There are movies one might view that may not exactly scream out for an Oscar nod but hold up as completely good and enjoyable filmmaking. One such movie is Kathryn Bigelow's 1995 film "Strange Days" (written by James Cameron whom I like more and more everyday. Avatar anyone?).

The movie stars the beautiful and always classy Angela Bassett and the smoldering Ralph Fiennes who boasts a great head of hair and an intensity that matches the sleazy other worldliness of the film. "Strange Days" depicts a unique and realistic future where the clock is ticking toward the year 1999, and the world is eerily messed up. Still.

There are no flying cars, no presentations of  higher human function and power, no drastic technological advances--no technological advances in the beneficial, wholesome vein, anyway. We are introduced to a new drug of choice; a piece of deviant technology called a SQUID device that commits a person's experiences directly from their cerebral cortex to a disc that is sold to any willing customer that wishes to live and experience a different existence or relive a particular memory. Make sense?

People become strung out on the SQUID so to speak, addicted to the varied experiences of others or in Ralph Fiennes' character Leonard Nero's case, addicted to the nostalgia inducing memories of time with his ex-girlfriend Faith played by the ever magnetizing Juliette Lewis.

Alongside this flashy display of humanity's ever enduring propensity for addiction and debauchery  exists the story of the slaying of a popular black public figure by racist cops that leads to a cover-up that if exposed could disrupt the entire foundation of an already shaky social climate. Strange Days shows a future laced with many of the same defects as the time in which the film was created, and the film handles it all the gritty simplicity that characterized a lot of films of that period.

My series on black women kicking butt in good films in good roles treats the woman as an integral and amazing part of the whole. I want to display movies that Hollywood got right, a film where the director present a strong black female character that is human above all else and not a slave to, or caricature of their pigment.

Angela Bassett's character Mace was complex, she fought to shed light on the cover-up while she pined for a man whose brain was fried with memories of a woman that no longer wanted him or even  possessed the very qualities that promoted his longing. Mace was beautiful and confident amidst a cast of flawed, well drawn characters who helped tell a story about race in a stark and memorable way.

So watch Strange Days. See a black woman help make cinematic gold and kick ass both literally and figuratively.

And the soundtrack rocks. It has Skunk Anansie on it!!!

You know I'm about to give you the discography!


Strange Days Motion Picture Soundtrack (1995)

1. Skunk Anansie – "Selling Jesus"
2. Lords of Acid – "The Real Thing"
3. Tricky – "Overcome"
4. Deep Forest – "Coral Lounge"
5. Strange Fruit – "No White Clouds"
6. Juliette Lewis – "Hardly Wait"
7. Me Phi Me/Jeriko One – "Here We Come"
8. Skunk Anansie – "Feed"
9. Prong/Ray Manzarek – "Strange Days"
10. Satchel – "Walk In Freedom"
11. Kate Gibson – "Dance Me to the End of Love"
12. Lori Carson/Graeme Revell – "Fall in the Light"
13. Deep Forest feat. Peter Gabriel – "While the Earth Sleeps"

Peacy Weacy!!

Off to work!

It's 6:48 am, and it's a new day! I've thrown misery to the wind, though I'm sure I'll meet that cold bastard again, and am here this bright new morning to present to you one of the bands that powered me through college, Pitty Sing. Their music is hard to find outside of youtube, as are their albums, however, anything is possible. Maybe this video and song will light a little fire under your patootie to get out there and listen to some quality.

So here it is, Fallen by Pitty Sing. Catch their short but rad discography down below as well!






Discography:

Pitty Sing (2005)
Demons You Are the Stars In Cars Til I Die (2004)

Eat it up!

Peacy Weacy!

"Method Man Does Sour Patch Kids?! Savvy Businessman or Sellout Sour Sport?" Is What Articles All Across the Internet Will Read!

Ef selling out, I like it. This is Method Man's Sour Patch Kids Commercial. #1 Don't eat much candy, but when I do, I will munch on on Sour Patch. Also, the commercials (the ones sans Method Man) strike a cord of interest within me. So, delicious candy, #1, Method Man/Wu-Tang-esque production style accompanied by the unique chant of Method Man's raspy-voiced lyrical flow #2? Heck yes please. Also, the commercial's mildly amusing dare I say....funny? And Meth had complete creative control over the commercial so he is resposible for its funniness! Not those stuffy ad executives! A good rapper! Wu-Tang? Yes, Meth was in Wu-Tang!

And dammit I need to blow the dust of my Blackout album, Doc's Da Name 2000, Malpractice album! Yes!!!!!

