Couldn't keep myself from posting Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album cover here, as it looks SO cool against the black background.

(Update, 6/24/07: Unfortunately I don't use a black background anymore. Oh well, it's still a COOL cover!)

15 Movies (I Think) Everyone Should See

Okay, that was kinda fun checking out AMenity's 15 Movies she thinks everyone should see, so I thought I'd try my hand at a similar list.

1.Magnolia

2.Once Upon a Time in the West

3. The Passion of the Christ

4. The Seventh Seal

5. Koyaanisqatsi

6. The Deer Hunter

7. The Exorcist

8. Time Code

9. Head

10. Born Innocent

11. Saving Private Ryan

12. The Truman Show

13. Pink Floyd-The Wall

14. Amadeus

15. National Lampoon's Animal House
...and one extra...

Cries and Whispers

...of course, these can all be purchased from Amazon.com.

Random Observances

One of the great things about XM Satellite Radio is that there is so much variety in the genres of music available. You may remember a couple of weeks ago when I posted that I had finally figured out trance...I have listened to quite a bit of it since then, especially making a point to catch as much of Victor Dinaire's Future Progression as I can. Last week he re-broadcast "The Best of Future Progression", and it was awesome.
Today I have once again found myself in the mood for something a little different, so I've been listening to Ngoma, which is a channel devoted to African music. I couldn't tell you how "purist" it is with it's playlist, being somewhat unfamiliar with pretty much all indigenous African music...however, intuition tells me that it's probably more "pop"-oriented, as opposed to purist.
It's enjoyable enough, I suppose...still, that nagging suspicion lurks that I'd probably like it a lot more if they were playing something that sounded a bit less polished...

Okay...opinions...do I have one about the Michael Jackson molestation trial?
Everyone else seems to have one.
For that matter, most folks seem to have made up their minds that he's guilty.
Sure seems like he is, but as for me, I hesitate to throw out a verdict because I don't know enough about the case to make in informed decision (not that anyone else who is already yealling "guilty" does, either) and, even more importantly, the level of apathy I feel concerning the whole debacle is alarming. I mean, it's terrible that this kind of thing happens to children and I really think that people who are caught molesting young boys and/or girls should be placed in a cave with a huge boulder sealing the exit and left to fend for themselves.
But we all know that the reason this case is still in the news is because it's Michael Jackson, self-proclaimed "King of Pop". Personally I proclaim that he is one of the least-talented and luckiest people to have ever attained such inordinate celebrity. I never liked his music and his outlandish diversions into "freak" territory were never anything more to me than a chance to sigh and thank God that fame & notoriety eluded me in my musical pursuits, else I could have wound up doing similarly stupid things.
But did he molest the kids?
If I were a bettin' man I'd lay odds on the prosecution.
I'm not, though, and I just wish the whole thing would wind down and open up airspace for a more worthy news story. I have to wonder how many child molestation trials are going on in this country at this very moment, none of which will even get a mention in any of the news outlets, but hey, Michael Jackson...does that really make all the difference?

So anyhoo...I'm checking out the blogosphere.
What a strange and disarming place it is.
mY wEeKnEsS iS tHaT i CaRe ToO mUcH...Okay, I'll cut Kendra some slack, since she's only 13 years old, but there's something quite discouraging about her blog. Example:
For all of you out there that i hurt...i am sorry. I have decided since like a while ago that i am starting over with my life...I am going to do more things for me. Not try to please everyone else. Because that got me into trouble the last time i did t. Yes...i cheated on taylor...to please Him, but i also heard...from one of his used to be best friends...that he cheated on me too, so basically he has no right to still be mad at me, if he did the exact thing to me...I dont know whaat i am goin to do to start over, but i know i am going to try to my fullest to get back to innocent,, the way i was in first grade..Although, it's going to be hard, trying to be nice, and not so...how you say, "flirty" but i am goin to try...
I don't know what's more sad...that this 13 year old is cheating and being cheated on or that she thinks it's somehow possible to "get back to innocent"...
Good luck, Kendra.
this hapax legomenon...Gotta give credit to a blogger who reads The Wittenburg Door.
true AMenity...

Now that's purty funny, no?
Amy lists 15 movies she thinks everyone should see. Have I seen 'em and what do I think? I heard someone askin'...
1. Almost Famous...Yes, of course I've seen it. Mark Kozelek's feature film debut (as the bass player in the band Stillwater) was enough to get my attention, but it was a very good movie that brought back a lot of memories. You have to know the extent to which I admired Lester Bangs to truly appreciate what Almost Famous means to me.
2. Amelie...have not seen it, but a friend with similar tastes tells me it's good.
3. Beautiful Girls...have not seen it...dunno that I want to.
4. Before Sunset...have not seen it. Never said I was all that avid a movie watcher, did I?
5. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind...Yes, and I very much enjoyed it. Great story and concept and Jim Carrey just keeps getting better with each successive role.
6. Garden State...no, but I've heard good things about it. Doesn't mean I'm anxious to check it out.
7. High Fidelity...yes, but I thought it was very over-rated, not nearly as good as I'd hoped it would be. Maybe I'm too close to the source, though, having worked in a few record shops in my day...
8. I heart Huckabees...no.
9. Memento...Yes yes yes, a couple of times. Maybe the best film on this particular list. What a brilliant, engrossing film this is.
10. Requiem for a Dream...yes, and I hated it. Not just because it was such a huge downer (I like Joy Division, after all), but it just tried too hard to be impressive in the cinematography division. Relentlessly depressing, and you could not pay me to watch it again (okay, for a couple of grand I'll sit through it once more, but I don't have to pay too close attention).
11. Run Lola Run...no.
12. Shaun of the Dead...no.
13. Trainspotting...yes, and it was another that I felt did not live up to the hype. Great soundtrack, though. That bit where the guy gets sucked into the toilet...nah. You can keep it.
14. Waking Life...no, but one of my best friends insists that I should see it, therefore I probably will one o' these days.
15. Whale Rider...no.

Miracle Legion: Drenched

Miracle Legion Drenched

I'm one of those guys who adores practically everything REM released during their tenure with IRS records. Then they signed with Warner Brothers and I noticed a steady decline, if not in objective quality, then in what it was I enjoyed about their music. Instead of putting out solid albums with 10-12 really good songs, they started releasing albums that had maybe 2 or 3 excellent songs and the rest being what I'd consider substandard fare. Eventually I stopped buying their albums...I think the point of no return was the hideous Reveal,...I didn't even bother checking out their last offering.
But hey, I still love that 1981-1987 period and always will.
And I also love bands that worked that early-REM jangle pop sound with success: The Connells, Let's Active, Game Theory are a few. Even Counting Crows first couple of albums wore that influence pretty strong.
One of my favourites in this category is MIRACLE LEGION. I am currently listening to Drenched. It is a marvelous album that kicks REM's ass all over the place (and you can even understand most of the lyrics). Too many good songs to pick from the lot, though I gotta say that "Snacks and Candy" is the sing-along highlight.
I noticed that Amazon.com has used copies of this CD for like 45 cents, and I would be derelict in my duty were I to not exhort each and every one of you to jump on that bargain like it was a glass of ice water at a chili eating contest.
One day some enterprising record label will buy the rights to release Miracle Legion's Surprise Surprise Surprise on CD, and one can only hope that when this is accomplished the days of Miracle Legion as an obscure cult sensation will come to a grinding halt.
From AMG: "Miracle Legion were a Connecticut-based band that immediately sprung to life on the heels of post-R.E.M. guitar-rock boom, chiefly because lead singer Mark Mulcahy's voice bore an uncanny resemblance to Michael Stipe's..."
I beg to differ...Mulcahy's voice is much more distinctive, much more powerfully expressive than Stipe's. Just because they both sing through their noses doesn't make 'em sound alike. I mean, ya never hear anyone comparing Stipe with Tom Petty, do ya? And Petty's the NASAL VOCAL king.
Admittedly Stipe's voice has weakened significantly through the years he has been fronting REM. There was a time when it commanded serious respect ("Kahoutek", "Life and How To Live It", "Shaking Through", "Sitting Still", "Seven Chinese Brothers"). But Mulcahy uses his to greater effect more consistantly than even early-period Stipe ever did.

Morning Sitar

Ravi Shankar The Sound of India

Ever since the first time I heard George Harrison's "Within You Without You" from the Beatles' Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band I have been fascinated with the sound of the sitar, tabla & tambura. There's something strange and exotic about the drone that most (all?) classical Indian music revolves around, and it sounds pleasant to me even when I've long since lost the time signature and any hint of structure in these pieces.
Ravi Shankar has long been the acknowledged master of the sitar, with his daughter Anoushka poised to carry on the legacy. I have about 8 or 9 Ravi Shankar discs in my collection (along with two by Anoushka), but this morning I'm listening to The Sounds of India.

In the Mood to Float...

In the mood for space music...the Drone Zone at SomaFM is where I'm at. The perfect soundtrack for all your astral projection sessions. Soothing, calming music, aural feng shui to decorate the chambers of the particular niche in the time-space continuum you occupy.
Then, when your brain is ready to return to the earth's atmosphere, process it through the IDM blender at SomaFM's Cliqhop blips and beats channel.
By the time the insomnia monster comes around you'll be so worn out mentally that he won't stand a chance against yer sleepy bone.
Seriously, SomaFM is a place to be.