Niki N. Phaser » classic

New Blondie Album in 2010

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 18:49:58 +0000

It is official, pop-rock legends Blondie are going to make 2010 and even more special year, by releasing a new album. It will be their first since 2003′s The Curse of Blondie. The band is working with producer Jeff Saltzman and so far, they have around thirty tracks in the works. It’s still unclear if this is going to be a regular release or a digital one, but Chris Stein, talking about the new material, said: “does it sound like a Blondie recording? Yes I am sure it will be familiar”. The Curse of Blondie, though somewhat ignored, was a great collection of songs, so good things may be coming our way. Untill then, we can get into the holiday spirit with the band’s rocky rendition of the traditional We Three Kings, offered as a free download here. VIDEO

Alice Cooper – Might As Well Be On Mars : Heartbreaks & Guitar Solos

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:33:08 +0000

Alice Cooper is best known for… almost everything he does, his name being one of the quintessential pillars of heavy-metal. His 1991 album, Hey Stoopid (the title refers to drug addiction), didn’t receive as much attention as his 80′s work, probably because of the grungy circumstances of those days. But, when you draw the bottom line, you realize that the album contains some of the master’s most recognizable hits, like the title track, Feed My Frankenstein or the symphy Might As Well Be On Mars.

The horror-like intro (phasy pads, high piano keys, door effects), the classic whiny guitar solos suitable for hair metal ballads, they extend the song to a seven minutes length, but it all goes so fast, as if you are listening to a three minutes no.1 pop hit. Might As Well Be On Mars is what you would call a classic heavy ballad: it’s about love, heartbreak, alienation (as the title suggests), but from that ‘tough guy with long hair’ perspective: “You’ve, turned my world into a dark and lonely place, Like a planet lost in space”. It’s torch song for biker chicks, yes, but of the best quality. If you are familiar with Cooper’s Poison, you can expect the same kind of big loud, but romantic chorus, that anchors the track in mainstream and makes it appealing to non-rockers.

MIGHT AS WELL LISTEN TO IT

The Cure Celebrate Disintegration’s 21st Birthday

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 19:38:10 +0000

The Cure are known for doing things a bit differently than everyone else and this time they are breaking the -0/-5 anniversary cliché. They are choosing to celebrate the 21st birthday of their 1989 tour de force, Disintegration, by releasing a remastered anniversary edition. It will hit stores in the spring of 2010.

Of course, the new edition will come with additional gifts, meaning the new Deluxe Disintegration will be a 3 cd affair, even though, truth be told, the bonus material is really just for avid collectors. It includes a cd of rarities from the 88-89 period (intrumental demos, home demos, rough mixes, etc.) and a second cd of a remixed live performance at the Wembley Arena from 1989. Also, 2010 promises more remastered goodies from The Cure, including a Mixed Up 2 album. There is also a hint of a DVD with their In Orange gig, which was released as a VHS by PolyGram in 1988 and begins with a dramatic unveiling of Robert Smith’s trimmed haircut at the time. Classic.

Say Anything turns 20

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:26:19 +0000

Cameron Crowe’s teen classic, Say Anything… is turning 20 this year (to continue our string of anniversaries). To mark the occasion, the film is being (re)released on Blu-Ray and DVD, of course and we all know that it’s not Cameron’s style to offer us something without any bonuses. This new edition will come with all the extra material you would want and some of it, available for the first time. For those of you who are not familiar with the movie (do you still exist?) it will be a good chance to get acquainted with the quintessential teen romantic comedy of the 80′s. For those of us who are already hooked on lines like “Bitches, man!” or “I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen”, this will be an opportunity to go even deeper in the genesis of this feel-good classic, that even inspired the name of the band Say Anything, as well as creating some of the most circulated clichés in the world of romantic comedy — the boombox pose is a pop icon, no doubt about it. But, then again, Cameron Crowe’s movies were always sources of pop culture iconography, whether is visual or just verbal. And to paraphrase (again) the film’s tagline, “To know Cameron Crowe is to love Cameron Crowe’s movies”.

Say Anything… TRAILER

50 Years Without Errol

Niki N. Phaser — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:06:40 +0000

Today, October the 14th, marks the 50th anniversary of Errol Flynn’s death. It was five decades ago that he suffered a fatal heart attack — the enemy‘s sword finally hit its target. And, without intentionally trying to be too melodramatic, it seemed that the whole swashbuckling genre died some that day. It had occasional resurrections, but no other actor emerged as the poster boy of the sword-adventure flick.

Errol Flynn is pretty much like all golden age superstars, you have to get him, let his errolesque charm inside your mind. The overall good mood, the bigger-than-life style of expressing his beliefs, the way he teases Una O’Connor or seduces Olivia de Havilland (”You love me, don’t you?”), the teeth grinding when he fights and, of course, the not-so-innocent grin.

And also, like many golden age superstars, Errol Flynn had plenty of secrets and scandals surrounding him, but, to be honest, rumours that he was a SS spy just make him even more fascinating. He had his wicked ways and his vices, but naming them all, would leave no room in the coffin for the man himself…

FLYNN, ERROL

A new chance to see Blondie in action

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 15:59:45 +0000

New wave punk legends, Blondie, will start a North American summer tour pretty soon, i.e. July 18, in Oakville, California. The 31 dates trip will give American fans plenty of chances to hear their favourite songs performed live by those who wrote them and not the yearly crop of covers. The band is working on new material to record a follow-up to 2003′s The Curse of Blondie, but don’t let that worry you, this will be a greatest hits tour, so songs like Call Me, Rapture, Heart of Glass, One Way or Another or The Tide is High will surely be checked. To make the event a perfect 80′s nostalgia party, Blondie will be co-headlining the tour with Love Is a Battlefield darling and Will Ferrell favourite, Pat Benatar. On several dates, The Donnas and The Romantics will serve as special guests. Tickets are still available, so don’t miss the chance to see Debbie Harry still rockin’ it at 64.

SEE BLONDIE LIVE

Fight Club has nothing to do with Mel Gibson

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:44:28 +0000

(Relatively) Recently, Fight Club, the movie we all love (and a few hate) has been inducted into the “Guy Movie Hall Of Fame”. The focus with that whole thing was on Brad Pitt teasing Mel Gibson by calling him “sugatits”, of course. But, what one must gather from all of this is that this powerful movie has received one more honour. It’s been a decade since its birth and the legend keeps growing. And it should be. In hindsight, a lot of critics are self-flagellating for ignoring, or even worse, criticizing Fight Club, when it was released. Basic stuff, pretty much, since this is what happens with all subversive masterpieces. Time has prooved Fincher and Palahniuk right and now they are both legends, the movie and the book, too. It’s all uphill from here and soon enough, you’ll find movie scholars arguing about “what does that phallus represent ?” and people writing essays on that scene alone. So, we should all just be glad that we are witnessing the shaping of a cult-classic legendary-masterpiece and be sure that others will not go ignored.