The Mood Lights Make You Wanna Buy It.
In lieu of an official video, Queens Of The Stone Age have created a short advertisement on their website. In the clip, we're introduced to Bulby, a smoking cracked (not smoking crack... not on camera, anyway) light bulb with arms and a mobster's mouth sans profanity (come on, one f-bomb, is that too much to ask?).
Anyway, the real joy of this video is getting to hear a fair chunk of "Sick, Sick, Sick", a blistering little tune with contributions from the Strokes' Julian Casablancas. As you'll know if you watch, Era Vulgaris is released to stores on June 12 (read: not fucking soon enough), and on bit torrent sites everywhere sometime next week.
If not hearing a full song annoyed you, have a listen to "No One Knows", with hilariously misheard lyrics! Or not... you know, I actually sort of hate these things; maybe it's because I don't mishear the lyrics. Ah well, enjoy...
April 25, 2007
April 18, 2007
Blast From The Past
While we wait for what I'm sure will go over like Chinese Democracy (if you're lost, maybe you didn't read the full post directly below this one), let's get a little nostalgic, shall we?
While we wait for what I'm sure will go over like Chinese Democracy (if you're lost, maybe you didn't read the full post directly below this one), let's get a little nostalgic, shall we?
Still Rolling...
When I was in college learning all about radio broadcasting, I was taught to beware the "false ending". As you may have assertained from this, a "false ending" occurs when a song fades or stops cold (read: ends) before the song is actually over. The prime example of this is Matthew Sweet's "Sick Of Myself", which stops, starts again, stops again, and starts again before finally actually stopping for real. Now, in these days of CDs and mp3s, a false ending is fairly easy to detect. If the song's four minutes long and it sounds like it's ending at 2:38, chances are that's a flase ending, and the song is about to kick in again. That, or there's a hidden track tacked onto the end (something not commonly found on any track except the last on a CD). As for me, I trained on carts (which are like 8-tracks, but not really) with no timers, and that song burned my ass a few times.
Now that we have that useless lesson out of the way, on to what reminded me of it all in the first place. As avid readers of the site (both of you) may have noticed, my Roll Up The Rim stats are tallying up again, rather than reading "final stats". This is because I experienced a false ending over the weekend. The Tim's I usually frequent on my way to work is pretty much the only one in my area that I didn't get coffee at on Sunday. And, at all of the places I got coffee on Sunday, no Roll Up cups were given. This led me to assume that all the Tim's had run out of cups, and I capped my Roll Up season there, after a strong start and a dreadful finish (for those who kept track, you'll recall I had a losing streak of over 40 cups going over a three week period).
Imagine my surprise when, upon returning to my normally scheduled Tim's en route to work Monday, I got another cup. And, not only that, but I also broke the streak! I'm now proud to say that I've won two coffees in my last three, and that I'm creeping back up toward the 1:9 winning ratio that I was so far ahead of before that brutal, winless three weeks. Of course, it will all be over tomorrow, now that I've taken the time to write all of this out.
At any rate, I thought I should point something out that I feel is semi-important. As meaningless as it's been to keep daily track of my winnings on some stupid annual corporate coffee drive (that's not blasphemy, fuckers, it's seeing the coffee for the beans), Roll Up The Rim has had positive effects far beyond maintaining a caffeine addiction that is ever approaching lethal levels. Throughout the last 7 weeks or so, this inconsequential task of keeping my Roll Up record has given me an excuse to update this blog on a fairly regular basis (read: as compared to the last five years, I've been updating at a breakneck pace). This keeps me posting, keeps me talking, and keeps me in contact.
I'll not beat around the bush here; I'm more aware than anyone that I reached an all-time low in isolation as far as keeping in touch is concerned. I don't know if it was any one event in particular or a whole bunch in a row, but sometime between January and December 2002 I lost pretty much everything and everyone I cared to lose. And make no mistake; it's taken a harsh and permanent toll on my mind. I know that I can never get back to the level of outgoingness (?) that I used to have. Too many brain cells died in the Great Emotional Flood of '02. Between all of the things I've discussed and all of the things I've preferred to keep on the low down, I went through enough bullshit during that year to be fatal to some (and yes, I'm not ashamed to say I thought about it).
The point is, I suffered a lot. I'm not asking for pity, and I'm not making excuses. All I'm saying is that after all of that, there was at least a moment that I didn't expect to speak to anyone ever again, let alone be typing this for anyone in the world to read. With that in mind, it's kind of funny and incredibly satisfying to me that something as simple as a coffee cup can reopen the connection we've lost. Now, through this blog and Facebook, I'm seeing people I haven't talked to in years reach out and offer themselves as friends. And, even if it's only a scheme to raise their numbers, it's still a hell of a lot better than saying no.
It's weird; I had no intention of rambling on like this. I was posting the coffee shit and going to bed. Now, I've got my heart on my sleeve, spouting blood and burger grease all over the keyboard... and I'm smiling. I'm so emo.
Hey, that reminds me... new Pissing Vinegar coming soon. Good night, all.
When I was in college learning all about radio broadcasting, I was taught to beware the "false ending". As you may have assertained from this, a "false ending" occurs when a song fades or stops cold (read: ends) before the song is actually over. The prime example of this is Matthew Sweet's "Sick Of Myself", which stops, starts again, stops again, and starts again before finally actually stopping for real. Now, in these days of CDs and mp3s, a false ending is fairly easy to detect. If the song's four minutes long and it sounds like it's ending at 2:38, chances are that's a flase ending, and the song is about to kick in again. That, or there's a hidden track tacked onto the end (something not commonly found on any track except the last on a CD). As for me, I trained on carts (which are like 8-tracks, but not really) with no timers, and that song burned my ass a few times.
Now that we have that useless lesson out of the way, on to what reminded me of it all in the first place. As avid readers of the site (both of you) may have noticed, my Roll Up The Rim stats are tallying up again, rather than reading "final stats". This is because I experienced a false ending over the weekend. The Tim's I usually frequent on my way to work is pretty much the only one in my area that I didn't get coffee at on Sunday. And, at all of the places I got coffee on Sunday, no Roll Up cups were given. This led me to assume that all the Tim's had run out of cups, and I capped my Roll Up season there, after a strong start and a dreadful finish (for those who kept track, you'll recall I had a losing streak of over 40 cups going over a three week period).
Imagine my surprise when, upon returning to my normally scheduled Tim's en route to work Monday, I got another cup. And, not only that, but I also broke the streak! I'm now proud to say that I've won two coffees in my last three, and that I'm creeping back up toward the 1:9 winning ratio that I was so far ahead of before that brutal, winless three weeks. Of course, it will all be over tomorrow, now that I've taken the time to write all of this out.
At any rate, I thought I should point something out that I feel is semi-important. As meaningless as it's been to keep daily track of my winnings on some stupid annual corporate coffee drive (that's not blasphemy, fuckers, it's seeing the coffee for the beans), Roll Up The Rim has had positive effects far beyond maintaining a caffeine addiction that is ever approaching lethal levels. Throughout the last 7 weeks or so, this inconsequential task of keeping my Roll Up record has given me an excuse to update this blog on a fairly regular basis (read: as compared to the last five years, I've been updating at a breakneck pace). This keeps me posting, keeps me talking, and keeps me in contact.
I'll not beat around the bush here; I'm more aware than anyone that I reached an all-time low in isolation as far as keeping in touch is concerned. I don't know if it was any one event in particular or a whole bunch in a row, but sometime between January and December 2002 I lost pretty much everything and everyone I cared to lose. And make no mistake; it's taken a harsh and permanent toll on my mind. I know that I can never get back to the level of outgoingness (?) that I used to have. Too many brain cells died in the Great Emotional Flood of '02. Between all of the things I've discussed and all of the things I've preferred to keep on the low down, I went through enough bullshit during that year to be fatal to some (and yes, I'm not ashamed to say I thought about it).
The point is, I suffered a lot. I'm not asking for pity, and I'm not making excuses. All I'm saying is that after all of that, there was at least a moment that I didn't expect to speak to anyone ever again, let alone be typing this for anyone in the world to read. With that in mind, it's kind of funny and incredibly satisfying to me that something as simple as a coffee cup can reopen the connection we've lost. Now, through this blog and Facebook, I'm seeing people I haven't talked to in years reach out and offer themselves as friends. And, even if it's only a scheme to raise their numbers, it's still a hell of a lot better than saying no.
It's weird; I had no intention of rambling on like this. I was posting the coffee shit and going to bed. Now, I've got my heart on my sleeve, spouting blood and burger grease all over the keyboard... and I'm smiling. I'm so emo.
Hey, that reminds me... new Pissing Vinegar coming soon. Good night, all.
April 11, 2007
Crash Course: Bjork
Earlier today, for some totally random and bizarre reason, I felt like listening to Bjork. I don't own any Bjork albums, nor would I call myself the biggest fan of the Icelandic firecracker. But, after absorbing a few tunes, I became strangely drawn to her steadfast resistance to mainstream influence and her flair for the... shall we say, quirky.
