PIMP YOUR PLAYLIST: Wave Machines "I Go I Go I Go"

BEAT OF THE WEEK: "Bon Iver"

More and more the little indie band from Wisconsin is becoming known, yet not enough know the true beauty that erupts every time one listens to one of their songs. Justin Vernon, after having many initial failures with other bands and relationships, even after a battle with mononucleosis, came to a revelation in his life while he lay bedridden and weak. After rejoining with his friends from former bands and escaping to a remote cabin in the wilderness of Wisconsin, Bon Iver was born with their first album, "For Emma, Forever Ago". Bon Iver, a deformation of the French "bon hiver" meaning "good winter" ('hiver' reminded Vernon too much of the word 'liver', which is where his illness resided), has been lauded as a great newcomer onto the indie scene. In the past 2-3 years, such songs as "Skinny Love", "Re: Stacks", and "Lump Sum" have been broadcasted on NPR, on popular TV shows like "Grey's Anatomy" and "House M.D.", and will soon be on the soundtrack for the new "Twilight: New Moon" movie. Other than those recommendations, the music alone is reason to get into Bon Iver. It has a fresh tone, very relaxing and melodic, but in the same sense intelligent and reinforced with pure musical prowess and talent. If you're into such artists like Jack Johnson, Beirut, and so on, then Bon Iver is definitely a band that you owe to yourself to check out.

Recommended songs: "Lump Sum", "Re: Stacks", "Skinny Love", "Woods", "Flume"

Quotidian Corner: Flo from Progressive Insurance

Let's be honest. Television these days really is in the slumps. The majority of filler commercials is some stupid skit with questionable cavemen that don't mention car insurance, or unintelligent blather-filled infomercials about blankets with sleeves (that's right Snuggies) or magic cleaning clothes (you too ShamWow!). One really is finding less and less reason to turn on the television when stupid and boring frame-flashing suffocates the air-waves. And then came Flo.

Sure, I have no intention of buying car insurance, nor do I even OWN my own car, but the fact of the matter is that Flo (as most commonly know her, the "girl from the Progressive Insurance commercials") is a improvisational, and commercial, genius. Her quirky-cute routine may be obnoxious to some, but after really scrutinizing each Progressive Insurance commercial, one realizes that they pay an abnormal amount of attention to the television when Flo is gracing us with her pixelated presence. Stephanie Courtney, the actress behind the 50s hair and "neon make-up", struts around the Progressive Insurance cyber world with her "tricked-out name tag" and her price gun, creating the genuinely remarkable character of Flo.

But why is Flo so remarkable? Shortly after her debut on national television, Flo began to receive a sort of fan following from people who found her to be hilarious (I, for one, am guilty) to men who find her to be attractive (guilty again!). Flo? Cult status? Exactly! Forget the long, drawn-out Mac vs. PC commercials, or even the awkwardly adorable GEICO gecko, for Flo puts commercials in a whole other realm: commercial comedy. Not only do people patiently watch the commercial in full when they come on at every break, but people actually get excited when a new one comes out. I'd consider that successful marketing, not only do you remember the message, but you enjoy it as well. On the contrary, there are some marketing strategies that replicate this formula, but severely fail. For example, if I ever see that stupid wad of dollar bills with eyeballs again, I will vow never to buy from GEICO no matter how good the deal is. I hate those commercials THAT much.

In conclusion, Flo captivates an very difficult audience, one that normally wishes that their program was still on over the pesky, and repetitive commercials. She hones in on an unsuspecting crowd of eager and excitable viewers, looking to fill the void left since that Dell Guy got caught for possession, or when beer commercials became mediocre. She is a good model for advertising, and otherwise a good model citizen. If you ever need car insurance, or quite simply a good laugh, watch a Progressive Insurance commercial. I promise you won't be as bored as usual.

Web Watch: Electrosound (mash-ups)

Recently I've been listening to anything I can find on my limited 8 GB (that's limited to me) iPod, and most of the time I found myself passing the time on the metro to David Guetta, Lady Gaga, Shiny Toy Guns, etc., but now I can enjoy a lot of my favorite songs simultaneously with Electrosound. Electrosound is an Internet DJ who takes a lot of popular songs and mashes them together. I'm sure a lot of you already know what mash ups are, but I don't assume you've heard some as good as to what Electrosound can dish out. I first discovered him through a mash-up of Lady Sovereign's "Love Me or Hate Me" with Gorillaz's "D.A.R.E.", and I was immediately entrapped. Since then such mash-ups as MIKA vs. The Whip and Amy Whinehouse vs. The Chemical Bros. exist on my iPod. The beats are good, and Hell, he even makes Kelly Osbourne sound interesting! That's skill if I've ever heard it.

Don't believe me. Here are a few samples that he's uploaded onto YouTube. If you're sold, venture on over to electrosound.eu to see his entire repertoire, and to download them all free! That's right, F-R-E-E!

PIMP YOUR PLAYLIST: Noisettes "Don't Upset The Rhythm"

WATCH: "Summer Heights High"

I am certainly sure that the big lot of you all have heard of this show, but I am doing my humble part in promoting television at its finest by spending a few key-pounding moments to illuminate the masterpiece constructed by comedian/actor Chris Lilley.
Set in Australia, Summer Heights High is an Australian television show imported to the US by the HBO network. In this 8 episode long series, actor/writer/genius Chris Lilley portrays his version of a mockumentary in an ordinary public school by playing the three integral characters the show follows: Ja'mie King, the spoiled and arrogant private school girl who is attending the school on an exchange program, Mr. G (pictured on the right), the flamboyant and neurotic drama teacher who cares only about the hierarchy of theater and his dog Celine, and finally, Jonah Takulua, the illiterate break-dancing delinquent who finds himself more in trouble than he deserves.
All in all, the show is massively entertaining as it encompasses all the realms of humor that I feel that the majority of people would enjoy. Some parts you will find awkwardly hysterical, where laughing is questionable lest you feel like a terrible person, were at other points you laugh because Lilley loses himself to the character so much that you sometimes catch yourself being reminded that that is not actually a 16 year old girl with a manly bone structure.
Rarely do I ever buy something as soon as it comes out, but let's just say I got my copy as it was still warm. For $30 it is really a steal, but if you prefer to feel it out before I'm sure Blockbuster has it for rent underneath the "Absolutely Ridiculous" section. But take my word for it, buy it, for it will just save you the time from the inevitable trip.
Honestly, there is no way that I can describe to you the video further without seeing it yourself. Watch the trailer below, and if you are not entirely convinced, YouTube offers a variety of clips and extracts from the show to convince you further. Happy watching!

Technology is a double-edged sword!

Let me prelude this rant with an apology for my long and painful absence. If it weren't for the wonders of overseas shipping and other serendipitous occurrences, I might not have been able to write this blog post so leisurely. Due to my fortune, I can now honestly apologize to my loyal readers, all 3 of you, for leaving you out in the dark for so long. If I still have your attention thus far, then I guess I will actually have to follow up on my promise of a explanation.
Crap...
So it seems, technology is something we all agree is frustrating as Hell, yet we can't live without it. Unfortunately, a month ago I had the wonderful pleasure of learning the true meaning of both of those facets: my dependency on technology, and my bitter distaste for when a simple error causes irreparable damage to one's communicative life.
Upon following up on a lovely excursion to the French countryside with the intention of uploading and updating my Flickr account (my newest cyber-substance abuse), I quickly came to the conclusion that a black screen showing up on your laptop instead of the standard what-have-you is a VERY bad sign. And bad it was, for it forced me to deal with French technical staff, which, believe it or not, makes French bureaucracy look like a handling a Starbucks barrista. With an estimate of roughly €12,000 to simply replace the broken motherboard (you know, the things that SHOULD NOT break after roughly two years), I decided to find another option that would helpfully alleviate the situation: my parents.
WRONG!
With potential solutions dead-ending every second, I decided that it was time to put on my Geek Squad gloves and tackle the technical world myself. If you though Homer's The Odyssey was a trip, then grab yourself a faulty Mac or iPod and seek a replacement.
Ha! the naïvety pleases me.
After trying to call the Apple store from France (because they don't offer an international number, although they are an international enterprise, so I thought), and sending a few detailed and polite e-mails in their generally direct direction, nothing came back. I slowly began to realize that all those phone calls and e-mails were sent on a suicide mission, and I just watched as their caskets came back home.
Fortunately now I have access to a lovely handed-down Mac, but yet I bare the scars of a binary battle and certain digital diplomacy. It's not that I didn't receive a genuine good product to begin with (it was actually a REPLACEMENT for the first MacBook Pro that crapped out on me), nor that it didn't extend its life beyond two years of college, but the horrible response that I received from a enterprise that is supposed to be involved with the consumer, and actually be concerned with the product that it divulges onto the general consumer population. Living in Paris and not being able to even FIND an existing Apple Store makes the experience all the more enjoyable, because quite frankly I was under the impression that Paris was a major city. Not according to Apple it seems.
But alas! Revelation! After reading an article online about a new Apple Store opening underneath the Louvre pyramid (yes, I said LOUVRE), I came to a very bitter understanding with the company: they have the money to open up a franchise underneath one of the most iconic structures in the world (might as well bought the Eiffel Tower), yet they apparently don't spend as much money into quality control of their products, nor into their customer service. Someone should tell Steve Jobs that his employees aren't the only ones buying Apple's products, but us little people too. We're the ones stupidly bobbing our heads in the metro with our iPods (mine just started to act up after only 3 months; more like iPod Touch-ed by an angel), we're the ones making crappy rap songs with Garageband and taking stupid distorted photos in Photobooth. Not you, Mr. Jobs, nor your fellow serfs in the Genius Bars. Surprised?
Don't get me wrong, I still, and probably will always prefer an Apple laptop over a PC. I grew up using PCs, and Microsoft, and pushing the overly complicated Start button and whatnot, but now I found a better niche that is spelled M-A-C. The exterior design alone is superior, for it's sleek, practical, light, and plain aesthetically pleasing. If I want a blocky, heavy, awkward amalgamation of plastic and metal, I will go PC. Until that day, I start my mornings with the quintessential Apple start-up fanfare, and it's smiles from then on...
My point, finally, is that technology is a beautiful creation, but at the same time it can be a terrible plague that devours time and patience more than Grendel did Danes. It is a modern retelling of Dr. Frankenstein's monster, complete with crashes and glitches instead of the occasional siege on the village folk. Having lived over a month in a foreign country without a laptop, having to adopt the AWERTY keyboard over the traditional QWERTY (my fingers will never heal), having to get up substantially early to commute to an office to use barely 30 minutes worth of Internet, I learned a lesson on humanity's dependence on technology, and how things like Facebook, e-mail, Flickr, etc. demand acknowledgment like eating and sleeping do. Though you may find that sad, it is the true. If you don't believe me, cut yourself off from anything computer or technologically more advanced than a toaster and tell me that you don't find yourself rocking alone in a corner à la Charles Manson. Consider it a dare even. Might do us all some good.
Once again to my readers, thank you so much for you occasional check-ups to see if I were ever to return to the blogging scene. Personally, I don't feel like I have accomplished much with this blog, or as much as I had initially intended, but I do decree now that that is going to certainly change. I've realized on all those longs metro rides, or even waiting in the grocery lines for the old women to pay in euro coinage, that I have a lot more to say about the world, music, film, LIFE in general, and if you do enjoy my commentary, please let me know! Anyone who knows me certainly knows that I do have an unhealthy relationship with talking, for I talk more than anyone should who doesn't get paid for it. I figure why don't I transpose that communicative libido into the fine lines of my blog, and perchance I will see some beneficial development from it in the future.
Ha! my own naïvity makes me laugh. But really, I have too much energy to not use it towards criticizing apathetic enterprises or under-appreciated indie bands whose big break could rest with some eccentric blog post. Who knows, right? But isn't that the fun part?
All that said, please enjoy the Un-Reel Talk blog v. 2.0. Don't expect this to be some sort of a Second Coming, because I can not produce miracles, but I can certainly talk and talk and talk about them (i.e. the kindness of my own parents for re-connecting me to my ever-loyal audience). I hope to make you all want to come back to read, and I do certainly hope that you enjoy it all as well, for I certainly enjoy writing about it.
Many thanks for your patience, and until the next fatal fiber-optic flaw!

Cedric