Song of the Day

So rumor has it Phish will return next fall 2006. Let's hope they can maybe practice and stay off drugs. Here's a kickass weekapaug from 12.31.95 back when they remembered words/music and were seemingly flawless. Could it ever be this good again?

The pic above I took from my seat at lakewood 2003.


"Weekapaug Groove" aiff, Phish 12/31/95

**The "aiff" is compatible with iTunes

Morgan Geist- "Unclassics" (2004)

"Go On And Do It" mp3, Victor

This disc is amazing! The review from stylus magazine below couldn't sum it up any better. Check out the track above as well...


If the name Pierre Perpall doesn’t ring a bell, don’t be alarmed. Lacking any recognition outside disco-electro junkie circles, Perpall is a virtual unknown even to the most comprehensive music guides—in essence, Perpall has been all but forgotten. But not for much longer. With his new mix-cd, Environ label owner and Metro Area superstar Morgan Geist has reissued a collection of lost synth-pop, italo-disco and electro funk under the title of Unclassics. Eight months after releasing the last of three eye-opening Unclassic singles, this LP compilation lives up to all the sonic mayhem and also reveals how Geist’s work with Metro Area branches out from these lost classics.

Pierre Perpall (more commonly known as Purple Flash) is a great starting point for this compilation. As a Canadian whose mini Disco hit “We Can Make It” was a couple years (and time zones) too late to be more popular, Unclassics gives the song’s shimmering exterior and the varied percussion new life. The sleek synths of “We Can Make It” straddle the strange and subtle line between too-sweet r’n’b and unnerving melancholy. Perpall’s other contribution to Unclassics is production work on the rare italo-electro cut, Pluton and Humanoids’ “World Invaders.” Although the original 12” can be found on e-bay selling for hundreds of dollars, “World Invaders” is one of the undeniable centerpieces to Unclassics. The song sounds like a fleet of androids racing and screaming toward the future, underpinned by a churning disco beat.

Although these songs are not perfect, there’s a certain sense of playfulness that is all too accurately described by the title “unclassic”. This is a collection of songs that haven’t been held to the scrutiny of canonization and therein sound refreshingly sweet—not hindered down by their own importance. Alexander Robotnick, for instance, was last found on the excellent Italo-Electro-Disco collection I-Robots released earlier this year, but his contribution to Victor’s “Go On Do It” finds a song that is both cheeky with the tale of a guy “looking for a woman with tits and ass” and has an uncanny 80s pop sensibility that probably has Richard X eying from afar, muted electronic cowbells and all. Such flourishes and catchiness litter the mix, from Margueritas’ “Margeherita (Hot Edit)”’s mariachi horn section and cartoonish one-finger synth line to Gaz Nevada’s “Special Agent Man (Female Version)” surreal lyrics and dub feel. In a lot of ways, this sounds like a mix-CD made for the closet-popist—excessive, but nonetheless overwhelmingly charming.

Disco’s untimely demise swept these songs to the wayside, but when brought together as a compilation, Geist reveals how much is left to be uncovered. A summation of a few years of Geist’s obsessive record-digging, Unclassics feels like a beginning for any other producer or DJ to start the process of reclaiming the lost classics of a genre that is nowadays largely ignored.

Velvet Pants Vol. 1-- The Big Snow

I had a few different ideas for my Xmas gift Velvet Pants style. I wanted to throw together something that was holiday compatible yet a notch up from festive. At first, I was going to throw together all Christmas related tracks and set aside genre, etc. That didn't work out so basically what I've put together is 12 tracks that are compatible with any holiday related function, social or non-social. Although not 100% x-mas oriented, this disc works well turned up real loud or down real low. Please send me your address at wes.whitten@gmail.com and I'll drop it in the mail before the ice melts. Merry Chrimakwanzikah.

Here's the track listing:

1. La Femme D’argent-Air
2. Dust- Recloose (feat. Joe Dukie)
3. The Joker (feat. Bootsy)-Fatboy Slim
4. Multiply- Jamie Lidell
5. Emergency on Planet Earth-Jamiroquai
6. Business before Pleasure-Group Sounds
7. Try it Out- Gino Soccio
8. Action Tape 1- NOM (Aim Madscope Mix)
9. Missing- Beck
10. Cachaca- Soulive
11. In My Arms- Mylo
12. My Favorite Things- Andre 3000


