Upcoming Movies 2008-2010
December 30, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I’ve heard that Heroes actor Zachary Quinto is going to be playing a young Spock in the next Star Trek film… and it got me thinking about what other sequels, prequels, remakes, etc. are going to be released on film over the next few years.
I did the research, now you read:
Rambo (2008) - Directed and starring Sylvester Stallone. To be release soon (Jan 25th/08).
Star Trek XI (2008) - We won’t know much about the new Trek film until the trailer premiers with the theatrical release of Cloverfield on Jan. 18th/08.
Incredible Hulk (2008) - Edward Norton plays physicist Bruce Banner who is trying to understand, and cure the condition that turns him into a monster.
The X-Files Movie (2008) - Filming in Vancouver, BC right now. (My friend Mar says they are right by her place). To star David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson and scheduled to be released in July of 2008. I’ll be Mulder…you’ll be Scully.
G.I. Joe (2009) - To be released in the summer of ‘09 starring Rachel Nichols, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Said Taghmaoui, Sienna Miller and Ray Park. Remember: knowing is half the battle.
AstroBoy (2009) - Based on the long-running and popular Japanese manga and TV anime series created by Osamu Tezuka. To be a fully-animated CGI.
Castlevania (2009) - Based on the classic video game. Rumored to have Jonathan Frakes on cast.
Goonies 2 (2009) - Sequel to the ’80s flick will find the stars of the first film reuniting 20 years later plus their kids to solve a new mystery. The movie has been talked about since 2002 - and the newest rumor says it may be a low-budget made for DVD movie.
Friday the 13th (2009) - Jason Voorhees comes back to the screen on Feb.13th, 2009.
Tron (2009) - To be directed by Joseph Kosinski. The original director and co-writer Steven Lisberger will produce the new film written by Lost screenwriters Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Rad.
Logan’s Run (2010) - Remake of the cult classic. Have you seen the original (1976) film with Micheal York and Farrah Fawcett? It’s fantastic, especially for it’s time.
Other upcoming films include Terminator Salvation, The Green Hornet, The Pink Panther 2, Transformers 2, The Invisible Man, and a live action version of The Jungle Book.
Future nostalgic films? I’m sensing Tachyon radiation.
Set phasers to fun.
Break Me Off a Piece
December 28, 2007 | 2 Comments
About 4 years ago I found this spiffy shirt at a thrift store. Both of my daughters wore it,
now my son is wearing the hand-me-down. It has been worn many times to school….
For some reason, today was the first day I had a good look at it:
What’s wrong with this photo?
(Notes: Family photo — don’t steal this please)
Many people have seen the shirt and commented how it was cool and retro; it’s crazy how no one ever looked close enough at the candy logo.
I sent this to friends and family before posting it here, some of them asked if I photoshop-ed my kid’s face. The answer is no, just an apt photo I guess. 
My Chinatown
December 27, 2007 | 2 Comments
The thing I remember the most vividly is the noise… 
The moment I stepped off the bus, clutching my guide Crystal’s hand for dear life, I was doused in the alien cacophony of Toronto’s Chinatown. People everywhere were laughing, yelling, hailing cabs, and bartering for street food. The singsong chatter of portable radios poured a constant stream of Cantonese from every storefront window.
It was crowded, loud, and for a small town honkey from no-where Ontario, it was a little overwhelming.It was 8:30 pm, and the sky was glowing a dark, damp blue. The streetlights, shaped like Chinese lanterns and flanked by red wrought-iron dragons, illuminated the sidewalks like stage lights.
This long strip of markets and restaurants was the main event from early in the morning to god-knows-when at night, every night. The sheer number of people fighting for space on the sidewalks made you feel like you were in downtown Hong Kong.
We ducked to the left, into a street market to get our bearings (her bearings actually, I was hopelessly unable to tell up from down). The smells were just as strange as the noise. Smokey, sweet, spicy, and foreign. Everything seemed to smell herbal, and almost… fermented…? Bizarre vegetables poured out onto the streets in bamboo baskets, Rows of unidentifiable herbs shone in glass jars under electric lights and tanks of live octopus and eels were proudly displayed just a few feet from the teaming sidewalks. For a couple bucks a scowling Chinese man in rubber boots and apron would appear and decapitate any form of sea life you wanted with an ancient chipped cleaver right there at his bloodstained little street-side stall. It was all so new and hypnotizing, I just stood and stared. But Crystal had more focus, and knew we were on a mission. With a jerk of her arm we were propelled back in the maelstrom of people before I could wipe the drool from my chin.
