What music helps keep a public pretender going?

Thanks to a reader out there who has helped me acquire music within my budget, I am... well, listening to more music lately.

And thanks to another reader who has provided me with (legal) means to listen to said music, I am... well, listening to more music everywhere.

This is obviously a good thing. I could site some studies that show that listening to music often makes you a better person, more agile, and a better dancer, but I'm too lazy to find something like that. So I'll just submit my anecdotal study for your consideration; I like listening to lots of music.

So, with that in mind, allow me to hit you with what is gracing my ipod and my computer as of late.

1. "An Announcement to Answer"- Quantic


If you like chill grooves, thought-out beats, all made by someone who is clearly a musician, this is your album. Although it technically qualifies for some variant of "electronica" as a genre (or sub-genre), there is something extremely complex in Quantic's work that you seldom see by most "beat makers." A great album to work out to, work to, or just have on in the background.

2. "Uptown Saturday Night"- Camp lo


1997 Hip Hop at its finest. Haven't heard of them? Yeah, me neither really until they popped up on my Little Brother Pandora station. Their samples, routed in funk and soul, are AMAZING. I really have nothing else to add, other than this album is a must-listen if you even remotely like hip hop.

3. "Donuts"- J. Dilla


It's likely that if you listen to hip hop, you've heard J Dilla, even if you can't recognize his work. He's collaborated with Slum Village, Talib Kwali, and Common, when he still made good albums (contributing heavily to "Like Water for Chocolate.") Sadly, on February 10, 2006, Dilla passed away, suffering from a cardiac arrest attributed to a rare blood disease.

This album's not for everyone- with short tracks composed of random beats, I could easily see how it could rub a lot the wrong way. However, I can't help but feel that there's something for everyone in this album. There's such a breadth in style that is so unique that it literally saddens me to know that he's not around to make good beats for the likes of the folks at Stones Throw, or De La Soul, etc.

Here's my favorite track:


And, with a special shotout to one of the two readers mentioned above, here's my favorite video and song of Dilla:



And sorry Wes, it ain't for you. (but thanks for the dl'ing music protips.)

Environs...

Protect Thems...

Tuesday Movie Review & Drinking Game

For this post, I'll be reviewing two somewhat related movies I recently watched: The Constant Gardener and The Last King of Scotland. Since the both involve Africa, British Involvement in Africa, depressing stuff, and global politics, I felt they were ripe for drinking games. You could watch both, while getting depressed, and get totally hammered! Glorious!

Let's start with "The Last King of Scotland."


Summary: Taking place during the turbulent transition of power from Milton Obote to British-trained Idi Amin in 1970's Uganda, the film follows a fictional Scottish doctor and his involvement with the new "president" as his personal physician. At first the doctor, although mostly altruistic and good-hearted, enjoyed the benefits of having access to the most powerful man in Uganda; however, he quickly and tragically learns that Amin, in addition to being unpredicatably eccentric, is essentially an ethnic cleansing, dissident disappearing, woman-multilating son of a bitch.

Review: Forrest Whitaker's performance is as large as Idi Amin's presence in the movie. I really believed that at times Whitaker's Amin genuinely believed in his own delusions and visions of grandiosity. James McAvoy and Gilian Anderson also have solid performances, although I didn't think they got anywhere near Whitaker's. And you can't really fault them. Idi Amin, the actual person, is a captivating character and it only make sense that a viewer would be sucked in to the portrayal.

The movie also does a good job of maintaining suspense, tactfully handling the horrors of Amin's crimes, and highlighting the unstable governments.

My own gripe is with the plot arc involving Dr. Garrigan and his various love interests. I won't divulge much here, but I just felt that they were kind of thrown in there haphazardly. Not terrible, but not terribly compelling, either. Still, they weren't so offensive to me that I wouldn't give the movie an A-.

Now, next one:
"The Constant Gardener"



Summary: Justin Quayle, played by Ralph Fiennes, is a British Diplomat. He meets, falls in love with, and marries an activist, Tessa, played by Rachel Weicz. She follows him to Kenya, where she pursues her passions. She ends up murdered amidst accusations of infidelity, and Quayle begins to unravel her mysterious death.

As he learns that she was nothing but loyal to him, he also begins to see the work that she was involved with to expose corrupt politicians and pharmaceutical giants experimenting on Africans.

Review: As you'd expect, once Qualye begins to scratch at the surface, the movie picks up in intensity. Like "Scotland," it does a great job keeping you invested and is well supported by Fiennes'. The movie wasn't overly confusing, as is the case all too often with conspiracy movies. While one may argue that that made it predictable, I find that it was still compelling enough to enjoy a lot.

I'd give it a B+/A-

THE DRINKING GAME:
I know, I know- it may be in bad taste to make a drinking game to two movies that highlight the plight of the developing world, but fuck is it depressing! And what makes depressing things better (or more depressing)? Alcohol!

The rules (some apply if you're only white- sorry!):
1 drink every time you feel guilty that you're white
1 drink every time you think about doing some kind of humanitarian work in Africa
7 drinks every time you tell someone you're thinking of doing some kind of humanitarian work in Africa
1 Gin and Tonic every time you see a mosquito or other insect
1 drink every time you repeat a word said with an African accent in your head
1 drink every time you try to think of where is country is located and can't remember
1 drink every time a group of children runs along with a bus
1 drink every time a British person says something condescending about the developing world
10 drinks every time you research the Peace Corps after you have really have yourself convinced that, "I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna go and do the Peace Corps."
1 coffee after you realize you don't have the constitution to commit to two years and a new set of vaccinations.