Indie Rock Playlist, 4/4/09

Here are some songs I've been listening to lately. Some are new, some are slightly old.

1. "Up Against the Wall" by Peter Bjorn and John
Boy likes girl. Girl plays games with guy. Guy listens to this song to comfort himself.

2. "Electric Feel" by MGMT
a feel-good song for the summer

3. "Autumn Sweater" by Yo La Tengo
Favorite Lines: We could slip away/Wouldn't that be better/Me with nothing to say/And you with your autumn sweater.

4. "City vs. Country" by Mobius Band
I'll admit it, sometimes I miss the suburbs. The city is too crowded and impersonal. The singer in this song seems to agree with me.

5. "You're A Wolf" by Sea Wolf

6. "Girl Sailor" by The Shins
Favorite Line: The gutter may profess it's love/Then follow it with hesitation...

7. "Twilight Galaxy" by Metric

8. "Soft Shock" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs

9. "Firefly" by Saves the Day
Fast-paced punk rock-esque ditty about the heady joy of high school crushes.

10. "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" by Fuck Buttons
For fans of Sigur Ros. Listen to this one cranked up on a really good set of headphones.

Songs I've had on repeat lately

Felicia Day, actress and creator of The Guild, recently admitted on Twitter that she has the tendency to "frequently...get obsessed and have to listen to a song 50 times in a row. Literally." I must admit, sometimes I'm the same way. So, here are some songs I've recently been listening to endlessly--or at least a few times a day.

1. "Teen Angst" by M83

This is a song for fans of shoegaze and electronica: it's all about hushed vocals and streaming electronic blips. I can't describe exactly why I love this song so much, other than that I feel transported to another plane of consciousness when I listen to it. As the song progresses, the vocals and background audio combine into a halcyon rush of noise that envelops the listener in a soothing wave of sound and emotion.

2. "I'm Taking the Train Home" by The Twilight Sad

The Twilight Sad are from Scotland, and something about the rush of guitar distortion in the first few seconds of this song is highly evocative of a cloudy, windswept, Scottish moor. A stormy mood is pervasive about this song, which seems to be about a guy mourning the loss of a relationship. To be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the lead singer is saying, as he speaks in a hushed Scottish accent. Nonetheless, I find myself enchanted by this track whenever I listen to it.

3. "Satellite" by Mobius Band (cover of a TV on the Radio song)

There's something haunting about this song's intro, in which lead singer Ben Sterling croons, "your voice...is a satellite," while plaintive instruments beat out a syncopated rhythm in the background. Fans of the Postal Service, electronica, and pining love songs will find something agreeable about this song, which is part of a compilation of love-themed cover songs that Mobius Band released on Myspace on Valentine's Day.

Lost: My thoughts on episode 5x8 "LaFleur"

I have to say, this week's episode was full of shocking twists and turns. For me at least, here are some of the highlights:

1. Sawyer and Juliette: I had a premonition at the end of last season that these two might somehow get together. Not that they make a likely couple at first glance. This season has mostly had them tolerating each other, as they struggle to survive each episodic twist and turn. At times it seemed like Juliette was a tired mother, and Sawyer was the unruly child that she was scolding. Not so in last night's episode. Apparently spending three years trapped in the 70's is enough to make even the most unlikely couple fall head over heels. The question we need to be asking ourselves though is, are they really in love?

As I watched them being affectionate, I had the feeling that neither one was being entirely honest with each other. My theory: Juliette, as usual, is feigning emotion affection, in order to somehow advance some scheme she's plotting. Because let's be real, folks: Juliette is always plotting something. Whether it's how to get back at Ben, or the quickest route off the island, this woman's mind is always at work. As for Sawyer...I think he was just using Juliette to distract himself from Kate. But I suppose next week's episode will shed some light on this idea.

2. OMG, the Losties spent three years in the 70's: I mean, it's shocking enough when, in episode 7, Jin shows up on the island in a Dharma initiative truck, having apparently integrated himself into the group while he's been marooned there. But the back and forth jumps in time in episode 8 are frankly a bit mind-boggling. Aside from the thrill of this surprising narrative twist, the idea of actually being stuck in the past is quite shocking. I mean, does it create a time travel paradox of sorts? What if you run into your parents/grandparents/great-grandparents? Although on the other hand, it might be kind of cool to see how life really was back then. At least for me, it would be quite fascinating.

