Nerdcore. Chiptune. Gamewave. Bands Influenced by Video Games. It’s almost a given that we, as People of the Web, have heard at least one track we can assign to this genre. With MC Fronalot, Anamanaguchi, and Minibosses among the names at its forefront, this movement is a love letter to all things nerdy and wonderful. The Protomen may be lesser-known than some of the aforementioned folks right now, but not for long.

No, not for long.

Panther, the lead vocalist, is joined by a cast of nine, who, in his words, “noticed a void in rock and roll. A hole that could only really be filled with grown men and women painting up like robots and playing some fierce and furious rock music based on a 1980s video game.” Having just released their second album, the Nashville-based, Mega Man-inspired, silver-painted space cowboys [and girls] have been on a national tour since summer, and if you have the chance, you should definitely check ’em out. These guys are young, hilarious, and they’re damn good.

Despite all the tight production and shiny web design, this band is meant to be experienced live. As the countless performance clips on YouTube prove, you can expect some form of a mosh pit, costumes, eager audience participation, theatrics and a whole lot of RAWKK. Also, the odd Journey cover, or better yet, Clap Danzatar, a Pat Benatar and Danzig mash-up which must be heard to be understood. Simply put, if you like things like rock operas, video games, or fun, and can tolerate a little retro-worship, do yourself a favor and get into The Protomen. This fan-made video for Unrest in the House of Light, a track off their first album, is a good place to start.

You might be wondering what Justin Timberlake, health Jimmy Fallon, and a hip-hop medley are doing here. After all, we live in a world where hip-hop very nearly is the mainstream, right? Two reasons. One: it was not always so. Two: the clip is guaranteed to make you grin, and we care about your grin quota.

[Three: Justin Timberlake is pretty great, in general]

Watch below as JT, together with JF and The Roots, delivers a mini-lesson in the history of American rap, starting with the Sugarhill Gang and ending with Jay-Z. I dare you to watch it just once. Dare!

Last week, we announced a new line of fund-raising merchandise: a poster, a scarf, a mug, and an array of buttons. Even Issue 05 and our Inform Inspire Infect hoodie are back by popular demand, all to help us make Issue 06 a worthy successor to the bling-a-licious 05. A big THANK YOU to everyone who’s pillaged our store so far. The sale ends this Wednesday at midnight PST, so if you plan to load up on Coil-goods, dally not!

“Dear Friends,

This is a difficult time in the world, and I would like to ask each of you to find ways to be a part of positive solutions.  There is something that each of us can do, and it’s just a matter of searching your own soul to find the way that you can give to others.  Some of us can give of our time and talent, and some of us can donate money or items. The trick is to give without looking to receive – to give of yourself to your family, your friends, your community, and the world community with love.”

—Solomon Burke
(March 21, 1940 – October 10, 2010)

It’s strange that Solomon Burke isn’t quite the household name that James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Isaac Hayes or Barry White became. Quoting author and musicologist Tom Reed, Burke was a “founding father of what was defined as soul music in America in the 1960s.” He paved the way for them all. The man was just as influential a King of Rock n’ Soul, and an original Blues Brother.

He may be gone now, but listening to dozens of recordings of that huge, kindly voice, it’s impossible to feel too sad. He was a giant who has left behind a giant legacy. (Not to mention 21 children, 90 grandchildren, and 19 great grandchildren.)

He liked to say, “loving people is what I do.” Love you, too, Big Soul. Rest in peace.

Well, here’s something you don’t see every week:

The Simpsons team has celebrated a long history of poking fun at themselves for outsourcing to South Korea. Even so, it’s surprising to see the famed street artist, Banksy, taking this sweatshop couch gag to such darkly humorous depths.

Jared Leto’s always been just a little too-cool-for-school for my taste. I wanted to swat his My So-Called Life character’s laconic ass for being such a jerk to sweet grunge ingenue, Angela Chase. The slick, overproduced 30 Seconds to Mars pap he’s pumping out more recently makes me do the green apple quick step. But Helena SelfOblivion, the Russian cosplaying sorceress behind the following clip, well, she’s another story. If this young lady turns out to be underage, I’m going to feel like even more of a filthy old lech than usual, but it has to be said; this is huuhhhhHAWT:

Am I right? Teh hawt. Also? ADORBZ! (Be sure to watch to the end.) Her DeviantArt account is brimming with creative genderfuckhattery as well.

*Link and awesome pun courtesy of Ariana O.

Here’s the haps, comrades. We’re halfway through production on Issue 06 of Coilhouse Magazine. In recent days, as we watch its aesthetic and themes begin to coalesce, our conference calls have gotten giddier than ever. As always, we’re aiming for maximum high gloss, high concept, high impact. However, Coilhouse remains a labor of love with marginal profit, and right now our funds are rather low. Why? Because the recently-produced Issue 05 cost us an arm and a leg. NO REGRETS. But its many frills (the holographic foil, the fold-out poster, the art postcards) have left us with depleted resources.

We don’t want to refrain from pulling out all of the stops for 06 in the same manner we did for 05, 04, 03. But to ensure we keep outdoing ourselves with each successive issue, it’s looking like we may need a little help from our friends. Are you willing and able? That’s where this new wave of Coilhouse merchandise comes in.

We’re introducing several new clothing designs and styles, as well as buttons, a mug, and a poster. Yum yum yum. As you can see, it’s all a bit retro sci-fi Constructivist space cadet-chic. That’s not a coincidence! The look and feel of these items dovetails nicely into Issue 06’s themes (as you’ll soon see). We’re also bringing back limited quantities of the beautiful black-on-black INFORM INSPIRE INFECT hoodie that sold out almost instantly a few months ago.

Additionally, now that we’ve mailed off all of the contributor and advertiser copies of Issue 05, we can sell the remaining stock to our readership. If you missed 05 the first time around, or still haven’t had any luck finding it in a store near you, now’s your chance.

This round of merch is Pre-Order: meaning, you buy it, we get it manufactured, and you get your shipment about 3 weeks from now. Pretty good deal, no? You get a lovely item that you can wear proudly, or sip hot toddies out of, or frame and hang on the wall, knowing you supported Coilhouse when we needed a boost. And we get to ensure that Issue 06 stays as badass n’ fancy as it wants to be.

Click through to check out all of the goodies. As always, thank you for your support of Coilhouse Magazine + Blog.

Like you, stuff I await with bated breath the reveal of new Coilhouse themed accouterments, sickness even if I cannot purchase them. Here in my dank, subterranean cell in the festering heart of The Catacombs I can only imagine the enjoyment you horrible beautiful people feel, strolling freely under the warm gaze of the sun, breathing in fresh, un-recycled air. The thought of being able to wear clothes, real clothes not these ragged, school-boy uniforms I am made to wear (where do they get all these school-boy uniforms?) — it fills me with both great joy. Also, irrepressible rage. Mostly the joy though.

In order to soothe my restless and weary spirit and to tide you, our spoiled awful putrescent wonderful audience over until then I thought we could watch this delightful mash-up of Staying Alive, by disco mavens The Bee Gees and Another Brick in the Wall Part II, by laser pioneers Pink Floyd, put together by Wax Audio. It also features the aforementioned schoolboy uniforms, only in a much more danceable way. I hope you all are eaten alive by honey badgers enjoy it.

Via Laughing Squid

Earlier this year, fine artist Stephanie Inagaki’s wearable sculptures made the rounds on fashion blogs such as Haute Macabre. Much like Paddy Hartley’s modified uniforms and Úna Burke’s medical armor, these pieces, susceptible to being read as fashion on account of their stylish form, were actually designed to express the anxiety that surrounds physical trauma and recovery.

Though the gorgeous pieces above are not meant for the purpose of lookin’ good, those of us craving to wear Stephanie’s work are in luck, for her jewelry line, Miyu Decay, has just launched after months of hard work. The line features gorgeous unisex fineries cast in sterling silver and featuring bat skulls, vertebrae, Old World hair ornaments, and feather pelts. The line is dedicated to James Ribiat-Finley, Stephanie’s fiancé and friend of Coilhouse, who passed away tragically last year.

In addition to the current offering of jewelry, new products will be added in the months to come. The images below were taken by Issue 01 contributor Taslimur, and modeled by performer Yellow Strange.

Brace yourselves, for a new batch of Coilhouse merch is about to appear on the horizon. Tomorrow’s merch release will see the return of an old favorite – the super-comfy Inform/Inspire/Infect unisex hoodie (modeled here and here by two stylish customers), plus some brand new items. Buttons crafted by the one and only Snarky McFuckbuttons, a beautiful 18×24 four-color poster with new Coilhouse art by Zoetica screenprinted by Mama’s Sauce, a hefty Inform/Inspire/Infect mug, a scarf, and much more await you here tomorrow.

In addition, we’re selling the last 150 copies of Issue 05 – our remaining stash before our Boogie Edition joins Issue 01-04’s status of being Sold Out Forever. We weren’t sure how many we’d have left after mailing out all the freebies to advertisers and contributors. Now that all issues have been mailed, we’re selling the remaining quantity to make room for Issue 06.

Speaking of Issue 06, this round of merch is going to help fund Issue 06 printing. With its many frills – the holographic foil, the fold-out poster, the art postcards – our recently-produced Issue 05 cost an arm and a leg, eating away at some of our budget for printing Issue 06. With this merch, we hope to raise enough money to make Issue 06 just as grand.

This round of merch will be Pre-Order: meaning, you buy it, we get it manufactured, and you get your shipment about 3 weeks from now. Stay tuned for the reveal of the new items tomorrow – live, in Technicolor!