Extra Sugar Extra Salt

"OK, for me, I’ve come across a lot of different [bed bug jobs], but probably the one that was most..."

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:53:22 -0400

“

OK, for me, I’ve come across a lot of different [bed bug jobs], but probably the one that was most shocking to me was when I was going to a single-room-occupancy to do a general treatment, for roaches and things like that. When I walked in, the gentleman was sitting on his couch, and his wall looked like it was covered in spots. And I’m staring at it, because it looked unusual to me, and I’m wondering why these spots looked like they were moving.

And when I got a little bit closer, there were hundreds and hundreds of bedbugs covering his wall behind his couch. I looked at the guy; he was chewed up, there wasn’t a spot on his face that didn’t have a bite on it. I said, ‘Sir. Look behind you.’ He said, ‘They’re cockroaches,’ I said, ‘They’re not cockroaches, they’re bedbugs, and they’re eating you.’

”

- Brooklyn Exterminator Shares Bed Bug Horror Stories

You’re not a New Yorker unless you have a horrific bed bug story to share.

Jenny Hval is a Norwegian artist/musician whose sophomore album...

Wed, 01 May 2013 23:31:00 -0400

Jenny Hval is a Norwegian artist/musician whose sophomore album Innocence Is Kinky is…well, a lot less subtle than you would think. The title is exactly what it sounds like: experimental, erotic spoken word resting on a bed of music that sounds like Hanne Hukkelberg or a gentler EMA. I’m liking it so far, but this song stood out right away.

Tumblr of the Day

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:07:51 -0400

Tumblr of the Day

R.I.P Tori Amos’ face.

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:42:34 -0400

R.I.P Tori Amos’ face.

"i dont want my words to be taken out of context i dont want to be infantilized because i refuse to..."

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 14:28:00 -0400

“

i dont want my words to be taken out of context

i dont want to be infantilized because i refuse to be sexualized

i dont want to be molested at shows or on the street by people who perceive me as an object that exists for their personal satisfaction

i dont want to live in a world where im gonna have to start employing body guards because this kind of behavior is so commonplace and accepted and I’m pissed that when I express concern over my own safety it’s often ignored until people see firsthand what happens and then they apologize for not taking me seriously after the fact…

I’m tired of men who aren’t professional or even accomplished musicians continually offering to ‘help me out’ (without being asked), as if i did this by accident and i’m gonna flounder without them. or as if the fact that I’m a woman makes me incapable of using technology. I have never seen this kind of thing happen to any of my male peers

I’m tired of the weird insistence that i need a band or i need to work with outside producers (and I’m eternally grateful to the people who don’t do this)

I’m tired of creeps on message boards discussing whether or not they’d “fuck” me

I’m sad that my desire to be treated as an equal and as a human being is interpreted as hatred of men, rather than a request to be included and respected (I have four brothers and many male best friends and a dad and i promise i do not hate men at all, nor do i believe that all men are sexist or that all men behave in the ways described above)

im tired of being referred to as ‘cute,’ as a ‘waif’ etc., even when the author, fan, friend, family member etc. is being positive

”

- G R I M E S: I don’t want to have to compromise my morals in order to make a living

Grimes’ now famous blog post where she vents about sexism and the difficulty of being a “solo-girl-who-makes-electronic-music.”

"Who the fuck is Bruno Mars?"

Tue, 23 Apr 2013 19:39:31 -0400

““Who the fuck is Bruno Mars?””

- Thom Yorke, “Q&A: Thom Yorke and Nigel Godrich on Atoms for Peace, the State of Dance Music and What’s Next for Radiohead”

I went through a wonderful period about a year ago when I used to wonder the same thing.

Iwata Asks: Interview with the Creators of Animal Crossing: New...

Fri, 19 Apr 2013 18:51:24 -0400

Iwata Asks: Interview with the Creators of Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Iwata: You have cute characters like Isabelle in the game, and then you also have characters like your old friend Mr. Resetti, who appears from under the ground when you reset the game.

