Castles Made of Sand

Test drive.

2007-11-19T12:24:00.000-05:00

Hi kids.

It was a year-long joyride I've had with this here blog. There were some grand times, bland times, but overall, somewhat grand times.

However, I want to take my blogging a little more serious and move into a specific direction. I have a new blog now, titled I'm Glowing!.

Granted, I've only posted four entries since I inaugurated it yesterday, but I would love for you all to get the hang of reading it on a regular basis.

This blog was my project to testing out my thoughts, but now, I'm wanting to take 'em to a whole new level of professionalism.

CMoS wants to thank you for the support, but if you would kindly carry your support to my new blog, that'd be even sexier.

Love,
Amb

Can't wait, can't wait.

2007-11-03T13:05:00.000-04:00

(Still from next week's episode of Ugly Betty)

Ugly Betty was so fantastic last week that all I can say about next week is I'm so anticipatory of it that it'll be the only thing to think about. I have a feeling that my week already will rule because of that. Well, that and seeing this guy play basketball before mine eyes.

Anyway, so bottom line is I'm excited. So far, the best Ugly Betty episode ever. Seeing she and Henry finally make love is the sweetest thing, not to mention me wanting to see Wicked. Man.

Honestly, I got nothing. All I gotta say is: if you're not hooked to this show yet, I wonder how you sleep at night.

Open letter to Wolf Parade.

2007-10-31T12:19:00.000-04:00

Dear Wolf Parade,

Remember when The Rapture came out with that badass EP in 2002, followed by an even more badass LP in 2003? And remember when the end of 2006 rolled around, and their newest album came out, and folks were excited, only to be slightly disappointed because the CD really wasn't that worth the wait?

No? OK. How about when you came out with that badass EP in the summer of 2005, followed by your badass LP in the fall of 2005? Oh, now it's ringing a bell. At first fans were led to believe that your newest album is set for the end of this year; now you're telling us it's gonna be the first half of next year? Hmm. Looking all-too familiar here. Please don't be another Rapture. I love you too much. You're super talented. Make it happen. Make it worthwhile.

P.S. Spencer Krug--I know you're prolific, having two other projects (Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake) that are very solid bands and all, but let's now focus on Wolf Parade please. Thanks.

A show even better than Family Guy.

2007-10-31T00:08:00.000-04:00

Before the fall of 2006, the only show I could rely on for cynical political commentary similar to mine's was Family Guy. And imagine how heart-broken I was as a hardcore 15-year-old fan when that shit got canceled. So you must can imagine my elation when it was revived and came back better than ever.

And even before I got into Family Guy, there was South Park, the even more acerbic comedy I was into.

Well, there's a show that combines both of those elements, this time behind the eyes of a cynical black man named Aaron MacGruder, creator of The Boondocks comic strips, and, thank God, the television series on Adult Swim.

A homeboy who was a photographer for our campus newspaper gathered a few of us around his computer and showed us the show. It was immediately a hit with me. What this show does for the educated black folk is what aforementioned shows Family Guy and South Park may do for the educated white folk: divulging racism, whether it's blatant or subtle. Like how Family Guy makes fun of rich, white Republicans or South Park making fun of poor, low-class white people, The Boondocks make fun of the polar opposites of blacks: you're either an idiot thug or an uppity well-to-do black person who has identity crises.

At least, that's what you gather about all three of those shows, but essentially, they're making fun of the American ideals of minority cultures through the gaze of a closed-minded nincompoop who cannot accept change. I know, deep shit, but as some of you may know, Amb is all about controversy.

But the funny thing is is the fact that Boondocks isn't controversial at all. It talks about real shit, and, thankfully, it expresses different opinions and shows how some people can still get along despite their differences. And the fact that it's narrated through militant 10-year-old Huey (named after Black Panther founder Huey Newton), who sports a huge afro, while his younger brother, Riley, sports cornrows and embraces the negative rapper image.

Just because the show uses "nigga" a lot or the main characters are black doesn't mean it's specifically for a black audience. In honesty, I'm really glad to see a show with majority black characters, albeit cartoon characters, that isn't canceled and is actually successful without having to compromise itself.

Because Lord knows we don't need another Dave Chappelle situation.

You, sir, are an asshole.

2007-10-30T13:45:00.000-04:00

How this moron gets all the hype of being "one of the best living singer/songwriters," I'll never understand. Nevermind the fact that Ryan Adams has put out 97 albums in seven years. Just because you have the capabilities of putting out the album doesn't make you the goddam Messiah.

Don't get me wrong, he's a talented asshole, but after the release of his debut, Heartbreaker, which is, apparently, the best album ever, he's just been that guy known to be to wear his emotions on his sleeve and being an asshole.

I first heard about Adams in 2003 when I was at a local CD Warehouse and the clerk, looking like he was in an alt.country band with his long beard, Wranglers, fitted tee and rock star boots, was recommending me the new Ryan Adams album at the time, Rock 'N Roll. The guy was raving about it! I was like, "Shit, the way you're talking about it, I'll get it, brother." Yes, I said that verbatim.

Anyway, so he plays the title track of the album, which didn't sound like rock 'n roll at all, but instead a piano ballad. So that alone intrigued me.

As soon as I leave the store, I pop the album in my CD player. I listen to the first song, "This Is It," and I was somewhat interested. But for some odd reason, I didn't get into the rest of the album. Turns out, that album was a piece of shit.

Now, now. I know the story--record label Lost Highway was all like, "Hey, man, your shit's just not commercial enough, so get back into the studio and make a whole new album in two weeks, no matter how shitty it is. We just want results." Or something like that. And I agree, that's unfair.

And I guess that's how the rest of his career went. He just kept throwing up albums, left and right. It was to the point that that was all he was known for. Well, that and his September 11-era "New York, New York." And being an asshole.

Every time I say I hate Ryan Adams, it's a guarantee I'll end up in an argument with the millionth hardcore Ryan Adams fan. After telling them I got into him with Rock 'N Roll, they'd usually say the same thing: "Oh, you shouldn't have started with that album. You should've started with Heartbreaker. It's the best album he's done and one of the greatest albums ever and whenever I'm dumped by my girlfriend, I listen to it non-stop and it makes me weep like a little bitch"--verbatim.

It always trips me out, because, as I said, he has put out 157 albums in seven years, and the only album people think about is his very first album as a solo artist he put out seven years ago.

So, please, everyone, tell me: Why the hell is Ryan Adams significant, other than the fact I just spent 20 minutes talking about my dislike for the bastard?

Take your time. I'll wait.

BTDubs.

2007-10-27T13:37:00.000-04:00

This scene from Thursday's episode of Ugly Betty is all you freakin' need to know how incredibly brilliant the show keeps becoming. The writing is just impeccable.

This one was a good'un, to say an understatement. I really didn't see most of the shit coming. Marc giving up a date with a hot, yet idiotic underwear model to be with cute and cuddly photographer Cliff?! Alexis suddenly regaining her memory on the juicy parts (yes, I said "juicy" more than once--that's how serious it is!) of her life and admitting she was aiming to kill her dad?! Christina's husband tracking her down on a dating Web site?!

And, of course, Henry and Betty overcoming their awkward, standstill positions and finally owning up to their love for each other and kissing each other passionately with that one song from Casablanca playing in the background!

I really didn't see that one coming. I just figured it was gonna be another farewell they'd end up eating later in the show, but I didn't expect for her to come back outside and plant a wet one on him. Damn!

Literally, a tear exited my eye sockets and glided down my cheek.

Bravo, Ugly Betty team. Bravo.

That goes for you, too.

2007-10-27T01:11:00.000-04:00

Because Zora Neale Hurston, too, is the shit.

Oh, God bless.

2007-10-27T01:08:00.000-04:00

Seriously, Kurt. I recently discovered newfound inspiration to write again. Inspiration--it comes and it goes, and when it comes back, boy, is it a beautiful thing.

Can't get enough.

2007-10-26T01:39:00.000-04:00

Probably my favorite song of the year, this here Liars song I'm about to mention below:
Liars - Leather Prowler
Every time I hear this song, I, literally, stand up, and suddenly, my feet are moving around frantically to the point where I'm hopping around. Kind of like those kids at a punk show circa 1977 at CBGB. Just random flailing/gyration.

And another fave of mine comes from the band pictured above.
Spoon - Don't You Evah
This song, too, makes me want to get up and dance, but in a more choreographed way. The minute and a half bass/guitar solo brings nothing but rhythmic jams to it, and then, of course, Britt Daniel tops it off with his amazingly versatile voice. He does some wonderful things with his vocals here. A sexier, better version of "Stay Don't Go" off their critically and commercially successful 2002 album, Kill the Moonlight.

And I mustn't forget this song:
Animal Collective - Fireworks
I can't believe I didn't fully elaborate how wonderful the experience of seeing them live last month. All I gotta say is this: I've never been so sweaty after a show. They are incredibly talented, despite some criticisms of them being pretentious and their "weird music" resulting from drug usage. Well, for one--bullshit, and two--who the hell cares?

Two albums I own but have yet taken time out to give them the full listens they deserve:

as well as:

Don't worry. Full details coming soon.

OK, you got me: Pt. 2

2007-10-25T13:48:00.000-04:00

“When they say a movie I make is smarter-than-thou, that the movie is ‘too smart for its own good,’ as if we’re making movies to try to show everybody how great and cool we are…well, that’s just not the case. We’re trying our hardest to entertain people, to make something people will like, something people will connect with. I don’t think there’s a great effort to try to make some statement about ourselves, you know?”

Oh, Wes Anderson. What else needs to be said after that quote? Do yourself a huge favor and read the full piece New York Magazine wrote.

The Life Obsessive With 'The Darjeeling Limited' Director Wes Anderson

Also:

2007-10-25T01:30:00.000-04:00

This is Pylon. They are the shit. Formed in Athens in 1979. Disbanded in 1983. Now they are back together again, touring. They come to Atlanta Nov. 2. DFA Records reissued their influential LP, Gyrate (reissue is titled Gyrate Plus. It's amazing. I'm amazed. Gotta check it out, folks.

Pylon on Myspace

OK, you got me.

2007-10-25T00:12:00.000-04:00

Oh, Wes Anderson, you delightful bastard. You won me over again, baby. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou is forgotten about. The Darjeeling Limited has definitely re-opened my eyes with love for you.

However, I'm just one person. Apparently, critics aren't too impressed, giving Anderson mixed reviews. Of course.

The main criticism is a bit lame to me: what makes Darjeeling different than his previous two--Aquatic and The Royal Tenenbaums? Nothing, critics quip, except this one's on a train, while the other two are on a boat and in a castle-esque home, respectively.

Another thing Anderson keeps up is his themes of alienation, loneliness and hope. I find it unfair that when Martin Scorsese casted Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel and, recently, Leonardo DiCaprio in is films, as well as using slow motion in his earlier films, he was considered a visionary genius; however, Anderson does the same thing, yet he's repetitive.

I use Scorsese as an example because I see a lot of his work reflected in Anderson's films, as well as Francois Truffaut and Hal Ashby. It wasn't too long ago where Marty was just another young auteur whom critics deemed "pretentious" and "arrogant," and boy, did it take a long time for him to get a golden statue.

Anderson is definitely a true auteur, involved in just about every significant aspects of film. When I'm watching his films, I feel as if I can see the scenes directly from his eyes.

Another great thing about Darjeeling is the casting of Adrien Brody as the hothead yet mild-mannered middle brother. This is the thing about Adrien Brody: where the hell have you been since that magnificent, Oscar-winning performance in The Pianist? He just haven't been getting good roles, and I'm so happy that Anderson did what he does best by snatching great actors out of their funk and bringing them back to the beautiful side of cinema--another sign of great directing (see: Gwyneth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Gene Hackman, Ben Stiller).

