He certainly has his moments, and those are probably well thought out uses of music. But for every instance of a song that works perfectly, there seem to 5 others where he's just trying to fill empty space with something that seems to work. Like, These Days when Margot gets off the bus in Royal Tenenbaums is lovely at first, but it's too short, and too hurried in the way it's trying to sort of force this sentimentality on you at the beginning of the movie to really make an emotional impact. Or Life on Mars in the Life Aquatic. They hit the chorus immediately and it's this huge thing, and then it's over. I get that he just met this estranged son, and that's a big moment, but the song doesn't really seem to fit. It just goes along with having the Bowie soundtrack.
Again, he was just the first dude that came to mind. And I honest to goodness love most of his movies. The only one I haven't seen is Darjeeling Limited, and that's because at the time it came out, I just couldn't motivate myself to spend $8 on what appeared to be another go at the same old same old. He makes great movies, but at this point there needs to be a little more variation to get me to see a new one (thanks Incredible Mr. Fox!). All the love aside though, I think the fun of throwing your favorite tunes into your movie does need to be critiqued at some point.
No, you're exactly right. Obscure on Glee just means big hits from the 70's or 80's. I don't know, maybe some teen show where they play tons of radio friendly but kinda obscure music would be a good way for bands to make money and get exposure, but that's some Gorillaz doesn't need to worry about.
And Wes Anderson was just the first dude that came to mind. Needle in Hay did work perfectly, though. A lot of crappier examples just came to mind first
He makes good points, but they seem to be a bit more catered to shows like American Idol. In which case, he's dead on. He's probably right about a lot of things, but I still love Glee. Like Nip Tuck before it, is uses music as a plot device (unlike, say, a Wes Anderson movie where you have the film and then the creator's weekly playlist as the audio). And unlike truly empty network talent shows, it shows (in an admittedly over the top, cheesy way) how music can help people work through struggles or form an identity etc. etc.
That all sounded really corny. And I guess that's fine, because Glee's a corny show. And yeah it's a big show and there's probably a good share of evil there, but I don't think it's as slave evil and Albarn's making it out to be.
Dianna Agron is hot.
I googled it, and Pavement does have two albums in Spin's top 90 albums of the 90's. Pumpkins only have one. Also, last time both bands played Columbus, Pavement played in a venue twice as large as the one the Pumpkins booked.
Maybe he cited some other magazine's best of list, or maybe he's really just out of touch.
Ok, listen, those light bulbs rule. It doesn't matter if it costs more to buy the bulb, they'll last 10 times longer and save you money on electricity. Overall, they're much cheaper.
Also: "In July 2008 the US EPA published a data sheet stating that the net system emission of mercury for
CFL lighting was lower than for incandescent lighting of comparable lumen output. This was based on the average rate of mercury emission for US electricity production and average estimated escape of mercury from a CFL put into a landfill."
Hooray!
Nice track, and double nice on touring with the Soft Pack.
But I think the show on the 26th is in Kentucky. Covington Ohio is a teeny tiny town outside of Dayton.
In that regard, I can't really get down on the guy. If someone offered me the opportunity to eat and judge ridiculously extravagant food on television, I'd do it in a heartbeat. And my cooking experience includes pb+j and pizza rolls.
Everything on the block, all the WTC buildings, were irreparably damaged. Everything left standing had to be torn down. 7 went down that day because a faulty sprinkler system failed to put out the fires in the building.
Yeah I'm with you. Maybe it's just people who aren't interested in the album aren't interested in talking about it. It's cool so many people are digging it, but it's simply not for me.
The Pinkertones! They're a Columbus cover band that does just that.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_NN28A1DVG_s/SZmVuJpOHDI/AAAAAAAAASM/17pDDcdSYxE/s1600-h/pink.jpg
One of my only gripes is about the site layout, and ryanpunia69 hit the big issues already. I guess simpler would be better. Also, that Photos and Videos column going down the middle of the page is a bummer.
Content wise, I really like what you guys (and gal) do. I know there's some debate when it comes to the PE's, but I'm a fan. I've never seen the point of ranking albums against each other or holding them to a numerical scale. So yeah, like someone else said, if you can find the manpower, pump out some more of those.
As far as is the site's content too Brooklyn focused, maybe? Most bands covered here I'm into, but the top 40 new bands of 2010 was kinda of a listening disaster. It's pretty crazy to find 40 good new bands in any given year (let alone six months), but I can't say I was into the overwhelmingly chill wave/bedroom electronic tone. And I *like* chill wave. I guess a little more folk, little more rock, etc.
Good call on the Monthly Mix. I'm into that. And I love how you dudes actually encourage and respond to feedback.
Pitchfork's list is pretty messed up, and one of the reasons why is because they only did one song per band. So they basically just picked their favorite 90's bands, ranked 'em, then pinned a song to their name. And yeah, even if Pavement is your favorite 90's band (they're mine), it's hard to find one song of theirs you can confidently say is the best of the decade.
