| this is just a review for matt....if you are reading this...well congrats, here is a review for you too... www.rapidfish.org/jesse
Mogwai: " Happy Songs, for Happy People"
Raiting: 7.5/ 10
When the world comes to whatever ignominious end we choose, Happy Songs for Happy People will be playing somewhere. It'll be the instrumental soundtrack to everyone's collective thoughts of anger, resentment, acceptance, and then, ultimately-- after everyone's had time to reflect and make peace with whatever the hell it is they're trying to reconcile at that particular moment-- it'll also be the soundtrack to great big letdown of, y'know, the world ending. Tidal static washes will engulf the land; thunderous guitar peals will split the sky. As the Four Horseman gallop by, blasting this album at ear-splitting levels from their totally sweet sound systems, everyone will brace themselves for the final burst of insight to make sense out of everything, and then guess what? Nothing. It's all over, just like that. Get your coats and go. All that storm and stress, and for what? Bummer, dude. At least it was exciting here and then.
For those of you (and that probably includes most of you) who do not know Mogwai (other than that cute character from Gremlins), I will raise the phrase "post-rock music". It's a term used by critics and other hipsters to classify a genre which ensues the instrumental values of climactic or apocalyptic rock music. Generally the formula reads like a book: slow brooding intro, pretty melodic builds, climactic explosion, and more instrumental to close things off. Mogwai has stuck to this formular for 3 albums, a couple of EP's, and continues to do so on Happy Songs for Happy People.
For the amount of energy Mogwai spend painstakingly carving out wrenching emotional turmoil, lush interludes, and haunting Slint impressions, they've had no idea where to take it since the sensory overload of 1997's Young Team. More intrinsically left-brained types might have used all that overpowering intensity of purpose to cure cancer, or debt, or Staind; Mogwai, on the other hand, have a languishing surplus of potential. On their debut, they did the only thing they knew how: buried the listener deep under cascading avalanches of sound, using immersion to distract them from anything as trivial as a lack of direction. With every album, Mogwai is more and more about the details: the organic rise and fall of "Moses, I Amn't" is a cathedral dirge simplified to an unprecedented degree (by Mogwai's standards). Sparsely layered organs, strings, and exceedingly sparse, hollowed-out drumstick hits rise in waves that never quite crest, for once in perfect harmony with Mogwai's mournful undertones. It bleeds quietly into "Kids Will Be Skeletons", which in turn transitions into the brief crescendo of "Killing All Flies"; the sweep is almost effortlessly natural.
The song titles should give away what the wryly ironic album title doesn't. Surprise!-- this is a pretty grim album. Every time I hear Mogwai, I'm struck by what a miserable portrait they paint of Scotland, full of skeletonized children, dead flies and such; as usual, Mogwai's Happy Music... evokes similar imagery. The problem is that, in spite of much of the album's comfortable ease, the quieter tone and brooding atmosphere are burdened with even less interest in taking these songs somewhere, anywhere. We're left lost, mired in Mogwai's omnipresent gloom.
If you are looking for a bit of emotional music, without all the whiny lyrics, Mogwai is the band for you. Although this is not their best effort, songs like "Hunted by a Freak" will regain your confidence that Mogwai hasn't been splashed with water. | comments: Leave a comment   |
| | Current Music: | Godspeed you black emperor- "east hastings" | | Security: | | | Time: | 01:05 am | | Current Mood: |  anxious |
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| on another note.......
I won an mp3 player today on cokemusic.com thanks corporate empire, I owe you one! And 28 days later...go see that movie...fucking great music...... | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Hail to the thief | | Security: | | | Time: | 08:40 pm | | Current Mood: |  giddy |
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| I broke into a pool...
Im going to see Radiohead @ Redrocks...
More about this later
(skirmishes away in schoolgirl glee) | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | 1 mile north-1983 | | Security: | | | Time: | 11:14 am | | Current Mood: |  morose |
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| Nature wants my balls...
Ahh...so. Went on a pretty decently long hike yesterday with terry and tyler. It would of been great if it weren't for me being so damn sick. I never thought they would actually go out and hike like they did, so I give them some respect for that. I think my cold is getting a bit better since yesterday, but I just woke up, so it could all be an illusion...I can't breathe through my nose, so I guess I can't get too overly excited.
I am suprised how motivated people are getting lately. Yesterday when I had to walk down to the bank, I sarcastically asked if evan wanted to walk down there with me...well he said yeah, and shocked the hell out of me. Now he is even talking about going on the volks march this weekend up to the top of crazy horse. I haven't done the volks march in nearly 5 years, so Im kind of stoked to see how I have improved since then. I remember bitching and whining the entire first time, because it was cold and windy, and i was really out of shape. Guessing from my current condition, it should be a piece of cake.
I think thats all that is important right now, anyways.... | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Radiohead- "there, there" | | Security: | | | Time: | 03:41 am | | Current Mood: | envious |
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| Its astounding...
the ammount of people who keep a blog on the net. Dave's girlfriend brought it to my attention that no matter how heartfelt it might seem, there is always something in the back of your head telling you not to spill out your guts on the net, knowing people will be reading this. At this point, I decided that I beg to differ, and that growing up in the generation I did, the internet feels more of a safe haven than reality is. I don't mean that in a metaphorical sense either, it's sad, but sometimes I feel de-sensitized to reality and whatever might happen, because I can always find other opinions waiting for me on a network. Why go to school when we have the net? I mean honestly, there really isn't too much you can't do on the net, and as cliche' this all may be, you can't deny its validity.
Oh, while we're at it.....
Ecstacy.
Sex and lights,
It's totally chill,
you could really have fun,
with this little pill.
Which drug should you be hooked on? [now with pictures]
brought to you by Quizilla
Yet again, I've fallen victim to the quiz factor, but I just had to see what I was....ecstacy, how fitting...so now I am an indie snob/ tablet of mdma...brilliant.
" You are a sea cow...a mother fucking sea cow!" | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| On the edge...
I just don't have the urge to write right now. Im not entirely sure why I even clicked on the cute little pencil icon in my taskbar...ah, so I have decided I am not going to waste anymore of mine or your time...good night | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | none, to be different, silence is the in thing you know. | | Security: | | | Time: | 03:12 am | | Current Mood: | trendy |
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| " Whats in that box!?....its not a box, its a bag, with records."
I don't know what it is about sundays that bothers me so much. It's interesting to note, that today, sunday, is the first day without rain in a long time.
I am thee hipster. I define what is and what isn't hip, and do not let some meta-fiction hipster book or author tell you different. I wrote that damn book, but I changed my name, cause thats uber fuckin hip.
Finally, for bea. GWAR! | | comments: 2 comments or Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | Spoon- "everything hits at once" | | Security: | | | Time: | 12:41 am | | Current Mood: | jubilant |
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| Likewise, she said.
I'm not entirely sure why I haven't written anything lately, but I think it's largely in part to the lack of response i have had in previous posts. Really, I should be glorifying the anomaly of silence, but maybe I opt for the voyeuristic aspect of a blog.
I've been itching to find a different job as of late. The ammount of drama that spurts through the seams of blocbuster is comparible to the breaking point of a frying egg membrane. And really, Im just the spatula that is ready to break it. Im sick of it, and I want to just make an utter outlash at all of the management there. They are all living these facticious blockbuster lives where they think that wearing blue and yellow t-shirts puts them in the spotlight they never had in high school. Of course, renting out movies and providing customer service is part of an elite sub-genre of uber people, I just haven't become one of the chosen yet.
ITS FUCKING BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO!!!!!!!!!!!!
alright...got that out of my system....
In positive news....First and foremost, I want to give a huge thanks to rob mcmahon. He went out of his way to send me a very krispy kremey kare package that kalmed me like a kinder. He didn't have to send anything, he just did out of good gesture. That kid is going to have some amazing karma comming his way, amongst other great things....thanks again rob...
Other big news....Radiohead is playing red rocks in August...Im going to cut myself if I can't make this show....
In conclusion, well, this isn't an essay, so there is no conclusion....hit back on your browser window and go back to the more important pornography that you were looking at. Just don't associate me with the pictures you are looking at....eww.... | | comments: 1 comment or Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | k-os "superstarr pt. 0" | | Security: | | | Time: | 02:18 am | | Current Mood: |  blank |
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| I think....
therefore...I am not. | | comments: Leave a comment |
| | Current Music: | the ambient sounds of a tv humming | | Security: | | | Time: | 01:56 am | | Current Mood: |  bitchy |
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| My sick infactuation...
See...I ussualy get decently hyped and worked over a video game, but nothing has pushed me to an edge like unreal championship has. See...they said that there was going to be some download content, ie maps and glitch fixes by the end of march. Its officially april now, and nothing...not even an update from microsoft. I dont know why, but this really irks me...just because I know that microsoft is behind it....
anyways...thats all for now.... | | comments: Leave a comment |
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