But what I love most about Anderson, visual cinematic elements aside, is the fact that he focuses on the family. It's common psychology that most of our actions relies on our familial background. Sadly enough, not many directors delve into said aspects. Anderson shows that families are bound to be dysfunctional, and those who feel they are the sane members tend to find a way to escape from all the craziness. I've been searching frantically to find articles that touched on Anderson's background, but to no avail. My guess is that he relates to his characters in several ways and uses his films as therapy. Watching his films are definitely therapeutic to me.

Thank you, Wes. You've done it again. I haven't been this moved since, well, your last amazing movie about that Tenenbaum family.

Memphis. Manchester. NYC. Athens. Atlanta?

2007-10-24T14:09:00.000-04:00

While I'm on the subject of impeccable music scenes, I must say that I am proud to be a resident of a city who's a new inductee of such a thing.

Atlanta has always been synonymous with R&B and hip-hop, thanks to the success of L.A. Reid's and Babyface's label LaFace, which opened doors for various artists such as TLC, Usher and OutKast. Nowadays, while "crunk" may still be mentioned, it's now overshadowed with the success of Deerhunter, The Black Lips (pictured above) and The Selmanaires, to name a few.

It's been a weird discovery for me. When I moved here June 2006, I was already preparing to leave to go back to Nashville because "the music scene here was drab." One night I'm looking online for shows to go to, and my face fell on the floor when I saw Man Man was coming to town, all for $5. Then I realized it was for the 10th annual Corndogorama, Atlanta's cheap music festival, mainly for local acts.

That's when I discovered Deerhunter. They opened for Man Man, and I opened my heart. Back at home, or in Bowling Green, the city of my four-year residence, when I heard "they're local," I immediately would disregard it. Maybe that makes me a snobbish asshole, but then again, there's so much from the alt.country genre I can take.

Atlanta locals, however, intrigue me, mainly because there's this experimental revival going on here. It's blowing my mind--literally BLOWING. It's like I was meant to move here around the same exact time the music here is flourishing. Athens is no longer the influential music city; to make it even better, Atlanta has touched a lot of musical bases with the new success of experimental and garage music here.

It was so funny watching Steve Coogan portray Tony Wilson in 24 Hour Party People; the scene that got me was when he and his wife were in the audience watching The Sex Pistols perform in Manchester for the first time; there were allegedly 42 people in the audience, but it was monumental to the surge of punk rock and the Manchester scene. When I saw Deerhunter perform at The Earl last year, I was thinking, "Man, these guys are gonna be huge."

And whaddayaknow.

I should be the Tony Wilson of Atlanta.

Eh.

Remember that one time where I said I was obsessed with Joy Divisoin?

2007-10-24T13:41:00.000-04:00

Still am.

Enjoyed watching this kid playing Ian Curtis of Joy Division in 24 Hour Party People. His name is Sean Harris.

I also enjoyed Steve Coogan's acting.

I also enjoyed the movie focusing on Joy Division a lot.

And did I mention how I love Joy Division?

I cannot wait to see the documentary of the same name; nor can I wait for the fictionalized version of Curtis' life, Control. I was gonna do a post about it, but my friend Whitney already did.

Season in review (so far).

2007-10-23T21:33:00.000-04:00

Boy, have I been doing a lot of defending for the new Ugly Betty season. "It's too weird now," people say; "The writing has gone downhill," critics write.

Pushaw.

The lame part about it all is the fact they are riding it three episodes into the series. Are you kidding me? How many shows are in a season, typically? Around 22-25. So it is only inane to me that these moronic jackholes are actually serious about the show-bashing. Of course it's gonna take some time to get into the series! You gotta jumble everything up at once, then it'll start to fall into place.

And after Episode 4's "Grin and Bear It," I felt like it was starting to accelerate into the goodness. Just like last season.

If there's anything that gets me in that show, it's the fact that they show everybody's soft, sensitive and caring side. Vanessa Williams' character, Wilhemina Slater, is shown as pure evil. But no matter how stubborn she can be, she'll occasionally show her maternal side when needed. It's also the other way around--Betty is always seen as the sweetheart and innocent person, but she sure does have a mean streak.

My point is: forget the random mannequins on the rooftop or Marc using an apparatus to make thunder or the sometimes campy elements of the show; to be honest, Ugly Betty is a definite prime example of a realistic show. It focuses on various universal themes, such as Justin's tinkering with his sexuality; Daniel trying to overcome being a spoiled, rich brat; Alexis coping with being a transsexual; Ignacio being an illegal immigrant; Hilda dealing with single motherhood and now being a widow; Amanda realizing she was adopted--ah, the list continues!

But I think we all know what I really love about this show: Betty and Henry. Fuck Ross and Rachel and Kevin and Winnie and Zack and Kelly--eh, you get the point. Every television series has to have that complicated co-ed twosome to keep the people tuned in. It's a part of life that everyone will eventually deal with.

However, the Betty-Henry situation is real trip. Betty obviously wants to be with him, but she still moves on with her life. Henry's the one who actually struggles to cope with their stifled relationship. The sad thing about the relationship is they both love each other, but boy, those outside circumstances can really kill ya. It's one of the few, if not only, TV complicated co-ed relationship that touches up on that. It's usually one falls for the other, but the other doesn't see it, or one falls for the other, but the other is in denial.

Ah. In short, Ugly Betty is definitely still the best show out.

Ah, you make me so happy.

2007-10-19T15:14:00.001-04:00

Music by The Replacements makes me very happy and makes me ignore the fact that I'm speaking in passive voice.

God bless you, Paul Westerberg. God bless.

Memory Lame.

2007-10-18T00:59:00.000-04:00

Yeah, I put a video up by Dashboard Confessional. And yeah, it's "Screaming Infidelities."

I remember when I first set foot in my first apartment as a freshman in college five years ago, I turned on MTV2 and his video was rising with popularity. I don't know if I liked the song or just thought Chris Carrabba was freakin' scorchin'! Well, turned out to be both. And to be honest, although I'm over his music, he still has a minuscule place in my heart.

Anyway, what's the point of all this? Nothing, really. However, I couldn't help but think of this, mainly because it was a memory of a million memories I had rolling through my head. Y'see, I'm going back to visit my college town, Bowling Green, Ky., tomorrow. I will be there through Sunday.

It really isn't a big deal, but it somewhat is. Yes, I'm excited to see a few friends I haven't seen since I left last year after graduation. It's been over a year.

But the thing that's getting me the most is the memories I carried around that place. When I set foot on campus, the old me as Amber's first 18 years was slowly fading into obscurity. The new Amber was an embryo. Actually, I take that back. Making references to unborn babies freak me out.

I digress.

My four-year stay there was a true progression of human development. I was coming up with my own beliefs through independent study; I was branching out with different interests; and most importantly, I was becoming more social. On top of that, I was going forth in my career, or at least somewhat close. Bowling Green is, for one, a really ridiculous name for a city, and Western Kentucky University was definitely an unfamiliar name, but I really didn't give a damn about all that. Sure, 20,000 of the 50,000 population were students, but there was enough diversity at that town that helped me open my eyes about life through conversations and stories with different folks from different strokes (I went there).

In short, I'm full of emotions right now. I don't know. Maybe I'm a silly ol' sap who always tries to find the meaning and significance of every detail, but hey--I'm OK with that.

Image trumps art.

2007-10-16T01:20:00.000-04:00

So am I the only one stoked to see the reality TV starring currently reunited BFFs-turn-enemies Salt-n-Pepa? Salt found Jesus, and Pepa still talks about sex!

Please! This is fucking killin' me. Tonight I found myself watching the new, and yet another, VH1 "Celebreality" show, Gotti's Way, focusing on hip-hop producer of Murder, Inc., Irv Gotti. He was convicted with a felony money laundering charge, was scared, found not guilty, yadda, yadda, yadda. His claim to fame was starting said label and starting careers for Ja Rule and Ashanti and...yep, that's about it. Two mediocre hacks (there's that word again) who was popular for ripping off DMX's sound and 2pac's looks and for being the dumb pretty girl (reason why I say this about Ashanti: she got a full scholarship at Princeton to run track, yet every time she talks it sounds like a bunch of third grade gibberish. I know it was a track scholarship, but you have to be pretty intelligent to get in).

Nonetheless, Gotti's up and ready to come back. There's been scenes where he and Ja are in the studio, working on Ja's new album. Snore! Boring! Who wants to watch them during their creative process? No, no no no no! They gotta show the sensational parts where they have a breakdown or kick someone's ass in a drunken stupor or show their ass 17 times within two minutes. Gotta be outrageous to be remembered and, hopefully, recognized. Ridiculous.

I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in squabbles. I'm interested in seeing these "has-beens" to overcome the word "has-been" and actually do something creative, and actually put heart into it. Of course, nothing will ever be as good as that one album and that other one and another one and so forth, but as long as you're feeling good in the process, who the hell cares?

It's funny, my other roommate and I were talking about how we're hoping the whole reality TV craze will end like all fads do, but we realized the unfortunate truth of that not happening any time soon. Who knew The Real World would make such an impact?

Cancer, Schmancer!

2007-10-15T23:39:00.000-04:00

Kylie Minogue's new single ' 2 Hearts' - Music Video

Add to My Profile | More Videos
Yeah, I definitely quoted Fran Drescher in my subject line.

Kylie Minogue=The Comeback Queen, or, to be even more accurate: The Comeback Guru. She overcomes cancer and is amazingly more stunning and lovely as ever. Yes, I said the word "stunning." I'm in rare form, baby.

Anyway. So last week my roomie and I were discussing the recent decline of female celebrities such as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie.

"What's up with all the female stars going crazy? Why does it seem like almost all female pop stars are pushed to insanity?" I asked.

"I know!" my roommate exclaimed. Seemed like I made a valid point.

Anyhow, I really think that over. Then I ask, "Can you name one--just one--female pop stars who haven't gone crazy?"

My roommate at first says no, then, as she goes, "Oh yeah, Kylie."

I look at her incredulously. "Minogue?! Do you even consider her really famous?"

"Yeah--internationally."

And then I felt lame. And then I realized how I disregarded Kylie's talents, and I actually respected and adored her. Hell, she's more talented than those aforementioned no-class hacks.

It's funny, because I initially deemed her a pop princess who was just good dance music. Then when "Love At First Sight," I lost it. That song's freakin' amazing! Ah...that song brings me memories.

What I love most about her is she's not ashamed of her small yet curvaceous* figure. And by "curvaceous figure," I mean she has a big ass for a tiny little thing like herself.

In short, Kylie Minogue is a badass.

*OK, so as I was typing "curvacious", the spell checker's red-dotted line came up under it, suggesting I should spell it with -eous. I looked it up, and turns out it can be spelled both ways, like "canceled" and "cancelled." What's sad is the fact I took the time to explain this ridiculousness in a footnote.

Wha?

2007-10-10T15:07:00.001-04:00

This Justice duo is quite interesting. Who would think of having a nationally televised performance by not actually performing, but getting some Rod Stewart, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Rich James impersonators?

For Realz?

2007-10-08T14:13:00.000-04:00

Thurston Moore is opening for this asshole? Oh, Gah!

I've expressed to some of you my disliking for Connor Oberst, aka Bright Eyes, aka the worst dude on the planet. For those who are just now knowing this: Connor Oberst is the devil.

So is she:

No elaboration needed.

Angus Andrew=Best Frontman Ever.

2007-10-08T00:39:00.000-04:00

Anybody who starts off a song doing the robot in slow-mo is a genius.

I'm thinking I'm having regrets. Liars is opening for Interpol right now, and they came to Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, and I dodged it because them opening wouldn't be enough. But now I'm worried they won't headline a tour soon. Damn!

*Fingers crossed*

The sharpest Spoon.

2007-10-06T19:22:00.000-04:00

Spoon's video for "The Underdog" is just another indicator that they are beyond amazing. Have you heard Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga? It's brilliant! I'm already set to say that it's the best album they've done since 2001's Girls Can Tell, which is my favorite album of theirs, but I'm starting to think it actually may be the best album they've done period, and that it actually may be my favorite.

The reason for my second thoughts is because I didn't know they had this much range. I mean, I've always thought they were underrated and people really didn't appreciate them like they should. When I saw them live two years ago, I didn't know them as well as I wanted. I just knew they were a good band, but a little over two hours later after the show, I was like, "WOW!" They kill live shows, man. Don't even think about walking away after they say, "OK, this is our last song," because 20 minutes and four or five songs later, it really isn't their last song.

And Britt Daniel's voice--oy! Again, with the new album, I didn't know he could reach that high, man. That fool knows how to use his voice wisely. And the music--forget about it. If you were to describe them, I guess they'd be categorized as "indie," but that's an unfair label. They really have variety in their sound and their music presents a certain sense of positivity. You just feel good listening to it.

It's safe to say they're one of my favorite bands. Congratulations, kids.

Well, there was gonna be a sequel to my harshness.

2007-10-02T15:32:00.000-04:00

But after discovering minutes ago that Jens Lekman is coming to Atlanta to close out his U.S. tour in November, I decided against it.

Though, my rant and Jens Lekman would actually tie in perfectly. After You're So Silent Jens was released in 2005, our lovely Swedish brother said he wouldn't make another album until he found someone significant in his life. Of course, I thought it was absurd because who the hell wouldn't want this guy?

But as I've learned in my 23 years of existence, being awesome and genius and witty and the et and the cetera doesn't always add up to being "marketable." I thought that only applied to the ladies, but apparently not.

Know what, though? I'm not gonna go there today. Maybe tomorrow. Keep your eyes posted.

Harsh Words: Bad parenting

2007-10-02T13:31:00.000-04:00

OK, enough with the bad parents. They're everywhere! Getting drunk in front of your kids in restaurants, letting the little assholes run around public places without much supervision, allowing them to have refill after refill of Coke, blaming other people for your failures...IT ALL HAS TO END.

A recent article in Pitchfork really disturbed me: an angry mother is pissed that her teen daughter and friend attended an Animal Collective show in Philadelphia. She blames the production team for not having "security" and allowing kids to be in a cult-like atmosphere.

Hmm, here's a pickle, asshole: how about you ask your daughter where she's going next time, and if she's saying a concert, how about you screen their music to see if it's suitable? Or, get this: YouTube's a dandy Web site where you can even see some live footage of bands.

But, of course, that's too sensible. You want to be the cool mom and let your daughter do whatever she wants, and then when she suffers the consequences, the blaming fingers are pointing elsewhere but yourself.

Trust me, I totally understand that it's hard to be a parent. However, this whole morality bullshit is killing me. Abortion is still legal, folks. It's OK to not want kids. They're not for everyone.

I'm just over the whole "hey I'm a bad parent but I'm OK with it" attitude. It just seems like the more money people have, the less they care about being a good parent (Britney). I just find it funny how this administration is all about purifying the goddam nation to "protect our youth," as their daughters drive drunk at 19 and is a lesbian (because that shit's just WRONG!).

If we could unwind all the goddam fingers from pointing to others to blame, maybe we can get some shit done.

Just to make myself a little clearer: Kids aren't for everyone. And no, this is not an anti-procreation PSA. It's more of an anti-idiots procreating PSA. Because the world is so much better without 'em.

Tight beats.

2007-09-30T02:06:00.000-04:00

As some of you may know, Amb can always use a good dance tune to get the adrenaline going. And man, Justice's cover of Fucked Up's "Stress" is amazing simply for the fact that they turned a vastly mediocre song into a sick, sick, sick, sick, sickkkkkkkk ass beat session of ridiculousness. That didn't even make sense!

You're guaranteed to have this on repeat. Do enjoy:
Justice - Stress

Contrary to popular belief:

2007-09-28T15:13:00.000-04:00

Rushmore is NOT Wes Anderson's best film.

What was the name again?

2007-09-28T14:29:00.001-04:00

That's what this chick at the record/CD shop asked me when I asked her if she had Jim O'Rourke's Insignificance. I almost choked.

Not to sound like an elitist (too late), but seriously--you work at a record store and you don't know who he is? Camman, lady! He's one of the greatest music-makers of all-time (loaded)!

Though whenever I listen to his lyrics, I get a little depressed. I think I should play matchmaker and find Jimmy a nice lady that he can settle down with so he won't say "Looking at you/Reminds me of looking at the sun/And how the blind are so damn lucky" anymore.

Bettyer, indeed.

2007-09-28T00:55:00.000-04:00

(Image courtesy of EW)

Santos is really dead! Alexis Meade has amnesia! Amanda is really Fey Summers' daughter! Wilhelmina is really an evil cunt! Daniel Meade is really a good guy! Bradford Meade, not so much! Betty is a real trooper, yet in denial!

And, most importantly...

Henry is coming back!

Cannot wait until next Thursday.

Relationships are a bitch.

2007-09-27T18:15:00.000-04:00

But as a wise man once said, we need the eggs.

Don't always look for someone better when you already have someone who is great.

Guess what?

2007-09-27T12:13:00.000-04:00

It's back. Tonight. 8 p.m. EST. ABC.

Also back: Amb blabbing about it before and after the show. I thought about dedicating an entire blog to Ugly Betty, but eh...you know how that can get.

See you at 9 p.m.

Dat good shit.

2007-09-25T21:20:00.000-04:00

Oh, Weeds, how you get me hooked enough to watch your show within 24 hours. And hooray for Mary-Louise Parker. Her acting style is beyond phenomenal. You have your actors who really aren't acting, just being themselves (i.e. Vince Vaughn, which is fine in his case, because he can be quite charming. A little over the top, but charming, nonetheless); then you have actors who are totally opposite of themselves. Parker's definitely one of them. Her facial expressions are killer.

In short, Mary-Louise Parker is stellar. Ha--the word "stellar" flashes me back to the time in high school when I was super into Incubus and how I loved the song "Stellar."

Oh, good times.

While I'm at It:

2007-09-25T02:06:00.000-04:00

Tim Buckley was the sexiest bastard to ever exist. Forget the obvious chiseled good looks, his music was absolutely outstanding. And nevermind the fact that his glorious traits were perfectly handed down to his son, Jeff. Too bad he wasn't alive to take part in the greatest father-son team that would've been Tim and Jeff Buckley. And too bad tragic death was genetic. Kind of like Bruce and Brandon Lee.

Shikes.

So deliciously unorthodox.

2007-09-25T01:48:00.000-04:00

Oh, Liars, how I love you so. The next time you bastards tour, could you not open for a band you have nothing in common other than Brooklyn connections? Your wild antics and beautiful experimental instrumentation doesn't really mesh with Interpol's gloomy presence and somber lyrics. Don't get me wrong, Interpol's allright with me, but goddam, I want Liars to headline and not have to restrict their awesomeness.

As some of you may know, Amb is always down for the cause when it comes to psychedelic/experimental/anything crazy-ass music. I'm all about it, but not many people are. There are times where I don't even recommend certain bands because nine times out of 10, people won't really be into it. However, some of said bands just need special praises because, dammit, they're just that incredible. Liars is one of those bands. Animal Collective and Gang Gang Dance are the others.

Liars is a special case for me, though. Someone tried to recommend me to them two and a half years ago, but I didn't really get around to it because I wasn't in that mood, I guess. Then when their critically acclaimed album, Drum's Not Dead came out last year, I still didn't get around to it. Then a week later after it was released, this art kid was playing it at his house. He said, "This album is really good--totally different from their last album," which was a popular critique of this album. I heard that every album they've produced in the last five years are just that: completely different. Sorry, but when a band can pull off a different sound for every album, I'm all about 'em. That is a skill not many musicians own, and for that, Liars gets full respect from me. Not to mention it being outright brilliant.

Thank you, Aaron, Angus and Julian.

Something to look forward to.

2007-09-24T02:16:00.000-04:00

This is gonna be a good week for the simple fact that I will see the brothers pictured above. I've been wanting to see Animal Collective for the last two and a half years, and Wednesday I will have my chance. Yaaaaaay.

And let's not forget that the new Ugly Betty season starts Thursday. And I'm off both of those days. Can you say "Yaaaaaaaay" one more time.

Yaaaaaaaay.

Negro, please.

2007-09-20T12:02:00.000-04:00

I've been on Kanye West for the last few days, especially ever since he blew up at MTV over a damn award. Seriously, brother? Don't you have some Grammys under your belt? OK, not performing on the mainstage may have been an understandable argument, but still not that serious to where you go crazy like you did.

This guy's been pissing me off since College Dropout gave him the superstar fame. When he came out with "Through the Wire" in the winter of 2003, I was thoroughly impressed and thought he could help save hip-hop. And for a while, he did, especially with his political views (seriously, we all were thinking Dubya didn't give a damn about black people, and it showed during Katrina disaster, but everyone was too afraid to say it in public. I do commend Mr. West for that).

But it's hard to take him seriously when he's been doing nothing but whining the last three years. It actually saddens me seeing someone of his intelligence ruining it over bullshit material things. Look at Martin Scorsese: he went over thirty years without the Oscar, and he finally gets it. And he deserved at least five of them, but what did he do? Shrug it off, kept it moving. It's all bullshit in the industry, Kanye. You should know that by now.

And might I add that he's done nothing but shit since that aforementioned first single he came out with. I haven't liked a single since, man. I could possibly name a handful of songs I do listen to, but in general, it's like cotton candy.

Over it.

Goodnight, everyone.

2007-09-20T00:19:00.000-04:00

Now that I've blogged myself to a bloody pulp, it's time for me to rest me head. Wolf Parade says goodnight.

(Anybody know when the hell they're coming out with a new album? I'm getting antsy.)

Oh, the beauty!

2007-09-19T22:52:00.000-04:00

I'm not familiar with Patrick Wolf's music (though that first single he had was fairly decent), but this photograph of him is gorgeous.

Good stuff. Possibly great.

2007-09-19T11:30:00.000-04:00

Anyone know who the hell Rodney Bingenheimer is? Any clue? Anyone...anyone?

Yeah, exactly. But apparently he is one of the hugest icons of popular culture, and apparently, the only people who cares are musicians from the 60s, 70s and punk revolution (and Coldplay and No Doubt). Oh, and people from Los Angeles.

I feel duped for not being exposed to this guy sooner. He went from being a kid who was abandoned by his mother after she dropped him off at Connie Stevens' doorstep to being Davy Jones' stunt double to opening an English Disco where Marc Bolan and David Bowie and all the greats would hang out. He was pretty much a socialite--the Andy Warhol of music, if you will.

But he then became a legendary disc jockey at KROQ starting in 1976 (if I'm not mistaken) and just played everything that no one would play. Director George Hickenlooper (who also directed Factory Girl last year) chose a great subject for his documentary (pictured above) because people really should know who the hell he is. There's a scene where they go into his crummy house and Rodney's literally tripping over himself because of all the memorabilia he owns, from Elvis Presley's driver's permit to pictures of him with all these random celebrities.

I was totally astounded by this guy. I mean, he really loves the music, and saying the word "love" is still an understatement. And the interviews are even more amazing. Hickenlooper said this was the second highest-grossing documentary (Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine being the first) at the time, which was 2003.

With good reason. It actually made me want to visit L.A. now. Ish.

Don't worry. I'm here.

2007-09-19T00:48:00.000-04:00

I finally got a computer. It was a sweet deal--only $150. It has a nice flat screen/panel monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse and it runs well enough for me to be using it. All I could ask for right now.

The new Ugly Betty starts next Thursday. Just in time, eh?

Hopefully I'll have more time to maintain this blog.

(Yay.)

Great googley-moogley!

2007-09-10T01:59:00.000-04:00

This is possibly the most fabulous video ever. Brodcast is a really great band. I'm not using "great" loosely. The next best thing to Stereolab. Yes, Stereolab.

I'm still waiting for my copy of The Noise Made By People, their ground-breaking (yes, ground-breaking) album via 2000, which is now out of print, but thank God for Amazon. And my God, did I mention that the album's ground-breaking? Or genius? Or sick? Or...or...ahhhh...need more adjectives.

When that beautiful day comes (just a couple of more days, I'm sure), I will be sure to let you all know about it.

And for shits and giggles, here's another vid from that album:

And no, they're not French or from the 1960s, though the album and videos show otherwise, as well as Trish's voice.

All weddings should be like this.

2007-09-09T11:14:00.000-04:00

I would love to congratulate my dear friend on her marriage to a wonderful man. (Though I will not hesitate to truck a mother if he fucks around. Let's hope it doesn't come to that)

I've never been so damn happy for someone else's happiness in my life.

I'm also happy UGK's finally making it big after 15+ years. Sheesh!

so here's the thing:

2007-08-24T16:41:00.000-04:00

do i get a second bachelor's degree or a master's degree? who the hell knows. i told myself after graduation that i wouldn't dare go to graduate school, but now that i'm lost like burglar in a maze, i think it may not even be that bad of an idea.

welcome to the new world, folks.

amb

I forgot about it, and I forgave you.

2007-08-13T16:12:00.000-04:00

So I kinda blocked anything dealing with Wes Anderson (well, except that one time) since Dec. 2004, when The Life Aquatic came out. That took a lot for me to say, granted he is my current favorite director and my all-time favorite movie is a product of his.

Now that I think about it, 2004 was kind of shitty because I was also disappointed by my favorite active band, Modest Mouse. I can't even listen to Good News for People Who Love Band News. It's just wrong for me. It's not that that album and Anderson's Aquatic were terrible, it's just that they could've done a lot better. I mean, it's pretty much an unwritten rule for most: you put out a masterpiece, it's gonna be hard to overcome the pressures of putting out something that's even better than said masterpiece. But if the person is worth a damn, they'd say, "Fuck it, I'm doing it my way, and if you like it, you do, and if you don't, you don't," which results to them picking off where their genius-ness left off.

OK, so what's the point, right? Why did I post the trailer of Anderson's upcoming film, The Darjeeling Limited?

Well, kids...it just looks like Mr. Anderson has arrived. Again.

Oh, Billy!

2007-08-07T15:07:00.000-04:00

Billy Elliot came out in 2000, which was the same year Haley Joel Osment was claiming he saw "dead people" in the hit The Sixth Sense.

I remember this clearly because the 16-year-old me was just starting to get into film in a, uh, I guess you can call it "scholarly" manner. During the Oscars they were raving about Osment's performance and how he could be the first kid to win the Golden Man since Tatum O'Neal. But then they showed Jamie Bell's performance in Billy Elliot and talked about how he deserved it, as well.

I had to see this movie for myself, and boy, were they right. I'm so glad that Jamie Bell has overcome the "child actor" hump and is still making relevant films.

goners.

2007-07-31T14:03:00.000-04:00

buh-bye says i to my locks. they're gone. nothing but two inches left on me head, and i gotta say, it feels liberating as fuck.*

for the first time i get to go into the shower without wearing a shower cap to protect my hair from being wet. i get to feel the breeze rush through my scalp. i can go on and on.

in short, hurray.

*granted i do feel like i needed a big change, i am not going through an "existential crisis."

Well, allright--I like you, too.

2007-07-15T16:51:00.001-04:00

There's nothing like seeing the one band you thought you'd never see, not to mention seeing them perform your favorite album by them in its entirety.

Me seeing Sonic Youth perform Daydream Nation is like me going to London to see an exclusive engagement where Jimi Hendrix performs Electric Ladyland in 1967. Or, to be more recent, Modest Mouse performing The Moon and Antarctica in its entirety.

It's beyond brilliant to me.

On top of that, seeing Kim Gordom dancing around like a go-go dancer ruled, too. And Thurston Moore still having the energy he had back in 1988.

"Shit yeah!"

Y'know what? I like you. A lot.

2007-07-15T16:36:00.000-04:00

Oh, Chicago. Thank you for always being there when I need you most. Although I could never live in your city for the entire four seasons, I could totally use you as a getaway city like I always have. And you always pull through for me.

Mwah.

OKallrightOKallright.

2007-07-08T15:40:00.000-04:00

I don't know how they do it, man. I've never seen anything like it. And quite frankly, it's possibly the best.

See The Fiery Furnaces live. Please. You will be short of words like I am right now.

Seriously.

Oh, Blender, you silly goon.

2007-07-03T00:07:00.000-04:00

I love lists. We all know this by now. However, Blender always makes the lamest lists, this installment being The 100 Days That Changed Music.

No. 99 is The Velvet Underground's first show, introducing alternative rock (really? is that the accurate description of their music?). No. 13 is Justin Timberlake breaking up with Britney Spears. Why? Well, since the break-up, he's put on two "monster solo albums," as opposed to her having a measley flop album, two kids that she doesn't know how to raise and a divorce. Yeah, I guess that did change music forever.

Oh, Blender...why you talk?

This is actually good.

2007-07-02T01:45:00.000-04:00

I think almost all reality TV shows are ridiculously lame. It's obvious that they're scripted, the premises are usually fucked up and does nothing but influence more indulgent, self-absorbent American culture.

But I must say, the best reality TV show I've seen is VH1's Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School. Nevermind the irony that it's hosted by Mo'Nique, who's done an entire comedy routine based off the pros and cons of anal sex (I love her regardless, anyhow).

I rarely find myself fighting tears when I'm watching anything on the tube, but seriously, I couldn't help but let my eyes flood when I saw Sapphyri learn that she was the winner of $50,000, because winning that money to her meant "a home."

It's good seeing people literally come from nothing, give up everything in order to enrich themselves as a person and actually get rewarded that. I'm so tired of seeing people become famous for absolutely nothing (another irony: I'm typing this as Best Week Ever recaps Paris Hilton's first day out of jail as well as her first interview with Larry King).

Anyway, of course, the show was full of drama and lots of women going at each other over dumb shit, but the premise was great: get these out of control grown ass women who act like kids under one roof and test them as people. It was definitely a show where the last few people who stuck around were not losers.

Maybe I'm a sap, but I'm all for personal enrichments.

Nothing serious--just sheer greatness.

2007-07-01T20:45:00.000-04:00

So I'm preparing to head into work last Sunday morning, and my rarely-there roommate stops by the fridge and says, "Hey, you going to see Deerhunter tonight?"

"Wha?" I saw after quickly swallowing the water I just guzzled down.

"Yeah. They're opening for Gang Gang Dance at the [Drunken] Unicorn."

"Whoa, wait! Gang Gang Dance are playing here? What?! When...how...ayyyye, I'm so confused."

He just laughs and says, "Yeah, a lot of people are saying Deerhunter's headlining, but I doubt that."

In short, I rushed straight to the Unicorn, paid my $8 and saw one of the best bands out today. I always wanted to see them, but they seemed like a type of band that would only play in their hometown Brooklyn and other premier east coast cities. But somehow, they made it to Atlanta.

It was crazy, because they turned out to open for Deerhunter, afterall, which was kind of disappointing. (Don't get me wrong, we all know how much I adore Deerhunter, but when it comes to headlining for a show, Gang Gang Dance is definitely a much harder act to follow.) And turns out, they only played for 20 minutes because they were late.

And yet, they were still able to have me awe-struck. Gang Gang Dance is a veryveryveryveryvery underrated avant-garde/experimental/noise-rock band. Of course, you hear a lot about Animal Collective, another favorite (not to mention them playing Variety in September), but Gang Gang is fierce. The way they improvise music and make it sound as together and beautifully fucked up as it sounds really gets my respect.

Oh, blah. Lemme stop talking about it and let you listen to it for yourself.

Egowar - Gang Gang Dance

I just can't get enough.

2007-07-01T20:23:00.000-04:00

I really love these guys.

Revolt!

2007-06-20T21:07:00.000-04:00

I just finished watching Hans Weingartner's 2004 film, The Edukators, and lemme tell ya--it's pretty beautiful, especially for the passionate youth. It talks about being a revolutionary that's true to the cause in a non-pretentious format. Maybe "format" isn't the word for it, then, eh? Well, I guess you can have a format for your beliefs, but it'll have to be a rather flexible format, if anything.

The obvious element is definitely a wonderful theme to touch on. It's been said many a time about how people in our generation are too spoiled and that we are way to apathetic to fight for improvements in our countries--and world. Nonetheless, said thoughts hadn't reached us in a mass medium (maybe an editorial here or there). Edukators did a great job expressing the importance of young rebels acting out against social norms.

However, the film also does a great job in shedding light on the other half: the rich. Initially, the film makes you want to hate rich guy antagonist Hardenberg, even if Jan, Jule and Peter are committing petty crimes by invading people's property and writing letters saying, "Your days of plenty are numbered." You automatically think, "Hell, yeah! Fuck the Alpha Male! Fuck capitalism!" Then you finally hear the man's side of the story: He used to be a free-love hippie, as well, and hated corporate pigs--an archetype he becomes later in his life.

Jan thus asks the burning question: Why, then, did you become the man that you became? When was it when you realized it was more important to buy fancy cars and live in a sprawling mansion and have a detached relationship with your wife and kids and think like a brainwashed robot for capitalism?

Hardenberg, in so many words, replies: It's a gradual process. First, you want to get rid of your crappy car and buy a better one with air conditioner and a better stereo; then you want a better-paying job to get rid of all the debts you're in; then you get married with kids and worry about moving to a better neighborhood with the better schools; next thing you know, you're votig "conservative" at the polls.

That scene made me appreciate this film more than anything because instead of making a one-sided anti-capitalist film, Weingartner bridges in the two opposing forces with the art of conversation and understanding. Of course, they go their separate ways in the end, but leave a mark on both parties' perspectives. Will the young, passionate rebels turn out to be another corporate yuppie-turn-bloodsucking, soulless big wig? Or will they become a financially comfortable 60-year-old liberal?

It definitely left me thinking that. I actually thought that for a while. Two years ago, my friend and I were discussing politics. She's a pretty laid back girl, but she supported the Bush Administration, and it made me wonder. I asked her why she chose Republican, and she said, "My mom told me if you're 20 and liberal, you're passionate, but if you're 30 and liberal, you're stupid." "Hmmmm...," I replied. I disagreed with her, but it did get me to thinking. Is this all a phase until I get a career and family and throw all my ideals out the window? Pssssshaw. I threw that thought right in the garbage.

Amazingly, The Edukators mentions that notion. Hardenberg carried that same philosophy: My father told me that if you're under 30 and not liberal, no heart, and if you're over 30 and still liberal, no brains. It got me thinking again, and still, I disagree. Passion for social justice does not have an expiration date. To be quite honest, it's hard for me to take someone driving a BMW seriously when they tell me they used to be idealistic like me, but had to give it up to live a silly, lavish lifestyle. Like Jan, Jule and Peter, it's not the rich people they're after; instead, it's those who would rather be a corporate robot than have a mind of their own because the latter pays nothing but the former buys everything. As we all know, once you get lots of dough, you're happier.

As a wise woman by the name of Leslie Feist said, "But in the meantime, we've got it hard/Second floor living without a yard/It may be years until the day/My dreams will match up with my pay."

