Read my article of The 71’s posted on Dryvetyme Onlyne
Photo courtesy of Barry Dolton
Category Archives: Music
“Lines” by Electric Touch
Austin-based Electric Touch played Warehouse Live on Friday with The 71’s. I had gone outside but came back just in time to hear them address the crowd with their British accents and then do a cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together.” Their self-titled album comes out August 26, 2009 on Justice Records. “Lines” is a great song but visit their MySpace and have a listen to my other favorite, “Give Me A Sign.”
Picture courtesy of the Electric Touch MySpace page
[audio:Lines.mp3]
“Lines” by Electric Touch
“Laughing With” by Regina Spektor
Regina’s fifth studio album, Far, was released June 23, 2009. When it comes to Regina Spektor I have mixed feelings. I like her ballads but I have a hard time with songs like “That Time” from Begin to Hope. I dislike the guitar and even the way she sings the song, even though I love her voice. Some of her delux demos, like “Music Box,” bother me as well. On the other hand, I love the piano ones, such as “Real Love.”
I have some favorites on 11:11, including “Sunshine,” “Buildings,” and “Rejazz.” It’s clear to see her influence on artists like Kate Nash. I must be the billionth person to compare the way Kate and Regina speak their lyrics, as in “Consequence of Sound” from Songs.
As for Regina’s newer stuff, “Better” from Begin to Hope is a good song and of course “Laughing With” from Far.
“See Fernando” by Jenny Lewis
Just a few weeks after her video release of “Black Sand,” Jenny Lewis presents her video for “See Fernando.” Played out as a trailor to a spy movie, Jenny stars as the The Scorpion.
Jenny Lewis “See Fernando” from Team G on Vimeo.
“Little Bribes” by Death Cab for Cutie
I posted this song back when the EP was released. Now they have a mash up created by San Diego film grad, Ross Ching.
Death Cab for Cutie – Little Bribes from Ross Ching on Vimeo.
“Chains, Chains, Chains” by Elvis Perkins in Dearland
“Chains, Chains, Chains” is the latest single from Elvis Perkins in Dearland. Spinner called the song a “poetic hymn” and featured it as their video premier on June 30, 2009.
“Honey in the Sun” by Camera Obscura
Image above at the Helpless Dancer WordPress
The indie pop band from Glasgow has just finished the North American leg of their tour and is now headed back to the UK and Spain. They made their TV debut on my favorite late night talk show, The Craig Ferguson Show.
Plus, they have a video for their single “Honey in the Sun” from their album, My Maudlin Career.
500 Days of Summer
Image courtesy of the Minneapolis/ St. Paul International Film Festival Official Site
“You should know up front, this is not a love story.” Are you sure Mr. Webb? Isn’t it about the heartbreak of being in love and not being loved back? Isn’t it about the difficulty of being loved and not loving back? Furthermore, isn’t the overall theme based on the concepts of fate and true love? Although the movie doesn’t culminate in the way a traditional love story would, it is most definitely about love. I cannot count the amount of times I recognized a goofy grin painting my face while viewing this movie. One that lasted well past its initiating scene and, every time I realized the expression had not left, I felt a little silly. I always say I’m no hopeless romantic.
Zoey Deschanel plays a character that I would imagine her resembling in real life. Summer is honest and free-spirited. She’s someone who knows what she wants out of life and, coincidentally, what she doesn’t want. On the other hand, Tom, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, lacks confidence and is unsatisfied. He holds a job that he has settled for because he doesn’t think that he can hack it doing what he really wants to do. Furthermore, he believes that Summer is the girl of his dreams but that he could never nab a girl like her. Conversations he shares with his buddies provide evidence of the latter belief. The fact that we hear the guys talking about the girl, instead of the more common reverse, is refreshing.
Humor prevails in even the darkest of moments. For instance, while fleeing Summer’s apartment following their first confrontation, Tom quickly descends the stairwell and, rather than consuming the scene solely with frustration and agony, director Marc Webb must have thought, “ok, something else needs to happen on these stairs.” Thus, the obstacle of two girls blocking his exit. Tom must now react and he does so with an impatient display of politeness. He invites the girls to pass first with an annoyed, “after you,” and an exaggerated guiding gesture.
Another thing I love about Marc is that he’s not afraid of taking risks and being inconsistent. At times this movie does seem like your typical romantic comedy. Until the rib-tickling song and dance number illustrating Tom’s elation at possibly having a chance with Summer. Or, the split scene showing his expectations of how a night in Summer’s presence will unfold while, at the same time, revealing the reality of how the evening actually goes down. Again littered with hilarity, I’m sure you can guess which side contains a better chain of events for Tom.
“Mad World” by Soft Charisma
Over the weekend I attended a Word Camp (WordPress Blogger Conference) and I learned a lot of new things and am now inspired to make my site more professional and exciting for you! After I get back from vacation that it. I will be spending the 4th of July in up north Michigan. I’m not even sure I’ll find Wifi up there!
Anyway, over the weekend I heard several great speakers, all of whom were expert WordPressers, including 16 year old Dave Moyer and Matt Mullenweg, founder of the WordPress platform and Automattic.
Also among the presenters was Scott Kingsley Clark, a Web Developer since the age of 15, specializing in PHP development. Scott also has a band called Soft Charisma. Their latest album, Life Inside the Robot Man, is available for download via their website. It includes covers as well as original material. I’m going to go ahead and provide a site visitor pleaser by posting their cover of “Mad World” by Tears for Fears. However, here they are covering Gary Jules cover of Tears for Fears.
Photo courtesy of the Soft Charisma Official Website
[audio:Mad World.mp3]
“Mad World” by Soft Charisma
Remembering Michael Jackson
My sister told me of a co-worker who got a call from her husband informing her that Farah Fawcett died. Three hours later she got another call from her husband saying Michael Jackson died. She said, “You’re stupid,” laughed, and hung up on him. But before the end of the work day yesterday we all knew her husband wasn’t kidding. At 50 years old Michael Jackson died from cardiac arrest in his Bel-Air mansion. June 25, 2009 will be the day we remember.
I wanted to post a song today to document this unfortunate incident chronologically in my blogroll, as it’s a historically tragic moment. Michael Jackson reached so many fans for so many years. Thriller lingered substantially for more than a decade, and can still be heard on occasion. It was released in 1982, a year before I was born, yet I must have been 8 years old before my MJ phase began. Furthermore, a little boy named Brian, who was my neighbor and babysitting income source, ten years younger than me, asked to borrow my Michael Jackson VHS collection when I was probably 16. This goes to show that talent and innovation can prevail over time and impact multiple generations.
Yesterday, when I remembered the “King of Pop,” one song innitially came to mind. Maybe it’s not one of his music video legacies, but “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” from 1979’s Off the Wall album is still a memorable one for me.
Numerous other artists respect, admire, and give influencial credit to Michael Jackson. The latest J5 tribute comes from Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend and Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot. Their cover of “I Want You Back” to be released on July 7, 2009 can be found on their collaborative debut, Discovery.
[audio:I Want You Back.mp3]
“I Want You Back” by Rostam + Wes
