2010 A Year in Music

I haven't kept up with new releases as much as I would like and I'm not the best at reviewing anything. With that said, I think I'm going to try and compile my 5 favorite releases this year...in list form.


5) School of Seven Bells - Disconnect From Desire. There was a stretch of a few weeks this Autumn where I listened to this album every morning without fail. The vocals are soothing, the guitars are swirling and the drumming is non offensive. This is shoegaze with hooks, it's not just dream pop.

Standout Track- Windstorm




4) Torche - Songs For Singles. Torche play a brand of sludge metal that is so catchy it has drawn comparisons to Foo Fighters. With songs clocking in at an average of about 2 minutes, this album says a lot in a short span of time.

Standout Track- Arrowhead


3) The Damned Things - Ironiclast. Take members of Fall Out Boy, Every Time I Die and Anthrax. Sounds a bit...different and it is. The band takes the metalcore tinged blues rock of Every Time I Die and tempers it with all the catchiness you'd expect two members of Fall Out Boy to provide. This album is FUN, as are the next 2 coming up.

Standout Track(s)- Black Heart, We've Got a Situation Here, Bad Blood, Little Darling. (The whole album is amazing, do yourself a favor and pick it up)



2) My Chemical Romance - Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.
Killjoys make some noise. This isn't just an introduction, it's a rallying cry. This album is infectious, it's loud, it's fun and it's colorful. MCR really have created a fun ROCK album. The term "emo" should be purged from your vocabulary. Ian MacKaye hated it when Fugazi was called emo and I can't help but cringe when the term gets thrown around haphazardly. MCR was never an emo band, they've always been more of an arena rock band with a few punk tendencies. Really, I'm not sure what emo even means. Anyway, small rant aside, this album has really connected with me. I really hope it wins over some people for the band, but with the way most people feel about them I doubt it'll happen. Regardless, this album is gold, Jerry. GOLD!

Standout Tracks: SING; Planetary (GO!); Party Poison; Save Yourself, I'll Hold Them Back. (Just like The Damned Things, the whole album is amazing. You're doing yourself a disservice by avoiding this one.)



1) DEVO- SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY


Devo is an odd creature. They created one of the first music videos and became pop culture idols in a seeming instant. Unfortunately their unique image ("flowerpots", biohazard suits, overwhelming nerdiness) distracted people from the infectious synth AND guitar driven music they were pumping out. Mark Mothersbaugh and company may be in their 60's (or close to it), but they've released an album that shames bands a third their age, and they've done it 40 years into their career. This album truly has something for everybody. SFE features guitar-driven, anthemic tracks like Fresh, it has 8-bit sounds reminiscent of Crystal Castles (Mind Games), it has 50's sounding "whoaa oh oh ohhhs" (Please Baby Please), it even has a piano ballad (No Place Like Home). Take all these tracks, throw in some pop culture awareness and the Devo quirk factor("cheeseburger, cheeseburger, pumping gas" manages to be catchy and an accurate portrayal of American life) and it produces something special.

Stand Out Tracks- Fresh, Please Baby Please, Mind Games, Human Rocket, No Place Like Home, What We Do, Don't Shoot (I'm a Man), March On, Later is Now. The whole album is standout aside from Cameo, which admittedly fell a bit flat for me.

Sing Macabre Songs and We'll Dance 'Til Dawn

We're halfway through October. The air's getting colder and Halloween is fast approaching. That means only one thing, I get to make the most kick-ass playlist ever.

1. Misfits- Dig Up Her Bones. Yeah, yeah the Misfits aren't the Misfits without Danzig. Although I prefer Danzig era stuff as a whole, this is probably my favorite Misfits song.

2. Bauhaus- Dark Entries. It's Bauhaus, one of the most important 80's goth bands. Peter Murphy is some sort of weird cross between David Bowie and the Count from Sesame Street. Perfect.

3. My Chemical Romance- The Ghost of You. Ghosts. Lost love. Yeah, this song belongs here.

4. Christian Death- Deathwish. More 80's goth/deathrock. This song always reminded me of the Smashing Pumpkins, which is also an activity that you can really only do on Halloween. ohohoho so funny.