And boy, wouldn't it be worth the wait?

oh, by the way--

2007-06-18T17:25:00.000-04:00

is journalism dead?

i'm not talking about the journalism where they churn out stories constantly just to fill up space. i'm talking tom wolfe, hunter s. thompson (yes, that's journalism, too), or the more serious bob woodward and carl bernstein type journalism. y'know, back when it was fun. y'know, back when it was significant.

is it still significant, or just a bunch of bullshit?

what's the word?

2007-06-18T17:10:00.000-04:00

i like it when people work hard to make those who are open-minded, non-judgmental, free-spirited (insert: any adjective that depicts an unorthodox personality trait) people feel ashamed for being who they are.

the way this country--or possibly world--treats those who are different is quite presposterous. it makes you wanna get antsy in your pantsy with disdain.

hal ashby's 1971 harold and maude is a great example of doing the total opposite of such.

thank you, mr. ashby, for exposing us to the reality that characters such as maude exists still to this day. i want to be an 80-year-old badass, too, dammit.

blahblahblahblah.

2007-06-11T17:40:00.000-04:00

i want to be stress-free.

i bought a cat. her name is lulu.

i want to be stress-free.

i'm going to nashville and chicago within the next month.

i want to be stress-free.

i'm enjoying my house.

i'm constantly worrying. i'm always complaining about shortcomings. i feel like a failure.

i want to be stress-free.

yada, more yada, more yada.

Car commercial killed the radio star.

2007-06-05T16:37:00.000-04:00

Damn you, dirty Volkswagen. First, you promote anti-Semiticism and is aptly titled the "Hitler-mobile" (at least, in my mind), and now you're turning one of today's finest independent bands into corporate shills.

And to make it worse, you made them look like fools in front of their diehard fans, making them actually ashamed of making their selling-out decision.

Nevermind the fact that it's actually ironic that the fans who consider 'em sell-outs are mostly silver spoon-fed tweenies who probably don't understand what it's like to be poor and having to make ends with one, two, even THREE jobs (on top of touring as a musician), still struggling to put the name out there. What's more important is for a band to keep its indie cred, and you, Mr. Volkswagen, Mr. Hitler-mobile, have squashed it.

Holymotherofwillyousavemefrominsanity(.)?

2007-06-04T19:49:00.000-04:00

About four months ago I wrote an entry about how I haven't seen The Fiery Furnaces in two years and that I'm in dire need of a brother-sister rock duo fix.

And July 7, I shall get that fix, my brothers and sisters. At The Earl, no less, a smaller venue than when I caught them at Nashville's legendary The Exit/In my junior year of college. It was a rather interesting night that included great times and great music.

It seems as if I can only see great shows in bulk. Six days following that night, I'm going to Chicago to see Sonic Youth perform Daydream Nation. Not to mention visiting my second home. I haven't been there in almost two years.

If you guys haven't seen FF perform live, please do yourself a favor.

Another thing.

2007-06-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

As weird as it may sound, I've tended to appreciate music more since my iPod died last week. Actually, it's not that weird-sounding at all.

My newest love is Joy Division. Although many critics believe Interpol is the baby version of JD, I simply have to say "no" on that. Ian Curtis' voice cannot be touched and the band's music, in general, is unimaginably stunning. I favor Closer over Unknown Pleasures because I love it when albums tend to have an off-beat, syncopated rhythm than your average 4/4 tempo. On top of that, it's much darker and personal. Maybe it's how Curtis felt before he killed himself.

Call me eerie, but I love it when you can feel the artists' pain and happiness and sadness and gladness all in an album.

God bless you, Yo.

2007-06-04T16:02:00.000-04:00

I'm a songs/album person, as some of you may already know. There's only two handful of bands I claim as favorites, and then there are some I excuse because of an album or two.

Nevertheless, Yo La Tengo's "Everyday" off their 2000 album, And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out, is quite possibly one of the grandest songs of the century.

That is all.

this is it.

2007-05-30T19:48:00.000-04:00

i've been kinda loopy as of late. just random thoughts running rampant in me head. i feel like i haven't written an article in years. it's crazy. i need to go back to freelancing.

i feel like a new graduate opposed to a Year One postgrad. i've floated around for quite some time now, but now i feel more grounded than ever, preparing to be more focused than ever. i keep coming up with these goals and dreams and plans on how accomplishing them, and it's pretty uplifting.

i mainly feel like this because i'm finally living on my own without an institution on site. living with my aunt for 10 months was possibly the most draining thing on the planet. nonetheless, it grounded me hardcore.

it's been quite the blast. i'm pretty OK with life right now.

i'm craving the ever-wonderful viet chateau. i highly recommend folks to go to the nearest vietnamese restaurant that carries pho and eat it. it's the most cleansing eating experience in life. or something.

destination unknown

2007-05-23T17:31:00.000-04:00

i was watching everybody loves raymond after midnight. i was even laughing. i think i'm having a midlife crisis.

well said, ma frien'.

2007-05-15T15:24:00.000-04:00

as a wise man once said: you gotta go back to move forward. thank you, willy wonka.

i'm so out of the loop, i can't even walk straight. maybe that's how it should be, eh?

love lots.

amb

I can't stand what you do.

2007-05-01T10:10:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Modern Lovers, for being one of the most creative bands in rock. They could've easily been a Velvet Underground rip-off, but instead of talking about the greatness of heroin (though that song is possibly one of the greatest songs of all time--yes, I'm full of grandiose statements), you instead talk about how you don't want to be like Hippie Johnny (and wonder, "If he's so great, then why doesn't he play it straight?").

But I must say, "Hospital" is possibly the greatest love song on the planet. Listen to it good, kids.

Just in case you wondered--

2007-04-23T15:31:00.000-04:00

Ever since I moved in, I have been posting less. That may have something to do with the fact that I no longer use my aunt's computer every night because I do not live with her anymore, which means that I do not have a computer for the time being. I just have my old computer lying around. Maybe I can get it fixed. Who knows.

Anyhows, I will be having less posts, but it doesn't mean I will have less thoughts. I ran into a homeless guy today and he said that he'd like for me to write a story about him. He was in Desert Storm and he's now homeless because the government didn't provide him any benefits afterward (he got injured while in the war). He wears a United States Marines hat all the time. It was pretty messed up. But ain't that America?

I miss Kurt Vonnegut.

It was lust that turned into love that turned into confusion.

2007-04-16T23:56:00.000-04:00

I have worn out my copy of Feist's Let It Die. I cannot wait to get another dose of her. When I realized that her album comes out in three weeks from tomorrow, I had an epiphany:

The first week of May may possibly be the best week ever. May 1 is the release of The Reminder; May 4 is Blonde Redhead at Variety; May 5 is Modest Mouse/Man Man.

I don't know what I'm gonna do with myself.

In other news--I got a house in East Atlanta, only a few streets down from East Atlanta Village. Come by. Crash. Enjoy. It's a pretty groovy house with pretty groovy roommates who are into music and arts and cinema, too.

Amber's a happy camper.

Oh, by the way--

2007-04-04T14:25:00.000-04:00

Congrats to the Florida Gators, 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men's Basketball champions. From the get-go, critics said they had the tools to win it again, since they had all returning starters back in the lineup. But shit, so did the 1997-98 Arizona Wildcats. Them bitches got ousted in the Elite 8 by the horribly under-talented and slug-slow Utah Utes headed by Andre Miller. I sure as hell hadn't forgotten about that shit. WE SHOULD'VE WON, MAN!

Anyway, so analysts kept bringing up the fact that if Florida were to win it again this year, it'd be the first time any team has done that since the 1991-1992 Duke team. I am a believer of history repeating itself, but I just didn't think Florida were gonna do it. But they did. And they earn my respect. Especially Billy Donovan--for years he has brought in the brightest talent, only to see them play for a year and then opt for the NBA Draft. So it's about time that he gets the respect that he deserves.

Though I must say, watching college basketball hasn't be fulfilling as it used to be. In the last two seasons, I did the same thing: get excited about the pre-season tournaments such as Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, Jimmy V Classic, Great Alaska Shootout, and my favorite, the Maui Invitational; but then it goes downhill after that, it seems. Even when conference play starts. Maybe I'm growing tired of watching sports entirely, or it's just not that fantastic to watch anymore. I'm going with the latter.

Nevertheless, it was definitely interesting seeing the NCAA football championship teams go at it on the hardwood, too. I mean, really--Florida and Ohio State playing each other in both football and basketball championships? Not to mention having the same outcome with Florida coming out on top? That is very rare.

Maybe this is a good sign.

2007-04-03T17:22:00.000-04:00

Remember when listing Alanis Morrissette as one of your favorite musicians wasn't a shameful declaration?

Well, at least she has her humor back.

Holy moly!

2007-04-01T01:04:00.000-04:00

The greatest night known to music mankind shall happen May 5 at the Masquerade Music Park.

But before I start on the geniusness that will come in six weeks or so, I shall begin with how incredible these guys were. I mean, great live show, but on top of that, I danced my ass off three hours straight at Lennys Bar. Every Friday at midnight they have a dance party, and the deejay was playing some good, eclectic shit. There were songs I ended up liking that I never did (i.e. The Knife's "Heartbeats" and The Strokes' "Last Night").

In short, last night was a good time.

Anyway, so today, still reeling off the greatness, I randomly thought of Man Man and how I want them to come back to Atlana. Then I was thinking about buying a ticket for the Modest Mouse show on May 5 at Masquerade Music Park. I check MySpace and see a bulletin from Man Man: "Modest Mouse are nice fellas!" Then I click to see why--and they're fucking OPENING for them.

Just imagine my happiness. Why even bother finishing this entry? Fill in the blanks.

More like "20 is the new 30."

2007-03-29T00:22:00.000-04:00

I know the saying is currently "30 is the new 20," but lately, I've been seeing it the other way around. I don't if it's just me getting old, but it seems like kids these days are trying to grow up fast.

I'm talking about kids who move to big cities, having the money saved up to make such a life-altering decision, and pursuing their dreams. I guess I knew of kids like these when I was in college and there were some who were taking a year off to save up enough money and figure out what they wanted to do. It was fairly odd to me at the time--I mean, why would you want to take a break? You know you're not gonna wanna come back to school after the holdout period, I thought.

But it's not like I cherished my youth while in college, either. That shit didn't start until my last year. When I was 19 I was already at my first internship at a paper making big bucks. Then I'd come back, be a contrived college student, then I saved up a lot of dough to travel and whatnot. But I guess it's weird seeing that happen moreso in a city as large as Atlanta. Well, not weird, but admirable.

A lot of people don't grow up until they turn 25, then five years later, they're back to pretending to be in their early 20s again. Is age really just a number, or is it another negative vanity trait that Americans have?

Either way, I admire the little whippersnappers. Who said you had to wait to be a certain age to pursue your goals?

I feel like I just babbled about nothing. Maybe it's too late at night trying to sound profound.

Remember them?

2007-03-28T01:29:00.000-04:00

Oh, the luxury of working at the most well-known sports bar that has eight different locations.

I've been working there for about nine months, six of those really not counting since I only worked once-twice a week. But lately I've been spending all my damn time there, and it never fails being amused by people. You won't believe the assholes who infest the place.

But it's definitely great for people watching. It's been cool seeing some athletes stop by, as well as sportswriters (Chris Mortensen!), since I started writing about sports at 15, but decided to end my sports writing aspirations junior year in college when I covered football back in college.

Long story short, Takeo Spikes, former Bengal and newly former Bill linebacker was traded to the Eagles, and he was interviewed at the restaurant for some reason. Prolly because he lives in Atlanta. While sitting at the host stand, I noticed a itty bitty lady walking around. Soon as I saw her face, I immediately recognized her: Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins. It was crazy, too, because I was just thinking about a TLC song from CrazySexyCool, which was one of the last good mainstream albums of the 1990s.

