Tastemakers Magazine (TMM): I wanted to first ask you about the album title: Beware and Be Grateful. Is that some personal reminder or mantra?

Erin Elders (EE): You know, it’s funny because that actually came from a casual conversation that we had during our time in the studio. It all seemed kind of random like someone just said that and it was almost like a really great album title. We started thinking about it and it just felt really fitting for some of the themes and overall vibes for the record. So it came from this almost random connotation but ended up taking off.

TMM: How long have the songs on this album been in the works?

EE: Some of the songs have kind of been around for a long time and some of them were written right before we went in to the studio. So it’s kind of been all over the place but the whole process was started last year. We would do a couple weeks in the studio and then go on tour and have some time to let the songs percolate in our heads and then come back and do a couple [more] weeks in the studio and then go back on tour. Overall the songs were being worked on for a little over eight months or so [but] we were touring while that happened though so the process was sort of elongated.

TMM: Were you trying these songs out during those spurts of touring?

EE: No, we actually didn’t play any of the songs live until pretty recently. All the songs are pretty much written as a stripped down versions and then all of the arrangement and textures end up being written in the studio. That’s kind of a fun challenge too where it’s like we have to take some time to figure out how to present the songs in a live setting.

TMM: It sounds like there was an effort to use more of a pop-ish or funky sound on this album.

EE: Yeah, this is the first album we did almost totally in a studio so we definitely made the decision to have that studio polish on it. Going to the studio also led us to experiment with the crazy sounds and effects and tools that we never would have gotten to use. We kind of ran with that. We wanted to do something that was a little more high fidelity but at the same time was still challenging and experimental.

TMM: Yeah I hear a lot of effects on [singer] Dave [Davison]‘s voice at times and it sounds like the guitars are frequently made to sound like other than guitars.

EE: Yeah, definitely.

TMM: Okay so I was curious, on your wiki page, it says you play in a thrash metal band called Skullzone –

EE: [Laughs] that’s sort of defunct at this point. That was something for fun that I did with some friends of ours and actually, [Ryan Duggan], the guy who does all of our artwork played drums in that project. I don’t know how that ended up on Wikipedia but maybe someday there will be a reunion.

TMM: Well I was going to ask if the thrash metal explains why finger-tapping is so integral to Maps and Atlases’ sound.

EE: I definitely grew up a metal kid, [but] when I was in high school playing in terrible death metal bands I didn’t do any finger-tapping. That kind of came out of us experimenting as a band together and we stumbled upon that percussive quality of it. It’s weird though, because I think some of my guitar playing, if you dig deep enough, you can see those metal roots. Those two things are kind of related.

TMM: I’ve always thought the way you guys use finger-tapping is the most interesting and least cheesy use of the technique.

EE: oh well thank you. For us it was always sort of about the percussive elements. We really like that. We’re a band that almost thinks like four drummers. I think the way that it all comes together is very drum like and experimenting with that style early on helped us get to that place.

TMM: I wanted to bring up your relationship with Good Old War. Are the any plans to work with them more in the future?

EE: We go a ways back with them and they’re definitely dear friends of ours. It’s funny because I feel that both of our bands are really different but there are some common musical philosophies. Those guys are amazing musicians. Their band is super different but then they can bring their part to it, like their collaboration with us on “Israeli Caves”, which is totally fits really well with our band. We would definitely love to do that [again].

And Tim played some drum stuff on this record. He came to the studio for a couple of weeks and was doing all kinds of crazy stuff. We are still really close with those guys and I hope to do some stuff in the future. For the last couple years it’s always been like, “When are we going to do a Good Old War/Maps and Atlases tour,” and it hasn’t happened yet but we still talk about it. I hope it happens some day.

TMM: In my opinion, our 2010 Tastemakers Presents show with Maps and Atlases and Good Old War has been our best to date.

EE: That was a super fun show.

TMM: What’s the current state of beards in the band?

EE: Well Dave’s beard is now longer than ever. My beard: I’ve been keeping it pretty short but we’re also about to go on a six week tour and I don’t really plan on dealing with it. So by the end of this tour it should be back in the running. Shiraz’s is pretty short. And then we have Chris who can’t really grow a beard.

TMM: Is the length of the beard proportional to the band’s power?

EE: I don’t know I think it’s more about trying to keep the quality of the beard. You can have a really good short beard. So I think if we all can pull our efforts together to have just quality beards we’re going to be producing a good sound for sure.

TMM: Well I wish you a quality beard for the future.

EE: Thanks, man. Thanks for taking the time to chat.

TMM: Oh, thank you! 

Maps and Atlases new album, Beware and Be Grateful, is available now at all the usual places. Get tickets for their 5/18 show in Cambridge, as well as the rest of their tour dates, at mapsandatlases.org.

San Diego’s Delta Spirit have been winning fans over with their unique instrumentation ever since they started banging on trash can lids for their 2008 full-length Ode to Sunshine. And on their newest, self-titled effort, the five-piece is still trying new things, like recording in a converted church and working with renowned producer Chris Coady (Grizzly Bear, Yeah Yeah Yeahs).

Tastemakers got a chance to catch up with the band before their March 17 show at the Paradise. In between discussions of craft beers and exchanging hugs with old friends, bassist Jon Jameson talked about Delta Spirit’s new album, the benefits of recording in unique spaces and the reasons you should keep your eyes out for cool bathroom artwork.

TMM: You guys said that you set out wanting to make this a “Great American Record,” which is pretty ambitious. What sorts of components go into making an album like that?

JJ: I think part of it comes just from finding your place in the world, finding something you have to contribute that’s hopefully unique. I mean, we aren’t very interested in just reliving the past or just copying something that’s popular. I think America is about bringing something to the table that the world needs, and so I think that’s what we were trying to do with our music.

TMM: When I saw there were two songs on the album named after states, I thought maybe you were going to interpret the American theme very literally.

JJ: [Laughs] The weird thing is that I didn’t even realize that until, like, last week actually. I knew “California” because that’s the single, and I kept thinking about it. But I kept forgetting we had a song named “Idaho,” too. It’s weird, and definitely not as intentional as one might think. It was almost subconscious even.

TMM: It’s also interesting that before this album, you only had one really overtly California-y song: “Golden State.” But on this record you have “California,” which has a really beachy, West Coast feel.

JJ: Yeah, we’re into a lot of different stuff. We like airy, atmospheric, bright sounds, and then at the same time I think that there was maybe even something subconscious about that. A friend of ours mentioned, “Oh, it’s cool that you threw that Beach Boys beat in for ‘California,’” and that was another subconscious thing. None of us were like, “Let’s throw a Beach Boys, ‘50s beat in ‘cause it’ll remind people of California.” It was just something that we tried, and it sounded good.

