Keeping Track Of Tracks

There was a Parade in 2005 which I, along with some of my close friends, were lucky enough to attend. There were ghosts, olive trees, ghosts hanging from olive trees, bus breaks scrapping across the town, guns held up to shoot at the pretty pretty people, and rust displayed as gold in the right light, among other sensational things. There we sons, daughters, fathers, fathers sons, and hungry ghosts in attendance there. This spectacular Parade was held by the most unlikely Parade holding wild animals: Wolves. Little did we know that this Parade would inspire us to create a pack of our own, to celebrate the crazy things we saw from this collection of alpha males. The months that followed(even years) were littered with excerpts from the Parade witnessed.

It's getting close to Parade time again. And I haven't been this excited at the prospect of Wolf sightings for as long as I can remember, in fact since I saw an alpha male dome a doe eyed deer on animal planet weeks ago. It seems unlikely that anything other than righteousness would be unleashed by the pack. Collectively, my buddies and I are crossing all fingers and toes on our paws.

Spencer Krug unleashed his Wolf assault on the Indie masses with his Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake debuts after the rocking he provided our guilds via "I'll Believe In Anything", "Grounds For Divorce" and "Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts" on Wolf Parades monumental debut "Apologies To The Queen Mary". What seemed as un-top-able proved to be the Pandora's box cracking open to this musical monster. "Shut Up I'm Dreaming" was one of the best releases of 2006, and Swan Lake's Debut "Beast Moans" shined brightest when Krug grasped the mic. Sunset Rubdown is planning the release of their third album "Random Spirit Lover" sometime in October, and I for one can't wait to tear open the packaging with my k-9's when my birthday rolls around. Hint to anyone wanting to birthday gift me. But Krug apparently Isn't a lone Wolf in the side project release forest. Dan Boeckner, who brought us such magnificantres as "We Built Another World" and "Shine A Light" is also on the prowl. "Plague Park", the debut album from Dan's own side project Handsome Furs, was released yesterday. From the sampling I've done, there seems to be enough to howl about. Interestingly however, neither Rubdown nor Furs really draw upon the rocking moments broadcasted on Apologies, with Boeckner relying more heavily on electronics and Krug on abstract experimentation. That is both good and bad. Good because we get to see these two howlers go at the moon with their own unique tone, and bad because the rock moments on Apologies shook you to your core.

Wolf Parade is releasing their second album this year. Sunset Rubdown their third, Handsome Furs their debut, and Swan Lake are going to drop their follow up as well. These different Wolf packs make the jungle way more exciting, and I for one can't wait to feast on their kills... Through rank of course. This concludes the excessive Wolf references and analogies.




Wolf Parade- Grounds For Divorce

Wolf Parade- We Built Another World

Sunset Rubdown- Stadiums And Shrines II

Handsome Furs- What We Had

Swan Lake- All Fires

Wolf Parade- Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts(EP Version)

Wolf Parade- Secret Knives

Prophecy, Blasphemy, Hypocrisy

Prophet(as defined by Wikipedia): A prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has directly encountered the numinous or the divine and serves as an intermediary with humanity. A prophet is seen as a person who has encountered, and speaks as a formal representative of; God.
Now that definition seems pretty accurate, and I think most of us can agree that it matches our own. I am not going to challenge it. What I want to do, however, is attempt to expand it.

"The only Good is Knowledge, The only Evil is Ignorance" The Soc

There seems to be little room in our view(or view from our room) of this concept for anybody non-religious. A prophet seems to not only be the "intermediary" between humanity and the divine, but also somehow tied exclusively to organized religious thought. Whether one wants to admit it or not, science has opened our eyes to the ACTUAL way the world in which we live, pray, and play works. Physics, Mathematics, Biology, Geology and other like sciences along with social concepts like: Sociology, Anthropology and Philosophy have revealed the mechanisms inherent to everything that plays a role in our existence. If Jesus and Mohammad inspired the masses with ground breaking revolutionary ideas about love and respect for your fellow man, then Darwin and Newton painted the blue print of the world where these concepts could be applied. Should we only recognize visionaries that attempt to offer us super natural ROI's, and subsequintly shun those minds that make sense of the tools that God uses to make it all possible? It seems that if our demands for eternal gratification are not met by explanations of what this world is, and how it works, then we can CHOOSE whether or not to legitimize those explanations. I find that not only troubling, but unfair.

