BurnTheJukebox #5...

The biggest news of this week is of course the return (for it's fifth night!) of the BTJ night where you can hear some, all or none of the music I write about in this blog. This will be the second time at the wonderful Bacalhoeiro venue which is definitely one of the coolest places in town.

I'll be playing some tunes from around midnight (most probably a little later) after some live music from Beatriz Portugal.

Here's the flyer again in case you missed it at the top of the page:

MGMT - Congratualtions (2010)...

So after what has been quite a lively and interesting start to the year the disappointments have been coming in thick and fast. It's no secret that the latest offering by MGMT has been received with rather mixed reviews.

I actually got hold of a copy a few weeks ago and I have been trying my best to find something lovable about Congratulations but it's really not an easy album to love. You do have to admire a band like MGMT who have received a modicum of success with their last album and Oracular Spectacular would've been such an easy album to rip off and put out a 'soundalike' successor. Instead MGMT have gone back deeper into their neo-psychadelic and prog roots which isn't as a big a journey as some reviewers would have us believe. Outside of the jump along singles of Oracular Spectacular (Kids and Electric Feel being the best of these) there was always a buch of tracks which verged on the strange and unlistenable. When I saw them live a couple of years ago this became even more acute...the overriding feeling was that this wasn't a 'singles band'.

Whether this is good or not for the band will no doubt take some time to work out. They have now a legion of dedicated fans who will stick by the band even after the Kids bandwagonjumpers have abandoned ship. I'm not sure in what group I'll be but I think it will take a more interesting album than Congratulations for me to make up my mind.

Anyway, here's something old and something new:

MGMT - Electric Feel



MGMT - Brian Eno (The best track from the new album)



Incidentally here's an interesting opinion piece on the issue of newer bands playing their 'hits' live. It's a subject which many people feel passionate about.

The Guardian - Why are new acts so reluctant to show us their hits?

This week in film...

This week's viewing has been dominated by one really rather special film. Despite buying a new bazillion inch wide HD TV the other week we decided to have a change from the usual routine (S watching some rubbish American series and me on the computer, ignoring the TV) and go out and do something together. It had been a while since we'd been to the cinema (the last thing we'd seen was Shutter Island) and there wasn't anything on that had particularly jumped out at me and so S suggested Away We Go.

I have to admit I wasn't totally thrilled at the prospect, on the face of it it looks like a pretty typical indie-thirtysomething film - plus the fact that I'm not a huge fan of either Sam Mendes or Dave Eggars. But with the absence of anything else worth watching (and in that category I do include both Alice in Wonderland and The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus!) I thought we could do a lot worse.

The film starts with two typically disfunctional bohemian thirtysomethings, Veronica (Maya Rudolph) and Burt (John Krasinski) finding out that they are going to have a baby. Having thus far made little of their lives and with Burt's parents moving to Belgium they have no ties and decide to travel to see their family and friends and choose a new home in which to raise their child. Here begins the true strength of the movie: an amazing ensemble cast.

The couple experience a wide range of family situations, from the inattentive (Allison Janney) to the over attentive (Maggie Gyllenhaal) and two very different family tragedies. Through their journey they discover what they really want from a family.

The story of self discovery might not be particularly new or original and nor are the dyfunctional thirtysomethings who still haven't figured out what they want with life but the real beauty of this film for me (and maybe this says more about me than the film) was the fact that I saw so much of my own reactions and fears in the film. One of the common criticisms of the films has been that Veronica and Burt come off as superior people compared to their friends and family but I agree with Roger Ebert when he wrote, "well, maybe they are".

Plus Burt is kinda obsessed with boobs, a trait I can totally sympathise with.

Away We Go (2009) - Sam Mendes

And I return...

I've been away for too long, I know, I apologise but let's get on with it. In my time away you have missed:

• Lots and lots of new albums, many of which I'll be talking about shortly;
• BurnTheJukebox #4 - I have found myself an excellent new venue thanks to the wonderful people at the Bacalhoeiro Cultural Collective and BTJ #5 will be taking place shortly;
• Oh and we have had a new kitchen and bathroom built which was kinda the reason for the absence...

In the time I've been away we've also witnessed the passing of some dear friends, not only Alex Chilton, a pop music great but also two of my favourite website, Bolachas and We Are The Sleepyheads have both fallen foul of those nasty internet police. Whilst they both still exist, at least in name, they are mere shadows of their former selves and so the search continues for reliable new sources of good music.

So what of the music filling my ears, here's a selection of what I've thought is worth listening to lately:

The Shout Out Louds - Fall Hard



Taken By Trees - My Boys (Yeah I know it's old but it's Peter's fault for reminding me how good it is)



The Replacements - Alex Chilton (Obviously)

...and the best pop video I've seen in some time, thank you Peter Serafinowicz.

Hot Chip - I Feel Better

BurnTheJukebox #3...

Ok so tonight is the third time I attempt to play some tunes for an expectant public. Festivities start at 22h00 and will be going on til the wee small hours (or around 02h00 when I have the electricity cut off or have run out of records to play.

I've got a great selection of old and new cuts ready for your listening pleasure.

I really should advertise this a little better than I do but it's not in me to be the self publicist.

Skhizein...

One of the nicest little animations I have seen in a long time:

Chew Lips...

Musical comparisons are invariably cruel to one of the parties, they immediately conjure impressions of unoriginality and derivativeness, yet I think given the obvious factors with Chew Lips (i.e. a girl fronted electro pop group) it's better to clear the La Roux in the air from the off.

Aside from the the most superficial similarities (I notice that Tig is of late no longer a redhead!) the similarities with the angular, gritty, and sometimes abrasive, La Roux can largely be dispensed with. What Chew Lips offer instead is a much softer, more rounded take on synth pop. There are still dancable pop nuggets but there are also a few more instances of introspection.

Tig is an amazing singer and this band deserve some real success this year.

Unicorn by Chew Lips is released on the 25th January by Kitsuné

Chew Lips - Play Together



Chew Lips - Slick