Mrs. O

Mrs. O on Yes, Virgina by The Dresden Dolls. Song inspired by the Yes, Virginia letter.
Start video at 0:26

oh mrs. o
will you tell us where the naughty children go
will you show
how the sky turned white and everybody froze
heaven knows how they got into the fireplace
but everybody's saying grace
and trying to keep a happy face

and oh mrs. o
will you teach us how to keep from getting cold
out we go and you watch us as we face the falling snow
what a show with our hairdryers aimed heavenwards
and fifty foot extension cords
you really have a way with words

the truth won't save you now
oh oh oh
the sky is falling down
oh oh oh
watch the vultures count the hours
april trains may bring strange showers

oh mrs. o
will you tell about the time they made you go
all alone to the palace where they took your only clothes
we all know
there's no hell and no hiroshima
chernobyl was a cover up
the world is really all in love

and oh mrs o
will you leave us hanging now that we are grown
up and old
will you kill me if i say i told you so
we all know
there's no hitler and no holocaust
no winter and no santa claus
and yes virginia all because
the truth won't save you now
oh oh oh
the sky is falling down
oh oh oh
everything they ever told us
shakes our faith and breaks their promise
but you can stop the truth from leaking
if you never stop believing......

And I've been fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around
All of his questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn

Gingrich describes Palestinians as 'invented people'

It just keeps getting better with Gingrich. First he wants to abolish child labor laws and now this --

“Remember there was no Palestine as a state. It was part of the Ottoman Empire. And I think that we’ve had an invented Palestinian people, who are in fact Arabs, and were historically part of the Arab community. And they had a chance to go many places.”

Dear Mr. Gingrich, considering that Pakistan and Bangladesh were once a part of India and did not exist prior to 1947 and 1971 respectively, does this mean that it's okay to view the Pakistani and Bengali citizens as invented people as well? Are you really that simple minded?

What if you crowd-sourced your dating life?

A friend, Brian, I met while waiting online at the MoMa during the Abramovic exhibit is doing just that..

So ladies, if you're single.. you know what to do

http://datingbrian.com/

http://twitter.com/datingbrian

http://www.facebook.com/datingbrian?ref=ts

You can sign up and track his progress on site. After each date he posts a video that normally ends with a message from the girl. This last date has had the most chemistry so far.

Six Items Or Less

Some but mostly no one actually noticed that I participated and continue to do: Six Items or Less

Here's the NY times article and video:

http://nyti.ms/adM6EW

Here's the website: http://sixitemsorless.com/

This is a good post that sums it up: http://sixitemsorless.com/2010/07/25/post-mortem-six-items-or-less/

Make Love Not Porn

I realize that blogging can be a very personal act and it can be hard to engage or take interests in what others have to say or share, but I share these things with you because I'm sure you'll find some aspects of it relevant and interesting. Found the video here

Entrance Romance- Ryan McGinley

(xposted to my inspirandom blog)

Because We All Need A Little Reminder

Pop Rock That Fails to Pop

I first happened upon the Lovely Feathers while listening through the soundtrack to The Vice Guide to Travel, which featured the Montreal-based quintet's song "Frantic." It stood apart from typical pop rock because it took risks: sudden, drastic changes in tempo and excited, dueling vocals that harmoniously came together, gettting damn-near silly in the process (at one point the singers seemingly collapse into giggles). These risks were taken upon a sturdy base of what pop rock should be: enjoyable hooks and a quick rhythm section. The end-product was fun and accessible, but still innovative and thus memorable.



Many of those features can also be found on the Lovely Feather's latest offering, The Fantasy of the Lot, the band's second official LP that's being released on August 18th. Listening to the album's first single, "Lowiza", the sharp guitar melodies and rhythm section are pleasantly familiar. So are the two voices, although they now perform in unison, like a grand sing along chorus, or one is relegated to merely providing back-up. This unfortunate stylistic shift pervades all of the album's eleven tracks (twelve if you count the alternate version of "Family That Doesn't Know the Game"). The band has seemingly abandoned their old unrestrained style of singing for something more standard. It's a shame. The song's lyrics, which concern a man divided between the duty he has towards his wife and children and the sincere love he has for his mistress, are representative of the album's general focus on the lives and ills of the common man. The lyrics are nice, but they aren't poetry.

Although they're absent from "Lowiza", the Lovely Feather's signature tempo changes can aslo be found on The Fantasy of the Lot, although they are now much more hit-and-miss. "Ossified Homes", probably the album's best track, effectively utilizes the change in time signature. It is also one of the only songs to feature a build-up, which gives the band an opportunity to channel the excitement and passion characteristic of their earlier efforts.

There are other instances when these risky transition simply fail. "Loading Dock" is ripe with abrupt changes in tempo, but the do not pay off. Instead, the track sounds like three or four different songs poorly cut and pasted together. When the principal one ends, there is a sudden shift in both tempo and melody, with the slow, soft emergence of violins. This is overcome by a fast, resurgent drum beat, but that is quickly snuffed out, and the song switches gears back to the violins. It maybe be an example of the band's more avant-garde aspirations, but it sounds like someone messed up while they were mastering the album.

Aside from three or four standout songs, most of the tracks on Fantasy of the Lot are mediocre, suffering from a lack of inspiration and far too much focus on an uninventive rhythm section, which is featured too prominently in the foreground. Generally speaking, the band's principal mistake seems to be that they forgot what people want from pop music: addictive melodies. Pop music without hooks misses the point of pop. It's like electro that you can't dance to or hardcore that isn't angry. Lacking that necessary hook, much of Fantasy of the Lot passes by like a sunny day you spend indoors doing nothing. It's not bad, but it's kind of boring.

The significance of 2001: A Space Odyssey

So you know this movie is important but you're not sure why. It's one of those movies that are more fun to talk about than to watch, like Citizen Kane or anything by David Lynch. But apart from providing the soundtrack for Bob Sapp and endless monster truck rally television commercials, what does it *mean*? Of course, as a work of art it can only allow for interpretation. With that caveat, here are two stabs at it that you can borrow the next time you want to sound pretentious.

1) What 2001 means as a work of Art



Shortly after "The Dawn of Man", where the pack of apes confronts the black monolith, there is the scene where one of them discovers the use of a bone as a hunting tool. 'Thus Spake Zarathustra' plays, we see flash-forwards to its use in the hunt. In this moment we make the connection between this primitive invention and the urge of man to adapt the environment to his own ends. Then, as the bone is thrown aloft, we see it leave the screen and re-emerge; in a flash, it is replaced by the image of the space shuttle, thousands of years in the future.

Art is significant insofar as it expands our consciousness. We can chart the development of human consciousness with reference to the progress of art. For example, the Ancient Greeks invented such concepts as rational justice and democracy; they also perfected the art form of sculpture. Sculpture is a physical manifestation of the human mastery of space: in a work of sculpture, the artist's will is made manifest in a piece of marble or stone.

During the Renaissance, as Europe awoke from centuries of feudalism and barbarism, painting reached its highest form in the works of Caravaggio; the significance of a painting is that it demonstrates the ability of humans to create a three-dimensional image, in all of its depth and perspective, on a two-dimensional surface.


This might sound like a lot of ten-dollar words being thrown around, but consider this; perhaps these artistic boundaries that transcended space were necessary precursors to technical advancements. In the 1400's, the distance between Maine and Milan might as well have been the distance between either of those and the moon. Today, that distance can be bridged with a click of a button.

In a way, film continues this manipulation of space, the movement of the actors transcending the limitations of the flat screen we watch. Yet, film does something else which is unique. The linear nature of a film, with a beginning and end, draws much inspiration from another art form, the novel. When Joseph Conrad wrote 'The Secret Agent' in 1907, he made the revolutionary move of disconnecting the story from the plot - instead of following an orderly sequence, he mixed up the chapters so that one did not necessarily follow the other according to the internal timeline of the story - kind of like Quentin Tarantino does in Pulp Fiction.

Film is unique in that it distorts our sense of time - on the one hand, it creates an artificial timeline, that which the characters themselves are supposed to experience, and yet it operates within the constraints of 'real time', the time in which the viewer actually experiences the film. In this way there is a layering of time, much like the layering of perspective that takes place in a sculpture or painting.

In this sense, the significance of 2001 as a work of art can be summed up in one scene, to be more specific, in a single photo frame, the one that Steven Spielberg talks about when he mentions this movie: the cosmic leap that takes place when the image of the bone is replaced by the image of the space shuttle. When this happens, in a continuous sequence, without any warning or explanation, it is the most obvious, explicit example of how film has allowed for a reshaping of our notion of time and how it operates; in a way it is the fulfillment of the contribution of the medium of film to human consciousness. The thousands of years that must pass between these two events in "real time" are not necessary to understand the story. And if you can understand why that is so huge, then you will understand why 2001is significant as a work of art.


2) What 2001 tells us about Human Beings



Do you remember the scene in which the astronaut gets trapped in the holding bay, and HAL the computer won't let him out? What is that all about?

Human beings are creatures of adaptation. As the British anthropologist Desmond Morris has pointed out, in the wild animals do not mutilate themselves, masturbate, form homosexual pair-bonds, or commit suicide. These, however, are all common behaviors in a zoo. Although we often refer to the city as a concrete jungle, in reality it is more correctly described as a human zoo.

The roots of civilization lay in agriculture, the primary act in which humanity began adapting the environment to fit its needs. Agriculture provided a stable food source which allowed the grouping of humans into cities, which allowed for human specialization to occur, which in turn allowed for more rigorous adaptation of the environment. The result was our modern cities which are hyper-adapted to our needs, where few have had to look for food outside of a supermarket and water is available with the turn of a tap.

Yet the struggle for adaptation has developed according to the process of natural selection; this is not to jump to the hasty conclusion that only the fittest survive (a phrase Darwin himself did not use), but rather that those who are able to adapt to a situation will flourish, while those who do not will die off. How does this function in a society where our basic needs are more or less taken for granted, provided and maintained at a fundamental level?

The revelation of 2001 is that not only have humans adapted their environment to meet their needs;they have also artificially created a means of natural selection in the form of automatic, digitized systems. We are forced to compete for survival, not only against our environment, and each other, but also against our ability to adapt ourselves to an objective set of expectations. In this way we have artificially sped up the process of evolution, with the paradoxical result of a greater possible range of individual possibilities than ever before, and yet an emerging, unparalleled conformity.

HAL is a computer, a robot, a human creation. Still, HAL has the power to control other humans. HAL is both a judge and executioner, automatic and superbly rational and yet... somehow vaguely human. When the astronaut stares into HAL's red eye (!?), he sees more than a computer; he sees himself. This realization leads to a sort of crisis of consciousness; to become aware of one's own consciousness is always a mirror held up against a mirror, descending infinitely.

In this discovery he gains an objective perspective on his situation; thus he sees himself outside of the computer deck, nominally free as a human human being although still dependent on these automated machines for meeting his basic physical needs. In this reflection, in a kind of reverse-causal link, a flight of dream-logic, he sees a man, perhaps another version of himself, eating alone in a room. The man arises to check for the astronaut, sensing his presence, but when he arrives it is gone, like a whisper of paranoia or an odd thought.

The exquisiteness of the set table, the tranquil, sanitized feel of the room, the artificial lights contrast harshly with the ordinary, mundane act of ingesting food to meet one's physical needs. This is shattered by a broken glass; a reminder of the fragility, the almost comic banality of human existence. This realization leads to an image of the man on his deathbed. Here again he confronts the monolith; a black, sleek, rectangular object, and again we hear the refrain of 'Thus Spake Zarathustra'. Its dark contents give way to a shot of space; a metaphor for the abyss of the unknown; that fundamental urge to explore and discover, in which there is a undeniable continuity throughout humankind, whether in our origins as apes in the desert or in an artificial future, compartmentalized and attached to machines to survive. Yet in that persisting consciousness, there is rebirth; immortality even, as symbolized by the image of the human fetus. In confronting the unknown, our ventures always yield some sort of truth; and in that effort, we come closer to the essence of what it means to be human.

Or something like that.

- Nelson Peters

New Artist Alert: Phoenix

Anonymous said...

Congrats on your 100th post.

Crystal Castles are my fave of all these bands though. Their songs don't get old. Crimewave & Untrust Us have been hits for like, 3 years now.

I deleted my La Roux & Ladyhawke mp3s after 1 month.

May 12, 2009 2:50 AM

Considering the above comment, I realized that judging music is a lot like judging prospective relationships. Stay with me here: basically, all musicians fall somewhere on the exact same continuum as relationships. On one side of this spectrum you have the people you would never, ever even hook-up with. No matter how many drinks you have, it just isn't going to happen. Musically, this zone is dedicated to Lady Gaga, Akon and country music. The opposite end of this is marriage material. These are the people you're picking out curtains with and giving up blow for.

According to this rubric, Phoenix, a four-piece alternative rock band, falls into the "fling" category. (No homo.) Although there's definitely space for unflattering comparisons to other soft rock bands, like Maroon 5, Phoenix would be more appropriate alongside Chromeo because they're both so fucking smooth. Whereas Chromeo sweeps women off their feet while laying down the funk like later-day Stevie Wonders, Phoenix are a couple of white kids sitting in their suburban basement listening to soul records on repeat.

They're soon releasing their fifth album (really "New Artist," I know), and if listening through all their music featured on their MySpace is any indication, they had quite a few misses leading up to it. A few of the songs are forgettable, if not straightup bad. The songs where they really shine feature soft guitar melodies, funky bass lines, simple, danceable drum beats and swooning vocals. Sparse synthesizer and violin tones are small details that really polish off these songs. And though their smoothness might be chalked up to the fact that they're French, it's hard to believe because they don't sound French. The vocals lack even a hint of that accent that sounds like someone trying to speak while choking on a frog.

Overall, Phoenix has a few really great tracks, but it isn't a band to dedicate yourself to. It's a fling. So have fun with it while it lasts, 'cause that might not be long.


Phoenix - If I Ever Feel Better (mp3)

Phoenix - Long Distance Call (mp3)
Phoenix - 1901 (Lapse remix)

New Artist Alert: Vic Was Right

It must've been over a year ago, but one time I was smoking cigarettes with Vic during a party in Jersey and he called it:

"Soon all you're going to need to start an electro band is a relatively attractive chick and a guy who can play synth."

Or something like that.

Well, he was right; not just about the future of electronic music, but even his melancholy regarding it. Here are two bands that prove his point; Cute chicks singing, with invisible guys providing the beats. The tunes aren't really innovative or substantial, but they make for fun, interesting dance music. The songs also double as great remix ammo.

La Roux


I think Vic's comment stemmed from a conversation about Crystal Castles, so its only appropriate that La Roux reminded me of CC, sans the meth. Ben Langmaid creates a similar rough, lo-fi sound, but its much more restrained, more melodic. Also, unlike Alice of CC, Elly Jackson can actually sing. The Twelves took to La Roux's "In for the Kill," but came up a little short of their usual handiwork.


La Roux - Bulletproof (mp3)


La Roux - In for the Kill (mp3)
La Roux - In for the Kill (the Twelves remix)

Ladyhawke

Alright, maybe I spoke too soon: Turns out Ladyhawke is actually just one chick, who sings and produces the music. Sorry Vic, guess your theory's got a hole in it--unless the guy behind this is really invisible. Anyway, Ladyhawke is a blond from New Zealand churning out electro-pop. It's actually a bit more layered and intricate than La Roux's brand. And if Alex Metric's and Fred Falke's attempts are any indication, its much more conducive to great remixes.


Ladyhawke - Back of the Van (mp3)
Ladyhawke - Back of the Van (Fred Falke remix)


Ladyhawke - Paris is Burning (mp3)
Ladyhawke - Paris is Burning (Alex Metric remix)

P.S. Hundredth post, motherfuckers.

MSTRKRFT Live at Webster Hall

Stephen Vasquez of One and Only Productions sent us these clips from the MSTRKRFT show that went down a few weeks ago. It's part of a larger documentary Stephen's working on called Electro Wars, which captures "electro DJs doing what they do best."

Courtesy of Gavin

Gavin showed me this a few weeks ago. Apparently, he was chilling with Dan Le Sac at SXSW.

P.S. If you want FREE Street Carnage stickers, leave your name and address as a comment, and I'll get them to you type quick.

New Artist Alert: The Band Cut Copy Jacked

[Disclaimer: This band is actually really fucking old; thus, it would probably have been more prudent to title this post "Really Old Artist Alert."]

I was driving home from Yacki's house tonight when the song "Six Months in a Leaky Boat" by Split Enz came on the radio. Listening to it, I couldn't help but notice its similarity to Cut Copy's "Feel the Love." I got home, did a little research, and all the pieces began to fall in place. Try to follow me here: Split Enz are from New Zealand, which is very close to Cut Copy's homeland (i.e. Australia). This means Cut Copy probably knew Split Enz's music when they began producing their own. Also, whereas Cut Copy have that whole '80s vibe, Split Enz are actually from the motherfucking '80s. Do you see where I'm going with this? Cut Copy jacked Split Enz! It was a devious plan, Cut Copy. I'm sure you thought no one would catch on because, well, who really gives a fuck about New Zealand? But now you've been ousted. In the end, I suppose it doesn't actually matter because Split Enz still comes out on top. Try as they might to "copy" (haha, get it?) Split Enz's sound, Cut Copy still haven't managed to produce a mildly racists music video that serves as a metaphoric excuse for homosexual experimentation in the prolonged absence of the opposite sex.


Split Enz - Six Months in a Leaky Boat (mp3)
Cut Copy - Feel the Love

Dance.

MY GIRLFRIEND IS BETTER THAN YOURS - My Girlfriend is Better Than Yours




---

WE HAVE BAND - Hear It In The Cans

Courtesy of YouTube

Haven't posted in a while. Here, watch this you guys.

New Artist Alert: Justice's Proteges

Amidst destroying dance floors across the world, releasing a documentary about their American tour and designing their own clothing line, the two Frenchmen who combine to form the electro juggernaut, Justice, have somehow found time to collaborate with other artists. Here are three acts that Gaspard Auge (the Mustache) and Xavier de Rosnay (the China) have recently worked with:

I. Poney Poney
Poney Poney are a French garage rock trio who teamed up with the China on "Cross the Fader." Although Xavier's influence is ostensibly limited to the tight drums, crisp guitars and liberally applied sound bites, it's interesting to see his take on a new genre. The end product isn't half bad either.

Poney Poney - Cross the Fader (feat. Xavier de Rosnay) (mp3)

II. Birdy Nam Nam
Just ignore the ridiculous name because beneath it are four prize-winning French turntablists, who over the course of their careers have churned out a variety of different music and have recently set their sights on electro. Birdy Nam Nam handed Justice a song that was recorded mostly live, which they didn't intend on adding to their latest album, Manual for Successful Rioting. Justice worked their magic and handed them back something akin to "Waters of Nazareth" and "Planisphere." The Justice influence is obvious: a heavy kick and dramatic synthesizer build-up that gives way to a distorted bass line and glitch-y melody. But it's Birdy Nam Nam's samples and turntable work that make this song more brutal than anything Justice would have produce alone.

Birdy Nam Nam - The Parachute Ending (feat. Justice) (mp3)

III. Midfield General
Midfield General is a producer from the U.K. who moved to Paris and befriended Ed Banger Records, Justice's label. He served as an executive producer on Justice's single "D.A.N.C.E." and, seemingly to repay the favor, the China worked alongside the General on the first single off of his new album, General Disarray. The bass line has a similar ring to "We Are Your Friends" (it's also strangely similar to Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust"--I smell a mash-up!). It also features Vila from the Bumblebeez rapping pretty damn well for a little white girl. I feel like this song would be on dance floors everywhere if only people knew about it.


Midfield General - Disco Sirens (feat. Vila, Xavier de Rosnay) (mp3)

New Artist Alert: Empire of the Sun

Empire of the Sun are an Australian electro-pop duo. They follow closely in the vein of MGMT, from their melodic tunes and girlish vocals right down to their elaborate costumes. Even their videos seem absurd in a way that's vaguely reminiscent MGMT's "Time to Pretend." Only difference is Empire of the Sun seem to overly indulge in "exotic" cultures to the point that it seems borderline racist. You're white, guys. Get over it.


Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream (mp3)

Empire of the Sun - We Are the People (mp3)

New Artist Alert: DiscoTech

DiscoTech are a trio of DJs and producers from the U.S. They create a melodic, synthesizer-heavy brand of electro that's reminiscent of Kill the Noise or LAZRtag. Although they've remixed a number of their contemporaries (MIA, Stardust and TI to name a few), DiscoTech seem to fare better with bringing oldies up to speed. Olek might consider DiscoTech's remixes of Michael Jackson and the Police to be "sacrilegious," but I'm sure he'll enjoy their take on Bill O'Reilly. Gotta love DJs with a sense of humor.

Michael Jackson - Thriller (DiscoTech remix)
The Police - Roxanne (DiscoTech remix)
Bill O'Reilly - DO IT LIVE! (DiscoTech remix)