Nicht/Neü

I have nothing new to write about. No new Music Mondays. Nothing that feels new to my ears. Everything I listen to sounds bland and rehashed.

This second half (and year in general) have kind of been a disappointment for me on the topic of new music. There have only been a small handful of albums that have really stuck with me for more than a week (if that long at all). So that's one reason Music Monday lists have been really sparse. There haven't even been that many situations in which I find good mixes among my library. There was The Walkmen (which I do have a MM list for, just waiting to be finished), but that is the most recent album I've been infatuated with at all. I think I've entered into my yearly cleansing phase.

Every year, around the time of Texas' Fall (the rest of the country's winter) I enter into this phase where nothing is fun anymore regarding music. Or Modern music I should say. Every tone and chord is more stale and greasy than an El Arroyo tortilla chip. I put away my iPod for the winter, bundle up to my record player and let some seriously old favorites guide me through my hibernation. This usually means a lot of Beatles, old film scores and Classical music. The Beatles because no matter what they own my thoughts, and the film scores and Classical music because I've found that nothing sounds better piped over the speakers of a nice system and LP player than strings and piano. This fall/winter is proving no different because I'm finding new compositions and lush arrangements left and right, and I'm not even trying.

*this is actually proving to be a great idea for a series of Music Mondays for the season...hmm*

This isn't one of those pity party posts that a lot of bloggers are good at (although I am very good at that, and try though as I might, I'm sure I'll have sooner or later), but rather a post of updates, and something to shed some light on the ever-evolving shape of this space. Also, I feel that if I write it here, there's a better chance of it happening than if I just kept it in the ol' noggin.

So there's something to look forward to... Hibernation Lists, more Octopus-themed Random Acts of Art, and maybe a little mock-NPR type audio production numbers (though I won't promise anything on that, just a little hint at stupid experiments in The Foggiest World).

and now a photo from Hawaiian flea market...

WE HAVE TO GO BACK

Ok, and the most exciting news this week, LOST has a start date finally.

Looks like a few friends and I will be looking forward to Wednesday January 21.

Phew, dang, starting to get goosebumps a little bit already just thinking about it. I can't wait for my life to spiral into that obsessive tailspin of fanatical devotion and that cynical hatred of frustration as I reach for answers that may or may not ever be answered.

Addiction, thy name be LOST.

PS - Anton recently directed me to this... Eugene Hütz, everyone's favorite Gypsy chatting it up on Fresh Air. You're right Anton, I could listen to this guy talk for days.

Sorry I posted this before you, if you were planning on doing so.

The New Auteur

Based on the couple of people that I personally know reading this thing, Charlie Kaufman is kind of the smartest/coolest/weirdest in a good way/overall god of modern cinema. I wish I could claim this interview as conducted by myself because it is absolutely fantastic, but alas, I cannot, for I found it through Ain't It Cool News, who directed me to this page at WIRED.com.

Throughout the 2.5 hour (yeah, I thought he was media shy too, but don't worry that's talked about), Kaufman divulges great insight into his creative process, his theories on why some of the masses of critical media out there suck, what exactly was going on behind the scripting process of all of his films and sheds some light on a few bits from his early days in television writing (really funny). I've been listening to this thing for the past week, a few times through it now, and I am absolutely loving picking up and holding onto certain aspects of his take on the creative process and turning a critical eye towards the outcome of that process.

Overall, the questions were well posed and formed in a way that Charlie Kaufman is seemingly comfortable answering. After listening to this, you'll want to be his friend, if you didn't already.

The interview was part of a pretty big profile WIRED was doing on Kaufman prior to the upcoming release of his new film Synecdoche, New York (one day I'm sure I'll know how to pronounce that). Here's the trailer for that film...



Looks awfully interesting, as does most of his work. I would comment more about the expectations, but since I know next to nothing other than what I've heard straight from the man's mouth himself, it's probably better to let him tell you. That way nothing gets lost in translation.

Here's The Charlie Kaufman interview.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!?!

God help us all if THIS is true. God help us.

Austin City Limits Music Festival

So my sinuses were strung along so tight this weekend that Saturday night my nose nearly fell off as I watched The Black Keys. This year the dust was absolutely awful. There were some great acts to catch in between snot-sessions though, and here are two of them...

white denim

Success in rocking my body down to the core. Made Austin VERY proud to claim them as one of it's own. Get some free tracks courtesy of RCRD LBL.

spiritualized

Been waiting to see J. Spaceman and is intergalactic outfit for years now, ever since his masterpiece, Ladies and Gentlemen We're Floating In Space guided me through a year of living. I was fortunate to be close enough to let the bass take over the beating of my heart for me. Best show of the fest.

