23.3.07

WE are taking steps to view life through different spectacles

To All...

Here Ye, Here Ye, Here Ye... I decree that this blog has become a new forum with which to review "things" of this world. Meaning, I will be using this forum to review products, including food, music, books and other literature, film, and people. I have spoken with the wife about this for some time and have decided that ACTION speaks LOUDER than words, particularly if you have pans and spatulas and no megaphone. Therefore, today will usher in the new era of WeAreAllMachines and I will begin to provide useful data to the machines so that we can hopefully make more informed, efficient, and a little less stupid decisions.

On this day March 23, 2007 I will review two things...

1) The album, "The Good, The Bad, and The Queen" by Damon Albarn of Blur and the Gorillaz fame, Tony Allen, often drumming with Fela Kuti, and a fantastic Afrobeat percussionist, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, and former verve guitarist Simon Tong. Now, we can get into some pissing match about how, and if, these so-called super groups even exist, but I would rather just say that fantastic and ground breaking musicians hang out with one another just like any other professionals do. This is for several reasons. 1) People like to hang out with other high end professionals because they know that when they talk shop they want to have their limits pushed to the brink and not speak with some fool that thinks they know everything, and therefore what they are talking about; 2) These guys are not good at what they do, they are great at it. They kick beats off of bass lines off of vocal harmonies off of grooves and then they meet back in the middle for slow build ups that crescendo into moments where you want to close your eyes and let the jam carry you away, but you also want to stay alive, stay out of jail, and keep your car in one piece so if the music has this effect on you, LISTEN AT HOME; and 3) These fellas have met, and likely exceeded, the expectations of listeners since the second album that each has contributed to, which is to say, when an individual has their music and are heard the first time people are either blown away or they are not. Interest grows and then you become attached to a style, a bass line, a groove that these people produce. Eventually, these artists become a part of your life and you anticipate, sometimes with great anxiety, their next product. Now, the famous sophomore slump can dismay even the greatest fans, but these folks had you waiting in line like a crack head waiting for their confederate to come out of the house that they went into with Aunt Mabel's television to come out with that little baggie. Therefore, we knew that this group was technically sound and at least moderately diverse and visionary in their respective styles...

What we did not expect, at least most of us, was this album.

Supposedly a concept album whose songs are themed around modern life in London, this means fuck all if you are ignorant of what really goes down in the seedy underbelly of London life. Watching "Lock Stock" F.Y.I., does not make you an expert. My point is this. You needn't know Lilly Allen from Parliament to understand that this album is straight off the chain and tighter than X-hibits whips.

The initial track off this album, and I will not bore you will minutae from each track, about break downs, and buildups, but the "History Song" starts us off with slow jamminess like malt-o meal on a cold wintry morning. There is a solid bass line that could zone you out like passing out on the bathroom floor warm with wine to the hum off your washer and drier. Moreover, you hear the sweet grinding slide of finger prints against guitar strings that you rarely hear these days. If you expect to hear the later electronica of Blur or the trip-hop-hip-hoppiness of the Gorillaz go buy some new R& B version of some shitty soft-cell remix, cause this album ain't the one. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for this type of tune, and I love the stuff myself, but Damon has grown, grown, grown. Listen for Damon's "Ahhh AHHHHHH if you don't know now."

The next track, "80's Song," is more like the 60's song and has a doo-wop feel to it. Did you think in one million years that I would say that? It is true. That is growth, or sweet regression, either way, who cares, the song is groovy. Frankie Vallie would shit his pants. That would be funny.

And finally, because I told you that I would not bore with each individual track's content I will simply tell you that "Herculean" is musically genius. I find myself singing falsetto lines while my wife hums the bass line from this track. I am constantly looking for musical stylings. I then take my inspirations which I record on a handheld tape recorder, then put down when I get home. If this song doesn't inspire musicians, they should stop making music. Plus, the big Plus, is Tony Allen's broken afrobeat in this track. Man o Man is it choppy, funky, groovy, and smooth like the surface of the Caribbean in a Puerto Rican cove.

