February 2006 Archives

I'm very intrigued by Asian culture. The food is awesome and the cinema is awe-inspiring at times. So when I stumbled across the Japanese power trio All Tomorrow's Party, you gotta believe I pulled myself out of my suburban stupor to stare slack jawed at the floor while I listened to their album Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide. ATP's newest release is the combination of two limited edition EPs they put out in 2004, one called Yoo Doo Right and the other called Yoo Doo Slide.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around their sound. It's dirty and noisy with Sonic Youth undertones but there are bright spots of pop and garage rock that permeate the record and harken back to the classic sound of the Beatles.

I have trouble with Asian rock. There seems to be something slightly off kilter at all times (much like this post) with rock bands from the Far East. I'm not sure I can put it into words; the closest I can get is "happy sunshine fun time," and other horrible, poorly-translated bubble-gum pop notions of Asian culture. There is an exotic quality here. It's not the quiet the exotic Other but rather rock and roll with an accent. I'm glad that ATP speak my language and have added another reason to be impressed by the Far East.

Website: Here

Order: Online Here

Stuff to Sample: From ATP's Yoo Doo Right, Yoo Doo Slide "Love Can Bring You Down" "In Shade of Blue" "Light of Love" and "Cracked"


Bonus: if you want to learn more about the rest of the world's fascination with bastardizing Asian culture (specifically Chinese characters), check out Hanzi Smatter

Double Super Smiley Bonus: If you would like to learn more about how China will dominate the world in the next century, go here. It so very funny. It so very frightening. Ha Ha Ha. We're screwed.

I'm getting old. Not in the body - still built like Adonis; but in my mind I'm not the spry twenty-something I pretend to be. No . . . suburbia has worn me down. How do I know? I had tickets to the Nine Inch Nails show last Tuesday and I didn't want to go. It seemed like such a chore. I knew it would be a great show. I knew Trent would rock out like there was no tomorrow (even though the show was in Toledo, at the Sports Arena and there really was a show the next day in Fort Wayne). I knew this yet I wasn't excited. I should have been, I've been following NIN for almost half of my life, but I wasn't. I went anyway, though, marveled at the genius that is the parking situation at the Sports Arena, waded through "the best Toledo has to offer" who also like NIN (but I wished they didn't) and witnessed a very solid performance from Trent and Co.

Nine Inch Nails didn't fail to bring the fury and they even managed to surprise me in a couple places. Some of the highlights included a hardcore version of my favorite "I'm angry, I want to smash things" NIN song "Burn," a funky version of "Closer" and they even pulled out their cover of Joy Division's "Dead Souls" from The Crow soundtrack (yeah, NIN was ripping off Joy Division long before it was cool to rip off Joy Division). Plus Trent showed off his political side and took a few shots at Bush.

I'm glad I went but this suburban mentality will be the death of me.

Stuff to Sample: From The Crow soundtrack "Dead Souls" and from the NIN show in Fresno, CA. last year, the funkier version of "Closer"

I'll let you all in on a little secret. I like a challenge. So, in that spirit, C$ and I set out to challenge each other in hopes of spurring our minds into dropping mad words in the form of blog posts. We are doing this to improve our skills, and to be brutally honest, give us something to write about because - still being honest - sometimes, even the greatest among us get the clobbered with the writer's block or laziness wrapped in apathy. Whichever.

My first challenge to C$ was to write about "things that make him feel good." And, as his previous posts on the joy of smell, Funkytown and kiddie porn lovin' control freaks will attest to, he has met and conquered my challenge.

I, on the other hand, have not held up my end of the bargain. C$'s challenge to me was to write on the "greatness that is Devo," and I have yet to do so. But I will now complete this challenge in the form of a prayer. Here goes:

Dear Heavenly Lord of Rock 'n' Roll,

As your humble servant, I beseech you to please remove all knowledge of Devo from my imperfect mind. Though they supped of your sweet ambrosia and brought forth onto the world your words of wisdom, singing on high as with the sweet voices of your mightiest Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones, "Crack that whip, Give the past the slip, Step on a crack, Break your momma’s back, When a problem comes along, You must whip it, Before the cream sits out too long, You must whip it, When something’s going wrong, You must whip it," I must request that you strike them down much as you smote those who trespassed against you in the days before disco and continue to do, in you infinite wisdom, until the end of time.

Cast Devo down, Oh Lord, as you have cast Milli Vanilli to the fiery depths of hell. Break them, oh Powerful One, as you broke Nick and Jessica's marriage. Rend them from my mind for they have sinned against you and against us all. Devo has stepped out of thy divine light into the darkness of evil temptation, coveting earthly goods above your love and above ours, seeking eternal youth and the promise of marketing tie-ins as they have fallen to a fate worse then hell and have given their souls, not to you my Lord, but your to sworn enemy, the Disney Corp.

Hear my plea, oh God of the Face Melting Guitar Solo, take from my memory those who have wronged thee and banish them into the nether regions until the final judgment.

In your son, David Bowie's name I prayer. Amen.

Depending on who you are, this may be one of the most blasphemous, un-PC posts I have ever put up. BUT, if you liked Devo even the tiniest bit, then my transgressions pale in comparison to what Mark Mothersbaugh and Co. have done.

Gaze upon the apocolypse.

This is the sound Rapture makes: Devo 2.0's crimes against humanity "Through Being Cool" and "Whip It"

I've been bored lately, and a little off my game. I took a bit of a break last week to put the finishing touches on a new web site - the next in a long line of suspect blogs to pop up here at eLarceny. Formal introductions will be coming just as soon as our newest family member puts his first post up. (C'mon Dr. B, all six readers are waiting.)

Anyway, I'm not on the ball. Feeling slightly dissatisfied with music. Yes, that's blasphemy, I know. But just look at my last post. All fluff and hot air. Not that the Flaming Lips don't deserve the high praise, but I could have tried harder. You all know that.

When I get bored like this, I tend to wander, waiting for inspiration to strike, which it usually does in due time. I do have some great things to tell you about, like Andrew Bird, J Dilla, Lupe Fiasco and my thoughts on the rise and fall of Fatboy Slim - but the cerebral lightning just isn't striking.

I am, however, inspired enough to ramble on about podcasts. I've been looking around iTunes' podcast section and have come to the conclusion that there are a lot of stupid people who have figured out how to jump onto the bandwagon of the Radio of the Future (and that includes eLarceny). What's sad, however, is the total lack of intelligence on the cyber airwaves. And when I do find a hint of a vocabulary, it usually isn't fun to listen to. The voices of smart people make me cringe. There has to be an exception, right? Somebody has to be putting out something smart, funny and intelligent. Somebody does.

The fine gentlemen over at Viking Youth Power Hour have a healthy love of vocabulary as well as whiskey and cigarettes. Hiding behind the laughter and chemical dependency is true gonzo journalism - the hard hitting, gut wrenching kind that is fueled by wild thoughts and paranoia, the likes of which would have made the Good Doctor proud. I'm almost inspired enough to go back to go back to Lady J, pick the Freak Flag and proudly sport the mantle of the gonzo press corps once again . . . if I weren't  too busy listening to music and growing complacent in suburbia.

For all the Family Members and beloved associates out in Chi-Town, keep an eye out for them, the Viking Youth Power Hour are among you.

Web Site: Here

It’s very rare that one song on an album can sum up the entire work especially when the aforementioned record is a masterpiece with a surprise around every corner.

Here’s one solitary song; one song called “It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small . . . Do I Stand A Chance?” that pretty much sums up the Flaming Lips’ new album At War With The Mystics. As ridiculous as that sounds, this song contains the essence that is the Lips’ newest opus. When moving from fuzzed out space funk to an ethereal jaunt down our subconscious, what’s left in the middle, and on the rest of the album, will amaze, at the very least. The key here, of course, is that everything is being done above the atmosphere. You have to understand that the Flaming Lips’ feet have ceased to touch the Earth. They have ascended to the level of cosmic beings unfettered by the gravitational pull of terrestrial life, moving freely in the ether of creative whim and inspired sustenance.

I’m blown away, and you will be too when the Lips’ orbit will bring them back toward Earth on March 27. They will pass as close to our planet as they have in almost four years when their last trip through the galaxy resulted in the beautiful, ecstatic Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. If they decide to stick around and go on tour instead of returning to the moon (Oklahoma City) then we will all be in for a real treat. Costumes and confetti. Giant balloons and fake blood. Sing-a-longs and fuzzy feelings. Fist pumping and megaphones. Oh, and happiness. Just happiness.

Stuff to Sample: From the Flaming Lips’ new album At War with the Mystics “It Overtakes Me/The Stars Are So Big, I Am So Small . . . Do I Stand A Chance?” and the Lip’s cover of the White Stripe’s “Seven Nation Army”

Hello faithful readers. It will be a slow week. I have to take care of some administrative junk and update eLarceny because I’m getting spammed like the whole world just found out I have a hankering for RX drugs and illegal software, which I do - I’m just not dumb enough to buy those things over the Internets. Got a guy for that. His name is Enrique. Anything you want, mang.

Anyway, while I’m wallowing through code, go check out the other eLarceny blogs. They should have new stuff up sooner or later. That was part of the agreement, wasn’t it boys?! If they haven’t posted something new in a week, drop them a line. Tell them to get on it. Tell them you miss their insightful insight. Or just say, “if I were Fresh, I would have canned your lazy asses a long time ago and found somebody better, somebody with a sense of duty, somebody with heart!”

Well, have no fear, I'm on it. New blog coming soon! It’s called The Bone Machine and it will make the rest of eLarceny Family look like chumps. No pressure, Dr. B.

I’m just messin’ around guys, you know I love you (even if the only thing you see fit to write about is the Browns or have a severe case of podfading, or blogfading, as it may be. Hurray for made up words).

In the meantime, check out Mylo. This Scottish beatsmith was finally able to get his album released in the U.S. more then a year after it came out in Europe. Sample heavy or not, Mylo’s Destroy Rock and Roll is fun to listen to (most of the time). Let’s just say, he knows the importance of the hook. It’s funky and smooth enough to make me consider dancing - somewhere between Daft Punk, St. Germain and RJD2 – so uninspiring it's spectacularly great.

Web Site: Here

Order: Online Here

Stuff to Sample: From Mylo's Destroy Rock and Roll "Valley of the Dolls" and "Zenophile"