Going Back To Work

So the weekend ends this way, with another grill out and a little sunshine. Much better than the weekend before, eh?


Just a short bit tonight, as I'm shot after another busy weekend. Looking back I don't seem to have many restful, rejuvenating weekends, just the kind that are filled with tasks and obligations. At least this time I got to see some friends and get a little sun, which is about all a man can ask for these days.


I've written before about my love of Colin Hay's solo efforts. While his album 'Going Somewhere' is a great piece of work, start to finish, he does have other songs that are equally worthy. But while I love some of the songs on his collection Man @ Work, it seems to be an uneven affair with a range in quality. 

A collection of disparate tracks, the 2003 release is less an album than a collection of work. Tracks vary from original compositions to re-recordings of his Men At Work hits to acoustic rearrangements of his hits. There's a little bit of everything here, but not all of it is of the highest caliber. Don't get me wrong - I still very much enjoy the album, it's just that as a whole, its a bit more uneven than Going Somewhere. Clear standout tracks from this collection include more of Hays' sublime acoustic work, his playing soft and dynamic with his distinctive vocal stylings. One of my favorite tracks of the 80s, 'Down Under', sounds excellent as a stripped down number. The song takes on a whole new feel as a result, becoming more contemplative and almost mournful, somehow. 'Who Can It Be Now?', another big hit by Men At Work, gains that same level of introspection and curiously subdued nature from a paring of the elements. The central hook sounds just as great on an acoustic as it did on a sax in the original. The version of the wonderful 'Waiting for My Real Life to Begin' is the same here as it is on Going Somewhere - still great and heartbreaking, just the same version.

The best track, though, has to be the acoustic rendition of the Men At Work song 'Overkill'. What was once an up-tempo number becomes a beautiful, haunting number about second guessing and obsessive recollection. It's an amazing song and Hays' voice sounds superb when he sings it. The song is simply a great bit of writing that sounds fantastic in his hands.


There are still a handful of tracks unaccounted for in this post, which I won't examine in depth. It's not that I don't like them, they're fine as they are, but they're just not for me. There's something about probably half the songs on this album that just don't work for me, but I think that's me and not Hay's production. Maybe other people, his fanatics, really love them. I just know there are some clear, strong tracks in comparison. Regardless, if you want some of the better tracks you can cherry-pick them on iTunes or another service. They're really solid. Just not the entire album. Still, Hay is a great performer with a distinct, appealing sound that shouldn't be missed.

More Coasting

How did the weekend come to a close so quickly? Was it something I said? Oh well.


Time quickly got away from me this weekend and in my rush of obligations and time spent with family in another state, what would normally be in this space has yet to be written. Long story short - I'm exhausted and have nothing prepared. Sucks to have to cop to being caught with empty pockets, yet at the same time it was unquestionably worth it to spend time with my family and see my godson for once. He's adorable, in case you're wondering. Like, heart-stoppingly cute. But I digress.


In the interest of filling this space with something relevant and appropriate, I'll direct your attention to something I had hoped to touch base on last week. In the process of writing about 30 Seconds to Mars I was scrolling through my iTunes library and one of the things I wasn't able to incorporate into the post was the excellent video for the lead single on the follow up album to A Beautiful Lie, This Is War. The single, Kings & Queens, is an epic, sprawling track that features throngs of the band's fans singing part of the hook. The song is a bit of a growth for the band, showing their development and refinement of their sound as they matured in their songwriting process. This album further developed their articulate nature and 'Kings & Queens'  shows that refinement of style. The anthem-like choruses and crowd-aided wailing add a sense of grandiosity to the tune, while the verses and bridge are exercises in building and fostering energy and momentum. It's powerful, effective writing.

The clip for the song, titled 'The Ride', has members of the band as well as several bike-and-community focused groups staging a massive ride through downtown L.A., inter-cut with the band playing in the setting sun. It's a gorgeous, sweeping bit of film that serves the scope of the tune very well, even if it doesn't fall in sync with their previous videos which focused on storytelling and scene. Whereas other videos had the band shooting in the arctic circle or recreating the work of Stanley Kubric, this one is a bit more accessible. That doesn't diminish the impact, though. The scope of the organization and humanity they present in the film is fantastic and relate-able despite the costumes. Regardless of the shift in direction, do yourself a favor and check out the short film, it's a sight to behold and the song is terrific as well.

