happy early thanksgiving folks!!! yeah, i'm saying it a day early because tomorrow i don't think i'll be around to post, so yeah, a day early won't hurt. i'm excited as well as very HUNGRY!!! i can't wait to bust face on some sweet potatoes and turkey. my family makes the best food ever, so i know i'll be in good hands.
oh, and i guess i should say a few things i'm thankful for. well, for starters i'm still alive. next, i guess i should mention my job. yeah, i'm thankful for that. i'm also thankful for my family and friends who have stood by be post-graduation. it's been a very difficult time for me and i don't think it will get any easier, but at least they are all here with me. and lastly, i'm thankful for my desire to keep seeking my goals, no matter how hard and sometimes trivial they seem to be. without goals, my life would be nothing...
so, here's to you and yours. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!
oh, and for the music here's the avant garde punkiness of Pere Ubu.
these kool katz started this band back in 1975 and are still going strong. they hail from cleveland, ohio, so there's something better there than just drew carey. they play post-punk, but mix it up so much that it's simply easier to just say, experimental rock. they are one of the most influential american bands to emerge during the late 70's proto-punk and new wave period. to this day, they still don't get enough credit for how amazing they were. their weird sense of style has inspired countless bands and without these dudes, we wouldn't have half the cool music that we do now and so on and blah blah blah...
so, for the tunes you have the chance here to check out their first two albums. we start with their amazing debut, The Modern Dance, then follow that with the equally amazing album, Dub Housing. check it and get down with it yo!!!
currently searching for mcrib locations in oklahoma has proved to be useless since they are nowhere close to me. i could drive all the way to el reno, but eh... today is saturday and i'm feelin' pretty good. i think i'll go down to norman and spend some time at the outlet mall. maybe i could find a new sweater or something. oh, and our beloved oklhoma sooners play today at 6pm, so that's going to be awesome. aw, just a relaxing day. next week will be a bit crazy though, because the new Call of Duty goes on sale tuesday, so i'm going to have to bunker down and sit through yet another midnight release. oh well, it's just the life of a gamer/total NERD.
and one more thing, i'm currently in the process of looking for a place to live. well, i still have my dad's, but what i meant to say was, "i'm looking for my own home." i'd actually like to have a loft, and that's not because i attended art school and look all moody and such. naw, it's just that i totally dig that industrial look and the open space would be awesome. i would probably have enough room to practice my powwow dancing and to have underground boxing matches!!! uh, yeah...
okay, so i want to get this over with quickly because i'm burning daylight. today's music post comes courtesy of HYPE. you know what hype is don't ya??? well, this is something most music buffs consider hype, but whatever. it's pretty cool stuff and it comes from a three piece known as, Salem.
alright, now bare with me because this might blow your mind. or maybe not... so, salem is a band from traverse city, michigan that formed in 2006. they pretty much started an entire genre with their debut ep. this genre is floating around the internets at a rapid pace. it's known as witchhouse, or drag. heck, i've even heard it called, crunk shoegaze, darkwave, industrial and what have you. as you can probably see, i've posted a tone of labels for this band and rightfully so. the thing is, i hate labeling music and arranging it into all these genre's from nowadays. still, this group kinda sorta needs this in order for people to get the point. OK, to make this more simple, i'm going to say it's chopped and screwed post-punk. yes, that's basically what it is. it's gothic and punk, rock and pop. this melting pot of styles makes for an interesting, yet subdued quality that i honestly find addicting. of course, i'm a music geek who loves almost everything, so this is right up my alley. here, listen to the song "dirt" below for a quick taste...
this music had the right amount of drugged out bliss that makes me sleepy, yet intrigued. it's a matter of finding something you like in certain things that let's you explore a bit further. now this type of mentality can make things hard for you, like drugs for instance, so don't use this idea for everything under the sun. i'm mostly referring to the music yo!!!