In other news, I'm still apartment hunting, and still going slightly insane.

This monkey's gone to heaven.

2007-03-27T04:13:00.000-04:00

I kinda forgot how genius The Pixies are. Yeah, I know--how, exactly, do you forget such a well-known statement like that?

I was really into them circa 2004 during my sophomore year in college, but like I did Daydream Nation, I listened to it a few times, then forgot about it. Probably because I was too busy trying to catch up with Pitchfork and the bands they rated the highest.

I'm over that. Back to the classics, baby.

By the way, Kim Deal is the greatest female rock musician. Yes, even better than this chick.

I'm either scared or love making my heart race.

2007-03-24T01:22:00.000-04:00

Maybe an Elliott Smith photo isn't quite appropriate, but for some reason, when I typed the title of this entry, St. Ides Heaven popped in my head. I'm not high on amphetamines or the town drunk that everybody points and stares at in disdain or anything. Oh, the things I come up with.

This apartment hunting thing has excited me and frightened me. It has relieved my stress while causing me stress. And don't even get me started on sending out starting over to send out resumes again. That's what I get for putting all my eggs in one basket when it comes to job searching. Luckily, I'm putting my Thinking Cap on and being smarter, though I won't lie when I say I am hopin' and wishin' and prayin' I get an apartment I will enjoy and will bring me to motivation of doing what I wanna do. Well, that'll happen regardless.

This lyric is brilliant:
It's all about the moderate climate
You gotta be cold and be hot, for sure
And it's all about the moderate climate
You're gonna be blessed and be cursed, for sure

That was Modest Mouse's "Stars Are Projectors, my friends, off their magnum opus,The Moon and Antarctica. And I reallyreally like their new album.

Transport: March 2005

2007-03-22T23:51:00.000-04:00

As I've stated many times before in my blog, I'm big on nostalgia. I love memories, man. It gets me through the day, as well as present moments, but they're even better when I can remember what the hell happened. I'm like a 22-year-old version of the old guy in Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries.

I was listening to Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Fever to Tell as well as their self-titled EP on the way back from work, and it led me to listen to the song from Spike Jonze's commercial for Adidas; girlfriend Karen O sang in the background, and it was so beautiful.

I remember seeing this commercial for the first time during previews of Guess Who (which is a definite guilty pleasure), and I remember thinking, "Holy fuck me! Who directed this commercial (a), and b), who is the chick singing in the background?!" Apparently, it made me turn into a stumbling idiot, which usually happens when I see or hear something so fantastic it makes me stoopid. It's such a great song, and during my junior year in the spring, when it was popular, I had it bookmarked on my computer, and when I was in need of a second wind or what have you, I'd watch that commercial, and I'd be energized and ready to love life again. It was the Crisco Oil to my Tin Man mentality, if you will.

Yeah, try to bring some sense into that statement. And while you're at it, could you wake Spike Jonze from his coasting coma? That'd be wonderful. Would like to know that he's planning to make movies so that Adaptation wouldn't be his last movie of his filmography.

Oh, goodie!

2007-03-22T02:24:00.000-04:00

This pretty much sums up my life right now. I don't know why, but I just am feeling good about my future. I feel like once I move into an affordable apartment with a cool roommate(s), I'll be more motivated. And the people, wow!

Check this shit out: so I'm sitting a family down, and the woman points at the screen that's showing Syracuse/Clemson in the NIT Quarterfinals, and she says, "That's our second cousin right there," talking about the Orangemen's head coach Jim Boeheim. I was like, "Really? Wow." But I noticed she has a Southern accent, so I had to ask where she was from.

"Nashville. Well, Franklin (the old money, rich suburb of Nashville)."
"I'm from Nashville! Born and raised!"

And she told me her mother was from Kentucky, so I told her I went to school in Kentucky.

"Where?" the woman asks.
"In Bowling Green--Western Kentucky."
"Yeah? I went there."
"Are you...serious?! OK, what next? You were a journalism major?"

The woman points to her daughter, who's wearing a SCAD hoodie. "She wants to do photojournalism!"
"OK, this is getting outta hand here!" I exclaim.

Long story short, I end up talking about the greatness that is our photojournalism program and how it made me want to be a photographer and how you couldn't find a better college for that price range and wanting to be any type of journalist. For, oh, about 30 minutes. It was the wackiest thing ever, man. It's definitely not the first time I had a coincidental incident like that (I've met people who knew the same cats from Western and were graduates, some from Nashville who were interns at The Tennessean, and even ran into a classmate), but for some reason, that one was a little much.

I live for these types of moments, man. Keep 'em coming, shiiiiiiiiiiit.

Need a roomie?

2007-03-16T14:57:00.000-04:00

I sure do. By March 31. I even made a post about it on Craigslist. Maybe I'm desperate, or maybe I'm determined. Or both. Either way, I gotta move on out and move on up. Like Curtis Mayfield said.

Yer not so bad, boy.

2007-03-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

My heart is thudding in my chest. B-b-b-bump. B-b-b-bump. Why could that be? Is it because I'm nervous about my life adventures ahead of me within a few weeks? Is it because I'm thinking about my plans to visit Portland in the summer? Or is it because I'm seeing Badly Drawn Boy tonight at The Loft. It's a great venue for him: quaint, cozy and smokey.

I think Damon Gough is such an underrated talent. The Hour of Bewilderbeast is one of the essential albums of the 00s. He's like Todd Rundgren, this guy, except not as bitter or soulful. Or really nothing like him, except for the fact that he plays a million instruments solo while recording. I missed the opportunity to see him play in Louisville back in the fall of 2004, so I'm even more pumped that I'll get to see him perform live.

His music soothes me. In a little over six hours, I will be looking on like a teenybopper at a NKOTB show.

I'm also excited about tomorrow. Greg and I are going to see a performance at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. It's Dvorak "New World" Symphony. According to him, it'll be a good'un.

Oh, life and its little pleasures.

UPDATE: Damon Gough is the greatest man alive. Seeing him live for the first time was like seeing a pretend Santa Claus for the first time, sitting on his lap and being relieved that you got your list off your chest and into his memory bank. When I say he put on a show, I mean he had a talk with God, asked him if he could steal his reputation as the only person known to human-kind to be perfect just for this one night, and boy, did it work. I love him. I want to give him a hug and then be knocked up by him. Or something.

This is what happens when Amb gets happy about life.

2007-03-13T12:21:00.000-04:00

Hey, kids. It seems like all I've been doing are video blogs and lists. Sorry, but when you really don't have time to even think, creativity oozes out the buckets. I just made a scary yet exciting decision on my whereabouts, and it's giving me butterflies thinking about it. And why did I post a video of Fergie's new jam, "Glamorous"? Because it's jamtastic, silly! Not to mention the video is set in 1994 starting out, and the fact that she has nostalgic lyrics.

Peter Bjorn & John - Let's Call It Off (Single Mix)

This here song is also my shit. Actually, the entire album's incredible. I'm actually impressed, because I thought they were gonna be another sugar-twee-as-fuck-pop group from Sweden. Oh, how I'm over those. But they're really talented, and most importantly, what I classify as "Nostalgia Pop (if you haven't noticed, nostalgic lyrics=winners for me. Nothing makes me happier than listening to people talk or sing about sweet memories of yesterday)." It reminds me of the good '90s bands: yeah, they were cheesy as hell at times, or they were on the radio a lot, but listen to the lyrics, and it's Wow City, U.S.A. (i.e. The Verve Pipe's "The Freshmen"). Pick up the album, kids. Thank you, Whitney, for the recommendation. (Note: the photo is pretty blurry, but I used it only for the mere fact that the kid on the far left has his chest hair exposed, and you KNOW how I feel about that(!).

So, like I said, I made a really tough yet refreshing decision a couple of days ago. I was planning to move back to Nashville, aka "home," by the end of this month. Saved some of my pennies, if you will, and I was moving on back. But that was when I thought I was gonna have somewhere to work, or if not, at least freelance to get cash flow. I'm obviously over that decision. I figured, why the hell not stay in Atlanta, a city that's bigger, more fun, and more attractive (landscape-wise and people-wise)? And it has Trader Joe's. And Ikea. And better venues. And et cetera.

I just had another change of heart. At first I hated it, then loved it, then hated it altogether and couldn't wait to move, then I was like, "Wait. Do I really...?" Eh, why not? I'm 22. Last time I checked, that's not a long time of existence. I have this fear of fucking up, as well as a fear of making mistakes (aka, being a perfectionist, aka being anal and borderline insane). I need to live my life, basically. And as soon as I made that decision, I started hanging out with the wonderful kids at work. I love meeting new people. If someone asked what's my weakness, I'd shout "PEOPLE!" a la Salt-N-Pepa style circa 1994 via "Shoop."

And because I'm in a good, I-fucking-love-life mood:

In case you ever wondered what's my favorite album cover, this would be my answer.

Damn, I'm taking it back.

2007-03-10T01:56:00.000-05:00

I was really into Noreaga, aka NORE, circa 1998-99. That's actually when I discovered the genius that is Pharrell Williams. I already posted an entry about my liking of him, but I shall give examples of why I love him. That above video is just the beginning. What follows is the chronology of certain videos/singles that hit me and make me love Pharrell, no matter what he does.

Clipse - Grindin'

This video introduced me to super rhyme droppers, silky smooth flowists Clipse. These fools are the shit. That's all I can say about them.

Justin Timberlake - Senorita

"Like I love You" was the jam, but this track was a great way to start his stunningly jamtastic debut, Justified.

Snoop Dogg ft. Pharrell/Charlie Wilson

This video's incredible, especially the part where Snoop-a-loop's wearing a skin-tight cotton tee like he's not a bean pole.

Jay-Z - Change Clothes

For those who know me, I used this phrase often when this came out. They'd ask me what I was doing, and I'd say, "Well, first lemme change clothes and go." And it'd get little to no laughs. Wonder why.

Mariah Carey - Say Somethin'

I just love how playful this video and song is. It also reminds me of the first week of when I moved to Atlanta and how I needed just about anything to bring a smile to my face.

Lupe Fiasco - I Gotcha

I just can't stop listening to this. I just wanna dance all the damn time when I hear it.

702 ft. Clipse - Star

I haven't heard a single from 702 since 2000. Maybe even 1999. Leave it to Pharrell to resurrect someone's career out of oblivion.

Pharrell - That Girl

Of course, I had to end it with this song. When he came out with "Frontin" back in 2003, I thought it was a joke. I mean, why was he putting out a solo, when he does just fine as 1/3 of N*E*R*D? Speaking of, Chad Hugo is underrated as far as being unnoticed at times as the second half of The Neptunes. Just wanted to share that.

In short, Pharrell Williams=genius.

Annnnnnnd now I'm happy.

2007-03-08T02:26:00.000-05:00

Peter, Bjorn & John, you just may be bought. At Decatur CD, of course.

Survey says: pay the musicians.

2007-03-08T00:43:00.000-05:00

I must say I really enjoy Stereogum's new little diddy about musicians who have other jobs to support them while they make music. It's called Quit Your Day Job, written by music critic Brandon Stosuy. I like his reviews.

Anyway, it's really interesting. I guess the only way to understand musicians as a music writer is to struggle like them. Girl Talk is by far the wackiest, though. He's a freaking biochemical engineer. Who'd thought the guy who mashes up grunge with crunk music would be such a dorkus? Well, actually, that makes sense...

I know you're not boring.

2007-03-07T14:54:00.000-05:00

I love this video. The band, not so much. Enjoy.

Well, this isn't easy for me.

2007-03-07T00:45:00.000-05:00

When I saw Volver back in December, I claimed it was my favorite movie of the year. Then I saw Pan's Labyrinth a month later and decided that it was my movie of the year. Then tonight I see The Lives of Others, 2006's Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, and boy lemme tell ya, it sure was a good'un. And when I say good'un, I mean GREAT'un.

