Ok, so I have decided I want to start doing some more movie/tv reviews, but brief ones. I did a few in the past on this vlog/blog, but ultimately I found myself not wanting to do long ones. Now, I do short and quick ones (some extremely short) on flixster for facebook, so I figure I will just transfer those over to the blog here and enrich the content a bit more. These are just going to be movies that I end up watching, not necessarily new ones only or anything. The brief review is as follows:
4.5/5 STARS
Well done, the alcoholism bit is pretty realistic, and its probably true that about 85% of Americans go about their day, drive their cars around, and function at some level with a constant measurable blood-alcohol level and/or dose of pain-pills. By far the best acting job I have seen Jeff Bridges do ever, and perhaps that is why he got the Oscar for it.
Ok, so that was a sample first "brief movie review." I will add more as I get to them. Woot!
And the song for today is....Where I'm Going, by Aussie synth-pop band Cut Copy. Cut Copy originate in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia) and consists of Dan Whitford (vocals, keyboards, and guitar), Tim Hoey (bass guitar and sampler), and Mitchell Scott (drums). Cut Copy started out in 2001 with Dan Whitford who is both a DJ and a graphic designer, and in fact Whitford released the first single and EP on his own before he recruited the other band members that comprise the band today. I have had the privilege of seen Cut Copy live on two occasions, and I highly recommend checking them out live if you ever get this chance, a very good show. Now, I am not sure if Where I'm Going is the first song off of their new album (TBA in 2011), or if is being released as a single, but its a goodie for sure, and it can be downloaded free in mp3 format at their website if you join their email list. Go out and pick yourself up a copy (no pun) of their In Ghost Colours album (released in 2008), which I would personally sum up as a mix between Duran Duran and Radiohead. Enjoy one of my top fav bands!
Yes we are back to the 80's once again. This time presenting #69 of the countdown. And the song is....Goodbye Horses, by American singer Q Lazzarus. Q Lazzarus is well known for this song, as it was no doubt her one hit wonder of 1988. I don't know why, I just know that I am a bit stoked to put this song on my countdown, it just doesn't show up on other 80's music radars much if you know what I mean. Goodbye Horses may be best remembered for its appearance on the soundtrack of Silence of the Lambs, as it was featured as serial killer/skinner character Buffalo Bill's theme songin that movie (ugghh, but I never associated it with that, and maybe that is why so many others don't like the song much due to that association). That said, this same song was also featured on movies Married to the Mob, Clerks II, Lakai Footwears' Fully Flared tv commercial, as well as on the Grand Theft Auto IV and Skate 3 video games, and TV shows Family Guy and Nip Tuck. Its a song that gets around, that is for sure, and funnily enough and unintentionally it has ended up as #69 on VJ Samsonite's Top 100 Dance Hits of the 80's Countdown, you know, just in case you forgot already ;-) A few more interesting trivia tidbits that I discovered on wikipedia.com are that Q Lazzarus actually appeared in the 1986 film Something Wild (with Melanie Griffith and Jeff Daniels) and performing the song The Candle Goes Away. She also appeared in the 1993 Tom Hanks Oscar winning film Philadelphia, performing the Talking Heads song Heaven. Another interesting fact is that for a little while she worked as a taxi-cab driver in NYC. Now the video is a bit strange, but really the most normal appearing video of this on youtube, in fact you should check out all the different videos that have been made for this song on youtube if you get the chance. Well, if you want more info, look her up on wikipedia or lastfm, now get out there and dance!
And the song is....We Bleed, by Aussie electronic band Karton. Karton consists primarily of duo Paul Beohm and Paul Richter, who come out of Canberra in the ACT. Cris Clucas has also been added to the band as extra vocals on some of their tracks. There isn't a whole lot of info out there on them, so if you are interested in more check out their myspace page here. The youtube video was the only one I could find of this song, and again if you want to check out their other tracks head to their myspace page.