3. In the past, there's a mysterious statue on the island, holding two ankhs: By now there has been much speculation on the Internet, over the significance of this statue. What we know for sure is that this statue symbolizes fertility. Which is somehow linked to the fact that Juliette was able to deliver a baby born on the island back in the 70's. My theory is that the ankh statue = the mysterious four-toed statue. So, somewhere between the 70's and the present day, the upper half of the statue was destroyed. So, is there a correlation between the wholeness of the statue, and the ability of pregnant women to successfully conceive on the island? This would seem to make sense to me.

Of course, I could be totally off base. I'll admit, I haven't been as fastidious about re-watching episodes this season, so I may have missed a few minor details. Anyway, for what it's worth, this week's episode was one more awesome episode in what for Lost has been a stupendously stellar season, in my opinion.

Torchwood's Eve Myles and Euros Lyn at New York Comic Con

I was lucky enough to snag front row seats at the Torchwood panel (moderated by Pop Candy's Whitney Matheson) at this year's New York Comic Con. Here are some pictures of actress Eve Myles, director Euros Lyn, and moderator Whitney Matheson:









io9 has two videos and a recap of the Torchwood panel here.

Tutorial9 Presents: The Gift of Knowledge GIVEaway!

The cool people over at Tutorial 9 are having a design contest with a unique humanitarian component. The idea is to have bloggers in the design community come together to a) donate their knowledge, b) help out a charity, and c) win cool prizes in the process! 

(Prizes include awesome stuff like Wacom tablets, camera lenses, and a 1-yr subscription to the design tutorial website Lynda.com.)

The "donation of knowledge" required to enter the contest can be in the form of a tutorial, a collection of cool links, or even  an article with a design-related theme. For each person that "donates" their knowledge, $100 will be given to the Save the Children organization. 

IMO this is a pretty cool way to help out kids, while also sharing your design expertise in the process. So, anyone reading this who has even a modicum of interest in graphic design or Photoshop, definitely consider contributing to this contest.

Click here to enter Tutorial9's Gift of Knowledge GIVEaway!

Bloc Party's Intimacy delivers as promised

Bloc Party has returned to musical brilliance with its latest album, Intimacy. (The album could also have been titled Lust Lust Lust--but alas, that title was already taken by The Raveonettes with their most recent musical offering.) Basically, Intimacy is about the sometimes romantic, sometimes casual, and sometimes intense love affairs that complicate, confound, and enrich human lives.

The album starts out with "Ares," a song named after the ancient god of war. Naturally this song is fast-paced and frenetic, punctuated by a cacophony of drumbeats and a wailing electric guitar. In short, the song seems to associate starting a new relationship with "starting a war."

The second track "Mercury" has the singer launching headlong into a new relationship, despite having some initial trepidation about his new love interest. A complex percussion pattern and the menacing sounds of trumpets and trombones underline the singer's sense that "this is not the time to start a new love."

The visceral sensuality of the album cover is best evoked by "Halo," the third track. (Musically, this song is most similar to "Helicopter," from Bloc Party's first album Silent Alarm.) Lyrically, Okereke is recalling the intense physical attraction often felt in the beginning stages of a relationship, as he croons "paralyze me with your kiss."

The hallmark of Bloc Party's musical style is their ability to channel the spirit of 80's New Wave bands--most notably The Cure. Arguably, most of Bloc Party's better songs are the fast-paced ones. However, on this album, equal care seems to have been taken with the slower songs as well as the faster ones. The slower songs masterfully combine tender, thoughtful lyrics with carefully sampled electronic beats.

After being somewhat disappointed by A Weekend in the City--Bloc Party's lukewarm sophomore effort--I felt like Bloc Party had really lost its way as a band. Thankfully, they have once again found their way with Intimacy, in which every song is packed with meaningful emotion and well-phrased musical motifs.

12 Movies Meme

When Nick at Fataculture listed a 12 movie meme that he had been inspired to participate in by Lazy Eye Theatre, I knew I just had to take a stab at it as well! The idea is to imagine that you have your own film festival, and pick twelve movies that you think best exemplify your hypothetical film festival.

My festival includes travel films, period pieces, sci-fi epics, and movies that pay respect to the golden age of cinema. Without further ado, here it is.

1. Donnie Darko: I love this film because of its 80's homage, great soundtrack, and engaging characters. Jake Gyllenhaal is amazing as the lead character Donnie, a troubled teen who is haunted by apocalyptic premonitions and visions of a creepy bunny.

2. Children of Men: An utterly bleak film, yet also a stunning example of cinematography. Clive Owen stars as Theo, a man trying to make it in a dystopian world where no one is able to bear children anymore. When he discovers a teenage
girl with a shocking secret, he suddenly becomes the guardian of hope for the entire human race. With its grim yet insightful meditations on the future of the human race, this film is very relevant to our times.

