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it's all so complicated, with the flowers, and the romance, and the lies upon lies

emma
6 days ago
1 comment

I'm at my parents' place for the week, and it's been really awesome so far. The most obvious reason is because I'm not in Ohio. Also, because my mom keeps giving me money for stuff. And Cory (my brother) and I went to the White Sox game last night. And today I went to my favorite yarn store ever, Knitche. And I went to World Market for the first time ever and it's pretty much my favorite store now, besides IKEA and H&M. Hooray, stuff!

So first was my visit to Knitche. I wanted to get a skein of Malabrigo to make another One Skein Wonder, and two skeins of Rowan Pure Wool DK. I got the Malabrigo, but they don't carry Pure Wook DK yet. So I got Norah Gaughan vol. 3, two skeins of Blue Sky Alpacas Skinny Dyed Organic Cotton, and two skeins of Katia Colibri.

holiday yarn, hooray!

close-up of the katia colibri

blue sky alpacas skinny dyed, 308 mallard

Then I went to World Market ... that place is awesome.

jelly babies!

world market swag

world market bag

THEY CARRY JELLY BABIES! I bought two bags. I'll probably go back and buy a few more before I leave on Saturday. They're the Doctor's favorite treat! And I have to say they are pretty tasty. I also found a fantastic woven scarf, a really neat over-sized coffee mug (perfect for ramen noodles), and awesome pub coasters. Hooray stuff!

Then when I was at home I found my mom's collection of old juke box 45s.

45s

I'm totally bummed that the Simon & Garfunkle disc is chipped. "Only Living Boy in New York" is one of my favorite songs. There are a few Beatles and Rolling Stones LPs, and really just a ton of other good stuff. Like Led Zeppelin and Sly and the Family Stone. And lots of others. Most of them are pretty scratched up, and they all have her name written on them. Whatevs. I'm going to see if she'll let me keep them. I have an idea of what to do with them (besides listen to them all at least once). I think my project for tomorrow is to go through and catalog what's in there.

mmmm, vinyl
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it sure beats workin'

emma
Jun 11, 2008
5 comments

The thesis is pretty much finished. All I have left to do is fix my figures/examples list, add a bit more to my conclusion, and compile all 103 pages into a pdf. Exciting.

To celebrate, I decided to compile a short list of Perfect Albums. Yes, perfect ones. Naturally this is a bold claim, but like I care. This list is based on my kind of crazy taste in music, so it covers a whole bunch of genres. Feel free to disagree with me, but I'm about 101% all of these albums are perfect. (For me, perfect means that it's nearly impossible to listen to just one track ... you have to listen to the whole thing through every time.) I'm a commitafobe, so this ordering is totally arbitrary. It'd be alphabetical but I'm not sure if I'd alphabetize based on artist or album. So I just drew e-names out of the e-hat.

Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit. Released in 1998, rereleased in 2008. This is pretty much the quintessential Punk Rock album. Not pop punk, not straight punk, but punk ROCK. Heavy guitars, catchy melodies, lyrics about love and suicide. Really, it's just fantastic. When I hear a track from this album I think of the whole album, and then run off to my record player for a listen.

Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Released in 1995. I'm not sure how to express my love of this album in words. It's one of the few alternative/indie-ish rock albums of the 90s that doesn't sound its age. I mean, I listen to it now and it doesn't make me think 90s. It makes me think f'ing amazing straight-up rock. It's not over processed, electronic sounding, or pretentious. It's just good.

Fiona Apple - Tidal. Released in 1996. Fiona is the queen. She can be gut-wrenching and catchy at the same time. Her piano licks are fantastic and her singing has an unbelievable amount of soul. Another album that isn't dated; I hear "Sullen Girl" and it's still just as powerful as it was in '96. When I was 12.

Metallica - ... and Justice for All. Released in 1988. Before I discovered punk I was a big metalhead. This is almost entirely due to my cousin Nick's influence, though he is the one that first got me into the Misfits and the Offspring when we used to go skateboarding. But my god, ... and Justice for All is such an epic album. I know some people think this is the first album where they started going down hill, but for me this was their peak. "To Live is to Die" is still one of my favorite songs of all time across all genres. I miss the days when bands released instrumental tracks. Also, Lars Ulrich's drumming is the most tolerable on this album. Man, I hate that dude.

No Doubt - Tragic Kingdom. Released in 1995. It's scary to think that I got so huge into this album when it came out, because I was only 11 at the time. But Gwen Stefani was just the coolest chick ever. And yeah, this album definitely has moments where it sounds dated. What I love most about Tragic Kingdom are the non-single tracks. They are all so good. Just so good. The tracks are super catchy and fun but still have lyrics with substance. I love that.