Now, since I have demonstrated my ability to be brain controlled by the media and their ad agencies, I will now simply encourage you to get some Meth and Red in your musical life. Oh and don't hold me to any opinion of Redman's new stuff because I haven't listened to it, but trust, I'm checking out his post-Malpractice catalogue riiiiight now!!

Peacy Weacy!!

Sidenote, once I find a version of this video that isn't a piece of ad crap that plays automatically and even presents you with a commercial BEFORE a commercial, I'll post it in place of this one. Stick it to the man!!

Update: Did it! Enjoy this Youtube version that doesn't do all the things I complained about above. Ta-Ta!

Join me.

In euphoric bliss.

There are places in the world in which you never think to look to find a particular brand of music. Though every country is eclectic, unique and full of diversity that applies to race, religion and interests (for the most part), there are genres of music that certain areas are frankly, just not known for.

For example, Chelyabinsk, Russia. This place is deep in Russia, okay? Deep enough that after stumbling upon Triagrutrika and seeing where they came from, I was like, they are from one of the most Russian cities in Russia. I bet. Chelyabinsk? Have you heard of this Russian city? Of course this question applies to U.S.A-ers because as an American I can admit that I like some other Americans, can be a little, um, oblivious to international geography and cities that cannot boast the position of capital. Know what I'm saying?  Moscow, Russia, St. Petersburg, I know of those places for sure. I'm not an idiot or anything. But get this, Chelyabinsk is one of Russia's bigger cities (the ninth largest, anyway)  but you know what, I bet the people in Chelyabinsk don't know anything about Toledo, Ohio so don't judge me, Russians of beautiful Chelyabinsk:

Chelyabinsk, Russia-the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast

So after that little tidbit I'll try to yank myself back on track. For you.

So I fell across this Russian RAP GROUP called Triagrutrika. Try saying that three times fast. It's easy for me but I bet you can't do it. The name translates as...who knows man I've tried to find out and believe me I searched and I couldn't. Listen, I'm a researcher, yes, but what the name is cool and its meaning is not as important as the music, and also, the name might not mean anything at all anyway. Remember the American band Hoobastank? Aerosmith anybody? Neither of those names have a real meaning and though Aerosmith is on a whole other level than Hoobastank who have by now faded into obscurity, both are examples that a band name doesn't neccessarrily have to have any meaning. So now that I've made excuses for my sub-par reasearching skills we can continue.

Clearly if you're still reading you come for the digressions and run-ons and stay for the miniscule snatches of discussion of the actual subject of my posts. Thanks, it's great to have you!

So Triagrutrika from Chelyabinsk, Russia consists of the the members...damn I can't even find that information. Listen, these guys are an underground Russian rap group. They are like phantoms in the night. Maybe one day they'll stumble across this site and decide to tell me all about themselves.... which would be great because their music is amazing. I was pleasantly surprised by the infectious production and the way the guys' flows rode the rhythm as it were. Nice lyrical delivery, their videos are AMAZING because it's just them rapping! I can focus on the music and not be distracted by vaselined rumps of well-endowed female dancers gyrating before the lens! Imagine that. Well, you don't have to imagine it, here it is:

Mmmmmm delicious. No, you don't know what they're saying unless you know Russian, which I don't. But dammit I still appreciated it. And I still listened to them for hours on YouTube. And they're easy on the eyes as well. I would flirt these guys under the table if I met them and also, drink them under the table and also, interview them about their music extensively before catching a flight back to Toledo and telling you all about it on Prosepunk.

What did I just do here? Introduce you to what I consider to be an amazing Russian rap group--no, amazing Rap Group in general. Go ahead, disagree with me. You wouldn't dare.

*I was gonna try to end this post with a translation of the lyrics of "Big City Life"...but wouldn't you know it? I couldn't find those either. Sigh. Enjoy anyway though. Prosepunk commands it.

Peacy Weacy!!

When Soundtracks Attack Lite: Watchmen: Music From the Motion Picture

So today was a cool day,  I'm going to ramble on at length--or at short--about the Watchmen Soundtrack depending on how long I can resist the urge to dash back down to my television to finish watching Adventure Time. I spent some of my day off work viewing Watchmen for the third of fourth time and I was of course aware of how expertly the soundtrack was chosen, it fit the tone perfectly and doused me in a wave of nostalgia for a time that I didn't have the pleasure of living in. (I will ignore the fact that living in the 1960's/1970's/1980's as a black woman might have been less than stellar as far as lifestyle, opportunities and rights but I'm not talking about that today and it is irrelevant to my discussion on the soundtrack so quit getting me off track, reader).