Even though this is the second movie I've seen about Germany during and after the Berlin Wall is gonna be a winner for me (see: 2003's Goodbye Lenin!. It was painful, suspenseful and gut-wrenching, yet delightful, endearing and at, times, funny. It's hard for a film to allow viewers to gain such an array of emotions during the film, not to mention it leaves you thinking about it constantly afterward, but Lives succeeds tremendously.

So, yes, I do have a hard decision now. Pan's Labyrinth or this film? I still say Pan's by a hair, but I ain't mad at the Oscars for choosing Lives, either.

Well, color me unlucky.

2007-03-06T01:21:00.000-05:00

Man. I often wonder if I'll ever see Sonic Youth live. I felt like I lost my chance when I moved down here back in June, and they were performing at Center Stage. After coming back from Seattle, I came to Atlanta broke as a damn joke, which meant I couldn't go see them. It was a tragic decision I had to make.

And now these fuckers are making me weep even more, according to a Pitchfork article. Yeah, performing Daydream Nation at the Primavera Sound Festival, which possibly has the best lineup in outdoor festival since the original Lollapalooza. Or something.

I just want to see them live. They could play a 78-minute rendition of "Jimmy Crack Corn" and make it sound incredibly genius.

Most of you know that Modest Mouse is my favorite active band because of personal attachment, but if I were to name a band I think is above everything else (other than Jimi Hendrix Experience), it's Sonic Youth.

Someday, though, someday.

Back when I was young where I'd skip to school and think of dandelions.

2007-03-04T23:55:00.000-05:00

I don't know why, but I somehow equate Lisa Loeb to my early 1990s nostalgia. Maybe it's because that song would be blasting on the boombox sitting on the refrigerator on the Lite Rock station my mama always listened to while we were cleaning up. Yeah, they played that song a lot. It was 1994.

That was a great year. I had turned 9, and it was the year The Lion King ruled the planet. I went to see it the day after my birthday (yes, we were still celebrating it). My mama was always in a good mood that year, as were everyone else. My nephew was born December of '93 and was a burst of sunshine day in and day out.

The following year was when I was slowly discovering my black sheepedness as far as my family goes. For the life of me, (I could not remember what made us think that we were wise and we'd never compromise...yep, I just had to go there) I never understood why nobody found the geniusness of Beavis and Butthead. I guess it was because I was only 10 and everyone else had families (excluding my brother, but even he wasn't a fan). Nor could I understand why nobody wanted to watch 120 Minutes at midnight with me, or Alternative Rock hosted by Kennedy. That show brought me to love this video:

"1979" was the hit of 1995, man! Actually, that entire album was THE album to have where I was staying. All the kids were singing, "Believe....believe in me..." or "Despite all my rage, I'm still just a rat in a cage," or wearing Zero sweatshirts and shit.

Actually, not many people know this about me, but I definitely relate to Linda Cartellini's character from Freaks and Geeks: nerd-cum-burnout. I still was a straight-A student in sixth grade, but I hung out with the burnout kids--the high school drop-out druggies who went to school every once in a while. But those bastards were effin' cool, man. I was also pals with this 33-year-old chick named Tammy who let me raid her food cabinets while watching VH1 and discussing Marvin Gaye and The Blues Brothers and Janis Joplin. And then there was this 27-year-old dude named Rob who always jokingly flirted with me then realized although I look 18, I was only 11. And then there were brothers Joseph and John, whom I thought was the ultimate coolest, only because people hated 'em, especially John, who never showered and said "fuck" all the time.

I tried and tried and tried to get those guys and the fellow assholes they hung out with to like me. I constantly hung out with the crowd, and they'd sometimes acknowledge me, but always quick.I mean, the girls of the group were nice, but I only clicked well with the guys. But then I started to unleash my humor, which was quite mature for my age. And BOOM! I was in! They started to listen to me whenever I wanted to tell a story, they wanted me to make prank calls for them, they let me bum cigarettes off them, and believe it or not, they started to ask personal questions about me.

Then I moved to live with my sister. I know, bummer right? Well, not so. I still visited every weekend (I mean, it was in the same city). I realized how much they liked me one day when I came back one day and I saw Joseph and John walking, and I yelled, "HEY, FUCKERS!" And they stopped and were like, "Who's that?" And then John said, "Oh! It's Amber!" Then we had a nice greeting. It made me feel special.

Looking back, of course, I feel really lame expressing the truth of how I wanted to fit in with some burnouts, but at the same time, it brings a smile to my face. It's weird because I haven't thought of them in years. It was a tumultuous time for me, so I let my inner rebel out and I found a group of outsiders that I actually connected to.

However, once I turned 12 and started junior high, I lost all my outcast points and started to pretend. I wanted to be the girl that every boy fell for, but turns out you can't be one of the stars on the basketball and volleyball team while trying to do so. Hey, can't have it all.

Anyway, so yeah. From junior high to sophomore year in college, I was very straight-edge and anti-fun. I was focused, focused, focused. I honestly had no idea how to balance fun life and serious life.

But the '90s wasn't just good for me; shit, it was great for everybody and everything. TV was great, independent film was on the rise, Bill Clinton was in office, and this statement wasn't true:

That, and, Daria existing. I watched that show constantly, reliving my outsider days and realizing that conformity is for lame-ohs. It's crazy how older generations look at us scornfully when we make zillions of pop culture references. I'm sorry, but TV was huge and, in all honesty, we coped better by escaping into someone else's world than talking to our parents about the problems, because as Will Smith said back in 1988, parents just don't understand.

Boy, oh boy. Memories are such a wonderful thing. I can go on and on forever with memories from the '90s, so I'll stop there. Excuse me while I liste to Luscious Jackson's "Naked Eye."

Mix tape for the coping soul.

2007-03-03T00:58:00.000-05:00

I originally planned on posting an entry that compiles a list of songs into a mix tape that I'd hope would bring you happiness, but this photo alone does the trick.

Pardon my lack of creativity as of late. I've been uber busy with this here place I call work. What place, you wonder? Well, silly, that's for you to figure out.

Possibly the best thing to ever happen to me.

2007-03-02T00:23:00.000-05:00

This new hobby of shopping for records is my antidepressant as of late. Nothing beats having an original UK copy of a record you won't find at a CD store, or going to the "New Arrivals" bin and seeing a very rare double-LP of Tyrannosaurus Rex's first two albums, My People Were Fair and Had Sky in Their Hair but Now They're content to Wear Stars on Their Brows and Prophets, Seers and Sages. Excuse me for a minute.

*Lets out a triumphant yell, perhaps "WOOOOOOOOOWEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!"*

Are you fucking kiddin' me?! I've been on the prowl for ANY Marc Bolan and T.Rex records, mainly Electric Warrior, but I was in for a ridiculously sweet treat when I came across this package, all for $18.50! As the record store clerks said, "Yeah, you'd usually find those records for that price each."

And lemme tell ya, that Marc Bolan was a brilliant son of a bitch. I've stated such before. I knew of his folkier days as a two-piece with a bongo player, before he was rocking it hard on the electric, but I never actually heard it, and I'm blown the fuck away. I'm still finding pieces of my face.

The first thing I thought of was, "Whoa, Devendra Banhart sounds eerily similar to folky Marc." The second thing was, "Whoa, Animal Collective, the more ambient years, sounds similar." Then I did the typical music nerdy thing and typed "devendra banhart influence t.rex" in the Google toolbar, and got this, and this.

In short, Marc Bolan=greatest person ever.

One, two, three--rant off!

2007-02-28T13:34:00.000-05:00

I'm generally a positive person, contrary to popular belief, but there are times where Amb has to break out the cynicism and talk about the things/people she despises. When I say "despise," I generally mean "could do without." Not necessarily wishing ill will upon them. Now that's something I'm not into.

Anywho, because I'm in such a mood where I feel apt to post about something of this matter, I shall compile a list of things I'm over, after giving 'em many, many chances.

Scene/Indie Kids. It's getting a little old seeing all these "alternative" and "individualistic" assholes doing exactly everything everyone is doing and thinking. Hey, lemme check Pitchfork just so I can buy an album they give a 8.7 to. Hey, lemme go to vintage stores and wear ripped Boy Scout shirts, even though if someone would've done that five years ago, I would've laughed at them. Hey, lemme go to fucking shows and just STAND FUCKING STILL, and then have the audacity to give people the stare-down looks when they're clearly having a good time. It's so fucking lame. I hate going to record stores and the clerks are obviously being dicks just to be dicks (see: Criminal Records, possibly one of the most overrated record stores on the goddam planet). I hate when people like things just because they feel it's the "cool" thing to do, and I feel scene/indie kids are the latest installments. On paper, they seem like awesome people to share conversations with, until you realize that you're just talking about the new Arcade Fire record and how Connor O'Berst is the greatest living songwriter. Maybe I'm an elitist asshole.

New York Times. While we're on the subject, I would like for America's so-called finest paper to kiss my ass. Exactly one month ago, writer Jessica Pressler did a feature on "blipsters." Can you guess what that stands for? If you said, "Black hipsters!" then you guessed it correctly. Are you fucking shitting me? I hate when race has to be a goddam adjective (i.e. white rapper). And who the hell said that independent culture was only for white folk, or that it's strange that a black kid listens to dammit Nirvana? Last time I checked, culture and music, and, well, everything else that involves people is a universal thing. This is the line that REALLY killed me: "But 40 years after black musicians laid down the foundations of rock, then largely left the genre to white artists and fans, some blacks are again looking to reconnect with the rock music scene."
WHAT?! Do I even need to go there? A guy asked me what I wanted to do, and I told him be a music journalist, and he says, "What kind of music do you listen to? 50 Cent and P. Diddy?" And I say, "Why do you ask that?" And he says, nonchalantly, "Because you're black." Of course, the guy said he was being facetious, in which I don't doubt, but serious or not, it's not the first time.

Stop asking me why I don't have a car. The only thing I drive on wheels is my goddam Schwinn Voyageur, pictured above. People: it's really a sad thing when you react to me saying I don't like to drive with a big gasp or look at me as if I grew some fucking horns. I DON'T LIKE TO DRIVE. OK? Jesus fucking Creebies, is that what our lives have come to--worrying about not only what people do for a living, but where they fucking live and what fucking car they drive? You know what? Being car-free and drive-free has definitely taken weight off my ass. Certainly, there are times where I wish I had the nerves to drive again, granted I've been in wrecks TWICE and has failed my driver's test. Of course, they say "practice," but you guys should actually be thanking me, because I'm a horrible driver, and to all the rest of you asshole bad drivers, you should follow my lead.

MARTA. Atlanta, babycakes. You are a huge ass city, reaching possibly 2 million. You, like Chicago, are very spread out, but unlike Chicago, you do not have a good transportation system. Therefore, I will not miss your ass when I move back to Nashville, who has an even worse transportation system, but isn't even a fourth of your size. I didn't like the fact that I waited for your bus for 10 minutes and it didn't show; I didn't like the fact that the station said a train would come in 1 minute, but it never showed; I didn't like how your bus driver decided he didn't want to take me to my stop because he wanted to go to McDonald's--WITH OTHER PEOPLE ON THERE!!!! I don't like how your drivers at times don't give a shit about paying customers and decide to keep driving knowing that they are waving ferociously at them to stop. In short, I do not like you, dear MARTA.

