Sebastien Tellier writes Reckoner three years before Radiohead

Sebastien Tellier - La Ritournelle

Radiohead - Reckoner

Coincidence? YOU DECIDE.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (2009)

Well, a few days after starting my so-called music blog, I've reviewed more movies than I have albums. Dat shit ain't right. So, after doing a little brainstorming with my homies at M:RE, I remembered an interesting album that I had recently acquired which seemed perfect. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (henceforth "The Pains") are an inconveniently named band that carry on the delightful dream pop tradition of notable bands such as M83, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and of course the incomparable My Bloody Valentine.

The self-titled debut opens with pleasing feedback and quickly shoots into a fast-paced, percussionless opener entitled "Contender". The song features a really neat combination of guitar sounds that My Bloody Valentine used to great effect on tracks like Sometimes: a constant stream of fuzzy distortion laying underneath a strummed acoustic guitar. The acoustic guitar is ultimately drowned out, with the exception of the sound of the pick hitting the strings. Most of the songs on the album use some variation on this theme, but it's a really fun sound so it doesn't become repetitive unless you didn't enjoy it in the first place.

Immediately noticeable upon listening is that the album is consistently fast, and bright, a noticeable departure from most of The Pains' apparent shoegaze influences; The Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine were both rather plodding for the most part, and they had a tendency to be on the sad and wistful side. In this sense The Pains are akin to M83; however, I unfailingly get a headache when listening to M83 for more than a song or two, and I felt no such malady approaching even upon repeated listens of The Pains' album.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is a short album, clocking in at just under 35 minutes. The length works well because most of the songs are to the point as well as on the shorter side. I've always had a weakness for albums that hit the spot and then wrap things up before their welcome is worn out. The length also prevents their admittedly unvaried sound from becoming stale. Of course, whoever heard of a shoegaze album with significant variety in sound? A prerequisite to flowing well as a shoegaze album is keeping the thickly distorted guitar and faint, subdued vocals. Any track attempting to mix up the sound significantly would stick out like a sore thumb. Their closest attempt to do so would be A Teenager in Love, which sounds stripped down during the verses; really, it's the same sound with most of the guitars simply removed for a period.

I would go so far as to say there are no weak tracks on the album. But, as I said earlier, they don't stray far from their poppy formula, so the lack of risk-taking could be critiqued. Their sound is really quite derivative and unoriginal, but the strength of the songwriting is more than enough to excuse them sounding a bit too much like their influences. The beginning of Gentle Sons is almost directly ripped from The Jesus and Mary Chain's signature "doom...doom doom, CH" drumbeat. It seems more of an homage than a ripoff, however, and though I almost forget that I'm not listening to that Scottish band from the 80s, it's a positive deception, if anything.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart's debut album is a concise, lighthearted effort that combines indie pop melodies and tight drumming with textured guitar and whispy vocals. It is ultimately far from innovative, but the weaknesses are easily overlooked for now, and here's to hoping that the band succeeds and manages to come into their own sound. Recommended.

Stream the entire album for free on its Last.fm page here.

The Fountain (2006)

Being a loser, I found myself trying to decide what movie to watch Saturday night rather than being out with friends. After a halfhearted attempt to watch The Wrestler and finish up my 2008 film roundup, I found myself looking at the director's Wikipedia page. In fact, given my utter lack of interest in all things wrestling-related, the only reason I was giving The Wrestler a shot was because it was directed by Darren Aronofsky, who also happened to direct Requiem for a Dream, which also happens to be a heartbreakingly depressing movie, among my favorites.

As I skimmed Aronofsky's page, I noticed that he directed The Fountain, a film whose name I had been seeing all over the place recently, but which I had never seen. I didn't know anything about it at all, really. But I'm always up for a blind watch, so I promptly acquired the movie in 1080p and pressed play.

