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I don’t know why people make such a big deal about Nine Inch Nails‘ With Teeth album. All I ever hear are people complaining that Reznor got lazy, sold out (to get out of his UMG contract), or that the music just plain sucks.

I can see how people can argue that With Teeth may not be part of the best of Nine Inch Nails, but it is competing with albums such as The Downward Spiral, The Fragile, and Year Zero. The danger in doing great work such as those albums is that even good stuff can’t even compare. Also, comparing a radio album to concept albums is comparing an apple to oranges. Even still, that apple is still pretty damn good compared to the other apples in the basket.

That’s not to say there is no Nine Inch Nails garbage out there. Reznor tends to release anything and everything, including remixes or concept explorations that probably shouldn’t see the light of day. With Teeth is not one of those things. It is still better than 80% of the Industrial/Rock music out there even if it sounds like it was made for the radio. I like it.

seele :: Jun.03.2008 :: General, Music :: 12 Comments »

So this evening we set out excited and anxious for the Radiohead show. The venue was 45 minutes away (+30-45 minutes in weekday traffic which we didn’t have since it was Sunday). Torrential downpours screwed with traffic and the roads, with the police redirecting traffic all over mother earth, basically in circles around the arena. 3 hours later, we turned around having been 5 miles from the arena for the last 2 hours. When we turned around, it was already 1 hour in to Radiohead’s set (we had called to see if the set would be postponed because of weather) and we still had 3 miles to go, then park, then get in to the arena. Basically we would miss the show regardless of our actions since Virginia has noise ordinances which requires shows to be over by 11/11:30PM. There were still hundreds (not exaggerating) of cars lined up trying to gain entrance to the arena and park when we turned back to go home. The lady on the phone said to call the Box Office tomorrow about refunds (I’d like to see pictures of how empty the arena was).

No Radiohead tonight. BOO

seele :: May.12.2008 :: Asides, Life, Music :: Comments Off

From Jacqueline: List your five favourite artists, your five favourite songs by those artists and tag five other people to do it.

This took me all weekend to think about. I can’t commit that these are my favourite 5 artists and favourite 5 songs ever, but they are certainly in any top list I compile.

Nine Inch Nails

• Closer
• Hurt
• The entire The Fragile album
• My Violent Heart
• Meet Your Master

Tool

• H.
• Jimmy
• Lateralus
• The Grudge
• 10,000 Days

Radiohead

• Lucky
• Morning Bell
• I Might Be Wrong
• Where I End and You Begin
• There There

BT
Nothing of his is better than the 5 song sequence in the UK release of Movement in Still Life.

• Mercury and Solace
• Dreaming
• Giving up the Ghost
• Godspeed
• Namistai

(Unknown)
I have too many other artists who would tie for this position. Also, they haven’t made as much of an impression as the previously selected artists, or, do not have enough material to select five songs from.

Also, since not everyone blogs off-topic, so I’ll just ask my five other people to post a comment response (and whoever else who wants to!): Bokunenjin, Chani, JRiddell, Lowmagnet, and Nixternal.

seele :: Mar.09.2008 :: Blogging, General, Music :: 19 Comments »

Last night, J. and I went to see BT’s This Binary Universe, an amazing work of music, art, movement, and emotion. After the viewing, there was a short Q&A session where BT answered some questions about his motivations and roadblocks on the way to creating this piece, in particular the lack of support he had during the two year project and the influence of his daughter. Don’t expect a music video or movie, his work is much more conceptual and artistic. I would describe it as an animated canvas to a soundtrack of life.

seele :: Sep.14.2006 :: Asides, Music :: Comments Off

You know summer is around the corner when concert season begins! This weekend a bunch of us dorks from D.C. are going to pre-party in Pachriot and then head out see Depeche Mode. Depeche Mode is one of the bands I have been trying really hard to see before they retire, they’re on the same list as David Bowie, Tom Jones (hey don’t laugh :P), Radiohead, and Tool.

My summer line-up I either have tickets for, or are planning to purchase:

• Depeche Mode (5/21)
• The Crystal Method (6/02)
• Nine Inch Nails (6/13)
• Front Line Assembly (6/22)

On a damper note, Nation, the biggest club in D.C. (and one of the biggest on the East Coast) is closing its doors this summer. Rising real-estate costs are to blame (or so they say) and AFAIK a new venue has not been found for club nights such as Alchemy and Cubik.

There are plenty of other clubs in D.C., including the 9:30 club and FUR, but none of them have the same size, layout, or atmosphere Nation provides. Nation makes me reminiscent of Metropol back in Pittsburgh.

The only thing to do now is to wait and see what else is coming my way this summer. I’m lucky to have Thievery Corporation in my back yard so they should definitely be around this summer. There are also always the shows on the National Mall and random protest concerts which visit. Yay for summer, good weather, and great music!

seele :: May.18.2006 :: General, Life, Music :: No Comments »