Top 20 of '08

Here we go, my top 20 of 2008. And a couple other things.

Top 20 best albums of 2008
1. This Town Needs Guns - Animals
2. City & Colour - Bring Me Your Love
3. The Reign Of Kindo - Rhythm, Chord & Melody
4. Protest The Hero - Fortress
5. Alexander - White Flags And Silver Spoons Have To Sleep In Separate Rooms
6. Dance Gavin Dance - Dance Gavin Dance/Untitled/"Death Star"
7. Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground - Self-Titled
8. Damiera - Quiet Mouths Loud Hands
9. Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal
10. Closure In Moscow - The Penance And The Patience
11. Lower Definition - The Greatest Of All Lost Arts
12. Emarosa - Relativity
13. Lydia - Illuminate
14. Edison Glass - Time Is Fiction
15. Deas Veil - White Lights
16. Good Old War - Only Way To Be Alone
17. Run Kid Run - Love At The Core
18. Genghis Tron - Board Up The House
19. The Cab - Whisper War
20. Search/Rescue - The Compound


So I got into This Town Needs Guns kinda late. Actually, I only got into them about a week and a half ago. But that's aside from the point. Regardless of when I first started listening (thanks Darin, btw), this band definitely takes first on the list. Blending the technicality of math rock bands with the personality lacking in so many other acts today, Animals paints a beautifully precise masterpiece that affects not only the cerebral, but the visceral. It's a record to be enjoyed in several ways; to be admired for its sheer mastery of rhythmic skill and precision, but also for its incredible depth and personality. Tops all the others. City and Colour is Dallas Green in top form, this time with a full album written expressly to be recorded as an album (in contrast to 2005's Sometimes, which was a collection of songs recorded during periods of Alexisonfire downtime). It's touching, depressing, upbeat, personal, and wrapped up in a package with Dallas' sweet, angelic vocals.
Now, be brief! Lightning round!
Rhythm, Chord & Melody - Incredible blend of jazz sensibilities and indie rock; great vocals amazing grooves and rhythms; very accessible
Fortress - crazy technical metal; insane skill; intelligent lyrics; diverse but still thematic across all tracks
White Flags And Silver Spoons... - honest, open, and enduring record; full of beautiful lyrics and melodies; self-released
Dance Gavin Dance - powerful; can be hilariously unfunny; best band of this ilk (scream sing scream x2); kurt travis ain't all bad; jon mess sounds pretty cool
Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground - great dream-pop/psychedelic indie band; imagine the Beatles and Queen mixed with Kirk Hammet from GAD, add in songs about momma's
Quiet Mouths Loud Hands - incredibly diverse; sweet half-sung/half-falsetto vocals; broad range of sounds blend into an awesome experience
Total Brutal - no words can describe; just kidding, here's a few; brutal; brutal; brutal; ab-workout caliber hilarious and heavy; takes the genre and spins it on its head with a guitar solo and breakdown in every song
The Penance And The Patience - incredible debut record from an incredible band; six songs of pure rock power, plus prog; heavy but still smooooth as buttah; vocals (and backing vocals) are crazy, lead vocalist Chris De Cinque's range is incredible
The Greatest Of All Lost Arts - post-hardcore at its finest; kinda reminds me of BTHATS and a touch of Circa Survive; blends sounds so well
Relativity - great comeback by ex-dance gavin dance vocalist Jonny Craig; heavy post-hardcore-y sound unlike most anything on the scene today; soaring vocals
Illuminate - tried SO hard not to capitalize the first three letters; great ambient/indie record; very honest; vocals are so sweet and melodic; ambiance is well done and placed
Time Is Fiction - indie/prog/rock record with crazy replayability; upbeat, enjoyable; definitely a party starter
White Lights - great upstart band; fun, upbeat, ambient sound; lyrics and melodies flow so smoothly; light and very easy to listen to
Only Way To Be Alone - ex-supergroup, in a way; fun folky pop; vocals are amazing (obviously); lyrics are slightly downbeat but are relatable and honest; "Weak Man" with Ant Green doubles the vocal pleasure
Love At The Core - probably the best off tooth & nail this year; catchy, hook-y powerpop-rock with a Christian bent without being overly preachy or jesus-love-y; very uplifting record
Board Up The House - insane record; blends electronic with the heaviness; rocks like no other; like daft punk meets august burns red +10 -a few breakdowns; like an earfuck
Whisper War like N*Sync without the gay backup dancers; powerpop-rock with a crazy dance-y sensibility; vocals are great; fueled by ramen's best this year
The Compound - simple, straight-forward rock; may be somewhat unoriginal but still sounds great; simple, accessible, open, groovy rock

And now...
Runners-Up (in no particular order)
Thrice - The Alchemy Index, Vols. III & IV: Air & Earth
Islands - Arm's Way
Anthony Green - Avalon
Deerhunter - Microcastle
Alive In Wild Paint - Ceilings
Portugal. The Man - Censored Colors
Foxy Shazam - Introducing...
Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure
This Will Destroy You - This Will Destroy You
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs
The Black Noise Party Boys - Party All The Time EP
Architects - Ruin
Small Towns Burn A Little Slower - So Begins The Test Of A Man

Aaaaaand...I'm spent.

Have a good Sunday!

It's Christmas

LET'S PARTY

Working on Bridge of Eldin stuff while I wait for the day to end. News and updates will come soon. Though I say soon like I'm writing Duke Nukem: The Soundtrack






EVERYBODY IS WELCOME
YEAH CHRISTMAS IS AWESOME

Ehhhhhhhhh

I would, but I blew all my money at the cock fights.

In other news, The Bridge Of Eldin (my band) has posted a new song demo. Titled "The Sky Won't Remember You," it's about ten seconds shy of two minutes, but tells the story of a young man's ascent to his place as savior of the world, without words. It marks the beginning of his journey to save the world from certain destruction.

http://www.myspace.com/thebridgeofeldin

We appreciate your time.

This demo is very, very rough and was improvised in one take. Do as you will.

First official glimpse

Looks.....decent. As a diehard, I don't particularly like the retooled backstory, but it looks to be a decent action romp regardless. That, and I think Piccolo looked at least somewhat green.

Yet another no-content day

So here's another video.

Will It Blend?
iPhone 3G Edition.


Until later.

brb

Gears of War

Why You Shouldn't Support--Volume 1: Used Games

This is a biggie. Every time I walk into the local Gamestop/EB Games, I cringe, because I see far more yellow stickers on game packaging than I do plain white ones. For those not familiar with the nomenclature and labeling patterns of the Electronics Boutique family of retail outlets, white stickers denote new, retail games. Yellow denotes the game is used and has been traded in to the store for store credit or cash, often in exchange for a discount deal on a future purchase. The yellow-tagged used games are often cheaper, anywhere from $5 to $25 less than retail. Great deal, right? You get a disc that's been tossed around a bit and save enough buck to buy a CD or two.
Wrong.
While in the short term and for the consumer, the discount seems to be almost a godsend. Cheaper games and the ability to get cash for games? Sounds like the college gamer's dream! But wait, there's a catch here. What's the downside for all this trading and used buying?
Game developers get no profit for their efforts. Used games generate NO revenue for the people who created the games, and Gamestop, Inc. gets 100% of the money spent on that used game. This not only leaves the developers high-and-dry for the game they worked so hard to create (and yes, game developers work arduously for several months, often up to 80 hours a week, so you can have that finely polished copy of Halo or Metal Gear Solid), but it feeds the fatcats that run Gamestop, Inc. and doesn't give them any incentive to give consumers fair deals. Current trade-in for most brand-new, one-week-old games is about $20. Most games retail for $60. You're getting back 33% of that game that's only a week old. That's a depreciation value of something like $7 a day. Of course, you also only get $20 back if you bought it the same day you trade it in. See something wrong? They give you one-third back (which is among their highest trade-in values, and it's only in store credits), but they get to keep every cent of that $35 that they make by reselling it for $54.99.
See a problem here? Instead of paying the developer and publisher, which would result in less profit, they get to keep everything of what they sell, and the people who made and published the game get left out to dry. That brings up the next part, which is even worse. Like I mentioned before, game developers work exhaustingly hard to bring games to fruition. Games can be indevelopment for months, even years (here's to you, Duke Nukem Forever and Starcraft: Ghost), with the staff working round the clock to make sure the game comes to store shelves in the best possible way (the good studios, at least. some studios still just put out shitty games or rehashes), all while counting on that cut they get from retailers. Trading and buying used games completely cuts out the developers from any money to be made from people who aren't into buying the game the first week or two. That's part of what drives up the cost of games and forces studios to make cuts and budget fixes to deal with diminishing returns. Then Gamestop (and don't think I forgot Hollywood Video and Blockbuster and other such outlets) just tells people to trade/buy, and it spirals downward from there.

What I'm asking is for people to buy games new whenever possible to support the developers and publishers of those games. Don't support the irresponsible and unfair practices of Gamestop, Inc. and its imitators.

Need old/hard-to-find/out-of-print games and peripherals and consoles? eBay works wonders. You can get more, find more, and often pay less for your used game needs. Buying/selling used games at large corporate game stores should be used sparingly, if at all. Just think of that extra bit of change as your contribution to the gaming industry--a thanks, a nod of appreciation, or your part in social justice. That, or the last Lincoln in your wallet now goes to gaming instead of that extra Big Mac--a kickstart for your health and diet.

Full blog coming tomorrow.

This is amazing. Thanks to Darin for the link. Mos Def '08.

Full blog with real opinions tomorrow. Expect me to rip Gamestop/EB Games a new asshole.

Disappointed...

So the trailer for Dragon Ball leaked a few days ago. Looks like James Wong turned this martial arts/fighting drama into a kung fu film. With guns. GUNS. In my Dragon Ball? (It's more likely than you think!) Anyway, turns out they're retooling the franchise's roots and some of the HUGE details. Goku isn't some country boy; he's a nerdy, antisocial college student. Grandpa Gohan died not by Goku's Oozaru, but by Piccolo (Jr.?). THERE'S NO KRILLIN. By fucking g-d, if you make a Dragon Ball movie, you had best include Krillin. Mai is present, but Pilaf isn't. Piccolo is ghost white. Wait, wait. Let me repeat that: PICCOLO IS GHOST fucking WHITE. See fig 1:

fig 1: James Marsters as Piccolo
WHITE?! What are they thinking? This is Piccolo! The Demon Lord Piccolo! Turban, cape, and purple robe-clothes are MANDATORY (see fig 2)! ARGHH.

fig 2: Piccolo as he is seen in the anime
This is a travesty of the highest degree; I won't stand for it. Commercialization has destroyed the heroic tales nearest to my heart.
Let's not mention the fact that the producers said something like "there'll be a kamehameha in there...somewhere. uh, yeah. maybe." I'm still going to watch, but only for the Kung Fu aspect.

i just want to RAAAAAAAAAGEEEEEE

Favorite Album 1999: AFI - Black Sails In The Sunset

This is a weird choice for me. I don't usually like punk or hardcore punk or horror punk or whatever you'd like to call it; that's why this record it's so weird that I really like this record. What's worse, I don't really like anything else AFI has put out.
Anyway, aside from all the punk hate, I've got to say something positive about this record. It's fast, it's got that punk drum beat (bass-snare-bass-snare-bass-snare-bassbass-snare, repeat ad infinitum), and it's got Davey Havoc's funky scream-y, yell-y, nasally vocals. For some reason it strikes a chord with me, especially the closer, which is just awesome. Maybe it's Havoc's inflection or the way his words trail off at the end of every line. Maybe it's the overabundant power chords. Maybe it's the fact that this record was before they made decemberunderground. I don't know. But what I do know is that I dig this record, punk or not. The whole record is strong throughout, all the way up until the end where it slows down and shows you the creepier side of an already creepy band. Then the hidden track hits and you remember why you put this record in. Fast, loud, distorted as fuck music for doing whatever the hell you please to.

Favorite Album 1998: Neutral Milk Hotel - In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

Weird. Adorable. Weird. Catchy. Folky. Weird. Loud. Off-beat. Weird.
Just a few words to describe Jeff Magnum's...opus. It's definitely not for everyone. Hell, it's probably not for most people. At least, not at first. Even the most avant-garde kid these days would have to listen a few times to appreciate this record fully. Once one does begin to realize how to enjoy this record, though, it's a veritable treasure trove of indie gold. Magnum's songs paint oddly vivid (and vividly odd) portraits of a dreamscape so rarely exhibited in the modern world; a world lush with oddities and weirdos, all pasted onto melodies that range from shimmering acoustic riffs to horn-laden punk diddies. This is an album which, regardless of opinion, should not--and cannot--be missed.

EDIT: Listening again, I rediscovered how amazing this record is. Jeff Magnum's voice is haunting and resounding, proving that true vocal talent is the ability to convey emotion. I can't say enough. The closing track is as somber as it is beautiful, giving a nod to the tragic plight of Anne Frank (which heavily influenced this record's creation). This is defninitely among the greatest records ever written.

It's the simple things, really.

Just the little bits of things that make life worth living. Little things; nothing but a kind thought, a CD, and a message to the world. With one act my entire week has been justified. Brian Bohan sent me a copy of his band,His Hideous Heart's debut LP It's a Weird Time To Be Alive, and that simple gesture reminded me why we live. It was six words on a pink post-it note that brought joy to my heart.

Much gratitude. Support free music. Support love. -hhh

Simple. Yet within it was a message to the entire world. Life's about love, people. Spreading and giving are the purest forms of goodness and to give it out is to have it grow.
Like I said, it was just the gesture and the act of friendship that brought a smile to my face. This is why we live. We live for each other, and it seems all too often everyone forgets that. Love is everything.



Now let's talk about the actual CD. This is a fantastic work from six young folk from various midwest places, but centered in Cleveland, Ohio. Their debut LP, It's A Weird Time To Be Alive is both epic and minimalist, both deep and accessible. It's honest, moving post-rock/indie with beautifully arranged instrumentation and execution. Keep in mind that these are college kids who're all around 20 years old. I'm expecting a lot from this band in the future.

ps. <3 you, brian.

Favorite Album 1997: The Get Up Kids - Four Minute Mile

Man, I had a good post for this album but it got baleeted because my internet decides to shit on me every other day.

I can't really say much right now because I have writer's block, but it's a great emo/pop-punk record that was both accessible and deep. Plus, it gave us James DeWees, whom without we couldn't have Reggie and the Full Effect.

This Too Shall Pass

we dance like this matters
we dirty our hands with their lives
press on, press on, lives unwashed and clean
the world of the living becomes the world of the dead
their books and bones, their paper thrones
never burn our hearts and stones
we stain the stained, we wake the deceased
yet still the choir sings to their crooked priest
to a god of filth and wretched bones
who feeds on their faith and wrecks their homes
our words reach deaf ears
though the fire we hold
melts the heart
and breaks the soul
a pile of hopes and our bag of dreams
amid dead hands and shackled freedoms
this underfed season and dreary weather
have fed our bones and left us together




a work in progress...

Influence.

"This place is built of men
People who crush your hope and the things
that make you different
and my art is no art at all
my art is just bought and sold
and it makes no difference what you believe
if you don't stand up and make the difference"

Thanks.

Oh No! Kryptonite Paper!

Favorite Album 1996: Tool - Ænima

This album is a real gem. From a band whose frontman runs around onstage often garbed in a dress and womens' hairpieces, you don't expect it, but they manage to pull it off. Both lyrically and musically, this album is a powerful tour-de-force of progressive hard rock. Frontman Maynard James Keenan's voice is heavy and strong, while the post-grunge, hard-rock guitars dredge on ahead of drummer Danny Carey's tight beats. Of course, lyrically, it's not always completely work safe, in fact, it often borders on grotesque (Stinkfist, the opener, is a metaphor that refers to the act of fisting, using it as a springboard to discuss desensitization...and of course, there's the wonderfully titled Hooker With A Penis, great for kids). If you can get past that, the lyrics transcend the vulgar and the essence therein is powerful and deep. It's consistently fantastic in its songwriting and the shifts from hard to soft, heavy to airy, and low bass to full band. This is Tool's best effort, and it's one of the best hard-rock albums ever penned.

Favorite Album 1995: Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness

Can't say much because I'm tired, but this is just a great album in general. I'll let the sales speak for it: it's 9.8x platinum. That's 9.8x 1,000,000 records (note: since it was a double disc, that makes about 4.9 million packages actually sold). Other than financially, this loose concept record really gave everything else from the year a run for their money (in actuality, not very much else was released, but that's irrelevant). The record signaled a change in production for the band (for the better)-- each member found writing so much easier and more fluid, and it's evident in the quality of this record. Clocking in at 121:50, this powerhouse alt-rock record still stands as one of the pillars of 90's rock music.

Favorite Album 1994: Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary

My favorite Sunny Day Real Estate record, Diary was one of the first albums to bring "emo" to the mainstream. By blending the D.C. hardcore sound with more "emo" tendencies and dropping in a large portion of indie rock, SDRE made a debut record that was openly accessible to both the underground and the popular media. Sub Pop Records, already on a winning streak with both Nirvana and Soundgarden, struck musical gold when they signed and released this record. Without it, there'd be no Saves The Day, no Taking Back Sunday, and no Dashboard Confessional, to name a few. That said, it's phenomenal in its sincerity, intensity, and melody. Though I obviously didn't get into it around it's release (I was three), in recent years I've learned to love it. The melody and the dischord are all planned and perfectly orchestrated, leaving an album both true to its roots in D.C. hardcore and with its nose forward to embrace indie and melody.

