Jaded

As I stood on the dancefloor at another drum and bass party last night an overwhelming sense of despair washed over me and I finally gave in to something I have been fighting for a long time. Jadedness.

To give a bit of a background story I have been going to raves for just on ten years running. Drum and bass is my favourite genre of electronic music – nothing else I have listened to gives me the same sense of energy and compels me to get up and dance. My group of friends has shifted slowly from parties once a month to weekly to several days in a row and back again to once every few months.

Look, this post is just a bit of a vent session so I’ll get the vitriol out of the way early – I am tired of average parties. People seem to be too drug fucked and rude. Stop asking me for pills you fucking assholes. The music at most of these parties is spun by DJs who have been to Melbourne numerous times for the most part. Its really all very samey. At this stage of the game promotors are too afraid to bring out cutting edge or slightly “underground” sounds (admittedly dnb is pretty underground as it is but whatever). I suppose it has something to do with the economic crisis, settling into a niche but for whatever reason, its happened and I don’t think its going to change. Venues are dingy places with too much red lighting everywhere (why is almost every bar in Melbourne lit in red?!).

The second facet and the most personal is that I am simply getting too old. A few years ago you could’ve taken me out to a party, watched me danced around like an idiot, go to chill out at a fellow raver’s abode and then stagger home at 2 in the afternoon. Nowadays I’m lucky if I’m out till 4:30am. Frankly this has less to do with my physical ability and more to do with changing priorities (i.e work, making the most of precious, precious daylight). Many of my friends hit this wall two years ago – this is not a bad thing.

When it comes down to it my angst stems from really not wanting to grow up. I’m in my late twenties now with a job and bills to pay and all I want is to go back and capture all those fucking fantastic moments in time. For DJ SS, Friction, DJ Hype & Black Sun Empire, Andy C, 33 & 1/3, London Elektricity,  Klute, Zinc & Fresh (still in my mind one of the best times of my life) and Just Rite… I am sorry but its time to move on.

I don’t want to go.

Here’s a clip from the one of the last times I had an epic night from start to finish:

Whip It

Where the hell did Rollerderby come from? It seems that within a matter of two months, every man and his dog (or maybe just my immediate circle of friends) has started talking about it. The release of Whip It has seen a tenfold increase in interest according to a recent article.

Coming in as Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut, Whip It is essentially a coming-of-age tale set against the backdrop of suburban Texas and the Rollerderby scene. Featuring an interesting and varied cast, the movie tells the story of Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) – your typically bored teenager. Page has basically cemented herself as the twenty-something hipster douchebag’s wet dream with this role, portraying Bliss with just the right balance of angst and awkward cool. It’s not hard to imagine the character as the same one from Juno with a few years on her.
Solid backing performances come from Juliette Lewis (yay!) as the acerbic Iron Maven (I have now basically decided to name all my prospective offspring with cool Rollerderby titles), Kristen Wiig as the matriarchal Maggie Mayhem and Marcia Gay Harden as Brooke Cavendar. As a side note – I have a completely pointless deep-seated hatred for Harden ever since she played the horrible evangelical zealot Mrs. Carmody in The Mist. Back to the supporting cast – each character is well defined and their relationships with Bliss are detailed and well written. Oh, and as another side note – I reckon that Kristen Wiig is one of the most underrated female comics in Hollywood today (Saturday Night Live aside). Give her more lead roles directors, please.

It is not hard to see this as a “chick-flick”. Whip It piqued my interest mainly because of the Rollerderby element (and my penchant for aggressive tattooed women). Male characters are largely throwaway with the exception of Daniel Stern’s laid back Earl Cavendar (I don’t think I have seen him in a movie since Home Alone 2).
Being a coming-of-age tale, there are several standard themes blatantly apparent throughout the film. Acceptance from friends, family and peers is the most obvious, followed fairly closely by the struggle to establish an identity. There is a romance subplot that is a little overblown and awkward (there is one particularly painful scene in a swimming pool that made me quite nauseous). Barrymore deals with each theme in in a relatively innovative fashion whilst keeping it light-hearted (it would’ve been easy to let this movie get too ‘heavy’).

At the end of the day, Whip It is a good film and a great start for Drew Barrymore as a director. She has managed to take the coming-of-age (have I used that phrase too much? Oh well) story and give it a vigourous shake and a twist. Ellen Page turns in another great performance but I am worried that she will be typecast as a struggling youth – hopefully she branches out in her next project (which happens to be Peacock, a psychological thriller – in which she plays a young single mother. Whut). As far as my opinion goes – get out and see this in its last weeks at the cinema. If you need more convincing, check out the trailer below.

WANT – Vestal ‘Plexi’ Chronograph

Yes, chronograph is just a fancy name for a watch. I’ve had my eye on the Vestal Plexi for some time now, waiting for the right time to buy. Now that the AUD is strong against the Pound (1AUD = .55GBP at time of writing) I think it’s about time to purchase the damn thing.

