The New Pornographers

Finally, a group that is still together, still performing, and growing in popularity. The Vancouver based The New Pornographers. Formed in 1997 by Carl Newman the group is an assortment of other artist already established in varying range of carees(one independent filmmaker), bands, and solo projects.

They have been equated to the Cars and Cheap Trick, but with the large number of contributors there is no single gerneral style to the music. It is usually upbeat, there may not be a melancholic song in the bands repertoire, often mixing vocals, as well as varying instraments, from the required guitar to synthesizers, harmonicas, mandolins, and piano. The sound is mixed and weaved together, so there is little individual, identifiable instrument play. The group features many talented vocal artists, with both Nico Case, and more recently Kathryn Calder singing female vocals as well as male vocals by A.C. Newman, Dan Bejar, John Collins and Kurt Dahle(almost the entire bands sings) contributing to the varying sound of the group.

A clip of every song the New Pornographers have released can be heard on the official website under the Music tab. You can also find a plethora of the New Pornographers songs as videos on youtube.
from 'The Electric Version':
- The Laws Have Changed
- All For Swinging Around
from 'Twin Cinema':
- Use It
- Sing Me Spanish Techno
from 'Mass Romantic':
- Letter from and Occupant

The Blue Hearts

The Blue Hearts was a popular Japanese punk rock band, which debued in 1987 and broke up in 1995. The Blue Hearts are a shining example, with sharper sounds from individual instruments than one typically hears from a punk band, and clearer lyrics, they harken back to the great punk sounds of the early to mid eighties. Inability to understand the japanese is hardly a setback for a foreign listener; the vocals integrate themselves so well into the music that the tone is part of the sound, and is as much an instrument as the drums, guitar or base. The lyrics are odd, yet strongly representative of the punk music that they accompany, with wonderful phrases such as 'you are beautiful like a rat....' Four of their songs are available on myspace which isn't a bad way to check them out.

The recent Japanese film Linda Linda Linda! takes its name from one of the most popular Blue Hearts songs, Linda Linda. An all female band, Paranmaum, in the film learns and covers Linda Linda at the end along with the song Owaranai uta. I must say that I love their rendition of 'Linda Linda' with the backup vocals during the chorus.

The bassist in the film is played by Shiori Sekine the actual bassist of Base Ball Bear. Notice her posture, I do believe that that is the natural posture of all basssists everywhere, some form of requirement to be a bassist.

The two clips form the last portion of the film, Linda Linda Linda!, run consecutively and feature the ffictional band Paranmaum enjoy.
- Linda Linda
- Unending Song (owaranai uta)

You are beautiful like a rat...