New Sky

Don't you just hate this Texas weather? It makes me want to crawl into a drainage system and be flushed away to an ocean that coordinates its own axis within my own frame of mind...okay, that was a little far fetched and weird, but I'm hungover, tired and still have a crapload of homework to do. Either way...music on the mind.

Lately, I have been listening to Joana Newsom's new album. But, I don't have a track-listing, so cannot recommend certain songs. Horrible journalism, I know... But the CD is great, typical Newsom at work here; however my roommate summed it up perfectly by saying, "I'm waiting for he climax..." I know exactly what he means because the album tends to stay on a particular wavelength of harp, strings, horns and piano, but the album itself keeps the same tone throughout. To me, what has made Newsom a household name is the fact that she plays on whimsical moments throughout the duration of her releases to the point where you cannot help but become engrossed in her sacred moments. What made Ys so brilliant was that everything had a purpose, and at moments, the music just blasted into your unconscious and you can picture everything happening. Have One On Me is by no means a bad album, it's great. Her vocals are different, but good. She sings with more clarity, but at the same time, with this clarity comes an obsession with structure. Not saying that everything she came out with before was unstructured, but it was more spontaneous. THAT'S IT, it lacks the spontaneity of her previous efforts. But still, check it out. Who can resist a three-disc 2 hour 17 minute album???

Also, I recently wrote an article for the DT Weekend on this band called White White Lights, which are a local band here in Austin. They are great, and they got me when they said their inspirations were Nirvana, Sonic Youth and The Pixies. Who wouldn't love that shit? Honestly. Anyways, here's a link below for the article. That's all I got for today. Peace!

White White Lights Feature:

http://www.dailytexanonline.com/dt-weekend/new-album-of-sonic-stripped-sound-1.2169448

J-j-j-just tryin...

Well, it's been a long time since I have contributed anything to the blogosphere, but it's not because I've stopped caring. It's because I'm so damn busy. Just to give you a glimpse of my schedule, I go to school Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM. Not bad, huh? Well, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Still not worthy of complaint? Well, screw you then...

As far as music goes, I wrote a piece in the DT Weekend about a band called The Blue Hit, consisting of three members (A guitarist, a cellist and a vocalist). They have a cool, smokey, classic sound. Definitely playing on minimalism, this band still has enough personality and spunk to attract any music lover.

CD Purchases: NONE! I'm sad because my funds have been dwindling; therefore, I do not have enough cash to buy as many CD's as I want. So, like any desperate music lover, I have resorted to downloading. I started off by downloading albums that I already had, but lost in the transportation of music from computer to computer, so I had to re-download Joanna Newsom, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and for some reason, I can't find "Psychocandy" by The Jesus and Mary Chain. Oh well... I also downloaded Chelsea Girl by Nico, but I haven't gotten a chance to listen to it, except for the instant replays of "These Days," but only because I became addicted to it the first time I heard it on The Royal Tenenbaums.

This is all the music shiznit I got for today. I have to start my lab project...ZZZZZZZZZZ Peace!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

It's three in the morning, and I can't sleep. I've watched enough videos on Hulu that would warrant me to seclude myself in a cabin with no electricity and be completely fine with it. I've put on some music in the hopes that maybe my mind will go to a place where it feels at rest and permit me to fall asleep.

However, The Sonics is usually not a good choice of this type of endeavor. Maybe a little Ray Charles? I should probably play something that is soft, acoustic and sweet. I'd play Blue by Joni Mitchell, but I'm not sure if my mind can handle her voice right now. Don't get me wrong. It's beautiful when she hits those high notes, but sometimes, it can be a little much to take if you're not prepared for it.

This is just battered rambling, but I am such a shit. I still haven't fully listened to the CD's that a friend gave me for Christmas. And that's because both of them are really good albums, at least from what I've heard. I still can't get "The Boys Are Leaving Town" by Japandroids out of my head. I had never even heard of this band before he bought me their album. The other CD he bought me was Pet Sounds by The Beach Boys. That one was on constant replay in my iPod; however, being on vacation, I did not take on my journalistic habits and study the track listing or read the liner notes. You could say that I've become extremely lazy this past month. Maybe school wiped me out. All I know is when I hear the beginning of "Wouldn't It Be Nice," it makes me want to close my eyes, nod my head from side to side and just be comfortable in the moment and know that everything is going to be okay.

Finally, the eyes are getting tired. Typing is becoming a chore. And I think a new CD for sleeping is in order. Good night world.

All I want for Christmas...

This is an article that I wrote a few days ago. It's going to be in the Holiday issue of the KVRX Call Letter. I'm not sure where exactly they publish it, or if it is just an online call letter, but either way, if you want to check it out on their web site, it can probably be found at http://www.kvrx.org. But here's the article:

All I want for Christmas is a CD.

You remember those? Those shiny plastic encasings that held a compact disk and had sleeves containing the cover art, “thank you’s,” and album credits?

As a kid, I remember coming home with a brand new CD, going straight for my parents killer sound-system, adjusting the equalizer and then popping in that shiny disc that held anywhere from 10 to 15 tracks.

I would read the lyrics, sing along with the songs, hoping that the mastery of my own voice would become something to be desired among record executives and disc-jockeys.

The immense sound of rock and roll emanated through my house to the point where my dad would cringe at the sound of an electric guitar and booming drums. Thank you Nevermind.

The stockings have been hung. The tree has been decorated, and the family tradition of opening one present early in anticipation for Santa’s later offerings is about to commence.

I open my stocking, anticipating a shiny, glossy encasing which holds the all-black album cover of The Monk’s Black Monk Time. I reach into the stocking, only to find a gift card granting me 20 free songs on iTunes.

Three words enter my mind: What the hell! When did a card which gives you free music online pass for a musical offering? Santa has a major blow-torch of a thank-you letter coming his way. A cool, classic vinyl would have sufficed, even though I don’t even own a working record player.

I would curse the holidays, but now, I have to find a computer.

When Is When?

Well, I haven't written in some time; however, it is always time attributed to school, which is not necessarily time wasted. Either way, much musical things to jabber about.

But before that, I'd like to give a shout-out to my Dad, Manuel Lopez. Happy 51st Pa! Enjoy your new guitar! Maybe we can jam out together.

Okay, first, Regina Spektor. Okay, I have been a fan of Regina Spektor for a few years now, and have had opportunities to see her in concert, which were always botched by inconvenient situations of which I had no control. However, a wonderful friend gave me a Regina Spektor ticket for my birthday, and the show coincidentally fell on Nov. 11th, which was last night. Awesome, because I did not have class today. The show was at Stubb's, here in Austin, and what I've noticed that has become a common trend is that bands truly love performing in Austin because the crowd here gives excellent feedback and there is never EVER a dull moment.

Having said that, Regina Spektor put on a great show. She played a mixture of songs from Soviet Kitsch, Begin To Hope and her latest endeavor, Far. She played some of her best, and most popular, stuff. She played songs like "Samson," "Us," "Apres Moi," and "Poor Little Rich Boy." I was kind of saddened that she didn't play my favorite song, "Summer In The City." Either way, the show was excellent, her performance was beautiful and she has a smile that radiated amongst the crowd that all one could do was gush and beg for more. Thank you, Regina Spektor, thank you!

On a CD Purchase Note:

I've recently made three CD purchases, but I haven't gotten the chance to listen to them fully. Here are my verdicts so far.

Devendra Banhart - What Will We Be: This CD is great. Devendra Banhart is one of my all-time favorite musicians, and this album just proves that he's getting better and better. He's reaching toward different inspirations and finding himself making music that suits his constant changes in mood, but always staying truthful to what drives him musically. This is not his greatest album, but it is still a solid, excellent piece of work. So far, my favorites are "Can't Help But Smiling," "Angelicka," "Baby," "Chin Chin & Muck Muck," and "Brindo." Check it out, it will not disappoint.

The Stooges - Raw Power: I had already heard a few tracks from this album, which prompted me to buy it. I haven't listened to the whole thing all the way through, just spontaneous song-picks riding on the bus to and from school. However, everything I've heard so far is raw and powerful which, for rock n' roll, is never a bad thing.

New Order - Power, Corruption & Lies: My favorite New Order song is "Age of Consent," so I decided that my first New Order album would have to be the one that had this song on it. Which happened to be the same album that has "Blue Monday" on it, which is probably their most famous songs, at least on the mainstream scale. However, I think their earlier work is probably the greatest. This album is very spacial and experimental, but I like it nonetheless. It still has a few songs that haven't grown on me, so I wouldn't necessarily recomment it; however, I feel like I will love it once I listen to it more.

That's all I got for now. Time to read. Peace.

Rock n' Roll

Strange coincidence that the genre that has fueled a fire within so many hearts is the genre that I hope to fuel with my writing when the time comes for me to venture to a different city in the hopes of becoming a music writer. I have been delving into my Creem anthology of articles and interviews, only to become further engrossed in the literature that has been spurned from the making of great music since the dawn of time.

Having said this, I find that Austin is a city largely populated with musicians and music writers, and to fit the mold, you have to question where your integrity lies and which direction you wish to pursue. The Journalism department at UT has a certain clique feel to it where it can often be discouraging if you are not a part of it. Maybe this means that my work would be best as a freelance writer, I'm not sure. Either way, it does have an affect on a person's perception of talent and how that talent can be used, molded and shaped to befit a magazine that has seen many writers come and go (Rolling Stone).

I look at the writings of Austin Scaggs, Lester Bangs and Hunter S. Thompson, in the hopes that a journalistic pull will take over and place me in a stigma where I can feel that messages of great writers pulsating through my fingertips, in order to make me write a masterpiece...

I thought I had written a masterpiece. I did a profile on a drug-dealer, and I thought it was one of the best stories I had ever written. I was extremely proud of the responses I got from my most critical of friends; however, my journalism professor tore it to pieces, giving me a C on it. En serio? C? His comments were more along the lines of "you use superfluous language to sound smart when you should let the story write itself." "You're telling rather than showing." Now, I understand that he has been writing for a number of years, but writing is a practice that most people take their own pleasure from. Some people may like a piece, some may hate it. But that's writing...

I'm not sure of the significance of this post, just ramblin' thoughts, but either way, just a bit of sharing. Adios!

Hittin' The Road

After such a stressful week, I am ecstatic to be making my way to Corpus Christi to spend time with family and friends and get back in touch with my roots. Maybe I'll go to Molina, where I grew up, and check out the Selena memorabilia. The movie, Selena, made me miss that small neighborhood so much that I think I want to grow old and die there. Sounds weird, I know...

Musicwise: Things have been on a temporary hiatus after being bombarded with so much music on my birthday. One of my roommates bought me MC5's Kick Out The James, Beck's Sea Change and Neil Young's Harvest, and shortly after, I bought Robert Johnson's Complete Recordings, so let's just say my mind has been kept busy to the point where I have no room for newer music, besides Brand New's Daisy, which after hearing The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me, there was no way I could pass up their new album. The new album is pretty much like Devil and God, but it doesn't hit quite as hard as the other one did, but it's still a great album.

MC5 is one of my favorites right now. Kick Out The Jams is an album I listen to almost every morning as a ceremonial wake-up. I think everyone should check out this "obscure" band that rocked the Detroit pre-punk scene way back when.

Neil Young - what to say...well, I have never been a big Neil Young fan, but after MOJO described this as being one of the best albums ever recorded, I had to check it out. It's a great piece of work. The first track automatically puts you in a place where hypnotizing country music sets inside your bones and puts you in a pastoral movement that is hard to shake. I love it. The album has many influences, many directions, but the cohesiveness lingers throughout. Check this one out.

