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Soundtrack Review: (500) Days of Summer

BellaSugar — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:30:23 -0700

Note from Buzz: My buddy Bella is going to contribute some of her thoughtful musings about music here from time to time. Her inaugural post is an album review of the (500) Days of Summer soundtrack. Take it away, Bella!

A movie soundtrack has more or less the same goal as a great mix tape: it needs to put a scene in the listener's mind, produce an emotional response, and introduce an amazing new song or two. Considering how integral music is to the plot of (500) Days of Summer, a lot is riding on the film's soundtrack. The film isn't shy about revealing its hip-kid leanings - after all, our lovebirds initially bond over their love of the Smiths, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt sports Clash and Joy Division tees - but the soundtrack is an ambrosia salad of sweet but all-over-the-place tunes. For more of my take on it all, read more.

These songs are an easy fit for romantic late nights, and about half of the CD will make you wish you were in love. Carla Bruni (yes, the first lady of France) spreads her velvet voice over the dreamy acoustic guitar-and-violin "Quelqu'un M'a Dit," and The Temper Trap's shimmering "Sweet Disposition" has a U2-meets-Bloc Party feel that could make this band. Regina Spektor's two tracks have her crooning as lovely as ever, and the Black Lips contribute a fun, jangly countrified treat with "Bad Kids."

And yet. For all of the good music on this soundtrack - and don't get me wrong, it's there - we've heard much of it before. Feist's "Mushaboom" is five years old now, and as much as I love Moz and Marr, I wish there were something fresher than two Smiths songs. Hall and Oates? Play 'em off, Keyboard Cat. (No, really. Please do.) Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward (She & Him) succeed with a wistful cover of "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want," but Meaghan Smith's cloyingly precious version of the Pixies' "Here Comes Your Man" is a miss.

For casual listeners, this soundtrack should bring some good times. But for anyone who's already into indie-ish music - which is pretty much this movie's target demographic - this "mix tape" might seem lacking in variety and freshness.

She & Him Cover the Smiths on (500) Days of Summer Soundtrack

BuzzSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:30:14 -0700

The soundtrack for Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's upcoming romantic film (500) Days of Summer (opening in limited release July 17) looks like an awesome lineup, and we've already checked out one of the songs, the Temper Trap's "Sweet Disposition," featured in the movie's trailer. Also included on the soundtrack is the Smiths' "Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want," along with a cover of the song sung by Zooey Deschanel herself. Deschanel and M. Ward, as musical duo She & Him, give the tune an old-fashioned '50s feel, with Deschanel's plaintive voice telling us once more that if she gets what she wants, "Lord knows, it would be the first time."

I'm looking forward to hearing the entire soundtrack when it's released July 14, but for now it's fun to get a taste with She & Him. To check out the cover, read more.

Music Video: She & Him, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?"

BuzzSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 09:30:57 -0700

When I saw She & Him play a live show here in San Francisco, Zooey Deschanel sounded great but seemed a bit nervous to be performing in front of such a large crowd. In this first video of a song off her album with M. Ward, those stage jitters are nowhere to be found. Instead we get to see the quirky, ironic Zoe we've come to know and love onscreen.

"Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" is such a cute song and the video made me laugh out loud, mostly due to the strange animated creatures and a smiling Zoe frolicking together in an otherwise dark little world (see: animated blood spilling out from an oft-murdered Zoe).

I won't give anymore away; to check it out for yourself, read more.

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Buzz News Roundup, 3/31

BuzzSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:30:26 -0700

This incredibly creepy dude, Derek Mears, will reportedly play Jason in the new Friday the 13th, ComingSoon writes.
Meanwhile, Mos Def has signed on to portray Chuck Berry in the movie Cadillac Records, Billboard reports.
Zap2it reports that ABC is shuffling its Spring schedule, moving Women's Murder Club to Tuesdays and taking Men in Trees off the air for a few weeks.
Uh-oh: The LA Times has an update on a possible actors' strike.
According to the AP, Heather Mills will judge the next Miss USA pageant.
Kathie Lee Gifford will host the fourth hour of The Today Show, the New York Times reports.
Zany soap opera Passions no longer has a home at NBC, Variety reports.
If you want to see Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's band play live, She & Him are going on a very, very brief tour, and Pitchfork has the details.

Source

Afternoon Treat: Stream Zooey's Album Now!

BuzzSugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 15:30:39 -0700

If you've been dying to know what Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's musical collaboration, She & Him, sounds like, wait no longer: Merge Records is streaming their debut album, titled Volume One, right now!

The album doesn't come out till Tuesday, but why wait? I heard most of the songs from the album at their Noise Pop show, and it's great to revisit the recorded versions. So far, I think the more uptempo songs are my favorites - "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here," "I Was Made for You," and especially "Sweet Darlin'." Those songs seem to show off Deschanel's voice and the project's overall sound the best, though a few of the ballads ("Change is Hard," "You Really Got a Hold On Me") are growing on me too.

