Guns N Bombs coins a great new catchphrase

I was at the majority of the Mars Volta's set at the generally bummed-out Detour fest this year, so I missed the live debut of the local electro/DJ duo Guns N Bombs on an opposite stage. That said, upon catching wind of this video, I have decided that "Butt Naked Lazers" will be my new general expression of positive emotion, i.e. "These oregano-dusted home fries are butt naked lazers, you guys."

You heard it here first, kids.

-- August Brown

Dave Navarro and Berlin's Terri Nunn (is there any female musician in town Navarro is not friendly with?) teamed up last week to record Olivia Newton-John's dreamy "Magic" for Los Angeles-based charity organization Project Angel Food. Newton-John was honored over the weekend at Project Angel Food's 15th Annual Angel Awards for her work on the importance of early breast cancer detection. The good folks at PAF were kind enough to give us a minute-long sneak preview of their cover, which will be available in full on Friday at both Navarro's Mania TV website and at Berlinpage.com. 

Oh 1980,  how we miss you still.

--Charlie Amter

For tonight's taping of FNMTV, MTV's Friday night video show glammed up for 2008 with video premieres, appearances and performances, 7,000 people requested tickets. Only 400 made it in to the Hollywood studio but it was a hooting, squealing, dressed and tanned to the nines crowd, all of them amped up to see tonight's featured performer, Miley Cyrus, whose new album, "Breakout," does exactly what the title promises but with a little sugar sprinkled on top.

MTV, what with its reputation, unfairly earned or not, for shortening the kiddies' attention span, is going to be the last channel that keeps anyone waiting, so Cyrus (pictured, left) came out fast and furious with "7 Things," a passionate song that lets her play and vamp. Skipping around FNMTV's circular stage in a plaid mini with chain belts and a mane of brunette curls she tossed about to the delight of the crowd, Cyrus seemed at home on the stage and also consummately aware of her power over it. There wasn't a moment of hesitation -- Cyrus was all movement, smiles, seizing the moment. It was a deliriously confidant performance, and on some level, a relief. A bazillion kids dazzled by the Hannah Montana magic aren't wrong after all. Plus, who doesn't like to see some rock 'n' roll devil horns flashed by a Disney princess?

When I met Sean Nelson in his now-hometown of Seattle in 2001, the L.A. native had already peaked as a pop star.

His band, Harvey Danger, had one big hit perched atop the Modern Rock charts 10 years ago -- “Flagpole Sitta,” a lovely burst of poison sunshine that perfectly captured alt-rock’s transition from grunge-era heaviness to Death Cab-style cheerful neuroticism. (You remember it: “I’m not sick, but I’m not well,” Sean sang, his choir-boy tenor cracking on the high note. If you've forgotten, this YouTube video should jar your memory.)

“10 years ago (pretty much exactly), we had the number one song on KROQ, and sold out the Troubadour, The Roxy and The Viper Room during the summer. Next week we'll play in front of 60 people. And we're happy,” Sean wrote in a recent e-mail announcing Saturday’s acoustic Harvey Danger show at Largo.

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

You know what bothers me about Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” -- now officially the song of the summer, after spending five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100? Not the auto-erotic tease of the lyrics, which keeps Perry inside her head rather than beneath the waistband of some lovely’s Victoria’s Secret finery. Not her groaning, quintessentially brunet vocal delivery, which is actually kind of sexy, built around a neo-burlesque bump of a track and the luscious word hook “cherry Chapstick.”

I'm personally astonished that, until Bow Wow's forthcoming video for "Marco Polo," which debuts tonight on FNMTV, no one's made a hit song out of the chant from the ubiquitous but tedious swimming pool game. But I'm not at all surprised that Soulja Boy shows up on this version we caught at Wednesday night's taping, as it seems right up his alley: Take a nonsensical phrase (but this time, a historical reference!), repeat it ad infinitum over doofus synth loops, speed your way through the verses and hope no one notices that your rhymes break new ground in wackness ("This is not the Matrix, but I am the Oracle / Want to get with me? The question is rhetorical").

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

One hot minute with Terri Nunn and Dave Navarro

Dave Navarro and Berlin's Terri Nunn (is there any female musician in town Navarro is not friendly with?) teamed up last week to record Olivia Newton-John's dreamy "Magic" for Los Angeles-based charity organization Project Angel Food. Newton-John was honored over the weekend at Project Angel Food's 15th Annual Angel Awards for her work on the importance of early breast cancer detection. The good folks at PAF were kind enough to give us a minute-long sneak preview of their cover, which will be available in full on Friday at both Navarro's Mania TV website and at Berlinpage.com. 

