IT'S A TRAP.

...i've always wanted to use that blog title.

i'm not sure if people saw this, but apparently someone went around setting up "hipster traps" in new york city - fake ray-bans, american spirit cigarettes, a pbr, holga camera and a bike chain on a large bear trap. let's take a moment to reflect on how perfectly hilarious this is.

hipsters are so funny to me. and funny is the perfect word because they fit both definitions of the word: i literally laugh at them, but i'm also so perplexed by their peculiar ways. they may be the first trendy lifestyle that is completely aware of their strangeness. most labeled groups aren't conscious of how ridiculously classic they are - ditzes are oblivious, computer programmers look down on others and think they're the most un-weird people around, drama kids like to sing musical renditions in public settings completely unaware of their embarrassment - but hipters totally understand who they are and are just fine with falling into a perfect stereotype. funny haha, yet funny peculiar as well.

i posted a link on my twitter to the traps knowing full well that my abundance of followers would want to share in my chortle. the next day i received a response via google buzz from a friend of mine that said:

"what would be in your trap?"

at first i was stunned. because i realized that, just like the hipsters, i certainly fall under a certain umbrella too - the only difference being that my umbrella is much smaller than theirs. i recovered well - i soon was able to fully embrace myself, and i started thinking about the five items that would be found in an "apc trap".

i felt like there needed to be some rules too - obviously i'd be enticed by an iPad or a $100 bill, but wouldn't everyone? the things needed to be relatively inexpensive, and enticing to me and very few others. my list had to be of equivalent value to the items on the hipster traps. so i needed to put a dollar value on the items and match them accordingly.

so, here are the items i came up with:

• pabst blue ribbon: $2
  my replacement: a lego boba fett keychain
  last time i was in chicago i picked up an admiral ackbar and a stormtrooper at the lego store on michigan ave for $2.50 on sale. i could do a chewbacca, C3PO or lando too. even greedo.
  
  
• american spirit cigarettes: $5
  my replacement: a pack of 2010 Bowman Chrome baseball cards
  the hobby packs retail between $4 and $7 depending where you go. i still want that bryce harper usa card, but i could certainly also go for a stephen strasburg, or a jason heyward auto or an aroldis chapman red prospect.
  
  
• yellow bike chain: $10
  my replacement: "rome" - danger mouse & daniele luppi
  actually, this would come in the form of a $10 iTunes gift card right now because the album doesn't actually drop until may 17, but i've pre-ordered it on iTunes for $9.99. producer danger mouse (cee lo's partner in gnarls barkley, creator of the grey album - jay-z's black album mashed with the beatles' white album, half of the duo broken bells) is duking it out with kanye west and the neptunes for my favorite producer(s) in the music business, and supposedly this collab with luppi (an italian producer and composer whom i honestly know nothing about) is five years in the making and it's what danger mouse is truly most passionate about. it was recorded in a church-converted-studio in rome and utilizes vintage instruments and was inspired by the pair's love for 60's italian film soundtracks. all i know is that if DM is amped about it, then so am i.
  
  
• fake ray-bans: $20
  my replacement: a dharma initiative metal lunchbox - anyone who loves LOST like i do understands the awesomeness of the dharma initiative and would pounce on that trap if saw something so awesome. would i actually use it to take my lunch in? not a chance. i'd use it to keep secret items in: memories, artifacts, ancient coins, prized possessions, etc. i'd probably hide it under a floor board or in a vault behind a photo of abe lincoln on my wall or something.
  
  
• holga camera: $35
  my replacement: two tickets to a royals or cardinals game in a stadium i've never been to before. like san francisco, or new york, or seattle or boston, or los angeles. cheap seats would be fine - whatever price value is equivalent to a holga camera works for me. one of the greatest aspects of baseball is the beauty of the stadiums. the grass, the dirt, the irregular outfield wall shapes with nooks and brick walls...or that strange hill in houston. it's a gorgeous game and tickets to anywhere would be super rad.

that trap would clamp down on my ankle in a heartbeat, and it might even be worth it. now it's your turn: what would be in your trap?

-apc.

theology of hip-hop: questions.

i got halfway through this post on friday morning, but then i deleted it because it wasn't taking form the way i wanted it to. but when my bro CDoubleDizz over at justbeingchristian.com posts on the theology of kanye's "jesus walks" just three days later...well, i just can't help myself.

i grew up in suburban kansas city. most of you know this. if not, welcome to my blog. when i was young, i thought hip-hop was evil. i based this on the fact that rap used cuss words and was nothing but the sex-drugs-cash trifecta. i decided that DC Talk was a better route - meet rap halfway, i guess. wouldn't want to fill my mind with unholy filth. i have an inkling that this thought process was (and would still be) supported by the church i grew up in and am now employed by. this isn't a dog on my church - but more a truth about the western suburban church in general: act like life is perfect. don't doubt God. hide your sins, etc. the church isn't a place for hip-hop.

