i'm 6'5", 220 pounds, and there's two of me

2010 was an excellent year for soundtracks.

you've already heard from me in depth about my love for daft punk, tron, and the recent collaboration thereof. but if i had to identify my preferred soundtrack of the year, david fincher's The Social Network takes the cake. i finally had the chance to watch it again last night, and could not get over the musical score. trent reznor (who i generally think is kind of a tool) and atticus ross' (an individual whose tool-ness i have yet to arbitrarily judge) score is dark, ominous and atmospheric. it brings a whole new layer to the film, and particularly to jesse eisenberg's treatment of zuckerberg.

In Motion, which accompanies zuckerberg's half-drunken, late-night creation of the dreadfully hilarious facemash application, is our introduction into the character and undoubtedly the highlight of the soundtrack.

trent reznor & atticus ross - in motion


the score's take on orchestral classic In the Hall of the Mountain King is bold and violent as it frames the nauseating privilege of the henley royal regatta.

trent reznor & atticus ross - in the hall of the mountain king

now your heart is racing, racing

RAC continues to kill it.

mixing a dreamy, 80's-style synth loop with the RAC basics we've all come to love, this remix of psychic powers' Dreamboat is a can't-miss; as usual, it takes a vocal chorus full of potential and transforms it into delicious dance-pop candy.

the folks over at RAC have a vibrant facebook community, and if you're hooked, i'd strongly suggest you 'like' them (aka acquiesce to their streaming updates) as they are excellent at getting the word out quickly as new songs are churned out of their undoubtedly Wonka-esque machine.

psychic powers - dreamboat (RAC Mix)

let's fall asleep together

law school is going to put me in an early grave.

but in the meantime, there's teen daze. i've seen a lot of this kind of lo-fi, muted subpop floating around recently, but this is most certainly the best of the crop. it's interesting to note that the canadian producer seems to be something of a creation of webernet 2.0 culture; not so much an artist as a 'project', with guest artists filing in and out and tracks released haphazardly through a lowly tumblr account. the sound is varied from track to track with different influences and instruments. but there's still a sense of cohesion, if more in the themes than anything else; the rose-covered vision of the 80's; the last beach weekend of the summer; the sunday hangover. it's enough to grant you a respite from the abyss that is so innocuously called 'the law', if even for a brief time.

teen daze - let's fall asleep together


teen daze - neon

looking for buckles to loosen

 
hello children.

the life of a exam-period law student does not so much permit for hobbies (blogging; sports; sleep; the basic requirements of human life). so without any delay, here is what i'm listening to:

mark ronson's debut production Record Collection is good fun; while Somebody to Love Me is better for study-times, i'd also suggest The Bike Song. d'you suppose riding a six-speed onto bay street is going to cost me a partnership?

mark ronson and the business intl - somebody to love me ft. rose elinor dougall, andrew wyatt


ellie goulding's released her follow-up Bright Lights, which was frankly not that exciting considering it's only a re-release of 2009's Lights. i have no idea where Black & Gold is from, and i'm not terribly prone to find out where. i just like it.

ellie goulding - black & gold


this remix of alpine's Heartlove sounds quite literally nothing like the original; which is to my satisfaction, as it didn't quite tickle my fancy. FISHING's remastering, however, does the trick quite nicely

alpine - heartlove (FISHING backyard bonding remix)

i shoot down the stars, collect them in jars

 
desperately seeking an escape from the cruel and unusual punishment that is law school exams, i picked up the first issue of brian woods' graphic novel DMZ the other day. upon arriving home, i read the first five pages; i immediately went out and bought the next 7 in the series. with all due respect to The Walking Dead, this has to be one of the best new IP's out there - it's immersive, subversive, and a whole lot of other 'ersive's' that i can't come up with right now. i'd love to see it fleshed out in something with moving pictures and sounds; AMC, are you listening?

as this is a music blog, it seems apropos to actually provide you with some music. serendipitously, a couple of tracks have dropped into my life that fit the ambiance created by a war-torn, bombed out manhattan island. first is conner youngblood's Monsters. i don't really know what to make of this track - between the time-travelling synth sample, friendly ukulele work, evanescent lyrics and dirty, dubstep-style bass hook, i've been thoroughly confused. all i know is that i can't get it out of my head

conner youngblood - monsters


second up is jamie xx's treatment of gil scott-heron's NY Is Killing Me. i can't think of anything that better captures what must be the dirty and grimy way of living captured in DMZ; a shelled-out manhattan where high-powered rifles, apache overwatch and B2 airstrikes are a regular occurrence.

gil scott-heron - ny is killing me ft. jamie xx