I was told to post something, so here it is: Kallie's opinions of a song on Mew's 2009 album No more stories are told today. I'm sorry. They washed away. No more stories. The world is grey. I'm tired. Let's wash away (that is the title of their album).
The song is Repeaterbeater. Like all Mew songs, it's very strange, but like only some Mew songs, it's also very catchy. Kallie really likes it. It travels (I don't know how to describe this any better, but some songs seem to 'travel' and she loves that!).
And the film clip, although disturbing, is also very cool (to her)! Mainly 'cos her precious Jonas features quite a lot, and (Sam will appreciate the concept behind this) from 3:46 (see video below) they're all soaking wet. Some people look very attractive wet. They also manage to look attractive while having mental breakdowns. Or trying to comfort their overwhelmed friends. Jonas apparently looks attractive doing all these. So here is the clip:
Overall, Kallie thinks the whole album is awesomely cool and she loves it with the intense passion I have for fruit and nut easter eggs. She wants me to point out that while it is difficult to get into the album (typical of Mew, I'd say) you soon get hooked, and everytime you listen you hear something new. Also typical of Mew is that sweet, beautiful innocence with that undercurrent of darkness and urgency.It even has a hidden track (New Terrain in reverse is Nervous- the lyrics of Nervous accurately sum up the theme of Kallie's life, namely being nervous and wishing she'd stayed home in bed).
Kallie would rate it as 16 out of 10, but that's because she can't do maths.
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label review. Show all posts
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Surprisingly good
When Sam gave me a series called British Isles: A Natural History admittedly I wasn't that excited.
I mean... England. They have pollution. They have rain. They have green paddocks and sheep. They have stony places they mistakenly call beaches. Yeah. I partly descend from the Brits. My ancestors must have left that place for a reason.
I confess I was wrong! It turns out there is a whole lot more to this group of islands off the European coast. The scenery is surprising in its beauty and diversity. There are Bahama-like golden beaches on the Isles of Scilly, old pine forests of Scotland, the moors, the woodlands, the meadows, the extensive coastline, marshes, rocky islands. And then there are the wildlife- wildflowers, beautiful trees, animals like pine martens and puffins... it was as inspiring as it was beautiful.
Presented by Alan Titchmarsh, the series journeys through the history of the British Isles and examines how its current state is the product of an amazing variety of events, from ice ages to desertification, tropical rainforests, volcanic activity, sea inundation, connection to the European continent, and of course anthropogenic impacts. Alan Titchmarsh made it interesting and accessible to anyone and you could really tell that he was enjoying what he was doing.
My favourite part was when Alan saw a swallowtail butterfly and confessed that he always wanted to see one ever since he was a lad. I loved that emotion in his voice. As a fellow nature-freak, that's what it's all about. That... feeling... when you see a beautiful animal in the wild (I imagine that if I saw wolves or tigers or orcas I'd probably be so overcome I'd just sob!- seeing them in the zoo isn't the same).
I really enjoyed this, even more than I enjoyed watching David Attenborough's The Life of Mammals. It was amazing to see how much the British Isles have changed even in the last few thousand years, and while Titchmarsh speculated on the (possibly devastating) changes yet to come, there was always an underlying optimism in his message and this real sense that we have a responsibility to take care of the gorgeous surrounds we have been given, and it is indeed a heavy but worthwhile burden to carry.
I mean... England. They have pollution. They have rain. They have green paddocks and sheep. They have stony places they mistakenly call beaches. Yeah. I partly descend from the Brits. My ancestors must have left that place for a reason.
I confess I was wrong! It turns out there is a whole lot more to this group of islands off the European coast. The scenery is surprising in its beauty and diversity. There are Bahama-like golden beaches on the Isles of Scilly, old pine forests of Scotland, the moors, the woodlands, the meadows, the extensive coastline, marshes, rocky islands. And then there are the wildlife- wildflowers, beautiful trees, animals like pine martens and puffins... it was as inspiring as it was beautiful.
Presented by Alan Titchmarsh, the series journeys through the history of the British Isles and examines how its current state is the product of an amazing variety of events, from ice ages to desertification, tropical rainforests, volcanic activity, sea inundation, connection to the European continent, and of course anthropogenic impacts. Alan Titchmarsh made it interesting and accessible to anyone and you could really tell that he was enjoying what he was doing.
My favourite part was when Alan saw a swallowtail butterfly and confessed that he always wanted to see one ever since he was a lad. I loved that emotion in his voice. As a fellow nature-freak, that's what it's all about. That... feeling... when you see a beautiful animal in the wild (I imagine that if I saw wolves or tigers or orcas I'd probably be so overcome I'd just sob!- seeing them in the zoo isn't the same).
I really enjoyed this, even more than I enjoyed watching David Attenborough's The Life of Mammals. It was amazing to see how much the British Isles have changed even in the last few thousand years, and while Titchmarsh speculated on the (possibly devastating) changes yet to come, there was always an underlying optimism in his message and this real sense that we have a responsibility to take care of the gorgeous surrounds we have been given, and it is indeed a heavy but worthwhile burden to carry.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
How can this be?! =(
I have been watching The Life of Mammals, a beautifully made series on, surprise surprise, mammals. And it is beautiful, visually and in the approach it takes to looking at the diverse range of mammals in existence. Not to mention it's narrated by David Attenborough. I love that man.
