Album Review: Nine Inch Nails - THE SLIP

It's always something new with Trent Reznor. It would be impossible to keep up with him, of this much I am convinced. His latest shtick with Nine Inch Nails' most recent album, The Slip, was that it was released FOR FREE on their website, http://www.nin.com/. This follows in the Radiohead tradition, who recently released their new album, In Rainbows, for free over their website. You may be wondering how a band could financially be able to do this, aside from the fact that they've already established their name and made millions on previous album sales. Radiohead followed their album release with an American tour promoting the album, and Nine Inch Nails is expected to do the same. Due to the ever-increasing notoriety of bands like this, ticket prices are not expected to be cheap. Yet I digress, this is an album review isn't it?
The album starts with a minute and a half of electronic psycho-babble before jumping right in to the action with "1,000,000." The single released earlier this spring, "Discipline," comes at you hard with a driving rock, almost disco, beat that gets in your face, fast. The electric melody quickly wraps its arms around you and entices your head to start bobbing, and before you know it your foot is tapping as well. The lyrics can only be described as confused, yet agressive. Reznor wouldn't have it any other way.
"Echoplex," the song immediately following the aforementioned track, hits you in the face with the bass beat. The song takes a while to develop, but by the time it does you quickly realize that it already has complete control over you. This song gets in your head, there is no denying that.
As the album progresses from one electronic infused ballad to the next you get a glimpse of nearly every aspect of Nine Inch Nails. Strong, repititios, drum beats nearly inaudible at times due to the electronic progression of guitar riffs. Bass lines that draw you in like Robin Hood's grandmother (but be careful, she's actually a wolf!). Reznor even slows it up a bit, as he's done before with tracks like The Downward Spiral's "Hurt," on "Lights in the Sky."
"Corona Radiata" consists primarily of psychedelic white noise that helps to intensify the album's dark undertones. This is nothing new to Nine Inch Nails, however. Trent Reznor has played a role in producing 23 albums dating back to 1994 with Marilyn Manson. Nearly everyone of these albums has shared this "dark undertones" theme.
Now for the bottom line, and the question you're all wondering, should I bother getting this album? Yes, most definitely, and go see NIN when they come through your town later this summer. Reznor did a fantastic job and deserves money for this... GIVE IT TO HIM.

Colorless Green Ideas Sleep Furiously

Many times while listening to music I feel inspired. Others I feel energized, or motivated, or aggrivated, or peaceful. Rarely do I find a song that causes me to take a step back and humble myself before the awesome concept of an external world. Often I try not to bother myself with questions of existentialism. To me it's a great unknown. A meaning to life sometimes occurs to me as frivolous, other times vital. The viewpoint of others on the matter is very fascinating to me. So many people believe so firmly in one thing or another. How does an individual come to such a concrete conclusion? Is there infact a meaning to existence?
Recently I came across one person's interpretation put in to song. The group The Books create music of a less main-stream nature. They effectively integrate cello, acoustic guitar, and electric bass with samples of outdoor noise, voice clips, and even other music. The Books consist of only two members, Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jong. The music produced is incredibly melodic, not to mention intelligent. The song "Smells Like Content" is Nick Zammuto's interpretation of existentialism. I encourage you all to click on the link and follow as best as you can to the words he is speaking. Maybe listen to it a few times through to get the full effect.
The song to me is about the awakening of minds in many people to open up and not only ponder, but work towards finding the meaning of life. Such pursuits as science and philosophy are essential to the progress of the human intellect. Advancements in these fields may eventually lead to a universal understanding of existentialism. Yet, is that even possible? Without a concrete answer it is left to the interpretation of the individual. This line of thought is nothing new. Jean-Paul Sartre touched on this with his 'existence precedes essence' claim. Albert Camus contended that if we truly are existing in an "absurd" universe where meaning is not provided for us, then it is up to the individual to make their own. Thus, we all create our own meaning to life.
I like that. The concept of fate is virtually thrown out of the window. We are in control of our own destiny. We shape the future, in whatever way we feel necessary. Our futures are not already mapped out for us, for we are the cartographers!

Update Update Update Update Update

Greetings to all. I hope the break has treated you all well. It was a nice break between semesters, but I'm ready to be back at it again. Working 40 hours/week kinda blows so I'm looking forward to stepping it back at work and getting back at school.
I haven't been spending much time at my apartment recently, mostly due to little miss Ada, but also largely due to the fact that my roommates are dump-tastic to the most extreme form of the word. It's not like anything interesting has been going on here anyway. One of Craig's, my roommate, friends was recently arrested for a probation violation. I'm sure you feel as I do and just don't care, but for some reason they make it out to be such a big deal. Those ass-hats. Get a damn job, don't drink and drive, put down the bong once in a while, and don't be a burden for the rest of society to carry. And fucking pay for your electric bill.
I was laid up all last weekend with food poisoning. Word to the wise, avoid the spicy shrimp (or perhaps it was the sesame chicken) at Buffet Palace. It just so happened that on Saturday night, after I had spent all day in bed on a strict liquid diet, Craig has a party for his friend's birthday. I definitely was not in attendance (nor would I be if I wasn't sick). The apartment is completely destroyed by the next morning while the putrid stench of cigarettes, stale beer, and steaming vomit linger throughout the apartment. One day Craig will face the concequences of his actions and it wont be pretty.
Enough about my problems with my roommates, let's move on to sports. Last night Coach Bobby Knight became the first NCAA Men's basketball coach to reach 900 wins in unranked Texas Tech's upset of No. 9 Texas A&M. The game was very low scoring (largely due to the low quality of basketball played, not good defense) through the first half. The Aggies put up a very disappointing 17 points in the first half, a season low (previous season low of 30). Knight attributes much of the team's success last night to the packed crowd at the United Spirit Arena in Lubbock. This happens every season. The Raiders get overly excited about basketball right about the time the Aggies stop by and all of a sudden Lubbock is a basketball town again. I give it maybe a month before the team starts losing again and the town loses interest, just in time for them to see their team miss the NCAA Tournament... again.
Way too much going on with the Mitchell Investigation to touch it all. Basically all of the active players are screwed, as well as Roger Clemens. Surprising? Not so much.
The Cowboys still don't have more than 6 players on the entire team with the experience of a play-off win. I tried to care, but they played poorly and the Giants didn't, thus ends a great season. The Patriots are on cruise control and Old Man Favre is playing like a kid out of college, this should make for an eventful Super Bowl (one would be wise not to count the Giants out though).
Moving on from sports, I recently obtained a copy of the new Mars Volta album (The Bedlam in Goliath, scheduled for release 1/29/08). Crank up the bass and get that foot tapping, this is a very high energy album with great harmonics. The new drummer, Thomas Pridgen, is absolutely amazing. This addition is welcomed with open arms. Mixing in a double-bass pedal with this style of music is very difficult to do without drowning out the rest of the music, but Pridgen is a master of discretion with his bass strikes. Everyone knew how good Pridgen was going in to the project (he won the Guitar Center Drum-Off at age 9), the real question was really whether or not he could make it fit with the general sound of The Mars Volta. Job well done. The album also flows quite well from song to song. Seamless transitions from tracks such as Wax Simulacra to Goliath give the album the feel of a very large compostition broken into parts. I rank this album among the best set to be released in 2008, it will be an immense task to top this.
Thats it for now, thanks for reading. Check back periodically and you might be lucky enough to find an update!

Happy New Years

Just saying Happy New Years! It's a little late and I feel a little bit like writing.

Bache is playing a mini frolf game in his living room while the rest of us try to keep the room from spinning. . . .

Happy New Years everybody, I've got a feeling it's going to be good.

Bonds Pleads Not Guilty

Barry Bonds pleads not guilty. He's a moron. His agent claims that Bonds will play in 2008. The queston to me is, does he deserve time behind bars?
He's facing four felony charges of perjury and one charge of obstruction of justice. Despite as much as I hate the guy, I say no. Perjury is a serious charge, and I'm 100% certain Bonds is guitly. But he lied about cheating on baseball. BASEBALL! I'm not sure if it is the government's job to get involved in the sports world. I feel this matter should have been handled entirely internally within the MLB. Although the MLB does not have the resources, or money, to obtain all of the information that has been turned up, special provisions should have been made to make this happen. The MLB Players association is there to protect the players from the league, but on an issue of this magniture they should have encouraged a complete cooperation between the players and the league to preserve the sanctity of the game. It is disgraceful that players felt they had to do this just to stay competitive. And where was Bud Selig during all of this?
Bonds certainly wasn't the first to attempt to gain a competitive advantage in baseball via performance enhancing drugs, and he certainly wont be the last. Mark McGuire doesn't want to talk about the past, but his past is what spawned this steroid induced streak into the record books for Bonds. Even Slammin' Sammy cheated, and quite possibly during that magical summer of '98. Rafael Palmeiro tested positive for steroids just two seasons ago. He'll end up in the Hall of Fame with his 3000 hits. Ricky Herderson stole more bases than the rest of the league combined in an amphetamine binge that will earn him a spot in the record books for eternity. Doc Ellis threw a no hitter on LSD. I'm not sure that LSD could be considered a performance enhancing drug, but it sure worked. I can't wait to see the Mitchell Investigation. Names we never imagined will turn up. Players we love will be tarnished. Players we hate will get what they deserve. The suspense is killing me.
Bonds will be found guilty, but no time will be served. Bonds will not play in 2008, but that is still up in the air. He could end up in the American League as a designated hitter, after all, the man can hit.

Detroit Tigers Acquire Miguel Cabrera, Dontrelle Willis

So the Tigers are looking smarter and smarter as the years go on. I think this trade will work out well for both teams. The Tigers acquire a top pitcher and the hottest slugging third baseman not in New York or Boston, while sending six of their top prospects to Florida.
Florida had more trouble keeping fans interested in the Marlins this season than a sixth grade ADHD victim staring at an advanced calculus problem. The team flat out sucked and is in serious need of a make-over, and these prospects just might be the guys to do it.
The Tigers set themselves up quite well with this trade to be an even more serious competitor in the AL. They really needed another strong pitcher like Dontrelle; and it never hurts to give Gary Sheffield and Magglio Ordonez more protection in the line-up with Cabrera. Not to mention all the runs Curtis Granderson is going to score next season with these sluggers to drive him in.
Boston (2nd largest payroll) hates the Yankees (1st largest payroll) because of their massive payroll, yet they're doing the exact same thing this off-season as their rivals. Detroit currently has the ninth largest payroll (not accounting for these new acquisitions) and is setting themselves up for a great run at an AL pennant next season, maybe even a World Series title.
Lets just hope that the Mitchell Investigation (set to be released two weeks before Christmas) doesn't screw any of this up.

The BCS is Nothing More Than a Gathering of Asshats

LSU vs. Ohio State in the National Championship game? Not to say that this wont be an entertaining game, but a two-loss team against a one-loss team just doesn't equal a true champion to me. It does seem logical to give Les Miles (a Michigan alum, and candidate for a future Michigan head coach) a chance to kick Ohio State's ass, but perhaps an undefeated team like Hawaii deserves a shot.
The other bowl games should be pretty exciting too. Oklahoma vs. Pat White and West Virginia will no doubt be a great match-up. Hawaii gets a shot at a SEC powerhouse, the Georgia Bulldogs, who ended their regular season with six consecutive wins. No doubt that will be a thrilling game. Despite Arizona State's resilience this season they concede the PAC-10 title to USC who will face Illinois in the Rose Bowl. I think I'm more excited to see the Texas/Arizona State game in the Holliday Bowl though. Perhaps that is my regional bias coming through.
This season has been insane, and it just goes to show that a tournament is needed to find a true champion. Maybe the asshats in the BCS will figure this out some day.