Assertion... Getting Back into the Swing of Regular Posting

I haven't been posting... but I'm gonna try to get back into the swing of it this week a bit! Working retail this time of year eats up a lot of time and energy, but let's see what I can do for the month of December!

So for today just to get a post up, I'm throwing out a quick song I've had stuck in my head by the Vancouver band, 16mm. This is from their TBA release date self-titled EP.

"S.O.S."



Enjoy!

Anticipation... New Franz Ferdinand Album in 2009!

I am very much anticipating this release! Franz Ferdinand's third album, Tonight is set to be a 12 track album featuring the following track list as of now:

#1. "Ulysses"
#2. "Turn It On"
#3. "No You Girls Never Know"
#4. "Twilight Omens"
#5. "Send Him Away"
#6. "Live Alone"
#7. "Bite Hard"
#8. "What She Came For"
#9. "Can't Stop Feeling"
#10. "Lucid Dreams"
#11. "Dream Again"
#12. "Katherine Kiss Me"

January 2oth is the street date for this release here in the States, but in the meantime here's a preview of the first single, "Ulysses". I'm also including a preview of the track "Lucid Dreams" which the band been previewing already this year, but they final album version is said to be different. Hopefully this is the sign of a very strong album to come!

"Ulysses"



"Lucid Dreams"

Appreciation... Snow Patrol "If There's a Rocket Tie Me to It"

I think this is a beautiful song. It's hard to not to be with that someone you love. Sometimes it's just the fragments left behind, the moments that you shared and store up in your head as all you have to hang onto to.



"A fire, a fire
you can only take what you can carry.
A pulse, your pulse
it's the only thing I can remember..."

Dedication... Bright Eyes "The First Day of My Life"

Back to blogging with a song for someone very dear to me...

Realisation... A Union Can Be Perfected!

To say I am happy tonight, to say I am satisfied tonight would be an understatement... I knew this moment could be achieved and this day has been won! But it's only the beginning... I am so anxious to see what's next... and I think I would somehow like to be some part of the call to service that we will see in our country. The is the most triumphant moment of history I have witnessed in my lifetime! I am proud to be an American. I am proud to call Barrack Obama my president.

Realisation.... We Still Have A Lot Of Work To Do!

This is it people! Let's bring about some change! I'm going to be up in 4 and a half hours, and I'm going to vote, and if I can do anything else to help tomorrow in my time before or after work, I would like to do that too!

Anticipation... Election Day November 4th, 2008!

It's almost upon us! Finally! I am excited! Not because I am tired of all the campaigning stuff, the commercials, the signs everywhere but because I am very thrilled to cast my ballot tomorrow. I hope my vote joins enough other votes to effectively end the reign of an administration that has held this nation in a stranglehold of ignorance and fear for the last eight years and replace it with an opportunity for hope and real change.

I feel this is my little corner of the internet, so yes... I can proudly say I am voting for Obama/Biden tomorrow! I don't care how anyone else votes, that's an individual choice each of us makes, I'm simply stating my preference. I haven't gotten too political on this blog, but I think there's a place for it now. I had the opportunity to volunteer a bit during this campaign and I think the thing that frustrated me the most during my time phone banking was talking to voters who simply feel there vote doesn't even matter. No matter how you vote, no one should feel they have no interest in this process.

This is the moment! I am very excited to have witnessed a man such as Barrack Obama politically take shape in my lifetime. Tomorrow I choose hope!

Frustration... Stop Me If You've Heard This One Before But I've Been Too Busy To Post!

I had been doing so well with regular posting, but with everything going on lately my best efforts have been lost. But my goal is to recover this week with some regular posts.

Stay tuned! Enjoy some classic Smiths!



Morrissey hair galore!

Appreciation... new Keane album, Perfect Symmetry in stores today!

Well, I've been a bit surprised by the sound of what I have previewed of Keane's third album, but it's kind of growing on me. It seems the trio is now a quartet and they've moved beyond their piano driven happy-sad pop sound in favour of something more bold and brightly sonic in nature. But check it out for yourself, as Perfect Symmetry is in stores today.

This is the video for "Spiralling"



This has been my polite critique of new work for an established artist I used to really enjoy, but now mostly wonder what happened?

Anticipation... new Snow Patrol album on October, 28th!

Just two weeks away as of tomorrow! Snow Patrol's brand new full length album A Hundred Million Suns in stores October 28th, 2008. This will be the band's fifth album, and their first release since May 2006 when Eyes Open was released.

