Thursday, June 25, 2009

1AM Update...

I can't write even include a fraction of what I'd want to. Hence why this blog isn't updated like it should. Why Twitter is, but of course not many read my Twitter anyway due to not wanting and the fact it's private.

I got so many fucking albums to review, rate, rank. I can't. I can't even..don't even rather have the time to copy and paste all the brief reviews and comments I've made on rateyourmusic.com

I'd like to BUY TIME. It should be able to be done, shouldn't it? But see, I'm not that disciplined..self-disciplined. I had 5 1/2 days off, and I only accomplished about 1/2 at most, of what I wanted to, and should have. Bought clothes, shoes of-which gave me a blister or something on my lower-right ankle today. Too long a story to explain. I dunno if I'll keep em, but also if I'll get over to Rosedale to exchange them anyway. The cackie pants I got also not exactly a slamdunk..but washing them may help. I swear tho, there's not a perfect fit, as -they-are-made-new for ME. I have a weird body/metalbolism..and need to start working out. Easier said than done.

King's X live review..hopefully soon. I never got to it tonight.

Got the new issue of "Prog"..$16..too high-priced..they need less content and more ads so the price is lower. Then after a couple years, try raising the price. The sucker will not be at B&N or Borders within a year if they continue to sell it for the price of a cd or some books.


Blech..but yeah, so go to my rym (SoundscapeMN is the profile) and somehow if I find the discipline, many of those albums can be blabbed about on this blog soon. Maybe a Midseason report will happen.

Movies too: yeah, so I mentioned seeing like 3 or 4 of them of late. I still have planned to see the likes of: "500 Days of Summer" "The Time Traveler's Wife" (youtube trailer insert here l8ter as I saw it just tonight. Thoughts: kinda meh, but I love the book too much to skip it) "Where the Wild Things Are" (looks surreal, Spike Jonze, and I had the book as a kid)..and some others like "Downloading Nancy" for example.

TV: Catching up on In Plain Sight and funny enough "Fringe"..I never should have stopped watching that show actually. Feels weird watching episodes from January now, lol. The weather then I'd take in a second over the sauna that is Minnesota (and most of the Northern Hemisphere I imagine) right now. Finished Dollhouse a few weeks ago..gonna hopefully finish Pushing Daisies, My Boys too, and then go on to The Unusuals and some others. Burn Notice and the new show "Royal Pains" I am very much into as well the past few weeks. USA Network, for whatever reason, keep scoring really high with me. It really is baffling considering how much garbage NBC airs too. Even the Jeff Goldblum "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"? ain't bad now with him and Julianne Nicholson. When in fact those 2 are on the episode that airs.

"Breaking Bad" is definitely a top 10 tv show for me. It was addicting. I should try and write more about it soon. I have yet to watch the 1st season too. I also want to seek out Malcolm in the Middle ironically. Frankie Muniz is kind of annoying, but Bryan Cranston is gold. His meltdowns get me every time.

Warehouse 13 on SKEFEE I will watch.

I'd like to watch Trueblood, but also would go for Anna Paquin to become a vampire at some point. But I haven't seen it. DVD's or Hulu maybe. I also mean to borrow or rent Weeds (being so into Breaking Bad among other reasons) and Big Love (I have always had a thing for Chloe Sevigny. Plus I think that is the show Nick Stahl is/was in).

Kiss Kiss mock-leaked their album yesterday. Haha..yeah, it was kind of funny for a minute. But their album "The Meek Shall Inherit What's Left" I better be able to hear around July 3rd-7th as I pre-ordered 2 copies. I'm almost if not more enthused about the show they are playing @ The Triplerock, of course opening, not headlining, for Fake Problems on July 12th. Nearly 3 years ago August 2006..Kaddisfly + 3 and them..should have happened. Hopefully that show will be worth the wait.

The Dear Hunter - Act III: Life and Death. I rated as 5-stars, but truthfully only heard the proper version yesterday for the 1st time. I may lower it, but I loathe those downraters on rateyourmusic. Realistically, maybe it finding it's way to rym's top 30 or 10 even was not there, but at least for now, I want to do all I can to help it. I think it's around 3.8 avg rating right now. It'll need a lot more 5-star ratings like mine to do so. But it sits at #6 right now on my personal list. After a few more listenings, I'm going to have a better idea if belongs up there with dredg and Umphrey's McGee or not. I have to say the last 3 tracks are ace no matter. The lines "but when we die, we die alone".."one of these days, he will learn to love again..one of these days he will learn to love again"..."..sad..they seem to be wonderful to close the album. A great goosebump section. But TDH are opening for mewithoutYou who I don't imagine I'll be too up for watching @ Station 4 on Thursday July 2nd. My 4th TDH show, but none where they headlined. The dredg paralells seem to be happening in some ways. Act III might be there CWA in terms of interest too. So maybe Act IV will be their TPTPTD?..who knows. A dredg/tdh tour could happen. All depends on what dredg and Drew feel about how similar they are I guess. It would feel kind of like the Ours/dredg tour in some ways.

New bands: 100Ft Snowman, Fluid Ounces (RIP?), Age of Rockets (this band is really good!), note. (I bought their cd already!), The Kris Norris Projekt..more to add as people know..I have too many. Plus I haven't scanned the likes of alltimegreatest, indie passion, we fucking love music and some others much lately and should.

here's the CALENDAR
Mew, Mute Math, Muse, As Tall As Lions (yes, their new song rocks on their myspazz), Born of Osiris, Porcupine Tree, Orphaned Land, Andre Matos, Midlake, Between the Buried and Me, Pain of Salvation (now not on Progressive Nation 2009..all of the 30min set they won't be there to play), Local Natives, Oceansize (EP), Annuals, Water & Bodies, Jared Micah & Hats, Self, Transatlantic, Menomena ...

In Vain = 2010

okay, that's all I have time for tonight folks. I could mention..I am seriously thinking of doing a babble-cast..call it that maybe. The microphone-to-speaker recording via Audacity (Picard..yes THE AUDACITY!)..I dunno. I have done them in the past, but I think, especially if I find a way to keep them like 30mins long or shorter, I could do them. Silly,..I know. Talking to myself, but Scarily, I actually enjoy hearing them myself, lol. And the web or I am lacking in more podcasts. I just need to find a way to play them at my office without having to pause them every 4mins due to all the talking nearby. Maybe Noise-canceling headphones solves that problem?

Monday, June 22, 2009

Hiromi

now after seeing her tonight, her, her band, and her music for me, works better live. But that's hardly anything unusual for a Jazz artist. I may find myself more of a fan now.

"Time Control" was 1 of the best parts of her set.

My take on her is most of her songs have some outstanding sections in them, but also have some slower sections that lend to being better live. It's like when I hear that on a studio recording, it doesn't get my attention and can at times kill any momentum. But live, my attention is more consistently focused on where the piece goes.

More than a couple of times she was playing on her keyboard and a piano simultaneously..ala your keyboard wizards Emerson, Wakeman, and of course Chick Corea. On another one, she was almost pounding up and down the ivories like hammer to nails. I'm thinking specifically of this 1 really funky song they performed. It was quite bombastic.

For someone who looks more like she should be playing classical, she was laughing and totally more animated than I'd expect.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Birthdays mean nothing for meeting women

at least for me.

Maybe it was just the way I was tonight. I hate the 7th Street Entry..especially on Saturday Nights. If I could have, I'd have chopped up the wiring on that dj's equipment. I basically spent most of the time at the show for Total Babe alone..then proceeded to leave. I then went to the Bryant Lake Bowl and bowled 2 games. Not a soul said a word to me. I did walk by the lesbian crowd outside 3 or 4 times, wanting to say something like "lesbians are hot"...which I finally did the last time as I was leaving around the corner and 1 of them agreed.

I'm intimidated by them..I totally have a cat holding my tongue around them. I think it's because I'm totally turned on by them, and am extremely scared to say it to them right to their faces. They wouldn't care I imagine, since of course, I'm a guy and they would get more from a neighborhood cat being turned by them.

It's always intimidating and awkward. A blessing and a curse I suppose; to be turned on and jealous of them. But then again their lives must be that way at times. But if I was in past-life 1, I wouldn't be surprised, and if I comeback as 1 in a future life I wouldn't mind/be surprised afaik.

Some fucking birthday.I guess it's good to know never to go to the Entry, ever again on a Saturday Night...and never to go alone to Bryant Lake Bowl..and preferably if I go there again, to go on a Sunday where it costs only $1 per game to bowl.

I did get mini-golf for free and saw 2 mediocre independent films: The Brothers Bloom and Easy Virtue. What is it with my birhtdays and mediocre movies? I wish either 500 Days of Summer or Where the Wild Things Are came out this week. But at least WtWTA is in October during "Oscar Season" so that may be nice if there is any shot it could get some award recognition. But so was Synecdoche, NY last year and did it get any Oscars?... of course not.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Local Natives

I just got back a bit ago. These guys still are my little brilliant secret I suppose, but they totally killed live tonight. I'd guess at least a dozen maybe more like 20 or 30 new fans were made in Minnesota. Verrrry much in the vein of what Annuals do live, with many members of the band getting involved in drumming support/jamming. It adds A TON of energy. They played all Local Natives tunes except 1, "Sun Hands" which they just released on vinyl, but was originally a song they wrote/released when they were still known as "Cavil at Rest." It was an awesome closing piece that some of the members of Blind Pilot, the headliner (who are about to start another tour opening for The Decemberists..who ironically are playing Mpls on Saturday at Rock the Garden, but not with BP) joined them on the 400 Bar's small stage. They had like 12 people on stage dancing, and drumming away to it, it was highly memorable.

Vocal Harmonies are outstanding live. They even have added a girl to play violin, which I guess she will be on their debut album "Gorilla Manor" when it does get released. They are still vague about it, but it sounds like they will either release themselves at some point, or sign with a label..that decision could be soon, but no later than October. That may sound kind of meaningless to those who don't know them, but for me, I've been a big fan of them for like 2 1/2 years now, hoping, trying to wait as patiently as I can, knowing how incredible they are. Highly talented songwriters and a great chemistry exists, and when I continue to see the likes of Animal Collective and maybe moreso last year in Fleet Foxes and 2009's answer in Grizzly Bear, I am baffled on how these guys are not even close to a fraction of as well known. But their album must be released 1st of course, and that time ain't too far away. But in the mean time, they've become incredibly tight, killer live band that now this being their 1st official tour (the show in 2007 was a special deal given they have some friends from MN, and even at that, only like 5 people including myself saw them at Station 4 that night), they may find their way back to our town again later this year. Annuals, Fair to Midland, Ours, now Other Lives..Local Natives belong in that company I'd say after the show tonight.