Man you know what I grew tired of jack Johnson not because he’s no longer good, he is, maybe just not great, but then maybe he just lost his relevance to me you know my mind was an inferno back when I was really into him just started at chiat and didn’t know anyone and fresh from a long term relationship and he really helped occupy the empty confines of my head and then I’d listen to him on my ipod while I’d ride my bike down to santa monica pier turning my beach cruiser into a tandem bicycle with him pedaling behind and he’s sit alongside me on the seagull poop filled wooden benches at the end of the pier and stare with me into the nothingness that was the dark ocean, not the nothingness that was within me because I had him talking to me and singing to me through my ears and he lent me his loose change to give to the homeless littered boardwalk that found their home on the beach and laughed when I expressed to him that I too had the same desire to one day have beachfront property the same way the homeless folks did but not in that way more of a pottery barn way oh who am I kidding I want to design my own furniture. But then yeah, jack Johnson was very relevant to me, my teddy bear in the lightning storm my baseball bat when I saw the shadows of people walking projected onto my bedroom wall while I’m up at night thinking about my past relationship and my new job and my new phase in my life or whatever. But then you know, the human mind and soul reconditioned itself and I came back to the same asshole form the one that takes women and knocks them off their pedestals and in turn turns them into assholes like I’m some type of zombie asshole and then they bite their victims and then it spreads like a disease and boomerangs back to my dumb ass(hole) and gets me riding my bike again, pedaling furiously, through the bum filled wooden benches and the seagull poop littered boardwalk listening to him, increasing my playcount of jack Johnson. Then someone looks on my itunes and notices the playcount and maybe thinks I’m some type of simpleton surfer guy but geez if they only knew how scorching my mind was they’d hose me down but they don’t so instead they’re the ones that get extinguished, increasing my personal playcount was that dirty, yeah so what, im an asshole zombie and zombies are ugly but sometimes we think beautiful thoughts like…
How beautiful today’s song sounds, how the guitar strumming is probably jack johnson’s best yet and the little piano thing chiming in just adds to its allure, with its awesome production and his melodic song writing and his soothing voice propelling this song beyond the stratosphere, to the same realms where stars dwell. The same realm above the horizon of the saltwater onyx where he and I and the seagull poop and the homeless folks used to stare into.
http://www.box.net/shared/sf8fq5ygsm
Thursday, August 28, 2008
"Yesterday" - Atmosphere
oh yeah,
you hear that good time, dixieland piano in the background? already, within the first 2 seconds you know you're in for a little jolly time, big ol' swirly lollipop the kind you get at six flags type songs, the ones where you're at the carnival and you want to get cotton candy but they ran out of blue and only had pink and somehow before you believed in that whole lame notion that if you got the pink then you were queer but then realized that the only thing queer was that train of thought so then you finally came to terms with the world and all the minuscule shit and how to disregard it so that you can just carry on with your sexuality in a confident and comfortable way and just enjoy your mother fucking cotton candy even though it's pink and you know what else you learn to let go of? you learn to let go of that whole notion of typing out the word motherfucker like no more should i spell it out proper because if i do it might sound too white and cheeseball or should i type it out like muthafucka because that's how eazy e spells it on his diss against dre that real muthafucking song and then again you start to think like muthafucka (or motherfucker) is spelling is name all wrong i mean he only has 4 letters in his name and he still manages to fuck it all up why should he be any type of attila and the bee authority when it comes to spelling bees you know what i mean, b? but then you forget all about it because no matter how you spell motherfucker all you want to do is express that feeling in your gut or on your mind where clean dictionary white linen words don't suffice or quite accurately convey the urgency of your thoughts and then you sit there still thinking whether or not you should spell it the white way or the black way what would the asian way be don't make fun of me now because i'll hurt you (muthafocka) but really no matter how you spell it you realize it all means the same so then you commit to just fucking typing it out however it comes out and your eyes ignore the backspace key because it doesn’t matter but if you were to insert a space between the compound words you might make it a little more dramatic and people will be convinced that you’re edgy and your mind is a clusterfuck but you’re willing to take the risk to have people think you’re just passionate along with you being edgy and your mind is being fucked clusterly way but whatever because now you're listening to this song and you're learning to let go of all that minuscia because you're realizing that this song is about slug talking to his dad because he passed away and then you feel a little bad because slug's dad is dead and then you go back to his lucy ford ep and conjure up his old songs and rediscover that his dad killed himself and now you feel kind of even more so bad.
but then the hammering of the piano keys sounds pretty jolly and lollipop and you can't help but feel like you're back in dixieland parasols and all and then the only thing dixie about your surroundings is the disposable plastic cup with remnants of whiskey and soda from more celebratory times you know the same cup that will end up choking some kind of sea creature in the ocean when you don't properly dispose of it and there's nothing dixie time about that so you say to yourself, next time I’m buying solo, motherfucker if you’re white muthafucka if you’re black I’m not sure how the Hispanic population addresses it because instead of calling you what you are they tell you what to do with the whole chinga tu madre thing and us asians we’re so porcelain and gentle and demure and docile but when you get that yellow rage boiling like the chicken flavored powder in a bowl of top ramen we scream from the top of our lungs
next time solo, muthafocka!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/q0ncxzcfcx
you hear that good time, dixieland piano in the background? already, within the first 2 seconds you know you're in for a little jolly time, big ol' swirly lollipop the kind you get at six flags type songs, the ones where you're at the carnival and you want to get cotton candy but they ran out of blue and only had pink and somehow before you believed in that whole lame notion that if you got the pink then you were queer but then realized that the only thing queer was that train of thought so then you finally came to terms with the world and all the minuscule shit and how to disregard it so that you can just carry on with your sexuality in a confident and comfortable way and just enjoy your mother fucking cotton candy even though it's pink and you know what else you learn to let go of? you learn to let go of that whole notion of typing out the word motherfucker like no more should i spell it out proper because if i do it might sound too white and cheeseball or should i type it out like muthafucka because that's how eazy e spells it on his diss against dre that real muthafucking song and then again you start to think like muthafucka (or motherfucker) is spelling is name all wrong i mean he only has 4 letters in his name and he still manages to fuck it all up why should he be any type of attila and the bee authority when it comes to spelling bees you know what i mean, b? but then you forget all about it because no matter how you spell motherfucker all you want to do is express that feeling in your gut or on your mind where clean dictionary white linen words don't suffice or quite accurately convey the urgency of your thoughts and then you sit there still thinking whether or not you should spell it the white way or the black way what would the asian way be don't make fun of me now because i'll hurt you (muthafocka) but really no matter how you spell it you realize it all means the same so then you commit to just fucking typing it out however it comes out and your eyes ignore the backspace key because it doesn’t matter but if you were to insert a space between the compound words you might make it a little more dramatic and people will be convinced that you’re edgy and your mind is a clusterfuck but you’re willing to take the risk to have people think you’re just passionate along with you being edgy and your mind is being fucked clusterly way but whatever because now you're listening to this song and you're learning to let go of all that minuscia because you're realizing that this song is about slug talking to his dad because he passed away and then you feel a little bad because slug's dad is dead and then you go back to his lucy ford ep and conjure up his old songs and rediscover that his dad killed himself and now you feel kind of even more so bad.
but then the hammering of the piano keys sounds pretty jolly and lollipop and you can't help but feel like you're back in dixieland parasols and all and then the only thing dixie about your surroundings is the disposable plastic cup with remnants of whiskey and soda from more celebratory times you know the same cup that will end up choking some kind of sea creature in the ocean when you don't properly dispose of it and there's nothing dixie time about that so you say to yourself, next time I’m buying solo, motherfucker if you’re white muthafucka if you’re black I’m not sure how the Hispanic population addresses it because instead of calling you what you are they tell you what to do with the whole chinga tu madre thing and us asians we’re so porcelain and gentle and demure and docile but when you get that yellow rage boiling like the chicken flavored powder in a bowl of top ramen we scream from the top of our lungs
next time solo, muthafocka!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/q0ncxzcfcx
Monday, August 25, 2008
"Breaker-Breaker 1-2" - Alamo Race Track
what up everyone,
hope ya'll had a good weekend. pretty good one, overall -- us basketball won the gold, supercrew got voted as america's best dance crew, and this one cat i know very little of is getting me excited about the upcoming election. you know, i was just watching mtv to see who won the best dance crew thing and i noticed that the network is trying more and more to showcase emerging artists.
i guess there's this group called the jonas brothers. who are they? they look lame to me and there was this girl named jonas that i had a peculiar experience with a long time ago. also, there's this new show with this white and black guy; one looks like a younger pharrel, the other like a younger chris cornell -- what the hell is that? i heard one of their songs and thought it was wack. then, there's this new kid rock song -- for real? and the one that takes the cake is this other girl -- tyler perry or something like that. she was wailing on some acoustic guitar (why is blue always the backdrop for an acoustic show) and singing about some error in judgement by sleeping with someone or something. fucking aye, man. i can't believe that the mainstream media, especially the hardcore influential and authoritative MTV network are taking the younger generation for a ride. you can't seriously believe this is good music, good melodies, good ART, right?
man, that really peeves me. what sucks is that we grow up thinking of this and that -- what's good for us, what's bad for us. eventually you grow up and it's like "hey, wait a minute" and you have to make that leap of faith to trust your own feelings and do what you do. the most major one isn't about politics, values or religion. it's about music. your music choice. people generally spend more time engaged with a song, jingle or polyphonic ringtone than they do with anything else. and still they feed what's given to them. you know what you should do when you want brie and they only have cheddar? you don't settle for cheddar, you go find yourself a place that sells brie. you know what lazy, indifferent people do? they resort to mainstream media, radio stations, or revert back to classic rock. please, it's never been easier and please, don't tell me nothing good has come out since then because you know iron and wine, right? just kidding. what i'm saying is stay relevant and listen to the voice of your generation.
sorry, just a little rant because a little payola goes a long way in the music industry and there are amazing artists out there that will never get their shine. pisses me off. and you know, eventually i'm going to explode and just write this long diarrhea-diatribe about HOW MUCH I HATE KARAOKE and MUSIC THEY PLAY IN DIVE BARS and HOW LAME I THINK IT IS THAT PEOPLE GET DRUNK AND THINK THEY ROCK OUT BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE LYRICS TO PARADISE CITY or FOREIGNER and don't even have the balls to BREAK SOME BOTTLES or smoke a joint or RUB SOME THIGHS in the back of a club. sorry, i'm dismounting now. i'm sorry -- it's how i feel, i know i'm taking the wrong approach and it's pricky of me and it's unattractive. it's just, like man, i was just watching mtv and stuff, and like man, i wanted some brie. but all i got was cheese.
-- sonnyred
oh yeah, band, from amsterdam, and yeah they rock, and like the dutch, are boring, so yeah then, they're really like, huge massive boulder
http://www.box.net/shared/jgqjsaf0jc
hope ya'll had a good weekend. pretty good one, overall -- us basketball won the gold, supercrew got voted as america's best dance crew, and this one cat i know very little of is getting me excited about the upcoming election. you know, i was just watching mtv to see who won the best dance crew thing and i noticed that the network is trying more and more to showcase emerging artists.
i guess there's this group called the jonas brothers. who are they? they look lame to me and there was this girl named jonas that i had a peculiar experience with a long time ago. also, there's this new show with this white and black guy; one looks like a younger pharrel, the other like a younger chris cornell -- what the hell is that? i heard one of their songs and thought it was wack. then, there's this new kid rock song -- for real? and the one that takes the cake is this other girl -- tyler perry or something like that. she was wailing on some acoustic guitar (why is blue always the backdrop for an acoustic show) and singing about some error in judgement by sleeping with someone or something. fucking aye, man. i can't believe that the mainstream media, especially the hardcore influential and authoritative MTV network are taking the younger generation for a ride. you can't seriously believe this is good music, good melodies, good ART, right?
man, that really peeves me. what sucks is that we grow up thinking of this and that -- what's good for us, what's bad for us. eventually you grow up and it's like "hey, wait a minute" and you have to make that leap of faith to trust your own feelings and do what you do. the most major one isn't about politics, values or religion. it's about music. your music choice. people generally spend more time engaged with a song, jingle or polyphonic ringtone than they do with anything else. and still they feed what's given to them. you know what you should do when you want brie and they only have cheddar? you don't settle for cheddar, you go find yourself a place that sells brie. you know what lazy, indifferent people do? they resort to mainstream media, radio stations, or revert back to classic rock. please, it's never been easier and please, don't tell me nothing good has come out since then because you know iron and wine, right? just kidding. what i'm saying is stay relevant and listen to the voice of your generation.
sorry, just a little rant because a little payola goes a long way in the music industry and there are amazing artists out there that will never get their shine. pisses me off. and you know, eventually i'm going to explode and just write this long diarrhea-diatribe about HOW MUCH I HATE KARAOKE and MUSIC THEY PLAY IN DIVE BARS and HOW LAME I THINK IT IS THAT PEOPLE GET DRUNK AND THINK THEY ROCK OUT BECAUSE THEY KNOW THE LYRICS TO PARADISE CITY or FOREIGNER and don't even have the balls to BREAK SOME BOTTLES or smoke a joint or RUB SOME THIGHS in the back of a club. sorry, i'm dismounting now. i'm sorry -- it's how i feel, i know i'm taking the wrong approach and it's pricky of me and it's unattractive. it's just, like man, i was just watching mtv and stuff, and like man, i wanted some brie. but all i got was cheese.
-- sonnyred
oh yeah, band, from amsterdam, and yeah they rock, and like the dutch, are boring, so yeah then, they're really like, huge massive boulder
http://www.box.net/shared/jgqjsaf0jc
Sunday, August 24, 2008
"Che Che Cole" - Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra
what up everyone,
hope everyone had a good weekend. man, i heard today's song for the first time on saturday morning i couldn't stop salivating; so i'm stoked to bring it forth to ya'll. for real, ain't afraid to admit that i'm quite ignant when it comes to world music; for real though, there's so much "english" language stuff that's out there and undiscovered that i don't have time, focus or the infrastructure (access to fired plantains, gold chains, and my closest friend with a lot of chest hair was really a japanese guy and he moved back to his home country of brazil).
this song is so hype and it just has this whole "let's have a good time" vibe to it. either way, not to take up much more of your time; throw this song on, spray your axe deodorant and go rock some girl's hips. if you're a girl, it'll make it that much hotter.
caliente!
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/tj99am2jcn
CHE CHE COLE
Vamos todos a bailar
al estilo africano
si no lo sabes bailar
yo te enseñaré mi hermano.
A ti te gusta la bomba
y te gusta el baquiné
para que goces ahora,
africano es el bembé.
CORO:
Che che colé, (que bueno e’………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeiyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve………)
Che che colé, (que bueno e’……)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga, (Coqui saranga……)
Caca chilanga, (Caca chilanga……)
Ayeiyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve……)
Oye tú sentado allá
pareces venezolano
ven aquí vamo’ a bailar
que todos somos hermanos.
Lo bailan en Venezuela,
lo bailan en Panamá.
Este ritmo es africano
y donde quiera vá acabar.
CORO:
Che che colé, (que bueno e’………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve………)
Che che colé, (te re cumbe’……)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga, (no me age rrelajanda……)
Caca chilanga, (baile la malanga……)
Ayeyeee, (aver que e pachanga no e……)
Ya yo sé que te gustó,
quieres bailarlo otra vez,
bailalo en la punta del pie
y veras que bueno es.
Ya yo sé que te gustó,
quieres bailarlo otra vez
pues ponte bien los zapatos
que los tienes al revés.
CORO:
Che che colé, (que bueno e’………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve………)
Che che colé, (que bueno e’……)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga, (Coqui saranga……)
Caca chilanga, (Caca chilanga……)
Ayeyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve……)
hope everyone had a good weekend. man, i heard today's song for the first time on saturday morning i couldn't stop salivating; so i'm stoked to bring it forth to ya'll. for real, ain't afraid to admit that i'm quite ignant when it comes to world music; for real though, there's so much "english" language stuff that's out there and undiscovered that i don't have time, focus or the infrastructure (access to fired plantains, gold chains, and my closest friend with a lot of chest hair was really a japanese guy and he moved back to his home country of brazil).
this song is so hype and it just has this whole "let's have a good time" vibe to it. either way, not to take up much more of your time; throw this song on, spray your axe deodorant and go rock some girl's hips. if you're a girl, it'll make it that much hotter.
caliente!
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/tj99am2jcn
CHE CHE COLE
Vamos todos a bailar
al estilo africano
si no lo sabes bailar
yo te enseñaré mi hermano.
A ti te gusta la bomba
y te gusta el baquiné
para que goces ahora,
africano es el bembé.
