Thursday, March 27, 2008

“DJ, Spin That Muxtape”

So many things to do. Things I meant to write and send weeks ago. Plans to make, and then a pal sends me this:

He knows me well. I will drop everything to mix a mix tape! It's my weakness. My kryptonite. My procrastination instigator- ::shakes fist::

Quick on the heels of IMP, this site is getting SLAMMED with traffic. Upload tracks, stream other people’s “mux tape”. I love the simplicity of it all. With no ads, it couldn't be easier to see and hear what people are putting on their mix tapes. The only missing component perhaps, is a forum to share back stories. A story behind the music is always the best part.

Putting On Airs? Not here.

Like Jordin Sparks says, "No air air air..."



Be spontaneous? Quit job and be happy?

These are hard times for dreamers...

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

The Stills, Bowery Ballroom, 3.8.08



The Stills played Bowery Ballroom March 8th and today is March 26th. So yes… this post is a just a tad overdue.

My favorite French Canadians played a lot of material from their upcoming album, which might be viewed as redemption for their last album. Without Feathers received mixed reviews with most fans scratching their heads confused about their musical direction. Me too... but it grows on you eventually. Tim Fletcher and Dave Hamlin write songs that bleed into each other-- that's probably what makes them so darn good, although most people seem to favor Tim’s dark romanticism, poetry slam-ness. It's what we fell in love with on Logic, and it sounds like it’s going to be all over this third album. Excited! Can't wait for it.







I recall Tim was sick but obliged the crowd by ripping through a soon to be crowd favorite- "Eastern Europe"- a song that's about "being sick and fucked up in Bulgaria."
The openers were pretty great too. I especially liked this one band called Wintersleep. They hail from Halifax. Their keyboardist worked it on their song "Oblivion." It was this very cute aerobic dance/jog/excercise infomercial thing. Wintersleep aerobics tape in the works? One can only hope.

Setlist, The Stills at Bowery Ballroom- 3.8.08
Shoplifter
Still In Love
Gender Bombs
Of Montreal
Destroyer
Eastern Europe*
Being Here*
Lola Stars and Stripes
Don't Talk Down*
Snake-Charming*
Killer Bees
Rooibus*
In The Beginning
Retour A Vega
Love & Death

*= new song

Wintersleep- Oblivion

The Stills- Snake Charming
Watch the video here

Life drones on and we all go up in flames.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Flossy Is The Word

Fans of Fergie Fer’s spelling skills, can celebrate their love of the most popular Facebook application, Scrabulous with this TastesLikeTV.com remake of her pop hit, Glamorous. I believe the creators of the addictive word game do a cameo here.



I imagine the back story goes like this:

Sometimes I think back to 1994. Balmy summer game nights in East Santa Monica. Bobby threw down JOBE like it was a real word. I looked him dead in the eye and said,

“Use it in a sentence.”
“After college, I had difficulty finding a jooobe…..?”
“Hey B, If you ain’t got no vocab, take yo’ dumbass home.”

Then we put on our bling and sang this song.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Andrew Bird: Chi-town's Finest



Chicago’s roster of illustrious musicians can add Andrew Bird to its list. At least in my humble opinion, the guy is a genius. He plays the glockenspiel for starters, and I don’t even know what a glockenspiel is (wikipedia, you teach me new things every day).

I am particularly blown away by Imitosis. Lyrical wit, and a head bobbing beat. Crafty arachnids in the video for this single get it on to his cheeky plucking. It’s like a mad-dream science experiment gone right.




Two tracks on the album begin with chirping birds and they remind me that today is the first day of spring. Mea culpa, my bad-- I know I am kind of slow on this, as his album made its debut last year, but hey, better late than never, right? Take my new love for Andrew Bird as a sign: spring's a great time to get into something new.