This is the official video for the first single, "Take Back the City"


Take Back the City Video

Credits: Alex Courtes [Video Director], Paul Weston [Video Producer] (C) 2008 Polydor Ltd. (UK)

This is a performance video for another track from the album, "Please Just Take These Photos From My Hands"

Appreciation... Rachel Yamagata

My fellow co-workers were teasing today that much of my taste in music can be described as "music a girlfriend would listen to", and I suppose this post qualifies too! Thanks guys!

Rachel Yamagata's new 2 CD or LP album, Elephants... Teeth Sinking Into Your Heart is out as of October 7th, and I highly, highly recommend it! I haven't had it and lived with it as long as I have Happenstance, but so far especially with the mood I've been in lately I really am enjoying this new album. This is the video for the beautifully sad single "Elephants".




And from that 2004 album, Happenstance, this is the video for "Worn Me Down".

Appreciation... Sarah Blasko

I have been looking through my playlists and CDs tonight trying to make a list of artist's I have never featured on this blog, and it's astounding how many artists and bands I have never featured while others I have mentioned multiple times. So for tonight I have picked three tracks from Australian artist, Sarah Blasko. The first track is from her first full length album, The Overture and the Underscore, which was released in 2005. I have heard her compared to the usual female singer/songwriter artitsts like Fiona Apple and Sarah McLachlan, but I think she's got a style and sensibility as a songwriter that are strong enough for her own recognition without such comparisons to other established female artists. I appreciate her lyrics, they sink in with the close of each line she projects and her voice is almost at all times soft and ethereal yet works well on tracks both playful or sad. Musically her body of work encompasses songs composed as airy acoustic tracks to elaborate and lush soundscapes backed by synthesized orchestras.

But don't listen to me... I'm not a music critique. The only qualification I have for blogging about anything is just appreciation and enthusiasm. So enjoy the videos!

"Always Worth It" from Overtures and the Underscore.


Sarah Blasko - Always Worth It via Noolmusic.com


"Always on This Line" from the album What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have



"Planet New Year" also from the album What the Sea Wants, the Sea Will Have

Appreciation... Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

Here's a band I haven't thought about in a very long time! This is Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, an indie three piece (last time I checked) from Springfield,MO. This song, "Oregon Girl" is a very catchy track you may remember from their 2006 album, Broom. But if you're hearing it now for the first time, don't feel bad... just listen, watch, and enjoy!

Frustration.... Money

It's all we hear about these days, and I understand why... it' serious business, the stuff that makes the world go around. Money, or should I say lack or want for money, leads to recession, depression, but the world's had it bad before. So let's keep our wits and a song about it, yes!



That's all for today! I've got to get some sleep so I can get up for work and go make more of that stuff that makes "that clinking, clanking, clunking sound!"

Cheers!

PS: Thanks to the blog moderator over at Sphere of Repugnance for initially sending me the YouTube link to this video and thus inspiring this post!

Appreciation... Hello Saferide and getting over this cold!

From the album, Introducing... Hello Saferide, here's another great track, perfect for flu and cold season plaguing so many of us, especially if you have someone dear to take care of who's home with a cold. The track is "Get Sick Soon", and if you're sick or they're sick now may you get better soon! I'm finally getting to the end of my cold now.

Be well and take care!

Self Congratulations... My Return to Regular Posting

Well, this little blog of mine really snapped back to life in September, and I'm off to a good start thus far in October. I know of one of two people who visit my page and are "fans", but for anyone else who has stopped by I hope you've discovered a song or found some observation of merit here.

I don't have a lot of time tonight to post, but here's a video for today of a track I am rather fond of! It's full of all the questions and insecurities and little things you wonder about as you're getting to know someone and fallen for them too! From the EP Would You Let Me PlayThis EP Ten Times a Day, this is "The Quiz" by Hello Saferide.

Enjoy!

Jubilation... Moments from the Tegan & Sara Show on YouTube

Okay... I promise this is the last post regarding this show, but I'm mesmerised by the fact that with shows this days you can attend the event, come home, and the next morning there's all kinds of footage from the event on the internet, particularly YouTube!

Since I enjoyed the banter inbetween the tracks so much, it's rather cool to have the ability to see it again. So here's a couple of clips of some of the antics at the show further imbedding the memories of the "laugh inside" Baltimore crowd enjoying quips over the Presidential debates, the sad state of the U.S. economy, and the assortment of undergarments that were tossed onto the stage during the show!









