Hey Sucker!

I have a sudden obsession with lollipops. For some reason they have become something I depend on, and I rarely go a day without eating at least one. They are also a good stress reliever while driving (people are idiots).

I'm not addicted....I could stop at anytime. Seriously.

Sorry the blog posts have been few and far between lately, the school year is rapping up, and my job at The Wiire (check us out!) has me writing enough lately. Look for the blog to come back in full force this summer.

Also, look for my reflections on the Phily Wizard World Comic Con' on Friday.

A Kanye West Glow in the Dark Concert Review

Go see this.

Stray Thoughts #3

Sorry, it's been a week since my last post. I've been busy doing other things, and the blog was forgotten, for a while at least. But I'm back, and I'm still suave as hell, so 'sall good.

ANYWAY, Today's entry is going to be deep, but also shallow. It will have it's depressing moments, but it will also have lighthearted revelry.

I will start with the heavy stuff....Recently, The Sudanese Government has officially renounced Chad, and is on the brink of war with them. This cannot mean anything good for Sudanese refugees seeking shelter within Chad's borders. All of this makes me wonder...How can we solve this? I attend a Mennonite school, so I am constantly pressed with the ideals of Pacifism, but I am never satisfied with the response. Talks have broken down every time they have been arranged. Treaties have been broken every time they have been written. It is pretty clear that Omar al-Bashir has no intentions of negotiating. So I pose this question to those who advocate pacifism. How are the refugees to respond, without violence? The U.N. is useless and what little troops they have deployed are too few in number to make a difference. Do they not defend themselves? Do they allow the Janjaweed to trample all over them, rape the women, kill the rest? Now what? I hear the idea of pressuring China into stopping the support of the Sudanese government, but how do we pressure them? Would a boycott of something like the Olympics do it? How else are we supposed to "pressure" them? To protect the innocent should the U.S. step in? If they do, we are faced with another war, one that I do not believe the American people can take. Look at our previous record with getting involved in civil wars, Vietnam, Korea, Iraq. And yet we've tried isolationism, in World War II, but we got dragged into that as well. What the hell is the right answer!?! I have so many questions, and so little answers!

Moving on to some of the lighter stuff.....Kanye quickly approaches, and I personally think it'll change my life. All I have heard is this concert is hella sweet and will be a hell of a time. Here's to hoping Rihanna is on first.

I also got a job over at The Wiire, and I for one, am very VERY excited. The staff is very kind, very patient, and I look forward to working with them. I've been given editor status, basically meaning I'll post news and possibly some reviews and such. Great things will come from this.
Check us out.

We Are the Insurgents

If you would come to me a week ago and ask me who the Flobots are, I would look at you strangely, and ask if you were speaking of automated machines built to do work humans are too lazy to. However, about 5 or 6 days ago, I heard the song "Handlebars" on the radio, and here we are now.

I liked what I heard the couple of times I heard Handlebars, so I decided to buy the whole album (available on iTunes). This record is tight.

The Flobots themselves are an odd group. Featuring two vocalists, a violist, a trumpet player, a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. This quasi hip-hop/rock group creates a unique sound with tight beats and smart vocals.

Fight with Tools opens up with the track "There's a War Going On for Your Mind", a war briefing of sorts, preparing you for the onslaught of invaders competing for you. A sweet viola melody plays in the background and a warlike drum beat backs up the vocals, as you are made ready for the corrupt world of today. It ends with the words "We are the Insurgents" driving the point home. They are here to make a difference.

Vocals are border line stream-of-conscious at times, but remain potent as ever. Brer Rabbit and Jonny 5 have a lot to say and this socially charged music tackles problems such as poverty, hunger, and presidential power. The most powerful line to me has to be in the track "Stand Up" .
"Stand up, we shall not be moved, except by a child with no socks and shoes. Stand up, we shall not be moved, except by a woman dieing from a lose of food. Put you hands up, and I'll copy you." This track brings the plight of our world to light, and then urges action. It is powerful to say the least.

Instrumentals are what give the Flobots their truly unique sound. I never thought the viola and trumpet could be used in such ways, as they are in tracks such as Handlebars, Same Thing, and Stand Up. These songs attest to their creativity. The viola switches between staccato plucking, to rhythms custom crafted to match the song. Drum beats are far more than basic hip-hop beats and enhance the chanting vocals. The guitar and bassist round out the instrumentals, and when they get loose, they lay out sick rhythms. The instrumentals are then mixed in masterfully to create the sound that defines the Flobots. Nowhere is this more evident than in the tracks Same Thing, and Combat.

The Flobots are going to be huge one day, one day soon. They have a unique enough sound, that they will not fall into the pool of generic rock bands, and one-hit wonder hip-hop artists. No, instead they are the best of both, and the worst of neither. This packed with the motivation to change the world, will lead the Flobots to the highest pinnacle of success.

I rate this album a 9/10.

"Still Counting the Days...."

Well we have two countdowns today folks. Yes, I realize that my life is one perpetual countdown, eagerly awaiting the arrival of something, and once that something comes I instantly move on.
However, due to the disjointed style of writing, I almost forgot the first item which cannot come out soon enough.

Remember how awesome it was when Frank Miller gave Batman his Balls back when he wrote The Dark Knight? Remember how good of a Joker Jack Nicholson played? Now combine the two, and multiply by a billion. Christian Bale is in place to be the best Batman ever, and Heath Ledger's performance promises to be legendary. (but alas, life is unfair, R.I.P. Heath, you will be missed.) My most highly anticipated movie of the year, easily.

Haven't seen the trailer yet? Watch it here.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=j3JtIkTktz0


Next, I simply have one thing to spell. K-A-N-Y-E. May 17th is quickly approaching. Every time I check the calendar days decide to just forget to occur, and I am a lot closer than I originally thought. Less than two weeks.
Lupe, Pharrell, Kanye. All under one roof? Legendary.

As an aside, I found some good local Lansdale music. Even if you have no idea what a Lansdale is, check these guys out. They are incredibly talented, and are eventually going to be famous. Now is your chance to meet them, so in the future you can say "I knew them before they were big!"
Parkwright is their name, making sweet music is their game(really lame) nice rhyme!
http://www.myspace.com/parkwrightmusic

Brain Drain

So, in the process of attempting to attend college, I took the SATs for the first time yesterday. I'm still feeling a bit weary, so I'll keep this short and sweet.

This, is how I felt yesterday.