I imagined living in the time of these songs' creation  and hearing this music so close to it's inception, so soon after these artists had penned and recorded these masterpieces of American music. Nice. Many of the songs were either on my Zune already (like one of my ABSOLUTE favorite pieces of music of all time from bomb-ass composer Philip Glass, a version of "Pruit Igoe" called "Pruit Igoe & Prophecies") or should have been, like Billie Holiday's amazing "You're My Thrill", Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of Silence", or Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". Really good songs. But then I was introduced to the voice of Nina Simone for the first time.

I've heard her name numerous times but never took the time to see what this woman was about. I wish I'd discovered her earlier because needless to say, she blew my mind. Her cover of Kurt Weill's "Pirate Jenny" from The Threepenny Opera, is absolutely perfect, haunting, memorable, amazing, look, I'll  even put it here for you to listen to because it's just that good:

Whoa. So once again, as it happened when I viewed Pirate Radio, a Watchmen sent  me to download its soundtrack and discover all sorts of amazing old music that needs to be spread in this century to remind us that music can be as transcendent as we always hope for it to be. Nina Simone, this post is for you. I was truly inspired and I am on my way to becoming a big fan.

Oh, and stay tuned for my post about the movie Watchmen, it will interesting and titillating, I promise.

Peacy Weacy!!

When Soundtracks Attack : Pirate Radio Soundtrack

Oh, hello, didn't see you there. You're a sneaky little bugger aren't you? Is what a hot British man would say upon finding an unexpected person creeping up behind him. Despite my surprise, I welcome your presence, and want to dose you with a little bitty album review.

 I'd like to discuss a good soundtrack for those of you who like old music but aren't quite ready to indulge in B-side oldies as of yet. Take an intrigued yet cautious gander at the Pirate Radio Soundtrack. It's chock-full of the oldies you know and love, the hits of the 1960's.

Pirate Radio's double disc set kicks off with a cover of Lorraine Ellison's 1966 hit "Stay With Me (Baby)" an achingly sweet beg-a-thon of a song (I mean this in the most positive way) that Duffy's one of a kind voice oozes around  like a comfortable burst of cold water to soothe an aching wound.  Duffy's rendering is perfectly executed and properly honors the original with a strike that manages to add another dimension to Ellison's cathartic piece. While not seamlessly, it fit in very well with the authentic oldies on the album. Duffy's emotive treat gives way to some of the most emotional, well-written and composed songs of a different time, when music was more organic, voices clear and unaltered.

Take The Kinks' "All Day" for starters, you forget its constant brandishing in the media and pop culture and enjoy the song in its entirety for the actual quality of the production, the effect of the lyrics' repetition, the unique sound of Ray Davies' voice. The same can be said of The Beach Boys' ever ever present in films' opening credits classic "Wouldn't it Be Nice" which is a really amazing song when one takes the time to sit and really listen to the composition and the clear timbre of Brian Wilson's voice sliding over the melodic harmonies for which the Beach Boys are so well known. I smell a run-on, and it smells good so let's go with it.

The album contains many classic soul favorites of the late mid to late 1960's, such as Smoky Robinson's "Ooo Baby Baby". Smoky Robinson, that was a voice, right? Turn that song on and tell me that wasn't A  VOICE? No autotune, nowhere near (if any) as much of the studio polishing that smooths out the kinks in the voices of many of today's most famous singers.

Otis Redding's "These Arms of Mine"? Just slide me a mattress now because I'm about to hit the floor with adoration for Otis' voice. Pure emotion, the perfect rasp born straight from the flesh of his vocal cords and not urged on by the press of a button or the turning of a dial.  Do you get what I'm saying? These people could sing. They had talent. Their TALENT catapulted them into the limelight, not a gross amount of nepotism, not an exterior superiority, not a quota system put in place for the benefit of advertisers. I'm going on a tangent. That never happens here at Prosepunk.

While this album was making me fall in love with many quality yet overplayed songs of the past, it was also introducing me to songs that I never would have considered listening to, such as Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass' "This Guy's in Love With You". Expert. Phenomenal. Evocative. Grand. Dramatic. That enough adjectives for you? It better be because that's all you're getting and dammit that's plenty!

The album also re-introduced me to some of my old favorites, such as Cream's "I Feel Free" and Hendrix's "The Wind Cries Mary". Delicious.

This is a must have soundtrack, I learned how much I love the oldies and reawakened my appreciation for the style and realness in every note produced.

Music is a learning experience. Even someone like me who knows anything anyone should ever even WANT to know about music, stuff that would make people think I'm crazy or know a little TOO much, learn so much everyday! Such as in this case when watching the film "Pirate Radio" (it was just aiiiiiight) caused me to check out the soundtrack. And by gosh I'm glad I did!

Officer, I was attacked. By a soundtrack.


Pirate Radio Track List!!!

