I have tickets for Big Thief and Nick Cave shows later this year, neither of which have been cancelled or postponed. If those dates roll around and the shows do go on even though health experts still strongly encourage social distancing...I have no idea what I'll do. It feels like at that point I'll have to frame the decision to go or not as being my physical versus mental health, which is shitty, but also my mental health isn't contagious (I understand that mental health IS considered contagious in some ways, but not nearly in such concrete ways) and damn if I don't just feel gutted by all of this.
I've never even though of this as a novelty song, to be honest. A clever power-pop song about your pal's hot mom is hardly the same as something like "The Streak".
Thankfully most children's entertainment has improved and in some ways is the best it's ever been, so while my kids love this shit, they also love stuff like Pixar (and Disney's better offerings) and Ghibli and GKIDS. Even Netflix kids shows like "Storybots" offer surprisingly entertaining, legitimately educational material.
I don't have much opinion either way on Carti, but "Elite COBRA Strike Force” probably should just be called "me big bad cop me have wittle dick club".
What's weird to me is I think strictly calling him country is a misnomer anyway. His music strikes me as more of a Lynchian take on fifties/early sixties rock, not crazily unlike something like Dirty Beaches.
I've been a T-Swift fan since her first album, with only a small dip in fandom because I didn't like "Reputation", and I'm feeling quite vindicated at the moment. Grimey's is arguably the greatest record store in the world (shout-out to Luna Music in Indianapolis, a place one might not expect the second greatest record store in the world to be located). I've loved those guys for so long and of all the local places I'm scared might be snuffed out of existence during this crisis, they're the one that would truly crush me. Hang in there, Grimey's!
Prophets of Rage as a concept was kinda dumb, their new output was butt, yet as a live act they were super freaking rad. (I did get to seem them for free, for what it's worth.)
I don’t think so. Pretty sure he’s still living in California. He’s a southern artist through and through regardless of where he lives though. Since his music is instrumental I don’t know how familiar everyone is with his speaking voice, but the old adage about “can’t take the south out of the boy” certainly rings true.
I love MIA and think she's important for a great many reasons and quite well-informed on a great many topics, and yet this definitely doesn't surprise me, and that seriously bums me out.
“...sail away with me, to another world...” Farewell, Gambler.
I just read that one of the long-serving members of Sun Ra’s Arkestra also just passed. Sad day.
Sadly none of these things are true. I love Shazam, my short-lived nickname was Rizzo, and I neither invented Shazam nor am I a billionaire. The song just happened to still be relatively new and still on the radio is all. Truth is I was probably at the shop that day for Norma Jean or Killswitch Engage CDs.
That song helped me get my first job. There I was browsing at the only record shop in my podunk town (actually a CD shop but that’s less cool to say) when this guy comes in frantic fo find this song but he can only sort of hum a couple notes of the riff. Somehow I recognized what he was humming, he bought the CD, and left. The girl that works there says “you’re in here a lot, you know your stuff, want a job?” This may be two stories my memory has collated into one, but anyway.
Also intrigued by Spacehog, Odd Future, Surfer Blood, Don Cherry/Kryzstof Penderecki, Murs & 9th Wonder, Ruston Kelly, The Replacements, and the Denzel Curry 7”.
Upon my initial perusal I see the following things that interest me:
First ever vinyl release of Philip Glass’ COMPLETE “Koyaanisqatsi” (the original soundtrack was a truncated version). A batshit sounding Clipping live album. Billie Eilish live acoustic at Third Man. Death Piggy (early GWAR) and Green Jelly reissues. And Philip Glass and Notorious B.I.G. boxsets that I almost certainly won’t be able to afford.
Anyone seen "High Life"? I guess it's from 2018 but it had such a limited release that I only heard of it lats year when it briefly played Nashville's arthouse Belcourt Theatre. I have a copy on hold at my local public library (thanks to light socialism, in keeping with the political bent this thread took) and can't wait to finally see it.
I mentioned Hildur in the Billie Eilish thread and noted how cool it was to see someone collaborate with Sunn O))) the same year they checked off half an EGOT, but then I realized she actually pulled of 3/4 in one year. She has an EGO from one year alone. That’s a big year for anybody, even more for an experimental Icelandic composer who I’ll again note also notched up two drone metal album credits. I think her Joker score is superb, one of the best things about the film, and I think she deserves this win. I was inspired to listen to some of her non-film compositions today, including a collaboration with the late great Jóhann Johannson, and I am firmly a fan.
To extrapolate further one point from my comment above, while I don't necessarily fear Joker will inspire any copycat crimes, the film not quite sticking the landing on its various points concerns me because it does leave said points open for poor interpretation by the MRA/WLM/incel/4Chan crowd.
I don’t think the filmmakers mean for Joker to actually be seen as a hero, so I don’t think it’s suggesting vigilantism is good. His actions should shock and appall you even as the actions of others that led him to that point also shock and appall you. You’re supposed to feel for him as a mentally troubled individual who can’t find the help he desperately needs. The rioters are the same, understandably having been pushed to the wrong action in desperation. The elites think they know how to fix it but they don’t understand they’re at the root of the problem (or so and don’t care). I think the flaw is that the layers and nuance of these things aren’t explored enough and so most of the commentary of the film only goes surface level. The film certainly has a point and a point-of-view, but doesn’t have the big and grand and eloquent a point/POV it thinks it does. Visually this movie owes a lot to “Taxi Driver” but the real movie it’s aping is Scorcese’s “The King of Comedy”, wherein a mentally ill comedian portrayed by Robert DeNiro has an obsession with a talk show host that eventually turns violent. Ultimately, I didn’t need any violence to be implied but I needed it to have more narrative impact.
Did I like the movie? Sure. It’s a blend of two great classic-era Scorcese movies I loved with well-placed Batman references (about the only thing it did with any subtlety), another thing I love, and a droney score by Hildur Guonadottir who collaborated with Sunn O))) last year even as she was checking off half of an EGOT. That’s a lot of things I dig. it just didn’t all cohere into anything that truly tugged at my mind or my heart beyond the action on screen.
I believe I’ve mentioned recently that I bought both Billie’s album and an “Abbey Road” reissue on vinyl for my teenage daughter this Christmas. This was the best possible confluence for my household, and I was pretty happy she got to see it. I’m also stoked “Parasite” won best pic. “Joker” was a deeply flawed film but Joauquin’s speech was incredible and seeing a Sunn O))) collaborator win a major award is a sight to behold. Best Oscars I’ve ever watched, and much better than that depressing Grammys broadcast a couple weeks ago.
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