there's nothing inside of me but an angry heartbeat
The lyrics are like something out of J. G. Ballard: "I will be your accident if you will be my ambulance," [tv on the radio] sing[s]. "I will be your screech and crash if you will be my crutch and cast" ... In "The Wrong Way," as a distorted bass pumps and saxophones honk, [tunde] Adebimpe comments obliquely on race, first saying a "new Negro politician is stirring inside of me," and then rejecting the notion: "No, there's nothing inside of me but an angry heartbeat. Can you feel this heart beat?"
These are sullen thoughts surrounded by murky and complex music—fresh ideas for a musical world that has largely focused on the angularity, minimalism and clarity of the post-punk period. The scene has been dominated by musical exhibitionism: debauched elegance in the case of the Strokes, the panicked disco of the Rapture, Karen O's wild swagger.
A dark undercurrent has always run through the new New York rock, in groups like Interpol, Elk City, the Walkmen and Calla. Recently it seems to be coming to the surface.
- BEN SISARIO, "New New York Rockers Follow Their Gloom," new york times March 21, 2004
posted March 22, 2004 in music, printpiracy has helped his bottom line
"It's a myth," said Steve Wiley, co-owner of the store. "We see them wanting to buy music."
High prices, rather than file sharing, are what usually stop a kid from buying a CD, Wiley said.
"The file sharing, the Internet—just makes them music junkies," Wiley said.
Paul Epstein, owner of Twist & Shout, a store in Denver, agreed that piracy has helped his bottom line. He said it's like radio, another form of promotion that spurs sales.
"File sharing is a danger, but it really turns a lot of kids on to music," he said.
- katie dean, "Record Stores: We're Fine, Thanks," wired news march 20, 2004
posted March 22, 2004 in music