Because I'm lazy and don't have time right now, here's what I've twittered (sorry, but "tweeted or tweets sound even more fucking gay) in the past few months. I suppose I can take a lot of these points and actually write and report on them more in detail when time allows.
Oh and since they are Twitters, someof this shit of course would be stuff I likely wouldn't write about in here. Daily comments, but overall, my Twitter doesn't do even a fraction of the kind of pointless daily stuff like "I'm eating a sald" that pretty much all of Twitter seems to be about sadly. It still is reporting/opinion just truncated. And it's a private Twitter, but if you request it, I'll likely allow you to follow..I just can't be sure I'll follow you. As long as the spamming doesn't get to the point where I'm getting emails and on lists. But it's still will be private..wayy too many out there. I'm just sick of getting requests and turning them down.
@Mew new album is called "No More Stories" and being released on August 19th.New EP will be out earlier on 7/1. http://tinyurl.com/q6vmlm
about 17 hours ago from web
can 't believe @B!theband opening for @KingsX I have got to purchase their disc there.June 23rd oh man, 6/23/09 my biggest day in music ever
about 23 hours ago from web
June 23rd @King'sX IS HAPPENING! and not at FirstCrapenue, but @Station4 instead. @Atheist is coming Sept 7th (MN Metal Fest)
9:23 AM May 8th from web
@localnatives are finally coming back to Minneapolis, June 17th @400Bar. Now, if only "Gorilla Manor" would have more details come out soon.
9:22 AM May 8th from web
@Stickist Michael Ian Black you refer to very well may the actor/comedian maybe best known from "I Love the 80's" (and 70's, 90's) on VH1
9:19 AM May 8th from web in reply to Stickist
I finally am getting to see @HiromiJazz June 21-22nd @DakotaJazzClub .She's beautiful & a master musician/composer! Just aday after my bday.
1:08 AM May 8th from web
@Mewband new album "No More Stories..."? could be delayed until August ;\ ..o well, that makes more sense at least.
12:22 PM May 7th from web
@TheOnionNews report on the new Star Trek movie hehe http://tinyurl.com/coxd2s
3:22 AM May 7th from web
@sourlullabies totally. See topic if you haven't on ktb http://bit.ly/MCzn4
2:09 AM May 7th from web in reply to sourlullabies
June 5th @karnivool "Sound Awake" is the release date. http://tinyurl.com/cded47 Heath "June 5th. Sorry folks but the last bit of the delay"
1:59 AM May 7th from web
"Ran Away to Tell the World" from @OursBand was used on the CBS show NCIS.
1:45 AM May 7th from web
I hate to say, but The Decemberists album has definitely fallen out the current AotY race. It's just not that addictive. Top 10 even soon.
2:25 PM May 6th from web
at least 1 new @Threetheband album very well may be out in October and called "Revisions Volume 1: ANYONE HUMAN"
12:18 PM May 6th from web
@agdfairplay yes. Most of isn't exactly *spam* but more people do a search and find my twitter and want to follow.Most I don't follow tho
9:22 AM May 6th from web in reply to agdfairplay
for fans @MEWtheBand are opening for @NineInchNails in Europe this Summer. Me? not a NIN fan + I don't reside on that side of the pond.
4:52 AM May 6th from web
the song "Ran Away To Tell the World" by @Ours was used on @NCISTVSHOW the other night. Someone plz put it up on youtube!
4:40 AM May 6th from web
my cdr only had 17 tracks of @dredg 's TPPD, lol. I believe it was "Cartoon Showroom" I missed. Fucking webrip scrued it with 1 folder+2zips
9:20 AM May 5th from web
A new Mew song is going to be called "Spilling." But the clock is ticking for both them and Karnivool. C'mon guys, it's May fucking 5th!
1:44 AM May 5th from web
oh, and a proper dredg leak finally happened a little while ago. Gee, I wonder why, lol.
1:41 AM May 5th from web
"Uniform" underwhelmed me., but a double-encore with their singer crowd surfing was unexpected, but it was the last show of their tour.
1:40 AM May 5th from web
Review of @BlocPartyBand concert. Fun, and the songs worked live, but what was missing was the *big* sound they have on the albums.
1:38 AM May 5th from web
for what it's worth, a WEBRIP of @dredg 's new album leaked. Seen mixed reactions about worth checking it out. I will with a grainofsalt
4:36 PM May 4th from web
Imogen Heap's new album it sounds like will be released on August 18th. A Press release isn't far away. & @SUEMCLEAN I guess is promoting PN
2:35 PM May 4th from web
Bloc Party tonight @FirstCrapAve and it pisses me off I couldn't find my WEEKENDINTHE CITY cd today to play.
2:34 PM May 4th from web
Russian Circles = last night May 3rd. Doh!..o well, I saved some $.
2:33 PM May 4th from web
good to hear 3 news songs are already in progress for @KissKissTheBand All part of their masterplan to take over the world, I'm sure hehe.
10:37 PM May 3rd from web
maybe the @ANVILMOVIE will begin late enough (9:45pm-ish) where I can make it and still catch @OTHERLIVES at the 400 Bar between 8-9:30.
12:01 PM May 2nd from web
I can't skip @OTHERLIVES tonight just for that reason. To tell them how I love them as @KUNEK
12:00 PM May 2nd from web
I can officially conclude @KUNEKBAND >> @OTHERLIVESBAND not sure why but the Other Lives album doesn't have what "Fight of the FLynns" did
12:00 PM May 2nd from web
@AgallochBand 's "The White" + Friday Afternoon = WIN
5:23 PM May 1st from web
2-weeks from today, @WATERANDBODIES http://tinyurl.com/cuu3gc Debut EP is being released. It could be a long 2-weeks damnit!
12:20 PM May 1st from web
@_MK_ yeah this topic http://tinyurl.com/ddppz9 inspired me to listen to Kezia today. It's still a superior record to Fortress to me.
12:14 PM May 1st from web in reply to _MK_
"A Sin I didn't care for, but a sin that paid my debts A sin that fed my children and burned my smiles and cigarettes"
9:29 AM May 1st from web
note to self: checkout this local band @ActorandActressesBand @BetweenTwoSkiesBand keep telling me about them +they are on the bill on 5/9
9:27 AM May 1st from web
I would trade @CHUCK coming back over @HEROES frankly. It'sway more consistently funny and well-written.
12:30 AM May 1st from web
@GARYUNMARRIED is possible, @CHUCK and @SAMANTHAWHO? are still on the proverbial *bubble* source: tvbythenumbers http://tinyurl.com/bheqlj
12:29 AM May 1st from web
Word is the follow shows will not be renewed:@REAPER, @CASTLE , @CUPID , @THEUNSUALS , @DOLLHOUSE @TERMINATOR @BETTEROFFTED
12:27 AM May 1st from web
Finally caughtup @BreakingBadTVShow It's still got my attn, but admittedly, @BobOdenkirk needs to go. He's not that funny. More annoying.
12:18 PM Apr 30th from web
@TheDearHunterBand ACT III: LIFE AND DEATH Cover Art http://tinyurl.com/ckhyyk
1:42 AM Apr 30th from web
trying get in touch w/ whoever, to do promo work for Progressive Nation is probably a lot more work than it's worth. Adonde Sue McLean?
Soon @OntheRoadWithJudas will have some thoughts about this unusual Indie film from 2008 that nobody saw or talked about
9:40 AM Apr 29th from web
I wish I had saved that girl's phone number from last year @LiveNation. Kristi or something, I forget. She was in Chicago.
9:35 AM Apr 29th from web
Not surprisingly, @LiveNation has absolutely no Human Resources Contact Info on their site. Sue McLean ain't in the office til 10.
9:34 AM Apr 29th from web
I can say a big FUCK YOU to Itunes by only making it available WHEN YOU BUY THE WHOLE ALBUM.Go Fuck Yourself Itunes!I buy CDs not M4A FILES!
12:28 AM Apr 29th from web
"Have You Fallen Asleep" is the bonus track on ITUNES from Paper Route's debut album "Absence"
12:27 AM Apr 29th from web
rest of the 2009 PN dates: http://www.mikeportnoy.com/...
9:56 PM Apr 28th from web
Progressive Nation 2009 =Friday August 21st @ORPHEUM &it's morsuitable-for-metal-soundsystem.Pain of Salvation =completely avoids our clubs
9:50 PM Apr 28th from web
@Jimmy Gnecco of @OurstheBand is starring in a new short film with David Carradine! http://tinyurl.com/c26as9
6:08 PM Apr 28th from web
new @RealOceansize live dvd/cd Boxed Set "Feed to Feed" http://tinyurl.com/dl7kdh out in June.
5:52 PM Apr 28th from web
@agdfairplay hehe yeah. That was kind of random. The way they wrote the episode,it could get canned, or maybe not.A few weeks and we'll know
9:31 AM Apr 28th from web in reply to agdfairplay
@TheDecemberists are appearing on the @ColbertReport tonight (4/27/09) on @ComedyCentral
2:38 PM Apr 27th from web
@sycro just a claim. I'm surprised he hasn't mentioned it on Traversing. http://tinyurl.com/dm58ha but if the rip sucks, it's kind of moot.
2:37 PM Apr 27th from web
On the other hand, @SamanthaWho? is getting usurped by that Bob Saget p.o.s show. Cuz @UglyBetty is back. ABC = Already Been Cancelled
12:23 PM Apr 27th from web
@Heroes and @Chuck have their Season finales tonight. Monday evening tv will seem a little bit liter now.
12:22 PM Apr 27th from web
Supposedly the whole dredg album leaked, but the rip quality ain't great.
12:21 PM Apr 27th from web
who the fuck played the British mgr dude in the Law&Order CI Jeff Goldblum-premiere tonight? I hate how this info requires 2 much googling!
11:17 PM Apr 26th from web
@dredg song "Ireland" leaked. 5 tracks now are out there, out of 18. The rest you'd think wouldn't be too far away.
10:56 PM Apr 26th from web
New @Karnivool track is up "Set Fire to the Hive" http://myspace.com/karnivool different but still good. The video shouldn't be far away.
1:19 PM Apr 26th from web
I can't believe this, but Sarah (Reklessfabl mikeportnoy.com) brother Bob Jeske died.I knew him,saw his band.He was REALLY YOUNG :((((
9:29 PM Apr 25th from web
but I can't find it. I did figure out the Coheed and Cambria song "The Light & the Glass" has a JON ANDERSON-like vox part 7:50min-8:25min
2:05 PM Apr 25th from web
I swear, there's a chanting part on Rush's VAPOR TRAILS that nearly blatantly quotes a YES keyboard melody from "Yours Is No Disgrace."
2:01 PM Apr 25th from web
@buffyfest not rumor. Its been pretty much mentioned ever since it got moved to Friday Nights.only possibility is if the movie does well.
9:42 AM Apr 25th from web in reply to buffyfest
just heard another new dredg song "Lightswitch" @3:27 it's pretty epic.
10:21 PM Apr 24th from web
HILARIOUS: A band already posted a TRIBUTE to an unreleased/leaked Dream Theater song, lol! http://tinyurl.com/dn6exr
9:59 PM Apr 24th from web
http://tinyurl.com/crdzxd the new Imogen Heap album is called "Ellipse" and due out in August. Sorry Immi, I gotta be the messenger :P
8:19 PM Apr 24th from web
there might be something to the odd-number of hours of sleep. I got nearly 7 hours last night and feel spent right now.
9:39 AM Apr 24th from web
Other Lives = new Coheed and Cambria, Appleseed Cast,Jenny Dalton or Cloud Cult w/ conflicts.may skip CC to see them on 5/2 w/ Elvis Perkins
9:38 AM Apr 24th from web
The Dear Hunter Act III: LIFE AND DEATH http://absolutepunk.net/sho...
5:07 PM Apr 23rd from web
new Mars Volta single "Cotopaxi" leaked. Of course I'm at work, thus will have to wait 7+ hours to check it out.
9:31 AM Apr 23rd from web
It's going to bug me until I come up with who she reminded me of.
11:25 PM Apr 22nd from web
Collette Wolf played the blonde @ the funeral on REAPER last night. She looked awfully familiar. But Tara Reid is the only name that fits.
11:24 PM Apr 22nd from web
Mew: their new album may be released on June 23rd as well. That would make 7 albums and my head exploding that day.
8:04 PM Apr 22nd from web
Janus playing THE ROCK on June 13th. 2 years ago I would have been floored by that news.
8:04 PM Apr 22nd from web
Burn Notice: returns JUNE 4TH! and there's ANOTHER new USA hour-long dramedy called "Royal Pains" that has Campbell Scott in the cast.
2:30 PM Apr 22nd from web
In Plain Sight: I dig this how. And it had Paris (Liza Weil) guest-star in the 2nd season premiere episode on Sunday.
2:28 PM Apr 22nd from web
I agree with Steven Wilson. Playing your mp3s on shuffle is interesting, but does not lend to much value when you love ALBUMS.
2:27 PM Apr 22nd from web
w/ no OT, hopefully dvr clearing and overdue diatribes can be added to the blog.Matter of sleep and this fucking ipod not freezing my pc up.
4:27 PM Apr 21st from web
How is watching television any MORE or LESS UNHEALTHY than watching a movie?Seriously,I don't believe there's any scientific proof it is.
11:57 PM Apr 20th from web
@howwastheshow wow thanks for those. Being new to Robyn's music, it'll help revisit those again.
5:37 PM Apr 20th from web in reply to howwastheshow
off to see Robyn Hitchcock. Free ticket, I'm game.
6:27 PM Apr 19th from web
I was impressed today when I asked him and found Chris Cornell knew who Kevin Gilbert was. Doesn't mean I care for his music still.
11:48 PM Apr 18th from web
@hadesraze http://tinyurl.com/d6y5mu try the "4/16" show about 10-15min in.
8:09 PM Apr 17th from web in reply to hadesraze
Streaming a new Dream Theater song "A Night to Remember" this isn't bad.
7:16 PM Apr 17th from web
See the new MUTE MATH Video for Spotlight: http://tinyurl.com/cgmwp2
2:40 PM Apr 17th from web
this has got to be the longest cold I've ever had.
9:32 AM Apr 17th from web
man, Ipods suck all kinds of ass.
6:35 AM Apr 17th from web
ironically, I'm now watching Bryan K Vaughan's Dayjob writing, Lost.
7:24 PM Apr 16th from web
"Y: The Last Man" = done. A review in the long blog should follow soon.
7:24 PM Apr 16th from web
but I loaded like 90 albums into the damn thing last night. The ICON on "My Computer" and there's NOTHING in the bloody thing today, lol.
12:13 PM Apr 16th from web
Ipods force you use ITUNES to load music in them?..what a fucking joke. That shitty software always slows my computer up.
12:13 PM Apr 16th from web
what-the-fuck.Ist got sick on Saturday. I felt pretty good Mon night. I got like 7hours sleep last night. This cold won't go the fuck away!
9:20 AM Apr 16th from web
"secular" = NON religious.Geez,for some reason I always thought "non-secular"referred 2 NON-RELIGIOUS.Maybe its like flammable & inflammable
2:57 AM Apr 16th from web
and it's official. TRANSATLANTIC are doing another album. Yay! I'd still like some quote from NEAL MORSE. Keep your Jesus-preaching AWAY plz
1:56 AM Apr 16th from web
@thefrontloader lol. Well 120gigs..I have a 200 gig external hd that's about 145gigs full lol.
1:03 AM Apr 16th from web in reply to thefrontloader
I bought a 120 gig ipod.i suck.I know.I sold out. And that $ should be for other things. But they forced my hand at work w/ no cdrom access.
12:16 AM Apr 16th from web
"(sic)monic" are pretty..well sick http://myspace.com/sicmonic They should play a show with The Stiletto Formal.
12:15 AM Apr 16th from web
Karnivool's new album "Sound Awake" is to be released in late May. Finally!
11:26 PM Apr 15th from web
new Water & Bodies tracks are fucking ACE. But those boys KNOW HOW TO WRITE SONGS. Regardless if it's K-Fly. SSTP and since is proof.
