I have been chilling hard to Toro y Moi lately. Feel like I am tired of ‘chill wave’ and the bullshit genre names that bloggers and websites make up just for their own convenience. It seems like so many websites have ‘lemming ass’ followers who just need a dumbed down term to generalize music, instead of listening to lots of music and having real discussions abt music by ppl who love music.
It seems like the video for Toro Y Moi’s ‘Blessa’ is intended to capture the zeitgeist of the modern alternative human in a group setting. In the postelectro + post-2k9-anco+chillwaves era, alternative ppl are sort of ‘settling down’ and only attending chill house parties where mildly conceptual music is played while people smile and have a chill time. U can have a meaningful conversation, get buzzed, dance, but not get as bellig as u got in the electro era.
Unlike the traditional chillwave hit, the song has meaningful lyrical content, similar to Animal Collective’s cryptic delivery, except ToroYMoiBro doesn’t sing about fatherhood+kids. Instead, he focuses on the stage in a relationship when 1 member of the relaish chooses to leave ur local scene ‘in hope of finding something better.’ The song is abt embracing the pain that some1 else makes u feel, and give them/urself a peptalk abt how life should only be ‘a blessing’ cuz ur living it on ur own terms. Seems complex + vulnerable. Hopeful + sad. Kinda like humanity.
Feel like the ToroYMoiBro has an approachable post-blipster personal brand, that will help entry-levelers find his conceptual brand to be approachable. Like he is the type of bro who would snag a high level altbaguette.
He seems to have an ‘interesting look’ which will help him get crazie magazine press. Looks kinda ‘famous.’ Maybe it is the glasses. Also helps that he is ‘earnest’ and doesn’t have the typical ‘trying too hard’ interviewee brand of most entrylevel-altcelebs who are still ‘way in2 themselves’/over-excited because their band some what ‘made it.’
Wonder if Toro Y Moi will ‘chart’ in the best of 2k10 lists, or will it be ‘washed away’ with all of the ppl who are into ‘backlashing hard’ against chillwave. Even though it leaked in 2k9.8765, feel like the indie media might choose to ‘kiss the asses’ of pre-existing indie bands when reflecting on 2k10, and they won’t have enough slots to anoint a buzzyband as a ‘band2watch4thelongterm.’ Just going to try to enjoy Toro Y Moi in the before his post-SXSW extended tour dates, when all of the mnstrmr indie blogs + local alternative media outlets ‘cover’ him.
[MP3]
Toro y Moi Blessa
Should I start a sound project and pretend I am from South Carolina to get more ‘buzz’?
Is ‘the chill wave aesthetic’ the new ‘indie aesthetic’?
Should Washed Out+Neon Indian Bro+ ToroyBroi ‘merge’ into a supergroup for the sake of making more ‘mad bank’ off people who are interested in their vibe?
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58 Comments
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//////////Reply by matt
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 12:36 pm
i saw this vid last night and dreamed(literally) of carles blogging about it, then he did!~!!!!
im posting to show mad ups for my dawg “torbro y moi”
he’s #1
here’s another semi-conceptual/super-awesome+chill vid HE made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfODYvLGCUU
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//////////Reply by Kevbro
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 9:22 pm
It’s officially a music recession.
New music isn’t hip anymore.
The market is so saturated with “indie” that it should be, (at least I hope) abandoned by trendsetters and tastemakers.
A music recession means that the true “hipsters” are gonna go through their records and start listening to “classics”. What’s a “classic”? It depends on your personal aesthetic/”brand”.
example: XX seems to take a lot of influence from joy division, pixies, the cure, bauhaus, etc.
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//////////Reply by Coolio
//////////Posted January 25th, 2010 at 12:14 am
of course, anyone gets tired of a song….
Yes, classic? By that you mean…Alan Green and Nina Simone? It depends on personal taste and the mood you’re in. And the occasional, guilty pleasure hits of Boyz 2 Men.,.I like to be melodramatic and joyous at the same time. Also I think they got inspired by the disco ball era and the Knight Rider theme song.
Amen to Chaz Bundick. He is half Filipino? REPRESENT.
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//////////Reply by Evantroll
//////////Posted February 11th, 2010 at 10:24 pm
@Name, gotta be fucking kidding me. the article says “so tired of web sites making up genre names and shit” YOU ARE THE WORST ONES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ternative? jesus christ
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//////////Reply by I think
//////////Posted March 30th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
@Name, I think that this is the new Chillwave “anthem”.
http://kujoboss.bandcamp.com/
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i saw this vid last night and dreamed(literally) of carles blogging about it, then he did!~!!!!
im posting to show mad ups for my dawg “torbro y moi”
he’s #1
here’s another semi-conceptual/super-awesome+chill vid HE made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfODYvLGCUU
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//////////Reply by matt
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
@matt, err sry double post
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If I walked arounda party drinking beer out of a measuring cup – I would end up looking really trashy as opposed to cool and chill – might have something to do with being preggers
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seems like an authentic bro in it for the love not money. hope he does well but remains unknown so i can carry on listening to him and the equilibrium remains undisturbed. im gay btw
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//////////Reply by anonyt
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 5:12 pm
@pokemrmon, all seems pretty relevant
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THIRD. thx for sum new musac
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Coachella 2010 lineup needs to be addressed, as always p4k throws up in the desert, and $400 tickets are sold
2manyDJs is playing though
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//////////Reply by cousins
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 7:23 pm
@Knobs,
i usually go 2coachie but this lineup makes my usually chill alt-self, cringe.
i would only go to see gary numan
and mayb fever ray
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//////////Reply by chris
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 12:35 pm
@Knobs, Yeah feelin like coachie is full of ‘absolute dogshit’ this year. i only go to diy punk fests anyway bc $400 for a ticket where 75% probably goes to some CEOs is not very authentic
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Troy Y Moi is super earnest..I’m apprehensive about his career though cos he has the potential to make it into the “almost famous” space and then the backlash will begin… the vicious alt music cycle.
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shit! second after carles…
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maybe like song of 2k9.5 /// early june,,, that song made me dizzy when i heard it…. <3
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//////////Reply by phil
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 5:42 pm
@designosaur,
Yeah, I feel like this was on GvB 4ever ago
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//////////Reply by Denise
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 1:06 am
@phil, it was on BxF first: http://butterxface.blogspot.com/2009/05/butterxfriends-vol-1-or-ten-albums-our.html
and then this shit happened (GvBeef):
http://butterxface.blogspot.com/2009/06/gorilla-vs-bear-probably-reads-bxf-but.html
just sayin. carles, you are getting old.
is this relevant? can’t tell.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6j9YPGTGyg
cumpressed/lofi version + zany youtube vidz = +++
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i love him, he’s so keut and just a tiny bit zany looking. his album totally KICKS ASS too, been listening to that loads l8ly.
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like this more than Neon lzr
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i o my o rot
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this is generic shit carles
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Wow. This whole “Chillwave” genre is dated already (sort of like the cringe worthy examples of contemporary lingo/[ebonics?] in Avatar…for example: “I got this” and “go home to your Mommy bitch”).
Anyway, the music’s not bad, but it just is seems like a caricature of itself/it’s “scene” to me.
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Best post ever! You took the words right out of my mouth.
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my life as liz is the the best show ever.
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I think Minors is the best song on the album, but it is a hell of a record.
Chillwave died? How come nobody told me? I was just getting into that shit too…
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i earnestly say good post.
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this is the only ‘chill wave’ band i remotely enjoy.
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//////////Reply by d00dz
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 7:05 pm
@bb, try small black bro!
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he has a really, really good ear for samples
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//////////Reply by chilisfan
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 3:07 pm
@apreludes, fuck it’s like flylo started a chill circa 2k9.4 buzzband. so ridiculously awesome.
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coma-toast on chillwave
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feeling meaningful to live in a buzzband st8 [via south cackalacki]. oh. hay. lemme ask carles. why do u have the whalewarbro advertissy on ur blog/site tbh?
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The post 2K9ancobuzzprechillwaving era isn’t dead. The blogabthpstraltstreams era is though.
Miss u aoki…
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Glad SC is finally getting love for good music, you wouldn’t know it living here.. Columbia-native Phillip Oskar Augustine has a real good song out now with Washed Out called ‘Internal Combustion’.. And Toro y Moi’s ‘Blessa’ video is just like many house parties I’ve been to here in SC, usually there’s bud involved too though! So idk what some of y’all are talking about
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Is SadSams about his dawg?
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i am really curious what his ethnicity is
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//////////Reply by anon
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 3:00 am
@Marcus Fizer, blakanese. black/korean i think
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tis the dead of winter
chillwave makes me yearn 4 sunlight/heat/2k9
was hoping wavves’ aesthetic would ‘catch on’
cuz I
got no time
got no money
got a buncha nothin’ nothin’ not at all
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//////////Reply by jerkoff
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
@generk witty cmmnt, wish I had a pizza & a bottle of whine
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//////////Reply by anon
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 6:00 am
@generk witty cmmnt, that WAVVES lo-fi/beach aesthetic did catch on with best coast etc etc. everyone’s from cali all the sudden
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He’s the cutest human being ever.
c:
Someone needs to make a gif of him saying nuh-uh. <3
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//////////Reply by HJ
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
@c:,
there u r!!!
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//////////Reply by c:
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 6:56 am
@HJ, Here I am! c:
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[warning: post may be a lil earnest]
like he said, dude ranch > enema of the state
however
he was ‘over’ blink-182 by the time enema of the state came out?
he was like 10 years old when dude ranch was released and 12 when enema of the state was released
has the ‘scene’ really come to this kind of bull shit where we lie about even childhood music tastes.
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//////////Reply by Blackface Killah
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 1:58 am
@generk witty cmmnt, It’s worse bro, he’s probably not lying. I was 14 when I copped Dude Ranch and I was definitely too alt to purchase Enema of the State by age 16 when all of my mnstrm friends started getting into Blink. And I will continue to lie about what I listened to at age 16 because it had to do with cars and rhymes with professional.
That’s what I’m sayin! Alt-then-ticity is subjective value judgement that relies soley on perceived consumer demographics. It has naught to do with the inherent worth of the music, but it affects peoples’ tastes (wrong or right) nonetheless.
Feel like it’s been that way since records existed though only now on a more hyper scale.
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//////////Reply by generk witty cmmnt
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
what we talk about when we talk about alt:
1. ‘alt’ = ‘the new now’, the continual search for what will be popular/what no one has heard of. essentially the same thing everyone else in American society does, except at an accelerated rate. this is pretty much what that kyute lil adbusters article was saying.
example: neon indian (circa spring 2k9)
2. ‘Alt’ = something that is ‘truly different’/pushes boundaries/destroys boundaries/etc.
example: sonic youth
also:
regarding ur other post, how is it that vampy was ‘no longer alt’ rather than that chick ‘becoming alt’ via liking vampy. from ur point of view, if taste does not make the alt, what makes the alt?
dont really disagree w/anything u typed
want 2 hear more abt ur thoughts/feelings/soul
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//////////Reply by chilisfan
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 3:53 pm
@generk witty cmmnt, h8 2 ‘butt into’ a srs intellectual discussion but…
feel like its a necesary condition to have ‘authentic taste’ in order to have an ‘alt identity’ that other alts will respect. at the same time, having alt music preferences doesn’t make you ‘alt’ automatically, i think.
you can wear all the urban outfitters you want, but if you only listen to top 40 pop music you aren’t alt. if listening to vampire weekend simply made a person alt, the subculture would lose all exclusivity. and people within the culture WANT exclusivity–we all decided to be alternative because we wanted to be different. i think a lot of the backlash against indie bands that ‘go mainstream’ comes from a desire to maintain an ‘us vs them’ mentality re: alts vs mnstrmrs.
vampire weekend is experiencing more or less what the strokes did a decade ago. they made a pretty good album that was really catchy and a lot of people liked it, so then a lot of people hated it.
//////////Reply by Blackface Killah
//////////Posted January 21st, 2010 at 5:29 pm
@generk witty cmmnt, hmmmmm….I think bands lose their distinction as ‘alt(strictly definition 1)’ the moment a critical mass of mnstrmers gets into them.
Mnstrmers is to be defined as any one outside of a 15-35 year old demographic of males and females whose fave pastimes include listenin’ to some chill new muzak with their bro’s and being all pissed off by those bitches who keep playing ‘Lady Gags’ on the ipod all party long.
Alt is fleeting. Alt is a flower. Alt is you and your college radio bro’s arguing about the Arcade Fire’s Funeral as the greatest album of the decade at a keg party circa 2k6 when everyone else is like “Who the fuck is that band? Think I heard of them.”
Alt is not: an inherent quality of music.
You can still be alt and listen to music that mainstreamers picked up on, but if you were asked about your fave bands and mentioned a band past the ‘alt tipping point’ (eg Vampy Weekend circa now), the person who asked you would probably not think you are very alt, or that you have discerning tastes.
Complexities aside, the ‘alt-then-ticity’ of a band depends entirely on who is claiming them, at what point along the time line.
Thus you have tons of people on this website (via this post) already backlashing against chillwave even though it’s not very new or even very well known outside the alto-sphere. The microscope gets closer each year.
Enjoyed your cmmnts chilisfan.
Feel like this is turning into SoCarles dialogue of some sort. “De Altima”, or if you please, “On the Alt-Soul”
//////////Reply by Knobs
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 2:51 am
@generk witty cmmnt, around age 8-10 i probably only listened to CrazySexyCool by TLC, at 14-16 it was all Chicago SkaPunk [via internet mail order]
where were p4k and skinny jeans when I was 16…
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//////////Reply by chris
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
@generk witty cmmnt, i listened to rlly gangsta rap at that age, like the dudes on cash money and bone thugz. will smith got me into rap tho and im not afraid to say it.
