Post it up

 Posted by Jamie

Those at BBoW havn’t been….dickin around have we? The answer is yes, we have. Having so much free time has led to the discovery of Line Rider, and the exploitation of many games such as SSBM and Guitar Hero 2.

Recently I’ve been trying to get a Wii. I camped when it launched, and got one, only to sell it on Ebay. I make some money, but at what cost. Now it’s harder than ever to get one and I want to play it more and more. I woke at 4:30 Black Friday because I heard that stores such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and EB were getting another shipment of Wii in. After seeing (no lie) approximately 1000 people in the BB parking lot(F that, I said). I drove to EB and found a tiny line of about 10 ppl. Things were looking up. Waiting in line sucked, because I was in-between 2 parents who knew nothing about the system, what it was called, or even what it looked like. The only reason these parents were here was to ensure that their 10 year old brats got what they wanted the 25th. The front on the line was comprised of smoking hipsters(approx. 15 yrs old) who wouldn’t stop raving about the PS3 they wanted. There also was an annoying Nintendo fan who talked to Parent#1 about the system the entire time.

I waited from 5:15 to 7, when the store opened. I was trying to stay pessimistic about me getting a Wii because I was #13 in-line. Nevertheless it seemed they had many PS3s and Wii. People ahead of me were walking out happy; and those 50 people behind me were looking grave. I caught the salesclerk whisper something to the manager, soon to discover that the Wii was gone……… However, the 3 remaining people in-front of me continued happily because somehow they still had PS3s. Parent #1 didn’t want one, but Mr. Nintendo Boy had informed here that they sell well on Ebay. She walks up to the cashier and says, “Y’all still have those PlayStation things?” He walks back grabs the last one and hands it to her. Thanks Lady. You don’t know what their called, what a Wii looks like, or even how to navigate to Ebay and you ninja the last PS3. I admit I would have sold the PS3, but after fetching at least 500$ extra bucks I would promptly have bought a Wii for 350. In the end 6 Wiis and 6 PS3 were all they got, leaving #13 with a wasted morning. It turns out the parents behind me were waiting for a pink DS Lite…rofl.

Frowning of a Lifetime

posted by Jamie

Hey Mercedes is one of the catchiest band’s I’ve ever heard. I got Loses Control 4 years ago from my cousin, who is a hardcore fan. Not only did I fall in love with the CD itself, but discovered that their other stuff is great too. Although they broke up in the summer of 05′ they are one of my most listened to bands at the moment. They came out with 2 LPs and 2 EPs.

HM gained a respectable amount of success over their few years of existence. The band basically came to be because of the breakup of a post-hardcore/emo band Braid in 99′. Which fueled HM with vocals guitar and drums from its predecessor, as well as a mini fan base. I wish the band would have stuck it out longer, but they put out good work for the short run that they had together. Check ‘em out.

Their music can be described as 90’s rock, but as most bands their vocals(performed by Robert Nanna) made them stand out. Hey Mercedes almost sounds like JEW at points with their repetitive riffs, but the songs really connect through their bridges and refrains. A few of their hits can be heard here.

Humans as Ornaments

Posted by Jamie.

Mainstream ruins otherwise good media. I’m sure many of you have experienced one of your favorite bands fall in the peril of mainstream. When a band enters this mainstream they acquire many more listeners apart from their solid fan base. This is good for them, but bad for you. example:: I have enjoyed Coldplay since 2002 and although they havn’t been anything close to underground or indie they have been modestly popular. The summer of 2005 came along and X&Y drops. This sparks many new fans which normally don’t listen to Coldplay or any similar music . They listen: 1. Because their friends are doing it 2. Because they are being exposed to it by the TV box and the radio 3.Because they suddenly realize they’ve loved the band the entire time.

This inundation of a band into the stream spawns countless fans who don’t really know/care/consider the band as a whole but simply the new material (especially the single) as supreme. A fan who, after hearing the word “Coldplay”, will blurt….”Is that that Clocks band?”…………No…………. That overplayed/overcultured song is not the band, rather they are Don’t panic, Amsterdam, In my Place, Rush of Blood to the Head, and their many other good tunes.

There are different levels of Mainstream:

• Subtle growth-Word of mouth filters fans who build a fan base gradually until they are a common-phrase.

• Album booming-One Album will propel a band to new heights and will usually overshadow previous albums from converted fans. ex::Death Cab’s Plans significantly boosted popularity

• Propagandized-The constant presence of a band or single will embed itself within people and force itself to success. ex::

• Dynamite-So big parents know about it, and you are haunted everywhere by it. ex::Friggin idiot, Liger

I’m sure you have heard Napoleon Dynamite quoted to no end. Case in point, if you were the first person to see the movie it would have been funny. The immense popularity has decreased it’s funniness to 0.

Combating Mainstream. There are many ways to beat this, but practicallity becomes an issue.

You could make a point to consume extremely indie media, but any thing you like billions of other people can too.

Ingest media, but don’t tell others about your gem. This is also impractical because half the pleasure of media is getting others opinions about it.

Stop caring and let hipsters, thugs, moms, rednecks, and the annoying average white Americans destroy your happy place.

---

Argument -Mainstream media can’t be all that bad because if billions like it there must be something to it.Response-Wrong. Rap disproves that there is something to popular media, the bells and whistles that enrapture thousands don’t appeal to me. However, I did find myself repeating that I was “in da club” after 50’s album drop. Was this because I was a true 50 fan, no. I was enthralled in Curtis becuase of the constant presence.

If mainstream didn’t over-popularize good bands, quote to death decent movies, tell me I need to pop my collar and dust off my shoulder, or tell me how bad Bush sucked it would be ok. It’s not and I will continue hating it until I die. There are always alternatives and just because it’s popular doesn’t mean it’s right, cool, good, or even talent filled…and that’s why I hate mainstream.

Early morning humour.

posted by Jamie and brame.

Since we were bored as crap at 1:30 in the morning waiting for adult swim to loop, we decided to look for some hilarious vids on you tube. Here’s what we found:

Tripped : A kid gets tripped, best five seconds ever.

Ownd:  Fat Mexican kid gets ownd by his friends.

MK II: Every Mortal Kombat II fatality to some Metallica song.

8@115: A kid gets kicked. Might be fake, but looks like it hurts either way.

Cat/Dog “fight”: This is funny because the cat wails on a dog that looks like Dakota.

That’s all we got for now. I’m sure we’ll find more and let you know about them.

Indisputable, Undeniable

posted by Jamie

Hello. The newest collection to any Radiohead fan’s compilation “The Eraser” was released July 10th. This was Thom Yorke’s debut album and has done moderately well to say the least (#2 on the charts). The track listing can be viewed at Amazon. After listening to the album the first thing that struck me was how much it sounded like Kid A/Amnesiac (a few songs were actually written during this time), but after 3 weeks of play it has created a new “Era” of music, at least coming from Thom’s side of things.

Remnants of a guitar are hidden beneath the heavy electronic beats and synths. Musically the album contains portions of great detail but also areas of somewhat basic beats. Lyrically the album is one minded; Knowing a little about Thom’s view on global warming makes this album’s focus evident. Songs such as “The Clock”, “And it Rained all Night”, “The Eraser”, and “Atoms for Peace” “inform” us that things are not as nice and blue as they seem. The single “Black Swan” is the reason the CD has received a PA from the man. Yorke uncharacteristically states that things are “fucked up” a subtle 14 times, although it has already appeared as Exit Music (for a film) in A Scanner Darkly. I consider it poorly written, and I dislike its repetitive nature.

As a whole the album consists of hit or miss songs, but is convincingly sincere and heartfelt in its content. A few highlights are “Harrowdown Hill”, “Skip Divided”, and “And it Rained All Night.” Yorke claims that the album helped ease his mind and release untamed thoughts, and despite rumors of a breakup the album has had full support from the remaining members of Radiohead. The cover art done by Stanley Donwood is a telling tale of the ravaging seas, storms, and troubles being parted by one man. The point being is that action can be taken to ease the situation, but no eraser can clear ink, and the environment is what it is. More Information