en http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/ Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 Thu, 1 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000 60 http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal The Last.fm journal for codexwyrm. Last.fm journals are a place to talk about all things music. http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2012/05/24/5h95uf_irrelevant_and_generic Thu, 24 May 2012 22:43:38 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2012/05/24/5h95uf_irrelevant_and_generic I purchased MDNA a month or so ago. Now that it's had a chance to sink in, it stands out to me as one of Madonna's worst albums. I like the idea of it, of her making her version of popular modern dance music. Unfortunately, it's been spun in all conceivable incarnations relentlessly for the last 3 years. For her to stand out as Madonna Herself, it would have to be the best of those examples, enriched by her voice and vision. It certainly doesn't. It's not a bad album objectively, it's just not great. If this were my first Benny Benassi, William Orbit, or Martin Solveig album, I would be pleased. They are known for their production, not epic songwriting. This album is exactly that- production only. I echo sentiments I've heard elsewhere, that it would have been a coup for her to bring back Patrick Leonard, have some seriously memorable writing, and then gotten this dance supertrio to produce and remix the tracks for a more modern sound.

Madonna herself said when she did Ray of Light in 98 that she wanted to make a techno album, but give it heart. So what's standard techno without heart now?

The best and most original song on the album is B-Day Girl. So cute and ridiculous.

Despite this, I'm still pumped for the concert in October :)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/08/19/4k1299_10_greatest_shirts_of_all_time Fri, 19 Aug 2011 21:23:34 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/08/19/4k1299_10_greatest_shirts_of_all_time I was thinking about the chest I present at work, one band shirt after another. That part is intentional. What is not is the selection. My tastes are woefully misrepresented. If one were to judge what I like by what I wear, one would think I kinda liked Crystal Castles, Revolting Cocks, Lady Gaga, Ministry, and then REALLY REALLY liked KMFDM. It's in the ballpark, but really a foul ball. I have like 8 KMFDM shirts. I like them, but not that much. This has prompted me to seek out new band shirts to represent my taste, and actually trash some of the old ones. I find I kinda hate some of my old ones.

First new shirt:
A simple PIG shirt, much needed, very practical. PIG is highly underrated, and one of the greatest, filthiest poets in the industrial genre

I trashed my Weird Al concert shirt in sacrifice. I had to do some soul searching this year, and find that I am reaching badly every time I try to like Weird Al these days. He's kitsch- opposite of art, and pretty stupid overall.

This gave me a better idea, though. Take the 10 best albums of all time, and buy shirts for each of them. That would truly be a statement, and a great conversation starter for any eyebrow raising.

So now I have the onerous task of rating the 10 best albums of all time- mostly this is based on how consistently excited I am to play the albums in their entirety, coupled with quality and vision.

10. Master of Puppets


9. Confessions on a Dance Floor

Pulling this one off would be very....difficult. But if any straight man can it's me :) IF



8. Outside


7. With Teeth


6. 13 Above The Night

This shirt will be impossible to find, if it ever even existed. I would have to have it made.



5. Nihil


4. The Downward Spiral


3. Angel Dust


2. Born This Way


1. Violator


Sorry, Gaga, but Violator is still better! :)]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/31/4il18w_inside_the_reactor Sun, 31 Jul 2011 20:13:24 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/31/4il18w_inside_the_reactor This week's new music is Inside The Reactor. Juno Reactor's first release in 7 years or so. Unfortunately, not new material, but new remixes of their discography. The remixes range from stripped down, like Pistolero (Bombay Dub Orchestra Mix) to some fat, buzzing bass on many. A good techno album overall, and a must have for Juno Reactor fans. 4*]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/22/4hxp7b_overrated Fri, 22 Jul 2011 17:56:37 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/22/4hxp7b_overrated This week's music is Mothership. I have been in the mood for good 70s rock this year, so I thought I'd try something different. The remastering shows in nice punchy drums and clear separation between the instruments. Robert Plant has an incredible voice, and wrote good lyrics. They have good songwriting, overall. I love the bluesy vibe they have on a few tracks. Overall, however, most of their songs sound unfinished. I was reading in the liner notes that they spent little time in the studio recording their albums, and it shows. I feel like I'm listening to demos of real songs that never happened. It all could have benefitted from some more deliberate production, tighter playing, bolder solos, etc. The way it is is great for a 'live' kinda feel, but studio albums are almost always better than live ones, especially for musicians that really know what they're doing. 3* overall. They were probably an incredible live band, but the are overrated in their albums.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/17/4hoeqt_take_another_shot_and_kiss_the_other_side Sun, 17 Jul 2011 21:30:50 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/17/4hoeqt_take_another_shot_and_kiss_the_other_side This week is a double-EP week for new music. First, and worst, is Nu Nu Yeah Yeah. Like 6 mixes of a fun, stupid song. Fairly disposable generic pop, but whatever. It sounds good in my mix.

