I was going to do an April Fools post talking about how I had done a full 180 and decided that Nickelback was incredibly talented and I couldn't stop listening to them, but I can't even joke about that.
Instead, here's a little run down of my playlist for the weekend.
OnCue - "It Usually Goes"
I can't stop listening to this song. OnCue always has some pretty solid samples and this one is no exception, sampling Eisley's "Ambulance". The message is a little trite but who cares, it's a solid track. The video is decent too, check it out.
Lupe Fiasco - "Stereo Sun"
This is a B-side from Lupe's long awaited (and pretty underwhelming) new album, Lasers. I dig the electro beat.
B.O.B. -"Beast Mode"
Most people have probably heard this already but I've been going back to it a lot lately. There is absolutely nothing special about this song but it's pretty fun to listen to. The lyrics are ridiculous ("So high I don't get high / I don't even know what I got weed for") but that only adds to the appeal.
The Naked and Famous - "Young Blood (Chiddy Bang Remix)"
I agree with my friend Sam when he says that the original is better than this remix, but Chiddy still kills it on this one.
Common Market - "Tobacco Road"
I think that this is the song that I have listened to most consistently over the past year. There is something about it that is timeless to me and no matter how many times I listen to it I still feel like it's fresh. I know that it's something like 3 years old but I can't help but add this to the list of songs I'm hooked on right now.
April 1, 2011
March 14, 2011
Things You Should Watch: Green Tunnel
This is one of the coolest videos that we've seen over here are CNHQ. If only the Appalachian Trail went in a circle.
Get the whole story here....
... but if you do nothing else, check this out
Get the whole story here....
... but if you do nothing else, check this out
Green Tunnel from Kevin Gallagher on Vimeo.
March 9, 2011
Frisbee Season
Since it is once again Ultimate season posts will be fewer and further between thanks to the amount of time we invest in cavorting around the country with our troupe of odd companions. This past weekend in Stanford I kept hearing a killer electro jam coming from the tent of the tournament merchandisers. In a surprising move of competence, Eric "Jonathan Taylor Thomas" Wilburn identified the song post-tournament and sent out the link to it.
Here it is:
http://hypem.com/#!/item/19h32/Futurecop++-+Starworshipper+Owl+Vision+Remix+
As an English major I am forced to comment on the title of the song being a potential reference to Phillip Sidney's sonnet sequence Astrophil and Stella (translation: Star and Starlover).
That sonnet sequence kind of blows though so I regret my obligation to comment.
Anyways, hopefully we'll find time to post over the next couple months. If not, bear with us.
Here it is:
http://hypem.com/#!/item/19h32/Futurecop++-+Starworshipper+Owl+Vision+Remix+
As an English major I am forced to comment on the title of the song being a potential reference to Phillip Sidney's sonnet sequence Astrophil and Stella (translation: Star and Starlover).
That sonnet sequence kind of blows though so I regret my obligation to comment.
Anyways, hopefully we'll find time to post over the next couple months. If not, bear with us.
February 26, 2011
Phantom Voices
Happy Saturday everyone. I am sitting here doing my incredibly dry sociology reading, and a thought just popped into my head, so I'm running with it (similar to the way I'm continuing this run-on sentence).
I'm the type of person who always listens to music when working because it helps me focus. When my homework consists of reading I tend to listen to instrumental bands because the lack of words keeps me from getting distracted from what I am reading. Some personal favorites include Mogwai, Explosions In the Sky, Russian Circles and Mono.
Today, as I was doing just this I realized that a powerful tactic that bands like these tend to employ is to sample a voice, often from a movie or TV broadcast, that can further add context to the song. This is one of the more interesting recurrences of the genre because it can create an image that one would not have seen before. I'm not quite sure how to analyze this and I also have a lot of work to do, but here are a few of my favorite examples.
"Have You Passed Through This Night" - Explosions In the Sky
"Sleep" - Godspeed You! Black Emperor
"Tracy" - Mogwai
I'm the type of person who always listens to music when working because it helps me focus. When my homework consists of reading I tend to listen to instrumental bands because the lack of words keeps me from getting distracted from what I am reading. Some personal favorites include Mogwai, Explosions In the Sky, Russian Circles and Mono.
Today, as I was doing just this I realized that a powerful tactic that bands like these tend to employ is to sample a voice, often from a movie or TV broadcast, that can further add context to the song. This is one of the more interesting recurrences of the genre because it can create an image that one would not have seen before. I'm not quite sure how to analyze this and I also have a lot of work to do, but here are a few of my favorite examples.
