Okay, it’s not that bad.

Maybe I’m partial to the more comprehensive review; not just 140 characters. Purist be damned, but there’s something about digging deep into songs, crafting arguments, and uncovering truths that may or may not even be there. These are the core fundamentals of a review. I’m really not sure that stuff’s going to be there in 140 characters.

Instead, we’ll be at the risk of the basic constituents of a tweet: funny quips, self-indulgent jokes (which only work occasionally in a review to begin with), a dollop of .50 adjectives, and chewed up summations. The latter even more perilous than the formers. Who wants to be summed up? For those of us who still remember physically shopping for entertainment (e.g. at mythical museums like Blockbuster Video, Sam Goody, and Borders), don’t you recall scoffing at the staff recommendations? Those irritating two or three lines that spent more time on convincing words than actual arguments? It’s something to think about.

“Thankfully, this new plan also means no more overwrought 80-word blurbs on middling, nobody-cares bands where a grade of “6″ or a “7″ ultimately translates to “Hey, this exists; and it doesn’t totally blow!”" Weingarten continues. This opens the door, according to him, for more coverage on mixtapes, major-label records, Bandcamp releases, and box sets. Okay, I can buy that. Trust me, the number of e-mails per hour that arrive sporting links to Bandcamp pages actually have me paying for storage on Google. Oh, humbug. In hindsight, though, isn’t a simple tweet doing a slight disservice to the acts? Or even the media itself?

Chew on this: Nobody pays for music, now publications will tweet the majority of their reviews? What’s next? We’re going to insist bands play our birthday parties for free? Hey, I’m all for this “revolution in music,” but at some point, one needs to sit back and realize art is hard. It’s a bitch. Yet we consume it like a meth addict who’s been stuck in an attic all day with Walter White. Dare I throw the word “entitled” out there? To support his case, Weingarten argues that Spin will tackle more reviews. Wonderful. What about the argument that it’s a slightly glossy substitute for skimming? What about the old adage that it’s quality over quantity? Do we sacrifice one for consumerism? Isn’t that, like, I dunno, “buying in”?

These are all rhetorical questions, I might add.

In the end, it’ll take a skilled bard to draft up a convincing 140 character argument. Clearly, Weingarten has been successful at this; after all, he branded the idea. It’s a good one; however, it’s always felt like more of an alternative rather than the full practice. Oh, here’s one other concern: Will the other writers be as sharp? Arguably, a lazy review bubbles up from time to time. This usually happens when pressed for publication, or if a writer’s just fucking lazy. Not saying that will happen, but…

To be fair, Spin still plans on publishing standard reviews (“a viable and under-appreciated medium in any year”, he suggests, thank god). There’s just only going to be 20 of them per month, and those really good ones will receive a tag that says, “SPIN Essentials.” So, there’s that. Though, that’s sort of like when FAO Schwartz went out of business, only to let little pop up stores open in the malls during special occasions – you know, to keep the idea alive.

Purist be damned, indeed. I will admit that the idea is intoxicatingly enviable. Could you imagine listening to a Sonic Youth album* without having to add any context? Or, writing about a new band without having to make the connection to half a dozen demos by Avey Tare? Even now, as I’m spinning the new Cloud Nothings album, I’m tempted to put together a 140 character tweet. What would be the point? This format has already been claimed. It’s Spin‘s thing now. Anyone who’s truly angry is just upset they didn’t start doing it ages ago; or, they’re just a purist. The disguise is optional.

* – I’m fully aware the band might not be around to do that anymore. I’m in denial. Whatevs.edu

– High-resolution videos from The Strokes’ headlining performance at the Isle of Wight Festival are now available for viewing. Now, you have some actual footage to compliment the sounds of the recently reunited outfit.

– Also at Isle of Wight, Kanye West made his first public performance in six months, joining Jay-Z for a performance of “Run This Town”. Watch it here.

– Conan O’Brien and Jack White teamed up for a performance at Third Man Records. (“Seven Nation Army” performance included). The whole thing was recorded and will be released on vinyl. Conan also reportedly cut a spoken word 7″.

– Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders and P Diddy teamed up for a performance on the BBC.

– Kid Cudi was arrested in New York on Friday night and charged with a felony. Somehow though, he still manged to play Bonnaroo.

– Rock Band 3 features keyboard and The White Stripes. Read all about it here.

– The first single from Brandon Flowers’ forthcoming solo debut leaked onto the web Friday.

