In Case You Missed It - Take Flight

This year I have not been able to get enough of Bret and Jemaine. Ok, and Murray too. And Dave. Leggy blonde. Mel and her sidekick slash husband Doug. Sally, Coco Ono, Greg, Eugene who knows what he's doing. And the one and only David Bowie, appearing in three persons.

The shows have been gone from Comcast OnDemand for months now, and I think we've all been hurting because of it. But don't fret. Our favourite New Zealanders are back on November 6th. The 2 disc DVD of the complete first season will be available in stores everywhere. All you need to do is choke up $20. That won't be difficult. Im sure its packed with extras and videos galore. Probably some of their stand-up too, which is also great, and not a far cry from what they do on the actual show.

Buy the funky DVD, Bret, buy the funky funky DVD.

Sigur Ros Part 2

I'd also like to point out that both the DVD, "Heima", and the CD, "Hvarf-Heim", will be a double DVD and double disc respectively. The CD will be released on November 6 and the DVD on November 20.

Sigur Ros

So Sigur Ros in the midst of recording a new album have decided to release both a live DVD and a b-sides CD in the month of November. On a personal level I feel the autumn/winter season is the only time for Sigur Ros to release anything, their music fits the season, albeit I do listen to them year round. Judging by the song (with apparent accompanying slideshow created by fan) I've posted here, which is called Hljomalind (I don't know and don't care what it means), I'm quite excited to hear the songs on the CD. I also have no doubts that the DVD will nothing short of amazing as seeing Sigur Ros live is akin to a deeply religious experience. If you have never had the pleasure of listening to Sigur Ros then shame on you. Some people consider bands like Radiohead (which I heartily recommend partaking a listen to their new album) or U2 to be the best band on the planet but I will be the one to audaciously say that Sigur Ros is without a doubt the best band currently on the planet. Please enjoy, I know I will.

First Listen - Say Anything - In Defense Of The Genre

Driving up to work today I threw in Disc 1 of the new Say Anything album, In Defense Of The Genre. Before I put it on, part of me was looking forward to hearing it, and the other part of me almost had no desire. I feel like I'm just noth "there" anymore. When ...Is A Real Boy came out, i wasnt really "there" either, but I fell in love with the album. Now a little older, and even farther away from the young rock MTV scene, i wonder if Say Anything is even for me.

After hearing the entire album once all the way through, I am ready to offer an opinion. The songs are good. They're tight. Polished. But they're not cohesive. Its just a bunch of songs on 2 cds. 27 songs to be exact. I got lost in it all. I think both discs play like an individul album, but there was so much music to absorb that the disc kept playing and before I knew it, I was on track 8. Is it possible that nothing between 1 and 8 caught my attention?

The guest appearances frustrate me. What is this, Santana? Seriously. I want to hear the band. I like the sound the band makes. I don't recognize 99% of the people anyway, because there is really nothing distinct about their voices. And shouldnt that be the point of a guest vocalist? To hear the song and say "hey, thats _____" and be excited about it. Every 10 minutes on the album there is a nobody emo rocker singing the verse of a song. Why? Whats the point?

There were some positive notes. A few songs did stand out and were a good growth in the sound of the band. I think if the 27 songs had been cut down to 12, there would probably be a well crafted piece of work here. The lyrics meet up to the expectations that Max has created for himself, though some of it is pretty unusual. Screaming obsenities just for the sake of it. And at the same time, there are more religious lyrics on the album then most religious bands even care to sing.

I dont like the artwork, or the album title. The liner notes are packed with all the lyrics, but nothing more. I love getting the lyrics, but I like some interesting artwork too.

So, thats my first impression. I may prove to be wrong. I think I will probably end up picking the best songs out of the 27 and just making one highly enjoyable disc.

But if you want to re-live Alive With The Glory of Love or Admit It, i would just forget it.