So, I got a $100 dollar bill for xmas from my kind Aunt and Uncle. While I am now rich beyond my wildest dreams the bill is the plague! I am new to toting around a 100 dollar bill (I prefer Hamilton and Jackson) and let me tell you its impossible to spend, even in Chicago. I tried to use it to buy a sandwich and the lady looked at me like I was trying to hand her a bunch of pesos or some British pounds. She kindly asked if I had anything smaller which I did, but didn't want to give up, but I am not one for conflict so I quickly passed her a 10.
The next place I tried to pawn off the Franklin was an office supply store in attempts to obtain a permanent marker. Again, I was turned down and asked if I had anything "smaller." Foiled again! So now my anxiety surrounding my new found fortune is acting up. I am paranoid to whip out the hundo because the fear of being denied for a smaller bill, and I am also paranoid because I am rolling around the city with a fortune in my back pocket! I have even withdrawn money since getting my xmas gift because I have had such a tough time spending it. Maybe I need to start buying more stuff at once. Like, instead of buying two records I buy eight or instead of having a beer with my dinner I order a 50 dollar glass of cognac. Like Biggie Smalls (aka Chistopher Wallace) said best, mo' money mo' problems.
Ohh and I don't want to come off as thankless for my Aunt and Uncle's gift, because I am very thankful, they are great folks. So-if you have money you want to send, just email me at analoggiant@gmail.com and I can figure out a way to spend it.
I already posted my favorite albums and songs when I started this blog but here is a collection of places to find top albums and songs from people that know much more about music than I could ever attempt to. Check it out! also there is free stuff at the bottom so stick with me or just scroll to the bottom which is cool too.
The Onion
BBC
NPR
Stereogum
Filter
Pop Matters
Soul Sides (Top hip hop w/downloads!)
Tiny Mix Tapes
Rolling Stone
Media Critic
I posted Pitchfork's 2005 "Best Of List" earlier, so click here to see that along with my comments. I have also listed the best albums of 1979. Why you might ask yourself? Because this is the music I would be listening to if it were possible. Check out the very very good stuff that came out in 1979 (aside from me of course!).
1. Pink Floyd - The Wall
2. Clash - London Calling
3. Michael Jackson - Off the Wall
4. Joy Division - Unknown Pleasures
5. Talking Heads - Fear of Music
6. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Rust Never Sleeps
7. The Specials - The Specials
8. Bob Marley - Survival
9. Joe Jackson - Look Sharp!
10. AC/DC - Highway to Hell
Best remix.
1. The Legendary K.O. -- George W. Bush Doesn't Care About Black People
[Clean Version][Explicit Version][Quicktime Music Video]
Cool song of the day.
Jah Division - Dub will tear us apart.mp3 [via Free Motion Hiphop ].
My girlfriend's little sister bought me a Rolling Stone this weekend and I came across this cool little section called the top 10 downloads of 2005. While I had read that David Bowie admired The Aracde Fire's work. I did not see that he collaborated with them. The No.2 download of 2005 according to Rolling Stone is 'Wakeup' by David Bowie and The Arcade Fire.
The song is from The Arcade Fire's gold album Funeral (if you don't own this album run don't walk to the closest record store and buy it). The howling anthem with an ever-evolving beat takes on new life with what Rolling Stone characterizes as a "commanding vocal performance making it sound like the song was written for (Bowie)." The pairing of The Arcade Fire and David Bowie was part of a CBS Special, Fashion Rocks...and it certainly does with a cool matchups like this. Download the song below from iTunes the proceeds go to Hurricane Katrina Relief Efforts.
Buy from iTunes below (direct link to iTunes)
David Bowie and Arcade Fire--Wake Up(Live)
1. Drab olive parka, accompanied by white fur trim embroidered with his name. The embroider name is so he doesn't loose it amongst all the other hanging coats in the coats room moron!
2. A Black knit ski cap, embroidered with the words "Staff 2001." Office perk dude backoff!
3. Drab olive slacks. They match the coat damnit! you people know nothing of great style.
4. Brown hiking boots, which top off the whole outdoorsman ensemble. They also assure him a comfortable 44 mile hike back to the Krakow International Airport for his return trip fool.
Mr. Cheney got alot of grief for his outfit as he should have. Take a look at what Israeli President Moshe Katsav is wearing in the picture above. All black! That is typically what you wear when you go to a funeral/memorial event. When Cheney visited "the wall of death" at Auschwitz he wasn't wearing the parka. Most world leaders that were at the event wore hats, but they were fedoras, Stetsons or fur not a knitted ski hat. Pretty much everyone wore black-coats and its evident that Cheney had such a coat with him but chose not to wear it.
Auschwitz I, was the site of the deaths of roughly 70,000 Poles, gay men and Soviet Prisoners. Auschwitz II (Birkenau), an extermination camp was the site of the deaths of roughly 1 million Jews, 75,000 Poles, gay men and some 19,000 Roma. I know Mr. Cheney was warm but how you dress is very symbolic. He dressed like he was overseeing the unveiling of the new Snowmaster 5000 snowblower, rather than the 60 year liberation of one of the most haunting and horrific places the world has ever known. It is this drab olive outfit that gets Cheney the worst dressed and maybe the most insensitive person for 2005.
Read an article by the Washington Post, "Dick Cheney, Dressing Down."
