So Blogger took down my last post because it said I infringed on someone's copyrights, but hasn't told me which item I posted infringed. That makes a ton of sense to me. But until I can figure it out here is a picture of me in Spain...with my twin.
Here's the background story to the picture. While we were in Spain this summer the political race for the European Union chair of Spain was underway. During our last days of the trip we were in Barcelona and we saw numerous signs for the two candidates. Oriol Junqueras must have been from Barcelona because his were everywhere. I didn't take any notice of the pictures of him until we were riding an escalator up to the exit of a metro station and I heard one of my students yell "Mr. Pope! Your picture is on the wall over there!" They quickly gathered around and made me stand next to "my" picture. I can admit now that with a suit jacket on, I could probably have been a stand it for good old Oriol. At least for this picture.
Sorry for the extended hiatus to those of you who I haven't lost due to my long break from posting. But I have returned and I plan on picking up where I left off talking about music, movies and what-not.
He's also in a new romantic comedy with Zooey Deschanel called (500) Days of Summer that looks like it might be enjoyable, if only for the reason that they are the two stars.
Manchester Orchestra is a band that I have listened to on and off for about 3 years. Recently they have been on heavy repeat on my iPod and computer. Their lead singer Andy Hull has an amazing voice, the range he goes through in most of their songs is astounding. One of the reasons I never got into them is their tendency to be a little to screamy(?). I know it's not a word but it is how I would describe quite a few of their songs. Those of you who read the blog know I'm more into mellow slower paced music. So I was excited when I found Andy Hull's side project Right Away, Great Captain! Here are a couple of songs from both.
it's been a while since my last post, i'm not sure if i have just been lazy or if i have been busy. i guess that because i have to ask that question...i've probably been lazy. i have been working at the school all day doing grounds work and now i'm also cooking out at the country club a few nights a week so i am also busy with work.
i have had some time to find some tunes that are worth checking out...so here they are.
first is a band called fanfarlo. they are currently offering their newest album for $1 on their website if you click their name in the previous sentence. it is good album...and it's only a dollar until july 4th, at which time it will go on sale for regular price. they are obviously trying to get their name and music out there so give them a buck and check it out.
second band today is dark mean. go to the link, give them an e-mail address, they give you a four song ep. does it get any better than that? now i've only heard four of their songs, but what i've heard i like and i'm waiting for the next two eps to come out which will form their first album. if you like this don't worry i'll let you know when they come out. dark mean - happy banjo dark mean - lullaby
third...bowerbirds. i know i've talked about them before, but i'm gonna do it again. their album upper air comes out on the 7th of july, but if you order it now...you get a code to digitally download it. i have it, it's good.
last but not least here are two songs that i have been listening to. i may try to go see tiny vipers in denver at the end of july...it'd be fun.
last night i finally watched "Paris, je t'aime" i had been told to watch it by no less than 10 people so i decided it was time...and it was great. the movie consists of 18 short films, some by directors and actors you know...and some you don't. each film is right about five minutes long and each of them tell a story of love...in the city of love. a few of the films are just okay but the majority are engrossing, which is amazing to me that a director can make you feel such a strong connection to a character or an emotion based on what you see on-screen in less than five minutes. this is a film i recommend to everyone, even if you don't like one particular film, it's done before you know it and you're on to the next.
another good movie that i watched recently is gattaca, starring ethan hawke and uma thurman. based in the not too distant future where parents can genetically engineer unwanted traits out of their offspring, this movie poses questions about discrimination and what humans are capable of. this one is also worth a watch.
bowerbirds have a new album coming out on july 7th called "upper air"...this is a pretty good band you can check out some videos of them here or listen to them below.
i just returned from lovely spain, it was an amazing trip...and it was just nice to be back there. i don't have a camera so i don't have any pictures yet. as soon as i do i'll post a few. it has been quite a while since my last post and i haven't had much time to check out new tunes so here we go. director david lynch has an interesting new project on his website. he has a few interviews up right now...but there will surely be more. keep your eyes on this site.
the new pornographers are a band that got a lot of playtime on my ipod while i was in spain. they are a canadian rock/pop group who have 4 albums. most of their songs are catchy and they have a pretty good variety of different sounds in each album...unlike many of the other bands i have put on here. you may recognize neko case the beautiful ginger in the middle of the picture above. she just released an album not to long ago titled middle cyclone, it is also worth a listen.
that'll be it for today, but i will try to do a good job of updating every day or everyother day. enjoy
added @ 11:00 p.m.
p.s. - if you don't have bon iver's album for emma, forever ago it is on sale on amazon mp3's for $5 i guarantee it is the best $5 you'll spend on an album.
as i will be traveling to spain on monday, this will be the last post i will put up until i get back. due to this fact, this post is all over the place...music, movies, youtube, whatever is on my mind. enjoy!
okkervil river is one of my favorite bands, they play great music and their lyrics are very...lyrical. not sure how to explain it other than their lyrics are similar to the decemberists, but they don't tell a story or folk tale in every one of them.
my favorite song is titled plus ones, it takes songs with numbers in the title and adds one to them and is put together with wit and charm here is the song and a link to the titles used in the song.
here is a youtube video that has been making me cry at the back of my classroom for the last couple of months. actually it is a series of videos in which a person who knows about a historical event in the united states becomes inibriated and retells the story...in short i give you 'drunk history'
there are 5 videos in all and they are each worth watching.
ben found this movie trailer and had the insight to remind me that no matter how good it looks...there is still no chance of it ever coming to my lovely little village of sidney. thanks buddy.
rudo y cursi
and finally...new tunes. i found this group today on a blog that i read. mewithoutyou are a band from philadelphia who sing songs that tell stories. i'm a sucker for that type of music. the song on here is based on one of aesop's fables. as always check 'em out and let me know what you think.
