control issues


Back online, after what I'm sure will be come to be known as The Great LiveJournal Blackout of 2005....

Agent Provocateur "She's Lost Control (Spektrum Vocal Remix)" - This excellent, electro-gothy update of the Joy Division classic--with vox by none other than Siobhan Fahey of Bananarama/Shakspears Sister fame--was produced last year as the focal track for Peep Show, a promo CD produced by Agent Provocateur. And if you think that's a great name for a band, you may be right, but UK residents and naughty lingerie fans alike know the truth: Agent Provocateur is not a group but rather the UK's leading upstart retailer of nasty-yet-classy women's intimate apparel. (Americans who don't think Victoria's Secret goes far enough can take heart: AP established beacheads in LA, NYC, and Las Vegas last year.) Despite (or perhaps because of) its unabashedly commercial origins, the cover packs a nice solid punch, and this Spektrum remix adds gloss to its nails and sharpens them for good measure. It's most certainly the kind of song one might find themselves dancing to in their underwear--on a runway or in the bedroom, whichever strikes your fancy. [buy the 12" from Juno]

Fans of senseless pulchritude and inappropriate political satire may want to track down the definitely-not-made-for-MTV video for this version of "She's Lost Control," which presents a dramatic reenactment of a top-secret Oval Office liason between President George W. Bush and a topless dominatrix. If you watch closely, Tony Blair makes a brief appearance at the end in the role of The Gimp. The video may still be available somewhere in the satin-lined depths of the Agent Provocateur website, but I can't be sure.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Y-Control (Tommie Sunshine Brooklyn Fire Retouch)" - I expect most of you Yeah Yeah Yeahs fans out there to have heard this remix already (or at least to know of it, as it came out in late October) but just in case you missed the memo--or are new to the band--here you go. As you might expect from Mr. Tommie Sunshine, this is a decidedly electroclashy take on the track, and of course it's simply lovely, from the signature chiming guitar tones that herarld its opening seconds to the bumblebee-hum fuzz-bass tones, handclaps, and 4/4 beat that send you to the finish line seven minutes later. One of the catchiest remixes (to one of the catchiest songs) that I've heard in quite some time. And I figured it made a nice combo with the track above. BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ. [buy from eil.com]

Alter Ego "Rocker (Plasticman Remix)" - Haven't yet checked to see if a fellow blogger has beaten me to this track today, but it's been receiving a fair amount of hype since it dropped in late Nov/early Dec, and I'm sure that one way or another the world will be beating a path to the doors of the record shops that stock it. It's funny--I don't know all that much about Alter Ego, but over the past year I've ended up with four or five remixes of "Rocker" and the most interesting thing about them is the way in which none of them sound anything alike. This radical, ultraminimalist Plasticman rework takes the proverbial cake and provides extra icing too though, with block-rocking beats and bass deep enough to call whales into formation all around the earth. Definitely one to put on yr best stereo and play LOUD. As the all-knowing and ever-wise Mr. P. Sherbourne says: "Who'd-a thunk that the squealiningest anthem of the years, championed by everyone from you and me to freaking P. Diddy, for god's sake, would go sublow?" BAM BAM SQUEE SQUEE BUZZZZZZZZZZUZZZZUZZZ. [buy it on CD or 12" from Juno]

((((^_^))))
In the wake of my father's guest post last week, I figured now is as good a time as ever to give out a couple more shout-outs to a couple high-achieving family members. It's not something I plan to do often, and if the idea offends you (I figure it's almost as bad, but not quite as, catblogging) feel free to avoid these last few paragraphs.

First, I'd like to say hey to my new baby niece Ava Marie, whose major achievment so far this year was being born. This "debut single" by my sister (whose major achievement this year was having Ava) and her husband hit the charts early on December 27, and we are all just a-goo and a-gush now with love for her. She is tiny and pink and sweet and all perfect, and I look forward to corrupting her ears with crazy tunage as the years pass. (We'll start off light, with Teletubbies Sing on Ice, or something to that effect, however.)

Second, I'd like to give mad props to my lil' cousin (once removed) AnnaSophia Robb, who some of you folks will be hearing a lot about and seeing a fair amount of very soon (probably whether you want to or not)--if you haven't already. Not more than a year or two ago, AnnaSophia was just a precocious and slightly cuter-than-average tyke who liked to entertain her extended family with impromptu post xmas day dinner stand-up routines. You can't beat a comic who kills with unparalleled cuteness. bad timing? flubbed punchlines? what? didn't matter.

Then--about 18 months ago, I think--AnnaSophia was discovered in her hometown of Denver by a talent agent who convinced her parents to fly her out to Hollywood...and bada bing, bada boom: a child star was born. Now, I generally don't pay much mind to baby starlets like Dakota Fanning and her ilk, but I will admit to being unabashedly THRILLED to see my pint-size cousin reach for the brass ring and wind up with a bucketfull of jewels. Because she's now got two huge flicks on the way, plus already a hit tv movie, plus multiple fansites (genuine? set up by publicists? whatevs), plus of course her own IMDB page, plus plus plus. It's amazing. It's great. It's beautifully boffo. And apparently she replaced Hillary Duff on the Washington Post's Out/In list for 2005. Yow.

The first of these films--due out Feb. 18--is Because of Winn-Dixie, based on the Newberry Medal winning children's book with the same title. She's got the starring role, alongside Jeff Daniels and Dave Matthews (in his silver screen debut). And the director is none other than Wayne Wang (of Smoke, Anywhere but Here, and The Joy Luck Club, among others), so it actually has a decent chance of being fairly good.

However, I think her next project is the one that at least a handful of you will probably almost certainly check out. It's also based on a children's book--and it's a movie remake--but it's also shaping up to be one of the most highly anticipated movies of Summer '05: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Directed by Tim Burton, starring Johnny Depp, due out in July, yadda yadda, scratch that, reverse it, etc. And who does my sweet lil' cousin (once removed) get to play? Violet Beauregarde. Which means, presumably, that we'll all get to see her turn purple and inflate to the size of a small weather baloon. Should be interesting....


"Chewing gum is really gross, chewing gum I hate the most." - W. Wonka