The Big Bang
We're only a few days away from Busta Rhymes seventh album and a couple more tracks just hit the interweb this weekend. 'You Can't Hold The Torch' feat. Q-Tip and produced by the late Jay Dee brings back that ol' ATCQ/Soulaquarians vibe and 'Goldmine' is exactly what it is, a production goldmine featuring Dr. Dre and The Green Eyed Bandit on the boards. You can hear both of these tracks on the xxl bangers page.
Also, if you're looking for a good party in Toronto on Friday night please make your way down to the Spin Gallery. Our good friend A-Trak will be spinning the night away with his friends The Rub for the Sunglasses Is A Must Tour. Guaranteed a good time!
Posted by Manny at 10:53 AM | Comments (0)
May 12, 2006Soundtracking 101
I just saw a pair of trailers for Sophia Coppola’s new film Marie-Antoinette (via chromewaves) and I must confess – never in my life have I been so stoked to see a costume drama!
Oh how as an adolescent I would cringe through previews of films like Howard’s End and the Remains of the Day (both probably great films, but not exactly the bag of a 13-year old). But from watching the trailers for Marie-Antoinette (which stars Kirsten Dunst and Jason Schwartzman), it’s clear that Coppola’s vision is unique and the film will attract a much broader audience. Come to think of it, I wouldn’t be surprised if Coppola once cringed at Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson’s 1992/1993 double-barreled attack and is now out for revenge.
The first Antoinette trailer (which is actually more of a teaser) has no dialogue, just the soundtrack of New Order’s ‘Age of Consent’ (how appropriate for a young queen) while the second offers snippets of dialogue and the soundtrack of another New Order classic, ‘Ceremony.’ Both look fantastic! How is it that no one before realized that 17th century French aristocracy and 20th century new wave rock go so well together?
It’s no surprise that Sophia Coppola figured it out. With her first two films, The Virgin Suicides and Lost in Translation, Coppola showed a remarkable knack for marrying music and film. Air’s soundtrack for The Virgin Suicides gave the film an incredibly eerie feel, so suitably setting the mood and bringing out the darkest elements of the story and the characters. With Lost in Translation, Coppola showed off her chops as a mixtape artist, choosing essential tracks from artists like Phoenix and Jesus & Mary Chain and employing former My Bloody Valentine main-man Kevin Shields to score instrumental bits.
The soundtrack to Marie-Antoinette looks equally dazzling. More music from Phoenix, Air and Kevin Shields, plus tracks by the Cure, the Radio Dept, New Order and the Strokes. The Strokes! I officially have a most anticipated movie of the year.
Trailer number 2 (don’t mind the French subtitles)
Interview with Sophia Coppola about Marie-Antoinette
Posted by Geoff M at 12:02 PM | Comments (1)
May 10, 2006Docs are Hot!
I am totally inspired. I just saw a bunch of documentaries at Hot Docs and honestly, it’s nice to have my mind expanded beyond Britney, beyond indie rock, and beyond my own little life for a while.
Like, who knew about this abduction issue in Japan and North Korea? Yeah, the Japanese public know about it, but I hadn’t read any news stories about it myself. This doc was crazy! It’s about espionage, the North Korean totalitarian regime, several pairs of young lovers who disappeared (“spirited away”) from the Japanese coast, a little 13-year-old girl who vanished into thin air on her way home from badminton practice, but above all, the tenacity and perseverance of two formerly ordinary Japanese parents, spending their lives searching for their little Megumi. Standout moment: seeing Kim Jong-Il and Koizumi (Japanese Prime Minister) photo op, shaking hands at a historic Japanese-North Korean meeting. Kim Jong-Il literally looks like this in real life while Koizumi is a dreamy movie star of a prime minister. Very surreal.
I saw another film about Japan and North Korea, and it was a totally different kind of story. “Dear Pyongyang” was made by a Korean woman whose family settled in Japan during the Korean war and whose (funny, quirky) father supports North Korea so much that he sent his three sons there (once you’re in, it’s not like you can leave!). With this film, the short q&a session with the filmmaker was just as fascinating as the film itself.
Ooh, and then I saw Mystic Ball, which is a film that documents the ancient and gorgeous game of chinlone. Chinlone is a beautiful, dance-like game of ball played in Myanmar (formerly called Burma) that is all about supporting each other towards more beauty rather than competing. The filmmaker (from Toronto!) said that he’s planning on taking these chinlone players to the World Cup in Germany next month for some demonstration stuff and I made sure to tell my bro to keep his eyes peeled while he’s there! This is the kind of thing that just takes your breath away and that you can’t even imagine if you hadn’t seen it with your own eyes.
Other notables: Beyond Beats and Rhymes (an exploration of masculinity and hiphop – finally! thank you!!) and Runner’s High (totally inspiring kids).
Thanks Hot Docs!
Posted by Hannah Sung at 03:39 PM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2006STROKES ON FIRE!
I make no secret of being a huge Strokes fan. As a university senior in 2001, “Is This It?” connected with me like no record I’d heard before and I’ve stuck with them ever since - seeing them play a good half dozen times, ranging from their Canadian debut (supporting Doves in March of 2001) to a festival headlining gig in England (Reading 2002).
But as dedicated a fan as I am, I think it’s also important to keep an open mind about your favorite band’s records and performances. For instance, some Strokes shows I’ve seen were certainly better than others - like when the band says the Room on Fire tour was teetering on the verge of disaster, they aren’t kidding. I caught one of the last shows of the tour in Niagara Falls and it was decidedly lusterless.
