To go along with “Television Rules The Nation”, I’m now going to start doing some film reviews under the name “I saw a film today, oh boy”. Starting….. now.
I’m a self-proclaimed Wes Anderson fanatic. When I first saw Rushmore in my mid-teens, it was a revelation for me and since then I’ve been fully captivated by all of his films, even his somewhat less-appreciated recent works like Darjeeling Limited and Life Aquatic. I have a hard time staying unbiased when I watch his movies, because there’s so much that I enjoy about what he does. The whimsical idiosyncrasies of the characters, the incredibly detailed look and feel of the worlds he creates, the hilarious witty dialogue, and the magnificent soundtracks all speak to me more than any other filmmaker. Nevertheless, I feel confident in saying that Fantastic Mr. Fox is Wes Anderson’s best work since Royal Tenenbaums, and line-for-line it may be his funniest film to date.
Perhaps the two greatest things in the world, Radiohead and LOST, have now combined in the new Spanish promo for season six (the final season) of LOST. The promo shows Losties as players in a chessboard “where men are pawns of God” and there’s “a destiny for every piece, for every player, and for God”. It’s all set against the opening track to Kid A, “Everything In It’s Right Place”. So freakin’ cool. Watch the promo above.
While it’s fairly common for artists to perform a cover every once in a while, it’s much rarer (and more interesting) for a band to incorporate a cover into one of their own songs. The “song within a song” is cool for a number of reasons. It’s much harder to pull off then just sampling the track in your song, and if done right it can add weight / resonance to the song and reinforce it’s meaning (see “Happy Hippo”, “John Allyn Smith Sails”). It also can be used to pay tribute to the original artist (“First Love”, “Rip It Up”), or they could just be doing it for the hell of it (“Praise Chorus, “Philosophy”). In most cases, it makes a good song even better. Here are some songs within songs that I enjoy. If you can think of any more, put them in the comments!
*Also contains references to “Our House” by Madness, “Why Did We Ever Meet” and “All Of My Everything” by The Promise Ring, “Rock n’ Roll Fantasy” by Bad Company, “Don’t Let’s Start” by They Might Be Giants, and “Kickstart My Heart” by Mötley Crüe.
Here’s the music video for one of the best singles of the year: “Transparence” by Asobi Seksu. Very dreamy, just like the song. I think I could watch Yuki lie in the grass and walk around barefoot all day. It seems with all the frolicking around in the woods and riding in sailboats, that this video could be inspired by Where The Wild Things Are, but that could just be me. Download the single version of the track below.
I’m finding it difficult to reconstruct this musician into interpretable terms for anyone who has never heard of the band or more or less man known as, Fink. To be completely honest with you, three years ago, judging his album cover alone, I hit “play” expecting nothing more than maybe a few chords or fa-la-la’s that might never make it through the speakers… but I was wrong, terribly wrong, and in those rare cases where my assumption is a low and unfair one, I really couldn’t be happier to correct myself.
“Fink” is the name given to the touring trio, Fin Greenall (an English singer-songwriter), Guy Whittaker (Bass) and Tim Thornton (Drums)… and because the name only seems to emphasize on Fin, I will try to keep this post focused on him. This guy started out as a Producer and DJ, spinning trip-hop and breaks in clubs all over the world, alongside production with fellow eccentrics on Ninja Tune. His digression from vinyl to strings was quick and permanent, and not only beneficial to our ears, but to the synonymous label that signed him, on which he became the first singer-songwriter featured – a comparable transition for Peacefrog’s signing to Jose Gonzalez.
Fink’s debut and sophomore album (released a little less than a year apart) could easily be considered land mines, plotted unknowingly and ultimately blowing up his fan-base. On both Biscuits for Breakfast and Distance and Time, Fink reveals dark and consuming emotions with such calm assertion. While one possesses more of a “front-porch” feel than the other, the bluesy licks and raspy vocals pull nothing away from his perfectly executed confessions and conversational lyricism.
