as CLASSIC ALBUMS go, STANKONIA (ARISTA, 2000) by the ICONIC ATLANTA HIP HOP DUO OUTKAST is UNDOUBTEDLY one of the most CONSEQUENTIAL RELEASES in HIP HOP HISTORY.  to me it is the most COHESIVE EXPRESSION of a whole slew of COMPETING THREADS within the GENRE, namely that of the NATIVE TONGUES-inspired SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS HIP HOP MOVEMENT popularized by the likes A TRIBE CALLED QUEST and DE LA SOUL, SOPHISTICATED next-level NEW YORK-based LYRICISTS like RAKIM, CHUCK D and KRS-ONE and CLASSIC WEST COAST GANGSTER RAP such as N.W.A., CYPRESS HILL and TUPAC SHAKUR.  all that and more than a HEALTHY SPLASH of INTERGALACTIC FUNK inspired by the EXTRA-PLANETARY R&B likes of GEORGE CLINTON, JAMES BROWN and SLY STONE.  just a DEVASTATING COMBINATION of ELEMENTS that was wholly NEW to the NATIONAL SCENE at large.

and that was kind of the POINT.  with all due respect to THE GETO BOYS and U.G.K. out of TEXAS, both of who PREDATED them, OUTKAST from their INCEPTION BASICALLY put the AMERICAN SOUTH writ large on their back and presented the ongoing NATIONAL HIP HOP CONVERSATION with a WORTHY ALTERNATIVE to the ESTABLISHED SCENES on BOTH COASTS.  their iteration was more BOUNCY and GROOVE-orientated with a DISTINCTLY PSYCHEDELIC SENSE of GOSPEL and SOUTHERN SOUL about their PRODUCTION and LYRICAL PREOCCUPATIONS while still hitting just as HARD.  with OUTKAST much of this SONIC AESTHETIC was the TIRELESS RESULT of COUNTLESS HOURS in the STUDIO cutting it up with their COHORTS in the DUNGEON FAMILY, a loose COLLECTIVE of ARTISTS and PRODUCERS that wrote and worked TOGETHER as a MUTUALLY-SUPPORTIVE COHORT.  out of this SITUATION came the PRODUCTION CREWS of ORGANIZED NOISE (SLEEPY BROWN and RAY BROWN) and EARTHTONE III (i.e. OUTKAST plus DAVID SHEETS, aka MR DJ).  all of this to say that OUTKAST's SOUND was absolutely a DELIBERATE DECISION paved by the PARTICIPATION of many INVOLVED and COMMITTED CREATIVES from this essentially UNTAPPED REGION of TALENT. 

the STAGE for STANKONIA was set by the PREVIOUS two RELEASES in ATLIENS (ARISTA, 1996) and AQUEMINI (ARISTA, 1998), each more stylistically DIVERGENT and SONICALLY EXPERIMENTAL than the last.  there was also a DUAL NATURE to their PRESENTATION with BIG BOI holding down a NO-BULLSHIT, LYRICALLY-SOPHISTICATED FIGURE extolling TALES of STREET-WISE ENCOUNTERS, EXPERIENCES and ACTIVITIES within his COMMUNITY in a SIMILAR VEIN to that of MOBB DEEP and N.W.A., while ANDRE BENJAMIN, later ANDRE 3000, was more STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS, IMPRESSIONISTIC, FLUID and INSULAR with his LYRICAL VOICE in a MANNER more EVOCATIVE of ARTISTS like RAKIM, HIEROGLYPHICS and ESPECIALLY Q-TIP (of A TRIBE CALLED QUEST).  BIG BOI often gets pegged as the more CONVENTIONAL of the two, but in REALITY both ARTISTS had NONTRADITIONAL INFLUENCES from well OUTSIDE of HIP HOP, BIG BOI himself with KATE BUSH, JANIS JOPLIN, BOB MARLEY and NEIL YOUNG and ANDRE 3000 with KRAFTWERK and ALTERNATIVE ROCK BANDS like NIRVANA and RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. so both came to the game with an INTIMATE and VARIED UNDERSTANDING of OUTSIDE VIEWPOINTS and SONIC AESTHETICS.  and such was APPARENT on PREVIOUS RELEASES, but nothing as COHERENT and STREAMLINED as their FINEST HOUR on STANKONIA.
​
UNQUESTIONED HIGHLIGHTS include "B.O.B.," "RED VELVET," "XPLOSION," "SO FRESH SO CLEAN" and "MISS JACKSON," the LATTER of which is a SONG-as-an-APOLOGY from ANDRE 3000 to the MOTHER of his FORMER PARTNER, R&B SINGER ERYKAH BADU, in the WAKE of their SEPARATION.  i cant even count the number of SONGS in HIP HOP that deal with apologizing, because there arent any, much less a PROMINENT SINGLE.  just gives one a SENSE of where OUTKAST was leveling up to at the time.  my FAVORITE STANKONIA TRACK is the DEVASTATING "TOILET TISHA" about a TROUBLED TEENAGER who COMMITS SUICIDE due to being completely OVERWHELMED by an UNPLANNED PREGNANCY.  this SONG deals with the ABJECT HORROR, HELPLESSNESS and SEVERE SHAME of the SITUATION and how such reverberates and effects everyone down the line from the IMMEDIATE FAMILY to the EXTENDED COMMUNITY.  i still consider it one of the most BRUTAL SONGS in HIP HOP and ARGUABLY OUTKAST's FINEST HOUR due to their FEARLESSNESS in tackling an UNCOMFORTABLE TABOO SUBJECT with such SOBER COMMITMENT and INTENSE EMPATHY.

STANKONIA is REQUIRED LISTENING.  as one of the ALL-TIME HIP HOP RECORDS, it is WORTHY of its PLACE in the PANTHEON of GREAT ART from the turn of the MILLENNIUM and its INFLUENCE can be seen in the THOUGHTFUL likes of EVERYONE from KENDRICK LAMAR, JANELLE MONAE, KILLER MIKE and CHILDISH GAMBINO.  definitely worth checking out.

the ARCHETYPE of the SOCIALLY-ISOLATED, TORTURED GENIUS is pretty firmly rooted in WESTERN CULTURE.  the VERY IDEA that the GIFT that nourishes also consumes ONE in the PROCESS is ARGUABLY a CONSTANT MAXIM in a POST-CAPITALIST SOCIETY like the UNITED KINGDOM, ESPECIALLY when you consider the UNLIKELY EXAMPLE of one LEE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, the SON of a TEACHER and TAXI DRIVER, who SCRATCHED and CLAWED his way from HUMBLE SOUTHEAST LONDON to the VERY APEX of the FASHION WORLD only to EFFECTIVELY lose everything through SUICIDE at the ARGUABLE ZENITH of his CULTURAL INFLUENCE and CREATIVE POWERS.  even an ADMITTED FASHION LUDDITE like myself was keenly aware of MCQUEEN via his EXPERIMENTAL COLLABORATIONS with AVANT-POP MUSICIANS like BJORK and LADY GAGA during his LIFETIME, which only proves his APPEAL as a PROMINENT CULTURAL FIGURE who transcended the WORLD of HIGH FASHION.

and as much as the LOVINGLY-EXECUTED MCQUEEN (LIONSGATE, 2018) DOCUMENTARY provides AMPLE EVIDENCE regarding his SINGULAR TALENTS and PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to translate OPAQUE SOCIO-CULTURAL and LITERARY REFERENCES into COHERENT COLLECTIONS, the FOCUS remains SQUARELY on his ULTIMATE INABILITY to find SOLACE and INNER PEACE through his WORK, a VEHICLE for the PRODUCTIVE SUBLIMATION of IMMENSE PERSONAL TRAUMA from REPEATED CHILDHOOD SEXUAL ABUSE and how the LOSS of his BELOVED MOTHER JOYCE was something to DEAR to bear which ULTIMATELY DRAGGED HIM UNDER.  MCQUEEN's is a CAUTIONARY TALE about the DARK UNDERBELLY of AMBITION and SUCCESS, and how such does LITTLE to alleviate the PRE-EXISTING PROBLEMS of those who reach its UPPER ECHELONS of CULTURAL RELEVANCY, from KURT COBAIN, ELVIS PRESLEY, JANIS JOPLIN and LIL PEEP on down through AMY WINEHOUSE, HEATH LEDGER, CHRIS FARLEY, MATHEW PERRY and PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN.  more than 15 years since his PASSING, its still SHOCKING to consider that SOMEONE with the SHEER CREATIVITY and UNBRIDLED IMAGINATION to connect and elevate the WORLD through his SUBLIME ART found so LITTLE worth living for.  its IMPLICATIONS are both STUNNING and absolutely TROUBLING.

but that JOURNEY is worth RECOUNTING. 

MCQUEEN was OBSESSED with CLOTHING throughout his childhood, often daydreaming in SCHOOL about it and COMPULSIVELY drawing COLLECTIONS in his CLASS NOTEBOOKS.  when he finished with SCHOOL, his MOTHER saw a LOCAL REPORT on TELEVISION about a need for WORKERS in the BESPOKE MEN'S TAILORING INDUSTRY on the FAMED SAVILE ROW DISTRICT in MAYFAIR, CENTRAL LONDON and suggested her SON LITERALLY just walk right up and inquire about a POSITION.  this INCREDIBLY led to an INTERNSHIP which he then leveraged MONTHS LATER into a more PERMANENT POSITION elsewhere at a more EXPERIMENTAL JAPANESE DESIGNER, then at an UPCOMING ENGLISH STREETWEAR FASHION LABEL, an ITALIAN DESIGN FIRM and FINALLY ACCEPTANCE at ST. MARTIN'S COLLEGE in their COMPETITIVE MFA PROGRAM.  his JACK THE RIPPER-inspired COLLECTION produced therein as a CAPSTONE PROJECT was bought outright by the INFLUENTIAL ENGLISH FASHION EDITOR ISABELLA BLOW, who became his EARLY MENTOR and UNDERWRITER.  after a few PROVOCATIVE, if not TRANSGRESSIVE COLLECTIONS, MCQUEEN won BRITISH FASHION DESIGNER OF THE YEAR twice (of an eventual four) and was ultimately swayed to head the STORIED FRENCH FASHION HOUSE GIVENCHY after FELLOW BRITISH FASHION DESIGNER JOHN GALIANO departed to head DIOR, both owned and operated by the LVMH CONGLOMERATE. 

this OPPORTUNITY proved to be a MIXED-BAG.  it allowed MCQUEEN the ABILITY to fund his own FIRM back in ENGLAND, thus no longer needing the SERVICES of BLOW (whom he UNCEREMONIOUSLY ABANDONED). but such came at a STEEP PRICE in that it DRAMATICALLY increased his OUTPUT and thus his RESPONSIBILITIES.

and its ARGUABLY that very TOXIC WORK / LIFE IMBALANCE that came ti DEFINE the REST of his CAREER and UNFORTUNATE FATE.  on one hand he was massively SUCCESSFUL with fifty DEDICATED WORKERS that effectuated his DREAMS into REALITY.  on the other hand the PRESSURE was UNBEARABLE.  reminds me of JOHN FOGERTY (CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL) and ROGER MCQUINN (THE BYRDS) who SIMILARLY found THEMSELVES OVERWORKED and in INCREASINGLY BAD HEALTH after years of prioritizing their TOURING CREW above themselves before FINALLY BURNING OUT and ESSENTIALLY EXITING THE STAGE.  MCQUEEN never did such.  he left GIVENCHY after their CONTRACT expired and then was gathered up by GUCCI who BASICALLY underwrote his PRIVATE LABEL.  DIFFERENT BOSS, same UNENDING PREDICAMENT.  because the LABEL was named after HIMSELF and the PERSONAL NATURE of its OFFERINGS, MCQUEEN refused to hand it over to SOMEONE else even in HYPOTHETICAL TERMS, unlike the likewise AVANT-GARDE MAISON MARGIELA who found a WAY for its ICONIC, NAMESAKE DESIGNER to step aside GRACEFULLY.

its an IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION.  MCQUEEN is still CELEBRATED for his PEERLESS VISION that has stepped away from FASHION into the realm of FINE ART.  his POSTHUMOUS 2011 SAVAGE BEAUTY RETROEPECTIVE at the THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART in NEW YORK CITY absolutely DECIMATED ATTENDANCE RECORDS.  but it was that INABILITY to relinquish CONTROL over his CREATIVE OUTPUT and its PRESENTATION that ULTIMATELY wouldnt allow him to part with the CRUSHING RESPONSIBILITY and PRESSURES of the job that ULTIMATELY did him in.  he couldnt escape it or step away, he was PERMANENTLY MCQUEEN the PEERLESS FASHION DESIGNER 24/7.  i dont know.  it feels like an ARCHETYPAL TRAGIC HERO sort of SITUATION even though one wishes it didnt have to be that WAY. 

ART isnt everything.  or maybe it is.

the VAST MAJORITY of the GRAPHIC NOVELS i tend to write about are LOOSELY attributed to what is KNOWN as the ALTERNATIVE COMICS MOVEMENT (think GILBERT & JAIME HERNANDEZ, CHARLES BURNS, GABRIELLE BELL, JHONEN VAZQUEZ, ADRIAN TOMINE, ALISON BECHDEL, JOE MATT and DANIEL CLOWES), which ITSELF was CONSCIOUSLY an EVOLUTION of the UNDERGROUND COMIX MOVEMENT of the 1960s and 70s (ROBERT CRUMB, TRINA ROBBINS, GILBERT SHELTON, KIM DEITCH, WILLIE MENDES, GARY PANTER, ART SPIEGELMAN and SPAIN RODRIGUEZ), all of which are INDEPENDENTLY-RELEASED COMICS meant for a KEY DEMOGRAPHIC of the COUNTERCULTURE VARIETY with NARRATIVES that carry an often PERSONAL, GONZO-like INTIMACY.  

such is not the CASE with SCOTTISH ILLUSTRATOR / CARTOONIST TOM GAULD.

his HEADY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING SINGLE-PANEL WORKS are recognized for their FUN-LOVING and lightly MISCHIEVOUS ABILITY to CRITIQUE COMMON LITERARY TROPES, HISTORICAL BLIND SPOTS, NORMATIVE CULTURAL BELIEFS, SOCIO-POLITICAL THEORIES and other MODERN INTELLECTUAL CONCEPTS that are often found in ELEVATED PUBLICATIONS like THE NEW YORKER, THE GUARDIAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES and NEW SCIENTIST among MANY OTHERS.  in essence, to make SENSE of his WORK there is a PRESUMPTION of FAMILIARITY with MAJOR LITERARY, PSYCHOLOGICAL, HISTORICAL, ECONOMIC and POLITICAL CONCEPTS from the PAST CENTURY.  without that BASE CONTEXT most of the PUNCH from his JABS are EFFECTUALLY NEUTERED before they even had time to provide IMPACT.  his PANELS are DECIDEDLY catering to a more LITERARY-MINDED and ECONOMICALLY / POLITICALLY-ENGAGED SET.

being a FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER i am sadly aware that for MOST OBSERVERS of the WRITTEN WORD via NEWS, MEDIA and the LITERARY WORLD often dont take into ACCOUNT the IMPORTANCE of the AUDIENCE in the EQUATION of transmitting an IDEA.  it is INTEGRAL to consider that SOME STUFF is just not meant for MASS CONSUMPTION based wholly on MERIT. and it goes BOTH WAYS.  i know PEOPLE who cannot stand ADAM SANDLER's SOPHOMORIC HUMOR in BILLY MADISON (UNIVERSAL, 1995) or HAPPY GILMORE (UNIVERSAL, 1996) while OTHERS feel the same way about EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA like ALEXANDR SOKUROV's RUSSIAN ARK (WELLSPRING, 2002) or EARLY SILENT EPICS epics like D.W. GRIFFITH's INTOLERANCE (TRIANGLE, 1916).  certain things are just not for EVERYONE including GAULD' s TAKEDOWN of early MODERNIST BRITISH HIGH-SOCIETY in the CELEBRATED VEIN of VIRGINIA WOOLF and others. 

​it is what it is.

BAKING WITH KAFKA (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2017) is a COLLECTION of such STAND-ALONE PANELS, MOSTLY from THE NEW YORK TIMES.  it is as GOOD a PRIMER or INTRODUCTION to an ERUDITE THINKER and CLEVER SATIRIST that is GAULD.  and how our CONTEMPORARY LIFE filled with the JOYS and SPOILS of and SCIENTIFIC and TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS that have EFFECTIVELY gained us NOTHING in TERMS of WISDOM or USEFUL KNOWLEDGE.  if anything, we are all COLLECTIVELY just as MISERABLE now as we ever were.  which in MY MIND is distinctly REASSURING.

the STORY of TIBET is one of the most HORRIFYING and CONTINUALLY TRAGIC NARRATIVES of an historically PROUD NATION i am aware of.  CHINA EFFECTIVELY took over in the early 1950s and has since been seeking evermore STRIDENT and INSIDIOUS MEANS of attempting to ERADICATE TIBETAN CULTURE and IDENTITY as PART of its CONTROVERSIAL "ONE CHINA" POLICY. 

such EFFORTS have only INTENSIFIED and become more POLITICALLY FRAUGHT in recent years as TIBET's LEADER in EXILE (in DHARAMSALAM, INDIA), the 89 year-old DALAI LAMA, is nearing the INEVITABLE CONCLUSION of his NATURAL LIFE, presenting CHINA with an EFFECTIVE MEANS of DECAPITATING their LEADERSHIP STRUCTURE once and for all and supplanting such with their own FALSE REINCARNATED IMPOSTER to the THRONE.  this may sound OVERLY CONSPIRATORIAL and even FANTASTICAL, but CHINA has done such ALREADY.  in the late 1980s with REGARDS to the 11th PANCHEN LAMA, a then six year-old BOY named GEDHUN CHOEKYI NYIMA, who the CHINESE IMPRISONED and DISAPPEARED in SHORT ORDER along with his FAMILY, never to be heard from since.  they subsequently imposed their OWN IMPOSTER to the GENERATIONALLY-REINCARNATED POSITION, SECOND only in INFLUENCE to the DALAI LAMA, of whom he selects.

the RECENT FRONTLINE: BATTLE FOR TIBET (PBS, 2025) DOCUMENTARY showcases a CONTEMPORARY TIBET where the OMNIPRESENT SURVEILLANCE STATE has taken over with CAMERAS on every street corner hooked up to FACIAL-RECOGNITION SOFTWARE and TECHNOLOGY that allows CHINESE OFFICIALS to monitor WEB-BROWSING and PHONE CALLS.  dozens of PUBLIC BOARDING SCHOOLS have been put in place to herd this DISPARATE MOUNTAINOUS REGION and a WIDESPREAD RE-EDUCATION CAMPAIGN is in ACTION that manifestly DEPRIVES JUVENILE TIBETANS (many as young as four) of their LANGUAGE through the REPLACEMENT of such with MANDARIN and CHINESE CULTURE.  the IMPACT of such RE-EDUCATION is quite DEVASTATING with TIBETAN PARENTS literally being left UNABLE to communicate with their CHILDREN, who now see their CULTURE as BACKWARD and UNDESIRABLE.

its a CATASTROPHIC SITUATION.

obviously the UNITED STATES under DONALD TRUMP is not a BEACON OF HOPE in this LOSING BATTLE.  never was under any AMERICAN ADMINISTRATION going back to HARRY S TRUMAN when the RED ARMY first invaded.  i wonder if this SORRY SCENARIO would have been DIFFERENT if like KUWAIT, TIBET had maintained a PRECIOUS RESOURCE we sought to EXPLOIT in the PROCESS. 

probably, right?  what does that say about us?