And the song is......Burn Bridges, by 3 piece Aussie rock band The Grates. The Grates come out of Brisbane, Australia and consist of Patience Hodgson as vocals, John Patterson on guitar, and Alana Skyring on drums. The Grates are known for their highly energetic songs and live shows and were formed back in 2002. Since 2002 they have released 6 EP's and 2 full length studio albums with a 3rd coming out soon. Burn Bridges was released in Australia back in June of 2008, and was the first single release off of their 2nd full length album titled Teeth Lost, Hearts Won. It reached #34 on the ABC's Triple J Hottest 100 for that year. Check em out, and see what you think.
And the song is....Young Blood, by New Zealand indie rock band The Naked and Famous. This song was just released out in May, 2010, and the song charted at #1 on the New Zealand singles chart, making them the first Kiwi band to produce a #1 hit in at least 3 years in their own country (although I would have thought that Ladyhawke had produced a #1 more recently, but maybe not). The Naked and Famous are a 5-piece band consisting of members David Beadle, Thom Powers, Aaron Short, Jesse Wood, and Alisa Xayalith. I would compare the sound of this song to MGMT for sure, but there full release and debut album is set to come out next month (August 2010). Enjoy the song, and note that it is available as a free download at this link, along with a few other new songs.
And the song is...She Never Wants to Dance, by Aussie indie rock band City Riots. City Riots emerge out of Adelaide in South Australia and consist of Ricky Kradolfer, John De Michele, Matt Stadler, and Dan Kradolfer. She Never Wants to Dance is the first released single to come off of their debut album which is still yet to be released in full. In late 2008, City Riots were nominated for Triple J’s Unearthed Artist of the Year Award. Not a heap more info out there on them, if you fancy you can get more info on them HERE.City Riots
Here we are, another 10 hits down, and its #70! And the song is....I'm Goin' Down by the all-American rock-singer-songwriter Bruce (The Boss) Springsteen! I'm Goin' Down was the 6th song to be released off of his #1 hit Born in the U.S.A. album, originally released back in 1984. As it was the 6th single release from that album it resulted that it would reach #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in fall of 1985. There was no music video ever made for this song (bit of a bummer as its my personal Springsteen favorite), and it was one of those forgotten great songs as it was released amongst so many other giant single released from that album. According to wikipedia: "There was some controversy surrounding the release of yet another single from the album, which had been out for well over a year at that point. Cliff Bernstein, manager of Def Leppard and Dokken, said "I think a sixth single is a little bit of overkill." Now, youtube doesn't have the recorded version of this song, only the disappointing live versions, which are not even worthy of posting here in place of the recorded version in my opinion. So, go to Itunes or Amazon or whatever you use and check out what #70 really sounds like, and I am talking about the the studio recorded version of the song. And so there it is, #70 in all its glory, now here's to the Boss!
And the song is....Rio, by Aussie indie rock group The Salvadors. The Salvadors originate out of Adelaide in South Australia, and consist of Tom on vocals and guitar, Eddy on guitar, Jeff on bass guitar, Eugine on drums, and Cat on keyboards. There is not a whole lot of other info I could easily find on them so look them up here if you want more info. Just blame it on Rio!
Well, I must say, this vlog has been all about music these past few months, but now I finally have a movie trailer for all to check out. If you are a soccer-fan, footballer, or whatever check this movie out. It was done by some friend's of my sister and will most likely show just in Independent theatres so you may have to search for it, but at least check out the trailer.
We're Baaackk!! And now to present to you #71 of the TOP 100 80'S DANCE HITS COUNTDOWN (by yours truly) is the song. Now, some of these artists are already repeating and I haven't even reached down to #50 yet, so just know that I am basing these rankings on the songs, not the artists, and as you all know its done in a very professional and accurate manner with crazy mathematical formuli and....not really. So, the song is.... Point of No Return, by American duo (and married couple) Nu Shooz. Now, I know what your thinking, didn't Exposé do the hit 80's song called Point of No Return, and my answer for you is yes they did. However, Portland Oregon based 80's wonder Nu Shooz made a great dance hit by the same name which received much acclaim. Now, you may be disappointed by this, and I am not making any promises, but the Exposé song may appear on this countdown later on, unless it doesn't. So who knows...all we know for now is that #71 is the Nu Shooz, Point of No Return. As I mentioned on the previous post, which came in at #83, this hit came off of their 1986 album release titled Poolside. I encourage you to look to that previous post for more info on the band and such. Enjoy your Nu Shooz.
