Jams For Your Ears, From Me To You.

I think I must be getting old - keeping up with new bands and albums is nowhere near as much of a priority as it was four or five years ago. Back then, I'd reserve at least 2 hours every day after school to trawl through my favourite music blogs, sampling every mp3 in sight and making mental notes to check out at least five to ten new records per week. Today, when I am faced with a link that proclaims "BAND X'S NEW ALBUM IS STREAMING ON X SITE RIGHT NOW OMG SO EXCITING GO CHECK IT OUT!!!!", my response is more along the lines of "oh man do I have to?". And then I go listen to a mixed CD someone made for me six years ago, and wallow in my tragic unhipness.

So this isn't really going to be a favourite albums of 2012 (so far) sort of post, because heaven knows I haven't listened to nearly enough new music this year to qualify making a list like that. Instead, this is a quick and dirty round up of all the wonderful sounds that have managed to make room for themselves in my music library over the last 8 months. I apologize in advance for the lack of sonic diversity (seriously, my kink for white-guy-plays-guitar-and-sometimes-banjo is painfully obvious) but hopefully someone finds something they like here. Have at it!


1. Various things by Tyler Lyle




This guy's music is utterly lush and summery and a wonderfully bittersweet, and EVERYONE should do themselves a favour and listen to him. This song in particular is probably my most-played jam of the year, because FLUTES. Just when you think you're familiar with the standard cutesy indie folk instrumentation of today (ukulele, glockenspiel, horns), Tyler Lyle breaks out the FLUTES, and you were totally not expecting that, were you? As odd as it may sound to have flutes in the mix, the addition is just right ; subtle yet catchy and strangely haunting. FLUTES, man. Tyler Lyle 1 - Everybody Else  0. While you're getting to know Mr. Lyle, do also grab his name-your-price set of live recordings, and don't forget his gorgeous set at Fuel/Friends Chapel Sessions.


2. Roll The Bones  by Shakey Graves



Banjo. Hand claps. That should be enough to sell this to anyone, unless of course banjo and hand claps aren't really your thing (in which case I simply must ask you WHO ATE YOUR SOUL??). Shakey Graves, or Alejandro Rose-Garcia as he is known to his mother, makes wonderfully minimalistic fuzzy folk songs, complete with requisite lyrical imagery of roads and dust and alcohol and death, both literal and figurative. There's something very lonely and yearning about these songs, and I'm quite partial to listening to his stuff in the dead of night when everyone else in the house is asleep.


3. Every Kingdom by Ben Howard



So I don't understand the waves of adoration everyone seems to have for this Ed Sheeran guy at the moment, and I cannot get into that song of his that's on the radio all the time, because of that one lyric about how someone's face or whatever is "crumbling like pastries". I understand that is a simile, but seriously, what is that? It bugs me so much, and the line itself is so jarring that I can't get into the rest of the song. But it's okay, because instead of Ed Sheeran, I have the also-British and very young Ben Howard, who does not compare people's facial expressions to crumbling pastries in his songs. You ruined it Ed Sheeran. Blew it. It's gone. I'm with Ben. Ben's music is smart and lovely and much more dynamic and rich and velvety. His similes are also much classier and do not involve comparisons with disintegrating baked goods. What the hell Ed Sheeran.


4. The entire discography of Joe Pug


How have I not heard of this guy before? How does he not have a much wider and way more devoted fanbase? How has he not yet won ALL THE AWARDS EVER? In a musical landscape full to the brim of young men wielding acoustic guitars and singing poetic folksy lyrics and oozing Americana from their pores, Joe Pug is a godsend. Joe Pug is the real deal. Joe Pug is the boss. Joe Pug is a revelation. Of course, I am nowhere close to actually being American so you probably shouldn't consider me an authority on American folk music. But just trust me on this one. Go listen to everything this man has done to date (that's one EP and three studio albums) and then come back and thank me. Go on. There are the Joe Pug worshippers, and then there are the people who simply haven't heard him yet.


5. The Creek Drank The Cradle by Iron & Wine



Yes, this album is almost a decade old, but I was always intimidated by what I thought was Sam Beam's ENORMOUS body of work, and somehow or other I just decided to leave The Creek Drank The Cradle on the sidelines for a few years. Imagine the delight and frustration when I finally gave it a spin and realized that this album contains my favourite flavour of Iron & Wine - fuzzy, minimal, and often utterly miserable. I couldn't stop replaying Upward Over The Mountain for about three days, and some extensive googling revealed that this track is quite popular in the fan video-making community for the Supernatural fandom. Cue all the fraternal Winchester feelings.


