A couple of weeks ago, I came across No Way Down, a new EP by the sunny Swedish pop duo Air France, and it blew me away. I picked up the album on June 26th, and according to my iTunes, I have listened to each track approximately 23 times… and I am listening to it as I write this, so that’s technically 24. Check out the carefree driving song "No Excuses" on their MySpace page, and the addictive "Collapsing at Your Doorstep" here. (You can download the entire release here.)
At first, No Way Down reminded me of a cross between the Avalanches‘ Since I Left You and Boards of Canada’s Music Has the Right to Children, but honestly, I think that No Way Down might be even better. On “Collapsing at Your Doorstep,” a young girl repeats the phrase: “Sorta like a dream? No — better.” And that’s an understatement.
You’re up: Which three current movie/TV/music/books/games/Web items belong on your Must List this week? Please include your e-mail address so that we can get in touch with you in case we decide to use your submission in the magazine. Deadline is 10 a.m. ET on Thursday, July 10.
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TV: Watching as many episodes of “Shameless” as I can find on YouTube. I heart James McAvoy!
Movies: Gearing up for The Dark Knight. I’m having a Batman Begins viewing at my house this weekend, followed by one night of movies featuring all the lead actors.
Music: I’m still loving Coldplay’s Viva La Vida. It might just be their best album to date.
Books: My friends obsession with the Twilight series has encouraged me to give the books a go before the new one is released. I guess that will take up the next week or so of my life:)
TV: Weeds Season 1 – I’m behind the times – 5 eps in – great so far.
Music: John Mayer “Where The Light Is” – just saw him in Indi – he’s a great guitarist.
Book: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen – a great teen novel that is like Gossip Girl set in the turn of the century. I am rereading this before I start the sequel, Rumors: A Luxe Novel.
Books: America, America by Ethan Canin. Timely and engaging.
TV: Counting down until The Closer returns and enjoying In Plain Sight in the mean time.
The tour of Walking With Dinosaurs is ruling our house. We have a countdown to showtime and everything.
Music: Here We Stand by The Fratellis (as well as Costello Music, if you don’t already have it). It’s just fun, feel-good, rock. It always puts me in a good mood.
http://jeannietate.com/
^The website of Liz Cackowski, who played Liz in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (Bill Hader’s wife) It’s a bunch of shorts starring her as Jeanie Tate, a soccer mom with a TV show. She was a writer for SNL and is hilarious as are her videos! MUST LIST MATERIAL!
Burn Notice Season 2 starts Thursday! Also, Coldplay’s Viva La Vida is still all I’m listening to.
Music: Eric Hutchinson’s CD “Sound’s Like This” and Jason Reeve’s Cd “The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache” are brilliant. Hutchinson is a nice acoustic pop albumn. Reeve’s (a collaborator on Colbie Caillat’s Coco) is more Neo-folk.
TV: The three-part season finale of “Doctor Who” on Sci-Fi. Russell T. Davies (who brought the series back in 2005) wraps up his tenure as showrunner and head writer by tying up pretty much every plot thread left out there since the show came back.
Video: Batman – Gotham Knight. A series of animated shorts by premiere anime directors, all of which link up the events of Batman Begins to The Dark Knight.
Music: Wall-E. Thomas Newman’s score from the brilliant Pixar film effectively recreates the atmosphere, while contributions from Peter Gabriel just make the whole affair that much cooler.
Music: Jay Brannan’s new cd, goddamned just came out last week. Jay was in Shortstop, and has been touring for a while to promote his music. He has a pretty strong following, and his new CD is fantastically varied. His music is catchy and extremely heartfelt.
Hey Dave,
Here are some things that should be on your radar:
A must listen is the new, self-titled LP by The Virgins (download Rich Girls).
I am equally excited about the appearance of a full trailer for the movie adaptation of Blindness. If you haven’t read the book yet, run out right now and get it. (http://blindness-themovie.com/)
Also on the web this week, The Office Webisodes staring Brian Baumgartner (aka Kevin) premiere Thursday!
Lastly, I can’t wait for the DVD release of Get Smart season 1 (though sadly, we have to wait until August).
Thanks for the Air France link. Great band!
Where is WALL-E *said in robot like voice* on the must list suggestions? Pixar out does itself with each movie it puts out. As a 27 year old, I was as awestuck as the 7 year old sitting next me. Show Wall-E the mad robot love it desereves..he has been cleaning our trash for 700 years..that’s a lot of Jessica Simpson Cds to clean up.
1. Movies: All things James McAvoy. “Wanted” set off a McAvoy marathon at our house–Atonement, Becoming Jane, Starter for 10, and, his best performance by far, Last King of Scotland.
2. and 3. Anthony Bourdain, “No Reservations,” the book and the new season on the Travel Channel. Tony rocks! Cocky yet self-mocking, irreverent yet sincerely moved by the people and places he visits, and willing to divulge secrets of the restaurant biz that everyone should know (like mussels, brunch, and seafood salad on Mondays).
Top Three would have to be Weezer’s Red album…I have it in work, a thome and in my car. Just can’t get enough of it. WallE was adorable an dI want to find a little WallE so I can play with it in work ( I’m 37!!) and for TV it would have to be the latest season of Deadliest Catch. Who knew that crab fishing would be so addictive?
Baldwin Hills – I’m 29 and this kids are so entertaining!
Rescue Me mini episodes – I’m so glad I don’t have to endure Janet and can just see the guys especially Newbie and Black Sean.
Rediscovering Moulin Rouge – With Baz L’s Australia coming out people need to see his best work.
I second this season of Deadliest Catch. BEST SEASON YET. A lot of drama (especially with Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie) and a lot of kick ass hard work from these guys makes this show great. Plus, now we get After the Catch after each new episode. Discovery Channel is just so much fun!
Hulu’s Days of Summer. Something new and wonderful everyday!
Viva La Vida by Coldplay.
Their most cohesive and ambitious album yet – I’ve hardly stopped listening to it.
Music: Everyone MUST check out the ultimate pop mash-up album by Girl Talk called Feed the Animals.
It fuses nearly everyone from Radiohead, Jay-Z, Fergie, The Cure to Feist, Queen and Timbaland into one album-length uber-groove.
Emily Bezar’s releasing her fifth album, Exchange, later this month, and has some amazing tracks up on her Myspace.
And you already know what else I’m gonna suggest. (Kristin Hersh.) (“Moan” is current!)
My Summer ‘08 ‘Must List’ is getting me through these scorching hot months. On TV it’s the talented kids of SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE. When I’m at the beach with a good book, my favorite author Jodi Picoult is always a sure bet. On my iPod it’s the tracks I downloaded from this season of AMERICAN IDOL (David Cook’s ‘Billie Jean’ still makes me happy). And late night, my friends and I can’t get enough of Guitar Hero…it’s so addictive!
1)Good Girl Gone Bad Reloaded-Rihanna(I’m no fan of hers, but four hot singles(Don’t Stop the Music, Take a Bow, If I Never See Your Face Again, and Disturbia) is enough to change my mind)
2)Hulu(just finished catching up on new episodes of The Office, and I’m moving on to Bones)
You MUST read The Story of Edgar Sawtelle – it will make you weep – but is the most wonderful book I have read in many, many years.
1) CYNDI LAUPER: Bring Ya To The Brink. Between “Into the Nightlife”, “Same Old Story” (maybe her best song since True Colors), and saving Nuke on As The World Turns, has not left my [s]gaydar[/s] radar all week.
2) CANADIAN IDOL: It’s Top 10 week! This season is a bizarre mix of incredible prodigies and total train-wrecks. A must.
3) SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE: Artistic choreography. Incredible talent. Makes me scream like Mary Murphy.
1. The Middleman on ABC Family – I was skeptical at first but discovered that this show is hillarious, smart and well acted.
2. Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimiore of the Rift for the DS – The tactics games are probably my favorites of the Final Fantasy games…I can’t get enough of them.
3. Kushiel’s Mercy by Jacqueline Carrey
- When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. He makes me laugh out loud!
- Burn Notice
- Whitney Duncan
[Sam Sparro's self-titled] is currently on repeat in my car and at home and at work. I can’t get enough of the album, it’s amazing. As for movies — it’s been out in a limited release for awhile now and probably leaving theaters soon, but [The Fall] is an absolutely gorgeous and intriguing movie. And then of course [So You Think You Can Dance] for TV.
Sleuth TV is rerunning the great early-00’s CBS series Robbery Homicide Division, and I couldn’t be happier. Produced by Michael Mann and starring Tom Sizemore, set in a treacherous, multi-ethnic cesspit called Los Angeles, you could almost be tempted to call this show Heat: the Series. But it’s a lot more low-key and unsettling than that. And with no overacting Al Pacino. With its somber, stylish tone and unflashy-looking cops, I’ll take this show over a half dozen Jerry Bruckheimer procedurals. And as maybe the last stop before his life became a 24/7 Tabloid Circus, you can watch this and remember when Sizemore was an effective actor.
Vampirewire (http://vampirewire.blogspot.com/): Author Marta Acosta provides news about vampire & paranormal books & entertainment with a healthy dose of humor.
HBO’s viral campaign for “True Blood”: (http://bloodcopy.com/ & http://trubeverage.com/)
“Wicked Game” by Jeri Smith-Ready: Ciara, a reformed grifter lands a marketing internship at an eclectic radio station that’s threatened with a corporate takeover. Things get complicated when she finds out the DJs are vampires…
The season premier of “The Closer” on July 14 is at the top of my TV must list.