Trailer break
Howdy! I've been doing a lot of music writing lately. Here are eight reviews, covering everything from the Pitchfork Music Festival and The Decemberists' gig with the Grant Park Orchestra to looks at the new albums by Gogol Bordello, Ozma, Droid, Battles and Menomena.
As I did last summer when I was short on blogging time, I now present a selection of videos I found on YouTube. These are all trailers for random movies that were released during my first decade on this Earth (1975 to 1985). You may want to turn your volume up for some of them. Let's begin with an intro...
HBO Feature Presentation
The best cable movie bumper of all time, this has not been aired in about a decade.
"Shock Treatment" (1981)
The still-controversial "Rocky Horror" semi-sequel, which is a better social satire but not a better film than the previous Richard O'Brien-penned picture show. I love it anyway, and O'Brien's songs are undeniably great, like the title number that scores this trailer (which, as a bonus, contains Little Nell's glorious panty shot - about 1:14 in).
"Star Crash" (1979)
Awesome Italian "Star Wars" knock-off with a great cast that includes a reteaming of "Maniac" stars Caroline Munro and Joe Spinnell, Christopher Plummer in a rare good guy role and David Hasselhoff in hilarous space-glam eye makeup. This is at the top of my "deserves a deluxe U.S. DVD release" list.
"Squirm" (1976)
The greatest killer worm movie in history, known to some because of MST3K. This kick-ass ad includes the epochal scene where the lady's taking a shower and a bunch of worms pour all over her. Director Jeff Lieberman went on to co-create the shitty series John Waters did for Court TV earlier this year - I caught his name in the credits.
"Night Patrol" (1984)
An all-star cable classic, this was one of countless juvenile police-themed ensemble comedies rushed out after the success of "Police Academy." Notable for being directed by Jackie Kong of "Blood Diner" fame, who co-wrote it with star Murray "The Unknown Comic" Langston.
"The Secret of NIMH" (1982)
Everyone of a certain age knows this movie kicks ass. The voice-over on the ad gives me the warm fuzzies, its tropes endemic to all mainstream film trailers of its time. Most modern trailers just flash words on the screen and don't bother with the v.o. To me, a good voice-over makes a trailer. This one is definitely vintage - kind of dull, but much more active than you'd get today.
"Warning Sign" (1985)
Now, the dude who did the voice-over for this has one of my favorite voices for old thriller/horror ads. He did lots, including the original "Jaws" trailers, and he makes everything sound extremely grave. I wish I knew his name. As for the movie, I haven't seen it, but it's on the OnDemand until the end of August, so I'll get to it at some point. Yaphet Kotto, G.W. Bailey, Sam Waterston... what a cast!
"Never Say Never Again" (1983)
One of only two James Bond movies made outside of the "official" canon (the other being the original "Casino Royale"), this flick featured an aged, leathery but still rakish Sean Connery in his only return to the role since he left it in 1971. Dig the funky score!
"Escape from New York" (1981)
This may be my favorite movie by John Carpenter, who I believe has a better overall track record than his peers like Tobe Hooper or Wes Craven. As I've been immersed in its many knock-offs for the past year or so, I really need to sit down and watch the original post-apocalyptic quest flick soon.
"Tourist Trap" (1979)
I once rented this PG-rated shocker in hopes that it would make up in creepiness what it lacked in graphic thrills. For once, I was right - it was a bit unsettling, and it's of an age where genuine atmosphere could be found in low-budget horror. It's mostly due to the mannequins, as might be deduced from the boffo trailer.
"Starchaser: The Legend of Orin" (1985)
Were you aware that when I was ten years old, a feature-length animated sci-fi adventure was released theatrically in 3-D? When this occured, I sure didn't, because there is no way I wouldn't have begged my parents to take me to it if I had.
