BuzzSugar

What Are the Best Indie Rock Albums Ever?

BuzzSugar — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:00:00 PST

Half the time, we music fans can't even decide what indie rock is - so naturally, Blender magazine's list of the 100 greatest indie rock albums of all time is bound to be fodder for debate (starting with No. 1, Pavement's Slanted and Enchanted). So I'm tempted to put it to you guys sans commentary and just say, "Have at it!"

But, let's be real: I can't resist making just a few comments. I'm pleased to see one of my favorite bands, the Mountain Goats, represented, but I would have picked Tallahassee instead of We Shall All Be Healed (No. 72). On the other hand, I support their pick of Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous (No. 50). And I've never considered The Velvet Underground an indie band - but maybe that's just me.

You can read Blender's full list with explanations, or if you're just raring to go, you can see the list if you

read more 100. The Shaggs - Philosophy Of The World 99. Dream Syndicate - The Days Of Wine And Roses 98. Palace Music - Viva Last Blues 97. The Mekons - Rock 'N' Roll 96. TV On The Radio - Return To Cookie Mountain 95.The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency & I 94. Half Japanese - Greatest Hits 93. Big Black - Atomizer 92. Dead Kennedys - Fresh Fruit For Rotting Vegetables 91. The Chills - Kaleidoscope World 90. Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam 89. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll 88. Daniel Johnston - Yip/Jump Music 87. Wolf Parade - Apologies To The Queen Mary 86. Flipper - Album - Generic Flipper 85. The Clean - Anthology 84. Beat Happening - You Turn Me On 83. The Misfits - Walk Among Us 82. The Embarrassment - Heyday 1979-83 81. The Vaselines - The Way Of The Vaselines 80. Feist - The Reminder 79. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 78. The 13th Floor Elevators - The Psychedelic Sounds Of The 13th Floor Elevators 77. Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not 76. Le Tigre - Le Tigre 75. Galaxie 500 - Today 74. The Fall - 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong 73. Meat Puppets - Up On The Sun 72. The Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed 71. Stereolab - Refried Ectoplasm 70. Mudhoney - Superfruzz Bigmuff Plus Early Singles 69. Nick Drake - Pink Moon 68. Descendents - Milo Goes To College 67. Hüsker Dü - New Day Rising 66. Young Marble Giants - Colossal Youth 65. Various Artists - No New York 64. Cat Power - The Greatest 63. Nirvana - Bleach 62. The Feelies - Crazy Rhythms 61. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem 60. Sufjan Stevens - Illinois 59. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine 58. Built To Spill - There's Nothing Wrong With Love 57. Bikini Kill - Pussy Whipped 56. Archers Of Loaf - Icky Mettle 55. Bad Brains - Bad Brains 54. Unrest - Imperial F.F.R.R. 53. Smashing Pumpkins - Gish 52. Bright Eyes - Lifted Or The Story Is In The Soil, Keep Your Ear To The Ground 51. Interpol - Turn On The Bright Lights 50. Rilo Kiley - More Adventurous 49. Spoon - Kill The Moonlight 48. Mission Of Burma - Vs. 47. Green Day - Kerplunk 46. Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand 45. Fugazi - Repeater 44. Various Artists - Wanna Buy A Bridge? 43. Black Flag - Damaged 42. Brian Eno - Another Green World 41. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome Crowded West 40. New Order - Power Corruption & Lies 39. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain 38. The Strokes - Is This It 37. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Fever To Tell 36. Elliott Smith - Either/Or 35. Liz Phair - Exile In Guyville 34. Superchunk - On The Mouth 33. The Shins - Oh, Inverted World 32. Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea 31. Guided By Voices - Bee Thousand 30. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot 29. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes 28. The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs 27. M.I.A. - Arular 26. Belle And Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister 25. Sebadoh - III 24. The New Pornographers - Mass Romantic 23.Yo La Tengo - Painful 22. Meat Puppets - Meat Puppets II 21. The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers 20. The Hold Steady - Separation Sunday 19. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out 18. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures 17. The White Stripes - White Blood Cells 16. Slint - Spiderland 15. X - Wild Gift 14. De La Soul - 3 Feet High And Rising 13. Hüsker Dü - Zen Arcade 12. Dinosaur Jr - You're Living All Over Me 11. Minutemen - Double Nickels On The Dime 10. The Smiths - The Smiths 9. Big Star - Third/Sister Lovers 8. My Bloody Valentine - Loveless 7. The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground 6. Arcade Fire - Funeral 5. Pixies - Surfer Rosa 4. R.E.M. - Murmur 3. The Replacements - Let It Be 2. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation 1. Pavement - Slanted And Enchanted Source

How Do You Feel About a Mass-Market Indie CD?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:00:13 PDT

Here's a little something to chew on as you roll into the weekend: A Now-style compilation CD of indie tunes is hitting stores this month. The track list includes songs from Sonic Youth, Neko Case, Deerhoof, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Hold Steady and others.

