What's Working?

According to MGMT, their latest single, 'It's Working,' is about taking drugs (ecstasy specifically) flecked with their signature cheeky self-reflexivity. Here, they hearken back to the track that brought them fame to begin with, 'Time to Pretend,' which facetiously likened fame and wealth to fulfillment and success, and reach a final message: substance-derived euphoria and material goods aren't all that great. (I've taken a couple drugs, and as fun as they can be, I'll have to agree.) The video reflects the point, taking some visual and thematic cues from 2004's best (time-traveling) film Primer, pitting rockstars Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden against what first appears to be some piece of furniture from IKEA and ends up being a Frankenstein-like creation of terror, harboring drummers, soft-serve, magical ballerinas and a fair amount of glitter (not to the level of 'Electric Feel,' however). Add this to their collection of visual oddities to go with their latest collection of spooky, psychedelic music. Don't take drugs to this.

The video was directed by So Me.

 

PS: I love Andrew.

What is the What.

A great big congratulations.

Pre-Coachella.  

Who I'm most excited to see at the festival this year hasn't really changed much since purchasing tickets in Janvier; I'm simply more excited about more of the artists/bands than I had been before. Been scanning the lineup poster a lot over the last few months and checking out a lot of the vaguely familiar, the stuff that's related stylistically to the stuff I already listen to. So far I haven't discovered too many bands that I've developed a love for as much as the artists I've loved continuously for the last many years (Bjork, Portishead, Goldfrapp, Massive Attack, Prince) but there are definitely some who've got the kind of swagger and substance that'll have me curious to check in on them sporadically from here on out. Local Natives and Deerhunter are among them. Fever Ray and La Roux are working on me too, and should firmly fall in that list after this weekend, that is, if they put on a good show. I'm still most excited to see MGMT, Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, Beach House and Miike Snow.

What should I wear?
Hundreds of thousands of people will have been in attendance by Sunday (Day 3) and I imagine a lot of them will, on top of merely wanting functional wear to cope with the expected heat, want to dress for everyone else's eyes, and I don't quite know what kind of look I want to put on. Comfort is priority number one, but I want to look good! Most of my personal style icons don't typically dress for heat, crowds, or longevity (doors open at 11AM and closing is 1AM) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Pelayo Diaz Zapico - so my brain is being taxed to come up with something that'll sustain a 12-hour day of blistering weather. I do, however, enjoy the look of these guys, who are actually going to perform on Day 1 of the festival...

 ...and whose look, though eccentric, is perfect and perfectly mainstream for Indio, California heat and Coachella indie culture. MGMT is composed of Ben Goldwasser (left) and Andrew VanWyngarden (right). Colorful, breezy, psychedelic, retro-futuristic. I'll have to post pictures of what I decide, after much putting-on-and-taking-off and deliberation.

Here are some fine examples of what was (stylishly) worn in the past:

 

Lesson learned: wear white, keep away from self-made contraptions that double as helmets and animal costumes. I should be okay. Still, picture to come (partly because Valerie has made this her second Coachella-related project after discovering new attending bands)!

Just to warn you.

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Photo du jour

Romance, or a brief rendezvous, at the Coachella fairgrounds.

That wonderful time of year is fast arriving. When the music on the radio gets noticeably mellower, more anthemic. Layers of clothing are shed for tight-fitting basics, if clothes are opted for at all. The yard becomes part of the house once again, and outdoor-time is the best part of the day. When plans involve seeing new things and new places instead of family and familiar spaces. When time off is expected! Hoorah for spring! 

Calling Album of the Year, Nine Months Early?

Beach House's Teen Dream

*You might not be able to actually see the album cover 

Apologies for my long absence, been dealing with some major life changes (really, I'm not just sayin'). The tone, content and frequency of updates might be changing here now, as I still intend to invest myself into this project and, frankly, have few other places to write that aren't prone to getting lost (the internet is everywhere, how can you lose it!). Just a heads up, all two of you, heh. 

I'm going to the Coachella Music & Arts Festival this year after fantasizing about it for the better part of six years, and in preparation for it most of my musical endeavors have been specifically oriented around bands and artists that are slated to perform during that weekend in April. But even despite this, I think a lot of really superb stuff has already found its way into music stores (the physical type and virtually, mine being mostly of the latter) and it's looking like 2010 has already filled its quota in terms of innovative, expressive and infectious stuff to span the year and possibly the decade ahead. It just so happens that a lot of them have been tapped by the Coachella people. Buy your tickets if you develop any interest based on what I'm saying. 

While last year brought us some great innovative stuff from bands old (Dirty Projectors; Animal Collective) and new (The xx; St. Vincent), this year's best albums so far have charted their courses along familiar sonic territories. That's okay, as long as they sound like Massive Attack's Heligoland or Beach House's Teen Dream, which move and pose like both respective bands' previous albums but far more effortlessly and, in this case, hauntingly. Solid, classy stuff from bands that by now have earned the title of reliable, with new releases that still push against the boundaries of the niches they've already successfully carved out; they remain as interesting as ever. 

I look forward to hearing the new sounds of familiar bands as well, with Goldfrapp, MGMT, She & Him and Erykah Badu all set to drop new albums onto the masses in the next few months of so. 

What are you looking forward to?

Final Oscar Predictions

Anne Hathaway will be announcing the nominees bright and early tomorrow morning, so before we find out who the real runners are in each race, let's go through the major categories and place our bets if not beat some dead horses by repeating some of what is nearly set in stone for the ceremony itself. By this point, with most of the precursors having already transpired and gone into consideration in Academy votes (save for the Razzies and the BAFTAs which have at least disclosed their respective nominees), a short list of decided winners have emerged. But, then, this is the Oscars where simply getting nominated is an honor, so it's good exercise for our presaging skills, especially in the event that some upsets are pulled (like The Reader getting a Best Picture nomination over, say, The Dark Knight or Revolutionary Road). As we move closer to the night of the ceremony especially, things should get interesting as they have been these last few weeks with major guild awards going in different directions and diverging from the road that was once thought to be Avatar's inescapable warpath. Not that the tallies can change from now until the big night since votes have been cast already, but as we wade through reverberations that are still trembling through the industry in wait for their dissipation, clarity and certainty might actually also emerge. A lot can happen (notice that while critics have continued to pour their support on Meryl Streep, industry folk have been seduced by Sandra Bullock's keen strategy of playing to her strengths; critics don't vote in the Oscars despite having some amount of influence).

Best Picture (new rules, remember! ten nominees):
Avatar -- could win (Golden Globe)
The Hurt Locker -- could win / should win (DGA, PGA, BFCA)
Up in the Air -- could win (NBR)
Inglourious Basterds -- could win (SAG)
Precious
District 9
A Serious Man
An Education
Star Trek
Invictus
Alternates: (500) Days of Summer, The Hangover, A Single Man, Up

Best Director (looks like a showdown between exes Bigelow and Cameron):
James Cameron, Avatar -- could win (Golden Globe)
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker -- could win / should win (DGA, BFCA)
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds -- should win
Lee Daniels, Precious
Alternates: Neill Blomkamp, District 9

Best Actor (it's Bridges' to lose, which is unlikely since the backlash has been minimal):
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker -- should win
Colin Firth, A Single Man -- should win
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart -- could win (SAG, BFCA)
George Clooney, Up in the Air (NBR)
Morgan Freeman, Invictus (NBR)
Alternates: Viggo Mortenson, The Road

Best Actress (the real race is Bullock vs. Streep, but a split can result in a third coming in to win):
Carey Mulligan, An Education -- could win / should win (NBR)
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side -- could win (BFCA, SAG, Golden Globe)
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia -- could win / should win (BFCA, Golden Globe)
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious
Helen Mirren, The Last Station
Alternates: Emily Blunt, The Young Victoria; Zoe Saldana, Avatar

Best Supporting Actor (now it's Waltz' to lose, but Harrelson delivered a knockout too):
Alfred Molina, An Education
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger -- could win / should win (NBR)
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds -- could win / should win (SAG, BFCA, Golden Globe)
Alternates: Matt Damon, Invictus; Anthony Mackie, Thr Hurt Locker; Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles

Best Supporting Actress (once thought she'd shoot herself in the foot, it's now Mo'nique's for sure):
Mo'nique, Precious -- could win / should win (BFCA, SAG, Golden Globe)
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air -- could win (NBR)
Julianne Moore, A Single Man -- should win
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Melanie Laurent, Inglourious Basterds
Alternates: Penelop Cruz, Nine; Samantha Morton, The Messenger; Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart

Best Original Screenplay (personally, as long as Avatar doesn't get nominated, I'm happy):
Inglourious Basterds -- could win / should win 
The Hurt Locker -- could win / should win
(500) Days of Summer
Up
A Serious Man
Alternates: Avatar, The Hangover, The Messenger

Best Adapted Screenplay (it's between Up in the Air and Precious, both based on novels):
An Education
Up in the Air -- could win / should win
District 9
Precious -- could win / should win
Julie & Julia
Alternates: In the Loop, Crazy Heart, Fantastic Mr. Fox

Best Animated Film (at one point I'd have said it's down to Fox, Coraline and Up, but now it's all Up):
Up -- could win / should win (Golden Globe, NBR, BFCA)
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Coraline -- should win
The Princess and the Frog
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Alternates: Ponyo, 9

Best Documentary Film (that the mass-murdering of dolphins has simmered will help The Cove):
The Cove -- could win / should win (Golden Globe, BFCA, PGA, DGA)
Food, Inc. -- should win
The Beaches of Agnes
Facing Ali
Burma VJ: Reporting from a Closed Country
Alternates: Valentino, Every Little Step, Under Our Skin

Best Foreign Film (it's down to France and Germany, but I'm sure Germany's Haneke will win):
A Prophet, France -- could win / should win
The White Ribbon, Germany -- could win / should win
Winter in Wartime, Netherlands
Samson & Delilah, Australia
The Secret in Their Eyes, Argentina
Alternates: Ajami, Israel; The World is Big, Bulgaria

These will be updated as soon as the nominations are broadcast and I'm awake and near a computer. I've got a pretty good feeling I'm close in each category, I'll mark them up in a different color so that we can all see exactly how close I was able to get.