Weezer - Pork and Beans clip

I was recently introduced to this very funny video for Weezer's latest single. It's full of cameos by YouTube stars, so those who will appreciate it most will probably have already seen it, but if you haven't, you're in for a treat. It's the kind of nerdy brilliance that only Weezer could pull off.
I wouldn't say the song is one of Weezer's best, but it's up there and shows promising signs for their upcoming album (The Red Album). Then again, they're disappointing track record means I probably won't get my hopes up. I got into Weezer in a big way, thanks to the brilliant Blue Album, but after Pinkerton I gave up. I have a slightly more determined mate, who has stuck with them through thick and thin, but even he admits he liked the new stuff more out of hope than substance. I've heard bits and pieces of this one, leaking out of his room, but I think I'll wait till I can hear the whole thing before judging it. Word on the street is that the final two tracks have leaked, so I might get chance soon. Here's hoping they return to their old form!

In the meantime I'll stick to the better days.
Buddy Holly

Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs (2008)

Last week I mentioned that the fake Narrow Stairs was possibly better than the real one. Well perhaps I spoke a little too soon. It's sounding stronger with every listen and memories of the 'other' one are quickly fading. However, I wouldn't go so far as to say it's a great album. I like it the sense that it's new music from a band I love, not because it's outstanding in it's own right. But all this could easily change as time goes on. Even as I write this, I'm listening to the album and starting to question myself. We'll see.

Long Division
If you're yet to hear the album, it's certainly worth a look. I offer you my favourite track, which is sure to whet your appetite. One-word choruses have never sounded so good.

We Looked Like Giants
And as is often the case, the release of a new album has sent me reminiscing over the back catalogue. There's some gems out there, but I'd have to say that this track takes the cake. It's got great energy and a dark vibe about it. I can almost picture it being used in a movie and as the world was crumbling in the background.....

The Future

I've have returned with a renewed vigor to post regularly! I was browsing through Sydney blogs and was quite disappointed to see so many of them dying. What's happening people!? There's nothing worse than returning to a blog, only to find that the newest post is the same as month ago. I hate this, and yet I've been doing it myself! Well not anymore. Uni's as good as over (exams you say?) and the world is ripe with new music. Let's see how long this lasts!

I also found something I wrote a while back and thought I'd share it with you. It's rather amusing. It would also be pretty cool to one day make it happen.......

Music Problems

Here’s a couple of conundrums to contemplate over breakfast

Problem 1) Music Tastes

When someone asks you “what music do you like”, it’s impossible to answer such a question, without doing yourself injustice. With movies or TV shows you might be alright. You could usually rattle off 5 or so and have most bases covered. But with music it’s completely different. Most people have dozens of artists they would consider favourites, so trying to pick just few is too much of an ask. Things get even more complex when you enter social situations and have to consider whether the other person will recognise a certain band, let alone approve of them. If only there was a way to encapsulate your entire musical tastes into a single breath……..if only.

Answer) Music Colour

The most obvious way to solve the above problem, would be to assign some sort of score. But why stop there? Why not make things interesting and assign a colour? The RGB colour scale offers the perfect solution. Every band would shift the balance in some way (e.g. Spice Girls = severe blue shift) and once you add together the influence of all your favourite bands, you would be left with a colour that defines your tastes completely. It’s not perfect but hey, it’s a start. At least you’ll know not to even bother with the small chat when you meet someone from the indigo crowd.

Problem 2) Genres

Currently music is categorised according to genres. This is troublesome because it overlooks the individual differences between bands. You can try inventing finer and finer categories, but you will always be trying to arrange a continuous spectrum of styles into distinct groups. It will never work. But having a continuous spectrum brings you back to square one. You no longer have any way of indicating what a band sounds like. That is, unless you map every band onto a planet! (makes sense right?)

Answer) Music Globe

The concept is quite simple really. Similarity between two bands is represented by geographical closeness. If two bands are really alike, they have houses next to each other. The genres of old become countries. Sub genres become cities. Similar genres like ‘indie’ and ‘pop’ are manifested as neighbouring countries. Heavy metal is on the other side of the globe. Sigur Ros is an island in the middle of nowhere. If only they showed kids this globe at school, we’d all be better off.

This blog isn't dead. It's lazy.

Soldier’s GrinWolf Parade
Wolf Parade has always been a bit of an anomaly for me. As you may know, the band is led by Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner, both of whom feature heavily in other bands, such as Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes and Handsome Furs. Well I don’t like any of these bands. At all. Yet when they come together, everything fits and I’m enchanted. Early listens of their forthcoming album suggest that they’ve somehow done it again. Rather than looking for an explanation, I think I’ll just sit back and enjoy the music.

Summer of 88Velveteen
I’ve always wanted to be in a big band with a highly anticipated album. Not for the fame or anything like that. No, I just want to able to leak a fake album and laugh at all at the people who tried to download it illegally. It would make finding a real copy harder and probably pick up some good publicity along the way. Just so long as everyone realised it was a fake before moving on in disgust. Well this almost happened with Death Cab For Cutie’s new album Narrow Stairs, except that it was fan behind the cunning leak. They grabbed an album by German band Velveteen, who just so happen to sound identical to Death Cab, and rebranded it as Narrow Stairs. It’s not the first time it’s been done, but this one managed to fool quite a few people, including myself. Not only was it an amusing little experiment, but it has also exposed some great new music. I’m yet to find a song on the real Narrow Stairs that beats this one by Velveteen.

Dragonfly PieStephen Malkmus and The Jicks
I won’t pretend to be a Malkmus expert, because I’m far from it. But in recent times I’ve been listening to more and more Pavement and really hammering home just how great he is. But then it’s always hard to know where to go next when you’re getting into a band/artist with so many albums. Stick to the ones you love or try something new? Which one? I think for now I’ll have to give the rest of his post-Pavement stuff a miss and jump straight to his latest release. Early impressions are certainly very promising.

A-PunkVampire Weekend
Considering that they’ve been topping the hype charts for months and are already the most requested on national radio, there probably isn’t much need for me to tell you about this band. But just in case you didn’t already know, Vampire Weekend are brilliant. They’ve put out an album that’s fun and fresh the whole the way through and I’m loving it. This probably wouldn’t be my favourite song, but after seeing the cool clip they made, it's stuck in my head.

HolidayThe Holidays
Now I’m not normally one for keeping photos, but somehow I’ve ended up with one of myself drunkenly looking on at a band playing at a friend’s party. That band was The Holidays and it just so happened to be their very first gig. Since then, I have sat back in amazement as they’ve rapidly ascended up the musical hierarchy in the space of one short year. I really shouldn’t be surprised, though. Their distinctly clean sound made an instant impression on me and I’m sure it’s doing the same for everyone else. I’m still deciding whether I think their music is actually good or not, but I guess it doesn’t matter much. This time next year they’ll probably be playing shows on the other side of the planet and my opinion will count for less than it already does!