The King Says Dance

Warning: This post has one of the best montages of kids dancing I've seen in a long time.

I like this. Do you like this? You should like this.

FMF Trailer

Warning: Wes Anderson + Roald Dahl = Fantastic.

Might Roald Dahl be a better source of book-to-movie gold that even Steven King? While it may be a hard race to call, having grown up on Mr. Dahl's books (like many of us), I'm pleasantly impressed with how well he translates to the silver screen. Willy Wonka & the remake Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, , and his efforts at screenwriting for such gems as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and my favourite Bond, You Only Live Twice. Even Matilda wasn't that bad.
The latest of Dahl's back catalogue to be utilised for the cinematic powers of good is Fantastic Mr. Fox, brought to life by the wonderful Wes Anderson (Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore). The trailer looks awesome. The cast are the only remaining funny people left in Hollywood. The director is a mildly eccentric genius. Should be great.

FYI, my favourite Dahl book was The Twits, though I'm not so sure I want that to be made into a movie.

Killing time on Youtube

Warning: This post is a collection of entertaining time wasters.

I think anyone who has ever used the internet has spent time procrastinating on Youtube more than once or twice, and between that and posts on Facebook you've probably seen these before. However, for those not in the viral video loop, here's a few gems I came across lately.

Drumnbass Church Rave - very well edited


Hammertime in an LA store - flashmob at its best


Nyuki nyuki nyuki - give a girl a camera...


Damian Walters - gymnast, stuntguy, spiderman


Now, go forth and waste time.

Holy crap

Warning: This post is a BIG FUCKING ROBOT

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the anime Gundam, the crazy Japanese have decided to build a temporary monument in Odaiba in Tokyo.
A LIFESIZE motherfucker. That's 18m.

Although I don't really follow Gundam to any obsessive extent - OK, any extent at all - I still love a good giant robot.
For now its just a static thing, but imagine the awesomeness if they made the thing move. Even the fingers or the arms. Damn.

Are you ready for it?

Warning: This music video will (space-)invade your reality.

I do like a good music video. There's something beautiful about being able to use 3-5 minutes and no soundtrack (bar the music, of course) to create something with meaning or unique cinematic vision. Something akin to what Brian Eno said when he was hired by Microsoft to write the start-up theme for Windows 95: he became obsessed with these mini-symphonies and expressing so much with so little.

A good music video is not just one of shots of the band playing - though if you can work them in there, that's always useful so people know who they are. Failing that, editing in time with the music is (IMHO) absolutely essential. Anyone who's seen a live gig or DVD filmed by MTV knows how terrible bad editing on music can be. It's like nails down a blackboard for me.

So, I'm pleasantly satisfied with Royksopp's video for Happy Up Here. I do love CGI that looks like it's shot with handheld cameras (the only thing that made Cloverfield look cool). Joss Whedon's Firefly TV series was full of fantastic graphics like this, and it also reminds me of The Pheonix Foundation's Hitchcock (with the acrobatic Ladas). Plus the idea is cute, fits the music and it's not a pixelated, low-qual piece of trash. All charm-points.

You know, I really like it.


Happy Up Here from Röyksopp on Vimeo.

Junior, Royksopp's long-awaited new LP, in stores (including) iTunes March 23rd! For the last two albums they put out awesome special editions in Japan with bonus CDs full of B-Sides and new artwork - do that again pleasethanks

I'm Back

Warning: This blogger is suffering from an over-abundance of shit to do.

Back in Japan after two weeks in China, shortly after the Chinese New Year celebrations. I was there in late Jan but left before the actual New Year's Day - though I was around for the brutal drinking of the factory parties. I can remember regurgitation onto such diverse objects as ashtrays and hedges, but not much else. Damn Chinese.


This time around we had lots of fun new products coming up for launch in the States - including some new Pokemon stylus - so things were pretty hectic.
I'm not quite sure about these new Pokemons' level of cuteness - I mean, Pikachu is cute-incarnate, but some of these new ones are the stuff nightmares are made of.


There's also some exciting new stuff planned for June release, so I wasn't getting a lot of sleep/still aren't. Can't say much as yet, but Hasbro's game deal with EA is involved. Will keep you posted.

The weekend I came back was quite intense - we were straight off to Labtribe in Kyoto for a night of drumnbass/dubstep at the hands of (Chase &) Status. Only the one of them showed up, but Will ("Status") brought the fine sounds and much fun was had. He even had the nicety to drop Killing In The Name Of SebastiAn in the middle of a dnb set. Very impressive.
The club itself was great - my first expedition out there - but the clientele were far more sparse than Triangle can pull in Osaka. Still, everyone was of the good sort - typical underground electronica round here. Wouldn't trade it for the world.


Sunday night was Tiga - 4 years and three tours to Japan later before we finally managed to be in the same room. He's a lot whiter and quite short in person. He led his two hour set with some minimal stuff he seems to be getting into lately, before busting out "Mind Dimension" and a few tracks I'm sure were his, but possibly new stuff from the album: "It's Six O'Clock" and "What's that sound/I like that sound" being predominant lyrics. Fever Ray and Mr. Oizo also made cameo appearances in a mix that went from strength to strength.


Life = work for the time being so I haven't got many amazing things to say, but The Whore did introduce me to a fantastic (and rather masculine-erotic) video clip from Germans Deichkind. The high quality copy (worth a look) is here.
I'm not gay, but I love anything that can combine porno with parody ("pornody"?)

Merry Christmas (Part 1)

Warning: The war probably isn't over.