i supposed this may be partially true - guys like snoop dogg and soulja boy likely have very little to say regarding theology, faith and spirituality - but a strong collection of the rap/hip-hop artists have a great deal to say. it's honest, and that honesty makes the christian world uncomfortable. but if we were as honest as the rappers out there, i think we'd would realize that the hip-hop community has just as much (dare i say more) to say about life and theology than the white suburban culture that i've been raised in.

where does rap and hip-hop come from? it comes from the ghettos and the public housing systems - well, at least the honest stuff does. it comes from the 12 year old drug hustlers who have dreams of getting out of life they've been handed. it comes from the kids who didn't have a shot at "the good life" that i was raised in.

they're telling their story.
and their story is what frames their theology.

it's no wonder the suburban church struggles with concepts like "hope" and "mourning" and "doubt" - our theology has been framed by simplicity and ease, comfort and shelter. we avoid the challenging questions and speak in generalities like "Jesus help me to trust you more." we don't ask questions like...

"Jesus, why was there another earthquake in Japan last week?"
or
"Jesus, why was i born into an upper middle-class home and not into a slum in india?"
or
"Jesus, why do so many people have to suffer so greatly?"
or
"Jesus, why don't my parents love each other anymore?"
or
"Jesus, if you're so great, why couldn't you heal my friend's dad?"
or
"Jesus, why don't i even remotely feel your presence?"

and even when we ask these questions, we give answers like, "well, we live in a fallen world," or "we don't understand God's plan," and immediately extinguish a legitimately terrific theological question. a question that we ought to wrestle with, but instead we can forget about because of the ease of the culture that defines our theology.

hip-hop does not forget about these questions. why? because it can't.

the artists and musicians that feed hip-hop culture has defined their theology in a culture that isn't allowed to ignore those questions because they live it. it is their story. the people of Japan aren't allowed to ignore the answer to the "why was there another earthquake?" question. if someone from the Indian slums asked me, "why was i born here and not where you were born?" and i answered, "we just don't understand God's plan," then i would hope they would slap me. cause the next question would be "so God's plan involves me growing up on pennies a day?"

hip-hop is a voice for the oppressed, for the less-fortunate, for the marginalized.
it's a voice for the people who never had a chance at a different life.
it's a voice for the individuals who wrestle with the toughest of questions.

hip-hop is truer theology than most people realize - or maybe better phrased, than most people allow themselves to realize.

listen: The Roots - Dear God 2.0

-apc.

REVIEW: kanye west - my beautiful dark twisted fantasy.

every review i read is telling me this album is phenomenal. rolling stone gives it the often-talked-about-rarely-seen 5/5 stars. PMA blog gives it a 95/100. consider me confused.

maybe i'm just selfish and want kanye circa 2007. maybe i just throw my guard up when someone (kanye) messes with near-perfection (Graduation). there has to be something off about how i'm approaching this album, because this album certainly doesn't warrant phrases like, "It's kanye's best album" (rolling stone), or "It’s Kanye’s most complex and complete release and one of the most consistently impressive hip hop albums in recent years" (PMA).

so is it me? or is it them? something is just off.

the album is good. i will admit that, but it is certainly not "consistently impressive", nor is it "the best". its better than 808s, and that about it. individual songs can potentially compete with some off kanye's previous 4 albums, but this album ought to be viewed as a complete album rather than a collection of individual tracks. that makes it a bit dicey for me.

don't get me wrong though, there are bright spots: Dark Fantasy is a perfect lead track - the sampling draws you in and you catch your head bobbing to the back beat almost immediately. the aptly titled "Power" makes me feel like i'm about to take over the world in slow motion. it's chanting, clapping Afromerica sample puts off a dynamite underdog uprising vibe. pretty sure it has already been adopted as the team entrance music in 40% of NFL stadiums. "All of the Lights" is truly brilliant. it flows beautifully from "Power" and continues the world-domination feel.

but there are also spots where i think, "who in the world thinks this sounds remotely appealing?" tracks like "Monster" and "So Appalled" make up a dismal heart to the album. if the beginning of the album is beautiful, then this is certainly the dark and twisted portion of the album. "Monster" may give me nightmares, and "So Appalled" may never make it past five in my itunes play count.

this album stands as a whole, and i respect that a great deal. i also respect the fact that kanye pulls samples from rad old school tracks (smokey robinson, cold grits, the mojo men), but he also tosses in artists i've never even heard of on nearly every track. both of these bits, now that i think about it, revert back to his College Dropout and Late Registration days. i was spoiled with MJ and Daft Punk samples on Graduation, but he seems to have found a certain aspect of his roots while transforming them into something new and musically forward...even if i don't really care for where he's progressing at certain times.

maybe the most impressive sample on the album is the use of the original "Soul Makossa" track that is probably better known (at least by me) as a Michael Jackson reference. he throws it down as the backtrack in the Bon Iver collaboration that winds the album down to a close. the shortest track on the album (a whopping 4:17), it leads with an Imogen Heap vocoder feel that builds to an and 808-heavy Soul Makossa beat that i dig quite a bit (though its possible that he wins me over simply with the blending of the sample and the "mamakusa" line in the first verse).

it starts and finishes strong (though i can't help but be bummed out by the track 2 Kid Cudi collab - i tried, but i'm just not a Cudi fan). ultimately, save for a few songs that do anything but get me excited, the album is solid as a whole. though if i had to weigh the songs i love versus the songs i hate, it'd be an even split.

i respect the album (which i certainly did not expect to). the samples i thought were gone are present and are, truthfully, very strong. and i can ALMOST understand how this album passed with flying colors according to so many. depending on the moment - i both love it and hate it, but honestly - despite a handful of tracks i find TERRIBLE - kanye has again proven that he truly is a genius. insane? that too, but he utilizes his insanity relatively well.

ugh. i hate that i just said all that.

overall, the album is good. but not great. certainly not as good as others have claimed it to be. but as kanye says in his 35-minute film "Runaway" - "first thing in this world baby, don't pay attention to anything you see in the news." it's not a 5/5 or a 95.

i give it a 78.

-apc.

wedding dance floor playlist.

just so we can all relive the epic saturday evening on the dance floor - here's a screenshot of my itunes:

dj falco absolutely killed it. thanks to everyone who sacrificed their bodies on the dance floor to celebrate the coopers.

-apc.

lin yu chun.

if you haven't checked out this dude yet, you need to. out of nowhere he's totally ruling everything. he was on some Taiwanese Idol type of show. he sings whitney houston. hooooooly sixes:

and then william shatner joins him on "lopez tonight". as much as i love old bill, but the newcomer totally steals the show:

-apc.

lady gaga.

"there are two types of people in this world: those who like neil diamond, and those who don't."

-Bill Murray as Bob Wiley, What About Bob?

my reason for kicking off this post with that quote is two fold: first,there are a handful of neil diamond fans (or at least sweet caroline fans) who read my blog whom i am specifically hoping will be attracted to this post now that i've dropped his name. second, it appears the quote can be said for Lady Gaga as well.

however, i'm not sure Bob Wiley's quote can be translated to Lady Gaga in exactly the same way as it is to neil. instead, the quote ought to read more like...

"there are two types of people in this world: those who understand and admit that Lady Gaga is terrific, and those who are too concerned with social implications to put themselves totally out there for public scrutiny."

sure. she's a freak. i mean cmon. she's created this stage name that has become a lifestyle. here life is either an incredible act - like something out of The Prestige - where she has chosen to accept this lifestyle for the success of her career, or she truly has bought into the insanity of her character and truly is as freaky-wacky-nutso as she comes across.

but that's not what i care about. how could i? my favorite artist has the biggest ego of anyone in the music biz and repeatedly embarrasses himself on a national stage. if i really cared about the person BEHIND the music, i would've dumped kanye west years ago. and while we're at it - amy winehouse is likely in my top 5 artists too. as i stated following the VMA's back in september: "i have a history of liking freaks as long as they put out good music."

Lady Gaga can join the club.

i am also someone who falls hard for the catchy tracks. i don't understand when people say stuff like "it's just so catchy" as if it's a bad thing. isn't that what makes it so appealing? i guess i'm under the assumption that catchy makes music better - music is fun. and catchy is fun. however, that doesn't mean i'm just going to run out there and buy the album. there are so many artists who throw out a random catchy track and have nothing to follow it up. (read: ke$ha).

then there are other artists who have a bunch of catchy tracks, but they end up all sounding the same and listeners get very bored, very fast. (read: sean kingston, akon...nickelback would fit here if they had at least one good song. they all sound the same, but they all really suck.)

the thing about Lady G - her tracks are ALL catchy. and they're ALL different. and they're ALL GREAT. i'm not sure i've ever experienced an album that is so catchy from start to finish.

but the Fame Monster is actually two albums shoved into one release: The Fame and The Fame Monster are two discs that stand apart in one deluxe set. The Fame came out first and heralded popular tracks like "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "Paparazzi", and "LoveGame". Then instead of putting out a totally different record - she slapped an 8-track work of genius on the front of The Fame - with tracks like "Bad Romance" and "Telephone" - and released The Fame Monster as a 24-track set.

24 tracks. and they are all terrific.

and if you've developed your perspective on LG from the long list radio singles above, then you really don't have a true perspective on her work. in fact, the ones that haven't hit the radio are the true gems in the set. after a month of dedicated listening, "Teeth", "Paper Gangsta", "Starstruck", and "Disco Heaven" stand out as my 4 favorite tracks - none of which have hit the airwaves yet.

...okay okay, "Bad Romance" is among my favorites too.

...and "Just Dance" definitely gets me bumpin.

...and Beyonce absolutely kills it on "Telephone". wow.

...and "Alejandro", while silly, has an awesome Ace of Base vibe to it.

