April 2010
SCREENTIME #33
April 30, 2010
Tops at the Box: Another week, another pathetic list of box office winners. Coming in at No. 1 last weekend was, once again, How To Train Your Dragon, pulling in another (belch)$15 million at the box, upping its five week total to (belch) over $178 million, making it the second highest grossing film so far of 2010. We hear it’s good. We also heard that the year’s so-far No. 1 film, Alice In Wonderland was a new classic. We hear a lot of things.
More From the Box: Coming in at No. 2 last weekend with over $12 million over its first three days was J-Lo rom-com The Back-Up Plan. First Ricky Martin dances his way into the headlines again and now J-Lo is starring in date night flicks again? Feels like Pseudo-Latina Explosion 1999 all over again! Coming in at No. 3 last weekend was Date Night, a rom-com that might actually be worth checking out. Thus far the Steve Carell and Tina Fey comedy has already grossed $91 million worldwide, marking a new high for awkward geek comedy. Coming in at No. 4 last weekend was The Losers, an action flick many critics are comparing to the upcoming A-Team film. Critics shmitics, The Losers managed to make over $9 million its first three days despite very mixed reviews and no A-list name on the marquee. And, finally, coming in at No. 5 last weekend was new ScreenTime favorite Kick-Ass, a $30 million mash-up genre flick that has already surprised with over $56 million worldwide over its first 10 days. Not bad for a film with ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FEATURE STORY: JON KELLER
April 29, 2010
“My ultimate plan is to create lifelike dolls of all of my friends and then keep them in my bed,” songwriter/guitarist Jon Keller recently told me. “Then, when they come to hang out with me, I'll say something like ‘oh, I'm sorry you had to see this, I wasn't expecting you so early,’ then quickly cover their doppelganger doll up with a blanket.”
Keller, who has played in a number of local bands and is now jumpstarting a solo career of sorts, is a genuinely peculiar dude. Before his DDP (Doppelganger Doll Plan) days he would drive around with a life-size clown doll in his car, slyly puppeteering it to jolt people in nearby cars.
But before all that, he himself was a clown.
“Yeah, it's true, I used to be a clown,” he told me. “But it was never my goal to become one. I went to a Christian school in Kokomo and my homeroom teacher thought it would be a good idea for us to have a clown-themed ministry. I have no idea why. Anyways, everyone had to come up with their own clown character and make the costume. Naturally, I veered more towards the Hobo style. I used to juggle all sorts of stuff.”
Before making his way to Fort Wayne for college Keller lived 15 minutes outside of Kokomo in a town called Galveston. Not exactly a cultural hub.
“I loved growing up there. I didn't really have any friends in my neighborhood, so the majority of my time was spent riding my bike around. There really wasn't anything to do but play guitar or go see movies,” Keller said when asked about his notoriously eccentric taste in film and music. “I got tired of the mainstream crap movies they were showing in Kokomo, so, when I got my first car I would drive 45 minutes to Muncie ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR 40 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 1996
April 29, 2010
40. Pearl Jam - No Code 39. Tupac - The Don Killuminati
38. Phish - Billy Breathes
37. The Fugees - The Score
36. Tori Amos - Boys for Pele
35. Nick Cave - Murder Ballads
34. Redman - Muddy Waters
33. Smog - The Doctor Came at Dawn
32. Modest Mouse - This Is a Long …
31. Fiona Apple - Tidal
30. Stone Temple Pilots - Tiny Music
29. Nas - It Was Written
28. Stereolab - Emperor Tomato ...
27. Palace - Arise, Therefore
26. The Wallflowers - Bringing Down ...
25. Counting Crows - Recovering the Satellites
24. Chino XL - Here to Save You All
23. Cash - Unchained
22. Sleater-Kinney - Call the Doctor
21. Porno for Pyros - God’s Good Urge
20. Dr. Octagon - Dr. Octagonecologyst
19. The Roots - Illadef Halflife ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR 35 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 1997
April 28, 2010
35. Bjork - Homogenic 34. Blur - 13
33. Green Day - Nimrod
32. Rakim - The 18th Letter
31. Guster - Goldfly
30. Portishead - Portishead
29. Foo Fighters - The Colour and ...
28. Erykah Badu - Baduizm
27. The Chemical Brothers - Dig ...
26. The Notorious B.I.G. - Life After ...
25. The Cure - Galore
24. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
23. Modest Mouse - The Lonesome ...
22. Supergrass - In It for the Money
21. Paul McCartney - Flaming Pie
20. Sarah MacLauchlan - Surfacing
19. Wyclef Jean - The Carnival
18. Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Forever
17. Oasis - Be Here Now ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR 50 FAVORITE ALBUMS OF 1998
April 28, 2010
50. New Radicals - Maybe You’ve Been 49. Garbage - Version 2.0
48. Manic Street Preachers - This Is My
47. Gang Starr - Moment of Truth
46. Liz Phair - Whitechocolatespaceegg
45. Pulp - This Is Hardcore
44. RZA - Bobby Digital in Stereo
43. Beastie Boys - Hello Nasty
42. Massive Attack - Mezzanine
41. Boards of Canada - Music Has the ...
40. Tori Amos - Choirgirl Hotel
39. Tortoise - TNT
38. Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation
37. Songs: Ohia - Impala
36. John Spencer - ACME
35. Sunny Day Real Estate - How It Feels to Be Something On
34. Eels - Electro-Shock Blues
33. Unkle - Psyence Fiction
32. Hole - Celebrity Skin
31. Bright Eyes - Letting Off the Happiness
30. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - F#A#8 ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR TOP 40 ALBUMS OF 1999
April 27, 2010
Remember way back in 1999, when we all thought The Chemical Brothers and Moby were surely going to release classic albums? We were all momentarily into David Gray and Kelis and CDs were up to about $18 a piece? The top selling albums of that year were by artists with names like Backstreet Boys, Britney Spears, Shania Twait, Ricky Martin, N’Sync, Limp Bizkit and The Dixie Chicks.
So, as far as mainstream releases in 1999 go, it was a pretty nasty year to be alive. That said, there were a whole lot of classic indie rock albums released in 1999. Tons, easily making it one of the best years of the 1990s - which is easily one of the best decades ever for recorded music. Also, indie hip-hop was getting super weird, which didn’t last long, but was great while it lasted.
40. Eminem - The Slim Shady LP
39. Beth Orton - Central Reservation
38. Supergrass - Supergrass
37. GZA - Beneath the Surface
36. Sonic Youth - Goodbye 20th Century
35. Various Artists - Soundbombing II
34. Blur - 13
33. Superchunk - Come Pick Me Up
32. The Dismemberment Plan - Emergency and I
31. Handsome Boy Modeling School - So … How’s Your Girl?
30. Godspeed You Black Emperor! - Slow Riot for New Zero Kanada
29. Luna - Days of Our Nights
28. Sleater-Kinney - The Hot Rock
27. Travis - The Man Who
26. The Roots - Things Fall Apart ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR TOP 110 ALBUMS OF THE 1970S
April 26, 2010
Choosing only 110 albums from the 1970s, arguably the best decade ever for recorded music, was a tough job. And while we do think we covered most of the essentials, there are certainly some we missed. Lots, we’d bet. So feel free to e-mail us at misterlisterman@gmail.com to let us know what we missed. We’re not above updating our list.
110. Faust - IV
109. Bob Marley - Kaya
108. Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells a Story
107. Gram Parsons - Grievous Angel
106. David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
105. Nick Drake - Pink Moon
104. Pere Ubu - Dub Housing
103. Bob Dylan - New Morning
102. Marvin Gaye - What’s Going On
101. Herbie Hancock - Head Hunters
100. Serge Gainsbourg - Histoire de Melody Nelson
99. Wings - Band on the Run
98. Sly and the Family Stone - There’s A Riot Goin’ On
97. Loudon Wainwright III - Unrequited
96. Devo - Q: Are We Not Men? A: We are Devo!
95. Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
94. Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
93. Bruce Springsteen - Darkness on the Edge of Town
92. Pink Floyd - The Wall
91. The Modern Lovers - The Modern Lovers
90. Byrds - (Untitled)
89. Nick Drake - Bryter Layter
88. Blondie - Parallel Lines
87. Eric Clapton - Slowhand
86. Gang of Four - Entertainment!
85. Gram Parsons - GP
84. Neu! - Neu!
83. Wire - Chairs Missing
82. Talking Heads - 77 ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR TOP MILLION ALBUMS OF THE 1990S
April 25, 2010
130. Sonic Youth - Washing Machine 129. Moby - Play
128. The Breeders - Pod
127. Beastie Boys - Check Your Head
126. Air - Moon Safari
125. R.E.M. - Out of Time
124. Portishead - Dummy
123. The Microphones - Don’t Wake Up
122. Stereo lab - Emperor Tomato
121. Pearl Jam - Ten
120. The Roots -Things Fall Apart
119. Mogwai - Young Team
118. Pixies - Trompe le Monde
117. Neil Young - Harvest Moon
116. Outkast - Aquemini
115. Rage Against the Machine - Evil Empire
114. Yo La Tengo - Painful
113. Uncle Tupelo - March 16-20, 1992
112. Pulp - Different Class
111. Dr. Octagon - Octagonecologyst
110. Primal Scream - Screamadelica
109. Pixies - Bossanova
108. Beta Band - The Three EPs
107. Tom Waits - Bone Machine
106. Spiritualized - Ladies and Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space
105. De La Soul - Is Dead
104. Counting Crows - August and Everything After
103. Dave Matthews - Under the Table and Dreaming
102. Blackalicious - Nia
101. Travis - The Man Who
100. Nirvana - Nevermind
99. Ice Cube - The Predator
98. Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs
97. The Breeders - Last Splash
96. Frank Black - Teenager of the Year
95. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication
94. Blur - Parklife
93. Neutral Milk Hotel - On Avery Island ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
KICKING ASS WITH SCREENTIME
April 24, 2010
I know I promised a return to formatted columns this week, but first, I’m bursting at the seams with a movie-lover rant about a new film called Kick-Ass. I’ll start by saying that, until it was actually playing on screen before my eyes, I figured it a candidate for the year’s worst film. Just seeing stills and the trailer had me laughing at how incongruous it looked. I figured it’d be as good as, say, Surf Ninjas. Maybe you’re feeling the same way … keep reading.
I live for this feeling. After my third Kick-Ass viewing in one weekend I left the theater as buzzed as ever, ready for a fourth viewing. The film has been described as a “Kill Bill meets Superbad” hybrid that is also a comic book film with little kids and Nic Cage. Sure, that description will work on the average viewer, but I see much more here. For example, the cinematography is masterful throughout, especially during the fight sequences, which remind of Robert Richardson’s work. Also, the way New York City is filmed (as well as one very memorable chase scene) brings to mind Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express, taking its look from the legendary Christopher Doyle. The film looks beautiful, front to back.
Director Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) took from a very diverse set of films for the style of Kick-Ass, some obvious, some not so much. He uses music very successfully (imagine Greg Mottola picking the songs for a Robert Rodriguez film); provides a more offbeat version of superhero lore (Hal Haberman’s little seen Special comes to mind); offers plenty of great teen hangout moments that remind of “Freaks and Geeks”; and even manages to make the NYC and gangster elements of the film seem ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
POST-COCAINE ROCK WITH IKE REILLY
April 23, 2010
My phone rings 30 or so minutes after I thought Chicago area singer/songwriter Ike Reilly flaked out on our scheduled interview: “Hey man, I just got out of a meeting at my kid’s school,” the raspy mystery voice on the other end growls. “My kid got in trouble so I had to go in and get yelled at. That fucking teacher kept going on and on. But I’ve got time now if you do.”
It’s Ike Reilly, and he’s feisty. At first my questions don’t amuse him. I know from his recent record, Hard Luck Stories, that he loves talking to people, but for five minutes he doesn’t love talking to me. His answers are short and to the point.
When I ask him about the decision to release Stories, his sixth proper studio album, as a download two months before the CD hit store shelves, he simply says “I don’t know. I don’t do the marketing.” There’s a long pause and a bored sigh. “That’s a record label question. I didn’t even know there was going to be a hard copy.”
Eventually, however, he warms. We talk about records and music into our cell phone devices, only 172 miles from each other’s front door. He’s the New Dylan. The New Waits. He’s even the new Todd Snider - though he’s not new at all.
“This is kind of nice, ya know,” he says. “You’re the most informed writer I’ve talked to in a long while. I’ve been an asshole to some people lately just because they call me and talk to me for an hour and haven’t even listened to the new record.”
From there, the short, stoic responses disappear; suddenly, I’m talking with the storyteller. The darkly funny father. One of the most loved-by-rock-critics songwriters in America today. I’m lucky. More than anything else, I want, very badly, to ask him about his writing, which is some of the best out there. I edge around ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR TOP 50 ALBUMS OF THE 2000S
April 22, 2010
What an amazing decade for albums! Maybe our favorite decade since the 1970s, even! So many classic bands working at the top of their gang. More than anything else, this was the decade of indie labels and indie bands. As the record industry crumbled the indie labels thrived.
Artist of the decade? Tough one. Radiohead, Ryan Adams and Wilco would surely all be up there, as would Sufjan Stevens, The Flaming Lips, Spoon and Arcade Fire. The best year of the decade? Probably 2002, followed closely by 2007. So many great new bands … almost too many to count.
So, here we go, Ze Catalist’s Top 60 Albums of the Naughts:
60. MGMT - Oracular Spectacular
59. The White Stripes - Elephant
58. Radiohead - Hail to the Thief
57. Ryan Adams - Jacksonville City Nights
56. Outkast - The Love Below
55. Buck65 - Square
54. Sole - Bottle of Humans
53. Granddaddy - The Sophtware Slump
52. Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - Master and Everyone
51. Thunderhawk - Thunderhawk IV
50. Spoon - Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga
49. Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
48. The Decemberists - Castaways and Cutouts
47. Snowglobe - Our Land Brains
46. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
45. Sufjan Stevens - Greetings From Michigan
44. Magnolia Electric Co. - Nashville Moon
43. Paul Westerberg - 49:00
42. Sufjan Stevens - Illinoise ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
OUR TOP 50 ALBUMS OF THE 1980S
April 21, 2010
Sure, this has been done to death. We’ve even done this once or twice before ourselves - long before we started this website, even. But for the hell of it, here’s a list of Ze Catalist’s 50 Favorite Records from the 1980s.
But wait! Before we start, please consider the following disclaimers: For some reason we’ve never really gotten into Echo and the Bunnymen, Husker Du, Gun Club, The Feelies or The Pogues, but figure we will eventually. Jesus and the Mary Chain? Well, we think they’re okay, but wouldn’t rank any of their albums with the 50 below. We didn’t include hip-hop for some reason and we’re only a fan of Prince's singles - same goes for The Cure. We don’t much care for Van Halen or Jane’s Addiction and we hate The Police/Sting. U2? We would be just fine if we never heard U2 again.
Okay, here’s the list …
50. Richard and Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights
49. Traveling Wilburys - Vol. 1
48. Minor Threat - Complete Discography
47. Marshall Crenshaw - Marshall Crenshaw
46. Neil Young - Freedom
45. Mission of Burma - Signals, Calls and Marches
44. Galaxie 500 - Today
43. The Flaming Lips - Hear It Is
42. Billy Bragg - Brewing Up with Billy Bragg
41.Morrissey - Viva Hate
40. Galaxie 500 - On Fire
39. Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FILM REVIEW: LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
April 20, 2010
I typically don’t like horror films. And I’m not exactly ready to tell you that I’m a fan of this remake of the Wes Craven classic, but I was, in a way, kind of blown away by it.
Maybe that’s because I read the reviews in advance, almost every one of which was incredibly negative. Critics HATED this film, save for a few. So, yeah, my expectations were low. But from the first few frames it was obvious that Last House On the Left was the work of a real filmmaker who knows his shit. It’s all there, in the first seconds, the hallmarks of a film historian-turned-director, immediately making this a more promising work than any of the other recent classic horror remakes.
For starters, yes, this is a horror film. But not in a jump out of your seat sort of way. It’s closer, in fact, to Michael Haenke’s Funny Games than the original Craven film or, well, most American horror films. More than straight horror, this is a horrifying film. The story is one that could - and maybe has - actually happened. It’s extreme and ugly and bloody. Nice girls get raped and shot and tossed around ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: PLASTIC BEACH
April 19, 2010
You can’t really blame Damon Albarn for making a record like Plastic Beach. Already deep into a career with a legendary band (Blur) and head of a perfectly successful pop side project (Gorillaz), I imagine him lounging in some hip downtown condo, surrounded by musical toys and recording equipment. He can work with nearly any producer he wants and can call up almost any artist for a collaboration. He lives in arguably the best candy store ever - full of sweet, available talent and everything needed to make a record. And, as his Gorillaz project has grown, so has his comfort with experimenting, here making a record that feels like one man’s very eccentric version of modern pop culture.
Listing to Plastic Beach reminds me most of listening to college radio stations. A very diverse (yet also somehow cohesive in production scope) collection of forever cartoon-y songs, the album touches on so many different sounds and currently hip styles that you could almost match each track to a different artist from Pitchfork’s Top 50 Albums of 2009 list. Notably, the record features quite a bit of hip-hop influence - nothing too new for this crew. Here things seem to go even further than they did when Automator and Danger Mouse were offering production. Not only do we get somewhat obvious cameos from Mos Def, De La Soul and Bashy and Kano, but Snoop Dogg also shows up.
But, save for the Snoop offering, these aren’t your usual hip-hop cameos ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
GO SEE THIS MOVIE NOW!
April 18, 2010
Kick-Ass. Go see it ASAP. Seriously. So, so, so good. Some critics (Ebert included) aren't super into it ... but screw those guys. So fun. So fucked up at times. I've heard some folks pitch it as "Kill Bill meets Super Bad." Sort of right. Certainly it's own thing.
And damn if Hit Girl (above) isn't perfect. Great casting all around, including Nic Cage.
Posted by G. William Locke
DIRECTOR MARC FORSTER
April 18, 2010
His dad is a doctor and his brother a lawyer. He’s 6’3” and (I'm told) handsome. He turned down offers to direct such movies as Brokeback Mountain and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He went to NYU film school and, in 1998, turned down $500,000 to direct his first major feature while living off of borrowed money. He was even a student at the world-known Institut Montana Zugerberg in Switzerland.
He is director Marc Forster (pictured at right with Halle Berry), and he is, without doubt, a film stud. Like Steven Soderbergh, we forgot to mention Forster when ranking and discussing our favorite directors of the Naughts. This mostly because Forster is something of a David Fincher-like director in that he makes great films that feel like the work of an auteur without ever writing a word in the script. He’s a pure director. A pure director who made seven very different feature-length films during the Naughts, starting the decade off with indie Everything Put Together in 2000 and finishing it with blockbuster Quantum of Solace in 2008.
We’ve ranked and rated his films below ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
EASE DOWN THE ROAD: SUMMER MIXTAPE
April 17, 2010
What's that you say? It's warm out? You like the sun? It makes you feel special and happy and hopeful and free? Cool. We're happy for you.
We're so happy for you that we made you three hip-hop mixtapes made perfect for the oncoming summer. You'll love them. We know it. You'll love them so much that you'll probably accidently end up leaning way back in your car, holding your stearing wheel with one stiff arm, leaning towards the middle. Yeah, we know what 90s hip-hop can do to a person.
Happy warmth. We love you. Now burn these mixes and turn it up ...
Tape One:
OC - "Far From Yours"
Ghostface - "Mighty Healthy"
Jeru the Damaja - "You Can't Stop the Prophet"
Black Moon - "Who Got Da Props?"
OC - "Point of Viewz"
Beastie Boys - "Get It Together" ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: PHRAZES FOR THE YOUNG
April 16, 2010
Jules C. steps to the solo artist plate as ... Michael Jackson's tall, stoned, white hipster dude doppelganger? Okay, maybe that's something of a stretch (have you ever seen the guy on stage? He literally can not move!); but this, the Strokes' frontman's debut solo record, bares quite a few similarities to Jackson's seminal album, Thriller. Both records have short tracklists (Phrazes at eight tracks, Thriller at nine). Both records are full of long, elaborately produced songs. Both records mix dance music and cheesy keyboards with rock and soul music. Both records feel pretty darn paranoid at times. Both records took forever to write and record. Both records have that future retro feel to them. Many of the songs on both records have elaborate intros and, most importantly, both records are full of great hooks backed and fine production.
Other than that, there's essentially nothing similar about the two records. No tiger on the cover of Phrazes, no lame cameos, no 90 billion copies sold. Mostly, what I'm saying here, is that Phrazes is a surprise - one that's sure to confuse fans (while also making new fans). That Jules is doing the retro thing is no surprise (that's his thing), but that he taking mostly from the sound of the 80s - as opposed to his usual 60s and 70s aping - is something of a blindside. And I like that. I like that he seems relevant again, even if his appeal is brand new. I like that he stood on Letterman's stage and tried to dance while debuting his fant-swear-world-tastic lead single, "11th Dimension."
Back when those Strokes were the band to love, follow, stalk and copy, Jules was in charge. The coolest charmed-as-hell rich boy to ever fake slum ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
THE HISTORY OF SCREENTIME, PT. 2
April 15, 2010
Due to the slow, dull and awfully depressing film season (new Polanski flick not included), two weeks ago I began telling you the story of ScreenTime - a truly epic tale of great, history-altering achievements. I explained how, through my formative years, I went obsession to obsession - from baseball to basketball to film - eventually sticking with my endless love for actors, writers and, more than anything, directors. Our story left off at a pivotal moment in this development: my first job (not counting time spent as a golf caddy).
At 5 p.m. on January 8, 1996, my 16th birthday, I worked my first shift at my first real job - popping popcorn and selling candy and diet pepsi. Magic.
The real perk of this job, of course, was the free movies. I went to everything. Absolutely everything. Twister was the first huge film I remember ushering for. I remember the sound being so loud and full that we couldn’t keep the theater doors shut. Soon after that Brian De Palma’s great Mission Impossible film came to town, which made me and my crew very happy. We must’ve seen that film 10 times. By June I experienced my first summer season firsthand, which, through June, was held high by The Rock and The Nutty Professor. The 16 year old version of me saw both films multiple times. And then, in early July, came mega-blockbuster Independence Day. I don’t remember much about ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
REVIEWING THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2010
April 14, 2010
The first quarter of 2010 is a thing of the past. Music and film releases, thus far at least, haven’t been so hot. Okay, maybe the music has been passable. Or, I should say, maybe the music has been more passable than your average Spring season. Just this week alone saw new albums from MGMT, Murs & 9th Wonder, Dosh and The Tallest Man on Earth.
The second quarter of the year will see things really heating up for both film and music. Here’s a list of some of the bands releasing albums in the next three months, our favorites in boldface:
April 20: Apples in Stereo; Roky Erikson w/Okervill River; Willie Nelson; Rufus Wainwright
April 27: Gogol Bordello
May 4: New Pornographers; Josh Ritter; The Hold Steady; Broken Social Scene
May 11: The National; The Dead Weather, Keane, UNKLE, Woods, Phosphorescent
May 18: Band of Horses; The Black Keys; LCD Soundsystem; Jamie Lidell
June 1: Jack Johnson
June 8: Deer Tick; Here We Go Magic; Hot Hot Heat; Teenage Fanclub; The Roots
June 15: The Gaslight Anthem
May 4 is going to be one for the books!
Before we rank our Top 25 Albums from the first quarter of the year, we feel the need to mention all the bands who have released promising albums that we haven’t yet been able to afford or find: Liars; Gonjasufi; The Morning Benders; Pantha du Prince; Besnard Lakes; Fang Island; Field Music; Local Natives; Ted Leo; Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra La-La Band; Midlake; The Whigs; The Strange Boys; Retribution Gospel Choir; Shearwater; Hot Chip; Owen Pallett; JJ
Okay, time to get to the good stuff ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
LAUGHING AT THE SQUAREBEARDS
April 13, 2010
Those young post-suburbanite Squarebeards over at Paste Magazine recently felt the need to rank the Top 50 Living Directors. I won’t say that they did an awful job or anything so extreme, but I will say that we at Ze Catalist can do much better. In our sleep. On a Sunday. During leap year. In the middle of a tornado. On a boat. Hanging upside down. With a mullet. On the tail end of our 15 minute lunch break ... during third fucking shift.
Their list ranked good ‘ol Martin Scorsese at No. 1. Cool. Hard to argue with that. But Terrence Malick at No. 43? Ha! A-holes. What else … hmm … well, they fearlessly ranked Steven Spielberg at No. 3. I bet that had the folks over at The Auteurs.com roaring with laughter and anger.
Okay, fuck it. Rather than pick the list apart, we’ll just reproduce it here for you, minus all their lame explanations. Then, below that, we’ll post the REAL list. OUR list.
Paste Says: 50. Mel Brooks; 49. Charles Burnett; 48. Errol Morris; 47. Jim Sheridan; 46. John Sayles; 45. Sofia Coppola; 44. Cameron Crowe; 43. Terrence Malick; 42. Jane Champion; 41. James Cameron; 40. Guillermo del Toro; 39. Jacques Rivette; 38. Spike Lee; 37. Pedro Almodovar; 36. Richard Linklater; 35. Ridley Scott; 34. Gus Van Sant; 33. Alain Resnais; 32. Michael Haneke; 31. Chris Marker; 30. Danny Boyle; 29. Christopher Nolan; 28. Claire Denis; 27. Terry Gilliam; 26. Jim Jarmusch; 25. Wim Wenders; 24. Tim Burton; 23. David Cronenberg; 22. Agnes Varda; 21. Apichatpong Weerasethakul; 20. Hayao Miyazaki; 19. Clint Eastwood; 18. Abbas Kiarostami; 17. David Fincher; 16. Hou Hsiao-Hsien; 15. Lars von Trier; 14. Francis Ford Coppola; 13. Werner Herzog; 12. The Dardenne Brothers; 11. Wes Anderson; 10. Wong Kar-Wai; 9. David Lynch; 8. Quentin Tarantino; 7. Woody Allen; 6. Paul Thomas Anderson; 5. Steven Soderbergh; 4. The Coen Brothers; 3. Steven Spielberg; 2. Jean Luc-Godard; 1. Martin Scorsese
Okay, okay, okay. So it’s not THAT bad of a list. Actually, it’s pretty good. Some of the exclusions - Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Leigh, Roman Polanski, Bernardo Bertolucci and Sidney Lumet, to name just five - hurt, but, overall, they did a fine enough job. (And what about Peter Fucking Weir for chrissakes!)
I can’t figure out, though, if some of their rankings are based largely on the promise of some of the directors. Listing Paul Thomas Anderson higher than Clint Eastwood and Terry Gilliam, for example, seems strange ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FILM REVIEW: SURROGATES
April 12, 2010
I like to imagine the Bruce Willis, director Jonathan Mostow and the producers of Mostow’s latest film, Surrogates, sitting around in Hollywood in the late summer of 2009. They knew that their sci-fi film about people who control surrogate bodies was about done. They also knew that the man who directed what was then the biggest film of all-time, James Cameron (Titanic), also had a film about surrogates coming out.
I bet they laughed. They laughing because they knew what Cameron’s film was about - humans who operate alien surrogates in order to harvest resources from another planet. I bet they had a good chuckle at that premise. Still, though, I bet they also had conversations about how their surrogate sci-fi film had to come out before Cameron’s Avatar. Just in case. Better safe than sorry. Why not? And all that stuff.
To see Bruce Willis’ surrogate’s face in this film is an instant hoot - the kind that makes you want to turn off the movie and go make a joke about what you just saw on Twitter. I know that he’s supposed to look artificial and futuristic, and I suppose he kind of does … but damn if he doesn’t look idiotic. Much of the design here, in fact, looks ridiculous (think Bicentennial Man), especially when you consider the production’s $80+ million dollar shooting budget. The only visuals that really work are the handful Mostow & Co. lift directly from Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil - films made when the 48 year old Mostow was still a young lad in college.
I suspect that the Surrogates script was a hot topic in Hollywood for at least a week. I could even see studios fighting over it and C-list directors taking pay cuts. It’s not that the writing is that strong; but, rather, the concept of the story has all the makings of a possible new sci-fi classic. The story is actually quite simple: humans all stay home in the future, opting to lay in a bed hooked up to a machine that operates a remote surrogate being who is out in the world, living for them. These surrogates work, go to meetings, drive cars, go to clubs, hook up with other surrogates, do drugs ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: ODD BLOOD
April 11, 2010
Do I hate this record? Would I play it with windows down and “normal” people within earshot? Is this just the latest in a long line of post-Pitchfork flavor of the month bands? Meh. Who cares. The real question is this: does not liking a record like Yeasayer’s Odd Blood mean that I’m losing my edge? Having just turned 30, I’ve found myself obsessively asking this question about almost everything. Does the fact that I don’t like Coconut M&Ms – or the reality that “Breaking Bad” makes me feel nauseated with anxiety – mean that I’m not changing with the times? Am I becoming what I’ve always feared: the “Better In My Day” / “All Been Done” guy? Is my palate not as endlessly open to new things as I’ve always claimed?
No way. I’m not losing it, I’m just selective. I mean, I loved last year’s Animal Collective and Dirty Projector records and cite Joanna Newsom’s *Ys as one of the best records of the new century. I might not be covered in tattoos but I’ve always laughed at the Johnny Come Lately kids who fall victim to awful hip-hop and electronic music fads. I don’t collect goofy sunglasses and didn’t wear the “Buddy Holly specs” (as we called them in 1994) after the first Weezer record came out. Hmm … maybe that’s why I think Odd Blood is one of the ugliest looking records I’ve ever seen? And maybe the fact that I listen to music on an actual stereo and not an iPhone has something to do with why I think Odd Blood is so laughably experimental and unfocused. Experimental to a fault, even. Or maybe I’m just too old to matter. Meh.
Let’s start with the vocals and vocal treatments, which are often awful ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM/FILM REVIEW: UNDER GREAT WHITE NORTHERN LIGHTS
April 10, 2010
In July of 2001 my co-worker and I flipped a coin. One of us was going to buy the strange CD we’d been passing back and forth, our hopes being that it would win our hearts and, most importantly, help our workday pass quickly. He lost, and thus had to buy a copy of a then unknown album called White Blood Cells, at the time an only regionally distributed record by The White Stripes, who were previously responsible for two locally released records in their native Detroit. We were in love with the songs by shift’s end, and by year’s end, much of America was getting a taste, too.
A month of so after discovering the band we drove up to some dump called Detroit to see them in a small, dark, dirty club, packed with at least 50 other very sweaty kids about our age. Jack White was weirder than we could’ve imagined and Meg White was as unbelievably awkward and distant as she remains today. The show was loud and amazing, and by the time we saw the Stripes again, about a year later, we were part of a huge theater crowd. In retrospect, luck was on our side in the summer of 2001; and while I think we’ve both kinda/sorta kept up with the Stripes since then, neither of us have liked any of their albums as much as Blood Cells and neither of us have gone out of our way to see them on stage a third time.
And now they’re huge. Jack White, now a member of three popular bands (Stripes, The Dead Weather and The Raconteurs), his own record label and store and his own film company, was even called the “artist of the decade” by a number of publications and websites. I’d always known that White, a noted Orson Welles aficionado, was into film. So when I saw his self-directed video for The Dead Weather’s “I Cut Like a Buffalo,” I wasn’t a bit surprised at how excellent it looked. That in mind, I was anticipating ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
FEATURE: RECORD STORE DAY 2010
April 9, 2010
Wooden Nickel owner Bob Roets could - and probably should - be a bitter man, given the soulless pillaging his industry has been on the losing end of over the last 10 years. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, when I recently spoke with Roets about his plans for this year’s Record Store Day he was downright chipper, even explaining to me that his stores were up 12 percent last year. Up! But more on that later; let’s rewind.
“When I was a kid I was fascinated by turntables. So when I got a paper route at age 12 I saved up and bought my first turntable. Then I started listening to Casey Kasem’s ‘American Top 40’ and began studying charts to see what was popular,” Roets, always well spoken about the business of music, told me. “Then, when I got in high school and college, I started getting interested in the retail side. I started working at a record store when I was 18 and that’s pretty much what I’ve done since.”
While in high school Roets became a serious vinyl collector, a hobby aided by a radio program he found himself involved in at a young age.
“They had a thing at a radio station called ‘High School Highlights’ that I was involved in. I did a little bit of DJ work and other things and got paid in vinyl,” he told me. “I’d go home with a stack of promotional vinyl. By the time I was a sophomore in college I had over 2,000 LPs to my name, and most of them I didn’t pay anything for. Then, once I started working in record stores I started buying everything, adding to my collection.”
Roets was hooked. A go-getter by nature, he soon enough ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: VOLUME TWO
April 8, 2010
Actor-turned-singer Zooey Deschanel is undeniably cute. She dresses cute, she makes cutes faces, she has a cute voice and the words she sings are downright adorable. It’s almost too much to take, and there’s no way her sweetness could ever be enough to carry a career in music. Enter M. Ward, ace in the hole.
Together Ward (who handles most of the arranging, playing and recording) and Deschanel (who writes, sings and plays piano) make dreamy and sweet pop music that could sound right at home on any late-50s or early-60s dusty AM pop station. Ward starts with layers of multiple Deschanel vocal tracks on each song, creating a one-person girl group vibe. He and Deschanel then put together often simple, always inviting arrangements built around Zooey’s dewy, dream girl voice. Trying to find something bad about the songs on Volume Two makes me feel like a bully. This is sweet, happy, friendly music. There’s nothing too complex. There’s nothing too deep. Nothing to dislike.
And, in all honesty, those first two paragraphs could also work if describing the band’s 2007 debut, Volume One, one of this writer’s favorite records of that year. There’s a Phil Spector vibe here, as was also the case with Volume One. But, like Albert Hammond, Jr. did with his sophomore record, She & Him create a near carbon copy of their first release, a record that many, many people loved. The guests are the same and the liner note design follows theme, as does the way Deschanel and Ward worked out the songs and the formatted their record (11 originals, two covers).
And maybe that’s the only problem here. Not so much that ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: AIN'T NO GRAVE
April 7, 2010
Maybe he’s an opportunist. Maybe. I’m not sure. Speaking here of producer Rick Rubin, that is, not Johnny Cash. Let me repeat that: Johnny Cash, rest his soul, could never be confused with an opportunist. He was many things in his day, but never that. Rubin, on the other hand, just might be. Why? Because, he just keeps on pumping out posthumous Cash records, claiming each release to be the last. Baiting us. Lying, even.
But who cares, with Ain’t No Grave we get 10 more Cash studio recordings. And damn if producer Rubin doesn’t do a great job here, keeping things lean but immaculately detailed, clearly doing all he can to respect the Cash name. Opener “Ain’t No Grave” is haunting and stark, Rubin even adding the sound of a chain gain march to the mix, which also features fantastically moody and subtle guitar work from Matt Sweeney. The Avett Brothers, too, guest on the song, adding banjo and foot stomps. The result is much more in line with the current crop of dark singer/songwriters (think Will Oldham, Ray Raposa, Bill Callahan and the like) than the country genre Cash is known for. There’s no understating it, this song is huge, worth the price of admission alone.
Ain’t No Grave was recorded at the same time as American V: A Hundred Highways, the record that brought Cash back into the mainstream. For the records, Cash used a classic lineup of players, including not only Sweeney, but also Smokey Hormel, Larry Gatlin, Mac Wiseman, Marty Stuart, Randy Scruggs, Jack Clement and many others. And, for the most part, this 30-minute collection sounds similar to Highways, though I get the impression that ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
THE TURBO FRUITS:
YOUNG DUDES, RAW POWER
April 6, 2010
“I got an e-mail from this guy who sets up a festival in Nashville, where I’m from, and I guess he knows Landon Pigg’s Manager,” explained a bored sounding Jonas Stein to me a few weeks ago while on his way to Austin, Texas for South by Southwest. “Landon played this guy in a movie who was, like, the heartthrob guy in the band. So, anyhow, I get this nondescript e-mail from this guy telling me about this movie that these people are working on. I had no idea what he was talking about, but told him that I’d be interested in whatever. Getting involved.”
Stein, the 21-year-old frontman of Turbo Fruits, speaks like no one else. He sounds forever laidback, speaking in an accidentally articulate manner, both choppy and mumbly. At my prompting, he tells me about his recent involvement with the film Whip It, where he and his bandmates acted as the backing band for Pigg’s character in a pivotal scene.
“I didn’t think we’d get it because there were a lot of other big bands up for it,” he lazily explains. “A few days later I get a call from my manager telling me everyone who is involved with the movie, telling me that we’d been selected. A few days after that we were filming in Detroit, seeing all these people we’d only ever seen on TV.”
And while that may read as excited or braggy, nothing could be further from the truth. Stein, who first hit the national spotlight as the guitarist for Be Your Own Pet (a fact he could brag about, but doesn’t), is a true rock n’ roll throwback, excited by life and music, not movies and celebrities. He tours the country with what he describes as “rambunctious dudes,” his rhythm section, Dave McCowen and Matt Hearn.
A day after I spoke with Stein he and the other fruits arrived in Austin; the day after that began their three-day, 20-show run at South by Southwest, Stein’s sixth year playing the festival. Do that math: 21 minus six. Yes, Stein first hit the nation scene at age 15, a member of the explosive Be Your Own Pet, arguably the most authentically ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: BROKEN BELLS
April 5, 2o10
Back in the day, before the Internet knew everything as it happened and watered the universe down, collaboration records were truly exciting things. Events, even. You’d hear rumors and maybe see a story in a magazine or hear a song or two on a 7” or your local college radio station, but not until the record finally hit the shelf did we really know what we were getting. And it was fun that way. Nowadays, though, things are different. We’ve all known about this James Mercer (This Shins) and Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) – known together as Broken Bells – collaborative record for ages. We’ve known about it so long that most of us have already gone from excited to bored to hopeful to, well, kinda over it – all before the record hit shelves. But now the record is here, and I’d be lying if I said that – despite doing all I could to read up on Internet speculation – it’s not pretty much exactly what I thought it’d be.
And, in this case, that’s an okay thing. It’s a good thing because Mercer’s writing and singing is damn good, at least as far as indie pop is concerned. It’s a good thing because Burton knows how to make beat-heavy pop songs fly. Sure, he’s as predictable – and reliable – as any machine as far as his output goes, but, when dealing with pop music, that’s not exactly a bad thing. Together Mercer and Burton make cleanly produced space-pop that is endlessly melodic and never too experimental. If you’ve heard Burton’s production work on Beck’s Modern Guilt and know Mercer’s work with The Shins, then, well, you can probably imagine what this record sounds like. Imagine the Gorillaz (who Burton has done extensive production work for) if they were more melancholy, melodic and, well ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
THE HISTORY OF SCREENTIME, PT. 1
April 4, 2010
Given that cinema isn’t so great right now, I figured this was a good week to get all self-important on you, my much loved reader. Sure, How to Train Your Dragon is No. 1 at the box office right now, making about $43 million last weekend. Perfect fodder for wisecracking, right? Alice In Wonderland is approaching the $300 million mark and Hot Tub Time Machine is actually a reality - all worthy of discussion, right? Meh. We’d rather tell the story of StageBanter, in the hopes that fellow cinephile types will e-mail us their own history of film. Anyhow, here we go …
I grew up in a baseball family, meaning that my older sister and I did three things in our pre-teen years: play baseball, talk about baseball and watch baseball on TV. I only went to the theater exactly two times before entering eighth grade; The Care Bears Movie with my grandma at age five and Dutch, on a fluke, at the dollar theater with my dad, age 11. To this day I’ve never been to the theater with my mom or older sister.
We didn’t watch TV or rent movies in my family. We didn’t have cable and we didn’t read Entertainment Weekly. My best friend from age five to 22 was an African American kid named Teddy. He lived across the street and shared my passion for baseball and basketball. Around the time I turned 12 his parents started asking me along to the movies - always black cinema of the early 90s. The first film I remember seeing that I actually cared about was 1992’s White Men Can’t Jump, a movie I still adore to this day.
Around this time I also started hanging out with a more rebellious/radical crowd or longhairs than I had before; we stayed up all night on the weekends watching movies like Boyz N The Hood, Die Hard and, umm, Sliver. Ha ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
EARS RINGING WITH CASTLES
April 3, 2010
Guitarist Omar Afzaal is in two (or is it three?) bands, works and goes to school. Bassist Ty Brinneman is a founding member of the Soma art collective and is in three bands, including nationally known post-rock band Metavari. Drummer John Cheesebrew has kids and a wife, recently fronted metal band Graves of the Endless Fall, runs Old Crown Coffee Roasters and is looking to start a stoner metal band. Guitarist Bob Haddad is in three bands. Afzaal and Haddad, two founding members of classic Fort Wayne band All Nite Skate, also play rare shows with their former band. And much more.
The point is that the four members of experimental rock band Castles, unquestionably one of the area’s most interesting – and complex – bands, are busy dudes. So busy that, after several failed attempts, I had to meet them at Nick Fabini’s Cardinal Tattoo for an interview. This while Cheesebrew was elbow-deep in needle.
“John and I were working together at Old Crown, so we decided to start playing together as a two-piece. And that was our plan. Two and no one else,” Afzaal said while needles buzzed and metal blared from speakers. “Bob was living in Chicago at the time, so [his involvement was] out of the question. One thing led to another and we eventually asked Ty to join because we wanted a fuller sound – a bottom end. Bob was thinking about moving back, and I really wanted him in the band.”
“Omar and I started playing together back in the winter of 2008. By the spring we were playing as a three piece with Ty,” added Cheesebrew, noting that Brinneman wasn’t able to meet up for the interview because he was currently in Austin, Texas, playing South by Southwest shows with big shots Metavari.
“I was working at the library in Chicago and considering transferring schools. But that wasn’t going to work out, so I came back,” Haddad explained when asked what he was doing when Castles formed. “They recorded a garage demo for me to check out. So I started ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
ALBUM REVIEW: PAVEMENT LP REISSUES
April 2, 2010
While living in Seattle recently I found what ranks, for me at least, as the best record store in the U.S. I went to this – and many other – record stores often. Very often – they’re everywhere in that city and two of them are bigger than any Best Buy I’ve ever been to. Each time I walked into one of these stores I checked for used copies of Pavement LPs and 45s, never having and luck. I got to know the owner of my abovementioned favorite store a little bit. He learned my tastes and often promised that that Pavement vinyl did, in fact, show up used very often. Damn liar.
So when I heard that Matador Records planned to reissue the band’s proper five-album discography on vinyl, and on the cheap (about $12 each), I was stoked. I have the original versions of the albums on CD and all the two-disc reissues. I have the Slanted and Enchanted LP reissue and a couple of 45s and live LP bootlegs. I have the Drag City-issued EP collection, Westing (by Musket and Sextant), and I have most of the Malkmus solo stuff on LP. But proper Pavement albums two through five have long been impossible to find. I don’t have them. No one I know has them. People just weren’t buying a whole lot of vinyl through the 90s, so labels didn’t print the stuff up like they do today or did before 1990.
With each of the two-disc CD reissues Matador released they also issued somewhat limited and very overpriced (usually over $70 each) souped-up versions of the albums on LP. Rich guys bought them, I’m sure, but probably no one else. I’d go and hold the monsters in my hands and drool, never quite *stupid enough to pull that trigger.
Stupid? Yeah, stupid. I already have these records on CD, right? Multiple times over! Why buy them on vinyl then, right? Why waste that money when I could be using the bread to buy records I don’t yet have? Well … because I love Pavement. And when my love for a band or an album hits a certain level, I can’t help but want to buy every little piece of junk they issue. And re-issue. And re-issue again. ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke
CHICAGO'S LATEST GIANT: THE INTERIORS
April 1, 2010
The story goes that, on the day after Chicago indie rockers The Interiors signed a record deal, vocalist/guitarist Chase Duncan’s hand was smashed by a metal door. A metal door that Chicago’s notorious wind took like a sail, leading to the amputation of part of one of Duncan’s finger. No one quite knew what would happen with the band or the record deal.
“The event itself was pretty gory and one of the more traumatic things I've experienced,” Duncan recently explained to me. “It was a very difficult time for the band, as we weren't sure whether I was going to actually recover well enough to play guitar. In the end everything obviously turned out fine and I'm definitely a better person for having gone through all of that turmoil. When it's all said and done, sometimes it's good to have hard things foisted upon you so you can find out what you're made of.”
Before that same finger-smashing-year came to a close, The Interiors - Duncan, bassist Collin Jordan and drummer Brian Lubinsky - were back to rocking. And recording.
“That record was more of a group oriented affair in its conception,” Duncan explained. “I would bring in my song ideas, usually a riff, some changes and a basic vocal melody and we'd jam on them over several months, shape out a basic structure, and I'd add lyrics last.”
Soon enough their eponymous LP (best described as Stax-influenced rhythms, grandiose drumming, big hooks and eccentric classic indie rock riffs) was recorded and ready to hit record shelves everywhere, quickly becoming a critic’s darling ... [Continued]
Written by G. William Locke