I have no idea what it is with French music that makes it… So good… It sometimes makes me wonder, are the French speakers looking at English music and thinking the same thing? I wouldn’t know why they would even think that though when they are blessed with such a pretty sounding language.

Here’s a lovely little French music sampler that I created. All of this music should be downloadable. I hope you will enjoy this

“Espace” by Amylie

“Prends moi (Take me)” by Stereo Total

“Three Women” by Stereolab

“Comme Des Enfants” by Coeur De Pirate

“Musicamor” by Daphné

“A la sortie du lycée” by Stereo Total

“Baiser Salé” by Dobacaracol

“Boby Chéri” by Emily Loizeau

“Les Filles, C’est Fait Pour Faire L’Amour” by Mareva Galanter

“Tourbillon (Serre-Moi Fort Si Tu M’aimes)” by Soha

“L’ours” by Tricot Machine

“C’est Bien Mieux Comme Ça” by Soha

” Pas Fait En Chocolat” by Tricot Machine

Here’s a bonus! L’emphemere by the lovely Alexandre Desilets <3

A la gente le gusta el sexo. Bueno, precisemos, a la gente le gusta hablar de sexo; le gusta leer de sexo; o sea, a la gente le va el sexo oral. La prueba más fácil está con lo último de nuestro amigo Cayetano Martínez de Irujo, del que nos separan el dinero, la cuna, la alcurnia y el trabajo, pero nos une lo básico y principal: el interés en la cogedera. Estaba viendo esta mañana Trainspotting y me encontré con esta frase de SICK BOY “I’m heterosexual by default not by choice”. Luego leí el blog de Lucía Etxebarria, VH1 y MTV2, El País y El Mundo, y vi que todos hablaban de sexo, todos. Mi programa favorito es “Tila Tequila”, quien, además, es una chica que invita a 16 chicos y 16 chicas a su casa para encontrar al amor de su vida; ella, claro es bisexual o eso dice.

En el último periódico que mencionaba encontré un artículo de lo más banal que me interesó: “Transforman la orientación sexual de los gusanos mediante manipulación genética”. Tiene información y declaraciones de lo más jugosas del autor de la investigación Erik Jorgensen. Destaco dos citas: «La gente debate si la conducta sexual está influida por las hormonas sexuales de las gónadas o si la conducta se deriva sólo del cerebro. En este caso, está claro que el cerebro está sexualizado». «No podemos decir qué significa para la orientación sexual humana, pero plantea la posibilidad de que la preferencia sexual esté configurada en el cerebro». Me interesó mucho este artículo no por los gusanos transgénicos (pobrecillos) sino por la hipótesis que presenta esta investigación: “La investigación indica que la sexualidad está en el cerebro de los organismos”. O sea, la respuesta a la prosaica pregunta de “¿el maricón nace o se hace?” Ha sido un tema de discusión habitual entre mis amigos: cómo se forma la sexualidad. Hay algunos que dicen que depende plenamente de factores culturales, ambientales, de entorno en definitiva. Hay otros que dicen que es únicamente un tema biológico. Homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, pansexual… la lista se hace interminable sobre todo a partir de la tontería que le dio al hombre culto del XIX de etiquetarlo todo.