Favorite Album 1993: Snoop Dogg - Doggystyle

Alright, this is a great record (albeit a bit inconsistent), but it mainly got on the list because aside from Nirvana's In Utero and The Wu's Enter The Wu-Tang, there wasn't much else released this year. I've got to say that I dig this record more than I do Wu-Tang, mainly because I've listened to it a lot longer and, well, I'm representing West Coats. That said, this is one of the most influential records ever released, as it brought both West Coast hip-hop and G-Funk to the spotlight. This and The Chronic helped propel West Coast gangsta hip-hop to the forefront. The record's full of laid-back beats and chill samples, with a slower tempo and a focus on street life. Snoop and Dre's beats are some of the best you'll hear, and Snoops' signature flow shines. Of course, there's also guest appearances by vets Dre, Nate Dogg, and Warren G. Then you can't forget one of the best gangsta rap tracks out there-Gin and Juice. Even me, white as I can be, feel like I'm riding shotgun in an old DeVille down through South Central.

Favorite Album 1992: The Tragically Hip - Fully Completely

The Tragically Hip's third full-length takes 1992 on my list thanks to its soulful Canadian rock sound and deep, introspective lyrics. To be honest, I first got into this band because I heard Gordon Downie's guest vocals on Dallas Green's track "Sleeping Sickness," which is a fantastic cut in its own respect. This is my favorite Tragically Hip album, because it wanders into the soulful side of rock and roll and Downie's voice resounds with an oddly enjoyable wavering timbre, almost as though he used his voice as more of an instrument than normal. Certified diamond in Canada (1,000,000 records sold), this is a quintessential record in any Canadian rock collection; not to mention any rock collection period. It's driving rock and roll with a huge lump of soul and authentic Canadian yeti juice, making a record that's oh-so-enjoyable and easy to swallow. Oh, and it's hairy, too.

REVIEW: Dance Gavin Dance - Untitled/Self-Titled/"The Death Star Album"

August 19th, 2008 - Rise Records

Alright, so this is really late. Like, really late. But that's irrelevant.
So anyways, this is Dance Gavin Dance's last record with original vocalist Jon Mess and bassist Eric Lodge. Following the loss of Jonny Craig and the subsequent apprehension of Kurt Travis to fill his shoes, the band subtly changed their style, toning down the disorder and sporadic song structure, rolling back the grittiness, and throwing the ambience on overdrive. That's not to say that this is a completely new band, but while they retain a lot of what made them unique to the scene before, the band--in no small part thanks to the versatility of Travis--have refined their sound into a tighter, more cohesive package.
Compared to the previous two releases, this record is slightly less chaotic in terms of song structure, with each part of each song seeming to have more purpose with regard to its position amongst the other verses, choruses, and bridges. The production seems to reflect this as well, as each of the individual instrument tracks seem to pop more than before. Travis' vocals also shine as he demonstrates his vocal range and versatility, often in the form of harmonized parts. Mess' vocals, however, seem to have lost their edge. It seems as though with each record, his vocals have become less gutteral and raspy, culminating with this record's hoarse yells (perhaps due to his duo of diseases- acid reflux and Lyme's disease). The change is welcomed though, as this record would not have mixed well with the screams from Whatever I Say Is Royal Ocean. The band also features guest vocalists, a noteworthy addition. Among the guests (alright, there are only three) are Chino Moreno from Deftones (featured on Caviar) and Matt Geise of Lower Definition (Rock Solid). The guests, though fantastic in their own endeavors, are underutilised on this record. Underutilised, except, of course, for Nic Newsham. Newsham (formerly of Gatsbys American Dream), no stranger to guest vocals, wrote and performed on Uneasy Hearts Weigh The Most, perhaps the best track on the record. It's a fantastic cut that showcases the band's somewhat newfound ability to shift styles while retaining a common musical theme, and it's funny as hell without being over-the-top, like some of the other lyrics.
With all this talk of change, it might be safe to assume that this is a whole new band entirely. Fortunately, this isn't the case, as fans of the old records will find familiarity in many a place on this record. The lyrics are similarly styled, specifically Mess' portions, where he shovels out lyric after lyric with little to no apparent cohesion, but somehow it works. Will Swan (lead guitars) still pumps out the insane lead riffs, and the drumming from Matt Mingus is stil top-notch. The musicianship overall is still crisp and tight, and the final product is still notably Dance Gavin Dance. This is one of the best of '08 from a band that can roll with change and still put out top-notch records time and time again.
Verdict: A

Favorite Album 1991: Pearl Jam - Ten

Two posts in one day?!
Anyway.
Alright, since RJ and Drew and Drunky were doing this, I meant to hop in when RJ and/or Drew hit 1991, but things happened and I didn't. So I'm gonna double time it and probably post 1991-1996 today. Intermittently, of course.
Without further ado...


Formed in the aftermath of bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Stone Gossard's band Mother Love Bone, Pearl Jam's debut album took groovy tunes with grunge-y distortion and the air of 70's arena rock and stuck 'em together with introspective and often dark lyrics, forming the album that would help Alternative music skyrocket to popularity in the 90's. This is by far the band's greatest record, with nearly every song being so heartfelt you can feel the chest hair. Eddie Vedder's smooth rasp and the very funk-inspired bass and guitar riffs set this record apart from everything, even those who took precedence in '91 for being bigger (ahem, Nirvana), because none of them had the groove Pearl Jam did.

Key tracks: Jeremy, Even Flow, Oceans

REVIEW: Traitor

Starring Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Saïd Taghmaoui
Released by Overture Films.


At first, I didn't know what to expect. Going into this film, I had heard relatively nothing about it (due to my relative deprivation of most nationalized media for the past two weeks), and all I knew was that Don Cheadle, who I loved in Hotel Rwanda, was starring (thanks, IMDb). In any case, I had free movie tickets and thought it would be worth the trip. Oh, what an understatement.
The movie begins with in the heart of Africa in the late 70's. It's a peaceful scene, but that's short lived, as about three and a half minutes in, a car bomb kills Samir Horn's father and the rest of the movie the pace doesn't slow down until the final fleeting moments. Horn (Cheadle) is an ex-army staff sargeant closely tied with major terrorist organizations, responsible for trafficking explosives and supplying homemade detonators and do-it-yourself matryr kits to would-be jihadists and radical terrorists. He's also a devout Muslim, creating tension throughout the film as we see inside his character from the outside. From there a web of chases and espionage meld with thrilling suspense and some surprising twists.
It's gripping, intense, and definitely maintains the edge-of-your-seat feeling throughout most of the film. The cinematography is top-notch, especially during the most suspenseful scenes. All the photography, the lighting, the intelligent play of light and shadow, all meld into a surprisingly gripping experience. The acting is top-notch, with believable characters with motives you'll actually believe. Cheadle's performance is angsty and driven, and his performance (and the movie as a whole) ponder the nature of any sort of devoted cause. When is it that the means cease to justify the ends?
Unfortunately, although the movie is chock-full of strong action and gripping suspense, it does tend to drag on, especially when some of the twists aren't particularly difficult to predict. This isn't to say, however, that all the twists are predictable--just some, but knowing them seems to drag out the slow segments in between. The movie sometimes falls into typical espionage thriller patterns, but luckily the overarching theme saves it from completely falling into that trench.
Overall, Cheadle's powerful performance and Guy Pearce's white knight (with a few dark spots) allow the viewer to stay engrossed for the entire film, and the action and suspense are enough to keep everyone waiting for the next scene. It's well written and well acted, but just a smidgeon too long and predictable.

Verdict: A-

Yet another contentless post...with a video.

(permalink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Eiq8z4cxLo)

Clip from Cheech & Chong's Next Movie. Features the songs "Mexican Americans" and "Beaners," two classics from the Mexican American community. Singing these will definitely increase your street cred (or the capacity for you to get your ass kicked by anybody in South Central, Los Angeles). Enjoy!

Coming soon....more top tens...this time featuring Optimus Prime.

We feel you, Diddy. We feel you.

Apparently this video has been getting a lot of hate from YouTube, the blogosphere (I don't really like that term, but whatever) and especially 4Chan. I don't see why, he's making a joke. Sure, it's only a little funny, but I don't get the Diddy hate.
I feel you, Diddy. I can sympathize.

On the off chance of rain

This is our inaugural senior year blog post. That's right, first blog post from my perspective as a senior in high school. Breathe it in. That's right, get a good whiff. I want people to walk by you at the computer with your nose pressed tight to that monitor, wondering what awesome sensory stimulus you've discovered. (This works best in public places.)

That's enough of that, you'll give yourself a hernia.


Right. Blog. Senior year. Of course.
First off, news (that's right, this blog post is compartmentalized. Put that in your pipe and smoke it, disorganization).
I have a job at Chuck E. Cheese's now. It's not the most glamorous job (unless, of course, you're a pedophile), but it's money, and [insert deity of choice here] knows I need that. I start next week. Oh, and did I mention free tokens?

Second.
The Bridge Of Eldin's myspace is up. In case you didn't know, this is my music project. Add it, listen when songs go up, and give me some feedback. Check back periodically for updates and news and the like.

Third.
Darin and I are planning to collaborate on an unnamed hip-hop project with the both of us acting as emcees and producers and lyricists. I'll have more news as we open up that can of beans.

And that ends today's session. I think I'll do a music sharing next post.

always open

Blessings Be Yours Mister V -- Featuring Music

So the new Sound of Animals Fighting leaked today. Good news.

Not bad, not bad.
So the guitar's been restrung and the words are written down...it's now a matter of when I'm gonna record. Turns out everything works better than I expected. Shouldn't be too much longer now.

So now everybody reading this on Facebook, I offer you a new segment of this blog.
Music Sharing!
Links will be posted semi-regularly with a genre, description, who it sounds like, and links to myspace/purevolume and to buy the featured record.
First things first. Our introductory album is....
1. The Cab - Whisper War


Genre: Pop, Rock, R&B
Sounds Like: N*Sync, The Academy Is..., Fall Out Boy
Buy: FueledByRamen Webstore
Myspace

This band sounds like Justin and JC from N*Sync thrown onto a heavier version of their boy band escapades. Trading in their syncopated beats for downtuned guitars and an acoustic drum kit, the band shines with glittering piano lines, upbeat guitar riffs, and dance-worthy tracks all tied up with soaring vocals from lead singer Alex Deleon. Imagine N*Sync if they met Fall Out Boy and somehow fused into one band, then ate the fingers of each member of Foxy Shazam. It's soulful pop-rock that begs you to dance to it.

Check out this track:
The Cab - One Of THOSE Nights (Featuring Patrick Stump of Fall Out Boy and Brendan Urie of Panic[!]{?} At The Disco)
(Listen and/or download!)

Thoughts on God, Volume I.

So lately whenever I've been in a discussion about the Christian God and Heaven and Hell, it seems a lot of the faithful tend to shovel the same answer time and time again; salvation lies in faith. Doesn't matter whether you're a decent person or not, but you just have to believe that Christ died for sins and whatnot. You can murder, steal, loot, pillage, commit adultery, so on and so forth, but so long as you believe in the Christ, you can repent and get into Heaven no questions asked. But if an atheist, an otherwise upstanding, morally proficient and wholly good person dies, he's sent to Hell on the basis that he didn't accept the Christ as a savior or follow the Church.
Now tell me that isn't the most backwards-ass logic you've ever heard. Granted, it's faith, so it isn't built upon logic and/or reason (not a slam, just the truth), but still, come the fuck on. You expect me to believe that the sinner who repeatedly murders and/or commits grave crimes such as these still believes in getting into Heaven, let alone any sort of salvation? Repentance can do a lot; the only thing is, the person must be willing. Now I know once they get to purgatory or limbo or whatever cosmic midway you'd like to imagine it as, they'll at least fake repentance because they're faced with immediate consequences. But what about on Earth? If they didn't care before--barring any sort of mind-blowing epiphany while incarcerated--and return to their dastardly deeds, what's to say they repented at all? Now you're going to say that this person has a chance to repent once they die all because they say they believe?
Let's look at the opposite; an atheist who, by all Christian moral and ethical standards, is a good person, upstanding family, no enemies to speak of, no grave sin, and no other tarnishes on his or her good name, simply doesn't find Christianity to his liking. He's not a man of faith but manages to die a peaceful death. Now assuming we all go to the Christian judging booth, what's to happen to him? When I talk to Christians, they say he's off to play endless Guitar Hero sessions with the Devil in Hell--all because he didn't believe in his mortal life. Yeah, makes perfect sense.

