Indie Music Chatter

I’m not only a serious music collector, I’m also a hard core gamer. I just recently purchased a kick-ass video card for my new computer so I can play the upcoming Direct X 10 capable PC games.

But even with the jaw dropping graphics that my souped up computer can provide I’m still obsessively playing with Playstation 2 — more specifically Guitar Hero II. I think that Guitar Hero II is the perfect melding of my love for both music and video games. I just love rocking out to really cool rock songs. I have to say that not all of the songs work for me, but those that I love really give me a great buzz. I love to imagine that I’m playing a real guitar (although I do play the guitar my skills are intermediate, at the most) and executing those hard licks like a true virtuoso.

I am quite stoked  about the upcoming release of Guitar Hero III because of the large amount of original songs included in the game. Some old faves are also included so I’m really polishing up my “fretwork” to do the songs justice.

But if I have the ability to choose the songs in Guitar Hero I’m going to come up with a radically different song list. I’d have Elastica and Blur in the lineup along with more Ramones and Stooges songs. I’ll also have some synth based bands in the line up like Moving Units. I’d also add some upbeat songs from Aberfeldy or Architecture in Helsinki to brighten up the song lineup a bit.  Of course, punk will figure prominently in my dream Guitar Hero game — with the likes of The Blitz and The Exploited. Now that would be cool.

Guitar Hero, The Exploited, Elastica, Blur

I’m still in a Yeah Yeah Yeahs mode because I can’t get enough of their Is Is EP. It’s safe to say that this is one of the best releases this year and it further cements the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ reputation as one of the most important bands in the world at present.I’ve decided to post an “old” video from the band, the one they made for Maps — which is one of their most popular songs. Watch Karen O shed tears on the video. She said those are real tears she shed because her boyfriend was supposed to be in the shoot but he was three hours late and they were about to go to Europe on tour right after the shoot finishes.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Karen O, Is Is

Time for a little break guys but something that’s still music related. A friend of mine asked referred me to this Youtube video of English comic David Armand’s “interpretive mime” of Natalie Imbruglia’s song Torn, which incidentally was written by Phil Thornally, a former bassist and producer for The Cure. The clip is hilarious and further supports my belief that English comics are a cut above the rest.

The Cure, Torn, Natalie Imbruglia

Sally from Living Without Meat tagged me for my first ever meme a couple of weeks ago. Having had some problems with my internet connection over the past week, it totally slipped my mind. I finally remembered about this today so here it is… Seven random facts about myself:

1. I’m a rabid collector. I’ve been collecting various stuff for practically my whole life. I’ve collected comics, action figures, CDs, stamps and even IP telephone cards. I’ve drastically cut down though to just the occasional action figure and of course my CD collection

2. I love my son to pieces. His name’s David Zachary, he just turned three and he has a funny way of saying “I love you” (Ayuvyu!)

3. I’ve passed a kidney stone last year. It was both a terrifying and mind-boggling experience. Terrifying because when the first attack came I thought I was going to die from the pain. Mind boggling because a stone can actually pass through the body.

4. Zach is actually my second son. My wife and I had a first born but he only lived for a week. He would’ve turned five this year. I still miss him everyday…

5. In a nod to Sally who tagged me for this meme, I used to be a vegetarian but had to stop for a number of reasons. But after seven years I am now taking the first steps towards going vegetarian again. Yey, me!

6. My wife is the editor in chief of a women’s magazine. I’m really, really proud of her

7. I love asian horror movies. I think they’re the bomb!

Now, here are the details for this particular meme: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to then report this on their own blog with their 7 things as well as these rules. They then need to tag 7 others and list their names on their blog. They are also asked to leave a comment for each of the tagged, letting them know they have been tagged and to read the blog.

I’m going to tag two first but will add over the next couple of days:

Dodo at Is It Safe?

Mike at FPSRantings

Here’s a confession — I’m not just a music geek, I’m also a big film geek. I have loved films ever since I was a teenager. I find the whole process of filmmaking so inspired and a wonderful creative outlet. I’ve actually dabbled in filmmaking in college and a few years after it — basically doing some acting work for indie filmmaker friends and also helping out with production. I just absolutely love it when everything just comes together and you are presented with a film that assaults you visually with some of the best eye candy directors/auteurs can muster.

What I absolutely love though is when an artist manages to combine both my love for film and music and actually succeed in his vision. These films are few and far between (I can name drop The Commitments, 24 Hour Party People, and yes, even Singles) so it really excites me when I hear about a new work that has the potential of joining this very rarefied field. I think one film that I can add to this group would be Once.

The new film, helmed by John Carney, stars Glen Hansard. For indie rock fans, Hansard will be immediately recognizable because he is the vocalist for Dublin band The Frames — which is one of the most awesome bands to come out of the area in recent years. The film is quite simple and understated in the way it chronicles the story of a street musician and an immigrant as they sing songs that describe their love story. According to the distributor, it is a modern day musical and from what I’ve seen it really is one. Glen Hansard is one cool dude and I believe that after this movie is seen by more people, The Frames will become more famous — which they justly deserve.

The Frames, Glen Hansard, Once

The Melvins was one of the bands that influenced the growth and eventual explosion of the Seattle grunge scene. Kurt Cobain would often talk of their influence in shaping the music of Nirvana.

What not many people might know though is that The Melvins also played a very crucial role in forming the classic Nirvana lineup. It was The Melvins’ Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover who gave the number of Krist Novoselic to Dave Grohl. In a way, Cobain can really claim that The Melvins’ influenced their music. Grohl’s frenetic and very energetic style completely complemented the Nirvana sound and we’ve got The Melvins to thank for it.

The Melvins, Nirvana, Kurt Cobain