I was really excited when I reached episode 5, Meat Eaters. I love carnivores even more than I love David. Seriously, some of the most gorgeous, intelligent and charismatic animals ever are fluffy with sharp teeth. I find there is something dangerously attractive about wolves, tigers, foxes and so on. And this episode was awesome. It even included a section on African wild dogs, which have absolutely amazing social structures and hunting skills. They are the most successful of all mammalian hunters, with a kill rate over 80% (wolves only have about a 10% kill rate, I think).
Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, everything was awesome until David started talking about hyenas. AND HE MADE AN ERROR! He said that hyenas belonged to the dog tribe. Actually, hyenas belong to the cat suborder (shocking but true).
Hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs. A bit of reading confirmed that David Attenborough was in fact wrong. Below is a diagram of the truth:
If you don't trust the awesome phylogeny I drew, google search "hyena phylogeny" and you will see that I am right.
Anyway, despite being wrong, I still like David, I still loved that episode, and I still look forward to watching the rest of the series.
I was really excited when I reached episode 5, Meat Eaters. I love carnivores even more than I love David. Seriously, some of the most gorgeous, intelligent and charismatic animals ever are fluffy with sharp teeth. I find there is something dangerously attractive about wolves, tigers, foxes and so on. And this episode was awesome. It even included a section on African wild dogs, which have absolutely amazing social structures and hunting skills. They are the most successful of all mammalian hunters, with a kill rate over 80% (wolves only have about a 10% kill rate, I think).
Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked. Anyway, everything was awesome until David started talking about hyenas. AND HE MADE AN ERROR! He said that hyenas belonged to the dog tribe. Actually, hyenas belong to the cat suborder (shocking but true).
Hyenas are more closely related to cats than dogs. A bit of reading confirmed that David Attenborough was in fact wrong. Below is a diagram of the truth:
If you don't trust the awesome phylogeny I drew, google search "hyena phylogeny" and you will see that I am right.
Anyway, despite being wrong, I still like David, I still loved that episode, and I still look forward to watching the rest of the series.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Play with me, play with me
Maybe it's wrong to make massive generalisations like this, but from my limited experience I think I can get away with stating it:
Danish alternative rock is like an innocence built from darkness, and you can easily taste both. It's perversely sweet, frequently cute, occasionally poetic and melodic. Beautiful but twisted. It doesn't deliberately draw on terrible things to give it's music that darkness and depth. Rather, it grows from it. Kind of like violets; something beautiful that only grows from the shadows.
Of course, this generalisation is made based on the few cds of an Aussie girl who probably hasn't had much exposure to Danish alternative rock. But just going through her alternative cds, it seems pretty obvious that there are huge regional differences in what comes out. For instance, her Scottish collection (okay, so this is limited to The Twilight Sad and Glasvegas) is similarly dark but more nostalgic. Her Aussie collection seems less dark and more playful, with a more backyard suburban feel (such as Jebediah). Bluebottle Kiss also has that suburban feel, but it also has strong coastal and suburban Sydney influences. America... I suspect I couldn't make massive generalisations about its alternative rock. Anyway, back to the Danish.
It's kind of hard to just describe the innocence and darkness. It's easier to just give examples. Take for instance Like paper cuts by Mew:
It's so pretty and strange and leaves you feeling something terrible has happened. Gorgeously disturbing. To make Kallie happy I'd better put a picture of Mew in.
There, now you can see her precious Jonas Bjerre.
If you want to use up more bandwith, also check out Human by Carpark North. The clip is really cool and cute but kind of disturbing. I like when the kid hits the desk at school.
Moi Caprice has awesome songs. They sound cute. They sound playful even. But they also have that little bit of sadness and darkness in them. It's like "the world has turned something innocent into something perverted, but we'll choose to hold into the innocence". Like in My girl you blush:
If we’re happy on a barstool,
we’ll buy the bar we’re in.
If we’re kicked out of every art school,
we’ll paint each other’s skin.
If your jokes prove you an arch fool,
I’ll love you with a grin...
And you'll blush,
you blush my girl
you blush.
Perhaps I should end here by mentioning another Danish band Kallie has started getting into. Kashmir. The title of this post comes from one of their songs, The cynic. Lyrics from another song, Ophelia, adequately sums up this whole theme of innocence in the darkness in Danish alternative rock.
Disappeared in the park
Left me probing in the dark
Put me off the path.
You're the pebble in my shoe
And the beauty in my view
Beaming through the glass.
Ophelia...you're falling out
Too tedious to talk about?
Insurmountable... always colourful.
I don't want to know
How you do what you do.
Danish alternative rock is like an innocence built from darkness, and you can easily taste both. It's perversely sweet, frequently cute, occasionally poetic and melodic. Beautiful but twisted. It doesn't deliberately draw on terrible things to give it's music that darkness and depth. Rather, it grows from it. Kind of like violets; something beautiful that only grows from the shadows.
