This will be my last (sporadic) post before I will be gone for at least 5 weeks. I am traveling to Europe and will be incapable of making blog time. Have a good one.
1. Jackie Brown: This movie is absolutely fantastic. While many will say that its runtime is a bit long (only because the action isn't as well balanced as Pulp Fiction), this movie is never boring or over-staying its welcome. The storyline, based on Elmore Leonard's Rum Punch, never stops delivering top notch dialogue. The theme of adult love is expertly handled by Tarantino, with what it fully encapsulates: money, lust, and, most importantly, loneliness. Plus, add to that another impeccably chosen soundtrack (See: Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street"; the Delfonic's "Didn't I Blow Your Mind"), Samuel L. Fucking Jackson, numerous references to shitty blaxploitation films (Dolemite is my favorite although its not referenced -- the worst (best) movie ever made) and I think you have a film that can stand solidly along side of Fiction.
2. David Cross - It's Not Funny: While some of his political stances aren't extremely sturdy, David Cross is undeniably funny. Basing most of his schtick around pissing on conservatives (Bush, Santorum, Lott, Christians, etc.) could be boring and trite. I'll admit it, sometimes it is boring and trite. But, when Cross gets a joke across, it is fucking hilarious. Like when he talks in Trent Lott's voice about how he had to talk on BET for his racist comments: "WHHHAAATT! The niggers have their own TV network? What kind of science fiction, Year 3000 bullshit is this!" Or his electric scissor and Family Circus bit. Or his bit about moving to the moon. Yeah, its pretty great, take my word for it. (See also: Mr. Show)
3. Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: I am in love with this book. I haven't read something like this in such a long time. I can't put this guy down. I don't really want to describe it because you should read it. Plus, I'm not done.
4. Guided By Voices - "Glad Girls": What a great nugget of pop this is. Off of Isolation Drills and their greatest hits package. Nothing really much to this song, just one of the more well-produced, radio-friendly (among 100's of others) songs in Robert Pollard's career. "Hey, hey glad girls/I only want to get you high!" Oh, yes.
5. Iron & Wine - Live at the Khyber in Philadelphia: I went to this show with my brother and was absolutely blown away. I loved Sam Beam's records and, I have to say, I was very nervous about what he'd sound like live. Luckily, it was one of the best shows I've seen. Ever. Check this man's music out, it is fantastic. And check him out live, because he'll make everyone feel like they're transported to a barn somewhere in northern Alabama. Lovely.
Monday, June 28, 2004
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Five Alive! (No. 5)
The Download These Songs Edition
1. Souls of Mischief - "93 'til Infinity"; Mos Def - "Umi Says": I had completely forgotten about these songs for a few years. The first: I was floating around on my computer and I ran across Modest Mouse's celebrity playlist on iTunes. On it there is a Tribe song and Isaac Brock (I assume) says my favorite is not this Tribe song but SOM's "93 'til Infinity". Undoubtedly, this is one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. Laid back and smooth like A Tribe Called Quest and sooo smooth. This is a perfect jam for the summertime. The second: I was at Buffalo Billiards in Philly with my brother playing some pool. We decided to play some music on the jukebox and I ran into Mr. Def's Black on Both Sides. I don't know much about the rest of the album, but I did really love this song (you may remember it from the Nike commercial). There's not much rapping going on--in fact, it's more of a jazzy/funky song. Another summertime hit--the vocals float like a cool summer breeze, smooth and easy.
2. DJ Shadow - "Midnight in a Perfect World": An absolutely unbelievable and essential track. This is a documentation of a man perfecting his art: it is a distinct possibility it is a documentation of a man perfecting the art of DJ-ing. (I can hear the X heads groan.) I'm slightly unfamiliar with the rest of Shadow's Endtroducing..., but I'm pretty sure most of the downtempo tracks on The Private Press were trying to grasp what this track fully realized. The slowly lumbering pace is perfect, the title is perfect, the creepy vocals are perfect, the orchestrated build-up is perfect, the vocal cuts ("Now-n-n-n-n-ow approaching midnight!") are perfect. This is, quite possibly, the untouchable pinnacle of (downtempo) instrumental hip-hop because, well, it's perfect.
3. Jackie Wilson - "(Your Love Keep Lifting Me) Higher and Higher": Who the hell is this Jackie Wilson character and how did he sneak so swiftly into my playlists? I've never heard another track by him (maybe I'm uninformed), but goddammit, this is right up there with the best of them: Green, Gaye, Mayfeild, whoever. I can see why some wouldn't like it: after all, it is kind of the optimist's anthem. But holy shit! I get fucking goosebumps when I hear this shit! "Com'on, sock it to me!" Once that bass gets rolling, man, everything just fits right into place. Smooth Soul strings and horns, smooth yet powerful vocals, and that addicting tambourine. Even if you don't like this song, put it on a mixtape. She'll love it.
