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Luma Rosa — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 14:29:21 -0000

I can’t say these are the best albums of the year, but they’re the ones that certainly got the most play by me. In reverse alphabetical order, no ranking.

1.The White Stripes, Icky Thump - This is only one of two albums from 2007 that I bought both the vinyl and CD version. ’nuff said, haters!

2.Wilco, Sky Blue Sky - Look, I own the Jeff Tweedy poetry book. I’m in deep with this band, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. “Sky Blue Sky” is another collection of solid songs from one of America’s most important bands.

3.Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, - Living with the LivingIt was good to see Ted expanding his bag of tricks, making an album that sounded both new and familiar at the same time. One of the few American musicians who actually thinks about politics these days, and sings about them. Last of the independents.

4.Once Soundtrack - Oh Glen Hansard, please forgive me. I didn’t care much for the last album by your band, The Frames, and that made me sad. But then you go and do this movie and do this soundtrack (which contained some songs I had previously written off), and I fall in love. Along with Marketa Irglova, the music on this soundtrack is beautiful and heartbreaking. I can’t wait for the film to come out on DVD so I can share it with friends and play it to death. (Finding a vinyl copy at Shake It Records with Shiv was a nice bonus, WORD).

5.The New Pornographers, Challengers - I’ve not been the world’s biggest fan of The New Pornographers. I’ve liked some albums, and others I’ve let fall out of my life completely after a few listens. “Challengers” is my favorite album from the band so far. There is just something epic about the songs on this that I really can’t get enough of… I know some diehard fans didn’t really like this one, but maybe give it another chance dudes.

6.M.I.A., Kala - MIA makes exciting, danceable political music. It makes me want to go to mysterious jungles and start shooting machine guns, I can’t explain it. There’s lots of layers to this music, and every time I listen to the album I hear something new. And I love the vinyl packaging.

7.Bloc Party, A Weekend in the City - Yo I think everyone sort of hated this album but I actually like it as much as their debut, “Silent Alarm.” Rich and textured in both music and lyrics. Still as fresh as when I picked it up in February.

7.Arcade Fire, Neon Bible - Okay that flash video they put out like a month ago was lame, let’s not kid ourselves. But this band is still living up to the hype, and that’s not an easy thing to do these days.

.AA Bondy, American Hearts - When I played this at one Donewaiting.com Happy Hour, this old rambler came up to me and asked if I was playing Willie Nelson. Now, Bondy might not have the experience of Nelson, but he certainly knows how to strip it down to the essentials and make a really great record. In this case, less is more.

9. Psychedelic Horseshit, Magic Flowers Droned (Siltbreeze) - The most sincere record of the year. Despite it’s pasted-together ambiance, Magic Flowers Droned is a meticulously-crafted manifesto against the mundane, the disposable, and the transparent. Mr. Whitehurst is at once the most detail-oriented and haphazard person I know.

10. Panda Bear, Person Pitch (Paw Tracks) - Beautiful and uplifting without overstatement, Noah Lennox has trumped every dream-pop or collage-work record over the last fifteen years, including his own band’s best work, with Person Pitch. The most forward-looking album of 2007.

11. Blues Control, Puff (Woodsist) - True postmodern psychedelia. Guitar, keys, some pedals and a Walkman are all this duo need to create a 21st Century Atlantis. It’s like the bong is taking hits from you.

12. Justice - † (Vice/Ed Banger) - The Ed Banger hype finally culminates stateside with this French duo’s debut. House grooves, hi-jacked funk, disco strings, a Devo video sample…this is a rare dance record that will stand the test of time.

13. Pink Reason - Cleaning the Mirror (Siltbreeze) - Primal screams from Kevin DuBroux, the Midwest’s finest post-hardcore singer/songwriter (don’t call him that to his face). Rumors that he might end the PR book have me bummed.
Stream: Pink Reason

14. Los Llamarada, The Exploding Now (S-S) - Never-wave jams outta Monterrey, Mexico. This one climbed up my list as ‘07 rolled along, its scuzzy vibes finally able to penetrate my dense skull.

15. Times New Viking - The Paisley Reich (Siltbreeze) - I would probably put this in my top two or three if a) it were a tad longer, b) the drummer wasn’t my brother and c) they didn’t have the album of the year ‘08 coming out in a little more than a month. Still, a huge piece in the TNV puzzle and the most bang out of fifteen minutes ever.

16. Burial, Untrue (Hyperdub) - As big a breakthrough for dubstep you’ll see in the US, Burial takes a dated artform (minimal breaks) and somehow makes it vital again.

17. Shocking Pinks, Shocking Pinks (Astralwerks/DFA) - Not quite your older brother’s Kiwi Pop. DFA compiles the best from Nick Harte’s two Flying Nun albums to make this domestic long-player. Love the live feel of these recordings.

18. Der TPK, Harmful Emotions (Siltbreeze) - Read my full review

19. Sword Heaven, Entrance (Load) - Read my donewaiting.com review

20. R. Kelly - Double Up (Jive) - I wish Kels would serialize “Real Talk” like he did “Trapped in the Closet”. And isn’t it time he got his own reality show?

21.The Field, From Here We Go Sublime (Kompakt) - A human pulse for adderall-fueled robots. Warmth + repetition = ecstasy.

22. Sonic Chicken 4, Sonic Chicken 4 (In the Red) - SC4 are a French group that play spirited garage in the VU/Kinks vein. Fun stuff, I’m really kicking myself for missing not one but two shows in Columbus this Fall.