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//////////Reply by veale001
//////////Posted January 21st, 2010 at 7:08 am
@chilisfan, who da fuck hates the strokes?
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//////////Reply by chilisfan
//////////Posted January 21st, 2010 at 4:19 pm
@veale001, everyone in 2k1.9-2k3.5
old news.
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We should congratulate ourselves for letting in this zany Af Ammy into our scene. Maybe he can remix a TV on the Radio song in 2k__.__
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//////////Reply by Blalt Matters
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
@brobro,
Our Scene huh? Tiger Y Moi!
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//////////Reply by generk witty cmmnt
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 6:10 pm
@brobro,
n make the first and last ‘worthwhile’ chillwave rmx ever.
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AR Kane
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Post more XTREME SPORTS Carles
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i used to read this blog to discover what hip ppl were in 2, but i discovered this song on my own & liked it b 4 carles posted, does this mean im not entry level anymore?
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//////////Reply by AstroCandy
//////////Posted January 19th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
@gold star, no this song’s old as the Internet. Don’t feel to special. I’m pretty sure Carles posted it previously but I’m too lazy to look.
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yo crls i love all dese blipsta’ inspired posts way 2 celebrate martin luther BRO!! blipstaz big in 2k10??????????
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when can we let go of 2k9 feel like i’m holding onto the past
dont think toro y moi is the new start of 2k10 tho
want a ‘new’ musical being to apparate
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looks like the guy who married the least memorable daughter off the cosby show
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//////////Reply by lisa bonet
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
@jules, lol
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//////////Reply by Denise
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
@lisa bonet, can we be rudy?
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Toro y Moi will be “Washed Out” of 2k10 best of lists. Despite chillwave’s conductivity to chilling, mnstrmrs have discovered it (via Demi Lovato’s infamous Neon Indian tweet) and ruined it for alts. Feel North Carolina is more alt than South Carolina (via Asheville, the Triangle, and Charlotte, and the plethora of authentic “indie” artists from there).
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this song would be good to experiment with drugs to
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toro y moi is sooooooooo last year, srsly
i even got his album like 3 months ago
ya’ll r mnstrms
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//////////Reply by Poser#2
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 12:37 am
@jc, FGGT. congrats, you can dl leaks
shoulda been bloggin bout this after his JUNE 2009 comp mr. johnney come lately
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//////////Reply by jc
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 1:32 am
@Poser#2, june 09 is what i mean by last year u homo
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FREE GUCCI
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what hppnd to jesus?
christ.
the band.
or am i ….yup. guessso.
gd 1 crlz!
crap. i’m oldstant classique.
http://www.myspace.com/dennisblackinstantclassic
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Saw him play with Islands at Subterranean back in October. Really enjoyed it. That is all.
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Boring
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THE BLIPSTER OF 2010!
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you´re obsessed with AnCo.
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Could someone provide me with an in-depth venn diagram based on the juxtaposition of the “indie aesthetic” and the “chillwave aesthetic”? Not sure I understand the differing subtleties. :(
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when is tobro y moi gonna cmmt??
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//////////Reply by torbro y moi
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 11:24 am
@bro, hey bro, didn’t realize ppl cared. <3 u
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//////////Reply by chilisfan
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 3:10 pm
@torbro y moi, was waiting 4 ur cmmnt too, bro.
~*~wE cArE aBoUt YaLL~*~
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south carolinny is where it’s at [via beckbro]
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saw toro y jemina pearl open for islands a months ago…shoulda taken a picture, may have been highest density alt-bro/bitch convergence of all time…they stood around bored til teh islands started singin’ and even then i heard not few peepl sayin ‘when’s the headliner gonna (jam, rock, play, ______(euphamism for perform music that hopefully maybe one day long ago meant something to them before they had to start the repetitive seducing of us in hopes we’d spend daddy’s money on shit i now hear in my sleep and that makes me want to vomit) ? ‘
toro would have been enjoyable were it not for xgfbitch making it impossible to ride any kind of chill-buzzed-wave…
so hard to enjoy music in public. last concert i go to. i promise. again.
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is say fuck to these so called ‘experimental electronic’ bands. neon indian is crap, this is even more.
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Miss u, Washed Out… :((((((
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im getting his glasses tattd on my face
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I think after seeing the “Blessa” video I might see a trend of people bringing Pyrex cups to parties.
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//////////Reply by Kevbro
//////////Posted January 20th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
@Ross Buniao,
i’ve been drinking out of chemistry glasses since 06
no joke
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i had a summer class with this kid and he is a douche. he spent all day every day talking about his band. his music sucks.
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easy bitter, jealous dude!
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How about learning how to write grammatically correct, as in not like you’re writing a text message or chatting on facebook. Trust me, you’d be more hipster if you sounded educated.
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