21

THANK YOU BASED GOD

Thesis

If you're gonna skip out on blogging for a week, it better be for a good reason. Well, as some of you may have noticed, I turned 21 on Thursday.

Birthday Blitz

Let's be honest: I'm at the end of a five-day bender. Often fun, sometimes sloppy, rarely irresponsible, this week has been a set of important lessons about self and identity. It's also been ridiculous fun. Thanks to everyone who ran the town with me (Zech and Kate for housing, Bron for crawling, 4tet 4evr, Lynn for driving, Ken for the card, Bubbz for the platypus and cookies, Barton for the convos, Dall for <3, Jimmy for dancing, Jay for Bebop, and to everyone else my sleep-deprived mind is forgetting).

It's been somewhat difficult to reconcile drinking with my (for the most part) straightedge performance these past two decades. It's a decidedly different way to understand and present myself, and one that probably makes other people redefine "Patrick." That's fine, though I may be overestimating how important my refusal to drink was to people's expectations and assumptions of me as a human being.

I think the emergence of a partying Patrick is refreshing, if not that unexpected. I've been party mentality since I learned how fun dancing is. Now that actual alcohol supplements this sort of fun, I'm not too upset with myself or recent decision making. It really does open one up to the mutability of perspective and experience. I just need to remember that this isn't very Important, and that most everyone has been doing this without me for a while now.

This doesn't need to be a reimagination of self on the same scale that my embrace of radical feminism was, but it does require self-discipline and -criticism. And maybe a little less self-seriousness than this blog post would suggest.

Party on, fam.

This Is A Music Blog

I hate to do this (jk luv music blogging), but there has been so much great music released/leaked in the past few weeks. Here's a quick rundown of what's blowing me up this summer:

> 4 by Beyonce
> Emergent Layer by Golden Retriever
> We Must Become The Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves by John Maus
> "Next To You" by Chris Brown (Feat. Justin Bieber)
> Player Piano by Memory Tapes
> Go Tell Fire To The Mountain by WU LYFE

> Bon Iver, Bon Iver by Bon Iver [9.5 lol]

This year's music is hypercrazy. Special shoutout to Colin Stetson's New History Warfare, Vol 2, which came out earlier in the year and was totally slept on by yours truly. It's like the most inventive album ever and omg I love it so much that I bought it.

Also, here's an important reminder that I'm having the best July ever:

> 08 / Liturgy at leBish

> 13 / AnC0 with mi padre in Pitt

> 14 / 6@|\|6 6@|\|6 at leBish

> 15 / KertVile & Woodz at USSRrecords
> 16 / P4k party in Chi

Get jealous, fam. Or come along!

Conclusions

Living positive, we can change the world. Up ahead is a busy work week, but one that also includes The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King Extended Edition in theatres, 4th of July celebrations, Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon in IMAX 3D (Thank You Based God), and all sorts of other reading and creating. My original comic masterpiece is underway, as is a novel, and plenty of reading of Judith Butler and Cormac McCarthy.

Sounds like a great summer!

Here's a #RARE picture of Lil B's Based Cat "Keke"

51

Thesis

Everyone loves music videos! Too easy.

Let's be honest

A phrase I'm using too much this summer. But anyway, let's be honest: I'm only blogging at the moment because I'm too tired (sic) to go to sleep. Liz Harris, goddess, is keeping me company while I mull over the dark days of the soul and what it means to be alive:

What I'm Actually Thinking About

> Going to a wedding in a week

> Turning 21 on Thursday

> Wearing dresses

> The Game Of Thrones season finale tomorrow night

SPECIAL MUSIC VIDEO EDITION

When you see three stellar music videos in the span of a few days, you gotta blog. Especially if JBiebs is featured heavily in one of said videos.

For your consideration:

VIDEO 1

In which two talented singers and dancers do their part to pretend the heterosexual imaginary. Love the music. Hate Chris Brown. The melody is pretty vanilla, but the video budget is hella ridiculous (why is the world falling apart?) and the production is fresh (see 4:20 for James Blake influence and the best part of the song).

