Posted by Daniel Lyons
Sun, 20 Jun 2004 13:56:00 GMT
Last night as Alex and I were going to bed, the cats were fighting. We got
this nice door post toy which Ebony and Lllama have been fighting over
until they hiss, then we take it down. Anyway, they were fighting pretty
fiercely last night.
When we got up this morning, we searched everywhere around the
apartment and couldn’t find the cats. I noticed a bulge in the blanket by
the bed and looked inside, finding Lllama laying on top of Ebony! They
haven’t been so friendly today but there’s been much less hissing, and
Ebony has tolerated the presence of Lllama, to the point of even laying on
one side of me or Alex while Lllama is on the other.
Alex made frog egg salad last night, which is quite good. The recipe
is here if you’re interested (I
got the
software from John Shipman
if you’re interested; source is <a
href=”../recipes/frogeggs.recipe.xml”>here.) It’s tasty and
horrible, and I love it. :)
Last night Eric came in and the four of us went to the Attic while he
signed the last band for his event today. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to
make it, but I am certain it went off without a hitch. He had booked
several local bands: Red Earth, <a
href=”http://www.atgmetal.com”>Against The Grain (ATG), <a
href=”http://www.themindyset.com”>The Mindy Set, and another called
Tetelestica or something, who don’t seem to have a website. Of course,
Rob Lopez’s current band The Scallywags were headlining and were
contracted specifically to play The Star Spangled Banner. I wish I could
have been there but unfortunately I am a slackass and tired from all the
moving.
Well, tomorrow we move some nice chairs up here, so I need to hit the
sack.
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Sat, 19 Jun 2004 06:42:00 GMT
The damned cat, how cute she is! The night before last I got sleep in
3-4 hour chunks interrupted by Lllama’s incredibly loud yelping. Last
night she woke me up several times marching around on the bed. Vicky’s
husband wakes up at about 4:45 each morning and feeds the cats, which
explains why at 5:30 AM Lllama screams her head off. I waited until about
9:30 to feed her the day before yesterday, but last night I was going to
bed around 6 AM so I fed her then. Vicky says she will get used to our
schedule eventually.
I went ahead and got the cheapest computer desk I could
find—$37.99—along with a nice chair and now I have a computer
desk. In fact, I’m posting from it, so we have Linux-action once
again.
Alex’s cat Ebony has been having some trouble getting used to Lllama.
Last night, Alex noticed that her cat hasn’t been eating, so we did a late
run to Walmart to get catfood that he might eat and some catnip in the
hopes that it would mellow him out to such a degree that he might make
friends. He ate some food but still won’t get within a couple feet of the
kitten without hissing and running off.
Alex and Hillary are in the other room cooking up a surprise for
Father’s Day. I’ll have more details on that later.
My cat kneads my hair in my sleep. My hair has been weirder looking
than ever. She likes to sleep on my pillow when she’s not attacking my
feet. It’s really sweet. :) Alex says that the cat is a Daniel finder;
all she has to do is start meowing and I start yelling out “Lllama!
Lllama!” so she’ll find me and not be scared anymore.
Last night Faust came over and we hacked for a while; I wound up
writing a nice little background menu generator for <a
href=”http://blackboxwm.sourceforge.net/”>Blackbox, so I’ll post that
code in a little while.
That’s all for now.
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Thu, 17 Jun 2004 11:50:00 GMT
Thanks to Alex’s sister, we now have her Queen-size bed in here.
The folks contributed four chairs and Nathan contributed a card table,
so we have some basic furniture. I’m writing this on the bed from the
bedroom using the power of the wireless DSL hub I got, so I may wind
up lending the airport to Faust.
Relearning Dvorak isn’t much fun but could be worse. I think I’m
down to 50 or 60 WPM. The month of qwerty wasn’t very good for my
memory but fortunately I did very little in the way of coding. I’m
delaying setting up my Linux box until I have a proper desk for it,
because I’m sure I’ll get absorbed in it and be a zombie for a few
hours, and I’d rather not strain my neck, back and arms when that
happens.
My cat, apparently, suffers from some kind of attachment disorder;
she cries at the top of her lungs when she is alone. She hasn’t been
particularly affectionate (though she seems to like crawling on my
shoulders), she has warmed up as time has gone on. I have to take her
with me when I go to another room or she cries, but when I take her
she ignores me and explores. Except for the bedroom, where she lays
about on the bed.
I’m going to call it a night early I think.
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Thu, 17 Jun 2004 06:43:00 GMT
All of my shit is now located inside the apartment. We went and
picked up my cat as well, so she’s here bawling at nothing in
particular while she gets used to the new place.
I have way too much shit still. Nice, how a three story apartment
can help you remember these things. Nathan and Faust helped me move
it all up, which I appreciated quite a bit after Nathan pointed out that
I was about to have heatstroke this morning. I got everyone lunch at
the Golden Bird (formerly Fu Hua’s) but it was unsatisfactory so I’ll
probably wind up doing it again sometime.
DSL works, and I’m posting from the corner of the spare
bedroom/office where my computing equipment is going to be. There
isn’t a scrap of furniture in here at all; we ate our late lunch on
the kitchen floor. Hopefully we’ll be acquiring some chairs and a
card table from home before the night is out, and a shower curtain.
Tomorrow we’ll try to make it to some garage sales and round out
the furniture. This sitting on the floor crap is getting old really
fast. I’m not sure what I’m doing by way of computer desk, but this
is a problem I want to deal with as soon as possible.
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Wed, 16 Jun 2004 10:52:00 GMT
We just got back from buying a lot of shit for the apartment. Alex
is staying at her old apartment tonight so she can pack. I’m over at
the folk’s place tonight to finish (re)packing and whatnot.
Last night I finished the Alef-Bet For Adults book so now I
can somewhat convert written Hebrew into the proper sounds. Of
course, that depends on if I have been reading and understanding
properly which it’s possible I have not. I don’t really have any
Hebraic authorities around at the moment to correct me.
For those that don’t know, I’ve decided that after 5 or so years of
semi-serious Kabbalah study and interest, it’s time to give up the
pretending and get serious about conversion. Half of you have been
calling me a Jew all these years anyway, though it wasn’t (and isn’t)
correct. There aren’t any conversion classes or Hebrew classes going
on at the moment in Albuquerque as far as I can tell, so it will be a
long while before the next development on this front.
A few weeks ago I finished the book The Alchemist by Paulo
Coelho. I strongly recommend this book to everyone; it’s short, easy
to read, and has a great plot and message. Damn near anyone might
like it.
Reading The Alchemist, one might notice references to
something called “The Emerald Tablet of Hermes.” Looking
around online, I was able to find <a
href=”http://www.sacred-texts.com/alc/emerald.htm”>a page with
several translations of it. Apparently it did exist, and in so many
different forms and translations that very little about it is
clear.
One of the translations provided on that page is a so-called
“Hypothetical Chinese Original” with a reference. This
version is quite interesting because it mentions the Tao. If this
version is the original version (or provably similar to it), then it
would implicate China as the original source of alchemy—not just
the chemistry, but also the equally fascinating philosophy of
alchemy. A Taoist basis for alchemy would imply a Taoist basis for
Rosicrucianism, and that is something quite remarkable and amusing to
me, as someone who has studied both to some extent.
I intend to dig up this reference and see if they provide a
hypothetical Chinese original or if they provide a translation of the
hypothetical Chinese original. If it is the former, Jarrod has
already agreed to translate it for me in the same fashion as he has
translated some sections of the Tao Te Ching, which would be
fabulous.
I hope you guys take a look at the translation, it’s really quite
fascinating. It seems to be the origin of the famous “as above;
so below” aphorism.
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Wed, 16 Jun 2004 09:08:00 GMT
For some reason, whenever I move I just can’t sleep the night
before. My mind was running over everything over and over and I
didn’t fall asleep initially until 2 hours after I went to bed. Then
it was just one hour of sleep before I woke up again, took another 20
minutes to fall back asleep, and slept until 6 when someone woke me up
on accident.
I’m going to sleep quite well tonight I think. I’m tired already
and I’ve got untold boxes to carry and load and whatnot. I should get
to it. Hopefully I’ll have a DSL modem waiting for me at the entrance
when I get there. :) We’ll see.
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Wed, 16 Jun 2004 04:26:00 GMT
Tomorrow I go to the bank to get a cashier’s check to pay for my
first month’s rent. I’ll be living with Alex at a nice place called
“Comanche Wells.”
In case you haven’t heard, Alex and my family all got together and
purchased a pure-bred Maine Coon kitten for me. Maybe I’ll have some
pictures up for that on Thursday when I take her home. My father
supplied the name: Lllama. Don’t ask. :)
So this is about my third or fourth website, which goes to show you
that I just can’t settle on a single format or piece of software
(including the one I wrote for myself, <a
href=”http://www.storytotell.org/fusion/index.php?topic=Software&page=RantPage”>RantPage.
Alex asked me if I intended to keep up with this website any better
than the others. I can’t really say “yes” to that, but
we’ll see what happens. I recall the last time I did a semi-good job
of keeping a website updated was when I was in <a
href=”http://www.nmt.edu/fusion/arsc/”>Alaska and apparently
Jarrod is now also keeping a <a
href=”http://www.nmt.edu/jarrod/journal/”>journal of his own for
his Alaska stuff. Now that I’m not around in Socorro I expect I’ll
miss you guys, and that will hopefully lead to posting. We’ll
see.
After Wednesday, I plan on spending some time polishing my code and
putting it up on the web under the GPL while I polish my
résumé. At that point I’ll probably scrap pyBlosxom and
start writing the stuff that Manuel and Bill and I were talking
about. We’ll see when it happens I suppose.
End of first post. :)
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Sat, 13 Mar 2004 14:14:00 GMT
Many bands have been involved with or associated with the progressive metal subgenre over the years, but few have managed to retain a detached awesome-yet-little-to-speak-of status. Mekong Delta are highly referenced, yet few have heard them and I assure you that this has nothing to do with difficulty in acquiring the music, all of which is still quite in print. No, somewhere along the way, progressive metal’s Watchtower and Mekong Delta get forgotten and passed over by fans interested in something of lighter fare: Dream Theater and Fates Warning are not thought of as axe-wielding bands in the same sense as your standard thrash and power metal artists are. This inaccuracy comes to the surface to a large degree with Mekong Delta, who are best described as a high-speed, high-intensity thrash band with a classical fixation. They turned it up to eleven in every sense. I hope for a day when they are appreciated for the masters that they truly are.
Mekong Delta are/were:
Doug Lee – wail
Uwe Bastrusch – axe
Ralph Hubert – slappy
Peter Haas – skins
The subject of this review, Kaleidoscope, is an album of theirs which came at a time of transition for the band. The prior albums’ songwriting consisted of a heavy thrash base, with frequent time signature changes and an overall level of complexity surpassing that of other thrash bands. The album right before Kaleidoscope, Dances of Death, is also a classic (albeit a less diverse album) and I recommend it to everyone with an enjoyment of thrash. Kaleidoscope, on the other hand, shows the band willing to take some chances: a Genesis cover (“Dance on a Volcano”), an instrumental not from a classical composer (“Dreaming”), and a general shift away from standard thrash structures and base, towards a more flexible though extremely high speed technique.
“Innocent?” opens the album with a very standard Mekong Delta thrash piece: high-energy, mad complex, wailing ghostly vocals. Lyrically the standard of writing is extremely high: “Wading through the oceans of minced dreams/While they puke some little pieces of/Surreal truth to feed the stupid crowd…” The tone of the album is set: the fall of the Western world and the selling out of the human soul.
“Sphere Eclipse” starts of as a midtempo (for Mekong Delta) bob-and-weave tune. The complexity level of the song structures goes up in this song: there are three modes, the second is a high speed and energy barn-stomper section, and the third is a low-speed introspective zone wherein we are presented with an opportunity to hear several layers of inventive solo from our man Uwe along with a tasteful bit of keyboard. A masterpiece in its own right, but winds up not being the star of the album.
“Dance on a Volcano” is a cover of a relatively awesome early Genesis prog rock piece. The performance is awesome, and very true to the original, giving a feel of the different flavors but comparable talent of Mekong Delta. In all ways better than the Death cover of Judas Priest mentioned in my previous review, but at the same time the song itself is such a departure for Mekong Delta from (essentially) a club of two or so dead white composers. It truly marks the change: this is the moment when you realize Mekong Delta transcended the ordinary, even in the category of progressive music which seems like it should not have the concept of ordinary. You are intrigued.
“Dreaming” is very much the bright classical piece you never expected to hear from Mekong Delta. It is also an excellent prelude to the awesome things which are to come from the band: the next album, Visions Fugitive, contains a several track middle section entitled “Suite for Group and Orchestra” which recalls this piece quite well. The final release, Pictures at an Exhibition, is a complete implementation of Mussorgski’s suite of the same name (with and without orchestra, on one disc). Not as nice as “Voice of the Soul” but also not as bittersweet, a nice warm track that belongs where it is, separating the strange cover from the next two intense tracks.
“Heartbeat” is, hands down, my favorite Mekong Delta song. It opens with a few industrial-sounding crunches, followed by a throbbing mechanical sound, overlayed with inventive classical bass from Lord Hubert. Then the track collapses and the metal rages outward. Lyrical except:
“In the shadow of our industry
we constructed all these big machines
symbolizing what we want to be
superpowers of insanity
Accepting all of this bureaucracy
content to be another wannabe
obscured by all of this complexity
consumed as fuel for even bigger dreams
the endless sound of moving parts
replaced the rhythm of their strained hearts”
This is about the feistiest I can recall them ever being, biting social commentary on top of driven, technical riffing. You want to sing along, and you love the words. Every line in this song speaks to me. You consider finding out where Doug lives to go give him a hug.
“Shadow Walker” is the rip-roaring “oh-yeah?” response to “Heartbeat.” It’s nastier, darker, less groovy and more head-bangy. It wins the award for most frustrating sing-along, but the lyrics are also on display and work extremely well with the music: “Out of the dark – I will dive into the light/I will – gonna rise up from the crowd/I will – be a star in TV land/That’s right – be a hero for a day” Straight up barnstorming awesome headbangin’ glory. One, maybe two modes.
“Sabre Dance” – Khachaturian’s well-known classical piece. You’re exhausted by now and this really isn’t helping. They are still Mekong Delta, so true to form, you don’t get off easy.
“Misunderstanding” is the final moment of glory on this album of absolute madness. When I first got the CD I liked “Heartbeat” and that was about it. Then I started to like “Shadow Walker.” A few weeks later, I got this tune in my head and I couldn’t recognize it—it turned out to be Misunderstanding. This is a hook-laden prog-thrash festival. Uwe’s wailing axe action on top of some highly addictive riffs sets the stage. Then, when Doug comes in, Uwe starts playing triplets for the notes instead of straight riffs. Doug alternates between low wails and high screams almost at random, creating a wonderfully strange yet sonically pleasing atmosphere. Just after this section there is a bit of buildup and some interplay with Ralph’s bass and the guitar which is very addicting. I’ve about made it to the solos which, of course, are classically influenced and interesting. The story has something to do with aliens, which I am a fan of as a song topic, so the whole song is one of my favorite Mekong Delta creations: expertly tuned and awesome in all regards.
“About Science” is a good song in a thrash vein, but I admit that thinking about it always brings to mind Watchtower’s “Control and Resistance” due to their both containing the lyrics “Controlled by confusion/Confused by control.” As a result, I consider it at least partially a tribute to that band and their magnum opus. A capable track in it’s own right with at least three sections, but not a particularly memorable closing entry.
Much like Death’s The Sound of Perseverence, this is one of my favorite albums of all time, and certainly Mekong Delta’s finest hour, though they have many hours and almost all of them are fine. Recommended to fans of music, thrash metal, and progressive metal, classical music also. Classical fans not intrigued here would do well to purchase Mekong Delta’s “Classics” disc which is vocal-free and just has their classical works. :) Check it out.
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Posted by Daniel Lyons
Wed, 18 Feb 2004 06:23:44 GMT
In following with Salem posting about a band revived after an apparent death, I am posting about the album which could be called the death of Death: the final album from the band that had created single-handedly the genre of their name, and then departed from it in search of a progressive sound. This album, historically speaking, is the last studio album due to the depressingly premature optimization of our ear-drum’s hero: Chuck Schuldiner. Death, and single-album sister band Control Denied, could be called Chuck’s solo bands, as he was the only connecting piece between any given album. He was the restless genius. But I digress…
The album we’re talking about represents the peak of the genre, and actually the peak of the subgenre Technical Death Metal, which they were the primary motivator for, but which now contains luminaries such as Arch Enemy and Theory in Practice.
“Scavenger of Human Sorrow” opens with a short but ripping drum solo, into a bit of a guitar noodle, and then straight to the crunch. It’s extremely catchy, and then we hear Chuck’s voice for the first time: death vocals, but very comprehensible, as is not the style. This song has about three different tempo/time signatures in it and several changes, yet maintains interest throughout.
“Bite the Pain” is a slow start, with an introspective guitar solo. After a little of this, we are dropped off the cliff and into the bone-crushing high-speed thrash which drives the song. As we segue back into the slower part, it becomes clear that the song is an analogy for pain and the experiences of it. I find it very relaxing to listen to, actually.
“Spirit Crusher” is probably the track that does the least for me on this album. It is a slow- to mid-paced bass-driven song, very drawn out. Another reviewer once said it was the most horrifying song in metal, which I doubt, but I can see why the reviewer would say that. Like all the other songs on this album, it has tremendous speed, tempo, and melodic changes which make it very interesting and difficult on the first listen to comprehend all of.
“Story to Tell” is probably my favorite song—it did, after all, encourage me to make the website of that name. This song is an incredibly beautiful expression of the human experience, and everybody not moved by the awe-inspiring 2 minute solo in the middle of it simply doesn’t have a soul. This solo justifies the guitar; nothing else need be made with it. This song will be played at my funeral.
“Flesh and the Power it Holds” has without a doubt the most incredibly evil, powerful sounding lyric to it, but you really have to hear it in it’s context. The song about the danger of physicality contains moments of alluring beauty and moments of extreme ugliness in stark contrast of each other. This song was my introduction to death metal.
“Voice of the Soul” is a painfully beautiful classical/electric guitar composition. A landscape of entrancing beauty.
“To Forgive is To Suffer” starts with another ripping thrash outburst, and alternates between that theme and a theme of slower introspection, taking each to the limit. A strong anti-Christian message is nice too.
“A Moment of Clarity” has some more of Chuck’s incredibly philosophical lyrics. A staccato riffs intersperse between softer drawn out sections, with a stop-and-go feel in some areas, finally leading into the chorus with a nice guitar theme on a strongly chorded background. I love this song, and the mildly restrained solo (compared to “Story to Tell”) works incredibly well.
“Painkiller” is a cover of the Judas Priest song from their album of the same name. It is totally wrong, but shows you how far Metal came in the intervening ~10 years.
Overall, this is one of my favorite albums of all time, if not the favorite. I love it and recommend it to everyone who can handle metal at all. :) Check it out.
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