Good times, good times!

Satisfaction... Back from the Tegan and Sara concert!

What an awesome night! I had my doubts whether I was going to pull off attending this thing tonight, but this cold I'd been fighting subsided, and I hit the road for Baltimore around 4:30PM after seeing my mom quick and paying my rent. Everything about tonight was smooth and that's exactly what I needed... I got there easily, no real traffic, scored some $5.00 parking, got in line early, ended up right up front for the show, scored some cool band stuff to take home, and got back on the road for home with no trouble at all. Got a little sleepy along the way, so I hit up a Rutter's around York for coffee (which kinda explains why I'm posting now even though I am so physically tired), but yeah... awesome show, awesome night!!!

The opening act was a band from San Antonia, Texas, named Girl in a Coma. I''d never heard of them until seeing them on the bill for the show. Their stuff is edgier than I normally go for, but I really enjoyed their set and seeing them live! I picked up their disc Both Before I'm Gone. This is a video for the album's second track, "Say".



The second act of the night was St Catharine, Ontario, Canada's City and Colour, which is a side project of Dallas Green, who serves as rhythm guitarist and singer for the Canadian post-hardcore group Alexisonfire. I'll admit I've never been exactly a fan of Alexisonfire, but Green's stuff I really enjoy! For a lone guy and a guitar he put on a damn fine set, and the crowd really enjoyed his stuff. My favourite track is "Coming Home", and I fortunately got to see him perform it tonight! The song was the 2nd single from his 2005 album, Sometimes. The Nova Scotia reference was probably what really caught my heart's attention the first time I heard it.

"I’ve been through Nova Scotia, Sydney to Halifax
I’ll never take any pictures cause I know I’ll just be right back"

I've lived that line. Damn I miss The Maritimes...



And last, but certainly not least... Tegan and Sara. They performed all the stuff I wanted to hear, but "Monday, Monday, Monday"(my only minor complaint), their banter between songs was hilariously top notch, and they crammed such a variety of their older and newer material into the set plus two new songs which I was very thrilled to hear!

I've posted so much about them already this week, but here's two tracks I truly loved hearing tonight...

"Living Room"



"The Con"



And that's my post concert run down... and speaking of rundown, I really need some sleep now! It's been fun to post though about such a fantastic night! And I have a cool new T to sport at the shop tomorrow! Keen indeed!

Anticipation... Tegan & Sara Tonight!

Well, my health seems to be rebounding quite nicely, so it looks like I'm going to get ready and head to Baltimore! I'm quite jazzed for this little solo adventure!

So I'll report more tonight on the show, but for now here's a video for what's probably my favourite track off of Tegan and Sara's album The Con. This is the album's last cut, "Call It Off".



I'll post again after the show!

Anticipation... Tegan & Sara Show Tomorrow Night!

If my cold permits, I have one ticket to see Tegan & Sara tomorrow night at Ram's Head in Baltimore! I am very excited! I'll probably post just to expel my excitement after the show, but for tonight I'm just posting vids for a few track I really hope to hear tomorrow night... this should be so much fun!

"Monday, Monday, Monday"




"Speak Slowly"



"Back in Your Head"


"I Hear Noises"


That's sadly all I've got for tonight! I'm just so spent!

Frustration... Too Sick To Post!

I wanted to post so bad yesterday, but I have been sick, sick, sick ever since the Baltimore Comic-Con with a head cold that won't quit! I was going to skip an effort for today, but I thought I'd post at least something...

...so here's to naps and daydreams, cold medication and songs I have in my head tonight!

Sondre Lerche with Lillian Samdal - "Modern Nature"




Regina Spektor - "Fidelity"



That's all I've got!

Good night!

Exhaustion... Result of the Baltimore Comic-Con

I had such a good time this weekend! But all the hard work and stress and hub-bub of the show, I managed to get a cold that is now wrecking my will to be the least bit productive, so this is kind of a no post for tonight.

I'll post something decent tomorrow! What a great weekend though!!!

Appreciation... Kate Nash

Not much time to post today... Baltimore Comic-Con set up madness today, but here's a quick post! I've had this song in my head all day for some odd reason...



"I'm singing oh, oh on a Friday night..."

Fascination & Appreciation... Swede-Pop, Part 1

Here's a post I really wanted to compile months ago, but somehow my interest to do so got sidetracked or lost in the mix of things. If you haven't noticed a lot of artists and bands on the blog right now are from Sweden! You know, Sweden!