Kyogoku: We really were’nt sure about Mr. Resetti, as he really divides people. Some people love him, of course, but there are others who don’t like being shouted at in his rough accent.

Iwata: It seems like younger female players, in particular, are scared. I’ve heard that some of them have even cried.

That’s because Mr. Resetti is straight ~~gangsta~~ annoying.

I have to say, Twitter #Music’s suggestions aren’t...

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:16:09 -0400

I have to say, Twitter #Music’s suggestions aren’t too far off the mark.

But I think it’s strange that no social networking platform has replaced what Myspace was like for music back in 2007/2008. Although most people had already flocked to Facebook back then, it was still the best portal for music. The fact that Myspace never capitalized on its sudden foray into the music business was probably one of their biggest mistakes (I know they tried with the whole Timberlake relaunch, but they waited too late). With Myspace gone/dead, the closest replacement I can think of for musical artists is Bandcamp and maybe Facebook. And, judging by the looks of Twitter #Music, it doesn’t look like Twitter will be taking that spot either.

There needs to be a platform that not only centers on the artist but also provides a community where musicians can discover each other. I remember back in 2007/2008 being able to track certain music scenes through Myspace (like the bedroom pop scene, for example). And I didn’t even have a Myspace account, but all I had to do was track one artist which produced this “down the rabbit” hole effect where I discovered everyone else, who was collaborating with whom, who was touring with whom, etc. I don’t know if I’m making sense, but it would be nice to have something like that again.

I’ve been listening a lot to The Knife’s Shaking The...

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:49:57 -0400

I’ve been listening a lot to The Knife’s Shaking The Habitual, and one thing I noticed was the strong tribal component in songs like “A Tooth For An Eye” and “Without You My Life Will Be Boring.” It made me think of other artists who had conquered that whole tribal/electro sound, and I immediately thought of Lizzy Mercier Descloux whose sophomore album Mambo Nassau came out way back in 1981. She was excellent at combining her experimental electro-pop with an underscore of tribal/world influence. This album is actually one of my favorite albums of all time. Unfortunately, it was her only great album.

personally I really liked the combat in the first No More Heroes game, and I didn't have a problem with the way Killer7 controlled. The main draw for me is probably the atmosphere in those two games though as opposed to the gameplay, though I definitely enjoy the latter so I would have to disagree. "Contact" I thought was pretty frustrating in that regard though.

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 13:55:50 -0400

All Suda51 games do have an interesting aesthetic about them, but it’s usually style over substance. The boss battles in No More Heroes were great, but you had to spend hours wandering an empty city while slashing away dozens of interchangeable dudes-in-suits. It’s like their games are incomplete. I don’t know, I feel like they’re overpraised for their ideas, but then once they execute their ideas they do it horribly.

"Shaking the Habitual’s problem is that the Knife seem to have dismissed the idea of making..."

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 13:45:56 -0400

“Shaking the Habitual’s problem is that the Knife seem to have dismissed the idea of making your point concisely as merely another affectation of a decadent and corrupt society. The album lasts for over an hour and a half: the impact of a track such as Full of Fire – distorted drums, horrifying shrieks – is dissipated by the fact that it rambles on for nine minutes. Things reach a head on Old Dreams Waiting to Be Realized: a dark, ambient track based around a single note, it’s over 19 minutes long. Making music as willfully intellectualised as this comes with an inbuilt safety net: if you don’t get it, you’re too thick to understand it or, worse, you’re a symptom of the institutions it’s set out to critique. But Old Dreams Waiting to Be Realized gives the lie to those responses, simply because there’s a lot of music like it around at the moment. From Greg Haines to Hacker Farm and the Haxan Cloak, plenty of artists are dealing in what you might loosely term unsettling ambience and making music no less challenging, but infinitely more engaging and interesting than this.”

- The Knife: Shaking the Habitual – Review

To be honest, if the album was 45 minutes shorter, it would be almost perfect. And the 20+ minute track should be at the end, not in the middle of the album sandwiched between the best tracks. Just messiness all around.

"Most writers are introverts and publishing today favors extroverts. By the end of the day in Boston,..."

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:47:12 -0400

“

Most writers are introverts and publishing today favors extroverts. By the end of the day in Boston, watching those 13,000 introverts exhausted from glad-handing and being business-like was fascinating. One thing hasn’t changed — a solitary writer plays with words in a room somewhere. If you understand that nugget, then you may have a future in this crazy biz.

[…]

Then we talk about using social media, and about half of the writers cringe. They’ve been living in wonderful worlds of their own imaginations, and thought writing well was its own ticket.

[…]

I never anticipated that, when I became a professional writer, I’d also become a marketing strategist, publicist and entrepreneur. But in order to keep being a professional writer, I need to show my publisher how hard I’m willing to work.

[…]

When I was looking for an agent, all I really wanted was someone to save me from all the marketing and logistical hassles of producing and selling a book. I just wanted to be the shy writer and let everyone else take care of me. Today, I am actually grateful I didn’t find one.

”

- Book experts weigh in on the publishing industry’s revolution

Interesting feature from The Washington Post that explores the complicated relationship between introverted writers and their difficulty with trying to fit into an extroverted publishing world.

The new Archipelago mixtape from Hidden Orchestra is fabulous....

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:19:00 -0400

The new Archipelago mixtape from Hidden Orchestra is fabulous. Stumbled across it a few weeks ago and have been playing it regularly. I don’t know anything about Hidden Orchestra (real name Joe Acheson), so I’m not going to say too much about this. But if you’re looking for a long mix to listen to at work or whatever, then this is it. You can stream the whole thing here.

First Look at the Upcoming Game from No More Heroes Studio As...

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 16:55:24 -0400

First Look at the Upcoming Game from No More Heroes Studio

As much as everyone loves touting the Suda51/Grasshopper Manufacture horn for their uniquness, edginess and whatever-ness, people keep forgetting that not a single Suda51 game has been anyone good. Unique, sure, but enjoyable? Never. No More Heroes? Terrible/repetitive. Killer7? Interesting but unplayable. Contact? Terrible (at least according to reviews because I never played it). And I’m not saying this to be overly critical, I want to like Suda51 games but their games just never reach the bar. And the nonstop tongue-bathing they receive is just baffling to me. It’s like Gouichi Suda is the Lena Dunham of the gaming world. #randomthoughts

"The idea’s appeal is enormous. Take the popularity of Martin Luther King’s dream that his “four..."

Fri, 29 Mar 2013 13:19:46 -0400

“

The idea’s appeal is enormous. Take the popularity of Martin Luther King’s dream that his “four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” compared to his persistent calls to overturn institutionally-imposed inequality. Indeed, conservatives delight in twisting cherry-picked words from King into criticism of measures like affirmative action.

Reducing racism against black Americans in general to racist ideas in individual white people’s heads omits the concrete problems confronting low-income black people in particular. Huber – who “yearn[s] for … the freedom to speak to my African-American neighbors about … how the inner city needs to get its act together” – wants a discussion that fails to address anything that’s important.

Philadelphia has the highest rate of deep poverty of any big American city, a segregated school district targeted for privatization by wealthy hedge fund managers, a social safety net weakened by long-term federal austerity and now decimated by Republican Governor Tom Corbett, the highest murder rate of any big city, and a bloated criminal justice system sending large numbers of those same low-income black people denied a good education straight to prison.

Residents of Philly’s so-called “inner city” are, to be sure, somewhat more aware of these problems than Huber could be.

And things are getting worse: people of color lost far more than whites during Wall Street-induced recession, the wealth gap between black and white Americans actually doubling. Median household wealth for African Americans now stands at $4,995 – 1/22nd the average wealth of white households. Whites, who lost just 16% of median household wealth, are not only wealthier but hold less of their wealth in their homes. Hispanics lost 66% of their household wealth, African Americans 53%, and Asians 54%. Whites were also less likely to be sold high-risk and high-cost subprime loans.

The “conversation about race”, as Randall Kennedy pointed out in a 2001 article on President Bill Clinton’s legacy, is often a distraction.

”

-
America needs social justice, not another dumb ‘conversation about race’ (via The Guardian)

Both the best and the worst articles I read today were published at The Guardian. Huh.

(via xsugarxsalt)

Yes, I’m reblogging myself. I’m realizing the content fits the main site better. Grr, I regret creating two tumblrs!

A few weeks ago I posted Soap&Skin’s creepy new video...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:38:45 -0400

A few weeks ago I posted Soap&Skin’s creepy new video for her track “Sugarbread,” which appears on her new EP of the same title. But I just recently got around to hearing the EP in full and this track is infinitely better than “Sugarbread.” However, like most Soap&Skin tracks, she has a problem with ending her songs tastefully. It’s like she throws in the towel as soon as she crosses the 3 minute mark. Regardless, the song is solid and shows a lot of growth and blah blah blah and all that stuff.

Anyways, other stuff I’m listening to. (Nothing I’ve been listening to lately has been that good. Items in bold are worth a listen, though.)

Moon B - Entropic Feelings

Boris - Präparat

Lapalux - Without You EP

Ulfur - White Mountain

Girls Names - The New Life

Karen Gwyer - Needs Continuum

Benoît Pioulard - Hymnal

Miguel Baptista Benedict - Super(b)-Child-Ran

Lusine - The Waiting Room

Sally Shapiro - Somewhere Else

A close friend of mine is getting married (again), and so I’ve been seizing my maid-ish duties...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 01:00:00 -0400

A close friend of mine is getting married (again), and so I’ve been seizing my maid-ish duties by helping her find a dress. She was looking for cheap dresses, so after a couple of Google searches we landed on Grandgown.com, a site I’ve never heard of but is apparently the hub of cheap, tacky dresses made in every color (green! yellow! purple!).

One of my favorites was this snappy number…

…you know, for when you want to look your frumpiest (it’s also available in pink!).

There’s also this one…

…you know, for when you want to look like a 6-year-old’s version of what going to prom is like.

Friend: “This is a dress for psychopaths.”

Me: “Or mentally damaged individuals who never leave their house.”

Friend: “Yeah, and they’re marrying their cousin.”

I have nothing negative to say about this dress, but I’m weirded out by this picture because the model looks 12. “I’m a model!”

Speaking of models, my friend kept making fun of this model’s piss yellow hair, but I couldn’t stop staring at her teeth.

She’s missing a tooth! Don’t tell me casting missed that.

Friend: Hey, guys! I glued feathers to my bra!

I actually don’t have a problem with this dress. Vegas strippers need love too.

Haven’t really listened to anything new that’s worth...

Sun, 17 Mar 2013 23:59:00 -0400

Haven’t really listened to anything new that’s worth posting, so I’m posting something old this week. This is a track from last year’s bi-polar-ish The Bird School of Being Human. Woodpecker Wooliams (real name Gemma Williams) has a great sound but seems to be in a tug-of-war between these cool electro-type tracks and her straight folk-ish tracks, which is why I didn’t love Bird School... But “Sparrow” is a nifty track and catchy to boot.

Here’s a cute track from Palmbomen (a band I know nothing...

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:22:27 -0500

Here’s a cute track from Palmbomen (a band I know nothing about and am too tired to look up; it’s been a busy week). The song is sickeningly catchy, but its initial charm wears off as quickly as it catches on. Regardless, I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t my most-listened to track this week.

Soap&Skin - Sugarbread Here’s the official video for...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:23:47 -0500

Soap&Skin - Sugarbread

Here’s the official video for “Sugarbread,” a new track that appears on Soap&Skin’s upcoming EP of the same title. The video is typical of all her videos, which consist of spliced up stock and old-timey footage (she usually puts these together herself). “Sugarbread” so far sounds more full-bodied than anything on Narrow. You can tell she’s stepping outside that “girl with piano” box. And, as if her sound couldn’t get any more gothic, the edition of a choir is a nice (if dramatic) touch.