The Day There Was No News
Originally uploaded by Pixelsurgeon
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Day There Was No News
The Day There Was No News
Originally uploaded by Pixelsurgeon
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Procrastination Patrol: Lykke Li
So I've moved into a new apartment for a few months. It's nice, having the space entirely for myself, and being back online 24/7. Though I'm meant to finish a project I'm working on, being online means I'm quite often watching Youtube.
This week, I've been watching Lykke Li's video for her sneaky pop hit (in Sweden at least), Little Bit. Sound-wise, Li splits the difference between Robyn's detached euro-pop (now with added Snoop Dogg!) with the eerie spareness of the Knife's faux-marimba ballads (like Marble House). This mp3 is recommended for fans of Cassie's robotic slinkfests as well as Björk's more Homogenic compositions.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
40 best songs of 2007
Ok, so this is like, so last year, but I did promise. These were my 40 favorite songs of 2007, soundtracking lots of packing and unpacking, runs through New York, Holland and Berlin, and my every home-cooked meal. No. 1 should come as no surprise.
(image stolen from the almighty popjustice.com)
1. Umbrella (Rihanna cover) / Scott Simons (myspace)
A bare ICU beat backs the glitch and piano reconstruction of this gothy megahit. Of all the covers of this omnipresent track, this is the saddest version, even milking the 'Ella ella, ey ey' section for rainy day pathos.
2. D.A.N.C.E / Justice (video)
Daft Punk meets the Jackson 5, the t-shirt-tastic video was every fashionista hipster's wet dream.
3. 1234 (Van She Technologic Remix) / Feist (original video/fanmade remix vid)
Counting has never been this fun. Though Leslie's original is pretty awesome, this Australian remix strips much of the slightly too Adult Contemporary production and adds some scuzzy speakerbusting beats.
4. Books From Boxes / Maxïmo Park (video)
Honest to goodness straightforward New Wave rock, imagine me helplessly tapping the Footloose intro while doing my dishes.
5. Here (In Your Arms) / Hellogoodbye (video)
Awesome Cher-stealing shoestore rock that sounds like the trashiest Eurodisco.
6. Overpowered / Roisin Murphy (video)
Our generation's Donna Summer brings the higher consciousness. Also, how many disco tracks use the term 'cognitive state' and make it sound sexy?
7. Falling Slowly / Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (video)
That song from the 'Once' soundtrack.
8. Valley Morning / Loudon Wainwright III (live video)
This gorgeously laidback tune from the 'Knocked Up' soundtrack shows where Rufus got his sense of melody. It depicts any morning in LA, touching on immigration policy and the Schwarzenegger.
9. John Brown / Papercuts (myspace)
Like Ennio Morricone produced Americana, the mid-song change of rhythm is where Sergio Leone would have the tantalizing avenging begin.
10. Plus Ones / Okkervil River (acoustic video)
From a rich album inexplicably left off my best-of list, this song is the smartest, referencing numerical hits from among others Nena, R.E.M., Lionel Richie, Paul Simon, The Zombies, and ? and the Mysterians, all the while making a subtle point about a relationship's ending. Okkervil River's 'Like a Rolling Stone.'
11. Knife (Girl Talk Remix) / Grizzly Bear (video)
Last year's best track remixed by this year's best DJ.
12. I Still Remember (SebastiAn Remix) / Bloc Party (download via zshare)
This huge Ed Banger remix builds a potent lovesong from pieces of the weakest and whiniest single from the entirely too earnest (but still charming) second Bloc Party album.
13. Bleeding Love / Leona Lewis (video)
Last year's X-Factor winner rightly spent months atop the UK charts with this majestic and gory extended metaphor: "My heart's crippled from the vein that I keep on closing/ You cut me open and I keep bleeding love."
14. signatune edit v2 (more kick thomas bangalter remix) / DJ Mehdi (video)
Daft Punk's Bangalter pulls out all his tricks to extend the 1-minute original to 6-and-a-half of ecstatic dancefloor bliss.
15. Paper Planes / M.I.A. (video)
Most infectious and politically incorrect chorus of the year. "All I wanna do is *gunshot* *gunshot* *gunshot* *gunshot*, *reload*, and take your money."
16. Ludlow Street / Suzanne Vega (live video from amsterdam)
This sad elegy to the streets of the Lower East Side is just one highlight of la Vega's lovely album.
17. Ray of Zdarlight (Digitalism vs. Wham!) / The Avalanches (mp3 from pitchfork)
A forgotten George Michael hit resurrected as robotic French disco by Australian mashup masters. Soulwax' version crosses it with Tears of Fears' 'Shout!'
