My favourite album of 2009...

Last year i came up with a list , this year im just going to name my favourite album and be done with it.

Truth be told Cut Copys In Ghost Colours ( last years number 1!) is going to be my favourite album for the next couple of years but in the spirit of the rather pointless exercise of end of year summaries ill attempt to name my favourite album , film , tv show , washing powder , shampoo and toothpaste of 2009.


So whats my favourite album???


Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix by Phoenix







Ive always liked the sound of Phoenix , their production sounds very clean and clear , perfect for headphone listening. All good and well you say but do they have any tunes..?? Yessir tunes a plenty , lovely guitar work , nice melodies and what i see as a lack of self consciousness about the whole thing. Some of us may not like the soft rock furnishings of Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix but then again i think the more discerning listener would find something quite exciting in this album. I'll be honest i was initially underwhelmed by this record but boy did it grow on me. Ill be listening to it for many years to come. So if you havent already i suggest getting to know this excellent record, the most satisfying record of 2009 in my opinion.

songy song time

song for budget wednesday ( or any wednesday for that matter)

"
yup i know the budget news aint great....but have you listened to this track by this kid called VEGA?"

















"On hearing the track Jimmy forgets his woes and realises whats truely important in life."




.....Thats the spirit Jimmy!!

song for tuesday in december

song for mandag...

a song for thierry.....

*******JUST Bought***********

!

Air France - GBG Belongs To Us

? dont know much about this band

heard this track on a mixtape from the excellent people over at Butter Team

This song sounds like Ibiza in 1989...ie it reminds me of Technique a bit..


I love this song

Memory Tapes - Bicycle

this song takes off from 1:50 onwards

this song REAlly takes off from about the 3 :23 point

i love love love the new order style guitar led outro....

FRANCOIS NEMETA + KINGS OF CONVENIENCE + CUTE GIRLS

i like this song and video

SONG - BOAT BEHIND BY KINGS OF CONVENIENCE

VIDEO - FRANCOIS NEMETA

Kings of Convenience - Boat Behind from françois nemeta on Vimeo.

idle sunday morning

the song rocks , the video rocks

man of the moment noah lennox and Atlas Sound.

As far as i know this is a fan made vid. It works really well..

Song for Sunday

nice song..and i think the video is simple but effective.

I dont believe any of these dudes have ever surfed , their arms are too skinny!. Brian Wilson didnt surf either..His music was alright though.....

Spotted this trailer earlier...

Shotgun yielding dude is the next DeNiro...

Sometimes certain quotes just hit me...

"Never compromise a dream. Do what you must. The fears, beasts, and mountains before you are part of the plan. Stepping stones to a promised land. To a time and place that is so much closer than even you expect. So don't let your eyes deceive you, for even as you read these words, your ship swiftly approaches…"

song of the day

Its Midweek.. its Midlake!

I love this song. Had forgotten about it though , and then i heard it while driving a few weeks back.



Also an observation ,for those of you who know me..i dont think i'd look out of place in this band.

Mike Dooley tells it like it is...

Old West Chronicles Part 6 - Travel

my favourite spoof trailer ever..ever.ever.ever.ever......

i have back pain , i found this video...it made me laugh and for a few mins i forgot my back pain..

thanks dr boris and your unintenionally funny video.

2:39? why was that redubbed...actually the whole video sounds like it was recorded in stops and starts over a period of time.

song of the day

Knightlife - Crusader





buy here yo

RIP John Hughes

I think this instrumental version of Ladyhawkes Back of the Van would have fitted perfectly into any Hughes movie...Maybe playing over the end credits scene.

So sit back , enjoy the music and replay your favourite John Hughes movie moments in the cinema of your minds.

The Beatles: Rock Band

This promo vid for the new Rock Band game is a lovely piece of filmmaking/animation...

Michael Jackson....

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American recording artist and entertainer. - Wikepedia


It feels quite surreal to read that sentence.


My first musical memories are of Michael Jackson. I was three and and a half years old when he released Bad in August 1987. It was his seventh studio album but for all i knew it was his first , Michael Jackson year zero.




When i saw the music video for Bad it blew my mind. This man was the coolest person i had ever seen...The release of a new Jackson album and the music videos that accompanied them were events. Those music videos from the 1980s still give me goosebumps , the music , the choreography , the physics defying dance moves , the sheer ambition of it all. If you want to talk about childhood heroes yeah i guess you could say Michael Jackson was mine.

I pretty much stopped caring about Michael Jackson and his musical output in my early teens around the time he released HIStory. I remember it as being an event alright but somehow the man and his downright weird and strange personal life had got in the way of my enjoyment of his music , and truth be told his music just wasnt as good as before. ( okay Stranger in Moscow from 1996 is a damn good song.)

