Jun 26 2008
To the entire Lawler clan — all my thoughts and prayers to you all. I'm truly sorry fo your loss. Here's a dedication of sort — I apologize if this is one of the 'goofy' Beach Boys songs your mom liked.
The Beach Boys — Wouldn't It Be Nice
Namaste.
Feb 20 2008
It's 4:00 a.m., I'm up all night in another random airport for the second time in 3 days, and I'm jacked up on a whole boatload of Nescafe instant coffee. This is the part of traveling abroad that they never tell you about on National Geographic Explorer.
Welcome to my fucked-up little corner of the world.
Nov 23 2007
It's been a while since I've posted any music up here … and even longer since anyone other than my girl and the occasional malcontent has read and/or commented this blog.
But for my own well being and state of mind, as well as to remind some of us that I do indeed listen to Ozzie music more than it would appear, I'm posting this song from Australian 'Granola' Band, The John Butler Trio.
Yeah, I know … It's kinda crunchy. It's kinda poppy. It's kinda 'Stuart Smally.'
But it's a really fun, catchy tune. And he's playing a banjo too, so there's that.
The John Butler Trio - Better Than
Oct 16 2007
Okay, just so you jackasses out there (not you, though … you and me? we cool.) don't think its all darkness and gloom and apocalyptic type shit going on in my head (cuz it is, … but it's not, … but it really is), I thought I'd go back to a musical post.
This time is a band that I admittedly should have paid more attention to last year, before I am now considered to be one of the 'bandwagoneers' (but I guess that's what makes 'bandwagoneers' to begin with, so whatever).
Great indie rock band, a great catchy sound, and it doesn't seem they take themselves too seriously (at least not yet) … and, best of all, the lead singer's sister is a professional choreographer, so they've got some really cool videos — like this one (which, if you notice, is done in one single camera shot):
OK Go - Here It Goes Again
Alright people, as you were.
Jul 25 2007
As those of you still with me here will have noticed, due to all my traveling, the focus (for lack of a better term) of this blog has shifted away from one of its formerly primary issues: music — new, old, classic, required listening, et cetera, et cetera.
Unfortunately, I know for a fact that I've actually lost readers because of that. And while unfortunate, frankly I could care less since I'm essentially in the midst of living my dream of traveling the world for a few years in search of surf (and clarity).
This is not to say that I still don't absolutely adore music of virtually every kind, and I've been fortunate to learn of some great new artists on this side of the world that I would have otherwise never have heard of. However, the one band that has been fascinating me for the past 1-2 weeks since I returned to Singapore from Indonesia is The Dismemberment Plan.
DP was around for about a decade, from 1993 to 2003, but they did a reunion tour of sorts earlier this year to the joy of their viscously loyal fans (of which I count myself, although I did not get to see them). And given their relative "cult" status, they never really achieved mainstream popularity and never realty made any videos (but for various, and shoddy, live recordings on YouTube).
However, Eric over at Can You See The Sunset From The Southside? - a former pro musician who himself has an absolutely outstanding taste in music and I would highly recommend to read on a regular basis to hear many of his current musical favorites — was able to attend, write about, and record the first of two DP reunion shows at The Black Cat in Washington, DC (DP's home town), the first on 27 April 2007, as well as the second show on 28 April 2007.
Eric has posted free MP3's for download on his site from that show. I would recommend you listen to all of them, but pay attention in particular to "The City" — one of the greatest melancholy breakup indie-rock classics of its time, as well as "The Ice of Boston" — probably one of the most clever, quirkiest flip-side of that same sort of melancholy.
You should, of course, listen to the entire set — Timebomb, Gyroscope, Girl O'Clock, etc. — but kudos to Eric for posting them, and boo on me for not referencing it sooner.
Jul 14 2007
It's been quite a while since … well, actually since I've posted anything, really.
But I know it's been even more since I've posted anything of a musical nature. Sorry 'bout that, kids.
That being said, I want to give y'all a taste of the music that I and others were listening to down in Indo. Yes, I know listening to acclaimed Hawaiian surfer/musician Jack Johnson is kinda cliche on an Indo surf trip, but frankly … the music simply works in that type of setting.
