new music reviews for April: Prussia

actually just this. be sure to listen all the way through.

Prussia is my favorite band so far this year; like skinny-baby Frank Blacks singing songs made for girls to sing in the 1960s. Seriously, I don't listen to many "band-bands" (groups of young white men playing real instruments) these days without shrugging my shoulders and thinking "eh, it's been done." Prussia - total exception to that expectation. Lovely music.

some interesting pieces I heard or saw or sometimes both today

>>>>

1. Keri Hilson - Pretty Girl Rock



I hated this song when 101 the beat jam started playing it all the time earlier this year. Then I caught the first 12 seconds of the song, which reminded me of Depeche Mode. Warmed me up a bit, industrial sounding shit usually does. Delightfully surprised with the video - pretty basic decades-of-inspiration theme. Camera quality corresponds to its respective decade. Ending makes me want to puke though. Audibly...The chorus is the weakest element of the song. First two verses are fun though. Sucker for that repetition in the first line of the first two verses. All downhill from there.


2. Tyler, the Creator feat. Earl Sweatshirt - "Assmilk"



This is the sickest thing ever all year forever. I am in disbelief at how good these children are at virtually every aspect of their craft. Analogy: The Outkast that wasn't living their developmental years during the great happiness-stability facade that was the 1990s. And the internet.


3. Bibio - "Jealous of Roses"



Many options for a favorite part of this song. The natural effect of practicing audio-sample bricolage.

4. Daedelus - "Slowercase D"



I just got this album today. Some of it is a bit too joyous for my taste I am afraid. Slowercase D, however - sounds like people being pulled back and forth. Underground. Perhaps a sinister character is giving orders.


>>>>

our riotous defects

"my god. i should have realized. on our second date when you dragged me into the bathroom at tenika's house and screamed at me for like 20 minutes because i had contradicted you in front of your friends. i was like 'oh...' and then later that night at my apartment, as punishment, you killed my beta fish. just threw it out the window. i did everything i could to make you happy. i participated in all your protests. supported your stupid little blog. got a bowflex. wore colored contacts to match your dresses. whatever your eyes caught, i bought. still we fought. like i can tune out but in reverse. cuz you're so."

wordless chorus

1st 1/2 2010 by #s & more qual.

today, reviewed the pop music of the year.




# of 2010 albums obtained: 42


# of 2010 songs obtained: 459


most listened to album: Beach House - "Teen Dream"


but the most exciting: Flying Lotus - "Cosmogramma"


unexpected delight: Wavves - "King of the Beach"


expected delight: Black Keys - "Brothers"


expected failure: Ludacris - "Battle of the Sexes"


unexpected failure: Autechre - "Oversteps"


# live bands observed: 17


that cost about: <100 dollars


because: parasitic good friend


best performance: Beach House


best anticipated performance: Pixies 


worst?: Surfer Blood


overrated album: LCD Soundsystem - "This is Happening"


underrated: Harlem - "Hippies"


2nd1/2.2010?: Panda Bear. Big Boi.

-TRAXX-

dance: Robyn "Dancing on My Own" (Body Talk Pt.1)

dancepunk: !!! "The Most Certain Sure" (Strange Weather, Isn't It?)

regular punk: TITUS ANDRONICUS FOREVER  <3

gpleasure: Uffie "Art of Uff" (Sex Dreams and Denim Jeans)

jockjam: Caribou "Odessa" (Swim)

minimal: Panthu du Prince "Stick to My Side" (Black Noise)

str8upelectronic: Flying Lotus "Computer Face" (Cosmogramma)

whatever Wavves is: Wavves "Mickey Mouse" (King of the Beach)

female voice: Four Tet "Love Cry" (There is Love in You)

rock: Black Keys "Tighten Up" (Brothers)

indie rock: Plants and Animals "Tom Cruz" (LaLaLand)

beautiful: Beach House "Silver Soul" (Teen Dream)

also pretty: Morning Benders "Excuses" (Big Echo)

personally relevant/chillwave: Tame Impala "Solitude is Bliss" (Innerspeaker)

loud: Sleigh Bells "Crown on the Ground" (Treats)

hiphop: Big Boi "Lookin' for Ya" (noalbum)

r&b: Sharon Jones "Better Things" (I Learned the Hard Way) 

experimental: Liars "No Barrier Fun" (Sisterworld)

chamber pop: Owen Pallet "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" (Heartland)

pop: Drake "Over" (Thank Me Later)

overall: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti "Round and Round" (Before Today)

TX FOR LISTENING. SEE YOU IN 6 MORE MONTHS


-soul of lists

New Pop Standard Tracking

In this post I share the most rewarding feeling one can experience as an avid music listener - pattern recognition. A near-waltz for chronic insomniacs. The category includes me. The following videos (alternatively in the last example: audio track with stationary picture attached) all utilize the Santo and Johnny steel guitar classic.

1959 - Santo&Johnny "Sleep Walk"



1963 - TheBeachBoys "In My Room"



1965 - TheRighteousBrothers "Unchained Melody"



1999 - ModestMouse "Sleepwalkin'"



2005 - TheRaveonettes "Seductress of Bums"



2006 - TheFieryFurnaces "Waiting to Know You"




                                                              monumental importance.

Kraftwerk vs. LCD Soundsystem

The first in a series

Old Stuff

note: the currents of my creative energies have been redirected; either into the pathetic wellstream of furniture arrangement or into a reservoir for academic use. Yes, composition does work like divisible, rolling-over pieces of material, in case you were wondering. So, today I present a little steam-of-consciousness prose written about an old friend (around a year ago). This person recently asked if I ever put anything on this blog about him. I hadn't, but I feel such a formative friendship deserves some poetic space. So here's to you. My sincerest blessing.


"Today I discovered that unconventional beauty attracts men who are unconventional. Either that, or some alloy of internal sentience and external asceticism stiffens my empathy, and because of that it's excruciatingly difficult to converse with others.

External asceticism by default. I'm no fucking martyr. It's just that, no one's watching me.

Do you find any truth in this assertion: "Everyone's favorite word is their own name." I'm ambivalent towards its factuality; however, it does intuitively force the question:
"Is my name my favorite word?"
How else could we possibly begin to judge the accuracy of the aforementioned theory? Do people have favorite words? Do you ask them about it? Probably not - although I did once.


It was probably 2004. At that time my life followed a predictable, all-American, 4-season cycle. Summers were spent working part-time. Fall: school and running. Winter: Depression. Spring: school and soccer. The memories of high school I do not cherish. I hardly remember being in love. But I remember a few classmates' favorite words. (Juxtapose. Pandemonium.) Or least favorite. (Moist. Like.) It was during this existence period that unconventionality first stared to notice me. His beauty then is absolutely perfect to me now.

My computer radiates in a shade of feminine pink, bubbly keyboard, and complementary periwinkle Bluetooth wireless mouse. I took up an interest in gender studies in my formative collegiate years, (a proclivity which has since, by the way, dissipated into a shriveled memory of passion) and predict that my educated lady-friends probably would turn their nose on such a gender-biased alterna-typewriter.

An equally combative strategy to battling the tenseness experienced at being the second sex would be to just fucking embrace it. Submission can be sexy. Operate your business not from behind a cubicle wall but within the minds of others."