MUSIC:
In my Jazz Appreciation class, we've been covering a lot of the roots - pre-Blues, field holler, that. So to hear that a band was inspired by the collections of Alan Lomax definitely catches my attention. It doesn't hurt that Bruce Peninsula's call-and-response intensity really works. Stream it on Pitchfork, then buy the MP3s.
Also on Pitchfork, a cool Black Dice MP3. After that, well, delicate indie pop is my greatest weakness, and Jean on Jean exploits me like I'm a Miss America contestant.
Today on RCRD LBL, a surging and wild song from Mi Ami, a splattering of electro courtesy remixes of Lemonade, and some very pretty Swedish stuff by Gustaf Spetz.
Holy crap, I had never heard of Felix Cartal before, but Discodust makes me want to accept him as my new god. It's tempting to say this is a Justice knockoff, but that's misguided; it's got the same obvious root in Daft Punk but it takes it in a whole 'nother direction; noise is used less as perverse melody and more as repetitious, building chaos. I'll gladly take either.
FILM:
/Film has a cool Annie Leibovitz photoset.
They also have a shitload of SXSW trailers on the pipeline! It's time for me to get pumped. So far, there's the expected loaded-ensemble mumblecore flick, Sorry, Thanks, which looks amusing. Breaking Upwards looks nice too, a little Garden-State-y, which is a-ok.
Carpenter's on something new!
WEIRD:
Apparently this is the Drama edition of the Weird section.
Damage control? Check. Phoned-in T-Shirt? Check. Weird youtube video? Check. (By the Mae Shi? Really?) Sigh... I guess we're doing this now, huh. Keep your eyes peeled for the SNL sketch, the belated puns, and the people who still care about this in any capacity a week from today - those people being the Waldos of this situation. Oh, and people who don't understand what a film set is actually like, having only watched blooper reels? Check. (To be fair... after a few listens, the Mae Shi track is really clever. I admit, I downloaded the MP3)
Oh, and speaking of drama, 50 and Ross are still at it.
Not to be outdone, the writers are striking back with the actors and the rappers (no, not you, Joaquin Pheonix) with author drama of their own: Stephen King doesn't like the author of Twilight. Drama month, anybody? It will be a lonely Valentine's Day for the entertainment industry.
WORLD:
The New York Times reports that Obama intends to enable diplomacy with Iran while tightening sanctions. Obama is also, according to the BBC, making efforts to revise his cabinet selections.
Also from the BBC, Sri Lanka's president has gone on the record claiming that the conflict with the Tamil Tigers will be over within days.
PERSONAL:
I've been doing a lot of thinking about the Sirk film we watched for class, Imitation of Life. After reading more about it, and thinking about it outside the context of an auditorium of jeering students, I'm coming to, well... adore it. The dialogue, the pacing, both are terrible, but embedded in there is kind of a pre-mumblecore refutation of everything mumblecore is about. I dunno... expect this to be my Saturday editorial.
Otherwise, it's busy time for me. Lots of class work to juggle.
2009 FILMS SEEN: 1.5
2009 SONGS ON MY ITUNES: 226
Current Computer Situation: MacBook Pro, a little bit warm.
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I saw "Imitation of Life" in my RTF315 or 316 or whatever it is class as well, and I get to watch it again for another film class this semester! Speaking of which, if you get to take a class with Don Howard, PLEASE DO. He's awesome, bro. He's an editor and so he teaches (gasp!) editing courses and some other production stuff I think, and then the class I'm in (a Senior Fellows symposium on film theory that is AWESOME!!)
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