Songbird
Jan
13
Random Music #2
Filed Under Music Mix Up | 5 Comments
Whooooo hoooooo! It’s the weekend!
I think the beginning of this week started 2 weeks ago, I thought it would never end. But it did, I survived as did you.
So to celebrate the kick-off of the weekend I have 3 random songs, that have been playing on the pod for quite some time now. Yippee for random music!
Faith (mp3 expired)
The Boy Least Likely To… (George Michael cover)
I Love Creedance (mp3 expired)
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, Etiquette [Get it]
Following the Death of Her (mp3 expired)
Panda & Angel, Panda & Angel [Get it]
Jan
11
Protokoll, Paradoxon
Filed Under Album Picks | 1 Comment
Jose, Ben, Daniel and Reid are the 4 guys who make up Protokoll. Illicit Records recently released Paradoxon in November 2006, great post-punk with substance. If you like Bloc Party or the Editors then I recommend giving Protokoll a listen.Sunken (mp3 expired)
Moving Forward (mp3 expired)
Jan
10
All Time Favorite #8
Filed Under All Time Favorite | 10 Comments
I am going to go ahead and make a bold statement here, so do prepare yourselves:
Best opening shot ever is in Kill Bill Vol. 1, the black and white shadows along with Nancy Sinatra’s beautiful haunting voice made this shot easier to take in and take in I did. I just think it is really well done in every way, if it doesn’t grab you and suck you into this film, I honestly don’t think anything would.I am one of those oddities who preferred Volume 1 over Volume 2, I mean in my opinion it is really no contest:
1. Best opening shot
2. Favorite Nancy Sinatra song
3. A chick who is out for revenge kicks ass
4. And probably one of the greatest of great bad ass speeches ever:
O-Ren Ishii: [after she cuts off Tanaka’s head, in Japanese] So you all will know the seriousness of my warning, I shall say this in English.
O-Ren Ishii: [in English] As your leader, I encourage you from time to time, and always in a respectful manner, to question my logic. If you’re unconvinced that a particular plan of action I’ve decided is the wisest, tell me so, but allow me to convince you and I promise you right here and now, no subject will ever be taboo. Except, of course, the subject that was just under discussion. The price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or American heritage as a negative is… I collect your fucking head. Just like this fucker here. Now, if any of you sons of bitches got anything else to say, now’s the fucking time!
[pause]
O-Ren Ishii: I didn’t think so.
O-Ren Ishii: [calmly, in Japanese] Gentlemen, this meeting is adjourned.
Like I said no contest really, my All Time Favorite #8:
Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) (mp3 expired) – Nancy Sinatra
Kill Bill: Volume 1 Soundtrack [Get it]
Also, check out the Contrast Podcast #41 as they blast off to space.
And I want to send good thoughts and love over to Chad and his wife as they get ready to welcome their first child into this world. Cheer them on over at Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands!
Jan
9
Just Music of Chrisopher Blue
Filed Under Album Picks | 5 Comments
So many thoughts whirling through my head right now, so I don’t have much to say tonight, just some music…
Check out Chrisopher Blue’s myspace. Below two songs from his 5 song EP, which is the prelude to the full length album, Room Tones due out Spring 2007.
Equanimity (mp3 expired)
Such Love (mp3 expired)
Chrisopher Blue EP [Get digital]
Jan
7
Haley Bonar, Lure the Fox
Filed Under Album Picks | 7 Comments
Haley Bonar has toured with the likes of Mason Jennings, Andrew Bird, Arcade Fire, Mary Lou Lord, Richard Buckner and Charlie Parr. Her gentle lyrics and meticulous guitar arrangements are beautiful and ever so inviting. Her latest release, Lure the Fox was released at the beginning of 2006 and every song on this eleven track long album is wonderful. Look for her on Andrew Bird’s upcoming recording, slated for a 2007 release.Us (mp3 expired)
Fox and Hound (mp3 expired)
Haley Bonar, Lure the Fox [Get it]
Jan
6
Yo La Tango & I Are Not Afraid
Filed Under Album Picks | 8 Comments
Remember the Media Player update that took a decade to install? The next day I start up my PC and open up my iTunes, which is another program that I think the planet could do without but I digress…
iTunes starts and immediately opens a little pop-up window alerting to a problem with my sound device, so I think iTunes is just being it’s usual self so I go to repair it/update/install whatever but it still doesn’t work. I go into the sound section on XP and I open up the properties and this huge error message comes up telling me something is broken somewhere with some name and then immediately closes. WTF? I am thinking what have I done between now and last night besides sleep? Then I remember the decade long update of Media Player that I did…Well I am not really a happy person without my sound, not being able to listen to music is basically not an option for me so after some advice from computer guru drainpip I went and ran the little restore point thing to the previous day before the Media Player update and what do you know my sound works wonderfully and Rachel is happy again YEAH!
I still don’t have the updated Windows Media Player but you know I don’t really care, I suppose I will care when I need to care, but until then I am keeping the old player…So there Microsoft! *sticks out tongue*
I am not the only one who has recently experienced some PC related hassles, check out Mentok’s hilarious post about his grand pain in the ass experience with Symantec here.
Also, Fuck EZ Archive!
I am sorry that was the last time I promise, but FileLodge is still down and looks as if this may be a permanent thing, FileDen was down today too…So that is why I just had to say it one last time. :)
So for all the software/program/hosting and computer issues and also because they have a Live EP release coming up, here are a couple songs off Yo La Tango’s oh so appropriately titled 2006 album, I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass:
I Should Have Known Better (mp3 expired)
Pass the Hatchet, I Think I’m Goodkind (mp3 expired)
I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass [Get it]
Look for Yo La Tango’s Live iTunes exclusive EP this Tuesday, January 9th.
Jan
4
The Hero Cycle, Lakes and Ponds EP
Filed Under Album Picks | 10 Comments
The Hero Cycle started out as a four member band from Vermont in 2005. It has grown to include 7 members, which combine each members unique instrumentation creating a dynamic electric sound that is quite promising.
Lakes and Ponds is their new EP set for release this month and I highly recommend giving it a listen. It is currently available online at emusic and look for the official release in the next couple weeks.
I have been a little busy finishing off a month of hell at work so I apologized if it has been a little quiet around here. I am itching to just browse all of my fav fellow bloggers for hours and catch up on all the music news that I have missed in the last week…So my plan later this evening is to go into seclusion for a couple of hours and I am looking forward to it.
Hope you all are having a lovely day :)
American Proxy (mp3 expired)
Breathing In (mp3 expired)
The Hero Cycle, Lakes and Ponds EP [Get it]
Jan
3
Random Music
Filed Under Music Mix Up | 5 Comments
Ummm since we are a bit in limbo here in regards to new music…I am literally wanting to post something good that has been released in 2007 but it being Jan 3rd and all it is difficult to really suggest music that I haven’t been able to absorb to maximum sponge like absorption levels.
I do have some songs that were sitting there on my hard drive wanting to be played…Of course I remembered why these songs are rarely played as soon as I clicked on them and Windows Media Player pops up and instantly alerts me of an update. One update mind you…Yeah the update from media player 10 to media player 11! I was sitting here for an hour, I got up did some laundry baked a cake and came back to see that finally it had finished and now wanted me to restart…Which then caused my laptop to get all pissy because SOME operating system, which will remain nameless is making it reboot even though it knew very well it was unnecessary to reboot because it already had recognized there was an update.
Geez, it is stuff like this which makes me want to rebel and say, “No! I will not update! I will press on and triumph above the Windows Microsoft Corporation!” “Victory will be mine!”
But alas if I did that then I wouldn’t be able to hear these songs which I downloaded many moons ago from War Child Music and since it was before I got my cute little pod I downloaded them as windows media fuck files, so after a little tweaking I bring you a couple of songs from my long lost War Child Music downloads.
If you are scratching your head wondering what the hell War Child Music is then I highly recommend taking a gander here.
Two songs by 2 of my favs…
Easy To Please (mp3 expired)
Coldplay, Brothers & Sisters (1999)
download or order here
Lucky (mp3 expired)
Radiohead, OK Computer (1997) and Help: A Charity Project for the Children of Bosnia (1995)
download or order here
Jan
1
All Time Favorite #7
Filed Under All Time Favorite | 5 Comments
Steve Zissou: You really think it’s cool for you to hit the sauce with a bun in the oven?
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Directed by Wes Anderson and written by both Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach (two of my favorite film makers ) this is a fantastic film and although a bit messy in some parts Bill Murray seems to help hold it down.
But the primary reason for this All Time Favorite feature is of course the music, and Life Aquatic being a Wes Anderson film you know it has an amazing soundtrack. Selecting just one song from any of Wes Anderson’s original motion picture soundtracks is not an easy task and although my pick for All Time Favorite #7 is not included on the soundtrack CD it is part of the original score and it is an amazing song.
Starálfur (mp3 expired)
Sigur Rós
also available on their 1999 album ágætis byrjun [Get it]
Jan
1
The Pip’s Top 10
Filed Under Film Box, The Lists | 7 Comments
Hello and welcome to lil Rachel’s blog, no this is not a hostile takeover, but a guest to shed some light upon the celluloid (or in certain cases digital chip) world. You may call me El Presidente Pip, or El Matador for short. I have been called upon to create a top ten list of 2006 for my favorite films. I would like to keep with the vibe of this place and stay truly independent, but alas I cannot. Firstly, I do enjoy a good big-budget pure Hollywood film from time to time. In the right hands (as you’ll see in my list) I get suckered in like the best of the popcorn chugging cell phone answering sumbitches that surround me each time I go to worship my all-points digital THX surround heaven. I love film, movies and straight to video, I don’t discriminate, much like my obsessive love of The Three Stooges – I love all the Curly’s.
(please note, I really don’t have an obsessive love of The Three Stooges, but we have dated once or twice.)
I must, unfortunately, start my list with some sad news. I didn’t get to see every film that came out this year. I saw a good 83.4% of the films I had a yearning to see, but as you know that leaves 19.3% that I didn’t. Of those, I must say that “Children of Men”, “The Queen”, “Letters from Iwo Jima”, “Pan’s Labyrinth”, “Little Children”, “Volver”, “Tsotsi” (2005, I know, but late here), “Half Nelson”, among others that I just can’t remember off the top of my head were casualties of living in the middle of nowhere. My little town, a cozy 300,000+ people, either did not see these in theater, or in all likelihood I couldn’t get someone to come with me in that one week the film was playing, and…
What? Oh, right, the list… (each of the posters will link to the trailer)
10. Edmond
I didn’t see this in theaters, in fact I didn’t even hear about this until I was walking around Target one fateful afternoon and saw Bill’s (yeah, we’re on a first-name basis) face staring out at me. I remember thinking “wtf? How exactly did Bill get into a film without my knowledge??” Blasphemy! My repentance jumped up 10-fold when I saw that it was a Mamet screenplay. I picked it up for a whopping 7.99 (which scared me, Mamet has been known to miss, but Bill?) and I just didn’t understand how this one was swept under a rug. And upon viewing, I really don’t understand. Fans of Mamet and Bill Macy need to check into this one, especially if you’ve not heard of it. I’ve not seen Macy be as tight as he is in this film, and this thing goes to some dark places… of course if I would have written it, all the women would be more nakeder.
9. The Descent
Jesus… Christo… I think I might have screamed out for my mother on numerous occasions while viewing this flick. Luckily, I was pretty much alone in the theater… or unluckily. I don’t think I’m ever going to step foot even near another cave again, let alone go inside one. I’ll take a picture of it with a telephoto lens perhaps. Maybe look at it from afar with a… ok so yeah, I’ll shut up about that. I’m not a huge horror fan, unless they break genre or revolutionize, and this one basically does both. The gore in it is horrendous, not because it’s over-the-top, but because it’s freaking realistic. I think I yelled at the screen for it to stop, but deep down, I didn’t want it to. Well done.
8. Superman Returns
Yeah, I know, I know, two thrillers then we do a superhero movie? Yeah well I really loved this one, I don’t give a damn what anyone says from the ‘tru’ fanboys, to the snobby nose-in-the-air “flickaphobe” (I really need to patent that word). I love the character of Superman, and although I’ve never thought about it as deeply as Bill (the one that died in that one movie), he’s always been special to me. From the time that I ran around the house as a child with a towel strapped to my back wearing only my whities, up until the time I ran around the house as a man with a towel strapped to my back wearing my whities – I’ve always wanted to be him among all the superheroes to choose from. Like, no contest. And in this film, he’s exactly the Superman I’ve always envisioned… I can’t wait for the sequel.