Now I'm not knocking Christianity or its followers as a whole; just this school of thought. Who came up with that? It's stupid. Would a benevolent god, one who supposedly loves all his children, whether they believe or not, just damn someone because they happened to not believe?

See, for this particular way of looking at the afterlife, I've devised a loophole big enough for all of the Los Angeles Philharmonic to fit through. Let's say I get there, being an atheist and all. So the big man is sitting there, looking at my sins, and doesn't see anything too bad (in an ideal scenario). But then at the bottom of the list, the little light for "BELIEVER" isn't lit up. I'm going to play it off; "God, man, so sorry. I am SO sorry. No, really. I'm sorry. I guess that's just another sin. Can't I repent? I believe now. Can I write that off as a sin and just use me repentance card now?"


So does God love everybody? I sure as hell hope so.


So that ends Volume I. Thanks, Cobalt and Calcium.


God, this can't be.
God must be asleep.
God must be asleep.
God must be asleep.

I think I broke the internet.

We've got too much traffic on the lines, sir! The airwaves are jammed! There's...there's...there's too much....INFORMATION!! Our systems can't handle it!
No, cadet...no...this isn't a traffic jam. This is deliberate...we've got a downed network and nothing to put in its place.
We're doomed, aren't we Cap'? Cap? Cap...tain?
It was an honor serving with you, Cadet. Tell your mother...she fucks like a tiger.




Just kidding. My wireless network card is on the fritz and my computer can't hold on to the network long enough to do anything productive. So until I fix this...signing out.

You will never be alone again.

I've got writer's block. It doesn't help that what I'm doing has no timeframe, so there's no way for me to wait until the last minute, simply because there is none to speak of. It's simply maddening.
I think I'm just going to have to strap myself into a chair until I figure this out.

The inspiration's pouring in but the words aren't pouring out. I wish my pen was as adept as my mind; this definitely isn't the first time this has happened.

I need a vacation from my vacation before it's over. It's just too great.

Lists, lists, and more lists, coming after these commercial messages.






Am I making sense?
I hope not.

The Man With Three Eyes, part 3

The prince and the dark master circled each other with an apprehensive gait. Each outwardly unshaken, their gazes locked upon each other, they raised sword and claw to prepare for the duel to come. The wind faded into nothing as their circling came to a halt.
With the grace of the dove and the strength of an eagle, Prince Richard flung himself at his foe. Blade clashed with flesh as the dark master's roughened hide and magic armor met the prince's assault. The prince lunged time and time again, backing the dark being up against the canyon walls. The dark master, however, allowed himself to fall into the corner, and as the prince swung to lay what he believed to be an injurious blow, the dark being caught the noble prince's blade and cast it aside. The prince stood bewildered as he regained his balance. The dark master merely laughed.
"You were a fool to be so brazen, young traveler! Have you no sense? Have you heard not of the magicks laden within the valleys of the dark creatures? You will pay for your ignorance with your life!"
Suddenly, the wind rose to remove the ancient dust from the canyon walls. Lying beneath was a rune from ages beyond. The dark master began an incantation and the rune radiated light.
"No! What trickery is this?!" The prince began to lunge toward the dark beast, but felt himself repelled by an unseen force, one of terrible power. "Your dark magic is no match for my pure soul, foul creature! I have with me the Soul of Arayle, the ancient goddess of the sacred Spring of Life! I fear not your dark magicks!"


Cut short! Part 3, part 2 coming tomorrow.

Anyways, right now I'm gonna go write some song material. Good night.

Philanthropists...

Edited. This didn't turn out the way I'd hoped.
Maybe another day.

Oh, yessssssssss.

Oh. Oh yes. Oh yes yes yes.

One more:


Yeah. April 10th, 2009. I am so fucking there. I have been waiting for this since I was 11. 2002, that's when Twentieth Century Fox acquired the rights to the story. That's when I first read about it on the Dragonball Z officially unofficial website and almost wet myself. Six long years. Delays, pauses, more delays, talk of canceling it, talk that the whole thing was a rumor, more delays, and then not too long ago....confirmation. Justin Chatwin would play Goku. James Marsters as Piccolo. Then it came together. I've been waiting so long.

And another, just because I can't contain myself.


This is going to be the greatest movie of all time.

Fortune(less) Cookies

Panda Express is divine. Orange chicken should be promoted to deity status, or at least given its own hour of worship on wednesdays. Why, you ask? Pure orange asian goodness. Sweet, tangy, crunchy, and juicy...the names of my gods. All served under a giant sign with a picture of a cute panda drinking from a straw to boot.
Just one problem. No, not the water cups that make my Mountain Dew look like piss. No, not the extra powerful soap in the men's room. It's the fortune cookies. Don't get me wrong, I love the cookies themselves, they're delicious. It's the insides.
Fortune cookies. Let's disassemble the term to better understand it.
Part 1: fortune
for·tune [fawr-chuhn] n.

6.	fate; lot; destiny: whatever my fortune may be.

7.	(initial capital letter) chance personified, commonly regarded as a mythical being distributing arbitrarily or capriciously the lots of life: Perhaps Fortune will smile on our venture.

2: cookie
cook·ie /ˈkʊki/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[kook-ee] n.

