Pharrell LOVES her Michaella LOVES her I think you are gonna totes LOVES her
I have been holding onto this for a while, cos I was gonna do a big ol feature thing... but I never got around to it. And considering I haven't posted anything in a decade, its time. I remember a friend cursing when we first started Movestill - "You'll start all hyped and I promise you'll forget the blog even exists three months in.." We haven't lost momentum, we still have ideas, just haven't had time to put fingers to keyboard.
And I am a girl who believes in the notion that good things come to those who WAIT
She is 16, choreographed Beyonce's Ring The Alarm video and her most recent performance at the VMAs, she is 16, she's just recorded the film clip for Google Me - which you can watch over at Fader mag , she is 16, and Pharell is releasing her debut From A Planet Called Harlem later this year through his label Star Track.
kanyizzle's newie for 'flashing lights'. pretty badass.
continuing with the fortnightly festival schedule, the good vibes juggernaut has rolled into sydney this week and we get to watch kanye and the rapture and a-track and kid sister and sinden and cypres hill and hoops (who?).
and in case you missed it, here's the performance of 'stronger' at the grammy's with some 'special guests'... (you might cry).
Not the Korean War inspired TV series, but a new film by Mike Martin and Gabe Mortford.
When I was last in Melbourne I borrowed a friend's bike and a went for a midnight ride around the city. The group I was with kept collecting people as we rode, and ended up with close to 20 bike-bandits riding around the city together. The streets of Melbourne are super wide and flat, and there was no-one around but us... It was very eerie and really fun. It made me miss living in Melbourne. You cant do stuff like that in Sydney.
These guys take riding to the next level. Its like my Melbourne experience, but ten times as full on and ten times and fun, and ten times more credible.
The premiere is being held at The Verona on Oxford Street next Monday, Feb 11. Tickets are free but you need to collect them before the screening - And I suggest you do so asap, as Monster Children screenings usually fill up pretty quickly.
Monster Children is at 10 Burton Street Darlinghurst. And while you're there, check out the PAM tee's on sale downstairs at Supply! Nice!
The first I time I heard High Places was their song 'New Grace', featured on last year's Mistletone Records Xmas compilation Mistletonia. It was love at first listen.
The duo released a 7" through Brooklyn indie label Ancient Almanac about 6 months ago, and it sold out super fast. These days, they are recording their debut full-length and obsessing over their pet cats
The songs are dreamlike and ephemeral and summery and so so lovely
the brand new video for feist's 'i feel it all', again directed by the great patrick daughters.
speaking of fireworks, i heard a rumour that the encore for the bjork show at the sydney opera house steps last night included fireworks? awesome. maybe feist will do some sort of pyrotechnics when they play at the metro on february 29 and at laneway festival on march 2.
p.s. patrick daughters' younger brother jamie is also very talented and a nice guy.
Sometimes I love a bit of indie-guitar-pop-college-rock-deathcab but sometimes I can't EVEN DEAL like last weekend when i was in the car and a song came on the radio that started with "Let's talk about the weatherrrrrr and how it effects our moodssssss...." YOU'RE BREAKING MY HEART. Can't you just imagine the video too with some amateur animation and some sort of mint-green coloured paper boats?! And the band would be wear sweaters and brown trousers and be on Subterranean talking about how "High school was pretty lame" in a too-high-pitched voice.
Some of the selections that made it into pitchfork's top 100 songs of 2007, i really... truly... wondered if they were on crack but others were pretty spot on.
Okkervil River is an indie rock band that formed in 1998 in Austin, Texas. They were named after a short story by Russian author Tatyana Tolstaya about Okkervil River in Saint Petersburg. Last year Lou Reed declared his love for the band and invited them to open for him. Their song 'Our Life Is Not A Movie But Maybe' is a good'n. The lyrics are kinda "oh" ("It's just a life story, so there's no climax") but not in a depressing way.
This post is dedicated to movestill friend Shag who first introduced me to Okkervil River and who i can SO imagine belting this song out (especially the "hoo hoo's") at, oh about 3 in the am, over a beer or ten.
Okkervil River play at Manning Bar on Feb 27 and are also appearing at the Laneway Festival in Sydney on March 2.
Beautiful Losers director Aaron Rose has curated a show of works by Corita Kent for Monster Children Gallery
Kent was a nun with the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and she ran the convent's art department. She exhibited her first silkscreen print in 1951 after graduating with a masters in Art History from the University of Southern California, and her sterigraphs are often considered precursers to Warhol's pop prints. She left the convent in 1968 for focus on her art practise, and produced an amazing body of work before she died of cancer in 1986.
