Friday Music

Here we go again…..

First up — I actually was listening to this track as inspirational background for my Far West RPG design (see the appropriately tagged entries), and was planning on posting it in a forthcoming design journal entry….but I like it so much, I don’t want to wait. So, here’s a nifty western-tinged folk murder ballad: Sixteen Horsepower – “Outlaw Song.”

Speaking of murder ballads, I was reminded of one of my favorites in a post earlier this week by , who talked about the multitude of versions that exist of the legend of Stagger Lee. My favorite version of the tale is this one: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – “Stagger Lee.”

Shifting the mood to something a little less dire — some bright pop from Mika’s “Life in Cartoon Motion” album. A track that is more “gay disco” than can be expressed by the mathematical formula [(Sylvester + RuPaul)Liberace x Scissor Sisters] …and maybe even more than that. In a really, really good way. Mika – “Love Today.”

It’s been a while since I posted some Kula Shaker. Here’s the lead-off from their first album, “K”. I love the lyric: “Smell the rose, the sweet sweet rose that grows on castle walls in heaven.” Kula Shaker – “Hey Dude.”

For all you Guitar Hero players out there, I give you a song which you should find familiar — perhaps the most perfect Led Zeppelin pastiche ever recorded. Wolfmother – “Woman.”

Some Japanese hip-hop, from the turntables of DJ Krush, featuring the vocal work of INDEN, from the album “Shinsou – Message at Depth”. Good stuff, as always: DJ Krush – “Toki No Tabiji (Journey of Time), feat. INDEN.”

In 1966, the Rolling Stones put this very Elizabethan-sounding song on their album “Aftermath.” Brian Jones learned how to play dulcimer specifically for this track, and Mick Jagger has said that he has no idea what the song is about — that all of the names were historical, but he put them together unconsciously. I really love this song — one of those jewels that you stumble upon one day, and can’t ever forget. The Rolling Stones – “Lady Jane.”

…and of course, what better way to end this week’s playlist than with a bhangra track from Panjabi MC which utilizes the theme from “Magnum P.I.” as a backing sample? Panjabi MC – “Jatt ho giya sharabee.”

Enjoy!

Wuxiariffic!

Got my birthday presents from my folks today — direct from HKFlix.com, I have two wuxia television series on DVD:


(The 2006 TV version of Louis Cha (Jin Yong)’s novel, spanning 41 episodes on 9 discs)

And


The TV series version of Tsui Hark’s “Seven Swords”, filmed directly after the production of the movie was finished. 39 episodes on 8 discs, covering the story “Seven Swords of Mount Tian” in full detail.

Also in the shipment was “Wind and Cloud” — a disc where they edited the 2004 TV version of “Storm Riders” into a 2-hour movie (down from 20-something hours. YIKES), and packaged it as a sequel to the film version:

Not quite as cool as the other two (since it will be fairly disjointed from the editing), but fun nonetheless.

I am one happy wuxia pian kuang re zhe!

Anniversaries

Seeing a few posts on my Friends list about anniversaries and such reminded me that I shouldn’t let this one pass unremarked.

It’s kinda difficult to keep things straight — what anniversary to do you commemorate? When you met? When you officially became a “couple?” When you got married?

In the case of and myself, I’ve known her for 16 years or so. We got married last October. But we officially entered “coupledom” the week of my birthday, in 1997. Ten years ago.

Ten years is one of those round numbers that our brains mark as a milestone, for whatever reason. Even odder when you think about the fact that in October of this year, we’ll celebrate our FIRST anniversary (despite being together for more than a decade).

Ten years. More up than down, thank the gods.

I love you, Laura.