I'd put more Sudan and Zimbabwe footage, but it's not my video. Nice work though.

Where's a cherry when you need one

Warning: This video is everything good indie music vids should be.

Much as I semi-vowed to myself that I wouldn't just do "youtube posts" here, I do feel this has brought sufficient good cheer to my sleepy Tuesday afternoon that it warrants serious viewage. Upbeat indie/ska + music video that looks like it was as fun to make as to watch = Doug Schachtel's take on Junior Kickstart by The Go! Team. Booya.
PS. The guitar at the start reminds me of old-school Placebo, ie. Teenage Angst. Yummy.

I'm Listening To - Roisin

Disclaimer: This post features a pop diva with a sense of humour.

First time I heard of Roisin Murphy, I couldn't pronounce her name ("rosheen"). I learnt of it searching the CD cover book on Things to Make and Do, Moloko's third LP effort which I picked up essentially at random from Real Groovy. I had a habit in High School of if I had seen an album on the shelf 2 or 3 times and still hadn't heard much of the band, I tended to buy it to try it out. This is how I learnt of artists I went on to love, such as The Prodigy, BT and Utah Saints, none of whom really got regular radio time back then.

Anyway, Moloko's appeal for me came from a wonderfully diverse sound, potentially defined as everything from 90s dance (but nothing so shallow), pop, jazz...and yet none of the above.
Moreso, however, was the frontman, or in this case woman, in Roisin Murphy. A radiant Irish girl with undoubted sexiness coupled with a fantastic quirky nature. Everything from her deep smooth soul in Pure Pleasure Seeker to the uplifting The Time Is Now and the light-humoured Absent Minded Friends and Indigo, it appears that Roisin and Moloko could put on a show, but didn't necessarily take themselves seriously. Perfect.

I was scared when Roisin went off to do her own stuff, as I figured it wouldn't have the same all-round feel to Moloko. Ruby Blue was indeed a strange first touch, as it appears she knows how she wants something to sound musically without actually knowing how to make it sound that way. The music is sketchy at times, but her vocals pull through - Ramalama (Bang Bang) being probably the closest thing to the original band.

Having got the awkward freshman effort out the way and being able to focus on her own style, her recent release Overpowered is a fantastic success. The sound tends toward 80s electro, something both Madonna and Kylie in particular are working with these days, but Roisin's team appear to really have bridged a gap in bringing good electro synth into what is essentially a pop album.
It's not perfect, but the title track (which you may find here, along with Kris Menace and Herve remixes, courtesy of The Whore) really catches in my brain, as do the recent single You Know Me Better and other stand-out tracks on the album such as Let Me Know and Cry Baby.

I may go so far as to say I think she is possibly the sexiest woman in music - like I said earlier, she knows how to perform but its obvious she's just having fun taking the piss. The video for Overpowered is a prime example, as is this clip of her busking at the Convent Garden:
Who can resist that girlish charm, faux-sass, gold locks and pretty blue eyes? Not I.
If you don't think so, who is the sexiest woman in pop music? I need a new poll question, so suggestions are welcome.

God Damn You Yoshio Kojima.

Disclaimer: This youtube clip may make no sense.

I was hunting for something else, but I saw a vid on youtube today that caught my eye. I kinda wish it hadn't.

Yoshio Kojima has featured here before (see December for Louie's impersonation of him). He's the guy everyone loves to hate. I'm beginning to see why he's so popular. And it DOES have something to do with him being intolerable.

Japan send New Years cards like rabbits multiply. There's an obligation to send to everyone you ever knew and their extended family, it would seem. Japan Post came up with a carbon offset program this year, with more expensive cards that include the offset for the footprint it takes to send them.
How do they market them? Add in the monkey boy.

Just watch it. It doesn't make any sense even if you understand Japanese.

Visit to Target

My tribute to Mitch Hedberg.

O-Pa-Pea! (Ocean Pacific Peace)

My friend's kid (Louie) is awesome.

Here's his impression of Yoshio Kojima,


It might make sense to watch this first:

This guy is currently wayyyyy too popular among the youth of Japan at the moment. It's a phase thing, one we're all hoping will fade out fast.
I asked some kids why he's so popular. Responses ranged from "Because he's gross" (mainly because of the melon-flavoured Speedos) to "Because his voice is cool". I'm still confused. FYI, his main catchphrase is "でもそんなの関係ねぇ" ("demo sonnano kankei ne-!"), which basically means "But that's got nothing to do with it!", though it sounds more slang (perhaps "What's that got to do with the price of fish?"). It's a gimmick, but that's why the kids love him.

Meanwhile, more entertaining than that is Louie singing Thomas the Tank Engine in Japanese.

Priceless.

Computing in the name of

I could write a review of how wonderfully awesome Daft Punk's gig was two weeks ago (I rate their Alive tour as hands down the most entertaining live act I've been to). But there's plenty of reviews out there - if you want to find one, be my guest. I have different fish to battle.

Best Remix I have heard this year (and I've heard a few):

NB: Its only audio, and there's 3 mins of deadness at the end, so don't bother listening after it ends. Also, I think someone has blended the remix with the original, because the remix doesn't usually have the last third of the song.

This guy, and his mate Kaspersky, are also French (like DP). I don't know what they fed the babies of the late 70s in Paris, but they grew up to make awesome beats.

You little beauties

Doesn't look like it was a tremendous game, but good on yas!

Phoenix Foundation - Hitchcock

This is my favourite New Zealand music video. Simple, yet so beautiful. Song's not bad either.