A couple things about this strike me as funny. For one, a whole bunch of the songs are from 2006, which I'm pretty sure means they're not "next." And second, who exactly is supposed to be buying this? I can't imagine any self-respecting fan of the included artists deigning to buy the compilation, and I'm not sure your average Target shopper would pick this up, think, "Hmm, I've always wondered what this 'indie music' is all about!" and toss it into the cart. What's your take?

Source

It's a Fact - Indie Rock Hearts Food Too

YumSugar — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 06:58:31 PDT

I guess it's official, indie rock and food do go hand in hand.

Last month I told you about Dinner With the Band (a webshow featuring Sam Mason and touring indie bands) and now I'm telling you about a new book called I Like Food, Food Tastes Good by food writer Kara Zuaro. The book, which comes out today (and has got me and my gal BuzzSugar all excited), is a compilation of recipes from over 100 indie raaawwwk bands, including: Belle & Sebastian, Devendra Banhart, Interpol, The Mountain Goats, The Decemberists, They Might Be Giants and (my current favorite experimental folk quartet) Grizzly Bear (with a killer sounding pecan pie - recipe after the jump).

The best part is that Zuaro has left the recipes as the artists submitted them (I hear that Banhart's is exactly what you expect). Plus, the NYC release parties sound like they'd be a blast to check out too.

For those of us that can't make the release party, we'll have to make do with making the recipes on our own. To get started, have a look at Grizzly Bear's Pecan Pie,

Grizzly Bear Pecan Pie by Ed’s Droste’s Mom
From I Like Food, Food Tastes Good

Like heavily sedated woodland sprites, the three members of Grizzly Bear play forest folk that is as magical as it is mellow. In their spare compositions, breathy vocals and subtle electronic squeaks melt between clarinet tones and wind chimes. It’s fitting that lead singer Ed Droste submitted this simple and homey dessert, which turns out to be far greater than the sum of its parts.

1 cup dark brown sugar
1 stick of butter
1 cup corn syrup (look for the Karo brand-it has a blue label)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 bag of pecans
1 prepared pie shell (or graham-cracker crust)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1) Take dark brown sugar and stick of butter and melt in saucepan.
2) Take off heat and add syrup.
3) In a bowl, mix eggs with mixer or whisk, if need be.
4) Add eggs and vanilla to cooled butter mixture.
5) Pour into prepared pie shell and put pecans on top.
6) Bake in preheated 350° oven until center is not all gooey-about 45 minutes.

Vague instructions I know, but that is what my mom said, and every time I make it, it is so good. I get my mom to make it every time I come home. Haha. So yum. Needs vanilla ice cream on top.

Makes one pie.

Print recipe with images | without images Source: Time Out New York

Other Music Is Going Digital

BuzzSugar — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 14:21:06 PST

If you've never visited the Other Music store or its extensive e-commerce site, you are really missing out. The Manhattan retailer specializes in underground, indie, and other rare tunes, as well as awesome in-store performances by legendary acts. So I was really psyched to read that later this month, Other Music is launching a digital download store; for now, you can visit the site to get email updates on its progress. This will be a great way to get all those more obscure tracks that iTunes doesn't carry.

What Type of Music Are You Looking To Discover?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 08:00:00 PST

I know from your comments that you guys are big music fans, but what type of music are you most interested in finding out about on BuzzSugar and elsewhere?

What Your Music Says About Your Personality

TresSugar — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:00:00 PST

This Sunday is the Grammy Awards, and while some may think music is just entertainment, it may say more about who you are than you think. One glimpse at the top-25 tracks in your iTunes can tell a lot about you. Introversion and extroversion are perhaps the two characteristics that most affect what music people tune into. Though both temperaments will roll - or rock - with their moods and activities, extroverts are more likely to reach for upbeat music that's heavy on vocals while introverts gravitate toward slower tunes with complex movements.

One surprise is that there's no connection between the abrasive lyrics common in rap and heavy metal and aggressive or sexual behavior. Listeners of heavy metal, particularly, have shown to be sensitive and gentle souls. In fact, they have a lot in common with classical music lovers. They're both creative, easy-going, and introverted.

