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Album Review: Frankie Rose, “Interstellar”

Posted by
on February 28, 2012 at 5:00 pm

Rating: 91

Since emerging as drummer for the Vivian Girls in 2007, Frankie Rose proved to be so peripatetic that just maintaining her official bio could be a fulltime job. After leaving the Vivian Girls, Rose moved on to similarly minded garage-rock bands such as Crystal Stilts and the Dum Dum Girls before launching her solo career. While her 2010 album credited to Frankie Rose and the Outs still retained the noise-pop aesthetic of her previous bands, her new album sans Outs, “Interstellar,” embraces the cleaner, chiming atmospherics of The Cure circa “Disintegration,” or in the most transcendent moments, the great guitar-based countermelodies of Johnny Marr.

That Cure influence is only blatantly referenced on the utterly gorgeous “Know Me,” which is powered by the bouncy percussion line from “Close to Me,” but “Interstellar” is free of Robert Smith’s sorrow, dominated by a kind of artful stargazing romanticism characterized by Rose’s precise, crystalline and nearly affectless vocal delivery. At times, that precision can result something close to Laurie Anderson’s perfect phrasing, most obviously in the first half of the opening title track and on the bright centerpiece “Daylight Sky,” giving her songs uncommon directness and clarity. The use of synthesizers differentiates “Interstellar” from all of Rose’s previous music, but she does not indelicately impose the keyboards where they do not belong — it’s hard to image the breathtaking, nearly percussion-free “Pair of Wings” and “Apples for the Sun” without them.

“Interstellar” shares a no-nonsense economy with Rose’s earlier work — even with more sophisticated arrangements, these songs cast their spells quickly and the two longest tracks clock in at just over four minutes. But that tightness and concision just makes the many memorable songs on “Interstellar” more special: rather than lingering too long, nearly every one begs to be replayed. After much casting about as a supporting player, Rose proves she is most valuable on her own, and while this foray into the sounds of pre-grunge British alternative music is probably not her final destination, it is by far her best.

— George Lang

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Graham Colton, Live From the Living Room

Posted by
on February 28, 2012 at 9:52 am

Oklahoma City’s Graham Colton will perform a live, 30-minute show in his living room tonight at 7 p.m. Central. It’s a “pay what you can” affair, basically the Radiohead model of artist support, so go here, support Graham Colton and enjoy a great live set.

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Video of the Day: Bon Iver, “Towers”

Posted by
on February 28, 2012 at 9:39 am

The recent and seemingly reluctant Grammy winner releases a beautiful, pastoral and subtly creepy video with back-to-nature apocalyptic overtones.
– Lang

Bon Iver - Towers (Official Music Video) from Bon Iver on Vimeo.

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Video of the Day: Summer Camp, “Losing My Mind”

Posted by
on February 27, 2012 at 9:42 am

The British duo uses downmarket family portraiture as the theme for this video from “Welcome to Condale,” and it’s dependably a creepy setting, since most people are simultaneous trying to be someone else while unintentionally being exactly who they are. Also, cats.
– Lang

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Welcome to StaticBlog’s Live Coverage of the 84th Annual Academy Awards

Posted by
on February 26, 2012 at 7:09 pm

7:05 p.m. StaticBlog now begins its live coverage of the Oscars, live from the Whatever Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. Of course, StaticBlog is coming in late, because Tim Gunn’s fashion commentary gives me scurvy. At any rate, we’ll get through the next 17 hours better if we all band together, so comment frequently, except when “The Artist” wins something, which we’ll record in yellow subtitles.

7:20 p.m. Natalie Portman on Billy Crystal: “He’s not going to be mean.” Natalie, you’re wonderful, but is that the standard we’re holding now? He won’t flay people? Give us Jon Stewart. Give us Conan. Give us Ricky Gervais, for the love of all things premeditated in their rancor.

7:27 p.m. What do you think the chances are that Billy Crystal’s medley will feature a section entirely in subtitles? Place your bets now.

7:30 p.m. God is speaking.

7:31 p.m. I win.

7:32 p.m. Why was that creepier than the average Justin Bieber cameo?

7:34 p.m. That “M:I: Ghost Protocol” sketch about 3D being so realistic was awesome, especially since it was a 2D IMAX production.

7:35 p.m. Waiter, there is too much Billy Crystal in my paprikosh.

7:38 p.m. Except for the Moldy Peaches segment of our medley, I’m expecting a naked guy to run in front of David Niven any minute.

7:41 p.m. Tom Hanks announces:

Cinematography

“The Artist” Guillaume Schiffman

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” Jeff Cronenweth

“Hugo” Robert Richardson

“The Tree of Life” Emmanuel Lubezki

“War Horse” Janusz Kaminski

And the winner is Richardson for “Hugo.”

Art Direction

And the Oscar goes to Feretti and Lo Sciavo for “Hugo.” This might be all that happens for Scorsese’s film tonight, but it richly deserved both of these.

7:49 p.m. How does ABC expect to effectively market their cowardly named “GCB” when it sounds like a brand of soft-serve yogurt?

7:51 p.m. What in the name of all things holy is the theme to this montage? People kissing? Sharks? Those aren’t pillows? Film quotes that have become cliches?

7:53 p.m. Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez announce:

Costume Design

And the winner is: Mark Bridges. And away we go!

And now they announce:

Makeup

And the winner is:

“The Iron Lady.”

8:01 p.m. Adam Sandler: “I remember talking about Sean Connery and his performance and his chest hair, and just saying, ‘Can I please do that?’” Huh? Sandler wants to do Sean Connery’s chest hair?

8:05 p.m. Sandra Bullock announces:

Foreign Language Film

And the statue goes to…

“A Separation.” Amazing film — opens in Oklahoma City in two weeks, or earlier if Sony Pictures Classics decides to take advantage of this. Hint hint.

8:09 p.m. Christian Bale announces:

Actress in a Supporting Role

And it goes to:

Octavia Spencer. “PleasewrapupI’mwrappingupI’msorryI’mfreakingoutthankyouworldohgod…”

8:18 p.m. Jeez. That joke about there not being any black people within 45 minutes of Beverly Hills? Not only did it thud, it did so thunderously. Bad.

8:20 p.m. This Christopher Guest-directed focus group skit about the “Wizard of Oz” focus group is brilliant. Best moment of the evening.

8:23 p.m. Tina Fey and Bradley Cooper announce:

Film Editing

And the winner is:

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.” Now, Fey and Cooper announce:

Sound Editing

And the winner is “Hugo.” Stockton and Gearty are available for weddings, bar mitzvah’s and children’s birthday parties.

But wait, there’s more:

Sound Mixing

And Hugo wins this one, too. Tech sweep!

8:34 p.m. Kermit and Piggy are apparently sitting on Statler and Waldorf in the balcony.

8:37 p.m. Yes, I was just sitting here thinking, “You know what’s missing? Cirque du Soleil!”

8:39 p.m. There goes Billy Crystal, crapping all over the average age of the Academy voter.

8:41 p.m. Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow announce…

Documentary (Feature)

And the winner is “Undefeated.” Hoping for a West Memphis 3 victory, but there you go.

8:46 p.m. Chris Rock denies an Oscar to Pixar in the following category:

Animated Feature Film

And the winner goes to…

“Rango,” a.k.a. “My First Hunter S. Thompson Acid Flashback for Kidz.”

8:52 p.m. Following a meh skit between Billy Crystal and Melissa McCarthy in a bathrobe, Emma Stone does some wacky perky things before cutting the already diminutive Ben Stiller down to size and announcing:

Visual Effects

8:58 p.m. Melissa Leo bites her tongue and announces…

Actor in a Supporting Role

And finally, after 50 years of filmmaking…

Christopher Plummer, who turns to his statuette and says, “You’re only two years older than me, darling, where have you been all my life?”

9:07  p.m. Try the veal. Meanwhile, I feel like I’m going to be here all week.

9:12 p.m. Penelope Cruz and some guy with a broken nose announce:

Music (Original Score)

9:17 p.m. Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis announce…

Music (Original Song)

And the winner is Bret McKenzie! The bad news, of course, is that we didn’t get to hear the song performed. The good news is that there was no way that awful Rihanna knockoff from “Rio” was going to win.

9:25 p.m. Angelina Jolie announces…

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

And the winner is…

Rash! (and friends).

And now, Jolie announces…

Writing (Original Screenplay)

And the Oscar goes to…

Woody Allen for his “Look, it’s Salvador Dali!” “Look, it’s Gertrude Stein!” movie.

9:36 p.m. Milla Jovovich briefly talks about tech, carrying on the long-standing tradition of having geek goddesses announce these awards.

9:39 p.m. The cast of “Bridesmaids” announce…

Short Film (Live Action)

And the winner is “The Shore.”

Then, Rose Byrne and Melissa McCarthy take a “Scorsese” shot from airline bottles and announce:

Documentary (Short Subject)

And the winner is “Saving Face.”

Then we bask in the irrepressible cuteness of Ellie Kemper as she and Wendy McClendon-Covey announce…

Short Film (Animated)

And the winner is the flying book movie, in which Mssrs. Joyce and Oldenburg suddenly get a call from John Lasseter.

9:55 p.m. Michael Douglas, looking pretty damn fit given the past two years, announces a big one:

Directing

Honestly, after all the Scorsese love, I’m actually a little surprise that it’s going to…

Hazanavicius. You may begin paying off or collecting on your bets now.

10:02 p.m. Meryl Streep announces the Board of Governors awards for James Earl Jones, Dick Smith and Oprah Winfrey, and we get a special preview of…

Bring Out Yer Dead! And yet, we get the magnificent Esperanza Spaulding singing “What a Wonderful World” and a tasteful, stylized slide show. Really one of the best they’ve done in a while.

10:15 p.m. Patton Oswalt on filmmaking: “They basically are saying, ‘I’ve strapped myself to a rocket, it’s either going to blow up, or I’m going to go up and do 900 loop-de-loops and your eyes are going to burn out with splendor and awe.” What a god.

10:18 p.m. Natalie Portman announces…

Actor in a Leading Role

I’m never going to be sold on these “rose ceremony”-style announcements, but it just means that Natalie Portman is on stage longer. And the Oscar goes to…

George Clooney in “The Descend –” wha? Holy crap. It’s a lock.

10:26 p.m. Colin Firth announces another big one…

Actress in a Leading Role

It better not be Nobbs! And the Oscar goes to…

 

Viola Davis in “The Hel…” Uh, what? Really?

Streep. “Her. Again. But, whatever.”

10:36 p.m. Tom Cruise is closing things out tonight:

Best Picture

Here we go. The Academy Award for Best Picture should go to “Drive” but is going to…

“The Artist.” Yes, a sterling example of 21st century filmmaking at its finest!

Good night.

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StaticBlog Live Coverage of 84th Annual Academy Awards Begins 7 p.m. Sunday

Posted by
on February 24, 2012 at 3:58 pm

Join me at 7 p.m. Sunday for my live-blogging of the 84rd Annual Academy Awards — broadcast on ABC, analyzed, digested and extruded on StaticBlog. This and the Grammy Awards are the big live-blogging events every year on StaticBlog, and I encourage you to join in, comment, discuss, grouse, wax rhapsodic and chide. This is always fun, and just so you know where my head is at going into the ceremony, here are my picks — who should win, who will win.

BEST PICTURE

It is standard for Oscar to snub a great film every year, but I guess I was hoping for the deluxe version and get a Best Picture nomination for “Drive.” Instead, the Academy made room for “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” a film with a 45 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Bitter? Me? You bet.

Personally, if I had to throw this category to any film on the list, it would go to either “The Descendants” or “Moneyball” in a heartbeat, but this is the year of “The Artist.” The only way it loses is if “Hugo,” the other love letter to the silent era, siphons off some votes.

Should win: “The Descendants.”

Will win: “The Artist.”

BEST ACTOR

Compared to the fats and extenders in the Best Picture category, this is one lean, mean group. Every single one is worthy — especially Pitt, who gave the best and most human performance of his career in “Moneyball” — but Clooney gets an edge for dealing with a complex and relatable set of emotions in “The Descendants” and letting the audience feel the full weight on his character’s shoulders. Of course, I would be overjoyed at a dark-horse win for Gary Oldman in the spectacular “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” but Clooney deserves this.

Should and will win: George Clooney.

BEST ACTRESS

In terms of the complete films, neither “The Iron Lady” nor “My Week with Marilyn” were as good as the performances at their centers, which likely hampers chances for both Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams, and Close is miles away from a win for the utterly unconvincing “Albert Nobbs.” Viola Davis deserves a win not just for “The Help,” but for a career of extraordinary work, and it will be hers on Sunday. My personal choice, however is Rooney Mara, whose Lisbeth Salander in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” radiated intelligence, toughness, vulnerability and a feral streak. She had to transcend Noomi Rapace’s performance in the Swedish version, and she did it handily.

Should win: Rooney Mara.

Will win: Viola Davis.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Without Albert Brooks in the category, this feels like a sham. Having said that, it is nice to see Jonah Hill get noticed for a great non-comedic turn in “Moneyball” and Nick Nolte given a nod for the otherwise overlooked “Warrior,” but this was always going to be Christopher Plummer’s award. Of course, Plummer has been overlooked many, many times, including his should-have-been-nominated performance as Mike Wallace in “The Insider,” but this is not one of those awful “making up for lost time” awards like Al Pacino’s win for “Scent of a Woman.” Plummer’s Hal Fields in “Beginners” is just a beautiful performance, fully deserving of the statuette.

Should and will win: Christopher Plummer.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Both Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer spent lengthy careers doing great supporting work before “Bridesmaids” and “The Help,” respectively, gave these actresses the roles they richly deserved. McCarthy’s performance as the rough-edged, sexually aggressive Megan is unlike any other character McCarthy played before and stood out as a work of true, immersive acting. But in “The Help,” Spencer’s serving of just desserts resulted in one of the most talked-out scenes in the film, and it was a fine showcase for what the best casting agents have known for years.

Should and will win: Octavia Spencer.

BEST DIRECTOR

“The Descendants” is not an especially unusual story, and perhaps that is why Alexander Payne’s direction resonates with me. The director of “Sideways” and “About Schmidt” is pitted against three of the greatest filmmakers of our time and a relative newcomer poised for an upset victory, but Payne’s film takes family issues of death, betrayal and grief and makes them all feel new, original and freshly experienced. Much of it has to do with the great performances by George Clooney and Shailene Woodley, but Payne’s storytelling anchors the entire enterprise.

Should win: Alexander Payne.

Will win: Michel Hazanavicius.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris.”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

John Logan, “Hugo.”

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

“Rango”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory.”

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Video of the Day: Paul Weller, “That Dangerous Age”

Posted by
on February 23, 2012 at 9:41 am

At 53, Paul Weller is well past that dangerous age where rock stars often retreat into past glories, but as he proved with 2010′s “Wake Up the Nation,” the Modfather is a master at regeneration. His new album, “Sonik Kicks,” hits stores March 19, and Weller is heralding it with this great single. “Sonik Kicks” includes contributions from Graham Coxon of the reconvened Blur, a band that owes much to Weller. “That Dangerous Age” certainly is a reminder of that debt.
– Lang

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Video of the Day: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, “Strangers are Strange”

Posted by
on February 22, 2012 at 9:04 am

Dorks spy on other dorks exchanging old Samsonite briefcases. And yes, in case there’s any doubt, it’s awesome.

– Lang

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Pretty Black Chains Seek Help in Getting to SXSW

Posted by
on February 20, 2012 at 1:29 pm

The Pretty Black Chains are preparing for the South By Southwest events this year, and over the weekend they sent out this request for help. We all know these guys — they’re not claiming to be Nigerian princes asking for a small loan that will return them to power. They just need help with gas, food and lodging. Here’s their note.

We are contacting you because the time has come again for us to make our annual trip down to Austin, Texas for the SXSW Festival. We are proud to be playing, as we do every year, at the Buffalo Lounge. The buffalo lounge is a showcase hosted by Oklahoma’s Film and Music Organization that strictly highlights Oklahoma’s talent.

As you may know, this event can be somewhat straining financially for a number of reasons, but mainly equipment, gas, and housing costs. For instance, last year, our van decided to die in the driveway of our living space, costing us $1,200 in repairs.

We are merely reaching out to people and businesses to see if any of you would be willing to contribute anything towards our endeavors this year. Many of you were able to last year, and we appreciated it beyond words. It really saved our butts, especially considering our van situation :) We don’t know what we would’ve done without the support we received.

Our goal every year at SXSW (and any other concert for that matter) is to represent and direct attention to the amazing abundance of talent that resides here in Oklahoma, more specifically, OKC. We love being from Oklahoma City, and we love what’s going on here. It is important to the growth of the community that we take special care to highlight the city’s intellectual and artistic growth.

We would very much like to support any of you in any way we can in return for whatever financial help you can provide. This could be anything from shows, acoustic shows, guest appearances, mentions on fliers, stickers on our gear, or just good old fashioned promotion. Bands get a lot of press at events such as this, and we were able to mention and give shout outs to plenty of our friends and businesses last year. As a local business owner and band ourselves, we understand the importance of getting the word out in order for our livelihoods to grow. We are super proud and enthusiastic of this city and state and make it known every chance we get.

We aren’t asking for much, it’s whatever you can do. $5, $500, $1000, whatever. Anything helps. If you would like to make a donation, please contact:
Derek Knowlton at prettyblackchains@gmail.com or 405-312-1677

Thank you for reading this. See you in Austin :)

Any other bands or musicians are free to contact StaticBlog and post their own requests for help. We know how expensive it can be to participate in SXSW, but it’s also important to be there, if possible.

Thanks,

Lang

glang@opubco.com

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Album Review: Field Music, “Plumb” (Memphis Industries)

Posted by
on February 20, 2012 at 10:10 am


Rating: 90

Following 2010′s “Measure,” a sprawling collection in which Field Music’s David and Peter Brewis streamlined their jagged rhythmic stance, “Plumb” is a hasty retreat from normalcy. In 35 minutes, the Brewises deploy 15 songs, which means the average song is a little over two minutes long, but “Plumb” is economical and thoughtfully organized, not loud and fast. This is bite-size art rock, like an early Genesis album in a time crunch.

“Plumb” plays out like a day in the life, beginning with the symphonic churn of “Start the Day Right,” in which the chaos of morning dumps the protagonist into the rat race, where he’s late catching a train, apologizing in “Sorry Again, Mate” in the nicest, most Paul McCartney way possible. The Brewises clearly and dearly love Macca’s song structures, and the shifts on “Plumb” recall segues he engineered when putting together side two of “Abbey Road.” The nervous British funk on “A New Town,” accentuated by bubble noises and the brothers’ falsettos, has more impact when it is bookended by “Sorry Again, Mate” and the odd time signatures of their edgy lament on clutter and romance, “Choosing Sides.”

Each song is a model of efficiency: As the title suggests, “Plumb” is engineered to exact specifications, perfect in its construction. If Field Music sometimes comes across as coldly precise art-school pop, the warmth comes through in the lovely ballad “From Hide and Seek to Heartache” and the stunning a cappella interlude “How Many More Times.” The final tracks on “Plumb” show prove the Brewises’ power-pop bona fides, especially the soaring denouement, “(I Keep Thinking About) a New Thing.” Still mourning the loss of XTC after all these years? Field Music’s “Plumb” picks up where your precious Andy Partridge left off.

— George Lang

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