Sounds in Sequence

It's Cyber Monday, which I think means we're supposed to be using our employers' networks to make online purchases. How exactly that differs from every other Monday I will never know.

But among all the electronic steals and deals available for the ever-hungry consumer, there's one that is, I dare say, unbeatable. Our old friend Ultraklystron has chosen today to release a new mixtape. For free. It's called Storyboard (The Animatic Mixtape), and it's a musical precursor to next year's Animatic album.

I like Karl as an MC, but I adore him as a producer. And though the mixtape is a tricky medium to master, it certainly plays to his strengths. Across its 25 minutes the listener is treated to a selection of songs that one, for the most part, might describe as "classic Karl" in their structure and delivery. Still, nerdcore's foremost anime enthusiast manages to reveal enough new tricks to keep the listener guessing.

It all kicks off with the laid back swagger of celebratory weekend banger "Saturday." Lyrically, it ain't his sharpest offering, but some brilliantly varied production and a dash of humor help to make it more than just a northwestern otaku answer to "Lazy Sunday." This flips nicely into "Lifecycle," a green hip-hop anthem that's among his most ambitious efforts; despite its odd premise, it's a track that really works. "Non-Contact" fares a little worse because of a slightly clumsy hook, but "City" takes things in a dark, contemplative direction that easily recaptures that lost attention.

The transition to "Minor Internet Celebrity" is a bit shaky, but the song itself, which boasts a more urgent delivery than we've heard from Ultraklystron in a while, is an interesting oddity. "Three Dollar Jeans" brings his flow back to a more manageable speed, and its relative calm contrasts nicely with the harshness of the hooky "Bromance Dance."

"Unexpected" begins the mixtape's true standout movement. Its individual components – a storyteller flow with a sing-song chorus cast against an atmospheric electronic backdrop – might seem unremarkable at first, but the skill with which Karl has married them reminds us of his remarkable skills in the studio. "Work It Baby" takes that unique energy in a wholly different direction underscoring that there's more to Ultraklystron than some might remember.

The mix begins its wind-down with "Fujoshi," another piece of new school otaku flow, and closes with the club-style "Magic Tricks." Musically, it proves a sound decision, though I almost would've preferred he sign off with one of his more challenging selections.

As a cohesive work – and lets not pretend that a mixtape doesn't hinge on a peculiar brand of cohesion – Storyboard succeeds on a number of fronts. The production, aside from a single transitional hiccup, is top-notch. Further, it's pacing, which is sometimes an area in which Karl struggles on proper albums, is no less inspired. The musical material itself, the true blood and guts of the mix, runs the gamut from middle-of-the-road Ultraklystron cuts to some of his most interesting tracks to date.

If you're a longtime fan of the second-gen nerdcore standard that perhaps hasn't heard much from him since 2009's Romance Language 2, then Storyboard makes for a nice reacquaintance in anticipation of Animatic. Likewise, if you managed to miss that particular chapter in nerdcore history outright and would like to know what Karl Olson's really all about, it proves a fine introduction to what the rest of us will recognize as a new and improved Ultraklystron.

In Brightest Day, In Blackest Friday

Those Best Buy lines are brutal!

Once again I am postponing my metric shit-ton of album reviews for a specialty post. This one concerns Black Friday sales, so those of you not in the States are instead encouraged to watch this new performance video from Jonathan Coulton.

I mean, my fellow Yanks can certainly do the same, but first you might wanna peep the savings.

Amazon, of course, is having its annual crazy-ass Black Friday sale, complete with ample Lightening Deals. Obviously the big draw for our tribe is their video games. Which featured items tickle your gamer fancy is highly dependent on your system of choice, but my suggestion would be the Skylanders: Spro's Adventure Starter Pack in the appropriate flavor -- especially for those of you with kids. If you're not in the know, the game essentially substitutes physical toys in the place of traditional DLC. You import these figures into the title, level 'em up through play and their stats can be saved back to the miniatures. This means that your save states, at least as far as characters' powers and attacks, are essentially cross-platform.

On the subject of multi-platforming, I gotta say my favorite version of the Skylanders is the 3DS iteration. It looks and plays amazing, and if you haven't yet snagged Nintendo's new handheld this really is the time. Super Mario 3D Land is the de facto system seller, but games like Skylanders, the Ocarina of Time and Star Fox remakes and the forthcoming Super Mario Kart 7 -- which I've already received my review copy of, so I can assure you it's a must-play -- ably supplement any library.

Closer to home, the Penny Arcade shop is having its annual blowout. There are lots of cheap tees and posters, but the big news concerns the pricier items. Those ultra-classy Jim Darkmagic paintings are presently $26 off. (Which is one more than $25 off.) There's also a new Fruit Fucker figurine. It's forty bones, which I think is regular price, but it's brand new and hilariously offensive. Oh, and domestic shipping is free until December 15th for orders over $50, so you got that going for you.

Wizard Rock icons Harry and the Potters were the first band to announce a holiday sale -- another tradition, if memory serves. They got them $5 CDs, son, so stuff yo' stocking! They also have free shipping on orders of $50 or more, but you gotta use the magic word "DOBBY" as your checkout code for the trick to work.

MC Lars, meanwhile, is offering 50% off everything at his web store. That Lars and YT Beavis and Butthead tee? 10 bucks. Legend of Zelda hoodie? Seventeen-fitty. Collectable USB robot key ring with his whole MP3 catalog? $25. The discount is applied at checkout, though, so don't freak out if everything still says the original list price on the product page.

Still, the one I'm most excited about is the Kirby Krackle Black Friday sale. Jim and Kyle got $7 tees and $5 GelaSkins (iPad 1 and iPhone 4 only.) They're also offering $2 button sets, and every order gets some special freebies. This one starts today at 8:00 AM PST and runs 'til midnight on Cyber Monday, so don't delay, nerdlingers!

Now these are just my initial picks, so if I missed some good shit -- especially merch sales by musicians -- please feel free to point it out in the comments.

Save Against Fear

I'm kind of supposed to be wrapping up album reviews today, but instead I'm choosing to pause and do something I rarely do here at the blog: speak seriously.

I don't have any alarmingly depressing statistics right here in front of me or anything, but I'm willing to guess that many of the people reading this have had their lives touched in some way by sexual assault or abuse. Those who haven't experienced it themselves likely know someone who has, whether they're able to speak about it or not.

We in the nerd community do a lot of good work – supporting charities like Child's Play and Extra Life – but these sort of things, occurrences that are even more disturbing than the thought of sick children, we tend to push out of our minds. It's difficult to think about, but ignoring it neither helps the victims nor provides the sort of therapeutic training necessary to aid caregivers. All it does is keep us afraid.

Save Against Fear seeks to change that. This 45-hour RPG, tabletop, and board gaming event is presented by PA's The Bodhana Group, and benefits children and adolescents impacted by sexual trauma. The fundraising gamer marathon runs December 2nd through 4th at Six Feet Under Games in New Holland, and it features everything from West End's classic Ghostbusters to multiple flavors of D&D. The money raised will be used to fund local projects by The Bodhana Group including an Outpatient Treatment Center, public speaking engagements and both professional and lay trainings.

More information about TBG and Save Against Fear is available the group's site and, of course, on the Facebooks.

If you're going to be in the area during the event, please stop by and help out the cause. And even if you aren't there are many ways to give. Even now the team is working to fill tote bags for players and collect additional items to be used as awards and door prizes in drawings. If you, your band or your company would be willing to donate, please contact the event organizers. Contributors will be acknowledged through both the printed event materials and on the web.

Also, I will forever think that you are an awesome person for helping out a good cause. And you can't put a price on that.

Gatos Luchadores (Or: A Grand Don't Come for Free)

I didn't realize it until I finally sat down to pen a missive, but this is my 1000th post at Hipster, please! And I reckon that is a fitting enough occasion given the subject matter.

I talk a lot around here about music, obviously. About new songs and albums. About artists and shows, but this bit concerns something that's, well, uniquely personal.

Early next month five outfits that represent – and I don't say this lightly – some of my very favorite live performers as well as some of my very favorite human beings will be conducting a southern mini-tour. The kick-off's in Roanoke on the 2nd, and it wraps up in our own hip-hop mecca, Atlanta, on the 4th. In-between, on that Saturday the 3rd, this little travelling sideshow will come through my own backyard of Charlotte, NC. At the World Famous Milestone Club, to be exact. A place that is – and, again, I'm speaking without hyperbole – my favorite local dive.

The bands in question? Well, as the song says they ain't my friends, they're my fam.

There's int eighty of Dual Core, whom I've been down with since the very dawn of time. (Now he ain't exactly from around here, but we give him a pass 'cause he's our boy.) He's joined by The ThoughtCriminals, my neighbors to the north, who are, for those not already in the know, the rural, East Coast answer to the question what am I supposed to listen to now that Optimus Rhyme broke up.

Holding up the high end of the former Confederacy are the Illbotz, that rare modern confluence of comedy rap that contains ample doses of both actual comedy and real rap. And rounding out the lineup are Adam WarRock and Tribe One, a pair of amazing MCs, consummate performers and two guys that I've only recently met but I feel like I've known forever.

Now this is, admittedly, not a huge affair. These are small club shows, I'd even go so far as to say intimate in most cases, but I'll make you a promise internet; if you're within driving distance, head out to one. It will be worth whatever meager door price you have to pay to get in. Shit, I'll go so far as to say that you'll have such a great time that you might even feel led to pick up a t-shirt!

I guarantee it.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 121: Edition Internationale

Though this may come as quite the surprise to many of you – given my understated diction and worldly flair – I am an American. With all the rights, privileges and responsibilities therunto appertaining.

If that means anything it's that I appreciate bad food and cheap gas. And also that I tend to think of my countrymen first.

But that certainly doesn't mean that nerd music ain't coming strong from other parts of the globe. On the contrary, the rest of the world is just as geeky as us Yanks – which is what this particular show is all about.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 121: Edition Internationale [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 62.5 MB Running Time: 48:12 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Spellah is Canadian. Beefy is Whitesican. Peace and understanding through music, people!

Track 1: Wordburglar and Moose Donair – "Yo Canada"
I am totally gonna request moose the next time I hit the doner place on Highway 290!

Z's 1st interlude: "Jump across the Bering Strait to see what's going on in Russia."
I was gonna say "look across the Bering Strait," but Palin references are already dated.

Track 2: Teleidofusion – "Around Past"
Today's background music is also Russian in origin.

Track 3: DJ Moule – "Sonic Ice"
A French DJ mixing cheesy American radio rap, British jazz-pop and Swedish garage? This is like my thesis.

Track 4: L'homme Manete – "Candy Popper"
The name sounds French, but L'homme Manete is a Portuguese artist.

Track 5: The Ranger – "Stat Sheet (Massive DMG remix by Zen Albatross)"
One of many stand-outs from my own 20-Sided Rhymes comp.

Track 6: MegaDriver – "Axetales"
There ain't no video game metal quite like Brazilian video game metal.

Z's 2nd interlude: "A double dose of international delights."
I elected to start the 2nd set with a pair of sea-spanning duos.

Track 7: The Garthim-Master and DJ Extend – "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World"
Ghosts of Nostalgia is a pretty remarkable record. It is also free. So get on that shit!

Track 8: Coova and Bud Melvin – "Yourmachi"
From 2009's epic team-up She's the DJ, He's the Rapper.

Track 9: Hidari – "Abunai Tasting"
Russia, Canada and Japan each managed to get two artists into this episode.

Track 10: Comptroller – "Low Point"
Straight outta Scotland.

Track 11: Superpowerless – "Wonderwall Remix"
Probably my second favorite Superpowerless remix of all time.

Z's final interlude: "Nerd music and culture really is a global affair."
And thanks to the power of the internets, we can enjoy its many exotic flavors.

Track 12: Videogame Orchestra – "Electro, Music, Transform"
Greece's premiere electro-chip duo doing what they do best.

Once again, lemme say big-ups to Sam for the show idea. I sometimes focus on specific geographic areas for musical inspiration, but it was awful fun to instead look at the whole big ol' world.

Please keep your song requests and show ideas coming, folks. I always welcome them.

Speaking of, if you have any holiday-themed tracks you'd like me to put on the menu for next month (or better yet if you're an artist releasing a seasonal album or single), be sure to let me know.

This is Muggle Tap

Today is both Veterans Day and Nigel Tufnel Day. Not to mention the wedding day of my good friend DataVortex. (Congrats, Larry!)

As if that wasn't enough merriment for a single weekend, tomorrow marks the first day of the 2011 Quidditch World Cup.

100+ colleges, 2,000+ athletes and 10,000+ rowdy New Yawkas will descend on Randall's Island to celebrate the sport of wizards and witches alongside a dozen bands, circus performers, face-painters, owls and, I can only imagine, the occasional confused passerby. Tickets are still available to this family-friendly (not to mention nerd-friendly) event starting as low as $5. And since this is a Potter-centric affair, those champions of justice from the Harry Potter Alliance will also be on hand with new merch and helpful information about how to leverage fandom for global good.

If you're in the greater metropolitan area and haven't made plans yet, you're gonna wanna make it out to see this one, folks.

Now We're Older

While sifting through my inbox this morning I realized that I'd been sitting on the new I Fight Dragons video for a month now, and I couldn't quite figure out why. And then I remembered: ah yes, my dogged adherence to the concept of a month-long Halloween!

It's an appropriately lo-fi accompaniment to the debut single from the proper major label debut KABOOM! Truth be told, the chorus sentiment is a little played out – "The Geeks Will Inherit the Earth" is sort of low-hanging fruit, and I reckon we've all made that particular joke before. Still, Mazzaferri and Co. come through with some amazing dork-pop sensibilities that make it a suitable anthem for the era.

Give it a gander.

You're Anti, You're Antisocial

Over the weekend I wrote a letter to my 11-year-old self. It read as follows:

Hey, Zack.


Things are good. You've got a wife and kids now, and sometimes you get to write stuff for money. You did alright.


--Z.


PS: You just saw Anthrax, and it was fuckin' awesome!

Believe it or not, that last part is important. In every life there is an undeniable catalyst – some experience or idea or individual – that provides for you, intentionally or otherwise, this overwhelming sense of relief. The knowledge that things are alright. That you are alright.

For most normal folks that role is likely filled by a friend or family member, but for me it was music. Music was the thing that told me things were gonna work out, and I believed it.

Anthrax, specifically, was a band that made me realize that it was okay to like punk and metal and hip-hop and skateboarding and comic books, even though several of those items may appear mutually exclusive upon first glance. In essence, their music made me realize not only that it was alright to be me, but that there were others out there like me.

That simple realization proved incredibly powerful over the years.

Now at 35 I can say that I've seen the band live, and that in itself is an important rite of passage for a music fan. Like me the guys are a lot older now. (Joey Belladonna, for example, appeared to be held together by little more than spit and Band-Aids, but the fucker could still hit those high notes!) Still, when the lights went down everyone in the venue was magically transformed into a crazy-ass adolescent again. If only for the duration of the set.

I guess the thesis of this oddly personal and only vaguely nerdy missive is as follows: don't be afraid to reconnect with your younger self. He was a good kid, and he'd likely wanna know all the amazing shit you're doing now in grown-up land.

Win a Free Copy of Pixelh8's OCARBOT App

There are people that I respect, and then there are people of which I am instead unabashedly envious. Oddly enough, Matthew C. Applegate falls into both groups. Epic chiptune musician (under the moniker Pixelh8), lecturer, author, scholar and game developer: the guy pretty much does it all. Moreover, he does it all extremely well.

In addition to producing a number of clever music applications that my kids and I still play with regularly on the DS and Game Boy Advance, Pix has also recently expanding into mobile phone development. His Room 1 Studios has already released random visual music generators Sonus (One) and Sonus (Six), not to mention his own signature Pixelh8 MicroSynth – which is available for both iOS and Android devices.

And somehow, between his family duties and helping spark an interest among school children in technology and game development and earning his Master of Arts from the Centre for Design Innovation at University Campus Suffolk, Pix took time to crank out an addictive new iPhone title called OCARBOT. It plays a bit like his previous release 6x9 in that it's a cheery, retro-style puzzler with a deceptive level of depth and complexity. Like its predecessor, OCARBOT also relies heavily on a movement mechanic, but this time around Applegate has taken gameplay into a direction not really mined since the days of Donkey Kong and Miner 2049er.

Across 50 levels of puzzle adventure, you seek to navigate the titular robot – a block-mover by trade who's just discovered he's about to be replaced by a newer model – to freedom. You do so by controlling Ocarbot's straightforward two-plane movement, right-left and up-down, as well as employing his unique skill at pushing blinking blocks into conspicuous holes in the floors of his side-view mazes.

The trick is to get him safely to the exit without falling victim to an environmental hazard. And the key, of course, is planning ahead. The game oozes charm thanks as much to its simple but effective presentation as Pixelh8's own custom-composed soundtrack, and at the going rate of 99 cents it's kind of tough not to recommend it. I mean what are you playing on your phone now, anyway? Angry Birds? Still?! Sheesh!

So if you've got a buck and need a new weapon in your boredom-killing arsenal, pick it up. You're supporting both independent development and a member of our community, so it's a win-win.

And speaking of win, Matthew gave me 5 free download codes, which I'll be passing on to you, faithful readers. Just comment here at the blog, or give me a yell via Facebook/Twitter and I'll draw some random winners Monday.

Hipster, please!: your source for nerd news, reviews and interviews. And the occasional app giveaway.

Karl Effing Olson

My old pal Karl "Ultraklystron" Olson – Or is it nerdcore newcomer Karl "Ultraklystron" Olson? #bazinga – has a couple of interesting projects in the works. There's Rai's new full-length, which I've already discussed, and a new mixtape that I'll be talking up later this month.

For the time being, however, you are encouraged to check out the following videos. The first is a leak from Animatic entitled "Tap That Deck." Musically it's bright and brassy and fun, which is kinda textbook Karl. Lyrically, however, it’s a bit more of a departure. Not the techy innuendo, mind you; more the delivery itself, as his flow simultaneously seems to channel Weezy and Bubba Sparxxx.

Meanwhile, the second mines Karl's electronic roots. It combines Moombahton – a musical movement that will (hopefully) eclipse dubstep any day now – with Futurama's Dr. Zoidberg. It's sort of a just-for-shits-and-giggles-thing, and that suits me just fine.

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 120: Occupy Elm Street

Apparently my superpower is riffing on current events for show titles. Or not; I mean, I often seem to overestimate my own cleverness.

Still, this one made me chuckle.

This year I had a little trouble rekindling my (historically abundant) Halloween spirit, but with the day finally upon us I am all up ins. Putting together this show certainly helped me get my ghoulish groove back, and I hope it provides and adequate soundtrack for your All Hallows activities.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 120: Occupy Elm Street [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 70.3 MB Running Time: 51:23 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Beef's got a new release that will also fit in well with your Halloween party playlist. Dig it!

Track 1: mc chris - "Time Warp"
mc's Columbia is downright uncanny.

Z's 1st interlude: "Part 2 of this year's Halloween Crap-tacular"
And with this one in the bag I gotta say I'm sad I have to wait another year to do it again.

Track 2: The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets - "Ogdru Jahad"
It's strange to think that I've been listening to the Thickets for a decade and a half now.

Track 3: Backburner - "Phantom Ghost"
This one's for you, @HassanISahba.

Track 4: g4gorilla - "Bring Frankenstein Back to My Street"
Another great cut from this year's Texas Chainsaw Mashacre compilation.

Track 5: MC Frontalot - "Invasion of the Not Quite Dead"
Solved is a really eclectic album -- even from Frontalot, who tends to cast a wide sonic net. The harder edge of this joint is but a single example of its stylistic breadth.

Track 6: John Anealio - "Undead Love Song"
Just when I think I have John figured out he up and uses the word "cock" in a song!

Track 7: Saltlakrits - "Cupcakes in My Basement"
This one requires a bit of back-story, as helpfully supplied by @ChurchHTucker.

Z's 2nd interlude: "Backed up by a nice Castlevania-driven beat."
That soundtrack gets used and abused a lot, but Backburner sure as hell does right by it.

Track 8: Sticks Downey - "Night of the Demons"
I'm happy to see the Sticks Downey Halloween single is now an annual tradition.

Track 9: Buttery Lords - "Werewolf in a Waterpark"
Check out their Monster & Madness EP for more fun nor'western hippity-hop.

Track 10: The Efts - "Robot Destroy"
From the soundtrack of forthcoming social networking game Robot Destroy Club.

Track 11: The Doubleclicks - "Hollywood Raptor"
It's rather insulting to say that grown women are adorable, so I will instead specify that The Doubleclicks' music  -- particularly in the case of this song -- is adorable. And also awesome. Especially awesome!

Track 12: Humanoids - "Humanoid Eyes that Shine at Night"
Since I managed to incorporate a Darkest of the Hillside Thickets tune that wasn't strictly Lovecraftian, I thought this track filled that void nicely.

Z's final interlude: "Aren't they, y'know, infinitely more interesting?"
I mean who would you rather be: Blaster or Soundwave?!

Track 13: Jonathan Coulton - "Still Alive (feat. Sara Quin)"
Coulton's Artificial Heart is another recent release that's not to be missed.

It occurs to me that there are only four more shows left in 2011. How the fuck did that even happen?!

I'll not lie to you, folks; sometimes I consider retiring from the nerd grind, taking my leave content in the knowledge that there are a shit-ton of other geek culture rags out there to keep y'all satisfied. But when I look back at Hipster, please! and its related projects -- though admittedly they aren't exactly earth-shattering -- I feel a sense of pride in my accomplishments.

Moreover, no matter how big a pain in the ass things sometimes are, I still very much enjoy what I do. I hope this show and all its brothers and sisters are just as fun and entertaining to you as they are to me, and I always appreciate your requests, suggestions and input as I move my little industry forward.

Happy Halloween, all!

Real Hops, Cauliflower and Eye of Newt

Okay, admittedly Illbotz's "Me and You and a PBR" isn't exactly a Halloween song. It is, if anything, a love song. Or more to the point, a boning song. Still, it does include a Cyclops as Stevie D's love interest, and the new video is a reworking of a 1979 commercial featuring Patrick Swayze. He was in Ghost. Also, he currently is a ghost – goddamn, I'm gonna get an angry email from my mom about that one – so I will allow it.

Please drink responsibly.

Hallowinners

image credit: @galendara

This year's crop of Halloween-related musical releases has been a little light. But I reckon between occupying Wall Street and bitching about folks occupying Wall Street and everyone preparing for the Rapture we've all really had a lot on our collective plate.

Still, there is some good, spooky shit out there, and I am gonna pause for a moment to shine my own little light on a handful of my favorites.

The Halloween mash-up collection is what we can now safely call an annual tradition. We've been gettin' 'em steady since 2004 thanks to the combined might of scene staples like DJBC and Cheekyboy, and they are always positively packed with pleasant surprises. This year's compilation is the double disc Texas Chainsaw Mashacre, which notably includes, among its Duck Sauce and Deadmau5 bootlegs, Sticks Downey's "C.H.U.D.," an original horrorcore cut that I actually included in last year's Halloween Crap-tacular.

The Texas Chainsaw Mashacre volumes 1 and 2 are freely available from the Monster Mash-Ups site, and I insist that you check 'em out.

While not intentionally Halloween-y, per se, the latest from my Canadian homeboy The Garthim-Master should fit in nicely with your seasonal playlist. Combining thick, atmospheric beats from German producer DJ Extend and The G-M's own unique blend of story-driven narratives and impressionistic lyrical gymnastics, Ghosts of Nostalgia is a look back on the beloved entertainment properties of our childhood that's not afraid to take a grim turn. For every breezy "Dude, Where's My AT-AT At?" there is a dirge-like "Krang" or a surreal "After Midnight."

I've actually been grooving to early leaks of joints like "Save the World," "The Crystal Shard" and "Rorschach's Journal" for a while now, but the full release is now available to everyone. For the very competitive price of free.

Expect a full review in the near future – most likely after the limited edition vinyl drops – but in the meantime spend a little quality time with this one yourself.

Lastly comes a brand new single from fellow GeekDad John Anealio. Generally, there are a number of elements I expect from John's songs: things like delicate guitar-work, straight-ahead percussion and cleverly-layered counter-melody. What I don't expect is bawdy humor, but "Undead Love Song" certainly has it.

There are a few easy jokes to be made about a human-zombie marriage (and consummation), and Anealio makes 'em all. The trick is, he's so mellow and earnest with his delivery that you totally don't even mind!