NOTHING GOOD.

like a lot of MUSIC FANS of my GENERATION who came of age in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the RIC OCASEK-produced HIGH/LOW (ELEKTRA, 1996) RELEASE by NEW YORK CITY ALTERNATIVE ROCK BAND NADA SURF was a SEMINAL ALBUM.  it had MEMORABLE MELODIC HOOKS and an OVERBRIMMING AMOUNT of EXISTENTIAL DREAD that allowed it to really sink its teeth into your ADOLESCENT SUBCONSCIOUS, or at least it did such for me. 

and then NOTHING.

until YEARS later i rediscovered the BAND in UNDERGRAD through their absolutely SPELLBINDING and achingly GORGEOUS LET GO (BARSUK, 2002) ALBUM, which was PART of a TRINITY of STELLAR BARSUK RELEASES rounded out by THE WEIGHT IS A GIFT (BARSUK, 2005) and LUCKY (BARSUK, 2008).  outside of PIXIES and maybe WEEZER, i am having a DIFFICULT TIME thinking of another GROUP that came back that STRONG after a PERCEIVED EXTENDED HIATUS.  i say "PERCEIVED" because ADMITTEDLY i completely missed the boat on their INTERIM THE PROXIMITY EFFECT (ELEKTRA, 2000) RELEASE. 

i had a RADIO SHOW in COLLEGE and the GENERAL ATMOSPHERE at the STATION was one of COLLABORATION and CONVIVIALITY, in essence all the DJs loved sharing their MUSICAL OBSESSIONS with the WIDER COMMUNITY and there was none of the ELITIST COMPETITION i would have expected from the OUTSIDE BEFOREHAND.  it was through another DJ i picked up on LET GO and was completely knocked sideways initially by the TWO TRACKS "INSIDE OF LOVE" and "HAPPY KID," which shared a DARK NOSTALGIC QUALITY to them as if some DISTANT BITTERSWEET MEMORY was both CONSOLING and TRIGGERING at the SAME TIME. 

i know that WARM SENSE of AMBIVALENCE is how i feel about my TIME going to MIDDLE SCHOOL in NIGERIA.  on one HAND i had so many FORMATIVE EVENTS in my LIFE happen there that formulated my WORLDVIEW and SENSE of IDENTITY, on the OTHER HAND there was just so much DEATH and SUFFERING i was forced to BARE WITNESS to at such a YOUNG AGE that i was not prepared to PROCESS in any PRODUCTIVE WAY.  i choose to see that UNIQUE SET of EXPERIENCES as a GIFT albeit i know there was a DEFINITE COST along the way that i will probably never be able to verbalize in any COHERENT FASHION.  ive met up with CLASSMATES from that PERIOD over the PAST few DECADES and there is an UNSPOKEN and UNBREAKABLE BOND we share UNDOUBTEDLY, we all recognize that.  but there is also a SADNESS about the CIRCUMSTANCES and the EVENTS that transpired during that VOLATILE PERIOD in NIGERIA's HISTORY.  anyway, that CHARGED but COMFORTING SENTIMENT i obviously picked up on IMMEDIATELY with those TWO TRACKS and then SUBSEQUENTLY sought out their PAST CATALOGUE.

other NOTABLE TRACKS include "HI-SPEED SOUL," "NEITHER HEAVEN NOR SPACE" and "BLONDE ON BLONDE," all of which share that COUNTERINTUITIVELY CHARMED SENSE of SENTIMENTALITY that comes from HARD-EARNED TREPIDATION based on LIVED EXPERIENCE, ESPECIALLY of a TRAUMATIC VARIETY.  their SUBSEQUENT ALBUM's title THE WEIGHT IS A GIFT summarizes that OXYMORONIC TRUISM perfectly.  i just find LET GO to be an ALBUM i fondly return to all the TIME and recommend WHOLEHEARTEDLY.  i dont know where NADA SURF are placed in the GRAND SCHEME OF ALL THINGS INDIE ROCK or ALTERNATIVE ROCK but that is UNQUESTIONABLY a STELLAR RECORD.  required listening in my OPINION.

recently came across the decidedly HYPNOTIC MUSIC of VIRGINIA-based VAPORWAVE SINGER-SONGWRITER GEORGE CLANTON.  his SOUND is an intoxicatingly NOSTALGIC MIX of 90s GENRES of the experimentally HAZY VARIETY like TRIP HOP, SHOEGAZE, ELECTROPOP and ACID HOUSE.  i learned of him via his FULL-LENGTH ALBUM COLLABORATION with NICK HEXUM of 311 on GEORGE CLANTON & NICK HEXUM (100% ELECTRONICA, 2020) which somehow presented the ALTERNATIVE ROCK SINGER in a NEW SONIC CONTEXT with AMBIENT, ELECTRONIC TEXTURES that UNSURPRISINGLY suits him just FINE. 

im really just digging how CATCHY CLANTON's MUSIC is and look forward to his RECORDED OUTPUT moving forward.  definitely worth checking out.

i know ive said it before on the DEER GOD RADIO SHOW that BRITISH INDEPENDENT SHEFFIELD-based LABEL WARP RECORDS is a DESTINATION i seek out when looking for EXCITING new UPCOMING ARTISTS after feeling JADED by my CURRENT LISTENING DIET.  there is just SOMETHING about the LABEL, like 4AD, DOMINO or MATADOR, where the very ETHOS is HIGHEST QUALITY and ORIGINALITY at all times.  EVERYONE from APHEX TWIN, SEEFEEL, DANNY BROWN, ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER, FLYING LOTUS. BOARDS OF CANADA, STEREOLAB, DEATH GRIPS, BATTLES. AUTECHRE, BRIAN ENO and SQUAREPUSHER have been a part of that LABEL STORY to DATE which is a beyond IMPRESSIVE CATALOGUE.

but with WARP its never really about the past, but rather the present and emerging CONTEMPORARY ARTIST like KALELA and  SQUID showcase how the LABEL has maintained its TOUCH on the PULSE of MODERN MUSIC CULTURE. as the LABEL is NEARING its 4th decade in EXISTENCE such is quite the ACHIEVEMENT.  over the past few years ive been in BUSINESS SCHOOL pursuing an MBA and LABELS like WARP tend to confound me since they are going against STANDARD STRATEGIES of CONSOLIDATION, REPLICATED NOSTALGIA, MARKETSHARE GROWTH, BRAND IDENTITY and MARKETING / PROMOTIONAL  CAMPAIGNS.  such assumes that NEW ARTIST ACQUISITION would inherit the most RISK INVOLVED, yet that tis exactly what WARP has done time and again for DECADES. 

and it almost gets back to wha the PURPOSE of  a "TRADITIONAL" RECORD COMPANY is in the FIRST PLACE. for WARP it appears to be more about maintaining an HISTORIC CATALOGUE of PARTICULAR ARTISTIC QUALITY. 

click HERE to access a PAST DEER GOD RADIO EPISODE on NONPROFIT INTERNET RADIO STATION MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC that includes a PLAYLIST celebrating WARP RECORDS.

when WHITE ZOMBIE EFFECTIVELY IMPLODED in 1998, it left a SIZABLE VOID in the MUSIC INDUSTRY and METAL COMMUNITY given how SINGULAR their PHANTASMAGORIC SOUND was, which included EVERYTHING from INDUSTRIAL PERCUSSION, CLASSIC HORRO FILM SAMPLES and EXPERIMENTAL, NEXT-LEVEL METAL GROOVES courtesy of GUITARIST J YEUNGER and DRUMMER JOHN TEMPESTA.  it was like cross between the more AGGRESSIVE ELEMENTS of PANTERA, MINISTRY and SOUNDGARDEN with an ADDED CARNIVAL BARKER all rolled into one.  i dont believe it is a CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENT that the two most ASTONISHINGLY BRUTAL GROOVE METAL RELEASES of that DECADE where VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER (ATCO, 1992) and ASTRO-CREEP: 2000 (GEFFEN, 1995), both TERRY DATE PRODUCTIONS i might add.  okay, maybe i should have included SEPULTURA's ROOTS (ROADRUNNER, 1996) as well, but you get the IDEA.