All in all, stop what your doin' cuz this album is about to ruin, the image and the style that you are used to, and hey, it was produced by Danger Mouse, Grey Album anyone, not to mention 1/2 of Gnarls Barkley (oh Snap!). So, to get you to buy this I will give you the obligatory comparisons with the P.i.M.P. twist...

This album is 2 parts "English Beat" particularly "Mirror in the Bathroom" pitched down and funked up, 1 part "Thievery Corporation," a dash of "Stereo M.C.'s" for taste, A Gilberto Gil, Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, Fela Kuti, and Afrika Bambaataa low key beach front pig roast, and a handheld walk through the park with Sid Vicious and Nancy Sinatra. Yeah, I might be crazy...crazy like a fox, and crazy like this album is good. Go buy it or download the whole thing, this week, from I-tunes for $7.99 it is on sale.

Damon keeps getting funkier and for people who try to make music, like me, is surpassing the level of inspiration by growing from brit-pop, to funk electronica, to ground-breaking trip-hip-hop to THIS, just plain old, home grown, good-ass music.

And, if you do like the Gorillaz, which maybe you should, check out their live in Harlem DVD. Bomb musique.



My second review for the day is "Stupidity." Yes, as we have seen in the last couple of months, with the help of years of historical data, the analysts are right. Stupidity is on the rise with growth somewhere in the range of 273% +/- 3 basis points. It is a bull market and we expect more growth indirectly proportionate to crude prices. Now is the time to invest in stupidity because we don't expect a decrease in the near future. In fact, as the population continues to grow we expect stupidity to rise at exponential rates. For, the smart investors, however, despite massive expected growth, we advise to dispense with as much as you can, as soon as possible. Therefore, we review stupidity as just plain stupid.

See you soon.

WE are taking steps to view life through different spectacles

To All...

Here Ye, Here Ye, Here Ye... I decree that this blog has become a new forum with which to review "things" of this world. Meaning, I will be using this forum to review products, including food, music, books and other literature, film, and people. I have spoken with the wife about this for some time and have decided that ACTION speaks LOUDER than words, particularly if you have pans and spatulas and no megaphone. Therefore, today will usher in the new era of WeAreAllMachines and I will begin to provide useful data to the machines so that we can hopefully make more informed, efficient, and a little less stupid decisions.

On this day March 23, 2007 I will review two things...

1) The album is "The Good, The Bad, and The Queen" by Damon Albarn of Blur and the Gorillaz fame, Tony Allen often drumming with Fela Kuti, and a fantastic Afrobeat percussionist, Clash bassist Paul Simonon, and former verve guitarist Simon Tong. Now, we can get into some pissing match about how, and if, these so-called super groups even exist, but I would rather just say that fantastic and ground breaking musicians hang out with one another just like any other professionals do. This is for several reasons. 1) People like to hang out with other high end professionals because they know that when they talk shop they want to have their limits pushed to the brink and not speak with some fool that thinks they know everything, and therefore what they are talking about; 2) These guys are not good at what they do, they are great at it. They kick beats off of bass lines off of vocal harmonies off of grooves and then they meet back in the middle for slow build ups that crescendo into moments where you want to close your eyes and let the jam carry you away, but you also want to stay alive, stay out of jail, and keep your car in one piece so if the music has this effect on you, LISTEN AT HOME; and 3) These fellas have met, and likely exceeded, the expectations of listeners since the second album that each has contributed to, which is to say, when an individual has their music and are heard the first time people are either blown away or they are not. Interest grows and then you become attached to a style, a bass line, a groove that these people produce. Eventually, these artists become a part of your life and you anticipate, sometimes with great anxiety, their next product. Now, the famous sophomore slump can dismay even the greatest fans, but these folks had you waiting in line like a crack head waiting for their confederate to come out of the house that they went into with Aunt Mabel's television to come out with that little baggie. Therefore, we knew that this group was technically sound and at least moderately diverse and visionary in their respective styles...

What we did not expect, at least most of us, was this album.

Supposedly a concept album whose songs are themed around modern life in London, this means fuck all if you are ignorant of what really goes down in the seedy underbelly of London life. Watching "Lock Stock" F.Y.I., does not make you an expert. My point is this. You needn't know Lilly Allen from Parliament to understand that this album is straight off the chain and tighter than X-hibits whips.

The initial track off this album, and I will not bore you will minutae from each track, about break downs, and buildups, but the "History Song" starts us off with slow jamminess like malt-o meal on a cold wintry morning. There is a solid bass line that could zone you out like passing out on the bathroom floor warm with wine to the hum off your washer and drier. Moreover, you hear the sweet grinding slide of finger prints against guitar strings that you rarely hear these days. If you expect to hear the later electronica of Blur or the trip-hop-hip-hoppiness of the Gorillaz go buy some new R& B version of some shitty soft-cell remix, cause this album ain't the one. Don't get me wrong, there is a time and place for this type of tune, and I love the stuff myself, but Damon has grown, grown, grown. Listen for Damon's "Ahhh AHHHHHH if you don't know now."

The next track, "80's Song," is more like the 60's song and has a doo-wop feel to it. Did you think in one million years that I would say that? It is true. That is growth, or sweet regression, either way, who cares, the song is groovy. Frankie Vallie would shit his pants. That would be funny.

And finally, because I told you that I would not bore with each individual track's content I will simply tell you that "Herculean" is musically genius. I find myself singing falsetto lines while my wife hums the bass line from this track. I am constantly looking for musical stylings. I then take my inspirations which I record on a handheld tape recorder, then put down when I get home. If this song doesn't inspire musicians, they should stop making music. Plus, the big Plus, is Tony Allen's broken afrobeat in this track. Man o Man is it choppy, funky, groovy, and smooth like the surface of the Caribbean in a Puerto Rican cove.

All in all, stop what your doin' cuz this album is about to ruin, the image and the style that you are used to, and hey, it was produced by Danger Mouse, Grey Album anyone, not to mention 1/2 of Gnarls Barkley (oh Snap!). So, to get you to buy this I will give you the obligatory comparisons with the P.i.M.P. twist...

This album is 2 parts "English Beat" particularly "Mirror in the Bathroom" pitched down and funked up, 1 part "Thievery Corporation," a dash of "Stereo M.C.'s" for taste, A Gilberto Gil, Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, Fela Kuti, and Afrika Bambaataa low key beach front pig roast, and a handheld walk through the park with Sid Vicious and Nancy Sinatra. Yeah, I might be crazy...crazy like a fox, and crazy like this album is good. Go buy it or download the whole thing, this week, from I-tunes for $7.99 it is on sale.

Damon keeps getting funkier and for people who try to make music, like me, is surpassing the level of inspiration by growing from brit-pop, to funk electronica, to ground-breaking trip-hip-hop to THIS, just plain old, home grown, good-ass music.

And, if you do like the Gorillaz, which maybe you should, check out their live in Harlem DVD. Bomb musique.



My second review for the day is "Stupidity." Yes, as we have seen in the last couple of months, with the help of years of historical data, the analysts are right. Stupidity is on the rise with growth somewhere in the range of 273% +/- 3 basis points. It is a bull market and we expect more growth indirectly proportionate to crude prices. Now is the time to invest in stupidity because we don't expect a decrease in the near future. In fact, as the population continues to grow we expect stupidity to rise at exponential rates. For, the smart investors, however, despite massive expected growth, we advise to dispense with as much as you can, as soon as possible. Therefore, we review stupidity as just plain stupid.

See you soon.

2.3.07

The more that I think of it....

The more our fucked up, unwieldy Federal Government needs to be overhauled. Each State within the Union should be given more individual rights. Look at Europe. My father and mother will not be able to a vacation in Belize and will undoubtedly lose their money because the damned government cannot coordinate multiple departments. Burn them down to the ground and start fresh. The government is dead, long live the government (under new terms).

O.K., the last time I remember my parents taking a vacation, without us kids, is well, I cannot remember them going on vacation period. They took me to Sea World when I was 5 and we went to D.C. when I was 15. Dragging a couple of asshole kids around to the Smithsonian is not, however, my parents idea of a good time. Well, maybe the museum. That would be fun for me at least. Asshole kids I could take or leave. The real rub is that some dickweed aide for Senator Carl Levin promised that he would do what he could to help out. Well, I don't see the proper documentation in the mail, and subsequently, I don't see my parents waiving to me from the wild blue yonder heading off to their anxiously anticipated, long awaited, over needed vacation. Therefore, the crux of this problem, and I will put some onus on my parents for being dilatory in addition to misplacing naturalization papers, but the crux of this problem is the government. Ah, yes...the government.

Our brilliant government. Unlike lawyer's whom everyone hates until they need them, the government is mostly hated by everyone, almost all of the time. My hatred for the government is not borne of jealously nor ignorance. I know my enemy, and this knowledge spurs the hatred.

Want to get something done? Don't ask the government.

Wanna know how much is costs a fella or lady to run for the House or Senate?
http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/watchdogging101/answer/1423

Want some reform in government, limiting expenditures for campaigns is a good start. The McCain/Feingold Campaign Finance Reform Bill did something, but these assholes found ways to make some soft money, instead of hard money. Bunch of pricks found the loopholes, are you surprised, they wrote the laws.

Soft money= money that may indirectly influence federal election but is raised and spend outside the purview of federal law and would be illegal IF spent directly on a federal election.

The idea is that these politicians get soft money which is outside the regulatory reach. Can you believe that I got this tangential on this topic. My apologies. I will tie this back into the topic rather quickly. My point is that these crooked mother fuckers are running the show and don't give a shit about us. Moreover, the legislature drafts these laws by trading clauses with one another and end up convoluted the entire bill which then becomes a law. By the time these bills get passed, if at all, the end result is such a bastardization of the original idea that the idiocy and confusion simply compounds on itself creating a nasty little beast.

Guess what happens next?

Oh this one is a real doozy. These laws, if you want to see how they really get fucked up, are promulgated to the real world by a government agency. Sometimes, these agencies are created by Presidential fiat, sometimes the agencies are further extensions of Congressional Committee, sometimes these agencies are created by Congressional and Presidential appointees. Now, the Supreme Court is the final arbiter of the law, at least they have declared themselves to be the final interpreter since a little case called Marbury vs. Madison. So that means that hundreds of cases come before the Supreme Court with the sole issue of who which branch of government has fucked up and encroached upon the other. The point here is that the President and Congress cannot even always sort out which job they should be doing without accidentally doing the job of the other. This is called Separation of Powers. If the President and Congress cannot even figure out, surprisingly more often than not, who should and should not be doing a specific job, how in the hell are appointees and Federal Agencies with attenuated links to the two groups of ding dongs (Pres. and Con.) supposed to figure it out. Imagine trying to coordinate a bunch of government agencies full of government workers whose motto is "Manana." It ain't going to happen quickly, I can assure you this.

Sound muddy yet? Try getting some answers from some dick, who works for some bigger dick, who has to call a group of dicks, who work in a back room for another dick, working for some dick, appointed to his job by some dick he went to Yale with, who was appointed by our dick of a President. Sounds like to many dicks to get anything done except, no pun intended, pointing a dick at another dick, while both dicks say "Not our job."

So, you see my frustration. And I don't even get to go on Holiday. I do apologize for all of the cursing. I read a quote once that said something to the effect of "Swearing is the ignorant man’s way of getting his point across. Limited vocabulary breeds swearing as there is no other way that the person can express themselves."

However, another brilliant gentleman and scholar, a fellow by the name of Mark Twain said, " Under certain circumstances, profanity provides a relief denied even to prayer."

To those who tout the ills of profanity I can only tell you that today and these last two weeks, have certainly qualified at "certain circumstances."

So with that, I feel much better, but I can assure you that my parents to do not. I hope that no one reading these words ever has to deal with the government for any extended period. Good day and good luck.