tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-159732802024-03-12T19:56:18.502-04:00sintalentosun blog de dj dan nishimoto. y la música.sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.comBlogger260125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-91346250702674387172021-01-01T11:00:00.006-05:002021-01-04T10:02:50.416-05:00Children of Misery: 2020 Sounds & Visuals<p> </p><p><iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?light=1&feed=%2Fsintalentos%2Fcruising-2020%2F" width="100%"></iframe><br /></p><p>Didn’t get around to doing the annual summer mixes until year’s end, so they’re fairly indicative of what I was listening to. Only did two this time (a road trippin’ theme never felt right for obvious reasons): <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/sintalentos/bbq-2020/" target="_blank">bbq</a> and <a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/sintalentos/cruising-2020/" target="_blank">cruisin</a>' jams.<br /></p><p>Lots of stuff from the cutting room floor was in constant rotation. Listened to a ton of Nikki Giovanni and <a href="http://herstories.prattinfoschool.nyc/omeka/exhibits/show/audre-lorde/audio-recordings" target="_blank">Audre Lorde</a>. Plenty of ha has from <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-P4-W9AIbo/" target="_blank">Jay Jurden Y’all</a></i>, <i><a href="https://oakheadrecords.bandcamp.com/album/who-the-hell-is-dwayne-kennedy" target="_blank">Who the Hell is Dwayne Kennedy?</a></i> & <i><a href="https://comedydynamics.com/catalog/maria-bamford-weakness-is-the-brand/" target="_blank">Weakness is the Brand</a></i>. Open Mike Eagle lived my (and I’m sure many others’) dream by interviewing Prince Paul for an entire season of <a href="https://starburns.audio/podcasts/what-had-happened-was/" target="_blank">podcast eps</a>. Was also great to learn about Toshi Reagon’s love of <a href="https://anchor.fm/oparables" target="_blank">Octavia</a>. And I’m always a sucker for fresh Mike Davis content, so this <a href="https://soundcloud.com/user-972848621-463073718/episode-174-the-urbs-w-special-guest-mike-davisyear-zero-4" target="_blank">trillbilly chat</a> was a treat. <br /></p><p>The best thing I saw—not just in 2020, but in a while—is a generation of youths have a collective lightbulb moment about our carceral culture. Fucked up, f’sure, but happy they have a better sense of how off-course the ship is and where they need to steer it towards.</p><p>Otherwise, I didn’t see much worth writing about. We didn’t have the pandemic experience of tucking in and learning new skills or some shit. The main things I ‘watched’ were listenable (and, quite often, tried & true) videos that I would turn on as comfort listening while doing chores. So, loads of Desus & Mero (only the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7aIUJz-bBI" target="_blank">occasional</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NJ0S8FjypE" target="_blank">wormhole</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=280sA6JaRMI" target="_blank">detour</a>) and talking to <strike>myself</strike> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0ujXryUUwILURRKt9Eh7Nw" target="_blank">あっきーさん</a>. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sX7fqIU4gQ&list=WL&index=178&t=1007s" target="_blank">john powell & bell hooks</a> came correct. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjTiLodYG3Y&list=WL&index=181" target="_blank">Ocean Vuong</a> is ridiculously talented—and he’s sharing a stage w/ Jacqueline Woodson. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EDnK3Lcb-4&list=WL&index=189&t=3562s" target="_blank">Sophia Leung</a> ftw. Btw, I still think <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/show/SC2Nmg5ogbLVenKZ6oLYKIeQ?season=1" target="_blank">Problem Areas</a></i> season 1 should be required viewing for anyone that comes with that Defund the Police = socialism shit. And thank the content gods for giving us <a href="https://media.tenor.com/images/59f016a6e29601b23dbbefea28b3579b/tenor.gif" target="_blank">druncle ‘Kiss on the ‘gram</a>.<br /></p><p>Screentime generally meant family time, so we had lots of <i>アルプスの少女ハイジ</i>, <i>しまじろうのわお</i>, <i>Molly of Denali</i>, <i>Dr. スランプ</i>, <i>忍者ハットリくん</i>, <i>ドラえもん</i>, <i>テラスハウス</i>, <i>Hilda</i>, <i>ハイキュー!!</i>, <i>SLAM DUNK</i>, <i>Harvey Girls Forever!</i>, <i>はたらく細胞</i>, <i>からかい上手の高木さん</i>. We exported <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pia0iJLqzmA&list=WL&index=153" target="_blank">びじゅチューン!</a></i> clips (all of <a href="http://tanoshimida.com/" target="_blank">Inoue Ryo</a>’s work is highly amusing) to our constant delight. <br /></p>sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-36563206743129201232021-01-01T10:00:00.004-05:002021-01-01T19:03:47.526-05:00Über Everywhere: 2020 Words<p><br /></p><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IP7HajXJD3s" width="425"></iframe><br /></p><p>Read a ton of winners, re-read some favorites, so I’ll just mention a handful. I finally wrapped my head around Anand Giridharadas’ <i>Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World</i>. I’m slow. It ranks up there with Klein’s <i>Shock Doctrine</i>. One of the teens was learning about redlining while I was reading Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor's latest <i>Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Homeownership</i>. Such clear and focused writing on housing policy -- a topic that doesn’t garner much public attention, but should. I read Jia Tolentino’s <i>Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion</i> and Cathy Park Hong’s <i>Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning</i> back-to-back. Body blows, then gu(il)t punches. And Steph Cha’s <i>Your House Will Pay</i> is the best fictional exploration of the parallels and divides between Black and Asian communities I have ever read. It came out in 2019, but reads like a prologue to summer 2020.</p><p>I’m working my way through Wilkerson’s <i>Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents</i>. It’s a brick of a book, but she’s such a smooth writer. I’m remembering stylistic reasons why I loved <i>Warmth of Other Suns</i> so much. Margaret Chin’s <i>Stuck: Why Asian Americans Don't Reach the Top of the Corporate Ladder</i> is confirming what I suspected about career barriers against East Asians. Ijeoma Oluo’s <i>Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America</i> bridges my buddy Dave’s high school piece on mediocrity and the path to the promised land for the overwhelming majority of us who are just… ok. </p><p>It's not all non-fiction. Just cracked open Murata's latest, <i>Earthlings</i>. The trouble with reading such widely popular works is it's near impossible to avoid seeing headlines. Enjoying it, nonetheless.</p><p>Thank you, Daniel and Joel, for getting me into the <a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/God-Level-Knowledge-Darts-Audiobook/0525642781" target="_blank">audiobook gang</a>. Actually, what really got me into audio was N.K. Jemisin’s <i><a href="https://www.audible.com/pd/The-City-We-Became-Audiobook/1549119737" target="_blank">The City We Became</a></i>. The production was like the radio plays of yore! But Darts really broke the seal for me.</p><p>Anyway, here are the highlights from this year’s reads, in no particular order:</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Murata Sayaka <i><a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2018/06/09/books/convenience-store-woman-sayaka-murata-questions-normality-modern-japan/" target="_blank">Convenience Store Woman</a></i><br />
Zitkala-sa <i><a href="http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/zitkala-sa/stories/stories.html" target="_blank">American Indian Stories</a></i><br />
Jordan Ifueko <i><a href="https://www.jordanifueko.com/raybearer-series" target="_blank">Raybearer</a></i><br />
Brandon Shimoda <i><a href="http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100369430" target="_blank">The Grave on the Wall</a></i> & <i><a href="https://the-song-cave.com/products/the-desert-by-brandon-shimoda" target="_blank">The Desert</a></i><br />
Wanda Coleman <i><a href="https://upittpress.org/books/9780822961642/">World Falls Apart</a></i><br />
Kevin Young <i><a href="https://kevinyoungpoetry.com/bunk-the-rise-of-hoaxes-humbug-plagiarists-phonies-post-facts-and-fake-news.html" target="_blank">Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News</a></i> and <i><a href="https://kevinyoungpoetry.com/brown.html" target="_blank">Brown</a></i><br />
Young Jean Lee <i><a href="https://youngjeanlee.org/work/songs-dragons-flying-heaven/" target="_blank">Songs of the Dragons Flying to Heaven and Other Plays</a></i><br />
Theresa Hak Kyung Cha <i><a href="https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520261297/dictee" target="_blank">Dictee</a></i><br />
Lama Rod Owens <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CBiurD9gpeg/" target="_blank">Love & Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger</a></i><br />
Charles Yu <i><a href="https://www.charlesyuauthor.com/book/interior-chinatown/" target="_blank">Interior Chinatown</a></i><br />
Daniel Lavery <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGro7C9A-8A" target="_blank">Something That May Shock and Discredit You</a></i><br /><a href="https://utsnyc.edu/faculty/james-h-cone/" target="_blank">James H. Cone</a> <i>The Cross and the Lynching Tree</i><br />
Samantha Irby <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMPvSwRPBDE" target="_blank">Wow, No Thank You</a></i><br />
Kali Fajardo-Anstine <i><a href="https://www.kalifajardoanstine.com/" target="_blank">Sabrina & Corina: Stories</a></i><br />
H. Scott Momaday <i>House Made of Dawn</i><br />Roy Christopher <i><a href="https://repeaterbooks.com/product/dead-precedents-how-hip-hop-defines-the-future/" target="_blank">Dead Precedents: How Hip-Hop Defines the Future</a></i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
N.K. Jemisin <i><a href="http://nkjemisin.com/books/the-city-we-became/" target="_blank">The City We Became</a></i><br /><a href="http://www.acevedowrites.com/books-2" target="_blank">Elizabeth Acevedo</a> <i>Clap When You Land</i><br /><a href="https://twitter.com/macropolochina/status/1209604916941119488" target="_blank">Rachel DeWoskin</a> <a href="http://racheldewoskin.com/home/" target="_blank"><i>Someday We Will Fly</i>
<br /></a></p><p>And the comix I remember:<br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru <i><a href="https://geneyang.com/works/superman-smashes-the-klan?portfolioID=57124" target="_blank">Superman Smashes the Klan</a></i><br />
Alex Sanchez <i><a href="https://www.alexsanchez.com/you-brought-me-the-ocean" target="_blank">You Brought Me the Ocean</a></i><br />
Minh Lê & Andie Tong <i><a href="http://minhlebooks.com/new" target="_blank">Green Lantern: Legacy</a></i><br />
Mike Curato <i><a href="https://www.mikecurato.com/flamer" target="_blank">Flamer</a></i><br />
Robin Ha <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B-KkAN6BXj2/" target="_blank">Almost American Girl</a></i><br />
Damian Duffy & John Jennings <a href="http://damianduffy.net/" target="_blank">adaptation of Octavia Butler's <i>Parable of the Sower</i></a><br />
田中 芳樹 & 荒川 弘 <i><a href="https://www.arslan.jp/2/" target="_blank">アルスラーン戦記</a></i><br />
荒川 弘 <i><a href="https://www.ginsaji-anime.com/" target="_blank">銀の匙</a></i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The kid is on a reading tear. Still a lot of familiars: Raina, Dav, 鳥山先生, Adventure Time, Jen Wang, <i>ヨツバと!</i>. But the evolution is fun to watch.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Finally came around to comic strips, so doing the rounds on the classics: <i>Peanuts</i>, <i>Boondocks</i>, <i>Calvin & Hobbes</i>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Plus some more grown comix: <i><a href="http://www.victoriajamieson.com/books/" target="_blank">When Stars Are Scattered</a></i>, <i><a href="http://www.victoriajamieson.com/books/" target="_blank">All’s Faire in Middle School</a></i>, <i><a href="https://geneyang.com/works/dragon-hoops?portfolioID=57124" target="_blank">Dragon Hoops</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.lucyknisley.com/steppingstones" target="_blank">Stepping Stones</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.boltcityproductions.com/amulet" target="_blank">Amulet</a></i>, <i>Legend of Korra</i>, <i><a href="https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/primer" target="_blank">Primer</a></i>, <i><a href="https://afternoon.kodansha.co.jp/c/amaama.html" target="_blank">甘々と稲妻</a></i>, <i><a href="https://tezukaosamu.net/en/character/647.html" target="_blank">ブラック・ジャック</a></i>, <i><a href="https://jerrycraft.com/books/new-kid/" target="_blank">New Kid</a>/<a href="https://jerrycraft.com/books/class-act/" target="_blank">Class Act</a></i>, <i><a href="http://varianjohnson.com/books/twins/" target="_blank">Twins</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/18129600379010771/?hl=en" target="_blank">Goldie Vance</a></i>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Expanded some existing tastes: <i><a href="https://chibimaru.tv/" target="_blank">ちびまる子ちゃん</a></i>, <i>Baby-Sitters Little Sister</i>, <i><a href="https://www.shonenjump.com/p/sp/1606/hyskoa/index.html" target="_blank">Hunter x Hunter</a></i>, <i>ナルト</i>, <i>Steven Universe</i>, <i>Jonesy</i>, <i>Bee & Puppycat</i>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Chapter books are solidly in the mix: <i><a href="https://shannonhale.com/books/pib" target="_blank">Princess in Black</a></i>, <i><a href="https://saadiafaruqi.com/fiction/" target="_blank">Meet Yasmin!</a></i>, <i><a href="https://debbimichikoflorence.com/books/jasmine-toguchi/" target="_blank">Jasmine Toguchi</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.zoeyandsassafras.com/" target="_blank">Zoey & Sassafrass</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.nikkigrimes.com/books/bkmake.html" target="_blank">Dyamonde Daniel</a>, </i><i><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/1NW/julians-world" target="_blank">Julian’s World</a></i>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thankfully, still plenty of picture books: Margarita Engle’s <i><a href="http://margaritaengle.com/latambooks.html#havana" target="_blank">All the Way to Havana</a></i>; Julia Alvarez’s <i><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/2685/a-gift-of-gracias-by-julia-alvarez-illustrated-by-beatriz-vidal/" target="_blank">A Gift of Gracias</a></i>; <a href="http://duncantonatiuh.com/store/" target="_blank">Duncan Tonatiuh</a>; <a href="https://vaundamicheauxnelson.com/vaundas-books/" target="_blank">Vaunda Micheaux Nelson</a>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Some non-fiction of the fun factoid variety: <i><a href="http://www.evacomics.com/EN/books.html" target="_blank">A Manga Lover’s Tokyo Travel Guide</a></i>, Guinness Book, biographies, science experiments, how-to manuals.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Bedtime = comfy time, so the staples remain: <a href="https://www.ehonnavi.net/author.asp?n=1063" target="_blank">間瀬 なおかた</a> (<i><a href="https://www.ehonnavi.net/ehon/338/%E3%81%A7%E3%82%93%E3%81%97%E3%82%83%E3%81%A7%E3%81%84%E3%81%93%E3%81%86%E3%81%A7%E3%82%93%E3%81%97%E3%82%83%E3%81%A7%E3%81%8B%E3%81%88%E3%82%8D%E3%81%86/" target="_blank">でんしゃでいこう / でんしゃでかえろう</a></i>), <i>クレーンクレーン</i>, <i><a href="https://www.ehonnavi.net/special.asp?n=78" target="_blank">そらまめくん</a></i>, 日本昔話.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">And the partner did it big with <i>Educated</i>, <i>New Jim Crow</i>, and <i>On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous</i>.</p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p>sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-56761857731361686042021-01-01T09:00:00.010-05:002021-01-01T19:31:30.192-05:00Share: 2020<p> </p><p><iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/953360689&color=%2300ff57&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe></p><div style="color: #cccccc; font-family: Interstate, "Lucida Grande", "Lucida Sans Unicode", "Lucida Sans", Garuda, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: 100; line-break: anywhere; overflow: hidden; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap; word-break: normal;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/sintalentos" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="sintalentos">sintalentos</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sintalentos/share" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank" title="share">share</a></div><br /><p></p><div>...because no one is free when others are oppressed</div><div>so, we hit the stage and then we fly back to our nest </div><div>growing old</div><div><br /></div><div>~'dre 3K</div>sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-78191810029686711082019-01-01T06:00:00.001-05:002019-01-01T06:00:09.086-05:00Rise: 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/552275436&color=%2300ff57&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/sintalentos/rise">Get up, stand up, y'all</a>.</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-77616615420648509972019-01-01T05:45:00.000-05:002019-01-01T05:45:00.340-05:00Madhouse of Misplaced Effort: 2018 Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFO5R2LUxhwmt6yD1Fu_gyRf3qnjQGYQS_J05pFL0tgQo0YdzCgTWcWYoccmyTlVtAorr9wdOQnnnq53nbSQzVy0d7tjB39oerz5Q_2WQSouqlXrIBya2H1-EWa-e-JlNcqHc-/s1600/171-099-000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="766" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFO5R2LUxhwmt6yD1Fu_gyRf3qnjQGYQS_J05pFL0tgQo0YdzCgTWcWYoccmyTlVtAorr9wdOQnnnq53nbSQzVy0d7tjB39oerz5Q_2WQSouqlXrIBya2H1-EWa-e-JlNcqHc-/s320/171-099-000.jpg" width="245" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Credit: <a href="https://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/collection/171/099">Lester S. Levy Sheet Music Collection</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Non-fiction remains my jam. Pretty sure I read Keeanga Yamahtta-Taylor’s <i>How We Get Free</i> last year, but seeing how <a href="http://sintalentos.blogspot.com/2018/01/arrrggghhh-2017.html">that list</a> went to pot, I’ll start this year’s list with it. Mostly give it credit for shining a light on the Combahee River Collective, pluralism of thought, and having conversations with dope people. James Forman, Jr.’s <i>Locking Up Our Own</i> is like a deep dive after reading <i>The New Jim Crow</i>. And pretty infuriating when you realize that some spoiled rich kid thinks he has all the answers to solve mass incarceration.. and has convinced his dumb, racist father-in-law of this, too. Nico Walker’s <i>Cherry</i> is fiction, but feels like the drug-addled fever dream of our current American nightmare.<br />
<br />
Two works can be found in LAPL's Art, Music, and Recreation room. Noriko Manabe's <i>The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Protest Music After Fukushima</i> is fascinating, but also requires a lot of context I don't have. I'll have to do some other research before returning to this gem.<i> </i>The other is Julia Beverly's <i>Sweet Jones: Pimp C's Trill Life Story</i>. I don't have a good reason for missing this besides being caught slippin'. It is thoroughly researched, overwhelming in detail, and absolutely essential. The book is enough of a bible that it carried me past the midpoint of the year before I picked up an even heavier tome, Adrock and Mike D's <i>Beastie Boys Book</i>. I'm still working my way through this brick, but it is likely more because of the emotion. In both books, you know how it ends. So, the combined weight is a bit much for an year (and even a few days). To ease my mind, I'm taking my time.<br />
<br />
One detour starts with Guwop (and Neil Martinez-Belkin)'s <i>Autobiography of Gucci Mane</i>, a heavy but scattered addition in the vein of Scarface's <i>Diary of a Madman</i>, and ends with Zora Neale Hurston's <i>Barracoon: The Story of the Last "Black Cargo."</i> Hurston's work went criminally unpublished until this year; it is a welcome and necessary addition to the limited body of narratives from enslaved individuals. The afterword is especially useful for its exploration of Hurston's mindset while researching this project, as well as the work's place in the context of other scholarship.<br />
