Beyond Two

Until KLYAM is ready....

My political ramblings will go on beyondtwo.blogspot.com

My music stuff will go on soundcentral.wordpress.com

Thanks.

I Graduated From The WE

I graduated from high school last Saturday. I graduated from this site as well. It's a sad departure, but I feel that after many months of random posting, it's in my best interest to stop this great gig as an Etudiant. Though I've personally churned out many respectable pieces this past school year, I feel like my best work is still ahead. But it needs to be organized. At this moment, there is another project in the working. It's not done yet. A really unfinished product will come very soon. My colleagues and I will post under a new label. This website isn't going anywhere, don't worry. I'm opening it up to the other students whose names are displayed on the right side of this page. Some of these students may well be involved in the new project...I don't know for sure. If you've arrived here from some past entry...great! It will always be in the archive. If you like what you see, don't worry...the best is yet to come. That's what I hope anyway. For now, I no longer consider myself an administrator. I'll still post about the new project so that I don't lose any of you readers. Stay tuned...

Mika Miko

"You're A Bum" -- Okay, I Get It

Explaining My CD Review Grades

Introduction

My CD Reviews, if you are familiar with them, typically aren't that structured. I usually assign random grades (from 0.0 to 10.0) to every song, add all the numbers up, and divide by the total number of songs to get a grade, which I round to the tenths place. But how do I come up with my grades? Why are some songs 7.7 and others 8.2? The difference between an 8.3 and a 8.4?

Basis and Weight

1. Rhythm - 20% - How's the beat? Do tempo and speed changes affect the song for better or for worse?
2. Instrumentation - 25 % - Are the guitar solos amazing? Percussion fine? Bass line all right? Etc.
3. Vocals - 20% - If the vocals are annoying, the grade will be significantly lowered.
4. Awesomeness - 35% - Looking at the song holistically...how does it rank? It might have some poor qualities, but overall is it good?
5. Comparison to rest of album - Weight varies - This is a criterion that I try not to weigh too heavily. Usually this decides whether a song is a 9.4 or a 9.5. Does this song have any qualities that make itself stand out more than the 9.4 track?

9.7 to 10.0 - Rarely given out; a truly special track
9.0 to 9.6 - High quality, all aspects
8.0 to 8.9 - Weak in only a couple of aspects maximum
7.0 to 7.9 - Average in practically all aspects
6.0 to 6.9 - Below average quality, most aspects
5.0 to 5.9 - Awful, most aspects
0.1 to 4.9 - Very awful
0.0 - Void of sound

* Important Note (Grading): I do most of the calculations in my head to come up with a final grade for a particular song. In certain cases, ones where I find that an album can be exemplified holistically by a certain grade, I will not publish individual song grades. A perfect example is 2009's Merriweather Post Pavillion. While not every song is a 10.0 (if I published grades), an album of this magnitude as a whole represents almost a change in the way a certain of type of music is looked at.

* Important Note (Bias): I have a penchant for lo-fi, noisy rock.

Music Recommendations

Garage/Punk

1. The Great Love Sound by Raveonettes
2. Everyday Weapon by The Ponys
3. Wolf Girl by The Groovie Ghoulies
4. Three Girl Rhumba by Wire
5. Mary's Sister by The Pattern

Words From Immortal Technique

It's like Cambodia the killing fields uptown
We live in distress and hang the flag upside down
The sound of conservative politicians on television
People in the hood are blind so they tell us to listen
They vote for us to go to war instantly
But none of their kids serving the infantry
The odds are stacked against us like a casino
Think about it, most of the army is black and latino
And if you can't acknowledge the reality of my words
You just another stupid mother fucker out on the curb
Trying to escape from the ghetto with your ignorant ways
But you can't read history at an illiterate stage
And you can't raise a family on minimum wage
Why the fuck you think most of us are locked in a cage
I give niggaz the truth, cause they pride is indigent
You better off rich and guilty than poor and innocent
But I'm sick of feeling impotent watching the world burn
In the era of apocalypse waiting my turn
I'm a Harlem nigga that's concerned with the future
And if your in my way it'd be an honor to shoot ya
Up root ya with the evil that grows in my people
Making them deceitful, cannibalistic and lethal
But I see through the mentality implanted in us
And I educate my fam about who we should trust

- "Harlem Streets"

CD Review: What Is?! (KK+TS)

Band: King Khan and the Shrines
Release: 2007 then 2009

Comments: It's impossible for King Khan and the Shrines to not be awesome. The horns. The guitar. The organ. The drums. The voice. The King. Listening to this album is a visitation to last month's show. The studio versions don't quite match up to the high energy live performances, but certainly they fall only slightly behind. Like, for instance, the cheerleader is still very much a part of the music, even though you can't see her. The first 7 tracks are better than the last 7. That I will say.

Top 5 Tracks:
"Land of the Freak"
"How Can I Keep You Outta Harms Way"
"Welfare Bread"
"I Wanna Be A Girl"
"No Regrets"

Final Grade: 9.8 out of 10

Jacques Dutronc/Black Lips MTV Canada

Listen below...

http://www.dizzler.com/music/Jacques_Dutronc/Hippie_Hippie_Hourrah

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A Fraudulent Man

Ex-Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi is facing up to 20 years in prison for allegedly taking kickbacks in yet another State House corruption scandal that has cast a pall over Beacon Hill and sent the onetime iron-fisted leader’s former colleagues scrambling for cover.

DiMasi was hit with fraud and conspiracy charges yesterday in a scathing indictment that painted him as the “coach” of a team of conspirators who cut lucrative deals in backrooms and on golf courses from Boston to Florida, lining his own pocket to the tune of $60,000, federal agents alleged.

Prosecutors said DiMasi used his legislative might to steer $20 million in taxpayer-funded software contracts to Cognos in 2007. In exchange, the Canadian firm funneled payments to an unnamed lawyer in DiMasi’s law office, who in turn cut the then-speaker checks ranging from $4,000 to $25,000, authorities alleged. - Boston Herald

Judge Mark L. Wolf would have given DiMasi a smack down.

Ketchup Is Awesome

White people love organic tomato ketchup.

The ABCs of World History

Must know people, places, and events in the history of the world.

Abraham - A 2000 B.C Mesopotamian who made a covenant with God saying that if Abraham's followers Hebrews) accepted Him, Abraham's people would have a promised land.
Algeria - A former French colony that gained independence in 1962 following nearly a decade long War of Independence.
Anti-Comintern Pact - Declared opposition to international communism.

Balfour, Arthur - An early 20th century British Prime Minister, he is most famous for the "Balfour Declaration" which promised a homeland for Jews.
Bay of Pigs - Is an island off the southern coast of Cuba and was site of the failed "Bay of Pigs Invasion" by President JFK, a plan to overthrow Fidel Castro.
Blitzkrieg - A term coined in 1939 describing Germany's use of lightning quick and offensive tactics in its invasion of Polish borders.

Castro, Fidel - The president of Cuba who started the July 26th movement, a revolt that would eventually overthrow the then president general Batista in 1959.
Canaan - Refers to present-day Israel and was the "promised land" that God assured the Hebrews back in 2000 B.C.
Cold War - Lasted from 1949 through 1991 and was the struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States. It did not refer to direct hostility, rather other forms such as economic warfare and an arms race for nuclear weapons.

deGaule, Charles - The president of France from 1959 to 1969. Founded the Fifth French Republic in 1958.
Dien Bien Phu, Battle of - A war fought in 1954 between France and the Vietnamese's Viet Minh at Dien Bien Phu, Vietnam. The French were victorious.
D-Day - Refers to the June 6, 1944 invasion by the allied forces into Normandy, France against the Nazi Germans who occupied France.

Eliot, George - Was the pen name of the Victorian era English novelist Mary Ann Evans , whose novels were mostly set in provincial England.
English Channel - Located between England and Northern France, this has served as a natutral defense location for England especially against Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars and against Adolph Hitler in WWII.
Estates General - Was an assembly of the different classes in France around and before 1789. It consisted of: Roman Catholic Clergy (1st), Nobility (2nd), and Bourgeoisie, Peasants, and all others (3rd).

Ferdinand, Franz - Was the archduke of Austria around the early 20th century and was most notably assassinated in 1914 (one of the reasons for the start of WWI).
Finland, Gulf of - Extends from Finland all the way to Russia and at the time of WWII was an important mining site for countries such as Finland, Germany, and Russia.
Fourteen Points - Were annoucned by U.S President Woodrow Wilson in 1918 and were literally fourteen points concerning the rebuilding of Europe.

Garibaldi, Guiseppe - Was an Italian patriot in the 19th century. He successfully captured Sicily in a fight against the Borubon French.
Gaza Strip - A small strip of land that is located next to the Mediterranean Sea and Israel. Controlled by Egypt until the 1967 six day war when it was captured by Israel.
Great Leap Forward - Was carried out from 1958-1962 in Communist China and was an economic and social plan to transform China into an industrialized society from being mostly farmland.

Hirohito - The emperor of Japan from 1926 to 1989. He is notable for his alliance with Germany and Italy during World War II and for his cruelty.
Hiroshima - A city in Japan that was atomically ombed by the U.S in 1945 and as a result led to the surrendering of the Japanese government.
Holocaust - The systematic persecution and genocide of Jews in Europe and North Africa during WWII by Nazi Germany.

Ignatius of Loyola - A former Spanish warrior who in 1534 foudned the Society of Jesus "Jesuits" and whose main goal was defending the Church against Protestants and spreading Catholicism.
Iwo Jima, Battle of - Was fought between U.S and Japan in 1945; as a result of a U.S victory, they gained the volcanic Japanese island and all the airfields there.
Industrial Revolution - A major technological, socio-economic, and cultural revolution that began in the late 18th and 19th centuries in Britain and spread to volcanic parts of the world.

Johnson, Lyndon B. - President of the U.S from 1963 to 1969; known for the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution which faciliated increased involvement in the Vietnam War.
Jerusalem - Nicknamed the "Holy Land," as it's a top pilgrimmage site fofr Christians, Muslims, and Jews. The capital of Israel, captured by Israeli forces following the 6 day war.
June 28th, 1914 - In Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austrian archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinted by Gavrilo Princip, a member of the Young Bosnia terrorist group.

Kenyatta, Jomo - President of Kenya from 1964 to 1978. He was the leader of the Mau Mau, a terrorist organization.
Kenya - Country in Eastern Africa which gained its independence through Jomo Kenyatta's violent revolts in 1963.
Kristallnacht - A massive nationwide program against Jews in Germany and Austria in 1938.

Lennon, Valdimir - A Communist revolutionary of Russia; the leader of the Bolsheviks and Premier of the Soveit Union from 1914-1917.
London (Battle of Britain) - An attempt by the German air force to gain superiority of Britain during the early stages of WWII. After Germany attempted a raid on london in September of 1940, The Battle of Britain concluded.
League of Nations - An international organization founded after the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Woodrow Wilson's 14th point.

Mussolini, Benito - Leader of Italy between 1922 and 1943, who set up a fascist nation through diplomacy and propaganda.
Manchuria - Northeast region in China and Asia. It was invaded by Russia as part of its declaration of war in 1945 on Japan.
Monroe Doctrine - Expressed in 1823 and stated that no European power or country shoudl colonize or interfere with the affairs of the Americas.

Nkrumah, Kwame - An anti-colonial African leader, founder of Ghana, and one of the most influential Pan-Africanists of the 20th century.
Normandy - Located in the northwest region of France, it is famous for being the site of the 1944 allied D-Day invasion.
Nationalism - A form of identity under which countries believe they are the "only legit basis for the state" as well as the belief in strengthening national unity and rejecting foreign influences. Nationalism gained a lot of popularity in the 20th century in countries such as India, China, and Japan.

Orlando, Vittorio - Was Italy's prime minister from 1917-1919. He served as Italy's representative at the Paris Peace Conference.
Osaka - One of Japan's main harbors/ports during WWII for warships and other military weapons. It was demilitarized following the war.
Opium Wars - Consisted of two wars fought bertween Britain and China concerning opium trade. China had banned it, but Britain saw it as a great economic tool.

Picasso, Pablo - An early 20th century Spanish painter and sculptor who used the technique of cubism in his work.
Pearl Harbor - An embayment in Hawaii and the site of a Japanese surprise attack on the U.S prompting the U.S to enter World War II.
Pan-Africanism - The belief in the uniqueness of African heritage. No matter where the black man is from, he is African. Some of the most famous proponents of this movement were Marcus Garvey and W.E.B DuBois. This was popularized in the year 1900.

Qing, Jiang - Fourth wife of Mao Zedong. She emerged as a serious political figure in China after being appointed Deputy Director of the Cultural Revolution.
Qum - A city in Iran that has one of the holiest shrines of Islam: The Fatimah shrine dedicated to the Muslim saint. Occupied by Arabs in the 600s A.D.
Quadruple Alliance - Refers to the Central Powers of WWI, consisting of Germany, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and Bulgaria.

Rasputin, Grigori - A Russian mystic who influenced Russia's Romanov Dynasty. He played a rather large role in Tsarina Alexandra's life and partly healed her son Alexei's hemophilia.
Rhineland - Refers to the area of land in Western Germany that was taken over by Germany following World War II. I
Russian Revolution - Series of political events in Russia after the elimination of the autocracy system and the Provision Government resulting in the establishment of the Soviet Party by the Bolsheviks.

Stalin, Josef - Leader of the Communist Soviet Union from 1924 until 1953. Ruled by forms of mass terror, deportations, and collective farming.
Sudetenland - An area in Western Czechoslovakia controlled by Sudeten Germans until 1945 when they were expelled from this area.
Social Darwinism - A concept similar to Darwin's theory of evolution that said that the people with the most favorable traits are more likely to survive in a society. This can be applied to competition between different groups. Common in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Tolstoy, Leo - A 19th century Russian novelist and philosopher, most famous for his book War and Peace.
Tiananmen Square - A large plaza in Beijing that was the center of mass Cultural Revolution rallies i nthe 1940s and later protests in the late 1980s.
Truman Doctrine - Announced in the late 1940s by U.S President Harry Truman stating that the U.S gov't would support Greece and Turkey from falling into Communist control.

Urban II - Roman Catholic Pope from 1088 to 1099. He was the leader of the first Crusade against the Turks.
United Staes (WWII) - Forced to enter WWII after the Japanese surprise attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
U-2 Spy Planes - Surveillance aircrafts that were shot down on two occasions: once in Soviet territoryy and second in Cuba during the missile crisis.

Verdi, Giuseppe - A 19th century Italian composer who produced mainly operas.
Versailles - Suburb of Paris, France that was put in the limelight due to the signing of treaties such as the Treaty of Versailles.
Viet Cong - An insurgent organization fighting the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War from 1957 to 1975.

Wilson, Woodrow - U.S President from 1913 to 1921, he didn't want the U.S to get invovled in World War I, but after Germany continued its submarine warfare, he took America into the "war to end all wars."
Waterloo, Battle of - Napoleon's last battle and the last Napoleonic Wars battle in 1815 against the English, Dutch, and Prussians. Ended French domination in Europe.
Warsaw Pact - An organization made up of mostly eastern European states established in 1955 to counter NATO. Memers included East Germany and the Soviet Union.

Yamamoto, Isoroku - Commander of the Japanese navy; came up with the plan to surprise attack the U.S at Pearl Harbor.
Yalta - Site of the Yalta Conference, a war time meeting between Churchill, FDR, and Stalin.
Yom Kippur War - Fought in 1973 between Egypt, Syria, and Israel. A shocker to Israel on this most holy day for Jews.

Zimmerman, Arthur - Germany's secretary of Foreign Affairs from 1916-1917. Most famous for his telegram sent to Mexico proposing Mexico to help against the U.S.
Zaire - Central African country that gained its independence in 1960, after Belgium couldn't maintian contorl and pulled out of the country.
Zionism - A political movement that supports a homeland for Jewish people in the Land of Israel where the Jewish nation is said to have originated 3,000 years ago and had self-governing steas and kingdoms until the 2nd century. Became increasingly popular in the 17 and 1800s.

King Khan @ Paradise Rock Club Finale

Chris and I got the privilege of standing next to the person taking the video. You'll see Chris' head a lot and sometimes me. Like at 4:40. I bang my hands against King's helmet.

Got Hit In Head By Paper Fail

CD Review: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

(Source: bp.blogspot.com)

Band: Phoenix
Release: 2009

* Songs below not in order as they appear on album.

1. "Love Like A Sunset" - Grade: 9.8
2. "Armistice" - Grade: 9.7
3. "Rome" - Grade: 9.5
4. "1901" - Grade: 9.7
5. "Fences" - Grade: 9.6
6. "Countdown (Sick for the Big Sun) - Grade: 9.7
7. "Girlfriend" - Grade: 9.6
8. "Lisztomania" - Grade: 9.8
9. "Lasso" - Grade: 9.6

Final Grade: 9.7

Vitamin String Quarter: "Eraser"

January 1 to June 1 CD Rankings

Album	Band	Grade
Merriweather Post Pavillion	Animal Collective	10
Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix	Phoenix	9.7
200 Million Thousand	Black Lips	9.6
Face Control	Handsome Furs	9.5
The Eternal	Sonic Youth	9.4
Living Thing	Peter Bjorn and John	9.4
Dragonslayer	Sunset Rubdown	9.2
Grace/Wastelands	Peter Doherty	9.2
It's Blitz	Yeah Yeah Yeahs	9
Wavvves	Wavves	8.9
Sun Gangs	The Veils	8.8
Eating Us	Black Moth Super Rainbow	8.7
Preliminaires	Iggy Pop	8.7
Enemy Mine	Swan Lake	8.5
Veckatimest	Grizzly Bear	8.3
Cluster Dreams	Lone	8
Get Guilty	A.C Newman	7.9
Hazards of Love	The Decemberists	7.9
Art Brut vs. Satan	Art Brut	7.1
Beware	Bonnie Prince Billy	7

A Socialist Against Labor? Barack Obama

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama couldn't let General Motors fail, but he won't concede he's taking over the company.

With a 60 percent equity stake in the carmaker and $50 billion in taxpayer money riding on GM's success, the federal government isn't exactly a hands-off investor.

As GM enters into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Obama's economic team is stressing that its goals are to maximize the return to taxpayers and to exit from its involvement as quickly as possible. But as one administration official put it Sunday night, there is an inevitable tension between those two objectives.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (daily kenoshan) - General Motors, the 100 year old industrial superpower and maker of Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and other automobiles, announced they will file for bankruptcy protection, the outcome of which will cut 21,000 jobs and reduce to 2600 the number of automobile dealerships. President Obama applauded the reorganization move and estimated the time frame for the court action to be completed at 60-90 days. Once the bankruptcy is finalized, the government will own 60% of the failed GM Corporationand will pump billions into the leaner, reorganized company. This will be the governments biggest foray into private industry in history.

Concert Review: Local Bands @ UU

Bands: Jeff Mitchell, Envy of August, Foxglove, Calling Aviv, With The Punches, The Big Sanchez
Venue: Unitarian Universalist Church Basement in Wakefield, MA

Comments: Everyone that participated in the show is a great performer and musician. That said, the pop-punk genre just isn't my thing. It's sometimes catchy (credit to Foxglove), but there seemed to be very little variation between songs. Calling Aviv was really good, playing some old and new. Bill's use of the electronic switch as an instrument was cool. I thought The Big Sanchez's performance of "Maria" was the best of the night.

Radiohead Part II Poem

(Nice Dream) (Radiohead Part II)

When the quintet appeared on stage
They immediately burst into their hit song “Reckoner”
Sending an Arena full of die hard fans into a Surge of Joy
I was completely Mesmerized by the Light Show
The Best I’ve Ever Seen
The Lights changed Perfectly with Respect to the Mood of every song
At one point, I saw Little Fishes
In the shapes of Golden Spots
Projected on the Big High Definition Screen
Then the Lights Shifted into the Lyrics
“Everything in its Right Place”
From the Song of the Same Name
The Greatest Performance was of their classic, “The Bends”
The Fans were more Enthusiastic and Energetic thane Ever.
Some people think Radiohead is just another mopey, downer band
They Have it All Wrong
I felt like everyone was united during "The Bends"
When everyone sang together, "Where do we go from here?"
The song might be pessimistic, but if Everyone is Together
Then they Realize that they're
Not Alone