I Fell On Black Days

I have been staring out the window for more than half an hour. The CD might have already stopped a good 10 minutes before I noticed it. It started out with Chris' unmistaken growl swirling around the room, pulling, tugging, shoving me back into the 90s. Then I got to thinking. Which, as everybody knows, is a very dangerous thing. And Mr. Cornell's unsinkable voice gets lost in the background.

He has announced a solo acoustic tour. This after the band supposedly reunited a few months back. Some sort of a greatest hits album +1 previously unreleased old song was released (the one that was playing), and a live album off the 1996 tour is coming soon. I should not be complaining. They are back together. As a fan, and a big fan at that, I should be happy. Yet I am not. I am wondering about the point of reuniting. Where are the new songs, the new album? Where is the tour in support of the new album?

I am playing the CD again because it is the only thing I can hold on to now of a new Soundgarden. Yes, I am buying the soon to be released live album because I might (will?) never get to see them live.

Out the window I can see an old cow being milked. Instead of black spots it has dollar symbols, big, glowing and green. I am day dreaming now. This is nothing but a dream, yes, just like a truly reunited Soundgarden.

I Bleed For You

Alice In Chains. Black Gives Way To Blue. William DuVal's voice is dark, not unlike Layne's. It is wonderful. Be not careful and you will end up thinking Layne is blurting out all the pain filled whispers and pounding words. Heavy, poetic, heartfelt. If you only have money for food, get this album, you will never go hungry again.

Still Ticking

That there is my trusted iPod Shuffle (which I would never exchange for any other iPod nor iPhone). Tossed around, sat on, thrown against walls. Drilled too. Still works. Though after the electric drilling, only on "mono". Thanks to the Dynex USB earphones, it is better than new, producing deep and full stereo sound. Goodbye crappy iPod earphones!!

Storm Princess

The Internet is slow, both the connection and the action. New music has filled my days again, Emm's CD came in a couple of days ago. Pure, poetic, hot, hard, stinging, and deeply personal. Edgy. Sharp, razor sharp. It has not left the player since. Canada is lucky, the Philippines could only hope.

Little Popot has been raiding my paper stock. She starts off creating simple works of art. Beautiful, bright, sunny. Fit for walls. She gets bored quickly and turns everything into wild collages, of media and approaches. What comes up are irregularly folded, colored, filled with doodles and random words, almost crumpled pieces. Totally chaotic, almost trashed. Angry? Soon she gets tired of it and moves on. To toys, dolls, anything. Anything to be messed up. It is amazing, and a wonder.

Throwback Friday

" Hold on now, baby.
This could be the last time we stand.
This could be the last time that we say good-bye.
The picture shatters.
I cant find the words to save it.
Tell me what to do, how can I make it right?
We will always be fire and ice. "
- Poison, "Until You Suffer Some"

Woke up real early. I glanced at the luminous hands of my watch, it was barely past 3am. I stared at the ceiling, I sensed Little Popot's green stars staring back at me. Then, without warning, words filled up my head. Words to Poison's Until You Suffer Some. I tried recalling the whole thing, it did not work. I found out that I have forgotten "Every Rose Has It's Thorn" too. That made me a little sad.

After repeating the chorus of Fire and Ice a few times, I went down and had a cup of coffee. My first cup in more than 16 years. Just like before, it had no effect on me. I still wanted to go back to sleep.

I was still nodding to Poison when I came out of the shower. While dressing for work , I tried, really hard, to remember where my Doc Martens are. When I looked down I saw a classic 8-eyelet boot on my foot instead of the loafer I really had on. A smile might have started to break just then. But, I was too busy gathering stuff for work to notice.

Risen

Hide the children, they are back!



Thursday. January 22, 2009. 9PM. 6underground, Pearl Drive, Ortigas. Php150 entrance. 1 Red Horse free. CDs at Php180 each.

It Is Alive!

The hardest rocking (and the best, imho) band in the Philippines is back with a new CD. Launch of the EP is on the 22nd.

Earache

I have slowed down drastically on my diecast purchases. (Although I got five new ones today.) My thinking was I could save up for a new gadget or two. Only now have I realized that is not happening.

Many of the musicians I like have released new materials and I am looking at a really expensive holiday month again. As mentioned in an older post, I do not buy bootlegs, or what we know here as "pirated". I do not know, I am no audiophile by any means, but copied CDs just sounds different to me. Even the legit ones that have been pressed locally have an incomplete sound. Certain nuances have been taken out. Yes, "tunog lata". Even the quality of the actual CD material is sub par. They skip on Pioneer players, one of the most sensitive brand of players out there. A thing that only happens with boots. That is why I prefer getting imports. Besides, most imports include bonus tracks or videos.

Emm Gryner has Goddess on preorder now on her site. That, for sure, is not coming out locally. Dido's Safe Trip Home is already available, saw it in Astroplus. But, I am looking to get the two CD version that is a Europe and Australia release only. Even Guns N' Roses (or should I say Axl and the replacements) has a new album out, Chinese Democracy, a decade late. Wolfgang too, has a new one, called Villains. I missed the preorder on that one. Will have to see if local stores will carry this indie release of theirs. Finally, no signs yet of Chris Cornell's Scream which is already out in the US.

I have no dough to buy any of those mentioned above just yet. For now, I am having my first listen of the two CDs (Tanya Donelly's Beautysleep and Radiohead's In rainbows) that I bought online several months ago. Care to donate to my CD fund? I accept Paypal and bank deposits.