"In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment" Chuck

A prophet translates the word and message of God for the rest of us. Based on that translation, we make sense of our world and our place within it. But if God is "All Knowing", then he/she must also be.... multilingual. Isn't mathematics the universal language? If so, then obviously God is fluent in math. And since we know now that our world is governed by some fundamental physical laws, then physics too must be a language that God is writing his manuscript with. Can anybody legitimately discredit and disprove modern medical practices? If your leg is hanging on by a thin sheet of skin, who else but a surgeon would you trust to reattach it? So it seems that God also speaks biology. Why are we where we are today with these concepts and discoveries? Is it not because we were lucky enough to have Newton hurt his dome via an apple, or Einstein fatefully filling files at the patent office, or Darwin revisiting his vacation spot by the beaches of the Galapagos? Did they not reveal to us, and translate for us, some of the chapters in God's autobiography?

"Tact in the knack of making a point without making an enemy" Isaac

Now what about Philosophy, a school of thought that many bill as the anti-Godtrine? Should we fail to recognize Aristotle, Socrates, and Plato among others, as prophets because they ask hard questions? Questions that seem to take God out of the equation almost entirely. Take the famous Euthyphro dilemma, where Socrates asks this seemingly simple question:
"Do the gods approve an action because it is pious, or is it pious because it is approved." Morality and God are deemed to not be mutually exclusive here. A revelation that contradicts the main pillars of virtually every religion. Because of thoughts like these, philosophy has been referred to as nothing more than an anecdote, an optical illusion even. But why? The origins of Philosophy predate the common era by centuries, in fact even influencing the creation of religious thought and societal laws. Were talking about people here who spent their entire lives studying and seeking out knowledge, and contesting conventional thought. What a crime to suggest that God works in more mysterious ways than we could possibly know. To suggest that God has the Awesome power to create infinite worlds, to emphasize morality so much that even he/she couldn't alter it. Suggestions that should be quieted, and burned at stakes, and hung in town squares. Should we not recognize these philosophers as prophets for defining and creating some of the most fundamental social ideas?

If blasphemy exists as a form of libel for Christianity, Islam, Judaism and other religions, then it should also exist for Biology, Physics, Mathematics and even Philosophy. This double standard is out dated, and hypocritical. Even if you don't believe in God you can't argue that Darwin, Newton and Aristotle were not channeling and serving as an intermediary between the typical human and the divine. How you chose to define these terms is up to you.

Waking Life Excerpt:

Evolution Through Homer(Not The Philosopher):


Tunes About God:
The Thermals- Here's Your Future

The Thermals- An Ear For Baby

The Thermals- I Need You To Kill

The Hold Steady- Cattle And The Creeping Things

Finally, Finals Are Over!

Oh glorious day! Oh sweet sweet warm sunshine! Oh birds of song, chirp your tune. Louder, I don't think all campuses can hear you! What a sensational feeling, we're free! No more pen chewing, scantron bubbling, obnoxious know-it-all classmates raising their hand and chiming in on everything even the kitchen sink, no more Adderall induced crashes, no more caffeine over doses, and no more sexual favors to professors! How green the grass is today! How blue the sk... wait, what? No no no, I don't think you understand, it's the "Finals", they're final. It's over, done with. What do you mean 'just for a semester'?! Theres more finals? More scantrons?! More sexually suggestive love letters to physically repugnant T.A.'s? How can that be?! Has the whole world gone crazy?!! Am I the only one here you gives a shit about the rules?! This whole fucking thing... I did not watch my buddies die face down in the muck so that this fucking strumpet...

What the frig folks? Whats wrong with this picture:
We are at our very best before 40. We are faster, happier, better looking, better smelling, better tasting, sexually more productive and reproductive, idealistic, optimistic, liberal, open-minded, have better senses and are generally more enjoyable to be around and enjoy being around others the most. Yet we spend virtually all that time either studying our asses off, or scratching our way to a comfortable professional place. 70% 0f people work in fields other than what they got their degrees in, and the other 30% mostly are Doctors, Lawyers, Engineers and other specialists. We have a higher suicide rate, develop more psychological malfunctions, are imprisoned at a greater rate, killed protecting nations and ideals, and are held responsible for the moral decay of societies to a much much higher degree than over 40. We fund people on the brink of death with money that we are tighter for than they are, and can better use than they can(even invest better than they can), all while working harder and faster for those who are way past that prime. So that what? So that we get to lie back on our Lay-Z-Boy in our stuffy study puffin away on our pipe reminiscing about those fleeting moments of youthful exuberance and ecstasy? Somethings' backwards here.