– Pete Doherty tried to enter the United State and was denied.

– M.I.A. dropped a new song, Jay-Z featuring remix.

– Albeit a cover, The Shins released their first new song in two years.

– After 12 year, Toadies are finally ready to release Feeler.

– Spin Magazine is celebrating its 25th Birthday with a series of awesome concerts.

– Max Weinberg talked his future with both Conan O’Brien and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.

– The Vaselines announced their first album in 20 years.

– We premiered new offerings from Chemical Brothers and Marco Beneveto,

– Finally, we’re giving away tickets to the first ever Nateva Music Festival.

Among the tickets on sale Saturday include Paul McCartney, Pixies, My Morning Jacket, and Spin‘s 25th Birthday!

My Morning Jacket:

What: Five night run in New York, NY

When: October 18-23

Tixs: $205 (five-day pass)

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Paul McCartney:

What: Tour dates for Kansas City, MO; Toronto, ON; & Pittsburgh, PA

When: July – August

Tixs: $42.00 – $252.00

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

Pixies:

What: North American tour

When: September

Tixs: Price varies depending on location

Buy: Ticketmaster at 10:00 AM Local Time

The Spin 25 Concert Series: Smashing Pumpkins, The Flaming Lips, The National, The Black Keys, & Spiritualized

What: Five night concert in New York, NY

When: July

Tixs: Price varies depending on concert

Buy: Ticketmaster at 11:00 AM Local Time

Between July 26th and 30th, Spin will host a five-night music marathon in New York City featuring performances from The Flaming Lips, Smashing Pumpkins, The National, The Black Keys, and Spiritualized, the latter of which will be performing Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space in its entirety. Plus, because the goal is for each of the five nights to feature five hours of performances, bringing 25 hours of music over the five-day period, additional performances will be announced in the coming weeks.

“More than a year ago, when we first started thinking about how to celebrate SPIN’s 25th anniversary, we thought it would be cool to curate a series of concerts featuring some of the great artists that have appeared in the pages of SPIN,” says Spin magazine editor Doug Brod. “25 hours of music over five nights seemed like a nice hook, so we partnered with Bowery Presents to realize the dream. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the headliners, and just wait till you see the opening bands!”

The extravaganza kicks off on June 26th with Billy Corgan’s crew. The first four nights will take place at New York’s Terminal 5, while the final performance, the one featuring Spiritualized, will take place at Radio City Music Hall on July 30th.

Pre-sale tickets for the shows will be available exclusively to holders of the ZYNC card from American Express — from 10 AM on June 11th to 10 PM on June 13th — here. Tickets go on sale to the general public on Monday, June 14th at 11 AM via Ticketmaster.com.

And even better, if you don’t have the extra cash to throw around right now, Spin will be webcasting all five performances on its website. So good news all around.

The Spin 25 Concert Series:
07/26 – Smashing Pumpkins @ Terminal 5
07/27 – The Flaming Lips @ Terminal 5
07/28 – The Black Keys @ Terminal 5
07/29 – The National @ Terminal 5
07/30 – Spiritualized @ Radio City Music Hall

This coming Monday, Rolling Stone will launch a new website. Among the new features will be “Rolling Stone All Access,” which will give those who sign up full contents of each new issue as it hits newsstands and the key to the entire Rolling Stone archives. That’s 43 years of content and includes the work of such greats as Hunter S. Thompson, Lester Bangs, David Fricke, and P. J. O’Rourke.

According to DigitalMusicNews.com, access to said archives will cost $3.95 a month or $29.99 a year. Plus, those who sign up will also receive a print subscription. [Insert Almost Famous pun here].

The list of 16 ranges from the near blasphemous (Myth: Radiohead can do no wrong. Reality: Radiohead kinda blow) to the obvious (Myth: Marilyn Manson Is A Puppy-Killing Nazi. Turns out it’s an image, people). They also manage to raise some interesting questions, however (Myth: Biggie & Tupac Are Hip-Hop’s Pillars. Reality: Biggie and Tupac don’t matter anymore). There’s even a few that finally let the world know the deep, dark truth (Sorry, fans. There was no girl pleasured with a mud shark by Led Zeppelin. It was a red snapper!) Many of the entries and the feature interviews feature well organized insight and meticulous defenses; even if we’re still not that sure about Lady Gaga.

You can read the list here. It’s also featured in the December 2009 issue, with an expanded list of 33 nuggets of wisdom.