THE STATE OF MUSICBANTER
2nd Installment 1st Edition
I remember my uncle telling me that true permanent happiness was found in the constant pursuit of temporary happiness; I still don’t fully know if I believe that even 30 years after his passing, but now as I approach the age he was when he dispatched this advice I understand it more then ever.
As soon as you solve one problem or reach one goal there is another obstacle to overcome another ambition to pursue. Last week I talked about how happy I was with the direction the site is headed and while I remain sanguine and steadfast in that assertion I found this week to highlight many more of the negative sides of our community. I’ve always struggled with accepting what I consider nonconstructive or unsolicited negativity. I’ve never seen it work to anyone’s benefit and can’t imagine how a right wired human being could continuously engage in behavior of such a manor. This is one of the great challenges of human existence and social interaction. Free will allows each of us the right to be as generous, selfish, considerate or unruly as we choose.
Self destructive or detrimental behavior is nothing new; man has been engaging in it since the beginning of time and while finally now I’ve resolved myself to this fact, comes confrontation with even the most reasonable among us. In a cruel twist of logic those of us with a considerate nature feel compelled to acclimate and accommodate the assh
oles and pricks that populate the dark corners of society’s dregs. It’s always done in the name of fairness and equity but inevitably comes at the expense of those inherently inclined to acquiesce. This perplexing predicament is not exclusive to Musicbanter of social communities in general, it is in fact on of the major causes for complaint within most of our Freedom or Liberty based governments. We long have and continue to make laws to protect, even at the expense of, the competent majority from the hapless minority.
-You can’t sell glass bottles of beer at American sports events because sometime somewhere an as
shole had one too many beers or one too few brain cells and decided throwing the bottle at someone or something was a good idea and now everyone has to drink $8 of light beer from a plastic cup.
-There are “No turn on Red” signs all over my community (and probably yours too) now where once there were none because a few morons could not safely decide when it was all clear to continue their commute, now we wait like lemmings while traffic backs up and productivity goes down.
-At one of the schools I used to teach at and still volunteer at they had to abolish an after school open gymnasium and library program because parents complained that it was unsupervised and then decided they didn’t want to volunteer to supervise.
I hope I live long enough to see the day when more often then not we reject this impulse take the risk of not being liked by someone else who will in all likelihood be dead within the next 75 years so we can enjoy the limited time we have here just a little bit more.
Far be it for me, one of the most stubborn, callus and self centered people I’ve ever encountered to claim intellectual superiority in the name of adaptability, but that never stopped me from weighing in before and I doubt I’ll relent on account of those things in the future.
The Shovel & the Hole: Threads I’m Digging
Zarko: Slowly goes the Night
http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...tml#post625243
A lot of electronic, ambient, jazz and modern folk stuff in here, mostly I like it because it’s such a breath of fresh air within the journals section. A work still in progress with already more then 30 album reviews to choose from over 13+ pages, it’s one of the more consistently updated and evolving journals within the section. This is one of the best things about this section of the site. Reviews and perspectives of music that may not typically pass your palette is on full display and friendly and informative format that’s as easy to digest as Mom’s Apple or Shepard’s Pie depending on which side of the Atlantic you fall.
What’s in my Headphones Today
http://www.musicbanter.com/members-j...tml#post542989
One of Musicbanter’s favorite former Mods with his most frequented journal featuring a fittingly eclectic compilation of worldly and other worldly music and Jackhammers first reactions as it takes it’s maiden voyage through his equilibrium. The second most viewed and talked about journal in the section (behind Lee’s previous pursuit) so perhaps I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know, but a worthy and worthwhile collection of reviews and conversation nonetheless.
ToeandNo’s Soul Glo compilation
http://www.musicbanter.com/soul-funk...tml#post712563
If you’re a fan of Soul, you’ll beam with excitement to this list of popular but all too overlooked 1960’s and 70’s Soul classics. This site does a bang-up job with compilations and the occasional upload to introduce the music to as many ears as possible while still staying as well within the law as common morality (and so far legality) seems to demand. If your looking to expand your musical horizons here’s the perfect chance to take a fun and accessible road to audible ecstasy. Highlights included the incomparable Otis Redding with a few signature spins and the fabulous Wilson Pickett and his immortal “Land of 1,000 Dances.”
Top 10 Eponymous Albums
Usually a debut, the self-titled or eponymous album is a go-to move for the attention starved young artist or the creatively uncreative savvy veteran act. Regardless, they aren’t always the best albums, but when done right, they have the most fitting title imaginable. The brilliance is within the simplicity and overwhelming accuracy in advertising; here is their name, here is their music, and go…
10. The White Stripes – Raw and Gritty, perhaps too much so in retrospect, but unquestionable their own.
9. Rage Against the Machine – The album that convinced me to give alternative metal hard rock and metal another chance.
8. Ramones – Maybe their best work, my favorite to be sure.
7. Buffalo Springfield – An awesome collection of poignant folk music including the impeccable “For What it’s Worth”
6. The Smiths – Spawned a whole new generation of music and is still unmatched by anything before or since along those lines.
5. The Clash – Powerful, raw and super original, my second or third favorite of their catalogue.
4. Boston – Quite simply one of my favorites of All-time
3. Weezer – It’s so good that even though there is three of them, you already know which one I’m talking about.
2. Led Zeppelin – See 20-25% of my previous posts…
1. The Kinks – My edgy surprise number one pick, but I still think it’s better then Kontroversy or anything else brilliant they produced.
More of…The Best New Music from July
Portugal the Man – The Satanic Satanist
The fourth studio album from these Alaskan Audio Assassins continues a trend of interesting, entertaining and excellent music. An acoustic sister album released the same day accompanies this go round and offers a softer more melodic re-imagining of this years collection, their fourth release in as many rotations around the sun. It's cheery music that packs a punch, I'd liken it to a really artistic kid at school who could also kick your ass. Short and satisfying songs throughout and an immediate grabber statement of an opener that even the staunchest old bag English teacher would be proud of.
ODDS and END
This Installments Musicbanter Super Cliché: Tell us how much this place infringes on your free speech.
Unsolicited Advice: When you buy small household items like nail clippers, lighters, scissors and tape buy multiple items and distribute them in drawers or cabinets all around your house, the extra money spend will be well worth it as a result of all the time and frustration you’ll save when you need such an item.
Recommended Reading: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, the subsequent novel to the book turned one of 2008’s best pictures ”No Country for Old Men”, an even better read then said title.
Regurgitated Michael Jackson Joke: Upon arriving in Heaven the King of Pop is confronted by many a musical icon on the status of the world he’s just left, finally he encounters the King of Rock, Elvis Presley who frantically asks “are you Michael Jackson” to which Jack-o responds in the affirmative as Pressley’s follow up “Did you marry my daughter” leaves his lips, again Jackson confirms and Elvis’s face wears a look of relief as he exclaims “pheew thank goodness, I heard she married a black guy”…
FIN