So this is why people have kids...

Almost makes me want one. I said almost...



very autechre/Aphex Twin-ish... and that melody at the minute and the half mark? uh-mazing.

Tune in Tokyo: New Tune Tuesdays

The new TVOTR drops today. Constable Bacon introduced me to this quintet by way of tickets to their 2006 show. Not knowing who they were (at the time) and not wanting to be one of those people that attend a show without prior knowledge of a band, I went and listened to their album of that fall.

to say i've had my hand in the "cookie" jar ever since is an understatement (and I apologize profusely for the extremely bad pun). Hearing that song, that fall/winter everywhere, didn't hurt much either.

But beyond the atmospheric melodies and ground-grumbling basslines; beyond the falsetto vocals that merge seamlessy with post-punk sensibilties, lies lead singer Tunde Adebimpe's ability to write insanely fecund lyrics.

Taken from "Young Liars" (one of TVOTR's ultimate...):

well it's cold and it's quiet
and cobblestone cold in here
fucking for fear of not wanting
to fear again
lonely is all we are
lovely so far
but my heart's still a marble
in an empty jelly jar

(followed by)

someday suppose that my
curious nervousness
spills into prescience
clairvoyant consciousness (oh my christ)
i will be calmer than cream
making maps out of your dreams

(FOLLOWED by)

but will psychic ability
clinch the nativity
or simply diminish the flinch...

This is not a grammar/linguistics lesson and i'm not even going to attempt to identify the various literary techniques present, but seriously? C'mon... what normal person possesses the ability to pen such things??

Which is exactly why TVOTR are not normal (phew)...

Which is exactly why you should give them a little (okay, a lot) of your undivided attention...

The new album. Seriously.

StreetCar Nuisances

courtesy of xkcd.com

50 dead men walking

Minus the walking. That's how I feel. But that's what happens when the Moet is free; as is the Stella; as is the Kettel One, and you have early a.m. responsibilities. And to think, once upon a time, this castle was someone's house. But during a night where the shrinking hemlines were inversely proportionate to the towering stilhettos; and where blazers and button downs were in abundance - I'm grateful for pointy tips, fedoras, punched in leather, vintage heels and Jeremy Scott.

(booyaakasha)

Roybotic NYC

As you may or may not know (or should it be, as you may or may not care?), it's fashion week in NYC. I'm not even going to pretend to write about it here; no hemlines, no designer bylines, no models, no fabrics, no patterns...nada. If you really wanna read up on it (and all things pertinent in the fashion world) I highly suggest this blog. Written by one of my homies, it is by far, my first and foremost destination for all things fashionable. More often than not, I find myself quoting directly from the author's musings in order to impress pretty girls and boys alike.

Thanks Roybot, for making me sound infinitely cooler than I actually am.

(if I had an entourage, you'd so be my stylist)

Synecdoche

My TIFF cherry got popped.

While I have always embraced this fair city's film festival (c'mon, who doesn't love 4am last call?), I have never really attempted to catch an actual festival flick. 1 part apathy, 2 parts usually-wandering-the-streets-drunk, the shitstorm that surrounds these films and their screenings usually flies outside my social radar. "It'll come out on DVD, eventually" I always tell myself, as I offhandedly browse the lineup of films. So when i received a text from Peej last night reading:

"Got two tickets for a movie at 8:30. Down?"

I figured, "meh; why not? It'll be like going to the multiplex... and for free!".

ummm... hardly so.

The lineup. (where are they putting all these people?). A speech by Kauffman. Phillip Seymour (kinda bigger than I thought). The Elgin (the local multiplex this ain't). And then there was the actual movie. Kauffman's directorial debut, produced by Spike Jonez... i'm not even going to attempt to describe it, lest I give away spoilers (which I would have to, to even start dissecting this film). Let's just say, if you are familiar with Kauffman and his work(s); well then, this is classic Kauffman (and then some). Go. See. This. Movie.

The two parts drunkedness will always be there, but I think the apathy may have vacated. It's not 4 yet? Awesome... who wants a round?

Is it cliche to ask: "Am I'm too old for this?"

I didn't TIFF. I didn't v-fest. However, I did abuse 4am last call. And I paid for it in the morning. I broke my bank account and felt wholly un-rejuvinated at the end of the weekend (please refer to title of this entry). But at 10 am, Monday morning, I sat at my desk and saw this in my in-box:

You're annoying because I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF YOU!!!!

you suck

:)

... and my day was infinitely better.

At Some Point, We All Need to Buckle(r) Down

I really wish I brought the camera for this one...

A store opening where the Belvedere flowed freely (I'll take mine with a splash of Perrier, thanks - why do these things always insist on serving concoctions that barely pass as consumable?) The outfits were marginally better (ok I lied; there were some decent ones... esp. you Peej in that 3/4 length suit jacket. My birthday's at the end of the year, thankyouverymuch. Holy Fuck jammed (and they jammed good); people ate (and the food was delicious) and the crowd mingled with each other like only those accustomed to these sorts of things could.

Overall, a $50,000 budget well spent. When's the next???

photo credit: yours truly

Tune in Tokyo*: Erlend Oye edition

Erlend Oye has long been on my radar since he released a stellar addition to the DJ Kicks series back in April 2004. Although there seems to be two musical sides to this sonic phenom (Kings of Convenience vs DJ/Remix/Producer) it is definitely the latter of the two musical identities that I have an affinity towards. His melancholy lyrics and haunting voice, coupled with danceable beats, ideally play as a soundtrack to my existence. His work is the premiere installment in Tune in Tokyo; an area where i share tracks that move my mood (if not also my feet).

ps: Please, please, please check out his a capella cover of "There is a Light that Never goes Out" by The Smiths. Remixed with Royksopp's "Poor Leno". Epic.

(* The title of this segment is an ode to Constable Bacon)