Saturday, October 3, 2009

Musical Things - P.S. Eliot:: Introverted Romances of Our Troubled Minds
















more of these girls for you guys. this is their first full length that came out not too long ago. dramatically better recording quality, although it was still done in their basement i think. soft kind of pop punk/indie/folkie/"fuzzy" tunes with clever lyrics. i enjoy it a lot and if the recording on their Bike Wreck Demo kept you from liking them, give this album a shot.



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MYSPACE

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Musical Things: Wake Up. Report. : Record or Record















really really good indie/emo band out of illinois i think. a bunch of middle aged dudes ex-a ton of different bands, who just want to play music and come across as the epitome of awesome dudes. they've got a new record coming out soon; this is their only one to date. vocals kind of remind me of the promise ring and musically it's......... i don't know. i'm too tired to think of a comparison. just listen to it. it's good i promise. download their songs on their website (link below) and share as they request.



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Friday, August 14, 2009

Musical Things - The Tim Version: Decline of the Southern Gentleman





















punk band from florida. apparently they sound like old Against Me! I wouldn't know though I don't really listen to those dudes but i listen to these dudes and they rule. parts actually remind me of lawrence arms but they've got a kind of southern vibe a little bit. it's 12 songs but it doesn't last very long- i think maybe three songs break 2:30. well........ check 'em out.


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Sunday, August 2, 2009

Musical Things - The Promise Ring: Electric Pink














i was surprised at myself that The Promise Ring wasn't up here at all, so i felt i had to rectify that immediately. probably my favorite of their ep's. i love every song on here just like i love pretty much every song they ever wrote and every album they've put out (minus wood/water - just wasn't for me). catchy pop-emo that a lot of people shit on b/c it's "too simple" like this guy ( http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/6495-electric-pink-ep/ ). who gives a shit how hard something is to play? i don't do much hatin' on this, but that guy is the pits. not b/c he doesn't like it, w/e shit is not for everyone, but for they way the pretentious thundercunt bashes it like its something that needs to be destroyed, that your scum if you like it. if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say at all...dickweed. anyway what matters is the end result, and the end result in this case is fucking great. like it, love it, hate it, whatever, just don't be like that douche.


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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Movie Things - 7 Days of Zooey - Gigantic







































yet another indie-hipster drama-comedy starring none another than you know who. but you know what i'm not bored of it, like i said i'm a sucker for these movies and i don't think i could ever tire of her playing the nerd-boy's dream girl. anyway, no, i have not seen this movie, as i'm pretty sure it hasn't played anywhere other than festivals. but i didn't really think the whole 7 day thing through, and turns out there isn't anything else to really post. i could post Elf, sure, but everyone has already seen that, no need for me to comment. i could post Almost Famous, but again everyone's seen it, and she really didn't have a big part in that and i kind of already cheated you with the Assassination of Jesse James, and i don't want to do that to you again and look at that - i even ramble in blog. this movie looks awesome. i love Paul Dano. have ever since The Girl Next Door - one of my favorite's. John Goodman and Ed Asner look hilarious. trailer will give you the summary. hope it's as good as it looks.

update: saw it. didn't like it at all. very sad about that.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Movie Things - 7 Days Of Zooey - The Good Life









































way behind on this 7 days bit - well actually i never said 7 days in a row so i guess im not. anyway, this movie isn't all that great, truth be told. it has it's moments, i especially enjoy the ending, but all n all it's good, just not anything more than that. Zooey's character is her weirdest to date. the trailer advertises bill paxton, but he's in it for like 2 minutes, but that's probably a good thing. the trailer is a bit misleading in general, it makes it out to be much more intense than it is. like i said though, the movie has it's moments, and it's pretty sad in a lot of parts, and overall i think it's worth the watch, if not just for the ending. no download to post, sorry.

best part: the ending voice-over spiel

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Movie Things - 7 Days of Zooey - (500) Days of Summer















































exceeded my expectations. awesome movie. she was awesome. joseph gordon-levitt was awesome. funny, sad, heartbreaking, heartwarming - everything you could want out of a romance movie - or anti-romance movie is what they seem to be calling this one. go see it. ill come with you.


Friday, July 24, 2009

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Movie Things - 7 Days of Zooey - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford













































kind of cheating on this one as she is only in this movie for like 10 minutes at the very end, but oh well, it's my blog. this movie is really friggin good, i'd give you a summary but the title pretty much tells you everything you need to know. if you're expecting an action-packed western, you'll be disappointed. it moves really slowly and there's barely any action, but the movie is still very tense b/c Casey Affleck does such a crazy good job of playing a fucking creep, and you never know when Brad Pitt, who looks like the man in this by the way, is going to kill somebody. Zooey comes in at the end as a saloon singer who goes out with Robert Ford, looking stunning in her corset n all. anyway check it out, it's all sorts of good.