While the NFL playoffs have yet to begin, The Bush League playoffs and championship game wrapped up this weekend. I was fortunate enough for my team, Los Osos, to emerge as the champion. I was able to come out on top thanks to the emergence of Carson Palmer as a fantasy football beast at the QB position along with Chad Johnson and some choice pickups and trades through the course of the season.
A trade of Deuce McAllister for Willis McGahee with McAllister being hurt for the season a week after the trade, LaMont Jordan for Steve Smith (who turned out to be the best WR in fantasy football), and a late season trade for Clinton Portis were big trades for me. I was also able to pick up Ricky Williams who helped fill the hole at running back left by McGahee who smelt of rotten garbage in the closing weeks of the NFL season. Ricky was able to be one of the premier backs in weeks 15 and 16 because of a Ronnie Brown injury. The success of a Fantasy Football season is really part luck (Carson Palmer in Round 8) and pickups to fill in for the stupid draft choices you make (Alge Crumpler Round 5, Mike Vick Round 6) and trades which we already talked about but really luck is the biggest component.
If you didn't know Fantasy football is huge. Its THE thing to do for anyone even remotely interested in football. I first started playing fantasy football 4 years ago (I have been playing fantasy basketball since '97 which is ancient in fantasy sports terms). My first foray into fantasy sports was using a book, but with the help of the internet, fantasy sports has exploded in popularity. According to a Harris Interactive poll, fantasy sports in general, has grown into an industry that generates an estimated $100 million in annual revenue and involves about 30 million Americans. Seriously, if you don't have a fantasy sports team in this day and age and you enjoy sports, you are still probably using a rotary dialing telephone.
Having a fantasy team adds a new type of excitement to watching football games and certainly increases your knowledge of individual players and statistics. One of the downsides is you start rooting for individual players instead of teams as well as forgetting that there is alot more that goes into football then rushing yards or passing touchdowns. The game is also pretty addicting as you find yourself scouring the free agent pool of your league late at night or early in the morning looking for a potential break out player or replacement for a player that has just gone down to injury. Overall I love my fantasy sports and I play all the major ones (baseball, basketball, football) and couldn't imagine sports life without them.
In not so impressive fashion the Bears beat the Packers last night 24-17. With the win the Bears secured a first round bye and home field for their first game in the playoffs. They also clinched the NFC North division with a 11-4 record. Grossman played his first entire game behind center and while his numbers weren't all that great (11-13, 166 yards, 47.8% complition, 1Td, 1INT) he threw the ball downfield much more frequently and with better velocity and accuracy then Orton.
The opening drive for the Bears was great and something I hadn't seen all season. It was Grossman leading a Bear's aerial attack (yes an aerial attack!), ultimately resulting in a 12 yard Muhammad touchdown. Probably, the most notable accomplishments was that the Bears swept the Packers for the first time since 1991 ending the Packers 3 year stranglehold on the division in the process.
All this from a team that the SI predicted would go 3-13. The Bears really proved the doubters wrong with just the right mix of defense and defiance. Once Grossman went down in the preseason the team was written off, but thanks to the defense, great coaching and the maturity of a rookie quarterback (Kyle Orton) the team was able to pull off a great season.
I missed Spoon's Gimmie Fiction album and I think I made a big mistake. From what I have listened to thus far its great. Spoon is a band from Austin, Texas that was formed in 1992 by lead singer and guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno.
Spoon signed with Elektra Records in 1998, but the contract was dropped soon after the band released A Series of Sneaks. In response to being dropped, Spoon released a two-song EP titled The Agony of Laffitte, referring to Elektra A&R man Ron Laffitte, and were eventually signed to Merge Records (you have to love that stick it to the man move).
I haven't checked out any albums but their latest. My favorite song from this record is "I Turn My Camera On". You can download two of my favorites below.
Spoon--"I Turn My Camera On" via Rock Insider
Spoon--"They never Got You" via Think Tank
If you like it don't be cheap and support good music by buying the album. (Buy)
One more reason why not to shop (and for me to rant) at the American-destroying-superstore, and world's largest retailer, Walmart is another successful lawsuit. A California jury yesterday awarded $172 million to thousands of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers who claimed that they were illegally denied lunch breaks in the San Fransisco Bay Area. The company was ordered to pay $57 million in general damages and $115 million in punitive damages to about 116,000 current and former California Walmart workers.
Wal-Mart's financial success is attributed to their knack of screwing others. Whether its thier own employeess, community, the economy, or the environment. Walmart uses abusive strategies when selecting products; treating suppliers, competitors, and employees (as is evident with this latest lawsuit). Their impact on world trade and globalization is not to be ignored either. Wal-Mart reports that it purchased $18 billion of goods from China in 2004. Wal-Mart is responsible for about 1/10th of the U.S. trade deficit with China. If Wal-Mart were an individual economy, it would rank as China’s eight-biggest trading partner, ahead of Russia, Australia and Canada.
This latest lawsuit is only one of 40 that are currently in the courts alleging workplace violations against Wal-Mart. In 2002, a federal jury in Oregon found Wal-Mart employees were forced to work off the clock and awarded back pay to 83 workers. One of the other pending cases, accuses Walmart of paying men more than women, the classaction lawsuit is the largest private employer civil rights class action in history ($11 billion).
On top of treating its workers like garbage Walmart received low scores on the Corporate Equality Index, published by the Human Rights Campaign, a measure of how companies treat gay and lesbian employees and consumers. The company received a 57% rating in the 2005 edition, a 43% rating in the 2003 and 2004 editions, and a 14% rating in the 2002 edition. Well below industry standards. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has had to file multiple lawsuits against Wal-Mart because of disability discrimination.
Wal-Mart is also one of the worst when it comes to giving to others. While the Walton's contributed over $1.1 billion between 2001 and 2005, Business Week noted that they donated a total of $250 million between 1962 and 2000. Wal-Mart has to be one of the most wretched companies in corporate America.
I personally refuse to support them (you should too!) no matter how much money I can save. I remind myself and others that the money you "save" is being paid in environmental damage, human rights abuses, lost wages, and community destruction. You never get something for nothing and Wal-Mart is the prime example of corporate America, the bully. The rich get richer till the poor get educated.
Get with it and visit these sites:
Hidden Cost of Walmart Jobs published by UC Berkeley.
Wakeup Wal-Mart
Vermont Wal-Mart Watch
Business Ethics Network
Films:
Store Wars: When Wal-Mart comes to your town.
Is Walmart Good for America? Frontline (able to watch online).
Wal-Mart: The High Price of Low Prices
- Download songs from the movie here.
I listened to alot of radio on my trip west to Chicago the past two days. I heard this great article by Foreign Policy Journal discussed on XM Public radio concerning the top 10 stories missed in 2005 (its a web exclusive). I found the article concerning Kim John Il's successor especially interesting.
Quote from Foreign Policy journal:
The world will remember 2005 for its natural disasters, the passing of a pope, and the ongoing insurgency in Iraq. But, all the while, FP’s editors have been keeping an eye out for those stories that fell through the cracks but will have a lasting impact for years to come. In a year-end FP exclusive, here are 10 stories you might have missed.
Looks like Jesus.
Throws like Mary.
Loyalty like Judas.
What a sellout. Have a cigar Johnny Damon, looks like you have a shave and a haircut on the horizon.
Please que John Williams' Imperial March...
Price of becoming a traitor? $52 million over 4 years to sell your soul to the devil and join the Evil Empire.
I am a Cubs fan, but living in New England has me root for the Soxs whenever they are not playing the Cubs and the hatered for the Yankees is certainly universal. I have said it before and I will say it again, that baseball needs a salary cap if it ever wants to approach the popularity and competitiveness of the NFL.
Looks like it is going to be tough for the BoSoxs to fill the hole in centerfield. Its always a tall order when you have to replace Jesus Christ. Red Sox Nation is in shambles with no centerfielder, no shortstop, and question marks at firstbase. The leadership of the Soxs is partly to blame for this as well.
On the flipside Johnny Demon is 33, going to be 34 next season, so the Skankees have him signed till he is 38. He already has a ton of wear on him and remember last season was his best season by far. If they can get a player like Reed, Coco Crisp, or even Eric Byrnes I don't feel all is lost.
Looks like Johnny is a man of his word. Just like he is a man of honor.
"There's no way I can go play for the Yankees, but I know they are going to come after me hard. It's definitely not the most important thing to go out there for the top dollar, which the Yankees are going to offer me. It's not what I need." - Johnny Damon, May 2005
This is not a new remix but it is a great remix and should not be missed. The remix was first made available to "celebrate" the US presidential election. The first 500 buyers at the DJ Shadow online shop up until election day recieved a vinyl disc shaped like Vice President Cheney's head (along with added horns, fangs, and red eyes), containing a remix of 'the Gloaming' by Radiohead which was originally featured on the poinently named 'Hail to the Thief' album.
Radiohead - The Gloaming (Terror Remix by DJ Shadow)
The record is no longer available at the DJ Shadow store. But can be purchased from ebay. If you haven't listened to DJ Shadow you must, he is incredible. Check out more of his discs at insound.
Let it be known I do not watch Saturday night live, but this skit is magnificant. It aired for the December 17, 2005, show. Please check it out:
Colin Parnell and Andy Samberg - "Lazy Sunday"
Thanks to William and JDS.
The omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omnibenevolent Pitchfork has released its top 50 albums of 2005 list . Yes, I am convinced that they can make a rock so heavy they can't lift...but then they lift it. Well, I am in no place to criticize them (I will do it anyways) because music is their job and I won't touch their indie choices but their hip hop choices are questionable. Here is Pitchfork's list if you haven't seen it already:
50. Orthrelm - OV 49. The Fiery Furnaces - EP 48. Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy47. The Boy Least Likely To - The Best Party Ever 46. Fiona Apple - Extraordinary Machine 45. M83 - Before the Dawn Heals Us 44. Vashti Bunyan - Lookaftering 43. Spoon - Gimme Fiction 42. My Morning Jacket - Z 41. Róisín Murphy - Ruby Blue40. Young Jeezy - Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 39. Robyn - Robyn 38. Devendra Banhart - Cripple Crow 37. Dominik Eulberg - Kreucht & Fleucht 36. Keith Fullerton Whitman - Multiples 35. The Game - The Documentary34. Silver Jews - Tanglewood Numbers 33. Bloc Party - Silent Alarm Remixed 32. Beanie Sigel - The B.Coming 31. Konono No. 1 - Congotronics 30. Franz Ferdinand - You Could Have It So Much Better 29. Serena Maneesh - Serena Maneesh 28. Sunn O))) - Black One 27. Jamie Lidell - Multiply 26. The Decemberists - Picaresque 25. Alan Braxe & Friends - The Upper Cuts 24. The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree23. Ladytron - The Witching Hour22. Broadcast - Tender Buttons21. Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney - Superwolf 20. The Hold Steady - Seperation Sunday19. Sleater-Kinney - The Woods18. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah 17. The Clientele - Strange Geometry16. Love Is All - Nine Times That Same Song 15. Clipse - We Got It 4 Cheap, Vol. 214. Vitalic - OK Cowboy 13. Various Artists - Run The Road12. New Pornographers - Twin Cinema 11. Isolee - We Are Monster10. Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary9. Cam'ron - Purple Haze 8. LCD Soundsystem - LCD Soundsystem 7. Animal Collective - Feels 6. Deerhoof - The Runners Four 5. Antony and the Johnsons - I Am a Bird Now4. M.I.A. - Arular 3. Art Brut - Bang Bang Rock & Roll2. Kanye West - Late Registration 1. Sufjan Steven - Illinois
Sufjan Stevens yeah yeah yeah hes the greatest everybody loves him he can do no wrong and his Illinoise cd is loved by hipsters coast to coast. But lets cut out the indie fat and look at the hip hop they chose in order.
