“Give Peace a Chance”
Leon thought so…
Category Archives: pictures
Belated Album Review: (500) Days of Summer
Full Title: (500) Days of Summer
Artists: Various
Year: 2009
Label: 20th Century
Tracks:
1) “A Story of Boy Meets Girl” – Mychael Danna and Rob Simonsen
2) “Us” – Regina Spektor– 9/10
3) “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” – The Smiths– 9
4) “Bad Kids” – Black Lips 10!!!
5) “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” – The Smiths – 9
6) “There Goes the Fear” – Doves-9/10
7) “You Make My Dreams” – Hall & Oates- 8
8) “Sweet Disposition” – The Temper Trap – 10
9) “Quelqu’un m’a dit” – Carla Bruni- 8
10) “Mushaboom” – Feist- 8
11) “Hero” – Regina Spektor- 8/9
12) “Bookends” – Simon & Garfunkel – 10
13) “Vagabond” – Wolfmother- 7/8
14) “She’s Got You High” – Mumm-Ra- 8
15) “Here Comes Your Man” – Meaghan Smith – 9
16) “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want” – She & Him- 8
Comments:
First things fucking last, this review will be centered on the actual record itself and not the placements of the songs in the film, which for the record (no pun intended lol) is executed quite well. Ok, so here we have a great ensemble of “Indie” pop artists with music that reflects the various themes of love and loss in the gem, (500) Days of Summer. Things kick off with Regina Spektor’s spectacular “Us.” I really dig her vocal range and the odd nature of her singing; yet despite its idiosyncracies the song still feels very pop like and indeed catchy. Being a huge Smiths fan, I enjoy their offerings on here. I admire Zooey Deschanel and her group She and Him for covering “Please.” Naturally, it does not match the original, but it is not too far off and in fact, some of it’s flaw (though it has very little flaw) is due to it sounding too much like the original and not really venturing in its own direction. I appreciate the fact that my favorite band, the Black Lips (like y’all didn’t know!) are receiving more exposure with the inclusion of their triumphant song, “Bad Kids.” Those that like this ditty, please check out the rest of their discography. Check it out on here! Alright, that’s enough KLYAM promotion midway into a review. “There Goes the Fear” (Doves) and “Sweet Disposition” (The Temper Trap) rank as some of my favorite tracks and definitely some of my favorites of recent times. I feel like those two songs, especially, the latter have hit potential, if they are not big enough already. Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bookends” completes the coming of age, twenty-something feel of this album/film and Meghan Smith’s cover of the Pixies’ “Here Comes Your Man” is amazing and truly brings out the tune’s pop hooks, even more than the original. All in all, one of my favorite soundtracks from one of my favorite films.
Grade: A/A-
Classic Film Review: Slacker
Full Title: Slacker
Director: Richard Linklater
Year: 1991
Fun Facts: “The average movie has 500-1,000 cuts in it. This movie only has 163. And almost a third of them come from the last five minutes during the super 8 film scene.” and “Was the movie that directly inspired Kevin Smith to become a filmmaker; inspired the movie Clerks. (1994).”- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102943/trivia
Comments:
I’m not one to jump on this or that marketing ruse, but in this rare instance, the so called “Generation X” phenomenon of the early 90s seems pretty damn accurate in Slacker, the 1991 debut of the gifted writer/director, Richard Linklater. From start to finish, this entire flick is simply scene after scene of random, anti-climatic, yet infinitely fascinating (at least to me) conversations from lazy, twenty-something layabouts in the city of Austin, Texas (Linklater’s hometown). To most folks this film is probably tedious or simply too boring. There are no sequences of action or really drama of any kind. The film basically offers the viewer a slice of everyay Austin life for these quirky, colorful characters. The scenes have no connection to one another (in the narrative sense) and no character appears more than once, at least to my memory. In many ways each scene is its own short film that one could view on its own or as a collective with the other scenes. All of these little stories are tied together under the overall theme of apathy and reluctance to get one’s shit straight, so to speak. Because this film is unorthodox in this manner, it will surely turn off most viewers. For dialouge based film junkies like me, I find it to be a unique and intriguing movie. Characters that stand out to me specifically include an aging, kind hearted anarchist that sports a framed phot of Leon Czolgosz on his wall, a enthusiastic Kennedy Assasination theorist, a fierce “anti-artist,” amongst other characters. Honestly, I can’t say much bad about this film; it is what it is and for me, I seriously do not find it even a tad bit boring, but then again, I suppose Linklater could have thrown in a thing or two to grab everyone’s attention. On the other hand, his laidback filmmaking (in this picture) and/or storytelling stands as an astonishing reflection of the lifestyles of the people he is depicting.
