Oh shut up and drive already... So, it's been a while since we sat around the Castle and watched music videos; we've been busy at work and not in the mood to go to shows, so that's what we did this evening, after stopping at the grocery store after work and ooohing and ahhhing over my new box of records shipped direct from End of An Ear in Austin.



When Rihanna's "Shut Up and Drive" came on, Pinkie unceremoniously sneered, "This is a Republica song. A Republica song I don't even like." She paused. "Wait. That implies there's a Republica song I do like -- which, is not in fact true. I was listening to real dance music. Republica is the crystallization of all bad dance music."



Which naturally, prompted me to jump up and bounce around like Republica's hyperactive frontwoman Saffron, screeching "I'm back and ready to goooooooooho! From the rooftops, shout it out, shout it out!" (As previously discussed, dear readers, you know that I know at least the chorus to every terrible pop song ever written.)

Pinkie just looked pained.

"And, well, apparently Melody Maker coined the terrible horrible loathsome term "elecronica" to describe their music." I pointed out, after settling back on the sofa, post-dance break. "Thanks, Wikipedia."

"What about the New Electronica label?" she asked, incredulous.

"Oh, you would bring that up! I have no idea...!"

After some frustrated Googling, I discovered that the first New Electronica release came out in 1993; a full year before that alleged Melody Maker piece. Experimental music wins! Again. Yes, kids -- occasionally, the Wikipedia is totally wrong... Perhaps, more accurately, it was when the term was pulled up into the mainstream, which seems more likely.

[aside: david toop + robert christgau = awesome. we luv ocean of sound.]

But, anyway, back to Rihanna: there's echoes of the good in "Shut Up and Drive" too -- we're pretty sure there's more than a hint of Prince's "Little Red Corvette." You know. Because um, these are not songs about cars. Duh.



Just for kicks and giggles, I thought about posting Njoi's RAVE ANTHEM (tm) uh, "Anthem," featuring vocals from the lovely Saffron, but I realized that we really don't need to relive the Manchester warehouse scene ca. 1991. Or the 2006 remixes either. Srsly. You're welcome.

**

A few other items:

The always awesome Bellmer Dolls are opening for Grinderman in San Francisco (they're thankfully playing a few dates sans The White Stripes, but sadly, not here); that show's sold out, but Our Darling Dolls are playing Saturday night, too, at the ethereally lovely Rykarda Parasol's The Hive Art Space. If you go, do please tell them the Rich Girls sent you.

The Bellmer Dolls -- Push! Push!

Upcoming NYC shows of note: ...Trail of Dead & the amazing Shock Cinema @ Luna Lounge, August 2; The Holy Kiss @ Cake Shop, August 3 (They're also playing Midway on Ave. B on the 2nd).

...The big question remains, though -- To Suicide or not tonight at South Street Seaport? Generally, I loathe reunited bands, but this might be worth making an exception for.

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Didn't you totally DEMAND these for your hot weekend doings? I thought I heard you asking...?

Interpol -- The Heinrich Maneuver (Paul Epworth Phones Remix) [OMG, we can dance to it now -- thanks Epworth!] [myspace] [remixer]

Cold War Kids -- Hang Me Up To Dry (Ingo Star Cruiser Remix) [Golly! Love those handclaps! I know it's deeply uncool to like this band, but I still think this song is great.] [myspace] [remixer]

Sly Hats -- Someone To Dress Up For [if you missed the Sly Hats show in Brooklyn last night, they'll be back at Union Hall on the 30th; the soft-spoken Aussie darling is currently touring the eastern seaboard, check myspace for info]

Let's Wrestle! -- Song For Abba Tribute Band [I'm slated to appear on next week's episode of Blog Fresh Radio (Monday), wherein I pontificate ineloquently on the greatness of this song] [myspace]

So, even if we couldn't pull enough strings to get into the grand opening of the Highline Ballroom tonight with Lou Reed and Overkill (um, Okkervil) River (that mutual admiration society is a bizzaro complement to the Iggy Pop/At The Drive-In pairing back in the day, isn't it?), we were super-stoked to find out today that one of our favorite Austinites, the always wonderful DJ Mel, is rolling with the Yo Majesty & CSS party barge for a few dates in June. Though we aren't the biggest CSS fans ever (or at all, even), the idea of darling Mel with the ladies of Yo Majesty is very pleasing to us indeed. (Grab one of his dj sets from November on East Village Radio con Nick Catchdubs over yonder.)

DATES:
april 30th - nasty's / austin, tx
may 30th - nasty's / austin, tx
june 1st - irving plaza w/ yo majesty & CSS / new york city
june 2nd - the middle east w/ yo majesty & CSS / cambridge, mass.
june 6th - dagobert w/ yo majesty & thunderheist / quebec city, quebec
june 7th - academy club w/ yo majesty & thunderheist / montreal, quebec
june 8th - babylon w/ yo majesty & thunderheist / ottawa, quebec
june 11th - casbah w/ yo majesty, diplo & bonde do role / san diego, ca.
june 12th - cinespace w/ yo majesty / los angeles, ca.
june 14th - beauty bar w/ yo majesty / austin, tx.
july 7th - milk bar/san francisco

Speaking wonderful things, I can't get enough of DC's Da Committee -- as they put it, they really are the perfect blend of Dirty South and East Coast Hip Hop. Thanks (again) to AgentLovelette for the tip. (And check out the "DC Clap" on their MySpace page...)

Da Committee -- Bruce Wayne (sorry for the zshare action, I was having trouble uploading it to the Rich Girls server...)

Also: Prince covering Joni Mitchell is indeed the best thing ever. Don't even attempt to disagree with me here. Or wait, or is it John Cale covering LCD Soundsystem's "All My Friends"? (Which, btw, is totally the "All My Rowdy Friends (Have Settled Down)" of 2007, I think. Too bad I didn't have that to post, too.) I just don't know.

John Cale -- All My Friends (DFA cover). [I don't need to tell you this is mad limited, get it before Murphy and Sweeney nail my ass for this one. FASTER!]

Prince -- Case of You (Joni Mitchell cover).

And, hey! Congrats to our new pals The Muggabears for making the grade on the L Magazine's Class of 2007: 8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear list. Rock on, y'all! We don't envy anyone the task of winnowing down the gobs of bands sprawled across our lovely metropolis to a list of just eight to watch, and The Mugs totally deserve the shout-out.

The Muggabears -- Dead Kid Kicks.

Needless to say we weren't at Coachella. AS IF -- it was totally the weekend to clean the Castle, duh! However, this Friday we'll yet again voluntarily subject ourselves to the FUN! gathering at Studio B in Greenpoint. Oh, the things we go through for the Bellmer Dolls, I tell ya. (They'd best play that cover of "Jump into the Fire" if'n they know what's good for them.)

And, dear NYC'ers -- don't miss the adorable Yellow Fever, who will be in town this weekend too -- featuring Jen (aka 'remember when there was a girl in Voxtrot?') and Isobel, one of Pinkie's former coworkers! It's gonna be positively Austin-tastic up here for the next few weeks, and that's totally fine with us!

ps -- Are you a writer with a strong background in financial journalism (3+yrs) in the NYC area? Are you looking for a new gig? Are you a nerd for business news, operations, and history? Let me know. Seriously.

pss -- One of our favorite show-going pals, the magnificent photographer Kathryn Yu, is selling prints of her work. Show the love -- and someone buy me this one, okay?