CORO:
Che che colé, (que bueno e’………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeiyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve………)
Che che colé, (que bueno e’……)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga, (Coqui saranga……)
Caca chilanga, (Caca chilanga……)
Ayeiyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve……)
Oye tú sentado allá
pareces venezolano
ven aquí vamo’ a bailar
que todos somos hermanos.
Lo bailan en Venezuela,
lo bailan en Panamá.
Este ritmo es africano
y donde quiera vá acabar.
CORO:
Che che colé, (que bueno e’………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve………)
Che che colé, (te re cumbe’……)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga, (no me age rrelajanda……)
Caca chilanga, (baile la malanga……)
Ayeyeee, (aver que e pachanga no e……)
Ya yo sé que te gustó,
quieres bailarlo otra vez,
bailalo en la punta del pie
y veras que bueno es.
Ya yo sé que te gustó,
quieres bailarlo otra vez
pues ponte bien los zapatos
que los tienes al revés.
CORO:
Che che colé, (que bueno e’………)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga (ay viene la malanga……)
Caca chilanga, (viene de catanga……)
Ayeyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve………)
Che che colé, (que bueno e’……)
Che che cofriza, (muerto e’ la risa……)
Coqui saranga, (Coqui saranga……)
Caca chilanga, (Caca chilanga……)
Ayeyeee, (a ver e’ tu lo ve……)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
"Dirty Version" - Voxtrot
hello all,
since there are a bunch of new people on this list, and i'm taking a break in between writing pure pieces of genius (for blake to print out and wipe her dirty butt with), and this song came on, and rarely fails to send chills down my spine, and many people will probably never hear this song if it weren't for me, and it's a great song (that will hopefully send a thunderbolt down your spine unless you have scoliosis then it might take longer), and i found so many gems of lyrics between stanzas, in bars, and makes me wish i was at a bar, to drown my sorrows, actually to take a step back, i have nothing to be sorrowful about, but hearing this song made me wish i had something to be sorrowful about, so that i could go to a bar and drown them, or maybe even jump off the pier and drown myself, and this song is one of those songs where no matter what you're doing at your computer -- watching a breakdance video on youtube, or reading the latest team usa basketball news headlines or how the 40 year old virgin guy stabbed his girlfriend or transferring money from your savings to your checkings to hold you off till friday or whatever when you hear this song it'll just make you pause and direct your eyes to the empty space between you and what's directly away from you, because this song is incredible and i think they did it to me on purpose because i swear, i haven't blinked, nor slept, for years because now i'm hearing this song and i have no shame that the frigid air conditioning in this panera bread co. is tic-taccing my nipples, because the only thing that matters to me at this moment is the hollowness of this song and the fact that it makes me feel bad, but bad in a good way that makes me feel great, but then leaves me longing for something so ugly that it leaves me -- with this beautiful sorrow that gets me stirring my emotions so that when i hear this song the heart pumping is not something i hear from her but something i feel, in me.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/da3ht7j1mc
since there are a bunch of new people on this list, and i'm taking a break in between writing pure pieces of genius (for blake to print out and wipe her dirty butt with), and this song came on, and rarely fails to send chills down my spine, and many people will probably never hear this song if it weren't for me, and it's a great song (that will hopefully send a thunderbolt down your spine unless you have scoliosis then it might take longer), and i found so many gems of lyrics between stanzas, in bars, and makes me wish i was at a bar, to drown my sorrows, actually to take a step back, i have nothing to be sorrowful about, but hearing this song made me wish i had something to be sorrowful about, so that i could go to a bar and drown them, or maybe even jump off the pier and drown myself, and this song is one of those songs where no matter what you're doing at your computer -- watching a breakdance video on youtube, or reading the latest team usa basketball news headlines or how the 40 year old virgin guy stabbed his girlfriend or transferring money from your savings to your checkings to hold you off till friday or whatever when you hear this song it'll just make you pause and direct your eyes to the empty space between you and what's directly away from you, because this song is incredible and i think they did it to me on purpose because i swear, i haven't blinked, nor slept, for years because now i'm hearing this song and i have no shame that the frigid air conditioning in this panera bread co. is tic-taccing my nipples, because the only thing that matters to me at this moment is the hollowness of this song and the fact that it makes me feel bad, but bad in a good way that makes me feel great, but then leaves me longing for something so ugly that it leaves me -- with this beautiful sorrow that gets me stirring my emotions so that when i hear this song the heart pumping is not something i hear from her but something i feel, in me.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/da3ht7j1mc
Thursday, July 31, 2008
"Vio Spilum Endalust" - Sigur Ros
what up everyone,
as promised, here's another sigur ros song i'm sending out. not sure what this means but the melody and pulsating "sounds of the congo" drum alludes me to think that this is a powerful song. maybe i'd play this to illustrated a salmon jumping up a waterfall, a 4 year old boy going straight down a sidewalk with the training wheels for the first time, an 86 year old woman succesfully opening a jar of peanut butter without the help of a kitchen towel, a freshly hatched sea turtle making it past the break under a moonlit beach, or maybe an overly dramatic taco bell commercial where the guy is standing on top of the mountain screaming, "i'm full."
the beauty of things that people don't understand is that they can take away from it what they will. the tragedy of it is that despite doing so, they may never understand.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/q4e2xoco4g
as promised, here's another sigur ros song i'm sending out. not sure what this means but the melody and pulsating "sounds of the congo" drum alludes me to think that this is a powerful song. maybe i'd play this to illustrated a salmon jumping up a waterfall, a 4 year old boy going straight down a sidewalk with the training wheels for the first time, an 86 year old woman succesfully opening a jar of peanut butter without the help of a kitchen towel, a freshly hatched sea turtle making it past the break under a moonlit beach, or maybe an overly dramatic taco bell commercial where the guy is standing on top of the mountain screaming, "i'm full."
the beauty of things that people don't understand is that they can take away from it what they will. the tragedy of it is that despite doing so, they may never understand.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/q4e2xoco4g
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
"Gobbledigook" - Sigur Ros
hello all,
please join me in welcoming stephanie shortsleeve to our humble music group. just to give everyone a little background on how this list came to be. it all started off in an apple focus group (at the agency i was working at). we were talking about what would become the ipod mini and it was only me and this girl in the group. the moderator asked us if we used itunes, i said NO. i go to amoeba (in independent music store in hollywood/nor cal). why? the tangibility aspect of having something in your hands, fingernail razor blades to slice open the plastic wrap, falling in love with the album and mulling over the booklet, trading in the album for credit, a portion of the proceeds benefiting the amazon forest and (most importantly) supporting the local economy.
the girl next to me said her main reluctance was because they didn't have the music she listened to on itunes. WHA WHA WHAT? needless to say that sparked an entire sidebar conversation and continued onto me making her some CDs of the genres we both enjoyed. yes, she was very attractive; otherwise i probably would've just given her a "google that shit, bitch" list of artists i liked. so then, word of my compilations got around and then like 3 people also asked for music...they didn't know much but they knew they liked it...sometimes they didn't and asked me why i liked it...and that's how this whole thing started. and for the past 2 or 3 years people have come and gone. i don't even know half of the people on this list but when they meet me they know me up the wazoo; which is why i ask for introductions...to level the playing field:
them: hey, i know you. you're the loser that always gets rejected by women and lives in this fairytale land where dreams are seamless and you shed jack daniel teardrops.
me: you ain't got nothing on me. i know your favorite color is periwinkle. now what?
hence, here's stephanie's intro:
My friend ____ sent along your email, he and I share a love for live music and new bands. As for a little intro about me, I’m known in most circles as ‘Shortsleeve’ or ‘Shorty’ due to my unusual last name…my favorite band is the Kings of Leon, I think because it gets me back to my southern roots….my favorite food is goldfish crackers, and I’ve never met anyone who loves parades as much as I do, something about smiling and waving to perfect strangers who happily return the favor.
if it weren't for kings of leon being your favorite band, i'd say you were magna cum lade. kiddingly serious. well, today's band i stumbled upon 7 years too late. don't blame me, they're from iceland and i don't have any icelandic friends and all i know is that despite the notion that people say iceland is green and greenland is snowy, iceland is still very snowy. there's no way a country could be that stupid, right? i don't know though...today's song is called gobbledigook, after all.
hey, asians...calm your nerves, i know the title is a little derogatory and we should all impose a boycott of something icelandic and all. how about ice? i'm talking cubed, crushed, shaved. merely typing the word shaved makes me want to do naked pilates in front of the freezer. screw the boycott, you guys are on your own.
but wait, i don't like the way they laugh at us asians in the first few seconds of the song. who do they think we are? after all, we will email bomb them bitches. we are, where, somewhere between indians and ukrainians in terms of information technology prowess. let's flex our skills and caps lock our keyboards and test their spam guards. how dare they use us in the same title with sounds that turkeys make.
i don't care. i'm sending this band out anyway. and be prepared, i've quickly fallen in love with them. i'm sending out at least 3 more songs from them, so be prepared for the indecipherable lyrics and beautiful melodies. this band sends chills down my spine. the sound is so beautiful and it makes me want to hire a prostitute to counterbalance all the gay feelings pulsating through me right now. craigslist "erotic services," here i come! pun definitely intended.
hope this song makes all you guys want to solicit the services of a lady of the night, as well.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/vh6t2izwos
please join me in welcoming stephanie shortsleeve to our humble music group. just to give everyone a little background on how this list came to be. it all started off in an apple focus group (at the agency i was working at). we were talking about what would become the ipod mini and it was only me and this girl in the group. the moderator asked us if we used itunes, i said NO. i go to amoeba (in independent music store in hollywood/nor cal). why? the tangibility aspect of having something in your hands, fingernail razor blades to slice open the plastic wrap, falling in love with the album and mulling over the booklet, trading in the album for credit, a portion of the proceeds benefiting the amazon forest and (most importantly) supporting the local economy.
the girl next to me said her main reluctance was because they didn't have the music she listened to on itunes. WHA WHA WHAT? needless to say that sparked an entire sidebar conversation and continued onto me making her some CDs of the genres we both enjoyed. yes, she was very attractive; otherwise i probably would've just given her a "google that shit, bitch" list of artists i liked. so then, word of my compilations got around and then like 3 people also asked for music...they didn't know much but they knew they liked it...sometimes they didn't and asked me why i liked it...and that's how this whole thing started. and for the past 2 or 3 years people have come and gone. i don't even know half of the people on this list but when they meet me they know me up the wazoo; which is why i ask for introductions...to level the playing field:
them: hey, i know you. you're the loser that always gets rejected by women and lives in this fairytale land where dreams are seamless and you shed jack daniel teardrops.
me: you ain't got nothing on me. i know your favorite color is periwinkle. now what?
hence, here's stephanie's intro:
My friend ____ sent along your email, he and I share a love for live music and new bands. As for a little intro about me, I’m known in most circles as ‘Shortsleeve’ or ‘Shorty’ due to my unusual last name…my favorite band is the Kings of Leon, I think because it gets me back to my southern roots….my favorite food is goldfish crackers, and I’ve never met anyone who loves parades as much as I do, something about smiling and waving to perfect strangers who happily return the favor.
if it weren't for kings of leon being your favorite band, i'd say you were magna cum lade. kiddingly serious. well, today's band i stumbled upon 7 years too late. don't blame me, they're from iceland and i don't have any icelandic friends and all i know is that despite the notion that people say iceland is green and greenland is snowy, iceland is still very snowy. there's no way a country could be that stupid, right? i don't know though...today's song is called gobbledigook, after all.
hey, asians...calm your nerves, i know the title is a little derogatory and we should all impose a boycott of something icelandic and all. how about ice? i'm talking cubed, crushed, shaved. merely typing the word shaved makes me want to do naked pilates in front of the freezer. screw the boycott, you guys are on your own.
but wait, i don't like the way they laugh at us asians in the first few seconds of the song. who do they think we are? after all, we will email bomb them bitches. we are, where, somewhere between indians and ukrainians in terms of information technology prowess. let's flex our skills and caps lock our keyboards and test their spam guards. how dare they use us in the same title with sounds that turkeys make.
i don't care. i'm sending this band out anyway. and be prepared, i've quickly fallen in love with them. i'm sending out at least 3 more songs from them, so be prepared for the indecipherable lyrics and beautiful melodies. this band sends chills down my spine. the sound is so beautiful and it makes me want to hire a prostitute to counterbalance all the gay feelings pulsating through me right now. craigslist "erotic services," here i come! pun definitely intended.
hope this song makes all you guys want to solicit the services of a lady of the night, as well.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/vh6t2izwos
Monday, July 28, 2008
"Lick Shot" - Immortal Technique, Crooked I, Chino XL
what up ya'll,
hope you all had a good weekend. quite nice, yeah?
"revolution"...you won't hear cats in the ghetto talk about it. you won't see their tvs tuned onto it (not while "g's to gents" is airing). but you know these things do affect people, and how can they ever know about it? sometimes, when you're in a position of authority and stuff, you might have an obligation to leverage your position to get some crucial messages across. i like immortal technique for doing this shit. it's all a matter of opinion, but you know, the truth is that a lot of disenfranchised youth look to athletes and rappers as an influential figure and whether or not you want to be a role model, the truth is that you are. and so it's up to you to live for yourself or to sacrifice it for the greater good.
"you try keeping it real, yet you should try keeping it right" - de la soul (stakes is high)
and you know, that's why i find it hard to listen to music that glamorizes shit and makes people feel like shit if they don't cop this or cop that. and the thing i hate the most is when conscious mcs talk about being conscious, but really don't speak out on anything. and the thing that i hate right after that is how people talk about revolution, or how mcs talk about people that only talk about revolution, or even worse...music critics/writers that dog on mcs that talk about revolution and revolutionary anything. no offense to me; trust me, i'm not. what i like about IT is that he actually does talk about specific topics and issues and he's thuggity. i mean, i'm all for that ghetto intellectual shit, that's the shit.
that's what today's song is to me. crooked i is some wack rapper, but you know i get him props for his verse. and of course, there's chino xl...the king of metaphors. now for real, i'd rather box lil wayne and his dad before i ever fuck with chino xl. either way, west coast gangsta shit always lacked this stuff....('cept for 2pac and amerikkka's most wanted).
either way, enjoy.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/ynr1rf8tcc
hope you all had a good weekend. quite nice, yeah?
"revolution"...you won't hear cats in the ghetto talk about it. you won't see their tvs tuned onto it (not while "g's to gents" is airing). but you know these things do affect people, and how can they ever know about it? sometimes, when you're in a position of authority and stuff, you might have an obligation to leverage your position to get some crucial messages across. i like immortal technique for doing this shit. it's all a matter of opinion, but you know, the truth is that a lot of disenfranchised youth look to athletes and rappers as an influential figure and whether or not you want to be a role model, the truth is that you are. and so it's up to you to live for yourself or to sacrifice it for the greater good.
"you try keeping it real, yet you should try keeping it right" - de la soul (stakes is high)
and you know, that's why i find it hard to listen to music that glamorizes shit and makes people feel like shit if they don't cop this or cop that. and the thing i hate the most is when conscious mcs talk about being conscious, but really don't speak out on anything. and the thing that i hate right after that is how people talk about revolution, or how mcs talk about people that only talk about revolution, or even worse...music critics/writers that dog on mcs that talk about revolution and revolutionary anything. no offense to me; trust me, i'm not. what i like about IT is that he actually does talk about specific topics and issues and he's thuggity. i mean, i'm all for that ghetto intellectual shit, that's the shit.
that's what today's song is to me. crooked i is some wack rapper, but you know i get him props for his verse. and of course, there's chino xl...the king of metaphors. now for real, i'd rather box lil wayne and his dad before i ever fuck with chino xl. either way, west coast gangsta shit always lacked this stuff....('cept for 2pac and amerikkka's most wanted).
either way, enjoy.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/ynr1rf8tcc
"Hallucinations" - The Raveonettes
what up everyone,
hope you all had a good weekend. man, do i feel bad for ever writing off the raveonettes before truly giving them a chance. but really, don't blame me for thinking they were like some kind of gothic super hero vigilante group, or like, some type of cheerleading squad for a professional football organization.
Not sure what today's song is about and not sure I want to think too hard about it, either. From the sound of it, it seems like it's about a this miserable dude in a miserable relationship and he's about to skidaddle on her, come sunrise. I don't even think it's necessarily about a guy that's about to leave his lover for someone new.
