Noise du Jour: MC Frontalot - Zero Day

Check more of the nerdiest of rappers at his website

Noise du Jour: The Atomic Bitchwax - Come on

The Atomic Bitchwax @ Last.fm:

The Atomic Bitchwax are a rock/jam band formed in the basements of New Jersey during the mid 90s by then 25 year olds Chris Kosnik of Godspeed and Ed Mundell of Monster Magnet.The bands first two albums, I and II, had a heavy psychedelic sound with roughly half of their songs containing only minimal vocals and the rest were instrumental. As the bands sound has progressed over the last 10+ years ,a more traditional song writing approach was slowly realized by incorporating the bands signature “boxriff technique” with the Kosnik/Ryan dual vocal harmonies throughout their last three releases.

Science fiction in-jokes just aren’t funny any more

Via IO9:

But yeah, in-jokes are the weakest form of humor. Instead of being outrageous, counter-intuitive, clever or weird or any of the other things a joke can be, they're just sort of comforting. In fact, they're like the oatmeal of humor. They're warm and familiar and have the same consistency all the way down. Your spoon can stand straight up in a bowl of in-jokes.

I couldn't have put it better! What do you think?

The Omega Kawaii Cloud Song

...'cause is not David Lee Roth!

Deadpool vs. Charlie Sheen

Click to embiggen!

Noise du Jour: Diane Cluck - Save Me

Iron Man pimps out Marvel vs. Capcom 3 (with maximum sucess)

So, who's up for a little game MvC3?

Super: This is your DIY hero on crack

Charlie Jane Anders — The first theatrical trailer for Super is out, and it's looking like this year's Kick-Ass is twice as demented and messed up.

Partly because Rainn Wilson is just so preposterous as a DIY superhero, and the catchphrase, "Shut up, crime!" is total inspired lunacy. And Ellen Page is pure win as his kid sidekick. Also, it turns out that every other superhero movie this year does have to feature Kevin Bacon as an antagonist, it's the law. Keep your eyes open for a glimpse of Nathan Fillion as another big-time superhero, the Holy Roller.

Via I09

House M.D. Vs. the Zombies (plus a axe cane)

Via IO9:

Charlie Jane Anders — We don't know how we missed this amazing scene from Monday night's House in which he battles an army of the undead, with his "axe-cane"... which transforms into a shotgun.

It's settled: We want Hugh Laurie by our side in the zombie apocalypse. [via Darren Mckeeman on Twitter]

So I get this e-mail from Kingdom of Loathing...

Dear XXXX,

Okay, I'm not good at this kind of thing, but I feel like I have to give it a try. So, here goes:

I was hanging out the other night, listening to some old mp3s, and I was just overcome with memories of when we used to hang out all the time. Remember? You were an intrepid, fearless adventurer, and I was the free-to-play, fun-and-funny online role-playing game that won your heart. Do you still remember those good times? I can't stop thinking about them.

I mean, I know things got kind of messed up at the end, and believe me, I'm sorry. If I could take any of that back, I totally would. And I know people grow and change, and you're not the same person you were then, but hey -- I've changed, too! I thought and thought about how to win you back. I figured I'd make you a mix CD, but I couldn't decide what "our song" was. So I just concentrated on becoming a better game for you, and here's what I came up with:

Remember how much fun you used to have with your clan? Alternately, remember how you never joined a clan because you didn't see the point? Either way, clans now have clan dungeons, group zones where your whole clan can work together. Crawl through sewers to Hobopolis, a vast underground vagrant vacation vista! Slide into the slime tube, and stir-fry sassy slimes!

I know I wasn't the prettiest game when we were together, so I had some work done. Almost every interface got an interface-lift. You can even manage most of your inventory via chat commands! I also came up with a way for you to automate some of the things you don't love about the game, so you can spend more time with the parts you do love.

Not only that, but there are way more animated .gifs than there were before. Don't worry; I haven't lost that low-fi edginess you love, but I'm a lot easier to play with now.

You can also have a custom title now, just in case you didn't feel like I appreciated what made you unique as an individual.

I should also say
Haiku Dungeon's been revamped.
See what I did there?

Maybe you quit because you got sick of always adventuring above the water. I admit that seems unlikely, but I fixed that, too -- there are a bunch of underwater zones with new food, equipment, mechanics, and challenges.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg, trust me. I'm still the silly, clever, deceptively-complex game you fell in love with, only with about 95% more awesome.

So, I'm just sayin', if you can find it in your heart to give me another chance, I won't disappoint you.

If you don't drop by, I promise I won't bother you again. I just really felt like we deserved one more try.

Love,

The Kingdom of Loathing.
http://www.kingdomofloathing.com

Well played KoL! For a second (or some minutes) I was almost decided decided to come back, like a bitch boyfriend comes to his sexy-yet-slutty ex-girlfriend with promises of everything-you-can-imagine-you-can-do-to-my-willing-body---
Sorry, KoL, I would love it, you can bet your sexy and quite addictive low-fi ass, but I don't have the time, I'm now a broken shell of a nerd that can't spend too much time 'cause he has (gasp!) a real life.
(sobbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb!)
But, never worry, I'm telling friend to go play with you, so say hello to them!

Noise du Jour: Bad Religion - Marked

If I'm a monster,

I am a willing one,

this roller coaster ride is an enticing one,

on the tip of a continuum flowing wavelike

through disorder carry me like a vessel to water

everything you see leaves a mark on your soul,

everything you feel leaves a mark on your soul,

everything you touch leaves a mark on your soul,

everything you make leaves a mark on your soul

if I can touch it,

I can destroy it,

if it's imaginable to some degree,

I can become it,

like a hungry turning vortex that just flickers to existence,

consuming bits and pieces until I'm finally extinguished

everyone you see leaves a mark on your soul,

everyone you bare leaves a mark on your soul,

everyone you touch leaves a mark on your soul,

everyone you love leaves a mark on your soul

everything you take leaves a mark on your soul,

everything you give leaves a mark on your soul,

and all the fear and loneliness that's impossible to control,

and every tear you cry leaves a mark on your soul

Dead Island trailer mashed up with Shaun of the Dead

Via Boing Boing:

Dan Bull (best known as the British copyfighting rapper behind such ditties as Dear Lily) was inspired by the wrenching trailer for zombie game Dead Island, and so he re-created it using footage from Shaun of the Dead. Says Dan, "Somehow the star Simon Pegg found the video, and got in touch with me to say it's 'the greatest trailer I've ever seen'." I'm inclined to agree!

Shaun of the Dead Island (mashup by Dan Bull) (Thanks, Dan!)

The Terror Test

How bout we put a creepy kid in a hallway and see people freaking out... don't worry, it's just a lost little girl, don't help her... it's much more probable that she is a spirit of the underworld bent on ripping your colon through your mouth. Yeah, people are that dumb.

Star Trek Convention NYC 1973

These are the wonderful scenes from a Star Trek convention in 1973... if you look closely you can even spot Oten's real father somewhere... i sure haven't...

Captain Beefheart's 10 Commandments of Guitar Playing

Kindly sent to me by 'Sikora1'. With corrections and additional information from Brian Hassett.

Budding guitarists take note.

1. Listen to the birds

That's where all the music comes from. Birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. And watch hummingbirds. They fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere. 

2. Your guitar is not really a guitar 

Your guitar is a divining rod. Use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. A guitar is also a fishing rod. If you're good, you'll land a big one. 

3. Practice in front of a bush

Wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. If the bush doesn't shake, eat another piece of bread. 

4. Walk with the devil 

Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the "devil box." And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're brining over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub. 

5. If you're guilty of thinking, you're out

If your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. You should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. If you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing. 

6. Never point your guitar at anyone

Your instrument has more clout than lightning. Just hit a big chord then run outside to hear it. But make sure you are not standing in an open field. 

7. Always carry a church key

That's your key-man clause. Like One String Sam. He's one. He was a Detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. His song "I Need a Hundred Dollars" is warm pie. Another key to the church is Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf's guitar player. He just stands there like the Statue of Liberty — making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it. 

8. Don't wipe the sweat off your instrument

You need that stink on there. Then you have to get that stink onto your music. 

9. Keep your guitar in a dark place
When you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. If you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it. 

10. You gotta have a hood for your engine

Keep that hat on. A hat is a pressure cooker. If you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. Even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.

--------------------------

This sound advice can be found in the book Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A-Rama (1996) which includes an article written by John McCormick about Moris Tepper.

"Though they bear numbers, they are not arranged heirarchically — each Commandment has equal import.


Via The Captain Beefheart Radar Station

Scattered Trees - Love and Leave

Geek Overlord here, showing that some geek boys still know how to make cool videos about soft-rock music.



As seen in
Music Is Weird: Scattered Trees - Love and Leave: "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, the boys of Scattered Trees captured a princess. Unfortunately, one of them fell in love...."
By the famous... Geek Overlord.

Noise du Jour: Ihsahn - Invocation

Ihsahn at Vagos Open Air? I'm so there!