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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Musical Things - The Lawrence Arms: Cocktails & Dreams


















probably my favorite album from them. it has my two all time favorite lawrence arms songs on it and the album as a whole is just great. if you don't already know, they're a three-piece punk band out of chicago with gritty vocals and awesomely clever lyrics. i like everything they've put out, so if you like this album, go get everything they have b/c it's all great. the guitarist, the softer-voice singer, has an acoustic project called Sundowner, which is phenomenal and i'll probably post that up soon enough too.


best track: Quincentuple Your Money or Presenting: The Dancing Machine (The Robot With The Monkey Head)


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Movie Things - 7 Days of Zooey - Winter Passing
































a quality sundancey movie starring Zooey, Will Ferrel and Ed Harris. i haven't seen it in a while but i'm pretty sure it's about Zooey who goes home to see her alcoholic, ex-writer father, Ed Harris, to try and get some novel out of him. but moreso its her trying to deal with all that's changed at home, trying to get along with her father, and trying to make peace with the past. it's kind of a different role for her, b/c she's not playing the upbeat character in this, she's actually really depressing, curses a lot, does coke, and hardly ever smiles. if you worried about the presence of Will Ferrel, don't be. his character is the comic relief, but he's not over-the-top at all, he's just kind of weird and brings a much needed humor to the movie and w/o him, the movie would just be a bummer. Everyone was really good in this, and if you're up for a bit of a downer, watch it. the download will probably take forever but it's there anyway, but just go buy or rent it
. link to trailer below as well.

best part: any scene with her or the one where she asks Ed Harris if he's mad at her
.


TRAILER
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Movie Things - 7 Days of Zooey - The Go-Getter








































i probably like this movie way more than i should being as it's a pretty hipster-by-numbers flick. dorky, awkward white guy meets out-going, free-spirited indie, brunette girl and falls for her. but i don't know why, maybe it's due to my love for road-trip movies, or maybe it's just b/c Zooey is in it, or maybe it's b/c the whole movie's soundtrack is done by M. Ward (who also has a cameo), but i just love this movie. i think i'm just a sucker for teenage romance flicks. just watch it.


best part: any scene with her




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Musical Things - Penfold: Amateurs and Professionals



















one of my favorite bands. beautiful, heartfelt
loud-quiet-loud indie rock from jersey. broke up in 2003, and unfortunately i never got to see them b/c i was too dumb to like this kind of music back then and so now i just sit and sigh over youtube videos of their last show. there is just so much friggin passion and heart and genuineness in this whole album that the first three tracks alone could buckle the knees of giants and make the devil cry. i get chills every single time he sings the last few lines in "I'll Take You Everywhere". honestly, no band tugs at my heart like they do and i can't say enough about them. the singer has his own acoustic project now called The Waltz, and it's brilliant as well. if you have any sense at all, you'll listen to this.....and that concludes my verbal blowjob of this band.


best track: I'll Take You Everywhere or M


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Monday, July 20, 2009

Musical Things - Get Bent: Demo

















this band fucking rules. punk/pop-punk out of new york featuring vocals/lyrics that are impossible for me not to sing out the windows of my car at the top of my lungs (when no one is around of course, or at least when i'm going fast enough for no one to notice). too energetic, too fast, and too passionate to pass up. support them by ordering it online if you can and also check out their split with the jean claude jam band.


best track: Forest Ave


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Musical Things - 7 Days of Zooey - She & Him: Volume One




































since 500 Days of Summer comes out this friday, a movie which i've been aching to see since i first saw the trailer, and since i am in love with Zooey Deschanel, every day for a week i'm going to post one thing that has Zooey in it. So to kick off the 7 days of Zooey is her first big move in the music world, known as She & Him. The "Him" in the band is the very talented M. Ward who is known for his own work in the folk-country music world. This whole album is perfect. She has a beautiful voice that seems like it would've been more in place during the 20's. M. Ward makes awesomely catchy parts while still infusing his own folk-country influences with slide-guitars and lots of finger picking to complete an album that has an old-time comfort and can't not make you feel all warm inside. if you have a porch or a balcony or something like that, listen to it there.



best track: Sweet Darlin' or Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?


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Musical Things - Hop Along, Queen Ansleis: Freshman Year















one of the most fun folk-pop bands i've ever listened to. this album has a butt-load of songs (16) featuring vocals akin to regina spektor but not as weird, lots of random instruments like kazoos and wood blocks, with a lot of deeply personal lyrics. if you ever go to see them, bring an instrument, b/c they'll let you play along with them. they're on tour right now, so go support them and check out the other band they're on tour with called........... (see below)


best track: Workers



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Sunday, July 19, 2009

Musical Things - P.S. Eliot: The Bike Wreck Demo














three girls playing kinda pop punk stuff. bad recording, i think they recorded it in their basement, but the recordings sound way better on their myspace. it's cute and it's a lot of fun and for some reason it reminds of Empire Records. i like it.


best track: Troubled Medium


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Comic Things - Transmetropolitan Vol. 1

















more warren ellis stuff and probably his best stuff (and i say that after only reading this first trade). over the top, hysterical, bizarre, brutally violent, satirical, and plenty of religion-hating. set in a dirty, hyper-pacedindustrialized future about a misanthropic, kick-ass journalist who must return to the congested and polluted city to finish writing his books. perfect artwork by my favorite artist, and impossible to put down.


best part: when spider goes berzerk at the religions convention.

