Stay in Place as the Planets Align
Goddamn, six days truly feels like an eternity in LJ time... Even if I haven't actually been doing a whole lot, I have been done with my current batch off music for quite some time. Even moved on to the next one, which, hopefully, will cut down the time between my next post of this nature. But before that, other things done occurred...
Very close to finishing Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, the first of a good number of stops on the road to Civil War and Secret Invasion. It's decent stuff, moreso reading it for various plotty things, but overall the man took a good thing and did a damn good job going apeshit on everyone. I had already been spoiled for certain major developments, and my having read Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run certainly didn't help there, but it still managed thrill at turns.
Went and saw "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" a couple of nights ago. Amazing film, mainly for the performances- had the requisite twistiness of plot that most Gilliam movies have going for them, the involvement of Ledger's quasi-counterparts certainly aiding in that, but the ambiguity of it made it a enjoyable for me. Check it out if you get a chance, lord knows we could use more fantasies on a scale as grand as this. And if Tom Waits as the Devil doesn't get your ass in a seat, I truly don't know what will.
And now, the music. Gonna try and get it all out in one go, just to be done with it and not make a superfluous post tomorrow:
Man Man is odd Philly group whose closest descriptor, musically speaking, would likely be vaudeville with some pirate shanty thrown in, but what they're really trying for is indie rock. They're fond of slightly repetitive melodies and vague, imagery-filled lyrics that can mean very different things depending on your perception- something I'm very fond of. Some of the stuff on "Six Demon Bag" can get annoying quickly, but they've got some lovely stuff as well:
"Van Helsing Boombox"
"Ice Dogs"
Mates of State is a lovely little indie rock band that does some very pretty things with pop music. The songs on "Our Constant Concern" are generally tinged with a bit of melancholy that can bring you down, but there's always a note of hope in the tune... Much like life, I find:
"Über Legitimate"
"A Duel Will Settle This"
Truckasauras, apart from having one of the more awesome band names ever conceived, makes some interesting electronic music. His instrument of choice was the device used to make music for NES games in the 80s. The result, "Tea Parties, Guns, & Valor" is intriguing to say the least:
"Ain't No Danbo"
"Super Copter"
Omodaka is a Japanese DJ that makes techno/jazz with autotuned singing. I hope to God you don't need to hear anymore to be sold on the awesomeness of "Cantata No. 147":
"Otemoyan"
"Kokirikobushi"
Bat For Lashes is a very attractive lady that makes dreamy, sublime pop music. The cover of "Two Suns" features Natasha Khan in a strange background on another planet. The idea of her singing in space fits her like a glove:
"Moon and Moon"
"Siren Song"
Fucked Up are a punk metal-influenced band who make very loud music. The melodies contained within "The Chemistry Of Common Life", along with their intelligent lyrics, make for energetic rock that's very rewarding experience on repeat listens:
"Crooked Head"
"No Epiphany"
The Cool Kids are a rap group that make songs with inventive beats, very smart lyrics and delicious metaphors. They're cocky, self-referential and great party music to boot. "The Bake Sale" had me hooked from the first 20 seconds of "What Up Man":
"What Up Man"
"Mikey Rocks"
Very close to finishing Grant Morrison's New X-Men run, the first of a good number of stops on the road to Civil War and Secret Invasion. It's decent stuff, moreso reading it for various plotty things, but overall the man took a good thing and did a damn good job going apeshit on everyone. I had already been spoiled for certain major developments, and my having read Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run certainly didn't help there, but it still managed thrill at turns.
Went and saw "The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus" a couple of nights ago. Amazing film, mainly for the performances- had the requisite twistiness of plot that most Gilliam movies have going for them, the involvement of Ledger's quasi-counterparts certainly aiding in that, but the ambiguity of it made it a enjoyable for me. Check it out if you get a chance, lord knows we could use more fantasies on a scale as grand as this. And if Tom Waits as the Devil doesn't get your ass in a seat, I truly don't know what will.
And now, the music. Gonna try and get it all out in one go, just to be done with it and not make a superfluous post tomorrow:
Man Man is odd Philly group whose closest descriptor, musically speaking, would likely be vaudeville with some pirate shanty thrown in, but what they're really trying for is indie rock. They're fond of slightly repetitive melodies and vague, imagery-filled lyrics that can mean very different things depending on your perception- something I'm very fond of. Some of the stuff on "Six Demon Bag" can get annoying quickly, but they've got some lovely stuff as well:
"Van Helsing Boombox"
"Ice Dogs"
Mates of State is a lovely little indie rock band that does some very pretty things with pop music. The songs on "Our Constant Concern" are generally tinged with a bit of melancholy that can bring you down, but there's always a note of hope in the tune... Much like life, I find:
"Über Legitimate"
"A Duel Will Settle This"
Truckasauras, apart from having one of the more awesome band names ever conceived, makes some interesting electronic music. His instrument of choice was the device used to make music for NES games in the 80s. The result, "Tea Parties, Guns, & Valor" is intriguing to say the least:
"Ain't No Danbo"
"Super Copter"
Omodaka is a Japanese DJ that makes techno/jazz with autotuned singing. I hope to God you don't need to hear anymore to be sold on the awesomeness of "Cantata No. 147":
"Otemoyan"
"Kokirikobushi"
Bat For Lashes is a very attractive lady that makes dreamy, sublime pop music. The cover of "Two Suns" features Natasha Khan in a strange background on another planet. The idea of her singing in space fits her like a glove:
"Moon and Moon"
"Siren Song"
Fucked Up are a punk metal-influenced band who make very loud music. The melodies contained within "The Chemistry Of Common Life", along with their intelligent lyrics, make for energetic rock that's very rewarding experience on repeat listens:
"Crooked Head"
"No Epiphany"
The Cool Kids are a rap group that make songs with inventive beats, very smart lyrics and delicious metaphors. They're cocky, self-referential and great party music to boot. "The Bake Sale" had me hooked from the first 20 seconds of "What Up Man":
"What Up Man"
"Mikey Rocks"