Trish, Gilbert, Art and Vivina have been busy bringing more stuff over from their storage unit.  That place must have been packed!  I turned around from working at the register this afternoon, and the side wall is covered with a bunch of scrapbooking bags from a variety of companies.  And remember the old Creative Cafe?  The tags and chipboard shapes, etc.  There was a bunch of that stuff over there, so they brought it to the store and Lizett was busy packaging that up today for the dollar bins.  There’s also more fixtures, etc.   And all the frames on the walls are for sale too.  I know there’s more, but I didn’t even get to see it all.

And Michelle made some more of those cute little chocolate holders for the holidays.  They flew out of there last weekend, so don’t miss them this weekend.

Get it before it’s gone!

Barbara

Annehvert år arrangeres konferansen Fagtorget et eller annet sted i Norge. Forrige gang var stedet Tromsø, denne gangen er det Kristiansand som blir inntatt av Statped’ere fra hele landet. Konferansen er beregnet på ansatte i Statped, lærere, fagpersoner innenfor utdanning og helse og andre som er opptatt av spesialpedagogiske spørsmål. Se fullstendig program (pdf) for Fagtorget 2009.

Lillegården kompetansesenter er selvfølgelig til stede under konferansen:

• Hanne Janhnsen presenterer forskning på smågruppebaserte deltidstiltak i norske ungdomsskoler, Den ene dagen (pdf). Onsdag 25.11., sal D kl. 14.15-14.45.
• Torunn Tinnesand holder foredrag om kvalifisering og danning i videregående opplæring. Onsdag 25.11., sal Odderø kl.15.55-16.35.

I tillegg til foredragene er deler av hotellet gjort om til utstillingslokale, der du blant annet kan møte Kirsti Tveitereid som står på stand og presenterer en del av Lillegårdens øvrige arbeid.

Elin Kragset Vold er til stede for å skrive om arrangementet i Statpedmagasinet, der hun er nyutnevnt redaktør.

finally, emma and i met soo again.. after so long, still feel the closiness.. also the whole package of crappy jokes with many meaningful life experiences and advices..

like always, too much bak-gua, toothache? haha.. oh, please don’t forget about our travel plans!!

laughter of the day:-

“他们会用眼神轮奸你”

En esta ocasión os muestro la próxima fiesta en Getafe. El próximo 7 de noviembre sábado vendrán ‘The Starlets’( Myspace The Starlets ), grupo escoces con gran pedigrí.

Este grupo acaba de ser fichado por Discos de Paseo y presentarán su recopilatorio ‘I Wake Up Dreaming’, que recoge las mejores canciones de sus tres álbumes.

Como comentario adicional antes de dejaros más promo deciros que al día siguiente (8 de noviembre) este mismo grupo estarán teloneando a Camera Obscura…. lujazo lujazo. ;-D

Los teloneros son ‘Hat Trick’ ( Myspace Hat Trick ), sonido garage y surf… un estupendo complemento para iniciar la velada. Aquí algo más de promo.

“THE STARLETS
“I WAKE UP DREAMING”

Discos de Paseo (2009)

Cuando Richard Hawley dice de un grupo que es material muy original y de primera calidad y Stuart Murdoch, el de Belle Sebastian, contesta que, definitivamente, tienen alma, algo tiene que haber tras la música de esa banda.

Esa banda son The Starlets, un grupo de Glasgow -lo cual en sí mismo ya viene a ser un plus cuando hablamos de pop- que ha decidido dar un paso adelante para dar a conocer su pop de raíz indie fuera de las Islas.

Con tres discos en su haber, autoeditados en su propio sello Stereotone, los escoceses al principio fueron aquello tan habitual cuando las cosas se hacen modestamente: una banda con muy buenas críticas y poca difusión pública, en parte por su amateurismo inicial y en parte por hacer música, como ellos mismos dicen, únicamente por placer.

Pero Surely tomorrow you’ll feel blue (2001), Further into the night forever (2003) y el muy reciente Out into the days from here (2009), compuestos y grabados con calma y cariño, han conformado una trilogía ganadora, evolucionada canción a canción. Sus canciones recogen la tradición indie contemporánea de grupos de pop escoceses como Belle Sebastian o Camera Obscura y les incorporan detalles y guiños de otros históricos como Orange Juice, The Jesus Mary Chain o, ya fuera de Escocia, Prefab Sprout o los Go Betweens, con los que en directo tienen sus vínculos y parecidos.

Una combinación de nivel que los ha hecho grandes en Japón, donde tienen sello, una importante base de seguidores y donde han hecho giras y llenado salas, para sorpresa de la propia banda.

