Nada Surf to put out 5th album

It's always really cool when bands I like collaborate/actually listen to each other. One time Nada Surf cited "Singing in my sleep" by Semisonic as one of their favorite songs, which is one of mine as well...and now Nada Surf is collaborating with Death Cab...also a good combination! I'm stoked for the new album but I'm sad it's not coming out until February, which will be after I see them in November. Still, they tend to frequent the area a lot, will probably be back in the spring to promote their new disc.

It's hard to believe I've pretty much grown up with Nada Surf. Started listening to them when I was 16. Not that I'm much older, but as my music taste has evolved through the years, Nada Surf's stayed with me and always kept me smiling. Not to mention I partied with them in Spain. That was quite memorable..



Press release from their official website
US TOUR TO BEGIN OCTOBER 13

2008 DATES ANNOUNCED

Beloved New York-based band Nada Surf will be releasing their new record, “LUCKY,” on February 5th, 2008 on Barsuk Records, and will be offering fans the opportunity to hear the track "See These Bones" at www.myspace.com/nadasurf starting today.

“LUCKY” is Nada Surf’s fifth record and third for Seattle indie Barsuk Records, following the successful and critically lauded “Let Go” (2003) and “The Weight is a Gift” (2005). The band lineup for almost 12 years has been and still is Matthew Caws (vocals, guitar), Daniel Lorca (bass) and Ira Elliot (drums). The record is filled with songs of restlessness, longing and the elusiveness of love. Yet, in its inimitable way, the band beautifully counterbalances its signature lyrical wistfulness with its singular musical buoyancy. Intimate tunes become we’re-all-in-this-together anthems, thanks to the chiming guitars, propulsive beat, and the ever-present yearning in Caws' voice.

“I tend to be pretty hopeful about things further in the future, but full of anxiety about the next eight hours,” jokes Caws. “Unlike my friend John Flansburgh from They Might Be Giants, who says he's manic depressive without the depression, I think I'm manic depressive without the mania. Yet I'm ready to be cheerful at the drop of a reason. I’m always looking for rapture in music.”

“LUCKY” was co-produced by the band and John Goodmanson (Death Cab For Cutie, Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney). It was recorded in Seattle at Robert Lang Studios where artists like Nirvana, Death Cab for Cutie, Foo Fighters and Dave Matthews, among many others have worked in the past.

Many great artists make guest appearances on the record, including:
Death Cab’s Ben Gibbard, Ed Harcourt, John Roderick of the Long Winters, and guitarist Phil Wandscher of Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter. To help announce the coming of the new record, Nada Surf is about to embark on a national headlining tour. The dates begin October 13 in Philadelphia and end November 2 in Baltimore. Sea Wolf will be supporting.

Critical acclaim has followed Nada Surf through their career. Most recently, “MOJO” called “The Weight is a Gift” a “21st century pop masterpiece,” while “Esquire” said their “poignant anthems” are “full of airtight melodies and huge twists.” “Rolling Stone,” weighed in, saying:
“The band’s tunes achieve a kind of sleight-of-hand majesty,” while “Alternative Press” exclaimed the record is “nearly flawless.”
“Entertainment Weekly” called it “astoundingly good,” and “USA Today”
said Caws’ lyrics “have both mystery and a universal touch.”

Se, Jie

I just saw Ang Lee's most recent movie "Se, Jie" (Lust, Caution). It is a fascinating story with beautiful cinematography and an awesome score. It stars Tony Leung, who is undoubtedly one of the sexiest Asian actors alive. I should mention, however, that it's rated NC-17 and for good reason. If you have a weak stomach for very explicit sex scenes, this movie is NOT for you. Unfortunately, even with the great cast and compelling plot, the movie disappoints. I'm too tired to write a detailed review about it, and this one sums it up very nicely:

"Like most of Lee's films ("Brokeback Mountain," "Sense and Sensibility," "The Ice Storm"), "Lust, Caution" is impeccably crafted: Rodrigo Prieto's lovely cinematography, Alexandre Desplat's tastefully romantic score, and the gorgeous costumes and decor all delight. But there's a chilliness to the enterprise, and a remoteness, and all the sweaty intensity of the sex scenes can't heat it up or bring us closer to these characters. The film is never less than beautiful, but it's never truly absorbing." -- Shawn Levy

Thriller -The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehab Center

Real prisoners doing Michael Jackson's Thriller. No joke.

Military juntas at their most despotic moment...or are they?

From U.S. News and World Report

A Bold Call for Democracy. A Reply in Bullets
By Kevin Whitelaw
Posted September 29, 2007

It was being called the Saffron Revolution. Smuggled images of Buddhist monks thronging the streets of ancient Yangon opened a rare, but brief, window into one of the world's more backward and cruel regimes.

For nine days, the world watched as monks in saffron-colored robes led ever growing crowds on marches challenging the military junta that rules Myanmar (known more traditionally as Burma). Thousands were shaking off two decades of fear to join the monks. Myanmar's generals appeared caught off guard and even more unaware of the power of the Internet. Unlike past protests, this one played out very publicly, as photographs, video, and accounts of the protests—and the inevitable repression—blanketed cyberspace and the airwaves.

On the 10th day, the crowds were even larger. But this time, the monks were largely—and eerily—absent. Overnight, the junta's security forces had raided many monasteries, beating and dragging away untold numbers of monks. The generals had returned to their favorite playbook, greeting marchers with batons, tear gas, and bullets.

By Thursday afternoon, the streets of Yangon were littered with blood-spattered sandals left behind by fleeing protesters. At least 10 people were killed, with rumors of many more. The junta was still treading rather carefully with the monks, who have come to embody the nation's conscience. The monks already provide many of the social services that the generals have decided are beneath them—including AIDS clinics, orphanages, and schools.

If history is any guide, it will get even worse for any Burmese who continue to protest. During the last sustained anti-junta protests in 1988, several thousand were killed. And the government's belated move to cut off Internet access and confiscate mobile phones presages greater violence.

With most of the world offering no more than rhetorical condemnation and symbolic sanctions, it appears that the newfound courage of the Burmese people will be rewarded only by bloodshed. In today's Myanmar, happy endings are rare indeed.
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It is so true, that most people, while completely appalled, shocked, and saddened at the events occurring in Burma, just sit on their asses and mentally/verbally advocate our (dis)belief (like I'm doing right now, I'm well aware). And I am completely and utterly disgusted that power-hungry people with lots of weapons manage to treat other human beings this way, particularly Buddhist monks. My father was once imprisoned as a Buddhist student in Vietnam. This could have happened to him, or anyone who has tried to speak out against a repressive authority.

Sadly, this is not the first time that a military junta has taken over a country and massacred a population. Look at the Dirty Wars in Argentina. Or Pol Pot in Cambodia. Or ethnic cleansing in Darfur. This is not a new phenomenon. As the article states, it's not even a new event in Burma. The democratically elected president has been under house arrest for 11 years, and previous protests in Burma ended just as violently. It's just that thanks to Youtube, Facebook, and Google, we are just made aware of it rather instantaneously.

Anyway, despite history unabashedly repeating itself, I refuse to get disillusioned with the world, and I refuse to be apathetic. I believe in karma, and I guess you could say that's why I've decided to go into medicine. For every person that has died brutally and unnecessarily, I will hopefully improve or save a life. Obviously I wouldn't be able to stop military madmen with rational thought, compassion, and a stethoscope. But I could perhaps contribute to a community to provide health care and help instill ideals of compassion, personal liberty, etc. etc.

I guess my point is, ok, maybe all we can do with respect to an actual event like this is mourn for the dead and pray that the problem will get resolved peacefully. But it also pays to look at the way you personally treat people and the way you live your own life. Are you as aware of your own surroundings as you could be? Are you doing the most you can to help out your immediate environment? I think it's actually a trickle-up effect, where democracy and peace must start at the civilian level. And more importantly, we can't have so much amnesia that as soon as the rush of media is gone, we forget and move on. Never forget Las guerras sucias...never forget Pol Pot...never forget Darfur. History inevitably creeps up on us, and if we continue forgetting the past, every time it happens again, we've taken a few steps backward and have to start over with the peace-building process.

Don't mourn for these deaths because they are shocking. Mourn because they are not. Not even remotely.

VSA Officer Intro 2007

I am very proud to say I played a part in creating this group :) Aren't they adorably awesome? Props to Kin for the video filming and editing!