TMM: Could you actually talk a little bit about the album art? I thought that was really eye catching.

JJ: Thank you! It’s funny because weirdly enough, the cover was a collage that the owner of the studio that we recorded in had made in the bathroom. All of us saw it, day after day, while we were using the bathroom there. I remember seeing it and saying to myself, “Wow, that looks so cool and weird and unique.” But I never thought to, like, take a photo of it or do anything with it. Then our friend Matt Wignall, who did the photography and art direction, it was just a random photo he took. He sent us a list of several different photos and ideas for covers and that was one of them. Immediately it stuck out to me because it was already in my mind – subconsciously again! – as something that really stood out and at the same time was a part of every day of us making the record. It was something we interacted with, albeit via the bathroom. But it was cool, and I’m really happy with the cover.

TMM: Producer Chris Coady worked with you on this record, and he’s someone who’s worked with a lot of – I guess you could say indie rock heavyweights: Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Grizzy Bear, Beach House. Did his presence have an impact on the album?

JJ: We had the album pretty well pieced together as far as the songs, but with the production, he definitely did things that we normally wouldn’t have done. We usually air on the side of big, reverb-y, roomy drums and as many harmonies as possible, and he kind of honed that in. For example, “California” has really tight, mic’d drums, that people keep hearing and asking, “Why is there a drum machine on there?” It’s actually not a drum machine. It’s Brandon playing drums, but really tightly mic’d. It’s a sound that we haven’t used much in the past, partially just because we’ve been figuring it out ourselves, and he has a different perspective which I think really brought the album to where it needed to be. I love all the songs, but I think what he did really brought everything full circle.

TMM: As far as location goes, you recorded your first full length at a cabin in the mountains and your latest effort at a converted church in New York…

JJ: Yeah, and the last one was in a refurbished chicken coop in upstate California.

TMM: Right! So how do you guys come across these spaces?

JJ: We definitely seek them out. We always look for places that will bring us out of our every day life and the distractions of hanging with friends or loved ones. Even though that’s hard at times, it really helps you to focus. We kind of like the idea of completely putting ourselves into the album, so we’ve looked for places like that. We’ve looked at spaces in Greece and Malibu and all these weird places that are isolated. We had wanted to record at this place, Dreamland, in the past, and Chris Coady had made two records there. He did the Beach House record there and he also did Gang Gang Dance there, so he was comfortable with it, knew it, and was into the idea. So it just made sense. He was already ready for it and we were interested in it.

TMM: I’ve read that you guys don’t particularly like being dubbed an Americana or folk band, so how would you describe yourselves, stylistically? I realize there might not be one word, but…

JJ: It’s definitely hard. I think when it really comes down to it we just consider ourselves… well, we want to be the best rock band possible. But there’s a lot that goes into rock music and it’s so vague these days. I think, not to be even more vague, but I think we like the idea of making old things new and doing new things in a fresh way. Like I said before, we don’t just want to be copying something that’s been done. We respect tradition, but we don’t want to regurgitate it. At the same time, we’ve been doing this long enough and are disinterested enough in the zeitgeist, the spirit of the age, that we don’t want to instantly go along with whatever seems to be happening. Because by the time we get into it, it probably won’t be cool anymore. We constantly want to be re-envisioning. It’s a natural thing for us. We’re five people that are very different, with very different opinions, different perspectives, and different musical tastes. Whenever we find something where all five of us agree, that’s the band that we are. It’s weird for us because we’ve liked folk music and American music. But I mean, I love Pulp, you know? I love a lot of other things. I think, in a lot of ways, we sound more like Pulp than Woody Guthrie. So it just seems unfitting and a little bit like bad research to call us an Americana band.

TMM: So the five of you all have different musical tastes, how difficult is that?

JJ: It’s maddening. It’s crazy. It shouldn’t work, but that’s the great thing about it. A lot of bands have a – warlord is the wrong word – but someone that’s the taskmaster that makes the decisions and tells people what to do. And Kelly and Matt write most of the basic ideas of the songs, but everyone has free reign of what we do with it, and we can bring up new ideas. It’s really hard to get everyone on the same page, and it takes a while. We spent three or four months hashing out what we wanted this new album to sound like and finding where we all fit together. It’s something that so far has worked out, and it’s happened every time. We finally hit the point where we’re like, “Yes, we all love all of these songs.” And if it doesn’t happen, I don’t know! Maybe that’s it, you know? But I think we give and take and respect each other, even though we’re different. That’s what a good relationship is, and that’s what a good band is.

Check out Delta Spirit’s self-titled effort, out now on Rounder Records!

I’m not sure I’m sharing any new information when I say that Coachella was an amazing experience. It may have reached a high of 106F every day, but I have very few complaints. The festival ground is gorgeous but by the end of the weekend, the grass was dead and stuck to your legs when you sat down. The mountains and palm trees were a really nice change from Boston.

My only complaint about the festival is that they do too much. There is NOT enough room for six stages and, as a result, if you’re anywhere between them you can hear all of them and that usually means a really loud, pervasive bass beat. It got to the point where if you ended up far enough from any stage, you wouldn’t be able to hear it over the other, closer stages. You don’t need three tents, two stages and a random area in the middle where a DJ plays to people on ecstasy while they get squirted with water guns. There’s too much going on, and it creates a tension in the environment.

Also, because there are so many artists, a lot of artists get very short sets. The times range from 35 minutes to and hour, and only the headliners got 90 minutes or more. Artists like Bon Iver, Beirut, St. Vincent and Pulp got 50 minutes a piece, when they could play 90 minutes or more. I know it’s a festival, but nine artists in one day could easily be cut to give the really quality artists more time.

I wish I didn’t have to come back to Boston, but my body appreciates it. Under the cut is a short review of each artist I saw over the course of Coachella’s weekend two.

Friday
• Abe Vigoda
This was an accident, since it was 100F at 11am and they were in a shady tent, but they were actually really good.

• Wolf Gang
Attractive, bearded British men. Decent folk songs.

• Other Lives
I hadn’t heard them before, but they looked and sounded a bit like Fleet Foxes with more personality.

• GIVERS
My memory is fairly hazy for this artist and the next.

• Grouplove
See above. I think I fell asleep.

• Madness
Old guys with horns and silly suits. Awesome.

• Pulp
Jarvis Cocker was amazing. This was probably one of my favorite sets of the weekend, despite close encounters with cigarette burns from the tall asshole in front of me.

• Mazzy Star
Hope Sandoval was perfect <3

• The Black Keys
I had so much dirt in my eye that I only stayed for half the set and missed “The Weight”

• M83
SO CROWDED, but they sounded pretty good. I’m not sure why, but the festival put a lot of the more popular bands in the tents which ended up PACKED.

