We swear this isn't an ironic listening. We love Beyoncé and 4. OK, we might unironically skip straight to track 5, 'Party', produced by Kanye West and with rap by Andre3000, because we ain't no stay-home-mums that need all those ballads about being broken hearted and finding the right person. But, after that, the album turns into a beautiful compilation of classic r'n'b, soul and a bit of sweat-inducing booty tracks - not too many though - that sound surprisingly courageous considering the actual state of pop music. And for that, we bow down and hail Queen B. P.S. Get the deluxe version, for those extra couple of amazing tracks.
The name of this label has been interpreted in many ways; from 'bass-seekey' to 'base-ike', but the correct way describes exactly what this label is about: BASIC. Bassike delivers easily breezily cut staples with an interesting little twist that keeps them from being your run of the mill. For those that live in climates like that of Australia (where Bassike hails from) or Brazil, you'll know how easy it is to make fashion faux pas when the weather gets hot and the prospect of wearing anything but a bathing suit becomes slightly unappealing; Bassike is all and everything you need.
Before watching HBO's Game of Thrones, I assumed the series would tend a bit more towards the blood-dripping Danish movie Valhalla Rising rather than fairy-tale stories a lá 'Lord of the Rings'; and for that I didn't really like the series at the beginning. But slowly, I found myself submitting to tales of bad kings, midget juggernauts, savage warriors and... dragons. And that happened probably because there aren't exactly good guys and bad guys here, like there are in Tolkien stories - and that is, of course, a simplification of his work. Another reason I relented to this series is because of the intriguing political backstage element that leads to the ever-happening dance of thrones. Oh, and did I mention the gratuitous nekkid-ness?
Of the slew of new spots having opened up in Sydney in the last six months, The Norfolk on Cleveland St in Surry Hills has been one fated with success. Owned by some of the same kids that have brought The Flinders back to life (and currently, it's incredibly quick onset of 'The Norms'), you'll undoubtedly find The Norfolk rammed with all kinds, vying for a bite, a beer and a spot in the garden out back. The aim of the game is to cultivate Aussie pub culture at it's best; and it's doing a pretty decent job so far - if only you could get a table!
Super Sad True Love Story is the third book from the writer of the best selling Absurdistan, Gary Shteyngart. Incidentally, I read him name dropped in Flavorpill's Ultimate Hipster Reading list and in the same sentence as James Franco (they're buds, apaprently) just before I finished his latest offering. Don't let any of that put you off, or take away any of the sad scary brilliance of Super Sad True Love Story; written from the perspective of one 39 year old Lenny Abramov, son of Russian immigrants and in love with the impossibly cute and cruel Eunice Park. A satire that cuts to the bone, Super Sad True Love Story is exactly it's title. And it's good.
Tuesday // May 05, 2009 at 21:07 // filed under Music
Casey Spooner dressed by Nicola Formichetti and Romain Kremer
Ow! That's two bands that I never imagined would be working
together - and frankly, if I ever imagined them getting on, I would never guess
this is what they would sound like.
Electro party monsters Fischerspooner
are back with a new album, Entertainment,
released today. The duo already has three good singles out and are about to
release the fourth, 'We Are Electric'. The song, as you would expect, is another
dark synthetic piece of electro music. And as you would also expect, it comes with a remix. A remix from Hot
Chip. An eight minute long remix from Hot Chip. An eight minute long, minimal
techno remix - from Hot Chip!
Ok, I think after repeating it that many times I finally believe
in it, but liking it is a completely different story...
Monday // March 30, 2009 at 17:00 // filed under Music
The Invisible
If you're
like me, you have bands that you want to keep a secret. No, it's not
because you're ashamed of liking them; but because they're 'your' bands. The
ones that get you. The ones that say what you want and need to hear - the kind of music that is a comforting presence when you have a sad day. And even though you think
the world would be a better place with them reverberating through more sound
systems and speakers, you want the imaginary heart-to-your-ears exclusivity thing to keep
happening; to keep them invisible to all but you.
So it's
with great regret that I'm going to annouce that The Invisible's debut is probably the
best debut album of the year. It's epic, refined, spooky, really personal and
sometimes even danceable. The Invisble mix the deepest and most dense parts of bands like Radiohead, The
Dears and TV on the Radio with their own great personality; making this album one that you can't help but connect with in a range of emotional ways - even down to your weirdest and ugly feelings.
Unfortunately I haven't read much about them -
it's actually not easy to google "The Invisible". I know they're a trio (Dave
Okumu, Tom Herbert and Leo Taylor), one of them has a long beard, they don't
like being compared to TV on the Radio all the time, and they have an extra
member when they do live gigs (Pete Hanson on keyboards).
Their first
single is called 'London Girl' and has this white funk/DFA disco feeling about
it. With a great bass line and a sexy atmosphere it makes you want to dance but
not in the most obivious ways. Think Whitest BoyAlive's bass together with Junior Boys style synths with
a sexier attitude.
'London
Girl' has a beautiful arty black and white video that has been floating around since January
and like any other great modern single it has lots of remixes: Hot Chip's Joe, Dananananaykroyd's singer Calum S. Gunn under the
name of Cereal, Dolby Anol (who also features one member of Dananananaykroyd) hit them up with two different remixes, and Nightmoves contributes too.
So check all this stuff below and make
The Invisible be part of your life too.
