Been listening to a lot of new music lately. This - It Never Stops by Deerhunter - is among the juicy musical discoveries.
Sunday, March 29
Thursday, March 26
And A New Obsession for the Next 206 Days Is Born, My Friends
It's here.The trailer for Where The Wild Things Are, Spike Jonze's upcoming spectactle, has landed. Youtube had the trailer yanked for copyright, but you can find it here.
And dazzling is an understatement. It looks like pure magic on film. Fun and imaginative and colorful and, ugh, whoa. I'm really impressed. Then they had to go put some (rather weird yet awesome) version of Arcade Fire's Wake Up in the background which ended up selling me.
What I really like is that Jonze doesn't appear to have made the film Dark. Blatantly gloomy and sort of, atmosphere overkill. It's just images, it's not striving for a certain mood, really, and I love that. I mean, damn, am I happy Tim Burton isn't making this movie.
So, yeah, I'm gonna be crazy about this I think. So happy it comes out October 16. Good timing. Not too late and Oscar-y. Not that I think this has a chance at the Oscars beyond some random techs, if that.
The Top Sitcoms on TV
So I'm not a very big TV fan. I watch it casually, and tend to stay away from the really intense stuff like 24, Lost or the recently bowed-out Battlestar Gallactica. Really, the only drama I watch is House, and that's sort of inconsistent. I tried Mad Men. Eh. I really wanna see Breaking Bad but am a tad intimidated by jumping in so late in the game. Does American Idol or Top Chef fall under the drama category?
Yeah, I basically just watch reality TV and comedies. So many comedies, in fact, that I decided to list my favorites here. In no particular order...
Yeah, I basically just watch reality TV and comedies. So many comedies, in fact, that I decided to list my favorites here. In no particular order...
- How I Met Your Mother - Has a rare one-two punch in combining good writing with good acting. Only a few shows really are consistent in both arenas. Jason Segal is great, along with Neil Patrick Harris, of course. The writing is creative, not totally chronological and almost reminiscent of Golden Age Scrubs with its unique and complex storytelling.
- The Office - Used to be the best show on TV, but now it's just good. The downfall has been in the characters. Dwight went from funny, to annoying. Andy is really aggravating. And the writing isn't focused squarely enough on Michael, who is far and away, the best on the show. Yet I still get a kick out of the mundaneness, and Carell is still on his game.
- The New Adventures of Old Christine - The Seinfeld curse has been broken, and that is a remarkable thing. Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is all kinds of brilliant, comedically, on this show. The whole ensemble is utilized, and for good reason. Solid supporting work from Wanda Sykes and Clark Gregg, among others, gives the show some balance. The writing isn't perfect, but gets the job done.
- 30 Rock - Another case of great acting and great (GREAT) writing coming together and forming a damn good show. No wonder it's won so many Emmys. Fey could make Liz Lemon sort of one-note, but she never does. The writing gives the show a light, almost cartoonish feel, with a ton of strange situations. Possibly the most consistent show on TV.
- Arrested Development - Okay, it doesn't really count, because it's off TV. Yet I've caught a ton of re-runs and the show is pure brilliance...most of the time. It has a tendency to throw in a shitty episode occasionally, but when it's good it's REALLY good. Again, it comes down to writing. It's so weird and very politically incorrect, but that's why I love it. The whole cast brings something to the table. Very eclectic.
Wednesday, March 25
Sunday, March 22
The Hazards of Love
Lately it's seeming as if I get all my news from Entertainment Weekly. I always find out the big news last, but whatever. Today was another day of EW breaking big news for me.
So I was thumbing through EW this morning and was skimming the music reviews section over. Of course, the featured review was for the Hannah Montana Movie Soundtrack. Shoot me, okay? So, I was looking at the other reviews and I zeroed in on two words I always look for: The Decemberists. It doesn't matter where I am, like I could be at the bank or something, and I'll have my Decemberists heat-seeking radar initiated.
The review was venomous. They hated it. They said the vocals sucked, which doesn't seem possible to me, and that there was a lot of "comically-misplaced guitar shredding." Of course, my initial reaction was, "How dare they."
So immediately, I booked onto iTunes and see that the review has four and a half stars over 700 ratings. Um? Is it not so bad, then?
Whatever, in the end, all that matters is if I like it. I really think I will. Maybe an update later in the week on my thoughts.
So I was thumbing through EW this morning and was skimming the music reviews section over. Of course, the featured review was for the Hannah Montana Movie Soundtrack. Shoot me, okay? So, I was looking at the other reviews and I zeroed in on two words I always look for: The Decemberists. It doesn't matter where I am, like I could be at the bank or something, and I'll have my Decemberists heat-seeking radar initiated.
