Jack White's World Record

Strange news came out this week. Apparently, a few years ago, Jack White tried to set the record for the shortest concert when he was The White Stripes were still a thing.



The concert occurred in St. Newfoundland, Canada. Jack and Meg set up, look at each other, play one note, then thank the audience and leave the stage. Unfortunately for Jack, The organization behind the Guinness Book of World Records felt that the feat could become too trivialized to be included in their books. Jack wasn't too happy about that.

This got me thinking of what other music-related records are currently being recognized by Guinness, so I looked up some records on their website. Here are some of my favorites.

Song Sung in the Most Languages

"Earth Passport" by Liquid Blue, sung in nine languages.



Most No. 1 Music Videos

Madonna, with nine number 1 music videos on the US Music Video Chart.

"Like a Prayer"

Most Hit Records by a Royal

Princess Stephanie of Monaco, who has had several hit records in Europe with the album Rendez-Vous.

Jack White may have a chance yet to be included among these musicians. The Guinness organization has challenged Jack to set a very different record, the most metaphors in a given concert. A strange record, sure, but good luck to Mr. White on setting it!

On Repeat: "Simple Song"

With the many changes that The Shins made in their five-year hiatus (new members and new sound), I didn't think Port of Morrow would manage to produce some of my favorite Shins songs. Time has proven me wrong and I really enjoy the new album. Possibly my favorite song on the album is "Simple Song."

Cut Copy - "Take Me Over"

A bullied girl stands up for herself in a wicked awesome cardboard costume!



They should be afraid!

Blue Like Jazz

Yesterday, my movie was Blue Like Jazz, a college comedy set in Portland, Oregon.

The movie follows a young Christian man named Don as he prepares to transfer to a full-term university from community college. He plans to attend a Christian college near his Texas home. His world is sent into a tailspin when he discovers that his mother is carrying on an illicit relationship with the youth pastor of his church, and he just wants to get as far away as possible. Thanks to a convenient plot point of an über-liberal and atheist father, he is able to make the last-minute decision to attend Reed College, instead. There, he discovers his religious beliefs make him a bit of a pariah on-campus. He hides his beliefs and instead opts to do all the weird things that people in Portland do, like ride tall bikes. He gets pretty close to renouncing his beliefs, especially as his view of his former life shatters furthers. He realizes, though, that a fellow student, a girl he (of course!) has crush on, is a practicing Christian, as well, which causes him to reconsider his beliefs. Then at the end, he is named the pope of Reed College and starts taking confessions from his classmates (yeah, it's a weird movie).



The movie was a Kickstarter success story, earning more than $300,000 on the site and having even more donated, which allowed the movie to be made. Good thing, too, it's a pretty good film. In some ways, I identified with Don, though his journey was a lot shorter than mine has been so far and was triggered by an event rather simple growing doubt. I did have a bit of an issue with the pace. The atheist dad living with a trailer with Reed connections and who just happened to have gotten his son admission just in case was a little too convenient. There were also a few random scenes with little reason for existing, like when a bear stole Don's tall bike. All in all, though, it was a good film and didn't seem to fall too much on either being really cynical about religion or too forgiving of it.

Mini soundtrack:

Menomena - "Taos"

John Coltrane - "A Love Supreme, Part 1: Acknowledgement"

Menomena - "E Is Stable"

Kanye West - "Lost in the World"

In terms of who he is as a person, Kanye West is probably one of my least favorite musicians. But dangit if the man doesn't make some incredible music and even more incredible music videos. True to form, though, he doesn't care about epileptic people, so don't watch this if you are one of those people.

New Music Tuesday - May 15, 2012

Beach House - Bloom

This seems to have been one of the most highly-anticipated albums on the year and that anticipation is already paying off in some of the best reviews of the year, as well. The high reviews are well-deserved, it is an incredible album. They haven't strayed far from the distinctive sound they've developed over the past three albums, but there is certainly nothing wrong with that.
"Lazuli"

Best Coast - The Only Place

Lead singer Bethany Cosentino has promised that this album, influenced by Fleetwood Mac's Rumors, will present a more mature sound and lyric-content than their debut, Crazy for You. I don't know how much Fleetwood Mac I've heard in it, but it certainly is a matured sound for the band. Some songs still seem to harken back to a love of California and frustration with the opposite sex, but the approach is different and gone are all the references to smoking illicit substances and cats.
"Do You Love Me Like You Used To"

Black Tambourine - OneTwoThreeFour EP

If I had known about this band a couple of months ago when I wrote my best one-album wonders post, they would have been included. The band never technically released a full-length studio album, just two EPs during their tenure together. Two compilation albums were released about 10 years ago. This will be the first release of new material for the newly-reunited band in 20 years. It is comprised of covers of four Ramones songs.
"I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend"

The Cribs - In the Belly of the Brazen Bull

The Cribs may be one of the better British indie rock bands still performing. They released one of my favorite songs of the genre, "Men's Needs", in 2007 on an album produced by Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and including a song recorded with Lee Ranaldo of Sonic Youth. Not a bad pedigree for a band that was still fairly young at the time. Even five years later, they've managed to hold on to the sound that made them great in the first place.
"Come One, Be a No-One"

Willie Nelson - Heroes

There are only a handful of musicians that have been around for six decades and still produce great music. Willie Nelson is an integral part of that elite group. This is his 76th (dang) album, and the artist is still going strong!
"The Scientist"

R.I.P. Maurice Sendak

Yesterday brought some bad news. Maurice Sendak, the author of everyone's favorite children's book, Where the Wild Things Are passed away at the age of 83 after complications from a stroke.

Although he wrote and illustrated many books, including In the Night Kitchen and Seven Little Monsters, he was probably best known for his 1963 publication, which became a major cornerstone of American culture. I remember reading the book as a child and simultaneously fearing the "Wild Things" and wanting to hang out with them just like Max from the story. His famous work was recently turned into a full-length, live-action movie with a soundtrack produced by Karen O.

Goodbye, Mr. Sendak!

Where the Wild Things Are

A Conversation with Maurice Sendak

Where the Wild Things Are movie trailer