Thursday, January 31, 2008

Regarding tonight's CNN Democratic Debate...

..Obama SO won. Hillary voted for the war Iraq and she knows it and there's no justification for that.

Don't believe me? Just tally the results from Politico.com's blog about it.

Rivers Cuomo Alone VS. Vampire Weekend (or the Old Omar VS. the New Omar)

So now that I have new job prospect on the horizon, I made a trip to my local record store, Best Buy (because they sell the new CDs a lot cheaper than my local "specialty music shop," Park Ave CDs), and purchased Rivers Cuomo "Alone: The Home Recordings of Rivers Cuomo" After listening to it pretty extensively for the past few days, I've come to the following conclusion about Rivers' new album.

(An emotive review of) Rivers Cuomo's Alone:

Hella inspiring. To see the throwaway tracks of Rivers Cuomo from the early 90s to the present gives me a new respect for him that I lost when Weezer's Green Album came out and undid what I thought were years of emotional and artistic development that plateau'd on Pinkerton. That being said, these tracks are wonderful and much more sincere and raw than anything Weezer has done since Pinkerton. Meanwhile, being a home-recorder myself, to listen to these home recordings (and little experiments) that Rivers has done have made me a little more proud of my own hard drive full of scrappy recordings. Before listening to this album, these mp3s were a matter of shame for me. Mine are sometimes poorly recorded, half-baked half-ideas of songs that I recorded when no one was around to hear me. But somehow, it feels comforting to know that these kinds of recordings are also on the hard drives of guys like Rivers Cuomo, a guy that up until about Weezer's Green Album was like a major source of inspiration for me (though in some ways, though I no longer admit it, he still is a major source of inspiration).

But...

That obsession I had with Weezer was back from like 1999 'til about 2002 (from when I was like 14 'til about 17)

Now, it's 2008. I'm 23. And my musical goals have changed a bit. And as 2006 came to a close and 2007 began, I was so sick of hearing noisy, distorted power pop (since I don't think I was the only one who spent I the pre-2002 years obsessed with Weezer) that my musical goals had grown to make anti-noisy, un-distorted, impotent pop (with hints of Afropop, Bossa Nova, Bach and French Chanson). Inspired by Jens Lekman, Kings of Convenience, Belle & Sebastian, Jonathan Richman, and Magnetic Fields' (mostly just 69 Love Songs). I was finishing up my degree in English from UCF and, for better or worse, my distaste in direct, emotive lyrics (like the ones Weezer had) was almost done cultivating--I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not, since I'm still not too big a fan of stoicism either (I'm just kind of into "New Critical Ambiguity" and old-fashioned prosody).

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaanyway, so that's probably why my first Magnet Club album, Venii EP,, which was recorded from like Fall 2006 and Feb/March 2007, sounds like it does. On second thought, Venii EP sounds a lot like I was trying to sound a lot like Vampire Weekend (a little before they came into existence, though). Which is cool. I actually bought their new album the same day as Rivers' and it's quite good as well. Though it's kind of depressing that I kinda gave up trying to play that style since it seemed nobody in our little rockist town of Orlando would listen (that's why the second Magnet Club release recorded in the second half of 2007, Snow EP, sounds like it does--i.e. totally different and way more "rockist"). Except, seeing as how they'll be swinging by Orlando in March and it's probably going to be a big show, I was probably wrong about dismissing this type of music as impossible in Orlando.

...Of course, VW are opening for Walkmen and both of them are kind of buzzed about "indie famous" groups. Which means that maybe I was kinda of right that Orlando would never approve of such music. However, I forgot that Orlando will approve of any style of music as long as it's by big famous out of town bands and not a local, hermetic nobody playing "weird-sounding" music.

(P.S. - I'm sorry if this post sounds self-loathing and/or like a pity party, but I've been listening to Rivers Cuomo's "Alone" as I write it, and frankly, if I have one negative thing to say about it, it's that it really brings out the lonely, emotive, musical loser in all of us--just as the first two Weezer albums did.)

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

For Those Who Missed It...

Here is an (unformated) transcription of my playlist for this morning's show:


'Atomic Tweed' Wednesday 1/30/2008 6:00:00 AM-8:00:00 AM DJ: Staff

(Song Name Artist Album Label)