Así que yo lo voy a simplificar todo diciendo que somos sexuales y punto; voy a decir que las categorías anteriores no son cerradas sino abiertas y permiten oscilaciones. Es muy frecuente tener experiencias homosexuales sobre todo en nuestra iniciación sexual (usualmente es más fácil tener acceso a un cuerpo de nuestro género en esa época) y, puntualmente, establecemos un objeto de deseo (hombres, mujeres, etc.) que, en realidad, puede oscilar según diversas variables. Porque <strong>como dijo Lola Flores: ¿Quién no s’ha comío un coñico alguna vez? A lo que la audiencia sagaz responde ¿y una polla? El pensador que más me ha interesado al respecto es Foucault. Hasta antes de la muerte de Michel Foucault se habían publicado tres volúmenes de la Historia de la sexualidad. El primero es el más leído, La voluntad de saber, se publicó en Francia en 1976. Se enfoca en los dos últimos siglos y en el funcionamiento de la sexualidad como régimen de poder, en relación con la emergencia del bio-poder. Éste sistema de control foucaultiano se basa en la bio-política, a la que concibe como el “control total sobre los cuerpos vivos”, es decir, todas las políticas económicas, geográficas y demográficas que establece el poder para el control social. Hemos de tener claro que “el poder”, en el ideario de Foucault, no es un trono; no está en la Casa Blanca ni en Bruselas, ni se puede tomar ocupando La Bastilla o el Palacio de Invierno. El poder se encuentra difuso, fragmentado, deslocalizado, es ubicuo, e impregna todas las relaciones sociales. El bio-sindicalismo, según Foucault, se trata de eso, del sujeto ético que pretende erradicar ese poder transversal de las relaciones que establece. En este volumen ataca las “hipótesis represivas”, la creencia común de que hemos “reprimido” nuestros impulsos sexuales particularmente desde el siglo XIX. En concreto, el autor propone una visión de la sexualidad como algo, más que reprimido, “promovido”, a través de la construcción discursiva del sexo. Sin embargo, esta supuesta libertad sexual se enfrenta continuamente al “control sobre los cuerpos vivos”, y el derecho de espada, la muerte, típica de sociedades disciplinarias, ha cedido el paso a la “interiorización de la norma”, mecanismos más acordes con las sociedades de control en las que vivimos. Por tanto, el autor concibe el discurso sexual y la libertad sexual “lograda” en las últimas décadas (o sencillamente deseada por aquellos que defienden la libertad) como un dispositivo falso, que pretende distraer de lo que debe ser verdaderamente objeto de lucha en nuestra sociedad: el control sobre nuestros propios cuerpos, sobre nuestros deseos y pasiones: la destrucción del bio-poder.

Los siguientes volúmenes, El uso de los placeres y La inquietud de sí, lidian con el papel del sexo en la antigüedad griega y romana. Los dos fueron publicados el año de la muerte de Foucault, en 1984. Un cuarto volumen que lidiaba con la era cristiana estaba casi terminado a su muerte, pero aún no ha sido publicado. Os dejo un vídeo de Stereo Total, “Liebe zu dritt” (El amor a tres) y una pregunta final…..  vuelvo con Tila Tequila, que me pierdo el final del capítulo…. ¿Creéis que al final eligirá un hombre o una mujer?

Episode 12 of the Indie Music Hour contains a collection of tracks that have been warming my heart lately. I hope you enjoy them too

Tracklisting

Frankmusik – Gotta Boyfriend

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead

The Boxer Rebellion – All You Do Is Talk

Bon Savants – Between The Moon And The Ocean

The Lodger – Let Her Go

Stereo Total – I Love You, Ono

Vox Jaguars – Swagger

The Airborne Toxic Event – Sometime Around Midnight

Two Gallants – Despite What You’ve Been Told

Fake Problems – There Are Times

Lacrosse – Who Will Bring Us Together?

Suburban Kids With Biblical Names – Loop Duplicate My Heart

Imaad Wasif – Blade

Rose Kemp – Sister Sleep

Bat For Lashes – Sad Eyes

Bon Iver – Skinny Love

Fleet Foxes – White Water Hymnal

Chester French – She Loves Everybody

Thieves Like Us – Miss You

Johnossi – Summerbreeze

The Gay Blades – Why Can’t I Grow A Beard?

Typically during the week I try not to go out and drink and do crazy things (aside from the occasional craft night, or trip to a bar.) Tonight after class I will be heading to The Ottobar to check out Stereo Total and Leslie and the LY’s. If you are in Baltimore I would definitely suggest some mid-week drinking and fun for you tonight. Last time I saw Stereo Total it was great, they made everyone get on stage. That’s fun.