Whether you listen to pop and rap or indie and classical, see what it says about you.

Source: Flickr User -Alina-

What to Expect When You're Expecting Set Visit: Elizabeth Banks on Her Fake Bump and Personal Baby Joy

Becky Kirsch — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:05:11 PST

Some of the biggest names in Hollywood will share the big screen in the upcoming comedy What to Expect When You're Expecting, which follows different mothers-to-be as they prepare for the arrivals of their bundles of joy. Cameron Diaz, Brooklyn Decker, Anna Kendrick, and Elizabeth Banks are among the famous ladies who strapped on fake baby bumps to portray different kinds of pregnant women, and Banks's character, Wendy, doesn't exactly have an easy time of it.

I visited the Atlanta set of the film last year, where Banks was shooting a climactic scene in which her character addresses all the woes of pregnancy - in an auditorium with a rather large audience. The hilarious meltdown, which you can see in the opening of the trailer for What to Expect When You're Expecting, includes harsh truths like "I'm calling it: pregnancy sucks." It was great fun to see Banks film the passionate speech again and again, especially since the funny lady mixed up her one-liners from one take to another. What was even more interesting was seeing all of the extras who played the audience members, since the group of women was a mix of actual pregnant women and women rocking fake baby bumps.

I chatted with Banks about her own experience filming the movie, and she revealed that she actually felt like she was in her own little movie, since she doesn't have much screen time with her costars. Banks was refreshingly honest about not having any parenting tips and also admitted that though welcoming her son, Felix, has brought her a great deal of joy, it hasn't changed her stance on how she feels about kids in general. Here's more of what Banks had to say about pregnancy and motherhood:

What inspired you to take this role?
Elizabeth Banks: I cried when I read the script. It has a really great ending: at the end of the movie, everybody has a baby! It really is just a very relatable story for everyone: anybody who is a parent, has considered being a parent, has a baby, whatever. It's just very universal, what happens in the film. We really explore so many great storylines and different paths to getting a child. I had a unique path to getting my son, so I understand how everybody's path to their child is different.

How does it feel to wear the bump?
EB: It's sweaty! [Laughs] I think it's probably a decent approximation; it weighs a good 10 lbs. The boobs weigh about 6 lbs. They are really unbelievable. It's fun. It definitely makes you sit and walk in a totally different way. As an actor, it's a great prop.

How did you change when you became a mom?
EB: I get drunk much faster and easier, and it's a big problem, so I can't go out very much. I find that I underestimated the amount of joy. I'm really learning about my capacity for joy through my son.

To see what Banks had to say about baby fever and her parenting tips, just keep reading.

Rock Out, Baby! 10 Kids' Albums That You'll Love, Too!

Kate Stahl — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:35:07 PST

Anyone who's had a screaming child in the backseat while trying to make it the two hours to grandma's house - or just the two minutes to the grocery - knows that a great kids' album is a must-have! Kids are crazy about music, but unfortunately, too many of the tunes that appeal most to our lil ones can cause a mommy meltdown. Instead of picking the lesser of two evils (whining or crying versus music that kind of makes you want to pull your own hair out), pick up one or all of these 10 CDs, surprisingly cool and totally easy on the ears - even for you mamas who spent your prebaby years front row at every indie rock show in town.

Link Time: A Look Back at Katy Perry's Marital Style, 2012's Fashion Collabs, and More

FabSugar — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:33:12 PST

A look back at Katy Perry's more mature married style - HuffPo Style
François-Henri Pinault awarded highest French Legion of Honor title - The Cut
The best- and worst-selling cover girls (and boys) of 2011 - FashionIndie
The year in amazing and horrifying fashion - The Daily Beast
Can you rock a velvet suit? - Stylelist
Celebrity bikinis: Winter break edition - InStyle
Chanel's Cruise 2012 bags should appeal to Chanel purists - Purse Blog
Italian Vogue pays a weird tribute to home shopping networks - The Gloss
Ecco Domani's 2012 winners are announced - Style.com
Three lower-priced designer collections to look forward to in 2012 - College Fashion

Buzz's Favorite Albums of 2011

BuzzSugar — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 05:30:00 PST

Our musical tastes were all over the place this year, from pop to R & B to indie rock, and we fell in love with a wide variety of albums. It was tough, but we managed to narrow our favorites down to 10, culling a group of both new artists and old favorites. Check out the group of albums in 2011 that had us swooning, dancing, or rocking out the most.