"Heartbeeps" (1981)
When I saw a commercial for this movie on TV (probably this very TV ad), I was six years old. I had no idea who Andy Kaufman was, or that this was a weird project for the guy. All I knew is that it had wacky robots in it, and I wanted to see it. You know, to this day, I still haven't, but it doesn't look as good to me now. Anyone out there have fond/ill memories of "Heartbeeps"?
"Game of Death" (1978)
The indignity of Bruce Leesploitation can be traced back to this shady stinker, which was stitched together from footage shot before Lee's untimely death. The guy they used for a double in many scenes was only the first of the imitators - see Bruce Le, Bruce Li, Dragon Lee, etc.
"Excalibur" (1981)
John Boorman's King Arthur movie was legendary when I was a kid. It was just about the most violent, sexual, ass-kicking thing anyone in my class had ever snuck a peek at on cable. Imagine my surprise when I watched it again in college, only to find it kind of slow and stodgy. I still like it, though; everything looks really cool, and Helen Mirren is a saucy Morgan le Fay.
"The Burning" (1981)
I don't know what it is with me and 1981 today... This obscure, minor slasher flick is infamous among horror cultists because of its history of censorship and longtime unavailability. I've never seen it, but I've held a bootleg in my hands at several points. I'm sure I'll get to it someday.
As I did last summer when I was short on blogging time, I now present a selection of videos I found on YouTube. These are all trailers for random movies that were released during my first decade on this Earth (1975 to 1985). You may want to turn your volume up for some of them. Let's begin with an intro...
HBO Feature Presentation
The best cable movie bumper of all time, this has not been aired in about a decade.
"Shock Treatment" (1981)
The still-controversial "Rocky Horror" semi-sequel, which is a better social satire but not a better film than the previous Richard O'Brien-penned picture show. I love it anyway, and O'Brien's songs are undeniably great, like the title number that scores this trailer (which, as a bonus, contains Little Nell's glorious panty shot - about 1:14 in).
"Star Crash" (1979)
Awesome Italian "Star Wars" knock-off with a great cast that includes a reteaming of "Maniac" stars Caroline Munro and Joe Spinnell, Christopher Plummer in a rare good guy role and David Hasselhoff in hilarous space-glam eye makeup. This is at the top of my "deserves a deluxe U.S. DVD release" list.
"Squirm" (1976)
The greatest killer worm movie in history, known to some because of MST3K. This kick-ass ad includes the epochal scene where the lady's taking a shower and a bunch of worms pour all over her. Director Jeff Lieberman went on to co-create the shitty series John Waters did for Court TV earlier this year - I caught his name in the credits.
"Night Patrol" (1984)
An all-star cable classic, this was one of countless juvenile police-themed ensemble comedies rushed out after the success of "Police Academy." Notable for being directed by Jackie Kong of "Blood Diner" fame, who co-wrote it with star Murray "The Unknown Comic" Langston.
"The Secret of NIMH" (1982)
Everyone of a certain age knows this movie kicks ass. The voice-over on the ad gives me the warm fuzzies, its tropes endemic to all mainstream film trailers of its time. Most modern trailers just flash words on the screen and don't bother with the v.o. To me, a good voice-over makes a trailer. This one is definitely vintage - kind of dull, but much more active than you'd get today.
"Warning Sign" (1985)
Now, the dude who did the voice-over for this has one of my favorite voices for old thriller/horror ads. He did lots, including the original "Jaws" trailers, and he makes everything sound extremely grave. I wish I knew his name. As for the movie, I haven't seen it, but it's on the OnDemand until the end of August, so I'll get to it at some point. Yaphet Kotto, G.W. Bailey, Sam Waterston... what a cast!
"Never Say Never Again" (1983)
One of only two James Bond movies made outside of the "official" canon (the other being the original "Casino Royale"), this flick featured an aged, leathery but still rakish Sean Connery in his only return to the role since he left it in 1971. Dig the funky score!
"Escape from New York" (1981)
This may be my favorite movie by John Carpenter, who I believe has a better overall track record than his peers like Tobe Hooper or Wes Craven. As I've been immersed in its many knock-offs for the past year or so, I really need to sit down and watch the original post-apocalyptic quest flick soon.
