Film:
The Brothers Solomon(dir. Bob Odenkirk)
The best way to sum it up is to rip off the quote on the front cover: it's Dumb and Dumber meets Knocked Up. That's not to say that it comes close to either of those films in terms of quality since the whole affair is a relatively laughless experience because the characters are so upbeat and cheerful that they come across as more creepy than funny. This is a serious contender for worst film from last year with supposedly funny moments like a somewhat overweight woman getting hit by a bus, Will Arnett's character kissing and then licking the wet footprint of the chick he wants to bag, and essentially every line reading by Will Forte. It was bad.
*1/2 out of ****
Music:
Disfear - Live the Storm
Probably the best thing I've listened to from this year so far, but given the group's pedigree(singer from At the Gates, guitarist from Entombed), it's still kind of disappointing. In Exodus is a highlight.
*** out of ****
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
Its a lot like the recent album by The Magnetic Fields in that it sounds all shoegaze-y and pop-y. I'd rate the albums about the same, but I'd probably give this one the edge.
**1/2 out of ****
British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?
It has some songs that are on the cusp of being good but they all end up falling short. The whole album screams EPIC and in a way is a mess because of it. It's overlong and the opening track sounds a little too much like Modest Mouse's "Float On" to the point that it almost verges on plagiary. It's interesting enough to maybe warrant a listen, but overall, it's pretty average.
** out of ****
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Monday, February 18, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Oh Shaving...
Film:
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle(dir. Alan Rudolph)
After the artistic misfire that was Welcome to L.A., I simply had to watch another film directed by Rudolph to wash away the sour aftertaste that film left and while it was successful in helping me forget about how horrible that film was, it still doesn't redeem my faith in the director completely. The film has some of the same problems that that film had like a narrative that is sometimes stagnant during long stretches of time and has so many characters that it doesn't really know what to do with all of them, but this film is much better acted and doesn't become as frustratingly redundant as that film. The film is very much centered on Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance, which I was not overly fond of. It's convincing enough and while I'm no expert on Dorothy Parker, it just seemed fairly surface-oriented. The whole story is probably supposed to be more tragic than I thought it was because I mainly didn't really have much sympathy for her character because she led a fairly superficial life and was a bit too mopey for my tastes. Out of all the actors in the film, Lili Taylor stuck out the most in terms of presence, which I find surprising since her character was about as minor as you could possibly get. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Escape From New York(dir. John Carpenter)
I wasn't really into the film until they introduced the spiked baseball bats and trashcan top shields in the "arena" scene, which definitely lives up to its promise. There's no denying that Snake Plissken is a bad ass, but throughout most of the film's running time, I was frankly bored. I, however, thought it made up for the boredom I experienced with its final 15 minutes or so. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(dir. Tim Burton)
There were kids in the screening of it I attended and it seemed like they had a better time with it than I did probably because it reminded me of something along the lines of a bloody version of a Disney cartoon with some of the most unlively musical numbers I've ever seen and I don't really "get off" on fake gushing blood like they most likely do. I think the film's biggest flaw was the fact that the musical numbers were dully staged and the lead actors don't have all that terrific voices. I'm sure the non-film version of the musical is a sight to behold, but Burton mainly shot his actors standing around singing instead of really attempting to do anything enticing visually with these numbers. It would have probably been better if it wasn't a musical at all. The best number was easily the one with Sasha Baron Cohen because the film has a wicked sense of humor and that was perhaps the most humorous portion of the film. I'm assuming that the film is a truncated version of the original musical since the story doesn't feel like it's all that fleshed out and therefore, not as engaging as it could have been. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Music:
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
Their sound is perhaps a little too indebted to The Cure. Nothing really striking about the album, but it's a decent enough listen.
**1/2 out of ****
The National - Boxer
What was all the fuss about? It's certainly listenable, but it's definitely no masterpiece.
**1/2 out of ****
Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle(dir. Alan Rudolph)
After the artistic misfire that was Welcome to L.A., I simply had to watch another film directed by Rudolph to wash away the sour aftertaste that film left and while it was successful in helping me forget about how horrible that film was, it still doesn't redeem my faith in the director completely. The film has some of the same problems that that film had like a narrative that is sometimes stagnant during long stretches of time and has so many characters that it doesn't really know what to do with all of them, but this film is much better acted and doesn't become as frustratingly redundant as that film. The film is very much centered on Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance, which I was not overly fond of. It's convincing enough and while I'm no expert on Dorothy Parker, it just seemed fairly surface-oriented. The whole story is probably supposed to be more tragic than I thought it was because I mainly didn't really have much sympathy for her character because she led a fairly superficial life and was a bit too mopey for my tastes. Out of all the actors in the film, Lili Taylor stuck out the most in terms of presence, which I find surprising since her character was about as minor as you could possibly get. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Escape From New York(dir. John Carpenter)
I wasn't really into the film until they introduced the spiked baseball bats and trashcan top shields in the "arena" scene, which definitely lives up to its promise. There's no denying that Snake Plissken is a bad ass, but throughout most of the film's running time, I was frankly bored. I, however, thought it made up for the boredom I experienced with its final 15 minutes or so. I recommend.
*** out of ****
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street(dir. Tim Burton)
There were kids in the screening of it I attended and it seemed like they had a better time with it than I did probably because it reminded me of something along the lines of a bloody version of a Disney cartoon with some of the most unlively musical numbers I've ever seen and I don't really "get off" on fake gushing blood like they most likely do. I think the film's biggest flaw was the fact that the musical numbers were dully staged and the lead actors don't have all that terrific voices. I'm sure the non-film version of the musical is a sight to behold, but Burton mainly shot his actors standing around singing instead of really attempting to do anything enticing visually with these numbers. It would have probably been better if it wasn't a musical at all. The best number was easily the one with Sasha Baron Cohen because the film has a wicked sense of humor and that was perhaps the most humorous portion of the film. I'm assuming that the film is a truncated version of the original musical since the story doesn't feel like it's all that fleshed out and therefore, not as engaging as it could have been. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
Music:
Shout Out Louds - Our Ill Wills
Their sound is perhaps a little too indebted to The Cure. Nothing really striking about the album, but it's a decent enough listen.
**1/2 out of ****
The National - Boxer
What was all the fuss about? It's certainly listenable, but it's definitely no masterpiece.
**1/2 out of ****
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Oh Yeah...
Film/TV:
The Game Plan(dir. Andy Fickman)[rewatch]
I will continue to champion The Rock's performance until another rewatch convinces me that it's not one of the most entertaining performances of last year, but during this viewing, I actually started to become emotionally involved with this story more than I would have liked to the point that I almost started to cry at given moments. Nothing profoundly depressing really happens, but father-offspring relationships in film, when done well, often have a tendency of getting me emotional beyond belief. The last time I ever cried at a movie was Flags of Our Fathers because of some of the father-son relationship moments, but that was actually understandable. This, he just gets the kid taken away and predictably gets her back, but there's something about this film that I found profoundly touching and heartwarming about its view on familial relationships and how we should cherish these relationships more often. It's not exactly a new message, but the way The Rock and company handle it is most definitely heartfelt and that's all that really matters in my eyes. It does stumble with some of it's comedic moments because it's a fucking PG-rated Disney film with The Rock in it, but The Rock's ability to elicit laughs through what I assume is purposeful hammy delivery of some of his lines like the soon-to-be-legendary "#1 on the field and #1 in your heart" catchphrase his character constantly recites and his genius facial expressions makes it a performance worth cherishing and once, the film turns somewhat serious, his performance actually improves immensely. It's this adaptive element to his performance that makes it fascinating and what I deem more interesting than DDL's in There Will Be Blood. This movie definitely puts the heart at #1 and the mind at maybe #532, but in a way, I think it's some sort of family film masterpiece because of it. It's not considered a guilty pleasure by me any longer. I wholeheartedly recommend.
