So if you miss getting your film fix here, I’d like to turn your attention to the brand spanking new Film Gauge Podcast. Featuring yours truly and a couple of much smarter cinephiles Aaron Pinkston and Rachel Baron, we spent our inaugural episode discussing Martin Scorsese’s latest release Shutter Island and compared it to one of his earlier works Cape Fear. This will be a weekly affair, so feel free to follow the Film Gauge crew on the tumblr blog or on iTunes.
Listen to our first episode:
Suddenly, Plastic Beach looks a lot more promising– after the slightly odd release of the 80′s dance-styled “Stylo” featuring Bobby Womack and Mos Def, we now have “Superfast Jellyfish,” an insanely catchy (and slightly trippy) song featuring some outstanding and carefree rhymes from De La Soul and a great pop hook from Super Furry Animals’ Gryff Rhys. “Superfast Jellyfish” has all the randomness of a MF Doom or Madlib/Quasimoto project, yet with a dose of Yo Gabba Gabba! A must listen, check it out below:
Gorillaz Plastic Beach “Superfast Jellyfish” (feat. De La Soul and Gryff Rhys)
The purple one is apparently still in Guitar Hero mode, churning out a near five minute anthem that’s about as disjointed as everything else he has done recently. While Prince fans will likely appreciate the song for what it is, it’s too bad that Prince hasn’t quite hit his stride yet when it comes to his new material– a lot of the songs feel like recycled ideas jumbled shamelessly together. Of course, for all we know, this is just a throwaway track specifically for Minneapolis Public Radio rather than it being indicative of his next album. Listen to it below:
It may have only been five years, but it feels like a lifetime since BSS was sending every indie rock kids heart a flutter– from their breakthrough You Forgot it in People to their self-titled effort in 2005, it was perhaps appropriate that the gargantuan collective took some time off. Now their back with a new album entitled Forgiveness Rock Record (May 4 on Arts & Crafts), and for their first exercise in Forgiveness Rock they have the epic “World Sick,” an exceptionally promising entry. Listen to the album below, or even better download it for the cost of an email address.
Broken Social Scene “World Sick” Forgiveness Rock Record
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Yes kids, it’s that wonderful (woeful) time of year, where you (are forced to) embrace all things love, whether it be flower, chocolates, candlelit dinners or (heartbreak) what have you. In honor of such a fine (Hallmark) holiday, here are twenty songs for Valentine’s Day:
Well if this is indicative of his new album, it would appear as though he’s pushing more in the direction of “Rope of Sand” from his previous album Jim more than anything else. It’s a lot to take in, especially out of context, but at first blush it seems as though Lidell has been spending a lot of time listening to Nina Simone. With a spectacularly sparse arrangement that branches out into a latin-influenced breakdown before once again transforming into an ad-libbed, rootsy jam– it’d be an understatement to say that Lidell packs a lot of ideas into a single song. Yet, like everything else that Lidell has touched (especially as of late), “Compass” is a golden piece of work, albeit more chilling than anything he’s done previously.
Now I see where the extra money is going. So far, in addition to a reunited Pavement and St. Vincent, we’ve also got Modest Mouse, LCD Soundsystem and Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan as some of the big names in the festival– and they’re not even done announcing the line up yet! Also rumored is Real Estate, Neon Indian, and The Smith Westerns. Tickets begin going on sale today at noon via TicketWeb, with Three-Day Passes going for $90 and single day tickets going for $40. Below is the full line-up thus far:
Friday, July 16:
– Modest Mouse
Saturday, July 17:
– LCD Soundsystem
– Raekwon
– Here We Go Magic
Sunday, July 18:
– Pavement
– St. Vincent
– Lightning Bolt
– Cass McCombs
– Sleigh Bells
With Yeasayer’s new album Odd Blood hitting shelves in less than a week, it’s appropriate to allow you to listen to a great remix of their single “Ambling Alp” provided by none other than Alan Wilkis. While keeping the integrity of the original, Wilkis gives the song an extra layer of depth with his funkier approach to the song. Download it here.
Believe it or not, 2010 has been off to a strong start already, with a stellar release just about every week. It’s been difficult to catch up, and it doesn’t look like February is going to be any less packed with terrific releases, so let’s take a look at the best albums from last month:
“There Are Listed Buildings”
“The Mystery Zone”
“Angel Echoes”
“IRM”
“Careful With That Hat”
Speaking of local festivals, the names keep flowing on the Lollapalooza front, and while it’s nothing terribly exciting just yet, you have to give them credit for trying something different. Rapper/singer B.o.B. has long been considered (for better or worse) one of the bright spots in the next generation of hip-hop musicians, while both Drive-By Truckers and The Cribs have a number of admirable releases between the two of them. Also likely to be confirmed is the Japanese metal group X Japan, who has only recently begun performing in the United States despite being around for more than 25 years.
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