this damn enlightenment

Movie Weekend Thoughts

2010-02-21T21:18:00.000-08:00

Where the Wild Things AreAfter hearing everyone diss this film when it came out, I decided to wait a bit to see it. I'm not a fan of Eggers mellow-dramatic writing style, but it translates well on the screen. I like the movie and it stirred some emotion from within the cold cavity I have that holds my stone of a heart. The kid did a good job acting and the over-the-top Wild Things were

Covers, covers! It's cold, pull up the covers!

2010-01-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

Just go over a few recent listens real quick.Various Artists - Introducing Townes Van Zandt via the Great UnknownI'm a huge Townes Van Zandt fan. Hell, my Mom used to drag ME through Van Zandt County on the way to Dallas as a child. Introducing... is a covers record and not a very good one either. Such great songs done with such a thrown away attitude. J. Tilman's cover of "My Proud Mountain"

Massive Attack -Heligoland

2010-01-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

I've listened to the new Massive Attack a dozen time now and I think I'm ready to sum it up. First off, it's an mediocre record with great production. The songs are simplistic in structure and fail to deliver anything beyond a single idea that dragged and pulled throughout every track (with the exception of 'Saturday Come Slow' and 'Atlas Air'). There's exactly three tracks I love and I really

Big Fan

2010-01-09T11:51:00.000-08:00

Patton Oswalt shows a different side of his talent in this film, which explores fandom and the power that celebrity has over people. Months ago, I won tickets to a screening of this film here in Seattle, but I didn't make it despite being a huge fan on comedian Patton Oswalt. I'm glad I didn't make it actually, because I found part of the picture quite painful to endure. In the film,

Top 10 of 2009

2009-12-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

I think Mike summed it up perfectly. It wasn't a great year for music, but there were some really good records. Below's my top 10 for the year.10.Röyksopp - Junior9.Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career8.Kings of Convenience - Declaration Of Dependence7.Sunset Rubdown - Dragonslayer6.Bear In Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth5.Neon Indian - Psychic Chasms4.Neko Case - Middle Cyclone3.Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

2009 Top 10: Everyone Else is Doing it...

2009-12-23T12:11:00.000-08:00

Not the best year in music (worse than 2008 to be honest), but there still were some stellar releases. A lot of these records below you've probably seen on other lists, but some you may have not. I made my list based on several factors: what initially appealed to me the most; it's lasting power or legs; the contribution it made to my day-to-day life; and the quality of the songs. Enjoy! 10.

Kid British/Electric Sex/Japandroids

2009-12-14T12:33:00.000-08:00

Time to catch up!Kid British - It Was This or Football... I'm a sucker for British pop, especially the upbeat/dancy variety, but Kid British is just too sugary for me. If you took the absolute worst aspects of Madness and mediocre 90's pop (think New Radicals), then you'd have Kid British. There are some stand-out tracks like 'Our House is Dadless' and 'Lost in London,' but they are worth

So many records and so little time...

2009-11-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

to post.Let's get this started.The Black Heeart Procession - Six I am a huge fan of the Black Heart Procession's earlier work, but they have let me down over the years. The dirge-ridden and plodding tracks gave way to up-beat and overly thematic songs. The BHP return to the numbering system with their newest record and a few of the tracks return to their old nature as well. When the tempo

Way Out Sounds

2009-11-06T09:48:00.000-08:00

Jake Holmes - The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes (1967) Never heard of Jake Holmes? Surely, you've heard one of his songs then! He wrote the "Be a Pepper" jingle with Randy Newman and the "softer side of Sears" riff that is still in use today. More importantly, he wrote "Dazed and Confused." That's right the Led Zeppelin song, which Jimmy Page stole and never gave credit for. Jake

Some more records real quick...

2009-10-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Dirty Projectors-Temecula Sunrise So, Dirty Projectors released one of the "albums of the Summer," according to a lot of bloggers, this year; well, they are now back with an EP. I have one pretty serious question: Why does it have "Cannibal Resource" on it again? I hate that! This EP is a waste and Dirty Projectors are one of the most over-rated acts out there. They re-use samples

Back & with more ideas

2009-10-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the break, but drama intervened and now we're back. I was thinking about the format for what we've been writing about and have decided to branch out and include all media. I take in at least one new thing per day and I have the same high standards to apply to TV, film, and video games that I do to music. For my first post back, though-we'll stick with the tunes though.Lake - Let's

Unplanned Hiatus...

2009-09-28T16:15:00.001-07:00

I must apologize for being away so long...a move, the failure of a trusty hard-drive, and mounting have pulled me away from the site. I promise to be back with a ton of updates later this week!

