In what could be considered a ludicrously audacious move, The Weeknd chose to open Echoes of Silence with a Michael Jackson cover. This, apart from initiating a deluge of #mindblown twitter posts, turns out to be frankly inspired as it fits into the rest of his catalog scarily well. It actually makes you reassess the Jackson original with new found realization of how dark it is, rather than questioning its place here. The initial loops of breathy, shuddering, sighs reinforce this suggestion that the third part of the Balloons trilogy will maintain the lurid atmosphere and thematic concerns of hedonism and intoxication that were established in the first mix-tape of the trilogy, House of Balloons, back in March. Sure enough, the lyrics, when layered together with woozy, faltering synth, convey the obsession with sex and drugs, whilst the undercurrent of violence is reflected in recurrently bellicose production elements: when the drum machine beat comes in on D.D, it cuts through the texture like a gun shot and Outside are intermittently punctuated by blasts evocative of muffled explosions.
The crest of financial pursuit from the money worship team at Occasional Superstar. Get that mickey fickin’ cash!
As much the Four Evangelists as they are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Britney, Jay-Z, Kanye, and GaGa – our proud and prestigious pillars of Pop – stood tall and held rapturous court this year as the cause and cure for our ailing culture…
Occupy Wall Street is a leaderless resistance movement with people of many colors, genders and political persuasions. The one thing we all have in common is that We Are The 99% that will no longer tolerate the greed and corruption of the 1%. The original call for this occupation was published by Adbusters in July; since then, many individuals across the country have stepped up to organize this event, such as the people of the NYC General Assembly and US Day of Rage
“You’ve got to know the rules to break them. That’s what I’m here for, to demolish the rules but to keep the tradition.” – Alexander McQueen
Nothing’s too cool, to take me from you…
As someone who writes about music, I feel like I have to keep up with everything that goes on within that realm. Sometimes it’s very taxing and often it is very frustrating, especially within the sphere that I have chosen to examine, which is usually the lesser-known, more independent brand of music. These days, there is just so much that it’s hard to keep up with.
(September 14, 1983 – July 23, 2011)
Boots are made for stunting and that’s just what they’ll do… and one of these years these boots are gonna stunt all over you… Little Boots were made for shaking and heartbreaks… Swipe’s were made for trekking the transatlantic scape… Doc’s were made for leaving a footprint on the place… Politicians, happy-until-a-week-later marriages, Hauskeepers, one-percenters, tea-sippers, common sense and decency got a boot straight to the face… This year the bottom fell out in a most beautiful way, how do you destroy angels? Close your eyes… and just listen to the sounds… of these big, black, boots
1. Say Yes To Drugs
As far back as any sort of art has been produced, there is very often a strong connection that has been forged between said art and the use of drugs. Today there is much dispute as to what constitutes as ‘drugs’ and what lies outside the often debatable definition of the word itself. Several everyday occurences and practices owe their initial fruition to the use of drugs, yet nowadays, due to strict regulations, the use of drugs is seen as taboo and often a crutch in relation to the artistic process.
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