My fascination with all the bands from this wonderful breeding ground of indie pop goodness happened with a mere bit of investigation to learn more about the few bands I knew from Sweden like Suburban Kids With Biblical Names and Jens Lekman. When I'm bummed out and can't sleep I spend time online... and I spent a lot of this past year bummed out and therefore online. But in the midst of all my occasional woe is me blogging on myspace, I'd take breaks here and there to browse through the music section. And I have to say that for any amount of complaining one can do about myspace, it's a damn good tool for social networking and to discover artists, filmmakers, and of course new music! I love too that by finding one artist and some info on them I have been able to find so, so many other similar artists and bands to enjoy. The internet really is about discovery to me, and apparently boredom can be a valuable commodity in life, it all depends on how you use it!

So here's some fond discoveries of my bored nights online... maybe you'll find a band you really like here too!

Stars in Coma - "Invisibility Track"



This is the video for the first single from Stars In Coma's newest album You're Still Frozen In Time, released back on March 12, 2008.
Director: Music Is My Girlfriend

Lykke Li - "Little Bit"



Her very first video! I could post a lot of videos for Lykke Li... so many good, good tracks!

Billie the Vision & the Dancers - "Absolutely, Salutely"



Live from this summer's Malmofestivalen, August 15th, 2008! I love this song, but the performance was all I could find! This was a particular favourite of mine to sing along with in the car this summer!

Suburban Kids With Biblical Names - "Rent a Wreck"



From their amazing 2006 album, #3. This geek-chic band has been a favourite since I learned of them back in 2006! I have enjoyed this album a lot the last few years!

So this post is a start in explaining why I go on and on about bands from this central Scandinavian land... stay tuned! I'll post more soon!

Salut! :)

Appreciation... Who Killed Amanda Palmer!

I have been trying to be good and save a bit of spare mad money for the Baltimore, but I finally broke down and picked up the new solo album from Amanda Palmer of The Dresden Dolls. I'll have a few fewer bucks in my pocket at the Con this weekend, but it's sooooooo... good! So I'm pleased!



If you haven't heard it, share my bliss with the following clips from the Who Killed Amanda Palmer video clip series!

Enjoy!

"Guitar Hero"



"Ampersand"



"Strength Through Music"



For more info on new videos and songs coming all this year, please visit her page on myspace!

Appreciation... Erik Halldén

Jens Lekman's not the only Swedish indie pop crooner I'm bit-boppin' around to these days! If you don't recognise this post's object of appreciation, please allow me to introduce you to Erik Halldén! This track is his newest offering, called "If I Ever Get Married", and I think it's probably one of the most charming and clever pop songs I have heard in a long time!

I hope you enjoy it!



Video credits and other info:

This is a non-budget video directed by Mats Udd.
Cinematography by Johannes Helje
Edited av Anton Skott & Mats Udd
Aftereffects support by Hannes Paulsson

Actors
Erik - Erik Halldén
gorilla - Ale Ottenby
Rabbits - André
Chicken - Maria Gromova
Cheerleaders - Ellinor Belvén & Emma Preisler
The nude ones - Rasmus Jonsson & Kristin Zetterlund

http://www.myspace.com/erikhalldenmusic
http://www.youtube.com/matsudd
http://www.cosyden.com/

Dedication... April March - "Cet air-là"

Some things are just easier to say sometimes with a song...



"Au fond de moi ton nom résonne..." ...sigh.

Appreciation... Pelle Carlberg

Another favourite to come out of Sweden... "I Love You, You Imbecile" by Pelle Carlberg, from his sophomore album In A Nutshell.



Oh, to be in love...

But enough thinking about that! How about the semi regular posting I've got going here again!

Woot!

Appreciation... The New Verve Album!

Yeah, I never thought I'd have this pleasure again in my lifetime, but after being apart for nearly a decade The Verve are reunited and the new album is out now! This is the first single, "Love Is Noise".

Enjoy!

Appreciation... Hello Saferide

A rather bittersweet single... "Anna" by Hello Saferide.



This is the first single from More Modern Short Stories from Hello Saferide, which sees its release on September 30 2008! This import is going to cost me... ouch!


Credits:
Directed by Sandra Löv.
Production company: Add Management.
Cinematography: Iga Mikler / Sandra Löv
Cast and crew: Lovisa Svensson, Minik Julén, Rickard Krantz, Benjam Orre, Sverrir Gudnason, Vally, Alba and Ugglan.

