In One Ear and In the Other

Not the best place to catch a bus, but probably a good thinking spot. [More photos from Christopher Herwig]

I Can't See Nobody [Daniel Y mix]
Nina Simone
Remixed & Reimagined
Sony Legacy : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

I was going to wait to post this. I usually prefer a multi-tiered approach to my cornucopia of music offerings [multi ball!] - but this track was too good. I just couldn't wait.

Nina Simone's level is that which all vocalists should aspire to reach. And though the goddess of Jazz, R&B [and so much more] passed on in 2003 - her spirit and sound still persevere. There are a multitude of Verve Remixed style compilations out there, many of which sampling Simone's pipes. A recent effort of this variety floated across my desk yesterday in the form of Remixed & Reimagined. Since the moment I pressed play, I've been hooked. This disc features remixes from Coldcut, DJ Logic and the great Francois K. But the track that's hooked me the most is from [seemingly unknown producer] Daniel Y - a slick downbeat, melancholy take on 'I Can't See Nobody.' With a sort of RJD2 meets Rae & Christian style, it has a groove that'll flip you for real. Dig it.

Stay Tuned --
-- Silent K

Remainders

Max Roach

Pieces of a Man
Gil Scott-Heron
Pieces of a Man
Flying Dutchman : 1971
[Listen] [Buy]

Where's the Music?
Medeski, Martin and Wood
Let's Go Everywhere
Little Monster Records : 2007
[Listen] [More Info?]

Way to Go
Skyzoo & 9th Wonder
Present Cloud 9 : The 3 Day High
Traffic Entertainment/Custom Made Entertainment : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

BMW
Five Deez
Kommunicator
Rapster : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Garvey's Ghost
Max Roach
Percussion Bitter Sweet
Impulse : 1961
[Listen] [Buy]

It's another plus/minus day. Still holed up in Norf Lahndahn, doing what I do best [if someone knows what that is, please let me know]. The weather has been surprisingly good, edging out the bitterness that descended on NYC [eat that, normally I travel to shittier climes just as weather becomes good in the place I just was], and I'm working/taking care of some essential business that might share at some point.

In lieu of actual content, take a nice pile of music. Sound good?

First off, just a note that this is one of those weird, unstructured posts with almost no logical connection between any of the tracks. Alright then.

---
First, one of the most beautiful songs ever put to tape. The LP that it came from was extremely important in its time, and remains a classic album to this day. It was vital, urgent music from a New York City street poet with a voice of pure gold. The era, the early 70s, was awash in misery; Nixon was in power, and his administration was laying waste to the streets, their violent efforts to clean the nation going largely unnoticed. Why? Because the "average" person was too busy watching the fucking television, their minds fuzzy with sitcoms and crude entertainment.

Enter Mr. Scott-Heron, and his gorgeous treatise against it all. This album is full of superb music, from the opening blast "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" [his most famous song?] through "I Think I'll Call it Morning" to the closing monster, "The Prisoner" -- nary a dull moment in the lot. GSH sings with passion for the cause, his vocals drifting gently above the superb backing group assembled to help spread the message -- Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums, fucking Ron Carter on basses, Hubert Laws on flute, and Johnny Pate conducting! You really cannot argue with that assemblage.

The soft piano playing of Brian Jackson, pinned down by Carter's soft, funky bassline, is accompaniment enough. The story being told is difficult and sad:

I saw my daddy greet the mailman
And I heard the mailman say
"now don't you take this letter to heart now Jimmy
cause they've laid off nine others today"
But he didn't know what he was saying
He could hardly understand
That he was only talkin to
Peices of a man
I saw the thunder and heard the lightnin'!
And felt the burden of his shame
And for some unknown reason
He never turned my way

Detailing the hardship faced in the inner city from the perspective of a young child, Scott-Heron tells the tale of life behind the curtain, away from the halcyon gaze of the television screen. Perfect.

---
Next up, something more playful from Medeski, Martin and Wood. The prolific jazz trio, quieter in recent times as they pursue solo projects [John Medeski's been playing with the Campbell Brothers, Billy Martin's small label Amulet Records has been extremely busy, not to mention him releasing his book of drums, Riddim: Claves of African Origin, while The Wood Brothers have been tearing up the soundwaves], is returning in 2007 with... a children's record!

It seems bizarre, I know, but kudos to them for trying something new. So many groups can be chastised for finding their niche and flogging it to death, but these guys always rock the boat. This track, one of two that has made it out into the ether, is funky and playful as hell. Perfect for jumping around like a kid again, bouncing off the walls and generally acting like you have not a care in the world. Humour is provided by various kids' voices popping up in the mix while the three of them wail, channeling the unrestrained energy of youth. It's a lot of fun - let's see if the rest of the record lives up to this tip-top taste.

---
I'd never really heard of Skyzoo before picking this up, but, of course, I was drawn in by the appearance of 9th Wonder on the cover, like a moth drawn to a light source. Seriously -- can this man ever produce something that sounds bad? His sampling is fucking flawless, and his beats never get tired in my ear. Skyzoo's style on the mic is a little rough around the edges, but it's a promising introduction to the hip-hop stage. The Brooklyn-born MC does it right on this track, and his flow is a nice match for the silky sounds that 9th Wonder provides him with. Definitely one to watch for the future.

---
Next, a little Five Deez. We've been singing their praises since the beginning around here, I believe, so it's more of the high quality you come to expect from them -- slick, smoky beats by the bucketful. Moodier and darker than a cast/crew reunion of The Craft, their music is just on point. It kinda makes me want to steal a sports car, kidnap the most popular girl in school, feed myself on mescaline and then disappear into the desert at night wearing a pair of Blues Brothers sunglasses.

---
To close out the day, some punchy hard-bop from the legend, Max Roach. Never one for simple beats, this polyrhythmic epic should become your new heartbeat. Roach played with more jazz titans that I can remember -- Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Bud Powell to name just a few -- and this opening track from Percussion Bitter Sweet is superb. It's a political album, overall, and the music reflects the power of the civil rights movement: urgent, loud, aggressive, and full of soul. This track is a celebration, its title echoing the Harlem Renaissance, and every detail fits, from the shuffling rhythms to the simple vocals of a young Abbey Lincoln. This LP definitely fits into the syllabus of jazz, so find a copy and self-educate.

---
More from one of us tomorrow.

