3.20.2009

I Hope I Get Old Before I Die

The other night I was laying in bed not sleeping (and not doing anything else, sickos), and was thinking about how cool it would be to have your own soundtrack. Granted, this fantasy is nothing new and has been played out in TV and film ("Family Guy" and "I'm Gonna Get You Sucka" come to mind); with everyone having some sort of mp3 player, people can pretty much make their personal soundtrack list and walk around without communicating to the outside world.

It's still fun to think about, especially if everyone could hear the music and react with the intended emotions the "soundtrack" is supposed to deliver. Plus, nothing would build you up more than hearing music that further amplifies your situation.

Now, I could build my own list, but since it is a soundtrack, I should probably leave it in the hands of the people who know how to put one together-so here are the directors I would love to have create my personal soundtrack.

*I know that not all directors have a connection to the music that is being placed in their film, but I will work from the assumption that the directors I am talking about do, since they always seem to have great music.*

1. Wes Anderson- I was watching the Life Aquatic the other day, and while not a favorite of mine, it's hard to deny how great the music is in his movies. It almost seems that he builds his movies from the music, and often with variations of the original: The reworking of "Hey Jude" to open The Royal Tenenbaums (which went on for at least five minutes), the acoustic Portuguese renditions of David Bowie, Sigur Ros, The Kinks, etc. Anderson has the ability to use music to exactly fit the scene, without seeming to flaunt his musical tastes (a la Zach Braff in Scrubs and "Garden State"). No doubt my life would be much more cooler, whimsical, and ironic with Anderson at the helm.

As an added note, Creation's "Makin Time" is one of best openers in film, and thanks to this movie I discovered this highly underrated group.

Sigur Ros, "Staraflur"

The Life Aquatic Sigur Ros


Creation, "Makin' Time"


The Creation, Making Time
Uploaded by AnneHelene


2. Martin Scorsese- Hard to argue with movies like "Goodfellas", "Casino", and "The Departed". Scorsese has a bit of Rolling Stones fix (not as bad as Rolling Stone Magazine, at least), but he still sets up great scenes with equally great-fitting music. Scorsese's music does an excellent job defining an era or attitude with well-known songs, without coming off as lazy (which occurs with just about every romantic comedy) and going for the obvious choice.

"The Departed" Trailer


3. P.T. Anderson- Other than the fact that this is another great director with my last name, PT is a great blend of the other two directors, finding a happy medium between obscure tunes that fit in perfectly and mega-hits that capture a time period exactly. He can get soapy, but it's always on a grand scale. Additionally, the studio scenes and subsequent miscommunication about "the tapes" in "Boogie Nights" is one of the great rock star delusion scenes in film.


"You Got the Touch" Boogie Nights



Is there a director in particular that you would like to have out your soundtrack together? Or are there particular songs you would like to have been playing during "significant times" in your like. I'll throw one more in: What song do you want played at your funeral (when they are taking your casket out of the hearse and putting it into the ground)? I'll have to think about this one, but as Wes showed, you can never go wrong with ANY Sigur Ros.







3.17.2009

Steal These Records! (then really go buy them when they're officially released)

Spring! Spring is a time for the birds and the bees, the flowers and trees, the moon up above and good new music. As the days grow longer and we bid farewell to Winter's chill, some great new records are just waiting for their respective record labels to "pull the trigger".... I highly recommend you get your hands on the following as soon as possible:

Crystal Antlers - Tentacles


Listen to this one turned up loud on a hot day in the car with the windows down - it absolutely rocks. There's been alot of buzz surrounding these guys following their '08 EP and they are most definitely the best of the "crystal bands". Brace yourself though... this aint no weed smokin camping music.

What sold me:
they rock out the pipe organ
Favorite track:
Andrew
Official release: 4/7

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest



BoldVeckatimest is a gimme. This record has been hailed as the second coming for some time now. I managed to get my hands on a copy and was nothing less than amazed after first spin. It exceeds the hype and is a contender for one of the best albums of the year. Get it before you see it on the "indie best sellers" rack at Best Buy in October. Listen to it on the couch with the windows open and your eyes closed.

What sold me:
Fleet Foxes' Robin Pecknold is calling it "the album of the decade"
Favorite track: While You Wait For the Others
Official release: 5/26


Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix


This album is the bomb. (bad joke) and it hails from France... (alas, should we smoke cigarettes or eat cheese during our menage a trois?) What better to reign in the season's change than a solid indie-euro-pop album. Every track on this puppy makes you want to tap your foot and smile. I've listened to it over and over again for the better part of four days and can't manage to put it down.... Yes, its really that catchy.

What sold me:
I can't stop listening to pop music
Favorite track:
Rome
Official release: 5/26

-Kevin

3.07.2009

Concert Announcement: Mastodon

04/13/09 The Granada, Lawrence

This is another concert announcement that may only excite a few, but those few will be extremely excited. If you grew up with old Metallica or Iron Maiden, this is the band you need to start listening to. If you have any doubts, check out the first video for their new album, Crack The Skye (out March 24th), 'Divinations' below. If you enjoy that as much as I do Mastodon will be playing Crack The Skye in it's entirety at The Granada in Lawrence on April 13th.



Mastodon Website
Mastodon Myspace

-Matt

3.05.2009

Concert Announcenent: Nine Inch Nails & Jane's Addiction

05/27/09 Starlight Theatre, KC

If you grew up in the 90's there is a good chance you owned an album by one or both of these groups. Nine Inch Nails and a re-united Jane's Addiction will be playing at Starlight in KC on May 27th. Normally I have little interest in seeing shows like this but these two bands in a venue like Starlight might be worth it.

-Matt