3. Metropolis: The original sci-fi epic, this movie paved the way for other great films such as Star Wars and Blade Runner.

4. The Beat that My Heart Skipped: A fast-paced French film with an amazing soundtrack and exquisite cinematography. This film explores two intriguing themes: music appreciation; and the conflict between family duty and loyalty to oneself. Romain Duris stars as a young man torn between his desire to become a concert pianist, and his obligation to help out his gangster father.

5. The Darjeeling Limited: This movie explores several themes that are dear to my heart: travel as a means of self-discovery, dysfunctional families, and the dichotomy between first and third world countries. It's also my favorite Wes Anderson film.

6. Lost in Translation: If The Darjeeling Limited is a film about the hope and sense of connection that travel can bring, then Lost in Translation can be seen as the direct opposite. This film directed by Sofia Coppola centers on the story of Charlotte (Scarlett Johanssen), a young woman who travels to Japan to accompany her husband on a photo shoot. She discovers upon her arrival that while travel is exciting and breathtaking, it can also be incredibly lonely and isolating. The soundtrack (partially composed by Kevin Shields), and the pristine shots of Tokyo help emphasize the sense of distance and isolation that permeates the film. Bill Murray rounds out the film as Bob Harris, an aging actor whose path intersects with Charlotte's during his time in Japan.

7. Almost Famous: For me, this film encapsulates a time period as well a biographical story. William Miller (played wonderfully by Patrick Fugit) is a precocious writer who goes on tour with Stillwater (a fictional version of the rock group Led Zeppelin). As William goes on a journey from innocence to experience--led down this path by frenzied groupies--we get to see the world as it was back in the early 70's. This film also has an incredible soundtrack, and includes stunning supporting performances from actors such as Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Frances McDormand, and Billy Crudup.

8. Cinema Paradiso: For me, this film describes what it feels like to truly care about movies and the lost art of moviegoing. We live in an age where technology has transformed moviegoing into a very individualistic experience. In other words, it's quite easy to experience any film from the comfort of your own home, and never have to interact with another human being in the process. Cinema Paradiso takes us back to a time when going to the theater was a community event, in which the local theater became a social gathering place, and the premiere of the newest film was heralded as a monumentous occurrence. In an era before television and the Internet, the movie theater was the community's gateway to the outside world.

The film chronicles the life of Salvatore, a boy growing up in a Sicilian village in the 50's. Throughout the film, we see how the local movie theater and its employees directly impact Salvatore and his life choices.

9. A Very Long Engagement: This period film stars Audrey Tautou in one of her lesser known roles, as a French woman during World War 2 who is waiting for her boyfriend to come home from the war. I would argue that the cinematography in this film is equal to--if not better than--the cinematography in Amelie. This film has everything: suspense, romance, violence, despair, and hope. Also, there's a brief cameo by Marion Cotillard, who would later go on to win an Oscar for her performance in La Vie en Rose.

10.All About Eve: This movie about bickering actresses during the golden age of cinema is a stinging indictment on the duplicity and transparency of Hollywood. Several decades before tabloids, paparazzi, and the Internet, actresses still managed to accomplish plenty of backstabbing as they clawed their way to the top of the Hollywood food chain. Bette Davis and Anne Baxter are amazing in their respective roles as the established actress and the doe-eyed ingenue.

11.The Great Debaters: For me, this film is an example of African American cinema at its best. The story centers around four black students during the 1930's who are attending Wiley College--at the time one of the few colleges in the South for African American students. When the four students are recruited by Professor Tolson (Denzel Washington) to be part of a debate team, they find that they are up for a challenge that will not only test their ability to spout rhetoric, but will also challenge their beliefs about love, truth, and justice.

12. The Science of Sleep: This artsy movie might be difficult for some people to comprehend, but for me it is an amazing treatise on the surreality of the dreamworld. Gael Garcia Bernal stars as Stephane, a young man who has trouble distinguishing between reality and the dreamworld. When he falls in love with a woman named Stephanie, he must fight through the uncertainty in his head in order to make his relationship with Stephanie work.

I love this film because it takes risks. Michel Gondry is unafraid to mix standard shots of Paris life with surreal dreamscapes made of cardboard and yarn. He also mixes languages, with characters that randomly jump between French, English, and Spanish during mid-conversation. At times the plot meanders or seems unclear, but in reality this only plays into the theme of the film: that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish between dreams and reality, truth and fantasy. The soundtrack is also a plus, a mix of dreamy French tunes and more familiar songs from groups such as The
White Stripes.