This one is also available as a free download, so add that grisly fucker – I made a pun! – to your collection.

So what about you, faithful readers? What's on your new Halloween listening list?

Double Damage

Earlier this year MC Frontalot coordinated a Kickstarter effort to raise funds for a shiny new music video for the song "Critical Hit," the debut single from his recently released Solved LP. The nerdcore community pulled out every goddamn one o' them stops and not only met the goal but totally annihilated it! (At present, Front is sitting at over triple the requested amount.)

This means that, in addition to the previously announced video extravaganza, Frontalot now plans to craft another 2-3 additional videos including an animated epic for his Dr. Awkward/ZeaLouS1 collab "I'll Form the Head."

For the moment, though, please be content with this delightful deconstruction of the pop star lifecycle. I'm including it in my Halloween coverage because it is, on a purely existential level, sort of disturbing. Also it features the Grim Reaper, Brian Posehn and a (thankfully fictitious) MC Frontalot sex tape. All of which are rather terrifying.

His Snake-tastic Majesty's Request

If anything, Halloween is a holiday for the bad guys, which makes this announcement from Slytherin Wizard Rock staple Draco and the Malfoys all the more relevant:

After 7 years on that WRock-grind, it appears as though brothers Brian Ross and Bradley Mehlenbacher are hanging up their scarves. Of all the scene's notable dissolutions in recent years, this is particularly significant. You see, the Malfoys epitomized 2nd-generation Wizard Rock in its truest form.

Debuting in 2004 – at what was likely the first ever all-WRock show, a house party featuring Harry and the Potters that also saw the introduction of The Whomping Willows – the band represented the first instance of an act being formed in direct response to the Potters phenomenon. To put it another way, if the brother DeGeorge were MC Frontalot and YTCracker, then Brian and Bradley were Beefy and Ultraklystron. (And, by extension, the house party was… Rhyme Torrents? I dunno; maybe I'm grasping to extend my metaphor here.)

Still, the band served as the bedrock foundation of what would go on to become the musical arm of Harry Potter fandom, a cultural juggernaut that leveraged its recognition and acclaim into an engine for social good. Not bad for a couple of Parseltongued miscreants!

While naysayers have been prophesying the end of Wizard Rock since Deathly Hallows rolled on to bookstore shelves, and the disbanding of the Malfoys doesn't exactly run counter to said claims, it's hard to understate the impact that acts like DatM have had both on nerd culture and on the developing social awareness of their young fans. And for that, you power-hungry, soul-split revenants I salute you.

(Hat-tip to Matt, my finger on the pulse of Wizard Rockery for the tip!)

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 119: Vampire State of Mind

These Halloween Crap-tacular episodes will always hold a special place in my cold and lifeless heart.

This annual two-part celebration of musical monstrosities was among the first RFHs to feature a theme. Moreover, the inaugural episode marked the first time I ever incorporated background music into the show.

Now if only I hadn't given it such a cheesy goddamn name!

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 119: Vampire State of Mind [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 63.6 MB Running Time: 49:04 Subscribe to RFH

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Unlike candy corn, you'll never get sick of my tasty theme song. Sadly, you can't wedge the track into your gums and pretend to be a vampire. Touché, candy corn!

Track 1: Sci-Fried - "Vampires Suck"
Another fine tune from Florida's premiere geek rockers. Not exactly their most original title, mind you, but still.

Z's 1st interlude: "A message from the great George Takei."
Sulu wants you to have a fun and safe Halloween.

Track 2: Community dialog / Kirby Krackle - "Bite of Another"
I love that a bunch of cats from Seattle can bust out the southern-style soul-rock.

Track 3: The Consortium of Genius - "Bite Me"
Wait; did he say "bite me on the butt?"

Track 4: ToToM - "Buffy the Toccata Slayer Freaks Out"
From this year's Texas Chainsaw Mashacre Halloween bastard pop compilation.

Track 5: Shael Riley and the Double Ice Backfire - "Juese Belmont"
That's me doing the intro. I'm famous now.

Track 6: Community dialog / Action Adventure World vs. The Plasmas - "Zombie Killing, Blood Spilling (Overworld #1)"
If you haven't already, cop their epic 2010 release Vol. 1 Ghosts n Goblins.

