Pharell's "Happy" & Weird Al's "Tacky"

When I saw via Margaret Cho's Facebook post that Weird Al Yankovic had a new video coming out, I said, twingling my champagne glass full of grape juice next my pearls under mink, uh, scarf, "Dhauwling, I have got to see this."

Since it's another parody tune Weird Al released instead of his occasional orgasmic original work, this "Tacky" thing, I had to be sure I knew what he was parodying.

So lemme just post Pharell's "Happy" and then Weird Al's "Tacky" so you can do your research before the funny, too. And, as is my lot, I'll analyze both.



At first, I was really into it. I found myself thinking, 'Why would anyone want to make fun of this?'

When I saw Magic Johnson I got happy, for sure. But by the end of the video I was like, 'Enough with the happy already!'

At that point I was ready for someone to lambaste this, and Weird Al's version of silly was exactly the sort of silly I craved. I'm trying to formulate my prediction of his argument in advance of watching it.

Then the vision of Pharrell dancing in front of that choir in blue came to mind. The fact that they weren't the actual voices in the song means they were hired to pretend like they were singing. Then and now I kind of feel a sickness in the pit of my stomach.

Also, seeing Steve Carell in the school bus, not engaging the camera and singing along, but trying to do his own silly thing, kind of ruined it for me. I couldn't get over that image.

The 'regular people' in the video did charm me, but now that I think about it they were probably all hired actors as well. I mean right? This is a song from Despicable Me 2. A fucking sequel. Why do movie companies churn out sequels? They make money, they get butts in the seats.

The Atlas Shrugged and Lord of the Rings movies are different because the movies all correspond to pre-written epic fiction. Terminator 2 and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey are different because they surpass their predecessors in overall quality.

Be excellent to each other and party on, dude. Okay, Keanu.

Okay, so instead of posting "Tacky" on here, I'll just link to it. Why not post the video here instead of making you click on something to go to Nerdist and watch the damn thing? Because it auto-plays. You'd be opening my blog, and some damn fucking music would be playing, and your speakers would be turned up, and you'd be in your office, or at home when other people are sleeping. And I care about you, dear reader. I care. About. You.

So, again, just go here and watch the damn thing. The "Tacky" thing. I'm so irritated about auto-playing internet videos that now I don't feel like writing down my analysis anymore. I haven't watched it yet, so I'll now do so and just fill my face with cheese puffs and let my kids throw half-eaten peaches under the radiator.

Okay I just watched it and it's so good. Kind of bad too, but all good. Love that it's a single shot. That must have taken forever to pull off. I'd like to see some outtakes from that, like having the cameraman moving exactly the same, doing the same long single shot, but with all the actors fucking up their dances and lip-synchs.

Sunn O))) live in 2014, upcoming collaboration with Scott Walker

There's news afoot from Seattle drone metal band Sunn O))). They're definitely still active, though they try to remain as mysterious and low-key (pun) as possible. It's what I love about them.

Here's an excerpt from a recent live show. Still noisy, still metal.



Here's the Sunn O))) Bandcamp page. Everything they've ever released, including albums and rehearsal demos, are available for streaming and purchase. It's quite nice for the hardcore fan like myself.

I'm currently listening to and loving their collaboration with Ulver, entitled Terrestrials. It really does sound like a follow-up to Monoliths and Dimensions, their 2009 album that lifted them above the constraints of the drone metal genre they created with the band Earth, and into an experimental, orchestral, and collaborative sound.

So. Scott Walker, the guy who released Bish Bosch in 2012, that weird-ass-but-still-listenable album of vibrato, one-tone vocals meandering over minimalist beats, conjuring all kinds of images, ultimately culminating in one of the most original releases I've ever heard, is collaborating with Sunn O))).

They've only released this above image, and 4AD is handling whatever form it will take. Could be an album, could be a smoke-machine-as-album.

Here's a Pitchfork article with more info on Scott O))), and here's a Pitchfork review of Walker's 2013 reissue of his first records. The review delves into a short biography of the man that I thought was very well-written.

Here's an article from The Guardian about the collaboration.

I'm excited for what the future may bring with Sunn O)))! This is a band that gets me excited. They always collaborate with the right people, making art more for the sake of brain stimulation than profit.

Listening Material: Weakling, Mitochondrion

Last night I stayed up late watching live Portal videos on YouTube, and then I watched their Larvae video. Scary.

That band is blowing my mind lately. I love The Curator's masks and costumes, the Pope, Clock, and Wizard. I never understood them until watching them play live, paying special attention to where their fingers go on their fretboards.

YouTube sensed I was gonna be into Mitochondrion, a similar band, which I've posted below, but first let's put this Weakling album up here, a video I found afterwards.

All these two bands are not connected in any way; I just discovered them at the same time, and I think a fan of one would like the other.

Weakling - Dead As Dreams [Full - HD]


Weakling is a black metal band that my guitarist in Freeze told me I should listen to since we both love Wolves in the Throne Room. Hailing from San Francisco, they recorded their lone album, Dead as Dreams, in 1998.

Mitochondrion - Parasignosis [Full - HD]


Mitochondrion is a Victoria, B.C. power trio, and Parasignosis (2011) is their second full-length, out via Profound Lore Records.

Soundgarden's Superunknown 20th Anniversary Performance was super cool

June 2, 2014, Soundgarden played their 1994 album Superunknown in its entirety. It was awesome! Can you believe it was twenty years ago this was released?

Let me start with my favorite song off the album, consequently track 1. They play it awesomely. Cornell gives a corny introduction and then they rock it hard.

Mm. Tasty. Superunknown is the best Soundgarden album ever, and for them to be playing it live really hits me right ... here, ya know? They do it so faithfully too, track by track, album order. Really cool. Totally fan-service and I'm eating it up.

Try this one, too:



FUCK YEAH!



Weird!

Thank god for you, YouTube user mfc172. Here's another one of your stunning captures:

Nirvana's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction last night was awesome

First of all, isn't the speed at which news is released great these days?

Great story BTW, Jim Farber. Excellent and trained is your hand in music journalism, distant Jedi colleague.

So, last night, Nirvana was part of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 2014 Induction Ceremony. The band members and a few family members of Kurdt Cobain's came onstage to say a few words, as well as Michael Stipe.

Have a Nice Life's "Dan and Tim, Reunited by Fate" is a strange trip thru the woods

This is a cool avant garde video from Have a Nice Life. The song is called "Dan and Tim, Reunited by Fate."

Definitely starts with the Lynch Noise, then moves into some kind of light ... music on bass plus keyboards and other sounds, then.. I don't know, man. I don't know what to call this.

That's why it intrigues me.

Here, watch it. Via The Flenser.

Rotting Hills "Seventh Prayer" Video & Song Analysis

So guys, go to Cvlt Nation's page here and listen to this four-drummer black metal thing and watch the brilliant accompanying video. Very satisfying. It's a video that stays with you after you watch it.

The band is Rotting Hills. I'd never heard of them before today. But today they blew me away. Four drummers. You read that right. There is a thunderous drum sound on this thing. It is monstrous.

It's additionally a well-produced sound. When you think #blackmetal, you think terrible production, punk-speed tempos, pretty simple guitar riffs, and the shriek right? Boom, you've got black metal from your friend's basement and it sounds like ass but they HOLD to that sound. It turns away all posers.

Rotting Hills' sound, on the song "Seventh Prayer" anyway, is meditative; it begins slowly and lures you in.

So don't be alarmed if you're not a black metal fan. The sound is atypical of black metal. I don't know what else to call it, however. The music itself is cinematic, and didn't they do a live score recently as well? Videography is made for this music, and they've got a sweet final product on their hands right now.

One of the drummers directed it too. It's fully a Rotting Hills presentation.

Here's that same link again. It's currently only available on Cvlt Nation.