BuzzSugar

How Do You Feel About a Mass-Market Indie CD?

BuzzSugar — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:00:13 -0700

Here's a little something to chew on as you roll into the weekend: A Now-style compilation CD of indie tunes is hitting stores this month. The track list includes songs from Sonic Youth, Neko Case, Deerhoof, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Hold Steady and others.

A couple things about this strike me as funny. For one, a whole bunch of the songs are from 2006, which I'm pretty sure means they're not "next." And second, who exactly is supposed to be buying this? I can't imagine any self-respecting fan of the included artists deigning to buy the compilation, and I'm not sure your average Target shopper would pick this up, think, "Hmm, I've always wondered what this 'indie music' is all about!" and toss it into the cart. What's your take?

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Buzz Blabber: Where to Talk About TV's Most Recent Episodes

BuzzSugar — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 07:00:00 -0800

Taking a while to catch up on this week's TV? No problem - I've compiled all the recaps from the latest episodes here so you can join the discussion whenever you're ready!

Desperate Housewives	Gossip Girl	The Vampire Diaries
Glee	Mad Men	FlashForward
The Office	So You Think You Can Dance	Grey's Anatomy

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:30:14 -0700

It's one of my favorite days of the week: Tuesday! Which means I get to add DVDs to my Netflix queue, along with some brand new tunes for my iPod. So check out today's music releases for what you should download. (And if you like to review albums, don't forget to take a peek at the Music Review Group in the community.)

A smooth ride: Sufjan Stevens takes a breather from his states project with BQE, an ode to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. He originally performed the work to accompany a film about the road, but the music stands on its own as a beautiful orchestral arrangement. Warning if you like Stevens's mellow voice: BQE is all instrumental. Still, it proves that he has what it takes as a composer, and I'd like to see him lend his talents to more of this sort of work. My picks: Movement II: Sleeping Invader, which sounds like a ballet dream sequence, and Traffic Shock, which mixes in clashing electronic sounds like a busy gridlock.

Pretty packs a punch: If you haven't heard of Florence and the Machine, get ready. Florence Welch is the latest spunky Brit singer on the scene, and her debut Lungs already went platinum in the UK. Today, it's available to buy stateside. She's the singer I'd want to be if I had my own band - a woman who wails while banging the tambourine - and her album veers between tough-chick anthems and haunting ballads a la Sarah McLachlan. Make sure you try the hand-clapping, feel-good Dog Days Are Over or the romantic Cosmic Love.

See two more releases when you read more.

Freaky fun: If you're a Flight of the Conchords fan - or even if you're not - you'll want to check out I Told You I Was Freaky, a compilation of music from season two (including three previously unreleased tracks). Sure, half the fun is watching the boys act out each song on the show (and Jemaine's wicked dance moves), but when you listen to the music on its own, you realize just how talented they really are. Each selection could qualify for radio-play - or just a ridiculously fun karaoke night. The album includes favorites like Sugarlumps, Hurt Feelings, and the Emmy-nominated Carol Brown.

Lyrical wanderlust: Jay Farrar of Son Volt and Benjamin Gibbard of Death Cab For Cutie team up on One Fast Move or I'm Gone: Music From Kerouac's Big Sur, an ode to the famous author's work. The two musicians met while working on a documentary about Kerouac and decided to collaborate on this album using words from his novel. It's fitting then that the result feels like a cross-country trip - lazy and laid-back with some twangy country, Americana sound. I'll be adding the title track and California Zephyr to my car playlist.

New Moon Soundtrack Out Today! What to Sink Your Teeth Into

BuzzSugar — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:44:25 -0700

The film version of this Fall's sequel to Twilight isn't all fans have been rabidly anticipating - the New Moon soundtrack picked up enough steam to be released today instead of next Tuesday. It's no wonder it was rushed out; Death Cab for Cutie's video for "Meet Me on the Equinox", premiered to much fanfare, as did the tracklist, revealed barely a month ago.

The wait is over, and you can go buy the disc, download it, or stream the soundtrack on MySpace for free today. I've been listening for the past couple of days, and like my feelings for Robert Pattinson, I'm crushing pretty hard on it. Music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas did a great job compiling songs - all originals for the soundtrack - that evoke the teenage heartbreak vibe of New Moon while featuring a roster of talented bands.

Find out what's worth the iPod space when you read more.

I'm a pretty big Death Cab fan, but "Meet Me on the Equinox" doesn't do much for me - instead, The Killer's "White Demon Love Song" is the better rocking, evocative love song.

It was interesting to me when people were perplexed about Thom Yorke's appearance on this soundtrack, when there was an awesomely-placed Radiohead song over Twilight's end credits. Yorke's solo effort, "Hearing Damage" has the same edgy feeling as "15 Step," and I'm definitely trying to figure out when it will play in the movie (it sounds ideal to break down to).

It's fun to play the where-does-this-song-go game; "Monsters" by Hurricane Bells has to be played when things are good between Bella and Jacob, while "The Violet Hour" by Sea Wolf is another one of the few upbeat songs on the album. I'd bet the relieved-sounding ballad "Shooting the Moon" by OK Go ends up being one of the movie's last songs.

Considering the movie's plot, there are the expected mournful tunes, such as the remarkable "Possibility" by Lykke Li, who came into my consciousness last year and is about to hit everyone else's this year. Grizzly Bear's Slow Life also beautifully illustrates Bella's sad sack mood (total break up song).

Stephenie Meyer's favorite band Muse of course appears with "I Belong To You" - and it's a lively, bittersweet track (I'm betting it's wrapping up the credits).

Have you gotten a chance to listen to the New Moon soundtrack? Tell me what songs have caught your ear below, and to talk more album reviews, join the Music Review Group or the Movies of Twilight group in the community!

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:30:32 -0700

It's Tuesday, which means that not only is your Netflix queue getting a shot in the arm, so is your iPod: I've checked out today's new music releases and have some advice for you on what you should download today.

Hipster Halloween Party: I'm pretty shocked by how much I'm enjoying the self-titled debut album from Dead Man's Bones, AKA the band that Ryan Gosling is in. The "goth-folk" concept sounds too campy to work; Gosling and his bandmate Zach Shields have compiled an entire album of creepy-themed tracks, finding inspiration in zombies and werewolves. It sounds ridiculous, but their stroke of genius is adding the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children's Choir. As backup singers, the kids' voices are sweet and catchy, especially on Flowers Grow Out of My Grave. My other favorites are the charm-filled, retro-sounding My Body's a Zombie For You and Pa Pa Power, where Gosling's '50s-toned voice plays off the backing of the young voices.

Spill it: I was eagerly awaiting Built to Spill's latest album, There Is No Enemy, and I'm not disappointed; so far I like it more than their last effort from three years ago, You in Reverse. Enemy is more in the upbeat-yet-deep vein of 1999's Keep it Like a Secret (maybe my favorite BTS album). Lose yourself in Hindsight and Aisle 13, but if you're craving a lilting, classic BTS jam, cue up Things Fall Apart.

See one more release when you read more.

A girl and her guitar: Brandi Carlile hit the pop culture jackpot when songs from her last album The Story were featured on Grey's Anatomy several times. Now she's back with her third album, Give Up the Ghost, and her emotional folk will probably get her back on the show: Dreams ramps up from a slow ballad to heavy rocker, while That Year and Before it Breaks are worthy of a Mer-Der cryfest.

Buzz Battle: Kristin Cavallari as the New Face of The Hills

BuzzSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:30:29 -0700

The editors here at BuzzSugar stand united in our undying love for all things pop culture, but we don't always see eye-to-eye on every topic. After checking out the premiere of The Hills, this morning's water cooler discussion quickly evolved into a debate about whether or not the show can survive with Kristin in Lauren's place.

In corner number one we've got editor B, who is ready to cancel her season pass to the show after last night's episode. In corner number two, we've got editor S, who couldn't be more thrilled to welcome Kristin to the show. We've both compiled our strongest arguments, so check out both sides of the story and weigh in for yourself when you read more.

Editor B: Let me start by saying that I am not a Cavallari hater. I thought she was adorable and entertaining on Laguna Beach. The problem is that her sassy, bad-girl attitude doesn't make her unique anymore. Now she just seems like one of those girls that peaked in high school and never got over it. LC may not have been the most dramatic character on the show, but I appreciated that she kept it real instead of blatantly starting fights five minutes after walking into a party.
Editor S Rebuttal: By replacing LC with Kristin, The Hills just flipped the script. Within ten minutes of this week's premiere, there's a screaming match (Audrina had to be held back!). The show hasn't seen action like this since Lauren hollered that Heidi knew what she did outside of a nightclub ladies room in season three. Last night, no one stared at each other with emotive eyes and pregnant pauses. They talked, they flirted, they yelled. Thanks to Kristin, The Hills is fun again!
Editor B: Her valley girl voice is annoying me more than ever.
Editor S Rebuttal: Have you ever heard Spencer's voice? Hasn't stopped me from watching yet.
Editor B: It's hard to root for a protagonist that you repeatedly want to kick in the shins. I used to think Stephanie and Audrina were whiny, but now I can't blame them for leaving the show.
Editor S Rebuttal: After four seasons of feeling sympathy for LC (someone's being mean to Lauren, someone's lying about Lauren, someone's hooking up with Lauren's maybe boyfriend), it's refreshing to root for a live wire. Kristin's not sympathetic and she doesn't need your sympathy. There's only so many female friendship dilemmas you can go through, and The Hills has gone through them - really, is it a big deal if Lauren hangs out with Lo more than Audrina?! I'm sick of smeared mascara and tearful conversations; I'm ready for stilettos and scheming.
Editor B's closing argument: I'll give her a few more episodes, but I have a feeling that this show is a sinking ship and KCav is the captain. With LC gone, it's like back-to-back obnoxious scenes featuring Kristin and Spencer. There's only so much a person can take!
Editor S's closing argument: Did you see the previews for the coming season? Kristin will get put in her place by Jayde and the catfights are only starting. If the rest of the season is as juicy and action-packed as this week's episode, then I have my new Tuesday night destination for guilty, mean girl pleasure.

So whose side are you on?

What to Download: New Music Today

BuzzSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:30:32 -0700

Tuesdays are big in entertainmentville: not only do all the new DVD releases hit Netflix, but new music also pours into stores. So I take a spin through each week's music releases and pick out some albums and tracks worthy of a download.

Queen of the dance floor: I pretty much murdered my cassette of Madonna's greatest hits, The Immaculate Collection, which came out in 1990. Now, with Celebration, her third hits compilation, Madonna brings the party again. The title track is an upbeat dancer, but what you really want are her older songs that are mixed in with more recent hits, including "Hung Up," "Music," "Vogue," "Into the Groove," "Don’t Tell Me," and "Like a Virgin."

Divas are doing it for themselves: Even if your tastes aren't Mariah-level mainstream, you probably won't be able to escape most of the singles off of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel for the next few months. Mariah wrote and executive produced the entire album, which includes her stalker jam "Obsessed" which has already been getting lots of airplay. If you tend to like her pipes more on ballads, look out for "H.A.T.E.U." and "I Want to Know What Love Is."

See one more release when you read more.

Alt rock out: Paramore sprung on the scene last year with prime placement on the Twilight soundtrack. Since then, they've been nominated for a VMA, and today they release their third album, Brand New Eyes. The first single, "Ignorance," is a hard rocker, while the slower, bittersweet "All I Wanted" will please devoted fans and new listeners. I also predict "Brick by Boring Brick" will go places.

10 Books That Are Better as Movies

BuzzSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:30:04 -0700

It's a strange experience when you realize you're enjoying a movie more than you enjoyed the book on which it's based because so often the opposite is true. After all, presumably an author has the advantage because he/she can provide deep insight into characters that actors have to convey with but a glance. Every so often, though, a story makes a lot more sense onscreen. Here I've compiled a list of some stories I'd rather watch than read. What are yours? Just hit "Start" to begin the slideshow.

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