---
Two upcoming FmGT projects from me at some point soon [hopefully]:
- The Definitive Guide to Frank Zappa. I mean that.
- A Primer on Parliament, Funkadelic, and Parliament Funkadelic. Basically, anything ever involving George Clinton.
These should be coming in February, and they will be good.

Karaoke: Part 2 - Stateside Infiltration

Part 2 of 2

Larger Than Life
Backstreet Boys
Millennium
Jive : 1999
[Listen] [Buy]

Mr. Brownstone
Guns N' Roses
Appetite for Destruction
Geffen : 1987
[Listen] [Buy]

Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)
Journey
Frontiers
Sony : 1990
[Listen] [Buy]

Nookie
Limp Bizkit
Significant Other
Sony : 1990
[Listen] [Buy]

Two Princes
Spin Doctors
Pocket Full of Kryptonite
Sony : 1991
[Listen] [Buy]

Mr. Roboto
Styx
Styx - Greatest Hits
A&M : 1995
[Listen] [Buy]

18 and Life
Skid Row
Skid Row
Atlantic / Wea : 1989
[Listen] [Buy]

This Is Your Life
Switchfoot
The Beautiful Letdown
Sony : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Get Your Hands Off Of My Woman
The Darkness
Permission to Land
Atlantic / Wea : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

My Sharona
The Knack
Get The Knack
Capitol : 1990
[Listen] [Buy]

In case you slept on last week's video education catalogue, let's recap:

Karaoke (カラオケ) is an two-language portmanteau taken from "kara" (空) [empty, open - as in karate - empty hand] and the stripped-down, built-for-Japanese-phonetics take on the word "orchestra".

The world outside the Pacific Rim first learned about it sometime during the early 1980s, when Japan's awesomeness was being made globally manifest by the Nintendo Entertainment System, sushi and efficient car production. It gets kind of a bad rap here in the States; most people, broken under torture and made to recall their first karaoke experience, offer up the usual litany of reasons for why it's not so much fun: It's embarassing; Why would you want to sing in front of an entire bar?; Those people are freaks; We had a karaoke machine at a neighborhood block party once, and my mom started singing Achy Breaky Heart - I've never recovered; I really, really don't like Living on a Prayer; and Do people still do that?

Until you saw Lost In Translation, you could have been forgiven for thinking that everyone, everywhere felt that way about it. You would have been wrong, but.

If Japan has shown me anything, it's 1) that college is best enjoyed with lots of table tennis and a masochistic eye to alcoholism and that 2) karaoke is serious business. When you're staring down the songbook, you've got to be on the top of your game. It's not a joke: you're being charged by the minute, everyone else is starting to key in their songs and the queue is filling up.

We will pass through corridors of sugar smoke and cracking black paint. We will enter the booth, I will take a microphone and pretend really well that I can sing - and you might buy it. The songs above might not make a lot of sense right now, but I promise to give them some meaning before the night has run its course.

Back to the Lab

The Perfect Me
Deerhoof
Friend Opportunity
Kill Rock Stars : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Faberge Falls for Shuggie
of Montreal
Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer?
Polyvynil : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

We Were Born The Mutants Again With Leafling
of Montreal
Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer?
Polyvynil : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

The Past Is A Grotesque Animal
of Montreal
Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer?
Polyvynil : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Labyrinthian Pomp
of Montreal
Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer?
Polyvynil : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Free Radicals
The Flaming Lips
At War with the Mystics
Warner Bros. : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

The W.A.N.D.
The Flaming Lips
At War with the Mystics
Warner Bros. : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Pompeii Am Gotterdammerung
The Flaming Lips
At War with the Mystics
Warner Bros. : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

Good to be back in the coat, practicing the sweet science. It’s been a long week. The kind where each day feels like two. Going in early. Checking out late. Work doing its best to suck the gold right out of my soul. Good to the last drop.

Thank sweet spanky for damn good music.

I present to you two new releases, and one that’s just new to me.

Working from the bottom up, how about it, Flaming Lips, huh? Now I’m not saying I’m cool or anything. I first heard about you through a hand-me-down copy of Yoshimi that I popped in the tray one lazy summer day. What a listen! A concept tightly woven, executed with precision, resulting in intrigue, imagery, and fun. After that, I honestly didn’t have my hopes set high for the next Lips album. Nothing against the band, I just didn’t expect them to be able to follow it up. And in a way, they didn’t.

It’s clear on the first play that Yoshimi follows a concept from beginning to end. For me, that works two ways: whenever I hear a track from it, I have the urge to listen to the whole album, but I rarely get the urge to play any particular song from the album. Except, I guess, for Fight Test and One More Robot/Sympathy 3000-21. For At War with the Mystics, there is no central concept. (If there is, I’ve yet to tease it out during the course of a week’s listening.) What it does have is good songs a-plenty, which are excellent additions to anyone’s play list.

My favorite here is definitely Pompeii Am Götterdämmerung. (Good luck spelling that without the internet.) The sound is immediately striking, reminiscent of early Pink Floyd with a riffing baseline leading the way through the changes, providing a constant urgency that perfectly fits the theme of the song. Nothing groundbreaking. Nothing that hasn’t been done before. Just great lyrics, great sound, great changes, and overall, a tight, tight tune.

Moving on, the new of Montreal album wasn’t on my radar until my friend picked it up from a leak back in October. He didn’t know it hadn’t been released yet, and neither did I when I was about to post it up and down. It wasn’t until I tried to look it up on Amazon that I got a clue.

I’ve been sitting on these tracks like Horton for months. I think they’re plenty ready to share now. Warm too.

Like Yoshimi, Hissing Fauna are you the Destroyer? is recognizable as a concept album (or at least a themed album) on the first few plays. Unlike Yoshimi, I think many of the tracks will work well on their own, kicking around in shuffle, being catchy as hell out of context.

The subject of the album is its narrator, who’s relationship recently ended. As the album goes on, I’m slowly drawn into his world. A world very different from mine. A world where the narrator is openly flamboyant, catty, and spiteful, declaring in one song “There’s the girl that left me bitter/want to pay some other girl/to just walk up to her and hit her./But I can’t”. I picture him at the club with a group of friends, seeing his ex, and turning to his friends to whisper in his inability to deal with the situation directly.

The turning point of the disk comes with the long, cathartic The Past is a Grotesque Animal. Building on the same progression for almost 12 minutes, the narrator ruminates in what feels like a stream of conscious soliloquy, jumping from memory to memory, trying to figure out how he came to the state he’s in.

