The first three seconds…”YES YES!!”. Sound familiar? Man I sound fucking annoying. This was probably the result of my $23 Cran & Vodka that night. It’s kind of weird to hear your presence when you least expect it…I was just trying to find if anybody captured “Stay Gold” at the concert and I came across this. Good looks cameraman for catching that.
Enjoy the ill piano on this kinda dreary Thursday afternoon.
Categories: Music
Tagged: I post about Utada way too much.
Tuesday’s Releases:
Punch-Out!! (Wii)
UFC 2009: Undisputed (XB360)
Eminem – Relapse
Method Man & Redman – Blackout 2
I’ll probably pass on Blackout 2. Any musical sequels to albums (see Z, Jay – Blueprint 2) are usually awful. The Eminem CD has 2 bonus tracks that I don’t have yet, and they’re actually quite good so I think I’ll get that to show my support. The UFC 2009 demo on Live is king-sized, and I can see some epics being created online between my friends and I. And finally, Punch-Out!! is getting some very good reviews and I love reliving my childhood so I’ll probably be headed over to Target later with a handful of media & regret.
And by the way, if the Kings pick any lower than #2, don’t expect me to post anytime soon. I’ll be swinging from a shower rod somewhere.
RICKY RUBIO DEFENSE FORCE, ASSEMBLE!
It’s been too long, Mr. Mathers. I dismissed the corny singles that were released, because well…you always put out some corny singles. I knew the bread and butter would be on the album, and once again this seems to be the case.
Don’t be swayed by We Made You & Crack a Bottle. Tracks like Underground and Beautiful are classic Em – the storytelling is on point, the flow is magical, and as a listener you feel like you’re on some kind of warped journey through the mind of one of the best lyricists ever. And that’s what I appreciate most about Eminem as an emcee - you feel personally involved with his tracks, whereas most rappers put out tracks that leave you feeling rather pedestrian. I can relate to shortcomings and self-loathing, but not so much the aggrandized lifestyle of the popular rappers these days.
…and this officially marks the return of the backpacker. Let me throw on my Hiero hoodie and call it a day.
Protip: Obtain DJ Neil Armstrong’s Bittersweet. Use your credit card or your Google-Fu and track down this mix. I know I’m late to the party, but forget about that. If you’re driving with your significant other, or a girl you’re dating, or a girl you’re trying to date, bump this album in the car. Play it in your room. Write the lyrics down for every song that’s covered on the mix like the guy in the Boyz II Men video and give it to her. I guarantee you’ll get some…props. You ever heard Stevie Wonder blended with the Clipse? Yeah that’s right, you haven’t.
I’m an old 24. I’m slowly learning about women – just like you, young lad. Here’s what I’ve gathered so far:
1) Smelling good is always appreciated by women.
2) You have to take them somewhere nice every so often.
3) They’re impressed if your sheets are clean and your bed is made.
4) They don’t like videogame posters on the wall.
5) Girls don’t like play-fighting or slap boxing. Sometimes they do, but don’t force the issue.
6) Cool girls like shows and movies with guns and/or violence.
7) Cool girls are rare as hell. If you have one, keep her.
Categories: Music
Tagged: DJ Neil Armstrong
I know I’m super late to the party. Not even fashionably.
After a couple of weeks debating on whether to get a Nano or a Classic, I sprang for an iPod Touch. A 16GB to be exact. Something about that 3″ (pause) screen just sorta lulled me into becoming a Mac drone and handing the annoying cashier at Best Buy my card. By no means was it a necessity, but…AMERICA F YEA AMIRITE? I’m pretty impressed with the interface, and everything so far is a cinch to use. So far I’ve downloaded a demo of Time Crisis which looks pretty good but sucks gameplay wise, and a button that when pressed spouts “That’s What She Said.” I watched some music videos on the YouTube application and used Safari to look at “very naiiiiice” pictures. I loaded The Best of Roger & Zapp on my playlist.
So far I’m feeling pretty good about my purchase.
The morning was marked with a change of routines today as I was gathering all of my daily essentials. Wallet, badge, phone – check. And now, the front left pocket is occupied by a device that’ll further zone me out of reality. With the rising popularity of Twitter and Facebook, lately I’ve felt like people have integrated technology too deeply into their personal lives. Shoot, I’m a walking example of that in some ways. But it truly frightens me that people have applications that let others track where they are via GPS technology, or that Twitter users seem to feel that their daily on-goings need to be published and shared to their followers. I guess I’m being a bit of a hypocrite seeing as I’m constantly seeking the latest information on my hobbies on forums and blogs, but I rationalize that behavior by feeling that the content I’m absorbing is at least substantive. I can’t say the same about the content I’ve seen on Twitter. It’s probably just a sign of the times that I’m starting to become out of touch with a lot of things.
At least the walks to my car will be a lot more entertaining. You’re welcome, Apple.
Categories: Music · Musings
Tagged: iPod, Time Crisis
If there’s one thing I find true joy in, it’s expanding my musical tastes. I’ve been out of the music loop for quite a while now (R.I.P Oink), and for the past couple of weeks I’ve been scouring the internet for good music. So far I’ve found hiphop fused with Nintendo soundtracks, the new Dream album (which is pretty good), and m-flo which has been pretty hit and miss for the most part.
I stumbled over this group from the Philippines that goes by the name of Up Dharma Down, and for the past day or so I haven’t stopped playing back their tracks over and over again. To me, they sound kind of like Portishead but I haven’t listened to too much Portishead so I’m not sure if that analogy will hold. It’s Filipino electronica/rock if I had to categorize it, but more on the rock side. There. UDD paints a pretty lush midtempo soundscape, and their arrangements are fairly dynamic. I think the draw for me is the lead singer/keyboardist Armi Millare. She’s not your typical Filipino songbird by any stretch of the imagination, so for all of you who are envisioning an overdramatic lady who goes on nonsensical runs during songs, you can toss that apprehension now. Ethereal & seductive – adjectives that I’m reserving for Millare’s voice. It’s incredible.
