in this time of introspection

what we’re into, abc style.

quee — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:48:21 +0000

ambling alp – yeasayer

baby – devendra banhart

cool yourself – thao and the get down stay down

airplanes – local natives

bad day – darwin deez

collect call – metric

will expand on this later.

The Flaming Lips review

quee — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:33:31 +0000

The Flaming Lips twelfth album, Embryonic, on Warner Bros Records, has been released and already reached number 8 of the Top 10 on the Billboard top 200 Album charts, before dropping to number 91. Wayne Coyne, the mastermind of the band, has taken The Flaming Lips to a whole new sound with this album. It’s bold, robotic, and pyschedelic. However, while Embryonic might be just what every Lips fan wants and needs, this album did not do it for me.

Embryonic is a jumbled mess of sound. Although the this 18-track mammoth is bound to have some less-than-amazing songs, the majority is muffled and confused. Heavy with bass and beats rather than focussing on vocals, the album is more irritating than it is easy to listen to.

Songs that stand out are “I Can Be A Frog,” which features Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and “Watching the Planets,” the last track. Karen O supplies the background sound effects for every odd lyric that Coyne can be, including helicopter, wolf, jaguar, tornado, monkey, and of course, frog. The best song on the album, “Watching the Planets,” successfully ties together the robotic sounds that were not working for most of the album with catchy oh-oh-oh’s and short lyrics.

I was going to say that I had warmed up to this album by the end of it, but then I realized I was listening to the next imported album on my iTunes, which was Albert Hammond, Jr. Most of the time I envisioned either a robot movie soundtrack, or a grungy, uninspired song collection. In this way it was more like an album than a collection of possible singles. However, this is the Flaming Lips, and while Embryonic’s sound is not a catchy single like “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” or “Do You Realize??,” it is still a giant change in their sound and a very likeable album for true Flaming Lips fans out there, myself not included.

quee — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:32:32 +0000

Spiteful words can hurt your feelings but silence breaks your heart.

oh it sounds so forced.

quee — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:58:36 +0000

STARFFFFFER

Thursday night of last weekend’s Pygmalion Music Festival started the weekend off in full swing. The best show of the night was Starf*cker, a four-piece electro-pop group hailing from Portland, Oregon. Jupiter, the latest album, dropped in May 2009, and is a compilation of their minimalist yet distinctive electronica songs. Their eclectic set at the Courtyard Cafe brought everyone to their feet. Starf*cker’s boys set up just like any other electro group, banging away on drums, guitars, and synths.

Right from the start, the room was energized and excited. When the four multi-instrumentalists pounded out their famous “Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second” and equally catchy “German Love,” everyone in the front row danced in their own world. All of their instruments made for a pounding dancefloor and ample opportunities for the budding photographers.

Even though the crowd was somewhat small, Starf*cker played an upbeat, high-intensity show. They backed their songs with vinyl recordings of spoken word, one of which had the retro vibe of a 1970′s psychology lecture. Their energy created a good interaction with the crowd. Asking the crowd for a new band name was the main topic of conversation, but besides “slutty muffin,” the crowd could only rearrange their current name.

Starf*cker tried to end their set on time, saying that they didn’t have any more songs. Everyone demanded that they keep going, so the band set up again and ended on a good note, singing their version of Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.” The four boys kept the song incredibly similar to the original, but their spin definitely improved it. The encore pulled the entire show together by keeping the Courtyard Cafe dancing until the last beat.

i’m not allowing myself to waste these years for someone who isn’t worth it.

quee — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:52:16 +0000

“I understand feeling as small and as insignificant as humanly possible. And how it can actually ache in places you didn’t know you had inside you. And it doesn’t matter how many new haircuts you get, or gyms you join, or how many glasses of chardonnay you drink with your girlfriends… You still go to bed every night going over every detail and wonder what you did wrong or how you could have misunderstood. And how in the hell for that brief moment you could think that you were that happy. And sometimes, you can even convince yourself that (s)he’ll see the light and show up at your door. And after all that, however long all that may be, you’ll go somewhere new. And you’ll meet people who make you feel worthwhile again. And little pieces of your soul will finally come back. And all that fuzzy stuff, those years of your life that you wasted, that will eventually begin to fade.”

quee — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:59:17 +0000

i love tumblr. don’t try to find me. i’ll be gone from wordpress by the time you read this.

quee — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:34:25 +0000

and that’s all i’m going to say about that.

quee — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 03:29:31 +0000

quee — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 01:16:06 +0000

hey… it’s me.

no, don’t say a word. i just wanted to apologize. i’ve started another blog and i love it more. i’m leaving you for tumblr, wordpress. you were always a little hard to deal with, and you can’t even upload music. that was like number one necessity for me. i’ll still post on you because i spent some effort on your layout. so we’ll just be friends. nothing too serious.

i don’t need reasons. ask the creeps that you allow to post on you why i’ve left you. go find me on tumblr, but really don’t. i started it so i could say what i wanted. don’t try to find meeeeeee

quee — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:15:53 +0000

“Freak Out” – Stellastarr*

Stellastarr* is back with a new song, complete with the muted and jabbing yet soaring electric guitar lines, supportive driving drums, and dramatic chorus. Right from the start, “Freak Out” has characteristic stellastarr* written all over it. Check it out if you’re in the mood for some good old indie rock.

“Billionaires” – Your Twenties

Catchy “ooh ooh ooh” vocals for a chorus, check. Handclaps, check. Easy-going summertime rock beat and guitars, check. This will be the famous hit for Your Twenties.

“The End is Near” – The Fiery Furnaces

Oh, Fiery Furnaces, some of your songs sure are iffy. But thanks for this one. Another pleasant melodious song that I can definitely enjoy getting stuck in my head. And way to go, making a depressing message into a cheerful tune.

“Kiss of Life” – Friendly Fires

Speaking of FF, Friendly Fires have a new song out as well. The best part is the tribal drumline. That kind of thing will always have my heart, and it does a great job enhancing the electropop aspect of “Kiss of Life.”

And now that I’ve seen the video, I like it ten times more. Hello, Mr. Zach Condon look-a-like.