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)

Not the next Albany travel log.

Yeah, no log. But there is this!

What do you do when you don't want to do what's next? He sat at the plastic table on his patio. Hot ground beef, formed into two patties, grilled over charcoal, lay on a plate. The steam from the burgers clings to the edges of his glasses. He does not notice. His wife steps outside holding two beers, a salad, buns, plates and other fixin's, as she likes to call them. She was smiling until she noticed his brow, folded into a corrugated forehead, drenched in thought.

“Hey,” she says, holding up the beers, “I picked these up at the supermarket, they're Belgian... I think. I've never seen them before.”

He exhales a “Huh.” With just the slightest movement of head and eye to show that he recognizes her presence.

“No cheese?” she asks.

“We ran out.”

“Well, I was just at the store and I could-”

“You would think that I would be used to this.”

“To what?” she asks while sitting down, placing the plates and opening the beers simultaneously.

“To eating food once it's cooked,” he sighs and lifts his eyes from the burgers to her. His glasses clouded to the point where eye contact becomes impossible. She continues staring, expecting the rest of the thought, as if that one were not complete and self-contained. Twenty seconds pass without a word exchanged. She finally breaks the silence. “What?”

“I feel like I'm only going to eat these because they're cooked.”

She continues to stare, “Are you not hungry or are you having an existential crisis?”

He is sure that he was never asked that question before. “Fuck it, let's eat.”

“No, no. What do you mean? Did you not cook these because you were hungry?”

He assembles a burger with too much horseradish mustard. “I was... am hungry. That's not the problem.”

She sips at the beer without breaking the now possible eye contact. Her intention was to stare at him until he spoke, but her face scrunches into a ball when her brain registers the taste.
“Ugh, too much hops. I can't drink this.”

“I'll drink it. Pass it here.” They pretend to wrestle over the beer. Eventually he wins, takes a sip and lets out an overproduced Aahhh.

She leans back in her chair, smiling. He can't think of anything to say. Neither can she. Another few moments pass and she reaches for a bun.

He starts, “My mind keeps falling into grooves, familiar thoughts, worked and reworked. And it's- and it's like... Christ, like if these thoughts were a physical, circular path, I would have worn down my feet to nubs and dug a trench several feet deep. And every time I notice I'm in this path I can just get out, climb on out. But the deeper it gets, the more familiar, I worry that the day will come that I won't be able to get out without a ladder, or non-metaphorically, anti-psychotics.”

All she can manage is a “Hmpf” and proceeds to assemble her dinner. He takes some salad and leans back in his chair, one arm on the rest, the other slowly pouring beer into his mouth. His eyes twinkle like an eight-year-old's might after getting into some mischief.

She looks up, “You know you're not crazy. Stop being such an ass. Is this life not interesting enough for you? Do you have to live in fantasy?”

“Sometimes it's not enough,” he regrets the statement before he says it but does so anyway. “I mean- this isn't about you.”

“No of course it isn't.” she heads into the house and comes back with a bottle of wine and a glass.

He watches her pour a glass. The red splashes and sloshes, a drop jumps out onto the table. The antisocial group of molecules that don't want to be like the others, and maybe it's not desire, maybe it's pure physics. Maybe the entire history of time was a story leading up to and flying past that one droplet proving to be unique from the rest of the wine in the glass. His mind has jumped back onto a well worn track, the scenery familiar and perhaps comforting.

He says, “You know every year, almost all the atoms in your body are replaced with new ones.”

She drinks from her glass.

He continues, “So we're not the same people we were last year. We're not the same people when we woke up this morning. Our physical makeup has been altered considerably since we sat down.”

She continues drinking, refusing to come up for air.

“It's no wonder people change. We're destined, preordained, to change and reinvent. It's the human condition.”

She finishes her glass and breathes deeply. “Are you asking for a divorce?”

