Transportation Tracks

I put together a short (20ish mins.) mix with biking or walking around in mind.

Here's the link.

Enjoy.

Track list:

rankin no 1. (latyrx)
e=mc2 (j dilla)
get a hold (tribe)
he say she say (lupe)
the strain (blockhead)
big bang (aesop)
why ya wanna get funkee (del)
aerodynamic--slum village remix (daft)
don't say nothin (roots)
a weird kanye, chem bros thingy
friction (greenhouse)
ride for my n*ggaz (weezy)

something to do with my hands.

(Joshua Masayoshi Huff)

When you've flown thirty hours over the course of two days and drive around Honolulu all day running errands, you listen to a lot of music...well, at least if you're me. And, I'm starting to notice little things that I never really heard before in songs that stuck out. These aren't just good songs--they're songs that struck me as problematic and worthy of discussion.

First things first, though--if you ever find yourself in Honolulu doing a lot of driving, plug in the Sea and Cake. I mean, them and Pavement are the two best summer bands, and it's permasummer here anyway (though it's sort of like Asian summer monsoon season during the winter) and there's nothing better than the breezy Sea and Cake.

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First up is Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R." I posted this video as a song that I got hooked on last year.


However, there is a huge irony, of course...and it parallels Common's own career. He speaks about how "the girl" (hip hop) changes who she is and sells out and spreads herself too thin. And, uh...this is exactly what Common is doing.

He raps:
"Now I see her in commercials, shes universal
She used to only swing it with the inner-city circle
Now she be in the burbs lickin rock and dressin hip
....
Tellin me sad stories, now she only fucks with the funk
Stressin how hardcore and real she is
She was really the realest, before she got into showbiz"

And BEFORE you say Common doesn't "pop glocks, serve rocks and hit switches", in Kanye's "Get 'Em High", Common raps " You'se a b*tch I got ones that are thicker than you". I know Jay-Z raps the same line in "Takeover" (substituting "money stacks" for "ones"), but get real, Common. You pulled exactly what you preached against in what is arguably your biggest hit ever.

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While I'm preaching about Common, let's talk about his boy, Kanye West. On "All Falls Down" 'Ye raps "I can't even pronounce nothing, pass that Versace!" (intentionally mispronouncing "Versace"). There isn't really irony coming up, but I think I'm focusing on his evolution and ascension to the "upper class"



And, finally, on the track "Champion" off of the magnificent "Graduation", he raps "I shop so much I can speak Italian"



He went from not being able to pronounce the name of an esteemed Italian fashion house to becoming a Louis Vuitton Don to being fluent in the language. I mean, other than his lines like "She got a light skinned friend looks like Michael Jackson/Got a dark skinned friend looks like Michael Jackson", this is what makes Kanye great--constant revisiting and reinterpretation of themes.

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Robin Thicke "Wanna Love U Girl" I really disliked this guy when he first came out. This was the first single off of his latest album "The Evolution of Robin Thicke", but it bombed so badly that people thought that "Lost Without U" was the first single. "Lost Without U" was the first song off the album that I heard, and it was absolute trash. "Wanna Love U Girl" is great for many reasons--the Neptunes are the most on they've been production-wise for years, Pharrell's rap is short and sweet, and the song sounds lovey-dovey and swoons to women. The fact of the matter, though? It's really misogynistic. Not totally, of course, but the thought is there.



He does sing:
"She's the kinda girl you wanna marry
The kinda girl you walk the whole earth for
Put her on your back and just carry
Her attitude is hotter than the earth's core
When she's around nothing else matters
Untouchable she's got her own forcefield"

but then, he goes on to say
"Sooner or later someone will get at her
If I don't someone else will"

So, basically, Thicke wants to date her because someone else "will get at her". So, she's all those things--a girl you wanna marry--but the only reason to really go after her is because someone else may get her? Women aren't objects--but Thicke thinks they are and women buy it coming from his mouth.

Then, there's this gem:
"And now my life is sweeter than berries
I guess if we have sex our love will turn to wine"

First off, I've never heard anyone describe their life as "sweeter than berries". Did he come up with this just to finish the "sex turning our love into wine" symbol? Because, seriously--most berries are notorious for their sour nature.

And, this:
"If I turn my back then someone will get at her
If I don't someone else will"

So, uh, pay attention to your girl because if you don't, someone else will.

I love how Pharrell finishes off his rap, with the line " How this sound: Mr. & Mrs. Skateboard P". Dude, you're 34. Enough said.

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Lastly, for those of you not really fond of rap (I get sick of it myself), here's Don Henley's "Boys of Summer"





This is one of those songs I grew up with. My parents don't really like The Eagles, but for some reason, hearing this song reminds me of driving around Maryland (where I lived until I was four) during the summer. And, when you're four, you don't really think about song lyrics--you think about sounds that the singer makes that you love. For me, it was when Henley sang "you got your hair combed back/and your sunglasses on baby", just because he contorted his voice so strangely to my toddler ears.