The review was venomous. They hated it. They said the vocals sucked, which doesn't seem possible to me, and that there was a lot of "comically-misplaced guitar shredding." Of course, my initial reaction was, "How dare they."
So immediately, I booked onto iTunes and see that the review has four and a half stars over 700 ratings. Um? Is it not so bad, then?
Whatever, in the end, all that matters is if I like it. I really think I will. Maybe an update later in the week on my thoughts.
Tuesday, March 17
Wednesday, March 11
Great Albums Bracket - Region 1 (part 1)
And we're off. So this is Region One and in this part 1 (of 2), we'll be seeing:
Radiohead's In Rainbows (1) vs. Beck's The Information (8)
Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People vs. Amy Winehouse's Back To Black
The two winners of these matchups will face each other in the Sweet Sixteen in a couple weeks. Click here if you need your memory refreshed.
(1) In Rainbows vs. (8) The Information
Overall Musical Quality and Consistency: In Rainbows is an innovative, unique and complex listen. The same can’t necessarily be said for The Information. It’s one of Beck’s lesser albums, yet even a bad Beck album is still a really good album. The Information probably has the edge in terms of lyrics, but the sheer sound of In Rainbows will be quite hard to beat. Victor: In Rainbows
Best Track: This comes down to Jigsaw Falling Into Place vs. Cellphone’s Dead. Jigsaw Falling Into Place is basically a perfect stage for Thom Yorke’s wailing voice. Pure brilliance and one of Radiohead’s best songs, period. Cellphone’s Dead is classic, weird-o Beck, combining interesting beats and almost a hip-hop foreground that’s reminiscent of anything off of Midnite Vultures. A great song, but not as memorable as Jigsaw Falling Into Place. Victor: Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Impact: The Information was perhaps the first album that I truly waited for and had the date of release marked on my calendar. I was just coming off of intense love for Midnite Vultures (came out in 1999, just missed the cut, would have been a number one seed). My Beck love was at its height. In Rainbows simply solidified the fact that Radiohead is one of my favorite bands, if not my favorite. Has nearly everything I dream of from an album. Victor: In Rainbows
Overall Play Count: 182 to 107 Victor: In Rainbows
Cover Art: I must say, two heavyweights in terms of Cover Art. Yet the cool graphics and colors of The Information are pretty amazing. Victor: The Information
And the winner is… In Rainbows, 4-1
(4) You Forgot It in People vs. (5) Back to Black
Overall Musical Quality and Consistency: The thing that Back to Black has going for it is that basically every song on it is good – if not really good. It has its flashes of brilliance and remains stable the whole time. You Forgot It In People has one of the best songs of this decade (Almost Crimes) and Cause=Time is not far from that status either. Yet Back to Black’s powerhouse consistency reigns supreme for me. Victor: Back to Black
Best Track: As stated earlier, Almost Crimes is incredible (please listen – you’ll be hooked right away). Back To Black, the song, is really strong but simply no match. Victor: You Forgot It in People
Impact: Back to Black was almost a flash in the pan for me. I like Amy Winehouse (AS A MUSICIAN) yet I’m not into her whole train-wreck-whore…aura. But beyond personality, the music is more daring and oozing with unique genius (most of the time) on YFINP. It solidified BSS in my pantheon of greatness and was constantly listened to two summers ago when I ate, slept and breathed Broken Social Scene.
Play Count: 115 to 107 Victor: You Forgot It in People
Cover Art: The YFINP art is mediocre and Back to Black’s isn’t too much better, but kinda fitting to the whole album. Victor: Back to Black
And the winner is…You Forgot It in People
So Region One will be continued later in the week where bands like Coldplay, TV on the Radio and other favorites will be featured. Stay tuned.
Radiohead's In Rainbows (1) vs. Beck's The Information (8)
Broken Social Scene's You Forgot It In People vs. Amy Winehouse's Back To Black
The two winners of these matchups will face each other in the Sweet Sixteen in a couple weeks. Click here if you need your memory refreshed.
