You were probably thinking of Alfonso Cuaron's film, Gravity, weren't you? Although, Cuaron has directed some fantastic movies, including Children of Men and Y Tu Mamá También(And Your Mother Too when translated).
However, the "Gravity" that I am talking about is (of all things) from John Mayer. Hey, I'm surprised myself, considering my taste in music. So yeah, he got on my radar and I decided to check out his music. What the hell, why not?
All in all, he's a bit of a hit-or-miss. Some of his work I find to infectious, especially his more mellow, bluesy sound, like "Gravity" and "Daughters"; but his more arena-rock sound, like "Bigger than My Body", feels like it's missing something. I mean, it's not bad, but it doesn't have the same impact as his bluesy songs. Lately, I've been feeling the need to immerse myself in emotional music - it's not that my tastes in music currently don't meet that need; it's more that I'm looking for something that is different, and somewhat unconventional, to my usual tastes. Something to perhaps change up my routine in a subtle way through music, specifically from someone like John Mayer in this case, is the best way to invoke that subtle change. All said, maybe, I just need some time to come around to Mayer's music. Give the records a few spins - that's usually how I learn to appreciate music from someone new in my collection.
Radiohead's "Everything In Its Right Place" was their first song I really listened to. I knew about "Creep" because of Rock Band, and I knew of "High and Dry" because of 50/50, but it wasn't until Vanilla Sky that the band caught my ears. The sound is so eclectic and the album, Kid A, as a whole is bizarre, but attractive. That song is what put them on my radar. Eventually, I confessed to my friend that I wanted to really dig into Radiohead's discography. His response? "That's some deep waters there, man." No doubt.
Like most of the other bands I listen to, Radiohead's been around for a cool minute, and I've just begun to really digest their music. And I'm fine with that: this is how I come about learning and discovering things at my pace. In some way, it lets me enjoy their on the premise that I want to, rather than giving them attention because they're "what's in" at the moment. I like it that way: I may be late to the party, but I make the most of it nonetheless.
Alright, so I caved in and bought Phantogram's Voices a whiles back. Though, I'd like to say that I've outdone the Mainstream by going out of my way by also getting ahold of their debut album, Eyelid Movies, but something tells me that won't fly with the indie folk.
Voices... where to begin? When I bought this album, the only song that I knew from them was Fall in Love (the third track in the LP), since that's the only song on the radio at the moment. I also stumbled a brief (yet thorough) review of this album in an Los Angeles Times article, stating how this LP builds upon their unique sound, structure, and strengths as a duo, while also addressing some of their weaknesses that were prevalent in Eyelid Movies, their first album. It was enough to put them on my radar, and when this LP was released, I went on a scavenger hunt to find it (I had to go through three music stores before I actually found this CD). Since I've never listened to them and the only song I was familiar with was Fall in Love, it took me some to be familiar with this album, since Fall in Love is perhaps the most radio-friendly song (although Bill Murray and Celebrating Nothing are can be radio-friendly also). The sound from this album (and perhaps Eyelid Movies also) are reminiscent of underground trip-hop movement of the 90's, while also blending in hints of electronica (think of The Sneaker Pimp's Becoming X, to some extent). When compared to Eyelid Movies, Sarah's voice is more prominent and powerful, making her vocal presence known (whereas she seemed to coyly whisper throughout Eyelid Movies). Of all the songs in Voices, perhaps the one that I'm inexorably attracted to the most would be I Don't Blame You (the ninth track in the LP). The beginning of the song caught me off guard, since it sounded like a man screaming, but once you get past that, the song is actually quite intriguing. There seem to be intervals of layers of sounds (sampled from God-knows-where) that compliment the looping drum tracking. While Josh is the weaker vocalist of the duo, his voice feels at home here and I don't think the song would be the same if Sarah was the one who sung in this track. Below is the song itself so you can hear the intricate layers of sound in the intervals I was talking about.
I accidentally stumbled across this album at a Best Buy, when I bought my MacBook Pro (more on that later). I impulsively bought this CD, since I figure it'll a very good while since I'll see this album on the shelves again. Compared to Voices, this album has a completely different feel to it, but I can't really describe the differences. As I mentioned earlier, Sarah's vocals are less powerful here, as though she is whispering loudly than singing her heart out. Mind you, this isn't bad at all and may have been her intention in the first place, since this LP is slightly more ambient than their sophomore album. Josh also has a more prominent singing role here, but since he's the weaker vocalist of the duo, he stepped back from the mic in Voices to let Sarah take control. I'm still in the middle of digesting this album, so I really don't have much to say at the moment other than it's quite an enjoyable listen. and its ambient soundscapes feel like you're dreaming...only you're not, of course. It draws you in and keeps you engaged until the very end of the LP, only to realize that the virtual dream was over way too soon. Like Voices, there is a song in the track list that I find infectious. It's called As Far As I Can See. When I first heard this song, its glitchy intro made me think that my disc was scratched. However, this glitchy intro (which loops indefinitely through the song) was what enticed me the most, since it's been quite some time since I've heard something so unique. Furthermore, Sarah's sultry vocals really add to the atmosphere of the song and the looping drumming track complements the glitchy loop perfectly. This may be my most favorite track in the entire album. Below is the mesmeric video for the song. Enjoy!
*It's the "Kirby Dance," in case you're wondering*
Well, not entirely. They've been releasing new material recently and, in short, I'm really excited! While it's still the same noisy eargasm as their eponymous debut album, their latest singles, Evilminded and GOATS, show the pair going into new directions and experimenting with their very distinct sound quite excellently. It's very promising and other fans of the duo are also agreeing with opinions such as mine. Obviously, Da Octopusss is hinting at another album (or at the least, an EP), but whatever plans they have, I can't wait to see (or rather, hear) what they have in store for us. Unfortunately, their latest single can't be embedded nor can they be found on YouTube, so I'll post links to their respective web pages over at their SoundCloud account:
Speaking of music and "-gasms", friends a whiles back mentioned that there are vibrators that can vary in their intensity, based on the music that is playing at the time of its usage. To which I initially thought as preposterous - after all, such a thing only belongs in a Sci-Fi erotica novel...right? After some *cough cough* "research" *cough cough* (if it can even be called that - thank you, science!), it turns out, they do exist (clicking on here WILL take you there...so yeah...ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK)! Boggles my mind that they really do. Also, it's obviously an 18+ site, so there will be damages technological, psychological, and otherwise (yadda-yadda-yadda...). You have been warned - and I'm talking to you, kid (that fake ID isn't foolin' anybody)!
So why am I bringing this up?
If you happen have one of those "musical vibrators" and you stumbled across my this post - you're welcome!
You happen to read this post while simultaneously exploring your sexuality - you're welcome?
I am testing the waters here to see if I can get a reaction of sorts (hey, just being honest here). Thank you for your reaction (whatever it may be) - It's good to know that I'm getting some attention (although, this wouldn't be the kind of attention I want to attract constantly).
And with that, this concludes this risqué blog post. It'll probably be the first and last of its kind here. Until next time, friends!
