what's black and orange and white all over? hmm, no idea, that's why it's red...

as you can see, nate #1 has gone rather goth in my own particular way (and speaking of myself in the third person...arrogant bastard alarms flashing now...), and has made this very strange background in sheer bliss-y procrastination.

more pictures of my southernly spring break trip. a note: my favorite motel had balconies with barb wire to keep the customers in. hopefully i'll find these pictures in min's collection, but naureen's pictures can describe a much mellower feeling, maybe akin to the relaxation found with a new Beta Band/Boards of Canada album) - not really worrying about being critical, trying to take everything in, and being convinced with every little nostalgia-filled hook. I guess they both achieve that Beck-like plundering of the past without the "Jackass" predicament.

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driving through jungle park

Them did once exist and make an utterly brilliant cover of a Dylan song, but with sampling, iconic or mythic status is never assured. Similarly, a simulcrum reference appears so much more fascinating, inciting a pursuit that could land smack-dab into Axelrod territory (like DJ Shadow, making the bones move of his favorite 60's stringed producer). Perhaps with the concept of sampling foreshadows an imminent pursuit, a reference to a past so quickly forgotten within pop/rock history.

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katie in a tree

and that's why i'm always excited about bands that can evoke a certain generational sound but not be mired innit (elephant, my dear kiddies was made with equipment from '63 and pressed in vinyl - the white stripes are more real than you!). But the Beta's don't seem to really give a fuck what one thinks. Instead, the full sound is finally catchy-enough that is undeniable. Pop-stars are great, I mean it. David Bowie included, despite ads for scary Tommy Hilfinger products. Because it's something that we can all share, and gets played-out so much so, that something heard a million times is still not enough. It's this "replay-value" (found in video-games) that I search for in albums, always dynamic, changing within context.

beta band - heroes to zeroes

The Beta's take but don't rely on mimicking their influences, proving a short attention span forces constraint. I've never heard an album that compares so nicely to Basement Jaxx's just-out-there hooks within rock. It's been a while, and maybe if rock's dead and dance is dead, why isn't it the best time to animate it. Taking the remains and personalizing it in a way that musn't quote a direct sound, leaping off and actually coalescing eclecticism.

yep yep. beta band once again gets my seal of approval. there were a couple weeks i was scared, but scared no longer. the comfortable heroes to zeroes is already starting to wear in and get under my skin. yes, comic characters and all...animation is really all i can ask for when every popular music form keeps dying. Wait did Missy say hip-hop's dead? Goddamn it
I'm always missing these striking developments...will someone please tell me the next band that will blow my mind? (i keep thinking i need a subscription to NME...ha...no)

nate feels the death card

after a tarot reading with the first card being death, i had to re-evaluate much, much indeed - like how much jambalaya i could eat before i died, or whether i could get a tan before, i ate the big one, etc. etc. anything that i should do before i die?
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please send comments in the box. any feedback would be both appreciated and loved by the two nates in residence...