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Links and articles

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Sometimes I have a day where I’m given more to read and look at by friends online than I can actually process. Sometimes I’m busy enough during a given day where even two items are too many to handle. Yesterday was one of these days. So, I present you with the COPIOUS amounts of materials now:

  1. First, from Kim back in good old State College comes Mia Kim, aka Sukey Rose. Sukey Rose is just an indie girl looking to make her first album. But, in this cruel, financial catastrophe we find ourselves in, who’s got the money for dreams? Thus, Mia Kim is turning her first album into a project in which you can make yourself a stakeholder. And, from the sounds of her sounds, I think she’s going to go far.
  2. And, from the more serious side of things comes a really great article provided to me by Tara on the science of systems collapses. Basically, the researcher being chronicled, Buzz Holling, has found a way to distill all complex systems down into a simple concept. Birth, growth, specialization and collapse/rebirth. It’s fascinating to read this metaphor of a forest ecosystem and then apply it to the auto industry, the banking industry and society as a whole. A light read, considering its implications, too. Reminded me muchly of Stephen Wolfram’s 2002 book, A New Kind of Science.

Song snippet

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…It started when I thought that to be strong you must be flame retardant…

“Ampersand” by Amanda Palmer

Listen to this: Two Suns by Bat For Lashes

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Kate tipped me off the other day to the fact that Bat For Lashes – the British-Pakistani beauty who stole my heart with her riveting voice and remarkable videos – has a brand new album. Two Suns doesn’t so much pick up where Fur and Gold left of as it expands into a new, eerier sonic universe. Somewhere that gives the Karate Kid (see: “Daniel“) the chance he always never knew he wanted to do battle with bayou black magicians and giant, “Human Behaviour”-styled teddy bears.

My favorite track by far is “Sleep Alone,” though I was completely floored by “Siren Song.” It probably even lives up to its name, though no ships have yet crashed into the front of my apartment building from the mighty Chester.

I’m not the biggest fan of this cover art,
but it pretty much nails it.

Wednesday

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Who’s that over there
Looks like he don’t care
Almost lost his mind
Too much working overtime

Gotta get out every night
City gates are open wide
Gotta get away from here
Take that car and push that gear

He don’t need no one
He’s the rising sun
He won’t shed no tears
Got no time to break down here

“Working Overtime” by New Order

Best Albums of 2008

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Best of 2008 Banner

I think that perhaps we forgot to do one of these best of the year music wrap ups for 2007. Apologies! Inspired by Dr. Ladysounds over at ScaryGoRound and her annual Top 20, I thought I’d pull out the Top 8 of 2008. Mostly this was because it’s much easier to write descriptions of only 8 albums, but let’s pretend it had something to do with the year, shall we?

Without further banter:

Goldfrapp - Seventh Tree8. Goldfrapp – Seventh Tree
This album had me so very excited when I downloaded it. New Goldfrapp! Songs about robot wolves eating zombie babies while sexy ladies dance! And then it was…cheery and folksy. Friends, I was enraged. But, after the screams subsided and I was able to hear this release, I was sold. It really is the perfect companion to a Saturday in with a cup of tea. The videos for both singles “Happiness” and “A&E” are instant classics, too. I enjoy your little break, just don’t forget electro, Alison!

She & Him - Volume One7. She & Him – Volume One
Zooey Deschanel is adorable. She was the Tricia (Trillian) McMillan of my dreams in H2G2. And now she’s half of the equally adorable She & Him, a duo that released my #7 pick this year. You’d not imagine Zooey singing soulful, retro tunes like “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” but when you hear it, it totally makes sense. And makes you feel warm and fuzzy – which is probably what it’s like being Ms. Deschanel.

The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing6. The Ting Tings – We Started Nothing
Full disclosure: the fact that my sister is in this band does not sway my opinion. Talk about getting a style and running with it! Despite the fact that this duo is from Scotland, they really grabbed the stereotypical LA sound and didn’t let go. The result is a to-the-letter skinny jeans and tossled hair tribute to the left coast – with just enough Euro smarts to add some polish. “Shut Up and Let Me Go” provides a terrificly fun video to boot!

Uh Huh Her - Common Reaction5. Uh Huh Her – Uh Huh Her
With the apparent death of Cliptip and the fact that MTV plays no music videos ever, I’ve turned to Logo for high quality videos from talented artists. Uh Huh Her was well-received when I caught “Not a Love Song” but they really captured the #5 spot with their single “Explode.” The sexy video combined with the catchy guitar track and brooding lyrics was a perfect recipe for getting this album back onto my iPhone – and this list!

Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles4. Crystal Castles – Crystal Castles
The video for “Crimewave” (sorry, I can’t find it…it has a zombie, though) caught my attention one day on Logo. And then this performance from British TV kept it. I have no idea what the lyrics actually are and most of the songs sound like they’ve come out of a dot matrix printer, but I just can’t stop listening. And I suspect that was the point.

 

Ladytron - Velocifero3. Ladytron – Velocifero
A new album. From Ladytron. If you do not know Ladytron, watch this, this, this and this. Okay, now you know Ladytron – and why this album is so important. “Ghosts,” “Black Cat” (Bellatrix’s theme) and “Runaway” are definitely my favorite on an album that just won’t quit.

 

Hercules2. Hercules and Love Affair – Hercules and Love Affair
A controversial choice (because Dusty hates them) but I was completely smitten with Hercules and Love Affair this year. If you loved Antony Hegarty’s vocals on Björks Volta then you are very, very likely to enjoy tracks like “You Belong” and “Blind.” It doesn’t hurt that the videos look like high-budget fantasy sequences from Absolutely Fabulous.

 

The Presets - Apocalypso1. The Presets – Apocalypso
I cannot even count the number of times I’ve listened to this album during 2008. In fact, I thought that it didn’t count because it was a 2007 favorite. Friends, I listened to this so much, I thought I had owned it for an extra year! Be that as it may, I still get excited for each track as though I’ve never heard it before. Top picks are certainly “This Boy’s In Love” and “If I Know You.”

Ultra Bonus!

Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke0. Ladyhawke – Ladyhawke
There was no way I could go without adding in this latecomer to my iTunes Library. I had heard “Paris Is Burning” sometime closer to this debut album’s September release and then forgot to actually acquire it. So, though I’ve only had a chance to listen since December, I know that Ladyhawke will be filling my brain with sounds well into 2009. Defo check out “Magic” if you haven’t!

回転寿司 (Kaiten-Zushi)

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On Tuesday night, Kate and I descended upon our nation’s capital to attend the 20th Anniversary Tour concert that Billy Corgan was putting on for what’s left of the Smashing Pumpkins (read: basically everyone has left except Billy Corgan and he may only be there bodily.) The show was rather “interesting” in a “let’s see what Billy will throw against a drum next” kind of way. He did make his band play the Watchmen trailer version of “The Beginning is the End is the Beginning,” which was probably worth the ticket cost right there.

What’s more interesting than the show was our location and restaurant opportunities it provided. Because Tuesday was a national holiday, I was able to park us right at 17th St. and C, basically on top of the DAR Constitution Hall. From there, it was a short walk to Wasabi, a Japanese restaurant – with sushi on a conveyor belt. I think it’s been since high school when I saw an Alanis Morissette video featuring conveyor belt sushi – or Kaiten – that I’ve wanted to try this. And I was not in the least bit disappointed.

IMG_0214

We did discover something: our taste in sushi is expensive. We racked up a $43 bill in only 15 minutes by unconsciously choosing the most pricey items (denoted by plate color.) Oops!

Wednesday…

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All along the Eastern Shore,
put your circuits in the sea
This is what the world is for:
making electricity

“Electric Feel” by MGMT

Pins & Needles

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For awhile now I’ve been quietly dealing with a nihilistic quality in the very core of myself. Maybe I was consciously aware of its presence and maybe I wasn’t, at least not entirely. This little voice deep down inside has been there, always causing me to negate the value of things I really want to hold valuable. For example, I may think “Man, that is a truly beautiful Mercedes…the lines, the color, the presentation of the design language!” but my personal Nietzche will then counter with “Think of the resources depleted to build it and the money required to buy it…it’s destroying the world! How dare you care!” I get really, really excited about art and design and purpose-built beauty – but then find myself feeling guilty because of the impracticality of these things, or the attention they may draw away from what I perceive to be bigger concerns.

Of course, some things fall outside of this sphere. Love, friendship, family, humor, sadness, sex, achievement and learning are just a few “pure” elements that cannot fall victim to my analytical dissection. They do, though, occasionally get lost in the silt clouds as I muddy the waters with near-constant mental struggles.

How sad, right? How utterly ridiculous…how arrogant to think that it’s my sworn duty to worry about “the BIG picture” at all times.

Well, enough is enough. I can’t be rid of my nihilism – indeed, I think it’s probably one of my most important characteristics, one that creates a tension that’s extraordinarily valuable for viewing my world – but I can decide that some things are worthy of passionate exploration, devotion and interest. I think I’m going to start listing these things as they come to me and I’m not going to allow myself to question them.

Today’s items that matter are:

  • “the future” – as thought of by people who believe in rocket packs and jet cars
  • German automobiles
  • sustainability in the realm of the environment and the economy (not separable anyway)
  • games
  • the technology that confounds and defies what we expect – even when Apple is being evil
  • the sense of calm that comes from cleaning my apartment
  • a new pair of shoes
  • traveling someplace new and exploring on foot, in no particular direction, just because I want to
  • the first steps into a museum that I’ve never visited before
  • painting, even when I’m crap at it
  • listening to a new album and finding the hidden lyrical gems that will make me smile every time I hear them
  • designing something that’s wholly mine – and being a pain in the ass to protect it
  • spending the whole morning in bed and then eating a totally pancake-filled breakfast and drinking way too much coffee
  • watching an Almodóvar film and marveling at the wicked plot twists and character quirks
  • a straight row of just-planted grapes – or even a crooked one

Since I’m at work, I should probably stop and, you know…work. But, this list had to come out this morning while it was still fresh and felt important.

Frankly, I feel better already. 🙂

Lyrics of the Day…

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These stuck in my mind last night as I was reading in bed:

I stole the keys to the skies,
we’ll leave this place for the final time,
no crying words, no goodbyes,
yes tonight we’re burning all the tough times.

“This Boy’s In Love” by The Presets