Weekly Faves

Ok I think I'm going to start doing a weekly post about exciting music, movies, ect.. that are coming out this week. It might be fun. For me.

Wall*E




Ok I've been really excited about Wall*E for awhile now... I'm so glad it's finally coming out! I really like Pixar movies, but sometimes I'm not that into the story and I just enjoy the animation (like Ratatouille, A Bug's Life, Cars). And other times Pixar movies are really brilliant and I can't imagine it possibly being any better (Finding Nemo, both Toy Story's, The Incredibles). But I haven't been this excited about any Pixar movie like I have been with Wall*E. I just think it looks really weird... great weird, right up my alley. I mean, Pixar movies are always layered so that both children and adults can enjoy them, but Wall*E looks like an experimental, challenging ART movie to me. There are only a couple humans in the film, and almost all the dialogue is "spoken" by robots in electronic voices. But the most exciting thing is that Pixar had the nads to actually make this a robot LOVE STORY! I can't imagine anything more bizarre and challenging in any recent animated film. There will be no cute singing animals or beautiful princesses, just a lonely robot who feels love for a cold, unfeeling robot. I can't wait to see it this Friday.




Persepolis on DVD




I've written a lot about Persepolis here before, and I've been waiting with bated breath it's release on DVD for a minute now. Let's just say that Persepolis is so great that I saw the film 4 times in theaters, read the book (which was amazing, even better than the film btw) and I bought the soundtrack. This story of a young girl growing up in the midst of the Islamic Revolution in Iran is one of the most powerful, funny and breathtakingly beautiful films I've seen in a long time. The stark black & white animation is gorgeous, and the film is perfectly adapted from the book. I basically want my future family to be like Marjane's family. Check this out!




Hercules & Love Affair "Hercules & Love Affair"




I've been really excited for this Hercules & Love Affair album for awhile now... it came out in Europe like 3 months ago and it's finally getting a U.S. release this week. This album has been hyped up something fierce; Pitchfork gave it a 9.1, they've been playing a ton of festivals and their single "Blind" has been blowing up. I'm glad it's finally getting released here so I don't have to track down an expensive import. Here's their myspace page and here's the video for their new single, "You Belong".




Liz Phair "Exile & Guyville" Reissue




Ok so I just wrote a bit about how great this album is, so I'll just say that it's a modern classic that should be canonized alongside the best debut albums of the past 20 years. It's a challenging, weird listen at first, but it will reveal it's secrets to you upon further reflection. This album is remastered (it's a good thing, the production was pretty flat) and comes with a couple b-sides and a DVD about the album and the scene it spawned from. Here's a video for "Stratford-On-Guy".



Sigur Rós "Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust"





Sigur Rós is simply one of the most beautiful bands around. I've heard them described as "gorgeous-core", and I don't think any label could be more fitting for them. They make elegant, stunningly beautiful music that lifts your spirits and makes you feel like you're a part of something special. Seeing them in concert is still one of the most memorable music experiences I've ever witnessed... I still remember how I felt, like I was floating in a trance, like I was getting closer to heaven with each number. It was truly incredible. This album is looser and more "human" than anything they've done before... there is even a song in English. They haven't released any videos for this new album yet but here is a brilliant version of "Hoppípolla" from last year's film, "Heima".




The Pixies "Doolittle" on Rock Band




Ok so I'm a big fan of Rock Band on the XBOX 360... I just think it's a really fun game to play with your friends. We have Rock Band parties all the time over here at the headquarters. Anyways Rock Band is starting to release full albums for download, so you can play the whole thing like you're headlining at All Tomorrow's Parties. Well, this week they're releasing The Pixies landmark album, "Doolittle", in it's entirety! I can't wait to have a Pixies party and get my Frank Black or Kim Deal on. This is gonna be so awesome. Here's a preview of the album played by some Rock Band professionals. I can't wait.