Sad music indie style
Before anything: yes, i know this group has been around for a very long time, yes, i know they are famous elsewhere, but hey, i was just a kid when they started playing and that kind of music never stuck around here.
Anyway, this time around i write about a group i started listening to about a year ago. This Toronto based group has been around since the 90s. However, their style has given them a very unique identity. Death cab for cutie has succesfully created their own place in music, with a specific mixture of lyrics, piano-based music and pop-like rythms
At first glance, this group might seem a bit familiar, like you’ve heard the type of tunes before. But (at least for me) there is one constant all the time in their songs, it’s there in their instrumental arrangements, in the tone the lead vocals take, and definitely in the lyrics. Nostalgia is one of the core ingredients in this group. Their songs speak about the sadness of reality, the grim vision of the present, and the distant memory of when things were better.
However, it all comes together very well. There’s normally a sort of calm instrumental cycle in the background, which just serves to increase the sense of nostalgia in the songs. Love seems to be at center of things (isn’t it always?), of enjoying it, accepting it’s gone, moving on as it turns just into another memory.
Maybe the cold and hard canadian winters shaped this vision, i don’t know, but in this style, and through the feelings they try to evoke, there is something else lying underneath the songs…peace. Beneath every layer of music you can find peace while listening to it. It’s surely not happy, and it speaks some pretty though words, but peace can coexist with both, as it does in this group’s music.
So, feeling lonely? Sad? Want some calm tunes floating around your head? Listen to this group then: sad music…indie style.
Times, they are a changing
Well, it certainly has been a pretty long while since my last post. Last months were certainly tough, but i thought i should return to this blog, and stop leaving it on the shelf. So, what? Another music review? A movie one? No..this time i write about new persepectives on what it means for some men to take care of their apperance.
Though some time ago guys who shaved their pubes were commonly cause of stirred discussions regarding sexuality, nowadays it seems to be not only accepted, but even encouraged. Even gillette itself has published videos on how to do it. Tagline: when there is no underbrush, the tree looks taller.
I, for one, have never done it. Does the “tree” look taller?? Maybe, but it also makes you look like a 10 year old who has not even hit puberty, in my opinion. However, to each his own, and it seems that more and more guys are considering it to be a great idea.
You decide for yourself.
MUSEical Power
Since the release of their first album “Showbiz”, this trio joined ranks with the endless list UK groups that have left their mark on music history. Armed with a great new style in guitar chords and piano arrangements, the group presented a complex and interesting sound combination that resulted from the influence of many elements, including electronic music, classical, rock beats, and even traditional spanish tones.
However, Muse’s success doesn’t stream from the quality of their music alone. They also give a little extra to their live performances, giving them world recognition for throwing some of the best shows. Their songs are matched by equally impressive visuals and special effects that make the entire presentation a unique experience, which calls on thousands of people every time they play a gig.
Over time i began to realize the main thing about their music: it is one pure shot of emotion. Seing them live is like inyecting a full dose of adrenaline, pumping emotion through every vein in your body. However, it doesn’t just make you stand up full with energy, it totally amps up the current emotions you’re feeling. If you are feeling certain anger or rage at the moment, with certain songs you will most likely feel it bubble up and take hold like never before. For example, if you have ever felt so much in love with someone it actually hurts you and the frustration makes your body ache in pain, then you should definitely give “Space dementia” a try during this kind of moments. You will find how every agressive piano chord and arpeggio seems to increase and amplify your feelings every time as it reaches the climax and then resolves and falls slowly back.
“You make me sick, because i adore you so, i love all your dirty tricks and twisted games you play on me…”
“you make us wanna die, i cut your name in my heart…”
Or maybe you just feel like going against the flow and against the whole world, then “Invincible”, paired with its brilliantly accomplished live visuals will surely make you feel alive and empowered to take on anything. You will see as the song progresses and the volume rises that the intensity and brutality of the video increase accordingly, giving the whole thing an extra pump of energy.
On an other level, the music complexity that Muse creates should not be underestimated. The group has good knowledge of every chord in their instrument and how they can blend in together. You can find jaw-dropping music passages in most of their songs. The piano solo of “butterflies and hurricanes”, “united states of eurasia” or the final chords of “apocalypse please” are just fine example of the music quality that the group has achieved time after time.
Four studio albums and 15 years later, Muse is now launching “The resistance”, an album that promises to push the envelope once more and deliver new and interesting sounds as always. This time around, the groups seems to be going back to their original style, straying a bit away from the more “electronic sound” of “Black holes and revelations”. Either way, it is great to see that there are still groups completly committed to making music that actually makes people feel things and not just empty noises to pass the time.
Give “The resistance” a listen if you get the chance, or check out the videos from the glastonbury performance.
Hangover fun
Hey guys! Sorry it has been a long time since the last post, this semester looks pretty hard and with lot’s of work to do every week! Finally I got a couple of minutes to write a new entry, this time on the summer-hit hangover.
Yeah I know, this movie came out ages ago, i’m late….bla bla bla. but there might be some people who haven’t seen it, our maybe have very different opinions on it, so i’ts always interesting to see what people have to say.
In case you don’t know, this movie brings together 4 guys, one of them is getting married and the rest throw him a bachelor party…in vegas. Things get wild and next thing you know the groom is missing, time to collect clues on the events of the night before!
Well, first i was wondering, what is it that we loved so much about this film? Why was it that we kept on laughing as we sa w all the crazy things they did while they were drunk as hell? Maybe it was the fact that some of us have done crazy things too that way and that we can relate, or perhaps the mere insanity and surreal feeling to the situation. I mean, no matter how wasted you get, it is hard to think you’ll wake up with the room torn apart, missing a tooth, married to a hooker, a chicken behind you, a tiger on the other room and a naked man in your trunk (i don’t think there was even enough time to do all that happened during one night!)
This kind of things make Hangover such a great movie. It is just too out of this world! But it is not just the situation that’s hysterical, the movie brings together very different characters that cope in their own way to the plot. All guys seem to be reacting differently, and each brings something else to the table.
I’ll try not to spoil anything else from the plot. But know this, this is not a movie for any person who doesn’t like sexual humor andreferences, cursing, and all things revolving around that. In the end this film rewards the viewer with every new twist and surprise unveiling all the mistery behind that night. And even though the movie has this incredible and over the top feeling, at the same time it seems kind of real, and i think that it comes from each of the character’s persona and reaction.
So, if after all this i may have sparked your interest, go see it as soon as you can! great laughs and a whole new idea for hollywood comedy films.
Waiting for the sequel already….
Alien discrmination
Hi guys! anothe movie trailer update…
Well, what about aliens?? We seem to have exploited every possible idea for movies with them. We’ve seen aliens coming to attack earth in countless films…aliens that agressive to humans when we travel to other worlds, monsters from outer space, and even movies where humans openly invade other planets…seem’s like every aspect has been used.
However,what about runaways aliens coming to earth for refuge and being discriminated by humans like any other social group??? This summer District 9 is coming out, based on a shortfilm wich came out some years ago. I don’t remeber an idea quite like this one…seems interesting.
Could be great…could be terrible, let’s hope it is the first one…
here is the original short film that the movie is based on.
bruno’s back…
Hi there! Most of you may remeber a few years ago the Ali G Show with clips from this memorable character and from the excentric and flamboyant Bruno.
Though Borat had many great moments, i think Sacha Baron Cohen maybe took it a little too far. There were many moments that were just sick… I think Bruno’s character is far funnier. I even laugh more with clips fom Ali G than from Borat.
Anyway….many of you may already know, but Bruno’s movie is right around the corner, so i’ll leave you with the trailer, i think it will be a very very interesting film for the summer.
chad and the dentist
Hi!! you may remeber some time ago that video of the kid who went to the dentist and was a bit dosed and went on a little trip….well and yousurely remeber chad vader, danbertus liked his videos a lot…
well, i don’t know if you ever saw chad going to the dentist…it is the same video with vader as the kid.
enjoy.
transformed a decent movie into a crappy sequel…
Hi everyone! i finally got the internet back on, so i can post things again. This week there was a day when i had absolutely nothing to do, and no one was home either, so i decided to go to the movies. I thought transformers 2 would be a pretty good choice, specially since i really enjoyed the first movie…right?
wrong! sadly, transformers 2 fails to deliver in many many aspects. Maybe you don’t agree, but anyway, here is what i thought.
First, the stoy lacks excitemente through out the entire movie. In the first one, the director effectively portrayed the menace and danger that meant the presence of even a single Decepticon. This first scene in Qatar was a good example of this…and even the survivors of the military base had huge trouble trying to survive angainst the tiny (in comparison) scorpion like robot that chased them trough the desert. After all this, when Megatron reactivates you can definitely say “ohh, this means trouble” or maybe “HOLY “/$”!, What now??”. And in the finaly battle scene in LA one decepticon meant huge trouble for the rest of the characters, even with the help of the autobots.
However, this sense of danger is completely inexistent in the sequel. This is particulary evident in the first sequence when a huge decepticon attacking shang hai is gunned down in just a few moment by the “good guys” . Also, The fallen lacks the menacing image that megatron had in the first one, and the later even seems kind of weak this time around.
Secondly, and probably most important, the story lacked crdibility in all levels (as it usually does in hollywood blockbusters). Normally this wouldn’t matter in huge actions films, realistic sequences or plots are rare to find, but this time i beleive it was just to much. Americans (as usual) storm the world in their “righteou0s” fight angainst evil, even invading and entering any country they like. I’m getting a bit tired of seeing that in movies. Plus, character reactions are just pointless and with out any sense. The fallen one appears on world wide tv to present his threat to the world, and yet the next day life goes on as usual in New York City. You would think that openly admitting the existance of aliens and their intentions to destroy the world would cause and imapct in the world, but apparently that’s just me talking BS. Sadly, there are many moments like that one which simply damage the film in the long run.
The movie has some things going for it, visuals are incredible and there are some good action sequences, particulary the one in the forest with optimus. But even the humour, which was a great bonus to the first film, seems to be taken a bit too far. There are some funny moments in the film, no doubt about that “You torched my eye you crazy bitch!!”. But it doesn.t work all the time. Even in situations where the mood should be tense and worrying, they ruin it with some joke out of place, like the scrotum joke under the pyramid.
In the end. Maybe they rushed the sequel too much. I beleive they should have waited a bit more to work on the story. Sadly, what’s done is done, and we are stuck with this sequel which could have been so much more…
Déjà vu??
Again, a video from HECF, this time showing how someone, somewhere with absolutely nothing to do spent a good long while analyzing disney movies. Check out what they found…
Election time..
So, i quickly checked HECF to see if there was anything interesting (i need to keep up to speed with things going on back home). And i came across these videos of the %&*/$%?&* Partido Verde. This is the add campaign they used to promote some woman somewhere. However, as we have come to expect, it is pure bullshit, and copied from another video already on youtube.
Check it out.
PS. If someone could please contact Chris Martin so he can sue Partido Verde, it would be greatly apreciated.
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