Below are the 9 most recent journal entries recorded in temp3's LiveJournal:

Saturday, December 11th, 2004
2:49 am	This song is really real. Sometimes a song comes a long that is just too perfect to be real. A song that defines a moment in your life so flawlessly that it can't possibly already exist, you would have to have created it. But it does exist. And it is just the right song at the right time. For me, right now, that song is Ol' Dirty Bastard doing a cover of Phil Collins' "Sussudio". I swear to god, this song really does exist. It came out on a hip-hop/R&B Phil Collins tribute album that only came out in Germany and features people like Brandy, Lil Kim, Kelis & Brian McKnight (plus a host of no-names). http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005B6HS/002-3380634-7724802?v=glance I can't even begin to describe how utterly surreal the existance of this song is. Is it good? Is it bad? I couldn't tell you, but it certainly does exist, and that alone brings joy into my life. (3 Comments |Comment on this)
Sunday, November 28th, 2004
10:42 pm	Jeff Buckley - Forget Her: By far, the highlight of the bonus disc that accompanies the Legacy Edition of Grace is the previously unreleased "Forget Her." This song was recorded during the Grace sessions and was originally supposed to be on the album, but Buckley replaced it with "So Real" because it was too personal and he didn't want to have to perform it live. It's a shame, because this song is as good as anything on Grace, but it's also understandable, as it was written about an ex-girlfriend. With lines like "She was heartache from the moment that you met her" and "her love was a joke from the day that we met" this blues-tinged song is Buckley trying to come to terms with a relationship that should never have been, but coming up short. In both the lyrics and performance, you can tell his heart is broken and like all good anti-love songs, your heart breaks for him. Buckley was a sensitive soul, and singing this song every night would have killed him. Or maybe it wouldn't have, maybe it would have strengthened him and toughened him up. And maybe he wouldn't have walked into the Mississippi River with all his clothes on and never walked out. (Comment on this)
Friday, November 19th, 2004
1:16 am	I haven't posted in a long time. Do not expect another update for a long time. Daniel Johnston - Walking the Cow - I've been obsessing over this song this whole week. I've listened to it a hojillion times on my computer and requested it from the DJ everytime I've been up at KXUA. I've spent lots of time mulling the song over, dissecting it and trying to decide why it speaks to me so. The most obvious, and least telling, reason why I like the song so much is just that it's ridiculously catchy. It has a very simple melody that sticks in my brain like no song has done in ages. On Monday, I was humming it and singing it under my breath the whole day. I just couldn't stop myself. More important than the melody is the performance. The arrangement is minimal, just a drum beat and an accordion, but what really matters is his voice. Daniel Johnston's voice is in particularly fine form on this song. He has a very high, almost feminine, voice that is just so earnest it's heartbreaking. He truly and deeply means what he is saying, and I can feel it right through the speakers. Even if you have no idea what the hell he is saying, you know he means it. And that's what matters. Now, what is it that he is saying? What on earth does "I am walking the cow" mean? What does he mean by "Lucky stars in your eyes"? Whose eyes? What does "Tried to point my finger/But the wind keeps blowin? me around/In circles...circles..." mean? The key to the song is the line: "I really don't know how I came here.../I really don't know why I'm stayin? here..." It's the classic existential quandary. Why on earth would someone walk a cow? Cows do not need to be walked. But he has to do it anyway. The same is true for life. Why are we here, what's the point of it all? It doesn't matter. We're alive, so we live. No matter how hard we think, we'll never quite pinpoint what is lying behind it all. We can try to point our finger, but the wind will keep blowing us around. "Trying to remember/But my feelings can't know for sure./Try to reach out/But it?s gone..." And even if, in some simpler time, before our birth, before civilization, we knew the Reason, it's long gone. We can try to remember, we can try to reach out, but it's gone. "I really don't know what I have to fear.../I really don't know why I have to care..." So life's meaningless, who cares? When nothing means a thing, it doesn't matter if you mess it all up. You have nothing to fear. And those lucky stars in your eyes? Those are because you know the Truth: that there is no Truth. "Walking the Cow" is one of the most brilliant and honest songs I've heard in ages, partly for its melody, but mostly for its lyrics. Daniel Johnston has spent his struggling with manic depression, and that battle has left him with the emotional openness that it takes to stare into the void, see nothing, and just keep on walking that cow. (Comment on this)
Thursday, October 21st, 2004
2:38 am	Jandek Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I was busy, then I was in New York, and then I was busy again. Jandek - Naked in the Afternoon - This is the first song off Jandek's first album, 1978's Ready for the House, and I chose it because it is very representative of his overall sound, its my favorite song that he's done, and what's a better way to introduce an artist than the first song off the first album? Jandek's been in news a bit recently. First there was a documentary made about him and his cult following and then he did his first live performance ever, after 25 years of making music, in Scotland at an experimental music festival. Jandek's sound is very unique. It's roots are in folk and blues, and this song is just guitar and vocals like much folk & blues music. Jandek is often referred to as an outsider musician, which is true to a point. He is entirely outside the music industry, as all his albums are sold through his own record company Corwood Industries. But he is not a naive musician violating the rules of music just because he doesn't know any better. He is not Wesley Willis or Daniel Johnson. His detuned guitar and absence of melody are apparently a very conscious choice, which puts him more in line with avant garde musicians. From all accounts, he is an intelligent and normal man, albeit one who avoids all media attention. Why and how he ended up making such unique and singular music, we may never know. But despite his best intentions, Jandek's fame has grown and he has actually become influential, in his own way. Musicians like Xiu Xiu, Frog Eyes, and Devendra Banhart all draw from Jandek to some extent, although all three are much more accessible and pop-oriented than the decidedly un-pop Jandek. In the end, Jandek is just Jandek, and you either like it or you don't. Most sane people wouldn't like it, but, hey, who knows, you might be one of the few rare sick fucks that gets off to Jandek's unique musical vision. This particular song is one of his most accessible works (not that that says very much, as it's still not very accessible). It features the creepy stream of consciousness lyrics that draw many people to Jandek. Cringe as he sings about naked teenage daughters and men being shot to death. But even better than the lyrics is his out of tune ethereal voice. Like a dead bluesman singing inside his casket. And even better than that is the aimless(or is it?) plucking of his acoustic guitar. Instead of using the guitar for melody, he instead treats it as a percussive instrument. The dark mood of this song will either draw you in and make you a Jandek fan for life, or it will make you draw the covers over your head as you cry in fear. (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Monday, October 4th, 2004
6:51 pm	I'm back Martin Solveig - Rocking Music - I like Michael Jackson. You like Michael Jackson. Martin Solveig likes Michael Jackson. Martin Solveig is a London house producer and this track is basically a tribute to the classic Quincy Jones-produced Michael Jackson material. (Comment on this)
Thursday, September 30th, 2004
10:57 pm	William Shatner - Common People (Pulp Cover) Yes, William Shatner has released a new album. And it's shockingly brilliant. Of the 11 songs, Shatner wrote the lyrics to 8, and he's a surprisingly good lyricist. Ben Folds produced the whole thing, and Folds knows pop like Shatner knows nerds. This song, a cover of the song that made Pulp Brit-pop superstars, is probably the best on the album. No kitsch, no camp, no irony, just a great cover of a great song. (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 29th, 2004
9:03 pm	UA - Sonna Sora Ni Wa Oduru Uma I know two facts about UA. 1. She is a Japanese pop star of the mainstream variety. 2. She has gone free-jazz. Vocally, she is reminiscent of Bjork, (but in Japanese, naturally) and her vocal style here is about as close to actual free jazz as I've ever heard. The music is from the more accessible end of free jazz, so this isn't as weird as you might think. It's accessible to a point, but pop it is not. But it is rewarding listening. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, September 28th, 2004
8:41 pm	Day 2 The Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) I first heard The Arcade Fire several weeks ago while I was doing the New Music Show. Like most of what I play, it just went in one ear and out the other. Then, a couple of days later, the album gets a whopping 9.7 on Pitchfork. Needless to say, I felt the need to give the whole thing a listen. And I'm glad I did, as it's one of the best albums of the year. This is the opening track from Funeral, and its probably my favorite. It's lyrically brilliant, catchy as hell, and the blend of strings and piano is just right. And most importantly, it has a Moment. At 0:53 when the singer goes "Then I'll dig a tunnel\From my window to yours" I just get goose bumps. (Comment on this)
Monday, September 27th, 2004
12:00 am	The Beginning MP3 blogs are fun. So I started one. I like music. I like discovering new music. I like sharing music with people. This LJ is an attempt to do so. I'm going to begin by doing an mp3 a day, but that might be too much. I'll adjust as I go along. But, for my gala debut, I'm going to drop 3 hot songs on 'ya. Portobella - Covered in Punk The UK seems to be the number one source for hot rock singles these days. Even single-oriented US bands seem to break over there first. Portobella play delightfully sleazy female fronted punk/new wave. This song is just ridonkulously catchy. Big echoing drums, buzzing guitars, call and response vocals, and lyrics that make no sense at all but seem dirty nonetheless. And the lead singer laughs during the chorus! It makes the song. Dogs Die in Hot Cars - Celebrity Sanctum I like XTC and Glasgow's Dogs Die in Hot Cars seem to as well. Which is good. The vocals, lyrics and melodies all make you think of those glorious XTC pop songs from the 80's. Jangly acoustic guitars, a driving beat, nasal vocals, clever lyrics, and a melody that's just right. Yeah. Pop is good. Shame about that band name, though. Power of Lightning - It Is Just So Freakin' Right I know practically nothing about this band. I think their Canadian, but I could be wrong. The don't seem to have a website. But what they do have is one amazing lo-fi power ballad. This is what would have happend if Bob Pollard grew up on Van Halen in the 80's instead of The Who in the 60's. The lyrics are just retarded, as you might gather from the song title. But the "Nova" synths, tinny drums, and restrained not-quite-arena rock yelps are expertly complemented by hand claps and a nice guitar line. There's nothing quite like kids making funny songs on a four track. (2 Comments |Comment on this)