All posts in: MGMT

28 May 2013

Cover of the Day

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=T4MwP3353BU#!]

HeyHiHello + Poppy – Kids (MGMT Cover)

04 Mar 2013

MGMT’s Spring Tour

Oops! I almost forgot about these guys.

It’s interesting how now when I have the income to go to concerts, I don’t take the opportunity. However when I was a teenager, I must have gone to weekly shows and concerts once a month. Oh allowance…how I made you stretch.

April 26 State College, PA Penn State
April 28 Geneseo, NY SUNY Geneseo
April 30 Portland, ME State Theatre
May 1 Providence, RI Lupo’s
May 4 Cleveland, OH Masonic Temple
May 6 Grand Rapids, MI Hoogenboom Center @ Calvin College
May 8 Winnipeg, MN Burton Cummings Theatre
May 9 Saskatoon, SK Odeon Tickets
May 10 Calgary, AB MacEwan Hall
May 11 Edmonton, AB Starlite
May 13 Vancouver, BC Commodore
May 14 Spokane, WA Knitting Factory Concert House
May 15 Seattle, WA Sodo
May 16 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
May 18 Stanford, CA Frost Amphitheatre
June 21-23 Dover, DE Firefly Festival
June 28-29 Kansas City, MO Kanrocksas
July 13 Cincinnati, OH Bunbury Festival

[Source]

27 Mar 2012

In the News…

Fashion

photo cred | The Man Repeller

– Bloggers are making their mark on the world! The Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine will be releasing a new book slated for next year. [Source]

– Pinterest puts their foot down when it comes to thinspiration images on their website. [Source]

– Could H&M be on the verge of launching a luxury brand? [Source]

Music

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoFXbt2tfbU]

Justin Bieber – Boyfriend

– The lyrics slay me.

– Britney Spears is joining X Factor y’all! [Source]

– Maroon 5’s new album “Overexposed” will be released in June. [Source]

– A new MGMT record will be released this September! [Source]

– Australian music group, Jet, has decided to part ways. [Source]

– Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros will release their second album together by the end of the year. [Source]

Movies

– A Hunger Games vacation. [Source]

– JJ Abrams isn’t letting anyone see Star Trek 2 before it comes out! [Source]

– The Weinstein Company has decided to retaliate against the MPAA and will release the new documentary, “Bully,” as unrated. [Source]

– Direct R.J. Cutler (The September Issue) will direct yet another fashion-based film. [Source]

Television

– We said goodbye to one of my favorite series, Skins. [Source]

– Teen Mom 2 star Jenelle is going under the knife. [Source]

– Mike “The Situation” has checked into rehab for prescription pills and alcohol. [Source]

– 30 Rock will do another live episode next month. [Source]

– Lifetime has pulled a controversial episode of Dance Moms featuring the young girls as little showgirls. [Source]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uSpQNoIzp0w#!]

– Jo Rivera from Teen Mom 2 attempts a rap career. [Source]

– Here’s a first look at AnnaSophia Robb as a young Carrie Bradshaw. [Source]

– Camille Grammer is not returning to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. [Source]

– ABC Family has picked up the network rights to The Hunger Games – will air in 2014. [Source]

– Jimmy Kimmel will host the Emmy’s! [Source]

Seattle

– Everyday Music has officially moved across the street. [Source]

– Ballard burger spot, The Counter, has closed. [Source]

– A store I recently discovered while in San Francisco, Bevmo, will open up two locations in Washington in Silverdale and Tacoma. Um…I think they really meant Seattle, but that’s not happening. [Source]

– Seattle Restaurant Week begins April 8th! [Source]

– There is a Vintage Wedding Fair going down this weekend. Swoon swoon swoon. [Source]

Other

– Miami Heat show their support for Trayvon Martin. [Source]

– Jason Russell’s naked meltdown was because of a brief reactive psychosis. [Source]

– Tori Spelling is pregnant again. [Source]

– Kim’s flour shower. [Source]

– Megan Fox has spent $60K + on plastic surgery. [Source] Yikes.

– Hilary Duff gave birth to son Luca last week.

– Khloe Kardashian turns her back on PETA after her sister’s incident. [Source]

– VS Angel Adriana Lima is also pregnant. [Source]

03 Jan 2011

MGMT Releases New Music


As a way to redeem myself for lack of posts today ie) the first day of school, I thought I would give you this lovely present instead!

WHOAAA click for the goods.

28 Sep 2010

MGMT Urged To Change Music Style

If you have taken the time to listen to MGMT’s first and second album Oracular Spectacular and Congratulations, respectively, you will have noticed how different they sound from each other. I remember doing a double take on my iTunes when I previewed Congratulations. All of my expectations or rather predictions had gone out the window. Where were the poppy electronic beatz?!

Even though it wasn’t what I expected, I couldn’t help but think that Andrew and Ben were “stickin’ it to the man!” The man in this case would be their record label. I assumed that what I was hearing on their second album was what they wanted to sound like whereas their first album was made to merely gain a fan base. On numerous occasions, I have expressed my disappointment in new bands changing their music for their sophomore album ie) Paramore. I realize that sometimes it can’t be helped! After all, this is a business. This is what they are doing for a living.

Fans weren’t the only ones who were turned off by Congratulations. The head honchos at their Columbia label have also expressed their opinions about it and have decided to have more control on their next album release. Andrew Van-Wyngarden appears to be taking it well from this statement: “I definitely think our music will change in the future because Congratulations is almost two years old now. We have some ideas and have been talking about possible directions of where to go next.”

I bet they paid him to say that.

Source

26 Jul 2010

Capitol Hill Block Party 2010: Recap

I don’t believe that there will any other weekend this summer that will be able to top this one. I did not have a 3-day pass to the block party, but that doesn’t mean we weren’t on the hill all three days. I also decided that since I wasn’t doing any interviews or committing to any projects for this year’s block party I was going to have fun with my best friend. Unfortunately, that means no street style photos 🙁 There are photos everywhere though! They can be found in this Flickr group that was made to collect the pool of photos from this weekend.

Friday: DAY1

Yeasayer: First off, Mayor Mike McGinn mispronounced their name while introducing the band. Bad start. Yeasayer was actually one of the bands that I was really looking forward to seeing ever since my friend Max got me into them. I don’t know where this performance went wrong, but it did horribly. The sound was way off. We weren’t too far away, but it always seemed too muffled. Their inability to impress us made us go elsewhere.

Holy Fuck: Holy Fuck was one of the many bands that blew everyone away at Capitol Hill Block Party this weekend. The reviews were so good that they named them as the band that stole away the entire show – even from MGMT. Last year, I had the opportunity to see Holy Fuck perform at San Diego’s Street Scene and they immediately became my new favorite group. They have a way of doing things so effortlessly. There’s a lot that goes into their sound, but they manage to pull it off w/ ease considering how complex all of it is. If you ever have the chance to see Holy Fuck live, please do it. It might just change your life. Don’t believe me? Read the reviews!

MGMT: When word got out that MGMT was going to be performing at this year’s Capitol Hill Block Party, young college students and jr. high preteens all over Seattle were about to shell out their money for a chance to hear “Electric Feel,” “Kids,” and “Time to Pretend.” They were the only songs that they knew. You could tell that the majority of the crowd weren’t even fans because they were unfamiliar with their new CD “Congratulations.” I wasn’t even close to MGMT during their set, but there were people around me that were still asking who the band was halfway through the set!

At the end of the night, Holy Fuck won over my heart once again. Sorry MGMT, I wasn’t feelin’ it.

Sunday: DAY 3

Blue Scholars: They’re local favorites and they have performed at nearly every single venue in the area including my own high school. Mayor Mike McGinn took the stage once again to claim that they were his favorite rap group. Meanwhile everyone’s thinking “you can get off the stage now…” haha For my first time seeing them, I would say that they are so-so. They know how to get a crowd going and they realized that they weren’t at any music festival. They were at the Capitol Hill Block Party so they needed to make it more hipster friendly, which they did by pairing their raps with The XX’s “Intro” [I loved] and Modest Mouse’s “Float On.” After awhile though, I had had enough about hearing the 206 and 808 area codes repeatedly.

