Friday, July 29, 2011
Thundercats, Hoooo!
So, yes, I used to watch thundercats. Why not? It was better than some of the other options. Quite randomly, I caught the premiere of the reboot tonight. And? Well, it's not quite as cheesetastic, and it's borrowing heavily from quasi-Asian fare like the Avatar series. I suppose it's good to try to tell a story, and try to grow the show both in terms of maturity and story, but, I don't know.... I miss being able to laugh at it. If you're into it, here you go....
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Quiet? Really?
So, enough with the negativity. I've got a new band for you. Call themselves "Quiet Arcs", and they play metallic hardcore with a grunge twist. It's a bit like like the Slayer-influenced hardcore from the mid 1990's, mixed with the doomy grunge of the late 1990's grunge of the Melvins. Pretty darn classy, if you ask me. There are some moments that are a bit screamo, which isn't exactly my favorite, but this stuff still gets the blood and brain moving enough that I can forgive the occasional overwrought passage. Overall, it's hardcore enough that I don't think I'm hearing a metal band in waiting, but it's metal enough that it appeals to my testosterone levels. My much younger self would complain that there are too many slow bits so it'd be hard to slam to
( and now time for a digression. It's slamming. It's not pogo. Pogo has become so mainstream that hippies pogo at Blues Traveller gigs. I've seen them, it's nothing good. It's not moshing. Moshing is the dance equivalent of a toilet flushing, with everyone chasing each others' ass. None for me, thanks. When I was a kid, it was slamming- kind of like the circle pit, but far more chaotic. Ever heard of the Naked Raygun "Wall of Death"? Yeah, I thought not. Basically, Slamming was like trying to pogo in a mosh, mixed with playing American football. All with folks stage diving on top. So, yes, I'm exact with my terms. You Pogo at a Weirdos gig. You mosh at a Slayer gig. You slam at a hardcore show. Teeth get lost, skulls get cracked, ribs get bruised, and a good time is had by all. Seriously, I've lost teeth, I've cracked my skull, and I've bruised my ribs in the pit, and I don't regret it at all. )
but screw my younger self, I dig the slower bits, too. Put it on very loudly, you might just like it, and say, just like me, Why Quiet Arcs? That makes no sense....
Then, again, I'm still with Brian Grillo- I'm not good at keeping silent. Am I loud? Hehehe...
( and now time for a digression. It's slamming. It's not pogo. Pogo has become so mainstream that hippies pogo at Blues Traveller gigs. I've seen them, it's nothing good. It's not moshing. Moshing is the dance equivalent of a toilet flushing, with everyone chasing each others' ass. None for me, thanks. When I was a kid, it was slamming- kind of like the circle pit, but far more chaotic. Ever heard of the Naked Raygun "Wall of Death"? Yeah, I thought not. Basically, Slamming was like trying to pogo in a mosh, mixed with playing American football. All with folks stage diving on top. So, yes, I'm exact with my terms. You Pogo at a Weirdos gig. You mosh at a Slayer gig. You slam at a hardcore show. Teeth get lost, skulls get cracked, ribs get bruised, and a good time is had by all. Seriously, I've lost teeth, I've cracked my skull, and I've bruised my ribs in the pit, and I don't regret it at all. )
but screw my younger self, I dig the slower bits, too. Put it on very loudly, you might just like it, and say, just like me, Why Quiet Arcs? That makes no sense....
Then, again, I'm still with Brian Grillo- I'm not good at keeping silent. Am I loud? Hehehe...
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Ghouls Night out
OK, yes, I know this might be ghoulish, coming only minutes after she's found dead, But honestly, Amy Winehouse dead? Hmmm, file that under "Yeah, I thought so". I don't think anyone will be surprised, and I don't think anyone will doubt the reason why boils down to self-abuse. If it wasn't the drugs, drink and smoking, it was the obvious easting disorder. If it was neither of those, it was due to a misadventure brought on by poor judgement.
She was 27. That's about the same age as the rest of them, right? All the rock stars and movie stars who drug it up, and make a religion out of abusing themselves.