A menudo pausados, en ocasiones enérgicos, con colaboraciones en las voces de mitos indie como Isobell Campbell y con canciones que dirigen bucolicamente flautas y castañuelas -”Rocking in a shy way”- o que endurecen espirales de guitarras -el single “Radio Friendly”-, desde Discos de Paseo consideramos que había que hacer caso a Richard Hawley y que era una pena que esas fantásticas canciones se perdieran en el olvido, sobre todo cuando tantas decenas de temas peores obtienen su espacio sin problemas.

Por eso, y rompiendo por primera vez nuestra línea de publicar grupos nacionales, decidimos actuar como antes, a la antigua, planteándoles una recopilación específica para el mercado español de sus mejores temas.

Sí, sabemos que hoy existe internet y que los discos se pueden escuchar (y comprar) allí, pero también sabemos, y por eso mantenemos vivo un sello discográfico, que sumarle a trece grandes canciones un envoltorio físico bonito sigue siendo un placer para los sentidos.

De ahí surge I wake up dreaming, una recopilación en la que la banda dedica a España lo que ellos llaman “sus canciones de la lluvia”, nos las dedican especialmente en el texto interior de su cantante y compositor Biff Smith y le añaden dos temas inéditos.

Puede que sean estilística y vocacionalmente indies, pero este disco es una muestra de que en el pop de autor, y en el escocés todavía más, siguen existiendo muchas pequeñas joyas que descubrir.”

So Devon just called from UCSD with plans for her second quarter.  She’s still a political science major, but she’s going to change from a focus in public law to international relations (sounds more interesting to me), AND my little shutterbug has decided to go for a minor in Photography!!  In case you’re new to our blog, she took over 8,000 pictures on our recent 18 day trip to Europe.  She absolutely loves taking pictures.  Her camera is always with her (and I’m not exaggerating).  I’m so happy she’ll be taking some classes now to improve her photography skills. 

This seemed like a good time to share a couple of pictures she took on our trip.

 Lucerne, Switzerland, pretty much our favorite place:

And here’s a great picture of the Eiffel Tower from the Seine River.  Believe it or not, it’s after 9:00 p.m. when this picture was taken.  It stayed light so long over there.

Once Devon starts taking some photography classes, I guess I’ll really have a lot of pictures to scrapbook!!!  I better start saving for our next trip.

Barbara

Estimados,
es para mí un placer ofreceros y presentaros este festival, el primero que organizamos en la sala Sgt. Peppers de Getafe este sábado 17 de octubre.

Aquí os dejo todos los datos y será un placer veros a los que querais compartir con nosotros la noche del sábado. ;-D

!! Getafe PoP el 17 de Octubre a las 21:30 !!

Comenzamos la temporada de conciertos PoP con el primer festival que se celebra en el Sgt. Peppers. En esta ocasión contamos con 3 bandas que ya han actuado en esta sala y una nueva, todas ellas con un sonido pop inigualable.

Estas son las bandas.
April Fool´s Day
Lois Casino
Band A Part
Aline & The Splendids

Y depués como no, una selección de los mejores djs en donde brillarán con luz propia Miguelink Dj, Churro Pinchadiscos, Red Poppy Dj y The Wedding Djs. Estad atentos porque será una fiesta para recordar. ;-D

Si te apetece apuntate al grupo en facebook o lastfm e invita a los amigos que quieres que te acompañen.

Esta es la dirección. Y la hora de comienzo serán las 21:30.

Sgt. Peppers Club Cafe: Calle Cuestas Altas 6, Getafe Madrid.

Se puede llegar bien mediante renfe o por metro-sur.
Tren de Cercanias – Getafe Centro
Metro – Getafe Central

!!!! Nos vemos !!!!

One of the Beatles most famous album has be rereleased for the Viseo game The Beatles RockBand. We all have our copy, and are hoping all of our beatle fans have theirs. My favorite song on the album of course is Come Together.

The album is the first ever Beatles album with no tile or name on the cover. It just silly portrays the four beatles walking down the cross walk on Abbey Road. They are seen walking in a straight line one behind the other with John Lennon leading, behind him is seen Ringo Star. Next in line is Paul McCartney and finally George Harrison. One of the most talked about objects of this album cover was the question of why Paul was the only barefoot one if the group that day.