Uncontrollable Urge 1 Devo Are We Not Men? We Are Devo ---
Here Comes Your Man 2 The Pixies Doolittle ---
Just Like Honey 3 The Jesus And Mary Chain 21 Singles 1984-1989 --
Teenage Caveman 4 Beat Happening You Turn Me On K Records
(my Head) 5(new) Times New Viking Rip It Off Matador
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away (beatles Cover) 6 Beach Boys Beach Boys' Party ---
Perfect Day 7 Lou Reed Transformer ---
Neo Consumer 8(new) Super Furry Animals Hey Venus! Rough Trade
Multiply 9 Jamie Lidell Multiply Warp
Ask 10 The Smiths Louder Than Bombs Rough Trade
Ballad Of A Thin Man (dylan Cover) 11(new) Stephen Malkmus & The Million Dollar Bashers I'm Not There Soundtrack Sony
If Looks Could Kill 12 Camera Obscura Let's Get Out Of This Country Rough Trade
I'm An Alcoholic 13 Dent May & Magnificent Ukulele Myspace.com/dentmay Cats Purring
Ho-ba-la-la 14 Joao Gilberto O Mito ---
Candy And Rum 15(local)(new) Omar Delarosa Myspace.com/omardelarosamusic Green Carpet Pop
Loop Duplicate My Heart 16 Suburban Kids With Biblical Names #3 Labrador Records
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa 17(new) Vampire Weekend Vampire Weekend Xl Recordings
Liwa Ya Wech 18 Franco & L'ok Jazz Merveilles Du Passe Itunes
Into Eternity 19 Jens Lekman Night Falls Over Kortedala Secretly Canadian
Do You Know The Way To San Jose? 20 Dionne Warwick Burt Bacharch Box Set: The Look Of Love --
Ce Matin-la 21 Air Moon Safari ---
Look At Me 22 John Lennon Plastic Ono Band ---
Wanda (you're My Only Love) 23 Rivers Cuomo Alone: The Home Recordings Of Rivers Cuomo ---
Little Lady 24(local)(new) Sterling Schroeder Ballds & Bloodshed Abyssmal Records
Cold Hard World 25 Daniel Johnston Don't Be Scared ---
Right Now And Not Later 26 The Shangri-las The Best Of The Shangri-las --
I Want You Back 27 Jackson 5 Hitsville Usa: The Best Of Motown Motown
Do You Believe In Rapture? 28 Sonic Youth Rather Ripped ---
It's The Beat 29 Simian Mobile Disco Attack Decay Sustain Release Kitsune Records
No Fit State 30 Hot Chip The Warning Dfa Records
Kool Shades 31(new) Video Hippos Unbeast The Leash Monitor
Wipe Out 32(new) Mah Jongg Kontpab K Records
Genius Beast 33(local)(new) Yip Yip Two Kings Of The Same Kingdom ---

Atomic Tweed - Shows 1, 2, & 3



So I just completed my third Atomic Tweed show on 91.5fm WPRK. I have to say, it hasn't been as hard as I thought it would be to wake up at 5am to make it to the show by 6am. I guess it helps me wake up to the alarm clock when I know I have the option to take a nap after the show at 8am. Anyway, if you've heard the show, I've been playing music that has in some way either:


a. inspired my own music.

b. made me feel good in some way upon listening

c. has historical important, yet for some reason remains obscure.

or

d. is by a new(ish) artist, local, national, or international that I think deserves more listening



If you haven't yet listened to the show, please do. It's Wednesday Mornings 6:00am to 8:00am (before Serious Business). It's online at:

http://wprkfm.com/?page=listen

or

WPRK 91.5 FM

I've been saving the playlists and I hope to eventually post, downloadable mixes on here after the show. Hopefully, I will get organized and manage time a little better and have that posted soon. I'm also working on recording some old Magnet Club music with Sam & Jordan as well as recording some new, just-omar-delarosa songs. So stay tuned.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

This Blog Endorses Obama

Okay, so the NYTimes has betrayed me by endorsing Hillary instead of Obama--I think their choice of McCain among republicans is just, though. Although I will continue to read their magnificently minimalist prose, I am disappointed in their Democratic nomination choice. Therefore, I must make a counter-endorsement of my own.



This Blog Endorses Barack Obama









...And here's why:

If Hillary is the democratic party nominee and McCain the republican party's nominee, we can look forward to inaugurating McCain in 2008 and 150 more years of war in Iraq. Why?


Reason No. 1: Because Hillary (or should I say "The Clintons") were fun in the 1990s (y'know, until the whole Monica Lewinsky thing), but their behavior on this primary has shown them to be ruthlessly aggressive politicians who will basically do anything to win--even smear a relatively new politician like Obama and embarass their party for their own personal gain. Come November, people won't forget the way the Clintons are behaving now.



Reason No. 2: McCain is a damn nice guy and damn sensible. I'm no conservative nor do I endorse the republican party, but back when John Kerry asked John McCain to be his running mate in 2004, I was happy. They would've taken the election for sure. I know, McCain said no. But he wasn't rude about it. That being said, he's a damn nice guy. And Hillary & the Clintons? Well I won't say it, but... well let's just say while many moderate Democrats and Independents are likely to feel good about McCain (sans the whole war thing), the same thing cannot be said about moderate republicans feelings for Hillary. It's more likely that a Hillary nomination will have the opposite effect and discourage the more liberal minded Democrats to not vote, while not even coming close to winning over any Republicans and Independents to her side.



Reason No. 3: Monica Lewinsky. The Republican party can't wait until they declare Hillary a nominee so they can pull Monica out and get her talking and bring her back into the national consciousness. And when she's back, and the Clintons have to confront their personal lives their political machine will break down as fast as it jabbed and smeared the other Democratic candidates (Obama, Edwards, and Richardson included).




So I say to anyone out there in election-land, either endorse Obama or get ready for another 4 to 8 years of a Republican White House. Of course, I could be wrong and Hillary could win the general election if nominated, but with her barely-to-the-left politics and Bill Clinton spending another 4 to 8 years living in the white house (not exactly a third or fourth term, but a little too close to one for comfort) there would be little to differentiate that from a Republican White House.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Border Fences Don't Work

To all those conservatives insisting we build a fence across the border of the U.S. and Mexico...

Here's a picture of what would probably happen if that fence were built:





http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/23/world/middleeast/24gaza.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Why does Bill pick on Obama so much?

Okay, so it's possible that Hillary Clinton could win the Democratic Nomination. It's also possible that if she wins the Democratic Nomination, she could win the general election. ...and if she does? Well, that would make former president Bill Clinton the first "First Gentleman." But does that mean he spends 4 more years living in the White House? Can an ex-president do that? If so, did Bill just find backdoor in the white house and override the U.S.'s presidential term limits? So that's why he's fighting so hard to push Obama out of the way and get himself, uh, I mean Hillary into the white house.

Ok. So I lied under oath, but trust me on this one, Obama lies!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Get Magnet Club's Snow EP for free

What better way to keep warm during the cold days than by downloading Magnet Club's Snow EP for free...

...from the myspace.

...from the website.

love,
omar (from magnet club)





Magnet Club - Snow EP

1. Let It Snow In Orlando

2. My Diane

3. Behind Your Veil

4. The Last Page of Your Diary

Thursday, January 3, 2008

My Acoustic Version of "I Believe" (by Simian Mobile Disco)

Okay, so I had another version of this song up on YouTube already, however, I took it down and replaced it with this one. The differences? Well for one, this one allows you to see the chords of the song as I play them. It also includes the rest of the song (the old version was like less than a minute long, I think). Anyway, here it is:



My Musical Timeline

So i was sitting around thinking, trying to figure out when all this music obsession began, and I came up with the following timeline that traces back the origins of my Music-obsession:




ages 3 to 4 - my mom recorded cassette tapes of me baby-singing (kinda like karaoke) over then-hits by Phil Collins, Madonna, and Miami Sound Machine.


at 7 - I learned all the words to Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back" then, during recess one day, I tried to sing it to a girl that I liked as she played on the swings. She immediately decided to go on the slide instead.


10 to 12 - In the final days of MTV ('95-'97ish), I got into Green Day's Dookie and Insomniac albums along with Nature Quest's Sounds of the Forest, a CD of nature sounds mixed with like Mozart and Beethoven.


at 13 - I fiddled with electronic keyboards in a public middle school music class. I also learned a few things about theory and vocals by avoiding gym-class and taking chorus instead.


at 15 - I got a little red Squier Strat guitar and little practice amp.


16 to 17- I played guitar and sang punkish-rockish music with two of my friends in my mom's living room. Since the three of us wore glasses, we called the band "12 eyes."


18 to 19 - I briefly made music on my computer using electronic beats and guitar on a downloaded copy of Acid Pro 4.0, then I gave up music for a while to write some short stories, two one-act plays, a few ideas for short films, and to try and get better grades in college.


at 20 - I used Apple's GarageBand to (along with a guitar, a bass, and an old drumset my friend gave me) to re-record the Beatles Rubber Soul album (a project i dubbed Rubber Solo) in order to impress this girl I knew who liked the Beatles. Unfortunately, I only got 3 tracks in (4 if you count the Beatles song I rerecorded from Let It Be for the hell of it, "Two Of Us"). That girl thought they were nice, but, maybe because the recordings were kinda lo-fi, she wasn't that impressed.


at 21 - After becoming re-inspired by LCD Soundsystem's first album (along with the discovery of Beastie Boys' 1987 Paul's Boutique and Daft Punk's 1997 Homework albums) I bought an old Roland Juno 106 on ebay tried to make electronic, left-field house music under the moniker "The Automatronics" and slapped it all on a myspace page (note: i've taken it down since then).


from 21 to 22 - After getting bored of not being able to afford all the equipment needed to perform "the Automatronics" live, I went out to try and start and find other musicians and start a band that can actually play shows. From playing countless open mics and meeting people on myspace, I met many others (most notably Sam Metro & Jordan Randall) and Magnet Club slowly developed from that.


now - I'm 23 and I play, record, and write music often enough to warrant this myspace page.


Tuesday, January 1, 2008

It's my 23rd Birthday.

Since I'll be turning 23 on Monday, Jan 7th, I've decided to have an "Adieu 22" party to say bye to my 22nd year of life. It'll be at stardust and some some cool local musicians'll be playing (Owen Nicolas and Marching Elephants) and one uncool one (Omar DeLaRosa). Anyway, come by and say hello. Presents are not required, but if you want to give me something, who am I to stop you?