18. Beautiful Life / Gui Boratto (sweetest video)
A gorgeous techno ballad, like a high-speed trainride through a waking dream.
19. Goodbye (Tahiti 80 remix) / The Postmarks (video for original track, remix is here)
Stereolab meets The Cardigans, chilled vocals, a big chorus.
20. To Build A Home feat. Patrick Watson / The Cinematic Orchestra (video)
The Canadian Polaris Prize-winner brought the ordinarily quite funky Cinematic Orchestra their most likely track to ever soundtrack a tragic season finale of Brothers & Sisters (Ed. Youtube says "featured on ABC's Grey's Anatomy"), wait for the stunning, but helpless orchestration in the final minute.
21. Losin' U / Amerie ft. Willy Denzey (youtube radio)
The most underrated American R'n'B pop-diva shines among this addictive blend of French hiphop, Arabian pop, and crunky synths.
22. Girls And Boys In Love (David E Sugar's Shameless Mix) / The Rumble Strips (original's video/remix mp3 here)
Humongous and helplessly joyous piano and 8-bit remix of these Austin rockers by British bleepster. Also check the Strips' remix of Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black'.
23. I Miss You Someone / Cloetta Paris (mp3 @ myspace)
Icy, icy Scandinavian minimalist pop anthem, also check her breathy cover of 'St. Elmo's Fire.'
24. Future Pt. 1 / Voxtrot (daytrotter link)
More perfect pop from Austin, though the album did not deliver the easy pop-thrills of their singles, this track showed they could still be the new R.E.M.
25. Out of Control (Song 4 Mutya) / Groove Armada feat. Mutya Buena (video)
Wonderfully self-referential eighties-style pop-song featuring the deliciously mean ex-Sugababe Buena.
26. Anti-Anti (Treasure Fingers Remix) / Snowden (original's video/remix @ hype machine)
No idea, but everytime this popped up on shuffle, I thought, "What was this again? This is awesome and vocoderlicious!"
27. Si tu disais (Françoiz Breut cover) / Benjamin Biolay (original live video/cover @ hype machine)
Comme Beirut en francais. Ces violins, delicieux!
28. The Whole World And You / Tally Hall (live video plus sir mix-a-lot cover)
This simple and circusy serenade is the shortest track here, and by all counts the sweetest: "No one's better than you."
29. Gettin' Enough? / Lil' Chris (video)
More British pop from the ultra-minor leagues, peewee, in fact. Like Green Day and Kim Wilde's illicit ADD lovechild.
30. Bathroom Gurgle / Late of the Pier (video)
Scuzzy rock that sounds like a glam-rock demo, wonderfully pissed off and dancy.
31. About You Now / Sugababes (video)
Major-League British pop from the oddly consistent and always up-to-the-minute-sounding Sugababes. What Kelly Clarkson could conquer the world with.
32. Sweaty Wet/Dirty Damp / Gameboy/Gamegirl (suitably dirty live video)
Australian dirty dirty laptop-hop, file under 'songs that go boom'.
33. Young Folks (beyond the wizard's sleeve re-animation) / Peter Bjorn & John (original video/remix @ hype machine)
Justly inescapable whistleblowers pop.
34. The Magic Position / Patrick Wolf (video)
Life-affirming and rainbow-colored chamber-pop.
35. Beggin' (pilooski edit) / Frankie Valli (video)
Pilooski's re-edit brought out the urgency in Valli's boppy lament.
36. Untrust Us (Demo) / Crystal Castles (youtube radio)
In which princess Zelda disappears into a hyper secret secret level, with Wario watching through a one-way mirror, hypnotized.
37. So Electric / Lifelike (youtube radio)
Time-stopping stadium-sized house music.
38. The Boys (Calvin Harris cover) / Dragonette (original's video/fanmade vid for cover)
The awesome Dragonettes outfreak Harris' silly "The Girls" through more tht just gender-reversal.
39. Never Hear Surf Music Again / Free Blood (mp3 @ hype machine)
A poppier !!!, a wonderful new chorus each of its six minutes.
40. The Good Soldier / Nine Inch Nails (youtube radio)
Reznor brings the sexy back.
(image stolen from the almighty popjustice.com)
1. Umbrella (Rihanna cover) / Scott Simons (myspace)
A bare ICU beat backs the glitch and piano reconstruction of this gothy megahit. Of all the covers of this omnipresent track, this is the saddest version, even milking the 'Ella ella, ey ey' section for rainy day pathos.