What's your verdict? Take a listen and let me know!

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Noise Pop Diary, Part 2: Tilly and the Wall, She & Him

BuzzSugar — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 12:30:09 -0800

Last weekend, San Francisco was thoroughly rocked by the 16th installment of the Noise Pop music festival. For six nights, local favorites played alongside national stars at some of the city's greatest music venues. I had the pleasure of attending four of this year's Noise Pop shows, and this week, I've been letting you in on my Noise Pop diary. I've already told you about seeing The Magnetic Fields and The Mountain Goats and coming across Whispertown2000 for the first time. Today, I'll tell you about my final two shows of the weekend: Tilly and the Wall and She & Him.

Tilly and the Wall, 3/2, The Rickshaw Stop - Here's the biggest thing I learned upon seeing Tilly and the Wall live for the first time: No matter how you feel about the band, you've got to have respect for tap dancer/percussionist Jamie Pressnall. That girl works harder than anyone else, dancing for the full 45-minute set and hollering out the lyrics of the songs to boot. Plus, hearing tapping take the place of drumming live is really something - and it's definitely no gimmick.

The rest of the band seemed to feed off Pressnall's energy, loosening up and getting more and more excited with each song. In addition to playing favorites from their full-length albums Wild Like Children and Bottoms of Barrels - even the ones, like "Rainbows in the Dark," that they weren't 100 percent sure they knew how to play - they broke out several songs from their new album, which is expected to be out in June. One new track, the single "Beat Control," was pure, dancey fun - and I think it bodes well for the album that it was my least-favorite of the new songs.

The highlight, for me, was the first encore song, "Lost Girls." With all their peppiness, it's easy to forget that the Tilly girls are actually great singers, and Kianna Alarid's piercing voice almost made me understand the guy behind me who kept yelling for them to have his babies.

Up next: She & Him, so read more.

She & Him, 3/2, Great American Music Hall - I'm maybe just a little excited for the upcoming release of the first album by She & Him, aka Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward, and luckily, their show, which closed out Noise Pop, didn't disappoint. It's clear they (well, specifically Zooey) are still new to the whole live-performance scene, but their music ultimately overwhelmed any awkwardness.

Deschanel took center stage - sometimes seeming tiny and uncomfortable there, often looking at Ward or her hands or her tambourine rather than out at the crowd. But again, all that was forgotten as soon as she opened her mouth. Their songs have a rollicking, old-timey feel to them, reminiscent of '60s girl groups and even The Andrews Sisters. Deschanel is the primary vocalist (and sometimes pianist - yes, she plays the piano too, just in case you weren't already swooning), and her voice can cover the full range of emotions, from happy and in love to down and devastated. That said, she and Ward should harmonize more; their voices are so unusual on their own, but they match perfectly together.

About midway through the show, someone called out "You're dreamy!" Deschanel thanked the woman, then paused: "Did you mean me or Matt?" The caller yelled back, "Matt!" and the resulting laughter helped ease some of the tension in the room. By the time of the encore, they were all out of original songs, but they gamely came back anyway for some covers - including a soaring "I Put a Spell on You" that isn't on the album but certainly deserves to be recorded.

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BuzzSugar's Must-Haves for March

BuzzSugar — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 09:30:26 -0800

March is that kind of in-between month that's still chilly enough to require some cozy movie nights, but also shows the promise of warm Spring and bouncing down the sidewalk, listening to good music. My March must-haves allow for all kinds of weather. To check out what I'm reading, watching and listening to this month, press "Start."

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Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward to Make Sweet, Sweet Album

BuzzSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 06:30:00 -0800

Turns out, the musical collaboration between singer-songwriter M. Ward and the insanely adorable Zooey Deschanel isn't just a one-time thing. In an interview with the LA radio station KCRW, Deschanel said the two have recorded a full-length album coming out in March. The two recorded "When I Get to the Border" together for the movie The Go-Getter and decided not to stop there:

We had so much fun that M asked to hear these demos that I'd made. I write a lot of music but I'm kind of shy about it. He asked to hear it, and then he heard it, and he asked if we could do something together, because it was fun, and why not?

The two are recording as She and Him, and their first album is called Volume One - which, I hope, means volumes two, three, and more could be coming down the line. Two songs from She and Him, "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" and "Sentimental Heart," are streaming over at this MySpace page right now. Both feature Deschanel's singing, which I really love - and not just because I tend to adore Zooey in any form. I'm especially fond of the first song's old-timey style, and both have me eager to hear more from She and Him.

The two also appeared together in LA recently, and you can check out two of the songs they performed, "Lonesome Town" and "I Put a Spell on You," if you read more.

House Rundown, "Ignorance is Bliss"

BuzzSugar — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:30:45 -0800

With Cameron gone, the new (old) team is still working out the kinks in this week's House - and it feels like the writers aren't sure where the show's going either. The episode tackles a genius patient with what appears to be TTP, Thanksgiving, and House and Cuddy all in one swoop. And while the doc is back to acting like a selfish jerk following his recent good behavior, I didn't even find his quips that amusing. If anything, the episode felt like a downer!

