The Valley of Ashes

1.19.2010

A Playlist for You

Today, instead of stepping onto my soapbox and waxing poetic about my fear of God, or my love of him, or forgetting past muses, or why my imagination is the love/hate bane of my existence, I'm going to do something nice for someone who is near and dear to my heart. Much love Watermelon, cheer up.

















1.09.2010

Step Into Remora's Head

2010. Science Fiction of the 80's now has the prediction accuracy of Miss Cleo. Blindfolded.

Most of us born in the late 80's - early 90's knew that this time would come, and that life would probably throw us a curve ball or two. For those of us still on the rise I say proceed with caution, room at the top is finite. To get there someone either has to let you up, or you have to push someone out of the way.

Music is changing for the future as well. Hopefully this means the demise of bubblegum pop rap. Which actually brings me right to my next point, the catalyst of most awful music should be destroyed this decade. I'm talking to you radio. Every time I turn on my radio, I wince. The feeling was never so frequent or painful as it has been in the last year.

Example 1 "Live Your Life"



If you've never heard this song, you will be amazed at the lyrical content being positive (not that rare for T.I.) and very sophisticated. After about the fourth time you hear it, Rihanna's voice becomes annoying (just like the rest of her songs). Multiply this factor by a million and you get a perfectly good song ruined by the radio. At least on the surface that's what it appears to be.

I'm starting to think that this process is done purposefully.

I understand the concept of the "catchy" tune being the single from the album, but somewhere along the lines of communication between record label executives, artists, and whoever the hell it is that decides what we hear on the radio, "catchy" became "annoying as fuck".

Example 2 "Best I Ever Had"



My personal favorite song released in 2009. Even still unbiasedly I can listen to this song a million times in a row and it wont start to annoy me.

Is it because Drake can sing better than Rihanna?

Is T.I.'s flow in "Live your Life" inferior to Drakes?

I think the reason is because when it comes down to the musically inclined, we can tell when there was more than just work put into a song. Drake's song has heart.

Rihanna is not singing with any heart in the song, T.I. Isn't rapping with any heart in the song. It's about the paycheck. They get a check, the radio station gets a check, and those of us who want to hear someone pour their heart out on the radio lose out big.

Drakes song comes out sounding better because he probably never intended for it to be played solely on the radio to promote his album. He just intended for it to be good.

Remember this for 2010, the best things that you do in this lifetime wont be for a check.








12.29.2009

Flashing

You used to be the gem of the ball
all the people who mattered can tell you
they remember your face
they took pictures of you, all around flashing lights
the memories they had of your beauty seemed so bright
love, you were the dame
that every man wanted to be flaunting
when their abstinence no longer remained
but the photographs they got you to autograph
are now becoming stained
they don't seem to recognize the wet spark inside of the old flame
you're losing your brain
soon headlining obituaries, but magazines will no longer feature your name
people suddenly aren't in to you and won't schedule an interview
cause something seems to to eating away at what was left sane
the closeups are getting dim
and 'Missed by All' will be the next caption that they place,
laced inside your frame
surrounding your old pictures
no one wants the new portraits
the feelings the crowd had now have become forfeit
it such a sad sight, seeing your photograph lapped with black roses
people frequent the funeral, hoping to strike poses
they were with you when you had it all
then they gracefully watched you fall
and tip toed around your pain
like rain against gravitational forces
why did you let them let yourself crash
and begin to rehash all of the photo flashes
except nowadays, all you get is the negatives
but I miss the old you
the you that no one really seems to remember
they just blew you full of smoke and pick away the embers
I miss the gem, that I cherished more than others
I miss talking like we used to, I miss you Grandmother.