7. Running Scared
Wow, what a night this film rides you through. I literally just finished watching this one, I missed it in the theater and if it weren’t for Ebert’s review I would have never seen it. Speaking of Ebert, he was absolutely right about how over-the-top this damn film is. I know what you’re thinking, this guy is a moron. All he likes are mindless or gory action films and thrillers where Macy goes insane. Just you go and watch this thing. “Paul Walker is a dumbass”, you’ll think walking into it… then when you’re done you’ll be all like “Damn, I’m the dumbass for doubting El Presidente Pip and his cat-like powers.” Don’t get comfortable watching this thing, just when things are going along a groove the entire universe implodes and starts over. Although it is totally unrealistic, I still love it… the poor kids though, they’re going to need some serious therapy.
6. Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
I never watch TV, but several of my friends recommended “Da Ali G Show” to me knowing that it would be right up my alley. I still haven’t gotten around to it, but I sure as hell did watch the Borat movie. Yes, it’s everything that everyone has said it was, and I laughed really fucking hard. I simply love that it offends everyone and is being sued by everyone it is offending. My kind of movie.
5. Casino Royale
Yeah, there he goes again with his stupid ass action movies – and a Bond movie, no less!! The nerve! I personally like about maybe half of the Bonds that were made, but this one is my personal favorite. I have no real attachment to any of the guys that have played the Bonds of the past, but I will say I do now. Daniel Craig is an excellent actor, and he does this with a scary sort of insanity right around the edges, yet maintains the sexiness of Bond on the whole. Smart, sexy, fun and sprawling. Everything you need in a Bond flick.
4. Marie Antoinette
I really, really dig Ms. Coppola’s style. All of them have been a sort of hypnotic meditation on the story rather than an a-b arc. I always get swept up and this was definitely no exception. I was a bit curious as to what all the bitching about historical accuracy was going on about. It’s been said by much more eloquent hands than these about what it really is about, and really all of her films are about the same thing. I guess it’s really lonely being a girl? Or is it all the girls look at us guys like: “Fuck, that’s all we got?” Thus the lesbian is born. What was I talking about? Oh yeah! If you missed this one for some reason, or liked Ms. Coppola’s other work I highly recommend this one, I loved it to pieces.
3. The Departed
Simply a powerhouse. A lot of whiners were bowing down to this as the best Scorcese in a long time… pssh I say to these folks. He’s been making great films all along the way, this just happens to have so much muscle behind it you can’t not pay attention. This was one of the rare times I saw the original version before it was remade here in The America, and to be honest there were just a few minor things that I missed about the original. Namely little details in the ending… but all in all, everything was perfect. Bravo.
2. Little Miss Sunshine
No other film this year (and since Amelie probably) left me with such a feeling of happiness. This film gives the entire gamut of emotions which I love so much, while still at its core just being an amazing, sweet tale woven together masterfully and acted out with such love that I literally have to gush this out like a Care Bear Stare right into your eyes. Go see it now if you haven’t.
1b. United 93
I went into this film with a lot of trust, and I’m glad I did. I’m sure you’ve heard it to the gills about this movie by now as to how it plays… it’s like you’re there. There is no post-9/11, there is no nothing… there is just that terrible day and you live it. I was punched in the gut really hard by this one, probably sat in my seat trying to compose myself until the ushers were in there picking up popcorn. Doesn’t matter what you think about anything, just see it… prepare yourself, then see it.
1a. The Fountain (yeah I know, couldn’t decide between them)
I will start by saying Aronofsky is probably in my top three of working filmmakers. He connects with me and just makes such beautiful heart-wrenching films. Literally everyone in the theater walked out going “huh?”, I know I was the only one from the people I went with that liked it – let alone liked it enough to make it my fav of the year. I guess it reminded me a bit of 2001 (maybe my favorite film) while bringing a love story into it – and a love story of such power that I was basically in awe of everything about the actors. I will cherish this story always.So here it was… not perfect unfortunately, but until everyone starts sending me copies of screeners of everything, this is just going to have to do.Love,
El Presidente Pip
Disclaimer
Music found on this blog is for sampling only. If you like what you hear then support the artist. Buy their music, attend a show and spread the word. If you own the rights to any of the music featured here and you would like me to remove it contact me and I will remove the link immediately.
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tag to listen, right click the song title to save. If you find that an mp3 is not playing chances are it has expired.
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