Because December is a decadent month. You sit around a table with the richest gourmet food you can cook, and stuff your face until you're stupefied with food, or you go shopping at stores with great discounts and come home with a full car. As long as you don't get food poisoning, or broke, there's nothing wrong with a little indulgence.
For me, my source of decadence (besides chocolate) is music. These six songs are only pieces of my indulgence for the month. Allow them to tickle your fancy.
Mack Wilds---The Sober Up
You remember this guy--he played Michael on The Wire and Dixon on 90210, as well as Ray-Gun in the George Lucas film, Red Tails. Now, Tristan Wilds is coming out as MACK Wilds, the singer slash rapper, with his first album, "New York: A Love Story." This particular song, "The Sober Up," is part of the December Decadence list because of its smooth pads over a shuffling beat reminiscent of early 90's sampled beats. The lyrics are about a man drinking too much and calling someone he knows he shouldn't. "Wishing you would fly my way...."
Flying Lotus---Do The Astral Plane
There's something about Flying Lotus...I love almost everything they do, and I could listen to them in any season at any time. This song is no exception, but it's a deliciously winter-night jam. Picture this pumping out of wide stereos in the nighttime! Imagine the holiday lights in the city twinkling with every downbeat Is it not the perfect combination?
Joey Bada$$---Two Lips (Produced by J Dilla)
(sigh) J Dilla and his beats. Already a gem for the ear. Now partner a J Dilla beat up with a verse by the lyrically blessed Joey Bada$$. The 18 year old has an introspective rhyme that flows easily over the jazzy chords and muffled percussion, creating a cool and calm atmosphere--as in, "relax in your armchair with a robe on in the candle light"atmosphere. Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, indeed.
Ingrid Michaelson---The Hat
This is actually the saddest happy song on this list. Ingrid Michaelson describes a love that she experienced, where she reminisces on the good times they spent, and in fact can't remember why she left him. Now the holidays roll around, and she knows he's out there with someone else, while she still thinks of him wistfully, summing up her feelings with the chorus, "I should tell you that you were my first love."
Gregory And The Hawk---Isabelle
Okay, this is the saddest sad song on this list. Or ever in life. This is in fact one of the popular singles from the one-woman act, Gregory and the Hawk. The exact premise of the song is always up for discussion, unless you can find a video where the writer specifically states the meaning, but however you interpret it, it's a slow lamenting tune, and perfect for the late evening.
If by chance I don't post again til January, allow me to say: 2013, it's been real.
First and foremost, Rest In Peace to the beloved "Fast And Furious" star, Paul Walker, who was killed in a car crash yesterday at only 40 years old. My heart goes out to his family and friends, especially his daughter. It's a sad shock that serves to remind us how fleeting this life is and how important it is to cherish people while they are still here. You will always be remembered.
I just realized it a bit ironic that I call this segment a proverbial turkey, given that I am a vegetarian. (recovering pescetarian. I've been weaning off fish for months.) But I suppose the joy of having a nice roast turkey, besides the holiday tradition aspect, is the fact that you're looking to stuff yourself with goodness until you can't take anymore.
I feel the same way with music.
As it is now December, I will be stuffing myself with all kinds of artistic flavors, in all aspects, until the 31st when I can't take it anymore.
M.I.A. : Matangi
MUST find out what kind of effects that is.
This album was M.I.A.'s experiment of "making songs about nothing that sound like something." When I read that, and then listened to the album, I understood it. She's always been in the electronic/pop lane production-wise, while her lyrics were politically charged, marrying her message. This album follows that idea but with a different formula--structuring the lyrics to sound like the party chanting we all hear in the nightclubs, while maintaining the politically charged message underneath. My personal favorites include "Bad Girls," "Y.A.L.A.", "Matangi," "Bring The Noize," and "Lights."
Aloe Blacc : Wake Me Up EP
He's a dancer!
I've known about Aloe Blacc since "What Now"from the Stones Throw & Adult Swim Present: Chrome Children compilation album back in 2006. He's been around for a minute, putting out decent jams, and now he's finally got a breakthrough with "Wake Me Up," the remix of which made the pop charts fast. This EP will therefore be getting considerable exposure, which I'm happy about, because his voice, unique and distinctive, is worth listening to. I particularly like "Wake Me Up (Acoustic)" and "Ticking Bomb."
Coldplay : Atlas (From the Catching Fire Motion Picture Soundtrack)
I don't know what that knitted thing is, but I want it.
At the very start of the end credits to "Catching Fire," these haunted piano chords start playing, and Chris Martin's brooding voice starts depicting a scene of revolution and war....but beautifully. I'm sorry, this just rocks. This is the "Safe And Sound" of the Catching Fire soundtrack. It's memorable, it's beautifully composed, and it's congruent with the theme of the movie itself.
Solange (ft. Kendrick Lamar) : Looks Good With Trouble
.....okay...blue.
I was going to say 'I don't know what it is about this song", but I actually do. It's the breezy pad and the muted toms reminiscent of the 80's in its prime. It's the catchy-as-hell hook that's rhythmic and sensual in its delivery. It's Kendrick's addition to an already dope song, making it doper. It's a sly ode to being bad and feeling good. What was once a minute long segment in her previous EP has been transformed into a full song, and I for one adore it.
Take a listen to some of these recent gems. Tell the CDM-ster what you think! Enjoy your week!
I'd give a longer intro but I must be quick: Here are just a few things to be thankful for this November....the rest I'll have to tell you this weekend AFTER I go and spend Thanks-giving with the greatest family ever (not biased.)
Thor 2: The Dark World
Set after the events of "The Avengers," Thor is face with a threat of....Dark Elves (something about that name is strange to me) taking over all Nine Realms (including Earth) with some magic darkness powder. King Odin has shut down all entrances to Asgard to protect his people, but Thor believes there is another way to stop the Elves. In order to do that, he must enlist the help of his adopted brother Loki (aka the Young Snape), who is in prison for his crimes. The sibling rivalry is real. TOO REAL. And the entire movie I was on the edge of my seat begging them to just STOP HATING EACH OTHER CUZ YOUR SIBLINGS AND SIBLINGS ARE FOREVER! Besides that, the effects were dope, the humor was witty and light-hearted. And I love the onscreen chemistry between Chris and Tom as brothers with issues, real issues, like "I'm adopted and never felt part of this family while you just got a ll the glory and didn't care about me" kind of issues.
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Digging the "fake promo within a real promo" concept here. Promoception...
I saw this movie in X Plus in my theater, which is a beautiful 64 speaker surround sound system powered by Dolby's. (HYFR HYFR) Although I did have to stick paper in my ears so my eardrums wouldn't explode, I did enjoy the experience and it did enhance the movie. Which is about Katniss and Peeta trying to convince the world they are really in love, failing miserably, and forcing President Snow to create a special Hunger Games where the only people who can be reaped are.....every visitor from the past 75 years. DUN DUN DUN!!!!! In addition, since Katniss and Peeta's stunt with the berries in the last movie, a rebellion has begun within the districts, defying the Capitol and its dictatorship, using Katniss's mocking jay pin as a symbol of their attempts at a revolution.
In a nutshell, the effects, the plot, the underlying message, and the acting all gelled perfectly together. Whoever did the casting for this movie was brilliant. I for one could not see anyone other than Lenny Kravitz playing Cinna. What's more, all the cast members have the kind of onscreen chemistry that makes you forget it's not real. I for one am excited for the last installment.
Love Story By Erich Segal
"Love Means Never Having To Say You're Sorry."
It's not even 200 something pages and this book will forever be engraved into my mind. It dives immediately into the 1960's, when Oliver Bennett the Preppie jock meets Jennifer Cavalleri the Snotty Bookworm. Opposites attract, attraction becomes love, and the whirlwind romance becomes marriage. Sounds like it's been done before, but given that this book was released in the 1970's, I highly doubt you've read a version of romance like this recently. The dialogue is intriguing, the banter between the two lovers biting and humorous. THe pace of the book going the same way the pace of all-consuming love does, and it all feels so real. I can't give away the ending--I won't. But I can tell you you will never forget tho book when you read it. As the description says, "Love Story makes no claim to showing where it's at. Rather, it simply shows how it feels."
The Child Who By Simon Lelic
I picked up "Love Story" in the first pace because I was looking for something to take the taste out of my mouth from reading this book. That is not an insult to the book, rather a compliment to how strongly I was impacted by it. In most basic terms, the story is about a 12 year old boy charged with killing an 11 year old girl. The entire little community is out for blood, but the one man who takes his case is determined to look into the whole story--why would a 12 year do it? What led him to such a point? Problem is, the rest of the community doesn't want those questions answered. They want the boy in jail. And now this attorney is being made a target if he doesn't drop the case, putting everything he loves--including his own family--in jeopardy.
It's not an easy book to read. But I believe it is an important one. Asking the kind of tough questions no one wants to hear in the throes of grief and tragedy, the most important one being: "Who is truly responsible when one child kills another?" I found out just who in this book. It's worth the taste in your mouth afterwards to read it now.
Almost Human
I will be curling up to Michael Ealy this winter.
It premiered last Sunday and Monday on Fox 5. It's in the far future, about a damaged Cop getting back into the game and getting used to the addition of Robots as partners within the FBI. Or is it CSI.....whatever. the Point is, he has to partner with a particular kind of robot to help him get the job done. And he gets Dorian, a robot that was rejected by the FBI for its excessive emotions. Sounds kinda hilarious? That's because it is. But it's also attention-grabbing. I suggest it to anyone whose Monday night's have a hole where 24 used to be. :)
I'm feeling.....nostalgic today.
This Friday, "The Best Man Holiday" is real eased, and all over America people are reminiscing about 1999, when the original movie was released...Nia Long's short hair, Morris Chesnut's grin, Terrence Howard being a lovable jerk, Taye Diggs being the center of all the problems.....ah, good times.
This little bout of nostalgia inspired a deeper one for me, for all my childhood movies. The ones I'd watch as a child on VHS (remember that?) from morning til night on weekends. The ones we make memes about now cuz they're that famous. And the ones with the best musical numbers, because let's face it, that's the best part.
So here are my Top 7 Movies That'll Hold A Place In My Heart Forever.
Note: I purposely spent extra time looking for the dopiest posters for each movie. Below is what I found. :)
The Lion King
If for whatever reason you haven't ever seen this movie, then you have been so deprived of a beautiful experience that all of humanity weeps for you. This is one of those "Disney Renassance" movies (as most of this list will be) that hit me in my little child heart! To watch a young cub traumatized by the death of his father, find his way to the throne after years of trying to run from his destiny, it's just....beautiful.
Most Memorable Moment: Mufasa's Ghost.
A Bug's Life
The first thing I think of when it comes to this movie is the caterpillar who just wanted to be a beautiful butterfly. The main character Flik has the same mindset. He's waiting for his chance to rise above simple worker in his ant farm, and bring his big ideas to the forefront. Especially to keep those Grasshoppers-With-Control-Issues from reaping the benefits of the ANTS' hard work! Flik is the underdog-turned-hero, and who doesn't love a good underdog-turned-hero story?
Most Memorable moment: Flik's Speech--the one that changes everything.
Tarzan
Phil Collins. Made. This. Movie. I know that's a pretty strong statement given how he had nothing to do with the script or the animation and whatnot, but the first thing I think about when I think of Tarzan is the music. As Tarzan the jungle man grows from boy to man, he is comforted by Phil Collins (You'll Be In My Heart), encouraged by Phil Collins (Son Of Man), joined in discovery by PHil Collins (Strangers Like Me), and the movie's overall message is summed up by Phil Collins (Two Worlds, One Family.) And I remember those songs over anything else. So Yeah, Phil Collins made this movie. And Terk.
Most Memorable Moment: Doo Bop Shi Du
Atlantis: The Lost Empire
Michael J. Fox goes on a quest to find the lost city of Atlantis, and not only finds that, but actual surviving people who have questions about their past as he does; meanwhile the crew that has accompanied him on his quest is out for more than a discovery (meaning they want to sell ish for money. typical.)
Now, there are certain things I have issues with this movie about, but let's talk about what I love. I love the visual effects from the start scene to last. I love the musical score even though it wasn't a musical. I love the adventure of going under the earth to find Atlantis. I love Sweets and Mole and Milo and Audrey's two for flinching and Vinny blowing things up. I love that LOBSTER even though it's a heartless killing machine. And I absolutely adore Kida ( especially cuz she's voiced by Cree Summer, who played Freddie from A Different World).
Most Memorable Moment: Kida's Transformation
Mulan
How many of these kind of Undercover Woman movies did we see as a kid in the 90's? WE had enough of the princess-gets-saved-by-prince stores to last us 1000 lifetimes. But every once in a while, there's a story about a girl who goes undercover as a male for noble reasons bigger than herself, dealing with the gruesome workouts and tough talk that comes with being one of the guys. I guess if being one of the guys means you learn to kick high and punch hard then it must be worth it. Especially if you get to do it al with an Eddie Murphy Dragon. And Shang.
Most Memorable Moment: I'll Make A Man Out of You
Toy Story
"You Got A Friend In Me.....You Got A Friend In Me..." Just hearing that in my head makes me want to sob for all toy-humanity. That's my whole childhood put into one series. Imagine having toys like Woody and Buzz Lightyear fight each other for your affections while you're sleeping. Imagine having an army of little army toys ordering around the other toys in your absence? And then adding more toys in the second movie that were gonna go in storage? And then ever MORE toys that were doomed to a child's daycare until they came up with a clever plan for escape, all to get back to their rightful owner? AND WOULD IT NOT BE AWeSOME TO TALK TO THEM YOURSELF?? We all loved that idea....until we grew up. Like Andy did....in the last movie....(sniffle)
Most Memorable Moment: Revenge On Sid
Shrek
This is the movie I got the actual CD Soundtrack to. To this day I can recite every word to every song that takes us through the journey of the badass ogre who just don't give a f*ck. He's perfectly happy in his muddy secluded little home, only seeing on on a quest to save the stuck up princess because the little bitty King promised him money for it. And with Eddie Murphy as the kickass donkey ("On the road again, I can't wait to be back on the road again..") YOu already know you're in for rib cracking laughter sessions. I think I'll go watch it now.
Most Memorable Moment: The whole escape from the dragon thing
Excuse me while I go and....watch....all of those movies.
In 1974, Stephen King published his first ever novel, Carrie. It told the story of a bullied girl with an abusive mother, a girl who gets one good night at prom, only to be horrifically humiliated as she stands on the podium. At that moment, her growing telekinetic abilities ignites a bloody revenge against her bullying classmates.
It's a pretty sad tragedy if you think about it; mainly because of all the stories we hear now of bullied students bringing deadly revenge to their school doors. Carrie, written in 1974, is a story that can be told thousand times and never get old because it's a story that real life keeps telling. The difference between Carrie and real life is that Carrie's addition of unbridled, unchecked telekinesis makes that breaking point horrifyingly gorey for the watchers. This story has been brought to the screen three times. One in 1976 (it had a more horror-story spin to it), one in 2002 (similar), and most recently, one in 2013, which I went to see in theaters.
I want to first point out how well the actors were in this movie. Julianne Moore takes the cake as Religious Nut Mother. Every time she opened her mouth, I could believe that she actually meant what came out of it. Every time she grabbed Carrie to throw her in the prayer closet, I didn't actually think she did it out of spite as much as a genuine belief in what she was doing. LIke she actually thought that everything was a sin and that she had to save her daughter from it, even if it meant locking her in a closet. That being said, I wasn't sympathetic to her plight when she took her condemnation of her own daughter to the extreme, and I definitely felt my heart go out to Carrie for what her mother put her through.
Additionally, the supporting acts all played their roles well. Gabriella Wilde (who plays Sue) is the bully-turned changed woman, who sets up her own boyfriend with Carrie as a peace offering (after the horrific bout of bullying she pulled), and her evolving sincerity feels real to me. Portia Doubleday, who plays the main bully Chris (you know, the one who sets up the prank that ruins the prom), is almost too evil--her glee at posting the video of Carrie's torment on youtube, her defiance in the face of the consequences, and the pleasure she takes in setting her prank into action is...unsettling, to say the least.