Some say it’s just another Beatle genius idea to catch your eye. Other claim it to be another hidden clue purposefully placed there by the beatles to signify Paul McCartneys death. For those readers that are lost. In 1968 Paul and Ringo were arguing in the studio one day, and Paul took off upset He was said to have been driving his silver Aston Martin when he picked up a hitch hiker. A blonde female she was. Apparently the car crashed and Both Paul and the woman died. Paul was said to have died of an undisclosed head injury.

It was also said that a year earlier Billy Shepard had won a Paul McCartney look alike contest and they used him to replace Paul to avoid massive suicides of their fans, had they learned of the real Pauls death.

There are said clues as far as one song on the Abbey Road Album called Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, which is supposed to represent Pauls Aston Martin which was named the Silver Hammer by all car magazines that year. The cover of Sgt. Pepper Album. Where three of the Beatles John,George, and Ringo are seen dressed in black mourning a fallen band member whilst surrounded by deceased super stars of the ages like Marylin Monroe. Another clue was the Walrus sing which in Greek means imposter. Also in Come Together on of the lines reads “one and one and one is three. Got to be good lookin cause he’s so hard to see” of course meaning only three Beatles are real and the fourth had to be as good looking as Paul because he was so hard to spot.

Looking back you can see that Paul McCarneys face eyes were Brown. And his face round. The Paul McCarney later generations know has a longer face and Green eyes. The idea is that Billy Shepard replace Paul and the beatles placed clues on their albums. Later on after the entire story was proclaimed a hoax John said “only our truest fans will ever know the truth” one could take it as the one who own all our albums will put the clues together and see.

Whatever he or she may believe this album went into history as one of the greatest talked about albums ever. I won’t say exactly what I believe but I will tell you this album is a hit in my book.

Written by CSL in NY.

Welcome to part 1 of the J-Rock Friday’s salvo to October releases.  This was originally meant to cover the first two weeks of the month, but as it turns out, October 7 is an amazing day for Japanese music.  So much so that the videos this week is double what I normally post every column.  And I couldn’t even find videos for some of the other releases I was interested in.  So I put my five favorite videos on top and the rest after the jump.

LITE- “The Sun Sank”

LITE is one of the first bands to pop up when discussing Japanese post-rock, after Mono.  In an effort to diversify themselves, LITE decided to discofy their latest single.  I actually like this song a lot, the synthesizers are noticeable but pleasant without getting in the way of their post-rock styling.  This single is part of their Turns Red EP, the first release on their new record label I Want The Moon.  Not many post-rock bands incorporate synthesizer well, lets hope LITE is the first.  http://www.myspace.com/liteband

Skybeaver- “For A Long Time”

Skybeaver is a fun power-pop band.  This PV includes the band’s humorous portrayal of a fashion metal band.  The song is also damn catchy.  Their second album is due out October 7.  http://www.myspace.com/skybeaver

Supe- “Let Bodies Scream”

Holy Metallica!  Did those guys just rock out on a moving trailer bed?  That’s so hardcore.  Their new mini-album The Black will come out on October 7.  http://www.myspace.com/supe

New Strike Zipper- “Promise”

New Strike Zipper is an all-girl punk band that made their debut on a Blink-182 Tribute compilation.  “Promise” is taken from their second mini-album All Is Lost due out today.  This new song sounds harder than their older material, almost like Bleach 03 without the dead animal screeching.  http://www.myspace.com/newstrikezipper

sgt.- “銀河の車窓から (live)”

Sgt.’s new mini-album Capital of Gravity is actually my most anticipated of the month.  But due to the lack of an official PV, I had to scoot them to the end of the list.  Instead I found a live performance of “銀河の車窓から” from their first mini-album Perception of Causality. The new mini-album will include a remix of this song.  http://www.myspace.com/sgtofficial

Last Alliance- “Wedge”

If I watched this PV on mute, I would’ve assumed they were a hardcore band. But it’s just more pop-punk.  I guess they rock pretty hard live!  “Wedge” is taken from the new mini-album Kawasaki Relax due out October 7.  http://www.myspace.com/lastalliance

fam- “what I can do”

I can’t find much on this band, aside from being one of two bands on Plugs Records and that they are releasing their first mini-album Changes Here on October 7.  The singer reminds me of Koyuki from BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad.  A lot.

margaline- “nanana”

Nanana.  The most overused line in music history.  I guess margaline missed the memo.  Or they’re just punk.  I love how they abuse the camera equipment at the end of the video.  Their third album Everything’s Gonna Be Alright is coming out October 7 on Dustbox records, which I can only assume is owned by personal J-punk favorite dustbox but I can’t tell.  http://www.myspace.com/margalinejp

BOSSFIST- “Departure”

There’s a lot of pop-punk this week.  “Departure” is taken from their second mini-album Strike A New Cord coming out October 7.  Low budget PV but that’s to be expected.  http://www.myspace.com/bossfist

Ogre You Asshole’s third album also comes out October 7.  YouTube deleted their latest PV before I finished this column so they got the boot.  Two other releases I’m looking forward to are the debut albums by The Sun and Nice View on Sonzai Records.  This is the label that brought us Envy and they kind of sound like them (before they went mellow).

