Nov

10

Aaron Thomas, Follow The Elephants

By Rachel | Album Picks | 3 Comments 

Oh man…

*sigh*

I woke up this morning and did not want to get out of bed. I was far from happy this morning. Mondays suck and I always feel like there should be one more day off for all… Just one freaking day.

I think I am bored at my job though, sick of it really. I definitely need a break though… A couple more weeks and then it is Turkey time! Four glorious days off. Sweetness.

Anyways I hope everyone accepted their Monday a little better than I, now on to the music… Aaron Thomas is really something else, stumbled on him while trolling though the pages of eMusic recently. Thomas is a singer-songwriter with a bit of a folk like flare accompanied by emotional lyrics. Although he is a bit aloof, as he only seems to have a myspace page, if I were a record label I would be all over his nuts like a squirrel looking for acorns.

mp3: Aw C’mon

mp3: Thinking Is Unproductive

Follow The Elephants 2008 (?) Possibly Everlasting Records is his record label which he claims on his myspace but they don’t have a website that is up to date, so I don’t trust it.

Album available at eMusic

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Nov

7

Synecdoche, New York

By Pip | Film Box, Music Mix Up | 5 Comments 

It’s pronounced sin-NECK-doh-key.  Say it fast and you got it.  Don’t let some punk kid at the box office correct you condescendingly as if he’s used the word in conversation the last decade.  The great Charlie Kaufman, who is responsible for this, is also responsible for some of the most outrageous and inspiring scripts made in mainstream Hollywood.  If you go down the list, he’s literally never taken a misstep tying his material with the proper director.  He’s been blessed with Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry and of course George Clooney as directors.

I walked out of this complete and total mindfuck not really knowing which way as up, let alone if I liked it or not.  I knew I had seen something stunning, but I wasn’t sure if Kaufman was making fun of me or bowled me over with a work of such staggering genius my poor mind trembled before him.  You see, this film is his directorial debut and he flexed that power as if he’s been doing this his life entire. He not only created a total world of fantasy while retaining reality, but he also created a world for his actors to live in and poop in.

The damn film was just so blazingly sad and depressing and winding in upon itself with time going by decades per cut and confusing and like a Chimera that had the penis and vagina fused together locked eternally in a staring contest.  I can almost compare it to an extremely well done and high budget student film that’s more like visual poetry than anything.  Yes there is a cohesive story, but the line between reality and the main character’s fantasy was so blurry it might as well have been a part of the scenery.

I’m rambling on purpose, brevity being the soul of wit and method to the madness and all that.  I recommend two types of people to see this film: those that are snooty and would see such a film anyway and those that are curious about a car accident on the freeway.  You see, I’m so confused about this masterful work of art that I really do need to let it stew some more… catch it on the flip side in the comfort of my living room… throw back a beer and let it happen.

Maybe I’ll write a real review then.

P.S. Hoffman was a god yet again.

_________________________________________________________________

Rachel here: The soundtrack was written by the genius Jon Brion, music which sounds inspired from a smokey jazz club with a pinch of class. Little Person, sung by jazz vocalist Deanna Storey and I must add that Ms. Storey is quite the mysterious one… I found her old CD Baby bio and a very sparse IMDb page… Quite elusive indeed.  Little Person is just a wonderfully sad but beautifully touching song.  An absolute perfect marriage of music and film.

mp3: Little Person

Synedoche, New York 2008 (Lakeshore Records)

Album available digitally at Amazon

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Nov

6

A Somber Night With Winterpills

By Rachel | Music Mix Up | 2 Comments 

Pretty quiet tonight… I guess I am in a bit of a funk. I have been so angry lately… But what is worse is that I have yet to really pin point why. Sorry folks, I don’t mean to be so blah this evening, I think it would be best for all of us if I just let the music speak for itself. Good night.

mp3: Secret Blue Thread

mp3: Gentleman Farmer

Winterpills on myspace

Central Chambers 2008 (Signature Sounds)

Album available on eMusic

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Nov

4

I Voted

By Rachel | News & Info. | 3 Comments 

Just voted… I had to vote provisionally though even though I registered. I am kind of annoyed but whatever it still felt so good to vote for Obama today, I have never felt this way about any other candidate.

Go out and vote!

***Edit***
I am so very happy that Obama won last night but a little upset that one of our Props didn’t get knocked down. The Gay Marriage prop here in the southland passed and I am very disappointed. Just when you think we are progressing something like this happens… I guess we will get there someday…
I would love to hear some of you experiences at the polls, it has been so quiet around here, no one has been commenting. :-(

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Oct

31

Halloween With The Electric President

By Rachel | Music Mix Up | Leave a Comment 

Sorry I have been so sparse lately, it has been hard finding the time or the energy to post… But my schedule is changing next week and it will allow me a bit more time in my day… I am looking forward to it, I have really missed blogging everyday, it is an outlet for me and we all need some sort of outlet. I will have more on that later but for now lets kick off the weekend shall we? What are your plans? Halloween party? And if you are dressing up you must tell what you have come up with.

Nothing special planned for me… I am just ready for the weekend, I plan to kick back and share a few drinks with the company of friends. Electric President have set the tone. Happy Halloween! Be safe.

mp3: Monsters

mp3: Bright Mouths

Electric President on myspace

Sleep Well 2008 (Morr Music)

Available on eMusic and Amazon

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Oct

26

Changeling

By Pip | Film Box | 4 Comments 

I want you to see this film, but I need you to do some heavy lifting training first because Changeling requires it.  If you go into this one out of shape, you’re going to sprain something that much I can guaranty.  Most of us know the story by now.  This Clint Eastwood helmed feature is a true story about a woman that lost her boy under mysterious circumstances.  Calling on the LAPD to help was apparently her mistake, as the corruption and brutality she faces thanks to that department in the late 1920’s is truly a rage-inducing experience.

I give Jolie a hard time in most cases.  She’s basically insane and her lips are crazy huge.  She plays two characters really well: the bitch and the insane bitch.  What she has done in this film, I really do have to give her credit for.  Not only did she break out of her bitch (although it was appropriately channeled at certain points), but as an audience member I felt her pain as if she was my own mother.

Clint Eastwood is an amazing director.  He effortlessly puts together a story that could easily feel like the History Channel, and gives us a film so gripping the two hours and twenty minutes flew by without being noticed.  There are some amazing stories of human spirit and the pursuit of justice melded into the main arc.  I went into this ignorant of the story as it happened and I was shocked and, well pissed off as it unfolded before me.  Honestly I want to go back in time and start punching LAPD officers in the face.

By the end of the film, one that I will not dream of ruining, you cannot help but hope that what Christine Collins went through happened for a reason.  As Rev. Gustav Briegleb says in the film, “..the Lord works in mysterious ways…”

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Oct

21

W.

By Rachel | Film Box | 4 Comments 

 

I was a little hesitant to see this movie because of my utter disdain for Bush… It is Oliver Stone though so I thought I owed it to him to give it a chance. The movie itself was good, well done, most of the characters seemed right on, although I had some problems with the Actress who played Condoleezza Rice… I mean Rice is definitely Bush’s puppet but she isn’t stupid and the character just seemed dumb to me. (That may have been more of a glitch in the writing though, not sure) 

It seemed a half hour too long, which is pretty characteristic of Stone’s films and I left the theatre feeling the same as I did when I walked into the theatre, which was disgust for the entire administration and the complete mess they have made of this country and the American name.

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Oct

15

Take My Breath Away

By Rachel | Album Picks | Leave a Comment 

It is all about the music tonight… Ray LaMontagne is a bit more popular than the usual suspects here at Untitled but this singer/songwriter is a must have. Gossip In The Grain is a solid third album, Meg White is  a 60’s psychedelic rock anthem that took me by surprise, quite brilliant and not what you would expect from LaMontagne. It is an expressive beautiful album that has stopped me dead in my tracks and made me utter, “Damn”. Highly recommended.

p.s. Songs will only be available for a couple days, check out his myspace to stream samples.

***mp3 tracks have been removed***

mp3: Meg White

mp3: I Still Care For You

Gossip In The Grain 2008 (RCA Records)

Also available at Amazon

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Oct

12

For Now Just Sing For Me

By Rachel | Music Mix Up, News & Info. | Leave a Comment 

It is quite a daunting task to re-install everything and try to get re-organized again… It sucks to be frank. I mean yeah my computer is running faster but my life is all over the place… To make matters worse I totally forgot about backing up my bookmarks! I just lost 6 years of my internet life… Devastating… Yes, I am being a tad over dramatic about the whole wiping of the computer thing but I had a ton of bookmarks and there were memories in those bookmarks… Most of all I miss the way everything was set up like the way Firefox, Songbird and Photoshop were nicely organized just the way I liked them… All of that is gone out the window and I have to try to get it back. Help me!

So I sit here tonight listening to the new teaser from Antony and the Johnsons entitled Another World. A five track sampler of the full length, The Crying Light, set to be released January 09. Another World is a beautiful EP that has totally sparked my interest in the new album. Relax and enjoy.

mp3: Sing For Me

Another World 2008 (Secretly Canadian)

Also available at eMusic

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Oct

6

Clean Slate

By Rachel | News & Info. | 3 Comments 

So I was really naughty this weekend and didn’t do any work to my computer. My plan was that I would work on it on Sunday but I was so tired from the night before (went to a fancy wedding and had too much champagne) that I totally vegged all day and did nothing of any substance.

Anyways I am backing up all the goods tonight and will be wiping the slate clean tomorrow. I will be back with new music either tomorrow night or Wednesday night. Antony and The Johnsons and much more soon to come. I do apologize for being such a lazy ass, but I do appreciate that you guys still love me!

I just hope I have everything backed up and nothing goes terribly wrong… Such a pain in the ass but this is long over due. My laptop keeps crashing every time I post and it is just ridiculous. Hopefully all of this will be solved. Good night

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