so when i learned that WHITE ZOMBIE FRONTMAN ROB ZOMBIE was moving forward with a NEW SOLO EFFORT, i was more than a bit SKEPTICAL given the HEIGHTS of the BAND he just recently DEPARTED.  TEMPESTA stayed in the FOLD, but YEUNGER was LEFT OUT and in MY MIND his ICONIC RIFFS were as much a STAPLE of WHITE ZOMBIE's SOUND as the SINGER's TRADEMARK muffled "yeahs" were.  thats why i was pleasantly SURPRISED when HELLBILLY DELUXE (GEFFEN, 1998) was released because ZOMBIE somehow managed to keep all the CORE ELEMENTS that made WHITE ZOMBIE GREAT while SIMPLIFYING and STREAMLINING the SOUND just a bit.  with POWERFUL TRACKS like "MEET THE CREEPER," "DEMONOID PHENOMENON," "SUPERBEAST," "DRAGULA" and "LIVING DEAD GIRL," i see it as the more POP VERSION of ASTRO-CREEP: 2000, which is not necessarily a NEGATIVE THING by any stretch of the IMAGINATION.  it prove once and for all that ZOMBIE was the SONIC as well as VISUAL DIRECTOR of his PREVIOUS BAND and that his CAREER TRAJECTORY continued UNABATED.

i lucked out since i got to witness ZOMBIE LIVE during this ERA at OZZFEST 99 when he was very much still in his "MORE IS MORE" ETHOS with regard to STAGE DESIGN and PYRO.  it was pretty CRAZY because ZOMBIE was the TOP-BILLED ACT on an ABSOLUTELY LOADED LINE-UP (SLAYER, DEFTONES, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, PRIMUS, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY and STATIC-X) that was HEADLINED by BLACK SABBATH, and yet he blew up more SHIT than ANYONE.  try and figure that one out.  how did SHARON OSBOURNE allow that to happen?  i had like center 6th row seats or SOMETHING INSANE so that SHOW made a HUGE IMPACT on me, just the SENSORY OVERLOAD of it all with SCANTILY-CLAD GO-GO DANCERS, EXPLODING TRASHCANS, LIT-UP 666 SIGNS, JUMBO SCREENS with RUSS MEYER CLIPS, GUITARS with FLAMETHROWERS ATTACHED and so on. 

just a GREAT TIME.

and the MUSIC VIDEOS are a PRECURSOR to ZOMBIE's itch for directing ACTUAL HORROR FILMS he'd written that would be SATIATED in less than a DECADE starting with HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES (LIONS GATE, 2003).  these INGENIOUS MUSIC VIDEOS reference EVERYTHING from CLASSIC HORROR and EXPLOITATION FILMS like THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (MGM, 1972), THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (DECLA-FILM, 1920), ILSA: SHE-WOLF OF THE SS (CINEPIX, 1975), THE PHANTOM CREEPS (UNIVERSAL, 1939) among other MUCH-BELOVED POP CULTURE ODDITIES like RAT FINK, THE MUNSTERS (CBS, 1964-66) and WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (PARAMOUNT, 1971).

MY WORRIES were ABATED and its become CLEAR in the YEARS since that HELLBILLY DELUXE is arguably the DEFINITIVE RELEASE by ZOMBIE alongside his FORMER BAND's FINAL ALBUM in ASTRO-CREEP: 2000.  either one is well worth checking out.

CHARLES and RAY EAMES in TANDEM created one of the most VISIONARY DESIGN FIRMS in THE EAMES OFFICE that impacted how MODERN AMERICA and its CONSUMERIST CULTURE self-identified ITSELF throughout the 20th century with SINGULAR ADVANCEMENTS in ARCHITECTURE and FURNITURE and CONSIDERABLE WORK in FINE ART, FILM and INDUSTRIAL / GRAPHIC DESIGN.  RAY studied under the REVERED ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST PAINTER HANS HOLFMANN and CHARLES was a GIFTED STUDENT but became a UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON IN ST. LOUIS ARCHITECTURE DROPOUT when his REVERENCE to more PROGRESSIVE and ECOLOGICALLY-MINDED INFLUENCES like FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT caused a RIFT between HIMSELF and his more TRADITION-MINDED EDUCATORS.  an AUTODIDACT by DEFINITION, CHARLES had a KEEN SENSE of CURIOSITY about a MYRIAD of TRADES and SPECIALTIES that served him well throughout his CAREER.  when he met RAY at the CRANBROOK ACADEMY OF ART, a KINDRED SPIRIT was found whose AESTHETIC SENSIBILITIES and SPATIAL INTELLIGENCE served as an IMPORTANT COUNTERPOINT incorporating THEORY and REFINED TASTE to his more GENERALIZED gut FEELINGS and SENSE of ARDENT TRUST in EVERYTHING surrounding the CREATIVE PROCESS.  in essence both complemented the OTHER and brought a NECESSARY PUSH-AND-PULL to THE EAMES OFFICE DYNAMIC.

the EAMES: THE ARCHITECT & THE PAINTER (FIRST RUN, 2011) DOCUMENTARY recounts that ARTISTIC and ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP at the CORE of that MULTI-DECADE DESIGN FIRM by those that worked there as well as PEERS in the INDUSTRY.  what makes this PORTRAIT of a STORIED ARTISTIC and ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP so COMPELLING is the very COMPLEXITY of that PARTNERSHIP.  given taht much of their SUCCESS was during the POST-WAR PERIOD, RAY often took an UNSPOKEN but CONSCIOUS STEP BACK from the SPOTLIGHT for CHARLES, even though she arguably contributed just as much to their WORK.  such was the ERA, which pre-dated MODERN FEMINISM, and the FILM is SUCCESSFUL in showcasing how WOMEN were COMPLICIT in that DYNAMIC as well, with a FEMALE TELEVISION PRESENTER downplaying RAY's INVOLVEMENT in her own FIRM during a CRINGY INTERVIEW.  which of course to a CONTEMPORARY AUDIENCE is MADDENING.  SEXUAL POLITICS aside, there is also the matter of how THE EAMES OFFICE ITSELF, an EMPLOYER of DOZENS of ASSISTANT DESIGNERS and ENGINEERS, allocated all CREDIT unto CHARLES and RAY.  this was an almost CLASSIC RENAISSANCE WORKSHOP ETHOS that would ABSOLUTELY NOT FLY TODAY as well.  all that NASTY FEUDAL BUSINESS of serving a MASTER and their LITTLE FIEFDOM.  for all that their WORK is considered INNOVATIVE and MODERN, even in a PRESENT-DAY CONTEXT, its intriguing to have it be duly noted how their BUSINESS CULTURE was severely REGRESSIVE as was the NATURE of the PERIOD they worked in from the 1930s on through most of the 1970s.  its probably to be EXPECTED.

the SERIAL INFIDELITY of CHARLES is not remotely SURPRISING, again, given the GENERAL CULTURE of the ERA which was HIGHLY PATERNALISTIC and DISMISSIVE of WOMEN'S NEEDS in general.  its INTRIGUING in that THE EAMES OFFICE was elevated as this ULTIMATE PARAGON of CREATIVITY and VIRTUE enough that most of CORPORATE AMERICA in a pre-MADISON AVE ENVIRONMENT levied their NAME and LIKENESS to the COMPANY for their MARKETING CAMPAIGNS.  this coming after doing so for the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT at the HEIGHT of the COLD WAR with SUCCESSFUL CINEMATIC CULTURAL EXCHANGE EFFORTS (i.e. PROPAGANDA).  back then their AUTHENTICITY and CREDIBILITY as a COUPLE was the COIN OF THE REALM and the fact that CHARLES was highly FALLIBLE and prone to PHILANDERING just makes such a CIRCUMSTANCE that much more INTRIGUING in hindsight.

just goes to show that OBJECTS at the end of the day are just that: OBJECTS.  and that attempting to project VIRTUE or other UNRELATED ATTRIBUTES onto such in order to push forward a SUPERSEDING AGENDA is FRAUGHT from the outset.  but THE EAMES OFFICE is the beginning of that CONVERSATION in my many was when MARKETING and ADVERTISING transformed the MEDIUM into the MESSAGE. 

beyond COMPELLING TOPIC.  a WELL-EXECUTED, BALANCED FILM that is anything but a HAGIOGRAPHY and presents the COUPLE as they were: VISIONARY, COMPLICATED and ALL-TOO-HUMAN.

i grew up listening to BLINK-182.  i was right at that PERFECT AGE as a FRESHMAN in HIGH SCHOOL when ENEMA OF THE STATE (MCA, 1999) absolutely blew up and they became POP PUNK ROYALTY seemingly overnight.  UNDOUBTEDLY they were a GATEWAY GROUP who clued me into revisiting some MELODIC HARDCORE BANDS that i knew of growing up in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, like BAD RELIGION, PENNYWISE and NOFX, and many OTHERS i didnt, like THE VANDALS, DESCENDENTS, THE ADOLESCENTS, SCREECHING WEASEL, AGENT ORANGE and so on.  its FUNNY because at the TIME i was not a BIG GREEN DAY FAN or POP PUNK in general as such always felt a little LIGHT-WEIGHT and PRIMITIVE compared to what i was really into at the time which was JANE'S ADDICTION, TOOL, ALICE IN CHAINS, DEVO and FAITH NO MORE.  for whatever reason, BLINK-182 bridged that divide and converted me.  looking back im convinced it was because of that UNDEFINABLE MUSICAL and INTERPERSONAL CHEMISTRY between the CO-FRONTMEN that were BASSIST MARK HOPPUS and GUITARIST TOM DELONGE that made the BAND so UNIQUE.  that PAIR GENUINELY transmitted a FEELING of UNBRIDLED JOY that, along with their INFECTIOUSLY and DECIDEDLY MELODIC SOUND, seemed to be in the GREAT TRADITION of SUNNY BANDS from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (i.e. the BEACH BOYS, THE DOORS, THE BYRDS, JANE'S ADDICTION, THE GERMS, NO DOUBT, etc.) among OTHERS.