Disc: 1

1. Stay With Me Baby-Duffy

2. All Day-The Kinks

3. Elenore-The Turtles

4. Judy In Disguise-John Fred And Playboys

5. Dancing-Martha Reeves

6. Wouldn't It Be Nice-Beach Boys

7. Ooh Baby Baby-Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

8. This Guys In Love-Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass

9. Hi Ho Silver Lining-Jeff Beck

10. I Can See For Miles-The Who

11. With A Girl Like You-The Troggs

12. I'm Alive-The Hollies

13. Yesterday Man-Chris Andrews

14. I've Been A Bad Bad Boy-Paul Jones

15. Silence Is Golden-Tremeloes



Disc: 2

1. Friday On My Mind-Easybeats

2. My Generation-The Who

3. I Feel Free-Cream

4. Wind Cries Mary-Jimi Hendrix

5. A Whiter Shade Of Pale-Procol Harum

6. These Arms Of Mine-Otis Redding

7. The Happening- Supremes

8. Cleo's Mood - Junior Walker & The All Stars

9. She'd Rather Be With Me-The Turtles

10. 98.6-The Bystanders

11. Sunny Afternoon-Kinks

12. Father And Son-Cat Stevens

13. Nights In White Satin-Moody Blues

14. You Don't Have To Say You Love Me-Dusty Springfield

15. Stay With Me-Lorraine Ellison

16. This Old Heart Of Mine-The Isley Brothers

17. Let's Dance-David Bowie

Skunktastically Refreshing

This is maybe a bit of a blast from the past, but, remember Skunk Anansie? If you just  thought to yourself, "Skunk-a-who-who?" Get ready to have your mind blown to the point where you will be inclined to use Google or some other search engine to find out more about this band that I will mention in a very general way in this recommendation. Run-on city; population: me.

This is Skin, Skunk Anansie frontwoman:

I know, right?! Black Girl Rocker!!!!!!!!!*ALERT*!!!!!!!!

Feast your hungry eyes on Skin. Her voice is as intriguing as her very existence. I'm sleepy at the moment, so I'll edit and lengthen this post tomorrow, or not, we shall see.....but in the mean time, check them out, listening to their infectious "My Ugly Boy" right now and it's hitting the spot. Plus they've been knockin 'em dead for a while now. I still remember their live ass performance in Strange Days. If you haven't seen Strange Days get yourself together, you can't even begin to call yourself a movie buff.

 But if you take nothing else from this post, hold this close to your grey matter: Skin's a black female rocker!!! A rare and endangered species that must be enjoyed and experienced and appreciated....

Oh and this list is lame and these people have no taste. How dare they vote Skunk Anansie so high!! Poppycock! Yeah, granted some of the bands probably sucked but the moment I even saw Radiohead's name even near that list for anything bad I almost slammed my laptop shut and biked to Bad Musical Tastesland to destroy their power supplies so that none of them have access to the internet anymore. Hahaha. Just kidding, all in good fun. Look I even linked to your wretched site so that crap tastes can exposed for what they are, different from mine.

Also, I've never attended a Glastonbury Festival outside of YouTube but I stand by the snarky and antagonistic tirade against the unsuspecting users of said site.

Welcome to Prosepunk!!

Peacy Weacy.

Don't know how rare of a find this is......

...but it's cool as hell!! I was nosing through one of my favorite stores (Allied Record Exchange) in beautiful Toodeeloodoo, Ohiwo and I came across this crazy cool special edition of Blur's Think Tank. If you read this  you know how much I love this album, I even ventured to call it one of my absolute favorite albums of all time. With that said, of course I was tickled when I saw this and I had to buy it even though I already own the normal version of the album.

Take a gander, it's a book with a cloth cover with Banksy's album art stamped in gold on the front and filled with  reproductions of Damon Albarn's handwritten lyrics and doodles, typed lyrics, and all around coolness. The CD is in a sleeve in the back. I love it.

Like I said I don't know when this edition came out or how rare it is or anything like that (probably not all that rare) but I am absolutely stoked to have found it. Just wanted to share!!

Peacy Weacy!!

Tron: Legacy R3C0NF1GUR3D (Reconfigured LOL)

Nice try reconfigure-ers!

Okay, so my nail-polish is still intact. Daft Punk's originals from the soundtrack whooped these reconfigured songs' booty. If you want to hear the music from Tron: Legacy buy the Tron: Legacy Motion Picture Soundtrack by Daft Punk. Leave the Reconfigured version on the proverbial shelf.

Don't get me wrong, there are a few bright spots that stand up as quality re-imaginings, The Glitch's "Derezzed" is pretty amazing.  M83 VS The Big Black Delta did a catchy and unique reworking of "Fall". The Crystal Method's remix of "The Grid" is palatable but since its The Chemical Brother's I expected more. Teddybears did a decent remix of "Adagio for Tron", Oakenfold's "C.L.U." is decent. Grudgingly, I'll give a few props to Photek's "End of the Line". But make no mistake, the originals trounce every reconfiguration easily. Some might say it wasn't the goal of the reconfigured piece to eclipse the brilliance of the Daft Punk's work, but it should at least bring something more to the table than additional laser-beam sounds and generic synthesized bass loops. Tron: Legacy Reconfigured is not the worst album I've ever heard by a long shot, but it is definitely--in a word--unnecessary, and in some more words-- vastly inferior to Daft Punks' original.

Tron: Legacy Reconfigured gets 3 out of 5. Cop at Own Risk.

P.S. For SHAME Moby. "Son of Flynn" is my favorite from the soundtrack and you totally removed what made the song amazing and replaced it with ear murdering repetitiveness. Nope.

Peacy Weacy!!

When Soundtracks Attack: Daft Punk's Tron: Legacy

I've decided that my fingers want to off themselves when I'm typing a typical review. I like reading reviews, and sometimes, when the wind blows to the left or some other random event incites the desire in me, I feel like writing a review, but mostly they drain me for reasons I'm not sure of. So from now on I'm going to implement a rating system that I'll apply to the current album I'm either obsessed or repulsed by accompanied by a few lines of opinion.

DAFT PUNK'S TRON: LEGACY --- 5 out of 5<< so yeah my rating scale is out of 5.

Amazing. The best soundtrack I've come across in a while (along with  Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2 Soundtracks) This soundtrack is unlike anything I've ever heard--from Daft Punk or otherwise. Better than the movie. Go cop it. Cop=Buy.

I downloaded Tron: Legacy Reconfigured to today--it features remixes by some pretty good producers like Oakenfold and The Crystal Method, so I'm thinking it's gonna knock my nail polish off. But we'll see, I'll tell ya all about it, don't worry. Let me be your musical guide. I won't disappoint, and if I do disappoint, well it's your own damn fault.

PeacyWeacy!!

A few thoughts on Blur's Think Tank, The Gorillaz, and Damon Albarn

Think Tank's Cover Art, Created by the brilliant Banksy

So this will seem more like some sort of analysis than an actual review, and since I have the pleasure of having my own blog, I can pretty much write this any way I want...as long as you the reader are satisfied, titillated and mystified by the soft caress of my wordplay.

Right to the nitty gritty:

In celebration of the recent release of the Gorillaz' Revolving Doors and Doncamatic maxi-singles I want to examine the consistent magnificene of all of Gorillaz work opposed to the spurt of brilliance of Blur's Think Tank.

What follows is complete staunch opinion--I tend to be hesitant in voicing my more trivial convictions but I'd like to do so today.

I bought Blur's Think Tank in 2003 the year of its release. It was amazing. It is probably--and this is a very lofty statement--my favorite albums of all time. The single weak spot rests with the song "Crazy Beat" which while failing to live up to the astronomical artistic standard of the rest of the album still manages to be an infectious song that doesn't completely ruin the mood of an otherwise pitch perfect album.

Think Tank is home to many temperaments. While it is classified as a alt rock album there are definite electronic, jazz, and other unclassifiable facets that lend the album its most transcendent moments. The instrumental arrangements are unique and intricate--the work of Albarn and Blur's other members, guitarist Graham Coxon (who actually left the band before this album was created-- Albarn picked up the slack), bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree.

Albarn's voice is as haunting and distinct as it has ever been whether it's weaving through the psychadelic twangs of a Gorillaz juggernaut or drifting softly over the moody drone of Massive Attack's "Saturday Come Slow". It is often the custom of an album to have the lead lyricists voice serve as the centerpiece, Think Tank makes it clear that the instrumentation deserves consideration and shine.

There are many mind-blowers on this album, "Out of Time" is the song that introduced me to the band and boasts a melody that I never tire of, however it is not the album's greatest offering. The moody thump of "Good Song" belies the slow and dreamy voice that Albarn pairs with the instrumentation, and the lyrics come through clear and stark and speak of a beauty the song itself drives home while a song like "On The Way to the Club" reveals itself slowly with a bassline that rivets the ears and lyrics that drift slowly over a tempo that seems more upbeat than the voice that accompanies it.

"Caravan" is the definitiion of moody (I love the word moody, read my other music posts and you'll see, but it's because it's the perfect word to describe many of the songs on this album as well as the album as a whole. The New Oxford American Dictionary (Kindle edition) defines moody as 'given to unpredictable changes of mood, especially sudden bouts of gloominess or sulleness'<< exactly!)

I could go on, breaking down every song on the album, but that would be boring and I don't feel like being more long-winded than I will probably be.  I rather take this moment to focus on writing about my two favorite songs on the album, which also happen to be the most somber. I am a somber person by nature, don't let this bombastic online persona fool you. Still waters, however, run deep.

"Sweet Song" is a piano laced ballad that speaks of losing a love and although not all can relate, empathy is pulled from the very depths of the most heartless once the song has run its course. Lyrics of note, "So I ween myself off slowly". I don't even need to say any more than that.

The album closes with the borderline depressing "Battery in Your Leg" which eclipses "Sweet Song" only marginally in being my favorite. The melody does unexpected things. It surprises you. It echoes into the ears and the lyrics speak of giving up. Highs and lows assail the ears, twangs accompany cathartic pleas along guitar riffs that are unlike anything I've ever heard (thanks Coxon)--MOODY.

I absolutely adore Think Tank. All these years after its release the songs still hit me somewhere deep in the incensing darkness of my soul, so naturally I figured I would love all of Blurs work. Nope. I tried. Think Tank opened my mind to the myriad of music I enjoy to this day but the albums that preceeded it were not my cup of tea which was a very confusing pill to swallow. How could the band churn out this masterpiece in the face of internal conflict no less and right before disbanding (they have since reunited), but have earlier works created when the band was presumably more cohesive fall short of Think Tank's imaginitive concepts, instrumentation and lyrical delivery? One could venture to say that Coxon's minimal involvement with the album created music that was more pleasing to my ears, but that couldn't be the case because he leant a guitar line to my fave, "Battery in Your Leg".

Think Tank was also the point where Albarn took over completely, and his influences were felt most strongly on this album, and I am a diehard Damon Albarn fan, and why wouldn't I be? He created the Gorillaz!

Unlike Blur, the Gorillaz are immune to missteps. I own every album, every B-side, G-side, every random release, and they never disappoint. Albarn makes magic with the Gorillaz which is an abstract band--made up of animated members that bring character to music that transcends proper classification. Guests fly by leaving their mark on beats that could send a lesser producer to seek a career reassessment test, Snoop Dogg, Bobby Womack, Dennis Hopper, Phi Life Cypher, De La Soul, Lou Reed and a host of others.

So I say all that to say, I heart you Damon Albarn. You are my musical muse and though not my only, you are in good company, I assure you.

What a weak conclusion. But that's how it goes sometimes.

Blur Discography--decide if you like the earlier works more or less:

• Leisure (1991)
• Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993)
• Parklife (1994)
• The Great Escape (1995)
• Blur (1997)
• 13 (1999)
• Think Tank (2003

"Exit Music (For A Film)"
Radiohead--Kid A

Written by Thom Yorke                                                                       
Transcribed by ihearttomorrow

Wake.. from your sleep
The drying of your tears
Today we escape, we escape

Pack.. and get dressed
Before your father hears us
Before all hell breaks loose

Breathe, keep breathing
Don't lose your nerve
Breathe, keep breathing
I can't do this alone

Sing.. us a song
A song to keep us warm
There's such a chill, such a chill

You can laugh
A spineless laugh
We hope your rules and wisdom choke you
Now we are one in everlasting peace