I'd write more, but first I have to finish my coverage for The Tripwire. Stay tuned...

photos by kyle rother @ ACL Fest

Up Yours, I Was On The Local News

The media man, always spinning my words, putting a slant on my message, what I want to say. Ok maybe they didn't, maybe they actually took words I was saying (that even in context probably didn't make a whole lot of sense) and used it exactly as they should have... Or maybe the snake of a reporter totally goaded me into saying what he wanted. FOUL PLAY!

Okay, none of that happened. But I was on the news last night, much to my family, friends and girlfriend's pleasure. I've never heard so many oohs and aahs and outright fits of laughter in one 2-minute span. Come on. Although they do have a point. I look like a goober. And what's going on with my hair? Boy, nothing like a 5-second cameo on the local news to mess with your insecurities. In my defense, they did ambush me at about 11am as I walked into Waterloo Records for a look at some new music. Sneaky bastards. All they wanted was some general info on the upcoming ACL weekend, little did they know they were dealing with a man who's soul is mostly made up of a love for music. They wanted general info and... that's exactly what I gave them. Take that you snake in the grass!

Kyle on the 6 o'clock news: Are you having a laugh?

Music Monday: New Wave

There hasn't been a Music Monday from The Foggiest in a while (my birthday list was the last actually, hope you enjoyed it), that's mostly because there hasn't been much music lately that's felt important enough to push upon you (except for The Walkmen's new album, which has prompted a considerable amount of logtime on my speakers - there'll be a MM specifically for that band in the near future).

This morning however I woke up and randomly happened upon two old favorite composers of mine and have been happy all day, so here's a little bit more Music Mondays.

Music Monday: New Wave

1. David Byrne & Brian Eno - Strange Overtones - off the new album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. This was the song that hit me this morning nearly after waking up. I was searching the festival lineup for next week's ACL and here was a free download. I'm smitten. Brian Eno has been a small presence in my musical life, his Music For Films was the actual soundtrack to my life a few winters ago, but I am more familiar with his production work. He has worked with Bowie and U2 and many others. This is only is second collaboration with Byrne, the new wave god/lead man from Talking Heads. There's a very good chance you've found yourself humming one of his tunes, even if you don't know who he is. He's a weird guy, but he's a damn fine artist. Also of note, this song is quite obviously about writing a song. That just tickles my fancy.

2. David Bowie - Sound And Vision - off of the first of Low. The album artwork from this one is enough to make you love it. Add to that now the fact that this is also a song about writing a song. "I will sit right down waiting for the gift of sound and vision." Anyone that's ever created something knows exactly what the Thin Duke is talking about here. Again, it makes me giggle with glee. Plus the composition is just perfectly happy. This was the beginning of the Berlin Trilogy that saw Bowie collaborate with Brian Eno in recreating himself another time and creating some of his best known work to date. I always felt strange about David Bowie until one fall about 3 or 4 years ago when I bought an album on a whim. Ever since that day I've fallen in love with this man and his musical genius. He is one of the most romantic songwriters around, but in a way that almost makes you feel uncomfortable as it simultaneously wraps your heart in a warm blanket, shielding it from the cold bitterness of the lonely world. Well, that's what I thought at the time. But I still do believe in the romanticism of David Bowie. The weird androginous romanticism.

3. Coldplay - Strawberry Swing - off the latest offering, Viva La Vida or Death And All Of His Friends. I hate typing that whole title. Funny that this is the third offering in a joyful playlist and it is the third offering that Brian Eno has had his hand in. The man is pretty awesome. On this you can actually feel his footprint. Say what you want about Coldplay, or their new album (personally I like about 3/4 of it) but this song is absolutely beautiful in a Peter Gabriel "Solsbury Hill" sort of way *wink*. Again, Eno mixes with a band in need of a change, and he helps to no end as "Strawberry Swing" samples new ground for the Brit foursome in the way of percussive pounding and overall atmosphere, but still manages to keep that optomistic cloud of grinning. I want to frolic to this song. With polaroids snapping about, holding hands, in a grassy field. I want to Love to this song.

4. Peter Gabriel - Solsbury Hill - off of Shaking The Tree. I fell in love with this song as early as I could, my freshman year of college. It was before the song was used in pretty much every trailer for a movie vying for Oscar attention. It was before I fell in love for the first time. It was before I got cynical about some things (which is also before I am now, which is not so cynical... most of the time). This is the vintage version of Coldplay's track above. This is the first track I can remember wanting to play as I walked out of a building, breaking into sunlit green patches and picnic tables. The first song I wanted to play as my dreamgirl slo-mo tracked in my direction, smiling just past me. This was the first song I wanted to Love to. Now while this wasn't influenced in any way by Brian Eno, it still feels the same as the above tracks, so I felt it's inclusion justified. Peter Gabriel is a production genius in his own right.