...and "Boys Boys Boys" rules.

see what i mean? this is what you're dealing with when you pick up this album. it's just stacked with killer tracks - tracks that i've been friendly enough to link over and again so that you can follow to them and understand what i mean.

i could probably write more and more, but there's a great chance that no one has followed me to this point anyway. but i will add this: in my humble opinion, there hasn't been an album with this many hits since justin timberlake released futuresex/lovesounds in Aug 2007. which i had very extensive thoughts about back in the day. back in the 3 weeks i had a myspace blog.*

i realize that i haven't spoken much about style, genius, how she writes her own stuff, how she went to school and was a musical prodigy at the age of 4. but that's for another time. and believe me, i'll have plenty of time. she's younger than i am...by 2 weeks. so if she keeps this up over the next 20+ years?! yikes. we may be dealing with LG's poker face for a long time...jackpot.

i'll have plenty of words on the LG in the future.

-apc.

* - awkward blogging times. i was in between internet identities...but hey, remember sthanga? i used to have such a crush on break_my_heart_baby.

empire state of mind II - alicia keys (sans jay-z).

woah.

okayplayer just posted this on their blog and i am speechless. just watch the above video.

all i can say is that alicia's new album is out on december 15 and i am buying it. or getting it for christmas. but if you're getting it for me for christmas, you might want to give it to me 10 days early otherwise i'll have 2 copies cause i'll already have bought it myself.

i'm listening to that again.

-ap.

REVIEW: battle studies - john mayer

first of all, i must tell you that i am not 100% comfortable putting a photo of this album artwork on my blog. john looks super GQ and super lame. however, the artwork actually ended up being a blessing - when i first saw the cover a few months before its release i thought, "seriously john? this album is gonna suck."

but it doesn't. not at all. and i will yet again claim that low expectations are a much healthier way of living than high expectations. high expectations can only be met or not met*. low expectations can be met or exceeded...and my expecations were exceeded.

* - obviously there are a few outlying exceptions here: kanye's graduation, my trip to st louis, harry potter and the deathly hallows, etc.

i told my buddy jon yesterday via a text, "this album has a heavier things feel to it." and i stand by that statement...kind of. the album as a whole gives that vibe, but there are a few tracks - who says, friends lovers or nothing, assassin - that don't necessarily fit the bill. did john mayer truly reinvent his sound on this album like he has with each of his albums in the past? not really. if anything he took a step backwards from continuum and revisited a sound he'd already dabbled in before.

that having been said - this is a terrific album. really terrific. especially if you can empathize with mayer's jilted-lover theme (which i cannot). literally every song on this album is about girl problems - the "Battle Studies" he alludes to in the name of this album makes complete sense - he takes a look at the different "battles" the heart faces in dealing with the opposite sex. it's a "love is war" theme. examples: "half of my heart" deals with the inability to commit, "heartbreak warfare" deals with what it feels like to be dumped, "perfectly lonely" is all about the freedom felt without a significant other, "friends lovers or nothing" is a great picture of the extremely common "more than friends?/lets have a DTR" situation of which i'm duly familiar with.

that last paragraph was so long that my coffee went cold. crap.

however, there are a couple songs that could've been omitted and i wouldn't've really missed them. i can hear you arguing, "but adam - that means there would only be 9 songs! that's not enough for a full album!" my rebuttal: Thriller.

"edge of desire" does nothing for me - i'm just bored/annoyed throughout. and "half of my heart" doesn't impress me either - but that's probably because i sit there for the first 2 minutes dreading the impending taylor swift on backup vocals. what a ploy to 1. sell more records 2. reach a slightly different genre 3. perhaps get invited to the country music awards next year. i just wish it wasn't her. anyone else...okay not anyone - i would also veto nelly furtado, lady gaga, fergie or sheryl crow. anyone else though.

that having been said, "friends lovers or nothing" is my favorite track on the album. it's on repeat as i type this blog. it is perfect - the first two piano chords hooked me and the rest of the song just continued to reel me in...that's a fishing analogy.

i love this album, but it's definitely not his best. in fact, it might be his worst. it's not as good as continuum. or room for squares even. but it's still john mayer. so it automatically lands in the "great" category. he's just a phenomenal musician. period.

i give it a 3/5.

-ap.

Ratatat - LP3

at first i wasn't a big fan of LP3.

Ratatat has been one of my favorite bands throughout college. track 1 off their self-titled debut album, seventeen years, is terrific. they're all instrumental, so if you like lyrics then you're out of luck, but for those of us who experience music better without words - Ratatat is for us.

it's taken me a while to understand why i like the music i do. as i've grown older and (hopefully) wiser, i've begun to understand that it has absolutely nothing to do with poetry for me. i've also discovered that some of my favorite songs ever by some of my favorite artists...i have absolutely NO CLUE what the words are. but i could sing you the guitar solo, or duplicate the back beat, or tell you what other artists they gained influence from, or tell you what other bands some dude has sung for based solely on the sound of his voice against an instrumental accompaniment.

