by Miné Salkin | Nov 29, 2010 | Uncategorized
A paper I’ve submitted for publication in The Soundtrack
To delineate the functions of music as a cinematic-acoustic tool is clearly a complex task. In this particular investigation, we must examine how the states of consciousness of teenagers unfold in accordance to personal and individual soundtracks, enveloping a critical area as wide in scope as human emotion itself. Rather than viewing the use of the popular soundtrack as either a way to sell singles or a certain “MTV aesthetic,” the British drama television series Skins pulls together various kinds of popular music to create very significant points of personal and social revelation in several different ways. Through the use of punk, trip hop and lo-fi montages, the pop soundscape functions to illustrate moments of confidence, sexual promiscuity and social nihilism, in accordance to several characters’ mental states and social circumstances during critical times. As this paper explores, the popular soundtrack evolves alongside the characters’ points of view, through dismebodiment, mental disturbance and a David Lynch-inspired diegetic strangeness.
Skins is a popular television series that explores the lives of college students in Bristol. The central characters range from various socio-economic backgrounds, but the series delves into topics such as drug use, sexual relationships, family hardships, infidelity, mental illness and even death. Narratively, each episode is based around the life situation of an individual character, or a relationship between two. In this way, each episode acts as a mise-en-scene for the season as a whole, and as all the relationships are intertwined, the finale weaves a narrative symphony for their social circle as a collective.
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by Miné Salkin | Jul 13, 2010 | Uncategorized
Checking the stats and realized I hit this magical number.
Thanks to everyone who reads this blog… as scattered and disorganized as it is, I’m still quite proud!
By the way, the image above is of retro-artiste LSD hits. I may or may not condone drug use while reading my blog.
by Miné Salkin | May 18, 2010 | Uncategorized
Montréal-based DJ and producer Poirier brought his dancehall beats and soca energy to Vancouver’s Biltmore Cabaret on May 1. Before the show, Amanda Ash and Mine Salkin got a chance to sit down with him to discuss his latest two-disc album, Running High.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nAOaG32_aQ]
by Miné Salkin | Jan 20, 2010 | Uncategorized
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by Miné Salkin | Jan 11, 2010 | Uncategorized
Teen Dream
Beach House
(Sub Pop)
.
Legrand and Scally: full blown romantics
Step back Grizzly Bear, Baltimore’s dreamy alternative pop duo Beach House is back with a new album sure to garner as much acclaim as their 2008 work Devotion. Their laid back, reverb-soaked tunes are starry-eyed and pensive, and are best listened to accompanied by the visual delights of a lava lamp or a Lite Brite.
Legrand and keyboardist Alex Scally were featured twice by Pitchfork’s top albums in 2006 and 2008 for their minimalist, yet vivid musical scenery. While Legrand may have been recently featured on the Twilight: New Moon film soundtrack, suggesting an undoubted sell-out, rest assured, there’s plenty of soul left in melodic reverie and romantic synthesizer soundscapes.
The first track opens the album up nicely with “Take Care,” a dreamy electronic harpsichord, gently guiding singer Victoria Legrand through her loving lyrics “I’ll take care of you/ If you ask me to.” Another particularly standout track is “Zebra,” also the aesthetic inspiration for the album artwork, is a great song about an amazing creature, the child of an oasis.
Teen Dream is a wonderful escape from the city and the stresses of modern life. It’s intellectual, optimistic, perfect for any Raincouver occasion
