New Music: Little Dragon

If you had to pick one country to have your music imported from, where would it be?  Most people would probably say the UK, but the smart people would say Sweden.  Not only did they descended from Vikings, but they are the reason we have H&M and Ikea.  Plus, they are pumping out some major talent these days with artists like Robyn, The Knife, Peter Bjorn & John, Shout Out Louds and Swedish House Mafia.  Not too shabby.  The latest Swede export to obsess over is Little Dragon, who are currently releasing their third album in four years, Ritual Union.  Three albums is a lot for that amount of time, especially when you consider their work with the Gorillaz on Plastic Beach in the song "Empire Ants.")

Ritual Union is a true delight of electronic infused experimental pop, soul and R&B that would be nothing without the sultry, smoky and sweet voice of frontwoman Yukimi Nagano. She has a way of sneaking up and haunting you behind these luscious landscapes of drums, bass, beats, loops, high hat and sometimes cowbell.  It's the perfect storm of music and is a bit addicting.  The title track which opens the record has been constantly playing in my head for days whether I am physically listening to it or not.  That's when you know it's good.

"Love is not like they say
A lie, that it’s hard to make it stay
It drowns my feelings in the sea
I dried up over on the beach…

Ritual unions, got me in trouble again
I was wonderin' of a white dress
And the mistress
And a spirit
Holdin my hand..."

  Ritual Union by Little Dragon 

Deep shit, right?  The record goes on with "Little Man" and into "Brush the Heat," which has an infectious beat and sounds like a song that might have come out of the Prince camp back in the day; maybe sung by Sheila E or one of his other ladies in waiting.  On "Shuffle A Dream" and "Please Turn" Nagano seems to taunt you with restraint in her voice, all the while enveloping you in.  The first single, "Nightlight," definitely stands out as more of a dance track of the group and is sure to be heard often on various soundtracks and World Cafe playlists.

My one complaint about the record is that it seems to have two parts to it.  There are the more dancey/addictive tracks and then the album seems to fade out with these more experimental/instrumental tracks that would make a great score to a film, but left me wanting to stop and start back over at the beginning.  Either way, the album as a whole is something to be excited about and I can't wait to see them live.  Go Sweden!

You can stream Ritual Union for a limited time at NPR's First Listen or KCRW.

Way Back Wednesday: Blondie

I went to the "Art In the Streets" exhibit at MOCA recently and was surprised to see a whole section dedicated to Blondie's "Rapture."  At the time, I just thought it was a cool song.  I didn't really know what it meant to eat up cars or eat up bars, where the people meet...I just thought Blondie was awesome and that it was a cool song to skate to (hello, I was in middle school).  Looking back now, I realize that this song meant a lot in pop culture.  It was the first "hip-hop" song to reach number one on the Billboard charts. And, according to the exhibit, it was also a big deal because it featured local New York graffiti artists and their work in the video.  Without realizing it, it helped propel street art and hip-hop in front of mainstream eyes.  Pretty cool for Blondie to be able to look back and have such an influence, not only on females in rock, but also in the hip-hop world. 

And, now I only eat guitars!

The Unintentional Nerd: A Comic-Con Love Story

If you had asked me five years ago what the one event I would look forward to each summer, there is no way in hell that I would have ever thought that the answer would be Comic-Con.  Without being a braggart, I'm not what you think of when you think nerd (I'm actually quite cool...well, more of a dork than a nerd at the least).  Farenheit 451 was pretty much incoherent to me; I like watching sports (not doing them to be fair), I've never played Dungeons & Dragons; my obsession with Star Wars ended after Return of the Jedi and my experience with comics as a kid consisted mostly of my dad's old Archie comic books in my grandparents basement.  So, who'd have thunk that I would fall in love with nerds at The Con?

