REVIEW- "Dear Science"

TV on the Radio has pretty much established themselves as the best new band of this decade. Whereas other bands that started out at the same place and time as TVOTR have mostly faded away (The Strokes) or simply have not been able to top their first outings (Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs), TVOTR have become living legends.

Okay, not really. But they're getting there. The first album, Desperate Youths, Blood Thirsty Babes had a ton of promise. But it was their second album which put them in the Radiohead league. Return to Cookie Mountain is a monster album, so chock full of jaw dropping sounds and lyrics, it's already considered a classic by everyone who's heard it.

Their third LP, Dear Science, decides to scale back a little. The sheer bigness of Return to Cookie Mountain is all but gone, replaced with smaller, more user friendly songs. But where the production is smaller, the lyrics are better and overall more consistent. Return to Cookie Mountain sometimes went a little scatterbrain, but Dear Science is pretty consistent throughout.

For the most part, the songs are much dance-ier than ever before. Listening to this album reminds me of 70's era Bowie. Especially the first single "Golden Age". Perhaps it's just the name, but it sounds a lot like Bowie's Golden Years.

TVOTR's biggest strength has always been it's two singers- Tunde Adebimpe and Ky Malone. Like everyone else, Adebimpe is my favorite of the two. But this album in particular seems to be a huge leap forward for him. His voice does things it's never done and his writing is the best it's ever been. Songs like Halfway Home, Shout Me Out and Stork and Owl have some of his best lyrics ever.

Malone does his own thing as well. His songs for the most part seems to be more focused on the personal- love, loss, etc., whereas Adebimpe deals with the quote unquote "Big Issues" of life, death, war, etc.

Overall, it's a very good album. It never takes the risks that Return to Cookie Mountain took, and therefore it's rewards aren't quite as rich. But it doesn't have as high a risk factor of crashing and burning either. There are some surprises along the way though- like Dancing Choose, which is really just a straight up rap song. The second verse is actually the best rap verse I've heard all year. Family Tree manages to out Coldplay Coldpay. The band as a whole sounds tighter than they ever have.

Seriously, it's just a damn good album.

I'll give it a 9.0/10.

Best songs- Crying, Halway Home, Dancing Choose

Worst Song- Red Dress

Damn suckers.

Bada is here. Take a bow all.

Bada sent his Ps3 last week to get fixed by some company in England. Finally the Ps3 arrived here today. I got ecstatic. Then i tried to play online, then i realised i needed an ethernet cable. So i looked around the house for one. I couldn't find one anywhere, then my dad said to me. (In a thick Scottish accent) What you looking for? I replied "An ethernet cable" He replied "Yeah i gave that away to your cousin" Damn bastard. So no online play. I could manage a day without no online play. So i decided to play my Xbox 360. Everything was going smoothly, then suddenly i got the "Three Rings Of Death" I can't believe this shit has happened AGAIN. I'm thinking it's a sign. The day i get my Ps3 back and fixed, my Xbox 360 decides to conk out (means broke SUCKERS). So much hate between two consoles, i guess for now the Ps3 wins, that is until i take a SLEDGEHAMMER TO IT!!. I'm kidding.

That's all folks. :)

-Bada.

Life with Lando

Greetings, comrades. Maynard here. Your "man on the inside", so to speak.

First things first- I completely forgot about Painful Loves one year anniversary. It was sometime this month. I think. So... good for us. We made it.

Second, I might not be around much longer. Life with Lando is taking it's toll. Big time.

So I work alot now, as you know. Lando is currently unemployed. He also currently doesn't do shit around the house while I'm working. I come home and there's dog hair all over the damn place. He sure as shit doesn't know how to cook, so it's up to me to make sure he's fed. I asked him what he does all day and he said he mostly lays on the couch all day playing video games.

I'm going bald from the stress. My chest hurts. Sometimes I just stare at him without him knowing and I get so angry I bite down on my lower lip and start bleeding.

So if you read this, Lando, consider this my way of telling you you're out. Time to find a new friend, cause we've taken this thing as far as it will go. You need to get out there and start working on a job. Or at least start taking showers more often.

Goodbye forever,

Maynard

Mexican Drag Queens

Hello folks. How's it hanging? Not much going on here. Lots of working. Lots of Dragon Ball Z. ... That's it.

So I'm living in these apartments now. Rent at the other house was too outrageous considering the house was sort of falling apart. So I (and Lando, of course), rented an apartment. Lando is a huge financial and mental burden. But the worst part is the neighbors. Mexican neighbors. Who dress up like girls.

Now, I've never seen them at it, but apparently Lando has along with Saucy Sally and Frankie Teardrop. A week ago Frankie Teardrop was outside with one of his friends and some "drunk whore" from the Mexican drag queens apartment came up to them asking to see some I.D. FT told her to go on home or he'd call the cops. She offered to give him her phone. FT went to call the cops. The Drunk Whore then told him that "rats get beat down".

By who? The Mexican drag queens? Please. They listen to really loud Mexican music and make terrible smelling food. A few weeks ago Lando woke up and smelled something. He thought our dog had taken a shit in the kitchen, but it turned out it was just the Mexican drag queens making breakfast.

I'm wearing thin, my friends. I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS!! Really. It's all hillbillies and Mexican drag queens around here. There's these hillbillies that do nothing except sit on their front porch all day. They sit out there from 7:00 a.m. til 1:00 a.m.

Fuck my life.

-M

Football is My Life

Okay, not really. I had to work yesterday and missed everything. All I know is that it appears to have been a bittersweet day. Colts lose in embarrassing fashion and Tom Brady might be out for the year. You take the good with the bad, folks.

So anyhow, some predictions for the upcoming season... even though it's not upcoming anymore cause it's here.

Colts (even though they lost) vs. Cowboys in the Superbowl. Colts win, of course. Tony Romo will be the league MVP. Tom Brady will lose an arm in a horrific car accident. And at some point, I'll probably end up with two chicks at the same time.

More later, kittens.

-The Always Classy,
Maynard

McCain sure can pick'em

What a moron. Sarah Palin? There goes his "Obama has no experience" shit. How can he pull that one with a straight face with Palin as his running mate? She's been a Gov. of some bullshit state for like two years. Before that she was just a mayor of a town with less than 9,000 people. I'm not Biden's biggest fan, but at least the dude has been around the block a time or two. Now Obama/Biden officially has more experience than McCain/Palin.

Plus we just learned Palin's 17 year old unmarried daughter is 5 months pregnant. That'll really rally the conservative base.

McCain is 73. Next year, his first in office if elected, he will be 74. He's had cancer about 4 times. You do the math, fuckers.

It's just a bad move all around picking this bitch. A lot of people think it's brilliant, but it's not. McCain is still Bush's boy and no self respecting Democratic woman will vote for him just because he added some woman to his ticket. Plus she's only from Alaska, which has 3 electoral votes. That's all Biden would bring with Delaware, but like I said, I'm not thrilled with Biden either.

This election is a big letdown so far.

-M