"I am not brave enough to not pay my income tax and risk going to jail. But I can say rather freely what I want to say with my art."
Rose is giving a talk at Monster Children (20 Burton St, Darlinghurst) tomorrow at 1pm, and I can't wait to hear more about this remarkable woman.
I am SOOOO SORRY for not having posted this earlier. How Movestill could have missed such a happening, I'll never know... Perhaps the glory of the Victoria shoot momentarily blinded us...
This was originally played on Dools and Linda, taken off air once the old Corey was arrested, some nerd made the clip, and a bigger nerd blogged about it.
I was totally intrigued when I first heard Catherine Kelleher was MC'ing as Catcall. She's been gigging for years with her punk band Kiosk but last year decided pop beats are her thing and started work on her debut EP 'The Anniversary'
Recorded in Melbourne with Geoff O'Conner (Sly Hats, The Crayon Fields) and her producer Crumbden K, the release blends pop, ambient electronica and hip hop and is ready for release via her myspace. Catherine has a self-awareness that is confident and guided but without arrogance, and a vulnerability that is charming rather than amateurish. This honesty is what I adore about Catcall, as pop/hip hop MC's often claim to be the best, the hottest, and the best connected without ever having the beats or lyrics to back themselves up.
She is supporting Dan Deacon on his Aussie tour ahead of the Laneway Festival and I encourage you to go see her live show - she is captivating to watch on stage, AND has costumes, glitter makeup, and backup dancers!
Australia needs more powerful female MCs. Catcall is talented, smart and a learned performer. I just hope the rest of the world see's how fucking incredible her stuff is!
My friends will tell you two things about me- i hate being cold (irrelevant) and i get really excited about things i like.
Enter Beirut.
Yes I'm late on this one (probably because A-track hasn't remixed him) but better late than never.
I woke up this morning after being at a beach party until sunrise not expecting much of the day. I went to brunch where the new Beirut record 'The Flying Club Cup' was playing. It ripped my heart out. I had to find out who it was immediately.
Later this afternoon, fellow Beirut aficionado and movestiller Sophie lent me his entire back catalogue and it floored me.
22-year-old Zach Condon attended Santa Fe High School, where he was a student until he dropped out at the age of 16 to travel Europe where he was first exposed to Balkan gypsy music. He wears these influences on his sleeve as his songs are like the lush score to a movie about Gypsies and bohemians, steeped in the brass bands of Eastern Europe and former Soviet bloc iconography.
After starting the day feeling hungover and hopeless, his music made me want to continue it with a sense of class and dignity. It made me want to smell fresh flowers and buy a vintage brooch and look at old family photos and watch a black & white movie and say 'i love you'.
Watch the video for 'Postcards from Italy'... especially from 2 minutes 3 seconds.
Or have a listen to 'Nantes' and 'A Sunday Smile' here on his myspace.
You wanna know the best thing about all this? The TIMING. Beirut plays at Manning Bar in Sydney on March 5. I'll probably go.
American comedian Mark Malkoff had his flat fumigated... He decided staying in a hotel would be too expensive, and crashing on his friends' couches wasn't an option, so he wrote a letter to IKEA and asked if he could live in a store.
They said YES!
He moved in to the bedroom section of IKEA in New Jersey on Jan 7th and is keeping a video diary until he leaves on the 12th! Craaaaaazy
I know I play favourites a lot... kind of like someone who decides she wants to be your girlfriend, but as soon as you take her home to meet your parents, claims things have become "too serious", dumps you and starts dating your best friend. But, whatevs. I know what I like, I just happen to like a whole heap of different things!
Glass Candy released a mini LP Love, Love, Love in 2003 and the B/E/A/T/B/O/X EP last year through Italians Do It Better. I'm hating on myself for not having discovered them earlier, but better late than never.
Johnny Jewel is responsible for the music, Ida No is the vocalist. I've been obsessing over the 80's nostalgia and Italo-disco flavour of their EP. Ida's vocals are effortless and so sensuous, and the precise simplicity of the synth and drum drives the melody just enough, without being too obvious or too kitsch. If I was DJing in a club at 4am after a big big big night and everything was winding down, I'd play this
Their sound is similar to new tunes from Melbourne band The Emergency (with Metal Postcard) or the latest Chromatics album 'Night Drive' (also on Italians Do It Better.) Johnny Jewel is actually producing Chromatics tracks, so it all makes sense, really.
Uffie is performing at Sounds on Sunday tomorrow and while I love her style, I wish she could record a good track. She whines unoriginal rhymes, is useless on-stage and hardly does Feadz beats justice (no pun intended!)
