Djokovic breaks down during Dimitrov shocker; treats audience to a dish.

Madrid, 07.05.2013

Novak Djokovic truly is a sight to behold. From his flawless physique, impeccable hair and facial features, to his on-court acrobatics, he really has been the most striking individual in the world of tennis for the past two and a half years.

Known for making impossible shots, and ripping his t-shirts, Hulk style.

But next to being a fantastic athlete/demigod, he's also..

....a very emotional man. 

A 'ball' of emotion one might say... 

And so every and now then, during his most testing moments, much like his Madrid loss to 'baby Federer' Grigor Dimitrov, his countrymen are reminded of the core dictionary affiliated to raw emotion. 

To quote, after winning the second set, Djokovic walked to his chair and visibly upset by the audience' support for Dimitrov (much could be said of that favoritism, but I'll omit it fully) Djokovic, in return, offered the audience a traditional Serbian dish, and did so with unmistakable Serbian charm:


" sad ćete da mi ližete kurac... 

...sad ćete kurac da mi ližete! "


Or...in lingua franca, and accompanied with relevant imagery:

Nole smash!

To be fair, in the scene imaged above Djokovic was only taunting the audience with gestures. However, the imagery and the words do complement each other rather well, methinks.

Love him or hate him the man has balls, and isn't afraid to serve them. And mind you, regardless of the occasional antic, he inspires and he thrills with his game, and that's all that really matters.

Phoenix - Bankrupt! A matter of sequencing.

So. What of the new Phoenix record?

You decide, but since I'm highly involved with Phoenix I've given it more spins than most and I've come to the conclusion that a lot of the mixed reviews are spot on.. but it's not really the songs most found fault with. I think it's the way they are sequenced... You'll often read that track five weighs the thing down, and you may notice that many completely overlook Side A because it's so predictably Phoenix. Additionally..or in extension of the previous, I've come to the conclusion that the album is very intensive as it is.. its energy somehow unbalanced.

but if you mix it up a bit...

It becomes a breeze... a very accessible record that does not fall short of their previous work, and  me; due to involvement with the lyrics and a more thorough understanding of the band this time around (reading and watching all of the interviews they've done in promoting the album) I appreciate it quite a bit more...

So, without further ado... IF you also felt the current track-order didn't quite work for some reason (e.g. Track five weighing the record down... Side B being too intense and shapeless, Side A bit bland...) for a potentially better album experience, sequence it like this:

Entertainment
The real thing
Don't
Trying to be cool
Drakkar Noir
S.O.S. in Bel Air
Oblique City
Bourgeois
Chloroform
Bankrupt!

Now, what this does for me..

it gives both sides more air/pace. 'Don't' lightens up side A, 'Oblique city' speeds up B well enough as it's airy already with 'Bourgeois' and 'Bankrupt!' ...And 'Bankrupt!' really WORKS as a closer... the album is now light enough to have it there... and it's a wonderfully reflective track as it is... as much as it a blatant pt.3 to 'Love like a sunset pt.1 & 2' from the previous record.

Growing old haiku

spring of youth in mist

a hot summer thirsty lad

quench.  he who knows love

Looming death

A child patiently stalked by a vulture, via deeplythinking

Do read the accompanying article at deeply thinking. To settle your curiosity somewhat, you could conclude that death himself took the picture.

Update*

Then again, some of the comments here put a different light on it.

A heist in plain sight, or the underminding of international monetary systems?

Jorgovanka Tabakovic: "I'm stubborn!"

This just in: Serbia, the country where the prime minister appoints the head of the national bank from the ranks of his own party.. Plus, the former head of the bank quit over new policies which would put the bank under parliament supervision..which according to 'sources' may be an issue because policy stability cannot be guaranteed, nor the independence from government or other, corporate, influences..

So what do you do to counter that?

The new head just tells all to relax and trust her because she is stubborn and won't be bossed around. And then, same article in the most esteemed Serbian newspaper Politika, some random anonymous elderly rural person is quoted saying to an official

"son, had we looked for her we wouldn't have found her, but we prayed to the lord, and we got her. I hope she'll be the best we ever had".

So when on one hand you have the likes of the EU, IMF, the Royal Bank of Scotland and so on..and the other the Serbian parliament and an elderly old man...

Which one is it... a heist in plain sight, or the undermining of international monetary systems?

Both.

In the sense that the people are going to get robbed either way, but Serbia might not share.

Liar

When did I lose my heart

I can’t remember when I lost my heart
Oh have you seen, what it looked like?
I can’t remember, How it felt like.

As the neon lights rape the dark
You’ll do better when the sun is up
The beast will stay in bed
You lie again in bed

Who can help a puppet
Begging for a life
yet holding the ropes
always holding the ropes

Who can help a blind man
To see the sun again
If he can’t feel the sun
If he can’t feel the warmth

A magician pulling tricks
At his own expense
I’m telling you it’s real
My word to you it’s real

The jury’s out for life
The jury’s around the corner
The jury’s in your head
Life in a courtroom

And it slips my mind

Who can help a puppet
Begging for a life
while holding the ropes
always holding the ropes

Who can help a blind man
To see the sun again
If he can’t feel the sun
If he can’t feel the warmth

Swan Sounds W10, SHEARWATER

The Austin, TX based band just released their latest LP Animal Joy, and I am oh so glad to report that it's thing of beauty!

What is it that nails it for me?
Well, I'm only occasionally drawn in by the lyrics.. as a non-native speaker the content of the vocals often just passes me by either because: the accents are too thick,  the content too culturally loaded, because I can't relate, or because I'm not really intrigued by or in any way favorably disposed toward the vocalist.(some might envy me, as this means I can occasionally enjoy a band like Limp Bizkit). whatever it may be, the conclusion is the same.. I take vocals mostly as instruments, rather than messages. And then out of the blue, someone like Jonathan Meiburg establishes himself as someone worth taking notice of.. someone worth reading into...
and the rest is, as they say, soup!

No idea how it sparked but I've learned  he's got a Ba in English, did a minor in religion, won a fellowship grant and visited: OZ, Falkland Islands, New Zealand, an Inuit colony and had his life changed by those experiences. These two videos help a bit to bring it home:

(1) what inspires the content of their songs
(2) fragments of Jonathan's Falkland Island experience (there are 5 episodes and they give a great impression of their Rook LP)

Now, I've been thinking about what should come first.. me giving you the taste of the music, or giving the context first.. Sure, fact is I was drawn to them by the melodies, by his voice and the somehow genuine feel of it all. But as you know, emotions rarely travel alone and the more there are the more they will overwhelm you! So, I imagine you might get properly into  it if you, like me, connect to the guy's journey and sincerity, his eloquence and his comely, calm presence.. and through it all the manner in which he deals with the richness of experience life throws at him.

Being somewhat of a seasoned cynic and hermit myself I find this full on appreciation of nature (birds in particular), and his adventurous spirit somehow tangible and appealing, and perhaps most importantly, stirring! The fact that he studied religion was a plus because it made me curious about his orientation... If you look at the videos it seems somewhat evident, perhaps casual.. hard to tell.


Anyway.. here are some personal favorites...(I just picked the first four songs on my playlist that I remember hitting home at once) try to "get" the lyrics if you like.. try to connect the dots.. the exercise makes the value, in my  opinion, settle that much deeper..but to be fair.. it  is often abstract, cryptic.. takes quite some effort..and you might end up just being puzzled..and given the fair of amount of deviations between the transcripts, you'd be one more to feel frustrated.. but hey whatever, it's about the journey...













p.s.


Whatever happened to  the swan sounds, why so few? Well the unsettling truth is that I've dropped the ball a bit on this one, and don't necessarily intend to change that..as sparse as the updates are, they are heartfelt, and that to me takes priority over quantity. You can, however, subscribe to my posts and skip that "check the blog" business and receive a notification (and a full copy) of all my latest post (See top right corner of the blog). I won't be able to see who subscribes by the way, so don't let your paranoia take over and piss and moan about abuse of data.

Atheism 2.0! Hm.

Yeah I've been "not at it", whatever, happy new year.

An old friend of mine told me  the other day that I don't really know what I want. She was referring to me being on and off of fachehbookka. Granted.
Fortunately later on in our conversation we also were able to conclude that it wasn't a symptom of a larger issue, that is, "really not knowing what I want", rather... an offshoot.. very much like my cartoons addiction, it functions.. though it would be better if it didn't. Actually, I don't know.

Anyway, here's something I do know.. I'm not an atheist.
Though you wouldn't be able to tell if you spent a month with me, toilet calls and all.. I have no formal acknowledgment of the deity routine.....On the outside that is. On the inside, whole different thing.. me and Daddy Universe, God.. we talk, straight up. Well.. I talk.. what's my point..?

I watched a Ted talk today, by a disarmingly eloquent Britt (of Swiss origin) called Alain de Botton.. he was talking about atheism 2.0.. the short of it was.."atheists aren't all particularly good at being great people with admirable morale and character, and if these didn't want to remain in the influence sphere's of Walmart and CNN, they could take a clue from (organized) religion (institutions), because they're on to something". Well he could have said that about religious people just as well.. but allright. For an atheist, he did understand the benefits of religion quite well.. actually, better than I do. A-ha.

Three things struck me about his talk.
Number 1.. like a true atheist he started off by saying, and I quote
"of course there's no god, of course there are no deities or supernatural spirits or angels etc. now let's move on"

He went on, but I didn't.. for a minute I needed to process the bluntness of it. I haven't heard anyone say it quite like that.. I know that mumbling attention whore Dawkins spews all sort of manure over Christian's & co, but I haven't had people say it like they really mean it before. Dawkin's is too self absorbed and intellectually flimsy to be taken seriously.. but this man.. ooof... he went straight for my jingles by being effortlessly indifferent about the effect of those words. Where a chump like Dawkins (I have a score to settle with him) would take his glasses off, pause, bow his head while frowning meaningfully, and then proceed to spew red and yellow confetti vomit in the face of all those transfixed with the drama & spectacle of it all.. this guy put it in front of a point much larger. To him at least.

Brilliant. Though again it...it simply does nothing to me just yet. We cool Daddy.

2nd thing that struck me was the shot just after de Botton jokingly said that, as I quoted earlier, Walmart and CNN guided those in the spiritual wasteland that is Atheism.. I can imagine that those who were favorably inclined to his rhetoric up to that point would be the atheists..and they'd laugh..and surely, some did.. so did I...but I suspected there were some more seriously religious folks attending as well, try to spot a few in the screen shot below (click on image or here for a larger version):

Or are they just atheists who can't take this particular joke..? You make your mind up. My favorite is the blonde woman just above the man with the yellowish/whitish shirt in the middle.. or the one below him for that matter... in fact.. I can only spot two generously laughing people here.. Hm?

Brings me to the third thing that struck me. There WERE seriously religious people in the room..plenty of them as it turns out.. As the master of ceremony took the stage to thank Alain, he also asked a few questions and polled how many people, in whose lives religion played an important part, were present.. My second favorite, and another obvious one (the girl on the far left) raised their hand.. and I'd, conservatively, estimate around a third of the people did. But not my favorite one from above.. . I wonder how many were too scared to admit after such a confident bashing. Either way, what struck me about it is that I assumed from the beginning that there weren't going to be too many of them. Hm. Of course they were going to be there.. I know I would.. I'd want to know what the state of atheism was... according to a TED talker... proper night out..

The point being, it's become increasingly difficult for me to keep in mind I'm not isolated, since I don't take kindly to organized religion..it's not how I was brought up, and I have come to value (and understand the benefits of) that attitude quite a while ago...

But consider this...in this day and age.. it took an atheist to point out to me, and this was Alain's central point, that there is something to it.. sharing the habits, customs, and company of those like minded.... it has benefits.

And while I'm too stubborn (or is it obtuse & thematically lethargic)  to do something about it, it was a terribly nice message to witness.

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.

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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)