ProductShopNYC :: The Politics of Pop Culture

UPCOMING SHOWS | A Busy February & March

Jenny Lewis + The Watson Twins | Angel Orensanz Foundation | February 5th | 7PM | $20

Ben Gibbard (Death Cab For Cutie / Postal Service) | Bowery Ballroom | January 10th | 8PM | $tba

Vic Chesnutt + Mark Eitzel (American Music Club) + David Bazan (Pedro The Lion) + Will Johnson | Bowery Ballroom | February 13th | $15, onsale January 4th

Broken Social Scene | Webster Hall | January 26th | $25 (Note: January 27th & 28th Sold Out)

Stereolab | Town Hall | March 17th & March 18th | $25/$30

MF Doom | Nokia Theater | January 26th | $33

Billy "Fucking" Joel | Madison Square Garden | March 2nd | $89.50 (Note: 1/23, 1/26, 2/2, 2/9, 2/11, 2/16, 2/25, 2/27 Sold Out)

Youth Group + Matt Pond PA | Northsix | March 21st | $12

NOFX  + The Loved Ones | BB Kings Blues Club | March 31st | $22.50

PEDRO THE LION | Permanently Put To Bed

When Pedro The Lion hit the scene in 1998 with their critical smash debut album, It's Hard To Find A Friend, they seemed poised to rule the upper echelons of the indie scene. Mainman David Bazan and his longtime collaborator of Tim Walsh, along with sometimes bassist Ken Maiuri, quickly signed with Jade Tree and never fully lived up to their hype.

They've toured the world, played with just about every indie band you can think, been praised by just about every critic, but still they, just couldn't sell records and become a more popular band.With that said, the band has decided to call it quits.

The main motivation for the split was Walsh's reluctance to maintain the 100+ day per year touring schedule that the band demands. Consequently, frontman Dave Bazan has said that he will not continue to work under the name without Walsh and will be writing, recording and touring under his own name, and also on his electronic-tinged side project, Headphones.

DOWNLOAD: Pedro The Lion - "When They Get To Know You They Will"

NEW YEARS EVE | The Complete Guide

MISSHAPES with Tarts of Pleasure + Greg Foremann + Josh Madden + Hillary Duff + Benjiman Cho + Special Guests | Don Hills | $10, champagne toast, rsvp at [email protected]

Patti Smith & Her Band | Bowery Ballroom | $55

Ambulance LTD + Surefire + Levy + The Big Sleep | Mercury Lounge | $25

Radio 4 + Tussle + Young People + Roxy Pain + DJ Tony
Fletcher | Knitting Factory |

Babyshakes + Stalkers + Electric Shadows | Lit | $6

Black Lips | Union Pool

Celebration | Monkeytown | $25

Deva | Lillies Saloon in Red Hook | $20 includes champagne toast

RATED X with Theo + Michael T + Joanna Angel & The girls of Burningangels.com + DJ Jess & Alex Malfunction (Trashnyc.com) | Scenic | $15/20

Sex Slaves + The Everyothers + The Choke + Genders | Trash Bar | $8

John Zorn's Electric Masada with Mike Patton | Tonic | $60

James Brown | BB King's Blues Club | $95

LITTLE STEVENS UNDERGROUND GARAGE with New York Dolls + Mooney Suzuki + The Troggs + The Woogles + The Charms | Hard Rock Cafe | $100

Loft Party with Maroon 5's Adam Levine | Skylight Studios | Skylight Studios | $150/$250

Murphy's Law + The Dickies + Primer Black | Continental | $20

The Official MTV Afterparty with DJ Clue & Special Guests | Spirit | $100/$250

Brazillian Girls | Coda | $75

Jonathan Peters (24 Hour DJ Set) | Roseland | $60

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah + The National + Dr Dog | Irving Plaza | Sold Out

The Black Crowes + Trey Anastasio + North Mississippi Allstars | Madison Square Garden | $45 - $65

Rawles Balls + Sputnik + Amy Miles & Craig Wedron + Matty Charles + Ursa Minor | Living Room | $10

Yo La Tengo + Scene Is Now (7th Night of Hanukkah Celebration) | Maxwells | Sold Out

They Might Be Giants | Northsix | Sold Out

Paul Oakenfold | Avalon | $75

Princess Superstar + The Upwelling + Seems So Bright + The Gulf + Nanuchka | The Delancey | $20

