I’m writing this from MS Word 2007. I’m testing out the new Office thing after a little year-long hiatus with OpenOffice. The online recommendations for Office 2007 just don’t stop coming in, so I made the switch and while I haven’t done much so far, the interface looks like a massive improvement. It definitely got an overhaul (finally). And yes, I’m even posting from Office, as Word supports posting directly to Blogger.Oh dear God, I just noticed this thing manages bibliographies and sources. Suddenly I’m SO, SO happy I made the switch before I started draft work for my thesis. Supposedly all the wizards and stuff are slick, too, so the switch is already worth the trouble.More interestingly, I’ve been up to quite a lot ever since I finished all my application work. I’ve been gaming like a madman, I fixed my desktop after a month of downtime, and I’m pouring every available minute into planning my trip to Japan. I’m gone in just a couple weeks. The planning’s been fun, though. I’ll be mostly in inner Tokyo, but I’ll be making a couple expeditions outside town for things like the Tokyo Auto Salon. My Japanese has improved a lot over the last semester, so I finally feel like I’m up to getting around everyday life in Tokyo there even amongst the people who don’t speak really good English. If you’re a reader and have any recommendations or requests for places I should go check out, hit me up – I’m more than open to suggestions, and I’ve got plenty of free time over there.Now that I have lots of free time here (finals are easy when you’re a senior and wrapping up a language major) I’m catching up on all this pop culture stuff I missed while my desktop was out. I’m still playing the same Wii and DS games, mostly because Phoenix Wright will never, ever end. I’m taking my sweet time with Zelda since a game like this apparently only comes around once every 10 years or so. The musical front, however, has been much more interesting. I went on an acquisition rampage right after Aroon did, and we have yet to share stuff, but here’s some things among the awesomeness we’ve got:Basement Jaxx – Crazy Itch Radio – Easily The Jaxx’s best yet. It’s new, it’s definitely in the Jaxx style, but it’s smoother than anything they’ve ever done. It’s like the late-night, after-hours version of Jaxx, and it’s awesome.
Daft Punk @ Coachella 2006 – This is just a bootleg of a Daft Punk set, but it’s revolutionary. They played a set entirely composed of their own songs, they cover all their hits, most of Discovery, gloss over Human After All, and all the while they bust out the best mixing since The Avalanches. If you’re a Daft fan, you have to have this.
Hyde Out – A compilation of Japanese hip-hop, including Nujabes and Shingo2, both of whom famously contributed to the Samurai Champloo soundtracks. If you like that stuff, you’ll love this.
Mos Def – True Magic – I’m really not sold on this one yet. Mos is always stretching the bounds of hip-hop, but on this one he decided to make his sonic theme gangsta rap, just like he used rock music for his last album. Between that and Common doing Gap commercials, I’m scared for hip-hop.
BT – This Binary Universe – OK, so I haven’t listened to or watched it yet. But I’m saving it for a good occasion, because by all estimates it’s amazing.
The Slip – Eisenhower – Yeah, that The Slip. The “accessible Boston rock” band behind “Even Rats,” the song that stole the show in the first Guitar Hero. The entire album is much in the same indie vein, and it dips into famous indie territory a little bit much, perhaps even stepping on Death Cab’s toes, but it’s really, really good. If you’ve been up with the mainstream indie kick of the last year, pick up this one while it’s still underground.Speaking of Guitar Hero, here’s a list of what I’m not playing or listening to:Guitar Hero II – What? I don’t like GH2? Damn straight I don’t. The gameplay enhancements (easier hammer-ons, etc.) and graphic touch-ups were great news, not to mention cooperative gameplay, 3-note chords and a much-expected ramped up difficulty, but dear God, the songlist is awful. The first game tried to be something to everyone, and it succeeded. Everything from hair metal to blues to bleeding-edge-new hits. I hear the GH2 tracklist, on the other hand, is going to be sold in a compilation called “Lowlights of the 80s and 90s.” They may as well have thrown in Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” and some shitty R.E.M. song and called it “ClearChannel: The Game.”
Excite Truck – I was excited for a Wii spiritual successor to Wave Race 64. Sadly, this ain’t it. It’s fast and furious, and the thrill of the game is definitely worth playing for an hour or so, but as you progress through the game the difficulty ramps up too quickly and the AI is horribly unbalanced.
Red Steel – I was also excited for a Wii spiritual successor to Goldeneye. Surprisingly, this game is. It’s got all the same good points as the classic shooter – a cool premise, a novel control scheme, and damn addicting multiplayer. Even stranger, this game has all Goldeneye’s flaws too – graphics that won’t age well, just plain odd AI, and a very obtuse control scheme. Unfortunately, the aiming sensitivity is just a bit too off-kilter to make this game playable for more than 15 minutes at a time, unless you’re playing multiplayer with your mates. Ubisoft has promised a sequel, so I’ll keep my hopes up for that one.
Hybrid – I Choose Noise – Not only was I already falling out of love with Hybrid for being a touch too repetitive, Hybrid definitely chose noise with this one. It’s dark, it’s ambient, it’s almost industrial, perhaps a bit Aphex Twin-ish, but still Hybrid. If that sounds great to you, you’ll love it; otherwise, skip it.
Incubus – Light Grenades – Incubus, you’re fired. After the huge disappointment that was Brandon Boyd is Mad at the World – sorry, A Crow Left to the Murder – this was your last chance. The pack-in material (errr, the .nfo file with album download) explained that this album was just like “13 different tracks from 13 different bands, [because] we tried yet again to make a cohesive album and it just didn’t work out,” in the words of guitarist Mike Einzinger. Fuck that, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Make Yourself, and Morning view were all cohesive and they were all brilliant. The album proudly touts a new producer, who worked with such “greats” as STP and Creed in the past. Are we really surprised when the new album sounds like STP and Creed? No, we’re not. This album does not rock. It’s a travesty - Incubus has been compromised by the Music-Industrial Complex, and all that’s left is a distinctive voice and guitar on top of the all-singing, all-rocking crap of the world. The brilliant musicians of history have bad phases – The Beatles and anything after Vietnam, Clapton and acoustics, Miles Davis and fusion. This is not a phase. This is Incubus compromised – not selling out, mind you, but bought out via hostile takeover.At the very least, I’ll have a thing or two to listen to on the 14-hour non-stop from Dallas to Tokyo. It’s funny, too – I no longer get Christmas money from family to help pay for trips like these. It may be because I’m 22, but more likely because I have no family left. My paternal grandparents left me an inheritance greater than my own father’s. My maternal grandfather is only able to recognize me on a good day, yet he put a bunch of savings bonds in my name upon my birth. Part of each of those is paying for my trip to Japan. Funny how that works – for each of my grandparents, who fought in the Pacific War, Japan was the enemy. That was only 60 years ago. And yet, upon my arrival, I’ll be greeted as a friend. “Yookoso” upon entering the nation. “Irasshaimase” upon entering any shop, restaurant, or inn in the country. I’m not sure what my family originally intended for me to do with all the money they set aside for me. At the time, I suspect “go make friends with those who were once my enemy” wasn’t too high on the list. I don’t mean that they wouldn’t have wanted me to go – they were never that stubborn – but I’m sure they knew I’d find a worthwhile way to use the money – maybe pay for a house after I get hitched, or pay for part of law school. Or maybe, if I was lucky and adventurous enough, I’d see the world with it. My maternal grandfather went to the Pacific on a ship, only to find out that he got seasick. For a month. I’ll be across the ocean in 14 hours, and I’ll be peachy thanks to Dramamine. And when I get there, I’ll be safe and sound. I’ve been given quite a lot – and maybe I’ll be lucky and strong enough to turn it into something good.
Daft Punk @ Coachella 2006 – This is just a bootleg of a Daft Punk set, but it’s revolutionary. They played a set entirely composed of their own songs, they cover all their hits, most of Discovery, gloss over Human After All, and all the while they bust out the best mixing since The Avalanches. If you’re a Daft fan, you have to have this.
Hyde Out – A compilation of Japanese hip-hop, including Nujabes and Shingo2, both of whom famously contributed to the Samurai Champloo soundtracks. If you like that stuff, you’ll love this.
Mos Def – True Magic – I’m really not sold on this one yet. Mos is always stretching the bounds of hip-hop, but on this one he decided to make his sonic theme gangsta rap, just like he used rock music for his last album. Between that and Common doing Gap commercials, I’m scared for hip-hop.
BT – This Binary Universe – OK, so I haven’t listened to or watched it yet. But I’m saving it for a good occasion, because by all estimates it’s amazing.
