Love the 80’s vibe of this VHS or Beta song - I’ve only just been introduced to these guys with their upcoming tour of Australia, and I think they fit a very nice groove somewhere in between The Killers and Franz Ferdinand.
The video itself is pretty unremarkable, save for some nice photography. I did for a minute think I was imagining things when the lead singer became a hot chick - well, he is very pretty.
Today’s trailer is for ‘Choke’, an adaptation of a bleakly funny Chuck Palahniuk novel (Palahniuk also wrote ‘Fight Club’). Written and directed by Clark Gregg, it looks like it has retained the same dark and deadpan humour of Palahniuk’s writing. I remember when reading the novel that I thought some of the more outlandish and colourful moments of the story might be hard to adapt to film, but it appears Gregg has embraced them wholeheartedly and run with it - the end result will be very intriguing.
And here’s an interview with Clark Gregg, a member of ‘That Guy’ pantheon (you know, where you see the dude and go “I know That Guy from something!”) on the Sundance Channel’s ‘Meet The Filmmakers’ series:
Weezer squeeze the internet celebrity zit in their new single ‘Pork and Beans’ from the upcoming ‘Red Album’, due early June. Like most Weezer songs it contains a catchy if simple riff, combined with Rivers Cuomo’s distinctive yet slightly whiny vocals.
It does however suffer from that very unfortunate name, not to mention some pretty questionable lyrics:
“I’mma do the things
That I wanna do
I ain’t got a thing
To prove to you
I’ll eat my candy
With the pork and beans”
Wow, mixing candy with pork and beans as an anarchist act! Only in River’s world…. The cameos from the internet ‘celebs’ redeem the song though.
As mentioned earlier, La and I recently caught two gigs in four days by one of our favourite Aussie bands Youth Group, who were unveiling tracks from their soon-to-be-released fourth album, ‘The Night Is Ours.’.
The first gig was at the Oxford Arts Factory on Friday 23rd May, supported by Wons Phreely and Cloud Control. This was my second visit to OAF and I gotta say, it’s not growing on me. It’s probably my least favourite small venue in Sydney, especially considering how intimate and enjoyable it could be. There is something about the atmosphere and the audience it gets that somehow takes the air out of a performance. I’m not giving up on seeing shows there, I’m just very aware now on what you get at a OAF gig; a crowd that seems primarily made up of people who have dropped two valiums before the show, way too loud background music between performances, and a place that seems to want to be a club more than a venue.
On the plus side, all three of the night’s acts had their charms. Wons Phreely was dogged by a few audio glitches and admitted he was still getting comfortable with a new guitar, which was evident. But he still performed a guileless and artful set of folky-shoegaze to a crowd of about twenty people who seemed more intent on chatting than watching. It made me appreciate how tough it must be to be first opener, a solo act, contend with your own tech problems, and somehow connect with the audience. Whilst he wasn’t wholly successful, his effort was admirable.
Cloud Control received far more love from the growing audience, and with their delightfully poppy psychadelia it wasn’t hard to see why. They played about a thirty minute set which made abundantly clear why they are receiving a lot of positive buzz and why you will certainly see them opening for bigger acts in the next few months. Leadman Alister Wright has far too much charm and presence for his age, and his co-vocalist Heidi Lenffer contributed perfect back-up vocals and keys. I finally snagged a copy of their EP after the gig, and it’s currently on high rotation here. A very promising band, can’t wait for a full length release.
Youth Group were on soon after, opening with what I assume is the first track of the new album, a dark and soulful ballad. In welcoming the punters lead singer Toby Martin unapologetically stated that the night’s show would feature a bunch of tracks from the new album, which I was very excited about. I’m pretty sure I’ve written it before, but Youth Group are in my opinion one of Australia’s best bands, with honest, intelligent songwriting backed by some of the best musicianship in the country.
Perhaps it was the early morning rise for a Triple J appearance, or just the same negative vibe that I feel about the OAF, but YG were just a little off for the Friday night gig. Their new material was instantly affecting and they sprinkled just the right measure of older staples to keep the crowd happy, and it was far from a disappointment, but I had seen them play better in the past.
Fortunately Monday night would confirm my appreciation. On the way out of the OAF gig we saw a flyer publicising a YG gig for Bigpond’s Monday Night Live series, where they stream concerts live from The Basement via the Bigpond page. We debated whether it was worth another trip down to the city from the mountains and decided we wanted another chance to hear the new songs. Luckily we scored some tickets and made our way down on Monday afternoon.
