SOUNDS OF SAGITTARIUS
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December 2009 Archives
December 1, 2009

http://kastuvas.us.to/lastfm/

Here's mine.

1st track: Le Tigre - Yr Critique - 26 May 2005
1000th track: sHEAVY - Cosmic Overdrive - 13 Jun 2005
2000th track: Foo Fighters - No Way Back - 01 Jul 2005
3000th track: Placebo - Johnny And Mary - 20 Jul 2005
4000th track: Monster Magnet - On the Verge - 17 Aug 2005
5000th track: sHEAVY - What's Up Mr. Zero? - 09 Sep 2005
6000th track: Third Eye Blind - How's It Going to Be - 30 Sep 2005
7000th track: Hall & Oates - Maneater - 20 Oct 2005
8000th track: Kyuss - Hurricane - 06 Nov 2005
9000th track: Queens of the Stone Age - The Blood Is Love - 25 Nov 2005
10000th track: Corey Hart - Sunglasses At Night - 18 Dec 2005

11000th track: At the Drive-In - Skips On The Record - 13 Jan 2006
12000th track: sHEAVY - Month of Sundays - 02 Feb 2006
13000th track: Tool - Part of Me (live) - 23 Feb 2006
14000th track: Eagles of Death Metal - So Easy - 18 Mar 2006
15000th track: Monster Magnet - Black Balloon - 11 Apr 2006
16000th track: The Mars Volta - Wasting My Air - 09 May 2006
17000th track: Toni Basil - Mickey - 02 Jun 2006
18000th track: Incubus - Nice To Know You - 19 Jun 2006
19000th track: Veruca Salt - All Hail Me - 02 Jul 2006
20000th track: Tool - Undertow - 21 Jul 2006
21000th track: Deftones - If Only Tonight We Could Sleep - 10 Aug 2006
22000th track: Eagles of Death Metal - Stuck In The Metal - 30 Aug 2006
23000th track: Mountain - Mississippi Queen - 19 Sep 2006
24000th track: sHEAVY - Synchronized - 03 Oct 2006
25000th track: Fiona Apple - Criminal - 23 Oct 2006
26000th track: Goldfrapp - Strict Machine - 10 Nov 2006
27000th track: Tool - Undertow - 26 Nov 2006
28000th track: Masters of Reality - It's Shit - 15 Dec 2006

29000th track: Kyuss - 06. kyuss - deadly kiss - 03 Jan 2007
30000th track: Staind - No One's Kind - 17 Jan 2007
31000th track: Black Sabbath - Swinging The Chain - 03 Feb 2007
32000th track: Fu Manchu - Knew It All Along - 23 Feb 2007
33000th track: Astroqueen - Crashlander - 10 Mar 2007
34000th track: Do Me Bad Things - The Song Rides - 28 Mar 2007
35000th track: Cansei de Ser Sexy - Pretend We're Dead - 17 Apr 2007
36000th track: Queens of the Stone Age - I Think I Lost My Headache - 11 May 2007
37000th track: Peaches - Rock Show - 01 Jun 2007
38000th track: Tomahawk - Mescal Rite 1 - 13 Jun 2007
39000th track: Placebo - Where Is My Mind - 03 Jul 2007
40000th track: Big Business - Shields - 24 Jul 2007
41000th track: Silverchair - Ana`s Song (Open Fire) - 17 Aug 2007
42000th track: Brant Bjork - Defender Of The Oleander - 12 Sep 2007
43000th track: Gojira - From Mars - 01 Oct 2007
44000th track: Tool - Rosetta Stoned - 20 Oct 2007
45000th track: Gojira - Embrace The World - 06 Nov 2007
46000th track: Muse - Plug In Baby - 25 Nov 2007
47000th track: Monster Magnet - Kiss Of The Scorpion - 17 Dec 2007
48000th track: Nine Inch Nails - The Great Destroyer - 30 Dec 2007

49000th track: Desert Sun - Uneasy - 22 Jan 2008
50000th track: Garbage - Dog New Tricks - 08 Feb 2008
51000th track: Porcupine Tree - Drown With Me - 22 Feb 2008
52000th track: The Young Gods - I'm The Drug - 08 Mar 2008
53000th track: Slo Burn - Positiva - 30 Mar 2008
54000th track: Witch - Soul Of Fire - 14 Apr 2008
55000th track: Torche - Charge of the Brown Recluse - 29 Apr 2008
56000th track: New Young Pony Club - The Bomb - 17 May 2008
57000th track: Black Cobra - Below The Cusp - 01 Jun 2008
58000th track: Devo - Jocko Homo - 15 Jun 2008
59000th track: Masters of Reality - It's Shit - 01 Jul 2008
60000th track: Loan - Kobazuloan Saiakerak - 24 Jul 2008
61000th track: Tomahawk - Song Of Victory - 06 Aug 2008
62000th track: Electric Wizard - We Live - 20 Aug 2008
63000th track: Weedeater - weed monkey - 31 Aug 2008
64000th track: danava - Longdance - 17 Sep 2008
65000th track: Oaks - Big Sta - 05 Oct 2008
66000th track: Big Business - Cold Lunch - 26 Oct 2008
67000th track: L7 - The Masses Are Asses - 17 Nov 2008
68000th track: sHEAVY - Month of Sundays - 29 Nov 2008
69000th track: Red Fang - Bird on fire - 20 Dec 2008

70000th track: Tool - Forty Six & 2 - 04 Jan 2009
71000th track: Tweak Bird - On and On - 21 Jan 2009
72000th track: Eve 6 - Inside Out - 06 Feb 2009
73000th track: Weedeater - $20 peanut - 20 Feb 2009
74000th track: White Hills - Eternity - 05 Mar 2009
75000th track: Le Tigre - Deceptacon - 15 Mar 2009
76000th track: Monster Magnet - Space Lord - 01 Apr 2009
77000th track: Gojira - Clone - 18 Apr 2009
78000th track: Eagles of Death Metal - Secret Plans - 08 May 2009
79000th track: Sepultura - Filthy Rot - 26 May 2009
80000th track: Black Cobra - Five Daggers - 12 Jun 2009
81000th track: Entrance - Grim Reaper Blues - 30 Jun 2009
82000th track: Big Business - I Got It Online - 13 Jul 2009
83000th track: Placebo - Protect Me From What I Want - 01 Aug 2009
84000th track: Deftones - Rickets - 17 Aug 2009
85000th track: Torche - Mentor - 05 Sep 2009
86000th track: Weedeater - $20 peanut - 19 Sep 2009
87000th track: Witch Mountain - Indian Passage - 02 Oct 2009
88000th track: Mastodon - This Mortal Soil - 18 Oct 2009
89000th track: Gojira - Toxic Garbage Island - 03 Nov 2009
90000th track: zZz - House of Sin - 19 Nov 2009

I can't even remember what a couple of these songs sound like... or why I have plays of a few others. Was I messing around or just having a weird day? But yep. Not as schizophrenic a list as I expected.

PLASTIC... BAG IN THE SEA.

Tags:
December 2, 2009

Song: "Running Up That Hill"
Artist: Placebo
Album: Running Up That Hill (2006)

Also try not to be cheesed to death by the original song: it has a video.

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December 2, 2009

Song: "No Complications"
Artist: Cosmic Psychos
Album: Cosmic Psychos (1987)

20 years, huh? Timeless.

I can't find a sample of the song.

There's this, though.

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December 2, 2009

Song: "Esoteric Surgery"
Artist: Gojira
Album: The Way Of All Flesh (2008)

This is kind of low of the list of songs you need to hear by Gojira, and not exactly a good introduction to them as a whole... but it's catching my ear quite a bit lately. I thought it was sort of funny today when, talking about Saturn conjunct my Mars in my 12th house, this song came on random... "You have the power to heal yourself" is the first line.

You have the power to heal yourself

All illness can be healed
The cell regenerates
Disambiguated situation
There is a secret code
In the structure of the mind
You have the power to heal yourself

Flesh bodies mute and blinded
Roaming uncertain, lost
Infected misinformed
Releasing a black enormous insect
Out from the chest
Archaic form disease

Esoteric surgery a dissection of the soul
Unsuspected precise power
On the wounded astral body
Projected beam of light

All illness can be healed
The cell regenerates
Disambiguated situation
There is a secret code
In the structure of the mind
You have the power to heal yourself

Suspended floating in empty spaces
Descending swift like a fire running down
Obstruction disintegration life force
Overcoming all circumstances
Release the pain

I wonder if Joe has Moon aspecting Neptune. A lot of his hippy bullshit comes down to hallucinatory nonsense. Of course, I can't find his birthday. Also, I'm sure 30% of the population has "moon aspecting neptune", or some other ridiculous figure like that, so who knows what the fuck I'm seeing here. I have Moon sextile Neptune and I obviously have a bad handle on reality when it comes to my writing... Projection.

Wow, that last paragraph was a useful contribution to the internet. I hope you're grateful. I know I am. Post!

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December 3, 2009

Song: "Children of the Grave"
Artist: Black Sabbath
Album: Master of Reality (1971)

I have a habit of turning on certain bands and, if distracted, forgetting I'm listening to music at all. It's 'just there'. Of course, this song doesn't just end... It ends with a long pause and suddenly repeating its title. I can't count the number of times I've been sitting here working away on something, forgetting about the music, and suddenly having "children of the grave" whispered at me at ridiculous volume... causing me to jump. Jerks.

Also, I just want to let everyone in the movies know that when you do scenes involving the late 60s/early 70s or Vietnam, it's okay to skip out on the cliche "loud" druggie music to enhance the scene. You don't do it to the 80s or 90s or 2004, so feel free to stop doing it to Vietnam. We here on Planet 2009 understand that there was semi-significant music around that time without your further aid.

Also, I'd like to note that glamourizing the 70s is proof that god loves fags. We're almost on the second decade of the millennium, here. People who lived through the decade turn into the 70s at ages where music was relevant to them are old enough to be in nursing homes, now. Get with the program.

Note to self: Pretend to get with the program without appearing hypocritical having just posted "Children of the Grave" to the ol' bloggy blog. Also consider finding out which program I'm suppose to adhere to, perhaps while I also consider my open homophobia and why I can't use everyday language to describe things as opposed to non-PC language. When finished considering, flush.

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December 4, 2009

Aww. Now that I've used that title, I can't use it again. I will mourn for the loss.

That said, there's this band Damnweevil and they've decided to do the new streaming album on the internet thing, so go do them and likewise the business of music a favor: It's Always Darkest Before It Goes Pitch Black.

Have to say I'm liking "Pay In Blood". If you can't get the player to work, it's also available on myspace.

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December 6, 2009

Song: "Girth and Greed"
Artist: Old Man Gloom
Album: Christmas (2004)

Only the first minute and 33 seconds of that video is the song here.

I wasn't paying attention when I downloaded this a week or two ago, but now that I've had to do the research, it's a bit annoying to discover the other band personnel connection (which, now, is obvious). Nevertheless, this song is pretty awesome and straight to the point, something Isis never achieves...

I'm pretty sure you have two minutes to spare, so if you're as musically ignorant as I am and haven't heard this song before, check this out.

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December 7, 2009

Song: "Sometime Wednesday"
Artist: The Atomic Bitchwax
Album: 4 (2008)

This song is great. Yes. This album as a whole has gotten better with time, particularly with its best songs which this one obviously qualifies.

Unfortunately, it's one of those songs you can't listen to when you're in a low, dumb mood because it does this: Son, you can't bring your gun in here. We're going to have to confiscate that at the door if you're coming in. I don't know what you're going to do now. Maybe it's going to be Sometime Never for you, eh? Maybe a little Sometime Five Minutes In The Car Beforehand? And what's this semper fi crap? You don't sound particularly faithful with your talk about other people. You're hitting Sometime So Last Summer right about there, pal.

SHE SAID DO-NT, DON'T LET IT GO TO YOUR HEAD, BOYS LIKE YOU ARE A DIME A DOZEN.

/abrupt end

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December 10, 2009

I finished my last bit of finals and schoolwork for the term, so I finally have time to get through some of these longer, more thoughtful posts... I still need to work on some kind of "top whatever" list, but I can get other things out of the way now.

[concerts]

I didn't go to as many shows this year as last, and didn't experiment as much with concerts or music in general this year, but I still made an effort to get out of the house now and again. There are still 20 days left of the year, thus still room for activity to occur, but... these are the shows I went to this year:

01. Black Eyes & Neckties - Black Elk - Red Fang
02. Kandi Coded - Tweak Bird
03. Le Force - Wildildlife - Thrones - danava
04. Rapids - Mongoloid Village - Portland School Of Rock - Red Fang
05. Enslaved - Opeth
06. Car Bomb - The Chariot - Gojira
07. Black Elk - Tweak Bird - Big Business
08. Melvins (1983+Houdini)
09. Witch Mountain - danava - Nachtmystium - Pentagram
10. Mongoloid Village - sandrider - The Entrance Band
11. Weedeater - danava - Melvins - Down
12. Porcupine Tree
13. Diesto - Nether Regions - Rabbits - Saviours - Red Fang
14. High on Fire - Converge - Mastodon
15. Nether Regions - Salvador - Fu Manchu
16. Sweet Cobra - Black Cobra - Pelican
17. Atriarch - Saviours - Witch Mountain - Ludicra - YOB
18. Young Widows - Russian Circles
19. Helms Alee - Young Widows - Russian Circles

Unlike last year, I didn't have a ride available for the vast majority of these shows. Similarly, I wasn't up to spending money on cabs. Most of the shows I absolutely need to cab home from end up being "free" or 5-15 dollar small venue shows, and I definitely would spend a fuckload more on a cab than that. It doesn't seem congruent. Ultimately, I ended up skipping a bunch of small, experimental shows I had been interested in from afar... I also skipped part of/all of bands' sets just to avoid cabs.

I learned a lot about my relationship to concerts, venues, live bands, and crowds last year, too. There wasn't much newly discovered this year. My attitudes about live shows have mellowed out for the most part. I did go to two new-to-me venues this year, though... neither of which I particularly cared for. I still have a few more major venues I need to visit.

This year I experimented a bit with recording shows. I tried a crappy digital recorder the first show, but it didn't turn out. The next one, I tried a video camera. It was too dark in the room and I quickly learned I didn't have enough space on my memory card to record even shitty video, but it worked really, really well to help me write up a setlist. I ended up recording pieces of several more shows... Most of the video sucks, but most of the sound is great (for what it is). I'm impressed with my camera's microphone for sure.

Naturally, this has drawn me attention I don't like. I don't think I've taken any photos/video without being either in the back of the room or on the very side of the stage, so to prevent being the distracting light in the room... so hopefully I haven't pissed off any bands. I'm trying my damnedest not to be "that guy" just because I like having a proper setlist. A few times, though, the camera resulted in "conversation"... which I don't find is really a good reason to start talking at me.

So...

Obviously, the best show of the year for me was Gojira. I got to shake everyone's hand, got my ticket signed, got a one-of-a-kind shirt, and smiled my ass off at Joe. Plus, the show itself was one of the best I've been to, ever. I was incredibly high after that concert, something I hadn't been in any situation in quite a while.

The most unexpectedly good band live was Sandrider. I don't remember the details anymore to really properly compare them to anyone else, but I was very into their entire set. Seeing as how I'd only heard their myspace posting of "The Corpse", the fact that I was really into them on literally my first listen to all of their songs really took me off guard. Perhaps the fact that I've been listening to Akimbo a lot the last year helped, but I got a more concise "feeling" out of Sandrider... And it was good. Really looking forward to seeing them again.

Also unexpectedly awesome was Nether Regions. I didn't know anything about Nether Regions before I saw them. I got lazy and, though I brought up their myspace, didn't really give them a good listen before I saw them live. I'm not really even sure I'd heard OF Ditchliquor before, even though I must have considering I'd been reading show/ticket lists for years. Beyond that, myspace just doesn't do them justice.

Expectedly awesome were Tweak Bird, Black Cobra, and Red Fang... especially Red Fang's MFNW show. Weedeater also was great on the soul my second time around seeing them. I love how fuzzy they get.

The best all-around show, in general, was Melvins 1983+Houdini. I was a bit sick coming into this from the night before, and I'm not sure the crowd was really into them, but I came away from this a hell of a lot more impressed than I was either time I'd seen the Melvins as Melvins+Big Business. Even being as zoned out as I was, I still had fun and got to lose myself in the show and in the new-to-me music mixed with old familiar.

Oddities of these or other shows include getting offered a pass into a couple of shows. I couldn't go to either one, but I did get the sense of there being some kind of odd conspiracy/coincidence regarding this. Both bands know each other, and they asked me in a very short time of each other.

At one show, on the way out, I believe I was offered some social time with a member of one of the bands I'd just seen on stage. I had to get going, but that was "interesting".

At several shows I had interactions with a local musician ranging from a distracted grimace to a sentence or two regarding music. I need to work on my social skills for sure, but I'm doing better.

At one show I finally properly met a local musician.

At one show I found myself standing next to another local musician, and finding it incredibly ironic because of where we were.

After-the-fact, I've been googled or simply read by bands a few times because of show "reviews". Most of them have been local, and most of them didn't say anything to me, but I did get a good comment or two. One of them reused a couple of my photos.

All in all... a good year for me regarding concerts. Not spectacular, as I did miss some (in theory) really good shows and still need a car to keep a good pace with live band experiences, but I liked and gained something from all of the shows I attended. I sort of expected a concert lull of sorts after last year, where I practically over-did "going to concerts", and all in all I seem to have met with the next logical step.

No idea what the next year will bring me in regards to concerts yet, but we'll see, won't we?

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December 11, 2009

Entrance - "Lookout!" video:

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December 14, 2009

Looks interesting, folks...

http://www.bloodintowine.com/

December 18, 2009

Moment of introversion, holiday-caused laziness, boredom, angst, and indecision is here. I can't think of a single fucking song to share with you, nor what to say to correlate with music in some abstract way.