Bill Cosby's Pudding Pops + Tussle | Cake Shop | $10

The Giraffes | Ace of Clubs | $20

Kudu + Certainly Sir + Langhorne Slim | Asterisk* Art Space | $20

Peanut Butter Wolf + Chairman Mao + Rich Medina + Waajed + Chris Annibell + Saucey | Apt | $100, includea open bar from 10pm-2am

BETTER LUCK NEXT YEAR with DJ Sets from Rex The Dog + Cowboy Mark + Marcos Cabrel + Zach & Matt Shadetek + Mode Raw | 69 West 14th Street @ 6th Avenue (3rd & 4th Floor) |   $25

MODERN LOVE with DJ Matilda Van Crumbcake | Last Exit (136 Atlantic Avenue) | Free, with champagne toast at midnight

Mariah Carey's New Years Eve + Hosted by Ryan Seacrest | Cipriani's 42 Street | $200/$250

Nelly | PM | $135/$225

PSNYC | Nightlife Special

Product Shop NYC Presents...GROUP SOUNDS + TAPES 'N TAPES + NOAH CHERNIN (SAM CHAMPION) | Thursday, January 12th | Rothko | 8PM Doors | $10 Cover

THE ONION | Least Essential Albums of 2005

Once again, the brilliant writers at The Onion have compiled their annual list of the least essential records of the year. Leave it to them to reward only the crappiest of the crap, the bottle of them barrel, the lowest of the low, in other words, albums that really suck.....

LEAST ESSENTIAL MOAN-A-THON
Scott Stapp, The Great Divide (Wind Up)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ALBUM BY AN ACTOR
Peter Gallagher, 7 Days In Memphis (Epic)

LEAST ESSENTIAL COMEBACK
Stryper, Reborn (Big3)

LEAST ESSENTIAL DISCS THAT MAKE FREDDIE MERCURY SPIN IN HIS GRAVE
Various Artists, Killer Queen: A Tribute To Queen (Hollywood)
Queen + Paul Rodgers, Return Of The Champions (Hollywood)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ACOUSTIC ANNIVERSARY VERSION OF AN ALBUM EVERYONE'S SICK OF ALREADY
Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill Acoustic (Maverick)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ALBUM BY AN AMERICAN IDOL FINALIST (FIRST-SEASON DIVISION)
Jim Verraros, Rollercoaster (Koch)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ACT OF MUSICAL COLONIALISM
FJ & Living Souls, Ambient Africa (Eagle)

LEAST ESSENTIAL AUDIO SOUVENIR OF AN ESSENTIALLY VISUAL EXPERIENCE
Simon Carpentier & Cirque Du Soleil, Zumanity: Another Side Of Cirque Du Soleil (Cirque Du Soleil)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ALBUM THAT HAS THE BALLS TO CALL ITSELF THE GREATEST
Ian Brown, The Greatest (Koch)
(Editors Note: I heart Ian, but this "hits" collection really does sadly suck.)

LEAST ESSENTIAL TRIBUTE ALBUM
Various Artists, Back Against The Wall (Cleopatra)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ALBUM BY A LIFE COACH, CERTIFIED MASTER OF NEURAL LINGUISTIC PROGRAMMING, MASTER OF THERAPEUTIC IMAGERY, MASTER OF HYPNOTHERAPY, MASTER TIMELINE PRACTITIONER, AND FOUNDER OF THE MOTIVATIONAL CHANGE COMPANY MENTAL DESIGN CONCEPTS, INC.
Chase, Somethin' To Feel About  (Innerforce)

LEAST ESSENTIAL SOUNDTRACK TO A TELEVISION SHOW STARRING A SECOND-GENERATION HACK
Lil Romeo, Romeo! TV Show (The Season) (Koch)

LEAST ESSENTIAL 2PACSPLOITATION
Various Artists, The Rose Vol. 2: Music Inspired By Tupac's Poetry (Koch)

LEAST ESSENTIAL PROOF THAT PUNK IS REALLY DEAD
Misfits Meet The Nutley Brass, Fiend Club Lounge (Ryko)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ALBUM BY A PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER
John Cena & Tha Trademarc, You Can't See Me (Sony)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ROCK CROSSOVER
Ian Anderson, Ian Anderson Plays The Orchestral Jethro Tull (ZYX)

LEAST ESSENTIAL REMIXED GREATEST-HITS ALBUM FROM A FORMER HIP-HOP HEAVYWEIGHT
Master P, Remix Classics (Koch)

LEAST ESSENTIAL LIVE ALBUM
Candy Dulfer, Candy Dulfer: Live At Montreux 2002 (Eagle)

LEAST ESSENTIAL CLINTON-ERA RELIC
Institute, Distort Yourself (Interscope)

