January 19th, 2009

MUSIC:

A new U2 track is streaming. It sounds kind of vapid and poorly conceived to me.

DiS has some nice treats. The Lanterns on the Lake MP3 is very sweet and delicate, and the Friendly Fires video is addictive as hell. Don't forget the singles feature, which links to a download of the mega-catchy We Are ENFANT TERRIBLE single, bashes the Franz Ferdinand single for goofy reasons, and clues me in to a rad-ass single by Tinchy Stryder. I totally missed the boat on the grime movement... damn!

Kanye West hooks us up with some new Feist. Sort of new, anyway: it's a cover. You probably heard it on that athletics commercial. Ben Gibbard shows up too!

The frustrating thing about Lily Allen's self-indulgent interview with NME is that the points she's making about women in the industry are valid, and deserve to be made by people with character and insight. I don't think she's a "puppet," but I do find her tabloid-baiting antics grating and tiresome.

Jeezy's surprise inaugural guest: Jay-Z.

Pitchfork's got an insightful interview with Animal Collective. Also on Pitchfork, a stream of a track by Grizzly Bear that is gorgeous enough to incite weeping. Oh, and if you're like me, PB&J's "Lay it Down" has been looping on your iTunes since it was released. If you're feeling like switching it up a little, but you can't get the song out of your head, try this weirder-than-weird remix by the Golden Filter.

FILM:

Remember that viral Watchmen site I mentioned? Well, now it has content! It's just a few Minutemen-era "snapshots" but it's worth keeping an eye on.

There's a Mapplethorpe biopic in the works. You heard me. This has the potential to be trash or gold, so let's all hold our breath in unison.

Do you smell the fresh cent of money, perhaps tinged with the sensation of cold? You've smelled correctly: the first sale of Sundance has been made! And in case you were waiting with bated breath, don't fear: Black Dynamite got picked up.

Speaking of Sundance, here's a list of the films from the festival that interest me the most:
Humpday
An Education
You Won't Miss Me
Push
500 Days of Summer
The Greatest
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men

WEIRD:

Songsmith is a Microsoft program that takes vocal tracks and puts music behind them. Youtube users have been loading in a capella tracks from famous songs. Pitchfork reports on the hilarious results.

People will pay a lot of money to see Madonna naked, apparently.

Mark is right; this sounds gross and dangerous. However, when the Caffeine Prohibition arrives, moonshine caffeine will be a godsend for neurotic everywhere.

WORLD:

The New York Times gives a thoughtful run-down of the aftermath of the Israeli invasion of Gaza.

Fortunately, Russia and Ukraine have resolved their oil dispute. This, however, comes on the heels of news of yet another assassination in Russia.

On this day, you've probably been seeing and hearing lots of MLK speeches. I'd ask you to try and really evaluate each of them, even if you did so five years ago, or a year ago, or a week ago. The MLK speech that always strikes me is his final, almost prophetic, speech.

PERSONAL:

School's tomorrow. I'm still living in a frigid dorm, but hey, at least I'm getting used to it. Tomorrow, I tackle my classes. I also return to work. It's a big day, and my nerves are in a bundle. In my mind, I'm just waiting until the weekend, when I can go to Waterloo for Animal Collective and maybe Antony and the Johnsons.

Anyway, it's been a nice day. My roommate is back, which is great for my disposition. I read in the lawn by the tower, just some old Gaiman to get lost in. I went downtown to see The Wrestler again, but I felt a little distracted. I wish I had no work in the morning, so I could've stayed at the Drafthouse to see American Pop, but so it goes.

Hopefully the day will help with my nerves.

2009 FILMS SEEN: 1
2009 SONGS ON MY ITUNES: 65
Current Computer Situation: MacBook Pro, adjusting to the temperature.