What I find most frustrating is that Uffie is getting as much attention, if not more, than Kid Sister, but Kid Sister actually has skills! Unlike Uffie, whose rhymes are arrogant and repetitive, KS is a wonderfully charismatic performer whose lyrics are thoughtful, catchy and well written. And she is just so beautiful and charming!
Here she is explaining why Kanye decided to rap on her first single.
Want more? Bag Raiders have recently finished an exclusive remix of her debut single 'Pro Nails' which you can download free from Fools Gold or rcrdlbl
With the power of indie Chicago hip hop (her brother J2K of Flostradamus and boyfriend A-Track) behind her, my fingers are crossed that she surpasses the Uffie/Ed Banger juggernaut asap and really gets the attention she deserves in the US.
I remember listening to one of these when I worked in a clothing store called Alfies a few years ago. When I left the shop, I accidentally left the mix behind and I'd forgotten all about it, until the aforementioned Melbournite gave me a copy last week!
MEGA thanks for these go to Richard Campbell and Declan Kelly, whose site r-n-d.net gives them an online home. Check out the site, then bookmark it, you know the drill
OH looking at that picture of the pizza is making me hungry...
While it was a tonne of fun and I really miss living there (the architecture, fabulous and careless fashion and amazing support for the arts) I'm pretty happy to be back home.
Someone asked me yesterday why I cared about Sydney Festival. I cant blame them for asking, they're from Melbourne.
Shows from Bjork, Sufjan Stevens, Andrew Bird, Mice Parade, Joanna Newsom, Battles, Girltalk, Caribou, Tunng, Lady Saw, Spankrock and La Clique are why I care!
Another is tomorrow's Festival First Night, with free concerts and performances in and around the CBD. Spankrock are playing in Phillip Street, Plump Djs and Chromeo will be performing in Martin Place, and Brain Wilson (Brian Wilson!) and Paul Kelly are live in The Domain. And thats just the launch evening! Wow, right?
If lack of sleep gets me down over the next month, I'll just call my Melbourne friend... But somehow, I think I'll be alright
To celebrate, here's a reworked Spankrock remix from movestill's good friend and Daddy Dj Spruce Lee
Tomorrow's launch does however highlight the fact I am now only 2 weeks away from my haircut by children. See previous post, and get suggesting. Beehive? Twiggy-style bob? Shaved head? I'm yours for the cutting!
There lies a beauty which has you glad Daft Punk decided on substance and creativity when they flipped that coin during their first band meeting instead of buying into the hype. A rarity in our times.
Tickets for the Australian Daft Punk tour ‘Nevereverland’ sold more and quicker than any Daft Punk-related event in their history. A Triple J interview with their manager, Pedro Winter (Busy P) revealed that Daft Punk's Sydney appearance last Saturday December 22 was their final show for 2007 and the last to feature the infamous million-dollar pyramid light scheme. There is strong talk that it may have been their last show ever.
Regardless of whether it was or was not, last Saturday, we witnessed one of the best live shows ever and (yesssss) it melted all of our faces off. Daft Punk emerged to the sounds of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and kicked off with an absolutely uncontrollable Robot Rock. The entire set was a sensory overload; a visual spectacular of lights and colours more brilliant than our minds could've ever dreamed up, set to songs that made up the soundtrack of our lives for the last decade at one point or another. All 55,000 people spent 90 minutes mesmerized my the visuals, screaming along to all the words and dancing like it was their job to tracks One More Time, Technologic, Around The World, Da Funk and the brilliant Alive, just to name a handful. Under the stunning backdrop of a clear Sydney night with the moon shining down bright as a spotlight, there were so many cellphones out it would make your headspin. Everyone knew this was something special.
The highlight would have to be the encore, opening with Human After All. At the end, when the duo’s red-lit jackets and helmets came to life after a red beam of light made its way through the triangles and up the pyramid, the crowd erupted and they humbly bowed and nodded their heads thanking us. Crew members said they were “visibly moved” after they came off stage. And with that, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter transformed from robots at the beginning of the night to humans after all.
Remember her first single 'Creator' earlier this year? It blew me away - her voice is fascinating! I am all about Santi White, and 2008 is totes her year to drop it.
(on stage with Spankrock at CMJ in NYC last month)
If you got shit presents like I did this year, hopefully those treats make up for it!
Much Movestill love! Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! Enjoy your NYE!
1) when you go to see a band and they play their "hit" that most of the audience has been waiting to sing-a-long too but then they change it justtttt slightly when they sing it (because they're bored playing it for the gazillionth time) so that the audience sings along but the timing is all off. happened last week with a certain band (you'll never guess who) and when the singer broke into the chorus, the audience sang "i was walking with a ghost" and she sang "i was walking with aaaaaaaaaaa- g-hostttt"... just to mix it up.
