Freelance Whales

Following up on the Friday Night Video post, I bought the album "Weathervanes" from Freelance Whales and have been listening to it on an endless loop this weekend. I can't say enough about it. It's sort of exciting to discover a band you have a feeling is going to be something big one day...and that's exactly what I think is in store for these guys. I had two live versions of their songs on Friday, but let me embed this one straight from the album. It's called "Starring" and it's a pitch-perfect emulation of Postal Service. This will be on a UPS commercial before too long.

Friday Night Video

This weekly segment has tilted heavily towards Brooklyn-based acts of late, and who can blame me? There's little argument that Brooklyn is the epicenter of indie music---good, bad, original, derivative, precious, pretentious, and otherwise. All of it can be found in New York's most populous, most talent-laden borough. On Wednesday night I went to a Haiti benefit concert at The Bell House in Brooklyn, a fantastic venue which showcased a lengthy and diverse list of acts. I'll try and scratch out a review of that show this weekend, but there was one group which left an indelible impression upon me and scored themselves a coveted spot on the BHG Friday Night Video blog post...Freelance Whales.

Mark Steffen at Jonk Music wrote an excellent review of their debut album and I'll steal his opening paragraph:

"Freelance Whales are one of those bands that I'd like to dislike. They live in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They do things like perform on Bedford Avenue to a crowd of hipsters. They note that they roll their own cigarettes. And they list the harmonium as an essential instrument. They include mathematical characters in their song titles. But I can't get myself over the delightful, heartbreaking fairytales that spew from their debut album, Weathervanes."

That's sort of how I felt by the time they finished their dynamic three-song set. Their cultivated uncultivated look screamed "annoying hipster," but who gives a fuck, really? These guys are the real deal. With eclectic, ethereal arrangements, there were hints of Arcade Fire and Polyphonic Spree, but really it was a beautiful sound, original in its composition and masterful in its production. I'm not especially good at writing about music, so let me have Mark Steffen drive this one home:

"The album settles comfortably in what people will refer to as "neo-folk" or "indie-pop-folk" or "post-everything," and none of these labels will come close to what Freelance Whales have given us. Supposedly the band name is both a description of the music and the band's lifestyle outside of music. And, for once, it's pretty perfect. These boys have a lot of talent in a lot of different areas. It's jittery, downplayed, catchy, dreamlike, and imperfect, but it's all presented in true New Yorker "freelance life" form."

I have two videos for you. The first is a live performance of them doing the song "Generator ^ Second Floor". Yes, that symbol in the title is intentional. And yes, there is also a song called "Generator ^ First Floor"...which happens to be the second video. In it, an abbreviated video, they perform the song in the Bedford Avenue subway station in Williamsburg. These guys are good. VERY good.

"You take a chip, you take a chip."

I've done very, very little at work today. Some days I earn my paycheck, others I could be convicted of embezzlement. Today is the latter. How lazy have I been? Lazy enough to watch a bunch of Greg the Bunny clips on YouTube. The best character from that puppet parody show was easily Warren DeMontague, and there's no better clip of him than this.



I have been this guy.

Trailer Tuesday

It's getting harder and harder to find a trailer that doesn't bore me to tears. I had to go all the way back for a trailer that was released to little fanfare back in November, but I'm glad I dug deep. As I've mentioned here on several occasions, Kicking and Screaming is my all-time favorite movie. Written and directed by Brooklyn-born Noah Baumbach at the age of 26, his debut film remains his best, most balanced, most engaging work to date. His more recent films have not been without success, however. He scored an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay for his 2005 movie The Squid and the Whale, and he's certainly deserving of another nomination this year as co-writer with Wes Anderson for the adaptation of Fantastic Mr. Fox.

Baumbach returns to the director's chair for his newest movie---Greenberg. Starring Ben Stiller in what, thankfully, appears to be a restrained role, the title character is "a dysfunctional 40-year-old at a crossroads in his life who wants to do nothing for awhile." They had me at dysfunctional. The preview is a bit difficult to get a handle on, but then so is most of what Baumbach writes. One thing you can expect is smart, witty dialogue...and some of that is on display here. There's also going to be a great soundtrack...and that, too, is key for this trailer. One interesting note to keep in mind while watching this is that Mark Ruffalo and Amy Adams were originally cast as the two leads. I like Stiller, and this Greta Gerwig seems good, too, but wow...Ruffalo and Adams seem better for this film, no? In any case, this is Greenberg...and is hopefully not me in four years.

Friday Night Video

There's a reason Guitar Hero and Rock Band became so popular in the last two years...and that reason is this song. Or at least a handful of other songs just like it---the kind of song that makes you really wish you were looking out over a sea of people...their firsts pumping in unison with the power chords being belted out from your guitar. I don't think any other band, with the possible exception of The Who, has more songs that fit this bill than AC/DC. At their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler described their power chords as "the thunder from down under that gives you the second-most-powerful surge that can flow through your body." The first is cum. He's talking about cum.

Angus Young, while instantly recognizable for his kitschy schoolboy-uniform outfits and his charismatic duck walk, is also one hell of a guitar player, coming in at an undervalued #96 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Players of All Time. From "Back in Black" to "You Shook Me All Night Long" to "T.N.T.", Angus has gotten to duck walk his way through some of the best pure guitar rock songs in history. For my money, though, "Thunderstuck" is the most electrifying rock anthem of the last 20 years. The opening sizzles and never relents. I can't play a guitar worth a lick, but after being stuck on this song for the last few days, I think I just might add the special AC/DC Rock Band add-on. I would attempt to do the duck walk, but I live in a NYC apartment. I would get two steps and have to pivot back. That kind of kills the mood, you know? Anyway, this shit rocks.

Blog Love

I really do intend to give this blog some more attention in the coming weeks, but let's get the ball rolling on that by giving some attention to another blog. As many of you already know, the inspiration (and look) for my own blog was largely a result of reading and commenting on my friend John Williams' blog---A Special Way of Being Afraid. While there are definite similarities (a little bit of sports, a little bit of movies, a little bit of politics, a little of this and a little of that), John's writing is typically more thoughtful and detailed than what you might find here. This should come as little surprise as John has made a living editing books, writing freelance articles, maintaining a separate blog about books, and also betting on horses...though I suspect that last source of income is more of a hindrance than a help.

Like me, John goes back and forth between allowing his real-world responsibilities to encroach on his routine blog updates, but he's come out firing on all cylinders in 2010. He's had several good posts this year, but the sequence of posts I've really been waiting for began earlier today. John, who has written many an excellent film review over at Pajiba.com, has elected to count down his 100 favorite films of all-time, a daunting task even if you don't give it the level of care and thought I'm certain he's put into this project. It's the kind of project I'd love to do for myself one day, but it's also one that, quite frankly, I just don't have the patience for. I'm not sure how one can rank and compare Broadcast News vs. Freebie and the Bean, but I'm pretty sure I might kill myself if I tried.

Still, over the last last few months when he announced his plans to create this list, John seems to have methodically reviewed a list encompassing almost every movie ever made. He admits an omission or two is possible, but you can be sure this list was not thrown together haphazardly. I encourage you all to check out his countdown (hint: Avatar will not be on his countdown). I, too, will be checking in on it and offering up my own two cents on his selections. If nothing else, I can tell my Netflix queue is going to have several new titles added in the coming weeks. His first five movies in the countdown are as follows:

100) Dressed to Kill
99) Airplane & Anchorman (he's already cheating!)
98) Broadway Danny Rose
97) Donnie Brasco
96) Hoop Dreams

Of these six films, I've seen four for sure...with Dressed to Kill and Broadway Danny Rose being the two movies I'm familiar with but not entirely sure I've "seen." I think Airplane is the only one from these six that would be on my own list, and I cringe at it getting equal billing with Anchorman, but the rest of the picks are solid selections. I always considered Donnie Brasco to be slightly overrated, and the initial impact of Hoop Dreams has faded in my memory, but if John says a film is this good, it probably means I should take a second look...and so should you.

Trailer Tuesday

Saturday Night Live skits that have taken the leap to the big screen have often been hit (Wayne's World) or miss (A Night at the Roxbury), but they keeeeeep on coming. The latest entry to this decidedly mixed canon is MacGruber, the Will Forte-centric parody of the 80's action-adventure show MacGyver. I've never been a "fan" of this sketch as it's always seemed like a one-joke, one-note gimmick...funny the first time, then less and less funny with each successive appearance of the character. That said, this brand new red-band trailer shows some promise. Not everything in the trailer works, but there's more than a few laugh-out-loud moments here...so, maybe? It also co-stars Kristen Wiig and that's never a bad thing.

Friday Night Video

Plushgun is a Brooklyn-based synth band I discovered on MySpace about two years ago that I became immediately hooked on. Their most well known song, the catchy, singable, dangerously close to too-cute "Just Impolite", has been featured in some MTV shows here and there, and it's also on the just-released trailer for a new movie called The Good Guy. While there's no official video for "Just Impolite," The Office's Rainn Wilson decided to do his own. In it, he beats up photographer Tyler Shields in slow motion for the duration of the song. It's committed acting.

Trailer Tuesday

When I said this blog would be getting more of my attention in 2010, I meant it. At the moment, I'm giving it lots of attention by being passive-aggressive with it.

I should also point out that I've begun to focus more on Twitter in the last few months, trying to find a voice on there that allows me to overcome my general disdain for the medium while still getting the benefit of using it. I think it's going well, actually, so if you follow this blog, go ahead and follow me on Twitter, too. You can always see my updates on the right side of this page, but I'd encourage you to take the extra step and sign up for an actual account. You'll be not unhappy you did.

But today is Tuesday, and that means Trailer Tuesday. I won't always be posting trailers for movies I think look good. And hey, guess what? That's the case this week! Sucks to be you. Earlier this week the trailer for The A-Team leaked to the internet. While it's been pulled from most sites like YouTube, low-res versions are still available for your viewing pain. The film actually looks a hell of a lot slicker than I expected, but given that the director is Joe Carnahan (Smokin' Aces, Narc), I shouldn't be too shocked. In fact, if the trailer had been one without any dialogue or acting, I might even have been intrigued. Sadly, there's dialogue. There's catch phrases. And there's a conversion van which just doesn't look cool in 2010, even allowing for retro charm.

Friday Night Video

Programming Note: Due to a lack of inspiration and an increasing disapproval of mediocrity, there will be no Friday Night Video this week. Also, speaking of mediocrity, go Cowboys.

Trailer Tuesday

It's the first Tuesday of the New Year and that gives me the chance to roll out a new weekly feature...Trailer Tuesday. Every Tuesday I will post a movie trailer for an upcoming movie. Why? Because it's easy and everyone loves movie trailers. But mostly because it's easy. I like easy. I can do easy. I will, however, attempt from time to time to spotlight upcoming movies you may not be overly familiar with, and that's the case this week.

Today's trailer is for a "horror" movie called Frozen. The simple, mostly absurd premise, is that three kids get stranded on a ski lift chair in mid-air. Nobody knows it and the slope is now closed until the next weekend. Could it happen? Eh, probably not. But if you suspend your disbelief just enough, this is a rather unnerving preview. It's like the winter version of the movie Open Water (Dianna---you should probably skip this trailer). I'm only glad I don't ski...

Friday Night Video

Happy New Year, everyone! I'll spare you all a lengthy list of resolutions except to say that this blog will be getting a lot more of my attention in 2010. In addition to more regular weekly features, you can count on a steady stream of original posts, reviews, links, and the usual assortment of curiosities. But for this first post of 2010, we have to go back to 2009...

SPIN magazine recently ranked their 20 best videos of 2009 and it's a mixed bag to say the least. The number one video, however, is definitely a hypnotic combination of attitude and guts. Matt & Kim is a Brooklyn-based indie duo who released their second album, Grand, in January 2009. You may be familiar with the most successful song off that album, the poppy and oh-so-catchy Daylight...which was also featured in commercials for The Sims 3 and Bacardi (hey, gotta make a living somehow). One of the other singles off that album is called Lessons Learned, and for that video Matt & Kim stroll through Times Square in February---slowly peeling off layers of their clothing until fully naked. While some of the shocked spectators are actors, most of the video is completely authentic...right down to them being violently tackled by NYPD's finest. It's sort of mesmerizing.