6. Dead Man's Bones by Dead Man's Bones


Like seemingly every other sentient being on the planet, I too, have the hots for Ryan Gosling. So why did I never bother checking out his musical project until very recently? Probably because I was afraid it would be utterly crap, or entirely self-indulgent. Or worse, painfully underwhelming and forgettable. Well, it's not. It's not the stuff of musical genius, but it's not shit either. And it's actually more than palatable. My favourite thing about it all though, is the very smart utilization of a children's choir in nearly every track, which adds a deliciously creepy atmosphere to the record. Well played, Baby Goose. I still want to bang you after all that.


7. I Predict A Graceful Expulsion by Cold Specks


Cold Specks is the stage name for Al Spx, a Canadian songwriter based in London. I am not entirely sure how to classify her music (the "doom soul" tag gets thrown around a lot) but I can tell you that everything about her and what she does is beyond gorgeous, and don't even get me started on that voice. I want that voice. It is magnificent and soulful and rough around the edges, and seems to go right through you, into your bones. What a lady, and what a hell of a debut album you guys.


8. A Larum and Kentucky Pill  by Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit



Johnny Flynn. Songwriter. Model. Poet. Shakespearean actor. Professional pretty person. He is a frequent collaborator with Mumford & Sons and Laura Marling (he even dated some of them in the past, or maybe just Laura, I'm not too sure) and a member of the general folky revival among 20-something musicians in London. While the Mumfords' brand of folk is very much influenced by bluegrass and Steinbeck and the great American Midwest, Johnny Flynn's folk is stubbornly, undeniably English. A lot of that probably has to do with his accent, but there is also the very Shakespearean tone of his (gorgeous, wonderful, literary analysis-worthy) lyrics. I should also probably add that as much as I love Mumford & Sons, this guy is a hell of a better songwriter. To call him the boy version of Laura Marling is perhaps too simplistic and even offensive to the insane talent of both people, but if you enjoy Laura Marling's stuff, you'll definitely find something to like about Johnny Flynn. (As an aside, the 2:40 minute mark of the track embedded above is probably one of my favourite instrumental breakdowns of forever).


9. The Lion's Roar by First Aid Kit



I adore these girls to pieces. Swedish sisters Klara and Johanna Soderberg have voices that sound like they came from women far older than their years, and songs that sound like they were written by people who lived lives much longer than theirs. They are shameless about the influences that American folk and country music has had on them, and it shows in every song, in the best way possible. Their second album is a monumental improvement on their debut record (which was already pretty damn great), and they are barely into their 20s. The most beautiful songs they will ever write are still in the future, and I hope they stick around for a long, long, long time. Seriously Sweden, you can stop seducing me now. I've been yours since the first time I ever had those meatballs at Ikea.


10. Hadestown by Anais Mitchell



This is another case of "where the hell has this been my entire life?". Hadestown is a concept album in the style of a "folk opera" based on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus loses the love of his life to Death, and must travel to the underworld to reclaim her soul. Is this not the most brilliant thing? The album features a "cast" of vocalists who all play different parts in the myth, e.g Justin Vernon as Orpheus, Ani DiFranco as Persephone and Greg Brown as Hades. It is a swooping feat of 20 songs, dozens of voice parts, styles, and genres, and it's frankly staggering that all of it actually comes together and works as brilliantly as it does. This record is stunning both in concept and execution, and everyone else should just quit or something. Just quit.


Bonus Scottishness

The Speyside Sessions by A Bunch Of Scottish People Including That Redheaded Guy Who Was On Grey's Anatomy For A Bit



This is seriously the best thing ever - a collection of Scottish folk songs recorded by actual Scottish musicians who may or may not have been pretty drunk the whole time. The Speyside musicians recommend that you settle down and listen to these jams with a good whiskey by your side. Aye!

Living The Tom Hardy Appreciation Life #1

When I find a new actor to adore, it is imperative that I trawl through his entire back catalogue on  imdb and WATCH ALL THE THINGS he's ever done. Looks will only get you so far ; actually being able to act, intelligence, and being charming as hell in interviews and press junkets (even if the movie you're promoting is SHIT) is where it's really at.To date, Tom Hardy has ticked all those boxes, and more. Also, it is both fortunate and slightly hilarious that my brother and I are both crushing on him at the same time, so we decided to pool our resources and powers of endless adoration and acquire as many Tom Hardy things as we could manage, and we're currently sitting on a very respectable pile of stuff to add to our to-watch list. I'll be featuring each film in this here blog as soon as I have seen it. Unfortunately, school (in my brother's case) and a very temporary but exhausting temp job (in my case) means that neither of us has the luxury of a five-films-in-a-row pig out session, so we'll start with the small stuff.