I’ve always been kind of apathetic towards Filipino artists. I mean sure, One Vo1ce is good in a campy way but that’s really how I’ve always thought of Filipino artists – Campy. However, the Filipino alternative scene has always been the draw for me, and Up Dharma Down has been a welcome addition to my iTunes library.
Good job, Philippines.
Categories: Music
Tagged: Armi Millare, Up Dharma Down
It's on record (rimshot)...she loves me.
In the studio.
Rofl.
Sitting literally 8 feet away was pretty nuts.
DDR game...not so much.
...but she's never played DDR so it's all good.
Cont.
Ditto.
!!!
Straight up exquisite. Real real realest talk.
The anticipation was pretty weird. What would I say? Do I smell? Is she gonna think that I’m a creep because I imported an LP of an album that I don’t even understand?
I really have to give a massive thanks to the staff at 107.9 for the experience. So one of the staff (Seth?) finally pulls me out of the waiting room and tells me that the label is cool with autographs and that they have a spot for me inside the station for me to watch the whole interview. My mind wanders and I start to think of all the ridiculous situations that could possibly happen…
Over the 20+ minute interview, she remains sharp when answering questions and I can just tell that she will outwit anybody I know. She’s quick. One caller from Minnesota calls in and asks when she’s going there to perform. Fat chance guy. The DJ then asks if he would leave his fiancee for Utada. He lies. Next caller who has the creepiest voice demands that Utada play Simple and Clean on acoustic. What an idiot. They talk about America’s obsession with the personal lives of celebrities and she talks about how she blogs about underwear she bought recently and I damn near faint. She does acapella portions for Automatic and Simple & Clean and I absolutely swoon. There’s no production tricks there; her voice is excellent. She then talks about her “underground” fans that know her best from her Japanese work and…
DJ: Hey like this guy! What’s your name again? Al? He imported that record from Japan and…
U: Wowww….Kudos!
All of a sudden the LP paid for itself.
So the interview ended and they cleared out the room since they were going to record her playing DDR with the staff or whatever, but now it was my time to get an autograph and from there our discussion was kind of a blur. But she did ask “…I was wondering who you were!”
A phrase that I will definitely dissect for the next couple of years.
One of the DJ’s wanted to take our picture in front of their logo, and so I walk over and out of nowhere she puts her arm around me and I’m sold. I grab the waist of an intelligent, musically gifted millionaire and she signs my LP twice, once with a heart and it caps off my meeting with a Megastar.
She was vibing me.
End scene.
Categories: Music
Tagged: Utada Hikaru
It all started with my boy Long recording all kinds of Asian MV’s onto VHS. He gave me his copy and on a weekly basis I’d be immersed in what the East had to offer in terms of music. Looking back, most of it was pretty awful and it remains as a blemish of sorts on my self-awarded music elitist crown. During my furious fast-forwarding, I came across a really well produced video that had this pretty adorable Japanese girl in khaki shorts.
I’d like to reference the “Kumiko Theory”, spawned by friend Richard in High School. The theory went that all 80’s babies have a thing for Japanese girls because of Kumiko in The Karate Kid II. We all saw ourselves as Daniel-San: Lanky, awkward kids who under the right tutelage could accomplish anything. Luckilly for Ralph Macchio, he had Mr. Miyagi. Daniel-san would of never had the audacity to fight Chozen OR go after Kumiko if it wasn’t for Mr. Miyagi making him wash cars or teaching him how to hammer effectively. I mean, I’m sure I’d be good at passing if my next door neighbor was John Stockton.
Anyway, back to my Utada story. Since I subscribe to Richard’s theory, immediately I was drawn to Miss Utada. First Love is a song I really can’t listen to anymore, since I’ve probably heard it 90,000 times since I was 17. It’s an elegant, albeit formulaic ballad, and it’s really my first introduction to Utada’s music. I dug it, and I’d endlessly be on Soulseek or Napster downloading album after album and remix after remix of Utada’s work. Youtube didn’t exist back then, so having to decipher romanized Japanese on these random fan pages to see when Utada would be performing on a show that I get three weeks later in America so I could tune in and record it was an example of my fandom.
I even have a pretty good (not really) story:
Utada used to have a section on her official page that let fans e-mail her. I doubt she read 95% of them, but it was 2AM one night and I decided to confess my love. Not really, but I just told her (I think) how big of a fan I was and then I left my number.
Fast forward 2 weeks later, and on a Saturday morning my Dad sees me in the kitchen and said that someone called the house at 7AM.
“Who was it?” – Me?
“I don’t know. Someone from Japan.” – Dad
I still am convinced to this day that Utada was in love with me for 5 minutes.
Anyway, to my main point: Utada’s 2nd English album comes out on iTunes in approximately two weeks, and I’m looking forward to it. A lot of the snippets that I’ve heard so far sounds pretty good, with others sounding like they have no shot in making any noise in the US market. Not all songs are hitters; I can understand that. On another note, it’s really really interesting to hear another side to Utada. A once demure, coy Utada in my eyes is now singing about hustlers and good mmmmmmph. I think I prefer her Japanese stuff more, but from what I’ve heard I remain optimistic. I have higher hopes for this album than her debut album, which is freaking trash.
You want to talk about fandom?
I have two copies of that album. One JPN version and One US version.
The US version remains in cellophane.
Categories: Music
Tagged: Utada Hikaru
