September 2011
15 posts
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Post #1,696
To the Readers of The Big Opus,
In case it hasn’t been made clear by the dozen or so previous posts,
The Big Opus is announcing today that we’re shutting down our formal
blogging activity. In the spirit of stealing ideas from the bands we
love the most, let’s not call this the end. Let’s say, “indefinite hiatus.”
The music we love is changing at a...
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Because,
I recently acquired a mini-van, thus continuing inexorably towards cliched adulthood, but find myself listening to the top 40 station in 15 minute intervals. I now have very strong opinions about the awfulness of Rihanna’s “Cheers”*, and find myself humming “Moves Like Jagger” incessantly.
It has been instructive and infuriating, but mostly it feels like something...
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Because,
As the first sign of the apocalypse appeared in Olympia last weekend, the world will probably be over soon, and then who’s going to be around to read this?
Here, the incalculably talented Phil Elvrum, of The Microphones and Mount Eerie, slam dunks “Got Money,” by Lil Wayne.
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Because,
A user named sangennaro “liked” a post I did for The Big Opus. This is notable because sangennaro is the alias of Rjyan Kidwell, perhaps my favorite musician of the past decade.
What else am I supposed to accomplish, anyway?
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Because,
I got an electric guitar for my birthday - a cheap telecaster knockoff that sounds great. It’s more fun to play with than my computer.
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Because,
I came back from my recent vacation with six books, two CDs, one piece of vinyl, and a ukulele. Reading has been more interesting than writing. Playing has been more interesting than listening.
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Because,
It started being more fun to participate in creative projects, rather than play spectator.
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Because,
I saw EMA perform and it made most everything else seem contrived and stupid.
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Because,
if the blog goes on any longer I’m going to have to admit that Mike was right about Glee.
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Because,
try as I might I can’t juggle all the bowling pins. I sometimes feel like I’m becoming a cliche.Work, family, music. I have all of those things. What I don’t have, right now, is the time to contextualize it all in real time. I find my hours packed from morning ‘till night. And part of the reason I haven’t enjoyed music in the same way this year is every time...
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Because,
In Seattle Washington, I attended a Nevermind 20th Anniversary exhibit. On display, the Kurt Cobain drawing below, of his band Nirvana in its early incarnation with Chad Channing as the drummer. I remember talking with my friend Mike about this image when we were kids, which we saw in the Nirvana biography, Come As You Are, by Michael Azerrad. We appreciated the artistic license that Cobain took...
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Because,
The only music magazine I even removed from a shelf in Portland, OR was a copy of Yeti. And this was because my friend Eleanor (her music is released under the name Happy New Year) contributed a 12-minute-long (excellent) song to its accompanying CD. She also occupied the last paragraph of the last page of the book with the track summary, a page she shared with one of her own favorite bands,...
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Because,
At Amoeba records in San Francisco, I found a copy of Maxinquaye, the debut album by Tricky which I came very close to buying on eMusic several times, in a clearance bin for $1.95. I grabbed it like a cat snatching a toy. I carried it around for a few minutes until I came to the realization that there is no longer any reason for me to own a physical copy of this album.
With the current...
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Because,
I have subscribed to Spotify, the service that allows me unlimited access to 15 million songs directly from the site. The effect is identical to having spent $15 million in the iTunes store, along with the hardware firepower to store it keep all this at my fingertips, and the currently non-existent technology to make this staggering amount of storage small enough for my front jeans pocket....
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Because,
Los Campesinos! just announced their next record is arriving November 14, and I’m still too out of breath from the last one even to think about writing about the new one.
August 2011
8 posts
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watching the vmas on west coast delay
…and wishing i could be quippy with ben flash about all this.
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“I don’t want anybody to get hurt.
I can just see the two factions healing...”
– David Berman, in an e-mail exchange with Stephen Malkmus, conceding that L.A. Guns might cause some trouble as the title of SM’s new album.
iPhone posting is a pain in the ass, especially with no data and no reception ( I’m on vacation). Just wanted to say that Handsome Furs record I picked up last week is real, real good. More thoughts when I get back.
Ben flash
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Success!
I guess they still are good for something!
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Emusic offered me another 99 cent month to come back, so I’m going to take it…. I’ll let you know what I find. Hoping the new Handsome Furs record is there.
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WEEKEND UPDATE
Hey,
So I’m too tired and dizzy to organize this, so I’m just going to start and see where it goes.
I had a dream last night that Mike Morrissey had put out a 7” and a deluxe double CD EP, both in elaborate packaging. As I walked into Brockport from my mom’s house, I saw hundreds of these items on the sidewalk. I ran into Mike once I arrived in town, and he explained to...
July 2011
24 posts
2 tags
Living up to the Hype
I finally (thanks to Mike’s many suggestions) have a record from this year that really resonates. The Bon Iver record is complicated, deep, lovely and all around truly wonderful. It works as a background record, it works when delved into with hard listens. I am just pitifully grateful to have a record to love.
From the opening notes of “Perth” Bon Iver melds the lovely R &...
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YO! IT'S ABOUT THAT TIME
I realized on Sunday — It’s so weird that as MASSIVE as New Kids on the Block were in the early 90s, the only song you ever hear anymore from that whole empire is by Donnie’s BROTHER.
I always wondered what role Donnie played in this song — if he was supposed to be the drummer or something. He’s not on Wikipedia as an official member of the group. Hector the Body...
Far Afield
In the beautiful middle of nowhere Ontario for two dear friends’ wedding and this Bon Iver record has never sounded better.
Tags:ben flash, Bon iver (cause I can’t figure out how to tag from an iPhone and there just isn’t any internet)
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OKAY!
Midnight City by M83
I CAN GET BEHIND A NEW M83 ALBUM IN @)!!…I MEAN 2011…ESPECIALLY IF IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS!!
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Rihanna Breaks Character
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So,
The guy who runs the music blog yvynyl out of Philly happened to post on two of my friends on Friday, 7/15. Totally unrelated posts on his two separate blogs.
The first was on the yvynyl blog, and it was to let people know that my ridiculously creative friend Eleanor’s art pop project, HAPPY NEW YEAR, has a hot new jam up and streaming now. It’s called “Gold Medallion.” ...
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Things are Looking Up
And today a new Weezy mixtape!
I haven’t delved into the most recent round of Ben becomes interested in music posts because I’ve been to busy being interested in music. I’ve listened to that Bon Iver record five or six times in the last two days (more extended thoughts on that shortly).
I’m starting to feel good.
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Woah!
It had somehow escaped my notice that there was new Gillian Welch record. I’m going to aquire that today. It’s been seven years since the last one. I’d almost given up hope!
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Ben becomes interested in music again: Take Five
Clams Casino - Motivation - You seemed to think the production was aiight on that Lil B track, but you hated the rapping. Well here’s the best of both worlds! A killer instrumental by Clams Casino with Lil B’s rapping removed! This is the first track on CC’s instrumental mixtape, which is strong from front to back.
Rocky Votolato and Matt Pond PA cover The Human League
...
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WatchWhoa, I could listen to this one again (understatement).
“Hanging On” by Active Child
Addendum: Hey Ben, let’s call this “Take Four” — I really love this track.
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I should take a moment really quick
…and mention that Super 8 was a really rad movie.
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Nice article about the mystery of pop culture,... →
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I just realized that Kanye West stole his entire concept for The College Dropout from the Barenaked Ladies song “Never is Enough”.
That is all.
(Image is what came up when I googled “Barenaked Ladies Kanye West”)
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Now that I've abandoned eMusic
It’s time to learn about Amazon MP3 and check out the cloud, now with unlimited storage.
IT’S A NEW DAY!
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Summer Records
I’ve skimmed through Pitchfork’s list of upcoming Summer releases. Here’s the ones I’m hoping to hear:
Fennesz: Seven Stars EP [Touch] Memory Tapes: Player Piano [Carpark] Grooms: Prom [Kanine] Washed Out: Within and Without [Sub Pop] Pictureplane: Thee Physical [Lovepump United] Machinedrum: Room(s) [Planet Mu] The War on Drugs: Slave Ambient [Secretly Canadian] Active...
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Take Three Reax
Ok yeah I need to check out that Bon Ivor record. It seems like a whole lot of awesome.
Gotta say that Lil B track did nothing for me. I mean I guess I like the production but I just can’t get past what an awful rapper he is. We tend to listen to hip-hop in a similar way but I need SOMETHING to hold on to from a flow standpoint and he brings next-to-nothing to the table.
That EMA track...
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All of a sudden, I'm rooting for MySpace to... →
I just love that Fox News lost more than half a billion dollars by buying MySpace at its peak and then completely blowing it. AND NOW JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE HAS IT!
June 2011
33 posts
3 tags
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An open letter to eMusic
I quit. I’m not sure if this matters to you, but it should. I have been a proud, loyal member for four years. I’ve talked up your service to so many friends confused about how to pay money (but not too much money) to support the music that they love, and manage the amount of music they bring into their lives. To procure it in the measured type of way that makes it seem valuable,...
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Just had a nice laugh
…over the name of the new Moonface album:
