There was a time I walked through the woods of Walden Pond and felt like I could never understand Henry David Thoreau. The reasons why I once felt so are now the reasons why I begin to see his logic. Destitute and disgusted, Thoreau imagines a world in which the eventual loss of innocence is inevitable. No one can stay innocent, this world will not allow it. And just as Thoreau, everyone needs to become a part of the system sometime, you can only run away from it for so long. Without a hate there is no love, without a love there is no hate. Thoreau acknowledges the counterparts each play on one another and their importance to the establishing of one. This is the world we live in. This is a real worldview. There is no black, there is no white. Everything's eventual, Thoreau just saw it sooner than most.
"Indeed, Indeed, I Cannot Tell"
Henry David Thoreau
Indeed, indeed, I cannot tell, Though I ponder on it well, Which were easier to state, All my love or all my hate. Surely, surely, thou wilt trust me When I say thou dost disgust me. O, I hate thee with a hate That would fain annihilate; Yet sometimes against my will, My dear friend, I love thee still. It were treason to our love, And a sin to God above, One iota to abate Of a pure impartial hate.
Hailing from Sommerville, MA, artist Begley is a tee-shirt and print designer for a handful of bands you may have seen or heard before. You can purchase his work from Shirts & Destroy (http://shirtsanddestroy.com) and check out more of his work on his Myspace page (myspace.com/thehorseisdead).
And Noted To My Grandmother, Much Greater Than Me by M. R. Brown
"The breeze that crossed his face held in it the locket of his father and the memories of his grandmother"
She promised me ribbons to flow from her hair.
The street ran out and to the ocean where simple sands and laughing children were all that were left of the summer past.
On the bed where her grandson slept, now she too would lay her head.
And as she past from here, she left to me the breeze that casts from off the shores and off the crests of each wave that brings, in moments, her back to me. "As words would slip from off her lips he swore never to fall for such devices. The standing lamp of three lights was missing one bulb, and never again was the room adequately lit."
["Don't disappear" she said to him. "Will you never as well? Please" he said imagining his eyes cast on hers. "I won't. I promise" she said. He knew the way things were and he ceased to acknowledge them as such. Her ring shone gold to his eyes, still.]
“And as the snow fell he felt little more freedom than the buried blades of grass above him. He shone green in a world of white.”
by M. R. Brown
ACT 1
Scene 1: Two twenty-something year old men lay in the snow, side by side. Clad in black jackets and scarves with red hats. Both men place their hands beside themselves. They stare at the sky and witness the branches of the trees surrounding them tear across the screen. The world opens up and everything once stopped begins to move around them. Each boy is missing one thing. And there they lay. Still. Searching. Green lights are flashing.
Man 1: “All the world is a quiet place and no one seems to listen.
Man 2: If it’s any consolation, I don’t think I can either.
Man 1: We’ve grown attune to feeling safe in sounds around us.
Man 2: The “white noise” it’s called.
Man 1: Sounds are
Man 2: -without answer. It provides the same solace.
Man 1: Every night is passed in every household with a continuously reverberating hum.
Man 2: The world is endless without social interaction. I see it there, where the lines are bent.
Man 1: Imagine a city bereft of sound.
[One second passes between them. Man 1 can not stop it and Man 2 neglects to try]
Man 2: A tingle should spark your finger.
[The two men turn their heads left]
Man 1: I can find sounds in a flashing streetlight as though they were proclamations of an old bible. The cover is tattered, though.
Man 2: The light flashes red in intermittent sessions.
Man 1: I have found silence. I have found it between flakes of snow, in a frozen breath. I have found it in the bed covers of loved ones and the gazing eyes of enemies.
Man 2: The only sound unique enough to never be reproduced
Man 1: -is silence”
[One second passes between them. Man 2 stops it]
Man 1: "Never wake me.
Man2: I’ll wake you when we reach the end.
Man 1: When there is a skyline left burning and the wind to blow it our way?
Man 2: I’ll wake you when there is a last train, empty and burned black. I’ll wake you when the spirit leaves our bodies. I’ll wake you in lucid dreams, my friend.