New Ears: The Beatles

The Beatles.

I know it’s an easy choice. They’re so many people’s favorite. They cover nearly every genre of the aural spectrum. They’re so adorable.

Why is that so?

This answer makes them perfect for New Ears.

In the spirit of things, and after an entirely coincidental weekly trip to the pub, I thumbed the iPod into shuffle. This is essential to New Ears. Without the shuffle, New Ears is hardly possible. On this certain occasion all it took was a simple move to All Albums, first album, first song. This song happened to be “Come Together,” the first track to side A, Abbey Road.

Now, whether the ensuing words be as a result of the preceding trip to a night at the pub or a well researched, yet quickly arranged diatribe on one of the best groups of all time we’ll never know. Regardless, “Come Together” is an incredible recording.

Imagine starting off the final chapter in a saga so epic that it has drawn together what is nearly the entirety of the world. What might seem like a daunting task to most, “Come Together” accomplishes in the blink of 4:21. It perfectly starts off what will be the end of a group with a description of not just who they are, but what they represent to such a wide range of people, asking, nay, pleading with the listener, whoever they may be, to join in on the last moments of a dying act; the last moments of a group of minds that revolutionized an art form. I Like The Beatles.

Compositionally the song is absolutely heart/brain/body-meltingly pretty. Paul McCartney, in one of his more unselfish moments, smoothly ushers the rest of the band through the entirety of the track as Ringo adds footholds along the way. And Lennon’s exasperated yet somehow pitch perfect voice mingled with his and George Harrison’s fuzz, cuts through this all like a knife. At the risk of sounding too fan boy/conspiracy theory nut about this, it sounds like an out and out jab at the whole of the group.

It’s no secret that The Beatles ended in turmoil. Hell, it’s been well documented on film and recording that there were squabbles in the last few years, to the extent that major players walked out midway through recording. John hated/envied Paul, Paul hated/envied John. George hated/envied John and Paul. Ringo wanted Peace. That was the story for every album from The White Album on. This, however, isn’t why they are as interesting as they are. Actually, maybe it is, because despite the conflict and stress, despite the despise, despite the environment of the times, The Beatles still got together and made Abbey Road. In fact, they didn’t just record Abbey Road, they recorded Abbey Road and Let It Be.

A fun fact about the two albums is that even though Let It Be was released last it was Abbey Road that was recorded last. This is only deceiving to those interested in chronological accounts though, because if you listen to both albums together they sound like sisters. I beg you, play “Don’t Let Me Down” just after “Come Together.” You don’t have an accepted homogony between albums like that anymore. Nowadays a band sounds the same from album to album, they are crucified for redundancy. The Beatles did it in the early 70’s and managed to put out at least one of the technically and commercially great albums ever.

At the mention of redundancy: I feel like I’m slowly straying from the point (again, pub night).

Point: “Come Together” is capable of reigniting love. It may not be love for another (we’ll leave that more to track two from Abbey Road), but it is definitely love for The Beatles that lay buried under the surface of my skin. But isn’t this why The Beatles are who they are? Their span across the vast landscape of everything Music is such that this feeling is possible. They will always be there, no matter the circumstance. This New Ears could’ve happened (and probably will again) at any moment because these words could essentially be written about any song from the short lived-yet well-filled catalog from these scousers. I could have fallen again from “When I Get Home” or “Fixing A Hole” (which I’m libel to do, just wait). It could have been any song. This time though, it was “Come Together.”

Give it a shot with New Ears:

The Beatles – Come Together – mp3

isn't music fun?

MTV and their grip on 'Reality'

Just finished a bit of late weekend television and decided another bit of written-on-a-whim blogging would feel satisfying. Here's another New Ears...


So the nice thing about having a significant other again is that I'm introduced to new things. Sometimes I'm even re-introduced to old things I've managed to let slip from everyday life. This is entirely the case for MTV and their "awards show," the VMA's.

I know it's become incredibly cliché to rip on MTV, but it's not like they've made it easy on themselves. Actually, wait a minute, maybe they have. After all, how hard is it to produce the same television show over and over again, each with a new name, every three months? How hard is it to put aside actually seeking out new and exciting music and just push whichever label-produced PR dream is new this quarter because, well, they're part of the corporate family? Do you remember the day's (though few they may have been) when you actually felt compelled to watch MTV? Remember when they actually had cult programming? Beavis & Butthead wasn't exactly Shakespeare, but at least there was a story behind (some of) it, at least there was a creative process behind it. Nowadays, all you've got is a show literally about 20 guys & gals competing on an island where getting completely obliterated and hooking up with each other is actually encouraged. The commercial for MTV's new reality contest, The Island, actually dumbs it down enough for you midway through, when they actually say, "Oh yeah, and there'll be plenty of hooking up." It's prostitution for the new age.

And how about the actual VMA's? They used to have acts perform before and during the show, remember? Now it's the winner's of their reality dance competition show and a bunch of actors miming to a virtual orchestra of backing tracks. How long have I not been paying attention to the Top 20? When did popular music for the masses become a series of blips and screeches, flashes noise and crotch fondling? When did the complete absence of melody and tune become popular? Why are the nominees for best rock video a bunch of faces? And Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B? Guys, you're declining as well.

It's not that I don't like the genres, but you can do better. You all can. There were two performers tonight that weren't main highlights at all. They had no dose of spectacle, other than letting music speak for itself. Thank you Lupe Fiasco. Thank you Ting Tings. You two were the two best performers of the night, yet you were reduced to ushering in & out the commercial breaks.

And Britney Spears? Look, I'm with South Park on this one, leave her alone and everything will be fine. Forget about all the stupid shit that has happened in the past and lets just move on already. Instead, MTV makes the grandest apologetic gesture of all time, and one that completely solidifies it's place in the corporate marketplace, by giving Britney Spears three awards for a song & video that is literally her standing in one place shaking her hips. The awards it seems have been given as a "really sorry we made you out to look like a complete fool last year" type stunt. You know what though? Who cares right? It was the 25th anniversary of the VMA's, I say let them go out with a flutter.

I think I may be ranting. But that'll happening when you're listening to something again with new ears.

MTV, please go away. Take a breather. Come back in 5 years and let's see if we can't start this over again, on better terms. Right now I think the world can do without you.

On another note though, Brit-host Russell Brand was actually quite funny. I think he was perfectly offensive and nobody saw it coming. Well done, Russ. You were the best part of the night.

Jesus, I just blogged about an MTV awards show.

Random Act of Art

every now and then we all have random acts of art. You might just accidentally doodle something, or you might happen upon a rhyme that tickles your fancy. Maybe you take a photo you're exceptionally proud of or hum a tune completely original. Today I had a random act of art all my own. Here it is:


just a package of crayola watercolors and a calligraphy pen I bought a couple weeks ago. You never know when it'll happen, but when it does, you feel pretty good.

The Following Was Written On A Whim

but it might turn out to be a somewhat regular thing...

To those times when you feel like you’ve heard a song for the first time, but when it turns out you’ve actually heard it before, here’s New Ears:

Driving will often give insight into renewed vigor for something that was once somewhat to possibly meaningful. It happens with a personal regard to people, places, ideas and recommendations. It also happens with music. With this case in particular it happens within music with Jennifer Gentle.

An Italian band that I once reviewed after the release of their second full-length album, The Midnight Room, I’ve happened upon them once again and am smitten. It is absolutely lovely… for those that enjoy the oddness and twist a group of people will put on tradition. The Midnight Room feels like every new story you’ve ever heard that grabs at your imagination. That first story you heard as a kid that tied you to it’s hand and toted you around. The first campfire tale that gave you chills, or maybe that first film you saw that nearly literally brought you into another world.

That’s what it is for me. Another world. Every track off The Midnight Room is a brand new adventure into a strange new atmosphere, where your breath is light and your body is just slightly heavy. It’s a world of washed out gray scale, yet it’s as sharp as a The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. I hate to be one for self-reference (hey this is a column of second chances), but in my original review I mentioned relating to music by way of film. This is still, sadly or interestingly (you be the judge), the way I think. Which is why this album continues to at least grab at me.

The first few rotations left me with the impression that these Italians were a bit cheeky if not nerdy, bandying about a quick bit of quirk. I slung up a few words and laid them down with little mind paid after the review’s posting. Then I saw them play live about a month afterward. They were indeed quirky and nerdy and cheeky. They were also precise and technical and they didn’t seem right for this world. Finally, during my recent drive home they transformed the night into their own. I was transposing myself out onto the lamppost-tinted streets of downtown with Marcelo Mastroianni (hat and whip in tow). I was toasting to the grand lunacy of life. I was swimming in the Fontana di Trevi. I was an Italian living the post neo-realist life. I was possibly insane?

