...Ah, stop it! I always have to catch myself before I begin writing self indulgent, ye olde English journal entries, giving ye olde updates on the events of my life. Sometimes I feel I'm being absorbed into the blogging masses who turn their banal musings into publicly available clutter...oh wait, I do.
Oh well. I remember back in the olden days of this website, back when it was on geocities I could write about the most uselessly intriguing things. I used to spew out so much crap with so much regularity, it was amazing really, and I wonder where that went, or if I really want that back. Probably for the best. Now the only things that really pass through my mind are meandering images of the movement of life; clouds, colors, shapes, ambiance, it's like I'm living in a Pink Floyd's Animals record. However I'm fine, so don't send pills to me out of concern just yet, but do mail them out of generosity. That's enough of that, I'll save the rest of this boring explanation of my deep seeded neurosis for the book I got comin' out, it's called "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Prime Time Television, Celebrity Gossip and Happy Hour"
In other news I have some ratings for you, some suggestions for you, etc etc etc etc etc....
I recently watched a brilliant documentary by Matt Stone and Trey Parker called "How's Your News", yes, the guys who do South Park and Team America: World Police. It's a documentary about five mentally handicapped men and women who embark on a road trip from New Hampshire to California simply to ask people the question: "how's your news". What I love about this film is how, as you watch it, your expectations begin to change immensely. As it starts out you get the impression that this is probably going to be nothing more than a mockery of the handicapped and you sort of just stare, wondering what exactly you're supposed to be thinking in regards to this. But as it goes on you start to completely lose all those things that get in the way and you begin to see them for who they are, extremely unique people. Another thing I really enjoyed about this was how it gave an amazingly honest look at the "average" people who make this country. In most other documentaries you know that the "professional" film crews inherently affect people's behavior in some way or another. But with this, the interviewees often had no idea how to respond or what to expect from the various hosts of this movie, some of whom couldn't actually put together a discernible sentence. So often we're left with everyday people just kind of standing there, speaking the first thing that comes to their mind. It's very touching, and does a good job of changing perceptions and giving honest glimpses into the lives of common people. Yes, all this from the creators of "Baseketball".
A couple new albums came out recently that I just wanted to give my quick opinion on, Sting's "Songs From the Labyrinth" and Robert Randolph and the Family Band's "Colorblind".
Sting's new album is a side project based on the music and writings of 17th century composer John Dowland. I had good idea of what to expect from this, but I was really surprised how moody and focused it is, considering it's English lute music. What I like most is how elemental and basic the music is, especially when performed by someone known for slick pop production like Sting. In a way it's like the stripped down origins of much of Sting's music, specifically The Soul Cages, which has much of the same Celtic structure. Also, dispersed throughout the album are letters written by Dowland that are read by Sting. I had heard about this beforehand and didn't really know how well that would work but in the end it helped Labyrinth play through almost as a concept album of sorts, and a haunting one at that. I think Sting accomplished what he set out to do with this album, it pays homage to Downland first and foremost, but creates a mask that Sting seems to don, channeling Downland and giving the listener the uneasy feeling that we're being transported to the past, where we can do nothing but appreciate, for the first time most likely.
8.452/10
Robert Randolph and the Family Band's new album is a massive letdown, but I should have seen it coming, basically anything Mark Batson touches (outside of the pop/hip-hop world) turns to poo. The production is exponentially thicker and more elaborate than Unclassified and the band's sound is now compressed and packaged into unmemorable arrangements that grasp desperately for radio airplay. Instead of the stripped down, gospel driven, repetitive power and joy that was so evident on their first record we have a mish-mash of songs that cover a narrow spectrum; 70's superfunk, generic inspirational R&B and b-sides from Dave Matthews Band's last record. Robert Randolph, who generally overflows with excitement and passion, comes across as extremely stifled and forced into a mold here. His signature sacred steel is virtually non-existent and his vocal delivery is stiff in comparison to his usual call and response, free form style. Overall, don't bother.
5/10
and finally, I leave you with some MS paint masterpieces I recently created: David Byrne's 'Feelings' album cover and Peter Gabriel's 'So' and 'Security' album covers.
Until next time, stay frosty!
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