The Game Is Changed

Justin Timberlake scores film...Japandroids interviewed at Pitchfork...Calexico...

Well, I guess it's as good a day as any other to talk about former boy-band members. This day, we choose...Justin Timberlake! Timberlake, famous for his work with N'Sync, and his much-appreciated solo work as well as his acting stints, has announced that he's going to be scoring a new film, titled The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. I think Jessica Biel, who stars in the film, probably got him the job, but that's neither here nor there. Apparently, along with scoring duties, Timberlake is also going to be the music director, getting the opportunity to show his taste in music by picking other band's songs to be included in the film. I guess this is considered music news, only on the pretense that people have wondered where the hell he's been since the last album he released was FutureSex/Lovesounds in 2006, and has taken to acting pursuits. Either way, this could be interesting...You can hear "Sexyback" below:



In other news, Pitchfork has interviewed Vancouver band, Japandroids, in anticipation for their second full-length LP, titled Celebration Rock, which is being released on June 5. I actually first heard of this band after a friend gave me their first album, Post-Nothing as a "secret Santa" present on Christmas Eve 2010. Always a sucker for a good CD, I listened to it on repeat for weeks, and normally, this type of yell-driven emo-sounding rock n' roll may not be my thing, but these guys just had something about them that transcended those weird and sometimes inappropriate stereotypes. From the opening track of "The Boys Are Leaving Town," to the very end, it's just non-stop. But, in the interview, they address their somewhat easy-going attitude about how they formed and how they continue as artists, maintaining that they'd rather be happy and maintain their friendship than right the fame-train to destruction. You can read the interview at Pitchfork, and you can hear stand-out track "Rockers East Vancouver" from Post-Nothing played live on Noisevox below:



LISTENING: I started off my morning with a little White Stripes, but have since decided to change directions somewhat to an album that was one of my favorites in high school. The album is by a little band called Calexico, and the album is titled Feast of Wire. Now, let me say that I haven't really listened to much else by Calexico, and this wasn't a conscious decision. Though I was taken aback and appreciated the aforementioned album, I just didn't delve into anything else, minus a few snippets of their 2006 effort, Garden Ruin, but I don't even remember much of it, so it must not have been very good. Either way, going back to Feast of Wire, it's a great album that mixes Latin and country influences into a weird hybrid that doesn't sound contrived, or weak. I think with Calexico, it's more about the compositions than the actual lyrics, though when they actually do decide to sing, there are some endearing moments, most notably on my favorite track, "Not Even Stevie Nicks," which you can hear below:



That's all. PEACE.