Or was it New Ears? Immediately I recounted my initial blasé reaction to the album and sent my inner monologue on an impressive tear down the road called Hypocrisy. Of course I like this album, what’s not there to like: melodic reference to one of cinema’s most influential periods and a blatant tip of the hat to Nina Rota, Fellini’s orchestral partner in crime. This album is the soundtrack to my sophomore year of college, yet it has no actual, literal connection to the time period. It just sounds like it.

So, as I find myself again ranting with absolutely no point or end in sight, the logical side of my brain will step in and put a period down. The main point to this session of New Ears is that Jennifer Gentle’s The Midnight Room is an album that may not at first be your cup of espresso, but if you’re at all a fan of the spirit and flavor of anything Frederico Fellini ever put his stamp on, that Nino Rota ever composed, maybe a bit of British Psychedilia and Ingmar Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, then you’ll probably grow to love this album. And if it is that bit of mind-altering substance that spreads colorfully across your brain then you don’t need to be reading this.

point of reference:
Jennifer Gentle - The Ferryman - mp3

A Story

Here's a very short story I've cooked up in the past month or so.


The Wall

Even with all the anxious stress, the unending torment, the psychological weight that burdened his steps as he inched closer to that self-constructed barrier, he was glad to finally be approaching the wall again. Its brickwork of awkward sadness and painful memories brought a single tear to his eye in remembrance of the jilted, sorry eve from whence they'd last parted paths, nearly three years before. The wall was still strong and its grout work still lay as intricately as the day it was built. Neither wind nor rain had eroded away the brightness of the heated rock, no outside influence damaging enough to scar its strong face.

He pressed his hand to the last brick he could remember placing into the wall and whispered to it. I hope all is well.

Moments later, after his amorous breath floated over the roughness, an unexpected crack worked its way across the wall and opened a slit of light shining through from the other side. It was the first time since he’d erected this wall that he had seen this sun, and it warmed his heart. It shown as bright as he’d remembered onto the field bristling with softness he’d forgotten amongst a tree whose fruitfulness seemed too ripe to disturb.

Suddenly filled with a happiness long since vacant and content with the sunlight that had been shown upon him, he parted ways from the wall onto his path of daily chore. Milling and grinding, reaping and sowing, bailing and hauling, no chore of his day could tire the energy afforded by his reacquired sun, and at the end of the day, when no more work could be done he returned home, still satisfied.

The next morning, upon returning to the wall for another blessing of sunlight for the next day’s chores, he found the wall intact. A new stitch of cement where his crack had been, his tiny sunlit hole patched up. The wall had been repaired overnight, reinforced by some other bricklayer. He was again left unknowing of the other sun’s brightness, the other field’s softness and the other tree’s fruitfulness. He was left to live out the rest of his life in exactly the same manner as before, only he himself able to recall the slight glimpse of what life was under that sun. And the wall remained intact.

Where?

Two and a half months sound okay?

I agree. Where the hell have I been? Answer: pretty much right here. There is absolutely no reason there has been no posting on The Foggiest, no new Music Monday, no update, no anything other than the fact that every time blogger is opened this sense of dread comes over me and there I don't want to even think about one typed word towards a new post. Why? No reason.

Have you lost your nerve?

I don't think so.

But there's been nothing, largely due to your inability to construct actual sentences.

Ah-HA, that's where you're wrong. Check out some new album reviews I've done for:
Princeton's Bloomsbury EP
Dr. Dog's Fate
and Vampire Weekend's show @ Pipeline Café in Honolulu

HONOLULU?

Oh yeah, that might explain a bit of absence. I've recently returned from a two-week stay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. Family vacation. A lot of fun. Here's a couple collage pics from the stay: click to make 'em bigger!

Oooh, pretty.

Thanks.

Anything else?

Not really. Just felt like a post.

Well done.

Music Monday: Quarter Century

Today on this sunny 26th day of May in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Eight, I turn 25 years old. What an occasion. I've never been one for much external emotion on my Birthday, I've only ever really written anything down a couple of times, but I've always felt the need to reflect on this day. I never reflect at the New Year. It doesn't make sense. Why would I reflect on an odd day in my personal history? It only seems right to reflect on the most personally historic day of your life. And what is more personally historic to you than the day you were born. It keeps things even and symmetrical, and Lord knows I love me a bit of symmetry. So here today as I sit and think about the past 25 years, I thought I'd treat myself and you to something special. A little aural treat that is comprised of exactly the type of stimulus my ears love on such a personally special day. There are a lot of bits here that make me happy, so hopefully they'll make you happy as well. And remember to wish John Wayne, Miles Davis, Levon Helm and Luca Toni a happy one as well.

Music Monday: Quarter Century

1. Jean Constantin - Prologue and The Police Van -- from the film The 400 Blows. One of my favorite film scores of all time for one of my favorite film director's most personal film. You may have heard this playing right before the emotional climax in last year's The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, but what you may not have known is that it was first from François Truffaut's masterpiece. One of my favorite birthdays thus far was when I spent my 23rd in Monaco, enjoying the ocean, the beach, the food, the people, the culture (and forming an exclusive Oceanographic Society). It was a joyfully relaxing day and this track perfectly encapsulates every emotion I felt on that very emotional day. Constantin captured the tender playfulness and heavy emotion of what it is like to age physically yet remain young at heart, a trait that I hope to carry on with me throughout the rest of my time.

2. Mellow - Instant Love -- from the 2001 release Another Mellow Spring. I first heard Mellow when they soundtracked what is one of my favorite films of all time, CQ (which I'll be posting about in the near future). Since that day, they have managed to become one of those bands that remains in the back of my mind for whenever I head into a record shop, so that I may remember their names in my quest to acquire every bit of audio recording they put their name to. This album is just as its and their name implies, just nice and mellow. It is one of the sweetest songs I've ever heard and continues to imbue in my life nothing but happiness.

3. Seu Jorge - Tive Razao -- from the 2004 album Cru. You probably better know Seu Jorge as Pelé dos Santos, the red-beanied, Bowie-covering, weapons expert, Brazilian aboard Steve Zissou's ship. Or you may know him as Knockout Ned from the disturbingly brilliant City of God. Either way, you should also know him as an unbelievably talented solo musician. He is one of the pioneers in the renewal of samba as a commercially and critically acclaimed movement in Brazil. This album is great, though I hear his first (titled Samba Esporte Fino or Carolina) is supposed to be great. I think you can find that on iTunes.

4. The Mountaineers - UK Theatre -- from the 2003 album Messy Century. I mentioned in one of my last Music Mondays that this song was one of my all time favorites and that I would soon include it. Well why not on my birthday list? I don't know why I find this song to be one of my favorites. I randomly found it about two or three months before I first visited the UK, and while I was there it became my theme for walking around London, to and from my classes, out and about. I must've listened to this song on repeat a hundred times, and it has yet to get old. That's how I know it'll stay a favorite.

5. Jean Constantin - Trinity and Finale -- again, from The 400 Blows. I can't say enough about this score, so I figured I'd round it out with a perfect ending. Truffaut and Constantin just hit it completely right with their collaboration and it's something that I'll never forget no matter how many birthdays go by.

An Eventful Week No Doubt

There are moments in everyone's life where it turns out there are no words to sum up what you're feeling, just words to describe what that feeling is like.

This is one of those times. Well, technically this is two of those times.

Dan snapped this one from the pit. Great job Dan.

Radiohead.

Three friends and I had the distinct pleasure of standing mere feet away from five of the greatest musicians of our time that collectively make up the English group Radiohead.

I was smiling the entire time I was in the pit, looking back and sharing glowing stares of disbelief at the fact that Radiohead was right there in front of us. Right there in front of us playing music. Radiohead is one of those (very) few bands that have continued to astound with each new release and nowhere is this more clearly stated than right in your face, live. Lighting packages aside, the show was phenomenal. Colin Greenwood makes you smile with his giddy jumping and his brother Johnny is just downright capable. More than capable really. I'd say he actually verges on tear-inducing. And what a joy it is to see Thom Yorke completely embracing the status of a front man, completely comfortable now (seemingly) with taking the reigns and guiding the beastly stallion that is Radiohead through an entire show. He just looks happy now. The Boomers had the Beatles and the Stones, we've got Radiohead.


Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

I wanted so desperately to like this movie. Imagine my surprise then when I came out of it absolutely loving it. This isn't because I am a complete fanboy, although that really helps, but it is because while it sometimes doesn't look completely like an Indiana Jones movie, it feels like one right from the start. Harrison is back. He's no longer phoning in performances in third rate buddy cop flicks and terrible romantic dramas. He is Indiana Jones. Good grief I feel like I am in 5th grade again. The movie is everything you want it to be, funny, exciting, action packed and filled with sci-fi fun. It is sentimental when it needs to be and it is frightening when it needs to be.

You might hear terrible things about this movie, but I think that the reason you might is because the people saying these terrible things aren't looking at this movie for what it is. Indiana Jones movies aren't supposed to be based in a complete reality. The Ark of the Covenant being found to melt faces off? The Kali Ma ripping still beating hearts out of still breathing human sacrifices? The impostor Holy Grail speeding up the aging process resulting in a corpse drying more and more by the second? NONE OF THIS STUFF REALLY HAPPENS. Somewhere along the line people must have started thinking these movies were supposed to be Schlinder's List because Spielberg was at the helm.

And Shia LaBeouf. As much as I don't want to give this guy a chance sometimes (mostly because he's just getting some amazing roles and I get snobbishly cynical about films) he keeps on delivering exactly what he needs to. The kid's got talent.

There are so many things in this film that will appease the fanboys like me, inside jokes, nods, whatever you want to call them. But there are also genuine moments that will make you smile no matter how old, young, jaded, or fresh you are in this world. It's got a serious heart and a charm that has had me hook, line and sinker since I was a kid.

Show me a world without an enjoyment of Indiana Jones and I'll show you a world I don't want to live in.

Music Monday: In A Very Simple Way

Yeah, yeah. Sure, sure. It's Thursday. I know, but that's nitpicking isn't it?

This week's (and for all you know the next couple of weeks) comes from the past month of furiously trying to seek out new music, which is such a damn time consuming chore. The result is some new stuff, some slightly old stuff (by a month or so) but overall a great companion to the oncoming beauty of summer.

Music Monday: In A Very Simple Way

1. Port O'Brien - I Woke Up Today -- off the upcoming All We Could Do Was Sing. I heard this song on a Cornerstone Promotions sampler I got at SXSW. A little research tells me (and subsequently you) that this is about the third incarnation of this song... and it is so stinking catchy that I once spent an entire 30 minute car ride with it on repeat. In one month is has yet to get old. That speaks volumes for it's crafting. Port O'Brien is from out West (let's generally say NorCal), and have a release called The Wind and The Swell which I have not heard, but soon will (you should go ahead and go for it, too). All We Could Do Was Sing is out May 13th and is their first studio album. Something to look forward to in May (besides Iron Man, Indiana Jones and My Birthday).

2. Ruby Suns - Kenya Dig It? -- off recent release Sea Lion. Up for not only song of the year for me, but also title of the year. I recently had the pleasure of seeing them live twice, once at SXSW then on a tour they were supporting. As you can tell from the title, they are quirky and charming, and watching them live you find it hard not to fall for both characteristics. Not to mention they're a three piece! What sound they manage to create! Lead man Ryan McPhun is the genious that creates most of the tunes, Amee Robinson wears sparkly dresses and Imogen Taylor has an awesome name (and plays the flute). They're all multi-instrumentalists and they're all enviable in their own way. The whole album is pleasant on the ears, and hailing from New Zealand, they've managed to combine every possible sound you can imagine to create what I will forever hope the tiny nation sounds like. (note: if in fact, NZ does sound like Ruby Suns I want to live there)

3. Rademacher - If You Got Some Magic -- off of their first full length, Stunts. I heard this randomly somewhere, I don't even remember where, but it caught my ear and managed to stick around for the ensuing month and a half until I finally gathered the consciousness to look them up and find the track. I can't speak for the full album (soon I will though, you can order it here), but this song sounds about as timeless as a trip to the Grand Canyon (which hopefully stays timeless). They hail from Fresno, CA and have produced some EPs before Stunts (all by themselves). As soon as I get the full length in the mail, I'll let you know. Unless of course you want to go ahead and see for yourself (again, here).

4. The Boticellis - Up Against The Glass -- off of the upcoming Home Movies (I think). I know absolutely nothing about this band other than that they're from California. They sound like they're from England, and I love that. I also love this song, can't. stop. listening.

5. Fanfarlo - Fire Escape -- off of a single called Fire Escape/We Live By The Lake. These guys should become massive amongst the Arcade Fire-loving individuals in the States. I saw them at SXSW and, besides having a very cute violinist, they were almost too talented. They're from the UK and play tight, sophisticated pop. It's all happy. I almost can't say much more. Here's a little acoustic performance they did for the Tripwire during SXSW:



6. White Shoes & The Couples Company - Brother John -- off their self-titled album out on Minty Fresh. This band was THE surprise for me at this year's SXSW. I know they are a little gimmicky, what with the heavy 70's Indonesian film/lounge influence, but listen to this and tell me that it ain't catchy and fun to listen to. Seeing them live, which is a treat here in the States (they hardly ever come over as they're from Jakarta), is something else; and drummer John Navid is a freaking madman on those jazzy drums of his. Not to mention the overall sexiness of lead singer Aprilla Apsari. There are many tracks on the album worthy of your time this summer, while in the tropics, on the lake, at the local swimming hole, or just driving with the top down. You'll be smiling that's for sure.



Ahh, that felt good.

Right In The Hole

Screw the Masters this weekend, here's the all-time best hole-in-one courtesy of my friend Dan.



Job well done, Dan.

Everybody Seems To Think I'm Lazy...

... I don't mind, I think they're crazy.


Two new reviews for things you should check out at your earliest convenience.

1. Joy Division - dir. Grant Gee -- the review pretty much speaks for itself. The film was amazing, and I wasn't really that much of a Joy Division fan before going to see it. It's just a genuinely great story to be told. I've heard rumors of it being packaged with the DVD release of the biopic on Ian Curtis, Control. Not sure though. Either way, check it out.

2. Bright Blue Dream - by {{{Sunset}}} -- I've already written a bit about the album on here, but here's a full review I wrote this week. It's a great piece of work and I think you should probably listen to it all the way through this weekend. {{{Sunset}}} @ The Tripwire.

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Also, I'll get to another music playlist next week. Got some pretty good tunes in the ol' quiver just waiting to pierce your heart.

I've Got Nothing To Say But It's O.K.

Today is marks a heartbreaking day in music history. 38 years ago today The Beatles officially announced their break up. Sure each had their own successes with solo careers (personally I think George did it best), but no one ever quite reached that fevered success that all four collectively did in their mere ten years of existence.

The Beatles are a lot of things to a lot of people. I wasn't alive during their time, but they were what got me into music. I taught myself how to play guitar from their songs, I met the first person I ever loved while on a Beatles pilgrimage, and I've reconnected with people I was once friends with and made whole new friends through their beautiful melodies. They are my favorite band of all time, and I've spent many a day trying to learn exactly what they did every hour of every day they were together, hoping to somehow channel that into my own life. They've guided my creativity for years. Thank you Ringo, George, Paul & John.

I can't remember what book it was in, I think it was High Fidelity, that stated most clearly what The Beatles are to a lot of people. They are a constant, and despite the individuality and ownership within the band, the fans now own them. No matter what happens, you can always go home and be with The Beatles. No matter what anyone takes away from me, they'll never take The Beatles, they are mine. And they're yours, too. So take the time today to give at least one full album a listen. And remember to Smile. Wait, that would be The Beach Boys... how about - And remember to Love? Why don't you just Smile AND Love.

Gordon Street? Ah yes, Gordon Street.

I once knew a girl who lived on Gordon Street, a long time ago when I was a young man. Not a day passes I don't think of her and the promise that I made which I will always keep. That one perfect day on Gordon Street. That's uh, five blocks up, two over.

Oh, how unfortunate it is that Charlton Heston has died. He was an actor that was true to himself, and gave us as the audience one of the most distinctive voices of all time. I've not seen anywhere near his entire body of work, 126 performances in both television and film, but from what I have seen has always made a lasting impression on me.

Growing up Catholic, going to Catholic schools, The Ten Commandments was required annual viewing, and despite what you may think about a bunch of Elementary school kids watching a film that's nearly three hours long, we all loved it. Heston's booming voice and lion's mane of a 'do in that film gave me the feeling that Moses could pretty much take on anyone or anything that came his way.

Of course the other film to be named here is Planet of the Apes. Of all his films this one was truly the one that got me geeked. Of course many will say that, and it's not like I'm a total nerd over the series, I've only seen the first two, but I think the circumstances in which you see certain films influences how you will react to the medium for the rest of your life. Planet of the Apes was one of those films that I saw as a kid really late one weekend night. You know those nights where you would just stay up and have the TV running while you continued to play with your Lego's, building a vast empire of red and yellow and green bricks. It'd be midnight and you'd be so tired because you never stay up that late. Then just as your interest in designing the space fleet for your moonbase begins to wane, on comes something that just pulls you in. Heston in space, crash landing in the middle of a desert, finding dead bodies. Oh yeah, and Apes that can talk. Damn dirty ones at that.

For a kid of 10 or 11, that is absolutely amazing, and I think because of that I have always had a certain predisposition to sci-fi. I still haven't become a sci-fi series reading, Star Trek quoting, card-carrying nerd about the genre, but damn if I don't get a kick out of most everything that comes my way. I'll always thank Chuck Heston and Planet of the Apes for that.

Of course there's many others to name. Ben-Hur was tremendous, Touch of Evil (the first "film school" film of Heston's I saw), The Omega Man, Soylent Green. Should I go on? It feels like I should, but there are so many. I would love to mention his cameo in Wayne's World 2. I know it's not Shakespeare or anything, but it definitely ranks up there in the top 5 film cameos of all time for me (a close 3rd to Bruce Willis in Loaded Weapon 1, with Peter O'Toole's cameo in the first Casino Royale beating the lot). Well that's the rambling for today. Just sad that Heston's gone now, up to that big maaaaaadhouse in the sky.