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Time for another playlist and for my favorite show on TV. The Office is going on strong and really worked their storylines well without getting too ridiculous. I’ve become a huge Michael Scott fan as the seasons grow on, he isn’t the total douche and not necessarily a complete idiot.

I’ve had a few complaints from friends who don’t like the show as much as previous seasons. The truth of the matter is that I think I enjoy the show more when I can watch it uninterrupted (on DVD) and over again. The Office has a high replay value due to it’s subtlety. Season 5 featured a ton of storylines and there were highs and lows.

Here’s a playlist dedicated to the Office:

We Almost Had A Baby by Emmy The Great
Pam and Jim are going to have a baby! At least she is pregnant and if it’s any hint it looks like the series is going forward with relationship.

Wedding Bell by Beach House
Jim and Pam are talking about getting married for sometime and while the fun Cafe Disco didn’t have many storylines, it was an important factor that Jim and Pam thought about tying the knot and didn’t end up doing it. Here’s hoping it’s not a Pam and Roy 3 year engagement thing.

My Friend by Dr. Dog
The Andy and Dwight storyline is an interesting one due to Angela’s affair uniting them. I wonder if they continue this…

I Quit Girls by Japandroids
Seems like the boys are having girl problems except Kevin.

Heaven Help The New Girl by The Long Blondes
Erin (aka blowjob girl) actually is pretty hot and looks very very different from that excellent Derricky Comedy sketch. A must watch if you didn’t know. Anyway she’s the new object of affection instead of Pam and she’ll have Dwight and Andy drooling all over her.

I Think I’ll Start A Fire by Faunts
The best episode of the season for me anyway was Dwight’s fire drill.

Two Weeks by Grizzly Bear
Michael quitting and then earning his job back has to deserve crazy respect.

My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura
Pam quitting and joining Michael was Jerry Maguire-esque. It was a surprising move and it turned out to work well for Pam becoming a sales(wo)man.

Buddy Holly by Little Pictures (Weezer Cover)
Michael’s character really went leaps and bounds up in respect with the Michael Scott Paper Company as well as his relationship with Holly.

I’m a huge Big Brother fan and while I do call it a guilty pleasure, the truth of the matter is that it’s not another regular TV show. The show for me has more to do with the fact that there are 24/7 live feeds making it the most authetic or “real” reality show in television. Anyway, as with every summer I’ve had a good time and it’s nice to hear that the show is putting on record ratings. The show probably will keep going strong for a lot more seasons.

As for tonight with the finale, Natalie, Kevin and Jordan are all left. I’m rooting for Kevin because he won competitions especially when he had to. I also placed a bet on him and will be looking to make some money. I hate Natalie, she perhaps was someone I hated because she wasn’t entertaining in her lying and she didn’t seem so bright. She didn’t do anything in competitions either allowing Kevin to do all the work. I will hurl if she wins $50,000, there is a skill in making everyone do the work for you but that’s to an extent. Jordan deserves to win if she can beat Kevin in the final competition tonight (and eliminate Kevin)….she’s struggled at crucial times but for the most part has used her weaknesses as a player as well as using her charm to make everyone like her. She was probably going to get far anyway by herself based on being a “weak” player.

Songs for each house guest (except Laura and Braden -not much of a track for a big boobed girl with horse teeth or a guy who will be known as calling Kevin a beaner in order to try to stir it up):

Casey
The Reeling (Sammy Bananas’ Big Choon Remix) by Passion Pit
He was a cool guy that didn’t seem so aware that he was being screwed over. The banana suit was a great idea, better then the unitard.

Ronnie
Dance Little Liar by Arctic Monkeys
I hate Ronnie. As much as I was on board for rooting for the “Brains” clique. Ronnie just wasn’t very smart. He was the untalented in everything but I think I’m so smart nerd that you’d like to bully because he’s such a douche.

Jessie
Muscle N Flo by Menomena
While I loved to hate him in both Season 10 and 11. He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, he got screwed over by the Coup D’Etat. Alas, if the power wasn’t going to be used, Jessie would’ve been the next target (after Russell) for sure.

Chima
Freak Out by Liars
I feel like every season there’s a girl like Chima with a diva type of personality and everyone cheers when they leave the house. This year Chima made it better for us after throwing her mic in the jacuzzi and got her butt booted off the show. I hated her too so I had a great time when she was kicked off.

Lydia
Tattoos (And What They Really Feel Like) by Cadence Weapon
I really hated Lydia. Jeff and Jordan made the crucial mistake of keeping Natalie over her. Lydia seriously could not play the game and week to week would break a bridge with either side of the house. She was a favorite heading in as she seemed cool but that took a serious turn with her love of Jessie. Ugh.

Russell
Angry by The Bug
Russell’s strategy was to stir things up. However that strategy rarely works – remember Dick got saved by America and was still a target for the rest of the game (Russell wasn’t as good as competitions as the Donatos though).

Jeff
Strange Powers by Magnetic Fields
Jeff is a lock for the next Big Brother All-Stars. He’s quite deserving of his popularity, he was a cool guy and was entertaining person on the feeds whether in his conversations, his flirting with Jordan and his ability in competitions. He did make a mistake showing that he was flawed in believing the opposite but still someone who’s quite endearing to the Big Brother audience. (No song was titled Technotronics)

Michelle
Hardest, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk
Sucked to see Michelle get eliminated. She was by far the best player this season. People called her crazy for dumb reasons and remained unfazed. She was just too good for people and while they made it seem like they hated her, I really believe they just disliked her because she would’ve ran circles around them. She was both smart and better then the “athletic” females at physical competitions and while she didn’t know it, would’ve won if she was seated next to anyone at F2. Please bring her back for All-stars.

Jordan
The Underdog by Spoon
I think some people are cruel with calling Jordan the weak link. She’s decent as competition, certainly not great in mental comps but a lot of houseguests have showed that side to them. She’s still won a HOH and POV and earned her spot in the final competition (whereas as everyone is overlooking Natalie’s faults as a player). She’ll be hard pressed to win if Kevin makes it to Final 2 but there is a prize for 2nd place.

Natalie
Under 18 by Unicycle Loves You
Natalie lied about meaningless things. Saying she was 18 while being 24. Pointless things like that will come back to haunt her. It may have saved it from backlash from people but it didn’t stop them from thinking that Natalie was inferior (which she has been). I can go on forever why she deserves not to win anything… it’s been all Kevin.

Kevin
Perfect Timing by Drive-By Truckers
Kevin threw competitions early on the game and convincing that he was weak enough for Jeff to eliminate Russell. The truth of the matter is that Kevin has dominated the last part of the game and if he lost any of those competitions he would’ve gone home. He has has eliminated strong players and made the right moves yet could probably get their votes at the same time.

Sometimes words just can’t fully express the feelings that music brings with it. To be lost in a song to the point that all thoughts, issues, problems and pretty much the entire world around vanish and for those couple of minutes, you are able to experience something magical. If you’re like me, so encapsulated in the love of sound, you can’t listen to just anything that’s thrown at you. There needs to be that search involved with the discovery of something new… The excitement of listening to something and having it hit a spot deep within your heart. There also needs to be that emotion behind the song, (whether or not it’s the same emotion that was felt when the artist produced it) having it spark something inside that makes you feel truly alive.

Although put on a bit of a hiatus, the remix party is back! This time around we’re not focusing on any specific theme or artist, just a collection of 10 remixes of tracks that have found their way into that special place – the blend of emotionally charged feelings I find within myself. Maybe they’ll do the same for you.

Let the music do the talking.

Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (Neon Coyote Remix)
Santigold – Lights Out (Tepr Emo Remix)
Feist – 1234 (My!Gay!Husband! Get Up Kid Edit)
Adele – Hometown Glory (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix)
Das Racist – Combination Pizza Hut And Taco Bell (Wallpaper Remix)
Vampire Weekend – The Kids Don’t Stand A Chance (Chromeo Remix)
Peaches – Mommy Complex (Barletta and Ernold Sane Remix)
Estelle feat. Kanye West – American Boy (LAZRtag Remix)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (John Roman Remix)
M.I.A – Paper Planes (Atomic Hooligan Remix)

Here’s a highlight vid (unfortunately to eye of the tiger):

Here’s my list of mp3s in honor:
Blood On Our Hands by Death From Above 1979
Thunder Meadow by Pomegranates
The Need To Fight by Dragged by Horses
Broken Face by Pixies
My Body Is A Cage by Arcade Fire
Idiot Heart by Sunset Rubdown
The Taming Of The Hands That Came Back To Life by Sunset Rubdown
Fast Blood by Frightened Rabbit
I Fought In A War by Belle and Sebastian
My Maudlin Career by Camera Obscura

Pop America Independence Day Michael Mix

Everyone’s listening to: Michael Jackson. A lot of DJs are sending us MJ remixes. I welcome them all with open arms as I cannot hear enough of his music. I have to admit, I am in complete denial regarding his passing. Let’s just say, I’m pretending he’s not dead and thinking he’s just retired. Read Murielle’s great tribute article, here. In addition, Oliver’s also done a MJ Tribute Dance Mix article, here. This week, I am posting 3 mixes that I think bring MJ’s mixes to a great level of experience.

Billie Wildcat Jean (MJ vs. Ratatat)
I love the beginning of this track and the backdrop plays on MJ’s original track while taking it to a new level of experimental dance. Also, listen to around 3:10, where the track empties out and you only hear the greatness of Michael’s voice. This is a great dance off track. Can someone please use it for a new in-your-face film? Zoolander, Part Deux?

Michael Jackson – Beat It (LehtMoJoe Remix)

Dirty Diana
I don’t even know where I got this mix, I found it in my iTunes. It’s a great Drum-n-Bass Garage mix of Michael’s Dirty Diana (love the track).

Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana (cdfboy).mp3

Remember The Time
This Dangerous LP is definitely one of my favourites in MJ’s collection. In fact, one of my all time favourites is In The Closet (which I cannot find a mix for). Anyway, here I have a remix of Remember The Time, which is quite different because it is a darker take of the track, which makes me sad because the subject corresponds to how we all feel at this time.

Song for MJ (Remember the time) – Don Diablo Mix

LehtMoJoe and Don Diablo Mix provided by Subservient Experiment.

There’s no denying the fact that this was the best-selling album of all time, everyone knows his songs and I’m pretty sure everyone has tried the moonwalk at some point in their life. He was, without a doubt, one of the most influential artists in the history of music. Sure he had his share of lows too, but being placed on that pedestal of what we thought he should have been, we have to remember he was still human and we only really know what the media portrayed.

In these last few days the radio has been bombarded with his music, every station playing a sort of tribute to Michael Jackson and I quickly realized how much I have always loved his songs and that this is how I want to remember him, not the barrage of clouded tabloid coverage that grew to mask him. Last night, as I sat listening to the same copy of ‘Thriller’ I got twenty four years ago, I decided to pay my own form of homage to the King of Pop…. Remixed.

Jackson 5 – I Want You Back (Z-Trip remix)
Jackson 5 – ABC (Salaam Remi Mix)
Jackson 5 – Never Can Say Goodbye (Shinichi Osawa 3000 Remix)
Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Til’ You Get Enough (White Label mix)
Michael Jackson – Bad (Tag Team Mix)
Michael Jackson – Off The Wall (Wisdome Mix)
Michael Jackson – Billie Jean (Ansane 2005 Mix)
Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal (Ben Liebrand Remix)

Music…

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you Top 10 Driving Songs.

10. The Offspring – Defy You

Rhythm. Movement. Rebellion. This one just begs you to bury your foot into the floor and drive like a fucking maniac. While Defy You may be the perfect soundtrack to riot planning/executing – it is still one hell of a song to be listening to while flying towards your point of destination… or a lamppost.

9. The Offspring – Gone Away

Tension. Sadness. Defiance. If you haven’t crashed while listening to Defy You, this one will slow things down a bit (strong emphasis on “a bit”). To be completely honest – I’d be able to compile a list with Offspring songs only. Pretty much any song by them works as a soundtrack for our drive. And it’s a good thing. Trust me, I know. Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace is a frequent in my car’s sound system.

8. Depeche Mode – Wrong

Awe. Realization. Regret. As long as you’re not driving your car backwards, with no way to control it – the way the poor bastard in the music video did – I’m confident you’ll enjoy this one. Damn that video is disturbing (in the most magnificent way).

7. Moby – Lift Me Up

Speed. Progression. Flight. Oh, it’ll lift you up alright. This is, again, one of those that make you want to drive just a little faster. Intro – release the brakes. First verse – steady acceleration. Chorus – jumping up and down on your seat while pushing the throttle through the fucking floor. Oh, it’ll lift you up alright…

6. Nichole Alden – Baby Now

Beauty. Pace. Melody. Picture this – you’re driving through Texas. It’s getting darker and there’s not a living soul for miles in every direction. It’s just the desert, the road, and the car. You’re cutting air at 160 km/h in slow motion, listening to the song, not caring about a damn thing. (Then you may realize that you watch too many movies and feel embarrassed about the whole “slow motion” thing… only to continue looking at yourself from another perspective… car moving in slow motion.)

5. Rise Against -The Approaching Curve

Argument. Confusion. Drive. “A seductive soundtrack to our midnight drive” (lyrics). ‘Nuff said. Listen to it, you’ll see what I mean.

4. John Murphy – In The House – In A Heartbeat

Pulse. Motion. Whisper. Yeah, yeah, it’s a soundtrack from 28 Days Later, which was an awesome movie by the way. But goddamn I can’t help by love this song with all my (still)-human heart. It sounds as if it’s out to get you… as if it was following you… OHMIGOD WHOTHEFUCK’S HERE!!!??11!?

3. Nine Inch Nails – The Four Of Us Are Dying

For a slow drive through the night.

2. Nine Inch Nails – The Great Destroyer (Modwheelmood Mix)

Ridiculously awesome remix. You don’t even have to be driving.. actually, wait, that’ll kind of defeat the purpose of this list won’t it?

1. Beethoven – Moonlight Sonata

Probably one of the most amazing, beautiful, awe-inspiring pieces of music ever written. A perfect soundtrack for… well for anything really. I have a profound feeling of beauty…

P.S. Author is not responsible for any car crashes, speeding tickets, sudden tears and paranoia.

I usually don’t like putting movie reviews up there but before I concentrated on music only, I did write about both sports and movies in addition to music.

I haven’t seen Sam Raimi’s infamous Evil Dead (perhaps seeing some clips through Donnie Darko) but I’ve had a chance to sit through the Spiderman movies despite the third being horrendous.

I had zero expectations for Drag Me To Hell though did it finding it quite odd at the 93% Rottentomatoes score and 83 Metacritic score. Those scores are nothing to sneeze at to say the very least. The trailer to the film, looked as if it would’ve been a typical horror movie.

This movie is every bit typical horror movie and it lets you know that. The scares are pretty typical using the same musical lead up to create tension, relaxing/silent moments and then BOOM for the scare. It’s a pretty wide used technique and this movie uses a lot of it. The character, Christine Brown (played by Alison Lohman) is your typical horror movie blonde e.g. stupid.

Basically this movie could be darn awful if you just take it at face value. It could be a bad horror movie but the X factor is that it’s hilarious. It doesn’t try to be hilarious necessarily but there are just times where you can’t help but laugh. Sort of like the So Bad It’s Good category of things.

I think I have more a tempered mindset. It wasn’t over the top scary or funny for me but there were some people who were uncontrollably laughing their heads off in the theatre. I can see people liking the movie and absolutely HATING the movie. Zero expectations or expecting a crappy horror movie might really help before checking it out.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

Here’s a playlist that I like to do with movies (the scoring to the film was pretty awesome I must say):
It’s A Curse by Wolf Parade
Even While You’re Sleeping by The Acorn
Animals and Insects by The Stills
Hell Isn’t My Home by October Sky
Buttons by The Weeks
Winged/Wicked Things by Sunset Rubdown

I feel like god wiped his ass with my brain and I just got beaten up by a group of skinhead midgets from Nebraska. So unless you want to read about the stuff I’m coughing up and how it compares to whatever the hell Conor Oberst coughs up when he cries himself to sleep, there will be no review today.

However, I’ve been messing around with 8Tracks, muxtape’s better faster and stronger clone since it went all “we don’t do that anymore” and I have three mixes from my collection I can share with you.

Mix 1: Are Friends Electric?
All female vocalists. Good stuff.

Mix 2: I Don’t Sleep Well
A mix to listen to when going to sleep proves unfruitful.

Mix 3: Bad People
So very bad. Good songs though!

Right, I’m off to die.

After scouring the internet, I’ve been able to come across a lot of remixes of songs from my childhood – the music you either hate to love, or love to hate. A great amount of mixed emotion came into play as I put together this collection of redone “classics”.

The 80’s has always been a questionable time for music in some people’s eyes and sometimes passed off as a joke, but this decade was full of musical surprises. Whether you like it or not, musical advancements were definitely made and without a doubt, a culture was created – minus the clothes and hair.

Which brings me to a point on a more personal note…. Kids: please put the leggings, Cosby sweaters, Max Headroom sunglasses, Magnum P.I mustaches and anything neon away. Adults: burn these items if you still have them, do not send them off to Value Village to re-live their not-so glorious days. I had to go through that fashion disaster once and to see those things come back rips a part of my soul open. Cyndi Lauper and Boy George should never be looked to as fashion icons. If you really want to celebrate something from that time, bring back Fraggle Rock and ThunderCats, God dammit!

Rant, done. Sorry about that.

Maybe these new installments of the old songs can tear away any ill feelings some may have against this time in musical history, maybe they’ll just leave you wanting to hide back in the originals, or just hide all together… Either way, there’s no denying that these songs in some way shaped what we listen to today, for better or worse. You be the judge.

The Outfield – Your Love (Toy Selectah Remix)
A Ha – Take On Me (Twelves Remix)
Jouney – Any Way You Want It (Telemitry Remix)
Bruce Springsteen – Blinded By The Light (DJ Donna Summer Boot)
ACDC – Thunderstruck (Crookers Remix)
Bryan Adams – Summer of 69 (London Calling Remix)
INXS – Need You Tonight (Streetlab Mix)
Ray Parker Jr – Ghostbusters (Don Rimini Remix)
Whitney Houston – I Wanna Dance With Somebody (OCD Automatic Remix)