<br />
Not sure why I don’t read more poetry. Eve Ewing’s <i>Electric Arches</i> is an experience best had IRL; get the damn book. Morgan Parker’s <i>There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé</i> is as ridiculous as its title suggests… but so much better. Mitsuye Yamada’s <i>Camp Notes and Other Writings</i> deserves far more attention; grab a copy, and hold tight. I should also mention Elizabeth Acevedo’s <i>The Poet X</i>, considering Acevedo’s credentials as a slam champ, but her prose and storytelling is the winner here. A beautiful story that richly deserves its honor. Jesmyn Ward's <i>Sing, Unburied, Sing</i> has all the rhythm and beat of music and poetry. It's a wondrous trick to realize at the end that it was in fact the power of her words.<br />
<br />
Speaking of the National Book Awards, Sigrid Nunez’s <i>The Friend</i> is engrossing. So much emotion and meta-thought packed into a slim novel. <br />
<br />
Feminist short stories with a dark comic bite should always be in my reading list. This year’s entries: Mallory Ortberg’s <i>The Merry Spinster: Tales of Everyday Horror</i> and Patricia Highsmith’s <i>Little Tales of Misogyny</i>. Joan Aiken’s kid lit series, <i>Wolves of Willoughby Chase</i>, are so breezy, they deserve similar acclaim. The first volume of the series, featuring the unbeatable Bonnie and her grounded/neurotic cousin Sylvia, is the winner.<br />
<br />
Always playing catch-up. Shirley Jackson’s <i>The Haunting of Hill House</i> is a load of fun, in spite of it being a fucked up story. I periodically return to Frantz Fanon’s <i>Wretched of the Earth</i>, so it took me a while to finally tuck into <i>Black Skin, White Skin</i>. Wish I had done so earlier. Apparently I am not the only one who heeded <a href="https://twitter.com/manmademoon/status/945824205924216833?lang=en">Duncan Jones' call to start a Bowie book club</a>; I only received my (library) copy of Peter Ackroyd's <i>Hawksmoor</i> last week. Guess I'll tell you next year what I think. And I’m still working my way through <i>Complete Works of Pat Parker</i> and Toni Cade Bambara’s <i>The Salt Eaters</i>.<br />
<br />
I’m happy to be a teen librarian today, because fuck if I had to read the YA lit of yesteryear. Today’s diversity of writers, thoughts, stories, feelings better reflects what I experienced as a teen. While mainstream sci-fi and fantasy enjoy using the Middle East and North Africa as a shooting location and nothing more, Somaiyah Daud uses Moroccan poetry and history to inform her sci-fi fantasy, <i>Mirage</i>. Similarly, Nnedi Okarafor bridges the Nigerian-American experience with her <i>Akata Witch</i> series. Gabby Rivera's <i>Juliet Takes a Breath</i> takes a possibly silly conceit, like one lesbian Boricua’s summer in Portlandia, but instead writes an honest account of privilege, white maternalism, and one young woman’s journey to growth. Rachel Hartman’s <i>Tess of the Road</i> returns to the world of <i>Seraphina</i>, but vastly improves it by casting a critical, feminist eye on that world’s bullshit. The protagonist is fierce, hell-raising, and flawed-as-hell, which makes her journey so relatable. And Mary H. K. Choi’s <i>Emergency Contact</i> accurately captures the nuances of modern flirting that you forget she’s writing a YA novel. The genre only seems to be getting better.<br />
<br />
Lots more manga in the house these days. Mostly for the kid, so we read <i>Yotsuba&!</i> and <i>Delicious in Dungeon</i>. <i>Dr. Slump</i> is perhaps the all-time winner. I can’t wait to pass on <i>A Silent Voice</i>; it’s one of the best stories about teen life I have ever read. <br />
<br />
<b>Kid Books</b><br />
LEGO building books<br />
Andrea Beaty <i>Ada Twist, Scientist</i><br />
<div>
Kui Ryoko <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>ダンジョン飯</i></span><br />
Azuma Kiyohiko <i><span lang="ja" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">よつばと!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> </span></i><br />
<div>
Natasha Allegri, <i>Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake</i><br />
Pendleton Ward <i>Adventure Time, Volume 1</i><br />
Toriyama Akira <span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>Dr. スランプ</i></span></div>
<div>
Reina Telgemeier <i>Ghosts</i>, <i>Smile</i>, <i>Sisters</i><br />
Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder <i>Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: BFF</i><br />
Gabby Rivera <i>America: The Life and Times of America Chavez</i><br />
Davide Cali <i>A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to School</i></div>
</div>
</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-13804484288943771152019-01-01T05:30:00.000-05:002019-01-01T05:30:43.953-05:00Crazy and Asian, Still Not Rich: 2018 Sights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6bB_XlzERp4" width="425"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
For the first time in many years, I don’t spend the majority of my day in front of a screen, so my visuals time has dipped. It’s for the best.<br />
<br />
One weekend this summer when free time and availability converged and I saw <i>Eighth Grade</i>, <i>Sorry to Bother You</i> and <i>Blindspotting</i>. Boots’ film bore the worst of this marathon, because it’s the film that deserves to be watched more than once. He needs to make more films, if only to streamline his ideas. <i>Sorry</i> is bursting at the seams with them.<br />
<br />
Caught up on more anime, the best of which being <i>5 Centimeters Per Second</i> (秒速5センチメートル) and <i>Children Who Chase Lost Voices</i> (星を追う子ども). Couldn’t read the manga quick enough, so I opted to watch <i>One-Punch Man</i> and <i>Attack on Titan</i>. Funny then to watch <i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i> receive all the acclaim about its animation. So many bells and whistles, comparatively speaking.<br />
<br />
<i>Atlanta</i> is the only television show worth thinking about. This is what I'll forever remember Childish Gambino for.<br />
<br />
Silly, but fun kudos to <i>Hunt for the Wilderpeople</i>, <i>Death of Stalin</i>, <i>Train to Busan</i> and <i>Terrace House</i>. Because, everyone needs kiwi bildungsroman tales, dark political satire, zombie thrillers, and gentle slices of life in their lives.<br />
<br />
I’m obligated to mention <i>Crazy Rich Asians</i>. I love Constance Wu and wish her all the best. But this is a year that started w/ <i>Isle of Dogs</i>. So, I’ll pay attention when there is genuine structural change made to encourage diversity of thought, storytelling, casting, etc.<br />
<br />
...until then, my 2018 APA vote goes to Ali Wong’s <i>Hard Knock Wife</i>. Because I relate more to a pregnant Californian APA who walks out to Wu-Tang.<br />
<br />
<b>Kid Flicks</b><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>しろくまカフェ</i></span><br />
<i>Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse</i><br />
<i>Mary Poppins Returns</i></div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-57712158035088392222019-01-01T05:00:00.000-05:002019-01-01T05:00:04.066-05:00Self-Care: 2018 Sounds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ww3i8bDPAvc" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
I ended the year looking back on hip-hop’s past and was reminded that its kids are all right. Hip-hop remains both the backbone of pop and its source of constant inspiration. How does it not get played out? By not giving a fuck: “In rap music, a 20-year old doesn’t care about Public Enemy,” as <a href="https://youtu.be/23ZlUOeiCqo?t=455">Adrock observes</a>. Which is why there remains a wide gamut of rap records that I love. The year ends with two major non-surprises, given the steady avalanche of hype (albeit at two very different levels) both received over the course of the year: the ‘debuts’ of 70th Street Carlos’ <a href="https://soundcloud.com/70thstreetcarlos/sets/70th-street-carlos-777"><i>777</i></a> and Bad Bunny’s <i>X100pre</i>. Both don’t quite live up to the expectations of their singles dominance, but are thoroughly fun and exciting in all the ways music should be. <br />
<br />
Those two records capture the range of possibilities in today’s rap. There are wild, party records for the here and now, like City Girls’ <i>Period</i> and Sheck Wes’ <i>Mudboy</i>. There are insular, introspecTHCive records for tomorrow, like Earl’s <i>Some Rap Songs</i> and Denmark Vesey’s <a href="https://denmarkvessey.bandcamp.com/album/sun-go-nova"><i>Sun Go Nova</i></a>. There are records that feel like hip-hop records, but will likely show up on jazz year-end lists, like Sons of Kemet’s <i>Your Queen is a Reptile</i> and Makaya McCraven’s <a href="https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/universal-beings"><i>Universal Beings</i></a>. There are R&B artists that are proving how limiting the term is because they wear their hip-hop credentials openly, like H.E.R. opening <i>I Used To Know Her: The Prelude</i> EP w/ the Lauryn cover (not to mention the name of the damn EP) or Ella Mai using DJ Mustard on the good half of her self-titled record. There are seemingly endless re-ups from the Egyptian Lover archives, be they <a href="https://thegyptianlover.bandcamp.com/album/instrumentals-and-demos-limited-edition">instrumental</a> or <a href="https://thegyptianlover.bandcamp.com/album/1985">otherwise</a>. There are Conservative Rap Coalition stalwarts making banging boom bap, like <a href="https://homeboysandmanedan.bandcamp.com/album/humble-pi">“#NeverUseTheInternetAgain</a>.” There are popular rappers openly clowning systems, like Vince Staples’ <i>FM!</i> There are once-popular rappers still openly mocking those systems, like Jean Grae (oh, and Quelle Chris)’s <a href="https://quellechris360.bandcamp.com/album/everythings-fine"><i>Everything's Fine</i></a>. There are popular rappers making popular tunes paying homage to wrestlers that were not-so popular back in the day, h/t Offset and Metro Boomin’s “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPTlvQ1Zet0">Ric Flair Drip</a>.” There are guys who really shouldn’t be rapping, but can still make a video that will be dissected for years--and, yes, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYOjWnS4cMY">This is America</a>” is the only Childish Gambino song I’ll ever know.<br />
<br />
And that doesn’t capture everything. There’s the half of the Black Panther soundtrack, which is ridiculously over-laden with hooks. There’s Pusha T’s “Adidon,” which is so trim it makes <i>Daytona</i> seem excessive. And that song was still on some IG drama, so it’s not even as hard as Push can go. Speaking of more IG-ready stuff, Beyonce <a href="https://youtu.be/pU7N1OsVEMo?t=10">hooked up the tuba arrangement on O.T. Genasis’ “Everybody Mad</a>,” which wasn’t half bad. JPEGMAFIA's <i><a href="https://jpegmafia.bandcamp.com/album/veteran">Veteran</a></i> is better. Also it > Death Grips, FWIW. Tinashe’s <a href="https://tinashenow.bandcamp.com/releases"><i>Joyride</i></a> is finally here and it lives up to its name. <a href="https://mikelikesrap.bandcamp.com/">MIKE</a> had, like, 4 fantastic records this year alone, but <a href="https://mikelikesrap.bandcamp.com/album/black-soap"><i>Black Soap</i></a> was my favorite. <br />
<br />
2018 is the year my friend Jason got married. He asked for a ‘low rider’ soundtrack. True Angelenxs embrace this aesthetic. Eastside soul is a hybrid of identities and styles. It is a soundtrack for first love, most recent break-ups, Sunday mornings, or a quiet smoke alone. The bottom line is it must play well in the ride. Which is why I love all the attention Cuco receives. Older jams like “Lo Que Siento” and “Lava Lamp” are great additions to the canon, but the <a href="https://soundcloud.com/trappedindeathstar/sets/spring-release"><i>Chiquito</i> EP</a> has the gem, “Sunnyside,” which captures the hazy quality of the sun, the damaged but welcome breeze, and the beauty of our homeborn. Hana Vu went to school on the other side of town, but her <a href="https://hanavu.bandcamp.com/album/how-many-times-have-you-driven-by"><i>How Many Times Have You Driven By</i></a> proves she still gets it. “Cool” is probably the first song to be titled such and actually live up to its name. Most of the record plays better during the dusk hours, but you get the idea. <br />
<br />
Teenage kicks for my teenage job? Nah, this is just the part of me that remains connected to that time. And being a teen now would be pretty cool for the music alone. You’d get <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/kacey-musgraves-on-self-criticism-acid-trips-and-touring-with-harry-styles-630687/">pop stars openly dropping acid to make the best album of their career</a>. Or <a href="https://rosalia.com/">Rosalía</a> using her thesis to make the concept album <i>El mal querer</i> about an abusive relationship from the 13th Century. And you’d have Hayley Kiyoko. My old man ears has problems with the blown-out synth sounds across <a href="https://soundcloud.com/hayleykiyoko/sets/expectations-11"><i>Expectations</i></a>, but, fuck, “What I Need” is so much fun. Not to say the heroes of my youth are content to sit on the bench. Cat Power freed herself of the fuckery of Matador and breezed through with her aptly-titled <a href="https://catpower.bandcamp.com/album/wanderer"><i>The Wanderer</i></a>. Neko Case picked up some synths, but raged harder on <i>Hell-On</i>. Björk always gets points for keeping here and there, by hooking up with the supremely dope Serpentwithfeet to ‘remix’ (I think it’s called, a ‘cover’) “Blissing Me.” <br />
<br />
So, in response to Adrock’s point, maybe there is a way to pay respect to the past without being so... literal? Ambrose Akinmusire continues to probe at the possibilities, which is what makes <a href="https://www.ambroseakinmusire.com/origami-harvest/"><i>Origami Harvest</i></a> another joy to appreciate. Park Jiha seemingly veers the opposite direction by openly embracing tradition, but the true purpose is all in the title: <a href="https://parkjiha.bandcamp.com/album/communion"><i>Communion</i></a>. It’s an exchange. And it’s on equal footings. Stewart Lee is in many ways the archetype old crank, but he easily remains one of the most currently relevant comics, as his <i>Content Provider</i> proves. <br />
<br />
Still, the most direct way to drag the past back to your pocketbook is through a proper reissue. Thank goodness for the release of Jlin's score for Wayne McGregor's <i><a href="https://jlin.bandcamp.com/album/autobiography-music-from-wayne-mcgregors-autobiography">Autobiography</a></i>, because I can't attend every modern dance performance in England. Prince’s Vault continues to leak open, but <i>Piano and a Microphone</i> is a tease. F’real, where is the Purple equivalent of the <a href="https://store.craftrecordings.com/products/the-complete-cuban-jam-sessions-lp"><i>Complete Cuban Jam Sessions</i></a>? Granted, the <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/altlatino/2018/10/04/654037061/cuban-treasures-unearthed-panart-records-unveils-remastered-jam-sessions">backstory</a> of this monster set from Panart is hard to beat, but considering all the lore around that fucking Vault… Anyway, the <i>Cuban Jam Sessions</i> far exceed the hype. It’s overwhelming and engrossing. And I’m still working my way through it. Kinda like the Beastie Boys book. Come to think of it, all my childhood heroes had major works re-discovered: <a href="https://www.turntablelab.com/products/john-coltrane-both-directions-at-once-the-lost-album-deluxe-edition-vinyl-2lp">Trane</a>, <a href="https://theloniousmonk.bandcamp.com/album/m-nk">Monk</a> and <a href="https://bbemusic.bandcamp.com/album/jazz-in-detroit-strata-concert-gallery-46-selden">Mingus</a>. It’s not enough to tread familiar ground though. Enter Julius Eastman’s <i>The Zurich Concert</i>, a welcome find that brings us back to the idea of a musician, a piano and a mic -- this time for recording. The playing is discursive and probing, yet forceful and commanding. Damn, I just realized I started the year listening to Arthur Russell’s <i>Tower of Meaning</i>. What a time to be alive, maaaan. <br />
<br />
Of course, 2018 is not all about the present. James from Broadcast <a href="http://futurecrayon.blogspot.com/2018/09/petal-alphabet.html">shared a 2006 demo</a> on Trish’s bday. While re-watching the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3aFv8IQb4s">“Nobody But Me” scene in Kill Bill</a>, I got to thinking about Buffalo Daughter. Their last album <i>Konjac-Tion</i>, as it turns out, is hella funky. A conversation at <a href="https://www.instagram.com/saltboxrecords/?hl=en">Salt Box</a> reminded me of Roxanne Shante’s “Brothers Ain’t Shit.” Thank goodness Janelle James is getting some shine. I didn’t even know she had an album out. <i>Black and Mild</i> is an understatement. Kim Deal wormholes lead to her <a href="http://kimdealmusic.com/">2008 seven-inches</a>. Indo G’s “Remember Me Ballin’” reminded me that the album deserved some attention; much better than the other <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCgd72UyWc8"><i>Angel Dust</i></a>. There’s an <a href="https://www.aedrecords.com/products/orange-juice-br-coals-to-newcastle">Orange Juice box set</a>, which, c’mon, that shouldn’t require any other qualification. I spent an afternoon looking for more Chris Iijima and came across the fiercely relevant <a href="https://folkways.si.edu/what-now-people-vol-2/american-folk-struggle-protest/music/album/smithsonian"><i>What Now, People?</i></a> compilations. I don’t remember how I found the <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Various-Georgia-Sea-Island-Songs/release/3651810"><i>Georgia Sea Island Songs</i></a> comp, but I was thinking how if I ever go back to the Carolinas, it’ll be to learn more about Gullah and Geechee culture. I felt nostalgic and added Nate Dogg’s <i>Ghetto Preacher</i> to the morning commute. I need a clean version of Devin the Dude’s <i>To Tha X-Treme</i>, so that can also get added. No idea why I hadn’t checked out Tuxedomoon before. Glad I finally did. Bow Wow Wow’s first three albums are really dope. I saw My Bloody Valentine and Slowdive, so I mushed those two in my ears to pursue Flying Saucer Attack’s <a href="https://flyingsaucerattack.bandcamp.com/album/distance"><i>Distance</i></a> and <a href="https://flyingsaucerattack.bandcamp.com/album/chorus"><i>Chorus</i></a>. My dad and I used to listen to <i>Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz</i> show on NPR. <a href="https://www.npr.org/2011/09/23/140743198/alice-coltrane-on-piano-jazz">Alice Coltrane guested in 1981</a>. I like Jon Brion, but didn’t know much about him. The Bats’ <i>How Pop Can You Get?</i> is ridiculously catchy. XIT’s <i>Entrance</i> also has big hooks, french horns, and all those baroque touches you’d find in late ‘60s/early ‘70s psych-rock records. In the year that Disney (inadvertently) co-signed Huey and the Fellowship, I still find inspiration in the Good Life’s finest stylers, particularly Ngafish. <a href="https://midheaven.com/item/kill-em-all-by-ngafish-cve-cd"><i>Kill Em All</i></a> got the most spins this year.<br />
<br />
Last and certainly least, a special nod to my dear friend, Louis, who released <a href="https://800pgr.lnk.to/KatzPR"><i>Katzkills</i></a>. It’s so him. I mean, it should be: he put his fucking name in the title.<br />
<br />
Oh, I also saw some good shows, too:<br />
<br />
Project Blowed @ Catch One<br />
Sister Mantos @ Los Globos<br />
Adrock & Mike D @ Montalban<br />
Scientists @ Zebulon<br />
The The @ Ford Amphitheatre<br />
Vijay Iyer & Teju Cole @ Ace<br />
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith @ Hollywood Forever<br />
Cat Power @ Burton Chace Park<br />
My Bloody Valentine @ Shrine<br />
St. Vincent @ Orpheum<br />
Breeders @ Ace<br />
Jawbreaker @ Palladium</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-60063165997356046772018-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:002018-12-31T10:02:55.335-05:00ARRRGGGHHH 2017<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/376759379&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<div>
[<i>Posted Dec. 2018</i>]</div>
<br />
2017 was a fucking mess. I never finished my lists. I’m posting what I wrote, unfinished, unedited.<br />
<br />
One exception: I added a list of albums/songs.<br />
<br />
<b>Visuals</b><br />
<i>Okja</i>, Bong Joon-jo (Netflix)<br />
<br />
<i>Wonder Woman</i>, Patty Jenkins<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/video/2365958273/"><i>American Masters: Maya Angelou</i></a>, (PBS)<br />
Something for everyone in this pithy overview of Angelou. Strong balance of talking heads providing warm and detailed insights into her life and work -- particularly from her son Guy Johnson and friends/colleagues like Cicely Tyson, Louis Gossett, Jr. and Alfre Woodard -- as well as clips of her being interviewed, performing, and just being in front of a camera from throughout her robust life. I’m hardly an Angelou expert, but there are plenty of lovely insights, like the impact of Guy’s car accident on their lives, her love of cooking, her approach to running a film set. I hadn’t watched her reading of “On the Pulse of Morning,” probably since it aired over 20 years ago. The work is bone-chilling, especially in light of what happened about a month prior on those same steps.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNUYdgIyaPM"><i>I Am Not Your Negro</i></a>, Raoul Peck (Amazon Studios, 2016)<br />
I took the description of this film at face value -- as a literal telling of James Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, Remember This House. Structurally, the film does accomplish this, but it is so much better for being more about the feeling of Baldwin, rather than his work and life. Like many Baldwin fans, I’ve watched many Baldwin clips and was familiar with large chunks of the film’s archival footage. Peck edits these brilliantly with a tasteful balance of contemporary images and b-roll. The end result is one of the closest visual representations of Baldwin’s love, passion, frustration, fear, and sense of humanity.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bwace_Bn1fU"><i>Sidewalk Stories</i></a>, Charles Lane (Island Pictures, 1989)<br />
Hadn’t rushed the Kid into television or film-watching, so the Kid’s media endurance is pretty low. We watched a Doraemon movie, which was an hour and change. Then we watched Singin’ in the Rain in two or three parts. I felt conscious of the sorts of characters and faces the Kid was seeing, so the next option I introduced was either Chaplin’s The Kid or Lane’s Sidewalk Stories. I described Lane’s film as “the New York one,” which may have been the winning tag. We watched most of it in one sitting and the Kid was pretty rapt.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lrmxkF-UKM"><i>A Face in the Crowd</i></a>, Elia Kazan (Warner Bros., 1957)<br />
The most infuriating sentiment post-Election 2016 has been the incredulous hand-wringing . It reeks of exceptionalism to think, “How could America have done this?” The truth has been telegraphed for many years by the not obscure writings or Orwell and even the not-so underground films of Judge. Add Kazan and writer Budd Schulberg’s A Face in the Crowd to the very visible list of foreseers. The film’s distinction is, unlike 1984 and Idiocracy, AFITC focuses less on the mechanics of autocracy, but more on the individual who would ceases that power. Sure, the film is largely about the advent of television and how an entire ecosystem of A&R (Patricia Neal’s Marcia Jeffries), platform (TV) and content (Percy Waram’s Gen. Haynesworth) all conspire to make Andy Griffith’s “Lonesome” Rhodes a star. But Griffith’s cavernous laugh and suffocating personality are clearly the oxygen to their spark. Asking if this sounds familiar is simply offensive.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKFuXETZUsI"><i>Moana</i></a>, Ron Clements and John Musker (Walt Disney, 2016)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thefilmEden"><i>Eden</i></a>, Mia Hansen-Løve (Broad Green Pictures, 2014)<br />
Was real bummed to miss seeing this in the theater. A lovely love letter to music, youth and growing up. Any film that opens with “Plastic Dreams” and “Follow Me” already has me from the jump. Those tracks were my entry points to house.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.foxmovies.com/movies/the-revenant"><i>The Revenant</i></a>, Alejandro G. Iñárritu (20th Century Fox, 2016)<br />
Really loved the sound design of this film. Refreshing to hear a modern film not saturated in soundtrack. The emphasis on breath and wind was more than enough. Very fitting to have Ryuichi Sakamoto do the score.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://roadsideattractions.com/filmography/chi-raq/"><i>Chi-Raq</i></a>, Spike Lee (Roadside Attractions, 2015)<br />
Lysistrata is pretty dated. Updating it w/ 2-hours of shitty slam poetry is pretty unbearable.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2sKgsKTeEM"><i>Point Blank</i></a>, John Boorman (MGM, 1967)<br />
Another film I watched years ago and completely forgot. Disturbing (yes, it truly is a “leer and peer” film, hahaha) and brilliant. The commentary with John Boorman and Steven Soderbergh is really useful (minus the leering over Angie Dickinson’s quasi-nude scene). The ambiguity of Walker and Fairfax’s existence and relationship with each other adds layers of storytelling to an otherwise bland revenge tale. Is Walker actually dead? If so, is this a chickens-come-home-to-roost story? If it is, then the psychedelic and narrative hiccups become that much more surreal. Yes, the treatment of women and gay men is bad, but the rest of the film is overwhelmingly strong.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bleeckerstreetmedia.com/captainfantastic"><i>Captain Fantastic</i></a>, Matt Ross (Bleecker Street Media, 2016)<br />
Also not as bad as I thought it would be. The conceit tickled me plenty: a send-up of progressive values. The film did an excellent job of showing how the arc of both progressive and conservative extremism bends toward each other, to the point where the two connect and become indistinguishable. The ending was fucking sophomoric though. Wish they had skipped the fucking twee GNR karaoke and just skipped straight to the toilet flush.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.foxsearchlight.com/thebirthofanation/"><i>Birth of a Nation</i></a>, Nate Parker (Fox Searchlight, 2016)<br />
Not as bad as I read it would be. But very strange storytelling choices. Considering Parker’s understanding and seeming interest in the vivid religious visions Turner allegedly confessed, there should have been ample dynamism in shooting largely off of the Confessions of Nat Turner. Why he took that detour into rape revenge is bizarre and makes unnecessary fantasy of Turner’s legacy.<br />
<br />
<b>Aural</b><br />
Jay Som <a href="https://jaysom.bandcamp.com/album/everybody-works"><i>Everybody Works</i></a><br />
This record got us through a rough year. We listened to it on our daily commute, riding around, at home… It’s romantic, weary, DIY, feminist, and hooky-as-fuck. Melina FTW.<br />
<br />
SZA <a href="https://szactrl.com/"><i>CTRL</i></a><br />
Part of me thinks TDE should be embarrassed over all the delays behind this record, but it also came at just the right time for me. DAMN, f’real. Left Eye would be so into this.<br />
<br />
Thundercat <i>Drunk </i><br />
The ghost of Austin Peralta still weighs heavy. Modern blues in bite-sized nougats.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://sobxrbe.com/#music">SOB x RBE</a><br />
Why’d it take so long for there to be a modern-day Wu-Tang?<br />
<br />
Tyshawn Sorey <a href="https://tyshawn-sorey.bandcamp.com/album/verisimilitude"><i>Verisimilitude</i></a><br />
So glad I got to see this young man perform before I left. What an amazing talent.<br />
<br />
Scarface “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DM5ZcRqnd34">Black Still</a>”<br />
Does this count as Conservative Rap Coalition muzack?<br />
<br />
Open Mike Eagle <a href="https://openmikeeagle360.bandcamp.com/album/brick-body-kids-still-daydream"><i>Brick Body Kids</i></a><br />
OME deserves an A for sticking to themes.<br />
<br />
Joey “Coco” Diaz <i>Sociably Unacceptable</i><br />
He’s been around forever, but he made some content videos to get the new jacks onboard. This is him operating at about 60% and it’s still más fuego than most anything else out there.<br />
<br />
Wadada Leo Smith <a href="https://tumrecords.com/053-solo-reflections-and-meditations-on-monk"><i>Solo: Reflections and Meditations on Monk</i></a><br />
Smith hasn’t slipped in years. What an incredible run of albums.<br />
<br />
Jackie Kashian <a href="https://www.jackiekashian.com/jkstore.php?item=IANTHOTSCD"><i>I Am Not the Hero of this Story</i></a><br />
Like being wrapped in a warm blanket of hahas.<br />
<br />
Cécile McLorin Salvant <a href="https://www.mackavenue.com/store/mac1120"><i>Dreams and Daggers</i></a><br />
Down is up because I’m listening to vocal jazz.<br />
<br />
Ella Fitzgerald <i>Ella at Zardi’s</i><br />
<i>Twelve Nights in Hollywood</i> already exists, so is there need for more small room Ella? STFU. This recording is from 5 years earlier. Nowhere near as much confidence and swagger, but it’s still peak Ella tossing off runs left and right.<br />
<br />
G Perico <a href="https://soundcloud.com/g-perico-1/sets/2-tha-left"><i>2 Tha Left</i></a> <br />
Needs to collabo w/ Quik.<br />
<br />
Downtown Boys <a href="https://downtownboys.bandcamp.com/album/cost-of-living"><i>Cost of Living</i></a><br />
Yeah, I really wish No Skills did this.<br />
<br />
Mac DeMarco <a href="https://macdemarco.bandcamp.com/album/this-old-dog"><i>This Old Dog</i></a><br />
Dad shit.<br />
<br />
Ali Wong <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80101493"><i>Baby Cobra</i></a><br />
So, so, so happy for her. What a talent.<br />
<br />
Hurray for the Riff Raff <a href="https://hftrr.bandcamp.com/album/the-navigator"><i>The Navigator</i></a><br />
This is the Bruce Springsteen record I always wanted to hear.<br />
<br />
Beaches <a href="https://chaptermusic.bandcamp.com/album/second-of-spring"><i>Second of Spring</i></a><br />
Perfect road trip music.<br />
<br />
Neal Brennan <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80117452"><i>3 Mics</i></a><br />
#beatlife<br />
<br />
Buffy Sainte-Marie <a href="http://buffysainte-marie.com/?page_id=2211"><i>Medicine Songs</i></a><br />
AARP punk.<br />
<br />
Juana Molina <a href="https://juanamolina.bandcamp.com/album/halo"><i>Halo</i></a><br />
Still pays to experiment with a few ideas at a time.<br />
<br />
Farruko “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1_JW7An2l0">Krippy Kush</a>” (Feat. Bad Bunny and Rvssian)<br />
Mi introducción al Conejo Malo.<br />
<br />
Future <i>Future</i><br />
Pretty happy he’s slowed down in 2018, b/c keeping up at this pace is asking for burn-out.<br />
<br />
J Hus <i>Common Sense</i><br />
As close to UK rap as I’ll get. And stop.<br />
<br />
Demi Lovato “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MsvER1dpjM">Sorry Not Sorry</a>”<br />
Pretty cool flip of the Brenda Russell riff. RIP Big Pun.<br />
<br />
Lil B <a href="https://soundcloud.com/lilblovesthebasedgod/sets/black-ken"><i>Black Ken</i></a><br />
Probably the second-most unnecessary reissue/late-issue, but kinda welcome at the same time.<br />
<br />
Prince and The Revolution <i>Purple Rain</i> reissue<br />
The remastering wasn’t necessary, but official releases from the Vault are welcome.<br />
<br />
<b>Words</b><br />
Doug Stanhope, <a href="http://www.dougstanhope.com/store/digging-up-mother-a-love-story-hardcover"><i>Digging Up Mother: A Love Story</i></a><br />
<br />
<b>Kid Flicks</b><br />
Trolls (both w/ Saul and at home while sick)<br />
The Jungle Book > The Lion King<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">となりのトトロ</span> (in theatre, albeit dubbed)<br />
<br />
<b>Kid Books</b><br />
Cece Bell, <i>El Deafo</i><br />
Hena Khan, <i>Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns</i><br />
Andre Marois, <i>The Sandwich Thief</i><br />
<br /></div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-39849892610834657082017-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:002017-01-02T19:55:39.249-05:00Together Song: 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/300506076&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
So... this past year...<br />
<br />
Let's move forward and build <a href="https://soundcloud.com/sintalentos/together"><b>together</b></a>.<br />
<br /></div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-73548331053944359212016-12-31T23:15:00.000-05:002017-01-19T22:33:55.083-05:00Goofy Kicking Donald Duck: 2016 Words<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-kUG55CvCexpK_0d-2EgyTI9bcyex95cyvC4gdA9X7TzQBL3TTSedG-Ky28nOisk5lNX_J1FGnwzP0x5m9FfD2VaZyeCLrerawDg96pUS2Wa1cgypPT0eD0n0t5Y3j0gblue/s1600/PA-07_zpsd6ab2432.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-kUG55CvCexpK_0d-2EgyTI9bcyex95cyvC4gdA9X7TzQBL3TTSedG-Ky28nOisk5lNX_J1FGnwzP0x5m9FfD2VaZyeCLrerawDg96pUS2Wa1cgypPT0eD0n0t5Y3j0gblue/s400/PA-07_zpsd6ab2432.PNG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district<br />
(Credit: <a href="http://s1346.photobucket.com/user/jrfcohn/media/PA-07_zpsd6ab2432.png.html" style="font-size: 12.8px;">jrfcohn</a><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Words I Read</b><br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ratf-ked-Behind-Americas-Democracy/dp/1631491628/">Ratfucked: The True Story Behind the Secret Plan to Steal America's Democracy</a></i><br />
David Daley<br />
Liberals love to be right, Conservatives love to win. Liberals, read this to understand what you're up against.<br />
<div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Wretched-Earth-Frantz-Fanon/dp/0802141323">The Wretched of the Earth</a></i><br />
Frantz Fanon<br />
Good way to start every year.</div>
<div>
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/251753/black-earth-by-timothy-snyder/9781101903476/">Black Earth: The Holocaust as History and Warning</a> </i></div>
<div>
Timothy Snyder<br />
Expands on many of the beats in <i>Bloodlands</i>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<i><a href="http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-the-jiro-kuwata-batmanga-vol-3">Batman: The Jiro Kuwata </a></i><i><a href="http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-the-jiro-kuwata-batmanga-vol-3">Batmanga</a></i><i><a href="http://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/batman-the-jiro-kuwata-batmanga-vol-3"> Vol. 3</a></i></div>
<div>
Jiro Kuwata</div>
<div>
Because no American version would do B and R like <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BDYH3sQMkQp/?taken-by=sintalentos">this</a>.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Sandman-Omnibus-Vol-1/dp/1401241883">The Sandman (Volumes 1-5)</a></i><br />
Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth, et. al.<br />
First volume is incredibly strong, becomes a bit more hit or just-plain-good with every other volume. </div>
<div>
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Eye-Prophet-Kahlil-Gibran/dp/1556436971">The Eye of the Prophet</a></i><br />
Kahlil Gibran<br />
That <a href="http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/15/K592/default.htm">Brooklyn high school</a> brought me here. Poetic explorations of faith. Lovely.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
"<a href="http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n08/perry-anderson/crisis-in-brazil">Crisis in Brazil</a>"</div>
<div>
Perry Anderson</div>
<div>
Spoiler alert: this ain't about Rio 2016.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=uHurCQAAQBAJ&source=productsearch&utm_source=HA_Desktop_US&utm_medium=SEM&utm_campaign=PLA&pcampaignid=MKTAD0930BO1&gclid=CODF8_6QjNECFQJNNwodG6UDkw&gclsrc=ds&dclid=CMj19v6QjNECFcRGNwodokEHUQ">Neapolitan Novels</a><br />
<div>
Elena Ferrante<br />
<div>
Whoo, what a rollercoaster. These stories scream cinematic melodrama, but Lenu and Lina sparkle with the full brilliance of life's beauties and imperfections. Even in translation the writing sparkles. My generation's <i>Madame Bovary</i>.</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"<a href="http://www.bellhooksinstitute.com/blog/2016/5/9/moving-beyond-pain">Moving Beyond Pain</a>"</div>
<div>
bell hooks</div>
<div>
Making levity out of <i>Lemonade</i>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Saga-Swamp-Thing-Book-1/dp/1401220835">Saga of the Swamp Thing</a></i><br />
Alan Moore, John Bissette, et. al.<br />
Swamp Thing as the walking conscience of our environment, reminding us of our sins while selflessly protecting us. Finally, a Moore tale I am fully on board with.</div>
<div>
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Nation-Under-Feet/dp/1302900536" style="font-style: italic;">Black Panther</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Black-Panther-Wakanda-Midnight-Angels/dp/130290650X" style="font-style: italic;">World of Wakanda</a><br />
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Brian Stelfreeze; Roxane Gay, Afua Richardson<br />
You know what time it is w/ Coates and Gay, so you shouldn't be surprised that they're writing the shit out of these titles. Art's not bad either.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"<a href="http://www.vox.com/first-person/2016/11/28/13716342/asian-american-actor-roles">What it’s like to be an Asian-American actor: I’m the background of other people’s stories</a>"</div>
<div>
Mariana Leung</div>
<div>
And then <i>La La Land</i> happened, as if to put an emphasis on the point.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<i><a href="http://thenewpress.com/books/understanding-mass-incarceration">Understanding Mass Incarceration</a></i><br />
James William Kilgore<br />
Thanks again, <i>The 13th</i>.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
"<a href="http://www.gq.com/story/prince-stories">Prince's Closest Friends Share Their Best Prince Stories</a>"</div>
<div>
Chris Heath</div>
<div>
Public grieving in glossy format. I suppose he would have liked it this way.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Aint-Woman-Black-Women-Feminism/dp/1138821519">Ain't I a Woman: Black Women and Feminism</a></i><br />
bell hooks<br />
Should probably start and end every year with bell.<br />
<br />
<b>Words I Read to the Kid (that I can support reading to him over and over)</b><br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/This-Land-Your-Woody-Guthrie/dp/0316392154/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1483159846&sr=1-2&keywords=This+Land+is+Your+Land">This Land is Your Land</a></i><br />
Woody Guthrie and Kathy Jakobsen<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Poohs-Library-Winnie-Pooh-Original/dp/0525444513/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=0GJX14JBXAFFS2Y088PD">Winnie-The-Pooh</a></i><br />
A.A. Milne<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Went-Chilly-Night-Picture-Yearling/dp/0440408296/">Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night</a></i><br />
Peter Spier<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Otogi-ressha-shuppatsu-shinko-Naokata/dp/4323024525/">おとぎれっしゃしゅっぱつしんこう!</a><br />
間瀬, なおかた<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Philharmonic-Dressed-Reading-Rainbow-Books/dp/006443124X">The Philharmonic Gets Dressed</a></i><br />
Karla Kuskin<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E4%BA%94%E5%91%B3%E5%A4%AA%E9%83%8E%E3%83%BB%E8%A8%80%E8%91%89%E5%9B%B3%E9%91%91-%E5%85%A810%E5%B7%BB-%E4%BA%94%E5%91%B3%E5%A4%AA%E9%83%8E/dp/4033430016/">言葉図鑑</a></i><br />
五味太郎<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC%E3%81%AE%E6%98%94%E3%81%B0%E3%81%AA%E3%81%9720%E8%A9%B1-%E5%90%8D%E4%BD%9C%E3%82%88%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7%E3%82%88%E3%82%93%E3%81%A7-%E8%A5%BF%E6%9C%AC%E9%B6%8F%E4%BB%8B/dp/4052033914">日本の昔ばなし20話</a></i><br />
西本鶏介<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/I-Love-You-Bushel-Peck/dp/0064436020">I Love You! A Bushel and a Peck</a></i><br />
Frank Loesser<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Hilda-Stone-Forest-Hildafolk-Pearson/dp/1909263745">Hilda and the Stone Forest</a></i><br />
Luke Pearson<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Furious-George-Goes-Bananas-Primate/dp/0399254331">Furious George Goes Bananas</a></i><br />
Michael Rex</div>
</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-29004916383819056092016-12-31T23:00:00.000-05:002017-01-19T22:34:04.879-05:00Clear Eyes: 2016 Sights<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlzefbP9l7cI0Iu1zCq6yUIP" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="http://moonlight-movie.com/"><i><b>Moonlight</b></i></a><br />
The “<a href="https://twitter.com/sintalentos/status/803094012144054272">Hello Stranger</a>” scene made me feel like a freshman again, but the whole movie is fantastic. Aching story that expands in depth as Little grows into Chiron and up to Black. Beautifully paced and shot like Ozu or Hsiou-hsien.<br />
<br />
<b><i><a href="http://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2016/kerry-james-marshall">Kerry James Marshall: Mastry</a> (Met Breuer)</i></b><br />
Reunited and it feels so good. What a treat to see all these works together. You wan' know how good is this show? Marshall's selections from the Met's collection is the art equivalent of a mixtape. And the <i><a href="http://www.art21.org/texts/kerry-james-marshall/interview-kerry-james-marshall-rythm-mastr">Rythm Mastr</a></i> pieces are next door. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr19jIAJK4U">Major thing happening here</a>.<br />
<br />
<i><b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR4nEO3eZvA">아가씨 (The Handmaiden)</a></b></i><br />
Why isn't this playing everywhere?<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.kiminona.com/index.html"><b>君の名は (Your Name)</b></a></i><br />
Why isn't one of the highest-grossing films in Japanese cinema not playing everywhere?<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/80091741"><i><b>The 13th</b></i></a><br />
Visual Cliff’s Notes of <a href="http://newjimcrow.com/">The New Jim Crow</a>. Required watching for the new school heads, and a supplementary to-do list for those knee-deep in the game.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://roots.history.com/"><i><b>Roots</b></i></a><br />
Sometimes the best sequels are the ones you least expect. No, not that <a href="http://www.starwars.com/the-force-awakens">one</a>. Or that <a href="http://www.starwars.com/films/rogue-one">one</a>. No, not that <a href="http://atribecalledquest.com/home/portfolio/wgifh/">one</a> either. Bringing back this seminal mini-series was the only essential rewind.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.paramount.com/movies/fences"><b><i>Fences</i></b></a><br />
Pittsburgh is a frequent character in August Wilson's plays, but I never clearly felt it in <i>Fences</i>. Denzel does a fantastic job in the film bringing the city to the surface. He also finds a nice balance of this exterior world and the yard that is the heart of the play, the home that Troy Maxson feels trapped inside of and that everyone else attempts to build and expand. The reunion of the Broadway cast (with the exception of Cory and Raynell) really sells this film, but the true highlight isn't even Washington's meta-rife performance, but the killer Viola Davis. She breathes visceral pain, truth and reality into Rose. Troy by design eats up all the oxygen in every scene, so it's easy to overlook Wilson's acutely sensitive take on Rose. When Rose gets a chance to blow, Davis makes sure everyone remembers that Troy does not get the last word. Troy didn't fall over and die one day; Davis/Rose ended his reign of terror.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.espn.com/30for30/ojsimpsonmadeinamerica/"><i><b>O.J. Made in America</b></i></a><br />
And sometimes the best miniseries are superficially about the topics you have the least interest in revisiting. Edelman rightly avoids the procedural aspects of the trial and instead focuses on the racial divide it aggravated. The People v. O.J. Simpson gets the lion’s share of the pop attention—rightly so for that <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CdE8ZI1XEAAAFAA.jpg">Rick James snap</a>—but MIA.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/70308063"><i><b>What Happened, Miss Simone?</b></i></a><br />
Let’s not speak on that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3EWygLE_No">other film</a>. Or, maybe we should. Because so much of what Garbus does right here—allowing her subject to speak for herself—is why that other film was so wrong. Better still is that Garbus doesn't try to answer the titular question.<br />
<br />
<i><b><a href="https://www.criterion.com/boxsets/1154-the-complete-lady-snowblood">Lady Snowblood: The Criterion Collection</a></b></i><br />
How the fuck did I miss this?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/the-black-panthers-vanguard-of-the-revolution/"><i><b>The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution</b></i></a><br />
<a href="https://www.thirteen.org/support/donation/join/?s_subsrc=pbsdonate">Donate to PBS</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/atlanta/episodes"><i><b>Atlanta</b></i></a><br />
Denzealots refer to Denzel as having Denzelishness. In a similar vein the bulk of Donald Glover's pop persona can be described by a certain <a href="http://cdn.quotationof.com/images/donald-glovers-quotes-4.jpg">Donaldishness</a>. Frankly, it's nice to see it grow the fuck up. The tension between youth, aspiration, race, and the plain awkward is in full bloom in <i>Atlanta</i>. <br />
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/agnes-martin">Agnes Martin</a></i><b> (Guggenheim)</b><br />
The West always finds a way to reach me, even out here. I've only seen a handful of her works at LACMA, so seeing Wright's spiral filled with her spirit was pure manna.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hellorhighwaterofficial.com/"><i><b>Hell or High Water</b></i></a><br />
Glad to see Ben Foster putting that <i>Lone Survivor</i> training to good use. It makes that entire MacGyver scene semi-plausible. Oh. And calling out banks for taking advantage of clients makes the casting of Chris Pine as a blue collar brain a shade believable.</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-16716231164671525052016-12-31T22:30:00.000-05:002017-01-19T22:34:11.491-05:00Goin' Thru It: 2016 Sounds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlzEK-2gNyH7XH9tZGOu3hiM" width="425"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<b>Born in 2016</b><br />
Boosie’s mixtapes, particularly <a href="https://soundcloud.com/poonie-yunggunna-parks/sets/boosie-badazz-in-my-feeling-goin-thru-it"><i>In My Feelings (Goin’ Thru It)</i></a>, <i>Out My Feelings in My Past</i> and <i>Thug Talk</i><br />
Music version of Ferrante’s <a href="https://www.amazon.com/My-Brilliant-Friend-Neapolitan-Novels/dp/1609450787">Neapolitan Quartet</a>? The poetic has always been personal for Boosie, but even by his standards 2016 was quite the roller-coaster ride. <br />
<br />
Stewart Lee <i>Content Provider</i>...<br />
...is both in-progress and being performed in the UK, but the snatches I've caught are a reminder of how much truth we ascribe to a clever story. Quick, someone label him, “Most Dangerous Comedian!”<br />
<br />
David Bowie <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blackstar-David-Bowie/dp/B017VORJK6"><i>Blackstar</i></a><br />
<div>
(Columbia; 8 January)<br />
‘Til the end Bowie led some of the finest combo cavalries. Tony Visconti and Donny McCaslin helped send him off in style.<br />
<br />
Future <a href="https://soundcloud.com/futureisnow/sets/purple-reign"><i>Purple Reign</i></a> </div>
<div>
(Freebandz; 16 January)<br />
Future and Metro kicked off the year by wooing us into the purp mud. And then we spent the next 12 months sinking into the muck. How prescient.<br />
<br />
KING <a href="https://wearekingmusic.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-king"><i>We Are KING</i></a></div>
<div>
(KING Creative; 5 February)<br />
*Sigh*, I miss Los Angeles. The album's Grammy nomination is one of the few times I'll big-up the commercial nod, if only for moving people past the perception that the city's sound is simply that of an Aryan surfer's affects. On its own the album is pure synth shimmer and glitter. Their voices aren't half-bad either.<br />
<br />
Lil Uzi Vert “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/liluzivert/money-longer-radio-rip">Money Longer</a>”<br />
(Generation Now/Atlantic; 6 February) <br />
Pure fluff, but catchy as shit. <br />
<br />
Kanye “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/kanyewest/father-stretch-my-hands-pt-1?in=kanyewest/sets/the-life-of-pablo">Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1</a>”, “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/kanyewest/ultralight-beam?in=kanyewest/sets/the-life-of-pablo">Ultralight Beam</a>,” “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/kanyewest/30-hours-3?in=kanyewest/sets/the-life-of-pablo">30 Hours</a>”<br />
(Def Jam; 13 February)</div>
<div>
There are some other songs on <i>TLOP</i> that I like, but this entire album is such a fucking mess I find myself mostly returning to this trio. “Father” is the rap equivalent of “Heroes and Villains” or <i>Bitches Brew</i>-era Miles: confrontational cut-and-paste. Noz already joked about “Ultralight” being a Chano track. On the real it belongs on <i>Coloring Book</i>. And “30 Hours” is the closest Kanye has come to returning to his collegiate flow, which answers “I Love Kanye,” I suppose.<br />
<br />
Dae Dae “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/daedaelovelife/wat-u-mean-aye-aye-aye-dirty">Wat U Mean (Aye, Aye, Aye)</a>” </div>
<div>
(Nitti Beatz; 18 February)<br />
You know you've made it when <a href="https://soundcloud.com/thefadeawaypodcast/s01-episode-03-jason-parham-david-rosenfeld-and-sir-foster">Sir Foster</a> plays you at a Hawks game.<br />
<br />
Yo Gotti “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6wkPVjciD4">Law</a>”<br />
(Epic; 19 February)<br />
Sorta makes up for “Down in the DM.”<br />
<br />
Ezale “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03g52ptRXNw">Day Ones</a>”</div>
<div>
(self-released; 16 March)<br />
I love crate digging, but obscure samples can also make a <i>TLOP</i>. Which is why California consistently comes through with party music that’s both live and listenable. Funky fresh, y’all.<br />
<br />
M.I.A. “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/miauk/mia-ola">OLA / Foreign Friend</a>”<br />
(self-released; 17 March) </div>
<div>
I guess this was the year of <a href="https://soundcloud.com/chancetherapper/how-great-feat-jay-electronica-my-cousin-nicole?in=chancetherapper/sets/coloring-book"><i>Lion King</i></a> references? Between this and having co-workers old enough to unironically like <i>Rugrats</i>, the yout' are reminding me I'm old again. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.brooklynvegan.com/savages-played-bv-presented-show-at-irving-plaza-w-angus-tarnawsky-pics-setlist-play-brooklyn-colbert-tonight/">Savages</a><br />
Irving Plaza, New York, 28 March<br />
My cousin chatted me up about them. Fay Milton drums with a remarkable balance of strength and light-handedness, like she was surfing. And someone needs to make a gif of Ayşe Hassan bobbing her head from side to side; such calm amidst the band's chaos.<br />
<br />
Susumu Yokota (横田進) <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Susumu-Yokota-Acid-Mt-Fuji/release/8360076"><i>Acid Mt. Fuji</i> (Reissue)</a><br />
(Sublime; 6 April)<br />
Picked this up during the summer while in Tokyo. Really got into him in a hard way after listening to <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Susumu-Yokota-Symbol/master/26854"><i>Symbol</i></a>. His range was incredible. The title is a tip-off to what he's doing here. Hard to hate on a 303.<br />
<br />
James Blake “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Need-Forest-Fire-feat-Iver/dp/B01F541M5C">I Need a Forest Fire</a>” (Feat. Bon Iver) and Bon Iver <a href="http://boniver.org/store/us"><i>22, A Million</i></a></div>
<div>
(Polydor; 6 May)</div>
<div>
(Jagjaguwar; 30 September) </div>
<div>
Two works from simpaticos bookending both sides of the summer. Pushing all the right boundaries in pop. <br />
<br />
Chance the Rapper “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/chancetherapper/sets/coloring-book">No Problems</a>” (Feat. 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne)<br />
(self-released; 13 May)<br />
I thought the '90s had been mined enough for pop to move on to '00s
nostalgia. Kudos to ‘Ye and Chano digging up 90s gospel-hop. I can’t
wait for that Mary Mary retro throwback.<br />
<br />
Autechre <a href="https://autechre.bleepstores.com/release/73330-autechre-elseq-15"><i>elseq 1-5</i></a><br />
(Warp; 19 May)<br />
Thankfully not everyone thinks a synth is soothing.<br />
<br />
Tyshawn Sorey <a href="https://tyshawn-sorey.bandcamp.com/album/the-inner-spectrum-of-variables"><i>The Inner Spectrum of Variables</i></a></div>
<div>
(Pi; 3 June)<br />
I'm still trying to make time to see Sorey live, because I need to witness his group's refined ability to sculpt sonic space. For now, his recordings will have to do. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.cityparksfoundation.org/event/summerstage-mccoy-tyner-quartet-ron-carter/">Roy Haynes</a><br />
Central Park Summerstage, New York, 4 June<b><br /></b><br />
The Kid's first jazz concert in the pouring rain, picnicking on Chit's <a href="http://abcdsofcooking.com/2012/12/sweet-potato-feta-mizuna-greens-palya-south-indian-stir-fry/">sweet potato palya</a><b>.</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://thetownhall.org/event/sangam">Sangam: Charles Lloyd, Zakir Hussain, Eric Harland</a><br />
Town Hall, New York, 11 June<br />
These three play together with a breath-taking ease and symbiosis.<br />
<br />
Laura Mvula <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Laura-Mvula-The-Dreaming-Room/master/1017742">The Dreaming Room</a></i><br />
(RCA; 17 June)<br />
I'm less into this than <i>Sing to the Moon</i>, but the thinking behind each record is drastically different. There are some incredibly nuanced dance jams here.<br />
<br />
YG <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Still-Brazy-Deluxe-YG/dp/B01FEU1EB4"><i>Still Brazy</i></a></div>
<div>
(Def Jam; 17 June)<br />
It’s so-so, but I’m mostly surprised that he turned out such a singularly focused album. It’s angry, it slaps and it still hits pretty hard.<br />
<br />
Blood Orange <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Freetown-Sound-Blood-Orange/dp/B01GSLL0MQ"><i>Freetown Sound</i></a></div>
<div>
(Domino; 28 June)<br />
This was a great year for <a href="https://www.nypl.org/press/press-release/may-31-2016/new-york-public-library-performing-arts-acquires-collection-cellist">Arthur Russell</a> (blessings, Tom; your hard work will be appreciated by the masses now), but Hynes has done a splendid job carrying the torch.<br />
<br />
Charlie Parker <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Charlie-Parker-Unheard-Bird-The-Unissued-Takes/master/1034962">Unheard Bird: The Unissued Takes</a></i><br />
(Verve; 1 July)<br />
Growing up I was one of those kids that learned Bird solos. So this comp is pretty nuts because it shows his recording process. You hear solos start, stop, evolve. It's all remarkable. Drove the Kid kinda nuts listening to this during a car ride, but it was worth it.<br />
<br />
Gucci Mane “All My Children”<br />
(Atlantic; 22 July) <br />
<i>Everybody Looking</i>
has a few better cuts, but “All My Children” stands out for Gucci un-ironically naming
this song after the long-running soap opera. Combined with his
inscrutable accent at the end of verse 1, the levity is welcome on an
otherwise surprisingly humorless album.<br />
<br />
Sextina Aquafina “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3MKSqUTr-A">Get Dat Fetus, Kill Dat Fetus</a>”</div>
<div>
(Netflix; 22 July)<br />
I don’t get Netflix’s soundtrack strategy. No one needs the score to <i>House of Cards</i>. <br />
<br />
Hari Kondabolu <a href="https://harikondabolu.bandcamp.com/album/mainstream-american-comic"><i>Mainstream American Comic</i></a> and W. Kamau Bell <a href="http://www.killrockstars.com/kamau/"><i>Semi-Prominent Negro</i></a></div>
<div>
(Kill Rock Stars; 22 July and 30 September) </div>
<div>
Kondabolu and Bell’s twin gifts of comic wit and political curiosity were especially helpful navigating this year's election. Their <a href="https://www.politicallyreactive.com/">Politically Reactive podcast</a> was the obvious channel for the NPR-leaning, but their albums helped pull the lens back to macro.<br />
<br />
<i>Narcos, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Narcos-More-Music-Netflix-Original/dp/B01B696MRS">Volume 1</a></i> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Narcos-Vol-Music-Netflix-Original/dp/B01L26NFSO"><i>Volume 2</i></a> (More Music from the Netflix Original Series)</div>
<div>
(Lakeshore; 5 August and 28 October)<br />
I checked out of this series after the Season One, but I didn’t forget the loads of Discos Fuentes. There’s also a smattering of exotica from across South and Central America, all pretty tough.<br />
<br />
Exploded View <a href="https://explodedview.bandcamp.com/"><i>Exploded View</i></a></div>
<div>
(Sacred Bones; 18 August)<br />
The perfect balance of space, echo, noise and pop.<br />
<br />
Frank Ocean <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/music-video/endless/id1143705097"><i>Endless</i></a></div>
<div>
(Def Jam; 19 August)<br />
Remember the day before Blond(s)? I like it better. No ambiguity in the spelling.<br />
<br />
Andre 3000 “Solo (Reprise)” on that <a href="http://boysdontcry.co/">Frank album</a> </div>
<div>
(s/t; 20 August)<br />
Three Stacks doing that Body Work. That “working too hard” punchline alone makes me forget about Bey and Kendrick being on this album.<br />
<br />
Ali Siddiq <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Damaged-Goods-Explicit-Ali-Siddiq/dp/B01KWPJBES"><i>Damaged Goods</i></a><br />
(Comedy Central, 16 September)<br />
"<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/104w7uhfEUlnFJXDOBbDFJ">My apple has fell and rolled across the street.</a>"<br />
<br />
Maria Bamford <a href="https://www.amazon.com/20-Explicit-Maria-Bamford/dp/B01LEGBECQ"><i>20%</i></a><br />
(Comedy Central, 23 September)<br />
At one point Bamfoo makes reference to a psychiatrist watching past footage of the comedienne “<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/5GgJIrJXOLGQ0Br1sKzxUg">with a lot more make-up and much better material.</a>” Sure, she has her <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Maria-Bamford-How-To-Win/release/1752208">classics</a>, but Bamford's work only gets stronger and stronger.<br />
<br />
Solange <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXDJFGI?tag=smarturl-20"><i>A Seat at the Table</i></a></div>
<div>
(Columbia; 30 September)<br />
Really, about half the record. <br />
<br />
Shirley Collins <a href="http://www.dominorecordco.us/usa/albums/07-09-16/lodestar/"><i>Lodestar</i></a><br />
(Domino; 4 November)<br />
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that Stewart Lee reminded me of the wonder of Collins. Her <i>Folk Roots, New Routes</i> album w/ Davy Graham has been in rotation for a minute, but I'd focused mostly on the guitar work. Shirley's voice is, of course, magical, so exploring her body of work has been enriching (more on that below). So, no, I'm not a long-time fan who waited decades for her return. But I can appreciate the road she traveled to get to <i>Lodestar</i>. Her delicately fractured voice aptly captured the fragility of this year.<br />
<br />
A Tribe Called Quest “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Track-1/dp/B01N3JPWOL">The Space Program</a>”</div>
<div>
(Epic; 11 November)</div>
<div>
I'm happy with this album because a childhood hero got a dying wish granted: to record one last time with his day ones. However, Phife isn't on the bulk of the album; Jarobi and others from the Tribe community stepped up in a big way, but count the bars: Malik is barely there. Which makes those snippets so special. Glad to see his brothers finally get it together one more time.<br />
<b> </b> </div>
<div>
<a href="http://thetownhall.org/event/seujorge">Seu Jorge</a><br />
Town Hall, New York, 11 December<br />
Paid my respects to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BAdRQeWMkYy/?taken-by=sintalentos">Bowie</a> shortly after his death, but big surprise the grief was still there at year's end. Combined with Jorge's announcement that his father had also passed away recently, the show felt heavy in the best way possible.<br />
<br />
<b>Jams that didn't come out this year, but I listened to because if we're making arbitrary lists about things that happened in a given year, why not make more arbitrary lists. And this is more-or-less in chronological order from when in the year I listened to these the most.</b></div>
<div>
<div>
Andrew Ashong <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Andrew-Ashong-Flowers/master/483498"><i>Flowers</i></a></div>
<div>
(Sound Signature; 2012)</div>
<div>
“<span class="st">Prettiest things could sour / When the seasons change / </span>Shit don't smell like flowers / Sunshine turns to rain”</div>
<div>
<br />
David Bowie <i>Heathen</i>, <i>VH1 Storytellers</i>, <i>Scary Monsters</i><br />
(ISO/Columbia, EMI, RCA; 2002, 1999, 1980)<br />
These were my go-tos in the aftermath.<br />
<br />
Asa-Chang and Junray <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Asa-Chang-Junray-%E5%BD%B1%E3%81%AE%E7%84%A1%E3%81%84%E3%83%92%E3%83%88/release/4578484">影の無いヒト</a></i><br />
(Commmons; 2009)<br />
My post-OOIOO chillout soundtrack.<br />
<br />
Lemon Jelly <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/view/18642">'64-'95</a></i><br />
(XL Recordings; 2005)<br />
Found this in the floor of a homie's car. Had actually been looking for this record for a while, haha.<br />
<br />
Jackie Chain <i><a href="http://www.livemixtapes.com/mixtapes/22361/jackie-chain-bruce-lean-chronicles-2.html">Bruce Lean Chronicles 2</a></i><br />
(2013)<br />
“Trippin'” and “Climax” for the one-two combo.<br />
<br />
Mac Mall <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Mac-Mall-Illegal-Business/master/168680">Illegal Business?</a></i><br />
(Young Black Brotha; 1993)<br />
Yup, still slaps.<br />
<br />
Sir Douglas Quintet “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Sir-Douglas-Quintet-Mendocino/release/5084690">Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day</a>”<br />
(1969)<br />
Heard Frank Black cover this during a radio session on KCRW years ago and instantly fell in love with the song. Learned it to play for the Kid.<br />
<br />
Suzanne Vega <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Suzanne-Vega-999F/master/31672">99.9F°</a></i><br />
(A&M; 1992)<br />
I'm still trying to wrap my head around this record. So many unexpected twists and turns.<br />
<br />
Vulpess “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Vulpess-Me-Gusta-Ser-Una-Zorra/master/265785">Me Gusta Ser Una Zorra</a>”<br />
(Dos Rombos Discos; 1983)<br />
This actually rocks harder than the Stooges.<br />
<br />
Joyce <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Joyce-Feminina/master/219853">Feminina</a></i><br />
(EMI; 1980)<br />
Does Joyce have Joni-level recognition in Brasil? She deserves it.<br />
<br />
Noré Davis <i><a href="https://rooftopcomedy.bandcamp.com/album/home-game">Home Game</a></i><br />
(Rooftop Comedy; 2014)<br />
<a href="https://rooftopcomedy.bandcamp.com/track/sisbro">Sisbro</a>. Classic.<br />
<br />
Pastor Troy <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Pastor-Troy-We-Ready-I-Declare-War/master/1070052">We Ready - I Declare War</a></i><br />
(Madd Society; 1999)<br />
This must have been the point in the year when I started to get a little upset.<br />
<br /></div>
Iggy Pop <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Iggy-Pop-Zombie-Birdhouse/master/38264"><i>Zombie Birdhouse</i></a></div>
<div>
(Animal; 1982)<i> </i></div>
<div>
My gripe with the Berlin albums is that Bowie's involvement gives the albums an orderliness that doesn't always suit Iggy. “Run Like a Villain” feels like Pop manically escaping the lab environment and jumping back into the loving arms of chaos.</div>
<div>
<br />
Beth Stelling <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Simply-Beth-Stelling/dp/B015S594OY">Simply the Beth</a></i><br />
(Comedy Dynamics; 2015)<br />
<a href="http://www.wnyc.org/story/2-dope-queens-podcast-episode-2-billy-joel/">2 Dope Queens</a> brought me here.<br />
<br />
Joni Mitchell <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Joni-Mitchell-The-Hissing-Of-Summer-Lawns/master/47771">The Hissing Of Summer Lawns</a></i><br />
(Asylum; 1975)<br />
In particular the demos for this record which outline the brilliance of these songs.<br />
<br />
John Coltrane <i>Offering: Live at Temple University</i><br />
(Resonance/Impulse; 2014 reissue)<br />
Still digging this 1966 show. All that Kamasi talk got me thinking about Trane again, I suppose.<br />
<br /></div>
Prince <i>the-you-know-what-with-like-fifty-plus-hours-of-unreleased-material</i> and <i>One Nite Alone... Live!</i> and <i>The Undertaker</i> and “<a href="https://soundcloud.com/sintalentos/prpl-b-sides-yr-a-sides">prpl b-sides”</a><br />
<div>
In any given year there should be no justification necessary for listening to Prince. Of course this year was a bit different. These are the sides I kept returning to.</div>
<div>
<br />
The Gladiators “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/The-Gladiators-Bongo-Red/master/500099">Bongo Red</a>,” “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Gladiators-Gladiator-Band-The-Boy-In-Long-Pants-Part-Two/release/2100676">Boy in Long Pants</a>,” “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/The-Gladiators-Beautiful-Locks/master/946749">Beautiful Locks</a>”<br />
(Studio One; 1974, 1974 and ?)<br />
Big tunes. All Tuff.<br />
<br />
David Holland Quartet <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/David-Holland-Quartet-Conference-Of-The-Birds/master/71747">Conference of the Birds</a></i><br />
(ECM; 1973)<br />
Fantastic reed work from Anthony Braxton and Sam Rivers, the two folks that attracted me to this record, but Barry Altschul's drum/percussion work and Holland's bass playing are phenomenal.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Super Furry Animals <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Super-Furry-Animals-Ice-Hockey-Hair-EP/master/184271"><i>Ice Hockey Hair</i> EP</a></div>
<div>
(Creation; 1998)</div>
<div>
Finally saw these chaps live. Good clean fun.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div>
Redd Kross <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Redd-Kross-Teen-Babes-From-Monsanto/master/362113"><i>Teen Babes From Monsanto</i></a></div>
<div>
(Gasatanka; 1984)</div>
<div>
I still don't comprehend the jump from <i>Born Innocent</i> to this, but geez. I listened to “Deuce” a lot this year, probably as some form of therapy. The McDonald bros. were also top-of-mind because I read the Keith Morris memoir <a href="http://www.jimruland.net/?page_id=924"><i>My Damage</i></a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
The Gories <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Gories-Houserockin/master/319176"><i>Houserockin'</i></a></div>
<div>
(Wanghead; 1989)</div>
<div>
More therapy music.</div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Jazmine Sullivan <a href="https://www.rcarecords.com/artist/jazmine-sullivan/"><i>Reality Show</i></a></div>
<div>
(RCA; 2015)<i></i></div>
<div>
No good reason for not listening to this sooner. Hard-as-hell singer with Salaam Remi production? Make em say...</div>
<div>
<br />
Soulsonic Force <i><a href="https://www.mixcloud.com/abstraktmusic/1979-zulu-nation-cosmic-force-soulsonic-donald-d-side-a/">Zulu Nation: Cosmic Force, Soulsonic And Donald D</a></i><br />
(1979?)<br />
Well, all kinds of <a href="https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/afrika-bambaataa-sexual-abuse-zulu-nation-ron-savage-hassan-campbell">conflicted feelings</a> about anything Bam-related. Still one of many classic tapes from that era.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
The Fall <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Fall-The-Wonderful-And-Frightening-World-Of/master/5301"><i>The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall</i></a> and <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Fall-This-Nations-Saving-Grace/master/5241"><i>This Nation's Saving Grace</i></a></div>
<div>
(Beggars Banquet; 1984 and 1985)<i> </i></div>
<div>
More catch-up. Special thanks to the librarian at the Mulberry Branch who told me some funny stories of seeing them live and gave me some recommendations I'm still tracking down.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Shirley Collins <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Shirley-Collins-The-Power-Of-The-True-Love-Knot/master/265744"><i>The Power of the True Love Knot</i></a>; Shirley and Dolly Collins <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Shirley-Collins-Dolly-Collins-Anthems-In-Eden/master/241484"><i>Anthems in Eden</i></a></div>
<div>
(Polydor and Harvest; 1968 and 1969)</div>
<div>
This is a musicologist's dream. Well-researched tunes with cracking arrangements performed by ace players. And then Collins knocks every tune out the park. Brilliant.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
E-40 <a href="https://www.discogs.com/E-40-Sharp-On-All-4-Corners-Corner-1/release/6397781"><i>Sharp On All 4 Corners</i>: <i>Corner 1</i></a> and <a href="https://www.discogs.com/E-40-Sharp-On-All-4-Corners-Corner-2-/release/6386442"><i>Corner 2</i></a></div>
<div>
(Heavy on the Grind; 2014)</div>
<div>
I'm still catching up, will probably get to the <i>D-Boy Diaries</i> in the next year or two.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Max Frost and the Troopers <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Max-Frost-And-The-Troopers-Shape-Of-Things-To-Come/master/697938"><i>Shape of Things to Come</i></a></div>
<div>
(Tower; 1968)</div>
<div>
Considering how much I love Pryor, I'm surprised this flew under my radar. He has a small role in this mess of a movie, but it's a funny artifact with a pretty cool soundtrack.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Volcano Choir <a href="http://jagjaguwar.com/release/JAG156/"><i>Unmap</i></a> and <a href="http://jagjaguwar.com/release/JAG238/"><i>Repave</i></a></div>
<div>
(Jagjaguwar; 2009 and 2013)</div>
<div>
Like a lot of parents I have to find music that works for the family. Shimmering guitars awash in echo works for this bunch.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The B.U.M.S. <a href="https://www.discogs.com/BUMSBrothas-Unda-Madness-Take-A-Look-Around/master/170335">“Take a Look Around” (Fredwreck Remix)</a></div>
<div>
(Priority; 1995) </div>
<div>
Always revisiting my youth, I suppose.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lowrider-Oldies-1-9-Cruisin-Chrome/dp/B00005RIKQ"><i>Lowrider Oldies: Cruisin' Chrome</i> box set</a></div>
<div>
(Thump; 2001)</div>
<div>
Where else does Brenda and the Tabulations' “Dry Your Eyes” sit so comfortably next to Rodney O and Joe Cooley's “This is For the Homies?”</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Various-Where-The-Action-Is-Los-Angeles-Nuggets-1965-1968/release/2160325"><i>Where the Action Is!: Los Angeles Nuggets 1965-1968</i></a></div>
<div>
(Rhino; 2009)<br />
And then here's the whiter side of Los Angeles, haha.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<i> </i></div>
<div>
The Scientists<i> <a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/view/123366">Blood Red River</a></i></div>
<div>
(Au Go Go; 1983)</div>
<div>
Thanks to <a href="http://www.numerogroup.com/products/the-scientists-a-place-called-bad">Numero</a>, The Scientists are having a nice second look. Personally, I thank <a href="http://kalx.radioactivity.fm/show.html?showoid=8663">idon'tkaren</a> for pointing my attention towards Australia. Lots of good stuff from across the years, but this mini-album has been stuck in my craw for a while.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
Alicia Hall Moran <a href="https://aliciahallmoran.bandcamp.com/releases"><i>HEAVY BLUE</i></a><br />
(self-released; 2015)<br />
Thank <i>The 13th</i> for hipping me to her.<br />
<br />
Bobby Hutcherson <a href="https://www.discogs.com/master/view/142023"><i>Stick-Up!</i></a><br />
(Blue Note; 1968)<br />
I heard this back at KALX, but for some reason never came around to picking up a copy. One of the baddest motherfuckers. Really miss him.<br />
<br />
Miguel Atwood-Ferguson <a href="https://soundcloud.com/ringsounds/miguel-atwood-ferguson-library-selection-album-teaser"><i>Library Selection</i></a><br />
(Ring Sounds; 2015) <br />
I really don't get why this record is a Japan-only release.<br />
<br />
Cocteau Twins “Sugar Hiccup” (12” Version) <br />
(4AD; 1983)<br />
Can you feel me curling inward?<br />
<br />
Pauline Oliveros<br />
After <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/sep/16/don-buchla-modular-synthesizer-pioneer-dies-aged-79">Don Buchla's death</a>, I finally came around to checking out Oliveros' seminal work from various points in her career. The <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Pauline-Oliveros-Reverberations-Tape-Electronic-Music-1961-1970/master/715856">early tape stuff</a> is ill, but the late '80s/early '90s work (<i>Roots of the Moment</i>, <i>Deep Listening</i>, <i>Crone Music</i>) is really engrossing. So sad to have missed hearing her in-person.<br />
<br />
Mort Garson <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Mort-Garson-Mother-Earths-Plantasia/master/822931"><i>Mother Earth's Plantasia</i></a><br />
(Homewood; 1976)<br />
Chumma
put me up on this shortly after Oliveros' passing. I hear a strong connection between Garson and Jean-Jacques Perrey. A fitting way to cap
off an exceptionally shitty year for synth pioneers.<br />
<br />
Leonard Cohen “Dance Me to the End of Love” and <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Leonard-Cohen-The-Future/master/4309">The Future</a></i><br />
(Columbia; 1984 and 1992)<br />
Ready to die.<br />
<br />
<b>The Kid's Playlist</b><br />
Hank Williams <a href="https://www.discogs.com/Hank-Williams-The-Complete-Hank-Williams/release/1236486"><i>The Complete Hank Williams</i></a> (minus the preachy Luke the Drifter cuts)<br />
Bill Callahan/Smog<br />
“Everything Sesame” (i.e., <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Sesame-Street-Sing-The-Alphabet/release/7772106">Sing the Alphabet</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Grover-Grover-Sings-The-Blues/master/758627">Grover Sings the Blues</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Count-The-Count-Counts/master/878398">The Count Counts</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Sesame-Street-The-Year-Of-Roosevelt-Franklin-Gordons-Friend-From-Sesame-Street/master/359038">The Year of Roosevelt Franklin</a></i>)<br />
OutKast <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/OutKast-Aquemini/master/25976">Aquemini</a></i><br />
<i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Various-Moonrise-Kingdom-Original-Soundtrack/master/497413">Moonrise Kingdom</a></i> soundtrack<br />
<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Muppets-The-Muppet-Movie-Original-Soundtrack-Recording/master/110529"><i>The Muppet Movie</i></a> soundtrack<br />
山野さと子 “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh3ZFtVqzac">ドラえもんのうた</a>”<br />
Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie <a href="http://www.folkways.si.edu/woody-guthrie-and-lead-belly/folkways-the-original-vision/american-folk-popular/music/album/smithsonian"><i>Folkways: The Original Vision</i></a> <br />
Sir Douglas Quintet/Doug Sahm<br />
Nick Lowe “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Nick-Lowe-And-His-Cowboy-Outfit-Nick-Lowe-And-His-Cowboy-Outfit/master/238658">Half a Boy And Half a Man</a>”<br />
<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Gloria-Ann-Taylor-Love-Is-A-Hurtin-Thing/master/919542">Gloria Ann Taylor</a><br />
John Holt “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/John-Holt-Ali-Baba/master/916328">Ali Baba</a>“<br />
Brother Soul “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Brother-Soul-Cookies/master/285590">Cookies</a>“<br />
Scissor Sisters “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H5I6y1Qvz0">I Don't Feel Like Dancin'</a>”<br />
The Kid's music camp CDs, particularly an all-horn performance of “St. Thomas”<br />
Mac DeMarco <i><a href="https://www.omnianmusicgroup.com/products/another-one">Another One</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.omnianmusicgroup.com/products/salad-days">Salad Days</a></i><br />
First two Happy End/ハッピー・エンド albums<br />
ドリーミング <a href="https://www.amazon.com/SOREIKE-ANPANMAN-BEST-HIT-16/dp/B016ORI7J8"><i>それいけ!アンパンマン ベストヒット’16</i></a> <br />
Max Romeo “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Max-Romeo-Three-Blind-Mice/master/353275">Three Blind Mice</a>”<br />
Jeremy Zmuda “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-5ScSgnmwU">I Never</a>”<br />
Harry Belafonte “<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Belafonte-Belafonte-Sings-Of-The-Caribbean/master/183388">Cocoanut Woman</a>”<b><br /></b>The Skates <i><a href="https://theskates.bandcamp.com/album/the-skates">s/t</a></i><br />
DJ Quik <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/DJ-Quik-Rhythm-Al-Ism/release/7820976">Rhythm-Al-ism (Clean)</a></i><br />
Charles Lloyd and Billy Higgins <i><a href="https://www.discogs.com/Charles-Lloyd-Hyperion-With-Higgins/master/959285">Hyperion with Higgins</a></i><br />
Sister Rosetta Tharpe<br />
<div>
Julie Andrews “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brt0KH8q-94">Do-Re-Mi</a>”<br />
<br /></div>
<b>Shit the Kid told me to turn off. And that I agreed to turn off.</b><br />
D.R.A.M. "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K44j-sb1SRY">Broccoli</a>”</div>
</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-85886229351083311832016-12-08T11:30:00.000-05:002016-12-11T14:47:33.238-05:00LINER NOTES: Faces<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlxnjJUGSvaSYxk6J3pZUW6A" width="420"></iframe> <br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:sondreguten:playlist:7xwzKvbUlhe9q4vQb2MwHZ" width="300"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="ttps://open.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/7xwzKvbUlhe9q4vQb2MwHZ"><i><span style="color: blue;">Faces</span></i></a> playlist.<br />
<br />
Physiognomy may be a "<a href="http://blogs.getty.edu/iris/physiognomy-the-beautiful-pseudoscience/">beautiful pseudoscience</a>," but in popular music the face is still seen as a key platform for translating one's innermost feelings. Numerous songs sing the face's praises, while others use the face to deflect the unwanted. In other words, the face reigns supreme as the gateway to a musical soul.<br />
<br />
In a stroke of convenient coincidence, the weather in New York chilled considerably the week of our December LINER NOTES, so every attendee arrived ready to crawl out from under layers of coats and hats to take a peek at our model's mug.<br />
<br />
We started by dropping the spotlight firmly on the evening's theme. Ronson's retro soul take on "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" is all breaks and triumphant horns, an energetic rallying cry for an open window to a person's soul. It's also the only palatable way to listen to an otherwise dreadful Coldplay dud. Egg on my face for not knowing this until recently. Such is the advantage of replacing Chris Martin with a horn section.<br />
<br />
To keep us warm we followed this fuzzy vein of celebrating the face. Little Richard gave a full-throated endorsement of his baby's. The Who—temporarily changing names to The High Numbers—took pride in being the sartorial face of the Mod nation. Later in the evening we devoted an entire section to artists ranging from Chris Elliott to Angel Olsen admiring the loveliest visages.<br />
<br />
Of course the face can communicate any number of thoughts. 3rd Bass and KMD found two opportunities to expound on the different ways to brush off a sucker with a choice gas face. Lily Allen smiled through the pain of her ex's infidelities, but Mariah and Missy couldn't even be bothered to give a smile or a smirk to keep the unwanted out of sight, out of mind. Baby Washington gets the A for confronting her problems head-on, practically licking her lips at the chance to call out her basic bitch.<br />
<br />
Rounding out the set were two pet project jams celebrating the face's ability to communicate. Thank Gerald Levert for many things, particularly the discovery of The Rude Boys. I can't name another song from the quartet, but they SLAY their only hit, "Written All Over Your Face," by bringing the line—"Just smile for me / it's better than any word I've ever heard"—to life, whooping and vamping to an orgiastic climax in the song's back-half. Arthur Russell moved on from the Loose Joints moniker with the quickness, but not before crafting the classic late-night seduction, "It It All Over My Face?"<br />
<br />
This isn't the first time we've covered the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlzgfH4r5IGVgESE4DFmAE42">face</a> and there's plenty more to explore, so expect a return to this theme soon...</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-25018975569058883372016-11-10T23:00:00.000-05:002016-11-13T15:56:37.324-05:00LINER NOTES: Upside Down<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlxxqAutHZCo6Fe4e-4p_EoV" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:sondreguten:playlist:3SIRN0adX2iwncFtLVw5vi" width="300"></iframe><br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/3SIRN0adX2iwncFtLVw5vi">Upside Down</a></i> Spotify playlist<br />
<br />
*sigh*<br />
<br />
I pull music for these sessions in advance, so even prior to Election Day I knew <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/804167626392216/">this night</a> would have to capture the frightening absurdity of the election season. The ugly embers of this nation's resentments have been stoked, fanned and fueled for over a year. Regardless of the outcome, I felt the music had to mix the anger frustration fear with strength hope release.<br />
<br />
So, it's Three Stack's heavy sigh that opened the night. It's a sigh weighed down from smiling through the pain. It's weighed down from seeing one's love twisted beyond recognition. It's weighed down from realizing how routine this perversion has become. It's a cumbersome burden that is shucked off by instinct as soon as the beat drops... because there's an audience? "See this is the way that we walk on a sunny day when it's raining inside and you're all alone..." And so the sing-song melody taps happily atop a buoyant beat while Dre, Bigga and Antwan go down down down into the stress. I suppose it may have felt like you walked in on the story like you missed the beginning, but you haven't missed anything if you've been here the entire time. It's just a matter of looking around.<br />
<br />
And so we moved both back in time and space to see where this despair comes from. First, we check in with a pair of the UK's most noted emoters. Surprise, the Thatcher era plots a familiar narrative. The The's "The Beat(en) Generation" is like "Whole World" in its absurd pairing of soft shoe folk with apoplectic GenX warnings. The entire <i>Mind Bomb</i> LP feels similarly ham-fisted in its fury, but Mat Johnson's warnings ring no less true over a quarter-century later. Oh, and that is Johnny Marr strumming along sullenly in the background... Meanwhile, Morrissey shows no loss of step in his like ability to coax along the coming armageddon to a shiny happy melody.<br />
<br />
Waylon's "Down Came the World" and Earl Hines' (really, Walter Fuller, who sings lead here) cover of Cab Calloway's "Topsy Turvy" take us out of the overtly political arena, but their similar characterizations of women doing them so bad they can't even... feels familiar. So we let Joanna respond: "What we built at the kiln that won’t be stilled / Did not set well." Emphasis on <i style="font-weight: bold;">we</i>.<br />
<br />
Looking at this background it becomes clear the mix of female and political becomes explosive. Betty Davis and Amanda Palmer grab this notion by the balls/pussy (your choice) and snatch away a couple choice cuts from some doods. Davis nails the creepy DC pol personality to a tee, while Palmer invigorates a classic English ballad about labor and property rights with only her voice and a uke. Of course, doods are always lurking around trying to get in on the action. That's Betty's then husband Miles growling some lecherous nonsense about covering Cream with the "gum in your mouth and all." And Lin Manuel-Miranda's "Yorktown" only references "World Turned Upside Down," but notably moves the theme from working class protest critique to macho military anthem (hi, silent Eliza!). Doods, can you not be such doods all the time?<br />
<br />
Ornette gets it. And, so we close the first half of drawing with "Lonely Woman." Only fitting this anthem comes from the accurately titled <i>The Shape of Jazz to Come</i>.<br />
<br />
In the second half, we began to move away from the details of the muck. We reviewed the weight of the world, but from a more macro perspective. Prince seeing sin everywhere in 1987. George Clinton calling out crackpot consumerism in between acid sessions. P.F. Sloan taking a wild stab at mid-60s anger while Barry McGuire breathes fire into "Eve of Destruction." And we closed with a more contemporary form of bullet-point protest "Stakes is High" perhaps the apex (or nadir?) of De la's abrupt about-face from their anything goes birthplace.<br />
<br />
I suppose it was belaboring the point to continue with Curtis' apocalyptic "(Don't Worry) If There's Hell Below We're All Going To Go," the vertiginous "Soliloquy of Chaos" instrumental and the unnerving "The Upside Down" from the <i>Stranger Things</i> score. But the journey was all to get us to the tinkling synths and that whoop in "I Need a Forest Fire." Justin Vernon requests "a new dream" and D stays cautious, but both are optimistic. Tuesday may not have been a good day, but sometimes we "wander off just to come back home."<br />
<br />
So, next time Diana says you're making her feel "Upside Down?" Tell her you're not alone.</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-48886378645309824132016-10-13T23:00:00.000-04:002016-11-13T22:00:51.553-05:00LINER NOTES: Reset<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlzwXu6sNA4oKZ53Og0dNBOY" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:sondreguten:playlist:3MDDBJuWQ5aJYzaAHEocVZ" width="300"></iframe><br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/3MDDBJuWQ5aJYzaAHEocVZ">Reset</a></i> Spotify playlist<br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1317631071615537/">Reset</a></i> was meant to be a secular nod to the Muslim and Jewish New Years, both of which fell in October. By <i>LINER NOTES</i> standards the music spun reflected the theme broadly. Mostly thoughts about the past and reflections on change. As such, the tone spanned a few emotions.<br />
<br />
Optimism towards change is perhaps more prevalent in song than in real-life. Credit Johnny Nash for capturing that a-ha! moment for middle America and wedding dinners across the land. Jonathan Richman's "I'm Just Beginning to Live" is nowhere near as ubiquitous, but perhaps more delirious with ecstasy over his new state of being. Even surly Bob has nothing but love likening his sweetheart to a "New Morning." Perhaps that's why we toned down this optimism with the cynical realizations in the Velvets' "Beginning to See the Light."<br />
<br />
At times we allowed the optimism to become aggressive. At the start of the cult film <i>Wild in the Streets</i>, Max Frost sings "Shape of Things to Come" with a religious fervor calling out to the nation the youth invasion. By film's end Frost is a demagogue consumed with exercising his vision at any cost. The song becomes less a youth anthem and more an explicit threat of genocide. I suppose the writers had some issues with the hippy generation. Less malignant is Common's ball-swaggering "Resurrection." The song remains the emcee's "Giant Steps" stacking rhymes upon rhymes upon rhymes." If you had bars like this at 22, what would you do?<br />
<br />
A bittersweet look backward seems common for most adults. NaS and Quik walk us through their respective childhoods with equal respect for the better times and the blemished memories. A fresh out of retirement Lennon channels his rejuvenated outlook while subtly acknowledging his constant moral meandering on "Starting Over." Recent events may weigh more heavily on Solange's mind, but she knows she has to "go ahead and take some time" on "Borderline (An Ode to Self Care)." Everyone moves forward in lock step with the march of time. <br />
<br />
<br /></div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-37292517322668768392016-08-11T23:00:00.000-04:002016-11-13T16:47:24.379-05:00LINER NOTES: Runnin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWly4VXXNgouH4ZKqtf5WQA4D" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:sondreguten:playlist:2gZNi5QNaYCnOdKgkXlPMM" width="300"></iframe><br />
<br />
<i><a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/2gZNi5QNaYCnOdKgkXlPMM">Runnin</a></i> Spotify playlist<br />
<br />
I have a hard time getting excited about the Olympics. Perhaps it's the <a href="http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/jep.30.2.201">dubious economics</a>, or the irresponsible <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/10/world/asia/water-intensive-beijing-olympic-bid-alarms-environmentalists.html">environmental</a> impact, or the antics of <a href="https://www.google.com/search?num=30&safe=off&q=ryan+lochte+robbery&oq=ryan+lochte+robbery">out-of-control, privileged white kids</a>. Hard to say. That said, exceptional athleticism is like any work of art—a spectacle filled with inherent thrills and beauty. <i>The Nation</i>'s sports editor Dave Zirin shared a concise crash course on this love-hate relationship on Hari Kondabolu and W. Kamau Bell's <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/panoply/politically-reactive-with-w-kamau-bell-hari-kondabolu/e/dave-zirin-on-loving-and-hating-the-olympics-46042184"><i>Politically Reactive</i> podcast</a>. Check that out.<br />
<br />
So, this sense of aesthetic wonder is what buoyed much of the evening. Sometimes the beauty was in the style. Ray Barretto and Ray Charles sound jocular swinging beats with the greatest of ease. Sometimes the beauty is unexpected and iconoclastic. Like Arthur Russell baking ideas in a railroaded kitchen/bathroom. And sometimes the beauty is nostalgic and juvenile. That's Loudon Wainwright III proud and fearless once upon a time.<br />
<br />
Being the Olympics, we had to validate our champions with that most holy dookie chain. Didn't Ezekiel say something about gold and silver not appeasing the Big Homie? Well, that book ain't my book, so don't ask me. Instead, I let Joe and Toots share their ideas on the truest treasures in life. Spoiler alert: hoarding a ton of the precious isn't a good look!<br />
<br />
Best to focus on the literal mechanics. R.E.M. may not medal with that leisurely "Nightswimming," so we throw some hot sauce on the Georgian quartet and have us some Fatback Band "Backstrokin'" instead. DLR's fantastically chemical vocal take on "Runnin' With the Devil" should inspire anyone to be first off the blocks. Sly was likely similarly enhanced while recording "Runnin' Away," but feels more like a Bolt victory lap.<br />
<br />
The modern Olympics are a multimedia spectacle complete with a programmed soundtrack. The songs are generally <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9I-nhHyjgU">meh</a>. Every once in a while, something exceptional slips through. Kudos to whomever pitched Icelandic artist Björk's "Oceania" for the 2004 Olympics in London. <i>Medúlla </i>found her in a full Meredith Monk state of mind at the time. Pairing this with the capitalist swagger of contemporary Western European pomp is like mwah. Whitney's "One Moment in Time" feels far more simpatico to the proceedings, what with its '80s syrup and melodrama (it's got a Be My Baby beat, for crying out loud). Except it's Whitney in her prime and Whitney in her prime is a supernova, so stfu.<br />
<br />
Our opening and closing themes required a slightly deeper dig—in my case, an accidental discovery. <i>Visions of Eight</i> is a compilation film by eight filmmakers, containing eight short vignettes about the 1972 Munich Olympics. Yes, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munich_massacre">that one</a>. Only one of the filmmakers overtly acknowledges the terrorist kidnapping and mass killing, so it's accurate to call this an awkward film. That said, it has a Mancini score filled with period thrills and leisure suit muzak. His take on Olympian pomp feels accurate and less manufacture. So in the spirit of the Olympics' supposed championing of athletics, we bookended the session with Hank's horns.</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-23948640396296360362016-05-13T15:06:00.000-04:002016-05-28T15:43:10.811-04:00LINER NOTES: Every May I Write The Book<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlx7t5iefBG_AER9HPSvp7cw" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:sondreguten:playlist:0pjrxaX38LDwJkfiDrdpyY" width="300"></iframe>
<br />
<i><a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/0pjrxaX38LDwJkfiDrdpyY">Every May I Write the Book</a></i> Spotify playlist<br />
<br />
I read a lot of non-fiction; check the year-end <a href="http://sintalentos.blogspot.com/search/label/list">lists</a> and you'll see the preference.<br />
<br />
Nate reads a lot of fiction. So, his recommendations are a good counterbalance for my biases. He's passed along unfamiliar writers, like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lucys-Raised-Wolves-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307276678">Karen Russell</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reluctant-Fundamentalist-Mohsin-Hamid/dp/0156034026/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1464462772&sr=1-1&keywords=Mohsin+Hamid+reluctant">Mohsin Hamid</a>. It's good to get out of fact-collection mode and focus more on language and style.<br />
<br />
The literature theme is my way of reaching across the aisle. It collects a number of songs with literary references (the vast majority are from fiction) -- a number of which I admittedly don't get because I haven't read a lot of these works. So, it's a fun way to share some discoveries with Nate, while giving us some new leads on future reads.<br />
<br />
Elvis's "Every May I Write the Book" seems the most ideal way to kick off this theme, what with Declan's use of writing techniques and literary devices as simple metaphors. The middle-aged steppers' feel and '80s production of this recording has never endeared itself to me. But the writing, suitably, captures the essence of the theme.<br />
<br />
There are plenty of book-related tunes, but I opted to skip over most of these in favor of more specific references. I stuck with the old guard of rawk to cover this base, so thanks, Mr. Diddley and the Monotones. Special mention should go to Los Campesinos! for the band's hilariously bitter "We Are All Accelerated Readers," which takes the idea of curling up w/ your favorite book to another logical conclusion -- seclusion from the frightening world of relationships! What would the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e18MR7ugDuM">Staple Singers</a> think of the line, "You should have built a wall, not a bridge"? <br />
<br />
I went with some familiar (literary) works for the evening's first mid-length poses. Lewis Carroll ("White Rabbit," and Aceyalone reading and breathing all over "The Jabberwocky") and Russian celebs, like Nabokov (I don't think I can listen to "Don't Stand So Close to Me" anymore) and Dostoyevsky (Magazine's "Song From Under the Floorboards is essentially a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jan/04/magazine-song-from-under-floorboards">post-punk Cliff's Notes</a> of <i>Notes from the Underground</i>).<br />
<br />
The kid's influence creeps out with the Sendak <i>Where the Wild Things Are</i> soundtrack (and Alt-J's surprising "Breezeblocks") and some Shel Silverstein (those original recordings are still both chilling and entertaining).<br />
<br />
My grasp of the references breaks up around the poetry section. I shared some Langston Hughes and Jack Kerouac because they both wrote extensively about music and recorded with music backdrops. Gang Starr's "DWYCK" is technically there because of the passing Hughes / can't lose when I cruise line, but moreso to inject some life in the proceedings (by the way, this is the notable track missing from both the YouTube and Spotify playlist; it's a remix from the "<a href="https://www.discogs.com/Gang-Starr-Take-It-Personal/release/250768">Take it Personal</a>" 12). When we get to 'Pac's invocation of Walter Scott or Serge's homage to Baudelaire, I really can't comment. It's all new to me, but exciting because it gives me a new layer to reveal. Y'all have any recommendations for me?<br />
<br />
We'll be back in June with a globetrotting theme. We'll explore tunes from around the world that focus on the body.</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-80127340921734203922016-04-15T21:45:00.000-04:002016-05-28T23:03:06.181-04:00LINER NOTES: xx/xy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlx67faMpNGm2CrWyd0NDRK_" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:sondreguten:playlist:0CpBxfqnriFmzdmx4fPiif" width="300"></iframe>
<br />
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/0CpBxfqnriFmzdmx4fPiif">xx/xy</a> playlist<br />
<br />
As an adult, my <a href="http://sintalentos.blogspot.com/2010/10/drawingmodelmusicbeer-stories.html">consistently</a> <a href="http://sintalentos.blogspot.com/2010/10/drawingmodelmusicbeer-stories.html">favorite</a> musical theme seems to be gender identity. I've often explored 'gender inversions' (my term) (e.g., Bill Withers' "Who is He?" begetting Gladys Knight & the Pips' "Who is She?" begetting Me'Shell NdegéOcello's "Who is He?"). I've never tackled gender as the central lyrical focus, so this was a welcome challenge.<br />
<br />
The old, bloated elephant that has historically occupied most of the room is the cis-male-hetero idea of masculinity (and, because everyone has to have an opinion, of femininity, too). Because this has been the norm for years of pop music, I intentionally didn't give it much airtime. Instead, I selected a small batch to capture the essence of this ethos. Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man" embodies this spirit like few other songs, from its tough riffage to its blunt title. Plus, it felt good to bookend the session between that song and Neko Case's "Man" ("I'm not an identity crisis / This was planned"). I admittedly picked "Walk Like a Man" less for its outline of manly qualities, but more for the shits and giggles of hearing Frankie Valli's ridiculous falsetto punctuate this list. And I had to include the Bacharach-David composition "Wives and Lovers" for its stunningly bone-headed lyrics -- a useful reminder that misogyny does not begin and end with [fill-in-the-blank African-American-rooted popular music style]. And then there's Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy," which IMO trumps "I'm a Man." Waters has numerous recordings of this song. I goofed and played the <i>Electric Mud</i> version when I meant to play the <i>Hard Again</i> session (yes, I know there are some goofy ass players backing him on that record, but the relatively modern recording standards makes that record bang <i>hard as fuck</i>). Do yourself a favor and check it out in the playlist, if you aren't familiar. Well, he literally screams, "I'm a Man!!"<br />
<br />
More interesting to me are the challenges to these standards. "Runnin'" leads the charge courtesy of Fatlip's soul-bearing verse which details an adolescence stripped of any Superman notions. Surrounded by a sea of aggression ("I can recall crip niggas throwin Cs in my face"), he knows what path he's supposed to follow, but has no tools to achieve it ("My pappy never taught me how to knock a nigga out"). Coupled with the song's hook, the running metaphor becomes a particular condemnation of macho standards.<br />
<br />
I also focused on cis-female-hetero ideas of gender. The ideas of femininity range from the stereotypical traditional (Peggy Lee serving womanhood on a doily with "I Enjoy Being a Girl" and Joyce's fragrantly poetic "Feminina") to the prototypical feminist (The Slits' shit-talking "Typical Girls;" and even the solidly blue country of Kacey Musgraves' "Merry Go 'Round"). Just like the straight fellas, homegirls give considerable attention to masculinity. Sylvan Esso's "Hey Mami"calls out catcalls, while PJ Harvey's "Dress" paints a fuller picture of the male's perverted gaze. Suzanne Vega's "As Girls Go" highlights the more subtle, but no less pernicious digs at women.<br />
<br />
I clearly can't get enough of inversions, because a fair amount of the set explored various border crossings and non-binary states. Etta James' muscular vocal performance on "W-O-M-A-N" (and, in fairness, most everything she recorded) is a great example of simultaneously encapsulating and exploding traditional notions of femininity. The recording is sexy, smoky, sensual... but continue throwing superlatives at the wall and you quickly find the list weaving in husky, swaggering, ballsy... did we take a left turn? No, she sings with all those qualities, but is undeniably a W-O-M-A-N. Thank goodness for the Mats's "Androgynous," which paints such a natural, loving portrait of gender and sexual identity exploration ("Mirror image, see no damage / See no evil at all"). Sure, the ending is a bit of a middle-aged bummer, but kudos to Westerberg for being able to forecast that in his mid-twenties when he wrote this. "Masculine Women, Feminine Men" was included mostly as a historic document of how long hetero mania over border-crossing (or, the notion there is only one border or that borders even exist) has existed.<br />
<br />
When I return to this theme (and I certainly will, given how much fun this was), I want to break out of the cis-male and cis-female hetero voices. A good chunk of Antony/ANOHNI's work is really a starting point for me. I'll have more to say after exploring this some more.<br />
<br />
And a quick word about the name of this session, "xx/xy." I recognize that referring to chromosomes suggests biology and sex identity. I know this is not the best session name. I'm happy to revisit this theme with a new session title. Any suggestions?</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-45840778511268194582015-12-31T12:00:00.000-05:002016-01-03T18:38:44.671-05:00Love Song 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe frameborder="no" height="450" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/239741465&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%"></iframe>
<br />
Thanks again for another lovely year. Lots more jams, lots more doodles, lots more fun in '16.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/sintalentos/love">One</a>.<br />
<br />
P.S. - the samples are built from songs released in 2015 or songs I was digging this year. Name 'em all and you'll have my respect. And I'll dig up something nice as an atta-kid.</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-22366050750357109912015-12-31T09:30:00.000-05:002015-12-31T09:30:08.112-05:00Kank, Not Konk: Best of the Kid 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlwc-n9ItqI8mUbDu77x6Tfl" width="425"></iframe>
<br />
<b>Stuff the Kid Likes</b><br />
Bob Dylan “Little Sadie”<br />
Sofia Loren “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fC1u3vgx4U">Zoo Be Zoo Be</a>”<br />
Oscar the Grouch “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxgWHzMvXOY">I Love Trash</a>”<br />
Tegan & Sara “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StTqXEQ2l-Y">Everything is Awesome</a>”<br />
mashing up “I Love Trash” with “Everything is Awesome” (it’s more or less “Everything is dingy and dusty and musty / Oh, everything is awesome!”)<br />
Ocean 11 “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_h28VJ6yWpQ">Housewives Choice</a>”<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jF5qJBTSQK4">“The Acorn Song”</a> (“I’m a nut (cluck cluck) / I‘m a nut (cluck cluck)” <br />
If you ask him what he’ll DJ at his “DJ gig,” he’ll say, “Twinkle, Twinkle; Old McDonald; and the Acorn song”<br />
Saying the word, “Kank” and other variations of made-up words<br />
The first 15 minutes of <i>E.T.</i><br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVwemt7rdiM">Shinkansen trainwatching videos</a> on YouTube<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anpanman"><i>Anpanman</i></a> episodes<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-Leads-board/dp/0547575742"><i>Little Blue Truck Leads the Way,</i></a> Alice Shertie (story), Jill McElmurry (art)<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sick-Day-Amos-McGee/dp/1596434023/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1448757924&"><i>A Sick Day for Amos McGee</i></a>, Philip C. Stead (story), Erin E. Stead (art)<br />
<i>日本の昔話</i> (Gakken Education Publishing)<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Otogi-ressha-shuppatsu-shinko-Naokata/dp/4323024525/"><i>Otogi Ressha Shuppatsu Shinko!</i></a>, Naokata Mase (間瀬なおかた)<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Potty-Boy/dp/1770854045/"><i>Once Upon a Potty</i></a>, Alona Frankel<br />
The “Kim and Carrots” segments of <i>Babybug</i><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Bear-Can-Read-Book/dp/0064440044"><i>Little Bear</i></a> series Elsa Holmelund Minarik (story) Maurice Sendak (art)<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Lori-Visited-Times-Square/dp/0060284625"><i>How Little Lori Visited Times Square</i></a>, Amos Vogel (story) Maurice Sendak (art)<br />
Almost any Curious George<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Horton-Hatches-Egg-Dr-Seuss-ebook/dp/B00ESF28SK"><i>Horton Hatches the Egg,</i></a> Dr. Seuss<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Poops-My-Body-Science/dp/192913214X/"><i>Everyone Poops</i></a>, Gomi Taro</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-87615340752179141972015-12-31T09:00:00.000-05:002015-12-31T09:00:10.166-05:00The Book of You: Best Static Visual Stuff of 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9p6eos7pB6h1ur2zdmR31-l2X4A6FHiLFznCOOizAiGoQbDYwixP0w5h9MIV7xZBiJQf_BwljqjXNvDeyU4rGFMKytIpinH8ThvZZ7Mq_AJ9ioejCyy5IsvNpPOvL_YgDs1t/s1600/IMG_5502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM9p6eos7pB6h1ur2zdmR31-l2X4A6FHiLFznCOOizAiGoQbDYwixP0w5h9MIV7xZBiJQf_BwljqjXNvDeyU4rGFMKytIpinH8ThvZZ7Mq_AJ9ioejCyy5IsvNpPOvL_YgDs1t/s320/IMG_5502.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Killing-Joke-Deluxe-Edition/dp/1401216676"><i>Batman: The Killing Joke</i></a> Alan Moore (story), Brian Bolland (art)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><b>Stuff I Read</b><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clothes-Clothes-Music-Music-Boys-ebook/dp/B00JTIOYGA"><i>Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music Music Boys Boys Boys: A Memoir</i></a> Viv Albertine<br />No comparison to Kim Gordon’s book, but more of what I was expecting in terms of mixing a look into the subject’s personal life, as well as the nerd details about the music. Probably helps that Albertine’s stint with the Slits was relatively short, so talking about music music music is a little more neat, perhaps? In any case, I knew little about the Slits or Albertine, so this was eye-opening in many ways. What a fucking life. So very happy that she has found her way back to music. The back half of the book that details her struggles with pregnancy, marriage, and working her way back to good health and art-making is absolutely essential.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Brief-History-Seven-Killings-Novel/dp/159448600X"><i>A Brief History of Seven Killings: A Novel</i></a> Marlon James<br />Solid writing. I'm already steeling myself for the inevitable disappointment of knowing this book will get optioned -- it screams 'make me into a film!' Which is exactly why it shouldn't. Beautiful handling of multiple characters. Really looking forward to reading more of James. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Cultural-Cold-War-Letters/dp/1565846648"><i>The Cultural Cold War: The CIA and the World of Arts and Letters</i></a> Frances Stonor Saunders<br />I’m still making my way through this, but it’s a great follow-up (for me) to <i>Legacy of Ashes</i>. I suppose the tl;dr version is Damn, the CIA is fuckin’ up all up and down history.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Nimona-Noelle-Stevenson/dp/0062278223"><i>Nimona</i></a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Lumberjanes-Vol-1-Noelle-Stevenson/dp/1608866874"><i>Lumberjanes, Vol. 1</i></a> Noelle Stevenson<br />I really shouldn’t talk about these two series in the same breath, because they are so distinct in message, style, story, etc. But I have to thank having nieces for encouraging me to think about books that speak more directly to being female. Which is pretty silly, I recognize. Hell, these are the sorts of stories my nephews would also benefit from. Anyway. Nimona spirals out into a much bigger story, which can be a bit overwhelming. However, it really nails a lot of the confusion of growing up in the modern world. Lumberjanes is plain silly fun, smart and enjoyable in a very different way. Really dig the art, too. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Batman-Year-One-Frank-Miller/dp/1401207529/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=1T7PVSDTBAJ9312VRVE7"><i>Batman: Year One</i></a> Frank Miller (story), David Mazzucchelli (art)<br />I think I like this more than <i>Dark Knight Returns</i>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ms-Marvel-Volume-No-Normal/dp/078519021X"><i>Ms. Marvel, Volume 1: No Normal</i></a> Willow Wilson<br />Love, love, love this series.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Diary-Madman-Death-Roots-Southern/dp/0062302639"><i>Diary of a Madman: The Geto Boys, Life, Death, and the Roots of Southern Rap</i></a> Brad Jordan and Benjamin Meadows Ingram<br />Almost done with this, but it’s a great take on the South/Houston scene.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Squared-Circle-Professional-Wrestling/dp/1592408818"><i>The Squared Circle: Life, Death and Professional Wrestling</i></a> David Shoemaker<br />My old homie Ben ‘gifted’ this to me for my bday. Another ‘almost-done’ joint, but it’s the sort of reading you can pick up and put down repeatedly. </span></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-61418486990610497112015-12-31T07:00:00.000-05:002016-01-03T18:53:41.294-05:00Mingus Eyes: Best Moving Visual Stuff of 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlztqeMLkinZjoU9vtpP8Wxq" width="425"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>Stuff I watched (under a half hour)</b><br />Honey Cocaine “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ouv9HSSLbYE&feature=youtu.be">Honeydick</a>”<br />What Si Mane Price <a href="http://themartorialist.blogspot.com/2015/11/life-is-beach-and-these-bloggas-is_17.html">said</a>.<br /><br />Charli XCX “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f5A4DnGtis">Famous</a>”<br />Probably the most literal thing from either Tim or Eric (up there with <i>Decker</i>? Or <i>On Cinema</i>?)<br /><br />Dr. Yen Lo (Ka) - “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUxVhSyXi1U">Day O</a>”<br />Prog-rap? Noir rap?<br /><br /><b>Stuff I watched (under an hour)</b><br /><i>Master of None</i><br />Really, it’s the Parents and Race episodes that stand out. Overall, the show hits a lot of great casting points. Slate already covered this, but it does a standout job of showing people of different races, sexual orientations, genders -- IDENTITIES -- interacting with each other like human beings. It’s all a bit perfect, so it works as a sitcom, but it’ll do. Happy that Ansari got this show made. The Parents episode is my favorite. The structure of showing both Dev and Kevin’s father’s respective trips and how they are both similar and stand-alone is remarkable. And done in record time in a half-hour sitcom!<br /><br /><i>With Bob & David</i><br />Perfect because I really didn’t ever expect more Bob and Dave? Also great, b/c it’s such a short run and fulfills just enough. Lots of room for great support players.<br /><br /><i>Inside Amy Schumer</i><br />“Friday Night Lights,” “Last Fuckable Day,” the entire “12 Angry Men Inside Amy Schumer” ep, Amy’s increasingly orange legs on the “Cliffely Lately” show<br /><br /><i>Last Week Tonight</i><br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QplQL5eAxlY">Translators</a>.<br /><br /><i>Better Call Saul</i><br />I had no interest in watching this show, let alone in its existence. I liked <i>Breaking Bad</i>, but simply never felt engrossed in the show. The storytelling was always compelling and entertaining, but the back-and-forth between gravitas and absurdity never clicked. Also, I fundamentally don’t think it brought any more nuance or interpretation of the drug trade which does in fact impact the country. Which probably explains why I actually like Saul, possibly more than BB. Gilligan is an excellent storyteller and Jimmy McGill’s story is a classic tragedy. It is an excellent use of a classic storytelling motif set in a modern, distinctly American context. Plus, Odenkirk, Odenkirk, Odenkirk. When Mike, a character that I thoroughly enjoyed, has one of the weakest storylines, you know you have something very compelling.<br /><br /><i>Daredevil</i> & <i>Jessica Jones</i><br />Daredevil has major <a href="https://reason.com/archives/2015/04/21/how-netflixs-new-daredevil-series-makes#.h9nzfev:IiKp">ethics</a> problems. The whole post-9/11 tension feels dated. It has shit views on <a href="http://thenerdsofcolor.org/2015/04/30/black-mask-yellow-peril-anti-asianism-in-netflixs-otherwise-brilliant-daredevil/">race</a>. But good action. Though that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwIIDzrVVdc"><i>Oldboy</i></a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B66feInucFY">knock-off</a> still puzzles me. Who was that aimed at? Kids too young to have seen <i>Oldboy</i>, but need a version sans hammer?<br /><br />Jessica Jones has shit action. But the themes are more <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/television/2015/11/marvel_s_jessica_jones_and_gamergate_how_the_netflix_series_absorbed_the.html">relevant</a>. And there’s interracial boning. But what is up with casting David Tennant to just do the rapist version of the Doctor?<br /><br /><i>The Americans</i><br />I think this is a sign that I’m settling into middle age. This is a pretty ridiculous show, but I’m happy to throw down for Felicity. And that’s probably the root of my problem.<br /><br /><i>Crazy Ex-Girlfriend</i><br />In spite of its shit title, the music is on point and (generally) well-written, the premise of a JAP chasing after a Filipino-American dude is (sadly) revolutionary (for our times), and the cast is filled with a variety of normal looks, body types, etc. but big on comedy chops.<br /><br /><i>The Last Man on Earth</i><br />“Boom!”<br />“Oh, farts…”<br />“Hi, Phil’s penis.”<br /><br /><i>Kroll Show</i>, <i>Broad City</i>, <i>Key and Peele</i><br />They're all good.<br /><br /><i>Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt</i><br />Why isn’t this show called the <a href="http://uks-gifs.tumblr.com/"><i>Unbreakable Kimmy GIF</i></a>?<br /><br /><i>Show Me a Hero</i><br />This may be the only thing the Crash guy has done that I can tolerate. Maybe that’s the strength of David Simon’s scripts? The pairing (and the mini-series format) is welcome, b/c it condenses a number of Simon’s ideas. Great, condensed and entertaining storytelling of a subject that would normally turn off mainstream viewers (ok, not sure how well this series performed).<br /><br /><b>Stuff I watched (over an hour)</b><i>Inside Out</i><br />I have some problems with the film’s model of the function of emotion and memory (Nerd Writer goes into much more detail about this), but I can appreciate its overall message of embracing all types of emotions.<br /><br /><i>The Punk Singer</i><br />My entry point to Bikini Kill and Kathleen Hanna is admittedly Beastie Boys and Grand Royal. Oddly, this film sort of completes that circle by fleshing out Kathleen and Adam’s relationship. And, yes, I recognize that is hardly the point of this film.<br /><br /><i>Broadcast News</i><br />I really like the film’s grasp of the mechanics of telejournalism. It’s a shame this is really a bread-and-butter romance drama. Still worth it for some stellar performances from Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks.<br /><br /><i>What We Do in the Shadows</i><br />Everything I wished <i>Only Lovers Left Alive</i> was. <i>The Real World</i> vibe of bickering roommates is pretty inspired.<br /><br /><i>Chappie</i><br />The homie Tridential going, “<a href="http://louiskatzpodcast.libsyn.com/louis-katz-podcast-episode-1-chappie">Cha-ppeeee!!</a>” Oh boy. Can’t recall the last time I saw HAM this porky.<br /><br /><i>Bernie</i><br />So simple and charming. I still really love Shirley Maclaine. Jack Black’s swishyness is a bit broad, but he’s understated overall. And that’s a good thing.<br /><br /><i>White Lightning</i><br />I should rewatch this now. Something about Bert’s smarm and Donald Trump’s asshole schtick. Hardly cut from the same cloth. But Trump makes me that much more nostalgic for Bert Reynolds’s era of asshole. Oh, and the cars are pretty neat, too.<br /><br /><i>The One I Love</i><br />aka, Take my wife, please (h/t wifey).</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-49294184848905971172015-12-31T06:00:00.000-05:002015-12-31T06:00:22.330-05:00Heard is the Word: Best Music Stuff of 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlxuNXs0pZt2iQgfHjeCbEOT" width="425"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Stuff I Heard</b></span></span><br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7800eb1f-f47b-459c-d5c8-ccbf08fa6806" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Meek Mill “</span><a href="https://vimeo.com/118372781" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">B Boy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” (Feat. Big Sean & A$AP Ferg)</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">First great song of the year. Shame the </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfqnmJZeLgQ" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">video</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> is another cliched play on </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Spring Breakers</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Meek Mill “</span><a href="https://vimeo.com/125948210" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Monster</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Maybe it’s Meek’s year? Edit: I wrote that back in March. I’m aware of happened this year. I’m still wondering, “Where’s the beef?”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Young Thug “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3mYPOmGVUo" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Spaghetti Factory</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Seems Metro Boomin discovered the pitch shift. Leany.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Young Thug “</span><a href="https://soundcloud.com/300-entertainment/young-thug-pacifier" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Pacifier</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” & “</span><a href="https://soundcloud.com/mikewillmadeit/young-thug-i-need-chickens-mike-will-made-it" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">I Need Chickens</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There’s plenty mo’ Thugga in ‘15. Go check </span><a href="http://www.cocaineblunts.com/blunts/?p=8360" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Noz’s list</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Buffy Sainte-Marie “</span><a href="https://soundcloud.com/a-tribe-called-red/a-tribe-called-red-ft-buffy-sainte-marie-working-for-the-government-2015-mix" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Working For The Government (A Tribe Called Red 2015 Mix)</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Along with slipping in The Slits’s “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” this was my favorite left-turn to work into a wedding set.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rae Sremmurd “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYbh6ob_R9M" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">This Could Be Us</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Sure, Blackalicious gets full h/t for having the definitive flip of this Black Grass loop. But you’re shitting me if you think Rae Sremmurd shouldn’t get major propers for riding this beat. “Learn from Project Pat-ah…”</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rich Gang summer 2015 leak</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I refer back to </span><a href="http://www.cocaineblunts.com/blunts/?p=8360" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Noz’s list again</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. I’m still going through this material. Something for everybody. “</span><a href="https://soundcloud.com/str8bangerz-hits/rich-homie-quan-ft-young-thug-woke-up" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Woke Up</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” for the reminder of why Rich Gang matters. “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVv0VrTrAqk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Constantly Hating</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” for your daddy issues. “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4H7LCr0cM0" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Draw Down</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” for meditating. “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDxk78fir6Y" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">In This Game</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” for the club. “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRBT0w1FtWg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Mine</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” for lyric lickin’. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Vince Staples </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Summertime-06-2-CD-Explicit/dp/B00XZZLSA8" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Summertime ‘06</span></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There’s fat on this record, particularly disc 2, but it’s still a remarkable rappity rap album.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jamie xx “I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times) (Feat. Young Thug and Popcaan)” & “Loud Places”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Brother knows how to make singles.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Future </span><a href="http://www.datpiff.com/Future-DJ-Esco-56-Nights-mixtape.695558.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">56 Nights</span></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I have a short attention span. I don’t think albums need to be longer than a half hour. This tape barely passes that mark and that’s including interludes. Future fills the rest with murky, industrial bangers. So many quotables. “Valet the car on the curb like I'm swerving on alcohol.” “All that old shit, y'all niggas still doing it / I'm over that.” “You fuck around, get murked today / Fuck around, get work today.“ You can’t read lines like, “I got that mojo, that mojo, I'm mojo / You bozo, you bozo, you nigga that no no” -- just have to hear it. “Ballin' like the March Madness / All these cops shooting niggas, tragic.“ Left and right turns galore.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Earl </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UIKN9UA?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt</span></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Almost makes me wish I was in my teens or twenties again. Condenses the angst of that age perfectly. Oh, and Earl also got the half-hour memo. Real bummed I missed him on tour this go-around. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRUOmURDJmA" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Sunday Candy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">,” “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDnXy5nQfhc" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Familiar</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” & “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5uEXgV8wpI" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Slip Slide</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”; Chance “Angels”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t really fuck with with everything Chano touches, but this is as close to Top 40 aspirations I can get behind (moreso than his actual </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47YClVMlthI" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Top 40 aspirations</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">). </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Comedy Bang Bang #336: </span><a href="http://www.earwolf.com/episode/not-farts-procreation-4/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">NOT Farts and Procreation 4</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> (Harris Wittels, Chelsea Peretti, Adam Scott) (2/22/15)</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Shit, Harris. One.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Courtney Barnett </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sometimes-Sit-And-Think-Just/dp/B00SSL4DA6" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit</span></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Picked this one up on a whim without knowing anything about her. What a fun record. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Björk </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Vulnicura-Bjork/dp/B00SKFJGMA" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Vulnicura</span></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/10317277/The-20-best-break-up-albums.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Divorce albums</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> ftw.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">YG “</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RFI5f0HB-8" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Twist My Fingaz</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Because.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Nef The Pharoah “</span><a href="http://www.audiomack.com/song/rbg-king/big-tymin-1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Big Tymin’</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">” or the whole </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">EP</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I miss the Bay.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Craig David “</span><a href="https://youtu.be/uPdPpetOSJ8?t=46m49s" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Fill Me In x Where Are U Now?</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">”</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Click-bait, but entertaining.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Starlito </span><a href="https://soundcloud.com/lito615/sets/introversion" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Introversion</span></a></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">And, because.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nicholas Fraser <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdtKbq3Omkw" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Why the fuck you lyin’?</span></a></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The year starts and ends here. Maybe RL </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qu2DpObTcCk" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">has the last laugh</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7800eb1f-f481-545e-fcf4-4df9b267a7b4" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Stuff I didn’t need to hear</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Compton</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> LP</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I'm fine not hearing anymore Dre. Then he had to go ahead and release new music </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In an alternate reality…</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Jive would make a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Charlie Hustle: The Complete E-40 Discography</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> box set. Twould be a lovely stocking stuffer.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Another generation would not have to be </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMaT2nGaEVg" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">assaulted</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> with the idea that “The Boy Is Mine” is a good song</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="http://www.discogs.com/label/13363-Macola-Record-Co">Macola</a> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">would be an actual documentary and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Straight Outta Compton</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> would be a direct-to-video footnote.</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div dir="ltr" id="docs-internal-guid-7800eb1f-f481-a562-03cf-dbcd1ebf4f8e" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CDs I got for $1 (or less) because everyone loves vinyl and tapes again (and please keep loving them)</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cat Power </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">What would the community think?</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Damned </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Machine Gun Etiquette</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">DJ Quik </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Rhythm-a-lism</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">E-40 </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Charlie Hustle</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Freestyle Fellowship </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Innercity Griots</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Langley Schools Music Project</span></span></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Red House Painters </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Ocean Beach</span></span></span></div>
</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-12255577366235231372015-09-13T16:32:00.000-04:002015-09-13T16:32:50.118-04:00LINER NOTES: Madison Ave<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlzCUqOrr5DGwPoJNQDz1tc8" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
AMC's <i>Mad Men</i> came to an end in May, so our June 11 session, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/696106833834978/" style="font-style: italic;">LINER NOTES: Madison Ave</a>, focused on music used in notable commercials. Nate isn't too familiar with the show, and my interest gassed out around Season 4, but we both recognize the show's masterful ability to showcase fashion trends and consumer culture. Along with a consistently remarkable soundtrack, linking a costumed modeling session with the show is a no-brainer.<br />
<br />
We opened with a nod to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Exf63KPXF6w">show's end</a>, the 1971 "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I'd_Like_to_Teach_the_World_to_Sing_(In_Perfect_Harmony)">I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke</a>" ad. Our model, Aubrey, dressed in a flowing, floral dress that matched the hippie nods of the Coke spot. She moved quickly as we warmed up to a set of pre- and proto-television ads and jingles. The two Dinahs -- Shore and Washington -- led the charge with spots for Chevy and the Armed Services.<br />
<br />
Perhaps it was the Drink in Drink-and-Draw talking, or maybe simply the <i>Mad Men</i> connection, but the night was heavy on vice ads. Early on, we heard the earworm-y Winston jingle and the Brooklyn-name-dropping Rheingold spot. Later, we moved to the malt liquor tip and ran through a handful of the early '90s St. Ides hip-hop spots (the connection between hip-hop and television commercials -- particularly Sprite -- deserves its own session). Less explicit was one of my favorite recent commercial 'crate digs,' Marcos Valle's "Estrelar' which found its way into a slightly jarring Southern Comfort ad (kinda hard to top the mystery drink's prior "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygeWsoYYMuQ">Whatever's Comfortable</a>" ad which featured the classic break, Odetta's "Hit or Miss," but "Estrelar" deserves its own shine).<br />
<br />
Modern commercials tend to license existing recordings (or, when desperate, the publishing rights to a song and commission subpar covers), which is a shame because today's customers are deprived of gems like <a href="http://soul-sides.com/2015/05/lou-rawls-redux/">Lou Rawls's <i>Sings for Cold Power Powder</i></a>, an entire 10" of jingles the singer recorded for the laundry detergent brand (make sure to read the <a href="http://soul-sides.com/2015/05/lou-rawls-redux/">reader comment in that Soul-Sides post</a>; <i>Mad Men</i> fans will appreciate the parallels with Pete Campbell's interest in pushing Zenith to market to the same "ethnic" demographic). So, Cotton, Inc. tapped that boomer aesthetic when it commissioned Zooey Deschanel (and Kate Bosworth) for a twee take on the brand. To this day, I'm unsure if Cat Power's cover of "Hanging on the Telephone" was expressly recorded for that 2006 Cingular commercial (a complete recording is one of my white whales), but the synergy (ugh) is remarkable.<br />
<br />
For our longer poses, we turned to recent examples of memorable advertising soundtracks. Nick Drake's "Pink Moon," which has become widely-known for its use in the 1999 VW Cabriolet ad, summarized the aesthetic of this set: indie 'anthems.' Chanel's use of Nina Simone is one of numerous examples of VW not being first in the Hipster Commercial Race, but the car manufacturer's marketing campaign seemingly opened the floodgates to other Pitchfork-friendly songs. In 2003, the Lincoln Navigator drove Mr. Scruff's Moondog-sampling "Get a Move On" into our consciousness. Sony took the edge off The Knife for its 2005 Bravia ad with José González's cover. And, in peak convergence of tech and auto hipster d-baggery, VW and Apple used indie supergroup Polyphonic Spree's "Light and Day" in 2004.<br />
<br />
Of course, we had to do a quick survey of the <i>Mad Men</i> soundtrack. When I think of the first season, Don Cherry's "Band of Gold" sums up the worldview of its characters. The conventional view of masculinity, the syrupy sentimentality, and the whiteness all help peg the identity of the show and its main drivers. "Early in the Morning" is a bit of an outlier, considering Colin Hanks's appearance in the series had little to do with the daily life of Sterling Cooper. However, it is also an important reminder of the moral and spiritual borders Peggy Olsen had to work through, in addition to the professional and sexual ones. "Bye Bye Birdie" was spun simply because of Sal (#neverforget). I mix up the scenes over which "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" and "Tomorrow Never Knows" were used, perhaps because the Beatles track sounds like a frenetic trip gone haywire and the Beach Boys ballad perfectly sums up Don's aging disconnect from the times. Another white whale is a clean copy of Robert Morse tapping his way through the Broadway standard "The Best Things in Life Are Free." And, well, "Zoo Bisou Bisou (aka Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo)" speaks for itself (<i>New York</i> has a <a href="http://www.vulture.com/2012/03/zoo-be-zoo-be-zoo-mad-men.html">brief history of the song's recording history</a>, which is hardly remarkable, but worth a read if you really must know).<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
A few ads were not available on the youtubes. I couldn't track down the correct version of Pepsi's "Come Alive," but you get the point hearing the older version of the jingle. The most glaring spot is the <a href="http://adland.tv/commercials/victorias-secret-ipex-worlds-most-advanced-bra-goes-wireless-2006-1">Victoria's Secret's Ipex bra ad from (March?) 2006 which featured Portishead's <i>Roseland NYC </i></a><a href="http://adland.tv/commercials/victorias-secret-ipex-worlds-most-advanced-bra-goes-wireless-2006-1"><i>Live </i></a><a href="http://adland.tv/commercials/victorias-secret-ipex-worlds-most-advanced-bra-goes-wireless-2006-1"> version of "All Mine." </a>I thought I saw this spot in the early '00s, but the <a href="http://rateyourmusic.com/board_message/message_id_is_472750">internets</a> <a href="http://soundcheckmusic.proboards.com/thread/10782">message boards</a> <a href="http://www.encircling.us/forums/showpost.php?p=274534&postcount=37">don't</a> <a href="http://prince.org/msg/8/181418">lie</a>, <a href="http://www.mpc-forums.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=46117">right</a>? In any case, here's the <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x19h13_portishead-3-all-mine_music">original video</a>, for your pleasure.<br />
<br />
One more disclaimer. There isn't much point in making a Spotify playlist, because a) so many of the commercial references were from television; and b) Spotify just doesn't have a lot of these tracks. That said, if you're fine with a heavily edited version of the playlist, here's <a href="https://play.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/4kbCQLueRiLu8cHfn2HR8j">one</a> for y'all.
</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15973280.post-57666214665097286712015-06-09T06:50:00.002-04:002015-06-09T22:08:17.640-04:00LINER NOTES: Beach<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/videoseries?list=PLqlpVj8zXWlws_DLwo7rAQUW4w6N5AM3Z" width="420"></iframe> <br />
<br />
<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify:user:sondreguten:playlist:3TKLkb2Vpa1lxeDSl0ZILG" width="300"></iframe><br />
<br />
<a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/sondreguten/playlist/3TKLkb2Vpa1lxeDSl0ZILG"><i>Beach</i></a> playlist.<br />
<br />
This one-off night was done in conjunction with the 92nd St Y's <a href="http://www.92y.org/SpringFling.aspx"><i>Spring Fling!</i></a> open house, which was a night of free events. The Y staff generously asked us to participate, and suggested the 'beach' theme. We were surprised we hadn't visited this theme before. Some of the music styles were covered in a previous 'spy' theme, but we hadn't tackled this whole-hog. Needless to say, there was an abundance of options.<br />
<br />
The structure of the session was a bit different, because we had two one-hour sessions that were meant to be samplers for new participants. We decided to loosen up the proceedings and just performed a series of five to seven-minute poses. The music reflected this approach with an emphasis on short, punchy songs with a clear connection to the theme. In other words, Neil Young's <i>On the Beach</i> didn't make the cut. Next time, folks!<br />
<br />
Admittedly, much of the soundtrack was pulled from my high school days when I absorbed anything with fast guitars. Hence, Dick Dale and the <i>Pulp Fiction</i>-related cuts. Full disclosure: the Americanas were high school-era buddies. Our bands played shows together. That said, I still stand by the statement that the band could easily go head-to-head against vets two or three times their age. One of the Takeshi Terauchi cuts ("On the Beach") used this evening is not on either YouTube or Spotify, so you'll have to do some independent <a href="http://www.amazon.com/VOL-3-VOL-4-reissue-TAKESHI-TERAUCHI/dp/B00PBNQKH8">digging</a>. My favorite deep cut was the nod to Nate's roots, Euclid Beach Band's "There's No Surf in Cleveland." The promo clip in the YouTube playlist seals the deal.<br />
<br />
Thanks again to Allison and the whole gang at the Y for inviting us.</div>
sintalentoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11297558216280808941noreply@blogger.com0