Niki N. Phaser » death

White Lies Are Preparing Something ‘Bigger Than Us’

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 18:05:33 +0000

One of 2009′s alternative promising revelations, White Lies, seem anxious to show the world that they are more than… well, one 2009′s alternative promising revelations. The indie trio, composed of the ever so serious Harry McVeigh, Charles Cave and Jack Lawrence-Brown, have been working on a new album, with producer Alan Moulder, after touring their debut To Lose My Life… as much as humanly possible.

The new album, named Ritual, will be in our reach early next year, so don’t spend all your gift cards this Christmas ! Just to assure us that they’re still as bleak as ever, despite not having ‘death’ in any of their new titles (though there is a track Holy Ghosts), White Lies have released the video to their first single from their sophomore effort, Bigger Than Us. Though still as profound and haunting as Death or Farewell to the Fairground, the new single promises a bigger sound, dilemmas of grander proportions than the intimate existential sighs from their debut. The video, which has a bit of a 1970′s human interest type SF drama feel to it, certainly strengthens this point.

Bigger Than HERE

Type O Negative – Everything Dies : Uncle Lou Into Eternity

Niki N. Phaser — Sat, 01 May 2010 11:45:54 +0000

Yeah, this time it was for real, Peter Steele, iconic frontman of metal band Type O Negative has really died. It happened two weeks ago, but we all know that with Lord Steele we have to wait a little bit and be sure that we are not supposed to laugh at yet another dark joke of his. It is only appropriate that we should remember Type O’s Everything Dies, from 1999′s World Coming Down, a perfect song to qualify them as more than a metal band, but an alternative (and loud) way to deal with universal themes of death and love and fear of all that these two can bring. Still, this is not what you would call a mainstream track, but you can definitely spot a genuine ballad behind all the grunting from the intro, combined with something which sounds like a Hitlerjunge convention. It was just like Type O Negative to go for weird mixing choices, but this is one of those songs that you have to listen with one hand on the volume. That haunting piano from the verse is so addictive that you just have to hear it better and then the chorus kicks in, loud and celebratory, as if hailing death as the one thing in life that is certain — the grounds on which you can build your existence. RIP P.S.

Everything Dies here

A Cute Smile Has Faded

Niki N. Phaser — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:48:52 +0000

It’s always a shock when someone young dies and it was an even greater one yesterday, when it was announced that young actress Brittany Murphy has passed away. She was 32. If you wonder why this ‘preferential treatment’ shock-wise, it’s because whenever I would hear her name, her big childish smile would flash before my eyes. And now, if I think about, that probably woun’t change. Girl, Interrupted is the first movie that I remember her from because, though a supporting character, she really made you believe that her character had a story even more interesting than that of the main character. The last movie I saw her in was The Ramen Girl, a unique kind of a cooking movie, where she was this lost American in Japan, who finds a brand new way of giving meaning to her life… We can only say ‘thank you, Brittany’ for adding something to our lives.

The Ramen Girl Interrupted

John Hughes dies at 59

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:41:07 +0000

John Hughes died yesterday, August 6, of a heart attack. He was 59. For those of you who are not paying attention during movie’s opening titles, you should know that Hughes wrote, produced or/and directed the best teen movies of the 80′s, to which you can add some other great stuff in the 90′s (you know that deep inside you crave to see Home Alone once more). He pretty muched shaped the teen comedy genre and created the matrix on which teen comedies are built and which indie filmmakers resent. It was the mind of John Hughes that spawned such teen classics like The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink (he wanted a different ending), 16 Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and what have you. You can almost bet that half of the comedies which marked your childhood are John Hughes products. Some of these movies, like The Breakfast Club or Pretty in Pink, are full-on masterpieces, managing to deal with more serious issues regarding teen life, without becoming Larry Clark. It’s fun for the whole family, but food for though for each member individually. John Hughes, we will never forget about you.

THE BREAKFAST CLUB TRAILER PRETTY IN PINK TRAILER HOME ALONE TRAILER

A tragedy preventing a controversy

Niki N. Phaser — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 09:05:46 +0000

You probably all know by now that Michael Jackson has died yesterday, June 25 2009. He would have been 51 this August. The cause of death, at least for now, is a cardiac arrest, but there has been speculation of prescription drug abuse, as a possible trigger of that heart failure. Hearing Wolf Blitzer saying “this just came in…” certainly took its toll on me, as some of my first life memories are related to the album cover of Dangerous. This might be insensitive, but we all have to admit that there is also a feeling of peace when you think about it. Michael’s last years were just a string of scandals and trials and everything that has nothing to do with his music. The 50 dates London O2 tour, that was to span from this July to next year’s March, was just another controversy in the making. It started with the first delay, apparently because of Michael’s need for live perfection, but it was clear even from then where this was going. All sorts of rumours about his health followed, but were denied instantly by his camp. Obviously, those were not just rumours. The truth is there was no comeback to follow, not a successful one anyway. The whole thing would have been a fiasco, one way or another. A legal and physical nightmare for Michael Jackson and a disappointment nightmare for all those fans. Now or at least after some time, when the speculations of death causes and suicide possibilities will fade, maybe people will once again focus on the man’s great music, more than on his troubled life. Finally R.I.P. Michael Jackson…

Farrah Fawcett dies at 62

Niki N. Phaser — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:38:13 +0000

Actress Farrah Fawcett died today, June 25 2009, with the cause of death being cancer. There is no point in listing all her life here, all the scandals that surrounded her name. One thing is sure, her name will live on, not just as an actress, but as pop culture idol. She was the first to adopt the whole “I’m hot as hell, but still cool to just hang out” thing… Kinda like a Cameron Diaz of the seventies. Probably, that’s why Diaz played Natalie in the Charlie’s Angels movies. Another way Farrah Fawcett left her mark on the world was the hairstyle she was sporting back in day. It’s the wavy long do (like in the image), generally known as The Farrah Fawcett Hairstyle, which became an universal symbol of the 1970′s. Just think of all recent comedies set in that decade and you’ll always find that the hot-chick character(s) has a similar hairstyle. All of that started with her, so we have to grant her that much (and her stylist, too, of course). She also made us laugh on that classic Letterman episode, but it would be a little insensitive to bring that up. Anyway… it seems the Big C, the ”big chunky charlie” just woun’t stop…