~WW

Best Touring Band Ever

Ahh, let's see where to start with this band. Throughout my personal evolution of musical interests, I can't deny that I spent a large part of my time dedicated to enjoying (and following) Phish. I don't listen to them really at all now which is probably the result of lackluster performances for the entire year of 2004 and realizing how downhill their music went after they came back from hiatus (with the exception of a few here and there), not to mention there's toonnnns of music out there to be heard. In addition, it seemed crowds were getting worse and worse, and it became more of a drug infested wook party and less and less about the music. After reading the recent interview with Trey regarding the crowds/scene, drugs infiltrated the stage as well (apparently hard core since 98) and maybe that's why they threw in the towel. The 04' Vegas shows were all terrible. Stories I heard of trey being carried out at 7am in the Mandalay Bay lobby due to excess heroin may as well be the best excuse for any rock musician. "I was too fucked up". Trey is sober now and is loving life once again on his solo pedestal orchestrating anything he wants while weeping morons lap it all up. As Phish created the 'jamband' scene, it also seems they have layed it to rest. I mean let's be honest, the only reason most jambands were started were to land a gig at an after-show on some random Phish tour and be known as 'the band like phish'. Of course I guess noodling wooks have to follow someone around the country and sell grilled cheeses, so you could pick moe., widespread panic, string cheese, phil lesh, or any similar psychadelic option. They are all the same! However jaded the scene and music may have gotten (along with my current opinion), I won't deny that I have had some of the best times and seen different parts of the country all only for one reason.

~WW


PS-- My apologies for lack of posts, but stay tuned. I'm also planning on throwing together some sort of X-mas mix to send out as my gift to the world...

Song of the Day--"70s 80s", Nightmares on Wax (feat. Lee Kenny)

"70s 80s" mp3, Nightmares on Wax (feat. Lee Kenny)

This one's for you Perry...

"Saw II"--Rating: 8 out of 10

From what I understand, the purpose to a horror sequel is to create bigger and better things than what the original brought you and also manage to maintain the same level of the unknown to keep the viewer interested without over doing it. I can't begin to tell how wonderfully Saw II acheives this goal. For those who haven't seen the original, Saw is about a "Jigsaw Killer" who places his subjects in situations or "games" where you have to choose life or death at a pretty hefty price. His subjects are those who have lived lives either in sin, betrayal, addicted to drugs, adulterers, thieves, etc. As long as you're doing something wrong on a day to day basis, you're probably going to be a prime target for his games. You *can* win the game and win life along with your freedom, as long as you play by the rules.

From the opening scene, Saw II immediately delivers what the audience felt at the final scene in the original. And that's not the only time. The intensity level in this movie is definitely high not to mention extremely gory. There was never a slow or dull moment and the games kept coming. Of course, there's always clues for the audience to guess what's coming next, but similar to the first, I never anticipated the ending. The psychological aspect of the film really creates a new level of a horror/thriller film that certainly has set the bar for the future. The beauty about this film is the layout wasn't 100% different from the first. They were *very* similar in a lot of aspects yet delivered an overall completely different scenario. I'm sure they had about 10x the budget they had from the first, but I couldn't tell. Bottom line: if you're into this kind of shit, go see it now.

~WW

Song of the Day--"Analog Rhythm"

A pal of mine from high school sent this to me today. Thought I'd share it...

"Analog Rhythm" m4p, Funky Bottoms

What you talkin' bout Del Rio?

Someone please tell me that Byron Leftwich doesn't look like a double-stacked Gary Coleman....these dudes have to be long lost cousins or something.

Song of the Day--"Cachaca"

"Cachaca" m4p, Soulive

Soulive's latest album, "Breakout" is yet another installment by the funk/jazz/soul band that really is flawless. Every album they release highlights a different area of their talent and collectively are hard to compare. They continue to set the bar at the next level and always manage to deliver both in the studio & on the stage.

Enjoy

~WW

Song of the Day

Something new I'm going to do for a while is song of the day. Instead of me writing some 5 paragraph write up every time I post a track, I'm just going to post a mp3/m4a and a pic and be done with it. More to come on that front. In the meantime, here's what I was doing the first 6 months of the year...

5-0 baby

Finally! Well after seasons of NCAA hazing, a couple seasons battling the injury report, and coughing up every decent matchup for the past 3 years, we finally stepped up to the plate and won the big game. Our team was healthy and knew that with this win, we could beat anyone. Or I guess at the very least, have the competitve confidence before every game for the rest of the season. We're notorious for playing inconsistent and I can't tell you how happy I am that we looked like shit last week versus Arkansas. So if history repeats, we'll probably look like a middle school marching band in two weeks at Ole Miss.

The one question I have for Mike Shula is why the hell was he playing the first team with under 9 minutes to go in the game when we were up 31-3? Losing Tyrone Prothro for the rest of the season is a big blow to the gut and definitely cancels out the competitve edge that he brought to the field every week. I've read some articles today and apparently his excuse was, "Well you saw the LSU/Tenn game earlier this week didn't you?" Bullshit. Admit you were wrong Shula. Horrible mistake that hopefully will not hurt us as bad as I'm thinking it might. The only twig I wanted to see snapped yesterday was Chris Leak's, not our star player.

Anyways, great start to the rest of the year, which includes Tennessee, LSU, and Auburn, all who should give us a game. The Falcons just won too. Boo hey!

Roll Tide....

