Middleclass Haunt

True Beliebers: Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D

noreply@blogger.com (Alex RoQ) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:27:00 +0000

On the set of Lethal Weapon 5: The New Batch

Justin Bieber has become such a common, easy target for ridicule that I don't really have any desire to attack him. He's constantly the butt of jokes of varying degrees of mean-spiritedness about his age (he's an infant), voice (he had a sex change), his rabid fans (they're... well, rabid fans), and so on. It's not that they can't be funny, it's just that it's something that doesn't take a lot of effort or originality. For my part, I'll say that he seems benign enough and that he's put out a few very solid, enjoyable pop songs.

So it's with a little snark- though, and this is important, not merely snark- that I say that the first analogue to Bieber documentary Never Say Never that came to mind was, yes, Triumph of the Will. To be clear, Bieber is no Hitler, and director Jon Chu is no Leni Riefenstahl (for one, Riefenstahl didn't make Step Up 2 The Streets), but damn me if the feeling isn't the same. This is not simply a nearly two hour commercial for Bieber and his brand- this is exuberant spectacle in the service of out and out propaganda. It's fun (and easy) enough to compare the legions at Nuremberg heiling their Führer with crane shots of a sold out Madison Square Garden flying over thousands of pairs of hands making the same heart gesture that's one of Bieber's trademarks. Less obvious- and more troubling- is to realize how alike are shots of Hitler greeting admirers and kissing babies to the similarly well edited, obviously staged shots of Bieber as "just an ordinary kid," walking the streets of his hometown Stratford, Ontario eating pizza and offering banal platitudes like "Don't give up on your dreams" to the shell shocked fans he comes across (and, in one of the queasiest moments in a film full of queasy moments, dropping some pocket change into the violin case of a girl playing on the same street corner where he once performed). Both films, essentially, are well-staged, well executed documents of rallies, and both camouflage an insidious agenda with layers upon layers of feel-good spectacle.

Bieber Fever doesn't seem that harmful or different from any other pop cultural Fevers and -Manias; the film, though, feels awfully vile. Scenes of Bieber's crew and managers hand delivering free tickets to surprised, delirious fans, for instance, reeks of the basest sort of calculated PR grab. Elsewhere, an extended narrative following Bieber's struggle with swollen vocal cords midway through a tour is less a "day in the life" peek than it is an attempt to preempt any accusations of exploitation- again and again we're told in no uncertain terms that, despite the pain, this is the life Justin has chosen. What choice a 16 year old has when faced with this sort of immediate fame is a question avoided for good reason. Never Say Never insists that everyone around Bieber has his best interests at heart; that includes, of course, Justin's dad, a 30-something who left Bieber's mother when Justin was 10 months old but who now miraculously finds the time to sit backstage and play best buddy to his cash cow of a son, as well as legions of producers and records execs who, trust us, have no vested interest in Bieber taking on a 70+ stop tour.

This hype machine, though, can do nothing to prop up the star himself- as a documentary subject, Bieber is a void. Backstage footage and biographical segments are so dull precisely because Bieber is so dull- he comes off as a nice enough kid with quite a bit of talent, but without anything that interesting to say about anything (to be fair, who does when they're 16?). Likewise, the voice that we're supposed to be stunned by never really seems that spectacular. Youtube clips shown of a younger Justin reveal a warts-free but unmemorable voice, and the concert footage is so processed and over-produced as to make it sound exactly like an album recording, complete with conspicuous overdubbing. Admittedly, some of the concert footage shows that Bieber has great energy and showmanship; as a personality, though, he's simply not interesting enough to fill up this kind of space, and so the Bieber Marketing Machine steps in almost entirely.

For the preteen girls in the theater for a birthday party waving their hands along with the music (and, much to my glee, offering plenty of disgusted "eww!"s whenever Bieber was on screen shirtless), I truly believe Never Say Never is innocent enough fun- this isn't the end of Western Civilization. For my part, though, I couldn't help thinking how the film was little more than a tool to turn this one teenager into pure commodity while pacifying the concerns of any wayward, gullible parents. All of this, incidentally, married to the 3D format which is quickly becoming our preeminent force of cinematic artifice. The best 3D movies have accepted this (including Chu's own Step Up 3D, which used the medium to create a freebased kinetic frenzy of filmed dancing and CGI effects) or subverted it (as in Jackass 3D, where the medium's inherent artificiality made it even harder to comprehend the stunts as anything but terrific, surreal cartoons); Never Say Never, not surprisingly, does neither. The 3D is simply used to try and heighten the "I'm really there!" feel of the concert footage, though it accidentally causes Bieber and his movements to look even more robotic and fake. It's a handy metaphor for the whole film- Bieber himself made into a pristine, digital spectacle bereft of depth or reality.