Massive Attack -Splitting The Atom EP

2009-09-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Massive Attack is one of the few trip-hop to still be standing (the other being Portishead). They haven't had a huge hit in quite some time, but due to the brilliance of Mezzanine masterpieces "Teardrop" and "Angel" they will forever have a place in the history of downtempo electronic music. WIth that said, I just had my first listen to Splitting The Atom EP and I wasn't really impressed. The

SPIN Presents Purplish Rain

2009-08-19T14:07:00.000-07:00

SPIN released a nice little tribute for Prince's Purple Rain recently and I just wanted to highlight it reel quick (get what I did there with the word pun? You know, because it was a movie soundtrack too?!). It features some well-knowns like the Twilight Singers and Of Montreal as well as some up-and-comers like Chairlift & Lavender Diamond. Click the image above to go to the site or use this

Wild Beasts - Two Dancers

2009-08-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

Wild Beasts are another much-hyped band from the UK looking to break into the yankee market. If you're a fan of Bat for Lashes-esque theatrics or a near poly-sexual vocal style then you'll love Wild Beasts. The music contains more melody than Bat for Lashes and is therefore more pleasing overall, but it is still more of a mood-requiring sound that utilizes sparse instrumentation to create dense

No New EP From Radiohead

2009-08-17T02:31:00.000-07:00

It's 2:30am and I just decided to check wallofice.com. To my surprise, the new leaked track (These Are My Twisted Words) has been posted on Radiohead's digital store as a free download. So, the enigmatic message was nothing more than to introduce the bands latest (and free) single. No EP unfortunately, but at least the new track sounds decent enough.

NEW RADIOHEAD EP OUT MONDAY?

2009-08-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

So, the code has been cracked and it appears we may have a new Radiohead EP on the horizon (Monday to be exact). On August 12th, the track "THESE ARE MY TWISTED WORDS" was leaked with some cryptic message (see below). Someone figured out a hidden web address based on message and discovered the site: http://www.wallofice.com, which interestingly enough takes you to Radiohead's digital store.

Flunk - This Is What You Get

2009-08-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

The Norwegian pop group Flunk has made a career off of beautiful covers and the fact that their new record's name is taken directly from one of the most popular songs from arguably the greatest band of our era shouldn't come as a surprise. What does surprise is the level of the non-cover tracks on Flunks new record. The late-era electronic feel is oddly comforting in a weird trip-hop

Jesse Rose - What Do You Do If You Don't?

2009-08-12T10:22:00.000-07:00

Jess Rose is a British beat-maker based in Berlin who has a new head-boppin' release made almost specifically for short attention spans. The beats are mostly straight ahead and glitchy, but there are really too many different feels on the record. Ranging from glitchy dance, ala Justin Timberlake, to turntableism style sampling, and even near trance it's a virtual clown car of styles. The

Pitchfork's #1 album of the 90's

2009-08-11T00:32:00.000-07:00

The guys over at Pitchfork have created a very respectable top 100 albums of the 90's. The number one album went to Radiohead's OK Computer. I'm happy to see something besides Nirvana's Nevermind at the top of the list (that's right Spin, I'm talking to you). Check it here

New Radiohead track

2009-08-10T12:42:00.000-07:00

...speaking of Radiohead. I found this new track the other day. It's a tribute to the last living British soldier who fought in World War I. Here's a YouTube video of the song and you can purchase it at their site for 1 quid! Is August going to be Radiohead month?

Radiohead Done With Albums!?

2009-08-08T11:27:00.000-07:00

Just when you think we may be getting another great concept album from the mighty Radiohead in the coming years, Thom York has to go and tell the masses they're moving on from that approach stating, "None of us want to go into that creative hoo-ha of a long-play record again. Not straight off." So, then it's true. The CD is officially dead and the one band keeping it alive has abandoned the idea.

SPIN'S 20 GREATEST ALBUMS OF 2009 ... SO FAR

2009-07-30T01:24:00.000-07:00

Below is Spin's top 20 record of '09 (thus far). Its quite the conundrum considering they've left off some obviously good records of '09. Not to mention, we still have five months left to the year. Makes one wonder what Spin's true intentions were for doing this so early. Perhaps they wanted people to see just how irrelevant they truly are. I'm actually surprised Dave Matthews didn't make it on

La Roux - La Roux

2009-07-28T14:22:00.001-07:00

La Roux is a British synth-pop duo that is slowly (not really that slowly) coming your way. The hype that precedes them is actually gargantuan and has that unmistakably corporate taste to it. They're slogan is Synth-Pop: This Time withe Even Less Soul! Ok, not really...Don't get me wrong because I see the appeal. I love to dance (as my girlfriend can certainly attest) and I love the great

Lee Mayfield & the Expressions - My World

2009-07-21T14:09:00.001-07:00

It seems like most my music conversations recently have been complaining about how there have been no truly great releases this year. While I wouldn't call My World a great release, it is tolerable enough to where I do not want to turn it off and I can listen to the entire record several times in a row (which is rare). It is a true soul record in a time of souless music and I think that is what

Bibio - Ambivalence Avenue

2009-07-16T15:40:00.000-07:00

I'm always keeping tabs on Bibio and his unusual amalgam of Boards of Canada infused Folktronica. He's got great ideas and amazing soundscapes imbedded in his music, yet, for some reason, he's really fallen victim of being a one trick pony over the years, or at least until now. With Ambivalence Avenue, we've got a whole new Bibio. We still hear Stephen Wilkinson's trademark guitar lines and

