isitloudenough

[isitloudenough]

Wow sorry for having left this awesome corner of the interwebs stay stagnant for a while. Been busy, as you know. These days though, when all else fails, there's always my iPod and music to keep me sane. Earlier today I had the opportunity to escape my slew of meetings and take a 15 minute breather. I put my earphones on and walked to the park. Always brings me back to someplace good. Music. But I digress. So I recently chanced upon this music video. It's the first ever music video shot in space. What . Space. Yes! So while everyone's been distracted about the relocation to Mars, space veteran Capt Chris Hatfield decides to do a Bowie cover and shoot the first ever music video done in Space! It's all sorts of amazing of a guy like me, who dreams of so much amazing locations for shoots. This one was shot entirely in the international space station. The visuals are actually quite superb, and though not a musician professionally, the Capt actually does the song justice. There's a guitar in space too! How cool is that. So the captain landed back on earth today after a successful return mission. His pod ended up somewhere in Russia.  admire the dude- musician, music video director and astronaut. Oh and he tweets pretty cool things too. Any dream locations to shoot at?

[isitloudenough]

New American Noise

Ohjeezus, sorry for this late beyond late reply. I may have put this piece of internet thought space of ours in a coma but let me revive it. I checked out that the documentary, New American Noise, which you posted a while back. I love how every episode is short becauseI have the attention span of a gnat. What was your favorite episode? I lined up my top three for you below.

1. Atlanta

I have found a new appreciation for strip clubs. I think it needs to take its cues from pole dancing which is totally an artsy fitness thing without the DOM.

2. New Orleans

A place where rap and homosexuality meet, and it’s not Frank Ocean! Bounce music is everything the name implies and with copious amounts of ass shaking and happiness included. The New Orleans episode is insanely entertaining. 

3. Brooklyn, New York

Serious much but worht the watch. A lot of the subject matter focuses on the industry and ya know, all those feels about it. There’s a sequence I particularly like where a man with angel wings (sorta cheesy though) starts rapping around the city. It should have ended there. 

Could we do this for the Philippines? HELL YEAH! Like you said, there’s Laguna’s Punk Rock and Tondo’s rap scene. Acoustic folk music is also thriving somewhere in our shores. This could even double as a tourism stunt. Did you see what the series did for Portland? Damn that place is pretty. Let's go.  Hey I’m serious. This has local potential. Put it in your “to do list for when I have time and money”.

[isitloudenough]

So stumbled on this series by Nokia Music and the Sundance Channel called New American Noise. It's basically a short documentary series on US Cities and the up and coming music scene per city. It features the music of independent artists that thrive in those cities' music subcultures. It's all so interesting for me to watch as it really gives a solid insight on how culture and geography shapes sound. Watch all six on YouTube and get ready for some solid documentary filmmaking and solid sounds. 

Favorites of mine include New Orleans' gay rap bounce artists, Portland's diverse and eclectic mix of beats, fuzzy tunes and ambience and the San Fernando Valley's trippy acid soundscapes. I like that the LA and NY segments delved on the lesser-known sounds that are produced in the respective cities. 

The series makes me want to do something similar locally. Can you imagine short form docos on Gangsta Rap in Tondo, Pinoy Rock in Teacher's Village, and Metal in Laguna?

Actually-the question is. Are there such places here in the Philippines? Locales with subcultures and geography that influence the music that is produced there. Know of any? 

[isitloudenough]

Things that I'm sure will make you happy! A Joey Ramone track and awesome pixilation! Check out this video! Not much to say about this awesomeness so I'll just cite a quote from Joey Ramone's official website. 

"Award-winning filmmaker Greg Jardin directed this innovative, groundbreaking stop motion film, which includes over 1600 photographs taken throughout New York City, and boasts cameos by dozens of New Yorkers, including some of Joey Ramone’s closest friends and family. 