so, it's time to wrap this up. i think i have their entire disco up to this point so let's get started shall we??? in first place is their debut ep, Yes, I Smoke Crack. this was originally released back in 2008 and quickly gained an underground following. suddenly, tons and tons of independent artists have sprung up doing the same sort of thing. seriously!!! if you don't believe me, type witchhouse on google and see for yourself!!! anyway, after that is the Water ep, followed by their first seven inch single Ohk/Sweat (I). after that is their next seven inch Frost/Legend and then their full length debut, King Night. the debut is awesome stuff and need's to be played loudly and with good bass. so there you go, try this and dig something entirely different.
the state fair has been happening these past two weeks and it’s coming to the end of it’s run. i got to enjoy it last thursday, so it’s not like i missed it or something. still, i would like to go again. i really had a good time and the moments with my family were memorable. the food was awesome as well, which it usually always is. (i left that night with a large cinnamon roll!!!) we played some games, rode some rides and exhausted ourselves silly. i believe i slept good that night too. i was even able to make it to work the next day, rather reluctantly. will i go again??? that’s a good question. i have no idea as of right now…
oh, and to add to the mix, i’ve been sick as well. my sinuses are making this difficult and the end results are grotesque. my nose is dripping with snot and it’s moving faster than the river of slime from Ghostbusters 2. i describe my head as being caught in a fish bowl, sloshing around and hitting the sides. my eyes are burning and my nose is raw from using paper towels instead of tissue. all in all, not one of my better weeks, but much much more better than having an extreme cold or flu. and oh yeah, lastly, my voice sounds like Tom Waits.
tom waits is the man!!! he’s one of music’s most beloved icon’s and has garnered himself a very large fan base. waits started in the music biz around 1972 and has been going strong ever since. he rarely tours, and if and when he does, it’s magical and also funny. his music, best described by me, is folk punk, mixed with some jazzy persuasion and industrial harshness. yeah, really, that’s about right. heck, the guy’s been around for so long, he’s bound to experiment with something other than just rock right??? anyway, he’s an artist as well as an actor, having appeared in such movies as, Wristcutters: A Love Story, Mystery Men, Coffee and Cigarettes, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Domino. he is also the victor in many lawsuits for copyright infringement. these are a funny addition to his already strong history. but ugh, i just wish i went to see him on his last tour. he came to tulsa and i totally skipped out…
now i know i’m not the best when it comes to tom waits knowledge, but i do believe i’ve got some skillz here. i, myself, own several of his most beloved albums and it’s my wish to continue the collection starting with today’s massive post. you see, not only am i going to post my personal faves, i’m also going to post all the rest!!! oh, and just so you know, a few of these albums are in the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Albums Ever Made list.
okay, so to speed through this huge discography, i'm just going to list the albums and make minor notes on my favorites. also, just to be clear, i'm leaving out most of the compilation albums since they are mostly attempts at greatest "hits" collections, and tom isn't really a "hit" maker per se. right, so we first start off with the debut album, Closing Time, then follow that with my favorite of his called, The Heart of Saturday Night. if you happen to like that old dirty, smokey feeling of loneliness and desire, then you will probably dig that album. next in line are the following: Nighthawks at the Diner, Small Change, Foreign Affairs, Blue Valentine and Heartattack and Vine. this album features the song, "jersey girl" which was made popular by Bruce Springsteen. this was also his last album on the asylum label. after that we have the soundtrack for the film, One From the Heart, which got him an academy award nomination, and then two very awesome albums back-to-back called, Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs. the latter album has the song, "downtown train" which became a #2 hit for Rod Stewart. bleh... and so, we move along and come to the album, Franks Wild Years, Big Time (a live album), The Early Years: Volume 1, the soundtrack to the film, Night on Earth, and then the amazing, Bone Machine, for which he won the grammy that year for best alternative music album. following in pursuit are the albums, The Early Years: Volume 2, The Black Rider, and my second favorite tom waits album, Mule Variations. this album is ranked at number 416 in the rolling stone top 500 and it also won the grammy for best contemporary folk album. and then, finally, we come to the last albums which are, Blood Money, Alice, Real Gone, the three disc compilation of b-sides and rarities, Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards and then his latest release, Glitter and Doom Live, which is a live album of his most recent and possibly last tour from 2008. PHEW!!! i'm out of breathe almost, and i bet you all are too. this was a huge post, so thanks for all your patience on getting here. (sorry for the weird spacing below...) i hope you all enjoy this wonderful talent at hand and with that, it's time for me to blow my nose and rub my eyes once again...
