Anonymous Communist

One of my favorite euphemisms for stealing music online is saying you’re “sharing.” Rose by any other name and all that.

But damned if I’m not hooked on a little application called Mojo. Developed by Deusty Designs, Mojo is a sort of hybrid of an instant messenger and file-sharing application. You have a buddy list of sorts, and when a buddy is online you can view their iTunes library and download songs from it.

Awesome.

I’ve rationalized the ethical quandary of stealing sharing music in this fashion by imagining Mojo as the modern equivalent of taping a CD (or tape, LP or 8-track, depending on one’s age) from a friend, which we all did back in the day. With it, I’ve picked up all sorts of cool crap.

From Unpainted Huffhines (who first told me about Mojo), I’ve picked up the Avett Brothers and the Raconteurs. I’ve gotten a bunch of old-school (read: Diamond Dave-era) Van Halen and “Totally 80s”-style pablum from Johann. My friend Steve has hooked me up with a bunch of stuff I slept on back in the day: British shoegazers like Ride and My Bloody Valentine and the manic-depressive Wedding Present. Fellow pal Eric has given me a ton of rarities from two of my very favorite bands: Ween and Tortoise.

The downside to all this, of course, is that now my 30GB iPod is too small to hold all the musical goodness.

So what are you waiting for? Go download Mojo and get your steal on! When you get it installed, add “AnonComm” to your buddy list. I normally leave Mojo on all the time, so people can steal from me at their leisure. Try to ignore the embarrassing children’s tunes (Dora and the frightening Jay Jay the Jet Plane) and Mrs. Communist’s poor taste in music (Indigo Girls, 10000 Maniacs, et al).

Another gem from the brilliant Strange Maps blog:

(click map for full size)

A geography major with a sense of humor submitted this awesomely-titled cartogram to Strange Maps based on the Ludacris song “Area Codes”:

In this song, Ludacris brags about the area codes where he knows women, whom he refers to as “hoes.”

One then could reasonably infer that Luda knows “Kristen.”

I have become what I loathe.

I’m one of those music curmudgeons who complain that Music Was Better Back Then. For me, music (meaning alt-rock and hip-hop) reached its zenith in 1992, slowly declining before falling off a cliff in the late 1990s.

Fortunately, I’ve found a blog that indulges my close-mindedness. When They Reminisce… offers links to classic records from when hip-hop was still considered art rather than commerce. I’ve found albums such as Main Source’s “Breaking Atoms,” which has been out of print for more than a decade; Ed O.G. and Da Bulldogs’ “Life of a Kid in the Ghetto,” from which “Bug-A-Boo” was a staple on The Box back in 1991; and UMC’s “Fruits of Nature,” an excellent, light-hearted party record that I had no idea even existed when it was released in ‘91.

If you like hip-hop, you need to bookmark WTR. It’s right in my musical wheelhouse, which helps me overcome the ethical quandary of “downloading” music.

Following the lead of other local bloggers, I hereby present you with an official Anonymous Communist plug for (and the exhortation to attend that a plug implies) The Lebowski Experience.

Set for Saturday at Strike N Spare, The Lebowski Experience is a celebration of the finest movie of all time, “The Big Lebowski.” Registering at the TLE Web site will get you a T-shirt and a game of bowling (awesome shoes included, although no word on whether Saddam will be handing them out) as well as the opportunity to hang out with other obsessive Lebowski nerds.

If you’re not familiar with the movie, then that’s your own damned fault, idiot. The following should get you up to speed:

If you’re not lame offended by salty language, check out this version. If you’re at work, you might want to turn down your speakers a little bit.

I plan on attending, and there’s an Internet rumor that Springfield’s favorite public-access show will be there as well.

Thanks to the unmitigated genius that is Where Dave Is, now there are gifts I will be glad to give someone.

The fine folks at GiantMicrobes.com “make stuffed animals that look like tiny microbes—only a million times actual size!”

Many kinds of microbes are available: Black Death, Common Cold, Heartworm and of course, Chlamydia:

Playing doctor is a game you don’t want to lose. Know the rules.

Awesome. I can’t wait to give The Clap to Mrs. Communist! She’ll have to get her own Penicillin, though.

Go follow Tim’s instructions and you too can have your very own band, complete with an album and album cover. Here is mine:

The band: Tabby House
The album: “Infinite to the Finite,” from “Civilization is the process of reducing the infinite to the finite,” Oliver Wendell Holmes

The cover:

Diggity Dan at BFS has a fun new meme going: The BFS Holiday Music Exchange:

I just want everyone to recommend their five favorite new songs from the past year. Now when I say new, I don’t mean to restrict your selections to cuts that were released in 2007. What I’m looking for our songs that first garnered great status, in your estimation, within the last year.