Oh 1980,  how we miss you still.

--Charlie Amter

For tonight's taping of FNMTV, MTV's Friday night video show glammed up for 2008 with video premieres, appearances and performances, 7,000 people requested tickets. Only 400 made it in to the Hollywood studio but it was a hooting, squealing, dressed and tanned to the nines crowd, all of them amped up to see tonight's featured performer, Miley Cyrus, whose new album, "Breakout," does exactly what the title promises but with a little sugar sprinkled on top.

MTV, what with its reputation, unfairly earned or not, for shortening the kiddies' attention span, is going to be the last channel that keeps anyone waiting, so Cyrus (pictured, left) came out fast and furious with "7 Things," a passionate song that lets her play and vamp. Skipping around FNMTV's circular stage in a plaid mini with chain belts and a mane of brunette curls she tossed about to the delight of the crowd, Cyrus seemed at home on the stage and also consummately aware of her power over it. There wasn't a moment of hesitation -- Cyrus was all movement, smiles, seizing the moment. It was a deliriously confidant performance, and on some level, a relief. A bazillion kids dazzled by the Hannah Montana magic aren't wrong after all. Plus, who doesn't like to see some rock 'n' roll devil horns flashed by a Disney princess?

When I met Sean Nelson in his now-hometown of Seattle in 2001, the L.A. native had already peaked as a pop star.

His band, Harvey Danger, had one big hit perched atop the Modern Rock charts 10 years ago -- “Flagpole Sitta,” a lovely burst of poison sunshine that perfectly captured alt-rock’s transition from grunge-era heaviness to Death Cab-style cheerful neuroticism. (You remember it: “I’m not sick, but I’m not well,” Sean sang, his choir-boy tenor cracking on the high note. If you've forgotten, this YouTube video should jar your memory.)

“10 years ago (pretty much exactly), we had the number one song on KROQ, and sold out the Troubadour, The Roxy and The Viper Room during the summer. Next week we'll play in front of 60 people. And we're happy,” Sean wrote in a recent e-mail announcing Saturday’s acoustic Harvey Danger show at Largo.

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

You know what bothers me about Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” -- now officially the song of the summer, after spending five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100? Not the auto-erotic tease of the lyrics, which keeps Perry inside her head rather than beneath the waistband of some lovely’s Victoria’s Secret finery. Not her groaning, quintessentially brunet vocal delivery, which is actually kind of sexy, built around a neo-burlesque bump of a track and the luscious word hook “cherry Chapstick.”

I'm personally astonished that, until Bow Wow's forthcoming video for "Marco Polo," which debuts tonight on FNMTV, no one's made a hit song out of the chant from the ubiquitous but tedious swimming pool game. But I'm not at all surprised that Soulja Boy shows up on this version we caught at Wednesday night's taping, as it seems right up his alley: Take a nonsensical phrase (but this time, a historical reference!), repeat it ad infinitum over doofus synth loops, speed your way through the verses and hope no one notices that your rhymes break new ground in wackness ("This is not the Matrix, but I am the Oracle / Want to get with me? The question is rhetorical").

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

FNMTV: Miley Cyrus performs; video debuts from Hawthorne Heights, All Time Low, David Banner

For tonight's taping of FNMTV, MTV's Friday night video show glammed up for 2008 with video premieres, appearances and performances, 7,000 people requested tickets. Only 400 made it in to the Hollywood studio but it was a hooting, squealing, dressed and tanned to the nines crowd, all of them amped up to see tonight's featured performer, Miley Cyrus, whose new album, "Breakout," does exactly what the title promises but with a little sugar sprinkled on top.

MTV, what with its reputation, unfairly earned or not, for shortening the kiddies' attention span, is going to be the last channel that keeps anyone waiting, so Cyrus (pictured, left) came out fast and furious with "7 Things," a passionate song that lets her play and vamp. Skipping around FNMTV's circular stage in a plaid mini with chain belts and a mane of brunette curls she tossed about to the delight of the crowd, Cyrus seemed at home on the stage and also consummately aware of her power over it. There wasn't a moment of hesitation -- Cyrus was all movement, smiles, seizing the moment. It was a deliriously confidant performance, and on some level, a relief. A bazillion kids dazzled by the Hannah Montana magic aren't wrong after all. Plus, who doesn't like to see some rock 'n' roll devil horns flashed by a Disney princess?

When I met Sean Nelson in his now-hometown of Seattle in 2001, the L.A. native had already peaked as a pop star.

His band, Harvey Danger, had one big hit perched atop the Modern Rock charts 10 years ago -- “Flagpole Sitta,” a lovely burst of poison sunshine that perfectly captured alt-rock’s transition from grunge-era heaviness to Death Cab-style cheerful neuroticism. (You remember it: “I’m not sick, but I’m not well,” Sean sang, his choir-boy tenor cracking on the high note. If you've forgotten, this YouTube video should jar your memory.)

“10 years ago (pretty much exactly), we had the number one song on KROQ, and sold out the Troubadour, The Roxy and The Viper Room during the summer. Next week we'll play in front of 60 people. And we're happy,” Sean wrote in a recent e-mail announcing Saturday’s acoustic Harvey Danger show at Largo.

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

You know what bothers me about Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” -- now officially the song of the summer, after spending five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100? Not the auto-erotic tease of the lyrics, which keeps Perry inside her head rather than beneath the waistband of some lovely’s Victoria’s Secret finery. Not her groaning, quintessentially brunet vocal delivery, which is actually kind of sexy, built around a neo-burlesque bump of a track and the luscious word hook “cherry Chapstick.”

I'm personally astonished that, until Bow Wow's forthcoming video for "Marco Polo," which debuts tonight on FNMTV, no one's made a hit song out of the chant from the ubiquitous but tedious swimming pool game. But I'm not at all surprised that Soulja Boy shows up on this version we caught at Wednesday night's taping, as it seems right up his alley: Take a nonsensical phrase (but this time, a historical reference!), repeat it ad infinitum over doofus synth loops, speed your way through the verses and hope no one notices that your rhymes break new ground in wackness ("This is not the Matrix, but I am the Oracle / Want to get with me? The question is rhetorical").

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger: There's life after a one-hit wonder

When I met Sean Nelson in his now-hometown of Seattle in 2001, the L.A. native had already peaked as a pop star.

His band, Harvey Danger, had one big hit perched atop the Modern Rock charts 10 years ago -- “Flagpole Sitta,” a lovely burst of poison sunshine that perfectly captured alt-rock’s transition from grunge-era heaviness to Death Cab-style cheerful neuroticism. (You remember it: “I’m not sick, but I’m not well,” Sean sang, his choir-boy tenor cracking on the high note. If you've forgotten, this YouTube video should jar your memory.)

“10 years ago (pretty much exactly), we had the number one song on KROQ, and sold out the Troubadour, The Roxy and The Viper Room during the summer. Next week we'll play in front of 60 people. And we're happy,” Sean wrote in a recent e-mail announcing Saturday’s acoustic Harvey Danger show at Largo.

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

You know what bothers me about Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” -- now officially the song of the summer, after spending five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100? Not the auto-erotic tease of the lyrics, which keeps Perry inside her head rather than beneath the waistband of some lovely’s Victoria’s Secret finery. Not her groaning, quintessentially brunet vocal delivery, which is actually kind of sexy, built around a neo-burlesque bump of a track and the luscious word hook “cherry Chapstick.”

I'm personally astonished that, until Bow Wow's forthcoming video for "Marco Polo," which debuts tonight on FNMTV, no one's made a hit song out of the chant from the ubiquitous but tedious swimming pool game. But I'm not at all surprised that Soulja Boy shows up on this version we caught at Wednesday night's taping, as it seems right up his alley: Take a nonsensical phrase (but this time, a historical reference!), repeat it ad infinitum over doofus synth loops, speed your way through the verses and hope no one notices that your rhymes break new ground in wackness ("This is not the Matrix, but I am the Oracle / Want to get with me? The question is rhetorical").

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

Friendly Fires gaze at their shoes, find them dancing

On Tuesday night, I showed up a little early at the Mayan for Bloc Party, whose intricately austere set confirmed they are rapidly becoming contemporary post-punk's ELO, which is needed and awesome. Opener Does It Offend You, Yeah? (whom I've covered before, and liked) surprised me yet again,  because, judging by the audience squeals of hormonal delight at the "Let's Make Out" intro, they seem to have fully crossed over into L.A.'s idiosyncratic sorority-punk mainstream.

But the big surprise of the night was the first opener Friendly Fires, who pulled off a trick I've been waiting for a band to fully realize -- that cowbell-heavy Liquid Liquid dance beats would sound fantastic with gigantic shoegaze-ambient guitars and the shimmering house synths that too many peers, such as M83, can't seem to use right. 

Technorati Profile

You know what bothers me about Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” -- now officially the song of the summer, after spending five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100? Not the auto-erotic tease of the lyrics, which keeps Perry inside her head rather than beneath the waistband of some lovely’s Victoria’s Secret finery. Not her groaning, quintessentially brunet vocal delivery, which is actually kind of sexy, built around a neo-burlesque bump of a track and the luscious word hook “cherry Chapstick.”

I'm personally astonished that, until Bow Wow's forthcoming video for "Marco Polo," which debuts tonight on FNMTV, no one's made a hit song out of the chant from the ubiquitous but tedious swimming pool game. But I'm not at all surprised that Soulja Boy shows up on this version we caught at Wednesday night's taping, as it seems right up his alley: Take a nonsensical phrase (but this time, a historical reference!), repeat it ad infinitum over doofus synth loops, speed your way through the verses and hope no one notices that your rhymes break new ground in wackness ("This is not the Matrix, but I am the Oracle / Want to get with me? The question is rhetorical").

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

Critic’s Notebook: Katy Perry never ‘Kissed a Girl’

You know what bothers me about Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” -- now officially the song of the summer, after spending five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100? Not the auto-erotic tease of the lyrics, which keeps Perry inside her head rather than beneath the waistband of some lovely’s Victoria’s Secret finery. Not her groaning, quintessentially brunet vocal delivery, which is actually kind of sexy, built around a neo-burlesque bump of a track and the luscious word hook “cherry Chapstick.”

I'm personally astonished that, until Bow Wow's forthcoming video for "Marco Polo," which debuts tonight on FNMTV, no one's made a hit song out of the chant from the ubiquitous but tedious swimming pool game. But I'm not at all surprised that Soulja Boy shows up on this version we caught at Wednesday night's taping, as it seems right up his alley: Take a nonsensical phrase (but this time, a historical reference!), repeat it ad infinitum over doofus synth loops, speed your way through the verses and hope no one notices that your rhymes break new ground in wackness ("This is not the Matrix, but I am the Oracle / Want to get with me? The question is rhetorical").

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

FNMTV: Danity Kane, Bow Wow, Chromeo and Tokyo Police Club debut

I'm personally astonished that, until Bow Wow's forthcoming video for "Marco Polo," which debuts tonight on FNMTV, no one's made a hit song out of the chant from the ubiquitous but tedious swimming pool game. But I'm not at all surprised that Soulja Boy shows up on this version we caught at Wednesday night's taping, as it seems right up his alley: Take a nonsensical phrase (but this time, a historical reference!), repeat it ad infinitum over doofus synth loops, speed your way through the verses and hope no one notices that your rhymes break new ground in wackness ("This is not the Matrix, but I am the Oracle / Want to get with me? The question is rhetorical").

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

Damien Rice goes all Youtube-y for Amy Kuney

Remember Amy Kuney? She's the one who does all those fab covers on youtube.com -- a cut above the average gamine songwriter -- and writes some pretty sweet originals to boot. Soundboard featured her take on Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" a while ago.

Well, turns out we're not the only ones trolling for her vids. Got this note from her the other day:

Hello Ann,

It's Amy Kuney again...

Guess what? Damien Rice saw my cover of his song "Blower's Daughter" on youtube, and has invited me to fly to Iceland to open shows for him! Needless to say...I am pulling my life savings and buying a round trip to Iceland. He has been an inspiration to me since I was 12 and I am still pinching myself. I can't believe it. We leave Sunday. I'm opening some shows, and then I am singing "Coldwater" with him as a duet. I can die happy now... haha

Don't die, Amy! You have so much ahead! And we're rooting for you.

-- Ann Powers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

China’s music markets are forbidden cities to some singers

Just as the world media is beginning to dip a toe into the busy Chinese underground music scene, the New York Times has this unsettling story of how in anticipation of the Olympics, the government in Beijing has passed new laws forbidding foreign entertainers who have run afowl of their censorship policies. The vague but fairly sinister new rules ban from China "Those who used to take part in activities that harm our nation’s sovereignty" and also artists who "advocate obscenity or feudalism and superstition.”

It's hard to say exactly who or what qualifies as advocating "superstition" or "fuedalism" in song, but after the government's severe frowning over Bjork's Tibet-amended edition of "Declare Independence" at a Shanghai concert this year, that topic is presumably off-limits for foreigners. It'll be interesting to see how or if these rules will affect homegrown acts, as these new laws apparently also apply to performers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, two territories governed by China but who enjoy a greater degree of political and cultural autonomy.

It's hard to imagine how China can continue to ramp up its economy while keeping such draconian rules about who can entertain its growing concert-going classes, so after the Olympics are over, wait and see if these new rules indicate a larger grab at media and entertainment control by Beijing.

-August Brown

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown

Feist counts to four on ‘Sesame Street,’ bears most unwarranted commenter hate of ’08

To all you Brooklyn Vegan trolls who think this is anything short of devastatingly adorable, please get some sunshine and a Popsicle or something. Sincerely, Soundboard.

-- August Brown