I can totally relate; let me explain. You know sometimes, you're stuck in this relationship and you want out but you can't really bring yourself to do it; I mean...the security, the constants, the familiarty...but you know, when you get into those stupid arguments (over dumb shit), you know there's actually something a lot more to it. So you go to sleep, restless and burnt, and you imagine to yourself that you've met someone new and that you're leaving them forever...hence the hallucination part. Certainly, you'll wake up to the same ol' shit, but while electrified sheets are keeping you from spooning her, and while you're swearing you're going to wait till she falls asleep and you're just going to take off like a thief in the night, and while your eyes are closed, you're fabricating the antithesis, of her. you're dreaming out the things you'd never have the balls to manifest.
enjoy (cowards),
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/pawatbvok4
HALLUCINATIONS
Observe my obsession with someone new
Don't feel like someone new
The connection is real with someone new
In this tomb I call love
I get so lonesome with you
Or without you sweetheart
The hellhound's here
Hallucinate my love
Nothing's real in the morn
When I rise I'll leave you to die
You to die, you to die
hope you all had a good weekend. man, do i feel bad for ever writing off the raveonettes before truly giving them a chance. but really, don't blame me for thinking they were like some kind of gothic super hero vigilante group, or like, some type of cheerleading squad for a professional football organization.
Not sure what today's song is about and not sure I want to think too hard about it, either. From the sound of it, it seems like it's about a this miserable dude in a miserable relationship and he's about to skidaddle on her, come sunrise. I don't even think it's necessarily about a guy that's about to leave his lover for someone new.
I can totally relate; let me explain. You know sometimes, you're stuck in this relationship and you want out but you can't really bring yourself to do it; I mean...the security, the constants, the familiarty...but you know, when you get into those stupid arguments (over dumb shit), you know there's actually something a lot more to it. So you go to sleep, restless and burnt, and you imagine to yourself that you've met someone new and that you're leaving them forever...hence the hallucination part. Certainly, you'll wake up to the same ol' shit, but while electrified sheets are keeping you from spooning her, and while you're swearing you're going to wait till she falls asleep and you're just going to take off like a thief in the night, and while your eyes are closed, you're fabricating the antithesis, of her. you're dreaming out the things you'd never have the balls to manifest.
enjoy (cowards),
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/pawatbvok4
HALLUCINATIONS
Observe my obsession with someone new
Don't feel like someone new
The connection is real with someone new
In this tomb I call love
I get so lonesome with you
Or without you sweetheart
The hellhound's here
Hallucinate my love
Nothing's real in the morn
When I rise I'll leave you to die
You to die, you to die
Monday, July 21, 2008
"Goodby to the Mother and the Cove" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
Whewww....I'm all winded just typing that subject line. Good lord.
Anywho, hope everyone had a good weekend. When did "who" sneak into the conversation as an acceptable replacement for anyway? And when are when, what, why and where going to share a similar fate? Will they ever?
As I listen to Clap Your Hands, the only thing that comes to mind is how I'm sitting here, typing on a granite kitchen countertop while all this awesome music is being created all over NYC right now; which is where CYHSY started. That's where I want to be. In C+C Music Factory.
Anywhy, today's song is about a guy being in love with his friend. Ahhh, tell me that's never happened to any of you before and I'll just be like, "whatever. anywhen!"
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/84scf3v48g
Anywho, hope everyone had a good weekend. When did "who" sneak into the conversation as an acceptable replacement for anyway? And when are when, what, why and where going to share a similar fate? Will they ever?
As I listen to Clap Your Hands, the only thing that comes to mind is how I'm sitting here, typing on a granite kitchen countertop while all this awesome music is being created all over NYC right now; which is where CYHSY started. That's where I want to be. In C+C Music Factory.
Anywhy, today's song is about a guy being in love with his friend. Ahhh, tell me that's never happened to any of you before and I'll just be like, "whatever. anywhen!"
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/84scf3v48g
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
"The Healer/Hip Hop" - Erykah Badu
what up ya'll?
fuck, what a gem i stumbled upon just by putting this on random. man, i gotta admit, erykah badu isn't an mc, but fuck neither is mary j blige. how the fuck did she get crowned the queen of hip hop? that's bullshit and i'll argue with anyone over that shit.
if there is anyone that is deserving of it, i'd say lauryn hill...she's mad soulful, has a beautiful voice, has the class and beauty of a queen and she is one of the best mc's of all time (boy or girl). don't deny me; i'll resend vocab and ya'll can hear how she rips that shit. you hear her voice and you feel this stuff inside of you that'll make you wish you were black; if anything, if you ever wanted to be black..listening to lauryn hill would take you one step closer to it. ask all them crazy white girls on this list....they'll vouch. it's almost to the point where if they ever got caught saying a racist joke, their only resort may be like "i totally listened to "the miseducation..." like 3 times a week for 2 years." or like, "see how edgy and cool i am? i went to roscoes." but if i did see someone listening to lauryn, i'd be at least like, "aight, you still racist but at least......."
if anything, erykah badu should reign supreme over mary j. she's down for it....i mean, she fucked and fucked over some important figures....andre and common...and then the supreme wonderboy jay electronica. i don't know man...she does shit and makes people get all eclectic and stuff. hearing this song really fucking drives me crazy. fuck, she has so much soul.
she's one of those apples in the tree where no matter how sweet the one in your hand is, you want to reach higher and higher and just get that one fucking hard-to-reach apple. you know you gotta drop the one in your hand to jump higher....you'll never get it; and you'll leave hungrier than ever. but as the hours pass, and after you've jumped a million times, and after you know you'll never get that apple, you'll wish you never let go of that one apple you had...
but at least you've increased your hops game.
-- sonnyred
i hate being cocky, but it's in my nature sometimes, and come on, that was a funny one. i'm a little drunk and i ate dinner at the new father's office (in culver city) so don't fuck with me.....you can't bring me down (yes scott, i just quoted suicidal tendencies).
if you pay attention....you'll notice the lyrics pay tribute to j dilla. guys, you may or may not be as into hip hop as me, and most of you guys may have never heard of j dilla if it weren't for this music list...but this cat is mad important. pay attention. i will go on and say that he is greater than 2pac, greater than biggie, jammaster jay, scott larock (boogie down productions), big l or even eazy e. i'm not saying this because he is the greatest producer or mc or founded a whole new genre of music....i'm not saying that at all. it's the hip hop artists, themselves, that are...he's immortalized through other people..his legacy is left through other people. eazy e is a pioneer, biggie is arguably the "best mc," 2pac shit..people still wear shirts with him on it and they taught a class at ucla on his poetry. but what makes j dilla so great is that he's behind the scenes. he's the ghost that you don't know is there.
he's the $20 bill in your jeans pocket that you never knew you had.
fuck, you know how passionate i am about this culture...how the fuck can you ever, EVER expect me to dance to soulja boy at a club? am i a music snob? am i too cool for school? ever think it's just because i care too much? for fuck's sake.
i swear, if i had a girlfriend i'd make hard, freak accident-jaws of life love to her right now. now accepting applications. be sexy. but if you can't, then be gentle.
http://www.box.net/shared/5jt8049sg4
THE HEALER
Humdi Lila Allah Jehova
Yahweh Dios Ma'ad Jah
Rastafara fyah dance, sex, music, hip-hop
It's bigger than religion
hip-hop
it's bigger than my nigga
hip-hop
it's bigger than the government
(humdi luli lali lulo)
This one is fa' Dilla, hip-hop...
(humdi luli la, humdi luli la lilulo, humdi lulila humdi lulilaaa...)
we ain't..
dead said the children don't believe it
We just made ourselves invisible..
underwater, stove-top,
blue flame scientist come out with your scales up..
get baptized in the ocean of the hungry
(Humdi luli lalilulo, Humdi lulilalilu)
My niggas turn in to gods,
walls come tumblin...(aaahhh)
Chorus
Humdi lila Allah jehova
yahweh dios ma'ad jah
Rastafara fyah dance,
sex, music, hip-hop
It's bigger than religion
hip-hop
it's bigger than my niggas
hip-hop
it's bigger than the government
(humdi luli lali lulo)
This one is the healer, hip-hop...
(humdi luli la, humdi lulilalilulo, humdi lulila, humdi lulilaaaa)
Told you
we aint dead yet
we been livin' through your internet
you don't have to believe everything you think
we've been programmed
wake up, we miss you.
they call you indigo, we call you Africa..
go get baptized in the ocean
of the people SAY
(Humdi luli lalulilo)
say reboot, refresh, restart..
fresh page,
new day,
o.g.'s,
new key...
(humdi lulila, humdi lulila lilulo, humdi luli la, humdilulila)
fuck, what a gem i stumbled upon just by putting this on random. man, i gotta admit, erykah badu isn't an mc, but fuck neither is mary j blige. how the fuck did she get crowned the queen of hip hop? that's bullshit and i'll argue with anyone over that shit.
if there is anyone that is deserving of it, i'd say lauryn hill...she's mad soulful, has a beautiful voice, has the class and beauty of a queen and she is one of the best mc's of all time (boy or girl). don't deny me; i'll resend vocab and ya'll can hear how she rips that shit. you hear her voice and you feel this stuff inside of you that'll make you wish you were black; if anything, if you ever wanted to be black..listening to lauryn hill would take you one step closer to it. ask all them crazy white girls on this list....they'll vouch. it's almost to the point where if they ever got caught saying a racist joke, their only resort may be like "i totally listened to "the miseducation..." like 3 times a week for 2 years." or like, "see how edgy and cool i am? i went to roscoes." but if i did see someone listening to lauryn, i'd be at least like, "aight, you still racist but at least......."
if anything, erykah badu should reign supreme over mary j. she's down for it....i mean, she fucked and fucked over some important figures....andre and common...and then the supreme wonderboy jay electronica. i don't know man...she does shit and makes people get all eclectic and stuff. hearing this song really fucking drives me crazy. fuck, she has so much soul.
she's one of those apples in the tree where no matter how sweet the one in your hand is, you want to reach higher and higher and just get that one fucking hard-to-reach apple. you know you gotta drop the one in your hand to jump higher....you'll never get it; and you'll leave hungrier than ever. but as the hours pass, and after you've jumped a million times, and after you know you'll never get that apple, you'll wish you never let go of that one apple you had...
but at least you've increased your hops game.
-- sonnyred
i hate being cocky, but it's in my nature sometimes, and come on, that was a funny one. i'm a little drunk and i ate dinner at the new father's office (in culver city) so don't fuck with me.....you can't bring me down (yes scott, i just quoted suicidal tendencies).
if you pay attention....you'll notice the lyrics pay tribute to j dilla. guys, you may or may not be as into hip hop as me, and most of you guys may have never heard of j dilla if it weren't for this music list...but this cat is mad important. pay attention. i will go on and say that he is greater than 2pac, greater than biggie, jammaster jay, scott larock (boogie down productions), big l or even eazy e. i'm not saying this because he is the greatest producer or mc or founded a whole new genre of music....i'm not saying that at all. it's the hip hop artists, themselves, that are...he's immortalized through other people..his legacy is left through other people. eazy e is a pioneer, biggie is arguably the "best mc," 2pac shit..people still wear shirts with him on it and they taught a class at ucla on his poetry. but what makes j dilla so great is that he's behind the scenes. he's the ghost that you don't know is there.
he's the $20 bill in your jeans pocket that you never knew you had.
fuck, you know how passionate i am about this culture...how the fuck can you ever, EVER expect me to dance to soulja boy at a club? am i a music snob? am i too cool for school? ever think it's just because i care too much? for fuck's sake.
i swear, if i had a girlfriend i'd make hard, freak accident-jaws of life love to her right now. now accepting applications. be sexy. but if you can't, then be gentle.
http://www.box.net/shared/5jt8049sg4
THE HEALER
Humdi Lila Allah Jehova
Yahweh Dios Ma'ad Jah
Rastafara fyah dance, sex, music, hip-hop
It's bigger than religion
hip-hop
it's bigger than my nigga
hip-hop
it's bigger than the government
(humdi luli lali lulo)
This one is fa' Dilla, hip-hop...
(humdi luli la, humdi luli la lilulo, humdi lulila humdi lulilaaa...)
we ain't..
dead said the children don't believe it
We just made ourselves invisible..
underwater, stove-top,
blue flame scientist come out with your scales up..
get baptized in the ocean of the hungry
(Humdi luli lalilulo, Humdi lulilalilu)
My niggas turn in to gods,
walls come tumblin...(aaahhh)
Chorus
Humdi lila Allah jehova
yahweh dios ma'ad jah
Rastafara fyah dance,
sex, music, hip-hop
It's bigger than religion
hip-hop
it's bigger than my niggas
hip-hop
it's bigger than the government
(humdi luli lali lulo)
This one is the healer, hip-hop...
(humdi luli la, humdi lulilalilulo, humdi lulila, humdi lulilaaaa)
Told you
we aint dead yet
we been livin' through your internet
you don't have to believe everything you think
we've been programmed
wake up, we miss you.
they call you indigo, we call you Africa..
go get baptized in the ocean
of the people SAY
(Humdi luli lalulilo)
say reboot, refresh, restart..
fresh page,
new day,
o.g.'s,
new key...
(humdi lulila, humdi lulila lilulo, humdi luli la, humdilulila)
Monday, July 7, 2008
"The Killing Moon" - Echo and the Bunnymen
hello all,
hope you all had a lovely 4th of july weekend. couldn't have asked for much more....nice waves, spent it with many of you and had some interesting encounters with ugly women..or ugly encounters with interesting women...either way, beautiful thoughts abound.
so yeah, if you send me a song to consider, don't send me a damn myspace link, send me a track. upload that shit for me, son! whatever. today's song is a little creepy crawly classic from one of the awesomnest soundtracks of all time, donnie darko. and the scene for this song is equally amazing.
but uhh, i'm wondering why "n" has to come along when i type in awesomnest. like, what fucking high standards that letter has? even awesome isn't good enough for it. i'm so damm pissed off at that fumking letter right mow.
i aim't gomma talk shit amymore. emjoy.
sommyred
http://www.box.net/shared/5tumcgjggo
hope you all had a lovely 4th of july weekend. couldn't have asked for much more....nice waves, spent it with many of you and had some interesting encounters with ugly women..or ugly encounters with interesting women...either way, beautiful thoughts abound.
so yeah, if you send me a song to consider, don't send me a damn myspace link, send me a track. upload that shit for me, son! whatever. today's song is a little creepy crawly classic from one of the awesomnest soundtracks of all time, donnie darko. and the scene for this song is equally amazing.
but uhh, i'm wondering why "n" has to come along when i type in awesomnest. like, what fucking high standards that letter has? even awesome isn't good enough for it. i'm so damm pissed off at that fumking letter right mow.
i aim't gomma talk shit amymore. emjoy.
sommyred
http://www.box.net/shared/5tumcgjggo
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
"Face Like Summer" - Gorky's Zygotic Mynci
hello all,
what a bummer; this song has been around since 2000 and i just heard it/the band for the first time (10 minutes ago) and now they're gone. i tried looking them up and it appears they've broken up! what a shame....man, they sound so familiar, like "the shout out louds" or something. here i go, making these analytical assumptions that are based on nothing more than atmosphere.
what is it about this song that i like? i like the somber melody, the simplicity and of course the harmonizing with the girl. i just love that (reminds me of "a plain morning" by dashboard confessional) weaving....making gingham out of stripes. and at first the song sounds rather cheesy, but there is this undeniable conviction in their voices.
give it its due process by throwing on some headphones when you listen to this. stop what you're doing (it's less than 3:00 long). but, if you really want to enjoy the song as much as possible, drive up to sunset blvd and pch (sunset point break for all your surfers, gladstones for all you shitty, fried seafood lovers) around 8:00 tonight, bring a bottle of pinot noir, go sit on the rocks and relisten to this song -- on repeat as you swig, think and drink your way to its bottom. bring a piece of paper and a pen, and write just one word on it, seal it up, and throw it into the ocean. one word, any word.
...and i guarantee it won't be anywhere close to "diarrhea."
either way, enjoy.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/pj2fe3wg0k
what a bummer; this song has been around since 2000 and i just heard it/the band for the first time (10 minutes ago) and now they're gone. i tried looking them up and it appears they've broken up! what a shame....man, they sound so familiar, like "the shout out louds" or something. here i go, making these analytical assumptions that are based on nothing more than atmosphere.
what is it about this song that i like? i like the somber melody, the simplicity and of course the harmonizing with the girl. i just love that (reminds me of "a plain morning" by dashboard confessional) weaving....making gingham out of stripes. and at first the song sounds rather cheesy, but there is this undeniable conviction in their voices.
give it its due process by throwing on some headphones when you listen to this. stop what you're doing (it's less than 3:00 long). but, if you really want to enjoy the song as much as possible, drive up to sunset blvd and pch (sunset point break for all your surfers, gladstones for all you shitty, fried seafood lovers) around 8:00 tonight, bring a bottle of pinot noir, go sit on the rocks and relisten to this song -- on repeat as you swig, think and drink your way to its bottom. bring a piece of paper and a pen, and write just one word on it, seal it up, and throw it into the ocean. one word, any word.