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was, The Fountain wasn't it. The basic premise of the movie is that it follows three stories in three time periods (all starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz): a conquistador searching for the Tree of Life, a modern day scientist searching for the cure to his wife's cancer, and a mystical spacefarer in the distant future journeying across the universe with a strange tree. The movie jumps around between the three stories, but aside from the very beginning, I never found myself too confused or disoriented. The stories are thematically and perhaps even directly interwoven, and it is a rather interesting way to present what was apparently marketed as a science fiction film. There is really hardly any science fiction aspect to the movie at all, so don't think of it in that way. I would argue it's much more of a "fantasy" film, but I wouldn't pin it down to a genre. At any rate, I'm not going to divulge any more details of the story, but I assure you that it is an interesting one.

What I found to be easily the most impressive aspect of the movie were the visuals. The movie was on a smaller budget than Aronofsky would've liked, so fancy big budget effects were out of the question. So Aronofsky, the ambitious bastard, decided he wanted to go for the sort of visuals that wouldn't look outdated days from now, as 2001: A Space Odyssey accomplished (and this isn't the last time in this review you'll hear of Kubrick's magnum opus). So he went to a very specialized photography and shot an astonishing amount of footage of bacteria and chemicals growing and reacting in petri dishes. This footage combined with a greenscreen made for some mindboggling effects. Honestly, I think this is one of my favorite movies ever, visually. The overriding color is gold, as you can tell from the poster, and the color becomes a beautiful motif throughout the film. I'm really glad I was able to watch it in HD, you should too if you have the opportunity.

The acting is solid all around, though it's not mindblowing, and frankly, it doesn't need to be. Hugh Jackman has the strongest performance, with Ellen Burstyn (who previously starred in Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream) in a small role that she nevertheless manages to shine in. Rachel Weisz was quite suitable and I can't complain, but she didn't particularly impress me either. As I said, the acting isn't the best out there - not that it's bad by any stretch of imagination - but the acting really isn't the most important aspect of the film.

What really shined about the film, other than the visuals, was that it gave me a lot to think about. It has some really interesting themes relating to life, love, death, and immortality. And it's delightfully fun searching for and reflecting on the parallels between the three stories. The parallels aren't crammed down your throat (few things irk me more than when movies plainly state their themes and messages as if the viewer is incapable of figuring them out for themself), but they're quite clearly there. The climax, the culmination of all three stories, includes one particular short scene that absolutely blew my mind and gave me shivers. Absolutely fantastic.

There's one last thing I should mention, and that's the fact that The Fountain is an artsy film. There's no denying it. If you're the type of person who found 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, or There Will Be Blood too artsy, long, plodding, pretentious, or pointless, then The Fountain is not for you. I could say that it'll be above your head, or that you're too unintelligent for it, or that it's a thinking man's movie, but I won't. I really can see how someone could consider the whole thing a load of overindulgent crap. So if you fall into the category mentioned, don't bother. Otherwise, I heartily recommend it as a film that will dazzle the eyes and intrigue the mind.

In Bruges (2008)

I freely admit that I am far from a movie buff. I go to the theaters maybe a dozen times per year, if that. But recently I've begun watching more and more, and I think I'm starting to get the beginning of a feel for what makes a good film.

As Oscar season grows near, it seems like everybody goes back and catches up on the films they missed the year before. I started my personal catching up with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was a huge disappointment. But that's a story for another post. One of my friends strongly recommended I watch In Bruges, but I was skeptical reading the synopsis. Two hitmen just...hanging out? Boooring. But how wrong I was.

The acting is absolutely marvelous all around. Colin Farrell never impressed me as much as he did In Bruges. He plays a cranky yet utterly lovable hitman trying to unwind after his first hit doesn't go as planned. Brendan Gleeson has perfect chemistry with Farrell, playing the more seasoned killer exquisitely. It is really enjoyable simply watching the two interact.

The movie has a noticeable halfway point, where Ralph Fiennes' character, who was previously only heard over the phone, makes his debut in person, to great fanfare. He really surprised me by playing a character who was neurotic and yet reasonable in the same breath. Despite being the "antagonist," you still can't help but respect him. In Bruges is a movie about shades of grey. After all, the two main characters are people who kill for money, yet they're presented as really nice, down to earth people, rather than the prototypical coldhearted assassins.