(1) In Rainbows vs. (8) The Information
Overall Musical Quality and Consistency: In Rainbows is an innovative, unique and complex listen. The same can’t necessarily be said for The Information. It’s one of Beck’s lesser albums, yet even a bad Beck album is still a really good album. The Information probably has the edge in terms of lyrics, but the sheer sound of In Rainbows will be quite hard to beat. Victor: In Rainbows
Best Track: This comes down to Jigsaw Falling Into Place vs. Cellphone’s Dead. Jigsaw Falling Into Place is basically a perfect stage for Thom Yorke’s wailing voice. Pure brilliance and one of Radiohead’s best songs, period. Cellphone’s Dead is classic, weird-o Beck, combining interesting beats and almost a hip-hop foreground that’s reminiscent of anything off of Midnite Vultures. A great song, but not as memorable as Jigsaw Falling Into Place. Victor: Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Impact: The Information was perhaps the first album that I truly waited for and had the date of release marked on my calendar. I was just coming off of intense love for Midnite Vultures (came out in 1999, just missed the cut, would have been a number one seed). My Beck love was at its height. In Rainbows simply solidified the fact that Radiohead is one of my favorite bands, if not my favorite. Has nearly everything I dream of from an album. Victor: In Rainbows
Overall Play Count: 182 to 107 Victor: In Rainbows
Cover Art: I must say, two heavyweights in terms of Cover Art. Yet the cool graphics and colors of The Information are pretty amazing. Victor: The Information
And the winner is… In Rainbows, 4-1
(4) You Forgot It in People vs. (5) Back to Black
Overall Musical Quality and Consistency: The thing that Back to Black has going for it is that basically every song on it is good – if not really good. It has its flashes of brilliance and remains stable the whole time. You Forgot It In People has one of the best songs of this decade (Almost Crimes) and Cause=Time is not far from that status either. Yet Back to Black’s powerhouse consistency reigns supreme for me. Victor: Back to Black
Best Track: As stated earlier, Almost Crimes is incredible (please listen – you’ll be hooked right away). Back To Black, the song, is really strong but simply no match. Victor: You Forgot It in People
Impact: Back to Black was almost a flash in the pan for me. I like Amy Winehouse (AS A MUSICIAN) yet I’m not into her whole train-wreck-whore…aura. But beyond personality, the music is more daring and oozing with unique genius (most of the time) on YFINP. It solidified BSS in my pantheon of greatness and was constantly listened to two summers ago when I ate, slept and breathed Broken Social Scene.
Play Count: 115 to 107 Victor: You Forgot It in People
Cover Art: The YFINP art is mediocre and Back to Black’s isn’t too much better, but kinda fitting to the whole album. Victor: Back to Black
And the winner is…You Forgot It in People
So Region One will be continued later in the week where bands like Coldplay, TV on the Radio and other favorites will be featured. Stay tuned.
Sunday, March 8
The Great Albums Bracket: The Search for My Favorite Album of the Decade
Over the past few weeks I've been mulling over ideas for posts to apply to this here blog. I had little (no) luck until last week when I thought of a rather interesting and certainly appropriate serial posting event (SPE).
General Idea: I make a bracket displaying my 32 favorite albums of this decade. I then seed them from 1-8. Ones are dedicated to the best of the best, while 8 seeds are still great, yet probably won't get too far in the bracket. Then, through weeks of judging and analyzing through match-ups I come up with my favorite album of this decade. If any of you are sports fans, you can correlate this directly to March Madness (something I wil regularly allude to this month).
So I'm really stoked for this series. It should be great fun and give you a good idea of my favorite music. I think it's fitting with March Madness and total bracketology looming. So, below, I'll run through some more details and then, during the rest of the week a few match-ups should pop up, the games beginning.
So here is the rundown on the seeding (the number to the left is the seed):
1 Funeral by Arcade Fire
1 In Rainbows by Radiohead
1 Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
1 Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
2 Hail to the Thief by Radiohead
2 Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio
2 Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend
2 A Mad and Faithful Telling by DeVotchka
3 The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
3 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3 Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle and Sebastian
3 Arcade Fire EP by Arcade Fire
4 Random Spirit Lover by Sunset Rubdown
4 Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
4 You Forgot it in People by Broken Social Scene
4 Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
5 Z by My Morning Jacket
5 Pressure Chief by Cake
5 Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
5 American Idiot by Green Day
6 Set Yourself on Fire by Stars
6 X&Y by Coldplay
6 Sea Change by Beck
6 Let’s Get Out of This Country by Camera Obscura
7 Dear Science by TV on the Radio
7 We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
7 Come On Feel The Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens
7 Modern Guilt by Beck
8 The Information by Beck
8 Apologies to the Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
8 In Our Bedroom After The War by Stars
8 The Reminder by Feist
And here is the actual bracket in all its glory. (Click on it to enlarge)
Surf Wikipedia if you aren't familiar with some of the albums. Most of them should be familiar. I'd be elated if you were to broaden you're musical interests from seeing some of these bands in this tournament. All of the bands and albums are brilliant and there's something for everyone.