And the song is...Noiseless, by another Aussie indie band called Stunning in Red. Stunning in Red, like yesterday's artist also originate out of Perth, in Western Australia. They say that Perth is technically the most geographically isolated city in the world, there's a great fact for your trivia night! The band consists of 4 members, and they have produced an EP called Delaway Field, that is meant to be released in the coming few months. Now, once again youtube does not have this song on their database so you will once again have to go to the band's myspace page here to listen to this song and see what you think. Enjoy Stunning in Red!
And the song is... That Girls For Me, by Aussie rock band The MDC. The MDC come out of Perth, in Western Australia and they have a fresh punk-rock high energy sound. Members include Chris Action (guitar), Ben ? (bass guitar) and Jack Daniels (vocals). Now I don't really have any other info on this band, but they are the song of the day. There is no youtube info, and I discovered them on Triple J's Unearthed site, so you will have to go to this link right here in order to read about the band and listen to the song, it has to be done this way I'm afraid. The cool thing about Triple J Unearthed is that they let you download the Mp3 versions of the songs they post for free, as the whole point is to give the artists they represent some following, so Shut Up and Dance!
And the song for today is...Runnin' Away, by 22 year old Aussie MC/hip hop artist Skryptcha. Skryptcha is the latest member to sign up with Obese Records, and he comes from a musical family. He began his MC career back in 2003 and was Australia's first entrant to the well-known and prestigious Julliard School of Music in New York, NY. His stuff is up on Itunes, and in fact he has a new album coming out soon. Go here for more info on his biography. Enjoy!
Shake It Up, by The Cars! Finally they have appeared on the countdown at number 72! This countdown isn't moving very fast, but I suppose that is part of my strategy, and the strategy of a countdown, to keep you coming back for more right??! Now, The Cars were an American rock band which formed back in 1976 onto what was called the new-wave music scene. Coming out of Boston, Massachusetts the members were Ric Ocasek (vocals and guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards and synth) and David Robinson (drums). Shake It Up was the second track on the 1981 released album of the same name, and it was their fourth studio album at the time. Shake It Up and Since Your Gone both appeared on The Last American Virgin soundtrack, and were on this album. With its release in 1981 the song Shake It Up reached number 4 on the Billboard Top 100 and in 1982 it reached number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. The band officially broke up in 1988 and no reunion of original members has ever taken place. Look out for #72!
The song of the day is...Moonlight Hours, by Aussie indie-pop-soul band The Holidays. The Holidays, like so many other great new artists, come out of Sydney Australia and comprises of Simon Jones, Will Magnus, Alex Kortt and Andrew Kerridge. The band was formed back in 2006 and they have released 3 EP's and one single. The single they released is this song, Moonlight Hours, which debuted in January of 2010. Anyways, check em out, there's heaps more to come.
Its been awhile since a random music post, so have to do one now. I recently visited Barcelona in May, someone I know is going there, Spain just won the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Nadal won the French Open and Wimbledon, and it is looking like Spaniard Alberto Contador is going to clench another Tour. Spain! so hot right now!! So with that here is a Latin group, not from Spain but actually out of Argentina, but I discovered the song watching the movie Barcelona (1994). So it is at least Latin, y por eso sera! The song is La hora del crepúsculo (Twilight Time in english), by Los Cincos Latinos.
Well hello again, here we are at #73 of the Countdown! And the song is...Through the Fire, by musician Larry Greene (1986). Now, strange as it might seem, neither wikipedia.org nor lastfm.com have a lick of info on this guy. So I will talk about Top Gun instead, not just because it is also an 80's super smash, but also because this song was on the soundtrack, which was part of what really made that movie such a true 80's classic not to be forgotten. The soundtrack for Top Gun reached #1 on the Billboard 200 for 5 consecutive weeks in the Summer of 1986. For some interesting facts on the movie by wikipedia are as follows:
"The AFI's 100 Years%u2026100 Movie Quotes list had the line "I feel the need - the need for speed!" from Top Gun at number 94 on the list. The film also ranked at number 455 in Empire's 2008 list of the 500 greatest films of all time.[16] Yahoo! Movies recently ranked Top Gun #19 on their list of greatest action films of all-time."