2. D.A.N.C.E / Justice (video)
Daft Punk meets the Jackson 5, the t-shirt-tastic video was every fashionista hipster's wet dream.
3. 1234 (Van She Technologic Remix) / Feist (original video/fanmade remix vid)
Counting has never been this fun. Though Leslie's original is pretty awesome, this Australian remix strips much of the slightly too Adult Contemporary production and adds some scuzzy speakerbusting beats.
4. Books From Boxes / Maxïmo Park (video)
Honest to goodness straightforward New Wave rock, imagine me helplessly tapping the Footloose intro while doing my dishes.
5. Here (In Your Arms) / Hellogoodbye (video)
Awesome Cher-stealing shoestore rock that sounds like the trashiest Eurodisco.
6. Overpowered / Roisin Murphy (video)
Our generation's Donna Summer brings the higher consciousness. Also, how many disco tracks use the term 'cognitive state' and make it sound sexy?
7. Falling Slowly / Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova (video)
That song from the 'Once' soundtrack.
8. Valley Morning / Loudon Wainwright III (live video)
This gorgeously laidback tune from the 'Knocked Up' soundtrack shows where Rufus got his sense of melody. It depicts any morning in LA, touching on immigration policy and the Schwarzenegger.
9. John Brown / Papercuts (myspace)
Like Ennio Morricone produced Americana, the mid-song change of rhythm is where Sergio Leone would have the tantalizing avenging begin.
10. Plus Ones / Okkervil River (acoustic video)
From a rich album inexplicably left off my best-of list, this song is the smartest, referencing numerical hits from among others Nena, R.E.M., Lionel Richie, Paul Simon, The Zombies, and ? and the Mysterians, all the while making a subtle point about a relationship's ending. Okkervil River's 'Like a Rolling Stone.'
11. Knife (Girl Talk Remix) / Grizzly Bear (video)
Last year's best track remixed by this year's best DJ.
12. I Still Remember (SebastiAn Remix) / Bloc Party (download via zshare)
This huge Ed Banger remix builds a potent lovesong from pieces of the weakest and whiniest single from the entirely too earnest (but still charming) second Bloc Party album.
13. Bleeding Love / Leona Lewis (video)
Last year's X-Factor winner rightly spent months atop the UK charts with this majestic and gory extended metaphor: "My heart's crippled from the vein that I keep on closing/ You cut me open and I keep bleeding love."
14. signatune edit v2 (more kick thomas bangalter remix) / DJ Mehdi (video)
Daft Punk's Bangalter pulls out all his tricks to extend the 1-minute original to 6-and-a-half of ecstatic dancefloor bliss.
15. Paper Planes / M.I.A. (video)
Most infectious and politically incorrect chorus of the year. "All I wanna do is *gunshot* *gunshot* *gunshot* *gunshot*, *reload*, and take your money."
16. Ludlow Street / Suzanne Vega (live video from amsterdam)
This sad elegy to the streets of the Lower East Side is just one highlight of la Vega's lovely album.
17. Ray of Zdarlight (Digitalism vs. Wham!) / The Avalanches (mp3 from pitchfork)
A forgotten George Michael hit resurrected as robotic French disco by Australian mashup masters. Soulwax' version crosses it with Tears of Fears' 'Shout!'
18. Beautiful Life / Gui Boratto (sweetest video)
A gorgeous techno ballad, like a high-speed trainride through a waking dream.
19. Goodbye (Tahiti 80 remix) / The Postmarks (video for original track, remix is here)
Stereolab meets The Cardigans, chilled vocals, a big chorus.
20. To Build A Home feat. Patrick Watson / The Cinematic Orchestra (video)
The Canadian Polaris Prize-winner brought the ordinarily quite funky Cinematic Orchestra their most likely track to ever soundtrack a tragic season finale of Brothers & Sisters (Ed. Youtube says "featured on ABC's Grey's Anatomy"), wait for the stunning, but helpless orchestration in the final minute.
21. Losin' U / Amerie ft. Willy Denzey (youtube radio)
The most underrated American R'n'B pop-diva shines among this addictive blend of French hiphop, Arabian pop, and crunky synths.
22. Girls And Boys In Love (David E Sugar's Shameless Mix) / The Rumble Strips (original's video/remix mp3 here)
Humongous and helplessly joyous piano and 8-bit remix of these Austin rockers by British bleepster. Also check the Strips' remix of Amy Winehouse's 'Back To Black'.