This gig was definitely something special. First off I was stoked to catch up with Gabby and Andrew from the awesome Dead Letter Chorus who were also there to see YG. Secondly this was my first trip to The Basement, and I was pleasantly surprised. A huge step up from OAF, with friendly bar staff, a great view from anywhere in the room and an engaging ambience.
YG played the same set list from the night before, and it was amazing how quickly the songs had dug into my brain. My favourites of the new tracks were ‘A Sign’, with its slinky bassline and sweet melody, and ‘All This Will Pass’ which straight out rocks. ‘Shadowland’ received a rousing response, as did the gentle lullaby of ‘Start Today Tomorrow’. Although the music is relatively new, the band have really gelled with it and are clearly having a great time playing it. ‘The Night Is Ours’ was their longest period ever of recording, and the thought and focus shines through in the quality of the songs.
If the two gigs we saw over the weekend were any measurement, their new album should see them definitely recognised as one of our country’s best.
You can see the whole Monday Night Live show, including my bobbing head, HERE.
Also, here are some brilliant Youth Group photos from our resident photographer Miss RTP (you can see more of her work here! ) - the others are my very ordinary work:
Wons Phreely
Cloud Control
Youth Group
De Niro and Pacino are reunited in the upcoming ‘Righteous Kill’, directed by Jon Avnet. Check out the trailer:
Something looks very ‘paycheck’ about this project, and as much as I love to see a reunion of the duo who made ‘Heat’ so compelling as antagonists, expecting Jon Avnet to make a work at the standard of Michael Mann is like expecting to make a beautiful lasagne but substituting the gourmet mince for dog food.
This might be a bit harsh after a 2 minute preview, but it’s just my gut talking.
Dawn Landes has been getting quite a lot of airplay on Triple J, which is where I first heard this elegantly moody ballad. It’s very Cat Power / Sarah Kelly which I love. The animation / live action clip is also intriguingly directed, a nice companion to the music.
I love her name too, if only for the fact it reminds me of the great Brock Landers.
Her third album ‘Fireproof’ has just been released, and she’ll be touring it in Australia in July (playing The Basement in Sydney on July 9).
** P.S. Will be posting up a blog on the Youth Group gig last Friday tomorrow - waiting until we see them for the second time in four days tonight at their Bigpond Monday Night Live Gig at The Basement. Tune in and see if you can spot me in the crowd! **
One of my favourite Australian bands with the first single off their upcoming album - ‘The Night Is Ours’ - due for release in June 2008 on Ivy League Records.
I think the video clip is pretty funny in an inexplicit way. I like the old stock footage and how the guys look totally comfortable when inserted in to the scenes. And Cam’s dancing is hilarious. The song itself is relentlessly catchy, with very The Cure-esque bassline and guitars.
Miss RTP and I are seeing them tonight at Sydney’s Oxford Arts Factory - can’t wait. They always put on an amazing live show in my opinion, and have a great loyal group of fans.
Here’s the first official trailer for Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Australia’, a sweeping Australian epic with World War 2 as a backdrop:
Things I like about the trailer:
* Jackman looks very rugged and dashing (I’m pretty sure I’m not gay, but…).
* The photography looks great.
* The old school titles.
Couple of things I can’t stand:
* The obvious pink and purple CG background behind Kidman as she begins telling the story.
* The CG planes bringing back memories of ‘Pearl Harbor’ or as I like to call it ‘2 1/2 hours of the 5 that Michael Bay owes my life.”.
* “A faraway land… called Oz.” With such overdone enunciation. God, she can be so grating.
Here’s the first single from the new Death Cab For Cutie album ‘Narrow Stairs’ which I snapped up from JB Hi Fi yesterday. I’ll be writing a full album review shortly.
Love the slow build bass line and the melodic verses. Ben Gibbard is definitely one of my favourite vocalists. This video clip is very cool too, gradually unfolding a story much like the song does, but with gorgeous photography.
This song to me feels like one of the all time greatest stalker songs, right up there with The Police’s ‘Every Breath You Take’ and Sarah McLachlan’s ‘Possession’.
Wow, I’ve been reading some interesting feedback on this one for a few months now, both positive and negative, but I have to say the trailer has put me on the “Very Interested” bandwagon:
Tropic Thunder Exclusive Trailer - Watch more free videos
There’s a couple of big laughs in the trailer (can’t believe that severed head gag), not to mention a glimpse at the sensational Robert Downey Jnr channelling Russell Crowe but with even more egotism. Stiller’s ‘Zoolander’ is an underrated comedy gem, but ‘Tropic Thunder’ looks to have an even better cast, a plot that could go anywhere, and plenty of ammunition in the form of the over-the-top war films it’s parodying.