jet

Saw a huge display for two albums by these guys in Tokyo last week. Maybe 60-100 copies of each CD in nice big rows, posters and a blown-up collage of different promo bits and pieces, both albums on listening posts with suggested related artists being DJ Shadow and someone similar to him.

Heh, just had a listen to the same MP3. I don't like this kind of thing, but it gave me a big grin to hear the guy earnestly intoning with a completely un-affected accent.

Oh, sorry, didn't think you were talking about musical genres as a popularity contest... I was just meaning that indie is more backwards-looking than house or trance.

Hey QUEEP, you probably noticed by now that these forums don't handle HTML or BBCode. I'm one of the mods, I tried to tidy your post so people can at least copy and paste the links OK.

As for the 90s quip... shit, look at the state of indie music...

1. Junior Boys - FM
2. Chic - I Want Your Love
3. Aquaboogie - Food Court Soul (best tribute to the James Smiths market food court I know of... at least I assume that's the deal)
4. The Metservice - Books
5. Plump DJs - Electric Disco (D Ramirez Remix).mp3

// so, what are your views on people downloading your songs [...] ?

Usually the only time I think about it is if I'm on a p2p network downloading copyright material myself... might do a vanity search and see if anyone's sharing my stuff. Then I have a snoop to see what else they're sharing, see what other music randoms like, etc.

Anyway, the situation doesn't lend itself to much room for complaint. If I like something and I can buy it, I do buy it. Ideally. But I think in reality a) downloading numbs my appreciation of anything, so I buy less and b) if I love something to bits and thrash it, I don't buy it... the latter makes me feel a bit stink, cos I did get a whole lot of enjoyment, just not forever. Then I think about buying books, how I don't regret buying a great book I'll only read once, and how, in fact, I'll often give it away. Wonder if I should buy the CD knowing I don't want to listen to it. Then I think about how different listening to music and reading books are and get distracted by something and move on...

// and have you ever had to take medication for mental illness and would you recommend it?

Nah, but plenty of close friends and relatives have and I've seen how they can work well and have seen doctors respond very quickly when medication is not helping.

All of those I know who've taken meds for depression or anxiety have been much better off for it even after they stop taking them (guess this is contra-factual, sorry).

Those who've taken meds for other mental illnesses haven't had the same success rate, particularly one person who didn't think he had much of a problem and didn't want to do any cognitive behavioural therapy or whatever else to try to tackle the little routines of thought and action that were fucking them up... Really saddening, that one. Kinda pisses on RebelHeart's ideas that the people around the person with the illness should do more. The difference here was solely the person's attitude to his illness, not the amount of support he received.

I find it interesting that usually in NZ English we use the British words like "sick" and "sickness" when talking about (lack of) health, but have more recently taken on the phrase "mental illness". I wonder if the term was coined in the States.

Man, the only people I've met from Hong Kong are not exactly enamoured with the level of opportunities there... They may just be whingers, though. :D

Dominion Road is bending under its own weight.

I was wondering reading through all of this about how structural unemployment balances inflation. I think it was a Kiwi who came up with that idea, even? Does anyone know how it's supposed to work?

Sometimes I feel like any information-related question can be answered by going to wikipedia, but I may as well ask. :)

Two DJs are trying to make some plans for the evening.

"How about seeing a movie?"

"I dunno... who's the projectionist?"

Well, I read it differently, but there's certainly no point in me trying to explain why... I'll leave it to the mixed up, muddled up, shook up world of RebelHeart...

Has anyone mentioned in this thread attacked a civilian target in order to effect a political change?

From what I read I got the impression RebelHeart is asserting that:

1. The symbolic gesture of shaving your head is lame. People who would sponsor a head-shaving should just donate the money regardless.

BUT given the pledge idea does exist,

2. Shaving your head is such an insignificant thing to do that he can't understand why no one would do it. It doesn't take much time and it's only your hair, in exchange for $100 (on top of any other donations you make) going to a worthy cause.

He's written that the reason for 2 is that "people have become so obsessed with how they look and how other people view them". I don't think that really addresses Limegreen's first comment.

Yeah, currently the only legal use of an MP3 player in New Zealand is listening to (legal) free downloads, purchased downloads, public domain stuff or your own compositions.

Felt embarrassed looking at the last APRA annual report when it was all like "yay, we've been fighting the good fight against loosening up the laws on format shifting" ... not something I really want to take part in as one of their members. Ah well.

Oops, nothing on tonight. *shame*

I have nothing to do with this, but I'm gonna bump it cos people have enthused about all of these artists on NZM before.

I read in Grist, not sure of their source. Link below, scroll down.

I just don't really see the benefit of sinking time and money into this, as opposed to into, well, sorting out the infrastructure of California so it's not so dependent on cars, or getting research companies to bid for funding to seek out alternatives or ... a lot of things. This shit would be a lot more difficult, but it would show signs of attempting to make the future situation better for Californians rather than just making them go "Awesome, we're bad asses! Let's take 'em down!"

Actually I guess if the damages from the court settlement are awesomely awesome the state would have more to invest into doing something that actually helps Californians. Maybe.

[ external link ]

Republican humour:

Why don't politicians use bookmarks in Florida?

They like to bend over pages.

Yeah, cheeky ass-pincher. He's really cool.

That whole business of suing the automobile manufacturers for knowing about greenhouse emissions but failing to act is just ridiculous greenwashing. Especially when you own a fleet of fucking Hummers! Oh wait, that's right, his office announced he'd sold them all (but he didn't).

Tokyo! Got no life, basically, but other than that, all good. ;)

// jet

Here's a fairly accurate, balanced review of their new album:

[ external link ]