Jardin enlisted over 100 participants to appear in the video, ranging from Tommy Ramone, celebrity chef and author Anthony Bourdain, acclaimed musicians and denizens of the punk scene (Andy Shernoff of the Dictators, Matt & Kim, Andrew WK, Reggie Watts, members ofLes Savy Fav, The Drums, and the Flatbush Zombies; JP Patterson, Ricky Byrd, Tish & Snooky Bellomo, and legendary photographer Godlis), stars of television’s 30 Rock (Scott Adsit, John Lutz and Kristen Schaal), Ramones’ producer Ed Stasium, and Joey Ramone’s brother, musician and author Mickey Leigh.

A few dozen everyday New Yorkers were recruited off the street to participate in the video as it was being filmed, lending the clip an added air of authenticity: this eclectic mix of people from all walks of life  embodies the spirit of both the city Ramone loved, and the song it inspired.

Leigh, the executive producer of  “…ya know?” observes “Never before has ‘stop motion’ photography seemed more like a contradiction of terms: fittingly, for a song about New York City, the motion is perpetual.” He continues, “Painstakingly built by video rocket scientist/film director Greg Jardin, the love and respect for Joey Ramone and his beloved city come blitzing off your screen in this film. Though so many great musicians, actors, and others graciously contributed their time, there are essentially only two stars in any video: the song and the director. They both shine brightly in ‘New York City."

Pretty cool how they got a track that sounds so old and turned it into a video that is equal parts contemporary filmmaking, homage to an artist and portrait of a city. The track is off a posthumously released Joey Ramone album called "...Ya Know." The video is the first single off of it. At some point Joey himself appears in the video. Pretty cool integration of archival footage! :) 

[isitloudenough]

Amanda Palmer and her TEDtalk in which she asks  challenges us with this: "“I think people have been obsessed with the wrong question, which is, ‘How do we make people pay for music?’ What if we started asking, ‘How do we LET people pay for music?’”

Because I am again too sleepy to function, you answer first. 

[isitloudenough]

Music and Movies

Let me start with the most obvious answer which was so obvious I didn't even want to include it. 

1. Elton John's Tiny Dancer from Almost Famous

Thanks to Cameron Crowe, we can all lead happier lives knowing this song exists in the world. Nothing beats a good ol' sing along inside a bus full of people with awkward feelings.  

2. Beethoven in Clockwork Orange

There are soundtracks that will scare the living daylights out of you, making you wish you were both deaf and blind if only to save yourself from a few minutes of horror. That's some powerful shit right there. So here you go, freak yourself out. 

(If you can watch the movie first, do that. The clip feels creepier if you know what happened earlier.) 

3. Lulu and the Lampshades' You're Gonna Miss Me in Pitch Perfect 

This gets to be on the list by virtue of its online virality. First of all, you have to know that this song dates as far back as 1937 (!!!!WTF!!!).

Ok so fast forward into the future...regular-not-famous-girls sing their own version of the song on Youtube using plastic cups to provide the beat. Their video gets some online attention and Anna Kendrick picks it up for Pitch Perfect. Next thing you know, the Internet explodes with even more CUPS videos.

From 1937, to youtube, to film, to youtube again- this kind of remixing only happens in this century. Gosh, I love being alive. 

For your reference, here's the 1937 version:

4. The Mamas and Papas' California Dreamin' in Chungking Express

The song is more of an extension of the main character rather than a background to any particular scene. The girl plays it obsessively, and maybe too much for some viewers.

My film school senses are telling me the music is a stand in for her own voice or lack thereof. She's too chicken shit to say anything so thank god for music right? We've all been there. Everyone's got some playlist or mixtape engineered to musically express our *~feelings*~. 

Another thing to point out is the sheer randomness of California Dreaming. American pop from the 1960's? In a Chinese film? Really? And it works? Nice!

