At the core I believe the real difference comes down to two simple ideologies; those at the farthest point to the left want everything to change, while those at the farthest on the right want nothing to change. And while I lean more toward the former with regard to actual socio-political philosophy, I can be pretty damn right-wing when it comes to my own life—almost staggeringly inflexible.
I am content to do the same things in the same ways not just because it helps to dull my perpetual anxiety, but also because it's easy. Sadly, things seldom stay easy.
Right now things are especially not-easy, so I'm stepping away from some projects for a while. Hopefully just a short while more, mind you, but the podcast—at least as I left it last year—seemed particularly… unfinished.
So let's just call this a better end point, temporary as it may be.
Download Radio Free Hipster Ep. 147: The Living Bookend [hosting provided by Antisoc] Size: 83.9 MB Running Time: 58:45 Subscribe to RFH
Show Notes:
Intro: Baddd Spellah – "Radio Free Hipster Theme (feat. Beefy)"
Not everyone can say they have a Beefy/Spellah-penned theme song.
Track 1: Adam WarRock – "GRWN UP KDS"
I've been bumping this track since the week before the EP actually dropped. Continually.
Z's 1st interlude: "Great big adolescents."
Which is, I should point out, not the name of my Adolescents tribute band.
Track 2: The 88 – "At Least I Was Here"
I started to play the full version, but this truncated cut seemed more impactful.
Track 3: Marcus Coronel – "Bacon Pancakes vs. Empire State of Mind"
For this one I specifically played the full version. Because bacon pancakes.
Track 4: R_Garcia – "Indifferent Times"
Definitely check out No Holds Bard. Garcia always manages to impress, but this one is especially engaging.
Track 5: Illbotz – "Michael McDonald's Crunk Classics (skit)"
If my life is gonna be a Michael McDonald song it's damn well gonna be one sung by Big Perm.
Track 6: Stenobot – "Welcome Home"
I dream of an R_Garcia/Stenobot collab. It would surely be a chip-rock masterpiece.
Track 7: Reel Big Fish – "Ask"
A last-minute addition to the play list, but one I'm definitely happy I included.
Track 8: Anchorman dialog / The Police vs. Jungle Brothers – "Lonely Jungle Brothers"
Call this one a throwback to the earlier days of the 'cast.
Track 9: Dual Core – "Staring at the Last Star"
Don't give me none of that "all the feels" shit; admit that this song made you cry!
Z's 2nd interlude: "Another gorgeous composition."
I never got around to reviewing All the Things, even though I rightly should have. Suffice it to say it's excellent, and you oughta own it.
Track 10: The Grammar Club – "Phonin' It In"
I actually pushed this show back a bit so as not to step on Bioavailable's release date. Didn't wanna let this track slip out before you could actually make it your own.
Track 11: DJ Earworm – "United States of Pop 2012"
This one should have been a part of my year-end podcast, which sadly never happened.
Track 12: Psycosis – "United States of Clop 2012"
See above.
Track 13: melodysheep – "Secret of the Stars"
Neil deGrasse goddamn Tyson.
Track 14: Marc with a C – "Daddy, Make the Sun Come Out"
Marc's Popular Music does some strange and wonderful things, but this track is a personal favorite.
Z's final interlude: "The best thing, the strongest thing about this community—about this culture—is you."
File under: Cheesy But True.
Track 15: Optimus Rhyme – "Daryl Hannah"
"How will you feel with an expiration date?"
Before this goes any further I'd just like to thank you all for your kind words and support over the past few weeks. They've meant a lot. More than you could know.
Now as for what happens around here, well, that's still being discussed. It seems that, while my need for some time off was understood and unanimously supported, my plan to let the land go fallow was, well, less so. I've had a number of allies inquire about minding the blog while I see to moving and whatnot, and even some parties interested in keeping the podcast going in my stead.
And I like that idea. I like it a lot.
I was struck by the staggering revelation that, while I had grown up a lot since the 1990s, Rivers Cuomo had not. This isn't to say I didn't dig the album, or even that a writer necessarily needs to ripen emotionally in order to craft enjoyable songs. Where, for example would Trent Reznor be without his angsty and eternally adolescent rancor? But it does drive home a point about the sometimes tenuous place of the mature storyteller in popular music. 
, lyricist 
proved itself an exemplary effort. But that album, by the admission of the band itself, was a bit of a sonic experiment cobbled together from pieces of songs the guys created during hours lost in traffic going to and from their respective day jobs.
, builds on the data that our heroic bots collected from this preliminary study. While fans would've certainly been satisfied with more of the same, Supercommuter pushed themselves on all levels, and the release is all the better for it.
, the guys ably employ the sharp and resonant blips of the classic Game Boy, but even from these early moments something is drastically different. Brighter and noticeably more cohesive as it transitions to "
," there is much more in the way of melody, both vocally and instrumentally, than the band has previously displayed. Amid rapid-fire verses and a gorgeously textured chorus, "DMG" explains the group itself; it smashes the sonic fourth wall somehow without ever losing its darkly futuristic edge.
" quickly morphs into a genuine hip-hop banger with appropriately spacey singing and a quick drop-off that takes us back to earth for debut single "
." Thick and twisting, thanks in part to an enchanting counter-melody and a fierce breakdown, it drops the band's established sci-fi pretense.
," a song that sees the MC wrestling with inner insecurities via a very public forum. (And it's also a joint that boasts a truly clever allusion to
!) Then an unceremonious shift takes us back to the world of Wheelie's space bound alter-ego in "Frozen," a heartbreaking tale of interstellar travel, loneliness and creeping madness. 
," a four-minute marathon of erratic beats and churning 
," a stand-out cut that's only slightly diminished as a known property; it was previous released on the first 
" pairs Wheelie's motor mouth and Stumblebee's drunken baritone for the first time since the demise of Optimus Rhyme. It's also likely the music world's most upbeat post-plague narrative. "
" sounds a bit like a throw-back to the previous album, with an odd layering of vocoded singing and straight-ahead rap that fails to gel early on, but later turns into the project's most vivid story-song. Touching on the recurring motifs of isolation, the marriage of man and machine and the potential horrors of technology, it's complex but easy to love. 
" breaks tradition by relying heavily on acoustic guitar (although the electronic elements are still readily apparent.) Another stand-out, it retells Clarke's 
in exquisite detail, capturing both hope and misery in sharp detail. From there Products of Science draws to a close with "
." As upbeat as the name implies, it marks the album's end in true 8-bit style and genuinely channels that rush of "beating the game."
soundtrack with a digital grindcore breakdown – is very indicative of the album's new feel.
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" parodies? Understandable, but please take a look at one final selection. It's my boy Insane Ian's most recent FuMP – a fun freebie entitled "
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" called "