Yes, I know I'm like Obsessive-Compulsive in terms of organization, but here is a rough schedule of how I'll post everything. It should end up taking about two months, if everything goes according to plan. I've already written up a few match-ups and it's really fun to write, so don't expect me to get overwhelmed and discouraged (tends to happen).
Region One (Week 1)
Funeral vs. The Reminder
Hail to the Thief vs. Modern Guilt
Arcade Fire EP vs. Set Yourself on Fire
Random Spirit Lover vs. Z
Region Two (Week 2)
In Rainbows vs. The Information
Return to Cookie Mountain vs. Come on Feel The Illinoise
Dear Catastrophe Waitress vs. X&Y
You Forgot It In People vs. Back To Black
Region Three (Week 3)
Broken Social Scene vs. In Our Bedroom After The War
Vampire Weekend vs. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah vs. Sea Change
Ga Ga Ga Ga vs. Pressure Chief
Region Four (Week 4)
Neon Bible vs. Apologies to the Queen Mary
A Mad and Faithful Telling vs. Dear Science
The Crane Wife vs. Let’s Get Out of This Country
Twin Cinema vs. American Idiot
Week Five: Winners of Regions 1 and 2 Face off (8 of the 16- 4)
Week Six: Winners of Regions 3 and 4 Face off (8 of the 16- 4)
Week 7: Elite Eight (8 of 8 - 4)
Week 8: Final Four and Championship
Finally, the judging will be based on five categories that are as follows:
General Idea: I make a bracket displaying my 32 favorite albums of this decade. I then seed them from 1-8. Ones are dedicated to the best of the best, while 8 seeds are still great, yet probably won't get too far in the bracket. Then, through weeks of judging and analyzing through match-ups I come up with my favorite album of this decade. If any of you are sports fans, you can correlate this directly to March Madness (something I wil regularly allude to this month).
So I'm really stoked for this series. It should be great fun and give you a good idea of my favorite music. I think it's fitting with March Madness and total bracketology looming. So, below, I'll run through some more details and then, during the rest of the week a few match-ups should pop up, the games beginning.
So here is the rundown on the seeding (the number to the left is the seed):
1 Funeral by Arcade Fire
1 In Rainbows by Radiohead
1 Broken Social Scene by Broken Social Scene
1 Neon Bible by Arcade Fire
2 Hail to the Thief by Radiohead
2 Return to Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio
2 Vampire Weekend by Vampire Weekend
2 A Mad and Faithful Telling by DeVotchka
3 The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
3 Clap Your Hands Say Yeah by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3 Dear Catastrophe Waitress by Belle and Sebastian
3 Arcade Fire EP by Arcade Fire
4 Random Spirit Lover by Sunset Rubdown
4 Ga Ga Ga Ga by Spoon
4 You Forgot it in People by Broken Social Scene
4 Twin Cinema by The New Pornographers
5 Z by My Morning Jacket
5 Pressure Chief by Cake
5 Back to Black by Amy Winehouse
5 American Idiot by Green Day
6 Set Yourself on Fire by Stars
6 X&Y by Coldplay
6 Sea Change by Beck
6 Let’s Get Out of This Country by Camera Obscura
7 Dear Science by TV on the Radio
7 We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse
7 Come On Feel The Illinoise by Sufjan Stevens
7 Modern Guilt by Beck
8 The Information by Beck
8 Apologies to the Queen Mary by Wolf Parade
8 In Our Bedroom After The War by Stars
8 The Reminder by Feist
And here is the actual bracket in all its glory. (Click on it to enlarge)
Surf Wikipedia if you aren't familiar with some of the albums. Most of them should be familiar. I'd be elated if you were to broaden you're musical interests from seeing some of these bands in this tournament. All of the bands and albums are brilliant and there's something for everyone.
Yes, I know I'm like Obsessive-Compulsive in terms of organization, but here is a rough schedule of how I'll post everything. It should end up taking about two months, if everything goes according to plan. I've already written up a few match-ups and it's really fun to write, so don't expect me to get overwhelmed and discouraged (tends to happen).