~WW

"Crash" Rating: 7.5 out of 10

***IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE DON'T READ THIS****

I've been wanting to see this movie since it was in the theaters and finally got a chance to sit down and watch it this past weekend. I really didn't know what it was about before I watched it, but I knew that it was comparable to a "Magnolia" type flick with a different approach to character integration. The overall issue that was discussed in every scene was race and racism in the US today. It wasn't just about black & white, but addressed racism as a whole whether you're black, white, persian, mexican, spanish, arab, or indian. However redundant this topic may seem, "Crash" actually took the issue a step further. It didn't just address the fact the racism and stereotypes exists in particular areas but then threw in the actualities of these stereotypes (case in point Ludacris bitching about racism and then hijacking a car). The point that was being made was that yes, there are stereotypes and racism in the US, BUT the sad part is that half of the time, those stereotypes are accurate. So then why are the innocent victimized? Is it because they are immediately labeled as a gangbanger or a thief or a honkey cracker? "Crash" led you through the lives of many different people with many different backgrounds, integrated their wrongdoings in life and followed them as they all managed to right their wrongs. Of course, there was a little twist in the storyline as well. The movie's way of bringing you into the character's consicious and also the human will to make things good actually brought sympathy from the viewer even for the seemingly bad guys of the film. Strange twists of fate and irony also led you to believe that the decisions you make in life always seem to follow you no matter where you go. I can't say I completely disagree with that statement.

Definitely one of the best dramas I've seen in a while and worth the rent.

~WW

Give a Monkey a Brain and he'll swear he's the center of the Universe

"Properties of Propaganda" mp3, Fishbone

"Everyday Sunshine" m4p, Fishbone

I was going through some of my old CD cases a few days ago and first of all, I was amazed I used to lug all that shit around in my ride. Good thing I used to have a SUV or I wouldn't of had enough room to fit all the damn CD cases. Ahh, the sweet sweet iPod. Anyways, as I was looking through the wide variety of music that had accumulated over the years, mixed in with mostly garbage were a few random discs that I used to love and listen to all the time. Some dated waaay back to even middle school. Severely scratched and completely unlistenable, I went to the iTunes music store and downloaded some of the old memories. One of the random-ass acts I used to always listen to (especially the album above) was Fishbone. I really don't even remember how I ended up with a few Fishbone discs, but it was fun to go back and listen to some of the tracks. I would describe Fishbone as a ska slash hardcore rock band with a horns section. The lead singer, Angelo Moore, enjoys headbanging onstage with a pencil thin braided mohawk while occasionally dabbling in the mosh pit.

Of course, around the same time I was listening to this disc all the time, I was also listening to Pantera, Gwar, Front 242, Rage against the Machine, The Ramones, Alice in Chains, and Megadeth so basically I just wanted to give you a sneak peek into the evolution of my dome, musically.

~WW

Scratch Perverts tracks...

here's a few tracks I promised off fabriclive.22...enjoy

"I'll be surprised" m4a, Skinnyman

"Fame & Money" m4a, The Booty Bouncers

damn that disc rules!!!!

Sumosonic 40 (Heavy)

"Quiet N Dayglo" m4a, Am


Another CD club I recently joined was the free cds offered by heavy.com. A buddy of mine told me about this and you pay $5 a month for shipping, and you get a cd every month of about 20 tracks. The first one I got had everything from pop to indie pop to hip hop to alt to house. I had heard of about 30% of the featured artists and enjoyed hearing some new talent that's out there. You can go to www.heavy.com/freeoffer (I'm pretty sure that's it) and sign up from there. The m4a tracks I'm featuring today (again, sorry about the format but if you've got iTunes you're set) are off the latest installment from heavy. The first one "Quiet n Dayglo" by the group Am sounds a hell of lot like the Pixies to me. The second track is a little different as Hard-Fi serves up the first wave-esque 6 minute track that claims "we can fight" which surely means only on the dance floor. Enjoy

"Middle Eastern Holiday (Chicken Lips Vocal Mix)", m4a, Hard-Fi

FABRICLIVE.22-- Scratch Perverts

Track Listing:

1 Scratch Perverts & Dynamite MC - Come Get It
2 Ty Ft. Kwadjo From Beyond The Stars & Michelle Escoffery - Ha Ha
3 Masta Ace Inc. - Born To Roll
4 Skinnyman - I’ll Be Surprised
5 Roots Manuva - Witness [Walworth Road Rocker’s Dub]
6 The Roots - Guns Are Drawn
7 Mr Scruff - Ug Beats
8 Die & Skitz Ft. MC D, K'Ners, Dynamite MC - Go In Full Cycle
9 The Perceptionists Ft. Guru - Party Hard
10 Dilated Peoples Ft. Kanye West - This Way
11 Foreign Beggars Ft. DVS & Skinnyman - Hold On
12 Booty Bouncers (Deekline And Wizard) Ft. Wunda, Wiley, Skinnyman - Fame and Money
13 Scratch Perverts - Face Smacker
14 Dead Prez - Hip Hop
15 Scratch Perverts - Stand By
16 DJ Shadow Ft. Roots Manuva - G.D.M.F.S.O.B. [UNKLE Uncensored Mix]
17 Alter Ego - Rocker
18 Ian Brown - Time Is My Everything [Scratch Perverts Vocal Mix]
19 Radiohead - The National Anthem
20 Nightbreed - Pack Of Wolves [Pendulum Remix]
21 Ed Rush & Optical - Get Ill
22 Clipz - Slippery Slope
23 DJ Phantasy, Shodan & UK Apache - Gimme Da Gal
24 Pendulum - Another Planet
25 Baron - A Modern Way V.I.P.


About 8 months ago, I became a monthly cd club member to the fabric night club out of london. Fabric releases 2 cds a month, one live and one studio. The club constantly gets an array of different DJs to come through, always keeping the styles and genres different on every monthly feature. I would HIGHLY recommend checking out their website
here and becoming a member if you're interesting in getting something new in the mail every month. I think it's like $15 a month.

I digress. The reason I featured this fabric installment is that since I've joined the cd club, this has by far been my favorite. Keep in mind there are have only been a select few fabric installments that feature hip-hop as the title genre. I could go on for hours if I were to bring up Craig Richards, Plump Djs, James Lavelle, or Bugz in the Attic. Every selection on fabriclive.22 fits perfectly. This is some scoop I found on their background:

MUSICAL ROOTS
Prime Cuts: “In our teenage years we were hip hop purists. From there you realise that a lot of stuff in hip hop samples other records, you become curious and want to find out about the records that are being sampled. That opens up a whole world of funk and jazz. You start getting into the history of black music and trying to learn about it. Through hip hop we all got into a huge amount of music.”
Prime Cuts: “We all had different paths into DJing. I originally got into scratching and got into DJing in clubs around my area. Tony was more in his bedroom as a ‘battle DJ’ and got into DJing in clubs after winning a couple of battles. I was more of a club DJ who then got into battling. Niall was a record collector from the age of about 11, always buying hip hop from way back.”

I'm having trouble with the mp3s, so in the mean time go check out the website. I'll post the songs asap...

Are you ready for some football?

In a short two weeks, it's that time of year. And now that I've moved 2 hours closer to my alma mater, I felt obligated to post a pre-season thought or two. Let me start by saying that all college pre-season rankings are complete bullshit. Aside from maybe the top two or three teams, it will undoubtedly have significant change within the first month. I remember back in my college days when the tide was pre-season ranked #2 and we ended up going 3-8. sweet. Who the hell were the experts that pre-season? They obviously didn't take into factor simple things such as coaching, which, I probably could've gone out there and done a better job despite the fact I was at the Booth most of the time. Self-cancellation on all responsibility during the middle of the week in college was always called for. Damn drink specials. Anyways, it's definitely safe to say that Saturday afternoons are about to get a lot more entertaining. and sundays for that matter. go damn coons. A good pal decided to purchase the booth in T-town and has completely turned the bar around into a class-skipping haven for tiders to drop all of their parents loot at before any other bar on the strip. Dare I say starting spot for the Fall? The tide's schedule this year at home includes arkansas, tennessee, florida, lsu, and southern miss. Hell yeah!! Unfortuantely, I may have to make a trek or two down to auburn (the wife) for ga tech and more importantly, the iron bowl in November. Anyways, no reaon for the post but T minus 12 days and it's on...

ROLL TIDE!!!!!!!!!!

Words to the Wise

Hey if there's something I've posted which is now expired just shoot me an email and I'll be glad to get it to you. I've gotten a bunch of emails of people asking me where they can get expired tracks so, just send me an email!

WW

You're a star, a shining star

"Sound Experience" mp3, J.P. Walk

The first time I saw this film, I went to a place in Atlanta called Buckhead Backlot. Buckhead Backlot was a movie joint that shows films as well as serves food & beer. The combo watering hole crossed with new releases was always a good place to start the night. In 1997, a group of friends and myself decided to hit Buckhead Backlot to check out Boogie Nights. 3 hours later and 8 pitchers (+/-) deep, I left faced and greatly entertained. Putting this flick into the category of "must watch over and over again", I seem to always pick up on something different every time I watch it. I used to jizz in my gym shorts to Heather Graham when she played Mercedes Lane in the film "License to Drive" but boy was I in for a surprise with butt-ass naked roller girl. Waay too many one-liners in this film to put on paper. The soundtracks for Boogie Nights are definitely must haves. Back in my Chi-days, we actually threw a "Boogie Nights" party and had a blast. There ain't nothing like dressing up in ghetto 70's getup, complete with tattoo's and gold chains that leave green stains. Here's a shot from that night:


Anyway, the song I'm posting today is the funky ass theme from Brock Landers and Chest Rockwell. This shit is so funky it will make your breath stink. Enjoy.