iron & wine have just released a "new" album yesterday. the album is called around the well it includes previously unreleased tracks and some of their tracks that are no longer available. the band is also doing a 6 show tour where the fans can get online and request which songs they play at each venue...pretty cool idea. i bought it yesterday and have been listening to the soothing sounds of samuel beam's voice and guitar the past 24 hours. the album includes possibly one of my favorite songs called 'the trapeze swinger', give it a listen below and let me know what you think.
a new saddle creek band! after their performance at SXSW this year the canadian folk band 'the rural alberta advantage' was picked up by saddle creek records. their album 'hometowns' will be released by saddle creek this summer. they have a great sound and i happen to have a huge crush on amy cole. they will be playing on july 15 in the front room of the slowdown in omaha.
i am attepmting to go back through a large amount of the music that i have been listening to in the past year...which it turns out is a lot...but if you have any music you want me to check out leave a comment at the bottom of the posts and i'll definitely check it out.
i had the amazing opportunity this weekend to move into a new apartment. Add this move to the total and since i graduated from high school nine years ago i have moved no less than ten times, i guess i just don't want to let my roots get too stuck in somewhere. but anyway...on to some tunes.
frightened rabbit is a scottish band who i've been listening to lately. their most recent album called the midnight organ fight is a great listen. most of the songs are pretty direct and too the point and Scott Hutchison's voice is amazing. when coupled with his lyrics it becomes something that is heartwrenching and beautiful at the same time.
one more band to check out for the day, blind pilot. they are a great indie band out of portland who's music is mostly acoustic guitar driven (which i like). check out their album 3 rounds and a sound. they have played on a few late night shows i believe which generally means they are on the verge of becoming more popular...so we'll hopefully get to see them on mtv now between the jonas brothers and that hannah montana girl. excellent!
I figured I needed to give you a taste of some music that doesn't have acoustic guitar in it so here is your taste.
The French band Phoenix has a new album coming out on May 26th here in the U.S. I found this video the other day while listening to a few of their songs on-line.If you love 80’s movies and the random dance scenes that ensue in these wonderful movies enjoy this…
Another band who has gotten some popular attention this year is MGMT.
I originally heard this song on a soccer highlight video and I can remember thinking it was a pretty catchy tune.I haven’t listened to a lot of their music, but I’ve listened to this quite a bit. Here it is along with a few covers.
Now for something a little...okay a lot different.
I already made Will listen to this band and they are for lack of a better word…odd. Micachu and the Shapes is a band from London who's sound I would compare to, well I'm not sure what I would compare it to.
A better way to describe it would be the feeling their music gives me. The first time I listened to them is like the first I heard the Yeah, Yeah, Yeah's...whom I love...but let's be honest, they're a little bit much to handle right away. After a few listens I was hooked and listened to the album non-stop for a month, so I decided to play it for a bunch of people and they gave me the "What the hell is this" face.
I promise that if you give Micachu and the Shapes a few listens (maybe more than a few) you will get hooked, their songs are catchy even if the melody and harmony are different than what you are used to.
Here is a graduation speech given by the late David Foster Wallace. To completely oversimplify it he talks about how it is possible to make it through life without letting the trivial little things drive you crazy. It's definitely a worthwhile read.
There is a book out that contains the full speech. Which is why it's impossible to find the full transcript of it on-line now. Mine is in the mail and on the way to my house as I type this...you can get one here.
On another note, here is a new movie coming out. Away We Go. It could be pretty good, but the music is what caught my attention. I believe my brother Will first tried to get me listening to Alexi Murdoch over a year ago, but I didn't listen. Then as I watched the trailer the combination of visual and audio hit me and I'm hooked. He is doing a majority of the songs on the soundtrack as well.
This is a like this video...I love this location. How much fun would it be to walk around The Music Inn? Instruments from all over the world hanging above your head and you can play them all. I would love this!
Block Party - This Modern Love (acoustic on the street)
How great is this? A band that doesn't play acoustic music and plays with tons of distortion/effects on their instruments stripped down to a guitar and a voice (you can tell Kele isn't entirely comfortable at the start). This may be one of my favorite music videos.
The band also filmed a documentary called "One of My Kind" which gives a behind the scenes look at their first world tour and subsequent recording sessions that became Outer South. You can watch it at Causecast.
I'll try to get some more variety in the future, I've just been listening to Conor Oberst a lot lately. Am I a sad bastard or what?
This blog will be for my friends who are tired of me telling them about obscure bands to listen to. Hopefully now they can just check out this site and see what I'm listening to and form their own opinions.
This last weekend I had the privilege of driving 5 1/2 hours across the beautiful/desolate state that we call Nebraska. It is home but oh, how I wish it had a little more to offer in the scenery department. But there was a light at the end of the tunnel...Margot and the Nuclear So and So's were playing a show at the Slowdown in downtown Omaha.
The opening band was a group from Indianapolis called Everything, Now. They were pretty good so I had to buy one of their limited copies of their LP Sunshine of Doom. Each cover was hand drawn and I found that pretty cool.
Richard Edwards and his crew put on a great show and everyone had a great time. Seriously...buy their music. Their most recent album is Animal!/Not Animal, the "man" wanted them to release one, they wanted the other Animal! is theirs, Not Animal the "man's." Their first album is amazing as well it is titled The Dust of Retreat.
Nobody likes a to be the bad guy...so give back and buy or go see live music from any of the artists I mention here. If you represent an artist or are an artist who is on these pages you can contact me at imwideawakemp@gmail.com to have me remove any material you don't wish to be available and it will be removed.
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