this record is now finished.
==
when i sat down to complete my discography in 2013, one of the ideas that immediately jumped out was to try and reinterpret some of the inri tracks from the late 1990s as modern pieces. as i believed that my source tapes were unusable at the time (which i eventually realized was not the case - see inri024), the conditions for this being a workable project would need to be the existence of the original drum tracks, along with the existence of some midi files.
i was gifted my ry30 in the summer of 1997 to compensate for the loss of my drum kit and studio space, but i did not have any recording gear again until christmas. so, i spent the fall programming the drum machine and teaching myself the basics of sequencing and sound design, using the primitive tools i had available to me. by the time i got my four track, as well as my jx-8p, the ry30 was full, and re-recording my first songs was just a matter of transferring the completed material from the electronic equipment to tape. so, i initially considered making a companion ep to inrisampled that would document my time spent programming the ry30 along with my time spent learning how to manipulate sound. the difference between the drum tracks at this stage and the initial collage experiments, however, is that the drum tracks were not complete songs. so, this was abandoned due to the product being a little dry. but, i still wanted to make an ep around the ry30, perhaps by orchestrating the existing companion midi tracks.
this idea then quickly merged with what would become thru (inri070) and eventually discarded itself within itself when it was realized that the existing midi files for the 90s material were too sparse to really utilize, especially in comparison to the midi files from the early 00s. thru was deleted and then resuscitated over the course of 2014 and 2015, eventually releasing in mid 2015 as a 2001-2003 project, leaving the 90s material in the dustbin of my own history.
it was in june, 2015 that i realized that the source tapes were usable after all, and cycled back around to the beginning of the reconstruction in order to complete the relevant tracks as instrumental pieces. this idea kind of recreated itself in the nature of the source tapes, as i had bounced all of the electronics together into the same channel as a mixing step, back in the 90s. so, i found myself with these ready-to-publish electronic tracks right off the tape that incorporated a combination of the ry30 tracks, jx-8p parts, soundblaster programs, zoom 1010 noises and cool edit experiments. all they really needed was a little attention on the mastering.
i flipped this over, in the end: what each of these tracks are is their final album mixes, with the guitar and bass parts deleted (unless the bass was done on a synthesizer). so, there was some post-production added over 2015 in the form of updated soundfonts, digital mastering and digital effects processing. but, these are really flourishes on the existing tracks.
it was at the end of dec, 2015 that further similar electronics-only ry30-centric remixes were creating for some later songs, as well, thereby filling out the disc and closing the project.
i sold my ry30 in may, 2003 to raise money to go to british columbia. my logic was that i'd really maximized what i was going to get out of it, and that i'd already discarded it, anyways: by that time, i'd been writing drum parts in the scorewriter for a few years already, and had barely touched the ry30 in a long time. but, i regret that decision, in hindsight. and, i expect to pick up another one, one day.
originally written, programmed and recorded from 1996-2002. reclaimed & remixed from june to december of 2015. initial completion date was december 31, 2015. as always, please use headphones.
credits:
j - drum & other programming, orchestral & other sequencing, guitar effects, digital effects processing, digital wave editing, synthesizers, loops, vocal noises & relics, sampling, sound design, production
the various rendered electronic orchestras include organ, sitar, bells, synthesizer effects, tuba, saxophone, flute, clarinet, orchestra hit, piano, violin, viola, cello, contrabass and various full string sections
released april 22, 2003
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/electronic-pieces-in-a-primitive-style
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Tuesday, December 29, 2015
28-12-2015: viewless & idiotic
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/young-people-have-informed-and-defined-views-that-should-not-be-discarded-off-hand-due-to-their-age
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nicotine-actually-has-relatively-useful-properties-as-a-stimulant
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/young-people-have-informed-and-defined-views-that-should-not-be-discarded-off-hand-due-to-their-age
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/nicotine-actually-has-relatively-useful-properties-as-a-stimulant
Monday, December 28, 2015
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Saturday, December 26, 2015
Friday, December 25, 2015
i'm finally getting out of this systems collapse i've been dealing with.
i seemed to have had shorts in two pairs of headphones, and those shorts were interacting with widespread environmental noise. new phones fixed the problem immediately. i'm hoping my main phones can be salvaged with a new cord.
but, it means i'm finally moving forwards. i've been stuck here since the beginning of july. that's almost six months.
by the end of the year, i expect to have completed several updates to finalize remaining, lingering ideas related to period 1. i then expect to close period 2 fairly quickly, and be on to period 3 by my birthday at the latest.
so, i'm going to be reorganizing the media pages again. facebook seems to have removed the highlight feature. ugh.
i seemed to have had shorts in two pairs of headphones, and those shorts were interacting with widespread environmental noise. new phones fixed the problem immediately. i'm hoping my main phones can be salvaged with a new cord.
but, it means i'm finally moving forwards. i've been stuck here since the beginning of july. that's almost six months.
by the end of the year, i expect to have completed several updates to finalize remaining, lingering ideas related to period 1. i then expect to close period 2 fairly quickly, and be on to period 3 by my birthday at the latest.
so, i'm going to be reorganizing the media pages again. facebook seems to have removed the highlight feature. ugh.
Thursday, December 24, 2015
23-12-2015: headphone testing
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj-2
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj-2
i need to come online quickly post a reassessment of these phones.
when i first put them on, i realized they fit a little oddly but figured i'd get used to it. i walked around and did groceries and thought they sounded great - although they had an exaggerated bottom. when i took them home, that bottom got very muddy. i was sitting upwards the whole time i was testing them. i noticed that they seemed to fit my ears better if i twisted them forward, so the headband was on my forehead, or if i flipped the stereo around. i kind of concluded it was probably a factory defect, and they were meant to have the l and r on opposite sides - although they were wired correctly relative to the labels. i was getting a little remorse.
see, i got a $150 pair of headphones because i was hoping i could use them as a back up studio monitor. the testing i was doing suggested to me that this was a bad decision, and, worse, i'd have to flip the stereo to use them as walking phones. yuck, right.
i eventually got the idea tonight to lie down as i was listening to my 2001 record and everything immediately snapped into place. see, when you're lying down, you want to push the phones forward a little - the headband comes up on your forehead. so, the cups on the phones snapped in and the exaggerated bass disappeared.
so, it's almost like these phones have two settings. as walking phones, the bass is really pretty crazy. as lying down phones, they really balance out and actually sound very nice - not as nice as my very flat 440-IIs, but certainly an upgrade over my last pair of walking phones.
that's something that might be useful to point out about this model. these are sennheiser hd-449s. if you want them reasonably flat, you really have to listen to them lying down.
i'm going to try and mix with them tomorrow to see what happens. if i can use these as stereo backups, i will probably keep them solely for stereo backups and get a pair of $60 phones for walking that don't have these oval, noise isolation pads.
when i first put them on, i realized they fit a little oddly but figured i'd get used to it. i walked around and did groceries and thought they sounded great - although they had an exaggerated bottom. when i took them home, that bottom got very muddy. i was sitting upwards the whole time i was testing them. i noticed that they seemed to fit my ears better if i twisted them forward, so the headband was on my forehead, or if i flipped the stereo around. i kind of concluded it was probably a factory defect, and they were meant to have the l and r on opposite sides - although they were wired correctly relative to the labels. i was getting a little remorse.
see, i got a $150 pair of headphones because i was hoping i could use them as a back up studio monitor. the testing i was doing suggested to me that this was a bad decision, and, worse, i'd have to flip the stereo to use them as walking phones. yuck, right.
i eventually got the idea tonight to lie down as i was listening to my 2001 record and everything immediately snapped into place. see, when you're lying down, you want to push the phones forward a little - the headband comes up on your forehead. so, the cups on the phones snapped in and the exaggerated bass disappeared.
so, it's almost like these phones have two settings. as walking phones, the bass is really pretty crazy. as lying down phones, they really balance out and actually sound very nice - not as nice as my very flat 440-IIs, but certainly an upgrade over my last pair of walking phones.
that's something that might be useful to point out about this model. these are sennheiser hd-449s. if you want them reasonably flat, you really have to listen to them lying down.
i'm going to try and mix with them tomorrow to see what happens. if i can use these as stereo backups, i will probably keep them solely for stereo backups and get a pair of $60 phones for walking that don't have these oval, noise isolation pads.
reacting to a review of the new sennheisers
you mentioned something about the ears.
i got a pair of these the other day, and was initially blown away not by the lack of mids but by the exaggerated bass. it was just way too much. what i eventually realized is that you have to push the phones forwards on your head to get them around your ears properly, and if you don't then the improper isolation can really make it sound like you're listening in a hollow cavern. the only way pushing your phones on your head like that makes any sense is if you're lying down.
if you really like an absurdly exaggerated bass, i guess they can work for you as walking phones. but, i'd really suggest that these phones are really only going to sound right if you listen to them on your back, and that applications are planned around that fact accordingly.
i got a pair of these the other day, and was initially blown away not by the lack of mids but by the exaggerated bass. it was just way too much. what i eventually realized is that you have to push the phones forwards on your head to get them around your ears properly, and if you don't then the improper isolation can really make it sound like you're listening in a hollow cavern. the only way pushing your phones on your head like that makes any sense is if you're lying down.
if you really like an absurdly exaggerated bass, i guess they can work for you as walking phones. but, i'd really suggest that these phones are really only going to sound right if you listen to them on your back, and that applications are planned around that fact accordingly.
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
i picked up some new walking phones yesterday. i can't mix with these phones - they are too heavy in their bass. i am getting interference from them that is easily blocked with a blanket, but it's different - it's on the low end.
i think the interference is environmental, but that it's probably a short, too. fixing the short will probably fix the interference.
i'm going to finish the record with the tinfoil and get some new cables in the new year - nothing to lose from trying. no clear conclusion yet.
i think the interference is environmental, but that it's probably a short, too. fixing the short will probably fix the interference.
i'm going to finish the record with the tinfoil and get some new cables in the new year - nothing to lose from trying. no clear conclusion yet.
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
i spent the last two days double-verifying everything and do not plan to make any further changes. but, i need a day or two more to finish it, and then probably a week to finish the peripherals.
new phones are likely tomorrow.
but, we have a holiday in canada called "boxing day" where everything is on sale. it might be worth waiting.
that's the day after christmas.
new phones are likely tomorrow.
but, we have a holiday in canada called "boxing day" where everything is on sale. it might be worth waiting.
that's the day after christmas.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Saturday, December 19, 2015
Friday, December 18, 2015
i'm extremely confident that i've worked the driver issue i've been having down to an issue of radio interference. i also believe that there is magnetic interference in the neighbourhood, likely emanating from the power lines. i believe that the issue is as follows:
1) there is a short in my headphones. this was one of the first things i checked, and rejected, because i got the same issue out of two sets of headphones. but, i believe now that there are actually shorts in both phones, against the odds.
2) the magnetic field in the neighbourhood is interacting with the short, which is charging the phones.
