Max Ernst

Only Nick knew the glory of Wetrix:

The new Franzen book is so bad I hope it makes people realise Freedom was garbage and the Corrections was pretty awful.

I still jump in Team Fortress 2 from time to time and play it mindlessly. I like listening to music at the same time and it's a good way to unwind. Otherwise Age of Empires 2 or Grow Home. I don't play many other games because I don't really play games much anymore!

I'm reading The Bell Jar, which I have resisted because it has become shorthand for COLLEGE ANGST. It's actually super legit!

Beats Radio is actually pretty neat and I like Q-Tip's show a lot. The St Vincent show is pretty good too but nothing can top the conversation she had with the 7 year old girl in the first episode.

Bad news of the day: the song they released isn't very good

I am reminded of this dreadful AV Club article for whatever reason. Also that song is really good and the first Clams instrumental tape is really solid. New Protomartyr record out soon so I am going to play their last record on repeat to get ready. Here is the cool single/video:

Also I'm listening to the Disintegration Loops a lot because its so good.

I think Shyne part 2 is probably his strongest effort but I really like the new record a lot. He's an important voice, and I'm glad to see Clams get more work.

Goon Squad is alright but the depiction of 80s punk rock culture is really off. Bugs me because it is one of my favourite movements in modern music and its such a bummer that a haphazard Dead Kennedys reference is basically the extent of Egan's research. Also, the Nine Inch Nails cell phone songs for babies was really stupid.

I don't know why only two of those embeds are working what the hey. Click those links.

Hey, I have been on a massive Chinese/Taiwanese music kick thanks to this bandcamp label. Bandcamp is the best service. The best and most well-known is PK14's 1984. This band who has been paying their dues for a long time saved up their cash and got fucking Steve Albini to produce this record. It sounds so great, and the band is firing on all cylinders here. Their music can be described as tightly wound, nervous rock music, but that is a terrible description and I regret saying it already. Here is a good cut (which sounds a little more like Modest Mouse than the rest of the record does but them's the berries): Hedgehog are also cool and good. They are bit lighter pop-indie-rock sound, but they are so great. Here, some kind soul uploaded one of their better albums on to youtube: Another band is Carsick Cars and they make catchy songs that have big guitar freakouts. I am tired and cant be bothered to write more about them so listen to this: This band isn't from this region of Asia at all, they are from Japan. They are called Microcosm, and I can only find two songs of theirs online. I once saw a listing for one of their EPs on Amazon Japan and I would have paid $50 for four songs plus shipping so I declined. This song is amazing and would be your Stereogum number one Pitchfork Best Endorsed Track if it were in English and released on 4AD or whatever: I hope someone here listens to these bands because I spent ten minutes on this post!

Oh hey, in February 2014 I secured my dream job after doing a terrible career move and graduating with a Honours in the Sociology and Philosophy of Science. For privacy reasons I would rather not mention the type of work I am in, but I am really happy with it and it basically gives me a lot of opportunity to move forward and upward. Salary is decent considering I have been there for less than two years, and I have a lot of opportunities to move around and soak up as much experience as possible. I just wanted to pop in and say that I get the search grind, but if you studied in school (or even if you didn't), all you need is your foot in the door. It will change everything. Chin up.

Finally reading Stoner. It's very good and I like that its about a guy who avoids dying in the War and does nothing with the opportunity. That's a neat premise.

The entire premise of the game uses Mexican culture/history as wacky window dressing for their mashup of well-established, but still very much sacred, game mechanics.