Self-Titled Mag Gives the Pen Back to the Artist

It's been several years since 'Devil In the Woods' printed its last issue, but the online offspring, 'Self-Titled,' has been thriving wonderfully in the developing Digital Age. The former always teetered along the line between "'zine" and "magazine" because its size was comparable to larger, more lucrative pubs but its style and content were much more authentic and varied in personality like that of the late '90s DIY culture.



Self-Titled publishes its issues online, but also includes a heaping assortment of interesting angles on new (and old/loved) music that is worth keeping up with on a daily basis. One of my favorites is its 2009 In Review feature, which has members of other projects discuss their favorite records. I was pleased to see Ben Frost as a discussion topic because 'By The Throat' is such an odd, odd, odd but intriguing album. It reminds me of Satanstornade. 'Throat' made its way on to Resident Advisor's top albums for 2009 as well.

Also, on a complete side-note, that DJ Sprinkles record, which is up at #1 on that same RA list, is fucking brilliant! Do yourself a favor and get a hold of it immediately. Especially if you are not familiar with house music and watch MTV's Jersey Shore...

Extra Love For the Ranking System

For no particular reason, despite having a hearty mix of RSS subscriptions, I realize I've fallen out of touch with a lot of music. This is why I just came off of a 48-hour Kraftwerk kick. And, of course, hanging out with Russ of soldoutmusic certainly reminded me of all of the music I should have heard. And it's also trying to get my freelancing outlets back in order. Regardless of the circumstances, I've been on top of my Pitchfork, Stereogum and Flavorwire/pill feeds as of late, and I can say there have been some incredibl pieces going up...what, with the year and the decade coming to a close.

Left and right, every blog and online magazine is publishing lists of top ten, fifty or one hundred albums, tracks or artists of the last decade, century or eternity. It's overwhelming and exciting, and out of many of the selections, I have to say that Flavorwire's recent rankings for The 50 Essential Women-In-Music Albums is superb. They've gone on to expand and offer more words on each record, but the entire list places Joni Mitchell at the top and The Gossip at, for lack of a better word, the bottom.

I'm just thrilled that my favorite album of all time made it to #31. I can live with that.

Art Basel Miami: Pharell Williams + Kirk Jon

Each December, Miami hosts Art Basel as a sister event to the original convention held in Basel, Switzerland. Artists from around the world and various points on the creative timeline are celebrated with their classic or modern works. And, of course there are always crazy-ass parties.

There are so many things that could be said about the event, but since I've never been I won't pretend to have an all-encompassing understanding of its greatness. There are, however, two things that came from it that are exceptionally intriguing.



For one, Pharrell Williams was recently featured in the New York Times' Magazine blog regarding his furniture pieces (and his adorable socks), which premiered this December. "Inspired by military tanks, Williams created an impressive collection of chairs for Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin, which invited the 35-year-old polyhyphenate to bring his ideas to life."

Also, on the audible side, Kirk Jon contributed the latest podcast for Miami Dance Party, which features his live set from Fusion: Art Basel Edition. Including a few surprises (freestyle classics, anyone?), this live mix has a party vibe that could only exist in a place where winter never exists.

Open Your Wallets and Submerge Yourself

A journalist/DJ recently posed the question: What is your favorite 12" of the last decade? Interesting, since it could encompass an album, single or EP, and immediately piqued the thinker's interest because it waxes nostalgic (wahhhh pun) of, in this digital age, something physically owned and cherished.

His own answer was the "Inspiration / Transition" vinyl from Underground Resistance, which - honestly, to my surprise - is still in stock and for sale. Call me foolish, but I figure UR is hard to find on wax, but then again how often do I shop for physical formats of music? (Sidenote: This past week, I purchased Jawbox: For Your Own Special Sweetheart, Hanne Hukkelberg: Rykestrabe 68 on CD and Function: Variance 3/4, Boards Of Canada: Geogaddi (2 track promo) on vinyl...I guess I am full of shit.)

Anyway, it was a pleasure to find out about Submerge, a place to buy all things Detroit. I hadn't realized it re-opened on East Grand Blvd in 2002. The website is not the best, but it's a great place to start and you can't go wrong with anything on sale here. Need a UR mousepad? Done. How about the Interstellar Transmissions book? Versions 1 and 2 are both available. Plenty of music to empty your wallet and fill your soul, as well.

Website: Submerge

I don't purchase many books or CDs anymore, and that is due to the fact that I move often. My CD and (later, additionally) books collections have always been very important to me. If I had "all the money in the world" I'd have libraries in my apartments...as I'd purchase several of modest sizes in a handful of my favorite cities.

When I buy a book or CD, it's often a big deal now because I think of it as something that sucks of space - a few more ounces to add to the heavy load I need to carry around or a few more inches of matter I need to fit into some shelf somewhere. Still, there are some things I could never part with, and one is Banned in DC. Now with Grunge coming out, I am as excited as ever to own it, and I will wait to go to my favorite bookstore to get my hands on it, rather than to order it and check the mailbox on a daily basis.

I love everything about American punk and grunge subcultures. I often wish I was just five years older so I would not have been experiencing the height of them all from a sheltered suburban town right after the onset of puberty, but thems the breaks. Either way, there is no real reason why this book shouldn't be purchased, and if you don't want to wait then you can go straight to Amazon and do some damage.

Red Bull Cola's Superior Sampler

I am astounded by Red Bull Cola's sampler design. I've worked with some of the reps in the Boston area, and really respect the sort of attitude that Red Bull has towards taste and identity as a brand. While I'm not the biggest fan of the original drink, I do love the cola. Yes, the fact that it's using mostly organic and natural products is widely part of the appeal, but I think it tastes great. Isn't that what matters in the end? Anyway, more photos of the sampler over at The Dieline.

The Big Pink: Ready To Be Loved

I absolutely love The Big Pink, and while it's not going to be able to knock Ben Klock's One out of the #1 slot for my favorite album of 2009, it's definitely aiming for the top five. They've finally released A Brief History Of Love and Pitchfork not only gave it an 8.2 rating, but it's a well-crafted review. I love the production and brooding ambiance on the record, and am thrilled that they are leather-jacket wearing kids from London streets with tons of cryptic and dark photographs of dead celebrities on their MySpace. It's delicious, and they're coming to New York TWICE this fall.

12/3 @ Bowery Ballroom
12/4 @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg




For a more lo-fi experience, check out A Grave With No Name, which I came across via the Big Pink's MySpace page. Much more Panda Bear than The Horrors.