Your Daily Dose of Jam, 09/09/09

Have you checked the date today?  09/09/09.  If 06/06/06 was the day of the beast, clearly today must be the day of the beast's kooky uncle, Eddie.  Crazy uncles are like gifts, gifts wrapped in old flannel with a hint of Jameson.  If it weren't for nutty uncles, who else would take us raccoon hunting down mysterious alleys in Milwaukee on New Years Eve?  Who else would grab your arm and tell you countless stories about your cousin Jeffery and his job at the Park's Department?  Who else could work as a moisture farmer and drink blue milk everyday, only to be killed by stormtroopers?  Uncles.  Can't live without 'em.  In the song titled Uncle Walter, Ben Folds does an excellent job painting a picture of a young boy who is stuck in a room listening to his friend's Uncle ramble on and on.  Uncle Walter is portrayed as the stereotypical whacked-out uncle with a drinking problem and an overactive imagination.

  Your unlce walters going on and on

bout everything hes seen and done
The voice of fifty years experience
Hes drunk watching the television
You know hes been around the world
Last night he flew to baghdad
In his magical armchair
With cigarettes and six pack
Yeah, he just got back
The spits flying everywhere
Hey hey hey hey
Chorus
Your uncle walters going on and on
(oh youre back so late)
Where did oyu go that you were gone so long?
And how could you leave me here
So long with uncle walter?

Your uncle walter saw
Who fired the shots
He drove his chair in the cavalcade
Hes flown from south africa to
Countries where they beat themselves
On the backs with chains
There was a fleet of battleships
And one reclining chair
Headed north on the arabian sea
Now hes back to tell us how
He and his oldest boy blair
Theyre getting rich on
A mail order scheme oh oh
Chorus
Your uncle walters going on and on
(were so glad youre home)
Where did you go that you were gone so long?
And how could you leave me here
So long with uncle walter?

Your uncle walter told me
Everything hed do if he were president
Now what a perfect world
This world would be
If he were president now
But hes not!

And he sees the children smoking pot
He knows that in a moment theyll be
Shooting up heroin
Teardrops in his armchair
A fifty minute lecture
Tobacco juice rolling down his chin
Chorus

For those of you who haven't heard, Muse is releasing a new album this Friday.  It's titled, The Resistance.  From the reviews I've read thus far, Matt Bellamy has taken the band into the realm of classicalism.  Think Queen with heavier riffs and politically charged lyrics.  The album ends with Exogenesis, a 3 part symphony that used over 40 musicians to record.  Ben Thompson wrote a clear and concise review of the album, which you can read here.  I'll be sure to voice my opinion Friday when I have the album in my hands.

I've been getting requests for more electronica lately.  I don't think it's going to be much longer until electronica becomes mainstream.  Look at the recent trends in hip-hop and pop and you'll find that the use of modern technology has enabled us to create more unique, less synthetic sounding beats.  Take the background strings in Disturbia for example.  They flow almost seamlessly from one chord to the next.  Years ago it wouldn't have sounded as smooth.  The rise of alternative and indie music has also been partially fueled by musicians learning how to get the most out of current technology.  The setlist of Lollapalooza this year is indicative of the importance of technology in modern music.  Some of the most popular bands, Of Montreal, The Killers, Sound Tribe Sector Nine, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dan Deacon,  Animal Collective, and Passion Pit all make use of modern technology in their studio recordings.  Here's Saturdays by Cut Copy, another up and coming electronica band.  Check out their album, In Ghost Colours, it's upbeat, refreshing, and crunchy.


Peace!