vote or die bitches (spoken like p. diddy and holding a gun up your head)!
some things to point out:
1) It's funny how my second English paper went from an F to an A-. It's funny how adding another paragraph or two can radically change your grade.
2) Contrary to popular belief, I'm not dead. My reason for not blogging as much is because of my hectic schedule between school, work, and college apps. So sorry about my lack of blogging.
3) I will put up my album/tracks of the week momentarily. I will also include movie and video game reviews if I have the time
4) that single "Young Folks" by Peter Bjorn and John has a very catchy tune.
5) That song "Kangaroo" by Big Star is the equivalent to what I'm thinking right now. I guess you could say New Order's "Ceremony" is a very important song for me.
6) w00t! i'm going to see Modest Mouse this thursday. I'm so excited cos' Johnny Marr of the Smiths is going to be there.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
why my notebook fucking blows
1) it crashed on me considering it was working perfectly fine
2) the so-called tech-support for HP is pathetic, giving me useless crap that still doesn't solve the worm inside my notebook.
3) i just lost 10 days worth of music (but that can be solved by using Ipod Agent), 2 GB worth of photos (at least most of it is on flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/greenplastic875), a short script for my western adaptation of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", and a poem i was working on in which I haven't written one in a year.
4) now my notebook is loading like it was at the verge of its death, after reformatting and doing a system recovery.
but it don't matter.
I can't wait till next week, going to be concert crazy for the next three weeks.
-Massive Attack/TV on the Radio this Sunday at the Holllywood Bowl
-Sonic Youth next Thursday at the Wiltern
-LA Weekly Detour Festival with Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Basement Jaxx, Of Montreal, Blonde Redhead, Blackalicious, and DJ Steve Aoki on Oct. 7.
-Ladytron on Oct. 17.
-The Roots on Oct. 30 at Avalon.
shitt....funny thing is that there's a possibility that most of the bands and artists I will see in the next three weeks will most likely play at Coachella 2007.
anybody else lovin' the idea of Johnny Marr becoming a full-fledge member of Modest Mouse.
2) the so-called tech-support for HP is pathetic, giving me useless crap that still doesn't solve the worm inside my notebook.
3) i just lost 10 days worth of music (but that can be solved by using Ipod Agent), 2 GB worth of photos (at least most of it is on flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/greenplastic875), a short script for my western adaptation of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave", and a poem i was working on in which I haven't written one in a year.
4) now my notebook is loading like it was at the verge of its death, after reformatting and doing a system recovery.
but it don't matter.
I can't wait till next week, going to be concert crazy for the next three weeks.
-Massive Attack/TV on the Radio this Sunday at the Holllywood Bowl
-Sonic Youth next Thursday at the Wiltern
-LA Weekly Detour Festival with Beck, Queens of the Stone Age, Basement Jaxx, Of Montreal, Blonde Redhead, Blackalicious, and DJ Steve Aoki on Oct. 7.
-Ladytron on Oct. 17.
-The Roots on Oct. 30 at Avalon.
shitt....funny thing is that there's a possibility that most of the bands and artists I will see in the next three weeks will most likely play at Coachella 2007.
anybody else lovin' the idea of Johnny Marr becoming a full-fledge member of Modest Mouse.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
the roots and kcrw's morning becomes eclectic
last week, i just saw a free performance of the roots at Amoeba Records at Hollywood. Prior to their performance, I've only seen at least two rap performances and I'm still sort of new to the Roots, considering I only have Illadelph Halflife and Game Theory. When I saw them, I was blown away by the sheer chemistry with the band. While Blackthought is seen as the leader of this group, each member of the band are very integral to the performance. What amazes me the most is how The Roots can draw quite a diverse group, ranging from the typical underground hip hop fans to the indie/hipster crowd. Even so, I really dig the fact that how indie/alternative can interestingly blend into hip hop. Too bad they didn't play anything from their early works, but I really dig their stuff from Game Theory. By the time they were just rockin' the house which was about 25 min. later, it soon ended. I just wished it lasted longer. At least I managed to get a signed cd of The Roots and a compliment from ?uestlove regarding my selection of cds. Oh well, I'll be seeing them again next month at the Avalon.
Ever since I got my new 2007 Toyota Corolla CE, I've been crazily listening to KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic when my other car had bad radio reception. It's great to hear non-commerical eclectic music on the radio. I just like how I manage to find the latest happening and new music through KCRW and LA Weekly.
Lastly, Katamari Damacy is ridiculously addicting.
Ever since I got my new 2007 Toyota Corolla CE, I've been crazily listening to KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic when my other car had bad radio reception. It's great to hear non-commerical eclectic music on the radio. I just like how I manage to find the latest happening and new music through KCRW and LA Weekly.
Lastly, Katamari Damacy is ridiculously addicting.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
reflection on summer
though my summer was heavily spent on summer school, i've accomplished more than what i've expected.
things i've accomplished:
1) saw radiohead for the first time at the greek theatre on 6-29
2) bought a radiohead t-shirt
3) saw beck up front with erin at the wiltern the night before radiohead played. it was awesome.
4) made some new friends
5) created and maintained a blog at greenplastic875.blogspot.com
6) wrote two screenplays for future films (hoping to shoot in the future)
7) got an A on my logic class considering i was a slacker.
8) got netflix
9) saw more movies than i normally do.
10) expanded my growing music taste.
11) took lots of photos and updated on flickr
12) went to an anime convention (wouldn't call it an accomplishment)
13) created movie night
14) wrote and drew a manga (japanese comic) about the hipster/indie kid lifestyle
15) watched every single futurama episode
things i've failed at:
1) never finished reading satre's "rebel"
2) never finished reading yasunari kawabata's "snow country"
3) never beated paper mario
4) maintained cleaning up my room.
so there you have, a summer of liberation and fullfillment. as for now, off to school i go as i deal with college transfer applications and such.
later.
things i've accomplished:
1) saw radiohead for the first time at the greek theatre on 6-29
2) bought a radiohead t-shirt
3) saw beck up front with erin at the wiltern the night before radiohead played. it was awesome.
4) made some new friends
5) created and maintained a blog at greenplastic875.blogspot.com
6) wrote two screenplays for future films (hoping to shoot in the future)
7) got an A on my logic class considering i was a slacker.
8) got netflix
9) saw more movies than i normally do.
10) expanded my growing music taste.
11) took lots of photos and updated on flickr
12) went to an anime convention (wouldn't call it an accomplishment)
13) created movie night
14) wrote and drew a manga (japanese comic) about the hipster/indie kid lifestyle
15) watched every single futurama episode
things i've failed at:
1) never finished reading satre's "rebel"
2) never finished reading yasunari kawabata's "snow country"
3) never beated paper mario
4) maintained cleaning up my room.
so there you have, a summer of liberation and fullfillment. as for now, off to school i go as i deal with college transfer applications and such.
later.
album/tracks of the week
Sorry for the lack of writing a review for last week's (last time i did this was three weeks ago) weekly music reviews...i was just too damn busy with work, summer school finals, and other shit. so this week's album of the week is more loaded than it typically is.
so here is this week's albums of the week:
M.I.A. "Arular": I could see many people pondering in their heads right now, "since when did (insert my name) started listening to rap and hip-hop music?" Yeah, I know. I review and listen to a lot of rock/pop albums but who says I close my mind to other forms of music. I'm not an indie kid or hipster like what people labeling me. I remembered being introduced to Jay-Z and P-Diddy around the late 90s when I was a kid. I think I was just being ignorant in my high school and junior high school years (I lived in a cave). Before I review, we need to get rid of some myths surrounding rap and hip-hop music.
1) Rap is not (c)rap as most people put it. Maybe they're listening to what goes out on MTV and don't realize that there are rap groups and artists that are capable to put out great intelligible lyrics and beats.
2) Sampling is not a cheap way of creating music as most people think it is, it takes skill and hard work. I've tried doing it but I've always done a sloppy job (I will get better). And not only that, sampling could be considered art. When Dangermouse sampled The Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album, I thought it was genius. So I don't know how people could criticise sampling when it really gives the music a much more unique sound than the typical cliched guitar rock I see in bands such as The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand (ok...I like their stuff, but you gotta admit that it's already been done before). So why hate when The Beatles were even the pioneers of sampling (listen to "Tomorrow Never Knows").
3) And no, not all rap is about drugs and bitches. We all fell for this myth with the bling bling rap music of the 90s. Sadly, this misconception is what many people turn away from rap. But what people do not know, rap music pretty much plays the same role as what Bob Dylan did in the 1960s and 1970s by voicing an entire generation.
With the myths and misconceptions aside, rap /hip hop music overall is a legitimate form of art that equals to what Dylan and The Beatles did.
Enough of the ranting on the defense of hip hop, M.I.A.’s debut album “Arular” is one of those albums that got me back into this sort of hip hop mood lately. Hailing from the streets of London, we can hear influence of the grime/ London hip hop scene, but the lyrics are overtly political and intelligent. M.I.A. or Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, is a daughter of political Tamil activist Arul Pagragasam in Sri Lanka. She escaped from Sri Lanka in the late 1980s to London due to civil war. Due to her historical background, we hear what is the voice of the oppressed, something what Bob Dylan did with his songs. These songs are dealing with war, famine, corrupt governments, guns, etc. that is so fresh and original considering music today is all about emo music and wannabe rock saviors like The Strokes (ok…maybe I’m a bit too harsh). M.I.A.’s beats are so freakin’ infectious that you will repeat the words “purple haze…galang, galang, galang” in your head. Highly recommended for those who are not into hip hop music.
My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless”
Shoegazer, what a useless term coined by the press to define the Dublin-based group’s sound. I really don’t think there’s a genre that could really stick into this brilliant piece of art. Anyway, I found out about My Bloody Valentine through because of the Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation”. But it wasn’t really much of My Bloody Valentine but more of Kevin Shields’ solo work which eventually brought me to their song “Sometimes”. For some odd reason, I had “Loveless” on my list of music to get but I kept putting it off for two years until recently I bought the album. Let me tell yeah, what Sigur Ros’s “Agaetis Byrujin” did with my finding my state of peace through music, My Bloody Valentine did the same with “Loveless”. The sound is organic and dream like. As put to what someone has told me, it’s like dreaming without having to dream. I recalled my mind being blown away with “To Here Knows When” as I find bliss in this celestial sound of distorted guitar strumming and beautiful keyboards and subdued vocals. I could barely make out what she’s saying, but who cares, I find myself dreaming of a beautiful place. The great thing after my first run with “To Here Knows When”, the album just progressively gets better and better. “When You Sleep” is like a dream I once had that probably inspired “Juan’s 34th Dream”. The subdued, but yet complex vocals of Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher’s and the beautiful mess of guitar distortion that recalls The Jesus and Mary Chain as shown in this song creates this dream-like soundscape. Half the time I don’t even know what Kevin Shields is singing in those songs of his, but I guess that’s what makes this album so unique. The great thing about this album, there are no fillers at all. Every single song is so unique that there’s no way of skipping, though I tend to skip “I Only Said” to get on to the great songs. What makes this critic’s lovechild so special is that it is completely different and unique to the music at the time and yet even to this day it still doesn’t seem like outdated. To be quite frank, everyone should have this album in their collection. Too bad this was the last of My Bloody Valentine’s catalogue before they went on hiatus. Someone better kick Kevin Shield’s ass to reform My Bloody Valentine.
Tracks to download:
“Ladyflash” by The Go! Team: Like Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” did to kids in the 1960s and Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” to a generation of materialism, The Go! Team’s “Ladyflash” is the anthem for the non-conforming youth. With every era, there is always that song that defines an era, and The Go! Team’s “Ladyflash” just proves it (and The Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”). “Ladyflash” is just a great reminder why we listen to music at all. The song is basically a synthesis of every style of music, ranging from Jackson 5-inspired vocals and Ennio Morricone strings to old school hip hop and typical indie rock. To me, “Ladyflash” is one of the many reasons why I love music. Not for its technical aspects and harmonies, but the fact that I just love it for what it is.
“Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones: “Ruby Tuesday” is probably my favorite song by The Rolling Stones, and that says a lot considering I hate majority of their work. The very reason for this as being a favorite is because it’s not very typical of their catalogue. No hard-rocking guitar sounds of Keith Richards nor that typical blues sound. Recorded in 1967 at a time when pop music was going with these crazy changes, The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper, Bob Dylan went electric not too long ago, and even The Beach Boys had adopted psychedelic music and orchestral melodies in Pet Sounds. Since every single artist was experimenting in the mid-1960s, Rolling Stones followed the trend, and boy did they make a smart move. To be quite fair, I wouldn’t give credit to Mick Jagger or Keith Richards for this song, but to Brian Jones. I personally think he is the integral reason for the colorful, exotic tones in this song. Brian Jones=Rolling Stones, no? See for yourself.
Random trivia: the east-coast restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday’s name is taken from The Stones’ song.
that's it for this week. who knows...i might do another one next week or perhaps next month.
so here is this week's albums of the week:
M.I.A. "Arular": I could see many people pondering in their heads right now, "since when did (insert my name) started listening to rap and hip-hop music?" Yeah, I know. I review and listen to a lot of rock/pop albums but who says I close my mind to other forms of music. I'm not an indie kid or hipster like what people labeling me. I remembered being introduced to Jay-Z and P-Diddy around the late 90s when I was a kid. I think I was just being ignorant in my high school and junior high school years (I lived in a cave). Before I review, we need to get rid of some myths surrounding rap and hip-hop music.
1) Rap is not (c)rap as most people put it. Maybe they're listening to what goes out on MTV and don't realize that there are rap groups and artists that are capable to put out great intelligible lyrics and beats.
2) Sampling is not a cheap way of creating music as most people think it is, it takes skill and hard work. I've tried doing it but I've always done a sloppy job (I will get better). And not only that, sampling could be considered art. When Dangermouse sampled The Beatles' White Album and Jay-Z's Black Album, I thought it was genius. So I don't know how people could criticise sampling when it really gives the music a much more unique sound than the typical cliched guitar rock I see in bands such as The Strokes and Franz Ferdinand (ok...I like their stuff, but you gotta admit that it's already been done before). So why hate when The Beatles were even the pioneers of sampling (listen to "Tomorrow Never Knows").
3) And no, not all rap is about drugs and bitches. We all fell for this myth with the bling bling rap music of the 90s. Sadly, this misconception is what many people turn away from rap. But what people do not know, rap music pretty much plays the same role as what Bob Dylan did in the 1960s and 1970s by voicing an entire generation.
With the myths and misconceptions aside, rap /hip hop music overall is a legitimate form of art that equals to what Dylan and The Beatles did.
Enough of the ranting on the defense of hip hop, M.I.A.’s debut album “Arular” is one of those albums that got me back into this sort of hip hop mood lately. Hailing from the streets of London, we can hear influence of the grime/ London hip hop scene, but the lyrics are overtly political and intelligent. M.I.A. or Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam, is a daughter of political Tamil activist Arul Pagragasam in Sri Lanka. She escaped from Sri Lanka in the late 1980s to London due to civil war. Due to her historical background, we hear what is the voice of the oppressed, something what Bob Dylan did with his songs. These songs are dealing with war, famine, corrupt governments, guns, etc. that is so fresh and original considering music today is all about emo music and wannabe rock saviors like The Strokes (ok…maybe I’m a bit too harsh). M.I.A.’s beats are so freakin’ infectious that you will repeat the words “purple haze…galang, galang, galang” in your head. Highly recommended for those who are not into hip hop music.
My Bloody Valentine’s “Loveless”
Shoegazer, what a useless term coined by the press to define the Dublin-based group’s sound. I really don’t think there’s a genre that could really stick into this brilliant piece of art. Anyway, I found out about My Bloody Valentine through because of the Sofia Coppola’s “Lost in Translation”. But it wasn’t really much of My Bloody Valentine but more of Kevin Shields’ solo work which eventually brought me to their song “Sometimes”. For some odd reason, I had “Loveless” on my list of music to get but I kept putting it off for two years until recently I bought the album. Let me tell yeah, what Sigur Ros’s “Agaetis Byrujin” did with my finding my state of peace through music, My Bloody Valentine did the same with “Loveless”. The sound is organic and dream like. As put to what someone has told me, it’s like dreaming without having to dream. I recalled my mind being blown away with “To Here Knows When” as I find bliss in this celestial sound of distorted guitar strumming and beautiful keyboards and subdued vocals. I could barely make out what she’s saying, but who cares, I find myself dreaming of a beautiful place. The great thing after my first run with “To Here Knows When”, the album just progressively gets better and better. “When You Sleep” is like a dream I once had that probably inspired “Juan’s 34th Dream”. The subdued, but yet complex vocals of Kevin Shields and Belinda Butcher’s and the beautiful mess of guitar distortion that recalls The Jesus and Mary Chain as shown in this song creates this dream-like soundscape. Half the time I don’t even know what Kevin Shields is singing in those songs of his, but I guess that’s what makes this album so unique. The great thing about this album, there are no fillers at all. Every single song is so unique that there’s no way of skipping, though I tend to skip “I Only Said” to get on to the great songs. What makes this critic’s lovechild so special is that it is completely different and unique to the music at the time and yet even to this day it still doesn’t seem like outdated. To be quite frank, everyone should have this album in their collection. Too bad this was the last of My Bloody Valentine’s catalogue before they went on hiatus. Someone better kick Kevin Shield’s ass to reform My Bloody Valentine.
Tracks to download:
“Ladyflash” by The Go! Team: Like Bob Dylan’s “Like A Rolling Stone” did to kids in the 1960s and Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” to a generation of materialism, The Go! Team’s “Ladyflash” is the anthem for the non-conforming youth. With every era, there is always that song that defines an era, and The Go! Team’s “Ladyflash” just proves it (and The Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up”). “Ladyflash” is just a great reminder why we listen to music at all. The song is basically a synthesis of every style of music, ranging from Jackson 5-inspired vocals and Ennio Morricone strings to old school hip hop and typical indie rock. To me, “Ladyflash” is one of the many reasons why I love music. Not for its technical aspects and harmonies, but the fact that I just love it for what it is.
“Ruby Tuesday” by The Rolling Stones: “Ruby Tuesday” is probably my favorite song by The Rolling Stones, and that says a lot considering I hate majority of their work. The very reason for this as being a favorite is because it’s not very typical of their catalogue. No hard-rocking guitar sounds of Keith Richards nor that typical blues sound. Recorded in 1967 at a time when pop music was going with these crazy changes, The Beatles released Sgt. Pepper, Bob Dylan went electric not too long ago, and even The Beach Boys had adopted psychedelic music and orchestral melodies in Pet Sounds. Since every single artist was experimenting in the mid-1960s, Rolling Stones followed the trend, and boy did they make a smart move. To be quite fair, I wouldn’t give credit to Mick Jagger or Keith Richards for this song, but to Brian Jones. I personally think he is the integral reason for the colorful, exotic tones in this song. Brian Jones=Rolling Stones, no? See for yourself.
Random trivia: the east-coast restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday’s name is taken from The Stones’ song.
that's it for this week. who knows...i might do another one next week or perhaps next month.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
album and tracks (to download) for the week 7-28-06
well...i stole this from sarah oh and i've decided to do this every week at my blog since i barely have the neccessary time to compose an "strong" blog. so here is one i wrote for the myspace two weeks ago, too bad no one even bothered to read it.
album:
Stereolab's "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" (1996), hmm..how to describe this beautiful piece of art quirky philosophical lyrics sung in French by the lovely laetitia sadier backed up by french lounge beats and crazy vintage keyboards. man i really dig sadier's voice, it's so angelic and untouchable, she reminds me of astrud gilberto. I always thought to myself why Americans could really hate the French when they can really make some great music and such amazing films. To make this typical "Pitchfork"-ian style of reviewing short, the sound in this album is like talking to (pseudo) left-wing intellects and beatniks at a Parisian cafe in 1968.
tidbits to check out before buying: "cybele's reverie" and "emperor tomato ketchup"
tracks:
"grass" by animal collective, what can i say about this track? hmm...it's addicting and very catchy indeed. to describe their sound, it's like a tug o' war between the light-hearted pop melodies and the avant garde/experimental screams. Think of John Cage who decides to write pop music and play a guitar. one of the best love songs of the 2o00's.
"arpeggi" by radiohead, i just downloaded (through bittorrent) radiohead's new songs from their recent tour. out of all of the new songs, this is my favorite so far. the insanity that ensues that ensues jonny greenwood's guitar playing and phil selway's upbeat drumming tied together with thom yorke's falsetto make this song very magical. if you do have an hour, i highly reccomend bittorrent the new songs. you won't regret it.
album:
Stereolab's "Emperor Tomato Ketchup" (1996), hmm..how to describe this beautiful piece of art quirky philosophical lyrics sung in French by the lovely laetitia sadier backed up by french lounge beats and crazy vintage keyboards. man i really dig sadier's voice, it's so angelic and untouchable, she reminds me of astrud gilberto. I always thought to myself why Americans could really hate the French when they can really make some great music and such amazing films. To make this typical "Pitchfork"-ian style of reviewing short, the sound in this album is like talking to (pseudo) left-wing intellects and beatniks at a Parisian cafe in 1968.
tidbits to check out before buying: "cybele's reverie" and "emperor tomato ketchup"
tracks:
"grass" by animal collective, what can i say about this track? hmm...it's addicting and very catchy indeed. to describe their sound, it's like a tug o' war between the light-hearted pop melodies and the avant garde/experimental screams. Think of John Cage who decides to write pop music and play a guitar. one of the best love songs of the 2o00's.
"arpeggi" by radiohead, i just downloaded (through bittorrent) radiohead's new songs from their recent tour. out of all of the new songs, this is my favorite so far. the insanity that ensues that ensues jonny greenwood's guitar playing and phil selway's upbeat drumming tied together with thom yorke's falsetto make this song very magical. if you do have an hour, i highly reccomend bittorrent the new songs. you won't regret it.
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