A cinematic translation of preteen frenzy turned cynical propaganda? Never say never.

Justin Bieber: Never Say Never 3D (2011, d. Jon Chu): 1/4

I, Schlub: Louis CK's Hilarious & Todd Glass' Thin Pig

noreply@blogger.com (Alex RoQ) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 02:00:00 +0000

The nearly hour and a half of all-new material in Louis CK's Hilarious feels divided into three distinct parts. The first is made up of finely honed, self-effacing bits about CK's single life after his recent divorce mixed together- for no discernible reason- with some of his blandest, laziest work in his career. The second, more socially motivated segment features the track "Cell Phones and Flying" that many will recognize as the material CK recited on Late Night with Conan O'Brien that eventually went viral as "Everything's Amazing and Nobody's Happy." The third segment could possibly be the best thirty or so minutes of CK's career, and some of the best comedy I've heard in years. It's not a surprise that this material revolves around the raising of his two children- Louie's terrifically, vulgarly honest take on child raising has consistently been the most memorable part of his last few specials, and here it's breathtaking just how powerful CK is when he's spitting bile at stupid, careless parents (including, of course, himself) and how deftly he talks about his children with equal parts tenderness and utter resignation.

CK's act has always been about a certain nihilism, and his failed marriage has only reinforced this. Hilarious opens with the observation that "most people are dead... You're just dead people who haven't died yet" and that to be optimistic is to be stupid. This pessimism seeps its way into CK's delivery itself- descriptions of the way people talk (including the way he talks) are reduced to little more than idiotic grunts and whines, as though no one really has... nay, can have anything worthwhile to say. Even the seemingly self-congratulatory title of this special is pure venom- CK explains in one bit how the word "hilarious" is so overused and watered down that it is now a term completely bereft of meaning. CK positions himself as a comedian at comedy's end- to call his work Hilarious carries a sense of ironic disgust that cuts deeper than the more upfront Chewed Up or Shameless.

What's clear throughout Hilarious, though, is that this nihilism and disgust works best when it's aimed at subjects with which CK is really acquainted, and that's the obvious reason why his segments here about raising children are easily his best. CK elaborates on points he's made in and Chewed Up and Shameless; that is, his singular view that all parents necessarily suck because no one knows what they're doing. The obvious highlight of Hilarious is CK's vitriolic takedown of parents who discipline their children through corporal punishment. CK compares these parents to "consumers" who wish they could call customer service instead of actually having to deal with their children ("'Why does he play video games all day?' MAYBE BECAUSE YOU BOUGHT HIM A FUCKING VIDEO GAME, YOU IDIOT.") and rails mercilessly against the idea that hitting one's child is anything except the laziest, most inane solution to any problem. It's CK at his most disgusted and furious, but also at his most decent and sincere, and it makes a convincing argument that Louie is indeed the most talented stand up comedian working today.

When he's straining, though, it shows. Even his much lauded "Cell Phones and Flying" bit strays when he attempts to introduce rather simplistic race politics that come off mostly like the sort of PC white guilt overcompensation CK has usually avoided. Elsewhere, a bizarre bit about the heft of coins in the "Old West" feel like the type of utterly uninterested, base material one would rightly expect from a Dane Cook set (though it's better delivered here, of course). There's also the ongoing problem of the increasing exclusiveness of CK's language- while one can introduce someone to his older material rather easy, here it feels that one needs to understand something about CK's demeanor and past work to know why he uses words like "faggot" with such nonchalance. CK's penchant to simplify issues work to great effect when he eyes that issue with focus and sincerity- when it's unfocused, it feels hopelessly hackneyed.

What CK feels like more than anything here is not a schlub, per se, but Comedian as Schlub- a well read, intelligent, conscientious comic (whose liner notes for Hilarious thank no less than Bill Cosby and the late George Carlin) willing to deploy intentional laziness and efface anything- most prominently himself- for the sake of his act. Strangely, it's what simultaneously propels Hilarious to some of the greatest heights and some of the most listless moments of CK's career.

Meanwhile, Todd Glass- who was CK's opener during his Hilarious tour- seems to be the exact inverse throughout his Thin Pig; that is, the Schlub as Comedian. Though he's been a professional comic for decades, Glass' on stage demeanor feels like anything but a honed act. Glass' style is straightforward, honest and often banal, but for some reason this never detracts from his charm or his wit. In fact, that might exactly what makes his set so charming and so witty.

