Remix Wednesday: Dance or Die

Time for a mid-week pick me up, and a floor-filler to boot. I would like to take a minute to introduce you to my favourite crunk-rock Christian group, Family Force 5- well, they're the only crunk-rock Christian group I listen to, but well, they're awesome. They combine everything I love about irresistibly catchy and unabashedly cliché dance tunes with the rough-edged vocals you're more likely to find in a punk-rock band.

Add to this mix The Secret Handshake- a man who claims to be 'really influenced by Family Matters and Step By Step and the Ninja Turtles and Len and Spacehog and awesome ‘90s radio music'. What you end up with is something a little cheesy, a little rad, and more than a little likely to put a smile on your face. Enjoy!

Read More......

September: A Memoir

I understand my updates have been a wee bit infrequent this month, but here's what's been going on in the wonderful world of Eileen (that's me) this September:

Film of the Month- 500 Days of SummerWhen it comes to the rom-com film industry, the rules of the game are changing. Everything's getting a little more 'indie'- the tick list back in the days was a cute guy, a cute girl, a 'cute meet' and a predictable ending. These days, it's all about geek-chic guys n' gals striking up funny and witty conversations and going on a string of unconventional dates, to a backdrop of whatever music is 'in' (think Feist and Vampire Weekend).

But what seems to have stayed the same is the predictable ending- unless, of course, you're watching 500 Days of Summer.
You've got all of the usual features of a geek-chic rom-com, but with a few commitment-phobes, wise-cracking younger sisters and gratuitous karaoke scenes thrown in- as well as a bittersweet ending you probably won't see coming.
500 Days of Summer won't break any boundaries- it's still cutesie and indie to the core. It's just taking a familiar genre, giving a few extra perks, and trying to gently nudge it in a different direction.

Album of the Month- 'The Resistance' by MuseWith a band like Muse, I really don't want to say anything overly critical, for fear of having abuse hurled at me by their fans.
Lucky I don't have a critical word to say, really.
'The Resistance' is everything we've come to expect from Muse- dramatic, ambitious, experimental- and oh so much more. They appear to got a giant music blender, shoved in a massive dollop of futuristic electronica, a largely unnecessary amount of anthemic riffs, a sprinkling of Orwell references, a spoonful of recycled riffs (mostly from 'Origin of Symmetry', my favorite Muse album), a fair quantity of Queen, and a little bit of Bellamy magic, to taste.
What we have here is bags of ambition, a more modern sound, but a record that in places tries to hard to achieve those big hitters Muse has so often composed before. Not their best work ever, but definitely signs of musical progression there.

Fashion Designer of the Month- Roksanda Ilincic

Tall, sweeping frocks in soft colours, but with a distinctly structured look- what more could you want? From fashion school to fashion star in a few short years, Roksanda combines a punk-rock feel with the classic lines for a collection that's unique and mindblowing.
I would also like to point out how awesome the scruffy-ponytails Dior were rockin' for Spring/Summer 2010 were:
Posts of the Month:
10 Film Love Interests Who Aren't Utterly Loathsome: Tired of vapid, two-dimensional love interests in films? Want to see some legitimate characters, as well as some romance? Well, look no further- I have a list of 10 Romantic Supporting Actors who might tickle your fancy.

10 Songs of the Week- The Cure, The Beatles, Neko Case, Alexisonfire- my ten songs on heavy rotation during September. Bit of a mixed bag, so hopefully something for everyone.

Missed Connections- Gosh, I'm in an amorous mood this month! The Autumn does strange things to me. Art to celebrate the amorous glances and missed chances we all experience.

Read More......

Remix Wednesday: Basic Space

It's remix time, bitches! Chica-chica-yeah!

This week's offering at the altar of funk comes courtesy of a little-known unsigned UK act called Astronomer. Little may be know of these shadowy figures, but what we can glean is that they are very, very good at remixes. They've reworked everything from Micachu to Metronomy- but my personal favorite has to be their version of 'Basic Space' by The XX.

Now, The XX are bloody everywhere at the moment- I completely appear to have missed to bandwagon on this one. However, I managed to catch them on late-night Reading coverage, and I think I'm becoming hooked to their lazy, dream-pop sound. Take a listen for yourselves below:

Read More......

Remix Wednesday: She Wolf

This week's remix comes courtesy of 'my-hips don't-lie' Shakira, and Calvin 'that-bloke-what-was-born-in-the-80's' Harris. 'She Wolf', Shakira's latest wacky dance offering, has been all jazzed up by Harris, and it's sounding pretty awesome. I must admit, I'm not a huge Calvin Harris fan (Goldie Lookin' Chain calling him a wanker at V Festival got a good cheer as well), but this is pretty damn good.
Also, a Fun Fact for you: Shakira has won 10 Grammys. Who knew?
Get your dancing shoes on, and check out 'She Wolf' below:

Read More......

Song of the Day: Uprising by Muse

Say what you like about Muse, but when your eardrums are filled with their alt-electronic sound, you know you're going on a musical adventure. This is certainly true of their first single from their upcoming album, 'The Resistance'. 'The Uprising' starts off with a sci-fi futuristic vibe, then smacks you raging guitars. On top of that, you've got the anarchic, anti-establishment lyrics that are said to be the order of the day on 'The Resistance'. They've even thrown in some handclapping and chanting for good measure.
It's been described as 'Like "Supermassive Black Hole" being raped in a back alley by Goldfrapp', and I quite like it. However, concerns have been raised about how unnecessarily political this album could be- I guess we'll just have to wait and see. In the mean time, have listen to this:

Read More......