its also what made their DISSOLUTION of their PARTNERSHIP so DIFFICULT to STOMACH as a FAN.

and i feel FORTUNATE to STATE that HOPPUS' RECENT FAHRENHEIT-182 () MEMOIR does not shy away from speaking to that CONSEQUENTIAL RELATIONSHIP / PARTNERSHIP and how it has CHANGED over the DECADES.  and i am not trying to downplay PERCUSSIONIST TRAVIS BARKER or his INCREDIBLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS as arguably the PREMIERE PUNK DRUMMER, or maybe even PERCUSSIONIST period, of his GENERATION.  in HOPPUS' telling he is a STEADFAST, LOYAL and preternaturally TALENTED FRIEND who was UNWAVERINGLY the very EPITOME of CONSISTENCY and PROFESSIONALISM.  much of the SUCCESS of BLINK-182 can be attributed to his CONTRIBUTIONS, but at the HEART of HOPPUS' NARRATIVE, DELONGE is no doubt the other MAJOR CHARACTER.

the IDEA that HOPPUS and DELONGE found EACH OTHER quite RANDOMLY and IMMEDIATELY is pretty REMARKABLE.  that and the FACT that THEY were able to IDENTIFY in EACH OTHER a MUSICAL CHEMISTRY and INTERPERSONAL BOND based on MUSICAL TASTE and BROKEN UPBRINGINGS from DIVORCED HOUSEHOLDS is likewise INCREDIBLE.  it seems OBVIOUS reading this BOOK how much HOPPUS had EMOTIONALLY invested in DELONGE.  how that INTIMACY, BROTHERHOOD and ARTISTIC COMPETITIVENESS over time turned into SOMETHING SUFFOCATING for DELONGE to the POINT that he felt, we presume, a need to leave the STABLE and establish ALTERNATE CREATIVE PERSONAS with his SUBPAR BOX CAR RACER and ANGELS & AIRWAVES PROJECTS.  its just ODD.  it still is.  HOPPUS felt SECURE in BLINK-182 and was GENUINELY HURT when DELONGE departed ABRUPTLY and ESSENTIALLY ABANDONED him.  that UNRELIABILITY, ALOOFNESS and DISLOYALTY is DIFFICULT to square as a FAN, even today.  its one thing to have PROMINENT SIDE PROJECTS as a MEANS of ARTISTIC FULFILLMENT, which i dont think HOPPUS would oppose at all, but the SCALE of these SUBPAR PROJECTS as POTENTIAL REPLACEMENT VEHICLES for BLINK-182 just feels DISRESPECTFUL, CRUEL and HEARTLESS in hindsight.  best to just be UPFRONT with one's INTENTIONS, like a MAN and not cower behind a PAID WALL of MANAGEMENT as DELONGE did... twice.  as a FAN it was CONFUSING, DISHEARTENING and beyond DISAPPOINTING since that CHEMISTRY is HONESTLY what differentiated them from the PACK of POP PUNK BANDS and made their WORK hit that much HARDER with a SENSE of GENUINE AUTHENTICITY thrown in the MIX.

i realize that this MEMOIR also touches on MARRIAGE, PARENTHOOD, DIVORCE, FRIENDSHIP as well as TRAUMATIC EVENTS like BARKER's PLANE CRASH, LONG-TIME PRODUCER JERRY FINN's SUDDEN PASSING from an UNANTICIPATED ANEURYSM and HOPPUS' SUCCESSFUL BOUT (knock on wood) with LYMPHOMA, but again, the CORE of the NARRATIVE is the RELATIONSHIP of DELONGE and HOPPUS and how such unfolds and alters DRAMATICALLY over the YEARS. 

perhaps DELONGE's ERRATIC CONFIDENCE to the POINT of QUIXOTIC OPTIMISM always held the POTENTIAL for such to (AT-TIMES) sour into MALEVOLENT NARCISSISM.  such UNPREDICTABLE BEHAVIOR as a BLUNT, DOUBLE-EDGED CUDGEL may have proved to be a MAJOR KEY to their SUCCESS and CONSEQUENTLY the very ROOT of their MULTIPLE DISSOLUTIONS.  even after reading this LOVINGLY CONSIDERED and COMPASSIONATELY WRITTEN MEMOIR, especially regarding a COMPLEX, NEUROTIC FIGURE like DELONGE, i am still left UNSURE about his TRUE NATURE or INTENTIONS.

maybe its BEST that we still dont know.

i am well aware that the RECENTLY concluded FIRST SEASON of DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN (DISNEY+, 2025) is a CONTINUATION, of sorts, of the FORMER NETFLIX SERIES and has been hinted at by PAST CAMEOS on SHE HULK, ECHO and SPIDERMAN PROPERTIES ever since MARVEL got the RIGHTS back from WARNER BROS a number of YEARS ago.

i get it and i dont care about any of that INSIDE BASEBALL FANBOY HORSESHIT.

at best i am a CASUAL FAN of the MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE.  i didnt read SUPERHERO COMICS as a CHILD, even when i was in EARLY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL i found them pretty LAME and INSIPID.  as a FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER i appreciate them on the LEVEL of their UNIQUE ABILITY to provide IMPLICIT COMMENTARY on the FORMIDABLE ECONOMIC and POLITICAL MACHINATIONS and SUBSEQUENT ILLS of SOCIETY through the POWER of ALLEGORY.  such is where DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN really shines in its BRUTAL and TIMELY PRESENTATION of a BURGEONING AUTOCRAT's CHARACTER ARC to ABSOLUTE POWER and the COMPLEX ROLE of the SUPPLICANTS and TRUE BELIEVERS who aided and abetted that SORRY TRAJECTORY through MOTIVATIONS that range from OPPORTUNISTIC to ASPIRATIONAL.  for all the ON-SCREEN CRUELTY and PHYSICAL SAVAGERY of some of these INTENSE FIGHT SEQUENCES, and they are quite BARBAROUS (to the POINT that it is DIFFICULT to believe this is a DISNEY PROPERTY quite HONESTLY), such is a SMOKESCREEN for the REAL DEPRAVITY and INHUMANITY at the HEART of the NARRATIVE.  such being the RANK-AND-FILE PUBLIC SERVANTS who fall in line and allow THEMSELVES to be corrupted in the FACE of such EVIL.  those CHOICES EM MASS are the FULCRUM from which this NARRATIVE balances upon the PRECIPICE of.  its a pretty REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT.

and the DIRECT SYMMETRY with that of the TRUMP ADMINISTRATION 2.0 is OBVIOUS and rather BREATHTAKING in its BOLD DEPICTION of SOCIETY CRUMBLING at the FEET of a TYRANT.  VINCENT D'ONFRIO'S PRESENTATION of his WILSON FISK / KINGPIN CHARACTER is ASTOUNDING in its PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPTH and SUBTLE BEHAVIORAL TICS for MANIPULATION that allow a MOB BOSS to MANIPULATE and COERCE through FEAR and INTIMIDATION, creating a PERMISSION STRUCTURE for OTHERS to carry out DESPICABLE ACTS in his stead, for his AMUSEMENT, on their own INDEPENDENT ACCORD.  you can see such now CONTEMPORANEOUSLY with ICE RAIDS on NATIONWIDE COLLEGE CAMPUSES, PROTESTS and JOB SITES and the EXTRAJUDICIAL SHENANIGANS taking place with the LAWLESS EXTRADITION of UNDESIRED PARTIES to EL SALVADOR PRISONS sans HABEUS CORPUS guaranteed by the CONSTITUTION.  never mind the PATHETIC PATSYS and USEFUL IDIOTS like PAM BONDI, PETE HEGSETH, ROBERT F KENNEDY JR, TULSI GABBARD, SEAN DUFFY, KRISTI NOEM, LINDA MCMAHON, ELISE STEFANIK and MARCO RUBIO who collectively allowed such CORRUPTION, CRIMINALITY and ABJECT CRUELTY to manifest upon the WEAKEST, POOREST and most DESPERATE among us.  SHAME on all of THEM.

we are truly in DIRE TIMES and i am really THANKFUL that DISNEY allowed their CREATIVE TEAMS to devise SOMETHING so POIGNANT, THOUGHTFUL and SUBVERSIVE during this POINT in our COLLECTIVE HISTORY as a NATION.  good for them.

i was born in the mid 1980s and as such was pretty YOUNG when quite a few CONSEQUENTIAL, if not EPOCHAL, ALTERNATIVE ROCK ALBUMS were released in QUICK SUCCESSION in the early 1990s.  i would even go so far as to say i became CONSCIOUS of CONTEMPORARY BANDS starting around the mid 1990s while i was still a PRE-TEEN.  such being the CASE there are quite a few SIMILAR-SOUNDING, mostly MID-TEMPO AMERICAN ROCK AND ROLL BANDS in the EARNEST and CONFESSIONAL SINGER-SONGWRITER MOLD that came to PROMINENCE in the late 80s and early 90s that i COMPLETELY MISSED THE BOAT on, most NOTABLY MINNEAPOLIS' SOUL ASYLUM, SANTA BARBARA's TOAD THE WET SPROCKET, TEMPE's GIN BLOSSOMS, RICHMOND's CRACKER and BOSTON's THE LEMONHEADS. 