We were after Yum Cha, the ancient Chinese tradition of eating lotsa little morsels of food with tea late at night. We had just spent our afternoon of freedom from college studies in downtown Toronto, and when the concept of simultaneously shopping and eating was brought up, Crystal made a bee-line for Chinatown. Just about every Chinese restaurant did good food real late, the secret (or so Crystal informed me) was to find the perfect joint in which to enjoy our tea.
The House of Gourmet fit the bill perfectly in three ways :
- First, the windows were lined with BBQ’ed animals in various stages of decapitation… awesome.
- Second, the place was packed full of locals, not a single tourist (or even any non-Chinese) among ‘em. If you eat with the locals, you’re guaranteed an authentic experience (ie. one that won’t pander to inexperienced taste buds, so be afraid)
- Third, the atmosphere inside was just as loud and electric as the streets outside. Bright Neon lights, lots of tables, lots of noise… kinda like eating in the middle of the stock exchange.
We nabbed a table, she placed an order or two, and I took a sip of this much talked about tea. It was deep, it was dark, it was musty… It was like drinking the earth itself.
“Pu-erh tea,” The waitress yelled over the noise, “Is good ah ? For eating late night, good for you… make you sleep well!” She slipped back into the chaotic dining room, and I slipped back into the warm embrace of the tea. Pour after pour, each little teacup only holding about an ounce of tea, but each one holding new mysteries to solve (and savour). Crystal and I talked and poured more tea, time seemed to evaporate. All that existed was this boisterous, brightly lit, collection of smiling faces and white tablecloths that we now belonged to.
Then the food arrived…
Like I said before, I had never really strayed too far from chicken soup and Wonder bread before this moment, and any Western-style Chinese food I’d ever eaten was usually bland, deep-fried, slathered in bottled sweet’n’sour sauce and accompanied by tasteless fortune cookies. But this food was colourful, alive with strange tastes and aromas, and wikkedly hot! Before I knew it, I was gorging on animals I’d only ever seen on The Abyss. Octopus, Squid, Eel, Cuttlefish, Crab, and land animals like pig, duck, and goose basted in shimmering Hoisin sauce and roasted into sublime, caramelized orgasams of flavour… Yeah it was that good… It was a revelation ! It was the reason I started to cook professionally.
We stayed so late we almost missed the last Go-Train back to the college. We were so stuffed we could hardly walk, and had to take a pit-stop in one of the nearby herbal shops to pick up some of that Pu-erh tea.
That was years ago, and check this out… I’ve still got the business card for the House of Gourmet that I snagged to remember the experience !
Chinatowns are everywhere, in most major cities, and sometimes in little-bity towns as well! They are self-contained worlds of noise, smells, tastes, and wonders. Dim Sum in the afternoons, shopping on a budget, hard-to-find herbs and ingredients, and if it’s anywhere near water, you’re pretty much assured of the freshest seafood in town. They gear-up at the crack of dawn, and don’t stop living and breathing they’re own brand of exotic excitement till everyone stumbles home fulla tea and dumplings.
So next time you and some friends have an afternoon to kill, hop the bus to Chinatown and indulge in all the East has to offer. Go on, make some memories… The tea’s on me !
Much Love…
Vinyl Stained Memories of Radio-Activity
December 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I found Radio-Activity by Kraftwerk on vinyl at a St. Vincent de Paul shop somewhere in the suburbs near Detroit. It was 1994, I was 16… it was the 25th anniversary of Woodstock. Nancy Carrigan had recently been clubbed in the leg, and Clinton yet to share a cigar with Monica.
Vinyl + Kraftwerk =Rare Find.
I can’t remember what else I bought that day at the thrift shop, but I shuffled home quickly, lit a special cigarette and put on the record.
The sound of a faint Geiger Counter started creeping in…
Radio-Activity
Is in the air for you and me
Radio-Activity
Discovered by Madame Curie
The album was released in 1975 — a few years before I was born. I found it incredible and couldn’t fathom a band making such a record in an era filled with hits from ABBA, John Denver, and Lynard Skynard. I decided that if I was around in 1975 that I would want to be hanging with whoever was listening to Radio-Activity.
I lent the album to my high school crush and he cherished it enough not to give it back. I’ve since owned the CD and have it my mp3 collection’s permanent rotation.
But my true nostalgia belongs to the warmth of Radio-Activity on vinyl.
In a similar way a candle lights flesh like — like only candle light can: the vinyl medium brings out Radio-Activity’s most intimate beauty. Sorry, that is the best simile I produce off-hand…
I’m the Antenna
Catching vibration
You’re the transmitter
Give information
Ok, I admit it, I want to make love to this album.
In candlelight.
Lite-Bright, Shining Bright
December 24, 2007 | 3 Comments
“Light Bright, Light Bright, turn on the magic of colored lights! Shining friends, shining bright, make a wish to say goodnight.”
Remember that…?
Sorry, it’s almost Christmas and the neighborhood is alight with multi-coloured Christmas voltage. All the twinkling lights reminded me of the old Lite-Brite I used to play with as a kid. Thanks to the brilliant minds over at In The 80s I was able to re-live the commercial jingle in all it’s simplistic glory!
The toy titans at Hasbro introduced the Lite-Brite in 1967, and have continued the production of these porous LED-like canvases to this very day. Each Lite-Brite was outfitted with a light bulb behind a dark plastic tray which could be adorned with hundreds of little transparent, glass-like plastic pegs. Each peg was coloured, and when lighted from behind, could create all kinds of luminescent artwork that could be proudly displayed to adoring parents, or friends, who just shook their heads and wondered why you wasted the time… Pffft… They were just jealous of my artistic talents!
All Lite-Brites came with sheets of black, slightly fuzzy construction paper with patterns printed on them, so children could punch the pegs through the guides and Voila !!! Children could receive a boost in self-esteem at the expense of creativity… oh well… there was always Lego.
I’m Just foolin… Whether you followed the guides or not every time you fired up the Lite-Brite it was a creative adventure. A chance for a young mind to shape a small work of art, step by step, and hopefully develop an understanding of the creation process itself.
You never really got that playing with Hot Wheels…
Anyway, float on over to the Hasbro Lite-Brite Website for more info on this colourful 80s labour-o-love, and be sure to check out this online version of the Beloved Children’s Toy, batteries not included… or needed…
Oh, and if you need some some inspiration for your illuminations, have a peek at this nostalgically transcendental Music Video for the band You featuring, you guessed it, stop-motion Lite-Brite action !!!
Much Love…
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (1973)
December 23, 2007 | 1 Comment
Release Date : December 1973
Label : World Wide Artists
Producer : Will Malone
Band : Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitars/piano/organ/flute), Geezer Butler (bass guitar/mellotron), Bill Ward (drums), Rick Wakeman (keyboards/synthesizer)
Tracks : (All tracks by Black Sabbath)
- “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath“
- “A National Acrobat“
- “Fluff“
- “Sabbra Cadabra“
- “Killing Yourself to Live“
- “Who Are You?“
- “Looking for Today“
- “Spiral Architect“
This is one of albums that you can throw on at any gathering of people and everyone will dig it… guaranteed. Already assured of acceptance in this day and age because of their legacy, Black Sabbath could grab people’s attention by their musicianship alone back in the day. I can’t quite remember where I was, or who I was sparking up with when I first heard it, but without a doubt, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath became the soundtrack of my every waking moment from then on.
This is one of those albums that is so special that I actually give it out as a Christmas present, believing that no matter what type of music the recipient may listen to… This album will somehow change their life for the better. True story.
Sabbath’s fifth album represented not only a musical departure in style from their
previous albums (Keyboards !!!???? OH GOD NO !!!), but a shift in production value and lyrical focus as well. Classic rock and heavy metal historians have long been divided as to weather Ozzy and the boys from Birmingham, England “sold out” and “mellowed” on this landmark piece of rock history. Without diving into the deep-end of this bloodbath, I’d like to suggest that despite the addition of keyboards and synthesizers, Tony Iommi’s one-man-world-war guitar attack was as powerful and feedback-laden on this album as any other… And along with Blue Cheer’s Vincebus Eruptum, represents the Alpha and Omega of Stoner Rock and Roll !!!
From the opening tribal, chugging rhythm on Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, the name of the game is EPIC. Honestly, listen to it with headphones, jaw agape, and wonder how it’s possible that a single, demur little English dude with no fingertips (Toni Iommi) creates that focused, yet immense guitar sound.
A National Acrobat follows, delving into the shadowy, and drug-addled world of Ozzy Osbourne’s brain in search of lyrical brilliance. backed up by thundering bass and pure stoner wah wah pedal-driven fuzz, this track actually forces you to spend over six minutes of paranoid hallucination with the Ozzman and company, and love it ! I won’t lie, this song is one of my favourite songs of all time by any artist. It has such a great hook, I can’t believe it never made it on to any Black Sabbath greatest hits compilations.
Being the considerate dudes that they are, Sabbath reigns in the Dinosaur rock for one track and offers up a chance to wipe the drool from your chin and float around in Fluff. Gentle acoustic guitar and electric harpsichord-style noodling explore your now tenderized brain in much the same fashion as Sabbath’s earlier Planet Caravan.
After that pit-sop it’s back into the action with the straight-ahead rockabilly of Sabbra Cadabra. Once again featuring Rick Wakeman from the band Yes on piano, the track showcases the band more relaxed and in tune with their earlier musical influences like the Yardbirds and Cliff Richard and the Shadows.
During the recording of their last album Vol. 4, poor ‘ol bassist Geezer Butler was laid up in hospital for a case of complete liver failure (go big, or go home!). Due to the band’s excessive drinking on tour, Butler had come down with a case of the Keith Richards, and while in bed, wrote the lyrics for the next track Killing Yourself to Live. Despite the grim lyrics, a cruising guitar line gives this song (and track 7, Looking For Today) a breezy warmth as if driving along an sunny ocean-side highway… In the Batmobile…
What…? I’ve just always wanted to drive the Batmobile… geez…
All the forces of darkness combine to bring it all back home on Spiral Architect. A hypnotic Zeppelin-esque acoustic opening gives way to a galloping sabbath classic. Definetly the most polished song on the LP, it takes everything great about the old fuzzed out Sabbath and surrounds it with a triumphant candy coating. Ozzy bleats out mind-bending philosophy while Iommi’s guitar weaves in and out each chorus creating a sonic tapestry that deserves the synthesized applause that finishes off the song, and the album.
“Of all the things I value most in life. I see my memories and feel their warmth and know that they are good… You know that I should!” - Spiral Architect
Okay, I know I’ve loved all over this album, and I’m sorry my critical objectivity is about as believable as a “Last Tour Ever!” flyer for a Rolling Stones concert. Well… okay… I’m not fond of the track Who Are You? But hey, it’s short.
This album has accompanied me through so many good times, bad times, and long walks in the night that it practically qualifies as my brother, therapist, and best friend all in one. It lead me to nab Ozzy Osbourne’s No Rest For The Wicked, and begin my long obsession with darker, rougher music. Of course it wasn’t the dark side I was after when I first touched stylus to pitted vinyl… It was that warm fuzzzzzzzzzz.
Much Love…
Blue Cheer - Vincebus Eruptum (1968)
December 17, 2007 | 2 Comments
Release Date : January 1968
Label : Polygram
Producer : Abe “Voco” Kesh
Band : Dickie Peterson (bass/vocals), Paul Whaley (drums), Leigh Stephens (geeetar)
Tracks :
- “Summertime Blues” (Capehart/Cochran)
- “Rock Me Baby” (Josea/King)
- “Doctor Please” (Peterson)
- “Out of Focus” (Peterson)
- “Parchment Farm” (Allison)
- “Second Time Around” (Peterson)
They have been called the originators of Heavy Metal, power-blues, psychedelic-heavy-rock, doom, doomy doomsters of doom and all that… they’re Blue Cheer, and they twisted my fragile little adolescent mind.
These three long-haired white boys began peddling their high-volume feedback-drenched noise from a garage in San Fransisco in the late 1960s, and released their first (and best) album Vincebus Eruptum in 1968. Instantly winning the band the new “loudest band on earth” award, the album showcased grunting vocals, Hendrix-outtake-style guitar fuzz, and sound quality direct from yo momma’s basement. Blue Cheer seemed to have much more in common with coma-white Detroit speed merchants The Stooges and the MC5, then they did with their fellow Haight-Ashbury bands’ laid back psych-blues (just the qualudes I suppose).
It was the album only stoners talked about, usually to their friends in basement apartments that smelled like spilled Big Gulps and incense… a kind of religious icon of the counterculture passed from one pair of shaking hands to another like a Bic lighter, while intoning the sacred words, “Hey man, have you heard these guys?”. The kids who showed up for class never knew what they were missing.
From the first bludgeoning of sludgey, vibrating guitar on Summertime Blues, you knew these boys were ahead of their time. Taking Eddie Cochran’s classic rockabilly song, covering it with concrete and dropping it to Atlantis made it more than a cover tune, it was an ironic rip on suburban American youth. Instead of Cochran’s dreamy surfer-boy ballad, The Cheer’s version portrayed the burnout youth of the 70s, forever bummed because their life is being eaten by menial labour to fund their habits. The song was leaden, yet electric, and ripped up to number 14 on the English Pop music billboards.
As the last of the nuclear haze fades, a swaying Hendrix-esque guitar wraps itself around the stone-cold blues beat of Rock Me Baby. Leigh Stephens was totally being Jimi, especially during the bridge of the song. The rhythm of Doctor Please and Out of Focus are up next, showcasing the one man warzone Paul Whaley on drums and Stephens electric guitar in “wall of sound” mode. The solos in Out of Focus are almost Vanilla Fudge-like in their trippiness, but still maintain that heavy resin-coated garage sound.
If your ears weren’t bleeding by this point… you were loving it.
The slithering, menace-filled opening of Parchment Farm sets the stage for Bukka White’s dark ballad of the brutal Mississippi “Parchman Farm” State Prison. Threats, beatings, starvation, and slave labour are some of the uplifting topics covered in this twisted Tom Waits-esque Louisiana dirge. Of course the Blue crew injects their own brand of noisiness, sending the whole thing over the top. 
Finally, Second Time Around lets everyone involved have a minute or two in an effort to kill any last brain cells the listener may or may not have remaining. Drum solo, Bass solo, guitar solo… the holy trinity of live music. The lyrics are delivered in the same gruff atonal shout that is featured throughout the album. It’s easy to see how much stoner/doom metal bands like Nebula and Kyuss owe to the immortally tripping Blue Cheer.
Loud, raunchy, psychedelic, loud, angry, bluesy, loud, and hard to find… this album was a holy grail to me and basement-dwelling burnout geeks everywhere… Did I mention it was loud…? And Voted as one of The Wire’s 100 Records That Set The World On Fire (When No One Was Listening) ? It’s rock ‘an roll in it’s most raw and un-polished state, and essential listening for anyone who needs a wee dash of fuzz to whet their aural appetite.
Can you believe these guys are still rocking hard…? Check out their site, and this mind-numbingly Wikked article on their Entire Career, then lights some tea candles, roll up, and worship at the altar of guitar feedback.
Much love…
Teeny Little Super Post
December 17, 2007 | 2 Comments
“Teeny Little Super Guy, pops right up before your eye. He’s no bigger than your thumb, snap your fingers, here I come. Now stop me if you’ve heard this one…“
It’s Saturday morning, and between bouts of cartoons and Pauley Shore-related 90s flashbacks (Encino Man… buuuuuuudie) I caught a snippet of Sesame Street, and can you believe they still include the Teeny Little Super Guy skits ? Crazy…
Created in late 70s by Paul Fierlinger and Jim Thurman, TLSG was added to the Sesame Street pantheon of child friendly edutainment in 1982, alongside The Pointer Sisters singing The Pinball Number Song, and that cute little girl who wandered around looking for “A loaf of bread, a container of milk and a stick of butter”.
There were thirteen ity-bity fifteen minute episodes featuring the exploits of a little Charlie Brown-esque cartoon man who lived on (or possibly inside) a plastic drinking glass. He would float around an enormous 70’s kitchen counter and interact with his equally glass-encased sidekick R.W. Shipshape. The character was brought to life by drawing him on clear plastic cells, and then shellacking each cell on the cup in sequence, filming each little laugh and dance step second by tedious second. This kind of process resembled the stop motion animation of the legendary (and magical skeleton murdering) Ray Harryhausen.
“Don’t look in the sky, don’t look in the sea, he’s inside of you and me. Did I ever tell you about the time…?“
Everything in Super Guy’s giant kitchen radiated that brown, linoleum 70s camp, and you just know that if the unseen floor wasn’t un-sanitary orange shag, it probably looked something like my parent’s kitchen floor (see right).
Each episode focused on an important moral such as planning for the future, staying healthy, or how to successfully ride an eggbeater. Thurman himself delivered these messages as the voice of the Super Guy in a style reminiscent of a 65 year old chain-smoking gold prospector on helium.
With theme music by the lady who wrote “Stronger Than the Wind” (wait… that’s not exactly a plus), great morals for developing minds, and a distinctly 70s style, Teeny Little Super Guy was one of the most memorable Sesame Street skits. Even now, a new generation of kids are learning from the puny, gravely-voiced television icon.
Have a peek at Tom McMahon’s brilliant site for more info on TLSG and it’s creator, and Check out Youtube’s schwack of TLSG videos if you forget how the opening tune goes (I did).
“You can’t tell a hero by his size. I’m just a Teeny Little Super Guy… Oh yeah!”
Much Love…
Apple 2 Classic Games
December 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment
During the 80s, almost every school had at least a few Apple II’s. It was the beginning of Edutainment: Number Munchers, Carmen Sandiego, Oregon Trail… if you’re genX or Y or somewhere in there… you probably remember the joy of these classic games and their floppy disk glory.
I came across a fantastic site called Virtual Apple 2 — an online Apple II disk archive an emulator, allowing visitors to “boot” over 1200 old software titles from the comfort of their browser.
I’ve been itching to play a game called Odell Lake for the Apple II since I first played it on a classroom PC in the late 80s. It’s been a 20 year-ish itch…. and as of last week Virtual Apple 2 added this long lost title to it’s archive.
In this game you are a fish and try to eat smaller fish while avoiding otters, ospreys and fishermen. I played for a bit last night, didn’t get very far. It was a little disappointing, as my desire and nostalgia for the game had grown steadily over the last 20 years — while the game has remained the same… If you have a similar itch, here is the link to play Odell Lake.
So, I quickly gave up on Odell Lake and booted up Oregon Trail.
This game is still fantastic, imo.
Gathering supplies, attempting to ford a river, getting dysentery, wagon fires… it was all exciting and we didn’t even know we were learning.
You can play Oregon Trail on the same website.
A few other of my fav’s that you can find on Virtual Apple II:
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (1984) - If you know the best way to fly is to throw yourself at the ground and miss, then this game is for you. I remember my friend bringing this game into school on a 5.25 floppy disk - so we could play it in the puter lab.
Text-based rules! PS: Look in your pocket and eat the pill.
Number Munchers - Another product of edutainment.
For it’s simplicity, I think it still holds up well enough for kid’s today.
Load Runner GS - Avoid evil robots, get the gold, etc. The beauty for me in this game is the rockin’ music.
Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? - Sweetness.
Are there any classic Apple II games that give you warm nostalgia over cold pixels?
Ten Albums to Stare Out Windows To
December 11, 2007 | 2 Comments
Some of the most profound moments of nostalgia that I’ve been lovingly attacked by have occurred while I was staring out a window.
Riding on a train, or as a passenger in a friend’s car, or sometimes just watching people pass by on the sidewalk while perched at my second floor apartment window with morning coffee in hand.
I reflect a lot on life, and my reflection reflects a lot on me… Oooooo ‘dats deep.
I’ve witnessed this sort of thing in movies as well. Characters, usually portrayed by Kevin Costner, stare out into the unknown, ruminating on the mysteries of existence (or in Costner’s case… tries to convince the audience that he’s thinking, not just deciding whether he’ll order his next latte non-fat). The scene is usually accompanied by a pleasant ambient soundtrack that doesn’t distract a person from their thoughts, instead it massages more wispy ideas to the surface. The kind of music that connects people to their memories without actually having been a part of them. The kind of music that puts people in the mood to stare cross-eyed into the afternoon sun and remember their first beach BBQ. The kind of music I love…
Putting this kind of music into a category is pointless, because the feelings of Nostalgia it creates can come from any genre of recorded sound. I personally get the most out there when I listen to lighter stuff, relaxing stuff, ambient, jazz, “trippy”, “breathy”, “a little funky, but not too much”…. see ? It’s so hard to explain. You know that song by Bran Van 3000 called “Drinking In LA” ? That’s a perfect example of “window music“. Every time I hear it, I just want to close my eyes and bob my head a bit like I’m drunk and imagine what life was like for one summer night ten years ago.
So here’s a list of albums that I slip into my headspace when I want to travel back in time without actually having to listen to the music I listened to back then (Cryptopsy ? what was I thinking ?). They’re chronological, and not ranked in any order of awesomeness. I think they’re all great !
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973) : My Dad had this album, and the cover alone takes me back… but thats not what we’re talking about. Despite the creepy Exorcist overtones in the opening theme, the album wraps hypnotic sounds around you like your friends did to you with cellophane and duct-tape when you fell asleep at your grad party.
Tangerine Dream - Rubycon (1975) : The bridge between Tangerine Dream’s uber-light early work and uber-weird later stuff, this album’s arsenal of fuzz, early synthesizer beats and layers of musique concrete make you feel like your experiencing a day in the life of a satellite dish. It’s a perfect album for staying up late and using your memories for creative purposes.
Brian Eno - Ambient 1/Music For Airports (1978) : “Unobtrusive” was the term Eno used to explain his aims for this album, and he was right on. The godfather of Ambient music created a soundscape that goes on forever and sounds exactly… EXACTLY as if you were staring out the monolithic glass windows at an airport, watching the plains take off and wondering where they’re going. Any memories you have of supermarkets, doctor’s offices, banks, and hospitals might also spring to mind if you give it a listen.
The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) : A very personal favourite. In between the tracks featuring buzz-saw guitars and “I’ll kill myself tomorrow, I swear” lyrics are tunes with a genuine yearning for the innocence of youth. The track “1979″ alone is worth the price of a double album, and one of the greatest nostalgic songs of all time.
Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998) : From beginning to end , this album plugs directly into your memories of summer childhood (ie. camping, water-fights, garage sales, ping-pong, the beach, etc.) and fills you with a warm, tipsy feeling of sunburn and self-discovery.
Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001) : The downtempo demigod’s debut album is still their best. Long and luxurious soul-lounge songs coax memories of midnight butterflies that batted around in my stomach as I kissed her for the first time. I hope it works for you too…
Weekend Players - Pursuit of Happiness (2002) : This one is all about hanging out with your friends, and driving home from the beach as the sun is setting (much like the album cover implies). With the ghosts of mid-90s electro bands like Love Inc. whispering through tracks like “Higher Ground” and “Best Days of Our Lives”, you’ll probably find this album to be as much of a dance-able guilty pleasure as a nostalgic one.
The Postal Service - Give Up (2003) : Completely catchy, but melancholy tunes filled with sparse echoing pauses for you to wander through, only to be smacked around by Atari-esque synth blips and samples. A neat combination of styles at work, (don’t be put off by the Emo-like lead singer… he’s promised not to cry) and worth checking out for the cover of “Against All Odds” alone. The moment I heard a new band had covered a Phil Collins song, I knew nothing was uncool anymore.
The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004) : This album is just so freaking infectious I can’t help but think of them every time I think about any group events in high school. A combination of laidback electronic dance music, guitar fuzz, 70s movie themes, and high school pep-rally cheers, this music was certified “nostalgic” the moment it hit my headphones…. It’s a shame I never went to any of those pep-rallies…
David Gilmour - On An Island (2006) : I left Pink Floyd off the list intentionally because I know and love their music so well that I can’t help but focus ALL my attention on it when I hear it, thereby negating the “window” effect. Now David Gilmour’s latest solo album is the perfect blend of light, Floyd-ian guitar noodling and fluffy no-brainer lyrics that are necessary for aimless mental wandering.
Well, I can’t guarantee that these albums will instill the same warm melancholy in you that they do in me, but in our current age of internet freedom you can download bits and pieces of LPs in seconds… So go on, take a moment out of your busy schedule to have your own window-side nostalgia odyssey. Bring coffee… Pants are always optional.
Much Love…
