So yeah, been a little quiet here lately. Don’t worry, I’m still here, just being distracted by games, girlfriend, friends, money problems and general internet distractions. Next weekend I should be able to spend some cash on more music which will probably in turn help to spawn another mix of some sort. 
Other than that, this game is fun. My high score is 62,170 points, so beat that!
Oh, and this track is amazing!
Today I want to tell you about some of my favorite documentaries that I’ve seen over the years that have significantly changed my perspective on life and the world around me. For the most part they are about socio-political issues, although one of them is biographical and had a huge impact on me personally. These are films that I wish everyone could see; A heightened awareness of the world – and ourselves – should always be something that we strive for as human beings, and I think that good documentaries are a great way of going about that.
“Hey!”
“Hey.”
“Are you a dreamer?”
“Yeah.”‘
“I haven’t seen too many around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming’s dead, and no one does it anymore. It’s not dead, it’s just that it’s been forgotten. Removed from our language. Nobody teaches it so no-one knows it exists. A dreamer’s banished to obscurity.
I’m trying to change all that and I hope you are too. By dreaming, every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it’s ever faced, ever. So whatever you do, don’t be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive.
And things are just starting.”
It is here! My first mix of 2010, a mere month after the release of my last one. It’s called Mucky, and once again it’s those dirty basslines that are the focus of the set.
Go get it now, and tell me what you think!
So, for those that are interested in such things, I thought I’d write up a quick description of how I actually go about doing my mixes. I’m not an audio engineer, I’m not a professional DJ, and I don’t have any equipment to speak of, but I do think that I have an ear for music. I love doing this, and I’ll keep doing it until I don’t love it anymore.
So, let’s get into it!
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I remember first hearing about this movie by its original french title Il y a Longtemps Que Je T’aime. Ever since then I’ve wanted to see it, but it sort of fell off my radar. I stumbled upon the title again while browsing for movies that I’ve missed, and seized the opportunity to finally watch it. I’m glad I did.
I’ll warn you up front; Those of you out there who fall asleep watching drama flicks, this isn’t for you. I’m not that kind of person. In fact, I was dead tired as I lied down in bed to watch this on my laptop and it kept me up all the way through.
The plot is simple. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Juliette Fontaine who has spent the last 15 years in prison. When she gets out she is confronted with the unexpected goodness of her younger sister Léa who makes Juliette a part of her family, even after Juliette was cut off completely from her family after she went away. During the course of the movie she very slowly and carefully opens up to reveal the true back-story of the crime that she once committed.
We see Juliette struggle to adapt to life on the other side of the prison walls, and very painfully reconnecting with her sister after being almost completely isolated from the outside world for almost two decades. Even though the movie is slow, I found it to be very rewarding and genuine. I usually don’t mind a slow pace in films like this anyway.
I have absolutely no trouble recommending this to anyone who enjoys the kind of movie that takes you on an emotional journey. Instead of making impact through eye candy or action it relies on the viewer to relate to what is going on. It plays a lot like Doubt, Broken Flowers and Boy A, to name a few of my other favorite movies that are similar in style and pace.
It’s beautifully shot, the acting is fantastic, and it left me in tears. It made its mark and it’s not easily forgotten; Two signs of great cinema.
Have you seen this movie? I’d love to hear what you thought about it.
Let me start this with a disclaimer; It’s close to 3 AM, and I’m just in “that mood”. Bear with me. This will most likely end with me coming off as a pretty disturbed and/or rambling person. Now, on with the show…
My buddy Turge and I sat down to listen to this new album from metal veterans Fear Factory yesterday, and let me tell you, it pretty much blew us away.
The last few albums from FF have all been quite disappointing. I remember listening to their Digimortal album back when I was 18, and being very excited about their very distinct sound. Granted, Digimortal was far from their best effort but I still think it’s a good example of that sound.
This record is faster, tighter, more energetic, and just plain stronger than anything I’ve heard from Fear Factory in a good while, and it was a breath of fresh air to me personally as far as the metal genre goes. Most of what I’ve heard lately hasn’t been instantly gratifying, but this was, and I’ve a feeling that I will be listening to this album a lot in the coming weeks.
Have a listen to the track Powershifter for a sample of what this record is all about.
So, what do you think?
I was getting a little sick of how my site looked so I thought I’d look for a new theme, and then I found this. I like it. Nice and simple. What do you guys think?
Today, just after I woke up, I randomly decided to stay in bed and finally listen properly to some new music that I’d come across. More specifically this album, Hospice by The Antlers. I came across it while reading a norwegian online music magazine called musicheads, as it was listed in their Top 20 Albums Of The Year.
I added all the listed albums that I could find (through Spotify) to a playlist, and let the music randomly play while I was doing other things. This is never the best way to listen to music, but I’m a very easily distracted person, and it’s the only method I feel I can use in order to filter through the constant stream of new music that I wade through practically every day.
Anyway, one of the songs from this album called Kettering (which is the second track) came on, and I noticed it because of its minimalism and delicate mood. I liked it a lot and decided to listen to the album more closely when I could find the right moment to do so. That moment was this morning, and I’m glad I did it. When listening to music like this I prefer to have the lyrics and the cover art at hand. It helps immersion. And boy, did it suck me in.
I should give you some more basic information about the album before proceeding further; The genre is a little hard for me to pinpoint, but I’m guessing post-rock would be the best way to describe it. The album follows a storyline which is based on the front-man Peter Silberman’s own life experience; His longtime childhood girlfriend was diagnosed with cancer when they were young. He stuck by her side throughout her illness. They got engaged, she got better, then she cheated on him and left.
The album doesn’t stay entirely true to the original story, but knowing this information will make listening to this album a much richer and more intense experience. You can also think of it as the story of someone caring for a loved one who is deathly ill, even though this person becomes abusive, unstable, and just plain horrible to be around. You stick it through because you love them, but end up hurt and scarred to the point of killing yourself.
You can stream the entire album from Spotify. It’s also available from Amazon and the iTunes music store.
The original liner notes can be found here. I would say they are pretty much essential to get if you plan on listening to this, and if you do, do it all in one sitting where you are sure you won’t be disturbed and are able to focus on the story that the music is conveying.
This album floored me like little else has done for quite a while. I wish I had listened to it earlier. As the last song was close to ending, I found myself covered in tears. It was genuinely moving and intense. If you do give this album a listen, please let me know. It would be great to read other people’s reactions to this. I hope you feel richer for the experience.
Yrjan is a 27 year old, multifaceted geek from Norway. He dabbles in technology, social media, geek culture, gaming, music, DJ'ing, photography, and socio-political commentary.
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