Beck - Well, I have always loved Beck. He is one of my top-five favorite musicians/bands/etc. I love that his style is ever-changing, and while we may not always agree with his changes, we respect him as an artist enough to know that there is always some good to it. Sea Change has always been described as his "break-up" album. After listening to it a few times, I can understand why that critique has been tossed around so much. It is sweet, melancholy, and redeeming of the human spirit. I've never seen Beck like this before, but it is amazing how he captures the intensity of heartbreak but still has an undertone of hope despite it all. Definitely an album that everyone should look into if you haven't already.

Well, that's all I got for now. Until Oct. 27th, cause that's when Devendra Banhart's new album comes out! He's another top-five, so I won't even get started. Peace, Love and happy trails!

Birth...Birth...Birth

The side of life that makes it worth while is the side to it all that leads you to believe something bigger exists. It's never coincidental, moreso, it's destined to be. I am now 22 years old, yet, I don't feel a day over 12. I have always had a youthful heart in this growing body. So, now that I am 22, I feel the need, more than ever, to get my shit together and make something of myself no matter what it takes. It's a step worth taking and a step everyone before me has taken. So, why am I scared? I don't know, and I probably never will. I just gotta get over it.

Either way, I took a road trip to Corpus Christi, and on the way, I got in touch with some music that I had completely forgotten about and music that meant a great deal to me on every level of humanity. First CD: Buddy Holly and the Crickets. If my historian memory serves me correctly, this was Buddy Holly's first album with the band The Crickets before he came out with a solo album before his untimely death. God rest his soul. His brand of rock n' roll is a brand that can never be tarnished, nor a brand that can be replicated. The harmonies on this album are also amazing and they just don't make music like this anymore. I think everyone and their mother should own this album. It's a timeless piece of magic that hardly goes recognized anymore. Songs to check out: Not Fade Away, You've Got Love, It's Too Late, and Rock Me My Baby.

Another album that resurfaced on my radar was Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Now, this album could be heard echoing through the hallways of various elementary schools I had the pleasure of going to. It's also a quintessential album in the hip-hop and r & b circuits. I'm sure everyone rocked out to Doo Wop (That Thing) while driving down the streets and having a smoke, or while chillin' at the local hang-out and reminiscing about the good old days. If you haven't heard of this album, where were you born? Honestly...

Well, that's all I have for now. Peace, Prosperity and many many good wishes.

New Beginnings, Old Reforms

Well, the semester has started off with a bang. I had to drop one class because I didn't take the prerequisite and there was no way I was going to learn an entire class in a short amount of time in order to understand what the current class was teaching. Sorry Primates, maybe I'll learn about you in another semester, just not this one.

Musically, I have been somewhat lazy, but my musical tastes have been revived with the MOJO CD Compilation: The Ultimate Guide to Music. It's basically an encyclopedia of albums that MOJO Magazine found groundbreaking in their time. The book goes in chronological order from the late 1940's where Frank Sinatra started the whole LP thing, to the late 1990's. It's a pretty good compilation. I already have a brand new list of CD's that I need to buy. Damn, I'm gonna go so broke.

Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Beck, Devendra Banhart and MC5. I have to get their MC5's Kick Out The Jams. It's so good! The rawness of their live performance just strikes a nerve so bad that you either want to start a revolution or dance your ass off, whichever suits you better. Since I have been smoking a lot of pot lately, it helps that I have some good tunes to get me through the days. I recently ordered Patti Smith's "Horses" and The Sex Pistols' "Nevermind The Bollocks: Here's The Sex Pistols" from Amazon. They should be getting here in a few days. Not to mention the extensive list of CD's that I put on my refrigerator, in the hopes that my roommates will flood me with albums for my birthday, which is only three days away.

But on a good note, I feel like a good change is coming. Not sure what, or when. But it's coming. Indefinitely. But that's all I got for now. Will be back with more musical updates and whatnots.

-Mark

Cool Video

So, I was a big fan of Shakira when I was a young lad. I loved the album Donde Estan Los Ladrones? It was such a good CD. I'm not so much a big fan of the Americanized Shakira, but that goes with the territory of changing countries and signing with a bigger label. But oh well. We all have to make our own choices. But this is a video of her doing MTV Unplugged. This is my favorite Shakira song and I think this is the best version of it out there. It's so good.