Give It 2 Me

What are you waiting for?
Nobody's gonna show you how
Why work for someone else to do what you can do right now?

Got no boundaries and no limits
If there's excitement put me in it
If it's against the law arrest me
If you can handle it undress me

Don't stop me now, don't need to catch my breath
I can go on and on and on
When the lights go down and there's no one left
I can go on and on and on

Give it to me, yeah
No one's gonna show me how
Give it to me, yeah
No one's gonna stop me now

They say that a good thing never lasts and that it has to fall
Those are the people that did not amount to much at all

Give me the bassline and I'll shake it
Give me a record and I'll break it
There's no beginning and no ending
Give me a chance to go and I'll take it

Don't stop me now, don't need to catch my breath

I can go on and on and on

When the lights go down and there's no one left

I can go on and on and on

Give it to me, yeah

No one's gonna show me how

Give it to me, yeah

No one's gonna stop me now

Get stupid, get stupid, get stupid, don't stop it

Get stupid, get stupid, get stupid, don't stop it

You're only here to win

Get what they say?

You're only here to win

Get what they do?

They'd do it too if they were you

You've done it all before, this ain't nothing new

-----------------------------

Just some Monday morning motivational music for yall's asses. Enjoy!

Cell Phone's Dead

Strange ways comin' today
I put a dollar in my pocket and I threw it away
Been a long time since a federal dime
Made a jukebox sound like a mirror in my mind

Comb my worries, fix my thoughts
Throw my hopes like a juggernaut walks
Now, let down souls can't feel the rhythm
Sorry entertainers like aerobics victims

Hybrid people light a wooded matchstick
Toxic fumes and the burning plastic
Beats are broken, bones are spastic
Boombox talkin' with a southern accent

Voodoo curses, Bible tongues
Voices coming from the mangled lungs
Gimme some grits, some get down shit
Don't need a good reason to let anything rip

Radio's cold, soul is infected
One by one I'll knock you out
God is alone, hardware defective
One by one I'll knock you out

Mr. Microphone makin' all the damage felt
Like a laser manifesto, make a mannequin melt
There's people phonin' in like it's unlimited minutes
Going through the motions just to say that they did it

Treadmills running underneath their feet
So they feel like they're going somewhere
    but they're not
So let's put boots on the warehouse floor
Coming to you like a rope on a chain store

Throwing equipment from a moving van
Grab a microphone like a utility man
Now fix the beat, now break the rest
Make a kick drum sound like an S.O.S.
Get a tow truck 'cause it's after dark
And the dance floor's full but everybody's double parked

Cell phone's dead, lost in the desert
One by one I'll knock you out
Eye of the sun is out of it's socket
One by one I'll knock you out

This shit is real

---------------------------------

Clearly I've been on a Beck kick lately. This is a really fun song to dance to... but you gotta have a little funk in ya, and a morbid sense of humor. ;)

E-Pro

See me comin' to town with my soul
Straight down out of the world with my fingers
Holding on to the devil I know
All my troubles'll hang on your trigger

Take your eyes and your mind from the road
Shoot your mouth if you know where you're aiming
Don't forget to pick up what you sow
Talking trash to the garbage around you

See me kickin' the door with my boots
Broke down out in a ditch of old rubbish
Snakes and bones in the back of your room
Handing out a confection of venom

Heaven's drunk from the poison you use
Charm the wolves with the eyes of a gambler
Now I see it's a comfort to you
Hammer my bones on the anvil of daylight

I won't give up that ghost
It's sick the way these tongues are twisted
The good in us is all we know
There's too much left to taste that's bitter

Sneak A Picture

I've been a big fan of Junior Boys ever since their debut album Last Exit hit in 2004. The duo have released four albums now and every one of them has been a winner in my eyes. Their approach to sound is really unique; nobody else quite captures their combination of chunky electronica, smooth vocals, and thoughtful lyrics. Jeremy Greenspan's blue-eyed soul-style vocals and their love for the occasional saxophone break has always made me think of them as a sort of modern Hall & Oates, if Hall & Oates were cool. But make no mistake, what these guys are doing is purely their own thing. They use electronics to build these sort of elliptical spaces within their music. What at first sounds quite simple reveals itself to be layers built upon layers of sound with repeated listens. Their lyrics tend to focus on love and heartache, and are generally delivered via metaphor and simile. The songs, even the most upbeat ones, are intimate, confessional even. To quote notoriously picky Guardian music reviewer Alexis Petridis (who loves them), "[They] balance dancefloor euphoria with a nagging, inescapable undercurrent of melancholy." I agree.

Easily one of my all-time favorite Junior Boys tracks is Sneak A Picture, from their 2009 album Begone Dull Care. The first time I heard this song I thought it was a bit unfocused and overly long. Repeated listens, as so often happens with their music, revealed it to be much more nuanced than I had initially given it credit for. After an extended, dreamy intro, the song begins in earnest, clean and simple, but steadily building, slowly adding those layers I mentioned earlier with each new verse and chorus, eventually dropping into a thick, heavy coda at the 4:53 mark. This steady tension finally pays off at 5:57, when the synths reach their full (yet oddly understated) power. Along the way there's a smooth sax break, done without an ounce of irony, and it actually works. That alone is pretty damn impressive if you ask me. Reading this you've probably been thinking, "Okay, he's talking about a dance track." But nope, Sneak A Picture is a slow jam -- in the purest sense of the term. In fact, this is one of the sexiest -- and darkly subversive -- slow jams I've ever heard. This is eletronica for adults. No mind-numbing EDM here. Get sexy and give it a few listens...

Game over, it's a new owner
Punches chipping off your pride
Move slower, you're one day older
Find the darkest side of the night

Sneak a picture above my shoulder
Don't make a sudden move
You'll spoil the light
Oh no

Once, double stride
Roll again 'til it's right
Twice, sudden start
Move around, find the part

Pan forward and frame the border
Clean up every matching line
She looks perfect in every color
Find the one that's not too bright

Sneak a picture of a cheap performer
Don't let it go too far
  'cause it's not the art
Oh no, oh no

Once, double stride
Roll again 'til it's right
Twice, sudden start
Move around, find the part

Once, double stride
Find your pace deep inside
Twice, sudden start
Sleep it off where you are

Once, know your smile
Add some more on your bedroom pile
Twice, trick your heart
Show the lens who you think you are

Sneak a picture
Catch an empty corner and dress it with a set
  of your best regrets
Then go, then go

Til it's right
Once, double stride
Find the part
Twice, sudden start
Deep inside
Once, double stride

Where you are
Twice, sudden star
Bedroom pile
Once, know your smile
Who you are
Twice, trick your heart

Getting Fairest, Signature Style

Getting Fairest Apple in the signature outfit...

I kept today's post short, sweet, and to the point. Really the pictures do all the talking for me. Thanks for looking!

Blondie and Apple

I happened upon Blondie Lockes and Getting Fairest Apple at my local Justice today...

Some quick shots of Blondie and Getting Fairest Apple straight from the box. So yeah, GF Apple — love, love, love this doll. Seeing my favorite EAH character presented in this naturalistic, simple way is basically what I was hoping we’d get ever since I first fell in love with her last summer. This doll is utter, total perfection. Like her Legacy Day doll, she looks a little more mature compared to the signature release, with a slightly subdued air about her that still manages to come across as friendly. Her faceup is made up of mostly muted, natural pinks, including a very light dusting of blush on her cheeks. Her hair has just a little of that crispy gel we all know so well. She’ll need a hair treatment, but I think a warm water rinse and set should do the trick — no boiling required! I’ll be discussing her further at some point later. Just know she is perfection and is yet another Apple doll that exceeds my lofty expectations for this character. Oh, also worth noting: of the characters who’ve had three dolls released so far, she has the widest variety of looks among her dolls.Apple, we’re so, so not worthy. (For real though you guys — love this doll. Like, so much it’s all kinds of ridonkulas.)

But what of Blondie, you ask? She’s the new character here, it’s her first doll, it’s a signature release, I need to be talking about her first! I just can’t help but be distracted by how amazing Apple’s wonderful GF doll is. Okay, so Blondie! Love her, too! Mattel continues it’s strong run of high quality (design-wise) for EAH with Blondie’s doll. There’s some weirdness going on with my doll’s right eye (why do I too often not notice these things until I’ve de-boxed these dolls?), but it’s not a deal breaker or anything. For an EAH signature doll, her faceup is surprisingly simple. She has a couple of shades of pink above the eyes, some shimmer, and her lower eyelashes are brown instead of black. There’s a hint of blush on the cheeks and her lips are a natural pink — almost the exact same shade as GF Apple’s, actually. She continues the signature doll tradition of having three silver reflective dots on her lower lip. Her hair is very yellow and extra-wavy. The texture seems like it may be prone to frizz. We’ll see over the next few days. Her outfit and extras are too detailed to go into here — again, I hope to discuss this doll more at some point later. Oh, one thing though: her heart-shaped lock purse has some molded detailing that is the stuff Rococo dreams are made of.

Okay, enough blathering for one night. Hope you like the pics! And don’t underestimate GF Apple — she’s an amazing doll, one of the best yet. (Better than Legacy Day Apple, in my opinion.) Catch ya later!

Please forgive the weirdness with the text. Blogger is being an ass and not letting me direct-transfer this post from Tumblr. Oy.

Wiyoo

Wiyoo by Ronika. Think Chaka Khan-meets-Madonna circa 1982. I can't believe this song never got big. The video is equally amazing. Aside from the wacky pinball machine beginning, it's completely made up of footage from a dance competition that had to have taken place in 1984 at the very latest. I think my favorite of the competitors is the super feminine Army guy who comes on at 2:25. You can just feel the pure joy he has while dancing. It's a trip! The woman at 0:54 who's wearing that shiny 1985 Astronaut Barbie outfit is probably God. I'm thinking about building a religion around her. Seriously, this is such a fun, catchy song and really fun video!

Til next time!

No Shame Sunday: The Sequel!

For you folks who aren't on Tumblr here's my NSS post from today...

It's been a while since I did my first NSS so I figured it was time for another. My first one focused on Rochelle and -- surprise surprise! -- so does this one.

Sometimes we may seem pretentious and full of it, but we know how to have fun, too!

Just chilling.

Those eyes. Bestill my heart.

Rochelle really does make me happy. When I'm feeling blue, just having her around cheers me up.

I really need to start "prettifying" myself up before I take these pics and post them. Eh, whatever!

Cleo? Rochelle? Cleo? Rochelle? Both! (A guy can have two number ones in his heart, can't he?)

Here's my Tumblr if you decide you wanna check it out anyway. I'm generally much more active over there than I am here nowadays, but The Sequel will always be.

Nucleo

Just some random shots I took a while back...

Nucleo

Mela

Petrochemical

Tempo

Lovely 2 C U

Sorry folks, I'm on a big ol' Ali kick! It happens to me very, very often. But trust, take in the nourishment. You'll thank me later.

A wonderful place to be, the birds are singing

The dreams that are sent to me, everyone's waving

But there's no noises, the smell of your skin

The glittering lights of hell, I'm missing sin

Lovely to see you

Lovely to see you

I wanna get out of here, inhale your sky

A beautiful place to be so I don't know why

They're selling us something I don't need

They're selling us something, babe, you shouldn't believe

Lovely to see you

Lovely to see you

I'll always be here for you...

And the spirit of John moved upon the face of the waters

And John said, "Let there be light"

And there was light

And John saw that it was good

Tropico is here...

http://www.vevo.com/watch/lana-del-rey/tropico-short-film/GBUV71301124

"Dear John, forgive us our sins"

Paper Bag

No time to fuck, but you like the rush
And where would we be without sums
Deals we make

Brown paper bag
Makes for a hat when it rains on your head, mate
Cheers for that

When the world stops for snow
When you laugh
I'm inside your mouth

Sucking the sun, baboons and birds
With the weight of you, dear
I forgot

Brown paper bag
Makes for a hat when it rains on your head, mate
Cheers for that

When the world stops for snow
When you laugh
I'm inside your mouth

And you go, dear
Fears are tamed

When you laugh
I'm inside your mouth

I've said too much. I've gone too far.

Just another Scorpio, well-oiled and ready for whatever.

"I heard some dude tried to read his ass online one time." "I heard he don't even give a fuck but he lined that shit up right quick anyway. He has a degree in bitches-n-bizness management, you know. More tea?"

Mmm, great stuff. Who's your guy?

It's time to write another review? Already? Can't I just go hitchhiking naked in Miami?

Or maybe just have a drink or two and a night of dancing?

Oh dear, I've said too much. I've gone too far.

Why can't more people in this world be like Stanley Kubrick?

Forgive me?

It wouldn't be me if I didn't let the weird come through occasionally 'round here. xoxo