Hospitality.

Not that I'm not still foaming at the mouth like a rrrabid dogg to get my copy of the new Venetian Snares double album Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms (to be released June 15, 2006), but OH MY FUCKING GOD. Just as the man is releasing a double-album, he's already putting the finishing touches on this new record called Hospitality and jesus christ on a popsicle stick this is quite possibly the tightest electronic music to have ever been created. It's going to be released in September, and he's got samples for each of the songs on his website

(Above: Cover for Hospitality)

(Below: Video for Szamar Madar directed by David O Reilly, from the album Rossz Csillag Allat Szuletetett, and an AMV (Anime Music Video) for the song Pwntendo, from the forthcoming album Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms, featuring clips from the anime Elfin Lied)

You're welcome

-Christian.

Fooly Cooly (review)

F L C L

Have you suffered injury as the result of an automobile accident? Alien girls on yellow Vespas constantly running you down? Concerned over the number of giant robots sprouting from your forehead like mechanical tumors? Constantly afflicted by random acts of sex, violence, and ubiquitous, unpredictable plot twists? If you answered yes to any of the previous inquiries, then you can probably sympathize with Naota, the protagonist of Studio Gainax and Production I.G.'s spasmodic and stylish experimental anime series- Fooly Cooly.

What is Fooly Cooly? Not your typical anime, that's what. In fact, it's not your typical anything. Released on three volumes, each featuring two half-hour episodes, Fooly Cooly is a visual tone poem, an ode to multiple genres of anime, and a fucking good time. Fooly Cooly is both a satire and a celebration of all of the stereotypical qualities of anime that turn so many people away from it. Ironic and self-aware, yet revelling in it's nonsensical exaggeratedness and tricked out gonzo style. We're talking about an anime that knows it's an anime, and the results are equal mecha parts ridiculous, retarded, and revolutionary.

Over the top doesn't begin to describe this series, and yet through all crack-smoke cartoon mayhem the show really manages to charm with it's odd assortment of characters, and it's sweet portrayal of the awkardness of adolescence in the face of a mundane reality. What happens from scene to scene is frenzied, random, and rather insignificant in terms of the general plot of the series. Yet underneath all of the madness, is a lesson in accepting change and enjoying life to the fullest- even if a bass-playing alien girl who rides a flying Vespa is driving you crazy.

Fooly Cooly- your eyes will be spinning in your sockets, your mind barely able to keep pace with the plot, and the only sound you'll hear for days will be your own laughter ping-ponging between your ears. Just run with it.

-Christian

The Brighter Side of Surgery

So apparently the incredible pain in my gut was the result of a hematoma, and a possible infection thanks to my minor surgery the day before. I spent my night trying to draw blood out from my stomach with a hot cloth and watching The Filth and the Fury. The antibiotics are taking effect now and the swelling seems to have lessened. Managed to download all the episodes of Fooly Cooly (FLCL) with a BitTorrent tracker the other night and currently I'm trying to burn it all onto DVD. Can't say the weekend started exceptionally well but it seems to be improving along with my condition.

On the brighter side I got a nice message from Olwen, talked to Rob quite a bit barely an hour after he and Mona returned from their train trip across Canada, and found these Gogol Bordello videos.

PARTY!






Oh and if it's not too much trouble..I wouldn't mind rockin' your body to da break of dawn.



Adios
-Chrisxian

A Lazy Day With Some Arterial Spray.

Lazing at home the day after my surgery, sleep-deprived and having consumed far more than the recommended dosage of Advil Extra Strength. I'm half-watching I Z O, half wishing there were something else I could be doing in my parents house other than washing their dishes. My stomach hurts too much to do anything but sit around. I Z O just fell backwards into the middle of a lake, drifting through the water and sandy lake floor, only to warp into a wedding reception where he promptly executes bride and groom. Does this film make any sense at all? Only in the allegorical or symbolic sense (ie: not really). Listened to The Pink Mountaintops Axis of Evol at least three times today- it's a great record and a real treat to hear some real growth out of the Black Mountain camp. Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space sans the wanting to numb myself into oblivion vibe. Speaking of nihilist existenialism, damn I Z O....damn..While I admit that the running time for this film is too long for it's own good, and that it lacks any sense of narrative coherency, the musical score provided by Kazuki Tomokawa is gut-wrenchingly grief-stricken and just fucking great. The man practically chokes on his own sorrow while he mangles his guitar. Morrissey had better watch his back, if Tomokawa-san ever gets a solid grip on english, arty mopesters are gonna have a new idol to boo-hoo about in the bathtub, drinking red wine, rose petals all floating on the top of the water and such.