Man 1: All the world
Man 2: -is a much colored green"
[And as the snow fell he felt little more freedom than the buried blades of grass above him. He shone green in a world of white.]
As it snows outside I think now is a great time to reflect upon the new thing in my life that I hold very dear: my mustache. The best way to hear mustache jokes is to start growing one. Add a soul-patch and you're certifiably a 70's and 90's porn star in one! I started growing it in celebration of my upcoming road trip. Photos will ensue.
From making the stencil for the picture and letters to the final spray-paint took about 5 hours. There's two. One resides in my room while the other resides in Mr. Matthew Winske's lovely new trailer.
Sometimes I'll make decisions without knowing why. Sometimes I'll charge blindly into things and come out only to have my head looking back. I question the reasons, I question the motives. I question the truth. And I'm happy, inexplicably happy but I know its destined to fail. That is the worst feeling, to know something is only going to fail. How do you face something like that?
This is not a love song Happy to have, not to have not
A Stream of Thought on a Wednesday Morning in Bed by M. R. Brown
I need out out of my head. Paper has lost its color and the sunlight is more an imagination than a ruse. Pass from me this endless dawn and break apart these bonds. The cuffs that lock my wrists are tighter with every second. The day passes as though looking through shrouded tree tops to find the falling light. Alone I sit in the last train.
TOP TEN COVER SONGS BETTER THAN THEIR ORIGINAL by M. R. Brown
• Jimmy Hendrix – All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan) - Very few will argue that this is hands down the best cover of all time. Jimmy Hendrix flat-out beat Bob Dylan. Few have done it, and none of done it more convincingly. Even Dylan now plays the song live in the fashion of Hendrix’s version.
• Johnny Cash – Hurt (Nine Inch Nails) - Among the final recordings of Johnny Cash, the Nine Inch Nails cover is infused with a voice searching for redemption and couldn’t be closer to Cash’s life. It takes decades to being in music to even come close to pulling off a cover like this.
• Joe Strummer – Redemption Song (Bob Marley) - There is a pain and longing in Joe Strummer’s voice that made The Clash important and forever relevant. It doesn’t stop here.
• Bruce Springsteen – Jersey Girl (Tom Waits) - To hear The Boss cover a song about his hometown, and to have that song be written by Tom Waits, is so damn touching. Beautiful song, beautiful man.
• The Gaylettes – Son Of A Preacher Man (Dusty Springfield) - Turning “Son Of A Preacher Man” into a ska-fueled reggae tune transforms the song and captures it in an even more poignant light than Dusty Springfield could. The Gaylettes version would also grace my Songs In My Heaven playlist.
• Run DMC – Walk This Way (Aerosmith) - Let’s face it, Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” was, other than horrible, clearly lacking something, listen-ability. Praise Run DMC for taking this song to a progressive level of interest.
• The Killers – Shadowplay (Joy Division) - The sons of the bright lights of Vegas are the only band around that can pull off a Joy Division cover, and it was a smart choice to play Shadowplay rather than Love Will Tear Us Apart. A heads-up move.
• Tom Waits – The Return of Jackie and Judy (The Ramones) - Always the innovator, Tom Waits capitalizes on what makes a cover song special, re-imagining a song rather than re-iterating a song. He takes the spirit of The Ramones and re-imagines “Judy Is A Punk.”
• The White Stripes – Jolene (Dolly Parton) - Jack White gets a chance to bask in his country and blues musical inspirations. And thank god someone can make Dolly Parton worth a listen.
• Cock Sparrer – White Riot (The Clash) - Fellow Brits Cock Sparrer managed to capture the angst and aggression that The Clash couldn’t even capture, seemingly. For that, they make my list.
Honorable Mention: Jeff Buckley – Halleluiah (Leonard Cohen) - Jeff Buckley’s version is great, it’s sharp and it’s relative, but Leonard Cohen’s original is just a wee bit better. For that, Buckley is left with the Honorable shaft.