5:40 PM Apr 15th from web
@karnivool "not long now".until...you tell the name of the album, release date, artwork, and have a new track on your myspace? liketomorrow?
5:39 PM Apr 15th from web in reply to karnivool
a new Mute Math video for "Spotlight" debut on Friday...man I can't wait to get home tonight and sleep.
2:39 PM Apr 15th from web
people are expecting Water & Bodies to be Kaddisfly. Geezus. It's 2 songs, there are 5 more on the ep. And it's NOT supposed to be K-fly!
12:06 PM Apr 15th from web
Now I want to read Bryan K Vaughan's "Ex Machina" series too.
7:03 AM Apr 15th from web
the fact they kill off a key character in the last book pissess me off. But I want to read it anyway. I missed it by 9mos.
7:02 AM Apr 15th from web
The echoey stereomix is charming but ultimately wrong and a bit annoying.I finished the last Book of "Y:The Last Man"but realized there's +1
7:02 AM Apr 15th from web
APES AND ANDROIDS on George Lamb + WATER & BODIES PREMIERE A NEW SONG today. I'm not sure how much this recording will be worth revisiting.
6:59 AM Apr 15th from web
So the new Mars Volta album also drops on June 23rd. Count now 6 New Albums on the 3rd Tuesday in June.
7:22 PM Apr 14th from web
I need to get these tax forms finished on 1 of my breaks. Honestly, I think 1 of my main reasons for coming to work today was those, lol.
9:36 AM Apr 14th from web
Probably 1 of the best debut lps for 2009, but I don't know where it'll ultimately fall among every record.
9:35 AM Apr 14th from web
Paper Route's album is decent. However, the jury may be out for a little while as some of these songs didn't grab me right away at all.
9:35 AM Apr 14th from web
Shia LeBeouf as Yorick?..no. Please no.
12:42 AM Apr 14th from web
On the fence on what to do now. Just had some soup. I could have more and watch tv + take some advil. Or sleep, or read more. On Book 7 now.
7:23 PM Apr 13th from web
new Paper Route leaked finally.
7:22 PM Apr 13th from web
On Book 5 right now "Girl on Girl" and well, the title does not disappoint..hehe.
3:43 PM Apr 13th from web
forced to finish the rest of the Y: The Last Man series today.I've been sick @home.But no renewals avail as all of the books are on request.
3:42 PM Apr 13th from web
dredg: we got "It's Not Worth It".nice set/show despite sound problems/tech issues.They could be back in July. Cool the band remembered me
2:04 AM Apr 11th from web
Best Buy..more like BEST LIE, lol.
2:53 PM Apr 10th from web
correction: 2 days WITHIN or BEFORE the 30-day deadline.
2:45 PM Apr 10th from web
would have been in effect $170 down the drain. BestBuy better let me exchange it.
2:42 PM Apr 10th from web
I found my BLOODY RECEIPT! 2 days shy of the deadline to return what is now a broken portable dvd player. whewww! I want a smaller/compact 1
2:42 PM Apr 10th from web
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles has it's Series Finale tonight as well. The new movie likely won't compare. TV Blog soon about.
12:13 PM Apr 10th from web
dredg concert 2night @VarsityTheater. The opener, From Monument to Masses I like a lot of, altho the political samples are milked at times.
12:11 PM Apr 10th from web
King's X opening for Porcupine Tree. That's fine, but I don't know why it would matter.KX are headling here in June, + PT won't play here.
4:28 PM Apr 9th from web
My Latest Novel - "Death and Entrances" now I GET the ANATHALLO comparisons. I was totally impressed (and expecting not to be).
9:25 AM Apr 9th from web
@agdfairplay sweet.I'm looking fwd 2 your post-SXSW show. Altho if it's over 75mins,I may have to try to split it (no mp3 player, just cdrs)
12:28 AM Apr 9th from web in reply to agdfairplay
Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left is released on June 23rd. Now 5 albums come out that day, the day of King's X & my dad's bday
5:57 PM Apr 8th from web
dredg new album preorder: http://tinyurl.com/dzhpc5
2:34 PM Apr 8th from web
correction: it's My Latest Novel's Sophomore album. I had no idea.
12:22 PM Apr 8th from web
My Latest Novel's debut album "Death and Entrances" leaked!
12:04 PM Apr 8th from web
Born of Osiris "A Higher Place" is ALSO being released on 6/23/09 lol. Let's see: The Dear Hunter, Soundscape, Dream Theater +BoO.Kiss Kiss?
9:37 AM Apr 8th from web
if this what-feels-like blood-rush in the center of my left arm doesn't go away in another day or 2, I may have to see a dr.
12:06 AM Apr 8th from web
how does one feel like they have a tourniquet (sp?)tied around their left arm, tightly, for like 2 days straight?When in fact there is none?
12:05 AM Apr 8th from web
May 15th, is the release date for the Water & Bodies debut EP as well. That's officially very HIGH on my anticipation list now.
6:32 PM Apr 7th from web
4/15: 3 big things happen. 1) Passover is over.Bread again! 2) Apes and Androids on a live radio show. 3)WATER & BODIES new song is uploaded
6:31 PM Apr 7th from web
@Sourlullabies have you ever heard(of) NICOLAS MAGELLIS? Cabaret Punk guy. Really could appeal to DD'sAmanda fans http://tinyurl.com/4mgvv6
5:08 PM Apr 7th from web
gawd maudlin of the Well were so fucking good. I have on their debut album right now for the 1st time. On par w/ Bath/Leaving Your Body Map
4:40 PM Apr 7th from web
Transatlantic reunion rumors I want tobelieve,but until we get something official,all they are,are rumors.Neal Morseneeds to say something.
4:11 PM Apr 7th from web
Okay, you may be able to officially call me a fan of The Soft Machine 3rd epic piece on "Third" is right out of Syd Barret Floyd territory
2:21 PM Apr 7th from web
I really hope REAPER doesn't go South like Gilmore Girls did w/ these writers leaving.
2:20 PM Apr 7th from web
what a total borefest that National Championship game was. I swear, I think the CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS are the only thing worth watching now
10:55 PM Apr 6th from web
new St.Vincent seems a bit uneven. Could be wrong, but the level of emphasis on the distorted fuzz-guitar may hurt "Actor"
@Neesh "MB Album"? help me in what that is. They have 2 or 3 albums expected in '09,right? friend asked last night @Fair to Midland
9:23 AM Apr 6th from web in reply to Neesh
Fair to Midland ruled 2night.They played all of Fables but Wolf Descends.New songs sound intriguing.May not be til '10 tiol we hear them
1:58 AM Apr 6th from web
@JessicaAllyn everytime I see that, The Yes song with those lyrics "Into the Lens" my head. I-am-a-cammmurah. Camerah-Camerah.I-am-I-am!
1:56 AM Apr 6th from web in reply to JessicaAllyn
@JessicaAllyn it's Cliff Campbell of Fair to Midland's b-day today too.
1:55 AM Apr 6th from web in reply to JessicaAllyn
Fair to Midland @TheRockNightClubinMN in about 7 hours. Far From Falling= no thanks. Smiling Politlely = no thanks. Johnnyrook= meh,not sure
4:54 PM Apr 5th from web
I just finished "Cycles" the 2nd story in "Y: The Last Man" Graphic Novel Series. Took maybe an hour. I have like 8 volumes left.
4:54 PM Apr 5th from web
the new Kiss Kiss album may be dropping in JUNE.What a huge month: dredg, The Dear Hunter, Dream Theater, Mars Volta, Mew (prob), Soundscape
1:32 PM Apr 5th from web
Cheapo St.Paul=now closing everyday at 10pm :(..hopefully Uptown still stays open til Midnight on Fri/Sat's.
12:20 AM Apr 5th from web
debating between boiling pasta, or picking up lasagna +greek salad from Pizza Luce + a Cheapo stop. Problem is, I can't find my music list!
11:01 PM Apr 4th from web
new Wolfmother song "Back Round" is actually not bad. They may actually branch out a bit with their new album. Will add to calendar.
4:37 PM Apr 4th from web
St.Vincent dripped out of the cyber-faucet!..this is sweet!
9:33 AM Apr 4th from web
Bloc Party back on May 4th?..interesting. Too bad it's a) on a Monday again. b) 1st Ave.
8:58 AM Apr 4th from web
King's X - Crap Ave June 23rd. 6/23 is turning into the most eventuful day of the year.
9:05 PM Apr 3rd from web
Late of the Pier + Warpaint= 2 bands I heard today for the 1st time and like. How much, only time will tell.
6:08 PM Apr 3rd from web
@lisa617 interesting. Although unless it's filmed or tours, it's kind of irrelevant for someone unable to attend 1 of those performances.
12:26 PM Apr 3rd from web in reply to lisa617
someone remind me never try listening to a discussion podcast on Friday mornings. A 47minute file,& I'm about 30mins in after almost 2hrs
9:19 AM Apr 3rd from web
King's X as well (Black Like Sunday=80's songs) guess it comes downto writing vs actually recording (or in some cases writing in-the-studio)
4:24 AM Apr 3rd from web
Soundscape, Dear Hunter, Beach Boys/Brian Wilson, Led Zeppelin all released work later that was recorded (or demo-ed) long b4 other albums.
4:22 AM Apr 3rd from web
Let it Be rec in Jan '69,common knowledge?I knew it was controversial w the band,but sorry, it'll always be known as the last Beatles album.
4:11 AM Apr 3rd from web
ooh, we just got complementary Dilly Bars! Me: I chose a Heathbar crunch. Really helping that new health conscious diet!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
:(
I guess there's been so many things in recent months I could-have and should-have mentioned in here, I feel like I did when I was in Calculus class in college and after struggling every night to complete 25 problems of homework, I got behind more and more.
So a ton..rather too many bands, albums, rumors to add.
TV Shows as well.
A Graphic Novel Series to review.
And even a few movies.
But to add to that, the fact I was sick 1 week. Maybe I had the Swine Flu and beat it, lol. No seriously, it might have put me out of my misery had I not.
I dated a girl..the 3rd girl since September in fact, but it was another 1-month relationship. I really wonder if I'm not cut-out for relationships. Call it timing, or not the right person. I continue to be lust and love's pathetic little bitch at times. Because I continue to seek it out, yet I have been disappointed and/or fallen-short with it my whole life. Perhaps I'm one of thousands, or 100's of thousands who have been through the same thing, many for much longer. But then I can just say I'm a fucking cliche too.
But maybe the biggest kind of hijacking has been on the proverbial boards. Most of the time, it very well could be me. Whether it be bad or fucked-up opinions/comparisons. Or just trying to be the messenger, but I only end up feeling like
a) I'm wasting my and many others time.
b) I'm really trying to boost my ego, but in fact I end up looking and at times ultimately feeling like a pathetic little bitch.
and people go about giving me shit for stuff..for doing things or writing things my way. Is it me?..perhaps it is. Or maybe it's just the nature. And at the same time, my nature/addiction cuz I should have left many of them a long time ago.
I mean if I did, I might be better off. Man, this is starting to read/sound like many of those whiney emo-entries I wrote earlier this decade, and then at times onto the okcupid journal I kept. But it's fucking true. I'd like to see what would happen if I was gone from all those boards. Perhaps some of those people would find a trail leading to here. But then again, perhaps they wouldn't even notice. Why should I care? There are many regulars from years past that I suppose I wonder what happened to, but I haven't tried to find them. So why would I be any different?
I'm human, but sometimes I think I try to not to be.
So a ton..rather too many bands, albums, rumors to add.
TV Shows as well.
A Graphic Novel Series to review.
And even a few movies.
But to add to that, the fact I was sick 1 week. Maybe I had the Swine Flu and beat it, lol. No seriously, it might have put me out of my misery had I not.
I dated a girl..the 3rd girl since September in fact, but it was another 1-month relationship. I really wonder if I'm not cut-out for relationships. Call it timing, or not the right person. I continue to be lust and love's pathetic little bitch at times. Because I continue to seek it out, yet I have been disappointed and/or fallen-short with it my whole life. Perhaps I'm one of thousands, or 100's of thousands who have been through the same thing, many for much longer. But then I can just say I'm a fucking cliche too.
But maybe the biggest kind of hijacking has been on the proverbial boards. Most of the time, it very well could be me. Whether it be bad or fucked-up opinions/comparisons. Or just trying to be the messenger, but I only end up feeling like
a) I'm wasting my and many others time.
b) I'm really trying to boost my ego, but in fact I end up looking and at times ultimately feeling like a pathetic little bitch.
and people go about giving me shit for stuff..for doing things or writing things my way. Is it me?..perhaps it is. Or maybe it's just the nature. And at the same time, my nature/addiction cuz I should have left many of them a long time ago.
I mean if I did, I might be better off. Man, this is starting to read/sound like many of those whiney emo-entries I wrote earlier this decade, and then at times onto the okcupid journal I kept. But it's fucking true. I'd like to see what would happen if I was gone from all those boards. Perhaps some of those people would find a trail leading to here. But then again, perhaps they wouldn't even notice. Why should I care? There are many regulars from years past that I suppose I wonder what happened to, but I haven't tried to find them. So why would I be any different?
I'm human, but sometimes I think I try to not to be.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Soon
A ton more news, updates with music..if the stars align, a huge blog or 2,3 will be up this weekend. Problem is:
a) I got concerts from dredg and Paper Route Fri/Sat
b) The Masters is on, however much that hijacks my schedule
c) there's a ton to cover of course.
But let's just say June 23rd and June in general is to be maybe the biggest single month and date for new albums for me, that I can think of.
Briefly on June 23rd:
-My dad's bday, and it's 3 days after mine.
-King's X are playing Crap Ave. Their 1st concert our town in like 4 years.
Albums being released:
Soundscape - Grave New World
The Dear Hunter - Act III
Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left
Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Born of Osiris - A Higher Place
and perhaps more, including the new Mew album.
The Mars Volta's "Octahedron" is released the week before.
dredg's new album "The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion" is released the week before that on June 9th.
Water & Bodies are making 1 new song stream-able on Wednesday April 15th, and their debut EP is being released on Friday May 15th. 7 songs. More to add later.
maudlin of the Well's new album could be available to download any day now. Also a new sideproject called "Baliset" I am intrigued by. Greg Baliset, I guess was 1 of the members of motW (and possibly Kayo Dot as well). It's his new project. I may purchase that soon too.
Apes and Androids will be on BBC 6 and George Lamb's show next Wednesday April 15th at 5AM to 8AM Central Time (10AM-1PM in the UK).
a) I got concerts from dredg and Paper Route Fri/Sat
b) The Masters is on, however much that hijacks my schedule
c) there's a ton to cover of course.
But let's just say June 23rd and June in general is to be maybe the biggest single month and date for new albums for me, that I can think of.
Briefly on June 23rd:
-My dad's bday, and it's 3 days after mine.
-King's X are playing Crap Ave. Their 1st concert our town in like 4 years.
Albums being released:
Soundscape - Grave New World
The Dear Hunter - Act III
Kiss Kiss - The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left
Dream Theater - Black Clouds & Silver Linings
Born of Osiris - A Higher Place
and perhaps more, including the new Mew album.
The Mars Volta's "Octahedron" is released the week before.
dredg's new album "The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion" is released the week before that on June 9th.
Water & Bodies are making 1 new song stream-able on Wednesday April 15th, and their debut EP is being released on Friday May 15th. 7 songs. More to add later.
maudlin of the Well's new album could be available to download any day now. Also a new sideproject called "Baliset" I am intrigued by. Greg Baliset, I guess was 1 of the members of motW (and possibly Kayo Dot as well). It's his new project. I may purchase that soon too.
Apes and Androids will be on BBC 6 and George Lamb's show next Wednesday April 15th at 5AM to 8AM Central Time (10AM-1PM in the UK).