Ah Opening Day I love you, I don’t want to do anything, just stay home and watch grown men get paid to hit a little ball into play, with the outside chance of seeing it actually leave the field of play. Boring? Yes. Awesome? Sometimes. An excuse to drink at noon on a Monday? Yes, but I never really need an excuse for that. I bring this up because baseball is a signal of summertime, which to me means the summer tours are coming, and much like today’s games signal the beginning of what seems like a never ending season, this weeks round of shows feel like a signal of what is ahead in the coming months.

Monday

The usual J. Paul Slavens thing is happening at Dan’s & there’s a show at 1919 Hemphill, but I’d like to suggest you watch the NCAA Championship game, and not to hear people talk about how it’s such a big game for the state of Michigan, and for Detroit it’s self. But, instead to let the realization that these kids are being fucked over and used for the benefit of the media, and the organization that says it’s there to protect them.

Tuesday

Rubber Gloves has Off With Their Heads, Swedish Teens and Last Of The Interceptors, which if you dig that type of thing is something you should check it out, and think about growing the fuck up.

Wednesday

Great Lake Swimmers are on of those bands that are all over the net right now, and while thats undoubtably a good thing for them and their ablity to pack in a crowd on a Wednesday night at Hailey’s, they almost have to be wary of suffering the same fate as previously championed bands like CYHSY and Tapes’n'Tapes. And, while having MATAS play this show with them is a treat, you have to wonder if GLS should be looking at them with some mild trepidation, because of their potential to usurp them as indie darlings. This is well worth your 10 bucks.

Great Lake Swimmers- Moving Pictures, Silent Films

CYHSY- Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood

Tapes’n'Tapes- Conquest

Thursday

Dennis Leary has a made a hell of a career by spitting on Bill Hicks’ grave and if you’re ok with that then you can catch him at Nokia.

A comment on one of Stereo Total’s videos on youtube states “ This band is just the french version of The 5,6,7,8’s who in turn are the Japanese Apples in Stereo.” I’m with ya youtube commenting guy.

I’ve heard rumblings about a show at J&J’s, not sure who’s playing, but I’ll post something when I can.

Friday

Clint Niosi, Kristina Morland and Miss Celia are playing a free show at Annex House in Dallas.

Mokah has The Catterpillars, The Color of May and St. Philistine.

Ever read that Chuck Klosterman article about all the teenage Latino Morrissey fans? Me neither. Anyway the Moz is in town playing the Palladium, and all reports seem to be that this is a more laid back and relaxed Morrissey, who starts as slow burn and ends up a ragging shirt tearing fire of a man by the end of the show. And, while it’s doubtful fans will be getting a circa ‘92 Starplex level performance, it should be well worth the money if you’re a Latino teenager. Opening band The Courteeners are more then servicable.

Morrissey- Sister I’m a Poet

Nervous Curtains are at Club Dada with When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth (best band name ever?)and Great Tyrant.

Yeah Def’s hip hop concert series has Damaged Good$, TY City and Ian Bangs at RGRS.

Saturday

Vivian Girls are one of those bands that are having alot of success very early on, having formed in 2007 the Brooklyn trio recently had their debut album named one of the top 100 Indie Albums on Amazon. Their low-fi as fuck, and you either really love that sound right now, or you don’t. Oh, and that Harvey Darger documentry is a fucking mind trip. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti is a hell of band enough said, and Fight Bite is opening, you really don’t have a good excuse for not being at Hailey’s for this show.

Vivian Girls- Damaged

The Baptist Generals are at Dan’s.

Austin/Houston’s Paper Moons have a definite feel or honesty to their music, they jump around from straight forward songs of lament, to songs that center themselves around crunchy guitar play. All in all it’s pretty good stuff, they’re playing 1919 Hemphill with the excellent Hats & Statues.

Sunday

Take your heathen ass to church.