So here it is, my proposal:
I say all those under 40 do nothing but live the best possible life possible, with no schooling other than basics, like reading and writing(and any additional knowledge they might want to pursue on their own), and leave the university and professional portion of their lives for when they turn 40, so they can then support the new generation. If we truly worship youth so much, advertise about it, hire actors to act it, and rub creams on our faces to retain it, then we ought to live in a society that truly acts out that youthful fantasy. Imagine a world where the old work for the young. Imagine living the best part of your life the way it was intended to be lived: sleeping late, lounging out, running the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government, and just experiencing life through the lenses that nature has meant for us to experience life through all along.

What's the point of murdering the best part of your life, so that you can just sit around for a few years and hate yourself for it? I want to map out some ideas about this concept society, but I need to do some more thinking. If you got some thoughts about this whole thing, let me know.

Some Songs That Could Be Considered Relevant... Or Not, But Rad None-The-Less:

Wolf Parade- We Built Another World:
http://www.zshare.net/download/04-we-built-another-world-m4p.html

Sunset Rubdown- They Took A Vote Said No:
http://www.zshare.net/download/02-they-took-a-vote-and-said-no-m4a.html

The Hold Steady- Stuck Between Stations:
http://www.zshare.net/download/01-stuck-between-stations-m4a.html

Keeping Track Of Tracks

Imagine this:
You show a friend a picture you stumbled across that you can't stop looking at. A picture of a place that looks unlike anything you've ever seen. After a few seconds of looking at it, your friend excitedly tells you about the wondrous place, because he goes there all the time. A place with magnificent trees and wild animals who let you pet them and run around with them. Where the weather is authentic, but manipulatable. A fascinating wanderlust actualized. So naturally you let him take you. And at first glance you can see what the picture hinted at. So you go back a few times. And a few more times. Pretty soon you're going back a few times a day without really realizing how attached you have become. After a few weeks you start to look more closely at the bright leaves, build a sort of relationship with the animals, and quench your thirst with water from rivers and springs you never thought could exist. Eventually this utopia becomes the gateway to a world of paradises. Worlds different in almost every way from the others, all showing you totally new wildlife and sunsets. So you can't but leave that boring, ordinary, dull and mundane world you used to tread around in your steel-toe boots behind now, and instead take up residence in a place where the only pair of shoes you'll ever need were the ones given to you on your 0th birthday. No passport or visa necessary.

Interpol is releasing their 3rd full length album "Our Love To Admire" on the 10th of June. Their first single "The Heinrich Maneuver" has just started to weave its way through the web waves, offering up a Polaroid of the expansion project underway to the wonderland they invited me into 4 years ago. "Turn On The Bright Lights" was, and still is, the most moving album I've ever laid ears on. The follow up "Antics" provided the Sun to TOTBL's Moon, and from there my itunes was never starved again. I filled her appetite with meals and morsels from cooks with the same kind of Iron Chef talent as Interpol's. Now finally, after 3 years of waiting, the New Yorkinites have a new dish ready, and a festival of people are licking their chops.

If you're not familiar with this band, you should familiarize yourself. I'm through being a drill sergeant about it. I used to think it was my duty to get people on board these trains I've traveled on, but after bunking with the few people who actually are seeking this form of migration, and having discussions and sharing emotions with them, I'd rather keep the corridors empty sanz true travelers.

If you have a few moments, you should check out the links below. MP3's and vids. Maybe it'll wet your appetite. Paul Banks writes poetry, not lyrics, so if you enjoy interpreting words rather than being told what the meanings are, you'll have fun. Enjoy the ear full folks, it's delicious.

Songs:

The Heinrich Maneuver:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/04-the-heinrich-maneuver-mp3-kkw.html
The Specialist:
http://www.zshare.net/download/05-specialist-m4p.html
NARC:
http://www.zshare.net/download/03-narc-m4p.html
Leif Erikson:
http://www.zshare.net/download/10-leif-erikson-m4a.html

Videos:

Obstacle 1:

Evil:



Lyric Links:
http://www.seeklyrics.com/lyrics/Interpol/

"Will You Just Take It Easy?!"

I just had a righteous weekend in New Orleans. First time ever there. Had no idea what to expect other than unapologetic debaucherous comings and goings. Shit St. was definitely Bourbon faced.

Conversations as to why a tourist town like The Big Easy is in such an "other side of the tracks" predicament never got resolved. How is it possible for such an artsy, funky, wild and lively city to be so poor? A year and a half after Katrina ripped through its alleyways, we saw a city that still had the power to attract large groups of money spending people. But it's obvious that even before the tragedy the city was, for the most part, a ghetto with only pockets of "ok" areas. My tour guide/travel partner/showgirl/shot pusher/partner in debauchery pointed out that for the most part, tourist locations are able to thrive economically from the influx of denero. Every city has bad areas, but a city that brings in hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of drunk ready to party people in every year should be able to have enough left over (after buying a round or 15 for themselves) to at least up the socio-economic status of the place closer to the middle. There's definitely some miss-management going on.