For more information please view:
www.razziarecords.se
www.hellosaferide.com
www.sandralov.com

Infatuation... Tina Fey

I appreciate her humour and wit... what else can I say... her husband's a lucky man. I hope to meet my own nerdy, brainy, smartly dressed, brown-eyed brunette someday too. If she can get me tickets to SNL, even better!





Oh, and I need to go buy 30 Rock on DVD now!

Appreciation... Montt Mardie and his song of Holly Golightly

My love of Swede-Pop meets my love of the film Breakfast at Tiffany's thanks to Montt Mardie. This is him and The Clocks performing, "Set Sail Tomorrow", live from the morning show on Swedish TV4.

Enjoy!

Appreciation... Silent Starlets

I've been busy looking up some info tonight on silent films and came across a new video morphing video of Silent Film actresses, posted to YouTube by user: blackmagictea.

Credits for this video:

Music: Annette Hanshaw - "If I Had a Talking Picture of You"

Featuring: Louise Brooks, Clara Bow, Joan Crawford, Pola Negri, Jobyna Ralston, Dorothy Sebastian, Mary Pickford, Leila Hyams, Dorothy Dwan, Anita Page, Theda Bara, Mae Murray, Gwen Lee, Bebe Daniels, Lillian Gish, Norma Shearer, Mary Eaton, Alice White, Betty Compson, Sally O'Neill, Marie Prevost, Bessie Love, Viola Dana, Nancy Carroll, Dolores Costello, Virginia Lee Corbin, Lilyan Tashman, Mary Brian, Betty Boyd, Sally Eilers, and Billie Dove.

Enjoy!

Distraction... Video Alphabet "S", part two

So many good bands to touch on for this letter.

"S" is for The Second Band - "The Flood"



From their very first full length album The Definite Form comes a delightful video from Sweden's The Second Band. If you're unfamiliar with the band, they offer the following description via their website:

"The Second Band is a popband which consists of about five people. Most of them are nice and easy going, got a decent taste in music and are able to stay in beat for at least four consecutive minutes."

I can only speak for myself, but that's really all I require out of a band. The video was directed by Fabian Lundmark.

I've really been addicted to their new single "No Song", but it's currently without a video. If you'd like to try out the track though, visit their site and enjoy a free download which even includes some nifty cover art.


"S" is for The Shins - "Phantom Limb"



Have you ever seen a school play with better production values? I love this track and it reminds me of my trip to Atlanta two years ago for a music retailer conference. I won the company's Rookie of the Year Award for my management skills at that event, and I got paid to sit on my butt and watch videos (including this one) and other promo material from record companies, got a duffel bag worth of free swag, and then flew home. Not too shabby...

"S" is for The Smiths - "This Charming Man"



Does anyone remember having Daffodil Day when you were in school to raise money to fight cancer? Well, as much as I had the sincerest desire to assist in raising money, my urge in 8th grade to buy lots of daffodils and carry them around sprouting out of my rear blue jeans pocket can mostly be attributed to this band, and more specifically the man known as Morrissey. The Smiths were the band that saved me when I was young! I loved plenty of bands before them, and numerous bands since discovering them, but they were the first band that really had songs that said something to me about my life. I was ackward, shy, dreamed of loving girls but too meek to chase them, I liked hidng in my bedroom with my books and my music. But you have to eventually leave that world, and I think Morrissey's lyrics helped inspire that first bit of courage. He also inspire me to not eat meat for two and a half years, and plaster the deli counter and meat section at the old Mechanicsburg Weiss Market with 50 little post it notes that said "Meat is Murder".

I also tried adding beaded necklaces to my wardrobe for a very, very brief spell, but once you start raiding your mother's jewelry box for the stuff she hasn't touched since the 1970s... well, it's a slippery slope if you're not careful!

So yes, they are still my all time favourite band! So many great singles, and I always loved the album covers with their moody celebrity photos.

Some favourites...

"William, It Was Really Nothing"



"Ask"



"The Boy With the Thorn in His Side"



Okay, at least their songs were well crafted, because the videos are rather dreadful.

Here's some singles covers I compiled though for the sake of nostalgia... see if you remember these!








And that's all I have to post tonight... very sleepy here...

I'm going to try to post more in September, so hopefully I can keep with it!

