XOXO - Stocking fillers

See here for the Musical Supervisor at Gossip Girls' Holiday Gift Guide. I love that the only thing she says about Jane Birkin is that she has Hermes bag named after her!

Check out the other videos for Leighton Meesters' pop video and other videos about music on Gossip Girl, good stuff.

Best of 2009

As everyone else is doing it, I thought I would too, here it is in no order my list of my favourite songs of 2009. Surprisingly indierock heavy, where was all the electropop?

In no particular

Allo Darlin' - The Polaroid Song
Why? - Even The Good Wood Gone
Karen O and The Kids - Rumpus
The Postmark - No One Said This Would Be Easy
Phoenix - 1901
Camera Obscura - French Navy
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart - Falling Over (DJ Downfall Sprechenbann Mix)
Drums - Lets Go Surfing
Still Flyin' - Aerosmith Take me to... The Other Side
Yo La Tengo - All Your Secrets
James Husband - A Grave in the Gravel
The Wooden Birds - False Alarm
Wilco - You and I
Veronica Falls - Beachy Head
Best of 2009 Spotify playlist

Other releases, which aren't on spotify...
The Declining Winter - Haunt The Upper Halls
Shrag - Rabbit Kids
The Bright Lights album
Champagne Riot - Scandinavian Warfare

Oh yes, my band Arthur and Martha released an album this year too, why not take a listen?

Alicexx

Barry Hogan you've won the battle but not the war

It has to be said that you really don’t want to be John Safran’s ex-girlfriend, in his latest T.V series ‘Race Relations’ the aussie comic has already stolen his ex-girlfriend’s dirty knickers for a sniff test and asked to make out with his exes mums all in the name of science. Surprisingly he managed to steal ten pairs of panties and all the exes mums obliged for the make out sesh some of them looking rather excited at the prospect. What does this have to do with indierock I hear you say? Well John spends a lot of the series pining after one particular ex, Debra Kee Higgins who left John for Barry Hogan, organiser of the All Tomorrows Parties festival. This comes to a head in episode four of the series where John confronts Debra and Barry in an interview (they think they’re doing MTV talking about the festival) and he falls embarrassingly on his face in front of the obviously in love couple, this is car crash telly.

John has also done a series completely devoted to music, 'John Safran's Musical Jamboree'. In one episode of which he dressed up as Beck and goes to a Scientology convention (surpisingly this was before Beck came forward as a Scientologist), he's probably the most unconvincing Beck ever.

Q "is your voice monotonous rather than varied in pitch?"
John "I think that's unfair, mellow gold was meant to sound like that"

John Safran is a total genius, but no never ever go out with him, you don't know what will happen!

Race Relations Website

Let the wild rumpus start!

I ventured to the cinema in the rain today to see Where the wild things are, the Spike Jonze/Jim Henson adaptation of the book of the same name. An adorable film with enough cutesyness and unrequited love to keep us indie kids happy.

OK, so technically this is not a film that should be reviewed on this blog, there are no indie bands name dropped in it, and no famous cameos (though I do think Max Records is too cool a name for him not to form a band in later years)

1.Dialogue - sorry thats a 0 cardigan points

2.Music paraphernalia yeah another 0 cardigan points, that fort is clearly missing a nice Wild Beasts poster...

3. Ok no real cameos though Paul Dano, voice of Alexander (the goat monster that no one listens to) is in the NYC based band Mook no I haven't heard of them either, but some of their songs are ok in an epic sounding indierock way. Check out their merch website where you can buy Mook teddy bears, BBQ aprons, coasters, mugs, wall clocks, pillows and mousepads, now there's a band that show initiative!
Ok I guess that's 1/5 cardigan points

4.Soundtrack - The film was definitely made by Karen O and The Kids' awesome soundtrack. Part Arcade Fire, part Architecture in Helsinki it really complimented the movie and she even covers a Daniel Johnston song. Three cheers for Karen as she's been nominated for 2 Grammys for it too.
Listen to the soundtrack on Spotify
Easy 5/5 cardigan points

5. General indieness - Hella indie! Cute furry monsters that no one understands - check! Two monsters that are clearly in love with each other but don't want to deal with it - check! Kid in a cute wolf costume - check! Cutesy title drawings and cinematography - check!
5/5 cardigan points

OK so 21/50 cardigan points, not really that indie but definitely worth watching