take this sinking boat and point it home

Alright. Before we get things started. I wanted to say how awesome it is to see Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova win an Oscar for their song, 'Falling Slowly', from the movie Once. The movie was amazing and by far one of the best "music" films in recent memory. I was so happy to see them perform their song in itself(the highlight of the Oscars), but to win, is a major accomplishment, not only for Glen and Marketa, but for music in general. Marketa and Glen's speeches were really on the money, talking about indie artists and their struggles and how they never imagined being where they were. Being a huge fan of Glen's band the Frames for some time now, I'm really psyched for that band to finally get some of the recognition they deserve. Their most recent album, The Cost is where I first heard a few of the songs featured in Once. And big props to John Stewart, who was a fantastic host of the festivities, and also when he recognized that Marketa had been cut-off before making her speech. Him calling her onstage to finish, was huge and super classy.

While I'm talking about the Oscars, and how it's all some big fancy ass kissing fest, with fancy outfits. I'm glad to finally see some great indie films and music get their fair props. So glad to see Juno and Once, among other great indie films represented. And seriously, what is up with John Travolta's face. Did he forget to take off the makeup from Hairspray or what. The Grand Wizard is getting scary looking. Jeez, I should be careful. I don't want to get blackballed by the Scientologists.


Has anyone been watching Dexter on CBS? Wow, from the first ten minutes of it's debut on the network last week, I thought to myself, 'WOW, is this show good'. I think I'm over watching it on CBS and about to get the DVD's with the original Showtime episodes, fully intact and uncut. Michael C. Hall plays that character so incredibly perfect. He's creepy, smart, funny, disturbed and so likable all at the same time. It truly takes a special actor to pull off what he's doing. I'd been meaning to watch this show for some time now and even had it in my Netflix que, but damn, is it getting moved to the top, along with season 2. Honestly, one of the only good things to come out of the writers strike. And more youtube watching. Came across a link to this beauty the other day. Man, what a lame attempt to recreate the super-bowl shuffle.


Listening Pile:
Been meaning to give iliketrains a mention on here for some time. Part of the fertile Leeds scene but creating musical soundscapes that stand apart from their contemporaries, iLIKETRAiNS played their first gig in February 2004. The band uses visual backdrops by using antique projectors to display their way through films of disaster, films of snow and a film of Raquel Welch in a bikini. The songs are all concerned with catastrophic events and historical figures. Their music is dark, atmospheric, and brooding. I'm a big fan of their EP, Progress Reform and subsequent full length, Elegies to Lessons Learnt
which culminates into everything this band has attempted to this point, with tracks flowing into one another like the glacial disasters displayed in their films. It takes a certain mood to listen to them, or maybe they just put you into that mood after listening to them. Not so sure. But it's not necessarily a bad place.