So people constantly send me links to music and email me tracks that I am going to absolutely ‘lurrve’ (yes, spelt that way) and despite the fact that I am flattered that they took the effort for the most part my general reaction is Meh!
Maybe I’m getting old, maybe I just don’t get the music that those crazy kids are listening to these days but yesterday that changed. I was IM’ed a track that saved my frakkin’ lame-ass weekend and has been on single repeat on the iPod and the MacBook for most of last night and all of today. The big THX rated sub-woofer that sits at my feet has never been happier (Note to self: Stop anthropomorphising objects. They hate it!)
Despite its distinctly French sound it is actually by a German duo called Sirirusmo and Dana and it is called Gummiband, which means rubberband in some language according to the Google.
The first comment on the Youtube page on which I heard this song went something like ‘If this song went on for 12 hours I would never have a bad day ever again.’
I totally agree. If this track doesn’t make you want to get up and shake your ass then you are dead inside.
Jack Johnson’s new album To The Sea was just released and its more of the same mellow sounds, he doesn’t cover much new ground here and these tracks could just as easily have been off pretty much any of his previous albums. Some would call this album middle-of-the-road and non-offensive derisively and they would have a point. If you are looking for artistic progression you’re going to have to keep looking, there’s none of that here. This track in particular, ‘My Little Girl’ is indicative of most of the album, simple if jaded lyrics and all.
But it isn’t all bad and I’m just happy to have new driving music that helps keep thoughts of vehicular homicide at bay. Honestly.
I also got sort of suckered into going to watch the new action film starring Angelina Jolie, SALT and here are some things I would rather do than watch that film again.
1> Be kicked really hard in my nuts by every single person in the cinema hall that night.
2> Be slapped really hard in the face by every single person in the cinema hall that night.
3> Listen to an entire Black Eyed Peas song.
4> Listen to Bono spew bullshit about starving kids in Africa for the duration of a Black Eyed Peas song.
This is one of them. Its a track called Swing, off Zero 7′s new album, Yeah Ghost. Even though the album is sort of all over the map in terms of style and noteven half as brilliant as their previous effort (2006′s ‘The Garden’ which featured José González and Sia from Sia & Sophie) it still has a few single-worthy tracks like this one and ‘Medicine Man’. It may not be a great album but at least there’s some jewels in there.
So, when the heat, the dust, the frakkin power-point presentations in the year 2010, the script-writers that throw hissy-fits and the less-than-ideal working environment get to me I turn up the iPod, listen to the steel drums and the AIR like vocals in this track and do deep breathing. Try it, Ihaven’t gone apeshit.
A couple of people have complained that all I have been posting for a while now are crappy music video links so here goes one last post before what I promise will be a full, angry letter to the internets type post about things that are eating my lunch, with the usual generous portions of cursing and vitriol.
In the meantime, enjoy this Scottish Anthem ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ by The Proclaimers from their 1988 album Sunshine Over Leith. I cannot explain how much fun it is to break into the chorus of this song at the top of your voice, in public, preferably in a heavy, butchered Scottish accent with an equally talentless friend harmonising with you. Joy!
You can then relax in the smug satisfaction of having disrespected another proud and historically rich culture by reducing it to a catchy song sung a cappella in a bad accent.
Scotland. CHECK!
Get the MP3 for your iPod here and sing it aloud with the voices in your head.
One of the better tracks off Gorillaz’ latest album, Plastic Beach, out a few days back. On the whole the album is a lot more whimsical and subdued than their previous releases and nowhere near as catchy at first but it does grow on you. The tracks with Damon Albarn (from Blur) on them are much better than the various other collaborations featured on the album. (including Snoop Dogg)
Other great tracks on the album are Glitter Freeze and the title track, Plastic Beach.
Before someone bravely went forth past the barriers of good (or is that bad) taste and made a cover of The Knack’s biggest hit, My Sharona cut to some footage of Toyotas crashing into each other. It could have been done much better, the lead singer specially but it should still make you laugh despite yourself.If you haven’t heard about the world-wide recall of Toyotas due to accidents (some fatal) caused by faulty accelerator pedals then you ought to spend less time reading the internets and get out more. BTW: Get the MP3 of The Knack’s brilliant original here.
In 2003, British Jazz outfit The Cinematic Orchestra reworked this absolutely awesome track from their previous album Everyday as a score to Russian film-maker Dziga Vertov’s groundbreaking silent documentary film of the same name from 1929.
Also, since we are stealing from the internets and shit (and because Samreth is your friend) go get the entire ‘Man with a Movie Camera’ album here.You can thank me later.
Just got this video of a to-scale visualisation of the size of the entire known universe from M. Watch it and then remember the scale every time you think of God, your life, your loves, your troubles, your time on this planet or your quest to leave this world a better place than you found it.
Hat tip to M for sending it to me. This must be so freakin’ awesome to watch after ‘smoking the weed’ huh?
Speaking of things that (I imagine) go well with psychotropic substances, here is a great house track I’ve been listening to off Roger Sanchez’s Release Yourself Volume 7 CD.
The track is Do The Night (Ricky Ryan Edit) by Applescal.
So, the kid bro and I had a random instant messaging session the other day that ended up with us discussing women who we used to think were the hotness back in the dizzayy (a decade ago actually, when he was still a prepubescent little runt that ratted me out regularly and I was a teenager who had a three ring circus in his pants coz he was at his lifetime hormonal high) We traded opinions on what we thought of the fine ladies ten years later. (trout lips, scary ass chick, I’d still do her and the ubiquitous awwwwww yeahhhhh!) Which had two weird results..
1. I tracked down this song, Camino De La Vida from a decade old album by French artiste Sergent Garcia and had it blasting through an empty house (not counting the dogs) all weekend. The album is Un Poquito Quema’o and it is a funky blend of jazz and salsa and Cuban music with a bit of electronica that is hard to describe but listen and it will have you shaking your ass.
2. I finally got around to watching the Gul Panag starrer from a few years back, Manorama: Six Feet Under. As the first hindi film I’ve watched in probably a year, I’ve gotta say…… meh! Of course, Gul Panag’s dimpled smile makes me slack jawed and weak in the knees but she disappeared about a third of the way through the film and then there was nothing to distract me from the weak acting and contrived plot except for maybe Vinay Pathak (who directed a brilliant little short film that I saw at a film festival a while back but can’t remember the name off now for the life of me, but I digress..)
Anyways. There you go, a disturbing story, a film recommendation and a single repeat song for the week. Be well, eat fruit.
