Get your headphones on ...
- Veckatimest by Grizzly Bear (Warp): Established as a solo project by gay songwriter Ed Droste, Grizzly Bear soon grew into a highly lauded quartet, releasing the 2006 album Yellow House to widespread critical acclaim, regular late-night television performances, and a string of tours across the globe with everyone from Feist to TV on the Radio to Radiohead.
With Veckatimest, Grizzly Bear's much-anticipated third album, the band has expanded its unique brand of psychedelic folk rock into new territory, producing even more intricate, complex music backing lyrics that feel stronger and darker than Grizzly Bear's previous work. Recorded at a mountainside estate in the Catskill Mountains and named for an unpopulated island off the coast of Massachusetts, Veckatimest has a definitive aura of woodsy wonder, as if you could get lost in a forest listening to this record and Grizzly Bear would help you find your way to safety. Check out the bizarrely beautiful video for "Knife," off Yellow House. And if you're in need of a nifty new T-shirt, check out the Grizzly Bear online shop .
- The Best Low-Priced Heartbreakers You Can Ownby Finn . (Erased Tapes): Finn. -- yes, with a period at the end -- is the musical moniker of Patrick Zimmer, an assumedly queer German Londoner, fashion designer, and instrumental mastermind with one of the most delicate voices in the world. Falling somewhere between the nasality of Thom Yorke, the shakiness of Daniel Johnston, the grandeur of Antony , and the whispery falsetto of Jonsi from Sigur Ros, Zimmer could sing a capella and still be enrapturing. Actually, that's almost what he's done on his stripped-down third album. Casting aside all the frills of the fast-paced electronica that characterized Finn.'s first two releases, Zimmer entombed himself within the catacombs of a 13th-century Hamburg church for seven months to concentrate on his songwriting fundamentals. What emerged from that lonely sabbatical is a stunning, shimmering album as melancholy as it is hopeful, as personal as it is epic. Peruse through Finn.'s blog, which is put together with a decidedly old tone.
- Still Night, Still Light by Au Revoir Simone (Our Secret Record Company): Au Revoir Simone is an all-girl group of train-traveling indie pixies armed with Casio keyboards and a mysterious darkness simmering beneath the surface of their sun-stained dream pop. The group, which has a name lifted from Pee-wee's Big Adventure and earned early accolades from film director David Lynch, makes music that is intrinsically cinematic in its scope, creating the impression of an entire narrative universe with the warmth of the sound. Paradoxical as that might seem, it's true: Pairing canned consumer keyboards and drum machines with sincere, astral vocal cords can produce music that feels organic and comforting. Au Revoir Simone's third album, Still Night, Still Light, incorporates a patchwork of sounds and song snippets recorded through the band's extensive time on the road into something almost religiously harmonious. Fans of Stereolab or Air would be remiss to not sink their teeth into this juicy record. Watch the the video for "Fallen Snow," off Au Revoir Simone's The Bird of Music:
Check for showtimes ...
- Terminator Salvation: OK, so they dispensed with Kristanna Loken in the last one. You can't have everything, ladies. But hey, guess what? Linda Hamilton does a voice-over. And this is the movie that Christian Bale blew a gasket over. Here's the super-long extended trailer:
- Night At The Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian: This money-grubbing time around you get to see two monkeys slap Ben Stiller in the face. Can we just get to the part where a hundred monkeys do that without having to sit through all the sequels waiting for true satisfaction? Ben Stiller and Ricky Gervais on the red carpet for the U.K. premiere:
- Dance Flick: The Wayans Brothers, who brought you Little Man and White Chicks, are back to throw comedy lowballs (Ha ha ha! Balls!) at the teen dance movie genre. Not that it matters. You were already on board after reading the words Little Man and White Chicks, weren't you?
- Easy Virtue : Stephan Elliot (He directed Priscilla. See, now you're interested) takes on the task of making you believe Jessica Biel can act as she arrives like a blast of fresh air into the lives of some stuffy, straitlaced, vintage British people. And from the looks of the trailer, he might have done just that.
- The Girlfriend Experience: The latest digital quickie from Steven Soderbergh is about five days in the life of a fancy hooker. And here's the stunt-casting alert: She's played by real-life porn star Sasha Grey.
Get cozy on the couch ...
- Gods of Football: If you love half-naked rugby players but find it difficult to prounce "Dieux du Stade" at your local video store, here's a perfect DVD for you. This documentary takes you up close and personal with the hunky Australian ruggers who pose nude annually for a fund-raising calendar, with no subtitles to get in the way.
- True Blood: The Complete First Season: Gay TV mogul Alan Ball's follow-up to his smash Six Feet Under was this sexy tale of vampires becoming integrated into mainstream society thanks to the introduction of synthetic blood. Lots of coming-out and minority civil rights metaphors to be found.
- Sia: TV Is My Parent: Speaking of Six Feet Under, the lesbian singer whose "Breathe Me" was featured on the show's series finale, returns with a new DVD featuring concert footage, four music videos, and lots of behind-the-scenes goodies. If you haven't already been to Sia's fantastically fun website , we highly recommend it, especially the front page, where you can dress her up as a strawberry or a "not-Superman" superhero.