"Rawr, I Z O is the personification of meaningless violence! Arg!"

I halve a problem.

I have a problem. When it comes to self-control, I have very little restraint. Ever since the last semester ended I've been desperately craving some new music but there just hasn't been much released lately that has really grabbed my attention. Amazon.com is the perfect website for someone in my current position who is also not in the position to be able to just walk to the nearest record shop and peruse the shelves, seeing as I'm still currently stuck at my folks place in the High Arctic (Iqaluit, Nunavut Territory). As a result of this, I order off Amazon.ca constantly. Even while I'm still waiting on orders I placed in early May, tonight I made yet another set of orders that should (hopefully) serve my appetitte for the next month and a half.

I'm checking my watch, x'ing my calendar, and grinding my teeth for the following:

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - The Doldrums
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - House Arrest
Arsis - A Celebration of Guilt
Battles - Ep B
Battles - Ep C
Battles - Tras/Fantasy
Danielson - Ships
Don Caballero - World Class Listening Problem
Mr. Show: The Complete Third Season (2 Discs)
Necrophagist - Onset of Putrefaction
Venetian Snares - Cavalcade of Glee and Dadaist Happy Hardcore Pom Poms (2xCD)
Wizardzz - Hidden City of Taurmond

Yeah...I think I've got a serious problem. I also just found out that The Daughters are releasing their sophomore album, Hell Songs in August, and Ratatat is following up their self-titled debut with Classics on August 15th. Christ on a compact disc!
Review of The Books new record Lost and Safe forthcoming. In the meantime, while I wait, you can wait with Ariel for Kate.

A Prog-Rock Molotov Cocktease (review)

If Robert Fripp were dead he would be spinning in his grave, all thanks to Mick Barr and Colin Marston. Orthrelm's Barr, formerly of Crom-Tech and alumnus of The Flying Luttenbachers, has taken avant-metal to such brutal, whiplash-inducing extremes that the final two weeks of their latest six week tour had to be cancelled due to the serious wrist injuries he recieved from playing Orthrelm's repititious epic OV. Behold...the Arctopus' mastermind Colin Marston on the other hand, wrote, recorded, mixed, and mastered "Paincave", the trio's contribution to the ep. It's difficult to describe the ridiculously technical wizardry that the Arctopus and Orthrelm conjure without descending into pure hyperbole, or restoring to uber-obscure name-dropping, but by (insert preferred deity or deities here) as my witness I'm trying!

Much like their progressive rock godfathers King Crimson, what makes these bands so exciting is that they are truly breaking new ground in terms of speed, composition, and dynamics, while at the same time experimenting with existing classical music structures. Whether you like it or not, when you listen to "Paincave", or "Pithot 1" for that matter, unless brutal and complex progressive rock a la Ruins or The Flying Luttenbachers are your bread and butter, you are listening to music as you've never heard it before. Unpredictable doesn't even begin to describe the turns this ep takes.

If there is a downside to this ep, it's the mere eight-minute running time- reducing this record to the official status prog-rock cocktease. Still, it stands as an affordable introduction to two great bands who are guaranteed to melt your face off and leave you screaming with joy.

=============

Behold...the Arctopus has recently been signed to Metal Blade Records/ Black Market Activities and will be releasing their official full length release shortly. Featuring remastered versions of their first two ep's, "Arctopocalypse Now...Warmageddon Later" and "Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning", as well as a collection of live tracks, this offering to the Quetzacoatl of progressive cock-rock should appease existing fans and newcomers, look for updates on Behold...the Arctopus.com and Metal Blade Records.

=============

Additional Required Listening:

Ruins - Burning Stone
King Crimson - In the Court of the Crimson King
Orthrelm - OV
Behold the Arctopus - Nano-Nucleonic Cyborg Summoning
Emerson, Lake, and Palmer - Emerson, Lake, and Palmer

Enjoy!
-Christian

Uzumaki!

"Have you been keeping up with your Achewood?" + The Importance of Making a Good First Impression

Ever since the Cartilidge Head & The Great Outdoor Fight story arcs it seems Achewood is back on track again. I mean, the man had a baby- so it's understandable if the strip took a dive for a month or two! Wait, "the man had a baby"? Ew, that sounds a little too Junior...In any case, Achewood! The current story arc involves eBay and the decapitated head of Keith Moon! It's awesome, and you should read it. In fact, when you're done with the current arc, go back and read the archives & the "fictional" character blogs (Little Nephew & Ray's being my favs). Achewood is seriously solid gold black and white cartooning. Move over Maakies, waaay over.

===============

On another note.

It's important to make a good first impression on people when you're introduced to them. I mostly tend to bungle this up royally, but c'est la vie. Searching around on Youtube i actually managed to find my three favorite anime introductory segments to Cowboy Bebop, Gantz, and Neon Genesis Evangelion-respectively.

Thanks go out to whoever originally uploaded these- the animators who created them, and the musicians who lended their talent to the creation of these great themes, which always manage to whet my appetite for the episodes to come.

Peace mis amigos!
-Chrisxian


i think it's time to blow this thing..


people put your guns up mazu ore ga run dat / hashirimawatte yatsura wo gun shot!!!


Zakoku na teshi no youni. Shonen yo shiwami nare."

Karas: The Prophecy (review)

The Karas, guardian crow spirit of two parallel worlds; the Tokyo of the living, and the Tokyo that is unseen- a world of Yokai (monsters, spirits, and demons). For three years the boundaries of these connected worlds have gone unprotected, due to the betrayal of a former Karas named Eko and his private army of blood-draining mechanical devils known as Mikura. In this time, the Mikura have been plotting to bring the Tokyo of the living into an age of terror and technological ruin. Now, a new Karas named must fulfill his destiny with the help of a mysterious spirit-girl named Yurine, and Nue- a rebellious Mikura. Karas: The Prophecy is the first in a trilogy designed to mark the 40th anniversary of Tatsunoko Productions, the Japanese animaton producers responsible for such classics as Speed Racer, Gatchaman, and Robotech.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Karas: The Prophecy is the best looking anime you are likely to see all year. Boasting a beautiful, state-of-the-art amalgamation of traditional 2d and 3d animation that must be seen to be believed, Karas sets a completely new standard for anime in the digital age. Building upon the precedents created by previous anime such as Ghost in the Shell, Blood: The Last Vampire, and The Animatrix, Karas's speedfreak-paced, supernatural-superhero action will leave your eyes blinded and boggled like no anime that has come before it. Believe me, if you blink once, you are going to have to watch Karas a second time.

The film features a dynamic score performed by the Prague Symphony Orchestra, suitably adding to the mood and atmosphere created by the film's otherworldly depiction of the twin Tokyo's. As a great addition for those who can't stand to read subtitles, the dubbed version of the film features the voices of Matthew Lillard (Scream, Scooby-Doo), Jay Hernandez (Hostel), and Piper Perabo (Coyote Ugly), and is one of the better dubs of an anime that I've heard in a long time. The only criticism I can lobby at this release is that as the first of a three-part series, to say there are plot threads left hanging or that the ending came suddenly, would be a massive, three-dimensional understatement. What Karas does deliver is a taste of unbelievable, frantic action, and the beginning of an incredible series.

-Sea

Asian-Cult-Cinema-A-Go-Go + Gogol Bordello, Don Caballero, & Mindflayer (reviews)

Keep in mind that as I post this list of live-action motion pictures I've seen in the past two weeks, that my summer job affords me a mind-numbing amount of free-time, otherwise, I probably couldn't responsibly account for seeing this many movies in such a short time span.

In any case, these are the films I've been up to my eyes in lately, reviews for some of these are pending. Bear with me.

-I Z O, directed by Takashi Miike (nihilistic, existentialist, samurai splatter extravaganza!)
-Ichi the Killer, directed by Takashi Miike (avoid the R-rated cut version at all costs, see this brilliant adapatation of Hideo Yamamoto's manga the way it was meant to be seen)
-Gozu, directed by Takashi Miike (Gozu means: "Cow-Headed Demon")
-Sonatine, directed by "Beat" Takeshi Kitano (plan for a sunny, saturday afternoon: relax on the beach, play frisbee, then some russian roulette, kill some yakuza...)
-Violent Cop, directed by "Beat" Takeshi Kitano (plan for later that evening: act like a Japanese Dirty Harry, beat up some junkies, stab a dude in an alley, shoot some more dudes...)
-The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, directed by "Beat" Takeshi Kitano (see no evil, hear all of it)
-Uzumaki, directed by Higuchinsky (so many spirals!)
-Save the Green Planet, directed by Jun-hwan Jeong (kidnapping, kung-fu, torture, killer bees, aliens, and a plea for peace from South Korea)
-Oldboy, directed by Chanwook Park (Oldboy makes Death Wish look like a birthday wish)
-Versus, directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (I can't even count how many times I've seen Versus, but it must be seen to be believed. Yakuza, escaped convicts, zombies, and a demon all converge in the Forest of Resurrection for two-hours of non-stop neo-chanbara crazyness!)
-Inside Man, directed by Spike Lee (Spike Lee's best film in years)
-Ladyhawke, directed by Richard Donner (this isn't great cinema, it barely rates as good, but..it's a part of my childhood nonetheless)
-Tommy, directed by Ken Russell (I actually prefer the original cast recording of this film to the
original album by The Who, if you like Tommy, look for Quadrophenia)
























=========================

For better or worse, lately I've been absorbing more media than I have been commenting on, but here are my most recent record reviews. I've got some new albums coming in the mail shortly and I just recieved a few the other day so in a week or so I should have substantially more reviews posted.

Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike

Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike is a new classic for the age of globalization. Eastern-Europe-cum-New York immigrant gypsy punk extra ordinaires Gogol Bordello have made an album rich with musical history and variety; weaving Ukrainian gypsy folk, Slavic folk, dub, hip-hop, and post-punk together into a sonic tapestry at "60 revolutions per minute". Gogol Bordello are more Clash than the Clash themselves. Singer and lyricist Eugene Hutz cries, croons and laughs- screaming and shouting in and out of broken English and intelligibility itself with an equal mix of passionate punk-sneer, wild humor, and an unquenchable thirst for socio-economic justice. Whether hes rallying for a party, a wedding, or a cultural revolution- never for a second does Hutz sound insincere. The group's eclectic assortment of accordions, violins, guitars, percussion and electronics clamor, collide, and polka with a gleeful, dizzying insanity that will have you smashing plates and swinging from the chandeliers in no time. Gogol Bordellos transnational sounds and stories have honest resonance and meaning which can and should be taken to heart by anyone who has ever felt the highs and lows of joy, alienation, defeat, victory, and an empty wallet with a head full of exotic hallucinations- all in one night.

"That be it punk, hip-hop, be it a reggae sound, it is all connected through the Gypsy part of town.."- Gogol Bordello

Don Cabellero - World Class Listening Problem

Six years have passed since the release of American Don, Don Caballero's supposed swan-song. Drumming genius Damon Che, defying the expecatations of fans and critics alike, reformed the band in 2003. The resulting recruitment featured an all new line-up composed of Creta Bourzia guitarists Jeff Ellsworth, Gene Doyle, and bassist Jason Jourver. Three years, one tour, and a label change later, and Don Caballero have returned to prove that even with their fifth record, they can can still make math music polyrhthmically rock. World Class Listening Problem is yet another example of Damon Che's ability to deliver one mathematical masterpiece after the other, delivering post-rock cock-rock with technical bravado and electric sweat.

I have to admit, when I first heard that World Class Listening Problem was to be released on Relapse Records, I was confused, and skeptical. What was Don Caballero doing on the same label as The Black Dahlia Murder? I'll tell you what they're doing: damage control. On this record, Don Caballero have managed to balance the aggressive shredding of For Respect and Don Caballero II, with the dissonant harmonics of What Burns Never Returns, without aping the incomparably distinct work of former guitarists Ian Williams and Mike Banfield. New bassist Jourver provides tight grooves and original tones, perfecting anchored to Che's consistently unpredicatble drum work. Don't let post-ironic song titles like "Mmmmm Acting, I Love Me Some Good Acting" fool you, Don Cab's latest instrumental rock record is no laughing matter, unless that huge grin on your face is the result of a stroke- of genius.

