One music board in particular used to have lots of fun with that last question, making threads not about the album, just the woman’s head on the front cover. The front page of most recent posts would be filled with pictures of the album cover and occasionally Jeff Mangum. Now that we can look under the drum and see the true face of the front cover, the mystery is gone. It probably won’t do much to Mangum or NMH’s future plans, and some fans might remain unaware of the discovery. Now there are new questions about the message on the back of the postcard, as well as about the other postcards in the set. As I was online at the time of the discovery, it was pretty entertaining to see some of the reactions to the reveal, the  theories behind why the face was covered up with the drum in the first place, and the discovery of a whole set of related postcards. I mean, NMH could have a whole slew of potential new album covers, just waiting for a drum to be placed over some faces. Now we just need new tracks to go with them. Make it happen Jeff.

Die Antwoord is hitting the states with their new album Ten$ion. Late night stop: Letterman? Anyone else feel way too uncomfortable?

// Yolandi, have my babies.

Get in your way-back machines for a visit to the mid-2000s. Back then there was a heavy metal band called “The Darkness” that was an incredibly spot-on ironic tribute to the metal bands of the seventies. They had a strong hit with “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” that was featured in that one movie where Elisha Cuthbert plays a porn star before her career was exposed to too much sunlight and promptly crumbled into dust (who would have thought it would be so trashy?). Then, after a not-so-great second album, much like the 70s metal bands they were portraying, The Darkness split up when their lead singer had a totally unironic run-in with cocaine addiction.

But now Justin Hawkins (that lead singer) is out of rehab and has reunited with the other three original members of the band: brother Dan, Ed Graham, Frankie Poullain to release a third album, of which the above video is the first single to come off it.

Rock on.

(via The A.V. Club)

Jeff “God” Mangum will be playing a show in Dublin on March 7th. The show is and has been, of course, sold out for months (since he postponed the show last November). There is a .00000003% chance that if I go into Dublin at 6AM the day of the show and stand outside of the venue, I might be able to score a scalped ticket for upwards of 50 Euro. Which is like $75.

I know exactly what you are thinking HJ’s. Sell your clothes, sell your Mac, sell your engraved candlesticks given to you by your Bubbe, but for G-dsakes get to that concert.

Here’s the thing though: I was planning on going to Poland to take a Holocaust Tour and pay my respects. Which is going to cost not too much more than 50 Euro, what with their Zloty being the equivalent of pig-shit.

I am completely stymied as to my course of action. This is truly a case for HipsterJew. Follow Our Reverend Father Mangum and probably weep from happiness, or go to Poland and just weep?

I’ll try Anne, I’ll try

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post’s poll.

(Click Below for Song)

Most people are thinking “How bad could it be if before, he had 95%?”. It’ll be interesting to hear a 100% Jack White record, though I’d rather he hire Zack Starkey and Pino Palladino as a backing band then do an album of T-Bone Walker and Lightning Hopkins covers. But that’s just me. ‘Cause I know the Black Keys are sadly past their Delta cover days.

Here’s a game changer: this turntable will take a cross-section of a tree trunk and turn it into music.  I can hear it now. “Yeah, I listen to tree-core. It’s a genre that you’ve probably never heard of.” I mean, the music made is unique to the tree it’s taken from. That’s hipster as fuck.

And since it’s actually an art exhibition, this isn’t exactly for commercial sale. Yet another way to make yourself feel superior about owning one of these. You’d probably have to know the artist personally. The needle probably needs a custom replacement worth a compact car, but what’s the big deal? That’s what trust funds are for.

I’m sure everyone else knew that Pumped Up Kicks was about shooting people back when the song first came out.

But no. I had to wait until it was on the radio for almost nine months to find out what it was actually about.  A baby has been born since the first time I heard that song.

It’s probably also a much cooler baby than I will ever be.

And I never knew.

Also, how effed up is it that the songwriter is trying to justify this junk? Does he think if he claims some sort of compassionate reasoning will make it less messed up that he’s writing extra violent song lyrics to a song with a tune that makes me want to DANCE, dammit!  “The song’s about isolation, being an outcast, and seeing the world through the character’s eyes. It’s not about him actually physically going and doing anything, it’s about his mental state,” he says. I don’t think he doesn’t understand that this argument isn’t enough. He must not realize that this is an offensive thing? OR does he just not care? He has fooled us all into enjoying the catchy tune but we shouldn’t. It’s like dancing to the Mourner’s Kaddish.

I felt bad for liking the song already because it was mainstream, and now I have even MORE reason to feel that I shouldn’t have feelings for it… I mean enjoy listening to it.

Which, in essence, makes it the perfect song for me. Something I can feel guilt for liking? SIGN ME UP! Bring on the shiksah men! OH…er..umm I mean Foster the People. Not men. That’s not what I’m talking about right now.

Oh. Dear. God.

And just like that, music made in 2012 > music made in 2011. Shit, that was quick.

// My Old Kentucky Blog

Well, maybe if they had been smart enough to do that, they also would have been smart enough to prevent Facebook from stealing 99.99% of their user base… (cue the X-Files theme music) and we’d be living in an alternate universe where Myspace remained the dominant social network. Scary…

However, no one did connect the dots, so this feature is launching in 2012, not 2005. In a world where there already exists Spotify, Last.fm, Pandora (internet radio based on user-generated musical algorithms), mumuplayer, Reddit Radio, stickam and IRC modded chat (programs or websites specifically allowing the user to DJ a radio station for everyone else present). So… why is Myspace bothering with this? Even if they manage to create an interface or experience better than all of the alternatives, still no one will use it because it’s based on fucking Myspace. Maybe they should put the damn thing out of its misery, like Old Yeller.

Or maybe not. Then I wouldn’t have Myspace (and Rupert Murdoch’s ill advised purchase of Myspace) to kick around like a piece of dirt anymore every time I need a cheap laugh.

This article might get Myspace Radio taken off the air before it even gets there.

Talib Kweli, second member of Black Star has his Hipster followers. (Even if IronyonRye pointed out that hipsters, logically, cannot enjoy hip-hop.) He also has a shit ton of college-bro followers, as he enjoys touring the college scene. But recently I saw a picture of him with some motherfucking trendy glasses. The type of frames that you’d maybe see on a member of Das Racist.

Are the lenses real? Is Talib just trying to look ‘ill’? Can I get a pair of these at my local Urban Outfitters? Or do I have to happen upon them at warbyparker.com?  Does anyone even care?