Saturday Waffling (August 15th, 2015)
I was pleasantly surprised when, along with the expected release of the Janelle Monáe-led The Eephus EP, the end of the week brought a new FKA Twigs EP as well. The Eephus is solid; its main effect is to stress the intriguing talent of Jidenna, whose “Classic Man” is probably the highlight, getting the obligatory remix with Kendrick Lamar verses (not as good a version, but charming in its own right). Monáe’s “Yoga” (also featuring Jidenna) is also great. The remaining tracks are somewhat filler, although Roman GianArthur’s “iKnow” is decent.
Also essential viewing is the entire Wondaland crew’s “Hell You Talmbout,” a live cut about police brutality.
The FKA Twigs release, M3LL155X, is of more consistent quality. Nothing comes close to “Two Weeks” in quality, but that’s the sort of song few artists ever hit the quality of twice in a career, so that’s churlish. The standout track is probably “In Time,” though as I said, they’re all quite good. The above link is a combo music video for the first four tracks, and is disturbing and weird and wonderful.
What’ve you all been listening to?
Or, alternate second topic, Vox Day decided to reply to a couple days old tweet in which I suggested he was a massive sequence of junk DNA by calling me a pedophile and insulting my appearance, which seemed like rather weak game from such an accomplished troll. I mean, it’s not even good libel.
Which led to me tweeting claims like “Vox Day is incapable of maintaining an erection unless there’s a photograph of Francisco Franco visible” and “Vox Day has the Innsmouth Look” with the hashtag #betterlibel.
Please, amuse me with further high quality libel about Vox Day, either here or on twitter.
August 15, 2015 @ 12:23 am
Vox Day secretly knows that Marx was right about everything, and the knowledge gnaws at his soul like rats gnawing at a decade-old packet of Rice Krispies in the basement of a derelict hotel. Which is why he flings his shit around on the internet in a desperate attempt to stave off the understanding that he has wasted his life on degrading, adolescent idiocies and squalid lies. #betterlibel
August 15, 2015 @ 12:25 am
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August 15, 2015 @ 1:18 am
Been listening to my partner's beautiful voice as she sings in our local music session – bit of jazz, blues, soul, Sweet Honey in the Rock. She doesn't believe it but she has one of the best voices I've heard, but brilliantly she has a great collection of musicians that want to play with her too and love her voice.
Nina Simone this morning, and for the first time really heard and got into her classical roots with her riffs on Bach as she played piano and sings. Feel moved deeply.
August 15, 2015 @ 1:18 am
Vox Day is the captain of a parasitic planet which roams the universe, stripping innocent planets of their mineral wealth while simultaneously murdering all of their inhabitants, and John C Wright is in fact a robot parrot sitting on his shoulder with which he randomly murders members of his crew whom he deems to have failed him. Philip Sandifer's interview was in fact conducted in the trophy room, and was prompted by Mr. Day asking him to appreciate his achievements.
'By the beard of the sky demon, it's about ethics in sci-fi awards!' #betterlibel
Why yes, I have recently been watching the Key to Time season recently, why do you ask? Oh, and while we're at it, Vox Day is also a servant of the Black Guardian.
On the listening front, I've been listening to the Scissor Sisters' debut album for the first time in about a decade. It's aged surprisingly well.
August 15, 2015 @ 1:50 am
Oh come on Phil, tit for tat is bad. You're better than that π
August 15, 2015 @ 2:44 am
St. Vincent, and the soundtrack to Dirty Pair Project Eden. I'm gonna have to check out this new EP with Janelle Monae on it, though.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:48 am
Oh and Janelle Monae now via the previous post you wrote on her Phil.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:52 am
I'm pretty sure Vox Day isn't really a closet Marxist.
August 15, 2015 @ 3:04 am
Listening to the great new Day Ravies album "Liminal Zones" and a lot of Jonathan Richman
August 15, 2015 @ 4:21 am
Overdosing on Pentangle. Jack Orion in particular has become a bit of an earworm. Which bugs me, because Jack Orion is not very good. The five-minute instrumental within it is good, which is what's really got me hooked, but with the exception of McShee the vocals are badly strained.
Vox Day keeps a pair of yellowed knickers in his man-purse, and it's reported that they used to belong to his mother.
August 15, 2015 @ 5:21 am
Mostly Seeming, The Flaming Lips, and bits and pieces of Philip Glass. Right now, I'm listening to that Janelle Monae song "Hell You Talmbout".
Vox Day is secretly Donald Trump without a wig.
Vox Day has also never read anything written by Alan Moore or, for that matter, Iain M. Banks.
August 15, 2015 @ 5:34 am
I went to see Dr. John at SummerStage and it sent me on a Dr. John kick. I've particularly been listening to his solo piano albums, "Dr. John Plays Mac Rebbennack pt 1 & 2" (Mac Rebbennack is Dr. John's real name) which are staggeringly good.