so i've slowly realized that music like Ratatat is music made for me. and i had been a huge fan of both of their albums prior to LP3 - Ratatat and Classics, but when LP3 came out last year, i wasn't immediately hooked. it didn't possess the killer track like "Seventeen Years" on Ratatat or "Wildcat" on Classics. those songs sucked my right into the album. i thought LP3 lacked that suck-me-in track.

i listened to their "biggest hit" on the album - Mirando - and thought it was jolly enough, but it didn't leave me desiring to hear more of the album. but then some friends of mine introduced me to Shempi. and then a few months later my iPod was on shuffle and Shiller came on. and i started to get pretty curious. and for the last couple weeks - it's been my go-to album.

i don't really have a review for it - it's a harpsichord-heavy synth album that requires patience and dedication. there are few moments on the album that will blow you away (Shempi is an exception - that track rules), but the album as a whole might have you tapping your foot for quite some time.

so if you're like me, and you love Ratatat - don't give up on LP3. it'll getcha. besides...just look at that sweet album artwork.

-apc.

also, check out both of these Ratatat remix albums: Volume 1 & Volume 2 (click links for album downloads.) okay late.

npr: raphael saadiq desk concert.

please watch this video/listen to it. everyone needs this album.

-apc.

an album blog: amy winehouse, stevie wonder, ray lamontagne.

maybe it's because i haven't blogged about what i'm listening to in over a month (excluding the ben folds concert) - or maybe it's because i'm avoiding my final research proposal - but i feel inclined to throw down a quick list of the albums i've been pouring through over the last few weeks. ready break.

amy winehouse - back to black - i know i've mentioned this briefly before, but this album is flat out incredible. i can't stop listening to it. it's slowly becoming my go-to album when i can't think of something else to listen to. it's just always so good. except i don't really empathize with her music; they're all jilted lover songs, and that's something that i have the fortune of not having to deal with. i highly, highly recommend that everyone gives this album a run through. one of the top albums of 2007. probably why it won 5 of the 6 grammys it was nominated for.

stevie wonder - songs in the key of life - jon hooked me up with this album about a week ago. thank goodness. how have i never experienced stevie before? also how did i not know that Gangsta's Paradise and Wild Wild West were total stevie samples? where have i been? what a shock considering coolio was the third most listened to track in my itunes this time two years ago. i feel like i missed a massive part of life by not knowing his music (especially this album) before now. sort of like how i've never seen an episode of saved by the bell. except that's not something that i feel i'm missing out on.

ray lamontagne - gossip in the grain - i've heard a lot about ray lamontagne, but i've been skeptical and reluctant to accept him. anytime i hear about some artist that everyone around me loves my first inclination is to take a step back and not give in without a fight, but when luke posted this gnarls cover i had to give in. anyone who appreciates gnarls deserves my listening time, and i ought to have plenty of time to digest more of this album (and trouble) since i have this massive paper to get back to work on. only 9 more days of this school business.

-ap.

ben folds comes to kstate - postblog.

might as well just kick it off with the set list. asterisked songs are tracks that i listed in the preblog:

bitch went nuts (new version)
effington
zak and sara
sentimental guy
battle of who could care less
trusted*
free coffee (altoids mix)*
cologne
dr. yang (new version intro)*
hiroshima (b-b-b-benny hit his head)*
annie waits
jesusland
you don't know me (sans regina spektor)
fly (joke song)
philosophy
lullaby
landed
army*
rockin the suburbs
not the same*
fair (encore)
one angry dwarf and 200 solemn faces (super fast remix) (encore)*

he played 7 of the songs that i hoped to hear. i was a bit nervous at the start because it took a long time for him to come to the tracks i was amped about hearing. it seemed like he structured the start of the show around Way to Normal, but eventually moved along to some of his more familiar songs. as i mentioned in the preblog you never know exactly what to expect from ben. he has quite the repertoire to choose from.

highlights for me:

not the same/army - i'm coupling these because i love them for the same reason: audience participation. the first time i saw ben in concert i didn't get to be apart of the three part harmony or the saxophone/trumpet duet that he leads the audience in when he plays these song. this is what makes ben folds so entertaining - the crowd becomes apart of the song. definitely makes the highlight reel.

one angry dwarf - he played it as the final encore...which i have a feeling he does almost all the time. he played it last when i saw him in des moines too. this has always been one of my favorite songs so it's a great one to end on for me. it's insanely fast to begin with, but just to show off his impressively quick hands - he played it somewhere in the vicinity of 231 times faster. i don't understand how he does it. it's absolutely mesmerizing to watch.

gone - what a surprise! i always forget how great this song is, and i totally didn't expect him to play it^. i don't really have anything more to say about it beyond that. love this song and so pumped that he played it.

great show overall. he's just incredible to see play in person. he just seems so comfortable when he's up there. he talks with the crowd and makes up random songs while he's up there. he tried his best to make up a song about some big eyed fly that he saw on stage mid-show (that's the song 'fly' that you might not have recognized on the set list), but he was totally failing coming up with interesting lyrics about it so he decided to bail himself out by telling jokes in verse form instead. including but not limited to The Pirate Joke.

and i TOTALLY called him doing something sweet with the 'free coffee' track. turns out here's how he got that wacky sound: he takes an altoid box, wedges it into his piano, turns an effect on, and it suddenly sounds completely different.

well guys. that's all i know.