*** out of ****
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2[TV]
When I was watching one of the new episodes recently, it donned on me: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is my favorite TV show. Sure, there are other shows that have vied for this position like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, and some other sitcoms, but this is the show that consistently amazes me with its bizarre artistry and happens to make me laugh more often than any of those others shows. It has had its ups and downs like any other show and this season had some lows like the surprisingly lame and tame Super Trivia and the obligatory obnoxious episode with MC Chris's MC Pee Pants character, but for 13 episodes, this season is the pinnacle of television comedy that opens and closes with a bang. With great episodes like Mail Order Bride, Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, Super Squatter, Super Bowl, and the list goes on, it's hard not to regard this a masterpiece of television art and entertainment.
**** out of ****
The Hunting Party(dir. Richard Shepard)
A film so satisfied with itself that if it was able to suck it's own dick, it would very well do so and afterwards, start making fun of itself for doing so. The film's deconstructive elements don't come off as witty and clever like the filmmakers probably thought they would, but come off as a depressing form of preemptive defense to criticism. You could imagine one of the individuals involved in the production responding to criticism with, "Well, didn't you see the title cards that show that the film is aware that it's not honest and truthful?" In the film's realm of logic, a woman would pride herself for being gang raped for hours at a time to the point that she gives out this information as a display of authority over our central protagonists who are journalists portrayed as adrenaline junkies that find some sort of sick satisfaction out of being around death and war until one of the bitches they were banging turns up dead because of this bad dude's ethnic cleansing campaign. The proceedings are watchable to a degree, but you have to wonder what the fuck were the people making this thinking? The protagonists are as smug as the filmmakers so it's hard to really give a shit about any of them and probably the most infuriating aspect of the film is a title card at the end that puts quotations around searching in a sentence similar to "The U.S. are probably busy 'searching' for Osama bin Laden." I'm fine with people criticizing the U.S., but the image of the director patting himself on the back for being such an awesome rebel rouser is simply inescapable. Fuck you Richard Shepard and fuck your film.
*1/2 out of ****
Blue Velvet(dir. David Lynch)
Usually, I go out of my way not to look at the reviews on the Blockbuster Online site not because I might be influenced and steal someone's ideas for these reviews, but because they're usually so goddamn stupid that it simply astounds me that there's people out there that actually write those horrible reviews. A lot of the users on there wrote about how this film was too weird and I'm properly in the minority that thought it wasn't weird enough at least in relation to Lynch's current output. I just find it difficult to regard this film in a very positive light knowing that he made what I feel are much better films. This whole muckraking theme of digging up the dirty little secrets in suburbia is not an exactly profound one and Frank Booth is such a stereotypically evil dude that he even have lackeys that cackle a bunch. Most interesting aspect of this story is the character of Dorothy, but the film doesn't focus on her all that much at least in comparison to Jeffrey and Sandy that are so golly gee wholesome that they verge on parody. I still enjoyed the film and there's a technique that is employed near the end that makes it seem like we're not supposed to buy into the ending too much so maybe a rewatch would start to unveil something resembling a masterpiece. The ending, while maybe a little too pat, is mainly noteworthy for its final shot of Isabella Rosselini hugging her son and the music of Blue Velvet playing hinting that she will never be able to forget all the abuse that Frank has put her through. It starts to make you question the film as a whole and provides a lot of food for thought that was severely missing in the rest of the picture. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Brave One(dir. Neil Jordan)
It wasn't as godawful as I was expecting and it remains ultimately watchable throughout, but it just feels so bland and most of all unnecessary that I simply can't recommend it. In a world with Ms .45, I have no idea why I would recommend this. A scene from the film even reminded me of a scene from another Abel Ferrara film, King of New York, with the two black hoods approaching and harassing Foster's character on a subway, but the result is predictable and dull, while the result in King of New York was slightly ridiculous yet totally awesome. This film also leaves really no interpretation for the viewer as it questions its protagonist's actions rather bluntly and a call-in radio session that provides all sorts of angles for this situation for the viewer in probably the most asinine way imaginable. Its not a painful watch or anything, but it's hard to imagine having a desire to watch it ever again or remembering it at all in the coming weeks. It was mediocre.