Astrologreek: Saturn is at 4 degrees 3 minutes Libra and my Ascendant is 4 degrees 19-20 minutes Libra. At least my hair looks great...

I wonder what I said back when Saturn was aspecting my Ascendant in the past. Let us find out!

2005, Saturn in Leo sextile my Ascendant: "why am i not a music critic?"

2003, Saturn in Cancer square my Ascendant:
i noticed that several people i “know” and don’t know at all have posted or written online recently about the band ‘the yeah yeah yeahs’. and this means nothing to me as someone who doesn’t like new things, but the different type of people who had listened to or favoritized this band was a bit queer. a teenage social whore with absolutely no taste in music, an intelligent masochist, a pseudo-poetic dreamer, billAy. considering the white stripes were often listed somewhere nearby, i decided…i would download something.

stereo sound has lent me this luxury. i listened to a few of the songs i downloaded tonight, and i’m a bit skeptic… but i say ‘miles away’ and ‘maps’ aren’t so bad. it’s an odd sound, i’m not sure it could stick around too long without getting incredibly annoying. it reminds me of… sixteen candles? the breakfast club? one of those assholic 80s teen movies with leg warmers and lame music. pixi stick captain crunch sandwich with coke.

[Current Music: something pretentious, you wouldn't understand]

2001, Saturn in Gemini trine my Ascendant: "Last night I was laying in bed, listening to the radio. Rage Against the Machine sung 'No matter how hard you try, you can’t stop us now.' It’s kind of ironic how they broke up, huh?"

I remember that night, too. I said I could name every song on the radio to my nephew... Mandatory Metallica came on, and I got almost every one. Then we got to talking about Pink Floyd and/or Led Zeppelin. His friend's dad listened to classic rock. His friend's dad's place was the "cool" house in the neighborhood.

BTW, Saturn in Virgo, semisextile my Ascendant: I started this blog.

I don't really want to be a music critic. Music critics are full of themselves.

Oh.

Right.

Anyway, I'm still working on some kind of end-of-the-year list.

December 20, 2009

Here are the albums I have listed for 2010 that I'm looking forward to hearing. There are a few albums that I imagine are being written or released in the next year, but with bands not being keen on giving concrete information before something's actually happened, this is the best I can come up with right now.

High On Fire - Snakes For The Divine (2/23)
White Hills - White Hills (2/23)
Hot Chip - One Life Stand (2/9)
Deftones (tenatively 4/27)
Snailface (tenatively 3/1)
Diesto - High As The Sun
Witch Mountain - South of Salem
Ancient Age
Red Fang

I'm probably most excited for the latter two. Ancient Age apparently wrote their album early this year, but I haven't heard news on it yet. I've heard Red Fang's newest material only live so far, and it sounds good. I wasn't blown away like I was the first time I heard them, but it is quality and I'm sure the album will be great.

Witch Mountain is mainly a rumor - I heard they were/are working on something, and they do have a new song and a new member and are playing a lot more shows, so it stands to reason that something's in the works.

Snailface (aka Kowloon Walled City) mentioned doing another album this February for the RPM challenge. Since the album is supposed to be complete February 28th, if they do the challenge, they should have material available in March.

Hot Chip's last album was pretty good, so here's hoping this one is, too. I've listened to a hell of a lot more heavy/metal/sludgy type of music since their last album came out, so we'll see how it even holds up after this time.

Deftones recently mentioned writing a new album. Since the release date is so far off, I can't imagine it sticking. Though my interest in them and their sound has waned over the years, I'm still curious.

White Hills, High On Fire, and Diesto... Naturally all going to be at least somewhat good. Diesto hasn't announced a release date yet, but the album went to mastering months ago and they have material online so it should be relatively soon.

So far so good.

Next, albums I listened to THIS year...

December 20, 2009

I listened to less new music this year than last. I wasn't very adventurous in general. I didn't scan blogs like before, and even when I did do that or take recommendations, I repeatedly came up disappointed. I suppose it has something to do with my social musical environment this year, needing to conserve hard drive space, the lack of money over the summer, and generally feeling resentful of perceived authority... I do not like being told or shown how I'm "supposed" to react to things. I also simply listened to less music, period.

That said... I have a long list of albums I'm going to go through, one by one, sharing my thoughts on each. I have purposely passed on listening to a few albums this year, and I have probably forgotten a few mention-worthy albums to this list, but here goes.

I divided this into three "lists". This first one is a jumbled mess as I added albums over time, representing albums I listened to, at least in part, that didn't really impress me as a whole. I needed something more from these to put them on subsequent album lists... All in all, this first list is a whole lot of bitching. Try not to vomit in the face of uneducated opinion or yell at the screen too much, kids.

 

Naam - Naam
I had this album shoved in my face all over the internet. Because it was all over the internet and I'd never once heard of Naam before, I assumed it was going to be mediocre and didn't listen to it. I finally had an open mood and let it play while I worked on something. I was kind of bored and didn't get through the whole thing, but it did have its moments. I'll need to come back to it later, but I can tell you at least "Skyling Slip" works.

Zu - Carboniferous
I can't remember when I got this or under what circumstances, but I can't get through this album at all. "Noise" music is ridiculously pretentious to me, and I can see myself deleting most of the album, leaving probably just "Ostia" behind.

Kowloon Walled City - Gambling On The Richter Scale
Borderline overhyped in certain circles, which makes me not want to listen to it. I haven't given this nearly the chance it deserves, at least not as an album. I believe I had a moment with "Gambling" when I first got the physical album in the mail, and I was listening to "Clockwork" and "Diabetic Feet" a lot when they first had the songs online. The first two songs on their first EP are really strong, and none of these songs, individually, stand out yet.

The Entrance Band - The Entrance Band
I heard Prayer of Death for the first time this year, and it's a pretty good album. It took me some time to get into, but I was "sold" once I got there. I heard a few of these new songs live for the first time, and was very much not impressed. Since the venue muddled their sound a bit and Guy is apparently annoying to me, I wanted to give the album a chance... and I did listen to a few songs a lot, but all in all I feel sort of bored with it.

Alice In Chains - Black Gives Way To Blue
I did not want to like this. AIC is a 90s band and I would have preferred them to stay that way. However, this album does have some good moments, and I do like a couple of the songs. Still, the AIC I am familiar with is the only one I want to be familiar with.

Crippled Black Phoenix - 200 Tons of Bad Luck
Really fucking dull aside from their Pink Floyd impression on "Rise Up And Fight".

Marilyn Manson - The High End Of Low
I barely gave this a chance. It seems MM's albums are getting progressively worse. I used to listen to Marilyn Manson all of the time, and even when the albums sucked I still respected the guy... but no longer. The last one was awful, and this one wasn't much better. The fact that he's been acting so fucking retarded in the last year completely kills it for me.

Assjack - Assjack
The production on this is really, really good. The songs? Not so much. I like it but I don't.

Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg
I listened to the whole thing for the purposes of this blog and came to the conclusion that the singer's sole purpose in life is to piss me off. While I can understand why average people like Wolfmother, I can't understand how anyone who's listened to Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Dozer, Led Zeppelin, Guns N Roses, Queens of the Stone Age, etc. or who has a proper rock/metal musical background would take this band seriously.

Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures
This is almost as bad as Wolfmother in being regurgitative with an irritating singer. I can't figure out if there's a point where you're naturally disinclined towards certain bands you once liked, like listening to certain bands has an expiration date, or if Homme has turned into a rent-a-whore. It's also possible that the fact that they were selling merch before they even had an album out rubbed me the wrong way. This DOES have bits that sound good, but... as a whole, give me a fucking break.

Eagle Twin - The Unkindness of Crows
Snorrrre. It's no mystery why they toured with SunnO))).

16 - Bridges To Burn
I gave this plenty of chance to work for me, and it never did. Perhaps it's 5% too much testosterone, perhaps I can sense its major demographic and that does it in. I bet if I had heard it when I was a teenager, I'd like it more.

Black Sleep of Kali - Black Sleep Of Kali
I like "Chorus of Flies" a ton, but the rest of it hasn't done anything for me. For being a new band, I say they're doing good.

Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound - When Sweet Sleep Returned
"Mars" and "Scorpio Sun Queen" are songs I've kept coming back to, and though this album has that lazy bullshit hippy energy, I'm just not hearing anything here worth having a second listen. I suppose if you were sold on this band through other songs, this album might work for you.

Behemoth - Evangelion
I'll come back to it when I'm feeling more wandering angsty, as I haven't gotten through it yet. The start of the album is pretty good even though this whole band is overwhelmingly cheesy to me. I bet if there was a version without vocals, I'd get through it a lot faster. The music is, as far as I can tell, great.

Tombs - Winter Hours
I think I downloaded this randomly, and initially had a "holy shit" moment with the album, but I haven't come back. I still like "Golden Eyes" alright... I like how it's musical yet first sounds like pointless hum.

Lamb of God - Wrath
I hate the wooden drum sound, "hardcore" vocals are shit, and the energy is just a bit too much for me. I was going to make a mix early this year and put "Set To Fail" on it, but I'm glad I didn't finish the mix because... No.

Vibravoid - Distortions
The first song has been stuck in my head off/on since I heard it, so that says enough. The rest of the album is more stoney/relaxed, and I'd rather not.

Phased - A Sort Of Spastic Phlegm Induced By Leaden Fumes Of Pleasure
I listened to it once straight through, nothing stood out, I was bored.

Baby Woodrose - Baby Woodrose
More 60s/70s rock. No.

Shrinebuilder - Shrinebuilder
What was this, the year of the supergroup? Frustratingly boring and overhyped.

Cursive - Mama, I'm Swollen
I'm so glad I only paid a dollar for this.

Cave In - Planets of Old EP
"Retina Sees Rewind" is really good. I love that song's energy, but the rest of it can go.

Torche/Boris - Chapter Ahead Being Fake
I can no longer listen to Boris after seeing them suck as bad as they did live. The Torche portion of this split was good. Not outstanding enough to make me say better things about the split, but good.

Saviours - Accelerated Living
Though they've worn off on me over time and live show brainwashings, I still see mediocre. The production of the album has the vocals too loud versus the music.

Wildildlife - Peas Feast
They're noisy psychedelic on album, which might be alright if they stuck around the "Shining Son" kind of sound... but overall they get too "out there" for my taste.

Clutch - Strange Cousins From The West
I have a standing hatred with Clutch, particularly the vocalist, and this album didn't change anything. "Abraham Lincoln" got through to me, but that's it.

Combichrist - Today We Are All Demons
They put out a handful of really interesting/fun songs before this album, but this album is dull as shit. I liked "I Want Your Blood" a lot for a while, the "Sent to Destroy" single came out last year and I liked it then, and "Get Out Of My Head" was okay for about five minutes.

Between The Buried And Me - The Great Misdirect
"The Great Misdirect"? I'll say. I was going to do an album review post on this album, but once I started I realized that this album can be summed up in one word: Terrible.

The Gossip - Music for Men
The Gossip used to be good. I recommend listening to their earlier work, what came out before Standing In The Way Of Control. I have no idea what happened since then, but popularity kills a lot of bands, and I think it did this one in, too. Good for them, but yeah...

White Shit - Sculpted Beef
This one is so bad it's good. A few songs are just plain stupid (and thus funny). I appreciate this after the Big Business album this year, and I might recommend it to some, but yeah... Not going in the truly good pile.

Brothers of the Sonic Cloth / Mico de Noche - split
Brothers has done an amazing job at being elusive, so I wasn't sure what they sounded like as a whole until I saw a live performance they did back in July. While they have perfectly likable elements, I just can't get into epic songs like the one found here - my attention span craps out. Then there's "Ganges" by Mico de Noche, which is a really great song, and totally makes this split record worth it for me.

Pelican - What We All Come To Need
Live shows often make or break bands I'm having trouble with, and seeing Pelican live this year confirmed to me that I don't give a flying fuck. They're so close yet so far.

Magrudergrind - Magrudergrind
A few of the people around me apparently like this band, so I got this with mild expectations. I've barely listened to it, though, since apparently I like grindcore even less than black metal.

Ancestors - Of Sound Mind
I don't get it.

Eternal Tapestry - Palace of the Night Skies
Ditto. They were touring with some band I like, but I forget who.

The Bloody Beetroots - Romborama
I found this a few weeks ago, and it has a ton of songs, so all I've gotten a chance with so far is "Butter"... Good, but I'm going to get sick of it.

Zombi - Spirit Animal
I know I liked one of these songs when I first had the album, but now I can't figure out which one it was anymore. I think I heard this album was good, too, but I'm just not seeing these sounds working out for me.

Prodigy - Lost Beats EP
"Black Smoke". The rest I could have continued to do without.

Cull - Erosion
Close but no.

Cannibal Corpse - Evisceration Plague
I have no idea how death metal can be boring. I think I may need to backtrack according to what I heard about this album in comparison to their others.

Immortal - All Shall Fall
I need to give this one a few more tries, because it's close to crossing the line into something I might actually like before I get distracted by the "evil" elfen vocals.

The Ax - Our Queen Of Dirt
I'm turned off by the lazy/sleepy punk sound of this band, but it's an alright album.

Converge - Axe To Fall
I discovered it was possible to like Converge this year, but fortunately for my word, I still would derive much joy out of strangling the singer to death. Songs that are otherwise good, even amazing, are completely killed by his constant screaming. I can't get over the shit vocals. That said, "Dark Horse" is great, "Reap What You Sow" wore off on me, and many of these songs are fine, musically. If someone would please make an instrumental Converge album for me, I'd like that.

Kylesa - Static Tensions
I've started to listen to this album a number of times, but have yet to get through it. The start of the album, however, is outstanding and strong.

Muse - The Resistance
This album was sooo not Black Holes & Revelations or Origin of Symmetry, which is fine, but come on. Muse is one of the very few bands in pop culture that actually has talent and a message worth a listen. They can do better than this.

Albums that didn't make this list are coming...

December 20, 2009

(continued.)

This second list is albums I either liked for the most part, liked the idea of with a few songs to support, or albums from bands that SHOULD be on the top-ten list, but the album disappointed me somehow. I'd say this list is one step above the first list, but I would have to expand on them a lot more than I actually have to justify that statement. In short, I like these, as a whole, a little more.

Fight Amp - Manners And Praise
I just got this album about two weeks back, so it hasn't been given its proper time yet. I did, however, listen to it start to end the first day I got it which should say plenty to you if you've heard about my shitty attention span. It may be a "mood" album, so we'll see how I feel about it in a few months. In the meantime, everybody needs to go listen to "Bad Listener I". It's on their myspace, which I've linked.

Snailface - Snailface
Snailface is an alternative name for the boys from Kowloon Walled City, who wrote this album in the confines of a month for the RPM Challenge. While distantly similar to KWC, Snailface has a much more "stoner" sound. Overall, I could do without an album even though it's generally fine, but the songs "Drug School" and "Dancing On Landmines" have been on constant repeat since March. The fact that these guys can do both KWC and Snailface and both sound, at the very least, "okay", and have these stand-out songs as well, wins me over.

Chinese - The Conquest of Tomorrow Today
My first listen of Chinese was a wholly positive one. As there are only two instruments, this album gets a little too minimalistic and unvaried for me at times, but I definitely like what they've done here. "Fingertraps" was immediately appealing, but these days I'm drawn to the 1 minute long "Saganomics".

Children - Hard Times Hanging at the End of the World
I heard a few of these songs for the first time last year, so this album doesn't seem especially new to me. Upon first listen, I wasn't really impressed or moved in any particular direction about it. "Nuclear Bummer" eventually wore off, followed later by "Power Spirit". I don't care for the whole album, but the fact that I still can listen them after all of this time/space is enough to keep them out of "eh, whatever".

Part Chimp - Thriller
I heard one of Part Chimp's songs a year or two back and liked it, but didn't get around to researching them. Seeing this album randomly show up online one day was alarming, and I gave it a shot. It's not completely amazing, but the couple of songs that are striking are REALLY good. "Sweet" and "Trad" are definite winners, here.

Wino - Punctuated Equilibrium
I'm glad the hype about this album died, because I've grown to like it a lot more since. Overall, it's simply good. Songs like "Gods, Frauds, Neo-Cons And Damagogues" make this album stand out, at least before the song commits suicide after the first minute. "Punctuated Equilibrium" is also pretty good.

Fu Manchu - Signs of Infinite Power
I'm not sure what happened to the Fu Manchu I had grown to appreciate over the last years, but they're missing something lately. They sound good, but don't make a same or similar impact as they used to. "Bionic Astronautics" works and I keep coming back to "Steel.Beast.Defeated" for a reason I have yet to figure out.

White Mice - Ganjahovahdose
I've only listened to part of a few of these songs because I can only get so far before cracking up laughing. I can tell you that the production is amazing.

Porcupine Tree - The Incident
Seeing Porcupine Tree live helped me with this album, but overall I don't really care for it. It's not bad, but it's too long for me and I can't get myself to listen to it right. "Time Flies" is the obvious stand-out song from the album, even at nearly 12 minutes total. Since the live experience I learned "Drawing The Line" is also pretty good.

Salvador - Cleansed Through Fire And Blood
Salvador is similar in style to a few other local bands, and the fact that I'm already familiar with the sound and know that the band is conscious of my writing probably hurts this EP for me. Overall, though, I like it. All of the songs are good, especially "Pyres".

Mastodon - Crack The Skye
My listening habits started to shift when I first created this blog. At the beginning of writing here at Sounds, I was very much a "fan" of Mastodon. Over the next months, my interest in them quietly waned. I saw them live in July 2008, and it was disappointing. They seemed uninspired and kind of boring on stage, which is incredulous to me. I was hoping this album would revive my interest, but instead it was more of the same uninspired crap that I witnessed from them live the year before. I've tried to come back to it, and I've managed to catch-phase the song "Divinations" (NO EH SCAY APE) so that bodes well for them... but yeah. Eh. The fact that every other "metal" geek likes Mastodon now, when they sound nothing like they used to, pisses me off.

Madraso - Vanhorne
Most of the songs on this album are good, or fucking good, even. It's so close to being on the top ten, and maybe should be on the top ten. "Awesome Kong", "Infants", and "BBW" are the most stand-out tracks. I wish Madraso lived in Portland, not Seattle, because the one time I got a chance to seem them was not enough.

Bat for Lashes - Two Suns
Waaaay better than expected. Two Suns is mostly pretty bass/drum heavy, which helps the musical transition between most of what I listen to and this band's typical style. The first song, "Glass", is pretty moody, and the vocalizations at the end of the song work well. Bass-friendly "Sleep Alone" sounds a lot more upbeat even though I'm not really sure it is since she's bitching about being lonely. I didn't like it at first, but "Daniel" wore off something awful. All in all, a great follow-up.

And So I Watch You From Afar - And So I Watch You From Afar
I can only just listen to the most of this album, but two songs that got me - "Start a Band" and "Set Guitars to Kill" are worth the album alone. Aside from sounding like Russian Circles for the attention span impaired, I'm impressed and can't wait to hear what they have to share with the world in time.

Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
This album didn't appeal to me nearly as much as Alright, Still, but it largely wore off on me. People focus way too much on the half-retarded Lily Allen as a person, but I find the music is much better and more tolerable if you turn a blind eye. "The Fear", "Not Fair", and "Back To The Start" are all great. "Fuck You" is good, but it doesn't stand well on its own, unless maybe you relate.

Reverse Dotty - Licorice Whips
I originally heard much of this album live back in early 2007, and I had a short EP for supplement listening. Having played the songs however many times by last.fm, the band contacted me this year and sent me the album they'd just finished. I don't really like this version of "Wildebeest" versus the one I already had, but the song "Cheato" is better. "Underwolf" cracked me up the first time I heard it, "OMD" is okay, "Hay" is great, and I've listened to "Master Jr" a ton. I like that they seem to have a decent sense of humor but the music, if you don't pay attention to the lyrics, is serious.

Baroness - Blue Record
Baroness, as a whole, is another one of those bands that the masses are into which I don't fucking understand. After picking up this album and getting through it as far as "The Sweetest Curse", I learned that they've apparently made a shift into being a band that I can tolerate - I'm not sure if it's me or this album that's changed. I also like "Jake Leg". Other than these songs, though, they're not doing much other than being slightly beyond "just okay". It makes sense that I see them on a lot of end-of-the-year lists, but as a whole album it's not quite a winner for me.

Prodigy - Invaders Must Die
I haven't been listening to much dance/electronic music on purpose for a while, so I was a little surprised that I liked this album when it came out. The ONLY songs that I didn't have a moment/weeks with are "Piranha" and "Stand Up", largely because I couldn't get that far. 9 out of 11 solid songs is FANTASTIC. This is absolutely one of the best albums of the year. What's keeping this album off my top ten list is the mere fact that it's an electronic band. Though Prodigy was one of the first bands I ever liked, before even Tool, my background is not in electronic and I know most of you guys aren't going to give a fuck about what anyone has to say about them. Still, if you have even the slightest inclination, GET THIS.

YOB - The Great Cessation
It's nice that so many people have come to support this band, and that this album is or is likely to end up #1 or close on many lists made about 2009. Yes, YOB's tone is unmatched. Yeah, they're pretty good live. Sure, it's great that they reformed. But... With the shortest song on this album being seven and a half god damn minutes long and the longest being three times that, I'd go "RAAAAAAH" if I had to play in this band, too. "Burning The Altar" has revealed itself as a dietary staple, and I like "The Lie That Is Sin" a ton once it gets going, but I can only get through the songs individually (not as an album) during particular moods... thus landing the album in the good but not great pile. Maybe it deserves a higher spot, maybe I'll finally listen to it front to back someday, but not today.

SubArachnoid Space - Eight Bells
Like YOB, Subarachnoid Space is so close to being on the top. I have yet to listen to the whole thing at once. "Akathesia" works really well in creating a tense feeling and having a really emotionally unsatisfactory breakdown before wandering off to cocaine alley again. "Birds Signs", however, is universally easy to get into and like and keep liking. I haven't had much luck in totally liking Subarachnoid Space's music before, but this album changed things for me.

Priestess - Prior To The Fire
I liked Priestess alright before this, particularly a few songs, but this album was surprisingly good. I don't not like any of the songs, and after getting used to the album I'm kind of annoyed that I missed seeing them live earlier. The first track, "Lady Killer" is very strong. "Sideways Attack" is also very appealing. The last song on the album, "Trapped In Space & Time", though, I am in fucking love with for no reason I can discern.

MSTRKRFT - Fist Of God
I did not like the change in sound by MSTRKRFT when I first heard this, but it's about halfway worn off on me - the first half is the best. I like the mechanical sound from "So Deep", too, but the vocals and lyrics creep me the fuck out. Overall, the songs are just a bit too repetitive to make this album for me, regardless of the fact that this is a dance album, that the repetition is fully intentional. I am not going to shake it to the one. Or the two or the three.

Peaches - I Feel Cream
I knew this was going to be interesting at least because it's Peaches, and it's also about halfway appealing to me. I like her gradual change in direction over each album, and this one has more true singing. My favorite from this album is "Show Stopper", which sounds great very loud.

And finally, for now...

Big Business - Mind The Drift
I heard the majority of this album live for the first time in 2008. When it came out, it didn't feel especially new to me and thus didn't do a whole lot for me. The same songs found on their third EP that are on this album, "The Drift" and "Cold Lunch", had both had their time and then some with me. I'd also already gotten a chance to inhale "Gold And Final" a good 50 times before Mind The Drift actually came out. Mind The Drift was first leaked as a joke self-review album, which I thought positively of even though you can only just barely hear the actual music behind. What was left was really just the whole product... By the time I got it, I just didn't give a fuck anymore. Add to the fact that the album has some of the crappiest production I've ever heard, and you get one disappointed Big Business fan. This album just makes me want to listen to Head For The Shallow more.

You can probably guess what's coming...

December 21, 2009

(continued from part one and part two.)

As I've been working on this, I've realized I've forgotten to add more albums and EPs than I originally thought. I started working on the list weeks ago, and it long ago lost its focus. Nevertheless, I've been working on these album posts since 6am yesterday, and I'm not about to spend yet another hour writing about albums I clearly didn't like enough to have it land on this last list, the "top ten" of 2009 for me.

Much of this last year, I've backtracked over music that came out last year or just before. I listened to Danava a lot at the beginning of the year. I learned that Akimbo's Jersey Shores is way better than I originally thought. I spent a hundred billion hours on Tweak Bird, and a hundred billion and one hours listening to Gojira. I'm still listening to Red Fang a lot. After completely overdoing Electric Wizard last year, I'm starting to like them again. I've grown to appreciate Black Elk's self-titled a lot more, and I'm still amused. I finally even gave Slayer a listen (haven't listened to the new one yet). White Hills' Heads on Fire ended up being one of my favorites of the year, and it came out in 2007.

Seeing as how I essentially ran through most of the new-to-me bands I listened to last year to keep up with my downloading habits, it's good that I finally gave some of these and other bands a proper listen... I am, however, burned out. I could do without hearing yet another mediocre stoner/psych band for some time.

So here we are, the final ten. I will forgo on the ordered numbering, and you can pretend which album I thought was best of the lot.

Black Cobra - Chronomega
Wasn't this obvious? All of these songs are nothing short of good. They sounded fabulous live and mixed in with older material. I don't like the production of this album because it sounds like a 92kbps myspace rip, and I'll even bet it is, but it's (FUCKING!) Black Cobra. Energy, variation, heavy, loud, basically everything a girl could want. In its short time, I've grown to really love "Chronosphere". "Catalyst" and "Storm Shadow" are also plenty amazing.

Sepultura - A-Lex
This album is criminally underrated and underhyped in my internet circles. After my previous year listening to the likes of Black Cobra and Gojira, I was very much in the mood for this. I. effing. love. it. It was tentatively my album of the year for ages. While I can understand someone not "getting" this album because it alternates style between thrash/death metal and indefinable prog metal, and it gets annoyingly "in your face" in spots, even a casual awareness will tell you that this album does an amazing job at musically describing the book A Clockwork Orange. AND THEN... with the songs "Filthy Rot", "We've Lost You", "The Treatment", "Strike", "Enough Said", even "What I Do"... this album is just plain amazing. I never really liked or listened to Sepultura before this, but whatever bullshit they've done to discredit them from social acceptance lately needs to be forgiven. If you don't have this album yet, please, do something about this today.

Russian Circles - Geneva
I haven't listened to this much yet, but for what I have the whole album is start to end good. It sounds like a familiar Russian Circles without sounding like Station v2. While their sound may very well be old or "done" to some, Geneva's still plenty worthy of your time and attention. "Malko" is probably the most stand-out track from the album, as it's very easy to get into and "driving", while the rest of the album is more moody or quietly emotional.

Puscifer - "C" Is for (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference Here)
"V" didn't do much for me and I didn't expect this newer round of tunes to do much, either. However, this EP is more emotionally concise, more naturally flowing, and loosely reminds me of when I was listening to and loving Thirteenth Step (A Perfect Circle) six years ago, or even Salival (Tool) back in 2000, particularly with the live mix of "Momma Sed". I'm plenty grateful Maynard has apparently made at least a momentary return to music like this.

OM - God Is Good
I don't see God as being good, but this album definitely is. I knew and liked OM before this, but they've generally been a little too brainlessly stoner/droney for me to listen to often. This album is a bit more artistic and sounds warm without the overdone fuzzy bass. Once "Thebes" finds its vocals, it's highly effective - the chanting style that starts at 4:20 is striking at least. It gets even better at 8:30-ish with the addition of louder bass. The latter two songs, "Cremation Ghat I" and "II" are two of the best I've heard all year. I've heard a lot of bitching about the songs being too short (for OM) and not fitting the end of this album, but I have to disagree.

Headdress - Lunes
This album is very, very concise. On this album, they're quite a bit like SunnO))) in style. I detect a lot more variation even on the slowest songs that makes listening to this album straight through, particularly in the right moods, possible. All in all, their Turquoise album is better and far easier to get through, but the very intense, moody, pretentious artist atmosphere works for them here, too. "The Lost White Brother" is probably the only song worth recommending alone, since the album works best in context.

Fever Ray - Fever Ray
This caught me off-guard. I can't remember how now, but I first heard the first two of these songs - "If I Had A Heart" and "When I Grow Up" - by video and they completely blew me away. I spent the next month or so exploring this album, song by song, coming to the conclusion that the woman behind Fever Ray (and The Knife) is a fucking genius. My first impression was that some of these songs sound inspired by Tomahawk's Anonymous album, but the album seems to move away from the manufactured native american sound and becomes more indefinable. Even those that normally wouldn't give electronic-based music a shot should have a listen to this album; in it's indefinability, it gains mass-appeal.

Zoroaster - Voice of Saturn
I downloaded this album earlier this year assuming what I had downloaded was 100% the real thing. On my copy, the song titled "Seeing The Dark" impressed me enough and coincided with the time to register a domain name for my blog. Some months later, I found my copy of the album had been mislabeled, that the song I actually liked was "Spirit Molecule", and that "Seeing The Dark" was the near-soundless intro track. Though a little annoyed at first, it's fitting that my domain would end up named after, well, nothing. ... But that doesn't change the music, or the fact that this album is good. "Spirit Molecule" is initially not that great of a song, but it changes a bit at around 2:15 and again towards the end of the song that makes it a hell of a lot more effective. The other song on this album that really stands out is "White Dwarf".

Wizard Smoke - Live Rock in Hell
I researched this band simply because they were playing a show with Red Fang in another state. I was immediately impressed and, even, jealous because I'm sure that show was outstanding. Wizard Smoke has an overall sound that can be described as stoner metal, with vocals that are more black metal in style. Generally I don't care for the kind of vocals, but they're blended in with the music in a way that's, at the very least, tolerable. The first two songs on this EP stand out something awful, especially "I", but after a hundred listens I've grown to like "III" and "IV" nearly just as much. The fact that I had to hear of this band by chance exploration rather than by any supposed "authority" on stoner music makes me doubt these authorities' usefulness, as Live Rock In Hell is only a hesitation away from being my favorite of the year.

Masters of Reality - Pine/Cross Dover
After this album's release date was set back so many times, I was beginning to think it was a bad album or something. Strangely, as a whole product, it's turned out to be my favorite Masters of Reality album. Every song on it works, and I've grown to really like "Absinthe Jim & Me", "Rosie's Presence", "Up In It", and "Dreamtime Stomp". My guess is that you have to currently be into this more relaxed stoner/desert rock to really get something out of this album's songs individually, but as a whole album it's pretty damn good.

...

All done.

Since I forgot a few albums and think a few songs are more deserving than their albums, I may be working on a 2009 song thing here soon...

December 25, 2009

Song: "Starlady"
Artist: Pentagram
Album: Human Hurricane (1998)

I didn't realize how "ironic" me listening to this band today was until I started to write about something else in this text box "for" you guys. I suppose nearly every band I like would be ironic, but yeah. Pentagram.

....

I should do a show where the main character wants to change the name of Christmas to "circle jerks" and describes giving presents to ungrateful six year olds equivalent to "accidentally" coming on someone's face. This character will be a 54 year old alcoholic who was a minister until "that incident in front of 7-11". "I bet those Indians don't celebrate bullshit holidays like Circle Jerks," they say in a huff, pointing at some invisible person in the corner. Halfway through the rest of the rant, punctuated by a sudden "HEY!", the connection drops. I make a statement or two about the importance of mental health care and not being too proud for a weekly sit-down with a shrink. Two calls later, a nice-sounding lady finds the show and apologizes for her dad. They don't normally let him near a phone, but you know... you should be nice to everyone on Circle Jerks. The punch line is the obvious one about his daughter needing to go wash her son's face now. k thx bye!

Heartwarming family Christmas stories make me feel more whole inside.

I'm glad we could have this momentary time of psychological bonding, internet. Til next time I have something irrelevant to say about a song I like... love to hate you!! <3

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December 29, 2009

I'm having a series of low days, and I felt like reading old shit. Saturn's conjunct my Ascendant, Pluto's square my Mars exact...

7-8 months before I started writing here:

i was listening to “a history of drunks” this morning, drinking my coke to clear my brain, and thinking i needed to make a post about it. just something. even a line saying i really liked the song. that’s it. but i like a lot of songs. in fact, i love a lot of songs. and that made me think of one of the dumbest, most inane ideas ever..! i could make a post displaying all of the songs i’ve ever loved. more unnecessary garbage to fill up your life! yay!

I have never actually posted that song.

Pretty sure A Senile Animal is on my shortlist of albums that are the most amazing and emotionally nourishing, though. I think this is... gathered, you know, from my writing otherwise.

Hmm. Here's an entry I wrote about three months before the blog. I had links to downloadable songs in there, but they're gone now.

these are for you. most of them are about the same level of style.

1. big business – another fourth of july… ruined
2. the atomic bitchwax – hey alright
3. truckfighters – spaceship lord
4. combichrist – are you connected
5. muse – space dementia
6. russian circles – death rides a horse
7. 3 – trust

the first song starts off beautifully. it’s a calm but intense, march-like drum-heavy song. “grounds for divorce” by them (it’s on their myspace, i think – /bigbigbusiness) is good too.

with #2 i wanted to share another song, but it’s too intense for anyone who doesn’t ‘get’ the genre automatically. this song is sort of fun… ny.

#3 holy crap, is this a kyuss impersonation or what? not sure why, but i love this song…

#4 it’s obnoxious goth dance music. i prefer “give head if you got it” which is a nice song about happy rainbows and little fuzzy bunny rabbits. but anyway, apparently the singer of combichrist supports psychological awareness.

#5 another song on the same topic as the last three songs, but from an entirely different viewpoint and musical genre. i was listening to this song today and thought it should go here.

#6 omgz music.

#7 and finally, i like the way this song moves.

#8 is you buying “anonymous” and listening to “mescal rite i” for me.
#9 is you buying “superjudge” and listening to the whole cd repeatedly in my name.
#10 is you buying me a copy of “the machine that won the war” because you’re my bitch and you do everything i say.

Two and a half years, or almost three years, and I'm still listening to the same shit. Well, I've gotten really sick of Anonymous. I haven't been listening to Superjudge or Monster Magnet in general much for a while. I did have a Sheavy phase a bit ago, that album specifically, probably prompted by extreme over-exposure and feeling awkward about listening to anything pre-ReDUMBlic. Otherwise, yeah.

I wonder if this is where I "belong" or I'm merely having a really drawn out phase.

December 29, 2009

Song: "Muscledog Shot"
Artist: Milligram
Album: Hello Motherfucker! (2002)

This might have come out in 2001, but there are two versions of this album and I can't get any straight information on this band. I have the one with 15 songs.

Most days Winamp has no idea what I want to be listening to, but some times it hits right on the money. This song's very welcome and stoner rock warm and nice and all of that shit. The following song, "Not Okay" also sounds really nice, though probably better in context, after this song. Nevertheless, oops, missed the boat again.

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December 31, 2009

Mainly on purpose, this year was one of the boring ones I'm not going to remember very clearly in the future. After the last several years, that's fine. I've gotten really sick of having to hear other people's dramas, deal with personalities I don't care for in situations I'm stuck in, doing things on a schedule I didn't make for myself, and generally being stuck because of other people. It was nice to soak in the absence of being for once. I got to finally sit in silence and technical freedom.

So here's my year, broken down.

I met a few new people, I think all of them through or because of music. All of them were abandoned shortly for various reasons or for no real reason at all. I don't feel like being responsible for anyone's psychology, and it seems many of the people that seem attracted to me are "needy" that way. I had better luck talking with people I knew before, or making a better long-term impression on those who I had first met before this year.