5. Type O Negative- Wolf Moon. A song about menstrual blood turning the protagonist into a werewolf.

6. Cradle of Filth- Nymphetamine. A lot of people seem to have trouble admitting they like this band. A lot of people take themselves too seriously.

7. Emilie Autumn- Liar. "I want to mix our blood and put it in the ground, so you will never leave."

8. I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness- Last Ride Together. "All of your friends are now ghosts". Joy Division with a hint of The Cure and some Interpol thrown in for good measure.

9. Lady Gaga- Monster. This one seems self explanatory.

10. My Bloody Valentine- Loveless. So ethereal, yet so harsh. This song just feels like autumn to me.

11. Neutral Milk Hotel- Two-headed Boy. I can't think of a reason for this to be here, other than the title. But, I like it so it stays. MY LIST, MY RULES.

12. Nine Inch Nails- Reptile. She splits herself wide open to let the insects in. The version with Peter Murphy on vocals is even more "Halloween".

13. Oingo Boingo- Dead Man's Party. This one is obvious without even going into the whole Danny Elfman Tim Burton connection. The man sang as Jack Skellington, what more do you want?

14. Rasputina- Transylvanian Concubine. Looking forward to seeing this live on the 23rd.

15. Revolting Cocks- Hookerbot3000. I don't know if robotic hookers are Halloween material, but I think it would be an interesting costume. Plus, the song makes me laugh.

16. Sex Gang Childre- Sebastiane. Invader Zim decided he wanted to do vocals for an 80's goth band and I have no problem with that.

17. She Wants Revenge- Out of Control. This band seems like such a by the numbers approximation of a goth/indie/post-punk band, yet they still sound amazingly fresh to me. Can't get enough.

18. Siouxsie- Into a Swan. It's goddamn Siouxsie, no explanation will be given.

19. Skinny Puppy- Dig It. Watch just about any live clip of theirs, it's a horror show set to music.

20. The Birthday Massacre- Lovers End. "In the cellar buried six feet deep
The lover's shaken from a dreamless sleep
Nails clawing splinters from the ceiling and floor
Shrieking like the witches 'til his stitches are sore"

21. The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets- Power Up. A song about would-be superheroes. The lyrics remind me of Kick-Ass and Watchmen. Fun stuff.

22. The Sisters of Mercy- Lucretia My Reflection. I enjoy the name Lucretia. It helps that Andrew Eldritch has the perfect voice for this type of thing.

23. White Zombie- More Human Than Human. What Halloween would be complete without White Zombie?

24. Clutch- Day of the Jackalope. A jackalope is described in American folklore as a jackrabbit with the antlers of a deer.
"Well, my senses are sharpened
I'm half in the bag
I got a Cheshire smile and
A five cent rag." Neil Fallon has never written a lyric I didn't like.

25. Type O Negative- All Hallows Eve. This is THE Halloween song. Man loses love so he decides to learn an ancient spell and make a pact with the devil to try and bring her back. Mentions of pumpkins, howls, screams and other Halloweeny things. It also kind of reminds me of The Corpse Bride, but in reverse.

Be-spiderwebbed and glazed in frost
She wears death beautifully
More stunning now than in her life
On a bed of Autumn leaves

Into her eyes and quite surprised
I whispered "Don't you leave"
Sing macabre songs and we'll dance 'til dawn
On All Hallows Eve.


Enjoy.

Zdzisław Beksiński

Zdzisław Beksiński was described as a pleasant, shy man. His art certainly didn't convey this. His life wasn't pleasant either, his wife died a year before his son committed suicide, on Christmas Eve. Sadly Beksiński was murdered by his caretaker's son for refusing him a small loan equal to about 100 dollars.

I had stumbled upon a few of his paintings over the years and was always intrigued by them, but never knew the name of their creator. Surprisingly, I found

http://beksinski.dmochowskigallery.net/galeria_past.php

It's definitely worth checking out; especially for his paintings.

But She Was Born A Dragonfly.

Imagine Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and AC/DC getting together and jamming. Now throw in Walt Whitman on lyrics and you have a feel for what Clutch is all about. I credit this band with being one of the biggest influences on my musical taste. While I still listen to hardcore punk and thrash, I'm no longer all about FAST HEAVY FAST!, those high school days are behind me for better or worse. The other groups that I would say that have had just as great an impact on my listening habits are Type O Negative and Devo, but that's for another post.

Anyway, Clutch's style has been constantly evolving, what started as a hardcore band straight from the DC "scene" which covered Bad Brains songs and sounded like the bastard child of Helmet and Unsane, has since transformed into a bluesy rock band. While I do love all of their releases, Elephant Riders will always remain my favorite album. In fact, I'm quite comfortable saying it's my favorite album of all time.

So what is "The Elephant Riders"? It's an album loosely based around an alternate reality where Abraham Lincoln accepted the King of Siam's offer to provide the Union with a herd of War Elephants. I said it was loosely based on that because the song topics range from talking about a man who has been chased by a witch for as long as he can remember, to a song that describes spring through the eyes of a dragonfly. The whole album feels as if Black Sabbath decided they needed to be funkier. Plus the whole lyrics thing. Did I mention I love Neil Fallon's lyrics?

"Could've been a swan on a glassy lake.
Could've been a gull in a clipper's wake.
Could've been a ladybug on a windchime,
but she was born a dragonfly.

In the sun she warmed her wings
and listened to the cicadas sing.

"The trees are all bending
in one direction
because of something..."

Cross-pollination by the legs of bees in the spring
is a beautiful thing.
Oh when the sun goes down,
the fireflies come out.

In a pond crept a slimy thing
that hummed a theme from the Rites of Spring.

Pity the mate of Queen Mantis,
so content, but so headless.
Katydid nothing but shiver and cry,
as did the dragonfly.

In the shade the gypsies spin
Among the cloves, they drop their skin.

"...beyond the hedgegrove,
over by the willows,
deep in the shadows..."

Regeneration occurs at a furious speed
beneath the white oak tree.
Oh when the sun comes up
the moon buds fold up.

In the sun she warmed her wings
and listened to the Rites of Spring

Could've been a swan on a glassy lake.
Could've been a gull in a clipper's wake.
Could've been a ladybug on a windchime,
but she was born a dragonfly.

"...ain't ever seen it, but i have heard it.
Sounds like the millstones when they are turning,
but every moment getting louder and louder,
and then there is silence,
and the smell of flowers." "

"Great things happen when man and mountain meet" -William Blake

That day started as innocuously as any other. The damned rooster was screeching in revelry of the new sun and the man was too tired to shut it up. Begrudgingly he left his bed to prepare himself for the hours that lay ahead of him. The man was of a slight build, with a head as barren as the fields he tried in vain to cultivate. His face housed a multitude of wrinkles, which branched out from his weary eyes. With those eyes he scanned his meager hovel he called a home. For too long had he been eking out a life of discomfort in this place, a place too far away from others for the reprieve of human contact, but too close to be isolated from the outside world. This placement which caused him so much grief, also allowed him to learn of that which would give his life meaning. “Forget this place”, the man muttered. “I’ll leave now and if all goes well I’ll reach that plateau in no time” he explained to no one in particular. With that he donned his most comfortable pair of shoes and walked hastily out the door and into the desert’s warm embrace.

He had always wondered how far away the mountain could be, but he had always been too indecisive to find out. In fact, you could say that this man had always been decisively indecisive. Now that he had left the confines of his shack, he was not a man, but a traveler. This thought warmed his heart, because a traveler has a destination, and that destination is anywhere but Here. “Here”, he scoffed. “Here is waste. Here is pain.” he said with contempt. He had enough of Here and that is why he was walking through miles of dust and sand to get There. That far off summit housed something so beautiful that all who had seen it could scarcely describe it. The traveler gazed downward with only his doubts and the sound of his shuffling feet to keep him company. Turning back was out of the question, and so with the sun channeling all of its malice directly on his brow, he pressed on.

He walked for what seemed an eternity, through brush, and sand. “Just like home” the traveler muttered bitterly. But, that’s where he was wrong, it wasn’t home and that’s exactly why he was here. Slowly, as the traveler neared his destination, the mountain changed its form. What was once a small tower in the distance had become a monolith which thrust so high that it threatened to pierce the sky above. As he drank this impossible site in, the traveler was overcome; he had come this far only to be defeated. The defeated man, sat down and bowed his head, suddenly his thoughts shifted back to his home. His shack where a fine layer of dust blanketed all he owned, and the desert heat rolled in uninvited to keep him company. The idea of returning seemed so offensive that he decided to do something very uncharacteristic of himself; he decided to attempt something which his mind had declared impossible. With that, he picked himself up and righted his shirt, he was now inspired to continue.


The inspired man inspected the side of the mountain with the discerning eye of a man determined. He was possessed by a need to reach the summit, and revel in its whispered treasure. Even the inspired man could not know if his ascent was a result of fear of failure, or a true desire to accomplish his goal, but he ascended the mountain all the same. His progress was slow, irregular rock formations jutted out at improbable angles forcing him to plan out his movements well ahead of their time. After a short climb he reached a small landing. Branching off from the landing lay a narrow trail which snaked its way lazily up the mountain. As he walked ever upwards he was accompanied by his dear friend, the sun, glowing purple in all its rage. “Keep burning” the inspired man said, almost smiling, “the light keeps my path clear”. As he crept ever closer to the mountain’s peak, he realized something peculiar. While the desert was inhospitable, it still housed an assortment of creatures, poisonous and malicious, but living things nonetheless. In contrast, he had not heard a rustle of movement, the flapping of wings or the buzz of insects during his entire trek up the face of the mountain. At this point he almost missed the cacophonous exultations of his red-crowned neighbor, but not quite. “That damned rooster” he sighed, as he shook his head, “what good’s a rooster if I have no harvest to wake to?” he mused. At this point the inspired man sat down and contemplated just what it was he had left behind.


The contemplating man sat for a great time, so great in fact, that his legs began to protest. He begrudgingly obliged them and rose to his feet. As he rose, his mind followed. It raced between thoughts of his goal, and the possibility of failure. Unfortunately, the contemplating man couldn’t determine what failure would entail, as he didn’t even know what he sought. However, he was certain that turning back would do him no good. With this in mind he traveled upward towards the mountain’s peak.

A few more paces and the summit would be in reach. Each step sparked a new fire of joy which threatened to consume him. His hands trembled and his gait quickened as he neared the summit. Behind his eyelids fantastic scenes of victory played as he tried to guess what awaited him. Soon he would be sitting contentedly at the mountain’s ultimate height, awash in beauty men only dared to whisper about.

The mountaintop’s floor was a pale white which served to reflect and amplify the sun’s piercing rays. As his eyes adjusted to the overwhelming light, the hopeful man’s dreams seemed to crash down around him. Standing obstinate in the center of the mount’s summit was a rose. Atop the rose’s thorn laced stem, stood a lone flower, a brilliant red bloom. While its existence was remarkable, it did not inspire the broken man to fall to his knees in awe, nor did it inspire him to feel anything more than the sting of disappointment. Yet, he was still drawn to it. Slowly he reached out to gather its flower and draw it toward him so that he may inspect it. As his fingers gripped the bloom, he felt a sharp sting near his wrist.

The scorned man let out a sharp cry and released the rose’s crown. While nursing his injury and letting out a wave of invective, he noted a peculiar feature. The rose’s thorns were a dull green, laced with vibrant purples. Looking at his wrist he laughed as purple lines branched out from the site of offense and followed his veins, forming tendrils that seemed to envelop his entire body. Amazed, he sat down scarcely noting that night had begun to stake its claim over the desert valley. Slowly, the sated man laid his head to rest on the pallid summit floor as the dark of night embraced him. With eyes wide the content man stared, transfixed on the source of his pain and happiness, and grinned as his vision failed him.

Because Rambling is Fun.

First things first, I can't get enough of this song. The song feels so happy, yet the lyrics are so depressing. Too bad I'm working on the 21st; the day they're playing in Brooklyn. In more music related happenings, The xx are still dominating my last.fm charts this week. I can't wait to see them this Sunday.

I can't decide what I want to read next, The Grapes of Wrath or Don Quixote. I wish I knew enough Spanish to read it in its original form. Speaking of spanish, I'm hoping I can at least speak it conversationally by the time I graduate. I'd love to visit Spain, especially Valencia. http://www.spanish-living.com/palaces-museums-galleries-spain/city-arts-and-science-valencia

Lastly, I'm almost done with a short story. Unfortunately, I can't seem to write dialogue to save my life, and I think I'm glossing over too many specifics as I write it. Oh well.