This video is notable for the emergence of Bieber's lower register, sexuality, and post-apocalyptic Derelict steez. In other news, I'm a Belieber.

On a third listen, this song might be my favorite ever. Still hate Chris Brown.

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VIDEO 2

In which Rihanna outdoes Beyonce's "Run The World (Girls)" with a much more complicated and engaging feminist anthem. This is empowering anti-rape music that is never heard in mainstream pop music. Sure, Rihanna dresses as sexy cop at one point in the video, but the song is unambiguously about killing her rapist.

For cool discussion of the song, check this out.

Lyrics are a cut above Katy Perry's "wanna be a victim/ready for abduction." Still hate Chris Brown.

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VIDEO 3

In which the year's best album gets its first music video/short film. That's right - Grouper's A I A has reclaimed its throne (rightfully so) in part thanks to this amazing piece. The atmosphere is chilly and the vibe is righteously dark. Like Lars von Trier and David Lynch wanted to really scare you.

The imagery works really well with the song, gives me the heebie-jeebies. Also check out "Sputnik," a previous collaboration between Grouper and Weston Currie. And even still, I hate Chris Brown.

Grouper - I Saw A Ray from Weston Currie on Vimeo.

Conclusions

Can you get enough? Maybe I'll hit double digits for the month. That's a lot of blogging! Did I mention that good ole Ted came to visit the other night? Or that I went to a camping trip birthday bash? Or that I've worked 36 hours this week? Maybe next time!

This Blog Has Been Brought To You By Dairy Queen

$15

Throwback Image

Thesis

Playing poker with friends has its ups and downs. But that's not what I'm going to talk about tonight (good game, Jay; happy birthday, Annamarie; see ya soon, Kyle). Instead, this blog will hold fast to Rza's June Blogging Challenge - which means another movie review. This one won't be as rambling and ridiculously long as my Tree Of Life review. It'll even be about a lamestream summer blockbuster!

<< BREAKING NEWS >>

We briefly interrupt this blog to inform you that Lil B and Lil Wayne have recorded a track together for Weezy's upcoming pre-Carter IV mixtape, Sorry 4 The Wait. Thank You Based God. We now return to regular blogging.

Summer Movie Review (04)

X-Men: First Class [2011]

Directed by

Matthew Vaughn

#SurpriseSummer2011 Whoda thunk that Thor and First Class would turn out to be killer comic book movies? After the middling X3 and the abominable Wolverine (still haven't brought myself to watch all of it), my expectations for another Fox-owned X-Men movie were pretty low. But Matthew Vaughn and crew created something special: a superhero origins story that feels fresh, a blockbuster with character-motivated action, and a message that doesn't feel forced. This is the lamestream summer movie to beat.

It is maybe important for this review to understand that I'm an X-Men fanboy. My first artwork to hang in my dad's cubicle was of the X-Men (a drawing I recreated eight years later because I am a nerd). My poor little brother couldn't watch Sesame Street like other toddlers, because I was too busy watching the X-Men animated series. A few years later, I actually graphic-novelized the 2000 film. And I'm currently dedicating a startling percentage of my income to buying collections of Grant Morrison's early-'00s run on New X-Men. All of this to say:

i nerd... First Class make me :)

So, maybe this movie isn't for you. But it's for me. And shouldn't it be held to a different criteria than The Tree Of Life? This is a big summer movie with just the right amount of heart and just the right amount of silly. I love the look, I love the pacing, and I love the story. The vibe of the movie feels right. Erik and Charles' relationship feels right. The dynamic of the X-Men feels right. I don't care that Banshee isn't Irish or that Beast looks a little off or that Moira isn't a geneticist (okay, I'm a little bummed that Moira isn't a geneticist). All I care about is the spirit of coalition and fun. This movie has both.

