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Review: Scott Pilgrim VS. The World OST
A couple of days ago I got off my arse long enough to go check out Scott Pilgrim VS The World. It totally knocked me out. It’s an absolute thrill-ride; packed with OTT battles, quotable quips and awesome tunes. I’d recommend you see the movie, as not only is it one of the year’s best, but you’ll get the full effect of the blistering soundtrack.
OSTs are a curious thing. It’s rare to find a compiled movie soundtrack that is more hit than miss. Sure, we’ve had a few good ones over the years. Juno had plenty of nerdy, too-hip-for-their-own-good acoustic numbers, whereas Death Proof provided us with the perfect bar room mix. Besides those, it’s a very short list…one that you can add Scott Pilgrim to.
The interesting thing about this soundtrack is that some of the songs – performed by reputable Canadian artists – are based off the comic book series. Bands took Bryan Lee O’Malley’s fiction and made real songs from it, remaining faithful to the feel of his work. Indie kook Beck does a stellar job of interpreting the songs of Scott Pilgrim’s own band, Sex Bob-Omb; Garbage Truck and We are Sex Bob-Omb prove to be two of the best tracks on here. Metric contribute ass-shaker Black Sheep to the mix (attributed to the mega-famous band of Pilgrim’s ex-girlfriend, The Clash at Demonhead, in the movie), adding an interesting hipster slant to compliment the raucous garage-rock of Beck’s tracks. However, the most impressive thing about this soundtrack is the eclectic work of Broken Social Scene. For over a decade this band have pushed pop boundaries, and they write the songs for Crash and the Boys, a local rival band of Sex Bob-Omb. Their barbed song titles (I am Sad, SoVery, Very Sad etc) provide some comedic heft in the movie, I am Sad… being about a second long. We Hate You Please Die is an aggressive and entertaining effort, showing a side of BSS that hasn’t really been seen before.
Broken Social Scene also contribute the best song here, their very own Anthems For A Seventeen-Year Old Girl, which provides a laid-back relief from the pounding rhythms of the other tracks. The song’s looped vocals and heavily-synthesised vibe are truly fantastic. It’s disappointing, then, that the other “real” songs are not quite up to scratch. Sure, they’re mostly fine, Plumtree’s Scott Pilgrimis a brilliant slice of Grrl Rock, but tracks by T-Rex and The Bluetones signal a dip in quality. The soundtrack’s real strength lies in its quirky catchiness, yet there are a few songs that only serve to kill the party. No matter though, because as far as movie soundtracks go, this is a winner. Check out the comics, check out the movie, then get your hands on this, because all 3 are riotously entertaining.
As mentioned before, Tom Morello is a very busy man. He is still working with Boots Riley as Street Sweeper Social Club. Their self titled debut album was released in 2009, to some mixed reactions. The album was bursting at the seams with its politically charged lyrics that everyone would have expected from The Coup or Rage Against The Machine (or even Morello’s Nightwatchman alter-ego.) being smoothly by Riley and the always impressive guitar playing that Morello is known for. It was an album that is amazing…on paper. The execution of it did leave something to be desired. That is not to say that the album is terrible by any means, but both of these artists’ styles needed a bit more blending. When the songs worked, they were amazing, but the rest needed more tweaking so that they could mix together better.
If The Ghetto Blaster EP is a sign of things to come from this duo, then all of us have something to be excited for. The 7 song EP features three new songs (”Ghetto Blaster”, “The New Fuck You”, and “Scars”), three covers (M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” and LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out”, The Coup’s “Everythang”) and a remix of one of the better songs from their eponymous debut “Promenade”.
More after the jump
New All Time Low demo
Head on over to frontman Alex’s blog to hear a demo version of the song tentatively titled ‘Actors’ from the band’s forthcoming album.
Epic Wins and Epic Fails
Last month, a few details were released about a new project that raised my eyebrows. It seems ?uestlove (producer and drummer for The Roots), Raphael Saadiq (ex-member of Tony!Toni!Tone!, solo artist and producer), and Amy Winehouse are going to be working together soon. I am happy to hear Saadiq and ?uestlove working together again, since they haven’t done much collaborative work since their days in the Soulquarians.While I have been patiently waiting for more details or just word that they are actually starting to move on this untitled project, I have been thinking about some of my favorite (and those I don’t like) supergroups and big name collaborations.
I am curious about some of everyone’s favorite and hated groups. Are there any groups that just disappointed because they never went anywhere? Any era is game and I will also toss in smaller collaborations and groups that are very popular in Hip Hop. I always like it when artists work together, sometimes it brings out the best of them (Monsters of Folk) but then again sometimes it brings out some of their worst (Zwan) .
See some of mine after the jump continue reading
We are only a few weeks away from the release of Linkin Parks’ new album, A Thousand Suns, and I am sure a few of you have heard their new single “The Catalyst” (which will be officially released tomorrow Aug. 2nd). In case you haven’t you can now check it out in this video for a new Medal of Honor game that is set to release mid October. While the video is a trailer for the game, it’s set to “The Catalyst” and it’s directed by LPs’ resident DJ Joe Hahn. Much like earlier statements from the band, the single sounds like its in the same vein as the Minutes to Midnight sessions. Check out the video and let us know what you think.
Edit: I was mistaken, this is not the full version of the song, it is an edited version. (Nice catch Sam)
Accoring to guitarist Beau Burchell, Saosin has parted ways with vocalist Cove Reber. After leaving their label recently, you have to wonder what this means for the band. Beau also confirmed that the guys are writing new material, so maybe we’re just looking at a change in direction. Whatever Saosin do will no doubt be interesting, they’re a talented bunch after all. It also takes a lot of guts to carry on after losing two fantastic vocalists (previous vocalist Anthony Green departed before the recording of the band’s self-titled debut album). Anyway, here is Beau’s statement in full:
“well, a few days ago, alex, justin, chris and I got back into the studio for our first group writing/jam session. We have all been writing things on our own, but it was cool to get into a room and play with loud ass amps all together again. I am very excited about this record, for a few different reasons.
1. I have been so busy producing and mixing bands lately, and I love it. Finally getting back in the swing of things, so it will be a miracle if I can rip myself away from other projects long enough to finish a saosin record.
2. We have no label, which means we can do whatever we want. We don’t have to worry about outputting garbage singles that none of us believe in, or selling records. its going to be nice.. just like the days of ttn.
3. NOT having a camera on me the whole time.
4. After 5 years with cove, we have decided to part ways. So it will be a new experience for us, not knowing what to expect in the vocal dept, who will replace him, or if we will even find a replacement this century.
thats all for now…”
Well, I am still a bit saddened about an anouncement made a couple of weeks ago. One of my favorite bands announced that they will no longer be making music together. I first started listening to the Scottish trio, The Fratellis, back in 2006 when I picked up their album, Costello Music, thinking it was something else. Even though it wasn the band I originally thought it was, I loved the album right away. It quickly became the soundtrack for the good times I had with friends on the weekends, having a few drinks and getting into a bit of trouble (if we were lucky). They were one of those bands that was just about having a good time, and i like having good times. I could go on and on about how much I enjoyed their music, but thats another post for another day. I will put up a video after the jump if you want to check them out, which I wholeheartedly recomend.
So I am curious about which band break-ups still dissapoint you to this day. Doesn’t matter if it’s just “creative diffrences” like when Oasis broke up in 2009 or the death of key members of the band. Any chance for them to regroup and tour again (like Rage Against the Machine…and soon Oasis) or get new band members so they can continue to make music (like Sublime and Alice In Chains)? Who do you miss?
Video after the jump continue reading
Sleigh Bells – Tell ‘Em
Not much to say here, other than…this is awesome.
A week ago today was the premier of the music video for Janelle Monae’s new single ”Tightrope” feat. Big Boi. While Janelle Monae is relatively unknown, it seems that she lives by the motto of quality not quantity. So far she has only released her EP Meteropolis Suite I of IV: The Chase , which nabbed her a Grammy nomination for the song “Many Moons”, and she is getting ready to release her debut album The ArchAndroid on May 18th.
She is hard to nail down to a single genre since she mixes elements of soul, rock, funk, and pretty much anything else she thinks sounds good. While being a small woman, she has a huge voice and dance moves that can rival some of the best dancers around. Both of her videos have been treated as self-contained short films that could be expanded upon. This one focuses on a fictional asylum where music/dance are not allowed.
Enjoy
This device’s main selling point is that it will allow you to rip your vinyl records into digital mp3 format. While I think it’s great that Ion has created a very simple way to digitally archive your old records, the thing that attracted this turntable to me was the fact that it is…a turntable. For under $100 (you should be able to snag one for around $70 or even less if you look hard enough), I was able to buy a quality record player that easily hooked up to my computer sound system. Throw in the archiving ability and it’s a no-brainer.