"The Knowing" is my favorite track on the The Weeknd's debut mixtape House of Balloons. Now, it finally gets an official video that gets the 4 star treatment. A futuristic battle of the sexes that is amazingly shot and produced.
Bizarre animated video from beat music artist Gonjasufi.
Amazing live performance from Bjork. She is now headlining Lollapalooza in Chile the weekend before Coachella so the rumors she is headlining are getting more and more credible. It has been well over 15 years since I have seen her live, so my excitement level is really getting high.
The music does nothing for me, but the video is just crazy, cute.
Met up for lunch with a former PoGo colleague who is now working at the same lawfirm as me. Was a really nice day and we were able to eat outside on the patio at Vickery's. While I was not happy to hear she was laid off at PoGo back when they merged with Bryan Cave, it did give me some peace knowing that really anyone in this market is liable to fall from the cuts. And it was equally if not more heartening to see that she, like me, also landed on her feet.
At lot of people I know were understandbly confused why so many were enraptured by the rescue of the 34 Chilean miners. It really had no effect on us here in the States, or for most of the world for that matter, but I think, considering the horrible things generally we have had to put up with lately (all the horrendous political ads), and specifically all the awful things we as gay people have had to endure in the last few months (DADT, gay marriage opponents, gay teen suicides, etc, etc.), it was nice to see a story with a positive, healthy outcome.
This cracks me up.
Lyrics Rattling Around My Head
"And I forgive you even
As you choke me that way
With the pill or demon and the shrouding ?
Under conversation
In tremendous weight of
A crowd of ages outside
Dressed for murder
I'm not fucking around
I'm not, I'm not, I'm not fucking around"
Sufjan Stevens
"I Want To Be Well"
"The spirit was gone from her body
Forever and had always been inside that shell
Had always been intertwined
And now were disintwined
It's hard to understand"
Antony & The Johnsons
"The Spirit Was Gone"
"It's hard to remember
What we did last November
It's hard to forget
What we haven't done yet
It's easy to let go
Of everything you know
And say goodbye
To all those guys"
Salem
"Redlights"
"Have you ever seen
Two lions wearing meat?
Eagles too quick to creep
One ends up in another's teeth
It wouldn't be this way
If they were eating leaves
Oh how I always pray
I was one of your sheep
I'm a lion babe
Feeding off the sheep their graves
Off the leaf's and blades
I wouldn't have it any other way
I'm a lion babe
See me livin in the shade
I have everyone afraid
Roamin' free so no one's safe"
Gonjasufi
"Sheep"
Appealing Things
Cooler weather
Getting my urge to return to the gym after a month off
The Magicians
Cut The Rope
Gonjasufi
James Blake
Figuring out Ableton Live
Darkstar
Bassnectar adding a second show
Getting a maybe instead of a no
Annoying Things
People in general
People who can't drive a car and talk on a cellphone at the same time
Too many concerts, not enough time or money
Being ridiculously sore after working out for the first time in a month
Taking their music farther away from their wall of noise sound and more to a 50s-60s style, Deerhunter returns with the follow up to Microcastles, Halycon Digest. Full of strong pop hooks, the album shows more mature and focused song writing from Branford Cox. Fans of their earlier, more confrontational music and live shows might cry foul at a more subded Deerhunter, however, Cox's music has always been strongest in a quieter mode (as further evidenced by his solo project Atlas Sound). Whether this loses older fans and gains new ones, it doesn't seem to matter to them. They continue to make the music they like and make no apologies for it.
Twin Shadow Forget
Rating: Woof Daddy
Mining the 1980s new wave for its pure pop hooks and melodies, Twin Shadow is no mere nostalgia trip. Evoking a pained childhood, the songs flow into each other like a font of memories looked back on from the comfort of age and experience. Working with a limited range of instruments, primarily analog synths, tinny drum machines, and rudimentary guitars, Twin Shadow, along with producer Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, forges a wonderful debut that constantly unearths hidden treasures upon each listen.
Sufjan Stevens The Age of Adz
Rating: Grrrr
I will admit that I have not really been a fan of Sufjan's prior to this album. There was something missing to me with his very traditional alternative guitar rock. Where The National to me transcend those limitations, Sufjan just seemed to mire in the them. Now, he has taken a page from the Radiohead playbook and has embraced technology, making a record steeped in glitchy electronic textures. The album is no Kid A in terms of breadth, depth, and focus, but it shows a willingness to go beyond his comfort zone to make something very immediate and gripping.
Gonjasufi A Sufi And A Killer
Rating: Grrrr
For the better part of the year, my music friend in crime Matthew has been relentlessly touting this album to me and I have been very reluctant to give in. Matthew and I share similar, yet disturbingly divergent tastes in music. We usually have very heated arguments about why we think artists are good or bad. Generally, he likes extremely obscure and "difficult" music; albums that are not easy to dive into without riot gear. Finally, after the 80th time of him trying to persuade me, I gave in and got A Sufi And A Killer and I had to mea culpa to him that it is actually pretty wonderful. Gonjasufi is a peer of Flying Lotus, and I guess one could see the similarities with the two; both make very cutting edge, dense electronic music. Gonjasufi actually sings/raps behind his compositions in a raspy, bluesy voice that can swing from an unearthly falsetto to a dirty death rasp, all in the space of two seconds. His music is very difficult to jump into, but the artistry and the sheer talent makes him a force to be reckoned with, and makes him an artist to definitely follow and watch.
James Blake CMYK
Rating: Grrrr
21 year-old London electronic producer has only produced a couple of EPs but he is already someone to look out for. Building off carefully integrated samples from late 90's and early 00's R&B, Blake creates gorgeously nuanced music that never becomes a game of spot the influence (even though you can sometimes easily tell which samples he uses: Kelis and Aaliyah in the title track) but expertly fuses genres such as dubstep and house, and sometimes the LA beat infused sounds of Flying Lotus and Nosaj Thing, into a distinct sound of his own. He recently showed his breadth with his second EP Klaiverwerke, which is mainly low-key piano based pieces. I am eagerly anticipating his first full length.
Rating Guide
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 albums of the year.
Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.
Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.
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.
