12.30.2009

Movies I've Seen Over The Holidays

Up In The Air

Really funny somewhat romantic comedy minus the typical happy ending that you expect. Danny McBride has a small part, I'll watch anything with that dude in it. Worth a watch for sure.




Drag Me To Hell

So fucking crazy good. It was great to see Sam Raimi back on top of his game doing what he does best. There's a lot of good Evil Dead/Army of Darkness gags & camera work that you'll love if you're a fan.

No cameo by Bruce Campbell as far as I could tell but the famous car gets plenty of screen time. It didn't make up for ruining Spiderman 3, but I definitely feel like a Sam Raimi fan again.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

I knew better. I'd read the reviews & I still rented it figuring I'd just watch some eye candy while I was sick over the holidays.

If you dig really bad racial stereotypes or films without a coherent plot, this is the one for you. As far as I can tell the entire film is designed to do two things: provide opportunities for things to blow up and show Megan Fox running from them in slow motion.

I'm sure the special effects are great, but I never got a change to really see them because everything on screen moves at 100 mph and there's an edit every 2 seconds. It never slows down to let you look at things. 100% waste of time and money.

- Coop

12.28.2009

I and Love and You - The Avett Brothers

I've been reading really good things about this album and it does kick ass. I'm a little mad at myself for not getting it until now. The production is great, Rick Rubin strikes again. The whole album is solid and I cannot stop listening to it. Please go out and get this album now!!

12.22.2009

Between Two Ferns w/ Charlize Theron

DLB - This is the episode I was talking about earlier today.

One more time with feeling.



Here is a bigger better version of the best damn Christmas song ever!!! Missing Katan and Morgan, but adding the Roots is a nice touch. Thanks to Kryssie Hagan for the heads up.

12.18.2009

Happy In Paraguay / Soup Kitchen In My Pants

Peter sent me these the other day, these guys at Day Job Orchestra overdub Star Trek episodes & manage to make them watchable. Not sure what's behind their fascination with apple juice & Zeppelin but it works. "Who's bringin' the goddamn JUICE?!!!"







12.14.2009

Merry Xmas from ....... Uncle Al?

Yep. I'm guessing the apocalypse will kick in any minute now. The intro made me feel a little more at ease about watching it "99 cents .....of your hard earned dollars .....will go .....to getting my songs on your iPod. Is that cool or what? And the rest of it.......go fuck yourself on Christmas!!!" Not a bad way to go if you're gonna do a christmas song.



12.09.2009

New Portishead Jam Is.... The Jam

Those wacky Portisheads just released a new track called Chase The Tear. As you'd expect it's the jam. Kinda Kraftwerk/Nitzer Ebb sounding, which is all good in my book. If you're up for supporting human rights organizations you can buy the track here.

12.04.2009

Them Crooked Vultures


Meh. It's all right, but I wanted so much more. A band made up of Dave Grohl, Josh Homme and John Paul Jones should knock you on your ass. This album, not so much. I really wanted something hard hitting and rocking, and at moments there is some rocking, but not hard enough. It is great to have Mr. Grohl back behind a trap set again and Homme and Jones are great musicians but that wasn't enough to make a great album. I tried. I left it in the truck for more than a week and listened to it as much as I could, but nothing grabbed me. I never found myself mindlessly humming a song or singing a track to myself at work. Just not enough for me. I'm sure live the songs are great, but on album they just didn't do much for me. Neither thumbs up or thumbs down, just kind of there.

12.03.2009

The Road: Feelbad Movie of the Summer

I don't claim to be a huge Cormac McCarthy fan. I loved watching No Country For Old Men but I'll admit I haven't read any of his books. I plan to, but I guarantee I won't be thumbing through pages of The Road any time soon. The movie was more than enough to get the point across.

It's an excellent film, best I've seen all year, but I wouldn't use words like "enjoyable" or "entertainment" to describe it. The Road is a profound and brutal experience that was fairly uncomfortable to sit through. I've only laid the "Feelbad Movie of the Summer" rating on a few movies in the past, this one is overqualified. If you've seen stuff like Dancer In The Dark or Nil By Mouth you have a very small idea of the feeling you're left with at the end of the film. The difference is that this isn't a family or relationship drama, this is epic-scale horror/tragedy with one very distinct difference from the vast majority "post apocalyptic" films ever made.... this could happen. And that scares the living shit out of me.

This isn't the exaggerated world of Mad Max or 12 Monkeys. The only comparison I can make is maybe 28 Days Later, but a million times worse because there are no mindless zombies that you can use as an excuse for all the horrible things humanity is doing to itself. The Road shows humanity at it's absolute worst, devolved into complete barbarism. Every single person is an enemy, even if they're not trying to kill you and/or eat you they're going to rob you of every possible scrap of food or clothing just to survive another day.

