As 2013 and this issue draw to a close, it’s time to start planning the new year. From films and sports to finally trying out Twitter, the busy editors and contributors of BTSB took a moment to share their tips for 2014. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics (February 7-23)
“Sure, the Winter Olympics are organized every four years. But in 2014, there's so much extra to look forward to! The horrid time differences of Vancouver and Nagano are a distant memory, as the town of Sochi is a friendly GMT +4. It might actually be possible to gorge on dem sports without losing sleep and staying somewhat functional! Further, the IOC seems bent on organizing the games in quasi-totalitarian states with enough dolla-dolla-bills to throw at new arenas and stadiums - and to maintain that good-ole Olympic spirit (no nasty Tweets, you guys in the press departments)! Especially in the wake of the Russian anti-LGQBT laws, Sochi is at least as controversial a venue as Beijing was for the previous summer games, so the Winter Olympics remain interesting even for those not that keen on spectator sports. Might we suggest a “don't mix sports with politics/rainbow nail polish controversy" -drinking game?””
-Esko Suoranta
Joining the likes of Ashton Kutcher, Katy Perry and Barack Obama (and over 500,000,000 other registered users*) on Twitter
“I think my new thing for next year will be learning how to use Twitter. I know it's been around for quite a while but I have almost deliberately avoided it until now but perhaps it's time to get acquainted with it.”
-Laura Kurki
Noah by Darren Aronofsky
“Coming in March of 2014 is acclaimed director Darren Aronofsky's (Pi, Requiem for a Dream, The Wrestler) long awaited follow up to 2010's Black Swan, the biblical epic Noah. Aronofsky has been one of Hollywood's most original and daring filmmakers for some time now, and when your last film makes almost 330 million dollars worldwide on a 13 million dollar budget, you get to do pretty much whatever the hell you want. Aronofsky chose to tell the story of Noah, and he's assembled an all-star cast to help him do it. Starring Russell Crowe (The Insider, Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind) as Noah and Jennifer Connelly (Requiem for a Dream, A Beautiful Mind, House of Sand and Fog) as his wife Naameh, alongside the likes of Emma Watson, Ray Winstone and Anthony Hopkins, Noah's pedigree is absolutely first-class. If this film proves to be anywhere near as good as Aronofsky's previous efforts, Noah will be one of the must-see movies of the year.”
-Kristian Banfield
Notable “electronic” albums released in 2014*
Azealia Banks - Broke with Expensive Taste (January)
“My prior knowledge of this NY rapper is limited to her brilliant dance anthem “212” (produced by Lazy Jay), but the media buzz surrounding her upcoming debut LP (featuring the likes of Pharrel Williams, Boddika and Disclosure) is certainly tingling my hip-hop-fused-with-electronic senses.”
Katy B – Little Red (early February)
“Katy B’s debut album On a Mission (2011) was arguably the club banger collective of the year, and the first singles off her sophomore effort suggest that the Londoner still understands how to mash various bass sounds in a dignified, non-Skrillexy kind of way.”
Example – All the Wrong Places (March)
“Legendary rave outfits such as Underworld, The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers and Faithless are cited as an influence in Example’s newest full-length endeavor, and it remains to be seen whether the English singer can emulate any of his idols’ spectacular dance floor craft.”
Garbage – TBA (unscheduled)
“Can’t say I know the first thing about this project, but hey, it’s Garbage! For all I know, this album could have nothing to do with electronic music, but then again, the band’s impressive back catalog has frequently featured a versatile mix of genres.”
-Ari Mäntykivi
*some album titles and release months are tentative and may change over time.
The Godzilla reboot (May)
“I don't know if you've seen the failure that the 1998 American Godzilla was, but this new one seems promising for now. Directed by Gareth Edwards and starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy, Kick-Ass ) and Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene), it’s actually not a remake of the American Godzilla but a total reboot of the whole Godzilla franchise, starting with the original 1954 movie. Which actually makes the whole thing even more exciting!”
-Ile Kauppila
The Next Generation of Console Gaming
“As the year 2013 is drawing to a close, we’ve seen the launch of not one but two brand new consoles namely Sony’s Playstation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One. These launches are the first new consoles from Microsoft and Sony since 2005 and 2006 when the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 were launched respectively. Historically speaking, that’s a long time between consoles so the arrival of these new consoles has, of course, been met with a lot of excitement. I had originally planned on trying to get a Playstation 4 with the help of Santa before I came to the conclusion that I don’t actually really need it. I’ve still got plenty of older video games to get through that I haven’t had a chance to play yet so what’s the rush?
It’s been about 7 or 8 years since the most recent generation of consoles launched (not including the Nintendo Wii-U which is in a weird sort of middle ground). There’s been a lot of technological development during that time though, from what I’ve seen so far (and admittedly this is very early), this development isn’t yet readily apparent when looking at the new systems. It’s possible that I’m a bit jaded but I’m also optimistic enough to look to the future. That being said, what I’m looking forward to seeing in 2014 is the real arrival of next-gen console gaming. I want to see the potential of that technological development realized in concrete form right before my eyes. I want to see Microsoft and Sony showing why it was necessary for these new consoles to exist. What kinds of new experiences are only possible on these consoles? Give me a reason to rush to the stores.”
-Jesper Simola