Thursday, June 30, 2005

Ok, I truly am sorry about abandoning you for so long, guys. It's been a busy week and frankly this is again my last words for a while on account that I will be taking a much needed retreat to Jamaica starting Saturday. It's been a trial of a year which I am pleased to announce that this will be the marking point for the end of the old and the start of the new. What helps usher in such a change, you ask? All inclusive drinks and a sunny beach, that's what. So, when you think of me throughout out the span of next week just know that I'm happily half-drunk on the sandy beaches of Jamaica. But enough about me, let's say we get to some real hot writing action? I like my writing and I honestly hope it's decent entertainment for the 5...4...3...2....1 of you that actually make the effort to read this every so often. I plan on big things for this now that my days aren'tm quite as full. So........WATCH OUT!!!!

Firstly, I would like to address the issue of the so-called "Live 8" concert being held across the world in hopes that Africa's debt will be forgiven. I really only have one thing ot say about this: Bob Geldof is an attention whore. Obviously he gets no monetary gain out of this (I fuckin hope so, at least) so all he's really after is us remembering him and his damn Boomtown Rats. C'mon he readily admit to only giving a shit about africa EIGHT times!!! It's in the name of the concert!!! Plus, I heard Freddy Mercury got his AIDS during his little Live Aid stint....for which we should all hate Bob Geldof.

Next on my funny little agenda before I piss off for a week I have a memo to anyone who sits near me in a movie theater: Please be quiet and remain seated until the credits roll at least. In the past week I've seen two films, which I suppose I can speak on in the next paragraph, and at both showing people won't be quiet. I'm not talking the traditional whisper whisper bullshit, I'm talking about full on conversations, be it with a person with them or a person on their cell phone. Good lord, if you wanna talk go buy the shitty bootleg from that guy in front of the Farragut West metro station (I was watching his copy of Madagascar the other day and it was amazingly crisp on his little portable player) because oyu obviously don't care about actually seeing the film. This makes for three fights I managed to almost get into when I told people to shut up. Why everybody gotta be hatin'? To irritate me just that little bit more people leave super early now too. As Batman came to a close the movie has a few scenes to tie up ends. At the end of the first one of these, which still left a good 5-10 minutes left in the film, half the damn crowd got up and started leaving. WHAAAAA?!?!?

But before I really start sounding like a full-on Andy Rooney I must say Batman and Land of the Dead were both totally amazing. Ii was completely happy to spend some dough on both.

Now, some music for all y'all hip kids. First up is Stephen Malkmus' new album Face The Truth. I haven't totally digested this one yet, but I can say thus far that it is really good. It does have a little bit of the old flair that Pavement had but its definately got it's own shiney, hot-boys flair. Plus, if he realeased a Pavement-y album these days people would just yell at him for sounding like Weezer. Next is a classic which really needs no "blah-blah" which is The Misfits Static Age. It's just forever hot. And to finish up some truly odd Japanese psych-freak out courtest of Acid Mother Temple. And it's too late for me too talk about it so just listen and get frrrrrreaked.


Stephen Malkmus - Face The Truth

The Misfits - Static Age
Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - In C | 2 | 3

good night and i love you all. I'll catch you in a week and be thouroughly relaxed. Most likely that shall mean no more Andy Rooney impressions.

Friday, June 24, 2005

So, I went to Ted Leo tonight and it was an interesting experience. I'm sure that some of the things I might say in the following paragraph could be interpreted as criticism but it's actually not, it was a pretty good show overall. However, this show ended up reminding me and in a way beginning to experience something I have oft thought about. Sometimes I wonder how it felt to see the Clash, or a better example in this case The Jam, in one setting and then the next time you see them have it be like an entirely different show and feel. The last time I saw Ted Leo and the Pharmacists was in Cleaveland and it, like all of my previous TL+Rx experiences was a tightly packed, dirty, sweaty rock and roll experience. But tonight, Ted Leo moved up, and good for him, if anybody deserves it, it's that guy. But now he had a bigger stage, a bigger crowd, and, most shocking, lighting that bordered on a Pink Floyd LaZer Dome show. We're talking lights that made shaped and spun on stage! WHAAAAAA?!?! It's cool though, Theodore hadn't changed, he still provided maximum face blasting rock and oh so delightfully witty stage banter. He's the only man i will never shout "LESS TALK MORE ROCK!!!!" too....not like I've ever actually done that anyways, though. The sound was great, but it definately felt more professional, and very very clean, which was no fault of Mr. Leo, he played his jiggin' heart out. In fact all of them did, Chris Wilson, as tradition dictates, destroyed his kit and Dave Lerner played bass superly and continued to not sing into the mic in front of him.

TED LEO 2K5 LAzAH LIGHT SHOW 4-EVA!!!!!!!!!!!

No music today...just me telling you I had odd fun. If this was a reeeeeal whiney emo blog I could delve into some annoying, albeit hilarious, issues. But I'll spare you, go listen to
Tyranny Of Distance.

Thursday, June 23, 2005

ya know, i was going to put up a new one last night....then the internet didnt work. Now, I'm too tired, considering it's three in the MOOOO-NIIIIIIN. So, I'll leave you with this, and go to bed. Hey, it's something.

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah-- S/T 1 | 2 (Just as an aside, this person was lazy, so the band name differs with a "!" at the end so it will be in seperate folders and one track, "Heavy Metal" I believe, has all it's info in the Track Name section, so look out for that)

The full length is pretty good, so enjoy it. I'll write something cooler and funnier tomorrow.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

I was at a loss as to what to write about today, honestly I was. I wasn't really feeling like anything. Michael Jackson is acquited and even the woo-hoo hubbub surrounding his acquital was over with. The media just stopped caring so quickly! Sure I could complain about politics, but even that's become cliche and most likely, to anyone who reads this at least, I would be just preaching to the choir. So I was prepared to return to my computer and sit with this empty text box saring me in the face, after all I was fairly determined to write something tonight. Leave it to my father, bless his heart, to say something that irked me and got me ready to bitch to the facless masses, with the exception of you Paul....you get a face.
Tonight, alongside my parents, I attended a screening of Sneakers, a film which traces the gym shoe from i's humble beginnings to its current status as a fashion staple. Much of the movie dealt with the ideas of image and how concious we are of it today. From so-called "cool-hunters" on Melrose to Japanese kids coming to a town square knowing they would most likely be photographed, the idea of image is a big part of the shoe culture. These cool-hunters by the way, are the most shallow fuckers on the planet. They are so immage-concious that they know nothing else to make a business out of it, looking for uniqueness and whoring it out to the masses thus basically destroying any idea of uniqueness. Or perhaps they are the fulcrum which keeps trendsetters on their toes, constantly pushing them to do more and more bizarre things. Either way, they are materialistic idiots. But back, to my real point, which is what my father said to my mother and I, I apologize for digressing.
In my post-film discussion with my parents, my father said that he was not image concious at any time in his life. My mom gets points because she admitted that in her youth she did care what she wore, but my father wouldn't budge, using his same bullshit song and dance, "We were too poor to care." First of all this argument is bullshit, especially after watching a film where black people who are waaaaaay worse off than he ever was talking about their being aware of how they project themselves to the world around them. I said this and he, of course, got grumpy. Then, thankfully, my mother brought up the '60's. I've seen him then, and he was definately aware of style. The man had a fu-manchu and a mane of hair. He readily admits to identifying with CSNY's song "Cut My Hair"!!! If that's not image-concious I'm not sure I know what it is, then. It also seemed that he didn't want to admit that hippie culture was a style concious one! Of course it was, it's just that they focused on looking as disheveled as possible. Just because those drugged-up, dirty fucks don't spend $900 on a pair of shoes doesn't make them any less aware of how they present themselves to the public. If that was the case you could have a high-and-tight and three-piece suit and still be a hippie, which we all know is bullshit and could never happen.
Image is impossible to escape, no matter how poor or rich you are. Only people with serious mental impairment don't give a shit about their appearence. Hell, and my own father, went from being long haired hippie dude to what I think was his most hilarious style choice ever. I only thought of this on my drive home and he was way to grumpy later for me to raise this issue. But anyways, I've seen photographs from the early '80's where he and my mom are totally prepped out. He got a pink seater around his neck, a polo shirt, khaki pants, and matching socks!!! THE SOCKS MATCH THE SWEATER!!!! AWESOME!!! My mom matched my father except her sweater/sock combo is yellow. I wish I could have had that picture in my back pocket to just pull out when he pulled his "I was never image concious" schtick to say "YOU LIE!!!"
No one ever seems to want to admit that they care about how they present themselves to the world. What is so wrong with that? I want to look good. As long as people judge by looks, I will care about how I walk out of the house. This doens't mean I'll go out and buy the newest limited edition low-dunks, but it does mean I'll put on some good lookin kicks and present myself in a way that I want the world to pervcieve me. Image isn't money based, it is simply a fact of the world around us which inescapable and should be embraced so you don't end up looking like an ass when someone calls you out on your denial. Because, frankly, if you deny your being aware of it and you aren't mentally retarded or psychotic, you are a damn dirty liar and, permit me to say, pants on fire don't look cool, they just fucking hurt.

As far as music goes, let us see what I dug up amongst the fields today. First I'll throw out TV on the Radio's Young Liar's EP. It's good and has a version of "Staring at the Sun" on it with a good vocal intro to it that makes the song spoooookier. Next up is Pretty Girls Make Graves first albumy type thing. Worth it just for the sheer kickassness that is the first track, "Speakers Push The Air." Thirdly, some good time punk rock and roll alongside Ireland's Stiff Little Figners, with another brutal killer of a track "Suspect Device."

TV on the Radio -- Young Liar's EP
Pretty Girl's Make Graves -- Good Health
Stiff Little Fingers -- Inflammable Material (password:
alcoholdepository)


Enjoy, I think my rant was alright today, I think I 'm almost getting bloggin down. I write, you read, and you are forced to enjoy because there is free music at the end!!

Friday, June 17, 2005

I'm gonna give up being human for a while, thank you!

Thursday, June 16, 2005

So, here we are, it's been a day or so...or a couple since Michael Jackson was acquited. Good for him, now he can really learn to enjoy what the world has to offer...like girls...who are adults. Oh and not having plastic surgery. Also making good music again might bring him and us some joy. Some people say Thriller is his best album but I would have to disagree, Off the Wall would kick it's ass all up and down the "Billie Jean" video's lighted sidewalks.

I went and saw Penelope Spheeris talk tonight at the AFI Silverdocs Conference. I can't really take part in the conference part, so to me it is more like the AFI Silverdocs Festival. This is the first year I have been in town during the festival and thus far it has been a good time. Tonight they just showed a bunch of music videos (Air's "All I Need," Aphex Twin's "Come To Daddy and other assorted kickassery). I think I was pretty pleased when The Rapture's "House of Jealous Lovers" video by the Shynola guys socked everybody's teeth out though. People thought that video was super mega badass...which it is! Penelope Spheeris is not made for public speaking, by the way, she seemed like she was on drugs, super spacey and jittery as all hell. Overall it was fun though. I'm looking forward to the documentary on the 930 club called "930 F Street" and another movie, which I believe is on Saturday called "Sneakers." That one's supposed to have a good progression from early sneakers through Run DMC ADIDAS days all the way up to those apeshit kids in Tokyo who go bonanza for shoes.

As for music, I'm still deciding to be lazy, but i can get more to you this way. We've got plenty of good stuff found floating about the internet! First up in a couple Kings of Convinience albums. Most importantly is the Versus album which is simply a collection of remixes of songs off their first album. The Four Tet remix alone is worht the download. Next up is Art Brut's Bang Bang Rock and Roll which is basically what it's title suggest. Good time punk rock and roll for young disaffected youth a la the Buzzcocks. After that I'm including a link to Frijid Pink's album which is a destructive piece of pop-psychedelia. The had a song on the Cherrystone Rock's album. I must warn you though that download is paaaaaaaainfully slow.

Kings of Convenience- Versus & Riot On An Empty Street

Art Brut- Bang Bang Rock And Roll
Frijid Pink- Frijid Pink (sorry sorry, the password is "sth")


Well, maybe I will have something more interesting to say tomorrow, and maybe a better selection of music. I'm feeling lazy today and I'm not feeling like a people person. Now, ironically that seems like I might totally enjoy immersing myself in the facelessness that is writing on the internet, but no, I don't really want to talk to you either.

I'm in the mood to find you guys some Kate Bush though, so be on the lookout for that though. I may or may not post tomorrow. This is not yet part of my daily routine.

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

Well, it seems the case that California cannot convict celebrities. No matter how many the real world put up for trial they are an unconvictable group. Hell, this one even admits to sleeping with children and we still can't make up our mind. I need to get on that boat!! At this rate in the year 2014 Lindsay Lohan will be the next Hitler but it will be cool because she made some totally Oscar worthy movies. Whatever, I'm rather apathetic to the whole situation now, thank you media saturation!!!!

On to cooler things, though. Here's the preview for Guy Ritchie's new flick. Glad to see he decided to make sure his kaballah loving fruitcake of a wife would have no role in this one and thankfully neither will any sort of beach/desert-island setting. Looks like its back to the blood/guns/thugs basics including Ray Liotta! Awesome!

Well my somewhat success with yousendit the other day proved, bullshit. So i'm gonna mooch off of someone elses hard work. Here's some good billy bragg, I'm frustrated now. Enjoy this though. The track list can be found here, i know it's irritating to do this yourself, but it's free you summabitches.
Billy Bragg-- Taxman/Back To Basics

As a side note, I have yet to find a place for a real download of this but everyone's favorite two-man party machine Death From Above 1979 have put up their cover of Bloc Party's Luno on their DFA1979 Myspace Profile. It's not a huge departure at all. Following the basic blueprint of the orginal they seem to somehow change the attitude of the song. Whereas Bloc Party sounds more like "I'm angry and leaving this room and slamming the door behind me for emphasis," the DFA's feels waaaaaay more confrontational about ol' Luno's cocaine habits or whatever the hell that song is about (bloody noses'? lying? i don't know, whatever.) Good fun all around, though. As soon as I have a decent version I'll put it up.

Sunday, June 12, 2005

This here is a testing of my ability to use YouSendIt and your ability to recieve such nonsense. If I did this right you'll have plenty more music coming your way which is good news for you, bad news for my polic record. Caution to the wind, let the fun begin! For my friends who have not yet enjoyed the full on cheap pleasures of the mp3 blog, when I post bigger files they'll be zipped, if you need a good UNZIPPER!!!! then I shall direct you to the good and free Winace archiver. It's fairly self explanatory once you download it but lemme know if you have any issues.

Start off safe with The Mystery Jets, a band form the UK with very few recordings to their name, at least that are available to us yanks. They've been supporting those lads of Bloc Party a great deal over there but alas didn't get the gig to follow them around the US. Down low is the three songs I've found round the internet by them. "You Can't Fool Me Dennis" is a great punchy, clackityy pop-garage song that I've been finding to be well to my liking. The other two songs are quie good as well. "Alas Agnes" has the feeling of rolling through the english country side on a rare sunny day cursing the name of that evil, but you still kinda dig her anyway, ex-girlfriend, and "On My Feet" has those disco hi-hats that we've all come to be so appreciative of lately. So here you are, I hope it works, let me know if it doesn't and i'll figure something out.

The Mystery Jets- EP of 3

So, if this works, most of my testy stuff will be done and i can get into business as usual.


Well, here we are.....the beginning and the end of my cred. hopefully no one can find this. Very few emotions to be displayed here, i'm not in that business publicly, but plenty of opinions and fun. This will be partially an mp3 blog, partially a computer learning experience (so stick by me, no shit talking!) and a way for some people who care to keep up with my fast paced super cool life-style!!!!!!!!

anywho good song for the day!

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!-- "The Skin Of My Yellow Country Teeth"

Almost 6 minutes of super-fit bliss. I just found this track late last night on "Said the Gramaphone" and it is damn near irresistable. Talking Heads disco style indie rock. Warbly driving vocals. Enjoy it, support these guys, i'd like to see them make it out of New York. They've got a whole album to order and some more mp3's at their site (Clap your hands say yeah dot com). If that song doesn't make you want to buy that thing, I'll tell you how it is when I get my copy. Be careful, though, it could be sold out by then and then you'll be sad and not know what to do with yourself because I'll be having fun and you won't. But maybe if you ask nicely I'll invite you over and we can have a listening party.


I can't say I'll put up music in every post, but i'll do my best, I feel like spreading the news to those who know me, most look to me for answers, as is.

That's it for the first post. It was ment only to really be a test but got a little out of hand. Who knows if I can even stick with this longer than a week. Let's hope i can, I'm having fun right now.