RPS

The DS and 3DS are great systems, so grabbing them is ap great idea. I think lower budget, 2D, original titles have been lost in the Switch franchise and the modern budget of games. Pokemon Black, A Link Between Worlds and Mario 3D Land are great examples. A new original game like either would never show up on new hardware. Smart, fun, designed for the platforms, but not so ambitious in terms of fidelity and scope.

They don't list the games in the description but typically the listed games are a picture. This is likely to avoid getting in trouble for selling them. I bought one for my daughter. They work and you can save the games. I'd get him a 3DS. The DS cartridge would be compatible plus you'd get access to more Mario Games. There is Super Mario 64, Mario Kart DS, New Super Mario Bros for the DS. I didn't include Mario sports games, Mario Party or the Mario and Luigi games as I never played. Those games would all be on most of those 500 in 1 carts. For the 3DS he'd have access to Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, New Super Mario Bros 2, Luigi Mansion Dark Moon, Ultimate NES Remix, Super Mario Maker 3DS. Mario Maker servers will be shut off in March of 2024, so don't buy before. Again - didn't include the Mario sports, party or RPG games. Again - the DS games are easy. There will be a cart to buy. The 3DS games are expensive and hard to get through legal means. The 3D Land game is A+ though.

The DS is likely super cheap because its inferior to the 3DS with no added benefit. A DS only plays DS games; a 3DS plays both DS and 3DS games. I saw some used 3DS in the wild at a decent price; grab it if you can find it sub 150-200$. If you get DS or 3DS, you have a few options. You can go full Johnny Depp in that movie where he's in a ship. There are guides to do that online. There are cartridges you can buy on Amazon with 500 games in one. You can also buy physical cartridges, but your mileage will vary. Any good games will be hella expensive; moreso DS than 3DS. The E Shop is closed so no ability to buy digital games. Why does he want a DS? Unless he is going Johnny Depp, imo not worth it. I still play my 3DS but it's because I bought Pokémon, Fire Emblem, SMT, Mario 3D Land, Ocarina of Time, etc. when the games came out. I also have some DS games. Getting into the physical market is a rich man's game.

Asteroid City was outstanding. A+. It's fascinating to see his growth as a filmmaker. He was somewhat of a joke amongst many film goers with his early films. But he went on to really nail his formula of bold visuals, deadpan acting and Hollywood magic with the Fantastic Mr Fox, Grand Budapest and Isle of Dogs. He's now in his experimental phase. French Dispatch was challenging, but Asteroid City has zero interest in sticking to expectations, explaining itself or being approachable. Visually and acting wise, it's a Wes Anderson movie. But he feels not bound by traditional approaches to cinema. The way the "movie" has three acts split into two narratives being told at the same time is an interesting commentary on reality, identity and truth. I actually watched the movie because I couldn't find Syndedoche, New York and I watched this instead. Wes Anderson seemed inspired by that movie for Asteroid City.

I am playing Omega Ruby but trying to only use six Pokemon. I can catch whatever I want, I just can't get rid of them and if they faint in battle, they are gone permanently. I l didn't really think of what the grind would be for Slakoth...

I liked his comment as I received my new vinyl. What does that say about me?

Trauma drips from every Sufjan Stevens album. It is obvious now that Carrie and Lowell came out. But even dating back to Illinois and further you could feel the trauma baked into the narratives of other people. In the last decade or so, Sufjan Steven's has seemed interested in exploring trauma through his own life. The Age of Adz felt like an exploration of Sufjan Stevens from a surreal, often times opaque way. Carrie and Lowell was very obviously Sufjan Stevens trying to reckon with the death of his mother, a complicated and unreliable figure. Javelin feels like a culmination of this arc, but Sufjan Stevens himself is now the focus of his gaze. Javelin is an album about Sufjan Stevens coming to reckoning with love, loss and rejection, but trauma is still there. Will Anybody Ever Love Me? brought me to tears because I felt it in me, I felt it in my husband, I felt it in every person who ever was rejected for being who they were. Sufjan Stevens begins the song by wishing harm on himself. This is Sufjans internal thoughts; we are not led to believe that Sufjan's partner won't love him. Sufjan himself believes he's not worthy of love. The shifts through the song recontextualize the titular question. I believe by the end of the song, Sufjan has come to believe someone will love him and he has reclaimed his trauma and each doubt is now an affirmation that he is worthy of love. Javelin as a whole deals with trauma, but Sufjan Stevens explores moments of beauty, tranquility, and peace. But punctuating these moments with devastating statements about Sufjan feeling inadequate, unworthy, full of doubt reminds the audience of the devastating impact trauma has on his life. Moments of beauty and tranquility when framed in the wake of unimaginable pain gain new dimensions. Even your happy moments force you to reckon with the times you were abandoned. In so many ways, Sufjan Steven's has meant so much to me. When I heard Illinois, it was revelatory to hear a compassionate, empathetic singer songwriter. He provided his subjects with such love, depth and care. Age of Adz came to me at a time when I felt so insecure, so alone, and coming to terms with the world around me. The desire to want to feel good despite the obstacles and walls of the world felt warmed me. Carrie and Lowell came to me at a time when my father in law passed away and my husband and I bonded over Sufjan. We would stay up late listening to the album, livestreaming his set from the Pitchfork Music Festival where he performed the album in its entirety. It was a way for my husband to process his grief and for me to support him. Sufjan Steven's has been an institution in my life. He has been the voice of so many moments and feelings. The soundtrack to the mountains and valleys of my life is Sufjan Stevens. The pain and grief that he sings about on Javelin makes my heartbreak. There are times in relationships where we experience the lows, but we always gave our partners to turn too and guide us. Sufjan lost his anchor and you can feel the devastation.

100%. I think record labels are absolutely in bed with Spotify and they work together to keep you listening to music. A few years ago, at the Spotify year end list, it had Imagine Dragon was on my list. My son likes them. I played them a bit. But there was no way they were 5th most played. That's when I started to notice how they gravitate you towards certain artists. I also think that Spotifies Smart Shuffle (a version of their randomize option) is some play to win model. I think record labels absolutely pay Spotify to get priority in those rankings. I also think that many AI related playlists prioritize record label music. I also think the record labels are cozy with Spotify about what updates are pushed to you. I'll absolutely be notified of a release from a major artist - if it's someone I really like but not on a major label I might get notified but probably not.

I agree with this to some extent. I think the industry and music criticism course corrected to cover, promote, review, feature, interview etc. non-rock so much, that it has in many ways just led to an identity crisis in music and led to it being pop music (the genre, not the popularity definition) focused. I think there has been added significant benefits- hip hop music is far more popular, kpop is now a mainstream genre, Latin music has exploded over the last decade, etc. But what I find interesting is that all that attention and focus the industry has given genres has put pop music in the same place rock music was 20 years ago. Not a lot of innovation, sameness, legacy acts, fixation on formulas, etc. Taylor Swift is this generations U2. But I think the core root of it is the same - most people like comfort music, things that sound similar and is safe. Most people want their music to be fine or good or comforting. Most people's relationship to music is not finding the next band or album that will change your life like is depicted in the movie Almost Famous. They want to hear the next U2 album or now the next Taylor Swift album because it's safe and comforting. I also think much of the current stagnation of pop music being dominate is the industry consolidating all in one. The industry is so safe these days because the record labels are so close to the touring apparatus which are so close to Ticketmaster, etc. Taylor Swift is a proven draw, so she is pushed as the top baby face because we know she'll sell out venues and move merchandise. Why take a chance on something new when it's so hard to break through to people without an MTV or large audiences listening to radio or so forth. I think it just so happens that pop music is much easier to market in this way than rock music and rock music has wilted. Pop music is focused on one person who doesn't need a whole lot of musical talent and who doesn't need to be able to write songs but instead becomes a vessel for their own ideas or beliefs or a sound that is generated by a team of writers or producers. Admittedly, this could happen to a band and does. But it's harder to wrangle 4 cats who may have differing views about their music vs 1 who likes music and connecting with fans but whom also really wants to be famous. A record label probably just loves having Dua Lipa because there probably isn't a whole lot of agency in the matter and she's probably incredibly happy singing the sugary sweet pop songs given to her.

That Across the Spiderverse movie was something else alright. We agree it's the best animated movie ever?

I played both on non Steam platforms. So I got Pizza Tower and Brotato instead. Pizza Tower is an A+ game.

Here is what I have been liking James Blake - Playing Robots into Heaven: really good album. A return to his roots as a dance producer. Still lots of pensive thoughts and moody ambience. But also lots of interesting ideas in the songs. Jaimie Branch - fly or die fly or die fly or die ((world war)): this is a post humorous release from a renowned trumpeter. I had never heard of her before this album, but this album is extraordinary. If forced to assign a genre to it, it would be jazz but that undersells it. It is in so many ways undefined by genre, expectation and convention. There are elements of so many genres of music. It feels like a landmark album that will influence artists in the future and continue the trend of disregarding genres and boundaries. A track can feel like hip hop, jazz, punk and dance simultaneously while also bearing no resemble to those individual genres in a describable way. Without question in album of the year question - potentially will be in album of the decade contention. Jungle - Volcano: you'll throw this album and you won't even notice it's over. There are lots of smoke and mirrors to evoke a feeling rather than coming up with something original. But sugar sweet melodies, interesting vocals and just being listenable can be acceptable. Nothing everything needs to change the world. Jeff Rosenstock- HELLMODE: I see a Jeff Rosenstock album, I listen. It's clockwork. Pop punk for the anxious 30 something who want deep and introspective song writing. Well... at least relative to other pop punk songs that can often times be shallow. On HELLMODE, the screams and the rush of noises are scaled back for a softer tone. It's my sons favorite album in a while. Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS: This is all I'll be listening to for the next several months. My oldest daughter is going to love this album. When I listened to Sour, I was astounded by the songwriting behind the album and enjoyed the pop soda confection of rock, pop and punk. On GUTS, the songwriting is stronger and the pop soda has far more punk in the mix. There is not ten songwriters on each track - mostly Olivia and Dan Nigro. It shows. Its all Olivia's vision. She's angry, having fun, writing "my life sucks" on a binder with a sharpie while her best friend applies black nail polish. She's waiting at the mall food court for her dad to pick her up with her bag full of shoplifted nail polish and eye liners. She so accurately depicts the independence, liberation and regret of youth.

Steamdeck arrives today. What's cool on Steam these days?

Is the scene of the Rock jacking it worth me tracking it down? Is it funny? Sad? Engaging?

The score was so good. I thought it was so punky and electronic. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross did it. Made a whole lot of sense.

The new Ninja Turtles movie was excellent. Everyone should check it out.

I just finished Season 1 of the Bear.

Here is my ranking of De La Soul 8-7: Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump and AOI Bionix: These albums are tied at 7-8 and if you asked me to differentiate between the two, I could not. De La Soul have 8 albums and they can clearly be divided into two camps - their early work and their later work which is influenced heavily by guests. This album is very evident of that. I would not describe the music inside as bad or even average. It is good. I actually listened to both albums twice It was easy to listen to, but after I was left more of an impression with the guests herein rather than it being a work that continued on what they started on their first four albums 6: and the Anonymous Nobody...: When you look at the guests on this album, there is a lot of potential there. Snoop Dogg, Little Dragon, Damon Albarn, Justin Hawkins, Usher, David Bryne. This album was released in 2016, but felt like an album from mid 2000s. It was not bad per se. Nothing just stood out to me. When I listen to albums, when a track stands out to me, I add it to a playlist or go back and listen to things that stood out to me. I went back and listened to nothing. It was incredible listenable, but not memorable. 5: The Grind Date: I very much enjoyed this album, but again it felt more like a show case of all the guests. The beats were incredible though. J Dilla and Madlib were all over the production tracklist, which makes sense. You can feel again that it feels influenced by the guests and the prodcuers. A solid listen to, but I doubt I would go out of my way to listen to anything they released. 4. Stakes Is High: This album feels like the beginning of second half of De La Soul, where instead of innovating and thinking outside of the box, they feel like they are taking a victory lap. That said, this album is very good. Yes, there are guests, but even on a track like the Bizness, it felt like a De La Soul song where Common guests. It is breezy, fun, and insightful. 3. Buhloone Mindstate: So going into this, I was like "well, it will be their first two albums and everything else" and wow I was hit hard by Buhloone Mindstate. Not enough to overtake the top two albums, but definitely enough that I would move this onto on my regular rotation of albums. It feels much looser, more free, more liberated. I think this is largely in part because of the jazz inspiration. I don't think it is merely that there is jazz aspects to the songs. It feels like an album that is not constrained by expectations. Tracks unexpectantly shift gears and head in different directions. It is interesting to listen to this album, because while I think the first two albums are superior, you can absolutely see how influential this album is with alternative hip hop. You can see the DNA of Jurassic 5, Danny Brown, or the Roots. 2. De La Soul Is Dead: The only reason that this album is lower than 3 Feet is because it feels less like a cohesive album at times. The skits feel out of place and a bit out of place with the flow of things. However, it is an amazing tour de force of a hip hop album. Goofy, insightful, poignant, innovative and referential all at the same time, even in the same song. 1. 3 Feet High and Rising: This is the perfect album for a Saturday morning. Every track is unique, blends into the next and has perfect skits between the album holding it together. I think there are better "songs" on Dead, but what is perfect about 3 Feet High and Rising is how it feels as an experience from front to end. The Magic Number is a fantastic song, but it feels perfect as the album opener and it blends so seamlessly right into the next track. A perfect album. Taking any suggestions for who I should chart next...

I haven't played Starfield but I have played most other Bethesda games. I have found that it's their games are by and large diminishing returns for me. The core game play loops feel very similar between each game. Graphics and UI change. Scenery changes. But it still feels like the same game experience between Fallout 4 and Skyrim, just in one you have a gun and its a post apocalyptic world and in the other you have a bow and arrow and its fantasy. My question for those that played - is this a further refinement of the module or are we breaking new ground?

Oops. Joys of doing this on your phone. Forgot to write about it. De La Soul is the type of hip hop act I would recommend to someone with limited hip hop experience. They are interesting because they clearly define themselves as outsiders throughout their careers. So they are both the high water of hip hop but also unlike most mainstream hop hop.

Black Flag ??. Family Man: I would categorize this as unranked. It's certainly an interesting idea. But I think segmenting the album the way it was makes it impossible to rank. One half is spoken word. There is one song featuring vocals. The rest are instrumental pieces. Each section is interesting. None of it works together when you are listening to a dozen or so minutes of spoken word. 7. What The....: I feel of two minds - to both defend this album, but also to agree with all of its criticisms. It's not a bad album to listen too. But what makes a Black Flag album interesting is completely missing. It's just by the numbers hardcore. I feel people hate it far more because of Gregg Ginn than the actual 5/10 music inside. 6. Slip It In: I am sure having it this low may be a surprise but I feel the sludge influences in the middle are so monotonous. Rats Eyes and Obliteration back to back feel designed on purpose - a bit punishing and self indulgent. I honestly felt like most 99% ofp people would turn off Rats Eyes midway through and try to get a refund. The LP starts off incredibly strong and The Bars is a great midway distraction. 5. Loose Nut: I was actually pleasantly surprised by this album. I thought it would be more forgettable than it was. But it's a choppy to the point album. As I'll describe below, Damaged is a pretty melodic focused album in comparison to their later albums. Loose Nut feels like them getting back to making more straight forward, melody focused punk music. A bit conventional but not in a boring way. 4. In My Head: this feels like an interesting compromise between two sides of Black Flag - fast hardcore and methodical sludge metal. I think both are balanced well. Henry Rollins shows restraints on vocals and it feels at times like it's produced purposefully so his vocals are lowered. A very good album. 3. The First Four Years: I have opted to bunch all of the EPs together because they would all be grouped here together. My ranking would be Six Pack > Nervous Breakdown > Jealous Again. It's interesting comparing and contrasting because obviously a few of these tracks turn up later with Henry on vocals. I enjoy that you can hear little teases of the experimentation that will permeate Black Flags catalogue. Ron Reyes was the weakest vocalist, imo, which is funny because he came back in 2013. I don't think any version here matches Henry's vocals, but it's an interesting "what if" thought exercise. 2. My War: what a great album. It almost tops out Damaged. The album mixes the hardcore sound with the metal and experimental sounds that define theirs later albums. Everyone still feels like they are having fun, but you can feel at times that desire to let a solo go on a few seconds longer than you'd expect. 1. Damaged: this is an album that takes the pure power of Henry Rollins and completely showcases it. Damaged feels so decidedly out of place for all Black Flag. Its an interesting conundrum. What if you release an album that comes to define a generation and after have zero interest in following it up. You can hear the direction they'll head - they have chaotic, off the rails moments that completely disrupt melody. But the melodies still drive the song at the end of the day. Detours occur, but you still get back on track. I also appreciate that Henry Rollins sounds like he's having fun. Going to do De La Soul next.

