The Upside of Terror
A teenage 9/12 attendee and prospective member of Future School Shooters of America.
America has never had a shortage of quirky subcultures, especially in the political realm. Our vast country is littered with trash of all kinds, whether it be the Afterbirthers or those zany Libertarians—who, once they no longer receive public utilities, will be fertilizing the tree of liberty with the contents of their candle lit outhouses. For a sampling of the entire American landfill, look no further than the 9-12 Project:
The 9-12 Project is designed to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the values and principles of the greatest nation ever created.
I know nostalgia ain’t what it used to be, but surely there are more illustrious days in our history than the one where we were too rocked with fear and despair to focus on anything but our immediate survival. (more…)
August 1, 2008 Link Roundup
Interview: Nas – The AV Club talks to the man whose debut, Illmatic, is widely considered “one of the greatest rap albums, period” (and is still unsurpassed by Nas himself).
Red Red Meat Reunite – The Illinois Entertainer reviews Red Red Meat’s much-anticipated reunion show.
Via His Blog, David Byrne Announces Collaboration With Eno – Owl&Bear is just taking this opportunity to promote Byrne’s blog, which is full of great insight from one of America’s most interesting living artists.
Interview: Edgar Wright – Just watched Hot Fuzz again last night, so this interview is timely and welcome.
The Dreadful Yawns – Take Shape
2008, Exit Stencil
Cleveland’s The Dreadful Yawns are back.
Take Shape, The Dreadful Yawns’ second album, has been described as more psychedelic than their first release; this might be a worry if the Dreadful Yawns hadn’t awed us last time.
They’ve always have a retro sound, and it’s sometimes more prevalent this time ’round, but it’s largely a relaxing affair. The album’s first track, “Like Song,” starts out as a stripped and countrified Jim O’Rourke rhyme and ends with full-on Loose Fur loveliness–the kind of thing that the Yawns do best. The next song, “The Queen and the Jokester” is a Kinks-style stomp.
Thank You – Terrible Two
2008, Thrill Jockey
Terrible Two by Thank You grabs the listener—but not gently: by the shirt collar.
At five songs and a cumulative 35 minutes, Terrible Two is a mishmash of noise, intense drumming, strange interludes, and howling vocals. It’s a prickly kind of record that is at times almost religious (title track) but rarely harmonious (any given track).
Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?
Morgan Spurlock is back, and he’s trying to kill himself harder than ever before!
Review: The Super Bowl 2008 (Sans Game)
Super Bowl Sunday 2008 has come to a close, and football fans everywhere are feeling the comedown of having no reason to live for the next six months. Seriously, though, who cares about the game? To bloggers, the important thing wasn’t the major upset for the winningest team in 36 years (I still don’t know why the entire New England region gets its own team), but the suckiness of the commercials and Tom Petty. Patriots fans must really be feeling like shit right now—even the commercials let them down.
I am struck by this. We’re talking about a) Commercials and b) Tom Petty. Our society has truly come to a strange crossroads when we expect anything other than passive, low-level enjoyment from either of these enterprises.
School of Language Video
We reviewed School of Language’s upcoming Thrill Jockey release Sea From Shore last week. Here’s a YouTube of David Brewis singing “Rockist” & “Extended Holiday.” Pretty good stuff.
School of Language – Sea From Shore
2008, Thrill Jockey
School of Language mastermind David Brewis has an interesting thing going.
Human Bell – Human Bell
2008, Thrill Jockey
Baltimore’s Dave Heumann and Nathan Bell make up the aptly named Human Bell. In the vein of instrumental outfits like Tortoise, Human Bell’s self-titled release has a lot to offer.
Bill O’Reilly: Racist Regardless
Not to get on a soapbox, but this has a lot to do with music, and it annoys me:
In What Bill O’Reilly Really Told Me, FOX News analyst Juan Williams sat down to clarify that Mr. O’Reilly wasn’t actually being racist when he recently expressed surprise about the lack of blacks profanely demanding food at a Harlem restaurant.
Editorial: Lucinda Williams & Modern Times
Could anyone but Bob Dylan produce something like Modern Times and receive near-universal acclaim? Case-in-point: Lucinda Williams‘ West, released last week to very mixed reviews.
Vague Angels – Let’s Duke It Out At Kilkenny Katz’
2006, Pretty Activity
Chris Leo—songwriter, novelist, and sibling to Ted—leads the arty-but-vaguely-accessible Vague Angels.
Califone – Roots & Crowns
2006, Thrill Jockey
Critics are calling Roots & Crowns Califone’s best, and there is a reason.
Bobby Bare, Jr. and the Young Criminals’ Starvation League – The Longest Meow
2006, Bloodshot
From Bobby Bare Jr.’s songs about going to Hell and seeing your friends (“Demon Valley”) to his upbeat Mexi-country numbers with great female harmonies like “Back To Blue,” The Longest Meow is a success.
And while The Longest Meow lacks iconic tracks like “That Motherfucker,” found on 2004’s From The End Of Your Leash, listeners are also spared the cheese (see “Visit Me In Music City” from the same release). It’s a worthwhile trade, the benefit of which is embodied in energetic tracks like “Uh Wuh Oh,” and the emotional closer “Stop Crying.”
Always fun and simultaneously raw, Bare, Jr. and his ragtag team of Starving Young Criminals have released their best album yet.
B+
Blake Miller – Together With Cats
2006, Exit Stencil
19-year-old Blake Miller has produced a decidedly solid first release with Together With Cats, although it suffers a bit from a focus on quantity over quality.
Top 5 Worst Fashion Trends In Recent History
I don’t know much about fashion. I am sometimes—believe it or not—even chided for my lack of fashion sensitivity. If I were President of the United States Dictator of the World, I’d make everyone wear burlap sacks. But that has only to do with sheer cruelty, not fashion.
