Freedom? Yeah, right.

I've been itching to post something serious from the day Gaddafi got whacked in Libya. I remember thinking it was the perfect moment to post the results of my BBC-CNN research on media frames with Gaddafi as the observed qualifier. But then...

It's so easy to get worked up about the entire narrative in the media, not just Gaddafi.. everything. The meaningless hell we're living in being packed as a worthwhile commodity (now available in jumbo packs complete with universal recognition by all for the accomplished).. the old adagio about modern slavery, emotional suicide, our increasingly vacant souls and cold hearts, the pains of restless ambitions and the frustrating realization that you can't even fart without offending a lesser form of life and two bits later yourself being the finger pointing cocksucker (thanks Liza). Being aware of all the bullshit doesn't really mean anything any more.. everyone is aware of everything. It's everything time. And it's, at times, hilarious.

It's completely normal to pull apart capitalism and the profusion of hedonism as a creed while jerking off to free porn  and splitting heads to u-tube content, again sponsored by click chasers.

Point in case, r.a.t.m. were once your main protest band, the alternative sound to a small yet unified and global awareness of the need for anti establishment, the need to cherish your anger:

(in case you missed it, it's on vevo)

It's everything time and everything is as wrong as right. So why care?

Yeah. Well, at the end of the day if you're not designed to forget entirely, rather over equipped with awareness and understanding, at the end of that day... you sometimes ask yourself. Do I really care? Time and time again you say.. Yes.. Yes I care. So much.. but it's so... so hard.

and then you wipe the cum off your stomach, go to bed, and wake up plotting another ungrateful day.


Another blog and none the richer.

Soulfood Serbia

Don't you just want to go and eat some Serbian soulfood after seeing this?

SOULFOOD Serbia 4' 13'' from SENSE Production on Vimeo.

SER<3IA yay!

Justice - Audio, Video, Disco. Pitchfork rebbutal (fuck pitchork)

Well Bitchfork almost had me going there, with a 5,3 I initially thought the new Justice record might really be a dud. After listening to it I globally recognized what the reviewer was hearing and talking about and thought, allright. Makes sense.
Dumb, Dumber, I.

I wasn't impressed with their first record because it could have been a hell of a lot better. They were doing the rock/grunge/metal sound with electro and a sexy French twist, but weren't patient enough with every track as they were with Dance. Dance is perfect. The rest only at bits and pieces.  The new record is not brilliant, it's not spectacular in any sense, but coming up with anything original and at the same time listenable has become something of a holy grail of 2011. After a few listens I DO think they pull it off. It's upbeat, quirky, transgenre,  catchy, well rounded for the most part, and funny. For instance, at 3.25 they pull a prank on Parade by starting a fade out and then just randomly pull the volume back up again, just for kicks, I mean what else? The themes are, true, overall rock-ish but to compare this with prog is wrong. A proggy riff doesn't make a proggy band and if anything, it is the attempt to embody prog elements into blatant pop-electro that is commendable(!) and, works (.) relatively well. While their last single (audio, video, disco) takes the crown as the album's best, the remainder is no filler. In fact the only part of the entire record that works the nerves is the somewhat apologetic build up to the finale of Helix, as well as the finale itself. By then the sense of novelty bestowed upon the medieval vibe fuckmaking with the future vibe is pretty much worn out, and you can tell they're out of ideas. But then they put the crown on the head (fitting metaphor indeed, putting the single all the way back), and you accept that apology with a grin. French bastards.

But seriously, FUCK PITCHFORK. Every now and then it's allright to spit their way because if we don't, then we don't care about what they're saying. Actually nothing wrong with not giving a damn about critics, in fact, it's better than giving a damn about them. Me, I'm so far into it that it just has to go out, with a bang, or a dick. So I've made this little fuckp4k logo:










This could be a mistake on my part but I have a feeling they went with a bad review because Cross, the first Justice record, was huge in the US. This was a perfect opportunity to take a jab at a major, loved, original and respected group, and consolidate pitchfork as having better taste than you. Well for that, I fuck you.

A woman's flirt

I thought about making this an  anonymous narrative, so no-one could tell  who it's about. Well, two lines in, it definitely lost the potency and pure venom of my observation. So here's what happened today, in its pure form.
_______________________________________________________

The girl sitting at the table placed opposite of me (at the library, behind a two-sided table set-up with pc's at both sides) is totally into the guy sitting behind the unit across her own. She kept adjusting her hair, popping her chest, twisting and turning, trying to keep a face as straight and plastic as manipulation will allow, probably trying hard to be her  profile picture, if I may dramatize. I caught her shooting a maniacal look at the guy, trying to (wo)man him down into submission. The look was saying "you cannot deny me, I'm owning the moves, i'm owning the look, you're mine, amIright?".


Did it work?

Well. Guess not. 10 minutes in she's still all plastic, still twitching, and at the same time in apparent struggle for control of every move she makes and it really amazes me how she still gets work done. I guess the one about multitasking & women, holds water. 15 minutes in her eyelids have finally started to loosen up a bit, it's almost erotic. Wait, that could be her trying to sex him down into submission. Hard to tell, it's really a science this body-language-reading business, and I'm as subjective as they get. Well, anyway. let's say she's relaxing a bit, 15 minutes in.. So I'm going to guess that there is a good chance other (no guess as to the amount) women could be just like her, and will actively (unwillingly even?) send you all sorts signs (from nervous to full on dominatrix), for at least 10-15 minutes after entering your sight range. Actually, half an hour in, she's still checking him out, less twitchy, less in her hair, but the forced poise is still there. It fits her though, she's a beautiful woman. Slender figure, delicate face, has a slightly crooked nose, but she wears it well. Her hair curles to just above her shoulders, and her fine, slim neck carries her head elegantly elevated. A sharp jaw, narrow at the mouth, with lips puckered like folds of thick silk..Her bright blue eyes are almost beaming light, accentuated by a dash of mascara, not too thick, not too thin, just right to fit her tan and hair. Her eyebrows are poetically curvy , exquisite.. starting thin from left to right, thicker at the first half, slimming down towards her glabella, just a little less dense towards the end, adding to the beauty of how seamlessly they attire her  proud, strong forehead. Her only fault is exposed when she, in a twitch of hers, bends her neck backwards to look up and exposes how slim her jaw is, making her look rather frail and ill minded.. she does seem to have a certain restraint in her which translates as control and energetic forcefulness to an otherwise delicate and fine look. For some reason I bet she's quite the fuck. Her self consciousness, erratic movements and a nearly insane glance tell me she knows what she wants, and works hard to be on top of it (fully intended).

I've been checking her out for a while (subtly, it's not the first time I see her), but she will not acknowledge me in the slightest today... she hasn't twitched for me before neither, but we exchanged glances and I couldn't place them as clearly as I can for this guy. I wonder whether he noticed, and responded.. couldn't really tell by the look of her, I guess she needed more of whatever he was dishing out. Guy looks like an actor, not too mainstream, more of a Franco than a Pitt.. carries himself well, dresses to get the attention but in an understated, thus calculated, manner. Something like a lumberjack fairy, you know, kind of perfectly in between of everything, mother fucker. He looks like he eff's plenty, casual, confident and dominating.

So what now?

Well, it's funny how this played out.. by blogging all of this I definitely got a grip on it, and have been playing with eye contact all day, counting it, trying to make up my mind whether seeking contact results in contact, or is such a thing only initiated by a desire to examine something that may appear as vaguely interesting in the mist of the thoughts people go through while walking to wherever, or sitting alone doing whatever. While not interested in sharing the results of my own experimentations, I do advise all  to try to observe this consciously.. it's exciting.. I felt like quite the voyeur at first but writing about it got me over the fact that this pretty creature was consuming that guy, and that I haven't felt that consumed in a while suddenly felt like a less of a strain, because there I was, observing, relishing in her emotions..her possession and zeal... rather  than being consumed by jealousy, as I admittedly, was at first.

Swan Sounds: week 43

Well, the blogs have been coming out far and wide lately and I can't put it on anything else but lack of inspiration and music overdosing. I've been into so much music as of late that it has become increasingly hard to see the trees for the forest. Yes, I find albums as a whole a lot more enjoyable, and I always have, but never has it been an issue to pick a few songs like it has been for the last month or so. But ok, at long last this lamestreamer returns with a few chillwaves from the cella musicae! Yum yum goes your earwax ©! And, I picked these from better albums, I can't stress that enough. I'm so important. Everyone cares! Where did that come from?

To begin with, a tune that I just picked randomly from a good chillwave album by washed out - within and without  (trackname: eyes be closed.) First I was going to write this goofy little line on how a cloud of synth met electro-drum, and then called in dreamy vocalist guy for a trio and ended up making a decent fuckmaking © song  (yes, that word is copywrited by me HERE and NOW), but then I figured I might as well looook up the lyrics. Heavens, it could be about something serious, I thought, and I just can't tell because the vocals are so airy. And sure, and yeah man it changes the perspective and makes the song so much better, it's crazy. Or well, no I'm really a lamestreamer in alt-disguise. That right, Carles?

Via: http://www.lyricsty.com

washed out - eyes be closed.
 
Inside your voice resounds,
Your thoughts realign
Your words recall to mind
Your short sweet life
[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsty.com/washed-out-eyes-be-closed-lyrics.html ]
Hear voices all in time
Hear the words calling (by?)
Feel the wave form now, ride the foam,
See the world clearly now

Rising up you float outside yourself
Find the source of light
You fly home, you go closer now (?)
Rising towards the light... 




