Proceeds from Modest Mouse's "King Rat" going to non-profit marine life organization

I am apparently, severly misinformed. The musical chronology of Modest Mouse is far less expansive than I was under the impression of. I am of course referring to their albums, not every thing else. They have under their belts five official studio albums (LPs), as well as six EPs.

However, though their collection of released albums is shorter than I was aware of, their strew of songs is longer than ever.

On a serious note, this video, entitled, "King Rat," is taken from the newly released EP, No One's First, and You're Next. It was directed by Heath Ledger, and was completed after his death by The Masses, an ambitious film and music company he was a partner in. Ledger's intent for making this video was to bring an "impassioned stance against the illegal commercial whale hunts taking place off the coast of Australia each year."

Proceeds from the video when purchased on iTunes go to the non-profit, marine life organization Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. Be sure to check out their stance on wildlife conservation, as well as the many ways each of us can be involved in aiding this organization.

You can download the video HERE for a humble price.

Faraway, So Close!

I just finished watching Faraway, So Close! (or in German: In weiter Ferne, so nah!). The 1993 film is directed and co-written by Wim Wenders, the man who gave us a number of movies, in and of his own unique, tasteful, and arguably, sometimes daft style. A few of his films include, The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick, Hammett, The State of Things, Wings of Desire, and Paris, Texas.

In the opening credits of the film, we find the protagonist nested on top of the Berlin Victiory Column. He is an angel. Him and his divine kin traverse (more like waft) the earth. Their job is to guide human beings, whispering words of truth to them, carrying them through the darkness at the end of their lives, and above all, watching them. A striking statement comes out at the beginning of the movie:

"We are neither the light, nor the message. We are the messengers."

Another beautiful monologue in the film stood out to me, this time coming from an Italian man, working in his shop, as he lets his thoughts pour out of him. The angels after all, hear the thoughts of humans, thereby knowing the present conditions of their hearts. It is as follows:

"It still amazes me, that you don't have to think about what you do, once you've established a routine. You can think any thoughts, draw your conclusions, contradict them, just like an angel, but without the exclusivity.

Meanwhile you create something! Something to eat, a chair, a fur hat, a pizza. Lot's of necessary things, and plenty of them, so there'll be enough some day. At the same time, you must think about what isn't necessary and what's still missing. Otherwise you'd only have things that already exist. And you'd be bored."

Michael Cera plays someone we have not met before

Finally, Michael Cera being portrayed as something other than a sensitive youth, finding his way in to hilarious sexual situations. Youth In Revolt looks like a comedy, and judging by this trailer, is most certainly a comedy.
Boy wants to get girl. Boy can't get girl, so decides to make for himself an alter ego named Francois. Francois is a deeper voiced, sarcastic version of himself, who seems to have stumbled out of Wes Anderson's closet. He also has a mustache. I will leave it up to you to decide whether Francois is merely an alter ego, or is in fact an example of multiple personalities.

Crocodiles sound like a girl group from the 60's

So I'm listening to this song called "I Wanna Kill," by this band called Crocodiles. They're rad. They have an old 60's quality to their guitar styling. As I'm enjoying every moment of being immersed in their sonic tapestry, my wife yells at me from the couch, "Hey! This has the same guitar part as the song "And Then He Kissed Me!"

I quickly googled this claim. My wife was right. The Crystals performed the song, which included said guitar part. And it is the same lick! I'm not surprised that she was correct. My wife is very intellgent, and has a great memory. I am just extremely surprised she plucked that obscure little detail right off the top of her head.

In the Arts Beat section of The New York Times, under the heading, SXSW: Four Word Reviews, Wednesday Afternoon, Crocodiles are described as:

Stylish wall of throb.

This is a perfect description. Listen to these guys.

Radiohead and Third Day set to release collaborative effort

I am just kidding.

I stumbled across this article, comparing christian act Third Day's newest album, to the artwork of Radiohead's 2003 release, Hail to the Thief.


Radiohead : Hail to the Thief





Third Day : Revelation



Since we all know what Radiohead was communicating through their title Hail to the Thief*, what was the source of "revelation" that took the name for Third Day's newest creation? Was it implicit of anything specifically? One would think it must be, to possess such a title as REVELATION. In fact, I would only assume the best from my fellow Christian brothers, whose insight into the salvation of humanity puts them ahead of the game of life. In fact, if I had a chance to talk with the men from Third Day, I would encourage them to look for truth in all places, and claim all truth as God's. Look to culture, look to other musicians, look to what's going on in the world; mimic that which inspires you. But come on guys, don't copy what someone else has already done.

You can read the full article HERE.

*Though Thom has stated that the album's content was heavily influenced by current events, he denies it having strictly political intent. However, the artwork of the album has been called a "roadmap," a reference by Radiohead to the Bush Administration's 2003 plan for peace in the Middle East.

Tracyanne's Idaho

I just stumbled across this blog post from lead singer of Camera Obscura, Tracyanne Campbell. I found her meandering thoughts to be quite entertaining, especially at the mention of our very own Idaho.
Also, I am delighted with the realization that Camera Obscura have made their way so far west in this tour of the United States. I have heard of some bands hitting up California alone (which is a mistake) and skipping the much more interesting entirety of the West Coast. NEXT TIME, eh Louis?

Here is the post:

This reminds me; I still don't have their new album.

September 1

David Bazan : Curse Your Branches