His latest and third release with Ninja Tune, Sort of Revolution, comes through with nothing less than its moving precedents. He does experiment with more relevant modes of production, but it only appears here and there throughout the album and comes more as a bonus than anything else. I should mention, those tracks were produced with artists like John Legend and D’angelo, so despite how much I prefer the raw, echoing acoustics, Fink still remains true to his best angles as he tangles himself in brooding piano riffs and/or a-capella type tricks without any hesitation, truly capturing the sincere intentions behind his words.
This is where I talk about one of my favorite things, television.
Some critics are saying that 30 Rock has lost it’s touch this season. Those critics are crazzzy. If anything, I think that it just took a little longer this year for the show to hit it’s stride. You may remember last season was a bit doubtful (read: too cameo-heavy) till 5 or 6 episodes in and then it never let up. Furthermore, with last night’s episode “Sun Tea”, I think everone can agree that 30 Rock is back on the very top of it’s game.
The A plot of the episode was Liz Lemon’s attempt to steal an apartment from a gay hipster cop that wears political t-shirts that say “this is what a feminist looks like” and is totally ruining her imaginary life with Astronaut Mike Dexter. She gets ideas from Jenna (be a drama queen), Tracy (have an angry black boyfriend), and finally, Frank (the “sun tea” method). In the B story, Tracy and Jack are both getting vesactamies, Jack because of Geiss family drama (how amazing is it that Kathy Geiss’ lawyer is Teddy Ruxpin?) and Tracy because The Cosby Show lied to him. Both Dr. Spaceman and Tracy Jr. are in this subplot which automatically amazing and the Cosby show hallucination scene was just brilliant. There’s also Kenneth with some green week something or other that provided one really funny meta-joke about the NBC green peacock and a fairly lame Al Gore cameo. So all in all an awesome episode.
A sampling of my favorite quotes:
“Drama is like gay man Gatorade, it replenishes their electrolytes.”
“Are they actually going to do something this week or are they just going to put that stupid green peacock in the corner?”
“The Bill Cosby show lied to me” “I don’t think there’s a box for that on the form. How about ‘Cheers lied to me’?”
“My apartment smells like Burger King all day and Cinnabon all night.”
“You look like a turtle who lost his shell.”
“Our topical opener is Omarosa borrowing Bjork’s swan dress.”
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As for the other shows on the NBC Thursday lineup, Community continues to be consistently hilarious (the American Tail: Fievel Goes West parody from last night was fantastic); Parks and Recreation continues to be this year’s most improved show (Aziz is getting some serious competetion from Ron frickin’ Swanson lately for funniest character), and The Office, well, at least Andy and Creed are still bring the laughs pretty consistentally. Can’t say I’m a fan of the direction that show is taking lately.
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This video is the Top 100 Quotes from The Wire. It’s a very well-done, nicely-edited montage, and a must watch for Wire fans. My only complaint would be that it focuses a bit too much on major characters. It definitely needs more S2 Greeks (how can you not even include “and, of course, I’m not even Greek”?!), S4 corner boys, and S5 newsies. On the other hand, pretty much everything Omar, Bunk, and Snoop said could be printed and framed.
(via @azizansari)
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Finally, LOST: The Final Season will premiere on Tuesday, February 2, 2010. Dude, that’s 73 days. I’m already stocking up on Dharma box wine and Apollo Bars.
It’s time once again to highlight some the hip, indie songs that soundtrack ads from cars, beers, phones, to climate change (you didn’t think the indie rock in commercials trend was going away, did you?). So for all you Hulu / DVR watchers that are missing out on all the joys of live television, here’s a few of the best songs that creative departments and ad agencies are harvesting for mass consumption. MP3s and link to video included.
Cadillac SRX Crossover (Watch)
I’d be willing to venture a guess that this is the most played commercial on TV these days. It seems like there’s rarely a commercial break that goes by where I don’t hear those huge, fuzzy synths blasting out of the TV screen. Not that I’m complaining though, “1901” is one of the best songs of the year, and I’ll take any excuse to listen to it. I also think it’s funny that Phoenix’s crossover hit is being used to advertise a car called a Crossover.
Budweiser (Watch)
This Budweiser spot pokes fun at different bro greetings like the “fist pump”, “forearm grab”, and the “bro hug double-back tap combo” all while M. Ward and Ms. Gibbard’s tune plays in the background. Good song, but I still think that opening sounds too much like Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll Part 2”.