i feel like with CULTURAL MATTERS, things like one's MEMORY and LIVED EXPERIENCE are absolutely INTEGRAL to attaching MEANING to IMPACTFUL MUSIC, FILM, LITERATURE and ART in general.  and i am more than a bit fascinated by my own MUSICAL BLINDSPOT during this SPECIFIC ERA that was right before i got into MUSIC.  as ive gotten OLDER ive connected with TONS of ACTS from the NEAR and DISTANT PAST of VARYING GENRES, but with this TYPE of BAND from this ERA i find that i am continually finding MORE and MORE GROUPS i previously OVERLOOKED for no GOOD REASON. 

such is the DEFINITELY the CASE with THE LEMONHEADS, who are in ESSENCE the COMMERCIAL VEHICLE for SINGER-SONGWRITER EVAN DANDO.  the BAND has included an EXTENSIVE LIST of PROMINENT, FORMER MEMBERS in BILL STEVENSON (DESCENDENTS, BLACK FLAG), JULIANA HATFIELD, PATRICK MURPHY (DINOSAUR JR), KARL ALVAREZ (DESCENDENTS, ALL) and KENNY LYON (NOFX) among MANY OTHERS.  their CELEBRATED fifth ALBUM IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY (ATLANTIC, 1992) included their ROLLING, HAZY, NOSTALGIC SINGLE of the SAME NAME that was REPORTEDLY inspired by a NEWSPAPER ARTICLE about a BOY in AUSTRALIA that kept getting kicked out of DIFFERENT SCHOOLS to the POINT that NOBODY knew what to do with him.  the SONG THEMATICALLY deals with FEELINGS of SOCIAL ISOLATION and the PERILS of maintaining a LISTLESS, LESS-THAN INDUSTRIOUS EXISTENCE which became something of an ANTHEM for the SO-CALLED SLACKER GENERATION that was GENERATION X.  as a MILLENNIAL, when i hear "IT'S A SHAME ABOUT RAY," or watch its JOHNNY DEPP-starring MUSIC VIDEO, i dont hear any of that.  instead i just hear a BLAND yet MILDLY MEMORABLE TRACK in the CONFESSIONAL SING-SONGWRITER VEIN that utilizes DANDO's VOICE as a DRONE of sorts in the CHORUS.  maybe to BOOMERS or the SILENT and GREATEST GENERATIONS SONGS like this hit a RAW NERVE in that their YOUTH was spent dealing with CONFLICTS in VIETNAM, KOREA and/or WORLD WAR II, not pining over some VAGUE SENSE of PURPOSE or MEANING during a TIME of MATERIAL PLENTY (thus the DENIGRATORY SLACKER TAG).

i dont know.  this is all from a TIME before me and it wasnt my FIGHT.  the SONG is pretty MEDIOCRE and is the OBVIOUS HIGHLIGHT from the ALBUM OUTSIDE of their later STANDALONE HIT COVER of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "MRS. ROBINSON" that was added-on CYNICALLY for SUBSEQUENT RE-RELEASES.  again, im not BIG on PAUL SIMON at all like BOOMERS are, so yeah, its pretty much a MEH from me OVERALL.  not a TERRIBLE RELEASE but not SOMETHING i gravitate to at all, much like with SIMILAR ROCK AND ROLL BLAND FARE from the likes of COUNTING CROWS, SOUL ASYLUM, GIN BLOSSOMS, COLLECTIVE SOUL or BETTER THAN EZRA from the SAME PERIOD.  definitely BETTER BANDS out there to investigate than THE LEMONHEADS. 

this RECORD is thus a HARD PASS for me.

SECT is just a NO BULLSHIT, DOWN-THE-LINE, BRUTAL METALLIC HARDCORE BAND made up of members of EARTH CRISIS, RACETRAITOR and UNDYING among OTHERS.  im just feeling so fed up with the turn AMERICAN SOCIETY has taken in the past few months and have been searching for ANYTHING MUSICALLY to constructively sublimate that UNCEASING RAGE and FRUSTRATION at.  with UNCOMPROMISING LYRICS that deal squarely with SYSTEMATIC RACISM, ECONOMIC SLAVERY, RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, ECOLOGICAL CATASTROPHES, DRUG USE and the ANIMAL INDUSTRY, SECT is no doubt a an APT VEHICLE for such AGGRESSION.

definitely a BAND well worth checking out.

check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the ICONIC ALTERNATIVE ROCK BAND THE SMASHING PUMPKINS.
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​​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives.

and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience!

the BAKERSFIELD ALTERNATIVE METAL / NU METAL BEHEMOTH that is KORN was an EVER-PRESENT PRESENCE in my CHILDHOOD, especially once i was made aware of THEM via a MIDDLE SCHOOL CLASSMATE shortly after their SELF-TORTURED sophomore LIFE IS PEACHY (EPIC, 1996) RELEASE.  each of their SUCCESSIVE RELEASES followed me throughout my PRIMARY and SECONDARY SCHOOL YEARS to the point that their FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM UNTOUCHABLES (EPIC, 2002) was released shortly after i graduated from HIGH SCHOOL.  as such i see those first five RELEASES with the ORIGINAL LINEUP as almost a SET since their QUALITY remained so consistently STELLAR.  i believe, and i am not ALONE in this OPINION, that the FOLLOW-UP (and FINAL) RELEASE to feature the ORIGINAL LINEUP TAKE A LOOK IN THE MIRROR (EPIC, 2003) is UNDERSTANDABLY where KORN FELL-OFF as an INNOVATIVE CREATIVE UNIT.  and the NEVER RECOVERED in my OPINION.

but what makes UNTOUCHABLES stand out is UNDOUBTEDLY the PRODUCTION. but first some CONREXT.  

for their first two KORN, KORN (EPIC, 1995) and LIFE IS PEACHY, KORN worked with UPSTART PRODUCER ROSS ROBINSON (SEPULTURA, AT THEM DRIVE-IN, GLASSJAW, THE CURE) who is RENOWNED for his ABILITY to actively spur, manipulate and ever coerce a PRIMAL PERFORMANCE from his CLIENTS.  as such, VOCALIST JONATHAN DAVIS established his MANIC, SELF-PUNISHING VOCAL TANTRUMS as a key MAINSTAY COMPONENT of his CELEBRATED and massively INFLUENTIAL STYLE via those two ROBINSON-produced RECORDINGS. LIFE IS PEACHY saw the BAND EXPERIMENT with a more immediately ROBUST and BEEFIER SOUND via a COLLABORATION with NOTED PRODUCER TOBY WRIGHT (ALICE IN CHAINS, SLAYER, FEAR FACTORY, SEVENDUST, THE BLOOD BROTHERS, SLIPKNOT).  then FINALLY ISSUES (EPIC, 1999) saw them work with the FAMOUSLY COLLABORATIVE MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST / COMPOSER / PRODUCER BRENDAN O'BRIEN (PEARL JAM, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, INCUBUS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, MASTODON) whose ETHOS was more about capturing a by-definition TRANSIENT MOMENT and INTER-MUSICIAN CHEMISTRY then imposing a certain PRECONCEIVED SOUND.  each PRODUCER is NOTEWORTHY for their IDIOSYNCRATIC PHILOSOPHIES regarding the capturing of RECORDED SOUND and the RESULTS speak for themselves as each ALBUM showcased a DIFFERENT ASPECT of the BAND, the MUSICIANSHIP and their SONGWRITING.

with UNTOUCHABLES KORN went with the decidedly PERFECTIONIST MICHAEL BEINHORN (SOUNDGARDEN, HOLE, MARILYN MANSON, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) who is NOTORIOUS for his LONG RECORDING SESSIONS in which he is going for TECHNICAL AURAL PERFECTION.  as an UNCOMPROMISING TASK-MASTER of GIL NORTON-levels of ABSOLUTE INSANITY, he has garnered somewhat of a DESERVED REPUTATION for causing BAND MEMBERS, usually DRUMMERS, to drop out and quit GROUPS during the RECORDING PROCESS after being pushed beyond their TECHNICAL CAPACITIES and, USUALLY, being replaced on RECORD by a WAITING SESSION ACE.  perhaps BEINHORN is best known and CELEBRATED for his PRODUCTION WORK on SOUNDGARDEN's LANDMARK SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) RELEASE, for whose RECORDING and MIX (done by O'BRIEN i should add) is still very much an ASPIRATIONAL INDUSTRY MEASURING STICK for QUALITY nearly thirty plus years later.  so when i listen to the SEAMLESS TRANSITIONS and SPECTACULAR GROOVES on TRACKS like "THOUGHTLESS," "ALONE I BREAK" and "HERE TO STAY," the latter of which being my UNQUESTIONED vote for GREATEST KORN TRACK ever, my IMMEDIATE THOUGHT is the REPETITION needed and DOGGED, UNYIELDING PATIENCE to pull such off TECHNICALLY as well as PSYCHOLOGICALLY.  there is no IMMEDIACY to the TRACK on these ALBUMS, no DIRECT PUNCHINESS that comes from a PUNK-inspired LOOSENESS when recording HALF-CONSIDERED COMPOSITIONS on the fly.  this is a VERITABLE FREIGHT TRAIN of a SONIC PRODUCTION that comes with UNDERSTANDING all the COMPONENT PARTS and constructing them TOGETHER in TIRELESS FASHION until they fit FLAWLESSLY to PERFECTION.