"Have You Passed Through This Night" - Explosions In the Sky
"Sleep" - Godspeed You! Black Emperor
"Tracy" - Mogwai
February 21, 2011
Classic Rock
Here at Circular Narrative headquarters we're experiencing an odd phenomenon. From behind every door one can hear not the typical soothing sounds of Mozart or M.O.P. No, we are hearkening back to a time before we were born. The time when mullets were not ironic (just ugly) and Wal-Mart didn't sell Pantera t-shirts.
Yes, we've been listening to classic rock.
Why the resurgence you may ask. Well, no one knows for sure how cultural phenomenons resurface in modern times but it's probably because some of us are kind of hipsters.
Without further ado, here's the short list of which songs we've been bumping lately and why.
Gene:
"Under Pressure" - Queen feat. David Bowie
The final montage in the absolutely mediocre cult movie "World's Greatest Dad" reminded me how awesome this song is. Queen we're always kickin' out the jams back in their hey-day and this one is a bona-fide classic. Funky bass line + epic sweeping chorus? Fuckin' smart. Plus there's some uber-introspective lyrics in this one, so if you're into sitting back and thinking, pump up the volume and consider "the terror of knowing what life is about". It can't touch "Bohemian Rhapsody" for best Queen song but hey, even Joe Montana had to retire, and he was named after a state.
"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" - Journey
The chorus on this song kills it. So much more of a jam than "Don't Stop Believing", Especially cause Glee hasn't ruined this one. Plus the synth intro is hella tight, feel me? If possible the music video adds even more swag points. Yeah that keyboard is vertical, why do you ask?
DH:
"Take Me Home Tonight" - Eddie Money
There are all sorts of jams. Chill hip-hop jams. Old school jams. Banger jams. And then there’s Eddie Money’s smash hit “Take Me Home Tonight”. It has all the ingredients: lame verse, great pre-chorus, and an orgasmic chorus. With the upcoming feature film, also entitled “Take Me Home Tonight,” haters may accuse Mr. Money of selling out (or “losing integrity” if you will). Well, fuck ‘em. If you can’t enjoy this song for what it is, then you clearly listen to Kenny G.
“Take Me Home Tonight” will only continue to remain the staple of every 80s night party in the continental United States, and with the emersion of the Topmodelz’s house remix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu1YB-2j-g0) we can only hope that it will, like a salmon during spring, once again work its way into the mainstream.
Yes, we've been listening to classic rock.
Why the resurgence you may ask. Well, no one knows for sure how cultural phenomenons resurface in modern times but it's probably because some of us are kind of hipsters.
Without further ado, here's the short list of which songs we've been bumping lately and why.
Gene:
"Under Pressure" - Queen feat. David Bowie
The final montage in the absolutely mediocre cult movie "World's Greatest Dad" reminded me how awesome this song is. Queen we're always kickin' out the jams back in their hey-day and this one is a bona-fide classic. Funky bass line + epic sweeping chorus? Fuckin' smart. Plus there's some uber-introspective lyrics in this one, so if you're into sitting back and thinking, pump up the volume and consider "the terror of knowing what life is about". It can't touch "Bohemian Rhapsody" for best Queen song but hey, even Joe Montana had to retire, and he was named after a state.
"Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" - Journey
The chorus on this song kills it. So much more of a jam than "Don't Stop Believing", Especially cause Glee hasn't ruined this one. Plus the synth intro is hella tight, feel me? If possible the music video adds even more swag points. Yeah that keyboard is vertical, why do you ask?
DH:
"Take Me Home Tonight" - Eddie Money
There are all sorts of jams. Chill hip-hop jams. Old school jams. Banger jams. And then there’s Eddie Money’s smash hit “Take Me Home Tonight”. It has all the ingredients: lame verse, great pre-chorus, and an orgasmic chorus. With the upcoming feature film, also entitled “Take Me Home Tonight,” haters may accuse Mr. Money of selling out (or “losing integrity” if you will). Well, fuck ‘em. If you can’t enjoy this song for what it is, then you clearly listen to Kenny G.
“Take Me Home Tonight” will only continue to remain the staple of every 80s night party in the continental United States, and with the emersion of the Topmodelz’s house remix (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu1YB-2j-g0) we can only hope that it will, like a salmon during spring, once again work its way into the mainstream.
Other jams that we didn't feel like writing about:
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