3) this is turning the phones into a radio antenna, which is picking up radio frequency interference from local broadcasters (and perhaps other random sources, as well).
i will need to purchase new headphones next week, because my walking phones shorted out entirely. i will be able to better understand the nature of the problem then, and likely confirm the above hypothesis.
in the mean time, i have been able to block the radio waves by shielding my phones with tin foil. as such, i expect to finally finalize this remix record by the end of the weekend. this will allow me to complete a large amount of filing over the next few weeks, and be ready to move into period 3 by the beginning of the new year.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
1) there is a short in my headphones. this was one of the first things i checked, and rejected, because i got the same issue out of two sets of headphones. but, i believe now that there are actually shorts in both phones, against the odds.
2) the magnetic field in the neighbourhood is interacting with the short, which is charging the phones.
3) this is turning the phones into a radio antenna, which is picking up radio frequency interference from local broadcasters (and perhaps other random sources, as well).
i will need to purchase new headphones next week, because my walking phones shorted out entirely. i will be able to better understand the nature of the problem then, and likely confirm the above hypothesis.
in the mean time, i have been able to block the radio waves by shielding my phones with tin foil. as such, i expect to finally finalize this remix record by the end of the weekend. this will allow me to complete a large amount of filing over the next few weeks, and be ready to move into period 3 by the beginning of the new year.
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
Thursday, December 17, 2015
i actually shielded the phones with aluminum foil and it seems to have worked.
i'll have to go get some phones next week. that will tell me if i have a short in the cable, or if the interference in here is just really strong.
in the mean time, i think i can actually finally get some work done over the weekend. fingers crossed.
i'll have to go get some phones next week. that will tell me if i have a short in the cable, or if the interference in here is just really strong.
in the mean time, i think i can actually finally get some work done over the weekend. fingers crossed.
obligatory influential...
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
obligatory influential...
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
obligatory influential...
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
obligatory influential...
i sometimes forget that i listened to huge amounts of 'pop' over '97 and '98. u2 is like wallpaper, right - it's just always there. sometimes you forget about it. but, when you remember, it becomes obvious.
i think it's universally agreed at this point that this was their last solid disc, but i'm not sure how many people really listened to it closely. it's more just that, on reflection, you have to include it - because the decrease in quality that happened afterwards is so dramatic. it's a really, clear, unambiguous cut-off. it's either that you cut off after pop or before achtung baby, and nobody wants to cut off before achtung baby - so zooropa and pop get included as this kind of afterthought.
i suppose i was the rare weird kid that actually listened to both of those discs quite a bit, and actually took quite a bit of influence from both of them. the late 90s were my industrial kick. i grew up with u2. the transition may not have made sense to most people, but it made a lot of sense to me; that is, the demographic they were angling for did exist, even if we weren't dominant.
the edge used a lot of flangers over this period, which is something i really picked up on. i know a lot of people hate that synthetic tone, but i've always loved the idea of making your guitar sound like any weird sound you can conjure out of it.
i was hoping i'd get another good record out of them, eventually. even if it took a while. it really seems unlikely at this point.
(relevant tracks: why, on sexual confusion in adolescence, thug culture is enforced by the media from the top down and the entirety of period 1.2 (98-99))
i sometimes forget that i listened to huge amounts of 'pop' over '97 and '98. u2 is like wallpaper, right - it's just always there. sometimes you forget about it. but, when you remember, it becomes obvious.
i think it's universally agreed at this point that this was their last solid disc, but i'm not sure how many people really listened to it closely. it's more just that, on reflection, you have to include it - because the decrease in quality that happened afterwards is so dramatic. it's a really, clear, unambiguous cut-off. it's either that you cut off after pop or before achtung baby, and nobody wants to cut off before achtung baby - so zooropa and pop get included as this kind of afterthought.
i suppose i was the rare weird kid that actually listened to both of those discs quite a bit, and actually took quite a bit of influence from both of them. the late 90s were my industrial kick. i grew up with u2. the transition may not have made sense to most people, but it made a lot of sense to me; that is, the demographic they were angling for did exist, even if we weren't dominant.
the edge used a lot of flangers over this period, which is something i really picked up on. i know a lot of people hate that synthetic tone, but i've always loved the idea of making your guitar sound like any weird sound you can conjure out of it.
i was hoping i'd get another good record out of them, eventually. even if it took a while. it really seems unlikely at this point.
(relevant tracks: why, on sexual confusion in adolescence, thug culture is enforced by the media from the top down and the entirety of period 1.2 (98-99))
obligatory influential...
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i tend to consistently go back to pisces over siamese dream in terms of influence. i think part of the reason is that the guitars in the rock songs are so much rawer, and the lullabies are so much lusher. i think this record is really the most alternative record that corgan ever did - the pop and metal influences are tuned down a little in favour of gazier and punkier leanings. i know it's an outtakes disc, but i really think it's the band's best record.
there's some nice raw guitar playing all over this disc, but what i'm really citing is the total abandon on pissant and hello kitty kat. i used to do the old rewind, play, repeat trick on those two for hours.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
+deathtokoalas
and, i'm going to pop an obligatory influential in, here, too.
this record is another lost classic, in it's merging of the various historical chicago sounds - industrial, yes, but also a lot of hip-hop and a lot of jazz, along with a bit of a punk perspective. excepting the fact that the wax trax sound was obviously influential on reznor, saying it sounds like nin is really pretty much wrong. it sounds more like a mash-up of miles davis and the beastie boys, and could reasonably be seen as a substantial forerunner to flying lotus - that's certainly more of the right genre, anyways. the thing is that that genre didn't really exist in 1995. it's one of those examples of a very forward thinking disc going over everybody's heads and being forgotten. that happened a lot in the 90s.....so often, that it seems like people stopped making forward-thinking discs, because it was just going to go over everybody's heads.
i've been struggling to figure out where i was approaching the track from, lyrically. i've never listened to a lot of hip-hop, but i was definitely listening to a lot of die warzau. the record hits similar themes of being "liberated" from the political spectrum. so, i think this record is probably about the right thing to cite in terms of the unusual beat-boxing in the track.
(relevant tracks: why)
and, i'm going to pop an obligatory influential in, here, too.
this record is another lost classic, in it's merging of the various historical chicago sounds - industrial, yes, but also a lot of hip-hop and a lot of jazz, along with a bit of a punk perspective. excepting the fact that the wax trax sound was obviously influential on reznor, saying it sounds like nin is really pretty much wrong. it sounds more like a mash-up of miles davis and the beastie boys, and could reasonably be seen as a substantial forerunner to flying lotus - that's certainly more of the right genre, anyways. the thing is that that genre didn't really exist in 1995. it's one of those examples of a very forward thinking disc going over everybody's heads and being forgotten. that happened a lot in the 90s.....so often, that it seems like people stopped making forward-thinking discs, because it was just going to go over everybody's heads.
i've been struggling to figure out where i was approaching the track from, lyrically. i've never listened to a lot of hip-hop, but i was definitely listening to a lot of die warzau. the record hits similar themes of being "liberated" from the political spectrum. so, i think this record is probably about the right thing to cite in terms of the unusual beat-boxing in the track.
(relevant tracks: why)
obligatory influential...
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
as far as guitar records go, this is really near the top of the pile. and, it's near the top of the influence list, too. i remember listening to old bootlegs of cornell ribbing thayil a little about going into a "guitar trance". and, there's some real truth to it. there's a nice guitar trance in fell on black days, and another in superunknown.
i used to play along to a lot of grunge-ish records over '94-'96ish, before i started writing my own stuff. the two bands that were always the most fun were soundgarden and the smashing pumpkins. it wasn't so complex that you had to sit down and think about it, but it was acrobatic enough that you couldn't zone out in it, either. good middle point...
what i'm citing here is the guitar trance. it's a good 80% thayil, here.
(relevant tracks: why, first movement, and really whenever i lose myself on the guitar...)
i'm laughing that this showed up in my play next list, because i always thought fla were basically unlistenable garbage and that they destroyed industrial music & culture - but this is the one song i could kind of dig.
strangely, i like a lot of what delerium did. but, fla has always been this ridiculously macho cyborg dickhead shit. and, the only reason this is at all tolerable is that it delves into self-parody. you can't help but burst out laughing, as arnold comes in and growls...
THE LAWS OF NATURE
THE LAWS OF MAN
THE VOLATILE PARADOX WILL NEVER STAND
wait. these are different things? paradox? how?
strangely, i like a lot of what delerium did. but, fla has always been this ridiculously macho cyborg dickhead shit. and, the only reason this is at all tolerable is that it delves into self-parody. you can't help but burst out laughing, as arnold comes in and growls...
THE LAWS OF NATURE
THE LAWS OF MAN
THE VOLATILE PARADOX WILL NEVER STAND
wait. these are different things? paradox? how?
obligatory influential...
i remember the first time i heard this, some time in early '98; i just stopped and melted. it was literally hypnotizing. i couldn't even get up to smoke a joint, i had to wait until it was done.
none of the other syrs follow up on this well, but this one is really magical. total must-listen.
(relevant tracks: why, liquify and everything else from 98 on)
i remember the first time i heard this, some time in early '98; i just stopped and melted. it was literally hypnotizing. i couldn't even get up to smoke a joint, i had to wait until it was done.
none of the other syrs follow up on this well, but this one is really magical. total must-listen.
(relevant tracks: why, liquify and everything else from 98 on)
deathtokoalas
obligatory influential...
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
Nacht Schreck
NIN's best release, without a doubt.
Wes Murray
+Nacht Schreck Not the best, IMO, but definitely overlooked and underrated. Broken & Fixed are both gems that rarely get the attention they deserve.
deathtokoalas
+Nacht Schreck i think it's without a doubt in the top tier, along with the full-length closer single and further down the spiral - and maybe the perfect drug single. motp would make the top tier, too, if it was a bit longer. also, quake. but, i think it's hard to be more specific than that.
the best material was without a doubt the remix compilations between halo 6 and 11. 5 & 8 were the best proper records, so you could maybe claim the classic period was 5-11, but they're not on the same level.
Jacob French
+Nacht Schreck The Fragile is the best, easily. Broken and Fixed were basically prototypes for TDS, and TDS served as the prelude to The Fragile.
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French for brevity, i'll let the statement stand. but, intent and outcome are not the same thing; the reality is that the fragile was an artistic failure, due largely to the lyrics and the lack of development around the album's release. a strong remix suite would have helped a lot. but, what the listener actually got was a string of half developed songs with vocals that were dragged down so far by alcoholism that they are borderline autistic. the drugs actually seemed to help him in his composition, but they had the effect of really legitimately ruining the songs through the lyrics.
i can't imagine how any halfways intelligent person could listen to the record and not deduce that he's gone full retard. because he actually did - he drank himself stupid, and the record is the consequence of it.
and that's the actual truth of it.
like i say - he could have saved the period with a strong remix set. but, what we got seemed haphazardly thrown together in a drunken haze.
Jacob French
That's what's so good about it, it's literally the morning after Trent's success of TDS. He spent all that time with destructive songs that when he tries to rebuild some semblance of his sound back up again, all he gets is this fragile haze of mixed messages.
The Wretched completely embodies his feelings about the album as a whole, it's not supposed to feel like this complete destruction in vein of Broken or TDS. It's the aftermath of the complete destruction, where Trent is just trying anything to glue his music together. That's what makes it such a perfect concept album along with TDS, it isn't supposed to sound super-polished or like some stereotypical finale to what Trent's career has been so far. He destroys his own music with TDS and The Fragile is Trent seeing if anything is left to begin again from, and in my opinion there is.
But I'm curious, what would you name NIN's best album?
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French that's the kind of rationalization people throw around at velvet underground records - this idea that it's lacklustre on purpose, and therefore brilliant. it's reaching, to say the least.
i think you've got the process drastically wrong, as well. see, here's the thing: there's an original version of the fragile that was never released and was never leaked (to my knowledge). the record label wouldn't allow it. i suspect that it's probably brilliant - and features a lot of writing that is similar to the still ep. but, he caved.
polished or not polished is a sort of ridiculous way to describe his work - it's all polished. even the nastiest, most grating parts of it. but, the record was definitely altered for mass appeal by people that weren't trent reznor. and, that is a big part of the reason it doesn't hold up.
don't get me wrong: there's enough material, there. a fully instrumental single record would have been an incredible kick to the head. and, a couple of the ballads are worth saving. but, pretty much all of the traditional "rock songs" seem written down to a caricature of his audience, under extreme pressure to produce a marketable product. you have to understand that what we got is not what was intended, and we may never hear the intended record.
in the end, the label executives won - they wanted with teeth. whatever. i'd just like to hear the actual record.
Donkey Kong
+deathtokoalas Where did you hear that?
deathtokoalas
+Donkey Kong well, i lived through the process. it was well understood. i don't remember sources from 20 years ago, but they were mainstream - look at stuff like rolling stone or spin.
he had a completely different record prepared that was more "serious", but the label rejected it and sent him back to make more hard-hitting rock songs and radio-friendly singles.
ironically, that's the reason people reacted so badly to it. it's a lot of recycled ideas (and he's still recycling those ideas). and, it's a lot of pandering to an imagined demographic. over time, what's happened is that his initial fan base has moved out and a new fan base that reflects that imagined demographic has moved in.
remember: nin fans in the 90s weren't much into rock or metal. they were mostly into techno and "industrial"; where it interfaced with rock was more in various types of post-punk. you'd have been more likely to find a nin fan into public enemy than into tool. so, it's a huge turnover in his fan base. the fragile is a kind of a pivot point, in that respect.
i pointed out elsewhere that i consider the still ep to be his last substantial release under the nin moniker. and, rumours have long been floating around that this material was initially meant for the fragile. it certainly fits the description of the rejected material, anyways, and is a good feel for what the record was intended to sound like.
==
Aydin Matney
screaming slave sounds like a death grips song
deathtokoalas
+Aydin Matney not really. but you should check out the ice cube remix of i'm afraid of americans. it's everything death grips wish they could have been
obligatory influential...
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
Nacht Schreck
NIN's best release, without a doubt.
Wes Murray
+Nacht Schreck Not the best, IMO, but definitely overlooked and underrated. Broken & Fixed are both gems that rarely get the attention they deserve.
deathtokoalas
+Nacht Schreck i think it's without a doubt in the top tier, along with the full-length closer single and further down the spiral - and maybe the perfect drug single. motp would make the top tier, too, if it was a bit longer. also, quake. but, i think it's hard to be more specific than that.
the best material was without a doubt the remix compilations between halo 6 and 11. 5 & 8 were the best proper records, so you could maybe claim the classic period was 5-11, but they're not on the same level.
Jacob French
+Nacht Schreck The Fragile is the best, easily. Broken and Fixed were basically prototypes for TDS, and TDS served as the prelude to The Fragile.
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French for brevity, i'll let the statement stand. but, intent and outcome are not the same thing; the reality is that the fragile was an artistic failure, due largely to the lyrics and the lack of development around the album's release. a strong remix suite would have helped a lot. but, what the listener actually got was a string of half developed songs with vocals that were dragged down so far by alcoholism that they are borderline autistic. the drugs actually seemed to help him in his composition, but they had the effect of really legitimately ruining the songs through the lyrics.
i can't imagine how any halfways intelligent person could listen to the record and not deduce that he's gone full retard. because he actually did - he drank himself stupid, and the record is the consequence of it.
and that's the actual truth of it.
like i say - he could have saved the period with a strong remix set. but, what we got seemed haphazardly thrown together in a drunken haze.
Jacob French
That's what's so good about it, it's literally the morning after Trent's success of TDS. He spent all that time with destructive songs that when he tries to rebuild some semblance of his sound back up again, all he gets is this fragile haze of mixed messages.
The Wretched completely embodies his feelings about the album as a whole, it's not supposed to feel like this complete destruction in vein of Broken or TDS. It's the aftermath of the complete destruction, where Trent is just trying anything to glue his music together. That's what makes it such a perfect concept album along with TDS, it isn't supposed to sound super-polished or like some stereotypical finale to what Trent's career has been so far. He destroys his own music with TDS and The Fragile is Trent seeing if anything is left to begin again from, and in my opinion there is.
But I'm curious, what would you name NIN's best album?
deathtokoalas
+Jacob French that's the kind of rationalization people throw around at velvet underground records - this idea that it's lacklustre on purpose, and therefore brilliant. it's reaching, to say the least.
i think you've got the process drastically wrong, as well. see, here's the thing: there's an original version of the fragile that was never released and was never leaked (to my knowledge). the record label wouldn't allow it. i suspect that it's probably brilliant - and features a lot of writing that is similar to the still ep. but, he caved.
polished or not polished is a sort of ridiculous way to describe his work - it's all polished. even the nastiest, most grating parts of it. but, the record was definitely altered for mass appeal by people that weren't trent reznor. and, that is a big part of the reason it doesn't hold up.
don't get me wrong: there's enough material, there. a fully instrumental single record would have been an incredible kick to the head. and, a couple of the ballads are worth saving. but, pretty much all of the traditional "rock songs" seem written down to a caricature of his audience, under extreme pressure to produce a marketable product. you have to understand that what we got is not what was intended, and we may never hear the intended record.
in the end, the label executives won - they wanted with teeth. whatever. i'd just like to hear the actual record.
Donkey Kong
+deathtokoalas Where did you hear that?
deathtokoalas
+Donkey Kong well, i lived through the process. it was well understood. i don't remember sources from 20 years ago, but they were mainstream - look at stuff like rolling stone or spin.
he had a completely different record prepared that was more "serious", but the label rejected it and sent him back to make more hard-hitting rock songs and radio-friendly singles.
ironically, that's the reason people reacted so badly to it. it's a lot of recycled ideas (and he's still recycling those ideas). and, it's a lot of pandering to an imagined demographic. over time, what's happened is that his initial fan base has moved out and a new fan base that reflects that imagined demographic has moved in.
remember: nin fans in the 90s weren't much into rock or metal. they were mostly into techno and "industrial"; where it interfaced with rock was more in various types of post-punk. you'd have been more likely to find a nin fan into public enemy than into tool. so, it's a huge turnover in his fan base. the fragile is a kind of a pivot point, in that respect.
i pointed out elsewhere that i consider the still ep to be his last substantial release under the nin moniker. and, rumours have long been floating around that this material was initially meant for the fragile. it certainly fits the description of the rejected material, anyways, and is a good feel for what the record was intended to sound like.
==
Aydin Matney
screaming slave sounds like a death grips song
deathtokoalas
+Aydin Matney not really. but you should check out the ice cube remix of i'm afraid of americans. it's everything death grips wish they could have been
obligatory influential...
this is a kind of a lost classic. i was listening to it a lot in early '98, because i was on a big puppy kick and the genesis influence in puppy has always been overwhelming to me, because i grew up with so much genesis. something reminded me of this, so i reached for it and it stuck in the changer for quite a bit. i remember specifically thinking i wanted to emulate that 80s synth drum hit. it comes in after the bridge. the guitars, as well; the track i'm citing is pretty distant, but i was consciously pulling from this.
i was very, very young when i first connected with this. my dad was a huge genesis/gabriel fan. i was probably exposed to it in the womb - not this, it was released when i was five, but pretty much the whole swath of it from trespass forwards. this was always a favourite of mine, for as long as i can remember.
why don't you just listen to los endos? was the question that was constantly posed, and i never really had a good answer other than that i just liked this better. i'm not sure i can still uphold that argument.
is this the absolute end of genesis as a relevant musical force? probably. and, you probably need a broader perspective to put it in context as relevant at all. but, relevant it is - and very forward thinking when you project it forwards a few years.
(relevant tracks: why)
this is a kind of a lost classic. i was listening to it a lot in early '98, because i was on a big puppy kick and the genesis influence in puppy has always been overwhelming to me, because i grew up with so much genesis. something reminded me of this, so i reached for it and it stuck in the changer for quite a bit. i remember specifically thinking i wanted to emulate that 80s synth drum hit. it comes in after the bridge. the guitars, as well; the track i'm citing is pretty distant, but i was consciously pulling from this.
i was very, very young when i first connected with this. my dad was a huge genesis/gabriel fan. i was probably exposed to it in the womb - not this, it was released when i was five, but pretty much the whole swath of it from trespass forwards. this was always a favourite of mine, for as long as i can remember.
why don't you just listen to los endos? was the question that was constantly posed, and i never really had a good answer other than that i just liked this better. i'm not sure i can still uphold that argument.
is this the absolute end of genesis as a relevant musical force? probably. and, you probably need a broader perspective to put it in context as relevant at all. but, relevant it is - and very forward thinking when you project it forwards a few years.
(relevant tracks: why)
obligatory influential...
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
i picked up a cassette of fixed some time around '94 or so. at first, i couldn't listen to it. it was just noise. but, i kept coming back to it out of a sense of curiosity: is there something to this under the chaos? is this something abstract i ought to understand? or is it really just a lot of noise?
it finally clicked some time in mid '95 or so, and it got stuck in my walkman after that for months and months at a time. i actually managed to literally wear the tape out, and had to repurchase on cd.
i'm not sure i've ever really got an answer to that question, so much as it acted as a means of familiarizing myself with the concept of noise as music. about half the disc is carefully sculpted and arranged. the thirlwell mixes, especially, are definitely works of art. but, there's also a good helping of total noise on the disc that exists on a kind of boundary point. if you listen to it repeatedly, patterns start to arise and you become familiar with them, meaning it does function as artistically valid from start to finish. but, it's an open question as to whether those patterns were composed or just haphazardly spliced together. the thing is that it's not obvious, either way - there is at the very least an expert level of bullshitting going on here, to the point that the question can be put aside and the record can be thoroughly enjoyed as purely abstract sound.
it's a pretty ubiquitous background influence, along with the other major nin remix discs (closer & fdts, especially). but, it really comes out very strongly on the current featured track.
