Avril/Kanda/Le Grand Meaulnes

Avril Lavigne

I have to walk past a 12ft picture of Avril’s face every morning at the moment, it’s in the window of Aldo promoting AIDS awareness, part of that see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil campaign. The pouty mock angst ridden teenager is looking a lot sleeker these days, maybe this is just part of growing up; maybe this is because Hollywood has beckoned her, who knows. Either way she does have the most amazing face, and if Aldo want to share a massive b/w David Bailey portrait of that face with me then so be it.

I still won’t buy their shoes.


Kanda


"It's just you and me and the radiator" Ubeat bleakness courtesy of Kanda, the Portland based electro pop duo. Kanda weave a blend of outdated 80's keyboard pop and witty surburban fairytales, gritty enough to be sincere but with enough laptop tackiness to make it danceable. Also worth checking out is the repetative beauty of the song 'They'll need cocaine'. Both tracks taken from the album ' All the good meetings are taken'

kandapop.com

"Imagine The Pizzicato Five covering Hefner's 'The Fidelity Wars' armed only with a $5 keyboard and a lot of imagination and you'll still be nowhere near how good this sounds."

MP3:Kanda - Artic


Le Grand Meaulnes - Alain Fournier

Le Grand Meaulnes is oft cited as the French Catcher in the Rye, but in actuality it’s a much earlier softer work, the teenage disassociation is still there of sorts but it is less aggressive and more romanticised, having said that it is none the less beguiling for it. It tells the story of Augustin Meaulnes and his impulsive search for a love he accidentally stumbles across whilst on the run one night from his school. The cynicism of Holden isn’t present but there is a recklessness to Augustin that far surpasses that of the modern shoegazing teenager.
This book, like Catcher in the Rye is one of the few books I have read in one sitting, it’s that kind of book though, it draws you in and refuses to let go of you until it has finished with you.
Le Grand Meaulnes was published in 1912, Alban Fournier was killed in battle in September 1914, he was 27, this was his only novel.
A new film of the book (there was one in 1967) is in post production at the moment.

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