Friday Music

This weeks Mixtape of Teh Intarwebs:

and I are giving David Milch’s post-Deadwood HBO series, John From Cincinnatti our standard three-episode try-out. The first episode was….strange (you can catch it as a free stream at the HBO website). The one thing that I came away with was a burning desire to track down the music they used in the final scene and over the closing credits. Thanks to the magic of the Intertubes, I managed to find it — this is a great track. Sort of a 21st century take on Psychedelia. Nifty as hell. Kasabian – “Sun Rise Light Flies.”

At the request of my LJ-less brother, here is some Lady Sovereign…this time in a remix produced by Basement Jaxx. Good stuff. Gotta love Grime tracks mocking fashion choices! Lady Sovereign – “Hoodie (Basement Jaxx Remix).”

Here’s a great asian-influence hip-hop track from one of the famed Wu-Tang Clan. The track uses Chinese music as the backing loops, and mixes in some fairly famous interview audio of Bruce Lee: “Be like water, my friend…” Masta Killa – “Masta Killa.”

One of my favorite tracks from Amy Winehouse’s new album. I love the retro-60s-soul sound of it, and I especially love that the opening verse contains the line: “What kind of Fuckery is this?” It’s my new favorite phrase. Amy Winehouse – “Me and Mr. Jones.”

Moving from sounds that sound old, let’s hear some that actually are. First up, from 1970 — the one-hit wonder that features the best horn riff EVER. I mean it. Ides of March – “Vehicle.”

Next, from 1981, my favorite single from New Order. (Although, to be fair, I didn’t hear it until years later. Still my fave, though, so there.) New Order – “Everything’s Gone Green.”

Lastly, from 1985, one of the best ‘alternative’ tracks of the period (although, at the time, before the coming of the Record Industry Marketing Gurus, we called it “college rock”, since it was usually only found on little indie college stations). This one actually broke out a bit — it was used on a couple of soundtracks, and got some radio play on commercial radio eventually. Dramarama – “Anything Anything (I’ll Give You).”

There you go. Enjoy.

Bigots defeated

Opponents of same-sex marriage failed in their attempt to pass a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. A joint session of the Legislature swiftly defeated the propsal — without debate — by a vote of 45 to 151, eliminating any chance of getting it on the ballot in November 2008.

It’s a done deal, folks. They couldn’t even muster 25% of the Legislature behind them. The more folks who live with same-sex marriages around them as a regular thing, the more the opposition wilts.

As to the pernicious effect that “gay marriage” is having on “traditional marriage” — well, lessee:

The state with the lowest divorce rate in the nation is Massachusetts. At latest count it had a divorce rate of 2.4 per 1,000 population, according to data supplied by the US Census Bureau.

Oddly enough, the states with the highest divorce rates are in the Bible Belt — the divorce rates in these conservative states are roughly 50 percent above the national average of 4.2 per thousand people.

Makes ya think. (Of course, if conservative Christians were big on thinking, we wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place, now would we….)

Far West Inspirado viewing day…..

I’m taking today off for my birthday, but wanted to put this out there, for those who might be interested–

I’m planning on spending Sunday afternoon (Father’s Day) in a lazy haze of video-watching. Items on the schedule include various bits of FAR WEST brain-fodder…namely Westerns and Wuxia.

If anyone else would like to join in, your company would be more than welcome.

Drop a comment and let me know.