If The Past’s earnestness is the turning point, I’d submit that Labyrinthian Pomp would be the thematic climax, where the narrator struts his stuff to impress his ex, or maybe even just himself. Making claims about his supposedly incomparable style while showing off his new lady (who’s endorsed by the C.C.A.A. Booty Patrol – how do I sign up for that job?), he seeks to disarm his ex’s power, stating “let’s just say, you are not the destroyer.” Of course this method is doomed to failure, as the narrator doesn’t realize that her power over him originates in him, not her. All the grandstanding and schadenfreude in the world is less a method of combat than an admission of defeat.

The beautiful track We Were Born the Mutants Again With Leafling ends the CD with a sense of acceptance of resolution, though even looking up the lyrics I can’t tease out who he’s ended up accepting his situation with. Hell, just cause I wear a lab coat doesn’t mean I’m a genius. I could be wrong about this whole thing! Either way, most songs stand on their own while making more sense lyrically in context of the whole. The way a good concept album should be.

Finally, there’s Deerhoof. They’ve been around a long time, and critics love them. I caught wind while peeking in on other labs. As their new CD kicks off with this track, it was my introduction to the band. I have to be honest: if it weren’t for the complete and utter badassery of this track, I might not have accepted the singer’s voice.

But damn, this song. This song sold me. This song kicks me in sensitive places. This song drives my car into a tree and runs on foot from the police, looking good all the way. This song could run for president under the influence and almost won. I had a dream about this song. We were dancing. It whispered in my ear, then nibbled it a little. Then I woke up. It said “play me. Loud.”

Shove it up your arse

Paul Pena [1950 - 2005]

Where is Love?
Eldridge Holmes
Where is Love 12"
Decca : 1967
[Listen]

Gonna Move
Paul Pena
New Train
Hybrid Recordings : 2000 [recorded & mastered with Bearsville Records : 1973]
[Listen] [Buy]

Misdemeanor
Ahmad Jamal
Jamalca
20th Century : 1974
[Listen]

Lovin' Man
Eugene McDaniels
Headless Heroes of the Apocalypse
Atlantic : 1971
[Listen] [Buy]

I am still speechless from Codec's post yesterday. Seriously. I am a whole continent away right now [currently re-experiencing the motherland, holed up in a booze-filled bunker in North London as I type], and I still think I need more space to recover. Last time I saw that guy, we sang bad songs until our vocal chords bled, and I cannot wait to do it again.

So, on to regular business. In between large mountains of actual work, a fleeting moment to slap you across the face with more of that jazz-funk-soul stuff I enjoy so very much.

First off, a deeply funky blast from Eldridge Holmes. Arguably one of the best soul vocalists to come out of the heavily-populated New Orleans music scene in the 1960s. There were many who could lay claim to it, but for my money, Holmes is near the top of the pile, the downer being that there's not much of his material left in existence to look at. This song never fails to rev my engines; a nasty piano intro is the bait, shifting into a shuffling beat and Holmes' scratchy, pitch-perfect vocals. The horn arrangement is on point, as one would expect from the Crescent City, and the whole sound is flawless. At only 1:42, you'll be begging for more.
---
Next, a forgotten track from an unsung legend, Paul Pena. [Enough hyperbole in that sentence for you?] The man opened for Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention, opened for the Grateful Dead, played with T-Bone Walker, played with Bonnie Raitt, and recorded with Jerry Garcia, Merl Saunders and the Persuasions.

And yes, I know that this has been covered by that American Idol winner Taylor Hicks on his debut album, and although I begrudge him for daring to interpret it, I give him kudos for having the werewithal to know Pena and his bluesy, glorious vibe.

I also give kudos to my friend W., who let me hear the album. I knew the guy from an amazing, heart-tugging documentary Genghis Blues [that I recommend people go and watch, it shows the power of music to bring cultures and people together in harmony and positivity], but completely spaced on the fact that he had albums out there in the ether. His debut LP, recorded and released in 1972, is lost and out-of-print, and this one lay dormant and unreleased for 27 years [thanks to a dispute between Pena's manager and the owner of the record label, which not only left this LP on the shelf, but left Pena contractually unable to record anywhere else, perhaps the biggest tragedy of all], but it is a glorious find no matter when, no matter how, including the original version of "Jet Airliner" [that became a big hit for the Steve Miller Band]. So kudos again to W for re-awakening me to his small but brilliant catalog.

This track itself is so uplifting, you'll need those special gravity boots. Undercut by a simple rhythm and R&B organ, his voice soars. A funky bassline, and his nimble, bluesy guitar playing, and you will be singing along until the end of the time. Absolutely gorgeous music.

His already difficult tale is punctuated by several debilitating health problems, including diabetes, congenital glaucoma, and pancreatitis, the latter of which led to his death in 2005. But you could never tell any of it from the overwhelming power and energy of his music, the best of which I present here.
---
Next, some Ahmad Jamal [a guy I've posted on at length in the past], and a cut from his more electronic side. It's a great little funky break with his piano, and the arrangement has enough swagger to keep you interested. It's not his strongest album overall, but this track stands out enough to me for it to make the list.
---
Finally, a jam from the Rev. E. McD, or [Eu]Gene McDaniels. Better known from tracks like "Compared to What" [his protest song made more famous when covered by Eddie Harris & Les McCann... will post that at some point], as well as "Jagger the Dagger" [sampled by A Tribe Called Quest] and the smash hit "Feel Like Makin' Love" [which he wrote for Roberta Flack, and subsequently saw it reach #1 in 1974], but this is still damn good. I love all his stuff; there's something about his voice and his compositions. Backed by a superb band [including Weather Report drummer Alphonse Mouzon, and Weather Report/Mahavishnu Orchestra bassist Miroslav Vitous], this song carries serious funk, and you'll groove your way about town with this between your ears.

Well, it's the end for today. It's been emotional. I need to get to the pub. Don't worry, I'll bring you home a pint glass and some pork scratchings. More from us on sunday.

