Viva la ilusion

Category: music

  • The World… and some stuff

    October 3rd
    doing dirty dishes downstairs
    i would like to make dinner but
    all the dishes are dirty

    Haiku the World

    Goodness gracious, world – it has been sometime since the last, hasn’t it? Let’s no pretend you didn’t miss me (or did you!). Well, there were some things in-between – here for a moment, but then gone in a flash. And, lots of other things have been happening here and throughout the world, as you may know. What can I say? October is here. A bit about my life.

    One small step, and an even smaller step now online. Last October, I challenged my brother to a Fun-a-day-esce situation, where we would each write one haiku a day. The result was a lot of haikus and a moment in time captured on paper. For some perspective, the blockquote at the beginning is the one I wrote exactly one year ago today. I enjoyed it immensely because for one reason it challenged me to write everyday, no matter how small. It was also done with a pen and notebook and there is something about it that seems easier and often more appealing. Although, of course – I later entered it into my computer keyboard. Ideally, someday this will be something beautiful.

    Of course, these may not actually be real haikus in the traditional sense of the term. Often lacking the natural frame of reference and perhaps even not abiding fully by 5-7-5. These haiku’s speak of a care for close attention, but are not afraid to break the rules and step across some boundaries. Jack Kerouac’s Book of Haikus also seems to follow a similar regard for the rules in some parts.

    October 4th
    some people are really friendly
    some other people are not so much
    they hide their feelings

    And on, and on…

    Anyways, time is quick here and I’ll keep this post short for now. For the future, perhaps I will stay in better touch here.

    Until then,

    Warmest greetings.

  • A Not So Top 10 for 2k10′


    how about swimming at the bottom of the lake? (ohhh, the irony! is that why people like the Weakerthans?)

    Why do you put LOVE so much in your titles? Or something like that…

    Hi. What moves you? Well… last year when I had a radio show and was much cooler I did a top five songs for the year that was quite hastily put together. So this year, radio show less, although with possible epic comeback on horizon, (a la Michael Jordan) and just as late, plus some more for extra ephemeral – a extremely brief look at the year in music for me, as in not all of this is from 2010 – but, still worthy of raging out to.

    Of note: Michael Vick may put himself as number one MVP, but then again maybe I would too… But, nah – not this year; although 2010 was a year of note in my small world of playing music together with friends. Can you imagine this? Maybe someday we will have vinyl to share with you. After all, still making vinyl records is probably the coolest. However, and I will put a big BUT here – my tops that I will share with you, are all for free on Internet as downloads, put there by respective musician, cause this is probably just as cool, or even cooler!!! (Please note levels of coolness used throughout post vs. Metallica. I mean come on, you have META in your name – and you’re gonna take on the Internet? [11 years late…])

    While I will not torture you will actually thinking this is something worth raging out to at the next portabella BBQ, it deserves mention. The Spook Rat album raised money for something that, after all is not so funny. Of related note, CrimethInc. ex-workers also released a Test Their Logik benefit album for legal support donations. One other music video of note to come out of that is this anonymous montage, put to Broken Social Scene’s song Meet Me in the Basement. Canada, eh?

    Moving on: It is not that I’m trying to relive last year, after all I never won the lotto – but Jeff Rowe was on the top five before as well. So this year, the -anti is upped and we’re moving him to number two. After all, we forgot to put him at number one because of Bikage – since people who write songs (or cover) with the word bike in title are usually pretty cool IMHO. ty (stereotype in advance).

    What else can you make fun of? This perhaps… Please Don’t Hang Out in Front of the House. This is a two volume free download of songs about hanging out in front of houses, punk rock shows, and good times (bad times). The thing that is lovable about this collection (volume #2) is Billy Wallace and the Virginia Blues playing A Gospel Song from a Living Room Show in Grand Rapids, MI. Maybe tonight? Well, and a lot more on it. Most of all the Mayflower acoustic “House Show is a Four Letter Word” and Another Breath acoutic “Choosen One”. Irony… you be the judge. Jeff Rowe Boat is on here as well, is this getting weird yet?

    Let us travel a little out of state and across teh[1] Internets:

    RVIVR – Dirty Water, LP, Life Moves, and derailer.

    Probably one of my all-time new favorites in terms of rockability (and yes, I just made up a new word). If you are going to check out just one, I recommend the LP because the song Animal Hands is how they say in the NYC word-of-the-year-two-years-ago – hella’ sketch. In a good way though.

    Hows about we fast forward to this year and take a look at this album that just came out last week or so by a band called Wolves and the Radio. I’m liking it all, but especially the song Kellegra which is the polar opposite image of the the underwater image at the beginning of this post. I’m looking out my window and thinking that it has been snowing here for about two months straight none-stop. It’s cool (ohh more irony!), but I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t miss being about to go Urban Scout and not freeze to death.

    If you like Wolves and the Radio you may also like some of their close cohorts Mayflower and Larcenist. They were also on last years list, but Larcenist will be releasing a new album soonish – and Mayflower probably sometime as well. So, by now you’re wondering… Did you just rewrite last years list because it seems awfully familiar? Answer: Why thank you for paying that much attention, I’m flattered!

    So my not so top 10 for 2k10′ turned out to be somewhat of a punk rock colosseum – perhaps 2011 will bring some change there, but we will just have to wait until next year (around this time, but two weeks later most likely). Here is to wishing the new year treats your ears kindly.

    [1] seriously, whoever did this to “the” is a terrible person

  • top five songs for 2k9′

    2009 has come to a close, and while I would have liked to get this list out before the final countdown – some technical difficulties started off the year with just enough spice, to remind me of how frustrating computers can really be sometimes. Here is to a 2010 free of such issues, problems, and other situations that you would have liked to avoid. And here is to knowing that sometimes such problems are unavoidable and you just have to lower your head and power through! Oh well…

    Here are my top five songs for 2009, to help meander through all the crazyiness and negativity that can often sap away the life. This is just a quick list, and the specific songs – may not actually be from 2009 – but, they are songs for 2009, that I liked. This is not actually a true list in the sense that, there are probably a bunch of songs I really liked during this past year – but, here is some attempt at putting together something meaningful and close.

    #5.) Ratatat – Mirando (youtube)

    Tough to forget… 2009 was a pretty fycked up year. Wars all over the world – not that this is anything new – it just seems to be getting a little more ridiculous each year. This song, goes out to all of that craziness [excellent analysis i know].

    #4.) Mayflower (myspace) – I want to Live

    “wake up, before you wake up dead”

    Meanwhile, these kids want to live. Simple, catchy, pop punk from Upstate, New York – these folks know how to make me want to dance. Kind of funny, because I can’t recall a song with more catch phrases in it than this one. Alas:

    “BECAUSE, I WANT TO LIVE!”

    Interesting to note, this band has a different song about a mutual friend of ours who has passed away (yes, it’s okay to include friends in top five year review). When I first heard the song with a bunch of other friends around, I think we all shed some tears. Warm nostalgia and fond memories all around.

    #3.) Jeff Rowe (myspace) – an island’s point of view

    “from an island point of view,
    i’m doing just as good as i ever was,
    i’ve got a love that makes me weap,
    i’ve got friends that are more than blood”

    Jeff Rowe writes some of my favorite songs. I first met him some years ago, when I was out shoveling snow out of my drive way. He was in town to play a house show at a friends. To this day, this was one of my favorite shows (i don’t go to many shows, but enough to know this one was special). Super nice dude, with a ton of songs – so it was rather difficult to choose one, but I figured I’d make it easy and pick one that is up on the Internet [for now].

    “i made a short list, and that’s fine, i never wanted much”

    #2.) Keny Arkana – 5ème soleil (youtube)

    For a few weeks here, all I could listen to was this song. I’m not big on the French language – but, this video has Spanish subtitles – so, you can dig what is being said, if that is your thing. I really enjoy the guitar part in this live version of the song.

    #1.) From the Depths – Last Transmission (band page, yay!)

    Probably one of my favorite albums (Germinate) of the year as well – From the Depths also holds the number one song spot in my book. Seriously, this song gets cranked every time it is played. One thing that I really like about it, is the mixture of English and Spanish language in a song. I’m not to much into harder music, but this is an exception because it is sooo good!

    “Wars that never end, and revolutions that never begin
    But we can win”

  • anarchy on the radio: playlist #8 ‘n #9

    Here are two more playlists from my weekly radioshow, which is actually now in hiatus. So, for now – these will be the last posts of this nature, but perhaps sometime in the near future I’ll piece the show back together, when things aren’t so busy. I must say, I’ve really enjoyed doing this, not only did I find a bunch of awesome new tunes to rock out to, but older ones were refreshed and dawned with a new patina of par excellence. Music really did save my life.

    Playlist #8

    song #…song…artist(s)
    1. i feel alive in the city – Zita Swoon
    2. when something goes to your head – Grade*
    3. cinquième (5ème) soleil – Keny Arkana
    4. don’t stop me now – Queen
    5. homens – Manu Chao
    6. she’s got all the friends – Chumbawamba

    [for the rest of this show, we chatted and played our own music live]

    * i know this song has some unfortunate lyrics… i actually just found them when i looked up the songs lyrics, and i wouldn’t play it again now that i know this, so sue me…

    Playlist #9

    song #…song…artist(s)
    1. funk ad – Daft Punk
    2. kiss me thru tha phone remix – Testament
    3. Terre Mère n’est pas à vendre – Keny Arkana
    4. i feel alive in the city – Zita Swoon
    5. steemie – No Connection*
    6. the weight – No Connection*
    7. valkyrie horsewhip reel – Blackbird RAUM
    8. james river blues – Old Crow Medicine Show
    9. editor’s notes – Larcenist
    10. last transmission – From the Depths
    11. every town will celebrate – Mischief Brew (aka Erik Peterson)

    * No Connection is not to be confused with the band of a similar name, so above is the link to the Syracuse, New York No Connection, by far the better sounding of the No Connections!

    [songs i wanted to play, but didn’t: justice – stress with reference to the video]

    And, just like that everything was off the air.