Who is the Masta?

When I say, "Who is the Masta?"...You say "SHOONUFF!!!"

"The Last Dragon" mp3, Dwight David

The trailer can be seen here

Cult Classics Part I

I'm going to be posting a variety of film reviews whether they are old, new, or just one of the classics. "The Last Dragon" happens to be a cult classic of the 80's that is always easy to watch over and over again. Leeroy Green plays a naive kung fu rookie on a "mission" to find the Masta. Before he finds the Masta, he has to overcome a few obstacles:

Vanity- a horny ass bimbo club owner who DJs at a cheesy danceclub and uses lines such as "you sure look like a masta to me"

Shonuff- who plays the badass leader of a kung fu gang with a froey ass funky do with electric-red leather getup and throughout the film terrorizes family owned pizza joints

Eddie Arcadian-a short, fat, bald, ill-tempered a-hole with a loopy Cyndi Lauper wanna be girlfriend who wears red lights as a bra. Oh yeah, and a bonehead body guard with the IQ of my shoelace.

Now let me ask you one question, Could you think of a better cast????

There's nothing better than developing characters from heavy drugs & alcohol which is clearly evident by this ensemble. Anyway, I digress. As epic as this movie is and as often as you might see it on USA or TNT, would you even consider this soundtrack being worth a shit? Probably not. Well, Stevie Wonder, Dwight David, Willie Hutch, Vanity, and Smokey Robinson all decided to be a part of the production. A good comparison: it's kinda like when Michael Jackson agreed to sing backup on that Rockwell one hit wonder, "Somebody's watching me". No idea how it happened, but it did, and the result was impressive.

The installment for the day is the song by Dwight David, "The Last Dragon". For all who have seen the movie, it's the scene at the end of the film when Leeroy faces off with Shonuff and realizes who the Masta really is. However cheesy the lyrics may be, the track is definitely highlighted with the funky bass lines, horns section, and Dwight David's soulful addition. I actually had a hard time decided which song to post, I wanted to post Willie Hutch's "The Glow" and may still do so. Funky 80s rap. dig it.

Air

"Surfing on a Rocket" mp3

"la femme d'argent" mp3

A friend of mine in Chicago had a great opportunity to interview Air, the two dudes you see to the left. You may be able to find the interview on chicagoinnerview.com by Spencer Lokken. Air, a french duo (the band actually has 5 members) brings a different approach to production which is clearly evident on all of their work. They produced the soundtrack from the movie "Virgin Suicides" (kirsten dunst) and also have a handful of studio albums. This was yet another band I was introduced to in Chicago and got a chance to check them out at the Riviera before my departure. I had listened to Talkie Walkie (their latest album) and a little of Moon Safari but that was about it. Their live performance was definitely something I'd never seen before but was exactly what I wanted that night.

Here's a great review I found:

Ever since the launch of their now seminal classic album "Moon Safari" in 1998, the French duo of JB Dunckel and Nicolas Godin have traveled in a long arching orbit above the musical universe, occasionally stopping off on a neighboring planet to observe the earth from a critical distance.

Now, two years after the ‘dark side of the Moon Safari’ that was "10,000 Hz. Legend", Air return to earth with a spine-tingling collection of cinematic pop songs entitled "Talkie Walkie", a reference to Dunckel and Godin’s unspoken communication during the recording process.

Recorded in Paris and completed in Los Angeles in June with Radiohead and Beck collaborator Nigel Godrich at the controls for the final mixdown, "Talkie Walkie" shows a band very much on a forward path, smashing expectations while still delivering on their every promise.

Probably the most intimate and personal album of their careers, Air seem to have shone a light through the prism of their recorded catalog to create a musical tapestry that might at times recall the elegant bounce of "Moon Safari", the somber ache of "The Virgin Suicides" and the futuristic hum of "10,000 Hz. Legend" yet still pulling us into the vortex of their creative vision - and this time they’ve got hooks to spare!

The album ends with the melancholy "Alone In Kyoto", which Air also contributed to Sofia Coppola’s most current film, the critically acclaimed "Lost In Translation".

"Surfing on a Rocket" is off the Talkie Walkie album and also has been featured on Nissan commercials. The other track I uploaded was "la femme d'argent" which is off Moon Safari and is a personal fav of mine. Enjoy...

Metro Area

"Inspiration of Lust" m4a

I actually got a chance to see these guys (Morgan Geist and Darshan Jesrani) spin at SmartBar in Chicago before I moved away. The mp3 I am posting today is the full 80 minute set from the night the chi crew went to SmartBar and banged our heads. The disc I had this on was lost but after two moves and an assortment of scratches, I found the disc and immediately put it on my cpu. For those who haven't heard Metro Area, here's an idea of what's in store...

Metro Area brings back the soulful experimentation of early club classics, mixing live and electronic instruments. Simultaneously, the mood and minimalism of more recent dance music forms creep into the mix: Detroit's cold futurism, Chicago's abstract track-modes, and the warmth of New York and New Jersey's deep house.

I didn't feature Metro Area's album Dance Reaction on here but if you haven't heard this, get it!!! Every time I put that disc in (and Fabric 1-Craig Richards), I immediately think of the great nights I had in Chicago. I promise if you put on either Inspiration of Lust or Dance Reaction at your next get together, people will end up breakdancing on your coffee table. I've woken up many a mornings with severe neck pains all thanks to either of those discs.

A side note: the file I uploaded is a m4a file, which is the file used to play on your iTunes. I'm not sure how to transfer to a mp3 file, so if anyone knows please let me know and I'll re post the set. Otherwise, if you have iTunes you should be able to play it.

Beck- Guero

"Missing" mp3

It's a little harder in the digital electronic era (today) to truly measure an artist's evolution. With the internet having such a large presence in music distribution, it's a lot easier to get a hold of the latest hit or maybe some track from a few years ago that you haven't heard in a while. After the iPOD hit the market, I honestly stopped using Compact Discs unless I'm burning a data disc to transfer music from a buddy's iPOD to my own. The reason I bring this up is it seems that it's getting more and more difficult for artists to relay their album in its entirety to their listeners. Back in the day before the internet, most of the time you had to buy the entire album and you really didn't have a choice but to listen to the whole thing. Keep in mind, I'm excluding hard core music fans and superfans to any particular musician or band. There are too many loopholes in the marketplace and if you only want to pay $1 for that one track or even download it somewhere illegally for free, you can do it. I always try to listen to full discs a couple times even if a few tracks aren't so compelling. It's kind of the 'preciate cha' you're giving the musician.

Every once in a while you'll find a diamond in the rough. To qualify for this catergory, every single track (or at least all except 1) on the artist's release must be a somewhat memorable track. How easy is it to put in Pearl Jam- "Ten", The Beatles- "Abbey Road", or Beastie Boys, "Check Your Head" and comfortably listen to the whole album in its entirety?

Beck's latest album "Guero" has by far been my most listened to disc the past few months. It's completely different from his previous albums and his approach this go round definitely doesn't sound like a lot that's out there. All of the tracks feature originality yet the complete album blends together with the mysterious, spanish-like tone and offers a variety of styles and sing-a-longs. The track I've featured above is currently my favorite but I'm sure next week it will be another one off the release.

"The Wedding Crashers"- Rating: 6 out of 10

Since this is my first movie review, I'd like to preface the review and let everyone know that I always rate movies on a scale 1-10, 10 being caddyshack and 1 being caddyshack 2. Also, since some of my reviews *may* contain spoilers, if you haven't seen it, you may want to wait if you're dying to head to the theaters. If you don't care regardless, read on...

After all of the surrounding hype regarding this movie, I had to drag myself out to see it. I was actually looking forward to it, expecting another Old School or Bad Santa. The two Co-Stars of the film being the Frat Pack all stars at the moment, my expectations were high. I knew I wouldn't care two shits about any story, etc., I was just ready to have side-splitting nonsense about 2 dudes maowing box non-stop during wedding season. That's what I got, *most* of the movie. The movie had a lot of great one-liners and also a good amount of random, not-so funny jokes. I read another review that mentioned that the majority of the film was unscripted (as to the dialogues between wilson and vaughn) and it seemed that any random thought that Vince Vaughn would have was immediately sent to print. That worked both ways good & bad, in my opinion. After a handful of humor and almost 90 minutes into the film, I was hurting. I hadn't laughed in 30 minutes and I was waiting for the movie to end. Then, guest appearance by Will Ferrell (chas). Great move, may have saved the film. Ferrell plays super crasher Chas who has stepped it up a notch by bringing Funerals into the crashing equation. Almost near end, it woke me up enough to gander a few more laughs. Dropping F-Bombs at his mom and demanding meat loaf may have been the best scene in the movie. Overall, every scene definitely wasn't memorable, but enough for a few laughs and good one-liners. It probably wouldn't be a big deal if you waiting for DVD on this one.


Here are a few reviews I made over the past month for a handful of flicks.

"War of the Worlds"--
Rating: 5



Am I the only one that's sick of T-Cruise? Fuck this guy. The fucker slides around in his grippers 20 years ago and now chicks keel over when they see his 4'9" ass. He's part of some elitest religion that requires any member to have a $200 million minimum net worth in order to become initiated into the celebrity church. It seems too convenient that he managed to abuse Matt Lauer about useless rhetoric days before the release of his summer blockbuster. He's also managed to make Oprah cum on herself and sling a 5 carat rock to hotass he's known for 7 weeks. However coincidental that may
be, I still doubt the bulk to the breast. Don't piss on my leg and call it rain, T-Cruise. Anywho, I digress.

Right off the bat, Speilberg made a HUGE mistake by casting T-Cruise. Maybe they plug each other because I can't forsee any superstar director-movie maker casting someone like T-Cruise to play a lower to middle class construction worker. For god sakes it looks like he's got Da Vinci Veneers. What kind of crane controller has got a grill that you can see your reflection
in? Those dirtbags are supposed to have grills that could butter a whole loaf of bread. Moving on, the movie is exactly like
the original and lacks depth, plot, and point. Aliens just cruise around mauling peeps and then it ends. I won't even comment on Tim Robbins character which was seemingly the only way Speilberg could attempt to add some sort of meat to the heart of the film. If you are amazed by special effects or worship T-Cruises tired ass dome, feel free to enjoy 2 hours of just that.


"Hostage"--
Rating: 8




I don't hand out 8's and I was just trying to place the last film that I gave an 8 and I can't remember. Jim and I always talk about how they don't ever make movies like they use to. I didn't go see hostage in the theater because I thought maybe Bruce Willis had gotten old and in the way and this maybe was a half ass attempt to measure up to the Die Hard or Hudson Hawk(just kidding) days. I was wrong. From start to finish this was an overall very entertaining flick. Several Story lines, wide variety of characters, and a continuously guessing audience as to the ending. Bruce didn't say Yippie Kay-Yay Mother Fucker or anything but definitely worth the rent.


"Assault on Precient 13"--
Rating: 6.5



I ususally give average movies a 6, but I'll throw in another .5 for effort on this film. Do you think Ethan Hawke wants to be a cop? I bet he makes Pee-Wee Herman look like Mickey Mouse when he reads any script about a cop role. I'm not 100% convinced on his acting skills, but I like Lawrence Fishburne and the other dude (can't remember his name) that played the first suspect as Kaiser Sosze in Usual Suspects. They iced the hot bitch half way through the film, poor choice. I'm sure Ja Rule had a tough time at the casting call when he had to try out for the part as the "Imprisoned Gangbanger Criminal". Surprise appearance by Brian Dennehey, I think the last time I saw that dude it was in F/X 2. The ending was severely predictable and the last scene somehow ended up in a forest (the entire movie was in downtown Detroit) which I had trouble understanding.

"White Noise"--
Rating: 2



This whole movie revolved around a supposed real life theory called EVP. Electronic Voice Phenomenon is when dead fuckers communicate with the living over the radio waves or through a fuzzy television set. First appearance by Michael Keaton since multiplicity or Batman 15 years ago. Jesus, has he been picky about scripts or was he this desperate? This shit was awful. This whole movie was about dudes sitting in front or TVs and radios and thinking their croaked loved ones were trying to help them save other peoples lives of people that haven't died yet. Did that make sense? Didn't think so. So basically fuzzy reception of Alex Trebek or shitty reception of rick & bubba is really your dead grandmother summoning you to play superwoman and become the town hero. Then all of a sudden the movie turns into your typical ghost killing flick and thankfully ends abrubtly. If there's a gun to your head, don't watch this movie. I'd rather enjoy a 4 hour round of russian roulette than sit through this movie again. Hit the showers, Keaton.


"National Treasure"
Rating: 5



I really couldn't tell you about the fist 10 minutes of this movie because all I was thinking about was Neher when he ordered this at the bachelor party back in March. I wonder if he had his bowl of cereal and pajama bottoms when he ordered it? Not really a lot to talk about here, Nicolas Cage once again took an at best average role and ran around searching for lost
treasures that our four fathers hid for 200 years. Apparently no one for 200 years could ever figure out the clues and find the
treasure but the second Cage finds a clue, he recites a 5 page thesis that of course, takes him to the next clue. Yawn. The chick wasn't that hot either and there was waaay too much comic relief that wasn't funny. I really thought that the script was written by Barney or a Teletubbie. Nicolas Cage is a super cheese dick and aside from "Leaving Las Vegas", I'm really having trouble believing this guy is related to a coppola.


"Batman Begins"
Rating: 8



No shit, another 8. This movie was awesome. Directed by the same dude that did "Memento", BB got completely away from the past cheesy DC Comic characters/villans. Tim Burton did a great job directing the first two but BB remained unique and provided its own darkness and mystery that never went past any boundaries. Perfectly casted: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Katie Holmes and Michael Caine all did great jobs and there was just enough about everything you would
except to make this an all around good movie. Oh and you remember that old ass flick "The Hitcher" about that hitchhiker terrorizing the kid(Soulman) driving home? He was in it too. It also seems like they wanted to end it with the possibilities of a sequel. As long as they don't resurrect arnold's iceman, I'm happy. I'm also having trouble remembering the last 10 minutes of the movie due to Katie Holme's nip-shot through the white silk shirt she was wearing. I'm talking full pepporoni's. I'm already searching for the DVD marked box so I can watch "American Psycho" just to relive a few old times. Patrick Bateman is the man.

Long live the classics

Eazy-E, Radio mp3

Before Kayne rode tricycles, Usher knew how to poo-poo in the potty, and even before Puffy hit puberty, there was once Eazy-E. During the NWA era, the track I've featured today is off Eazy's first solo album, Eazy Duz It. There are hundreds of different types and styles of rap/hip-hop these days, you could spend hours on end trying to decipher exactly what the roots and influences that one particular artist may have grown up listening to. Well in the late 80s, all you had was a couple brotha's and 3 jewish dudes. Simple, mainly free form rap over simple bass lines and beats. That's all it took. Dr. Dre, NWA, Tupac, and I'll even throw in Snoop. I've not met one person that doesn't have The Chronic or Doggstyle. I'm actually a pretty big fan of a lot of different hip-hop that's out there today, but every once in a while you've got to throw the oldies but goodies that we all know by heart. Also, apparently Eazy-E fathered 7 children with 6 different women, so I guess he managed to pass just a little of his legacy.

--Wes

Never had one lesson

Flowerpot Men--"Beat City"

Summertime in Chicago is hands down the best city in America. Forget the humidity free, perfect weather for 3 months, but with all of the music, food, and plethora of street side events and activities to take advantage of, there's absolutely no way you can get board. I was able to enjoy a couple summers living in Chicago and it literally is like one big party every day. That being said, it's safe to say Chicagoans are going to lap up every freakin' milisecond they get during summer because during the other 8 months out of the year, the city is a polar icebox. Frozen boogers, ice everywhere, it even gets too cold to snow. I won't even bring up lake effect or wind chill. All things mentioned, if I was in high school and the forecast for one day in the middle of April was supposed to 75/sunny, I'd be fucking skipping school in a heartbeat!!!!

Ferris Bueller's Day Off is probably one of most memorable movies in the 80's that really had absolutely no point. Some kid skips school, drives his best friend's dad's ferrari, and gets chased around by Ed Rooney and sings in a parade. unreal. How the hell did this movie get funded? And on that note, why haven't movies like this one been funded since? It seems like they never make em' like they use to but I guess that's a different topic. Anywho, everyone remembers the scene where Cameron and Ferris pick up Sloan from school and they head downtown? Everyone remember's the "I love it when you, vroom, vroom!!" Yes, that's the link above. Memory lane rocks, enjoy the Flowerpot Men. You didn't think I'd miss out on a post today did you? What country do you think this is?

Raggasonic--Self Title Debut (1995)

"Original mp3"

Over the past 8 months, I've been on a serious Reggae kick. Pretty much anything near the genre I'll give it a shot. Whether it's drum & bass, dubs, roots reggae, or reggae rock, I want it. I've found a handful of kick ass albums while on my search. The Abyssnians, Dub Trees, Dub Specialists, Dub Syndicate, 17 dub shots from Studio one, and an old Bob Marley B-sides dub album that is amazing. Last but not least, Raggasonic. The album I have is the band debut, with many great tracks. Take a listen to the mp3 link above and enjoy.

Here's the track listing:

Les riches
Original featuring Desmond
J'entends parler
No money no friend
Kisder
Mythos
Aiguisé comme une lame featuring NTM
Poussière d'ange
Ainsi va la vie
Bleu Blanc Rouge
Légalisez la ganja
International featuring Desmond & Leaf-Nuts

This Bud's for you

The Rubinoo's,"Revenge of the Nerds"

For those who didn't know, I'm currently living in Birmingham and have just started a new job. It's strange because it seems I've almost come full circle having lived in Bham 2001-02 before my move to Chicago. Anyway, over the years I've encountered many different types of people and have had different groups of friends. Mainly speaking: high school, college, and my Chicago group. Coincidently enough, we've all got our own newsgroup and/or message board. Long story longer, it's been interesting to see the feedback after Day 1 of the blog world. This basically is my own personal newsgroup. I'll dedicate a few posts for the blind later down the road. Until then, my first installment will be an epic track from probably one of the best films from 1984, Revenge of the Nerds. So to all the Stan Gables and Ogre's out there, this bud's for you.

It's all coming clear...

Well after leaving my job in Chicago and getting back to hotlanta, I found myself embarking on a epic 9 month journey to the alter. I think this picture is fitting as it was taken on our honeymoon in St. Lucia and marks the end to all planning jargon. I also wanted to use this pic to launch this blog which will be my blog of life. I've got a few different ideas I'm chewing on, but I'm planning on posting all kinds of things. So stay tuned and check back to velvet pants any time you get an itch. In addition, please check out the side links to some of my friends sites for some chill downtempo, house, and hip hop sets all a few clicks away. I intend on keeping the sites list plentiful and encourage any suggestions you may have.

Wesley

First and Foremost...

I wanted to create this site so I could share new music, make suggestions to help shake your pants, discuss basically anything, and post pictures for interested parties.