's individual verses, though I'm still a little sad that they left out my favorite, very poetic line---" Oh, Oh, wassup? Gettin' my dick sucked, what are yoouu doin'?" At least the shouty tone of Port O'Brien's third verse matches the craziness of Mystikal, eh?

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boner4mgmt: part four, 2006-2008 + bonus.

Welcome back to BONER4MGMT. If you're just joining us, you can catch up by checking out the last three posts about 2003, 2004, and 2005. I decided to combine the following three years into one post for two simple reasons. First, between 2006 to 2008, I slowly watched the band MGMT grow into something I never expected when I first heard them five years ago as The Management. Between tracks from Oracular Spectacular, Immuzikation's mash-ups with Daft Punk & LCD Soundsystem, remixes by Justice & MMMathais & Leif & J-La & Tronik Youth & Jorge Elbrecht & Amplive, and their own remixes of The Black Kids & Chairlift, the band maintains a consistent presence in the upper ranks of Hype Machine's Most Blogged & Most Searched Artists. Which leads me to my second reason, being that I'd like to take a break from contributing to the over-saturation of MGMT on the interwebs. I'd like to focus on bands, musicians, and DJs who actually need some extra attention. Other blogs will give you your MGMT fix, and I'm pretty sure this post will be a substantial contribution to the world of your MGMT obsession...

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Various versions of "Kids" have been posted on other blogs, but I've realized that no one has ever included all versions in one post. This post is purely for educational purposes, because studying MGMT is probably more interesting than studying the metaphysics of objectivity. Probably.

[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Kids (YSI)]]
(original version, circa 2003)

As indicated in my first edition of BONER4MGMT, this was the first song I ever heard by The Management. Yes, back then they were The Management. This version is synthier, lazier, and dominated four years of my life. It's basically what you'd expect from two kids who started a band in their dorm room, only substantially more awesome. I still prefer this over any version. Well, actually I prefer this one...

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[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Kids (Afterschool Dance Megamix) (YSI)]]
(circa 2003)

Generally, I prefer songs that are shorter. But the extra minute of the "Afterschool Dance Megamix", mostly an instrumental break, provided a great point in the song to stop singing along and start moving deliciously before delicious movement was cool.

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[[dl: MGMT - Kids (YSI)]]
(Time To Pretend EP, 2005)

I remember a conversation I had with my friend Collin a little over a year and a half ago. We had a minor quarrel over which version of "Kids" was the best---the original or the version on the Time To Pretend EP. You can probably guess which side I was on, solely by looking above. Collin argued that the EP's version was superior because MGMT sounded "like they're going places." When he said this, I don't think he knew how prophetic his words would be. At the point of this conversation, I believe MGMT had just been signed to Columbia Records (after Steve Lillywhite and Three Six Mafia (!!??) flipped a shit upon hearing their demo). This version was released by Cantora Records in 2005, back when the only band they represented was MGMT.

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[[dl: MGMT - Kids (YSI)]]
(Oracular Spectacular, 2007)

The sounds on Oracular Spectacular are bigger than anything previously recorded by MGMT, which is to be expected from a major label debut, eh? This shit is drastic like when Tyra Banks decides to cut off all of some girl's hair on ANTM and that girl cries like a motherfucker, only with less crying.

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Also, compare both versions of "Time To Pretend":

[[dl: MGMT - Time To Pretend (YSI)]]
(Time To Pretend EP, 2005)

[[dl: MGMT - Time To Pretend (YSI)]]
(Oracular Spectacular, 2007)

This is the sound of a band that is going places, a band that is continuing to grow. Quite frankly, it makes me uncomfortable. I remember making a mix CD for a party with my friends back at home. I put on "Kids", hoping that they'd lap it up as much as anyone at Wesleyan, but instead their reaction was more along the lines of, "What the fuck is this?" Flash forward eight years, and MGMT are playing on the season finale of Gossip Girl. Blair Waldorf totally wouldn't even listen to The Management, though I bet she might listen to MGMT. But that's not my issue! I don't care if they "sold out". I don't care if they're "over-hyped". I don't care if they just "sound okay and look kute". It sounds childish, but I have difficulty sharing the band with the world. They were like my own little secret. Before, it was just typical to say that you liked MGMT if you went to Wesleyan University. Now, it's just generally typical to say you like MGMT. ::sigh::

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Obnoxious rants aside, many of you have requested more unreleased/rare songs from MGMT. Considering that I don't imagine dropping these songs onto the internet will necessarily harm the band, I don't feel unethical sharing them.

[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Love Always Remains (YSI)]]
(We (Don't) Care EP, circa 2003)

Other than "Kids", the only other song that survived from the era of The Management to the era of MGMT is "Love Always Remains". It appears on the Time To Pretend EP, but unlike "Kids" it did not make it onto Oracular Spectacular. The EP's version has a fuller sound than this one, so...um, buy the EP!