1.	a small cake made from stiff, sweet dough rolled and sliced or dropped by spoonfuls on a large, flat pan (cookie sheet) and baked.

2.	Informal. dear; sweetheart (a term of address, usually connoting affection).

Ok. So we've deduced that it takes both parts to be a fortune cookie. We'll do this backwards to emphasize the point. It's a cookie. Sure, it's not a traditional round dude, but it's still sweet doughy stuff that gets baked. Hell, I don't know what it is, ask Asia. Now the fortune bit. A lot of the time, I can't complain. I'll get one that says "Your dreams will come true when you least expect them" and it'll be just fine. A bit vague, but hey, it's a little slip of paper enclosed within a delicious vessel of consumptionitude. I'm not asking for the next War and Peace. (Editor's Note: I personally hate that fortune, because now that I know my dreams aren't going to come true until I don't expect them, I'm always gonna be expecting them, contradicting their my dreams' arrival conditions.)
But what gets me is when they ship you a cookie that says "Your smile touches all around you" or something of that ilk. Touche, Panda, touche. How can I be mad that you stiffed me a fortune when you're so flattering? I just wanted to know what's in store for me. So Panda, it's your call. Fortunate the future.

This ends our discussion on Panda Express and the mighty empire of misnomers they shell out as after-meal snacks. Please come back again soon.

The Man With Three Eyes, Part 2

The sky dimmed as Prince Richard of Oligarth rode into from the setting sun. His heart heavy with guilt, the prince strained to keep his eyes on the horizon, for he knew too well what happened when the eyes and mind wandered in the Dark Valley of the Einos. The sun began to hang lower and lower in the sky, drawing harsh shadows that spilled across the floor, racing toward the valiant prince. Prince Richard's breath hastened; he felt the chill of the night creeping farther and farther down his spine. He spurred his horse to a full gallop, racing to catch the feigning sunlight. Fearing he would not reach it in time, the prince again spurred his horse, but the mighty steed, unable to move any faster, stumbled and fell. Prince Richard toppled to the ground, realizing the danger he was soon to encounter.
"Curses! Curse it all! My horse must lose at a time like this?! And I have not the strength to remain in these shadows for very long! Oh gods, why must it be?!"
The prince slowly rose to his feet and walked to his horse's side. With a mighty blow he knocked the whinnying beast unconscious before slitting its throat. "Sleep well, my faithful steed. I have no wish for these foul creatures to deface thy honor." With these words he grabbed a handful of earth and spread it over the mighty creature's body.
The prince turned from his fallen beast and turned to catch the last dying rays of sunlight as they sank beneath the horizon. The shadows grew deeper by the second. He turned to face the shadows. Gripping his sword tightly, the valiant prince tried to forget every story he'd ever heard about the Einos. Suddenly, the shadows took form. The swift movement of black on black met Richard's eyes as he braced himself for battle.
He dug his heels into the dirt as the closest of the shadows lunged toward him. With one fell swing he destroyed the creature, turning his blade to meet the next of his mysterious foes. He carved a swath through the shadows, clearing a small avenue to the exit of the canyon. Richard made his move towards the exit, only to meet the fearsome master of the canyon, Irknes of the Dark Valley. The dark master ferociously eyed the prince, its tongue wet with the anticipation of a fresh meal.
Prince Richard's eyes met with the dark master and he became alight with fear. It soon passed, however, as he recalled his father's words. The prince squared himself to his new foe, ignoring the petty shadowlings as they fell to the wayside.
The dark master reeled upon seeing his foe prepare himself for battle. It had been aeons since he met a foe so brave...or so foolish. To the master of the Dark Valley, however, it mattered not, as he was already savoring the taste of the meal to come.
"Why have you come to my lair?" he snarled, baring teeth that had spilled the blood of centuries of wayward travelers. "Thy presence only bodes well for my appetite, young fool! I shall savor the flesh on your bones."
"I think not, foul beast! This darkness you have long presided over shall soon face the light of justice! My blade shall taste of your evil deeds as they bleed from your black chest!"
"Thy tongue is as swift as thy blade, young one," the dark master remarked. "But now we shall see which is the heavier! Have at you!"
...
to be continued...

The Man With Three Eyes, part 1.

"Steady thy hand, my prince!"
The words echoed across the canyon and fell upon deaf ears. The prince paid no heed as he stared across the ground strewn with corpses.
"No, father, I shall not! Thy word is law but I cannot stand idly by! You must forgive me in time!" The prince seized his horse's reins and the steel-clad beast reared its mighty head. "I must, father! I cannot let Oligarth's noblest of warriors' sacrifice be in vain!" The prince's hand trembled as he reached to unsheathe his sword.
King John of Istar's voice thundered with the force of a dragon's fury as he lay one final warning before his son. "Richard of Istar, son of John, prince of the land of Oligarth, I say to thee now; stop this madness and drop thy weapon! To refuse is naught but treason! Prince or no prince, my word is law, and nobody is above the law! I say one final time: drop thy weapon!"
Prince Richard turned to face his father, hand on his sword's scabbard.
"My father," he began as he began to unsheathed his sword, "I have never gone against thy word, nor have I ever gone against the law, and you know my heart to be virtuous and true. But do you not see why I must fight? Orketh's evil forces have plagued our good people for far too long! If I let his evil slip away from my grasp this instance, I shall never allow myself to live in clear conscience again! And this," he pointed the sword skyward, "is why I must fight! Why we must all fight! Orketh's forces shall not return to ravage our kingdom ever again!"
King John stood pensively for moments that seemed like aeons to the good prince. Finally the King lifted his gaze to the stars.
"My son...if you believe so strongly that this is what you desire most...then I shall not stop you. And though you are still in defiance of my word, I shall pray that you return to me victorious, so that we may all share in the spoils of victory. May the grace of Aeshis and the fury of Dorias be behind your sword. Now go, my son, and bring glory to the kindgom of Oligarth!"
"Th-thank you, father. I shall not disappoint you, I promise thee!"
The king's gaze remained locked to the stars as Prince Richard rode onward to battle. The stars seemed to reflect the burning pride in King John's heart. His chest puffed proudly as he softly whispered, "May the gods be with you, my son."

Best Of '08 - Midway Point

We're through half of the year, time for a quick round-up of the best of the best so far.
I think I'll split it up into a few categories.

BEST OF '08 (SEMESTER 1).
Best EP (because it's not fair to pit EPs against LPs)
The Black Noise Party Boys - Party All The Time
Jan. 18, 2008 - Holdfast Records

Fun, fast, hard, southern metalcore. No, not the Eddie Murphy song of the same name. Just a buncha rednecks making party music. Maylene, much? Who cares, all the songs are about parties!

Best Folk/Acoustic
City and Colour - Bring Me Your Love
Feb. 13, 2008 - Dine Alone Records

Singer/songwriter Dallas Green's second solo record, it's a beautiful look at the man's soul from the inside out. Dallas has a way of gently implanting his feelings into you with his voice, and this record is great to mellow out to and enjoy. The harmonica helps, too.

Best Hip-Hop
Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
Apr. 22, 2008 - Rhymesayers Entertainment

Slug and Ant do it again. Another Rhymesayers masterpiece. Not much else I can say, it's classic Atmosphere awesome, it's well written, the beats are tight and the message is still personal. boycott cocaine

Best Metal
Austrian Death Machine - Total Brutal AND Protest The Hero - Fortress
July 22, 2008 - Metal Blade Records / Jan. 29, 2008 - Vagrant Records/Underground Operations

Toss up. I can't really decide. ADM is pure laughter while still being amazingly proficient musically, while Fortress is a lyrical and instrumental tour-de-force through the high points of modern metal(-prog-tech-math-core). ADM has you laughing at Arnold one-liners in the breakdowns, while Fortress is just plain badass. I think Fortress takes it, but the pure laughter ADM provides keeps it in there.

Best Rock/Pop
Run Kid Run - Love At The Core
Apr. 29, 2008 - Tooth And Nail Records

This one really caught me off guard. I had downloaded it a while back and thought nothing much of it, but the other day I was looking for something new and I flicked them on. I was really impressed. The music is smart, inspiring, fast, and fun. Very strong the entire way through, never relenting or letting you down.

Best Indie
Alexander - White Flags And Silver Spoons Will Have To Sleep In Separate Rooms
Apr. 8, 2008 - The Militia Group

This is by far my favorite record so far. Deep, heartfelt lyrics and powerful musical arrangements mesh into a musical experience unrivaled this year. I was taken aback at how complex the music can be while still maintaining a very calming quality. It's fantastic all around, whether it's the synthy opening two, the jazzy, upbeat bass of "I'm Not Right," or the acoustics of some of the alter tracks, Ryan Alexander and his gang keep the record in ship shape. This is one act you don't want to miss.

Best Overall
Alexander - White Flags And Silver Spoons Have To Sleep In Separate Rooms


Honorable Mentions:
Genghis Tron - Board Up The House
Search/Rescue - The Compound
Kay Kay and his Weathered Underground - s/t
Lydia - Illuminate
Foxy Shazam - Introducing Foxy Shazam
Shai Hulud - Misanthropy Pure
Death Cab For Cutie - Narrow Stairs


Disappointments:
A Skylit Drive - Wires....And The Concept Of Breathing
May 20th, 2008 - Tragic Hero Records

Weezer - Weezer (The Red Album)
June 3, 2008 - Geffen Records

From First To Last - From First To Last
May 6, 2008 - Suretone/Interscope Records

Testament - The Formation Of Damnation
Apr. 29, 2008 - Nuclear Blast Records

Quick summary: I really expected more outta Weezer after hearing Pork and Beans. Guess not. A Skylit Drive, what happened? FFTL...I didn't really have high hopes but I had the smallest sliver of hope that they'd do something good without Sonny. Testament...just kinda fell flat. I was expecting a metal masterpiece, but they just...didn't deliver.

That's it for this half of the year, check back in like, December or something.
Peace.

Review: Fearless Records' Punk Goes Crunk

Alright kids, it's time to trade in those skinny jeans and bandannas for baggy pants and iced-up grills. Fearless Records' latest compilation in the popular Punk Goes... series takes popular bands from the indie scene and has them put their spin on the hip-hop jam of their choice. Involved are bands that run the gamut of the scene, from newcomers Forever the Sickest Kids to Warped Tour veterans New Found Glory, from hardcore favorites Set Your Goals to the sweet, pop-punk sound of All Time Low. The result is an enjoyable effort that, though partially marred by some lame-duck re-dub tracks, will get the pit crunk fo sho.
Leading with a hardcore (and Star Wars themed) cover of Lil' Jon's "Put Yo Hood Up" is Set Your Goals, segueing into Say Anything's tongue-in-cheek "I Got Your Money" (ODB). These tracks are hilarious and keep the tone light and humorous, helping to keep the record from feeling too serious and inaccessible. The strong tracks, though spotty, are well done and keep the punked-up hip-hop vibe rollin' strong. Among the stand-outs are All Time Low's "Umbrella," TDWP's "Still Fly," and Forever The Sickest Kids' "Men In Black."
Punk and hip-hop together may seem like an odd pairing, and the awkwardness inherent in the mix shows itself in some of the record's weaker tracks. While most bands take the song and almost completely reinvent it in their particular style, some bands just choose to redo the songs with re-dubbed vocals or lame beats that lose the original intent of the song. This makes for weak filler tracks that bog down the integrity of the rest of the album.
Rounding out the album is a song that takes Arrested Development's moving, spiritual tear-jerker "Tennessee" and shifts it into the folk side of punk. New Found Glory puts the lyrics to acoustic guitar and closes the album with an uplifting, positive note, wrapping the album up nicely. With the strong beginning and end, along with some sweet jams in the middle, Punk Goes Crunk doesn't disappoint; fans of both hip-hop and indie will all find something to enjoy.