Sia-Crazy: "Some People Have Real Problems"

There is actually one good album to come out of '08. It's Sia's Some People Have Real Problems.
Those who enjoy acid jazz and more specifically the music of Zero 7 might already be on the Sia ship. She provided vocals for Zero 7 for a while before moving to London from her native Australia.
Sia now goes solo.
Her unique sound coupled with a gendered look render her easily visible and her lyrics are a 'poetic blend' of melancholy, anxiety, and hope.
Sia's voice is the kind that reminds one of everything and nothing at the same time. And this is why she is claiming much presence in my current playlist.
Starbucks is now distributing her new album which can only mean one thing: Sia has arrived not only critically but also commercially.

graph per myspace

"Ago ergo cogito"

Ever wonder why you get hit by the best ideas when running, riding, or just generally moving? This is an excellent bit I encountered this morning. Hat tip to Tyler Cowen over at Marginal Revolution.

A snippet from the report:

'When you read something confusing, or work a crossword puzzle, or try to remember where you put your keys, what do you do with your body? Do you sit? Do you stand? Do you pace? Do you do anything with your hands? Do you move your eyes in a particular pattern?
...
The brain is often envisioned as something like a computer, and the body as its all-purpose tool. But a growing body of new research suggests that something more collaborative is going on - that we think not just with our brains, but with our bodies. A series of studies, the latest published in November, has shown that children can solve math problems better if they are told to use their hands while thinking. Another recent study suggested that stage actors remember their lines better when they are moving. And in one study published last year, subjects asked to move their eyes in a specific pattern while puzzling through a brainteaser were twice as likely to solve it.'

graph per bostonblobe

"Non, je ne regrette rien."

The film La Vie en Rose chronicles the life and death of the incomparable Edith Piaf.
What makes this film unique is the way the narrative moves. The 41-year-old director, Olivier Dahan, is a rare example of a modern artist who has faith in the experiential and cognitive bank of the audience and subsequently respects it enough by not rendering someone's life story bearable.
Piaf's life is respected by virtue of not being dumbed down. Hardships and tragedy are depicted realistically and, in a way, I cannot help but think that this artistic choice is what makes this film a success.
Plus, the casting.
Dahan's Piaf is played by the bigger-than-life and fantastically talented Marion Cotillard.
Thanks for the tip back in June, Dimitri!
graphs per imdb