Don Caballero - World Class Listening Problem, will be released on May 16th, 2006.

Mindflayer - Expeditions to the Hairier Peaks

Expedition to the Hairier Peaks opens with a blurry maelstrom of messy noise bursts that whirl about in a harsh, barely discernible rhythm- setting the tone for an album whose appeal is limited at best. Let's face it, you don't make friends with noise. This isn't exactly a criticism, or an indictment of Brian Chippendale (see also, Lightning Bolt) and Matt Brinkman's (see also, Forcefield) electro-grind soundscrapes, as much as it is stating a fact. As the radioactive fallout begins to settle, Chippendales psychotic drumming fades into the mix, and by the third track- "Netherworld Bike Patrol C.H.A.O.S."- a pattern can be made out of the ruins Mindflayer have left in their wake. "Time Tunnel (Cosmic Crypt Chronoscape Collision Course)" draws the listener deeper into the album's painful psychedelic keyboard and drum jihad, and the repetetive nature of the piece gives the noise an entrancing power.

Where previous releases had Mindflayer tagged by some as the mere bastard lovechild of Lightning Bolt and Forcefield, this is no side-project. The duo have proven themselves to be an altogether different animal- a beast with blood dripping from it's frothing rabid maw. The album features three epic pieces, the fourteen minute "Nasty Meeting at Peak Park (Exploding Remains)" stands as the most terrifying amalgamation of Matt Brinkman's throbbing electronic gristle, and Chippendale's drumming is the stuff to inspire prog-genocide. Throughout the record, vocals are barely audible, buried deep beneath layers of sound. When heard, the vocals are distorted, demonic, and screamed like scraped nails across a chalk board of white noise. To the curious, be warned- you can't get blood from a stone, and there is little rock to be find in the noise at the Hairier Peaks. You'll either get it, or you'll get Tinnitus.

Gaga for Gankutsuou! pt.I

Since the summer began I've had this inexplicably insatiable craving for anime. It's not that I haven't seen my fair share of great anime films and series this year, what with Mr. P-Funk Drum Wolf and I devouring nearly half of Neon Genesis Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, and at least 7 of Studio Gibli's Dizz-knee distributed re-releases- still, I HUNGER! What began as an inquisitive search to discover if Cowboy Bebop creator Shinchiro Watanabe, has led me not only to his equally-lauded Samurai Champloo, but to a whole world of quality anime that seemed to have passed me by while I was still pining for the good old days of the original Ghost in the Shell and Akira. I recently got hooked up with a bootleg of the complete Samurai Champloo on eBay, the first volume of the skullfuckingly psychedelic superhero series Karas: The Prophecy, and the first season of Studio Gonzo's gratuitious and notorious Gantz. This won't end here..

I've promised myself that I will not pick anything else up DVD until at least July, that way I can give my bank account and my ocular cavities a break. However, in the meantime I've recently discovered a website that's been hiding right under my nose for quite some time, a certain youtube.com where several blessed otaku have uploaded full series of anime onto the internet in 10 minute bursts. You can stream them anytime you want for free, and you don't even need to be a member. Thanks to this recent discovery, and the Independent Film Channel's "Anime Festival"- here is the list of anime I've watched over the past 3 weeks:

-Memories (three clever short films from acclaimed Japanese directors, under the guidance of Akira-creator Katsuhiro Otomo)
-Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' On Heaven's Door (known in North America as Cowboy Bebop: The Movie)
-Blood: The Last Vampire(a shallow, depthless exercise- but nevertheless enjoyable short feature)
-Ghost in the Shell (One of THE classics, if you haven't seen it, shame on you)
-Karas: The Prophecy (setting the new standard how cel-shading, traditional 2D, and 3D computer animation can converge and give birth something breathtaking)
-Fist of the North Star (a bloody classic- only for those who enjoy the old school 80's breed of hyperviolent, apocalyptic anime)

and of course...

a new classic series, based on Alexander Dumas classic novel (which I *cough* have not read, but intend to)

Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo



A review of Gankutsuou will be posted once I'm through all of the episodes, and it barely took me a day to finish the first 8.
I'll post a full list of the "Non-Anime" films I've seen in a day or two, and maybe post some record reviews while I'm at it.

Peace.
-Sea