(Room on Fire the record however, despite what’s been written about it of late, is a terrific album. If you haven’t heard it, disregard all of the bull-sh*t journalists who keep reiterating the same tired story that it was a huge disappointment. It’s irresponsible and lazy journalism. That’s not how it went down when the record came out in 2003. Even Pitchfork gave it an 8.0, Rolling Stone a 4.5/5, plus raves from Q, Spin and others – see more at metacritic)
In ANY case, Saturday night’s Canadian tour opener at Toronto’s Ricoh Coliseum proved that the Strokes are sounding and performing as good as they ever have – if not better. Tracks off “Is This It?” resonated like they’d truly become classics, while everything off the new album, “First Impressions of Earth” showed how much the band has grown musically and creatively. As much as bands have tried to mimic the Strokes’ style and sound over the past 5 years, no one has come close to writing such note-perfect arrangements – where every instrument from Casablanca’s voice to Nikolai Fraiture’s bass are in perfect unison. Meanwhile, guitarist Nick Valensi has matured and emerged as one of the best pop/rock guitarists around today. Simply put, the Strokes are by far the most-tight and accomplished classic sounding rock band in music today. F**k the backlash and f**k the haters.
Do your part Canada and go see the Strokes!
May 9th – Ottawa, ON
May 10th – London, ON
May 12th – Winnipeg, MB
May 14th – Calgary, AB
May 15th – Edmonton, AB
May 17th – Vancouver, BC
And check out all the ink the Strokes have attracted since invading Canada… (all three of the Toronto show reviews agree, the concert was spectacular)
Toronto show review: Ben Rayner (Toronto Star)
Toronto show review: Sherri Wood (Toronto Sun)
Toronto show review: Brad Wheeler (Globe and Mail)
Toronto show preview / interview: Jason Keller (NOW Magazine)
Toronto show preview / interview: Stuart Berman (EYE Weekly)
Canadian tour preview / interview: Lynn Saxberg (Ottawa Citizen)
Posted by Geoff M at 02:04 PM | Comments (1)
May 02, 2006R&British + Nell-Fur, Too
So the new Streets record, The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living, came out a few weeks ago. First impressions: Bit o' shock. The production is soaked in coconut rum – it has this running Carib-sounding dancehall/reggaeton thing going on that, after listening to the album through once, makes Hawaiian shirts and bare feet seem like rational wardrobe options.
But I need more time to digest it fully. As with both other Streets LPs, I wasn't sucked in right away. Actually, I initially kind of hated A Grand Don't Come For Free, and then it became one of my most listened-to discs of the past couple years.
I'm a total sucker for the Mike Skinner slow jams, though, so "All Goes Out The Window" had me at *minor chord progression played on reverb-y piano*. It's one of those songs I wish we had at Junior High dances when I was 13; we all used to get down to Bryan Adams crooning "Everything I Do, I Do It For You" because it was like one of only three slow dance options, along with "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" (motownphilly!) and "November Rain" (epic, so pick your dance partner wisely). But how much radder would it have been to get up close and awkwardly shuffle around to a track like The Streets' weepy "Dry Your Eyes"?
Junior high school dancers of today, this is my wish for you: That Mike Skinner starts doing more slow jam/R&B production for North American artists.
"Nite Nite," one of two productions he contributed to Kano's debut LP, is a throat-swelling example of what he can do in the genre. Why not shop some beats to Mariah, to Beyonce, to Janet? Other possibilities: It's about time Usher got back in the studio, Justin's working on his Justified follow-up and it wouldn't hurt Chris Brown to bank some future hits.
(Note: The new Mariah track, "Say Somethin'," with Snoop and Pharrell, is further proof why The Emancipation of Mimi is – like no panties in jeans – so necessary.)
I love the idea of Skinner crossing ponds to start an R&British invasion not only because I'm hunched it'd work out well, but because this has been a pretty great year for unexpected producer/artist pairings turning good into gold.
Cee-Lo & Danger Mouse teamed up for Gnarls Barkley, which dominated my iPod for more than a few weeks. And there's a track off the new Feist remix record, a Postal Service take on "Mushaboom" that makes my heart beat *just* that much faster (alternate explanation for the rapid flutters: the Life-brand cold medication Hannah got me addicted to is like half speed/half Jolt cola).
Speaking of Hannah, she already touched on the wow-ness of Nelly Furtado’s forthcoming third album (which is almost completely produced by Timbaland – so crazy!), but shoot, that "Promiscuous Girl" track is just the first taste of what I'm pretty sure is going to melt my record player this summer (if the attendant sun+smog+humidity doesn’t accomplish that feat first).
So anys, check out "Maneater," another leaked track off Nell-Fur's upcoming Loose. It's a total club banger that has three things in common with the classic Hall And Oates song of the same name: 1) They're right at home sandwiched between "Billie Jean" and "What You Waiting For" on a playlist; 2) Both songs are badd with two Ds (ie., realllly good); and 3) My mom is going to aerobicize to them on Saturday mornings, possibly in sequence.
Oh, and I'm currently accepting bets (cupcake bets) that "Maneater" will be The Song of The Summer. I'm offering 13-1 odds*, which means if I'm wrong, I owe you 13 cupcakes, but if I'm right, make mine Magnolia.
*Vegas baking bookies call it "The Gambler's Dozen."
Nelly Furtado – "Maneater"
Feist – "Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix)"
Posted by Jose at 12:31 PM | Comments (1)