23. Group Doueh, Guitar Music From the Western Sahara (Sublime Frequencies) - Sublime Frequencies’ first foray into new, album-length releases, Guitar Music showcases Doueh’s virtuosic string talents. This is their first official release outside of Morocco and deserves a much wider edition than its 1000 copy, vinyl-only run.

(and if you hear that song coming out of my iPod headphones while I’m walking down the street, you better watch out!)

Stream New Vanessa Paradis Single

Luma Rosa — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 23:26:31 -0000

Outside of France, Vanessa Paradis is mostly known as the girlfriend of Johnny Depp. But in her home country, Paradis is considered a national treasure who is a celebrated singer, actress and model. She was first discovered back in 1980 on a popular French television show. She had her break-out moment in 1987 with the European smash hit "Joe Le Taxi" that featured her delicate vocals that became part of her signature sound. In 1992, she traveled to New York City to work with Lenny Kravitz, who was also her boyfriend at the time, on her self-titled English language debut. The single "Be My Baby" was an accomplished nod to the sound of '60s girl groups that became a hit across the globe. Since then, Paradis focused mainly on making movies and family life with Depp. In the late '90s, she was seen again on television screens in the famous "bird" commercial for Coco Chanel perfume.
Her new single "Divine Idylle" marks the formal comeback of Paradis to the French pop scene. Written by Marcel Kanche, the song is the title track of a brand-new album that will be out in September. It is a well-rounded tune with a popping bassline, handclaps, soaring strings and catchy background vocals. Famous photographer Jean-Baptiste Mondino will be shooting a video for the single. You might remember Mondino from the videos he did for Madonna's, including "Justify My Love."
You can listen to the single by watching a movie about the making of the song on Paradis' web site.
Listen to Vanessa Paradis "Divine Idylle"

Beijus,
Luma

SUNSET RUBDOWN

Luma Rosa — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 03:03:07 -0000

Spencer Krug é o nome por trás de um dos melhores discos do ano passado, "Apologies To Queen Mary" do Wolf Parade. E com um projeto solo que virou banda em 2006, Krug coloca seu nome entre os melhores de novo em 2006. Do Wolf Parade, o Sunset Rubdown pega emprestado a energia e acrescentando as duas obsessões de Krug, Modest Mouse e David Bowie, está pronta a fórmula. Stadium and Shrines II poderia estar traquilamente num disco do Wolf Parade, todo o clima apocalíptico e as guitarras altas estão presentes aqui também. They Took A Vote And Said No se atreve a ser dançante, numa melodia flamenca desesperada. Snakes Got A Leg III é rockão épico no melhor estilo Modest Mouse. O final fica com a cargo de Shut Up I Am Dreaming Of Places Where Lovers Have Wings, letra maravilhosa e melodia cresecnte que explode num solo maravilhoso e faz a volta novamente. "Shut Up I Am Dreaming" (belo nome) é um disco tenso, cheio de energia acumulada, um barril de pólvora pronto pra explodir. Spencer Krug prova mais uma vez no Sunset Rubdown que é um nome já consolidado do indie rock.

Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Pra quem gosta de: Modest Mouse, Wolf Parade, Built To Spill

The U.S. vs. John Lennon

Luma Rosa — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 21:13:49 -0000

David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's documentary (The U.S. vs. John Lennon, 2006) dredges up the sordid and largely forgotten tale of the right-wing attempt -- spearheaded by Strom Thurmond and J. Edgar Hoover, no less -- to get Lennon deported as an "undesirable alien." The reasons are not mysterious and at this late date the history is not in dispute. After the breakup of the Beatles, Lennon and Ono moved to New York in 1971, where they became increasingly visible figures on the antiwar left -- and almost immediately targets of the FBI.

Mais do que um daqueles documentários para os fans e peaceniks, este The U.S. vs. John Lennon é um re-contar de um dos episódios mais interessantes entre as interferências políticas na cultura popular e de como o spin (agora institucionalizado nas sociedades ocidentais) pode moldar a vida de alguém que se torne publicamente incômodo aos poderes instituidos. Uma imperdível visão sobre parte da interessante história americana dos 70s.

Links relacionados:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478049

Bookshop Casanova - Clientele

Luma Rosa — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 19:10:36 -0000

A combination of the Zombies and Galaxie 500, The Clientele stopped by The Current in support of their recent release "God Save The Clientele."
Essa banda londrina sofre de um fenômeno estranho. Desde o seu debut em 2000 com Suburban Light, e principalmente no seu terceiro álbum Strange Geometry de 2005, são unanimidade de crítica e público. Elogiados pelo som único - guitarras extremamente suaves e bem trabalhadas, arranjos delicados e vocais sussurrados - que apesar de buscar influências no pop psicodélico do fim dos anos 60 como The Zombies e Love, consegue ser inovador e refrescante na música britânica. Até aí tudo bem, mas a questão difícil de entender é: Por que quase ninguém ouviu falar sobre o The Clientele? Qual a razão de serem tão subestimados e despercebidos? Não sei.
God Save The Clientele é o quarto disco da banda e continua com o mesmo clima dos anteriores: como o entardecer de um domingo muito bem aproveitado, quando tudo parece bonito e melancólico ao mesmo tempo.

Músicas em destaque: The Dance Of The Hours, Here Comes The Phantom, Bookshop Casanova
Gravadora: Merge Records
Site Oficial: http://www.theclientele.co.uk/

Beijus, Luma