Finished The Other Two. It's great, watch it.

Deloused and Frances are both 10/10, perfect albums. I would imagine that what might make you pick one over the other would be your love of experimention. It's there on Deloused. They give their audience friction, but for the most part the album feels rewarding. Frances is all friction. It feels like a band making the exact, precise album they needed. Did you ever listen to Landscape Tantrums. It's the demos of Deloused. It's really good. Almost feels like an At the Drive In album. Who do you think I should do next, Malenko? I was thinking Black Flag or Dead Kennedys.

Okay, I have listened to all of the Mars Volta. Here is my ranking. 7. Octaherdon: I think this us objectively the worst, most uninteresting Mars Volta album. It just sort of meanders and the experiments just do not pay off. I like a handful of songs, but I would not voluntarily listen to this album in full again. 6. The Bedlam in Goliath: this album is really great. I think this marks the beginning of a new Mars Volta. Earlier Mars Volta has thar prog, experimental tendencies and newer Mars Volta is more traditional and pop sounding. Bedlam is really good at balancing both parts. On Metatron, we still get voice modulation, insane riffs, over the top solos. But the tracks are shorter, more self contained, often restricted to one idea. It even has there most pop sounding moment - Wax Simulacra. Yes, the guitar solo melts your brain and those drums are out of control. But it still feels like something primed for radio. Exceptional stuff. 5. Amputechture: this album is audacious in every sense of the word. And it's a really interesting follow up to Frances the Mute. Where Frances the Mute was a dichotomy between restraint and excess, Amputechture is full on excess. There are not many moments to believe. I remember listening to the album when it was released and Day of the Baphomets and it does not relent. When you get to the ten minute mark and its just complete noise and chaos before it devolves into some bongo drum madness with Cedric singing about missing children - it's pure madness filled with so many ideas. I think this album is excellent in spite of itself. Each track is amazing and engaging, but taken together there is zero restraint. You could walk away from this album being overwhelmed. 4. Noctourniquet: this is such a great album to put on and to see the different places they go. It definitely is proggy and experimental, but with lots of restraint and filtered through a pop lense. The Mars Volta seem like there messiest and more imprecise here. At times, tracks seem like they are coming all together at once with little rehearsal. A great Sunday album to lose yourself in the afternoon. 3. The Mars Volta/Que Dios te Maldiga Mi Corazon: this is the hardest album to rank. It's the most different from all of their albums. Gone are the excessive, over the top, self indulgent moments that make the Mars Volta so obviously them. Each track even has an obvious verse/chorus structure. But it's a truly outstanding piece of music. Complication does not require guitar solos. The layering of the instruments, the melodies, the inclusion of more electronic elements in their music make each a deep pool to explore. You could just isolate one element on each track and just marvel in the way things weave together. 2. Deloused in the Comatorium/Landscape Tantrums: Deloused is unparalleled craftsman ship. It marries excellent melodies and traditional rock with experimentation and progressive elements so seamlessly. Front to back it is a marvel on how they got everything to with together. When the Mars Volta came out, it was the time period of garage rock and the popification of pop music. The Mars Volta are not interested in straightforward sounds or ideas. Every track on Deloused is a story, but it is a story where everything blends together and feels attainable. 1. Frances the Mute: what an achievement in rock music. It feels less like a traditional album and more like an hour long experience. This is Mars Volta at their peak. Each song has so many interesting detours, mixing so many different elements. Whereas on Deloused, they wanted to rock out first, experiment second, on Frances they ponder in the middle of a song can we divert the expectations of our audience. Each time on L'Via L'Viaquez, you think they are just going to pay off their guitar solos it culminates in more and longer experimentation. That's true of the whole thing together. A song starts to feel sugary and rewarding before they take a detour somewhere else.

Yeah, I have. Tanya is really great. Her last LP was incredible. I also follow her on Instagram.