The film is extremely successful at building tension, filling you with a sense of dread that the most awful thing in the world is about to happen to the seemingly last two good people left on earth. Then it happens, and you know that in another 10 or fifteen minutes it is going to happen again and it will be worse. And it is. The Road is THE worst case scenario, the absolute worst possible future you could imagine because it could actually happen. We're one nuclear war or asteroid impact away from this kind of bleak and terrifying existence and that's the scary thing.

I can only imagine the book going to more detail, but I don't think I could go through that particular journey again. I imagine that's the point. Beyond the well deserved awards I'm sure it will rack up, I hope it's a film that makes people think about how good they really do have it and how things could be much worse. That much concentrated fear and negativity is tough to shake off, I really don't want to watch anything on TV or DVD for a while unless it's a brainless sitcom.

I'll be very interested to see what Mr. De La Bacca thinks since he's a huge fan. I can see how some of the characters don't get fleshed out like they probably are in the book and some of the important moments might get lost in the middle of all the horror and action, but this really is the most insightful film I've seen in years. Yes you should go see it, afterwards you can come back here and watch my pals Ren & Stimpy sing Happy Happy Joy Joy to make yourself feel better about life.





- Coop

11.14.2009

The Black Heart Procession - Six

The Spell is by far my favorite album by The Black Heart Procession. Anytime a band releases something that lands in that "favorite" category, I always want more of the same instead of something new.

Six
is mostly something new, with some more recognizable stuff thrown in as well. The big change in sound is a shift to more of a Tom Waits vibe for the first half of the album, especially in the bass lines and slightly more upbeat tempos. All good stuff but a very different feel from the last few albums. The songs on the last half are more familiar and feel more in line with The Spell or Amore Del Tropico.

It's still growing on me & hasn't left my car since I picked it up. Always a good sign.

11.10.2009

Slayer: World Painted Blood

World Painted Blood isn't a metal album, it's a thrash album. A couple songs remind me of old school D.R.I. or Agnostic Front. I have no idea how they're going to play this fast on tour. It's a lot more overtly political, but I guess you can't be all Satan all the time. It's nowhere near as good as say Reign In Blood or Seasons In The Abyss, but it's one of the best things they've done in a long time.

But... the sound suffers a bit w/o Rick Rubin producing this time around. There's quite a bit of bitching on the internets about the production quality. That would be my one big gripe as well. ( ka ching! ) The guitars for some reason spend a good bit of the album playing the exact same thing. Normally you would work hard to separate them in the mix by giving each one a different tone, for some reason this didn't happen. When there's a lead, the rhythm guitar drops way down in the mix and you loose a little momentum.

That aside, this is one hell of an album for a band that has been making loud evil music for over 20 years.

Slammin' Salmon

I hope this is good. I know they haven't lived up to Super Troopers. Beerfest was better than Club Dread, so hopefully this will be better than Beerfest. It looks funny in the trailer, but can the whole movie be funny? Bonus, it has Cobie Smulders from How I Met Your Mother in it. Hopefully they bring the funny.

11.09.2009

In Bruges

Again, I am so behind on my movie viewing it is unreal. I'd heard good things about this movie when it came out and just now saw it. Really good. About the only movie I've ever liked Collin Farrell in and Brendan Gleeson does a wonderful job as well. Ralph Feinnes puts in a shockingly good performance as Harry. I couldn't believe it was him at first. I really want to visit Bruges now. If you haven't seen it check it out.

11.06.2009

Cash vs. Danzig: Thirteen

Not exactly a cover since Glenn Danzig wrote it for him, but it will have to do. If you've seen The Hangover then you've heard Danzig's version. Why is it we lose guys like Johnny Cash but no-talent-ass-clowns like the Black Eyed Peas get to keep making records?



Free Pixies Tour E.P.

Hey K Jane, as well as the other two people who read our little corner of the information superhighway, get yourself some live tracks from the Pixies tour.



1. “Dancing the Manta Ray”
2. “Monkey Gone to Heaven”
3. “Crackity Jones”
4. “Gouge Away”

I'll do my best to dig up a cover for the weekend.

- Coop

11.03.2009

This might be awesome.

Along the lines of Zombieland, this looks like another good comedy horror movie. I hope it doesn't end up being just plain stupid.

11.02.2009

David Lynch Coffee Commercial

"It's full of beans."

I ran across this fan-made commercial a while back for David Lynch's coffee. Really amazing job of copping all of Lynch's creepy visuals & reverse audio tricks. I wonder if that guy will ever make a real film again.....

Zombieland



All right this only took three weeks to get to, but this movie kicks serious amounts of ass. From the opening to the end it is freaking awesome. Very well acted and scripted and directed. The soundtrack is great and everything just looks good. This may be one of the only things I've ever like Woody Harrelson in, besides Cheers and Jesse Eisenberg is becoming one of my favorite actors, sorry Kendra. The special cameo is one of the best parts of the movie. The way the rules of survival pop up throughout the movie is great, as well. It does drag a little in the middle, but not too bad. I would love to see it again. Everyone get off your ass and go see it. NOW!!

10.23.2009

Flaming Lips vs. White Stripes: Seven Nation Army

My eyeballs are starting to work right. There's a new bottle of bourbon on the countertop. Life is good.

I'm anxious to check out the new Black Heart Procession, Six, in a few days. The Spell was really solid so I'm expecting good things.

Here's your weekend cover.

- Coop



10.19.2009

French Miami


Hey dude, this is that band Rus turned me on to the other day. Imagine what life would be like if Trans Am still put out good records.

WOOKIE EDIT- Anyone who likes Polvo, Drive Like Jehu, Trans-Am or anything of the like, GO GET THIS ALBUM!!

10.16.2009

Stone Roses 20th Anniversary Edition

Original Producer John Leckie & Ian Brown put in some really hard work on this one. There is so much more bass to this thing now it's unreal. This was one of the first albums I learned on bass & I've had a great time over the last two days playing along with the bass parts while recovering from eye surgery. My neighbors might disagree.

After getting used to the new sound, the next thing I noticed was that Elephant Stone was missing from the album. After snooping around the information superhighway a bit I found out that it was tacked on to the initial US release but never on the original UK track list. This is one of those albums I usually listen to front to back, so the updated track list will take some getting used to. If you have The Complete Stone Roses already then you have nothing to fear as Elephant Stone shows up there.

Disk two is full of demos, in various stages of production. The main thing you notice is that they had their shit together very early on in terms of songwriting. It's all here, minus some of the atmosphere that Leckie brought into the mix. Not really something you'll miss if you opt for the single disk version, the one unreleased track Pearl Bastard sounds like a slowed down version of Sugar Spun Sister. It's easy to see why it hasn't shown up anywhere until now.

The DVD has all of their videos plus a live show from Blackpool. The videos reinforce my theory that Ian Brown must have worn that money shirt for at least a year straight during the early nineties. Watching John Squire during the live show just blows me away. That dude is one hell of a guitar player.

All in all it holds up very well 20 years later. If only Second Coming had been worth the wait....

Update: The official site also lists an uber box set with a 3rd CD full of remastered b-sides, all the audio on vinyl, and a USB key with all the audio + other goodies. Very tempting.


- Coop

Not music or movie, just funny!

Agent Cooper was this you last weekend? Note the time. Awesome.


Worst Shopping Run Ever - Watch more Funny Videos

10.11.2009

New Trailer For Dr. Parnassus

Now THAT looks like a Terry Gilliam movie. Tom Waits is the Devil, which would get my ticket's worth of cash even if Gilliam hadn't been involved.

Inglourious Basterds

Inglourious Basterds was a good flick, don't get me wrong, but the trailers are pretty misleading. You'd think you're getting 2+ hours of Brad Pitt & the temp from The Office killing Nazis. In truth you get about 30 minutes of that, the rest of it is a revenge story that isn't featured at all in any of the promo stuff floating around.

It was good, just not what I was expecting and not quite as satisfying as Kill Bill or something along those lines. My favorite character surprisingly enough was played by Mike Meyers, who really hasn't done much of anything funny since Austin Powers.

10.09.2009

Weekend Cover - Death Cab: I Wanna Be Adored

I just got the Stone Roses 20th Anniversary re-issue in today, I'll need to listen and play along about 800 times before I can write anything. In the meantime here's another Deathcab cover to keep you company.

I Threw It On The Ground

Andy Samberg cannot be stopped.

10.08.2009

The Cure: Disintegration Re-Issue in 2010

Fucking finally. Robert posted an update about the Disintegration reissue. The short story is you get a 3 CD set with the remastered album, bonus demos & unreleased stuff, AND...... an expanded version of Entreat which has been out of print forever.

If that wasn't enough Cure goodness for you, we'll also get In Orange & Show on DVD, a Cure at the BBC box set, and something he's referring to as Mixed Up 2. Now give me Wish + Lost Wishes and I'm set. Read more over at Slicing Up Eyeballs.

Antelope: Mirroring

DLB's post got me in a Dischord frame of mind, stumbled across these guys on the site. Good tunes, & mighty fine Rickenbackers.




- Coop

10.07.2009

Dear Fugazi

Dear Ian, Guy, Joe and Brandon,

Please end your hiatus and return to us the awesomeness that is your music. Polvo did it, now it is your turn. Thank you dearly.

-Mr. Chewie DeLaBaca


10.06.2009

Two Things I learned from the 2009 Sgt. Pepper's Liner Notes

1. I always wondered why some of the songs featured vocals that sounded higher pitched than usual. The first thing I assumed was that the entire track was sped up, but that would knock all of the instruments out of key, which they aren't. Turns out they recorded the vocals for several tracks at a much slower speed, that way when you play it back the vocals have a higher pitch but maintain the correct key. Ah, the joys of analog.

2. The end of A Day In The Life caught me off guard when it kept
playing after the end of the song with a bunch of garbled noisy stuff at the end , al la the "hidden track" trend of the early to mid 90s.

Turns out this was part of the original vinyl release & subsequent UK CD release but removed from the American pressings in the late 80's. Back in the day, if you had a turntable without an auto-return feature it would replay the last groove on the record until you got up and changed the track. The Beatles thought they would have a little fun at the expense of these folks. Ah, the joys of analog.

- Coop

10.01.2009

Me First and the Gimme Gimmes

All this rambling on about covers and you've failed to mention Me First and the Gimme Gimmes. What is wrong with you? Best Cover Band of All Time!!!


Me First And The Gimme Gimmes - I Believe I Can Fly - The most amazing bloopers are here

Damn You NYC!


Why do you insist on getting all of the freaking cool stuff? If I didn't hate people so much I'd be tempted to move there, but several million people plus me won't mix.

NEW YORK, NY – The world’s largest exhibition and sale of original illustrations and etchings from the collection of legendary artist and author Maurice Sendak will debut at Animazing Gallery on October 1st, 2009.

Stolen from here:
http://www.animazing.com/gallery/emails/sendak.html


-DeLaBaca

9.30.2009

YO GABBA GABBA


Oh hell yeah! October 20th is going to be a good day.

U.S. Recordings is proud and excited to release, Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome!, the very first compilation of tunes from the hit Nickelodeon show.

Track listing:
Yo Gabba Gabba! Theme
Yo Gabba Gabba! - Party In My Tummy
The Shins - It’s Okay, Try Again
Yo Gabba Gabba! - I Like To Dance
Money Mark - Robo Dancing
Yo Gabba Gabba! - Get The Sillies Out
Biz Markie - Biz’s Beat Of The Day #1
Chromeo - Nice ‘N’ Clean
Yo Gabba Gabba! - Try It, You’ll Like It
The Roots - Lovely, Love My Family
Yo Gabba Gabba! - Don’t Be Afraid
I’m From Barcelona - Just Because It’s Different Doesn’t Mean Scary
Yo Gabba Gabba! - Bubbles
Of Montreal - Brush Brush Brush
Yo Gabba Gabba! - Nice & Easy
The Little Ones - Hey, Won’t Somebody Come And Play
Weird Science - Go Crazy Remix
Yo Dazzlers - You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Mark Kozelek - Bedtime Lullaby
Yo Gabba Gabba! - Goodbye Song
Yo Gabba Gabba! Closing Theme


-DLB

9.28.2009

The Horrors: Whole New Way

New single from The Horrors. Right about now these guys can do no wrong.



- Coop

9.24.2009

Polvo & Beatles

Polvo - In Prism

What was I hoping for when I heard that Polvo was recording again? In Prism was pretty damn close. I couldn't be more satisfied with this one, they definitely got back together for a reason. DLB was right, there's lots of Cor-Crane Secret mixed in with some Exploded Drawing. I love the overall heavier sound, hoping for more before too long.



The Beatles - The Beatles (White Album) Re-Master


People slap the label "re-mastered" on a lot of things these days. Most of the time it means somebody added compression and jacked the levels up to 11. Not this time around. Pitchfork has a great article on how/why these were mastered the right way as opposed to continuing the "loudness war".

If you're on the fence about grabbing these, trust me you won't be disappointed. Watch any crappy VHS copy of your favorite movie, then watch the DVD. That's what I'm talking about. These disks sounds about as good as you're ever going to hear em, and I swear I can hear little details that I never noticed before. Well worth the bucks, picking up some more as soon as I can.

- Coop

9.23.2009

Monsters of Folk

My buddy Will Johnson is playing drums on the Monsters of Folk tour this fall. Conor O'berst, Jim James and M. Ward make up the group. From what I've heard, it's pretty good. Awesome to see a friend on Conan. Lucky Bastard.




-DeLaBaca

9.22.2009

Tha Record Club Gots It Goin ON

"It's Tha Muthafukkin Masta Song"

Let me be clear, I would rather eat a urinal cake than listen to Leonard Cohen but... Beck's Record Club version fucking rocks. This is the kind of shit that turned me on to Beck back in the Mellow Gold/ Soul Manure days. Bonus points for dropping both Metallica & Depeche Mode samples in the same song.



- Special Agent Dale Cooper

9.20.2009

Weekend Cover: Death Cab - Earth Angel

I've been MIA for a while thanks to the man & his demands for creating a fake news show with lots of greenscreen work. I've been listening to the new Polvo, The White Album re-issue, and just got The Angel & Daniel Johnson in the mail. Hopefully I'll have some words about all those before long, here's a cover from a few years back to keep you occupied.

Stubbs The Zombie was great combo of 50's retro Sci-Fi, Back to the Future, and zombies. The game's soundtrack had lots of good covers from folks like The Flaming Lips, The Dandy Warhols, and Death Cab for Cutie.



- Coop

9.15.2009

Black Dynamite

"He's supa cool and he know Kung Fu."

Fuck Yeah. I'll be at the Drafthouse opening night muthafuckka.

9.14.2009

Radiohead: The Bends - Reissue

Right around the time O.K. Computer came out The Notorious D.L.B. tried to convince me that Radiohead was a good band. He scolded me for not having listened to The Bends in that shame-inducing way that only a record store employee can. I'm glad he did.

The Bends proved that Creep wasn't the band's wonderful one hit of the early 90's. These dudes could really write songs. Fake Plastic Trees, Planet Telex, and Nice Dream are still some of my favorites. This re-issue is really about the B-sides, which honestly are every bit as good as the album tracks. Not a lot of bands can say that. You get the My Iron Lung EP, plus a ton of other non-album and live tracks that have always been scattered across other disks. I've been holding on to the Nowhere soundtrack for the better part of a decade because of How Can You Be Sure. I didn't pick up the 3 disc version that gives you a DVD with all the videos on it, maybe I'll grab that version for the others.

- Coop

P.S. I'm not 100% sure who would win in a "World's Biggest Piece Of Shit" contest, but I bet either Kanye West or the Chevy Cobalt would come very close. Maybe Lady GaGa in 2nd. I mentioned this to my wife who commented: "I'd like to put Lady GaGa in the Chevy Cobalt and set it on fire." I love my wife.

Adios Amigo

Patrick Swayze has passed. I know that Road House is an awful movie, but dammit it is the best damn movie to watch when you come home from the bar, you're shitfaced but not ready to go to bed yet. I've probably watched that movie 100 time. Eff Dirty Dancing, the Swayze will always be Dalton to me. Damn I'm going to miss the way you rocked a mullet sir. I hope you are kicking ass in heaven.


And for good measure, one of the best damn SNL skit ever.

Bruce Campbell saves Spider-Man from horrible death.


God I hope so, because that last movie SUCKED!! For a long time the rumor on the street was that Campbell was going to have a major roll in Spider-Man 4. Then recently in an interview he mentioned he will have a significant roll in the next movie.

"Campbell has long been rumored to play a villain in the franchise, so maybe this is the major part he’s referring to is. Can you say Msyterio and perfect together in the same sentence? Because I can. Maybe now he will finally get his chance to shine longer than 5 minutes, subsequently reuniting with his EVIL DEAD director." Stolen from here: http://gordonandthewhale.com/bruce-campbell-says-he-has-a-big-role-in-spider-man-4/

Bruce Campbell is so freaking awesome he may be the only hope for the Spider-Man franchise after the turd that was laid with Spider-Man 3.

-DeLaBaca

9.11.2009

Something, Something, Something, Dark Side

"Luke, join the dark side. It's really cool."


Good Bye NIN

Nine Inch Nails Wrap Final Tour With Epic Los Angeles Show

Photo: Debbie VanStory/ RockinExposures for RollingStone
Trent Reznor came to Los Angeles to end it all. Two decades after releasing his first Nine Inch Nails album, Reznor brought its life as a touring act to a close Thursday with a sweeping three-hour concert at the Wiltern Theater, erupting with sounds intense and emotional from throughout the band’s career for a full house of more than 2,200 fans.

He ended NIN at full power, not nostalgic but fully engaged, and still an important contemporary act long after the band’s ’90s breakout. Reznor led guitarist Robin Finck, bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen and drummer Ilan Rubin through a 38-song set that mingled their best-known work with songs from The Slip, released in May as a free download, returning the band to the brooding, ambitious sounds explored to epic proportions on 1999’s The Fragile.

“This is it,” Reznor said early in the set, and added during the night’s third encore: “We’re not going to tour anymore as Nine Inch Nails, but we’re all still going to be making music.”

The big room was already sweltering and filled with fog by the time the lights went down and Reznor stepped up to the microphone, lunging forward and clutching his mike stand as desperately as ever for “Somewhat Damaged.” He raged across the layers of industrial noise and melody: “Poisoned to my rotten core / Too fucked up to care anymore!”

There was no “Closer,” but the night delivered a generous selection from the range of NIN’s recorded work. Songs raged and flowed from one to the next as if from a single piece of music, a consistent vision across decades holding the night together. Fans shouted along to lyrics of loathing and release during “March of the Pigs,” and Reznor fell to one knee, rising with arms wide open to sing the song’s sudden moment of melodic clarity amid the noise: “Now, doesn’t that make you feel better?”

The Wiltern concert came at the end of NIN’s “Wave Goodbye” tour and its concluding series of farewell gigs in Los Angeles, where Reznor now lives after a dozen years in New Orleans. He brought several guests onstage for the occasion, beginning with pianist Mike Garson, known for his ’70s work with David Bowie and later with NIN on The Fragile. He stayed for several songs, including a solo instrumental run on “Down in the Park.”

He was followed by electronic pioneer Gary Numan, a profound influence on Reznor from his days growing up in “a cornfield in Pennsylvania.” They did three songs together, with Numan as lead vocalist on a searing “Metal” and “I Die: You Die.” Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro unfurled a quick, furious solo on “Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now).”

During the second of NIN’s three encores, the band was joined onstage by members of Dillinger Escape Plan, who share Reznor’s appetite for chaos and destruction, smashing instruments and nearly teetering off the stage during “Mr. Self Destruct.” Near the end, things quieted down for a moment as Reznor sang a haunted, sorrowful “Hurt” to Finck’s acoustic guitar, reinventing a career-defining standard of pain and disgust for a live audience desperate to hear it one last time.


Stolen from Rolling Stone.



9.10.2009

The Angel & Daniel Johnston Live at the Union Chapel

Daniel Johnston is one of those people who are both inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. I was lucky enough to pick up some original drawings of his about 10 years ago at a local comic shop, I treasure them in the same way you'd think about a Picassso or a Warhol or something like that.

I'm pretty sure the background riff in the first one is Story of an Artist, which I've always loved. I'm totally getting this.






- Coop

9.08.2009

Polvo - In Prism


Hells Yeah!! I haven't been this excited about a new album in years and it is making me so happy. This album kicks so much ass. It's like they took Shapes, Celebrate the New Dark Age and Exploded Drawing and threw them in a blender. Also, it appears that the drummer really wanted to be heard on this album. The sound is excellent and the album is pretty solid. I am so glad to have Polvo back and I hope they put out some more solid albums. Go get this album now!

9.05.2009

Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words

Been listening to this one a lot lately. Has a bit of an early Pink Floyd sort of sound to it. You can grab it over at W.A.S.T.E. if you dig it.



- Coop

9.04.2009

Nothing like a little Cormac to brighten your day!

Here is a clip from The Road. The book, by Cormac McCarthy, was wonderful and Viggo is perfectly cast. I hope this is good. Looks pretty good.



-DeLaBaca!

9.02.2009

I've missed these guys.

Thank you Mike Judge for bringing Beavis and Butthead back for a little bit. I hope Extract is as good as the trailers make it look.


@ Yahoo! Video



-DeLaBaca, bitches.

9.01.2009

New Polvo In One Week

In Prism comes out on the 8th, I haven't been this excited about an album in a long long time. It's like an early xmas gift that I never thought I'd get. ( thanks in part to Explosions In The Sky )

Sounds like a little time off has been good for them. You can check out one of the new tunes, Beggars Bowl, on Pitchfork. I'm liking the somewhat heavier sound on this one. Time to dust off Celebrate The New Dark Age for a week while I wait.

8.31.2009

This Week's Cover: Deftones - Drive

Always one of my fav Cars songs. No video so you'll just have to use your imagination. This is one of those shitty "iTunes Exclusives" so you can't get it legit unless you buy the album. (in my case that would be twice over) Way to encourage piracy you Apple Douchebags. "Think Different"



- Coop

8.27.2009

DVD Profiler

I've been searching for a good DVD catalogue program for a while now, 'cause I'm all OCD like that. I'm the guy that has all of his CDs & DVDs arranged alphabetically. For the most part. Except for certain arbitrary rules like Pitch Black goes in the "C" shelf with Chronicles of Riddick. Stuff like that.

To help me obsess even more, I checked out DVD Profiler. Great UI, provides way more detail than you'd ever need. You can also backup your collections & share them online. You don't get certain features unless you pay for the full version, but it does pretty much everything I need for right now.

Unfortunately, it's only for Windows so folks like Mr. De LaBaca are SOL. Worth checking out if you're crazy like me about keeping track of your little plastic disks.

- Coop

8.21.2009

I miss the Ramones

Joey, Johnny and Dee Dee, I hope you are doing well in Rock and Roll Heaven.





DeLaBaca

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Looks good, I guess I need to know more about the story before I get all tingly about it. Something tells me this isn't the last trailer we'll see from Mr. Cameron.



- Coop

8.14.2009

District 9 Rocked

No real spoilers here but I love the premise of the film: aliens don't show up to save the world or to destroy it. They show up in busted ship, probably on accident, and they end up in refugee camps because they can't get home.

Yeah the effects are really seamless, but the performances are what carry this thing. The film does a great job of making you hate the central character & then turning him around 180 into a sort of anti-hero. There was applause at one point, always a good sign. The aliens are subtitled which really helps sell it in a way that would seem clumsy if they spoke plain old English.

The hand-held look wasn't anywhere near as distracting as something like Cloverfield, and the effects are 100x more believable. Totally worth your time. Bonus - I got to see the creepy old lady from Legion on the big screen. Not the red band trailer, but cool enough.

- Coop

8.13.2009

The Fourth Kind

I'm going to see it. It will give me nightmares for weeks, but I'm going to see it.



- Coop


WOOKIE EDIT - Dude, what's up with all the good looking creepy movies coming out? Interesting stuff. AND Congratulations on our 50th post. YAY US!!

-DeLaBaca


Coop: Dude I had no idea we were up to 50, I should have posted some naked ladies or giant robots or something. Maybe for 100.

Deftones - If Only Tonight We Could Sleep

Yep, still stuck on covers. This is from the MTV Icon show they did for the Cure a few years ago. Mostly douchebags ( ahem AFI ) but los Deftones were awesome. This one cover definitely got me to check out a lot more of their stuff.



- Coop

This could be good


AMC lands zombie comic book project


In its biggest development deal to date, AMC has acquired the rights to Robert Kirkman's popular comic book "The Walking Dead" for a potential series.

Frank Darabont is on board to write, direct and exec produce the project, with Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Pictures and David Alpert of Circle of Confusion also executive producing.

"Walking Dead," a monthly black-and-white comic book, has been a hotly sought-after property since it was published in 2003 by Image Comics. Darabont originally developed the project several years ago under his deal at NBC. It landed at AMC after a healthy bidding war.

"Dead" chronicles the months and years following a zombie apocalypse where a group of survivors, led by police officer Rick Grimes, travel in search of a safe, secure home. The comic explores the challenges of life in a world overrun by zombies that take a toll on the survivors. Over time, they grow willing to do anything to survive, so the interpersonal conflicts sometimes present a greater danger to their continuing survival than the zombies who roam the country.

Genre films have traditions on AMC, whose annual Fearfest horror showcase continues to be a strong draw.

But a "Dead" series would transcend the comic book genre and mesh with AMC's other drama offerings, "Mad Men" and "Breaking Bad," said Joel Stillerman, senior vp original programming, production and digital content.

"I don't know of another series of books that has such beautiful storytelling, great human emotions and everything that really works on AMC," he said. "It allows us to stay where we want to stay: in the world of smart, sophisticated storytelling and apply that to a show that we think the audience would love."

Darabont, an Oscar nominee for writing "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption," is repped by CAA.

I stole this from here:
http://www.thrfeed.com/2009/08/amc-lands-zombie-comic-book-project.html

-DeLaBaca

HOLY CRAP

I don't know if this is going to be any good or not, but I'm pretty sure I just pooped my pants while watching the trailer. Scary.


8.12.2009

Let the Dominoes Fall - Rancid



If you like punk rock, you'll like this album. Rancid comes back with a great album, solid all the way through. Standout tracks are East Bay Nights, Last One to Die and Civilian Ways. They have aged a bit and it seems that their music has matured as well. Their experiments with new sounds come off well. If you like Rancid this is a must buy album. Good stuff.

8.07.2009

Weekend Cover - Skulls by the Lemonheads

The Lemonheads are known for doing cool covers, this is one of my favs. My wife isn't a huge Misfits fan like I am, but she loves this one. Now, back to my whiskey.....



- Coop

10% Real Fruit Juice Motherfuckers

Yes, I do believe I'll be seeing The Goods.



- Coop

Cannot Wait!!!!!!!!

Please little baby Jesus, let this movie be great. Please, please, please.

Frack! R.I.P. Mr. Hughes

Well part of my teenage self died yesterday. His movies helped me get through my teenage years. I'm pretty sure I still know all the words to the Breakfast Club. The first time I ever saw the Breakfast Club was at the old drive-in, in between Midland and Odessa. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. I was pretty young at the time, but I was fascinated by what I was seeing. Planes, Trains and Automobiles remains my favorite holiday movie. The scene where Steve Martin tries to get his money back from the car rental agency is one of the best moments in cinematic history. Even funnier when my mom tries to do the scene. So many good movies! Shermer, IL will never be the same. Friday's don't usually suck, but this one does.




8.06.2009

Another Cover, Not New Order

Another cover I am really digging right now, The Watson Twins cover of the Cure's "Just Like Heaven". I like a cover that the artist takes and puts their own spin on it. This is also one of my favorite Cure songs. The recorded version is much better than this live version. Enjoy.

8.04.2009

I Am Obsessed With Cover Songs

Straight up. I spend way too much time gathering covers, figured I'd start sharing. First up is Radiohead cranking out a spectacular version of Ceremony. I'd love to get my hands on a good quality recording of this one.



- Coop

WOOKIE ADDITION - Galaxy 500 does a kick ass cover as well. Ceremony is a fantastic song!

DJ Shadow may be on to something here.

This is really awesome and I hope more artists do this. NIN, the Beastie Boys and some others do a similar thing, but I think that DJ Shadow's store is truly unique. Pay attention artists! Do this!! I stole this from Rolling Stone.




DJ Shadow Launches His Own Music Store On New Website

8/4/09, 11:31 am EST

DJ Shadow relaunched his official Website today as a destination where fans can purchase unreleased material, deluxe versions of his albums and more content, marking the first time a major label artist has established his own music store. Not only does DJ Shadow’s new site allow him to connect globally with fans, it also allows for the Endtroducing..… mastermind to directly receive money for his music without using a middleman like iTunes or other digital outlets.

Among the exclusives now available at DJ Shadow’s new Website include a batch of live performances and mixes from throughout the past decade, as well as rehearsal demos and free downloadable interviews. All the downloads are high-quality, DRM-free MP3s. Shadow also promises to post exclusive content pertaining to the deluxe editions of his albums like Endtroducing..… and The Private Press. The DJ Shadow store will also allow fans to purchase physical products like vinyl, clothing and other merchandise.

“DJ Shadow has always been a trailblazing artist and we are delighted to enable this visionary artist to have a more direct relationship with his fans via the web,” Island Def Jam co-president Ted Cockle said in a statement. “At Island Records Group we are always keen to embrace innovative ways to connect our artists with consumers.”

The site’s layout is also novel — it transitions from day to night depending on what time you visit the site. The site will also house DJ Shadow’s video blog, as well as features like “Guide To Collecting DJ Shadow” and the “DJ Shadow Handmade” series. According to a press release, DJ Shadow will frequently update both the site and the store with new and unreleased material.

8.03.2009

Playing For Change - Stand By Me

Amazing feat of audio engineering & video production, and a great message. I don't normally get all shiny & happy around here but this really blows me away.




- Coop

8.01.2009

Funny People

I was really impressed with this movie. It was a little long and there were some story lines that weren't that important to the movie, but on a whole this movie was good. Sandler and Rogen do a wonderful job. And the supporting cast, Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzman, Leslie Mann and Eric Bana are fantastic. It has a great mix of the funny and the serious and if you like stand up comics there is plenty of that too. It was a very pleasant movie to see.

7.30.2009

Good News / Bad News or Beastie Boys vs. Stellastarr

"If it's gonna be THAT kind of party...I'm gonna stick my dick in the mashed potatoes!"

Good news first. The remaster for Ill Communication rocks in all the right ways. Good sound, packaging, all that stuff. It took me well over two weeks to take this first disk out of my car, brings back memories from my 1st year of college where I was at the height of my Beastie nerdiness. The hip-hop tracks are every bit as good as Check Your Head and I think I like the instrumental stuff a bit more.

You probably have most of the b-sides but the acoustic version of Heart Attack Man is worth the cost of the 2nd disk. The commentary has some good stories about Biz Markie, the origins of Futterman's Rule, and Mike D's ever expanding vocabulary. This is it for me and the remasters unless they do License to Ill.





And the not so good news. You'd think an album with song titles like Prom Zombie would be right up my alley. Stellastarr's last album, Harmonies For The Haunted, was a big step in the right direction. It took everything they did right from the first album and did it bigger and better.

This time around, Civilized just feels like the songwriting was either rushed or just second-guessed in an attempt to try and sound more like a straight up rock record. I end up getting bored and skipping to the next track after about a minute or so of each song. I guess I was hoping for Harmonies Pt. II and I didn't get it. Not bad but not all that good either, which sucks cause I love me some Stellastarr. Maybe next time....

- Coop

A Serious Man

Trailer for the new Coen brothers flick. That's gotta hurt....



- Coop

WOOKIE EDIT -
I love the fact that the Coen's now have the pull to make a movie with practically no stars and it looks fantastic. I saw this trailer yesterday and I got pretty stoked about it.

- Mr. De La Baca