Grade: A-
Kurt’s Top 50
A list of Kurt Cobain’s top 50 favorite albums:
50. Raping a Slave – Swans
49. Mazzy Star – Mazzy Star
48. Over the Edge – Wipers
47. Youth of America – Wipers
46. Is This Real? – Wipers
45. The Man Who Sold the World – David Bowie
44. Beach Party – Marine Girls
43. Takes a Nation of Millions – Public Enemy
42. Flowers of Romance – Pil
41. The Record – Fear
40. Damaged – Black Flag
39. Locust Abortion Technician – Butthole Surfers
38. We are those who Ache Amorous Love – Half Japanese
37. Meet the Beatles – Beatles
36. Generic Flipper – Flipper
35. Yip Jump Music – Daniel Johnston
34. Superfuzz Bigmuff – Mudhoney
33. Last Sessions Vol 1 – Leadbelly
32. Tales of Terror – Tales of Terror
31. Jamboree – Beat Happening
30. Rites of Spring – Rites of Spring
29. Void/Faith EP – Void/Faith
28. Combat Rock – Clash
27. Typical Girls – Slits
26. Burning Farm Cassette – Shonen Knife
25. Green – R.E.M.
24. What is This? – Punk Comp California
23. Rocks – Aerosmith
22. Colossal Youth – Young Marble Giants
21. Raincoats LP – Raincoats
20. Anything by: – Kleenex
19. Know Your Product – The Saints
18. Get the Knack – The Knack
17. Daydream Nation – Sonic Youth
16. Dry – P.J. Harvey
15. It’s only Right and Natural – Frogs
14. Nevermind the Bollocks – Sex Pistols
13. Entertainment – Gang of Four
12. Rock for Light – Bad Brains
11. My War – Black Flag
10. Pee Pee the Sailor – Butthole Surfers
09. 1st EP – Saccharin Trust
08. 1st EP – Scratch Acid
07. Millions of Dead Cops – M.D.C.
06. Land Shark – Fang
05. Philosophy of the World – Shaggs
04. Sun Of A Gun – the Vaselines
03. POD – The Breeders
02. Surfer Rosa – Pixies
01. Raw Power – Iggy & The Stooges
Retrieved from “http://nirvana.wikia.com/wiki/Kurt_Cobain%27s_Top_50_Albums”
High Praise for High Art
This is somewhat of a Question of the Week sorta… Ok, so can anyone think of a band or an artist that has consistently put out high quality, evolving music for decades? For my money, Sonic Youth probably beats them all. In fact, I have often proclaimed them to be the most “successful” band of all time, but that’s a whole other story. Certainly some SY albums are stronger than others, but overall, they have an initimidating discography consisting of nearly thirty years worth of material. Very, very few bands can boast such a claim. So, what do others think? What other artists do you feel should be mentioned? Do they rank higher than SY and Why? You know where the comment section is. Peace.
The Simpsons!
Classic Review: Locust Abortion Technician
Artist: Butthole Surfers
Full Title: Locust Abortion Technician
Year: 1987
Label: Touch and Go/Latin Buggerveil
Tracks:
1) Sweat Loaf– 9
2) Graveyard- 8
3) Pitsburg to Lebanon- 7/8
4) Weber- 5
5) Hay- 7/8
6) Human Cannonball- 8
7) U.S.S.A.- 8
8) The O-Men-7
9) Kuntz– 9
10) Graveyard- 8
11) 22 Going on 23- 8/9
Comments: Early Butthole Surfers equals Music made for, by, and of heavy psychedelic drug use and Locust Abortion Technician is no exception. This is the pinnacle of the Buttholes’ highly experimental music. They dabble in Punk, Heavy Metal, Noise Rock, and definitely psychedlia. Without a doubt this is the group’s best offering up until then and since. I really dig the humor and chaos of “Sweat Loaf,” it is certainly a fantastic opener and really sets you up for what is to come. “Kuntz,” a remixing of an old Thai song and “22 Going On 23,” a disturbing/awkwardly amusing recount of a sexual assault case and its effects on the victim, round out my favorite tracks on this record. Overall, this is the kind of album that should be heard for its experimentation and the overall sound collage, oh and yeah, also for you and your pals to giggle and say “WTF?!!!” Turn it up at loud volumes, blast it as high as you can and freak out the whole neighborhood! In short, I feel like this serves better as a handbook for those who want to make experimental music, rather than an album you listen to again and again. With that being said, it is quite listenable and worthy of praise for it’s somewhat brave and unquestionably unique style. Basically, the Buttholes entered the studio and fumbled around with what they had (which was limited), took tons of acid (amongst other substances I can imagine) and ultimately created a really cool, trippy experience for all of us music lovers.
Grade: B
Classic Album Review: Superfuzz Bigmuff
Artist: Mudhoney
Full Title: Superfuzz Bigmuff plus Early Singles
Year: 1988 (recorded), 1990 (released)
Label: Sub Pop
Tracks:
1) Touch Me I’m Sick– 10
2) Sweet Young Thing (Ain’t Sweet No More)– 9
3) Hate the Police (The Dicks)- 8
4) Burn It Clean- 8
5) You Got It (Keep It Outta My Face)– 9
6) Halloween (Sonic Youth)- 8
7) No One Has- 8/9
8) If I Think- 8
9) In “N” Out of Grace– 9
10) Need- 8
11) Chain That Door- 7/8
12) Mudride- 7/8
NOTE: “The album contains the entire Superfuzz Bigmuff EP, the A-sides and B-sides of 2 singles, and 2 covers from split singles with Sonic Youth and The Dicks.”- Wikipedia.
Comments:
For those of you youngsters out there that are strugglin’ with the ladies, here’s a new pick up line for y’all to try out. Tell em’ “Touch Me I’m Sick!” So, after you get clocked in the face, grab a case of beer and get rowdy with this sucker. Here we have the legendary Mudhoney at their muddiest. Loud, fuzzy, muzzy guitars, pouding drums and the distinctive, apathetic drone of singer, Mark Arm. These songs have that filthy feel to them, but at the same time the riffs are memorable/catchy and Arm’s vocals are pretty damn clear, especially for this kind of music. As we all know this became the template for the Seattle Scene and what would become known to the rest of the world as “Grunge” (yes, I hate the term too, but it’s useful as a point of reference). This record and this band are without a doubt influential, but a tad bit overrated. Don’t get me wrong, most of the songs on here are good, it’s a very good record, but there are only a few great, stand out tracks, and yes they are exquisite. “Touch Me I’m Sick,” is fucking great for headbanging and I can imagine moshing; as a whole Mudhoney is great for an intoxicated state, particularly “Touch.” It’s a classic for a reason, well many reasons. Of course sonically it showscases the garagey Seattle sound better than any other tune in their catalog, but for me, the lyrics and presentation of those lyrics are also extremely vital. It’s a song I can relate to, a different kinda love ballad, if you will. You see it’s the honest male emotion that’s key here- “I’m a creep and I’m a jerk”- Arm’s nastiness and brutal delivery turns girls off, while spineless blokes like John Mayer sing about your daughter and tell the females exactly what they want to hear, so they can love him, at least they used to. But enough of that ranting and raving, “Touch” is complemented by its B-Side, “Sweet Young Thing,” which is the second track on this compilation, making it one of the greatest singles of all time. “In ‘N’ Out of Grace” is certainly one of my favorite tracks and exemplifies the group’s excellent guitar playing; one of the best riffs I have ever heard. All in all, this is a really good record, but not exceptional. I feel like Mudhoney is more of a “sound” band, like they have a great sound to almost all of these songs, but for me to love this thang, I need more fabulous tracks. It’s definitely worth a few listens and if you like “grunge” music, then well, you suck if you haven’t heard this and shouldn’t call yourself a fan of said style, but I’ll give you a break and let you listen to this and impress your average mainstream listening friends.
Grade: B+
Funny Pic of the Day
Film Review: Toy Story 3
Full Title: Toy Story 3
Director: Lee Unkrich
Year: 2010
Running Time: 103 minutes
Comments:
Being a huge fan of the Toy Story saga, I highly anticipated this third installment like so many other young people that grew up with the first two films. Looking back and to this day, the original Toy Story (1995) is one of the few “kids,” CGI films that I enjoyed. I don’t know what it is, maybe because it was the first of its kind or perhaps because I was so young when I saw it in theaters. I don’t know, but I have always held a place for it in my heart. Up until a few weeks ago, I actually had not seen it in nearly ten years and yet I still knew most of the lines! Then, of course, it was followed by Toy Story 2 (1999), which I also saw in theaters and liked. On the other hand, it was ok in comparison to its predescessor and lacked that inital, special touch. So, going into this new movie, I had big expectations and hoped it would be at least as good as the sophomore effort, but probably not on par with the original film. Fortunately, my expectations were satisfied and then some! Which, by the way, is a rare feat; I often walk away feeling disapointed, to different degrees. Ok, now about this “feature presentation.” In Toy Story 3 the owner of the toys, the young boy Andy is becoming a man as he heads off to college, having long abandoned his action figures and playmates alike. As he cleans out this old “junk” he comes across his old heroes, Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen), he decides to take Woody with him, but leaves Buzz with the other toys. His mother mistakes a bag filled with the toys (intended for the attic) for a trash bag. Feeling unwanted, they escape and crawl into a box that is to be sent to the Sunnyside Daycare, believing they will be appreciated and loved by new children. Woody follows the others, trying to convince them otherwise. SORTA SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! SPOILERS! Upon their