With this in mind (and, if for no other reason, because her new disc drops on May 8), I've decided to install this new (hopefully reoccurring) feature.
Here's how it works. I'll pick an artist/group whom some of this site's viewers may or may not be terribly familiar with. Then, I'll provide a list of videos for you to watch as a quick way to get acquainted with the works of said artist/group. Kind of like the Spotlight on MuchMusic... you know, back in the long long ago when there were no commercial interruptions and minimal interviews, just videos. I miss the long long ago...
Anyway, here's a selection of clips from Bjork's solo repertoire (I've excluded her stuff with the Sugarcubes since who the hell remembers them?). Watch them, listen, and enjoy the crash course.
"Human Behaviour", from Debut (1993):
"Big Time Sensuality", from Debut (1993):
"Army Of Me", from Post (1995):
"It's Oh So Quiet", from Post (1995):
"I Miss You", from Post (1995):
"Joga", from Homogenic (1997):
"Bachelorette", from Homogenic (1997):
"Hidden Place", from Vespertine (2001):
"Pagan Poetry", from Vespertine (2001):
WARNING: CONTAINS NUDITY.
"Oceania", from Medulla (2004):
I'd throw in a video for Bjork's new single ("Earth Intruders", from the upcoming album Volta , but there isn't one yet. If only there were a way to listen to it...
Earlier today, for some totally random and bizarre reason, I felt like listening to Bjork. I don't own any Bjork albums, nor would I call myself the biggest fan of the Icelandic firecracker. But, after absorbing a few tunes, I became strangely drawn to her steadfast resistance to mainstream influence and her flair for the... shall we say, quirky.
With this in mind (and, if for no other reason, because her new disc drops on May 8), I've decided to install this new (hopefully reoccurring) feature.
Here's how it works. I'll pick an artist/group whom some of this site's viewers may or may not be terribly familiar with. Then, I'll provide a list of videos for you to watch as a quick way to get acquainted with the works of said artist/group. Kind of like the Spotlight on MuchMusic... you know, back in the long long ago when there were no commercial interruptions and minimal interviews, just videos. I miss the long long ago...
Anyway, here's a selection of clips from Bjork's solo repertoire (I've excluded her stuff with the Sugarcubes since who the hell remembers them?). Watch them, listen, and enjoy the crash course.
"Human Behaviour", from Debut (1993):
"Big Time Sensuality", from Debut (1993):
"Army Of Me", from Post (1995):
"It's Oh So Quiet", from Post (1995):
"I Miss You", from Post (1995):
"Joga", from Homogenic (1997):
"Bachelorette", from Homogenic (1997):
"Hidden Place", from Vespertine (2001):
"Pagan Poetry", from Vespertine (2001):
WARNING: CONTAINS NUDITY.
"Oceania", from Medulla (2004):
I'd throw in a video for Bjork's new single ("Earth Intruders", from the upcoming album Volta , but there isn't one yet. If only there were a way to listen to it...
April 9, 2007
Make Your Own Punk Rock!
For anyone who's ever been told punk rock was a difficult form of music to make, prove those suckas wrong by making your own!
The novelty wears off after a few minutes, but those few minutes are a rockin' good time. Enjoy!
For anyone who's ever been told punk rock was a difficult form of music to make, prove those suckas wrong by making your own!
The novelty wears off after a few minutes, but those few minutes are a rockin' good time. Enjoy!
April 5, 2007
Listen to Year Zero... NOW!
What's better than finding a leak of the creepynoisycool new Nine Inch Nails record (street date: April 17) on the internet? Why, being allowed to stream the creepynoisycool new Nine Inch Nails record guilt-free directly from the Year Zero web site, of course!
When you think about it, this an amazingly awesome thing for Mr. Reznor to do. In an age where every other week we hear about some rich bitch musician pissing and moaning about grubby little geeks "stealing" their music, it's nice to see at least one high profile artist that doesn't give two shits how much you're willing to pay to listen to their music, as long as you're listening.
With that in mind, I hope that the majority of people who enjoy this new record go out and support the NIN initiative by buying it. If Year Zero is a "hit", not only will it show that a lot of people still dig on cool music, but it will also show the grabass record industry what people like me have known for years; the internet is a good thing for music.
All that having been said, upon first listen I thought Year Zero was a strong Album of the Year contender right up until track 12, the brooding and wounded mostly-instrumental "The Greater Good". Not that it's a bad piece of music, but it does tend to slaughter the momentum of the album. After this point, the songs just kind of limp along and sputter out (with the exception of the truly excellent "In This Twilight"), bringing a lackluster close to a blockbuster album. All told, though, this record is by no means bad. In fact, it's quite handily the greatest thing Trent Reznor has produced since 1994's manical masterpiece The Downward Spiral. With a little tweaking in the sequencing, I truly feel it could have been NIN's new benchmark. Instead, Year Zero is merely a very good record, especially if you're a fan of dystopic subject matter, elaborate concepts (the sequel is due out sometime in '08, not to mention talk of a movie and all those crazy futuristic web sites), weird sonic experiments and shaking your booty. Oh, and fighting the power. Word.
What's better than finding a leak of the creepynoisycool new Nine Inch Nails record (street date: April 17) on the internet? Why, being allowed to stream the creepynoisycool new Nine Inch Nails record guilt-free directly from the Year Zero web site, of course!
When you think about it, this an amazingly awesome thing for Mr. Reznor to do. In an age where every other week we hear about some rich bitch musician pissing and moaning about grubby little geeks "stealing" their music, it's nice to see at least one high profile artist that doesn't give two shits how much you're willing to pay to listen to their music, as long as you're listening.
With that in mind, I hope that the majority of people who enjoy this new record go out and support the NIN initiative by buying it. If Year Zero is a "hit", not only will it show that a lot of people still dig on cool music, but it will also show the grabass record industry what people like me have known for years; the internet is a good thing for music.
All that having been said, upon first listen I thought Year Zero was a strong Album of the Year contender right up until track 12, the brooding and wounded mostly-instrumental "The Greater Good". Not that it's a bad piece of music, but it does tend to slaughter the momentum of the album. After this point, the songs just kind of limp along and sputter out (with the exception of the truly excellent "In This Twilight"), bringing a lackluster close to a blockbuster album. All told, though, this record is by no means bad. In fact, it's quite handily the greatest thing Trent Reznor has produced since 1994's manical masterpiece The Downward Spiral. With a little tweaking in the sequencing, I truly feel it could have been NIN's new benchmark. Instead, Year Zero is merely a very good record, especially if you're a fan of dystopic subject matter, elaborate concepts (the sequel is due out sometime in '08, not to mention talk of a movie and all those crazy futuristic web sites), weird sonic experiments and shaking your booty. Oh, and fighting the power. Word.
April 4, 2007
New stuff from John Butler Trio!
If you haven't yet heard of John Butler Trio, shame on you! Born in the states but living in Australia since age 11, John Butler has been laying down hot licks and writing simple, effective, funky music for over ten years. Now, with his new album Grand National finally out in Canada, he's taking his sound global. Ranging from the familiar (think Jack Johnson, but waaaaay more talented musically) to the unexpected (think bluegrass disco) effortlessly, Butler's new disc may not be ultimately as satisfying as 2004's phenomenal Sunrise Over Sea, but it's certainly more intriguing. Lay your eyes on the video for "Good Excuse", which you won't hear on North American radio for a few more months (if at all); it's currently zooming up the charts in Paul Hogan's turf, while we're stuck with the passable though painfully mainstream-minded "Better Than".
"Good Excuse":
"Better Than" (from some TV show in France, as his North American record label apparently decided that no official video for the band's lead single was necessary, and that they'd leave all promotion for John Butler Trio this side of the pond to me):
And, in case you were hoping to see something not related to music today, watch this sick ass new Die Hard trailer. Yippie ka ye, muthafucka!
If you haven't yet heard of John Butler Trio, shame on you! Born in the states but living in Australia since age 11, John Butler has been laying down hot licks and writing simple, effective, funky music for over ten years. Now, with his new album Grand National finally out in Canada, he's taking his sound global. Ranging from the familiar (think Jack Johnson, but waaaaay more talented musically) to the unexpected (think bluegrass disco) effortlessly, Butler's new disc may not be ultimately as satisfying as 2004's phenomenal Sunrise Over Sea, but it's certainly more intriguing. Lay your eyes on the video for "Good Excuse", which you won't hear on North American radio for a few more months (if at all); it's currently zooming up the charts in Paul Hogan's turf, while we're stuck with the passable though painfully mainstream-minded "Better Than".
"Good Excuse":
"Better Than" (from some TV show in France, as his North American record label apparently decided that no official video for the band's lead single was necessary, and that they'd leave all promotion for John Butler Trio this side of the pond to me):
And, in case you were hoping to see something not related to music today, watch this sick ass new Die Hard trailer. Yippie ka ye, muthafucka!
April 3, 2007
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