23. I Miss You Someone / Cloetta Paris (mp3 @ myspace)
Icy, icy Scandinavian minimalist pop anthem, also check her breathy cover of 'St. Elmo's Fire.'
24. Future Pt. 1 / Voxtrot (daytrotter link)
More perfect pop from Austin, though the album did not deliver the easy pop-thrills of their singles, this track showed they could still be the new R.E.M.
25. Out of Control (Song 4 Mutya) / Groove Armada feat. Mutya Buena (video)
Wonderfully self-referential eighties-style pop-song featuring the deliciously mean ex-Sugababe Buena.
26. Anti-Anti (Treasure Fingers Remix) / Snowden (original's video/remix @ hype machine)
No idea, but everytime this popped up on shuffle, I thought, "What was this again? This is awesome and vocoderlicious!"
27. Si tu disais (Françoiz Breut cover) / Benjamin Biolay (original live video/cover @ hype machine)
Comme Beirut en francais. Ces violins, delicieux!
28. The Whole World And You / Tally Hall (live video plus sir mix-a-lot cover)
This simple and circusy serenade is the shortest track here, and by all counts the sweetest: "No one's better than you."
29. Gettin' Enough? / Lil' Chris (video)
More British pop from the ultra-minor leagues, peewee, in fact. Like Green Day and Kim Wilde's illicit ADD lovechild.
30. Bathroom Gurgle / Late of the Pier (video)
Scuzzy rock that sounds like a glam-rock demo, wonderfully pissed off and dancy.
31. About You Now / Sugababes (video)
Major-League British pop from the oddly consistent and always up-to-the-minute-sounding Sugababes. What Kelly Clarkson could conquer the world with.
32. Sweaty Wet/Dirty Damp / Gameboy/Gamegirl (suitably dirty live video)
Australian dirty dirty laptop-hop, file under 'songs that go boom'.
33. Young Folks (beyond the wizard's sleeve re-animation) / Peter Bjorn & John (original video/remix @ hype machine)
Justly inescapable whistleblowers pop.
34. The Magic Position / Patrick Wolf (video)
Life-affirming and rainbow-colored chamber-pop.
35. Beggin' (pilooski edit) / Frankie Valli (video)
Pilooski's re-edit brought out the urgency in Valli's boppy lament.
36. Untrust Us (Demo) / Crystal Castles (youtube radio)
In which princess Zelda disappears into a hyper secret secret level, with Wario watching through a one-way mirror, hypnotized.
37. So Electric / Lifelike (youtube radio)
Time-stopping stadium-sized house music.
38. The Boys (Calvin Harris cover) / Dragonette (original's video/fanmade vid for cover)
The awesome Dragonettes outfreak Harris' silly "The Girls" through more tht just gender-reversal.
39. Never Hear Surf Music Again / Free Blood (mp3 @ hype machine)
A poppier !!!, a wonderful new chorus each of its six minutes.
40. The Good Soldier / Nine Inch Nails (youtube radio)
Reznor brings the sexy back.
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Kandors by Mike Kelley
There are many different Supermen. Over the years this fictional superhero has developed and grown, but also fled into alternate universes to start again, each writer and illustrator building on past continuity and deviating from it just enough to keep fans guessing and the story alive. In his new show at the Jablonka Galerie in Berlin, Mike Kelley (1954) returns to his themes of personal memory and popular culture, this time exploring them through the myth of Superman’s lost city of Kandor. [...]
The whole set-up at the Jablonka Galerie suggests a complex expansion of a two-dimensional comic strip concept into three dimensions. The bottled sculptures are situated among futuristic home-design elements – space dividers, consoles, counters - that seem out of context, too spare. This counterintuitive homeliness is accentuated by the occasional ‘anachronistic’ prop – a woven basket, a discarded yellow shirt, or a kitschy porcelain bouquet. Anachronisms like this only add to the tension between the frozen state of the still, bottled Kandors and their sped-up projection counterparts, suggesting a distortion of the fabric of time, as if Superman just stepped out and the planet has forgotten which way to turn.
By titling the show 'Kandors,' Kelley acknowledges the multiple nature of Superman’s cultural heritage, by extension challenging the notion of an objective representation of the past and portraying our (pop-) cultural memory as shifting and amorphous, multi-interpretable. Seen in this light, Kandors is a successful play on the flexibility of this kind of cultural knowledge and its inherent lack of objective truths, as well as a powerful meditation on the impossibility of reliving the past.
Read the rest of my review at Whitehot Magazine.
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