Jubilation... McSweeny's Quarterly Only $5.00 Each?!?!

Oh yes, it's true! Who's got two thumbs and placed an order just in time (I hope!) tonight on the tail end of this amazing three day sale offering many back issues of McSweeney's quarterly for a mere $5.00 each? This guy! $5.00 each is an unbelievable savings! They have a great bundle deal going on a year's worth of The Believer magazine too! But I'll have to postpone indulging on that deal... personal financial responsibility beckons!


In 4-5 business days I'm going to be one happy reader! Life is good!

Unfamiliar with this quarterly literary marvel? Learn more here!

Appreciation... Jens Lekman - "Black Cab"

I have really been stuck on listening to Jens Lekman's albums lately as I'm busy doing stuff around my place and a favourite track from the CD You're So Silent Jens is the track "Black Cab". To my pleasant surprise I found this video tonight, so I wanted to post it here.



If there's ever been a snowball that stands a chance in hell, it's this one. :)

Here's the song live too from a performance at Konserthuset, Gothenburg, Sweden December 11, 2003.

Admission... My life Has a New Theme Song?

Yeah, the Just Joans are singing my song...

"Hey Boy, You're oh So Sensitive"

Distraction... Video Alphabet "S" Part 1

Finally... it's here... the video alphabet goes on!

S is for Saint Etienne - "You're in a Bad Way"



I love this band! Their music is bright and clever and clean -this is perfect pop! I am not a fan of pop music in the sense of radio top 40 dribble, but in the sense of well crafted, catchy, quirky, 3 minute pop songs about life, love, girls, books, etc... on Earth Joe we'd hear a lot of Saint Etienne and everyone would drive Vespas and Mini Coopers to meet dear friends at cafes where they'd pass entire days idly chatting and sketching or picking at a guitar. There's more to this Earth, but I'll stop now.

"Nothing Can Stop Us Now" ...another gem from Saint Etienne!



S is for Sambassadeur - "New Moon"



Speaking of perfect pop... the Swede-Pop is an addiction of mine for some time now, and this band is one of my favourites. Gothenberg's Sambassadeur formed in 2003 when guitarist/songwriter Joachim Läckberg, vocalist/guitarist Anna Persson, and guitarist/vocalist Daniel Permbo were all studying in the town of Skövde, and later they added bassist Daniel Tolergård to complete their lineup. They have a large following at home and aboard, especially in the UK. Their 2006 Coastal Affairs EP had its song, "Kate," featured in a commercial for Payless Shoes in the U.S. that summer.

My favourite track is "Subtle Changes" but all I could find is a live version. The picture's dark, but the audio is decent. It's a beautiful song!



S is for Scanners - "Lowlife"



I discovered this moody pop quartet from London via a Dim Mak Records sampler we were giving away at Music 4 Less back in 2006. This "Lowlife" single was released in spring as a teaser for Scanners' full-length debut, Violence Is Golden, which arrived that summer. Scanners consists of singers/guitarists Sarah Daly and Matthew Mole, guitarist/keyboardist Amina Bates, and drummer Tom Hutt. Not to discredit this band's talent and work with this statement, but I count them in that category of new bands making new old post-punk sounds. I love it though! Good stuff.


S is for The Seahorses - "Blinded by the Sun"



As much as I enjoy The Stone Roses, guitarist John Squire's band The Seahorses are a band I favour so much more! This track was always my favourite of theirs, but I had a hell of a time finding a video that the embedding wasn't disabled, but fortunately I scored this version from a lyrics site. I just dropped the code for the lyrics that were formatted to scroll in a window beneath the video.

Well, that's part one... stay tuned for more. Lots and lots of "S" bands to come!

Appreciation... Later with Jools Holland

I spent the better part of this past weekend at my parent's house, and while I was there I discovered the arts channel Ovation TV is available on their satellite dish. So Sunday I passed the day doing absolutely nothing but watching Later with Jools Holland with my mom and sis. I've seen Jools Holland here and there over the years, but I really enjoyed the marathon Ovation was running, and I've found I've been looking up Jools Holland bits on YouTube ever since.

I've been working on continuing my video alphabet tonight too, so "S" will go up finally this week. I apologise for the delay... life's been crazy and I've been in a funk.

But here's some music until I finalise posting "S", some enjoyable performances from Later... .