2)christmas parties/ free drinks... when its 10pm and there’s a lychee martini in one hand, a sleazy text message being sent with the other, and I leave to buy my second pack of malboro lights, trouble is a'brewin (pun).
3)LENSELESS SUNNIES. for fuck's sake.
so INTO it:
1) checking out new sydney superclub 'The Ivy' this wednesday at its opening party. more intrigued than anything by the poolside bar that apparantly has (lychee) martini glasses that float on the water.
2) DAFT PUNK this saturday in sydney. i was listening to their best of this morning whilst walking to work and my face almost melted off. SO MANY HITZZZ!
I am really into diy punk pop stuff at the moment (ie. pretty much anything on NY label Metal Postcard)
Never Heard Of Zeppelin has been releasing stuff online for a while but recently Metal Postcard has taken him on board, mastering some old gems and releasing a 7" called Is This Business. Its low-fi pop/electro/punk blah blah blah the only thing that really matters is that it is good!
Tickets on sale now at Ticketmaster for just $5! $5!!!!!
The press release reads: A new generation of physically-elite Gladiators displaying their incredible brute strength, speed, agility and stamina in a variety of classic battles, including favourites such as Hang Tough, Pyramid, Powerball and the Gauntlet.
The new-look Gladiators is set in a spectacular 21st century arena setting - it's the ultimate sports entertainment and not for the faint-hearted!
Do you remember in 1998 when a record was released made entirely from old Beck Hansen samples? It was called 'Deconstructing Beck', and the master-mind behind the record was a guy known as Philo T Farnsworth. Of course, that isn't his real name - the nature of his work means he has to remain anonymous to avoid legal action from the music labels whose artists he samples.
Philo's current project is Illegal Art - an online label entirely devoted to showcasing the possibilities of electronic sampling. As a platform for both new and old sample-based electronica, Illegal Art is an avenue through which experimental artists can showcase work that must otherwise remain private.
'Champions of Wonder' by Oh Astro is a wonderful example of this kind of stuff
Combining fragments of pop, children's songs, electro, soul and rock, husband and wife Jane Dowe and Hank Hofler (and sometimes collaborator Stefen Robinson - aka Yea Big of Yea Big and Kid Static) create stuff that is at once new and nostalgic. The songs are playful and whimsical, and while listening I felt I had already heard each track, but couldn't quite pick every sample. What I love about the album is that it isn't at all frenetic (like Girl Talk's 'Night Ripper' for example) but quite ambient and glitchy.
'Champions...' is their full length record, and is well worth the US$10 (approx AU$15) Grab it via the Illegal Art webstore, shipping takes around 10 days. Then, if its your kinda thing, submit your own tunes here
Once you've had a listen, you can read up on the samples here I didn't though... I kinda prefer guessing!
After a month or so of whispers, and canceling their Aussie tour on Monday, it was confirmed last night that Marina Vello has left Bonde Do Role.
I never got to see them perform live. I am crushed.
Gorky and Pedro D'eyrot posted this bulletin on Myspace last night:
"Due to several internal problems between us, we had to cancel a lot of our shows from the European tour, and we also had to cancel the scheduled Australian tour (everyone knew how excited we were about it!). For that we're really really sorry. And we also announce that Marina is no longer with us, due to these internal problems. We wish her all the best in whatever she decides to do with her future, and she can always count on us as friends. We are working these issues right now as we speak, and we hope we can make it up to everyone who we let down this year, in the most awesome way we can!"
It has since been deleted and an official statement was released through their label Domino, which suggested they were in the process of recruiting a new MC.
While you mourn... I'm watching this
She's proved she can kick it with Iggy, and now she's on stage with TONE LOC! She is amazing. Bet she'd never quit Bonde Do Role...
i just love a good blockbuster once in a while. dendy films are great, y'know arthouse cinema, subtitles, complex narrative... fantastic, love it, gimme more. BUT sometimes there's nothing more enjoyable than just being completely entertained by the spectacle that is a hollywood blockbuster motion picture.
the first of the new series of Batman movies featuring Christian Bale- 'Batman Begins'- was one such experience for me. i went to watch it at the movies and was most excited about the fact that i'd get to eat popcorn. but the movie was FANTASTIC. i've watched it about 10 times now and i could watch it about 3000 times more. it is really so good. so you can imagine my excitement when i saw that the poster for the sequel was released this week...
heath ledger's playing the joker too which should be totes.