Atlanta. I'm just over you in general, dear Atlanta. I've been here for 10 months and it's just been an up-and-down ride constantly. You're a grand town to visit, but to live is another fucking story. The fact that it's culturally divided is beyond me, especially when you're as diverse as you are. What a fucking disappointment. On top of that, you're not near anything, so everything costs an arm and a leg to fly out somewhere. Not to mention you don't have Southwest Airlines. Or the fact that not is your public transit system sucky, but your traffic congestion for two hours is utterly ridiculous. And why are you such a huge city, yet you allow Bible Belt laws to apply? And why isn't there a good hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant? Oh, sigh, Atlanta. You have such potential.

Job searches. Hey recruiters/interviewers: nobody likes to have their feelings toyed with. If you're not interested, don't just say shit that you think recent grads want to hear. If you actually take heed to the fact that the person is presenting some talent as opposed to the 2-5 years experience you're ogling, then maybe you'd have a fucking chance, and stop bitching about why the fuck you're not reaching the 18-25 demographic. Um, here's a pickle: IT'S BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT HIRING THE 18-25 DEMOGRAPHIC! What the fuck is the point preaching all this bullshit about going to college and you graduate to have an at least nice job, yet all my ass keeps hearing is, "Yeah, you should go to grad school." Well, guess what, fuckers--not everyone has that goddam goal to waste yet ANOTHER two years in a higher institution over some shit that really doesn't matter. I don't think a dissertation on school violence will take me too much farther. Here's another pickle: how about you think about when your ass was in our position where you felt lost and unemployable.

Whew.

You're kinda odd, Todd.

2007-02-27T14:37:00.000-05:00

Or maybe I'm the odd one. I don't know what it is about scrawny men and rock, but I absolutely adore them, as I've stated before. New to the love-mix is Todd Rundgren.

You know what's crazy? I just automatically assumed that he was British because of his awesomeness and art rock/glam rockness and awesomeawesomeawesomeness. But turns out he's just another scrawny Pennsylvania dude. He's American! Hold the damn phone! It hit me when I was listening to Something/Anything?, and he's talking in the intro, and I didn't hear a lick of an British accent. Then I Wiki'd it, and it led me to the promise land of knowledge.

Anyway, Todd circa 1970-1976 was absolutely fabulous. Now he's all weird and leading The New Cars, which is essentially The Cars but much, much worse and much, much older and much, much lamer.

You're 31 years late, buddy.

2007-02-26T16:05:00.000-05:00

Jesus Christ, how long did it take for The Academy Awards to finally realize what a rip-off they've been to Marty? I mean, really. It dates all the way back to 1976 when Martin Scorsese wasn't even NOMINATED for an Oscar with Taxi Driver. I actually addressed this in a satirical column about the Oscars.

I mean, Martin Scorsese is the lone living American auteur, alongside Woody Allen, that's still worth a damn. He's still making good films! I've yet to see The Departed, but from the clips I've seen, it's definitely a film that boasts Marty's signature elements of violence and gangsters and undercover cops and did I mention violence? Some said it was the best thing he's done since Goodfellas. In short, Scorsese had to go back to what he's known for just to get the Golden man.

His first big movie, Mean Streets, came out in 1973. Three years later, wasn't even nominated for one of the best films ever presented on the reel. Then he finally gets nominated in 1980 for Raging Bull, definitely the best boxing flick (Rocky, my ass!), but doesn't even win for it. Actually, I'll just stop babbling right here.

I'm glad Marty finally got his due, though 31 years later (yes, I'm including the year where he was just snubbed for a nomination). He was also snubbed for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, which is possibly the most underrated movie in his filmography. I wish I could meet him. Though I'd probably (and obviously) be intimidated by his eyebrows, and will probably have to crack a joke about it to break the ice. And I'll have to ask him why he wants to make 15 more films with Leonardo DiCaprio, who I think is ridiculously overrated, as well as asking him if he'll ever do a reunion with Joe Pesci or Robert De Niro, or even Ray Liotta for that matter, as well as asking him if he'll relax now and just make films rather than making movies that'll guarantee Oscar nominations. Well, he is doing that retrospective documentary on The Stones.

In short, congratulations, Marty.

Take me there!

2007-02-25T01:41:00.000-05:00

I'm in one of those post-graduate ruts where you're constantly worrying and stressing about shit that should't matter but it does because we live in a certain society and yada yada yada. I really need a change of scenery. Although I am leaving Atlanta and staying in Nashville for a bit, I just need to go on a trip. If I'm lucky, Portland, Ore., would be that destination. But I hate paying anything over $250 for airfare. Yeah, I know, tough. But I reallyreallyreally wanna go, and I feel like I should do it now.

Ayyyyeeee! Save money, go to kick-ass city, do this, do that, blah blah blah. It's all a big ballad of nothing at the end of the day. Like Elliott Smith said. Who spent most of his life in Portland. Man, that's the second reference I had of him tonight. I also made a reference to The Deer Hunter with a customer. Hooray for depressing topics!

Can I wax you up in my love?

2007-02-21T14:46:00.000-05:00

It's official, dollfaces: I'm an owner of a record player and records, with the above photo being one of the four first copies of records I bought last night. Like always, I'm late to the game.

But doesn't matter. It's exciting. My record player is an old school LeeTac, which only cost $30 (originally $40, but because Best Buy sold me the display without the box, he marked it down $10). It has speakers and a CD player and whatnot. And my AM/FM dials is analog. The sound quality's pretty average, and if it's a pretty used album, it can get a little staticky, but that doesn't bother me. I don't like it when music's polished. Gimme the grit.

Also got: Cat Steven's Tea for the Tillerman, Jimi Hendrix's Roots of Hendrix (aka Hendrix before his Experience), and Todd Rundgren's UK Import of Something/Anything?, which makes Amber veddy veddy happy.

I wouldn't be so lucky.

2007-02-20T01:46:00.000-05:00

Boy, oh boy! If I could've been hanging with these two, at this exact moment, I would have, literally, pissed my pants with glee.

I think these two men are one of the most intriguing people on the planet. The above image is a still from the series "Iconoclasts," put on by the Sundance Channel. They showed it several times, and I caught it about five times. Yes, I watched it beginning to end, all 45 minutes of it, five times.

The last time I watched it, I was so exhausted I couldn't even keep my eyes open. The night before, I only slept for one hour, in which I got up very early to get started on a photo assignment. By 11 p.m., I was ready to hit the bed. But I looked at the guide on digital and saw that particuar episode of "Iconoclasts" would come on. Even though my brain was telling me, "Amber, you watched it several times, you already know what happens, you need to sleep, etc..."--I still had to watch it. Something about watching it fulfills me and brings me a newer meaning each time.

I adore Ford because he's so honest and doesn't give a fuck and does things his way; I adore Koons for the same reason. But what I loved about the interview is that Ford was telling the viewers that he's one of his favorite artists, but sometimes he feels like Koons is either a brilliant man, or he's completely full of shit. And then he brings that up in the interview, and Koons says, in a nutshell, that he appreciates his honesty, but he mostly let the art speaks.

I miss that video. It inspires me. Jeff Koons is slightly my hero.

Let the sunshine in.

2007-02-18T00:12:00.000-05:00

I'm on a mission, kids. I'm on a mission like James Bond. I'm so damn focused, it makes me happy thinking about it.

I had a grand epiphany a few days ago. Greg and I were at Wax 'N Facts, and he bought 12 albums, totaling to $71. If they were 12 CDs, would've been a much higher total. But that's not what hit me. What hit me was the fact that I almost drooled when Greg picked Todd Rundgren's Something/Anything? as one of the 12 albums to buy.

Silly me, I went to another record store and looked for the CD version said album, but, of course, to no avail.

Then it dawned on me: I don't own a record player. Shopping for CDs these days have left me a disgruntled music junkie, and the reason why I started to overlook the overlooked music of the '60s-80s is because I hate buying remastered CDs, which is the case for most albums. Like always, it takes me two years to finally realize missing puzzle pieces. Silly, Amber.

So now I'm on the hunt for a record player immediately, all because of Todd Rundgren. Basically.

The most underrated TV actress.

2007-02-16T12:49:00.000-05:00

Before I was all Ugly Betty crazy, there was just one show I watched like crazy: HBO's Extras. That show is so excrutiatingly brilliant, it makes the BBC version of The Office look comfortable. Ricky Gervais does a great job at being the pathetic fortysomething who's unhappy with his life, and it doesn't help that his best friend is Maggie, the somewhat idiot friend who just never knows when to shut up or how to be tactful, played wonderfully by Ashley Jensen.

But for those of you who do not have premium channels such as HBO, you'll only recognize Jensen as the Scottish quirky and blunt seamstress on Ugly Betty. It's a funny dichotomy. Although she has the same quirky fashion as Maggie, Jensen is still clueless and doesn't know how to stand up for herself. As Christina, she does end up doing things she'd probably regret, but not without a fight. And she has direction in her life (kinda). And, as I already said, she's not a bumbling idiot. (There's a scene in Extras where she's walking the red carpet for the BAFTA Awards with Andy, and a reporter asks, "What are you wearing?" and she says, "Me." And then Andy goes, "No, who's dress is that?" and she says, confused, "Maggie...Maggie Jacobs." What a hoot!)

In short, Ashley Jensen has managed to star in my two favorite TV shows, and that makes her a genius.

And I am going crazy because TV Guide Online is showing that there won't be a new Ugly Betty for a while. Maybe there's a misprint. I don't know. But I need to know what happens next! Last night's episode was sooooo good.

Please keep doing what you do.

2007-02-15T15:10:00.000-05:00

Pharrell Williams, God bless you. Since 1998, you've been revitalizing hip-hop and rhythm and blues with your jamtastic beat productions. As Nore (aka Noreaga) said, "N-E-P..T-U-N..E-S...make tight beats/Like, one of the best."

That's all that needs to be said.

Rockin' a new 'do.

2007-02-15T01:28:00.000-05:00

Boy did Chan Marshall look hot on the recent cover spread of Magnet. I thought the coolest pic was of her in the process of inhaling smoke and it looks like a ring of smoke is coming out of her mouth. Hmmm...probably better if you saw it.

Anyway, I've been having a personal dilemma on how I'm gonna style my hair. I've been cutting it for four years, and it's been over a year since I last cut it. I'm so used to layers, but now, it's pretty standard, and it has grown big time. So me thinks I'm just gonna grow my hair out for a while, at least until it starts to get hot, and rock the Chan Marshall long-hair-with-cool-bangs-look. I've been digging it so far. If I was cool like the kids with digital cameras, I'd post a pic of it. But I'm old school and believe film is the only way to shoot pictures.

That is all.

Oh. And I had this magnificent dream that someone gave me the November '06 art issue of W that featured the works of artists, including Jeff Koons. I was extremely elated. But turns out it was a dream, and I'm still without. What sucks more is that my subscription ended in October, which means I was thisclose to getting the aforementioned issue. And I'm struggling hardcore to get a back-issue. I guess I could call. And my obsession with this magazine all started when they offered a free wallet purse when you subscribe. They duped me wonderfully.

I was so into this circa Spring 2005.

2007-02-15T00:50:00.000-05:00

This video is tha muthafuckin' shit, for realz. I mean, mutliple J.Lo personalities? Really. Can't it get any better than this? And those moves, man! Whew. If I could've been an extra in the video, I would've gladly accepted.

Jennifer Lopez, where are you now? And I'm not talking about that damn Super Bowl shit you did. Or that damn El Cantante flick you did with hubby Marc Anthony, either. I want the "I'm Real" (not the remix with Ja Rule, the original) J.Lo. Y'know, the one who did this video:

And yes, I love J.Lo. Don't be so shocked, people!

Dare I say, "Happy V-Day?"

2007-02-14T13:57:00.000-05:00

And that girl is Amber. Yep. Pretty much. To honor this day, I shall leave you an mp3 of one of my favorite love songs.

Badly Drawn Boy - Magic in the Air

As well as a clip from my favorite romantic comedy next to Annie Hall and Manhattan: