Taking a break from the grim and the grime.

This may seem odd to some of you, but when I get stressed out from essay writing, studying, reading (when and if those htings ever actually take place), I promised myself just a few hundred more words, then I can take a break and turn to reading a little Mark Steyn.

If you know Mark Steyn you probably already dislike him. A political writer (primarily), Steyn is one of the foremost commentators on politics in the Anglosphere, and well-recognized as one of the most influencial...ahem...conservative writers at the moment.

Yes yes, I read right-wing politics. The Right is generally where my political interests tend to lie (as though most of you didn't know that already). This certainly isn't by choice; God knows nobody wants to be labelled a right-winger when you're a university student studying a humanities course. "The Right" just happens to be the title that best suits how I've developed in terms of my morals.

But Steyn's witing holds a special attraction for me in that it is so damn GOOD. And once in a while, he writes a scathing, perfectly articulated film review, Broadway critique, or, as he does every week, the history behind an old musical standard (by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sintra, Comden and Green, Rogers and Hammerstein, etc etc). These articles are such a joy to read that they are usually my break from my own sad attempts at eloquence in prose.

So, if one is able to put aside that Steyn is constantly labelled a Canadian Warmonger (a title he loves, actually) then you may enjoy as few of his articles on music. Look for his film reviews too. And should you be so inclined, his political insight is almost painfully sharp.

Cheers. (here's this week's)

Brief, and in Technicolor

You guys will love this. I'll spare you the chatter (Le Morte D'Arthur essays don't write themselves), but check these websites out if you're a pretentious music geek who loves owning things that other people will not. I weep for my lack of liquid cash, for I could easily drop $200 on these kickass rock posters.

Dan Stiles (click Rock Posters at the left)
Todd Slater
The Heads of State

Cheers all.

Like Britain in the early sixites...

Things are beginning to come, once again, full circle. Just like the 50s and 60s, when pop music was just coming out of its infancy and "single" records determined the breadth of your dominion over your peers, the emphasis these days is no longer on the full-length album.

Album sales are falling and the completion of any kind of album, in the classic album mentality, is rapidly going out of style. YouTube and the ever popular forms of music downloading only continue to foster the music industry into a singles market. Anybody know T.I. King? His album was titled the 3rd best of 2006 by PitchforkMedia, yet what do we all know him for? His one popular song, "What You Know About That?"

Don't even get me started on Gnarl's Barkley's "Crazy". If anybody has heard the entirety of St. Elsewhere, please review it for me. Let me know if it was worth the pain of watching Cee-Lo belt out "Crazy" in every eclectic style he can muster.

What of the concept album then? Think of all the recent concept albums that have made it big (and I mean REALLY been a hit). I don't think there are that many. Sufjan Stevens' Illinoise got good reviews, but it was something of an underground indie-darling.

Anyway, the NY Times sums it up better than I can. This is hardly new news anyway.

Beatle Squishing

This from apple.com/trailers...

A Moulin Rouge-esque film is soon to be released that features, a la I Am Sam, a soundtrack consisting entirely of Beatles covers. Were that not enough, the story seems to float upon the buoyancy of the songs as well. Set in the 60s, it follows a group of college kis reliving turbulent times of social unrest, all the while relying on "the music, man" to help them cope. One can bet that they're social activists in only the most superficial of ways, in that they spend more time getting ready for the protest than they do protesting.

I'm tired of the Beatles being appropriated in this manner. It irritates me.

Anyway, check out the trailer.

Icky Thump

A special Sunday update! It seems that, in their customary tendency to record an album in less time than it takes most bands to order dinner at fancy restaurants (average 4 weeks), The White Stripes are set to release a new album of material. Many have surmised that this may be their last due to Jack's burgeoning success with The Raconteurs.

You can find the whole scoop, courtesy of Pitchforkmedia.com, here.