The problem with the new Emmylou Harris record...

...is that song by song, it keeps shuffling along in the same tempo, meaning what you're left with is no more varied than expressions of melancholy and/or gloom. The signs have been there ever since Wrecking Ball, but this time it makes me wonder if dear Emmylou is bereft of any hope and fighting spirit, let alone any emotion more positive than said melancholy. I, for one, will not succumb to such resignation. In the words of the Minutemen: "I live sweat, but I dream light years".

Visionfestival, 2008

Just a reminder that the 2008 Vision Festival started this Tuesday and continues through this coming Sunday. Lots of interesting acts are yet to play. Nate Chinen profiles Kidd Jordan, who is honored for his Lifetime Achievement during this year's festival, for the NY Times.

Life ain't Nuthin' but B*tches and H**s and Guns and Money...

Preview of Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes (Director: Byron Hurt)



This looks interesting (thanks to PopMatters' Nishimotot for the column that made me aware its existance). And just so it's clear: I love hip-hop too.

Watching just the preview, it does seem to have some interesting observations, e.g. that hyper masculinity is not only a prevalent feature in much of hip-hop culture, but in American culture as a whole. The film draws a parallel to Hollywood movies, which is a point I've made when before (albeit maybe not on this blog, so I can't give you any proof of that) when discussing masochism and violence in rap, i.e. that is that many rap lyrics can be understood as filmic or as fiction. But the problem is that unlike movies, rap is almost universally understood as being 100% authentic and realistic. This is partly hip-hop's own fault, as many rap artists insist that what they have to tell you is real.

Still, I'll have to see the whole film to comment any further on that. Haven't found it on Amazon or anywhere else yet, but I guess it's just a question of time.

More love and respect for Bo

From Carrie Brownstein. Also, I couldn't help myself and had to post the video below, too.

Bo Diddley, R.I.P.

Bo Diddley (Dec. 30, 1928 - June 2, 2008)

"Bo Diddley, a singer and guitarist, invented his own name, his own guitars, his own beat and, with a handful of other musical pioneers, rock ’n’ roll itself." - Ben Ratliff (New York Times, June 2, 2008).