  5. Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell in Pulp Fiction 

I don't even need to explain this. Quentin Tarantino has music by its balls. There has always been something surprisingly pleasant with his movie song choices.  Tarantino was a guest judge for American Idol so I assume he has some sort of music cred...right? 

[isitloudenough]

Music In Movie Scenes

So the past few days have been quite hectic. Shooting a movie is no joke. I must say though, am quite proud of myself for (finally) being part of a feature film from start to end. I hope I manage to get more feature film experience. Iba talaga ang storytelling. 

At 3am last night, when everyone was tired from three whole days of shooting, we shot the last scene. It was basically three foreigners leaving Manila. They were at a party which was set in an abandoned house party. Johnoy Danao is playing in the background. He's playing a cover of Hotdog's Manila. And, as I was shooting it, I seriously felt that it was a movie moment unfolding in front of me. The lighting, atmosphere, the acting, everything. Everything was unfolding. My camera worked seemed non-existent as I felt like I was watching the movie through my lens. That got me thinking. 

1. Johnoy is definitely one of the most important OPM Artists now. The guy is the definition of talent. When he played an impromptu gig after we shot the scene it was just epic.

2. Movies should always, always be made with good music. Or at least movies which actually go for some sort of entertainment value. I remember one of our mentors in 13 Little Pictures telling me that filmmakers should be knowledgeable about music, literature and visual arts. 

So anyway! I thought I'd share some scenes from movies that are waaaay epic that was made even more epic cause of the music! Watch and listen!

This Is England - Please Please Let Me Get What I Want cover by Clayhill

This is the song that made me conscious about The Smiths. It was such an epic ending to a great movie. I remember wanting to cry in class when this was shown. 

Clerks Two - 1979, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, ABC

Kevin Smith and the Smashing Pumpkins. I got goosebumps when I watched this the first time. A fitting ending to my Kevin Smith marathon haha. Also- ABC by the Jackson five, and Raindrops Keep Falling In My Head. Perfect music moments for a talkative movie. 

Okay cannot think of any more right now but I will add to this soon! What are your favorite movie-music moments? :) 

[isitloudenough]

STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND LISTEN TO THIS:

I Love Lamp by RDGLDGRN (Red Gold Green) Before you google the living daylights out of this band, I need you to pay attention to the drums in this song. I'll explain why later. For now, you can read my shit below. 

When was the last time you heard a proper marriage of Rock and Hip Hop? N.E.R.D.? That was a long time ago. Jack White and Alicia Keys for the James Bond theme? That was one song!

Enter RDGLDGRN  I think their band name sucks and is too gimmicky for their own good. I mean come on, each member actually wears red, green, and gold! What is this? Can't get enough of Christmas? BUT ALL IS FORGIVEN.

Listen to as many tracks as you can: RDGLDGRN  (Hey O is a personal fave.) 

You'll notice that they've got the sensibilities of a solid hip hop group layered with killer guitars and the greatest smashing set of drums to prop them up. You can even hear a decent amount of funk. I think Chuck Brown would be so proud. 

I found out Pharell was working with RDGLDGRN so I thought, "hey they're really bringing in the big guns huh?"

Guess what? IT GETS BIGGER. 

You know who's been playing the massive drum tracks for them?  

Tanginang Dave Grohl yan. 

Their EP Red Gold Green  was released last month. 

[isitloudenough]

Cutesy to the core and how I never got music from libraries

Thanks for the music share on Melbourne's finest/Caloy finds his soft side.  With the exception of Sounds Like Sunset, all the other tracks are like fluffy pillows for my ears. (but yes, Sounds Like Sunset is good too) You gave me Soko a few years back, I still like her best. She sounds like she could have been on the JUNO soundtrack. This is both good and bad. On some days, listening to cutesy twee music is like eating an unhealthy truckload of pure sugar. On other days, it's more like a truckload of twinkies- which is almost the same thing except you actually enjoy it. Check out the video below for You Have Power on Me. Cutesy twee levels are off the charts on that one! 

Also, did you know Soko works with Matthew Gray Gubler from Criminal Minds? I love that guy! They should consider doing an animated music video with his drawings. Best idea ever. 

Why the hell did I not attempt to borrow music from the UP Libraries? Did we even have any? 

Back in high school and elementary, my school library had a pathetic excuse for a music collection. I vividly recall the day I found out we could borrow tapes. I was in the 7th grade at that time and all I wanted to listen to was Blink 182, Greenday, and all those other pop punk bands. The only thing I found in the library that was even remotely close to anything that MTV would play was Ricky Martin! I guess that's what you get for going to a Spanish school. I think they had Christina Aguilera in there too. For the records, I like both those artists. 

[isitloudenough]

Some Kind of Reply

Sorry for the ultra-late reply. Colds left me incapacitated. My head was snot filled. 

Anyway! I finally got to see Some Kind Of Monster! I'm not a Metallica fan but okay, I'll watch this. Hah! Who am I kidding? All you had to do was tell me was that "the band hired a therapist!". HAHA OMG REALLY!?! THAT'S FUCKIN WEIRD! LET'S WATCH! 

1. Who the fuck hires a band therapist and sticks a  camera in the same room!? The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. You don't go into therapy/counseling with your best buds. You just shut up and play nice. Seriously, can you imagine talking to a shrink with your bros cause you can't get along? All you need is a beer. 

2. The therapist move has Corporate Record Label written all over it. Metallica is an investment and they're pulling all the stops to keep the cash cow in check. How nice of them to care. 

The machinery behind Metallica may be an emotionless black hole of capitalism but as long as the fans still love what they hear then it can't be that bad. Just make music. 

3. I'm going to sheepishly raise my hand and admit that I've never listened to a Metallica album in full. I've always enjoyed metal live- and only live. I can't appreciate it any other way. I tried sampling St. Anger today and it said: Love this album! We pumped in so much time, money, and a shrink to get it done! Love it. Love it.

Lars Ulrich deserves a special mention here for being a Danish bad ass. Plus points for a cool dad that speaks rock and roll. If I had  Gandalf for a dad, I'd pressure myself just as much and sue Napster while I'm at it. 

[isitloudenough]

Music From The Melbourne Library

So I've been missing Australia lately for a couple of reasons!

1. Blink 182 in Australia- this is the closest they'll ever get to where I am and it's a dream to go and watch them down under.. Sans Travis though, but it's for sure cheaper than watching em in the states, and the sets are longer as well. 

2. Earl's Meat Pies- Store I found in Angeles city which had the best Aussie meat pies I've had outside of Australia! Damn good pies and sausage rolls. 

3. Telling Nikki about the Melbourne City Library - So Melbourne City Library is THE BEST library I've ever been to. When I was in Australia, I had library cards to three libraries- RMIT University Library, Victoria State Library and Melbourne City Library. RMIT was usually for school-related stuff-printing, typing, internet use, research, etc. State was just a majestic structure. It had an amazing central hall as well as several nice side rooms. People from different universities, as well as office workers from surrounding offices all studied/worked here. I studied here, mostly. It was also a great place to write. 

The city library was all about fun. It had lots of branches around town-one of which was conveniently located ten minutes walking from my apartment. The main branch though, which would have been like ten minutes by tram had the best collection of books, comics, magazines, dvds and music! It felt like I was shopping for everything that I am interested in, for free! Borrowers are entitled to a maximum of thirty items at a time, and I almost always maxed out that limit!

I randomly borrowed movies and CDs from that library, and discovered a lot of gems from those random selections. Here are a couple. 

1. Tiffany Eckhardt 

Tiffany Eckhardt is an Australian singer-songwriter. She's been around since the nineties and has released a lot of albums already. She is very folksy, almost country. She's still actively gigging (I think) and is one of the more respected Australian solo musicians. She started out in open mics and stuff until she slowly but surely made more and more music for more and more people. Check it!

http://www.myspace.com/tiffanyeckhardtmusic/music

2. Soko

I didn't borrow Soko's CD. I borrowed a magazine with her on the cover, and the (cute) girl at the checkout counter (who I swear was hitting on me) (joke lang!!!) told me to listen to her. Sooo I did and was completely blown away at how edgy, and yet honest her music is. She's french but somehow made it big in Australia. I remember Chris and Karol knowing her songs from when they were there! Oh and she directs her own music videos!

3. Sounds Like Sunset 

One of my favorite discoveries in Australia! Discovered through random album listening, like Tiffany Eckhardt. Sounds Like Sunset is a noise-pop, shoegaze sounding band but with really, really good lyrics! They also have a stronger pop sense of melody which is usually not present in other shoegaze bands. They're a Sydney-based band and have released two albums since 2001. I dunno if they still gig, but I would love to watch this band live!

4. Gersey 

Gersey is yet another random album I borrowed from the library. They're a Melbourne-based band which formed in the mid-nineties. There was a time in my stay in Melbourne that I could not sleep, as in I just couldn't even though I was tired. Gersey was my go-to band to fall asleep. As in I would just listen to it on my iPod and I'd slowly fall asleep. This is my favorite track from em. Their sound is a mixture of Coldplay-ish pop sensibilities, spacey arrangements, a sorta shoegaze vibe in heavier parts of their songs and emotive vocals delivering emotional lyrics. Love love love this band! Pang-soundtrack sila!

[isitloudenough]

Appendix to the previous post! Here's Metallica's singer and bassist.. Shopping.. 

[isitloudenough]

Some Kind Of Review

The film Some Kind Of Monster is a documentary about Metallica’s recording sessions for Saint Anger. Saint Anger is their 2003 album which I remember being panned by critics because of “lacking guitar solos and having drums that sounded like trashcans.” Or something like that. Hahaha I remember reading about it in a Guitar World Magazine issue that I bought when I was in the states in 2004. That’s also where I first heard of the film. And now, almost ten years down the road, I finally got to watch it. Note that Metallica has since gotten over the slump that is Saint Anger and are still alive and kicking as I type this. I think they’ve spent around 32 years in the industry already. That’s all sorts of wild for a band that has stuck to a signature sound all career long! They released a really, really good album after Saint Anger called Death Magnetic (2006), were inducted in the rock and roll hall of fame in 2009 and even collaborated with Lou Reed on a whole album!! 

Aside: check out the video off that album, directed by Darren Arronofsky. 

But anywaaaay on to the film. So the film kicks off right after Jason Newsted leaves Metallica cause of excessive head banging (look it up, not joking). The band is in the studio recording and writing for the new album, with longtime producer Bob Rock sitting in on bass duties. A camera crew follows them around for the recording, which most interestingly includes sessions with a shrink called.. Phil (not the doctor but lol right). So anyway the band is increasingly struggling with creativity, relationships within the band and the recent departure of their bassist. The docu presents several of these scenes in the studio, while they are recording. And, while this is great for sort of having a wallflower’s perspective on the planet’s best metal band’s recording process, it’s in the scenes outside of the studio wherein the film gives us a whole new perspective on the band. In fact, the studio scenes aka the recording of the album can be summed up as:

1. They are sad cause Newsted left and they aren’t creative. They end up fighting a lot about the music (Lars calls Hetfield’s riffs “stock” and Hetfield calls Lars’ beats “nothing special”).

2. Shrink sessions. Phil is hilarious. Towards the end, he seems to be under the impression that he’s part of the band. 

3. James Hetfield leaving for a year to go to rehab for alcoholism. Tells no one, suddenly just does not show up. Kirk Hammet, Lars Ulrich and Bob Rock are left doing random things while waiting. 

