POG Movie/Music/TV Club Thread

[kbar13]

Its hard for me to say the kind of music I like. I like a lot of specific bands, but not necessarily a certain genre. I do enjoy most of the new age country, mostly because I went to Purdue for 3 years and thats all my fraternity brothers listened to. I'm really open to listening to different stuff though. My brother's roommate just turned me on to the Dropkick Murphy's, which I am starting to get into. I am usually listening to Pat Green, Dave Matthews Band, and O.A.R though.

Movies, I like historical war movies, especially the older ones (Patton is one of my favorite movies), action/adventure films, comedies. I only watched one of the Monty Python movies and really couldn't stand it.

[chuckleslovakian]

To be fair, though Time Bandits is by one of the Monty Python crew (Terry Gilliam), it is hardly like the Monty Python movies at all. Terry Gilliam was the animator of the Monty Python crew and did little of the comedy writing. As such, what shows up in Gilliams films is not the comedy of the Python crew, but the insane visionary mind.

[Madtown]

bumping dis, The Three EPs is up tomorrow so hope you guys got ahold of it. I'll post some thoughts either post-turbo, before class in the morning, or tomorrow afternoon.

[FCBLComish]

OK, I bought the 3 EPS tonight at Best Buy. I did not expect to find it, but I looked. There was no slot for the Beta Band, but I managed to find ONE Beta Band CD in the rack, alphabetized where it belonged. Of course, the one CD was the correct one. How lucky can I get?

My wife will also be setting up a 2+2 account so she can chime in on this. Don't tell anyone she does not play poker [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] She will not play werewolf with us, but maybe we can get her in for some sheep or something.

I have listened to parts of the first 4 tracks, but I am going to reserve my opinion until I get a chance to listen to more.

[karaokemom99]

[ QUOTE ]
OK, I bought the 3 EPS tonight at Best Buy. I did not expect to find it, but I looked. There was no slot for the Beta Band, but I managed to find ONE Beta Band CD in the rack, alphabetized where it belonged. Of course, the one CD was the correct one. How lucky can I get?

My wife will also be setting up a 2+2 account so she can chime in on this. Don't tell anyone she does not play poker [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] She will not play werewolf with us, but maybe we can get her in for some sheep or something.

I have listened to parts of the first 4 tracks, but I am going to reserve my opinion until I get a chance to listen to more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey everyone, I'm Jules FCBL's wife. I personally didn't like some of the songs I heard. They seemed very repetative, but track 4 I liked. That's all I heard so far from driving from the store to home. Maybe I'll check out the rest soon. BTW, I know how to play poker, I just act like I don't, so he can win [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] Maybe one day I'll play werewolf, who knows. Peace out...

[FCBLComish]

bumpity bizumpity

[Madtown]

Big welcome to FCBL's Wife!

Anyway, here's my comments:

I picked The 3 EPs because I keep coming back to it when I want some Beta Band. While Hot Shots II might be the better album, there's something incredibly refreshing about 3 EPs. It might be that it's a compilation of three different EPs. There's just a really wide range of styles on this album, and that's what I think of when I think of the Beta Band.

I'd have to say I find the first four tracks (from the Champion Versions) EP the most fun to just toss on -- they're a folky indie-funk (which, as HBE wisely noted, sounds quite a bit like Beck). "Dry the Rain" and "Dogs Got a Bone" particularly.

They're also far more accessible than the middle four tracks (from The Patty Patty Sound) -- "Inner Meet Me," "The House Song" and "Monolith" especially, three extended tracks of experimental psychedelica with a heavy trip-hop influence. I can see how this section might frustrate some people, particularly given the length; I enjoy these three tracks although they're not without missteps. "Inner Meet Me" is probably the most polished of the three -- "The House Song" largely works as an instrumental, but the short rap in the middle breaks the moment. "Monolith" is entirely too long, even given the name. The middle section picks back up with "She's the One" (a great track, one of my Beta Band favorites).

The final four, probably my favorite section, starts with the hypnotic, slow-burning "Push It Out" and the jaunty "It's Over." But the best track, without question, is "Dr. Baker" ... whereas "Monolith" and "The House Song" miss the mark with too much experimentalism, "Dr. Baker" nails it. "Needles in My Eyes" is a nice pop-ish closer too.