** out of ****
Music:
Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
** out of ****
Against Me! - New Wave
**1/2 out of ****
Blonde Redhead - 23
**1/2 out of ****
The Game Plan(dir. Andy Fickman)[rewatch]
I will continue to champion The Rock's performance until another rewatch convinces me that it's not one of the most entertaining performances of last year, but during this viewing, I actually started to become emotionally involved with this story more than I would have liked to the point that I almost started to cry at given moments. Nothing profoundly depressing really happens, but father-offspring relationships in film, when done well, often have a tendency of getting me emotional beyond belief. The last time I ever cried at a movie was Flags of Our Fathers because of some of the father-son relationship moments, but that was actually understandable. This, he just gets the kid taken away and predictably gets her back, but there's something about this film that I found profoundly touching and heartwarming about its view on familial relationships and how we should cherish these relationships more often. It's not exactly a new message, but the way The Rock and company handle it is most definitely heartfelt and that's all that really matters in my eyes. It does stumble with some of it's comedic moments because it's a fucking PG-rated Disney film with The Rock in it, but The Rock's ability to elicit laughs through what I assume is purposeful hammy delivery of some of his lines like the soon-to-be-legendary "#1 on the field and #1 in your heart" catchphrase his character constantly recites and his genius facial expressions makes it a performance worth cherishing and once, the film turns somewhat serious, his performance actually improves immensely. It's this adaptive element to his performance that makes it fascinating and what I deem more interesting than DDL's in There Will Be Blood. This movie definitely puts the heart at #1 and the mind at maybe #532, but in a way, I think it's some sort of family film masterpiece because of it. It's not considered a guilty pleasure by me any longer. I wholeheartedly recommend.
*** out of ****
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2[TV]
When I was watching one of the new episodes recently, it donned on me: Aqua Teen Hunger Force is my favorite TV show. Sure, there are other shows that have vied for this position like Curb Your Enthusiasm, Seinfeld, and some other sitcoms, but this is the show that consistently amazes me with its bizarre artistry and happens to make me laugh more often than any of those others shows. It has had its ups and downs like any other show and this season had some lows like the surprisingly lame and tame Super Trivia and the obligatory obnoxious episode with MC Chris's MC Pee Pants character, but for 13 episodes, this season is the pinnacle of television comedy that opens and closes with a bang. With great episodes like Mail Order Bride, Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, Super Squatter, Super Bowl, and the list goes on, it's hard not to regard this a masterpiece of television art and entertainment.
**** out of ****
The Hunting Party(dir. Richard Shepard)
A film so satisfied with itself that if it was able to suck it's own dick, it would very well do so and afterwards, start making fun of itself for doing so. The film's deconstructive elements don't come off as witty and clever like the filmmakers probably thought they would, but come off as a depressing form of preemptive defense to criticism. You could imagine one of the individuals involved in the production responding to criticism with, "Well, didn't you see the title cards that show that the film is aware that it's not honest and truthful?" In the film's realm of logic, a woman would pride herself for being gang raped for hours at a time to the point that she gives out this information as a display of authority over our central protagonists who are journalists portrayed as adrenaline junkies that find some sort of sick satisfaction out of being around death and war until one of the bitches they were banging turns up dead because of this bad dude's ethnic cleansing campaign. The proceedings are watchable to a degree, but you have to wonder what the fuck were the people making this thinking? The protagonists are as smug as the filmmakers so it's hard to really give a shit about any of them and probably the most infuriating aspect of the film is a title card at the end that puts quotations around searching in a sentence similar to "The U.S. are probably busy 'searching' for Osama bin Laden." I'm fine with people criticizing the U.S., but the image of the director patting himself on the back for being such an awesome rebel rouser is simply inescapable. Fuck you Richard Shepard and fuck your film.
*1/2 out of ****
Blue Velvet(dir. David Lynch)
Usually, I go out of my way not to look at the reviews on the Blockbuster Online site not because I might be influenced and steal someone's ideas for these reviews, but because they're usually so goddamn stupid that it simply astounds me that there's people out there that actually write those horrible reviews. A lot of the users on there wrote about how this film was too weird and I'm properly in the minority that thought it wasn't weird enough at least in relation to Lynch's current output. I just find it difficult to regard this film in a very positive light knowing that he made what I feel are much better films. This whole muckraking theme of digging up the dirty little secrets in suburbia is not an exactly profound one and Frank Booth is such a stereotypically evil dude that he even have lackeys that cackle a bunch. Most interesting aspect of this story is the character of Dorothy, but the film doesn't focus on her all that much at least in comparison to Jeffrey and Sandy that are so golly gee wholesome that they verge on parody. I still enjoyed the film and there's a technique that is employed near the end that makes it seem like we're not supposed to buy into the ending too much so maybe a rewatch would start to unveil something resembling a masterpiece. The ending, while maybe a little too pat, is mainly noteworthy for its final shot of Isabella Rosselini hugging her son and the music of Blue Velvet playing hinting that she will never be able to forget all the abuse that Frank has put her through. It starts to make you question the film as a whole and provides a lot of food for thought that was severely missing in the rest of the picture. I slightly recommend.
**1/2 out of ****
The Brave One(dir. Neil Jordan)
It wasn't as godawful as I was expecting and it remains ultimately watchable throughout, but it just feels so bland and most of all unnecessary that I simply can't recommend it. In a world with Ms .45, I have no idea why I would recommend this. A scene from the film even reminded me of a scene from another Abel Ferrara film, King of New York, with the two black hoods approaching and harassing Foster's character on a subway, but the result is predictable and dull, while the result in King of New York was slightly ridiculous yet totally awesome. This film also leaves really no interpretation for the viewer as it questions its protagonist's actions rather bluntly and a call-in radio session that provides all sorts of angles for this situation for the viewer in probably the most asinine way imaginable. Its not a painful watch or anything, but it's hard to imagine having a desire to watch it ever again or remembering it at all in the coming weeks. It was mediocre.
** out of ****
Music:
Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
** out of ****
Against Me! - New Wave
**1/2 out of ****
Blonde Redhead - 23
**1/2 out of ****
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Oh 2008 Album Listening Log...
It's going to be a sort of log and hierarchy at the same time! This is going to be strictly albums I've listened to from 2008 and not what I've listened to in 2008. The format will be Artist-Band and then quickly followed with a rating.
Albums & Ratings:
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those That Can See But Cannot Feel
*** out of ****
Disfear - Live the Storm
*** out of ****
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
*** out of ****
Portishead - Third
*** out of ****
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
**1/2 out of ****
The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
**1/2 out of ****
The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
**1/2 out of ****
Beach House - Devotion
** out of ****
Sons and Daughters - This Gift
** out of ****
Black Mountain - In the Future
** out of ****
Cat Power - Jukebox
** out of ****
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
** out of ****
Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers
** out of ****
British Sea Power - Do Your Like Rock Music?
** out of ****
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
** out of ****
Drive-By Truckers - Bright Than Creation's Dark
** out of ****
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
** out of ****
Times New Viking - Rip It Off
** out of ****
Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
*1/2 out of ****
Albums & Ratings:
Atlas Sound - Let The Blind Lead Those That Can See But Cannot Feel
*** out of ****
Disfear - Live the Storm
*** out of ****
The Mountain Goats - Heretic Pride
*** out of ****
Portishead - Third
*** out of ****
The Raveonettes - Lust Lust Lust
**1/2 out of ****
The Magnetic Fields - Distortion
**1/2 out of ****
The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
**1/2 out of ****
Beach House - Devotion
** out of ****
Sons and Daughters - This Gift
** out of ****
Black Mountain - In the Future
** out of ****
Cat Power - Jukebox
** out of ****
Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend
** out of ****
Xiu Xiu - Women as Lovers
** out of ****
British Sea Power - Do Your Like Rock Music?
** out of ****
Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree
** out of ****
Drive-By Truckers - Bright Than Creation's Dark
** out of ****
Hot Chip - Made in the Dark
** out of ****
Times New Viking - Rip It Off
** out of ****
Mars Volta - The Bedlam in Goliath
*1/2 out of ****
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Oh Songs of the 80's...