He stares for a second. “What? No. Jesus, no. Why? I wasn't at all-” At that moment he noticed a sadness and determination in her eyes that he's never seen before. His beer fizzes quietly, releasing carbon dioxide into the air, but for some reason they can both hear it.

Sex and the Cyber City: Is It Possible to be a Cyber Hoe?

After a week of being on "matches.com", I have been viewed 517 times. I have also concluded that this site has given me a huge ego. So huge that I am at times tempted to send people one of the many rejection e-mails "matches.com" has pre-made in case someone loses their voice. But, I don't. I'm scared the rejectee may have not lost their voice.

"Thanks for writing to me, but unfortunately, we're just not a good match. Good luck in your search."

Now instead of having one match, I have 26. Such a slut, I know. It's good, though. If I do decide to meet them in person I will always have another person to meet in case the previous guy somehow altered his online profile photo. That may happen soon. Guys are already giving me their e-mail addresses, phone numbers, and aim screen-names.

From: jimmy31266 (jimmy31266@talkmatch.com)
To: iluvfilms (iluvfilms@talkmatch.com)
Date received: January 8, 2009
Subject: hi
hi how are you i know i am out of yuor age range that you were looking for buti would really like to talk with you i hope to hear from you contact me at hunter6006 @yahoo.com i will except you on yahoo im jimmy

jimmy31266

42-year-old manOld Bridge, NJ, US

Seeks women 18-40

Active within 24 hours

I honestly don't know what to do. I'm running out of excuses. It's not like I don't want to meet them. Some of my regulars have caught my attention and we clicked via e-mail (the one provided by "matches.com" of course). I'm just scared. What happens if his profile was fake, or he's dumb, or worse of all he has really bad B.O. and stinky breath?! I can't just run away from the guy in the street. He might call out, "Hey Gisel from 'Matches.com,' where are you going?!"

That would be embarrassing, even if they don't know my real name. Because of that non-irrational fear I have yet to give guys my cell number or actual e-mail. But one guy did manage to find me on Facebook (Out of all places, it had to be Facebook). Apparently, we met at a bar--at least that's what he told me via e-mail. I didn't believe him until I cleaned out my desk drawer and found his business card and matched it against his "matches.com" e-mail and Facebook e-mail. Maybe I don't have tolerance for alcohol. I apologize.

Some guys are also asking me for this blog address. That of course will never go down. The "hoochie hoax" would be no more.

My conclusion: I should stop whining and man up. I should meet the few guys I did manage to impress (actually, they've impressed me). And see once and for all if dating online is plausible for the young hipsters, like my friends... I am no hipster. I can also get free drinks in the process. So tonight I give out the number, right before t-mobile disconnects my service.

What about the guy I spoke to before at the beginning of this process?

He mentioned his ex-girlfriend, so we are so over.

-Aileen Awesome

Follow the Leader! goes to Six Six Sick

Six Six Sick is a weekly electronic dance party at a lounge in the Lower East Side. We've gone there a few times and it's never anything less than a blast. Did I mention there's no cover and free vodka?

THE RUNDOWN
Date: Tuesday, January 20th to Wednesday, January 21st.

Time: 10 PM to 4 AM.

Location: Happy Endings
302 Broome Street
Downstairs
Manhattan

Price: Free.

Drinks: Free vodka cocktails from 11 PM to 12 AM; $3 Pabst Blue Ribbon; I've never tried to sneak in booze, but it seems like it would be pretty easy.

Music: DJs Micprobes and Peter High spin sets heavy on the electro with some pop and funk thrown in for good flavor. A few of songs I've heard there are...

Madonna - Into the Groove (Sidechains remix)
MGMT - Kids
S.O.S. - Take Your Time

Crowd: A mix of young hipsters and Euro-trash; free booze means they're drunk as Hell, but doesn't ensure that they'll dance; downstairs tends to be a fire hazard as midnight (i.e. last call for free vodka) approaches; after that the crowd thins out a little, but things never really die down; in the off-chance that the lower level doesn't please, just walk upstairs to Disco Down on the ground level and discover a whole 'nother party.

ID: 21+, but they are more harsh with guys; the first time I went Olek almost didn't get in because the photo on his ID was taken ages ago and doesn't really look like him anymore; on the other hand, Kat was using a friend's ID and got in no problem; government issued only.

Coat Check: They have it, but I'm unsure of the price; every time I go I just stay my stuff into these seating-area cubicles--you'd understand if you had been there before.

Directions: F train to Delancey; walk four blocks West on Delancey until you hit Eldridge; walk one block South to Broome; turn East on Broome; Happy Endings is near the corner; it still has the red awning of the location's former Chinese massage parlor.

Pregame: Lazy Catfish
593 Lorimer Street
Brooklyn
Free Pabst Blue Ribbon from 8:30 PM to 10 PM.

A few photos from last time:

Israel vs Hamas

[Reading music: U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday
U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday (Radiohead cover, live)
U2 - Sunday Bloody Sunday (Evergreen Terrace cover)]

Today the conflict between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip entered its 19th day and, though there has been little talk about it amongst our friends who seem to be too busy partying/schooling/being ill to consider the issue, I thought it was important to give you an update on the situation and my own thoughts on an often vehement argument.

Timeline
(Please note that the present conflict between Israel and Hamas has a very specific historical context that can be traced back to at least the 1940's and should be taken into consideration when examining the current situation. Not doing so would be like trying to follow an episode of Frisky Dingo without having seen the whole show--fucking impossible.)

December 27th - 28th, 2008: In retaliation for prevailing rocket fire on Southern Israel originating from the Gaza Strip, Israel begins "Operation Cast Lead" and launches a series of aerial strikes against targets in the Strip, including paramilitary bases, training camps, underground rocket launchers, Hamas headquarters, government offices, police stations, mosques and roads. Hamas responds with increased rocket attacks on cities in Southern Israel.

December 29th: The Israeli Air Force continues its attacks on Gaza, targeting a university, a government building and a refugee camp. Gaza's maintains its rocket fire response. Israeli infantry begins to gather on Gaza's border. The Israeli Navy begins taking part in the operation, enforcing a blockade, attacking Hamas ships and bombing Hamas offices and headquarters on Gaza's coast.

December 30th - January 2nd: Israeli air strikes continue with attacks on ministerial compounds, university buildings, the residential homes of Hamas' leadership, smuggling tunnels between the border of Gaza and Egypt and a number of ambulances. Israel's blockade is eased to let humanitarian aid enter Gaza. Hamas' rocket fire continues. Israel rejects petitions from the international community for a ceasefire. Hamas claims it is willing to accept any ceasefire that ends Israeli air strikes and the blockade.

January 3rd: Air strikes destroy the homes of more Hamas officials, a mosque and a school. Hamas' retaliation continues. Israel begins using artillery strikes and ground forces cross the border into Gaza. This marks the second stage of "Operation Cast Lead," which is to secure areas of the Strip from which rockets have been launched.

January 4th: Israeli troops surround Gaza City and Israeli artillery strikes a school, market, ambulance and homes. One grave incident that stood out amongst the violence is the rounding up of 110 Palestinians (mostly women and children) by Israeli soldiers into a condemned building, which is shelled 24 hours later.

January 5th - 7th: As swathes of the Gaza Strip are seized by Israeli troops, Palestinian civilians flee their homes and flood into Gaza City. Phase three of "Operation Cast Lead" begins with Israeli troops engaging Hamas troops in the streets of Gaza City. Israeli air strikes continue, attacking ambulances, a refugee camp, residential structures, and both UN schools and convoys. Rocket strikes on Southern Israel continued. An extended family with about 100 members is ordered by Israeli troops to gather in a home that is later shelled, leaving between 60 to 70 dead. Amongst continued fighting, a three-hour, mid-day ceasefire allows desperately needed humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. This ceasefire becomes a daily routine, although it is not strictly adhered to.

January 8th: Amongst continued fighting in Gaza, unknown militants fire rockets from Lebanon upon North Israel.

January 10th: The Israeli military reports that Hamas' fighting force is suffering from exhaustion and troops are beginning to desert. Rocket fire on South Israel ceases.

January 11th: Retaliatory rocket fire on South Israel begins once more. An Israeli patrol on the Syrian border comes under attack from unknown forces.

January 12th: Fighting between Israeli paratroopers and Hamas soldiers continues around the Gaza Strip. President Bush sounds like a redneck douche bag when claims that Israel has the right to defend itself, but hoped that it "continued to be mindful of the innocent folk."

The Wrongs

Hamas:
- The latest conflict was ignited by continual rocket fire from the Gaza Strip onto Israel. Hamas claimed these rocket attacks were due to Israel's severe blockade of the Strip, but Israel claims that the blockade was a response to earlier rocket fire. It's like which came first, the chicken or the egg? Except with rockets and blockades. Although Hamas denied responsibility for the initial attacks, it also refused to patrol the border with Israel, leaving Israel little choice but to enforce sanctions or respond militarily. It tried the first, and when that didn't work work it tried the second.
- Although many people sympathize with the Palestinian people's "David and Goliath" battle against Israel, it should be recognized that the people of the Gaza Strip democratically elected Hamas, a radical, Islamic paramilitary organization and political party which maintains that Israel does not have the right to exist. Until Hamas recognizes that Israel already exists and that there is no way to expel Israel from the region, the group will not be internationally recognized. Fatah, the secular Palestinian political party currently in control of the West Bank, has come to terms with Israel's presence and, though their relationship remains thorny, has a much better chance of bringing both peace and a proper homeland to the Palestinian people. Hamas should do the same or the Palestinian people should vote them out of power.

Israel:
- Although I agree that Israel has a right to defend itself (Put yourself in their position: What would you do if Canada was lobbing rockets at New York?), they have definitely taken this too far. They broken a number of international laws by intentionally attacking media institutions, medical compounds, humanitarian aid organizations and civilian structures. They have barred journalists from Gaza despite rulings from their own courts stating that to do such is illegal. They have been accused of using white phosphorus in questionable military circumstances. They have turned the Gaza Strip into a humanitarian nightmare. A number of countries have considered taking Israel to court of war crimes and human rights abuses, but it is dubious whether this will amount to anything. Worst of all is that Israel may not accomplish any of their goals, which is ending the rocket fire and disabling Hamas. As of now, rocket fire has not ceased. On the contrary, Israel is finding itself occasionally besieged on new fronts, such as Syria and Lebanon. As for Hamas, this operation has been so overwhelmingly and indiscriminately violent that even if Hamas is disbanded, it is likely that popular resentment amongst the Palestinians will only give birth to another radical group bent on destroying Israel. The only possible victory for Israel in this situation is for the Palestinian people to acknowledge that radicalism will only bring them more hardship and that they should reject Hamas if Hamas continues to reject Israel. But that's akin to Israel shaking up a bee's nest and expecting the bees to go and vote for a new queen instead of stinging Israel in the ass.
- Israel could also stop being such a douche bag to the rest of Palestine (i.e. the West Bank). Although it has repeatedly agreed to curtail the building of illegal settlements in the West Bank, extremist Israeli settlers continue to clash with Palestinians on land that has been acknowledged by both the Israeli government and the Palestinian National Authority to be Palestinian land. Also, they have yet to return the border with the West Bank to its pre-1967 condition. Unless Israel gets a handle on its own radical citizens and shows some good will, they risk the Palestinian people losing faith in the two state solution and, thus, in Israel's right to exist.

Follow the Leader! goes to Mondo

Mondo is a bi-weekly indie dance party at a lounge in Tribeca. We were there two weeks ago and had a pretty good time.

THE RUNDOWN
Date: Friday, January 16th to Saturday, January 17th.

Time: 11 PM to 4 AM.

Location: Don Hill's
511 Greenwich Street
Manhattan

Price: $5 regular; $3 with flier; free if someone gets inside and snatches a bunch of special fliers.

Drinks: $4 Pabst Blue Ribbons; $3 house rum cocktails; the prices aren't prohibitive, but it's retardedly easy to sneak in your own booze and a deli is conveniently located around the corner.

Music: Seemingly impervious to the deluge of electro taking over most dance parties, Mondo's DJ Theocracy, Dr Maz, Kevington and Miss Modular belt out indie pop, rock and retro favorites; a few of the songs we heard last time were...

Black Kids - I'm Not Going to Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You
Cut Copy - Lights and Music
MGMT - Time to Pretend

Crowd: Mostly 20-something year old, white hipsters that dance funny but, admittedly, dance hard; though Mondo starts at 11, last time we were there it really didn't get going until around 12:30; don't expect the claustrophobic conditions of a TMJ party; there's space to dance, sit, talk and, most importantly, breath.

ID: 21+ and they are pretty serious about it; government issued only; they scan your ID and take a photo of you so if you manage to get a friend's ID make sure they haven't been to Don Hill's before.

Coat Check: ~$3, but it's completely unnecessary if you manage to get there early and snag a seating area where you can stash all of your stuff.

Directions: E train to Spring Street; exit at Spring and 6th Ave; walk West on Spring until you hit Greenwich Street; Don Hill's is on the corner.

Pregame: ?; leave suggestions in the form of a comment.

A few photos from last time:

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)

Olek's Travel Log.

Greetings Draughters, from wintry Albany!

You may have noticed a dearth of postings by yours truly. No worries, I am here to cradle your heads in my lap and whisper tales of the Far North into your shapely ears. Now you may be asking, but Olek, why Albany? Well, dear reader, it is the capitol of New York state and I am being employed by the state legislature to assist a Senator. The details of my assignment are extremely vague at this point (with overtones of personal danger), and they are dependent wholly on my assigned Senator, who will be revealed to me next week (stay tuned!), and my ability to effectively work in this environment. In typical governmental style, I spent my first day listening to authorities list rules for a few hours and how they relate to us, a 3 hour lunch where I was supposed to socialize with my fellow interns (ok, maybe not that typical), and a 2.5 hour session of filling out paperwork (I opted out of the medical insurance and retirement program). I took off for lunch to read a book.

The book I read was Gravity's Rainbow (by Thomas Pynchon) and it still is. It's a very disorienting read, but I only just started and a full review will be available upon my completion of the book. There is a story connected to the book, but first,

Olek's Albany Survival Guide and Compendium of Useful Facts. Volume 1, Tip #1.

If a shady character asks you for the time, the correct response is “Sorry, man, I don't have a watch.” Do not take out your phone. This person does not care what time it is and is probably jacked up on all sorts of pills and booze. If you are caught off guard and do take out your phone, the shady character will ask to use your phone. Do not hand him your phone. The correct response is, “Sorry, man, I gotta watch my minutes.” I have been asked twice for the time by these fiends, it seems to be some kind of ploy localized to the thugs of Albany. This has never happened to me in NYC. Phone minutes are like a currency to these people [you can buy minutes for your Boost Mobile phone (who the hell uses Boost Mobile?) in the local $0.99 store (which isn't even a $0.99 store but I don't know how else to describe it)]. Remember when dealing with these characters, do not break eye contact, state firmly but kindly the stock responses and back away with the corners of your coat in your outstretched arms to appear as large as possible.

Now, the book was purchased in a hip used book store with all sorts of eclectic reading material stacked from floor to ceiling everywhere but the windows. I entered at a late hour on my walk back from Bomber's Burritos (the potential subject of my next O.A.S.G.C.U.F.) and shaking the snow off my head, I nodded at an older gentleman placing books on shelves. The place seemed empty. I wandered around, leafed through a copy of a Slang Dictionary, read the many different entries for bone (two pages!) and found my way to fiction. A copy of Gravity's Rainbow and a vague recollection of the title caught my attention. Next, a Vietnamese female by the name of Thao, pronounced like the Greek letter Tau, caught my attention. We discussed literature and Albany for a while. I got her number and she promised to give me a local's tour of Albany. Hopefully, I will be able to review Albany's nightlife by next week's update. Eventually, I went to buy the book and the owner of the store turned out to be a burnt out old man with a great deal of enthusiasm about books and a few misfiring neurons. He seemed like the kind of guy that you could learn a great deal from him if he could get a complete sentence out.

Well, that was my past two days in reverse chronological order. Albany is cold and foreboding at first glance, but I suspect that a bizarre, warm heart beats at the center of this city. Draughters, my mission is clear, to find this heart and stab it with a wooden stake, leaving a ruined shell of a town in my wake.

As always, I'm wishing you a bottle of scotch, a new hat and a diamond watch.

We Feel Fine

Arvind and I were watching this great pod on Current TV earlier today. It was about this incredible guy who has traveled to several countries. His journals were filled with illustrations of people and places, leaves, ticket stubs, etc. He recently began this website to highlight the emotions felt by people throughout the world. You should visit it: http://wefeelfine.org/.

Sex and the Cyber City: My Journey into the Unknown

One restless, uneventful night I decided to google random things. First I googled Lilo, then I searched for matinee prices in NYC (don't exist - watch Cinephile to learn more). Then my name and, of course, new vibrators. I don't know if it was me looking at vibrators or me overhearing an e-harmony commercial, but I decided to google dating websites. I was curious: What exactly happens on dating websites? What do these people look like? Why are they on these sites to begin with? Are they sexually incompetent? Are they all over 46 and half years old?


So I filled out a few questionnaires on various websites. There were so many questions. ("What is your best feature?" What are ugly people supposed to put down?) Thank goodness for my love of questionnaires. I put up a few decent pictures of myself and gave it a go.


Unfortunately, there is a price to pay for such services so I had to pick one. Apparently you can look for free, but you got to pay to make contact. Some sites make you pay before you can even see you match's pictures. That is what I call super lame. I picked the cheapest dating site, which we'll call "matches.com" to keep it anonymous, even though my friends met their boyfriends/husbands on the more expensive one, which we'll call "e-expenso."


I got a few matches, but all the guys I've been "winking" at are non-paying members. So I guess we can't do anything but "wink" at each other for free.


So where exactly am I going with this? Well, I just wanna see if it works and report my findings, almost like a social experiment. Well, it is a social experiment.


Let's continue like this: This is day one of thirty. So far I've been viewed about 57 times. I've been winked at 12 times and sent messages by 7 members. The majority were guys over my age limit, which is 27 years old. And if they weren't over the age limit they were just guys I would never be seen with, unless we were stuck on the same crowded train. Even then I wouldn't look at the guy. Sorry. I have high standards in the cyber world. Real world, not so much.


I did receive a nice e-mail from an attractive guy though, and a wink from another within my standards who owns his own company. Both are out of state though.


Findings so far: The majority of guys are old and ugly, most likely because they need this site more than the younger, cuter guys. Possibly because they are not poor college students and can afford to pay for "matches.com." Also, it seems the decent [hot] guys are all out of state.


My thoughts: Dating websites are so bogus, or maybe this one is, and I should've shelled out for "e-expenso." It is highly addictive, and I don't recommend it to anyone coming out of Facebook rehab. Let's just see what happens tomorrow.


While I'm at it, might as well sign up for millionairematchmaker.com and become an online dating whore. Is that even possible?


- Aileen Awesome

New Artist Alert: Fleet Foxes

The blogosphere is abuzz with praise for Fleet Foxes, a Seattle-based quintet that sounds like a barbershop quartet and a choir joined forces to start a folk band. But fear not readers! Arv has not fallen behind the curve and, as far as I understand, I am still "with it" and ready to bring "it" to "you."

I first heard Fleet Foxes when a commercial for La Blogotheque featuring their song "White Winter Hymnal" aired on Current. La Blogotheque is a new show on Current which centers on what they call "Take Away Shows"--largely improvised, one-take recordings of bands performing in public spaces. They're really quite something. Yacki, who failed to initially enjoy Fleet Foxes, did so after watching a video of them performing in an empty gymnasium.

Listening through the rest of Fleet Foxes' offerings, I came up a little short of my expectations. "White Winter Hymnal" is probably their best song and listening to it first pales everything in comparison. It brings together their unique vocal style with beautifully poetic lyrics and music that is simultaneously powerful and subtle. "He Doesn't Know Why" has the same strengths, but lacks the impact. Both have strangely wonderful accompanying music videos.


Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (mp3)



Fleet Foxes - He Doesn't Know Why (mp3)

My Stoned Crush of the Week

Lykke Li - Little Bit

You're a stoned fox.

New Year = Semi-New Moi

So this year has been a tumultuous one. Being 21 not only brought on the legalbilty (new word for the new year) of drinking, it also rattle my life with never-ending drama. It also gave me MTA-sickness. MTA-sickness is basically me panicking the moment I step aboard a bus/train causing me to a) puke or b) faint.

Here's hoping for a good year with less drama and license, and plenty of modeling opportunities so I can stop working for low wages at retailers.

Resolutions for 2009
-to pay off my debt, all $18,000 of it
-to get my own place or become a stranger's roommate
-to stop relating my life to films, songs, and books
-to start watching more films, discovering new songs, and reading more books
-to only get tattoos while sober
-to smoke more weed and less cigarettes
-to introduce potentials to family and friends after five years of dating
-to stop blacking out after two drinks
-to not get kicked out of college because of my ADHD
-to be the coolest aunt ever
-to meet Kate Moss somehow
-to stop getting my shit stolen

Hopefully it's easier done than written. Or is it vice versa?

-Aileen Awesome

New Year's Set

Due to technical difficulties (one motherfucking missing cable) I was unable to play my set on New Year's. Instead, I decided to spin it at home, record it and put it online for your listening pleasure. Enjoy.

Artless - 4

Track Listing:
1. The Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (Teddybears remix)
2. Mighty Mi - Electric Touch (feat. Steve1der)
3. Feist - Sea Lion Woman (Chromeo remix)
4. Brazilian Girls - Don't Stop
5. Chrystal Castles - Vanished
6. Gang Gang Dance - House Jam (XXXchange remix)
7. The Klaxons - Magick (Simian Mobile Disco remix)
8. Jay-Z - Jockin' Jay-Z (Don Rimini remix)
9. Mr. Gaspar - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger/Lava Lava
10. Chromeo - Needy Girl (Lifelike remix)
11. Cut Copy - Lights and Music (Moulinex remix)
12. Digitalism - Taken Away (Gooseflesh remix)
13. Redial - 45 Overdrive
14. The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go (Left/Right remix)
15. Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor (LA Riots remix)
16. Eve Massacre - Fuck the Kids
17. Madonna - Into the Groove (Sidechains remix)

First Post of 2009!

It's been a crazy year, Draughters! But we made it. I thought now might be a good time to start off the requisite resolution making. (And the subsequent breaking, am I right ladies?) So post a resolution or two or how ever many you may have in the comments.

Resolution #1 - Stop being a lazy bastard about my music. Actively seeking out and listening to better music.

Resolution #2 - Get into law school.

Resolution #3 - Finally get into shape!

Resolution #4 - Find a woman that appreciates my ability to belch and sneeze simultaneously.

Resolution #5 - Learn some dirty jokes.

Resolution #6 - Make up more resolutions later.

How 'bout y'all?