2011-01-31
Gang of Sellouts
While watching the tube this weekend, I was horrified to see the following commercial:
Hang on a minute.
Ok. I had to give myself a second to breathe and collect myself, let my rage settle just a bit. You know why I'm so furious? The song in that XBOX 360 commercial is Gang of Four's "Natural's Not In It".
The top commenter on the video nails it: "Jon and Andy: I'm going to kick you in the shins really hard for this."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Here are the lyrics (which have been scrubbed from the advert):
The problem of leisure
What to do for pleasure
The body is good business
Sell out, maintain the interest
Ideal love a new purchase
A market of the senses
Dream of the perfect life
Economic circumstances
Ideal love a new purchase
A market of the senses
Remember Lot's wife
Renounce all sin and vice
Dream of the bourgeois life
This heaven gives me migraine
Look, I get that times are tough, especially for musicians, but seeing this makes me pretty depressed. I guess even bands with anti-corporate sensibility can be bought. Just show 'em enough zeroes.
In ten years, can we expect Rage Against the Machine to license "Freedom" to an airline that wants to convey the feeling 'freedom' to their potential customers? I sure as hell hope not... but...
What does the billboard say?
Come and play!, come and play!
Hmmm... that might actually work for some sort of video game company...
But getting back to Gang of Four, you could always make the argument that their sellout moment was in 1983 when they put out this piece of shit:
Yep, it's the same band... but I guess the difference is if they used this track in a commercial my heart sure as hell wouldn't be broken.
See also:
Hang on a minute.
Ok. I had to give myself a second to breathe and collect myself, let my rage settle just a bit. You know why I'm so furious? The song in that XBOX 360 commercial is Gang of Four's "Natural's Not In It".
The top commenter on the video nails it: "Jon and Andy: I'm going to kick you in the shins really hard for this."
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Here are the lyrics (which have been scrubbed from the advert):
The problem of leisure
What to do for pleasure
The body is good business
Sell out, maintain the interest
Ideal love a new purchase
A market of the senses
Dream of the perfect life
Economic circumstances
Ideal love a new purchase
A market of the senses
Remember Lot's wife
Renounce all sin and vice
Dream of the bourgeois life
This heaven gives me migraine
Look, I get that times are tough, especially for musicians, but seeing this makes me pretty depressed. I guess even bands with anti-corporate sensibility can be bought. Just show 'em enough zeroes.
In ten years, can we expect Rage Against the Machine to license "Freedom" to an airline that wants to convey the feeling 'freedom' to their potential customers? I sure as hell hope not... but...
What does the billboard say?
Come and play!, come and play!
Hmmm... that might actually work for some sort of video game company...
But getting back to Gang of Four, you could always make the argument that their sellout moment was in 1983 when they put out this piece of shit:
Yep, it's the same band... but I guess the difference is if they used this track in a commercial my heart sure as hell wouldn't be broken.
See also:
Labels:
music business,
rant,
video
2011-01-30
Saigon Sunday
I've been listening to a bunch of shoegaze this week, and although you could argue that Catherine Wheel aren't "really" shoegaze, there are plenty of the elements there, hazy guitars, spacey vocals.
This is a 7" version of "Black Metallic", which appears on the Catherine Wheel's 1992 album Ferment.
This is a 7" version of "Black Metallic", which appears on the Catherine Wheel's 1992 album Ferment.
Labels:
saigon sunday,
tracks,
video
2011-01-29
Indie's gone mainstream (...again)
The Overground Indie Fan: A Consumer Force Driving Indie Album Sales 2 Such Great Heights
I feel so relevant for sharing this on my blogspot.
I feel so relevant for sharing this on my blogspot.
2011-01-26
Today in bad ideas
Will Smith's daughter to star in ‘Annie’ remake
Jay-Z is producing!
There is, in fact sort of a precedent for this... anyone remember Carmen? Nah, didn't think so.
Jay-Z is producing!
There is, in fact sort of a precedent for this... anyone remember Carmen? Nah, didn't think so.
Labels:
news
Reconnecting with Roxy Music
My friend Mark lent me the Brian Eno biography On a Faraway Beach, which compelled me to check out some footage of Roxy Music back in their early days, when Eno was still a member.
Check out this clip from the Old Grey Whistle Test:
Eno gets about ten seconds of screen time on his synth, but his presence is felt throughout as he manipulates the other band member's instruments.
