one of my many japanese idols

Nikaido Kazumi !

Let's just pretend it didn't happen

This is your brain bouncing off on illicit substances:



And this is the tragic adverse effect:

Lovely Suburban Crazies and the Pressures of Boredom

So this blog has been infused with lots of heat lately--but my poor singed ears cannot be removed from the infectious beats of their latest offerings. Arcade Fire has become the very thing that's keeping me excited about not only new music, but new possibilities. Ecstatic and static piano tones on "We Used To Wait" reacquaints us with that familiar nostalgic optimism that both confuses and perfuses the soul. Much like your old-school obsession with 90's hip-hop. Sure, something pure can last, Win. That something pure rides somewhere between your larynx and the swirling sounds of your band.

With their new release, The Suburbs, due out in early August, summer suddenly has that sweet promise of fantastic memories, laced with that snow-cone and windows-down glory. Whoever said we were growing old, obviously hasn't ever listened to this band. Obviously, they're curmudgeons in training.

Which brings us to another great teaser: "Ready To Start". Keeping in tune with that vintage-vinyl feel, this angst-land anthem pays homage to that universal burden of youth: pressures to belong, but knowing in the end that non-conformity is your best bet. Better to expose yourself to vulnerability, than to suffer the inevitable isolation of guilt. Boredom, fear of loneliness, eternal longing--this covers it all and a pack of Bazooka Joe's.

Such delicate layering of universal experiences requires a type of crazy genius. Arcade Fire has once again created a sane retreat within the insane reality of this sometimes ugly existence. They aspire to create light where only darkness is allowed. They grow thriving communities of crowned Sea Monkeys where others can only see questionable shrimp-specks in murky water. So sit back with your Kool-Aid grin and let yourself begin again.

Bourgeois Banter: You've Been Forewarned--

I'm so glad I live in a time when these Montrealites are building entire cities with music. Around town and on the i-nets, two new songs have surfaced from the glorious gutters of suburban living via Arcade Fire. A person might take me for a glutton of musics because for the past two weeks, I have had nothing but "Neon Bible" blaring from the car, in anticipation of new AF material. Sinister and bourgeois, I am, but glouton? moi? OK, I guess I'm that, too. But even the angels of most high might look down upon me with favor, if I were to play them one song from this band. High fives in heaven for the Almighty Fire! And thus Win breathed down on the angels, and the clouds parted and the trumpets roared. Cherubs danced along, as he sang about being bored in "The Suburbs"! It sounds like bar-stool chatter in a diner, an old one, with vinyl seats ripped to the cushion at its seams. There's a glossy counter reflecting indifferent faces, picking at their plates, waiting for something to happen. It's a back-to-the-future clueless town, or a tormented Texan (or Arizonian) territory, bound to its own closed ideals and silently screaming. I can imagine Michael J. Fox yelling out to Doc in the parking lot of a local suburban shopping mall:  "Sometimes I can't believe it/I'm moving past the feeling!"

And don't for one minute think the month of May has ended--nay, it has just begun! In "Month of May": "Now, some things are pure and some things are right," sings Win Butler, Patron Saint of Kids with Their Arms Folded Tight. Gritty guitars made of Clash-y, static-y beats that would make even the tightly-folded and late Sid Vicious take heed: 'We are better than anyone, ain't we? Except for Arcade Fire, Arcade Fire are better than us.'

Don't say I didn't warn ya.

Gracias Por las Flores, Principe Guillermo

Bonnie "Prince" Billy in "Hombre Sencillo" is simply a magnificent study on cultural immersion. I won't delve too deep into his weird acting tactics (also see: "Wendy & Lucy") but he's just on another level of anti-Oscar material that is actually very refreshing. Much like a milk-spillage accident, it's almost too painfully silly to watch--yet you must. His pronunciation of Spanish nears impeccability with a swagger de un borrachito. Bonnie does the sombrero good. When he hands over a flower to the pretty ladies, he is as sincere as a mariachi, and his voice reflects only tenderness, which makes up for any tragic feigning. This piece pleases and teases the senses in a way that Mexico does when all that's left to do is leave. A bittersweet tear accompanied by a romantic longing for tacos and Oaxacan cheese.

FINALLY.

New Arcade Fire due sooooooon!! Yes.

Films for Skeptic Lazies

I remain skeptical (as I am always) of films utilizing online worldz as pro-/antagonist (i.e. Feardotcom). They have a tendency to feel like I'm watching...the internet? I just can't get past watching people using computers on a screen. Seems like the ultimate lazy to me. And I'm pretty lazy. Don't get me wrong--I can appreciate a good sci-fi scenario when I come across one (J.J. Abrams' Star Trek had this non-trekkie trooling). But too many cuts to d-loading suspense tricks will have me yawning. That said, "L'Autre Monde" might be based on a mysterious gaming site, but my interest peaks at the surrounding details: music by M83, Melvil Poupaud AND it's French. Always good to brush up on the French and Frenchies. So in this case, I think I can make an exception: