This, you could say, is a completely inadvertent mixtape. I was just skimming through my music and came to the realization that I have tons of covers by female artists. I tried to siphon out the covers that sound like they should be background for some bad romcom, instead chosing to to pick, what I think, are at least minimally interesting covers that put a unique spin on the songs. Some will...
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Tied at one a piece entering Round 3 of USA v. World, I decided to finally showcase the match-up that got me started on this whole idea -- Elton John (UK) v. Billy Joel (USA). This is one seems particularly strange, considering that the two musicians are not only friends, but they have been longtime touring partners since 1994 -- creating, literally, the "most successful concert tandem in pop m...
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It's Tuesday so we've got another fresh batch of DVD's coming out. This week is highlighted by Star Trek. I've got to admit from the start -- I don't know anything about Star Trek culture. I've never once watched an old episode or movie. I have no clue who any of these characters are based off of or what the original actors who played them were like. But, nonetheless, I found the movie to be r...
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Accessibility to good music has never been easier, but it's a shame that unreleased album downloads still require hoop-jumping and diligence (i.e. to ensure the album is accurately labeled, without viruses, etc). Hopefully our Unreleased Spotlight, which will feature both live shows and unreleased albums, will make this process a little easier.Our first feature is Ray Lamontagne's Acre of L...
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At first glance, when you buy an album and notice that it has bonus tracks, you probably think to yourself "niiice -- the record company and/or band has decided to give me free music! Instead of getting 10 songs for $9.99, I'm getting 12!" As you may remember from an earlier post this week, I love free music as much as the next guy. However, while some may argue that the JFK assassination, glob...
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After watching Oldboy recently, I began to think about movies that have great surprise endings. There really isn't anything like a shocking twist to end a movie. One minute you think you know what's going on. The next, some clever writer pulls the rug out right from under you with a killer twist to the plot (even though -- if you're like this blogger anyway -- you usually think to yourself that...
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Fanfarlo released their debut album, Reservoir, earlier this year; and, if this album is an even remotely accurate portrayal of their musicianship, then we will be hearing about them for quite some time. The 5 person, multi-instrument band (which even features a Melodica... that can be yours for a mere $33.00) recorded Reservoir in Connecticut late last year.The band will undoubtedly be compar...
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Disney Pixar's Up comes out on DVD today. And if you're going out to buy a new release, I suggest you make this one your choice. I know, I know. It's an animated film, and you may usually avoid these. But Up is not your average animated film. You don't have to believe me. I'm not the only one. The movie has a 98% rating on the well respected critic database Rotten Tomatoes -- the highest rankin...
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Most bands will rant and rave about how great their fans are, but in my opinion nothing quite says "thank you" like giving the fans the one thing they love (their music) for the right price (free).Earlier this year, Coldplay showed their appreciation by releasing Left Right Left Right Left. Just under 4 million people downloaded it in its first week. The Pixies have also recently released a ...
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The Men Who Stare at Goats was barely worth seeing. If you read my preview post, you know that I had pretty high hopes for it. It didn't meet them. But it wasn't as big of a disappointment as some of the reviews I've been reading have said it would be. And it wasn't bad enough to actually walk out of the theater about an hour into the movie (as two people did when I saw it). The movie is defin...
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In case you weren't aware, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon teamed up with Collections of Colonies of Bees to form a new gig known as Volcano Choir. Volcano Choir released its debut album, Unmap, only a few weeks ago... and, with a such a strange/experimental sound, I tried to postpone this review several days just to make sure I could fully absorb it.After listening to the album in full several times,...
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In case you weren't aware, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon teamed up with Collections of Colonies of Bees to form a new gig known as Volcano Choir. Volcano Choir released its debut album, Unmap, only a few weeks ago... and, with a such a strange/experimental sound, I tried to postpone this review several days just to make sure I could fully absorb it.After listening to the album in full several times,...
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I just bought a vinyl this week, and it contained an insert that said "Long Live Physical Media!" -- which got me thinking. As a way to incorporate physical media into this other-wise mp3/video-laden website, I thought I'd occasionally write about some old vinyls of mine which have cool characteristics that people who bought the album on itunes may not know.This week's selection is Bob Dylan's...
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On December 4, Lionsgate will release Brothers. The plot of the movie is pretty simple. It tells the story of two brothers, Sam (Tobey Maguire) and Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). Sam is a marine who married his high school sweetheart Grace (played by love-of-my-life-though-she-doesn't-know-it Natalie Portman). Sam goes missing in Afghanistan and is presumed dead. As Tommy tries to help Grace get th...
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Odds are, if you were going to see the Coen brothers' A Serious Man, you would've already done so (it's been out in a limited release since early October). But I didn't see it until recently so I figured I'd put in my $.02. I should preface my post by saying that I'm not a blind follower of all things Coen brothers like many movie fans. They have definitely put out some good movies. O Brother,...
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November is here, as is the total 6 o'clock darkness that comes along with it. If you aren't feeling like pumpkin bread and hot cider just yet, then give Pictures and Sound a listen.Pictures and Sound is fronted by Luke Reynolds -- who has dabbled in a little of everything. Even though you might not recognize his name, he was the lead singer for the Nashville based-group Blue Merle, has colla...
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Here is this week's edition:Movies I Want to See:The Men Who Stare At Goats -- I already posted about this here. I have high hopes for this one.Precious (Limited) -- I already posted about this one, too. It's only a limited release this week. But it should be expanding soon.Movies I Would Go See:Disney's A Christmas Carol -- I'm not usually dying to see any animated movie, but Jim Carrey as Sc...
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Since MTV doesn't play them anymore, I figured I'd post a couple noteworthy music videos every so often. Today's selections are Frightened Rabbit's Swim Until You Can't See Land and Bat for Lashes' Daniel (no, it's not a cover of Elton John's 1973 hit). Both are cool videos, with Frightened Rabbit taking a minimalistic approach, primarily showcasing the band surrounded by fans with flashlight...
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On November 13, Focus Features will release Pirate Radio. It's a foreign film that was actually released back in April in the UK (its original title was The Boat That Rocked). Directed by Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Love Actually), it tells the story of a renegade group of DJ's that start broadcasting music on the radio from a ship off the coast of the UK (in international wat...
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Last week, Regina Spektor edged out Kate Nash in Round 1 of bip-bip.'s USA v. World competition. This week's competition is between TV on the Radio (Brooklyn, NY) and Bloc Party (UK) (seen above); and just as last week was a close call, this week is likely to engender an ever greater split of opinion. In fact, I'm guessing most people might disagree with me on this one.For starters, I decided...
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