It's pretty cool how this was 1972 yet this music still feels fresh and contemporary, like a transmission from outer space.
This song is pretty killer as well, it's the opener from their second album, For Your Pleasure:
Unlike the video above, they are clearly miming and phoning in their performances here, but it's pretty cool that Eno gets a little more screen time. It's also interesting to note how much the look and sound of the band had evolved in roughly a year.
I have to keep reminding myself that this was 1972-73. The music still holds up today, despite Roxy Music's formula being replicated ad nauseum in the 1980s with the so-called New Romantic bands, ie Duran Duran and other abominations... the band really was ground-breaking at the time, and Eno of course went on to have a major impact on Western popular music.
Check out this clip from the Old Grey Whistle Test:
Eno gets about ten seconds of screen time on his synth, but his presence is felt throughout as he manipulates the other band member's instruments.
It's pretty cool how this was 1972 yet this music still feels fresh and contemporary, like a transmission from outer space.
This song is pretty killer as well, it's the opener from their second album, For Your Pleasure:
Unlike the video above, they are clearly miming and phoning in their performances here, but it's pretty cool that Eno gets a little more screen time. It's also interesting to note how much the look and sound of the band had evolved in roughly a year.
I have to keep reminding myself that this was 1972-73. The music still holds up today, despite Roxy Music's formula being replicated ad nauseum in the 1980s with the so-called New Romantic bands, ie Duran Duran and other abominations... the band really was ground-breaking at the time, and Eno of course went on to have a major impact on Western popular music.
2011-01-24
The CD's slow death
My dad sends me this article about the closing of a CD producing facility in New Jersey.
Another interesting passage here:
It talks about how the CD business was a massive bubble just waiting to burst. Sure, music sales have declined drastically in the past few years, but after reading this book, you can view the sales decline more as a matter of a market correction rather than anything else.
CD's started out around $20, and the industry claimed that prices would go down eventually... they never did, which is why the Napster phenomenon was able to cripple their business model the way it did. Appetite paints the music industry as an old-boys network unwilling to adapt to the times, and we all know what happens when you don't adapt.
Spotify seems like something that could save the industry (or at least prop it up for a while), but as usual, it's business as usual.
the company will shutter the facility and 300 workers will be out of jobs. A Sony spokeswoman recently cited an ailing U.S. economy and sagging interest in physical media as the reasons for the closure. A longtime employee sized up the situation more succinctly for CNET last week: "The CD is dying."
Another interesting passage here:
by selling CDs, the poobahs at the record labels also placed the equivalent of digital-master recordings in every home, Holzman said. They had no way to foresee how the CD would enable ripping, iPods, peer-to-peer networks or how those things would slam into their business like a wrecking ball.Last year I read a fascinating book about the music industry called Appetite for Self-Destruction. [review link]
It talks about how the CD business was a massive bubble just waiting to burst. Sure, music sales have declined drastically in the past few years, but after reading this book, you can view the sales decline more as a matter of a market correction rather than anything else.
CD's started out around $20, and the industry claimed that prices would go down eventually... they never did, which is why the Napster phenomenon was able to cripple their business model the way it did. Appetite paints the music industry as an old-boys network unwilling to adapt to the times, and we all know what happens when you don't adapt.
Spotify seems like something that could save the industry (or at least prop it up for a while), but as usual, it's business as usual.
Labels:
books,
music business
2011-01-23
2011-01-19
Of past careers and Ricky Gervais
Watch/Listen: Ricky Gervais - Today The Golden Globes, Yesterday Seona Dancing...
Looks like Gervais fancied being a Bowie-wannabe in his early career. This puts his excellent episode of Extras featuring Mr. Bowie in new perspective, that's for sure.
Looks like Gervais fancied being a Bowie-wannabe in his early career. This puts his excellent episode of Extras featuring Mr. Bowie in new perspective, that's for sure.
2011-01-18
I for one, enjoyed the new Tron movie.
Of course my appreciation of it is mostly from the score and sound design, but hey, what would you expect?
Check out this video about the audio production on film:
I really dug the soundtrack, electronic minimalism from Daft Punk that recalled at times their own work as well as the scores Philip Glass and Hans Zimmer. The "single" from the soundtrack, "Derezzed" is probably the worst cut on the whole thing so don't judge it by that.
My worry was that with all the eyeballs and approvals that this thing would have to go through that the final product would be so diluted as to be unrecognizable, but it wasn't the case. The film itself wasn't like the greatest thing of all time, but come on, a sequel to Tron is what they promised and a sequel is what we got. The soundtrack however, was certainly worth the price of admission (forget the fact that I paid $0).
Perhaps take a listen to "Outlands" and "End of Line", and "Solar Sailer" from this playlist:
Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy (OST) & Bonus Tracks by SeekSickSound
2010 saw some exceptional soundtracks, Tron: Legacy, Inception, and The Social Network. Could we be entering a renaissance for film scores?
I look forward to seeing what else Daft Punk will come up with on future projects, which I'm sure they will be able to land thanks to the great work on Tron: Legacy.
Check out this video about the audio production on film:
SoundWorks Collection: The Sound of TRON LEGACY from Michael Coleman on Vimeo.
I really dug the soundtrack, electronic minimalism from Daft Punk that recalled at times their own work as well as the scores Philip Glass and Hans Zimmer. The "single" from the soundtrack, "Derezzed" is probably the worst cut on the whole thing so don't judge it by that.
My worry was that with all the eyeballs and approvals that this thing would have to go through that the final product would be so diluted as to be unrecognizable, but it wasn't the case. The film itself wasn't like the greatest thing of all time, but come on, a sequel to Tron is what they promised and a sequel is what we got. The soundtrack however, was certainly worth the price of admission (forget the fact that I paid $0).
Perhaps take a listen to "Outlands" and "End of Line", and "Solar Sailer" from this playlist:
Daft Punk - Tron: Legacy (OST) & Bonus Tracks by SeekSickSound
2010 saw some exceptional soundtracks, Tron: Legacy, Inception, and The Social Network. Could we be entering a renaissance for film scores?
I look forward to seeing what else Daft Punk will come up with on future projects, which I'm sure they will be able to land thanks to the great work on Tron: Legacy.
Labels:
soundtracks
2011-01-17
MLK Day
Here's a link that popped up in my reader - featuring the obligatory U2 tunes for MLK today.
Labels:
links
2011-01-16
Saigon Sunday
Here's a track that still gets pretty frequent airplay, thanks to being a great song plus fulfilling CanCon requirements.
Love the classic style. The video definitely has that Canadian feel to it... super low budget, single location... this video has it all!
Love the classic style. The video definitely has that Canadian feel to it... super low budget, single location... this video has it all!
Labels:
saigon sunday,
tracks,
video
More back-scratching
Yesterday I mentioned my friend Adam has a new blog, well I would be remiss if I didn't mentioned his better half Sarah's blog, Long Legs Healthy Life.
The two make quite the blogging power couple!
The two make quite the blogging power couple!
Labels:
friends
2011-01-15
More songs about geography
I've been listening to Wire's 154 on repeat lately. I love that early post punk era.
Here's a stand out track from the album, sort of a pop song deconstruction:
This one was also covered by one of my favourite groups, My Bloody Valentine:
It's really close, but I think the MBV version may outdo the original... the addition of the female vocals really take the track to the next level.
Here's a stand out track from the album, sort of a pop song deconstruction:
This one was also covered by one of my favourite groups, My Bloody Valentine:
It's really close, but I think the MBV version may outdo the original... the addition of the female vocals really take the track to the next level.
Labels:
tracks
Bullshit detectors on high
I've started writing and deleted three sentences trying to describe the website The Vigilant Citizen. I first started following the site after a couple of interesting articles showed up in my Google Reader about occult and masonic imagery in popular music. The posts were well written, and certainly entertaining.
I was hooked after a couple articles. Go through the archives and check out Lady Gaga's use of masonic imagery.
This recent article is an interesting take on the new LCD Soundsystem video, and the prevalent masonic imagery. The most compelling thing about the site is the strong, clear point of view, which becomes fairly obvious after reading the title and a couple posts.
Whether or not you buy into what this site is selling, the overall narrative of the website is never, ever boring.
I was hooked after a couple articles. Go through the archives and check out Lady Gaga's use of masonic imagery.
This recent article is an interesting take on the new LCD Soundsystem video, and the prevalent masonic imagery. The most compelling thing about the site is the strong, clear point of view, which becomes fairly obvious after reading the title and a couple posts.
Whether or not you buy into what this site is selling, the overall narrative of the website is never, ever boring.
Labels:
article,
music business
2011-01-14
Time out for Astrology
Apparently, here in the 21st century, when we're sending spaceships into space and have devices in our pockets that can access the entirety of human knowledge at the press of a button, people still fucking believe in astrology!
I know, I know I could hardly believe it myself. Apparently some article came out telling people "facts" that were incompatible with their world view, and have resorted to saying things like "astrologists already knew that".
It's astonishing and depressing and baffling all at once.
Here's Carl Sagan debunking astrology more than thirty years ago, which is my segue into an excuse to post this track:
Seriously, if you haven't watched the documentary series Cosmos, do yourself a favour and check it out. You will never look at the world the same way again. My horoscope this morning said so.
I know, I know I could hardly believe it myself. Apparently some article came out telling people "facts" that were incompatible with their world view, and have resorted to saying things like "astrologists already knew that".
It's astonishing and depressing and baffling all at once.
Here's Carl Sagan debunking astrology more than thirty years ago, which is my segue into an excuse to post this track:
Seriously, if you haven't watched the documentary series Cosmos, do yourself a favour and check it out. You will never look at the world the same way again. My horoscope this morning said so.
Labels:
article,
people are idiots,
tracks
2011-01-13
Bowie - Classic tracks
Classic Tracks: David Bowie's "Five Years"/"Soul Love"/"Moonage Daydream"
Awesome track breakdown here... Mix has some other awesome articles to really get lost in as well.
Awesome track breakdown here... Mix has some other awesome articles to really get lost in as well.
2011-01-12
That little millionaire
Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" deemed derogatory:
Use of Derogatory Word for Gays in a Song Breaches Broadcast Codes
Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I always took it as tongue-in-cheek, but then again, I'm not easy to offend.
What about the Flintstones having a gay old time? Slippery slope, I tell ya.
Apparently the original video by the band led by the Knopflosaurus isn't available on YouTube, so here's Weird Al's hilarious version from one of the greatest comedies of all time, UHF:
Use of Derogatory Word for Gays in a Song Breaches Broadcast Codes
A listener complained that the word "faggot" is discriminatory to gays. The broadcaster argued that the song had been played countless times since its release in the 1980s, that it has been a very popular song since that time, and that it has won music industry awards. The complainant then pointed out that OZ FM does indeed edit other songs that contain other types of offensive language.
Well, I guess it had to happen sooner or later. I always took it as tongue-in-cheek, but then again, I'm not easy to offend.
What about the Flintstones having a gay old time? Slippery slope, I tell ya.
Apparently the original video by the band led by the Knopflosaurus isn't available on YouTube, so here's Weird Al's hilarious version from one of the greatest comedies of all time, UHF:
2011-01-11
Big shoes to fill... big shoes to fill...
My goal for 2010 was to simply post more often, and beat my previous record of the not-quite-200 total of 198 for the year. Well I did myself proud, crushing my own personal best at 256.
Goals for 2011?
Besting 256 would certainly be a worthy challenge, as well as the generic sounding goal of 'increase blog traffic', which also grew by a ton (thanks to about three Google-friendly posts).
More posts which feature rants.
Keeping up the 'Saigon Sunday' series, which has been really fun to do. Sorry I missed this past week (two weeks?), but I've been sick and coming down off the holiday buzz. Better late than never though, right?
Book reviews. Maybe a return of Fake Book Titles? #5 has been waiting two and a half years.
Pro audio stuff. It is my particular vocation, so why not write more on the subject? I may start posting my own music as well... probably the best thing to do is link to my stuff elsewhere, and keep the blog as its own identity.
Also:
I signed up for Sound Cloud. I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet, but there it is.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to many more musical adventures in this new decade!
Goals for 2011?
Besting 256 would certainly be a worthy challenge, as well as the generic sounding goal of 'increase blog traffic', which also grew by a ton (thanks to about three Google-friendly posts).
More posts which feature rants.
Keeping up the 'Saigon Sunday' series, which has been really fun to do. Sorry I missed this past week (two weeks?), but I've been sick and coming down off the holiday buzz. Better late than never though, right?
Book reviews. Maybe a return of Fake Book Titles? #5 has been waiting two and a half years.
Pro audio stuff. It is my particular vocation, so why not write more on the subject? I may start posting my own music as well... probably the best thing to do is link to my stuff elsewhere, and keep the blog as its own identity.
Also:
I signed up for Sound Cloud. I'm not sure what I'll do with it yet, but there it is.
Thanks for reading, and I look forward to many more musical adventures in this new decade!
Labels:
blog stuff
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