]]> http://lastblogonearth.com/2009/04/05/san-diego-shows-sunday-march-5/ Sun, 05 Apr 2009 18:38:14 +0000 Seth Combs http://lastblogonearth.com/2009/04/05/san-diego-shows-sunday-march-5/

PLAN A: Stereo Total, Leslie and the Lys, Microphone Mike @ The Casbah. Impossibly chic Berlin duo Stereo Total sound like Tarantino and Godard had a love child and it grew up obsessed with Nintendo, garage rock and cheap Casio synthesizers. I can’t decide if it’s really cool or just a pretentious mess. PLAN B: Rademacher @ Bar Pink. Americana as delivered by hip, young Fresno residents whose desperation could only be the product of coming from the southern San Joaquin Valley. Have you ever been through Fresno? Then you know what I’m talking about. –Todd Kroviak

And just in case you needed a reason to show up early to the Stereo Total show tonight:

And be sure to read Enrique’s amazing expose into the world of Mic Mike

Quick Picks:

Zombie Surf Camp, The Slow Poisoner @ Radio Room–The Slow Poisoner is pretty, damn good for a one man band. 

“Too Many Creeps”–DJ Mario Orduno @ Whistle Stop

Stereo Total’s Brezel Goring bounded onstage, took up his place on stage right, and announced that the duo was going to play “pop, dance, electro, punk rock, and even some rockabilly”, and they proceeded to do just that.

The charm of Stereo Total lies in the chemistry between its two Berlin-based personalities, Francois Cactus and Goring. Their breezy, ironic and European take on life translates into songs that are full of savoir-faire hooks, cute wordplay (whether they’re singing in French, English, Spanish, German, or a combination thereof) and disco-y synth-dance rhythms. Tuesday night at the Biltmore, Stereo Total drew on its decade-deep catalogue, playing “Musique automatique” and other songs that hadn’t been performed here live since the last time the duo was in town (2001), and tunes off their new EP Anti Love Song like “Nututu”. Opening the show was Ames, Iowa’s Leslie and the Ly’s, an act that truly has to be seen to be believed—catchy pop numbers with beats and synth sounds that could have been lifted from a Richard Simmons ’80s exercise video, with the Spandex outfits to match. My favourite part was when Leslie called herself and her two dancers “Iowa’s glamour tornado” before launching into a song called “Shazam I’m Glamorous”.

This being a week night, yours truly had to cut out midway through Stereo Total’s set, sadly. But management had to drag guttersnipe’s Winnipeg correspondent eugene o out:

SC: So how much did I miss?

eo: You know what, the people didn’t want them off the stage. Around 12:15 I thought it was done, and the youngsters kept on howling for more. So they came back and did another 10-minute encore. He [Brezel] went body-surfing at one point. He went into the crowd, they loved him so much they took him halfway into the club, spun him around and took him back to the stage, and let him land nice and comfortably. She [Francois] pulled out the heart-shaped electric guitar and asked, “You like to rock?” en francais. The whole synth-dance thing was constantly happening.

SC: Any covers?

eo: Wait a second… they did “My Way”! She did it en francais, it started off very serious, then went into a Sex Pistols punk thing. Before that, they pulled a guy named Russell onstage to do a singalong. It was a menage a trois song.

SC: I love that song, “L’Amour a trois”.

eo: That’s it. During the encore they invited people onstage to dance, at least 20 people got onstage with them and danced away. Then they did their song “Everybody in the Discotheque (I Hate)”, and of course after that he [Brezel] was going like, “No, I love everybody.” That was a great one. They cleared the stage and did another disco-dance song, then something like a commercial jingle with whistling. The youngsters kept clamouring for more and they came on for another 10 minutes of dance music. At the back of the stage Brezel did Perry Como-type of singing, where he lay on his side. It was kind of funny, since we’d just seen that SCTV Perry Como skit. The final one was dance–heavy, “I Am Naked (So What)”.