Well that sounds enough for now, I hope to not have so little info on the artist like this, including the fact that there are no public domain pics of him, but there really aren't very many not so well-known artists on my countdown. Make sure you go out and watch the movie again, mos def a Summertime classic.
...The Memento, by 4 piece Aussie indie rock band Traps. Traps come out of Sydney in New South Wales, and consist of members Kieran Day (lead vocals & guitar), Ben Hassell (vocals & guitar), Matthew Edge (bass guitar) and Malcolm Tain (drums). They formed back in 2007, each member coming from a different band. And that is about all the info their is on them out there, so enjoy the song! Now you will realize that there is no video, and that is because the song is not up on youtube, or anywhere else, which leaves us with the myspace page, the last resort of course but better than nothing, so look at this link for the song. Cheers!
...Through the Clover, by Aussie sister-band Stonefield (formerly known as Iotah). Stonefield don't have a lot of info on the web about their bio other than they are comprised of 4 sisters who won the Triple J Unearthed High competition in 2010, so fairly recently. They won that competition whilst still under the name of Iotah, but have since changed that name to Stonefield. Youtube only has a live video of them performing the song, but you can find a free mp3 downloadable version on Triple J's Unearthed site at this link. Enjoy!
....Three Sheets to the Wind, by American hip hop artist Sage Francis. Sage Francis originates out of Providence, Rhode Island and been around on the music scene since 1999. Francis is the CEO/owner of the independent hip-hop record label Strange Famous Records. Three Sheets to the Wind is the 3rd track to come off of his Li(f)e album, which was released in May 2010. Enjoy the song...
Now we are getting down to it, we've past the first 25 of the countdown, and now on down to the final 74! Speaking of, number 74 is...Say This to Me, by Canadian new wave band NEO a4. What's that you say...never heard of the song or the band??? Don't feel alone, because you aren't. I first discovered NEO a4 whilst watching Friday the 13th part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan. The version of the song I am including on the list is actually the 12" version too, so take note of that. NEO a4 came out of Edmonton, Alberta Canada in 1981 and the members were Ric Johnston, John Tidswell, Joel Anderson. Later, Doug Radford. They lasted as a group until 1989 when they disbanded. If you look on Itunes you will find those albums and this song. I have rated this song on the countdown as I have found them to be a very good and very unrecognized band, with a similar sound to Duran Duran, or the Thompson Twins, some kind of hybrid of groups, and I highly recommend checking out their self-titled album on Itunes, which is the only place I have been able to find it. Youtube has one of their songs, but not this one, and no one else seems to have it available either so their is no video for this, sorry folks, you'll have to go here to listen to it. In fact this may be the only song on the whole Top 100 Countdown that will be unavailable to watch on youtube, but I suppose there had to be at least one. Enjoy!
...Come With Me, by Swedish electronica artist CEO. CEO is actually a new project by Eric Berglund of his other electronica group named the Tough Alliance. Now I know I have been a bit slack as of late with the new music "songs of the day," but I reckon nobody really reads this vlog/blog yet so who gives a shart. Pues nada...CEO comes out of Gothenburg, Sweden and Berglund was in another group (as I just mentioned), or I should say a duo called The Tough Alliance. Come With Me is a new single and was just released in June 2010.