Big Black - Bad Penny
Big Black - Kerosene
Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot
Sonic Youth - Shadow of a Doubt
Sonic Youth - Schizophrenia
Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls
Black Flag - TV Party
The Misfits - Last Caress
Bad Brains - Pay to Cum
Joy Division - Atmosphere
Joy Division - Disorder
The Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven
The Pixies - Gigantic
Big Black - Kerosene
Public Enemy - Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos
Sonic Youth - Teenage Riot
Sonic Youth - Shadow of a Doubt
Sonic Youth - Schizophrenia
Metallica - For Whom the Bell Tolls
Black Flag - TV Party
The Misfits - Last Caress
Bad Brains - Pay to Cum
Joy Division - Atmosphere
Joy Division - Disorder
The Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven
The Pixies - Gigantic
Oh Songs of the 90's...
Recently, I watched a VH1 special entitled Top 100 Songs of the 90's and most of it sucked. I had a tuna fish sandwich today and... Just kidding. Not about that special sucking, but it's VH1 so what do you expect? But much like great ideas turning out not so great, I've decided to take it upon myself and perhaps make a Top 100 of the 90's myself. Enough talking, let's do it!
Best Songs of the 90's(no ranking for now)
Cat Power - Nudes as the News
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
Tricky - Black Steel
Smog - Bathysphere
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Public Enemy - Welcome to the Terrordome
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit
The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
Pale Saints - Sight of You
The Cranberries - Dreams
Fugazi - Turnover
Fugazi - Glue Man
Aphex Twin - Fingerbib
Ride - Vapour Trail
My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
Bush - Gylcerine
Sublime - Santeria
Weezer - El Scorcho
Green Day - When I Come Around
Alice In Chains - Rooster
Bjork - Hyper-Ballad
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
Sepultura - Roots Bloody Roots
Liz Phair - Fuck and Run
Ani DiFranco - 32 Flavors
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
The Smashing Pumpkins - Today
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Some of the songs are pretty much filler and I'm probably going to slim this down to the bare essentials and hopefully, add some more.
Best Songs of the 90's(no ranking for now)
Cat Power - Nudes as the News
Massive Attack - Unfinished Sympathy
Tricky - Black Steel
Smog - Bathysphere
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
Public Enemy - Welcome to the Terrordome
Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Ain't Nuthing ta Fuck Wit
The Notorious B.I.G. - Juicy
Pale Saints - Sight of You
The Cranberries - Dreams
Fugazi - Turnover
Fugazi - Glue Man
Aphex Twin - Fingerbib
Ride - Vapour Trail
My Bloody Valentine - Sometimes
Bush - Gylcerine
Sublime - Santeria
Weezer - El Scorcho
Green Day - When I Come Around
Alice In Chains - Rooster
Bjork - Hyper-Ballad
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
Sepultura - Roots Bloody Roots
Liz Phair - Fuck and Run
Ani DiFranco - 32 Flavors
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
The Smashing Pumpkins - Today
Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
Some of the songs are pretty much filler and I'm probably going to slim this down to the bare essentials and hopefully, add some more.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Oh Music Lists...
Years
2008
Decades
1980's - Songs
1990's - Songs
Musicians
Oh Bjork...
Oh Cat Power...
Oh PJ Harvey...
Oh Smog/Bill Callahan...
Oh The Breeders...
Oh Pixies...
Oh Sonic Youth...
Oh Broken Social Scene...
Oh Ani DiFranco...
Oh Wire...
Oh Shellac...
Oh Elliot Smith...
Oh Fugazi...
Genres
Overall
2008
Decades
1980's - Songs
1990's - Songs
Musicians
Oh Bjork...
Oh Cat Power...
Oh PJ Harvey...
Oh Smog/Bill Callahan...
Oh The Breeders...
Oh Pixies...
Oh Sonic Youth...
Oh Broken Social Scene...
Oh Ani DiFranco...
Oh Wire...
Oh Shellac...
Oh Elliot Smith...
Oh Fugazi...
Genres
Overall
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Oh 2007(music)...
Ran out of ideas for lists for movies so I'm doing music now. YIPPY! I might do videogame lists as well, but I haven't played much games from this year so don't really expect a 2007 list anytime soon. I might start doing music reviews, but I find it particularly hard to talk about music since it's usually just I either dig it or I don't.
2007(no order for now)
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
It's probably their most consistent album yet and "For Reverend Green" is an amazing song.
