Jump to content

CaliforniaÜberAlles

Members
  • Posts

    23
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by CaliforniaÜberAlles

  1. A cool album just released this year is Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra's Take Off! One of my favorite releases of '09 in general. I certainly don't expect it to receive attention on this board, as it has nothing to do with most of the stuff discussed here, but it's extraordinary fun and a relatively new take on cinematic jazz, lying somewhere between Steve Reich and Glenn Miller. It is certainly appealing for anyone with the open mindedness to listen.
  2. On the Road for about the third time.
  3. Yeah. But even the "mindless fun" -- like "She Loves You" or "I Want To Hold Your Hand" are incredibly well-crafted songs.
  4. Some of their material hasn't aged quite as well as their best work, but most of their stuff still sounds incredibly fresh and vibrant despite the fact I've heard it a zillion times. The songs are timeless and the production was just soooo ahead of its time.
  5. I'll be seeing The Jesus Lizard, A Place To Bury Strangers, and Yo La Tengo three days in a row in October. Who knows if something will come up before then, but that's what I have planned. Saw Wolves In the Throne Room a couple weeks ago. Good stuff.
  6. The Beatles albums sound great, and the fact that they sound like they're not using technology that didn't exist when they were made is very much a part of the albums themselves. I kinda consider releases like these to be remixes. I've listened to the originals so much that anything else won't feel right. But I'm sure they'll sound good, it's a high profile project and the source material is top notch.
  7. Just saw Up. Wow. This movie doesn't quite reach the thematic consistency and emotional impact of Wall-E, but Pixar is definitely on a mean streak. Both the funniest movie I've seen this year and the most brilliant exploration of the mundane vs the extraordinary I've seen, ever. The movie is absurd, yet everything fits together so thoroughly and consistently in its own cartoon logic, like a Flannery O'Connor story or something. The smallest detail that's forgettable in 99% of movies turns out to have it's own unique place. Not to mention the stunningly imaginative script. Some of the best art I've seen all year, at least. It's really amazing someone's managed to create anything so objectively great across all audiences, and awesome to see that such gifted and creative artists are spending their time working on children's animated films. Actually, come to think of it, the reason Up was so perfect is that it's the exact opposite of Shrek. It always creeped me out when people would say that Shrek was "for both kids and adults" because they told some dick jokes and bits of adult humor that would go over kids' heads. Up speaks through symbols and metaphors, and really beautifully respects the intelligence of anyone watching the film, whether they're a kid or an adult. I think that's all too rare in "children's" settings. Anyway, it was a seriously great movie, and up there with Wall-E. Huzzah for Up.
×
×
  • Create New...