Saturday
• We Were Promised Jetpacks
The singer sounded a lot like Morrissey, but their songs were all very similar.

• Childish Gambino
I had trouble seeing a rapper and not the comedian, but his stage presence is really strong. His equipment was overheating so he did a lot of freestyling which was cool to see.

• The Head and the Heart
Everyone I know and their mothers has a raging boner for this band and I’ll admit that they’re talented and their music is entertaining, but I think everyone needs to calm the fuck down.

• tUnE-yArDs
I took a nice nap for about half of their set. The dancing around me was entertaining.

• Andrew Bird
Always a great performance. The sun was setting and I had an clear view of the stage. Annie Clark came out to sing “Lusitania” with him which was awesome. The saxophonist from Bon Iver came out to play a few songs as well.

• Jeff Mangum
I was unsure whether or not I would stay to see him, since the Boston show was so perfect, but I did and it was worth it. In Boston, he didn’t have any accompaniment, but for this set he had some horn players and it really made the difference on songs like “Oh, Comely” and “Two-Headed Boy.” Fred Armisen seemed to enjoy the set too even though he talked the WHOLE TIME.

• The Shins
I caught the back half of their set to get a good spot for Bon Iver and Radiohead and it was great. Their set was very laid back and they sounded cool.  I definitely did not expect them to be so old though.

• Bon Iver
His band is HUGE. So many people. The sound is so good though. I wish he played more first album stuff, but he sounded amazing and the musicality is really impressive.

• Radiohead
Ahhhh, Radiohead. Never a disappointment. They played a similar set to the first weekend and they played “You and Whose Army?” which I appreciated VERY much. They played more In Rainbows than I expected too. I was standing on the barrier of the VIP area so I could see most of the stage and Thom Yorke’s dancing was as entertaining as ever. The crowd was really into it and seeing Radiohead is a very communal, spiritual experience. Feel free to mock me for that, but I don’t care; it’s that good. Justin Vernon was also standing five feet from me, inside the VIP area, smoking a joint with his security team and then looked high as a kite for the rest of the set.

Sunday
• Gardens and Villa
We caught the end of their set before Oberhofer came on. Respectable.

• Oberhofer
Crazy as shit.

• Fanfarlo
I wish I saw more of them because they sounded really good.

• Le Butcherettes
I definitely enjoyed these ladies despite the theatrics (which usually drive me crazy). Omar from At the Drive-In plays bass for them and he looked sedated. I get that it was hot and all, but Teri Gender Bender was really energetic and sweating her ass off, so it was weird to see him standing there, barely playing, next to her.

• Greg Ginn and the Royal We
Oh, Greg, how far you have fallen from your Black Flag days.

• Beats Antique
They got the crowd up and moving more than any other act all weekend. The belly dancer was really good, but the music was amazing and it reached a very diverse crowd.

• Wild Flag
I love Portlandia so I went to see Wild Flag. They were energetic and had a good stage presence, but the music was just boring. Carrie Brownstein’s singing is like a caricature of what she thinks girl rock should be.

• Gotye
He was also in a tent which is mind-boggling because there were almost as many people inside the tent as outside the tent. His music is good. The sampling he does is unique, but I think he should highlight it more than he does. He played “Somebody that I Used to Know” a few songs before the end of the set, and everyone sang it and then left. About 25% of the crowd left after that song even though he played two more songs.

• Beirut
I only saw Gotye to make sure I had a good spot for Beirut and it was worth it. They’re another band that I wish had a longer set. Zach Condon is amazing and they sounded just like the recordings. Something about the live horns and the love of the music that each band member has was really inspiring and I am glad I got the chance to see them.

• Florence and the Machine
There were SO many people. SO MANY. She kept addressing us as if Coachella was her kindergarten class and we were about to have snack or nap time or something. It was weird. She sounded decent.

• Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg
I didn’t see the hologram. After 72 hours of blistering heat, lack of sleep, dehydration and loud music, there was only so much tolerance I had. After about 40 minutes, we went back to the campground and took advantage of empty showers, which we needed, desperately

In the eternal wisdom of Del Paxton, “Ain’t no way to keep a band together. Bands come and go. You got to keep on playin’, no matter with who….” Yes, I just quoted That Thing You Do. Nick Zammuto’s sound-collage collaboration, The Books, broke up last year. He considered quitting music all together but friends and family convinced him to get back in to it right away. We’re all glad he did and his new band, Zammuto, released its debut, self-titled album today. Zammuto (the man) was kind enough to sit down with us before the band’s third show ever, at Brighton Music Hall, back in February. The full interview will be available in the next issue of Tastemakers but here is just a little erh… taste of what he had to say. 

Tastemakers Magazine (TMM): Last summer you began this project by releasing song demos on Tumblr for 24 hours at a time. Why did you choose that method?

Nick Zammuto (NZ): It was a way to stay connected to people. I really like transparency in the artistic process. I don’t want people to view it as this magical thing, because really it’s just a lot of work. I kind of wanted people to see the pacing of how a record is made or, at least, get a sense for how I work and test the waters for people’s interest for this slightly new approach – or in some cases [this] radical new approach. It was a way to test the waters and a way to kind of get people thinking in new directions in terms of their expectations around what my output was going to be like. It’s worked really well. And as you would expect, the more direct your relationship is the more people will listen.

TMM: And why did you take them down after a day?

NZ: I wanted to leak them into the world and then step away from it and no longer be the source of it. Everybody was clear that when I released [the songs] these are for sharing. Like ‘Please, send them to your friends,’ but I didn’t want to be the guy giving them out all the time saying, ‘Hey listen to my music.’ I want other people, if they like it enough, [to] share it. So instead of me having to force it into the world, it would go by itself if I [only] released it for 24 hours. Rather than being thought of as the source of it I would just kind of light the match and see if anything caught on fire. And I can’t thank people enough for spreading the word. It’s been extremely effective.

TMM: So it’s sort of like you created a new disease?

NZ: Well, I don’t know. You can think of music as some kind of disease I suppose, like an earworm.

TMM: What previous misconceptions would you warn Books fans not to carry over for Zammuto?

NZ: [laughs] I don’t know expectations lead to disappointment as they say. We were worried about it. We were like, ‘oh man we’re going to play in front of a Books crowd essentially at first and they might all walk out.’ They could easily say this stuff isn’t for me, but so far it’s been the opposite. Every body comes up to me after the show and says this is a step forward.  I’ve been waiting for this in a way. It feels really good. But you know, given the fact that there are live drums and I’m playing electric guitar, I wouldn’t say it sounds like rock and roll because it’s usually not in 4/4 and it doesn’t have rock attitude, but it’s definitely the same type of instrument. It’s a show that you can stand up [for]. We want to play in front of standing audiences because right off the bat that changes the expectations of the show. We’re not exactly aiming for the lower chakras but it’s nice to be able to go there once in a while.