Region One (Week 1)
Funeral vs. The Reminder
Hail to the Thief vs. Modern Guilt
Arcade Fire EP vs. Set Yourself on Fire
Random Spirit Lover vs. Z
Region Two (Week 2)
In Rainbows vs. The Information
Return to Cookie Mountain vs. Come on Feel The Illinoise
Dear Catastrophe Waitress vs. X&Y
You Forgot It In People vs. Back To Black
Region Three (Week 3)
Broken Social Scene vs. In Our Bedroom After The War
Vampire Weekend vs. We Were Dead Before The Ship Even Sank
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah vs. Sea Change
Ga Ga Ga Ga vs. Pressure Chief
Region Four (Week 4)
Neon Bible vs. Apologies to the Queen Mary
A Mad and Faithful Telling vs. Dear Science
The Crane Wife vs. Let’s Get Out of This Country
Twin Cinema vs. American Idiot
Week Five: Winners of Regions 1 and 2 Face off (8 of the 16- 4)
Week Six: Winners of Regions 3 and 4 Face off (8 of the 16- 4)
Week 7: Elite Eight (8 of 8 - 4)
Week 8: Final Four and Championship
Finally, the judging will be based on five categories that are as follows:
- Overall Musical Quality and Consistency (self-explanatory)
- Best Track - I'll weigh the stregnths of the best track off of each album.
- Impact - Though it sounds cheesy, it's like the impact of the album on my life. Did it help me discover (Insert Band Here)? Is it an album that is still extremely vital in my life after many years? Did I wait in line to buy it? Did the music "speak" to me in an important way? And, overall, which album has had a bigger impact on my life?
- Play Count - Which album has the greater overall play count according to my iPod?
- Cover Art - Which album has the superior cover artwork? In some instances this is somewhat of a tie-breaker.
Okay, so that's about it. Stay tuned and wait for updates. I'll try to make it kinda hands-on with polls and samples of the songs, etc. For now...
It's as if he saw the future...
A rather brilliant scene (okay, not just brilliant - one of the best) and an almost prophetic clip with today's craziness.
Friday, March 6
What A Showman...
By chance, I came across a video of Tom Waits on Letterman the other day. Tom Waits had been a name I'd heard quite a bit, and everything said about him was pretty ecstatic. So I was discovering Waits that day, and I'm slowly catching onto his greatness.
His voice is awesome and unlike any other. Raspy and deep and all weird. Or as critic Dan Durcholz says, his voice sounds "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."
This performance of 'Chocolate Jesus' below, from Letterman, put me over the top. The man is a frickin' showman. Just simply watching him is crazy compelling. Who else can work a room that well?
His voice is awesome and unlike any other. Raspy and deep and all weird. Or as critic Dan Durcholz says, his voice sounds "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."
This performance of 'Chocolate Jesus' below, from Letterman, put me over the top. The man is a frickin' showman. Just simply watching him is crazy compelling. Who else can work a room that well?
Monday, March 2
A "Legendary" Blog Challenge
Thank goodness for Nathaniel R at The Film Experience for giving me such a fun activity this afternoon. Nat instructed all bloggers to find some pictures of screen legends and sort of imagine yourself in the pictures, traveling back to that star-studded time and place. I love it.
Are they singing Happy Birthday to Garland in this picture? All I know is there's a big cake and they all look awfully happy. Myrna Loy almost looks like she could be Judy's momma in this picture. Ugh, that cake is mammoth.
I wonder what joke Jack is telling. I think he finds it the funniest of anyone.
It's a little modern (weeks old, in fact) but I'd just love to know why the hell they're doing this. Is Queen Latifah wiping away Meryl's tears after losing another Oscar?
Who the hell knows?
Tis fun! I urge you to participate.
Are they singing Happy Birthday to Garland in this picture? All I know is there's a big cake and they all look awfully happy. Myrna Loy almost looks like she could be Judy's momma in this picture. Ugh, that cake is mammoth.
I wonder what joke Jack is telling. I think he finds it the funniest of anyone.
It's a little modern (weeks old, in fact) but I'd just love to know why the hell they're doing this. Is Queen Latifah wiping away Meryl's tears after losing another Oscar?
Who the hell knows?
Tis fun! I urge you to participate.
I've Got Nothing (For Now)
The past few days I've been thinking about what to do, now that the Oscars are over and everything playing at the movies is mediocre. Yet, I can't think of anything. Sorry, I just don't know. I'm hoping to think of an "event" type thing. A serial-type post marathon that I update once in awhile. You follow? But I just don't know what..? Any ideas, haha?
Did any of that make sense?
Anyway, this is a nice filler post, eh? Whatever. For now, just listen to this 'Heroes' cover by TV on the Radio. Combining my favorite Bowie song with one of my favorite bands? Beauty.
Did any of that make sense?
Anyway, this is a nice filler post, eh? Whatever. For now, just listen to this 'Heroes' cover by TV on the Radio. Combining my favorite Bowie song with one of my favorite bands? Beauty.
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