Strange epilogue: Gold Soundz actually was my favorite Pavement song for a while. I can remember listening to it while biking around at sunrise, in August, but not drunk. It was very teenage-romantic. Now it's Range Life. Has been for a while.
Oh man this was such a wonderful surprise last night. The interview bummed me out a little, but the performance shredded. Also, did you know Spiral Stairs is bald under that hat??? :(
This is great.
I still really enjoy Radioactive though. It's not quite a "return to early KoL", but it seems like they're picking up where Aha Shake Heartbreak left off. Which is awesome.
Really liking Def Surrounds Us. Sounds like a dark Private Press track. I've Been Trying sounds too much like an inoffensive Outsider b-side though. Still, as long as he stays away from hyphy, I'm pumped for this new album.
Yeah I actually kind of like this song. First Hurley, now this. Strange times.
Also, as a white guy from the suburbs who really has no place in an argument over what is or isn't offensive, I just wanna say the painting these kids as poor and exploited due to a lack of electronics seems like a bit of a jump. I'm not saying it can't be seen that way or viewed as offensive; certainly it can/is. But if you're making a video so shamelessly nostalgic, you're probably not going to show kids running around with iPhones or sitting in their basements playing CoD4. Kinda just looks like they just got out of school and are playing outside, which is what I did as a lad even though Sonic and Knuckles was waiting at home.
There's also a bunch of new Sufjan posts, along with a steady stream of other news, under the stuff with pictures. Was there some huge indie rock story they missed or do you just hate Kings of Leon that much?
This is probably their best all around album since Maladroit, but there aren't any songs that grab me as a great singles. Raditude was unreasonably bad, but I could listen to If You're Wondering if I Want You To all day long. The same can be said for the Red Album and The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived. Here, I like Time Flies and Unspoken, but not enough to put them on in the car.
That's just nit picking though. This thing shatters expectations so thank God for that.
Ah ok. I'm fine with the premature evaluations, but I can see how they frustrate some people.
But yeah, while there are probably hundreds of openers I'd rather hear, Success is one of the better tracks here.
Man, that's just not the case. Knee jerk reactions can be inaccurate, but after listening to this thing repeatedly over the course of a week, there just isn't much to it. What you hear as ominous, I hear as droning and uninspired. Suggesting people give it more time to get under their skin is like asking them to do the same for the sounds of passing cars.
Also, your name is extremely Strokes-y. :)
That's fair. I'm with you and David Worthington up there. False Priest is great, but it doesn't sound like they're going to get back to the Satanic/Sunlandic/Hissing career high anytime soon. But even though it doesn't have Hissing Fauna's emotional depth, I still think there's heart here.
Anyway, I can't say I'm disappointed. It's a solid album, and an improvement over their last. Lucky to have it.
I'd agree on the general placement of this album (far) above Skeletal Lamping and a bit below Hissing Fauna, though I'm not sure I'd say it lacks heart. "Heimdalsgate..." and "The Past is a Grotesque Animal" definitely examine Barnes' troubles, but for the most part, the album is pop fun. False Priest definitely pushes oM's silliness to new extremes, but Coquette Coquette, Famine Affair, and even Our Riotous Defects explore the "sad love" Kevin's always been going on about.
So yeah, good stuff. Not their best, but a big step back in the right direction. Sex Karma is utterly, utterly fantastic.
Look, it isn't Matt Sharp. Nothing against the guy, but it's just coincidence that their albums started going downhill after Sharp left. He's even said that bad Weezer albums would still be bad if he played on them.
http://www.chartattack.com/features/1819/matt-sharp-talks-about-rivers-cuomos-etiquette-fetish-and-tegan-and-sara
I'm a bit confused about people complaining about a lack of substance here. I just reread it, and there wasn't really much that didn't give me a solid impression of what the album sounded like. It's a straightforward write up of a first reaction to the album that, to me, never read as unsubstantial.
And that's all I expect these to be. A sort of stop gap between a preview, recapping the artist's intent, and a review, in that they give the reader a loose description of the album. They're ideal for me. Numeric scores for albums are totally arbitrary, and most reviews speak with a kind of certainty that never really translates to how I hear the music. PM's describe an album in a way simple enough for me to judge whether or not it would be worth my time to give it a listen.
Keep up the good work!
It's not bad, but I don't hear anything spectacular on it. Maybe a little long, maybe a little too "samey". Again, it's not bad, but I can't imagine thinking to myself, "I really feel like listening to _____ off The Suburbs"
You're right dude. Ignore this lil website's well written, less than flattering review of Maya. Instead, check out the latest Entertainment Weekly. I'm sure you'll find it's simplistic, mass appeal style more to your liking. Oh, and they gave Maya a shitty review too. ;) .
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