It also has standout performances and a refreshingly breakneck pace. Michael Fassbender should get awards for his Magneto, all dedication and simmering anger. James McAvoy's Professor X is freewheeling and spirited, with enough seriousness and thoughtfulness to be developed later into the bald Charles everybody knows and loves. For as great as Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart were in these roles, it's remarkable what these young actors were able to do. A few of the moments shared between the two nearly had me in tears (seriously).

Real talk: this is the best X-Men movie yet.

While the first X-Men movie was a revelation back in the day, and X2 had some self-serious swag, neither movie had as much of a good time with the X-Men as this movie did. And it's this fun and adventurous spirit that ends up being the film's strongest attribute. Because behind all of the liberal themes and wacky sci-fi melodrama, X-Men is above all about having fun being whoever you are. First Class captured that sentiment while still delivering on the goods of a big action flick. To me, that makes this is a perfect summer movie.

Summer Music Review (03)

Changing gears. Might as well talk about what I'm listening to right now.

Shadowland [2011]

by Barn Owl

(Thrill Jockey)

Okay, I intended this review to be longer, but I'm getting hella sleepy. I've listened to it like four times in a row now (it being a relatively short EP), and it has stayed engaging. This is the first Barn Owl I've listened to, but if the rest of their output is this brooding and assured, then I'm gonna have a new love affair this summer. This three-song release is all tension and texture, mood and motion. Sounds like it's burrowing away into my brain. There's plenty more to write, but seriously. Sleepy.

Conclusions

I'm waking up not too long from now to run with my co-worker baby. It'll be good for me. I really do love to sweat. Especially in the rain. I'm a little concerned about my circadian rhythm, at which I threw a major curveball after staying up until 5 AM to watch Game Of Thrones. It certainly wasn't good for me to watch all nine episodes in a single sixteen-hour span, but I can't help but feel a little bit accomplished.

Well, now that my cereal is gone: to bed.

Next Purchase

93.9

A triumph.

Thesis

Double the chill, double the writing. Though I'm subjecting myself to record numbers of work hours this week, I'm finding myself completely chilled out. With a belly full of Thai curry and a head full of soundtrack, I'm ready to blog.

Summer Movie Review (03)

The Tree Of Life [2011]

Written & Directed by

Terrence Malick

Long awaited and much anticipated by yours truly, Malick's latest film surpassed my expectations by totally defying them. The problem with reviewing it, and even with watching it, is that I entered the theater convinced that this would be a masterpiece. I've almost never been let down by a movie I hype up (Tron: Legacy had so much potential), because my feeble mind won't let me. But when the lights came up and the credits rolled, I had no idea what to make of the movie.

It was obviously doing something special. Never in my life have I seen a movie even attempt to do what this movie has done (don't ask what this is). But it left me conflicted. There was more in the movie than I could handle. Its first part is almost entirely comprised of half-whispered voiceovers, regrets and wishes directed at the speaker, the film, God, and the audience, as the entire span of Existence is dramatized. The second part lives - really lives - with a Waco, Texas family. The third part is a trip to heaven. Was it just too much for one film? How could such a film succeed?

I at first felt like it hadn't. It was impossibly large. It was intangible. It was meandering (sup Tarkovsky). It was intensely sentimental and humorless. It was out of control. I felt as if Malick had overstepped his mark. Granted, his ambitions were extraordinary, but his execution was scattershot, incomprehensible. He had already made sophisticated statements about the human soul in unabashed and straightforward masterpieces Days Of Heaven and Badlands. Why did this have to be so elusive?

And then I remembered the real anguish of a family's struggles. The haunted lamp post and falling down shadows. The crash and recoil of primordial waves. The rush of doing something you're not supposed to do. The mesmerizing light that bookends the film. Even the damn dinosaurs. These are the striking parts of a confused whole, fractured images that coalesce into an equally fractured narrative. This could never be the movie I was expecting. It had to be as broken and collage-like as its poster.

So, the effect achieved here is not as immediate as I had expected. But it is all the stronger for its subtlety. It unveils itself over time, slowly. The structure that binds the whole together becomes understandable. The narrative being constructed feels correct. This is not just Malick autobiographically rambling to himself. This is Malick making his voice heard loud and clear, and he hopes you hear your own voice in his. Despite all of its pretension and ambition, The Tree Of Life resonates on a genuinely real emotional level. It is a challenging work of love.

This movie makes demands of its audience - we must invest in order to take something away. Of course, almost any movie worth its running time will engage the audience and require emotional investment. But The Tree Of Life asks more (asks you to relive your life) and gives back more. This movie is about you and your own experience. Many of the film's silent or instrumental passages even feel like time allotted for self-reflection. I mean, for the love of Based God, the preface to the first draft of the script reads:

The "I" who speaks in this story is not the author. Rather, he hopes that you might see yourself in this "I" and understand this story as your own.

Malick is telling The Human Story (middle-class white Catholic family, yes), telling the story of One Life, of Your Life. It is one of loss and sadness. The conclusion arrived at - all you need is love? - doesn't feel trite; it feels complicated.

Notice how I've written all of this without really saying anything. That's how Big and Important this movie is. I didn't even talk about the performances or the score or the best cinematography ever or the plot even or how this is by far Malick's most experimental film or anything. I can only say that it is an experience like no other. That this is a daring, beautiful film.

It asks Why? and provides more answers than I know what to do with. I have to see it again.

Conclusions

Well, that was a lot. Maybe I should've reviewed X-Men: First Class. That'll be the next post! In the mean time, let's talk about feminism or friends or love or music or going to sleep. I'll just go to sleep. If it's nice out again tomorrow, I'll read outside. If not, I'll blog. See you soon, fam. I can't seem to stay away from you this summer.

CONGRATS TO MY HOMEBOY KRIT (FINNA BLOWING UP)

1+1

On repeat.

Thesis

Brrrangdadang! Summer is in full swing. Spent the day reading outside and then by the poolside. Nighttime was nothing but Dairy Queen hardworking, but I'm so chilled out in its wake. Got my Beyoncé and my mixing bowl of Multi-Grain Cheerios. Ready to blog.

Summer Movie Review (02)

RZA gracefully reminded me that June's blogging challenge is to review a movie every Wednesday. Though I loosely adapted her concept into simply enumerating reviews during the summertime, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to review movies on Wednesdays (or the early-morning hours of Thursday).

La Montaña Sagrada [1973]

Written & Directed by

Alejandro Jodorowsky

Promise I'll soon review movies that weren't made by lamestream art directors (well, a Herzog might be up next, but). This one is about a reborn messiah figure who joins a band of planets to overthrow a secret society that runs the world. To provide at least some sort of appeal for this review, I'll mention that this movie was produced by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. That get your attention? Above picture should have, anyway.

Anyway. I've previously seen El Topo by Jodorowsky. It was good. Both movies have had the same effect on me, of impressing with visuals and themes, but leaving me clueless emotionally. The movies have been intellectual exercises (in the vein of: what is the significance of the planets? does nakedness make art Great? was that funny?). I was engaged while watching, mostly due to the trippiness of the visuals and the bizareness of the script, but left uncaring at the film's end. It really is a beautiful movie, and packed with religious symbolism or something, but it doesn't move me in the same way Lynch does.

It's obviously cool though. And it's a well-respected film. Or is it just a cult smash? Either way, it's worth seeing once. It's fun! For a movie so saturated with religious overtones and political commentary, it has a sense of humor about the proceedings. The problem is, sometimes the sense of humor just isn't that sharp. Still, you get to watch a Christ-figure turn his poop into gold. Recommended if you're bored with "conventional" films and looking for something out-there.

Summer Music Review (02)

While I'm awake, I might as well review something else. Don't want to get too far ahead with the movie reviews.

Waco Taco Combo [2011]

by Eric Copeland

(Escho)

There's only so much I can say at this point without falling asleep. I posted a song from this record in the last blog post. You may or may not have enjoyed it. "It's music!" some say. "That isn't music!" others say. "Sup fam," I say.

The latest from Black Dice co-founder is nothing surprising, but it's not at all disappointing either. The bass is booming, the highs are wobbling, and the mids are fizzling. Which is to say: this is crunchy sample-based noise music at its finest. It's rhythmic, groovy stuff more often than not. "Beatlemania" sounds like a short-circuiting robot ghost. The short "Warbug" hypnotically commands your attention with its stop-start-slow-down-808-on-the-fritz structure. "Wao Taor Condos" has something destructive and combative at its core. Um. Maybe hyperbole will have to do, because actual descriptions of the music make me read like a total jerk. Waco Taco Combo is amazing and unique and different and you should listen to it because it's so good!

The 36-minute record closes with the 17-minute "Spangled," a musique concréte piece along the lines of last year's Strange Days. It's simply sample after sample lined up one after the other. There's usually some distortion or alteration of the source material, but for the most part, the practical effect of the piece relies on the recontextualization and juxtaposition of disparate musics. Guh, also it sounds cool and stuff. And it's funny sometimes.

Needless to say, this isn't as catchy as Beyoncé's new record. But it's got something else entirely going for it: strangeness and noisiness!

Conclusions

Though I ate a cookie for lunch and McDonald's for dinner, I'm feeling very good. Sweating feels so good. Thank You Based God for summertime. If only formatting on blogger were a little less sketchy. Regardless, B's words are really resonating with me right now: "I was here/I lived/I loved." A good sentiment with which to leave you, faithful reader.

Ps This is finally coming to Indy on Friday. Best trailer?

122

In which an irrelevant blogger reviews an obscure and sold-out cassette.

Thesis

If I've had an "off" day this summer, today was it. At work, I fumbled over words and generally misrepresented myself as myself five years younger. Once home, I watched the end of Home Alone and the beginning of Wayne's World. I ate a Tibetan rice dish, birthday cake, and Ben & Jerry's ice cream for dinner. While watching The Holy Mountain in my bedroom, my peripheral vision kept confusing the oscillating fan with ghosts or cats or something else. I've decided to take the next two days off work, to work on me and read X-Men comics. I also plan on having fun with my best friends.

Until then, I'll chill out with a new record I've happily stumbled across (read: found on the forum).

Summer Music Review (01)

Days Of Heaven [2011]

by Remote Islands

(Stunned Records)

Certainly a tape worth blogging about, and quickly becoming one of my favorites of the year. Background: a bunch of smart Philly-area musicians gathered around and made a smart pop record. This manifests itself in tight, memorable melodies and lush (strings), confident instrumentals.

All of this is vague (for specifics, check out above link), and there are several reference points I could and should use, if I weren't so sleepy. The label itself lists "everything that's been effective, uncompromised, and lasting about pop & rock music" as a reference. So that's good. Maybe Olivia Tremor Control, with less Beatles/psychedelia-mentality? I name OTC because it's hard not to hear the work of many minds (and instruments) at work on this record, and because of Remote Islands' "classic" sound. I dislike that descriptor, but what else am I to do with the bluesy-rock of "There's A Cost Associated"? They definitely listened to The Rolling Stones. Or maybe the singer just sounds like Jagger on that song. A little bit of Nurses, too. Um.

Why this record is special: stellar songwriting, warm production, and well-balanced sequencing. Really, it has all the makings of a typical Great Record. The opener sounds like an exciting and catchy single, the closer sounds like an emotional big finish. But there's a weirdness and a restraint that makes this record something special, that elevates it. What could be overbearing (strings, again) are well-placed, and what could be cloying ("classic" sound), sounds tasteful when recontextualized. Like Ford & Lopatin before them (but unlike Ford & Lopatin in every other way), Remote Islands' innovative, fun, and irony-free reclamation of vintage structures and sounds sets Days Of Heaven apart from the multitudes of indie experimental pop-rock. They're making it all sound new again!

Did I mention how talented everyone is in this band? I probably did. Or how immediate and brazen so many of these songs sound? For all y'all hating on my other jams, Remote Islands is accessible and hella cool. This is a band and a recording to remember. Say it with me: REMOTE ISLANDS.