TMM: So the new album is out April 3^rd on Temporary Residence.

NZ: Yes, in all formats: CD, Vinyl, downloads and for free. I don’t particularly care if people share things but sort of where I draw the line is if you listen to it more than a dozen times, you should probably buy the record.

The new album is available today at zammutosound.com. It looks like there are still limited edition vinyls available that will come in hand screen-printed sleeves done in his home screen-printing studio. Yes, Nick Zammuto has a screen-printing studio in the home that he built himself; he is more interesting than you are.

Catch Zammuto on their upcoming tour with Explosions in the Sky, beginning Thursday April 5, 2012. And if you want to learn more about Nick Zammuto’s new band check out the full interview in the upcoming Tastemakers Issue 28. 

With both a new album and a Coachella debut in view, Brad Oberhofer was able to have a quick phone chat with us and based on the conversation he seems both relaxed and excited about the wild year ahead of him. The 21-year old frontman of the four-man band, Oberhofer, has mastered the art of new wave rock combined with dreamy pop and his music makes it nearly impossible to dissect with intricate layers of instruments, whistling, chants and melodies. Although he refused to give us some hints as to what we should expect with his band’s upcoming album, Time Capsules II, all we can do is expect the best.

Tastemakers Magazine (TMM): Hey, man, what’s up, how are you?
Brad Oberhofer (BO): I am super good! I’m actually working on a new song right now.

TMM: Oh awesome, how’s it going, what kind of vibes are going on?
BO: I don’t know it’s kind of like a pop song. We’ll see how it goes.

TMM: So, you’re on tour now. Have you played any specific gigs where you’ve been like ‘yea, I’m really excited to get back there and play at that venue again.’
BO.: Um, yea there was a show we just played in London three nights ago at a place called Cargo. It was just this really cool venue.

TMM: Its been announced that you’re playing Coachella this year. Are you stoked? Nervous?
BO: I’m really stoked honestly. I’m excited for it to be, ya know, like near summer time and to be in California and to be playing with some of the coolest bands on the face of the planet.

TMM: Any specific bands that you’re excited to see and play alongside?
BO: Uh, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg

TMM: Yea that’s gonna be awesome. It’s also two weekends this year. Is there anything you’re gonna be doing in between in that weird week?
BO: Um yea, I think we’re flying to Europe.

TMM: Oh wow, that is gonna be crazy. Aren’t you gonna be tired?
BO: No, dude, I’m never tired!

TMM: Well that’s good to hear! Line-ups are being announced for other awesome festivals like Sasquatch and Bonnaroo. Are you planning on chilling and attending any of these or is it hard to find the time?
BO: I don’t think that we’ll really get any chilling time honestly. I think it’s just gonna be like pretty much crazy for the next year and a half not doing anything.

TMM: You have an album coming out at the end of the month. I’ve listened to it and it’s really, really awesome. Could you tell me a little bit about the vibe people should expect?
BO: No, you know, I think its better when people don’t expect vibes.

TMM: Well I have to say that I would listen to some of those tracks when I would commute to NYC and it would make the commute that much more bearable. So, thank you for that.
BO: Aww man, that rules.

TMM: I read somewhere- and I mean, you can never really trust the Internet- that you kind of have a classical music influence in your music. Is that true?
BO: I don’t know really, I mean I listen to a lot of classical music but like I don’t really know if it has a huge influence. I couldn’t say.

TMM: Would you say anything really influences your music? Any specific bands or experiences that you’ve had?
BO: I think a bunch of bands probably influence it and I think probably every experience I’ve ever had influences it. So no, I think nothing specific really, just probably everything I’ve ever listened to in my whole life…everything equally.

TMM: Are there any new bands that you’ve listened to recently? Any new songs that are out?
BO: Well, there are a couple new bands that are pretty sweet. I just saw a band last night called Celestial Shores and they were really cool.

TMM: Last question for you and it’s blunt. You’re pretty young as far as I know. 21, right?
BO: Yea.

TMM: Well, what is one of the most important things you want to accomplish in your music career?
BO: Umm, I don’t know…just make people feel good.

TMM: Well, I think that’s a very important thing. Alright, well that’s everything. Anything you want to add?
BO: I hope you have a nice day

TMM: Well thank you, I hope you have a nice day as well and I hope you enjoy the rest of your tour. It seems like you’re gonna have a great year ahead of you.
BO: Yea, it’s gonna rule.

Oberhofer will be at Brighton Music Hall in Alston on Thursday, March 22 and Time Capsules II comes out March 27 on Glassnote Records.

“Elite critics … write that rap must be produced in local places, not in corporate studios for the national market, to be authentic; that ‘‘the ghetto’’ is a site from which rap full of personal meaning emerges; and that foreign rap is aesthetically innovative and politically important when compared to domestic production,” write two UC San Diego sociology professors in their 2010 article* titled “Cosmopolitan preferences: The constitutive role of place in American elite taste for hip-hop music 1991–2005.”

Instead of surveying these elites, the study analyzed the writings of music journalists who frequently reviewed hip-hop music.

While I obviously don’t identify as an “elite critic” of anything (seriously, do those exist?), I tend to agree with the aforementioned statement. Is it a coincidence that Italian rap, which takes its origins from the same nation as the word “ghetto” (In Italian, it just means a foundry), often reflects more of a genuine effort at using artists’ attention to expose listeners to some socio-political food for thought, regardless of whether or not these artists come from any sort of poverty? I think not.

“International scenes are privileged as politically and aesthetically more important than American scenes,” the study explains in its abstract. I wouldn’t use the term “privileged” there; rather, they are rightfully considered to be what the critics say they are. This is because when you take a look at what’s going on in the American rap scene, you’d be hard-pressed to find the range of emotions and political sentiments expressed by foreign rappers.

With that in mind, I hope to give readers a small taste of foreign rap artists I’m familiar with – in particular, two Italian ones – to stimulate an increased consciousness of the potential takeaways of talented hip-hoppers outside America.

Admittedly, because rap is rooted in the African American community, most foreign rappers take cues from Americans in their style of dress and commercial behavior. By the latter, I mean how they act in their music videos, for example. This is not to say that there aren’t things to be learned by artists and fans from foreign rap artists.

Two of the more prominent qualities held by foreign-language rappers that I give credence to here are their use of the spotlight as a political forum and their embrace and full expression of emotion. The microcosms I will look to are two of my favorite Italian rap artists, Lorenzo Jovanotti (an older, more sexual Jason Mraz whose entertainment moniker is simply Jovanotti), and Fabri Fibra (a seemingly American rap copycat who actually has a lot of his own ideas to spew).

First up is Jovanotti, whose style varies from unapologetically silly. “Tanto Tanto Tanto,” a song whose title means “A lot, a lot, a lot,” but whose video is unique in a way that might garner the rapper a “cheesy” label by Americans, but is more refreshing than the videos I’m used to seeing in our great nation of rappers toting guns and half-naked women. Still, he can also be achingly romantic, albeit cheesy. Here is the first type:

“Tanto Tanto Tanto” by Jovanotti

Before I continue, I must encourage you to read a translation of any of these songs’ lyrics (and those of other foreign artists you may be so inclined to check out) if you’re listening.  But, I argue that the emotional nature of these songs, and not always their lyrics, is their most powerful asset.

This second quality that I mentioned is exemplified in Jovanotti’s track “Serenata Rap” (Serenity Rap), which is composed in a love letter format where, again, the artist takes no back steps in telling his would-be lover exactly what he thinks of her being and physique. The most notable thing here is Jovanotti’s tone; that is, how he stays in character as a man desperate for his dream-girl’s attention. Phony American rappers — with the bravado they interpret as a turn-on to female listeners but just as often is off-putting to them – should take note.

“Serenata Rap” by Jovanotti 

Next up is Fabri Fibra (real name Fabrizio Tarducci), a much-buzzed-about Italian rapper that was nominated for MTV Europe’s Best Italian Act award last year. With his newfound fame, he has become increasingly outspoken against the Italian government and the state of the world in general. Most often, he uses satire to criticize the corruption and shakiness of the Italian government, like in “VIP in TRIP,” a track of his 2011 number one rap album (in Italy) Controcultura.

In this song, Fabri notes the changing times in his country and the dismal outlook for people his age, blaming at least part of it on the stupidity of politicians, especially those part of The Northern League (basically, a political party that is popular in northern Italy and claims southern Italians are a whole different, lesser race. [Get the picture?]).

“VIP in TRIP” by Fabri Fabri

Without bombarding you with more non-English rap songs, I hope you’ve gotten the point. Who are your favorite foreign rappers? Please respond in the comment section below!

*Cheyne, A., Binder, A., Cosmopolitan preferences: The constitutive

role of place in American elite taste for hip-hop music 1991–2005. Poetics (2010), doi:10.1016/j.poetic.2010.01.001

Tastemakers Magazine (TMM): So this is Tastemakers Magazine and you put out a food and drink recipe with your preorder package.

Lazerbeak (L): I certainly did. Let me give you one right now. My recipes: the nacho cheese LAVA BANGER Nachos and LAVA BANGER Shots.

TMM: So, what’s your favorite taste?

L: What’s my favorite taste? I like Budweiser beer quite a bit. I really like Dominoes pizza. That’s the thing on the road that I crave. I love ordering a Dominoes pizza back home and watching a movie with the wife.

TMM:  What exactly is a ‘Lava Banger’?

L:  Lava banger is just a name we came up for my beats based on the terminology of fire and uses of fire in rap music, hot flames and whatnot. My old band The Plastic Constellations — we were on tour about five years ago and it just came up. We were just joking around and it somehow stuck. I remember at my bachelor party I had like a list of things I had to do and I had to say “Lava bangers for life.” For like an hour, I had to finish any sentence with “Lava bangers for life,” and after that it really stuck. That’s just a term used to describe a Lazerbeak beat. It’s just a total knocker.

TMM:  So you’ve been making them for a while. What prompted the actual album; the full LAVA BANGERS experience?

L:  Actually, I had always been kind of against instrumental hip-hop records.  Or, at least, I didn’t want to make one because I thought there were so many of them out there and so many of them were boring and what not. And I just always assumed my beats were best with rappers on them. But, Plain Ole Bill, like when I was making Legend Recognize Legend, which was like my pop singing album, at that point I was hanging out with Plain Ole Bill and he was like ‘You know what,’ because I was worried that people were going to think that I had gone soft or whatever, ‘We should just hit them with another record that shows you still know how to make bangers.’ He said he would help me and it would be cool. It wouldn’t be like five-minute sprawling loops, it would be really quick. I said, ‘Okay, let’s give it a shot,’ then he came on board and helped kind of executive produce it and it came together. So that was like a year and a half ago maybe.  We started talking about it and of course everything takes forever. But it came together pretty quick actually. So yea, then I kind of gave into the idea and was like ‘Yea this could be easy.’ We had a lot of fun.  We drank a lot of beers. We had like 150 beats that we had to whittle down and figure out transitions and shit so that took a little while but it was all fun stuff.

TMM:  How has it been touring with the album? Haven’t you been opening the Doomtree sets with your own stuff?

L:  Yea, so every night there’ll be an opener and then I’ll go up and kind of do a ten-minute…almost like a cleansing or whatever. I play like a ten minute block of about four of the songs on there just to kind of get people warmed up and then introduce everybody and bring everyone on stage. It’s been awesome. I think it’s helping sell records on the road, too. But it’s been nice to just kind of set the pace or whatever. And then also, just to give people a chance to see actually what I’m doing up there as opposed to just kind of being hid behind everybody. In those ten minutes you get a pretty good idea of what I’m doing and then we run into the whole set.

TMM:  Tell me about the occupational hazards of playing so frequently, I see you have your fingers taped up.

L:  I split my middle fingers. I hit those pads pretty hard. I don’t need to. It doesn’t make it louder or anything but I’m coming from playing in rock bands and we move around a lot. When I started figuring out how to play live with rap, the only thing I knew to feel comfortable was to move around a lot. Because of that, I hit those pads pretty hard. Over time, they split open on tour. If it’s just one show here and there it’s fine, but after like three or four in a row it’s not fun. I’ve got gauze and gaffe tape and that helps pad it.

TMM:  Last question: I always put future interviews on Facebook and see if there are any solid questions. This is the best question I got for your interview. I’m going to read it to you verbatim. (Question submitted by Max Melby)

“It’s not secret that dude’s got a dichotomous set of tastebuds. How does one develop a taste for something as crispy sweet as Mike’s Hard Cranberry and something as savage as LAVA BANGER Nachos at the same time?”

L:  (Laughs) You know, it’s been a lot of years kind of developing the palate. Mike’s Hard Raspberry, to be clear. I don’t fuck with the Cranberry. I’ll drink the Cranberry but Mike’s Hard Raspberry is what I’m really going for. I just talked to our management today and they put a pack together to try to get me a solid endorsement deal with Mike’s Hard Raspberry. I’m already putting it out there. Even if they could just send me a case every week on the road and I’d drink it onstage, that makes total sense to me. I don’t know why, but that shit on ice is like the most refreshing…. Our rider just has beer on it. So I drink a lot of beer and I get burnt out on it. So, Mike’s Hard Raspberry, very refreshing! And LAVA BANGER Nachos is like the spicy to the refreshing cool of Mike’s Hard Raspberry. That’s a recipe that my mom always made at Super Bowl parties. It’s typical Midwestern, just like a brick of Velveeta cheese and chili. I tweaked it, added some heat to it and it’s fairly addictive.

TMM:  Sounds good.

L:  You’ve got the card! You should really make it. It’s not that expensive….you should make it!

——

For all interested, here’s the recipe:

1 can of Firehouse Chili

1 jar of hot salsa

½ jar of drained jalapeños

1 large brick of Velveeta cheese

(add hot sauce to taste)

Directions:

Cut cheese into cubes and put into crock-pot on HIGH.

Add all other ingredients once cheese has partially melted.

Stir often until cheese has fully melted.

Turn to LOW and enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips.

This year’s Coachella line-up has a palette for everyone’s tastes. Artists range from Swedish DJ and master of house music, Avicii, to the melodious, indie-folk band, Bon Iver. Genres at the newly crowned two-weekend festival include techno, hip-hop, indie rock, folk, blues, garage rock, psychedelia and electronic.

The sold-out festival has been catering to a mighty desert folk for thirteen years and this year’s line up recruited some of the best acts in music for 2012. AEG has definitely reached its golden hands into the pockets of the hipsters, gangsters and frat boys of the world. Anticipated closers for Coachella, which will be taking place in the thick of April on the 13-15 and the 20-22, include The Black Keys on Friday, Radiohead on Saturday and Dr. Dre on back-to-back Sundays.

Artists I have deemed as ‘must see’ are: The Arctic Monkeys, Cat Power, Dawes, M. Ward, Swedish House Mafia, M83, Neon Indian, Alesso, The Black Keys [Friday], Andrew Bird, Black Lips, Bon Iver, Feist, Grouplove, Laura Marling, Miike Snow, The Shins, Radiohead, St. Vincent [Saturday], AraabMUZIK, Beirut, AVICII, Dada Life, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Oberhofer, Santigold, Real Estate, Metronomy, Calvin Harris, The Weeknd and Gardens & Villa [Sunday].

Granted I have probably left out some acts that will hold strong the epic Coachella name and some acts that may encompass the power to single handedly destroy it- I foresee two weekends of rarely attainable entertainment.

HOORAY COACHELLA (I’m not going). Enjoy the crowds, the camping, the commute, the kick-ass artists and that clear Indio, California sky.

Full artist line-up:

Friday (April 13th, 20th)
Alesso, Amon Tobin, Arctic Monkeys, Atari Teenage Riot, Band of Skulls, Breakbot, Cat Power, Datsik, Dawes, Death Grips, EMA, Explosions in the Sky, Feed Me, Frank Ocean, GIRLS, GIVERS, Hello Seahorse!, honeyhoney, James, Jimmy Cliff & Tim Armstrong, Kendrick Lamar, LA Riots, M83, Madeon, Madness, Manchester Orchestra, Mazzy Star, Neon Indian, Other Lives, Pulp, R3hab, Refused, Sean Kuti & Egypt 80, Swedish House Mafia, The Black Angels, The Black Keys, The Dear Hunter, The Horrors, The Midnight Beast, The Rapture, The Sheepdogs, Wolf Gang, WU LYF, Ximena Sarinana Yuck

Saturday (April 14th, 21st)
A$AP Rocky, Andrew Bird, AWOLNATION, Azealia Banks, Black Lips, Bon Iver, Borgore, Buzzocks, Childish Gambino, David Guetta, Destroyer, Destructo, Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg, Feist, firehouse, Flying Lotus, Gary Clark Jr., Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Grouplove, Jacques Lu Cont, Jeff Magnum, Kaiser Chiefs, Kasbian, Kaskade, Keep Shelly Athens, Laura Marling, M. Ward, Martin Solveig, Miike Snow, Mt Eden, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Pure Filth Sound, Radiohead, SBTRKT, SebastiAn, Squeeze, St. Vincent, Sub Focus, Suedehead, The Big Pink, The Head and the Heart, The Shins, The Vaccines, tUnE-yArDs, We are Augustines, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Zeds Dead

Sunday (April 15th, 22nd)
AraabMUZIK, At The Drive-In, AVICII, Beats Antique, Beirut, Calvin Harris, Company Flow, Dada Life, DJ Shadow, Dragonette, Fanfarlo, First Aid Kit, Fitz and the Tantrums, Florence and the Machine, Flux Pavilion & Dr. P, Gardens & Villa, Girl Talk, Gotye, Greg Ginn, Housse de Racket, Justice, La Roux, Lissie, Metronomy, Modeselektor, Morgan Page, Nero, NOISI?, Oberhofer, Porter Robinson, Real Estate, Santigold, Sebastian Ingrosso, Sleeper Agent, Spector, The Gaslamp Killer, The Growlers, The Hives, The Weeknd, Wild Beasts, Wild Flag, Zedd

10.“Suburbia I’ve Given You All and Now I’m Nothing” – The Wonder Years

For a band whose two releases on No Sleep Records have both come within the last two years, it’s amazing to see how widespread feelings towards The Wonder Years have evolved from an appreciation of a Philadelphia pop-punk band’s uniqueness to a downright obsession. It’s not just that The Wonder Years’ musicianship, talent, and creativity are all lightyears ahead of those of any other pop-punk band; The band possesses the ability to craft and convey stories in a way that not only allows the listener to relate, but also feel good about doing so. Suburbia only pushes The Wonder Years further ahead. This album has such a high degree of relatability that it feels as if you could have grown up next door to The Wonder Years, in on their jokes and protector of their deepest secrets. It’s the whole story behind Suburbia that really captivates the most, though. The album is a guide-by-experience progression through the biggest challenge of any young adult’s life: growing up.

9. “Strange Mercy” – St. Vincent

Strange Mercy is, in many ways, a simple reflection of the complexity of its author. It’s a pop album in format, with no track longer than four and a half minutes, but Annie Clark has a demonically seductive voice that is often hidden behind a submissive sigh, and she looks nearly off balance brandishing a guitar that she wields with a rock star’s ferocity. String segments layered with carnivorous riffs give the record a delightfully precarious bounce, and careful production saves the constant juxtaposition of milkiness and serrated adrenaline from becoming gimmicky. That coexistence is the woman behind St. Vincent, and that is reflected both in lyrical content and in Clark’s delivery on Strange Mercy.