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
More New Music: Long Distance Calling, new OSI
Long Distance Calling - Avoid the Light (2009)
Track List and Observations:
01.Apparitions 12:18..7:30 sorta trippy/mathy/melodic rhythm..awesome build..a few mins later it fades with atmosphere
02.Black Paper Planes 7:19 ..the drums standout in the middle..the syncopation and interplay between the guitar parts..synths, and drums work really well
03.359 7:57...tight drumwork..more subtle spacey synths..5:10 it starts to pick-up again..the layers of clean guitars really work well as it builds..epic
04.I Know You, Stanley Milgram! 10:28..nice grindy rhythm..then goes kind of clean and reminds me of PT..it really builds into a heavy, spacey wall-of-sound
05.The Nearing Grave 7:50 ..Warm/TRIPPY/DREAMY kind of vocals..a bit like Minus the Bear's vox...NICE BELLS OVER DOUBLE BASS
06.Sundown Highway 9:10 ...ANOTHER ENERGETIC RHYTHM..ALMOST REMINDS ME OF dt'S lEARNING TO LIVE..love the acoustic ending.
Okay, this has impressed me a ton, only played it twice. This German-based mostly instrumental psychedelic-tinged progressive post-metal really have composed an energetic, without-filler 55min album here. I am a fan of some *Post* music..actually I'm lying, in the past couple of years I have really found a lot of music labeled as "Post" in some way, to be my thing. But really they either are:
a) NOT the traditionally thought-of Explosions in the Sky or in the case on metalic groups like Isis and Pelican (Mono and some others..most recently Irepress).
b) they are often HYBRIDS. Bands who have a prog rock or psychedelic aspect to their music, with some other quality that is found in "Post Rock"
c) they also focus on SONGWRITING or frankly, don't have length-ly passages that lose (or bore) me.
d) They use a chamber element like trumpet, violin, cello
Groups like Kacica, Oceansize, Do Make Say Think, Nomia, Mutyumu, Clann Zu, Murder By Death I'm thinking more-of.
in the "Post-Metal" vein. Long Distance Calling do belong in the same class with this album as Russian Circles and 2008's pleasant surprise, East of the Wall. And perhaps even a few others I've gotten into of late in Eroica and the Oceansize-esque Meniscus among others.
Atmosphere, muscle, punch, tight compositions, layers, and a nice melodic sense. And actually overall less being more. It's 55 minutes, but it doesn't necessarily feel that long. I put it on twice yesterday, and I couldn't help but have my attention focused on each second; not wanting (or seeming like it should) end.
Give it some more time, but it's a low 80's/4-star album. In my top 10 for 2009. Chances are it won't move-up much, but when it does get passed-up, it'll likely be due to other even better albums (as opposed to it not standing the test of time).
I probably require to checkout their 1st album now as well.
OSI - "Blood"..some thoughts.
a) "Terminal" and especially "Radiologue" are the 2 exceptional songs on this (at least the 1st cd that leaked).
b) OSI have changed and very much may be a 1-album wonder. The textures and layering they used in that wonderful debut record "Office of Strategic Influence" are not used (or incorporated) anywhere close to the same way on this new album nor "Free" overall.
c) I should take the three good songs off "Free" ("Go!", "Bigger Wave" and 1 other I'm forgetting) and burn them with those other two and perhaps the "re:Free" ep into one compilation.
d) A few samples, but pretty much they are limited.
e) My guess is Kevin Moore did a great deal of the songwriting (including the VOCAL-LINES) on both FREE and BLOOD. As opposed to Jim and him, and even Mike Portnoy doing more of it on the debut record.
f) The 1st album flows really well, and in some ways could be regarded as a *suite*. Most if not all of this new album and "Free" are just a bunch of songs really. The mood changes, and not that effectively really.
More specifically with "Blood"..I suppose it may be a little better than "Free" and I want to still hear the Bonus disc material, which includes an extended version of "Terminal" one of the two really good songs on this album. Plus it does have a track Tim Bowness of No-Man wrote and sang on for what it's worth (No-Man being Steven Wilson's maybe 3rd best project, but a big level down from even Blackfield). But "Terminal" I dig maybe mostly with the use of the Zeppelin-like Mellotron. "Radiologue" has a nice hook to it, and I guess features Jim's guitar work, the way I like it. Melodic, thick-toned but not too-in-your-face. And layered enough. I love Jim's guitar work; he 's perhaps my favorite (or like a top 5 or top 10 guitar player for me). But sadly on this album and "Free" there's a bit too few and far between.
His guitar work (writing) on the 1st album and especially the John Arch EP "A Twist of Fate" was incredible. Maybe he wanted to separate that style a little? Or maybe sadly, he hasn't had a lot of new ideas. C'mon Jim, whatcha been listening to? He should check out some of the newer, spacier guitar work of a lot of the alt-prog and mathy/post bands perhaps?..hell it was 1999, but Todd Rose of Soundscape's guitar work on "Grave New World," especially the diversity of tones he used are light years better and more infectious than much of the last two OSI albums.
So, OSI, they really have jumped-the-shark. I figured I'd give them an 1-album bump in-the-road. But sadly, I think due to Kevin's writing style and Jim's input they are a verrry different band now. And very well may be always. It's too bad. OSI could have been amazing. I can't deny, the potential to have Daniel Gildenlow sing that 27 minute piece on the 1st record I'll never forget. John Arch actually almost became their singer as well. And perhaps without Mike Portnoy involved, the direction changed a lot. And what seems like Jim's main focus musically now, all his Fates Warning ideas are out into this (as opposed to them not being put-into the 1st album?).
Sure it's fine they have Mikael Akerfeldt sing and write a song in "Stockholm" which does bring back that mellotron sound a bit. But it doesn't ultimately sound that much different than if M.A. wrote an Opeth tune with a little industrial feel to it. It sounds like something he left off "Watershed" in a way.
Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson (whose involvement with OSI actually was much better), seem to be the token prog-related players of late. Everyone kisses their asses, when to me, their recent work has become predictable as anything. I wish people would move-on and stop praising things, that are their fantasy music-formulas. And instead, evaluate what they put out FOR WHAT THEY ARE. Dream Theater..hell, even Marillion I try and do that for the most part with. If Marillion puts out a bad or less-than-par album, I am not going to kid myself or anyone else on my opinion.
No OSI are just another name in the underground music genre of prog that were cool when they 1st arrived, but haven't followed-up that 1st impression with nearly the promise they gave. The prog scene is like that. Really predictable, and cyclical. Not unlike a lot of other genres. But I know, just based on experience, there is better and more worthwhile music out there to discover; rather than kid myself into believing the similar style, even recipe-laden music that come from groups who were great in the past, have not *progressed*.
But a lot of the people who listen to OSI, will with this album, and continue-on likely with other albums, to praise their current direction. Sorry, they could have been so much greater than they are. I can't be down though, with the wonderful new album Archive and even that Long Distance Calling album I just posted above, this OSI album likely will become an afterthought. I wasn't expecting it to be great, but still hoped I'd be wrong. O well, people have different tastes for good reason I guess.
At least I will get to see Jim with Fates Warning in September at the 10th (Anniversary) ProgPower USA Festival. Even without Mark Zonder. Jim should be doing the Jim Matheos music I love I imagine.
note: I mean to write up a big TV entry soon. Mainly involving the passing of a lot of recent shows. And some thoughts about some good new ones. In due time. It's been a never-ending intake of music of late as to why, among others factors, it hasn't happened. Plus, I mean to wait until after the final show is done to put it together, which will be in a week or 2.
Track List and Observations:
01.Apparitions 12:18..7:30 sorta trippy/mathy/melodic rhythm..awesome build..a few mins later it fades with atmosphere
02.Black Paper Planes 7:19 ..the drums standout in the middle..the syncopation and interplay between the guitar parts..synths, and drums work really well
03.359 7:57...tight drumwork..more subtle spacey synths..5:10 it starts to pick-up again..the layers of clean guitars really work well as it builds..epic
04.I Know You, Stanley Milgram! 10:28..nice grindy rhythm..then goes kind of clean and reminds me of PT..it really builds into a heavy, spacey wall-of-sound
05.The Nearing Grave 7:50 ..Warm/TRIPPY/DREAMY kind of vocals..a bit like Minus the Bear's vox...NICE BELLS OVER DOUBLE BASS
06.Sundown Highway 9:10 ...ANOTHER ENERGETIC RHYTHM..ALMOST REMINDS ME OF dt'S lEARNING TO LIVE..love the acoustic ending.
Okay, this has impressed me a ton, only played it twice. This German-based mostly instrumental psychedelic-tinged progressive post-metal really have composed an energetic, without-filler 55min album here. I am a fan of some *Post* music..actually I'm lying, in the past couple of years I have really found a lot of music labeled as "Post" in some way, to be my thing. But really they either are:
a) NOT the traditionally thought-of Explosions in the Sky or in the case on metalic groups like Isis and Pelican (Mono and some others..most recently Irepress).
b) they are often HYBRIDS. Bands who have a prog rock or psychedelic aspect to their music, with some other quality that is found in "Post Rock"
c) they also focus on SONGWRITING or frankly, don't have length-ly passages that lose (or bore) me.
d) They use a chamber element like trumpet, violin, cello
Groups like Kacica, Oceansize, Do Make Say Think, Nomia, Mutyumu, Clann Zu, Murder By Death I'm thinking more-of.
in the "Post-Metal" vein. Long Distance Calling do belong in the same class with this album as Russian Circles and 2008's pleasant surprise, East of the Wall. And perhaps even a few others I've gotten into of late in Eroica and the Oceansize-esque Meniscus among others.
Atmosphere, muscle, punch, tight compositions, layers, and a nice melodic sense. And actually overall less being more. It's 55 minutes, but it doesn't necessarily feel that long. I put it on twice yesterday, and I couldn't help but have my attention focused on each second; not wanting (or seeming like it should) end.
Give it some more time, but it's a low 80's/4-star album. In my top 10 for 2009. Chances are it won't move-up much, but when it does get passed-up, it'll likely be due to other even better albums (as opposed to it not standing the test of time).
I probably require to checkout their 1st album now as well.
OSI - "Blood"..some thoughts.
a) "Terminal" and especially "Radiologue" are the 2 exceptional songs on this (at least the 1st cd that leaked).
b) OSI have changed and very much may be a 1-album wonder. The textures and layering they used in that wonderful debut record "Office of Strategic Influence" are not used (or incorporated) anywhere close to the same way on this new album nor "Free" overall.
c) I should take the three good songs off "Free" ("Go!", "Bigger Wave" and 1 other I'm forgetting) and burn them with those other two and perhaps the "re:Free" ep into one compilation.
d) A few samples, but pretty much they are limited.
e) My guess is Kevin Moore did a great deal of the songwriting (including the VOCAL-LINES) on both FREE and BLOOD. As opposed to Jim and him, and even Mike Portnoy doing more of it on the debut record.
f) The 1st album flows really well, and in some ways could be regarded as a *suite*. Most if not all of this new album and "Free" are just a bunch of songs really. The mood changes, and not that effectively really.
More specifically with "Blood"..I suppose it may be a little better than "Free" and I want to still hear the Bonus disc material, which includes an extended version of "Terminal" one of the two really good songs on this album. Plus it does have a track Tim Bowness of No-Man wrote and sang on for what it's worth (No-Man being Steven Wilson's maybe 3rd best project, but a big level down from even Blackfield). But "Terminal" I dig maybe mostly with the use of the Zeppelin-like Mellotron. "Radiologue" has a nice hook to it, and I guess features Jim's guitar work, the way I like it. Melodic, thick-toned but not too-in-your-face. And layered enough. I love Jim's guitar work; he 's perhaps my favorite (or like a top 5 or top 10 guitar player for me). But sadly on this album and "Free" there's a bit too few and far between.
His guitar work (writing) on the 1st album and especially the John Arch EP "A Twist of Fate" was incredible. Maybe he wanted to separate that style a little? Or maybe sadly, he hasn't had a lot of new ideas. C'mon Jim, whatcha been listening to? He should check out some of the newer, spacier guitar work of a lot of the alt-prog and mathy/post bands perhaps?..hell it was 1999, but Todd Rose of Soundscape's guitar work on "Grave New World," especially the diversity of tones he used are light years better and more infectious than much of the last two OSI albums.
So, OSI, they really have jumped-the-shark. I figured I'd give them an 1-album bump in-the-road. But sadly, I think due to Kevin's writing style and Jim's input they are a verrry different band now. And very well may be always. It's too bad. OSI could have been amazing. I can't deny, the potential to have Daniel Gildenlow sing that 27 minute piece on the 1st record I'll never forget. John Arch actually almost became their singer as well. And perhaps without Mike Portnoy involved, the direction changed a lot. And what seems like Jim's main focus musically now, all his Fates Warning ideas are out into this (as opposed to them not being put-into the 1st album?).
Sure it's fine they have Mikael Akerfeldt sing and write a song in "Stockholm" which does bring back that mellotron sound a bit. But it doesn't ultimately sound that much different than if M.A. wrote an Opeth tune with a little industrial feel to it. It sounds like something he left off "Watershed" in a way.
Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson (whose involvement with OSI actually was much better), seem to be the token prog-related players of late. Everyone kisses their asses, when to me, their recent work has become predictable as anything. I wish people would move-on and stop praising things, that are their fantasy music-formulas. And instead, evaluate what they put out FOR WHAT THEY ARE. Dream Theater..hell, even Marillion I try and do that for the most part with. If Marillion puts out a bad or less-than-par album, I am not going to kid myself or anyone else on my opinion.
No OSI are just another name in the underground music genre of prog that were cool when they 1st arrived, but haven't followed-up that 1st impression with nearly the promise they gave. The prog scene is like that. Really predictable, and cyclical. Not unlike a lot of other genres. But I know, just based on experience, there is better and more worthwhile music out there to discover; rather than kid myself into believing the similar style, even recipe-laden music that come from groups who were great in the past, have not *progressed*.
But a lot of the people who listen to OSI, will with this album, and continue-on likely with other albums, to praise their current direction. Sorry, they could have been so much greater than they are. I can't be down though, with the wonderful new album Archive and even that Long Distance Calling album I just posted above, this OSI album likely will become an afterthought. I wasn't expecting it to be great, but still hoped I'd be wrong. O well, people have different tastes for good reason I guess.
At least I will get to see Jim with Fates Warning in September at the 10th (Anniversary) ProgPower USA Festival. Even without Mark Zonder. Jim should be doing the Jim Matheos music I love I imagine.
note: I mean to write up a big TV entry soon. Mainly involving the passing of a lot of recent shows. And some thoughts about some good new ones. In due time. It's been a never-ending intake of music of late as to why, among others factors, it hasn't happened. Plus, I mean to wait until after the final show is done to put it together, which will be in a week or 2.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Post-March Spring Break: St.Vincent and a lot of other music news
St.Vincent: her new album is called "Actor" and will be released on May 5th.
Tracklist:
1. The Strangers
2. Save Me From What I Want
3. Neighbours
4. Actor Out of Work
5. Black Rainbow
6. Laughing With a Mouth of Blood
7. Marrow
8. The Bed
9. The Party
10. Just the Same but Brand New
11. The Sequel
Pretty sweet new song "The Strangers" is up on her MYSPACE PAGE and her website
‘Actor’ is available for pre-order now. Early CD and LP orders come with a free limited edition 7” featuring the album track “Actor Out of Work,” and the exclusive, non-album track “Bicycle” on the flipside. more info
ST. VINCENT 2009 U.S. TOUR DATES
5/19/2009 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
5/20/2009 New York, NY Webster Hall
5/21/2009 Philadelphia, PA Unitarian Church
5/22/2009 Washington, DC Black Cat
5/24/2009 George, WA Sasquatch!
5/25/2009 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
5/27/2009 San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s 365 Club
5/28/2009 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
5/30/2009 San Diego, CA Casbah
5/31/2009 Phoenix, AZ Modified
6/2/2009 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
6/3/2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr.