August 15, 2015 @ 5:37 am
Vox Day's clarion cry is nothing but a grey tattered gumphion, barely visible in the dour mist as he stands on an empty moor in his army of one.
August 15, 2015 @ 6:25 am
Dox Vay is a pleasant, thoughtful, kind philanthropist who gladly pays his U.S. taxes, has only kind words for those who have differing views to him and his friends, actively supports LBGT charities and events, is open-minded to atheists and other religions, and believes that John Scalzi is a much under-valued author….
August 15, 2015 @ 7:08 am
No, Vox Day isn't a servant of the Black Guardian. He's a servant of the White Guardian.
August 15, 2015 @ 7:59 am
Yes, perhaps that was a poor choice of words on my part. Although I can't think what connection Vox Day could possibly have to an old white man who appears from nowhere and bullies people into doing things for him, to the end of keeping the entire universe in an unchanging state until the end of time.
August 15, 2015 @ 9:39 am
Probably not news to anyone, but a pleasant enough Saturday read:
I read the 100 “best” fantasy and sci-fi novels – and they were shockingly offensive – Why are so many of NPR's list of best science fiction books so misogynistic, and why can't we move past our nostalgia for them?
http://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2015/08/i-read-100-best-fantasy-and-sci-fi-novels-and-they-were-shockingly-offensive
I am at work today, so I mostly listen to soundtracks (Waking Life, Doctor Who, Betty Blue, etc) or slow instrumental trancey stuff (the Music for Programmers podcast is good for this kind of thing).
August 15, 2015 @ 10:52 am
First I had even heard of the list, much less a reaction to the list. But my reaction to the list itself is pretty low; even by the iffy standards of this sort of self-selecting poll. Any list of "Best" SF and Fantasy that includes "Wicked"- but not "The Wizard of Oz" itself- seems pretty hopeless on the surface.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:08 pm
I don't think that's 140 characters.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:18 pm
I've listened to Rhapsody in Blue a few times lately. It's one of those sudden realization experiences: Suddenly, all the music of my childhood cartoons, from Animaniacs to The Critic, now it all makes sense.
At this very moment I appear to be listening to the soundtrack to Superman Returns, which is done not only by a John Williams impersonator, but by a John Williams impersonator who's listened to more than just his work on Superman and Star Wars, which is impressive. The impersonator they got for Jurassic World, meanwhile, left me feeling a bit cold.
In the time it took me to get those links working, the song ended, and shuffle kicked me over to the Gregorian cover of Ave Satani, the theme from the Omen. Great cover. Reminds me of when I first heard the Advent Children version of One Winged Angel. Wow, there's a sad memory suddenly rushing up out of the darkness.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:22 pm
I really don't think I've ever tried to give the sense that I am.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:28 pm
I don't think that matters.
August 15, 2015 @ 3:56 pm
Another revolution quashed by pedantry.
August 15, 2015 @ 4:52 pm
I've been listening to Father John Misty (who I suspect you would like in some moods). And I've been getting the previews of a future Alex Reed project that will make you laugh.
August 15, 2015 @ 4:55 pm
Vox Day can only come up with insults for others by picking the things he is himself guilty of. (the old 'I am rubber, you are glue', in his case, Crazy Glue)
Vox Day is not a real person, but rather a failed experiment in Artificial Intelligence by escaped Nazi scientists using Markov chains and content from the bad side of Reddit.
August 16, 2015 @ 12:56 am
I've been on a stoner rock jag at the moment (Queens Of The Stone Age, Eagles Of Death Metal, Josh Homme's Desert Sessions, Royal Trux, Fu Manchu, Urge Overkill, The Warlocks, Lupine Howl, BRMC, Death From Above 1979) as well as the re-release of Michael Head & The Strands the magical world of the strands as well as the new offerings from Leftfield & The Chemical Brothers.
August 16, 2015 @ 5:09 am
I don't have any good libels on Vox Day, because all the bad things I can think of saying about him are already proven to be true. I did think the dipshit who referred to you as "writing a Doctor Who reference" accidentally stumbled upon a good libel against you, though.
August 16, 2015 @ 3:13 pm
I've spent the preceeding 24 hours to try and craft a pun about revolutions not being something-ized, to reference character limits, and the best I can come up with is digitized, which sucks.
I'll admit, I didn't spend a lot of time on it, I've been watching The West Wing on Netflix instead, but in my downtime I've thought about it at least a couple times.
August 16, 2015 @ 7:12 pm
Been listening to "Nessun Dorma", from Turandot. It is now firmly wedged into my head. π
August 16, 2015 @ 10:52 pm
Comparing Vox Day to those of us with the Innsmouth Look is racist to Piscine-Americans, and likely to invite reprisals under the Benthic Treaties.
A useful graphic about him can still be found here:
http://www.simonbjones.blogspot.co.uk/2015/06/a-helpful-graphic-comparing-vox-day.html
Simon Bucher-Jones
August 23, 2015 @ 2:26 am
The revolution will not be quantised?