I’ve been very disappointed in the lack of space sci-fi on TV this past decade. It’s like it fell out of fashion. Or something.

So naturally I was expecting the Star Wars live action TV show since 2006, when it was first announced. Originally it was to come out in 2008, then 2009, then 2010, and… now it’s canned.

Apparently, ~2 million dollars per episode is not enough to realize Lucas’ vision. He said he needs 10 times that. I’m not debating that creating an epic TV series requires lots of money. What I can’t understand though is why Lucas can’t see the answer in front of him.

The answer is simple: the fanbase.

If some amazing Star Wars fan films were created for $50 or for $500, then I’m sure that Lucas can do something better with $2mil, by employing the power of the fanbase, for free, or for little compensation. Create “clubs” where fans can sign up and offer their workmanship or resources. For example:

- Use fans to stitch together wardrobes.
- Use fans in simple props construction.
- Use fans’ tracks for moving.
- Use fans’ land for locations.
- Use fans to cook for cast & crew.
- Use fans as extras.
- Use completely unknown, cheaper actors that are good for the role.

I’m pretty sure that the Star Wars fanbase is so huge, that the right people offering their help in batches (e.g. one member working one week, another member is coming next week to replace him etc), can make this work.

If this works for projects like GNU/Linux, or Wikipedia, then why wouldn’t it work for an entertainment project? In fact, exactly because Lucas Films is an indie firm, it makes things much easier in “employing” fans. Not having to have to deal with most strict Hollywood unions & guilds and whatnot, is a huge plus in realizing this project with the power of the community. Plus, they usually shoot outside of USA.

As for the special effects, Lucas can create a smaller company than his ILM, which will charge less. He already has a green screen studio, or if it charges too much too, create a newer one — part of this liter production company that is not directly involved with Lucas Films Ltd (which tends to be very expensive, even if the client is George Lucas himself).

Overall, his vision should be doable with $2mil per episode. Just use the power of the juggernaut you already created George: your fanatics, that would even give their right arm — if it was to be severed with a real lightsaber.

In early 2009 a new music sub-genre started taking over the blogsphere. It was a new and old kind of music: think of ’80s synth-pop, married with shoegaze rock and dream-pop haze, filtered through a more electronic sound, and adding lots of reverb to the (usually) lackster vocals/lyrics. It’s the perfect relaxing somewhat-dancy summer music. Just chill. It’s made by youngsters (usually) in their bedroom, using a Macbook (well, usually). The internet is the main boosting medium for the genre, with most new such (usually) one-man bands releasing their albums on BandCamp for free.

It’s name is “chillwave”. The HipsterRunoff blog invented the genre’s name, after “glo-fi” and “hypnagogic pop” didn’t stick online.

I first became aware of it last Summer, but didn’t really like what I was hearing. I felt that it was ambient hipster drivel, drone noise. Unformulated, uncatchy, unintelligent, boring. I was dumbfounded that Pitchfork was covering these bands so much.

And then, last Fall, Neon Indian’s debut album arrived.

The main track on the album, “Deadbeat Summer”, stroke homerun with me. It immediately transported me back to when I was a kid in the late ’70s and early ’80s (7-8 years old), living in the town of Preveza. It immediately gave me that feeling that it’s so hot outside, that I need to hurry to the beach, where it’s usually crowded every day during summer. I’d run around at the beach, looking at the breast-naked female tourists lying in the sun, and not understanding what their deal is. I’d splash around, and be care-free. And if I was a good girl, I’d be treated with an ice cream on the way back home. Deadbeat Summer’s sonic vibes accurately described my psyche and frame of mind of that time. It was like my soul was lifted from my current body and was put back to that time, at the body of the young girl I was.

That was the exact time when I “got” chillwave.

For people to really connect with it they must have the right life experiences, usually hot summers and outdoors play that involve water in some way or another, or for others it works if they feel nostalgic about the care-free era of the ’80s. For my husband though, the genre doesn’t work. He doesn’t understand the atmosphere this music is trying to create. He finds the music underwhelming, “unremarkable” as he says in particular. Maybe growing up in colder France makes it difficult for him to understand and visualize the music, however, I feel confident that if he will give it a chance he will enjoy it too — as it has happened with other bands that originally he disliked but later became a fan.

Since chillwave got somewhat established in late 2009, there have been a number of pro- and con- articles in the blogosphere. Most indie blogs support the genre and have been the driving force behind the explosion in the genre’s popularity, but know-it-all old-style publications like the New York Times don’t get it, and had it dismissed. Of course, that NYTimes article is mostly rubbish, written by someone who doesn’t get the whole idea, however, this and some other “hating” articles do ring true on a couple of points:

1. Translating this kind of music live is nearly impossible. The whole point of the reverb effects and dreamy sound is so that the listener can sit on a couch, close his/her eyes, and make the song his/hers, based on his/her own experiences. Having the same effect on a venue, next to people who smoke weed, shout, and drink like sponges, is just not possible. A lot of the magic is lost in live performances. What is needed is for the bands that want to take these experiences on the stage to also have their own pre-programmed lighting gear, plus a big screen with care-free beach-related footage. Or something.

2. Someone said that this music is the product of the economic recession in the US. Made at home, with laptops, spending no money on them whatsoever. And their care-free sound tries to make the listener forget his financial problems. There might be some truth in this, but then again, maybe not.

3. Someone else said that chillwave hasn’t been mainstream yet because the “ultimate” chillwave album has not been released yet. That the genre is still evolving, and it’s still expecting of its own “Nirvana band” to popularize the genre to the mainstream.