Okay, so I know these are harsh words, so perhaps I'm not giving this week a fair trial. Let's go over the highlights, and tell me what you think when you read more.

The team gathers around the table to start hypothesizing, but to me it feels off without Cameron there. I'll give the writers the benefit of the doubt since it's the first week with the updated crew, but don't you agree?
We get it Chase - you're upset. He huffs and puffs and refuses invitations from Taub, Foreman, and Thirteen for friendly help. Then House refers to Cameron as Chase's "ex-smarter half" and gets punched. I want to be sympathetic to Chase because of his split from Cameron, but with that attitude? Forget it.
House needs to get Cuddy off the brain stat. He announces to Wilson that he's going to break up her relationship with Lucas, and then starts plotting ways to get invited to Thanksgiving dinner to see his plan through. Cuddy gives him the address where the meal is taking place, but (surprise!) the house is empty. I was shocked that she gave him faux info! Do you think it's too mean, or does he deserve it?
After being rejected, House gets drunk and breaks into Lucas's place to confess his love for Cuddy. Seriously. (He says to Lucas, "I'm pathetic," and I couldn't agree more.) The next day, Cuddy tells House that Lucas broke up with her over the incident - until we later find out that she's lying to get him to lay off. It seems like House might leave her alone by the end of the episode. Do you think he's finally giving up? And do you think his intoxicated act was real or fake? He tries to make it sound planned, but I'm not 100 percent sure.
While House and Cuddy were weighing down the show with sadder stuff, Taub and his wife brought a bit of comic relief. She's stopped sleeping with him, because she thinks he's a wuss for going back to House. But once Taub passes off a photo of House's black eye as his own handiwork – instead of Chase's - she basically jumps him!
The medical mystery involving a former genius who dumbs himself down, so he can love his "happy and dumb" wife (his words, not mine) is relatively interesting - even though I snarled at his comments about her stupidity. First they think he has TTP, but the problem is actually an old injury where he broke three ribs causing his spleen to split. Come on, 16 spleens?! I know I'm a dork, but that's pretty cool. Next time writers, less Cuddy skirt-chasing, more stuff like this.

Okay, so time for your assessment - what did you think of the episode? Isn't the House and Cuddy storyline starting to wear thin? (Even I'm over it, and I was rooting for them before!) And how do you like the team now that Cameron's dunzo?

If you're a fan of the show, check out the House! group in community!

Photos courtesy of Fox

FlashForward Breakdown, "Believe"

BuzzSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:30:32 -0800

The most central characters of FlashForward take a backseat this week, letting Bryce and Aaron take the spotlight. It's a nice relief from Mark and Demetri's constant agonizing over their own fates (though we still get a dose of that, too).

We learn that Bryce has been keeping a big secret, and Aaron's reunion with his daughter isn't all he had expected it to be. Ready to get into it? Just read more.

I want to believe: We finally get some insight into why Bryce tried to kill himself: he has stage four cancer and has been keeping it a secret from everyone but his therapist. We also get to see his saving grace - in his flashforward, Bryce is laughing and smiling in a restaurant with a pretty Asian woman. Determined to make his fate come true, Bryce takes up Japanese (with Nicole's help) and even heads to Asia when he's supposed to be in Houston testing out a wonder drug. Here's what confuses me: in Bryce's vision, he sees himself saying "you're really here" and he knows it's months into the future. Why does he try to rush fate? I wasn't surprised at all when he and Keiko don't make the connection in Japan (though I did feel a bit disappointed for him). Side note: Nicole is totally falling for Bryce.

Across the pond: Bryce isn't the only one who is featured this week; we get some background info on the (literal) woman of his dreams. Keiko is a young, bright woman living with her parents and working for a robotics firm. Though her life looks perfect on paper, Keiko is bored at work and with her personal life, longing to play her guitar and find her soulmate. She gets a shiny new outlook on life when she sees Bryce in her vision, and we realize that their meeting doesn't take place in Japan after all, but in LA.

Family ties: Aaron is having a hard time adjusting to life with Tracy. Her continual drinking habit causes a fight between them; Aaron can't be around alcohol, and Tracy feels entitled to drink after all she's been through. Tracy storms out and Aaron blames himself for her addiction and her post-war transformation. Mark only makes matters worse when he accuses Aaron of telling Olivia that he was drinking in his flashforward, and Aaron tells Mark he shouldn't be his sponsor anymore. Losing his sponsor can't be good for Mark and his vision.

Other major plot points:

Demetri finally makes strides on figuring out who called him about his murder. The call is traced back to Hong Kong, and though Stan doesn't want Demetri heading overseas, Mark offers to go with him in secret.
The FBI agents discover that suspect zero wears a ring with an alpha symbol on it but aren't sure what to make of it.

Did you like this week's episode, or were you longing for more action? Will Nicole get in the way of Bryce and Keiko?