Sunday, January 30, 2011

Discovery #9

Jamuel Saxon - Landmines & Chandeliers (2010)

This has become my new favorite in San Diego this year. Despite all appearances to the contrary, San Diego has always been a really wonderful town for developing musicians. It's not a loud and obvious scene because this town will always be overshadowed by the flickering lights of that place just a couple of hours to the north, whether that's a valid distinction or not. Yet, when it comes to music, L.A. doesn't hold a candle to S.D. For the past twenty years we've been witness to a cosmology of sound; from the Album Leaf to Rocket From The Crypt, from Transfer to XIV, from Get Back Loretta to Pinback, the wanderlust just rolls and rolls and rolls out of the speakers in this SoCal music mecca. Now we have Jamuel Saxon, picked up off a free download from Twitter, which goes to show how valuable the social media on the interwebs has become. Twenty years ago I wouldn't have even heard of these guys unless I stumbled into one of their drunk shows and tripped out on the ether of the room. Keith Milgaten is the genius behind the strange dance tracks that swirl through the air, mixing with choppy hypnotic vocals. This type of production is making the rounds lately and for good reason, as I seem to be jumping on the bandwagon, seeing that the electronic vibe is most represented on my list this year. I just love the way it grabs your neck and pulses through every nerve in your body, and how awesome is it to find such a gift right here in our own back yard. Much thanks, amigos!


Inglourious Basterds - Quentin Tarantino (2009)

Okay, this movie is no joke. It seems like it would be; a retelling of WWII where the denouement reveals the hierarchy of the Third Reich all assembled together to be blown to smithereens in a way that only Hollywood could possibly come up with. But this isn't just Hollywood. This is beyond the conventional aspirations of the studio boudoir. This, my friends, is Quentin Tarantino. Time and again we see him defying all logic and coming out looking fabulous in the end. This is a comic book. It's grand-standing. It's outrageous and farcical and wonderful. It's the world of Quentin Tarantino. After a woman's family is killed by a famous Nazi Jew Hunter, she escapes to Paris where she is operating a cinema and miraculously has the opportunity to enact revenge on those who have destroyed civilization. Meanwhile a group of American soldiers who hunt Nazis with guerrilla style tactics also learn of the cinematic opportunity to save humanity. The two assassination plots lead to the unexpected dramatic finale. The flow of the film is thoughtful and intriguing and beautiful to look at and explosive and gory and humorous, basically everything that you've come to expect in a Tarantino film. He rarely makes a mistake, taking his time and mixing just the right amount of tension and intelligence to make it work. I tried to find the opening scene for the clip because it is a perfect example of Tarantino's style and was undoubtedly one of the best scenes to grace our teevee screen last year. Alas, I couldn't get it in entirety and it can only be witnessed that way. Take the time to get immersed in this world. It's worth every second.

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