Ash - with a cover of the Undertones song "Teenage Kicks"



Bloc Party - "Helicopter"



Franz Ferdinand - "Outsiders"



Duke Special - "Portrait"



Foals - "Balloons"



Arctic Monkeys - "505"

Fascination... The Life of Henry Miller

Yesterday I posted the Kerouac piece from the Steve Allen show, but during the same conversation I had about that segment, I mentioned a documentary I had seen several months ago that really fascinated me featuring Henry Miller. I've included the trailer and a brief synopsis of the film below. After the paragraph on the documentary, I included the bathroom monologues, as they were my favourite scenes of the picture. Whether one thinks he was a talented iconoclastic fiction writer or an indecent literary pornographer, you cannot deny his ability as a storyteller in his novels or in his oral narratives documented in "...Asleep & Awake".

See for yourself...



"Henry Miller Asleep & Awake" is a voyage of ideas about life, writing, sex, spirituality, nightmares, and New York that captures the warmth, vigor and high animal spirits of an American artist. Henry Miller guides us through his bathroom, covered with photos and drawings collected by the author. He points out the highlights of both this gallery and his life in this documentary by Tom Schiller.

To learn more or download, visit http://www2.indiepix.net/film/3121

Fascination.... Kerouac on The Steve Allen Show

So I was talking to someone recently about Jack Kerouac and was asked if I'd ever seen his appearance on the old Steve Allen Show. I said "no, but I'll goggle it". "Do that... it's amazing", I'm told. Well, through the wonder of the marvel that is the internet and myspace user rickagee, here it is... Kerouac on The Steve Allen Show from 1959.


via videosift.com

Phil, thanks for the recommendation! I'm glad to have seen this.

Frustration... S.O.S. : Need Blog Inspiration!

This is another attempt to get back into some routine of regularly blogging. I don't know why this is important to me -it just is. I think some of the things I had hoped for with this blog haven't really been achieved, so I'll forge on with this a bit more. Honestly, my greatest thrills with this blog would be to somehow correspond a bit more with anyone out there locally or globally with some similar interests. Teach me something new, make band recommendations to me, film recommendations, books, anything! I'd love to hear from anyone around the globe that stumbles onto this page... say "Hello", "Madainn mhath", "Haileo", "Bonjour", "Guten tag", "God dag", "Ciao", "Shalom", "Ola", "Marhaba", "Zdravstvuite", "Konnichi wa"! I would love to hear from you!

Hit me with questions, suggestions, anything, etc... I'll keep this going, update, and see where it goes!

Oh, a video before I go... Oasis "All Around the World"




Cheers everyone!

Frustration... Only Time for a Quick Post!

Lots to do this weekend, so my new initiative to post more could be in jeopardy, but I'm going to try to make little posts at least. I just want to try harder to always have something up on my page.

Tonight I offer up a video for an old favourite... "Something Changed" by Pulp



That's all I've got for tonight. To anyone that actually reads this page have a good weekend!

Be well.

Fascination... The Trailer for The Watchmen Movie

I've been on the fence for sometime now about whether The Watchmen series could be turned into a film that would do it any kind of justice.

This trailer for Zach Synder's upcoming film version is not a bad start!

This is going to be the only thing I'm going to be thinking about all night now. Hell, I've watched the trailer four times this evening!

Fascination & a lot of Anticipation... New Album from The Cure On Its Way!

Tonight I've been busy previewing all the available tracks that have surfaced so far from the upcoming Cure album, and I have to say I am very, very excited for this release! The Cure are the very first band I ever saw in concert when I was 13 years old, and 20 years later I am still very much a fan. I've had the pleasure of seeing them live on three different occasions on three different tours and they're still my favourite band to see live. They play forever during a show, and I've rarely not heard songs I wanted to hear -which considering how much material they have is just amazing!

With all the new bands out all the time, I sometimes forget the eternal artists that make up my music collection. The Cure are a solid section of the foundation of my own musical appreciation and sensibilities though, so there's no way my heart ever strays too far from them.

This is a video for one of the new singles with a title I completely resemble...

"Sleep When I'm Dead"



And in no particular order some videos of some of my favourite Cure songs live:

"A Strange Day" from Orange, France and the video of the same title, Orange, a video I obsessively watched over and over when I was a kid. The guitar solo after the second verse still makes me giddy!



"Charlotte Sometimes" - also from that 1984 show in Orange, France



"A Night Like This" Live 2005



"Catch" Live at the Santa Barbara Bowl May 29, 2008



"A Letter to Elise" from their MTV Unplugged performance!



"Pictures of You" from an encore during a 1990 show in Leipzig, Germany.

Appreciation... Sad Songs

Here's some classics I'd have to include on my life's soundtrack to accompany those not so good moments. Strangely though, I don't always find sad songs to be depressing. There's also something reaffirming in a lot of these tracks. Sadness is key to appreciating happiness, right? So I guess if you can see sadness as just part of the picture, you hold some sway over it. The problem is when sadness becomes the picture, all of the picture, the only picture you see... then you need to start looking for answers, you need to start looking for help.

Badly Drawn Boy - "Promises" This one killed to listen to there for a time for obvious reasons.



Lloyd Cole - "No Blue Skies" A classic... thrown this one on a number of mix tapes over the years.



David Gray - "This Year's Love" I think this song is particularly sad to me because it makes me dwell on love, the lack of love,or the hope for love in association with time. It leaves me with this sense of how easily we attach hope to a mere calendar change, "this year is going to be different... find love, find happiness, etc.", and how we hope for time in the sense of things that will carry on in our lives. It's tremendously hard to live one's life without the sense of something being constant, some positive that is eternal.



The Verve - "The Drugs Don't Work" From that title it's easy to think of this song in the sense of recreational drugs not doing the trick just when one needs them, but I see it in the sense of medication, vital medication not working for someone who's life depends on it.



Damien Rice - "Blower's Daughter" I went with a video here that didn't include clips from the movie, Closer, because that a film I would just as soon put out of my mind these days.



Damien Rice - "Cannonball" If ever you're in need of an an artist who excels in writing songs of pain and such severe sorrow, Damien Rice is your guy.



Travis - "Humpty Dumpty Love Song" This song just really cuts to the core of me. Who hasn't felt that broken and beyond repair in life at some point in their lives?



Trash Can Sinatras - "Got Carried Away" This song has been like a theme song to me at times in my life. My heart's been guilty of such action on too many occasions.



The Divine Comedy - "Commuter Love" ...not exactly a video, but I love this song, so this will have to do. I know too well about daydreams of a proper stranger, love unrequited and forever undisclosed.



The Smiths - "Asleep" A sad classic... years of junior high nights were spent crying into my pillow to this one, or was that last Saturday night? No, seriously... The Smiths still strike a number of chords in me today, but like so many of their fans, I really needed them when I was younger. All the same though, I am also very thankful for them now. I'm closing this post with this track.

Frustration... Oh, Life!

I try to keep this blog impersonal, but good grief am I cursed!

A statement I shall now back up with an example:

I bought my Saturn off a friend who I make payments to every month. He used to do the maintenance on both the Saturn I used to drive and the Saturn my ex-wife still drives. A Saturn she still takes to my friend for oil changes and general maintenance. She had one such appointment scheduled today at 5PM, which is about the same time I had also planned to meet my friend to drop off my second to last payment (woohoo!). Knowing how I fair better when I don't see the ex, my buddy kindly volunteered to stop by my work on his lunch break this afternoon to get the cheque and thus spare me an chance of seeing her. Crisis averted!

But... as fate would have it, Saturn moved its service center to a new location down the Carlisle Pike in May, and apparently my ex did not know this. So where does she go when she's in dire need of directions? She comes to see me at work. All that effort this morning on my friend's part to spare me an encounter... worthless.

Such is my life... the encounter didn't harm me. I just had to laugh a bit about my own twisted luck and best laid plans and such. It's oddly appropriate in a way though that I saw her now because this past weekend marked the one year anniversary of her leaving me and filing for divorce. I know for me it's been a rough year. I didn't meet someone right away the way she did, and unlike her, I am still living on my own. I wouldn't wish to deny her a moment of what she has now with her new guy, but I'm just anxious sometimes to find my own place again with someone. I think though for now I just need to be more comfortable with being alone, and I'll be fine.

Well, for old time sake... I don't wish to do this again, but these were some of my songs for all that which has come and gone. A really sad one that I barely play anymore because it summed us up too well, and the second song is probably more reflective of my own realisations I made as the end drew near.

Death Cab for Cutie - "Brothers on a Hotel Bed" (a live studio version)



Belle & Sebastian - "Waking Up To Us" (Live on Later With Jools Holland, from November 30, 2001)




And that's all I've got for tonight. At least I'm posting... as I said I've avoided getting into personal stuff with this blog, but maybe I'll reconsider that a bit. Who knows?