Musical Things - Everafter: Fading Into Bright









a band i constantly forget about, and then once i remember, i listen to it over and over again. i know nothing about this band, just that this album is awesome.
i'm pretty sure they broke up a long time ago and i don't think they have a myspace. it's female-fronted pop punk, heavy on the lead guitar. the vocals are great because she actually sings very well and doesn't have the same whiny high pitched voice a lot of female leads do these days, not that there's anything wrong with those vocals it's just nice to hear something different. give it a try.

best track: Never Ending Day or Liar (I'm sorry)


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Musical Things - Alexi Murdoch: Time Without Consequence
















beautiful folk acoustic stuff. he was on the Away We Go soundtrack, which if you haven't seen yet- do so. this is his first album, following his self -published ep, Four Songs, and it is fantastic all the way through. he just released another ep entitled Towards the Sun which is also stupendous.

best track: All of My Days and Wait


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Random Things - Hate5six Productions












awesome site if you're looking for well shot, high quality videos of your favorite hardcore bands. its funded and operated completely by one dude, sunny singh, who somehow finds time to do all this in between his full time job in northern virginia. these videos are amazing, and while im not particularly a huge fan of hardcore music, i find the videos incredibly entertaining. videos of mindset, have heart, my turn to win, the hope conspiracy, h20, sick of it all, ruiner, and tons more are all there. watch it, support it, enjoy it.



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Musical Things - Saint Brazil


















my good friends play in this band and i fear they're going to slip away unnoticed. if you like 90's emo, you'll like this. passionate, catchy and hard to compare to another band, but if you had to their newer stuff (not on this demo) is hey-mercedes-esque, i guess. the recording quality on this is god awful but once you get passed it, its very refreshing and they are awesome live. they have a new ep thats due out soon and hopefully the quality will be way better. all of them are supremely talented and they definitely deserve far more attention than they're getting, so book 'em if you can or spread the word.



best track: Black Turnstone


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Saturday, July 18, 2009

Musical Things - Everyone Everywhere: A lot of Weird People Standing Around
















promise ring inspired emo out of philadelphia. wish there was more songs on this album
because all four are so damn good. ill put it up for download, but please support these guys as best you can. this album is up for download for four bucks on itunes, so just buy it off there or order it or just go to one of their shows and buy it. they deserve it.

best track: Everyhow Everythere


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Friday, July 17, 2009

Movie Things- Martyrs





















the best horror movie i've seen in years: hands down. i have a particular fetish for really fucked up/disturbing horror flicks thus i'm not disturbed or scared or repulsed very easily anymore. But Martyrs... was fucking disturbing. towards the end, i wanted to turn it off because of the brutal repetitveness of this torture scene. not because it was boring, but because it did something no other horror movie has ever done: it made me feel like a victim. it has supernatural elements kind of, torture, gore, and a braindead, hairless, emaciated naked girl with a metal blindfold screwed into her head (think the dude on the bed from Se7en in girl form). cool/unique plot, and tons of twists. The french, or at least laugier, definitely know what they're doing. I loved it. download at your own risk, but i would just go buy it. plus i can never get subs to play in sync with downloads.





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Ornpography Things - Teagan Presley: Rockstar Pimp



















i feel way to sleazy to actually post porn stuff let alone review it, so suffice it to stay: this scene rules. she rules. evan from biohazard does her which is funny. download it somewhere. trailer and pics link below.




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Comic Things - No Hero #1






























i'm only three issues in to this mini-series (i know i'm way late), but it already rules. tons of ultra-violence, great artwork and phenomenal writing. hard to go wrong with warren ellis (get into Gravel too if you haven't already). its about a guy who invented a drug that can turn humans into superhumans and uses them put an end to the injustices that the police can't. somebody has figured out how to kill them though, and a spot on the superhuman team has opened up. trust me, it's awesome. if you like ellis, and you like The Boys, you'll like this. plus the main character is straight-edge and vegan. go buy it.


best part: when josh flings himself off the fire escape, lands feet first on a mugger's shoulders and in the process takes his ears off.

Musical Things - The Postelles: Self-Titled EP

















i saw this band back in october when they opened for the ataris. looked like a band i wasn't going to enjoy, turns out: i did. super catchy indie-rock with a '50's twist. songs about sex and girls, cool vocals and lots of guitar solos. the record doesn't do them justice, they are much fuller and exciting live, but still good fun all around. apparently they're doing really well, catching the eye of Rolling Stone and some other big magazines. mainly play in the new york city bar circuit.


best track: White Night or 123 Stop




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