Friday, August 11, 2006

The Last Kiss:
Soundtrack And Trailer



It looks like most of the gang behind the movie "Garden State" are back for another go round in "The Last Kiss," opening across the country September 15th. Enjoy the sneek peek, but just as importantly, enjoy the soundtrack and Rachel Bilson, my beloved "Summer" from Fox's "The O.C."

Summer, how could you cheat on Seth, and so soon after the death of Coop? What is wrong with you?!?

Sorry bout that, I'm back. The movie is about "a
group of 30 year-olds struggle to adapt to adulthood while their aging parents face middle age." It has quite the pedigree behind the scenes as well. Paul Haggis, who wrote the Academy Award winning "Crash," takes credit for this film, and it was directed by Hollywood's newest hypenate, Tony Goldwyn (who I've haven't heard from since he was dragged down to hell by evil spirits in "Ghost").

As with "Garden State," actor Zach Braff had a hand in the all important soundtrack. After enjoying the epic soundtrack to "Garden State" for the past couple of years, it's quite possible that I am looking more forard to hearing the new cd than actually seeing the movie. I'm just sayin' Either way, you can listen to it here, or just go buy it now. Hopefully, it "will change your life forever." Let's see what Zach has to say about it in this short documentary on the compilation:


Here is the track listing, and for your consideration, I have included "Chocolate" (the sort of "theme" to the movie) by Snow Patrol.

1. Chocolate - Snow Patrol
2. Star Mile - Joshua Radin
3. Pain Killer - Turin Brakes
4. Warning Sign - Coldplay
5. Ride - Cary Brothers
6. El Salvador - Athlete
7. Hide And Seek - Imogen Heap
8. Reason Why - Rachael Yamagata
9. Hold You In My Arms - Ray LaMontagne
10. Prophecy - Remy Zero
11. Paper Bag - Fiona Apple
12. Today's The Day - Aimee Mann
13. Arms of a Woman - Amos Lee
14. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk - Rufus Wainwright
15. Paperweight - Joshua Radin/Schuyler Fisk


For your consideration:

Snow Patrol - Chocolate Mp3


Wednesday, August 09, 2006

U2: Walk On

I was watching "Rescue Me" last night and it had reminded me, along with this week's opening of the motion picture "World Trade Center," that next month we are heading to the five year anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11. Five years. Time sure does fly when you're under a yellow terror alert doesn't it?


It always amazes me how certain songs can bring back certain memories. You remember what song was on the radio when you had your first kiss. You remember the song from your wedding. It gets to a point that whenever you hear it, you can almost taste the cake. Am I right? Well, for 9/11, there isn't a sole in our country that doesn't flash upon that horrific day when they hear Five For Fighting's "Superman (It's Not Easy)." I know I do, and for that, no matter how dated it gets, and how much I hate the song when I hear it, it will always bring back those memories. For me, five years ago, there was no finer and more heartfelt performance that summed up all of which we had been through than when U2 performed "Walk On" during the 9/11 Tribute to Heroes. It still resonates with me and whenever I hear the song, it brings back memories of the day.


Now that, is a song. Five years, people. What have we as a country learned? Are we any safer? Could it happen again? Let the emotions of the songs that we remember from that time in our lives serve as a reminder of what could be ahead of us. I'm just sayin'

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Under The Covers
With The Foo Fighters

We all have weird musical taste, right? You think you may know your friends backward and forward, but when you have a chance, peek into your friend's iTunes and I bet you'll begin to wonder what the hell you're doing hanging out with that person. I mean, why on Earth would you have Ace Of Base in there? You actually own England Dan & John Ford Coley? Oh my god, this guy has a copy of the keys to my house! What these people have in their collection defines who they were, and just as importantly, who they are now. We all have The Eagles in our iTunes, but the mere fact Olivia Newton John is in there says something more about you.

Which leads me to another topic, what some people don't have in their music library. My buddy who has over 60 gigs of music on his hard drive has an interesting theory to his collection. No live tracks, no acoustic versions, and especially NO COVER SONGS. I think he's missing out, especially on the cover tunes. He'd disagree with me on this, but I believe the cover song, when done well, is the best of all worlds. It's a song you already love, performed by a band you're fond of! What's wrong with that formula? Well, he'll say give "Sweet Child Of Mine" by Sheryl Crow (the queen of covers) a listen to and get back to him.




Ok, he's got me there, that thing is an abomination. But there are too many of them out there that simply rock, and that's not even counting the versions that have become more synonymous to the cover artist than the original artist. Stevie Ray Vaughn is an example of this, I'll take his version of "Little Wing" anyday. Speaking of which, when you think of "All Along The Watchtower," do you think of Hendrix or Dylan's original version? I'm just sayin'

So in honor of my good friend here's the Foo Fighters doing a live, acoustic, cover song of Eddie Money's 1977 classic "Baby Hold On." The track was performed live in 1999 for the Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn. Enjoy!


For your consideration:

The Foo Fighters - Baby Hold On (Live) Mp3


Monday, August 07, 2006

The Who:
Wire & Glass: Six Songs From A Mini-Opera

"Is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter-day sins? "Is it better to burn out than to fade away?"
"High Fidelity"


Well, we don't have to worry about that here. I promise. The Who. Legends. Here it is in all it's glory, The Who's first release in nearly twenty years: "Wire & Glass: Six Songs From A Mini-Opera." Although these are only snippets of the complete album to be released later on this year, you will not be disappointed. To give the tracks a simple review, yes my friends, they sound like The Who, and fortunately, they haven't gone all "VH1" on us like the atrocities of Sting and Elton John's recent releases ("Songs From The West Coast" excluded). They still sound fresh, and even more impressively, relevant. By the way, Sting's last album "Sacred Love" was so god awful, that it made my ears physically ill. If you're thinking that what I just said is impossible, give the album a try. I dare you. I'm just sayin'.

The track (for your consideration) below contains all 6 tracks combined as one mp3, and has a running time of about 11 minutes. The highlight is the last tune, "Mirror Door," a shout out to the rock gods who have passed on. The tune, I hope, is a sign of things to come from the new album. Below is a video of Pete on the BBC jamming to it. Enjoy!




Here is the track listing for
Wire & Glass: Six Songs From A Mini-Opera:

1. Sound Round
2. Pick Up the Peace
3. Endless Wire
4. We Got A Hit
5. They Made My Dreams Come True
6. Mirror Door

For your consideration:

The Who -
Wire & Glass: Six Songs From A Mini-Opera Mp3

The Monster Mash

Whatta weekend. I'm really excited to announce that you, my friend, will have the privilege later on this week (or whenever EZarchive gets their head out of their butt) to hear theWho's new EP entitled "Wire & Glass." For now though, it's Monday, and that means it is time for another mashup.

This week's mashup comes to us from Team 9 and is called "What's Going On Yeah." I've been in a Flaming Lips kind of mood lately, mainly because I saw them live a couple of weeks ago (read my review called "Two Buck Coyne") and I still can't get "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" outta my head. This mashup is just as addictive, and features Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin On" a timely song if there ever was one.

Also for my valued reader, I've added a special acoustic version of "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song" I found on the net, that the boys have called "The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Hoe Down And Slow Down Version)." They changed the cords, and made it as they said in describing the version a "very sad commentary on life right now." I'm just sayin'


For your consideration:

The Flaming Lips Vs. Marvin Gaye - What's Going On Yeah Mp3

The Flaming Lips - The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (Hoe Down And Slow Down Version) Mp3