Ian Williams hates The Strokes, and that’s completely understandable. This week he stated that the band members are “the children of the heads of supermodel agencies who formed a rock band and thought they deserved respect because of that.” Williams also compares the band to Duran Duran and hair metal, but mysteriously declines to address its punk credibility.

Speaking of shit-talking, the Cure is releasing a follow-up to what was allegedly its swan song, the 2004 self-titled album. The band is also touring, and while that’s all fine and well, someone really needs to help Robert Smith out a bit. Picture the human equivalent of a dead, bloated dog, and then add all the typical goth accoutrement. Jesus, if someone else won’t do it I will. Robert, that looks cute on 20-year-old girls, but it’s disgusting when you’re nearing 50–which you are, I checked.

Canada.com ran an article discussing whether or not there are environmental advantages to using digital music files rather than CDs, in which the do-gooders at Greenpeace pointed out that digital music actually increases the number of blank discs manufactured and purchased, and that it also requires an entirely new interface, like mp3 players, to use the files. Shame be upon you, e-wasters, and doubly so if you’ve ever bought anything by The Strokes at the iTunes store.

On a more serious note, UK club Gatecrasher–one of the forces behind the huge trance boom in the mid-to-late nineties–burned down this week. As stated on the company’s website: “unfortunately the venue has been completely burned out and will have to demolished, but rest assured we will return bigger, brighter, better, and louder! Gatecrasher, it will always be with you!” Sorry about the building, but we’re pretty sure we don’t want Gatecrasher to always be with us, unless it releases at least one compilation that doesn’t make us want to throw ourselves out a twentieth-story window fifteen seconds into the mix.

The Week In Music, June 15

The Week In Music, June 8