Here we go — stuff that I’ve been listening to recently, that I think you might dig.
First of all, there’s this little indie film coming soon — you’ve probably not heard about it. It’s called TRON: LEGACY. To be honest, some of the early reviews I’ve heard have used the phrases “mediocre” and “disappointing” — but even if the film is flat-out awful, I expect that the score, created by electronic-music superstars Daft Punk, will be part of my writing-accompaniment repertoire for years to come. It’s a brilliant mix of orchestral and electronic and well worth your time (currently available on Amazon MP3 for 8 bucks). Check out this track, which you might recognize from the trailer: Daft Punk – “Recognizer.”
My son introduced me to this track over the Thanksgiving holiday — it’s a German artist doing some driving club-electronic hip-hop. German is an… interesting language for rap. You’ve gotta love any track that starts with “I’m going to burn down my studio and sniff the ashes like coke.” Peter Fox – “Alles Neu.”
I wish this song was by ANY. OTHER. BAND. I loved it when I first heard it — a bluesy hard-rock riff, some classic ‘rrraaahhh let’s get fucked up, it’s Friday night and I’m a workin’ man’ lyrics — fun stuff, and almost genetically engineered to grab American males by the hindbrain. Then I found out that it was by Nickelback. FUCKING NICKELBACK. My soul died a little bit. It doesn’t sound like their usual stuff — a lot more raw. That’s the excuse I’m giving myself. Nickelback – “Burn It To The Ground.”
Duran Duran has a new album coming to iTunes before Christmas. The first single is available now — and it’s FREE. Go grab it. The new album is produced by Mark Ronson, who, as a long-time DD fan, has decided to return them to their classic sound. The samples I’ve heard of other tracks are all as good as this (and some even better). Stay with this at least until the refrain — when suddenly it’s 1984 all over again. Duran Duran – “All You Need Is Now.”
Anna Calvi is one of the BBC’s “Sounds of 2011” artists that we should keep an eye on. I give a listen to their entire list every year, and this year, she really stood out for me. Her lead single is a cover of an old Edith Piaf tune, which she turns on its head into a dangerous flamenco-esque dark romantic pop song. Anna Calvi – “Jezebel.”
This one doesn’t link directly to the file — it links to a flash-player-and-download-button combo, which isn’t my usual style, but I really liked this song and wanted you folks to hear it. It’s a remix — but really a complete, from-the-ground-up rework, mixing two Wu-Tang Clan tracks (well, one Wu-Tang track and one ODB solo track), along with a few other odds n’ sods. I *love* this. Wu-Tang Clan – “Daytona 500/Shimmy Shimmy Ya (Bossasaurus Remix)”.
OK, there you go. Hope you like what you’ve heard.
The last official release of the Bond canon was released posthumously in 1966. Originally a short story collection featuring only the two titled stories (which had been originally published in Playboy and Argosy magazines), later expanded in 1967 to include “Property of a Lady” (written for The Ivory Hammer, the annual publication of Sotheby’s Auction House), and then again in 2002 to include “007 in New York” (which had appeared in the NY Herald Tribune in 1963). Readers interested in a one-stop shop for all Bond short stories should check out the movie-tie-in release Quantum of Solace, which combines this book with the earlier For Eyes Only, to feature all of Flemings short stories in one book.