Albums I Dig...Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses

This would be my first step into the brutally awesome world of Slipknot.  Slipknot erupted onto the scene in 1999 with their self titled album and helped to reinvent the genre of heavy metal.  I on the other hand as a 7th-8th grader wanted nothing at all to do with these 9 masked metal maniacs.

It wasn't until I was at military school that I finally decided to give the band a real listen, and it happened to be right about the time that Vol. 3 was released.  Now you might think, "Oh, of course.  Military school + angry kid = Slipknot."  But that isn't entirely what the case was.  It was more a matter of I was extremely bored, and was looking for new music.  It just happened that Slipknot is aggression in audio form.  And boy did it help on the days that I was a little more...upset...then usual.

That is the great thing about metal music in general though, for me at least.  Whenever I'm feeling something that I can't properly spill forth, I listen to something heavy, fast, and relentless until I feel whatever stress, or anger I had dissolve.

So back to Slipknot...

It wasn't until I stepped foot at Roanoke College that I dug out the little Slipknot that I had and decided to give it a go full time.  And thank the metal gods I did so.  I joined the Slipknot ranks at an interesting time.  Their first two albums had been landmarks in the new wave of American heavy metal (Slipknot, and Iowa...my personal favorite).  This album (Vol. 3) would be a shock to the then loyal fans of the band...there would be heavy experimentation.  There was a new producer (the legend himself Rick Rubin), and a new attitude (as always, new masks and outfits).

Each Slipknot album starts with an intro of sorts, a prologue to the madness that was to ensue.  Up to this point the first two albums had at times horrific and static infused screams that would warn the listener of the HEAVY that was about to come.  This album started with something a little more...welcoming.

What hooked me at first listen was the tightness of the group.  Which is hard enough for a four piece to do...Slipknot has 9 insanely different members...

2 guitarist (Jim Root, Mick Thomson)
1 vocalist (Corey Taylor)
1 bassist (RIP Paul Gray, truly talented musican)
1 drummer (Joey Jordison)
2 percussionists (Shawn "Clown" Crahan, Chris Fehn)
1 DJ (Sid Wilson)
1 sampler (Craig "133" Jones)

The complete control this band had over the music was amazing to me.  I had heard all the stories about how they were "emo" and nothing but "nu-metal".  Whoever those people were must had been listening to something else, this album just got heavier and heavier until...they dropped it all and threw in a acoustic ballad.  What?!  This is heavy metal?!  No...this is complete control over your career and music.  Fearlessness.  And THAT is what I love in bands.  Most metal bands preach this ideal of doing what they please and this badass sense that they do whatever they want, but fail to ever really change and become more interesting.  Every Slipknot album is a step forward.  There are as with any band, minor setbacks on certain song ideas or choices, but through it all they always found a way to end up on the step above.

The album itself is full of thrashy riffs,  brutal breakdowns, and double bass assaults (the first three tracks...The Blister Exists, Three Nil, Opium of the People).  There are also the equally creepy and disturbing (Vermillion, The Virus of Life, Danger Keep Away).  The scream that Corey Taylor emits during Vermillion is truly terrifying, you can almost hear pieces of his throat tear.  Danger Keep Away is quite beautiful in a creepy/disturbing kind of way.  But again proves that these guys are for real.  Then they throw the ultimate curve and slow things down with tracks like Circle and Vermillion Pt. 2.  Those two tracks really show that Slipknot don't need to hide behind distortion and percussion to prove that they are a talented group of musicians.  These are the tracks that some say started Slipknot on a downward spiral, I however think this only made them stronger.  It's funny, the ballads are what proved that Slipknot doesn't take shit from anyone.

BUT.

Slipknot also knows a thing or two about an all out assault on the ears and this album has possibly one of my favorite metal songs EVER.  That would be the epic, triumphant, real mother fucker of a song called...Pulse of the Maggots.  Now for the uniformed, maggots are what Slipknot fans call themselves, and this is their rally cry, courtesy of their idols.  If anyone wondered why people head bang...throw THIS song on the stereo. Enjoy.  Whoever thought Slipknot went soft with this album needs to turn this song up real loud and let the neighbors get a little nervous.

Overall this album is special to me because it got me into a band that I truly love, and have been following ever since.  I guess you can call me a maggot after all.

Movies I dig...