The feature is The Edge of Glory Remixes. Her remix EPs keep getting better and better. Crazy arpeggiations on The Edge Of Glory (Foster The People Remix)! Fat beats on most of the rest. I noticed, strangely, that Clarence Clemons' sax is not in any of the mixes. Royalties? Respect? Who knows. It would have sounded really fresh to fuckle up his solo on a mix though.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/10/4h9lk6_adult_contemporary Sun, 10 Jul 2011 18:11:01 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/10/4h9lk6_adult_contemporary This week's new music: La Cucaracha. As varied and bizarre as any of their albums. It's hard to say anything as a Ween album as a whole, but they tend to kinda have a theme, sorta. If I had to, I'd say this one is adult contemporary/classic rock. What most distinguishes this one from other albums is some virtuoso performances- trumpet, saxophone, and guitar solos abound. Great production throughout, and its goofiness/variety gives it high replayability. My favorite song is The Party, just so fucking ridiculous. 4/5* overall.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/01/4gr298_new_80s! Fri, 1 Jul 2011 17:55:30 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2011/07/01/4gr298_new_80s! Laura Branigan Platinum Collection is this week's new music purchase for me. I noticed a gaping hole in my 80s collection, and this helped fill it. The production on the cd is amazing, with her vocals crystal clear, nice punchy beats, and ear-tickling keyboards. While some of the ballads are fairly disposable, the rest ranges from decent to great. I hadn't heard most of the songs on this cd before, so to me it's like a brand new 80s release! I rate it 4/5*]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2009/04/13/2n9emw_the_fresh_ear Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:47:58 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2009/04/13/2n9emw_the_fresh_ear My 'best albums of all time' are getting a fresh ear. Takes-

Violator is much stranger than I remember. I'm hearing all kinds of weird, creepy shit in it I never heard before. I wouldn't be surprised if there's an unidentified body somewhere associated with the making of this album.

Trent Reznor sounds like he's drunk on many of the songs on The Fragile. Has anyone else noticed this? Specifically, and most noticeably on 'Somewhat Damaged' and 'The Fragile', but others as well. I like it! His vocals sound more raw and passionate than on both earlier and later albums.]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2009/04/03/2mbik9_the_worst_band_name_in_rock_history Fri, 3 Apr 2009 19:23:29 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2009/04/03/2mbik9_the_worst_band_name_in_rock_history is an honor bestowed upon the smarmy shenanigans of Modest Mouse, unsurprisingly. Now in the creation process, the finished product is naturally the pinnacle of your idea, with a mountain of discarded lesser material holding it aloft. Which begs the question, if Modest Mouse, pretty much the least cool name we've ever heard, is what they settled on, what in God's name did they reject?

I scoured the world wide interweb and managed to dreg up a dozen of them, these band names that weren't good enough for Modest Mouse:

-Artist
-Pro-Hitler
-Pedophenalia
-Chunk of Shit
-Simon Says
-Natalie Portman's Shaved Muff
-The Scenesters
-The Fresh Baked Cookies
-The Beetles
-Kaopectate
-Grandpa's Lap
-Just Because

ok, now it makes sense! Thanks Mice!]]> http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2009/03/31/2m2l89_the_best_band_of_2008 Tue, 31 Mar 2009 22:57:33 +0000 http://www.last.fm/user/codexwyrm/journal/2009/03/31/2m2l89_the_best_band_of_2008 Is far from new. It took me a dozen years, and 2008 is the one in which I ripened enough to finally appreciate it, I guess, but Garbage seriously, seriously kicks ass. All of it. I started with Absolute Garbage, and now have all but Version 2.0. Shirley Manson's voice is direct and honest, and her lyrics are fucked-up, intelligent, and beautiful. You feel like you know her after listening to her songs, much like Trent Reznor's work. Their production is top-notch, and the instrumentation is powerful, pop bordering on the industrial side. I can't recommend them enough. I can't believe it took me this long!]]>