And when the Ataris made it a minor alternapoppunkrock hit a few years back, I didn't really think about it either. But really, this song is massively messed up. The song's protagonist loves this girl even though she fools around with the "boys of summer" (I wish there was a term for these like there was for "snowbirds"), and he says he'll wait as long as it'll take. I mean, that's romantic, and maybe he really does love her...but, come on, man. She's fooling around on you, and you're just the safe, fall-back guy that's nothing more than a friend. You really want a girl who puts you away for the newer toys? I dunno, maybe it's just me, but I don't want to play second-fiddle to any other boys. And do you really want to love someone who does that to you? Even if she says she loves you? Her actions aren't really showing it, are they?

Well, then, there you have it. The overanalysis of songs.
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Also, be sure to check the link on the sidebar for Patrick Mishina's "Never Destroyed Sometimes". His site also features musical musings as well as insight on sports and politics (he's a Yankees fan...but take it easy on him).

Alright, and there's your Monday update.

Dafthead Radiopunk

(Joshua Masayoshi Huff)

bsteezy pulled what I consider to be a low blow--he's making me argue against my favorite band on the planet.

While I wholeheartedly agree that Radiohead's decision to not sell "In Rainbows" in shops as well as giving it away/letting fans name their price for it is revolutionary and a revelation, I just am not convinced that they shook the world up the way that Daft Punk did.

Daft Punk were, for the longest time, your older sister's cool ex-boyfriend's favorite French house band. They toiled in relative obscurity here in the states, and their debut, "Homework" was put out in 1997--a bit before my time. The first exposure I had to the band was when I saw their video for "One More Time". The band got written off as kitschy and as sort of neu-disco...which they clearly are not.

"Discovery" was a solid album that did not come close to approaching the landmark status of "Homework", and the subsequent "Human After All" was downright dreadful.

Fine, fine. Daft Punk was getting played by the club kids. They were loved by critics. But they just weren't big. That changed last year, when they embarked on a world tour complete with a massive pyramid.

Behold it here.

Dudes constantly wear robot helmets. They saw they are not from earth. They put out two full length films: the first was a movie for the entire "Discovery" album and the other was called "Electroma" and is about the band and how they came together (though they got actors to portray them in it)

James Murphy started pushing the band with his single "Daft Punk is Playing at My House" and he bragged on the song "Yeah" that "I was the first guy to play Daft Punk for the rock kids". And, really, with bands like Murphy's LCD Soundsystem getting big, it's time that Daft Punk get their due. They are really the world's biggest unknown band--and really, no one knows who they are because they never take those awesome helmets off.

Without Daft Punk, as I said in my last post, there would be no Justice, no Mr. Oizo, no Simian Mobile Disco..and, really, no Ed Banger records period. Keyboards wouldn't be cool again and the rock kids wouldn't want to go to clubs.

Daft Punk used to be dance music for the kids that didn't dance outside of their own bedrooms. Now, they're club music for the masses. Today, driving in Honolulu, I had the radio on (my iPod had died) and I heard two different commercials for two different Honolulu nightclubs. One was for "Island Night", where people of the Polynesian persuasion party and the other was for a more Asian, college going crowd--and both played Daft Punk as their background music.

The band crossed cultural borders--they became a force with the glitzy cocaine LA crowd as well as the drugged out acoustic folksters. Kanye West sampled the band.

The became the hottest live ticket in the US--and they didn't even put out a new studio record. This is a massive accomplishment.

Yes, Radiohead may have introduced the world to a new way of music distribution, but only the most famous bands will be able to utilize it. Up-and-coming bands will be worse off because of this system because they will not have the advertising backing of big labels under this system. This worked for Radiohead because they are the world's biggest band--they don't need to advertise and they don't need radio airplay to sell records. It's that simple.

The day I can walk to class and hear two totally ditzy LA girls talk about how great the last Radiohead live show was is the day that they'll take the throne as the world's most relevant band. Otherwise, though, the throne is occupied by the otherworldly roboboys of Daft Punk.

Why You Shouldn't Wear a Manchester United Jersey

Manchester kept the pressure on league leaders Arsenal this weekend by beating bottom feeders Birmingham 1-0. It was a pathetic result because it was at Old Trafford, and the last fifteen minutes belonged solely to the visitors--who unfortunately could do nothing with their chances.

In any case, I am particularly aggrieved by United's--Carlos Tevez's--goal. Maybe you saw it on ESPN's Top Ten Plays yesterday.

Now, this was a nice goal, a beautiful backheel by CRonaldo put Tevez through, and he finished coolly. Here's the best video I could find of it.

It took me awhile to find a video because I couldn't find one that showed Cameron Jerome laying on the ground, hurt. You can see him balled up at the beginning.

Unfortunately, the video doesn't show how he got hurt, namely, by being cleated in the stomach by Rio Ferdinand going up for a header. The ref was blocked on the play and couldn't see what happened. Jerome went down and the ball fell to Rio who played Carrick.

The ball was in United's half, not in a counterattacking position or anything. Carrick should have kicked the ball out of bounds. (Actually, if the ref had seen Rio's act, there should have been a whistle and a yellow card). Instead, Carrick played the ball forward and it ended in the goal.

When you see people wearing Manchester United jerseys, especially fans who haven't seen any soccer beyond FIFA 08, just remember what they stand for. Winning, yes, and scoring, OK, but also a cocky attitude that finds nothing wrong in the kinds of heinous actions we saw this past weekend.

2008...Music

Soo, now that we're done being excited about it being 2008, it's back to business. There's much to look back on in 2007, like, you know, everything.

I feel more comfortable leaving music recaps to Jheez, who actually knows what he's talking about. But I can contest his "most relevant musician of 2007" award, which yesterday he (without much ceremony, sadly) bestowed upon Daft Punk. I, on the other hand, proudly give the award to...

...

Britney Spears!!


Just kidding.

I think, in all honesty, that Radiohead deserves the honor--as much for the way they sold In Rainbows as the music itself.

The fact is that music as we know it is in serious danger unless somebody can muster some kind of creative way to make money through music without hampering the development music itself.

Here's the way I see it: music as we know it--I mean, contemporary 2008-type stuff--has been built for the most part around a structure of dissemination that is fundamentally democratic and universal. In other words, the internet. So much known music today has budded thanks to listeners' ability to get SO MUCH music! This way, little acts have grown into big ones, and high school bands end up with a trillion views on their myspace page.

These bands eventually can sign with the record companies, and then the record companies make a bunch of money. Great.

The point is, by bringing lawsuits and trials and whatever to the people who are discovering these bands (meaning, anyone who has ever downloaded some indie crap), the music industry--which is hardly the actual industry anymore, really--is cutting off one of the main ways musicians are developed. They are biting the hand that feeds them.

(By the by, way to go University of Oregon in fighting this ridiculous pattern!)

As the for artists, well, they're pretty much screwed either way. They can sign with the "industry" and get 5 cents an album, all while going on the road 300 days a year to make real money. Or they can throw their stuff all over the internet, via youtube, myspace, etc. etc., all while going on the road 300 days a year to make real money.

You dig?

And now it's left for someone to come up with a way to make money while still utilizing their ability to remain artistically independent and distribute their music.

Radiohead has tried one way, and in my opinion they deserve real credit for it. They are the most relevant band in 2007 then, because of the potential impact that year's album could have on all of music forever.

Besides, Jheez's Radiohead countdown earlier this year was just gold.


Who knows what 2008 will bring regarding the music "industry," let alone the actual artists themselves. We'll be watching...

For example, rumors are circulating about Jay-Z starting a record label with Apple. He said in an interview with Billboard last month that the old way of selling CDs just isn't "exciting" for him anymore.

Here we go...

2008!

It's 2008! OMFG!!!

overdue

(Joshua Masayoshi Huff)

I've been a bit more busy than I expected, but I wanted to put out my list of favorite albums, songs and odds and ends from 2007. These aren't in any particular order other than the first three stood out to me the most.

My absolute favorites:
Jens Lekman "Night Falls Over Kortedala"
Kanye West "Graduation"
LCD Soundsystem "Sound of Silver"

The rest:
Daft Punk "Alive"
M.I.A. "Kala"
Aesop Rock "None Shall Pass"
Jay-Z "American Gangster"
The Field "From Here We Go Sublime"
Lupe Fiasco "The Cool"
Radiohead "In Rainbows"
Caribou "Andorra"
Burial "Untrue"
M83 "Digital Shades"
Fennesz Sakamoto "Cendre"
Do Make Say Think "You, You're A History in Rust"


Favorite Songs of the Year (Justice's "D.A.N.C.E" is too obvious):
Jens Lekman "Sipping on Sweet Nectar"
Ayuse Kozue "Sundae Love"
LCD Soundsystem "All My Friends"
M.I.A. "Paper Planes"
The Field "A Paw in My Face"
Radiohead "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi"
Kanye West "Good Life"
The Cool Kids "Black Mags"
Shape of Broad Minds "Let's Go"

Favorite finds from years past:
Aesop Rock "Daylight"
Rich Boy "Throw Some D's"
Robin Thicke "Wanna Love You Girl"
Stardust "Music Sounds Better With You"
Ratatat "Nostrand"
Faunts "Memories of Places We've Never Been"
Joe Jackson "Stepping Out"
Minmi "Who's Theme"
....and the Hall and Oates' Greatest Hits compilation

I also don't think that there was a musical artist more relevant last year than Daft Punk. They were at their absolute biggest even though they didn't put out a studio album--they exploded based on the strength of their live show. They got sampled by Kanye (runner-up for most relevant artist in my book) and got cozy with the rock and rap kids. And, let's be honest: without Daft Punk, there'd be no Justice, Simian Mobile Disco, The Field, Junior Boys or just about any other remotely interesting electro/dance/rock outift (fine, the same can be said about Detroit Techno as well, but that's like saying there wouldn't be rock without Beethoven. Get real).


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JJ is turning one year old in two weeks. bsto and i are currently culling through our favorite entries and will be posting our own lists of standout moments very soon.