"House of Flying Daggers" Music Video

Yep, my Wu obsession is still going strong. Here's the newly released music video for Raekwon's "House of Flying Daggers" that I posted about last week. It turns each of the artists who are on the song into kung-fu masters of different styles. Awesome.

Oh, but be careful if you're turned off by gratuitous violence.

Was my love of music doomed from the very moment of its inception? I think so.

Here's another TMT feature article that does a great job of discussing music from a really unique vantage point. This one aims to understand our "compulsion to hear again." That is, "Why are we compelled to hear the same song a hundred times when there is so much music unheard?" The author decides that if we hear a song that we like, we are compelled to listen to it again, in the hope that we will like it equally (repeat our experiece) the second time. But the catch is that the second time will never be as good "because of the idealizing work of memory" and the inability of reality to live up to our idealized memories. Sound familiar, college students? It's all based off some theories by a philosopher named Kierkegaard.

The article is really well-written, name-checks Lightning Bolt, and has a really sweet picture at the top (which I stole for this post). All pluses in my book. Check it out.

Link: A Eulogy for Transcendental Music Experience: An Article After Kierkegaard’s Repetition

Now listening to: Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)

Raekwon the Chef - "House of Flying Daggers"

Recently I've found myself revisiting the Wu-Tang Clan's back catalog and wishing I owned some kung-fu movies. I think it's all because of this song. "House of Flying Daggers" is the latest track that's available from Raekwon the Chef's long-rumoured Only Built for Cuban Linx II, which will finally be released (cross your fingers!) on September 8. In the years since the entire Clan dropped Enter the Wu-Tang Clan (36 Chambers) (1993), their output both as a group and as individuals has been pretty scattershot. We're all in luck, though, because this track comes through with all of the things that make a solid Wu song: a sound clip from an old kung-fu movie at the beginning, a beat that reminds you of an army of skeletons running drills, a slew of hungry verses from other Clan members (Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man), and a sound clip from an old kung-fu movie at the end. I don't know what a Cuban Link is, but I don't care - I just want to listen to this song again.

Raekwon the Chef - "House of Flying Daggers"

Now listening to: Cave - Psychic Psummer (2009)

Dodos - Time to Die and "Fables"

Sorry - I've been doing a lot of things this summer, but posting here hasn't really been one of them. There's been a ton of sweet stuff that's come out in the past few weeks, so I'm going to do my best to catch up on all of that. Hopefully I can keep up with catching up.



I know the term "freak folk" is overused, but I think if there were an appropriate time to use it, it would be when talking about The Dodos. These San Fransisco weirdos play acoustic guitars and drums with a big emphasis on rhythm - probably because their guitar player studied West African Ewe drumming and their drummer proper used to be in a prog-metal band. Their second album, Visiter (2008) was one of my favorites of last year. And now, little over a year later, they're back with Time to Die. The band has made the entire thing available for stream here and is definitely worth a listen.

"Fables,"the first official single from the record actually tones down the weird a bit, but boosts the melody and overall catchiness, finding itself somewhere in the realm of The Shins. I dare you not to sing along with the chorus the second time it comes around. Another plus - the album cover looks like terazzo, and I love that stuff.

The Dodos - "Fables"

Now listening to: Cass McCombs - Catacombs (2009)

Andrew W.K. Is Awesome.

So the internet has been blowing up with hilarious Andrew W.K. videos recently, and who am I to stop it? The man is always having a good time. He loves to party, headbang, wear white all the time, play classical piano, and even though he got is break being a musician, he goes on "tour" as a motivational speaker.

So, first up, we have Andrew W.K. on a late night comedy-disguised-as-news show (as opposed to news-disguised-as-comedy a la Stewart or Colbert) that's on super early in the AM on Fox news:

(Thanks to George.)

Next is Andrew W.K. on a local Fox channel as guest weatherman.

(Thanks to Adam and videogum.)

Third, we have Andrew W.K.'s performance at Gathering of the Juggalos '08.

(Thanks to Matt.)

And finally, Andrew W.K. has a new show that just premiered on Cartoon Network. It involves kids, explosives, and Andrew W.K. Here's the trailer for that:


Look awesome? Thought so.

Okay, I'm done. Sorry this post didn't have much to do with music. My excuse? Andrew W.K. is awesome.

Now listening to: Caribou - The Milk of Human Kindness (2005)

If Feedback’s Nonlinear, It Can’t Be Straight

Here's an interesting article I just found on Tiny Mix Tapes. It's titled "If Feedback's Nonlinear, It Can't Be Straight: Noise Music as Queer Expression," which is an awesomely witty title if I've ever heard one. The basic argument it makes is that both traditional concepts of tonality and traditional concepts of sexuality are arbitrary, meaning that we have similar misconceptions about noise music and homosexuality. Since they can relate to something that is seen as being outside the social norms, it follows that the noise genre attracts more homosexuals per capita then traditional music genres. It's definitely an interesting theory, and a good way to link two things that we as young, socially-conscious music lovers can relate to, in a way that I surely never could have.

FYI there are a number of references to lyrics about homosexuality, sadomasochism and other kinds of "deviant" sex. You've been warned. Skip reading the article if those are things that make you uncomfortable.

Now listening to: Dodos - Time to Die (2009)

jj?

So, you're all already aware that I'm a big Air France fan. When their No Way Down EP dropped last summer, their shimmering, Baleric-tinged songs were billed as the humid summertime answer to their Sincerely Yours labelmates, The Tough Alliance.

And this summer, here comes jj, whose new EP, jj n° 2, is billed as the humid summertime answer to their Sincerely Yours labelmates, Air France. Hm. I didn't know Air France became an electroclash act in the past year. In my humble opinion, The Tough Alliance is already pretty clearly dance-lite, and being two generations lite-er than that is going to have you walking a pretty fine line.

All this is to say: I really want to like jj, if only because of their association to Air France and Sincerely Yours. But I don't know if my stomach is tough enough to handle something that sounds this much like Enya. Other things that I'm torn about regarding this record include the lead single "Ecstacy" that samples Lil Wayne's "Lollipop," and that cover art up there (cool concept, but anything with a pot leaf on it loses major cred points, cause that's lame). I'll keep you updated and let you know if this is a turning point in my life, in which Sleepy Hollow becomes my favorite radio program.

Decide for yourself:
jj - Ecstacy
jj - From Africa to Málaga

Now listening to: jj - jj n° 2 (2009)