SC: What did you think about Leslie and the Ly’s?

eo: I would never want to go out and waste money on them, but they’re fun. She’s a character and they’re characters. It seems like they were having fun in their bedrooms doing this stuff, and thought let’s do it. You never now, she could be the next Divine.

The Stereo Total 2009 North American tour continues…

04/01 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
04/03 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s
04/04 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
04/05 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah
04/09 – Dallas, TX @ Granada
04/10 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s
04/11 – Houston, TX @ Walter’s
04/12 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
04/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Earl
04/14 – Chapel Hill, NC @ Cat’s Cradle
04/15 – Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar
04/17 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

Stereo Total – Musique Automatique – Great band from Berlin. They make me smile. I just missed their show in Seattle. Booooo. One of my favourite songs on the album is L’amour a trois . And yes I know I am missing an accent but I don’t know how to add it in. Deal with it.

Carole King – Tapestry – This has reached almost obsessive proportions now and my loved ones probably never want to hear this album ever again after spending more than three days with me. Classics, with strange videos, include Where you lead and I Feel the Earth Move.

Ingrid Michaelson – Girls and Boys – This album is simple and lovely and I adore it. Favourites include Breakable and Keep Breathing. Bonus? Ingrid is on Twitter and she’s funny and witty.

MGMT – Oracular Spectacular – This album is “cool” and  now I suppose I’m a cliche and I don’t give a damn. Kids is probably the most well-known song on the album.

Lily Allen – It’s Not Me, It’s You – I loved her first album. I loved her second album. Done and done. Favourite songs include The Fear and 22.

Neko Case – Middle Cyclone – Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Neko Case does it again. One of my favourites is Magpie to the Morning.

The time had to move out of my pimping apartment! The view and apartment is amazing, my flatmate is fun, clean and considerate but I no longer want to be able to afford the $$$ in rent. I want to put my money towards more fun things, like exploring the rest of province, country and the USA on weekends.

My sublease requires me to give one calender months notice before moving out. So I left it till last night to tell my flatmate my decision. It also happened to be the night we had plan to go out together to see the German/French electro pop group, Stereo Total. I wanted to tell him before the concert just to get it out of the way and it would put a damper to the end of the night if I told him then.

He called me before he got home from work to tell me he had brought steaks and wine for dinner for us and a couple of his friends before the concert. I felt so guilty that I was about to fuck him over a bit so I told him I had began cooking already ~ which was almost true.

When he got home I told him and he was pissed off. He was trying to be understanding but he could suppress his stress and anger. His girlfriend and young German friends arrived shortly after which calmed the tension a little. I felt so awkward I just decided to scull my beers, get drunk and have a good time.

We walked across the road to the concert (god I will miss living this close to the Biltmore!) and things were going good as I had befriend the young German girls who were really fun. I hadn’t planned on buying drinks at the venue but the drinks kept on rolling as my flatmate had brought everyone the most awesome dinner and paid for their concert tickets so everyone (except me) felt like they needed to pay for the beers.

The first band was mind blowing! Leslie and the Lys impressed me with their zombie dancing, sexy indie girls in tiger suits hanging from scaffolding and their rap and rock songs about gem sweaters. The best drag queen indie rock show I have ever seen (even if it is the only one). It was obvious that everyone was there to see them.

More obvious when I saw someone I had had a reallllllllllllly drunken one night stand with told me that was the case. I was embarrassed to be realllllllllly drunk again~ so now there was two people I had to avoid at the venue.

Stereo Total were really great~ not quite Leslie and the Lys~ but their cute French/English/German lyrics, indie electro pop beats and drumming on the ceiling pipes, got everyone dancing.

It was a pretty awesome night! So awesome I didn’t mind missing our weekly Project Runway Canada night at 1181. Ahh Leslie and the Lys! I got to see them again!

I am going to miss living here but I am so excited about new possible living arrangements!

Photos and video on FlickR!