Here we are again folks, now presenting #75 of the Countdown, and the song is...Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me), by British singer/songwriter Rod Stewart. Rod Stewartcomes out of England, and is of English and Scottish decent. Stewart was born in London way back in 1945 at the close of WWII, and he started his music career with the Jeff Beck Group in the late 1960's and early 1970's. In 1969 he also officially began a solo career with his first debut album. Stewart has had something like 62 hit singles over the 5 decades of his music career and he was voted the 33rd Greatest Singer of All Time by Q Magazine. Stewart has a memorable voice and has always had a memorable hairstyle. Tonight I'm Yours (Don't Hurt Me) is a song that came into my awareness not all that long ago, but it was the title track for his 1981 album of the same name. The album and the song were some of the first of Stewart's where he began adding some synth-pop and an 80's New Wave flavor to his sound which so defined his 80's musical style, and was different from his previous work for sure. Tonight I'm Yours reached #11 on the US Pop Albums Chart, and ended up going platinum. The album generated 5 big singles, and incidentally the biggest hit single from that album was Young Turks which reached #5 on the Pop Singles and Mainstream Rock Charts. Well, enough data, now for the song, enjoy yourself some Rod the Bod! Rod Steward - Tonight I`m yours - MyVideo
....Whisper, by Hawaiian island music band Maoli. Maoli started up in Maui originally with 14 year old Glenn Awong who started writing and performing his own original music at the encouragement of his high-school music teacher. In 2005 Glenn later formed a band and won a Battle of the Bands contest. In 2008 Maoli released their first full length album titled Groovin. Now, Whisper is a single off of their newest album, which is to be released in stores on August 3rd, 2010, titled Rock Easy. The youtube clip below shows it as being off of their Groovin album, but you won't find it on there so unless I am mistaken, it will be on their new album. So mos def looking forward to that! Enjoy!
...Where the City Meets the Sea, by Australian alternative rock band The Getaway Plan. The Getaway Plan formed in 2004, and are from Melbourne, Victoria in Australia. The band members are singer/guitarist Matthew Wright, guitarist Clint Splattering, bass guitarist Dave Anderson and drummer Aaron Barnett. They have released one studio length album in 2008 titled Other Voices, Other Rooms. Where the City Meets the Sea comes off of that album as the 3rd track, which is already over 3 years old! Funny how that works with songs, you hear them and then you realize that "holy f$@ing Shi$# this song is already 5 years old!," or something like that, at least I now how that goes with me, and you know music is a bit like fashion, one year your style is in, the next its lame and out-dated, not that this song or band are like that by any means, but I just wanted to point out the ever changing tides of music. Enjoy!
Ahoy There! We are presenting #76 of the countdown on this hot summer day of our lord in North America! Now unless your Aussie you might not be familiar with this song or this band as they were a one hit Aussie rock wonder from 1987. And the song is...Run to Paradise, by Sydney hard-rock band The Choirboys. Run to Paradise is a classic in the Aussie-rock repetoire and the band is considered to be an "Iconic Australian Heritage Band." It reached #3 on the Australian Singles Chart back in 1987 with its release. Never heard of them or this song you say?? Well, guess what chicken-butt, now you have!! The Choirboys were formed back in 1979 in the Northern Sydney beaches, which are arguably some of the best sandy-beaches in the world. The original band members are Mark Gable (Singer), Ian Hulme (Bass guitar), Lindsay Tebbutt (Drummer), and Brad Carr (lead guitar). According to wikipedia they are actually still a band, not all the original members of course, but they still perform Run to Paradise around the Aussie summer festivals from time to time and were last spotted performing it at the Gold Coast SuperGP/Indy Carnival in October of 2009. Check em out and see what you think of this legendary Aussie song.
...Time to Wander, by by Aussie duo Gypsy and the Cat. Xavier Bacash and Lionel Towers make up the duo and hail at us out of Melbourne, Australia. Of the two songs I've heard by them, they are quite a talented musical duo no diggity. There really is no bio info on these two other than they are from Oz. Both of their songs have been released as singles, and will probably appear on an EP at some point, so check em out.
....Two Love, by Australian artist Matt Van Schie. I have posted Matt Van Schie before, I believe two songs, and this song also comes off of his May 2010 released Balmy Nights EP. Matt Van Schie is the also the lead vocalist for the electronica-group Van She, in fact, that is where they got the band name. Matt Van Schie and Van She are based in Melbourne Australia, look up their myspace profiles for more info. Now this song isn't on youtube for some wack reason so here is the myspace link to the song, its lame I know but it is better than nothing....Two Love, by Matt Van Schie and note that the link takes you to a playlist and you have to click on the song "Two Love" to hear the pick of the day.
