Non-Sequiturs

SBJ UNF!

Damn, that's a hot man.

Yes, please.

Yes,  my tongue is out too.

Woof.

Sexy fur.

Hot stomach.

That's a lot of fur.

Grrrrr.

Big boy.

Beefy boy.

This guy is so damn hot.

I'd get under the covers with him.

Damn.

Le sigh.

Hey Daddy!

Beautiful physique.

Foxy Brown is my spirit animal.

If you are going to be in porn, you might at least look like you are interested in being there.

Arca's song "Held Apart" on his debut album Xen is one minute and twenty seconds of achingly beautiful music.

Most of my office floor is out on Fridays. I need to look into this plan.

For someone with small hands and fingers, I have some seriously fat thumbs.

LOL.

Does anyone really read my music posts on here? Or do they just come for the shirtless men?

Actually, after I wrote that, someone on FB commented that they love the music I post on my blog, so I guess I have my answer.

Subtlety is rare in religious music.

I loathe making small talk.

Ariel Pink is seriously overrated.

Hee hee.

OK Go make some amazing videos, but do you really recall any of their songs? I just saw their new clip, and it was really cool, but I couldn't hum you the melody if I tried.

Versatility is a lost art.

Don't tell Andrew but I like "Shake It Off."

I'm not quite sure I want to try BBQ from Wendy's.

Maple frosted donuts in the fall are amazing.

I'll tell you when I've had enough, dammit.

"Die with memories, not dreams." I love that quote.

If one of your main concerns in life is whether or not a dishwasher is loaded properly, you have some issues.

One of the legal assistants on my floor sprays her office down everyday with Lysol and wipes everything with disinfectant wipes. I am all for cleanliness, but somehow I think she is creating some super bacteria over there that will eventually be resistant to all disinfectants.

I really don't find long hair on a man attractive at all.

Ha!

Who wouldn't want a hedgehog?

Watching people try to walk a cat on a leash is hysterical.

If your relationship is so perfect/wonderful/dreamy why are you always on FB posting about it 10 times a day? Shouldn't you be enjoying it with your partner rather than trying to convince yourself and others?

One of the many pleasures in loft living is that we don't have to get candy for trick or treaters.

Your cute for the day.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"You're probably the only one, though it is hard to admit
That can save me
And I never liked to ask for a helping hand
But I do now

I look into your eyes
This hard, bewildered stare
Part of me wants to hurt you
Tear in your hair
But I don't do that now

A naive, open wounded exchange of stories that transforms us here
But I think I am the only one breathing on this planet tonight

The cheap sweat smothered makeup
Makes her face look as if dissolving
Yet full of grace
Here in the darkness now

One hundred Euro wine
I do believe in heaven and I do believe its time
Yes its time now
Five inch white high heels
I do believe in heaven and I do believe its real
And its okay now

Vast scarlet leisure
Immense blood pressure
Scatterbrained love lecture
Come here and be gorgeous for me now

After all I think it's evident that I am god's favorite one
And now is the time I should have whatever I desire

One hundred Euro wine
I do believe in heaven and I do believe its time
Faceless company
It don't matter much to me
Five inch white high heels
I do believe in heaven and I do believe its real
Dreamlike mirage haze
I'm positively god's favorite one

favorite one
favorite one
favorite one
I do believe I'm the lord's favorite one."

Iceage
"The Lord's Favorite"

"Oh what's that seeking us
Still hands are gonna talk to us
Looked in your eye, in your eye

Seagull laugh and pick the bones
The entity I wrestle to the ground
Looked in the eye, looked in the eye

Chill

Some teasing and then bring myself in too
It's like I've forgotten you
Think I'm gonna go to pieces now
Come and fall in (in love) the dark

Chill."

