Monthly Archives: September 2007

In Concert: Midlake

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I’ve talked about this band a few times (here, here…) Really enjoyable show. Dense, thick, layered, atmospheric sound, with layered vocals on top. On some songs all five dudes were singing at once! Smooooooth, seductive and sometimes shimmery. Loved all the stuff from the current album, and the new song, think they’ve really found their groove with multiple vocals and a ’70s feel; didn’t like the ‘older’ stuff as much.

The vocals have a very CSNY feel, but with more piano, more atmosphere in the background. T. was reminded of the Eagles, but I don’t think there’s as much twang, and Midlake’s harmonies are much better (as were CSNY’s as well). These guys do NOT sound like they are from Texas…

GirlReaction Tested and Approved.

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Here are some companies where I have gotten either a) great product or b) GREAT customer service when the product wasn’t what I wanted:

I am on a bit of a spending spree right now, actually buying clothes which is something I seriously almost never ever do (CDs, books, movies = All the time!! Clothes? Very, very rarely). It’s very refreshing to look in my closet and think “Hey! I DO have something to wear!”

Last Night’s iTunes Purchases

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Albums:

  • Kanye West “Graduation”
  • Rogue Wave “Asleep at Heaven’s Gate”
  • Meiko (thanks to Byron for the recommendation…see 9/6 entry)
  • Tricot Machine (if Alison‘s listening to it, it must be good…)

Singles:
  • Shiny Toy Guns “Le Disko” (you’ve heard this on a commercial, where they throw their cell phones at each other and the cell phones cut through their clothes…)

Fiction: “Day” by A.L. Kennedy

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A war veteran finds himself acting as an extra in a film about the war…and finally finds himself back in a place he understands. A place where he can finally come to terms with his war experiences, his regrets, his hopes…

What an amazing book. Just as Kennedy’s last novel “Paradise” took me so much into the mind of the alcoholic main character that I could practically taste the alcohol on my tongue, this book brings you into a completely different world, yet just as fully. Alfred’s experiences in the war (WWII, by the way), and the bonds he formed then, and the emptiness he’s felt since…

I found it extremely powerful and moving. It’s the third Kennedy I’ve read, the third I’ve loved. To think that the same author could write so movingly on such different themes…truly awe-inspiring. She ranks right up there with Pat Barker and Ann Patchett for me — three of the greatest living authors of our time.

In Concert: Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals

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What an amazing show. Blew me away. Can’t really put it into words. Ben Harper’s amazing voice, and his truly remarkable guitar skills, and his completely awe-striking mastery of so many musical styles… His band is polished and professional but can still rip it up. There were loud rocking moments, and rollicking funky moments, and Marvin Gaye sexy moments, and quiet heartbreakingly beautiful moments. They’re promoting their new album “Lifeline” (with possibly the most lovely title song of any album in recent history) and I think it may be their best one yet. Highly recommended, both the album and the show.

Big Screen: 3:10 to Yuma

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Really a funny movie. Very entertaining but very silly, and a lot of holes that can be poked in the plot afterward. Weirdly my parents went to see it the same night (600 miles away) and said the same thing: entertaining and satisfying but very silly. Dad says it made him remember how some Elmore Leonard stories just go overboard into crazy silliness.

Russell Crowe is quite saucy and fun, and Christian Bale is so earnest and moral that you kinda want to slap him upside the head, or upside his weird, stereotypically English, filed to the exact same length across the top row, gray teeth. Yes I have a thing about teeth and his drive me nuts.

And for you Serenity/Firefly fans, Wash has a pretty big part and he’s great in it! Yay! [And the dude who played Sam Phillips in “Walk the Line” is in this as well. He has a somewhat creepy resemblance to John Ritter in this role….]

Best of August.

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The best movie I saw in August was also the only movie I saw in August (pathetic!): Stardust. Lucky for me, I quite enjoyed it.

The best book I read in August was a tie between “Run” by Ann Patchett and “Seven Types of Ambiguity” by Elliot Perlman. The former is relatively short, concise, but emotionally overwhelming, family drama. The latter is long, meandering, stream of conscious from various narrators, personal relationship drama. Both were highly enjoyable.

The best concert I went to in August was a three-way tie: the Lollapalooza performances by The Polyphonic Spree, Lupe Fiasco and Ben Harper.

My favorite tunes in August were: Matt Nathanson!!! both his new album “Some Mad Hope” and his live album “At the Point” are totally awesome. Awesome!!; Okkervil River “The Stage Names”; and Earlimart “Mentor Tormentor” (hypnotic! entrancing!). And I’m still listening to the stuff I bought in Belgium en français…right now I really like David Hallyday, MC Solaar’s “Chapitre 7” and Kaolin’s “Mélanger Les Couleurs”.

Random personal highlights: Lollapalooza! Trip to Belgium! Plus some quiet days with the Fam up in MN.

Lowlights? Tired out. Two weeks off really throws you for a loop when you return to normal. Need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

Big Screen: Transformers

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I really enjoyed about the first hour of this. Then I started to get bored, and the robots started to get preachy (thank you, humans, for working with us), and I started to want it to be over.

Despite me losing interest before the end, one can’t really argue the fact that Josh Duhamel is one tall drink of water, even if I had to break up with him a long time ago as you may remember. And Shia LaBeouf plays self deprecating quite well, I can imagine him having a long future in Hollywood.