Top Ten Holiday Songs by Anastasia Caras and M. R. Brown
The holidays usher in one of the greatest aspects of the music industry, the holiday songs. Radio stations broadcast 24 hour playlists, artists record holiday song albums and something just seems to be missing if presents are opened without these songs playing. Wondering which one’s to save for that special time? Here is the “Top Ten Songs For Holiday Cheers” list:
1. The Kinks – Father Christmas
2. John Lennon and Yoko Ono – Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
3. Bruce Springsteen – Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
4. Alvin and the Chipmunks – Christmas
5. Billie Holiday – I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
6. Vince Guaraldi Trio – Christmas Time Is Here
7. Elvis – Blue Christmas
8. Run DMC – Christmas Time In Hollis
9. Charles Brown – Merry Christmas, Baby
10. The Ramones – Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight With You)
CD REVIEW: THE KILLERS’ DAY AND AGE by M. R. Brown
Brandon Flowers once claimed that Sam’s Town, The Killers’ follow-up to Hot Fuss, would be the most important album in over a decade. How would he hype Day and Age? The man remained silent and let the album do all the talking this time around.
The Vegas foursome is swinging bravado with glam sensibility for excess. As Sam’s Town was pulled out of the Vegas desert, Day and Age is dragged from the strip after a night of hallucinogens and psychedelics. Think more “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine” than “All These Things That I’ve Done.”
As with previous albums, The Killers’ strength is found in the up-tempo musings. “Human” is an escape into a world fueled by ecstasy-ridden pleasures of blasting noise and catatonic light. As the album’s first single, the track defines Day and Age with dance-rock sensations and vain fury. A vision of dreams and nightscapes, “Spaceman” is essentially David Bowie for the hipsters today.
There is no instrument that is not considered for the album. Multi-layered and complex, the tracks resonate with additions such as horns, synth, piano and bongos. Drawing from influences of Lou Reed and New Order, “A Dustland Fairytale” and “Goodnight, Travel Well” round out a head-trip of a ride.
Irrational at best, the lyrics of many tracks are confusing at times. Flowers will stray from visions and rant through such songs as “The World We Live In” and “Neon Tiger.” Modeled after Bruce Springsteen, Flowers’ vocal ambitions are met with minor parallel connection issues sporadically. Tracks such as “Joyride” also have troubling finding a place on the album because of such musical striations in sound.
A revelation as flashy as the Vegas strip these four musicians waltzed down for many years, Day and Age reinstates The Killers as the kings of indie rock and roll. Flowers is often credited with the success of the band, but the guitar work of Dave Keuning is nothing short of arena-filling sound packed into every song with epic presentation. The glitz and embellished core of the album is, in essence, one of the most authentic looks at the ever-changing force of one of today’s most important rock acts.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
CHINESE DEMOCRACY WORTHY OF WAIT? by M. R. Brown
Chinese Democracy is not worth the 15 year wait. Could any album be? That said, I can continue to review the album based on what it is rather than what it has been built-up to be.
Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy has been the long-awaited brainchild of Axel Rose and the revolving door of band members. Over that time, the album became infamous for being tagged as the album that would never be released. This is Axel’s album, as if anyone needed to doubt, and it would only be released by his word when he was damn well ready. Many, including Dr. Pepper, believed the album would never come out but all were finally satisfied come November 23rd.
The genius and density of Rose lore can be seen sporadically throughout the album. Whether it’s the biting and self-touting “I.R.S” or wall of sound “Chinese Democracy”, the album is unrelenting in its power. Songs are stocked with multi-layered guitars, giving glimpses into the ever-changing mind of Rose. Many may have wondered if Rose could still wail like a 15 year old girl in choir class, which he surely answers in “If the World.” Tracks such as “Madagascar”, which samples the likes of Martin Luther King, its undeniable that Guns N’ Roses can still tear apart speakers. With soul-infused rock as defiant as its singer, Chinese Democracy is founded on rebellion. With both glam and angst, the album kicks you in the teeth and takes you back to waiting outside clubs with torn up t-shirts and denim.
Does it stack up to Guns N’ Roses of yore? For the thirty-something man or woman who still says “Bring back The Rat!” Chinese Democracy will be a welcomed addition to the CD rack. But for the rock listeners today, the album feels oddly irreverent at times and solidifies thoughts that Axel simply may have waited too long. A great album for what it is, but if only it could have been released 10 years ago.
Chinese Democracy is available exclusively at Best Buy, so go buy into the growing corporate monopoly of music now!
Currently in the works is a be-all-end-all top ten list of Christmas songs, a review for the new Killers' album Day and Age as well as Guns n' Roses' long anticipated Chinese Democracy. Until then, check out the hook while my D.J. revolves it:
Tom Gabel of Against Me! has released Heart Burns, his 8 song solo EP from Sire Records. The album carries Gabel’s folk-infused punk rock songwriting with catchy hooks and sing-along choruses.
As though reverting to an earlier sound, Gabel drops his five piece act for simple guitars and drums with more focused storytelling in mind. One standout track entitled “Anna is a Stool Pigeon” tells the tale of two lovers who meet at a protest rally only to realize one is an FBI informant. One of the truest to form folk standouts, the track harkens the songwriting of John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen with Gabel’s trademark voice.
“100 Years of War” and “Cowards Sing at Night” round out the political skewer of Gabel’s long-running angst with current government administrators. Denouncing involvement in war and calling for the lives back that have been lost, these are among the most biting tracks on the album.
Pounding drum machines and four chord songs, which could get mixed in with the sounds of hipster-trendy indie rock lately flesh out the album with “Conceptual Paths” and “Random Hearts.”
Living by his own words, “You don’t owe anything to anyone”, Gabel puts aside prior Against Me! fan criticisms of the band’s current sounds by charging forward with exactly the sound he wants to play. This is Gabel stripped to the bare-bones of what modern rock n’ roll is. Gabel’s online Myspace music page provides listeners with acoustic version videos of each song on the EP. His next closest shows will in New York and Connecticut on November 20th and 21st.
Although the Boston Bruins may not be carrying any torch for Boston sports anytime soon, one of the most exciting players to watch is the young sophomoric Milan Lucic. The twenty year old has many solid years ahead of him, promising to be a future force for the B's. Likened to a Terry O'Reilly, he is a goalscorer and he is a fighter. Check out one of his hits from the other night on Mike Van Ryn of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
To open up the new year of the Student Voice’s Local Spotlight, I recently sat down with the band Clouds. Bassist John Northrup and drummer Michael Quartulli, otherwise known as Q, discussed their new record, their sound, their future, and they also managed to fit in some politics.
Your sound is not generic rock, how would you describe your sound? Would you call yourselves "radio friendly"?
Johnny: We've been described as "The worst doom-pop crap I've ever heard", "…will only really appeal to greasy middle aged virgins who still live at home", and "Hard to listen to and even harder to like."
Q: Any time someone asks what our band sounds like I say the same thing, Loud Rock ’n Roll. That's all it is. We just play rock ’n roll the way we play rock ’n roll. It’s not like we go to practice thinking we have to sound a certain way, which is what I love about this band. We play lots of different styles, but they are all Clouds. We try not to pigeon hole ourselves.
How is the new record “We Are Above You” doing?
Q: Well the new record is out there. Some people love it, some people hate it. The people that hate it seem to hate that we don't stick to one particular genre, which is fine by me. I don't play music so some dude in his grandma's basement will like it. I play music because that's what I love to do. I think we have a good combination of creative forces and we get what we get out of it. I'm proud of our record and can't wait to record more.
What are some of the goals of the band? Is a major, or near-major, label a must for you to accomplish what you have set out to do?
Johnny: Our goals include missing holidays and major events in the lives of loved ones while touring, plunging further into unassailable debt, and not growing up and becoming real people for as long as possible. So far, so good.
Q: Personally, my goal with this band is to play the music that we all want to play and have fun doing it. As far as major labels go, it's something I've never experienced. (Guitarist and singer) Adam McGrath has. He has his horror stories. I certainly don't want to be on a label that doesn't care about our music and only cares about making their tight white asses richer, only to sh*t us out when they realize we can't make them any money. We have a great label now, Hydra Head, that does care about our music and let's us play music the way we want. They have been nothing but generous to us and I appreciate that greatly.
What are some other bands you listening to right now?
Johnny: I just listen to my own songs. Not even Clouds. My solo stuff that no one will ever hear. I'm like Prince, only infinitely less talented and successful. Taller, though.
Q: Brian Eno, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Ray Charles, The Melvins, Billy Bragg and Micah Blue Smaldone.
What can people expect from a Clouds live show? And what local venue do you like playing best?
Johnny: Four handsome, acrobatic gentleman prancing about on stage in front of big, loud amps, and engaging the huge, huge, humungous, appreciative audience of attractive young men and even more attractive young women with our unique brand of what could only be described as off-key caterwauling.
Q: Whether its playing to hundreds of people or playing to the other bands on the bill, we try to play our best. Someone there paid money to see a show so we might as well do our best to give them one. And when there aren't many people there, that’s when we usually break out the covers.
Johnny: I like playing the Middle East Downstairs because the people that work there are awesome. Sound guys, bartenders and bouncers are all cool. We get major drink tickets there!
What is in the near future for Clouds? Recording, touring, or side projects?
Johnny: By the time you read this, we will be on tour with Torche. We will also have just recorded a 4 song EP. As far as side projects go, we are Adam's side project. It says so in all our press releases.
Q: “We Are Above You” is coming out on vinyl. Its the full album on one piece of wax and bonus piece of wax with 4 covers on it. There are two Guided By Voices songs, a Blue Oyster Cult song and a Kinks song. How convenient for us to have this come out just before we head out on a US tour with our good friends Torche (again) and Coliseum for a month. Oct 21-Nov 25. Get the dates at Myspace.com/cloudsrock. But if you're reading this you probably live in Worcester and won't be going to a show in Lawrence, Kansas, huh?
Anything else you'd like to add?
Johnny: If I could just take a minute to address the fine folks in your scholastic institution for a moment with this advice: Vote, dumbasses. Yeah, I know how the electoral college works and yeah, your vote doesn't actually count for much when its all said and done. However, it's your ticket to the 'Complain Game' when things don't go right. Your complaining just sounds like whining if you don't at least participate in the process. Specifically, vote for Obama. Hopefully he'll give us less to complain about than the other guy.
Check out Clouds’ EP “Legendary Demo” and their new full-length record “We Are Above You”. Both are out now on Hydra Head Records.
In the vein of Halloween, I stumbled across a forgotten little gem. Now, sometimes I get the feeling that I'll see a preview in the theater and then it's as though the movie disappears and never comes out. Attributing this to personal conspiracy, I never think twice. Except for now.
One of the movies I remember seeing a preview for a long time ago was "Trick 'r Treat". The movie is finished, but Warner Bros. dropped the film and now it has to find a studio to distribute it. It's hard to think that with the new "True Blood" series on HBO that an Ana Paquin movie can't get picked up. And the fat kid from "Bad Santa" is there to boot!
The film is no Oscar material or anything, but here's the trailer for a film you'll probably never see.
One of the things that I can not help but find hilarious is when people are characters. When Will Ferrel dons Ron Burgundy, or James Franco dons Saul Silver, I have to be put on piss awareness. I don't know if Perry Hilton is playing a character but all I know is this man is funny. Dumb and Dumberer, not so much, still.
My job does not provide me with too many perks. The other day I finally got to bask in one of these perks, and bask I did.
One part of my job entails setting up large inflatables, also known as moon-bounces. now, I am sent out to the most random of places for these things but the job is always the same. I set the inflatable up and then I sit and wait. My job is to make sure the inflatables stay inflated and don't fall apart. I bear no responsibilities to the safety of the children that flock to these things like they were handing out crack in Worcester.
Now, sometimes the people who run these events don't realize that I am only there for when something goes wrong with the inflatable. The other day was one of these days.
So there I was, sitting down near this massive obstacle course inflatable reading my book. I see this small, plump girl trying to climb over a section you are clearly advised to go through, not over. I get this giddy feeling like I was 4 again, anticipating the inevitable. I gently put down my book and just stare at this girl. I stare like I was planning on dragging her into a van. I peer around making sure no other parents see her, I do not want this to be spoiled. My anticipation is through the fucking ceiling. She climbs to the top and the piece caves under her weight and she rolls over the side and takes a glorious digger onto the hardwood gym floor. She looks at me and starts to cry.
Maybe it's the sadist in me, but my day was made in that moment. I get a sick and deranged kick out of seeing small children hurt themselves and cry. Their sadness makes me happy. I like how their faces flush with red and they cry out because they are totally and completely helpless to aid themselves.
Such a sweet joy. I work so I can see things like this happen.
(Taken from a post for my "Diversity and Multicultural Education" class)
Ever since I took Intro to Communications freshman year I have always thought, "The news media on t.v. and in the newspapers is not much more poignant and relevant than a romance novel." First it was Fox news refusing to cover a train accident that involved a partnered train company with Fox so as to not tarnish any ties and funding. Hundreds died but why should Fox report it when they'll lose money, right? Then it was the topics that people focus on most, sadly.
People look to celebrity news and fashion for their daily news fill. Doing so only makes the financially troubled newspaper business look to celebrity news and fashion styled pieces in order to gain readers and ultimately funding. This general principle is not common knowledge, as seen by how many more Glamour, US Weekly and Star magazines are sold everyday over newspapers. So is it really too shocking to see the amount of news coverage focusing on Hillary's "low-cut outfit" during one of her speeches? How about the focus on the sex appeal of Sarah Palin? THIS is what average American's want to see, who gives two-cents about what they stand for? Donny Deutsch sure doesn't.
I found the amount of political backlash against Hillary Clinton running interesting. The 11-1 vote by major news media claiming it was indeed fine to refer to her as a "bitch" stayed in my head. Not only does that rule out the neutral stance reporters are supposed to take, but it is expressed as though everyone should also refer to her as such because 11 of 12 major political anylists think so. You use toothpase because 9 out of 10 dentists reccomend it, so why not vote against Hillary because 11 out of 12 anylists reccomend it. Poor execution news media.
Ms. Pozner did leave everyone, I think/hope, with a sense of renewed vision. I know for myself I have learned to look even more closely at what exactly is being covered by the news media and have yet even more reason to disregard the multitudes of reports and opinions out there. Think for yourself, look at the cold hard facts and be intellectual. Follow that and you'll be a whole-damn-lot better off. And thats no Lord Chesterfield's Letters to His Son knowledge, its merely common sense.
As I'm sitting in my lovely little apartment, which I have recently been aborted from, a girl who is sitting on the couch across from me asks about my tattoo. Nothing new to me. I have been asked by all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. They range from cops who have pulled me over to janitor who pass by my hospital room. But I digress.
She asks, "What's that tattoo on your arm?" My tattoo takes up 3/4 of my arm so it is damn near impossible to hide at times. I reply humbly to her, "Its an octopus". Then she replies solely with an "Oh." The small hint of disapproval is not well hid from her face. She follows this up with the question I can not stand when it comes to asking a complete stranger about a tattoo, "Why did you get that?"
Never ask a person you do not know this question. Sure, most of the time the person will be nice and tell your overly-inquisitive ass just why he or she got the tattoo they did. Maybe there is some deep rooted family meaning, maybe it reminds the person of childhood. But let me tell you deep down what I think every time someone asks me.
"Who the fuck do you think you are? Do I owe you something to have to explain why I got the tattoo I got?"
If at one point during a friendship one divulges to the other the reason behind a tattoo then that is perfectly fine. But to have a customer in a store come up to you and bluntly say, "O.K. Let me see the tattoo. What's it mean?" is just too invasive. What if the tattoo has a meaning that is far too personal for me to want to tell a stranger? Then I am forced to make up a lie and make myself sound like a complete jackass for getting a tattoo that I seem to not care about.
My response to the overly-inquisitive girl was curtly and directly this, "Because I wanted to." A response that must have put her off, but yet could not have been more truthful.
Two minutes later she responds, "I have tattoos too." And there it is, the weak retort in the effort to establish a connection.
This is the first of hopefully many posts. The site could barely be considered in an "early stage". Its somewhere in that pre-early stage. That exists, right? Well, this will soon become a regulated blog hell-bent on forcing me to write everyday. So, take a gander into what goes on in this mind of mine and fell free to comment.
