I'm so jealous

Adam Brody, drummer for Big Japan, getting a drum lesson from Jason McGerr, drummer for Death Cab for Cutie. Lucky punk.

positive tension

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Originally uploaded by auntnanny.

Two very similar windows, two very similar buildings. They're right next to each other, so what's so difficult? Why is one wall dark and the other light? I bet the one on the left has no idea what the one on the right is thinking. And they've been next to each other for SO long. They don't even view the same things in the same way. So close, and yet so distinctly different.

independent Death Cab music videos II

This week's video, "I Will Follow You Into The Dark," was directed by Monkmus, who, as I said in my last post, also directed the "Year of the Rat" video for Badly Drawn Boy. I rate the video a 7 out of 10. I think it was an okay concept, and the execution of the concept was fairly well done, and the drawings themselves look gorgeous, but I got bored during it. I don't know what it was. The lack of animation, the simple color palette, the never-ending shot...I'm not sure. But something about it bugged me. I really loved his video for "Year of the Rat" though. Oh well. Sometimes you hit it right on, and sometimes you experiment and what you end up with isn't a failure, but one solution to the problem that may not work for the majority of people, but it works. Anyways, along with this weeks video, you can also check out the video for a few weeks from now because I have stumbled upon a link to it. So, here's the link for Death Cab for Cutie's "Crooked Teeth" music video.

Enjoy!

independent Death Cab music videos

It's called "Directions." It's this random new thing that Death Cab for Cutie is doing with their newest album, "Plans." Apparently they offered a handful of independent directors the chance to make a video for one of the songs on the album. Now they are releasing the videos one at a time. Right now (February 13—February 19) they are showing the video for "Different Names for the Same Thing" which was directed by Autumn de Wilde who is a really good photographer and has actually been photographing the band, Death Cab for Cutie, for the past two years. I have seen this week's video and I was able to find a link to the last video that was debuted, "Summer Skin" (directed by Lightborne). I actually like the "Summer Skin" video better because it just seems to resound so well with the unspoken debate between playful, carefree children and busy, drone-like adults. The next video to debut (February 20—February 26) will be for the next track on the album (coincidence...not likely), "I Will Follow you into the Dark," and it is directed by Monkmus, who did the "Year of the Rat" video for Badly Drawn Boy. The video that I am really waiting for with much anticipation is the one for "What Sarah Said," which just happens to be my favorite song on the album.

100 Best First Lines from Novels

No. 47: "There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it." —C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952).

As part of one of my favorite series of all time, and being probably my third favorite book in the series, I am just tickled to find that it made the list of 100 Best First Lines from Novels. It is a classic. I think my absolute favorite book from the Chronicles of Narnia series is The Silver Chair. I really love Puddleglum. He is the best! Especially in the old-school BBC versions of the movies. I just had to buy them all on DVD. They're so...awesome (in retrospect). When I watch them now, however, I can totally see how pathetic they were as far as special effects and budget, but for what they were at the time, I think they were really well done. I mean, they fooled me as a small child...isn't that what it takes to be considered "well-done?" Anyways, check out the list. See if one of your favorite books is there.