Like I said, probably not their best album, but so many disparate styles are merged here incredibly well, especially given that these EPs are the first releases of a developing band. It's also a rare eclectic album that falls into the "chill albums to listen to on a summer day while drinking a few beers outside" category, as I told HBE on AIM.

[Madtown]

SCHEDULE UPDATE

This Week: The 3 EPs by The Beta Band
Continued discussion as people finish listening.




Next Week: Time Bandits
Picked by: chuckleslovakian
Discussion starts: Wednesday, June 20th

Short description: Time Bandits is a fantasy film, produced and directed by Terry Gilliam (who created animations for Monty Python's Flying Circus). Gilliam wrote the screenplay with fellow Python alumnus Michael Palin, who appears with Shelley Duvall in the small, recurring roles of Vincent and Pansy.

Synopsis: Kevin, an imaginative child, goes on a time-travelling adventure with a bunch of treasure-hunting dwarves, who have "borrowed" a map to the Universe's time holes from The Supreme Being.




Next Week: Riot on an Empty Street by Kings of Convenience
Picked by: His Boy Elroy
Discussion starts: Wednesday, June 27th

Band description: Kings of Convenience are an indie folk-pop duo from Bergen, Norway. Consisting of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, the musical group is known for their delicate tunes, calming voices, and intricately subtle guitar melodies.

Album description: AMG review quote -- Riot on an Empty Street ends a long period of inactivity for Kings of Convenience. ... Luckily for fans of beautiful vocals and thoughtful indie pop, they decided to get back together. What this band is all about is the sound of Boe and Øye's voices blended together in harmony. Their first album ... erred on the side of consistency. Here the band seems to have learned the all-important lesson of pace and variety. The arrangements are fuller too with pianos, strings, the occasional electric guitar, and lovely guest vocals on two tracks from Broken Social Scene member Leslie Feist.

[His Boy Elroy]

k, im writing this kinda as im listening:


track 1
dry the rain

immediately this song reminds me of Beck. the sound of the vocals, the sound of the guitar. I like it. I cant really understand many of the lyrics, although im not trying very hard. it actually doesnt sound like there are many lyrics other than "take me in, dry the rain". this is a solid track that i will add to my regular playlist, cause this is the kind of stuff that i like.

track 2
i know

to start, it sounds significantly different than "dry the rain", and seems more bass-driven, which i like. the vocals are incredibly soft in this one, so I can see what km99 was talking about with the repetitiveness factor. Not much going on in this song from what I can tell, other than a relaxing riff and some soft soothing vocals. I can dig it.

track 3
B+A

i already like the sound of this one, just from the intro. im hoping it doesnt just go on and on like "i know", and that it gets a bit more itneresting. a little over a minute in, the riff changes a bit, which is good, then it switches right back. I feel right now that this could be a great song if there were lyrics. I get the urge to write some. What would it be about tho? I dont know. I'm not sure what kind of vibe im getting. Not really lovey-dovey, not really heartbroken... just kinda complacent. whoa! now we're rockin, about 3 minutes in. This song definitely took a turn away from the complacent, and into the reckless. I feel like this part of the song would be good for a fight scene. The fight scene vibe continues throughout. Decent track.

track 4
dogs got a bone

pleasant, i dont know what theyre talking about tho. I could see myself listening to this track consistently if it were a bit shorter. The jam-band thing is kinda starting to get to me a little. Too experimental for my teate, generally.

track 5
inner meet me

another one that reminds me of Beck. i like the little bit of cowbell. again tho, i cant really hear the vocals very well. I'm assuming it must be more abuot to ntoes of the vocals and not the actual words, cause the sound of the notes is pleasing. The laser sounds are ok, but beyond that its a little out there for me. An OK track overall. I like the beginning a lot, the end wasnt bad, but not as good as the start.

track 6
the house song

like a minute in, i love it so far. no idea what the words are, but i like the mix-y looping effects. sounds very very cool. oh snap! just busted into something that sounds like spanish hip-hop. this track is awesome. hands down.

more to come tomorrow.

[Madtown]

No one else has sent in any albums/movies other than HBE and chuck, so please do so!

Excited to grab Riot on an Empty Street. I've heard good things about the band, and I'm a fan of Leslie Feist's other projects (Broken Social Scene and her solo work) so I'm guessing I'll like it.