RPS

I'm right now on my obsessive phase of Carolina Polachek's Desire, I Want To Turn Into You. It takes a lot of interesting elements of electronic and experimental music and translates through the lens of pop music. The vocal/auto tune manipulation, mixed with her outstanding singing voice, is so interesting. It creates layers in her voice and creating effects in her voice that add so much depth. It works as art pop but also as pop - it is both of my daughters favorite album.

I understand people being upset, but if I'm being honest, I had zero interest in PVE Overwatch. I'd rather them focus on PVP.

Having watched videos, I cannot fathom how a game can released this bad.

From your perspective, how did they humiliate themselves?

See, I never got the impression that Jerry Sprinfer wanted to gawk and laugh at his subjects. I think America wanted to gawk and laugh at his subjects. I think he was complicit in it, by not more forcefully pushing back on it. But I don't think his intent was to laugh at the audience. It was sensational and over the top, but Jerry Springer never tells his audience to boo the promiscuous woman. I always struggle to with what should he have done. If he stops the show because mainstream media is incensed by his subjects, is that right? He wants to tell stories about trashy people, should he stop because America stopped and gawked? But I also liken it to John Waters. People accused him of mocking poor people, but he never did. The audience did. He just wanted to showcase a certain segment of American population that isn't represented in mainstream America. I agree its not all neat and tidy, but I don't think it was solely exploitative.

I feel two ways about Jerry Springer. Let's stay positive first, go negative and come back to positive. Jerry Springer, whether intentionally or not, celebrated a side of Western culture that is tricky to celebrate. Western culture aspires for bottle service, expensive cars, everything gold. You see this so often in the media. Even the focus on rags often becomes a desire to become riches. It's bizarre to say that a story is a rag story... you'd probably in your head complete it saying rag to riches story. It's rare to actually explore low income neighborhoods, trailer parks, and tall cans of cheap malt liquor. But this is how a large amount of Americans live. Pay cheque to pay cheque. Picking up the cheapest thing to drink on a Friday afternoon. In less than ideal neighborhoods. Even a show like Jerry Springer never expressly focused on these places, but merely the people. And I think as a show, devoid of any interaction with the audience, noise from middle America, the media disdain for it, etc. it was a thoughtful celebration of the complicated lives of those who live at the margins. Yes, the precise stories are absurd and not true, but they are real stories that happen to others. And it was never Jerry shaming or berating his guests. He's just a guy asking thoughtful questions and trying to help people fix their fake(?) problems. I have lived a privileged life. I grew up in military housing and less than ideal situations, but my parents were always better off than most. There is a decorum that comes with that privilege. Jerry Springer, like John Waters, Trailer Park Boys, etc. was my literal first time realizing the pragmatic nature of life for others. When you are poor, life is more difficult and problems have less than ideal solutions. I also think, like John Waters, Jerry Springer was celebratory of those that defied decorum and just wanted to be themselves, if not transgressive. Jerry always ended every episode preaching humanity and compassion for his guests But Jerry Springer cannot be devoid from the audience who were grossed out by trans guesses, middle America who turned their noses up at confident sluts, or the media who morphed Jerry Springer into something nasty. We were told to disdain the subjects. We were told that this focus on these people were trashy. It almost became a race to become more absurd. Most of this is not Jerry Springers faults. I felt he always treated his guests with respect. It did morph into this uncomfortable feeling I never reconciled. Jerry and the guests were never the problem. Society at large was the problem- the people booing trans people, middle class clutching their pearls. But there was this bizarre feeling that Jerry didn't mind the mockery so long as people kept watching. I think overall, Jerry Springer was a good, flawed show. Every episode ended with him lecturing about compassion, empathy and understanding. Perhaps that was his way if addressing those mocking him and his guests. But I always felt he could have been more explicitly an ally.

I remember hearing the Format in 2006-2007 and being convinced that they would be a huge act. Partially right. I get the impression Jack Antonoff is likely a pedantic perfectionist who is better suited to produce songs.

So ahead of the curve.

Okay here is my review of 100 Gecs and 10,000 Gecs. The band is 100 Gecs. Their first release (an EP) was 100 Gecs. Their second album was 1000 Gecs. That's 900 more gecs. Their new album is 10,000 Gecs. You don't need to know math to know that is substantially better than their previous albums. I say that describing 100 Gecs is a disservice because inevitably it makes the music sound reductive. "It's an electronic autome ballad but midway through it becomes a ska song about getting a tooth removed and the chorus has an auto tuned voice screaming about having a tooth removed". Describing the chaos of 100 Gecs is not as fun as listening to the sheer audacity. I don't believe I have ever used the word iconoclast. 100 Gecs are iconoclast. Not beholden to the expectations of prior generations. They want to smash together metal, rap, rock, punk, ska, emo and electronic music in a product that simultaneously can sound like pop music but also that is challenging and experimental. 100 Gecs is one of my sons favorite bands alongside Ed Sheeran and Imagine Dragons. I played it for my niece, who is 21, and she described it as awful. I think this is because 100 Gecs knows how to make pop music that is entertaining, but to ever so slightly tweak things in ways to make it unconventional and "different". On their new album, 100 Gecs again could care less about their expectations and conventions. Hollywood Baby has an insane riff and out of this world production on the drums. One Million Dollars is an absolutely bonkers trip. The Most Wanted Person in the United States has so many goofy sound effects used throughout and coupled with the lazy rock rap 90s vibe. There is no one else making music that sounds like this. 100 Gecs works because it's primal and immediately understandable but also ripe for critical analysis. Is this parody? Is the joke on me? Is this music celebratory of the inane and silly? When you have a whole song about a rotten tooth that you are mourning, is it sincere? I think what makes 100 Gecs the most interesting musical act of this early decade is that they clearly have zero interest in engaging with that topic of discussion while also confounding their audiences. While I ask is this parody, they just want to punch a jockey in the face and have lots of money.

Wednesday's album Rat Saw God is really tremendous stuff. Songs straddles between alt country and grunge. Bull Believer will certainly be up there in song of the year (possibly even decade). Super intense experience. The album has a tendency to be unexpected in really compelling ways. You can often finish melodies in your head on the first listen to a song but this album takes lots of interesting turns. Yaeji new album With a Hammer is also fantastic. Her first album was way more electronic leaning, whereas this is more pop leaning. Really interesting stuff.

I watched The Matrix Resurrection yesterday. It was an amazing experience. I cannot recall a movie wherein the creator actively feels as though they disdain the movie being created. It is both explicit, as in the literal plot of the movie. The first half of the movie is basically the characters shrugging at the scene, almost saying "what are we even doing here?". I have seen people applaud the first half of the movie and think it falls apart in the second half of the movie. I disagree. The second half of the movie is derivative, craven and cloying, but obviously so. Bizarre creatures introduced give a wink at the audience as if to say "this is a cute creature you'd see in Star Wars" and you never see them again. The second half of the movie makes absolutely no sense. The action scenes seems purposefully bad. It literally ends with characters speaking a monologue that feels designed to say "fuck off, if you make us do a Matrix 5, it'll be this shit". Was it a good movie? No.

That was my son.

Had this on the weekend with Sushi Go with my youngest who is 6. Usually would help her moves and turns for other board games. She was pairing tempura and placing Wasabi down her first game. She got second every game.

Has anyone played Pizza Tower? Game looks absolutely brilliant.

You'll need help. Immediately.

100 Gecs new album 10,000 Gecs is the most audacious album I have listened too since their last album. To describe it would be a disservice. It is an experience ostensibly designed to ask - what if you were 15 years old again? It is simultaneously amazing album and also a reminder that I'm old.

Just read a guide. Took me a few hours. I also have a complete Dex so can give you some of them but would need to breed a bunch. You could also google the trade codes to complete your dex.

I have been watching them the last month or so. Right now all Capcom games are super cheap. Just wasn't sure if EWB had any hidden gems.

The 3DS and WiiU estores are closing down soon. What is a must buy from either?

I was listening to the radio this morning. Complicated by Avril Lavigne came on. What a terrible pop song. It may be the worst pop song ever recorded. Firstly, the production of the song is awful. Her voice is borderline unlistenable at times. She is not a talented vocalist. Nothing has been attempted to be mixed in a way to make the song interesting. Secondly, the song is so busy. There are so many disjointed elements. It's messy in the worst way because nothing is individually interesting and together it's just a slog. Thirdly, the song writing is drivel. There us no specificity to the song. Life is like THIS... that's the way IT IS... why did you have to make THINGS so complicated. What is life actually like? What is complicated? What is the way things are? Finally, it's kind of astounding in retrospect that Avril took off because as a pop star, she stood for nothing. She wore pop punk like outfits and carried a skateboard, but so little of her music even references this outside of Sk8ter Boi, which only in name touches upon anything reflecting punk music. I lived through this time period and I'm still perplexed at how anyone felt inspired by her music. This was my essay on Avril Lavigne.

Yeah beat the main game and go back to SwSh. I'm excited for SV DLC because the SwSh DLC was do good. Like I think Sword and Shield were 8/10 and the whole package with DLC is perfect.

My daughter, who cut her teeth on the 3DS games, preferred Arceus over SwSh and SV. I would personally recommend ShSw with DLC.

On International Women's Day, I decided to go through Fiona Apple's discography and I have come to the conclusion that she is probably my favorite artist of all time. The song writing is unparalleled. Her song writing is familiar and approachable, but also complicated and challenging. There are lots of different songs writing, but I think one lens to view it from is transparent vs. opaque. Is the subject matter obvious and understandable (transparent) as opposed to something more abstract or difficult for the audience to understand literal meaning (opaque). Fiona straddles this line so beautifully. You have a deep understanding ove4 pwhat she is singing about, but there is a distance between you and the subject. You can project yourself and your feelings onto certain aspect of songs or entire songs. But there are parts that are so intensly personal to Fiona that would be impossible to see yourself in the songs.

My better half has the PS4 version, but if it's the upgraded PS5 version maybe. It seemed very fun but I don't know if I have interest in an open world slog.

I feel like I'm going to sub to PS+ and try something there. FF7 remake or Returnal. Any other suggestions?