Monday Morning Commute: Colossus of Destiny
Hear ye! Hear ye! The Monday Morning Commute has arrived! Let us meet this train of thought in the station, see what wares it has to offer, and then add our own before it continues toward Collective Conscious Square! `Tis our duty as denizens of the Omega Level to not only profit from the bounty of awesome-suggestions, but to contribute as well!
Make merry and dance in the street! Digital or otherwise!
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Appreciatin’/2001: A Space Odyssey
Kubrick’s 1968 effort, 2001: A Space Odyssey, is one of those movies that can brag about being woven into the very fabric of popular culture. Even without having seen the film, one is apt to think of it in everyday situations, such as when listening to Also Sprach Zarathustra or encountering a tranquil-voiced robot delivering unfortunate news. The ape-people, the obelisk, the starchild – elements all identifiable without genuine engagement.
Perusing some reviews after seeing Tree of Life last weekend, it seems as though many are likening Malick’s study of the universe and humanity’s place in it to a modern-day 2001. Curious, I’ve decided to give Kubrick’s classic an honest view and I think I can attest to the fact that it lives up to the hype. While no clear-cut narrative is presented, 2001 throws (more than) enough material at the viewer to chomp on. Moreover, every single shot is goddamn gorgeous (akin to Tree of Life), making for a visually-appetizing movie-platter. If nothing else.
Thumbs up for the space odyssey!
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Rockin’/Darkness in the Light (Unearth)
Unearth has decided to stream all of Darkness in the Light, their new album due out next Tuesday. While I usually try to hold off on listening to new rawkinrole before I can buy the actual CD, I’m making an exception for Unearth. I’m really curious to hear what this material sounds like – although The Oncoming Storm and (especially) III: In the Eyes of Fire are two of my favorite metal albums, I was slightly underwhelmed by The March. So there’s an uncertainty in the air.
With that being said, the couple of tracks I’ve heard thus far are fucking killer. The riffs are alternately thrash-happy and breakdown-thick, giving plenty of room for fill-in drummer Justin Foley (of KSE) to showcase his many talents. I’m not expecting a game-changer from these guys, but it’ll be nice of Darkness in the Light gives some solid tunes to which we can bang our heads.
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Tryin’ to Grow/BEARD!
See the photo directly above? How about the one at the very top of this post? Can you spot what they have in common? It shouldn’t be too hard…
That’s right – both photos feature dudes with sexy beards! But in case you can’t tell beneath all of the face-fur, those dudes are awesome to begin with! Yeah, even Clint Eastwood and Jon Hamm, benchmarks of beautiful American masculinity when clean shaven, get plus-thirty awesome-points when adorning beards.
I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but I’m going to experiment with a beard for the first time in my life. I’ve never really given my face follicles a fair chance, prematurely hacking away in fear that they’ll look like those of a crumby fifteen-year-old. But I think I’m finally courageous enough to look like a scummy asshole for awhile if it means eventually crossing the threshold into the Realm of Beardom.
Wish me luck.
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Thazz my week. Now show me yours. It’s only fair.