6/4/2009 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
6/5/2009 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
6/7/2009 Chicago, IL Epiphany
6/10/2009 Lexington, KY The Dame
6/11/2009 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
6/12/2009 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
6/16/2009 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree
6/18/2009 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre
6/19/2009 Austin, TX Mohawk
I may have to do that pre-order deal. First Ave again?..BLECH! I should check The Entry's calendar. I suppose given Jeremy Messersmith and Amanda Palmer's acoustic/quiet sections of their show, maybe the lack-of-soundproofing won't affect Annie's show as much if it's more electric stuff. Dunno. It still won't eliminate interference between songs.
maudlin of the Well's free digital album will be available in only a few weeks online! I did put about $12 I recall towards that donation. I'm definitely looking fwd to it, and cautiously hoping the amount of Kayo Dot influence is minimal in the writing. motW = good, Kayo Dot = bad (mostly).
Sound & Shape - The Love Electric (EP) (2009)
Maybe the best EP of this early season. A lot of what I dig in the Mars Volta-kind of sound.
40/50
myspace page
Sholi - Sholi (2009)
Sholi's myspace
Bought this disc used a few days ago @Zia in AZ on vacation. I had sampled them previously, but wasn't certain about how much I'd like em. As it turns out, I do like them, but am not blown away or anything (yet). It's a consistent album start-to-finish. Riffy, experimental, somewhat stripped-down at times. Sort of a mix of Deerhoof and The Skeletons just guessing off the top of my head. A bit like the Grammatics album, with song-after-song having some part or energetic section that works, but overall I'm not sure if it'll place quite as high.
Closer to my kind of "experimental" music anyway.
70/100
a whole slew of new bands I'm checking out, but sadly, Sholi and perhaps 2 others The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and Japanese "Progressive Post-Rock" band Presence of Soul are the only ones that have worked for me thus far. But I got like 15 or so new names between blogs and Alternative Press's new "100 Bands You Need To Know for 2009" issue. TFTBO and Sound & Shape, ironically were not among *the 100* though.
Mastodon finally leaked (a full version, the drop date is Tuesday 3/24 like the New Decemberists) and the new dredg album may not be far away either as the 1st teaser/review was posted there. Usually w/ new reviews -> many promos sent out -> a leak. June 9th it's been pushed back to, but we may have a similar CWA situation with a very early leak. I don't mind, the band probably overall doesn't either given they know they have a large and loyal fan-base that will buy it anyway.
Porcupine Tree: New album is due September 21st. It will consist of 2 cds. 1 being 1 single 55minute song, the other individual songs.
I seriously doubt this will be a top 10 candidate just based on how much filler this could have. Really fucking sad, as Steven Wilson seems to be getting highly predictable. But maybe I'll be wrong about that. a 3-album winning streak this decade (Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia, Deadwing) would suggest potential comeback, but INSURGENTES sadly doesn't support the chances of that.
The new Dream Theater album comes out on June 23rd, like Soundscape. It's called "Black Clouds & Silver Linings." 6 Songs on cd 1. A 2nd cd of covers and then I guess an all-instrumental version of it on another disc depending on which version you get. Plus it's being issues on vinyl.
I'll likely, like some of it, but find a lot of it to be wanking filler and/or cheesy lyrics. But I'd love to be wrong. The band need a kick in the ass, but it hasn't come with their last 3. More piano and analog synths. More organic or even acoustic. But 6 songs for them means a few epic tracks, with in all likelihood will include the necessary extended proggy parts they enjoy. Fine. I just don't expect much more at this stage. But like I said, it would mean a lot for me, for them to comeback and make a statement like SCENES FROM A MEMORY or even 6 DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE.
also not a top 10 candidate just based on how huge and deep a year 2009 very likely will be. A top 50 likely, for what it's worth.
Blackfield also may have a new album out in 2009. Coheed and Cambria and Alter Bridge were a couple of others.
Oceansize has a new EP they are working on right now too that should be out in the Fall. They're on twitter if anyone is up for reading more about it. Keywords: Mike Vennart
The Dear Hunter are working on ACT III in the studio right now; really they have for a few months. They have I guess 14 or 15 songs (or movements), 1 being an in instrumental. Another having a working title "Poison Woman" that I guess has a ragtime feel to it. Their goal to have it out is "by Spring" but given how little info is finalized, my money is Aug/Sept-ish.
Subterranean Masquerade I got a message back from on myspace about "In Pastille Colors" the other day. But really no info about if/when it'll be out. Just that they've been working on it for the better part of 3 years.
Orphaned Land on the other hand will be finally releasing "The Neverending Way ORWarriOR" finally in October (projected). Steven Wilson is NOT producing (apparently, whatever that means), but will be mixing and playing keyboards on it. And done via mail/email I guess given schedule. Perhaps the reason he's not technically producing it now is due to that and not being able to be in Israel with the band. I put on 2004's "Mabool" last week and I can't deny, that album has some awesome moments throughout; that with Wilson on board and their progression as songwriters since, it could be a big sleeper for Metal album, or just plain a top 5 or top 10 album for '09.
fuck, I got a ton of other pieces to add, but of course time is always at a shortage. TV and the Synecdoche, NY DVD among others. I now have a portable DVD player.
Gophers (Men's basketball) lost badly to Texas in the NCAA's. It's not surprising. They weren't playing that well, and team's have figured out how to defend and score on them. If their press doesn't work (or they DON'T USE IT OFTEN, AND EARLY) they don't win usually. 2009-2010 is their year, but I'm not convinced Tubby's that great a coach (here at least, and yet). So far, my bracket looks pretty good like most, with mostly favorites winning. I'd rather have seen American beat Villanova just to screw up others brackets. I have Louisville beating North Carolina I recall in the National Championship game.
Catching up on TV. Castle is good. Breaking Bad I also am on board with. Bryan Cranston is very different, but still quite entertaining in it. I don't get what all the fuss is about that dry 50's drama Mad Men on American Movie Classics Channel. I was highly underwhelmed and bored. The audiences for Breaking Bad and that show seem pretty different, yet they air them back-2-back on Sunday nights for some reason.
Y: The Last Man I read the 1st graphic novel "Unmanned" over my Spring Break in Arizona. It's from Lost writer Bryan K. Vaughn Really intriguing Post-apocalyptic story. There's 8 more I guess, and I have almost all of them on request now at the library. Being a fan of Jeremiah and the use of that story setting, I am looking forward to going through the rest of the series. When I'm done, I'll try and write a more thorough review. It's nice to have some reading, even if they seem more like glorified, but closer-to-real-world comic books. They take a lot less time to finish (presumably).
Tracklist:
1. The Strangers
2. Save Me From What I Want
3. Neighbours
4. Actor Out of Work
5. Black Rainbow
6. Laughing With a Mouth of Blood
7. Marrow
8. The Bed
9. The Party
10. Just the Same but Brand New
11. The Sequel
Pretty sweet new song "The Strangers" is up on her MYSPACE PAGE and her website
‘Actor’ is available for pre-order now. Early CD and LP orders come with a free limited edition 7” featuring the album track “Actor Out of Work,” and the exclusive, non-album track “Bicycle” on the flipside. more info
ST. VINCENT 2009 U.S. TOUR DATES
5/19/2009 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
5/20/2009 New York, NY Webster Hall
5/21/2009 Philadelphia, PA Unitarian Church
5/22/2009 Washington, DC Black Cat
5/24/2009 George, WA Sasquatch!
5/25/2009 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
5/27/2009 San Francisco, CA Bimbo’s 365 Club
5/28/2009 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
5/30/2009 San Diego, CA Casbah
5/31/2009 Phoenix, AZ Modified
6/2/2009 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
6/3/2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown Jr.
6/4/2009 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
6/5/2009 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater
6/7/2009 Chicago, IL Epiphany
6/10/2009 Lexington, KY The Dame
6/11/2009 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
6/12/2009 Manchester, TN Bonnaroo
6/16/2009 Birmingham, AL Bottle Tree
6/18/2009 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre
6/19/2009 Austin, TX Mohawk
I may have to do that pre-order deal. First Ave again?..BLECH! I should check The Entry's calendar. I suppose given Jeremy Messersmith and Amanda Palmer's acoustic/quiet sections of their show, maybe the lack-of-soundproofing won't affect Annie's show as much if it's more electric stuff. Dunno. It still won't eliminate interference between songs.
maudlin of the Well's free digital album will be available in only a few weeks online! I did put about $12 I recall towards that donation. I'm definitely looking fwd to it, and cautiously hoping the amount of Kayo Dot influence is minimal in the writing. motW = good, Kayo Dot = bad (mostly).
Sound & Shape - The Love Electric (EP) (2009)
Maybe the best EP of this early season. A lot of what I dig in the Mars Volta-kind of sound.
40/50
myspace page
Sholi - Sholi (2009)
Sholi's myspace
Bought this disc used a few days ago @Zia in AZ on vacation. I had sampled them previously, but wasn't certain about how much I'd like em. As it turns out, I do like them, but am not blown away or anything (yet). It's a consistent album start-to-finish. Riffy, experimental, somewhat stripped-down at times. Sort of a mix of Deerhoof and The Skeletons just guessing off the top of my head. A bit like the Grammatics album, with song-after-song having some part or energetic section that works, but overall I'm not sure if it'll place quite as high.
Closer to my kind of "experimental" music anyway.
70/100
a whole slew of new bands I'm checking out, but sadly, Sholi and perhaps 2 others The Flying Tourbillon Orchestra and Japanese "Progressive Post-Rock" band Presence of Soul are the only ones that have worked for me thus far. But I got like 15 or so new names between blogs and Alternative Press's new "100 Bands You Need To Know for 2009" issue. TFTBO and Sound & Shape, ironically were not among *the 100* though.
Mastodon finally leaked (a full version, the drop date is Tuesday 3/24 like the New Decemberists) and the new dredg album may not be far away either as the 1st teaser/review was posted there. Usually w/ new reviews -> many promos sent out -> a leak. June 9th it's been pushed back to, but we may have a similar CWA situation with a very early leak. I don't mind, the band probably overall doesn't either given they know they have a large and loyal fan-base that will buy it anyway.
Porcupine Tree: New album is due September 21st. It will consist of 2 cds. 1 being 1 single 55minute song, the other individual songs.
I seriously doubt this will be a top 10 candidate just based on how much filler this could have. Really fucking sad, as Steven Wilson seems to be getting highly predictable. But maybe I'll be wrong about that. a 3-album winning streak this decade (Lightbulb Sun, In Absentia, Deadwing) would suggest potential comeback, but INSURGENTES sadly doesn't support the chances of that.
The new Dream Theater album comes out on June 23rd, like Soundscape. It's called "Black Clouds & Silver Linings." 6 Songs on cd 1. A 2nd cd of covers and then I guess an all-instrumental version of it on another disc depending on which version you get. Plus it's being issues on vinyl.
I'll likely, like some of it, but find a lot of it to be wanking filler and/or cheesy lyrics. But I'd love to be wrong. The band need a kick in the ass, but it hasn't come with their last 3. More piano and analog synths. More organic or even acoustic. But 6 songs for them means a few epic tracks, with in all likelihood will include the necessary extended proggy parts they enjoy. Fine. I just don't expect much more at this stage. But like I said, it would mean a lot for me, for them to comeback and make a statement like SCENES FROM A MEMORY or even 6 DEGREES OF INNER TURBULENCE.
also not a top 10 candidate just based on how huge and deep a year 2009 very likely will be. A top 50 likely, for what it's worth.
Blackfield also may have a new album out in 2009. Coheed and Cambria and Alter Bridge were a couple of others.
Oceansize has a new EP they are working on right now too that should be out in the Fall. They're on twitter if anyone is up for reading more about it. Keywords: Mike Vennart
The Dear Hunter are working on ACT III in the studio right now; really they have for a few months. They have I guess 14 or 15 songs (or movements), 1 being an in instrumental. Another having a working title "Poison Woman" that I guess has a ragtime feel to it. Their goal to have it out is "by Spring" but given how little info is finalized, my money is Aug/Sept-ish.
Subterranean Masquerade I got a message back from on myspace about "In Pastille Colors" the other day. But really no info about if/when it'll be out. Just that they've been working on it for the better part of 3 years.
Orphaned Land on the other hand will be finally releasing "The Neverending Way ORWarriOR" finally in October (projected). Steven Wilson is NOT producing (apparently, whatever that means), but will be mixing and playing keyboards on it. And done via mail/email I guess given schedule. Perhaps the reason he's not technically producing it now is due to that and not being able to be in Israel with the band. I put on 2004's "Mabool" last week and I can't deny, that album has some awesome moments throughout; that with Wilson on board and their progression as songwriters since, it could be a big sleeper for Metal album, or just plain a top 5 or top 10 album for '09.
fuck, I got a ton of other pieces to add, but of course time is always at a shortage. TV and the Synecdoche, NY DVD among others. I now have a portable DVD player.
Gophers (Men's basketball) lost badly to Texas in the NCAA's. It's not surprising. They weren't playing that well, and team's have figured out how to defend and score on them. If their press doesn't work (or they DON'T USE IT OFTEN, AND EARLY) they don't win usually. 2009-2010 is their year, but I'm not convinced Tubby's that great a coach (here at least, and yet). So far, my bracket looks pretty good like most, with mostly favorites winning. I'd rather have seen American beat Villanova just to screw up others brackets. I have Louisville beating North Carolina I recall in the National Championship game.
Catching up on TV. Castle is good. Breaking Bad I also am on board with. Bryan Cranston is very different, but still quite entertaining in it. I don't get what all the fuss is about that dry 50's drama Mad Men on American Movie Classics Channel. I was highly underwhelmed and bored. The audiences for Breaking Bad and that show seem pretty different, yet they air them back-2-back on Sunday nights for some reason.
Y: The Last Man I read the 1st graphic novel "Unmanned" over my Spring Break in Arizona. It's from Lost writer Bryan K. Vaughn Really intriguing Post-apocalyptic story. There's 8 more I guess, and I have almost all of them on request now at the library. Being a fan of Jeremiah and the use of that story setting, I am looking forward to going through the rest of the series. When I'm done, I'll try and write a more thorough review. It's nice to have some reading, even if they seem more like glorified, but closer-to-real-world comic books. They take a lot less time to finish (presumably).
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Soundscape - Grave New World (2009)
Soundscape - Grave New World
Official release date: June 23rd, 2009
Soundscape is:
Rob Thorne (Rob Volpintesta) - Vocals, Keyboards, Piano, (and lyrics?)
Todd Rose - Guitars
Scott Waite - Bass
Lou Caldarola - Drums
Soundscape is a four piece Progressive-Rock group built on the philosophy that in the music industry music is what matters most, and everything else is secondary. Spiritual to thunderous and always precise, their music captures a wide range of expression through soaring melodies and dynamic instrumentation. This high standard of professionalism in composition, musicianship and performance was established in June 1996 with the completion of their first album Discovery. Containing over 78 minutes of music, the record is a virtual showcase for the band's skill, expertise, and talent for song writing. 12 songs take you on a journey through the life of a young boy into manhood as he comes face to face with the questions and realities of sex, religion, society, politics, drugs and war.
Featuring the soaring vocals and intricate keyboards of Rob Thorne, the guitar wizardry of Todd Rose, the explorative bass of Scott Waite and the imaginative drumming of Phil Suarez, the live show has been described as a "magical and intense journey," forging the path to a new musical experience that comes as a much welcomed breath of fresh air.
Soundscape's mypsace page
Soundscape link on Angelthorne Music's site
Todd Rose's website
This is what could be the 1st of many commentaries and reviews of this highly anticipated album, that was finally mixed and mastered and made available in 2009 (June 23rd, 2009 is the street date).
This is an early review, and I mean to note how a lot more will be elaborated and perhaps changed in some ways in further entries.
I do have a personal bias, given this band's lone full-length cd, 1997's "Discovery" is one of my absolute favorite albums of all-time. So, perhaps this review should be taken with a heavy grain of salt by others.
But for me, it is or feels like having an all-time favorite album come out again, but it's all new music. Like a 2nd time falling-in-love or something. I'm not sure how else to describe it. But the fact it's been 10 years of hoping, but doubting it would ever happen, to finally actually realize it is, is highly significant.
