Recap coming later in the day...

Gotta let you fools know what I thought of this boring year...

Hi. I write here....

Buy some new music while I get my shit together:

Morgan Geist - Unclassics
U2 - How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
The Bravery - Unconditional EP
John Tejada - Logic Memory Center
Ellen Allien - Remix Collection

All available at finer record stores in your area.... and thats whats in my iPod right now...

fukced.

Thanks to Jason

Back from the Dead: U2+iTunes=postMTV

A large gap on this one folks. Apologies for the silence but as I said, if I had nothing to say, I would say nothing.

Lots to discuss with the most important being U2's alliance with Apple. Though not an exlusive online sale relationship, it show Apple's further march to be the new MTV.

Once L3 comes back from the dead, I'll try and produce some more words.

Fatalist Outro Music

While watching the movie, Mayor of Sunset Strip, last night, I got to thinking about my musical choices for my end of days procession.

I have no intentions of leaving yet, so don't be concerned ;)

Current picks:
Slow Country - Gozillaz
Les Amours Perdus - Serge Gainsbourg

More to come.

Casual music.

OK I fold. Finding that next breakthrough record just is not going to happen this year. Yes folks, I am back to the old reliable saying, "Music Still Sucks."

But like I said, I have given in and have become content with some "casual listener" albums that reprieve the industry (for now) from their misunderstanding of what I want to hear...

Defining what I consider "casual music" is a bit difficult but the following should give you an idea: easy, for the drive, background background, and pleasant for a moment.

Completely lost yet? I assumed the worst, so here's two of my current easy music favs.

Phoenix - "Alphabetical." Imagine Timberlake/Neptunes style beats with AIR-esque vocals and you get back excellent French pop thats catchy, and humiliation free. Solid for long weekend drive.

Athlete - "Vehicles & Animals." I initially labelled this new release as working man's rock, but its grown to be much more. Consider it a commended effort into the post-Britpop sound. Elbow anyone?

An old friend returns.

Of late, I have suffered greatly when using my iPod. You see, for the last 3 months I have been without my trusted Koss Porta Pro's, my darling portable headphones who's georgous sound overpowers its terribly dated look. As funny as they look when worn, I have missed their service dearly.

Why had I not just purchased another pair? Thats a long story, but the short being that I knew they had to be somewhere in the house. Lucky for me, the amazingly LA rediscovered them while doing some much needed cleaning.

Not only am I blessed with LA, but my old Prota's have been brought back from the lost.

Few new CDs on the iPod

I have nothing too interesting to discuss at this time, but I did add a few new gifts to the List. All solid releases worth a listen.

Avril Lavigne - A payola bee-otch

So maybe she is ignorant to the workings of her "independent promoter," but this nasty payola steam train keeps on rolling through commercial radio.

And they say the problem is the music buyer's not buying... well who the fukc would when you can hear it 3 times an hour, every hour of every day?

The New Yorker: Paying to Play

God bless Portugal and Erlend Oye.

So I am back from a full week in Portugal watching some of the best footie at the Euro 2004 Finals. As much as it sucks to be back, it did feel good to see the Portuguese pushing as a striving culture on all levels.

Erlend Oye looks to be ruling their underground sound right now. Not bad.

For those interested in some of my vantage point at the Portugal v England match, dig in right here.

My current rant in print

For those interested, here's my latest writings for Boston's Weekly Dig news rag. Find it FREE on every street corner in metro Boston or peruse the online version here:
Special: Me and My Adidas Do the Illest Things
(thank to the editor for that title)

Perlon wakes up Boston's electonic underground

This must be my month...

Perlon Records' own, Sammy Dee treated Boston/Cambridge to the new face of tech* by ripping up the Phoenix Landing this past Wed night.

With the help of live laptop set performed by Unlocked Groove's Scorcho, they woke Boston's eyes to the shuffle and swings sounds that make progressive tech some of the best sounding electronic music in years.

Call it a wake up call or simply a banger session, it was the best session in Boston in years! Hands down classic.

(For those in MA, catch the Unlocked Groove team every Saturday night at River Gods in Cambridge, MA for Peer Pressure.)

*Tech: an all inclusive term used in referencing the crossover of techno, house, and electro beats to form a more blended sound.

god comes through after punishing me for 5 months.

S/he finally came around. After a bad string of months where good music was as difficult to find as good weather, my luck looks to be changing and just in time for the ass romping summer that 2004 will be.

Music. With so much bad music coming out it became more difficult to siphon the mediocre from the terrible. Records moguls may complain of depressed profit... but really...fcuk them. Its obvious why if you look at the umbrella from under the raining cloud. Most new music is garbage. Sure, you get some occasional one offs that need attention but even then, why would I spend my money on "so so" releases? Or was I not exploring the right venues for finding music I enjoyed?

Last week, I decided to take some action. I started reading the review sites again. Not skimming the ratings but actually reading the full reviews. They shed some guiding light across our modern day hell. I've read them all from the old standbys to some new blurb writers that i had never explored. In moments, my purse dumped 40$US down and my ears were shown that not all was hopeless. Holy lord, I got to stimulated again by new music.