We hope that you choke, that you choke
We hope that you choke, that you choke
We hope that you choke, that you choke

~~~~~

I ask you, reader, to perish the thought that all the great musical storytellers are dead and buried or retired to their French Villa's or hidden compounds enjoying the fruits of their brilliant labor. I implore you to consider the characteristics of a great story and ponder the traits that make the teller a person of talent rather than a boring rambler with an over abundance of imagination. I'll venture to tell you what makes a good story, because I write them everyday without even trying (astute use of bravado). I create a mood. I'll put you in the moment that I've crafted from nothing and you'll forget where your body ends and the world I have spread before you begins. Since I do in fact tell stories that achieve that effect, I am therefore a storyteller of the highest talent, wait and see, but I am not too smug to share my glory...

Radiohead are storytellers of the highest ilk as proven by their song "Exit Music (For a Film)". As it plays, a song that is all moody melody slithering along seamlessly beside the haunting voice Thom Yorke has made a standard of perfection, I am taken to a place where the mind and body merge and exist henceforth in complete sync.

With the first words of the song a scene opens, a man and a woman, any color, any age, any socio-economic background lying together in the aftermath of some tumultuous event that allows the sadness to linger beyond the dark hours of a restless night. They are primed to escape the patriarchal affront to their union at any cost, and together they set off with wishes of death presumably aimed at the woman's father for daring to challenge their love. (Keep in mind however, that this song was originally written for the end credits of 1996's Romeo + Juliet so the lyrics could be considered a tad on the nose, but it's beautiful nonetheless--also, the song, at Yorke's request, was not used for the movie.)

The lyrics in this song are simple but they more than sufficiently convey the emotion and the connection shared by the protagonists. Words are used sparingly to create quality storytelling through adept manipulation of the tone, mood and rhythm of the instruments used as well as through the haunting voice relaying the scenes for consideration by the mind.

Experience the song for what it is--a pensive orchestration of sound that incites emotion as only a great song can. Though the subject matter of the song could be deemed archytypical especially since it was inspired by one of the greatest archetypes, Shakespeare's story of star-crossed lovers, we must remember that archtypes gain that title because they are so well received and revered, well modeled and able to incite emotion over and over again in all their varying interpretations and presentations. The song is good, the lyrics are perfect, and the tone is absolutely magical.

Listen to it and be changed. Exit Music (For a Film).

Ahhh....Radiohead, what can be said about you that has not already been uttered from the lips of any music critic worth his or her salt...you are absolutely amazing. You can do no wrong and today I pay homage to your ultimate perfection, your astute production values, Thom Yorke's ethereal voice laced with heavy lyricism that the average poet could only dream of printing on a page....

I do not often come upon a band that manages to hold my ears hostage from song to song, and before Radiohead I'd never before pressed play on my Zune and let it run untouched through an entire artist's discography. My love for them started around 1997--though I must say I didn't reach my current height of fan-dom until about three years ago--but I remember the first time I heard of them just like it was yesterday, sitting in my best friend's bedroom watching the video for "Paranoid Android", battling between feeling creeped-out by the crazy animation and completely enticed by the music itself--I was let's do the math...about 12 at the time and still embroiled in being a sheep who found anything alternative off-putting so I did not fully appreciate the experience, but I definitely remember it.

My sophomore year of high school I became obsessed with "Pyramid Song" and asked my friend who was a pioneer of the mix CD to bury that song on a disc amidst  a bevy of pop music and hip-hop hot list picks. I played "Pyramid Song" again and again and over time my love affair with Radiohead grew into the absolute adoration I hold for them today. 

While I'm writing this review I am listening to a shuffle of their music, and at this point "Exit Music (For A Film)" is playing and as is usually the case with their music, it has incited a wave of creative energy in me that makes me want to strive for the perfection this band has, in my eyes,  already acquired. I am no musician, but Radiohead is the single reason I ever even considered picking up a guitar, I want to create something that beautiful for people and inspire them with it musically or otherwise. Radiohead has the power to execute a song so perfectly that it hits every note at just the right time as the band weaves its way through the manipulation of a myriad of instruments and effects all accompanied by a voice that rides over the rhythm with emotion that is as relatable as it is untouchable. That was a long one. Radiohead makes me want to be a genius, urges me to tap into the part of me that is waiting to be something, as they have, and I want to touch millions of people because of a talent that is so well honed--a craft so thoroughly mastered that it is worthy to be shared with the world at large. 

Okay, so now I'll stop gushing, and get to the conventional review. Radiohead was formed in 1985 in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and consists of Thom Yorke who does vocals, piano and guitar, Jonny Greenwood on guitar, keyboards and more, Colin Greenwood who handles the synthesizers and bass, Ed O'Brien on guitars and backing vocals and Phil Selway on drums and percussion. The first single they released was "Creep" which became a runaway hit several months after its initial release. While catchy and enjoyable, "Creep" is in no way my favorite and dare I caution any new Radiohead fan to take the song as anything but the tip of the iceberg as far as who this band is musically, what it is capable of. Radiohead's more recent releases are smarter and the production values sharper and achingly unique. Catagorization of this band's sound is difficult--they are a little electronic, rock for sure, somber and jazzy, upbeat but understated--but rest assured that whatever the style they present it meshes well into their entire body of music and is unbelievably polished. Over time their sound has morphed, as do the styles of any growing musician and so there's a journey one takes through each album, and for me each journey has reminded me of how much I enjoy just sitting and listening to their music or using it while I write to create a mood and state of mind for myself as well as the characters I create on the page before me, or in the poetry I write.

