Friday, December 24, 2010

Stupid end of the year list

Five people I'd like to see and hear less of next year



1) John Campbell - You're a journalist. Drinking champagne with people who starred in a TV series you had a bit role in is networking at its most embarrassing.

2) Mark Sainsbury - Also embarrasing for similar reason. The sooner the NZ TV networks realize these presenters are a waste of space the better.

3) Gordon Ramsey - so you can swear and you can cook. A labourer in the tropics can do both much better. Your head would be a perfect fit in a show about microwave cooking. Hannibal Lecter would be the ideal presenter.

4) Sports Presenters - Just go away - your throwaway comments are unneccessary. Prime news has it right as one presenter and half an hour for news is all that is needed.

5) A tie between Sonny Bill Williams and Rhys Darby. Stick to your day jobs and let the Briscoes lady do more advertising work.

Good TV Shows


1) Outrageous Fortune- NZ comedy drama
2) The Middle - good family comedy
3) 7 Days - Proof NZ TV comedy shows work if the comedians can only saw a few lines at a time.
4) Thank God, You're here (please put this aussie show on a primetime TV spot).
5) Who wants to be a Millionaire? - The fun is in not only guessing the answers but also guessing how Chris Tarrant will touch the women.

Five good movies of the year




Boy
Avatar
Animal Kingdom
My name is Khan
Inception

Best NZ sporting moments



Wellington Phoenix getting into the A-league play-offs and selling out Westpac Stadium. Who would have thought two soccer games in six months would sell out in a nation where rugby is given the biggest push?

Shane Smeltz's goal against Italy. Mainstream media will say it's Winston Reid's goal that made NZ appear that they deserved to be in the football world cup but overlook that the team beat Serbia in the lead up and that Smeltz's goal around the six minute mark in this game that took the lead and meant they were potential giant killers.

New Zealand winning the gold medal in the netball in the commonwealth games. The game was good to watch and the celebration of the win even better. Shame about the size of local crowds at most event.


The Kiwis showing that they were capable of beating the Kangaroos on their home turf and proving that winning the rugby league world cup wasn't a fluke of nature.

In Rugby the All Blacks are always expected to win and at the end of the year often did so.

Music releases



Sorry, can't do just five.

1) Devo - Something for Everybody
2) Teenage Fanclub - Shadows
3) The Dissociates - Waiting for the Backlash EP
4) Demontage - The Principal Extinction
5) Sigh - Scenes from Hell
6) Leatherface - The Stormy Petrel
7) Autistic Youth - Idle Minds
8) Killing Joke - Absolute Dissent
9) Pasadena Napalm Division EP
10) Off! - First four EP's

Monday, December 20, 2010

J Minus - Devil Music (2010)


The promo material describes J Minus as an atypical rock band who don't party hard or wear tight pants and the band share only a couple of tattoos between them on alternating weekends. The band definitely aren't hard since they sound more like the Wallflowers than Slayer or Minor Threat(who also didn't party hard or wear tight pants).

The album starter definitely takes cues from Jacob Dylan's crew with a simlilar chorus line. It's hard to differentiate between a drumbeat and handclapping. In contrast, all instruments can be clearly made out in the gently calming light rock of "When the Lights Go Out". Various instruments are clearly used on the begging "Can I Count on You? with the mellow vocals softly dragging the listener in for a sugar-coated ride. "The One" lives up to its name as it's the standout track and has AOR radio hit written all over it due to its sheer catchiness. Oddly, "Into the Dark" reminded me of "Super Star Car Wash" period Goo Goo Dolls. Often with the songs on this album, it's the instrumental introductions that cause interest so they've got it right as far as grabbing attention right away goes while the songs themselves continue to roll gently along.

I'd originally assumed that the cover crayon art was drawn by one of the J Minus guy's kid but turns out the artist is in the family but is actually a sister. Also one of the guys thanks his mother and father but this is hard to make out as the print is in a blue balloon so I hope the parents don't have failing eyesight. The fact that J Minus have two other albums out there makes this the band's grown up album and the album title(Devil Music, when really it's about as evil and offensive as a paper clip) and childish artwork betray their maturity.

3/5


Buy from amazon

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