"I've always thought of myself as a fairly sane person, but chronicling this experience is kind of making me wonder why." Those are the last words Theresa Smith, guitar player in one of New Jersey's best bands, Home Blitz, has to say on her bizarre, year-long decent into obsessively analyzing one of rock's most bombastic punchlines: Van Halen.

See also:
- Live: Van Halen Attracts The Naked, Sweaty Eyeballs To Cafe Wha?
- In Which We Say Nice Things About The New Singles By Train And Van Halen

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It's often simple laziness that leads writers to discuss Solange through a comparison to her sister Beyonce; the former has been a compelling artist in her own right for some time now, thank you very much. However, Solange's new video for her single "Losing You" does something that both Knowles sisters do really well and it seems a shame not to mention it. The video strikes a careful balance broadcasting strength, vulnerability and beauty while never seeming excessive. Like Beyonce's "Countdown" it revels in what would stereotypically be considered female emotion (this time it's heartbreak as opposed to devotion), but it never comes across as weak or self-pitying.

The video doesn't flip gender norms or reveal them as ridiculous. Rather, by contrasting the vulnerability of the song with the poise of the visuals, Solange is able to tell the truth about the pain of breaking-up, and sneak in all kinds of clever messages about both race and gender. There's nothing that feels particularly radical or gimmicky here, and that's a tribute to Solange's ability to seamlessly navigate what, for many artists, would be perilous terrain.

See Also:
- Q&A: Solange Knowles On Why Working With Kevin Barnes "Makes All the Fucking Sense in The World"
- Solange Knowles Covers Dirty Projectors
- Is Beyonce the Anti-Christ?

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photo by Nate "Igor" Smith

Twiztid's Madrox and Monoxide: "We're like the Padawans to their Jedis."

Twiztid, the Michigan-based horrorcore duo, occupy a peculiar spot in the annals of recorded music. As Insane Clown Posse's younger protégés, they have a hugely loyal fanbase, they've been signed to the same label for 12 years, they still earn revenue from actual records, but outside of Hot Topics and Juggalos, their existence has been so widely ignored, the duo frequently joke about being Psychopathic Records' "red-headed stepchild." That was, until Jamie "Madrox" Spaniolo and Paul "Monoxide" Methric were arrested on tour this past weekend, charged with marijuana and drug paraphernalia possession in Florida, along with fellow Psychopathic rapper Blaze Ya Dead Homie. All the sudden, they were on the frontpage of TMZ.

Tonight, Twiztid opens for Insane Clown Posse at the Hammerstein Ballroom. We spoke with Jamie and Paul before their arrest, about what it's been like to have the "Most Hated Band in the World" as a mentor.

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Late yesterday I was psyched enough to find ASAP Rocky's new video for "Peso" (which you can download here) that I decided to craft a video primer on the up-and-coming MC. He reps Harlem pretty hard, but his beats are so chopped and screwed you'd think he was a student of Mike Jones. Also, he seems to be bringing back grills. (This is not a complaint.) And he's even got a co-sign from Drake!

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Juggal-uh-ohs will never die

Yesterday, Charlie Sheen took to Twitter to confirm that the Access Hollywood creature would be hosting one night of this year's 12th annual Gathering of the Juggalos. Soonafter Sheen's four-million followers learned that Sheen is Down with the Clown, Psychopathic Records released a whole new batch of confirmed "celebrity host" appearances who hadn't been included in their first infomercial, officially turning this year's bacne shantytown into the Surreal Life (MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice) meets Survivor meets, ah, House of 1000 Corpses? In any case, the most misunderstood people in the world are promised appearances from Flavor Flav, Chyna, and Dustin Diamond.

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The Baltimore duo Wye Oak is one of this writer's favorite new bands of the past few years, thanks to sterling songcraft and the smoky, gorgeous voice of vocalist/guitarist Jenn Wasner. So it shouldn't be too surprising that when they covered Danzig's "Mother" for the AV Club's "Undercover" series, they absolutely nailed it, with Wasner's delivery giving the track just the right amount of menace. "Mother" has become something of a new standard, and with good reason; it's ominous and gurgly and, you know, fun to sing along with, especially if you keep in the freak-out at the end. A couple of other versions of the track, after the jump.

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During a recent Mercury Lounge invasion by majestic New Jersey angst-punk deities Titus Andronicus, we grew to greatly appreciate the presence of guitarist/violinist/backup vocalist Amy Klein, a bouncing, gleeful antidote to all that hyper-masculine self-recrimination. That someone in this band has an actually quite lovely soprano is a real asset, one you can now hear unencumbered by all those blaring Springsteenian guitar squalls on her new solo record, I Know What You Want.

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Magnificently bespectacled electro-pop siren Amanda Warner, a/k/a MNDR, remains a bona fide SOTC obsession, combining tech-heavy Tigerbeat6 gearhounding with sharp hooks that make you think of Madonna and then make you feel ridiculous for thinking of Madonna until you conclude that thinking of Madonna is not actually so ridiculous. Great pop songs, is what we're saying here, and the trend continues with her new "Cut Me Out," available for stream/download/etc. right here and another triumph of digital churn and purring analog appeal. The track's embedded below; she'll bring her laptop-visuals-besotted live show to Terminal 5 on February 4 as the opening act for Chromeo, fellow adepts at the bridging the human/android divide by making the former dance like the latter, or vice versa.

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A couple Das Racist curios to finish out your week. First we have DR Renaissance man Himanshu Suri taking a shot at remixing Katy Perry's SOTC-beloved "Teenage Dream," slowing her way way down -- she sounds disconcertingly mannish -- and offering a few remarkably sincere verses: "My parents gone/Bump 'Brown Sugar' all night long/You're my lady/That's my song." Surprisingly effective, inexplicably poignant. Should that build up your goodwill, by all means have a go at mash-up crew the Hood Internet's pairing of "hahahaha j/k" and "Go Outside," the twee anthem from Brooklyn "New Simplicity" stalwarts Cults, available here or embedded below. This seems like a good time to mention that Das Racist's own remix contest ends next week, so get to it: You too can make the Forkcast.

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So everyone's favorite recently deported rap crew (not for political reasons, FYI) is back in town, and drumming up sorely needed Internet buzz with a remix contest for "Hahahaha JK," perhaps their best song to date, or at least, thanks to the indomitable Boi-1da, their best beat. Excellent source material here, sonically and lyrically -- here is your chance to set "Call me Dwight Shrute the way that I eat beats" to drum 'n' bass or witch house or whatever.

The victor will receive "a t-shirt, signed CD, bag of weed (half kidding) and a feature on the band's website," and I can more or less guarantee you they're not kidding about the weed. You've got until January 18; this has been going on for a couple weeks now, but the few submissions so far leave something to be desired: namely, an idea a bit more involved than just dumping the track on top of Miles Davis' "Basin Street Blues." Listen below, and then do better. These nice boys deserve it, and their weed is undoubtedly fantastic.

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