I mean, all you're doing is surfing in the morning, then you eat, read a book while listening to your Ipod, take a nap, go out for an afternoon surf — then rinse and repeat … for a month. There's a good reason that Johnson plays this type of music, and there's an even better reason why it's popular with the surf-travel crowd.
Look at this picture I took from Banco Banco, Lombok - facing west towards the volcanic mountain Gunung Agung on Bali. Then close your eyes, listen to this song, see yourself there on the beach, and try to imagine why you should — or could — consider working behind a desk ever again.
Got it yet? No? Try looking at the picture and listen to the song again.
Jun 06 2007
Despite all my bitching and moaning about how, after 10 years of practicing law, I've grown to despise the whole Western capitalist machine grinding people into bitter narcissistic drones, I still just love the work of Fred Wilson, a venture capitalist whose blog is over at A VC In NY.
I've written before about some great interwebbing stuff he's found. But the kid also has a great ear for music, as evidenced by one of his latest posts about The Kings of Leon.
To be honest, I've never heard of them before. But after listening to several of their songs - including the one in the below video - I'm with Fred, these guys are fucking awesome, with a promising (albeit probably "money-grubbingly" infused) future.
Kings Of Leon - Trani
May 05 2007
Feliz Cinco De Mayo!
Even if you don't speak Spanish, you gotta watch this video, the English portion is still awesome. The song is even better if you do speak Spanish (yeah, I'm guessing things ain't going so well for the United States when it's getting slammed by a Mexican metal/rap band).
Molotov — Frijolero
Apr 30 2007
Okay, I've finally jumped onboard last.fm's "neighbor radio" bandwagon. It is, as aptly noted by Fred Wilson, probably the best use of social networking on the internet - especially for music junkies like myself.
Here's how it works.
You join last.fm, download software that reports up to the last.fm servers every song you listen to. last.fm takes that information and finds out who your musical neighbors are. With that information, they create a radio station just for you that is like having your musical neighbors DJ'ing for you.
Wilson is absolutely right - this is the best use of online networking out there for those, like myself, who value their music, wish to advertise to others their favorite "hidden gems", and likewise wish to learn about unknown artists from others with similar tastes.
(Via Fred Wilson at A VC in NYC, who's got a good "FM station" selection himself)
UPDATE: If anyone hasn't noticed, one of the other great features about last.fm is not only how its stand-alone application allows integration with your media player (iTunes, WinAmp, etc.) to "find" the songs you're listening to, but that it also allows you to place a widget on your website showing your visitors just what those songs are (like the one I've put up on my sidebar to the right). Groovy.
Apr 28 2007
So, after getting entirely too intoxicated last night, logically what did I do first thing this morning after getting only several hours of sleep?
I went mountain biking, of course. Err … yah. Two words — Mis. Take.
Although things went relatively well (no broken bones), upon my return home I resigned myself to napping on my couch for the remainder of the afternoon (which has unfortunately come to resemble the vast majority of my afternoons of late), in a valiant effort to win the war against the alcohol in my system that had otherwise emerged victorious from our various battles earlier in the day.
Once back in the sweet, safe, and cool confines of my (for now) apartment, I popped in several movies that I've wanted to see (or at least sleep through), including one of the 25 movies made by Will Ferrell last year — Stranger Than Fiction.
It was a decent and cute movie in which, as usual, Will Ferrell gave a solid performance. But what i particularly enjoyed was the movie's use of retro-punk and mod songs from the late 1970's and early 1980's to set the tone. These are some of the most stylish (pun intended), yet still musically adept, songs of the era. I definitely recommend you check out this soundtrack for Stranger Than Fiction, even if you never see the movie (which you should at least try to do).
Among the great songs on the soundtrack is this song, one of my favorites ever from the band, The Jam (the precursor band to The Style Council). Both the song (with its great guitar and bass lines), as well as the accompanying video are surprisingly contemporary considering they were produced almost 30 years ago.
The Jam - That's Entertainment
Also included in the soundtrack are several great songs from the Austin, Texas indie-rock band Spoon. You may also want to check out this particular song by Spoon (which is not on the Stranger Than Fiction soundtrack, but still a great example of their work). I also recommend you check out the songs they produced specifically for the soundtrack.
UPDATE: I just saw this post over at the great music blog, Cable & Tweed, about this topic from back in November. They also have a few MP3's from the movie, available free for download - including songs from Spoon, Wreckless Eric, and The Jam. Check it out.
2d UPDATE: Rich over at Cable & Tweed advises that, "before I disappoint any readers… those tracks on C&T from the STF soundtrack aren’t up anymore." Oh well, it's still a good music blog worth visiting.
Apr 18 2007
I was going to totally rip on this guy, but then I found myself listening to the song over and over, and I don't totally hate it. It's quite catchy even.
Apr 14 2007
For those of you who do not know the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is coming up soon. This year it will be held at the Hartwell Areena in Helsinki, Finland on May 10th. The Eurovision Song Contest is like the World Cup, American Idol, and the Superbowl of music rolled into one. National prestige is on the line and there is probably more judge voting fraud involved than an Olympic skating event. For 52 years the ESC has thrilled and horrified people across Europe, and it is one of the few "European" events that Israel is allowed to compete in (don't ask me why).
Yes, to win the ESC is to demonstrate to the rest of Europe that your vocal prowess is beyond reproach, and you will have bragging rights for an entire year! Some of the artists are truly terrible, but some go on to become famous, like Celine Dion, and Abba. Artists come up with the most original songs and concepts to try to win this contest. I will give you a demonstration of this devastating event here, with Sweden's 2000 entry of Roger Pontare. Bonus for wearing a Native American costume and for singing in English.
Apr 04 2007
Good grief, I'm not even out of the country yet and these fuckers are already posting about hermaphrodites, kittens, snakes and hookers.
Ahh, the substantive journalistic stylings of "my friends." Thanks so much, guys.
On that note, I'm putting up this last post before I leave you all on your own for the next couple of weeks.
This is a great song from Swedish/Argentine singer-songwriter, José González. In addition to being a talented guitarist, González has a uniquely delicate and eerie voice, reminiscent of the late British folk artist of the early 1970's, Nick Drake (think "Pink Moon" from the Volkswagen commercial). González has been around for a few years now, but only recently got some increased, and well-deserved, notoriety last year after Zero 7 mixed his vocals (including this one) into their latest album, The Garden. Take a listen.
José González - Crosses
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna open the ward room window and climb on out before they give me a pre-frontal lobotomy and Chief TK has to smother me with a god-damn pillow.
Mar 29 2007
I really don't know where to begin with this one. I really don't.
While driving home the other night with a friend, we were listening to the preeminent hp-hop/rap song of all time — Rapper's Delight by the "Sugerhill Gang." I hadn't listened to it in a while, and I had forgotten just how damn good that song is.
That got me thinking about about why, for all the other music I've discussed on this site, I haven't posted about any good hip-hop/rap music that's been released lately. Not just decent hip-hop, but that same amazing, driving hip-hop that started the industry.
The thought slipped my mind until today, when I saw this article over at The Seminal about how "Hip Hop Isn’t Dying, It Just Sucks."
The author of that article makes some very good points, many of which I unconsciously have been thinking since about …. oh, June 1992.
He pointed out how the rap scene right now is chaotic, without any unity or artistic purpose; it’s just people trying to get rich.
He pointed out how hip hop, as a musical art-form, just isn’t living up to musical standards; how it’s just plain bad.
I agree with him on those, and many of his other points. However, the author also notes:
It takes a lot to “kill” a genre of music. People have been writing about the end of rock and rap since the day they were created. I’m not saying hip hop is dying or dead.
With this I disagree. Rap and hip-hop music is dead. Period. End of story.
And do you want to know just how I know this? Just watch this clip. It's one of the most disturbing videos you'll ever see next to Hayden Christensen's zombie-like portrayal of Darth Vader in Star Wars, or a commercial for fat-free mayonnaise.
Oh. My. God. Yes, rap is dead. As a doornail.
If you know someone who doesn't already hate the Bush Administration, show them this video. That should do the trick.
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After wasting 10 years of my life practicing law in the bowels of various soul-sucking law firms, I sold everything but my surfboards, a laptop, and a suitcase full of clothes. Now I'm traveling across Asia and Oceania in a desperate attempt to reclaim my soul.