Feist - The Reminder
There's nothing on this record as profoundly beautiful as her cover of "Lover's Spit" on Broken Social Scene's Bee Hives, but it has it's moments("I Feel It All", "My Moon Man", "1234", and "Past in Present").
St. Vincent - Marry Me
"Now Now" is a great opener and while the album doesn't necessarily maintain that level of quality, it's still pretty bitching.
Burial - Untrue
Probably my favorite album of the year, but it's hard not to feel that it gets kind of repetitive.
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
"The Opposite of Hallelujah" just puts a smile on my face. It's ridiculous.
Kanye West - Graduation
Probably the best rap album of the year.
Grizzly Bear - Friend LP
Their self-covers are great and that CSS cover of "Knife" is simply mind-blowing.
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
I personally think it's better than Funeral.
Honorable mentions:
Tegan and Sara - The Con
It's not great by any means, but the amount of times I listened to this is almost embarrassing. There are some songs that are just flat-out Hilary Duff bad, but it has it's fair share of good ones as well.
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Need to listen to it more before I can give a real opinion, but all I know is that I dig it.
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Don't really have anything to say. I haven't listened to it that much, but I know it's definitely good.
Battles - Mirrored
It's slightly overrated, but "Atlas" is an awesome song and they definitely have an original sound.
M.I.A. - Kala
I find most of her music annoying, but "Paper Planes" is simply irresistible.
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
"Campfire" is great even if the rest of the album isn't.
Overrated mentions:
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
It's fine, but I fail to see what's so great about it. The amount of critical acclaim it has received makes it seem like the greatest album ever.
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
His songs start out fine, but they ultimately feel overlong and stretched.
Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab
If it wasn't for "Killa Lipstick" and "Slow Down", this would have been merely mediocre.
Wrap-up:
Nothing this year was as great as say The Woods by Sleater-Kinney, but yeah, not much is. I also need to listen to more metal and punk albums from this year.
2007(no order for now)
Animal Collective - Strawberry Jam
It's probably their most consistent album yet and "For Reverend Green" is an amazing song.
Feist - The Reminder
There's nothing on this record as profoundly beautiful as her cover of "Lover's Spit" on Broken Social Scene's Bee Hives, but it has it's moments("I Feel It All", "My Moon Man", "1234", and "Past in Present").
St. Vincent - Marry Me
"Now Now" is a great opener and while the album doesn't necessarily maintain that level of quality, it's still pretty bitching.
Burial - Untrue
Probably my favorite album of the year, but it's hard not to feel that it gets kind of repetitive.
Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala
"The Opposite of Hallelujah" just puts a smile on my face. It's ridiculous.
Kanye West - Graduation
Probably the best rap album of the year.
Grizzly Bear - Friend LP
Their self-covers are great and that CSS cover of "Knife" is simply mind-blowing.
The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
I personally think it's better than Funeral.
Honorable mentions:
Tegan and Sara - The Con
It's not great by any means, but the amount of times I listened to this is almost embarrassing. There are some songs that are just flat-out Hilary Duff bad, but it has it's fair share of good ones as well.
PJ Harvey - White Chalk
Need to listen to it more before I can give a real opinion, but all I know is that I dig it.
Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Don't really have anything to say. I haven't listened to it that much, but I know it's definitely good.
Battles - Mirrored
It's slightly overrated, but "Atlas" is an awesome song and they definitely have an original sound.
M.I.A. - Kala
I find most of her music annoying, but "Paper Planes" is simply irresistible.
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
"Campfire" is great even if the rest of the album isn't.
Overrated mentions:
LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
It's fine, but I fail to see what's so great about it. The amount of critical acclaim it has received makes it seem like the greatest album ever.
Panda Bear - Person Pitch
His songs start out fine, but they ultimately feel overlong and stretched.
Ghostface Killah - The Big Doe Rehab
If it wasn't for "Killa Lipstick" and "Slow Down", this would have been merely mediocre.
Wrap-up:
Nothing this year was as great as say The Woods by Sleater-Kinney, but yeah, not much is. I also need to listen to more metal and punk albums from this year.
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