The Dead Weather: What an experience it was to finally get to see The Dead Weather perform. There was a lot of hype swirling around them considering they were the band to close out the Capitol Hill Block Party. What I liked about them was that they were very different from all of the bands and artists that came out this weekend. They were fucking rock stars and they just didn’t give a shit about anything. For the most part, Capitol Hill Block Party had a very upbeat, poppy, energetic atmosphere surrounding it, but The Dead Weather wasn’t afraid to get dark. Alison Mosshart, hair in her face and owning that stage was terrifying. At the end of the night I didn’t really feel like I was at Block Party anymore, but maybe at a satisfying end to a beautiful funeral. The Dead Weather has made me write sentences that I didn’t even know could make any sense at all.

Now I would like to commend a special group of people at the Capitol Hill Block Party. They are the most dedicated fans you have ever seen. They sacrifice their hunger, thirst, and bladder. However, they leave the show feeling the most satisfied out of anyone though. A couple of bruises mean nothing when you get to be up against the fence for the entire day watching your favorite artists perform on the main stage. For that, you deserve some sort of an award or something.

Congratulations, I hope the stench and discomfort were worth it!

To view the rest click here

I’d like to finish off this lengthy post with some lessons learned from this year’s experience:

  • Never let your friend pee in a water bottle if he refuses to go to the bathrooms and loses his spot. He must hold it. The pee will get on you.
  • It beats the vom though.
  • Be polite. If you are moving through the crowd, say “Sorry” and “Excuse me.” like your parents taught you to. Do it with a smile and no one will even think twice about giving you a back hand to the face.
  • Avoid pushing through the crowd to the front with a chain of people behind you. If everyone had the opportunity to be closer, they would. Let’s not be selfish now.
  • Make friends with your neighbors! They’re awesome.
  • Dress appropriately. Don’t over-do it.
  • Don’t puke. No one likes the vom.
22 Jul 2010

Beyond the Block

So I’m sorry I keep rubbing it in all of your faces how awesome the Capitol Hill Block Party is going to be tomorrow. I’m sure a lot of you:

a) ARE GOING tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday or all weekend.

b) cannot come because you didn’t get tickets. [well you still can if you hurry, but you’re out of luck for Friday]

c) cannot come because you are nowhere near Seattle.

Don’t worry. I will dance to MGMT, Yeasayer, and Holy Fuck for all of you. I will grab all of the free goods that the vendors hand out to me. I will try and spot out celebrities. I know that the guys of MTV’s The Buried Life will be in attendance and I’m secretly hoping that I’ll be watching a band with Jason Biggs standing right next to me. [because they’re filming Grassroots here through August!]

I’ll take pictures of the hipster street style that is the epitome of the Capitol Hill neighborhood. I’ll have to use it for visual evidence to show my relatives what the definition of a hipster is for a future date.

If you are in Seattle, and you are unable to participate in tomorrow’s festivities due to lack of ticket or don’t want to attend [can’t understand why you wouldn’t!] there will be other things going on Capitol Hill during this time. The owner of Po Dog is throwing down a free mini music festival tomorrow as well. Something to check out yeah? Capitol Hill Seattle has also compiled a list together of all the other things you can do still in Capitol Hill, but outside of the gates HERE

You won’t be getting LIVE updates from me, but it’s cool. You’ll get them when you get them.

Let the block party begin…

20 Jul 2010

MGMT Gives Away a Surfboard

OWABUNGA! MGMT has branded a Billabong/T Patterson surfboard, with an SCS fin system and given it to Record Store Day to give to YOU!  Even if you’re nowhere near the perfect wave, this is a great thing to have… And dream about being in your own beach video, with MGMT’s latest album, CONGRATULATIONS, as the soundtrack.  Enter here before 7/27…

MGMT – I cannot wait to see you.

24 Jun 2010

My Seattle: Fave Local Hot Spots

Just in time for summer! I’ve lived near Seattle my entire life, but just recently I have spent two years actually living in the city. Even though I consider myself a local, there is still so much that I don’t know about it. I still get lost in areas that I have been to more than a dozen times. I am still in awe every time I drive across I-5 and I look out over the water into the city. Seattle is considered a major city in our country, but yet it isn’t major to me. It’s not extra special, it’s not extraordinary, it’s just home. It is a city with 26 sub-neighborhoods that no one knows about. It is also the city that is widely known for incessant rain, but is underrated in terms of  its well-known music scene. For the record, I hear it rains more in New York, but it just rains off and on here for a longer amount of time.

Here are my favorite places slash things to do in Seattle no matter what season it is rain or shine. I’ve also asked some of my friends for their opinions on places as well. I’ll try to make this as less cliche as possible.

Best Boutique: Sway and Cake

1631 Sixth Av, Downtown
(206) 624-2699, SwayAndCake.com

They have your usual array of designer jeans, but they also offer the latest trends and looks straight from the runway. You can expect high quality clothing at this boutique ranging from accessories to casual wear to the perfect dress for your night out on the town.

Best Happy Hour Food Menu: Wasabi Bistro

2311 2nd Ave Seattle, WA 98121

(206)-441-6044    wasabibistro.net

I have heard that Umi Sake House was better, but Wasabi Bistro will always always be my favorite. They are my ultimate go-to place when I need a sushi fix. Currently, they are closed for remodeling, but I highly recommend this restaurant for anyone who wants to have some of the best sushi in Seattle. (If not the best)

Happy Hour is everyday from 4-6pm and includes a special happy hour food menu where many of their items are half off.  I suggest:

  • Seattle Tempura Roll (It’s basically their special)
  • Pork Gyoza
  • Miso Soup (I feel it compliments all the food you’re eating and helps it settle better)

Off the happy hour:

  • All nigiri sushi in general? (try the seared salmon, which isn’t listed on the menu, but you can still order it. It’s the best!)
  • Grilled sockeye salmon w/ sweet soy glaze
  • Gozilla Roll
  • West Hollywood Roll

and for dessert: the chocolate lava cake or tempura ice cream in green tea or vanilla.

photo credit here

Best View: Kerry Viewpoint

This is the only spot in Seattle where you can look over the entire city and see absolutely everything! It’s beautiful during the day and at night. Located in Queen Anne, Kerry Viewpoint is the perfect setting for tourists, prom groups, and weddings.

Best Park: Cal Anderson Park

1635 11th Ave

Located just three blocks away from my school, this park is my favorite in terms of both distance and location. It is right in the heart of Capitol Hill and a prime spot for the summer during the day and in the evenings.  It also definitely has some characteristics that other parks do not have such as the ginormous fountain, the kiddie pool for the little ones [I’ve decided that people of all ages are readers to this blog] the random DJ with all of his gear spinning beats by the tennis courts and the weekly dodgeball games that occur every Tuesday and Friday at 9PM.

Best Outdoor Museum: SAM Olympic Sculpture Park

2901 Western Avenue, Belltown

When I attended the opening day of the park back in January of 2007, not all of the installations had been completed just yet. I plan on making my second visit to the park this summer. While Cal Anderson is your typical idea of a park, the Olympic Sculpture Park allows you to venture outdoors for your art fix. The Seattle Art Museum is an incredible space, but in this park nothing is confined. You’re in Seattle and along with enjoying the view of the art, you get to take in that fresh air and the rest of the cityscape. This is also a great location for snapping photographs.

Best Gag Gift: The Erotic Bakery. [pun intended]

323 N. 45th St, Wallingford
(206) 545-6969, TheEroticBakery.com

You have no idea how difficult it was to choose a safe for work picture rather than a not safe for work picture. For one of my best friend’s 18th birthday, I decided to buy her a cake that she would never forget. I don’t think I should go into great detail discussing it, but I will tell you that the “Happy 18th Birthday Hannah” frosting was accompanied by a very large member. The Erotic Bakery does cakes, cupcakes, cookies, whatever and they are absolutely shameless. I still remember it like it was yesterday. Before leaving with my friend’s scandalous birthday cake, the sales girl at the counter asked me, “Would you like some extra cum? It’s only a dollar.” Bottle in hand and already in motion, I politely declined.

Best Hidden Finds: Thrift Shopping at: Atlas Clothing, Goodwill, Crossroads Trading Co. Red Light, Value Village.

Buying clothing at regular price is overrated. Buying clothing that has already been worn by someone else and resold again is awesome. Finding some amazing pieces at thrift stores will guarantee you that no one else will be wearing it at the same time as you.  Thrifting means you get to mix in the old with the new and allows room for DIY. You don’t have to feel bad about altering your purchases because if you mess up – well you didn’t pay that much for it to begin with.

Most Fun to be Had: Capitol Hill Block Party 2010 – July 23-25

No words can describe how truly amazing this experience will be this year. Two years ago, I attended the festival with my best friends where we watched performances by Girl Talk and Vampire Weekend. We danced our asses off in the smelliest of smelly crowds, but we loved every second. If you’re looking for a great time, buy a one day ticket or a three-day ticket for $60 [that’s a steal!] and watch some great performances by musicians including MGMT, Blue Scholars, Holy Fuck, Yeasayer, The Dead Weather, and many more. You do not want to miss this.

Best Dance Partner: Scarf Man

You will find him at every notable Seattle event. If he is not at a Seattle event, you are clearly wasting your time at a place you should not be at. If he is there, attempt to introduce yourself to him. I say attempt because my friends and I have decided that we have no idea where he has come from. He doesn’t understand what we’re saying and we do not understand him, but we both understand scarves. Just go with it.

Best Random: The Gum Wall on Post Alley

I just found out today that we aren’t the only city that has one. Bummer. Before you question why I have this on my list, I’d like to remind those of you that have seen this that not everyone has been to this special area. Believe it or not…it’s not widely known by everyone, but it is very cool! Admire up close, admire from afar, make disgusting faces, or participate.

Best Snacks: Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, Dicks Burgers, Cupcake Royale, Street Meat, Old Frozen Custard

You will never go hungry in Seattle. Never. *I should retract that statement…

Best Seattle Festival: Seattle Pride – June 27

This was a tough call especially because I adore Bumbershoot, Folk Life, and the Bite of Seattle, but hands down Seattle Pride. Everything is over the top and extravagant, but I guarantee that you will have an incredible time. The fashion is like you have never seen it before. The dancing. The music. The happiness. You can’t help, but smile at everything surrounding you.

I think we had better close this out with twelve different categories. I asked my friends to share some of their favorites as well so here are some of them below:

To shop:

  • Elliott Bay Book Company [Capitol Hill]
  • Milagros

To eat:

  • Pho Than Brothers
  • Honey Hole
  • Oddfellows
  • Cafe Presse
  • Pike Street Fish Fry
  • Rancho Bravo

To hang out:

  • The Garage
  • Alki Beach

Coffee fix other than Starbucks:

  • Cafe Vita
  • BauHaus
  • Porchlight
  • Stumptown

While Seattle is a wonderful city, take the time to get to know all of it. Seattle is divided into a number of neighborhoods and each neighborhood has something different to offer. My favorite places are Fremont, Queen Anne, the University District, the International District, and of course my home, Capitol Hill. There are plenty of things that I have left out of this post because they were overly touristy or things that just slipped my mind, but feel free to do your own research as well. There is always something new to discover about Seattle and there are always things that people will enjoy more than others so don’t just take my word for it.

Have a great summer!

22 Jun 2010

Are we famous or are we just humans?

Before I get on with this, I just want to say that there is nothing better than dancing Florence and the Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” just before midnight. If you haven’t heard it yet, lucky for you I made it a “Song of the Day” just a few days ago. Clapping and drum beats included.

*****

The second album release is always the deal breaker for me. I either love it or I hate it. The second album release tells me one of two things.

1) The band or artist went with the “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it method.” Having gained the respect and appreciation of their fans the first time around they continue to play the music they always loved while slightly producing a more developed sound with each album.

2) The first CD was a huge success, but the people running the business insist that what everyone wants is a new direction right now and the band believes it because their new to the industry.

Now you’re looking back on all of these second albums wondering which of your favorite bands has conformed. Keep in mind that this is only one perspective. This doesn’t mean it’s true for everyone because we all know that some bands don’t make it out of the first album. However, I’ve seen this theory on more than just a few bands. If you’re a fan of a musician or a band for life then it doesn’t matter. However, the reason I was reminded of this was because of a recent MGMT article that I read and found quite interesting.

This year, MGMT released their second album “Congratulations.” It’s a great album. It’s nothing like their first “Oracular Spectacular,” which produced hits such as “Kids,” “Electric Feel” and “Time to Pretend.” A lot of their fans gave them flack for it because of their expectations of their first album, but I commend them for producing a sound all their own. It seemed like they have been wanting to do that for awhile. If you’re an aspiring musician and you’re looking for help to release your first album, you might want to consider using an audio engineer to help your music fit together correctly. Online Mastering could be an idea to research into if you’re looking for someone to help perfect your work and to help you find your sound.

Read this awesome article here