Family this year has been more interesting than it's been in a while. My mom is engrossed in my sisters/nieces' neverending dramas, which is a drama in itself. My dad pissed me off for probably the first time ever, which I find unbelievable since that should have happened years ago. My nephew got married. I talked to my sister for the first time in ten years. I met my newest little niece, and I got to "hang out" with her and her brother some. I'm looking forward to seeing what they're like when they're older.

My cat family hasn't necessarily been interesting, but I've been doing tons of hanging out with them. We were all down together when it was super hot in the summer, again when one of them got sick and died, and again when we had two separate outbreaks of fleas. This year I've experienced a hell of a lot of empathy towards them all, especially the one that died. I miss her about as much as I imagined I would, though I didn't expect to still be teared up about it four months later.

My neighbors this year have been extremely fucking irritating. The assholes finally moved around summertime, but two wonderful months later we got new ones.... While infinitely quieter, one of the new people seems to have a bad case of OCD and can't sit still, and therefore needs to be shot. I miss not hearing my neighbors like at previous apartments... I miss metal doors and insulated walls and floors. Or, even, living in a house.

School this year has been better than last by a good margin. I've been taking more online classes, which adds a workload but relieves me of having to deal with people I can't stand and doesn't get in the way of going out or my non-existent sleep schedule. I've also been taking classes, finally, that actually have something to do with what I'm there to learn. Spring term this year was fucking magical, and I wouldn't mind school if it were always like that.

I haven't worked much this year. I suppose whether I worked or didn't, I'd still not have much money over the summer when I wasn't in school. Nevertheless, what working I did mainly just served as an irritation. I kept getting grouped up with a few coworkers whose personalities were practically my opposite: lazy or stupid and never taking initiative. I was glad to be freed of that.

My appearance has morphed a bit over the year. I suppose I fit the metal/goth demographic more now than before with my stupid hair, even though I've been intentionally wearing less black. I'm getting way less comments and stares than I used to, which I appreciate quite a bit. I've been meaning to dye it something crazy again, but the chemical hair dye hasn't faded much and crazy color dyes do not "take" to the hair I have now. I'd have to do some bleaching, and fuck that shit.

I should, however, exercise more... All the sitting I've done since I've started school has done mean things to my body. This year I've tried to drink less caffeinated stuff, especially coke, and that's helped a lot with being focused and "healthy" on a daily basis. Overall, I feel better when I stay away from sugary drinks. But yeah... Exercise, need it.

Writing/the blog has been kicked in the face. I suppose the boredom and the lack of "every day" activity to prompt me into updating doesn't help. I said I'd continue with the blog even through musical lulls, so I'm still here. I've shit all over its format, though. As for other writings, not much has occurred. I try, but I can't get into old style writing. Other than this, I haven't done much creating.

I did move in March to seeingthedark.com, however, since "sagittarius" is a pain in the ass for people to spell and blogspot doesn't have enough functionality, plus their layout code is a mess. I think that makes this my fifth domain. The former two are a bit dead right now, but I'm eventually planning to set up some redirects and maybe do something worthwhile with my "username" domain.

Movies/tv this year haven't been much different. I watch the same things, probably just at different rates. I started an entry about movies months ago and it listed many of the movies I've seen this year, but I can't find it now. Most of them were shit, though. I think every movie that the masses thought were good/amazing, I thought was mediocre at best... So far I seem to be about on par with mass opinion on Let The Right One In, though. Oh, and I liked Paranormal Activity even though most people of my cynical nature did not (possibly because I saw a pre-Hollywood version).

Boymen this year have been psychologically revealing, although I've yet to figure out why or what the hell. I seem to have developed a demographic. I finally talked to one of them from the past and it was fucking awkward and tense. And then there's always assorted two-day crushes and my apparent "internet boyfriend". This year I learned I get as bored as I used to get before I started having "relationships". Nice. Probably been bored this whole time. Stupid social rules making me think I had to be in a "relationship" back then.

In short, the sucky points:
- my cat dying, embarrassing myself in front of strangers, getting into an argument with my dad, and missing Tweak Bird all in the same day
- not having money and thus missing a lot of shows and/or going home early because i can't afford a cab
- that time of the month, every month, like it's trying to kill me now
- my stupid teeth
- dropping a class because i got fucking sick at midterms
- being pissed off at old "friends"
- the assholes that live around me, including but not limited to human beings and insects
- my bathroom flooding, even though it led to some cleaning that long needed to be done
- the week in the summer when it was over 100 degrees

And the good points:
- meeting Gojira
- being infinitely distracted by Ren
- going weeks without coke/pepsi/whatever
- doing well in classes
- JACK
- hanging out alone with the crazies in March
- hanging out with my little nephew
- seeing several bands, being sent a couple of CDs, being asked if i wanted on some guest lists, and so-and-so commenting on my blog
- conversation and general acknowledgment with a, what we're going to call, "idol"
- meeting my sister again

I may have missed some important points, but whatever. All in all, it's been an average year... hooray.

December 31, 2009

I recorded myself the morning of January 1st 2000. I later made a transcript of it because I wanted to share what I said with someone online, when I didn't have any other way for them to "hear" it. I kept the transcript around all of this time, to one day blackmail myself as with now.

You'll enjoy immensely how distracted I get by details in my story and how the drunkenness enhances that in ways that are incredibly irritating. The thing is, I'm no better of a story teller now, or sober.

Asterisks are sounds, brackets are english interpretations of what I actually said, bold is shouting, small fonts are quiet comments. And my self mockery lives on.

 

*breathes* Hello... oh-kay. Today, is, *laughs* Januar.. heh.. is January first.. two thousand.. and it's... six..o'seven.. AM. heh. And I'm still awake; I haven't gone to sleep yet. Well, I almost fell asleep like an hour ago..buh.. I'm still awake. Okay, just to warn ya, this tape is going to start off really bad cuz I'm a little, like uh, drunk.. but not like, ya know, I'm talking okay, I think. heh. ..And I've got like music in the background if I get really boring or something... *breathes* And I'm like sitting at my computer.. and.. *tries not to laugh* nobody's on.. becau--*laughs* nobody's on because it's like really early.. or really late.. wuh, whatever you wanna call it. Early. Yeah. And, um, *slapping noise* I dunno. ... I just.. thought I'd record and, and talk.. try taw- try to talk. hehe. Because I like- I've been writing. Like typing writing and stuff. I [was just] writing, like, with your hand. Just now. And I was thinking about typing, but I thought, "NO, typing sucks. I hate typing. I'm gonna talk." but I hate talking too so.. yeah. Uhh. My voice is a lil weird, because I like had like orange juice and the stuff, and, like, I don't like orange juice very much and it like messes up my throat.. so I'm not talking like my normal voice right now. Oh, and I'm really really tired.. cuz I haven't slept in a long time. Yeah. *click*

If someone comes online I'm- I'm going to stop. Kay. Cuz like I don't wanna like sit here tryin to type and talk at the same time cuz it's not an easy task. Kay, let me.. uh.. tell you what happened for New Years. Wow. And um, hmm, where to start. Well, I'll start with two days ago. I think it's two days ago.. I can't remember. Um. Let me have a drink first. heeh. Might help a little. Hold on. I'm almost done. But I can't do it. heh. *sound of glass hitting the desk* Okay. Oh, It's starting to taste good now. hehe. Ah, yuck. Um. Two days ago, well, Thursday was Dah-cem-ber thir-dee-ith? I think. And, um, Desiree and Kris and I planned to, um, go dancing at this, like, I-don't--know.... yeah nevermind. Well, we planned on going to this place we went to before called Misfits, and it's like this gay/lesbian club. It was pretty cool the first time, but I was all nervous about going.. a second time.. cuz it'd be more packed than it was the first time and.. it just makes sense... and um. *exhales* I went nextdoor and I was all ready to go to this gay/lesbian thing, and it turns out the club was closed, and.. They changed their name to The Edge, pfft! heh. And um. We were gonna go to The Quest instead.. And if you've ever been to, uh, Portland before, you hear ads for The Quest all the time.. cuz they're really gay.. And a whole bunch of preps were there, a whole bunch of stoner dudes, and preps, and it was really scary. And, like, okay. hehehe. Uhh. Blahhh... We go in and, uh, I'm standing around.. I'm like "This Sucks.." and then all of a sudden the floor starts bouncing.. and it was so cool... hehh.. The floor was bouncing. It was pretty cool. It was like this humongous.. not "humongous".. like, really loud bass and the music and the floor was shaking whereever you went and it was freaky [cuz] the floor was shakin!... And that's about the time they brought in the drugs, er, I dunno. Woah, stop doing that. Freak. And then, um, heh... I guess I must've been like a little high or something... stoned... cuz like someone like brought in drugs cuz Kris, Kris like, hehehe... She got like, she screamed into my ear.. She goes "Do you smell POT?" And I'm like, "Oh god, paranoid woman, shut up." heh. But. Uh. Yeah. So that's what.. was going on. And me and Desiree and Kris met these two guys.. Well, thanks to Desiree. And we talked to them, and they like, they were weird. They were like afraid of everything. Afraid of the boogieman... hehehe... *pathetically laughs for a while*... Okay.. And, okay, uh, and then we [stood] outside in the freezing cold weather and talked in our, in our, uh, really small, uh, costumes, clothes, and stuff...and talked and.. that was alright, but I think we scared em, and they didn't wanna.. be around us or something.. I dunno. I don't really care. Psht. Who cares. You're gay. And, then I went home and I smelled like smoke and my mom told me I smelled like smoke and I was like "okay", so I woke up and I was a little smellin like smoke.. oh!, oh.. First, oh... First I got online before I went to bed that night, Thursday night, *exhales* and I talked to, uh, Pat. And no. No no. Not that Pat.. from.. uhh. Uh, shit. Wilsonville, I think it is.. Noo.. Not Gayville. Tst. It's not Mudville, er, hehee. It's like.. pah.. Not Milwaukie.. Not Clackamas.. Gladstone! There ya go. Mudville, tehehe. What the hell. Uh, heheh, so.. Jen, It's not that Pat that you like had this little crush on and and we *tries not to laugh* talked to on the phone and we called him *in tears* pattycake... *laughs*... Yeah... It's not that Pat. It's the Pat from, uhh... Texas. Or Texus. Whatever you wanna call it. Tex-hus. I dun know how to say it. I'm a lil weird right now... *"Please" playing loudly in the background*....I don't ever wanna make it stop!... *turns it louder*... Okay. And now that the radio's gonna distract me, so, um. *Trent Reznor says "I dont ever wanna make it stop!"*... Let's see. I talked to Pat. And we were gonna have like...*pause*...Let me rephrase. We were going to do something weird. heh. But he, his, It was really early for me and then it was like really early for him around like 4 or 5 in the morning so his dad came and kicked him off the computer *laughs* so we didn't get to do whatever it was. And. Uh. Yeah... Then I woke up smelling like smoke and all this stuff, na--, and I like took a shower and made myself not smell like smoke. And like I forgot my face cleaner... Well, that's not important, but I forgot it. And I was really disappointed.. *laughs* cuz I forgot my face cleaner. Yeah. And um.. tst.. um, what else? Oh yeah we went and got pictures taken for my yearbook photos.. and.. I looked cute. hehe. Woah! I'm not "away", what the hell... Now I'm invisible. I'm invistable! or something like that. Invisnable or inviggable or, *laughs*.. whatever TC used to say. okay. Then I got yearbook pictures done and I went ta all these weird stores and saw all these really weird things and these weird people and I got look u-- uh.. looked at a whole buncha times and I was really afraid of these people that were looking at me.. and.. it was scary.. and, um.. I don't think I wanna go there again.. Well, I have to because I have to get something for a certain person because there's a certain store that *laughs* I have to go to get a certain thing for that certain person.. from that certain store in that certain mall in that certain.. town.. in that certain area..*exhales*.. yeah. You know. And, *sigh*, hehe, and I got... *smiles* shampoo. I ran outta shampoo and I needed that. And uh, I got yearbook photos. And you [know what would be] cool. Dude I sounded like I was like english or something. *in a british accent* "ought be".. I'm ought be.. It ought be cool. *takes a drink... glass hits desk loudly* Have some more! Uck. Okay. It's actually starting to taste good now.. and I ran out. I'm sorry. Damn. Anyway... I came home and *wide eyes* I talked to Pat.. and he was getting drunk.. Well he had.. he hadn't drunk anything til I came online... So that was pretty weird. And then about seven or something.. my mom.. came in and she gave me she gave me.. Dude, I'm not even like 21 yet.. or 18 or whatthehellwhatever...*exhales* and she gave me wine.. but-eh-she-er- chardonay.. shar-dun-ay...chardonay.. with orange juice in it and it's not orange juice, it's Sunny Delight, but she said it was orange juice and I had an argument with her, as usual, about the difference between orange juice and Sunny Delight.. cuz it really bothers me cuz I hate orange juice and I sorta like sunny delight, but we had sunny delight and yeah she called it orange juice and I was kinda disappointed that she put orange juice in it when it was actually sunny delight and I was kinda bitching about it but then I realized it was sunny delight and.. yeah... *laughs* That must have been funny. Uh.... Let's see. Uhh. Um. Oh yeah. I had my chardonay and just about as it was kicking in... Desiree called! And so I had a little bit of uh, slurred speech like I do now but just not as much.. and I wasn't as noying. As annoying. And I kinda walked kinda funny.. but not too funny. I kinda felt like I was gonna fall over but I was fine. I was okay. I was doing it. yeah. *"Starfuckers" playing in the background*.. Starfuckers. Starfuckers Incorporated. Pfft. Anyway... I prolly said anyway like a hundred times already. Anyway. *swallows* I went over Desiree's house, nextdoor, and Ben.. pfft!! and Kris.. and Desiree and Josh..er.. John wer-the-they-there and then I came.. and it was pretty uneventful until, uh, she popped out the tequila.. and, uh, Desiree and John went in the bedroom.. heh. And that was quite, uhh.. interesting (I was trying to think of the word.. that's not the word but oh well).. quite interesting ta know that right nextdoor, er right in the room next to you that there's two people, that you know, that are fucking. That's just nice. And then there's like two people making out next to you. I'm like "uck.. nasty..".. *optimistically* but it was pretty funny.. after a while. Cuz Dez-uh-ba- uhh.. Kris, she kept laughing and it was really funny.. *laughs* yeah. And we were watching this really gay movie and I couldn't watch it cuz they were like talking and laughing and I just like ugh! *laughing* And then I started hearing this really weird noise.. yeaaah... and uh. Then all of a sudden it was midnight. And by that time I was really tired and I was really wanting to go home but all of a sudden.. they stopped making out and the other two came out of the bedroom and that was nice that they had the courtesy to... I don't know what I'm talking about so don't take none of this against me or.. whatever. Heeey. I remember when *trying not to laugh* Jenifer got drunk off that uh, the champagne and she told me she wanted to fu--... She wanted to like, oh, what was his name? It wasn't Chester. hehe. Not Ian. It wasn't John. It wasn't Josh..... It was like some weird name that.. is a normal name but it wasn't.. da--.. I don't remember! Sha-She said that, um.. she wanted to like get down with some kid that we knew at that time. Or, Excuse me, some guy. And, um, that was kinda scary cuz I like recorded her and she was being a major fuck up but it was pretty funny.. ya know? And she like pretended to throw up on me when I told her about, like, ghosts and stuff. But yeah. At that time I wasn't drunk like her.. So I was like trying to get in her head.. and I was recording her and it was really funny... But anyway. *pause.. the beginning of "Complication" comes on* Jeni's cool.. Anyway, where was I? I was like somewhere around, oh yeah! Midnight. And they let me in on their conversation (sort of).. well they weren't really having conversations... hehee... And um. *pause* I like, [oh wait], oh yeah I had some wine about that time, about midnight I had some wine, some more.. And um, that was good. And I didn't like it at first but it was okay. Kinda.. weird. *burps* Oh, 'scuse me. The same stuff I got now. But um, time goes by and.. John leaves and.. Ben and Kris started ta get a lil randy there, and Desiree's talkin on the phone and I decided about 2:30 that I left, that I was going to leave, so I left. *exhales* And I came home and I talked to.. uh.. I didn't talk to nobody, what the hell. I like wrote like an email crap thing and um... I met a new person from Gresham, pfft! Oh my goodness. [There's a] little Shitville. heh. See, we got Mudville and Shitville. heheh. I'm gonna have a little bit more.. *glass hits recorder, then the desk* Okay. I'll have more later but I gotta pee. heh, so.. hey. Don't do that. Anyway, I came home and blah blah blah, and then I'm still awake, and it's been like.. ohh..pft.. 20 hours of me being awake. And I usually only last about.. *inhales* 14. I dunno. I don't really pay attention..that..much. Yeah. I really wish, like.. oh. *pause* And I'm like talking a lot. I don't really talk this much.. like.. *sighs*.. like when I was recording the other day I wasn't talking that much. Like I'd talk a lot for a little while, and I'd pause and be really quiet for a long time *mumble* and yeah I really- I must be a talkative drunk. But I've- I wouldn't know yet cuz I'm not drunk, I'm just kinda like.. out of it. In fact, I can still type so.. that's cool. And I'm talking pretty good.... Hey, I'm gonna be right back cuz I really gotta pee and I'm prolly going to like flood the toilet or something *laughs*.....And I gotta get more of this stuff. Cuz I ran out. And this time I'm gonna start making really icky noises when I drink it because it..heh..because it's gonna be, like, pure. And, ah, ew. So I'm gonna-I'm gonna go be right back. you-you stay here. *click*

 

That was the first time I'd ever really been drunk, and I was only partway there. I kept recording, and recorded a few more times over the next days both drunk and miserable, but I didn't keep that in transcript form.

Best time and last best time of that. I'm sober today. 2010? Who cares.

Remember, kids: The internet is forever.

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