Karaoke: Part 1 - The Source

Part 1 of 2

Choo Choo TRAIN
EXILE
Choo Choo TRAIN
Avex : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Hitomi Wo Tojite
Ken Hirai
Hitomi Wo Tojite (Single)
DefSTAR Records : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Can You Keep A Secret?
Hikaru Utada
Distance
EMI : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

Hemisphere
Maaya Sakamoto
Nikopachi Singles Collection
TROY : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Momoiro Kataomoi
Aya Matsuura
T.W.O.
Up Front Works : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Ready!
Folder 5
Hyper Groove Party
Avex Trax : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Yatta
Happa-Tai
Yatta
Pony Canyon : 2001
[Listen (1) / (2)] [Buy]

It's perhaps the world's worst-kept secret that Japan is fucking badass. If you don't feel this way, odds are still good that you know someone who does. (You're also lying to yourself despite some serious evidence to the contrary.) The long-time gamer, the anime otaku, the dude who just has a "thing" for Asian chicks, it's so fucking weird, [he] really just can't explain it; there's no denying that there is something at the core of its culture that entraps the mind and breeds fascination - even mania - for all things Made and Practiced in the Land of the Rising Sun. What is it?

Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)

-Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"

Japan has an uncanny gift for marrying extremes, adapting the old to the new while keeping them both intact. It is everywhere visible: a battered Shinto temple sits beside a row of sparkling vending machines, a Tokyo high-rise is decorated with reed mats and sliding doors - one man with a sword is more powerful than an empire of unanswerable technology when it comes time to save the world. It's tradition on fast-forward, reinforced instead of bulldozed. And to a culture like America's - empty, consumerist, young - that is a fantasy neatly fulfilled.

The nation's love for karaoke is another high-contrast example of that uniquely Japanese talent for balancing the scale. Week after week, the clock strikes five (or midnight) and the rank-and-file sarariman is out the door with the rest of the company, leveling the playing field with a couple of drinks and hours of blindfuckdrunken microphone self-indulgence. Hierarchy disappears and returns - everyone wins. It's difficult to describe just how far the grip of karaoke extends around Japan; the best words can do probably looks something like:

(omnipresent)^4x * 1/log(the country's DNA)

and you should really just see it for yourself. I was never much of a singer then, but enough idle days in a country where midday karaoke rates (on the order of $0.75/hour) race with staple grains towards the economic baseline, it was only a matter of time before I found myself taking the remote and joining the club.

You've got to understand that the rules of music appreciation flip radically when you're working to entertain; you don't consider yourself a Britney Spears fan until you realize that the college-age Japanese you're drinking really don't care that you're annoyed about there are only 3 Beastie Boys tracks in the whole fucking songbook. You should sing something they'll know, and you should do it now.

They've got no shame - why should you? These are the songs I never thought I'd love until I heard them through the speakers of a tiny little room in Motoyama. And as no karaoke experience is complete without the crazy videos, I've included a couple to get you in the mood. Yeah!

EXILE - "Choo Choo TRAIN"

---

EXILE is a Japanese experiment into what would happen if Joey McIntyre were to form another boy band some years down the road - and "Choo Choo TRAIN" would be that group's re-releasing "Hangin' Tough". Listening to this song (as interpreted by Justin) used to feel like slowly pushing a 3/8" Dewalt through my temples; these days, it just feels nice.



Ken Hirai - "Hitomi Wo Tojite"

---

In the Summer of 2004, you could not enter a convenience store, bowling alley or shopping center restroom without hearing this really girly-sounding guy singing "Hitomi Wo Tojite" ("Close Your Eyes"). And while doing whatever you were doing, you would think:
Why is the fucking line so long?
Who ACTUALLY buys that Oden shit they keep up front?
Just let me pay for my Calpis and leave, please.

But by the time you got to the door, you were in tears and ready to call up your middle school girlfriend and tell her you'd made a mistake. Then you'd drown your sorrows in mountains of glutinous Daifuku.



Hikaru Utada - "Can You Keep A Secret?"

---

Hikaru Utada needs little introduction, thanks to her work on the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack and the theme to Kingdom Hearts. Right? In case you missed her, she was for years the unwavering face of Japanese Pop, a total poster child for a culture who'd expect their starlets to take a seat at the U.N. after their career began to slow down. I think she's developing nanotechnology or something now. As a music industry V.I.P., her albums usually command some of the tightest production known to man - decades from now, music critics will wonder how the fuck this was ever mastered in 2001. "Can You Keep A Secret?" will never stop reminding me of skipping class in the afternoon. Estimated cost of the music video: $Neverland.



Maaya Sakamoto - "Hemisphere"

---

Maaya Sakamoto is the voice behind every anime theme song worth remembering - it may not sound like much to you, but a near mother/daughter friendship with composer Yoko Kanno (Cowboy Bebop) is no joke. "Hemisphere" is dark, driving, mysterious and full of hope, and there are only two people on the planet that can do it justice. If you download nothing else, get this song.


(Opening Sequence to RahXephon)

Aya Matsuura - "Momoiro Kataomoi"

---

"Momoiro Kataomoi" (Peach-Colored Unrequited Love") is Japan. Aya Matsuura, at the time of this song, was something like 14 years old, hand-picked for her cute factor and marketability and set loose on the Japanese pop scene alongside strike force simultaneous karaoke-ringtone-pocky deals and instant, pre-packaged fame. With all that against her, it's still kind of tough not to love this song - just look at the muppets! If there were a "Pizzicato 5 KIDS!" animated series, this would be its theme song.

A-ya-ya-ya-ya-PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEACH!



Folder 5 - "Ready!"

---

Step one: sit the fuck down, because any song with an exclamation point in its title deserves as much. Folder 5 is a batch-assembly as they come, but their songwriter is a card-carrying particle physics doctorate, breaking contract to test-run new states of matter on the track. "Ready!" is a crushing wall of hyperkinetic sound, a spirit bomb to the face. I used to key it in during marathon karaoke sessions and just.. not sing, letting the instrumental run its course and wake things up. Useful in riot control as a non-toxic alternative to tear gas.


(Clip from One Piece)


To prove their otherwise worthlessness, here's Folder 5 performing a song that isn't "Ready!"

Happa-Tai - Yatta

---

YES - it's Yatta! ("We did it!") This song was playing when the internet was born (click here for a little background) and will never lose its power to hypnotize. I love you enough that I've provided both the regular AND extended play versions up top - set both to loop for maximum smile power. And don't forget: as you change, the world changes with you.

Ohaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayo!



