To all the Dustys
Who else would appreciate a city’s lights turned into Space Invaders?
“Happy Up Here” by Röyksopp
Who else would appreciate a city’s lights turned into Space Invaders?
“Happy Up Here” by Röyksopp
I was going to review Depeche Mode’s new album, Sounds of the Universe but no. I’d rather profess my love for Violator, the 1990 record that I picked up just last night. I know, I know – not sure how I was living without it.
Honestly, though, Depeche Mode is one of those bands that is like a baseline in 80s electro. You have New Order, The Cure, Joy Division: turn on a good radio station and you are guaranteed to hear one of their fantastic songs. Depeche Mode is certainly amongst friends here and with Sirius in my car, I really don’t have to worry about falling short of my daily quota of their music.
And so I never picked up Violator.
But oh, how I am kicking myself now. The tracklist would make you think it a greatest hits compilation. I’ve never really seen such a productive disc: “World in My Eyes,” “Policy of Truth,” “Enjoy the Silence” and “Personal Jesus.” Not to mention “Blue Dress,” which I just discovered was Depeche Mode by hearing Hungry Lucy’s cover on a mix created for Neil Gaiman by Kristin.
(I have now reviewed an album that was released when I was six.)
On my way back from seeing X-Men Origins: Wolverine with Owen and Kristin (don’t see it – it was a last minute idea and probably not such a good film) I heard one of my favorite Depeche Mode songs, “Enjoy the Silence” and it has sent Kate and I down a very new wave rabbit hole. Not that we aren’t always on the edge of one anyway.
A video for you to enjoy:
It seems Depeche Mode pulled this video from YouTube. However, there’s a QuickTime version on their website that looks better anyway.
Who wants to buy me tickets for the Nissan Pavilion show in July?
You know you need to get to a bigger town when you find yourself loading a video clip onto your iPhone before going to the the hair salon as the only means of ensuring that you will get anything close to the cut you are after.
I do not necessarily endorse this song/band but I like the lead singer’s haircut and think mine will probably look like that once the summer humidity hits.
My sister recently cleaned up big time with her dance company at the Pennsylvania Dance Masters competition, so I waned to offer up some congratulations here! And share a photo:
Hannah, second from the right, looking fierce. And deranged.
I was not fortunate enough to be there, but evidently this performance was about a mother letting go of her daughter to a dangerous world. Which would explain the hair and makeup.
It also ties in nicely with a conversation I was having with Kate over dinner about a book I just read. In a chapter of 334 by Disch, the narrative follows a group of affluent dancing teenagers hellbent on defining their own reality in a 1970s depiction of the future. I thought it would fit nicely with a paper Kate is working on…
…and seems to be elegantly depicted in this new video by The Presets. I caught “If I Know You” right after having said conversation and looking at Hannah’s dance pictures.
Strange how things fall into line like that.
I spent yesterday evening in Philadelphia where I saw Ladytron and The Faint at the Trocadero Theatre. The show was excellent and dinner before at Penang on 10th Street in Chinatown (it was featured on Israel’s Top Chef, apparently) was even better (there was a Buddhist monk dining beside us!)
What’s more interesting is that, while looking up what rambutan fruit was, I decided I’d turn on my iPhone’s 3G. Normally, I leave it off as the Eastern Shore is the land that time forgot. Or so I thought – after arriving back, the little 3G indicator would not go away. A quick look at AT&T’s coverage map shows that the entirety of the Eastern Shore is 3G (where service is available, that is.) How neat!
Where was my memo on this one? “Dear Eastern Shore customers…”
Every once in awhile, Chris Corner sits down and decides he is going to construct a new album for the good boys and girls of the world. Last night, I was lucky enough to stumble upon his latest treat, Kingdom of Welcome Addiction. Of course, it didn’t finish downloading until this morning, so I slept fitfully last night as IAMX songs ran through my head.
The wait was worth it, though. The album is just as demented-carnival as The Alternative and just as twisted-Suburbia as Kiss & Swallow. It’s more, though. “My Secret Friend” brings us a duet with Imogen Heap. “You Can Be Happy” has honest to goodness strings (but a Sneaker Pimps-on-up-standard driving drum beat, too.) And “Think of England” – well, a better first single couldn’t have been chosen.
Last night/this morning was one of my music binges, this time to the tune (no pun, I swear) of thirteen albums. You’ve met IAMX’s Kingdom of Welcome Addiction but here are the others I’m listening to:
Metric has created yet another fantastic album. Fantasies joins Old World Underground and Live It Out as releases that I put squarely in the “fucking awesome beyond words” listening category. (If that wasn’t enough, Emily Haines’s side project, Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton made a jaw droppingly terrific album somewhere in there, too.) Not to mention every other collaboration, band, project and remix she’s been involved with over the years.
So, yeah. Congratulations Emily Haines. I hate you.
I mean, seriously, does she ever just get up with her hair all sticking up on one side of her head and a splitting headache to then roll downstairs, burn her toast and brew the coffee all over the floor because she forgot to put the carafe under the drip? Can’t she just fuck up once? Please, Ms. Haines – the world needs you to forget to put money in the meter. Start small.
All that being said, you really should find a copy of Fantasies if for nothing other than “Help I’m Alive.” And perhaps “Collect Call,” if you can make it that far through the album without realizing how much your youth is being wasted.