Not to get all political on you, but I still believe that drugs should be legalized. All of them. Because it's not that the substance is good or bad, in and of itself. It's that we, as human beings, can be so stupid, so selfish, and so cruel. Oh, they'll talk about Amy's "struggle" with her "demons", but what a load of crap! I believe in demons, but they're not in bottles, or packets. They're us. We are the demons we fear. Not the substance. Her fight was not with any substance. She chose her demons over everything else. Demons of her psyche, not of her ingestion. So, yes, we might pity her, but why? She got exactly what she asked for- demons want us dead. She chose her demons, and her demons did what demons do. So, while I think drugs should all be legal, I don't believe in excusing bad behaviour. You kill somebody while drunk driving, you're a murderer in my eyes. You rob people so you can get drugs? You're a thief in my eyes, plain and simple. I don't believe in excusing bad behaviour. I don't care if it was bipolar or Benzedrine you blame it on- if you act poorly, it's on you. I don't care if you're on Alcohol or Al-Anon, if you're a jerk to me.
So, she died young. Good for her, I guess. That's what the drive was, anyway. A drive for death. Ask Kurt, ask Jim Morrison, ask John Belushi, ask Brittney Murphy- ultimately, all this stuff is simply a desire to be nowhere and no one.
If it makes me a ghoul to be so harsh, then a Ghoul I am. There are so many others I'd prefer to celebrate; people who really are struggling with their demons- and trying to overcome them. Tell me about Carla Bozulich who had far more personal issues than Amy Winehouse will ever have, but strives to find beauty outside of those issues. Tell me about Art Alexakis who had all those demons, but has made a career out of destroying those demons one by one. Tell me about Robert Downey Jr who went as far down a self destructive path as anyone, and now doesn't make much of it, focusing instead on living a full artistic life. Get the idea? If I'm a ghoul for not giving honour to the disgraceful dead its only because I'm more concerned with the grace and honour of the will to live.
She was 27. That's about the same age as the rest of them, right? All the rock stars and movie stars who drug it up, and make a religion out of abusing themselves.
Not to get all political on you, but I still believe that drugs should be legalized. All of them. Because it's not that the substance is good or bad, in and of itself. It's that we, as human beings, can be so stupid, so selfish, and so cruel. Oh, they'll talk about Amy's "struggle" with her "demons", but what a load of crap! I believe in demons, but they're not in bottles, or packets. They're us. We are the demons we fear. Not the substance. Her fight was not with any substance. She chose her demons over everything else. Demons of her psyche, not of her ingestion. So, yes, we might pity her, but why? She got exactly what she asked for- demons want us dead. She chose her demons, and her demons did what demons do. So, while I think drugs should all be legal, I don't believe in excusing bad behaviour. You kill somebody while drunk driving, you're a murderer in my eyes. You rob people so you can get drugs? You're a thief in my eyes, plain and simple. I don't believe in excusing bad behaviour. I don't care if it was bipolar or Benzedrine you blame it on- if you act poorly, it's on you. I don't care if you're on Alcohol or Al-Anon, if you're a jerk to me.
So, she died young. Good for her, I guess. That's what the drive was, anyway. A drive for death. Ask Kurt, ask Jim Morrison, ask John Belushi, ask Brittney Murphy- ultimately, all this stuff is simply a desire to be nowhere and no one.
If it makes me a ghoul to be so harsh, then a Ghoul I am. There are so many others I'd prefer to celebrate; people who really are struggling with their demons- and trying to overcome them. Tell me about Carla Bozulich who had far more personal issues than Amy Winehouse will ever have, but strives to find beauty outside of those issues. Tell me about Art Alexakis who had all those demons, but has made a career out of destroying those demons one by one. Tell me about Robert Downey Jr who went as far down a self destructive path as anyone, and now doesn't make much of it, focusing instead on living a full artistic life. Get the idea? If I'm a ghoul for not giving honour to the disgraceful dead its only because I'm more concerned with the grace and honour of the will to live.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Bury Potter and the Ghastly, hallowed
Not that I've got an "audience"- we're all friends, here- but I've set myself up for charges of hypocrisy from the audience, here.
What I mean is that I've chartered this here blog on the idea that so-called "mass culture" is dead, dead, dead, and that we can operate on a different scale. I still believe that. However, I do talk about stuff that would register on the scales for "mass culture"- stuff like TV shows, U2, and today, the Harry Potter movies. So, what's up with that?
Here's my internal rationalization- It's me talking about this stuff. I don't really have an audience, and I'm strange, so necessarily, my take on it will be sideways, and anyone reading my take will read it sideways, as well. That's an internal rationalization, though. I recognize that we're all "non-conformists"- everybody thinks they're a unique snowflake, and I'm no different. Except, well, I really am a bit different, and I can prove it; most folks haven't worked in the industry, and of those who have, even fewer have my particular brand of mixed feelings about it.
But, enough with the intellectual pud-pulling! I've got a more external, objective reasoning- that is, the process is in enough flux that we can talk about mass culture. What I mean is that there still is enough of the old world to talk about, that when I say "Mass culture" you have an idea of what I mean. Because of that, in a dialectic, we're not yet at a new synthesis- we're still negotiating between theses. Exactly how much mass, and how much idiosyncratic culture will come out is still up for grabs. Therefore, I cannot totally ignore mass culture, and though I might be hostile to the vast majority of it, it really isn't the job of history to be hostile to an idea until it's totally resolved.
What I am saying is that I am a product of my upbringing, and my environs- which has weighted in favor of mass culture very heavily, but I'm not a blind consumer, so I'm welcoming the impending demise of that paradigm- I'm welcoming it, because it's not yet complete.
Seem like neurotic posturing to you? Yeah, it might be, but I'm going to see the new Harry potter movie today, most likely. I've got a few thoughts on that. The first is on the phenomena. Obviously, it's become a world-wide cultural phenomena- but it's not unique in that. In fact, it takes quite a bit from earlier incarnations of that same phenomena- most notably JRR Tolkien and the "teen mystery" novels (Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys). So, the reasons for Harry Potter becoming such a phenomena are probably much the same as for the earlier incarnations of the same phenomena. I don't think it's all that productive looking for significance in the books themselves, in that they're simply re-tellings of already existing themes, tropes and even stories. (By the way, this isn't meant as a slam on the books- since the time of the Greeks, the point of telling stories and myths isn't to be wholly original- the point is to tell the story that does the most for the audience)The real interest, for me, is why these stories? Why is Harry Potter world wide, while, say,Lemony Snicket, isn't? I suspect that it's something to do with Britain. Think about how many people watched the recent Royal Wedding. Think about how vast the British Empire was. Think about how rotten things have been in England since the 1970's. I think there's a strong element in Empire nostalgia in the Harry Potter series. Children seem to desire strong parents. I think I can see why. There is a comfort in knowing what's expected, and there is security in strength. Adults find that "strong parent" is authoritarian governments. I can understand that it's easier to place one's faith in a person than in abstract ideas, and for all the "magic" and "mystery" of Harry Potter, the strongest theme is of Harry seeking the comfort of a strong parent who won't go away. His birth parents are dead, his Godfather gets killed, his mentors die, and still, Harry never truly looks within to set his own agenda. Instead, he's always the plaything of his fears, as personified by Lord Voldemort. Essentially, the need fulfilled, on a cultural level, by the Harry Potter series, is the post-modern, multicultural democratic longing for the premodern monocultural empire. It's the desire for people to be exonerated for the crimes of their cultural past, while also wishing that the past could be secure enough to be the present. JK Rowling has said that her books were a plea for tolerance, but tolerance for whom? I'm a white middle class, middle aged American. I don't see a need for me to "tolerate" the third world, or women, or any other group. At this stage in history, I can only hope that all these other groups, who are much more dynamic than my own culture, will tolerate me. I think that's who rowling is pleading tolerance for, ultimately. Harry Potter is the British Empire personified in the most sympathetic light possible. That's what I think, anyway. Essentially, I think the Harry potter answer to the dialectic is to reject it altogether, and wish that we could all just be happy together. I think that Rowling's answer to my Blog's question would be something along the lines of "We don't need to tolerate mass culture, Mass culture should be tolerant, and, if we can accept others, mass culture will be tolerant". Now to draw too much of a straw man, but my answer to such thinking is that mass culture is not the same as the culture of the masses. I don't think that mass culture can be tolerant or intolerant. Mass culture is ultimately a proposition, and attempt to persuade us to a mindset. I have come to the opposite conclusion from what I see as the Harry potter answer to post modern insecurity. I think we should just give in to that insecurity, not look for our Parents, and instead enjoy what joys our lives can afford us, and fight those who would seek to be our cultural Parents.
So, if that's how I feel, why am I seeing the movie? Because my wife and kid do not feel as I do. They both really like Harry Potter. My son likes to identify as Harry Potter, and sees himself as the misunderstood noble hero, and my wife has literally said that she enjoys the "world of Harry Potter" because it's like her imaginings of old England.I'm interested enough in seeing the phenomena that I'm allowing myself to dragged along.
What I mean is that I've chartered this here blog on the idea that so-called "mass culture" is dead, dead, dead, and that we can operate on a different scale. I still believe that. However, I do talk about stuff that would register on the scales for "mass culture"- stuff like TV shows, U2, and today, the Harry Potter movies. So, what's up with that?
Here's my internal rationalization- It's me talking about this stuff. I don't really have an audience, and I'm strange, so necessarily, my take on it will be sideways, and anyone reading my take will read it sideways, as well. That's an internal rationalization, though. I recognize that we're all "non-conformists"- everybody thinks they're a unique snowflake, and I'm no different. Except, well, I really am a bit different, and I can prove it; most folks haven't worked in the industry, and of those who have, even fewer have my particular brand of mixed feelings about it.
But, enough with the intellectual pud-pulling! I've got a more external, objective reasoning- that is, the process is in enough flux that we can talk about mass culture. What I mean is that there still is enough of the old world to talk about, that when I say "Mass culture" you have an idea of what I mean. Because of that, in a dialectic, we're not yet at a new synthesis- we're still negotiating between theses. Exactly how much mass, and how much idiosyncratic culture will come out is still up for grabs. Therefore, I cannot totally ignore mass culture, and though I might be hostile to the vast majority of it, it really isn't the job of history to be hostile to an idea until it's totally resolved.
What I am saying is that I am a product of my upbringing, and my environs- which has weighted in favor of mass culture very heavily, but I'm not a blind consumer, so I'm welcoming the impending demise of that paradigm- I'm welcoming it, because it's not yet complete.
Seem like neurotic posturing to you? Yeah, it might be, but I'm going to see the new Harry potter movie today, most likely. I've got a few thoughts on that. The first is on the phenomena. Obviously, it's become a world-wide cultural phenomena- but it's not unique in that. In fact, it takes quite a bit from earlier incarnations of that same phenomena- most notably JRR Tolkien and the "teen mystery" novels (Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys). So, the reasons for Harry Potter becoming such a phenomena are probably much the same as for the earlier incarnations of the same phenomena. I don't think it's all that productive looking for significance in the books themselves, in that they're simply re-tellings of already existing themes, tropes and even stories. (By the way, this isn't meant as a slam on the books- since the time of the Greeks, the point of telling stories and myths isn't to be wholly original- the point is to tell the story that does the most for the audience)The real interest, for me, is why these stories? Why is Harry Potter world wide, while, say,Lemony Snicket, isn't? I suspect that it's something to do with Britain. Think about how many people watched the recent Royal Wedding. Think about how vast the British Empire was. Think about how rotten things have been in England since the 1970's. I think there's a strong element in Empire nostalgia in the Harry Potter series. Children seem to desire strong parents. I think I can see why. There is a comfort in knowing what's expected, and there is security in strength. Adults find that "strong parent" is authoritarian governments. I can understand that it's easier to place one's faith in a person than in abstract ideas, and for all the "magic" and "mystery" of Harry Potter, the strongest theme is of Harry seeking the comfort of a strong parent who won't go away. His birth parents are dead, his Godfather gets killed, his mentors die, and still, Harry never truly looks within to set his own agenda. Instead, he's always the plaything of his fears, as personified by Lord Voldemort. Essentially, the need fulfilled, on a cultural level, by the Harry Potter series, is the post-modern, multicultural democratic longing for the premodern monocultural empire. It's the desire for people to be exonerated for the crimes of their cultural past, while also wishing that the past could be secure enough to be the present. JK Rowling has said that her books were a plea for tolerance, but tolerance for whom? I'm a white middle class, middle aged American. I don't see a need for me to "tolerate" the third world, or women, or any other group. At this stage in history, I can only hope that all these other groups, who are much more dynamic than my own culture, will tolerate me. I think that's who rowling is pleading tolerance for, ultimately. Harry Potter is the British Empire personified in the most sympathetic light possible. That's what I think, anyway. Essentially, I think the Harry potter answer to the dialectic is to reject it altogether, and wish that we could all just be happy together. I think that Rowling's answer to my Blog's question would be something along the lines of "We don't need to tolerate mass culture, Mass culture should be tolerant, and, if we can accept others, mass culture will be tolerant". Now to draw too much of a straw man, but my answer to such thinking is that mass culture is not the same as the culture of the masses. I don't think that mass culture can be tolerant or intolerant. Mass culture is ultimately a proposition, and attempt to persuade us to a mindset. I have come to the opposite conclusion from what I see as the Harry potter answer to post modern insecurity. I think we should just give in to that insecurity, not look for our Parents, and instead enjoy what joys our lives can afford us, and fight those who would seek to be our cultural Parents.
So, if that's how I feel, why am I seeing the movie? Because my wife and kid do not feel as I do. They both really like Harry Potter. My son likes to identify as Harry Potter, and sees himself as the misunderstood noble hero, and my wife has literally said that she enjoys the "world of Harry Potter" because it's like her imaginings of old England.I'm interested enough in seeing the phenomena that I'm allowing myself to dragged along.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Badstrip
Horrible band name, good band. I wonder why it works out like that? Killing Joke, Thin White Rope, Kyuss- all are terrible names.
Anyway, Badstrip play the high energy kinda glammy punky rock that flows from the New York Dolls onwards. The closest comparison would be the early output of the Lazy Cowgirls. There isn't much to say in the way of music criticism, but for music like this, that stuff is kinda besides the point. This is rocknroll as greasy kids' stuff. If you dig Kiss, the NY Dolls, the Stooges, The Heartbreakers and so on, you'll find something to like. Don't ask too much more from it, and you'll be fine.
Anyway, Badstrip play the high energy kinda glammy punky rock that flows from the New York Dolls onwards. The closest comparison would be the early output of the Lazy Cowgirls. There isn't much to say in the way of music criticism, but for music like this, that stuff is kinda besides the point. This is rocknroll as greasy kids' stuff. If you dig Kiss, the NY Dolls, the Stooges, The Heartbreakers and so on, you'll find something to like. Don't ask too much more from it, and you'll be fine.
Saturday, July 9, 2011
A little something soothing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxmZUzpMuQo
I mentioned what I've been listening to? Yeah, well, I always am listening to stuff I've had. This week I was on my James Robbins kick. This song just seems right. Be well, oh my Brovvers...
I mentioned what I've been listening to? Yeah, well, I always am listening to stuff I've had. This week I was on my James Robbins kick. This song just seems right. Be well, oh my Brovvers...
New this week
OK, so no, I don't think any of this just came out this week, but this is what I've been listening to, this week, and some of it is new to me.
First up- Yeah, go ahead, I'm a poseur. I'm jumping on the Bandito bandwagon. Bandito are a Dutch stoner band that have the first LP Kyuss sound down pretty well.Yes, just the first LP. They don't get all Psychedelic punk rock. It's more just six cylinder rock- the kind of fat, distorted boogie that the bearded nation loves. They're not great, just like "Wretch" wasn't great- but also just like Wretch, it's fun stuff.
Next is Halo of Snakes.The record is called "Viper letters and Murder Ballads" Nice. Atonal Metal, like latter Day Black Flag, or Bl'Ast, or all those Am Rep bands. But, as a really nice twist, the guitars aren't all muddy, as they usually are for this kind of thing. Instead they're overdriven and spiny, with some twang even. I'm much more fond of that guitar tone than I am of Greg Ginn's, so that's a treat. So, if you're like me, and love Black Flag, until death, but wished that they had discovered treble- here's your answer.
But, then, there's Hail! Hornet. It's ok, but I slightly regret the purchase. It's a bit too grindy sludge for me. It's the kind of Sludge metal that only works as thrash- the songs that clip along at Thrash speeds are nice, powerful bulldozers of songs, but when they slow it down, it sounds like rehearsal. Still, even the thrash isn't quite up to the amazing stand of the Capaces...
I don't just listen to blasting loud rock, as you can tell. So, I was glad to get the newer Ida Marie record- Katla. I wish she was where Adele is- She's an equal singer, but with much, much better songs that don't rely upon nostalgia for soul. They rely upon naked honesty, which is probably why she's not a best seller. Still, it's bluesy, glammy, retro rock with great vocals. Surely that's worth something?
It isn't exactly new, but I dug out a copy of Snapcase's End Transmission. I mentioned Snapcase a few posts back, but yes, I am a fan of latter-day Snapcase- believe it or not, Progression through Unlearning and Designs for Automation aren't really, truly moving to me. Not like End Transmission does. Bright Flashes was good, too. But for emotional depth, and pushing the boundaries of Hardcore? I'm a big fan of End Transmission. I put it into the same post hardcore category as Refused, The Rise and Quicksand, but not quite up to Refused or Quicksand. Still, this kind of post-hardcore reconnected me to my thrash past when it came out, and I love it for that, if for no other reason.If you're not familiar with Snapcase- they're like Deftones with a touch of Refused, only minus the Hip Hop theory. They specialize in lush spacey hardcore, played like they mean it.
First up- Yeah, go ahead, I'm a poseur. I'm jumping on the Bandito bandwagon. Bandito are a Dutch stoner band that have the first LP Kyuss sound down pretty well.Yes, just the first LP. They don't get all Psychedelic punk rock. It's more just six cylinder rock- the kind of fat, distorted boogie that the bearded nation loves. They're not great, just like "Wretch" wasn't great- but also just like Wretch, it's fun stuff.
Next is Halo of Snakes.The record is called "Viper letters and Murder Ballads" Nice. Atonal Metal, like latter Day Black Flag, or Bl'Ast, or all those Am Rep bands. But, as a really nice twist, the guitars aren't all muddy, as they usually are for this kind of thing. Instead they're overdriven and spiny, with some twang even. I'm much more fond of that guitar tone than I am of Greg Ginn's, so that's a treat. So, if you're like me, and love Black Flag, until death, but wished that they had discovered treble- here's your answer.
But, then, there's Hail! Hornet. It's ok, but I slightly regret the purchase. It's a bit too grindy sludge for me. It's the kind of Sludge metal that only works as thrash- the songs that clip along at Thrash speeds are nice, powerful bulldozers of songs, but when they slow it down, it sounds like rehearsal. Still, even the thrash isn't quite up to the amazing stand of the Capaces...
I don't just listen to blasting loud rock, as you can tell. So, I was glad to get the newer Ida Marie record- Katla. I wish she was where Adele is- She's an equal singer, but with much, much better songs that don't rely upon nostalgia for soul. They rely upon naked honesty, which is probably why she's not a best seller. Still, it's bluesy, glammy, retro rock with great vocals. Surely that's worth something?
It isn't exactly new, but I dug out a copy of Snapcase's End Transmission. I mentioned Snapcase a few posts back, but yes, I am a fan of latter-day Snapcase- believe it or not, Progression through Unlearning and Designs for Automation aren't really, truly moving to me. Not like End Transmission does. Bright Flashes was good, too. But for emotional depth, and pushing the boundaries of Hardcore? I'm a big fan of End Transmission. I put it into the same post hardcore category as Refused, The Rise and Quicksand, but not quite up to Refused or Quicksand. Still, this kind of post-hardcore reconnected me to my thrash past when it came out, and I love it for that, if for no other reason.If you're not familiar with Snapcase- they're like Deftones with a touch of Refused, only minus the Hip Hop theory. They specialize in lush spacey hardcore, played like they mean it.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Over to yer left
See that link for exploding in sound? Yeah, follow it. Hopefully when you do so, the video footage of the mighty Kylesa will still be up. They are seriously one of the most awesome bands going, right now. They get called stoner/sludge, metal, but I find they transcend that category. Awesome Psychedelic indie/Alternative/metal/Rock. If it's not still up, here's some links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o83PttPl1j0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3h2Csxh6QE&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jh8Gl3hzEnI
and more from the same set:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NFq-Kh5sGU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrIAidNea14
If this were investment banking, I'd put Kylesa in my "aggressive growth" fund...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=o83PttPl1j0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3h2Csxh6QE&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jh8Gl3hzEnI
and more from the same set:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NFq-Kh5sGU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrIAidNea14
If this were investment banking, I'd put Kylesa in my "aggressive growth" fund...
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Totally unrelated
So, besides watching TV, and rediscovering U2, I've been doing what I usually do. Here's the coolest from the past few days:
First, if you love QOTSA, check out this link. Well worth your time.
I just caught up to Germany's Ritual. Awesome band, and you should hear "Paper Skin" their new CD. Post-hardcore is becoming boring, with everyone referencing the same stuff- Fugazi and Snapcase, you know? But Ritual don't exactly sound like that. I can tell they've got some of the same influences as Fugazi and Snapcase, but... this is more like if early Refused rand head on into later Quicksand, with a yen to play "Revelations" era Killing Joke. In other words, you've got the punky-slayer hoarse screeching vocals and chuggy guitar breakdowns, mixed with strange layered rhythms covered in a frosty sheen of alternate-turned guitars. I could see them playing with Early Neurosis- to a draw, and that's saying something. Really excellent post-hardcore- and they're one of the few bands who I think are getting post-hardcore right.
Finally, I also have just got caught up with Ha Ha Tonka. Yes, they play Southern-fried Country-tinged indie rock, which is a sound you've heard before, but if Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket and the Arcade Fire sounded like Ha Ha Tonka, I'd like them, too. Instead, only Ha Ha Tonka have the punky-indie rock drive of the Arcade Fire, married to bluegrass influenced southern rock, with superb vocal harmonies. I don't know why it took me so long to find them, but they're really good. They're so good, I would suggest them even to my friends who don't care for either indie rock nor Appalachian country. Much, much better than the similarly-sounding Mumford and Sons. I just got Death of a Decade , but I'm sure I'm getting more by them, soon.
Now, yes, these three are suggestions, and that's the only binding tie between them. However, as always, I know my taste is no better than yours- if you don't agree with any or all, that's fine. However, I hope it expands your tastes just a little- that is, I hope that an indie rock fan can get a little something from Ritual, and I hope a hardcore Punker can get a little high lonesome harmony from Ha Ha Tonka, and seriously, who doesn't like Queens of the Stone Age?
First, if you love QOTSA, check out this link. Well worth your time.
I just caught up to Germany's Ritual. Awesome band, and you should hear "Paper Skin" their new CD. Post-hardcore is becoming boring, with everyone referencing the same stuff- Fugazi and Snapcase, you know? But Ritual don't exactly sound like that. I can tell they've got some of the same influences as Fugazi and Snapcase, but... this is more like if early Refused rand head on into later Quicksand, with a yen to play "Revelations" era Killing Joke. In other words, you've got the punky-slayer hoarse screeching vocals and chuggy guitar breakdowns, mixed with strange layered rhythms covered in a frosty sheen of alternate-turned guitars. I could see them playing with Early Neurosis- to a draw, and that's saying something. Really excellent post-hardcore- and they're one of the few bands who I think are getting post-hardcore right.
Finally, I also have just got caught up with Ha Ha Tonka. Yes, they play Southern-fried Country-tinged indie rock, which is a sound you've heard before, but if Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket and the Arcade Fire sounded like Ha Ha Tonka, I'd like them, too. Instead, only Ha Ha Tonka have the punky-indie rock drive of the Arcade Fire, married to bluegrass influenced southern rock, with superb vocal harmonies. I don't know why it took me so long to find them, but they're really good. They're so good, I would suggest them even to my friends who don't care for either indie rock nor Appalachian country. Much, much better than the similarly-sounding Mumford and Sons. I just got Death of a Decade , but I'm sure I'm getting more by them, soon.
Now, yes, these three are suggestions, and that's the only binding tie between them. However, as always, I know my taste is no better than yours- if you don't agree with any or all, that's fine. However, I hope it expands your tastes just a little- that is, I hope that an indie rock fan can get a little something from Ritual, and I hope a hardcore Punker can get a little high lonesome harmony from Ha Ha Tonka, and seriously, who doesn't like Queens of the Stone Age?
Sunday, June 26, 2011
TV Eye
So, finally, my Television season is starting. Yes, I actually prefer mostly "summer shows". Now, for those unaware of the evolution, it goes something like this: all TV revolves around the school year working week. So, in other words, if you're a Network TV programmer, traditionally, you'd put your strongest shows mid week (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) and coinciding with the start of the American school year ( September). You'd shoot 22-25 episodes of your strongest stuff (Read= Stuff that moves units in advertising) and 10-15 episodes of stuff you're taking a small chance on, with only a pilot of stuff you're shotgunning ( that is, TV concepts you're entirely unsure will sell anything, but you're willing to throw out there to try for as broad a range of consumers as possible). That formula worked for many years- y'see, kids do their homework on Mondays, and are out on Friday nights. People are not watching as much TV on weekends and summers because that's when they're on holiday. However, technology, as always, wouldn't let that sit. With VCRS and TiVO and DVR's, and DVD boxed sets of TV Shows, and changes in the American work week (the traditional 9-5, Monday through Friday is all but a myth, at this point) alongside the creation of massive amounts of broadcast space ( I've got 400 channels, how about you?) really made programmers' lives much more difficult. In the new Millenium, premium channels ( that is, pay TV networks, that aren't included in a flat cable TV rate) getting into producing TV shows really has changed the game. In particular, HBO's The Sopranos completely changed the programming rules. So, now, TV seasons are stretched out, and episodes get divided, and so on and so forth. Basically, TV programming is almost "asynchronous" with Programmers filling in 52 week slots with two seasons of Reality TV shows, and shorter seasons of scripted dramas (17-22 episodes, often with a break- the break being an "innovation" brought about by the massive writer's strike of the mid decade). The only TV still clinging to the old schedules would be Half Hour Sit Coms on Network (regular broadcast) TV.
So, my individual season, since we can have those now, would start this year near the end of June, with Burn Notice coming back on the USA network, True Blood coming back on HBO, Rescue Me coming back on FX in the beginning of July, the re-broadcast of Boardwalk Empire on HBO in July, followed up by the second season in september. Add that to my regular watching of sports (both Fake- wrestling- and real- racing, boxing, and some Football) and movies, and News, and I've got a pretty complete schedule of TV coming up for me. Mathwise, this comes out to about 12-14 hours a week, which makes for about 1.5 to 2 hours a night, which is about how much TV I watched in the fall as a kid.
The only one I've seen so far has been the season opener of Burn Notice. Now, I'm not here to say that Burn Notice is particularly deep TV. I watch it for the pretty colors and witty one liners. However, I do like that they're trying to add a little depth to the characters. Michael, it seems, is not so much motivated by a desire to serve his country, as he is by petty revenge, and preening vanity. That's interesting. Likewise, Fiona isn't so blindly attached to Michael, as she is addicted to the action he can provide. Again, interesting. They even managed to tie Michael's personality to his Mother; a nice little twist near the end. I don't know that I'd want that every week, but it's nice to add just a little depth to our cartoon spies.
True Blood, which is on tonight is more my wife's thing than mine, but I am looking forward to seeing Sam go real dark. He's one of my favorite characters on the show, and I hope they let him be a real bad guy for awhile. He's got every reason to be bad, and no real reason to be good. I'm also looking forward to seeing more Eric Northman, and less Bill, err Lux Interior (What? I can't be the only one to notice the similarity?) . So, yes, my TV season has started....
So, my individual season, since we can have those now, would start this year near the end of June, with Burn Notice coming back on the USA network, True Blood coming back on HBO, Rescue Me coming back on FX in the beginning of July, the re-broadcast of Boardwalk Empire on HBO in July, followed up by the second season in september. Add that to my regular watching of sports (both Fake- wrestling- and real- racing, boxing, and some Football) and movies, and News, and I've got a pretty complete schedule of TV coming up for me. Mathwise, this comes out to about 12-14 hours a week, which makes for about 1.5 to 2 hours a night, which is about how much TV I watched in the fall as a kid.
The only one I've seen so far has been the season opener of Burn Notice. Now, I'm not here to say that Burn Notice is particularly deep TV. I watch it for the pretty colors and witty one liners. However, I do like that they're trying to add a little depth to the characters. Michael, it seems, is not so much motivated by a desire to serve his country, as he is by petty revenge, and preening vanity. That's interesting. Likewise, Fiona isn't so blindly attached to Michael, as she is addicted to the action he can provide. Again, interesting. They even managed to tie Michael's personality to his Mother; a nice little twist near the end. I don't know that I'd want that every week, but it's nice to add just a little depth to our cartoon spies.
True Blood, which is on tonight is more my wife's thing than mine, but I am looking forward to seeing Sam go real dark. He's one of my favorite characters on the show, and I hope they let him be a real bad guy for awhile. He's got every reason to be bad, and no real reason to be good. I'm also looking forward to seeing more Eric Northman, and less Bill, err Lux Interior (What? I can't be the only one to notice the similarity?) . So, yes, my TV season has started....
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