Running to Forever with The Varlet’s EP Fever Dreams

           

The Varlets debut their first EP titled Fever Dream, and with it, they introduce their new, changing sound. In this third release, Samuel Pursey, Reed Sutherland, Patrick Brown and Vasilios Karsaliakos slide away from their past brand of seimi-nostalgic, straight-up rock & roll and embrace a stranger, darker, more realized representation of who they are as artists. They offer listeners a dreamy six song soundscape, with airy backing vocals, pensive jazz breaks, moody solos and imaginative lyrics.

Over the past six years, the quartet gigged together, released two full-length albums, produced each other’s solo work, shared a practice space, and remained best friends. Even while each artist changed personally and grew musically, The Varlets stayed tight. Fever Dream is the result of this unique friendship and a full year of in-studio and independent recording. Throughout that time, the band intermittently worked with other artists, and began recording their full-length (announcement TBD)…but the EP was always present, the faint yet relentless soundtrack of their past year.

At twenty-two minutes, Fever Dream is considerably shorter than their other collections. Still, the six song dip into their forming brand of thoughtful alt-rock is quite full. Listeners get the complete, nuanced musical range of The Varlets here. For progressive, shinning build-ups, see “Tantalized” at 1:54. For heavy, moody vocals and grungy base tones, listen to “Electric Pulses.” The Varlets even offer us a break from the EP itself by injecting a bluesy interlude at the halfway point, very Meta boys.

If you could only listen to one song, check “Running to Forever.” The 5^th track expresses the lyrical and musical sensibility of the release perfectly, even if it’s considerably more upbeat than the rest of the EP (thanks to some precise drumming and all-around super fun rhythm section.) Taking hints from their favorite artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, James Blake, and Frank Ocean, The Varlets expertly insert airy, layered backing vocals on almost every track, which pairs perfectly with the lyrics. A title like Fever Dreams seems to create an expectation of illusory, dreamlike lyrical content. The expectation is fulfilled on “Technicolor Sweetness”,

But then the sirens sing:
“Do you remember when, like colors in the sand we wash away again?
You set sail on a golden breeze into the sea you wash away from me”

            For me, the lyrics on Fever Dream evoked mental images and feelings more often than they provided contexts for strong themes or meticulously constructed ideas. However, there are heavy implications of sadness and isolation behind some of the songs, like on the final track of the EP when Vasilios sings “Silver dreams live in melancholy eyes, you’re just a face without a name.” There’s also some pretty sexy-come-and-get-me/I want you themes in lines like, “I need a good old recipe, just a little taste, yeah, ‘Cause I ain’t dealt with my hunger lately.”

            Ultimately, the lyrical content of the album is poetic and emotive. The lyrics rarely travel outside the realm of feverish, subconscious musings which, to the EP’s benefit, are more mysterious and intriguing than easily interpreted:

I want to bathe in electric pulses, use your heartbeat as a clock
Where cosmic lovers drift into the undercover, float in space while lost
The ashes burn on your silhouette as you start dancing for the gods
Offer my heart as a sacrifice and I’ll sit still and watch

            The Varlet’s EP Fever Dream marks a notable break from their past style of lyrical and musical expression. Their sound remains substantial and very tight, meaning the guitar, drums, bass, vocals and keys are refined and well produced (you definitely couldn’t do the Courtney love thing to Sam Pursey). However, The Varlets utilized their expertise in musicianship and song composition differently on this release. The burgeoning expression present on Fever Dreams is structured, yet emotive…modern, but conscious of its influences. The EP seems to offer listeners a hazy look ahead at what The Varlets have to offer, a brief and allusive glance at their soon-to-be realized potential as matured artists making compelling music.

Solar Series pt. 1: Leasing Verses Ownership

Massachusetts is the best state in the empire to live if you’re considering utilizing solar energy for heating or electricity. With the advent of solar installations in MA, we see two options for most consumers: own a solar system, or lease a system from a solar energy company. Corporations like Vivint, Solar City, and Viridian offer customers a solar system and instillation at no cost to the home owner. I find when something like this seems “too good to be true,” it actually is too good to be true. Why would a company gift you a solar electric system for your roof, or even pay you to get one if it wasn’t a great deal for them…and not for you?

Would you let me grow cucumbers in your backyard, if I gave you 10% of my crop every year? Or would you see the potential of your own backyard, and choose to grow, sell, and consume your own cucumbers? Not a perfect metaphor considering solar electric systems require considerably less yearly maintenance than any veggie garden, but you get the idea.

Homeowners and builders across the US are signing up in record numbers to lease a solar electric system. If you’re deciding whether to own or lease a system, please consider some of these points.

THE “FACTS”
As we all know, truth is a relationship to the facts. So, let’s take a look at some of the facts about leasing verses owning, and decide what truths about this issue make sense.

Leasing saves you thousands of dollars up front, yet some leasing contracts have automatic cost escalators that will make the cost of electricity increase exponentially over time, making customers pay more for electricity over time than they would have without the system.

Owning often saves consumers $10,000 or more over the life of the system. If you own the system, you (the person reading this blog post, not the organization installing the system) get the 30% tax credit, your state tax credit (MA is 15% of the cost of the system) and the Renewable Energy Credits. Owning a solar energy system is an investment, lease payments are just expenses.

Leasing companies give high estimates for system costs as a way to convince customers to lease rather than buy and maximize their tax credits. To combat solar spin, use this formula: a typical solar electric system costs between $3 and $3.75 per watt before incentives and tax credits. Thus, a 5kw system (5,000 wats) would cost around $15,000.

Some leasing agreements make it hard to sell the home. You’ve relinquished your right to use your roof for 10-15yrs and have agreed to pay the leasing company every month for your electricity. Not all new home buyers want to take on those leasing agreements. You might be required to pay off your lease before you can sell your home.

Owning  a system will bring you many times more financial value than a leasing option and there is little risk involved.

Leasing can make sense if you want solar and don’t have the money, you aren’t able to take out a loan, and you don’t have much taxable income. Otherwise, it’s much more strategic to own your solar system.

Even if you can’t afford a system now, your time to participate in solar energy is approaching. The excerpt below was taken from a press release submitted by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Council less than one week ago (boldface added by yours truly):

Residential solar installations offer homeowners with an opportunity to directly engage in the solar market and realize energy costs and savings. [Department of Energy Resources (DOER)] has demonstrated that homeowners and the Commonwealth can realize greater financial benefits from directly owning the solar systems, in comparison with third-party ownership or leasing opportunities. To this end, in March 2014 DOER announced that it has committed $30 million of RPS Alternative Compliance Payment funds to establish a Residential Solar Loan Program. The program will use credit enhancement to encourage solar lending, and thereby facilitate homeowners’ access to attractive solar loans and provide new business opportunities for our local lending institutions. DOER plans to launch the solar loan program in the fall.

If leasing still looks like a reasonable option, make sure  to:

• get several bids from different, local installers
• read the lease carefully and ask your lawyer to read it through too
• check the value of state and federal tax credits
• check the cost of electricity according to the agreement and if it increases over time
• research the brand of solar panels the installer is using
• understand the guaranteed electricity production of your system
• know the brand of inverter
• research the type of mounting rack, what it’s made of and where its from
• know what happens if the system doesn’t work or if it doesn’t produce the electricity they promised it would
• know what your options are if you someday want to own the system
• know the penalties for canceling the lease

Think about it: if you choose to grow your own cucumbers, you can pickle ’em, chop ’em up, put ’em in a salad, throw them at your neighbor, feed ’em to bunnies, put slices over your eyes while your relaxing in a hot-tub or whatever! If someone else owns your cucumbers, then you can’t do any of that fun stuff.

Why Western New England Univeristy Needs Feminism

This article was originally written for my school newspaper The Westerner, but I didn’t bother trying to publish it there, mainly because they don’t publish controversial content or “content that doesn’t fit the tone of the newspaper” and they made some strange decisions on my three most recent submission with confusing formatting and editing errors. Moreover, I’m pretty sure they’d expect me to change the article because the content could be interpreted as “attacking the newspaper and other students,” so I’m gonna publish the article here.

Western New England University Needs Feminism

Over the past few weeks, The Westerner featured articles about rape culture, menstration, and dating in the modern world. For me, this is exciting. It shows that Western New England University students and writers at The Westerner are willing to engage members of our community about pertinent social issues that meaningfully affect everyone’s day-to-day lives in obvious and subtle ways. Yet, I do not believe this is enough. I assert that our community must encourage a critical dialogue around these issues, a dialogue that is inclusive and compassionate; an exchange of ideas that rejects stereotypes and embraces a systemic, nuanced view of these complicated issues. So, how does a university community promote this kind of public discourse? I propose feminism.

