tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44576740899785714982011-07-28T23:56:55.747-07:00xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.comBlogger1411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-66359952193855481752010-01-06T05:52:00.000-08:002010-01-06T05:52:00.338-08:00

Let's face it: creating a list of best music that includes only music released during that calendar year is way limiting. Like most...hell, all music fans, a lot of my best listening experiences in a given year come courtesy of albums that are already years, if not decades, old. The list below recognizes these albums.2009: Return of the Gangsta RapIf I were to summarize my musical adventures in

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-33510261921203290792010-01-05T03:17:00.000-08:002010-01-05T05:51:47.845-08:00

First post of the new year. Acknowledging that this is my first post of the new year really has no significance to the rest of this. I just thought I should acknowledge it cuz...I dunno, everyone else does it.Anyway, the wife and I spent the holidays in Tokyo, during which we picked up a fun new toy camera called the Digital Harinezumi 2, which has the ability to shoot weird grainy video, which I

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-17290614643198895772009-12-24T20:45:00.000-08:002009-12-25T00:06:56.422-08:00

It's that time of year where music bloggers and publications post their picks for the best music of the past twelve months. I'm just following the crowd. As a gimmick to force me to narrow down my selections, I'm presenting my list in the form of the nine (09) best albums and songs. Go here for the songs. Below are the albums::09) The Devin Townsend Project - AddictedDevin Townsend has always

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-45499545366470159832009-12-24T19:08:00.000-08:002009-12-25T00:21:27.512-08:00

It's that time of year where music bloggers and publications post their picks for the best music of the past twelve months. I'm just following the crowd. As a gimmick to force me to narrow down my selections, I'm presenting my list in the form of the nine (09) best albums and songs. Below are the songs::09) “Hand of the Host” by IsisI've sort of tired of Isis' repetitive song structures lately,

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-32454287706113415942009-12-19T18:05:00.000-08:002009-12-19T19:22:53.054-08:00

(view of Himeji-jo from near my new home)I'm bringing this blog out of hiatus, much to the cheer and fanfare of no one but myself (but that's okay). If there does happen to be anyone reading this, I'll explain further.The difference between this post in my last one is that I'm writing this one from my apartment in Japan, where I've been living for the past four months. I moved here for the same

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-69123825331052064002009-08-14T14:22:00.000-07:002009-08-14T14:34:24.312-07:00

IsisWavering Radiant (2009)One thing that Wavering Radiant does immediately is expose the weaknesses of In The Absence of Truth. Not that Absence was a bad album by any stretch, but it was missing that certain whatever-it-is that made you feel as if repeated listens would continue to reveal new and exciting subtleties. There were certainly good songs on there, but since its release in the fall of

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-17669178945505558992009-08-07T19:08:00.000-07:002009-08-07T19:20:08.236-07:00

The Mars VoltaOctahedron (2009)Reviewing Mars Volta albums feels slightly pointless. Chances are, you've already got your opinion of the band and it's not really going to change. So eff that; instead of reviewing Octahedron outright, I'll share some personal thoughts inspired by listening to Octahedron -- which will likely be barely distinguishable from a proper review, but that's neither here

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-55818258795951426712009-07-21T21:13:00.000-07:002009-07-21T21:22:51.949-07:00

Ya Ho Wha 13Penetration, An Aquarian Symphony (1974)Living very literally up to the phrase "cult" band, Ya Ho Wa 13's recordings are the product of California's Source Family, one of the more well known and slightly less creepy hippie communes formed during the 1970's. Led by well-traveled weirdo Jim Baker (a.k.a Father Yod a.k.a Ya Ho Wha), the Source Family gained a large following which

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-44963651941345819342009-06-27T15:22:00.001-07:002009-06-27T15:35:56.761-07:00

SeldaSelda (1976)The aging hippie at the register when I bought this while on vacation in Portland was totally unimpressed. I mean, I'm sure I'm not the only motherfucker who's ever come in there looking for Turkish rock, but certainly I'm one of a very small number, right? Right? "Oh yeah, Selda. Good choice. I really like the stuff she did later on that was just super avant garde, experimental

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-84017931952935243812009-06-15T15:18:00.000-07:002009-06-15T15:22:35.319-07:00

I didn't mean for my writing hiatus to last this long, but you know how things can go. I was on my honeymoon for the remainder of May, and the last weekend of that month was spent packing up and moving into the new apartment I'm writing from at this very moment. My excuses ran out as of the beginning of June, though, and my lack of any form of writing since then has come down to a few reasons.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-31647363876562121162009-05-15T05:00:00.000-07:002009-05-15T05:00:02.008-07:00

Today my wife and I leave for our Honeymoon to the fabulous Northwest! We're going to Portland and Seattle to (hopefully) enjoy a relaxing week and a half vacation amongst trees and normal weather conditions. Phoenix has been in the triple digits for much of the last two weeks, so this break couldn't have come at a better time. We've got some things planned, but for the most part we'll be winging

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-44960071351757174532009-05-13T05:00:00.000-07:002009-05-13T05:00:01.233-07:00

Digital Good Time: "Baby Baby Baby"Damn. People sure are making creative use of nudity and censor bars in music videos lately. Last year there was Keith Schofield's video for the Brighton Port Authority, then there was Brooklyn duo Matt and Kim's "Lesson Learned" video, and now comes French electropop duo Make The Girl Dance with "Baby Baby Baby". Does the amount of female nudity in this video

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-18878436719751971622009-05-11T05:00:00.000-07:002009-05-11T05:00:01.122-07:00

Revisited: Sub.bionic - You I Lov/// (2002)(I mentioned this band in Friday's feature and decided I'd share this old story of how I discovered this album)Growing up in Cincinnati, I would often listen to WOXY on 97.9 FM before it went off the air and became a popular internet radio station (which sadly folded for good in the fall of 2006). Seeing as I had only just discovered the radio station in

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-11862438122737907462009-05-08T05:00:00.000-07:002009-05-08T05:00:00.624-07:00

In preparation for my upcoming move, I've spent the past couple of weeks going through my CD collection one-by-one and ripping them to my hard drive. With over 400 CD's to my name, this experience has been...how do you say....a time-consuming pain in my ass. I'm almost done, though. As I write this I've made it through S, and am hard at work on T (which reminds me: why the hell did Tool split

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-41893038895463447672009-05-06T05:00:00.000-07:002009-05-06T05:00:01.566-07:00

K-The-I???Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (2008)I'm typically not one to dump on anyone who tries to experiment with music. I fully support it, actually. This is how genre's expand and how new sounds are brought to us: by artists who aren't afraid to push envelopes and turn off some listeners in favor of attracting those few who really want to hear something new. But as with any experiment, some

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-85756850404720086232009-05-04T05:00:00.000-07:002009-05-04T05:00:01.185-07:00

Digital Good Time: "Warrior's Dance"Remember The Prodigy? Yeah, that techno-ish band that got really big in the late-1990's with songs like "Firestarter" and "Smack My Bitch Up"? They're still around, you know. Don't worry, I didn't know either until this new video, "Warrior's Dance", popped up about a month ago; and it's actually a pretty badass video. It was directed by the morbidly brilliant

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-28513091612826342952009-05-01T05:00:00.000-07:002009-05-01T05:00:01.016-07:00

Good Songs: April 2009 Edition(A quick recap of some of the best songs from albums I reviewed in the month of April)There weren't many good songs in the month of April, mainly because I didn't write a lot of reviews, so I'll fatten this feature up a bit by taking an opportunity to post some video of the from the 1-on-1's & Heartbreaks breakdancing competition I posted aboutearlier this week.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-72150256646605002072009-04-29T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-28T20:26:54.080-07:00

Assemble Head In Sunburst SoundWhen Sweet Sleep Returned (2009)Assemble Head In Sunburst Sound exude a certain air in their music that I can only describe, perhaps badly, as a "California cool". Fitting, I suppose, being they're from San Francisco and all, but still not descriptive enough to properly get across their hazy, lethargic space rock sound. I suppose I mean that their sound brings to

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-35438396643203026852009-04-27T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-27T05:00:02.472-07:00

Breakdancing has been a long time pipe dream of mine. It's such a creative and expressive art form, born from children living in poverty in New York just playing around in their free time, and eventually evolving into this worldwide phenomenon that has withstood the test of time (even surviving a fad period in the 1980's). It's amazing when you really think about it. Anyone who has known me in

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-29966331883860912772009-04-24T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-24T05:00:01.586-07:00

DoomBorn Like This (2009)I was pretty sure Born Like This was going to be the next Chinese Democracy; the Hip-Hop Chinese Democracy, I should say. After so many unfounded release dates went by and MF Doom's impostor antics sullied his legacy a little, I was skeptical that the promised March 24th 2009 release date was actually real. But then three things happened: 1) Chinese Democracy was actually

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-91903878534402605622009-04-22T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-22T05:00:00.575-07:00

Revisited: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - E. 1999 Eternal (1995)Rappers would make great small business owners, and perhaps even great corporate CEO's. Most people listen to a rap album and hear boasting and braggadocio; I hear branding. Take Bone Thugs-N-Harmony for instance. They use E. 1999 Eternal to continually state what they're about and establish their brand. If they came up with a mission

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-31254582581941916482009-04-20T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-20T05:00:01.052-07:00

I'd heard rumors that Mastodon were going to play their latest album, Crack The Skye, in it's entirety during their current tour. Once the band took stage, the opening riff to "Oblivion" confirmed those suspicions. With a large screen sitting behind the elevated drum set of Brann Dailor, Mastodon dove head first into their soon-to-be classic new album. Of all the concerts I've ever attended, this

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-4003722810144064532009-04-17T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-17T05:00:01.103-07:00

Feelin' a little lazy about writing a review today. My mind is sort of on a lot of things that I'll get to elaborating on at some point, but basically I'm preparing for a big move and it's requiring a lot of my time and energy. I'm still finding time to listen to music and I have plenty of albums to review, but my schedule has been making it difficult to find the motivation to put my feelings on

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-12245128912577012332009-04-15T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-15T05:00:01.406-07:00

MastodonCrack the Skye (2009)"Hipster metal". What an unfortunate tag to have placed on you. Having your efforts reduced to nothing but a ploy to attract adventurous Pitchfork readers; a mere curiosity that provides a playlist break between Feist and Panda Bear and seems to say "Hey! Look guys, I actually like some metal!" -- in the same way MF Doom proves indie kids' hip hop chops. Mastodon

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-70429749032463191522009-04-13T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-13T05:00:00.881-07:00

Digital Good Time: "Punches"You can never underestimate the power of good cinematography. "Punches", the debut video from Ireland's Valerie Francis, has it down pat. Sure, it's only really one stationary shot for the entire thing, but it's a damn beautiful, well lit shot, and it works. Directed by Eoghan Kidney, the ambiance of the video nails the atmosphere the song creates. The particles and

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-7243295431394112802009-04-10T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-10T05:00:03.017-07:00

Gil Scott-HeronPieces of a Man (1971)Let me just get this out of the way: Gil Scott-Heron can't sing. Well, he can, but not well. One of the things that made the ballads of such soul artists as Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye so compelling to listen to was the fact that they were being projected through the most endearing vocal cords on the planet at the time. Gil Scott-Heron certainly has the

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-11249301536732772802009-04-08T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-08T05:00:01.304-07:00

Isis vs Mastodon 2009With Mastodon's Crack The Skye released late last month and Isis' Wavering Radiant mere weeks away, the two most influential bands in modern metal are battling it out yet again with new album releases in the same year; Mastodon striking first blood as always, and Isis following weeks later with their move. Surely I'm not the only one so anal as to have noticed this, am I? It

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-42872522131742996712009-04-06T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-06T05:00:02.616-07:00

I spent a fun-filled weekend with this kid, so forgive me for forgoing a proper update today. Back on my game Wednesday, though.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-50259217873188437832009-04-03T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-03T05:00:01.424-07:00

Digital Good Time: Paul Romano(Digital Good Time is a series in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)Like many people, I became familiar with Philidelphia-based artist Paul Romano's work through Mastodon. Seeing his cover for their 2002 album Remission was a large part of the reason why I bought it. Once I saw Romano's work for their sophomore effort, Leviathan, I was wishing I could

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-89993910689158608472009-04-01T05:00:00.000-07:002009-04-01T05:00:01.027-07:00

March 2009 Edition(A quick recap of some of the best songs from albums I reviewed in the month of March)"Ince Ince Bir Kar Yagar" by Selda Bagcan (from Love, Peace & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music)Yeah, so her voice is grating on a near fingernails-on-a-chalkboard level and she sounds like a twelve year-old boy. What of it? Just about everyone I've played this track for can't stand it, but

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-43291951491993242132009-03-30T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-30T05:00:01.157-07:00

Bombshell Baby of Bombay: Bombay Connection, Vol. 2 - Bouncin' Nightclub Grooves From Bollywood Films 1959-72 (2006)It's always interesting to see the ways in which western musical styles manifest themselves in non-western countries. The first volume of The Bombay Connection explored Hindi funk music featured in Bollywood films of the 70's and 80's, and it's an understatement to say that the

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-70196394498209773862009-03-27T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-27T05:00:02.133-07:00

Love, Peace & Poetry: Turkish Psychedelic Music (2005)I didn't really notice how criminally absent Turkish music was from my collection until I heard this album; or how little I knew about Turkey as a country; about its history and its people. With the ninth installment of the Love, Peace, and Poetry compilation, which explores obscure world psychedelic music, Normal Records and QDK Media have

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-7629604817147486912009-03-25T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-25T05:00:00.701-07:00

Digital Good Time: "Fur In My Cap"(Digital Good Time is a feature in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)If you've payed attention to the videos I post on this feature, you may notice my tendency to post videos that take a relatively simple concept and use it in a creative or funny way. The technique used in Rob Roy's "Fur In My Cap" should be nothing new to those familiar with Late

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-43504841682019512152009-03-23T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-23T05:00:02.157-07:00

KhanateClean Hands Go Foul (2009)Khanate's sudden disbandment in 2006 was a blow to the drone doom metal world; a world not particularly large in the first place, but also one not particularly diverse. This is precisely why Khanate stood out so easily. With metal veterans like James Plotkin and Stephen O'Malley (of SunnO))) fame; a household name to some) working with a vocalist of Alan Dubin's

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-34042650534805128462009-03-20T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-20T05:00:02.064-07:00

Os HaxixinsOs Haxixins (2009)If there's one age-old query that can be answered by listening to Os Haxixins' self-titled debut, it is this: what happens when a group of stoners get their hands on a vintage organ? Welp...here ya go! Add in some vintage amps, guitars and lo-fi recording equipment and you have yet another band that was formed forty years too late. They certainly aren't the first band

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-18514779289071614842009-03-18T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-18T05:00:00.812-07:00

In this space I had originally hoped to post the opening credits to the new Watchmen movie (which I've seen twice as of this writing, and I very rarely see movies twice). The six-minute sequence, designed by the film's director Zack Snyder with help from visual effects studio yU+Co, is a stunning montage consisting of layers of still imagery mixed with subtle movement and 3D effects, set to the

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-66770641958703660642009-03-16T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-16T05:00:01.197-07:00

(With Discovering the Classics, I chronicle my exploration of a variety of classic and influential albums that, for whatever reason, I had never heard before. Lately, my focus has been on old school hip hop. 1988 was a very big year for hip hop [many would out it only behind 1994 and 1987 as the best overall year for the genre], and I happened to have four albums from this historic year to review

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-48476756434777731192009-03-13T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-13T17:47:52.559-07:00

The Watts ProphetsThings Gonna Get Greater (2005)It doesn't matter if you agree with the politics of the Watts Prophets. It really doesn't. Partly because they probably wouldn't care what you think, and mostly because nitpicking their politics is missing the point entirely. I could go on for days about the sense of paranoia or the contradictions of what they discuss (by their definition, the only

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-54159218163849539852009-03-11T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-11T05:00:00.682-07:00

Digital Good Time: "Divinations"Typically, metal isn't a genre known for it's groundbreaking and innovative music videos. In fact, it's usually the opposite: the videos are often massively cheesy affairs with out of the box special effects filters used with little or no restraint, complete with bad acting by a scantily-clad token hot goth chick(s). For "Divinations", the lead single for

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-55292465316616338452009-03-09T05:00:00.000-07:002009-03-09T05:00:01.632-07:00

I went to Los Angeles over the weekend to attend the wedding of a friend of mine. Of course, being my first time in L.A., I had to take advantage of the opportunity to hit up a good record store that would again make me dread Phoenix's slim pickings in that department (I discussed that a little bit here). Since time didn't permit a citywide record store tour, I set my sights on the all-purpose

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-55855444354915161222009-03-06T05:00:00.000-08:002009-03-06T05:00:01.538-08:00

I remember watching Outkast on a since canceled HBO show called Reverb. Filmed during a 1999 tour, it was about a year before the release of their critically acclaimed album Stankonia. During one segment, they put on a concert and were surprised to be performing in front of a predominantly white audience. "I didn't know that many white cats were into this" was roughly how I remember Big Boi

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-33044896263206837962009-03-04T05:00:00.000-08:002009-03-04T05:00:00.796-08:00

...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of DeadThe Century of Self (2009)So....how 'bout those Detroit Pistons, eh (stay with me, non-sports fans)? Admittedly not a team I payed a lot of attention to before the 2004 NBA Finals, where they faced off against a juggernaut of a Los Angeles Lakers team, which featured arguably the greatest coach (Phil Jackson), center (Shaq), clutch shooter (Robert Horry

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-4048288977923725282009-03-02T05:00:00.000-08:002009-03-02T05:00:07.502-08:00

(A quick recap of some of the best songs from albums I reviewed in the month of February [or heard and will soon review].)"Isis Unveiled" by ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of DeadI hope to post my review for this band's new album, The Century of Self, later this week. But one thing it certainly has going for it is the epic "Isis Unveiled", possibly one of the best songs they've recorded in

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-204887250654758732009-02-27T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-27T05:00:09.039-08:00

Digital Good Time: "Bibliophone"(Digital Good Time is a series in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)There's something very charming about the simplicity of After Effects/Flash animation. Yeah, many a shitty video has been created by many an amateur to the programs, but with a little creativity you can more than compensate for tons of experience and know-how. "Bibliophone", by

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-67965141526972625632009-02-25T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-25T05:00:01.493-08:00

Discovering The Classics: Lifestylez ov da Poor & Dangerous EditionLet me be frank: Big L is kind of a dick. I mean, I'm no stranger to hardcore gangsta rap, so I knew what to expect, but damn. Just look at some of the gems of fuckfacery that can be found on this album:"They wanna know why I'm so flyA girl asked me for a ring and I put one around her whole eye.""I be placin' snitches inside lakes

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-28773075041169464802009-02-23T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-23T05:00:19.619-08:00

DälekGutter Tactics (2009)Ignore (if you can) the fact that this duo's name has thrust the MC into the forefront. Dälek may be the name of the band and the rapper, but DJ Oktopus' unique production has been the driving force behind their hard-to-place sound in the realm of music, borrowing as much from hip hop as from experimental noise, industrial, shoegaze, drone, and (for this album's title

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-83869984192048553542009-02-20T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-20T05:00:02.578-08:00

Digital Good Time: "Headache"I consider myself fairly aware when it comes to politics and current events, but the conflict between Israel and Palestine makes my head hurt. Every attempt I've made to understand the nuances and complexities have only taken me in circles, so by default I remain neutral and hear both sides of the argument without leaning towards one side or the other.I am however,

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-66116665393260942842009-02-18T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-18T05:00:02.040-08:00

Sorry. Still can't find the energy for a proper post. I'm so relieved to be done with wedding planning and I'm enjoying a few days of having absolutely nothing urgent to worry about (except thank you notes; GAH!). Family from both sides have returned to their respective home cities, and while me and the wife enjoyed their company, we're now enjoying the silence. Today, writing will again have to

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-6502276927431878612009-02-16T07:27:00.000-08:002009-02-16T07:33:34.727-08:00

Welp, tied the ol' knot this weekend. So I think that excuses me from a real post at least for today. I'll just enjoy the moment right now and maybe worry about details later. I was going to post some corny wedding song, and the first thing that came to mind was Jagged Edge's "Meet Me At the Alter". But then I didn't feel like finding the song, so I thought this absurd picture would suffice. Ah,

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-34587380073946595642009-02-13T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-13T05:00:01.725-08:00

OceanPantheon of the Lesser (2008)Ocean's 2005 debut album, Here Where Nothing Grows, was a fantastic display of heavy, bleak, depressing, suffocating, atmospheric doom metal. For 2008's Pantheon of the Lesser, the band have changed their game, giving us two new extended tracks of heavy, bleak, suffocating, depressing, atmospheric doom metal...WITH A FEMALE VOCAL ELEMENT! Whatever. It's not like

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-62347313878076830472009-02-11T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-11T05:00:33.133-08:00

Much to my chagrin, Phoenix isn't a city known for it's bustling local music scene (well, unless you like metalcore, I guess), so when I was introduced to the music of What Laura Says (formerly What Laura Says Thinks and Feels) through a friend of mine, I was probably more surprised than I should have been to find that they were actually good. Like, really good. Good enough for me to actually be

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-62629051735372865002009-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-09T05:00:09.453-08:00

Yeah, this isn't a film blog or anything, but I saw Coraline this weekend and felt like I had to share its total awesomeness at least to some degree. For those who don't know the details, it's a stop-motion animation flick based off of a 2002 Niel Gaiman children's book, directed by the guy who did A Nightmare Before Christmas and animated by Laika: an animation studio who's working to advance

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-76118789511937463752009-02-06T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-06T05:00:00.893-08:00

Revisited: Converge - Jane Doe (2001)(Revisited is a feature in which I rediscover old albums in my collection and see how my opinions of them have changed. Today, in honor of the albums' recent induction into the Decibel magazine Hall of Fame, I wanted to post an old writing of mine that chronicles my discovery of the metal masterpiece, Jane Doe.)People hardly ever recommend me any good music.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-37212766175906655152009-02-04T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-04T05:00:00.713-08:00

Buraka Som SistemaBlack Diamond (2008)It's probably foolish to debate how much attention this album would've gotten had M.I.A. not been on the lead single, "Sounds of Kuduro", so I won't spend too much time dwelling on the hypothetical. But the fact that people have actually heard of Buraka Som Sistema can probably thank she of the hottest single of 2008 (only the Amish have not heard "Paper

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-12136717977631747402009-02-02T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-02T05:00:01.228-08:00

Digital Good Time: "Night of the Living Dope"(Digital Good Time is a feature in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)I like this song. It's really quick and energetic and enjoyable even though the lyrics are your typical party-rap fare that basically breaks down to "I like to have sex". Still, the video is perfectly fitted for the song: quick, energetic, and a little ridiculous.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-77703349273849030202009-01-30T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-30T07:11:32.057-08:00

NomoGhost Rock (2008)What lying bastards! There's nothing even remotely paranormal about this music! My research found that everyone involved in this record was alive while recording it. Furthermore, they're still alive now! Preparing for a Spring tour no less!And just listen to the music; it's full of life! Not at all ghostly in my opinion. Well, the electric buzzing that opens the album on "

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-26359657280802046182009-01-28T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-28T05:00:01.029-08:00

Revisited: Jessica Bailiff - Jessica Bailiff (2002)(Revisisted is a feature in which I rediscover old albums in my collection and see how my opinions of them have changed)The problem with trying to review one of my favorite albums is that the words to describe them seem to escape me. I find myself in this position now. While there are many words that can be used to describe Jessica Bailiff's

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-33416212633399679642009-01-26T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-26T05:00:01.041-08:00

Digital Good Time: "Skeleton Boy"(Digital Good Time is a series in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)2009's first installment of Digital Good Time features the first cool music video to be released in the year, for a song called "Skeleton Boy" by UK disco-pop band Friendly Fires. Directed by Clemens Habicht of Nexus Productions, the video takes more literal use of the song title

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-31815938743048279292009-01-23T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-23T05:00:00.145-08:00

The WalkmenYou & Me (2008)Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone, the Walkmen's debut, seemed to give the air of being the calm after a storm that we weren't around to witness; thriving on minimalism and distance, and was equal parts stark and optimistic. I suppose it's only natural that the sound on You & Me, their fourth proper album, is similar. The storm this time having been their

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-69673958154797203222009-01-21T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-21T18:58:44.950-08:00

Angelo BadalamentiTwin Peaks (1990)Ah, Twin Peaks. Brainchild of cult weirdo David Lynch (and the lesser acknowledged Mark Frost). Widely considered one of the greatest television shows of all-time despite only having ran for two seasons, 29-episodes total, and only about 17 of those 29 episodes worth watching. But it's still somehow deserving of its classic status because sheeeeeiiit those 17

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-49665866748694846152009-01-19T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-21T18:59:16.292-08:00

Group IneraneGuitars from Agadez (Music of Niger) (2007)Guitars From Agadez earned me like 5,000 Hipster points one day during a discussion I was having with a friend about what we were listening to lately. The fact that I was able to say that the last album I got was a tribal guitar album from Niger thoroughly pummeled the living shit out of his talk of his recent Liars downloads. It was a

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-28137072296093999332009-01-16T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-16T05:00:00.671-08:00

Discovering the Classics: Mecca & the Soul Brother EditionContinuing my recent fascination with old school/golden age rap, I picked up Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's much lauded classic Mecca & the Soul Brother, released in 1992 on the tail end of what many consider to be the genre's best days. I can't say that I would like this as much if it were made ten years later, in 2002, instead of '92. The

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-62276326958730104342009-01-14T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-14T05:00:00.785-08:00

Les Rallizes Dénudés'77 Live (1991)Before there was Boris or Keiji Haino, there was Les Rallizes Dénudés. While that alone might be enough to pique some peoples' interest in this band, they also have an interesting backstory.According to Wikipedia (so take this with a grain of salt), the original bassist of the band, Moriaki Wakabayashi, was a member of the Japanese Red Army: a far-left terrorist

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-77144729831472795482009-01-12T05:00:00.000-08:002009-01-12T05:00:08.095-08:00

Ah, it's been a pretty good three week writing break. I got to sit around a lot and be lazy for a change. The fiancèe and I had a good time visiting my family in Cincinnati over the Christmas holiday. We're nearing the completion of wedding planning and are looking forward to getting the big day behind us. The Philadelphia Eagles are one step away from the Super Bowl. So life, for the most part,

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-25613903145643043112008-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-24T05:00:00.643-08:00

Xoxobra's Best Albums of 2008Here we go for the third and final part of the best of 2008: the albums. I had the opportunity to listen to over 100 albums this year (109, to be exact) from many genres and many decades, and these are the ten that I spent the most time with. Release year wasn't a factor in determining this list, so to find out my ten favorite albums that actually came out in 2008,

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-69504328527139999302008-12-23T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-23T05:00:01.402-08:00

Xoxobra's Best Other Stuff of 2008In part two of the Best of 2008, I'll focus on the random categories. Tomorrow, I'll post my picks for the Best Albums.Best Cover ArtBoris - SmileA metal band makes an album with a bright yellow foam package encased in soft plastic with the front cut out in the shape of a heart. Nothing else even had a chance to top this. Not even close.Best Music Video"Toe Jam"

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-84972252731045823312008-12-22T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-22T05:00:01.173-08:00

Xoxobra's 22 Best Songs of 2008It's that time of year again, when music fiends worldwide start sharing opinions on the best stuff they've heard all year. I'm no different. For the next few days I'll post my picks for the best music that I've heard in 2008; emphasis on the words "I've heard". Like most music fans, a lot of good music I hear in a given year could range from 4 weeks to 40 years old,

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-19055619051735566332008-12-19T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-19T05:00:01.170-08:00

Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard - The Dark Knight (2008)I can't help but find it a little amusing that the common complaint/compliment/comment about this soundtrack is that it fits the movie. For a big budget summer action flick as anticipated as The Dark Knight was, a notable chunk of that budget was sure to go to composing the soundtrack, and rightly so. The music of a scene in a film is

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-37190095010659583282008-12-18T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-18T05:00:00.849-08:00

Opeth - Watershed (2008)Opeth are one of those bands that have always been recommended to me. The one that often comes up casually in conversation from excited fanboys who make the comparison of _____________(insert metal band) to Opeth and are slightly, or not so slightly, taken aback when I can't say the reference hits home for me due to unfamiliarity. They're that band whose album's have

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-46273238487564530962008-12-17T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-03T17:30:15.570-08:00

Girl Talk - Feed The Animals (2008)You've heard Plunderphonics played in your local discotheques, but now you can bring all of the fun and excitement right into your own living room with the new Plunderphonics Trivia™: Feed The Animals Edition!!! Here's how to play:1) Each player gets a notepad and a pencil provided in the game package. Insert the Feed The Animals music CD (also provided in the

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-73761443523100155802008-12-16T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-16T05:00:32.281-08:00

The Mars Volta - The Bedlam In Goliath (2008)The Mars Volta are one of those polarizing bands that I can't help but pull for to make that one album that will prove to their detractors that they're more than just fancy guitar work, precise drumming, and pretentious prog-rock wankery. For the past few years, it's been a tough sell.Since captivating new fans and winning over a large amount of

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-20817249595765009822008-12-15T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-15T05:00:01.419-08:00

Nigeria Special: Modern Highlife, Afro Sounds & Nigerian Blues 1970-6&Nigeria Rock Special: Psychedelic Afro-Rock & Fuzz Funk in 1970s Nigeria (2008)UK record label Soundway has made a habit of digging up obscure African sounds spanning many genre's, including afrobeat, funk, highlife, blues, and psychedelic rock, among others. This year, they released a 3-part compilation of 70's Nigerian music.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-2222231389204500282008-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-12T05:00:00.495-08:00

Samothrace - Life's Trade (2008)For this review I'd like to quote a passage from the 1998 book Hokkaido Highway Blues by Will Ferguson, a Canadian-born writer who made a living teaching English in Japanese high schools, and later, inspired by Alan Booth, decided to hitchhike the country from one end to the other and document his travels. In the following excerpt, he is reflecting upon the

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-13687862494202675522008-12-11T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-22T08:36:38.253-08:00

Digital Good Time IX(Digital Good Time is a series in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)Keith Schofield, who's making a name for himself this year with videos like his raunchy "Safe For Work Porn" ad for Diesel's 30th anniversary celebration, further explores the tasteless yet creative angle with his video for the song "Toe Jam" by the BPA. The 70's-porn inspired video opens with

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-73211804444026549422008-12-10T05:00:00.000-08:002009-02-07T17:14:20.061-08:00

Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip Hop Generation (2005)It's easy to pick up bits and pieces of rap history by listening to the music. Rhymes regarding it's birth in the Bronx, the four elements (graffiti, b-boying, DJing, and MCing), Planet Rock, anti-Reagan sentiments, gang culture, government paranoia, and William Cooper are, among other things, commonly mentioned and discussed

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-36044109901483356952008-12-09T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-09T05:00:01.628-08:00

Ambulance and Other Love SongsLast month I posted about my upcoming wedding and how my fiancèe and I were making our own invitations, complete with a "wedding album" mix CD. It was a pretty painstaking project, but I'm happy to say that we finally finished and many of them have already been mailed out. Here are a few pictures from the process:Here's everything that went into the envelope (minus

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-24734938882386730612008-12-08T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-08T05:00:00.498-08:00

Aimee Mann - @#%&! Smilers (2008)I've always been a fan of Aimee Mann from a distance. First having been exposed to her music by way of the movie Magnolia -- directed by her friend Paul Thomas Anderson; and also one of my favorite movies of all-time -- I came to like her brand of mature, insightful songwriting and simple but catchy melodies...from a distance. Her new albums were released and were

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-90967705100916733892008-12-05T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-05T05:00:01.416-08:00

Bohren & der Club of Gore - Dolores (2008)A loungy German jazz band who plays film noir-style music at a funeral pace that often rests below twenty beats per minute named Bohren & der Club of Gore? Sounds more like BORING & der Club of SNORE! LOL WUT!!!1Except not at all, and even though I would have a hard time defending against their music being a complete bore to some, I still consider them to

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-53666755637026291062008-12-04T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-04T05:00:01.679-08:00

5 The Hard Way: Bohren & der Club of GoreBohren & der Club of Gore are easily one of my favorite active recording artists. Since 1992, the band have been making music using a creative blend of Twin Peaks inspired, slow-as-fuck downtempo jazz with elements of doom metal. Or is that doom metal with elements of jazz? Either way, you probably haven't heard anything that sounds like Bohren.The band's

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-29197898985774336902008-12-03T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-03T05:00:01.575-08:00

Hat Trick: Blonde RedheadHat Trick is a new feature that I'm trying out that basically highlights those rare moments on an album where a group of classic tracks are sequenced right after the other. As a music fiend, this is something I pay attention to. There are many good albums with great songs (and even bad albums with great songs), but it's not often that those songs are placed back to back

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-58586887615708654812008-12-02T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-02T05:00:02.192-08:00

Digital Good Time VIII(Digital Good Time is a series in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)Perhaps I'm being too presumptuous with the following statement, but I think I recently found the best illustrator currently working. His name is Aaron Horkey from Minnesota, and he's amazingly badass at what he does. I first stumbled upon one of his works in the fall of 2007, when I saw his

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-91915919960039974362008-12-01T05:00:00.000-08:002008-12-01T05:00:00.953-08:00

Slim Cessna's Auto Club - Cipher (2008)Jay Munly is a scary son of a bitch.I still recall, two years ago, standing along the wall of a small concert venue while Slim Cessna's Auto Club's opening band entertained the crowd. Less than fifteen feet to my right, alone in the corner, with nothing but space in between us, was a tall, rail-thin, bald corpse of a man donning a cowboy hat and all black. I

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-65481609247508832008-11-26T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-26T05:00:01.251-08:00

This is part two of a series in which I highlight some of the classic albums that I've finally gotten around to listening to. Check the previous entry for the first group.The Stooges - Raw Power (1973)The amazing thing about this album is how swiftly and effectively it rendered every other hard rock album in my collection utterly useless in comparison. Raw Power is so electric of an album it

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-26235642028907439702008-11-25T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-25T19:20:39.214-08:00

With this blog, I try to make habit of only posting about newer and/or obscure music. But as any self-professed music addict can relate to, I also spend a lot of time getting into the classics that may have inspired some of my favorite artists. This year has been an especially fruitful one, with tons of highly acclaimed albums blowing my mind the same way they've been blowing millions of other

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-82016681352432883492008-11-24T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-24T05:00:00.979-08:00

I'll admit it: the month of November has been tough on this blog. If anything I posted seemed rushed (perhaps not very well-rounded or with an occasional grammatical error), chances are it was; probably being written on little sleep and in between more pressing obligations that I actually felt I should've been tending to rather than managing my blog. It's been a long month, but I'm happy to say

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-29145128798183584522008-11-21T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-21T05:00:00.286-08:00

The common complaint about living in Phoenix is that there are no changes of weather. People joke that there are two seasons here: hot, and not as hot. But the city looks and feels the same either way. It's in the mid-eighties today, as it has been for most of the month of November, yet you still see people around wearing long sleeves and jackets, and perhaps even the occasional knitted cap or

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-28889093147375974432008-11-20T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-20T05:00:00.734-08:00

One Be Lo - Project F.E.T.U.S. (2002)I didn't really expect much from Project F.E.T.U.S. (For Everybody That UnderStands) when I picked it up. Though I thought it'd be worth my time I figured that, having already been involved in two near-classic albums in S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. (Sounds Of Nashid Originate Good Rhymes And Music) and Binary Star's Masters Of The Universe (M.O.T.U.?), One Be Lo couldn't

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-24841324923091217682008-11-19T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-19T05:00:01.591-08:00

Binary Star - Masters Of The Universe (2000)Sincerity can be faked, so when I try to think of a word to describe what sets One Be Lo (aka One Man Army) apart from a lot of other rappers -- conscious rappers, more specifically -- I try to avoid slapping the "sincere" label on him. Even if the use of the word is fitting, it still doesn't seem to do justice to the man's talent, which is on display

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-39335178551046801172008-11-18T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-18T05:00:01.234-08:00

Saw the Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, this weekend. It was okay. It wasn't quite as good as the excellent Casino Royale, but I wasn't expecting it to be, especially considering the fact that I think Casino Royale is the best action movie of the decade after The Dark Knight. But Quantum of Solace wasn't a bad way to spend part of my Saturday night.As is the tradition with James Bond movies, the

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-8035586638829711172008-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-17T05:00:00.787-08:00

Nadja - Truth Becomes Death (2005)Screw it. I'm just going to try stream-of-consciousness writing for this one. The truth is that I've had this for a while but have been unable to find the words necessary to review it. I guess the easy way to do it would be to just say what I think about it. Well, it's awesome, like one of the best albums I've heard this year kind of awesome. And I suppose that's

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-83791554563972601322008-11-14T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-14T05:00:00.441-08:00

Scott Walker - The Drift (2006)I'm having a hard time coming up with the proper hyperbole for just how terrible this album is. It's quite possibly the worst album that I've bothered to listen to in it's entirety, and I say this having a fiancée who casually enjoys 80's pop music and a good friend who once adored Killswitch Engage. Yes, that is how bad The Drift is.Though I hated this album from

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-37440800572009298682008-11-13T06:00:00.000-08:002008-11-13T06:00:00.511-08:00

Today is my Mom's birthday. Being 2000 miles away, and a little strapped for cash and free-time, I decided to celebrate the day the best way I knew how: by hiring someone from India to sing her a birthday jingle over the phone. Thank you, Taj Tunes, for providing a lazy yet hilarious way to acknowledge important dates and weird out family members. Now if only someone would make a melodic death

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-84575789032911162702008-11-12T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-12T05:00:02.318-08:00

Solomon Burke - Don't Give Up On Me (2002)Wow, this album is so inoffensive! I can't remember the last time I've been so thoroughly unoffended while listening to an album. This is so devoid of anything the least bit controversial or out of the norm that even the most staunchly conservative spokesperson for all that is good, moral and decent would have a hard time finding anything wrong with it.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-15348290420192464552008-11-11T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-11T05:00:00.131-08:00

This past weekend I spent my Saturday night like a lot of twenty-something youths in hip college towns would spend it. That's right: with booze working on wedding invitations. I got engaged in May of this year and the wedding is in February 2009, a mere three months away. So we should've gotten cracking on these things a while ago, but better late than never, right?On top of an actual invitation,

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-47914536042163481492008-11-10T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-10T05:00:00.713-08:00

Grails - Doomsdayer's Holiday (2008)I have to admit that when I'm looking for new music to listen to, skimming through reviews and band descriptions, there are a few key words that almost always pique my interest: "psychedelic", "doom", "bluesy", "g-funk", comparisons to bands I already like, etc etc. Though these words ultimately matter little when I'm actually listening, they do play a not so

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-54200010009632820672008-11-07T05:07:00.000-08:002008-11-07T05:07:00.901-08:00

Nine Inch Nails - The Slip (2008)The Slip was released earlier this year for free via the Nine Inch Nails website, mere months after the free release of the four-disc/part Ghosts I-IV album. I was never really a NIN fan growing up, but if someone's going to give away their music for free on the internet, then why the hell not see what it's about, ya know? I was a bit underwhelmed by the dark

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-42534292571979965392008-11-06T05:05:00.000-08:002008-11-06T07:23:30.077-08:00

Digital Good Time VI(Digital Good Time is a series in which xoxobra focuses on the visual side of music)A few years ago I came upon a book in the bookstore called The Art of Modern Rock, a collection of gig posters created throughout the 80's and 90's for a ton of bands by a ton of illustrators. Priced at $75, it never left the bookstore, but it did leave an impression on me. For a while after

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-28069048993274192962008-11-04T22:45:00.000-08:002008-11-04T21:55:44.092-08:00

As I type this, Barack Obama has been the projected president-elect of the United States of America for under an hour. I still can't believe it. This is an event that I've been dreaming of for the past year but was always skeptical of whether or not I'd ever see the day. I was skeptical of whether we could get past the race issue and accept him as a viable candidate. I was skeptical of whether

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-44272300760593737562008-11-04T05:00:00.000-08:002008-11-04T21:50:22.496-08:00

Today is Election Day in America. Like many people, I've followed this election more closely than any other, and as a result have a lot invested emotionally in it's outcome. I'll be spending the bulk of this day casting my vote, followed by a night of gluing myself to the television to watch the results pour in. I hope that you plan on doing the same (well, the voting part, at least) if you

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4457674089978571498.post-57935140701307105032008-11-03T05:03:00.000-08:002008-11-03T05:03:01.049-08:00

Ancestors - Neptune With Fire (2008)October 24th, 2008"Whoa....Om, you've just been pwned."That was the sole note I left about Neptune With Fire after my first listen to it, meant to express my immediate appreciation for this album in comparison to my lukewarm opinion of Om, one of Ancestors' musical peers. Like Om, Ancestors specialize in epic, 15+ minute progressive/stoner/doom metal marathons.

xoxobrahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01015425404274799211noreply@blogger.com0