Happy New Year guys! I know I’m a little late so I should probably say Kung Hei Fat Choy! I actually made a trip to Chinatown last weekend despite the weather being less than cooperative. I didn’t see any dragons, or horses for that matter, but I did witness a man washing his hands in the urinal so that’s something you don’t see everyday. I also got a $7 haircut which is hard to beat.
In spite of a rough start to the year, weather and health-wise, I’m actually pretty excited for 2014. There are more than a few films and albums on the way this year that I’m eagerly anticipating.
The trailer for Zero Theorem, Terry Gilliam’s newest feature, was just released and it definitely harkens back to Brazil and his other early work. I’d love to see a return to form from Gilliam but I don’t want to get my hopes up too much. The film does look rather promising though.
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s latest, The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet, was filmed in Quebec and Alberta a while back but it still doesn’t have a release date here. I’m hoping it will find its way into North American cinemas sooner than later though.
I think I’ll watch Micmacs again in the meantime.
The Boxtrolls, a new film from Laika (Coraline, Paranorman), also looks like it could be a classic in the making. I’m a sucker for all things stop motion mind you but the cast even includes Simon Pegg and Nick Frost!
They’ve released a behind-the-scenes trailer that is worth a look too.
On top of that there are so many killer albums coming out this year I can hardly keep track. In the next few weeks alone I’m pumped for the release of:
Babymetal - Babymetal (J-pop idol meets heavy metal)
Baal - Shurado (Industrial metal from the Japanese underground)
Angelspit - The Product (Aussie Cyberpunk)
Atari Teenage Riot - Reset (the creators of Digital hardcore)
I can’t forget about some quality home-grown releases coming up too. In March there’s not only a new album from Tokyo Police Club but also the debut CD from Mounties. Mounties is something of a supergroup and features Hawksley Workman and members of Age of Electric/Limblifter and Hot Hot Heat. They’ve only released a few tracks so far but I’m really digging their stuff.
Maybe we’ll even finally see a new Death From Above 1979 album this year as well. I caught them on Boxing Day at the Danforth and they played eight new songs so I figure that‘s got to be a good sign.
Apparently I went to 27 concerts last year which I think has to be a record for me. I’ve been using setlist.fm to keep track of my shows and it’s pretty handy if you’re into set lists and that type of thing.
http://www.setlist.fm/concerts/hadd
So far in 2014 I know I’ll be seeing Mindless Self Indulgence, Andrew W.K. and Mounties anyway (plus Jim Gaffigan and the Kids in the Hall again). Who knows what the rest of the year will bring :).