Of course, this generalisation is made based on the few cds of an Aussie girl who probably hasn't had much exposure to Danish alternative rock. But just going through her alternative cds, it seems pretty obvious that there are huge regional differences in what comes out. For instance, her Scottish collection (okay, so this is limited to The Twilight Sad and Glasvegas) is similarly dark but more nostalgic. Her Aussie collection seems less dark and more playful, with a more backyard suburban feel (such as Jebediah). Bluebottle Kiss also has that suburban feel, but it also has strong coastal and suburban Sydney influences. America... I suspect I couldn't make massive generalisations about its alternative rock. Anyway, back to the Danish.
It's kind of hard to just describe the innocence and darkness. It's easier to just give examples. Take for instance Like paper cuts by Mew:
It's so pretty and strange and leaves you feeling something terrible has happened. Gorgeously disturbing. To make Kallie happy I'd better put a picture of Mew in.
There, now you can see her precious Jonas Bjerre.
If you want to use up more bandwith, also check out Human by Carpark North. The clip is really cool and cute but kind of disturbing. I like when the kid hits the desk at school.
Moi Caprice has awesome songs. They sound cute. They sound playful even. But they also have that little bit of sadness and darkness in them. It's like "the world has turned something innocent into something perverted, but we'll choose to hold into the innocence". Like in My girl you blush:
If we’re happy on a barstool,
we’ll buy the bar we’re in.
If we’re kicked out of every art school,
we’ll paint each other’s skin.
If your jokes prove you an arch fool,
I’ll love you with a grin...
And you'll blush,
you blush my girl
you blush.
Perhaps I should end here by mentioning another Danish band Kallie has started getting into. Kashmir. The title of this post comes from one of their songs, The cynic. Lyrics from another song, Ophelia, adequately sums up this whole theme of innocence in the darkness in Danish alternative rock.
Disappeared in the park
Left me probing in the dark
Put me off the path.
You're the pebble in my shoe
And the beauty in my view
Beaming through the glass.
Ophelia...you're falling out
Too tedious to talk about?
Insurmountable... always colourful.
I don't want to know
How you do what you do.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Watchmen
Tonight I sneakily saw this flick (I was hiding in a certain someone's sling). I'd heard a lot about it, namely that it was a bad movie that couldn't hold a candle to the book, but not having read the comics and liking the idea of making "realistic" superheroes, I was looking forward to it.
Despite the very graphic violence (which was kinda cool) and the numerous love scenes, I really really liked it! It had a good soundtrack (Sam would be impressed, it featured Simon and Garfunkel), was visually pleasing in a dark, film noir way (reminiscent of Blade Runner), and the way it explored the characters' stories was imaginative and awesome. I liked that the characters had issues that you normally don't see (but probably should expect) in protagonists. It was also extremely challenging in terms of morality and "the greater good" but I won't say much more so I don't spoil it for you.
My favourite character was Rorschach, the black-and-white detective who was moralistic to the point that he was immoral.
I did the quiz, and very happily for me this is who I got (no, I didn't cheat! I don't know how I got this because I tend to be easily swayed from what's right by fear and emotions):
I recommend you see this film, though if you're like Rebecca you may spend most of it with your head in your hands.
Despite the very graphic violence (which was kinda cool) and the numerous love scenes, I really really liked it! It had a good soundtrack (Sam would be impressed, it featured Simon and Garfunkel), was visually pleasing in a dark, film noir way (reminiscent of Blade Runner), and the way it explored the characters' stories was imaginative and awesome. I liked that the characters had issues that you normally don't see (but probably should expect) in protagonists. It was also extremely challenging in terms of morality and "the greater good" but I won't say much more so I don't spoil it for you.
My favourite character was Rorschach, the black-and-white detective who was moralistic to the point that he was immoral.
I did the quiz, and very happily for me this is who I got (no, I didn't cheat! I don't know how I got this because I tend to be easily swayed from what's right by fear and emotions):
Your result for The Watchmen Personality Type Test...
Rorschach
You scored 68% Moral Imperatives and 47% Attitude!
You are extremely moral absolutist.
While you unwaveringly follow a strict moral code, you often fail to demonstrate the empathy needed to make a moral decision. You find institutional forms of order unsatisfactory and oppressive and believe that your uncompromisng standpoint somehow exempts you from accusations of wrong-doing.
While some might respect your individual and steadfast perspective, be prepared for the possibility that the practical majority might find your black and white moral code unnacceptable.
While you unwaveringly follow a strict moral code, you often fail to demonstrate the empathy needed to make a moral decision. You find institutional forms of order unsatisfactory and oppressive and believe that your uncompromisng standpoint somehow exempts you from accusations of wrong-doing.
While some might respect your individual and steadfast perspective, be prepared for the possibility that the practical majority might find your black and white moral code unnacceptable.
Take The Watchmen Personality Type Test at HelloQuizzy
I recommend you see this film, though if you're like Rebecca you may spend most of it with your head in your hands.
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