Sergeant Slaughter My Big Brother is a very sweet, strange and funny autobiographical short film debut by Greg Williams. Twelve minutes did not seem to me like much time at all to really delve into characters or create very solid foundations, but Sergeant Slaughter does an excellent job. In many ways I suppose a short film is the visual equivalent to writing a short story ; tell your tale in only as many words as necessary and don't waste time with details, people or places that will not serve the development and outcome of your story. (SEE I totally learned shit in Creative Writing class omg I feel so validated).



Tom Hardy plays older brother Dan, who physically dominates and abuses his younger brother, but also reveals softer, more sensitive facets of his personality which tend to be overpowered by the sheer force of his violent streak. He is, by turns, adorable and somewhat terrifying, and trust me when I say that no one does adorable and somewhat terrifying the way Tom Hardy does it. Dan wants to run off to join the French Foreign Legion instead of going to art college, in order to prove his mettle as a "hard man", despite being nothing more than a rather well-built, privileged middle-class kid. Tom Hardy's screen presence alone is phenomenal, and I would like to think that this isn't just my hormones talking.

The rest of the film deals very capably with issues of growing up, self-assertion, definitions of masculinity and male strength, and of course, the very conflicted relationship between older and younger brother, which can go from violent confrontations to corny inside jokes within seconds. If you have twelve minutes to spare today, Sergeant Slaughter My Big Brother is very much worth your time.

Sergeant Slaughter - My Big Brother from Douglas Ray on Vimeo.

NSFW - filthy language, contains some non-sexual nekked people scenes, and also Tom Hardy wiggling his penis. Just putting that out there, you know. Um. Yes.



Tom Hardy thanks you for your time, and would like to let you know that the party is just getting started, you guys. I MEAN, YOU GUYS.

Insert Pithy Post Title Here

I will not make excuses for the almost month-long gap between this and the last post I put up, nor apologize for my failure to keep up with promises to blog regularly, because I will never change and we will all have to live with that, and I have only the greatest and most sincere affection and gratitude to the people who keep coming back here. Internet group hug for you all!

I actually wrote out several long-ass drafts for posts on different topics before running out of ideas and giving up out of sheer frustration - nothing seemed to work out the way I wanted it to. I couldn't even think of a title for this post. So while I get my shit together and rediscover the blogging mojo, here are some (mostly Batman related) things that have made me a very happy girl recently.

This masterclass cosplayer became a fully-fledged Tumblr sensation after appearing at this year's Comic Con in a ridiculously spectacular Joker costume. This is seriously beyond boss.



And because the Universe is twisted and cruel and never lets me have all the nice things, this is what professional Awesome Human Being Anthony Misiano looks like under all that makeup and fabulous bad guy swag.



O the endless sexual frustration.

Which leads me nicely into the next thing I want to talk about - The Dark Knight Rises. With a lot of pop culture street cred to uphold, I watched the movie twice in two days, and enjoyed myself thoroughly both times. The film is far from perfect - there are many flaws which I only allowed myself to acknowledge after the initial rush of OMG OMG BATMAN had subsided. But a solid cinematic experience nonetheless. I'm not going to do a proper review because other people have already done so, and far more eloquently than I could ever manage.

I will say that as far as Tom Hardy goes, I have officially left the I-Sort-Of-Vaguely-Respect-Him-As-An-Actor territory and gone into Holy-Shit-Incoherent-Babbling levels of adoration. His Bane, who could have otherwise been a fairly generic and one-note bad guy, was horrifyingly sexy, deliciously menacing, and utterly compelling and magnetic (I personally take no issue with his voice, by the way). The guy is a ridiculously underrated and incredibly intelligent actor, and he needs to be in more things, okay? Things in which we are allowed to see his entire face. Okay.


I understand that Bane's character pretty much requires him to walk around wearing a mask, but hear this Hollywood ; never again shall you take it upon yourselves to deprive us of the utter lusciousness that is Tom Hardy's face. Never again.



Just a thought, but do any of you guys find it impossible to call Joseph Gordon-Levitt anything other than his full name? I can't seem to ever refer to him, in speech or writing/type, as Joseph. Or even Gordon-Levitt. Joe is completely out of the question. JGL is an option now and then, but it feels wrong when used too much. If I were his friend I'd have his mobile number listed in my phone as 'Joseph Gordon-Levitt'. I'd be like "Hey Joseph Gordon-Levitt, wanna grab lunch tomorrow or something, Joseph Gordon-Levitt?". I wonder if even his mom is capable of calling him anything else. "No TV until you finish your homework Joseph Gordon-Levitt".
Anyway here is a video of Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing a Beatles song and being irresistibly adorable, just because he can. You go, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.



In other news, Cillian Murphy is still prettier than you. His cameo in The Dark Knight Rises was essentially perfection, just like his face.