(relevant tracks: why is the current featured track with the obvious influence, but fixed is a formative influence and can be heard in everything i've ever done)
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
so, just trying to work things through a little...
i'm convinced that what i'm picking up is radio static. at the frequency level it's at - 5000-15000 hz - it pretty much has to be that. and, it seems too low to be wifi or cell or whatever. it's the frequency that a radio signal operates at, so it's gotta be a radio signal.
the questions i need to figure out are:
1) can i find a way to block the radio signals in the unit?
2) given that it seems to have something to do with the power lines or the streetlights as well, is it the case that these things are affecting my headphones and turning them into a receiver or is it the case that these things are affecting the radio waves and turning them into a relayer? that is, are my phones getting charged (and can i shield them?) or is the signal getting amplified (and then what?).
see, here's the thing: i seemed to be able to block it with a towel. you can't block a magnetic field with a towel. but you can block a radio signal with a towel.
that suggests to me that i may have a solution in building some kind of fort.
i'm hoping my landlord has a gaussmeter. that will help a lot.
but, i think i really just need to go ahead and get the new cords, already. i mean, the worst thing that can happen is that i'll have extra cords.
christmas deposits come in early, it'll be a next week thing.
my walking phones are also demoed, which will be a gst check thing at the beginning of january. they were a christmas present three years ago. i immediately knew that the connector on the noise cancelling unit would break. i didn't think they'd last three years, even. i can unscrew the unit, but the break is too high on the line - i'd have to cut and splice it. they're not worth it, really. i'd rather just get some cleaner phones. so, merry christmas to me...
or...
why don't i get some new phones next week, and then test to see if the interference is gone, then get some new cords if it is?
yeah. that's more logical.
i'm convinced that what i'm picking up is radio static. at the frequency level it's at - 5000-15000 hz - it pretty much has to be that. and, it seems too low to be wifi or cell or whatever. it's the frequency that a radio signal operates at, so it's gotta be a radio signal.
the questions i need to figure out are:
1) can i find a way to block the radio signals in the unit?
2) given that it seems to have something to do with the power lines or the streetlights as well, is it the case that these things are affecting my headphones and turning them into a receiver or is it the case that these things are affecting the radio waves and turning them into a relayer? that is, are my phones getting charged (and can i shield them?) or is the signal getting amplified (and then what?).
see, here's the thing: i seemed to be able to block it with a towel. you can't block a magnetic field with a towel. but you can block a radio signal with a towel.
that suggests to me that i may have a solution in building some kind of fort.
i'm hoping my landlord has a gaussmeter. that will help a lot.
but, i think i really just need to go ahead and get the new cords, already. i mean, the worst thing that can happen is that i'll have extra cords.
christmas deposits come in early, it'll be a next week thing.
my walking phones are also demoed, which will be a gst check thing at the beginning of january. they were a christmas present three years ago. i immediately knew that the connector on the noise cancelling unit would break. i didn't think they'd last three years, even. i can unscrew the unit, but the break is too high on the line - i'd have to cut and splice it. they're not worth it, really. i'd rather just get some cleaner phones. so, merry christmas to me...
or...
why don't i get some new phones next week, and then test to see if the interference is gone, then get some new cords if it is?
yeah. that's more logical.
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Monday, December 14, 2015
14-12-2015: the interference is present all across the neighbourhood!
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
Sunday, December 13, 2015
12/13-12-2015: a clear conclusion that the source of the interference is outside the apartment
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
Saturday, December 12, 2015
11-12-2015: starting to lose it a little
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
i have come to the final conclusion of outside interference as the root of the problem, but it has not left me any closer to finding a solution.
1) i do not know the source of the interference, but it is certain to me that it is outside my apartment.
2) i do not know if some kind of damage to the phones made existing interference worse, if the interference damaged the phones or if the interference is more recent.
the electric heating upstairs was removed last spring. a new tenant moved in upstairs near the beginning of the summer. i think this is the reason it seems ok, then doesn't, then does. it depends on the interference floating around. i had suspected this previously, but every time i came to a different answer i put it aside; these have all been false positives, and the interference is really the only thing left.
one of the most compelling demonstrations of this occurs when i place a towel over my head, which dampens it. moving my head around drastically alters the sound. it really couldn't be more clear.
i've decided on a plan.
1) i will finish this project on a track-by-track basis. most of it is mixed, i just need to verify that it sounds correctly. it is a bit of a process to find the right way to position the headphones, but it can be done.
2) i will replace the cord in the phones. i am not certain this will work, but i have to try it.
3) if it does not, i will need to talk to my neighbours, and see if i can determine a cause.
4) i'll need to talk to the landlord, after that. he has done electrical work in the building. he's an electrician. he may have some ideas.
5) if i still cannot resolve the issue, i will have no option but to plan to move.
i think 3 & 4 are the most likely to yield results, but i need to approach this incrementally to avoid making errors in my living arrangements.
the inriclaimed project, and related projects, will need to be done in the next few days. i will be able to do the filing I need to catch up to where i was, after that, while i wait for the phones to come in. the new cord will likely arrive early in the new year, and i'll have to go from there.
1) i do not know the source of the interference, but it is certain to me that it is outside my apartment.
2) i do not know if some kind of damage to the phones made existing interference worse, if the interference damaged the phones or if the interference is more recent.
the electric heating upstairs was removed last spring. a new tenant moved in upstairs near the beginning of the summer. i think this is the reason it seems ok, then doesn't, then does. it depends on the interference floating around. i had suspected this previously, but every time i came to a different answer i put it aside; these have all been false positives, and the interference is really the only thing left.
one of the most compelling demonstrations of this occurs when i place a towel over my head, which dampens it. moving my head around drastically alters the sound. it really couldn't be more clear.
i've decided on a plan.
1) i will finish this project on a track-by-track basis. most of it is mixed, i just need to verify that it sounds correctly. it is a bit of a process to find the right way to position the headphones, but it can be done.
2) i will replace the cord in the phones. i am not certain this will work, but i have to try it.
3) if it does not, i will need to talk to my neighbours, and see if i can determine a cause.
4) i'll need to talk to the landlord, after that. he has done electrical work in the building. he's an electrician. he may have some ideas.
5) if i still cannot resolve the issue, i will have no option but to plan to move.
i think 3 & 4 are the most likely to yield results, but i need to approach this incrementally to avoid making errors in my living arrangements.
the inriclaimed project, and related projects, will need to be done in the next few days. i will be able to do the filing I need to catch up to where i was, after that, while i wait for the phones to come in. the new cord will likely arrive early in the new year, and i'll have to go from there.
Friday, December 11, 2015
Thursday, December 10, 2015
it's finally consistently sounding a lot better. with a slight caveat.
current hypothesis - and take it for what it's worth given my track record - is that the seal on the left headphone is weak. either due to the bass loosening it, or just because it's weak, the seal is consistently opening. this is creating a magnetic field that is picking up interference. the interference is distorting the output in unpredictable ways, as it's dependent on whatever is floating around.
i seem to be able to break the field by pushing the seal in, but it seems to pull itself back open. i don't want to glue it because i do want to be able to open the phones up. the break is really paper thin. i'm hoping that pushing it back together often enough will put it back in place.
i'm thinking the cause of this may have been the short i was getting in the last cord, which had me frequently fiddling with the connector on that side. the sound seems to have really broken when i was mixing "viewless" at high volumes, which features a massive thump on the low end, in the drums and bass guitar. so, i think it was a combination of things. i may have made it worse by jimmying it open a few months ago, looking for a cause.
i've had far too many hypotheses, and in the end they all either fail or end up incomplete. but, i think this one is ridiculous enough to be plausible. and i do seem to be getting cause and effect, which has eluded me for so long.
i need to listen for at least the rest of the day to be sure. i don't expect to finalize anything today. but, i'm posting this because i legitimately think i finally got it.
current hypothesis - and take it for what it's worth given my track record - is that the seal on the left headphone is weak. either due to the bass loosening it, or just because it's weak, the seal is consistently opening. this is creating a magnetic field that is picking up interference. the interference is distorting the output in unpredictable ways, as it's dependent on whatever is floating around.
i seem to be able to break the field by pushing the seal in, but it seems to pull itself back open. i don't want to glue it because i do want to be able to open the phones up. the break is really paper thin. i'm hoping that pushing it back together often enough will put it back in place.
i'm thinking the cause of this may have been the short i was getting in the last cord, which had me frequently fiddling with the connector on that side. the sound seems to have really broken when i was mixing "viewless" at high volumes, which features a massive thump on the low end, in the drums and bass guitar. so, i think it was a combination of things. i may have made it worse by jimmying it open a few months ago, looking for a cause.
i've had far too many hypotheses, and in the end they all either fail or end up incomplete. but, i think this one is ridiculous enough to be plausible. and i do seem to be getting cause and effect, which has eluded me for so long.
i need to listen for at least the rest of the day to be sure. i don't expect to finalize anything today. but, i'm posting this because i legitimately think i finally got it.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
you have to remember: stipe is a wry guy. and, he tends to come at things from multiple angles at the same time.
what he's getting at is the unrealistic nature of the expectation, but he's balancing out the selfishness of suicide with the right to it.
are those the eyes that the narrator really wants the listener to remember?
eyes that shiver and fold?
is the narrator truly not creating a burden?
truly holding these things inside?
and how can you look the narrator in the eye, when these words are coming out?
should the narrator be surprised that the listener is shivering?
but, the sum total is simply an exploration of how difficult the situation is.
i don't think he really comes to a total conclusion.
what he's getting at is the unrealistic nature of the expectation, but he's balancing out the selfishness of suicide with the right to it.
are those the eyes that the narrator really wants the listener to remember?
eyes that shiver and fold?
is the narrator truly not creating a burden?
truly holding these things inside?
and how can you look the narrator in the eye, when these words are coming out?
should the narrator be surprised that the listener is shivering?
but, the sum total is simply an exploration of how difficult the situation is.
i don't think he really comes to a total conclusion.
i think people are mostly getting the point, but they're missing the device. and, i think that getting the device ties a lot of the ideas here together. this is one of stipe's smartest tracks and analyzing it does a lot to point out that his language is often very carefully put together, even when it may not seem like it is.
"it's 10:00. do you know where your kids are?"
this was often something you would see on tv during the reagan years, generally during a newscast. it was also widely ridiculed by young people at the time. you still hear it from time to time. it's meant to ask the question: are your kids on drugs?
what stipe is doing is ironically putting himself in the role of the adult, here. he doesn't exactly want to be the adult. he doesn't want to be the "downer". but, he's also seeing this world first hand, and he's reflecting that the news reports are not entirely frivolous. that the kids are on drugs. or, at least some of them are. and, the ones that are on drugs need a bit of help with it, too.
he's trying to establish a perspective that exists in some kind of middle ground.
he's then taking that middle ground to reflect on the real value of freedom, and how he feels about getting in the way of the freedom of others. the car is the american symbol of freedom.
the drug lingo is consequently entirely accurate, but it's a giant double-entendre about feeling caught between the counter-culture and a feeling of responsibility to help people. to stipe, this is a very stern moral dilemma that pits two equally valuable ideals against each other. he's struggling with this moral dilemma.
the language about bush & ollie north is also accurate. you just have to understand their connections to drug smuggling, even as they're rounding people up for it. freedom?
what that does is set the tone for a record that is broadly about feeling powerless to change things, and the futility of getting lost in it.
it's really a fucking lyrical masterpiece.
but, through all of it, remember: a working class hero is something to be.
