Link of the Day

Louis C.K.

One of my new favorite people is Louis C.K.

Something my dad I both related to over the course of the last few day.  Louis C.K. was always highly inspiring to Patton Oswalt (who is probably one of the best comedians still performing regularly).  As of just now seeing his comedy performances, and didn't realize that his vulgarity and extreme analogies (delivered with such a self-deprecating/incredibly poetic prose.  The delivery always sounds so extemporaneously flawless, and yet is just insanely obscure in thought process. The articulate illustrations of emotions are just hilarious.  Each joke feels like a full manuscript that always takes you out of the focus and then draws you back after being completely obscure.  He's as if Chuck Klosterman read out in the medium of public speaking.  He sounds like C.K. reads in story progression (as if Klosterman chose to write curiously random/offensive stories).



...since he finally got his own sitcom, he's finally taking off in a big way, partially because it's REALLY FUCKING WELL DONE.  He finally embodies that brilliance that comes from oddly-thought-to-be topics of discussion.  He's incredibly vulgar, and the way he writes this scene.  Now it's clearly reminiscent to Seinfeld, but he clearly makes it his own.  I really hope it becomes another Seinfeld or Curb Your Enthusiasm.   It's brilliant in that same way, in that taking mundane (sometimes depressing) topics and just running with them so quickly.  I mean the pace of Ricky Gervais (and how incredibly VULGAR he his, making that clearly what makes the scene so vulgar (it's clearly offensive, but he says so many wrong things that he makes them bounce off as just being completely nutty and you find yourself chuckling because of the madness.

Watch it here.

I mean not only is this well shot, but it just hammers so many nerveracking things (to have a such a strange person be a doctor, and also C.K. shows how Ricky Gervais is so foul mouthed and childlike in his obscure though-process.)  He does a great job highlighting the other mid-famous comedians he's worked with over the last decade.  People who really know a lot about modern comedy and first time people can love this show.  He pays so many dues to the other people that rose out of the late 90s/00s comedy circuit (kind of in the way that Flight of the Conchords use to).  He also during the show plays an amazing soundtrack to the progression of the show (a lot of great jazz and soul)

This last clip uses a LOT of very crude language, but it's a brilliant scene.  It uses such a different perspective (orientated towards a crowd that doesn't really like to think about this topic), using the idea of the guys' Friday poker game to discuss homophobia from such an extreme polarity with an intellectual gay comedian and a run of the mill blue collar guy with an extreme homophobic attitude.  It drops the scene down incredibly serious and then pulls it up last second with everything sounding funny and thoughtful, despite the word "fag" being said over a dozen times.

Watch it here.

Pitchfork's Summer Album Release Schedule

A Brief Testimonial for Inception

Inception was a fantastic movie.  After finishing it I realized why Christopher Nolan doesn't want to do a third Batman installment.  He knows his ability and I honestly would rather see another movie similar to Inception than the final chapter to the Batman series.

Sparks of brilliance like Momento have been seen, as well as some slight laterals (The Prestige was a successful miss.  Now I finally get where he was trying to get at.

Without giving away too much of the movie (there's sooooo much to give away), Leonardo DiCaprio plays  Dom Cobb, a sort of subconscious spy.  He basically takes people's secrets by playing inside their dreams.  

When I saw it I recognized it as, essentially, the most intellectually stimulating action/adventure blockbuster I've ever seen.  

It was fantastic in the context of cinematography: it utilized that bold, dark environment (on a global basis) that made him interesting in the first two Batman movies.  Very gothic, but so fucking sharp it made the entire story more understandable.  Highly polished chaos.  Without the use of amazing environments, the story of the subconscious would make the dreams seem less like dreams and more like sad imaginations.

It was fantastic in the context of soundtrack: Hans Zimmer made a fantastic accompaniment with just the right use of brash blockbuster-type epic instrumentals.

It was fantastic in the context of acting: Christopher Nolan put together a cast that I wish was utilized more often in Hollywood (negating DiCaprio, he's in everything good already).  Ellen Page might have been the weakest link, but not by much.  She really did her best to keep pace with the vets, and more surprisingly was Joseph Gordon-Levitt breakout.   Going straight from 500 Days of Summer to Inception was jarring because I don't think anyone really realized his ability as Cobb's business partner Arthur.  He blew it away, and at the same time played a dapper badass.  Nolan took a cast of "oh I remember them from"'s and made them independently hold a pillar of the movie up.  Even the secondary cast members (Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger) were fantastic!

It was fantastic in the context of STORY: Now without the other stylistic abilities of this movie, it would be a lackluster attempt at movie.  But because everything excelled, so did the entire plot.  It's tough to really divulge, so I will be as subtle as possible.  Watching this movie, it started off kind of slow.  The initial action sequence was mild, but impacting.  As it built up again, it took time, but the time eventually (weaving occasional action and subplots) led to the third act, which was, probably one of the best third acts I've seen in years.  It was like biting into a cake that you realized was made from chocolate and thinking "oh awesome! Chocolate cake sounds great." and then suddenly realizing mid bite that between the chocolate is a layer of raspberry filling, which triggers the thought "oh fuck yes, I was not anticipating the delicious raspberry filling, this is perfect cake".  It did that, but very frequently, and the layers were numerous.  The layers cohesively led to the finale.

I think the most fantastic thing about Nolan's style and story writing is he makes it for the theater.  He understands that large scale mentality that goes along with being excited for a movie when you actually go to the movies to watch something.  Few movies put that into it like he does, and that explains why he spends so much money to make his movie good.  James Cameron could spend a billion dollars to make something intense, but with a lot of sacrifices made for believability.  Nolan refines everything, which would explain why it took him this long to make anything since The Dark Knight.  His action sequences don't rely on the acrobatics more than the actual style.  Most fight scenes are over very briefly and then transitions back to something else (or at times encompassing two or more fight scenes, which was the status quo in this movie) without missing a beat or putting too much emphasis on either.  In fact, they would just layer the story development into something extraordinary.

Fantastic, fantastic piece of work.

4th of July

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Twenty-Hour-Work-Weeks and Gin Next To The Oscillating Fan: These Are The Summer Albums of 2010

Before I begin this year's edition of the Summer Albums, I suppose it's necessary to explain how I decide to pick these albums:

-The way each of these albums are picked are based solely on how well they fluctuate within the constructs of the summertime mentality, by which I mean "which are most appropriate for being cathartic and sweaty".   It's clearly a biased charade (as most of my lists are) of what makes me smile on the busride to work or while my friends and I are shit-housed at 5:00 pm.  We openly acknowledge that these are specific one-time opportunities, and bless the fact that we have the soundtrack to supplement it.

These are the Summer Albums of 2010:

Avi Buffalo Avi Buffalo 

This album takes something very innocent and makes it incredibly mature.  Clearly the dying breath the influence of bands like West Indian Girl and The Autumn Leaf, Avi Buffalo (whom, it should be mentioned, is lead by a kid younger than myself) uses a very well orchestrated arrangement of surfy guitars and high fading vocals to come out with more than a few consistent singles.

Frank Sinatra Watertown

When one could consider the possibilities of a concept album, few think Frank Sinatra, and fewer think of Frank Sinatra and divorce.  Frank Sinatra (quick review: Frank Sinatra is both from New York City, and... well, Frank Sinatra) composes 11 tracks only parelleling Carole King's Tapestry in lyrical content. Taking place in the fictional small town of "Watertown", Sinatra progresses through each song discussing how he, being a fictional blue-collar small town father, is left by his wife and the toil he struggles with keeping his shit together while trying to raise his kids.  All is done in the old standards style of his greater hits while being accompanied by occasional spliced-in audio.

Drive By Truckers The Big To-Do

Many have agreed that The Hold Steady really disappointed a lot of people with their album Heaven is Whenever, but where I like to differ in thought is I believe that Drive By Truckers picked up where they dropped the alt-country ball.  Much MUCH grittier than most stuff The Hold Steady does, and not to mention that Drive By Truckers have been doing this blue-collar type of shit longer.  DBT use a lot of heavy fuzzy guitar and really really heavy lyrics (among other topics: a young man getting his first lapdance, alcoholism, and paternal neglect), but at the same time they manage to manipulate the songs to come off more innocent and carefree, which I suppose what makes them so good to begin with.

Ike & Tina Turner Workin' Together

The first time I ever EVER heard their cover of "Proud Mary" was both:

A. Mind blowing

B. Less than three weeks ago

It sometimes feels like Tina might have been overlooked as the best (THE BEST) soul singer of the 60s and 70s.  People tend to focus on Ike's (may he burn in hell) brutality towards his wife during this time, but if you are able to neglect this time you'll notice almost flawless arrangements that were so carefully put together by Ike.  His clear need to control his environment is taken out on both Tina and their musical arrangements.  All the while Tina dances and sings as if to say "Fuck you, Ike.  Fuck you so hard."

Tame Impala Innerspeaker

When I first read about this album, I thought they were suppose to be something closer to Wolfmother (apparently, you don't have to sound like AC/DC if your band is from Australia... weird).  Neo-psychedilia can actually sound good sometimes, and this is that proof.  It's just enough to take you on a trip and not sound as shoddy as most of Mars Volta's discography.  It could be January, and this album is so well layered and not-stoner-sounding to put you in the right frame of mind to enjoy the sun.  I really look forward to camping to this album.  Perhaps the most mature album of 2010.

Miles Davis 'Round About Midnight

Miles Davis is great.  Negating Bitches Brew almost everything he touches turns to gold. However nothing sounds exactly alike of his.  'Round About Midnight is the obvious "late night" album.  I struggled at first to define a specific jazz album for this summer, but after a little thought this was the hands-down winner.  I've spent several nights sweating tirelessly in the evenings and this is the only thing that really accompanies my lukewarm beer this nicely.  

Earl Greyhound Suspicious Package

This is the... I guess one could say... Epic Summer Album.  Earl Greyhound has been discussed quite extensively on this blog, but I suppose what was negated was the subtle flow of each track.  Most songs individually play as legitimate singles, but collectively they bring together such an epic use of thundering drums, cascading vocals, and progressively intensifying guitar, with little to no filler.

The Rolling Stones Exile On Mainstreet

This is not a coincidence.  My listening to this album has everything to do with its recent reissuing.  I listen to a lot of nerdy podcasts who talk about music, and they all seem to love this.  I personally hate The Rolling Stones, but even in their pretentious nature, this really is one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard.  I have a strange spite against British blues revival, but my being able to relate to their debaucherous ways and imagining them sweating these tracks out in a basement in Paris make me content for a time.  "Sweet Virginia" is too good to pass up, as it seems to encapsulate both where Bruce Springsteen was getting all his gusto from (seriously was not expecting the flagrant use of the Sax) and what they fuss was all about.  People should spend less time summarizing the existence of the Stones, and instead break it off into two parts.  This later half of the good years is why.

The Black Keys Brothers

I don't what The Black Keys did, but they got their mojo back.  I now work at a radio station and each time I hear someone play a track from this album, it is immediately followed by the person playing the track saying "this album is so fucking good".  This is not like their old stuff.  People expecting a carbon copy of Thickfreakness or Rubber Factory will not be so much disappointed as thrown off.  This is clearly the work of a progression in sound, but it doesn't come off loose or shoddy.  This might be the tightest collection of work they have put out, but this only comes from really trying to broaden their horizons.

Guided By Voices Bee Thousand

I hate the 90s.  Music from this time was shoddy and falsely accused of being inspiring and interesting in technique.  This is has been my mentality for a long time.  I like my music tight and articulate and well put-together.  This is that first crack into finally "getting it".  This may have to do with the chaotic nature that turns a lack of composure into something that feels put together without having any choice.  If you stuggle to find meaning in life when things make no sense at all, I suppose this is that catalyst.  It's very 90s, they use the word "rape" at strange points, and they sound like they wear a lot of flannel, but for some reason, I just "get it".

The Pack A.D. We Will Computers

I hate to pigeonhole this band, but they really do sound like an all female version of The White Stripes.  They tend to border closer to the contemporary, but if its the closest I get to a "guilty pleasure", I'm okay with that.  Very eloquent in their brevity, The Pack A.D. are two women from Vancouver, B.C. (that makes them two of my most hated things; Canadians and a band that is often compared to The White Stripes), they really are quite fantastic. Their a little simple and there's certainly room for improvement.  But they nail something together I can't quite put my finger on, it certainly is sophmoric, but somehow they make it work.