Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas 2011

I Got a Ray-Gun for Christmas
(a retro-futuristic holiday wish for you and yours)


I got a ray gun for Christmas
And all of the other kids got LEGOS
Now the Christmas tree is heating our house
Because I got a ray gun for Christmas.

I got a ray gun for Christmas
And it recharges via solar panels
But none of that really matters
Because now there's a fire on the mantle.

I got a ray gun for Christmas
My girlfriend is gonna be mad
Because I just burnt a hole in the sweater
She got for her dad.

Things here are starting to get pretty weird
The family dog's got smoke
Smoldering out of his terrier beard.

Thank you Santa for the best gift a boy could get
I got a ray gun for Christmas and I haven't even called 911 yet.

Merry Christmas 2011!
12/25/11

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Radiohead: "The Daily Mail"



"The Daily Mail" was originally written/recorded for the "TKoL" sessions but never made the record. I have to say, I like this song probably more than any song on that studio record. As a matter of fact, the particular above recording came from TKoL "Live From the Basement" sessions which I enjoy as a whole more than the "TKoL" studio LP. Radiohead are at their best when they can add a touch of organic-ness, or less produced sound to their mix- the "...From the Basement" session does exactly that. The production, especially for a live recording, is stellar (amazingly stellar) but the mix still retains some sonic naturalness which is crucial.


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Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Utah/Nevada: November 10-14, 2011

Utah and Nevada from Jonathan A. Schmid on Vimeo.

...It's like a crew shooting a Kodak commercial were up into the wee hours of the night before at a gay club. Needless to say, Jon did great work editing footage from our trip to the desert!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

of Montreal: "Wintered Debts"


For me, these guys have been more miss than hit over the last five years, but I keep coming back to this one, mainly because it departs from the sex-funk deal and harks back to various elements of psych music- which is what oM does well. There are multiple movements here, but each transition makes sense and doesn't take away from the section which preceded. I especially enjoy the meandering ambient stretch which comes in around 2/3 of the way through.

Check out "Wintered Debts," the first single off Paralytic Stalks which is out in early February.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

"Tiny Giant"


TINY GIANT // FEATURE DOCUMENTARY // TRAILER from HOLY COW FILMS on Vimeo.

"Tiny Giant" is a documentary about Jeff Steinberg, a gospel music singer born without arms and with other physical ailments. Jeff's story is intriguing to me not only because of his unique situation but because I know very little about gospel music except what I have seen in late 1970's black and white - early 1980's over saturated color footage of performances...where gospel music church culture may have peaked if you will. It will be interesting to me to see if, in addition to telling the story of Jeff overcoming his adversity, the doc mentions how the perception crowds have of him and how the overall art he is a part of has changed over his 30+ year career.
IMDB does not list a release date...

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

My 'Mixed-Handed' Life



Ah, nice!  So there may be a downside to being "unique"?  From this piece it sounds like research is ramping up regarding the study of the correlation between 'left-handedness' and certain brain disorders such as bipolarism, ADHD, schizophrenia and many more exciting flaws.  'Mixed-handedness'  is of particular interest to researchers as rates for certain disorders seem to be higher in this group.  I don't feel so special anymore. (Or maybe I should feel more special?)

Mom, you have some explaining to do.


Sunday, December 4, 2011