Today is the birthday of the greatest trumpeter, and one of the most distinctive vocalists, who ever lived, Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, who would have been 111 today. He didn’t invent Dixieland Jazz, he only perfected it.
I don’ see a live video of him performing “Someday You’ll Be Sorry,” so here is singing “Adios Muchachos,” which shows both his trumpet and vocal prowess to good effect.
Here’s another obscure Japanese Shooegaze band, Lily of the Valley, with “IOK-1” performed live at the Apple store in Shibuya. I think the echoey acoustics of the place actually adds to the song’s charm.
They hail from Sendai, which was the region hardest hit during the earthquake/tsunami. This tune, and some others from them, are available on iTunes.
I liked last week’s dose of Dreamend so much that I’ve been trolling through their various YouTube offerings, including this offering, which sounds less Shoegazer than some sort of demented bluegrass by way of Neutral Milk Hotel, with maybe a soupcon of Jane’s Addiction thrown in for good measure.
Oh, the video is plenty strange too, which is always a plus.
Can’t let another Sunday go by without a dose of Shoegazer, so here’s Echodrone’s “Gravity.”
I’m guessing the video is from a movie. Anyone know what it’s from?
If the review Howard and I did of Prometheus wasn’t enough to warn you away, here’s a spoiler-filled and NSFW list of all the questions regarding various plot idiocies in the movie, some we covered, some we haven’t. Enjoy!
I see that some online sources are calling Maryland’s Black Tamborine (active during the first wave of Shoegaze in the 1990s) “Twee Pop.” Screw that. Sounds like Shoegazer to me.
And it looks every bit as much fun as it sounded:
Here’s Jon Hopkins haunting theme from the excellent science fiction film Monsters, featuring perhaps the climactic moment of the film. (Howard Waldrop and I reviewed it, and I highly recommend making an effort to see it.)
I defend this as Shoegazer mainly on feel; others may categorize it as electronica or ambient, but I think it falls between those two. Available on iTunes.
I’ve gone from being deeply annoyed at 3D to being ambivalent about it. The 3D in Alice in Wonderland was actively annoying, and that in Thor disappointing. However, the 3D was just fine in Hugo and The Avengers, which suggests that the secret to having a successful 3D film is: A.) Film it in 3D from the start, and B.) Use it for films that don’t suck.
Ridley Scott’s Prometheus is coming out next week, and Scott isn’t ambivalent about 3D at all. He loves it:
Also: Interesting tidbits about the movie, and why it’s always better to film live rather than using CGI.
I was able to catch most of the M83 show here in Austin. While good, I was equally impressed with Swedish opening act I Break Horses (not to be confused with the Seattle band of the same name, or the Portland band Sparkle Pony), which played a very tight set.
Their online music is good, but they’re much better live, and I’d recommend catching the M83/I Break Horses tour if they come around your neck of the woods.