As far as watches go I prefer simple, modern looks, large faces, black metal, analogue only with a chunky band (to prevent people noticing my chicken-like wrists mainly). This will be an addition to the several Nixon units I already own (two of which I rarely wear to begin with).

Hopefully this one will be in my hot little hands in the next few weeks. I promise to write a more comprehensive post in the next few days. Lots of stuff on my mind.

thefuntheory.com

Click the banner… go on. Do it. If not for the sake of giving this post a meaning, do it for the sake of an amusing video, a thought-provoking piece or just because you are interested in what I’ve been looking at.

Done?

Right. Obviously you’ve clicked through to thefuntheory, a competition being run by Volkswagen. It is based around the premise that fun could be a method of changing human behaviour for the better – an interesting concept if a little flawed. Each of the videos featured on the site has their own beautifully simple concept with a short explanation of what was achieved by a small tweak in people’s little routines.

I love the concept of mundane tasks becoming an exercise in wonder and glee again. A big problem facing me at work at the moment is the distinct lack of fun (yes, I am unhappy with my job, what a massive surprise). If only the little things could change so that they would bring a smile to my face. To be honest I was about to write about how the novelty could wear off very quickly but lets stay positive (I’m extra spacey as a result of my recent good mood so I’m finding it hard to focus). Check out the videos. Embedding may have been disable on them but click through for the Youtube links.

Pits and Bieces

When I started writing this blog there were a few little things I promised myself I would not do. These include trying not to start a sentence with the word “I” (which I think I failed dismally with in the very first post I made here), fall behind in updating (at least one post a week) and talk about my personal life (too much). I’ve already failed at updating for the last two weeks and I’m about to break the rule about my life as well.

There have been moments over the past months where I have not been in a good space. Yesterday that changed in a split second. You see, there are moments and then there are those perfect, perfectly beautiful moments where the universe comes together to bring you something so special it makes you warm just to think about it. Mine happened while sitting in a new friends apartment hiding from the rain. It had begun to clear and the clouds were burning off in a display of subtle tones both pink and blue. A rainbow appeared on the horizon – a barely-there puddle of colour – and one of my favourite songs started to play on the laptop we were perched in front of.

Sublimes What I Got has been with me from highschool and through my rapidly fading youth. It has always been the song I listen to when it all seems hopeless or the sun is shining and a breeze is blowing on a great day.

“Is there a point to this?” I hear you ask. Probably not a major one that will hold meaning for anybody else but it signifies my return to being happy. For all my friends, family, coworkers and the fucking cat, thank you for putting up with all my bullshit over the last few months. You are the sole reason I have come back to level ground again. But what is really making me happy is appreciation of the little things. Like music. A subtle shift in the bassline of a good drum and bass track or a peppy Russian ska band brings a smile to my face. The first bite and last bite of a fantastic meal (and everything in between). Good conversation and getting to know new and amazing people. Laughing at blatently stupid things. Coffee.

As for yesterday… it meant the world to me.

Thanks to Ms. Weiser for the closing track to this little post of mine. Both the song and video are simplistic but so, so, so beautiful in their execution. I prefer this cover to the original. There. I said it. Enjoy.

Funny People

Judd Apatow is one of those rare Hollywood creatures that can seemingly do no wrong. His brand of comedy, centering around insecure characters and their various crises has been tremendously successful. Funny People, his third outing as director/producer/writer is much in the same vein as his previous work.

Centering around the relationship between Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) and George Simmons (Adam Sandler), the film offers the traditional Apatow blend of humour, poignancy and emotional depth.  At its very center its a curious look at the isolation of celebrities from the common person. Ira struggles to come to grips with George’s neuroses whilst George can’t seem to ever connect with those around him. His ‘best friend’ is alienated and confused – even at the best of times.

Look, I enjoyed Funny People but generally people tend to lean towards reading reviews for what is wrong with a certain thing as opposed to what is good about it. There are a few glaring flaws in Apatow’s film which really detract from the overall result.
Dick jokes. As a twenny-something male I can appreciate the humour behind a well-time dick joke. But to have one every ten minutes or so… really isn’t needed. Perhaps this is a move to counter the intellectual analysis of what it means to be a comedian but more often than not it just falls flat.
Too long. You see the banner at the top of the article? If you removed the two people and their associated subplots on either end of it you would still have enough material for a film of decent length. Unfortunately their scenes are largely pointless. A romantic tryst between Ira and the female comedian (seriously, did anybody remember her name?) goes NOWHERE. Jonah Hill is vastly underutilised as is Eric Bana (although Bana’s portrayal of a largely typical ‘bloke’ is spot on). It would seem that a majority of the supporting cast is filler and nothing more.

Leslie Mann. Why are you still in films you irritating whingey neurotic waif? Yes, it deserved it’s own line. I’m aware that she is married to Judd Apatow and her children will be massive stars one day but she just needs to GTFO. Apologies for netspeak but there is no better way to describe my dislike for her.

If you have a few spare hours, go and see this film. Not for the fantastic supporting cast or the toilet humour but for a genuine laugh. I swear I had more points to add but I can’t be bothered. Its a great film, but not a fantastic one. mecka OUT.