Maybe the Michael Jackson i grew up idolising died a long time ago. Maybe some time around 1993 and those child abuse allegations...I dont know. I suppose i just find it hard to seperate the man from the music. But maybe i could allow for two Michael Jacksons , : my childhood hero who seemed to make the world a more exciting place and the sad strange man whose world turned into a freakshow. I know which one ill be mourning the loss of.

Michael Jackson was an American recording artist and entertainer.


PS: For the record i now believe that Jackson was never a child molester but, rather, the victim of two extortion attempts.

So this "Twitter Revolution."...

The mob mentality of the twitter hive mind and the habit of jumping on the bandwagon of issues which most of them are not overly familiar with worries me. Im not refering to actual Iranians in their own country using facebook , twitter and whatever other social media to organise themselves but i am talking about young progressive Westerners who are identifying and vicariously involving themselves with what they may think is an exciting revolution. All from the safety of their computer.


Jeremy Scahill over at Rebel Reports has some interesting thoughts on this and offers his two cents worth

Also over at Rebel Reports i found a link to this

Heres a truncated excerpt which articulates pretty well whats going on here..Its directed at all the new Iran experts...



"Who thought until this morning that Shiraz was just the name of a wine

Who’s beaming with pride you can now write ‘Ahmadinejad’ without copy-and-pasting it from a news website....

...Who’s changed your Facebook profile picture to a green rectangle saying “Where’s my vote?” even though you don’t actually vote in Iran

Who actually thinks that Mir-Hossein Mousavi is a secular
And that his election means that Iran will give up its nuclear claims
And allow you to visit Tehran for Christmas

Who joyfully makes Azadi/Tiananmen square comparisons
Who first heard of Azadi square last Sunday




But who nevertheless

Has been tweeting, and re-tweeting, and polluting cyberspace with what is essentially hearsay, rumours, and unconfirmed truncated reports or falsification coming from people who actually know about the realities of Iran’s political world and have an agenda:

You know nothing. Abso-fucking-lutely nothing about what happened, or is happening across Iran at the very moment. Most of us don’t, actually. What we see is a tiny slice of reality, mind you, what is happening on the main squares in the big cities, under camera lenses. "

Songs for Sunday

Overheard this track while perusing a newsagents in France the other week. It was pissing cats and dogs outside and i ran to the nearest shop for shelter. I searched in vain for an English language section , so i just enjoyed the book cover artwork instead. Avalon came on in the backround ,i dripped water on the books and realised how much i like this song and the album of the same name...Its my favourite Roxy Music record.

Soundtrack to my Summer...

...provided by Phoenix and their new record Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix




Six months into 2009 and i think i may have listened to my favourite record of the year.

track 1 )


the fan made video above is great..

track 2 )


Vive le France !!

song of the day...

"Hey Fergal whats cool?"

yo ! well interesting that you should ask because here be the very things that are rocking my week ...

* Music - DJ MEHDI

* TV/INTERNET-TV - My favourite comedian now has his own show

* This performance ! -




* also i think i fell in love with this girl..




..thats it my peoples, thats whats cool.

alt hip hop from da vault

1)
...two good things come together. An unlikely collaboration but it is as they say a dope cut.

2)
...instrumental version of this is also worth checking out.

3)
...while we are on the subjuct of unlikely collaborations!!! This is fcking great. From the album 'Pet Sounds: In The Key of Dee' by Bullion.

4)


5)

song for a tuesday in april in 2009...

My favourite track on the album. Empire of the Fleetwood Mac more like!

Bollywood had an off day...

I think they just dragged this dude in off the street..

So as far as i can make out the clip starts with awfuldancingman trying to dry a letter hes tip-exxed. This he then celebrates with a roll around the garden , as you do. And then he starts "dancing" again...

He picks up a chick , sort of drags her around a bit and then she disappears ( women huh? )

About 1:07 awfuldancingman starts backing away from us, and into a rose bush. I think hes a bit drunk. Shit hes started dancing again.

1:56 chick re-appears! His awful dancing has somehow summoned her..

1:58 shirt change. ( wait is this the same guy? im confused)

2:03 Chick digs the shirt.....someawful dancing follows. Both parties guilty here..

2:11 RAPE ATTEMPT!

2:13 I think we got a puker. Either hes disgusted at his actions or this is a side effect of some AWFUL dance moves..

2:20 she forgives him! And doesnt seem to mind his pukey breath. Shes got no self respect this lady..

2:24 Some of the most half-assed dancing ive witnessed . Hes not even trying!...Actually i dont think he's well.

3:03 woah , he dances and walks the steps backwards. Walks up 2 steps backwards..Just about.

Your glad you stayed to the end cos he now breaks out all the moves...3:24 This brings on the end of the world. Goddamnit awfuldancing man!




End

Bill Moyers tells it like it is...

"..when historians come to tell the story of America in our time, I'll wager they will not be able to ignore this remarkable and compelling portrayal of life in our cities.."


Yesterday i lay out in the sun and listened to the audio version of Bill Moyers interview with David Simon. I would urge everyone , whether familiar with The Wire or not , to go check it out..http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04172009/watch.html.

BEARDS ARE FUN

Tattoo by Jack Handey

from the new yorker

Recently, I got a sex change on a whim. I was out drinking with some friends, got really drunk, and went in for the surgery. The doctors suggested I wait until I was sober, but I said no, give me the sex change.

Well, to make a long story short (so to speak), I woke up with breasts, a vagina, and a splitting headache. Also, I had a tattoo. I don’t remember where I got it, but there it was.

I was a woman for several weeks. The people at work were nice about it, but, to tell you the truth, I didn’t really have time to enjoy being a woman—I was swamped with projects. Finally, I decided to go back to being a man. For one thing, I hadn’t thought about how you need to change your whole wardrobe.

When I went in for the second surgery, I asked the doctor if he could also remove the tattoo while he was at it. He said, “But since you’re going to be a man again, wouldn’t you like to keep the tattoo?” I said no, man or woman, I didn’t want the tattoo.

I woke up from the operation, and I was a man again. But get this: I still had the tattoo! I thought, Am I crazy? I confronted the surgeon, and he said he thought we had left the tattoo part undecided. Now that I was a man, I felt like punching him, but I didn’t. Instead, I just made an appointment to come back and get the tattoo removed.

I should have been suspicious when I went back to the hospital and they put me under full anesthesia, because when I woke up I was a woman again but the tattoo was still there! They said it had been a mistake, and to make up for it they would do my next surgery for free.

I didn’t know what to do. I became depressed. I started getting hounded by my insurance company. They had covered my sex-change operations in full, but they said they didn’t cover tattoo removal. But I didn’t have a tattoo removal, I told them. They said they had already paid my doctor for one by mistake, and now I had to reimburse them. I called my doctor, and he said he hadn’t received any payment for tattoo removal.

I was so mad, I felt like suing someone. But who? My drinking buddies didn’t have any money, and I had no luck tracking down the tattoo parlor.

I gave up. I started hitting the bars and sleeping around. I don’t even remember if I was a man or a woman at that point. I felt a little cheap, so maybe I was a woman.

One night, after some meaningless sex, he or she turned to me and said, “You know, I really like your tattoo.” Something clicked in my head, and in my gut or maybe my uterus. I hadn’t realized it, but I also liked the tattoo. I was a tattoo person!

I called my doctor and told him the news: I wanted to get another sex-change operation, but I was going to keep the tattoo. He said I was an idiot. But I don’t care. If wanting to keep your tattoo makes you an idiot, then I’m the king of the idiots. Or the queen of the idiots—I have to look.

*************

I should just give up posting original stuff here and set up a Jack Handey tribute blog. I would feel no shame because he is that good. If you like surreal absurdist humour he is the man( or woman ) for you....check out Deepthoughtsbyjackhandey.com for more

song of the fukn week!

might be getting a little over excited cos they are Irish but damn if this isnt a great tune! Cant wait to hear more from Two Door Cinema Club...

SERIOUSLY??!

" ...In light of a recent assault on a TMZ photographer, Woody Harrelson has brilliantly defended his actions by claiming he was still in character and "mistook [the paparazzi] for a zombie."

In a statement issued by his publicist, Harrelson explained that he had just "wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland,' in which [he] was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character."..." VIA THE PLAYLIST

Contemporary sequel naming logic....

what with Fast And Furious blaizing a new trail for sequel naming Adam Buxton endeavours to take the franchise to its logical conclusion.....According to Mr Buxton the fifth installment will just be called....


"Fas Fur"


- animal based race film involving horses as Vin Diesels ex con decides to join horses , he breeds a weird siamese horse with eight legs..

The sixth installment the sequel to "Fas Fur" is just called .....


"Fa Fu"

, it stars Vin again as an ex - con again who now fancies Paul Walkers character and soon the pair join forces to investigate each other ,its a homo-erotic type thriller..

Also the franchise spawns a spin off called "The And The " as these definite articles have been left over from the previous film. This movie " The And The " would follow the stories of all the people waiting at the start and finish line of the race and what they get up to ..


"FF..."

Now the final installment of the whole franchise will be called "FF..." , Vin Diesels ex con is so bitter at undercover cop Paul Walker ( who he now no longer fancies ) that he lets the air out of his tyres, and this takes ninety minutes...

Adam Buxton i take my hat off to you... ********All of the above roughly transcribed from the Adam and Joe Podcast 4th Arpil 09**** Go! Download! Now! over here

So thats...

"The Fast and the Furious"
"2 Fast 2 Furious"
"The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift"
"Fast & Furious"
"Fas Fur"
"Fa Fu"
"FF"

Not forgetting the spin-off "The And The "

seth rogen overkill? No not yet cos ive a damn good feeling about this movie..( okay its only a trailer but still...)

ole!

he did take my headline away but still nice to see Olbermann get a Python reference in ( HOW COULD YOU NOT!)

Q. Where and when would you like to be? A. Dunedin , New Zealand 1985

The Verlaines - Doomsday

fridaysong

The Chills - Leather Jacket

charlie brooker nails it as per usual ( with the help of Dr Park Dietz )

On the 11th of March thousands gathered in Northern Ireland for a peace demonstration , presenting a united front of Protestants and Catholics .


On the 11th of March a 17-year-old gunman went on the rampage at his former high school in southern Germany , leaving 16 people dead.

If it bleeds it leads...





Hey News! Charlie Brooker is on to you!!


Newswipe with Charlie Brooker, Wednesdays 10:30 BBC4

Blogstipation

n. Inability to blog regularly.
n. Inability to think of anything to blog about.

song for friday(night)

Futurecop! - Transformers

Proto -Daft Punk

Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Laurent Brancowitz formed Darlin' in 1992 . The indie rock trio called themselves after The Beach Boys song of the same name. Darlin didnt last long and two bands formed from the ashes - Daft Punk and Phoenix..


I like these two tracks especially Darlin ,its a great track. Funny in that it reminds me of that noisepop that is popular at the moment ie No Age , Wavves.

a wee funky old playlist...

Harmonia - Deluxe (Immer Wieder)


Donna Summer - I Feel Love


Sheila & The B. Devotion - Spacer


Chic - I Want Your Love

Song des Tages

now this is a movie poster...

a song for you...

adam buxton , he the man

new week..new music...Coconut Records!

Coconut Records = Jason Schwartzman = actor = son of actress Talia Shire = nephew of Francis Ford Coppola, cousin of Nicolas Cage, Sofia Coppola = former drummer in Phantom Planet....plus many other things too i presume.

From what ive heard of Coconut Records , its far better that any of Phantom Planets output . Schwartzman has produced pop songs of the fun , breezy , light and catchy variety which reminds my ears of Brendan Bensons Lapalco record.

You can hear tracks from Coconut Records' new album, Davy right over here

DRAGONS DONT DO DENS

Wahay another week another Irish version of a successful British tv show. So last night saw the Irish series of Dragons Den begin on RTE. In hounour of this momentous occassion ive posted this clip...

Its got Barry Murphy in it..( my favourite Irish comedian)


Barry Murphy is a genius.

Oscar predictions...

Its a prediction , not my opinion on who actually deserves what , just trying to read how the Oscars will go....


Best Supporting Actor - Heath Ledger

Best Supporting Actress - Marisa Tomei

Lead Actor - Mickey Rourke

Lead Actress - Kate Winslett

Best Director - Danny Boyle

Best Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

Best Animated Feature - Wall- E

Adapted Screenplay - Simon Beaufoy ( Slumdog Millionaire)

Original Screenplay - Mike Leigh (Happy- Go Lucky)

Documentary Feature - Man on Wire

Best Score - A.R. Rahman ( Slumdog Millionaire )

Shotgun Stories

Best movie ive seen so far this year...




Looking forward to Jeff Nichols next movie.

today is a GOOD day...

i just discovered this piece of aural ecstasy



French touch plus Australian touch...we need some Irish touch!

song of the fridayNight!

oh man this track!

Lifelike- So Electric

song of the friday...

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead

song of the day..

bonus = its got pretty girls in it too..

wavves..

What do you get when you mix Beach Boys esque sunny melodies with the atonal guitar sound of Sonic Youth?

um my new favourite band





..http://www.myspace.com/wavves

Song o' the day

The seventh track on In Ghost Colours is called So Haunted and at 4 minutes 27 seconds its just too darn short. The outro never lasts as long as id like it too..Thankfully Melbourne based producer Knightlife must have concurred. I just love this expanded outro remix he has done...





Check out Knightlife myspace...If you like classic French house you'll most definitely enjoy http://www.myspace.com/dancewithknightlife

Seperation of church and state anyone?

Captain Picard agrees...



(taken from graham l @ http://twitter.com/Glinner)