Thom Yorke
"A Brain In A Bottle"

Appealing Things

A good haircut
The view from my new office
New office supplies
New office laptop
The Book of Life
Gallowglass
Ysabeau
Pedicures
My new Oakley sunglasses

Annoying Things

Having to pay out-of-pocket for lab fees
Vaguebooking
Trying to figure out whether or not to accept my Mother's friend request on FB
Lacking gym motivation

Non-Sequiturs

Gorgeous furry chest.

Woof.

Very hot.

Beautiful belly.

Cute.

Beefy daddy.

Lovely.

Grrrrrr.

Too much cuteness.

Adorable.

Likewise.

Bobcat kittens are so cute.

It's pretty shitty when someone tells another person about a tattoo they are going to get and other person steals the idea and has it done.

The whole U2 album release for Songs of Innocence was an unqualified disaster.

If you start off giving your opinion on science facts with the phrase "I'm not a scientist....," you just need to shut your mouth right there.

Not that I won't drink them, but shots are really not my thing.

I know I am a bad indie music fan for saying this, but I really don't care for Sleater-Kinney.

LOL.

Waze is amazing.

Coffee and a fruit smoothie do not go well together.

"Hyper-Ballad" is a perfect pop song.

I think it is incredibly lazy when an artist does a covers album.

Exactly.

The new Gwen Stefani single is very underwhelming.

I am not a fan of plastic surgery. If you want to get some to make you feel better, have fun with it, I personally would rather just age the way I am supposed to age.

I've been watching some re-runs of Sex In The City and there have been some scenes that I have some issues with. For example, the scene where Carrie interrupts Natasha's lunch in order to seek forgiveness she is wearing this quite slutty looking Christian Dior dress that is barely more than a slip. Wouldn't you think said situation would require her to dress a little more demurely?

Remember when Depeche Mode was fun? Every record since Violater and Songs of Faith and Devotion has been a over-dramatic bore.

I don't understand all the critical affection for Ariel Pink. Overrated!

Fire drills suck.

My mouth is small, so when I get back from dentist's cleaning it is sore as hell.

I really hate writing thank you notes.

Whenever we move, we are seriously considering giving up cable tv altogether. All of the streaming services basically have what we want, and we rarely watch television in real time.

Andrew exclaims "God Almighty!," while I am more prone to exclaim "God A Mercy!"

For all my tall friends.

I've always liked the beach during the winter.

I've never had a stand-offish cat. All of my cats have been very needy and attention starved.

Music is amazingly subjective. With the new Arca album Xen, I hear intricate, amazing collages of sound that constantly surprise and amaze me, while my friend Donovan only hears noise. I agree it is not for everyone, but for me, it is brilliant.

Your cute for the day.

Lyrics Rattling Through My Brain

"I've waited hours for this,
I've made myself so sick
I wish I'd stayed asleep today,
I never thought this day would end
I never thought tonight could ever be
This close to me

Just try to see in the dark,
Just try to make it work,
To feel the fear before you're here
I make the shapes come much too close,
I pull my eyes out,
Hold my breath,
And wait until I shake

But if I had your faith,
Then I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure,
That my head on the door was a dream

I've waited hours for this,
I've made myself so sick,
I wish I'd stayed asleep today
I never thought this day would end,
I never thought tonight could ever be
This close to me

But if I had your face,
Then I could make it safe and clean
If only I was sure,
That my head on the door,
Was a dream."

The Cure
"Close to Me"

"Innocent idols who turn me on
While selling bibles to babies
We sleep for a while but then you are gone
All I have left is the story

All I can see before me is the darkest blues
Because I slip to the depths without you

If I met a waitress could she turn me on
I got the time to let her know me
I keep my focus but my dreams keeps me strong
I come abreast of it slowly

All I can see before me is the darkest blue
Because I slip to the depths without you

So many hours that I see before me
Now the stars are out of view
Because I slip to the depths without you."

Interpol
"The Depths"

Appealing Things

Caribou's egg white and turkey bacon sandwich
Making travel plans
My cat Missy feeling better
Weekends with nothing to do
That distinctive fall smell in Atlanta
My new office with a spectacular view of Piedmont Park
Klo.

Annoying Things

Key lime pie flavored tooth polish at the dentist
Candy corn
Fall weather when it is chilly in the morning then turns hot in the afternoon

Album Review: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Mature Themes

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti
Mature Themes
Rating: Meh

Sometimes I really have no idea what to make of Ariel Pink. Most of his earlier output to me is practically unlistenable art-wankery which was not exactly a good selling point, and then he goes and gets his act together on 2010's Before Today which hit just the right amount of perfect pop song craft and weird experimentation. Following that release, Pink has been flitting around on tour, having meltdowns at Coachella and various other strange behavior, teasing everyone with hints of new music to come. New release Mature Themes basically runs off the template set down on Before Today but unfortunately skews too far on the experimental side to be a complete success. Contrary to its title, Mature Themes has a surprisingly juvenile streak running through it, which tends to negate the impact of the more structured, intelligent pieces. By record's end you are just baffled by the resulting collection of tracks that veer wildly from patient, measured genre exercises to skronky Zappa-esque excursions into madness. It's the aural equivalent of whiplash.

The most depressing thing about Mature Themes is how brilliant the songs can be. First single "Only In My Dreams" is a gorgeous slice of sun-kissed California pop that should be a staple of anyone's mix tape this summer.



Closing track "Baby" turns out a smoky vocal from Pink that glides along its slick R&B vibe, "Early Birds of Babylon" strikes out into early 80s Goth territory, drawing from Pink's infatuation with Bauhaus and Sisters of Mercy, and "Farewell American Primitive" features glossy production and sparkling guitars.



But too often, these tracks are experimental messes that serve nothing more to alienate and taunt the listener to see how long they can endure the tomfoolery. Lead track "Kinski Assassin" is a ludicrous new wave skreed with comical vocals and asinine lyrics,



while even more egregious is "Schnitzel Boogie" which is actually a song about ordering hot dogs in the drive-thru lane of Weinerschnitzel, and "Nostradamus and Me" is a pointless chillwave exercise, which drones and moans its way through its 7+ minute run time.



Occasionally through the goop and mire of the this record there are hints of what could have been. The krautrockisms of "Driftwood," slick synth pop of "Symphony of the Nymph," and the delightful quirky pop of "Live It Up" do much to keep the record entertaining while still being anti-pop. But too often, we get tired sketches that should have been edited or thrown in the dustbin, from the tired herky jerky punk pop of "Is This The Best Spot?" to the muddled Balearicism of "Pink Slime."

After the demented pop brilliance of Before Today, Mature Themes ultimately comes across as its schizophrenic twin, so much alike and yet so needing some major antipsychotic medication. Baffling at first, the record eventually comes into a clearer focus on the more thoughtful tracks, but the disastrous, almost joke-like songs that litter the record refuse to let the whole coalesce into what could have been a brilliant record. As it is, Mature Themes never quite loses its juvenile nature.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Videos of the Week

Here is the latest roundup of videos that make me holla!



Apparently Titus Andronicus puts on a really wild live show. I am going to try and catch them if I can.



A horror movie about a telekinetic car tire. Really.



The Strokes performed this song on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Love it.



Though this song and type of music is not my usual cup of tea, I do think they have the best band name.



Katy B has such a fantastic voice.



The first single from the new Bibio album is fantastic. The album is not really gelling with me yet, so I am giving it some time.



More of the amazing Katy B singing with Magnetic Man.



Dubstep/singer-songwriter Jamie Woon performing a cover of Adele's song "Someone Like You."



The Drums' album has stayed in heavy rotation for the longest time.



While I don't really care much for her album as a whole, I do like this remix from Bassnectar.



Love the new album from Tinie Tempah.



Ariel Pink is a complete freak, and his live shows are apparently crazy. Looking forward to seeing if it is sublime or tragic.



HEALTH's albums are punishingly loud. Will hopefully be a highlight of Coachella for me.