Andrew Bird- Imitosis
(buy the album, Armchair Apocrypha)

Friday, March 14, 2008

Friday, I'm in Love

Squint real hard and I swear Robert Smith looks a lot like Sune Wagner of The Raveonettes in this video.



Let's get the weekend started already!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Weekend en L'appartement



The Stills were great this weekend (pics and recap to come) but it wasn’t the only thing on my to-do list. I also saw L’Appartment for the first time, which is the movie the 2003 film, Wicker Park, is based on. And if you’re familiar with the Wicker Park soundtrack, you’ve heard of a little Stills song called Retour A Vega. Oh full circle!

The story of course is about a love triangle (possibly a love-square) that starts with a man’s obsession with a woman he sees through a store window, and it’s quite a ride from there on end. If you have never seen either movie, I would recommend seeing Wicker Park first, and then the original. I mean, WP is good and all, but it will pale in comparison if you see L'Appartement first.

The Stills- Retour A Vega
(one of the most beautiful songs ever! Get the Wicker park soundtrack here)

Friday, March 7, 2008

Setting the table

I fold up his letter and put it in my pocket.
These brain waves scribbles reply but filters the doubt
orange pulp from the juice
I don't know how to be a two.
There is only one glass in the house.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

Irish Eyes are Smiling



Kieran from the Dublin band, Delorentos was sweet enough to send me some tracks off their latest album, In Love with Detail.

What I really love about this band is their range—they can rock out, slow it down, and short of doing the hokey pokey and turn it all around, produce rock pop worthy of a road-trip sing-along.

And they will be in New York this weekend for the Craic Festival at Mercury Lounge (update: tix are sold out :( This makes me sad even though I already know I can't make it.) Sadly, I already have plans to see The Stills and I have been dutifully counting down the days on my calendar so I will have to miss this show, but if any of you go, let me know how it goes. Not to worry, I have no doubt that we’ll be hearing a lot more from this group.

Delorentos- The Basis of Everything
(Album available on iTunes and Amazon)

Other noteworthy tracks: “Stop” and “Do You Realize” and you can listen to both on their myspace.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Back from my first snowboarding trip which was really fun. I fell a lot and watched little kids zoom by me on the slope. I also could not get off the lift without tripping. Oh well, baby steps, you know? Next time I will learn how to stop without tumbling.



But I also caught a cold and now am subsisting on cough drops... it sucks to be sick!

Beauty In the Know, In the Nose



Went to see Penelope yesterday with a girlfriend, and of course the theatre was packed with women. Yes, we do love our chick-flick bonding time. Billed as a modern day fairy-tale, the film is about a wealthy girl named Penelope Wilhern who is cursed with porcine features-- pig snout and floppy ears. Needless to say, this does not bode well for little Penelope who grows up with no playmates and an overprotective mother who wants to hide her from a world obsessed with appearances. The only way to break the curse is if "one of her own" (a blueblood) can accept her and marry her. Mommy Dearest rounds up the best matchmakers and funds a dowry to try to get Penelope married off, but once her suiters get a glimpse of her, they go running. But then she meets a gambler named Max and then everything changes...

It's a very cute movie, but not for cynical hearts. It is as much a tale about self-acceptance as it is a love story, but it doesn't get all after-school-special on you, if you know what I mean. The soundtrack is also surprisingly good, featuring artists like Sigor Ros and Stars, as well as up and coming bands like fellow Canadian group, Paper Moon from Winnipeg, Manitoba. I thought their song "String of Blinking Lights" was written especially for the movie because I misheard the lyrics:

A bottle of wine that hadn't been opened yet.
We forgot about it while you were here.
And a string of blinking lights that Penelope put away.


She actually sings, "a string of blinking lights that can now be put away."

Oops, my bad. But Paper Moon is still pop heaven though.

Penelope, starring Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Reese Witherspoon, and featuring Richard E. Grant (Posh Nosh!)

Paper Moon- String of Blinking Lights
(Buy their album or buy the Penelope soundtrack)