1. Kanye West~Late Registration--Should have been the No. 1 album of the year. Better then Sufjan Stevens for its cultural impact alone. Hard to swallow social commentary throughout the disc not to mention his infamous "George Bush doesn't like black people" statement. No mainstream hip hopper is rapping about blood diamonds, Ronald Regan destroying the black panthers, infiltration of crack cocaine into the black community and the AIDS epidemic in the same album. Not to mention the production value of this record is astonishing (thanks partly to Co-producer Jon Brion).
2. M.I.A.~Arular--Fresh. Something not heard before, a women of Sri Lankan origin paired with her boyfriend and master beat producer Wesley Pentz (Diplo), rapping with a style that can only be classified as "fearless and aggressive" with some very serious messages (poverty, war, consumerism). A review by Lily Moayeri states it best, "in just forty minutes, M.I.A. has produced an unparalleled mongrel mix of hip-hop, ragga, dancehall, electro and punk."
Ok I can deal with their first those two picks. I of course would have Kanye #1 and then MIA right where Pitchfork had them around #3 or #4. Here is the rest of the list as it appears indie music free.
3. Cam'ron (aka Killa Cam)--The third best hip hop album of the year? You must be joking.
4. 'Clipse--Pusha T of Clipse picked himself for album of the year, classey move champ. The idea of creating a mix tap is pretty cool though.
5. Various Artists ~ Run the Road -- Have to be honest here, I have not heard this album its a collection of UK rappers and I recognize Dizzie Rascal and Kano, so I will give this a listen before dismissing it.
6. Biene Siegal -- Uhh no...sorry not the 6th best Hip Hop album of this year.
7. The Game -- Bears versus Packers? That is The Game. Actually I should give this a listen cause it has gotten rave reviews. The fact that he was dropped from G-Unit by 50 Cent is appealing but the whole shooting bit turns me off. And yes I know he is on a Kanye track, I still don't give him any love.
8. Young Jeezy (aka Jay L. Jenkins) ~ Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 --Are you serious? I guess he is serious. I will look more into what univeristy Young Jeezy is teaching his introductory course to Thug Motivation, perhaps he will teach me what he is "getting." Seems like Ole Jeezy should be teaching the course, but what do I know?
The most glaring omission from Pitchfork's list in terms of hip hop has to be the Danger Doom album. It is one of the years best albums in any genre. It didn't even make the top 50! Get real. What about Common's Be? Or Blackalicious' The Craft? ZTrip's Shifting Gears? All would have been better then some of the stuff Pitchfork chose to represent hip-hop this year.
But, maybe this should all be taken with a grain of salt given my distaste for violence-muchismo-laiden-ganster hip-hop, and my draw towards underground acts stressing lyrics and messages over radio play and platinum grills.
Well its not chaos theory, but it is The Chappelle theory about the demise of Dave Chappelle's third season. Take it as you will. It is an anonymously published website which details a complex theory about Chapelle's decision to leave the show, allegedly after leading black icons, including Bill Cosby, Al Sharpton, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan and others found the show offensive.
It is quite the intricate tale of black mail, intimidation, and harassment. No idea how true it is. My only real thought is if all this threating was occuring (some of it amounting to death threats) I would think a little group called the FBI should have been notified. It is a real shame in my opinion that Dave Chappelle is not on television because he had one of the few shows that tackled the issue of race and racism in the country, which is alive and well. Race is a difficult issue but an issue that should not be ignored and by limiting the dialogue about race we do just that.
Thanks to William for the heads up.
Some good Chappelle links:
The Dave Chappelle Soundboard
Dave Chappelle.com
Oopsie daisy! It appears that President Bush has admitted he secretly ordered the National Security Agency (NSA) to eavesdrop on Americans without ever seeking court approval. I mean what's wrong with that? That whole approval thing is so annoying and takes so long and the new intern's phone calls were so hot...Wait! I mean...err its critical for National Security purposes. Yeah defending the homeland and that kind of stuff.
Well it seems that to eavesdrop you need this thing called...a constitutionally-required, court approved, warrant. Under the program authorized by GW following the 9/11 attacks the NSA monitored the international phone calls and e-mails of hundreds and possibly thousands of people inside this country, allowing the government to spy on its own citizens.
Constitutional court approval? Spying? Are you serious? Doesn't that deal with all these civil liberties and individual rights mumbo jumbo? I mean really, GW does what is best, you know this. Why must people crimp his style so? What type of style you ask? Well if you watched the address his "style" is obviously, "Hello I am a robot and I am here to lead you to self annihilation," well that's not really a style per se but the point that he is a robot still stands.
Read more about the speech, Bush's approval ratings, and the increases in domestic wiretapping at Google News.
Note: Look, I am not anti-wire tap because if you wanted to wiretap me you could. What you would find is that I am probably the most interesting person on the planet with massive amounts of very very cool stuff to say about any topic you can think of. So go ahead tap me. Do it! I dare you. I will blow your mind!
Good Slate article on the President,wiretapping, and the power of NSA, "Listening In and Naming Names."
No I am not talking about the Bonobo (Pan paniscus), sometimes called the Pygmy Chimpanzee, and less often the Dwarf or Gracile Chimpanzee OR am I talking about the next flu type hysteria being drummed up by the powers that be to scare us all into a panic of submission ala african killer bees, sars, mad cow, or bird flu.
This is no red herring. Its the new Bonobo record. Bonobo, or Simon Green in real life, is a downtempo Brit DJ, hailing from Brighton, UK. I picked up Animal Magic his first LP on a whim last year and had it on constant replay for quite some time. It is one of the better downtempo "chill-out" discs I own (and I own quite a few).
Anyway back to my story. So, I haven't really been following our good ole monkey man much and never even got around to his second release Dial M for Monkey (clever! get the Hitchcock ref there?Which coincidently was better reviewed by AMG), but was startled to see somebody pick up a Bonobo record I hadn't heard of as I was in Pure Pop (a great record store in Burlington) buying Holiday gifts. His latest is part of Ninja Tune's Solid Steel series, which if you haven't heard is some great DJ stuff and good listening.
I was curious about this new Bonobo disc so I searched a bit on the internets (yes I do know of Bush's highly classified second net) and without much work ran across this track on Scissorkick's mp3 blog. Take a listen.
Bonobo-Change Down/The Sugar Rhyme
I'll post some more if I can find some. Bonobo has some great music, especially if you are looking for some background ambiance or studying/reading tunes. Buy his cd or cds from Insound or Ninja Tune.
...is no walk in the park. At one point while I was watching the game they reported the on field temperature being -10 degrees with wind chill. Michael Vick and many of the Falcons looked absolutely miserable. Well if the cold doesn't make Vick sick I am sure looking at his statline will make him queasy: 13-32 for 122 yards and 2 interceptions.
The Bears dominated the game winning 16-3. Perhaps, the most news worthy story of the game was the insertion of Rex "Please Don't Get Hurt" Grossman in the second half. He definitely appeared to throw a tighter spiral then Orton and had some nice throws downfield. While he is not the second coming of Joe Montana it would be hard to see him not as the starter next week versus the lowly Packers.
The Bears are now 10-4 and have a very winable game next week followed by a game they should win to close out the season. I would predict that they finish 12-4 and have a first round home game. Having their first game in Chicago more or less guarantees them a first round win in my opinion. A bad weather football game is always to the advantage of the team with a better defense. And who has the best defense in all of football?
Go Bears!!
Here is the free song of the day. Its a great downtempo dub beat from New Zealand. The name of the band is International Observer (one of the members coincidently is Tom Bailey of Thompson Twins 80s fame). Here is the song via Mobieus Rex:
International Observer-Vale Bengali (mp3)
I will stop pretending to know anything about this band given there is a nice writeup there. Chill out and relax, maybe watch some football, or do whatever it is you do.
Ok I can't find any good remixes but I will keep looking. I did purchase the Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah record this weekend. I haven't been too jazzed on the latest additions to the indy scene, but I dig these guys. Their name is a bit lame and they do sound alot like The Talking Heads but its good stuff from top to bottom. (Pitchfork compares them to Neutral Milk Hotel. Oh yeah Neutral Milk Hotel! Those guys rule. I love that one cut...wait seriously who has heard of them? Well I looked them up and they got a 10.0 from Pitchfork, yes you heard me a 10.0, pefection, so somebody loves them).
I realize that CYHASY (CSNY did it), has been discussed at lengths already, but their stuff is very cool listening. Then again I might just be a sucker for a good synth beat. Here is one of the better tracks on the CD.
In This Home on Ice via Sixeyes (whos title banner kinda freaks me out).For me I have to sift through indy music with a fine toothed comb because some of it just doesn't appeal to me. Maybe its my elementary music taste or my lack of music knowledge, but albums like Sufjan Steven's 50 state marketing ploy, Illinoise or Imogen Heap's Speak for Yourself, just don't do it for me. I cry myself to sleep too often to be listening to music like this (I kid). I can do indy if its Sleater Kinney, Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire or Postal Service...I even like Broken Social Scene.
Alright well I have probably managed to alienate any (if I had some to begin with) indy music enthusiasts so I'll stop now. I can hear the heavy rimmed glasses, leather jacket, black jean and converse wearing, styled messy hair legions gathering. The point of this article was to tell you to check out Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah if you haven't yet. All apologies to the hipsters.
I love National Geographic. It's a great magazine, and my favorite, the pictures in there are top notch. Well the new King Kong movie is getting all the buzz. But get this, the existence of the oversized snakes, pterosaurs, and dinosaurs and Skull Island itself is being called into question in a new National Geographic's groundbreaking article, "King Kong Island Home Is Pure Fantasy, Ecology Experts Say." They say its not real. The nerve of these people.
Ok so the movie is a piece of fiction and I apologize for totally smashing your sense of reality. I know you were like me, thinking that this was a documentary. Whelp, I guess we stand corrected, so you won't be seeing a 25 foot gorilla go mano e mano versus a Tyrannosaurus Rex anytime soon. But, here is a thought and a theory, after the release of the last Lord of the Rings movie, acrchelogists discovered "hobbit-like" remains in Asia. Is it too far a stretch to say that a preserved 25 foot gorilla skeleton finding is on the horizon for say...Summer 2006? Jackson can work magic I tell you, so there is still hope that Skull Island is an actual place.
There is also an interesting debate regarding the racist undertones of the King Kong premise:
David Edelstein writes in "Gorilla My Dreams" in Slate:
"the implication that Kong stands for the black man brought in chains from a dark island (full of murderous primitive pagans) and with a penchant for skinny white blondes."Here he responds to angry emails and criticism in "Donkey Kongs." I personally totally missed the what he sees as the "implicit" racist theme of King Kong. Supposedly it is acknowledged by Jackson in what Edelstein says is the reason behind, "an original and clunky subplot in which an African-American officer on the ship adopts and effectively tames a wild white boy."
I thought the intent of the movie was to kind of work off Darwin's theme of isolation, natural selection and evolution (hence the remote island and the oversized reptiles), but I guess I was totally mistaken (I can be so naive). Wait a second, if I AM correct though and the movie is about evolution, then it's anti-christian, which means it's anti-god. So either the movie is racist or hates jesus. Boy, it was so much simplier when we just had monster movies like Godzilla versus Mothra.
I think this is a bit alarmist. I can draw the parallels to what Edelstein is saying, but it seems like he is digging an aweful lot and making some very problmatic associations. I think if you looked at alot of movies originating in the 1930s you would find many racist and elitist themes and associations. I am no expert though.
I'll let you know more once I actually watch the movie.
For all those that like the latest Beck album, Guero, he just released a remix album fitingly called Guerolito (little Guero). I am a sucker for remixes and this album is pretty good. Pitckfork is not as convinced, well actually they didn't really like the original (6.2), so lets just forget them for now.
Anyway, this seems to be the hightlight of the disk. Hope you enjoy, especially for those Beck lovers out there (William?).
Mp3: Beck - "Broken Drum"[Boards of Canada Remix] via Scissorkick.
Until, tomorrow.
This just breaking the charismatic and always fair, Robert Novak is leaving CNN. I am extremely saddened. Where will a man of such character go? A man with such journalistic integrity. Is there a place for journalism that is functioning at his high level? Yes my friends there is, it's the self proclaimed "Fair and Balanced" Fox news.
Seriously, don't they have enough conservative jerks on that station? Novak hasn't lifted his self-protecting little slimball neck out of the sand since he was taken off the air in August for swearing like a spoiled brat on Crossfire. Well this story is a testimony that if an ultra conservative, close-minded, arrogant, self-server needs a place to go...that place is Fox.
Ohh and don't forget that whole CIA he-said-she-said thing.
You know you want to watch Bob Novak lose it again, Right+Click Here via Crooks and Liars [QuickTime].
No, its not a Sunday monster truck show its the NFL this week. There are some great games on tap this weekend. This week more than any I would say. If you care to comment let me know what games you are most interested in watching (I sifted out the lame games that no self-respecting fan should say are quality matchups).
Bears v. Falcons
[Mr. Laser arm versus the best defense in the NFL at Soldier field. Should be huge. Both of these teams are in must win situations.]
Steelers v. Vikings
[The Vikings are rolling behind the 37 year old QB. They have won 6 straight...Daunte who?]
Cowboys v. Redskins
[Loser is most likely out of the playoffs.]
Colts v. San Diego
[Ok so the Chargers where looking pretty lame last weekend versus the Fish, but they can score in bunches and have the best run defense in the league. Should be a good one as the Colts keep at the run for perfection. SD gave the Colts a run for their money last season in the playoffs.]
Tampa Bay v. Patriots
[This game doesn't interest me in the least. But since I am in patroit land I am sure there are some that think this is the best game on tap.]
Giants v. KC
[This should be a good game to check out as well. KC is coming off a tough loss and it will be interesting to see Larry J. go up against a defense in NYC that is playing very well.]
If you had to pick 1 game JUST 1 game what would it be?
Well again I don't quite have the uploading my own Mp3z rolling yet, but I am working on it, I mean I gotta leave som time for my girlfriend, video games, eating, and stuff. So, long story short I came across one of my alltime favorite tracks by Z-Trip which all (or none) of the readers of this blog can now enjoy.
Downtime - Z-Trip - Urban Revolutions EP - BUY
Via Free Motion Hip Hop
Ohh and the Urban Revolutions disc is top notch. This dude (FreeMotion not Z-Trip) is hawking some stuff, so help him out with his Xmas fund if you like the track. I have the disc or I would be all over it. I will dedicate a future post to Z-Trip who has to be one of the coolest DJs and is the Master of the Mashup. I saw him with some friends in Seattle a couple years ago and the show was so much fun.
Yesterday I put new snow tires on my truck. To do this I needed to visit the planner's hell (Vermont Journal of Envr. Law prefers montrosity) that is Taft Corners in Williston, VT. I drop my truck off at about 9:00 Am. I am informed that it won't be ready for 2 hours. Ok fine, thats cool, I can deal. So I venture out into stripmalldom armed and ready. It's about 20 degrees or so but I have a nice jacket and a hoodie so I'm good (I know MMM I forgot my hat and gloves) and my book to kill time.
After braving the 3 lanes of traffic I am safe on the other side and ready to trek the 2 miles to big-box-megahaven. The traffic is moving incredibly fast but I can't complain because there are actually sidewalks something void in many big-box-metropolis around the country. Anyways, it takes me 20 minutes or so to get to my destination...I am in search of coffee and since its a big-box-hell-hole the place for coffee be the almighty Starbucks mon (which coincidently has nothing to do with Jamaica). I order up a hot Peppermint Mocha which is lovely, but very sugary. I read and sip my beverage (convinced its rotting my teeth as I read). I hang in SBs for a good hour. I would have chilled longer but my scrawny backside is planted in a wooden chair and can only take so much.
So, I journey along to another big box staple...Best Buy. I kill a good 30 minutes there looking at all the cool TV's (envisioning my father telling me how the price of flat screen tube TV's has really dropped and they are practically giving them away), and marvel at the amount of Xbox, PS2, and Gamecube games being purchased by middle aged women. After perusing the video game section I make my way to the DVD section and debate if I can afford picking up all four of Curb Your Enthusiam seasons (120 bucks or so). I decide I would rather use my money for some other frivolous good and leave (oh one side note is I can't believe they sell all the Sex In the City seasons for 199 bucks! Seems outrageous. I love me some Sex in the City but that price just seems obnoxiously high).
I am back into the elements and all this time wasting has gotten me hungry. This is where I come to the main theme of this tale and a first in my life. I have no eating choices but Chili's and Longhorn Steakhouse, both sit down restaurants. I have never in my 26 years of life dined alone. I have always had a co-pilot or a place to take my food to eat in solitude. But I have no choice, I am hungry and for some reason feeling adventurous and willing to break my insecurity of dining alone. Well, I date a vegan so I dismiss the steakhouse right off and move to the familiarity of Chili's (that is why so many Americans dine there I am convinced!). I take a seat at the booth in the bar area, order one of my favorite brews and lunch.
And there you have it, not only did I start a paragraph and a sentence with "AND" but wrote an essay about dining solo. I know you are saying I read this stupid story and this is it? Well if you feel that way I am sorry. But, I did try and mix in a bit of planning, hardship, consumer culture, and suspense...hey what can you do? It was a trip to a strip mall.
Last post of the day I promise. UNKLE remix of Queens of the Stone Age...very nice.
Queens of the Stone Age - Burn The Witch (Unkle Remix)
Provided by Stereogum.
It was a trip on picturesque Lake Minnetonka turned bad. Four Minnesota Vikings have been charged with lewd or lascivious conduct. Say what? Lascivious? Wikipedia to the rescue...
Lascivious (adjective): wanton, lewd, driven by lust, lustful.
I'm not going to get into the details. Smoking Gun provides the dirt and its some dirty dirt at that, read the actual charges here. It has been entitled "The Bawdy Boat Case." Oh noes here we go again...
Bawdy (adjective): Obscene, filthy, unchaste. Language that is sexual in nature and usually meant to be humorous but usually considered rude.
Well, I don't think you will be finding either of these words on the GRE anytime soon, but I have officially learned 2 new vocab words (who said bonehead footballers can't teach you a thing or two about english?).
While this post isn't meant to be a lesson in vocabulary it does have a point. THE POINT is that Randy Moss was the leader of this team and while he made mistakes he was the best player on the team and Daunte and his Inferno where evident in the beginning of this season. Sorry Daunte but you got out played by a 37 year old. Daunte is a great QB don't get me wrong but he was a fantastic QB because of Randy.
This mix by Audio 1 is some good listening. The classic cuts are ohh so good. Makes you miss the good old days, well 1992 to 2004...or at least the underground scene before record executives realized the power of hip hop and turned it into a "business" and hit factory garbage *cough Juvenile**cough 50 cent** Excuse me. But I digress...
This mix is VIA The Broke BBoys. The mix has it all, Pharcyde, Peanut Butter Wolf, Hieroglyphics, Souls of Mischief, Del, Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), DJ Babu (Dilated Peoples), even the late Richard Pryor and MORE. Check out the mix and check out the site. Stay safe.
Download 160kbps MP3 91MB 79:29
Ohh and I know there is still a very live and kicking hip-hop scene I just like the opportunity to complain about commercial cRap I mean rap.
..for Re-Tooling. The amount of moves this baseball offseason is really incredible. Lets look at the main movers and shakers and the people they added of note. We will start with my favorits first.
Cubs
+Pierre (OF). Cubs desperately needed a leadoff man and Pierra in my opinion is one of the best. If they can get Patterson to come around the top of the Cubs' lineup looks real good going into next season. They also fortified the bullpen which gave them troubles last season. Ohh, and Pierre needs to bring back the stach it suited him.
Sox
+Thome (1b), Konerko (1b resigned), Vazquez (SP). Looks like the White Sox are not going to lay down. Hats off to Kevin Williams, its sad to see The Duke go but Vazquez is a top notch pitcher to add to perhaps the best starting staff in all of baseball. I think losing Marte is tough because I think he's underated but the emergence of Jenks probably covers that problem.
Mets
+Delgado (1b), Wagner (RP), LoDuca (C). Another case of MLB's no salary cap ways raising its head. Flordia has a fire sale and Mets pick up some great pieces. Mets have deep pockets and are always willing to throw money at their winning problem. They welcome aboard a fantastic closer and a top notch power guy into a lineup that showed promise last season especially with the emergance of Wright a sure to be elite thirdbaseman.
Blue Jays
+Barnett (SP), Ryan (RP), Overbay (1B). Who said Canadia was a socialist minded country? They can spend with the best of them! They drop $102 million on Barnett and Ryan and get some serious flamethrowers. Who can't like Overbay the guy is from Centrailia Washington!
Red Sox
+Beckett (SP), Mota (RP), Loretta (2b), Lowell (3b), Marte (3b). Is it me or did the Red Sox steal Loretta in this deal? The Red Sox's added two great pitchers in Mota and Beckett, throw in an all-star second baseman for a backup catcher, an underachieving thirdbaseman and a great (most likley tradeable prospect) in Marte. It sometimes just doesn't seem fair.
Nationals
+Soriano(2b?). The Nationals aquired Soriano from the Rangers in what I don't fully understand. Soriano in my opinion seems to be one of the games best players and getting him for Wilkerson and Sledge doesn't seem fair. But hey I don't like the Rangers and would love to see the Ex-Expos do well in DC.
ESPN has a cool thing that gives the lowdown on each trade. Its called the Offseason Scorecard. Help make sense of it all by keeping track of the signings, free agents, and trades.
FreeMotion Hip Hop has some new cuts from Aceyalone's New Album (produced by RJD2 of Eugene, OR the Definitive Jux's mastermind) Magnificant City due out Jan. 17th.
The tracks VIA FreeMotion Hip Hop--->
» All For U
» Fire (Recommended)
» Caged Bird
» A Beautiful Mine
It was almost a year ago that I saw RJD2 play a New Years Show in Chicago, IL. Wish he would have gone on sooner so I could have seen the entire set, but I am sure there are many more good things to come.
1. Capote
2. Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith
3. Kung Fu Hustle
4. Broken Flowers
5. Murderball
6. Crash
7. A History of Violence
This list of course is bound to change given I have not seen The Squid and the Whale, The Constant Gardener and Syriana.
So I might need to do some updating after the holiday movie watching marathon I am going to have. Here is AFI's list of the top films, a list you probably actually care about.
I used to really be on top of movies but I seemed to have slipped. Most likely due to my addiction which I am working on improving.
On a grim note, Stanley "Tookie" Williams co-founder of the notorius L.A. gang, The Crips was excecuted by the State of California yesterday for four murders that took place back in 1979.
Mr. Williams was excecuted by use of lethal injection, a process that took 36 minutes and 15 seconds, said reporters who witnessed it, longer than expected, as a nurse struggled for about 12 minutes to insert a needle into Mr. Williams's left arm, to which Mr. Williams responded "You guys doing that right?"
Throughout, Mr. Williams maintained his innocence that he had nothing to do with the four people killed back in 1979. He apologized for founding the Crips gang who is responsible for countless killings and violence. Williams worked incredibly hard to right the wrongs of his past and make sure that no youngster chose a similiar path to his.
Regardless of whether he is responsible for the murders, I struggle to find the lesson that is taught by the execution of what I see as a changed man. Williams spent 26 years on death row, six of them in solitary and he won acclaim for renouncing violence and, in particular, gang-related violence.
Killing people is wrong, and to show killing is wrong...we kill them? I see that as flawed logic. By executing people it is us, "The People," that become the murderers. Violence begets violence, hopefully someday we will understand this. If your kid bites another kid on the playground do you come up to them and bite them? No. You explain to them that biting is wrong and why its wrong...
Pope Benedict XVI's top official for justice matters denounced the death penalty for going against redemption and human dignity.
"We know the death penalty doesn't resolve anything," Cardinal Renato Martino told Associated Press. "Even a criminal is worthy of respect, because he is a human being. The death penalty is a negation of human dignity."
Anger, hate, violence, death all hard things to deal with.
While I mess around with getting formats straight and working on design might as well post this for all those that don't read this.
Top 5 Albums in No Apparent Order:
*Sound Tribe Sector 9 - Artifact
[Best stuff from the STS9 crew yet. More together and less jammy. Good stuff]
*Kanye West - Late Registration
[Better than his already classic first album. Billboard Top 10 hip-hop with a message.]
*My Morning Jacket - Z
[Fantastic. Jim James' singing is so different than anything out there right now. Off the record's reggae style sound is awesome.]
*DangerDoom - The Mouse and the Mask
[Following up the Best Hip-Hop Album of 2004, MF Doom teams up with Dangermouse. If you love hip-hop and adult swim, then you love this album as much as I do.]
*M.I.A. - Arular
[Great beats. Brilliant blend of Arulpragasam's vocals, jamacian dancehall and some "electro hardcore rap from NYC." There is also numerous Kill Bill references only adding to the enjoyment and draw.]
Top Songs of 2005 (No Order):
*Common - Testify
*Kanye West - Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix feat. Jay Z)
*DJ Z-Trip - Breakfast Club
*Gorillaz - Don't Get Lost in Heaven
*M.I.A. - 10 Dollar
*Danger Doom - Crosshairs
*Kanye West - Heard 'Em Say
*LCD Soundsystem - Tribulations
But this whole excercise of picking Top whatever for 2005 is a bit pointless right? Given I have not "earned" any credibility as a person that can decern the good from the bad? The coal from the diamond. Something I will work on. I realize there are probably great indie albums I haven't given a chance thus far but I will work on that as well.
