a.v. club

A.V. Club: Lil Wayne

in: viewing room


Lil Wayne, “Knockout” featuring Nicki Minaj

I don’t… Well, I don’t even have words for this. Just watch it. Lil Wayne, you’ve outdone yourself.

This song is ridiculous. The opening lines display Wayne’s lyrical stupidity, and the video is “Fast Times” cheesy. Nicki Minaj, the supposed new Lil Kim, is this creepily self-aware doll who clearly thinks she’s cute, sexy, talented, etc. She’s not. She’s bursting out of her Lady Gaga corset rip-off, and her eyes. Sheesh, those eyes. They’re lifeless and creepy.

Seriously, when Lil Wayne opens a song addressing Barbie, you know you’re in trouble. Wayne’s morphing these alternative rock baselines and drum solos with his T-Pain over-modulated voice and Minaj’s frenetic, screeching vocals. It’s as if Wayne listened to At the Drive-In and decided he could do it just as well but realized he didn’t have the vocal cajones to do real music any justice. And the video? It looks like he took a page from that Lil Jon/Cooking by the Book mash-up, begged Kelis to do costume design and rounded off the catastrophe with Celebrity Deathmatch.

And it’s all for that Barbie girl.

Ken, what would you have to say about this?

Ken and Barbie, Toy Story 3

A.V. Club: Li$a (Simpson)

in: viewing room


The Simpsons, “To Surveil, With Love” (aired May 02, 2010)

I mentioned earlier that The Simpsons tweaked their traditional opener last night in a tribute to notorious party girrrrrrl Ke$ha, wherein the citizens of Springfield do their best teen diva impression. The video, above, features Lisa, Milhouse, Ralphie, Otto and even Apu, lip-synching  to the totally terrible dance track.

Even Selma and Patty make an appearance! Commentary on the video, both on Hulu and YouTube, has demonstrated audience disapproval, but I think it’s hilarious. Sure, it’s timely, but I think it’s certainly well worth it.

A.V. Club: Said the Whale

in: viewing room

We’d be buried in the water in the summer
We’d be leaning on lake tides and lilies

We’ve got the biggest hearts

— “Strong Swimmers,” Said the Whale

Vancouver-based indie rock  band Said the Whale released their second full-length album Islands Disappear in late 2009. The band, begun as a collaboration between songwriters Ben Worcester and Tyler Bancroft, raises bubblegum folk to an art form and creates ukulele love songs. In its current incarnation, the band is a five-piece line-up.

Islands Disappear, from description on the band’s website, “draws on the experience of driving across Canada, from the van breaking down in Manitoba to camping in Alberta.  With stylistic forays that include backwoods folk and danceable ukulele/glockenspiel rave-ups, it’s the sound of a band coming into its own, delivering on the promise of its early recordings.”

The first single from the album, “Camilo (The Magician)” is a conglomeration of traditional rock n’ roll power chords and a sunny power pop chorus. The track is a catchy sing-a-long for romping in the summer sun. The video is positively adorable and is the perfect pairing for the single’s pleasant and finger-snapping disposition.

In February, the band released a five track EP of acoustic songs recorded in guitarist/vocalist Ben Worcester’s bedroom. The band emphasizes audience interaction and called earlier this year for cover art designs for the EP. The winner, pictured below, came from Abbi MacDonald from Ontario. The artwork links to iTunes purchases cache for “Bear Bones.”

"Bear Bones" EP

Said the Whale recalls Miniature Tigers‘s gruff swagger, the self-assured chutzpah of pretty boys knowing they make the girls swoon. It’s an eager album and each of the tracks are alternately captivating and emotionally trite. The depth of sentimentality is shallow, and the emotions the band grasps at are meager. It’s certainly not the world’s best album, but it’s definitely one to give multiple spins.

Happy listening!

(editor’s note) Embedded below is the video for “The Light is You,” the Said the Whale track I am most digging currently. The band is great Earth Day fodder – they sure do seem to revere nature! This video was filmed in a picturesque apple orchard.


A.V. Club: Hanson grows up

in: viewing room

The brothers move through the alphabet

The three effeminate brothers from Tulsa, Zac, Taylor and Isaac, shot to popularity in 1997 with their infectious single “MMMBop,” but they failed to achieve any significant long-term success. They’re set to release their newest album, “Shout It Out,” in June, and the first single from it, “Thinking ‘Bout Somethin'” is a catchy pop ditty which returns the three precious brothers to their roots.

I can’t seem to embed the music video from MySpace, so click the video still below to watch the video, which premiered Thursday. I want to hear what you think – post in the comments.

(editor’s note) The video has drawn comparisons to the Blues Brothers, though I think the most apt comparison is to Joseph Gordon-Levitt‘s dance scene in (500) Days of Summer.

And that group jump-high-five may be the lamest thing I’ve seen on record. Ever. Still, glad to see the boys are back.

Still from "Thinking 'Bout Somethin'"

And, for good measure (and nostalgia), the video for “MMMBop,” my childhood anthem.

A.V. Club: My favorite video of the week

in: viewing room

Bat Romance at Phillies-Nationals


Phillie Phanatic, my favorite mascot in professional sports, shakes his tail feather to a little Gaga.

This video legitimately made me laugh like a hyena. Combining two things I love – athletic mascots and Lady Gaga – into one concise taunting of the Nationals was a sheer act of genius. Phanatic – Tom Burgoyne – donned Gaga drag to heckle Nats third-base coach Pat Listach. And this wasn’t any of the tamer (cough) Gaga get-ups but rather her blood-stained VMAs outfit, complete with Max crown, a la Where the Wild Things Are.

Now, I’m not much of a Phils fan. When I root for the National League – and I always root for the National League – I cheer on my hometown Brav-os. I do have an untold appreciation, however, for Phillie Phanatic. He’s adorable, a fuzzy, green, frenetic dancing creature, all flailing arms and donut waist. And this performance just took the cake. The Nats, though, seem less than pleased.

Below is a photographic comparison of both Phanatic Gaga and regular ol’ crazy Gaga.

It’s nice to see the enthusiasm and the spectacle returning to America’s favorite sport!

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Photo from MTV

Book Club: April sites

in: on queue

For the fourth and final portion of April’s Book Club, I am featuring an awesome new Web series updated weekly.

Click-click-click-click-click:

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

A.V. Undercover
I love The Onion’s AV Club, and I stumbled upon this neat little series they premiered in mid-March. The AV Club, in association with Starbucks, presents a new video each Tuesday featuring a prominent band covering a popular track. AV Club execs compiled a list of 25 tracks, and a new band heads into the Chicago office each week to cover a song of their choice from the list. Songs are chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis for the artists, so, in week 25, the band will play the remaining single song. Check out the first video in the series, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists covering “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears, here – (editor’s note: this video would not embed!) -, and be sure to check the AV Club Web site each Tuesday for a brand new video!