nanovivid

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve done any music posts (or much posting at all). To reward your patience, you’re getting the hookup with not just one or even two songs, but a whole album!

Have you ever wondered what it would sound like if Daft Punk and the Polyphonic Spree got together and recorded an album? Wonder no more! Take Daft Punk’s One More Time and add the Spree on backup vocals, but give them a good dose of ecstasy first, and your result will sound a lot like United State of Electronica. U.S.E. makes completely and unabashedly joyful music. They get a bit cheesy at times, but in an endearing way. I first became aquatinted with them this summer via the ever-wonderful Fluxblog. Emerald City became one of my summer anthems.

Now, courtesy of manheimworldwide, you can download U.S.E.’s entire debut album. Go get a nice dose of U.S.E. upside your head.

Sidenote: Why do all my music comparisons include Daft Punk? I guess it’s because they’re the house music producers with which people are most familiar.

♫ United State Of Electronica - Open Your Eyes

Today as I was getting ready to leave for work, Bryan looked at me and remarked “You look like a big gay school bus!” I don’t know why he would say that. It’s not as if I was wearing a bright yellow coat with a matching yellow and grey scarf. Not at all.

Then tonight while discussing my poor progress so far in finding many friends here, he told me “You’re not the baby Jesus and the wise men aren’t coming to see you, so pack your ass with frankincense and get moving.” Nice analogy.

Bryan says lots of other funny things, but many of them have been nixed from appearing here. As he just said in reference to a recent witticism, “I have to approve whatever of me you’re putting on your website and I don’t approve that message.”

PS - He bought the coat and scarf originally, so all school-bus-looking-ness is really on him.

PPS - He said I need to write that he has the loudest snap in the world. And it’s true. I’m not kidding. Ask him to snap for you sometime. It’s fierce.

♫ Underworld - Banstyle/Sappys Curry

It’s my fault. At least, that’s what Bryan says.

See, the other day, I mentioned that I think snow is pretty. And I think, at least in the abstract, most people would agree with me. You know… winter wonderland and all that. However, when it comes to actually traveling in it and living with it for multiple months, most people tend to get a bit tired of the snow.

Soon after I mentioned that snow is pretty, it started snowing. Since the flakes began falling two days ago, they have only stopped intermittently. During that time I learned the meaning of snow squall and experienced a couple while driving to and from work.

The forecast shows no snow for the next few days though, so I guess my words didn’t bring a wintery apocalypse… yet.

♫ Underworld - Skym

Bryan and I got a new mattress today, and it’s outfitted with new sheets courtesy of Overstock.com. However, they don’t exactly match the color we thought we were getting. To be honest, they’re sort of… well, there’s no easy way to say this. Their coloring is sort of in the direction of… gold. Yes, we are now the proud owners of gold sheets.

We’ve taken to calling them our Mariah Carey sheets, because of her penchant for decorating with gold. I couldn’t actually find a picture of her gold sheets, but I did find this picture from her Cribs episode. Then there’s a picture of our sheets.

Now I’ll admit that next to Mariah’s couch, the sheets look a bit brown, but what you have to understand is that these sheets are shiny. So very shiny. We’re going to have to get a guard for our apartment so she doesn’t come steal them. Because I know she totally wants them.

Ah well, at lest they’re six hundred thread count.

♫ Play Paul - Love Song

I love the internet.

♫ Bryan watching a news story on TV about middle school sex parties. No, seriously, I'm not making this up.

Someone please put it out of its misery. I think they were trying to outdo Lotus Notes in bad UI decisions… and they’ve very nearly succeeded.

♫ William Shatner - It Hasn't Happened Yet

To hold you over until I get around to writing about the Thanksgiving festivities, go read the captions on these 70s Weight Watchers cards. I was laughing really hard and Bryan was looking at me weird, so that means they’re definitely Very Good.

♫ U2 - Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own

On Thursday, Bryan and I ran all around the city to get me fully Ohio-ized. We had to go to five different places to complete the process. First it was the testing place where I took a written test to find out if I would be allowed to drive. Then we went to the license bureau to actually get my drivers license. After that, we went to the title land and got a new title for my car. On the way out, Bryan amused himself by accidentally pronouncing title as tight-hole. Next, we went to the Useless Ripoff E-Check station and got my car checked out. After passing that, it was finally onward to the license bureau (we went to a different one because it was closer to home).

All told, the adventure took about three hours. Thankfully, lines were nearly nonexistent… otherwise it would have taken much longer. Ah, the joys of bureaucratic process.

♫ Aretha Franklin vs Junior Jack - A Deeper Hype

He claimed my last entry was boring and I should write about something about string cheese and waffles. So, um, I like string cheese on my waffles.

♫ Death Cab for Cutie - 20th Century Towers

Since my main birthday present this year was Underworld’s back catalog, I’ve been listening to them almost exclusively over the past week. Underworld is fairly unique among groups that create dance music because of their focus on lyrical content. While the music is always top notch, it’s Karl Hyde’s poetry that really sets Underworld apart.

Dirty Epic is from Underworld’s 1994 debut Dubnobasswithmyheadman. (Sidenote: although a lot of electronic music seems to sound “old” quickly, I’m amazed at how fresh most of the album still sounds). The song is true to the “Epic” part of its name, reaching to just shy of ten minutes. The heart of Dirty Epic is contained in these lines (the last being one of my favorite phrases to have recently crossed my ears):

i’m so dirty and the light it blinds my eyes

here comes christ on crutches

It feels like a prayer for a failed relationship (”you never touch me anymore this way”) and a confession of needed help. Though it ought to be quite sad, I always end up feeling hopeful at the same time.

Underworld - Dirty Epic

Note: This is actually the version from their 1992 - 2002 anthology, because the version on Dubnobass… mixes into Cowgirl at the end.

♫ Underworld - Skym