i just woke up. i blame the rock star energy drinks. also, it's probably not good to eat tacos real late at night with a large pop as well. anyway, just like my cat joshua, i slept all day and didn't wake up till after my dad came in and smelled of gasoline and rubber tires. the cat is still sleeping, but that's a cat for ya. i wanted to blog, so here's to that i guess...
you know, whenever you do heavy sleep you usually have the opportunity to dream. i'd say nine out of ten times my dreams aren't too good. heck, they're sometimes downright horrible. today's was no exception. anyway, to go alongside the dreaming i thought of some music that really makes the ambiance unsettling. the band who can do just that are called, Swans.
i chose the 1984 era photo above just because it was the year i was born. i do believe that the band had several different lineups, so i'm not sure if this was the initial group, but eh. so yeah, the swans were/are a no-wave/post-punk band from new york city that originally formed in 1982. they were led by lead singer michael gira who is the sole constant member. the band was noted for their intense live shows that often were held with excruciating loud volumes, and because of that, audience members would often vomit or transcend into madness. (probably not the latter...)
now, going back to my dream description, the band can most definitely become the background to your nightmares and fantasy's. this isn't the same post-punk of my faves like Joy Division or The Cure. no, this is brutal, punishing, grinding, metal on metal sounding music. it's the soundtrack to an industrial combustion engine of personal doom. this is a solid definition of what industrial music is and was. swans projected their own personal madness into the faces and ears of every soul who watched them and it was art transcending into substance. you just have to listen to it to understand...
which is why i have music here for ya!!! there is only one album i'm posting from this band and that album is their debut titled, Filth. there is no better word to describe this collection of songs crafted by the underdogs of the early new york music scene. this is where everyone should start and it might be where everyone will end. swans aren't for the faint of heart...
http://www.mediafire.com/?zj3g0gwzrma
buildings falling down, bolts rattle, glass is shattered...
today was tough at work. not that my job is really difficult, but instead it's my own personal self that was causing the damage. i'm really disappointed for reasons i'll leave off of here. hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. i don't want to screw up something that's good, including my personal and professional life...
i want to let out some steam, so here's some dangerous electronica from The Prodigy.
the prodigy is an electronic/breakbeat group that started in 1990 and continue to be a large presence in the dance world today. they hail from braintree, essex and are known for their intense live shows and memorable songs. their style of techno dabbles in many sub-genre's of electronica and it's hard to pin point an exact definition of their tastes. this is some serious 90's nostalgia right here, but gosh, it's still amazing to hear. the music of the prodigy can be heard almost anywhere. it's become the sort of "go to" for moments of excitement and sometimes brutality. (Blade movies, Matrix movies, sports movies...) despite that, the music can stand alone as some of the best to come out of the 90's rave culture and i'm all glad for it.
today i'm posting their most well known album called, The Fat of the Land. this was EPIC when it first dropped back in 1997. hit songs like, "firestarter" "breathe" "smack my bitch up" "mindfields" and "serial thrilla" have stood the test of yadda yadda yadda and continue to be set list mega hits when played live. the controversial music video for "smack my bitch up" is in my top ten favorite music videos of all time and is down below in all its uncut glory. it's just gnarly, brutal and unique which is something music video's need to do more often. so capping off this downer of a day, you have the opportunity to jam an almost perfect album and one of my favorites from the 90's. dig it once more...
