UP we go !
Every year, around may, I get to say the following sentence : “Pixar’s done it again”.
This year is no different.
***
Their latest film, Up, is simply magical, moving as hell, and funny beyond expectations. I don’t want to talk too much about it to avoid spoiling it. I do want to say, though, that it’s films like these that make you glad that some corporate minds are still in charge of pushing animation forward. Pixar was always the best example of art being made with shitloads of money. When other studios keep coming up with crappy films like Monsters vs Aliens, and focusing on action and stupid modern-day references, Pixar is still trying to uphold one core value : goodness. And that one transcends religions, social backgrounds or race. It’s universal, and that’s why you get the urge to cry so many times in their films, especially this one.
Also, in a world where all characters have to be modern, flashy and silly, this flick comes packed with characters that are so far from your expections that you wonder what went through their heads. Two of the three lead characters are grumpy old men, the child is NOT wiser than the adults (breaking the usualy sterotype) and actually learns something, the sidekicks character animals don’t talk (at least not in the traditional way). And, most importantly, when someone gets kicked in the face, there’s some blood (no gruseome splatter, just plain human bleeding)…
And my god the colors. and the camera work. and the acting. and the pace. and the music.
***
I can’t say enough good things about this film. It’s not a masterpiece like Wall-E, but it’s definetly a huge success !
Abnormally Attracted to Sin
“Don’t go in if you are abnormally attracted to sin“, sings Tori Amos on the title track of her new record. And what a track ! It will fiercefully sting you, then slowly crawl under your skin with its bassline killer dance-riff mixed with sultrous electronics and weird repetitive patterns.
—
Let me say something right off the batt: she has again filled the album with enough doubtful songs to dilute the whole thing into an incoherent work. At this point, after 4 albums plagued with the same criticism, we have reached a point where we are certain this doesn’t happen by mistake. Tori is obviously doing this deliberatly. She must have her reasons, and we should respect that. Now that it is said, I want to focus on the good stuff (roughly two thirds of the album).
—
At my first listen, I told a friend that this sounded to me like a Tokyo synth-harem. It’s suave, haunting, dark as hell and often angry; but this is not teenage anger I’m talking about. It’s a grown up person expressing appropriate rage. I would not want to hear a 40-something woman bitch about life like she’s a rebellious teenager.
From the first second of the trip-hoppy opener Give, we understand where this is going : Mrs Amos is dipping her toes into dangerous waters here. It seems like she’s freed of all expectation of what she must-and-must’nt be. This results in a bunch songs that sound fresh when compared to her previous repertoire, while carrying her unmistakable signature.
There is also a strong prog feel throughout the record : On Strong Black Vine, we feel like we’re listening to a 70s prog-rock extravaganza version of professional widow, while Police Me is catchy glam-rock with a strange madonna twist. Tori’s always be on the prog side with her songwriting, but this time more than ever, it is felt sonicly too, through loud guitar riffs, over-the-top drum lines and vintage (and awkward) keyboard use…
On the other hand, a lot of tunes have a jazzy feel. I’m thinking of the strangely beautiful That Guy, and the alien Lady in Blue, in which she moves from a 4-minute 1920’s jazz endaveour (that could easily be on the soundtrack to the next Lynch movie) to an instrumental rock ending.
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Apart from the amazing standout tracks, most tracks end up being slightly forgettable (while still enjoyable), which is a shame. Lyrics seem to have taken a quality step down and song structures are more and more typical. The songs do, however, genuinely seem to have a common thread (at least the ones I don’t skip). I think my main pickle with the “new” tori, is that she has grown too much as a human being for me to still connect. The angst is gone (good for her), she seems content ; but I’m not there yet, and so I find it harder to grasp her music. I still listen, though, because I can’t do otherwize 
Overall, the album left me satisfied. It’s no Choirgirl Hotel, but it’s definetly worth the ride, despite its missteps (and there are many). That said, I sometimes also feel like this about her and this album.
—
Give
Strong Black Vine
Les bras de bois…
you owe it to yourself to click here if you like music.
(well you won’t die if you don’t, but you’ll probably smile if you do)
Abnormally attracted to format
I’ve realized something about art this week : We have become so stuck with format, that we let it overcome our appreciation. What prompted me to think about that this week was a combination of me listening to the new Tori Amos record (yet another 70+minutes long, incoherent and uneven collections of songs — review coming soon) while trying to come up with a decent plan with my band for how our upcoming album should be shaped.
***
Let me therefore use music and albums to illustrate my point. I won’t get into heavy details, but just outline the basic idea.
— Who says an album should be cohesive, under 50 minutes, feature songs that have to obviously relate to each other ? Who says an artist can only have one voice, one feeling, one audience at a time?
I think sometimes (not always) it’s wonderful when an artist can present mutliple facets of himself/herself on the same album. It ends up acting as a timestamp of that person’s psyche. As listeners, we are able to follow and explore the artist’s states of mind during definite periods of time and acquire a precious familiarity with the complex being that they are and how they function. The price to pay here is that the album, as a separate work, is just harder to define and may be difficult to get into. On the flip side, this mostly works in the long term, especially when the artist releases a stream of such diversified albums. We’re all human (yes, artists are human too) and we very well know that we are not defined solely by one state of mind, emotion, or mood during a two-year period.
From that stems the fact that we don’t need to like all songs on an album to find it great. We have to accept that we can only be receptive to a certain aspects of an artist’s work. We should still, however, allow the artist to express other facets that we may not connect and try to appreciate for what they are : a piece of a complex puzzle. In that equation, we are judging artists, not albums; which is a different perspective altogether, and, to me, is as interesting.
Part of the problem is rooted in the fact that the release format is not very flexible for most artists and it constrains what can be done. We are therefore automatically judging collections of songs as “albums” and sometimes fail to see that individual songs have their importance too, have something to say, separate from the others.
Of course, I’m not making the argument against coherent albums. However, I’m just stating that it may be time to stop rejecting the ones that are not. Because they, too, can be a true reflection of an artist and by no means should be used to diss them.
It really all depends on context. It is not in the benefit of all artists/album to be one or the other. It really is a case by case approach, and that’s how it should be. We should not judge an album by systematically comparing it to the other “great albums” we know and love. Every album is an entity to be taken in its own context and judged with different, personalized criteria.
bla bla bla…
***
I could go for hours talking about this. But I won’t. Also, my thought are not completely formed about this yet, but I thought I’d spit it out raw.
The dangers of living at home with mom…
Keep in mind this was an ad for MOTHER’S DAY….
you may need to rewatch it to understand (hint: watch the bedside table)
Fresh perspective
The Elderly take on Animal Collective…
go to minute 2:30 of this video to watch them review Animal Collective’s My Girls….
You don’t get reviews like this anymore. Frankly, I don’t disagree with what they have to say about it 
This is now a one-time thing. This is an actual show they put on. It’s called BREAKFAST AT SULIMAYS. For more of their reviews, check their youtube channel here
Sound of Music Surprise
Watch this. A jolly, heart-warming display !
What’s wrong with this picture ?
It is a promotion stunt for a Belgian television program, where they are looking for someone to play the leading role, in the musical of “The Sound of Music”.
and here I was thinking it was pure, selfless joy and beauty… Regardless, it’s still pretty rad !
What lies in the shadow of the statue…
… doesn’t matter.
what matters at this point is that there are people in this world so inspired, so focused and so well-read to come up with a show like Lost, sustain it for 5 years, and still generate thrills, interest and unflinching attention.
Instead of writing a review of this season’s glowing finale, I will just salue the work of what is arguably one of the best team of writers (see picture above) to ever grace the TV world. Showrunners and head of the writing team Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof, have taken the show from what was a “great sci-fi series” in 2005 to what has now become a genre-defining, boundary breaking show, that challenges not only the established dogmas, but also expands beyond the small screen into a whole world of interactive bliss.
I have no doubt that next season is going to be great, no matter how they end it. It doesn’t matter what the end is. The ride is just such a joy. and we can count on the writers to impress us once more…
