Music
DQ reader Matthew Kreuch sent me a link to one of the most beautiful commercials ever made--a Sony Bravia commercial (never shown in the U.S.) where 250,000 super balls were dropped on a street in San Francisco. It's not even a commercial, really, more of a short film with a Sony logo slapped on the end, but it's just stunning. Here's a link:http://www.bravia-advert.com/commercial/braviaextcommhigh.html.
The song accompanying the film, which is just as beautiful, is Heartbeats, performed by José González. His solo album is titled Veneer, and it's one of the most magnetic albums I've listened to in years--every single song on is excellent. Here's an Amazon link:
http://tinyurl.com/nv3x7.
I found Veneer because I read through the end-of-year music review article that Kieron Gillien had contributed to (I linked to that article a while back). That article also turned me on to an album called Funeral by Arcade Fire. It's an entirely odd combination of conventional rock band instruments and classical instruments (violin, cello, oboe). It's shockingly good, particularly with headphones on, because the songs and music are so intricate that it's hard to appreciate everything without the more intimate soundstage provided by headphones.
Amazon link:
http://tinyurl.com/mx8nb.
I heard an NPR story on a band from the 1960's-1970's called Joy of Cooking. They were a quintessential 60's sounding band, complete with Janis Joplin-like lead singer and music that can only be described as "groovy." Here's a link to the NPR story:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5200318.
I ordered their album Castles and, in short, it's fantastic. It's amazing how well the music has aged--it still sounds fresh and unique. In short, they were Tribe of the 1970's--should have have hit it big, but never did. Here's an Amazon link:
http://tinyurl.com/l35ob.
The last music-related link is to a book, not an album. It's by Jen Trynin, who was, very briefly, one of the hottest upcoming stars in rock and roll.
Very briefly.
The book is an unbelievably frank recounting of her temporary celebrity. Unbelievably frank, and no one is spared--least of all herself. It's an excellent read, and if you ever wanted to know just how slimy the music industry can be, this is a good reference. It's both very funny and excruciating. The book is titled Everything I'm Cracked Up to Be: A Rock & Roll Fairy Tale, and here's an Amazon link:
http://tinyurl.com/erssv.
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