More BS and the Soundtracks of my Life
...again, one burrito and three glasses of two buck chuck later, I sit in front of the computer reading last week's entry and realized that I was one buzzed up MF when I was writing. (Come on now, I misspelled burrito!). Anyway, it's been the same ol' same ol' the past week. I was just waiting for the work week to finish and for Thanksgiving to come. I finally got my phone in the mail and the whole thing is impressive but after using it for about three days now, I don't see how people are actually breaking bread to have this thing in their hands. Its just a normal phone in a different shell with a gigantic price difference. The price for going thin and compact is huge. But using it in public, I have been stopped too many times beyond irritation by people asking what the hell it is and later overhearing them tell their significant other that they want the phone for Christmas. Personally, I love it because I won it, but I wouldn't buy it. Get it only if you want to attract way more attention than the average man. It has pimp written all over it beckoning any gold digger. In the words of a gay man that asked about it while I was having lunch at Subway, "That phone isth thhho gourgeousth". Gee, thanks dude, now let me eat my sandwich.
I was cleaning out my car after work and trying to take out the CDs that I rarely listen to. There is so much that I hate to take out. Even though I haven't listened to some of this stuff in months, there are some that I feel have to remain within arms reach. These now are the soundtracks of my life:
Who doesn't like New Edition? Especially the NE Heartbreak album with "If It Isn't Love" and "Can You Stand the Rain"? I was still in elementary school when this came out and this brings back all the puppy love moments from the old school. This for me is what R&B was about. At the same time unfortuntely, it was also about tapered cuffs on my Bugle Boys, cuffs even on T-shirts, shoes with no socks, and hair held in place with Studio Line and a tail (not a mullett) in the back. You know how it is. We all have our ugly moments.
When "Fear of a Black Planet" from Public Enemy came out, I feared the album itself. It was during the time when everyone was sporting Malcolm X caps and Spike Lee was bigger than ever. I was like in the sixth grade at the time and thought that Chuck D was the mentor of mentors and Flavor Flav was the juice that made this easier to swallow. I feared it but eventually loved it, but I think my mom was afraid that deep down inside I wanted to be black. I remember that instead of having my homework done, I would have sketches of black guys sporting afros in my notebooks. I think mom had a fear of a black planet welcomed by her Filipino son. I should have welcomed mom to the terrordome.
No rap album has ever moved me as much as this one. After hearing endless radioplay of MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice the year before (admit it, you jammed to those guys as much as I did, I know you Played that Funky Music while asking Have You Seen Her), hearing A Tribe Called Quest come out with their second album, The Low End Theory, was so refreshing. The jazz infused tracks still have me bobbing my head until today and rapping along with QTip's nasal delivery. This album is filled with my own memories of after school basketball games and school dances. I still get a kick out of listening to "Scenario" and hearing Busta Rhymes' pre-gruff voice only to hear someone 5 years younger than me say, "Shut up, that's not him!". Coupled with Black Sheep's one hit wonder CD, A Wolf in Sheeps Clothing, the Native Tongue family got heavy replay back in the day.
Dr. Dre's The Chronic is a musical landmark for anyone that embraced the G-Funk era, or at least anyone young enough to give it a listen. Anyway, there was no way to avoid Dre. I bet back in '93 more kids knew the lyrics to "Nuthin' But a G Thang" than the Gettysburg Address. For me, this CD is so Big Island Hawaii school trip, basketball pick up games, thinking that being in a gang was cool, and wanting to be a bigger pimp than Snoop. This was a time when I couldn't live without a pair of headphones and 2 AA batteries so I didn't feel guilty and soft knowing that at the same time I was loving the music from Shai and Silk.
Diary of a Mad Band has to be one of my favorite CDs, even though its only the first half that I listen to. It's because of the slow jams on this album that I wish that these guys still made music. On this album, Jodeci made emotional jams but with a street edge for every guy like myself that felt wrong or funny for getting emotional listening to the likes of Boyz II Men tracks. Overall, their last album, The Show, the After Party, the Hotel was better (hell, in a way I think if they sang "Luv U 4 Life" at someones wedding it would be the most awesome thing), but the slow jams on this are hard to beat. This album is my ultimate drunk heartbreak soundtrack.
I don't think anything is as groundbreaking as this album and since I first heard it, I can't stop listening to Loveless from My Bloody Valentine. A lot of people get turned off by white noise or shoegazer music, but the noise on this album becomes almost pleasant and relaxing to the point that I start daydreaming in my car. This is my "How the heck did I drive here, I don't even remember???" daydreaming, am I lost? soundtrack. "Sometimes" is a cool track, and when they used it in "Lost in Translation" I loved it even a hundred times more. Time to get lost again.
For everyone, Surfacing from Sarah McLachlan either reminds you an of an ex-girlfriend/boyfriend, or chasing after someone and pouring out your soul all for love, or realizing how lonely you are. For me, this CD was listened to during the beginning to end of a relationship: This has become my "chasing after someone and pouring out my soul only to have a relationship ending in loneliness remembering an ex-girlfriend" soundtrack. This is one of the CDs that I love and hate at the same time. This is total midnight coffee and cigarettes, thinking music. This, and Maxwell's Urban Hang Suite, are my nocturnal friends.
The music of Mike Francis from Italy is one of my guilty pleasures. Over his career, this guy went from makeing jazzy synth pop to pure acoustic to electronica. Pretty much this guy is unknown in the US but is huge in Asia and Europe. I was first introduced to his music in college. In Baguio City, Philippines, jazz is more popular than top 40 pop. Mike Francis is immortal; his music from the 80s is still the most requested on radio stations in the city. His music is my soundtrack to smoke filled nights in bars and nightclubs during my college life. I know I can't party it up and drink like I used to, but listening to this guy makes me wish I still did. Thanks for killing my liver Mike.
The Cafe del Mar series is the best after hours music... the best riding off the buzz lounge compilations. I remember Volume 7 getting a lot of playback in my apartment during my senior year. My apartment was always the 3am early Sunday morning after the club spot and i always had this on the stereo while everyone sipped on coffee and smoked cigarettes while trying to sober up before the sun came up. I know I won't have those nights again but this CD lets me relive it all. There's nothing like jazzy electronica in the early hours.
Solace from Mandalay has always been my winter soundtrack. Well, there was no such thing as winter when I first heard this during college in the Philippines, but lets say that I like to pull out this CD for the cold days. Light trip hop with cool female vocals. They totally school Portishead or any Tracy Thorn and Massive Attack collaboration. Give this a listen and thank me later.
Jimmy Eat World's Clarity must be another one of my guilty pleasures. I'm not really into the whole emo scene but I think this album is one of the greatest things I've ever heard. I remember listening to this for the first time and wishing I had some sort of musical talent to be in a band. Singing along to this CD in the car puts me up there with the best that you see on VH1s Motormouth. And although I don't like their sellout of an album, "Bleed American", the song "If You Don't, Don't" makes me sing along like crazy.
This is the latest CD that has had the greatest impact on me. The lead singer, Mark Kozelek used to have a band in the mid 90s, The Red House Painters, and these guys made the best softcore downer folksy music. But this new Sun Kil Moon stuff totally blows it away. And Kozelek is one of the most passionate singers I've ever seen and heard. This CD has been the soundtrack to the past 6 months of my life. This really gets everyday play.
Jim O'Rourke's music, especially the "Halfway to a Threeway EP", makes me happy that I'm alive. This guy is amazing. With that, these are the soundtracks of my life... so far.
