Tis the season...

to worry about the end of life as we know it on Earth?!?!?

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!! 

If nothing else, here's some good music to check out from the last year... BEST of 2011 SPOTIFY playlist

It's been a long time...

Here's hoping the new (and long delayed) Beastie's disc is a return to form (after a couple not so epic discs in the aughts).
If this video is any indication, hells yes it is!

IN CASE U MISSED IT... a new Grindhouse flick?!?

Or just a cool video for the Black Keys latest tune...



Obviously inspired by a little Rodriguez trailer... even going so far as to dub Todd Bridges "sir". Now if only they turned it into a full movie like Machete!

More info on the cast and such HERE

Dear Internet, you're silly...

File this one under: music/video/cool/dream/art


And file this one under: crude/fart/humor/starwars

More inspiring music videos...

Genius, star-studded, mini movie, oddities... with great music too ;)

Underworld - Always Loved a Film: Brilliant fun had with a simple twist...


Yeasayer - Madder Red (with Kristen Bell): Effects/creature driven WTF...


Broken Bells - The Ghost Inside (with Christina Hendricks): Sci-fi movie goodness...


MGMT - Congratulations: More creature driven oddness...


And lastly, it's just awesome to see this storyboarded version of the latest Gorillaz!!!

Cool videos

Some amazing recent music videos...

MIA - Born Free
Ginger's beware...


LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls
Insanity on film...


How To Destroy Angels - The Space in Between
Otherwise known as Mr and Mrs Trent Reznor...


I also recently discovered/explored some of the expanded music video channels on our cable... I was pleased to realize that MTVU is a fairly decent facsimile of the early days of the network (IE mostly cool tunes with hardly any commercials).

So while these videos aren't as cool to watch, here's some of my fave new sounds...

Dominique Young Unique - Show My Ass
Stoopid beats, and fresh rhymes...


The London Souls - The Sound
More then a little Kravitz, and more than a little heavy groove...


...then there's Die Antwoord, a category all to themselves...

Die Antwoord - I'm A Ninja
It's like if the Morlocks formed a b-boy crew...

INDUSTRY RANT: The game has changed!

Oh, wait, comics aren't music... damn!

A couple weeks ago though, the music industry changed, with another huge move towards all digital, when Radiohead announced they're new album, In Rainbows, would be released online, and by them, direct. Regardless of what you think of their decision to make the album available at whatever cost, including free, they'll still take in likely bushels more than what a record company would give them. No middleman, no media, just 0's and 1's for pennies on the dollar. Artist makes more, fan pays less, that's what digital can, and I think should, mean.

That's the future of entertainment (at least the near one), and hopefully comics.
I know in the past I've ranted here about the pending switch to direct digital distribution, and the Radiohead model (one adopted suddenly by a slew of other big name artists including NIN, and Madonna) is a perfect illustration, providing the content, directly from the creator, to the public model, with no distribution or manufacturing required.
Holy shit that's nice!
Look, I don't want to bemoan Diamond, or any other cogs in the wheel of the comic book industry, but if an artist can release their work directly to the market, without inflating prices and sharing profits, that's the ideal state. Don't cry for the retailers or any other party who loses out here, they only exist because the artist needs them to reach an audience, and well through the magic of technology, we don't any longer.
Sure, for music, it's much more streamlined, there's no loss (perceived or otherwise) in quality, the product is the same, whereas comics, are still waiting for a better application to replace, or at least make it not so radically different, from paper.
With PSP's, and now Iphones, and other ereader/digital tech on the horizon, it's getting closer at hand.

In Rainbows is just the latest step in that direction, and possibly a big one.

I for one can't wait for the next!

And yes, I know the great majority of comic buyers are old school paper purists, but you can't argue spending $3 for a read vs .25 cents, or even a dollar, you just can't, not once you can nearly replicate the experience via some portable device.
And if you want to further argue that print will always exist, to some extent, fine, no doubt, just like Radiohead plan to release a deluxe disc edition down the road, there will of course still be a potential market for tangible edition items.

Also, before anyone gets too critical of me for wanting a bigger cut of my profits, consider that I'm a self publisher selling in the bottom range of market, a market that's increasingly hostile and unreceptive to my efforts. So to me, digital is an even brighter opportunity to make my art, and passion, viable.

HEY DJ! - NIN@MID

Oh glory glory, first Grindhouse an new shit from QT (an RR)... now a mere 11 days later there's new NIN, glory glory!!

NINE INCH NAILS: YEAR ZERO
4.17.07

IN CASE U MISSED IT: Cool stuff!

First up, there's a new Grindhouse trailer HERE
Next, there're 2 new NIN songs HERE
Yes, Nine Inch Nails are on MySpace, and they're pimping the new album, YEAR ZERO, due in April!

An intersting animated webisode thing called AFTERWORLD is HERE or HERE
Story of all tech suddenly going dead, along with 90% of the worlds population...

And a possible peek at Yoda from the STAR WARS CLONE WARS 3D CG TV show...

HEY DJ! - Winter catch-up

It's been a while since I talked tunes, not much just-released stuff in my world, but have picked up numerous older discs...(as always, just click the pics to explore discs further on Amazon.com)

1/07 FABRIC 32 - Luke Slater (dj/electronic) Having recently caught some Fabric mixes on Music Choice, I did some looking, and turns out Fabric is a UK club that puts out a monthly series of guest mixes, and they offer a club to get the discs, shipped worldwide for a decent price. Additionally you get access to archives of music online and some extras (like vip access to the club, for you know, when I'm in the UK)... This, my first disc, is solid, all straight electro, dark/prog/tech trance etc in the mix, non commercial, good stuff. Looking forward to more!
RECOMMENDED
If you're into dj mix, underground, electronic culture, check out their site, they're the real deal, featuring pure music (no nasty club/dance crap)... HERE

7/06 CUT CHEMIST - The Audience's Listening (turntablist, hip hop, trip hop, electronic) Jurassic Five DJ Cut Chemist goes wild with this blistering, accomplished, fun, and quirky turntablist entry. Mixing the disc up with dj snippets and straight up inspired song production, Cut Chemist drops an instant classic. The closing track, The Audience Is Listening Theme Song, was in heavy rotation in recent Ipod ads.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

4/06 THE PRESETS - Beams (electronic, electro, new wave) Cut from the same cloth as synth gods Depeche Mode, The Presets are the real deal, the fact their not on the radio speaks to the pureness of their tracks. While they're pure pop/dance gold, they're not commercial, and that's why they're so good. If you like current progressive dance acts like Fischerspooner, The Presets are for you!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

4/06 ULTRA ELECTRO (electro, DJ dance, club) Okay, I'm a bit embarrassed to include this one, as the Ultra mix discs are mosly (all) cheesey club/commercial drek, but this one boasts a decent lineup of mainstream (electo-ish) stuff, and I copped it for like $2 plus shipping on Amazon. It's got Gorillaz, Depeche Mode, New Order, Royksopp, Ladytron, Daft Punk, Moby, Shiny Toy Guns, Goldfrapp, and more. One disc is the club tracks, the other is deeper club stuff, all in the mix. It's good, but just okay good, not great.
MILDLY RECOMMENDED

4/06 CARL COX - Second Sign (DJ mix, electronic, dance) Underground progressive tech house/trance DJ Carl Cox has settled into a viable career as original song producer, on I think his third original disc. The disc plays in the mix and touches several genres, from hard and deep instrumentals, to uplifting and blazing vocal anthems like standout track IF I FALL. Great disc.
RECOMMENDED

2/05 LCD SOUNDSYSTEM - Self Titled (rock, electronic, electro) Somehow I missed this one when it came out, and been waiting for eons to pick it up... I don't know, it's so good, you almost feel stupid for coming so late to the party. LCD employ an NYC rock sensibility to party tracks, that I guess might most closely resemble The Rapture (except instead of 80's new wave, it's more 70's NYC rock). At times it's reminiscent of the best Talking Heads, or indie/rock staples gone by, but it's always funky, smart, and exploding with groove. One of my new favorite bands. Love it!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

1/05 LEMON JELLY - '64-'95 (big beat, electronic, DJ mix) This is my first exposure to Lemon Jelly, who've it sounds, been around... and this disc is I guess a couple years old now. Their infectious and rocking COME DOWN ON ME sounds like the lovechild of Iron Butterfly and The Chemical Brothers, and the rest of the disc is inspired too. The whole effort is themed as each track being sampled from a different year, spanning 3 decades, and closes with the 1964 track GO, which samples the Shat man (yes William Shatner - Captain James T Kirk) in spoken word matched perfectly to the climaxing production. Fun, inventive, and musically diverse.
RECOMMENDED

10/04 DEATH FROM ABOVE 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine (rock, industrial, electronic) Having heard many remixes from this outfit, I had to see what all the fuss was about. DFA1979 combine an electronic production approach to hard driving guitar sound, that's any combination of punk, industrial, grunge? It's loud, fast, and cool, but most of all uniquely talented.
An you just have to love that cover art!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

HEY DJ! - October catch up!

Haven't updated my new music playlist in a while, and have picked up some great stuff recently, so here we go...
(as always, just click the pics to explore discs further on Amazon.com)

TV ON THE RADIO - Return to Cookie Mountain (rock/alternative/electronic)
Dense, deep, and challenging sound and lyrics. Unique and full of new moments to experience further with each listen.
Great!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED



BECK - The Information (rock/alternative)
Beck continues his return to form that started with last year's Guero, which sparkled with a new found creative energy (thanks in no small part to a return of Odelay producers, the awesome Dust Brothers). This time though, whereas Guero stood on the success of several stellar tracks, The Information shines from the overall quality of the entire set (and the production of Nigel Godrich - OK Computer).
Really fuckin good!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

TEDDYBEARS - Soft Machine (electronic/rock/pop)
Another electronic group you know, but don't know it. Tracks from Soft Machine can be found in commercials and TV shows all across your subconscious... with Cobrastyle, an infectious party anthem, being the main culprit (currently featured in Fox TV's BONES promos) and standout of the disc. Teddybears create another great wrinkle in the soundscape tapestry of electronic music, blending in "Krautrock" and live instrumentation.
This one could appeal to a large cross section of listeners, good stuff!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

BASEMENT JAXX - Crazy Itch Radio (electronic/pop/funk)
Each new disc from the Jaxx takes me the further in the opposite direction I'd like to see them go, but I still come back for more. Crazy Itch is probably my least favorite, but they're still a fun inventive electronic group unafraid of creating their own funked out sound.
MILDLY RECOMMENDED


GOLDFRAPP - We Are Glitter (electronic/dance)
This remix CD of their 2006 release Supernature features choice mixes from the band themselves. I'd hopes that the remix outing would give the Goldfrapp follow up I'd originally anticipated after the incredible Black Cherry, infusing Supernature with that extra oompf it was missing, but no such luck here either. The remixes are mostly extended dance versions, with a few standout reworkings, but not the overall achievement I know they could bring.
MILDLY RECOMMENDED

JET - Shine On (rock)
I wasn't going to pick this up, but I did. I should've passed. I really like their previous release, Get Born, but the first couple tracks here are solid, and then the rest seemed very forgettable. Haven't had the desire to give it further listens...
NOT RECOMMENDED

HEY DJ! - September Playlist

Haven't shared my playlist in a couple months, mostly because I hadn't picked up anything new, but I picked up a few discs lately, with my eye on a couple more...

NEW DISCS
PEACHES - IMPEACH MY BUSH
(ELECTRO, DANCE, RAP, ROCK, FUNK)
- Peaches is about as dirty and raunchy as you can get, both lyrically and musically. It's old school rap, fat beats, and electro throwback at full volume, full of in your face sounds galore. Her latest disc is as impressive as her debut TEACHES OF PEACHES, and has some downright incredible tracks.

It also features more guitar driven tracks, collaborating with Joan Jett, and Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age on a couple. The best track is the instantly infectious DO YA, which was in heavy rotation as the soundtrack to recent Gap ads.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IMPEACH MY BUSH takes all the sexed out lyrics and bass heavy fun Peaches is known for and makes it fresh and new.

THE RAPTURE - PIECES OF THE PEOPLE WE LOVE
(ROCK, ELECTRONIC, ALTERNATIVE)
- The Rapture last bowed in 2003 with the party disc ECHOES that was 80's post punk art rock meets techno dance mix tape, and I've been dying for a follow up ever since. Pieces is a challenging offering that'll take repeated listens to fully grasp. Nothing jumps out as fresh or vibrant as what was found on the previous release, but it is very good, and could yet yield some future favorites (especially since a few tracks are produced by Danger Mouse, who I've found to be not so impressive at first blush, but quite rewarding in the long run)
RECOMMENDED

MUSE - BLACK HOLES AND REVELATIONS
(ROCK, ALTERNATIVE)
- Muse return with another guitar driven sonic assault, mixing in new instruments and elements in later tracks. A great new age stadium rock record. KNIGHTS OF CYDONIA can be heard on alternative radio and is a great track.
RECOMMENDED if you've enjoyed previous Muse records, or Thom Yorke/Radiohead vocals/style.

THOM YORKE - THE ERASER
(ELECTRONIC, ELECTRO, CHILL, ROCK)
- Speaking of Radiohead, this is the first solo release from their lead singer, Thom Yorke. I was hesitant to pick this up until I heard a track, I feared it might be too mellow and striped down for me. However, every track here are programmed beats and sounds, akin to the more experimental tracks on OK COMPUTER or KID A.
RECOMMENDED Especially if you like Radiohead or their more electronic experimental sounds.