Karaoke: Part 2 - Stateside Infiltration - Follows on Monday 1/29

Sound Bored

Forever
Orbital
Snivilisation
Rhino : 1994
[Listen] [Buy]

Rationality The Only Way To Freedom
Alexander Robotnick
A Tribute to Robert Moog
Clone Records : 2006
[Listen] [Buy]

L'Atlas Flexible / Von Gradleute [Hrvatski remix]
13 & God
Men of Station
Anticon : 2005
[Listen] [Buy]

Boonadawn [The Mackerel The Sampan And The Marlin]
Massonix
Subtracks
Skam UK : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

Sound Of Silver
LCD Sound System
Sound Of Silver
DFA : 2007
[Listen - song removed by request] [Buy]

Radioactivity
David E. Sugar
8-Bit Operators [An 8-Bit Tribute To Kraftwerk]
Astralwerks : 2007
[Listen] [Buy]

And [our hosting service provider] said "Let there be access to the FmGT server!" and there was access to the FmGT server, and it was good. Then we got hover boards and that was more better. Still you can't ride without a soundtrack...

Brothers in blood, brothers in tunes - Paul & Phil Hartnoll have played a pivotal role in enhancing electronic music. After all, they are the one and only Orbital. I might classify them as Techno just because of the time frame in which they really came into their own - but I would much rather have them under the electronic moniker as they evidence portions of Techno, Trance, Drum'n'Bass and very much more - for the most part these guys have had a great influence on the electronic genre as a whole. if you want to go to the source, and I mean really to the roots of great electronic music, Orbital is a band that you can listen to and be able to appreciate the music without stepping in the muck of a notion that "this sounds dated" - because they don't - their musical fruits will never rot. Although they've since disbanded [2004] there's so much material that even the savvy Orbital fan would have a tough time getting bored with all of the material that's available. Snivilisation is their 3rd album and 'Forever' is my favorite track on that one.

Alexander Robotnick [a.k.a. Maurizio Dami] has produced Italian Synth Pop since the mid '80s. I've only just tripped over his skill set while checking out the recent Tribute to Robert Moog album, which is proving to be a nice listen. 'Rationality The Only Way to Freedom' slams forward at full speed with a flowing tempo and a fading melody true to form like artists such as Mylo, Fred Falke or Ian Pooley. Is good. I like.

Made up of Anticon posterboys: Themselves and The Notwist - 13 & God is a genre defying band - one that I hope lasts for more than the single EP that they've released. This stuff is good. We're talking mixed elements of Rock, Electronic, Drum & Bass and some solid piano to boot. Similar to the material released by Themselves and The Notwist respectively - nothing really sounds like this right now. Quite worthy of a taste test and a purchase.

Graham Massey is Massonix. Massonix is a great example of good left field intelligent electronic tunes. Sounds like banging pots in rhythmic perfection coupled with an organ, pan pipes and a heavy electronic bass. This is another very unique sound - almost like the soundtrack of a factory on the verge of screwing up its production line and just when you think it will lose its cohesiveness, it still sticks together. This track reminds me a LOT of Orbital's track entitled 'Crash & Carry.'

LCD Soundsystem doesn't need very much of an introduction, if only because their so dang popular already. James Murphy and crew hit it nice and big with the track 'Daft Punk is Playing at My House' in 2005. Of course there were a few hits before that and he's always been very active as one half of DFA [as 1/2 head of the record label and the production duo] since the release of LCD Soundsystem's first self titled album in 2005. And so the follow up album 'Sound of Silver' is about to drop in March. I don't think that it's going to be what people are hoping. That doesn't negate the fact that it's a really fun listen. It's got that LCD Soundsystem sound but to me it sound incomplete, as if the tracks are too minimal and seem as if they are missing a layer or two. Still, I'm rather enjoying the album's title track 'Sound of Silver.' And I have a strong feeling that this album is going to see a slew of really kick ass remixes [one would hope].

When we went to BlipFest late last year - we knew what to expect but didn't realize the magnitude of the event - nor did I anticipate the impact that the music would have had one me. I've checked out Nullsleep, Bit Shifter and Bubblyfish live on multiple previous occasions, but for some reason, since the event I can NOT get enough of the Chiptune sound. So much that I've been listening to the 8BP050 release at least once every other day without exaggeration. At the event I picked up the flier for a compilation of ChipTune artists doing covers of tracks originally written by Kraftwerk. 8-Bit Operators [An 8-Bit Tribute To Kraftwerk] will drop to the public in only a short few days and it's very much worth the wait. I'm a little surprised that Astralwerks has taken this long to pick up the ChipTune effect, but hey, better late than never. Kraftwerk, like Orbital, laid very much of a foundation for electronic music and synth-pop during the '80s and it's great to see their tracks re-imagined by artists who have drawn their influence from not only the artist that they are covering, but also from [Silent K gets slightly turned on] video games. Really, a top notch release. Currently my favorite track is David E. Sugar's 'Radioactivity.' This one is far less ChipTune sounding, but retains the audio aesthetic none the less. Dig it.

I have a few buddies who don't usually frequent the realm of electronic tunes but really like those Geico caveman commercials and had asked me recently if I knew the song that's in the airport advert - which is Röyksopp's 'Remind Me.' Sure it came out in 2001, but it's still a great track and very well placed.

And now to get a little more time in with Hotel Dusk: Room 215, a seemingly very interesting new game for the Nintendo DS which is receiving nothing but positive review from fans and almost zero publicity from Nintendo. It's a very film noir styled mystery game very much in the theme of Kemco's Deja Vu from back in the NES days. The aesthetic is very cool too, having all of the characters appear in a hand-drawn, sketch style. If you've got a DS, I highly recommend looking into this one.

Stay Tuned --
-- Silent K

FmGT Breaking News

Well, folks, it's been a while. A week, in fact. That was not by design; we had some server issues and difficulty making the site do what we need it to, bring you delicious tunes, etc. Thankfully, our wonderful server hosts helped us get everything back up and running, so tip of the cap to them.

To celebrate the re-ups, we're making a few changes:
1. We're streamlining our operations.

It's only fair. We've been lazy and dreadful about doing it for a long time now, but now it's happening. The archived tunes will begin to deactivate slowly but surely beginning today, right now, and we will begin to keep and host our picks for 2 weeks at a time.

If Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, it won't be a problem, and we will always accept email requests for tunes that people missed. In fact, I do have an email here from a Mr. J. Phillips requesting some Jay-Z mashups. I will get to you, sorry I have not yet, but I will make that connection for you. If yr reading, just know I'll get that to you as soon as I can.

2. We're [hopefully] redesigning a little bit soon, so stay tuned for that too. We've gone way too long without some killer grafix.

