January 14th, 2009

Lots of news today. Can we try spreading this evenly, guys?

MUSIC:

It was a good day to read Pitchfork. A few good MP3s... First, Parallelogram by Deastro is fun, quick, and quirky. Then, I've been waiting for new Asobi Seksu for quite some time, and Pitchfork hooked me up at last. It's just as lush and swoon-worthy as I was hoping. Also, remember that deliciously weird PB&J video? Pitchfork's got the hook-up to a free download of the track. Between this and Nothing to Worry About, the new PB&J album is shaping up to be one of my favorites of the whole goddamn year.

Also, Pitchfork brings us three cool videos: Rex the Dog's new video is the most fun video ever, although Fol Chen doesn't give up without a fight. The new Beirut video is straight-up gorgeous.

City of God's Son is a fascinating undertaking. Basically, Kenzo Digital is taking verses from rap music and recontextualizing them into his own narrative. I'll be giving it a full listen and review soon.

If you're jonesing for straight-up dance music, NME's got a free download of Joakim's remix of Cut Copy's Hearts On Fire. They accurately describe it as a slow- burner, but it's worth it.

Fader's got a track off the perfect-by-way-of-absurdity Afro Samurai: The Resurrection. It's RZA, Kool G Rap, Ghostface Killah, and Tash Mahogany. It's got the dramatic sweep of the old-school kung fu flicks, which is, in this isolated instance, a really good thing.

Fader's also got new Mos Def, and it's really damn good. Classy, minimal, and Mos Def is at lightspeed.

DiS' review of Little Hells puts it firmly on my music-to-watch list. Oh, and they scored an interview with Animal Collective.

With all this buzz about who is performing where for the inauguration, Paste's got a guide that, y'know, makes sense and is chronological, rather than "the order of when the news broke."

FILM:

If film geeks you know are outraged about the foreign language list for the Academy Awards, /Film can explain the situation. Basically: Let The Right One In and Gomorra are out of the running.

According to AICN, two films with big potential are in the works: A new adaptation of East of Eden, and a Steve McQueen biopic.

The FCC didn't like it when Aronofsky gave Rourke the bird.

The very NSFW Informers trailer (from the guy who wrote the original American Psycho novel, if that's any indication) looks really good, although I suspect the 80's music of playing a big role in its appeal. But hey... Rourke!

Pushing Daisies might pull a Firefly and get a plot-ending film. This sounds great to me; I had the pleasure of attending a small lecture given by the art directors of the show, and it's a show that had a lot of heart.

Call me a dork, but I will listen to anything Wim Wenders has to say.

WEIRD:

If you know me, you know my affinity for chip music. That's why this NES Dark Knight trailer made me weep, longing for such a game to actually exist. Speaking of chip music, what the hell is up with Anamanaguchi's new album?

Via Paste, the biggest music list ever.

Landmark on Kanye's blog: his favorite post ever, and it's, uh, a lego girl.

WORLD:

The crisis in Gaza continues; the Palestinian death toll has passed 1,000. The invasion is rendering aid groups helpless. As the New York Times reports, Egypt claims to be making progress in efforts to forge a truce.

Confirmations for Obama's cabinet are underway. Clinton, in her confirmation, suggested that she would not negotiate with Hamas.

PERSONAL:

This is my last night in San Antonio for a while. I'm peculiarly nervous about heading back to Austin for college, but I think that will melt into excitement once I'm there.

I'll admit it: I'm a Lost fan, and watching the "enhanced" (interrupted) season four finale, I'm realizing that I'll have to hook up cable in my dorm, at least temporarily. Speaking of television, the new Scrubs episodes were really, really good. Really balanced. I was impressed.

2009 FILMS SEEN: 1
2009 SONGS ON MY ITUNES: 50
Current Computer Situation: MacBook Pro, on the desk of my old room, relaxing before the journey back to Austin.