Merch: Slowdive

This is the first OG Slowdive shirt I've ever seen on Ebay. If you're like me, you've wanted a Slowdive shirt forever, but the bootlegged/ugly third party shirts just don't cut it. And hey, this shirt is ugly too, but at least it's authentic. Obviously from the Souvlaki era.

Vinyl news #5 - The Get Up Kids

If you've heard it, you know why you need it on vinyl. If you haven't heard it, god save your miserable soul.

Something to Write Home About Vinyl

Some prefer: Four Minute Mile

They must be preparing for a(n) (unnecessary) reunion!

Review: The National - A Skin, A Night / The Virginia EP

A month ago, I thought about properly reviewing Boxer, my heads-and-shoulders AOTY from 2007. I intended to call it "Boxer as religious experience" as an ode to both the band and David Foster Wallace. I'm glad I didn't go through with the title, but one day, I would like to write about why Boxer is such a special record. Of course, I wouldn't be the first to try and explain it away, and that's where Vincent Moon steps in.

A Skin, A Night is a worthy companion to Boxer. The film follows The National as they write, record, and tour during the creation of their newest LP. If you're expecting interviews and straightforward multi-camera live videos, you came to the wrong place. I think the National like to be enigmatic (is that too obvious?) . Matt's lyrics depend so much on the listener's interpretation, so why shouldn't the documentary? That being said, it's quite abstract. Sometimes I feel like Moon let the camera run at arbitrary places and then shut it off when the good parts were about to come. I admire the editing, of course, and it looks really pretty. Still, the DVD left me wanting a little more. Guess I'll wait until 2010 for the next LP.

The Virginia EP, collects Boxer b-sides, unreleased jams, and live performances. Chances are, you bought the package for the CD anyway. And it's good. "You've Done it Again, Virginia" is a fine opener, though I'm happy it was cut from Boxer. The next four songs are very good. My favorite is probably "Blank Slate," the b-side from that 7-inch they did. Word of warning: the "Slow Show" demo is pretty lame. I know a lot of "Slow Show" fetishists, and if that's you, my advice is to steer clear.



PS - Matt Berninger seemed like a wreck while making Boxer. In a way, it's comforting to me. Not everyone can leave their self-consciousness at the door. Music is fucking scary, man.

Random Candy videos

This video is from my band Random Candy performing "Monkey" at North Beach on 1/6.



http://www.myspace.com/randomcandymusic

I don't get it: Bon Iver

I don't want to spend too much time on this subject, but does someone care to share their reasons for liking Bon Iver? His voice is usually pretty annoying, the guitar bits aren't all that interesting, and the recording is pretty normal and not nearly echoey and log cabin-y enough. I've heard the sob story that usually comes with his record reviews, so spare me that.

An acquaintance once told me that she loves to fornicate to For Emma. Maybe she killed it before it had a chance to grow. My vote for overrated in 2008 goes to Bon (as she pronounced it) "eye"ver.

PS: As a responsible blogger, I've listened to the new Animal Collective. It rules, and maybe I'll talk about it later, but for now, that's all.

Music on film: The Office

Have you ever noticed how a song can sound even better in a film or on television? For example, in Slumdog Millionaire, M.I.A.'s "Paper Planes" came on, and though I'm sick of that song (along with everyone in the world, probably) I didn't mind hearing it too much as a part of the soundtrack. It just seemed to fit.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant understand this phenomenon. In the holiday special for The Office, the final scenes take place in the office during the Christmas party. Naturally, as there is a DJ, there is always background music. Not only do the writers move the story along, but they also give us a sort-of crash course in really popular 80s-90s British music. In the most heart-wrenching scene, The Spice Girls and Take That provide the soundtrack with inexplicable success. I'm not a fan of the Spice Girls, sure, and I hadn't heard "Back for Good" in many years, but while watching this scene, I kind of dug it. Man, I like the Take That song. And the lyrics comment on the onscreen drama. Very nicely done, blokes.



Don't watch it if you haven't seen the series and still intend to. It kind of blows everything.

Gervais and Merchant continue to work their magic on Extras. Hint: England's biggest 80s and 90s melodramatic and possibly celibate singer makes a soundtrack appearance.

I might just like the BBC Office better than its American counterpart. I wish they would have made more. Cheers.

This year in songs: part 5 - Fucked Up

This song has Fucked Up doing what they do best as well as changing the game a little. The pretty chorus comes outta nowhere. I can't write about music, ok. Enjoy the song.