"it's 10:00. do you know where your kids are?"
this was often something you would see on tv during the reagan years, generally during a newscast. it was also widely ridiculed by young people at the time. you still hear it from time to time. it's meant to ask the question: are your kids on drugs?
what stipe is doing is ironically putting himself in the role of the adult, here. he doesn't exactly want to be the adult. he doesn't want to be the "downer". but, he's also seeing this world first hand, and he's reflecting that the news reports are not entirely frivolous. that the kids are on drugs. or, at least some of them are. and, the ones that are on drugs need a bit of help with it, too.
he's trying to establish a perspective that exists in some kind of middle ground.
he's then taking that middle ground to reflect on the real value of freedom, and how he feels about getting in the way of the freedom of others. the car is the american symbol of freedom.
the drug lingo is consequently entirely accurate, but it's a giant double-entendre about feeling caught between the counter-culture and a feeling of responsibility to help people. to stipe, this is a very stern moral dilemma that pits two equally valuable ideals against each other. he's struggling with this moral dilemma.
the language about bush & ollie north is also accurate. you just have to understand their connections to drug smuggling, even as they're rounding people up for it. freedom?
what that does is set the tone for a record that is broadly about feeling powerless to change things, and the futility of getting lost in it.
it's really a fucking lyrical masterpiece.
but, through all of it, remember: a working class hero is something to be.
obligatory influential...
this is my last post for the day.
automatic for the people, and rem in general, is one of those ubiquitous influences for me. i've told this story before, about checking green & document out of the public library when i was about eight or nine. mom was into sabbath & zeppelin. dad was into floyd & genesis. i grew into some of that as i aged, but the public library was a useful resource for me at the time in finding what i really wanted to listen to, beyond the standard beatles records lying around. i've described michael stipe as a kind of a weird, distant uncle. automatic for the people dropped when i was eleven, and was at least as defining as any other experience in my life. by early 1998, i was waiting patiently for up - which is the last rem record that i was able to connect to strongly.
i'm not citing this record as a direct influence, so much as i'm citing it as an aesthetic one. it's a feeling, not a thought. and, i'm leaning more towards the instrumental tracks and the string arrangements. there's a little new orleans instrumental in there. there's a bit of that cello from drive.
about a year later, i would do a cover of drive that is in a similar style to this.
(relevant tracks: wish, drive, symphony 0, anything in the ambient list and really anything at all)
this is my last post for the day.
automatic for the people, and rem in general, is one of those ubiquitous influences for me. i've told this story before, about checking green & document out of the public library when i was about eight or nine. mom was into sabbath & zeppelin. dad was into floyd & genesis. i grew into some of that as i aged, but the public library was a useful resource for me at the time in finding what i really wanted to listen to, beyond the standard beatles records lying around. i've described michael stipe as a kind of a weird, distant uncle. automatic for the people dropped when i was eleven, and was at least as defining as any other experience in my life. by early 1998, i was waiting patiently for up - which is the last rem record that i was able to connect to strongly.
i'm not citing this record as a direct influence, so much as i'm citing it as an aesthetic one. it's a feeling, not a thought. and, i'm leaning more towards the instrumental tracks and the string arrangements. there's a little new orleans instrumental in there. there's a bit of that cello from drive.
about a year later, i would do a cover of drive that is in a similar style to this.
(relevant tracks: wish, drive, symphony 0, anything in the ambient list and really anything at all)
obligatory influential...
in some ways, this is pretty weak. i mean, i'm not claiming i'm doing much on the guitar with this track. but, the thing is that the hendrix signature is pretty obvious - even if it's all rhythm work. but, you can't find hendrix on youtube. so, srv is the next best relevant option.
in fact, the truth is that i had spent as much time doing srv parts in the mid 90s as i had spent doing hendrix parts. my guitar teacher was somewhat of an srv wizard. and, while stevie really only knew how to play two songs, he played them both really, really well.
(relevant tracks: i'm not always a flashy guitarist, but hendrix/srv are really at the core of my guitar style, and it comes out in various ways over various periods. when i get fancy, you can hear it pretty clearly.)
he tends to lose the plot. it's...he's drunk...
i'm sorry. it's true.
whoever was in charge of editing this should have cut out the part in the middle where he didn't know what day it was.
in some ways, this is pretty weak. i mean, i'm not claiming i'm doing much on the guitar with this track. but, the thing is that the hendrix signature is pretty obvious - even if it's all rhythm work. but, you can't find hendrix on youtube. so, srv is the next best relevant option.
in fact, the truth is that i had spent as much time doing srv parts in the mid 90s as i had spent doing hendrix parts. my guitar teacher was somewhat of an srv wizard. and, while stevie really only knew how to play two songs, he played them both really, really well.
(relevant tracks: i'm not always a flashy guitarist, but hendrix/srv are really at the core of my guitar style, and it comes out in various ways over various periods. when i get fancy, you can hear it pretty clearly.)
he tends to lose the plot. it's...he's drunk...
i'm sorry. it's true.
whoever was in charge of editing this should have cut out the part in the middle where he didn't know what day it was.
obligatory influential...
it may be almost pathetic, in context. but, in trying to figure out what i was thinking regarding the synthetic strings, and trying to put it into the context of early 1998, i can't ignore this tea party record. it's really a pretty big, if somewhat muted, background influence through a lot of what i was doing at the time, in terms of integrating blues-based guitar music with electronics. i mean, i tend to point more cleanly to various types of electronic music or various types of guitar-based music. this is because, at the time, the ideas were still broadly disentangled. i guess they still are, but there's at least a bigger pool to draw on, now. there's not really any good reason for this; listen to a late 60s beatles record. but, some kind of taboo developed in the 70s and it took decades to really break it down. the result was that guitars and electronics only really mixed in the fringes of technical music, in a bit of high-end pop and in the realm of industrial music. blues-based musicians universally avoided all electronics.
it really started opening up about 1998. in that sense, the tea party were just a hop ahead of the curve. if they had shown up just a few years later with the energy they started off with, they'd be as big as muse or radiohead. they were really blazing a path just ahead of them, but they got muffled by the glaciers up here or something.
but, canadians, at least, recognized them for the talent they were. and, one could not have been a canadian teenage musician in the 90s without being influenced by them - both in their "morrocan roll" stage and in their truly rather pioneering electro-rock world phase. or, just simply as a guitarist.
(relevant tracks: wish, schizoid, on sexual confusion in adolescence....anything with a guitar, and anything with string arrangements, however primitive)
it may be almost pathetic, in context. but, in trying to figure out what i was thinking regarding the synthetic strings, and trying to put it into the context of early 1998, i can't ignore this tea party record. it's really a pretty big, if somewhat muted, background influence through a lot of what i was doing at the time, in terms of integrating blues-based guitar music with electronics. i mean, i tend to point more cleanly to various types of electronic music or various types of guitar-based music. this is because, at the time, the ideas were still broadly disentangled. i guess they still are, but there's at least a bigger pool to draw on, now. there's not really any good reason for this; listen to a late 60s beatles record. but, some kind of taboo developed in the 70s and it took decades to really break it down. the result was that guitars and electronics only really mixed in the fringes of technical music, in a bit of high-end pop and in the realm of industrial music. blues-based musicians universally avoided all electronics.
it really started opening up about 1998. in that sense, the tea party were just a hop ahead of the curve. if they had shown up just a few years later with the energy they started off with, they'd be as big as muse or radiohead. they were really blazing a path just ahead of them, but they got muffled by the glaciers up here or something.
but, canadians, at least, recognized them for the talent they were. and, one could not have been a canadian teenage musician in the 90s without being influenced by them - both in their "morrocan roll" stage and in their truly rather pioneering electro-rock world phase. or, just simply as a guitarist.
(relevant tracks: wish, schizoid, on sexual confusion in adolescence....anything with a guitar, and anything with string arrangements, however primitive)
obligatory influential...
i'm just trying to figure out what the best way to document the obvious eno influence on the track is. and, while the influence is obvious, it's not obvious to source. it's a process of getting my brain around the time period, mostly.
see, i'm in that age group where eno was sort of ubiquitous, and i have a dozen paths to claim him. i was a big u2 fan when i was a young child, and it stuck with me until i was about 20 (i couldn't get into all that you can't leave behind, and have tried some of the later material a few times, but it's just void of anything). so, that string of records from unforgettable fire to zooropa (and also pop, but there was no eno on pop) is one way. then, there's not one but two swaths of bowie (late 70s and mid 90s). there's the work with fripp. plus, there's his own material. but, it's more than that. it was every time you heard a synth part on the radio. it was the massive influence he had on "intelligent" electronic music in the 90s. it was every time you turned on your computer, even.
as such, citing eno as an influence is a complicated thing because it doesn't necessarily have to sound like anything eno did, despite eno doing so many very diverse different things. in some ways, the more recognizable it is, the less valid it is. rather, it's more about an idea.
i do remember listening to this record quite a bit around the right period. there's little causal connection. but, i think it's the most relevant thing, nonetheless.
(relevant tracks: wish, symphony 0 - everything, really)
i'm just trying to figure out what the best way to document the obvious eno influence on the track is. and, while the influence is obvious, it's not obvious to source. it's a process of getting my brain around the time period, mostly.
see, i'm in that age group where eno was sort of ubiquitous, and i have a dozen paths to claim him. i was a big u2 fan when i was a young child, and it stuck with me until i was about 20 (i couldn't get into all that you can't leave behind, and have tried some of the later material a few times, but it's just void of anything). so, that string of records from unforgettable fire to zooropa (and also pop, but there was no eno on pop) is one way. then, there's not one but two swaths of bowie (late 70s and mid 90s). there's the work with fripp. plus, there's his own material. but, it's more than that. it was every time you heard a synth part on the radio. it was the massive influence he had on "intelligent" electronic music in the 90s. it was every time you turned on your computer, even.
as such, citing eno as an influence is a complicated thing because it doesn't necessarily have to sound like anything eno did, despite eno doing so many very diverse different things. in some ways, the more recognizable it is, the less valid it is. rather, it's more about an idea.
i do remember listening to this record quite a bit around the right period. there's little causal connection. but, i think it's the most relevant thing, nonetheless.
(relevant tracks: wish, symphony 0 - everything, really)
for those making comparisons, let's remember that bites was released in 1985 and this could be as old as 1983. there's some similar outtake material on the third volume of brap, which was 83-86.
it's not entirely without parallel at the time. but, puppy pretty much invented what we today call idm - and more or less as throwaway experiments, before moving on to something else.
also, dwayne was not in the band yet. this is all cevin. dwayne joined the band in 1986.
it's not entirely without parallel at the time. but, puppy pretty much invented what we today call idm - and more or less as throwaway experiments, before moving on to something else.
also, dwayne was not in the band yet. this is all cevin. dwayne joined the band in 1986.
obligatory influential...
it wasn't conscious emulation. iirc, i just made a loop and started jamming over it. but, i would have likely never thought it sounded musical without interfacing so heavily with this track. listening to it, one might hear eno or maybe even joy division. there's hints of autechre. but, it was really this disc that i was enamored with.
