Oh Yeah Owl » ChristPuncher

Pogo Returns With More

ChristPuncher — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:51:00 +0000

Remember Pogo? You know the dude who did those sweet remixes of Alice in Wonderland and Hook I posted a few months ago. Well he’s back with a couple more trippy tunes for you to nibble on. The first is from Pixar’s Up, one of my favorite movies of the year, called Upular. The second video, Pogo, also known as “Faggatron” for some reason, hits you with a darker more industrial sounding remix of Terminator 2 called “Skynet Symphony”, which I think you will enjoy thoroughly.

First Aid Kit, Know ‘em? You Should…

ChristPuncher — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:45:35 +0000

Ok now you can say you heard the next big indie/folk band before anyone else. That is unless you heard of First Aid Kit already. So who are these soon to be indie starlets? They be a Swedish indie/folk duo consisting of sisters Klara and Johanna Söderberg from Stockholm. The debut EP “Drunken Trees” was released April 2008 in Sweden on the label Rabid Records, owned by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife. And we all know The Knife, right? I know if I ran into them and they said in their thick accents, “you shoood be leestenin too dis bend, they are the goood” I would say yes and then ask to see their real faces. But I’m sure I’d be disappointed, but thoroughly enjoy their recommendation.

So anyway, First Aid Kit, they’ve already gained some notiriety by covering Fleet Foxes and putting it on their first EP, but their debut album “The Big Black & The Blue” is out on the 25th January 2010 and it’s really good. This is the single “Hard Believer”. As young as they are, the only way I could think they got this good is because they have awesome parents who showed them good music at a very young age, cuz damn they’re ahead of the game. That is unless all girls from Sweden look 14 and are actually older, I hope liking this band doesn’t make me a pederass.

http://www.myspace.com/thisisfirstaidkit

Death Metal Animals

ChristPuncher — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:13:36 +0000

Basically death metal, grind, hardcore, er…, albacore, or whatever has pretty much reached it’s peak when the lead singers start becoming animals. So if any metal “singer” gives you any shit, just know that he can be replaced by a fucking bird.

Rooster

HateBeek – Hellbent for feathers (Bird)

Caninus – No Dogs, No Masters (Dog)

Album Review: Converge – Axe To Fall

ChristPuncher — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:22:03 +0000

Converge have perfected the art of making brutal metalcore albums. They’ve rarely gone astray from their formula over years, but each time manage to muster enough originality into each album to keep them ever exciting, and always fierce. I don’t think Jacob Bannon will ever run out of rage and angst. Put this on, and prepare to have your head smashed in. The first few tracks are fvckin mind numbing. You’ll feel like someone shoved your hand in a blender and punched you in the face. When people ask me, what’s a good example of really good punk/metal music, I used to put on Jane Doe, then You Fail Me, then No Heroes. But with Axe To Fall, the opening track “Dark Horse” will be the new example to show. They just keep getting better and better and it’s probably their most accessible song yet.

Axe to Fall just sounds better too. No other band has better sounding tone on their guitars. I don’t give a shit what you say. First, Jane Doe was an experiment in analogue recording, and You Fail Me sounded good, but it seemed guitarist/engineer Kurt Ballou hadn’t figured out the digital realm just yet. Well, this is one of the best recorded metal albums I’ve ever heard. The drums cut though the wall of guitars like a razor. And good thing too, drummer Ben Koller has never sounded better. His intense ultra complex fills compliment the songs like peanut butter and chocolate. It’s like when lego pieces fit together just right, expect this lego piece has 2,456 pegs to fill. Everyone in the band is at the top of their game. The guitar hooks come flying by fast and furious, like Vin Diesel is constantly hitting the NOS button.

The big difference with Axe To Fall from their previous work, besides being a little more prog rock, is the appearance of guest musicians. “Effigy,” one of four songs on the album that comes in under the two-minute mark, features Steve Brodsky and Adam McGrath of Cave In on guitar and that group’s drummer, J.R. Conners, behind the kit. Uffe Cederlund of Disfear takes over lead guitar on “Wishing Well,” while Steve Von Till of Neurosis sings on “Cruel Bloom” and Genghis Tron’ Mookie Singerman does guest vocals on the seven-minute album closer, “Wretched World, which sounds like a Tom Waits song from hell. Also included are members of The Red Chord and Himsa It really adds a great new flavor to the album. 40 minutes of pummeling metal can be hard to listen to sometimes. It’s really amazing that a band that tours as much as Converge does, and has been around so long can still put so much thought and passion into their music. Everyone will be comparing this to Jane Doe. I’m just not sure about deciding which one’s better, they each have their own identity.

If you are already a fan of Converge, then you just found your favorite metal album of the year. It may be a bit more prog rock than their previous couple releases, but it’s got everything you would expect and some sprinkles of awesomeness on top. Also, Axe to Fall’s “Dark Horse” joins the ranks of “The Saddest Day” and “Concubine” as absolutely blistering opening tracks from the Converge catalog. It will be played at all live shows from now on. Axe To Fall just drips with powerful emotions brilliantly characterized by violent and grim music.

Verdict: Rockit

http://www.convergecult.com
http://www.myspace.com/converge

Just Looking To Snuggle

ChristPuncher — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:42:18 +0000

Chris Hansen’s looking out for you buddy. Especially you Jeff.

Eat Your Childhood

ChristPuncher — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:34:49 +0000

So i guess you need to learn a dance to be able to eat this cereal?

There’s something strange in my morning meal, What’s it gonna be? Egon’s head! No not really, but it would be cooler if the marshmallows were in the shape of the guys’ heads. Mmmmm, Bill Murray for breakfast. Hey would Winston’s head be flavored grape? Ohhhh sh!t, racism!

All i can say is I want this, really badly.

Nothing advertises a nutritious breakfast like showing action shots of a masked vigilante blowing sh!t up and beating up criminals to hide his dark past were his parents were viciously murdered in front of him. Nothing makes a balanced breakfast like vengeance!

Reporters Getting Owned

ChristPuncher — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:27:08 +0000

It’s best towards the end, but this has to be the best collection of reporter tom foolery out there.

Jones’ Good Ass BBQ And Foot Massage

ChristPuncher — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 03:53:36 +0000

What a true American entrepreneur. Toby Jones knows just how to give the people what they want. The ability to deep fry anything they could imagine, as well as store a backyard’s worth of broken refrigerators and used tires. Why keep your 1982 Trans Am sittin’ on blocks in your yard when for $10.99 a month you can store it at Jones’? Got a leaky above ground swimming pool that you don’t want to sell just yet? Store it at Jones’! And after you’re done lugging that camper trailer that caught on fire 7 years ago when you tried to turn it into a meth lab on wheels down to Jones’ hop, on down and get some good ass BBQ and a foot massage and watch all your troubles disappear. Search for him now on them world wide internets!

Album Review: Darkest Hour – The Eternal Return

ChristPuncher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 05:24:54 +0000

This albums stinks. First off let me say that i’ve been a fan of Darkest Hour since I heard “So Sedated, So Secure” So it’s not like I’m writing this not liking any previous work. But this pile of garbage is one of the biggest steps backwards I’ve ever heard a band take. Ok, let me be a little nicer than that. It is straight forward metal, all business. “Hidden Hand of The Sadist Nation” is by far the bands best release, then they got a little grown up with “Undoing Ruin” and showed some really strong songwriting chops. “Deliver Us” was a little too proggy and technical for them and the songwriting suffered. So the band decided to go back to what made them awesome. Too bad what came out was a bunch of boring, predictable songs. The album was produced by Brian McTernan who had previously produced Darkest Hour’s debut album “The Mark of the Judas” in 2000, and the production stinks too. Muddy guitars deluxe, also the kick is so overpowering is some parts you can’t hear the guitars. I know my speakers may not be the best in my sweet Civic, but it’s not like i had trouble hearing their other albums.

I don’t even want to go through the tracks because they all sound the same. When Kris Norris left, I really think the band suffered. There is one highlight lurking in the depths of all the over played metal riffs. Track number 3, “The Tides”, sounds like a more mature rewrite of “An Epitaph” off of So Sedated. It’s got that great rolling rhythm that’s more apparent in their earlier albums. And it’s got two great solos. Another good thing about this albums is it doesn’t have one of the dumbass “singles” they put on their two previous albums. You know “Demon(s)” from “Deliver Us” and “Convalescence” from “Undoing Ruin”. Soooo lame. But besides that, not much here. “No God” and “Blessed Infection” sound like a bunch of high school kids wrote it. The bands said that this album was going to have tons of energy filled with “aggression and speed”. Well just because you put fast drums behind songs doesn’t mean they’ve got energy. Bad form DH. I hope with the next release they really go back to how they were, not two albums ago because those weren’t really that good either, but 4 albums ago, when their songs had some honesty in them. Back to a band jam packed with super catchy and melodic metal riffs ready to mosh to.

Verdict: Knock It.
http://www.myspace.com/darkesthour
http://www.darkesthour.cc

2012 Will Decimate Disaster Movies Forever

ChristPuncher — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:33:10 +0000

Hey, you like to see shit blow up? Hundreds of thousand of people dying horrible tragic deaths? Bodies flying across the movie screen on fire while Tommy Lee Jones does something heroic to try and stop it? Well I know I do. But alas the disaster movie genre will soon be no more. Unlike the countless times the Empire State building has been blown up in films like “Independence Day” and “Deep Impact”, the genre of disaster movies will not be standing for next summers wave. Roland Emmerich will kill it dead. He’s the guy responsible for “The Day After Tomorrow”, “10,000 B.C.” “Godzilla” and “Independence Day”. Oh yeah, and “Stargate”, not a disaster movie, but awesome none the less.

We’ve all seen disaster movies come and go through the years. Starting in 1970’s with classics like “Airport”, “Earthquake” and “The Towering Inferno”. I love me some Charlton Heston. In the 1980’s there weren’t too many new ones though, all the ideas that Hollywood had were used up in the previous decade and the technology wasn’t good enough to really expand on the genre. Fast forward to the mid 90’s. Now enter CGI, and we get and a revival of summer blockbusters where shit blows up and Will Smith says something witty and millions of white folk laugh at his big ‘ol ears Asteroids get covered with “Armageddon” and “Deep Impact”, Alien destruction with “War of The Worlds” “Independence Day” and “The Day The Earth Stood Still”. But there will always be alien invader movies like “Signs” and “The Invasion”, so no worries there. “Volcano” and “Dante’s Peak” deal with, well volcanoes. Let us not forget “Twister”,and “The Day after Tomorrow”. We’ve even got plants attacking us in “The Happening” It seems everything is covered.

So this December the grandaddy of all blow ‘em up movies will be unleashed upon the world. 2012 will be using the well known myth that on December 21st, 2012 the end of the world will be upon us. But other theories it may include are, a pole shift, the “return” of Planet X or the Sun’s sinister counterpart Nemesis, a galactic, planetary, or other celestial alignment, global warming, global cooling, a massive solar flare, a new ice age, and so on. Sweet I hope John Cusack kicks all those reptilian humanoid asses! But anyway, complete and total destruction of the Earth. I’m talking entire cities falling into the ocean type destruction. There will be no Bruce Willis saving us from this clusterfuck. So not only will 2012 utterly annihilate the planet and every Flavor of Love watching, Facebook posting fucktard out there, but the disaster movie genre as well. What the hell kind of movie is going to top it? Basically 2012 took every disaster possible, put it in a fax machine, sent it to Roland Emmerich and said, ok go! But make sure Adam Lambert can sing a song about it so we can make a music video. I mean nothing will be able to come out after this. In era where we’re over saturated with overproduced loud music, fast moving graphics in advertising and an overall narrative overload from millions of YouTube videos and Facebook posts, we constantly need more to be entertained. Well maybe 2012 will be a good thing. After most of us got sick of Transformers after the sequel had nothing but loud noises and CGI, 2012 may finish off our senses once and for all. Maybe America will be fed up with the summer disaster blockbuster and want a drastic change like, MORE FUCKING STORY!! We’re already seeing smarter “end of the world” movies starting with “Children of Men” and more recently “District 9″ and Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road”. As much of a fan of stuff blowing up as one can be, there is a limit and I think 2012 will reach it. Well at least until they do it all over again in 3-D. Yes, I can’t wait! No, I mean damn, here we go again…

Movies On Film

ChristPuncher — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:28:29 +0000

Movies on film. Get it, they’re movies about the subject of film and filmmaking, and it’s also the medium on which movies are shown. And since there’s such a fine line between clever and stupid, I’ll move on from here. For people who pride themselves on being film lovers, the subject of movies about movie making just makes us wet between the legs. It’s movie nerd heaven. We think of all the potential inside jokes about actors and stabs at the industry we love to hate as well as some great fodder for drama. So here are my top 10 movies on film in no particular order.

Ed Wood (1994)
I’m starting with Ed Wood because It’s probably the best movie about bad movies. Ed Wood was the king of horrible cinema. Known primarily from Plan 9 From Outer Space, Edward D. Wood Jr. also made plenty of over stinkers. Like the semi auto biographical Glen or Glenda about the cross dressing tranny. Well, leave it to Tim Burton to make a legitimate film about such a shitty filmmaker. I think is his best film too, maybe because he works best within the confines of a script grounded in reality where his weirdo imagination can’t run too wild. Oh yeah Johnny Depp steals every scene he’s in and Martin Landau won best supporting actor for playing the ever mysterious Bella Lugosi, so that helps to. It does a great job showing the lunacy of how movies were made in the 50’s, when the title and the poster sold the movie, and script and acting took second seat. “Pull the strings!”

Mulholland Drive (2001)
Moving on to the opposite end of the spectrum, Mulholland Drive is a movie still about the absurdity of the process, but making it a nightmare. It’s the kind of film that you show people and you can judge how they watch movies. Do they view them as light entertainment, or are they intrigued by there mystery? Without giving away too much about it, Mulholland Drive is the story about an actress trying to “make it in Hollywood” told though a series of dream like scenes that range from hilarious to one the scariest scenes of all time. Complimented by a beautiful score by longtime David Lynch callaborator Angelo Badalamenti, no other film confuses and intrigues like this one. It’s the pre eminent David Lynch film, definetly a filmmaker at his peak. Sorry Dave, inland Empire was a little much. “Silencio!”

Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
Everyone knows the song, and we’ve all seen clips of Gene Kelley doing the number. And for those who haven’t, or refuse to watch musicals, It’s the song that Alex sings in Clockwork Orange while raping that chick. Good times. Besides some amazing dancing by the legendary performer Gene Kelly, the film offers a comedic depiction of Hollywood’s transition from silent films to “talkies” What makes the movie good isn’t it accurate potrayal of Hollywood though, it’s becasue I wanted to put a musical on this list. Gene Kelly is awesome, that fucker can dance.

American Movie (1999)
American Movie is a 1999 documentary about the making of an independent film. It’s the best documentary ever made about the trials and tribulations of coming up with the money and resources to make a movie yourself. It’s also immensely sad, funny, and affectionate. It centers around Mark Borchardt, a scruffy, eccentric, blue-collar, beer drinking movie-lover whose dream is to be a filmmaker. However, his life is beset with personal problems. I can’t say enough good things about this movie. Instead of kids spending thousands of dollars at film school, they should just Robert Rodriguez’s 10 minute film school and this. “It’s not about making films or in the long-run getting some money…but to create and complete.”

State and Main (2000)
For those of you who haven’t heard or seen this movie, State and Main is a 2000 comedy film, written and directed by David Mamet and starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Alec Baldwin among others, about the on-location production in Waterford, Vermont of a film called The Old Mill. That said, David Mamet, being the incredibly talented playwright, really nailed the superficial, self obsessed world of moviemaking in light comedy fodder. From Alec Baldwin’s empty headed leading man to William H. Macy’s quick witted director, this movie hits all the stereotypes. But what makes this great is it doesn’t seem cliche. Playwrights and screenwriters usually complain bitterly about the way their work is made into movies, and Mamet puts this story line in as an inside jab. The movie seems even funnier if you’ve ever been on a set, but still has plenty of laughs otherwise. “Go you Huskies!”

Boogie Nights (1997)
P.T. Anderson, it’s been said, that he’s part of the VCR generation of filmmakers. Along with other auters like Quentin Tarintino, Anderson was raised watching tons of movies at home. I think these directors have an advantage over their predecessors because they were the first generation to saturate themselves with film. And well, Paul watched a lot of porn. When he was 18, he made the mockumentary, The Dirk Diggler Story. Later of course, became the movie we know as Boogie Nights. The movie is more about people, than movies. Taking place in the “Golden Age of Porn” it depicts the film cliche of the rising star descending into a nightmare of drug abuse. Oh yeah, it’s funny as shit too. I’m a little biased though because it’s one of my favorites. I will never get tired of John C. Reilly trying to convince people he looks like Han Solo. “Feel feel feel my heat”.

8 1/2 (1963)
Titled because it was Fedrico Fellini’s 8 1/2 film at the time. Six full features, two shorts, and a collaboration with another director. The latter three accounting for only a half each. The film revolves around an Italian director and the struggles of the creative process, both technical and personal. Hugely influential throughout the years its been on pretty much every all time best of list. People have said “8 1/2 is the best film ever made about filmmaking.” Maybe cuz It is told from the director’s point of view, and its hero, Guido is clearly intended to represent Fellini. Featuring one of the surreal moments in all of film. It begins with a nightmare of asphyxiation, when the leading man is stuck in traffic and he proceeds to float off into the sky, only to be yanked back to earth by a rope pulled by his associates, who are hectoring him to organize his plans for his next movie. In the film he claims he doesn’t know what he wants or how to get it, and while watching it shows he knows exactly what he’s doing and how to achieve it.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)
This thing starts out telling the story of the down on his luck writer, and ends up telling another one. About someone one who ends up being far worse off. Its a corrosive black comedy that puts an assault on the emptiness and vanity of the movie business. Subtle yet very savage. Why is it so easy to make fun of the very machine that makes the movie we love? We love to hear about singers and actors hitting rock bottom with drugs and ending up on celebrity rehab. It gets huge ratings. Maybe that’s why this film still resonates today. If you have the dream to make it to Tinsel Town, you might want to check this flick out because Hollywood is as hard on dreams as it was back in the 1950s. “I’m ready for my close-up Mr. Demill”

Adaptation (2002)
This film is like the depressed movie geeks scripture. Charlie Kaufman put all his fears and axieties about writing and relationships on screen. It puts everything out there and puts together one of the best screenplays of all time. It’s a movie about the making of a movie about writing a screenplay about adapting a book to film. But man it’ depressing. But it has a somewhat uplifting ending. Anyway who struggles completing writing or filmmaking projects and gets easily frustrated should look to Charlie Kaufman for inspiration. And much like Federico Fellini’s classic 1963 film, ‘8½,’ from which Kaufman almost certainly drew inspiration, ‘Adaptation’ tells the story of its own creation. Oh yeah it’s also one of Ridiculous Cage’s few good performances. “I can’t believe I got shot. Isn’t that fucked up?”

Here’s a couple of other I know I missed. Check ‘em out if you haven’t seen.
Barton Fink
For Your Consideation
The Kid Stays In The Picture
Sullivan’s Travels
RKO 281
Bowfinger
Tropic Thunder
Film Geek
Get Shorty
Hollywoodland
Inland Empire
Last Action Hero
The Player
Swimming With Sharks

And The Oscar Goes To… Mega Shark!!!

ChristPuncher — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:08:52 +0000

I wanna know how come more movies aren’t made like this? Mega Shark Vs. Giant Octopus is a straight to video release made for the Sci-Fi channel. You know all those awful creature movies with the horrendous CGI that are on every night after re-runs of Stargate SG-1? This is the best of the genre. Finally someone said, “hey, we know our movies suck, so lets stop trying to be serious and just make it fucking ridiculous? And put reality TV sensation Lorenzo Lamas in it?” Best part, when the tentacle reaches out of the ocean and brings down the jet fighter. Oh and yes, that shark did leap 30,000 feet in the air to bring down that commercial jetliner. Kudos good sirs…

Wilford Brimley Diabetes Rap

ChristPuncher — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:56:00 +0000

You want to learn more about diabetes? But the only way you can pay attention to anything is if it’s repackaged into something you can relate to? Well here ya go. I bet if Wilford saw this though, he would think those damn kids and their jungle music have finally taken over. Then subsequently stop taking his diabetes medication.

Billy Mays: The Auto Tuned Infomercial

ChristPuncher — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:48:43 +0000

What a beautiful voice Billy has…

Mario Bros. 3 Speed Run

ChristPuncher — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:58:58 +0000

This guy finishes (with warps) Super Mario Bros. 3 in eleven minutes. There’s just something to admire about people who get insanely good at things that will yield there no money or any real popularity. Hey why not, when all else fails in life, get ridiculously good at old video games and gain internet fame! The chicks will come pouring in.

Enter The Room, And Leave Forever Changed!

ChristPuncher — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:16:58 +0000

Are you ready to see a reflection of your life? Just enter The Room and leave forever changed. Every once in a great while a film comes along and leaves its mark on cinema and our society. Citizen Kane, Schindler’s List, The Godfather, and in due time The Room will be talked about in the same sentence. Just thank your lucky stars if you live in the Los Angeles area, because you can experience this pop culture juggernaut once a month at the Sunset 5 theatre in Hollywood. Every third Saturday at midnight, hundreds of people gather to experience something they can’t quite explain. You have to wait in line at least an hour in advance if you want a decent seat in one of the five theaters that are all playing The Room. That’s right, it’s so popular, all five screens are sold out once a month for this cultural event. Writer, Director, Producer, Actor, Tommy Wiseau always makes an appearance at the screenings. He feeds the hungry crowd waiting for the doors to open by standing up on the railing for all to see, raises his arms like Moses and pumps his fist, and they eat up every bit. But he’s not done yet. After you race to find an open seat, you have to wait. For as much as 45 minutes to an hour until Tommy himself hows up to present his film. He does a Q&A for every screen, every time. Be careful of the questions you ask though, there are unspoken rules to follow. An artist must never reveal, their own personal history, or critique their own work. Think of it as an opportunity to further delve into the genius of a true artist.

I don’t want to get into the details and plot of the film. A simple blog on a website couldn’t justify this films enigmatic passion and brilliance. You’ll have to go yourself, I’m only here to prepare you to enter. Tommy, being a self proclaimed fan of Tennessee Williams, really channels the kind of human emotion and intensity that the famous play wright was known for. An original tag line for the film was “A film with the passion of Tennessee Williams”. Tommy even has his own version of the classic line from “A Streetcar Named Desire”. Instead of Marlon Brando yelling “Stella!”, Tommy has this soon to be classic moment.

Now Tommy Wiseau uses the tag line, “An electrifying American black comedy about love, passion, betrayal and lies”. Going to see the film is all about the experience. You don’t just sit there and watch. The Room talks to you, and you answer back. Bring your plastic spoons and your passion for life. If you’ve ever seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show at a midnight screening, then you have some idea about how crazy crowds can get. See it once and you’ll never forget it, see it again, and you become The Room. You’ll know the parts, cheer at the screen, remember to say “Hey Denny!”, and toss your spoons at all the right times. You’ll want to tell your fiends and show them The Room. You’ll try to figure out the enigma that is Tommy Wiseau, and with that, you’ll maybe find yourself in the process, and you’ll leave The Room, forever changed.

http://www.theroommovie.com/

Album Review: HORSE The Band – Desperate Living

ChristPuncher — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:43:25 +0000

Desperate Living, indeed.

HORSE The Band, one of the most interesting bands around today. An enigma wrapped in a paradox, floating in a pool of sewage. Their fifth album teeters on the brink of brilliance, but unfortunatly just isn’t quit there yet. The album’s jam packed full of great musical ideas that seem to stay with you longer than their previous releases. Titled “Desperate Living” after the notorious John Waters film, the album really embodies how the band has lived through the passed couple years and how it feels about the cannabalistic music business it barely stays a part of.

“Cloudwalker” opens up the album to somewhat odd result. The track really showcases the major changes in the band, mainly turning the focus to keyboardist Erik Engstrom’s synth. It’s a bold choice to put as the first track, because most listeners aren’t going to get what they expect and might get turned off. Well don’t because this change doesn’t ultimatley become a bad thing as the album progresses. The songs end up turning from metalcore, to more prog metal with a lot of more experimentation. The third track, “Failure of all Things” is a little more of the HORSE of old. But what makes this track great is that it doesn’t rely on the old hardcore cliches that they’ve used before. Less chug chugs with synth on top, but instead it cleverly builds up to one of the biggest sounding endings on any HORSE song.

The middle of the album features two of the strongest tracks. First off is the tongue and cheek “Science Police”. Pretty much take “Sex Raptor” and mix it with the music from chemical plant zone in Sonic 2. It ends up having one of the catchiest synth licks HORSE has ever put together. “Shapeshifter”, the albums first “single”, well at least the one they made a video to, has to be the most enjoyable song on the album. Featuring guest vocals by Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu, the song really shows how far they’ve come as songwriters and how much range they actually have. The ending, features elaborate synth melodies layered with soft vocals resulting in a truly emotional prog metal piece.

Anther track that features big change is “Lord Gold Wand Of Unyielding (feat. Lord Gold and His Purple Majesty)” With vocals sung by, you guessed it, Lord Gold Throneroom. Well basically it’s got a disco beat with an almost pop rock chorus. Who knew Lord Gold has good pipes? Just after they’ve hit you with a lot of melody, here comes Big Business. A track that’s obviously a tour story, it acts more like the b-sides of previous albums. Finishing off the album are “Rape Escape” and “Arrive”. The first of the two is one of the most interesting songs the band has ever written. A seven minute prog piece thats got a bridge that sounds like a tasteful ode to Crystal Castles, and finishes off with some amazing classical piano that pretty much says, “hey we know what were doing”. The fact that heavy guitar comes in with ear piercing screams of horror over the piano reminds us that it’s still HORSE we’re listening to. Finishing off is “Arrive”, one of the strongest songs on the album. It’s got all we’ve come to know and love about ‘em. Great synth, heavy guitar, and the obligatory gang vocals round out this tasty jam which is sure to bring the ruckus live.

Desperate Living really shows they’re maturing as a band with more focused songwriting and lyrics. The fact that Eric’s synth is leading the band and Nathan is taking a back seat may not be a bad thing, but it is different. If one is expecting more of the same, it didn’t happen. But don’t hold it against ‘em. Just cause a band makes an album that’s different than earlier work doesn’t make it bad. It probably won’t turn any haters of HORSE onto the band, but the feeling that they’re growing may bring in new fans who thought they’re older work was too chaotic and cliche.

Verdict: Rock It!
http://www.myspace.com/horsetheband
http://www.horsetheband.com

Girl Vs. School Bus Roof: Fail

ChristPuncher — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:21:40 +0000

I think the best part of this is how she tries to pass it off like no one saw it. Fail.

Here’s some more school bus antics for ya.

I love the wobbly sound of the kids screaming as they break all their little bones and bump their tiny heads.

Alice’s Wonderland

ChristPuncher — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:13:49 +0000

The music video for the song ‘Alice’, an electronic piece composed using sounds recorded from the Disney film ‘Alice In Wonderland’ The artist, Pogo, has a few others like this. All using original sounds and video from the films to create something new and beautiful. There is also this amazing video remix on yooouuutuuube.com which is absolutely mesmerizing! Here’s another highlight from his collection.

Some others include, Mary Poppins, Harry Potter, Willy Wonka, and The Secret Garden.
www.myspace.com/pogotracks
www.last.fm/music/Pogo

So You’re A Douchebag, There’s An App For That

ChristPuncher — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:02:22 +0000

Out of all the apps that Apple boasts about having, most of them are complete wastes of time. Now, there are some really useful ones out there, KashBook, Flixter, AroundMe, etc, but wow are there some stinkers. Here are some of the most pointless iPhone apps ever, and clearly say to the world, I’m a douchebag.

FatBurner 2k
Yeah that’s it fatty, take your iPhone and press it hard up against that BigMac filled stomach of yours and watch the pounds float away. Just check out these amazing workout options!
Use it …
* while finding a parking spot
* when waiting to order another cheeseburger
* at the doctor’s office because your overweight and at risk for diabetes
* while you fall asleep on your parents couch
* when watching NASCAR
* while you post updates on facebook
* while you write your fan episode of CSI: Miami
* while you keep telling yourself how awesome you are, even though you live a life of delusion and everyone hates you, fatty!

Hangtime
This app literally wants you to break your overpriced iPhone. It’s supporting you to throw it up in the air. The same phone that AT&T refuses to insure. Apple says that they didn’t make it, but let’s get serious, they’re laughing at all the douchebags breaking their phones trying to get the high score. This just pisses me off, I thnk more so because there are dumbasses around the world using this. It makes me sad inside.

iPint
Dude let’s get fvcked up tonite! Yeah brosef, totally, but we have no beer! And without beer how are we gonna get the courage to talk to super hot ladies? I know there must be an app for that! Alas there is, the iPint. It turns your iPhone into a pint of your favorite brew. When you tilt it, not olny does it give the illusion your chuggin beer, it shows the world your a total douchebag.

KissingBooth
Further delve into your own world of disillusionment and start making out with your iPhone! When living your life through facebook and other forms of non-human contact communication aren’t cutting anymore, the KissingBooth app is here to be your lover. I can just see little tween practicing at home with this thing waiting for little jimmy to respond to her post on his wall. Fuck me this is trash.

Poop The World
What the fvck is this crap, seriously? So you’re supposed to use this to “mark your territory” wherever you take a dump using this GPS feature. Is that what the world has come to? Some of the most advanced technology ever conceived by humans and we’re using it to show where in the world we take shits. And what are you supposed to do with it once you’ve built up a library of places? Share it with other Poop The World users? Pick up chicks at bars by showing ‘em how much you defecate? I hope someone finds every single person that uses this app and shoots them in the head.