...and i guarantee it won't be anywhere close to "diarrhea."
either way, enjoy.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/pj2fe3wg0k
Sunday, June 29, 2008
"Kids" - MGMT
hello all,
wow, not sure what to say. i heard one of their songs briefly before i went on my trip almost 5 months ago, but i kind of wrote them off because they looked so young and just sounded like another drug-addled band.
forward maybe 2 months later and i'm in sofia, bulgaria, couchsurfing with a married couple that were all about MGMT. paid more attention, saw the video and was like, "cool and weird, but gimmicky and the song is too long." i come back and get reminded by katie about how good they are, she hooks me up with their album and i'm a fried egg on an arizona sidewalk.
still very drugalicious, but damn, this band...they pushed it to the next level. you know what this means, right? electro-indie is the new phase of "cool music." (not going to stop me from wanting to punch hipsters).
today's song is my favorite one out of their album -- just real melodic and catchy. and usually, when a song bursts into a solo i get bored and want to skip it, but it's different with this song. i swear, they can sing that chorus 10 more times and i'll still be happy.
either way, hopefully this will get your blood pumping as you start your work week. enjoy it like i know you could. oh yeah, sugar pie honey bunch.
-- sonnyred
oh yeah, that couple serve as a prime example of a passion for good music. i mean, this couple, from buttfuck bulgaria knew what was up. and us, we are in one of the biggest music/cultural meccas of the world. don't take it for granted. go out there, seek and destroy, and build. take kroq off your radio dial, damnit. how many more times can you hear an 80s flashback block party where they think green day is the greatest thing to rock music and chris martin is pablo neruda (or sam beam)? i mean, granted i want to be cool like those full sized pickup trucks with 6 inch suspension lifts, famous stars and straps stickers on the back window and wearing "tapout" shirts, too. i promise, independent music is a dark, scary tunnel. where do you start? where do you go? how do you get out? point is, you go in, and you don't get out. but stay in long enough, your aperture will open, and you'll see amazing things.
http://www.box.net/shared/9mbsh2cg0s
wow, not sure what to say. i heard one of their songs briefly before i went on my trip almost 5 months ago, but i kind of wrote them off because they looked so young and just sounded like another drug-addled band.
forward maybe 2 months later and i'm in sofia, bulgaria, couchsurfing with a married couple that were all about MGMT. paid more attention, saw the video and was like, "cool and weird, but gimmicky and the song is too long." i come back and get reminded by katie about how good they are, she hooks me up with their album and i'm a fried egg on an arizona sidewalk.
still very drugalicious, but damn, this band...they pushed it to the next level. you know what this means, right? electro-indie is the new phase of "cool music." (not going to stop me from wanting to punch hipsters).
today's song is my favorite one out of their album -- just real melodic and catchy. and usually, when a song bursts into a solo i get bored and want to skip it, but it's different with this song. i swear, they can sing that chorus 10 more times and i'll still be happy.
either way, hopefully this will get your blood pumping as you start your work week. enjoy it like i know you could. oh yeah, sugar pie honey bunch.
-- sonnyred
oh yeah, that couple serve as a prime example of a passion for good music. i mean, this couple, from buttfuck bulgaria knew what was up. and us, we are in one of the biggest music/cultural meccas of the world. don't take it for granted. go out there, seek and destroy, and build. take kroq off your radio dial, damnit. how many more times can you hear an 80s flashback block party where they think green day is the greatest thing to rock music and chris martin is pablo neruda (or sam beam)? i mean, granted i want to be cool like those full sized pickup trucks with 6 inch suspension lifts, famous stars and straps stickers on the back window and wearing "tapout" shirts, too. i promise, independent music is a dark, scary tunnel. where do you start? where do you go? how do you get out? point is, you go in, and you don't get out. but stay in long enough, your aperture will open, and you'll see amazing things.
http://www.box.net/shared/9mbsh2cg0s
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
"Blind Man" - Cut Chemist > MED
what up everyone,
hope ya'll like this rapid, spit-fire, blow the fuck up, NRA, charlton heston being carried on your shoulders, dust off the vhs and throw in menace II society, get a basketball and put a spin on it when you bounce pass it to someone, go down to the local carniceria and eat some of that chicharonnes while you're waiting for them to weigh the asada, throw on a diaper get a sixpack and watch a triple header, too damn hot for a shirt so walk around in your wife beater, get some corn and spread butter squeeze some lime sprinkle some chili flavored lucas powder squirt some tapatio and top it off with some mayonnaise, mega hold nah fuck that dep super mega hold gel and spike your hair up and shake someone's hand before washing it, slam that lobbed up tennis ball even though you're probably going to slam it over the fence and have it get stuck in some bushes, eat some 911 hooters hot wings and wipe your hands with a wetnap and then get something stuck in your contact lens, telling your best friend you're secretly in love with her, talk in the tone of a retarded person even though you know it ain't cool and that ain't right, and karma's a bitch but you're much worse so karma better watch the fuck out -- type song.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/npzple6684
hope ya'll like this rapid, spit-fire, blow the fuck up, NRA, charlton heston being carried on your shoulders, dust off the vhs and throw in menace II society, get a basketball and put a spin on it when you bounce pass it to someone, go down to the local carniceria and eat some of that chicharonnes while you're waiting for them to weigh the asada, throw on a diaper get a sixpack and watch a triple header, too damn hot for a shirt so walk around in your wife beater, get some corn and spread butter squeeze some lime sprinkle some chili flavored lucas powder squirt some tapatio and top it off with some mayonnaise, mega hold nah fuck that dep super mega hold gel and spike your hair up and shake someone's hand before washing it, slam that lobbed up tennis ball even though you're probably going to slam it over the fence and have it get stuck in some bushes, eat some 911 hooters hot wings and wipe your hands with a wetnap and then get something stuck in your contact lens, telling your best friend you're secretly in love with her, talk in the tone of a retarded person even though you know it ain't cool and that ain't right, and karma's a bitch but you're much worse so karma better watch the fuck out -- type song.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/npzple6684
"Skeleton Key" - Margot and the Nuclear So & So's
hello all,
sending this song out ...i think i sent it before, but you know, new people on the list, and bad memory permits me to resend. on top of that __ski-badoski likes this song so, here you go (thanks for letting me drop in on you at sunset, it stoked me all day long, you badoski, you)....andrew come here, punk!
well, at first i fell in love with the melody of this song. sounds innocent enough, right? well, then i heard more and more and just love the melody, it's really not that elementary. it's a rather complex and intricately honest story...i'm thinking it's about a guy that cheats on a girl or a guy that was involved with a girl that was cheating on her man and leading him on.
this song definitely found its relevance in me and some of the dumb shit i've done before and/or allowed to happen to me. i'm telling you, sometimes, i think i value music so much because it lets me know i'm not lance armstrong in my shortcomings. either way, many sorrows would've floated if this song was to have been around when i was, say 15-19 years old? all the wiser, all the reminders, wrapped up in a nice whole wheat tortilla for your listening pleasure.
enjoy
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/aewh0soow0
SKELETON KEY
I did a sick, sick thing to my love
My lack of loyalty, it swallowed her up
And she cooked me food
She squirmed and turned
Like a skeleton key
She left her man and attended to me
And don't call me that
Don't claim you love me
Cause you know that ain't true
My dire affliction I'll attribute to you
And you're finally free
To twist and turn
Like a skeleton key
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
I did a horrible thing to that girl
I bread my misery and drowned it in her
And she got me high
And I hardly noticed there were tears in her eyes
And I miss you less and less everyday
This stream of whisky's helped to wash you away
And it's clear to see
You're nothing special
You're a skeleton key
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
sending this song out ...i think i sent it before, but you know, new people on the list, and bad memory permits me to resend. on top of that __ski-badoski likes this song so, here you go (thanks for letting me drop in on you at sunset, it stoked me all day long, you badoski, you)....andrew come here, punk!
well, at first i fell in love with the melody of this song. sounds innocent enough, right? well, then i heard more and more and just love the melody, it's really not that elementary. it's a rather complex and intricately honest story...i'm thinking it's about a guy that cheats on a girl or a guy that was involved with a girl that was cheating on her man and leading him on.
this song definitely found its relevance in me and some of the dumb shit i've done before and/or allowed to happen to me. i'm telling you, sometimes, i think i value music so much because it lets me know i'm not lance armstrong in my shortcomings. either way, many sorrows would've floated if this song was to have been around when i was, say 15-19 years old? all the wiser, all the reminders, wrapped up in a nice whole wheat tortilla for your listening pleasure.
enjoy
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/aewh0soow0
SKELETON KEY
I did a sick, sick thing to my love
My lack of loyalty, it swallowed her up
And she cooked me food
She squirmed and turned
Like a skeleton key
She left her man and attended to me
And don't call me that
Don't claim you love me
Cause you know that ain't true
My dire affliction I'll attribute to you
And you're finally free
To twist and turn
Like a skeleton key
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
I did a horrible thing to that girl
I bread my misery and drowned it in her
And she got me high
And I hardly noticed there were tears in her eyes
And I miss you less and less everyday
This stream of whisky's helped to wash you away
And it's clear to see
You're nothing special
You're a skeleton key
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
You've gotta let me know
"Anorak Christmas" - Sally Shapiro
what up ya'll,
what is wrong with me? why do i like this? i'm not going to explain what it is (gay). i'm not going to explain what it isn't (masculine). i'm not going to explain how it makes me feel (like a princess).
take a listen to this one and let me know what you think. you know, truth be told, i once dated a girl (that's only partly true) that had a friend, right? (that in itself is partly true because we all know girls secretly hate their own girlfriends). well, her friend would talk in the most, high-pitched voice and try to sound all cute and stuff, like a baby sea otter and stuff.
well, she'd always complain about how her friend always tried so hard to sound cute and impress all the boys by speaking that way. i'd agree with her, too -- "for real, what the fuck. i hate it when she talks like that, all sounding like a baby sea otter and stuff."
(and all cute and stuff)
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/jkvwgyog80
what is wrong with me? why do i like this? i'm not going to explain what it is (gay). i'm not going to explain what it isn't (masculine). i'm not going to explain how it makes me feel (like a princess).
take a listen to this one and let me know what you think. you know, truth be told, i once dated a girl (that's only partly true) that had a friend, right? (that in itself is partly true because we all know girls secretly hate their own girlfriends). well, her friend would talk in the most, high-pitched voice and try to sound all cute and stuff, like a baby sea otter and stuff.
well, she'd always complain about how her friend always tried so hard to sound cute and impress all the boys by speaking that way. i'd agree with her, too -- "for real, what the fuck. i hate it when she talks like that, all sounding like a baby sea otter and stuff."
(and all cute and stuff)
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/jkvwgyog80
Monday, June 23, 2008
Shaq Freestyle - Kobe Diss
what up everyone,
today's track is a link that you guys need to check out. no downloading, just a straight up youtube shaq freestyle. i'm sure this will draw a reaction out of everyone so check this out. i think this is from a peter gunnz concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8j1N2ttUqk
and that's why i love shaq's persona. here's the deal, shaq used to rhyme with fu schnikens back in the day. on top of that, he once rocked this verse big time on a rare wu tang cut from back in the day...before he blew up. so i give him credit, he's in the thick of hip hop culture and he holds his own as a freestyle. you can tell when you hear it that none of it is premeditated -- which is an insecurity that plagues most of the dopest MCs.
enough jibba jabba, click that shit fool!
-- sonnyred
today's track is a link that you guys need to check out. no downloading, just a straight up youtube shaq freestyle. i'm sure this will draw a reaction out of everyone so check this out. i think this is from a peter gunnz concert:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8j1N2ttUqk
and that's why i love shaq's persona. here's the deal, shaq used to rhyme with fu schnikens back in the day. on top of that, he once rocked this verse big time on a rare wu tang cut from back in the day...before he blew up. so i give him credit, he's in the thick of hip hop culture and he holds his own as a freestyle. you can tell when you hear it that none of it is premeditated -- which is an insecurity that plagues most of the dopest MCs.
enough jibba jabba, click that shit fool!
-- sonnyred
"Kindling" - Architecture in Helsinki
hello all,
hope everyone had a nice weekend. an interesting phenomenon happened to me last night. i was searching for my car keys, fuck it, lost it, i have a "hide-a-key" somewhere, no biggie. i retraced my steps and found them! how often does that happen? when someone tells you they lose something....
them: i lost _____.
you: where did you last leave them?
them: i don't know. (if they're a smart ass, "if i knew i wouldn't have lost them right?")
you: did you try retracing your steps?
them: yes. i didn't see them
(here is where you stop giving a fuck about where the _________ are because of that smart ass comment earlier)
well, i retraced my steps and found them!! how often does that occur? for a stoner, never. that goes vamoosh, and next thing you know i'm wrapping a towel around my elbow so that i can smash the window in.
ok, architecture in helsinki. sending because: 1) cindy loves them. 2) listening to them really made me feel comfortable when i was on those 14 hour overnight bus rides from central turkey or 12 hour soviet train rides through ukraine. listening to this as you cruise through nowhere, in the middle of the night, with a bunch of people staring at you, is like tomato soup for your grilled cheese heart.
and you know, at first listen, they're quite cute like a basketfull of puppies. but you really listen to the lyrics and follow along with the word play, you'll realize these aussies are also smart and meaningful. it's like a basketful of puppies that do long division.
hopefully you can see the beauty in them, too. have a good work week. and if you don't, remember, it's only work.
-- sonnyred.
http://www.box.net/shared/ggiyvyn0g0
KINDLING
You won’t count to seven it’s usually ‘til ten.
To hell with Sydney girls you’re much better than them.
On my mattress I’ve been drawing a line,
where I’ll shut my eyes and where you should lie,
you should lie, if you should lie.
I’ll be a lighter of fires,
you be the fighter of fires,
I’ll be the fighter of fires,
you be the lighter fires.
Should I choose to stay here now all depends,
on buildings, buses, streets, trees, rain and friends
on my mattress I’ve been drawing a line,
where I’ll shut my eyes and where you should lie,
If you should lie.
I’ll be a lighter of fires
you’ll be a fighter of fires,
I’ll be a fighter of fires
you be a lighter of fires.
hope everyone had a nice weekend. an interesting phenomenon happened to me last night. i was searching for my car keys, fuck it, lost it, i have a "hide-a-key" somewhere, no biggie. i retraced my steps and found them! how often does that happen? when someone tells you they lose something....
them: i lost _____.
you: where did you last leave them?
them: i don't know. (if they're a smart ass, "if i knew i wouldn't have lost them right?")
you: did you try retracing your steps?
them: yes. i didn't see them
(here is where you stop giving a fuck about where the _________ are because of that smart ass comment earlier)
well, i retraced my steps and found them!! how often does that occur? for a stoner, never. that goes vamoosh, and next thing you know i'm wrapping a towel around my elbow so that i can smash the window in.
ok, architecture in helsinki. sending because: 1) cindy loves them. 2) listening to them really made me feel comfortable when i was on those 14 hour overnight bus rides from central turkey or 12 hour soviet train rides through ukraine. listening to this as you cruise through nowhere, in the middle of the night, with a bunch of people staring at you, is like tomato soup for your grilled cheese heart.
and you know, at first listen, they're quite cute like a basketfull of puppies. but you really listen to the lyrics and follow along with the word play, you'll realize these aussies are also smart and meaningful. it's like a basketful of puppies that do long division.
hopefully you can see the beauty in them, too. have a good work week. and if you don't, remember, it's only work.
-- sonnyred.
http://www.box.net/shared/ggiyvyn0g0
KINDLING
You won’t count to seven it’s usually ‘til ten.
To hell with Sydney girls you’re much better than them.
On my mattress I’ve been drawing a line,
where I’ll shut my eyes and where you should lie,
you should lie, if you should lie.
I’ll be a lighter of fires,
you be the fighter of fires,
I’ll be the fighter of fires,
you be the lighter fires.
Should I choose to stay here now all depends,
on buildings, buses, streets, trees, rain and friends
on my mattress I’ve been drawing a line,
where I’ll shut my eyes and where you should lie,
If you should lie.
I’ll be a lighter of fires
you’ll be a fighter of fires,
I’ll be a fighter of fires
you be a lighter of fires.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
DJ T-Rock and Squashy Nice (no idea what the track names are)
what up everyone,
everyone staying warm, i'm sure? hope you all had a good weekend...so i was driving somewhere and realized that i forgot my ipod. "shit, what do i do? i'm such a slave to it."
well, i was only down the block but you know..gas prices and what not. so, while i was gone a bunch of people borrowed my truck so that they could move stuff, i turned on the radio and discovered that they're still rotating the same ol' bullshit on kroq as they did 10-15 years ago, so fuck it! i was so angry.
then i went through a few cds. cds that i buy or obtain and never listen to. and some of which my friends throw into my truck to rock while they move stuff. you know, outside the venues when they have those cats trying to sell their stuff? like it or not, i usually like to show some support (too $hort style) to sustain their efforts. threw one in and it was awful.
then i threw this one in and don't ever remember it being given to me. what a gift!! i'm so happy to have come across this gem. i've attached two tracks for you guys to listen to. the entire cd has this same chill mood that'll go perfect with caiparinahs and the summer solstice. hip hop, is glorious.
either way, enjoy.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/ijzvtf9ws8
http://www.box.net/shared/y67ouwly8g
everyone staying warm, i'm sure? hope you all had a good weekend...so i was driving somewhere and realized that i forgot my ipod. "shit, what do i do? i'm such a slave to it."
well, i was only down the block but you know..gas prices and what not. so, while i was gone a bunch of people borrowed my truck so that they could move stuff, i turned on the radio and discovered that they're still rotating the same ol' bullshit on kroq as they did 10-15 years ago, so fuck it! i was so angry.
then i went through a few cds. cds that i buy or obtain and never listen to. and some of which my friends throw into my truck to rock while they move stuff. you know, outside the venues when they have those cats trying to sell their stuff? like it or not, i usually like to show some support (too $hort style) to sustain their efforts. threw one in and it was awful.
then i threw this one in and don't ever remember it being given to me. what a gift!! i'm so happy to have come across this gem. i've attached two tracks for you guys to listen to. the entire cd has this same chill mood that'll go perfect with caiparinahs and the summer solstice. hip hop, is glorious.
either way, enjoy.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/ijzvtf9ws8
http://www.box.net/shared/y67ouwly8g
Thursday, June 19, 2008
"Spanish Winter" - Blu
what up ya'll,
my bad for not sending out a song yesterday, i was too busy doing nothing; living that "bro"-hemian lifestyle, word? well, as i mentioned earlier, i'm pretty stoked with blu, this new mc on the scene.
it's just not as great as it used to be, but you know, it doesn't mean we can't give up on this and give up on the next dawn of hip hop. you know, i was thinking about this a few years ago, things run in cycles, right?
and you know with great force comes great opposition. remember the golden era of underground hip hop (92-97?) there was that whole westside connection/gangsta shit that was just blowing the fuck up on the radio. so it's not like it was all gravy, there was opposition. and i remember a time when the only cats that rocked new balances were old white men. i rocked the camoflauge, rugged stuff and all those gangsta raps cat would get all beefed up at me at the mall...definitely opposition. clowned at, laughed at, but then you know...when wu dropped wu tang forever, a bunch of those cats started rocking the chrome dipped plastic medallions and i turned the table on them and started exploiting them.
either way, i think a year or two ago westside connection tried dropping another big, gangsta west coast anthem and i was secretly praying that underground will witness a resurgence. but you know, none of them really made any waves.
perhaps the reason underground hip hop/rap has become so stagnant is because even mainstream rap has become stagnant. i totally hope that wack shit will come back. but as long as ya'll have your tvs tuned to mtv, everyone will have to suffer with mediocre shit.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/j5avstvokc
my bad for not sending out a song yesterday, i was too busy doing nothing; living that "bro"-hemian lifestyle, word? well, as i mentioned earlier, i'm pretty stoked with blu, this new mc on the scene.
it's just not as great as it used to be, but you know, it doesn't mean we can't give up on this and give up on the next dawn of hip hop. you know, i was thinking about this a few years ago, things run in cycles, right?
and you know with great force comes great opposition. remember the golden era of underground hip hop (92-97?) there was that whole westside connection/gangsta shit that was just blowing the fuck up on the radio. so it's not like it was all gravy, there was opposition. and i remember a time when the only cats that rocked new balances were old white men. i rocked the camoflauge, rugged stuff and all those gangsta raps cat would get all beefed up at me at the mall...definitely opposition. clowned at, laughed at, but then you know...when wu dropped wu tang forever, a bunch of those cats started rocking the chrome dipped plastic medallions and i turned the table on them and started exploiting them.
either way, i think a year or two ago westside connection tried dropping another big, gangsta west coast anthem and i was secretly praying that underground will witness a resurgence. but you know, none of them really made any waves.
perhaps the reason underground hip hop/rap has become so stagnant is because even mainstream rap has become stagnant. i totally hope that wack shit will come back. but as long as ya'll have your tvs tuned to mtv, everyone will have to suffer with mediocre shit.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/j5avstvokc
Monday, June 16, 2008
"Love and Death" - The Stills
what up everyone?
hope you all had fun rejoicing in the lakers' victory last night. this isn't about sports, but i just thought you all should know that we are all witnessing a historical comeback...that's all.
but yeah, the stills, i sent them last week and people were feeling them so i decided to send out another one of their tracks. i can't take these guys serious as "artists" that furthers music's existence but you know...as i said last time, i think they are a very well-produced band (the way certain bands make good music, but doesn't make good art). if you read along with the lyrics, you'll see that they're rather doogie howser. but still it's catchy and it works. even the title "love and death" is uber-gay, but whatever. i like them and i will listen to them for the mood they create, not the feelings they evoke.
was that deep? (i know so). wade long enough and you'll drown. (i think so).
enjoy
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/wktpsk80gc
LOVE AND DEATH
I'll make my own way
I'd make my own way
Don't bother counting on me, loving me
Just stand back, I'm gone
Oh, this sorry joke
You're a joke
Is all we really need
There's nothing that I'd need
Too late and too bad
I'm stuck feeling bad
Without you, I'm a mess without you
Just don't know
This is really not a joke
You're all I really need
You're all I really need
And I'm just so bored of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
And I'm just so sick of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
I'll make my own way
I'd make my own way
Don't bother kissing on me, loving me
Just stand back, I'm gone
Oh, this sorry joke
You're a joke
Is all we really need
There's nothing that I'd bring
And I'm just so bored of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
And I'm just so sick of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
hope you all had fun rejoicing in the lakers' victory last night. this isn't about sports, but i just thought you all should know that we are all witnessing a historical comeback...that's all.
but yeah, the stills, i sent them last week and people were feeling them so i decided to send out another one of their tracks. i can't take these guys serious as "artists" that furthers music's existence but you know...as i said last time, i think they are a very well-produced band (the way certain bands make good music, but doesn't make good art). if you read along with the lyrics, you'll see that they're rather doogie howser. but still it's catchy and it works. even the title "love and death" is uber-gay, but whatever. i like them and i will listen to them for the mood they create, not the feelings they evoke.
was that deep? (i know so). wade long enough and you'll drown. (i think so).
enjoy
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/wktpsk80gc
LOVE AND DEATH
I'll make my own way
I'd make my own way
Don't bother counting on me, loving me
Just stand back, I'm gone
Oh, this sorry joke
You're a joke
Is all we really need
There's nothing that I'd need
Too late and too bad
I'm stuck feeling bad
Without you, I'm a mess without you
Just don't know
This is really not a joke
You're all I really need
You're all I really need
And I'm just so bored of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
And I'm just so sick of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
I'll make my own way
I'd make my own way
Don't bother kissing on me, loving me
Just stand back, I'm gone
Oh, this sorry joke
You're a joke
Is all we really need
There's nothing that I'd bring
And I'm just so bored of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
And I'm just so sick of wasting my time
Love and death are always on my mind
"One Question" - Sean Price
lakers lakers ya'll!
whatever. hope everyone had a nice weekend and stuff. just wanted you guys to start off your workweek with a nice, soulful joint! damn, that cat dj babu (of beat junkies/dilated people) fame is really making some hot tracks, i guess.
i heard this sean price track, assumed it was dope ass 9th wonder on the beat, then sean price pops in with babu on the beats. i'm glad that him and other turntablists are taking the next step into producing tracks (and doing a good job at them).
ok, brief history about sean price. he's from old school hip hop (east coast) group, heltah skeltah. he was part of a bigger collective that was like wu-tang or new edition....
duck down records crew >>> boot camp click >>> heltah skeltah >>> tawshawn rock and tawshawn ruck.
but i think he had a falling out with ruck (he was rock). and ogc (originoo gun clappaz...i sent out some tracks by them before, "hurricane starang" and "no fear") combined with heltah skeltah was the fab 5. just crazy connections.
and you know 9th wonder did cd with sean price, and 9th wonder is originally from little brother, but they had a falling out...
just so much drama, that's why hip hop is so big and popular; it eludes, it paints this exotic, ghetto landscape, and it is PERSONIFIED. it is a living, breathing monster, and it will trounce you.
enjoy!
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/yxdbuib0o4
whatever. hope everyone had a nice weekend and stuff. just wanted you guys to start off your workweek with a nice, soulful joint! damn, that cat dj babu (of beat junkies/dilated people) fame is really making some hot tracks, i guess.
i heard this sean price track, assumed it was dope ass 9th wonder on the beat, then sean price pops in with babu on the beats. i'm glad that him and other turntablists are taking the next step into producing tracks (and doing a good job at them).
ok, brief history about sean price. he's from old school hip hop (east coast) group, heltah skeltah. he was part of a bigger collective that was like wu-tang or new edition....
duck down records crew >>> boot camp click >>> heltah skeltah >>> tawshawn rock and tawshawn ruck.
but i think he had a falling out with ruck (he was rock). and ogc (originoo gun clappaz...i sent out some tracks by them before, "hurricane starang" and "no fear") combined with heltah skeltah was the fab 5. just crazy connections.
and you know 9th wonder did cd with sean price, and 9th wonder is originally from little brother, but they had a falling out...
just so much drama, that's why hip hop is so big and popular; it eludes, it paints this exotic, ghetto landscape, and it is PERSONIFIED. it is a living, breathing monster, and it will trounce you.
enjoy!
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/yxdbuib0o4
Thursday, June 12, 2008
"Whassup With You" - Buckshot
what up ya'll?
you know, there's this magician, his name is 9th wonder. everything he touches rarely turns gold, but you know, he has this power to control people. to make people do things from thousands of miles away, and he doesn't even have to know you exist in order to do so.
it's magical. he's not dilla (he's alive). he's not kanye (dare i say he's more soulful?). he's 9th wonder. and whenever roy tells me there's a new track/album that gets produced by 9th, i just get all excited inside.
he can't make club anthems the way kanye does, with people going crazy and buying horizontal venetian-blind sunglasses, he isn't as marketable to non-black folk. and then there's dilla, my favorite of course, but you know, 9th doesn't make bangers with those choppy, distorted drums. he probably can't lure in those skater dudes that also like that style of beats that just bangs on your eardrums.
a kanye track makes me want to dance or turn up my speakers. a dilla beat makes me want to curl my lower lip and stick my chin out. a 9th wonder beat turns my head into an ocean buoy.
9th wonder is some skinny ass ordinary black dude that turns into that old school wrestler zeus when he gets behind a mixing board. you won't find him on kiis fm or power 106, or in the latest skate video...but if you find yourself slouching back at a booth, where girls rock kangols and sweaty thighs, you'll find a 9th wonder beat. he inhabits classy joints, he adds melanin to the palest of souls, he makes you want to bob your head so much you'll get muthafuckin scoliosis.
(and shit)
http://www.box.net/shared/a0xeunvy88
you know, there's this magician, his name is 9th wonder. everything he touches rarely turns gold, but you know, he has this power to control people. to make people do things from thousands of miles away, and he doesn't even have to know you exist in order to do so.
it's magical. he's not dilla (he's alive). he's not kanye (dare i say he's more soulful?). he's 9th wonder. and whenever roy tells me there's a new track/album that gets produced by 9th, i just get all excited inside.
he can't make club anthems the way kanye does, with people going crazy and buying horizontal venetian-blind sunglasses, he isn't as marketable to non-black folk. and then there's dilla, my favorite of course, but you know, 9th doesn't make bangers with those choppy, distorted drums. he probably can't lure in those skater dudes that also like that style of beats that just bangs on your eardrums.
a kanye track makes me want to dance or turn up my speakers. a dilla beat makes me want to curl my lower lip and stick my chin out. a 9th wonder beat turns my head into an ocean buoy.
9th wonder is some skinny ass ordinary black dude that turns into that old school wrestler zeus when he gets behind a mixing board. you won't find him on kiis fm or power 106, or in the latest skate video...but if you find yourself slouching back at a booth, where girls rock kangols and sweaty thighs, you'll find a 9th wonder beat. he inhabits classy joints, he adds melanin to the palest of souls, he makes you want to bob your head so much you'll get muthafuckin scoliosis.
(and shit)
http://www.box.net/shared/a0xeunvy88
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
"Thousand Miles" - Iron and Wine
hello all,
i was lying down on my back, chilling the other day, back in la, enjoying the newborn summer and what not. you know, arms behind my head as if i was just about to be put under arrest for lounging. enjoying and thinking about my freedom on that tuesday afternoon, i just noticed this small birthmark/mole thing on the inside of my bicep for the first time and wondered how long it had been there and why i didn't notice it before.
just one of the side effects of living for yourself, right? but you know, with freedom comes accountability and with freedom comes independence and with freedom comes self-reliance and it's wonderful...this independence comes at quite a small price, and it's not check-to-check, either. what more than having a few minor things go unnoticed and another slice of pizza that you shouldn't have, and purchasing family-sized bottles of bourbon at costco with no reservations, right? i mean, a tree falls in the forest and it doesn't matter whether or not it makes a sound.
i have a birthmark/mole thing on the inside of my arm.
a tree fell in the forest and it sounded like this...
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/r2suejhssg
THOUSAND MILES
Pull the braid from your hair, so it falls down your back
I just passed Spartanburg, cigarettes on the dash
Will you wait on the swing, in the front of the house?
Or the steps of the porch in a white cotton blouse?
Thousand miles that I drove, thirty more left to go
Will you cry when you wake, when you see me today?
Is your father at home? Does he know where I’ve been?
He don’t like me because I remind you of him
Let’s just drive to the point, watch the sky lose the light
I’ve been gone far too long not to kiss you tonight
Thousand miles that I drove, thirty more left to go
Will you cry when you wake, when you see me today?
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
i was lying down on my back, chilling the other day, back in la, enjoying the newborn summer and what not. you know, arms behind my head as if i was just about to be put under arrest for lounging. enjoying and thinking about my freedom on that tuesday afternoon, i just noticed this small birthmark/mole thing on the inside of my bicep for the first time and wondered how long it had been there and why i didn't notice it before.
just one of the side effects of living for yourself, right? but you know, with freedom comes accountability and with freedom comes independence and with freedom comes self-reliance and it's wonderful...this independence comes at quite a small price, and it's not check-to-check, either. what more than having a few minor things go unnoticed and another slice of pizza that you shouldn't have, and purchasing family-sized bottles of bourbon at costco with no reservations, right? i mean, a tree falls in the forest and it doesn't matter whether or not it makes a sound.
i have a birthmark/mole thing on the inside of my arm.
a tree fell in the forest and it sounded like this...
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/r2suejhssg
THOUSAND MILES
Pull the braid from your hair, so it falls down your back
I just passed Spartanburg, cigarettes on the dash
Will you wait on the swing, in the front of the house?
Or the steps of the porch in a white cotton blouse?
Thousand miles that I drove, thirty more left to go
Will you cry when you wake, when you see me today?
Is your father at home? Does he know where I’ve been?
He don’t like me because I remind you of him
Let’s just drive to the point, watch the sky lose the light
I’ve been gone far too long not to kiss you tonight
Thousand miles that I drove, thirty more left to go
Will you cry when you wake, when you see me today?
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
Na na na
"Are You Swimming In Her Pools?" - Swan Lake
"will be you still be there when it's time to fill the pools again?"
ok, you have her, but are you going to stick around? how bout when the going gets rough? i mean, because i would. what's going on with you guys? is she treating you well (that way i can imagine what it'd be like if it was me, that was with her). no, it's true that you're good for her but i just want to be sure that you'll take good care of her. you know, all the things you are ready to give her, i am ready too, you know, in case you didn't, well maybe you should. yes, i'm sure...you guys make a good couple and i'm thinking you guys will have a good life.
but really, what i'm saying is,
"it could've been me."
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/swk3gbew48
Are you swimming in her pools?
Are you swimming in her pools?
Will you be brushing off her snow?
Will you be brushing off her snow?
Will you be brushing off her snow?
How can you stand the cold?
How can you stand the cold?
And if you're still there when it snows
Will you still be there when it goes?
Will you still be there when it's time
To fill the pools again?
And will you be coming back here?
Will you be coming back here?
Will you be coming back here?
Are you running up the river banks
And tracing them like long fingers
Are you running up her river banks
And navigating them?
Fingers of a hand
'Cause fingers make the hand
And rivers make the land
Is she cradling you well?
Oh is she cradling you well?
'Cause if I call you baby, she should cradle you well
Does she fucking know?
Does she fucking know?
And how the lines that appear around your eyes
When you are smiling
Are revered for the way in which they always reappear
Oh, will you be coming back here?
Oh, will you be coming back here?
Oh, will you be coming back here?
I hope you find your mother
I hope you find your mother there
I hope you find your mother there
You hit the ground running with a terrifying speed
But it's the ground you cover that terrifies me
And brace yourself for the sound of bleeding
'Cause bleeding hearts bleed
Bleeding hearts bleed
Bleeding hearts bleed
And "please" is not a word that I ever say quietly...
You said your love was fierce, fierce, fierce
You said your love was fierce, it's true
You said your love was fierce, fierce, fierce
You said your love was fierce and I agree with you
His child of the future is the child I am seeing, too
You said your love was fierce and I agree with you
These tigers at heart are the tigers I am seeing, too
You said your love was fierce and I agree with you
ok, you have her, but are you going to stick around? how bout when the going gets rough? i mean, because i would. what's going on with you guys? is she treating you well (that way i can imagine what it'd be like if it was me, that was with her). no, it's true that you're good for her but i just want to be sure that you'll take good care of her. you know, all the things you are ready to give her, i am ready too, you know, in case you didn't, well maybe you should. yes, i'm sure...you guys make a good couple and i'm thinking you guys will have a good life.
but really, what i'm saying is,
"it could've been me."
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/swk3gbew48
Are you swimming in her pools?
Are you swimming in her pools?
Will you be brushing off her snow?
Will you be brushing off her snow?
Will you be brushing off her snow?
How can you stand the cold?
How can you stand the cold?
And if you're still there when it snows
Will you still be there when it goes?
Will you still be there when it's time
To fill the pools again?
And will you be coming back here?
Will you be coming back here?
Will you be coming back here?
Are you running up the river banks
And tracing them like long fingers
Are you running up her river banks
And navigating them?
Fingers of a hand
'Cause fingers make the hand
And rivers make the land
Is she cradling you well?
Oh is she cradling you well?
'Cause if I call you baby, she should cradle you well
Does she fucking know?
Does she fucking know?
And how the lines that appear around your eyes
When you are smiling
Are revered for the way in which they always reappear
Oh, will you be coming back here?
Oh, will you be coming back here?
Oh, will you be coming back here?
I hope you find your mother
I hope you find your mother there
I hope you find your mother there
You hit the ground running with a terrifying speed
But it's the ground you cover that terrifies me
And brace yourself for the sound of bleeding
'Cause bleeding hearts bleed
Bleeding hearts bleed
Bleeding hearts bleed
And "please" is not a word that I ever say quietly...
You said your love was fierce, fierce, fierce
You said your love was fierce, it's true
You said your love was fierce, fierce, fierce
You said your love was fierce and I agree with you
His child of the future is the child I am seeing, too
You said your love was fierce and I agree with you
These tigers at heart are the tigers I am seeing, too
You said your love was fierce and I agree with you
Friday, June 6, 2008
"Baby Blues" - The Stills
hey all,
back in business...and i got my new lappie in transit so once that gets all established i'mma head over to roy's pad and just let my laptop and his harddrive bump uglies and produce babies and what not and i'll put 'em up for adoption.
not going to say too much about how i feel about being back here -- with every end comes a beginning i guess. but uhhh....how gay is this but i think i'm slowly gravitating towards "electro" music...it just seems like a natural evolution for me -- i ditched emo, punk and stuff (which i really dug) so it's just a new phase.
either way, i can't believe this song didn't catch my attention earlier, but man, did it catch me at the right time....last night in amsterdam, drinking/smoking/conversing at 4:30 am, only to wake up at 6:00 to catch a flight back. though totally inebriated, i found myself, at the brink of successfully completing my book, talking to one of the most integral people in my life, and trying to stretch the hours of the day and extend the night as long as possible. this song came out of nowhere and then the line
"this isn't the town where i wanna die"
came on and it hit me like a ton of bricks...i really don't deserve to indulge in that self-analysis, but this song really marked the end of my journey so i wanted to share it with you all. music can mean so many things, and the beauty of it is that you can pick and choose what you want from it. there really is no other form of communication quite like it. words so tangible and rigid and fluid and esoteric and melodic at the same time...how godly....
soul's on ice. mind's aflame.
-- sonnyred
BABY BLUES
I’ve doubled my pace
For half of your smile
I’m tiger-posed
I’m doggy-bagged
Crime or offence
Don’t make you cry
I love your heart
I’ve combed your eyes
I see it in your feet
Racing to mine
I like to dream
I’m caught in the sky
I hang by the fears that
Staple my life
The winter was long
The mountains were high
The fire burns blue
As I wave my goodbyes
This isn’t the town where
I wanna die
I’m worth the time
In all sincerity
I’m honestly happy
With you
So let’s make it fast
Like lightning through the cars
But just like the sixties
We won’t get very far
I’m into looks
But I’m also into books
I see it in your smile
http://www.box.net/shared/of232w18o0
back in business...and i got my new lappie in transit so once that gets all established i'mma head over to roy's pad and just let my laptop and his harddrive bump uglies and produce babies and what not and i'll put 'em up for adoption.
not going to say too much about how i feel about being back here -- with every end comes a beginning i guess. but uhhh....how gay is this but i think i'm slowly gravitating towards "electro" music...it just seems like a natural evolution for me -- i ditched emo, punk and stuff (which i really dug) so it's just a new phase.
either way, i can't believe this song didn't catch my attention earlier, but man, did it catch me at the right time....last night in amsterdam, drinking/smoking/conversing at 4:30 am, only to wake up at 6:00 to catch a flight back. though totally inebriated, i found myself, at the brink of successfully completing my book, talking to one of the most integral people in my life, and trying to stretch the hours of the day and extend the night as long as possible. this song came out of nowhere and then the line
"this isn't the town where i wanna die"
came on and it hit me like a ton of bricks...i really don't deserve to indulge in that self-analysis, but this song really marked the end of my journey so i wanted to share it with you all. music can mean so many things, and the beauty of it is that you can pick and choose what you want from it. there really is no other form of communication quite like it. words so tangible and rigid and fluid and esoteric and melodic at the same time...how godly....
soul's on ice. mind's aflame.
-- sonnyred
BABY BLUES
I’ve doubled my pace
For half of your smile
I’m tiger-posed
I’m doggy-bagged
Crime or offence
Don’t make you cry
I love your heart
I’ve combed your eyes
I see it in your feet
Racing to mine
I like to dream
I’m caught in the sky
I hang by the fears that
Staple my life
The winter was long
The mountains were high
The fire burns blue
As I wave my goodbyes
This isn’t the town where
I wanna die
I’m worth the time
In all sincerity
I’m honestly happy
With you
So let’s make it fast
Like lightning through the cars
But just like the sixties
We won’t get very far
I’m into looks
But I’m also into books
I see it in your smile
http://www.box.net/shared/of232w18o0
Sunday, March 2, 2008
MY MIX CD TO THE WORLD
Is up??
What
The Fuck
I've been deep in thought for the past month; trying to come up the mix CD that I will be handing out as a gift to the folks I'll be staying with. At first I was going to make three different CDs: hip hop, indie rock, and roots reggae and give them all a choice; but for real, I know it might be too much hotness for them and they'll have to set out to go buy a new pair of potholders; therefore, I made what I deem to be a fucking bomb ass CD of American-style music.
Of course, of course, the world has gotten smaller and I'm sure many of these cats are already into a lot of cool music. They (like you) may shrug me off like, "Whatever, I listen to Internet radio or read Blender or whatever so I already know what's up with tasteful, independent music, so fuck off, Sonnyred!"
But for real, I'm hitting you all on the heads with this ultimate, seven-layer burrito of below-the-radar tunes. It really took me a long time to decide on what songs to pick; and it took me the better part of three days to determine the order of the songs.
My main goal, as lofty as can be, is to bring refined American (and lesser known international acts) music to the masses and ingrain them with the beauty, tragedy, diversity, art and soulfulness that our people have to offer. People here don't know shit about hip hop, so of course I had to make a push for it.
Before I take you on this journey, please consider a few things:
1. I know I can put bigger bands, but for real, who cares? I'm not trying to put the best of the best; I'm just trying to put songs that I think they may be ready for. For example, I'm not going include TV On the Radio because the average listener may take years to acquire a taste for them, and let's face it, Eastern Europeans' music quotient is so low and undeveloped that they may never grow to like it. And I didn't put in Iron and Wine's "Sodom, South Georgia" because though it's my favorite song, I may be staying with Muslims and I don't want to offend them. So anyway, I want give the people so much enchantment, they'd think I was sticking a Fantasia Mickey Mouse up their ass. But at the same time, I realize I have to ease it in. Meow!
2. The main thing I tried to create here is a mood; just chill and mellow. I didn't want to include bands that are well-known in the international community (Bloc Party, Interpol, other UK bands). I wanted to put in songs that they would never hear if it weren't for me.
3. Please remember my target audience is comprised of mostly women. But because I may also be staying men or couples, I'm not going to make a "baby making mixtape." Besides, with the women, I'd have to get to know them, take an emotional compatibility test with them, meet their parents, and pet their donkeys before I break that physical barrier and try to hold their hand.
4. So as you listen, take note of how I control the mood with the transitions, medley up the genres and leave them, wanting more! "How you feeling, shorty? Ah nah, it ain't even like that. Wow, your shoulders....they're so tense. Let me get that for you. Eww, wee, sooky sooky now."
Now, with that, here's how I'm representing the American music scene:
HI - Psapp Starting off the CD with something a little Latin-esque should buy some instant credibility. Just a nice little ice breaker that's melodic and catchy. Lyrics are rather juvenile but easy to understand.
THE SKIN OF MY COUNTRY YELLOW TEETH - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Tempo speeds up with a more complicated instrumental attack should divert the attention from the fact that music has gotten a lot more complicated and the lyrics have gotten a lot less decipherable. Based on the way the song builds up, by now they should now be engrossed with their naiveté and there should be a call to arms for them to seek out new music.
TRUE AFFECTION - The Blow I put in this song because it's a fucking cute ass song. This should buy me some comfort if the previous song was a little too tumultuous. Super catchy, innocent and sweetly sung. This should lower their guard as they embrace for the next song.
CLOSER - Goapele
Every girl I've ever played this song for loved it. Simple as that. Also a great way to introduce some soul to them.
1NCE AGAIN - A Tribe Called Quest
Though not the most popular song from this well-respected hip hop act (it didn't even make their Anthology CD), it was produced by a hip hop legend (J Dilla) and it reminds of the first time I tried to dance with a girl at a club (and failed miserably).
FLY AWAY - Sa-Ra Creative Partners
With the previous song hyping up the mood, this song will turn up the funk. I really felt this song is the fruits of soul and diversity; and there was no way I was going to throw this song in without having Goapele and Tribe first. It would just been way too funky, like your breath.
MAKE IT WIT CHU - Queens of the Stone Age
This song starts the slow descend into the new foray of mellow songs. I have a feeling that this will be the most popular band on the CD, but more so in a "heard of them but never heard their songs" kind of way. After this, they can go off, buy their CDs and be in for a whopping surprise (download "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" for a taste).
YOU DON'T LOVE ME (NO NO NO) - Dawn Penn
Not American, but this song continues to thrive in the underground scene (beat was sampled in Visionaries and Haiku D' Etat within the past two years alone). Maybe people heard this song, maybe they haven't, but they should.
SILVER STALLION - Cat Power
There's this rockiness and bluesyness and seducing effect in Chan Marshall's voice. I think this song might be the least deviant out of the bunch, but has a real haunting emptiness. This is perhaps where the meat and potatoes of the conversation will start.
LORO - Pinback
Dude, I put this one in here because I enjoy listening to Pinback after a good surf sesh. I need something for me, too.
BLAH BLAH BLAH - Say Hi to Your Mom
This is one of those bands that the indiest of indie fans will never hear of. The intimate knowledge of this band will make their connection with good American music that much more exlcusive.
MUSHABOOM (POSTAL SERVICE REMIX) - Feist
Yes, she's big and famous -- iPod ad, Grammy nomination or whatever. Another conversation piece where I can say, "Hey, I worked at the agency that created those Apple ads." Its electronic sound may breathe a sigh of familiar relief to the underdeveloped, third world taste buds of Eastern European music fans. And though the cool ones probably know and love Feist, I'll bet they never heard the Postal Service remix of her song. "What? Oh yeah, Postal Service...Silverlake...oh it's an area in Los Angeles. What? You spent the entire day at the Wax Museum? Poor thing."
SECTION - The Roots
Now that we're making the way towards the end of the CD, the listener should have complete confidence in my selection and should be completely exposed and susceptible to all my music. This is where I push my hip hop agenda even further. Ok, whenever girls (or pussies) get into real hip hop, they always start off with The Roots (or Gay-Z). If they were Americans, I might have put in some Aceyalone (pseudo intellectuals eat that shit up) but I don't think they had ample time to indulge in deep thoughts if they're too busy putting mayo on all their shit.
PURPLE - Crustation
Another neo soul song just because by now they've gotten a fair dose of Black Music and should be intrigued enough to satiate their curiosity for this soulfulness. Maybe by now I convince them of my House Music Exit Strategy.
ROCK MY BOAT - Mai Doi Todd
I wanted to offer something a little more classy and sophisticated and brand new (to me) so I included this Martini drinking song.
SHE SAID - The Pharcyde
The purpose of this song is to show the range of hip hop music. Truly a smooth song with a self-deprecating display of what it's like to be a modern day bachelor.
HAITI - The Arcade Fire
Hopefully by now the listener will be paying closer attention to the songs. Initially, I had this as the opening act; but I was afraid the listener wouldn't be fully concentrated and just be taken away by the melody and not pay attention to the meaningful lyrics. And this is the song that they can always bust out at parties to display their "eclecticism."
DO YOU REMEMBER - Jill Scott
I think everyone should hear Jill Scott's voice at least once before they die. This is one of those songs that only a Black person can justly sing -- Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Michael Jackson....none of them can miracle whip up this song. Listening to this song, right now at 3:45 AM in Ukraine, just makes me want to go home and throw on a nice sweater.
NO FIT STATE - Hot Chip
I wanted to end the CD with another electronic style song. I also ended with this because the ending fucking drags out, but it's also just a pretty cool song that will hopefully leave the listener thirsting for more independent music.
----
And hopefully their interest will grow with each listen and they will venture outside of the CD and seek out more independent music. Like, imagine the day that Pinback plays Croatia. For real, I just want to bring financial independence to independent artists. I want good music to get recognized and rewarded so that we can perpetuate the art. And of course, I need to sink my fangs, plant my flag and leave my legacy.
Sonny. Fucking. Red.
Download here:
http://www.box.net/shared/vcjnrhskc4
(Please don't be lazy. You really have to listen to the CD in that order. It's fucking 4:00am now and I'm tired; meet me halfway).
What
The Fuck
I've been deep in thought for the past month; trying to come up the mix CD that I will be handing out as a gift to the folks I'll be staying with. At first I was going to make three different CDs: hip hop, indie rock, and roots reggae and give them all a choice; but for real, I know it might be too much hotness for them and they'll have to set out to go buy a new pair of potholders; therefore, I made what I deem to be a fucking bomb ass CD of American-style music.
Of course, of course, the world has gotten smaller and I'm sure many of these cats are already into a lot of cool music. They (like you) may shrug me off like, "Whatever, I listen to Internet radio or read Blender or whatever so I already know what's up with tasteful, independent music, so fuck off, Sonnyred!"
But for real, I'm hitting you all on the heads with this ultimate, seven-layer burrito of below-the-radar tunes. It really took me a long time to decide on what songs to pick; and it took me the better part of three days to determine the order of the songs.
My main goal, as lofty as can be, is to bring refined American (and lesser known international acts) music to the masses and ingrain them with the beauty, tragedy, diversity, art and soulfulness that our people have to offer. People here don't know shit about hip hop, so of course I had to make a push for it.
Before I take you on this journey, please consider a few things:
1. I know I can put bigger bands, but for real, who cares? I'm not trying to put the best of the best; I'm just trying to put songs that I think they may be ready for. For example, I'm not going include TV On the Radio because the average listener may take years to acquire a taste for them, and let's face it, Eastern Europeans' music quotient is so low and undeveloped that they may never grow to like it. And I didn't put in Iron and Wine's "Sodom, South Georgia" because though it's my favorite song, I may be staying with Muslims and I don't want to offend them. So anyway, I want give the people so much enchantment, they'd think I was sticking a Fantasia Mickey Mouse up their ass. But at the same time, I realize I have to ease it in. Meow!
2. The main thing I tried to create here is a mood; just chill and mellow. I didn't want to include bands that are well-known in the international community (Bloc Party, Interpol, other UK bands). I wanted to put in songs that they would never hear if it weren't for me.
3. Please remember my target audience is comprised of mostly women. But because I may also be staying men or couples, I'm not going to make a "baby making mixtape." Besides, with the women, I'd have to get to know them, take an emotional compatibility test with them, meet their parents, and pet their donkeys before I break that physical barrier and try to hold their hand.
4. So as you listen, take note of how I control the mood with the transitions, medley up the genres and leave them, wanting more! "How you feeling, shorty? Ah nah, it ain't even like that. Wow, your shoulders....they're so tense. Let me get that for you. Eww, wee, sooky sooky now."
Now, with that, here's how I'm representing the American music scene:
HI - Psapp Starting off the CD with something a little Latin-esque should buy some instant credibility. Just a nice little ice breaker that's melodic and catchy. Lyrics are rather juvenile but easy to understand.
THE SKIN OF MY COUNTRY YELLOW TEETH - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah Tempo speeds up with a more complicated instrumental attack should divert the attention from the fact that music has gotten a lot more complicated and the lyrics have gotten a lot less decipherable. Based on the way the song builds up, by now they should now be engrossed with their naiveté and there should be a call to arms for them to seek out new music.
TRUE AFFECTION - The Blow I put in this song because it's a fucking cute ass song. This should buy me some comfort if the previous song was a little too tumultuous. Super catchy, innocent and sweetly sung. This should lower their guard as they embrace for the next song.
CLOSER - Goapele
Every girl I've ever played this song for loved it. Simple as that. Also a great way to introduce some soul to them.
1NCE AGAIN - A Tribe Called Quest
Though not the most popular song from this well-respected hip hop act (it didn't even make their Anthology CD), it was produced by a hip hop legend (J Dilla) and it reminds of the first time I tried to dance with a girl at a club (and failed miserably).
FLY AWAY - Sa-Ra Creative Partners
With the previous song hyping up the mood, this song will turn up the funk. I really felt this song is the fruits of soul and diversity; and there was no way I was going to throw this song in without having Goapele and Tribe first. It would just been way too funky, like your breath.
MAKE IT WIT CHU - Queens of the Stone Age
This song starts the slow descend into the new foray of mellow songs. I have a feeling that this will be the most popular band on the CD, but more so in a "heard of them but never heard their songs" kind of way. After this, they can go off, buy their CDs and be in for a whopping surprise (download "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" for a taste).
YOU DON'T LOVE ME (NO NO NO) - Dawn Penn
Not American, but this song continues to thrive in the underground scene (beat was sampled in Visionaries and Haiku D' Etat within the past two years alone). Maybe people heard this song, maybe they haven't, but they should.
SILVER STALLION - Cat Power
There's this rockiness and bluesyness and seducing effect in Chan Marshall's voice. I think this song might be the least deviant out of the bunch, but has a real haunting emptiness. This is perhaps where the meat and potatoes of the conversation will start.
LORO - Pinback
Dude, I put this one in here because I enjoy listening to Pinback after a good surf sesh. I need something for me, too.
BLAH BLAH BLAH - Say Hi to Your Mom
This is one of those bands that the indiest of indie fans will never hear of. The intimate knowledge of this band will make their connection with good American music that much more exlcusive.
MUSHABOOM (POSTAL SERVICE REMIX) - Feist
Yes, she's big and famous -- iPod ad, Grammy nomination or whatever. Another conversation piece where I can say, "Hey, I worked at the agency that created those Apple ads." Its electronic sound may breathe a sigh of familiar relief to the underdeveloped, third world taste buds of Eastern European music fans. And though the cool ones probably know and love Feist, I'll bet they never heard the Postal Service remix of her song. "What? Oh yeah, Postal Service...Silverlake...oh it's an area in Los Angeles. What? You spent the entire day at the Wax Museum? Poor thing."
SECTION - The Roots
Now that we're making the way towards the end of the CD, the listener should have complete confidence in my selection and should be completely exposed and susceptible to all my music. This is where I push my hip hop agenda even further. Ok, whenever girls (or pussies) get into real hip hop, they always start off with The Roots (or Gay-Z). If they were Americans, I might have put in some Aceyalone (pseudo intellectuals eat that shit up) but I don't think they had ample time to indulge in deep thoughts if they're too busy putting mayo on all their shit.
PURPLE - Crustation
Another neo soul song just because by now they've gotten a fair dose of Black Music and should be intrigued enough to satiate their curiosity for this soulfulness. Maybe by now I convince them of my House Music Exit Strategy.
ROCK MY BOAT - Mai Doi Todd
I wanted to offer something a little more classy and sophisticated and brand new (to me) so I included this Martini drinking song.
SHE SAID - The Pharcyde
The purpose of this song is to show the range of hip hop music. Truly a smooth song with a self-deprecating display of what it's like to be a modern day bachelor.
HAITI - The Arcade Fire
Hopefully by now the listener will be paying closer attention to the songs. Initially, I had this as the opening act; but I was afraid the listener wouldn't be fully concentrated and just be taken away by the melody and not pay attention to the meaningful lyrics. And this is the song that they can always bust out at parties to display their "eclecticism."
DO YOU REMEMBER - Jill Scott
I think everyone should hear Jill Scott's voice at least once before they die. This is one of those songs that only a Black person can justly sing -- Amy Winehouse, Joss Stone, Michael Jackson....none of them can miracle whip up this song. Listening to this song, right now at 3:45 AM in Ukraine, just makes me want to go home and throw on a nice sweater.
NO FIT STATE - Hot Chip
I wanted to end the CD with another electronic style song. I also ended with this because the ending fucking drags out, but it's also just a pretty cool song that will hopefully leave the listener thirsting for more independent music.
----
And hopefully their interest will grow with each listen and they will venture outside of the CD and seek out more independent music. Like, imagine the day that Pinback plays Croatia. For real, I just want to bring financial independence to independent artists. I want good music to get recognized and rewarded so that we can perpetuate the art. And of course, I need to sink my fangs, plant my flag and leave my legacy.
Sonny. Fucking. Red.
Download here:
http://www.box.net/shared/vcjnrhskc4
(Please don't be lazy. You really have to listen to the CD in that order. It's fucking 4:00am now and I'm tired; meet me halfway).
Monday, February 4, 2008
"Down At McDonnellz" - Electric Six
COOL BAND, DOOODE
you know, back in the day, when indians were discovering a new plant or food item; they would often feed it to a baby to test it to see if it was poisonous (for example, acorns are very poisonous to humans).
well, what i do with music, when i'm in doubt, is i go onto some specific people's facebook profiles and read their "music interests." there is one specific person, actually, that i go for the ultimate verdict; i go and check to see what he likes listening to and i'm then like, "holy shit." (none of those people are on this list, thankfully)
it's not about being able to identify "cool" music; that's easy! all you have to do is follow the recipe or compare the footprints (interpol and bloc party vs. killers and bravery). here are the basic levels of evaluating music:
I HEAR WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE - i would say most people don't go beyond this; they fall for a catchy melody, lyrics that are easy to memorize and a message that doesn't require any second thoughts.
I HEAR WHAT IT'S SAYING (AND I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS) - this shows some refinement. there is a deeper, more emotive message to it and it is at a point where people can have an opinion on music and discuss it.
THIS SONG HAS AN EFFECT ON ME - the next level -- where the person starts to tout a specific artist and makes a case for him/her/them. it evokes a reaction in you and therefore becomes a good song. this is the last major stop for the remainder of the people; and only a fractional percentage go beyond this comfort zone.
I KNOW WHY THIS SONG EXISTS - this is the complete comprehension of it. when you're deciding what makes a good song, ask yourself why it exists. what is the motive? the purpose? what implications does it carry? how does it effect music? what (do you think) caused this song to be made? what does it contribute to the art? where did the song come from -- literally, influentially, what does it emulate? imitate?
"oh fuck you, Roe. you can't say shit. music's subjective. it's all a matter of opinion and you can't say the song sucks just because you don't like it. if someone likes it, then it's good to them and that's all that matters. the connection between the music and the listener; you're just quick to judge and criticize."
(i have to argue with myself because i'm sure ya'll think it; but ya'll don't speak it)
the problem is that people get lazy and stop processing the artist once it has an effect on them. "i like it. i rest my case." well, stopping there is cool; but it doesn't build a case at all. the truth is that there really is a difference between good music and bad music; and it's not as subjective as you may think. and there is a difference between people that know which artists are cool and people that know what actually makes an artist cool -- it mostly lies in the way the process and understand it.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/j5kxvm40o0
please, feel free to bash, refute, comment, ask additional questions, make any corrections to my logic. please don't ever feel intimidated -- we're here to build off each other, so let's have a word or two and build.
you know, back in the day, when indians were discovering a new plant or food item; they would often feed it to a baby to test it to see if it was poisonous (for example, acorns are very poisonous to humans).
well, what i do with music, when i'm in doubt, is i go onto some specific people's facebook profiles and read their "music interests." there is one specific person, actually, that i go for the ultimate verdict; i go and check to see what he likes listening to and i'm then like, "holy shit." (none of those people are on this list, thankfully)
it's not about being able to identify "cool" music; that's easy! all you have to do is follow the recipe or compare the footprints (interpol and bloc party vs. killers and bravery). here are the basic levels of evaluating music:
I HEAR WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE - i would say most people don't go beyond this; they fall for a catchy melody, lyrics that are easy to memorize and a message that doesn't require any second thoughts.
I HEAR WHAT IT'S SAYING (AND I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS) - this shows some refinement. there is a deeper, more emotive message to it and it is at a point where people can have an opinion on music and discuss it.
THIS SONG HAS AN EFFECT ON ME - the next level -- where the person starts to tout a specific artist and makes a case for him/her/them. it evokes a reaction in you and therefore becomes a good song. this is the last major stop for the remainder of the people; and only a fractional percentage go beyond this comfort zone.
I KNOW WHY THIS SONG EXISTS - this is the complete comprehension of it. when you're deciding what makes a good song, ask yourself why it exists. what is the motive? the purpose? what implications does it carry? how does it effect music? what (do you think) caused this song to be made? what does it contribute to the art? where did the song come from -- literally, influentially, what does it emulate? imitate?
"oh fuck you, Roe. you can't say shit. music's subjective. it's all a matter of opinion and you can't say the song sucks just because you don't like it. if someone likes it, then it's good to them and that's all that matters. the connection between the music and the listener; you're just quick to judge and criticize."
(i have to argue with myself because i'm sure ya'll think it; but ya'll don't speak it)
the problem is that people get lazy and stop processing the artist once it has an effect on them. "i like it. i rest my case." well, stopping there is cool; but it doesn't build a case at all. the truth is that there really is a difference between good music and bad music; and it's not as subjective as you may think. and there is a difference between people that know which artists are cool and people that know what actually makes an artist cool -- it mostly lies in the way the process and understand it.
-- sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/j5kxvm40o0
please, feel free to bash, refute, comment, ask additional questions, make any corrections to my logic. please don't ever feel intimidated -- we're here to build off each other, so let's have a word or two and build.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
"Ijuswannachill" - Large Professor
Fuck ok, no one will understand this except for all the older, So Cal cats, like myself. I was explaining pager language. Back in the day we didn't have cellphones or text messaging. And we couldn't always find a payphone, neither. And that shit was pricey as fuck! $.20 for 20 minutes of local calls. $1.00 for 3 minutes, anywhere in the US. Shit, I remember having to go to the mall to make those calls to the girls I was dating (more like, pursuing and getting rejected by and then saying, "Man, fuck this whole bullshit). Ok, I'm realizing that self deprecation will get you anywhere; so I'm exploiting the FUCK out of it.
Fuck, I really want to go into the intricacies of it but I'll just give you the basics. Roy is the expert pager guy, first on the block to rock the Bravo Express, clear pager case, melting crayons onto the motorola on the belt clips, rocking the long pager chains, etc. Ha! I got my first pager in 7th grade and thought I was the shit. Problem is that it was stolen so I had the audacity to return a page and get the number and then redistribute it to friends. Then you get voicemail and give your code to your girl (if you're a little bitch) and she'll either do your greeting message or check messages that you leave for her or check messages other people left you. There's this real art to it. Understand that sometimes, people will find toll free numbers to access their voicemails; so instead of dropping all your change, you just leave messages for each other. The original, ghetto message boards!
This is really going to date me and a few other folks. I guess for you younger veals, this is the "when I was your age, I had to type weird ass fucking numbers to create this one-way, text language." Now, the codes and numbers are different depending on where you're from (Valley, SGV, LA-LA, Glendale/Eagle Rock, Long Beach/Cerritos/Carson). But, here goes:
Basics (crypted by amount of letters in each word):
424 = call me back
143 = i love you
637 = always and forever
Urgency of page (so preface it with 424, different crypting)
2529 = asap
911 = now!
187 = pull the fuck over and call me, it's a straight up emergency, shit's going down
Now, the alphabet (it really depends on how each person does it, but this is, in my opinion, the best way of coding it). The real science is looking at each letter, and then seeing what number (or combination of numbers) will resemble it best -- sometimes the letters are upside down, sometimes you have to stretch your imagination and consider other people's alphabet (since a 6 can be many things, use rarer number to represent other letters so there's less of a mix up). Keep in mind, the numbers appear all blocky, like an alarm clock, back then:
A = 2
B = 8
C = 6
D = 0
E = 3
F = 9
G = 6
H = 4
I = 1
J = 7
K = 15 (use your imagination, but sometimes just spell the word with a C)
L = 1 (can get real messy if you spell out "will")
M = 177 (see it, now?)
N = 17
O = 0
P = 9
Q = 9 (because 9 is only reserved for P or F, there will be little ambiguity should you ever have to spell a word with Q)
R = 12
S = 5
T = 7
U = 17 (upside down)
V = 17 (figure out the word)
W = 177
X = 8
Y = 4
Z = 2
Where's my diaper, I need to take a shit. Ok, so:
Roe = 1203
Katie = 152713
Hip Hop = 419 409
Get it? Now you can chuck that shit out the window; you ain't ever going to use it, ever again! But fuck me for the possibility that one day you'll end up in a time warp and go back to 1992 and don't know how to ditch school, tell your love interest you love her (always and forever if you're as gay as me), call your homies because you're about to get your ass JUMPED!
Ha, Roy. Did that make you feel young again? Know what else works? Shaving your fucking thick, well-developed mustache. Ha!
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/vtqmf1y2o4
Next topic of discussion: The G Line (whassup whasssup)
Fuck, I really want to go into the intricacies of it but I'll just give you the basics. Roy is the expert pager guy, first on the block to rock the Bravo Express, clear pager case, melting crayons onto the motorola on the belt clips, rocking the long pager chains, etc. Ha! I got my first pager in 7th grade and thought I was the shit. Problem is that it was stolen so I had the audacity to return a page and get the number and then redistribute it to friends. Then you get voicemail and give your code to your girl (if you're a little bitch) and she'll either do your greeting message or check messages that you leave for her or check messages other people left you. There's this real art to it. Understand that sometimes, people will find toll free numbers to access their voicemails; so instead of dropping all your change, you just leave messages for each other. The original, ghetto message boards!
This is really going to date me and a few other folks. I guess for you younger veals, this is the "when I was your age, I had to type weird ass fucking numbers to create this one-way, text language." Now, the codes and numbers are different depending on where you're from (Valley, SGV, LA-LA, Glendale/Eagle Rock, Long Beach/Cerritos/Carson). But, here goes:
Basics (crypted by amount of letters in each word):
424 = call me back
143 = i love you
637 = always and forever
Urgency of page (so preface it with 424, different crypting)
2529 = asap
911 = now!
187 = pull the fuck over and call me, it's a straight up emergency, shit's going down
Now, the alphabet (it really depends on how each person does it, but this is, in my opinion, the best way of coding it). The real science is looking at each letter, and then seeing what number (or combination of numbers) will resemble it best -- sometimes the letters are upside down, sometimes you have to stretch your imagination and consider other people's alphabet (since a 6 can be many things, use rarer number to represent other letters so there's less of a mix up). Keep in mind, the numbers appear all blocky, like an alarm clock, back then:
A = 2
B = 8
C = 6
D = 0
E = 3
F = 9
G = 6
H = 4
I = 1
J = 7
K = 15 (use your imagination, but sometimes just spell the word with a C)
L = 1 (can get real messy if you spell out "will")
M = 177 (see it, now?)