According to bell hooks, feminism is a “Movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression.” While it is certainly challenging to say that all feminists believe one thing, it seems safe to say that most feminists are for ending sexist oppression, and subsequently ending all other forms of oppression based on gender, race and class. Furthermore, it seems helpful to view feminism as a lens for critical thought, as Maya Dusenbery, executive director of the website Feministing,states,

Too often, it’s tempting to see feminism as a set of beliefs, a collection of more-or-less accepted ideas. But that’s so static–thinking of feminism as a lens allows for the possibility of constant movement toward truths and futures we can’t yet imagine.

So, we have a lens for critical thought that we can use to interpret social issues and negotiate our feeling and ideas about these issues…what comes next? I say application and action.

If we applied feminist thinking to our understanding of sexual assault, then we’d understand that rape is unacceptable, and we’d reject the assertions of a sordid rape culture that was accurately described in the previous issue of The Westerner. In addition, if we applied feminist thought to the realm of sex and sexuality, we’d embrace a spectrum of views about sex, understanding that some people choose monogamy for various reasons, while other people choose to have multiple partners for various reasons….we’d embrace the idea that all sorts of things turn people on, and we’d work towards freeing people from oppressive thought processes that only acknowledge certain kinds of sexual desire as legitimate.

So next time we discuss issues about sex, gender or sexuality at our universities, let’s use a framework that embraces freedom of choice and consent. If university communities across the country interact with feminism enough, we’ll have more informed, compassionate things to say when we hear someone call another person a slut, or when we see someone being oppressed based on their sexual preferences, or when our media outlets ask the question, “What was she/he wearing that night,” or “How much did she/he have to drink?”

D/A/D, Nostalgia, and the Advent of 80s Synth

Nostalgia is dangerous, no doubt. We romanticize the past and forget to seek out the things that rock right now.

Just go to the Buzzfeed homepage and you’ll see numerous references of late 80s/early 90s things that’ll make your heart feel good. It’s not bad to enjoy looking at Tommy Pickles gifs and Full House listicles, but I think it’s important to acknowledge that the 1980s and 1990s were occasionally lame and fairly rough for a lot of people. Mass incarceration, wide-spread environmental degradation and needless “military conflicts” aren’t the only things I think of when I look back at the 1960s, ’70s, ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s, yet I understand that all those things were a large part of popular culture…all that being said, GOD DO I LOOVE when someone pays homage to a past musical/film era and absolutely nails it. Enter the Drive soundtrack and D/A/D’s music and visual.

Cliff Martinez is credited with composing the soundtrack for this Renf film. The duo also worked together on Only God Forgives and Martinez has composed for dozens of other  films from The Lincoln Lawyer to Spring Breakers.

Notice the homage paid to the mid-80s Miami Vice era of action dramas. The reference is blaring but not gaudy. ALL RIGHT the pink font may be a bit much, but the music really nails the largely ominous and dramatic feel of the city lights and the stark-lit Gosling profile. Essentially, the director, cinematographer and composer are referencing a time in film, music, and television that is often portrayed in a tacky or generally awful way. Yet, the reference is modern and not nearly as indulgent or nostalgic as many other pieces of art that directly borrow from the 80s and early 90s (see; every Urban Outfitter’s tank top).

K. Haring is in the ether somewhere, shaking his head in general disappointment.

D/A/D‘s album The Construct is probably the best example of how the appropriation of ’80s/early ’90s sythn-pop can be legitimately respectable, fun, and interesting. On his June 2013 cassette and CD release, Zach Robinson published a shining display of uplifting, menacing, and generally nostalgic sounds. Lars Gotrich of NPR’s All Songs Considered  said it best,

“D/A/D’s The Construct is the stuff workout montages are made of, sure, but a tone-perfect memory of that era and those movies. Where others might pound the sine wave for maximum fist-pumpage, D/A/D adds nuance to these compositions, with flourishes that I catch on third and fourth listens.”

Yea I’m sort of done with trying to top NPR writer’s ability to describe things…

Anyway, as if D/A/D wasn’t already totally cool, Robinson collaborated with his dear friend and filmmaker Cambell Logan on a music video for their song “Orion Beach”. This is where the real nostalgia kicks in…

To me, this video is brilliant and skillfully reminiscent of a time when computer monitors were robust and neutrally colored, and video games graphics were boxy and beautiful.

