Even mushroom clouds have a silver lining

MOVED!

2006-03-28T09:57:00.000-08:00

If anyone even reads this anymore, EMC has moved to snook11.com! That's a good thing. More bandwidth. More space. More music. Even Mushroom Clouds version 2.0

WIP

2006-01-20T15:02:00.000-08:00

Okay. Work in progress. Emphasis on "work."

I'm Seeing Stars

2005-11-07T21:26:00.000-08:00

"Your Ex-Lover Is Dead" I don't have much to say about Stars or their show at the Proletariet. I didn't realize I paid 12 bucks for it until I counted my change hours later, but it was a fairly good showing. They played my favorite of theirs, "Ageless Beauty," and the Montreal-natives were very enthusiastic about it. Amy Millan has a very nice voice that she, I think, should use more instead of her guitar skills, even though she is quite skilled at it. Torquil Campbell, the lead singer and trumpet player, was very charismatic, but seemed to suddenly develop an accent when singing, which I find interesting when I think about all the Scandinavian singers who suddenly sing perfect English. Anyway. Enjoy.

LCD is A-OK

2005-11-07T21:16:00.000-08:00

LCD Soundsystem - "Disco Infiltrator" LCD Soundsystem can really fucking rock out. Seriously. I expected LCD to be James Murphy and a few lackeys with keyboards and Casio sets or some shit like that. But no. They really rock out whist you can dance. I mean, everyone else did. It was a blast, even though I left early. "Losing My Edge" and "On Repeat" were all good showings, but I was forced to miss my favorite song, "Disco Infiltrator." In honor of that missed opportunity, I offer it to you.

Jens Is The Man

2005-10-24T23:14:00.000-07:00

Jens Lenkman - "Do You Remember the Riots?" Jens Lenkman is an incredible performer. No, really. I expected very little from him considering I only had two of his songs previous to my going to the show. But no longer. Jens is one of those rare people who can actually sound better live than in recordings. On stage, he has a flawless voice; rarely off-key, never shaky or quivering. Truly perfect. Caitlin: you have inducted a convert into the fold. Also, I have a small crush on Nedelle, who opened for Mr. Lenkman. She's just too cute.

iPod Update

2005-10-22T13:42:00.000-07:00

My iPod has seen more of the world than me. And it can't even appreciate it. Should be in Tuesday. Also: free barbecue and FFG show at 6 p.m. at the Sound Exchange. You should. No, you really should.

M.I.A. meets Robert Smith

2005-10-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

M.I.A. & The Cure - "Cure The Poor (Helium Baboon edit)" My favorite Cure song. Even in a mash up, it works. Makes you actually long for a Robert Smith/Maya Arulpragasam project. I can't really recall how I stumbled on to this. But more than likely, it has something to do with the DJ being from Houston. Where the connection goes from there is unknown (by the name of Wes Allison? Never met the guy). If you're in the mood for another mash by a Houston DJ, check out DJ Wes Wallace's Bravery/New Order mash for "An Honest Mistake". You can download it too. I just don't have the bandwidth right now. Good stuff all around.

FFG & EX

2005-10-22T11:00:00.000-07:00

Fatal Flying Guilloteens - "To The Victor Goes The Lambs" Randomly stopped by Fat Cat last night at the request of some friends, and it turned out that the Fatal Flying Guilloteens were playing a show. Now, I've been wanting to see them play for about a year now, so it was pure serendipity. Well, as close to serendipity that you can get for a band whose lead who grabs unsuspecting audience members' drinks, pours it over himself, spits out whats left, and repeats the process by climing onto the bar and strutting down and harrassing the poor, lonley drinkers like an epilleptic-cocaine-snuffing Kate Moss. Does it really matter what they sounded like live? Because I think they realized it themselves that the show was pretty much a sinking ship when all the instruments were falling apart. As a result, they do what any reasonably frustrated person does: dismantle the entire stage and pile all the drum kit on the edge of the stage area, with flying guitars and amps to seal the deal. But, Christ, I can't say I wasn't thrilled to finally meet Brian McManus. He was the only reason I picked up the Houston Press, and now he's in Philly. Seriously. You have to read this. I CRIED when I first did. On an INCREDIBLE note that I just realized: that story was published exactly ONE YEAR before I met him. Synergy, I tell you. Check them out at their website. Also... Emperor X - Sfearion. Little to my knowledge, I missed the Emperor X show right ACROSS the street. I've been desperate to find out more about this guy, but I've loved the one song I've had of his for a year now. Turns out he has a few other songs on his website.

This Is For All My Dancing Buddies

2005-10-21T16:39:00.000-07:00

Tiga - "You Gonna Want Me" Scissor Sisters hasn't come out with anything in a while, but that doesn't stop lead singer Sister Jake Shears from working on stuff. That's him in the new Tiga track. It's typical Tiga: hard bass line, sparse vocals and enough bleeps and bloops to numb the pains of daily fatigue. Co-produced with Soulwax, with a music video directed by Michel Gondry's brother, Oliver, it seems that Tiga is getting ready to finally release his LP, "Sexor." For semi-mindless electronic stuff (and I love me my semi-mindless electronic stuff), it's pretty good. Also, if you're bored and if you have a dollar, go to Danseparc tomorrow. Go, if not for the kick-ass musical selection that has been preapproved (though not amendable, I imagine) by three masterful...masters: Allison, Shoe and Michael. "How masterful are these masters?" you ask me puzzingly. Check out their old playlists. Seriously folks. It's a whole $1 cover until 10:30 p.m. The dollar beers are no more, but wells are $1.50 till 11 p.m, and draft is $2 11 p.m. I'm told that there may even be shot specials. Too bad I don't really drink. That much.

Strokes: Leakier Than The Exxon-Valdez

2005-10-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

First, I'd post up fourth leaked Strokes song "The Other Side," but I know the RIAA has actually shut down a lot of the links to it. So instead, I offer Technorati. I'm sure at least one link should still work... Keep a look out for "15 Minutes of Pain" (** out of 5; you're killing me, Julian) and "You Only Live Once" (**** out of 5). And just because I short-changed you and because I'm on a Morningwood binge: ~~"NY Girls"~~

Get On It, Mr. Steve Jobs...

2005-10-19T19:40:00.000-07:00

A PEZ mp3 player? I almost regret having bought the new iPod now. Well. Not really. But I'd buy another mp3 if I had no integrity. Especially if it was in PEZ shape. But it even comes WITH some indie music on it... But candy is not included. Either way, support this guy. Creative stay-at-home dads need help paying off loans.

The Return of Junior Senior

2005-10-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

~~"I Like Music (W.O.S.B.)"~~
~~"UR A Girl"~~ Oh, Junior Senior. How I've missed thee. Seriously. This is pretty straight foward. Dancey pop songs by a gay man and his straight sidekick. Or is it a straight man and his gay sidekick? See, it doesn't even matter anymore. The little schtick has officially been dropped, and rightfully so. Yes, you'll get your share of the "I like girls, but he likes boys" routine, but its probably 10 percent out of the 90 percent of dancefloor goodness you'll get from "Hey Hey My My Yo Yo." By the way, the album isn't officially out in the US, but is available for your purchasing pleasure as an import on Amazon, but if you want to wait for a cheaper alternative (and by cheaper I mean $21 in Denmark Kroners + shipping, I'd imagine) , check out their label, Crunchy Frog. As for wide American release, don't hold your breath. They can't find a record label to distribute them yet, it seems. [Edit: there's an unamed label intersted in it, but earliest release is late 05, early 06.] Quick note: "I Like Music (W.O.S.B.)" features vocals by both Jesper and The Velvelettes. Quicker note: The album has appearances by Le Tigre as well as Kate Pierson and Lindy Wilson (the ladies of the B-52s). And it CAN'T get picked up?

Full of B&S

2005-10-19T13:38:00.000-07:00

Belle & Sebastian - ~~"Legal Man"~~ I'll be the first to admit that I don't really follow Belle & Sebastian very much. Now that doesn't mean they're no good. Rather, it just means that I'm not as musically cultured as I would like. I do own "Dear Catastrophe Waitress," but it seems to be one of those albums that you have to be in a particular mood in order to truly enjoy. "Legal Man" is actually one of the few songs of B&S that I can get into rather quickly and shamelessly. Everybody batusi!

Morningwood: Natural Part Of Life

2005-10-18T17:45:00.000-07:00

Morningwood - ~~"Nth Degree"~~. Now, I liked the one Morningwood song that I had. But I was kind of taken aback by how solid they sound live. Best target audience for the band: for those who think the Donnas are too pop, but are afraid of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs after realizing that all of "Fever To Tell" doesn't sound like "Maps." Obviously, lead singer Chantal Claret (a lady, though only as defined by genitalia, because docile she was not) had that balls-out attitude, that was reminiscent of a lite-Karen O, but did gyrations and body-shaking like a white girl Shakira on crack. Put it this way: I would definitely not be adverse to seeing them live again.

Am I Cool Yet?

2005-10-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah. I bought the new iPod. I tried to convince myself to buy it on Tuesday night, but I decided not to. I was going to the Gang of Four show that same night, so I cut the personal debate short and dropped it. I mean, really, who's going to spend $300 on 20 GB of mp3 goodness? Well, it just so happened that Apple debuted the video iPod the next day. This time, instead of the basic 20 GB, they started offering a 30 GB for the same price. That makes more sense, right? Three hundered dollars on 30 GBs instead of 20 GBs? Well, regardless of the flawed logic, I did it. I bought it I take it as a sign that a new one came out the day after I decided no to buy the 20 GB one. So yeah; I'm part of the herd now. Moo. I'll update when I actually get it, which should be tomorrow or Wednesday. Maybe. [Edit: So apparently it won't even ship probably until 10/21, which in this case is on Friday. Five to 7 business days my arse.]

The Strokes Version 3.0

2005-10-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Strokes - ~~"Juicebox"~~ Anyone who knows me or thinks they know me understands the relevance of the Strokes in my musical fiendishness. So...the third album. They're calling it "First Impressions," and they've released "Juicebox" on iTunes as a single for the album. Honestly, I don't know what to think. Generally, it's good. It's doesn't really sound like the gang of five that won over the critics and indie kids four years ago. The Strokes, like it or not, are a big part of the current musical zeitgeist. If their new album is as big as departure as they say it is (and I suppose "Juicebox" is a drastic departure) then I might be in for a surprise.

Allo...

2005-10-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

So. I already have LiveJournal and MySpace accounts, both obviously utilizing blogs. But hell. What's another one added to that list, right?

I'm hoping that there will be a much more utilitarian purpose to this specific blog, though. This will not, I repeat, will not become an emo-drenched cry for help based on my dramatic interpertations of this reality that we call life.

No. This is inteneded to actually be useful and productive in its what I hope to be equally witty and insightful commentary and writing in general. At the very least, I hope that it is legible more than anything...

But yes. That's the blog. The selfsame blog you're reading right now.

I can't think of anything witty or insightful right now. Damn it.