Entries tagged with tl;dr

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Home
Current Music: Parabellum - Tempus Mortis - "Guerra, Monopolio, Sexo"

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The metal albums of 2011 - the good, the meh, the bad and the WHAT THE FUCK?

I already did this in Faecesbook because, well, I'm lazy, and it was easier. But damn it, I keep saying I'm going to stay off that shitty enabling social network of doom, and I'll be damned if I don't at least half get that right. So here we are, with album art and a youtube clip for each (well, if I can find one - I'm not going through all the fucktardry of actually uploading tracks myself if they're not there).

This is by no means all the releases I listened to, and there were some that didn't make the lists but were close (as evidenced by the "almost-rans"). And yes, they were all metal. Because I'm a narrow-minded, elitist wanktard that way, obviously. (In all seriousness, I did listen to non-metal this year but not enough to make as comprehensive a list as the one below).

( The list )

Well, that post took way too long for something that only a few people will even bother reading... ;P

Current Mood: cheerful
Current Location: Home
Current Music: Orange Goblin - Healing Through Fire - "Beginner's Guide To Suicide"

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And now, for something completely different.

This is partly to balance out last night's Post o' DOOM.

As a Melbournian, I've put up with the supposed rivalry between us and Sydney for a very long time. I've heard people say that Melbourne is a drab, grey place that can't compare to Sydney's natural beauty, set next to its harbour with its bridge and its opera house blah blah blah. That all Melbourne is is a large, dirty port city.

It's true: Melbourne doesn't have Sydney's harbour with all its little outcroppings and lit-up ferries at night that prettily reflect off the water's surface. It's also true that Melbourne is decidedly colder. However, recently I saw something that stunned me: Melbourne from the air, hugging Port Phillip Bay.

It was a gorgeously sunny evening as we returned from our honeymoon. I still had the remains of a bad mood that I'd nurtured from the start of the flight (don't ask). And then we passed over the border between South Australia and Victoria. The sky was so clear that I could see directly below, with surprising clarity. I saw green Victoria and was shocked by the green: I'd forgotten that recently Victoria had received a shitload of rain. I was hoping to eventually see Melbourne by air but didn't hold out much hope, as the airport is west of the city and I didn't think the pilot would make a circle over the city. Turns out I was wrong. Either the pilot was a Melbourne boy, or he'd read my thoughts. Because we came up to Melbourne in such a way that I could see perfectly the entirety of enormous Port Phillip Bay. I saw the Rip, that historically nasty little channel between Points Lonsdale and Nepean that caused so much trouble for transport vessels. I could pick out little Corio Bay and Geelong; I even spied the shit farm in Werribee. I recognised the remarkably recognisable Bellarine Peninsula with its bay that looks like the open maw of one of the aliens from the same movie. And I saw the sprawl of Melbourne hugging the huge main bay, with the mouth of the Yarra River spewing into it. I saw how the suburbs give way, in fits and starts, to little settlements and farmland.

It was an utterly astounding view. I saw just how massive Melbourne is, how freaking majestic it is. How green it is. I saw the colourful scenery that Jeff (one of our past state premiers, for those who have no idea what I'm talking about) put up next to the exit to the Tulla freeway near to where we live: from the air, even that unsightly mess looks charming.

I've seen a fair few cities from air. Nothing compares to the sight I saw last Monday from that plane. It was amazing. And that pilot accommodatingly flew a wide circle around the grandiose sight, dipping the wings every now and then so both sides could see it. He must have been a Melbourne boy.

It's times like this when I realise that, for all my bitching and moaning about Melbourne, it's always going to be home to me. And that I'll always love it, whilst occasionally hating it.

And as for Sydney: you can keep your bloody harbour, and your humidity, and your ridiculous pieces of outdated architecture. I'll keep my nasty, dirty port city, thanks.

It's good to be home.

Current Mood: irritated
Current Location: Home

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Megadeth >>>>>> Slayer (or, Shayne Has Opinions)

Short Version
Dear Dave Mustaine and co.

Brilliant set, lads. You haven't lost it at all, Dave. At least, not live.

A++++ WOULD SHELL OUT EXORBITANT FEE AGAIN

Sincerely, Me

Dear Tom Araya, Jeff Hanneman, Kerry King and Dave Lombardo,

You owe me $45.

Sincerely, Me

Long Version
( Tonight I went to Festy Hall to see the big double-billed Megadeth and Slayer concert. )

Current Mood: cranky
Current Location: Home
Current Music: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Texas Flood - "Testify"

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Another category added to my shit list.

Today, I drove to band practise in Hallam (for Lord Mouth, not Left of Crazy. Oh yeah, the metal band is now called Lord Mouth. I like it; blow me if you don't). Anyway, I made sure I got out of the house early. Early enough to swing by my local café and get a flat white, and yet still be able to drive into Hallam on time.

I forgot about Murphy's Law. Actually, no. I forgot about STUPID FUCKING ROAD WORKS/WORKERS OF FUCKING STUPID FESTERING IN A MASSIVE FUCKING CAULDRON OF GODDAMN STUPID...

As I pulled onto the freeway onramp just past Chadstone (big mall, for those of you not from Oz), what should have been relatively smooth sailing on the freeway was all of a sudden halted by a big fuck-off wall of traffic. Kinda like this:

I know it's not that easy to see the big line of traffic disappearing off into the horizon, but trust me, it's there. This photo was taken after I'd already been incrementally inching forward, in fits and starts, my clutch really not liking these little movements forward, for quite some time. The first time I've regretted buying a manual car...

And, of course, I couldn't back out of the freeway entrance. So I had to wait.

And wait.

And wait some fucking more.

This is on a Sunday morning, mind you. This is also after I made sure I would get to Hallam early.

I waited a hell of a long time, getting (as you can imagine) angrier and angrier by the passing nanosecond, as traffic inched forward and people ducked and weaved (or crept and crawled) into and out of lanes and refused to let other people in.

After about twenty minutes, I saw what was causing this ridiculous Sunday morning traffic jam:

They were funnelling ~~THREE~~ FOUR FUCKING LANES ON A FREEWAY INTO ONE. And you can tell on the sign that it's not done too many times, as the third contemptuous "NO LANE" sign has been added on rather amateurishly.

I could not believe it. Of all the goddamned bone-headed things to do. Why they couldn't close down two at the most, work on that bit of road, then close the other two off is utterly beyond me. It took all I had in me to not roll down my window as I passed the moronic road workers, all stereotypically lounging around on their bit of blocked-off bitumen, and yell a few choice words about them being over-unionised fucktarded cockspanks etc etc...

You know what made it even worse? After it was too late to do anything about, I turned on the radio and caught a traffic report, which helpfully informed me of this: "...traffic is banked up all along the Monash Freeway due to roadworks, so please choose an alternate route."

GAH...guess I'll be listening to traffic reports from now on.

Yeah, I'm still cranky about it. I'm an elephant. No, fuck that: I'm a hate camel. And my hate hump has been filled; should last me a long time.

Oh yeah, and of course I was ridiculously late for band practise. My plans are foiled YET AGAIN. I hate you, Murphy.

Current Mood: tired
Current Location: Home.
Current Music: Monster Magnet - "Tab"

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Meme-age.

Comment on this post and I'll give you a band. Don't worry, I'll try to make it one you know and love. You put your ten favourite songs by that band on your LJ and in reply to the comment, challenge others to do the same.

hibernaldream gave me Monster Magnet.

(These are ordered according to the release date of the album they were on. I can't ever keep a music meme simple! Also, I give a bit more commentary than what's called for...sorry)

From the album Superjudge
1. Superjudge
A monster groove of a song. Starts slow and atmospheric with a fuzzy lead guitar riff, and then goes into a fast (for Monster Magnet) climax with a never-ending solo. Some wacky lyrics too (actually, that's a theme for much of Monster Magnet's output).
2. Face Down
Sleazy as fuck, wall of fuzz (again, a common theme with early Monster Magnet). Dave Wyndorf knows how to write a catchy song.
3. Evil (Is Going On)
One of the coolest covers of this Willie Dixon classic that I've ever heard.

From the album Dopes To Infinity
4. Look To Your Orb For The Warning
Was used on the Matrix soundtrack, and it fits. The whole album is pretty much in this vein of stoner rock with a spacey sort of sound. This track especially is hauntingly atmospheric and yet it can crush your testicles into powder with that main riff (well, if you have testicles, that is).
5. Third Alternative
A booming 8-minute track; an absolute crushing wall of sound. Has the distinction of containing one of the most disturbing lines in a song I've ever heard:
Would you like to hope for Eden, that I keep a steady hand
Do you want to milk the syrup of a thousand year old man
Shall we fuck each others' babies, let momentum do its best
Keep our shrieking little urges in our burned out little heads
Well I sense a slight recoil; was it something that I said?

From the album Powertrip
This album is where they got a bit commercial, with more of a hard rock sound. Predictably, their hardcore stoner and acid rock fans got butthurt. Wankers. Did you expect them to keep playing "Tab" for the rest of their careers? This is a top album.

6. See You In Hell
This song has a cheesy organ line, dirty little guitar riff, and again, some disturbing lyrics. It's based on an experience Dave Wyndorf had on a bus somewhere in middle America - he met a couple of hippies who told him they'd buried the corpse of their baby in a landfill somewhere. Thus - "I guess I'll see you in hell."
7. Temple Of Your Dreams
A departure from the wall of sound theme, with a stop-start riff that is actually one of the heaviest on the album. Very cool track.
8. Bummer
This is probably the heaviest track. Ridiculous lyrics (not clever as I find most Monster Magnet lyrics to be) but this song appeals to me for some reason.
9. Your Lies Become You
Probably my favourite Monster Magnet song. It's a total departure from the stuff they usually perform - stripped back, mostly clean guitar with a surf-rockish sort of sound, brushes used on the drum kit. Very haunting vocals. You can imagine them playing it in a smoky jazz bar, sitting on stage, nursing bourbon and performing it really laconically.

From the album Monolithic Baby!
10. Slut Machine
This album was mostly a disappointment for me, but this song is one of their best. One of those songs which is greater than the sum of its parts. A jerky guitar riff in an unusual time signature, typically misogynistic lyrics from Dave "I'm-Not-Too-Old-To-Be-Cavorting-With-Pretty-Young-Things,-REALLY!" Wyndorf, catchy as herpes, with an awesome sing-along refrain. Magic.

Well. That was long...

Current Mood: caffeinated
Current Location: My Office
Current Music: Psychotic Waltz - "I Of The Storm"

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Ford's in his flivver, and all's well with the world.

And I is sheepish.

The minute I walked into my Once-Again Favourite Café, the proprietress apologised profusely for fucking up my coffee order yesterday, and gave me another free one. I actually did half-heartedly protest, but she insisted.

Mnyes. Now I have coffee. Mnyes...

( Now for a ramble about the new Batman movie. Thar be spoilers. )

That was not supposed to be so long. Oh well.

Current Mood: contemplative
Current Location: lab

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Brings back memories.

Hold on to your hats, boys and boyettes. A trip down memory lane regarding my politics.

I read that protesters at the G20 summit today have turned feral.

I remember when I was a Trotskyite, a member of Socialist Alternative, barricading buildings, marching, chanting. I remember blockading the North Ltd building in St Kilda Rd with a whole group of socialists, hippies, Aboriginal activists and the like, and vandalising the building when we heard that the traditional leader of the Jabiluka area had been found guilty for trespassing on her own land. At least, I think that's what happened. It was so long ago and I was consuming so many illicit substances at the time that I can't be sure of the details.

Now? No, I'm not like that. You'll not find me holding a placard, or beating bongos and flinging my dreads over my shoulder.

"What do we want?" "Fuckin' everything!" "When do we want it??" "Now!!!! Actually, no. We wanted it fuckin' YESTERDAY!!!!!"

No. I shudder at how naïve I was back then. And I wonder to myself, how much of this protest and the violence is being perpetrated by a small group of wankers who just want to destroy something, how much have the media outlets beaten it up, what are the cops doing to the protesters that we won't hear about. Most of all, I wonder, what the hell is the point?

Not that I think protest is necessarily a bad thing. In spirit I agreed with the marches against the Workplace reforms. I marched years ago with the East Timor crowd and I still think that it achieved something, even though East Timor is a basket case nowadays. But now? It's the converted preaching to the converted, to the disgust of the opposed. Especially when riot police are involved. It was like that with S11, and from then on every big summit or event.

And what are they talking about in that building that's so enraged people? As far as I understand, this meeting is basically about the state of the global economy. This includes, at least at this particular meeting, topics such as climate change and energy distribution. Not to mention the state of some of the world's poorest countries that are being propped up in terms of aid by some of the wealthiest. In other words, some fairly important topics. So I really see no point in this form of protesting. I really don't think these protesters, at least the majority of them, have any idea of what they're actually protesting about. Sad, really, that they're expending so much energy.

Yes, as I have said before, I have leftist leanings. I also realise that not very much is accomplished by protesting at the fact that the meeting is taking place. If you disagree with something that's happening in the meeting, lobby the relevant groups. Write letters. Form interest groups and research rather than scream with vitriol, take out ads in the paper, inform people why you're angry. Don't just converge on the place and use your agenda to cause chaos. It's counter-productive and absolutely meaningless.

Ah. The way I used to be. Even angrier than I am now, misdirecting that anger towards any cause that pissed off the Trotskyists and their dream of a workers' utopia.

Memories.