That’s it for this week.  Now that I think of it, I’ve only posted about one of the bands in this column before.  Impressive.  The next regularly scheduled column is for October 16.  I might break that if there’s simply too many videos to post.  Until then, I plan on doing a special J-Rock Fridays column for Halloween.  If anyone has any “scary” J-Rock videos to recommend, leave a comment!

I tidsskriftet Spesialpedagogikk 6/2009 gir  forfatterne av kasusundersøkelsen “Den ene dagen”  et dypdykk inn i 6 såkalte smågruppebaserte opplæringstiltak i ungdomsskoler. Hva tenker de som er lærere om tiltaket og hva mener elevene som er plassert der? Foreldre er også intervjuet, det samme er lederne av den skolen elevene i tiltaket er rekruttert i fra.

Er dette skoler som bidrar til et skritt fram eller to tilbake for elevene? Er framveksten av deltidstiltak for elever som viser innadvendt eller utadvendt  problematferd og/eller liten motivasjon for skolearbeid i overensstemmelse med skolens overordnede styringsdokumenter?

Artikkelen sammenfatter hva studien fant, den kan leses her: Den ene dagen (pdf)

iraqwarheroes.com

Today, Jared Monti’s family will be accepting the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama.

Jared died three years ago while serving in Afghanistan with the U.S. Army.  According to CNN and a Pentagon account, Jared was leading a small patrol that was ambushed by more than a dozen Taliban fighters.  One of his men was wounded during the ambush and Jared made three attempts to go out to save his fellow comrad, but on the third attempt was hit by enemy fire and killed.

To add to the twisted story, as the helicopter came down to save Monti’s man and get him to a hospitial, the cable broke that was lifiing him and the medic and they both fell to their death.

According to an article from CNN, Jared Monti was considered a selfless friend as well as a heroic soldier.  He once chipped in some money for a $500.00 dining set with his roomate.  One day his roomate came home and the dining room table and chairs were gone.  Jared explained that one of his friends children were eating on the floor and that they needed the set more than he and his roomate did.

Today is President Obama’s first time presenting a Medal of Honor to a soldier.

Jared Monti should be a hero to all of us.  He is part of the reason we are able to be free.  He fought for our freedom and will forever be remembered a hero on the battle field and at home.

God Bless Jared Monti and his family!

Costumo me despedir dos amigos mais queridos com beijinhos. Por e-mail, às vezes, brinco e até abrevio para “bjins“. Vale destacar que, obviamente, a patrulha adolescente aqui de casa já tinha me avisado que isso, meus beijinhos, são absolutamente “ridículos”. Mas eu não ligava, era uma ridícula assumida.

Porém, numa ocasião, trocando e-mails com uma pessoa encantadora que eu tinha encontrado, ou melhor, na verdade uma pessoa que tinha me encontrado – tem quem diga que é assim que funciona: quem não procura, acha – pois é, me despedi dessa pessoa mandando “beijinhos“. Ato contínuo, não querendo parecer muito ridícula, lembrei dessa música abaixo e expliquei que os meus beijinhos eram inspirados nos “beijinhos – peixinhos” do Tom. Cliquei “enviar” e pronto. Foi.

Quinze minutos depois, recebo a letra completa por e-mail acompanhada pela seguinte pergunta: “… beijinhos na boca?”

Desconcertada, fui ler a letra completa e conferi:

“(…) Pois há menos peixinhos a nadar no mar
Do que os beijinhos que eu darei
Na sua boca (…)”

Gente, eu fiquei tão, mas tão sem graça… Não lembrava que os beijinhos eram na boca! Fiquei alguns segundos pensando e repensando… e respondi que enfim, se eu disse, e ficou registrado pois eu escrevi isso…  bem, como sou uma mulher de palavra, fazer o que, não é? Promessa é dívida!

Bjks em todos!

“A vida é a arte do encontro, embora haja tanto desencontro pela vida” (Vinicius de Morais)

Chega de saudade, de Tom e Vinicius

Vai minha tristeza,
e diz a ela que sem ela não pode ser,
diz-lhe, numa prece
Que ela regresse, porque eu não posso Mais sofrer.
Chega, de saudade
a realidade, É que sem ela não há paz,
não há beleza
É só tristeza e a melancolia
Que não sai de mim, não sai de mim, não sai

Mas se ela voltar, se ela voltar
Que coisa linda, que coisa louca
Pois há menos peixinhos a nadar no mar
Do que os beijinhos que eu darei
Na sua boca,
dentro dos meus braços
Os abraços hão de ser milhões de abraços
Apertado assim, colado assim, calado assim
Abraços e beijinhos, e carinhos sem ter fim
Que é pra acabar com esse negócio de você viver sem mim.
Não quero mais esse negócio de você longe de mim…

Da série minha vida musical

Essa música é ótima e esse video leve e delicioso, não deixem de ver – chega a ser uma brincadeira do Caetano Veloso e do Roberto Carlos. E além do mais, incrivelmente, cada estrofe da letra ainda tem tudo a ver com os tempos atuais – notadamente o mix de emoções e fatos contraditórios da vida, e do noticiário – especialmente aos domingos.

“O sol nas bancas de revista…Me enche de alegria e preguiça…Quem lê tanta notícia… Eu voooou…”

Coragem. E vamos aos  jornais de domingo!  Vai encarar? Fui!  Bjks!

Alegria, Alegria, de Caetano Veloso

Caminhando contra o vento
Sem lenço e sem documento
No sol de quase dezembro
Eu vou…

O sol se reparte em crimes
Espaçonaves, guerrilhas
Em cardinales bonitas
Eu vou…

Em caras de presidentes
Em grandes beijos de amor
Em dentes, pernas, bandeiras
Bomba e Brigitte Bardot…

O sol nas bancas de revista
Me enche de alegria e preguiça
Quem lê tanta notícia
Eu vou…

Por entre fotos e nomes
Os olhos cheios de cores
O peito cheio de amores vãos
Eu vou
Por que não, por que não…

Ela pensa em casamento
E eu nunca mais fui à escola
Sem lenço e sem documento,
Eu vou…

Eu tomo uma coca-cola
Ela pensa em casamento
E uma canção me consola
Eu vou…

Por entre fotos e nomes
Sem livros e sem fuzil
Sem fome, sem telefone
No coração do Brasil…

Ela nem sabe até pensei
Em cantar na televisão
O sol é tão bonito
Eu vou…

Sem lenço, sem documento
Nada no bolso ou nas mãos
Eu quero seguir vivendo, amor
Eu vou…

Por que não, por que não…
Por que não, por que não…
Por que não, por que não…
Por que não, por que não…

Rooster Teeth Presents RED VS BLUE ODST Episode 2 (Aliens, Aliens, Aliens)
(SUBSCRIBE NOW) For more Halo Updates and News also visit us now at www.elderstv.wordpress.com

(Disclaimer: Elders.TV does not take credit or ownership for this video all credit goes to Rooster Teeth
please visit www.roosterteeth.com for more brilliant and hilarious videos, Thankyou)

Red vs. Blue is back with Episode two of the Halo 3 ODST series. This one is great and funny. Please subscribe at EldersTV Youtube for more videos to come.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds,clássico do Sgt.Peppers.Vídeo extraído do filme “Yellow Submarine”.

Enjoy

An Aberdeen stripogram facing court over an incident while dressed as a firefighter has had the case dropped…. From BBC News. Full story

This site may contain information about: international airports. For a different topic see during busy season. The blog is also related to: cheapest flight.

” Preciso acabar logo com isso! Preciso lembrar que eu existo… Que eu existo, que eu existo…“

Suspirei e abri o olho pela primeira vez. O alarme tocava. “Ah! Que sono!” – pensei. E fechei o olho novamente….

Os “alertas e operantes” que me perdoem, mas eu sou dorminhoca. Definitivamente boa de cama, deito e durmo. Fácil. Adoro dormir! E só acordo no terceiro alarme. São cerca de dez minutos abrindo e fechando os olhos, lentamente…E que minutos preciosos! Completamente “embriagada” de sono, penso na minha agenda do dia, nas minhas últimas alegrias ou mágoas, nas minhas últimas resoluções… e penso em nada também. Cochilo. Costuma ser o momento em que tenho os meus melhores insights.

E hoje, acordei já com essa música na cabeça. Tão antiga. Há séculos não ouvia… de onde veio isso, meu Deus!? Sei lá! Ou melhor, eu sei muito bem. Mas deixa pra lá!