to my ears as a COHERENT STATEMENT of PURPOSE, KORN and LIFE IS PEACHY are the true DEFINITIVE KORN ALBUMS.  such provide a LOOSENESS and a CREATIVE SPACE for HUMAN FALLIBILITY in the GROOVE.  UNTOUCHABLES is the OPPOSITE END of that SPECTRUM and presents an equally POTENT ARGUMENT for how KORN should sound if the OPPOSITE were TRUE.  as such i feel that those first five ALBUMS complement each other well as the SONGWRITING was consistently high and the PALPABLE PASSION was very much the COMMON DENOMINATOR.  after such the BAND lost the PLOT a bit and started to repeat ERAS until there RADICAL LEFT TURN with THE PATH OF TOTALITY (ROADRUNNER, 2011) and its ADVENTUROUS FORAY into DUBSTEP and EDM almost a DECADE later.

there is something about ART that is depicted at HUMAN SCALE that just hits DIFFERENT.  especially PHOTOGRAPHY.  the late ELSA DORFMAN was a PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHER who got her start as a SECRETARY for GROVE PRESS in the early 1960s and thus had a front-row seat to after-hours happenings with the COUNTERCULTURE LITERATI, everyone from ALLEN GINSBERG, BOB DYLAN, LAWRENCE FERLINGHETTI, DENISE LEVERTOV, GREGORY CORSO, ANAIS NIN, JONATHAN RICHMAN (THE MODERN LOVERS), ROBERT CREELEY, STEVEN TYLER (AEROSMITH) and PETER ORLOVSKY among OTHERS.  all of whom she DISCRETELY photographed at a MOMENT of EASE. eventually DORFMAN became WELL-KNOWN for the UNUSUAL PORTRAITURE she conducted for DECADES from her CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS STUDIO, which included the LARGE-SCALE POLAROID SPECIALTY FORMAT of 20 x 24.

in a SENSE CINEMA is the PEFECT VEHICLE for evaluating LARGE-SCALE PHOTOGRAPHY, itself being OVERSIZED in and of ITSELF.  as showcased in ERROL MORRIS' PROFOUND DOCUMENTARY THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY (FOURTH FLOOR, 2017), there is a undeniably POTENT INTIMACY that comes with that LEVEL of DETAIL presented at that SUBSTANTIVE a SIZE.  which is absolutely INTRIGUING because the COMMERCIAL INTENT of the MASS-PRODUCED POLAROID was to make PHOTOGRAPHY unambiguously ACCESSIBLE to EVERYONE, with the ENTIRE SHOOTING and DEVELOPMENT PROCESS INSTANTANEOUSLY taking only a FEW MINUTES at most.  the fact that such maintains its SENSE of IMMEDIACY and FAMILIARITY of a FLEETING MOMENT at such a impractically MASSIVE SCALE is HEART-WARMING to consider.  maybe that is the SPECIAL MAGIC of PHOTOGRAPHY ITSELF or perhaps even the UNEXPECTED PROFUNDITY of DORFMAN's GIFT.

throughout the FILM DORFMAN often discusses her own ARTISTIC LIMITATIONS and the CUMBERSOME NATURE of the CAMERA ITSELF, of which only six were ever built and are a particularly STUBBORN ARTIFACT of a PREVIOUS AGE in which the MARRIAGE of MECHANICS, CHEMISTRY and SPECTROMETRY are seen dancing in an UNEASY UNION. she speaks about her STRAIGHTFORWARD PROCESS regarding her INTERACTION with her SUBJECT, being interested in LITERALLY only SURFACES and that PHILOSOPHICALLY her WORK can only function with what is SOLELY provided to her by the SUBJECT.  she is not preoccupied in UNVEILING SOULS or PERSONALITIES, but rather the PHYSICALITY of our TENTATIVE CORPOREAL STATE.  it is all a PART of a truly UNRULY and UNTENABLE PROCESS,  while looking at a PRINT of an ALLEN GINSBERG LARGE-SCALE PORTRAIT DORFMAN makes the POIGNANT OBSERVATION that such a SYSTEM will never be seen again, so IMPRACTICAL the PROCESS and ANTIQUATED the TECHNOLOGY.  in spite of all of these SELF-IMPOSED RESERVATIONS about her own WORK and the SEVERE OBSTINATE NATURE of the CAMERA and FILM ITSELF, what comes through is a DISTINCT FOCUS on the UNADULTERATED HUMAN FORM and the INNATE FRAGILITY of it. 

maybe it is the SCALE and/or maybe it is the UNWAVERING DEGREE of DETAIL, like a CHUCK CLOSE CLOSE-UP, but what endures when viewed in SERIES with the SAME SUBJECT is that the PRESENT MOMENT and our PHYSICAL EXPERIENCE of it is PAINFULLY TRANSITORY at best, with all THINGS continually SHIFTING and EVOLVING/DETERIORATING.

ARGUABLY DORFMAN's most REVEALING SUBJECT is HERSELF, having tested out the CAMERA with SELF-PORTRAITS CONTINUALLY through the YEARS.  you see in UNSPARING DETAIL given the SCALE and CLARITY of the PHOTOGRAPHS the RAVAGES that TIME puts on her BODY, the SAGGING OF HER SKIN, the DOWNWARD DROOP OF HER JAWLINE, the WINNOWING OF HER HAIR and the INEVITABLE BENDING DOWNWARD OF HER POSTURE.  it is both HORRIFIC and SUBLIME.  never mind the FACT that she, as well as her SUBJECTS are ALWAYS smiling and looking their CAMER-READY BEST - a REPEATED CRITICISM of her WORK by ART GALLERIES, DEALERS and AGENTS alike.  it is beside the point, i see her PHOTOGRAPHS and i see our FRAGILE MORTALITY.  plus her WORK is now a PART of the COLLECTIONS at THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY (WASHINGTON DC), THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS (CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS), THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSUEM OF MODERN ART and THE PORTLAND MUSEUM OF ART (MAINE).

during her SHOOTS she would take TWO PHOTOGRAPHS per SESSION.  one was chosen by the CLIENT and the other, what she deemed the B-SIDE, was kept by her.  the ARCHIVE she amassed over DECADES is ESSENTIALLY a STOCKPILE of B-SIDES.  or to put it more bluntly: REJECTED PHOTOGRAPHS.  in the FILM DORFMAN showcases many of these B-SIDES with the VERSIONS bought by her CLIENTS and usually the more COMPELLING of the PAIR are the B-SIDES because SOMEONE is UNINTENTIONALLY BREAKING the STRUCTURE by BLINKING and SNEEZING, allowing COMPETING REALITIES to set in and be documented for POSTERITY. 

the UNSTATED IMPLICATION is that DOCUMENTARIES almost function in this SAME MANNER, that there is an OPPORTUNITY COST to showcasing or imposing one NARRATIVE over another, relaying IMAGES in one order over another, shooting from an ANGLE, the IMPLEMENTATION of a COLOR CODING SCHEME and all the other COUNTLESS MYRIAD of UNCONSCIOUS DECISION-MAKING that UNDOUBTEDLY impacts the FINAL PRODUCT.  MORRIS, much like DORFMAN, ceases CREATIVE CONTROL over the PROCESS at some POINT and just reveals their own HUMANITY on the PROJECT despite THEMSELVES.  MORRIS may OUTRIGHT DISREGARD her ARTISTIC BONAFIDES and ABILITIES, but the WORK does such in spite of HERSELF.  it just emanates from her and like those unnervingly REVEALING PORTRAITS of GINSBURG she cries over, i know doubt see this LOVINGLY-CONSTRUCTED FILM as a SIMILAR POINT of DOCUMENTED REMEMBRANCE and SHARED MEMORY for her HUSBAND HARVEY and SON ISAAC in the wake of her PASSING in 2020.

THE B-SIDE: ELSA DORFMAN'S PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY is a uniquely MOVING and POIGNANT FILM about the NATURE and POWER of ART and the fact that  DORFMAN's CAREER was a B-SIDE to no one.  highly recommended.

ART in the MODERN DIGITAL AGE has this LAMENTABLE REPUTATION for being a FRIVOLOUS, FOO FOO ACTIVITY pursued by ELITIST TWITS with no PRACTICAL RELEVANCE or DIRECT APPLICATION to the COLD ECONOMIC REALITIES of COMMERCE and the REAL WORLD.  such an UNFORTUNATE and patently UNFAIR STANDING in the UNITED STATES has resulted in the EFFECTIVE DEFUNDING of MUSIC and ART DEPARTMENTS for DECADES due to this SUPPOSED UTILITARIAN LINE OF LOGIC.