I'm not exactly sure the first time I saw E.T. was...It was at least when I was 5 or 6 years old, and even at that age it left a mark on me, a powerful one.  Now almost 20 years later I watched the film as an adult and I'm pretty sure I cried more then when I was a kid.

You see, as I've gotten older I've started to mold my life into the way I want to see things for the remainder of it.  What I mean is, I've realized what is important in my life and what I see as something worth pursuing and meaningful to me, and one of those very important things is the power of creativity and imagination.  And watching E.T. as a 24 year old the magic of the imagination and the human spirit are alive and well.  Seeing the connection that this far away creature creates with a little boy in a matter of days is still inspiring and beautiful, and always will be.

The scene where Elliott and E.T. take their first ride in the sky was such an emotional experience for me.  It is a moment of pure imagination and magic.  It is hard to explain what exactly this scene means to me as a fan of movies, but I know it is a special moment that doesn't happen very often.  Everything about their relationship and innocence is something that we could all learn to appreciate a little more.

That is the power of movies, the power of a connection with someone, and the power of imagination.

Maybe it is because I'm older that now I seem to understand more of themes this movie has to offer and maybe it is because of some of the experiences and friends I've made in those 20 years that it hits me so hard.  The film to me still has one of the greatest goodbyes in movie history, and it isn't even their parting words that Elliott an E.T. give each other, it is the look and the embrace they share that is truly beautiful and real.

Just like E.T. tells Elliott that he'll "be...right...here.", this movie too will always be right here with me.

Grade - A+

It was 41 years ago today...

That Paul McCartney announced to the press and the public that he was leaving The Beatles, and this would be seen as the official day that the greatest and most important band of the 20th Century would break up never to all play together in the same room again.

While most fans, as well as myself see this as a sad day, it is also the birth of 4 careers that were achievements in their own right from John, Paul, George and Ringo.  It also secured the legacy of a band that will never and could never be tarnished.  You see The Beatles (with Ringo) were only around for 8 years and 6 of those years in the American eye.  In that time they released 13 albums studio albums (including Magical Mystery Tour), altered the shape of music for ever, and did it all before they were 30.

And in some weird way the fact that they never played together again only adds to their myth.  We as an admiring public never saw them fail, we never saw them misstep in any drastic way, they were untouchable and because the fact that they ended musically on such a high note (Abbey Road) and left behind such great music before that, it secures the fact that they will forever be untouchable.

Let me just start by saying that Anthony Hopkins is one of the truly great actors this world has ever seen...

If you haven't seen the movie there are some spoilers ahead!


I've watched the film The World's Fastest Indian a couple times now, and every time I finish it I truly feel my heart warmed by the experience.  It is based on the incredible true story of Burt Munro, an older New Zealander with more zeal for life then any other onscreen character I've seen, be it real life or not.  One of the great things about watching this movie is realizing that this is a struggle that was tried, tested and overcome.


The movie works because you feel for and love Burt Munro.  The fact that he does what he eventually does (break numerous land speed records, some of which still stand today) is amazing in itself, but it is the fact that he does it with a constant smile on his face and that he never lets the obstacles tear him down that truly touched me.


The little nuances of Anthony Hopkins only add to his acting legend.  He has never been one to showoff, which is brilliant.  It's his laugh in this film that is infectious, his constant quoting of past sayings, and retelling of childhood memories that win every single person he comes into contact in the film with (even a very rude taxi driver).  But there are two particular scenes that nearly brought a tear to my eye (or possibly did...haha).


The scene where Burt finally makes it to Bonneville Speed Week and gives a very touching monologue about how he's waited all his life to make it this far.  Anthony Hopkins again doesn't go for the "Oscar moment" and holds back the tears and never lets us totally see him break, which to me is one of the greatest things I've seen an actor do (Clint Eastwood in The Bridges of Madison Country does this as well.).  He lets us see him long enough and then turns his back to have a moment to himself...beautiful.


And of course when he finally sets the first of his records, we see what I don't think we see enough in films about triumph (primarily sports related films, excluding the first Rocky) is the quiet moment of celebration the victor feels.  There is no screaming and crying on Burt's part, there is only a simple..."I did it."  As he lies miles away from the roaring crowd on the ground next to the world's fastest Indian...


GRADE - A

Movies of 2010 I dig...

This is a list I compiled at the tail end of 2010, there may be some movies I'd change or move around a little on this list now that it is 2011, but that would defeat the purpose of what I saw in 2010...

1. Inception

Christopher Nolan created a film that is so completely rounded and beautifully complex that I believe we won't even truly understand it's brilliance until we have a couple years to digest it...and dream about it.  To me this is the most visually stunning and mentally explosive film I've seen since Blade Runner.  It is the simplest idea for a film coated in the complex world of dreams, espionage and adventure...and it is that simple idea (wanting to go home) that Nolan loads us into the barrel, and it is scenes like the "Hallway Fight" and intro to the film that blow us away.

2. The Fighter

This was the last addition to my list, but it is only inches behind Inception.  Maybe its because I have a brother that I look up too and also hope looks up to me that I was so emotionally hooked to this film.  Or perhaps it was the excellent acting from the entire ensemble.  Maybe it was because it was a true story unfolding before my eyes, or maybe it was because I watched Christian Bale unleash the greatest performance of my lifetime on the screen.  Very few actors, even the very good ones, play a character so well, transform so well, that we forget who they are entirely...this was the performance where I forgot I was watching Christian Bale, and instead watched him become someone else entirely.

3. The Social Network

Never has a movie been released at such a perfect time as The Social Network was released.  David Fincher perfectly directs the mappings of the greatest technological and social networking achievement of the 21st century, with tragedy, drama, and realism...and it's even crazier to think that I'm writing this blog on Zukerburg's very own creation.

4. The Town

Ben Affleck gets a bad rap for some reason...Pearl Harbor?  Reindeer Games?...I mean we gotta give the guy a break.  He first showed his directing chops in Gone Baby Gone, and only enhanced them with The Town.  Taking ques from the greatest of bank heist movies, Affleck directs and stars in the best bank heist film since the greatest of all great heist films...Heat.

5. You Don't Know Jack

Al Pacino LIIIIGHTS THE SMALL SCREEN ABLAZE!!!!!  HOOOOOAH!...all of this being said in the best Al Pacino impression possible.  Easily his best performance in years, as well as a very fascinating film that brought a lot to my attention that I never knew in the first place, or had some warped idea about.  Think of that, a movie that teaches you something!

6. Let Me In

Best. Horror. Movie. Of. The. Decade.

7.City Island

This is totally thanks to Mick.  He told me about this film, and it didn't disappoint at all.  This to me was one of the funniest, smartest (Frasier funny/smart) films of the year, with a very strong beating heart.  The entire cast was equal parts funny and tragic, and Andy Garcia put himself back on the map for me.

8. The Kids Are Alright

I'm still not entirely sure about the ending, but I got the subtle hint.  Mark Ruffalo didn't get enough credit in this film, he stole the show for me, as well as Mia Wasikowska (my newest crush), who was so sweet and innocent (but very strong) preparing for her first year away from home, that at one point in the movie the worst insult she can come up with is "phony" and its one of the most endearing moments in the film.

9.I'm Still Here

This is the most insane movie I've ever seen.  And yes it is fake, and yes in a perfect world Phoenix would get nominated for an Oscar.  The amount of time and effort he put into fooling (yes we were fooled, for at least a bit...) everyone was/is staggering.  There are parts in this movie were I was crying from laughing, and on the verge of crying because I was witnessing (what I thought) was a suicidal meltdown...even if it was fake...its still a performance that is full of emotion and grit.  I forgot I was watching Joaquin Phoenix "play" Joaquin Phoenix...trippy.

10.Toy Story 3

This was the end of my childhood wrapped in a bow and put on screen.  After 15 years one of the greatest trilogies comes to a close.  This film had more depth and character development then most live action films had this year.  It dealt with abandonment, death, loss, love, age, purpose and friendship better then any movie this year, and it was a complete joy watching this amazing ride and childhood come to an end.

Albums I Dig...In The Aeroplane Over The Sea

So Jeff Mangum...a name that as of right now in the mainstream music world doesn't mean anything.  In fact back in the mid-nineties it didn't pack that big of a punch either...but dig a little deeper, read a pitchfork media review or two, and this might have been the greatest songwriter to come out of the 90's.  He is the heart and soul behind what was once known for one EP and two albums as Neutral Milk Hotel.  A band that was so experimental that there was no time for them to be ahead of...they just were.  But out of those three musical offerings only one is brought up on a regular "indie" basis...the utter masterpiece that is "In The Aeroplane Over The Sea".  I don't know what to say about this album that hasn't been said by countless indie music sites and magazine editors, except that it is...fucking...FEARLESS.  And to be creative, to be good at it, you need to be fearless.  You need to be so oblivious to what is hip and cool, that you scare the shit out of everyone around you...especially the critics.  Jeff Mangum was/is, at least from what I've seen through live videos, a very shy person.  But put that guitar in his hands and a mic in front of his mouth and you get a whole new being.  A vocal range that is more of a roller coaster then a staircase.  And a guitar armed with no more then 3 or 4 basic chords that will twist and turn so many times that by the end of the song you'd swear you've heard every note there is to offer.

This is an album based on, albeit some would say loosely, on the "Diary of a Young Girl" or as most might know it "The Diary of Anne Frank".  That's right, the "Diary of Anne Frank"...not about Jeff's girlfriend or ex-girlfriend and how he is going to win her back, or what it is to be indie or modern or even his hometown...it's about in very abstract terms, his utter depression over the loss of this young girl decades ago, and how he wants nothing more in the world then to go back and save her.  

Think about that.

I read somewhere that Jeff admitting to that at the time might have been the most uncool thing someone could have been admitting to in music.  Writing an album about a book most people dread to read in elementary-middle school.  Again remember it's all about being oblivious to what is cool and perhaps...uncool.

Now...throw in some of the most beautifully written lyrical imagery you'll ever hear, some wildly eccentric horns, guitars (fuzzy or acoustic), and the most pained voice that I've ever heard, and you have the masterpiece that I would gladly put up there with "A Night at the Opera", "Born to Run", and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".

After the album was released Neutral Milk Hotel toured, and then during it's rapid surge in popularity broke up.  Jeff Mangum had had enough.  Hopefully that last chord and phrase we hear uttered from Jeff's mouth on "Two-Headed Boy Pt. Two" isn't the last we ever hear from him, but if it is, I know I will, along with fans of him, his music, and his band will always "hold it close and keep it here with me..."

Albums I Dig...In Utero

I've decided to try and blog once a day an album that I'm listening too I that I really respect and enjoy...

Ok first album I'm picking is an album that has been in my head, car stereo, ipod, itunes, everywhere since I bought it, and that'd be Nirvana's swan song In Utero.  Good Lord is it an amazing album.  This is an album that I'd throw up there with Pinkerton, In the Aeroplane Over the Seas as one of the greatest albums of the 90's and easily one of my favorite new albums.  Now Nevermind is the album they will always be remembered for, and rightly so...It ushered in a new genre and sound to the teenagers who needed a voice, and had everyone at MTV sigh a collected sigh of relief.  But what In Utero offers is what I think Nirvana wanted us to hear...a raw feedback infused scream.  It is also upsetting because this album could have been the tip of the iceberg of what they truly could have become.  This album gives the impression that they were moving toward something much greater then anything we'd heard from them, and unfortunately never hear.

This album offers everything from 90's era heavy metal (Scentless Apprentice, Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge On Seattle), all out punk (Tourette's), a "classic" Nirvana sound if you will (Heart-Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea), some of the best use of feedback I've ever heard (Radio Friendly Unit Shifter) to a song that seemed eerily perfect as their final studio album song (All Apologies).

Now one of the standout tracks on the album is one of their more popular when it comes to box sets and greatest hits, and that is the song Rape Me.  But as much as I love overdubbed over the top music (Dream Theater, Queen, Muse), I also have a deep respect for the wholly simplistic, which this album clearly is, but more importantly so is this song.  The verse and chorus are the same four chords.  The only difference is the fact that during the verse the chords are clean, and at times arrpeggioed, and then the chorus is kicked into a distorted overdrive.  Then comes the bridge out of nowhere and it gets you interested all over again.  But for me it is the razor blade screams he spews forth near the end ( "Rape me!  Rape me!") that are insanely chilling.  I swear there are a couple screams that sound like his soul is going to jump out of his throat.  Maybe my favorite Nirvana song of all time.

One of the reasons I never really got into Nirvana when I was younger was because I never thought Kurt was having fun, it always seemed like one big depressed wail.  But I got on this album that he was enjoying himself, even though he was singing about depressing topics at times, his voice seems more adventurous to roam wherever it wanted to go.  He lets his guitar slide in and out of distortion at will.  He finally seems free to do what he wanted to do on a record, and not be a voice just a singer.  It was almost as if he was starting his band all over again, playing for the first time together in a garage in Seattle.  He seemed for at least a little while...happy.