Peace to '08 EDIT from myspace.

ADDITIONAL NOTE: You'll notice all of the pictures have different sizes, it's because I am html illiterate for the most part and I just pulled photos from different pages on the web. Sorry but enjoy the read anyway. AND if you want to skip my going ons about my life in 2008, just skip down past the photos and read about the best/worst/most overrated music of 2008!!!

I wrote this recap in haste. I wrote it in about 20 minutes as I was late for a few new years plans with my brothers. The night was simple yet sufficient. I proceeded to yack up about a bottle's worth of champagne. What a way to bring in the new year. I decided to re-post this awful entry but with a little revision and tact. Read after the jump:

Date: 12/31/08

Tis a new year come upon us in a few short hours and now before I head out to dinner with some of my close friends, I can't help feeling as lonely as I could be, because she is 16 hours ahead. To take my mind off of missing her, I am giving my 2008 wrap-up. My social, musical, cinematic critique.

Here it is. Happy New Year.

Social:

My rant on trends: The truth is, things I was into way before many of my friends, are being simply disregarded as things that they've somehow discovered amidst trend-setters around them. Apparently, I am not the one they go to for this. Some of them suck the life out of these pleasures, without giving me any credit that I was into it years before. Some examples are: cardigans (2004), v-necks (2006), beanies fitting like link form zelda (2005), sneakers (2005), street wear (2005), vests (2006), reading what i find to be interesting music news (2004), watching interesting films and critiquing them (2004) It's not that I need to claim it as being the very first person to do this, it's simply this: since when were you into it? And why won't you acknowledge that I was doing it long ago when I was excited about it and offering it to you. These small seemingly insignificant actions say a lot about character and I'm not trying to degrade my friends' character, but there is an immediate degradation of mine by disregarding my passions and passing them off for yours in origin. So to give credit where it is due, my fashion sense would be off kilter if it weren't for Jojo and her sister. They led me to the style I like to acquire for myself now, and they also turned me on to underground hip-hip. From here I hit the ground running.

Anyway in 2008, some amazing things happened for me, as well as some very terrible ones.

Wonderful: 4 Faimkills EPs









and 1 Whore of the Habitat EP


Joined Spirit Fangs



FLOATING IN MID-AIR by Spirit Fangs

Played a small tours worth of shows in various locations for both Faimkills and Spirit Fangs. Opened up for Bus Driver and got a decent review of my show in the school newspaper! Got radioplay for my Portishead Remix.





Graduated from UCR with my English B.A



Went on a roadtrip across the entire country and Toronto, CN minus Alaska and Hawaii.


Went to Texas and New York twice, the second time was odd but wonderful as it was with my estranged girlfriend.

Next time we go, it will be like a 1950s romance film set in Manhattan, with a potentially transatlantic urban twist in which it will be primarily set in the L.E.S. instead of uptown.


outside of central park


On our way to Statue of Liberty

Also, I had my first plane rides, my first karaoke, and a total side note: Coachella 2008 is wonderful.



Not so good things: Relationship failed. I failed the relationship. So many stupid fucking mistakes on my part. Car died. Had to give up a lot of freedom and move home. Lots of DEBT.

Either way, I learned a lot, hopefully grew a lot from things that happened this year. And the most important thing, I still have wonderful family and friends...and HER.


Music:

There are few people I respect as far as what they think and feel about music, I still stand by the idea that music is just like any other form of knowledge, the more you study, the better you are at understanding it, and "an opinion" is just a cope out for those who don't care as much about the power of music and studying it as much others. The handful of people I respect in regards to other musicians' music --Jojo, Demaio, Diego, and Tim, those are the main ones that I REALLY listen to and am not afraid to share music with and my thoughts about music because sometimes they can be fucking quirky and weird, and I am a little apphrensive to share these ideas in fear of disdain or ridicule. I will listen to what other friends have to say because they can be insightful as well. Then there are those that THINK they know but they just wish they did. When it comes to my own music, I am forced to listen to any and everyone, but what I try to take in is that from those who know my passion, it keeps my positive.

Now I don't have time to go into detail about why I chose these albums, nor do I want to appear as another pontificating blog by some one or other trying to enforce ideas about an album. And I wont even give points or an order, it's either: PHENOMENAL, GOOD, SUCKED/ A LET DOWN, or OVERRATED (which doesn't mean it was bad but just not deserving of all the hype).

PHENOMENAL:
Kanye West : 808s and Heartbreak
The Mae Shi: HLLYH
Beach House: Devotion
Young Jeezy: The Recession
The Raveonettes: Lust, Lust, Lust
Lil Wayne: Tha Carter 3
Lyyke Li: Youth Novel
Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It
Marnie Stern: "This is it..."
Wale: While You Were Out (Best of Wale)
TV on the Radio: Dear Science,
Deerhunter: Microcastles
She & Him: Volume One
Q-Tip: The Renaissance
Lightspeed Champion: Fall Off the Lavender Bridge
M83: Saturdays=Youth
Crystal Castles self titled
Black Kids: Wizard of Ahhs EP
MGMT: Oracular Spectacular
Beck: Modern Guilt
Black Keys: Attack and Release
Atmosphere: When Life Hands You Lemons You Paint That Shit Gold
The Secret Machines self titled
Portishead: Third
Gang Gang Dance: Saint Dymphna
Bloc Party: Intimacy
These Arms Are Snakes: Dove and Tail Swallower

GOOD:

The Walkmen: You & Me
The Dream: The American Dream
Vivian Girls self titled
Underoath: Lost in the Sound of Separation
Shearwater: Rook
Santogold self titled
The Roots: Rising Down
No Age: Nouns
Atlas Sound:
Neyo: Year of the Gentleman
One Day As A Lion EP
Jenny Lewis Acid Tongue
Hot Chip: Made In The Dark
High Places
Girl Talk: Feed the Animals
Coldplay: Viva La Vida
Foals: Antidotes
Flying Lotus: Los Angeles
Fleet Foxes self titled
Crystal Stilts: Alight of the Night
The Dears: Missiles
Ray Lamontagne: Gossip in the Grain

SUCKED/LET DOWN:
Weezer: Red Album
Usher: Here I Stand
T.I.: Paper Trail
T-Pain: Three Rings
CSS: Donkey
The Virgins self titled
Sons and Daughters: The Gift
Ludacris: Theater of the Mind
John Legend: Evolver
Gym Class Heroes: The Quilt
The Game: LAX

OVERRATED:

VAMPIRE WEEKEND
Deathcab for Cutie: Narrow Stairs
The Ting Tings: We Started Nothing
NERD: Seeing Sound
Ill Bill: Hour of Reprisal
Does It Offend You Yeah?: You Have Know Idea What...
88-Keys: The Death of Adam

If you happen to read this list and decide to check out some of these albums, let me know, so we can discuss them and stuff.

MOVIES:

i didn't watch to many new ones in theater

Dope ones only: Role Models, Rock N Rolla, Pineapple Express, DARK KNIGHT.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

love adam.

Decades between genres is no match for music theory.

As a means of adding to my writing repertoire, I plan on utilizing this blog to collect thoughts, and practice my skills as a literary, social, cinematic, and music critic. I will however try to keep my nose out of political or religious criticism as much as I can, leave the politics to the politicians I say. I am tired of detached political rants from left-wing college and high school students, just as much as I am tired of close-minded conservatives ranting on about how disastrous Barack Obama will be for the U.S.

In this entry, I will be discussing incidental, accidental, or intentional similarity. I had an internship with Warner Music Group back in 2006, and to say the least, I wasted it. However, I ended up keeping a lot of good back catalog from some great artists like Tegan and Sara, Rilo Kiley, and Joy Division. The first time I heard Joy Division, I had all three remastered collector's edition releases via Warner for "Unknown Pleasures", "Closer", and "Still". In my opinion, "Unknown Pleasures" is an incredible album that was ahead of it's time even the the synth-riddled, new wave/post-punk 1980s. This album sounds like something that bands today are trying to achieve in some sense. Ian Curtis is a landmark for many of today's favorite vocalists, most notably: Justin Warfield of She Wants Revenge, Paul Banks of Interpol, and Brandon Flowers of the Killers. I would say however that Ian Curtis' vocals, and dark and odd lyrics still resonate with the most urgency.

