Friday, April 29, 2011

Radio Free Hipster Ep. 109: Shut Up, Have Fun

Lately I have been letting stuff get me down. Music and politics and the culture in general have become increasingly infuriating. Except they haven’t.

The problem doesn't seem to be the world at large. I mean, it's pretty much the same as it ever was. I'm the reason I'm getting so stressed. It's me. It's always me.

I allow myself to become emotionally invested in some fairly trifling matters, which isn't wrong in and of itself, but then I sometimes let those same things tear me up. I overthink. I overindulge. I overinflate the importance of my own input or become infuriated by the differing opinions of others, and that shit's just not healthy. Worst of all, it's wasteful.

That's what this show is about. Rather than stewing and ranting and giving in to my baser nature, I for once decided to take a step back and just… enjoy things. I resisted my urge to bitch, and instead tried to leverage that energy constructively.

Okay, I mostly resisted my urge to bitch. But, y'know, baby steps.

Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 109: Shut Up, Have Fun [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 43.3 MB Running Time: 47:21

Show Notes:

Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Geeky hip-hop? Check. Mash-ups? Check. Whatnot? Oh, I got your what-not right here!

Track 1: Glenn Case and Rachael Layne – "Blackbird"
This is a live cut from Glenn's YouTube channel.

Z's 1st interlude: "Willing to that bet that you suffer from a similar affliction."
Because who doesn't take silly shit too seriously sometime?

Track 2: Illbotz – "Stank Ass Rappas (Feat. Sarah G)"
Really hoping I get a chance to catch Illbotz live at some point in the not-too-distant future. Kind of a longshot, but hope springs eternal.

Track 3: Devo Spice – "Earworm (feat. MC Lars)"
From Devo Spice's new album Gnome Sane.

Track 4: oki – "Love Will Crush us Apart"
oki is working on a project that combines Joy Division instrumentals with female vocalists' a cappellas. It's fairly epic.

Track 5: The Garthim-Master & DJ Extend – "Mynocks & Jawas"
Mynocks! Those fuckers are always chewing on the power cables!

Track 6: Toolshed – "Round Table (feat. More Or Les, Wordburglar and Savilion)"
Just got my proper copy of The Lost. I am nine different kinds of excited!

Track 7: John Anealio – "Angry Robot (dalechase remix)"
I henceforth propose that a guest verse from Robot Dale Chase appear on every song. Every. Song.

Z's 2nd interlude: "Neat little factoids about the bands included."
Although sometimes I do just make that hit up. ;)

Track 8: Sci-Fried – "Tech Support" / A Little Dead Podcast bumper
One of my favorite joints from the new Sci-Fried album. It's rock solid across the board, but Jim's percussion is my favorite part.

Track 9: DJ Morgoth – "Viva la Vida Mr. Nice Guy"
This one stands as a nice callback to the Death*Star track I played during the podswap, but mostly I just couldn't resist the opportunity to rock out to some Alice Cooper.

Track 10: The Efts – "Lyon Among Wolves"
The Efts combine lo-fi anti-folk with chirpy electronica. I find this to be an intoxicating blend.

Track 11: Mike Bauer – "Friday (as performed by Bob Dylan)"
Because yesterday was Thursday. 

Z's final interlude: "Really isn't any worse than double-platinum single 'My Humps.'"
Seriously, kids, as bad as that Rebecca Black song is, is it really any worse than most other modern pop hits?

Track 12: Adam WarRock – "Meantime"
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for a rapper to sample Space Hog.

This week I'm in the process of changing recording machines. I'm moving from my current laptop to a (hopefully) more stable desktop. This means I'll be tweaking my recording setup as a result, and while I'm at it I might try upping the bitrate of the podcast. I'm noticing some growl on my spoken interludes, and I'm hoping that boosting the fidelity and using a bit less compression can remedy that.

So I guess the only question is would you guys be willing to trade a slightly larger file size for a better quality sound. It's sort of your call.

11 comments:

Matthew Sanborn Smith said...

I totally feel what you're saying about getting worked up about things. The way we see life is all about what we want to see. Things aren't worse than ever, they're just different. (If it isn't the black plague, it's the Mongol invasion.) But it's okay if we take the weight of the world off of our shoulders every now and then. It won't make things worse, and it might even make things better. So have some ice cream and dance.

Jimi said...

Good episode. It seems to me that becoming 'easily emotionally invested in what inspires us' could be considered one of the defining characteristics of nerds in general.

Regarding file size/quality, I'm not desperate for higher sound quality, but have no complaints about larger file sizes either

Z. said...

Well said, Matthew!

I tend to agree, Jimi. Perhaps we lose sight of where to draw the line between ourselves and our passions? And thanks for weighing in re: file size vs. quality.

King Corvid said...

File size hasn't ever been a big deal for me, but my ISP gives me a pretty ridiculous amount of bandwidth (and no monthly limit, hooray!).

As for getting stressed about the stuff that doesn't matter, I find a good step back really does the trick. Make a conscious effort to see the big picture and think "will this matter in a week? a month?". Chances are it'll help you get some real perspective.

southside said...

No problem with bigger file size. Gotta keep up with the internet, yo!

Mikal kHill said...

I vote bigger file size/better sound quality.

Secret Cloud said...

Yep I would go with bigger file size/better sound quality as well. I think 320 kbps would be preferred by most ;)

DV said...

Fantastic episode! Thank you for the introduction to Illbotz, perhaps my favorite track from the show.

File size is fine with me. I'm no audiophile but I couldn't discern a quality difference.

Thanks for your passion and caring about things enough for them to get in and affect you. Sorry that sometimes this feels overwhelming, but I am glad you experience life deeply.

Stevie D said...

Wow! That oki song is hot! I wanna hear more of this Joy Division project. Lovin' it!

Shannon said...

Thanks so much for including us in this episode! We're honored to be among the many bands that have graced the binary excellence that is Radio Free Hipster.

Shannon & Loretta
The Efts

Z. said...

Good advice, King, and thanks for weighing in on file size.

You certainly do, Southside!

Thanks, kHill.

You gonna be at 'Palooza this year, Data? Illbotz was just announced.

There are several of 'em out there, Stevie. All of 'em great!

My pleasure, Shannon. I think that track fit in perfectly.