I was never much of a fan of music videos or MTV. I couldn't understand why anyone would want to watch a band act out a silly story or lip-sync to a make-believe "performance." Why not just shoot the band playing for real in a studio?
The geniuses at IFC have done just that with Nigel Godrich's "From the Basement" series, which is now coming to DVD. There's an amazing roster of talent to see and hear.
High points include the White Stripes. Jack's wailing vocal acrobatics and scorching guitar riffs bouncing off Meg's pounding drums on "Blue Orchid" are a sight to see. When Meg's really into it she rears back and sticks out her tongue.
Jarvis Cocker is a wild man, he and his band seem to be channeling late '70s Elvis Costello and the Attractions. OK, maybe it's Cocker's thick glasses that threw me off, but the music really does have an early punk vibe to it. Too bad there's just one cut from Cocker.
Radiohead opens the DVD and Thom Yorke closes it. Me, I preferred Yorke solo, playing an upright piano. There's a palpable quality in the sound of the instrument, every creak of the wood and clatter of the keys add dimension to the music. I love the way Yorke modulates his voice against those amazing chord changes, it's a commanding performance.
The "From the Basement" Dolby Stereo, Dolby 5.1, and DTS 5.1 mixes are you-are-there intimate. There's no heavy production, editing, tweaking, or effects to muck things up. You hear the "room," the sound of the singers and band filling that space. "From the Basement" is one of the best-sounding music DVDs I've heard in a long while. It's set for release on March 3 with a retail price of $14.98.
Back in the old days (like 2007), the marketing strategy for new albums included a prerelease "rolling thunder" PR campaign. First came a single, followed shortly by the video.
Then a few chosen reviewers would get early copies with "NOT FOR RESALE" imprinted across the front, allowing them to have their reviews ready slightly before or on the release date. Retail outlets would receive promotional matter, like cardboard cutouts of the band standing in front of the album cover. A few warm-up shows would feature songs from the record. Meanwhile, somebody--a reviewer, a disgruntled record company employee--would leak the entire album to file-trading services.
Jack White and Warner Bros. have decided to dispense with all this for the upcoming release of the Raconteurs' new album, Consolers of the Lonely. Today, the band announced that the entire album will be released simultaneously online, on CD, and on vinyl next Tuesday. No advance singles, no reviewers' copies, and perhaps not even a video at release (they just finished shooting it).
The band would have waited even longer, but knew that the news of the album's imminent release would have slipped out, and didn't want this quick-release strategy to be seen as a reaction.
And why not? Radio stations hardly play this kind of rock 'n' roll anymore, and fans don't need reviewers to tell them what to think: the huge Jack White fans will buy it regardless, and more casual fans probably would have formed their opinion after sampling the leaked version anyway. This way, the band saves promotional money and the release date might actually be cause for excitement, rather than the jaded "oh, I downloaded that months ago" response that greets most album releases today.
(Credit:
NEC)
We've got to hand it to NEC and Nissan. As silly as we found the their SUV-inspired laptop, there's something admirably cheeky about their special edition that's supposed to match Nissan's March mini-car (aka the Micra in Japan), in all its striped insanity.
The pattern looks as if it was lifted from a drawer liner created by an overcaffienated interior designer of the '60s. It even comes with a slip cover made of the same material used for the car's seat upholstery, according to Digital World Tokyo.
We really shouldn't be surprised by any of this, considering that the laptop is NEC's LaVie G. As noted before, once it went down the Sanrio road to hell, all bets were off.
Peppermint filter offered for each camera.
(Credit: The White Stripes)The Fashionista blog noticed this new camera for White Stripes or vintage camera fanatics.
Meg and Jack White of the White Stripes have partnered with the Lomography Society, an international experimental-photography organization, on two reproduction cameras.
The purpose of the limited-edition cameras is to take "an analog look at life in the Digital Age," according to a statement on the White Stripes Web site.
I suppose this is a follow-up to their Digital Age release of the Icky Thump album on USB flash drives.
The "Meg" for $180 is a semireplica of the Diana camera from the 1960s. It comes with a 'Nobody Knows How To Talk To Children' ring flash, a Diana Vignettes photo book, a peppermint film mask filter, a camera strap and a lens cap.
It also comes with a note for modern-day photographers: "This camera uses all varieties of medium-format 120 film--to be purchased and developed at professional photo labs and specialty stores."
The 'Meg' Diana camera.
(Credit: The White Stripes)
The 'Jack' Holga.
(Credit: The White Stripes)The "Jack" is a Holga flash camera for $180 that comes with--what else?--a fish-eye lens. The kit also includes a The World Through a Plastic Lens photo book, a 120 roll of film, three glass lens filters, a camera strap, a lens cap, opaque tape and two AA batteries.
Three thousand of each camera were made in the band's signature colors of red, white and black, and include the band's signature peppermint swirl.
Both cameras also come with a peppermint filter for making your images look like a scene out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, or should I say Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? That's the version in which Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka bears a striking resemblance to Jack White.
Motorola Rizr Z3
(Credit: T-Mobile)T-Mobile is never one to shy away from new colors for its cell phones. Already it has introduced Moto's Razr in a variety of colors and designs, including magenta and dragon tattoo. But now the carrier turns its attention to one of its most recent offerings, the Motorola Rizr Z3. In addition to its existing blue model, T-Mobile soon will offer the Rizr Rose. To the rest of you, that means red, but we admit that "rose" is a little catchier.
The feature set on the new Rizr is unchanged, and though we couldn't get pricing yet, we expect it to fetch $99 (with a new service contract).
Samsung SGH-T329 Stripe
(Credit: T-Mobile)T-Mobile also is selling its Samsung SGH-T329 Stripe in a new hue. Instead of sliver with a gray stripe, this new SGH-T329 is black with a silver stripe. Like the new Rizr, the black Stripe offers the same feature set as its sibling. You can get it for $39 (with a new service contract).
Samsung Stripe
(Credit: Samsung)We heard tell that the Samsung Stripe would be going to T-Mobile earlier this month, and it turned out to be true. The GSM carrier launched the Stripe today, so named because of the vertical gray stripe down its middle. As we mentioned previously, the Stripe is on the lower end of T-Mobile's offerings: it features a simple VGA camera with 4x zoom, Bluetooth, instant messaging, a speakerphone, T-Mobile's MyFaves support, and not much else. Also dubbed the Samsung SGH-T329, the phone is now available for a very affordable $49.99 after a rebate and a new contract.
Samsung Stripe
(Credit: Samsung)Someone tipped Gizmodo off to the possibility of a new Samsung clamshell making its way to the T-Mobile lineup in the near future. Dubbed the Samsung Stripe for the vertical gray stripe down the middle, it will sport a low-end set of features such as a speakerphone, instant messaging, a VGA camera, Bluetooth, and T-Mobile's MyFaves support. Actual pricing is still unknown to us, but we're guessing it won't be terribly costly.
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