We were lucky enough to stumble (pun intended) upon Frenchman St. on Saturday night and hear some exciting music. Bourbon is just a jukebox on crack, not where the musicians hang when they're trying to jam. Frenchman St., however, definitely raised the Bar (yes, intended again). If you get the Bourbon bug out of your system, head on over there and hop around for a few hours. Great live jazz, and quint, hip, unique shacks posing as bars.
We did a lot of other things, like have some great food, sweet Beignets, park naps, ketchup revelations, dimple discoveries, vanilla and strawberries, butters and toes..... the kinds of things that really only make sense if you're the ones doing them, so theres no point in detailing here.

I had an absolutely amazing time, with an absolutely amazing person, in an absolutely amazing town. It's a shame that certain people didn't feel like protecting and helping out such a unique, culture rich and magnetic place. I can only imagine what the New Orleanites felt after being neglected like they were. Repeated references to FEMA in a not so flattering manner on t-shirts revealed the kind of resentment felt.


Frenchman Street Vids:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=6PLXzxq1NA8
http://youtube.com/watch?v=70S5GckTg2M
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ylXPooNKvTM

AP Piece About The Transgressions Of Katrina:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=h8umoDbzdlo

I Think, Therefore I Am Totally Confused

"I Think, Therefore I Am... I Think"

That's the title of a fascinating article by Stephen Cage who, before gifting me this piece, had never contributed to my life in any way. So I can't follow up his name with "writer of..."'s and "from such movies as..."'s. I could just Google him and fix that little problem while sounding as if I actually knew something about the dude. But I'm not that pretentious. Plus there were too many Stephen Cage's on Google and I didn't get anywhere after 43 minutes of sifting.
I have provided a link to this article at the conclusion of my writings here today, so I advise you to check it out either now, or after being worked up into a frenzy by my insights into this matter. I have also provided a link to one of my favorite clips from the movie 'Waking Life', which tackles a lot of fascinating philosophical topics.

Free Will.
Is God just lounging on a La-Z-Boy punching in XBox controller buttons to make us involuntarily run into walls, slay innocent creatures, and dance around our apartment aimlessly so our Sims boredom level doesn't drop down to critical levels? Or are we in control of Tiger Wood's golf swing when we Wii? This question has been around as long as philosophers and thinkers began asking questions(and began playing Halo online). And there's simply not a yes or no answer to it. If you think that you do have free will, that at any moment during the reading of this blog you can decide to direct your browser to Youtube and suck away the minutes by watching Japanese game shows instead, you're oversimplifying the process. And if you think you don't have it, that God knows in advance what the path that you'll be treading looks, feels, and smells like, a host of other problems arise: responsibility, accountability, self motivation, what the hell is the point of the creation of mankind if we have no choice, on and on. You can't even dodge the question if you're an atheist. There are all sorts of scientific complications here too, as you'll read about in Stephens article.

I found myself, and even right now find myself, struggling with a resolution to this whole topic. This article took it to a whole nother level. Particularly the discussion about the neurobiological angles. The fact that our neurons have already set the realization of an action in place before we've even made a conscience decision to make that action is really messing me up. And then it had to go and reference a study that showed that when our neurons are manipulated to prepare for one action in particular, not only would it incite the subjects to act accordingly, but it would also make the test subjects believe that they acted out of their own free will. So for instance, let's say I'm a doctor, and I zap you with some electrical current that makes you want to read this here blog, and you oblige. When you finish reading you'll still believe that it was you're decision to read on, that you were exercising free will. Now you might be saying that this example isn't a very good one, because once you pop one of my entries into your mouth, you just can't stop. But you get the idea. Some argue that since we are nothing more than an elaborate collection of atoms, molecules and the like, that our actions are only dependent on the interactions between these properties, and that's that. Like a piece of machinery that operates according to how the nuts and bolts are arraigned, and not how it feels like operating. A car has to run like a car, and not like an aircraft carrier. Individuality in that context would be nothing more than a paint-job.

There's talk in the article about combining philosophical thought with scientific discovery. And perhaps using the two together to try and come up with new kinds of explanations for some hard to explain behaviors . That sounds like an extremely powerful idea. It also seems like an idea that could potentially lead to all sorts of updates to old theories. The evolution of such an alliance might make the world we live in look totally alien in the future. It could force us to revamp some fundamental social institutions.

Personally, I think that since we know so little, in the bigger scheme, about what happens when microscopic molecules come together to form complex physical structures(why they come together for that matter) we can't be sure whether the output behaves on it's own accord or according solely to what it's design is dictating it to behave like. It's one thing to say that a Honda behaves like a Honda, and not like an F-16, but a totally different thing to say that a hyper computer(some future machine of technological genius) ought to behave like a Dell. Who knows what would happen when you input that much technology into a machine. Until it can be proven that the complexity of an entity doesn't make it more than just the sum of it's parts, I think you can't rule out the possibility that the entity would be governed by more than just it's constituents. Then again maybe because of the complexity no central mainframe exists, like a corporation. I haven't been able to be at piece with any one answer, I guess all I can do for now is go about my business with the thought that just believing that I have freedom in my decision making, forces me to be at my most productive.

I Think Therefore I Am, I Think Article Link:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/81bc32e4-d5e3-11db-99b7-000b5df10621.html

Clip From 'Waking Life':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VxQuPBX1_U

Japanese Game Show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEKqU1fkYCI

Keeping Track of Tracks

There is a lot of good music out there. Unfortunately neither the radio nor Mtv give a flying flip about this fact. So anyone seeking out music that is artistically genuine, original, and worthy of repeat button pushing on stereo systems and music players, are forced to minor in mining to figure out how to unearth such gems on their own. I've done my share of mining the last few years, and along with blackened lungs and tarred fingernails, I have managed to find some very shiny stones. Since the artists behind these jewels are forced to sell their manifistations to no name vendors, they are often keen on offering samplers and testers to us so as to grab our attention.

So once I figure out how to fool around on this here Rantlog, I will attach such testers to my 'Keeping Track of Tracks' posts. I'll shower you with MP3's galore. I'll take you out shopping to these quaint underground caves for prescious metals you never thought existed. Best part is, they're almost always free! Beat that Zales. For now though, I'm just going to give a few heads ups a week, with some little extras thrown in for good measure (like lines that yodle), for anyone open to the possibility that they are not conjoined at the eardrums to traditional music providers.

This week I want to start with the New York City band: "The National", Who I was lucky enough to stumble across in mid 2005 via their magestic album Alligator, considered by many to be one of that years finest releases. The tracks from this album ripped through my itunes like an redecorater intent on hanging up curtains that doubled as Thinsulated blankets sheltering from cold brutal storms. Matt Berninger has a voice smoother than frozen yogurt and lyrics more real, tangible and relatable than most personal diaries:
"You turn me good and god-fearing. Well, tell me what am I supposed to do with that. I'm missing something... My mind's gone loose inside its shell(Abel)"
"Baby, come over, I need entertaining. I had a stilted, pretending day. Lay me down and say something pretty...Just say something perfect, something I can steal(Baby We'll Be Fine)"

He has the ability to be painfully honest about having flaws that affect those he cares about, but able to change gears seamlessly to let those same people know that when it matters most, he wouldn't hesitate to protect what he holds sacred.
"You were right about the end, It didn't make a difference. Everything I can remember I remember wrong(Daughters of The Soho Riots)"
"I carry the dollhouse, safe on my shoulders. Through the black city, night lights are on in the corners, And everyone's sleeping upstairs. All safe and sound. I won't the let psychos around(All The Wine)"

He is both self depricating and egotistical at the same time, but not in a way that makes you feel sorry for him or put off by his arrogance, but in a way that makes you see how you are the same way a lot of times.
The National are coming out with their new album "Boxer" on May 22nd, and already from the songs that have leaked it's clear that another treat is en route. I highly recommend getting your paws on their 2005 masterpiece "Alligator", so when the new album hits, you'll be armed.


These Are Some Of The Highlights From Alligator:
Baby We'll Be Fine, The Geese of Beverly Road, Abel, All the Wine, City Middle, Karen
These Are Some New Gems From Upcoming Album Boxer:
Slow Show, Apartment Story, Fake Empire, Mistaken For Strangers

Heres Some Songs:
Baby We'll Be Fine- From Alligator
All The Wine- From Alligator
Secret Meeting- Black Sessions Recording
Apartment Story- From Boxer
Slow Show- From Boxer

Their Official Myspace Page:
http://www.myspace.com/thenational

Here a live performance of 'Baby We'll Be Fine" And Their Video For "Abel":
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Xm7LEEjww3E
http://youtube.com/watch?v=LvM4T6BVX-gatch?v=LvM4T6BVX-g