4. Bob Marley - "Could You Be Loved": One of my favorite Marley tracks. Instead of starting out with the requisite Marley intro ("Pop! Puka, Puka.) of drums, this track (off of his last, Uprising) starts with that sexy little guitar line that ends up following the song wherever it goes. It gives the song that bouncy, I-know-your-swinging feeling. But then, as good as the verses are, the chorus comes. Music doesn't get much more life-affirming than this. One of the most pleasing parts to any song. I prefer the 12" version because its 1:30 longer.
5. The Clash - "Police and Theives": One of their best tracks, without a doubt. I first heard it in The Royal Tenenbaums (I think its when Eli Cash goes to score drugs with Margot in the car) and it immediately sounds like something you've heard before. But it isn't. It's a pretty perfect mixture of punk and dub. Another track whose 6 minutes do not seem long enough, I could listen this over and over.
1. Souls of Mischief - "93 'til Infinity"; Mos Def - "Umi Says": I had completely forgotten about these songs for a few years. The first: I was floating around on my computer and I ran across Modest Mouse's celebrity playlist on iTunes. On it there is a Tribe song and Isaac Brock (I assume) says my favorite is not this Tribe song but SOM's "93 'til Infinity". Undoubtedly, this is one of the best hip-hop songs of all time. Laid back and smooth like A Tribe Called Quest and sooo smooth. This is a perfect jam for the summertime. The second: I was at Buffalo Billiards in Philly with my brother playing some pool. We decided to play some music on the jukebox and I ran into Mr. Def's Black on Both Sides. I don't know much about the rest of the album, but I did really love this song (you may remember it from the Nike commercial). There's not much rapping going on--in fact, it's more of a jazzy/funky song. Another summertime hit--the vocals float like a cool summer breeze, smooth and easy.
2. DJ Shadow - "Midnight in a Perfect World": An absolutely unbelievable and essential track. This is a documentation of a man perfecting his art: it is a distinct possibility it is a documentation of a man perfecting the art of DJ-ing. (I can hear the X heads groan.) I'm slightly unfamiliar with the rest of Shadow's Endtroducing..., but I'm pretty sure most of the downtempo tracks on The Private Press were trying to grasp what this track fully realized. The slowly lumbering pace is perfect, the title is perfect, the creepy vocals are perfect, the orchestrated build-up is perfect, the vocal cuts ("Now-n-n-n-n-ow approaching midnight!") are perfect. This is, quite possibly, the untouchable pinnacle of (downtempo) instrumental hip-hop because, well, it's perfect.
3. Jackie Wilson - "(Your Love Keep Lifting Me) Higher and Higher": Who the hell is this Jackie Wilson character and how did he sneak so swiftly into my playlists? I've never heard another track by him (maybe I'm uninformed), but goddammit, this is right up there with the best of them: Green, Gaye, Mayfeild, whoever. I can see why some wouldn't like it: after all, it is kind of the optimist's anthem. But holy shit! I get fucking goosebumps when I hear this shit! "Com'on, sock it to me!" Once that bass gets rolling, man, everything just fits right into place. Smooth Soul strings and horns, smooth yet powerful vocals, and that addicting tambourine. Even if you don't like this song, put it on a mixtape. She'll love it.
4. Bob Marley - "Could You Be Loved": One of my favorite Marley tracks. Instead of starting out with the requisite Marley intro ("Pop! Puka, Puka.) of drums, this track (off of his last, Uprising) starts with that sexy little guitar line that ends up following the song wherever it goes. It gives the song that bouncy, I-know-your-swinging feeling. But then, as good as the verses are, the chorus comes. Music doesn't get much more life-affirming than this. One of the most pleasing parts to any song. I prefer the 12" version because its 1:30 longer.
5. The Clash - "Police and Theives": One of their best tracks, without a doubt. I first heard it in The Royal Tenenbaums (I think its when Eli Cash goes to score drugs with Margot in the car) and it immediately sounds like something you've heard before. But it isn't. It's a pretty perfect mixture of punk and dub. Another track whose 6 minutes do not seem long enough, I could listen this over and over.
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Five Alive! (No. 4)
It's been a long time since I've done this, I know. But I've now graduated school and can devote some more time to it. Until, I get bored, that is.