But Chloe Moretz's depiction of the lonely girl turned vengeful horror heroine (the word "heroine" not being genuine) is so well crafted. She spends most of the movie withdrawn and frightened, save for the inexplicable moments where she causes things to happen that she cannot explain, and the moments she learns to harness her powers in a way that changes the face of her little town forever.
Oh yeah, and this is gonna haunt me forever. Eek.
All this is to say that the movie was definitely what I was hoping for, and I certainly recommend it to anyone whose seen the other two versions (like I have) and want to compare. Although have to say, each version has its own charm to it. This version in particular emphasizes the pain of the whole tale, with the climax serving as bloody afterthought. As one reviewer put it "[other versions of] Carrie was horror. This Carrie is tragedy."
Finally! I reinstated my library card, and am able to enjoy the world of reading without draining my wallet or driving to a bookstore (cause, you know, I don't have a bookstore in my area anymore...sniffle). And I came to a conclusion. The Library is heaven. Why? Because it holds books. And books are the key to a whole 'bother world of imagination and information and possibility. And I get to enjoy that....for free. Too many of us take it for granted that we have this wealth of information and knowledge and creativity just AVAILABLE to us, while girls like Malala Yousafzai have to fight every day for the right to an education, to books, to knowledge! The idea that books and novels could become the stuff of urban legend is frightening. People, we can't forget just how amazing books are! Forgive me. This is not a lecture. I'll admit, I've slacked in the book area, which is only hurting me...so this surge of reading I've been going through is to make up for lost time.....and I was dearly rewarded.
- Micro by Michael Crichton
A company called Nanigen Microtechnologies has created a groundbreaking invention of microscopic robots...with blades. They have also found that research in the Oahu forest in Hawaii have uncovered millions of new bacteria species and organisms that could hold vital properties for the human body. Seven graduates are picked from Cambridge to explore this forest and all it has to offer. But one of the graduates has detected foulplay from this billion-dollar company, and once caught, the head of the company forces the graduates into the forest--after shrinking them down to a size smaller than a wasp. Now, the graduates must find a way to survive the suddenly fearful environment, using their own knowledge in their own fields.
This is one of the most disturbing concepts I've read, and that's with Prey in existence. Crichton pulls no punches when describing the most graphic violence between an army of ants and an unsuspecting victim, or the sadistic company owner and his second-in-command. But it illuminates a sad truth--everything, humanity and otherwise, has these abilities and these tendencies. It's a horrific scene, the centipede charging at the graduates, but it is just as horrible when the President of Nanigen sends hit men to kill one of the graduates. There is one glaring difference--for Nature, there is no moral awareness; it is how it is. For humanity, we know the morals and ethics. Those who choose to go the barbaric route have no excuse.
This is definitely a must-read for Crichton fans. A well-done sendoff for the man. RIP.
This book was in fact finished today. It's the only novel that Philips has written to date, and it hit home for me in more ways than I can explain. Its set around the time of Brown v. Board Of Education, in rural Parkersfield, where the light-skinned Rozelle Quinn lives with her TEN children, all with different, and absent, fathers. The darkest child, Tangy Mae, serves as the narrator, as she describes life at the bottom of her mother's list, and yet the one her mother holds to the tightest. At fourteen, Tangy Mae is forced to clean white people's homes in the daytime and "service men, white and black, at the 'Farmhouse.'" While her other siblings have found marriage as an escape route from their abusive and possessive mother, Tangy Mae has school, working hard to achieve the education that will send her on a better path, far away from the woman she loves and hates at the same time. It's a touchy subject, even to this day, and those who have dealt with the issue of mental illness, family dysfunction, and colorism, will find this book to hit home in many ways. But it handles the issues in a realistic and eloquent manner; Tangy Mae weaves through her conflicting emotions with a finesse beyond her years, indicating that she's had to grow up in a short amount of time, at too young an age. The dynamic between her and siblings rises and falls with their mother's moods, ranging from bright and cheery to downright frightening. And it all comes together in a climax I didn't see coming. It's not a hunky dory kind of book, but I think if you gave fit to a group of people, the discussion it sparks could be thought-provoking and impactive. So there's my three-book beverage. What are some books you're reading this fall? - CDM
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