Love Remains, How to Dress Well

BEST OF 2010

What if Bon Iver went a little R&B? Or, if Passion Pit went a little lo-fi? If Beach House mellowed out the musical antics of Animal Collective? All of these scenarios may end in the beautiful result of How To Dress Well's first full length album, Love Remains. The album is emotional. It moves from the quiet of a Microphones album to the shoe gaze beat of the recent oOoOO album. This is really an album that catches everything from my iPod.

After work, 1.15am, I crawled into my car from the winter cold and into the frozen ice box of the car untouched for over eight hours. I had to sit for fifteen minutes and let the car defrost. I wanted new music. Nothing too peppy. It was too late. I wanted something to match the mood of the air. Something distant, sad, cold. I scanned through the iPod, but wasn't sure what would fit the mood. I needed something new. I happened to come across How to Dress Well. I hadn't listened to them since I got the album after hearing one song a few months ago. I was concerned with a name like How to Dress Well the music was going to be too much pop and dance beat. I was wrong.

The mood of the music, haunted choruses/the crackle of lo-fi recording/the high pitch voice of the male singer/the simple instrumentation, was perfect for the introspective ride home. The sky was ice. The church steeples jutting up higher than the tree tops. The moon a frigid glow. I felt as if I saw the world in a slightly different way. The sadness wasn't so lonesome tonight. The album, a conversation with a stranger. A broken hearted man mourning the loss... the loss of a relationship? The lost of time? The loss of self? I'm still not quite sure. But this is an album of mourning.

The album is a culmination of songs picked from EPs released over the past year. The artist is Tom Krell. I know very little beyond this information. I see Krell is influenced by R&B and gospel music. A few songs show this very strongly. And, Krell is certainly a fan of lo-fi folk, too. This being the most prevalent element of the album.

As I write this, I've only sat through the album one time. Too soon to declare it a top album of the year. But, I may be wrong not to do so. It has been awhile since an album felt so comforting. So close to me within minutes. Chances are, Love Remains will become my winter soundtrack.

A

Winter's Bone

BEST OF 2010

I waited too long to see this film. When I first heard of its release, I was afraid 2010 would be the year of the films trying to recreate the mood and setting of Frozen River. I ended up adoring Frozen River by the films end. Melissa Leo's performance is inspiring. I couldn't imagine why Winter's Bone was getting such reviews when all I had heard seemed to run too close alongside Frozen River's story. Also, the poster shows the young woman in the top left corner. I thought she was eight, or nine. I had no interest in the story of a character so young.

I was wrong on most accounts. The main character, Ree Dolly (played to almost perfection by Jennifer Lawrence), is a 17-year old. Ree is left to care for her young brother (ten-ish), younger sister (five), and her mentally fractured mother. The father, Jessup, is on the run from the law. Ree has to find her father in order to keep the family home and land. This feels like such familiar territory. Not really deserving of the incredible reviews. But, there is so much more.

The filmmaker takes control of every detail. From the front screen doors that are always stuck open, to the cement figurines littering a decaying farm, to the yellowing teeth, to the family bonds. The detail is exhausting. While watching the film I was reminded of a trip I took with my grandfather when I was 12. We went to visit his relatives living in the hills of Kentucky. The homes all over sized, filled to capacity, and rotting away. There was very little in the way of entertainment. Just a TV constantly blaring and the all day gossip chattering of those who lived in walking distance. My experience wasn't quite as extreme as the Dolly family, but it came close enough for me to respect the authenticity of their world.

At times, the film feels like a Cohen Brothers film. There is a bit of country-noir from time to time. The race against time to find the father. The very interesting, eclectic characters Ree encounters on her journey- a violent grandfather named Thumb, a cold uncle named Teardrop, and a gang of 50-year old women without a single fear in their body. They all have a dialogue and way of speaking all their own. This is a sociological study as much as a film experience.

The movie moves at an incredible pace. The end is as quiet as these lives, as our lives, in the larger scheme of things. We're given a little slice of life. The film handles the horrors of Ree's life in such an unusual manner. The film, on some level, could have played out as a horror film, actually. The content is quite dark and the journey is through decaying barns, abandoned cemeteries, and near frozen lakes.

A

Modern Thrills, Tesla Boy

In past years, bands and artists have been all about creating the perfect "sounds-like the 80s" style. This year appears to be the year of "get it as close to the 80s sound as possible." First, Zola Jesus released her beautiful goth 80s album. Now, Tesla Boy is doing the same. But, not quite as dark as Zola Jesus. Tesla Boy is going for a poppier, electro-disco 80s sound. And, while it isn't the strongest album released this year, it goes a long way towards being one of the catchiest.

My first listen to Modern Thrills reminded me of listening to the first Cut Copy album, Bright Like Neon. All the catchy, 80s sounds are present. The dance party beats are all over. And, the lyrics are a lot of fun. Nothing too heavy, but never silly. This isn't pop music for the purpose of pop music. This is an album created with the need to express.

There is a hint of Calvin Harris from time to time. It's hard to point out where, or what song. But, there are moments I am reminded of Calvin Harris' 'Acceptable in the 80s' mostly. Other elements exist, too.

I was shocked, when looking into information on the band, to discover the band was Russian. I would have assume British (with their Joy Division accent) or Canadian (with the Patrick Wolf and Diamond Rings glam), but I never would have assumed Russian (I hate to admit my mind goes to T.A.T.U., and it shouldn't!).

I don't have a whole lot to say. It's a fun album. Not fresh, but plenty refreshing.

B-

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West

Every year I find myself annoyed by the year end results of Pitchfork.com because every year the website picks a rap or hip-hop album to praise with every bit of positive energy the staff can muster. And, every year I find myself pissed off that the site is dismissing other bands who are better because it feels right for the hipsters to hold up someone who is not "one of them." This year it seems Kanye West is the winner of their highest praise. I can't remember the last time I saw the site give an album a 10 point scored review, but it has happened. And, Mr. West should be so proud.

To make matters worse, I'm not sure how far off Pitchfork is this time around. In fact, I'd almost agree with their praise. My first listen of Kanye West's album left me in shock. The album is as over the top, bright, and disorienting as a disco ball smashing to a crowded dance floor. This is some entertaining, crazy, pop cultured music. My jaw is open in awe.

I have never and will never respect Kanye West as a person. He is larger than life. He is too arrogant. Too consumed with self to ever do any good. And, for that matter, too self consumed to ever do any real harm. He's just a presence to appear and annoy from time to time. But, sometimes you have to forget the personality and focus on the art.

West writes some incredible lyrics. There are moments of rhyme throughout the disc that took me off guard. I was impressed. I was excited. This is a street wise poet using his money and fame to share his own tortured soul. Or, at least, the tortured soul of the character he has created through his music and public persona. Is an artist ever just one person? Or made up of multiple attempts at creating and recreating?

I don't know enough about Kanye West's past music, about the current state of rap music, or about all the references West throws out throughout the album. So I can't really dissect the album. And, therefore, I can't really call it a best of the year. Because I am so far removed from the reality of the album as singular tracks. I can only experience the pieces as a whole.

I believe this album is truly West's beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy. His entire celebrity has been a series of beautiful, dark, twisted events. But, in the end, he is pleased because it has always been about this end result. West is a man of dream and fantasy. With this album it is quite clear West is deep inside that fantasy. I hope he remains there.

B+

Please Give

BEST OF 2010

Nicole Holofcener has been creating character driven films since 1997. Her first feature film, Walking and Talking, is enjoyable. Very much a romantic comedy of the 90s. Holofcener's second film, Lovely & Amazing, remains one of the most enjoyable films from the 00s. The film is dark, comical, smart, and well acted. Holofcener knows how to use a cast- a great cast. The third film, Friends with Money, is Holofcener's most viewer friendly film. Gone are Holofcener's traits of not giving us the answers or the happy ending. On first viewing, Friends with Money is a lot of fun. As usual, Catherine Keener is brilliant in the film.

As I saw previews of Please Give at the start of other films, I worried Holofcener had started to travel a path I wasn't interested in following. After Friends with Money I was very hesitant to just jump into Please Give. In fact, I didn't see it in the theatre because I was afraid of disappointment. I was wrong to judge the director so harshly based on a film I didn't even dislike. What is wrong with me?

Catherine Keener has returned in her fourth Holofcener film (yes, four. Catherine Keener has been in each of the films). Keener plays a neurotic mother, wife, and business owner. No one captures the neurosis of New York City and our current cultural woes like Holofcener.

Holofcener is always concerned with the female body image. She tackles these issues to complete perfection in Lovely & Amazing. She does a fairly decent job this time around, too. Although, at times, I found myself annoyed with the teenage daughter's tear-filled adolescent rants. It isn't that I can't relate, but it starts to border on spoiled brat behavior. This may be the point of the character. The way some keep giving to others and never receive anything in return.

Amanda Peet is lovely as the granddaughter to the dying neighbor. In fact, this is probably Peet's best role (her role in Igby Goes Down comes close to a tie though). Her portrayal of an obsessive and aging beauty is heartbreaking and hilarious.

Rebecca Hall may be the greatest film actress to arrive in the past handful of years. Hall hit the ground running in Allen's Vicky Christina Barcelona and has only continued to impress in her handful of roles since then. In Please Give, Hall plays the sad, lost, lonely caretaker to her grandmother. She is the perfect amount of innocence and bitterness.

As will all Holofcener's films, it is hard to tell exactly what is being said. And, even harder to decide if it matters. But, in the end I feel it comes down to one thing: stuff. The stuff we hold on to, the stuff we throw out, and the stuff we put on ourselves. Does it mean anything to anyone else? Or, only to ourselves?

B+

Stars: November 23rd, 2010: Newport/Southgate House

Opening Act: Geographer

Stars Set List:

(Not in correct order and may be missing a song or two)

1. He Dreams He's Awake
2. Elevator Love Song
3. Wasted Daylight
4. The Passenger
5. The Comeback
6. Dead Hearts
7. Ageless Beauty (Amy Millan solo/acoustic)
8. Time Can Never Kill the True Heart (Amy Millan & Torquil Campbell/acoustic)
9. I Died So I Could Haunt You
10. Fixed
11. The Woods
12. We Don't Want Your Body
13. Set Yourself on Fire
14. Take Me to the Riot
15. Your Ex Lover is Dead
16. One More Night
17. Celebration Guns (Amy Millan/acoustic)
18. Reunion
19. How Much More
20. Changes

Emily L, Marguerite Duras

I, sadly, am always too quick to forget about the magic of a Duras novel. The pure simple beauty of every sentence and statement. The lines of her prose are so tightly written. Small, short, and spoken in the compact nature of an understanding dialogue. Duras writes about love, obsession, creativity, and the painful nature of truth.

In Emily L, Duras tells the story of a couple, the narrator and the husband. Both are writers. The husband is suffering a dry spell in his writing. The narrator wants to write a novel about their affair. It is never directly stated, but it is made clear the husband feels this is nonsense. He is keeping her from creating. In a way, forcing her to suffer a writers block just as he is suffering.

The two are away on vacation and enjoying an evening at the bar. They watch a couple at the other end of the bar. The novel follows the events of what we all do: creating the stories of strangers. The narrator begins to wonder about the male and female. Even starts to create a history of the two.

The title character, Emily L, is the name given to the unknown woman. She is married to a sea captain. They are traveling the world to keep themselves busy. They have hit a rough patch in their marriage because Emily L wishes to write poetry. It is suggested that Duras is creating a history to Emily Dickinson. Even using a slight different version of 'A Certain Slant of Light' to make clear Dickinson is meant to be suggested.

Emily's husband is not able to understand the poetry. He feels Emily is trying to prove she is smarter than him. Also, the husband finds himself jealous of the poems. Eventually, the narrator tells us of an affair Emily L had with one of the men working at the Inn. At this point, the reader begins to realize what has taken place. We have to take steps back and look at the novel's progression.

The narrator wishes to create a story about a relationship. She wants to write a story about her relationship. Her husband is keeping her from doing so. What she does is create the story vocally. She places parts of her own story (maybe all of her own story?) onto these two strangers. As a reader, we're never fully aware of the fact and the fiction. Duras is writing about writing.

Also, Duras is writing about male control. The narrator's husband wishes her to not write just as he is not writing. Emily L's husband is wishing her to not write her poetry because he can't understand it. And, I believe Duras makes slight reference to Dickinson because Emily Dickinson's art was controlled by a man, too.

The last paragraph of Duras' Emily L is quite beautiful. It speaks to the nature and style of writing. It speaks to writing with full honesty. To never editing or removing the pieces we write out because we are then only destroying the truths we could have offered. This is Duras' style. And why her work continues to be my muse.

A