1. Family Guy: This show is so damn clever. I know it's pretty typical to like it as every frat boy will tell you, but really it's one of the most entertaining things I've ever seen on television. I have the first two seasons on DVD, and I watch them almost every night before sleeping. Just hearing Quagmire's "All Right!" is worth the admission price alone.
2. Beans - Now Soon Someday: The hotness. I saw Beans with Prefuse 73 back in the fall of 2003 and I thought he was pretty good, but had a weird rhyming style that was hard to follow. He still mumbles his enormous vocabulary, but on record, I must say he sounds a lot tighter. The mix is much better than it was live and his production is much better than I could have expected. I got this after I saw the "Mutescreamer" video which freaked me out in a real great way. Only problem is, I neglected to see that the version I heard was not on this record. In its place are two remix versions by El-P and Prefuse 73. Let me tell you, these two songs alone are worth the price (a scant 8 dollars for 9 songs!). Really a great hip-hop record that doesn't overstay its welcome.
3. Religion in art: Been really getting into stuff that crosses the two boundaries. In particular, I've been reading Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory and listening to Pedro the Lion. Graham Greene is an incredibly masterful writer who depicts a "whiskey priest" in southern Mexico during a time of Communist rule when Christianity is forbidden. Ironically, Communism simply makes the country poor and limp while Christian goodwill strengthens a person's outlook and is more successful in creating a communist state than communism is. Pedro the Lion (like The Power... before it) uses religion not only as a source for salvation but of frustration. Control is a great album for this. (I haven't really absorbed Achilles Heel yet.)
4. Philadelphia: I really love my home. I've been with my girlfriend and we've been going in and out of the city. I must say, there are so many fun things to do and see here and not nearly enough time to do it. The city really has an energy all to itself that cannot be found anywhere else. The architecture is not particularly sexy, the people are sort of ugly, but somehow the city is really fun to be in. That and the people are ridiculous. And the accents. Ask a Philadelphian to say "street" or "oh yeah". They come out so dirty: "Oah yeh, it's oaver on fifth shtreet."
5. America's "A Horse With No Name": Even though it may be a complete rip-off of Neil Young this song is pretty hot on its own. The "La da da da da da da" chorus sends me for a loop every time, like I'm floating through space. Man, I can only imagine what this song was like in the early 70's...
1. Family Guy: This show is so damn clever. I know it's pretty typical to like it as every frat boy will tell you, but really it's one of the most entertaining things I've ever seen on television. I have the first two seasons on DVD, and I watch them almost every night before sleeping. Just hearing Quagmire's "All Right!" is worth the admission price alone.
2. Beans - Now Soon Someday: The hotness. I saw Beans with Prefuse 73 back in the fall of 2003 and I thought he was pretty good, but had a weird rhyming style that was hard to follow. He still mumbles his enormous vocabulary, but on record, I must say he sounds a lot tighter. The mix is much better than it was live and his production is much better than I could have expected. I got this after I saw the "Mutescreamer" video which freaked me out in a real great way. Only problem is, I neglected to see that the version I heard was not on this record. In its place are two remix versions by El-P and Prefuse 73. Let me tell you, these two songs alone are worth the price (a scant 8 dollars for 9 songs!). Really a great hip-hop record that doesn't overstay its welcome.
3. Religion in art: Been really getting into stuff that crosses the two boundaries. In particular, I've been reading Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory and listening to Pedro the Lion. Graham Greene is an incredibly masterful writer who depicts a "whiskey priest" in southern Mexico during a time of Communist rule when Christianity is forbidden. Ironically, Communism simply makes the country poor and limp while Christian goodwill strengthens a person's outlook and is more successful in creating a communist state than communism is. Pedro the Lion (like The Power... before it) uses religion not only as a source for salvation but of frustration. Control is a great album for this. (I haven't really absorbed Achilles Heel yet.)
4. Philadelphia: I really love my home. I've been with my girlfriend and we've been going in and out of the city. I must say, there are so many fun things to do and see here and not nearly enough time to do it. The city really has an energy all to itself that cannot be found anywhere else. The architecture is not particularly sexy, the people are sort of ugly, but somehow the city is really fun to be in. That and the people are ridiculous. And the accents. Ask a Philadelphian to say "street" or "oh yeah". They come out so dirty: "Oah yeh, it's oaver on fifth shtreet."
5. America's "A Horse With No Name": Even though it may be a complete rip-off of Neil Young this song is pretty hot on its own. The "La da da da da da da" chorus sends me for a loop every time, like I'm floating through space. Man, I can only imagine what this song was like in the early 70's...
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