Snow Patrol – Open Your Eyes (DJ Marky remix)

Yeah… not going to ramble on about this one just sit still and listen to it with your eyes closed. Its a truly amazing experience.

The Lawrence Arms

Ever since I was introduced to NoFX in the early 90s I’ve been a fan of punk rock. Over the years the genre has changed and twisted, splintered and morphed into other various genres and my love for it has waned slightly. Pop-punk has become the most prolific and prominent of the subgenres. Whilst the movement has yielded some gems, the vast majority of bands that consider themselves pop-punk are vapid, complacent, over-produced and samey (word of the year). The Lawrence Arms are one of the bands that stand apart from the rest of the crowd.

Having signed to Fat Wreck Chords in 2001, the band have released three albums through the label (following their previous two releases on Asian Man Records). It’s hard to describe their sound as it meanders from bittersweet to furious. The thing that really appeals to me is the poetic slant of their lyrics. As is typically representative of pop-punk, the bands lyrics deal almost solely with the human condition but in a complex and interesting way – instead of whinging about girls and school. References to literature both American and foreign abound as do digs at pop culture.

Have a listen to a few selections:

Pieces and Bits

Just a roundup of things that I’ve experienced this week that I thought were cool.

High Vibes Festival
Hipsters are fucking idiots. It is NOT COOL HIP OR IRONIC to wear a keyboard around your neck ala mid eighties hip-hop. Your facial hair looks ridiculous. Attempts to walk in those stupidly tight jeans with any modicum of dignity fail dismally.

GAH!

DJ Fresh – Hypercaine
Stumbled across this little gem on melbournebeats today and quite enjoyed the mid-afternoon pick-me-up. Combines quick beats, happy vocals and a little audio quirk reminiscent of J.Majiks Space Invader. Going to be a massive track once it’s released, and hopefully Mr. Fresh will drop it at his show this Saturday.

Stan SB – Tears in Rain
If you’ve known me for any length of time you would have witnessed my massive nerd boner for anything Blade Runner. In the case of Tears in Rain its Roy Batty’s classic line from the close of the film (and if you haven’t seen it by now… fucks sake just go buy it). I could go into the significance of the sample but all you really need to know is that the track is both bittersweet and happy, filled with trancey synths (giving just the slightest hint at the Vangelis score in Blade Runner). Tracks like this remind me why music is worth listening to and loving with every fiber of your being. As an interesting aside… the producer is also the vocalist on the track.

How I Met Your Mother
American television is experiencing somewhat of a renaissance in the last few years. Shows like Dexter, Battlestar Galactica, Band of Brothers, True Blood and 30 Rock are well written, (generally) well acted and much, much more enthralling than what seemed to be an endless run of crap reality TV at the start of the decade. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the majority of American sitcoms. Nothing has really come close to touching the success of Friends in the 90s, but with How I Met Your Mother comes very, very close. Look, I won’t bore you with a rundown and I tend to judge stuff I’ve just started watching on the quality of their bloopers… so watch and enjoy.

Bored To Death
This show started screening today and stars Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis. It basically follows the story of a down on his luck … well… loser, who starts masquerading as a private detective. Quirky, well scored and funny, it doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously and will be interesting to follow. Hopefully Schwartzman can lift his game a little, as his typically flat style of acting seems slightly out of place when he’s the central character.

Logistics – Crash Bang Wallop!

Logistics has been a rather bland drum and bass producer for the last 12 months or so and unfortunately his latest outing Crash Bang Wallop! is no exception. To give the reader a bit of background, I’ve been a big Logistics fan for a few years now. Older works of his such as Thunderchild and his remix of London Elektricity’s The Great Drum and Bass Swindle are all time favourites of mine. His first album, Now More than Ever is a masterpiece (City Life… OMG!). The sad truth is that the last year has seen a rather bland mix of tracks coming from him and Hospital Records in general.

It’s not that the production on Crash Bang Wallop! is bad, but the selection on offer just seems kind of … messy. Logistics meanders from jungle to house to techstep and never really manages to hit the nail on the head. Every track seems to just fall short of what it’s attempting to achieve. The downbeat jungle rhythms of the aptly named Jungle Music come across as repetitious and bland. In fact, repetitious and bland could be used to describe a majority of the album. Other tracks like Time Has Come and Murderation suffer from exactly the same problem.

The good thing is that the album does not go without its gems. Eastern Promise (not to be confused with Chase & Status’ abysmal overplayed Eastern Jam) is a lively energetic blend of jump up beats and electro synths that gets my heart pumping. At the other end of the spectrum, Repetition (ironic given the problems with the rest of the album) is an easy rolling sleeper, with just enough quirky shifts in the bassline to keep it interesting.

The highlights of the album basically showcase what Logistics is good at – dancefloor happy liquid funk (to paraphrase Hospital’s description). Those high points are in stark contrast to the rest of the album, which really attempts too much and achieves too little.