— In his
SXSW recap for the New York Times, Jon Pareles wonders just what the fuck is up with all this glo-fi, chillwave nonsense, then figures it out: "It’s annoyingly noncommittal music, backing droopy vocals with impersonal sounds—a hedged, hipster imitation of the pop they’re not brash enough to make." I'm not exactly sure if I agree with the part about these artists not being brash enough to full-on pop, because I actually fear something much worse: that they know so little about the history of the indie-world that's spawned them that they wouldn't even recognize the brashness of such a move.
— The Strokes are recording their new album—described here as a funkier First Impressions of the Earth, whatever that means—without Julian Casablancas. The singer has left the rest of the band to work on the music before he comes in and adds vocals later on. Strange.
— Tom Hanks wants to turn Green Day's American Idiot musical into a movie that I will definitely go see, especially if Tom Hanks plays Tré Cool. That's how this works, right? [Gigwise]
— Chris Weingarten, of @1000TimesYes saw 100 bands at SXSW, and yes, he tweeted about them. For Rolling Stone.