This is my first year in five that I'm not making the trek to San Diego.  I've always gone because I had to work.  And when I say work, I mean crazy work: wrangling people, constant fire drills, lots of coordination, walking back and forth through the Gaslamp to the Convention Center about 100 times a day and longer hours than sometimes seem possible.  But, through all that, I fell in love with Comic-Con.  It wasn't the booming nightlife; all the crazy parties you see on TV are impossible to get into.  It wasn't the "hot" guys; there are none for the most part.  Actually, it's the people and the overall spirit of it.  Everyone goes all out for Comic-Con.  Attendees dress up in crazy costumes and give out free hugs, high fives, and sometimes kisses.  They get so excited about things that they can't contain themselves and run as fast as they can wherever they are going.  They are extremely knowledgeable about things that I can't begin to know.  Ancillary characters in the first editions of Superman comics?  I don't know.  But they do.

I think that the one thing that I love about Comic-Con the most is that I get to be as excited as I want to be about whatever there could possibly be to be excited about.  Big Bang Theory panel? I'm going.  The cast of Psych doing a Q&A with the dude from Tears for Fears?  I was front row.  The first episode of The Avengers cartoon?  I saw it.  Because I was second row, and waiting for the Adult Swim panel starring Tim & Eric, the people behind Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Mary Shelly's Frankenhole.  No matter what panels you want to see or what stars you want to stalk, IT'S OK.  You can literally geek out about anything, and the bigger geeking that you do, the better.  It's ALL GOOD.  Especially because I live in LA, this isn't something that I'm used to:  unconditional acceptance when it comes to stalking.  Want to see the hottie Nathan Fillion up close?  Um, yes please.  Want to just get a look at Lou Ferrigno?  And take a picture?  Make a snarky comment?  Done.  When I'm in LA, I have better things to do than to wait in line.  But, at Comic-Con, if you're not waiting in line, you're no one.  Nerds LOOOOVE to wait in lines.  Start a queue and they're in it...they don't even have to know what it's for.

These are just some of the things that I love about The Con.  And, I am just so sad that I couldn't be there this year.  You would think that I would be sadder that I don't have a job, and that that's the reason I'm not there.  But, not really...I'm more sad that I'm missing all the action.  I'm not cool anymore.  All the newest movies, all the latest marketing ploys, scoops and teasers of upcoming tv shows.  This is my jam, and I'm not part of it.  I won't be there to make fun of all the Twilight moms camping out for two days to maybe see Edward and Bella.  I won't get carpet bombed by the nerds that don't wear deodorant or flat-tired by the nerd running to god knows where.  I'll miss my annual photo shoot with zombies, sluts dressed as Leia and likely candidates of people going to the Comic-Con cuddle party.  I'll have to follow along on Twitter and other sites and pretend I was there. 

I guess I'll have to go see Captain America this weekend in honor of The Con.  And after, I'll light a saber and pray really hard that I get a job that will send me back to San Diego next year.

New Movie: The Help

I am over-the-moon excited for The Help to be released on August 10th.  I read the book last summer, and could.not.put.it.down.  Even though I am already a huge fan of Southern Literature, it was just such a great and visual story that I can't wait to see it come alive on the big screen.  One of the things I loved about the book is that I can always appreciate a good "comeuppance" story about "bad" folks getting theirs.  I'm not sure if it's because I'm from the South and my faith is restored through those kinds of stories, or if it's just bleeding heart liberal fantasy fiction.

I also a little intrigued by the story behind the making of this movie, which is also kind of a fairy tale.  The author Kathryn Stockett optioned the book to her childhood friend Tate Taylor, who had some bit parts as an actor and was still trying to make it in Hollywood, before the book was released.  He adapted the screenplay and directed the film.  WOW!  They cast another longtime friend, actress Octavia Spencer, who also served as inspiration for one of the characters in the book.  And, she and Taylor fought for the film to be shot in her home state of Mississippi, which will bring that much more authenticity to the film. 

The soundtrack is definitely something to look forward to:  Mary J. Blige, Ray Charles, Chubby Checker, Bo Diddley, Mavis Staples, and, naturally, "Jackson" by Johnny Cash and June Carter.

Way Back Wednesday: Quarterflash

My dad likes to play this game where he asks you random trivia questions that he thinks only he knows the answers to.  One day, he asks my sisters and I, "What was the first video played on MTV?"  We all screamed at the same time, "'Video Killed the Radio Star' by the Buggles."  WRONG, he says.  My sisters and I went on the offense and the argument went on for about 15 minutes before he finally conceded and changed the question to, "What was the first video *I* saw on MTV?"  The answer was "Centerfold" by J. Geils Band.  Definitely not the first video on MTV, but probably one of the firsts. 

This may seem like the most stupid thing you've ever heard for anyone born after MTV debuted in 1981.  But, it was a reeeeeally big deal back in the day.  See, this was when we used to have two dials on the TV.  The top dial was UHF for channels 1-13, and the bottom dial was VHF and basically like AM radio for the television, with channels 14-70-something.  This was where, if you turned the dial really slow, you could get a very snowy version of MTV.  I would literally be peeled to the television for hours, squinting my eyes and waiting to see what video would come up next.  I'm not sure if this is the exact first video I saw on MTV, but it's definitely the first I remember seeing:  "Harden My Heart" by Quarterflash.  It's got everything you want in a video:  sweet leotards, creepy children, motorcycles, a tractor, a keyboard and sax solo, mullets, fire, destruction and several locations including a desert, a warehouse full of water and a hallway with secret doors (which turns out to be a trailer).  Plus, I'm pretty sure that Daft Punk makes their first appearance as a human drum set.  Harden my heart, indeed.

New Single: Theophilus London

Get More: Theophilus London, Music, More Music Videos

Move over Kid Cudi, because Theophilus London is taking over.  Theophilus London is straight outta Brooklyn and cites his influences as Michael Jackson, Prince, Kraftwerk and The Smiths.  If you are to believe what you read online, he's also apparently super-connected and friends with a lot of famous people.  That don't impress me much, but what does impress me are his soul-infused electro-pop jams.  His debut album Timez Are Weird These Days is being released today and you can stream it over at his Facebook page in exchange for a "Like."  His shit is blowing up...the video for "Last Name London" is in regular rotation on MTV (for whatever that's worth) and the first single "I Stand Alone" has been featured on the season 2 teaser trailer for HBO's How to Make It In America and available for free download below.  You can catch him on Jimmy Kimmel tonight, so be sure to set your DVR.  Word on the street is that he blew the roof off the Troubadour last night in LA.  Don't sleep on this!

 

New Single: Cut Off Your Hands

Cut Off Your Hands - Fooling No One from They on Vimeo.


Cut Off Your Hands have been a favorite of mine since their buzz-ridden debut record in 2009.  You And I is filled with luscious pop-filled ditties infused with wall-of-sound texture and makes me smile in a way that can only be described as downright giddy.  I seriously love this band so much I want to marry them.  So, it is with great excitement that I can report that their new record Hollow Out will be released on August 16th on Frenchkiss Records. "Fooling No One" is the first single from the record and if it's any indication of what's to come, the honeymoon is ON.  It's still got the same pop sensibility, but a smidge darker.  I'd say it sounds a bit Echo and the Bunnymen with a little Ocean Blue thrown in.  You also can download another song "Hollowed Out" from Hollow Out over at Spin.  And, it must be Christmas in July because the band is giving away a free EP (below) which includes "Happy As Can Be" - one of my most fave songs from their first record.

Way Back Wednesday: The Cure

My friend Lisa and I have a running gag where she asks me what my favorite Cure song is and I answer with, "whichever one is playing!"  Oh lawdy, I do love The Cure.  I had a poster of Robert Smith on my wall in high school, with those big red lips and I just thought he was so sexy.  Gothy rawr.  Not only is it hard to find my favorite songs by The Cure online, but it's really hard to pick a favorite song to share.  So, you are getting a highlight of my favorite songs of the available songs on Playlist.  Keep in mind that there are a lot of songs missing from this list and it's illegal for me to post full albums.  But if I could, I would.  Enjoy!

Law and Order: Los Angeles

A. I'm a HUGE Law & Order fan.  I've watched all of the series spin-offs and was de.va.stated when they cancelled the OG version.  I know that many had given up on the show long ago, but I truly enjoyed the pairing of Jeremy Sisto and Anthony Anderson, in addition to silver fox, Sam Waterston.  What got me through the cancellation was that NBC was replacing it with Law & Order: Los Angeles.  Which they abruptly cancelled. Hmmph!

B.  I really loved Law & Order: LA.  The series started a little slow, but they gained momentum and then killed off Skeet Ulrich.  What?!The?!Fudge?! Then they replaced him with the ever-talented Alfred Molina as Corey Stoll's partner.  Okay, I can deal with that.  The two seemed to have good chemistry, and I was super crushing over the both of them.

C.  Here's the kicker.  NBC decides that they are cancelling L&O:LA.  Boo.  Hiss.  They decided to keep the way-past-its-expiration date Law & Order: SVU, but cancelled the new show that was just starting to get good.  Ok fine.  I'll get over it (though it will be tough without my boyfriend, Chris Meloni).  BUT THEN, they start replaying these new L&O: LA episodes, which I assume that they had "in the can," with the VERY DEAD character of Skeet Ulrich starring.  Aaaaaaargh!  That's not okay.  My brain might explode watching a dead guy solve murders.  Does.Not.Compute. 

I'm quite upset about all of this and felt the need to share.  I am still holding out hope that NBC will come to their senses and change their minds and NOT cancel L&O:LA after all.  I know, dream world.  Just imagine my love life.

New Single: Luke Temple

  More Than Muscle by Luke Temple by western.vinyl

I love the dreamy soundscape of this song.  It's old school soul combined with modern tranquility.  You may know Luke Temple from Here We Go Magic, the band that he got his start with (I didn't), but I think I might have to go and check them out after hearing "More Than Muscle."  Don't Act Like You Don't Care is the album that was born from flexing his folksy alter-ego, while launching the band and also still working full-time as a plasterer.  Geez, and I thought I was busy.  The record is out August 30th on Western Vinyl.  I look forward to hearing more!  And, you can download another track "Ophelia" on Spinner!

3 Days, 3 Movies

I saw three movies this weekend...one for each day.  The three movies could not have been any different, but I liked them all just the same.  Here are my reviews:

1.  Horrible Bosses





I gave this one an A for comedy.  I see a lot of comedies, and I have to say that this one had me laughing throughout.  I really went into it with no expectations and was pleasantly surprised.  Colin Ferrell was the least recognizable and has turned into quite the versatile actor, I think.  I liked Jennifer Aniston in it, but found her character to be completely unrealistic. I thought Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis pulled off leading roles really well.  it will be interesting to see what they have coming out next.  And then there was my boyfriend Jason Bateman.  I love anything he is in.  He is just so great playing the straight person in comedy.  Horrible Bosses is definitely a fun movie, and I recommend seeing it this summer.

2.  Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest



Um, loved, loved, loved.  I give it an A+.  I posted before about my adoration of A Tribe Called Quest, but this film made me love them even more.  Not only was everyone in the theater bobbing their heads throughout the film, but people were definitely captivated by their story.  Like me, I think that most didn't know about the deep-seated drama and turmoil that the band went through while and after breaking up in 1998.  The film did a great job of telling the story and not taking sides.  Director Michael Rapaport did a Q&A after the showing and discussed all that went into the making of the film and shed some light about how the band feels about it.  They are ultimately happy with it, but some not as much since they didn't have full control as to the direction of the film.  If you're a fan of ATCQ music, you HAVE TO see Beats, Rhymes & Life.  It's opening nationwide soon!

3.  Terri



Most people haven't heard of this movie.  And, that's ok.  I gave Terri a B+.  I thought that it was super cute, heartwarming and funny.  John C. Reilly can't do a lot of wrong in my book and I thought that his performance was great as the Principal at this non-descript high school full of good hearted and bad hearted kids.  Jacob Wysocki plays Terri and is definitely going to be one to watch.  His sweet pj's are worth the price of admission.  I explained the film to a friend as being "super indie."  When I say this, I mean that is was a little slow moving, somewhat quiet and and very character driven.  I love those kinds of movies.  I think if Napoleon Dynamite had a fat cousin he would be Terri.  And I mean that in the most positive way.  If you are super indie movie nerd, this should already be on your list.

I should also note that I saw Terri at my new favorite theater, The Landmark on Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.  I was all, Arclight who?  It's a shame that The Landmark is so far away; it takes a lot to get me to the Westside.  But, I give them an A++ for everything from service to snacks to parking to the leather seats that reclined deep.  I felt like I was in First Class! I'll be back for sure!

New Song: Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons - "Home/Untitled" (Live on KBCO) by TwentyFourBit.com

While I do appreciate the Mumford & Sons, and the music they stand for (read: banjos rule), I have yet to catch them live.  Still, it makes me excited and hopeful that they have had such success with Sigh No More and I can only hope that success is matched with their follow up.  I hear they've been debuting new music on the road and they recently played one of their new tracks on Denver's KBCO, which TwentyFourBit was so kind to post.  Needless to say, "Home" makes it seem like the band is ready to get off the road and be home for a bit.  I can't say I blame them; they've had quite the whirlwind of a fantastic year.  And, they have more to look forward to.  If "Home" is any indication of what's to come, all their sophomore record dreams will come true.

Way Back Wednesday: Motorhead

I heard Motorhead this weekend and was reminded at how much pure and evil ass they kick.  So, I thought I'd dust off some old Motorhead for this week's Way Back Wednesday.  Motorhead isn't just for metalheads.  My friend Billy, who is super preppy gay guy, loves Motorhead.  And, my 5 year old nephew, Max, does his own mosh pit in the middle of the living room to "Ace of Spades" at volume 11.  It's really cute unless you're on the phone and it's happening in the background.  In which case, I usually hang up.  I've spent many-a-night gazing at Lemmy playing video poker at the Rainbow.  He's actually pretty nice, considering the name of the documentary made about him is called LEMMY: 49% Motherf**ker, 51% Son Of A Bitch.  \m/

New Movie: One Day

 


OMG, I can barely contain the emotion just watching the trailer for this movie.  I read One Day by David Nicholls for my book club a few months ago and I can honestly say that I have not cried like that in a really, really long time.  The book stuck with me for at least a week after I was done.  The book is about the relationship between Annie and Dexter, starting when they graduate university, and checks in on them each anniversary of that date for twenty years.  I would have never guessed at the beginning of the book that I would be so invested and fallen so much in love with the book.  The movie is directed by Lone Scherfig, who also directed An Education (which I loved).  I hope that the same sensibility, style and vision that made An Education so amazing will come through in One Day.  This one may be a twenty hanky movie.

Taking Back Sunday

I was lucky enough to be invited to see Taking Back Sunday perform in the Warner Bros. Records courtyard this afternoon.  It was a little hot out there, but they had cocktails and tacos to help soothe the sweat.  Check out the videos.  They were awesome and great sports, especially considering it was 95 degrees and they were wearing black.

Sneak Peak: Ladytron

  Ladytron - Selections from 'Gravity The Seducer' by nettwerkmusicgroup

Ladytron is back with their fifth full-length album Gravity the Seducer on September 13th!  They released a 3 song sampler and so far it sounds like pretty classic Ladytron:  spacy and shoegazy.  It's the perfect set of jams to get cozy with on this long weekend.  Enjoy!