M.I.A. takes the offensive

Life is a disjointed mess, but that's no excuse for my conspicuous absence from blogging. Unfortunately, I have acquired a job I like, so afternoons usually can't be devoted to the latest, online diatribe. I did want to call your attention to (so far) the best album of 2007- M.I.A.'s sophomore outing, Kala. I was an instant-fan of M.I.A. when I first heard her debut album, Arular way back in the day (like, 2 years ago). Unfortunately, the strong, independent mantra she lent to her songs didn't translate to her life and I soon found myself catching snipits of her songs in television shows and commercials. It's easy to shit on indie bands. In fact, the indie community has an ugly compulsion to shit on bands the second they find any success. Still, if you're a band like M.I.A. or Kasabian and your marketing image is all about breaking out of convention, then you sell your songs to corporations, then you're asking to get called out. With her new album, M.I.A. further-sinks any revolutionary, strong-female credibility when she teams up with Timbaland for the final track on the album, "Come Around".

Still, her music actually sounds like little-else in the musical landscape and that's enough to set her album a step above the rest. Once I stopped expecting her to be my Champion of the Underprivileged, I could enjoy her as a slamming dance track sans cliche.

M.I.A. pays tribute to Bollywood with "Jimmy":




80's Hip-Hop Videos go to Africa with "Boyz":



Enjoy.

Skullcrusher mountain

This is a little song that we can all relate to

Education Friday

I found this very interesting. The Pinky Show, where this clip is from, is producing some great & thoughtful political stuff.

Post punk 4-ever

Okay my biggest guilty pleasure is post-punk from about 1978-1988. So let us rock out.


Joy Division-- This is from 1979...british music is so hyper-bolic think 1969 you have the beatles and mere 10 years later you have this explosion of great weird pop music. I dismissed Joy Division for a long time. It was such big favorite with all the goth kids and I was punk rock--as much as kid from a small town in Nebraska could be punk rock.




Husker Du: It was an absolutely frigid and grey night in December '88 that Husker Du was to play the Ranch Bowl in Omaha. I had been waiting a couple months to see them. I went up door and there was sign that Husker Du had broken up. And it all felt much colder.




The Smiths-- I still believe this was the best pop band of the early-mid 80's. Plus I think all rock stars should have to carry around flowers.



The Pixies-- It was too bad that Nirvana and grunge gets all credit for breaking out "alternative" music. Grunge was well not really that good in retrospect. The Pixies were the best.