There's less venom throughout Thin Pig than one finds in Hilarious. Glass is introspective but with quite a bit more goodwill towards himself and others; the same type of humor that doesn't work as well in CK's set works a bit better here precisely because the bile is toned down and, more importantly, because he's not trying to make a larger point. A routine about getting lost while traveling to a "Watermelon Festival" that leads to the dilemma of asking a group of black people for directions, or a segment where he admits he might find gay marriage "weird" but that this doesn't make it wrong (and, moreover, that it's his own problem and eventually he'll get used to it), feel less like comedy bits than getting to spend some time chatting with a good-hearted, funny guy willing to poke as much or more honest fun at himself as at anyone else. When CK The Comedian replaces dialogue with grunts and whines, it has a tendency to feel lazy and phoned in; when Glass The Schlub mocks people who don't replace the pump at gas stations with a "Durrr" idiot voice or fakes a breakdown over a hamburger to counteract his girlfriend's complaining at a restaurant, it's surprising and strangely refreshing in it's utter lack of pretension or tact.

Overall, it's hard to come to a definitive conclusion on whether Hilarious or Thin Pig is the better album. CK is a master showman and performer, while Glass is an honest, dependable comedic workhorse; CK's material is all-new but stumbles in spots, while Glass' work is a bit more consistent but is also years old (you can hear many of the bits on Thin Pig on his Comedy Central special, his track on the Comedy Death Ray compilation, etc.). Give Louis CK credit for his risk taking, Todd Glass credit for the purity of his delivery, and both Hilarious and Thin Pig credit for being two of most entertaining comedy releases in recent memory.

Louis CK, Hilarious (2011)
Todd Glass, Thin Pig (2009)

The Great Gatsby, for NES

noreply@blogger.com (Juliabean) — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 15:45:00 +0000

Oh, hi. Are you reading this? You shouldn't be (at least not right now). Instead, you should be playing The Great Gatsby, for NES, brought to you by my buddies Charlie Hoey and Peter Smith.

I have your best interests at heart.

--J

I love Patti Smith

noreply@blogger.com (Juliabean) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 16:07:00 +0000

A few moments of the sublime in this song. Not all of it's gold, but those instances are there, and they sneak up on you and fizzle like Pop Rocks.

The remainder is still Patti Smith: raw, reaching for something. That's wonderful too.

Just a quick post from my desk at work. I should be editing a manuscript, but this song came on shuffle and I felt the need to jot down the semi-coherent couple of thoughts I had about it. Hey there Middleclass Haunt, it's been a while.

--Julia Rose

P.S. I should add that there's some good stuff on my radar at the moment, like these guys: Ancient Astronauts, and the forthcoming album from Parts & Labor.

The Clash: Manhattan Calling! (Live Bootleg, 1979)

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:08:00 +0000

"...there's a line in this next number, which is entitled 'All that phoney Beatlemania has bitten the dust!'"

And then the guitars slam in, and in a fraction of a second sound waves become corroded red cables connected to your blood pumping chest. Recorded in the crosshairs of their live and creative peak in September, 1979, this live bootleg is most likely the most explosive recording I have in my music library. I originally shelled out $12 for this bootleg at a record stand, but I'm giving it away free here because I share the wealth like a communist.

This is the product of a radio broadcast, and the professional mixing is stellar, letting all instruments shine when they should (most especially the ultraviolent guitars) while still holding on the grit and edge of the raw encounter of actually being in attendance at a Clash show. In a word, this bootleg is everything The Clash were when they were the Greatest Band On Earth for a brief period of time. I reviewed the recently released (and slightly mediocre) Live At Shea Stadium for Lost At Sea Magazine a few years back, and in that review I lamented that there must be a great 77-79 era show in the vaults somewhere that is a true testament to the band's powers.

"Manhattan Calling!" is it.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Safe European Home

2. I'm So Bored With the U.S.A.

3. Complete Control

4. London Calling

5. White Man in Hammersmith Palais

6. Koka Kola

7. I Fought the Law

8. Jail Guitar Doors

9. Guns of Brixton

10. English Civil War

11. Clash City Rockers

12. Stay Free

13. Clampdown

14. Police + Thieves

15. Capitol Radio

16. Tommy Gun

17. Wrong 'Em Boyo

18. Janie Jones

19. Garageland

20. Armagideon Time

21. Career Opportunities

22. What's My Name

23. White Riot

Source: FM Radio Broadcast

Date: 9/21/79

DOWNLOAD (MediaFire)

Hit the Deck! Please comment and spread the word!