Personally, I believe that the best chillwave album released so far is Wild Nothing’s “Gemini” (May 2010). Some people classify the album as dream-pop and only borderline chillwave, but to me it sounds like dead-ringer chillwave (plus, the band’s label page describes their sound as all things chillwave). For me, it’s one of the best albums released this year, regardless of genre. Every single of the tracks in there is amazing. There are no fillers in that album.

Other popular chillwave bands apart Wild Nothing and Neon Indian are Delorean, Small Black, Toro Y Moi, Memory Tapes, Teen Daze, Millionyoung, and Washed Out. Bands that are borderline chillwave: The Radio Dept, Real Estate, Best Coast, and some tracks by Bear in Heaven. Grandfathers of chillwave can be named the Animal Collective, Ariel Pink, Beach House among a few others.

iTunes created a chillwave sub-section on their Electronic section recently. Are you riding the chill wave too?

About 1000 of the 12500 songs in my iTunes library are awarded with 5 stars. However, some of these 5-star songs are better than other 5-star songs. This is my alphabetical list of these “6 star” songs, as I call them. The best of the best, of the “new” music (as Pitchfork calls it) that is bound to replace old style rock and pop in the minds of the young luminaries.

Please note that the specific list only includes indie artists. Also, the tracks marked with a — are legally free to download, if you search some reputable music sites, or their label, band, or PR sites. If you can’t find them, email me and I’ll get you the URLs (again, legal downloads only).

— Animal Collective – Grass
* Animal Collective – Summertime Clothes
* Animal Kingdom – Into the Sea
* The Antlers – Kettering
— Arcade Fire – Neighborhood #2 (Laika)
* Bat for Lashes – Daniel
— Beach House – Norway
* Bear In Heaven – You Do You
— Bear In Heaven – Lovesick Teenagers
* Bill Callahan – All Thoughts Are Prey to Some Beast
— Black Lips – Cold Hands
— Blonde Redhead – 23
— The Burning of Rome – Norman Bates
— The Burning of Rome- Cowboy Death-Pop Star
* Caesars – Winter Song
* Cloud Cult – The Tornado Lessons
— Crystal Castles – Untrust Us
— Cut Copy -Lights & Music
— Dead Man’s Bones – In The Room Where You Sleep
* Deastro – Moondagger
— Early Day Miners – All Harm
* Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Desert Song
* Eels – Old Shit / New Shit
— El Perro Del Mar – God Knows (You Gotta Give To Get)
* Empire of the Sun – We Are the People
— Faunts – Memories of places we’ve never been
* Feist – One Evening
— Fever Ray – Keep the Streets Empty for Me
— Fleet Foxes – Mykonos
* Four Tet – Angel Echoes
— Glint – Freak
* Gravenhurst – The Western Lands
* Grizzly Bear – Knife
* HEALTH – We Are Water
— HEALTH – Triceratops (CFCF RMX)
* J. Ralph – One Million Miles Away
— Jane Vain & The Dark Matter – C’mon Baby Say Bang Bang
* JJ – Ecstacy
— Laura Veirs – Wide-Eyed, Legless
* Laura Veirs – July Flame
* Longwave – The Devil and the Liar
* Loquat – Swingset Chain
— Low vs Diamond – Heart Attack
* M83 – Moonchild
* M83 – Don’t Save Us from the Flames
* M83 – Fields, Shorelines and Hunters
* M83 – *

* M83 – Teen Angst
* The Mary Onettes – Symmetry
— The Mary Onettes – Void
— Matti Paalanen – Here comes the rain
* Melissa Auf der Maur – Meet Me On The Darkside
— Memory Tapes – Graphics (Remodel Edit)
* Midlake – Home
* The Morning Benders – Stitches
— Neon Indian – Deadbeat Summer
* Of Montreal – Wraith Pinned to the Mist and Other Games
* Orenda Fink – Bloodline
* Paper Route – Carousel
* Paper Route – Tiger Teeth
* Patrick Wolf – Hard Times
— Phantogram – When I’m Small
— Phantogram – Let Me Go
— Portugal The Man – Shade
* Portugal The Man – The Devil
* Rantings of Eva – Bright Side
* The Raveonettes – Breaking into cars
* Rodrigo y Gabriela – Tamacun
— Rodrigo y Gabriela – Orion
— The Rosebuds – Leaves Do Fall
* The Rosebuds – Life Like
* Scanners – Salvation
— Scissors for Lefty – Nickels & Dimes
— Scissors for Lefty – Ghetto Ways
— Sea Wolf – You’re A Wolf
* Seabird – Apparitions
* Secret Cities – Slacker
* The Shins – New Slang
* Sin Fang Bous – Melt Down the Knives
* Surfer Blood – Harmonix
* Systems Officer – Pacer
* Tame Impala – Solitude Is Bliss
* Timmy Curran – Save
— Tokyo Police Club – Nature of the Experiment
— Transplants – Diamonds and Guns
— TV on the Radio – Staring At The Sun
* Two Door Cinema Club – I Can Talk
* Under the Influence of Giants – In the Clouds
* The Vanguard – And Then We’ll Dance
* Wavves – Mickey Mouse
— We Are Wolves – Fight & Kiss
Wild Nothing – Confirmation
— Wiretree – Big Coat
* Wiretree – Make Things Happen
* Woods – Death Rattles
— Yeasayer – 2080
* Yeasayer – The Children
* Yppah – Again With the Subtitles