Again, my apologies for the truncated post today, but I will be returning with more content tomorrow. In the meantime check out this fantastic video and single by a band I can't say enough good about. They've always got something up their sleeve, so keep an ear to the ground. Hope you had a good weekend.

Film On The Surface

Hey cats.


100 posts. Has a nice round ring to it, huh? I think so, but maybe that's just our human nature to attach significance to even integers with zeros after them. Either way, I'm glad I've gotten this far and am so appreciative of the audience I have. Just knowing there's anyone out there reading about the awesome things I'm excited about makes me happy - that's the whole point, just to let other people know about some particular thing that is excellent but has little recognition nowadays. So, having hit a nice round, distant number (and once again feeling like crud after being crammed into an airplane twice in less than a week) I thought instead of simply taking a brief sabbatical I would compile some of the similarly themed posts for a few days. Nothing too long, just enough of a break to recharge my batteries and enable me to give you the best of my rambling brain. Today, then? Today we have the posts I've done about movies! Look at them:


Brick - see Joseph Gordon Levitt make his presence known in a great modern noir.
Monsters - a great indie film made for unbelievably little, very cool.
Cloverfield - why 'The Blair Witch Eats Manhattan' is actually pretty rad.
Fan Edits - In which I show my apologist leanings in favor of The Phantom Menace and the Matrix Sequels.
Spirited Away - one of my favorite movies, full of gorgeous, quiet moments.
The Matrix Trilogy - say what you want, but these were amazing to see on Blu Ray!
The Goonies - my secret love of Cyndi Lauper's black-sheep hit.
Moon - the most poignant, sorrowful and above all lovingly done sci-fi film of the last five years.
Mystery Team - the twisted take on Encyclopedia Brown/Hardy Boys starring Donald Glover.


Take a pass through these excellent movie-centric posts and get an idea for what to watch this weekend. I know you can find more than a couple of these online, ifyoucatchmydrift. I'm gonna go overdose on fruits and veggies. See you with another roundup tomorrow!

Sunday Evening Post

Yeah, yeah, yeah.


Sunday evening and I have nothing.


Another week has come to a close with spring seemingly no closer. It's a load of crap! Next week, though. Next week it gets warmer. I can feel it.


In lieu of genuine content I present you one of my favorite online shops - the eccentricity and brilliance that is Think Geek. Described as Stuff for Smart Masses, the site is a repository for all things nerdy and brilliantly designed. You name it, they got it - detachable joystick for your iPad? Check. Bad Robot Statue? Check. Combination NES/SNES player with controller? Check. Vinturi Wine Aerator that I wrote about two months ago? Check.

The site is a geek's haven for all things gadget related. There are tons of products for the kitchen, your home office and your car. There are even decals to turn your child's (or your own) room into the first level of Super Mario Bros. or Donkey Kong.  There are great deals on nerdy clothing, as well. Hoodies with hidden pockets and lines for headphones are a highlight, as is my personal favorite - the 8-bit tie. 

I know it's not much of an update, but I just wanted to put the love out there for the site and all the awesome products they have. I'll be back tomorrow with a proper update but I wanted to make sure there was an awesome thing posted for the day. Head over to their site and see what's available.  I guarantee if you look around you'll find something you can't live with out!

Vague Recollections

Hey, cats.


Really, really busy day.


Doing an intense, once in a long time home project and haven't been able to sit down and type all day. I haven't been able to do a proper column so to distract you I'll give a little Saturday night entertainment.


What you need to do if you're reading this is head over to Thatguywiththeglasses.com and check out The Nostalgia Critic. The entire site is a sprawling monument to the movies of the last twenty years, be they good or bad. The Nostalgia Critic is a ridiculously funny guy who basically riffs on these old movies and deconstructs them in a biting and absurd manner. While the site actually has numerous contributers and styles of video critiques, ranging from surly pirates to video game breakdowns of all sorts, it is the original flavor, the Nostalgia Critic, who really makes me howl. His bewildered and beleagured takes on many of the movies from my youth make me both wince and cock my head in the wistful manner utilized on so many TV shows. Just check out a list of the movies of which he alone has done segments:


Blank Check
Last Action Hero
Sidekicks
Ferngully
North
Moonwalker
Pagemaster
The Good Son
Twister
Space Jam
Howard The Duck
Surf Ninjas
3 Ninjas
The Wizard
Cartoon All Stars To The Rescue


Come on, look at that list. I'm sure you winced at one title at the very least. There are some awesomely bad movies in there. The Good Son! McCauly Culkin plays an evil kids! Do you remember that? It was amazingly bad! Blank Check - kid gets a million dollars, no one blinks at the occurance.  Seriously, if you're reading this you've got some time on available to watch him skewer some of these incredibly dated and weird movies. If you need entertainment tonight, or any night for that matter, check it out. Painfully funny.


Until tomorrow, I'll bid you adieu. I promise I will get a decent column up soon, I'm overdue now. See you Sunday!

Diminished Returns

Evening, all.

Once again it's Friday night and I am rushing out the door to see local artists cutting up the scene. I have grand designs of a massive, loving write up on them. In the meantime I'll offer another quick rundown of artists whose work you should take a look at. Hopefully I'll be back early enough to do a proper column but if not, we can cover our bases.

First of is the work of Philippe Ramette, hosted here. Ramette does an amazing job twisting your sense of perspective by playing with orientation and expected positioning. His shots are disorienting and serene, with work that displays common and known things like people and doors put into odd or disorienting spaces. Thoroughly impressive, deceptive stuff. I love the way he can create visual tricks of the eye.

Next up is Jim Kazanjian. His work is astounding and beautiful, almost to the point that it's difficult to put into words. His  prints and visual work is the kind of mind-bending stuff that takes your brain a few moments to properly process. I honestly feel like I lack the proper training to accurately describe what is presented. Fantastic deconstructions of the familiar interspersed with elements of the uncanny. Shoot, maybe that's close? I don't know. All I do know is that it's gorgeous and moving. Take a look.

While I can attest that both of these artists have long and successful careers, I give these simple and meager props only in the hopes that one more person can be exposed to their unreal and astonishing creations. I obviously lack the proper tools and training to do a decent breakdown on their talents, so I can only let the work speak for itself. Like I wrote above, this post will only serve as a place holder, a stop gap if you will, for a better, more loving post. Let's see where the night goes. 

Still Sick

Alright friends and neighbors, I'm still fighting the bug. Cold medicine can only do so much for a man and I'm feeling tapped.

So what do I do whenever I'm feeling empty and rundown?

Same thing every time - I highlight some art that I love and let it speak for itself, thereby letting me rest my head and giving props to a deserving artist. Today is no exception and I want to put the spotlight on a local artist who I stumbled across this summer in Uptown.

Lolamade Monsters are the work of Laura Holewa, who had a stall at the awesome yet all-too-short Uptown Farmer's Market, located at 29th and Colfax. Quick side note if you live in Minneapolis - support this Farmer's Market next summer! It was a fantastic place to get fresh veggies and meats at great prices, locally grown, without having to head all the way downtown. Okay, back on track. Her stall was simple and straight-forward, letting her work put it's twisted and most endearing foot forward. Laura's creations are bright and vibrant little monsters made of clay, absolutely bursting with personality. Here she is on Twitter and Facebook, as well as her space site on Etsy. Check out her awesome clay monsters.

Look at these things! How can you not love them? It was fortunate for my own sake that I had no cash with me when I first found her spot at the Uptown Farmer's market or I would have spent way more than I could afford on her devious little creations. I would love to fill a whole shelf with these monsters. 


Like I said, still under the weather, so today's post is shortened. Tomorrow should be back to form. Also, I wanted to give a quick thanks to the massive influx of traffic for the write up on Analog Heart, I appreciate all the feedback on that underrated piece of music. Nice to know so many people already had the drop on it!


See you tomorrow, friends and neighbors.

Another Stall

Evening, readers. 


Life is getting in the way at the moment. I had hoped to have a column done by this time but I am finding myself stymied by both a mental block and a tight schedule. There are a few things I'm working on but right now they're not fit to publish. As penance tomorrow's column will either be extended or doubled, so look for a mega post or another installment of Warm Fuzzy Viewings. 


I appreciate your patience with my lack of productivity. As a small but heartfelt thank you I offer these awesome shots I took of the city this summer while attending a friend's wedding. Forgive the quality, as they were taken with an iPhone 3GS (Boo!) and I may have been celebrating too much.

They were taken from a viewing room in the Guthrie and the glass afforded a crazy hue that I would've stood in front of all night had I not been at a wonderful party. While you're at it, looking at photos and all, take a look at an actual photographer's site and head over to Kate Engelmann's excellent blog. Her work is amazing and deserves a bigger audience. Check her out, I'll be back tomorrow!