Now fast-forward to the post-punk revival years or the 21st Century, lying outside of this "genreism" lies one my greatest influences, a band called Brand New, from Long Island. I have been mulling it over, just today actually, and have finally come to the conclusion that "The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me" has out seeded "Deja Entendu" as my favorite Brand New album. I hold "Deja" dear however, for more nostalgic reasons, and though it is a great album, damn near perfect if not 100%, "The Devil and God..." does something for me on a sonic level. It's ambivalent nature, and conflict grabs at me on a more mature plane and allows me to think more rather than the straight-forwardness, and lyrics that act on emotion rather than logic of "Deja".

NOW getting to the point of this whole entry. I was listening to Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" the other day, a song quite possibly about change in relationships, and I couldn't help thinking of two songs by Brand New, "Degausser", and "Limousine (MS Rebridge)". I then went back and listened to all three songs and found remarkable similarities. Undeniably similar, almost to the point that one might question if Brand New was that heavily influenced by Joy Division. I have read many articles and interviews by Jesse Lacey of Brand New and I haven't heard him mention his undying love for Joy Division (not like his undying love for Moz or the Smiths that has left it's mark all over "Your Favorite Weapon", "Deja Entendu", and "Fight Off Your Demons demos") I have listed all three songs below so you can see for yourself.

From the outset, "New Dawn Fades" and "Degausser" share similar tones even with entirely different lyrical content. The ambience is a little darker in Joy Division, which is to be expected, however, they both share a similar grave tone with the reverb used in these recordings. The main rhythm of "Degausser" from the beginning to each verse is similar with the main differences being that Joy Division's riff is played with a bass and Brand News begins with a guitar that crescendos into a more technical bassline. Also, Joy Division fills in at different portions on different notes all while keeping the same rhythm as BN. The tempos are quite similar as well, with a more full drum landscape appearing in "Degausser", versus the more bare yet giant snares and lo-fi hi-hats found in "New Dawn Fades". The portion of "NDF", following its droney opening from 34: to 1 minute in, works in relation to "Degausser" as seen from 1:48 to 2:15. This portion of "Degausser" has the same self-imposing rhythm of "NFD", only this time BN uses bass as the driving force, while JD uses a guitar. "NFD"'s section also sounds similar to Jesse's vocal melody on the verses. Leading off of that note listen to the way Jesse enters in with this first verse in comparison to how Ian comes in, they both share an importance that seems to stop the song in its tracks. A final, and very vague relation is the lead guitar work. JD's is definitely placed as something to add to the tone of the narrator, while BN uses it in a more traditional sense, literally as a lead, leads tend to be just as catchy as a great chorus or hook in a well-written song. Now these lead riffs are by no means similar other than the fact that they appear to be working on the same scale, but they just may be interchangeable to each respective song. Decide for yourself.

Now the other similarity between "NDF" and BN is found in an entirely different BN song off of the same album, and it's called, "Limousine". If you listen to Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" at 1 minute, up until Ian Curtis begins singing, and compare it to "Limousine" all the way towards the end from the epic blow out at 6:03 to 6:15, you will hear a resemblance in the guitar riffs.

Now I am merely making an observation in this comparison, I do not think it was intentional for Brand New, and who knows if they've even heard "New Dawn Fades", let alone, Joy Division. I used this as a point that music theory is a powerful and endless tool, a palette that I now realize, an artist will never ever run out of. Music is timeless and will always transform, mutate, progress, reinvent itself, and be abundant for us to make wonderful soundtracks to time. :] Happy times are here again.

Below is another example that is not as striking as JD vs BN, but exists nonetheless.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs released the "Is Is EP" in 2007, although this was material recorded between "Fever to Tell" and "Show Your Bones", which means they're from way back in 2004. The song "10 X 10" shares nearly an identical guitar riff with "What's it Feel Like to Be a Ghost?" by Taking Back Sunday. And I am not talking about when Nick Zinner is pleasing us with his tremolo guitar picking on the 12th, 13th and so on frets of his guitar, I'm talking about the rhythm guitar riff. Both bands from New York, different sounds, I'm sure they've heard of each other, but I'm thinking this was accidental as well.

-adm