(relevant tracks: wish & symphony 0, specifically, but fdts was pretty intensely formative)
it wasn't conscious emulation. iirc, i just made a loop and started jamming over it. but, i would have likely never thought it sounded musical without interfacing so heavily with this track. listening to it, one might hear eno or maybe even joy division. there's hints of autechre. but, it was really this disc that i was enamored with.
(relevant tracks: wish & symphony 0, specifically, but fdts was pretty intensely formative)
obligatory influential post.
there's something about those lyrics that i connected to. i don't actually remember the cause and effect, and the bit of evidence i have suggests i actually may have written a song with similar lyrics a little bit beforehand (my file is dated jan 13, 1998 - yield was released feb 6, 1998). but, it's kind of neither here nor there. yield was fixed in the player over 1998.
but, i do remember that i took the lyrics out partially due to the similarity, and partly because mine were....a little less profound, let us say. it kept the track name.
yield is the band's only complete document. that's not to say some of the others aren't pretty good. but, yield is the one you "accidentally" leave on the counter, and hope somebody decides to explore.
(relevant tracks: wish, symphony 0)
there's something about those lyrics that i connected to. i don't actually remember the cause and effect, and the bit of evidence i have suggests i actually may have written a song with similar lyrics a little bit beforehand (my file is dated jan 13, 1998 - yield was released feb 6, 1998). but, it's kind of neither here nor there. yield was fixed in the player over 1998.
but, i do remember that i took the lyrics out partially due to the similarity, and partly because mine were....a little less profound, let us say. it kept the track name.
yield is the band's only complete document. that's not to say some of the others aren't pretty good. but, yield is the one you "accidentally" leave on the counter, and hope somebody decides to explore.
(relevant tracks: wish, symphony 0)
obligatory influential...
i noticed i was here before, but didn't leave a post. strange, that. i went looking through my posting history, and realized i left one on a now deleted video of this disc well over a year ago, when i was just doing daily rotations, before i settled into my existing alter-reality algorithm in real-time (current date in the alter-reality april 11, 1998). and, i'm thinking i skipped over the inrisampled obligatory, waiting for a better moment. i think i was waiting, specifically, for the period 1.3 transition, which was the beginning of 1999. the influence really becomes more obvious at that point. another year before i get there.
but, the track i just switched into is too dominated in influence by the ambient sections on this disc to wait. the coil and aphex mixes, specifically, but the thirlwell ones, too. which isn't to say i'm stealing ideas, so much as it's to say it's where my head was. listening to it, one might hear eno or maybe even joy division. there's hints of autechre. but, it was really this disc that i was enamored with.
it wasn't conscious emulation. iirc, i just made a loop and started jamming over it. but, i would have likely never thought it sounded musical without interfacing so heavily with at the heart of it all.
i've done a bunch of obligatories on these nin remix discs between fixed and the perfect drug and they're still nearly unparalleled in terms of abstraction. i wish i could find something contemporary that exists at this level of quality. i can aspire. but, it's not the same thing as finding it out there. alas...
(relevant tracks: medicated to the one i love, jesus gets fucked on robitussin, symphony 1, curious george, wish, why, symphony 0, many others - almost everything, really.)
i noticed i was here before, but didn't leave a post. strange, that. i went looking through my posting history, and realized i left one on a now deleted video of this disc well over a year ago, when i was just doing daily rotations, before i settled into my existing alter-reality algorithm in real-time (current date in the alter-reality april 11, 1998). and, i'm thinking i skipped over the inrisampled obligatory, waiting for a better moment. i think i was waiting, specifically, for the period 1.3 transition, which was the beginning of 1999. the influence really becomes more obvious at that point. another year before i get there.
but, the track i just switched into is too dominated in influence by the ambient sections on this disc to wait. the coil and aphex mixes, specifically, but the thirlwell ones, too. which isn't to say i'm stealing ideas, so much as it's to say it's where my head was. listening to it, one might hear eno or maybe even joy division. there's hints of autechre. but, it was really this disc that i was enamored with.
it wasn't conscious emulation. iirc, i just made a loop and started jamming over it. but, i would have likely never thought it sounded musical without interfacing so heavily with at the heart of it all.
i've done a bunch of obligatories on these nin remix discs between fixed and the perfect drug and they're still nearly unparalleled in terms of abstraction. i wish i could find something contemporary that exists at this level of quality. i can aspire. but, it's not the same thing as finding it out there. alas...
(relevant tracks: medicated to the one i love, jesus gets fucked on robitussin, symphony 1, curious george, wish, why, symphony 0, many others - almost everything, really.)
obligatory influential...
i remember picking this disc up in the summer of '97 on a rec from the store clerk at the local disc-go-round and listening to it on the bus quite a bit for the next few months. i was familiar with smg, but wouldn't have at all called myself a fan. i think the accusations of his work up to this point being derivative are fairly accurate, but even that isn't so much of a drawback as the fact that it's all fairly bland. the high points are due to collaborations with dwayne goettel (night returning) and solidly written cover material (strange days). it just doesn't stand out as worthwhile.
but, the guy at the counter was insistent.
"i see what you come in here and buy", he said. "this is way better than anything else he's ever done, and i think you'll like it for sure. it should be called chris randall and the die warzau backing band. and it's got reeves gabrels on it.".
it was the gabrels drop that hooked me. really.
and, i must say that this record really was a huge leap forwards in terms of songwriting and instrumentation. he's finally using the supporting cast of chicago musicians and engineers around him to their full potential, and manages to combine the city's various sounds into what is arguably a lost psychedelic pop classic. but, it's also the kind of disc that alienates people because it's too good. in the end, it's a shame that it's really the only solid disc he ever made, because you can hear the potential here. sadly, this is an often-told story in the modern era: the problem of making a record that is too good and can't move units, which leads to getting dropped.
the whole record was an influence on me over this period, but it's usually subtle and lost amidst the bowie and the reznor. i'm picking out this track today because there's a part about 3:53 where a blast of noise segues the track. it's a technique ultimately traced back to haus der luge. but, the way it's used here is not just completely unpredictable but also completely irrational and i took some influence from the absurdity of it.
i remember picking this disc up in the summer of '97 on a rec from the store clerk at the local disc-go-round and listening to it on the bus quite a bit for the next few months. i was familiar with smg, but wouldn't have at all called myself a fan. i think the accusations of his work up to this point being derivative are fairly accurate, but even that isn't so much of a drawback as the fact that it's all fairly bland. the high points are due to collaborations with dwayne goettel (night returning) and solidly written cover material (strange days). it just doesn't stand out as worthwhile.
but, the guy at the counter was insistent.
"i see what you come in here and buy", he said. "this is way better than anything else he's ever done, and i think you'll like it for sure. it should be called chris randall and the die warzau backing band. and it's got reeves gabrels on it.".
it was the gabrels drop that hooked me. really.
and, i must say that this record really was a huge leap forwards in terms of songwriting and instrumentation. he's finally using the supporting cast of chicago musicians and engineers around him to their full potential, and manages to combine the city's various sounds into what is arguably a lost psychedelic pop classic. but, it's also the kind of disc that alienates people because it's too good. in the end, it's a shame that it's really the only solid disc he ever made, because you can hear the potential here. sadly, this is an often-told story in the modern era: the problem of making a record that is too good and can't move units, which leads to getting dropped.
the whole record was an influence on me over this period, but it's usually subtle and lost amidst the bowie and the reznor. i'm picking out this track today because there's a part about 3:53 where a blast of noise segues the track. it's a technique ultimately traced back to haus der luge. but, the way it's used here is not just completely unpredictable but also completely irrational and i took some influence from the absurdity of it.
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Thursday, December 3, 2015
02-12-2015: turning the corner?
tracks worked on in this vlog:
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/album/inriclaimed
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
thoughts on the most recent defeater record
i missed this in august...attention drawn to it by tour dates....just wasn't paying attention...
i've only listened to the record all the way through once, and will have to give it a few more tries. you don't really "get" a defeater record on the first listen. but, i'm comfortable in stating that if i'm going to connect to this at all then it's going to be on a purely lyrical level. that's not impossible.
i wouldn't be surprised to find out that this disc was well received by people that are closer to the mainstream core of the modern "(scr)e(a)mo" sound. hey, there's a relatively big audience there. and, it's not a complete 180 - there's plenty of things that jumped out that seemed very characteristic of the band's previous work. but, the blunt and honest immediacy - the starkly nihilistic juxtapositions and just blatant punk rock, however much adapted - that made them refreshing seems to have been replaced by what are kind of contrived melodramaticisms. i mean, i don't want to sound ridiculous. it was always contrived. but, it was a different kind of contrived - a more thematic and less calculated one. if you're a fan of the centre of the genre that they're moving closer to, you probably won't understand this criticism because it's the perfect description of every band that you're used to listening to. but, if you lean more towards older school punk rock or perhaps even straight up art rock, don't really have any affinity with "emo" and were kind of being pulled into this by bands that hover closer to the core of what punk was, you'll understand what i'm getting at. if you're that person, as i am, you probably really didn't want to hear them walk down this path. but, you probably knew it was coming, too.
i could probably handle some standardization in the aesthetic if the writing compensated for it. musically, i didn't pick up on that the first time through - i got the opposite impression. i'll have to see if i pick up on it, thematically, as i listen to it a few more times.
i'll say this though: i was initially put off by the stronger testosterone level on letters home. but, as i got to understand the story line, i began to realize that it couldn't have been any other way. it had to be badass. i'll have to see if this connects in the same way.
i know this is an extremely tentative review. maybe i'll post another comment in a few weeks or months. but, that's how this band operates. you just don't understand it the first time you listen to it; if you think you do, you definitely don't. that's why elitist critics like me are drawn to them, even if they're consistently cycling around a genre we would generally consider to exist purely in the realm of bad taste.
i've only listened to the record all the way through once, and will have to give it a few more tries. you don't really "get" a defeater record on the first listen. but, i'm comfortable in stating that if i'm going to connect to this at all then it's going to be on a purely lyrical level. that's not impossible.
i wouldn't be surprised to find out that this disc was well received by people that are closer to the mainstream core of the modern "(scr)e(a)mo" sound. hey, there's a relatively big audience there. and, it's not a complete 180 - there's plenty of things that jumped out that seemed very characteristic of the band's previous work. but, the blunt and honest immediacy - the starkly nihilistic juxtapositions and just blatant punk rock, however much adapted - that made them refreshing seems to have been replaced by what are kind of contrived melodramaticisms. i mean, i don't want to sound ridiculous. it was always contrived. but, it was a different kind of contrived - a more thematic and less calculated one. if you're a fan of the centre of the genre that they're moving closer to, you probably won't understand this criticism because it's the perfect description of every band that you're used to listening to. but, if you lean more towards older school punk rock or perhaps even straight up art rock, don't really have any affinity with "emo" and were kind of being pulled into this by bands that hover closer to the core of what punk was, you'll understand what i'm getting at. if you're that person, as i am, you probably really didn't want to hear them walk down this path. but, you probably knew it was coming, too.
i could probably handle some standardization in the aesthetic if the writing compensated for it. musically, i didn't pick up on that the first time through - i got the opposite impression. i'll have to see if i pick up on it, thematically, as i listen to it a few more times.
i'll say this though: i was initially put off by the stronger testosterone level on letters home. but, as i got to understand the story line, i began to realize that it couldn't have been any other way. it had to be badass. i'll have to see if this connects in the same way.
i know this is an extremely tentative review. maybe i'll post another comment in a few weeks or months. but, that's how this band operates. you just don't understand it the first time you listen to it; if you think you do, you definitely don't. that's why elitist critics like me are drawn to them, even if they're consistently cycling around a genre we would generally consider to exist purely in the realm of bad taste.
Tuesday, December 1, 2015
i got some blood test results back today.
the real reason for the blood test was to check my estrogen levels, which was actually done on my request. i've been thinking for a while now that i should get my dose boosted. but, i was running around from doctor to doctor and just didn't really get a chance to get an empirical test done to determine what the levels were and whether they should be boosted. as expected, they're a little low.
that's actually pretty normal. it's an expected part of transitioning to increase dosages after a while. i'm actually way past due on this. so, i've been boosted from 4 mg/day to 6 mg/day. but, i'm going to wait until i quit smoking first before i do it.
i've been stuck on this remix project for months because my machine just won't behave, and have been waiting until i'm done the project before i give myself a few weeks of filing to occupy myself with. for me, quitting smoking is primarily a problem at the mental level. basically, i find myself unable to focus on anything. it's a huge problem for me because i'm always focusing on something or other. the only way i'm going to get over the smoking is by giving myself something menial to do for, like, weeks. i just have to throw that time away. that's really hard for me - even if i get the long term benefits of it - because i interpret time as the only meaningful quantifiable in the entire universe. the filing is the perfect opportunity for this. but i can't get to it because i can't get the machine to co-operate.
i've been getting impatient, anyways. i only budgeted myself $60 for cigarettes this month. that needs to be a hard limit, now. smoking ends when that budget runs out, whether i'm done the project or not. the hormone switch is just an added incentive.
first, nicotine is an estrogen suppressant. second, smoking on estrogen can cause blood clots. i shouldn't be smoking at all, really - well, *at all*, but at all when i'm taking hormones. it's a risk for people on birth control, which is something like 100 mcg/day. i'm about to jump to 6 mg/day. i'm hesitant about the safety of this. i should really be hesitant about the safety of it at 4 mg/day.
but, he also told me that i'm the "healthiest person he's ever seen". he's "never seen lower blood cholesterol". it seemed obvious to him to ask me about my diet, but he seemed rather disappointed in my responses.
in the 96 hours before the blood test, i had consumed 5 rockstar vodkas, several pots of coffee, several packs of cigarettes and had even smoked a couple of bowls. ten hours previous to the blood test, i had a large meal that included a giant plate of pasta with a third of a brick of cheese, caesar dressing (not light.) as an alfredo sauce, eight slices of crumpled salami, tomatoes and green peppers. i also had a smoothie with a banana, five strawberries, two scoops of ice cream and about 500 ml of soy milk. i've actually had exactly that meal almost every day for the last two months - although i got a pizza one day, and have had some doritos in between as well.
i'll post the link to the culinary series in my vlog as a comment.
that doesn't come off as a particularly healthy diet. he liked the soy smoothies, and didn't like the salami and the cheese. he thought i must be eating some kind of miracle foods like quinoa or something.
while my diet is consciously designed to ensure i get sufficient nutrients (the soy smoothies are key to this, but i also would normally eat a lot of eggs to get my amino acids), it is really not designed to minimize so-called harmful foods - except in the sense that i do not eat a lot. i eat, at most, once a day - most days. once in a while, i won't eat at all.
the correct way to interpret the test results is as confirmation of my approach to food, which i've posted here a few times over the last few years. that is, the important thing to realize is that it isn't the content of the food that is important, but the quantity of it that you consume.
basically, your body stores everything almost exactly the same way. it may not be the most politically correct thing to say, but the actual hard reality of it is that if you're too fat or you have too much cholesterol then you simply eat too much. the way to minimize excess fat storage in the various ways that your body stores fat - which includes blood cholesterol - is to ensure that you're not giving your body too much fuel, because it will then store it as some kind of fat.
my blood cholesterol is not low because of what i eat. it's low because of how much i eat.
but, even that said, there is an even more dominant factor, and it's lifestyle. i walk everywhere. i walked about 40 minutes to the doctor's office today, in fact. i then walked to the grocery store to get some more very high fat caesar dressing for my high fat pasta diet. the reason i do this is that i don't have a car.
that is the actual takeaway: i am the healthiest person the doctor has ever seen because i do not have a car. and, if you want to be that healthy, too? then, stop using your car on a day-to-day basis. walk as much as you can.
i'm proof of it. most nutritionists would claim my diet is terrible (but they're wrong, because the quantity of what i consume is low). i smoke two things. i don't drink a lot of alcohol, but i had consumed some within a few days of the blood test. and, i drink at least a pot of coffee a day.
but, my heart is in pristine condition!
and, it's simply because i don't have a car.
the real reason for the blood test was to check my estrogen levels, which was actually done on my request. i've been thinking for a while now that i should get my dose boosted. but, i was running around from doctor to doctor and just didn't really get a chance to get an empirical test done to determine what the levels were and whether they should be boosted. as expected, they're a little low.
that's actually pretty normal. it's an expected part of transitioning to increase dosages after a while. i'm actually way past due on this. so, i've been boosted from 4 mg/day to 6 mg/day. but, i'm going to wait until i quit smoking first before i do it.
i've been stuck on this remix project for months because my machine just won't behave, and have been waiting until i'm done the project before i give myself a few weeks of filing to occupy myself with. for me, quitting smoking is primarily a problem at the mental level. basically, i find myself unable to focus on anything. it's a huge problem for me because i'm always focusing on something or other. the only way i'm going to get over the smoking is by giving myself something menial to do for, like, weeks. i just have to throw that time away. that's really hard for me - even if i get the long term benefits of it - because i interpret time as the only meaningful quantifiable in the entire universe. the filing is the perfect opportunity for this. but i can't get to it because i can't get the machine to co-operate.
i've been getting impatient, anyways. i only budgeted myself $60 for cigarettes this month. that needs to be a hard limit, now. smoking ends when that budget runs out, whether i'm done the project or not. the hormone switch is just an added incentive.
first, nicotine is an estrogen suppressant. second, smoking on estrogen can cause blood clots. i shouldn't be smoking at all, really - well, *at all*, but at all when i'm taking hormones. it's a risk for people on birth control, which is something like 100 mcg/day. i'm about to jump to 6 mg/day. i'm hesitant about the safety of this. i should really be hesitant about the safety of it at 4 mg/day.
but, he also told me that i'm the "healthiest person he's ever seen". he's "never seen lower blood cholesterol". it seemed obvious to him to ask me about my diet, but he seemed rather disappointed in my responses.
in the 96 hours before the blood test, i had consumed 5 rockstar vodkas, several pots of coffee, several packs of cigarettes and had even smoked a couple of bowls. ten hours previous to the blood test, i had a large meal that included a giant plate of pasta with a third of a brick of cheese, caesar dressing (not light.) as an alfredo sauce, eight slices of crumpled salami, tomatoes and green peppers. i also had a smoothie with a banana, five strawberries, two scoops of ice cream and about 500 ml of soy milk. i've actually had exactly that meal almost every day for the last two months - although i got a pizza one day, and have had some doritos in between as well.
i'll post the link to the culinary series in my vlog as a comment.
that doesn't come off as a particularly healthy diet. he liked the soy smoothies, and didn't like the salami and the cheese. he thought i must be eating some kind of miracle foods like quinoa or something.
while my diet is consciously designed to ensure i get sufficient nutrients (the soy smoothies are key to this, but i also would normally eat a lot of eggs to get my amino acids), it is really not designed to minimize so-called harmful foods - except in the sense that i do not eat a lot. i eat, at most, once a day - most days. once in a while, i won't eat at all.
the correct way to interpret the test results is as confirmation of my approach to food, which i've posted here a few times over the last few years. that is, the important thing to realize is that it isn't the content of the food that is important, but the quantity of it that you consume.
basically, your body stores everything almost exactly the same way. it may not be the most politically correct thing to say, but the actual hard reality of it is that if you're too fat or you have too much cholesterol then you simply eat too much. the way to minimize excess fat storage in the various ways that your body stores fat - which includes blood cholesterol - is to ensure that you're not giving your body too much fuel, because it will then store it as some kind of fat.
my blood cholesterol is not low because of what i eat. it's low because of how much i eat.
but, even that said, there is an even more dominant factor, and it's lifestyle. i walk everywhere. i walked about 40 minutes to the doctor's office today, in fact. i then walked to the grocery store to get some more very high fat caesar dressing for my high fat pasta diet. the reason i do this is that i don't have a car.
that is the actual takeaway: i am the healthiest person the doctor has ever seen because i do not have a car. and, if you want to be that healthy, too? then, stop using your car on a day-to-day basis. walk as much as you can.
i'm proof of it. most nutritionists would claim my diet is terrible (but they're wrong, because the quantity of what i consume is low). i smoke two things. i don't drink a lot of alcohol, but i had consumed some within a few days of the blood test. and, i drink at least a pot of coffee a day.
but, my heart is in pristine condition!
and, it's simply because i don't have a car.
Monday, November 30, 2015
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Saturday, November 28, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
26-11-2015: aliens are more likely than god
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
25-11-2015: the vampire diaries
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
Monday, November 23, 2015
21/22-11-2015: daydreaming...
tracks worked on in this vlog:
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
1) https://jasonparent.bandcamp.com/track/aliens-are-more-likely-than-god
Sunday, November 22, 2015
one last night out before the major detox
so, i will fully acknowledge - despite rationalizations otherwise - that the reason i went to the show on friday night was to get a last night of smoking in. which, on the bright side, at least suggests i'm serious about stopping. i think i have to be.
that said, i also felt the headliner was worth documenting. to an extent, this is partly what a lot of these show reviews have always been about. now that i have the camera (however low quality it may be....), i feel an added sense of responsibility to be curating. because my taste is superior. of course.
--
i wasn't sure if i was going to miss the opening act or not, and wasn't really concerned about it if i did. i kind of expected the show to start late, but not quite as late as it started - i did catch the opening act, and snapped a little bit of footage.
it very mildly piqued my interest in what it was, namely a splice of mathy indie rock with alt-country-pop-whatever. i don't know who to blame for it (wilco?), but indie rock turned into country music at some point a little over ten years ago and has basically been tedious and boring ever since. this act certainly demonstrated tedium and boredom, but the mathier aspects almost saved it...
i said almost. not quite. i'd say the rhythm section should drop the singer, if it can't convince her to drop the alt-country-pop-whatever schtick. there's nothing interesting going on there.
between sets i went out and had a smoke; i was feeling a little light-headed when i came back. probably the weather. but, it meant i watched most of the next set sitting down, and didn't get a chance to catch any footage.
the name of the band is exceedingly relevant: this is creepy shit. in an unsettling way. i think i'll leave it at that.
while it was meant to be comical, my general reaction was more that i felt embarrassed for them. which is no doubt in the range of intended reactions.
however, there was one song that had me doubled over laughing, and nearly crying. it may have been because i was feeling a little light-headed from the weather, but it was still one of the best laughs i've had in a while. i've found old footage of this track:
here is a full set:
the next band up was called nudie suits, and they seemed to be defined by a conflict: the violin player wants to do loop-heavy, post-gaze drone stuff whereas the keyboard player wants to do more conventional noir pop. the end result was that they were trying to play over each other. not always. they stopped and listened to each other a few times. but it was that conflict that overpowered.
i'm not entirely adverse to the idea of a riff-off in the context of gaze/drone vs. noir pop, but the truth is that neither had the chops to do it. the violin parts often just fizzled out into static feedback loops or two note patterns, and flopped on the builds. and the keyboard player often cycled around simple progressions, bent entirely on rooting herself in dynamics that were being completely paved over by the electronics.
the lack of footage was a conscious choice.
--
it was the material on valley hush' bandcamp page that drew me out (and made the smoking night worthwhile). While certainly pop, and maybe operating somewhere close to a successful and critically acclaimed contemporary act like tune yards, the overall songwriting struck me as worth documenting.
i only film one song and tend to pull it from between the second and fourth track. there's always the nightmare that you screw up the first track, which is also often going to be chosen to let the scragglers in. two-four is usually the meat of the set.
i pulled the third track, which meant i got one of the poppier numbers. overall, the set was a bit more developed than this, with more extended tracks that leaned into the realm of psychedelic rock without really falling into it.
it's pop. i know not everybody likes pop. i actually have a pretty hefty soft spot for it. but, realize i'm very picky about it, too. i'm only going to bite at a pop band if it's a really good one.
the show was late, as expected, but far more so than i realized. the last band was slotted for 11:15 - meaning they should have been done around 11:45. i knew it was later than that, but wasn't checking the time. the show wasn't done until 12:40; i would have guessed it was more like 12:15. but, had i been checking the clock more closely, i would have left a few minutes earlier.
while i do believe i got to rosa parks on time and should have been able to cut the bus off at the pass, i ended up missing it (unless it came out of customs well after 2:00, which is unlikely) by what could not have been more than a few minutes. i can only understand how this could happen by concluding that the bus left early.
you can imagine why this should not happen. there's more on this topic in the day's vlog:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2015/11/20.html
that said, i also felt the headliner was worth documenting. to an extent, this is partly what a lot of these show reviews have always been about. now that i have the camera (however low quality it may be....), i feel an added sense of responsibility to be curating. because my taste is superior. of course.
--
i wasn't sure if i was going to miss the opening act or not, and wasn't really concerned about it if i did. i kind of expected the show to start late, but not quite as late as it started - i did catch the opening act, and snapped a little bit of footage.
it very mildly piqued my interest in what it was, namely a splice of mathy indie rock with alt-country-pop-whatever. i don't know who to blame for it (wilco?), but indie rock turned into country music at some point a little over ten years ago and has basically been tedious and boring ever since. this act certainly demonstrated tedium and boredom, but the mathier aspects almost saved it...
i said almost. not quite. i'd say the rhythm section should drop the singer, if it can't convince her to drop the alt-country-pop-whatever schtick. there's nothing interesting going on there.
between sets i went out and had a smoke; i was feeling a little light-headed when i came back. probably the weather. but, it meant i watched most of the next set sitting down, and didn't get a chance to catch any footage.
the name of the band is exceedingly relevant: this is creepy shit. in an unsettling way. i think i'll leave it at that.
while it was meant to be comical, my general reaction was more that i felt embarrassed for them. which is no doubt in the range of intended reactions.
however, there was one song that had me doubled over laughing, and nearly crying. it may have been because i was feeling a little light-headed from the weather, but it was still one of the best laughs i've had in a while. i've found old footage of this track:
here is a full set:
the next band up was called nudie suits, and they seemed to be defined by a conflict: the violin player wants to do loop-heavy, post-gaze drone stuff whereas the keyboard player wants to do more conventional noir pop. the end result was that they were trying to play over each other. not always. they stopped and listened to each other a few times. but it was that conflict that overpowered.
i'm not entirely adverse to the idea of a riff-off in the context of gaze/drone vs. noir pop, but the truth is that neither had the chops to do it. the violin parts often just fizzled out into static feedback loops or two note patterns, and flopped on the builds. and the keyboard player often cycled around simple progressions, bent entirely on rooting herself in dynamics that were being completely paved over by the electronics.
the lack of footage was a conscious choice.
--
it was the material on valley hush' bandcamp page that drew me out (and made the smoking night worthwhile). While certainly pop, and maybe operating somewhere close to a successful and critically acclaimed contemporary act like tune yards, the overall songwriting struck me as worth documenting.
i only film one song and tend to pull it from between the second and fourth track. there's always the nightmare that you screw up the first track, which is also often going to be chosen to let the scragglers in. two-four is usually the meat of the set.
i pulled the third track, which meant i got one of the poppier numbers. overall, the set was a bit more developed than this, with more extended tracks that leaned into the realm of psychedelic rock without really falling into it.
it's pop. i know not everybody likes pop. i actually have a pretty hefty soft spot for it. but, realize i'm very picky about it, too. i'm only going to bite at a pop band if it's a really good one.
the show was late, as expected, but far more so than i realized. the last band was slotted for 11:15 - meaning they should have been done around 11:45. i knew it was later than that, but wasn't checking the time. the show wasn't done until 12:40; i would have guessed it was more like 12:15. but, had i been checking the clock more closely, i would have left a few minutes earlier.
while i do believe i got to rosa parks on time and should have been able to cut the bus off at the pass, i ended up missing it (unless it came out of customs well after 2:00, which is unlikely) by what could not have been more than a few minutes. i can only understand how this could happen by concluding that the bus left early.
you can imagine why this should not happen. there's more on this topic in the day's vlog:
http://dghjdfsghkrdghdgja.appspot.com/categories/shows/2015/11/20.html
Saturday, November 21, 2015
reaction to the new bowie single, pt 2
Brooklyn Allman
Bowie always tends to reflect the world around him. I think this video is a metaphor for the darkside of religion. The book he holds up. The scarecrows in crucifix formation (scarecrows symbolic of fear which is a key element of organized religion). The blindfolds. The people who seem to be possessed by something. Somehow he ties Major Tom into all of this as his skull is treated like a sacred artifact perhaps meaning that anything can be turned into god and spun out of control. I think "Blackstar" might be like a faux-prophet or fervent disciple going around convincing people god is speaking through them. I think it definitely reflects what's going on in the world right now. I'm sure there are many ways to interpret this though, it's very abstract.
deathtokoalas
+Brooklyn Allman
the kind of ritual you're seeing in the video is something that "kids nowadays" actually seriously do. there's a pretty sizable movement built up around this amongst women that are roughly university aged. they get together in forested spaces and perform magical rites to what they perceive of as pagan spirits.
if you want to get into it, it's likely a reaction to the upbringing brought on by the previous generation - a kind of rebellion against the value system enforced by the "moral majority" in the reagan revolution. the women i've spoken to about this speak in these terms. they talk of how their christian upbringing created a lot of repressed desires. they talk of catholic guilt. yet, as the rituals become so massively enforced and engrained, they create a sense of safety, as well. so, they realize there's something oppressive about the ritual, but can't quite discard the sense of peace that the oppression provides. the result is rebellion on the terms of praying to a false deity, rather than simply discarding it. on that level, it's blowback.
on another level, the ideas are all around us in our culture. there was a movie released in the 90s called the craft that is very popular in these circles, and there have been a number of similar films released since then. it comes out musically in a couple of styles, like witch house. there's a band called esben and the witch that is kind of seminal (even if all the ideas trace back to the 70s, through artists like coil, who were themselves drawing on existing themes). and, remember: this is a generation raised on magic, from disney through to lord of the rings. magic is no longer seen as an archaic relic of the past to be shunned as a process of ignorance. rather, it's become quite normalized.
i think bowie is reflecting on something here, but it's the youth culture. this is, in fact, what he's always done. what i'm getting is that he's both amused by this (it is really quite ridiculous) and somewhat disturbed by it.
the key shot in the video is at the very end, when he's dramatically recoiling from the images being presented on the screen.
"on the day of execution,
only women kneel and smile."
it's the secular society being executed. but, from the inside out.
Bowie always tends to reflect the world around him. I think this video is a metaphor for the darkside of religion. The book he holds up. The scarecrows in crucifix formation (scarecrows symbolic of fear which is a key element of organized religion). The blindfolds. The people who seem to be possessed by something. Somehow he ties Major Tom into all of this as his skull is treated like a sacred artifact perhaps meaning that anything can be turned into god and spun out of control. I think "Blackstar" might be like a faux-prophet or fervent disciple going around convincing people god is speaking through them. I think it definitely reflects what's going on in the world right now. I'm sure there are many ways to interpret this though, it's very abstract.
deathtokoalas
+Brooklyn Allman
the kind of ritual you're seeing in the video is something that "kids nowadays" actually seriously do. there's a pretty sizable movement built up around this amongst women that are roughly university aged. they get together in forested spaces and perform magical rites to what they perceive of as pagan spirits.
if you want to get into it, it's likely a reaction to the upbringing brought on by the previous generation - a kind of rebellion against the value system enforced by the "moral majority" in the reagan revolution. the women i've spoken to about this speak in these terms. they talk of how their christian upbringing created a lot of repressed desires. they talk of catholic guilt. yet, as the rituals become so massively enforced and engrained, they create a sense of safety, as well. so, they realize there's something oppressive about the ritual, but can't quite discard the sense of peace that the oppression provides. the result is rebellion on the terms of praying to a false deity, rather than simply discarding it. on that level, it's blowback.
on another level, the ideas are all around us in our culture. there was a movie released in the 90s called the craft that is very popular in these circles, and there have been a number of similar films released since then. it comes out musically in a couple of styles, like witch house. there's a band called esben and the witch that is kind of seminal (even if all the ideas trace back to the 70s, through artists like coil, who were themselves drawing on existing themes). and, remember: this is a generation raised on magic, from disney through to lord of the rings. magic is no longer seen as an archaic relic of the past to be shunned as a process of ignorance. rather, it's become quite normalized.
i think bowie is reflecting on something here, but it's the youth culture. this is, in fact, what he's always done. what i'm getting is that he's both amused by this (it is really quite ridiculous) and somewhat disturbed by it.
the key shot in the video is at the very end, when he's dramatically recoiling from the images being presented on the screen.
"on the day of execution,
only women kneel and smile."
it's the secular society being executed. but, from the inside out.
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