Refused - The Shape of Punk to Come. Released in 1998. This was my soundtrack during high school. If only all other hardcore punk was as good as this. There are moments where it sounds a bit produced--especially for a punk album--but it's so smart and intelligent that you don't mind one bit. "Summerholidays vs. Punk Routine" should be the anthem for all punk kids. This is the album I play for friends that go "so what's this punk rock thing all about?"

Weezer - Pinkerton. Released in 1996. Not only is this the only Weezer album that I like, it is an amazingly good one. Every track is good. It's not like, one hit song and the rest are nonsense. The lyrics are smart, they mean something, and the licks are catchy as hell. This is also before Rivers Cuomo turned into a pretentious ass.

The Lawrence Arms - Oh Calcutta! Released in 2006. Album of the year in 2006, hands down. This is just a wonderful straight-up punk rock album. Catchy as hell, great licks, fun and witty lyrics.

The Casket Lottery - Survival is for Cowards. Released in 2002. I'm not sure why this is so often considered "Emo Rock." What the hell is Emo Rock anyway? Or emo for that matter? What a sh*tty genre name. Genres themselves are problematic anyway. I mean, I took a semester-long seminar that attempted to address genre and authenticity and we never came to a good answer regarding any of it. Academic issues aside, this album is just gorgeous.

The Beatles - Revolver. Released in 1966. I told myself I'd only put one Beatles album on here. It was a tough choice to make, but I'm pretty confident that Revolver is the most all-around perfect Beatles album. To me, it feels like this is the point where they stopped making A-side versus B-side singles, and made all-around great songs for both sides of the LP. (I don't think this was a double, but I could be wrong.) This is practically the only Beatles album that as I listen I feel no need to skip any tracks. Well, this is the first album of theirs that I feel that way with. It's like the perfect mix of early-Beatles and late-Beatles.

Hot Water Music - Caution. Released in 2002. As soon as "Remedy" comes on I know I'm in for 36 minutes of punk rock heaven. This is just a stellar album. Gritty, catchy, exciting, and totally emblematic of their signature sound. This is one of my most heavily-rotated records by a very long shot.

Cursive - The Ugly Organ. Released in 2003. Again, why is this "Emo Rock"? I just don't get it. This album is stream-lined goodness. I love albums that have tracks run together. The fluidity is very appealing to me. It shows careful consideration of the production process, and I very much appreciate that. "Driftwood" is a top track for me. I also concur with their (at least the lyrics') views on love and relationships. It's just one of those albums that speaks to me. You know, I actually read a discussion between four prominent music scholars where one of them said that they didn't think casual listeners were ever concerned with the lyrics of a song. WHAT?! I think the lyrics are one of the most important parts of a song to the casual listener, even the non-casual listener. I remember having a discussion in a class once about how an album that spoke using specific names instead of "I" or "you" was actually not as appealing because it didn't leave room for the listener to put themselves in the interior world of the lyrics. If this is a concern in the appeal of popular music, how could you ever say that lyrics are the least concern of listeners? Some scholars just refuse to put themselves in the shoes of non-academic music appreciators.

I think that's a pretty good list for now. I'm sure I had a longer list at one point, but that was many livejournals ago and I just can't find the entry. Considering how much I hated middle school, it seems like a good amount of my favorite albums came out around that time. OH WELL. Screw you, Glen Crest Middle School.

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vinyl parade

emma
Apr 22, 2008
1 comment

inner album art

All four colors of the Hot Water Music release "Till the Wheels Fall Off." Ordered from the Vinyl Collective.

Michael Jackson's "Thriller," in amazing shape. 7"s: Shot Baker/Vacation Bible School tribute to The Vindictives; Army of Jesus "Book Bomb;" Rites of Spring "All Through a Life." All purchased at the newish location of Reckless in the Loop in Chicago.

[mix set] - cereal killaz @ "dance out loud" - philly PA - march 29 2008

zarbizarre
Mar 31, 2008
1 comment

Here is my set from this past Saturday at a rave I headlined in philly. Lots of my originals, remixes I've done, and otherwise, sick tunes that arent mine but still rock the house.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/c0e3l1

cereal killaz @ "dance out loud" - philly PA - march 29 2008
time: 64:56 bitrate: 128kbps
harmonically mixed

01 - cereal killaz intro
02 - breakfastaz - mass distraction (cereal killaz VIP mix)
03 - cereal killaz - delta9
04 - rektchordz - horror fi
05 - perfect k - devil forest
06 - autobots & screwface - final conflict
07 - mephisto odyssey - watch you go (cereal killaz remix)
08 - omar santana - enemy for life
09 - celldweller - frozen (cereal killaz remix)
10 - cereal killaz - no mercy
11 - stormtrooperz - spirits (cereal killaz remix)
12 - cereal killaz - besieged
13 - cut n run - blind

enjoy!

sweet llamas of the bahamas!

emma
Mar 22, 2008
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All of the vinyl I've ordered over the last few weeks came in today, including the Alkaline Trio Goddamnit Redux!!

Alkaline Trio - Goddamnit Redux, AMR pre-order package

all snuggled up in their homes

Box number two had my Vinyl Collective order:

today's vinyl acquisitions out of cover, 22 mar 2008

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The Casket Lottery - Survival is for Cowards

today's vinyl acquisitions in cover, 23 mar 2008

And my e-friend Gretchen, who is co-owner of the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis, MN, sent me these:

larry arms silk screened poster

lucero silk screened show poster

the weakerthans silk screened show poster

What a score! Now I'm off to do some spring cleaning ... X(

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a few killer classic cuts on vinyl

karlos
Mar 8, 2008
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7 comments

1 comment

dubstep twelves, part two.

Devin306
Mar 5, 2008
1 comment

Benga & Skream - The Judgement
Label: Big Apple Records
Catalog#: BAM 003
Format: Green (Transparent) Vinyl, 12"
Country: UK
Released: 2003
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep

01-benga_and_skream-benga_and_skream_-_the_judgment

Benga & Skream

02-benga_and_skream-skream_-_the_bug

Benga & Skream

03-benga_and_skream-benga_-_amber

Benga & Skream

Loefah - Jungle Infiltrator
Label: Big Apple Records
Catalog#: BAM 006
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Country: UK
Released: 2004
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep

01-loefah-jungle_infiltrator

Loefah

02-loefah-jazz_lick

Loefah

03-loefah-indian_dub

Loefah

04-loefah-life_dub

Loefah

DJ Pinch & P Dutty - War Dub / Alien Tongue
Label: Tectonic
Catalog#: TEC001
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Country: UK
Released: 2005
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep

01 DJ Pinch & P. Dutty - War Dub

DJ Pinch & P. Dutty

02 DJ Pinch & P. Dutty - Alien Tongue

DJ Pinch & P. Dutty

N-Type - Square Off
Label: Southside Dubstars
Catalog#: Dubstars-003
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Country: UK
Released: 2005
Genre: Electronic
Style: Grime

01. N-Type - Square Off

N-Type

02. N-Type - The Ring

N-Type

03. N-Type - Tibetan Shadow

N-Type

Kromestar - Kalawanji / Surgery
Label: Deep Medi Musik
Catalog#: Medi-01
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Country: UK
Released: 25 Aug 2006
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep

01_kromestar_ft_cessman-kalawanji

Kromestar Ft Cessman

02_kromestar-bass

Kromestar

Richie Spice - Burning (Coki Remix)
Label: Not On Label
Catalog#: ABC099
Format: Vinyl, 12", Single Sided, Unofficial Release
Country: UK
Released: 2007
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep

01_coki-burnin

Coki

Cluekid - Crazy Legs / Odyssey
Label: Bullfrog Beats
Catalog#: BULLFROG001
Format: Vinyl, 12" Promo
Country: UK
Released: 2007
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep

01-cluekid-crazy_legs

Cluekid

02-cluekid-odyssey

Cluekid

Cotti vs Cluekid - Sensi Dub / Flashback
Label: Not On Label
Catalog#: MTR001
Format: Vinyl, 12" Promo
Country: UK
Released: 2007
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep
Notes: Vocals on A1 taken from Alozade, Hollow Point and Mr. Vegas - Under Mi Sensi

01-cotti_and_cluekid-sensi_dub

Cotti & Cluekid

02-cotti_and_cluekid-flashback

Cotti & Cluekid

DQ 1 - Gud Money / Structive
Label: Tectonic
Catalog#: TEC014
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Country: UK
Released: 25 Jun 2007
Genre: Electronic
Style: Dubstep

01_dq1-gud_money

DQ1

02_dq1-structive

DQ1

i have 16.9gb of dubstep mp3s on the box, so definitely more to come.. requests welcome. :)

dubstep twelves, part one.

Devin306
Mar 5, 2008
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so, i'm just going to roll out a bunch of dubstep 12"s here, both sides and discogs info, per the usual. i've selected these 12"s in particular as I think they are emblematic of the genre, at least to the pleasure of my ears & brain. also, i think you can appreciate the patterns and the tweaks a lot more without a dj mixing them. i highly recommend listening to both tracks, as a 12" is it's own creation, worthy of respect and due consideration; and much more so than the cd ever will be..

nuff said, on with the show. no where else to start but with tempa . . .

High Plains Drifter Feat. Goldspot Productions / TGS - Sholay (Epic Mix) / On Tha Run (Horsepower Productions Remix)
Label: Tempa
Catalog#: TEMPA 010
Format: Vinyl, 12"
Country: UK
Released: 05 May 2003
Genre: Electronic
Style: UK Garage, Dubstep