-ap.

^ - other songs i didn't expect to hear: sentimental guy, lullaby, cologne, JESUSLAND, and fair for an encore!?! freaking awesome. that's my #4 highlight probably.

ben folds comes to kstate - preblog.

today is a big day, and not only because i've blogged three times today.

i am going to see ben folds play music about half a mile from my home at bramlage coliseum. this will be the second time i've seen ben in concert. the first time was in des moines in summer 2007. when his latest album came out in october i wasn't terribly enthusiastic about it, but the more time i've put into it the more i've really enjoyed a handful of the songs on there. i don't like it as much as most of his other LPs, but it's alright. i just hope he doesn't structure his show around it.

here is what i'm hoping to hear tonight:

- one angry dwarf and 200 solomn faces
- narcolepsy
- army
- the last polka
- trusted
- you to thank
- not the same
- hiroshima (b-b-b-benny hit his head)
- dr. yang
- underground
- jackson cannery
- some unbelievable cover you'd never expect from ben*
- some random song he wrote this afternoon**

if i hear a handful of these songs...lets say 7 of them...then this show will be epic. but you never know what to expect from ben. the guy is one of the most theatrically spontaneous artists ever. i could be 100% off the mark, but even if he doesn't play a single one of these - i'm certain that he'll rule.
kthxbye.

-ap.

oh one more addition: i hope he does something great with the synth track on "free coffee". i feel like that song has a lot of potential for greatness in a live show with ben. we'll see. sort of a hopeful prediction.

* - examples: postal service - such great heights, ray charles - them that got,

** - when i saw him in des moines he played a song called "march to reenergize iowa" that he'd written the afternoon before the show. he pulled the lyrics from some flier someone handed him while he was walking around downtown DM. so who knows what i'll hear tonight...ben probably doesn't know himself.

campus musicals with ELO.

one of the worst things about spring break: i was 100 miles away from the circulation desk at Hale Library which is where i needed to be if i wanted to pick up the albums that showed up with my name on them. there was a quick sharp pain in my heart when i checked my email on the 16th and it said "interlibrary loan available to check out at..." as the subject line and knew i had to wait another week to pick it up. talk about torture.

of the albums i had to hold out til the 23rd to pick up, this has definitely had the most success on my iPod* thus far:
prior to this pick-up, only two tracks from ELO graced my itunes library: "don't bring me down" (an old favorite of mine) and "livin' thing" (which i only ever discovered because of a delightful JC Penny commecial from a few years ago). little did i know just how great the other 18 songs on this album would be.

here's the true greatness of this album though: track 1. "mr. blue sky" is the perfect theme to walk on campus to - not because it's the perfect rhythm for my steps or because it makes me groove like "billie jean" or "around the world/harder better faster stronger" does - but because it's absolutely hilarious to think about the different people you pass on campus breaking out in random song and singing the various high/low/harmony/robot vocals. including but not limited to:

- football players on harmonies
- professors on percussion
- freshman with his backpack on too tight walking at an incredible rate can take the the background panting just cause it makes sense.
- ROTC fellas on high notes
- an international student - probably a cute asian girl - can take the lowest of the low parts
- dr. linder can take the guitar solo.
- the fluke is the duke of soul...yeah.^

man it's a riot. give it a try sometime. essentially all you have to do is try your best to challenge stereotypes through the music...this is also the exact plot of High School Musical.

if you want me to email you the song i will. otherwise you can watch that fantastic video that accompanies it over and over...just lemme know.

-ap.

* - that is, my brand new 120 gig ipod. thanks dear.
^ - please tell me someone out there catches this perfectly utilized reference. anyone? anyone? also i'm mixin it up and utilizing the carrot^ instead of the double asterisk**.

current musical interests.

i'm slowly adopting classic rhythm and blues as a large part of my musical preferences. i've been near obsessed with my etta james pandora playlist over the last few weeks, and i'm putting forth maximum interlibrary effort to establish new artists in my own personal library.

over the thanksgiving weekend, karlie and i took a trip to the blue room at 18th and vine with jon and colleen*. talk about incredible. yeah, i realize the blue room has been transformed into a near tourist attraction as a part of the jazz museum, but that doesn't mean the music they throw down isn't just as good.

anyway, over the last few weeks i've taken it upon myself to research the roots of this music - not necessarily the historical roots, but more the old school kings and queens of this music so i can understand influences on the artists of today. i'm a rookie here, and all i really know are the big names - otis redding, sam cooke, gladys knight, etta james, ray charles, etc - but it's a great place to start i suppose. add these too the list of artists that are among my "favorites".

i was asked who my favorite musical group/artist is on wednesday in class. i panicked and said michael jackson - probably not the truth, but i needed to find an answer quickly that fell under the following criteria:

1. an artist everyone will have heard of so i dont have to field questions like "who are they?" or "what type of music is that?"
2. an artist that has an established career and could be received as someone who could do nothing to ruin their career at this point.**
3. an artist for which i would not receive any stereotyped judgements. i'm sure you can figure out for yourself what artists receive ill-conceived judgements in your mind. i'm not going to hurt anyone's feelings by listing my own personal thoughts. (i suppose one could argue that MJ = littleboylover and freakshow, but that's neither relevant or worth my time defending.)

anyway, i digress. the point of this explanation is this: i feel like all of the artists i've listed above fall under those three descriptions. i wish i hadn't panicked and answered MJ, but i also wish i could honestly answer that one of these is my favorite artist. i would be proud of myself if i could make such a statement. as i keep putting work into my current musical exploration, i hope a few artists can catapult themselves into my top list of artists.

wamptown suggests sonny rollins. i'll look into that next.

-ap.

* - hey cous, if you read this, you need a blog.

** - sub-question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away? i submit that it is better to fade away.

musical worship: what am i connecting with?

one thing i've become increasingly cautious of: connecting with music and writing it off as connecting with God. sometimes it's a gray area for me. am i worshiping God through this music or am i simply enjoying the musical atmosphere? i lot of times i think - and i can only speak for myself here - that there is very little, if any, difference between my emotional and spiritual connection with worship music and popular/dance/non-worship* music.

* - i've intentionally avoided the word "secular" here. for some reason that word really bugs me. probably for the same reason that "christian" coffee shops bug me - oh, i'm not a christian, so i'll go on down the street to the not-so-christian coffee shop. or probably because the only people that i hear use the word "secular" are christians like myself who need a constant reminder that we dont associate with secularism, but that we're better than that. i find that offensive and ugly. buy anyway.

i find that music can evoke a feeling of excitement and emotional pleasure regardless the type - i'll be the first to admit that i often feel happier listening to daft punk, kanye, gnarls barkley, and al green (although, he is a reverend) than i do during intentional worship times.

my first step to address this was to carefully consider my motives in singing during church. am i singing because (insert worship song here) has a funky beat or because i am truly feeling and connecting with God? because i belt out ace of base, jimmy eat world and the rocket summer in my car and feel very similar. what about this situation is making me belt out the lyrics? is it for God? or is it cause i'm too funky for myself and can't help but sing/dance/clap along?

the step i arrived at next was understanding and implementing other forms of worship. connecting with God through things other than music. this isn't a new thought for anyone probably - dedicationg to the Bible and to prayer - but also worshiping through observing God's creation (both in nature and in humans). these are ways in which we can all intentionally connect with the Father. and those are great, but they don't solve the discomfort and uncertainty that comes with some music. regardless my worship experiences outside of music, the question during musical worship remains - what am i connecting with?

in the end, i'm not really sure how i feel about connecting with music - i certainly wouldn't go as far as to say that God can't be found in non-worship songs (on the contrary, i think it is often more likely to find Jesus outside of the church than inside) and music is certainly not evil*.

* - the only thing i find "evil" about it is when recording artists make hundreds of thousands of dollars and turn into Mr. GQ by exploiting psalms and adding chord progressions. i won't point fingers at anyone in particular, but i can't help but raise an eyebrow when artists accompany their worship with cute jeans and trendy caps whilst maintaining a consistant two-day scruff.

i guess what i'm really wondering/questioning is the authenticity of musical worship - specifically mine - and whether it's for God or not. it probably boils down to disgretion and varies in each situation - deliberating what it is about a certain moment that is causing the joy and happiness. i'm also not suggesting that moments of musical happiness that aren't devoted to God are bad things - not at all - only that sometimes i find myself thinking "man, God really moved me" when the reality is "man, that song really pumped me up."

just thoughts. feel free to comment. i don't have a tumblr so that's still an option...zing.

-ap.

december 4th.

there are certain days where you simply must respect certain musical artists by dedicating the day to listening to their music. however, it is rare for these days to manifest themselves as an annual event. usually it's just phrased "today is a (insert artist here) day."

however. today is a jay-z day. as is every december 4th. there is a point during every december 4th when i remember jay-z's mother on track 2 of the black album: "shawn carter was born december 4th..." and my day is immediately altered.

example: i'm currently at my favorite manhattan coffee shop (the one that didn't screw me out of a job) writing a paper. i was listening to johnny cash and just chuggin along without any idea how my day was about to change. then i went to read my introduction and realized i hadn't included the date in my header at the top of my essay.

