3 posts tagged “imaginary biographies”

Breaking news: John Hughes is dead from a heart attack.

If you were a teen during the 80s, it was hard to not fall in love with some of his movies, including Ferris Bueller's Day Off, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Pretty in Pink. When I was talking about (500) Days of Summer, I almost reference Hughes' undeniable influences on the movie and soundtrack, but I did not want to make that assumption since I haven't seen the movie.

Not really much to add to the news, but apparently he was visiting families in Manhattan and suffered a heart attack during a morning walk.

As you know, I am a huge fan of popular culture, and I did grow up and fondly remember these movies. Some of them, in particular the Pretty in Pink soundtrack, introduced me to a world of alternative music.

Pet Shop Boys (official / myspace) has announced their epic return to the US, just in time for their 25^th anniversary of their first release of One More Chance and West End Girls in 1984. Their official 10^th studio album, Yes, will also be making its debut on one of my favorite record label, Astralwerks.

8/29 Montreal, Metropolis
8/30 Toronto, V Fest
9/1-2 New York NY, Hammerstein
9/3 Washington DC, Constitution Hall
9/5 Boston MA, HOB
9/6 Atlantic City NJ, House of Blues
9/9 Miami FL, Fillmore
9/10 Tampa FL, Tampa Bay PAC
9/11 Orlando FL, HOB
9/12 Atlanta GA, Chastain
9/14 Chicago IL, Chicago Theater
9/15 Milwaukee WI, Pabst Ballroom
9/16 Minneapolis MN, State Theater
9/19 Vancouver, Vancouver Centre of the Perf Arts
9/20 Seattle WA, Moore
9/22-23 San Francisco CA, Warfield
9/24 Los Angeles CA, Greek
9/26 Las Vegas NV, Joint

Understand that their live shows are extravagant with loads of dancers, costume changes, and set pieces... so their ticket prices are also astronomical (I'm talking over $100). So I will probably not be seeing them (to be fair, Morrissey's out of my price range...), but speaking of things in my price range:

Free downloads: DJ & mixer, Pretty Lights (official / myspace) has all of his albums as a free download on his official website. They include Taking up Your Precious Time and discs 1 & 2 of Filling up the City Skies!

Getting people to check out your music is pretty sweet, and the other 110,000 people seems to think so too! Oh, also just in time as he's just announced his word tour:

08.29.09 – The National – Richmond, VA
09.02.09 – Lyric Theatre – Oxford, MS *
09.03.09 – The Sky Bar – Auburn, AL *
09.04.09 – Athens Arena – Bogart, GA *
09.05.09 – Belly Up – Aspen, CO @
09.12.09 – Trinumeral Festival – Horseshoe, NC
09.18.09 – Symbiosis Gathering – Groveland, CA
09.21.09 – Bama Theatre – Tuscaloosa, AL
09.23.09 – Rhythm & Brews – Chattanooga, TN
09.26.09 – Diesel – Wilmington, NC
10.02.09 – Aggie Theatre – Ft. Collins, CO
10.03.09 – Odgen Theatre – Denver, CO +
10.12.09 – Belly Up Tavern – Solana Beach, CA R
10.14.09 – Key Club – West Hollywood, CA R
10.15.09 – The Independent – San Francisco – CA R
10.16.09 – Nocturnum – Eureka, CA #R
10.17.09 – Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA #R
10.18.09 – Crystal Ballroom – Portland, OR #R
10.21.09 – The Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN X
10.22.09 – Miramar Theatre – Milwaukee, WI X
10.23.09 – Park West – Chicago, IL D
10.24.09 – Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI D
10.25.09 – Bluebird Nightclub – Bloomington, IN D
10.27.09 – Headliners Music Hall – Louisville, KY D
10.28.09 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN D
10.29.09 – The Valarium – Knoxville, TN D
10.30.09 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC D
10.31.09 – Ann Street Shed – Charleston, SC
11.03.09 – Crowbar – Tampa, FL A
11.04.09 – The White Room – Miami, FL A
11.05.09 – Engine Room – Tallahassee, FL A
11.07.09 – House of Blues – New Orleans, LA A
11.10.09 – Granada Theater – Dallas, TX A
11.11.09 – La Zona Rosa – Austin, TX A GA
11.12.09 – George’s Majestic Lounge – Fayetteville, AR G
11.13.09 – Newby’s – Memphis, TN G
11.14.09 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA G
11.17.09 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC G
11.18.09 – 9:30 Club – Washington DC G
11.19.09 – Fillmore NY @ Irving Plaza – New York, NY G
11.20.09 – The Note – West Chester, PA G
11.21.09 – Paradise Rock Club – Boston, MA G

* w/ Emancipator
@ w/ Savoy
+ w/ Lifesavas
R w/ DJ Rootz
# w/ Chicharones
X w/ Prepschool
D w/ Dark Party
A w/ Alex B
G w/ Gramatik

Other freebies includes over 1,000 songs from Microsoft Windows Sponsored Songs . Not just developing artists, but well-established artists such as The Lemonheads and The Church! Thanks to Leerone (official / myspace / twitter), who pointed out that she's one of those artists. Also, per the request of many of her fans, she now sells MP3s on her store, however there's always something nice about getting a hand made package.

That's all for this week, for an unfiltered look at the latest music news, check out news.weheartmusic.com. Interested in seeing what albums we're reviewing next?  Go under "albums" and you're all set.

Vu passed along singer-songwriter Leerone's debut full-length for me to post about and I'm so glad he did. Usually when a musician is labeled a "female singer-songwriter", the thought of acoustic songs comes to mind for some reason, but Leerone exceeded my expectations.

Imaginary Biographies is Leerone's first full-length album featuring eleven original compositions with wonderful piano ballads. On choosing the title of the album, she said, "I think of this batch of songs as little stories and worlds that exist in my mind. I was thinking a lot about when something is imaginary, specifically that we choose to keep it imaginary, or to make it real. That's sort of where the title of the album came from." On the opening track "To Fill the Void", she provides some uplifiting words for anyone who's had uncertainty with their life; "Who are they to tell you what your life is supposed to mean? Why are you so willing to be at their mercy?". On "JUNK / Peace of Mind", she dismisses the media saying she can't find peace of mind among all the advertisements inviting consumption and greed, TV because it's too depressing, and People magazine because of its "rhetoric of stardom".

With songs like these, it urged me to listen to her two previous EPs, In This Life, On This Road and Hail to the Queen. They sound a little more raw and stripped down compared to Imaginary Biographies. Hail to the Queen is just her and her piano, whereas In This Life, On This Road features other instruments accompanying her piano and beautiful voice. A song that stood out while listening to these EPs was "All Is Well" from In This Life, On This Road. It's a simple song about her naivety as a child. She believed her life would be like Snow White, but as she grew older, that dream faded away and seemed intangible. Leerone is a great musician whose releases I look forward to, especially with her choice of subject matter in her songs and amazing musical compositions.


Happy New Year to everyone! Here's to another year of sharing music with everyone who visits the site with open ears. I'm glad that WHM has a variety of contributors, all with their own personal musical interests. I'm looking forward to 2009 for some new releases.

 09/05/2008 08:29:50  ♥ written by vu ()