It’s been awhile since I’ve seen Low live, and I can’t believe I forgot just how incredible they are. I was blown away all over again.

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For me, it’s the Mountain Goats’ “Oceanographer’s Choice.”
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In the spirit of the UK vs. America and because I just returned from vacation in Spain/France, I present to you the definitive reasons why Europe is better than the United States and why the United States is better than Europe. Add others if you please.

Europe wins for general fashion sense.
USA wins for general lack of dreadlock-mullets and rattails. (more…)

There are great debates and great debates. Lincoln vs. Douglas. Nature vs. Nurture. And then this one…and if you say they’re both good you are, no doubt, a total wussy. (more…)

Okay, I want to get a tattoo representing music. I have quite a few tattoos already and they are all well done (i was even fortunate to win a couple awards and be in a magazine - that’s my 15 minutes of fame!). So, I’m coming to you guys with a request. I am looking to get a tattoo that represents what music means to me. But I am having a problem with trying to define music with an image. I would like to avoid anything stereotypical like a guitar with wings, or a music note, etc. I am very passionate about the music I listen to but do not claim to be an expert by any means, so I also don’t want anything that would make someone think i’m a blues, jazz, metal freak, you know? Anyone have any ideas?
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We’re back in business, folks! (more…)

Premiere lists the big movies this fall. I was really disappointed actually. Many of them look lame, but there were a few I’m excited to see.

5. PS I Love You (not really eager to see this one, but wanted it to be a top 5!)

4. No Country For Old Men - after checking out the trailer prompted by a KB post, I want to see it just to see if Javier Bardem is really that creepy all the way through.

3. Atonement - this has been out here in England for a few weeks already and I plan on seeing it next week. Not sure what to think since I’m not a big fan of Keira Knightly, but I’ll give it a chance.

2. The Golden Age - I loved “Elizabeth” so am really looking forward to the sequel.

1. The Golden Compass - Even if they did have to keep the American title, I’m most excited to see this when it comes out. I loved the book, the trailer looks great and it’s out just in time for Christmas.

What films are going to make you rush to the cinema for the rest of the year?

For some reason the iPhone pricing thing is still getting press weeks later.  I have a very simple explanation of why the iPhone is currently priced at $399.

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This is my album of the year.
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Relatively speaking, this is a gangbuster year for New Zealand music artists — Flight of the Conchords dominated HBO and exploded onto the music scene with a well-received L.P. (full album to come out later this year, I believe). But I believe the best thing out of Kiwiland this year is a charming, complicated bubblegum pop album by duo The Brunettes. “Structure and Cosmetics” is a light, breezy pop record with almost-hidden subtexts and musical detail. (more…)

The trailer is out for No Country for Old Men. That’s the new Coen Brothers Western. Yes the last film by the Coens, a very odd Tom Hanks remake of The Ladykillers, was hugely disappointing. A lot of people didn’t like the George Clooney romantic comedy Intolerable Cruelty although I loved it. (They had me when they started with Elvis) Yes it was much more mainstream but it was still a great movie. I think I’ve watched it more than a lot of better received Coen films like The Man Who Wasn’t There.

Those who have on demand cable services can probably already access these NBC shows without knowing it. For Comcast, I can access these in HD as well. Good news, folks — NBC is about to add two decent shows to its fall roster. (more…)

We’re no Luddites here at Kulturblog.

After unpacking all my DVDs that had been in storage, I came across my Buffy the Vampire Slayer sets. I was a big fan. I laboured my first child during the season 3 finale before going to the hospital. Ahhh the memories… (more…)

I haven’t seen the Melvins and Mudhoney share a stage since I was a teenager (I’m assuming I saw them play together at some point but can’t really remember). This show was a weird trip down memory lane. But such a rad one.

The Melvins were an early Seattle grunge band, but they moved to San Fran right when the scene was exploding nationally. Mudhoney were one of the Seattle greats that never really made it very big, but Mark Arm (singer) was never really in it to be famous, I don’t think. Both bands are still alive today and putting out great music. Both are in top form live.
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1) Eames Lounge
2) Barcelona
3) Eames molded
4) Vienna Cafe
5) Navy Side

Runners up:
Eames Management
Bertoia
Brno
Eames molded rocker

Yep, that’s the new name. In case you were wondering…

The funniest Onion article I’ve read in a while: Pitchfork Gives Music 6.8.

The best line, quoting Ryan Schreiber: “In the end, though music can be brilliant at times, the whole medium comes off as derivative of Pavement.”

Check out the quiz on E!Online, to see which you are and subsequently which new shows you’re likely to enjoy this coming season.

who realizes that Sylar is really Rivers Cuomo? Consider the evidence. (more…)

I could name any number of them (could easily name about 5 by Queens of the Stone Age, alone—and probably won’t be able to resist including them as a footnote*)—but the song I’m stuck on this morning is by a band called Wellwater Conspiracy. It’s called “Right of Left Field” and I’m listening to it on repeat.

If you don’t know who the Wellwater Conspiracy are, there’s some great info about them here. I’m pretty sure on this song it’s Matt Cameron, drummer of Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, on vocals. It’s posted to the radio.blog.

What songs do you consider perfect?

* If Only, Mexicola, How to Handle a Rope, The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret, Better Living Through Chemistry, In The Fade.

Thank you, dear friends, for giving me the chance to watch this lovely film. It is rare to watch a movie combining my three loves: gymnastics, martial arts, and mullets. In fact, Gymkata was the most enjoyable of all the Cinemasochist films thus far. (more…)

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David J suggested a post on CD box sets. I only have a handful, but if I had to only limit myself to one, it would definitely be the Who.

My husband is a huge Who fan and has all their records on vinyl—some he has more than one copy of. He never replaced them all with cds, just bought the box set, called Thirty Years of Maximum R&B. I love it because it includes some live tracks and some early tracks before they were even called the Who—they were the High Numbers. I think the Who may be the only band who never wrote a bad song.

Another great box set is The Police - Message in a Box. I can listen to the whole thing and not get bored. I just marvel at how many great songs they wrote.

I’m getting nostalgic for some vinyl box sets now. As a teenager my brother had all of Nick Drake’s albums as a box set, used to listen to it all the time. I also have a Sub Pop compilation box set on vinyl from way back in the day with a bunch of early grunge stuff on it (called Sub Pop 200).

What are some other good box sets?

I have been thinking about how to fix that problem that is the NCAA Football Bowl system. I have come up with a few ideas. Most of them are crazy and drastic and would require almost a clean slate to start from. But if what I present is not logical, please let me know. (more…)