A Few Zen - Music, Fusion, and Life

So we finally got Saddam. He was hung about an hour before this post. I'm not defending the guy. Every dictator should have their come-up-ance. But why not all of them?

The US always acts like we get all of the tyrants out there in the world. But we can't. We pick a fight with a country not harboring Bin Laden. I think democracy in it's pure form could change the Middle East, but the people of Iraq feel like we went after them accidentally after Bin Laden. Our mission became to liberate the country but didn't start that way. It's a mess.

Bill Maher always jokes that Saddam was the only capable leader of Iraq. He was crazy, the place is crazy. Strong religious factions. It took alot of executions, but he ran the place. The war is killing so many now I wish we had handled it better.

I know if I wanted to be president right now, I wouldn't want to run this term. This is a mess that no one knows how to clean up. Not a great first test.

I can only offer this as any response to any good coming from Saddam's death. The world needs better leaders. This tough love shit is tough itself. We do not talk enough. If I was prez I would try to talk to every single person I could to over there to fix this shit. And I know prez only does that once a month...maybe. We should try and figure out a safe place where we can all share the world and live in an environment of encouragement.

Oh, and the fact they hung Saddam. It's old school. It's final. People watch until you are dead! What did capital punishment show here? People might actually pay for what they did and be judged for it, before you die. That's the legal system. Anyways, that's just some thoughts I have about where we are at now. Have a good New Year's weekend!

Posted by JJ at 9:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I heard this song thru Nirvana first....

It was great. The album version by Bowie is the shit! I found Bowie doing it on SNL back in the day. Good, but not like the album. Check out all the versions. Version!

Posted by JJ at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This has been just one month over my first year of running this site. I'm so glad you all have been around for it. I'm still alive. We are still at war. No end in site. Capitalism just keeps on plowing us towards the wall. But that's cool, I'm am in the game. I hope for alot next year.

Maybe Barrack will come into the game. Maybe we will get cool with the Middle East, but I doubt it. But I really pray for it! If we all talked out issues until we couldn't talk them thru anymore (+ drinks if it came to it) and no end is reachable, then we should do it like we are. I say "we" because we are stuck behind our prez as Americans. I am proud of being an American. The most free land of all, even though we are messing with the world bigtime. To be American is tough. We are technologically kickin ass (thank you Bill Gates and Steve Jobs). We are hipper than shit!

But Science is on a decline as far as people studying it. Science runs my life, even as an artist. I have a degree in Biology. I love it. But I can see why people wouldn't want to study it. A lot of math, chemistry, physics, anatomy etc.. and it's tough and boring. But to enact the scientific method on the world can make you famous. If you study life, you might figure it out. And you can figure out ALOT with it! I just hope more people become scientists next year.

But anyways, it's close to the New Year and I'm done rambling for tonight. I just want to thank you for listening. Our time is all we have, and I thank you for using yours on me. Cheers to 2007!!!!!!!!!

Posted by JJ at 7:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

These guys have just not stopped hitting me since I first listened to them. They have the edge of U2, Joy Division, Bowie, the Beatles, and Johnny Cash. They are catchy yet hard and indie. So catchy. It's been awhile since a band has occupied my "Black Sabbath or Wolfmother stuck in my head song" slot. After I hear any of their songs, it resonates in me for about a week. I can't wait for their new album! But their 2 albums (+ a good techno remix of them) still rock hard for me ever since way back when.

Here's a cool version of Narc with marimba;

And here's a cool early mix of them;

Posted by JJ at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This guy is pretty funny. Yet soooo offensive. But, I know he's joking. Anyways, this is a good clip of him on letterman. Plus he plays with Beck at the end of the show.

Here's the Beck song "Nausea" on Letterman. Good song!!

Posted by JJ at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Since these guys put out my top album of 2006 (Black Holes And Revelations), I thought I'd find a good live clip of them in the era right now. Here is one of the most hardcore songs (Assasin) off of the new album. The album has a very good mix of soft/quiet/loud/strange/grooving and folky music. But this song is a rare intense loud one. The trio.

I found one of my favorites (The Small Print) off of their 2nd to last album "Absolution". I just want to show you the energy of a power trio.