LEAST ESSENTIAL RINGTONE-BASED CROSSOVER THAT BROUGHT COLDPLAY DOWN A NOTCH
Crazy Frog, Presents Crazy Hits(Universal)

LEAST ESSENTIAL JAZZ/POP CROSSOVER
Herbie Hancock, Possibilities (Hear)

LEAST ESSENTIAL BEST-OF ALBUM
Hilary Duff, Most Wanted (Hollywood)

LEAST ESSENTIAL ALBUM OF 2005
t.A.T.u., Dangerous And Moving (Interscope)

BEGIN THE BUZZ | Bands To Watch In 2006

BAND: Celebration
DOWNLOAD: "War"
GENRE: No Wave Party Music
WHY THEM: Excellent debut album released by 4AD, championed by TV On The Radio, Excellent live show, major supporting tour slots
NEXT SHOW: December 31st @ Monkey Bar in Brooklyn, National tour with The Double (January 7th @ Bowery Ballroom
ODDS: 16-1

BAND: ¡Forward, Russia!
DOWNLOAD: "Nine"
GENRE: UK Dance Punk
WHY THEM: Major blog buzz in UK, riding coat-tails of Arctic Monkeys, The Others, etc
NEXT SHOW: March 26th @ Mercury Lounge
ODDS: 17-1

BAND: Tapes 'N Tapes
DOWNLOAD: "Insistor"
GENRE: rock, country, indie, pop, drunk, punk
WHY THEM: Shitty home demo that is better than virtually every other record of 2005. Growing blogger buzz via Gorilla Vs Bear, Music For Robots, PSNYC, Brooklyn Vegan, etc
NEXT SHOW: January 12th @ Rothko (PSNYC Party), various other nyc dates
ODDS: 7-1

BAND:  Foreign Islands
DOWNLOAD:"Ghost Story"
GENRE: Spastic punk rock that makes you shake yr ass, think Nation of Ulysses without Ian
WHY THEM:Growing reputation as one of nyc's best live band
NEXT SHOW: None scheduled
ODDS: 11-1

BAND: The Cush
DOWNLOAD: "small town movie"
GENRE: psychedelic pop and noise, think Sea Ray or spiritualized with no budget
WHY THEM: Beautiful self-released debut making waves in NH, VT scene
NEXT SHOW: January 14th @ Lit
ODDS: 19-1

BAND: Mystery Jets
DOWNLOAD: "Alas Agnes"
GENRE: Whatever's selling
WHY THEM: Because they're damn good and the NME loves them...this week
NEXT SHOW: SXSW, nyc dates to follow
ODDS: 8-1

BAND: The Impossible Shapes
DOWNLOAD: "Bombs"
GENRE: stoner pop, new folk, weirdos with melody
WHY THEM: New album coming in march from Secretly Canadian. Major support from Arcade Fire, Antony & The Johnsons, and Elf Power.
NEXT SHOW: US Tour in March/April
ODDS: 18-1

BAND: Sound Team
DOWNLOAD: "It's Obvious What Happened Here"
GENRE: dance pop, punky new wave
WHY THEM: Opening spot at 2005 CMJ for Arcade Fire. Buzz growing since. Major label deal inked.
NEXT SHOW: 2006 Feb Date tba
ODDS: 8-1

BAND: Group Sounds
DOWNLOAD: "Thing Fall Apart"
GENRE: Don't call them dance punk, but...
WHY THEM:Sold out Pianos residency has brought mad buzz and a&r out to their shows.
NEXT SHOW: January 12th @ Rothko (PSNYC Party)
ODDS: 7-1

BAND: Membership Albert
DOWNLOAD: "Woke Up (With The Radio On)"
GENRE: LoFi Rock n Roll, poppy abstract,
WHY THEM: Because they have no shot in hell of making it
NEXT SHOW: Stopped touring. Only self-release albums (12 released to date)
ODDS: 315-1

BAND: The Assault
DOWNLOAD: "Choose of the Slain" and "Rue The Day"
GENRE: melody proto-punk punk
WHY THEM: Because these three ladies rock. Full length due in 2006.
NEXT SHOW: January 11th @ Mercury Lounge
ODDS: 15-1

BAND: High On Fire
DOWNLOAD: "Eyes and Teeth"
GENRE: Intelligent Heavy Metal. Think Mastadon
WHY THEM: Growing buzz, killer live show, scary looking, and heavy as fuck
NEXT SHOW: February 3rd @ Bowery Ballroom
ODDS: 4-1

New York Times Critics Picks of 2005

Shakira? You got to be kidding me......

Jon Pareles' Top Ten Albums of 2005
1. FIONA APPLE: 'EXTRAORDINARY MACHINE' (Epic)
2. M.I.A.: 'ARULAR' (Interscope)
3. SHAKIRA: 'FIJACIóN ORAL VOL. 1' (Epic)
4. SUFJAN STEVENS: 'ILLINOIS' (Asthmatic Kitty)
5. THE FRAMES: 'BURN THE MAPS' (Anti-)
6. BRIGHT EYES: 'DIGITAL ASH IN A DIGITAL URN' (Saddle Creek)
7. BETTYE LAVETTE: 'I'VE GOT MY OWN HELL TO RAISE' (Anti-)
8. STEPHEN MALKMUS: 'FACE THE TRUTH' (Matador)
9. KONONO NO. 1: 'CONGOTRONICS' (Crammed Discs)
10. SLEATER-KINNEY: 'THE WOODS' (Sub Pop)

Kelefa Sanneh's Top 10 Albums of 2005
1. YOUNG JEEZY: 'LET'S GET IT: THUG MOTIVATION 101' (Corporate Thugz Entertainment/Island Def Jam)
2. THE HOLD STEADY: 'SEPARATION SUNDAY' (French Kiss)
3. MARIAH CAREY: 'THE EMANCIPATION OF MIMI' (Island Def Jam)
4. ANIMAL COLLECTIVE: 'FEELS' (Fat Cat)
5. THREE 6 MAFIA: 'MOST KNOWN UNKNOWN' (Sony Urban)
6. FEIST, 'LET IT DIE' (Cherry Tree/Interscope)
7. MY MORNING JACKET, 'Z' (ATO/RCA)
8. KEYSHIA COLE, 'THE WAY IT IS' (A&M)
9. LIL WAYNE, 'THA CARTER II' (Cash Money/Universal)
10. LEE ANN WOMACK, 'THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM' (MCA Nashville)

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Product Shop NYC's Top 57 of 2005
Rough Trade Shops Top 100 Albums of 2005
TotesProbsMaybs Top 30 Songs of 2005
Largehearted Boy's Favorite Albums of 2005
East Bay Express critic's Best Records of 2005
Amazon's Best of 2005: Top 100 Editors Picks
Amazon's Best of 2005: Top 100 Customers' Picks
Informational Leafblower's Top 40 Bands In America - 2005 Edition
Basement Galaxy's Best Albums of 2005
King Blind's Top 15 Albums of 2005
Reality Check's Top 19 Albums of 2005

SUPERMAN RETURNS | The Big Package

If you thought Disney had it bad when they had to digitally reduce the size of Lindsay Lohan's breasts, then can you imaging what the producers of the new superhero flick, Superman Returns, are going through:

The problem is the size of the new Superman’s manhood…that is, his bulge is too big for cinema audiences.Producers are worried that Brandon Routh’s packet in the new film may put audiences off as it is massive.

Bosses on the film are considering using digital technology to cover up the lunchbox in the new film ‘Superman Returns’.

Speaking to The Sun, a source said: "It's a major issue for the studio. Brandon is extremely well endowed and they don't want it up on the big screen.

"We may be forced to erase his package with digital effects."

I wonder things ever get to this. Oh, maybe has something to do with velvet mafia:

Boy-crazy gay film director Bryan Singer reportedly pushed for Brandon Routh to play the lead in Superman Returns over the studio's choice, Jim Caviezel. And all the talk about Routh's endowment may have been a key reason why. Singer does indeed have a history of frisky behavior with hunky young actors. He cast Alex Burton as Pyro in after the pair had a hot tub session at a Hollywood party and Burton hasn't appeared in any films since. A number of young male extras on Singer's 'Apt Pupil' claiming they had been bullied into stripping naked for a shower scene, and that Singer had held private screenings of the soapy footage at his home.

PRODUCT SHOP NYC | The Big Party Announcement

RYAN ADAMS & WILLIE NELSON | The Album

Ryan Adams, who this week released 29, his third album of 2005, just can't stop himself from recorded. It seems the Grizzly Adams has recorded another album and wants to put it out as soon as possible!!!

The new record will be a bit different in that it's a collaboration with country legend Willie Nelson. Ryan, who opened two shows for Willie at the Beacon Theater in November and also played at a Willie Nelson tribute concert in Nashville back in April, has been championing the old-timers legacy and was inspired to write a slew of songs for them to record together.

The duo, backed by Adam's backing band The Cardinals, got together at New York's Loho Studios last week and banged out an albums worth of material..........