Remarkably Unremarkable.

I must have a really generic looking face. Every time a stranger talks to me I know I'm going to get compared to someone. Today I got compared to a customer's doctor. As she was telling me that I looked just like her doctor I decided I would compile a list of every person I've been informed I resemble.

• Daniel Radcliffe
• Elijah Wood
• Joaquim Phoenix
• Salvador Dali
• Salma Hayek (idk lol)
• Bear Grylls
  
• Gary Sinise
• Michael Cera
• Mark Mothersbaugh (lead singer of Devo)
• Seth from the OC (I had to look that one up. I don't see it at all)
  
• Tobey Maguire
• Napoleon Dynamite
• Some random Russian pop star I never got the name of.
• And lastly, random customer's doctor.
  

Basically, I look like any nerdy looking dude with glasses. Which doesn't surprise me, because that sounds like me.

In unrelated news, I finished reading The Strain. It started off slow, but eventually picked up. It was a fast read and the writing was solid. One thing that bothered me involved a CDC researcher dumping potentially dangerous chemicals of unknown identity down a sink. There were some very memorable scenes and the vampires were feral, bloodthirsty, pale monstrosities. Just the way I like 'em. Overall, it's a decent read that isn't without its faults.

I've already started reading Catcher In the Rye. I'm not really enjoying the writing style. I understand he's writing as if it's Holden Caulfield's diary, but I just wish he could come up with a few more adjectives other than "goddam". It doesn't help that all of the characters are douchebags. All that said, the book has introduced me to a new phrase that has become a welcome part of my vernacular. That phrase would be "give her the time". Thanks, Salinger!

"Well, the first thing is that I love monsters, I identify with monsters." - Guillermo del Toro

Guillermo del Toro is easily one of my favorite directors. He always manages to take dark material and infuse it with a certain fantastical charm that never fails to entertain. Pan's Labyrinth was a terrific dark fairy tale, where the struggle of the Spanish Civil War was mirrored by a world of fauns and fairies. Hellboy remains one of my favorite comic book movies because it succeeds in combining comedy and action while retaining a very dark, almost Lovecraftian feel. Blade II was fun, loud, and fast paced; all the qualities I look for in an action movie.

Apparently I'm a little late on this, but del Toro co-wrote and released the first of a trilogy of books in 2009 entitled "The Strain", which promises to tackle the weighty issue of vampires in NYC. I'm a little sick of hearing about vampires, but I have to admit my interest is piqued after listening to del Toro talk(see link below). It should be a fun read at the very least. Just take a look at that charming fellow up there, if GDT could come up with that, I have no problem believing he can take vampires and make them interesting again.

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The Scared Crow

There stood a scarecrow on a farm

His wicked grin, it promised harm.

As he rested, his mind did wander,

through endless verdant fields of yonder

But to his perch it did return

And once again he stood alone.

How he wished a crow would come

To break this monotony.

If he could he’d fall to a knee

To implore for wanted company

But all he could was stand and sway

So stay and sway he did.

Against all odds a shadow came

The beat of its wings so majestic.

Its exultant cries untamed and so very unexpected.

The rhythm of wings beating, its herald

The scarecrow could scarcely believe it

A visitor! In his field of emerald.

His hope for naught

The scarecrow’s dreams are dashed

His visitor had felt unwelcome.

The scarecrow's stare, his straw hair, his tattered clothes that bound him

Their job was done, his guest refused, it left him.

The scarecrow stood on his pole feeling quite dismayed

His head hung low, his sadness he betrayed

His arms unmoving, his eyes downcast

As he stayed and swayed his pain eventually passed.

Driving Force

im·pe·tus: An impelling force; an impulse.

Plenty of things motivate me, this impetus most often comes from the desire to improve upon perceived weaknesses. However, it also seems to be a result of an ever present fear of stagnation. I may not know where I want this blog to go, but as of now I'll use it for general musings, music/literature reviews, as well as the posting of my awful attempts at short stories (if I feel so inclined). I tend to be my own greatest critic so don't be surprised if that last bit never comes to fruition.

Until then, enjoy this video of Clutch playing the song entitled "Impetus".

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