The Week That Was

So it turns out that "Kick Ass" did well at the box office this weekend. Did you see that? I resisted the obvious impulse to say that it kicked-ass at the box office. God, I'm so far ahead of the curve I'm back at the starting line.

Friday: I cannot say this enough—I love all-girl rock bands that don’t suck. Meaning Vivian Girls and a few choice others. Another thing I can’t say enough—I love Titus Andronicus. Therefore, I was pleased as punch to discover that Cassie Ramone (guitarist from Vivian Girls) and Titus Andronicus performed a cover of Weezer’s “Undone (The Sweater Song)” at a show last night in Philadelphia.   

Saturday: So. Coachella’s happening right now. I’m more than a little jealous of everyone that’s there. Not only do people’s photos make me wish that I was seeing everyone from Jay-Z to Passion Pit, but they make me wish that I looked better in hats. But hey, at least She & Him are part of that awesome free summer concert series at Millennium Park in Chicago. June 7 will officially be known as the most precious day of summer.  

Sunday: Check it out now: the winners of box office victory! Kick-Ass made $19.8 million, and How to Train Your Dragon made $19.6 million. In other news, writing “check it out now” means that I have to link to one of the greatest dance scenes in movie history. The high point of Usher’s career, if you ask me.  

Monday: M.I.A.’s new album is for sure coming out on June 29. It is official: summer is gonna be soooo bumpin’.  

Sad news: MC Guru of Gang Starr passed away today after a long battle with cancer and a subsequent heart attack at the age of 47.  

Tuesday: Real quick question—am I the only person who was unaware that Cypress Hill had a song called “Hits from the Bong”? Reuters teaches me so much, especially on drug holidays. Now go light up a fatty (please tell me people still sometimes say “fatty”) and watch this porn-y new video from Devendra Banhart.  

Wednesday: I love when the good news flows so freely that I have to resort to lists. LET’S DO THIS. 

  1. The Hold Steady announced a tour that begins in May and wraps up in June. I could have just said “it’s a summer tour,” but I love me some specifics. They’ll start out on the West coast, head south, jump the pond over to Europe, and return for some dates in the Midwest and New York. Oh, and did you know that you can stream Heaven is Whenever over at NPR? I LOVE YOU, PUBLIC RADIO.
 
  1. In more bumpin’ news, Crystal Castles bumped up (puns!) the release of their latest LP since it leaked. Europeans will have digital access to the album this Friday, and the physical release in the US is May 25.
 
  1. The Blow (which is now just Khaela Maricich) is one of my favorite bands of all time. Thankfully, Maricich is back to recording and touring. She’s got some East coast dates in May, and plans to release an EP later this year.
 

Some less-than-good news—Voxtrot is breaking up. They’ll do 7-date farewell tour (fittingly titled “Goodbye, Cruel World”) and then they’ll be history. *Sniff*. 

Thursday: Oh, Jo New. Somehow, I feel like Joanna Newsom’s musical stylings resist a name-shortening like that, but I like to test the waters. Guess what? She’s going to be on the new Roots album, How I Got Over. It’s got a tentative release date of “sometime in June.” This should be interesting.

Posted by Alyssa Vincent, Alyssa Vincent on Apr 23, 2010 @ 12:00 am

kick ass, joanna newsome, the hold steady, m.i.a., coachella

Related