Nostalgia isn’t the worst thing to feel. Clearly, it can be valuable, being, at least partly, the catalyst for the artwork above. Yet, I still feel that hanging on to motifs of the past can hinder progress now.

(Above Image: M.I.A. for Verses Versace (2013))

Film was Great in 2013

A lot of people may not empathize with my view of “modern cinema”, but I honestly feel that movies keep getting better. With the special effects and world building of Pacific Rim, the brilliant writing in Before Midnight, and the cinematography in Her, it’s fair to say that I might have a decent case about the heightened quality of cinema…at least in 2013. Here’s some of my favorites from this year. Watch ‘em, and maybe have your faith in movies restored. Sorry for the lack of animated movies and international films.

FRANCES HA

Greta Gerwig stars a not-so-typical yet wholly mundane white girl trying to earn a respectable living as a modern dancer in Manhattan. Shot in black and white, the film is “super” reminiscent of other witty, endearing comedies about restless twenty-somethings like Manhattan or Girls. With a runtime of 86 minutes, the movie’s target audience can take a break from their gender studies homework, eat some kale chips and watch the film in bed with their platonic make-out partner and still have time to check their Instagram account before bed. Also, Modern Love by David Bowie is in the trailer…what else do I need to say?

Great Scene

Greta Gerwig energetically running, prancing, and dancing to her new apartment while David Bowie’s Modern Love plays.

HER

When asked his opinion of this Spike Jones joint (wait…wrong person), respected musician and illustrator Reed Sutherland said, “It’s [one of] the most complete pieces of art I’ve ever experienced.” I couldn’t agree more.

This film is a triumph.

The highly stylized SF movie follows the chronically lonely Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix) as he copes with the aftermath of a year-long divorce with his partner Catherine (Rooney Mara). During this process, he purchases the new OS1, which is “a conscious operating system” that evolves as it learns about the person its serving.

This movie is emotional, stylish, and generally well done. The cinematography is beautiful and the dialogue is true to “real life” relationships in a meaningful way. As soon as you can, go to the nearest theater playing Her, and let yourself cry as many times as you need (for me, that number was about 7).

Great Scene

The opening scene of the movie, which is just a close-up shot of Theodore talking. Sounds lame, but it’s honestly brilliant.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive), music by Cliff Martinez (Drive) and starring one of the most insanely attractive human beings on this wretched Earth (see also; Idris Elba), you’d think everyone would love this movie. Not the case at all.

Julian (Ryan GOSH-DAMN! Gosling), lives in Bangkok and owns a boxing gym as a cover for his drug smuggling. The movie starts with the murder of his brother, which sets the tone for this hyper-violent, visually stunning film. The narrative is pretty loose and sort of confusing, but if you’re into the motifs of violent Asian Cinema, Gosling wearing skinny suits, or any of Refn’s other films, then I’d suggest steaming it on Netflix.

Great Scene
Julian starring down his brother’s murderer while he’s loading a revolver in a dimly lit shack, “Ask him why he killed my brother,” he says.

PACIFIC RIM

Everyone knows what this movie is about, and everyone has their complaints:

“It’s premise is unoriginal.”
“The acting is bad.”
“There’s too much CGI.”
“The plot is weak.”
Or my Favorite: “It’s just stupid.”

I’m not going to refute those arguments because, in one way or another, all of those points are valid about many high budget SF action movies (see; every Michael Bay Transformers Movie). Like with most things related to art and people, context is important. Del Toro wanted to create an immersive, future world where aliens from another dimension attack large urban centers. That context may not lend itself very well to character development, plot exploration, or meaningful “depth”. Thus, if people don’t EXPECT those things, they’ll actually enjoy themselves. I loved Pacific Rim because it was a very contemporary cinema experience in terms of special effects. Viewers see insane monster v. robot fight scenes and really get the sense that a movie like this couldn’t exist until now. Find a friend with an enormous television and check it out.

Great Scene
Every time a monster is fighting a gigantic robot. Also, every scene with Charlie Day.

BEFORE MIDNIGHT

This is the third in a series of movies following the relationship of Jesse (Ethan Hawk) and Celine (Julie Deply) as they vacation on a beautiful island in Greece. The first film of this trilogy, Before Sunrise, was released in 1995 and the second film, Before Sunset, was released in 2004. This actual time lapse brings a sense of realness to the movie since viewers have watched these actors age together. Much like Her, the dialogue in Before Midnight is masterful and genuine, leaving me with a sick feeling whenever each main character said something hurtful or ignorant in an argument that I have definitely said or had said to me in the past. Even though I haven’t seen the first two movies (woops), I didn’t feel lost…I still really enjoyed it.

Great Scene
The final (verbal) fight scene that seems to mark the end of their story or possibly the beginning of a new relationship paradigm.

2 “Punk” Docs: The Punk Singer and A Band Called Death

If you’re into the history of late 80s/early 90s riot grrrl stuff, Le Tigre, or punk in general, then go see The Punk Singer: A Film About Kathleen Hanna while it’s still out. The film takes a unique look at Hanna’s life as a musician, feminist, partner, and person dealing with a debilitating illness. There’s dozens of insightful interviews, old footage, and snippets from classic zines. Get stoked on it.

Great Scene
Kathleen Hanna telling the origin of the song title Smells like Teen Spirit.

A Band Called Death tells the story of three brothers who got together in the early 1970s to start a band…called Death. After one of the brothers died suddenly, the band stopped making music. Decades later, people discovered Death’s demos. The tapes became wildly popular and people now regard them as the first black punk band ever, some even claimed that they were the first punk band ever.

Great Scene
In Death’s hometown of Detroit, the two brothers re-visit the first person to record their music. The record executive then pulls out one of his notebooks and shows the schedule note from over 40 years ago.

In no way is this an exhaustive list of all the movies I loved from 2013. I loved 12 Years a Slave, Mud, Dallas Buyers Club, Monster’s University, The Place Beyond the Pines and dozens of other movies. To be honest, I was going to write about PBTP, but then I realized I couldn’t write about ANOTHER movie starring Gosling because that would be too much…then I thought about it again and decided that I’ll probably just edit this post real soon and include a review about it₪

Ryan…hold me like I’m your illegitimate lovechild

Fear and Loathing in Drake’s Visuals: No New [talking parts for your] Friends Please

I’ve written about Drake before, and, if you read that article, you’ll notice that I’m not a hater. Dude’s signed to G.O.O.D. Music, so he must have some redeemable qualities. Anyway, what I do have an issue with is the presence of his music videos on several Top Ten Best Music Video Lists. Two reputable/alternative media outlets have claimed that two of his videos should be recognized among the best videos of the year. I understand that top ten lists serve several purposes and are highly subject to the tastes and “agendas” of the list aggregators and blah blah blah. None of those facts will change my feeling that Drake’s music videos do not belong on any top ten list.

NPR says this is one of the best videos of 2013.

Pitchfork says this is one of the best videos of 2013.

Personally, I see Drake’s videos as indulgent (not like Martin Scorsese or Spike Lee indulgent either, like “I really wanted to do this thing that only me and my friends will think is cool, fuck whatever other people want to see), formulaic, altogether boring and lacking meaningful creativity. Worst of all are the talking parts he gives to his friends in the videos. They lend nothing to the visual experience, even taking away from the flow/direction of the video on several occasions. A 2+minute talking part, interrupting the video two separate times during Worst Behavior? Really?!? For what? So his friends can get some face-time and practice their improve kills? People say he’s “on top” or the “#1 rapper right now.” I expect more from someone receiving that sort of hype. In addition, this dude has millions of dollars and unbridled access to brilliant cinematographers, actors, writers and other creatives. This is the best he could do with all his resources?

My friends and I had no budget, no prior experience with making music videos or films in general, and we came up with this (see below).

Remember our friend Portrey Youth? He made a brilliant video with no budget. What if he had $10,000 to produce and shoot a visual? Would it rival Worst Behavior or Hold on We’re Goin’ Home? Would he get some shout outs from NPR Music, Pitchfrok, Rolling Stone or Spin?

Perhaps most of my negative feelings towards Drake’s videos may actually be an extension of my bitterness towards the lack of attention that Portugal. The Man’s video for Modern Jesus has received. That visual does exactly what a video should do, that is it makes the viewer enjoy the song more because the video was cool/well done/interesting/worth your fucking time. 

Let’s thank the music gods that drake isn’t accepting any new friend applications…because if he was, viewers might be subjected to a new lineage of senseless babbling from his privileged compadres.

Against Wallstreet: Rich, [Relatively] Young, Black, and Capitalist

Weird title right? CLICK HERE and it’ll all make sense.

There’s been plenty of talk about Kanye West recently. Some hype from me, dozens of interviews , and some phony quotes that pissed a bunch of people off. I’m here to merry this insanity and show y’all that what Kanye West has been chatting/ranting about is nothing new. He’s a disgruntled, relatively young, black capitalist who’s been denied the opportunity to create, control his means of production and maximize his profits outside the realm of music. The delivery of his ideas might be a bit unorthodox, abrasive [see below at 17:25] , and possibly insane, but the content of his message is nothing new.

Late nineties and early 2000s hip-hop yielded a few black capitalists, most notably “Diddy” and Jay-Z (Dr. Dre to a lesser extent).  Each rapper-turned-power-mongerer has owned and produced things like vodka, commercial audio equipment, record labels, clothing, fragrances and beyond. Popular culture has “gotten used to” seeing young, black males with a history in hip-hop as “philanthropists”, investors and producers of goods, i.e. venture capitalists. So, why is everyone surprised and upset when one of the largest celebrities on planet Earth, and arguably the most successful rapper of the past ten years, wants to create a product other than music and own those means of production?

Until recently, Kanye West hasn’t explored this possibility. In his first interview that seemed to spur the ‘Ye uprising or the “Yeezus Spring” (a term I made up referring to the two or three months of radio and television interviews and constant news updates about Kanye West and his rebellion against an entertainment industrial complex that refuses to facilitate his creative processes and profit maximization), Omari West said “I’m a product guy,” which essentially means that he no longer wants to deal in music exclusively, but in all things that can make money, e.g. architecture, clothing, theater, film etc.  I was surprised and excited by this, since I respect Kanye, and most things he does (I even enjoyed the Nick Knight video [see below at 34:18] ). Then I realized I shouldn’t be surprised. Rocawear, Beats by Dre, Ciroc Vodka, Sean John Clothing and dozens of other brands are excellent examples of rappers and hip-hop people saying, “I’m a product person.” Yeezus isn’t turning water into wine, he’s following in the footsteps of almost a dozen other young, black, male hip-hop people who sought more fame, fortune and power by becoming a capitalist.

Frannie Kelly of NPR’s hip-hip blog Microphone Check said it best during the podcast’s final shows of 2013 . Essentially, she stated that Kanye West wants to control means of production, and create new products that align with his brand. Instead of encouraging a new generation of listeners to strive for the purchasing power that leads to the newest pair of Jordan’s or the nicest cars, Kelly asserts that West is showing these kids that they should strive to own their own shoes brands and make their own luxury cars. Kanye West, Dr. Dre, Diddy, Jay-Z and others are among a relatively new realm of young, black, male, hip-hop capitalists.

For me there is no nobility or uniqueness in Kanye’s pursuit when compared to other hip-hop capitalists. I predict that the various, up-coming Kanye “products” will be a bit more tasteful than anything Rocawear or Sean John has ever done. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that Yeezy is a part of the centuries old tradition of controlling the means of production, maximizing profits, and strengthen a brand at the expense of other people’s labor power, other people’s wealth, and other people’s creativity and livelihood.

When thinking about Kanye West as a capitalist controlling his own means of production, there’s plenty of reasons to be excited, intrigued, confused, and horrified, but no reason to be surprised.

On a completely unrelated note, I’m sorry for asking you readers to find the specific times in the videos. Apparently, in a free WordPress blog post, you cannot link a YouTube video to a specific time, which, I think, is fucking ridiculous. You’d think that a blogging interface with over 46 million downloads in the past 12 months would be able to provide its free users with the ability to link to a YouTube video at specific times, but no. Get your shit together WordPress. You’re making me seem lazy.

Related articles

• Kanye West Makes 2014 Pledge NOT to RANT? (celebnmusic247.com)
• “Yeezy Taught Me”: A Textbook on “The Cultural Impact of Kanye West” Is Coming Soon (complex.com)
• @Xtradope’s Best Albums of the Year List: #5 Kanye West- Yeezus (astumengesha.wordpress.com)

I Won’t End This High: A Yeezus Review

           

November 17th at 8:49pm, several dancers dressed in white first communion gowns slowly paced to the front of the triangular Yeezus stage. The peculiar drama was building, and the audience was going bonkers. I was screaming that awful, high-pitched scream that plaid-skirted white girls screeched during Beetle-mania or ‘N SYNC concerts. Everyone in the stadium had some idea of what was about to happen, but no one knew for sure. This was the Yeezus tour, and we were all about to be assaulted.

I owe the experience to Rachel Ciecko who spent over $200 on tickets to the Boston Yeezus show. The concert was an awesome menagerie of amateur theatre, strange religious imagery, white people ages 14 to 28, cathartic howls and indignant rambling. I’ve been seeing live shows since age 11, and I can honestly say that my emotions have never been so arrested by the stage presence of one person (sorry, B. Flowers).

First came Kendrick though.

Dressed in a dark windbreaker, black sneakers and loosely fitting black jeans, Lamar commanded the stage. He was a mere phantom to people in our seats, but he interacted well with the audience, making personal connections and gestures, as he moved about the triangular front stage. Kendrick did his verse from F#@!kin’ Problem twice, crowd yelling each time “Girl, I know you wan dahh diiahh,” which was entertaining every time. Lamar’s set started with Money Trees, and had a three-paneled screen set up in the background of his stage. The screen streamed high definition videos of Compton neighborhoods, kids crumping under streetlights and what looked to be home videos of black families from 1992. Great vibes. No doubts about Lamar’s ability to perform and entertain a very large crowd that may not have been there to see him.

In between Kendrick and Kanye, a Miley Cyrus look-alike solicited my partner and I for some alcohol. We had nothing better to do, so we told the girl that we would gladly wait in line and buy her and her friend (whom she swore was 21 and forgot her I.D.) some alcohol…2 vodka Red Bulls. I will never understand why people pay so much for watered down alcohol at venues like the T.D. Garden. Then again, I’m used to paying $8 for Dior button-ups and $5.99 for vintage Levi’s at thrift stores.

We waited in the wrong line for 18 minutes. During that time I noticed the brown, black and mostly white faces of the folks who passed by. Forever 21 made it impossible to decipher whether each girl’s high-waisted leather pants were real or not, so I assumed all leather items that passed were some polyvinyl chloride “vegan” alternative. Brown and black boys with their “leather” jogging pants and faded white kids with boot cut Aeropostale jeans and Glow in the Dark Tour t-shirts adored the halls, restrooms, and merch-stands…these were the Boston Yeezus-heads? I was quite surprised and wholly unsurprised all at once. Could inner-city people afford tickets to Kanye’s concert? I am the biggest fan of his album I know, yet there was no way I was going to spend the money to see him (S/O to my partner). VIP general admission was about $180 per ticket, regular general admission was close to $150 (day of show) and the rest were at least $90. Clearly, Kanye West is about creativity, not solidarity with his fans.

Do people that like “real hip-hop” even dig Yeezus?

After realizing that we were in the wrong line, I went to the stand that sold mixed drinks, the aptly named “Shots.” The Boston Bruins and Celtics call the TD Garden home, which is why the name of that drink station is so fucking clever. Again I was asked by a group of plastered white teenagers for alcohol.

“Dude…dude, don’t even ask him.” The first kid quietly said. “He’ll get so pissed.” His other friend was a bit braver.

“Yo, hey what’s up? Could you get us some Ciroc?”

I didn’t make eye contact, yet I felt like I’d been presented with an opportunity to simultaneously fuck the system and make someone else’s night better, so I extended my hand toward him, concealing it behind the large person in front of me, and quietly snapped my fingers at the $20 in his hand.

“Dude, can you get us some drinks? We’re just lookin’ to have a good time.” I looked at my hand, now 3 inches from his with the money. He got the message, but his other friend didn’t.

“Are you gunna get us somethin?” his other friend drunkly rattled. “Just get us two Cirocs and cranber—“

“Back off.” I said quietly. “What do you think I’m doing?.” Outside of a fast-food restaurant, I’ve never been stern with a stranger before. It was sort of fun.

After placing $18 worth of mixed piss-water behind a curtain, I bid my new friends goodbye and headed to my seat with two other drinks in my hand for Miley and her friend. Just as I stepped into the first row of section 514, the lights went out. The show was starting. I screamed so loud.

∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆∆

            I’ve been told there are plenty of articles throughout the web that portray the Yeezus show in all its abrasive wonder. I read none of those editorials prior to the show. I wanted to be surprised by all the elements of the concert, and I was (except for look-alike Jesus, which I accidentally read in the headline of a Huffington Post article).  Even if I combed the Google-machine for all the notable Yeezus accounts, I would not have been prepared for Omari West’s performance of “On Sight.”

At 5’8, Kanye West on 5th ave., Oxford st. or via Montenapoleone is hardly intimidating, but his presence on stage is aggressive, wild and daunting. In addition, I totally forgot that he performs with  masks on. Rachel bought the ticket, I was taking the ride. Miley was providing the spliffs.

Kanye slowly descended his mountain while the beginning of On Sight growled at the audience. The two base hits that happen during his lines “fuck what, fuck whatever y’all been wearin’…” hit so hard they made the speakers of the TD Garden crackle. He was wearing ripped, lightly washed denim jeans and a slightly tattered American flag tank top. In the middle of his shirt sat a bald eagle head. His mask was gold, with multi-colored jewels dangling from it. The scene was generally fucked-up.

During the chaotic ending of On Sight, he climbed the middle portion of his Yeezus Mountain and stared down at the camera through his mask while it slowly zoomed in. He made no effort to move or vibe or go insane. He just stood stoic, maybe flexing a bit. The 80ft LCD display and comparatively massive oval screens on the each side of the stadium projected the menacing man. In that moment, he became Yeezus, and the show never ended for me.

Related articles

• Yeezy Season in Boston (wr2213.wordpress.com)
• The Dramaturgical Validity of The Last Temptation of Kanye West (dramalit.wordpress.com)
• Kanye West: ‘My Next Album Is Going to Be Eight Songs’ (rollingstone.com)

Living in the Golden Age of Comedy and Modern Tech.

Gentlepeople, we are in an undeniable “Golden Age” of comedy and parody. Sites like “The Onion“, television shows like “The Colbert Report”, parody videos like Bound 3 (see below), and comedians like Louis C.K have never been more prevalent or easier to mimic. Instagram, Vine and (relatively in a historical sense) inexpensive film technologies have allowed people to express comic genius easier than ever.

I know racism on Vine is practically an epidemic (“Black moms be like [insert racist comment]…” “Mexicans be like [insert racist comment]…”), and Intagram videos often feature strange, chopping feeds of nothingness accompanied by muffed audio from slight breezes, BUT I won’t discuss all that right now because I’m trying to be positive for once.

A great example capitalizing on modern technology in a way that promotes comedic genius is the people from www.foundfootagefest.com. These preformers travel across the U.S. going to thrift stores, tag sales, public television stations and other places to recover silly, strange, and hilarious footage from abandoned cassette tapes. They aggregate footage and make montages of the insane videos they find. Their best findings are documented on their website….below is one of their videos.

Insanity

Modern tech makes life for people at the FFF easier, which is great and I’m glad I live in an era of art and creation where Bound 2 and Bound 3 can exist in harmony and can be accessed for free.

Related articles

• John Cleese: Golden age of comedy over (mobile.wnd.com)
• Is There Too Much Great TV or Too Little? (entertainment.time.com)
• Louis CK Is Better At Self – Promotion Than You (fastcocreate.com)

What’s the Difference Between Cultural Exchange and Cultural Appropriation?

Seriously great article. Wonderful example of critically thinking about an issue that is prevalent and easy to take a side on without thinking. Also, I kind of had to read this since I have a tattoo of a chicken wearing an Indian headdress.

Unsettling America

(Related: “Cultural Appreciation or Cultural Appropriation?” and “Wanting To Be Indian“)

Jarune Uwujaren explains that there needs to be some element of mutual understanding, equality, and respect for it to be a true exchange.

From The Good Men Project

Cultural appropriation is a term that isn’t often heard in daily conversation, which means it’s inevitably misunderstood by those who feel attacked by feminists, sociologically-informed bloggers, and others who use the term.

Many a white person sporting dreadlocks or a bindi online has taken cultural appropriation to mean the policing of what white people can or can’t wear and enjoy.

Having considered their fashion choices a form of personal expression, some may feel unfairly targeted for simply dressing and acting in a way that feels comfortable for them.

The same can be said for those who find criticisms of the Harlem Shake meme and whatever it is Miley Cyrus did…

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