Welcome back everybody! I am here today to present #77 of the Top 100 80's Dance Hits Countdown. You know, I keep coming across songs that I forgot about or that I haven't heard in awhile thinking that I should have made this countdown an even Top 200 or something, but I suppose I can just post my own professional recommendations following the countdown, and in the meantime lets just get on with it!! Ok, so number 77 is....Burning Up, by the Queen of Pop herself Madonna! Now like I mentioned in the (#80) MJ post Madonna, Prince, and MJ all turned 50 last year, making them all 51 this year of 2010. The Queen of Pop was born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, and it was back in 1977 when she moved to the Big Apple to pursue a career in modern dance, which inevitably led her to the music business and the amazingly prolific success she has had there over the past 31 years or so. Madonna has sold over 250 millions records over the years and is considered the best-selling female artist of the 20th century (according to wikipedia). She has also graced the silver-screen winning both a Golden Globe Award and an Oscar in 1996 for her starring role as Eva Perón in the 1996 movie Evita. There could be entire books written about the controversies, implications, and details of Madonna's life, career, and impact on global culture; in fact as the Queen of Pop she has no doubt been one of the most influential female icons in the past 30 years. Go buy a book or look her up elsewhere if you want more than what I've said here. Burning up was the 3rd track on Madonna's first studio-released and self-titled album. It was a not a big hit relative to her various other hits, I mean seriously, can you find another highly prolific artist outside of Michael Jackson with the same consistent number of mega-hits as Madonna?? That is why she is the Queen of Pop. Madonna was released in March of 1983, and Burning Up was the second single released following Physical Attraction of that first album. Well, that's all I got for you here, like a said books probably have been written and she is still producing hit albums so no need to go into depth here. Enjoy the Queen of Pop!
...Bicycle, by American recording front Memory Tapes. Memory Tapes is a recording alias of New Jersey-based Dayve Hawk, former frontman of Philadelphia-based Hail Social. Memory Tapes is considered an electronic/chill-wave artist (according to wikipedia). Check out his myspace page here.
...I Want to Know, by Australia metal band The Art. The Art are based in Sydney (suburb of Newtown), Australia and consist of band members Steven Asbury (Drums), Jak (Guitar / Vocals), Kara Jayne - Bass / Vocals, and Azaria (Vocals / Guitar). I don't have too much other info on them, so check out their myspace page if you are keen. Now youtube didn't have this one, but vimeo did, so lets see if it works... The Art - I Wanna Know from Jen Panczenko on Vimeo.
...Beyond All, by Australian indie-latin-rock-ska-jazz-eclectic band The Cat Empire. Now I have personally seen this band live twice and would recommend it. The Cat Empire is a hard band to classify as a genre as they mish-mash so many different musical styles and so many of their songs are different sounding from others, but not to worry, wikipedia just classifies them as "eclectic," so there is even a genre for "no classifiable genre." Directly quoted from wikipedia "Currently, the Cat Empire is composed of Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals), Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals), Ollie McGill, Ryan Monro (bass and backing vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums) and Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala (decks, percussion). They are also commonly backed by the Empire Horns, a brass duo, and have recurring guest musicians, (keyboard and backing vocals)." They formed back in 1999 and have released 5 studio albums, and 3 live albums. Beyond All comes off of their June 25th, 2010 new album release titled Cinema. Enjoy!
Shake It Up, by The Cars! Finally they have appeared on the countdown at number 72! This countdown isn't moving very fast, but I suppose that is part of my strategy, and the strategy of a countdown, to keep you coming back for more right??! Now, The Cars were an American rock band which formed back in 1976 onto what was called the new-wave music scene. Coming out of Boston, Massachusetts the members were Ric Ocasek (vocals and guitar), Benjamin Orr (bass guitar), Elliot Easton (lead guitar), Greg Hawkes (keyboards and synth) and David Robinson (drums). Shake It Up was the second track on the 1981 released album of the same name, and it was their fourth studio album at the time. Shake It Up and Since Your Gone both appeared on The Last American Virgin soundtrack, and were on this album. With its release in 1981 the song Shake It Up reached number 4 on the Billboard Top 100 and in 1982 it reached number 2 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart. The band officially broke up in 1988 and no reunion of original members has ever taken place. Look out for #72!