And that song, straight up, reminded me of another moment of clarity where lyrics took the song to another level. Three years old the album is, elbow-seldom seen kid (track name: the bones of you). Who hasn't had one of those moments, when the music just pulls you away to a world of it's own, or a different you, in a different time, when you may have been a better, a heartier person, a caring person. What the fuck happened to me? Why am I alone. (notice the absence of a question mark) O, oops, a whirlwind of emotion took hold and I took that one from the deep-dark within. I am one badly drawn boy on the inside.


Via: www.elyricsworld.com 

Elbow - The Bones Of You

So I'm there
Charging around with a juggernaut brow
Overdraft, speeches and deadlines to make
Cramming commitments like cats in a sack
Telephone burn and a purposeful gait

When out of a doorway the tentacles stretch
Of a song that I know
And the world moves in slow-mo
Straight to my head
like the first cigarette of the day

And it's you, and it's May
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away

Do I have
time? A man of my calibre
Stood in the street like a sleepwalking teenager
No.
And I dealt with this years ago
I took a hammer to every memento
But image on image like beads on a rosary
pulled through my head as the music takes hold
and the sickener hits; I can work till I break
but I love the bones of you
That, I will never escape

And it's you, and it's May
And we're sleeping through the day
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away

And I can't move my arm
Through the fear that you will wake
And I'm five years ago
And three thousand miles away



And hell, why not, here another one from elbow's seldom seen kiddo. Melodically even better Mirrorball (the lyrics don't really do it for me yet, but I get him, good for him yeah, allright go! love! hearties)





And then this one, this one I can't find the words to, but the utubers posting about it had me, uhm, thinking. But as it often happens, my thoughts didn't go the distance. Yeah come on, one minute its all teenage-sexual, then it goes to (metaphorical?) horror, and then it ends all meaningfully and drowns lesser minds (evidently) by being inconclusive? NO. I WILL NOT BE OWNED BY A FRENCHMAN (who directed the video)! Let me tell you, I watched  stalkers by Andrei Tarkovsky the other day, look you Frenchman, I almost got to fully not getting it, but every now and then came a few meaningful exchanges, which signalled some conditionally relevant (and a bit more obvious) real world patterns I could relate to, and it went KONEC with me not feeling like an idiot. Watch and learn French guy with cool name, HINT MORE!

But ok, it still works.. it's nowhere(!) near(!) brilliant but it works, a bit. French turtle douche. No, joke. Yes, joke. nonoui, me neither? Did I mention the song at all? The song is a breeze!

DYE - Fantasy



And finally, o this one I can't deny, it speaks to me like a mirror. "You need to get your shit together, you can't achieve the impossible by just asking for it, you need a girlfriend, get. it. together." And then in response I go : I NEEEEED LOOOOOOVE" and the he goes "I WILL BE YOUR LIGHT" Oh the mirror will be my light? no the beta band!, no the mirror! no the ugly swan post from a while back? WHAT?!??!?! IS!?!?! GOING. ON?!?!?! deepness, that's what is.

Fuck Facebook

Updated: 09.03.2013

Aaaaaand, I'm back! On facebook. unfortunately, companies I aim to work with take facebook seriously. So I, as  a communication scientist, must take facebook seriously. Now, the trick is to keep it all healthy, not obsessive. Since by now I'm completely alienated from most of the people I have as friends on there....it should be easy.

Updated: 06-11-2011

2nd entry*

I have been succesfully off for two weeks minus two days at which I reconnected to cut communication expenses. Unfortunately, I haven't exactly cut into my PC usage. If you have other excellent examples of why facebooking or interwebbing aren't sexual, attractive, bad for semen and eggo's and should be h8ed, please do share! I will keep updating this page, or will after a while make a new one, yeah!

*image source: allfacebook.com

1st entry.

Just doesn't work for me. At all. So now I'm on a righteous Pete campaign, promoting alternative lifestyles. Get it? Do get the full intent of that statement.



Love, Cob.

Swan Sounds: week 37

And!! It's back.

After four weeks of little more than immediate, horny, light and tight, depth deprived (which is not a bad thing)  summer chunes played at the raunchiest, sense deprived, high on anticipation & low on delivery, bars and clubs, it's time to dive into the (often) more lush, rich,  ambitious soundscapes of the 'serious'. Yeah, take that one with a palmfull of salt.

Judging by the headlines of my favourite websites, summer was not  a hot (:o) season for 'big' releases. I'ma pound on my chest fort getting the hang of this music scouting business, so I know now that the good stuff is coming out right about now.. like the oh so higly anticipated St. Vincent record!

Allright allright allright. The music.

Wrapping you first in Textures, a fiercely kind Dutch prog-metal unit who return with LP nr4: Dualism, a follow up to the career highpoint, the 2008 Silhouettes, Dualism is something of a predicatble step forward for a band who obviously enjoyed basking in the rays of newfound glory. The first single, reaching home, is a testimony of an ambition only half-met on the new album; radio friendly (if there was such a thing as a rock music platform in this country), melodic, features a clear hook and ambient which envelops around your senses like a fatboy around a well shaped ass. YAHW! The album is something of a balancing act between their first love, straight prog, and their recently expanded taste for the melodic and warm. While dualism, being the albumm title, sets this up.. it's still something of an undeveloped affair; rather than being a cohesive whole the songs every now and than crash into each other and kill off previously established rapport. Dualism is in that respect exactly what it says it is, two bands going at it hard.... So I'd say..try harder and marry the two already, proper (!) in holy matrimony of prog melody love! To balance my own act, there aren't really any bad cuts on this record, just less fitting ones.



The second tune for this week is a cut from the new The Field record, a looping state of mind. I am not going to elaborate on that too much, considering it has been properly reviewed by everyone else. It's a record superior to from here we go sublime, in that it (unlike its title may suggest) adds a new element to the The Field's trademark atmospheric loops: more progressions, more basslines, more percussion, in short 'more of everything for the better'! Undeniably awesome it definitely earns a spin of all who have an ear for comfort. This thing's called it's up there, and it is:





This weeks closing act, rather than something new (in all honesty I still need to give Strange Mercy the time it deserves), is gon' be animal collective's - bluish. Still a quality track off the 2009 Meriwater Post Pavillon, the (h)it record of the year.

OUT FOR THE SUMMER

  

BACK IN SEPTEMBER

 

Swan Sounds: week 29

Yes. Dance. Especially after this horror of a weekend; sincere condolences to all affected Norwegians. Obviously I too felt disturbed, but not just because of the tragic loss of life, equally because Europe has actually started feeling like a union, and such a tragedy  isn't a Norwegian burden alone, rather a drama that affects and worries all of us in the EU. I feel that we need to work together even more, and profess a culture of tolerance and understanding by means of education accessible to all; but also by admitting that some parts of society demand that much more attention and care should we instill, in all, absolute values about life and how to cherish it.

Right.

This weeks tracks aren't your typical dance anthems though; gang gang dance- mind killa  has the familiar beat but the vocals and the relentless pulse of the hook will either drive you mad or leave you wanting for more. Then some  Jamie XX - NY is killing me, bit sombre for a dance tune but if you know how to move that bod, slow and deep will do. Finally, SBTRKT - hold on is equally minimal but again drives on that same reservation, caged sensuality so to speak. So I say, let's dance, celebrate life and all those things we take for granted.. Be good to each other! 

r.ip. Winehouse, I never liked your music, but your interviews do show a side of

you I hadn't suspected. Hungry for life, genuine, emotional and fragile, and all I 

have ever seen was a complete and utter ruin of a human. Bravo media.

Gang Gang Dance- mind killa

Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie XX - NY is killing me

SBTRKT - hold on

Review: Incubus - if not now, when?

The men of incubus have for a long time held a particular spot in the world of rock music. A cross-over act that started out with an edgy mix of all that was good about heavy rock, funk and hip-hop (owing to the scratching and lyrivcal delivery), evovling to spacy grooves, ocean side views and finally into the quaint soundscapes of a crow left of the murder and its less endearing, though still amicable sibling, light grenades. There was often a sense of novelty with the work of incubus, the last of such being the move in style between morning view and aclotm. However the vibe has not progressed much between their last two albums, resembling somewhat the relation between make yourself and its follow up. With their final installment incubus do not quite shake the umbra which they seem to have picked up with aclotm. The somewhat staccato bass loops, the almost invariable song structures and the increasingly theatric presence of Brandon Boyd sound all too familiar. According to main composer & guitarist Einziger, this was the album that would challenge the fanbase, and while he may be right, all those who have embraced the proficient bits spawned in the  indie scene, or for that matter are familiar with the broad catalogue of all things mid-tempo and hearty, will be underwhelmed with if not now, when? Going for more dramatic, deep and slow sonics, incubus delivers highlights  far and wide. The band bestows the songs with sufficient layers and the performance is tight, but to a weathered ear they sound contrived & bland. The delivery by Boyd is not heartfelt. He sounds as too much of a performer to carry a song on his own. Simplicity begs for spirit, tortured souls or a voice beaming with character.. Boyd's voice works better as company to energetic and vivid instrumentals, rather than being the lead all the time. However, Boyd alone is not to blame here, the band as a whole underperform. The rhythm is plain, the melodies textbook, and the virtuosity a distant cousin. All in all, inn,w? is the work of band that is exploring new grounds, but delivering a record that feels dated and unimaginative. They would do well to pay attention and allow themselves to be impressed by other, I dare say newer, artists before they make the next album; because stale and irksome, if not now, when? is indeed what they should be asking themselves.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Oh while you're here, you might as well check my latest blog about how observing emotion sparks emotion and beats jealousy... you unwilling to browse sweethearts:

Swan Sounds: week 28

This week we went for some well crafted, finely layered, mid-tempo chunes, which next to the aforementioned, have nothing to do with each other. Take the Zero 7's  track, it has that familiar 07 groove yet the percussion is thicker and more interwoven with other rhythm instruments.Then we've got crystal castle's empathy which starts off as anything you might hear on a dancefloor anywhere, and then takes a stroll into faux/ambient leaning on quirky bass & spatious rambling. Try fitting this one into a playlist for any particular mood. Moving onto the vervy And so I watch you from afar. This particular song is something of a mellow moment on the otherwise all out attack that is Gangs, the LP they released in May. What an absolute treat of vitality that is.. not quite something that an average listener (someone who doesn't spend hours upon hours daily going through new music) can go throughout without getting a bit nervous or overwhelmed I imagine.. It's perhaps best consumed as housing @ work for a first run...but definitely an earopener this little bundle of joy!

Zero 7 - Everything Up (Zizou)



Crystal Castles - Empathy




And so I watch you from afar - 7 Billion People Alive at Once

Swan Sounds: week 27

On  25th of May Silverchair (who?) announced they are taking an indefinite nap.
We weren't exactly 'fans', but we shared some nice moments.. Even seen
them live in Auckland, NZ. Great show, tight band! Daniel, very much a showman!

They've started out when they were, 14? 15? Daniel's a 30 y.o. now..
Still pretty young for someone who rocked alongside Cobain..figuratively speaking.
Yeah. Silverchair.. Started off as a decent cut on decent bands but have, over the last 3 records,
found a distinctive sound, much akin  to Daniel's side projects.. Last we heard of them
were a few live shows down under..Machina Collecta featured heavy vocal distortion, leaving Johns with bot-appeal! Oh if Bubmlebee was a gaybot, he'd chase that voice far and wide.Yeah, anyway.. the Chair's out and we figured we'd dedicate a post to them alone..A Silverchair Tribute of sorts.


Here's a brief catalogue review, a song a piece!It might seem a lot more coherent than it really is.. we picked the songs we liked.. we've left most of the hardstuff out..



Suicidal Dream (Live)



Abuse Me



Emotion Sickness



The Greatest View (Get an mp3, the audio fidelity is terrible on this one)



Those thieving birds (pt1)

Swan Sounds: week 26

Sometimes words don't do justice to emotions. Here's Sofia - Heart Shaped Box (the covers of nirvana mixtape: via music is art & Antiquiet)

* for the original (and better) version, do check the music is art blog.

Swan Sounds: week 25

We're a week behind schedule, things were cookin' up @ the university and we had to
get serious. Anyway it's cooked and we're catching up! The last few weeks were thrilling
musically. Radiohead coughed up a new track during 'the basement sessions' and it's a goodun! Give it a listen, and if it's not instant love, give it two more listens, leave it for a week, and come back to it. It's that good. On  the whole other end of the spectrum, in every sense, limp bizkit ! dropped 'gold cobra'! We picked 'angels' because next to 'walking away', 'loser', and 'my own cobain' it's the only one you won't feel too bad 'bout likin'!! For the rest of it, leave your ethics somewhere nice and warm and just get stupid with the Bizkit! The album is a banger! Finally, Dutch grime trio; Dope D.O.D. (duo of darkness), coincidentally opening up on the Bizkit's Cobra, tour examines the state of rap with "what happened?". Filth. Filth. Ego tripping. Bass.Bass.

Enjoy the sounds of week 25:

Radiohead - Staircase

Limp Bizkit -Angels (Available on Gold Cobra Deluxe Edition from Amazon, Itunes & BestBuy)

Dope D.O.D. - what happened?

Swan Sounds, week 24

Time to give more prominence to the collective's musical flavour. For the wondering, a "cob" is a male swan. "Swan Sounds" is a pun to the Swan Song sentiment (wiki it) though nowhere near as dramatic, it's  a metaphore aiming to address the perceived editorial identity: elegant, strong, predominantly gifted with penis, & keen on flattering imagery.

To kick it off with a bong from the heart of Balkanlands (Belgrade, Serbia)- meet:
DARKWOOD DUB.
A band now well over 20 years on the scene who started out as a punk-reggae
project, developing steadily to the spatious, lively & urban landscapes of today. A unique vibe which grabs peak elements of the ever strong & avant-garde Belgrade scene, here's "Secer", meaning "Sugar" from the 2008 "Jedinstvo" ("unity" ) album. The momentary disco-faux has the unminstakble Darkwood umbra abut with Dub's idiosyncratic groove and sonic kerf's. An eisegesis it may be,

a foist to justify this brindled tune, our heart is true; we feel Darkwood Dub, and we feel you might cosher them as we do, after a listen or two. Cob's recommend the entire Jednistvo album. Follow up listening: robot, stvarnost (reaility), nesto sasvim izvesno ("something entirely certain" a track from the upcoming album).

Will I am, a poem against the feasting madness,

Will, I am

Why hide what you are after,

As I were the sun you stare upon;

Why linger by the words I utter,

Left ere my thought was done.

...

My ballooning head,

My billowing despair,

I reek of chance run over,

Intestines richly spread;

The air is drunk with foul

Stench of  Will long dead.

And critters feast upon,

This bloated angel's bread.

Enters Will of Free,
So sudden, stern & steady

Away, the critters sped,
Forlorn no more, I'm standing

Will filled dead Will's mana,

As only Will could ever do,

For Will was once was a hero,

And let Will be one of two,

From dead to living,

It only took Another,

His Majesty Will of Free,

His lordship; friend and brother.

If you're wondering what that was about, mainly:

Don't respect people who don't bother making themselves understandable, and unless

you point out you don't understand them, you're no better: 

Surround yourself with healthy spirits, as they will pick you up when you're

a meal to your own madness, and so you should do yourselves as the roles turn, and

turn they will.

Friendship comes at a cost. You are currency.

Jeffrey T. Kuhner is a disgrace to journalism. The Washington Times is a farce.

I'm furious at the ramblings the mentioned Jeffrey T. Kuhner, a journalist working at the Washington Post,  has been allowed to publish about the developments concerning former Croatian General A. Gotovina, the man co-responsible for the expulsion of some 100.000 Serbs from Croatia in the 90ies. Kuhner is so radically out of touch with the realities of Croatian public opinion and the facts about the Yugoslav war that I'm  getting the idea that he is being paid by a nationalist lobby of Croatian citizens to spurt further confusion about people's understanding of what took place. He has balls, I'll give him that, balls to be so absurdly ignorant and thickminded that it's rampantly bordering with imbecilism, which means I should perhaps feel sorry for him. But I cannot for the life in me. The man actually suggests the moral and judicial supremacy of established American newspapers over the rulings of the international court. Let me quote:   

"...numerous media outlets - The Washington Times, the Wall Street Journal, Newsweek and the Jerusalem Post - have investigated Operation Storm and have concluded that Gen. Gotovina is innocent of any wrongdoing. He never personally ordered or tolerated the commission of any crimes. In fact, the ICTY’s prosecution was dismal on this point. It failed to show any kind of proof that Gen. Gotovina was responsible for orchestrating a criminal conspiracy. The reason is a simple one: He couldn’t have."

I am lost for words! Even popular Croatian news portals like Index.hr and novilist.hr have widely recognized the court's decision and have, though briefly, discussed the EVIDENCE which mr Kuhner so bluntly ignores. I will not entertain the same discussion here, one only needs to do a search on BBC (Ante Gotovina) and things will come up. Moreover  the Croatian portals practice the art of nuance, clearly establishing that the actions for which Gen. Gotovina is sentenced are to be seen as separate of those which he has performed in pursuit of establishing Croatian independence!

Furthermore, what Jeffrey Kuhner goes on to write about the Serbian exodus from Croatia caused a reality shift in my body. I felt for a moment that the world is a place without hope and that we are all doomed to be ruled and lied to by crooks (a fact as it is anyway). Mr Kuhner, you have enraged me in a way I have not felt for years. I should thank you for making me feel like my life has a purpose, knowing that people like you still walk around and that people like me, who will offer a counter view  are needed. Dearly.

I am sorry, I'm losing my flow. Let me quote what Kuhner wrote about the exodus of Serbs from Croatia.

"The orders to evacuate the Serbian population from the so-called “Krajina” zone of occupation came from Belgrade several days before the commencement of Operation Storm. Milosevic, realizing he was facing a military humiliation, ordered Croatia’s Serbs transferred to Bosnia and Kosovo to consolidate his revanchist gains there. This was done before Croatian forces even launched their campaign. Hence, the entire Gotovina conviction and prosecution rests on a giant fraud: The removal of the Serbian population occurred under the explicit command of local Serb authorities acting under the authority of Belgrade. Therefore, Croatian forces could not have committed “ethnic cleansing.” The ICTY verdict is a sham."

Really Mr Kuhner? I wish I could freely offer the full evidence against this malicious falsification,to use the words of power I know would set hearts ablaze. But the things that I have to say could place me, my family and relatives into the face of danger less benign than the justified FLAC to which I expose you. Let me just hint, Kuhner, that when my father fled Croatia , he did so under pressure from our Croatian neighbors, under pressure from Croats at work, due to having his relations sent to jail for being more vocal and active in their resistance,,  due to having his birthplace cleansed and eradicated! And finally, due to having acquaintances killed (not those that were imprisoned, to be clear) for what they believed in. Due to that MR Jeffrey T. Kuhner!!!! has my father left Croatia, even before operation Storm. Due to the fact that SERBS were systematically targeted and marginalized both by civilians as the militants for the sake of Croatia am I now a bastard without a fully developed sense culture & belonging, without a face and a place in the world other than the one I fight to establish for myself. You outrageously uninformed menace! No-one from Serbia ordered my father to leave, my father was bullied into exile!

You are a disgrace to journalism Jeffrey. You are a disgrace to anyone who cares about the truth. I hope you someday learn that though you have been blessed with a voice, you have no right to violate the little truths this world has.

For Christ' sake man, how can you even think about another war (he suggests that Serbs and Croats will take up arms again), what in the world have you been reading? The last thing the people want is another bloody war! The only people in the Balkan region who will support your thesis are the Croatian Ustasa Fascists! The movement still popular in rural Croatia, the people who believe all Serbs should be exterminated just for being SERBS! Do you even know what these ultra-nationalists stand for Mr Kuhner?!?!?! Do you know what they have DONE?!

My god man, quit you job!

You can read his full article here. To all of you who are fueled by this injustice but can also muster a poised comment, please be vocal. We cannot tolerate such malicious content online.
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Many of you have read this piece by now, and I am curious as to why. No-one is leaving comments, no-one questions.. nothing.. Do share your thoughts with me! Are you offended by the content? Are you equally upset by Mr Kuhner? Speak up!

Incubus-adolescents: review

Surprisingly unimaginative and uninspired musically, the new Incubus single will blend into the ether and leave no mark. It sounds like it came about in an unforced environment of stale minds who have ceased to push forward and redefine themselves. This wouldn't be a problem if this was a decent pop-rock song that packs an emotional punch which the lyrics call for. But it doesn't. At a low point, Brandon Boyd still seems occupied with the agenda of combining his sensuality and purposefulness into every level of his expression, filtering the vocals into a shape far more regulated and clean than it needs to be. The fact that a topic is a cliche isn't an issue, the fact that it's presented as if it isn't, is. The instrumental end of the song is on the par with it's front man; intentionally meandering, meek, well arranged and flavourless.

The band have, so it seems, slipped into a comfort zone they, if one would take the single as an indicator, have no intention to step out of. In a fansite interview guitarist Michael Einziger suggested that the single was the last to be recorded, and has been chosen for a push by the record label, perhaps hinting at his own awareness of its inspidness. Talking about the upcoming album the band's main composer speaks of a coherent piece, spatious and elegant, suggesting that  Boyd has reached a new level of lyrical honesty and depth which emotionally charges the songs more so than ever. If the single is just the cover, the book may be a good read yet, however, a genre outing front often filters out it's audience for a good reason.

R.I.P. Kurt Cobain & Layne Staley

Both passed on this day.

Tribute:


Nutshell

Would?





Something in the way

Underneath the bridge
My tarp has sprung a leak
And the animals I've trapped
Have all become my pets
And I'm living off of grass
And the drippings from my ceiling
It's okay to eat fish
'Cause they don't have any feelings


Something in the way, mmm
Something in the way, yeah, 


Underneath the bridge
My tarp has sprung a leak
And the animals I've trapped
Have all become my pets
And I'm living off of grass
And the drippings from my ceiling
It's okay to eat fish
'Cause they don't have any feelings


Something in the way,
Something in the way, yeah



Plateau


Many a hand has scaled the grand old face of the plateau
Some belonged to strangers, some to folks you know
Holy ghosts and talk show hosts are planted in the sand
To beautify the foothills, and shake the many hands


nothing on the top but a bucket and a mop
And an illustrated book about birds
See a lot up there but don't be scared
Who needs action when you (got) words


finished with the mop then you can stop
And look at what you've done
The plateau's clean, no dirt to be seen
And the work it was fun


nothing on the top but a bucket and a mop
And an illustrated book about birds
See a lot up there but don't be scared
Who needs action when you (got) words


Many a hands began to scan around for the next plateau
Some say it was Greenland, and some say Mexico
Others decided it was nowhere except for where they stood
But those were all just guesses, wouldn't help you if they could

Minor Threat Invasion

I've discovered this band from the 80ies called Minor Threat.

I'll let them do the talking. (Some of these are covers by other bands, I've put those up because of the improved audio quality/as subjective an opinion that may be)

In my eyes (cover by  rage against the machine)

You tell me you like the taste
You just need an excuse
You tell me it calms your nerves
You just think it looks cool
You tell me you want to be different
You just change for the same
You tell me it's only natural
You just need the proof
Did you fucking get it?

It's in my eyes
And it doesn't look that way to me
In my eyes

You tell me that nothing matters
You're just fucking scared
You tell me that I'm better
You just hate yourself
You tell me that you like her
You just wish you did
You tell me that I make no difference
At least I'm fuckin' trying
What the fuck have you done?

It's in my eyes
And it doesn't look that way to me
In my eyes

I don't want to hear it

I don't want to hear it
All you do is talk about you
I don't want to hear it
'Cause I know that none of it's true
I don't want to hear it
Sick and tired of all your lies
I don't want to hear it
When are you gonna realize...

THAT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT
KNOW THAT YOU'RE FULL OF SHIT

Shut your fucking mouth
I don't care what you say
You keep talking
Talking everyday
First you're telling stories
Then you're telling lies
When the fuck
Are you gonna realize

THAT I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT
KNOW THAT YOU'RE FULL OF SHIT

Seeing red

You see me and you laugh out loud
You taunt me from safe inside your crowd
My looks, they must threaten you
To make you act the way you do

RED, I'M SEEING RED

You see me and you think I'm a jerk
First impressions without a word
You can't believe your eyes at first
But now you know you've seen the worst

RED, I'M SEEING RED

Straight edge (cover by slapshot)

  

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and fuck my head
Hang out with the living dead
Snort white shit up my nose
Pass out at the shows
I don't even think about speed
That's something I just don't need

I'VE GOT THE STRAIGHT EDGE

I'm a person just like you
But I've got better things to do
Than sit around and smoke dope
'Cause I know I can cope
Laugh at the thought of eating ludes
Laugh at the thought of sniffing glue
Always gonna keep in touch
Never want to use a crutch

I'VE GOT THE STRAIGHT EDGE

Small man, big mouth

Compete, compete, do it for the boys
Empty barrels make the most noise
You're always on the move
You've always got something to prove

What the fuck are you fighting for?
Is it because you're five foot four?
You better be happy with what you've got
You'll never get any more

You laugh at a man when he tries
You're trying to make up for your size
To you life is a rivalry
Keep a step ahead of me

SMALL MAN, BIG MOUTH

Screaming at a wall

I'm gonna knock it down
Any way that I can
I'm gonna scream, I'm gonna yell
I don't want to have to use my hands

IT'S LIKE SCREAMING AT A WALL
SOMEDAY IT'S GONNA FALL

You built that wall up around you
And now you can't see out
And you can't hear my words
No matter how loud I shout

IT'S LIKE SCREAMING AT A WALL
SOMEDAY IT'S GONNA FALL

You're safe inside and you know it
'Cause I can't get to you
And you know I resent it
And my temper grows

You better reinforce those walls
Until you don't have no room to stand
'Cause someday the bricks are gonna fall
Someday I'm gonna use my hand

Bottled violence

Get your bravery from a six pack
Get your bravery from a half-pint
Drink your whiskey, drink your grain
Bottoms up and you don't feel pain

GO OUT AND FIGHT, FIGHT
BOTTLED VIOLENCE

Lose control of your body
Beat the shit out of somebody
Half-shut eyes don't see who you hit
But you don't take any shit

GO OUT AND FIGHT, FIGHT

BOTTLED VIOLENCE

Minor threat (cover by silverchair)

We're not the first, I hope we're not the last
'Cause I know we're all heading for that adult crash
The time is so little, the time belongs to us
Why is everybody in such a fucking rush?

Make do with what you have
Take what you can get
Pay no mind to us
We're just a minor threat

WE'RE JUST A MINOR THREAT

Early to finish, I was late to start
I might be an adult, but I'm a minor at heart
Go to college, be a man, what's the fucking deal?
It's not how old I am, it's how old I feel

Take your time
Try not to forget
We never will
We're just a minor threat

WE'RE JUST A MINOR THREAT

Ugly Swan

Thom Yorke's black swan is about seizing the day in the face of a fucked world, suggesting Thom as an illustration of success against all odds and a one you may use as an example to realize yourself fully.

But what if you're a complete dirtbag on the inside. What if in fact you're a Douche Swan and selfrealization is simply not a "good" thing.. Say your character is so flawed, contrived and devious, then, what route to take? The metamorphosis from an ugly duckling to a swan doesn't really apply there, as there is no, or little, beauty inside waiting to grow. Rather, an inmeasurable appetite for acknowledgment, respect, and a hunger for a horribly misfigured idea of love, relatively speaking of course, come to mind as defining attributes of such a character.  Even if there was a trace of goodness, whatever that may be, it certainly will not develop on its own, but rather needs the barrer to shine on it with will power as to foster the misfigured, abused, seed. Or perhaps to, as it were, be the creator of the seed.

Transformation is a long, yet if we look at nature, often a productive and, in our human terms, a beautiful, process. From larva to a butterfly, from a bud to  a rose, from a fluffy lion cub to a killing machine. Yet transformation is a natural process, heavily conditioned and subject to the elements. Human transformation, I would say, works by self imposed education about what it is that, in human terms, defines the objective.

Therefore, the seed, would then have to be the will to change, the fostering would be understanding the desired goal, and the transformation would be taking the plunge into abyss of self exposure, where effects cannot be calculated and hearts are vulnerable and weak.

I choose, in face of all the ambiguity about the target of this blog, to conclude with what I believe to be his or hers ambition, one which is essentially beautiful(ly naive).

Words:

Sleight of hand,
Jump off the end.
Into a clear lake,
No one around.

Just dragonflies,
Flying to the side.
No one gets hurt,
You're doing nothing wrong.

Slide your hand,
Jump off the end.
The water's clear and innocent.
The water's clear and innocent.





Oh while you're here, you might as well check my latest blog about how observing emotion sparks emotion and beats jealousy... you unwilling to browse sweethearts: