this is pretty random.

random thoughts and a rant!

basketball: if the spurs can't win when they hold kobe to less than 10 points in the first half, then its not going to happen. kobe is so weird, man. i heard his post-game interview and he sounds like he has aspergers. like he's given up the pretense. they asked him about his first half and he was like "whatever, it was more important for my teammates. i can basically score whenever i want." kudos.

democratic primaries: im ignoring hilary at this point. how about some vice presidential candidate talk? obviously there's she-who-will-not-currently-be-named, and joe biden. but how about Jim Webb? he seems like a popular choice that would make sense, unify the party, etc etc. im sold, but it doesn't take much with me.

now for something random.

I first saw Underworld when I was 16, at the Electric Factory. They had just come out with Beaucoup Fish (which is why its my sentimental favorite, even though objectively Second Toughest... is probably their best work). I think the reason I love them so much was because theirs was a first in a series of artists I started getting into whose construction was pretty simple. Aka, I felt I could write stuff like this if I wanted. Yet, that simple construction had within it something kind of primal and cathartic (I think this is why people like house in general). So on a day when I dont have much else to add, here are my 4 favorite songs by underworld.

Cups: because the first 9 minutes sounds like music that comes on in a fusion jazz-trance lounge (if those ever existed) after like 2 am. i like the muffled vocals, and the beat just seems to slink along, rather then being abrasive.

Born Slippy: you dont really like underworld if you dont love born slippy. i can still recite all the nonsensical lyrics by heart. nothing like hearing everyone at an underworld concert yell "she said comeover comeover she smiled at you, boy". i also like all the stupid remixes of this song. i should note that this probably one of like 10 songs i like whose tone is predominantly happy.

Push Upstairs: basically the flipside of Cups (kind of cool that they follow each other on beaucoup fish). insistent piano line over a driving, thumping beat. the kind of music you want to play when you're getting ready to be in a race, or a fight, or something. kind of a theme song for obsessive compulsives.

Rez-Cowgirl: mostly because its the best live song they do, with like 5 separate climaxes in the 12 minute song. Rez is mostly upbeat with a really awesome synth line that any true fan knows by heart. cowgirl has a fairly repetitive synth drone and melody that are weirdly addictive despite being kind of robotic until the (i dont think any terms that refer to song structure work with underworld but whatever) "bridge" where you get another awesome stream of consciousness rant. karl hyde, apparently, wants to give you everything, everything, everything.