Details will come in time. As a promise to myself to be a bit more sharing, I'll be writing much more frequently here again while trying to not waste your time with space filler.

[op ed: Space filler was never my intention with dropform as it tends to be with most blogs. Reading about someone's daily trip the store for ice cream is only entertaining if they happen to fall on the counter and lose their pants in persuit of a missing nickel. Buying ice cream is (simply put) not inherently funny. Its space filler. It does nothing more than cause my news agg to inform me that you've spent the last 15 minutes cracking your head in order to piss me off in an hours time when I break down and hope to god you wrote something insightful (should I pull that feed from the agg? Yes. I'm doing so now).]

But as I write more about the state of my head, I may occasionally get the "ice cream syndrome." At that time, please fcuking remind me of what a twat I've become.

Anyways, as a short starter: Buy The Streets "A Grand Don't Come for Free." Truly, its better than his freshman release. Don't hold back because the name is now synonymous with the pre-grimy, 2step era of British rap. Buy it because unlike most new music, this record is sheer honesty. Oi.

Also, seeing as music sucks right now, I bought some classics. Check the list.

Big fcuking silence.

As to why? Would it revolve around the lack of a solid internet connection for the last month? Would it also include having no proper workspace? After a serious break,I finally got my shit in order... and my CDs out of the brown paper holding them hostage. Sound system is in.
Writing will commence. Pronto.

Listening to: Magical Mystery Tour. Beats Lil Jon's puss mouth.

Comfort Music

To the End - Blur (via Parkilife)
Auctioneer! (Another Engine) - REM (via Fables....)
Slow Country - Gorillaz (via Gorillaz)
Bones - Radiohead (via The Bends)
Dont Mix Your Drinks - Elbow (via Asleep in the Back)
Sugarman - The Free Association (via D. Holmes)

More later...

Chinese Democrazy

Moving is always a pain in the ass, and made even more frenzied when
a. youre CD's are packed away
b. your iPod battery is dead and
c.you cannot find the charger nor a firewire cable.

Beyond the hassle of packing and losing control of where things are, is the mundane task of changing your address. One of the first items I changed mailing for was our delivery of the Wall Street Journal. Its a daily reader that I cannot be without (have I mentioned that they seem to have a music download or iPod related story almost weekly?).

Forwarding my WSJ daily has had an odd bonus addition. I now have a copy of the Chinese Daily Journal delivered as well... daily.



You may ask if the former owners of our new pad were Chinese. Unfortunately no. More likely than not, they think I am Chinese and in need of another 80 pages of skim material or they're simply mis-delivering it. Being that we're 2 weeks deep into this double dutch of news, its hard to believe that the true owner of this paper has not called to complain.

Its also important to relate how differen the published images on the front of the World Journal are compared to normal English US paper. The photos from Iraq seem harsher and to the point. Risk taking in news is a good thing.

Evidence of Polyurethane Ravers in the 50's

As much as I hate cleaning up someone else's shit, I love finding gems like this in my new basement. Ladies and gentleman, evidence that even in the late 50's, those dance parties knew how to use the "varnish" the right way. I smell gabber.



But seriously... what the hell is this? Was Sears selling floor varnish to the "My Three Sons" crowd or was this a subtle way of enticing your pops into shining those floors to keep the kids home dancing? Its an awfully impressive image for sure and definitely less boring than today's average paint can.

The only scary thing is that this gallon jug still has some liquid motion within it. Any lead in there?

And yes, that is a legitimate bag of store bought paper mache powder to the left.

Past The List

Finally got around to putting the 2002 and 2003 Lists up. Check the right.

Also, for all the syndicated feedster fools, I added a tasty Atom Feed.

Keep that hate mail coming on the Eurohaus post. Never has a post generated so much angst and shame on me.

Eurohaus Gems a Go Go ... to the Trash!

As I prepare to move to my new home just down the street, I again, torture myself into clearing out some old unneeded music. Its a difficult task, but it needs to be done every so often so that i can feed family and friends with unwanted gems.

Today I found the ultimate gem of glitz and glamour:



Holy shit! My M80 days return! A true Discomagic classic. Supertrack & DJ Company's remake of The Cutting Crew's "(I Just) Died in Your Arms Tonight." A disturbing Eurotrash anthems for all to dance and enjoy.

Clearly recorded near the far end of Italodisco's late 90's revival, Supertrack do nothing more but remake a true 80's classic to sound possessively nasal. Though nothing was gained from its 1993 release, I do take pride in having the pleasure of sharing with you some of the purest shit ever made. Labelling it Italohouse would be unfit as the tempo falls more into line with "uplifting Eurohaus" (obvious contradiction), a genre that profited from fast to market remakes of modern day pop hits. I even recall Coca Cola Theme being re-made into a hands in the air classic.

For those interested in more info on this Discomagic release, visit Discogs.com where we can be further reminded of its tasty details.

Feel free to email me for crispy AAC rips of this should have been forgotten crappic.

Worse than my admittance to owning this CD is the shame in knowing there are more like it. I'll have to dig up and share some of my infamous ZYX classics.

js, you love this!

J-sus. I didnt even notice that annoying banner at the top of this page. Time to spill the wallet and pay for some cleaner looks.

TV on the Radio Full Length debut out today

One of my favorite new prospects, TV on the Radio in music released their first full length debut, "Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes" on Touch and Go.

This Brooklyn trio is sure to make an impact in the coming months. Buy it today.

Whats on your iPod?

Someday I will make this link permanent.

On my IPod.

Oh. May I add that the latter portion of Laurent's session, melds the wellness of jazzy dnb as well?

Quick link: Montreux Jazz Fest 2003 Archive

Bless the Swiss for this excellent high quality archive from this past summer.

Featuring sessions from the likes of Radiohead, Laurent Garnier, Ellen Allien, Mogawi, The Roots and simply many many more...

If you listen to anything, listen to Laurent's nasty DJ session! It is indeed *a rare treat* for all to hear and see him DJ, if not simply for the fact that it runs the gamut of classic LG techno. Laurent Garnier is the *master* of funky and ass shaking beats that made this genre what it is.

A must listen for all those who know what the soul of classic techno is. Tribal, funky, latin... the *Holy Grail* of techno. "Jack your Body."

Montreux Jazz Festival 2003 - Videos. (requires: Real Player) - and props to tno for this find)

Winter Roadbump

I have hit a dark stumbling block in my daily listening participation.

The last two months of winter have droned me to musical submission. I work what many consider to the be the superior schedule: Noon-8p. For night howls (which I still consider myself), it supposedly allows us the freedoms of late mornings and late evenings, but recently, it has caused me a much shorter day than I care to have.

I end up waking myself at 10am, spending an hour prepping for work, going to work, and end up taking the subway to Davis Square in the pitch black of night. Once I enter my apt., I eat dinner, sit on the couch, try to read the WSJ, and tend to fall asleep. Normal for some, but awfully boring for my musical satisfaction.

Lets get back to that T ride and the black nightfall. Dark walks lead my ears to prefer dark and drony music. I have my fair share of somber favorites, but being as its the only time I listen to music alone, I am walking myself home from Davis in a gloom of musical despair. The Darkness it is not.

Trust me, I have tried to tune the iPod to some happy and positive vibes (Dr Dre - The Chronic) but none of that happy shit keeps me focused like the drone. In fact, my ears tire in the dark when I attempt to listen outside of the gloomy prog rock. A personal dilemma it is becoming.

Group question: Am I the only person who's music flavor is compressed to one measly format when the weather gets dark or am I falling into a bad case of seasonal disorder? I really need to know...

(For the record: I am an avid snowboarder and love the cold; but the lack of daylight disrupts me more than any seasonal changes. Spring could not come soon enough for me...)

I have a good deal to say and talk about right now... but not exactly right now. Wanted to fire a quick post to those sending emails of concern. Have no fear.. i got some new music and words on the way ....

Howard Dean Mashed Up

I got bored. Dean in the Jungle
Enjoy and pass it along.

Instead of verbally assaulting the year that was, how about we send it off with some music?
Below is an allocation of my favorite song tracks from albums released in 2003 (and some late late 2002 entries). You're not going to find many as singles, but many albums (listed in brackets) should be easy to hunt down via Amazon or finer music stores worldwide.


In no particular order whatsoever (sort of):

- Late - Donna Regina [Late]

- Black Math - The White Stripes [Elephant]

- Lover's Spit - Broken Social Scene [You Forgot it in People]

- Anthems For A Seventeen Year-Old Girl - Broken Social Scene [You Forgot it in People]

- Self Help - Turin Brakes [Ether Song]

- Releases Your Body/Ghost Train (Accapella) - Kaito

- Killing - The Rapture [Echoes]

- The Coming Of Spring - The Rapture [Echoes]

- Backdrifts - Radiohead [Hail to the Thief]

- Go to Sleep - Radiohead [Hail to the Thief]

- Track 3 - off one of Sileni's fall/winter demo tape

- Every Day & Every Night - Tosca [Dehli9]

- Wintermute (Burger/Voigt Mix) - Phong Sui [Kompakt Total 5]

- Caravan - Blur [Think Tank]

- Out Of Time - Blur [Think Tank]

- Waiworinao - Ricardo Villalobos [Alcachofa]

- Emotion (M.Mayer Mix) - Paul Nazca [Schaffelfieber 2]

- Snooks (Progress Report) - Elbow [Cast of Thousands]

- Big Sur - The Thrills [So Much For The City]

- I Miss You Now - Stereophonics [You Gotta Go There...]

- Hard Row - The Black Keys [Thickfreakness]

- Take It Or Leave It - JET [Get Born]

- Ha Ha High Babe - BRMC [Take them On...]

- The Golden Path - Chemical Bros. & The Flaming Lips

- Jezebell - Dizzie Rascal [Boy in Da Corner]

- Hey Now - Outkast [Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below]

- Light Your Ass On Fire - The Neptunes feat. Busta Rhymes [The Clones]

- Rock Your Body - Justin Timberlake [Justified]

- The Seed 2.0 - Cody Chestnutt and the Roots [Phrenology]

- Anything off Pete Rock's Hip Hop Underground Classics