"Tourist Trap" (1979)
I once rented this PG-rated shocker in hopes that it would make up in creepiness what it lacked in graphic thrills. For once, I was right - it was a bit unsettling, and it's of an age where genuine atmosphere could be found in low-budget horror. It's mostly due to the mannequins, as might be deduced from the boffo trailer.
"Starchaser: The Legend of Orin" (1985)
Were you aware that when I was ten years old, a feature-length animated sci-fi adventure was released theatrically in 3-D? When this occured, I sure didn't, because there is no way I wouldn't have begged my parents to take me to it if I had.
"Heartbeeps" (1981)
When I saw a commercial for this movie on TV (probably this very TV ad), I was six years old. I had no idea who Andy Kaufman was, or that this was a weird project for the guy. All I knew is that it had wacky robots in it, and I wanted to see it. You know, to this day, I still haven't, but it doesn't look as good to me now. Anyone out there have fond/ill memories of "Heartbeeps"?
"Game of Death" (1978)
The indignity of Bruce Leesploitation can be traced back to this shady stinker, which was stitched together from footage shot before Lee's untimely death. The guy they used for a double in many scenes was only the first of the imitators - see Bruce Le, Bruce Li, Dragon Lee, etc.
"Excalibur" (1981)
John Boorman's King Arthur movie was legendary when I was a kid. It was just about the most violent, sexual, ass-kicking thing anyone in my class had ever snuck a peek at on cable. Imagine my surprise when I watched it again in college, only to find it kind of slow and stodgy. I still like it, though; everything looks really cool, and Helen Mirren is a saucy Morgan le Fay.
"The Burning" (1981)
I don't know what it is with me and 1981 today... This obscure, minor slasher flick is infamous among horror cultists because of its history of censorship and longtime unavailability. I've never seen it, but I've held a bootleg in my hands at several points. I'm sure I'll get to it someday.
posted by SoulReaper at 5:30 PM
1 Comments:
Yoko Ono: scarier than Mastodon
Pitchfork Music Festival 2007, Day Two - 7/14
If online publication Pitchfork Media, which organized the second annual Pitchfork Music Festival at Chicago's Union Park, intended to silence its critics who consider its tastes as overwhelmingly obscure, esoteric and elitist, the choice of Yoko Ono as Saturday night's headliner was a poor one. For fans of the obstinately independent, though, it was pure genius.
Ono's divisive status doesn't end with opinions regarding her political activism or her perceived effect on The Beatles. John Lennon's widow has rankled many with her experimental vocal style, a combination of theatrical beat poetry and high-pitched, wavering howls. However, Ono's passion for experimentation has resonance among the art rock and free jazz crowds, for whom the wilder and more unique a performer, the better.
Following the sleepy, rootsy stylings of Cat Power and the Dirty Delta Blues Band, it's understandable that Ono's uninhibited performance sent many an audience member into giggles – or scurrying for an exit. Still, her frequent declarations of love were sincere, and her fearlessness at age 74 deserved the applause she received.
Two post-dinnertime acts greatly clashed with the rest of the lineup. Virginia hip-hop duo Clipse matched dark tales of street life steeped in machismo, violence and cocaine references with tense, ominous beats. Although brothers Malice and Pusha T sharply traded sharp rhymes like an old-school rhyme crew, theirs was not the "positive" sort of rap usually championed by alternative audiences.
Even further removed from the rest of the Pitchfork performers was Atlanta's Mastodon. The quartet brought the thunder with a commanding set of progressive metal, blending straightforward thrash, lethargic doom, manic grindcore and lyrical Southern rock touches into one explosive, trickily cadenced package.
The afternoon brought Iron & Wine's pleasant folk-pop, Sam Beam's hushed, honeyed voice floating on the warm summer breeze. Battles' bright guitars and electronics took the edge off the jerky polyrhythms of their danceable indie/jam/alien rock. Grizzly Bear's earnest psychedelic panoramas brought to mind the Alan Parsons Project with cooler haircuts.
A smaller side stage mostly featured experimental jazz and electronic acts. This frequently packed corridor offered plenty of its own highlights, from Fujiya and Miyagi's slinky disco/funk to the minimalist, lo-fi dream pop of Baltimore slowcore duo Beach House.
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Pitchfork concludes with block-rocking party
Pitchfork Music Festival 2007, Day Three - 7/15
After three days of contending with long lines, hot sun and occasionally difficult music in Chicago's Union Park, the capacity audience for the second annual Pitchfork Music Festival needed the joyous release that its Sunday finale delivered.
As a hipster tastemaker, online music publication Pitchfork Media (which organizes the event) is often derided as elitist for exalting obscure or esoteric artists over more popular ones. If the choice of Yoko Ono as Saturday's headliner did nothing to refute that reputation, Sunday's boisterous double-whammy of The New Pornographers and De La Soul proved that even indie snobs can get down and have a good time.
Critics hail De La Soul as forefathers of alternative rap music, and serious hip-hop heads have deep respect for the New York veterans, but they haven't had a major commercial hit since their 1988 debut, 3 Feet High and Rising. However, the festival’s lineup favored nonconformity over mere popularity, and the message sent by placing them at the end said: album sales be damned, no one can hope to follow De La Soul.
The trio paid back the prestige of their headlining slot with the most energizing, engaging hip-hop set of the weekend. MCs Posdnuos and Dave traded dense, intelligent rhymes and worked the crowd like master showmen, living up to their hallowed status on every cut. DJ Maseo occasionally stepped away from his skillful collage of beats and scratches to rhyme himself, and once took a "bathroom break" wherein he was relieved by surprise guest Prince Paul, the venerated producer who made his name with the eclectic sound of 3 Feet.
The New Pornographers got an even more ecstatic response; understandable, since indie rock is Pitchfork's stock in trade. The Vancouver-based group's stately, adult power pop perpetually swelled to the verge of a bittersweet chorus. In songs from their forthcoming Challengers LP as well as a host of catalog chestnuts, vocalists A.C. Newman and Kathryn Calder cradled their melodies with meticulous ease.
Georgia's Of Montreal augmented their new wave/disco pop with a colorful stage spectacle that included what appeared to be a ninja with a gold mask and a lobster claw for an arm. Frontman Kevin Barnes was the greatest spectacle of all, his active, androgynous posturing and fervent crooning complemented by Madonna-style costume changes – complete with lingerie.
Other highlights of Pitchfork on Sunday included Chicago hip-hop trio The Cool Kids, whose hard beats and '80s-influenced rhyme style deserve to be heard by all fans of the old school. Local legends The Sea and Cake provided a breezy afternoon slice of low-key melodic pop. Michigan's NOMO hit the side stage with a hot, horn-fueled helping of funk, jazz and Afrobeat. Portland, Oregon's Menomena had more rock muscle than their records suggest, their fractured pop soaring and shimmering like vintage progressive rock without the dated cheese.
Pitchfork's second year included a number of sound and scheduling glitches. The audience could have used more room to stand at the side stage. The hand wash stations never appeared to function. Nitpicks aside, for a fraction of the price of bigger alternative music fests, fans got a more intimate experience on top of a better per-band value. If such quality is maintained, expect the Pitchfork Music Festival to become as seminal a Chicago summer tradition as fireworks on July 3.
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A musical merger for the Millennium
The Decemberists with the Grant Park Orchestra, Millennium Park, Chicago - 7/18/07
The Decemberists are probably used to having a younger set of faces staring back at them than those of the audience at Chicago's Millennium Park Wednesday evening. At the same time, it was probably one of the youngest and most raucous audiences the Grant Park Orchestra has ever entertained.
The indie rock quintet from Portland, Oregon is given to suits and dresses, so they already looked the part as they took the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage in front of the 82-piece orchestra. Intermittent rain didn't dampen the spirits of several thousand Decemberists fans who huddled beneath umbrellas on the venue's lawn. By the end of the performance, it was clear that the group's majestic music is well suited to the symphonic format.
The event was part of the Grant Park Music Festival, the free classical concert series held in Millennium Park every summer. The concert kicked off the 25th anniversary celebration of famed Wrigleyville rock club Metro.
It also completed a run of five U.S. dates wherein The Decemberists teamed up with local orchestras. Despite the NPR favorites' "indie" status, they're actually one more example of the nerds taking over, riding high on the success of last year’s The Crane Wife (Capitol). Their major label debut is vocalist/guitarist Colin Meloy's most elaborate set yet., his folksy, brainy tales of love and loss rewarding smart listeners while remaining instantly catchy.
From the opening pair of "The Crane Wife 3" and "The Crane Wife 1 & 2," guest conductor Sean O'Loughlin's arrangements added texture to the band's already lush material, and filled in the spaces where the rock died down. O'Loughlin moved as dramatically on his podium as Meloy did at the front of the stage.
"The Infanta" followed, brass adding enough punch to make the tune sound like the score to an adventure movie. Although the orchestra somewhat overpowered the band on the quiet "Los Angeles, I'm Yours," the collaboration shined on the 18-minute EP track "The Tain," swelling to an epic finale which saw Meloy and drummer John Moen switch places and Moen wailing on a melodica.
With its drama underlined by strings, "I Was Meant for the Stage" might have been too schmaltzy if not for Meloy's brittle, plaintive voice cutting through the syrup. Then again, the band played the disco-rock anthem "The Perfect Crime #2" and upbeat, poppy single "O Valencia!" while the orchestra sat and watched, so it was evident that everyone acknowledged the collaboration's limitations.
So, how did all those mature Grant Park Orchestra subscribers in the seats up front react to a hip rock act? Why, they were clapping along, too.
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Gogol Bordello, Super Taranta! (SideOneDummy)
Gogol Bordello still pretty much corners the Gypsy punk rock market, and with their fifth LP further perfect their pioneering blend of Balkan folk and rowdy rock. Ukraine-born frontman Eugene Hütz takes on religion ("Super Theory of Super Everything"), political exile ("My Strange Uncles from Abroad") and homogenous U.S. culture ("American Wedding") in his charmingly enthusiastic accent. But he's really just the ringmaster in a dramatic, dynamic circus of accordion, violin, horns, percussion and voices that deliver quicker tempos and stronger focus than ever before. With their best set of deceptively smart party music yet, it's impossible not to get caught up in Gogol Bordello's Romany revelry.
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Ozma, Pasadena (About a Girl)
Power pop enthusiasts should have been doing backflips when Ozma announced its reformation last year. The band had called it quits in 2004, after three albums of so-geeky-it's-good pop. Now a fully-functioning unit again, their return to disc is also a return to form.
Named after Ozma's California hometown, Pasadena merges upbeat pop melodies, poignant lyrics, hard rock muscle and new wave synth bounce into an exemplary windows-down, top-volume summer album. Driving rockers like "Fight the Darkness" and "Incarnation Blues" sit perfectly alongside lilting ballads like "Heartache vs. Heartbreak" and "I Wonder."
Despite their Baum-derived name, Ozma stays away from youthful fantasy. With vocalist Daniel Brummel decidedly sticking to more mature themes, Pasadena feels more in the classic pop vein of ELO or Cheap Trick than the ironic, modern bent of peers like Weezer or Motion City Soundtrack. Its little accoutrements (a heavy metal guitar/guitar/keyboard break in "Barriers," hand claps in "Lunchbreak (Cobra's Theme)," the Beatlesque vocal harmonies in "I Wonder") help differentiate the tunes, but it's the tunes themselves that will have you coming back for more.
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Droid, Droid (Emotional Syphon)
Discerning metal fans would be justified in avoiding Long Beach's Droid as soon as they discovered the band's benefaction from Korn guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer. After all, the risibly-named Munky helped lower a whole generation's standards for metal and hip-hop, so it's not unreasonable to look at Droid's name and expect some stuck-in-the-'90s bar band who's still really into Static-X and Orgy.
Well, Droid actually does sound modern, and is thankfully not some played-out electro metal act. These guys obviously listen to a lot of Lamb of God, Chimaira and the like and don't have much to add, but at least they're inspired by the heavier end of the spectrum.
Guitarists Jamie Tiessere and Buce Childress lay down solid groove/thrash riffage on "Built to Last," "Together We Die" and "Vengeance Is Mine," the latter featuring the Deftones' Chino Moreno screaming alongside Droid's capable shouter James "Buddy" Eason. The record's characteristically pummeling mix by metalcore favorite Tue Madsen affords Nick McWells' percussion the physical punch his precise double-bass assaults deserve.
On the downside, there's a near-Pantera level of testosterone overload, cliché lyrics about interpersonal anger and lots of indistinguishable midpaced material. A 46-minute album just shouldn't seem as long as Droid does. If these technically skilled musicians can step away from the tropes of their "sound" and write unique "songs" without wussing out, Droid could easily step out of their label founder's shadow.
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Battles, Mirrored (Warp)
Math rock supergroup Battles presents its first full-length via the increasingly rock-friendly electronic label Warp, and pulls a major surprise by adding vocals to its previously instrumental formula.
The result is as straightforward a record as one can expect from a line-up including Ian Williams (ex-Don Caballero), Dave Konopka (ex-Lynx), John Stanier (ex-Helmet) and Tyondai Braxton (son of avant-garde jazz composer Anthony). Braxton's often-processed vocals don't really take away from the music, but they don't add much, either.
The longest tracks allow the group proper time to explore each playful blend. Single "Atlas" utilizes an upbeat stomp to evoke an organic sort of robot rock, while the madcap "Rainbow" brings to mind the incidental music from an old "Tom and Jerry" cartoon. "Tij" expands from electronic fidgeting to bouncy, melodic prog rock to Latin-flavored polythrythms. In comparison, "Tonto" and "Bad Trails" come off like noodly, not particularly catchy indie rock songs, and the overactive "Ddiamondd" is just annoying.
At its best, Mirrored thrives on repeated rhythms and musician interplay. With its lively, often rigid beats and bright tones, it plays like the focal point of a new fellowship of Krautrock and jam bands. Perhaps this curious intersection is where Battles' audience lies?
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Menomena, Friend and Foe (Barsuk)
The third album by Portland, Oregon's Menomena balances experimental impulses with solid indie pop songcraft. In doing so, the trio guarantees that whatever surprise awaits around each corner, it will eventually become lodged in the listener's head. Friend and Foe is that kind of album - it's pleasant at first, yet encourages and rewards enough repeat listens that it becomes an obsession.
On one side of the spectrum is Danny Seim's percussive complexity, which turns a lilting little piano-and-acoustic tune like single "Wet and Rusting" into a nervously rousing adventure. On the other, you have Brent Knopf's rich keyboard melodies, blending with Justin Harris' saxophones ("Weird," "Evil Bee") and brass ("The Pelican," "My My") in a majestic, sun-dappled bed for the trio's commingled vocals.
Thus, the songs are most impressive and affecting the more that goes into them. While the simple, moody "Ghostship" seems almost dull, the group whistling that underpins the anthemic "Boyscout'n" and the electronic squiggles that sneak into the loping "Air Aid" only add another dollop of audio joy to already-entrancing tunes.
Fans of quirkily cadenced indie stars such as Modest Mouse or TV on the Radio would probably enjoy Friend and Foe. As the experimental end of the indie rock pool becomes more friendly to mainstream listeners, it's not hard to imagine Menomena's intricate weirdo pop catching on.
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