The Slip – Eisenhower – Yeah, that The Slip. The “accessible Boston rock” band behind “Even Rats,” the song that stole the show in the first Guitar Hero. The entire album is much in the same indie vein, and it dips into famous indie territory a little bit much, perhaps even stepping on Death Cab’s toes, but it’s really, really good. If you’ve been up with the mainstream indie kick of the last year, pick up this one while it’s still underground.Speaking of Guitar Hero, here’s a list of what I’m not playing or listening to:Guitar Hero II – What? I don’t like GH2? Damn straight I don’t. The gameplay enhancements (easier hammer-ons, etc.) and graphic touch-ups were great news, not to mention cooperative gameplay, 3-note chords and a much-expected ramped up difficulty, but dear God, the songlist is awful. The first game tried to be something to everyone, and it succeeded. Everything from hair metal to blues to bleeding-edge-new hits. I hear the GH2 tracklist, on the other hand, is going to be sold in a compilation called “Lowlights of the 80s and 90s.” They may as well have thrown in Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy” and some shitty R.E.M. song and called it “ClearChannel: The Game.”
Excite Truck – I was excited for a Wii spiritual successor to Wave Race 64. Sadly, this ain’t it. It’s fast and furious, and the thrill of the game is definitely worth playing for an hour or so, but as you progress through the game the difficulty ramps up too quickly and the AI is horribly unbalanced.
Red Steel – I was also excited for a Wii spiritual successor to Goldeneye. Surprisingly, this game is. It’s got all the same good points as the classic shooter – a cool premise, a novel control scheme, and damn addicting multiplayer. Even stranger, this game has all Goldeneye’s flaws too – graphics that won’t age well, just plain odd AI, and a very obtuse control scheme. Unfortunately, the aiming sensitivity is just a bit too off-kilter to make this game playable for more than 15 minutes at a time, unless you’re playing multiplayer with your mates. Ubisoft has promised a sequel, so I’ll keep my hopes up for that one.
Hybrid – I Choose Noise – Not only was I already falling out of love with Hybrid for being a touch too repetitive, Hybrid definitely chose noise with this one. It’s dark, it’s ambient, it’s almost industrial, perhaps a bit Aphex Twin-ish, but still Hybrid. If that sounds great to you, you’ll love it; otherwise, skip it.
Incubus – Light Grenades – Incubus, you’re fired. After the huge disappointment that was Brandon Boyd is Mad at the World – sorry, A Crow Left to the Murder – this was your last chance. The pack-in material (errr, the .nfo file with album download) explained that this album was just like “13 different tracks from 13 different bands, [because] we tried yet again to make a cohesive album and it just didn’t work out,” in the words of guitarist Mike Einzinger. Fuck that, S.C.I.E.N.C.E., Make Yourself, and Morning view were all cohesive and they were all brilliant. The album proudly touts a new producer, who worked with such “greats” as STP and Creed in the past. Are we really surprised when the new album sounds like STP and Creed? No, we’re not. This album does not rock. It’s a travesty - Incubus has been compromised by the Music-Industrial Complex, and all that’s left is a distinctive voice and guitar on top of the all-singing, all-rocking crap of the world. The brilliant musicians of history have bad phases – The Beatles and anything after Vietnam, Clapton and acoustics, Miles Davis and fusion. This is not a phase. This is Incubus compromised – not selling out, mind you, but bought out via hostile takeover.At the very least, I’ll have a thing or two to listen to on the 14-hour non-stop from Dallas to Tokyo. It’s funny, too – I no longer get Christmas money from family to help pay for trips like these. It may be because I’m 22, but more likely because I have no family left. My paternal grandparents left me an inheritance greater than my own father’s. My maternal grandfather is only able to recognize me on a good day, yet he put a bunch of savings bonds in my name upon my birth. Part of each of those is paying for my trip to Japan. Funny how that works – for each of my grandparents, who fought in the Pacific War, Japan was the enemy. That was only 60 years ago. And yet, upon my arrival, I’ll be greeted as a friend. “Yookoso” upon entering the nation. “Irasshaimase” upon entering any shop, restaurant, or inn in the country. I’m not sure what my family originally intended for me to do with all the money they set aside for me. At the time, I suspect “go make friends with those who were once my enemy” wasn’t too high on the list. I don’t mean that they wouldn’t have wanted me to go – they were never that stubborn – but I’m sure they knew I’d find a worthwhile way to use the money – maybe pay for a house after I get hitched, or pay for part of law school. Or maybe, if I was lucky and adventurous enough, I’d see the world with it. My maternal grandfather went to the Pacific on a ship, only to find out that he got seasick. For a month. I’ll be across the ocean in 14 hours, and I’ll be peachy thanks to Dramamine. And when I get there, I’ll be safe and sound. I’ve been given quite a lot – and maybe I’ll be lucky and strong enough to turn it into something good.