Track 7: Anthrax - "Fight'em 'Til You Can't"
Anthrax's Worship Music is, without a doubt, one of their greatest efforts to date. Having Joey Belladonna back makes all the difference.

Z's 2nd interlude: "With the stage set for a zombie apocalypse."
Because honestly, when isn't it?

Track 8: Community dialog / Death*Star - "The Quick and the Dead"
"Holy crap; Leonard's a zombie!"

Track 9: 8-Bit Weapon - "Die Die My Darling"
I have gotten far more miles out of that 8-bit Misfits tribute than even I would've thought possible.

Track 10: The Misfits - "Twilight of the Dead"
I'm still not quite sure what I think of the new (new-new?) Jerry Only-fronted Misfits, but this track fit so I went with it.

Track 11: Community dialog / Cheekyboy - "Living Dead Temper Baby"
Because nothing says Halloween like a Rob Zombie vs. Prodigy mash-up.

Track 12: Buck 65 - "Zombie Delight"
Likely the highlight of what is, at least in my opinion, a sweet-ass set. This one was suggested to me by my Canadian homey SelfHelp.

Z's final interlude: "We are the ultimate enemy."
Also, vampires and zombies are kinda cool. I think I left that out amid all my high-minded posturing.

Track 13: Illbotz - "Zombie Girl"
Yes, the Illbotz do doo-wop. It's one of the many services the group offers.

Let us now forget, boils and ghouls, that there's another Halloween-themed episode coming. A handful of artists have already told me to expect new seasonal singles by month's end, but I should still have plenty of room for requests.

Assuming, of course, that you've got 'em.

Go Get 'Em

I was actually planning to save this one for the next podcast (which should drop later this week) due partly to the fact that it ably closes out the second set and also because I kinda went video crazy last week. Still, this is an excellent slice of musical film-making that I think you'll enjoy. Plus with the premiere of The Walking Dead's second season less than a week away it is mad relevant.

So sit back and enjoy this zombie-centered public service announcement featuring the talents of Buck 65, Buck 65 and Buck 65:

Hat tip to my pal Selfhelp for this one.

The Truth about Cats and Dogs

Apparently it's a creepy music video kinda week, and I'm wrapping it up with something that MC Lars passed my way just yesterday. The track in question is the haunting "Amateur Rocketry" by rootsy indie rocker Dan Wholey, but its link to the House of Horris concerns the video itself.

This fancy, freaky, Freudian little piece of eye-candy was animated by Brooklyn's Awesome and Modest whose Sean Donnelly also directed the video for Lars's own "Ahab." This one is, admittedly, less about fake beards and cheerful children on a cardboard boat, and more about the maturation of a relationship. And also vagina-portals.

Still, it's a great song with some genuinely interesting visual accompaniment, so take a gander. If you like what you see/hear, you can hit up the creators via Bandcamp and the Awesome and Modest site.

Dan Wholey - Amateur Rocketry from Dan Wholey on Vimeo.

Cellar Dwellers

One of my favorite Halloween releases from 2010 was an Insane Ian's collab with Kiki Canon, Devo Spice and Schaffer the Darklord entitled "We're All Gonna Die." It's a comical send-up of the classic slasher movie motif – which likely won't surprise you as comedy music is sort of Ian's thang.

While checking out his newest video (for the post-apocalyptic gamer anthem that's also the sort-of title track from his The Last Arcade album), I realized that a motion comic-style video for that song had also been released. Back in July. So, y'know, so much for me keeping shit current.

Still, it is an uncannily appropriate selection as we gear up for Halloween.

The Death of Me

It's the Halloween season, my nerdy friends, and that means I will be dazzling you with holiday-appropriate songs and videos throughout the month of October. I hope.

We shall kick shit off with the latest from Superpowerless. Okay, admittedly it's a Muse cover, which isn't exactly what one would likely term frightening, but there's a certain subtle creepiness. Plus the associated video is chock-full of footage cribbed from classic films Plan 9 from Outer Space and Attack of the Monsters.

Give it a gander, and then head over the YouTubes to like it or favorite it or comment or do whatever the hell it is that you kids are into these days.