FRICTION NYC

**FREE** CMJ Afterparty w/ Crystal Antlers, Best Fwends, & Ninjasonik | Tonight! @ Cake Shop

FRICTION NYC and FUCK YEAH FEST bring a little bit of the right coast, left coast, and in between to the Cake Shop for this CMJ Afterparty TONIGHT! Austin, Texas’ BEST FWENDS, along with Long Beach, California’s CRYSTAL ANTLERS, and Brooklyn’s very own NINJASONIK get hype for CMJ. Best Fwends gets shit moving at 1AM. No RSVP bullshit — just show up and GET HYPE! Free PBR while it lasts!

I didn’t even write any of this people, I put in something else earlier. Justin changed my shit up, another case of not being able to delegate and being controllingly anal. -Nghia

“BEST FWENDS’ music is a big attention-deficit-disordered smash-up of punk, early Beastie Boys and unrefined 8-bit sounds. It’s a kindred sound to those of British bands like Gay Against You and Applicants: frantic, but rooted in pop and/or rock. It’s trashy, cheap, headachy noise, but noise that a lot of love has clearly been put into.”
[MP3]: “Orange Marker”

“Existing at the cross-section of so many styles, CRYSTAL ANTLERS debut EP (Touch & Go) finds the band at a more important nexus of potential and realization. In person, Crystal Antlers look like outcasts from six different bands, and at various points on this record, they sound like it, too: Merging psych, garage, lo-fi, prog, and countless other influences, the group easily maintains consistency despite a complete inability to be pinned to any specific movement or trend.” [Pitchfork, Best New Music]
[MP3]: “A Thousand Eyes”

“Looking for a good time? You might want to call NINJASONIK. These Brooklyn art-hop pranksters combine spiky beats with rhymes about grabbing asses and the skinny jeans they wear…Mostly, though, people have been talking about these foul mouthed Ninjas for their debauchery fueled live shows, which has seen plenty of crowd diving and drunken punk rock antics…Whoa! Don’t say we didn’t warn you.” [Brooklyn Radio]
[MP3]: “Tight Pants”

Native Korean Rock & the Fishnets | Union Pool 7.21.08

Native Korean Rock & the Fishnets, the second show of the nite.

What one BV commenter said:

One of those moments in your life you will never forget! The songs couldn’t have been more beautiful and sincere. The MySpace demos are really the most basic rough draft of what was heard…

Flickr

Yeah!!!

Animals of Iraq

Since we’re all celebrating Independence Day today, it’s time we took a moment to remember the men, women…and animals in Iraq. Bust out your crayons and markers kids, Williamsburg illustrator Nick Manske recently published his Animals of Iraq coloring book. The book juxtaposes the innocence of a children’s coloring book, destructive scenes of war and cute indigenous Iraqi animals in their natural habitats. Who knew hedgehogs even lived in Iraq.

Buy it for your coffee table, which is where I have my copy (yeah there’s beer spilled all over it). When I have a copy of this book laying around, nothing screams ‘OMG, Nghia I never knew you were on such a sensitive tip with cute furry animals and were so knowledgeable and cared so much about the War, politics, the environment and all that stuff. You’re so deep can I sleep with you?’. Then I put on some Usher then I’m like ‘Yeah, I like to be on top the world’s issues and stuff, that’s like one of my interest in life. Take off your bra, I’ll show you my Purple Heart later’. I once showed this book to Crystal Castles and they went ga-ga wild over it, they were really impressed and even smiled.

You too can impress people, get your copy now.

[MP3]: Lissy Trullie “Self Taught Learner”

Sam Sparro!

When I first heard Aussie/LA/Londoner Sam Sparro a month ago, I immediately thought he was of black descent considering his booming soulful voice. I was wrong, this white boy can sing! Already a huge music chart climber in the UK, Sparro isn’t just a singer but a musician that writes, performs, produces and arranges all of his own material.

You may think why does the world need another Calvin Harris or Mika who likes to dabble in RnB and electro? I don’t know but his voice is easier on the ears than those other two guys. His self-titled was just released in the US yesterday. The song ‘Hot Mess’ stands out to me because you definitely hear some Prince and Gap Band. If you wanna hear the where is he now D’Angelo check out ‘Cottonmouth’. My real attraction to this album is it harkens the now cheesy mid-90’s acts that I loved like SWV, Jodeci and Blackstreet with the artificial sounding instrumentals (keyboards, synthesizers and beats). Throw in some English flavor from acts like Black Box and KLF and you have a description of this soulful-electro album.

You can buy it on Itunes right now.

[MP3]: Sam Sparro “Hot Mess”

Check out the Falco looking video for “Black and Gold”. Yeah he’s out of the closet.

The End is Near

Oh brother. Justin will probably get one of these so it can go along with his U2 Ipod, he loves Joy Division (he has a framed photo of Ian Curtis next to his bed). New Order was always the better band anyways. To me Joy Division is as overrated as Radiohead. I can’t lie though, I wouldn’t mind seeing the documentary to see what all the hype is about.

I’ll also take one of these Zunes if Microcock wants to give me one for free.

Here’s what the press release had to say:

REDMOND, Wash. — June 4, 2008 — Today Microsoft Corp. announced that a limited-edition Zune digital media player designed by Peter Saville will be made available to commemorate the DVD release of “Joy Division,” the critically acclaimed documentary. The film will come pre-loaded on a custom black Zune 80 player that is etched with an adaptation of Saville’s iconic artwork from Joy Division’s “Unknown Pleasures” album. Five hundred limited- edition players will be available for purchase June 17 for $399.99 through http://www.zune.net and http://www.zuneoriginals.net. In addition, Zune Marketplace will feature exclusive outtakes from the DVD.

“Joy Division” chronicles the story of the seminal post-punk band via firsthand accounts from the surviving band members and those who worked closely with them during their brief but highly influential existence.

“Partnering with Zune gives us a unique platform to tell the story of an iconic band and present something special to their fans,” said Tom Atencio, the film’s co-producer. “It also opens the door to a whole new world of possibilities regarding innovative promotion and distribution methods for independent films.”

The DVD release of “Joy Division” is also set for a June 17 release through Genius Products and The Weinstein Company, and has been widely praised for highlighting the enduring influence of the Manchester quartet while poignantly conveying the story of their brief career. The film was directed by Grant Gee, director of “Meeting People Is Easy” and “Demon Days.”

“We appreciate the opportunity to create a customized product in conjunction with an important project like the ‘Joy Division’ film,” said Richard Winn, director of Entertainment Development for Zune. “Building innovative consumer experiences around music and providing a platform to showcase the work of artists is what Zune is all about.”

“We are happy to be involved in this innovative alliance with Zune, and we’re honored that Zune chose our film ‘Joy Division’ for its limited-edition player,” said Barry Gordon, executive vice president of Home Entertainment at The Weinstein Company.

[MP3]: Low  ”Transmission”
A Means to an End: The Music of Joy Division, Virgin; 1995

Black Kids Have 12 Inches to Giveaway

Uh, yeah. Jacksonville, FL’s Black Kids blew up the blogosphere last Fall but have since unfortunately suffered the backlash of gaining popularity so quickly then deciding to sign with a major label. You can’t really fault the kids for trying to get paid. What are they gonna do, sit around their basement and play to themselves? Yeah I understand their music isn’t for everyone but it’s pretty catchy pop songs about being a teenager. The Cure influences I don’t see, other than maybe they guy’s voice. Their self-titled full length comes out later this summer in June.

We haven’t done this sort of contest/giveaway thing in awhile so now’s a good time. Two winners will receive a copy of Black Kids’ 12” in “Cool White Vinyl”. Just send an email to contest@frictionnyc.com with the “Black Kids 12 Inch Giveaway” in the subject line. We’ll choose a winner by next Friday, May 16th. Witty emails get bonus points. I have friends who swear that the Twelves Remix is better than the original, but me, I prefer the original. Listen on Myspace.

SIDE A
1. “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”
SIDE B
1. “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” Twelves Remix
2. “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You” Twelves Remix (Dub Version)

Black Kids Tour Dates:
May 7 – Chicago, IL at The Abbey Pub^
May 8 – Detroit, MI at Magic Stick^
May 9 – Toronto, ON at Lees Palace^
May 12 – Boston, MA at Paradise^
May 13 – Brooklyn, NY at Studio B^
May 15 – Washington, DC at Black Cat^
May 16 – Philadelphia, PA at Pure^
May 17 – Baltimore, MD at Sonar^
May 18 – New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
^ with Cut Copy

New CC Video Really Takes it to Another Level

Crystal Castles must of been filming this video while waiting for the other bands to finish at our last Friction. Oh snap! Wahhhh!

Get ready for Monday!