I’ll gladly participate. Talking about music is one of my favorite things. That, and ripping off other people’s blogging ideas. I’ve noticed that none of these songs actually is from 2007. I’m so lame it hurts. I’ll include videos if I can find them.

(Related aside: I would just embed the music using Audio Player, a fantastic plugin for WordPress, but my host *coughYahoocough* apparently prohibits such exercise of common sense. Assbutts.)

In alphabetical order:

“Alfie,” Lily Allen – I could have picked any song off of “Alright, Still,” but this one encapsulates everything I like about the album: catchy vocal melody, charming (but possibly fake) Cockney accent, tight production, etc. Plus Lily Allen is the most adorable woman ever.

“All For U,” Aceyalone – I’d been familiar with Aceyalone only on the strength of his guest appearances with groups like Dilated Peoples. When I saw “Magnificent City” at this year’s delete sale, I had to get it. Combine Acey’s flow with the soul-powered production of RJD2 and you get a funky, danceable (if you are into that kind of thing) hip-hop record sans references to crack, guns and various luxury brand names. The video I found is a live version shot in what amounts to a collection of frame grabs.

“Blue Flowers,” Dr. Octagon – So it took me a decade to finally own this album. Sue me. A true hip-hop classic (think “Paid in Full” or “Low End Theory”), “Dr. Octagonecologyst” also undoubtedly is Kool Keith’s finest work. In it, Keith takes the form of Dr. Octagon, a time-traveling gynecologist from Jupiter, and in “Blue Flowers” he drops lyrics that make no sense literally but fit like a snug glove rhythmically around producer Dan the Automator’s eerie, string-heavy beat. Add in the incredible turntable work by DJ Q-Bert and you have an integral piece of the hip-hop canon. The guy from McSweeney’s liked it, too.

“One Man Wrecking Machine,” Guster – See this post from several weeks ago.

“Sookie Sookie,” Grant Green – Older music fans may be familiar with the Steppenwolf version of this song. On Blue Note’s “Blue Break Beats” compilation, soul-jazz guitarist Grant Green just takes the main riff and turns it into 11 minutes of pure groove. It’s impossible to not start buggin’ out when Green kicks off his first solo. Unfortunately, I can’t find any video. You’ll just have to be content with the snippet.

And so the war of words between The Eleventh Hour and BriBlog escalates.

Background here.

One of the things Mrs. Communist and I have in common is our appreciation for cool shoes (ohmygodshoes!). Well, she much more than I, of course… but I am down with the sneakers.

I have a particular weakness for the “old school” styles of Puma, Vans, Adidas and Converse. So imagine my delight when Mrs. C informed me that Converse will let you design and purchase your very own customized Chuck Taylor All Stars.

You can choose from hi-top, lo-top, skidgrip and slip-ons. The kids can even get in on the action with sizes for wee feets. You’re not limited to canvas, either: Leather and suede uppers are available. You’re also not limited to All Stars: One Stars also are available for customizing.

Having two pairs of of All Stars already (charcoal canvas and olive green wool), I futzed with a pair of One Stars:

You can tweak a colors and patterns all the way down to the laces and racing stripe. The shoes don’t even have to be all one color. You also can choose a pair to benefit the (Product) Red program.

I’m in the market for some new sneakers but am undecided on the customized Converse. If you, dear readers, get a pair of these fancy kicks, send me a picture.

If you’re looking for an interesting blog to read, I recommend the excellent Strange Maps. Its content is exactly what its name implies.

I was perusing Strange Maps this morning and found a map of UFO sightings by county. As you might expect, the extraterrestrials dig the West, which had most of the hotspots.

Looking at Illinois, I was surprised to see that one county in particular had more than its fair share of weirdos UFO sightings:

Yup, in brick red in the middle of the state, it’s good ol’ Sangamon County. I guess Homer was right.

Two words: Lolcat Bible.

In a few hours, the mean streets of Urbana will be exactly where I’m at.
Ween takes the stage at the Canopy Club tonight, and U-Huff and I, along with Captain Jack from Silly Joel and the Paperboys centerfielder, will be there.

They’re touring in support of their new record (which comes out Oct. 23 but can be preordered here), so it’ll be fun to hear all sorts of new tunes.

I hope to have a full report up sometime Thursday. Until then, enjoy the clean version of their rejected Pizza Hut jingle: