FluxCapacitor
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Ahoy Mogmeisters!
This video review of the Australian MGMT features special guest star, Clara the Nu-Rave Indie Band Guitarist and Teenager.
And there's more! Much more! We've got
* a mortifying anecdote about David Lynch!
* the fabulously entertaining tale of a stunned kangaroo!
* an awful accusation concerning Enrique Iglesias!
We also found some time to actually comment on the album. Hey, we thought we'd try something new this week.
Enjoy the vid!
(Okay, strictly speaking it's a Podcast with Pictures. A slight technical hitch ocurred during filming. And, to think, we weren't even drinking this time. Never again.)
Hugs'n'stuff,
Fluxy
The Vid:
Our review of Empire of the Sun - Walking On A Dream from CJ Scuffins on Vimeo.
The Transcript (for those who can't understand a word):
Clara the Teen and Colin the Step-Dude sit at webcam. Jill the Embarrassing Mother is behind them on the sofa, watching the TV. Colin makes The Teen laugh by flicking his glasses off his nose.
(Song plays -- Standing on the Shore)
Colin: So, as a guitarist, what did you think of the guitar riff?
The Teen: S'alright.
Jill: I thought the guitar was good.
C: Hold on a second, you've never even looked at a guitar, never mind played one.
TT: You've stubby fingers.
J: What has stubby fingers got to do with it?
C: I don't want to get too technical, but I think [the song] had a good beat.
TT: It was okay.
C: Right, here's the next one.
(Song plays – Walking On A Dream)
C: What say you?
J: Say I, I like that one. It reminds me of Zoot Woman. They only brought out the one album.
C: That's right, yeah.
J: It didn't really go anywhere in the charts, but I actually really liked it.
C: Jacques Lu Cont. That's a bloke now. I'm not swearing at you. That's an actual bloke. Okay? (to The Teen) Do you think this song will appeal to the younger generation?
TT: No.
C: You don't?! What's missing? If you put acid hoodies on them and had loads of laser lights around them...okay?
TT: Yeah.
C: Because they probably wear billabong hats and the video's probably outside at a barbeque.
TT: Acid hoodies, yes.
C: Acid hoodies. What if a kangaroo had an acid hoodie [in the video]?
TT: No.
C: No?
J: Oh! Did you hear—I heard something about kangaroos!
(TT laughs.)
C: Oh no, it's the embarrassing mother!
J: I heard something about kangaroos! About— (C groans.)Wait til I tell ya!
C: We're trying to conduct a professional review here.
J: Hold on! Somebody told me this ... (laughs).. they were in Australia, going down a big highway... they put a Celtic [soccer] jersey on [a] dead kangaroo and went to take a photograph. But the kangaroo wasn't dead. It got up. It was just in shock. A car must have just knocked into it beforehand. And the kangaroo jumped off with the Celtic jersey! (Everyone laughs) So in Australia there's a kangaroo with a Celtic jersey!
C: Oh mother, you're embarrassing me! Mother!... Next song.
J: (Sighing with pleasure) ... Oh, that was good.
(Song plays – Half Mast)
C: I've figured out by now, six or seven songs in, that they've got two vocalists. One sounds like Bob Dylan and the other sounds like the Bee Gees. What say you?
TT: You know the guy that was singing the more melodic part, I like him.
C: "Haaa! Haaa!" That guy?
TT: I prefer him. He could probably sing for a better band. I would tell him to kick the other guy out and start singing [in the style of] more indie genres.
C: The youth of today are so ruthless!
(Song plays – We Are The People)
C: Clara has just spotted something. What did you spot there?
TT: Enrique Iglesias?
C: Is on our iTunes. Enrique Iglesias is cool, isn't he?
Jill: Who the fuck is Enrique Iglesias?!
C: (Denying it) That's you, not me!
TT: What the hell?!
Jill: Enrique Iglesias! Where is he [on iTunes]?!
C: I love him! I admit it, I love Enrique Iglesias! Is that wrong?
Jill: Is it because you taped something for my dad?
TT: No.
C: (Cagely) ... Yes. (They laugh.) Thanks, Jill... Very good. I love the guy with the high voice in this band. If I had to write a fan letter to this band, I'd say "Dear Empire of the Sun, this is for the guy with the high voice. Please could he send me a signed autographed picture. Perhaps with his mouth open so I could see his tonsils." If you were [really] sending a fan letter to Empire of the Sun, this is how it is addressed: 'Bloke with the high voice, Empire of the Sun, Australia.' So he gets the letter. And the letter says, "Leave the band. Youse are useless." That's it, isn't it? "But you're all right."
TT: Yeah, "But you're all right."
C: It's a bittersweet letter, isn't it?... Okay, here's one that sounds like the theme tune of a 1980s TV show.
(Song plays – Country.)
J: David Lynch's Twin Peaks.
C: That's correct. That's what it sounds like. David Lynch's Twin Peaks. David Lynch is a bit of a nut.
J: Yeah. Mulholland Drive.
C: He wants to save the world through meditating and making films that nobody can understand.
J: We got this movie, Mulholland Drive. (C sighs.) And Colin says, "Oh, I love David Lynch. I think he's really, really great."
C: I was trying to impress you at the start of the relationship.
J: He was trying to impress me at the time. So, we were watching a movie, and the movie kept going really slow and stopping at different times. And Colin was sitting there going, "Hmm, yes, I love Lynch's work. You see the way he's able to, like, still the film." And all this kind of stuff. But wasn't the DVD broken. It was just skipping on the DVD player and this pretentious shit—
C: LYNCH!
J: He thought that this was the way the director was after filming the whole thing. (Laughs.)
C: Can we get on with this, please? We don't want to hear those stories.
(Song plays – Without You)
J: He's in fucking pain!
C: He's in pain? I'm in pain as well. So I can identify with him.
J: I liked two of the songs. That's about it, really.
C: Well, I liked most of it. I think they're very, very good. And I'm the youngest, hippest teenager here, so I should know—Oh, shit, she's here. (TT laughs.)
J: See that last song? That was fecking depressing.
C: Aaah!
J: That was depressing.
C: You know what's depressing? YOU!... So overall, what do you think of this band?
J: Boo!
TT: Boo! Boo! Join an indie nu-rave band!
...
Empire Of The Sun is a collaborative project between Nick Littlemore (PNAU) and Luke Steele (Sleepy Jackson). Their debut LP ‘Walking On A Dream’ is out now.
...
Links:
http://www.walkingonadream.com.au/
My review of lead single, Walking on a Dream
I once dashed off a furious letter to an ex-lover. I demanded to know why she'd left me for somebody with "a huge nose". I argued that my ex deserved somebody with a standard sized snozz. Namely, me. A Shakespeare sonnet it was not.
The letter provoked reaction.
My ex-lover turned up to calmly request the return of concert tickets bought before the break-up. "Enjoy them!", I shouted on handover. "And enjoy the car!" (Her new beau owned an automobile and I did not. It rankled.)
My replacement confronted me in a nightclub car park. I prepared for the worst. I should have prepared for the bizarre. He asked me why I'd said he was "an alcoholic who sleeps with prostitutes". The fight or flight impulse within me gave way to monumental bewilderment. It was followed by heartfelt denials. He had no choice but to believe me and wander off in his own fug of confusion.
It later occurred to me what had happened. My miffed ex had told him about the letter, but had massaged the large nose accusations into something less hurtful; that is, allegations of dipsomania and whore-mongering. This was love, I was forced to admit. Sure enough the couple soon married.
What does this story tell me? One, I was once a young idiot in love. Two, I should be thankful for small mercies. I'd caused this trouble with a mere pen and pad. Imagine if I'd had a Roland TR-808 drum machine and Lil' Wayne at my disposal?
To aid our imaginings, let's turn to Kanye West. The Chicagoan's fourth LP is a lover's begging letter, writ large.
Yes, one song is about the tragic death of his mother, but the remaining ten concern the recent split from his fiancée. As such it's not a record full of dancefloor fillers.
Kanye brings to the party the very worst in break-up emotions. He whinges ("Welcome To Heartbreak", "Bad News"), accuses ("Heartless", "Robocop"), sneers ("Paranoid", "See You In My Nightmares"), and feels sorry for himself (1-11).
Much of the publicity surrounding the album has focused on its auto-tune vocals (more of which later). But what about the mono-toned emotions?
Thankfully West displays some genuine vulnerability in opener "Say I Will". Here the emotions are in stereo. He begs his lover to take him back, hates her desperate late night phone calls, fantasizes about her, and then issues an ultimatum. And that's just one verse. He's all over the place, yet the beats are steady and sparse. The chorus hook "Hey, Hey, Hey" is subtle. The gospel choir hushed. This is new territory for the normally bombastic West.
"Love Lockdown" is the other album highlight. It deals with conflicting emotions, too, this time of freedom and guilt. The narrator leaves a relationship yet is haunted. The production perfectly represents the feeling of running away. Heart thumping bass gives away to an urgent piano line, which bursts into a galloping drum beat. It's a visceral, exhilarating piece of music.
Throughout the record auto-tune strips all character from West's vocals. Perhaps it was done to enhance the deadness he felt after the split. Thematically, it works. (Who cares if T-Pain uses auto-tune to hide his backing singer origins?) West sounds like a sad robot. And, as everyone knows, sad robots rock.
West finally points the finger of blame at himself, albeit defiantly, on "Amazing". It goes, "I'm a monster/I know I'm wrong, yeah/I'm a problem that'll never ever be solved". Unfortunately the introspection is scuppered by a dumb pride in his own dysfunction and an insulating arrogance resulting from success, "You'll never take that from me/My reign is as far as your eyes can see".
That reign could be about to end. The pop leanings of this LP could lead the hip-hop community to drop him like he's hot.
Still, West has made the album he wanted to make. He's changed up his lyrical, singing, and production style. He's refused to play it safe. It's a brave, admirable move.
One he just might regret when the sales figures are tallied.
Not that it will stop him, of course. Plans are already afoot for a fifth album. Kanye is moving on. Just like I had to. Just like we all have to.
...
Out Nov 25th
...
Comments
I don't want all the heartbreak music from a rapper!
I want and get all that from bands like Glasvegas. Plus, the robot thingy in the voice makes me unable to take anything he says seriously (oddly enough, I sometimes get the same feeling with Glasvegas' singer and his attachment to his wayfarers, but I can turn on the album and forget about it..).
"Yes, one song is about the tragic death of his mother" Daddy's Mommy's Gone?!
"West finally points the finger of blame at himself, albeit defiantly, on "Amazing". It goes, "I'm a monster/I know I'm wrong, yeah/I'm a problem that'll never ever be solved" so basically, "it's my own cheating heart that makes me cry"...who knew that Glasvegas and West had things in common!
Marvelous review as always, Fluxy. If I have to write a hate letter to an ex-lover, can I pay you to do it? Unleash the Machiavelli in you :)
Cheers, Anna. I'll do it for free. I have one about a guy with a big nose ready to go.
"Yes, one song is about the tragic death of his mother" Daddy's Mommy's Gone?!"
What a bastard, eh?! Copying Glasvegas like that!
By Daniel Plainview
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have trawled over half our internet to bring you these songs this evening.
Where did I find these songs?
Well, let's say you have a mp3blog and I have a Mog Page. I have a straw and my straw reaches accccrrrrooooossssss the internet and starts to drink your songs.
I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT UP!
That's where I found these songs. They're some of the finest tracks in all October.
Click below for a geyser to pore forth:
1. Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream (NEXT BIG THING)
It is such an irony of fate, boy. My top gusher of the month features the lyrics, "We are always running for the thrill of it, thrill of it/Always pushing up the hill, searching for the thrill of it".
You see, I too push up the hill and search for the thrill of it. The thrill of what, you ask? Oil, boy. Oil!
Of course, if these melodic Australian electro-poppers think they can push up MY hill, searching for MY thrill, well…that makes them my competitors.
And you know what that means, don't you, boy? I will EAT THEM UP!
2. Vampire Weekend - Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac) (BEST COVER VERSION)
The Ivy League afrobeat combo stay in the public eye with an admirable rendition of a 70s classic.
Yet this is not the real thing.
It is a bastard. A BASTARD FROM A BASKET. A BASTARD FROM A BASKET!
Having said that, I am quite looking forward to the Vampire's next LP.
3. Cate Lebon - No one can drag me down (COUNTRY SONG)
The singing game is like heaven. Everyone is called but few are chosen. This forlorn-voiced chanteuse, fresh from a world tour with Neon Neon, is one of the celestially selected.
No one can drag her down. Or myself for that matter.
All I need is a strong, expensive meal. Two steaks. Whiskey. Water.
And goat's milk for the boy.
4. The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition (BEST ROCK )
I am a sinner, I want the blood, and I abandoned my child. I ABANDONED MY CHILD!
Other than that, this song could have been written for me.
5. Little Comets - One Night In October (BEST INDIE)
These hairy-headed young urchins from Newcastle make quite a racket.
Good for them.
In my day, they would've been put down the mine.
6. Grace Jones - Williams Blood (Aeroplane) (JOINT BEST REMIX)
As I said to my preacher friend Eli the other day, "I am the third revelation! I am who the lord has chosen! Because I'm smarter than you! I am older and wiser and I am not a false prophet, you sniveling boy, you're done for!"
This has a similar gospel-y feel.
7. Friendly Fires - Paris (Aeroplane) (BEST REMIX)
More black gold from Aeroplane. This time they remix a pretty love song about a French girl looking for a French boy. Yet…
…my cock doesn’t even work. How am I gonna make a kid?
Does yours work?
Answer the question.
8. TracknField – Marathon (BEST HOUSE TUNE)
No, it is not the "indie" music you so crave. It is lush house from Finland.
OH STOP CRYING YOU SNIVELING ASS.
I am finished.
....
Downloads
http://hypem.com
.....
Choice Mp3blog links:
http://neongoldrecords.blogspot.com/
http://aurgasm.us/
http://discodust.blogspot.com/
http://www.ohhcrapp.net/
Comments
ECK!
Too scared to type....All our oil is belongs to you....no strings attached, master.
rolls over in oil and hides in the dark
(and thank you for the mix!)
God, Daniel Day Lewis really does need to play an FM DJ in a movie! Hysterical! I got uncomfortable all over again with the "I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE! I DRINK IT UP!"
Even though DDL has convincingly sold us on being DDL playing character X in all his movies (in other words creating his own style, ike Jack Nicholson), you gotta wonder if writers are just writing things the want to hear him say. Kinda like all the Christopher Walken impressions out there..
MOG Meter
Comments
The wild vid to the LP's title track:
Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream
Somewhere between "Who the fuck is Enrique Iglesias?!" and "But wasn't the DVD broken. It was just skipping on the DVD player and this pretentious shit", I fainted out of laughter. BRILLIANT review, brilliant.
Is this a contemporary band btw? I thought they were from teh 8os. I really did!
I dunno, I try to do a professional review and I end up getting SLAUGHTERED.
And yep, the band are contemporary, although they do sound kind of 80s and the cover shot looks like Adam Ant did a remake of Star Wars.
Thanks for listening!