Has it been that long?

Boy, it's been much longer than I'd thought it had been, hasn't it? Wait, is anyone even waiting for another post? Somehow I doubt it.

Anyways, I saw the movie Closer, and it's a weird one. Well, it's not weird like David Lynch or Takashi Miike, but the structure of the movie is kind of weird in that you're always waiting for a climax or a big fight or something and it never quite happens. Anyways, I'll deal with the movie itself in the Throbbing Skank Ape 2004 Top Twenty Movies of the Year (coming soon, honest). The most important thing about the movie that is not Natalie Portman's ass is...

Damien Rice, The Blower's Daughter {link} (it's right at the top of the page, I felt guilty directly linking to it b/c I don't know how much bandwith they have, and, anyways, there's tons of other good Rice mp3s on the page)

This beautiful song opens, and closes Closer. I had never actually heard any Rice songs before, I only knew him as that guy who won the Shortlist Prize in 2003 whom I'd never heard of but beat The Streets, Cat Power, Cody Chesnutt, Interpol, Bright Eyes and Sigur Ros among others. Then i heard this song and it's just achingly beautiful, Rice's voice is great, sounding sometimes like David Gray, sometimes like Van Morrison, and other times like...someone else. When he repeats "I can't take my eyes off of you" you just know he's fallen hard and it just resonates with you if you've ever fallen that hard for anyone.

Frakkur, ? {link}

Frakkur is Jonsi Birgisson, the lead singer of Sigur Ros. I'm a huge Sigur Ros fan, owning everything of them I can get my hands on. Frakkur is amazing. Jonsi walks around in a sort of warped marching band outfit with butterfly wings strapped to his back (here) and playing a drum. A choir sings in the background, there are guitars, keyboards, and a guy banging on pots and pans. Everything just swells and shimmers for four and a half minutes before the keyboards quieten, and all you can hear is the drum, the pots and pans, and the choir and it goes on for almost eleven minutes. Sure there are problems, like an ear-piercing feedback in the middle and people holding conversations in the background, but that's what you get with live music. One of my favourite music moments of the year, I would love to have been there.

I'll try to be back sooner than later (especially if the rumored two week layoff from work begins this week, woo!). I got a massive Top 25 Albums of 2004 and a Top 100 Songs of 2004 to get to, I'm just wondering whether I should wait for Christmas and the albums I might be receiving then.
-caley