chug chug chug

so travel/hustle-blog gridskipper asked Brooklyn wunderkind Zach Condon from Beirut and his buddies from mp3 blog La Blogotheque to come up with a list of the best watering hole for indie types in Paris, which resulted in this interesting post. The thing is, all of the spots they came up with are located in the northeast corner of town. Which makes total sense considering it contains the hipper-than ever 11e, 19e and 20e, which is where I'm guessing most of those compadres live. To be fair, it is also what I would consider to be the epicenter of indie Paris these days, what with the great concert venues (le Nouveau Casino, la Maroquinerie), record shops (Ground Zero) and afore-mentioned bars. But since the list is supposed to be about the entire city, it would have been nice to branch out beyond the Bastille-Republique-Belleville triangle. For instance the rue Mouffetard area has a few interesting bars, including the decidedly-indie Shebeen. And not too far from that there are a few cool bars near St Michel with the kind of music and atmosphere that would not seem out of place in the backstreets of the 11e.

But hey, at least the list doesn't have le Truskel, le Pop-In or le Point Ephemere (who are like the Bloc Party of the Paris indie bar scene) on it, you gotta give credit for that. And really, if La Blogotheque really wants to keep things edgy and cool, they should try to come up with a list of taverns in the barren landscapes of the 14e-15e, now that would be an interesting read.

too close

although most of the media coverage on the death of Heath Ledger today has been yet another debilitating example of the sensationalization of news, I found Belinda Luscombe's article for Time magazine to be an interesting and nuanced homage to an immensely talented man. It evokes some of his personal issues while still staying away from the wild speculation seen today, which has become norm in today's gossip-led mainstream media. To be sure, plenty of other important things happened in the world today, but since this is a subject people are going to talk about, at least this piece gets the tone right. I didn't check my coworker's copy of the Sun, but I have a hunch their commentary was slightly less subtle.

southward-bound

planning a trip to Australia, as easy as

1

2

3

Okay, not quite, but it definitely is a great excuse to enjoy a delicious nutella crepe from Crepe Affaire. Although nowhere near as delicious as the ones made by the French guy at Exmouth Market (and certainly not in the same universe of deliciousness as the ones made by my mom). Something tells me a lot more trip planning sessions are going to be necessary before this thing gets off the ground...

"only in London" is the new "only in America"

today at work, while crossing paths with a coworker:

me (sorta-French guy, American accent): "hi mate"
him (British-educated Sri-Lankan): "what's up dude"

hip hip

Well it was bound to happen eventually: I've started up the (meager) vinyl collection again. Now I need to figure out how to get my stuff that's in Paris. And possibly get a turntable too, so I can, you know, listen to the records and stuff.

perfectly acceptable existential questioning

if I get asked "do you have a Boots card?" enough times, will I just break down and get one?

majestic

Sad news from New Zealand this morning, with the passing of Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first two men (with sherpa Tenzing Nagay) to successfully climb Mount Everest. From all accounts he was a simple man who happened to do something extraordinary, and it is to his credit that he apparently never let that go to his head. A kiwi coworker was telling me today how revered he is over there, and a great source of pride for a country which, besides its tremendous rugby team, does not have a very visible international profile. His lifelong friendship with Nagay, modesty about his exploits, as well as his continued work for the communities living around the Nepalese Himalayas (helping build schools and other badly needed infrastructure through the Himalayan Trust), speak to the quality of a man who led a great and fulfilling life. The fact that he will be getting a State funeral seems highly fitting.

We live in a celebrity-obsessed culture, where most people seem more interested in Britney’s latest meltdown than in what’s going on in Pakistan, and in which so many celebrities are famous because they are famous, with nary an apparent skill to account for it besides being media-savvy. In this world a person like Sir Edmund Hillary is a definite throwback. Not to go all Ayn Rand (yeech), but hopefully stories like his can remind people of how greatness can be simple. The point is not to worship people, but to celebrate their actions, especially when they are so eloquent. Actions speak louder than words goes the saying, and no one was a better example of that than Sir Hillary.

NY Times article
The Guardian obituary

The Times Obituary

TIME profile on Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

pick me! pick me!

while the US presidential elections are still months away, that hasn't stopped the media coverage from shooting into overdrive before the Iowa primary was even held. So far most of the articles have read as so: OBAMA WINS! OBAMA MANIA SWEEPS THE NATION! OBAMA TO BE NEXT US PRESIDENT! HILLARY WINS! HILLARY NOW FAVORITE! OH, WAIT, AND THAT OLD GUY, HE WON TOO!

And that's just in the foreign French and UK media I read. While I was sort of expecting it from the NY Times (whose coverage, it has to be noted, has been pretty stellar so far), it does tend to grate to read almost as much about it in Le Monde or The Guardian, often done in a very personal fashion, as though this directly concerns the audience. Last time I checked, French and British citizens don't vote for the US president. And while it's often a fascinating subject, especially in a country where the political system is so different (get ready for about 14 billion articles on that wild and wacky electoral college system come October, not to mention the voting machines) from ours, there are still plenty of other things going on in the world. Then again, if that means less articles and reports about Sarkozy and his women (ministers of otherwise), maybe it's for the best.

I get it, the United States are still a major superpower, and the last 8 years not having been the best (to say the least) for its stature, there is a sky-high attention to the results from the vote. But it still doesn't change the fact that whatever discourse and analysis is done throughout the world media, 99.9% of their audience will not get a say on Election Day. There's nothing wrong with being interested in this whole circus (I sure am doing my part in my daily readings), but a little added distance might not be so bad.

shortcuts - 08/01/08

listening: This Will Destroy You - S/T. I don't know what it is with Texas but they sure churn out some fantastic post-rock bands

watching: The OC season 1. Seth Cohen rules.

buying: Jinga trainers. Finally, Veja gets some competition.

eating: New Covent Garden Food's Thai chicken soup

reading: considering re-reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road, easily the best book I read last year, if not longer

what's next

side-note: Let's hope that BR gets it right where many of its US clothing store chains brethren haven't when opening outposts in the UK. Witness £90 shirts at Brooks Brothers, or £70 jeans at Abercrombie & Fitch: thanks but no thanks.

2007 - the year in movies

Despite living in a city where a movie ticket costs half a kidney (only half a kidney if you're a student), I tried this year to keep my movie-going as close to my Parisian habits as I could. I probably ended up seeing a bigger proportion of big-studio movies than usual, but did manage to keep things relatively eclectic enough to not suffer from popcorn-exhaustion.

10. Sunshine (directed by Danny Boyle)
A epic feat of meditative filmmaking - until the last 20 minutes, although admittedly the ending wasn't as bad the second time around. Another stellar (hey-O!) performance by Cillian Murphy

9. Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy)
A throwback to the politically engaged flicks Hollywood used to churn out in the 70s, this had some of the strongest ensemble acting I saw this year. Even some of the overly self-conscious aspects, such as the ending shot, do not seem too grating thanks to the calm and assured way in which the movie unfolds

8.The Bourne Supremacy (Paul Greengrass)
Edge-of-your-seat action, from start to finish. And not a single CGI shot, hurray

7. La Mome (Olivier Dahan)
Edith Piaf's story might seem too tragic, even as far as musician biopics go, yet Marion Cotillard's ballsy performance never lets this fall into MOW territory

6. I Am Legend (Francis Lawrence)
Fantastic acting by Will Smith to go along with a decent script, and some directing choices that seem bold when compared to the average blockbuster (no music during the suspenseful scenes? Yes please)

5. A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints (Dito Montiel)
Directed by first-timer Montiel, based on his book relating his childhood in the Bronx during the 80s. It all sounds self-referential, but a tremendous young cast (Shia LaBeouf and Channing Tatum in particular) and some interestingly varied directing make for a mesmerizing trip down memory lane

4.The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik)
Possibly the most beautifully-shot movie this year, the story of Jesse James' assassin unfolds ever so slowly, yet captivates throughout. Casey Affleck eclipses Brad Pitt, even though he's far from a slouch himself

3. Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant)
Actually this might be the best-shot flick this year, thank to visual genius Christopher Doyle (he of the many Wong Kar Wai collaborations). GVS finishes up his teenagers-in-peril trilogy in style

2. The Darjeeling Limited (Wes Anderson)
I've always felt Wes Anderson's movies were quirky for the sake of being quirky, but with this tale of three brothers going on a train-trip through India, everything came together for me. Epic, touching, funny and never boring

1. We Own The Night (James Gray)
People have been hailing this as a neo-classical gem, a descendant of the kinds of movies Scorcese and De Palma used to make in their heighday. People are right, and when you consider that Gray has only made three movies in 13 years, something doesn't seem right. This deserves The Departed-level hoopla and awards, now.

2007 - the year in music

After a terrific start to the year with some fantastic releases from the likes of The Shins, Bloc Party and The Arcade Fire, some observers (ahem) were noting that 2007 could end up being a banner year, at least for rock. In the end it didn't quite reach that status, but overall most year-end top ten lists were still among the most quality-laden of recent years.
So without further ado, here are my top 20 albums for 2007:

20. Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
19. Ryan Adams - Easy Tiger
18. Patrick Watson - Close To Paradise
17. The Shins - Wincing the Night Away
16. Band of Horses - Cease To Begin
15. Modest Mouse - We Were Dead Before The Boat Even Sank
14. Kevin Drew - Spirit If...
13. Holy Fuck - LP
12. LCD Soundsystem - Sound of Silver
11. Radiohead - In Rainbows

10. Justice - Cross

Initially I was gonna put Holy Fuck's debut album here, but after listening to Justice's again over the holiday, and recalling their sweatily fantastic gig at Koko, I had no choice but to include the guys from le Tryptique in my top 10. Thanks to them and Daft Punk's summer tour, electro is back in the mainstream, and everyone seems to be having fun.

9. Kanye West - Graduation

The biggest ego in hip-hop (if not the universe) decides to step beyond his patented production style, and comes out with one of the most refreshing albums in years, in a genre that sorely needs it.

8. Bright Eyes - Cassagada

Conor Oberst is a man of many talents, who never seems to stay too long in a single direction. For this one he played up to his strengths, though, coming up with a very solid collection of folk-rock and soul influenced tracks that confirm how close he is to his much-noted Springsteen heritage.

7. The National - Boxer

With the so-called rock revival in the past 5 years, much has been made of the influence of 80s bands like The Cure and Joy Division. And not many bands have managed to reuse the influence of JD like these guys, while still maintaining a modern and fresh-sounding outlook

6. Jeremy Larson - Jeremy Larson
Great songs and a fresh sound from this promising new talent

5. The Arcade Fire - Neon Bible

Did they manage to top the brilliance of their debut Funeral? Tough to say, but sophomore slump this was definitely not

4. Explosions In The Sky - All Of A Sudden I Miss Everyone
It's amazing how much the best post-rock bands manage to express, without uttering a single word

3. Ola Podrida - Ola Podrida

Let's be honest, there was no way I was going to be able to resist the debut album from the guy who scored David Gordon Green's All The Real Girls. Very delicate, but never boring, he deserves to be heard by a lot more people. Quick, somebody get one of his songs on an episode of Grey's Anatomy

2. Loney, Dear - Loney, Noir

2007 was the year when everything seemed to go right for Loney, Dear's Emil Svanangen, and he didn't even need to have his music in an ad for a television to do so

1. Eluvium - Copia

Ambient can be a tricky genre to make a mark in, as so much of it lies in slow progressions. But Eluvium's Matthew Cooper manages to stay within the confines of the style while coming up with fantastically beautiful and heartbreaking sonic landscapes. If Terrence Malick ever makes a sci-fi movie, we've got the ideal composer right here.

best songs:
The Arcade Fire - (Antichrist Television Blues)
Band Of Horses - Marry Song
Andrew Bird - Scythian Empires

Boys Noize - &Down
Bright Eyes - No One Would Riot For Less

Eluvium - Ostinato
Explosiong In The Sky - It's Natural To Be Afraid
Feist - 1234
fennesz+sakamoto - haru
Jeremy Larson - More Than You
Justice - Phantom pt. II
Kanye West - Flashing Lights
Kevin Drew - Tbtf
Kings Of Leon - Knocked Up
LCD Soundsystem - All My Friends
Lil' Wayne - Ride For My N***

Los Camposinos - You! Me! Dancing!
Loney, Dear - Saturday Waits
Lovedrug - Everything Starts Where It Ends
Modest Mouse - Missed The Boat
The National - Fake Empire
Ola Podrida - The New Science
Paramore - When It Rains
Phosphorescent - Cocaine Lights
Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Rogue Wave - Chicago X12
Sea Wolf - I Made A Resolution
The Shins - Sleeping Lessons
Stars - The Night Starts Here
Valerie Leulliot - Caldeira

happy feet

It's true what they say: a party is always better when JB's around. And if they're not saying it, well they really should.

Playing catch-up: Havergal-Electricita

Operating within the so-called trend of glitch, Havergal released one of the more interesting offerings of the genre in 2004 with their second album Elettricita. Fusing traditional indie pop songwriting with decidedly electro aesthetics, the album was part of a wave of slickly- produced pop that illustrated the undeniable influence of electro on this music style. Three years later, dozens of magazines and music blogs have picked LCD Soundsystem's Sound of Silver as their album of the year, and no one is discussing whether it's pop, electro, both, or something else.

Like a (much more) laid-back Tom Vek, one-man-band Ryan Murphy builds groovy tracks out of nothing, always letting the songs progress naturally, without trying to force them down the listener's ear. Witness Drowned Men, which starts off with overlapping guitars and subtle sound effects, then introduces a hypnotic piano riff and other varied synth layers . When the subdued beat casually drops more than 3 minutes in, you're already tapping your toes and nodding your head, willing for the beat to start, like an acoustic version to a fantastic Soulwax remix. But this album is actually much more quiet than the pulsating rythms on the first two tracks might have one believe, and exhibits a pronounced post-rock influence, with many languid tracks that feature Murphy's contemplative side (Lamafrequency, Slugs In The Sun).

One of the most particular aspects of the records is that the singing is often slowed down to a clipped drawl in tune with the beats. This could make the resulting songs sound robotic, but one-man-band Ryan Murphy has an intriguing up-and-down voice that highlights his emotions and thus, his humanity. Likewise the tracks are mostly filled with loops and feature electronic beats, but by using acoustic instruments the songs never feel programmed. Indeed many of them use the traditional intro-verse-chorus-verse structure like the most classic of pop songs. A lot of the melodies heard on these songs are simple, but the way the organic and the electronic are melded together creates an impressive work that stays with you long after the music has stopped playing.

pipe dreams

if I had a proper Internet connection I would:

- be able to stay online for more than 20 minutes
- do all sorts of productive things, like updating my facebook picture and watching basketball games
- blog about fascinating stuff, such as that time I did homemade soup (chunky but yummy), or when I bought my first tuxedo (scratchy)
- start planning for my trip next summer. Looking at opodo.co.uk at work is so cliche

And did I mention I don't have a TV at my place? It's starting to feel like casa de Ludd over here. So do I miss having a normal Internet connection? Nah, not really

no chill pills necessary

30 seconds of live action from the petanque playground in Gruissan, southwest France

W1's best kept secrets

when it comes to central London, Mayfair isn't the most enthralling of areas. Overrun with tourists and assorted daytrippers traipsing up and down Oxford Street (and its slightly more upscale brethren, Regent Street), working here sometimes reminds me of the summer I worked at Eurodisney. Come to think of it I probably get asked "do you know where the toilets are" by tourists about as many times as back then. Yet spend enough time in the area and you begin to discover its quirks and idiosincrasies, just like the most colloquial of neighborhoods. Shoreditch this ain't, but at least they make the place seem more personal and, dare I say it, a bit pleasant.

the lower-ground floor at Selfridges:

At first I would look down at this floor when going up the escalator to the men's section and see people having lunch, or a display of cristal carafes and china sets, and think nothing of it. But venturing down one day on the recommendation of a coworker, I realized that this is in fact a tremendous emporium-like floor, where one could find not only the afore-mentioned carafes, but a fairly decent hardware and kitchen section, bags, a library, electronics, and most importantly, an HMV! No more wandering down to the overcrowded Bond Street store when I need to pick something up during a lunchbreak. Selfridges might be all about luxury goods and elitist consumption, but if all you need to buy is a couple of nails and an adapter plug, you can get that too.

Lancashire Court:

a stone's throw away from New Bond St, Lancashire Court is the ideal place to get a couple of after-work (or shopping) drinks and relax from the hustle and bustle of the area. Although service is typical of fancy establishments, aka not very good and sometimes downright snotty, the overall mood is laid-back, and the crowd mixed yet quite British compared to Eurocentric Soho. At the front of this small courtyard there's Hush, a bar/restaurant with a terrace that is well worth a try in the warmer months (some people call that summer, I'm still waiting on the evidence that such a season exists here). Then there is a narrow alleyway that separates 2-3 bars which quickly becomes cramped up during the happy hour rush. But the mojitos and Long Islands are pretty tasty, not that expensive and that, in my opinion, is reason enough for me to patronize the place.

the secret tennis court at :
what, you didn't think I was going to give away all my secrets, did you? Well-hidden to the unfamiliar eye, this haven for tennis aficionados is open to private members, yet is so unknown that nearly no one plays there. In fact, when a coworker and I got our membership we found out the were the 12th members, which might explain why last week we were able to book at court for 1pm at 12:59pm, even though it was sunny and fairly warm out. Located less than 100m from our office, this is the perfect antidote to boring gym sessions.

Grosvenor Square:

When you're just looking to sit down in the grass and enjoy a leisurely talk, it's better to keep it simple. Grosvernor Sq is definitely smaller than Hyde Park, way smaller even, but it feels quieter, with a very posh vibe befitting its West End location, which makes it perfect to just lay down, close your eyes, and forget where you are.

shortcuts - 22/11/07

listening:Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, his stuff is pretty good isn't it?

watching: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia might be the funniest show on television since Seinfeld. Charlie Reilly for president.

buying: a few basics from the new Uniqlo store on Oxford Street, with its wall of cashmere sweaters.

eating: Thai food, always and forever.

reading: still stuck on Crime and Punishment. Here's hoping next week's 1h+ plane ride will help with that, although not if the iphone has its way...

attack of the spiteful playwrights

perhaps feeling miffed by the spectacularly bad reviews garnered by his recent screenwriting effort on the Jude Law/Michael Caine thriller Sleuth, Harold Pinter had the following to say about action blockbuster The Bourne Ultimatum and its namesake character:

"I saw a film, The Bourne Ultimatum," Pinter begins, "and I thought: Fucking hell! This guy is clearly the strongest man in the world. He can beat up about 12 people in about 35 seconds and kill half of them.

"The whole thing is totally unreal. I was stupefied by it, it was so lacking in intelligence." He adds that he sat in the cinema "seething, thinking: What am I doing here, being bombarded by this sound? It knocks you out."

Harold my dear, I know you're pretty well respected and all, what with your Nobel Prize, your prestigious plays and your pauses (hey look, a quasi-alliteration, I'm sure you love that!), but this is just silly. If this is the worst example of mindless moviemaking you can find, then I'm wagering that you don't venture out to the multiplex too often, and thus lack the proper perspective to judge the current crop of flicks put out by Hollywood.
Now myself, I go to the movies pretty often. Not as much as when I lived in Paris, but still enough to know how ridiculous this statement of yours is. See, what you didn't realize when you saw this quite-terrific movie, is that you were actually viewing a quite nuanced and smart(ish) work, one in which the hero isn't on the typical "rah-rah I will save the world" mission, but simply a man trying to right a wrong done to him, moral considerations be damned. You want a really stupid action movie, try Die Hard 4. I'm sorry, Die Hard 4.0. In it you'll see a hero take down a hovering helicopter with a police car, 40 feet off the ground. And there's also an episode between a supersonic jet and an eighteen wheeler, but I'll admit to you that the details of that remain fuzzy, I'd need to see it again (or not). Or go see recent vampire flick 30 Days of Night, about a gang of vampire seeking to kill all inhabitants from a small Alaskan town. Yep, I saw that one too, and even enjoyed parts of it, at least those when the 13 year-olds four rows back weren't gabbing loudly on their cell-phones.
You see the whole reason these movies exist is that, more and more, people are looking to escape. Modern life throws a lot of information at you, all the time, and going to see an action flick is now one of the rare moments when you can not think about that for a couple of hours, and just enjoy the moment. I agree, that doesn't mean those movies should abandon all semblance of realism and decent writing. And this is where that Bourne movie, and its two predecessors, come in. It's not an intelligent movie, by any means, but at least it's not trying to outdumb itself every passing second. It has great action scenes that feel more real than 99% of the other offerings in the genre, a story that actually progresses quite organically, and even decent acting. Unfortunately in today's cinematographic wasteland, that makes it a rarity. And if you still don't believe me, just watch Transformers. Then you'll know.

P.S.: okay I'll admit it, 30 Days of Night sucked

ambrosialism

Not that I'm a curmudgeon or anything, but I've never really adhered to the cult of cute that has become a major trend on the Internet in recent years (warning: link may contain pictures of baby chipmunks). With that said, when I bought a smoothie from Sainsbury's last Friday morning to ease myself into the start of my workday, I was instantly smitten:

The reason for this fetching sight is that juice and smoothie brand innocent has put little wool hats on all of their products sold at Sainsbury's to benefit the Age Concern charity, as part of their Big Knit campaign. It aims to help older people cope with the cold winter months, and with each sale of a hat-wearing drink, innocent and Sainsbury's will donate 50 pence to the cause. Now there's a fantastic reason to get behind the cute movement.

read more about it here