Conclusions

I should stop blogging after midnight, with low battery. On the other hand, my blog count for June may hit the double digits. If all goes according to plan, each will be titled a number. Guess what the number will be on my birthday! By the way, it's Bro's birthday today! Happy Birthday Bro! Did I mention that I was able to use "fam" as a direct address several times at his graduation party? Anyway:

Goodnight, fam.

Also Now Playing (TURN IT UP LOUD)

47

Somehow, Inland Empire makes above scene scary.

Thesis

A few nights ago was the perfect night to watch Inland Empire. Zech can attest to the utter terror it struck within my heart of hearts, but also to the emotional stirrings therein. This is definitely an Important movie, though I'm not sure it's a good one to review.

Summer Movie Review (01)

Inland Empire [2006]

Written & Directed by

David Lynch

So this is probably his masterpiece, right? It's his longest and most impenetrable, and probably his most enjoyable and affecting by the time it's over.

Laura Dern masterfully portrays an actress (and several other personalities, all described by the film's tagline: "Women In Trouble"). If I weren't so sleepy, I'd be interested in discussing the film through a feminist lens, perhaps examining her various performances of gender and femininity with each role in the film. For now, I'm content to say that she really knocked it out of the park. Lynch too. I almost never understood exactly what the plot or characters were supposed to signify, but I was never disengaged from its emotional underpinnings.

This seems to be Inland Empire's greatest achievement, and the key to its success. Every scene, every shot was striking and evocative. With only hints and suggestions of plotlines and themes (many of which felt similar to Mulholland Dr), the movie continuously and thoroughly engaged with me on an emotional level. Much of this is thanks to Dern's stellar performance, which ranges from darling to snarling, but also to Lynch's montages and Angelo Badalamenti's stirring score. There's a weird heart, a special heart to this film.

I could write more about rabbit horror-sitcoms and Polish prostitutes, but I'm not sure how useful it would be in understanding or advertising the movie. This is Lynch at his most Lynchian, but also at his best. The various conflicts and intersections he has

explored throughout his career are realized and find some sort of resolution at the end of this three-hour-long meditation on identity, time, and filmmaking.

Honestly, this is a poor way to start my Summer Movie Reviews. You don't want to watch this unless you already do. It's a hard sell. Also, Summer Movie Reviews were copped from Ros.

Conclusions

I only had 30 minutes of battery life to write this. Also, I'm tired. Congrats to my bro for graduating. Now I'll probably just listen to more Beyonce and then go to bed. I saw Cave Of Forgotten Dreams last night. I'll probably review that. So sleepy. Love y'all, fam.

Ps It should be noted that Blogger is terrible with image formatting. WordPress soon?

I was going to post the trailer for the movie, but I got too scared. Maybe I'll post it in the morning. For now:

666

U nerd? [666]

Thesis

Experimental post:

(will be nothing but experimenting, or "Did you put little plastic thingies under your chair?")

Return to form coming soon, but no timing for blog antework. X-Men remains one of my favorite creations.

STRUCTURE//

> Go to the library

> Buy some food

> Read in the sun

> But cloudy day

Excerpt From My Abandoned Novel:::

"Because when it came down to it, they knew that all they needed was the summer sun. Or the change of the sun, so that the sunsets went faster and came sooner, and the trees on the horizon wouldn’t glow golden with their backs to the world, but rather stand black and cold against the horizon. Their leaves on the ground, their eyes turned skyward. The speckled clouds from winter sneaking into autumn’s earlier days – this is what they could play beneath."

MINUTES TIL WORK

Will I complete this blog before my work shift begins at 6 o'clock? Not sore from working out last night. NP | Earth (A goodie from earlier this year)

Conclusions

An hour ago, I planned to begin a Summer Series (with its own header image and format and everything). That may happen in the coming days, with lists of favorite books and films and records, but for now: Experimental Post.

POST NEGATIVE FEEDBACK BELOW

This is a DISAPPOINTING and SUB-PAR effort from Jason Derulo: