I sit here and it’s dark already. It’s almost 4pm I’m as far south you can go in the UK and yet time is turning into an eternal night – accompany this decent into vitamin D deficiency and forgetting what that bright ball of fire in the sky is called is a soundtrack. A simple and concise soundtrack but perfect for this time of year.
Dark atmospheric electronica with all the elements in place to label it, in Мишка style, Grave Wave. This is a band from Portland, Oregon wrapped up in that dark cold Pacific Northwest weather, a band that must know the long drag of winter nights and the heady grip of night club living, sleep is for the day, night is for the dead.
Jewels of the Nile are a female duo that are sometimes joined onstage by Dez from Crossover on drums, they create a sound dark and rich like a laudanum overdose on the dance floor Moroccan disco, circa 1982. Beautiful spaced out lyrics precise and glacial in harmonies that collide for a moment only to slide apart and loose each other in the night, with disjointed disco rhythms mingling with a tribal beat or two and droning synths reverberating through an eternity of space, dark and velvet clad.
They have a split 7” with Soft Metals with coming very soon on Desire Records which will be something to definitely save some money for. (They do an awesome cover of “Deathwish” by Christian Death!) Soft Metals are also a good frame of reference musically and in terms of style if you want to get an angle on where these bands are coming from.
Jewels of the Nile just have more magical daggers and warm red womb-like intensity. Back in September they also toured briefly with Soft Metals in LA and Mexico. Click through to their Soundcloud page to listen and download the two available tracks including the Christian Death cover.
Crook’s alarming post concerning Beyonce’s “Luciferian agenda” made me think of an equally disturbing and sobering expose titled “Turmoil in the Toybox.” This video/book/audio cassette from 1986 reveals the methods used by cartoons and toys “to introduce the occult, violence and pagan religions to millions of our children.” OUR CHILDREN!
No one is safe from the shadow of Satan: He-Man, the Smurfs, Dungeons & the Dragons (duh), G.I. Joe, and even Cookie Crisp cereal! Basically, everything you ever enjoyed as a kid was part of a mass conspiracy to convert you to Satanism. How could our parents have been so careless!
Even for someone familiar with the Bible, the connections these dudes make are baffling and hilarious. Skeletor lives in Snake Mountain + a snake tricked Adam & Eve in Genesis = MOTU is Satanic. Not to mention that the Snake Mountain playset has that mic that changes your voice into “a demon!” Seriously, I think even the most devout Christian would be embarrassed by some of the BS these knuckleheads theorize.
Hopefully by now you’ve all heard that Black Scale has set up shop in New York with their second store over on 296 Elizabeth St. in Manhattan? No? Well this past Black Friday was their official grand opening. To welcome our west coast friends we’ve collaborated on a special T-shirt with our conspiracy theory loving brothers.
Only 100 of these tees were produced (50 black and 50 white) and they’re only available at Black Scale’s New York shop and at our Los Angeles shop. Black Scale have a pretty fanatical following so I don’t expect these to stick around for very long. Get out your house and head to one of the two shops, depending on whichever coast you’re closer to and pick one up. These will not be made available online.
Мишка LA
1547 Echo Park Ave
Los Angeles, CA
213-536-4234
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Black Scale
296 Elizabeth St.
New York, NY
212-431-3152
TV director Tony Goldwyn’s (Dexter) first venture onto the big screen tells the true tale of Kenny Waters (played by Sam Rockwell), a bad seed from Ayer, MA wrongfully convicted of murder back in 1983. Waters was well-known to the cops since he was a pup – for petty shit like stealing candy and trespassing – so anytime something dirty went down in Ayer he got picked up. That’s how it goes in the sticks sometimes. Instead of moving on and taking care of her two sons, Kenny’s sister Betty Anne chooses to go to law school to beat the system that screwed her big bro. She enlists the aid of the amazing folks at the Innocence Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to proving the innocence of the wrongfully convicted. 18 years and some tremendous breakthroughs in DNA profiling later…Kenny is found innocent and released from prison. And justice for all!
Goldwyn didn’t really have to over-dramatize or spice-up anything to make this film intense. What could possibly be added to this story? This dude sat in jail for 18 years for a crime he had nothing to do with. And his incorrigible sister, who didn’t even graduate high school, becomes a freaking lawyer and frees his ass. That’s one “holy shit” true stories that make you feel all warm and fuzzy. There’s no tactless artistic strokes or sweeping orchestral music to force an emotion down your throat. No crazy twists. Just damn good story telling. And Sam Rockwell always knocks it out of the park. I haven’t seen everything he’s done, but I think we can all agree that he’s one of the best working right now.
So,what’s with the title of this review. Well…SWANK.
I can’t stand Hilary Swank. Her acting never feels natural and she looks weird. I loathe her. Boys Don’t Cry might be the only exception but other than that I’d be happy if she was never in another movie. Granted, I’m deeply biased because of her early role in The Next Karate Kid, which sits like an embarrassing canker on one of my favorite film franchises of all time. I own the Karate Kid box set and I still refuse to watch that turd. Then my distaste for her reached its apex when she won the Oscar for Million Dollar Baby. I saw it in the theater because I love Eastwood, but when Swank won and was all like “I’m just a small-town gal from the trailer park” I wanted to dropkick my TV. You’re a celebrity. At the Oscars. You make millions. Shutup with that disbelief over how far you’ve made it and stop acting like you don’t know how you got there. So yeah, 16 years after she shared the screen with my man Pat Morita, I still can’t be an adult about it. But I have to humble myself before Conviction and say that the inspiring source material, Goldwyn’s direction, and Rockwell’s presence keep Swank from dragging this movie into the swamp.
BUT other than SWANK, Conviction is really really good. For someone who lived in MA for six years, it was great to hear believable accents and not see everyone wearing Red Sox and Bruins track jackets. The direction is great and it’ll be interesting to see what project Tony Goldwyn chooses to helm next. It’s clear that he knows how to sculpt a drama without any extraneous bullshit or played-out tricks. The charismatic Sam Rockwell is amazing as always – even when he’s looking like that biker dude Jesse James (see below). To date he hasn’t done wrong in my eyes (Zaphod Beeblebrox wasn’t his fault) and after last year’s role in Moon, I’d gladly pay to see him on screen any day. So I’ll let this one slide, Swank. But I’m keeping my eye on you.
Here’s a chill little instrumental number for a slothful saturday spent decompressing from Thanksgiving dinner and Black Friday shopping.
Botany explores the cosmic nexus of shimmering psychedelia, blissed-out pop, and instrumental hip-hop, as he turns recycled sounds into something thoroughly modern. For Spencer there’s a therapeutic value in reconfiguring the “noise” of an information-dense consumer culture into something nourishing and honest. He collects artifacts…scavenged bits of ephemera…all of the organic and inorganic matter that passes through our hands and heads everyday and he uses them to build something deeply personal. Ultimately, he reminds us that the natural world we are a part of is one of boundless wonder and color
Botany is the musical moniker of Spencer Stephenson and well what could sound better than listening to this while engaging in some “botany” of your own *wink wink.* Botany’s debut 5-song EP, Feeling Today is out now on Western Vinyl.
U.S. dubstep producer Starkey, aka PJ Geissinger, is continuously pushing the boundaries within the electronic realm. While he is loosely labeled under the ‘dubstep umbrella’, the dude is one of the most versatile producers I have come across within the scene. His vibe truly flirts with the grimier end of the genre, blending a healthy balance of a more hip-hop influenced bass flavor, aptly titled “street bass,” and “purple,” a sound popularized by such artists as Joker and Guido.
Currently, Starkey is viewed as one of the most predominant stateside producers – his high production ethic and futuristic lean to each of his releases have separated him from the pack (especially the highly muddled ‘filth’ community in the States). He has gotten nods from each end of the scene, from being selected by Vex’d as one of seven new DJs for BBC Radio 1′s Mary Anne Hobbs’ low end special ‘Generation Bass’ (the only non-UK DJ to be chosen), as well as being recently recruited to create a track from scratch in a Radio 1 segment known as “Building the Beat” at the world famous Maida Vale studios, joined by percussionist/producer Reso and vocalist Anneka – an experiment which found the collaborators attempting to build an entire track live over the course of a two hour radio show. Below you can check out a video highlighting the track’s development and debut…
Starkey is also co-owner of the Seclusiasis and Slit Jockey Record labels, and a member of the Trouble & Bass Crew. He has a slew of releases on several premier labels, including Werk Discs, Lo Dubs, Rwina Records, and Planet Mu. Starkey has released two full lengths, both on Planet Mu – his debut, 2008’s Ephemeral Exhibits, introduced the world at large to his eclectic bass symphonies.
His follow up, 2010’s Ear Drums and Black Holes not only highlighted his growth as a producer, but it proved his remarkable ability to provide a take on each angle of the dubstep sound – featuring a grime tip with P Money (“Numb”), a colorful melt of synth builds (“Fourth Dimension”), and a beautifully romantic space anthem featuring the vocals of Anneka (“Stars”) – which I posted below.