WHAT ART DOES: AN UNFINISHED THEORY (FABER & FABER, 2025) by BRIAN ENO and BETTE ADRIAANSE presents a counter-argument to the FUNCTIONAL IMPORTANCE of an APPRECIATION of the ARTS and how such elevates the PRODUCTIVE POSSIBILITIES of the INDIVIDUAL in a CONTEMPORARY CONSUMERIST SOCIETY.  CENTRAL to this THEORY are CONCEPTIONS surrounding PLAY and FEELING.  ART in essence allows us to tapping into and adopting INTERIOR WORLDS of PLAY and FEELING where neither have a REAL-WORLD CONSEQUENCE.  ART thus functions as a WINDOW into this ULTERIOR MODE of EXISTENCE and allows the INDIVIDUAL the OPPORTUNITY to consider how they would function within such CONSTRAINTS and, just as IMPORTANTLY, how they would FEEL about such.  much like how CHILDREN take on ADULT ROLES in play-acting DOCTORS, CARE-GIVERS, PILOTS and so on, we all are part of a SIMILAR PROCESS when watching a FILM or PLAY, going to the BARBER, take in a PAINTING, dressing up in the morning or reading a NOVEL.  we are EXPANDING our IMAGINATION and SENSE of CONSCIOUSNESS by play-acting and taking STOCK of our EMOTIONAL ASSESSMENT of a NOVEL SITUATION or SET of CIRCUMSTANCES.  thus when ACTUAL SOCIETAL CHANGE entails we are somewhat PREPARED due to having MENTALLY explored SIMILAR SITUATIONS in a CONSEQUENCE-FREE ENVIRONMENT. 

both ENO and ADRIAANSE also tap into this EXPANSIVE IDEA of ART as a MEANS of imagining the IMPLICATIONS of FUTURE REALITY.  SCIENCE is often FALSELY seen as a LEGITIMATE FOCUS of INTELLECTUAL INQUIRY WORTHY of FUNDING and CAPITAL EXPENDITURE in COMPARISON to ART which is often DERIDED as a highly SPECULATIVE and SUPERFICIAL PURSUIT.  both WRITERS see such not as RELATED in OPPOSITION but TWO SIDES of the SAME COIN with SCIENCE exploring the FUNCTIONAL BASIS of the OUTSIDE WORLD and ART our INTERIOR REACTION to such.  its all WELL and GOOD to conceptualize and understand VARIOUS ASPECTS of our PHYSICAL UNIVERSE and its MYRIAD of GUARDED SECRETS, but without a PROPER MEANS of processing such INSIGHTS and IMPLICATIONS on our UNDERSTANDING of SELF renders it almost USELESS in a SENSE.  the two go hand in hand, ART and SCIENCE, according to ENO and ADRIAANSE.

its DIFFICULT not to find these CONCEPTS and IMPLICATIONS surrounding PLAY and FEELING pretty COMPELLING.  oftentimes this BLOG is my VENUE for engaging with the WORLD and making SENSE of TRADITIONAL FILMS, BOOKS, RECORDS and VARIOUS ONLINE CONTENT i am bombarded with on a DAILY BASIS.  it is my way of processing such and attempting to come to some SENSE of UNDERSTANDING about how such COMPLICATES and ENRICHES my EXISTENCE as a CONSCIOUS BEING in this TRANSIENT CORPOREAL FORM.  my HOPE is that these IDEAS will take root at the EDGES and HOPEFULLY begin the PROCESS of reshaping how SOCIETY looks at ART and get away from this MBA MODE of thinking that is LITERALLY KILLING the PLANET, or at least our PROSPECTS of surviving along with it. 

ART is there to be PRACTICAL and MEANINGFUL for an UNDETERMINED AUDIENCE for an UNIDENTIFIABLE PERIOD of TIME for an UNKNOWN PURPOSE.  WHAT ART DOES basically dislocates the CONCEPTION that the UTILITY of ART in a CAPITALIST SYSTEM, as such can potentially have a LONGER SHELF LIFE that may prove RESONANT with LATER GENERATIONS in FUTURE CONTEXTS.  its PURPOSE and MEANING is ever EXPANDING and being contextualizing as CIRCUMSTANCES SHIFT.  UNDERSTANDING such requires one to not be LIMITED in CONCEPTION, but to think both CRITICALLY and EXPANSIVELY for a MOMENT.

and it starts with a LITTLE IMAGINATION.

in the CONTRIVED WORLD of the MALE-DOMINATED MUSIC GEAR YOUTUBE SPHERE there is one that stands out by far, that being CLASSICALLY-SPHERE HARPIST EMILY HOPKINS.  yes, i said that CORRECTLY, a HARPIST who demoes MUSIC GEAR, including GUITAR PEDALS.  HOPKINS holds two DEGREES from HUNTER COLLEGE and regularly works as a COMPOSER having written and recorded for FEATURE FILM and VIDEO GAME PROJECTS alike.  as a PERFORMER she has played her at everywhere from CARNEGIE HALL to SUBWAY PLATFORMS across the CITY.

HOPKINS maintains two YOUTUBE CHANNELS, one focused on MUSIC TECHNOLOGY and the other a more TRADITIONAL DEMOING PLATFORM.  being PROMINENT YOUNG WOMAN on a SUCCESSFUL YOUTUBE CHANNEL REGRETTABLY in our TOXIC ONLINE CULTURE also entails a CERTAIN LEVEL of EXPECTED SEXUAL HARASSMENT and UNREPENTANT MISOGYNY in the COMMENTS SECTIONS of her VIDEOS.  what i appreciate about HOPKINS, apart from her TALENT and SELF-DEPRECATING SENSE of HUMOR, is her PRETERNATURAL ABILITY to MERCILESSLY EVISCERATE these SORRY GOONS on her CHANNEL.  that FLAVOR of NO F'S GIVEN TEMPERAMENT reminds me of my ridiculously INTENSE RELATIVES in LONG ISLAND, which is of course where HOPKINS hails from.  its PURE CONTENT GOLD and a SOURCE of CONTINUING ENTERTAINMENT to witness that side of her PERSONALITY unleashed on these PATHETIC, ATTENTION-SEEKING BETA-MALES.

a TALENTED LONG ISLAND HARPIST who demoes GUITAR PEDALS with a NO BULLSHIT ATTITUDE.  this may just be the most PERFECT CONCEIT for a YOUTUBE CHANNEL, like ever.  just saying.  definitely worth checking out.

in the WAKE of the SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK explosion of the early 1990s there was a rather PREDICTABLE WAVE of SO-CALLED POST-GRUNGE BANDS that took the SONIC TEMPLATE innovated by the likes of ALICE IN CHAINS, SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM and NIRVANA and just ran with it.  as a RESULT most of these GROUPS were pretty DERIVATIVE and UNIMAGINATIVE with their SOUND and PRESENTATION.  no doubt during this period that CULTURAL MOVEMENT was decidedly on the WAIN, but such did not deter a SELECT FEW who took the ARTISTIC BATON and attempted to augment such with their own DISTINCT SONIC SENSIBILITIES. 

​i consider the TORONTO-based OUR LADY PEACE to be of the LATER COHORT of INVENTIVE POST-GRUNGE BANDS along with the likes of EVE 6, TRIPPING DAISY and THIRD EYE BLIND.  they are just a little too ECCENTRIC and UNIQUE to be derided as SECOND-RATE ANYTHING with VOCALIST RAINE MAIDA's VOCAL DELIVERY being ADMITTEDLY something of an ACQUIRED TASTE (not unlike the UNCONVENTIONAL VOICES of PERRY FARRELL, BRETT ANDERSON, TOM DELONGE or DOLORES O'RIORDAN) and SONGS that are UNDENIABLE MELODIC and WELL-CONSTRUCTED.

i should admit however that BACK IN THE DAY, as well as RIGHT NOW, i was never an ADMIRER of OUR LADY PEACE.  their SONGS were not particularly MEMORABLE and honestly they got lost in the MIX back during that ERA.  that is not to say that i dont RESPECT their ARTISTIC INTEGRITY or SUBSEQUENT CAREER LONGEVITY, having proven themselves to be a MAINSTAY of the PERIOD.  its just that SINGLES like "CLUMSY," "SUPERMAN'S DEAD," "AUTOMATIC FLOWERS," "4am" and "CARNIVAL" off of their DEFINITIVE SOPHOMORE RELEASE CLUMSY (COLUMBIA, 1997) were perfectly FINE and uniquely them but nothing particularly SPECIAL to my EARS.  its just a TASTE THING and not a JUDGEMENT CALL since i do admire their WORK ETHIC, the COMMUNITY they built and the PRIDE they maintained in CONTEMPORARY ROCK AND ROLL BANDS from CANADA.

just not my CUP OF TEA and thats OK.  i still think PEOPLE should check this ALBUM out and come to their own DETERMINATION.

now i fully acknowledge that the ICONIC BLUR GUITARIST GRAHAM COXON is in ABSOLUTELY no need of ASSISTANCE from ME or this BLOG for RECOGNITION or PRAISE.  in fact, i get the FEELING he is UNCOMFORTABLE with that sort of ATTENTION from ANYONE, but im gonna give it to him anyways while trying not to come off as too much of a COMPLETE FANBOY (err, too late).  COXON has long been my FAVORITE BRITISH MUSICIAN, especially when i was growing up in the 1990s in NIGERIA where i was introduced to BLUR of all things by ENGLISH CLASSMATES.  i always thought his playing in that BAND was ECLECTIC, MEMORABLE and highly INVENTIVE.

so much so in FACT that i believe COXON, similar to other LUMINARIES in JOHNNY MARR (THE SMITHS), PAUL WELLER (THE JAM), COLIN NEWMAN (WIRE),  HOWARD DEVOTO (BUZZCOCKS / MAGAZINE), HUGH CORNWELL (THE STRANGLERS) and NOEL GALLAGHER (OASIS), has an OVERLOOKED and CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED SOLO CAREER, at least in AMERICA, with MATERIAL that holds up to his celebrated MAIN GIG.  if anything, its WEIRDER (in a GOOD WAY).

just saying.  you should definitely check it out.