Made in Rromania - teaser trailer
Ooo, some great images in this teaser trailer for an HBO documentary about the 'Shukar Collective' a Romanian music project that fuses electronica with Ursari (one of the groups of Roma people) music.
Made in Rromania - teaser from Matei-Alexandru Mocanu on Vimeo.
Labels: documentary, music, video
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I Say Fever and Two Weeks
Ta @bbod for the link. US animator Stefan Nadelman, director of Terminal Bar turns his hand to some great wild west styled animation. Let it play to at least 00:53 where the lighting and pace goes crazy with the chorus.
More from Stefan Nadelman.
Also love this eerie video for Brooklyn's Grizzly Bear called Two Weeks. Head over to Youtube to view the HD version, as it's worth the extra detail.
Labels: animation, music, video
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Mumford & Sons album "Sigh no more"
Really enjoying the the earnest, plaintive wailing's of Marcus Mumford and his band. I saw them first accidentally at 2008's Great Escape, in an all star line-up including Noah and the Whale, Laura Marling and Jay Jay Pistolet. At that time, they were new and inexperienced and were being coached by Laura and Noah ATW front man Charlie Fink.
The album has everything from wistful melancholy to driving folk anthems. Also, I like that they are charming, well brought-up, posh boys.
Despite the radio unfriendly lyrics of Little Lion Boy, you know they'd be very polite if you took them home to meet your Mum.
Watching the gig last year, the kids knew all the words and sang them in an impassioned way that recalled to me the importance of "your favourite band" when you're young.For the less emo amongst us, I had a similar impression from seeing live those quirky, shouty pop kids Los Campesinos!.
Sigh no more is available on Spotify. Best tracks are the rollicking Roll away your stone, and the foot stomping single Little Lion Man.
Other finds on my more maudlin, folky radar;
Horse Feathers - In Our Blood
Oregonian chin strokers, violin noodling, cello underscoring, lost harmonies.
Department of Eagles - Sailing by by night
Lo-fi mutterings, or "post-urban depression" as tagged on last.fm
The Acorn - Crooked Legs.
Merz and Bon Iver stylings, and some lovely ploinky percussion.
Denis Jones - One Loop
British guitarist singer songwriter, with glitchy effects. John Martyn-esque with a looping, effects pedal.
Great Lake Swimmers - Your Rocky Spine
Lots of great beards from these folkies from Ontario, Canada. Rough shod banjo, probably composed in a wood cabin, with the local Grizzlies gathered at the door.
Labels: music
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Great e-cards, and other (zombie?) recommendations
Web
Does anyone send e-cards anymore? Even typing "e-cards" feels slightly shameful, out of date, is it the "e" hyphen....? Anyway, although this takes any pleasant surprise out of any future "digital salutations" I'll send to you, I enjoy someecards so much I thought I'd share it.
Books
Just finished Brave New World (read BNW online if you're that way inclined) by Aldous Huxley. This is an awesome book, which I would shout about more but for the disgusted cries of "What? You've only just read it..!?" that are hailing down on me.
Next.
Film
Revisited Cronenberg's Scanners (was gifted the trilogy and more cult DVD goodness by the lovely people at Sci-Fi London, they keep on giving!) which I had forgotten about bar the exploding head scene which, nerdy child that I was, I freeze framed on my VHS to find the spot where the real guy is switched for the pumpkin head of gore.
Needless to say, there are plenty more goodies in this movie, the freaky, 80's synth sound design, grimacingly tense telepath mind battles, some great stunts (when the school bus busts slo-mo into the record store!) and the ever eerie Michael Ironside playing the Bad Scanner Darryl Revok. Gripping!
For more gore check out an ace short Zombie film, made by our beer crazed Dutch neighbours, Zombeer! It was produced by a very cool friend of mine, and the film was one of six official nominations for the Shocking Shorts Awards, organised by Sci-Fi Channel and NBC/Universal.
Zombeer on Vimeo
Zombeer at Myspace
Dead Set the E4, Halloween Zombie 5 parter. I am just getting to watch on download (no TV and Channel 4 On Demand does not respect the Mac. Arse). Episode One was great. There is a little aside by a housemate in the fictional Big Brother house,"That's the public for you, they're animals" as outside, the eager BB fans are ripping each other apart in zombie fervour. Dead Set at PirateBay
Music
Something sweetly 90's about 4AD's release from Deerhunter "Microcastle". Swirly guitars, echoey fx'd vocals. Pleasing.
Fleet Foxes sound like a sentimental, harmonious, sixties memory that none of us are old enough to remember, but by God, weren't we having a good time?
Johnny Flynn is barely 25, and strangely is related to one of Robson and Jerome.. but he makes nice jangly folk pop. A bit like a boy Laura Marling. Cardigan Kids.
WIRESPOTTING - LATE UPDATE!!
I am about 2 weeks late on this nugget but it's Bubbles! Everyones favourite, lovable junkie becomes someone (er, not watched them yet) in Heroes!!
Labels: films, Heroes, links, music, tv
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Radiohead - 15 Step Overdub
"Shreds" style overdub. Funny!
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Steve Earl - Darling Commit Me
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Wait for the chorus
This guy was on Never Mind the Buzzcocks...
Labels: music
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Bonaparte's Retreat
Been working on a brand new, high production value promo for the "new sound", that of Fuggs Few, with their red hot single Bonaparte's retreat (or er, Napoleon's Retreat as their version is called). Find it in good record stores near you soon.
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Last.fm new service: free full length tracks for a limited time
Full tracks from Last.fm, which after a beta phase will become a subscription service! This is great news. Pandora have really lost it, especially as recently they were forced to close doors in the UK. Read original Last.fm blog story.
Labels: music, technology
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Cheaper Final Cut Pro Keyboard, Roundhouse and Sonic Youth
I've always been a bit jealous of those colour coded keyboards with both Final Cut and Avid keyboard shortcuts, but put off by the hugely expensive 70 UKP price tag. You've always been able to buy stickers for application to normal keyboards but somehow it never seemed as nice. I recently saw this company in Germany making their own keyboards for a fraction of the price at 22UKP. Whether the quality is any good I can't tell, likely it's the cheapest import with custom keys, but it might be of use to the editor on a budget.
Last weekend I enjoyed alt-rock pioneers Sonic Youth playing their classic album Daydream Nation at the Roundhouse in Chalk Farm. It neatly filled a gap in my formative live experiences, along with the fantastic performance at Benecassim festival of Dinosaur Jr. It's been a year of sentimentality, but entirely worth it as both bands performed brilliantly without a hint of any "In it for the money" tragedy. Sonic Youth looked almost spry as 10 years ago, with not a hint of the middle aged spread setting in. It was a joy to see Kim Gordon lurching about the stage in her mini dress, and Thurston Moore, with his trademark thick, curly bowl of an indie haircut, enthusiastically attacking his guitar with a drumstick as a makeshift slide. I made some recordings with the video capabilities of LV's N95, a super PDA/camera/phone and if I get a chance I'll edit it together up here.
For reference the Roundhouse is a gorgeous venue. A strangely polite bouncer on the door cautioned me that there would be no re-admittance and when I faltered on entering explaining I might get another quick ciggie in before committing, he replied "Oh, you can smoke upstairs, outside on the first level", so we entered and he smiled and said brightly "Enjoy yourselves!".
The first floor has a huge outside area, with plenty of space and seats, and on the night of the gig was offering freshly barbecued foods and salad. The bogs were clean and decent, the bars were plentiful and easy to get to the front of, and the gig was easy to see. Beirut are playing there in November so I'll definitely be returning.
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Wikipedian Protester, Latitude eco fest ahoy.
Back from Latitude festival. Fabulous, small, friendly, great eco beer dispensary involving cups you pay a two pound deposit for, thereby removing much of the plastic festival slurry. Top tip is The Irrepressibles, baroque, immersive ballads, performed in costume with a mini orchestra and dancing marionettes. Photos to come.
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