I’ve had the new Rancid CD Let the Dominoes Fall kicking around for about two weeks now but have been so busy with the new job I haven’t been able to listen to it. Now that I have I figured I should sound off on it, I have the deluxe 3 disc edition that has two CDs and a DVD “making of” disc. Like I’ve preached before I believe this is the way to preserve the physical CD format and it’s no surprise it small indie labels innovating and not the big 4 labels. Punk bands have always been releasing in singles and EPs out of necessity so having a wider range of release types is easy. And finding alternate recording takes and video content isn’t that hard in out new age of technology. Just make sure you have video camera running at shows and during recording and it’s easy o throw together bonus content for a deluxe edition.

Simply put this is classic Rancid. I may have gripes when I see them live but on CD they’re still one of the best bands out there and definitely the top of the Punk totem pole.

The biggest sign this is the new album is how diverse the songs are, since Tim Armstrong has been experimenting with some alternate styles in alternate bands and songs he’s produced it shows on the album with all the songs being definitely punk but with some influence from other genres.

"Up to no good" and "Liberty and Freedom" have a good punk/ska, sound with an upbeat tempo. Not surprising from a former Operation Ivy member; but also making the album easily accessible to the ska crowd. "Disconnected" is another song that is great and differs from the album enough to give a diverse album that keeps it sounding repetitive like a lot of mass produced corporate CDs that are mostly “filler” (see some of my previous posts on the sad state of American filler albums).

The whole band is involved in the album, it’s not just a Tim Armstrong Joint. I think all members of Rancid have been producing side projects of their own in the last few years which is why their CDs have been so few and far between (that last album being a “B-sides and rarities album doesn’t count” The benefit of all this is that as a band they have a lot of diverse experience to make a vibrant album that isn’t just a collection of new songs that sound the same (*ahem* AC/DC).

Even some slower songs like "Civilian Ways" that have a kind of a country twang to them. "Civilian Ways" a song close to me since it reminds me how I felt coming back from Iraq and still some time feel now, coming home and feeling the culture shock going from Military life back to a civilian life. People feel that they’re connected with what goes on overseas when soldiers are fighting, but they don’t really know how little they know about the pain suffered by the soldiers cut off from everything they know. As for the song it’s pretty interesting how pro military (soldier) punk music is now considering it's anarchist roots. So many bands are anti-government but pro soldier. Love the soldier, not the war or the people who started the war.

Except the voices "LA River" you wouldn't think it was Rancid; "That's Just The Way It Is Now" and "The Highway" is similar it’s obvious that Tim likes experimenting with new sounds and I’m all for artists that diversify their music. It doesn’t always work but in cases like this it makes for an even better album.

The album is good “unity punk” to get crowds singing along. Ironic because the last two times I saw Rancid play live they didn't have the stage presence other groups had. I don’t know if Rancid is just getting a bit older but they’re definitely stronger on CD than on stage.
Like I said I got the Deluxe edition of the album so I need to mention the acoustic CD. It mostly the same songs except for a couple that were acoustic versions of bonus tracks on the overseas albums.

The acoustic versions are great too and in some cases with the more country sounding songs they are even better because they lend themselves so well to the format. And the acoustic versions aren’t just acoustic guitar like the acoustic bootlegs tat are currently floating around. They have alot of instruments making up a full band and just lacking the electric guitars and bass. The inclusion of accordion adds an interesting sound similar to Flogging Molly and The Tossers.

All in all I would definitely recommend getting this album. I haven’t listened to it enough to see if it’s going to surpass their others as my favorite album but it’s definitely got the potential. Like a friend of mine said, Rancid just gets better with every release that comes out. I’d highly recommend this to anybody that listens to Punk ad even most who don’t and just want to diversify their listening or get a good album with a bit of energy to it.

I always figured that if done right there are a few Jpop/Idol groups that could do well collaborating with more underground rock and punk bands; seeing idols let loose, drop their cutesy persona's and go wild would seem a bit more real to me than the typical wota pandering that most spend all their time doing.

Hello Project's (former?) girl group Melon Kinenbi (メロン記念日) is going to see if it's actually possible just having done a collab with <Beat Crusaders (Good, Lightweight, not quite "Pop Punk", Punk) and now one with New Rote'ka (ニューロティカ) (more underground, energetic punk).


Beat Crusaders Collaboration
New Rote'ka Collab

Of all the Hello Pro girls, Kinenbi seems most likely to fit in at a punk show but that's still not saying much. I know Japanese punk shows are usually a bit more tame than some here in the US (no brass knuckle fights for one) but I still wonder what happens when you drop a few idols in the middle of a screaming Punk show.

Still I hope it works good because I think seeing the wild side of some idols would be great. Besides the fact that it's been over a year since Kinenbi had a release. What's really shocking is that Kinenbi formed shortly after Maki Goto joined Morning Musume and are still the same group! Ok, maybe that was too much of my personal H!P nerd knowledge coming out, but seriously when you understand how they work it's amazing. Up Front Agency always kept them on the back burner and now that they're free they're taking their act in a direction I really like. Hopefully this is just the first of a new image for them.

The only trouble now is getting hands on these singles over here in the US. Like a tragically overlooked idol group isn't hard enough to come by they're teamed up with punk bands that are unknown in the US.
Come on Japan! You did a good job of starting up a Ska movement. Show us the wild punk scene that's hidden behind Japan's conservative image!

Melon x Crusaders on youtube (which means nothing when you have a CD collecting personality like me).

Good but doesn't stand out other than sounding like Melon Kinenbi with that "Beat Crusaders sound". Chorus still sounds like an idol group song.

Melon x New Rote'ka

Bad recording. Melon is straining in a format they're not used to but I think they could defiantly go in this direction and do great.

If UFA had taken Hello Pro in a direction more like this I don't think I would have given up on them. But The New Rote'ka collaboration "Pinch wa chance,baka ni narouze!" is an excellent start (we hope!)

What a let down!

I was watching the Hexagon 3 hour special tonight when my minimal Japanese heard the part that there was an audition online for people to be on the show!! But I missed the part that it's just for the creation of a musical group, which became quite clear when I started reading the submission forms (the "demo tape" and "lyrics" tipped me off). Although I wouldn't mind dancing onstage with Satoda Mai; the new music video is hot!

Skip 4 minutes in, Akina's song is lame (I don't like her... or gay pirates).

Just as well I guess, I can only guess three or four answers per episode due to poor translation abilities so I get the feeling if they had one of their 50 question tests I'd fail miserably. Too bad though, that show looks like a blast!

But what is Suzanne doing Kinoshita's dress in the background... Besides fulfilling my fantasies?
Sorry, no video. Boycott youtube and find a copy of the "Quiz! Hexagon II - 09.13.06" three hour special online to see for yourself.

And after watching that show I always have that "Ganbare Nippon" song in my head.

EDIT:
Sorry, I forgot Youtube sucked. Here's an entertaining clip from the spring special via Veoh.

Watch hexagonâÂ�¡ super quiz parade miyakojima gasshuku 3hour special woman limitation dokkiri in Celebrity & Showbiz  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

I love seeing new inventions that are incredibly simple but absolutely genius. No matter how advanced and technological our society is there is always room for improvement.

Spilled food is a given for any yard party or get together that involves loading up a plate of food and taking it to your table. How can you hold a drink in one hand and fit a hamburger, hotdog, handfull of chips, and two servings of Pork and Beans on one plate without spilling it?



At family parties I love to watch people do the paper plate balancing act from the food table back to their seat while a bunch of 4 year old kids run around their legs screaming. It’s like cirque du soleil with the possibility of somebody getting a facefull of potato salad and ranch veggie dip.

Hamburgers and Hotdogs at the park on a hot summer afternoon is about as American is it gets (eat that Baseball and Apple pie!) And now there is an invention that will keep people from having to hose off the grass when the party is over.

Viva the 4th of July!

From Uncrate via gizmodo.

Friday the 19th of June The Aquabats came back to Salt Lake and its always worth catching them if you can.

I barely caught the first show, Resistor Radio but I decided it was worth getting the EP to see how it is. They had a good Punk feel to them, with a bit of polish they could be good, seems they're being produced by Rancid's Drummer Branden Steineckert so they could have some good backing while starting out.

Next was Two and a Half White Guys, I’d seen them before in Provo but in a real show at in the venue it was a bit different, they had more energy, and it was a bit more like a real show. They’re a good local ska band that doesn’t sound like just a local band; good two tone ska music. Good music to chill out to, and the band was good at engaging the crowd even during take-down the lead singer was still engaging the crowd and taking pictures of the fans. They also ended it with a good cover of Oingo Boing’s Who Do You Want to Be?

Aquabats had a new intro, they could make their performance into the cheesiest tv show and it would be awesome. But yet again the local sound tech sucks; I can barely hear MC Bat Commander. And I love the clips they play during the music, they could make a DVD of the videos on the projector and I’d seriously buy it. But “In the Venue” has draconian security, nobody gets on stage or on the crowd before the security pulls them off by their feet.

For their song “Baked” they brought on a ton of baked goods from Dick's Market in Bountiful and proceeded to throw them into the crowd, cookies, muffins, and whole frosted cakes. Then for pool party they had beach balls and even an inflatable pool, they threw on top of the crowd. And if you have a pool on top of the crowd why not throw one of the kids on stage into the pool, luckily the security saw that pulling the kid out of the crowd would have caused the band and crowd to riot.

Another excellent Aquabats show.

CD's Bought:


Resistor Radio - Beggar's Cuisine

Two and A Half White Men - Gringo

Already have all Aquabats CDs!!!!
Come-on guys! Make more!!!

We all know that China is the most populous country in the world and India is nipping at its heels. But not many people know that third place is our own United States of America. That's right, the bronze medal in the "Holy Fuck that's alot of people!" category is the USA.

As big as this nation is its not immediately apparent but when you think about it it makes perfect sense. A majority of Americans believe its their religious duty to populate the earth, and they're succeeding quite well. Here in Utah 10-12 member families is common.

This is one of the many reasons why our housing is being crammed into smaller and smaller quarters. Much like Japan we're bumping up against a resource ceiling that keeps us packed into cities. Although ours has less to do with physical space as it does with fresh water abundance/distribution and driving distances/time between locations. When I see the cramped expensive living conditions in Japan I wince; but we're not really that far off.

Anyway, as kid I always looked forward to moving into a house surrounded by a yard so large it would seem like a home in a forest in the mountains. It seems that a large yard surrounding a small home is a thing of the past.

Update: Other reasons for homes separated by 3ft:
-Realtor Greed. Why sell one home in an acre when you can sell 8?
-Pride. My house is bigger than yours (even if there no room to walk in between them).
-Gluttony. How many of us have full rooms full of stuff we will never use before we die?
-Extravagance. I need 3 more garages for the Hummer, Escalade, and Jet-Skis

It makes me pine for the simple, isolated life Dick Proenneke (from "Alone in the Wilderness") lived with for the last 30 years of his life.