Tag Archives: rant

Album of the Week: “A Beautiful Lie” by Thirty Seconds To Mars

18 May

Been in a whole ’30 Secs…’ mode since hearing ‘LLF+D’.  Had a similar moment yesterday night that I did when I first ran through ‘Battle Born’.  Environment does effect music.  You shouldn’t convince yourself otherwise.  When I’m in the car, rolling down the freeway, window open, cool breeze brushing thru my…now super short…hair half past midnight– the music couldn’t be feel any better.  Like a super drug.  Corrupting each cell in my body.  Rewriting the genetic code track by track.  Leaving me craving more…so much more.

A little off point, but we’ll get there.  For ‘A Beautiful Lie‘ had a similar effect  on me during those overly brought up college days I speak so fondly of.  Being a MCR fan without new music to thrive on made me thirst for similar artists in the vein of emo-screamo heard on the Black Parade.  Kept running into Jared Leto & his massacred group that combined hard rock, screamo, and electronics to put together very catchy fantastical songs.

Bought this record at Best Buy on a whim after hearing a variety of singles.  It was like living in a alternated future with bright lights like a make believe neo-tokyo.  Glimmers of steampunk.  Bioshock before Bioshock.  And I absolutely loved it.  Wrote similar worldly scripts to this record.  Choirs & powerful anthems still transport me to a post-apocalyptic conflict.  Having mad flashbacks as ‘The Fantasy” builds.  Battles of Good & eVil duking out in my head like a bad DBZ episode.

Sure ‘A Beautiful Lie’ is not a new record, but certainly one that made an impact on my musical history.  One that you should listen to.  For a bit of nostalgia is all one really needs really.

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1st Song of the Day: “Loving You Sunday Morning” by Scorpions

17 May

Do  as the Scorpions command!  YEAAAAHHHHH.  Because every bad boy has a soft side.  lol, loved that late night infomercial.

Bought this record, per whim, at my local Best Buy the same day this Classic iPod jukebox came into my life.  The CD was only $5.  Still too much, but the iPod’s blank slate was initially intended to be the best music library ever assembled.  During my ‘Aqua Teen…’ phase.  Mooninites. Blame them.  Not many Monster Ballads have made our sessions, this is probably the first?  You’d know better than I.  The 500+ series have showcases so many different artists & tracks that have impacted my life for better, worst, or indifferent.

Found a stream of 30 Secs. 2 Mars’ ‘LLF+D’ yesterday afternoon before I headed to wing night.  Got about halfway thru.  Have to say it’s really well produced. 30 Secs make such futuristic sophisticated albums.  Keep coming back because of it.  There’s a unknown genre feel to them.  Doesn’t fit just Hard Rock or Pop Rock.  Picking up one of their records is like grabbing a Bradbury or Martin epic with it’s own fantastical story within lyrics & beats.  Arcs & imaginary that just connects to me.  Am I the only one who feels that way?  Hope not.

Had great fears about ‘LLF+D’.  Really did.  Those have subsided with each passing track.  Grandiose & ambitious this record is.  Not much of the choir.  This 30 Secs grew up with me.  Matured.  My younger self probably would’ve hated this record.  Seeking a unsophisticated beat or hook.  The near 30 year old author behind these keystrokes has the found the beauty in each passing track.  Layers of electronic beats & hums hitting at my nerves.  Can’t wait to cop the record on Tuesday.Gonna bump it all weekend long.

Finished Wing Night & spent the rest of the evening watching the Office’s Finale.  If I was a girl, probably would’ve cried like a baby at it’s various nostalgic hallmarks.  Erin’s scene especially.  Pam’s Monologue at the very end was my favorite part.  Testament & calling out to live.

As a long time fan, couldn’t have hoped for anything more…best prank ever.

Have a great weekend everyone!  Be sure to go out & live.  Because there is a time to live & a time to love.  Both moments should happen now…

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1st Song of the Day: “If You Only Knew” by Jurassic 5

15 May

My first taste of underground, non-mainstream, rap came from those Jurassic MCs.  Love this record.  Appreciate it more now than I did back then.  Wanna hear something kind of cool.  Actually went to their ‘Power in Numbers’ record release party at Hollywood’s dead & gone Tower Records.  My sister, who is reading this, is probably shocked that I still remember…yup.  They performed in the parking lot.  The line to sign their Vinyls wrapped around the street corner.  One of my first concerts.  Was totally not into them [concerts] back then.  Not sure why.  Loved the energy, but didn’t feel like it was my thing.  Was more into Video Games & Action Figures.  Pokemon?  Probably Pokemon.  Lame youth.  Eventually grew into my musical skin.  Now, can’t go a month without a show.