Em tempo, esse post é em homenagem a uma amiga querida. Um dos melhores presentes que ganhei neste ano. Beijo, querida!

Bjs em todos

Sentado à Beira do Caminho – de Roberto e Erasmo Carlos 

Eu não posso mais ficar aqui
A esperar!
Que um dia de repente
Você volte para mim…

Vejo caminhões
E carros apressados
A passar por mim
Estou sentado à beira
De um caminho
Que não tem mais fim…

Meu olhar se perde na poeira
Dessa estrada triste
Onde a tristeza
E a saudade de você
Ainda existe…

Esse sol que queima
No meu rosto
Um resto de esperança
De ao menos ver de perto
O seu olhar
Que eu trago na lembrança…

Preciso acabar logo com isso
Preciso lembrar que eu existo
Que eu existo, que eu existo…

Vem a chuva, molha o meu rosto
E então eu choro tanto
Minhas lágrimas
E os pingos dessa chuva
Se confundem com o meu pranto…

Olho prá mim mesmo e procuro
E não encontro nada
Sou um pobre resto de esperança
À beira de uma estrada…

Preciso acabar logo com isso
Preciso lembrar que eu existo
Que eu existo, que eu existo…

Carros, caminhões, poeira
Estrada, tudo, tudo, tudo
Se confunde em minha mente
Minha sombra me acompanha
E vê que eu
Estou morrendo lentamente…

Só você não vê que eu
Não posso mais
Ficar aqui sozinho
Esperando a vida inteira
Por você
Sentado à beira do caminho…

Preciso acabar logo com isso
Preciso lembrar que eu existo
Que eu existo, que eu existo…

What was the BEER of Choice? lol  Watch Video Below:

Want even more coverage! Check out this video or the list of Articles below.

BEST ARTICLES as of July 31, 2009

Rating the brews served at the beer summit Baltimore Sun
Obama: This is not a 'beer summit,' just a talk USA Today
Beer Summit twist -- Sam Adams joins Obama, Prof. Gates and Sgt ...LA Times

Obama More Bartender Than Mediator At Beer Summit New York Times
Happy Hour At The White House CBS News
Obama's Backyard Summit  Washington Post

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Most music blogs give you their year end lists days before Christmas.  Not here at J-rock Explosion.  We give it to you at Christmas in July.  There’s really no excuse for me this time.  I had the list mostly finished by the end of January, I was just too lazy to put pictures and words.  But I think it gave me enough time to fine tune the list, kick off the albums I never listened to since, etc.  Have fun!

Top 3 EPs

3. perfect piano lesson- Terra incognita

With Terra incognita, perfect piano lesson has successfully fused indie and post-rock.  From the quiet and reflective “stew,” to the slow building “untitled,” this is perfect piano lesson’s finest offering to date.  But we still have a couple of their upbeat rock songs, including the excellent closer “Electric City.”

http://www.myspace.com/perfectpianolesson

2. winnie- The Darkest Eternal Lights

With duel male/female vocals, winnie’s first release is a memorable one.  Their English vocals and pop rock tendencies are similar to bands like Jimmy Eat World.  It can be sweet (but tonally dark), as in “lost your sky” and “only time will tell,” or aggressive as in “suck my brain.” I’m not impressed with the single “Starlike Radio” and it’s all male vocals but the rest of the EP makes up for it.

http://www.myspace.com/winnieweb

1. Thursday/Envy- Split (US Release)

Temporary Residence really knocked themselves out on this release.  Not only did they bring over one of the best hardcore bands from Japan, but also one of the best from America (New Jersey to be exact).  As a fan of Thursday previously, I was impressed with their post-rock offerings and “As He Climbed the Dark Mountain,” which made it to their newest album.  Envy’s side started off slowly with a nice post-rock intro and then burst into full on post-hardcore for the rest of their material.  I was surprised, there wasn’t much screaming on Insomniac Doze and then they start resembling the band I loved on All the footprints.  It will also be memorable to me for two reasons, 1) It’s the first album I bought on vinyl and 2) I made a music video for envy’s “an umbrella fallen into fiction” for my television production class (more on that in another post!).

http://www.myspace.com/thursday

http://www.myspace.com/officialenvy

Top 10 Albums

10. the telephones- Japan

The Telephones took us to the urban disco on their debut mini-album and now they bring us back to their home country on their debut album.  I was surprised how chill some of the songs on this album were, in particular the single “Free Throw.”  However, there’s plenty of crazy songs like “DaDaDa” and “sick rocks.”  1, 2, 3, 4, can’t you understand?

http://www.myspace.com/thetelephonesjapan

9. sgt.- Stylus Fantasticus

Ever since post-rock became scene a couple of years ago, bands have constantly tried to infuse different genres into it, jazz being prevalent.  Well, most of these bands just ended up sounding like…jazz.  To this day, sgt. has been the only band that has successfully incorporated jazz and post-rock.  “Saisei to Misshitsu” is a prime example of how to combine horns into a perfectly good post-rock song.

http://www.myspace.com/sgtofficial

8. noughts and exes- Act One, Scene One (US Release)

Why are you including a Chinese band in your top 10 Japanese albums?  Because I love Joshua Wong.  Not to mention, their song “A Minor To A Major” made it’s way to MTV’s Real World (it’s true, I sat through a full hour of this show.  It was horrible.).  Can you say that about any other Japanese band I posted on this blog?  Nope.  Noughts and exes isn’t as good as Wong’s previous band, Whence He Came, but it serves up some nice indie rock.  And I already decided “Everything In You” will be my wedding song, in like 20 years.

http://www.myspace.com/noughtsandexes

7. Beat Crusaders- popdod

It’s been ten years since the band (or just Toru Hidaka) have been together, time to put out a new album!  I’m actually surprised how quickly this album came out, since “Winterlong” was the only single (EPopMaking had soooo many more).  Despite the rush job, there’s plenty of classics on here, like “Time Flies, Everything Goes,” “Chinese Jet Set” and “Work It Out.”

6. Spangle call Lilli line- Isolation

Kana Otsubo has a truly beautiful voice and ISOLATION proves it.  During the fall semester, I went through 2 or 3 straight weeks of listening to this in the morning on the way to school.  There’s nothing like watching the sun rise up with ISOLATION as the soundtrack.  It’s impossible to listen to this and not be put in a good mood.

http://www.myspace.com/spanglecalllilliline

5. Polysics- We ate the machine (US Release)

Grower.  Not a word I thought I would associate with a Polysics album.  I was disappointed with the J-pop direction they seemed to be heading with in “Rocket” and “Pretty Good,” not to mention “You You You” and “Catch on Everywhere” from Karate House, but this album is just as crazy as any of their others.  We ate the machine includes the band’s first endeavor in disco (“irotokage”), breakcore (“arigatou”), shoegaze (“Blue Noise”), and their biggest breakdown yet at the end of “Dry or Wet.”  Yeah, the Polysics are just as spastic as ever.

http://www.myspace.com/polysicsna

4. Zazen Boys- Zazen Boys 4

If you’re looking for another Japanese hipster band ala Cornelius, Zazen Boys is up your alley.  Zazen Boys 4 is the Zazen Boys’ fourth self-titled album and my favorite to date.  They hooked me right away with the electronic “Asobi.”  The rest of the album is full of eccentricities, the funky “Weekend,” the speak easy vibe in “Taratine,” and the 10 minute dance track “I don’t want to be with you.”

http://www.myspace.com/zazenboys

3. kacica- Mosaic (US Release)

The first name that pops up when I think Japanese shoegaze is kacica.  Mosaic is simply beautiful. Misato yamanaka has a way of sounding like an angel through peaceful musical landscapes or chaos.  Just hearing her voice amidst the hardcore tribal drumming in the title track  “mosaic” gives me shivers.  And I don’t even care if the only way I can understand her English is if I’m reading the booklet alongside it. I highly recommend buying all of their CDs off CD Baby.

http://www.myspace.com/kacicajapan

2. capsule- More! More! More!

Capsule only had time to record one album in 2009, but it’s one of their best. I knew I was in for something special when I watched the 7 minute “JUMPER” music video.  They have successfully transitioned from shibuya-kei to techno/dance and I’m surprised they haven’t attracted Daft Punk fame yet.

http://www.myspace.com/capsulemyspace

1. mutyumu (夢中夢)- イリヤ ~ il y a ~

Opera.  Death Metal.  Post-rock.  Just some of the genres mutyumu clashes together on their sophomore album.  Throw in guest appearances from midori and World’s end girlfriend and you know you’re in for one hell of an album.  Il y a has garnered some praise in the west via the post-rock blogosphere.  In a few years, I think they may even have a large cult following like Mono or Envy.

http://www.myspace.com/mutyumujapan

Close Calls:

Akeboshi- Roundabout- If I had to pick a top artist of the year, it would be Akeboshi.  Like many others, my first introduction to him was Naruto years ago.  Despite loving “Wind,” I have largely ignored him until now.  Akeboshi puts most folk musicians to shame.  Meet Along The Way is one of the best albums of the past five years.  Unfortunately, Roundabout is the only material he put out in 2008.  Even though it’s just b-sides, it includes two of my favorite songs of his, “One Step Behind the Door” and “Along the Line.”

avengers in sci-fi- Science Rock- Dance to the sci-fi music! http://www.myspace.com/avengersinscifi

Comeback My Daughters- EXPerience- An excellent mix of folk and indie rock from the Pizza of Death veterans. http://www.myspace.com/comebackmydaughters

Cornelius- Gum EP- The best song off of 2006’s Sensuous was not on the album.  Thankfully, “Cue” made it to this little EP.  Not to mention the “Eat White Paint” remix of “Fit Song.” http://www.myspace.com/corneliusofficial

enie meenie- Fantasy of Life- Enie meenie has been known for synth crazy powerpop, but they take it down a notch on their latest album, substituting some synth with saloon style piano.  One of my favorite punk-pop bands.  http://www.myspace.com/eniemeenie

GALLOW- Too Virgin!!- It’s no secret, I love the Beat Crusaders.    GALLOW is Toru Hidaka’s and Yukio Iwahara’s “neo-acoustic” side project.  If you’re familiar with the Beat Crusader’s synthesized horns, imagine them over acoustic guitar and you have GALLOW.  In the short month between the release of this and popdod, Toru Hidaka’s English improved ten times.  Peculiar.  http://www.myspace.com/gallowjapan

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs- Mass of the Fermenting Dregs- A powerful debut mini-album from the female duo.  The girls can rock.  http://www.myspace.com/motfd

midori- Aratame mashite, Hajime mashite, Midori desu- Okay, I admit, one of the reasons this didn’t make my top 10 is because the album cover is a naked anime character.  But midori is still as crazy as ever.  Who doesn’t love girls screaming over jazz music?

Muon- The New Mutants- This deserves a mention just for “This Is Not the End.”  Not to say that’s the only good track on the album.  Did I mention it’s free? http://www.myspace.com/muonmagick

Saw Loser- Hits Hit the Fan- 2008 may have seen the last of Saw Loser, but not before releasing cover album genius.  From old school hits “Karma Chameleon” and “Fly Me To the Moon,” to James Blunt’s recent pop sensation “You’re Beautiful,” Hits Hit the Fan is a blast.  They even made the Friends theme song tolerable. http://www.myspace.com/sawloser

For more close calls, check out my RYM list!  http://rateyourmusic.com/list/slickwataris/best_of_2008

Now I hate to leave you without a look at 2009, so here are my top 5 albums at the moment:

5. Ogre You Asshole- Pinhole- A single, but my favorite release of theirs so far.

4. FACT-FACT- Uneven at times, but I’m glad there’s another band that managed to crack into the American market.

3. Utada- This Is the One- I didn’t like this one as much as Exodus, but it’s still pretty catchy.  I think she even managed to crack the Billboard 100 with this one.

2. 80kidz- This Is My Shit- If you like Daft Punk or Justice, you’ll love this band.  A lot of fun techno songs.

1. buddhistson- SLOWDANCE ~wisely and slow they stumble that dance fast~- The second I heard buddhistson was recording a new album, I knew it would shoot up to the top of my list.  Two perfect records in a row, congrats.

Well, that’s it for this year.  Hopefully next year’s will come earlier.  If you want a leg up, here’s my 2009 list on rate your music.  Or come back for the return of This Month In J-Rock (next week?).  Here’s some great 2008 music videos to tide you over:

Video Showcase

Edmond Police Sgt. Scott Fees leads a double life, bomb squad leader by day; church worship band leader by night.

*Once again, the saturation gets sucked out. I’m not sure if this is being done by the Web browser, or by WordPress, but it is frustrating.

Outro trecho deste filme – na verdade continuação do primeiro (vide post anterior), desta vez chamado “Antes do Por-do-Sol” -, onde, nove anos depois, eles conversam mais maduros e realistas sobre seus sonhos e o amor. Cena tocante.

E aqui, um trailer do filme mostrando partes do primeiro – a “oportunidade”, primeira chance – , e perguntando se vale a pena uma segunda chance. O que voces acham?

Sabe-se lá o porquê, desde ontem ao fazer o post com cenas deste filme… isso me mobilizou. Estou mais romântica  :)

Leiam também ótimo post sobre o filme “Antes do Por-do-Sol”, por Marcelo Costa, aqui