4. Hetlield returns, but, as part of recovery can only record for four hours a day. Shrink sessions resume. 

5. They start writing some kick ass songs and start believing in each other’s creativity again. 

6. They get a call from MTV, who wants them to be MTV’s Icon of the year or whatever, and tells them it’ll be a perfect chance to introduce a new bass player. 

7. They audition for bassists and choose Robert Trujillo, who formerly played with Ozzy. Ironically, Jason Newsted decides he wants to head bang again and joins Ozzy’s band at around the same time. 

8. They shoot a video and release the album.  Fans love them. Critics hate them. But whatever,rock and roll, Metallica is back. 

So that’s the whole doc. The scenes are cut and shot pretty tight, without the use of any voice overs. We just really hear sound bytes and see several scenes unfold. It’s very expository even in shooting stye and cut, which I think really aided the content. The band, though unwilling to push through with the shooting at certain times, or at least seemed hassled by it all, still eventually allowed the filmmakers to stay on board until the album was released. When the album was released the band eventually stopped filming and the shrink was fired (though the shrink really tried to stay on board until forever. As in he wanted to go on tour with them). 

The more interesting scenes are the ones that show them outside of the studio, which gives us a sneak peak at rock royalty’s lavish lifestyles. I mean fine they’re always angry and dressed in black and depressed or whatever, but damn they’re rich. In one scene Kirk Hammet is shown surfing and riding jet skis around San Francisco bay, and he’s saying how these replaced drugs and alcohol for him. In one scene, Lar Ulrich auctioned out his painting collection, which is worth millions and millions! It’s insane! As he was auctioning em out he looked super stress! Super funny! Pero like damn dude the drummer of metallica likes art! And has loads of art! Labo eh! I guess if anything it humanizes them a bit-they aren’t just metal heads and alcoholics, they’re art loving alcoholics! Haha!

One scene that I really liked was when lars was showing his dad some land that he bought. To put things in perspective so the land of Lars is like a huge ranch in the mountains with a nice view and stuff! But anyway he was talking about he still always sought the approval of his dad, and was always afraid of making him listen to new albums. His dad talked about how metallica changed the face of metal, as in he knew his rock history dude. So yeah Lars eventually made his dad hear the album and his dad didn’t like it.. Much like other critics. 

Oh and more funny rich metal head scenes-Kirk Hammet in his ranch watching his horses gallop around! Kirk is actually the most level-headed in the group. Like he always mediates between James and Lars who both have big egos. He is very soft-spoken actually, which is funny for one of the loudest guitarists in metal’s history. 

One last note. This docu, aside from introducing the band members’ emotional aspect, also makes clear that Metallica is not just a band-it’s a whole business entity. It is supposed to consistently produce new work which has to be at par if not better than the hits of their 30-year catalog and has to sell and earn money for the label, management, etc. It’s a freakin machine. Which makes me wonder-so what’s the machine like for other big bands? Is it as emotionally devoid of purpose as the world’s biggest metal band? How does that affect the members? I mean, it meant substance abuse, rehab and a documentary full of drama for Metallica. What’s it like for say.. Blink? I mean they’re always so happy, always making fart jokes.. But somewhere in there, is there a machine that needs to earn? Is it all a show? 

Here is the trailer:

[isitloudenough]

We're going to keep talking about the Grammys aren't we?

Now you know how Frank Ocean looks like! He sang "Forrest Gump" at the Grammys, a bisexual (or gay?) love song in which he sings, "You run my mind boy".

I actually have no proof for any of these claims regarding his sexuality. I'm getting all my shit from the Internet, the land of gossip. (Today's goosip, tomorrow's news!) I really want him to be gay because the macho gangsta stereotype is annoying.

To answer your concern on Record vs. Song of the year: Song of the Year- Awarded to whoever's mind/s dreamt the song into real world existence.  Record of The Year- Awarded to the team who contributed to the song's recording process- producers, engineers etc. Can you imagine Justin Timberlake without Timbaland, Beatles sans George Martin? 

Never Shuffle. I like that movement. Albums are like stories that need to be read in full. I remember the Discman era-- at that point in my life I knew all my albums like the back of my hand. Sadly, I think I've lost the discipline and the self control to stick to one artist at a time. Itunes makes it too easy to skip tracks.

[isitloudenough]

Grammys!! (The Reply)

So! Four things.

1. I have never listened to a Frank Ocean song, so i have no idea how he sounds like. I've heard his name of course, but like no no idea how he sounds like.

edit- ahhhhh okay now i know who he is! heard this song before. i liiike it!

2. Lol at Esperanza Spalding's wikipedia!

3. WHY IS FUN. NOMINATED FOR BEST NEW ARTIST!? Tagal na nila diba!?

4. Hindi ba medyo reduntant ang best record sa best song?

I honestly don't pay much attention to these awards and stuff. I never do research, before or after the awards, and I don't make it a point to catch the shows. For award shows in general. Maybe I should change that. It's a good pop culture indicator I guess.

Good point on the criteria though. It's such a hard thing to do, to find ways to gauge success really. Talent never equaled succes and success never equaled recognition. But yeah for the world of mass media consumers, I am sure there are business parameters in play, as with anything. 

I don't think people want to buy albums already, and it's sad cause albums are amazing at telling stories. A single just never cuts it for me. I actually like to listen to albums first, then playlists to see how some artists mix well with other artists, and then random songs last. That's why my iTunes is never on shuffle. Walang kuwento pag random. It's turning into the age of the single, for the music business. But I think musicians should still concentrate on the story-telling potential of albums. 

Agree on the collaborations. Here's the most bizzare one yet, for me!

[isitloudenough]

Grammys Post for Grammy Season

Have you seen the nominees for the Grammys? Yeah, I figured you haven't. It's nothing like the Oscars where you excitedly list down every movie nominee for your torrent  viewing list.  But just for the record, I'm betting all my money on Frank Ocean. If he doesn't bag it at least he can say he was named best album in 2012 by practically every music publication in existence.

I've always wondered if the deciding body of the Grammys looks at album sales before they make their decision. In a perfect world, the most talented musician should be able to sell the most number of albums. However, if sales became the basis of the Grammys, Justin Bieber would have beaten Esperanza Spalding in 2011 and we wouldn't get the added entertainment of Belieber Vandalism on Spadling's Wikepedia. 

But here's something I realized. We live in this day and age where no one actually buys records anymore (at least in this side of the world). To be able to sell a lot is a feat in itself deserving some form of recognition (from the Grammys?). Maybe they can call it Best Brainwashing Marketing! (LAME)

Anyway, the only thing I look forward to every year from the Grammys are the performances. If there is a single place on earth where the wildest live mashups can ever be made it, it would mostly like be at the Grammys (or in my dreams). Here's Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Elvis Costello, Steve Van Zandt, and Tony Kanal performing London Calling in 2003. And yes I would still post this even if Dave Grohl wasn't in it. 

This one is filled with unexplainable WTFcukery. It's like collab vomit. I don't actually like this. It's just so bad that it needs to be pointed out. 

[isitloudenough]

http://wideeyedrecordsmanilashop.bigcartel.com/

Hello C, 

Speaking of Ang Bandang Shirley albums, I just found out that you can buy the latest one online- with shipping! (see link above) If I’m understanding this correctly, the physical album is supposed to appear on my doorstep for an extra fee of Php.100.00. I’m going to hijack my brother’s paypal account and I’ll let you know if it lands in my hands (and not my inbox).  I’ve always had my fingers crossed for this band, hoping they won’t fade away into obscurity. They aren’t complicated, show-offy, or in-your-face to get you to listen to them. If I were to give you an example of a band that paced their success with grace, I’d probably say Shirley. 

Please bug me constantly to get the new album.