3. Tunes!
You will get some tunes today, and every day ['cept them saturdays] as you've come to appreciate and enjoy. Back to regular programming people. Thanks for yr patience - it'll take us a little bit to rebuild our Rome.

We've missed you. Have you guys missed us?

- JT, Silent K, Roy, Codec.

It was all smoke and mirrors!

I know Saturday is our day of rest, but as we've had some difficulty in bringing you the good tunes as of late, I figured I'd at least share this:

The Shadow Knows

Codec.

Loud Neighbor
2 Skinnee J's
Volumizer
Volcano : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

Rebel Warrior
Asian Dub Foundation
Facts & Fictions
Beggars UK : 1995
[Listen] [Buy]

Shadowman
Capcom Sound Team
Rockman III OST
Capcom : 1990
[Listen]

Twilight Sniping
Harry Gregson Williams
Metal Gear Solid 2 OST
King Japan : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

Head Like a Hole [Opal]
Nine Inch Nails
Head Like a Hole [Australian EP]
Polygram Int'l : 1998
[Listen] [Buy]

For Some But Not For Me
Prefuse 73
Extinguished Outtakes
Warp Records : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Storm
Yoshida Brothers
Yoshida Brothers
Domo Records : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Codec is the shadow that lives behind the scenes. He ensures that your audio is tight and running at it's best possible quality.

But don't mistake his shadowy nature for that of the sketchy or shady - Codec is solid like Snake.

Couple a near encyclopedic knowledge-base of past, current & future tunes with an ear that houses a set of genre-bending taste-drums. You'll find that Codec is both taste maker & critic. He's the poster boy for the anti-hearo with a keen sense for what to appreciate and the best bit rate at which to taste it.

Codec suggests that you dig the electronic, never underestimate underground hip-hop and always give mash-ups the same time of day that you would give to your mother [that is, if you love your mother.]

Trained well on word smithing, tune-sharing, standards testing, samurai films and Croxley's Ales - this particular afficianado is anything but lame.

Enjoy today's sound selection, modeled in the shadow of Codec.

Stay Tuned.
-- Silent K

Quick Reference Guide for Model JT

I am a Wicked Child
Radiohead
Com Lag (2plus2isfive)
EMI : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Early to Bed
Morphine
Like Swimming
Dreamworks : 1997
[Listen] [Buy]

Brinx Job
Pavement
Wowee Zowee
Matador : 1995
[Listen] [Buy]

Bamboo Shoots Battle
TRS-80
Backup:01
Invisible : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

The Family Gardener
Minus 5
Down With Wilco
Yep Roc : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

Spike the Senses
of Montreal
Satanic Panic in the Attic
Polyvinyl : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

She Caught the Katy (and Left Me a Mule to Ride)
Taj Mahal
The Natch'l Blues
Columbia/Legacy : 1968
[Listen] [Buy]

Splitter
Johnny Greenwood
Bodysong
Capitol : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Riki Tiki Tavi
Donovan
Open Road
Epic : 1970
[Listen] [Buy]

Hello, and thank you for your interest in JT. We hope you will find countless hours of enjoyment in your experiences with him. This Quick Reference Guide is designed to get you acquainted with JT so that you will get the most out of your time with him.

ABOUT MODELS IN THIS LINE
JT is a homo-sapien, or human, and as with all humans, there are some simple but important things to remember:

• JT enjoys a temperature of about 23 degrees Celsius, but can survive a greater range of temperatures with adequate hydration or thermal insulation.
  
• JT will need reliable sources of fresh food and water to survive as well as an adequate repository for waste.
  
• JT enjoys a comfortable space to sleep.
  
• JT, like all humans, is a social animal, and requires social contact to stay happy. Do not isolate JT for extended periods of time.
  
• Left to his own devices, JT will entertain himself for a time, but audio-visual stimulus, such as music or movies, will keep JT entertained and happy for hours.
  

• JT is a thinking animal, and without intellectual engagement from media or from other humans, he may grow bored, restless, unresponsive, or lethargic.
  
• JT needs air to breathe. DO NOT submerge JT for extended periods.

ABOUT THIS MODEL
While JT shares traits with his human brethren, there are many things that set him apart as an individual:

• JT has an inquisitive mind and will express an exploratory interest in unfamiliar stimuli as well as higher level abstractions. You may find him quite engaging.
  
• JT has a heightened level of charismatic enthusiasm, especially towards ideas that are interesting to him. He is adept at passing this enthusiasm on to other humans. Don’t be surprised if you find JT rallying other humans towards a common goal.
  
• JT has an above average fondness for the musical arts.
  
• JT enjoys artistic expression. He is known to express himself musically via available percussive instruments. He will also spend time refining his ability to skillfully express himself in his native written language, and will sometimes share his creations with other humans.

As you spend more time with JT, you will become acquainted with these characteristics while discovering even more. Like all humans, JT has a complex but subtle and nuanced personality. Take the time to get to know him and you will be rewarded with an interesting and intelligent companion for years to come.

Congratulations! Now that you know a little about JT, you are ready to interact with him any time you wish!



For further information about the health and needs of this model, please refer to the Biological and Psychological Health and Maintenance Compendium for the Human Species, which should be included with your packaging.

No man is an island? In that case, The Roy is a Peninsula

Roy ain't taking no funny business.

Give It Up
Lee Dorsey
Gonh Be Funky
Charly Records : 1980
[Listen]

Summer Madness
Kool & The Gang
Light of Worlds
Polydor : 1974
[Listen] [Buy]

Blue Lights
Henry Franklin
Blue Lights
Ovation : 1976
[Listen]

Mean Man
Betty Harris
[Listen]

Airegin [alt. take]
Grant Green
Nigeria
Blue Note : 1962
[Listen]

Eastern Market
Yusef Lateef
Yusef Lateef's Detroit : Latitude 42° 30' Longitude 83
Atlantic : 1969
[Listen]

[Part 2 of 4: A very special look at the people who make your world turn.]

I watched a film called "The Tao of Steve" a while ago, and thinking about The Roy in this very moment, I'm reminded of its premise.

To crudely summarize, there are two types of man in the world: the Steve and the Stu.

Steve is the quintessential man; think Steve McQueen, Steve Austin [The $6 million man], and Steve McGarrett from Hawaii Five-O. Cool, calm, collected. Full of under-the-surface power and emotion, but always restraining it behind an inch of style, cologne or haircut. Desired by all, sought by all, understood by none.

On the other hand, we have the Stu. Bumbling, inept, a prisoner of his own desires and aspirations. Achieves nothing. Washes his hands before dinner. Keeps to himself. Afraid of the world.

Now Roy? This man is a Steve through and through. He is excellent in the presence of others. He is bedrock. He is forged in iron, fury, octane, and the occasional Tanqueray and Tonic. He is unparalleled in the bass-playing world. Forever just out of reach, grazing the fingertips of society but never letting reality grab him by the throat enough to squeeze out the fight.

That being said, he is not without Stu-like qualities. Lest we forget the toothpaste incident? He is ticklish. He never met a cookie he didn't fall in love with. He loves snow. He is gassy. He liked the movie Hudson Hawk.

That being said, we all fully recognize that The Roy is a bona fide Steve. Therefore, in order to remind ourselves, he is accompanied with a hefty Steve-like playlist that shows his bad side. Cross your fingers that you can get close enough to the man, for if you do, you might just find yr heart stolen.

Imagine him running across busy intersections, chasing a perp. Imagine big cars, mustaches, guns firing, breathless pursuits over rooftops, down cramped skyscraper stairwells, across footbridges. Imagine him decked to impress, boaters, perfect pleat, the whole nine, wining a woman and letting the band play on.

One Steve deserves another, and in a world that's teeming with Stus, we're lucky to have him.

Let the band play on.

WHOIS: Silent K

as profiled by Codec

Fear (Rez Edit)
Adam Freeland
Rez: Gamer's Guide to
Universal : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

Rez Credits - Ending Theme (Silent K Edit)
Shinichi Osawa
Rez: OST
[Listen]

6ft Wasp
Fila Brazilia
Maim That Tune
Pork Recordings : 1995
[Listen] [Buy]

Loops of Fury
The Chemical Brothers
Wipeout XL
Astralwerks : 1996
[Listen] [Buy]

Musipal
Wagon Christ
Musipal
Ninja Tune : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

The Good Fight (Full CD)
Silent K
The Good Fight
2004
[Listen]

[Part 1 of 4: A very special look at the people who make your world turn.]

[Labcoat] // 36M
[Color] // Oj
[Mega Man] // 8
[Price Range] // $$$
[Likes] // Asian Girls; Snowboarding; The Police; Aquabats; Running; Seaweed Salad

Soldier; Role Model; Collector. Y.T. met K in early 2004 (Chapter 2: The Awakening) and recognized him immediately as a kindred spirit, a soul cut purposefully adrift from the fabric of a reality we didn't inherit; the New Angeles hitchhiker, the Chiba City meth addict. Over Cafe Metro and Metro North they discovered the depths of their common ground, sparking a mainline of music discovery that has run straight through the fabric of their unwinding lives. This period is represented in music, above.

Vessel on the rails, mind flowing free - he is afire with passion and ideas for music, games, culture and actualization of self. Adapts, but never changes. Loves Rez - perhaps a little too much - and will never find the time to play anything else. Knoah is the big brother you wish you had, the friend you call to remember why you do this shit, and the guy you want to plan your party.

Find him in the crowds at Rockefeller Center, dodging the law in Union Square or behind a Sapporo on St. Mark's.

They're talking about

Nuclear War
Yo La Tengo [written by Sun Ra]
Nuclear War
Ole : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

I had massive fear of nuclear war when I was a kid. In fact, all things radiological gave me the willies. So much so that I would have nightmares about leaks creating ghost towns. About sirens, then mushroom clouds. When my family moved into town, every time the fire whistle went off, I wondered if it were perhaps warning of missiles launched a continent away. Would this be our last 10 minutes? Should I start thinking about everything I’ve been grateful for?

Recently I heard of this game called Defcon, which obviously takes heavy visual cues to the image of NORAD’s command as depicted by WarGames. Loving the movie, and having a morbid fascination, I decided to give it a play. Pretty tight overall, but after making it through the tutorial, where I “won” in a limited engagement with Southeast Asia by racking up 69.8 megadeaths to their 16.7, (sorry New York, D.C.), I kinda felt queasy.

That night I dreamt I was driving into L.A. when it laid to waste by not one, but eight rising pillars of sorrow. It was the only city hit, and the rest of the dream was spent driving around a dazed and wounded United States.

The next day this song came up on my playlist. I’d forgotten all about it.

And, as I write this, Terminator 3 is on the T.V. behind me.

How about a nice game of chess?

Resolutions for the New Year

Hummingbird [alt. take]
Wilco
The Wilco Book
??? : 2004
[Listen] [Buy]

Cars Can't Escape
Wilco
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Demos
2002
[Listen]

Resolutions are like wallpaper; you could fill a house with them, have them furnish every aspect, every square foot of yr life, and yet, when they peel off and reveal the blight beneath, they never quite seem to stick again no matter how hard you try.

Resolutions in music are often better: the typical consonant chord that follows a dissonant chord. From darkness and the minor life, we move into sunlight and something warm. It's based on need; how can something end on such a downward shift? How can a song or movement or melodic thought end on such a downer, on something so unstable and awkward and weird and cold and unexpected?

Aside from the literal sense of resolution within melody, there are more subtle ways to create interest and evolve a sound.

Wilco songs often follow that curve. There's a sly hope buried amid the minor chords and spare instrumentation, and yet, no matter how bleak, there is some kind of upward curve, something, something small, something that lets you know that everything should turn out even, if not better, in the end. Hushed vocals explode into euphoria, and you naturally follow suit.

Why?

Because that's what you want, ultimately. You don't want to fade to black with no follow-through, no signal that yr not finished. No, of course not. There is much of yr tale still to be told, and even though it's grim in this present moment, you still have oceans to cover, and acres to climb. You are not washed up, and the resolution becomes ever stronger.

So, what do I resolve for this current year?

I will:
- finish my manuscript
- submit my manuscript
- say sayonara to self-doubt
- understand that it's safe to commit to someone/something other than myself again
- hit Japan, and hit Japan hard
- let my brain catch up with my mouth before I talk
- recognize that no matter how weird and off-key things might seem, that all is not lost, and that all will never be lost

I realize most people look at resolutions with pessimism and doubt, but if you put yr mind to it, you can achieve anything. Our only restraint is ourselves, and with every nightfall, we grow stronger whether we realize it or not.

Go out into the wilderness, into the masses, into the ambivalent crowds, and let them know that yr not afraid.

The best resolution one could ever make is not to give up.

Testing the Pass of Time

"Who knows what tomorrow may bring..."

While the Earth Sleeps [Feat. Peter Gabriel]
Deep Forest
Essence of Deep Forest
$ony Japan : 2003
[Listen] [Buy]

First off - a great big [happy new year / ii o toshi o] to everyone. New beginnings and all that - 2007 though, honto? So it's up to me, it's up to you - will we be fitter, happier and more productive?

I didn't even mean to rent a 'new years' movie - but I found myself watching Strange Days on New Years Eve. The film holds up through the ten years since its release because of the excellent performance by Ralph Fiennes and the stellar soundtrack [please spare me anything that has to do with Juliette Lewis]. When the credits finally roll, we're treated to an excellent collaboration between Deep Forest & Peter Gabriel. This one has been on repeat since Jan 1, '07 just as it was when I had first heard it in 1995. 'While the Earth Sleeps' is the episteme of organic electronic music.

My priorities for the new year:

• Don't quit Japanese class - no matter how hard it gets [we started Kanji last night].
• Work even harder at my job.
• Record one of the three mix ideas that I've been talking about. I haven't produced anything truly robust since I recorded The Good Fight in 2004.
• See my family & loved ones more often.
• Get my ass to Japan already.
• Motivate myself and the other half of "Running Club: Team B" to be more like "Running Club: Team A."
• Don't eat too much cheese, unless it's pizza at Frank Pepe's.
  
• Get more in tune with my 'ma' on a daily basis.
  

Stay Tuned.
-- Silent K

P.S. - We're seeing what we can do to make FmGT a Wii web browser friendly experience. In the mean time, Wii users absolutely must check out FineTune through your Wii web browser. It's a highly decent streaming audio site with a seemingly solid selection and a simplified version that's designed specifically for the Wii. I haven't gotten too deep in it yet, but entering "Downtempo" into FineTune's music-tag search engine yielded a great play list so far. Dig it.

Dropping the Ball

Slinky
Terminal 4
Terminal 4
Atavistic : 2001
[Listen] [Buy]

Quiet Steam
Peter Gabriel
Digging in the Dirt (single)
Geffen : 1992
[Listen] [Buy]

The Wake-Up Bomb
R.E.M.
New Adventures in Hi-Fi
Warner Bros : 1996
[Listen] [Buy]

Lloyd Price Express
Beck
Where It's At (single)
Geffen : 1996
[Listen] [Buy]


I’ve never seriously made New Years resolutions before. It’s not that I don’t have goals. It’s just that I’m not the kind of guy who has, you know, a timetable. So long as I’m making progress, what does it matter when I get things done? I have no place to be.

Which would be a fine position to take if I didn’t feel as though I were going nowhere. Or, rather, I know where I’m going, but I’m not doing my best to make the trip a fruitful one.

The word resolution points both towards the declaration of new as well as the closure of old, and I’m just not good enough to wrap my life into neat little packages on a yearly basis. What I’ll do instead is set out markers. Places on the map I’d like to pass by along the way. If I don’t make it to all of them, so be it. At least they were highlighted.

In no particular order, I would like:

To keep in better touch with family and friends.

To write for myself at least once a week.

To enter my 26th year of life in peak physical condition. Okay, at least better physical condition. I don’t have to have a six pack. I just miss being mentally alert and physically capable. That, and I’m not getting any younger so I should take advantage of this meat-machine while I have it.

To put out a chapbook.

To watch more movies.

To spend less time on the internet.

To spend less energy on myspace.

To visit my relatives in Chicago, LA, and San Francisco.

To complete a draft for one of my novel ideas or my memoir idea.

To go on a date. Sounds simple enough, but 2006 and 2005 were both washes in this category. Time to break out of my cozy shell. (There are other things I’d like to do again, but I figured best to start with the basics.)

To jump rope for 20 consecutive minutes without injury or death.

To worry less about money.

To pay off the credit cards.

To eat less heavy on the cookies that are not mine. (Sorry housemates, but forbidden Soft Batch is the tastiest).

To kayak more.

To mountain bike more.

To skydive again.

To either become comfortable with and accept the job I have or to have the courage to move on if it’s not right for me.

To organize my desk at home and at work.

To read more books.

To record new material. Always wanted to lay down some tracks and put that bass playing skill to use.

To focus and accomplish more at work

To frame more photographs of my family, friends, and cool places I’ve been.

To spend more time outdoors.

To keep a weekly journal of my travels. Not a diary (too much work), and not a blog (too public), just a set of notes wrapping up the state of The Roy. Like bread crumbs, it will help me gain perspective on where I’ve been and where I’m going.

To remember more jokes.

To think of new crazy fluxus ideas.

To visit the dermatologist and get my moles looked at like I promised a nurse I’d do four years ago.

To call more people on my cell from the bathroom.

To keep challenging myself to move foreword while maintaining the flexibility of not setting steadfast goals.

To read poetry at least once a week.

To look at the sky more.

2007: Resolutionized

Ghostwriter
RJD2
Dead Ringer
Definitive Jux : 2002
[Listen] [Buy]

Act II: In which the soul is laid bare.

Talent and luck unmanned will take you pretty far in life ("... almost to the top!"), but nothing truly great is ever accomplished without a little planning. The viewer at home will undoubtedly recognize the contrasts evident in one of JT's end-of-the-year lists, and the 11th-hour job of yours truly. Groundwork for the former was laid weeks in advance; the list sat skeletal and unfinished on the server for a few days in early December before the man donned the labcoat and began carefully applying the clay. When he threw the switch at the end of the year, that fucker came to life. Didn't it?

My post went from conception to inception in a comparative couple of minutes. In fact, a lot of them have - in fact, a lot of everything has.

Time to take the wheel. Here's to a year seen through the right way. (You have full license to punch me in the face if any of these aren't held to - scout's honor!)

I) I will run faster and farther.

II) I'll have put together an album's worth of material - original beats, a mix, whatever comes - and will push 1,000 copies of it out the door and into my surroundings.
IIa) I'll do all the mastering.

III) I'll have a once-a-week DJ gig. [I'll get the equipment as soon as V comes together.)

IV) If I'm not earning an MBA, I'll have a great reason for it.

V) I'll love my job again.
Va) But it'll be the kind of job that lets me get everyone really awesome Christmas presents.

VI) I will shake your hand at any one of FmGT's New York bar takeovers and parties - maybe at quite a few more.

Enjoy the track - it never fails to lift me up by the collar and fix my posture when it sets me back down.