Most Over-Hyped Album of '09

2009-07-16T13:29:00.000-07:00

Dirty Projectors - Bitte OrcaThis album has won the praise of both Stereogum and Pitchfork (9.2!). Stereogum has even proclaimed it to be, possibly, the best album of 2009.The problem: The song structure is often dull and repetitive (the woozy 3 part vocals becomes an easily redundant element in the bands jam-band formula), the guitar riffs are often reoccurring and uninspiring, and the songs

Jason Lytle - Yours Truly, the Commuter

2009-07-15T15:59:00.001-07:00

I remember Grandaddy, do you? Of course you do and if you don't then you were blacked out like Dash Snow was for most of his life. If you're a Loney, Dear or Andrew Bird fan then you're in luck and will have a new favorite singer/songwriter. I really should emphasize the songwriter. That's better. Fans of Earlimart's lighter tunes and heavier Elliott Smith will also rejoice. Lytle's

2009-07-13T12:37:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth & the Catapults - Taller ChildrenI heard some grumbling about this band a while back and thought I'd try them out. Mike Mogis produced the record, which is always a great start for me, that was recorded at his home studio in Nebraska where so many other great artists have plied their trade. Elizabeth Ziman's voice is wonderfully pleasing but I don't think the band really pulls it off

Sunset Rubdown -Chop Suey 06/27/09

2009-07-01T21:24:00.000-07:00

Sunset Rubdown (featuring Spencer Krug of Wolf Parade) I understand the logic behind marketing a not so well known band with a well known front man of another well known band (in this case Wolf Parade) but the thing I can't quite understand is why Wolf Parade is more popular than Sunset Rubdown. Spencer Krug is known for being in a plethora of bands but in my personal opinion Sunset Rubdown is

Michael Jackson RIP

2009-06-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

We here at This Damn Enlightenment just wanted to take a moment to send our deepest condolences the entire Jackson family. Michael Jackson may be as crazy as a coconut but his musical legacy will be one never forgotten and one never repeated. The king of pop has also left the building but his music remains. Michael, I think you've just made your comeback.

Top Albums of the 2000's

2009-06-23T11:44:00.000-07:00

Reading through Lineout on the Stranger this morning, David Schmader made a lame attempt at formulating his Top 10 albums of the decade and it got me thinking that I will start on mine as well. I won't re-post his list, but can tell you that he must've not started listening to music until about 2004 and that only a couple records on our lists match. Now, before you go off readin half-cocked,

Dark Night of The Soul

2009-06-11T01:07:00.000-07:00

Most by now have heard the hullabaloo surrounding the release of the Danger Mouse, Sparklehorse (Mark Linkous) and David Lynch collaboration so elegantly titled, Dark Night of The Soul. In a nutshell, Danger Mouse heard some unreleased material by Sparklehorse’s Mark Linkous and wanted to join forces. With the assistance of some highly renowned vocalists including James Mercer of The Shins, Wayne

Luna is Honey-Raptor Red

2009-06-07T18:24:00.000-07:00

Luna is Honey use various instrumentation in a constantly evolving level of sound fidelities to create a darkly experimental pop music that is more Ariel Pink than Animal Collective, but with strong elements from both. "Raptor Red" is their newest self-released record and the recording methods and techniques continue to improve while not overwhelming their vision and music goals. The band

Titus Andronicus - the Airing of Grievances

2009-06-07T17:53:00.000-07:00

Titus Andronicus is a band from New Jersey that I've been hearing whispers (or screams) about for several months now and their record is finally being re-released on XL here in the states. They have a sloppy, fun, and drunken sound but their songs are easily memorable in a sing-songy kinda way. Unfortunately, they don't even come close to living up to the hype. Imagine if a big label had

Sonic Youth - the Eternal

2009-05-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

I love the Sonic Youth. I remember seeing them play in the street at the Sunset Junction several years ago as I stood on the bottom of a ferris wheel and they rocked it! Since then they recorded some softer records ("Sonic Nurse" & "Murray Street"), but "the Eternal" marks a return to the more traditional sound for Sonic Youth. Your mom will again ask you: "What's that noise?!" This

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

2009-05-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

Camera Obscura has always been one of the bands I could really never get into, although I’ve always admired Tracyanne Campbell’s very distinct and very captivating voice. On the Scottish sextet’s latest, My Maudlin Career, we find Camera Obscura reaching to far away places for inspiration, most notable being the Motown sound of the late 1950’s and pop of the early 1960’s (e.g. Lesley Gore). On

TV on the Radio - Read Silence

2009-04-30T19:20:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t a big fan of TV on the Radio’s most recent release, “Dear Science.” I thought they got away from the simple things that made them such a great group. They lost the plot. Sometimes that happens when bands are trying something new and trying to grow and evolve, but rarely is it apparent at the time. It’s like getting a snap-shot from the mid-point of

Jarvis Cocker - Further Complications

2009-04-30T10:38:00.001-07:00