N = 17
O = 0
P = 9
Q = 9 (because 9 is only reserved for P or F, there will be little ambiguity should you ever have to spell a word with Q)
R = 12
S = 5
T = 7
U = 17 (upside down)
V = 17 (figure out the word)
W = 177
X = 8
Y = 4
Z = 2
Where's my diaper, I need to take a shit. Ok, so:
Roe = 1203
Katie = 152713
Hip Hop = 419 409
Get it? Now you can chuck that shit out the window; you ain't ever going to use it, ever again! But fuck me for the possibility that one day you'll end up in a time warp and go back to 1992 and don't know how to ditch school, tell your love interest you love her (always and forever if you're as gay as me), call your homies because you're about to get your ass JUMPED!
Ha, Roy. Did that make you feel young again? Know what else works? Shaving your fucking thick, well-developed mustache. Ha!
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/vtqmf1y2o4
Next topic of discussion: The G Line (whassup whasssup)
Monday, January 14, 2008
"Brainy" - The National
Hello All,
So it looks like I'll be taking off in about three weeks so I need to learn to shut up a little more and type a little less in my write ups so that I can prepare for the journey. So, tomorrow I'll fill you all in on my rough itinerary in hopes that you guys will have hookups in those countries or can recommend some places to visit or enter and slash or some cute women to visit or enter.
I must say that the past week was a hectic week in music for me. Started off with 120 gigs of music to go through, and by Friday I was down to 24 gigs. Savior (and asshole at the same time) Roy came through on Friday night and blessed me with about 7 gigs of music so now I have to go through another 1100+ songs. Roy, get a sex transplant and let's make babies. Ok, no need for that, just buy a wig, yeah (I don't care what style, just make it human hair)?
Ok, so just to give you guys a sense of what's on my plate. I'm scared shitless; which explains my rush to get to the music. I have to go through Eastern Europe, through all the techno and house with one grand finale iPod. It's like I'm Noah with limited occupancy; wielding a machete through my library, slashing songs and artists and albums like a used car salesman. And I mean it in a literal sense. A used car salesman, holding a sword, literally slashing albums at Tower Records.
That's how fucking crazy I am.
Hopefully you can empathize with me for a second, I have one 30 gig iPod and I won't be able to update it for almost half a year. This is driving me nuts. A lot of artists simply aren't going to make it for the journey. I've let go of all my emo, grunge, psychobilly and punk songs. I have no metal, no KROQ songs (except for a few) and I'm just hoping that I can fall in love with a few artists before I go on my journey. I can't even update my smart playlists....oy vey!
Dude, so today's band came into my existence just a few hours ago. Fuck, I like them a plenty. I'm really feeling them, I'm really feeling optimistic. Anyway, I hope to bring forth some good music before I bounce and I hope to like, somehow permanently etch myself into your memory banks at the same time.
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/1mkt1cpkck
So it looks like I'll be taking off in about three weeks so I need to learn to shut up a little more and type a little less in my write ups so that I can prepare for the journey. So, tomorrow I'll fill you all in on my rough itinerary in hopes that you guys will have hookups in those countries or can recommend some places to visit or enter and slash or some cute women to visit or enter.
I must say that the past week was a hectic week in music for me. Started off with 120 gigs of music to go through, and by Friday I was down to 24 gigs. Savior (and asshole at the same time) Roy came through on Friday night and blessed me with about 7 gigs of music so now I have to go through another 1100+ songs. Roy, get a sex transplant and let's make babies. Ok, no need for that, just buy a wig, yeah (I don't care what style, just make it human hair)?
Ok, so just to give you guys a sense of what's on my plate. I'm scared shitless; which explains my rush to get to the music. I have to go through Eastern Europe, through all the techno and house with one grand finale iPod. It's like I'm Noah with limited occupancy; wielding a machete through my library, slashing songs and artists and albums like a used car salesman. And I mean it in a literal sense. A used car salesman, holding a sword, literally slashing albums at Tower Records.
That's how fucking crazy I am.
Hopefully you can empathize with me for a second, I have one 30 gig iPod and I won't be able to update it for almost half a year. This is driving me nuts. A lot of artists simply aren't going to make it for the journey. I've let go of all my emo, grunge, psychobilly and punk songs. I have no metal, no KROQ songs (except for a few) and I'm just hoping that I can fall in love with a few artists before I go on my journey. I can't even update my smart playlists....oy vey!
Dude, so today's band came into my existence just a few hours ago. Fuck, I like them a plenty. I'm really feeling them, I'm really feeling optimistic. Anyway, I hope to bring forth some good music before I bounce and I hope to like, somehow permanently etch myself into your memory banks at the same time.
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/1mkt1cpkck
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Hip Hop, Its Use of Nigga, and Its Implications On the Non-Black World
Allow me to disclose the fact that I'm not trying to write a political piece, at all. To further illustrate it, I said Black, instead of African-American. African-American is such a rigid term; actually, I find it to be more offensive of the two. It’s used with good intent, with its manifest function serving as a politically correct show of respect and tolerance. However, latently, it is also a distinguishing term – creating an us - them dynamic that is, in my opinion, far more detrimental to society’s perspective on the world. So, to recap, I refer to Blacks as Blacks, Whites as Whites, Filipinos as Mexicans, etc. I was totally kidding on the last statement so don't cry.
Let’s start off with the word, Nigger. Merely access your own internal reaction to it and there is no denial of its weight. It’s wrong and I swear to never say it again, but I needed to illustrate my point. It’s a word, so powerful and dense with history that I’m sure your hands are hovering over your mouse just so that you can minimize your computer screen in case someone goes near it.
“Oh my, oh my, oh my. Please, Shirley, I hope my eyes are deceiving me because I just glanced at your computer monitor and….”
Iron Mike Tyson of a word, right? Well then, how about the word Nigga? It leaves non-Black folks (like myself) in a bind. I mean, it’s another intonation of the aforementioned; it’s still Mike Tyson, but more so in a crazy-ass-tribal-tattoo-on-the-face kind of way than a sexy-ass-Robin-Givens-on-the-face kind of way. It’s like what crack is to cocaine, but due to its lower potency level, cost effectiveness and accessibility, the term Nigga experiences more widespread usage. However, the major difference is that the Nigga seems to be more of a mindset than an identity. For example, Cypress Hill uses it, and B Real is Cuban, que’ no? And if you’re from the East Coast and you’re Puerto Rican, it’s like you’re getting unlimited minutes just by being in close proximity of Blacks. But, if you’re Boricuo and from San Bernardino, you’ll be in for a shocker when you yell it out while you’re losing at Street Fighter at the Gameworks in Ontario Mills. I guess the West Coast equivalent for the Non-Black community and its permissible use of the word Nigga would lie in the hands of, like, anyone who lives in the city of LONG BEACH.
But how about a cat, such as myself? I don’t know if my use or non-use of it is a reflection of my ignorance or my attempt at being polite/politically correct. I mean, I hear it in the song and shit, like, they fucking wrote it, right there, in the song. I’m not going to substitute that verse for the fucking radio version. That is why the best MC will always be Black; simply because he can use the word generously. Not being allowed to say it is equivalent to using steroids in bodybuilding; it’s wrong but you cannot be a serious contender without it. I’ve always pondered it in my mind, and a strange thing happened to me a few years ago that made me realize I could no longer ignore its taboo usage….
It was during an annual snowboarding trip to Big Bear, among friends and friends-of-friends. Turned out there was this one cat, a White guy that shared a mutual love for hip hop. So of course I took out the Lame Day album (American Idiot was humungous that year) that was playing and threw in my iPod playlist, “Classic 90s Hip Hop Joints.” Befuddled at first, we soon wove a common thread once “Fu-Gee-La” came on. We were elevated and in unison started rapping to it. Then I thought, “Ok, Lauryn Hill’s verse is coming on and she says, ‘niggas huff and they puff but they can’t handle us.’ How am I going to address it?” He started to mute his voice; and the quivering of his mouth suggested he was thinking the exact same thing, so we both looked at each other. Cliff hangers suck.
Which brings me to this point -- when is it permissible for a non-Black person to yelp it out? To me, it’s anytime I want to feel just plain gangsta. To my ghetto ass friends, it’s anytime. To my colleagues, it’s “oh my, I would never say such a thing.” It’s not like I am exercising my first Amendment right to use it generously, but the same music that glamorizes nigga is the same music that pumps through my veins. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a mindset for most, but for me, it’s a part of my Hip Hop, cultural vernacular. Nigga isn’t meant to be righteous or correct; and neither is Hip Hop. It’s just meant to be, as is, and I guess I’ll have to take away from it what I will and use it accordingly.
Currently, I find myself in this awkward place where I can still use it liberally (in its appropriate context) as long as I consider the possible, oppressing ramifications it may have on my audience. Trust me guys, I anticipate your reactions and I am always curious to observe how people respond when they, too, are faced with the predicament. And to all the Black folks, please know that everyone secretly wishes they could incorporate it into their daily vocabulary because it just makes us feel all gangsta (and shit).
And don’t worry, all you nigga loving, non-Black folks; I’m not going to keep you hanging, so here is my basic rule of thumb. Privacy of your own car = Yes. In the company of close friends that know you = Yes. In the company of friends that you know = Not necessarily. In a work environment = Hell no. Dancing at a club where they play hip hop music = Depends but should be ok so long as it’s at a Black club and you’re a White girl (I’d say it’s fine). College bar = Don’t do it, even if you are Black. Underground hip hop show = permissible, but only try to make eye contact with the artist so that you can explain yourself by saying that you were so captivated by the performance and that of course you don’t have any ill meaning by it and “come on man, I’m a hip hop head.” Just don’t say your best friend’s Black. Punks jump up to get beat down. And all you Uncle Tom, yuppie Black folks…nigga please.
You see, a tolerance mindset started taking form in the late 60s. Fast forward to now and you’ll see that it’s so correct that even the term Wigger seems derogatory (I’m still trying to figure out which group finds it more offensive).
Throughout my upbringing, I was raised on the acceptance standpoint. I had to accept the fact that Whites were going to lump me into the same boat as all Asians and start a fight with me (6 wins, 1 loss). I had to accept the fact that Filipinos were going to think I’m also Filipino and that they’ll start shit because they thought I was from the same privileged, yet neglectful background as them (1 win, 0 losses). I had to accept the fact that any Asian gang was going to think that I was from either Wa Ching or Asian Boys and try to start shit with me no matter how I responded. And finally, I had to accept the fact that Mexican kids were going to ask me if I knew Karate and try to kick my ass because I was un chino, cochino (6 wins, 14+ losses). You see, tolerance is institutionalized and forced by law. Acceptance, on the other hand, is the maturation of the outcome and the next natural step; but not necessarily better, either. But perhaps with discussions and reconsiderations like these; in the form of arguments or even the shattering of friendships, can we, as a generation, perpetuate society to the next stage. From tolerance (where the coexistence is coerced) and acceptance (where you just kind of have to fucking deal with it) to embracement – where we discover that the differences and similarities and between us are merely two sides of the same coin (and we’re like, “fuck it, doode!”). Our generation can build this house, and niggas…they can huff and they can puff, but they’ll never handle us.
--- Sonnyred (proefound@yahoo.com)
Simplified version: Sometimes, I just want to say nigga.
Monday, January 7, 2008
"No Need to Cry" - British Sea Power
Hello All,
The laundry lint sky loomed over us this past weekend, but it looks like the sun found its way to help usher us through the week so hold onto your receipts (you'll be able to exchanging your umbrellas for parasols soon enough).
Well, a civil unrest between my mind and my heart has been taking place over the past few weeks. First of all, I love driving through our beautiful city when it rains. A cerebral experience where you can succinctly feel so at peace and so in the throes of the earth's cries. It brings me closer to God; a baptizing experience that the sun doesn't want you to know about.
And through the clogged arteries of the Angel, it grants me time to think. Waiting at intersections, I sit there and try to align the rate of my turn signals with that of the car in front of me...
BLINK - BLINK
BLINK - BLINK
BLINK - BLINK
BLINK - BLINK
One's always a little too late, one's moving at too fast a speed...sometimes they're not even turned on. But still, I find myself doing it all the time. Blinking, waiting, relieved at the initial synchronization, and then cursing the inevitable departure.
This past weekend, I found myself on Pier and Hermosa Avenues. I had a shitload of boat on my mind; and selfishly, I paid little attention to anything else...
BLINK - BLINK
BLINK - BLINK
BLINK - BLINK
BLINK - BLINK
BLINK - BLINK
And though I found her in complete unison, all I could do was scold at that inevitable departure; and foolishly, paid no attention to anything else.
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/3srt1w1wk4
Thursday, January 3, 2008
"Do Ya Thing" - Black Milk feat J Dilla
Hello All,
Hope you all had a good tail end of the year. Damn, so much change on my part in the past month. Just to recap a little on my end: got my nose sliced almost all the fuck off, lost my job, put surfing on a temporary six month hiatus, preparing for a life changing journey (covert operation to spread "real" hip hop to the Europeans). That's right blokes, take off that Lady Sovereign and MIA and Dizzie Rascal Flats.
It was tough because I had to do all this crazy PC/old Dell/reformatting iPod hoopla bullshit so that I could get this song thing up and running again. I'm now living within gunshot of Roy so you know I'm going to come with it in 08. I'm going to stay on this hip hop thing until I leave because I'm not really sure when/if I'm coming back. Either way, till then the most important thing I can do is really just put solid bangers on my iPod to carry me through all the techno clubs.
The most interesting thing that has happened to me is that I moved back to my parents' house in Baldwin Park. I'm very much a family man so I'm glad to be spending time with my fams until I bounce. Needless to say, my parents welcome me back with open arms -- carne asada tacos waiting on the table and tamarindo in the fridge when I started moving stuff last week. No joke and I'm Thai. Then when I officially moved in my mom wanted to welcome me to feel comfortable so she bought me two tall boys of Magnum Malt Liquor. No joke and I'm Thai. (For real, ma? Don't you know that I've given up Malt Liquor that one time you bounced to Laughlin and I yacked it off of some 800? How about I don't know...a Malbec?). Finally, last night my friend called me up to come down and chill so I met him up at 7-11 and got some drinks on and caught up and he showed me updated pictures of all the hoodrats we used to kick it with -- all blown up and childbearing. No joke and I'm Thai. Simply talking to a few of my friends I've realized that at least 4 of my close friends became parents in the past two months alone. Good lord it's like I jumped straight up into the air as the Earth revolved a few thousand times and landed, back where I came from. A familiar place where I no longer belong. No joke and I'm different.
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/7xv8gh5q8c
Hope you all had a good tail end of the year. Damn, so much change on my part in the past month. Just to recap a little on my end: got my nose sliced almost all the fuck off, lost my job, put surfing on a temporary six month hiatus, preparing for a life changing journey (covert operation to spread "real" hip hop to the Europeans). That's right blokes, take off that Lady Sovereign and MIA and Dizzie Rascal Flats.
It was tough because I had to do all this crazy PC/old Dell/reformatting iPod hoopla bullshit so that I could get this song thing up and running again. I'm now living within gunshot of Roy so you know I'm going to come with it in 08. I'm going to stay on this hip hop thing until I leave because I'm not really sure when/if I'm coming back. Either way, till then the most important thing I can do is really just put solid bangers on my iPod to carry me through all the techno clubs.
The most interesting thing that has happened to me is that I moved back to my parents' house in Baldwin Park. I'm very much a family man so I'm glad to be spending time with my fams until I bounce. Needless to say, my parents welcome me back with open arms -- carne asada tacos waiting on the table and tamarindo in the fridge when I started moving stuff last week. No joke and I'm Thai. Then when I officially moved in my mom wanted to welcome me to feel comfortable so she bought me two tall boys of Magnum Malt Liquor. No joke and I'm Thai. (For real, ma? Don't you know that I've given up Malt Liquor that one time you bounced to Laughlin and I yacked it off of some 800? How about I don't know...a Malbec?). Finally, last night my friend called me up to come down and chill so I met him up at 7-11 and got some drinks on and caught up and he showed me updated pictures of all the hoodrats we used to kick it with -- all blown up and childbearing. No joke and I'm Thai. Simply talking to a few of my friends I've realized that at least 4 of my close friends became parents in the past two months alone. Good lord it's like I jumped straight up into the air as the Earth revolved a few thousand times and landed, back where I came from. A familiar place where I no longer belong. No joke and I'm different.
-- Sonnyred
http://www.box.net/shared/7xv8gh5q8c
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