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[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Everything Is Happening So Fast (YSI)]]
(We (Don't) Care EP, circa 2003)

This song, along with the EP's two title tracks and "Just Becuz", was not fortunate enough to survive into the era of MGMT. It's admittedly not my favorite tune, but I do have a soft spot for that bouncy cartoonish feel.

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[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Honey Bunny (YSI)]]

(Bootlegs Muthafuckas, circa 2003)

I never got into "Honey Bunny", but after listening to it the past couple of days, I found myself tapping my foot and singing the lyrics in a public bathroom today..."Fucking weasel you've lost your touch, Skinny as hell but it's not enough, Life is a mineshaft of love, But don't dig too deep." I really hope no one heard me singing that.

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[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Portia Sloan (YSI)]]

(Bootlegs Muthafuckas, circa 2003)

I still don't get into this song, but I think it's a good indication of the weird thoughts that go through the minds of dear ol' Andrew and Ben. If four-winged dinosaurs are your thing, maybe you can get down to this?

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THE END, MUTHAFUCKAS.
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boner4mgmt: part three, 2005.

HIPSTER RUNOFF has proven to me that it's "a blog worth blogging about" with the recent post "Bands that Sound Okay and Look Cute are destined for big things". And since I must be an "uninteresting person who likes to be into alt music", I am going to continue perpetuating the MGMT hype with the third installment of my series BONER4MGMT. We began in 2003 when "Kids" first hit my ears, moving on to 2004's dance parties and interpretative movements. And so begins 2005.

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In the spring of 2005, I enrolled in a class called Hazardous Earth: Stuff That Will Kill You. It was the sort of science class with a funny name that Wesleyan created for people who don't really care about science. There were two sections of the class, and when we presented our final posters I recall attending the session for the other section due to a conflict. I lugged my whack-ass poster about Santorini to the science center, sat through a bunch of boring presentations, and then two guys got up with nothing but an iPod and speakers. One of these guys was Andrew VanWyngarden of The Management.

[[dl: ANDREW VANWYNGARDEN (OF MGMT) & ETHAN LEINWAND - Supervolcano (YSI)]]

Our professor loved the song so much that he played it for my section of the class. I loved the song so much that I was determined to make it a dance-party hit, taking action by including it in an epic end-of-the-year post on the blog I wrote for at the time. And it worked to some degree! As I was jamming at the house party of an individual who will be labeled as "Adam", the song somehow found it's way onto the playlist. As it played, Andrew VanWyngarden entered the party. In my head, he gave me a look. I don't recall if this was a look of acknowledgment or a dirty look. Maybe he didn't look at me at all.

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As a final music thesis project, The Management performed in Wesleyan University's Memorial Chapel. While I'm not sure why I missed this show, I did manage to catch them another time. My friends and I arrived together, but parted our separate ways for most of the party. As soon as "Kids" started playing, it was as if we Kitty-Pride'd ourselves through the crowd to form a circle. Then we jumped a lot and were very excited.

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Some time in 2005, The Management changed their name to MGMT. According to sources, the Time To Pretend EP was released on January 1, 2005. This is pretty much inaccurate as far as I remember. The band toured with Of Montreal summer and fall of 2005, and the debut of the music video for "Boogie Down" came in early November. A little less than a month after the debut of "Boogie Down", the video for "Destrokk" showed up.

[[dl: MGMT - Destrokk (YSI)]]

Around the time that the band started touring with Of Montreal, I desperately tried to pitch "Kids" to a number of blogs including You Ain't No Picasso. Just sayin'. Despite the fact that "Kids" is dominating on blogs these days, it apparently wasn't good enough back then!

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boner4mgmt: part two, 2004.

For those just joining us, I am recounting my history with MGMT. At this point, we are at 2004. The band is still called The Management. To catch up, check part one here.

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In my first year of college, I often misheard statements in the way the "telephone" game works. This became a problem in some instances, such as the time I was convinced that my student assembly rival slept with the entirety of Yale's swim team. As a supplement to this girl's awfulness, I would often bring up this "fact" when ranting to friends. And after recounting this rumor to the person who I thought told me it, I discovered that the person who apparently slept with the entirety of Yale's swim team was allegedly Jenna Bush.*

This sort of thing also happened while I was pledging a certain co-ed literary society. One of the members of this society was named Ben, and he wrote for a notable geektastic website. I'm almost positive that someone told me that this "Ben" character was also a member of The Management. I got really excited about being in the same society as one of the guys who made "Kids", and I don't remember if I was disappointed or embarrassed to discover that this "Ben" wasn't Ben Goldwasser. I knew this guy's last name, but I didn't know that the "Ben" in The Management was named Ben Goldwasser. To make matters worse, The Management were heavily affiliated with the rival co-ed society across the street.

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In fall 2004, my newly sophomore self was introduced to the folks in a wonderful apartment known as "B2". This apartment would become a second home for me, a land of theme parties, a couch to sleep on, and most importantly...dance parties. There was a sign stating that B2's living-room was a "No 'Hey Ya!' Zone", but jams like "Toxic" and "Kids" blared through the speakers on any given Saturday night.

I have a visual in my head of two friends doing an interpretative dance to "Kids". It was to the lyric "A baby is born...crying out for attention". One friend acted as the baby. The other one was a vagina birthing him. It was a very deep and interesting interpretative dance, and I hope that anyone reading this gets it. The dance went on for six minutes and seven seconds, because anyone who was anyone knew that the Afterschool Dance Megamix of "Kids" was the only version to play at a dance party.

One of the lovely ladies of B2, Katey, once pondered with me which song had the potential to be the next "Kids" on campus. We may have even concocted devious plots to infiltrate the dance party scene and make this song the next hit by The Management. Unfortunately, we never agreed on which song would be our hit. I rooted hard for "Just Becuz", but she pushed even harder for "We Care". Or was it "We Don't Care"? My memory on this matter is foggy.

[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - We Care (YSI)]]
[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - We Don't Care (YSI)]]

So 2004 certainly isn't the most exciting year. Stay tuned for 2005, which marks my first time seeing the band live, a science project gone awesome, and the introduction of "MGMT".

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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - HYPE IT - WIK IT -

* In hopes that Daddy Bush won't claim war on this blog, I want to say now that there's no way this rumor was true. I mean, the whole swim team? At YALE? Seriously? This could never have happened, as there's no way that the majority of them weren't gay.

boner4mgmt: part one, 2003.

I originally intended for this to be a huge post dedicated to my eternal, undying love of MGMT. I've now decided to break it up into a daily series (by year) starting with 2003. I realize that MGMT are a big deal right now, but this series isn't a ploy to get hits to this blog. It's precisely because of MGMT being a big deal that I've realized this long history we have together, despite the fact that I've never had a conversation with either of the original members. So bear with me through this unnecessary introduction, as I chronicle my life with The Management. Er...I mean, MGMT.

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Prior to attending college, I was on AIM talking to another prospective student. It was the standard pre-college chit-chat. What dorm do you want to live in? OMG, let's party so much together when we get to school! Were you early decision too?...What kind of music do you like?

I paused. This is the sort of question that trips you up as a teenager. You want to stay true to yourself, while also citing some artist who makes you seem really cool. And you don't want to be that tool who says something like, "Hehe, ne-thing but country!!" Or you're just me. And you simply say..."I'm really into emo." Lame. And then the person you're talking to says, "Oh, like Modest Mouse?" If she could see your face upon asking this, you'd probably be blushing because your favorite albums at this point are by Dashboard Confessional and Something Corporate. You have no idea who she's talking about, but play it cool by saying, "Oh, I've never heard of them. Can you send me one of their songs?"

Oh my god, I’ve gotta gotta gotta gotta move on
Where do you move when what you’re moving from
Is yourself?

Her away message would occasionally read this way, a lyric from "Neverending Math Equation". Knowing the reference made you feel like you were in the know. But you had so much more to learn...

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Within the first couple of weeks of college, I found myself sitting in a girl named Janine's room. We were already friends in the sense that we lived in the same dorm and once encountered a rollerblading asexual together. It was in her room that I would first hear the word "hipster", a word that five years later would ironically be used by outsiders to label my existence. It was in her room that I would first hear the sounds of Ben Gibbard's voice, and do interpretative dances to "Such Great Heights". And it was in her room that I would first hear The Management.

[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Kids (original version) (YSI)]]

The moment the song hit my ears, I was in love. It was unlike anything I heard before, which may not be saying much given how ignorant my ears were at that point. My memory of that day is a little hazey, but in my head I scurried back to my room and immediately acquired any recordings by this mysterious campus band. I then proceeded to have my first ever private one-man dance-party with "Kids", the first of many.

And then there was "We Care", "We Don't Care", "Hot Love Drama", "Money To Burn", and most importantly--"Just Becuz". While it never seemed to be the preferred song of most connoisseurs of The Management, I latched onto this song. The entire school may have been united in loving "Kids", and whether it makes sense or not..."Just Becuz" was my own personal "Kids".

[[dl: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Just Becuz (YSI)]]

The rest of my 2003 experience with The Management would include consistently misquoting the lyrics to "Kids" while drunk at parties. Kissedaguy.com style!

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BONER TRACK: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Hot Love Drama (YSI)
DOUBLE BONER TRACK: THE MANAGEMENT (MGMT) - Money To Burn (YSI)

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- BUY IT - SITE IT - SPACE IT - HYPE IT - WIK IT -