"Dring.
Allo?
Oui, bonjour, c'est bien princesse101?
Oui.
C'est Mr Sauveur du service anti-fraude à la carte bancaire de la BNP Paribas.
(Palpitations cardiaques élevées) Ah?
Oui, madame, j'ai une forte suspicion de fraude sur votre carte bancaire.
(Préliminaire de crise cardiaque) Ah?
Etiez vous hier soir à Rio de Janeiro en train d'essayer de retirer 4000 euro dans un distributeur?
Oh là là.... Trop pas, monsieur !
C'est bien ce que je pensais, vous êtes donc victime d'une fraude à la carte bancaire.
WTF?
Aucun souci madame, nous nous occupons de tout, rien n'a été retiré de votre compte, nous faisons opposition sur votre carte et nous vous en éditons une nouvelle.
Comment dire... Trop merci."
Heureusement qu'il y a des gens intelligents qui veillent sur nos affaires, moi je vous dis.
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01/02/10 Kitty Cat Klub, Minneapolis
01/08/10 Club Jager, Minneapolis
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Dear Minnesota,
I’ve been a little busy performing Christmas miracles, lunching with the Obamas, and bestowing bad karma. But I wanted to send you a quick note to say I’m sorry. Sorry for the snow. If it makes you feel better, I was aiming for Wisconsin.
Love,
GOD.
Cold, sad Midwest, warm
your hearts this season with a music video.
Inspired by the misery of being on weather lock-down, our friends in
UltraChorus spent the holidays shooting a video for “Margins” (from the
recently released Ultra-Def). The finished product is both wistful and
mildly unsettling (the shaky camera, bright lights, creepy slow walking, and
2:24 – 2:30 reminds me of a dream I once had wherein the unassuming drifter killed me in the end). Check it out!
Also, Minneapolitans, mark your calendars: UltraChorus is playing at the Kitty Cat Klub
this Saturday, Jan. 2nd (2010!).
Visit their Myspace or website for more information.
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12/29/2009 00:51:52 ♥ lara (
/lara206.vox.com)
♥
ultrachorus.com ♥ myspace.com/ultrachorus C'est la saison. Mais je vous préviens, c'est à ma sauce:)
S'il n'y avait qu'une chanson : Mon Dieu de Piaf (et ouais).
S'il n'y avait qu'un film : Star Trek 2009.
S'il n'y avait qu'un blog : aïe c'est -très- dur .... Frogita.
S'il n'y avait qu'une expression : trop d'la balle.
S'il n'y avait qu'un bon souvenir : le cinquième 1er "maman" ;)
S'il n'y avait qu'une série : Dexter.
S'il n'y avait qu'une bonne leçon : On n'est jamais mieux servie que par soi-même.
S'il n'y avait qu'un évènement important : la signature de mon CDI le 15 décembre :)
S'il n'y avait qu'une couleur : rouge
S'il n'y avait qu'un parfum : l'Eau des Merveilles d'Hermès.
S'il n'y avait qu'une découverte : La Femme.
S'il n'y avait qu'un mystère : l'Homme.
S'il n'y avait qu'un regret : La Violence.
S'il n'y avait qu'une échappatoire : l'Humour.
S'il n'y avait qu'un loisir : le web.
S'il n'y avait qu'un voyage : le Brésil
S'il n'y avait qu'un ennemi : le Temps
S'il n'y avait qu'un malin plaisir : l'Ironie
S'il n'y avait qu'une médaille : celle de la résistance
S'il n'y avait qu'une rencontre : Luiz Seabra (Fondateur Natura Brasil)
S'il n'y avait qu'un sport : la Course.
S'il n'y avait qu'un des 7 péchés : la Colère.
S'il n'y avait qu'une chose à apprendre encore : tourner la page.
Edit: j'ai oublié le meilleur;) S'il n'y avait qu'un livre à garder : Le Portrait de Dorian Gray.
S'il n'y avait qu'une image :
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01/22/10
O2 Shepherds Bush Empire London
Discography
01/24/10 Tivoli Utrecht 01/25/10 Luxor Koln 01/26/10 Knust Hamburg 01/28/10 Nalen Stockholm 01/29/10 Parkteatret Oslo 02/01/10 Lido Berlin 02/02/10 Atomic Cafe Munich 02/03/10 Tunnel Milan 02/05/10 Divan Du Monde Paris 02/06/10 Trix Antwerp 02/08/10 Academy 3 Manchester 02/09/10 King Tuts Glasgow
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brettanderson.co.uk ♥ myspace.com
Those who follows our W♥M Podcast, you'll know that between Sally, Kristen, and I, that we really, really love our Britpop music. When Suede burst on the scene, with all their hype*, I was a bit, what's the word? Resistant.
I eventually got over it when I heard Metal Mickey, a nice rock n roll glammy track with aggressive Butler guitars and Anderson's unique voice. The songwriting duo of Anderson/Butler did not last for long, and Butler's replacement, Richard Oakes, seems only a pale copy of the original. I think everyone knew that, and eventually, Bernard Butler and Brett Anderson got over their differences and re-united - but not as Suede... they were then The Tears. I think everyone was confused on how to interpret it at first (personally I think it's like tears/crying, not ripped/tear).
The Tears didn't live for very long, and by 2007, Brett Anderson releases his inevitable solo self-titled album. I never bought his solo stuff, because I don't think his music post-Suede's Head Music** were ever re-release or re-marketed to the US audience, so the few promo downloads that he's made available for free, I wasn't so impressed with. I remember thinking his debut solo album was trying to be orchestral (based on what I've heard).
Imagine my surprise when I got a chance to listen to a few tracks from his latest album, Slow Attack, officially via We7.com. It was all very operatic, almost minimalistic in its approach of piano and percussions. I did like that it brings out Anderson's voice loud and clear, but it generally made all of his music to be on the sadder end of the scale.
While I think one or two slow songs would be OK for a full length, all of the tracks I sampled were in that very similar tone. Kind of ballady and depressing. I kind of miss the old Suede stuff. The only redeeming value is that at least, his voice isn't altered/over-produced as with Suede's Head Music and Coming Up.
I suppose, Anderson's much older now, wow you can see his cheek bones sticking out of his face... such a difference of imagery, from a time when mean-spirited fans were calling him "fatty" (we all kind of knew it was the getting off the drugs that was causing the weight thing... allegedly).
Anyway, if you were looking for the glory rock days, don't bother looking into Slow Attack. If you're a hardcore fan, chances are you probably own the limited edition anyway. The album will probably not be released in the US, as were all his previous releases. Import costs are generally cheaper these days, but expect to pay about $20 for an import album (Amazon is listing $19).
Brett Anderson is touring in 2010, so if you live in the UK, you can relive your youth days. If he were touring the US, I might leave my hibernation to see him. As you know, I've met the band before at a special "after-party", I'm sure he'll have no idea who I am.
* "Best Band in Britain" before releasing their album? Really, Melody Maker, really??)
** Suede's last album, A New Morning was never released in the US.
TRUE NATURE
truenatureband.com ♥ myspace.com
As you know, I also run a website on artist George Perez, and it's rare when my music and comic website mix. How does True Nature and George Perez cross paths, you ask? The cover artwork for True Nature's EP, Feels Like Centuries, stars actress/model Tonya Kay (with some artwork and directions from Glen Wexler).
Perez, through his associations with Fetish Con, have actually drawn Tonya Kay as a print, for Fetish Con's "Who's the Best Bondage Super Heroine?" contest. The original artwork was auctioned off for charity.
CREATURE (Tonya Kay) (2008), art by George PérezSo, there's the connection. As for True Nature's EP, Feels Like Centuries, based on the cover artwork, it looks like they're also marketing themselves as somewhat of a spiritual rock band. I reckon if you like classic American progressive-type rock, you might enjoy this EP. Despite having only five tracks, the EP is "centuries" long (so long that it felt like a chore to get through). It's not that I dislike singer/songwriter, Lou Barlow's vocals, it's just really not the type of music I enjoy.
Their best track is the opening song, "Truth I Have To Steel (Simple Heart)", which started off strong and remain steadily so throughout the song. You can sample the entire track on their official website.
You can pick up Feels Like Centuries at CD Baby or Amazon. Although, not really my thing, I'm glad that there was at least a common connection for me.
12/26/2009 19:48:38 ♥ vu (
) ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
Il y a un an qu'elle attendait Noël. Par principe, seulement.
A la messe, il n'y a plus personne.Et les sapins, tout le monde en a, même ceux qui ne vont plus à la messe. Parce que pour elle, Noël c'était sa campagne blanche, à perte de vue depuis sa terrasse. Mais depuis qu'elle est à Paris, dans ce triste deux pièces il n'y a que pluie et pollution. Noël, c'était sa famille réunie, mais maintenant, son mari est enterré, et ses enfants à l'autre bout du monde, et du coeur. Parce que Noël, c'était des dizaines de cartes reçues et envoyées, et maintenant, il n'y a plus que La Redoute qui lui envoie ses voeux. Noël, c'était une grosse boîte de Lindt, et maintenant, elle ne pourrait jamais la finir seule, alors autant ne pas l'acheter, ce serait mauvais pour sa ligne. Parce que Noël, c'était un énorme repas, mais maintenant, c'est des portions individuelles barquetées par Monop', avec une date de péremption. Noël, c'était dans sa vie, mais maintenant, c'est dans ses souvenirs.
Elle attendra quand même le prochain Noël, par principe, seulement.
Qui n'a jamais surclassé ou déclassé des contacts sur son téléphone? Qui a déjà été déclassé ou surclassé? Bah tout le monde, c'est sûr ... Là j'en rigole, mais il y a des fois où l'on peut vivre de grandes euphories ou des grands moments de solitude avec ce truc.
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elizabethandthecatapult.com ♥ myspace.com
The last time we mentioned Elizabeth and the Catapult, the song "Race You", went straight to the top ten on The Hype Machine. And it's easy to see why, the song is such a fun and cute pop song.
This Christmas song, "Christmas with the Jews", is also fun and cute (and not to mention quite short). But what you're thinking when you're listening to this song, is "er, aren't you forgetting Hanukkah?"
Maybe you can ask them if you see them live:
- 01/28/10 The Barn Clinton, New York
02/05/10 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
02/06/10 8x10 Baltimore, Maryland
myspace.com ♥ twitter.com
Maybe there was a problem with my download, but the MP3 track is 4:56, where the last 30 seconds of the song is complete and utterly garbage... it sounds like it was encoded in error and not part of the song. I've edited out the crap part for you.
The tour information they sent me is as follows:
- January 2010.
Fri 8 USA New York Terminal 5 w/Passion Pit.
Sat 9 USA New York Terminal 5 w/Passion Pit.
Mon 11 USA New York Union Hall.
Tue 12 USA New York Pianos.
February 2010.
Sun 21 Norway Oslo John Dee w/The Temper Trap.
Mon 22 Denmark Copenhagen Vega w/The Temper Trap.
Tue 23 Denmark Copenhagen Vega w/The Temper Trap.
Wed 24 Sweden Stockholm Debaser Slussen w/The Temper Trap.
Fri 26 Germany Hamburg Molotow w/The Temper Trap.
Sat 27 Germany Berlin Postbahnhof w/The Temper Trap.
Sun 28 Germany Cologne Gloria w/The Temper Trap.
March 2010.
Tue 2 Germany Munich Atomic Café w/The Temper Trap.
Wed 3 Germany Frankfurt Nachtelben w/ The Temper Trap.
themanchesterorchestra.com ♥ myspace.com
My favorite track is "One Hundred Dollar", you can simply hear the anger as singer Andy Hull asks to borrow $100. While the song is short and doesn't offer much explanation, you, as the audience makes up your own background to the song. Anyway, the song is from their latest album, Mean Everything to Nothing, they'll probably be playing loads of their new songs on tour:
- 01/29/10
Salt Palace Convention Center^ Salt Lake City, Utah
01/30/10 The Fillmore^ Denver, Colorado
01/31/10 The Black Sheep* Colorado Springs, Colorado
02/02/10 The Marquee* Tulsa, Oklahoma
02/03/10 Juanita’s Cantina Ballroom* Little Rock, Arkansas
02/04/10 New Daisy Theatre* Memphis, Tennessee
^ with Brand New
* with Harrison Hudson
siamusic.net ♥ myspace.com
Finally, we have Sia. This actually has nothing to do with Christmas, unless you count getting a new music video as a holiday gift. But just talking about the video for "You've Changed" isn't enough to warrant its own article, so I thought I might as well stuck her here.
Sia has always seem to me to be this child trapped in a grown-up's body. The latest video is wonderful, it features this weird stop-motion, "dress up" video-gamey feel to it. I don't know who's idea it was, I'll bet it's a combination of Sia's child-mind and director Dennis Liu of @radical.media, but it came together pretty great.
Be sure to watch the high-resolution video of it (you'll need it to read the song lyrics scrolling at the bottom).
12/23/2009 04:58:16 ♥ vu () ♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
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01/23/10 Ampere München
Discography
01/24/10 Studio 672 Köln 01/26/10 Magnet Berlin 01/28/10 Rocking Chair Vevey 01/29/10 Ziegel Oh Lac Zurich 02/01/10 Prinzenbar Hamburg 02/09/10 Thekla Bristol 02/10/10 Hare & Hounds Birmingham 02/11/10 Brudenell Centre Leeds 02/12/10 ULU London 02/13/10 Audio Brighton
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Straitjacket Escape ♥ photo by Dave
The straitjacket incident was obviously the most epic moment of the night, but the theatrics didn’t end there. There was interpretive dancing, rogue boomerangs, and a pretty intimidating box accordion. Throw in a picturesque stage setting and a watering can attached to the drum kit, and it wasn’t an average Webster Hall show. The band managed to take a spacious, relatively normal venue and shift the atmosphere to match that of the album: warm, enthusiastic, and frenzied.
Fanfarlo ♥ photo by DaveWith only one album, they had a limited supply of songs to play. My personal favorite, “I’m a Pilot,” drew from the band’s most appealing quality: their infectious camaraderie. This was most apparent during the encore, when they had run out of songs to sing, so they resorted to the obligatory cover, Low’s “Just Like Christmas,” featuring opening band, Freelance Whales. Anything holiday-related is instantly a cheese-fest, but throw in a cavalcade of instruments and a dozen earnest musicians and it becomes easy to suspend any cynicism.
(I really wanted to end this review by writing, “...and by the end of the night, you could say that the entire audience had shed an emotional straitjacket – and put on a fringed vest of love.” But I won’t. Swearsies.)
Photos by Dave:
Fanfarlo ♥ photo by Dave 
Fanfarlo
Fanfarlo
Fanfarlo & Freelance Whales
12/22/2009 00:12:42 ♥ kateg (
)
♥ fanfarlo.com
♥ myspace.com/fanfarlo
Je revois le quai bondé et en délire
Suffoquant sous la chaleur et sous la rage
Et j'entends dans la rame les cris, les soupirs
Qui éclatent et rebondissent autour de moi
Et perdue parmi ces gens qui me bousculent
Étourdie, désemparée, je reste là
Quand soudain, je me retourne, et la cloche sonne,
Et la foule vient me jeter dans cette rame...
Emportés par la rame qui nous traîne
Nous entraîne
Écrasés l'un contre l'autre
Nous ne formons qu'un seul corps
Et le flot sans effort
Nous pousse, enchaînés l'un à l'autre
Et nous laisse tous
Ébétés, énervés et étouffés.
Entraînés par la rame qui tangue
Et qui fonce
A Une folle vitesse
Nos membres restent soudés
Et parfois soulevés
Nos corps enlacés s'envolent
Et retombent tous
Ébétés, énervés et étouffés.
...
Et la face éclaboussée par les postillons
Je tente de me retourner en vain
Mais soudain je pousse un cri parmi la foule
Quand la rame freine brusquement et me renverse...
Emportée par la foule qui me traîne
et m'entraine
Je sors à la mauvaise sortie
Je lutte et je me débats
Mais le son de ma voix
S'étouffe dans les corps des autres
Et je crie de douleur, de fureur et de rage
Et je pleure...
Entraînée par la foule qui s'élance
Sur le quai
Je ne vois rien
Je suis emportée au loin
Et je crispe mes poings, maudissant la foule qui me traine
Loin de la rame qu'elle m'avait donné
Et que je n'ai jamais retrouvée...
Merci Piaf pour La Foule.
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The Zatoichi series ran 26 movies (1962-1982) and a television series ran for five years (1974-1979). Twenty years later, Takeshi "Beat" Kitano reinvented Zatoichi with his version of the character. This was easily one of my favorite movie at the time, I saw it at the independent theater twice in 2003 and ordered a region 3 release of the DVD as soon as it was available on import. Incidentally, to show support for the US market, I also bought the US edition of the DVD, which came with a bonus Sonatine movie (which was originally released in the states by Quentin Tarantino's Rolling Thunder productions).
Considering the movie did quite well, critically and (I'm assuming) in sales, I was hoping for a follow-up movie by Kitano, but unfortunately there's no such plan. However, interestingly enough, one of my all-time favorite Japanese director, Takashi Miike* directed a stage adaption of Zatoichi for live performances in 2007.
I'm happy to report that, I saw a very good re-imagined of the familiar character, reinvented as a female protagonist, called Ichi. I wish the producers had kept the brand of "Zatoichi", as people who hear "Ichi" does not always associate the name with the blind swordsman. To be fair, Ichi is the original character's name. The term "zato" means low-ranking blind person (low-ranking in the Todoza guild). Logically, they could've named this movie Gozeichi, because Goze refers to blind musician women of that time period.
Anyway, beside my gripe about the Ichi name as the movie title, I also didn't like the idea that a model (Ayase Haruka) is playing the part of the protagonist. All that was really not worth worrying, because the whole movie is quite entertaining and enjoyable, and there is only once where Haruka is seen 'dolled up' for a music performance (most of the movie, she's covered from head to toe in dirty rags). However, there are at times when the director Fumihiko Sori choose to stay too long on Haruka's beautiful unblemished face. We get it, she's cute.
The story is uncomplicated, Ichi wanders into some town with an inept sword-drawing samurai Toma (the name is close to a slang "tonma" for idiot or fool). The town is in trouble from the Banki gang, and in Zatoichi fashion, Ichi and Toma saves the town. During the course of the film, there are the tried-and-true Zatoichi moments like slashing out the lights and Ichi triumph in complete darkness, the use of sound to throw Ichi off, and, of course, the Cho-Han Bakuchi dice gambling.
What made the film interesting, at least to me, is that the soundtrack is by Dead Can Dance's Lisa Gerrard! So throughout the movie, you do hear that ethereal vocals, similar to her efforts on Ridley Scott's Gladiator. I suspect she only wrote the vocals, the credit I have for composer is Michael Edwards, who previously worked with Gerrad on her solo material. The soundtrack was a bit of a surprise to me, generally these J-movies' music and production team are usually kept inhouse. Although, having said that, the one outro credit song is by Korean J-Pop singer SunMin.
Ichi the movie will be made available in the US market via Bluray and DVD in two days (December 22nd), just in time for last-minute xmas shoppers. Hopefully those Best Buy tonmas will be smart and order some copies for their store (however, if it costs over $25, I'd rather order it online, or not own it at all - hey times are tough!).
* I love all three billion of his movies! Audition, City of Lost Souls, One Missed Call, Ichi the Killer, Fudoh, The Happiness of the Katakuris, Zebraman, Sukiyaki Western: Django, etc.
12/20/2009 02:06:34 ♥ vu () ♥funimation.com/ichi