8. “Wildlife” – La Dispute 

La Dispute isn’t for most people. They are dichotomous in nature and polarize listener sentiments between adoration and hatred. Wildlife is not at all a vague album. You won’t be confused or ill-advised after listening to it, at least on a literal level. It is exhaustingly specific, gruesomely dark, and full of enough raw emotion to overwhelm even the most callous of listeners. Lyricist Jordan Dreyer’s stories submerge far beyond what is capable with vulgarities or threats; His aggression and frustration permeate through each varying stories told throughout the album. The feeling after completing Wildlife, however, is unlike any other. After the emptiness and gloom dissipate, what is left behind is the impact of a rare album that captivates and engages yet frightens and frustrates. The type of album that is damn near perfect.

7. “The King of Limbs” – Radiohead

Where will Radiohead go from here? After each major release from the Brits who hate to use any genre classification more than once, determining what their next studio album will sound like seems as if it would require a logic puzzle approach. Checking off genres and ideas, Radiohead have been known to blend specific elements from their ever-expanding repertoire with new ideas to create an exponentially-more progressive record. But The King of Limbs feels entirely different. Built almost exclusively around loops and featuring next to no live instrumentation, the album initially feels as if it could be passed off as a Thom Yorke solo album. But upon your fifth or tenth or fiftieth listen of The King of Limbs, you will realize that this 8 track, 37 minutes-and-change album is precisely the direction Radiohead needed to move in.

6. “21″ – Adele

You are already familiar with Adele Adkins’ second LP. You many not have listened to it all the way through, but that is a choice that you made. You are aware of the record’s existence, you know how popular it was (and remains) and you know, if nothing else, what a tempest her voice is. You don’t need to be spat out the statistics to know that this is one of the biggest pop records that will ever happen in your lifetime. The point is, 21 has earned your attention, and if you haven’t yet given it your time, that is your own loss, as tens of millions of people will tell you. And if you’re one of those millions – if you’ve heard 21 – then extra convincing is laughably superfluous.

5. “Father, Son, Holy Ghost” – Girls

Sometimes, indie music can just be a pissing contest to see who can do the more outlandish thing that can be interpreted by enough people as fashionable. For Girls frontman Christopher Owens, that approach isn’t really necessary. Owens’ tunes are generally straightforward and chord-driven, but meticulously crafted to showcase the band’s musicianship and Owens’ simplistic, yet always personally resonant lyrics. And that’s the thing – chances are, Owens is nothing like you. He’s a former Children of God cult member with a thing for opiates, and he recorded a critically acclaimed debut LP (Album, predecessor to this record) in his parents’ garage. And somehow it all sounds like the bastard child of Elvis Costello and the Beach Boys. But Owens’ lyrical anecdotes are stunningly relatable, and that’s the beauty of Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Everyone thinks their own upbringing makes their problems and their lives unique, but there are always parallels as one grows up, no matter how strange that person’s background.

4. “The Rip Tide” – Beirut

The Rip Tide is the third LP from Zach Condon’s project, Beirut. The record is fairly standard fare for Beirut fans accustomed to the old world charm of Condon’s music, but to a new listener, this is one of the freshest sounds in the industry. Condon masterminds a nearly faultless mélange of strings, piano, accordion, percussion and horns that yields a distinctly baroque flavor of folk pop that is as cute as it is addicting. And it’s all a gimmick; Zach Condon is from Santa Fe, not Budapest. But all the quaint accents aren’t cultural statements defined by geography, like country music. Beirut is a project – an experiment.

3. “Helplessness Blues” – Fleet Foxes

Helplessness Blues is the least self-indulgent album of the year. Beyond the fact that lyrics are generally darker than those found on Fleet Foxes, singer/songwriter Robin Pecknold finds himself again in a state of inquisition and analysis over gratification or appeasement. This empathy pays off; Helplessness Blues expands upon their debut while maintaining all the things that made Fleet Foxes great. A record without a sense of escapist submission is rare these days, and so a record like this that gives plentiful opportunity to relate is a beautiful breath of fresh air.

2. “Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming” – M83

For being just one person, Anthony Gonzalez has quite the reputation for making some pretty massive things. Since M83′s debut album in 2003, each successive record has overpowered the last in terms of “big”, but after Saturdays=Youth, any stronger epical songwriting would most likely overwhelm or desensitize the listener. Although Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming is a double album, it’s only 17 minutes longer than Saturdays. The approach between the two, however, couldn’t be much more dissimilar. To push past the reserved pastels of Saturdays, Gonzalez makes use of interludes to space out the intensity of Hurry Up, but the result isn’t what you would expect of a double album. Every moment, interludes included, is expertly crafted and with a purpose. Gonzalez’s approach is risky; it’s rare for any band, regardless of popularity, to release a double album without tragic flaws, but in this case, it’s the most powerful M83 album yet.

1. “Bon Iver” – Bon Iver

The sophomore album is the hardest album of a young artists career. It’s a response to all that fans loved in the debut, but it cannot be a regurgitation of material; the sophomore album has to build. It has to be recognizable as distinctly the artist’s creative output while serving as a meticulously directed compass for the continuation of a career. Bon Iver’s follow up to For Emma, Forever Ago strikes this balance with remarkable sure-footedness. Frontman Justin Vernon’s careful experimentation on the 2009 EP, Blood Bank, led to a delicate but thoroughly impactful catharsis on the self-titled second album. Bon Iver maintains the introspective honesty from For Emma, but ventures musically from graceful folk to a progressive ensemble of synth organs, strings, saxophone (courtesy of Colin Stetson), and even features double kick drums. The product is an extraordinary composition whose intricacy manifests both effortlessly and breathtakingly. Bon Iver is the nearly faultless output of a maturing artist not content with mere mimicry of a proven formula.

Happy New Years from Tastemakers Content Team!

It’s finals week. You know what that means? I have all my final papers, tests and projects due tomorrow. Have I attempted to conquer these beasts? No.

Per usual, I have concocted a disjointed playlist and assigned it one strict duty: keep me awake and happy. These two ideas seem to run for the hills on finals night. It’s important to note that there are two types of music I avoid when selecting songs and they include dubstep and sleepy-time rock. Dubstep will make me want to rage; so au revoir Skrillex. Sleepy-time rock will make me want to fall asleep in my library cubicle and drool everywhere; so long Bon Iver, it was nice knowing you.

People often complain ‘I can’t listen to music when I work. It’s too distracting.’ Well you know what? When you have three papers, a final and an entire documentary to produce in an amount of time that is suitable for only one of these things to be properly executed, frankly, music is the only way to stay alive.

Here are a few songs off my playlist “Sunrise in Snell”

“It’s Real”- Real Estate
This title reminds me that the time has come to buckle down and read the book I was given in the beginning of the semester. This 376 page ogre is no longer a figment of my imagination, oh no, it’s so tangible it could give me a paper cut.

“Tongue Tied”- Grouplove
Tongue-tied: something the sentences in my essay seem to mirror when I have no idea what I’m talking about.

“Better Times”- Beach House
They are ahead.

“Don’t Move”- Phantogram
This is my favorite song off the playlist and its title is something I need to take very seriously, especially when suffering from self-diagnosed ADD. I know you have $38.50 left in printing money this semester, Allison, but no matter how many pictures you print of cats dressed as U.S. presidents your essay still isn’t getting done- but it’s still funny.

“Daydream”- Youth Lagoon
Why is the boy sitting in front of me riding a unicorn? Why is it the year 2001 and I’m suddenly married to Julian Casablancas? Why is my Journalism paper coming to life and Bernie-ing on my desk? Wait, that’s just my mind running rampant. Thanks a lot Youth Lagoon.

“Nodding Off”- Wavves
Usually around 12 a.m. is when my eyelids want to droop down to the floor. With this song screeching with guitar riffs and occasional vocals by Bethany Cosentino, I might just stay awake (emphasis on the might).

“Dead and Gone”- The Black Keys
The two words in this title are two things I should be at this point. I’m banking on being at least half way done my work with the assistance of my buddies mentioned above. With the help of this song off The Black Keys new album, El Camino, my foot will still tap if it isn’t numb! This leads me to the next song.

“My Body”- Young The Giant
That’s right, body! You might look like Gollum from Lord of The Rings right now with your unnatural state of hunching but I will not give up. The cramps I’m getting from this cold, hard chair will succumb to the belting joy of Sameer Gadhia’s voice.

“We’ll Be Fine”- Drake
Self-explanatory.

“Desire Lines”- Deerhunter
In the home stretch, craving the warm embrace of sunbeams in comparison to the blinding artificial library bulbs and the last graze of my final paper. The library doors are my desire line and their silver lining may decrease chances of a brain implosion.

“Goin’ Home”-Dan Auerbach
The last song on this playlist represents the perfect situation: home, bed, sleep. The Black Keys may already be on here but this delicate gem by Auerbach is something that I will serenade (probably out loud because of my state of delirium) Snell Library with on my way out. The depressing twinkle of the guitar depicts defeat while the lyrics entwined with thoughts of home emit comfort. Finals- you may have crept up on me once again but for now ‘So long, I’m goin’, goin’ home’.

When my dad was 12 years old, he eyed his grandmother’s victrola and asked, “Can I have this when you die?” When the day came, he did not remember saying that, but someone else did; now there’s a victrola standing in my family’s dining room. Yet, between victrolas and Apple products are records, cassettes and CDs, which form a surprisingly prolific market. On December 3^rd, I set out to explore the non-digital music scene in Boston.

My first stop was Looney Tunes, at 1106 Boylston Street, between Hemenway St. and Massachusetts Ave. The speaker outside the store played “Sugar Pie Honey Bunch,” bringing back fond memories of sitting in the dining hall an hour prior and hearing the same song. The sign on the door announced the store’s 33-1/3 year anniversary and a sale of the corresponding percent off any purchase.

In the door and to the right was the section of “bargain rock.” CDs ranging from the obscure to Steve Winwood, Pretenders, Yellowcard, Kaiser Chiefs and Blind Melon were priced at 99 cents and $1.99. One of my original goals for the outing was to purchase some cheap music from bands I had never heard of and I succeeded with Seven Fathoms Down and Falling by The Green Pajamas, Smoke by Drivin N Cryin and Funny Day by Bird Mancini, a local group.

Then there were the 99 cent 45s, the 12” singles, and, of course, boxes and boxes of records emanating that wonderful, musty smell of old cardboard. Publications ranged from Panorama of American Popular Music to Legends of Punk to The Opera Quarterly. Tucked away in the back corner were classical cassette tapes and world music, including Gypsy-Flamenco, Scandinavia and “Rest of the World.” There was also a “sleazy listening” section; hopefully Xavier Cugat and Martin Denny don’t mind calling that section home. There were also cheap DVDs and videotapes; if you’re a college student, there’s nothing quite like a Harry Potter movie on VHS to make you feel old and a Frank Sinatra record to make you feel young.

Having spent less than $5 on three CDs and a DVD — Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream — I exited the store and turned left on Mass Ave. onto Commonwealth Ave. to arrive at Nuggets. The premise is the same as Looney Tunes: buying, selling, and trading albums. Music aficionados, typically older in age, might come in hoping to find a copy of something on vinyl they have been wanting, perhaps even something they used to have and regretted getting rid of. Others go to stores similar to Looney Tunes and Nuggets in Boston and Cambridge, hoping one of them will buy their record.

Nuggets has similar offerings to Looney Tunes but more variety in certain categories, such as their impressive collection of shows and soundtracks on vinyl. There were also a lot of comedy albums, featuring Cheech and Chong, Steve Martin, National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live and Joan Rivers. Other interesting facets of the store included Jazz Time and Off Beat magazines, Dr. Who magazines and a $2 bargain CDs section, which, falsely so, felt like a rip-off compared to Looney Tunes’ bargain section. Nuggets also has an online catalogue at http://nuggetsrecords.com/catmain.html.

Next, I made my way back to Mass Ave. and turned onto Newbury Street. I was hoping to visit CD Spins, which should probably update their website to reflect the “Retail Space for Lease” sign on the door of 324B Newbury Street. I instead moved to Newbury Comics, which is better known, far more modern, and catered to a younger demographic. The store is a testament to some continued interest in records in young people, considering the sale of Kings of Leon, Lady Gaga and Florence and the Machine albums on vinyl.

The record selection is only a small fraction of the store. Rows of CDs with neon orange “USED” stickers dominate the space.  I laughed when I saw a used copy of Coldplay’s Mylo Xyloto, because if I had bought that CD, I probably would have also gotten rid of it within a month-and-a-half of its release. Suffice to say, Newbury had more in the way of dubstep and movie soundtracks than the other two stores. There are also a lot of non-musical items worth mentioning: spam lip glaze, the zombie magnetic poetry kit, garden gnomes flashing passers-by, medieval weapon pushpins and a shark bite oven mitt.

The highlight of my day out was probably overhearing a father sarcastically saying to his son in Newbury Comics, “isn’t that the book you’re looking for? The Justin Bieber story?” and the son responding with a barfing noise. I came away from the outing seeing the unique features of each store. If you want the cheapest prices for good music or VHS tapes and don’t mind doing a little digging, go to Looney Tunes. If you want the best chance of selling something or are looking to buy jazz music, go to Nuggets. If you’re looking for the newest releases, tacky decorations for your belongings or a kick-ass gag gift, go to Newbury Comics.

When I sat in my dorm room afterward listening to The Green Pajamas, a lovely psychedelic group from Seattle, I couldn’t help but think that someday, I will have a grandchild who will ask of my CD player, “can I have that when you die?”