Starkey’s true competitive advantage lies in his remarkable ability to create lush soundscapes with his uncanny production style. In comparison to many other producers, it seems that Starkey strictly concerns himself with making his tracks as full and atmospheric as possible.
Case in point, his remixes – he consistently turns original mixes into something completely new, refreshing, and exceptionally bass-heavy. My finest examples are his remixes of: Kastle’s “Better Off Alone”, Rod Azlan’s “Jah Live”, The Constellations’ “Setback”, and his awe inspiring rendition of Bon Iver’s “Woods” (which you can find below).
Now don’t get me wrong, many of Starkey’s tracks are ambient enough for some bass meditation, but the dude can really kick out a banger like no other as well (check out his remix for Innerpartysystem’s “American Trash” below) – the difference is, he has an underlying subtly to his aggression.
I can remember being first introduced to him with his track “Gutter Music” and thinking, “who the hell can conceptualize this sort of madness?” Of course, it took a few listens for me to even begin to understand his vibe – but ever since, I’ve been hooked. I am particularly a fan of his inspiration from UKG and his continual offerings with major players of the scene. Below, you can check out his track “OK Luv” featuring grime MC, Badness.
About a month ago, Starkey released a preview mix for his forthcoming album, “Space Traitor,” on his soundcloud. Clocking in at a little over 11 minutes, the sampler gives you just a taste of what the producer has been working up in his beat laboratory. I can’t lie, this one makes me quite excited for the future – Starkey has continually evolved with each of his releases and, in turn, causes other producers to pick up the pace in order to keep up with his developments. For your listening pleasure, I’ve embedded the player below…
Unlike many of his peers, Starkey’s aim is not to beat you into a pulp with bass; it’s to surround you with it so you eventually melt. Trust me, it’s much more enjoyable than having your ears bombarded by power tool samples – it has a seductive sexiness to it as well. Maybe it has a lot to do with his upbringing in the ‘City of Brotherly Love,’ but from now on – I want you all to think of Starkey as the initial artist when considering the encompassing sound of the United States of Dubstep.
Alright y’all we got videos for you from Das Racist’s in-store performance at 350 Broadway. These guys absolutely demolished the place…almost literally. Joining them was Lakutis who performed “Amazing” and “Rapping 2 U” with DR and Despot for “Rooftop.”
Up above is the clip for “Rooftop” which was one of my highlights from the evening. Def Jux veteran Despot absolutely kills this song on Sit Down, Man so I was pretty stoked that DR brought him out for this show.
Lakutis, however, stole the show. And not because of his verses necessarily, like the fire he spits on “Amazing” up above. Dude crowd surfed not once, but twice and freaked every single Мишка employee out by getting dangerously too close to our beloved chandelier.
Thankfully nothing happened and we can all breathe a sigh of relief and think back on the night as just a fun, wild and crazy good time. But holy fuck I was shitting myself about not only that chandelier breaking, but falling on the crowd!
Das Racist closed things out with fan favorite “Rainbow In the Dark” (RIP Dio). These dudes are just incredible live so when they come to your town, and they probably will sooner or later, you need to see them. These dudes know how to win over even the most jaded of crowds.
A huge thanks to The Vidiot for filming and editing these clips along with Mike De Leon who was the master of photography. Head over to our Vimeo channel and catch all the other songs from DR’s in-store set, bob your head and pretend you were there.
Last week our 350 Broadway store had the pleasure of a visit from our man Luis Dubuc, better known round these bloglin parts as King of Hangs, and his band The Secret Handshake. That’s Luis up there getting all up close and personal with our big ol’ Soviet Super Soldier bear head.
The Secret Handshake were passing through NYC on their tour. And what sort of trip to the city would it be without a stop at 350 Broadway? Luis has been a big Мишка fan and supporter long before he ever joined the Bloglin. Perhaps you read Luis’ recent exploits on The Bloglin as he took a stab at amateur wrestling?
When he’s not shaking hands secretly, Luis somehow finds the time to head up hardcore band Of Legends. Their sound is pretty much the opposite of The Secret Handshake, but we at Мишка all know that Luis’ musical talent isn’t restrained by silly things like genre.
You can pick up their Doomsday EP now, but they also have a full length on the way which features cover art from our own Toilet Cobra, Nick Gazin. We like to keep everything very incestuous around these parts as you can imagine. The Secret Handshake’s also have a new LP called Night & Day out now as well.
