Magic frame, pipe wrench guy

Did the title of my last post make sense? I've stared at it for too long and can no longer tell.

Anyhoo, I'm coming out of my finals cave (it's littered with empty emergence-C packages and pieces of my brain from a self-performed lobotomy) to clue you into something amazing that you've all probably heard about months before me. Well, guess what? You're gonna hear about it again.

Ever watch the A-ha video for "Take on Me?" Ever wish they just sang exactly what was happening on screen? Wish granted.

Justice has a name and the name that it has, besides justice, is Captain Hammer

How can I be so slow on the uptake?

About a month ago, my friend Brian told me that he had just watched Joss Whedon's new internet series on iTunes and that I had to check it out. Brian and I have killed many hours at work geeking out on our love for Joss (I could talk about Buffy for hours), but for some reason I totally ignored him when he told me that I should really watch Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.



It's a couple months later and I've finally remembered to watch it. And you know what? AMAZING! Why? You want reasons? Fine, here we go. Neil Patrick Harris. Neil Patrick Harris singing and video blogging. Done.

Best of all, you can watch it for free at Hulu!

Black Forest (Tra La La)

Listen up, non-Madisonian readers (that means you, Seattle)!

My friends and favorite local band Pale Young Gentlemen are kicking off a nationwide tour to promote their new album Black Forest (Tra La La). They've received a lot of really great press, both locally and nationally, and are on their way up up up.

You need something more descriptive than me just saying that they're great? Well, there's a reason that I haven't attempted to be a music critic, but I'll do my best despite any of my skills to apply adjectives now flying out the window.

Their genre has been dubbed chamber pop by someone who is a lot better at this than me. To break that down a bit more, it’s a mix of orchestral elements (like the cello), driving pop beats, and literary-inspired lyrics (think Beruit + Brahms + The Decemberists + Andrew Bird). Mixing all of these elements together makes their sophisticated work seem equally at home at a pre-war cabaret, your local hipster dance party, or your tweedy lit professors house where he sips sherry and debates Ford Maddox Ford.

If you are totally lost (how can I blame you), you can check out their myspace page and have a listen for yourself.

And another thing! Tour dates are listed on their website, but they have also started a tour blog!

Hopefully my poor music reviewing skills haven’t turned you off. I would hate to be the ruin of their whole tour (yes, I have that much influence over you).

Go see cool people play cool music and be cool.

PQK OUT.

P.S. Guess who finally figured out how to add a blog roll! Holla at your girl!

Pop Quiz Kid Endorsed

This Saturday, I went to see Tarsem's The Fall. It was cinematically beautiful and features the delightful Lee Pace. I cried like a little girl (not the feat it used to be) and held my pee for the entire second half of the movie for fear of missing anything. It's definitely a big screener, so catch it while you can!

Pop Quiz Kid Endorsed

Independent artist, I am not, but I do like to support them on occasion.

For Christmas, I was given these lovely earrings from my equally if not more lovely mother:



(I would post a picture of the mother, too, but I don't think that she would be very pleased)

They are by artist Tilly Bloom, tracked down on online marketplace http://www.etsy.com.

One snow-filled day, one of these lovely little earrings slipped out of my ear while walking home, never to be found again. I imagine that it now wanders house to house, its little earring breath fogging up windows as it peers in, spying on cozy stuffed jewelry boxes.

But this is not a story of the little lost earring. I was heartbroken upon the discovery and decided to e-mail Miss Bloom, pleading with her to send me one earring more. She turned out to be more than willing and, within five days, it had arrived at my door. Still, there was a problem- it was twice the size of the original. Sheepishly, I emailed her again, asking to order a new pair and reassuring her that I'm really not a pain. Do you know what she did? She sent me another earring, this time for free! That's right, out of the very goodness of her heart.

Anyway, I figure I'd pass on the good word about a really unique artist who is also very generous. Please check out her shop!