Some general observations:
The energy, layers, textures, melodies, experimental aspects, dynamics, tight and clean production, with bass and drums mixed incredibly well. This album's a monster. A ferocious force of chords and thick melodies, frequent time changes that experiment yet seem to all fit together well, not losing sight of the concept or the songs themselves.
This thing has balls-to-the-wall. The heavy synths coming at you left and right, and it's like a battle between all four band members. The drums, the crunching guitar textures and the hugely FAT bass lines. Lou Caldarola is a fucking beast on the kit at times.
One big thing that makes Soundscape standout to me, is they know how to be technical, yet still be melodic, and compose songs really well. Perhaps maybe even more on this album, they composed them within a large concept. You can't exactly label or pigeonhole their sound. Which in a lot of ways is the blueprint of what I love in music or art; and for that matter in theory anything "progressive."
They went deep this time with me and scored Big-time. Like 10 or 20 fold perhaps. They know when-to-be, and when not-to be epic or extend parts or songs out really effectively. Which seems to be pretty rare in most or any kind of music labeled "progressive" or "technical."
1. The Server 0:39
2. Grave New World 6:31
"Your Children are My Children, and your losing losing control. My Children are your children, a generation without a soul"
3. Digital Lover 5:05
4. Man and Machine 4:16
5. So Alone 7:54
Soothing synths work really well with the guitar. Very pretty, sad, and a gorgeous theme on guitar. The climax soars, which is a classic Soundscape writing element.
I love the part
"can someone see meeee in the loooookeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen glahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhsss"
The Man and Machine suite's production upgrade is impeccable. It's like they totally rewrote and re-recorded it.
6. Concentration 8:30
The ending is orgasmic to this song; it totally blows up. And then they say "Somebody unplug me!" referring to a computer or AI I imagine.
7. Big Brother 4:01
The lead bass-line rules on this piece, kind of Rush-like. Wonderfully catchy or poppy at times. I love the bridge with the trumpet-like patch. And the playful vocal harmonies echoing a previous vocal-line at the end: "Runs my fingers through my hair."
8. Age of Wonder 13:49
One part of this song that stands out is the (new?) use of experimenting with higher range double or triple tracked vocal harmonies.
I also like how they use sound-bytes here in the 1st movement.
Then it later has another great, soothing, ambient, synth transition section.
9. Generation Why 6:42
Very cool mystical vibe at the beginning here.
Soundscape's music creates an atmosphere that feels like magic at times for me. Very story-oriented, highly thematic. It's like they transport me to somewhere else, where the story is being told. I'm brought-in. It almost feels like a huge illusion at times.
10. Zombie Nation 7:41
A few lines I captured so far in text:
"Can you feel the waves washing over your mind?"
"A chemical reaction brings you back into the world again"
Is the story referring to something involving Virtual Reality? Perhaps influenced by stories (or movies like) The Matrix or Lawnmower Man?
"I've got your mind in this little pill" (not sure if this is exactly accurate, just a guess).
"What once was a gift became a curse!"
11. Resurrection 11:52
This piece is beautiful, and sadly the band's Swan Song. I love the piano/vocal intro. It's almost in the vein of "Spirit of Adventure: Dreamscape" (the final epic piece on 1997's "Discovery") A soaring epic ending song. It's like they took that to three or four more levels of extended beauty at times on it. And incorporated it with some additional elements.
"They took your soul, removed it whole, and filled the hole, with space, in cyberspace"? (a guess on the lyric)
"Will you return to milk and honey, or a technological doom?"
"look around you, remember the good times we had"
This whole song doesn't grab you right away..but after it's done and the whole album is done too of course, it sucks you (or me) in Big-time.
"One mind, One body, One soul in a Grave New World"
The vocal harmonies are effective singing the chorus. It's similar to "Discovery."
It then ends in a classic Soundscape fashion with a breathtaking, upper-range, clean guitar solo. Very fitting, extremely epic, and a perfect way to conclude this record.
Seemingly every part of this album are the way they are for a reason. The song structures, every nuance, every little texture, time change, emotion or emotional part.
I may be drinking the Soundscape Cool-Aid, but it really doesn't matter. This is not the kind of music I get to hear, especially for the 1st time, every day, week, month, year, or even decade I suppose. I honestly am
a) still in disbelief that this finally came out and I'm finally getting to hear it.
b) that I get to now explore another highly in-depth and 76 minutes worth of music from the band who over more or less the last ten years I had basically one 78 minute album to do so with. (Run-on sentence, I know). In other words, I got 3+ years in-depth with "Discovery" more or less, and then another six or so just holding it in a high place. Not ever thinking I'd get to do that again, especially from the same band. But I do.
The production work cannot be forgotten. I'm more or less shocked at how clean the bass and drums sound throughout this recording. Rob Volpintesta had it shelved for all these years I guess due to the lack-of quality for the mix. I totally know why he/they waited, as this is some of the clearest/cleanest and accurately mixed music I have ever heard, especially with how complex and layered it is. Maybe if Yes's "Relayer" were done now, the production might have come out something like this.
Time will of course tell a great deal. But I am thinking not if this album is a Classic, but how much of an All-time Classic will it be. An "Instant Classic" for sure. Perhaps the fastest ever for me. I loved it upon hearing the 1st note.
Many would scoff at this analogy, but among many I might make, I was thinking of The Beatles. When "Abbey Road" came out, how did it compare to "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"? In thinking about how "Grave New World" compares to "Discovery" the comparison to me, isn't that far-fetched. You got two Classic albums, different, yet still worthy of debate from an artistic point-of-view.
Right now I'm torn, but I would not be shocked if it became a stalemate.
100/100
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love (2009)
Some very early impressions (ot hopefully added/elaborated on soon).
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
Well, even given the transcode and a big LACK OF HEARING THE SEGUES LIKE THEY ARE INTENDED TO BE HEARD (with annoying gaps)..I'm still already highly impressed by this. It's like they took what they were doing on THE CRANE WIFE and blew it up into a full-on Concept album or Rock Opera. A handful of tunes or *movements* are sung by female vocalists to voice characters..1 being "Margaret" I guess. SO the biggest thing is taking this whole thing in as a large work, rather than individual songs really. Seems like it's gonna be 1 that'll be the ole greater-than-the-sum-of-it's-parts.
Man 1 piece had a total Deep Purple section..and the theme in "The Wanting Comes in Waves" (and maybe even moreso, the REPRISE for it) almost sounds like something The Dear Hunter would write.
It's 17 tracks and may seem like a bit much to get through, but I'm just suspecting it'll be worth giving this thing some extensive time and see where it goes. It may not have any piece as great as "The Island," but still it very well could be their best work to date.
And it also could be their most accessible to any progressive rock fan.
The Decemberists - Hazards of Love
Well, even given the transcode and a big LACK OF HEARING THE SEGUES LIKE THEY ARE INTENDED TO BE HEARD (with annoying gaps)..I'm still already highly impressed by this. It's like they took what they were doing on THE CRANE WIFE and blew it up into a full-on Concept album or Rock Opera. A handful of tunes or *movements* are sung by female vocalists to voice characters..1 being "Margaret" I guess. SO the biggest thing is taking this whole thing in as a large work, rather than individual songs really. Seems like it's gonna be 1 that'll be the ole greater-than-the-sum-of-it's-parts.
Man 1 piece had a total Deep Purple section..and the theme in "The Wanting Comes in Waves" (and maybe even moreso, the REPRISE for it) almost sounds like something The Dear Hunter would write.
It's 17 tracks and may seem like a bit much to get through, but I'm just suspecting it'll be worth giving this thing some extensive time and see where it goes. It may not have any piece as great as "The Island," but still it very well could be their best work to date.
And it also could be their most accessible to any progressive rock fan.
Friday, March 6, 2009
dredg - "The Pariah, the Parrot, the Delusion" Info
dredg - The Pariah, The Parrot, The Delusion"
Tracklist -
1. Pariah
2. Drunk Slide
3. Ireland
4. Stamp Of Origin - Pessimistic
5. Lightswitch
6. Gathering Pebbles
7. Information
8. Stamp Of Origin - Ocean Meets Bay
9. Saviour
10. R U O K
11. I Don´t Know
12. Mouring This Morning
13. Stamp Of Origin - Take A Look Around
14. Long Days And Vague Clues
15. Cartoon Showroom
16. Quotes
17. Down To The Cellar
18. Stamp Of Origin - Horizon
here's some of that work live:
3. Ireland:
4. Stamp Of Origin - Pessimistic:
7. Information:
9. Saviour:
11. I Don´t Know:
16. Quotes:
17. Down To The Cellar:
Unknown:
also this also is (1 of) the real cover(s)
Tracklist -
1. Pariah
2. Drunk Slide
3. Ireland
4. Stamp Of Origin - Pessimistic
5. Lightswitch
6. Gathering Pebbles
7. Information
8. Stamp Of Origin - Ocean Meets Bay
9. Saviour
10. R U O K
11. I Don´t Know
12. Mouring This Morning
13. Stamp Of Origin - Take A Look Around
14. Long Days And Vague Clues
15. Cartoon Showroom
16. Quotes
17. Down To The Cellar
18. Stamp Of Origin - Horizon
here's some of that work live:
3. Ireland:
4. Stamp Of Origin - Pessimistic:
7. Information:
9. Saviour:
11. I Don´t Know:
16. Quotes:
17. Down To The Cellar:
Unknown:
also this also is (1 of) the real cover(s)
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
March: Bands, Prog Rock info, Concert Calendar
The new U2 album "No Line on the Horizon" I like. About 6 or 7 tracks especially I think work well. Not an AotY candidate or anything, but it's a nice change to being more experimental. Change in production and textures. I dig the piano and strings among others. The new single "Get On Your Boots" however, is probably the worst song on it, lol.
Doves hitting The Varsity Theater in May makes the upcoming concert plate a bit more frequent in April and May.
March:
20th Bridge Over Troubled Water
30th Bloc Party @ First Ave (maybe)
April
5th Fair to Midland (The Rock)
10th dredg (Varsity)
13th Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (The Triplerock)
26th Neko Case (State Theater) time/$ permitting
29th Mastodon (The Fine Line)
May
3rd Leonard Cohen (Orpheum Theater) time/$ permitting
15th Protest the Hero (Station 4)
28th Doves (Varsity)
I'm sure I'm missing a few dates.
OSI's "Blood" is released on May 19th in the US.
info
01. The Escape Artist
02. Terminal
03. False Start
04. We Come Undone
05. Radiologue
06. Be The Hero
07. Microburst Alert
08. Stockholm
09. Blood
Disc 2
01. No Celebrations
02. Christian Brothers
03. Terminal (endless)
Classic Rock (magazine) Presents: PROG
I'm definitely curious about this new magazine, as I have enjoyed Classic Rock Magazine's special "Prog" issues in the past. So it appears they're going to try to do a semi-regular publication on it.
CLASSIC ROCK PRESENTS PROG
The already burgeoning prog rock scene receives another welcome boost with the announcement of the imminent arrival of Classic Rock Presents Prog, a new quarterly journal of progressive music that's set to offer prog rock fans a wealth of coverage of their favourite bands, artists and music.
Issue one sets out its stall by covering true giants of the genre like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes and ELP all the way through to modern day protagonists such as Dream Theater, Coheed & Cambria, Queensrcyhe and Porcupine Tree. New acts such as The Reasoning, Frost* and Demians find themselves nestling alongside established prog heroes like Marillion, Rush and Asia.
Packed with exclusive interviews, news and reviews, the whole spectrum of astounding sounds and amazing music gets the Classic Rock treatment in March. Issue One hits the news stands March 25. It's a date you don't want to miss.
Oceansize's Australian Tour
I guess supporting Cog is a big reason how they are able to afford it.
Thu 4/06/2009 NSW Fremantle Metro
Fri 5/06/2009 SA Adelaide The Gov
Sat 6/06/2009 VIC Melbourne Hi Fi
Sun 7/06/2009 VIC Melbourne Hi Fi
Thu 11/06/2009 QLD Brisbane Hi Fi H
Fri 12/06/2009 NSW Newcastle Panthers
Sat 13/06/2009 NSW Sydney Selinas
my curiosity is, if they can afford that, perhaps they could afford something similar soon in the US.
Archive's new album is called "Controlling Crowds" and is listed to be released on March 30th.
The 1st single "Bullets" (youtube link above) I definitely like and am looking forward to this album a lot more than I expected. "Lights" from 2006 was okay, but not of the quality of "Noise" and "You All Look the Same to Me."
Fields album "Hollow Mountains" I've seen 2 release dates listed being March 2nd and March 9th. And of course "March." But with no track-list nor artwork, and some mention on their last.fm page about it's status and the band lacking a record label I guess, it's release date/time is really uncertain.
Kiss Kiss, Local Natives, even dredg to a point, kind of are (or were) in a similar spot. Local Natives at least, last night on the NBC show "Chuck" had 1 of their new songs "Airplanes" played for a short while in the background. Being a Street Team member and genuine hugely optimistic fan of theirs, my jaw literally dropped to the floor hearing that. The point being, they are a fucking great band, and more people should and I gotta believe will like them. Many of those Fleet Foxes ass-kissers (among others..Panda Bear, Animal Collective, Miracle Fortess even) are gonna find out when they get the exposure they deserve. They're just too damn good not to.
Water & Bodies began recording last week, what is I guess to be a 7-song EP that likely will be released digitally. CD and/or Vinyl as well, most likely available through their website and @ Concerts directly from the band. I'm extremely excited to hear these songs recorded after hearing samples live the past few months. I realize this is not Kaddisfly but it may be something even better for all anyone knows. And maybe best, going directly through them, it'll be available rather soon. Like perhaps by April or even earlier.
Soundscape's "Grave New World" I will be hearing in the coming weeks. It's been a 10-year wait, but I am without question overjoyed to finally get to hear it. Expect some kind of in-depth review on this blog among other spots soon after. My s/n on many sites isn't "Soundcape(MN)" for nothing of course :P. "Discovery" is a life-changing record for myself anyway. If GNW is even 1/10 of that, it'll be an AotY contender (to be honest, it already is).
dredg's new album "The Pariah, The Parrot, the Delusion" is coming out on May 19th (same day as the US release of OSI, wow!)
cover art:
Mew's new album is expected in June.
King's X are headlining 3 Rivers Progressive Rock Festival I guess. Honestly, this is pretty surprising. Maybe it's a $ thing or I'm totally off on their current approach live. I would never expect them to play a "Prog" festival. But then again, many years ago Porcupine Tree did as well. Hopefully they'll do some more touring in 2009 and comeback to Minneapolis, a place they used to never skip (I saw them 10 times from 1996 to 2005 for example).
Muse new album to have a heavy Classical music influence?
bbc article
By Georgie Rogers
6 Music News reporter
The band have their own recording studios at Lake Como in Italy
Muse's new studio album could see them move away from their traditional rock sound to create a more "orchestral", classical offering.
Frontman Matt Bellamy said: "There's some really brilliant songs coming out, some of our best material I think."
The follow-up to 2006's Black Holes And Revelations is expected later this year coinciding with an Autumn tour.
Last month, the Devon band picked up the NME award for best live band for the second year in a row.
Speaking to BBC 6 Music, Bellamy revealed the record's sound could see the band abandoning their traditional rock leanings completely. We'll be knocking on Classic FM's door, you know
Muse frontman, Matt Bellamy
"A symphonic album has turned up here, like a full collaboration with an orchestra," he said.
"There's definitely a few things on the album which are segueing into each other and it's all very orchestral, but that could take over the album, so it could actually be kind of classical act basically, and move away from rock all together.
"We'll be knocking on Classic FM's door, you know?"
Doves hitting The Varsity Theater in May makes the upcoming concert plate a bit more frequent in April and May.
March:
20th Bridge Over Troubled Water
30th Bloc Party @ First Ave (maybe)
April
5th Fair to Midland (The Rock)
10th dredg (Varsity)
13th Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (The Triplerock)
26th Neko Case (State Theater) time/$ permitting
29th Mastodon (The Fine Line)
May
3rd Leonard Cohen (Orpheum Theater) time/$ permitting
15th Protest the Hero (Station 4)
28th Doves (Varsity)
I'm sure I'm missing a few dates.
OSI's "Blood" is released on May 19th in the US.
info
01. The Escape Artist
02. Terminal
03. False Start
04. We Come Undone
05. Radiologue
06. Be The Hero
07. Microburst Alert
08. Stockholm
09. Blood
Disc 2
01. No Celebrations
02. Christian Brothers
03. Terminal (endless)
Classic Rock (magazine) Presents: PROG
I'm definitely curious about this new magazine, as I have enjoyed Classic Rock Magazine's special "Prog" issues in the past. So it appears they're going to try to do a semi-regular publication on it.
CLASSIC ROCK PRESENTS PROG
The already burgeoning prog rock scene receives another welcome boost with the announcement of the imminent arrival of Classic Rock Presents Prog, a new quarterly journal of progressive music that's set to offer prog rock fans a wealth of coverage of their favourite bands, artists and music.
Issue one sets out its stall by covering true giants of the genre like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes and ELP all the way through to modern day protagonists such as Dream Theater, Coheed & Cambria, Queensrcyhe and Porcupine Tree. New acts such as The Reasoning, Frost* and Demians find themselves nestling alongside established prog heroes like Marillion, Rush and Asia.
Packed with exclusive interviews, news and reviews, the whole spectrum of astounding sounds and amazing music gets the Classic Rock treatment in March. Issue One hits the news stands March 25. It's a date you don't want to miss.
Oceansize's Australian Tour
I guess supporting Cog is a big reason how they are able to afford it.
Thu 4/06/2009 NSW Fremantle Metro
Fri 5/06/2009 SA Adelaide The Gov
Sat 6/06/2009 VIC Melbourne Hi Fi
Sun 7/06/2009 VIC Melbourne Hi Fi
Thu 11/06/2009 QLD Brisbane Hi Fi H
Fri 12/06/2009 NSW Newcastle Panthers
Sat 13/06/2009 NSW Sydney Selinas
my curiosity is, if they can afford that, perhaps they could afford something similar soon in the US.
Archive's new album is called "Controlling Crowds" and is listed to be released on March 30th.
The 1st single "Bullets" (youtube link above) I definitely like and am looking forward to this album a lot more than I expected. "Lights" from 2006 was okay, but not of the quality of "Noise" and "You All Look the Same to Me."
Fields album "Hollow Mountains" I've seen 2 release dates listed being March 2nd and March 9th. And of course "March." But with no track-list nor artwork, and some mention on their last.fm page about it's status and the band lacking a record label I guess, it's release date/time is really uncertain.
Kiss Kiss, Local Natives, even dredg to a point, kind of are (or were) in a similar spot. Local Natives at least, last night on the NBC show "Chuck" had 1 of their new songs "Airplanes" played for a short while in the background. Being a Street Team member and genuine hugely optimistic fan of theirs, my jaw literally dropped to the floor hearing that. The point being, they are a fucking great band, and more people should and I gotta believe will like them. Many of those Fleet Foxes ass-kissers (among others..Panda Bear, Animal Collective, Miracle Fortess even) are gonna find out when they get the exposure they deserve. They're just too damn good not to.
Water & Bodies began recording last week, what is I guess to be a 7-song EP that likely will be released digitally. CD and/or Vinyl as well, most likely available through their website and @ Concerts directly from the band. I'm extremely excited to hear these songs recorded after hearing samples live the past few months. I realize this is not Kaddisfly but it may be something even better for all anyone knows. And maybe best, going directly through them, it'll be available rather soon. Like perhaps by April or even earlier.
Soundscape's "Grave New World" I will be hearing in the coming weeks. It's been a 10-year wait, but I am without question overjoyed to finally get to hear it. Expect some kind of in-depth review on this blog among other spots soon after. My s/n on many sites isn't "Soundcape(MN)" for nothing of course :P. "Discovery" is a life-changing record for myself anyway. If GNW is even 1/10 of that, it'll be an AotY contender (to be honest, it already is).
dredg's new album "The Pariah, The Parrot, the Delusion" is coming out on May 19th (same day as the US release of OSI, wow!)
cover art:
Mew's new album is expected in June.
King's X are headlining 3 Rivers Progressive Rock Festival I guess. Honestly, this is pretty surprising. Maybe it's a $ thing or I'm totally off on their current approach live. I would never expect them to play a "Prog" festival. But then again, many years ago Porcupine Tree did as well. Hopefully they'll do some more touring in 2009 and comeback to Minneapolis, a place they used to never skip (I saw them 10 times from 1996 to 2005 for example).
Muse new album to have a heavy Classical music influence?
bbc article
By Georgie Rogers
6 Music News reporter
The band have their own recording studios at Lake Como in Italy
Muse's new studio album could see them move away from their traditional rock sound to create a more "orchestral", classical offering.
Frontman Matt Bellamy said: "There's some really brilliant songs coming out, some of our best material I think."
The follow-up to 2006's Black Holes And Revelations is expected later this year coinciding with an Autumn tour.
Last month, the Devon band picked up the NME award for best live band for the second year in a row.
Speaking to BBC 6 Music, Bellamy revealed the record's sound could see the band abandoning their traditional rock leanings completely. We'll be knocking on Classic FM's door, you know
Muse frontman, Matt Bellamy
"A symphonic album has turned up here, like a full collaboration with an orchestra," he said.
"There's definitely a few things on the album which are segueing into each other and it's all very orchestral, but that could take over the album, so it could actually be kind of classical act basically, and move away from rock all together.
"We'll be knocking on Classic FM's door, you know?"
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Pure Reason Revolution "Amor Vincit Omnia" (2009)
Amor Vincit Omnia
1. Les Malheurs
2. Victorious Cupid
3. i) Keep Me Sane/Insane
4. ii) Apogee
iii) Requiem for the Lovers
5. Deus Ex Machina
6. Bloodless
7. Disconnect
8. The Gloaming
9. AVO
I've been playing the new disc, AVO, for about a month now and while I question it's long-term value compared to "The Dark Third," it's definitely an album I've enjoyed the more I hear it. Maybe more of a *grower* than TDT certainly.
Within the large emphasis of electronica, there still is a lot of the familiar PRR sound, at least I have noticed. The vocal arrangements (multi-part harmonies). And it flows pretty well much like TDT.
The 2 pieces most familiar "Victorious Cupid" and "Deus Ex Machina" are probably still my favorite parts of AVO, but "The Gloaming" and "Apogee" for example, have some wonderful sections to them. "Bloodless" as well, is a pretty ballad, somewhat in the vein of "Bullits Dominae" or "The Exact Colour."
"Disconnect" is perhaps the 1 track that a lot of fans will not care-for. I've grown to like it, but it's still the weakest part of AVO.
The title track or "AVO" is wonderful and I think works incredibly well to finish this album. The vocal arrangement is classic-PRR to me.
I also think it's a good thing they did not make TDT part 2, because they seem to want to "progress" of course, and while I suppose they didn't have to necessarily change this far into the electronic or trip-hop vein, say opposed to some other area. I think they pull it off for the most part.
Many people have already expressed both sides of where AVO has them going. Some pretty much have said this new stuff sucks and they lost what they had with their debut album. But some others are like myself, very pleasantly surprised how well they pulled off merging much of their sound and songwriting approach with a twist of electronica. I suppose it may come down to if you like, can tolerate, or dislike electronic music. Or if it may grow on you enough.
83/100 and currently #2 on my 2009 Albums of the Year Race
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Oscars List and Fail List...
should be soon..along with a commentary about the cancellation of Kyle XY. People in charge of tv networks suck, but of course I shouldn't be surprised, even if it was a Cable show.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
TV Update: Mid-Feb Sweeps
I gotta say, the pilot of Dollhouse was underwhelming. I'm gonna give it a couple of episodes to see where it goes, but on the surface it has the cast but I'm not sure about if they were cast well (the dude from Welcome to the Captain as a nerdy scientist?), nor if the story arc has much legs.
well if Dollhouse doesn't pan out, there's a couple of other new shows I'm at least curious about.
Trust Me I liked the pilot episode and have DVR-ed the last 2 episodes, but haven't gotten around to watching them yet.
Castle (Nathan Fillion show on ABC where he's a mystery writer and he works with that chic cop)
Better off Ted the previews show Cryogenics as 1 plot device.
Cupid the return of this show. Its Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas's old show brought back. Rick Gomez of What About Brian it'll be nice to see again.
The Unusuals Amber Tamblyn of Joan Arcadia's return to TV. She's a cop who moves departments. It replaces Life on Mars in April after Lost.
returns:
Psych very consistent this 1/2-season, which is a nice return to form for my favorite show on tv (other than Big Bang Theory)
Burn Notice I consistently enjoy this show. The 2nd half has been no different.
Kyle XY the plots are starting to heat up a bit with Latnok and what Kyle's involvement with them will be, and him and Jessi continue to evolve. It was a year-off, but hopefully after this run of eps is over, it'll return again this Summer like it did it's 1st 2 seasons.
Monk a nice string of episodes for Monk. Save for the 1 where he ended up in the wheelchair. It's sad to know that next Season, the 8th, will be it's last.
BSG I want all the loose ends to get tied up. All the back-story about the Cylons, motivations, will they find another Earth, will the President live? The origins of the Final 5, etc. Only a few left. Maybe the Prequel show will answer some questions that are ambiguous.
Lost Are they going back to the Island? When did Locke die? Will the time-shifts stop? Will Sun bring her baby? What is Ben's motivation? Widmore? What is the deal with Daniel and HIS MOTHER being that lady in the jewelry shop that Ben is working for? And Desmond..is he traveling through time just in his Dreams?..and Daniel is actually traveling through time? ..This show is still the best mind-fuck on tv when it's at it's best.
Life on Mars The show has been hit and miss. Last week's Hippie/Alien plot really worked, but the 1 the week before I struggled with. Following Lost I think the expectations got a bit high and not fulfilled what ABC hoped for. We'll see if the numbers come in, or their other shows have worse ratings, maybe it'll pull through by some miracle. I'm not betting on it based on the fact it's ABC. They just cancelled Eli Stone, Boston Legal and Pushing Daisies.
TerminatorThe return episode was good, but sadly the Friday time-slot may be the nail in it's coffin.
Reaper can't-fucking-wait.
In Plain Sight the new hit Summer show from USA about US Marshall's in charge of the Witness Protect Program. April 19th it premieres.
Samantha Who? Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Smallville
I haven't read anything about airings of shows like Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, or the 3 or Dr.Who specials...or any of the other stuff Scefee has in store soon as BSG will be done soon. The spin-off show Caprica I guess is supposed to star Eric Stoltz, but won't start airing until 2010?
Not a fan of Stargate Atlantis or the Annual summer show Eureka. That show that aired last Fall with Amanda Tapping I imagine bombed because nobody talked about it.
well if Dollhouse doesn't pan out, there's a couple of other new shows I'm at least curious about.
Trust Me I liked the pilot episode and have DVR-ed the last 2 episodes, but haven't gotten around to watching them yet.
Castle (Nathan Fillion show on ABC where he's a mystery writer and he works with that chic cop)
Better off Ted the previews show Cryogenics as 1 plot device.
Cupid the return of this show. Its Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas's old show brought back. Rick Gomez of What About Brian it'll be nice to see again.
The Unusuals Amber Tamblyn of Joan Arcadia's return to TV. She's a cop who moves departments. It replaces Life on Mars in April after Lost.
returns:
Psych very consistent this 1/2-season, which is a nice return to form for my favorite show on tv (other than Big Bang Theory)
Burn Notice I consistently enjoy this show. The 2nd half has been no different.
Kyle XY the plots are starting to heat up a bit with Latnok and what Kyle's involvement with them will be, and him and Jessi continue to evolve. It was a year-off, but hopefully after this run of eps is over, it'll return again this Summer like it did it's 1st 2 seasons.
Monk a nice string of episodes for Monk. Save for the 1 where he ended up in the wheelchair. It's sad to know that next Season, the 8th, will be it's last.
BSG I want all the loose ends to get tied up. All the back-story about the Cylons, motivations, will they find another Earth, will the President live? The origins of the Final 5, etc. Only a few left. Maybe the Prequel show will answer some questions that are ambiguous.
Lost Are they going back to the Island? When did Locke die? Will the time-shifts stop? Will Sun bring her baby? What is Ben's motivation? Widmore? What is the deal with Daniel and HIS MOTHER being that lady in the jewelry shop that Ben is working for? And Desmond..is he traveling through time just in his Dreams?..and Daniel is actually traveling through time? ..This show is still the best mind-fuck on tv when it's at it's best.
Life on Mars The show has been hit and miss. Last week's Hippie/Alien plot really worked, but the 1 the week before I struggled with. Following Lost I think the expectations got a bit high and not fulfilled what ABC hoped for. We'll see if the numbers come in, or their other shows have worse ratings, maybe it'll pull through by some miracle. I'm not betting on it based on the fact it's ABC. They just cancelled Eli Stone, Boston Legal and Pushing Daisies.
TerminatorThe return episode was good, but sadly the Friday time-slot may be the nail in it's coffin.
Reaper can't-fucking-wait.
In Plain Sight the new hit Summer show from USA about US Marshall's in charge of the Witness Protect Program. April 19th it premieres.
Samantha Who? Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, Smallville
I haven't read anything about airings of shows like Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures, or the 3 or Dr.Who specials...or any of the other stuff Scefee has in store soon as BSG will be done soon. The spin-off show Caprica I guess is supposed to star Eric Stoltz, but won't start airing until 2010?
Not a fan of Stargate Atlantis or the Annual summer show Eureka. That show that aired last Fall with Amanda Tapping I imagine bombed because nobody talked about it.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
February 2008-February 2009 Movie Rankings
A. Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation
This thing gets a separate category as it wasn't a movie that was made or made for the last 12 month movie season. And it 1st screened a few years ago. But it probably was the greatest achievement in movies I saw this year. In short, it was made BY KIDS during their Summer Breaks in the 1980's. Anyone who can't recognize how unthinkable and original of a work it was, is clueless. The people who failed to go see this the weekend of the Crystal Skull premiere, including of course those who read my postings but still ignored it, well it's a huge loss on their part.
I sincerely hope that 1 day this thing is either
a) released on DVD for everyone to be able to see it.
b) is made available to stream or download online.
It is NOT your neighborhood kids doing amateur theater. It is of the equivalent, or better to what The Musical Box have done for recreating the early Genesis concerts.
1. Synecdoche, NY
As the review I wrote about a few months stressed, this is 1 of the most original motion pictures to be made ever. Kaufman not surprisingly, makes you think, analyze, and become sucked-in to what exactly happens in the life of the lead character Caden and the people (mostly women) in his life. I honestly require more viewings to further evaluate and understand it all. But that is why it was so effective. Perhaps to the awards shows, it's too sophisticated. Admittedly, going-in (trailers) I was skeptical. But the comparisons to the more-or-less pointless waste of time "Primer" a few years ago do not add up. There is a puzzle to solve here, and if more people just let it sink-in and become swept away, they'll realize how unique and beautiful this movie is. Perhaps 5 or 10 years from now, that recognition will happen. The Jacket, The Science of Sleep among some others it belongs with.
95/100
2.Snow Angels Incredibly moving picture that next to nobody saw or talked about. I guess my original review didn't spoil the plot, but I'll add a bit more to that in there is a death and while it's incredibly sad, again with the thinking..the more you think about it and the characters involved, the more you realize what transpired makes sense, however sad it is. I guess you could say living with guilt is not as healthy as dying to relieve that guilt. Kate Beckinsale I would give an Oscar Nomination for, but like I mentioned, nobody saw or talked about this movie. And of course being released in the late Spring didn't help since it wasn't during "Oscar Season."
88/100
3. The Visitor Very compelling story about a man who finds some people living in his NYC apartment while he's away. The friendship and sad circumstances really make this movie powerful and worth repeated viewings. I'm glad Richard Jenkins got an Oscar Nomination for this. And Haaz Sleiman who played Tarek, received a Spirit Award nomination as well.
87/100
4. Slumdog Millionaire I was not wrong in how appealing this thing would be. After seeing it, I wondered if it could be my favorite picture of the year. I can't entirely say that after another viewing and I suppose a lot of the hype and some criticism about it. The ending is pretty typical Hollywood. But at the same time, I really wish more mention of the kids performance is given. It was nice to see some of the cast do that at the SAG awards.
85/100
5. The Reader Kate I sincerely hope and think will finally get her due. She was quite powerful and moving in this. Seducing the German kid, and then forming the bond with him, albeit secretively. The 2nd half, with the suspense of her trial for being a guard at a Concentration camp really added and put more sympathy towards her character. It was not an easy situation. Her character needed money, she wasn't sure what to do. The fact she was illiterare, I guess it was based real events. By the end of the movie, after seeing her serve her time and want to repent..the obvious difficulty she had, I couldn't help but feel as bad for her as the family's who lost their loved ones in that horrific incident. I hope people don't look at this as movie about Nazi-Germany, because it isn't at all. It's a character study and a love story with some humor, and a narrative and a lot of other things. Mind you, I really want more mentioned about Kate Winslet's career and the fact MANY OTHER ROLES SHE'S PLAYED DESERVED AS MUCH IF NOT MORE RECOGNITION. Namely: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and JUDE for example..a picture most people probably have never heard of. Because if she does in fact win the Oscar here, I really think people who liked her performance owe it to themself to seek out a lot of her other work. She's possibly the best Actor of this generation and more people could and should recognize that.
The film itself I can't forget to mention a few holes, and possibly why I don't rank it a bit higher. They never explained why young Michael didn't appear at the Prison after he made the appointment..and the point he made about how Hannah could be proven to not receive the punishment she did. She was illiterate, that piece the judge was using to prove her guilt very likely wasn't all her responsibility given the fact she was illiterate. But maybe the secret of their affair was too risky on his own part to expose. Another was when Hannah fled, and you see young Michael at her flat and it's empty. That and the whole process of her getting promoted by the Street Car co? There certainly were a few holes or unexplained parts of this for my liking for it to contend for Best Picture. But at the same time, I don't have a problem with it receiving a Best Picture nomination.
84/100
6. Transsiberian
Another under-seen gem. Emily Mortimer deserved an Oscar Nomination for this. The situations she faced, and difficult decisions. The plot was interesting. The suspense never left the viewer. Her relationship with that guy Carlos and the drugs, then later with Ben Kingsley's character and keeping track of where they are and where her husband played by Woody Harrelson, is. Sorry, but this should have been seen by more people, and was a lot more compelling and intriguing of a story than dozens of other movies this year.
83/100
7. Sleepwalking Another great performance from Nick Stahl that goes un-noticed. Dennis Hopper effectively plays the asshole redneck father. The plot about a mother who leaves town for $ which forces her younger brother to take care of his young niece. When he loses his job, he finds no option but to flee with her. The twists this story takes is reason enough to like this, even if Hopper's character was not the easiest to handle watching. I guess as a performance, it made it all the more effective. A bit like Sam Rockwell's in "Snow Angels"..you hate him, but eventually you respect the power of his perfomance.
82/100
8.The Bank Job Terrific Heist movie based on true events. The direction the plot takes leaves you glued to the screen. You want to side with the robbers, but you're unsure if they'll pull it off, and what each faction's ultimate motivation is. Black Mailing politicians being a big part of it. Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows definitely stand out among a lot of the rest of the cast. Did it receive much Award Season recognition?..of course not, lol.
81/100
9.The Good Night Some clever ideas are explored here in this fantasy/romance plot. It's not clear whether Martin Freeman's mid-life crisis is due to his struggling relationship with Gweneth Paltrow, or his dreams are effectively pointing him in the path he needs to go. Rather surreal. Danny Devito I think was a big part of what made this thing work. Simon Pegg also added some nice comedic support as his best friend.
80/100
Those are the 9-10 best pictures I've seen over the last 12 months. The rest of these below range from pretty good, to worth the curiosity, to disappointing, to highly overated, to maybe worth seeing for free.
73-79 range
10. The Wackness Interesting coming-of-age story. Kingsley and Olivia Thrilby were both good. Thrilby I liked more in "Snow Angels" however.
11. Forgetting Sarah Marshall On paper this could have been a near-classic. It wasn't. Jason Segel's exposure aside, it still probably was the best Apatow-related picture of the year.
12. The Wrestler The gore hurts this, but the perfomance by Rourke still made it well-worth watching. Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood added a bit, but honestly, Rourke carried this thing and he should win the Oscar (sorry Sean Penn, but he carried this film. Milk's ensemble cast hurts your case).
13. Iron Man Robert Downey makes a big splash in this comeback performance. As far as Superhero movies have gone, there may not be many if any better made to be honest.
14.Pineapple Express Not quite as good as SARAH MARSHALL, but pretty close. I suppose the typical over-indulgence of Apatow, along with some points in the plot seemed incredibly preposterous, kind of hurt this thing. But some of the jokes worked well-enough no matter. The Freaks and Geeks reunion was nice to see as well.
67-73 range
15. Time Crimes Funny, perculiar, mysterious spanish Time-Travel movie. Certainly another foreign film not nearly enough people saw. Eons better than "Primer."
16. Role Models It didn't look that great, but I saw this the same evening I caught "Zack and Miri" and it was clearly the superior movie. Some of the humor, especially the Nerd/Lord-of-the-Rings/Ren-Fest stuff hit home and like Big Bang Theory, proves how comedy using the Geek-element can be very effective. Not technically an Apatow movie, but pretty much on par with his best work.
17. What Just Happened
Why nobody saw this is also puzzling. It's Robert DeNiro..c'mon. And it's funny. The Hollywood exec who tries to please everyone, but isn't necessarily able-to. Some of the dialogue floored me. It reminded me of Sidney Pollack at times.
18. Religulous Bill Maher pulled this off pretty well. I wish he would have had Deepak Chopra somewhere in it, but overall, the sarcastic with religion was quite effective. Certainly one of the best Documentaries of the year.
19. Wall-E Even though it clearly borrowed from Short-Circuit, the charm and story still worked on a lot of levels. The best animated movie of 2008 certainly.
20. Vicky Christina Barcelona A bit of a comeback for Woody Allen. It was good, albeit seemed lazy in tone at times. No, it's not deserving of all the Awards-recognition it is, but was it bad?..no..it just seemed like a fantasy for beautiful women and a guy to hook up?..like a Romance Novel really. The acting wasn't amazing or anything though. And the guy who played Rebecca Hall's fiance was annoying as hell. Hall, however, should have been the one receiving the Oscar nomination, not Cruz. And I like Penelope Cruz, but in this?..her performance didn't stick out nearly as much as Hall's.
21. Tropic Thunder Part Andy Sedaris, part Steve Buscemi-movie-where-he-plays-a-director, part Leslie Nielsen. I could have done without Tom Cruise's werewolf chest, but Robert Downey fooled me big-time here. It wasn't bad, just not something I'll be wanting to see over and over again. Steve Coogan was better in this than "Hamlet 2" certainly.
65-73 range
22. Happy Go-Lucky Sally Hawkins should play Imogen Heap. Sally Hawkins won a globe for her role in this, and should have received an Oscar nomination. The film overall, wasn't breathtaking. Although the guy who played the driving instructor was hard-to-stomach, but a bit like Dennis Hopper in "Sleepwalking"..I can't help but respect his work here. The deep-accents and more or less the plot are what hurts this from being higher. A bit like "The Wrestler" in terms of ranking. Great individual performances, but the movie overall not as much.
23. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Of course the cast is reason to watch. Blake Lively is pure eye-candy, and more worth seeing here than on "Gossip Girl." About on par with the 1st, but they didn't involve the Pants themselves enough this time.
24. Kung Fu Panda Not as, but close to as good as Wall-E for Pixar. Jack Black can do voice-work like this well..especially with toned-down dialogue. I'm not huge into Animated stuff, but this was one exception.
25. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson A Documentary definitely worth seeing if you are an HST fan like myself. Johnny Depp appropriately narrates.
26. My Name is Bruce A parody of a parody in a way? A auto-biographical mockumentary at least. if you dug "Bubba Ho-Tep" this is certainly in that film's class. I mean many of the lines were good. I suppose my experience might rate this a tad higher, given the hilarious post-movie q&a Bruce gave. But on paper, it's worth seeing if you're a Campbell fan for sure.
27. Hancock Will Smith doing a Super-Hero. Jason Bateman was good, and the plot twist added something. Is it Will Smith's best work, or the greatest Super-Hero movie ever?..of course not. But it's entertaining, and at least slightly different spin on the Superhero genre.
60-65 range
28. Sex Drive Sean Anders is a talented film-maker. And while this wasn't as brilliant as 2005's "Never Been Thawed" it still wasn't bad. People didn't go that much for it; calling it a poor-man's Apatow or a Super Bad ripoff. But actually, I'd rate it higher than Super Bad. Super Bad is 1 of the most over-rated movies over the last few years. And while this wasn't brilliant, at least the gay-jokes and tones were done with some class. Seth Green wasn't bad either, and I had no clue the dude who played his brother was James Marsden.
29. Burn After Reading Silly plot and a bunch of actors playing characters you never fully want to pull for. This a Coen Brother's movie, which I've come to expect mediocrity, so pretty much they pulled that off. Not horrible..a few funny moments, but hardly Awards-worthy. It's sad they get some great people involved, but don't entirely make the most of them. Perhaps people like John Malkovich and George Clooney weren't looking to be highly featured. But it's like an album with a bunch of great guests, that ends up being better on paper than the finished product.
30. Let the Right One In Better than the piece of dung that was "Twilight" but in-truth, I wasn't won-over that much by this. The acting wasn't bad, I just don't fathom the pre-teen vampire-love story to work that well. And they're making an American version, lol.
31. Nobel Son Rickman and the supporting cast sounds great on paper. What you got is an uneven story and plot. You're not sure whether you hate Rickman, or the plot his son and ..well other son I guess end up trying to get away with.
Note: I have yet to see, but have rented, "Bottle Shock" which has some of the same cast and people involved. Perhaps that'll be better, or make this seem better relatively, once I see it.
25-60 range
32. The Rocker They tried to get tons of people to see this as I probably had 4 or 5 different chances to see this before it hit theaters. And they failed pretty miserably. In truth, it wasn't that bad, it just wasn't that great or moreso, unoriginal. Basically Rain Wilson channeling Jack Black. Okay. But it's nothing to tell people they need to see.
33. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist I just saw this last night. Kat Dennings is very good eye candy. And the plot was kind of fun. The gay overtones got a bit too overemphasized, plus Ari Graynor's sick/drunk persona got milked far too long. Michael Cera, while at times I liked him, he often seems too relaxed. He needs to show some balls. All in all, not wonderful, but not the worst thing I saw this year. Dennings I am looking forward to seeing more of in the future.
34. Hamlet 2 Steve Coogan can be funny, as his work in "Tropic Thunder" showed, but I'm not sure he can carry a movie. This might have worked as sketch or short-film better. Elizabeth Shue was good, and maybe my favorite part of this thing.
35. Smart People Kind of a dull romantic comedy/family drama. Page-channeling her Juno character, SJP being annoying and playing her character from Sex and the City. Thomas Hayden-Church was probably the best part. Quaid can be funny, and he kind of seemed like a poor-man's Harry Ford here.
36. Quid Pro Quos Well not everything Nick Stahl does is perfect. The idea seemed a bit more appealing than the execution. Sure, some chick having a fetish for a disability like being in a wheelchair could have some legs, but I fell asleep sadly. I dunno, maybe a 2nd viewing via IFC could change my mind.
37. Valkyrie Non authentic accents, and maybe worse, the process and direction just seemed way too Hollywood. The plotting wasn't bad, but unless you can see past the fact Tom Cruise was playing Tom Cruise in Nazi-Germany, it's hard to find much appeal for this. See a documentary or read a book about it instead.
38. Bill Aaron Eckhardt: 1 of like 3 or 4 movies he was in 2008. This 1 he was featured. It had a few funny moments..namely the kid who played his mentor and the back-and-forth with Elizabeth Banks (who also appeared in like 6 movies in the last 12 months), but overall I wasn't sure how much I liked his character.
39. Get Smart Carrell was the right actor, visually/physically to play the Don Adams role, but too much of the script was Steve Carrell playing Steven Carrell. I'm not certain if Hathaway was worth seeing more in this or "Rachel Getting Married" as I walked out of that one.
40. The Dark Knight Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated. This may go down in history as being the most over-rated movie ever. Maybe even more than "Little Miss Sunshine." Sorry, but I had a horrible headache walking out of this. It was painful watching the back-and-forth explosions and sound-in-your-face..much like "Children of Men"..how could I enjoy this?..seriously, wtf?..it was just a disgustingly dark and torturous experience trying to get through this. Ledger?..sorry, but his job couldn't wash Jack Nicholson's Joker's JOCK. He more or less was Al Franken/Carol Channing becoming a mental patient. Not funny, not entertaining, not even worth remembering. He was gross as all fuck. And maybe even worse..but the Oscar was given to him from the day he was cast. Wonderful, Hollywood. Just wonderful. Every family on the globe will know this picture and never see Synechdoche, NY and they'll know Ledger for his work here and not on ROAR or a number of other things he did previously. Thanks.
41. Zack and Miri Make a Porno Sadly, this didn't turn out as good as it could. Kevin Smith + Seth Rogen. Reminds me a little of "Be Kind Rewind"..even though I don't love everything Smith does, the formula sounded potentially good. I guess it's a bit of Seth Rogen, everything he does ends up being decent but not amazing. Knowing-that going-in probably would be good to keep in mind. We didn't even get Elizabeth Banks in the Princess Leia Bikini, lol. I suppose on the flip-side, Traci Lords did add something, but the Jason Mewes exposure negated some of that.
42. Yes Man Jim Carrey and Zoey Deschanel. Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda..Another romantic-comedy on paper that fell short. I suppose it's not the worst either has done, but the idea that people in Hollywood are consistently brilliant is a myth. They should have at least had the song "Tempus Fugit" or a reference to the band Yes, but did they?..on the DVD perhaps? Dunno if I'd rent it..except perhaps if Zoey and Jim do commentary.
43. Step Brothers Not very funny, but it didn't look that funny. The 2nd half actually was a little better. Jenkins and Steenburgen both did other work this year that was better. Sadly, Ferrell and Reilly I'm not sure if the same can be said.
44. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Nostalgia with a convoluted script. Lucas, Spielberg..both perhaps are shells of their former selves. The Raiders Adaptation made me forget about this one fast. They ought-to include it on the dvd. If only the world worked that way.
"Bottleshock" and some others may be added, but were not available at the original press time.
also note: an Awards Blog I mean to post soon as a follow-up. Who I would give the awards to, etc.
This thing gets a separate category as it wasn't a movie that was made or made for the last 12 month movie season. And it 1st screened a few years ago. But it probably was the greatest achievement in movies I saw this year. In short, it was made BY KIDS during their Summer Breaks in the 1980's. Anyone who can't recognize how unthinkable and original of a work it was, is clueless. The people who failed to go see this the weekend of the Crystal Skull premiere, including of course those who read my postings but still ignored it, well it's a huge loss on their part.
I sincerely hope that 1 day this thing is either
a) released on DVD for everyone to be able to see it.
b) is made available to stream or download online.
It is NOT your neighborhood kids doing amateur theater. It is of the equivalent, or better to what The Musical Box have done for recreating the early Genesis concerts.
1. Synecdoche, NY
As the review I wrote about a few months stressed, this is 1 of the most original motion pictures to be made ever. Kaufman not surprisingly, makes you think, analyze, and become sucked-in to what exactly happens in the life of the lead character Caden and the people (mostly women) in his life. I honestly require more viewings to further evaluate and understand it all. But that is why it was so effective. Perhaps to the awards shows, it's too sophisticated. Admittedly, going-in (trailers) I was skeptical. But the comparisons to the more-or-less pointless waste of time "Primer" a few years ago do not add up. There is a puzzle to solve here, and if more people just let it sink-in and become swept away, they'll realize how unique and beautiful this movie is. Perhaps 5 or 10 years from now, that recognition will happen. The Jacket, The Science of Sleep among some others it belongs with.
95/100
2.Snow Angels Incredibly moving picture that next to nobody saw or talked about. I guess my original review didn't spoil the plot, but I'll add a bit more to that in there is a death and while it's incredibly sad, again with the thinking..the more you think about it and the characters involved, the more you realize what transpired makes sense, however sad it is. I guess you could say living with guilt is not as healthy as dying to relieve that guilt. Kate Beckinsale I would give an Oscar Nomination for, but like I mentioned, nobody saw or talked about this movie. And of course being released in the late Spring didn't help since it wasn't during "Oscar Season."
88/100
3. The Visitor Very compelling story about a man who finds some people living in his NYC apartment while he's away. The friendship and sad circumstances really make this movie powerful and worth repeated viewings. I'm glad Richard Jenkins got an Oscar Nomination for this. And Haaz Sleiman who played Tarek, received a Spirit Award nomination as well.
87/100
4. Slumdog Millionaire I was not wrong in how appealing this thing would be. After seeing it, I wondered if it could be my favorite picture of the year. I can't entirely say that after another viewing and I suppose a lot of the hype and some criticism about it. The ending is pretty typical Hollywood. But at the same time, I really wish more mention of the kids performance is given. It was nice to see some of the cast do that at the SAG awards.
85/100
5. The Reader Kate I sincerely hope and think will finally get her due. She was quite powerful and moving in this. Seducing the German kid, and then forming the bond with him, albeit secretively. The 2nd half, with the suspense of her trial for being a guard at a Concentration camp really added and put more sympathy towards her character. It was not an easy situation. Her character needed money, she wasn't sure what to do. The fact she was illiterare, I guess it was based real events. By the end of the movie, after seeing her serve her time and want to repent..the obvious difficulty she had, I couldn't help but feel as bad for her as the family's who lost their loved ones in that horrific incident. I hope people don't look at this as movie about Nazi-Germany, because it isn't at all. It's a character study and a love story with some humor, and a narrative and a lot of other things. Mind you, I really want more mentioned about Kate Winslet's career and the fact MANY OTHER ROLES SHE'S PLAYED DESERVED AS MUCH IF NOT MORE RECOGNITION. Namely: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND and JUDE for example..a picture most people probably have never heard of. Because if she does in fact win the Oscar here, I really think people who liked her performance owe it to themself to seek out a lot of her other work. She's possibly the best Actor of this generation and more people could and should recognize that.
The film itself I can't forget to mention a few holes, and possibly why I don't rank it a bit higher. They never explained why young Michael didn't appear at the Prison after he made the appointment..and the point he made about how Hannah could be proven to not receive the punishment she did. She was illiterate, that piece the judge was using to prove her guilt very likely wasn't all her responsibility given the fact she was illiterate. But maybe the secret of their affair was too risky on his own part to expose. Another was when Hannah fled, and you see young Michael at her flat and it's empty. That and the whole process of her getting promoted by the Street Car co? There certainly were a few holes or unexplained parts of this for my liking for it to contend for Best Picture. But at the same time, I don't have a problem with it receiving a Best Picture nomination.
84/100
6. Transsiberian
Another under-seen gem. Emily Mortimer deserved an Oscar Nomination for this. The situations she faced, and difficult decisions. The plot was interesting. The suspense never left the viewer. Her relationship with that guy Carlos and the drugs, then later with Ben Kingsley's character and keeping track of where they are and where her husband played by Woody Harrelson, is. Sorry, but this should have been seen by more people, and was a lot more compelling and intriguing of a story than dozens of other movies this year.
83/100
7. Sleepwalking Another great performance from Nick Stahl that goes un-noticed. Dennis Hopper effectively plays the asshole redneck father. The plot about a mother who leaves town for $ which forces her younger brother to take care of his young niece. When he loses his job, he finds no option but to flee with her. The twists this story takes is reason enough to like this, even if Hopper's character was not the easiest to handle watching. I guess as a performance, it made it all the more effective. A bit like Sam Rockwell's in "Snow Angels"..you hate him, but eventually you respect the power of his perfomance.
82/100
8.The Bank Job Terrific Heist movie based on true events. The direction the plot takes leaves you glued to the screen. You want to side with the robbers, but you're unsure if they'll pull it off, and what each faction's ultimate motivation is. Black Mailing politicians being a big part of it. Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows definitely stand out among a lot of the rest of the cast. Did it receive much Award Season recognition?..of course not, lol.
81/100
9.The Good Night Some clever ideas are explored here in this fantasy/romance plot. It's not clear whether Martin Freeman's mid-life crisis is due to his struggling relationship with Gweneth Paltrow, or his dreams are effectively pointing him in the path he needs to go. Rather surreal. Danny Devito I think was a big part of what made this thing work. Simon Pegg also added some nice comedic support as his best friend.
80/100
Those are the 9-10 best pictures I've seen over the last 12 months. The rest of these below range from pretty good, to worth the curiosity, to disappointing, to highly overated, to maybe worth seeing for free.
73-79 range
10. The Wackness Interesting coming-of-age story. Kingsley and Olivia Thrilby were both good. Thrilby I liked more in "Snow Angels" however.
11. Forgetting Sarah Marshall On paper this could have been a near-classic. It wasn't. Jason Segel's exposure aside, it still probably was the best Apatow-related picture of the year.
12. The Wrestler The gore hurts this, but the perfomance by Rourke still made it well-worth watching. Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood added a bit, but honestly, Rourke carried this thing and he should win the Oscar (sorry Sean Penn, but he carried this film. Milk's ensemble cast hurts your case).
13. Iron Man Robert Downey makes a big splash in this comeback performance. As far as Superhero movies have gone, there may not be many if any better made to be honest.
14.Pineapple Express Not quite as good as SARAH MARSHALL, but pretty close. I suppose the typical over-indulgence of Apatow, along with some points in the plot seemed incredibly preposterous, kind of hurt this thing. But some of the jokes worked well-enough no matter. The Freaks and Geeks reunion was nice to see as well.
67-73 range
15. Time Crimes Funny, perculiar, mysterious spanish Time-Travel movie. Certainly another foreign film not nearly enough people saw. Eons better than "Primer."
16. Role Models It didn't look that great, but I saw this the same evening I caught "Zack and Miri" and it was clearly the superior movie. Some of the humor, especially the Nerd/Lord-of-the-Rings/Ren-Fest stuff hit home and like Big Bang Theory, proves how comedy using the Geek-element can be very effective. Not technically an Apatow movie, but pretty much on par with his best work.
17. What Just Happened
Why nobody saw this is also puzzling. It's Robert DeNiro..c'mon. And it's funny. The Hollywood exec who tries to please everyone, but isn't necessarily able-to. Some of the dialogue floored me. It reminded me of Sidney Pollack at times.
18. Religulous Bill Maher pulled this off pretty well. I wish he would have had Deepak Chopra somewhere in it, but overall, the sarcastic with religion was quite effective. Certainly one of the best Documentaries of the year.
19. Wall-E Even though it clearly borrowed from Short-Circuit, the charm and story still worked on a lot of levels. The best animated movie of 2008 certainly.
20. Vicky Christina Barcelona A bit of a comeback for Woody Allen. It was good, albeit seemed lazy in tone at times. No, it's not deserving of all the Awards-recognition it is, but was it bad?..no..it just seemed like a fantasy for beautiful women and a guy to hook up?..like a Romance Novel really. The acting wasn't amazing or anything though. And the guy who played Rebecca Hall's fiance was annoying as hell. Hall, however, should have been the one receiving the Oscar nomination, not Cruz. And I like Penelope Cruz, but in this?..her performance didn't stick out nearly as much as Hall's.
21. Tropic Thunder Part Andy Sedaris, part Steve Buscemi-movie-where-he-plays-a-director, part Leslie Nielsen. I could have done without Tom Cruise's werewolf chest, but Robert Downey fooled me big-time here. It wasn't bad, just not something I'll be wanting to see over and over again. Steve Coogan was better in this than "Hamlet 2" certainly.
65-73 range
22. Happy Go-Lucky Sally Hawkins should play Imogen Heap. Sally Hawkins won a globe for her role in this, and should have received an Oscar nomination. The film overall, wasn't breathtaking. Although the guy who played the driving instructor was hard-to-stomach, but a bit like Dennis Hopper in "Sleepwalking"..I can't help but respect his work here. The deep-accents and more or less the plot are what hurts this from being higher. A bit like "The Wrestler" in terms of ranking. Great individual performances, but the movie overall not as much.
23. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 Of course the cast is reason to watch. Blake Lively is pure eye-candy, and more worth seeing here than on "Gossip Girl." About on par with the 1st, but they didn't involve the Pants themselves enough this time.
24. Kung Fu Panda Not as, but close to as good as Wall-E for Pixar. Jack Black can do voice-work like this well..especially with toned-down dialogue. I'm not huge into Animated stuff, but this was one exception.
25. Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson A Documentary definitely worth seeing if you are an HST fan like myself. Johnny Depp appropriately narrates.
26. My Name is Bruce A parody of a parody in a way? A auto-biographical mockumentary at least. if you dug "Bubba Ho-Tep" this is certainly in that film's class. I mean many of the lines were good. I suppose my experience might rate this a tad higher, given the hilarious post-movie q&a Bruce gave. But on paper, it's worth seeing if you're a Campbell fan for sure.
27. Hancock Will Smith doing a Super-Hero. Jason Bateman was good, and the plot twist added something. Is it Will Smith's best work, or the greatest Super-Hero movie ever?..of course not. But it's entertaining, and at least slightly different spin on the Superhero genre.
60-65 range
28. Sex Drive Sean Anders is a talented film-maker. And while this wasn't as brilliant as 2005's "Never Been Thawed" it still wasn't bad. People didn't go that much for it; calling it a poor-man's Apatow or a Super Bad ripoff. But actually, I'd rate it higher than Super Bad. Super Bad is 1 of the most over-rated movies over the last few years. And while this wasn't brilliant, at least the gay-jokes and tones were done with some class. Seth Green wasn't bad either, and I had no clue the dude who played his brother was James Marsden.
29. Burn After Reading Silly plot and a bunch of actors playing characters you never fully want to pull for. This a Coen Brother's movie, which I've come to expect mediocrity, so pretty much they pulled that off. Not horrible..a few funny moments, but hardly Awards-worthy. It's sad they get some great people involved, but don't entirely make the most of them. Perhaps people like John Malkovich and George Clooney weren't looking to be highly featured. But it's like an album with a bunch of great guests, that ends up being better on paper than the finished product.
30. Let the Right One In Better than the piece of dung that was "Twilight" but in-truth, I wasn't won-over that much by this. The acting wasn't bad, I just don't fathom the pre-teen vampire-love story to work that well. And they're making an American version, lol.
31. Nobel Son Rickman and the supporting cast sounds great on paper. What you got is an uneven story and plot. You're not sure whether you hate Rickman, or the plot his son and ..well other son I guess end up trying to get away with.
Note: I have yet to see, but have rented, "Bottle Shock" which has some of the same cast and people involved. Perhaps that'll be better, or make this seem better relatively, once I see it.
25-60 range
32. The Rocker They tried to get tons of people to see this as I probably had 4 or 5 different chances to see this before it hit theaters. And they failed pretty miserably. In truth, it wasn't that bad, it just wasn't that great or moreso, unoriginal. Basically Rain Wilson channeling Jack Black. Okay. But it's nothing to tell people they need to see.
33. Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist I just saw this last night. Kat Dennings is very good eye candy. And the plot was kind of fun. The gay overtones got a bit too overemphasized, plus Ari Graynor's sick/drunk persona got milked far too long. Michael Cera, while at times I liked him, he often seems too relaxed. He needs to show some balls. All in all, not wonderful, but not the worst thing I saw this year. Dennings I am looking forward to seeing more of in the future.
34. Hamlet 2 Steve Coogan can be funny, as his work in "Tropic Thunder" showed, but I'm not sure he can carry a movie. This might have worked as sketch or short-film better. Elizabeth Shue was good, and maybe my favorite part of this thing.
35. Smart People Kind of a dull romantic comedy/family drama. Page-channeling her Juno character, SJP being annoying and playing her character from Sex and the City. Thomas Hayden-Church was probably the best part. Quaid can be funny, and he kind of seemed like a poor-man's Harry Ford here.
36. Quid Pro Quos Well not everything Nick Stahl does is perfect. The idea seemed a bit more appealing than the execution. Sure, some chick having a fetish for a disability like being in a wheelchair could have some legs, but I fell asleep sadly. I dunno, maybe a 2nd viewing via IFC could change my mind.
37. Valkyrie Non authentic accents, and maybe worse, the process and direction just seemed way too Hollywood. The plotting wasn't bad, but unless you can see past the fact Tom Cruise was playing Tom Cruise in Nazi-Germany, it's hard to find much appeal for this. See a documentary or read a book about it instead.
38. Bill Aaron Eckhardt: 1 of like 3 or 4 movies he was in 2008. This 1 he was featured. It had a few funny moments..namely the kid who played his mentor and the back-and-forth with Elizabeth Banks (who also appeared in like 6 movies in the last 12 months), but overall I wasn't sure how much I liked his character.
39. Get Smart Carrell was the right actor, visually/physically to play the Don Adams role, but too much of the script was Steve Carrell playing Steven Carrell. I'm not certain if Hathaway was worth seeing more in this or "Rachel Getting Married" as I walked out of that one.
40. The Dark Knight Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated, Over-rated. This may go down in history as being the most over-rated movie ever. Maybe even more than "Little Miss Sunshine." Sorry, but I had a horrible headache walking out of this. It was painful watching the back-and-forth explosions and sound-in-your-face..much like "Children of Men"..how could I enjoy this?..seriously, wtf?..it was just a disgustingly dark and torturous experience trying to get through this. Ledger?..sorry, but his job couldn't wash Jack Nicholson's Joker's JOCK. He more or less was Al Franken/Carol Channing becoming a mental patient. Not funny, not entertaining, not even worth remembering. He was gross as all fuck. And maybe even worse..but the Oscar was given to him from the day he was cast. Wonderful, Hollywood. Just wonderful. Every family on the globe will know this picture and never see Synechdoche, NY and they'll know Ledger for his work here and not on ROAR or a number of other things he did previously. Thanks.
41. Zack and Miri Make a Porno Sadly, this didn't turn out as good as it could. Kevin Smith + Seth Rogen. Reminds me a little of "Be Kind Rewind"..even though I don't love everything Smith does, the formula sounded potentially good. I guess it's a bit of Seth Rogen, everything he does ends up being decent but not amazing. Knowing-that going-in probably would be good to keep in mind. We didn't even get Elizabeth Banks in the Princess Leia Bikini, lol. I suppose on the flip-side, Traci Lords did add something, but the Jason Mewes exposure negated some of that.
42. Yes Man Jim Carrey and Zoey Deschanel. Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda..Another romantic-comedy on paper that fell short. I suppose it's not the worst either has done, but the idea that people in Hollywood are consistently brilliant is a myth. They should have at least had the song "Tempus Fugit" or a reference to the band Yes, but did they?..on the DVD perhaps? Dunno if I'd rent it..except perhaps if Zoey and Jim do commentary.
43. Step Brothers Not very funny, but it didn't look that funny. The 2nd half actually was a little better. Jenkins and Steenburgen both did other work this year that was better. Sadly, Ferrell and Reilly I'm not sure if the same can be said.
44. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Nostalgia with a convoluted script. Lucas, Spielberg..both perhaps are shells of their former selves. The Raiders Adaptation made me forget about this one fast. They ought-to include it on the dvd. If only the world worked that way.
"Bottleshock" and some others may be added, but were not available at the original press time.
also note: an Awards Blog I mean to post soon as a follow-up. Who I would give the awards to, etc.
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