The Filtered Excellence: April 19, 2012
Bob Geldof once asked us, “Where is the filtered excellence!?” Its right here. Here are this weeks picks of what to WATCH, what to DO what to TRY what to READ what to LISTEN TO and more:
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WATCH THIS:
The Ricky Gervais Show. Season 3 premieres Friday night at 9PM on HBO. The animated comedy series which brings to life the hilariously absurd podcast/radio conversations and imaginations of Ricky, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington is back. Always brilliantly funny…and more monkey news?!
LISTEN TO THIS:
Blunderbuss, Jack White. If you’ve heard The White Stripes, The Raconteurs and the Dead Weather, you probably have a pretty good idea of what a Jack White solo album would sound like. You would be right, but that’s a good thing. White’s songwriting guitar playing and occasionally bluesy swagger and stomp are all intact. There’s something more to the record though. In the wake of his divorce from singer/model Karen Elson, White has put out a truly great breakup album. Highly recommended.
A Wasteland Companion, by M.Ward. When M. Ward reached crossover success last year as one half of She & Him with Zooey Deschanel, many wondered when he would get back to making the kind of album he’d previously become known for. On his seventh solo album, A Wasteland Companion, the singer-songwriter returns with another exemplary collection of pop songs and country-tinged folk ballads.
Older Than My Old Man Now by Loudon Wainwright III. Loudon Wainwright III’s new album is interesting and I mean that in the most fascinating, touching, compelling, sense of the word. At 65, Loudon’s songs are highly autobiographical, fixated on mortality, and reflective of memories of an often turbulent family life, and lessons learned. In typical Wainwright form, he is in great voice, and his shared thoughts are relayed with humor, and often in a frank confessional style that might even take you aback or hit with such sentimentality that a tears will be on the verge. “Sometimes a fella has to sit, and sing about the heavy shit,” Loudon sings. That’s just what he did here beautifully. It’s contemporary Folk Americana storytelling that feels like a very intimate view into a particularly bittersweet part of Loudon’s own particular journey. The album includes guest appearances from his children, Rufus, Martha, Lucy Wainwright Roche, and Lexie Kelly-Wainwright. Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, John Scofield, Suzzy Roche, Chaim Tannenbaum, Chris Smither, and Dame Edna Everage also represent excellently.
Spooky Action at a Distance, Lotus Plaza. In 2009, Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt released The Floodgate Collective under the moniker Lotus Plaza, and it was a revelation. Recently, he released the follow-up Spooky Action at a Distance and it’s even better than his solo debut. Pundt shines as a writer and singer with this collection of hazy pop songs with buzzy guitars, occasionally reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine and Jesus & Mary Chain.
DO THIS:
The Best Man: A Conversation With James Earl Jones. The iconic actor (and voice of Darth Vader) will sit down with critic Caryn James to discuss his role in the Broadway revival of Gore Vidal’s biting look at political compromise, The Best Man. Also joining Jones will be fellow cast members Eric McCormack, John Larroquette, Michael McKeon and directors Michael Wilson and Jefferson Mays. Here’s a chance to hear one of our greatest actors discuss his craft and how the arts can reflect, if not, predict the times that we live in. Get your tickets now, events at the 92nd Y move quickly.
Record Store Day. Once upon a not so long ago, in order to buy your favorite artist, song or album, you had to get up off your caboose and make a trip down to the record store. Outside of private quarters or a concert, it was the only place to discover and discuss music. Established in 2007, Record Store Day aims to recreate that experience as well as support the record stores (many of which are local independent businesses) that are still in operation. A slew of artists have been actively involved in Record Store Day so you also have a chance to pick up a rare item (often provided specifically for the day), if not meet the artist in person.
Shuffle Culture – Brooklyn Academy of Music. The shuffle culture reflects the way we listen to music today. Using the shuffle feature on an iPod, the listener finds themselves listening to vastly different genres and styles of music back to back. That’s the idea behind the series of Shuffle Culture shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Disparate artists who are otherwise unlikely to ever take the stage together are brought together. The shows on April 19th and 20th feature Questlove form the Roots, Deerhoof, Reggie Watts, Rahzel, Jeremy Ellis, Sasha Grey and others.
Rockfest 2012. The Ziegfeld Theater in Manhattan is playing a series of legendary rock movies from April 27th to May 3rd. Featured are Tommy, The Song Remains the Same, Shine a Light, The Last Waltz, U2 3D, and Stop Making Sense. Don’t miss this chance to see your favorites on the big screen.
Want to contribute to The Filtered Excellence!? Send us your recommendation of any new album, book, film, or tv show that you’re loving. Or send us something on the web, or a great event happening in your hometown. Email us at editor@theinterrobang.com.
For more great recommendations, check out last week’s edition of The Filtered Excellence.