arrival at the Daycare they are greeted by another toy, Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear (Ned Beatty), whom on the surface appears to be a warm, welcoming host, but beneath he is a cruel, sadistic, monster. As it turns out, he runs Sunnyside as a prison and the toys become his inmates. Now, it is up to Woody and the gang to defeat the evil Lotso and return to their beloved owner, Andy. I must say Lotso is a great villain, one of the best I have seen in a while and perhaps the best I have ever seen in a children’s movie. He is truly filled with hatred and bitterness beyond repair. Which causes the viewer in some ways to simultaneously fear and pity him. Well maybe not fear… fear for the characters, ok just a little bit of fear. Ahh, being scared by a teddy bear (with a cane at that!), a new low for me. In any case, there is certainly a dark and often emotional tone to the film that is executed near perfectly. It’s darker than the previous two TS, but not murky enough to frighten kids and push them away, and there’s plenty of humor/fun for the whole family to enjoy. Sometimes the jokes are a bit too Pixar for my taste, such as the exchanges between Ken and Barbie, which make me smirk, but are not exactly the strengths of an otherwise unique film. The story culiminates in a fantastic and beautifully chaotic climax, which with no hyberbole, I can safely say keeps you on the edge of your seat and feeling earnestly concerned for the well being of the characters. Overall, this is a great film and perhaps the best all summer, but it is not without its flaws. It drags toward the end, such as the scene between Andy and Bonnie, which could benefit from some trimming. Also, I know this is a kids movie lol, but seriously, Andy would not care as much about these toys! For example, his reaction at the beginning was very genuine; he didn’t really care about them. Him tagging Woody along because he means something to him, I can somewhat buy, but claiming that all of them mean something to him is a stretch, for me at least. As I said, it drags, but all in all, the ending works well. So, is it better than the first film? No, but few are. With that being said, Toy Story 3 does what very few films can: make an honorable and wonderful trilogy. In this instance, it is even more notable because in most trilogies, the third feature is the weakest, clearly this is not the case. I might not love this film as much as the first, but it is undeniably well crafted and will most likely be revered in years to come.
Grade: A-, initially after viewing this I was feeling between a B+ and A- (which some folks thought was too harsh lol), but through the process of film analysis, I eventually leaned toward its well deserved A-.
Classic Album Review: You Turn Me On
Artist: Beat Happening
Full Title: You Turn Me On
Label: K/Sub Pop
Year: 1992
Track List:
1) Tiger Trap– 9
2) Noise– 9/10
3) Pinebox Derby– 10
4) Teenage Caveman– 10
5) Sleepy Head– 9/10
6) You Turn Me On– 9
7) Godsend- 8
8) Hey Day– 8/9
9) Bury the Hammer– 9
Comments:
Right off the bat, this is definitely my favorite Beat Happening album and one of my all time favorite albums altogether. From the first chords of “Tiger Trap,” you know you are in for something special. The song is nearly seven minutes long, much longer than previous BH tunes and yet the simple, endearing, and always fascinating quality to their music is reatained. Most of the tracks here are longer than their previous LPs, but they don’t drag and you never feel bored. I take that back, “Godsend,” is wayyyy longer than necessary. It’s a great song…. for the first few minutes. 9:28 is too long! Besides that, I have nothing bad to see about this record. It is fantastic and proves that Beat Happening can utilize cleaner production to their advantage. Overall, the music sounds better than ever (though this was not the first cleaner sounding album), but specifically the vocals are phenomenal. Heather’s singing is the best, better than Calvin’s; “Noise” and “Sleepy Head” showcase her talent. Calvin’s classic baritone is prominent in catchy numbers like “Pinebox Derby,” “Teenage Caveman,” and “You Turn Me On.” On Teenage’ when he holds the “oneeeeeeee” in alone, it is easily one of the greatest musical moments ever recorded. For me, this album simply conists of amazing pop songs, what would be hits in another universe where earnest and quality music is appreciated on a grand scale. On first listens, that’s all I heard. I really had to pay attention, to notice the lo-fi, primitive nature of the music that was more obvious in other BH records. They did not feel like simple, Daniel Johnston esque, musically limited creations (not to say there is anything wrong with that stuff). My point being: the power of this album is in its presentation. I just hear a fabulous pop record with songs that hit you as complete ideas. I have to make a real dedicated effort to key in on that lack of musicality, which is clearly there, no doubt, but these songs are so damn excellent that it becomes of little concern. Though You Turn Me On may not be as seminal as their earlier work, it certainly continues that very same spirit and demonstrates the consistent awesomeness in their catalog.
Grade: A/A+
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 