Vizio LCD HDTV (Watch)
This is probably the most coolest looking commercial out of this batch, with some great photography and effects. The ad shows images of everyday things that form the letter “V” all while showing off the brighter color palette of their LCD HD TVs. Aussie duo Empire of the Sun, provides the bouncy electro pop track, which complements the video well.
Repower America: Alliance for Climate Protections(Watch)
Repower America is the company that put out that ad of the old farmer guy in the green hat who wonders why we’re sending billions of dollars overseas instead of using clean energy. Their new ad campaign features famous people like Sheryl Crow, Al Gore, and Ted Turner talking about climate change backed by the wonderful Andrew Bird song “Heretics”. You think they realized the chorus to that song is “Thank God it’s fatal”?
Lincoln MKT SUV (Watch)
Nicole Atkins recently did a cover of The Church’s “Under The Milky Way” also, but it was Sia’s dreamy version that made it into this commercial for the Lincoln MKT.
T-Mobile (Watch)
Architecture in Helsinki seem to have a good thing going with phone companies. “Souvenirs” from the band’s debut album, Fingers Crossed was used in a Sprint commercial a couple years back and now T-Mobile are hitting up the same album for the track, “Fumble”. I’m just waiting for one of them to get their hands on the band’s best album, In Case We Die. Can you imagine “It’5!” in a Vonage commercial?
It seems like often times the best art comes out of tragedy. Some of the most moving and emotionally stirring music in the last few years such as Funeral, “Casimir Pulaski Day”, The Meaning of 8, or more recently Hospice, touch on feelings of loss, depression, and redemption. Sam Jacobs, singer-songwriter and frontman The Flying Change, draws from his experiences of caring for his wife, who suffers from excruciating back pain due to spinal nerve defects, and their shared encounters with surgery, hospital waiting rooms, and countless doctors in order to find a cure. What emerged is the album Pain Is a Reliable Signal, a gorgeous collection of songs filled with melancholy, catharsis, and hopefulness.
My favorite track on the album is “Dirty White Coats”, a Magnetic Fields sounding folk-pop song with delicately picked acoustic guitar and subtle hints of trumpet, violin, and piano. The song is a bittersweet look at how seeing doctor after doctor and how constantly having tubes and needles stuck in your body (“they can never find your vein” he sings) can makes the treatment process seem callous and cold, when the goal should really be to make you feel better. Not everything is a downer though, there’s actually quite a bit of optimism in these tunes, as visible in upbeat lo-fi pop of “If You See Something, Say Something”, a play on the famous subway billboard slogan. The well-constructed instrumentation of the track includes a solo horn and lively glockenspiel and the song builds to a triumphant sing-a-long ending with infectious call-and-response vocals. Overall, this a magnificent album that truly explores the human condition in a meaningful way.
Here’s a video of Windmill playing a delightful cover of The National‘s “Start A War” on the tour for their new album, Epcot Starfields. The new single for the album is “Ellen Save Your Energy” (named after this) and it’s an exhilarating and sublime track. Check it out below.
I recently spent a month in Los Angeles for work-related reasons. While Taylor and my other fellow Illinoisians were enjoying the gray skies and rain that is October in Illinois, I was out hiking in the mountains and seeing Craig Robinson at LAX. But before I left, I found out that a few things that are common knowledge about L.A., and will be told to you by people who haven’t even been there before. These include: the weather is nice pretty much all year round, you’ll probably see some celebrities, the air in the city is terrible and the traffic is worse.
There is one thing, however, that no one told me about and I wish they had: all the dudes selling their rap CDs for cheap around the city. I first witnessed this while on Hollywood Boulevard. They walk the street, headphones in hand, giving passers-by a taste and trying to hustle them out of a few bucks. I didn’t have any cash on me the first time around, but when I found out we were going to Venice Beach, I promptly hit up an ATM so I could be prepared. Sure enough, as soon as we hopped out of the van I heard the call of “New rap music!” echoing down the boardwalk and I ran off to see what treasures I could dig up.
Music For Kids Who Can't Read Good 