12/4/08.

and i realized it. oh goll. 'shawn carter was born december 4th.'
later jc*. hola hovito.

im not sure if there is any other artist that constitutes an annual musical adjustment to my life than jay-z. good thing i have 212 different jay-z items in my itunes on 8 albums, 1 accapella album, 5 mash-up albums and an additional 23 tracks as a featured artist. this translates to 14.2 hours of audio. ought to be plenty of time to get me through a day packed with article reading, studying and paper writing.

i'll leave you with three of my favorite jay-z tracks.
minority report - jay-z (feat. ne-yo)
produced by dr. dre
album: kingdom come (2006)


heart of the city (ain't no love) - jay-z (feat. bobby bland)
produced by kanye west
album: the blueprint (2001)


dear summer - memphis bleek (feat. jay-z)
produced by just blaze
album: 534 (2005)


also shawn wears scarves. i don't have one. sigh. yet another great reason to go get one.
my list of reasons include:
- they're awesome looking.
- karlie likes guys in scarves.
- it's freaking freezing outside and i have to walk to campus.
and now
- jay-z rocks a scarf.

ugh. thats it, i'm getting one.
have a gay jay day.

-ap.

* - in this situation "jc" equals johnny cash...not jesus christ. also, listening to rap/hip-hop does not mean i am forsaking my Savior and following the devil. on the contrary, it brings me closer to Him. but that is for another day and another post - just turn on minority report and listen for Jesus' voice. he is there.

circus - britney spears.

i've managed to acquire a little more than half of the new britney spears album, Circus, coming out in december.

i know that behind almost every popular artist there is a producer who does all the work and actually makes the music and understands it. it sure would be something if britney had done anything on this album besides sing in studio and pose for photos for the album sleeve.

so know this: when i say "britney's new album rules" it ought to be comprehended as "the people who made a new album for britney spears rule and so does the album."

if you haven't heard the first single, womanizer, yet then you've probably either lived under or a rock or in rural Utah since mid-october. or you could simply not listen to the radio much. or you could live in manhattan, kansas, which is notorious for not having "popular" music until it's already been over-played elsewhere in the continental united states. regardless, it's been linked, so now you have no excuse. and since citizens of Salt Lake City rank 4th in frequenting my blog* this track ought to explode in the unreached sections of the nation over-night. as it should.

brit's new album is aimed directly at the dance club. it is beat and synth heavy and britney dons a rather robotic voice - maybe it's an attempt at sexiness, but it comes off sounding less-than-human. which is also how she comes across in her music video. in her attempt to make a comeback she decided that dancing naked in a steam room was the way to boost her image to the world. it's unfortunate that it's going to be a success story too. not that i'm not rooting for her success, but that the video is assisting in her recent rise. the video doesn't support the idea of the track either. womanizer is britney finally using her discretion and realizing when males that are just looking for some action. so she responds with that video? i don't understand.

other leaked tracks on the album that i'm a huge fan of: If U Seek Amy, Circus, and Mannequin. (downloads). i would talk more about each of these songs (womanizer too), but when given the choice between letting you listen to them and download them or trying to describe them myself - i'll pick the easy way and just let you hear them. suddenly i'm really excited for Circus. it's made my album release list just below 808's and Heartbreak.

Circus comes out december 2nd. (this is also britney's birthday. i didn't have look this little factoid up, this was common knowledge for every male back in 2000 when she turned 18. back when i was in 9th grade.)

-ap.

EDIT: Shattered Glass is great too. chorus sounds like Ace of Base. holler back '93.

* - this is likely due a past blog on Mormonism and 18 past blogs regarding John Buck - both of which center themselves in Utah.

going on - gnarls barkley.

Gnarls Barkley - Going On
Uploaded by zegonzag

-ap.

top 10 lip syncing tunes.

typically i don't like to blog about how awesome i am. not because i'm intentionally trying to exude an aura of humility, but because i consider it inherent knowledge with which my frequenters are duly familiar.

however, i must brag today. for i am an exceptional lip-syncer. i'm uncertain where i've managed to acquire such a useless skill, but i've spent the last 10 minutes or so sifting through my itunes and finding my top 10 favorite songs to lip-sync to. it's a difficult process, because i could probably manage a top 15 or top 20 list, and there are always a few stragglers that you feel got jilted and some bubble songs that maybe don't have any business being on the list instead of the jilted ones (sounds like the ncaa tourney), but the line has to be drawn somewhere. and that line is at #10.

10. Encore - Jay-Z
9. Cry Me a River - Justin Timberlake
8. Understatement - New Found Glory
7. Motown Philly - Boyz II Men
6. Back in the U.S.S.R. - The Beatles
5. The Distance - Cake
4. One Angry Dwarf and 200 Solomn Faces... - Ben Folds Five
3. Holiday - Green Day
2. Can't Take It - The All-American Rejects
1. Monkberry Moon Delight - Paul McCartney

now that i have a playlist created it's possible that you'll find me in front of full-length mirror practicing for hours at a time for impromptu performances in the future. add this to the list of skills i have that won't likely lead to any sort of lucrative career. also on the list: disc golf, foosball, and eyebrow control.

-ap.

EDIT: i'd like to change number 10 to The Pretender - Foo Fighters. i discovered this after half an hour of pumping myself up for an ultimate game that never happened due to a lack of opponent.