Well, just to let you all know, i had a good weekend. i actually danced last night and it was good fun. standing around waiting all night was a bit tough, but i need to get used to the weight of my outfit, so i gave in and stood my ground, sweating like rain and hitting mosquitoes. the women had their contests all night, so we men didn't get to bust out that much until the end, which was close to midnight. (typical here in oklahoma...) the song was northern style and only lasted two times through. at the end i felt like i was carrying 500 pounds!!! heh heh so i guess that means i need to get in shape...
for some reason i feel like posting some more old school proto-punk from the 70's again. don't let the name bother you, or make you think i'm hurting in some way. it's just their turn to be mentioned on this blog. so anyway, here's Suicide.
a very influential band from late 70's new york punk, suicide were one of, if not, the very first synth pop/punk bands to hit the scene. you could probably say they almost invented the style. the band consists of just two members who are, alan vega and martin rev. alan does vocals with a soft, yet serious demeanor and martin plugs along with his hypnotizing riffs and manic beats. the music they create is deep in punk rawness, but also in other genre's like indie/pop/nu-wave and even some more obscure areas like no-wave and industrial. the duo have been playing live since 1971 and don't seem to ever stop. their music is covered by many bands today and you can hear their influence in artists like The Horrors, Soft Cell, The Sisters of Mercy, Big Black, Loop, Liars, Ex Models, and even the mighty Joy Division.
for today you will find their 1977 self titled debut. this little album is ranked at number 446 in The Rolling Stone Top 500 Greatest Albums Ever Made issue and stands as one of the best to come from that early era of punk music. dig it...
time is passing by and i need to grab more of it. i still need a job... if only this blogging thing was a job. well, if this blogging thing was a job i probably wouldn't like it anymore. i guess that's what a lot of artists have to deal with when creating. "when did this become a job???" yeah, the rock and or roll lifestyle has it's perks, but also it's slumps...
getting into overdrive for the melting summer months here in oklahoma, i'm always ready to rock out if need be. this next artist is one of the greats of the 90's and i'm lucky to have gotten the chance to see them live. here is Nine Inch Nails.
nine inch nails is the project of master mind trent reznor. it's a good mix of industrial music and post-punk ala, Joy Division and Bauhaus. the band started in 1988 and rose to fame during the 90's and then to even more fame in the 2000's. drugs and depression were often the source material for the songs trent created, but that became a thing of the past once the guy sobered up and started getting more focused. as of right now, nine inch nails is on permanent hiatus while trent and his wife work on their new project called, How to Destroy Angels, which actually sounds a lot like nine inch nails...
the video for the song "closer" happens to be one of my most favorite video's of all time. this goes back to the days of music videos on MxTxVx and the creative talent behind them. but oh well, things change and blah blah blah. anyway, here's the music!!! i think i got pretty much the bands entire discography (or halos) minus some singles and such. starting off in first place is the amazing debut album, Pretty Hate Machine. this album launched the band into the faces of the mainstream and got people addicted to their industrial metal. the band went on the first ever lollapalooza and blew away the crowds who weren't ready for this type of music yet. good times were had. we follow that with the two ep's titled, Broken and Fixed. next we have my personal favorite NIN album, and that is The Downward Spiral. (fact: the album was recorded in the mansion of actress sharon tate who was brutally murdered by the manson family in the 60's...) after that we have the remix album, Further Down the Spiral, followed by the double album, The Fragile. another remix album called, Things Falling Apart would be released and then the live album, And All That Could Have Been. time would pass until trent gave us some new tunes which would become the stellar comeback album, With Teeth. this is the highest point nine inch nails would get and the material released after this showcases that. following with teeth is the equally amazing album, Year Zero followed by it's remix album, Year Zero Remixed and then the experimental ambient four disc set, Ghosts I-IV. and then in last place is the album titled, The Slip. nine inch nails would do one last tour called, the "Wave Goodbye" tour and that was it. so here you go with some awesome tunes to get you thinking and possibly sleeping. or maybe not...
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