This is their hit "Time is Running Out" off of that 2nd to last album. Cool set of the Dr. Strangelove war room.

Posted by JJ at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This year the award goes to Gnarls Barkley at Lollapallooza 2006. This was the set.
* We Are the Champions* (the crowd got so into it. cliche but perfect)
* Go Go Gadget Gospel (fast)
* Who Cares (groovin', my favorite album track)
* The Boogie Monster (slow blues version. let's cee-lo shine)
* Just a Thought
* St. Elsewhere
* There's an End (Greenhornes cover)* ((great song since the Greenhornes were kind of at the fest too. That is the Raconteurs (jack white + the greenhornes). The Raconteurs actually covered Gnarls "Crazy" at this fest too. They must have hung out))
* Gone Daddy Gone (good violent femmes rip off)
* Feng Shui
* The Last Time
* Who Scared You? (Doors cover)* (a great doors song I had never heard. obscure)
* Crazy
* Transformer (slow blues version. cee-lo at his peak)
* Storm Coming
* Smiley Faces

They all came out it tennis outfits and really pumped the crowd up. It was hot. Wolfmother just played (also great). They were THE hottest band at the world right then. Perry even came out to introduce these guys. Cee-lo sang and played tambourine. Dangermouse played keyboards (I didn't even know he did). They also had 3 backup singers, a bass player, a guitarist, another keyboard player/dj/soundman, and a 5 piece string section. It was great. Epic.

Here's a clip of their biggest hit "Crazy" at this show. There was an energy that I can't explain any better than this blog.

Posted by JJ at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The song "Transformer" by Gnarls Barkley. With the movie coming out, I think someone needs to tell Michael Bay about this cut. I picture robots changing in a bad ass hip hop montage in the movie to this song. It's perfect. This album was a HUUUUGGGGGE hit this year and I'd bet money that the movie producers did notice this song. Hopefully it's in the new movie. I called it.

Someone worked on it a bit below. Nice lyrics display.

Posted by JJ at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I made a mix of all of my 2006 albums and it's actually a very good one. This mix has such a variety I actually have been listening to it quite a bit. A lot of unexpected things have come out this year and it was tough picking 10 best ones. Basically these are the albums that have been in my car cd player since I bought them. Constant rotation. I overlisten to songs I like too much! (to where I burn them out and get bored with them). These top ones are still great after many many listens (and all have improved with every listen). I feel they are all worth the purchase if you have liked anything about these artist in the past.

1) muse - black holes and revelations
2) wolfmother
3) arctic monkeys - whatever people say i am, that's what i'm not
4) outkast - idlewild
5) the raconteurs - broken boy soldiers
6) beck - the information
7) bobby previte - the coalition of the willing
8) lupe fiasco - lupe fiasco's food & liquor
9) gnarls barkley - st. elsewhere
10) the roots - game theory

These albums are my runner-ups. All of these are also pretty great albums.
* indicates top 10 list runner-up (if I had a top 20 list, these would be there)

ben harper - both sides of the gun
billy martin - solo live at tonic
billy martin - illyB Eats Vol. 3
built to spill - you in reverse
cut chemist - the audience is listening
dj logic - zen of logic (*)
dj shadow - the outsider
dj spooky - in fine style - 50,000 volts of trojan records (*)
don caballero - world class listening problem
the dresden dolls - yes, virginia (*)
eliades ochoa - best of buena vista
the flaming lips - at war with the mystics
hi-tek - hi-teknology
incubus - light grenades
jurassic 5 - feedback
the killers - sam's town
lcd soundsystem - 45:33
liars - drums not dead
madlib - beat konducta vol. 1-2:movie scenes (*)
the mars volta - amputechture (*)
mastodon - blood mountain
matisyahu - youth (*)
medeski scofield martin and wood - out louder
peeping tom
prefuse 73 - security screenings (*)
the red hot chili peppers - stadium arcadium
ruben gonzalez - best of buena vista
the secret machines - ten silver drops (*)
the strokes - first impressions of earth
sufjan stevens - the avalanche
tenacious D - the pick of destiny (*)
thom yorke - the eraser
tool - 10,000 days
we are scientists- with love and squalor (*)

Posted by JJ at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)