In Bruges is difficult to pigeonhole into a genre. I find it is comparable to a Coen Bros. film. The movie is violent, and filled with dark humor, but it also has a very human and touching element to it that recent Coen Bros. movies have lacked. At any rate, the movie is concise, yet wandering in its pace, and I heartily recommend it to anyone. My favorite film of 2008.

Last.fm

This is gonna sound like a completely canned advertisement, but I'm actually completely genuinely enthusiastic about this shit. I guess I'm weird like that.

I'm going to take a minute to talk about the wonderful website known as Last.fm. If you love music, you need an account. The most obvious feature is its music history tracking. You download a plug-in for your media player of choice, and it records, or "scrobbles," your plays to your profile on the site. It updates each time you listen to a song, and tracks all sorts of interesting statistics about your listening history. So if you're wearing a tinfoil hat, it's not for you. But if you're like me (or most people on the site), you'll delight in seeing the plays rack up for your favorite bands. And it's an incredibly easy way to show someone else what kind of music you listen to.

Though scrobbling is all lots of people use Last.fm for, it has so much more to offer. For one thing, every artist has a page, with a modest biography, photos, most-played tracks, most popular albums, and a "shoutbox," Last.fm's equivalent of a Facebook wall or a comments section. You'll find a shoutbox on every page, whether it be a user, a song, or an artist. While the shoutboxes can often deteriorate into petty squabbling, it's never been easier to see what other people think of your favorite songs.


Did I mention that Last.fm has thousands of tracks you can fully stream for free? While this may not last forever, and there is a limit on how many times you can play each song, it's still a great feature. Say goodbye to shitty 30 second previews (well, for the most part).

Another one of the site's best features is their radio service. It's like Pandora, only basing its recommendations through networking instead of analyzing what an artist is like. You can customize the radio in a wide variety of ways, you can start with a single artist, a la Pandora, or listen to "Your Library" radio, which plays like a greatest hits shuffle of your favorite artists.

It even has events, meaning concerts and shows of course, and a journal page where you can write reviews or complete those annoying chain surveys nobody likes but everyone fills out. And you can see how high your musical compatibility is with other uses. And the site finds tracks that are legally free to download from artists you like or are recommended. The list of features goes on and on.

So if you listen to music even semi-seriously, you owe it to yourself to make a Last.fm. And to friend me when you do!

http://www.last.fm/user/lintman

Franz Ferdinand - Tonight (2009)

I suppose since I'm making a blog, and I love music, I might as well blog about music. Original and scintillating. Anyway, Franz Ferdinand. I first listened to these guys back in...fall of freshmen year of high school, I think. I was visiting a family friend in Austria, and he burned me a few CDs: Franz Ferdinand's self-titled, Bloc Party's Silent Alarm, and Mando Diao's Hurricane Bar. I would listen to these on repeat for longer than was likely healthy, because as a musical noob, I didn't have anything else to listen to. At any rate, Franz quickly became my favorite, and to my delight they followed up their debut with the awkwardly titled You Could Have It So Much Better (YCHISMB) the very next year, a promptness that you rarely find in modern music. But despite Franz being my first love, I quickly forgot about them when I was introduced to the wondrous Beatles, and so the band has largely remained on my backburner for the last four years. But now they have finally dropped back onto the radar, and I eagerly acquired the album at first leak.

Tonight: Franz Ferdinand is probably the band's most sinister album yet, but in ways, it's their most passive. Their debut drew you in with hedonistic cries of It's always better on holiday!, and YCHISMB blew you away with the zany, fuzzed out riff of The Fallen. Tonight, by contrast, slyly eases you in with the groovy yet laid back Ulysses, which also happens to be the first single off the album (not counting the unusual situation surrounding Lucid Dreams, to be discussed later). While singer Alex Kapranos is at first somewhat offputting with his whispered "Come on, let's get high!"s, when the chorus comes in, you know you're listening to Franz when you hear the trademark "La, la la la la, Ulysses!"

Ulysses is a mixture of old, catchy chorus Franz, with new, dark, synthy Franz, and as such, it serves as a delicious opener to the album, despite being hookless compared to its predecessors.

Franz returns to old style for the next two tracks, Turn It On, and No You Girls. Both delightfully catchy and full of hooks and hummable melodies, they are a welcome relief for any listener afraid that Franz would follow in Bloc Party's footsteps and experiment with their sound to the detriment of being listenable. The chorus of No You Girls is remiscent of their stomping debut, and it's great to see that they haven't left their roots behind.

Send Him Away marks another relatively new sound for Franz, featuring a spidery riff and a floaty, lightweight beat. As the previous two tracks reminded the listener of the band's debut, Send Him Away has whiffs of YCHISMB, but stays on track with a quiet "Won't you let me stay tonight?" reminding the listener of Ulysses's opening lines.

Twilight Omens marks the weakest step in the album yet, with a repetitive synth line and a forgettable melody, but Kapranos's wandering vocals keep the song interesting enough to avoid being a dud. The short length of 2:30 doesn't hurt either. Bite Hard, one of the more structurally interesting songs on the album, starts with an almost childish piano ditty, one that recalls Eleanor Put Your Boots On off their second album, but less than a minute in a threatening riff starts, and it turns into another groovy rocker, with possibly the best use of synth yet in the chorus.

The album falters a second time with What She Came For, which features an uninteresting beat and a needlessly complicated bass riff that goes nowhere. Kapranos' vocals are at their worst, and the melody is almost nonexistent. It's a somewhat intriguing stab at a different style but in my eyes it falls well short, being saved from utter mediocrity by a decent chorus (can the band even write a bad chorus?). Live Alone is the synthiest track yet found, and it is a fun song, but ultimately fails to impress itself in the listener's memory. Can't Stop Feeling finds reverb on Kapranos's vocals and a buzzy synthline that is catchy in its simplicity.

Lucid Dreams is easily the most interesting track on the album. The "original" version of the track was released as a single last fall, and was a delightfully catchy by-the-numbers Franz track. The (8 minute!) album version of the song is decidedly different. For one thing, it almost entirely omits the infectious chorus of the original ("There is no nation of you! There is no nation of me!"), and the verses are chopped and copied and pasted almost beyond recognition. Halfway through, things get even stranger when synth becomes more and more prominent, until it basically starts freaking out and doing all sorts of trippy stereo left-right speaker tricks. To be honest, the first time I heard the track, I thought it was a terrible and unprofessional remix of the original. But despite myself, I've grown to really enjoy the track, humming along to the skipping and chopped verses almost as easily as did to the original. I wouldn't want Franz to venture much further into this territory, but this experiment has to be labeled a success.

Dream Again is relatively uninteresting, but it works well as a cool-down track from the mammoth Lucid Dreams. Katherine Kiss Me is an acoustic ballad, and when I first saw the track described in "first listen" reviews, I was terrified of another Fade Together. Fortunately, this song is nowhere near as cringeworthy or stilting, and brings both Eleanor off YCHISMB as well as maybe even Faust Arp off In Rainbows to mind. A cute, understated closer.

Tonight was, to be honest, rather disappointing on first listen. But it is a grower, and Franz Ferdinand manages to tastefully integrate their new musical interests while retaining their dance-pop-rock sensibilities. Of note is the bonus cd, Blood, containing "alternate dub remixes" of the album's tracks, only retitled. If you love the reworked Lucid Dreams, the Blood cd is for you. Feel the Pressure, the evil twin brother of What She Came For, blows away the original, and the Ulysses remix, Feeling Kind of Anxious, is no slouch either. A very interesting look at what Tonight may have been if the band lacked self-descipline and restraint.

what is this i don't even

i've sunk to new depths in my search for procrastination tools