I Don't Wanna Grow Up: The Joys of WWE Rumblers

noreply@blogger.com (Alex RoQ) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 23:52:00 +0000

I've been struggling literally since the beginning of last summer to think of something worthwhile to write in this space which Dave has so graciously provided. It wasn't until I saw that Dave's post about his vinyl acquisitions had the tag of "irresponsible spending" that I was really inspired. Irresponsible spending's become my thing. I was at Wal Mart on Friday. The reason I was there was to buy Snooki's book A Shore Thing. I was doing this because I thought it would be hilarious to A) buy and B) read the book. Snooki's book, though, wasn't what I left The Wal (that's what I call it, cuz I'm cool and/or Dane Cook) clenching my grown-man-hands in delight about. No, I had made the mistake of walking through the WWE section of the toys department, only to discover...

WWE RUMBLERS PLAYSETS!!!

Yes, WWE has taken your favorite Superstars and transformed them into wonderfully small, eminently collectible, and UNBELIEVABLY ADORABLE action figures! This is an absolutely fatal combination for me, combining my love of professional wrestling with the nostalgia that necessarily comes with these kinds of miniature toys with few points of articulation that made me rabid as a kid. I still remember blackmailing my mom into buying my more Z Bots on several trips to Toys R Us. I even had a set of similar tiny wrestling figures in elementary school. If only I had kept them, I could now stage my own dream matches- John Cena and CM Punk teaming up to face Goldust and Ahmed Johnson for a set of tiny WWF Tag Team belts? Forget it.

First up, we have the Ladder Match Playset featuring John Morrison. I don't think I have to discuss what makes this amazing. First, you have a spring-loaded ladder. Second, you have TWO (2!!!) fully breakable tables. Third, you have the promise of using said ladder to send John Morrison through said tables. I'm honestly surprised any store can keep this in stock.

One issue holding the set back from full glory is that the ladder cannot be locked down. If you want the ladder to look at all like a ladder- and not a ladder hanging from a large black cylinder- you gotta hold it down. The tables, though, are perfect. They break if you hit them right, and the legs even fold up so you can recreate all the times wrestlers fumble with setting up a table during a match. This might not be a big deal to you, but it sure is to me.

Unfortunately, this is to often the outcome. It's nearly impossible to really figure out where you're spring-flung wrestler will really land, so it takes a lot of trial and error to finally find a ladder/table position that will consistently send him smashing through the tables. I could see a younger version of myself spending a whole afternoon doing just that. Right now, folks, I'm too busy and popular for that kind of thing. Moving on.

Picking this up was a no-brainer. I'm old enough that I feel I don't have to spend time finding flat surfaces around the house to stage fights with my ringless wrestlers. No, if I want a miniature toy wrestling ring, I go out and purchase a miniature toy wrestling ring. Especially one that promises that I will be able to "Pound Paddles for BASHING ACTION!"

I'd be remiss if I didn't first bring up the included John Cena figure. All the Rumblers appear to be set up in their most famous pose, and you can move their torso, arms, and head. It makes playing with them a bit frustrating, though it's nothing an inventive child can't work around.
Anyway, please note how one of Cena's arms is positioned and moves in such a way that you can flawlessly pull off his "U Can't C Me" hand gesture. Twenty dollars is a small price to pay for pleasures like this.

The ring itself is a bit small- see hand for scale. Positioned within the ring are four colored plates for BASHING ACTION. As promised, pounding a paddle results in the plate shooting up at an angle, kind of like a Hungry Hungry Hippo without purpose. Outside of the obvious pleasures of shooting your rumblers around, I don't quite get the utility of these. The fact that one pair is red and one pair is blue makes me think they want you to come up with some game to play with a friend. Unless that game is "Cause your already unstable rumblers to fall flat on their face," I'm not sure what other applications exist.

Did I mention the ring comes with another table and- way more importantly- THE WORLD'S MOST ADORABLE MINIATURE FOLDING CHAIR? Seriously, nothing can top this chair. It's adorable. Just don't try and force it into the "grip" hand of your favorite rumbler. It will break.

The ring is way easier to put up than I feared. My apprehension perhaps come from my memories of setting up the toy wrestling rings I had as a kid, which involved carefully setting up the ringposts straight, measuring out the ropes and distributing equal tension to all four sides, and finally crying to my dad to do it for me. Here, you get three nylon ropes that clip easily into each ringpost. The ropes are suitably bouncy for slingshooting rumblers into each other.

It might seem curious that after all that playset excitement, I kept this simple 2 pack of wrestlers to show last. However, this was THE reason I bought all this in the first place. That reason is CM Punk. Just look at him. He's got a big old asshole smirk, and HUGE KNUCKLES. Look at those knuckles. Adorable.

Once you've opened and set up everything, it's time to RUMBLE. Here, I have set up the world famous "5 Man Pyramid of Tables With A Chair On Top and a Ladder" match, which I believe is a stipulation that's big in Japan.

This is invariably what the matches will end up looking. At this point, having a good wrestling commentator voice comes in handy. MY GOD LOOK AT THE MAYHEM!!! SOMEBODY STOP THIS MATCH!!! I AM ASHAMED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS!!!

Overall, I'd say WWE Rumblers are a great way to waste your money. They're small, adorable, and they can be easily set up in the ring to create a handsome and presentable diorama, perfect for the centerpiece of any family's Thanksgiving table. In addition to the sets above, there is also a steel cage (that fits around the ring!) and a Buried Alive set that comes with The Undertaker. Who wants to go to The Wal with me next weekend?

Time Capsule Transmissions From 8 Year Old Me

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 16:14:00 +0000

My father and I found this in the basement yesterday, dated from January, 1996:

The Weirdo Balloon

By David Toropov

A David Toropov Production

When a balloon gets caught in a tree, it gets very unstinkable. But this tree was stinkable, so the balloon got stinkalble, so everybody got up on this balloon and said PEE YEW I’m getting out of here!

“Get out of here, stinky balloon!”

And then it got very weird. So that’s when they called it the stinky weirdo balloon.

Maybe you’ll say, “Don’t write that! THAT’S WEIRD!”

Well, I told you that it was weird. If you didn’t want a weird story, you shouldn’t have started reading the book!

The End

We also found this:

If you look at this for too long, your brain will explode.

Notes and Mayhem (1/8/11)

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 14:36:00 +0000

Oh my god my room needs some attention. There are clothes everywhere. This is not like me. I am so much more clean than this. THE TIME HAS COME TO SPEAK OF MANY THINGS. If you could see this room, you would say something drastically foul.

For all those concerned/excited about Alex and I's impending living situation, the three finalists are Chicago, Minneapolis, and Portland. There's a lot of love for Boston between us, and it'll always be with me, but there's a time in a man's life when he needs to kick some doors open, yaknowwhaimsayyyinnn.

Julia and I are rendezvousing in Boston today to speak of top secret Middleclass Haunt secrets. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.

On the music tip, here's some Byrds and Raiders for you a la yesterday's post:

Two classics.

After spinning monstrous amounts of my new vinyl last night, I've come to the conclusion that this record:

is absolutely phenomenal.

Here's a little nugget of Garage Punk Hideout trashiness as well. I just found this blog/forum a few days ago, focused entirely on Surf/Garage/Punk, which is pretty much everything I'm into now, and they've got stellar podcasts:

KICKS FROM THE BOOT #17 - The Garage Punk Hideout

New Year Vinyl Haul

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 21:02:00 +0000

My car gets rescued from the Auto Shop today, looking so fly and handsome, and I've got to celebrate. Cause I'm feeling good. So I took a little trek down to Record Exchange in Salem, my favorite record shop since before I noticed girls were attractive, and I was looking to spend about 20 bucks. Whhoops. Don't let me loose in an independent record shop without a leash. I'm gonna hand over the title to my house or something someday in exchange for an original sealed copy of the first Herman's Hermit's record, I know it. It'll be embarrassing.

First up:

"The Best of the Animals" on MGM Records, looks like an old school original pressing. I was just down in Brooklyn hanging with Villanueva and listened to this record before he woke upon my headphones on his roommate's turntable and this record kicks utter ass. Best part about this is that the guy at the store threw this in for free since it's not in perfect shape and I was throwing down around $50.

For funk-hotness:

"Anthology" - Sly and the Family Stone, 1981 Epic/CBS Double Vinyl, Promo copy. I looked at the tracklisting for this and couldn't resist. It's got pretty much everything funky Sly did from 67 up til a little after "There's A Riot Goin' On", no bullshit, no suckage. Kinda pricey at 13 bucks, but for 20 tracks and such pristine condition, it's totally worth it.

What's that psychadelic jangle I hear?:

"The Byrds Greatest Hits", 1967? Columbia Records. A classic. It doesn't have "Lady Friend" on it, aka "Probably one of top 5 most underrated, underheard best pop songs ever", but besides that the tracklisting is pretty impeccable. I had the opening to "Mr. Tambourine Man" as my ringtone for a while. All in all, for $2? You gotta do it, son. And I did.

KINK KRAZINESS:

"The Kink Kronikles", 1972 Reprise Records. 2 Records. 2 Much music. Man, I stacked up on a lot of "Best of" records, I didn't really notice when I was up there (just wait until you guys see the jewel of this vinyl raid though). Okay, so here we've got Kinks awesomeness starting in '66(? maybe?) and ending in '72. So no "You Really Got Me" era stuff, but there's "Waterloo Sunset" (OMG BEST SONG EVARRR), "Lola", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", a bunch of great stuff. 10 bucks, and The Kinks have an awesome gap toothed frontman, so how can you not financially support that? It's got a cool British legion-y soldier/actor/Buckingham Palace dude on the front riding a horse, and that's gotta be worth at least $3 alone.

Maybe don't get on that plane, guys?:

"20 Golden Greats by Buddy Holly & The Crickets", 1978 MCA Records. The photobooth craziness continues, and can only be matched by the craziness of Paul thumbing off this record for free for me too. Awesome cover.

Finally, we get into the Garage:

"Midnight Ride with Paul Revere & The Raiders", Limited Edition Columbia Re-Release. This is an awesome addition to my garage record collection. "Kicks" is a classic, I'll have to upload that video soon too. Pure '60s pre-punky spunkiness. You gotta check out the tasteless colonial America costumes these guys would wear:

Maybe those pants are a little too tight for my imagination? A whole lot of man is up there in that picture.

AND NOW, THE MAIN EVENT:

DEAR LORD, IS THAT A THIRD MAN RECORDS 2010 REISSUE OF "WHITE BLOOD CELLS"?!!! Yes, it is. Only 500 of these were made, and they're going for hundreds of dollars on eBay. The record store was selling it for only 22 dollars, and it was the financially responsible thing for me to do to buy it as quickly as possible and not pee my pants.

So what did we learn today? Besides the fact that I shouldn't be doing this because I've got no more in my big plastic tub for new records and I did it any way because this place is a crack den for me? First, it sucks to go to Bruins games and watch them lose, even though going with awesome people makes it way better. Also, the documentary on "A Nightmare on Elm Street" I got from Netflix was an impressive way to spend 4(!) hours. Thank god they acknowledged all the subliminal (and awesome/hilarious) gay themes in Part 2. According to Robert Englund, they love that film in Europe. Wrong dude, they love that film right here in America. More specifically, anywhere in America I happen to be. Because I love that film.

TESTIMONIAL: "All Delighted People," a.k.a the Classic Bait-and-Switch

noreply@blogger.com (Juliabean) — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 01:53:00 +0000

The first two songs on “All Delighted People,” Sufjan Stevens’ new 8-song EP, will break your heart. If you’re at all familiar with the singer-songwriter’s 2005 release “Illinois,” this won’t come as a surprise. As on his earlier offering, the backbone of “All Delighted People” is Stevens’ voice; a voice without a single speck of grit in it. With “Illinois,” Stevens used his voice as a jumping-off point, skillfully weaving layers of instrumentation in and around it. Conversely, “All Delighted People” starts on—what for this artist at least—is an almost bare note. “Tomorrow you’ll see it through,” he warbles. The soprano “ooh”s that back him up lend the song the air of a tragic march—if there is such a thing—being sung by a church choir. This notion is reinforced when the ensemble is swept up into the first refrain: “all delighted people raise your hands,” Stevens preaches. You exhale. You’re willing to forgive him the conceit of borrowing so many lyrics from “The Sound of Silence."

“Enchanting Ghost” is the best song on the album and, at only 3:40, it’s one of the shortest. Here Stevens takes the stripped-down, brutal honesty of the first track one step further: the melodic parts are sparser, there are fewer instruments, and what little there are he mutes or sets slightly off-pitch.

These two tracks trick the listener into thinking the EP marks something new. Don’t get me wrong, I like “Illinois.” In college, my friends and I would mute “Planet Earth” and watch it with “Illinois” in the background, and we all agreed that it was a suitable soundtrack. That’s how good of an album it is.

But Stevens’ one fault is that he’s too much of an artist. Even when a song on “Illinois” is momentarily cacophonous, the pieces inevitably fall back together like a glass jigsaw puzzle. His lyrics are the same way. They’re personal, profound, but saturated with awareness of just how beautiful they are. Stevens never puts a toe out of line. So unless you’re in the mood for divine, straight-laced beauty—which has its place—you’re not in the mood for his music.

After those first songs, the EP moves back into familiar territory. What struck the listener at first as a kind of stripped-down honesty very quickly becomes a monotonous drone. Songs like “Heirloom” and “Arnika” plod stubbornly forward, indifferent to drooping eyelids.

You could forgive Stevens’ reliance on Simon and Garfunkel in the first iteration of “All Delighted People,” but it’s more blatant in the second one, the so-called “Classic Rock Version,” and by this point you’re no longer willing to play along. The first one is better anyway—it moves along at a more natural pace, and that’s saying a lot of a 12-minute song. Why should we have to sit through another 8 minutes that just isn’t as good?

Because as in “Illinois” at its worst, Stevens gets carried away showing us what he’s capable of. With this EP, he could have revealed that he’s a flawed human being like any other, except a little more extraordinary--someone who can show us the beauty in our own imperfections. But he failed.

--Julia Rose

P.S. You can download the EP for $5 from Asthmatic Kitty: here's ze link

New Staff

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 04:10:00 +0000

The Dervish.

The RoQ Martian.

I Left My Gat In NYC (The Notorious B.I.G. vs. Coldplay & Jay-Z)

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:20:00 +0000

This is a rough edit of Coldplay's "Lost+" (featuring Jay-Z) with "Machine Gun Funk" by Biggie. I'm starting to realize that if I want this shit to be any more polished, I'll probably have to get more expensive equipment. However, that probably won't happen because I'm in college and I'm broke. I like the mix though, some of it is just me messing around.

DOWNLOAD HERE:
http://www.mediafire.com/?yjetyn0lnlw

I Want Your Soul x Lights & Music (Cut Copy vs. Fake Blood & Armand Van Helden)

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:17:00 +0000

The two tracks are meant to be together like peanut butter and jelly.

Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/?utknwmmdo44

Flashing Light Horror (Lil Wayne, Kanye West & Jay-Z vs. RJD2)

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 23:09:00 +0000

A remix of a remix -- done with DJ Cinema's awesome re-visioning of "Flashing Lights." Best heard at midnight.

Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?jwvmdmnqn3y

Hey Jude, Celebrate One More Time - The Beatles vs. Daft Punk

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:04:00 +0000

Download:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?icjzxj2dyhe

Around the World With My Girls - Animal Collective vs. Daft Punk

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 00:59:00 +0000

Another mashup of mine. There's been a few early versions of this floating around, but this is the final mix.

Download here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?mywmadw2mon

Eternal Sunshine, Sleepy on the Cape

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:53:00 +0000

If you feel that life has deceived you,
Don't be sad or angry.
In your day of pain, pause -
Have faith that happiness will come.
The human heart lives in what is yet to be;
The present may be troubled,
But it will all pass within a moment;
And when it does, it will be beautiful.

-- Alexander Pushkin

Jack White Gives Me A Funny Feeling Inside...

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:27:00 +0000

Punk + Dirty Old School Blues + Guitar Prodigy = Tears of Joy Streaming Down My Face.

Elliott Smith Live Covers Compilation

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:23:00 +0000

As promised, here's a collection of my favorite live covers performed by Elliott Smith. They're made up mostly of Beatles and solo Beatles material, but there are some obscure nuggets in here as well. As a rule here, Smith ends up owning songs here that were, in most cases, written before he was even born, and I've personally been pledging allegiance to Elliott since the first time I heard Either/Or. That record got me through a broken heart.

Check out "Thirteen" and "Jealous Guy" especially.

If you enjoy this material, check out Rawkblog's complete collection of Elliott Smith live covers.
It's an incredible resource, and even though some of the performances and audio quality are spotty, it's a good time investment.

Also, before I sign off, I have to give a shout out to my Grandmother, Judy. She's been really into Merriweather Post Pavillion since I first played it for her this winter, and I'm convinced she's the coolest grandmother on the planet. She took me to see The Matrix when I was twelve, made a beautiful quilt for me before I left for college, and I love her dearly.

Favorite Elliott Smith Live Covers

Thirteen (Big Star) [6.02.98]
Jealous Guy (John Lennon) [4.17.98]
These Days (Nico) [10.14.99]
Harvest Moon (Neil Young) [3.29.99]
Waterloo Sunset (The Kinks) [4.12.97]
For No One (The Beatles) [11.14.97]
Long Long Long (The Beatles) [10.01.02]
Isn't It A Pity (George Harrison) [8.12.98]
Yer Blues (The Beatles) [11.10.00]

UPDATE: New file host - Download Here (via MediaFire)

Middleclass Haunt Presents: The Avalanches Mixes

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 04:59:00 +0000

Since I Left You - The Avalanc...

It was reported earlier this year that The Avalanches are expected to finally release a follow-up to 2001's Since I Left You, one of Middleclass Haunt's favorite albums of the past decade, at some point in the year 2009. The album was supposedly dropped off at Modular's front door on Christmas Day, but considering how long it's been since the band's official website has seen any updates or news about the album, I'm slightly skeptical. Perhaps I'm just afraid to get my hopes up, but eight years is a long time to go in between albums, especially in following up a debut record.

To celebrate the even-possibly-tentatively-awesome news of another Avalanches record, I've taken the liberty to compile my favorite Avalanches mixes, none of which have seen physical release, from across the web and distribute it to the masses. Some of this material, "Some People" and "Gimix" especially, are on par with the quality of Since I Left You, and contain some serious adrenaline rushes. Spread the music, my friends, and hopefully The Avs will hear the call and finally put out this motherfucking record.

Get a drink, have a good time, and welcome to paradise.

Ray of Zdarlight (4:42)
Some People (44:02)
A Different Feeling (Paperclip People Remix) [Avalanches Edit] (4:10)
Gimix (46:00)
Brains (Teazer) (23:11)
Together/My Bloody Valentine (3:33)

Total Time: 2 hours, 5 minutes

Download Here (MP3, 224 kbps VBR) (via FileFactory)

New Music: Fucked Up - No Epiphany (No Age Remix)

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 15:37:00 +0000

Taken from last year's standout The Chemistry of Common Life, Fucked Up's "No Epiphany" is reworked here by noise-pop outcasts No Age. The song is stripped it of it's adherence to structure or pop song conformity, transforming it into a five minute rolling wave of cymbals, distorted screams, and uplifting punk guitar riffs. This is a track that lives up to how cool the mp3 tag is -- put it on your mixes to impress scenesters.

Download Here (Props to Stereogum & Pitchfork)

No Epiphany (No Age Remix) is available on the No Epiphany 7", out now on Matador Records.

See Also: Lost At Sea Feature - No Age & Liars LIVE in Brooklyn

Essential Live: Elliott Smith - At The Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA) [10/21/00]

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 17:19:00 +0000

Until the day of his death, Elliott Smith had an uncanny ear for melody, no doubt a result of his heavy Beatles influence, and was honest and naked in almost all of his work. This edition of the Essential Live series is a show of his following the release of Figure 8, and has a top-notch setlist that covers almost every period in Smith's career to that point, including rare electric versions of "Needle in the Hay" and "Clementine." Later, I'll be uploading a compilation of Elliott's live Beatles covers and his last Basement Demo recordings before his death, so if you're into this, check back later for that.

Elliott Smith - At The Tabernacle (Atlanta, GA)
Performance Date: October 21st, 2000

Needle in the Hay
Son of Sam
Division Day
Can't Make A Sound
Clementine
Waltz #2 (XO)
LA
Lost & Found
Ballad of Big Nothing
Independence Day
Speed Trials
Bled White
Stupidity Tries
Coming Up Roses
Everything Means Nothing To Me
Twilight
Color Bars
Say Yes
Nighttime/Thirteen (Aborted)
Angeles
Fond Farewell

Download Here (via FileFactory)

New Music: Brooklyn (Go Hard) - Mos Def

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Although it barely stretches over three minutes and Mos Def rhymes over only one verse, this track manages to land a pretty powerful punch. It's the second remake of Jay-Z 's already classic "Brooklyn (Go Hard)," the first being Raekwon's successful stab at turning it into a Staten shout-out with "Staten (Go Hard)," and Mos Def stands in contrast with Jay and Raekwon in using a much looser, more playful flow. Perhaps the "Brooklyn" beat will just join "Hustlin'" and "Swagga Like Us" in being one that everyone freestyles over to sound bad-ass. I mean, I like Mos Def's version a lot, but I guess I'm supposed to.

Mos Def - Brooklyn (Go Hard)
Download Here (via Sharebee, props to Nah Right)

Raekwon - Staten (Go Hard)
Download Here (via zShare)

New Music: 1901 - Phoenix

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 16:54:00 +0000

This track comes from Phoenix's soon to be released fourth album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. It's got a great laid back, 70's pop feel to it, and if you really dig it, you can visit the band's official site and download a multitrack version for your remixing pleasure. Plus, they're from France -- and they're not a dance act. They kick ass, they're French, and they're not a club act. I didn't know that was possible.

The album drops on May 25th, 2009.

Download Here (via Stereogum)

Explosions in the Sky Announce 10th Anniversary Concerts

noreply@blogger.com (Dave Giù la Testa) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 05:47:00 +0000

The Earth Is Not A Cold Dead P...

Explosions in the Sky have just announced a short set of summer concert dates celebrating their tenth anniversary together. Having seen them live once before on their tour supporting All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone back in 2007, I highly recommend finding a way to make it out to one of these shows -- the group sounds just as passionate and explosive live as they do on record. The March date is part of Austin's SXSW festival, not the 10th anniversary shows, and is apparently a free concert.

Explosions in the Sky Summer Tour Dates:

3/21/09: Auditorium Shore Stage (Austin, TX) (Free Show, w/ Beach House)
5/24/09: Sasquatch Festival (Gorge, WA)
6/27/09: Hollywood Palladium (Los Angeles, CA)
6/30/09: Central Park Summer Stage (New York, NY)
7/02/09: Congress Theater (Chicago, IL)

Tickets for the June and July concerts go on sale on March 14th, and are available here.

(via Death + Taxes)