real conversacion

I have been absent from this space because we have been mad busy over at the Pulse page.
Today I have an interview up with Cassie Ramone (pictured in middle above) of Vivian Girls.
Give it a read and give the band's new album a listen when it drops on 9/8. It is quite the forward leap from the Girls' debut.

fresh

bad film


good film


Ever since it was announced that Bret Easton Ellis' book of short stories, "The Informers" was going to be adapted I was on cringe mode.
There is no thread to the stories in the book and it was going to be a daunting task to connect them within a screenplay.
Just as I thought, the film is a mess. It wastes great talent and millions of someone's dollars. It's just flat out bad.

Then there is "State of Play". The film made no money at the box office, but this Americanized version of the BBC miniseries is the type of film that seems to be getting edged out of Hollywood.
There is solid performances throughout, with just the right amount of suspense and intrigue.
Plus it has the newspaper angle going for it and I'm a sucker for anything set in a newsroom.

make us all get crazy

Go here and grab both albums and hella b-sides from the semi-defunct Ohtis.
My guy Adam has posted them all for free download.
So go, grab and listen up.

got jokes

Just a few thoughts left out of my review of Judd Apatow's "Funny People", which can be found here.

I saw the film on Sunday night and spent pretty much all day Monday mulling it over in my mind. Coming out of the theater I knew I had enjoyed it thoroughly but over the next 24 hours I was in a pretty bummer mood.
The film is not exactly a comedy and not exactly a drama. It was not as dark as I had expected and there were more laughs than I anticipated. The performances were just so wonderful throughout. Sandler was the best he has been since "Punch Drunk Love" and Rogen turned in his greatest performance to date.
The back and forth between the two actors, whether it was jokes or the serious talk came off as natural. Both of the characters are so unhappy for their own reasons and Sandler's constant chop-busting of Rogen only inflames the friendship.
This is Rogen's film though. His melancholy is an undercurrent to his fascination with Sandler's character and his newfound success. He is also the only sympathetic character in a film full of supreme douche bags.
But it all works. This is one of the best films I have seen this year.
It comes highly recommended, just don't go in expecting "The 40 Year Old Virgin 2".
This is Apatow stepping into another level of filmmaking.

Another thing that has been getting to me is the critics who are jumping aboard the Heigl train of calling Apatow out for his inability to write strong female characters.
Why do these critics never bring up Catherine Keener's turn in "40"? She was absolutely wonderful and not a shrew, or a pushover or whatever.
Even Heigl in "Knocked Up" was not the character she painted herself to be after the fact. She is basically the one responsible character in the film, having a steady job and everything. Also, Rogen has gone on record saying she improv'd half her lines anyway, so where would the fault in her accusations lie anyway?
This is just something I needed to vent about.

Go see "Funny People" tonight. Do not let the running time scare you off, the film does not over stay its welcome.

unavoidable

When I was younger I used to buy up used CD's all the time. My dad and I would spend hours in record shops, scouring bins for some ace finds.
I remember getting home and popping my new tunes into my stereo and pulling out the insert to peruse the lyrics while listening. Most of the stuff I was buying was Fat/Epitaph punk or ska so these lyrics were TERRIBLY important. I would do this so as not to miss anything, get the whole experience.
Today I watched Armando Iannucci's latest, "In the Loop". I felt the same way watching this film as I did when putting on those used discs. The jokes and wit are flying by so fast I needed some lyrics, or a script would probably be a better service (there wasn't any singing involved to my knowledge).
The film is downright hilarious. Political satire funneled through British snark and some dark as midnight humor. I could sit here and try to pinpoint a favorite performance, but it would be a fruitless endeavor. Everyone is so wonderfully cast, from the main players to the bit parts.
I might just queue it up again.

i have seen God and his name is...

This is a very interesting read for anyone who has fallen in love with "Freaks and Geeks" before.
It is basically an extremely intricate pitch for those who would come to be involved with the show.
Apatow seems to get all of the credit from the show, but reading this really shows that Paul Feig was the brains behind most of its wonderfulness.

If anything it is an interesting read to see where Feig wanted to take the series had it gone on longer. I am totally content with the way it was wrapped up, but just getting to read where some of these characters would have ended up holds a sense of fulfillment.

ain't supposed to die on a saturday night

A few of my favorite things

does this belong to you?

The recent critical favor thrown Cass McCombs' way for his new work, "Catacombs" is right on.
The album drifts by as McComb's wispy vocals supplement soft instrumentation and dark, depths of the soul lyrics.
The album's highlight, "You Saved My Life" was the first track to immediately stand out upon first listen. It is a testament to McComb's songwriting to have created such an engaging song without letting the instrumentation explode, in say an Arcade Fire way, when the chorus hits.
The track seems to be begging for an outburst of strings or heavy percussion when McCombs belts out "Here I Stand" but the singer-songwriter is content to ride this waltz for five and a half minutes.
Any deviation from the woozy nature of the track would be to take away from its emotional effectiveness.
I know a lot of people are wary these days when Pitchfork throws its weight behind some new music, but McCombs has been doing this for a while now and "Catacombs" may just be his best yet.

meant that much

I really was not expecting a new Jay Reatard record because over the past couple of years he has furiously released new material. It just did not seem like it had been that long since his last proper album, but "Blood Visions" is over two years old now.
"Watch Me Fall" may come as a surprise to those who were not keeping up with all of his singles in 2008, because the sound is much more polished.
It is still steeped in garage and lo-fi goodness, just with less "lo" in that "fi".
The songs are more pop oriented, straying away from the spastic punk leanings of his earlier work.
Reatard can craft a hook and most of the shouted choruses here are so repetitive and catchy they will be popping up in heads for days.
Even if the "pop" tag is something you feel should be nowhere near Reatard, give the record a shot.
The man has put out one pretty good, summer album.

while we were out

Back on that VICTORY tip

I don't have any excuses for my time away from this space.
I've been writing here every week and am taking a class but nothing crazy.
I have obtained a bunch of music over the past couple of weeks and it's time to throw some up here.
This week for the paper I've got a review of the new Owl City, the new Dead Weather and a write up of the season premiere of Entourage.

So, I'm back on it. Please keep checking out "The Block".

get up

This is wonderful.
I won't say too much in this space because I'm getting paid to write about it here.
This is the best film released this summer.
Get out and see it. Depp and Cotillard are amazing.

between smiles

Idlewild is one of those bands that I always kick myself for never listening to more.
Every time they release new material I listen to the tracks for a few days and then they just fall by the wayside.
But whenever the Scottish rockers pop up on shuffle or something I am never reaching for the skip button.
Whether it be its early guitar-driven more aggressive sound or the melodic, hook happy newer material, the band is usually can't miss.
Its discography ranges from pretty good to great and the newest album, "Post Electric Blues" pushes the band's sound even further into the pop realm, nearly leaving the hard rocking edge behind.
But it works. Vocalist Roddy Woomble (what a name) has an amazing, distinctive voice that sends these tracks to another level.

rip a beat to pieces

Two hugely anticipated mixtapes dropped over the weekend, the first being Wale's "Back to the Feature".
This thing has been pushed back a few times, and the finished form is a pretty impressive product, but not really because of Wale.
Often times it is grating when a bevy of guest spots are put on an album, but the choice to give bars up on each track does not serve Wale well. I will still check for the D.C. spitter since "Mixtape About Nothing" was such an ambitious and rewarding outing, but the rapper consistently gets outshined on his latest.
Perhaps he is saving some real heat rock for his debut, but not much here is outstanding wordplay. Maybe that is why he consistently speaks at the end and beginning of tracks about how he is a "different" rapper.
According to Wale, he is "different" because he is rapping over beats that are not inherently hip-hop, and no one else is doing that right now. Well, the other rapper who dropped an anticipated mixtape this weekend is in fact doing that, and in much more interesting ways.


"B.o.B. vs. Bobby Ray", B.o.B.'s most recent work, is his rapping ego (B.o.B.) struggling against his singing/producing/songwriting personality (Bobby Ray).
When the videos started popping up on youtube with the rapper saying he was straying from hip-hop, I immediately got worried. This type of side-step usually never ends well.
Then there was video of him playing guitar (immediately cringeworthy Wayne guitar plucks popped into my brain) and sitting at a piano. But he seems to have his act together.
The latter half of the mixtape is all produced by the man himself and finds the artist doing more singing than rapping, and he can actually sing. A rarity in hip-hop these days.
The production skills range from near electro-pop to updated reggae grooves to catchy clap-along pop work.
The mixtape's first half finds the rapper doing the same as Wale, grabbing a bunch of dudes to jump on tracks with him, but he actually holds his own, often outshining his guests.
B.o.B. is a terribly ambitious guy, and so far the fruits of those ambitions are pretty sweet.

Links jacked from TSS

the way she walkin'

This unreleased Ryan Leslie track with ya neighborhood Pusha attached has been making the rounds.
Leslie's 2009 record is my favorite R&B record of the year for sure. The man definitely has a swagger about him, with a serviceable voice and great skills behind the boards he is a bright spot in the world of watered down top 40.
Pusha T is fine here, but him and his brother need to stick to gritty, Neptunes throwback-esque tracks. I don't need to hear the Brothers Thornton rapping about a special someone. They do trap talk, not puppy love musings.
Otherwise the track is fire, give it a try and then grab Leslie's self-titled.

cuttin' off fingaz

"It's almost as if Ramis and Black and Cera got together and said, "We need to make a movie that will take all three of us down and sully our reputations. We don't want just a blemish -- we want lifelong friends who've seen it to cross to the other side of Montana Ave. when they see us coming. Now, how do we do this?" In this sense, Year One is a success."

Wells slaughtered "Year One" today. I cannot say I am surprised however.
None of the trailers have contained more than a half-hearted chuckle, even with a pretty good cast.
I have been over Cera for years, his wiener-emo shtick got old about halfway through "Superbad". It was tolerable in "Arrested Development" because the rest of the cast was so aces he was not relied upon to hold up every frame.
Black definitely has chops and has done some wonderful work, but before seeing this film I think most people were banking on him not carrying the it.
I'll still be seeing it this weekend for the bit players alone. The Rudd/Cross Cane and Abel stuff in particular.

Also, if you have not clicked on Wells' film blog on the links to the right, do it daily. The man is severely opinionated and often hilarious. It is a great read.

catfish waiting to be born

The sun came out for the first time in like three days this afternoon.
As I pulled out my iPod and began to make a selection for my walk to a friend's place I scrolled to the perfect piece of nostalgia for my sunny trek.

The Promise Ring released "Very Emergency" 10 years ago this month and the album has aged fairly well.
I remember purchasing the CD back when it came out. I was still in a punk/emo haze and probably just picked it up because they were on Jade Tree Records.
The album was much more poppy than most everything I was listening to at the time, but the hooks were just so plentiful and so catchy. I played this thing so much my discman was probably sick of it.

I probably had not listened to this record since seventh grade before today and as I was letting its sticky,sweet pop melodies invade my ears, I could not believe i did not pull it out sooner.
As my tastes matured over the years this record should have been one of the few which made the transition with my jr. high to high school listening habits. It is a simple record, sonically and lyrically, but not every album needs to be progressive.

Sometimes it is just nice to enjoy some simple, pleasing pop music.

she was drunk when she met me

Lucero is one of those bands I can listen to no matter what mood I am in.
The band creates perfect updated southern rock, without a misstep in its discography.
Supposedly there is a new album finished and ready for release in the fall.
If the band comes anywhere near you this summer, do not miss out. The dudes tear up live just as hard as on record.

never meant to make her cry

Deer Tick's sophomore outing was one of my most anticipated records of the summer.
"Born on Flag Day" continues where the band's debut left off, as it is a record full of solid folk and country tunes.
John McCauley's vocals are just as rough as the first go round, lending a rugged edge to the band's vintage sound.

"Flag" is not as immediately enjoyable as "War Elephant" but the record is a definite grower. If it does not click right away, do not fret. There are great songs within, they just take a bit more time to grab on to.

still friends

Todd Rundgren is one of those artists who I know I should I listen to but never really got around to.
I have had a few records on my computer for years, but now I have started really digging into his 1972 masterpiece, "Something/Anything?"
The record was a 4XLP upon its release, so basically a double disc if it came out ten years ago or like two mediafire uploads if it came out today.
Rundgren runs through a whole slew of genres, basically owning each one. Whether it be power pop, or heavy rock, or Motown, or white boy soul the man killed it here.
For those who get all tight in the jeans when Animal Collective start noodling around with studio effects, give this record a listen and know Rundgren was messing with knobs and dials before Panda Bear was out of grade school.



*this is probably one of the best youtubes of all time

james bond in the octagon

"[E]verybody don't sell crack no more, man. I don't sell crack, yo. I ain't movin' no bricks or none of that other shit. I ain't shoot nobody in like ... since the early ‘90s, man. How long you gonna be 40 years old and actin' like you still sellin' cracks and you on the block and you doin' this and you doin' that when times is more serious, man. We in a fuckin' recession, B! Ain't nobody gettin' no money, man! We gotta stop lyin' to ourselves and lyin' to the fans. And the fans gotta stop bein' so dumb and ignorant, and know it's time to talk about grown-man situations. Shit that happen in the real life, inside your household, your love life, your personal life, that's just like, "Damn, it's hard for a nigga to get some money!"

The Wallabee Champ making some great points here.

Now don't get me wrong, I love me some good trap talk, but Ghost is on point here.
The only thing is, not many men in the rap game have the skills to go off on other topics. Their rhyming starts and stops at slanging, cars, women, etc...

Hopefully this just means Ghost is going to bring some serious fire on his next outing and inspire those emcees in his age bracket to do the same.