Is it only Wednesday?  ugh.  Ratz.  Comic Book Wednesday.  Silver lining.  Praying I make it that far.  Another long one for we are pretaping more shows.  Our AD is really angry at me for causing so much conflict…wouldn’t happen if she did more preps…and didn’t tell me about the looming morning taping.  Realized it before I left and made the necessary arrangements.     Yesterday, was rough.  The sour look remains on my face.  Disappointed by both my bosses.  Neither are making a effort to understand why I’m so quiet.  Nor do they care.  Understand that perfectly.  Phuck it.  Back to being a robo

It’s gonna be interesting.  If You Only Knew…wish you were in my shoes. The song is helping.

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1st Song of the Day: “Paper Planes (DFA Remix)” by M.I.A. + RAM Thoughts

14 May

I’m showcasing this average remix, but really my mind is with Daft Punk’s ‘RAM’.  Like a Don Draper.  About halfway through the mind blowing iTunes album stream and my smile gets bigger with each track.  Right now the standouts are 3, 5, & 6.  Yes, made it to Pharrell’s first appearance — Lose Yourself to Dance.  It’s so damn catchy.  The first half of the record is very light jazzy & romantic..if Robots wrote a ’808 & Heartbreaks’.  ”Giorgio by Moroder” is the most crazy out of this world cut I’ve heard so far as it includes classic Punk, new jazzy Punk, and dialogue from long time producer Giorgio Moroder.  He tells the listener about his classic music making process that revolutionized the industry before I was born.  The classic-tron soundtrack high speed Daft Punk sound hit me like a gust of wind.  Almost made me believe I was riding in a light cycle.

I’m surprised by RAM.  Very Jazzy.  Light Jazz.  Like riding to the airport shuttle at 6am in the morning while it’s raining kind of jazz.  Quite outstanding.  More thoughts later.

Today is gonna suck.  Already succumb to it.  If you need me, you can find me behind the dumpster.  Trigger pulled.  or how MIA puts it…High like papers, high like planes…*BANG BANG BANG BANG*

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1st Song of the Day: “Autumn Leaves” by Eric Clapton

13 May

Look a IPod Typo.  Someone should tell apple that their import options are fucked.  I’m not going to.  Nor am I going to go home and change it.  Plan to keep swaying to this beautiful rendition.  Despite the fact it’s almost summer & hot as balls outside these never changing brown walls…can’t help but love this classic.  Clapton’s is more uptempo than what I remember from my youth.   Diana Krall’s version was my first and still my favorite.  Less about the guitar and more about the ambiance.  Like with much of Krall’s jazzy catalog, needs to be listen to on vacation around Europe or another stunning romantic local.  You’ve seen movies.  Picture that.  I’ve actually done the former back in 07.  Does that make you jealous?

I was non-stop all weekend.  Collated many a mile traversing between Hollywood, Burbank, and my hometown.  None of it was good, just worthless-time wasting things.

Saw Gatsby.  In 3D.  Was pleased.  Focused on the love story than the political aspect in the novel.  Most scenes equalled my vision for what I thought they looked like.  Wasn’t bad.  Not sure what the critics were hoping for?  It is the closest any film had got to telling the core story.  The whole Nick in a madhouse was bizarre.  However, it did allow Fitzgerald’s poetry to shine through the luminous images.  The music was the most off putting thing about it.  20 minutes in and I thought this was The Great Gatsby brought to you by “The Throne” seeing how “No Church…” & “I Can’t Stop” are the first two music interludes in the picture.  The later is isn’t even on the soundtrack.

By the end Lana Del Rey’s ‘Young & Beautiful” is the sweeping anthem to the film’s conclusion.  It’s a little much.  Overly romantic.  The best song representation was Florence & The Machine’s  ”Over The Love” which makes a small cameo when Nick awakes after the first party.  It’s played acoustically.  The girl on the piano, hidden by hat, looked like Ms. Welch to boot.  The xx’s “Together” was my second fav as it sounds so haunting when the picture ends and the credits roll in their 3D way.

But yeah, the major tracks from the soundtrack are proudly represented.  Highly recommend it.

Doctor Who, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, Parts Unknown, and the many TV programs were fantastic to watch too.  Matt Smith has turned up the acting chops this season..  His mind game with himself in Gaiman’s ‘Nightmare in Silver’ was “Fantastic”.

Gonna have a week long marathon in anticipation of the Saturday’s finale.  Which will be a cliffhanger for the Anniversary special.

Here is a old new track by Clapton to get your week going.

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1st Song of the Day: “These Are The Times” by Dru Hill

10 May

Enter the Dru or in tweet speak —  #drufriday.  That’s not trending.  Like at all.  Loved the record above.  Enter the Dru spun to my youth so many times.  What’s misleading about the picture above is that I listened to ‘Enter The Dru’ so much and mistreated the physical DVD that thirty seconds from the moment captured above the track gets corrupted & skips.  Most of the import album cuts are plagued by the same problem.  Disheartening because I will probably never buy the record again.  Forever left in disarray.  Doesn’t mean I can’t share it.  Because the music video will forever be one of those weird late 90s videos that actually made it pass the pitching phase.  Crazy Lisa from Saved The Bell had such promise as a mid-century.  Now…she’s a nut.

Part of me wants SisQo hat.  Curved 3 Musketeers hats are cool.

Wing Night was extra special.  Plus, the wings were Dinosaur size!  Was like, ‘Holy Shit’.  My lucky day.  Haven’t had many of those as of late.  The beer flowed like Wine.  We laughed, got personal, had fun…extra normal.  Nice because don’t have much planned for the weekend.  Besides updating my resume & sending them out.  Sure the chance of new position is a long shot, but my expiration date is counting down like sands in a depressing hourglass. I’m losing touch slowly.  Have hope.  Gonna shut up about it.

Probably gonna go see Gatsby in 3D tonight after we post our weekend show.  Heard/read mixed reviews.  Either I’ll love it or hate it.  At least the music will be good.  My unfinished Gatsby adaptation, that I wrote back in college, in my mind is still the best translation of Mr. F Scott’s poetic take of the 1920s in a truly modern sense.  Love that unfinished spec.  Maybe seeing the film will be the push I need to complete the final 60s pages from my solid treatment.  By the time it makes it through the studio system,people will have forgotten about this film.   Again, a man can hope.

Tomorrow I’m gonna roll out ‘Spotlight Saturdays’ where I take all the requests from my B4M email & bring them to you dear reader.  I’ve neglected my email chain for way too long and my probably with moderation will make for great reading.  So come back for some new original content.  Because these are the times indeed.  Might go see a show.  Have a great weekend!  Here’s a classic.

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1st Song of the Day: “The Party & The After Party” by The Weeknd

8 May

Kind of a waste to showcase this track on a Wednesday   Meant for the Weekend, after midnight, leaving the club with some ready lovers.  Visions of moving shadows and tight clothes loosening come to mind.  C’mon, you’ve seen movies.  Everything about Abel’s track works.  Just sucks I’m at work bumping it.  Seems wrong.  But even the most mundane moments can have their share of sexiness   Like the way she eats cold cereal in a cup.  Or the way I sip on my soda.  ;P

R&B fans should own this record.  Showcases the genre in the best way possible over the course of a staggering 30 tracks.  How can you not love it?  What do you make of the other records featured above?  Quite gangsta.

Spent the past 24 hours bumping Vampire Weekend’s ‘Modern Vamps…”.  Goody, I get to write the word ‘weekend’ some more.  Thanks writing brain.  It’s one of those ‘get lost in the music’ kind of records.  Was busy working yesterday and rolled through three tracks without notice.  My problem with Vamp Weekend’s collection is there’s always one catchy track that gets stuck in my head.  On this record, it’s ‘Ya Hey’.  Last time it was ‘Contra’.  First impression from it was quite good.  Still weird.  In a good way.  Look forward to the vinyl.  If I can recommend any track it’s ‘Everlasting Arms’.

Yeah, today’s post presents some extra goodies!  Mm.  tasty?

Nothing more to write for now.  Life is moving slow and really enjoying it.  Sure my mind is nervous about my future, but that is so regular now that I can’t really fight it.  Second I lay down on that couch I’m fearful that this is the best my life is going to get.  Quite disappointing, don’t you think?  So much potential being wasted on ungrateful people.  *shakes head*.  Time to go back to them.  He’s some Wednesday weekend beats.

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1st Song of the Day: “Thousand Ways” by The Tallest Man on Earth

7 May

Hard to deny The Tallest Man on Earth in the morning bump.  The Wild Hunt‘s tracks do well at the early morning hours.  The ‘wee hours’ how I refer to them.  6am shadows where brewed java fills the room.  Tingling those sensitive nostrils.  Maybe producing a smile with teeth.  Songs like this makes me feel good.  They really do.  That’s why Tallest Man continues to be featured.  Instead of the studio track, which is amazing in it’s own right, below is Tallest Man’s acoustic performance from KCRW.  There isn’t much lost in translation.  Equals the studio version.  Probably surpasses it.  I’ll let you decide.

On the way in I listened to ‘To Be Loved’ all the way through and it almost made me fall asleep.  Mellow, overly loving record.  I’m at that point where either it will become one of my favorite records of the year or be lost and forgotten in the Car’s CD Island.  I’m leaning to the latter.  Part of me, when I listen to a Michael Buble album, always compares it to that lasting experience when I first heard ‘It’s Time’ back in college.  ”Why can’t [To Be Loved] be that good”, I repeat to myself.  2005.  Wow.  Incredible how unperishing that album was to me.  Subject matter on the new LP is weak.  Really disappointed by it all.

Buble should just join up with Disney & make that dream record already.  ”Buble sings Disney’s Classics”…not a far-fetched concept after hearing his Randy Newman cover.  Will see the light of day sooner than later.

Here’s a Swedish ballad from a modern day Bob Dylan.

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1st Song of the Day: “Cannonball” by Vienna Teng

6 May

Rainy Monday after such a beautiful weekend.  Is nature feeling what I’m feeling right now?  Total misery?  Vienna Teng’s cover of Damien Rice’s ‘Cannonball’ couldn’t have come at a better time.  The five stars tells you that past Justin loved this song.  He had great taste.  There isn’t much different, besides style & the fact that it is a feminine voice signing, between the two versions of this track.  Even the original was laced with a Lisa Hannigan cameo.

It was nice to chill after my crazy end of week action that we had.  Seemed to recouped much of my power Friday night.  Falling asleep on the couch does that to me.  Made the long Saturday & Sunday tolerable.  Loved Iron Man 3.  If it wasn’t in The Avengers Shadow, probably have a more favorable light from the mainstream audience.  Still believe it is the best Iron man flick that has been made.  Otherwise, fantastic weekend.  Pity I’m back to my cage after feeling the sun on my face.  Paradise felt so close.

The Killers Flickr Pictures are still gaining points online.  Not sure who will be showcases in our next May concert series.  I’ll keep you updated.  Want to visit another new venue at week’s end.  Trust me, I’ll keep you in the loop with my mental agenda.  Always do.  Here’s a classic to kick off Monday…ugh.  Go Bulls!

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1st Song of the Day: “California 37″ by Train

2 May

Last night was so much fun.  Still recovering from beer & laughing too much.  Stopped by Ameoba on the way home & picked up two vinyls — Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience & Sondre Lerche’s The Duper Sessions.  I’m not pandering to particular audience.  Timberlake’s record is just one of those albums that sounds better in a vintage form.  That all made sense during my late night listening party with daddy-o.  Such minor details.  (Nice transition!) Lerche’s jazz record has come to be one of my 10 fav albums of all time.  Knew full well that it would get a boost when played on my old school player.  It did.  Majorly.  To start this new Comic Book-Vinyl with two amazing records made perfect sense.  The hardest part was not picking up Babel, Born & Raised,  or Battle Born.  Next time.  Teflon Don too.

Superior Spider-man #9 deserves a minor bump.  Great issue.

Nothing interesting to say about California 37.  Sounds great in the car.  Kind of cheesy elsewhere.  Again, I was rushed.  Was hoping for the a killers track, but had bad luck.

The party continues as Wing Night happens shortly followed by our first showcase of May.  I honestly have no clue what time I’ll be home.  The show doesn’t start unril 8:45 which means The Killers won’t be hitting the stage to close to 10:45 or 11.  Ugh.  Gonna be tired.  More complaining tomorrow.  Here’s a generic upbeat track to get payday going.

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