Limp Bizkit - Gold Cobra

Gold Cobra, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Holding Pattern


Okay, I knew that one day I’d have to face up to this, and I think it’s time to face facts. No more hiding that I too once did it all for the nookie (yeah!). No more hiding that I too once owned Jnco Jeans, a baseball cap that was turned backwards, and exercised my faculties with vulgarities while hearing detuned guitars in the background.


I was a teenage mook.

KRUI Appearance

Hello, it's been a while, hasn't it? While I wile away over piles of grading and composing graduate papers, there's been a marked lack of time that I've spent with you. However, I've found time to head over and guest DJ at KRUI on the University of Iowa's campus. If you're not already listening to their programming, click here to begin correcting that sad mistake. Myself, I was lucky to spin a two hour set tonight dedicated to summertime tracks and grooving, and I took full advantage of that opportunity to provide something close to a story. Okay, not really, but it was still gratifying to do this, and it won't be the last time. Keep listening as you wait for the next entry in the summer teen movie series and further music reviews; they're happening sooner than you think.

Here's last night's playlist. I think you'll find some excellent, acceptable songs here for your consumption.

Summer Scheduling & Music

Hey folks, I know that it's been a while since I last got onto this site and did anything with it, and for that I am sorry. This summer has turned out to be a much more hectic schedule than anticipated, and thus some things had to fall by the wayside. Unfortunately, the weeks of posting at least three times between Monday and Friday are gone, and it will likely be at least one week between posts. Thus, I have to make a decision, and I'm going to hold off on new album reviews for at least a week, and maybe longer. I may do something similar to the Rebecca Black "Friday" analysis where I take a track and see if it has secret meaning, but albums may be out of reach until mid-July. I will continue to do the summer film series and plan to have a couple of posts up before Sunday, but obviously my schedule of every Monday was too ambitious. In the meantime, let me know if there's something I should be paying attention to since I live by your suggestions. The long-gestating rap piece may finally see the light of day soon, along with other surprises. All I ask is that you be patient; no one is madder than me that I'm not adding information and pieces more often. Once things settle down, things will get as close to normal as they ever were.

My Morning Jacket - Circuital

If I could meet myself ten years ago, I’d give myself the advice that comes from disappointment, regret, and ultimately try to prepare myself for a world that didn’t prepare anyone for the future. I could imagine that there would be many surprises in store for past life Moodicarus, including the realization that all those CD’s I invested in would be worthless at this time (“But I bought the special translucent edition of SR-71! What do you mean the company that made those crappy Macintosh computers we use in school are the cutting edge?”). Finally, there would be the shock that the most interesting band in rock and roll in 2011 was a group of long-haired country-rock hippies that emerged from the streets of Louisville, Kentucky. I still can’t process this fact, and I’m writing the review for their latest album. 

Summer Movie Series - The Last Picture Show

“You wouldn’t believe how this country’s changed.” – Sam the Lion

Summer Music Mix

In between this summer film series and my music reviews, I’ve been compiling a huge list of songs that absolutely connote a mood of summer for me (and also as a token for not providing enough songs for you recently).  The majority of these songs are carefree, though some of them are bitterly aware of the transience of summer and the fact that the sun is an opiate of broken promises and hidden meanings.  In any case, the following songs are recommended for any lover of rock and pop music, particularly for a party.  I’d love any recommendations and additions for ones that I’ve forgotten or left off.  Be warned, there's a TON of links after the jump, but they're there for your perusal and enjoyment.

Lady Gaga - Born This Way

A typical day in this reviewer’s life goes something like this:  I wake up, find an album that I like or I figure I will enjoy, then try to listen as objectively and honestly as possible.  But not with Lady Gaga.  As a matter of fact, it may be the dumbest thing to have an album review of Born This Way now because practically every song has been blasted at you somehow.  There is no mystery as to what is next; you’ve heard these 14 tracks before, and you know by now whether you like this or not.  The hype machine behind LGaga has been impossible to ignore if you listened to pop radio or were invested in any facet of the culture industry in the United States – heck, the world – over the past year.  She’s popped up on television, Twitter, YouTube, social networking sites, Farmville, talk shows, and most recently Saturday Night Live to promote her new “pop masterpiece.”  The promotional campaign has been exhausting, with Hitfix’s Melinda Newman comparing it to a presidential campaign.

So congratulations, Lady Gaga: You’ve made it impossible to have an objective view on your brand of music.