I would like to list a favorite song of theirs, and I have to say that was a hard task for me. I like almost EVERY song on EVERY one of their albums--but that's a cop-out response some might say, so I will take the leap and say that my top five (I couldn't cut it down any lower, I wanted to do a top 10 honestly) are:

1. Exit Music (For a Film) from OK Computer
2. A Punchup At A Wedding from Hail to the Thief
3. Talk Show Host from Street Spirit 3 track maxi-single and Romeo + Juliet Soundtrack
4. Everything In Its Right Place from Kid A
5. All I Need from In Rainbows

There is no way I can list my favorite album because I love every one, but honestly, it doesn't matter what my favorite is because you will find your own favorite songs, favorite albums, and maybe they'll match mine, maybe not. Maybe you'll wonder why I like them so much and  throw your MP3 player against the wall in disgust after listening to them for ten minutes (which means you have NO taste in music) but either way, your mind has been controlled--by my T-shirt! If you haven't bought into the well-deserved Radiohead hype yet, you better get to it now. Our society is inundated with musicians daily-some deserving of our adulation, most who are not. I assure you Radiohead is something special, and I hope this disjointed gush-fest of a review encourages you to treat yourself to some magnificent music.

Here's a discography and a couple links to get you started:





Pablo Honey (1993)
The Bends (1995)
OK Computer (1997)
Kid A (2000)
Amnesiac (2001)
Hail to the Thief (2003)
In Rainbows (2007)

Radiohead-Official Site

Radiohead on Wikipedia

Oh, and don't even get me started on the lyrics...

Peacy Weacy!

T-shirt Mind Control: Sneaker Pimps

I can't believe I haven't made a music post yet!!! Hooray for music! And in particular, the Sneaker Pimps!! If you've never had the pleasure of listening to them, and if you're into acts like Portishead or Massive Attack you may just like to take a sip of Sneaker Pimps for they are a delicious treat for any trip-hop fan, or music fan for that matter.

The Sneaker Pimps were formed in '94 in Hartlepool, England by Chris Corner and Liam Howe. Their first album Becoming X was recorded with vocals done by Kelli Dayton, but on follow up albums like Bloodsport (the album that introduced them to me) lead vocals were done by Chris Corner himself.

^^That's all the technical stuff, but here's what I want to say from the heart...As a writer, I use music a lot for inspiration. My tastes run far and wide but there are a few staples in my repertoire, a few artists that I cannot do without, and the Sneaker Pimps have more than earned a spot in my "music to write to" library. Haunting could describe their work, harsh, unique, bass heavy, beat heavy...emotional, spine tingling, damn good....but I don't want to just blurt out adjectives, even though I just did!!

With that said, I want to tell anyone who'll listen to go pick up  their 2002 album Bloodsport, as it is the most readily available of all their work, and listen to it all the way through. Infectious beats and excellent production and tone will force you to seek out the maxi-single Spin-Spin Sugar which contains 4 songs ("Spin Spin Sugar"-2 versions, "Walk the Rain"--amazing  bass line will make you wiggle in auditory ecstasy, "How Do"--haunting) that will leave you wishing you could find their other albums--it is possible that their early stuff can be found through Amazon or the like, but the avenues I use (Zune pass) only offer Bloodsport and Spin-Spin Sugar for download.

The Sneaker Pimps have pretty much disbanded, with Chris Corner and Kelli Dayton moving on to solo projects that I'm in the process of checking out...but my main mission here today with the mildly creative photographs of me wearing a crudely made shirt is to control your mind so you buy/download  Bloodsport and listen to the song "Loretta Young Silks". This album shines with multiple musical gems, but every time I hear that song I want to stop whatever I'm doing and glide around  my house lost in the sounds assaulting my elevated consciousness. I think the Sneaker Pimps are way too underground, too enshrouded in a darkness that their amazing music will permeate if we all know to check them out, especially since many of you have probably heard their stuff without knowing it was them. My T-shirt hopes to bring them to the light. Come to me, readers, and let my T-shirt mind control open your brain and lead it to new avenues of musical brilliance. I promise you won't regret it. Oh, and any Brits reading this can disregard this entire post, for I am sure you are already hip to them.

Sneaker Pimps Discography:

Becoming X- 1996
Becoming Remixed-1998
Splinter - 1999
Bloodsport - 2002
SP4- never released, but some of the work can be found on Chris Corner's project IAMX

You can find out more, here.

PeacyWeacy!!

Inundating myself with learning new hobbies

What better way to solve my addiction to procrastination than taking on another thing that will inevitably apply more pressure to my already scattered brain?

I'm trying to learn guitar!! This foray into musical astuteness has already caused fourteen fights between me and my teacher/right hand man. I'm probably a bad student, and he's definitely a bad teacher. So...

I should probably try to secure some lessons--lessons will serve to teach me while also forcing me to practice and stick with it beyond two days.

My fingers already hurt and I've already frustrated my only human guidebook to the world of guitar. So what else is new??

Well, as you can see there's still no top video games list--and there won't be until I finish slothing my way through Final Fantasy 12--which is amazing by the way, but hard and long. That's what she said.

So I'm trying to finish that game and then the list will be up. In the mean time I don't plan to go this long between blog posts again, so if you're out there, my lone bored reader, prepare to get served a dish of my disjointed ramblings at least every other day, barring natural disaster or severe sickness.

Thanks for stopping by!

PeacyWeacy!