stand up tall Posted by poolboyjames on August 16, 2009 at 7:50 PM comments (0)sometimes i think about taking responsibility for my own life/actions
i think to myself, "man i should step up my responsibility game" i mean its like everyday i relinquish power for a self-defeating excuse i mean would u rather have 1,000 excuses or 1,000 accomplishments? when i put myself under the microscope i see myself making too many excuses i hope to change this like.. now know what i'm sayin?
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album tyme Posted by poolboyjames on July 14, 2009 at 7:29 PM comments (0)sup people
i got a great hip hop instrumental album the other day i want to share it with u guys so here are the instructions to get it for those not too good with computers or whatever: 1. http://leshake.blogspot.com/2008/03/fat-jon-as-maurice-galatica-humanoid.html 2. click 'sharebee' under the tracklist 3. then it gives u 4 website download options, i chose rapidshare 4. then it made me wait a few seconds, when the countdown was over i clicked download this album is from fat jon and its called 'humanoid erotica' how i found out about it was i had the beat 'raindance' on my hard drive (probably in a collection of instrumentals i downloaded one day) i listened to raindance and it really made an impact on me, like it has a real feeling to it that can't be denied so i finally decided to check out whoever made raindance which brought me to find the album i didn't expect the cd to be this good throughout but its amazing like i said its instrumental hip hop but its so well done that i don't feel like i'm missing anything without vocals.. its a very complete and enjoyable work of art with some smooth vibes but u can still nod ur head to it so i am just sharing this info with u guys ya dig peaCe random Posted by poolboyjames on August 13, 2009 at 12:53 PM comments (0)i love that song "dumb it down" from lupe fiasco
the song is normal song structure three 16s and a chorus, but the chorus is different each time.. i really respect him for goin in and putting in that extra attention to detail each chorus is just as exciting as the lyrical content in the 16s its like he got all this pressure from those around him and instead of letting it change him, he threw it all back in their faces.. to basically use negative energy as fuel in general to me is amazing and oftentimes makes the best music and/or achievements in life the last thing i like about it is that guy at the end when he says "pour champagne on a bitch!" LOL that cracks me up every time ---------------------------------------------------------------- the other day i had no money but for some reason i checked my bank account online and i had 16 dollars!! i got some sort of refund from something i paid for a month or two ago how dope is that? i mean when u have NOTHING one minute, then turn around and find money out of nowhere.. gotta be one of the best feelings u know what i mean? ----------------------------------------------------------------- when i do round 3 of my music search i would like to do all hip hop im not sure how this is gonna go because sometimes when i listen to rap i wonder if the "artist" at hand is trying to blow-ass on purpose like when u rhyme the n-word with the n-word, i just don't look at u the same anymore but we'll see how it goes ------------------------------------------------------------------ what is the deal with chicken wings? how do people eat that stuff? i love chicken, but chicken wings have all this bone and gristle, and skin and who knows what else when u can have chicken nuggets, or chicken breast, i don't understand why anyone would get chicken wings ----------------------------------------------------------- right now i'm in my room with no shirt on with the fan at the highest setting summer is GAY. ------------------------------------------------------------- i was thinking recently.. i don't like carpet i mean what is the point of carpet really? to hold in smells? to keep stains? to hold deep-seated dirt and grime? to make u vaccuum all the time? carpet is something i don't understand hardwood throughout the entire house.. end of story. -------------------------------------------------------------- the other day i asked this 23 yr old girl why she didn't have a driver's license she said "because i don't have a car" i immediately thought that was incredibly dumb, but whenever something seems dumb to me i try to think of a place in my life where i do the same thing and i thought about music and how a lot of times i don't even work on lyrics because i can't record until i get an i-mac i guess the point is, do what u can with what u have now, and later when ur opportunity comes, it will be met with all of your preparation ---------------------------------------------------------------- i got some sunglasses that i actually think r dope.. i got 2 pair cuz sometimes i have been known to leave a pair in the house so yeah, that's 1 less way summer will irritate me word. keepin it to myself Posted by poolboyjames on August 12, 2009 at 2:00 PM comments (0)u know what i just realized
i gotta stop trying to run things by other people stop bouncing my ideas off of other people and seeking their insight and advice why? because my ideas make sense to me but every damn time i tell someone else my plan they come up with a reason why it won't work my ideas make sense to me and somehow some moron always finds a way to tell me my plan is a fiasco waiting to happen well u know what? YOUR LIFE IS A DAMN FIASCO!!!!!!! i realize by going to other people sometimes i allow them to limit me i do think there is a time to get advice.. but only from people u can TRUST if u cannot trust that they will hold your dream with the same level of care that you would yourself, then u are better off keeping it to yourself this reminds me of something i wrote on my 2006 cd "style by fire" couped up in my room tryna make a rhyme/ honin' skills, nobody knew james could write/ cuz too many people wanna take ur pride/ dream-killers got fangs, them snakes'll bite/ so it was better covered up, like a naked guy/ in that segment, i was just saying that for a time, my talent was better left covered up, because if i let too many people know i was writing and rapping then they'd tell me why i'm terrible at both and then list all the reasons why i should give up don't birth your child prematurely because it may not survive whatever dream, goal, or endeavor u have, keep it safe from harm, allow it the proper development time, and birth it when its ready nobody can take away what they don't know u have paralysis or movement? Posted by poolboyjames on August 12, 2009 at 12:19 AM comments (0)i have recently realized how important it is to have one mind about one's endeavors
before anything can ever be achieved, one must believe they can achieve it this is why doubt is so negative, because it takes u out of the running before success is achieved conquering doubt takes a constant positive outlook.. but the key to a positive outlook is to have ONE outlook i can make it. i can do it. i have made mistakes but i learned from them. i am strong today. i am going to see this through til the end. this is hard but i will find a way. these statements say "i will remain on this path to success, i can acknowledge my mistakes but they do not define me or my future, who i am today is not who i was yesterday" think of it in literal terms.. i am currently 24.. am i the same person i was 23 years ago? if someone was in a coma for 23 years and woke up, and they looked around for baby pool boy in 2009, would they find him!? NO. pool boy is still here but i am just not the same see, these statements focus on the here and now. they focus on the goal and they focus in on one pathway, the pathway that leads to the alotted goal ------------------------------ negative thinking is simply a thought process that entertains 'other' options.. options that are off the goal pathway. i am strong, but this is hard i don't know if i can make it i made so many mistakes in the past that i don't trust myself to do what is correct anymore i want success but i don't see a way to it these say "i am strong but this obstacle might be stronger" "my past defines me" "the best indicator of what i will do is my past" "there is no reason to think i can do better" "there is no logical reason for hope when it comes to me" "i can make it BUT" these statements are like saying 2 things at once they entertain that other option the problem with that is.. the other option is an alternative to success ------------------------------ its really rather simple, see this is the foundation of what people mean when they say "life is what you make it" its important to entertain either negativity or positivity attempting to entertain both leaves one in a state of paralysis all in all no matter which way it goes it is better to reach a verdict than to remain at a hung jury ---------------------------------- i encourage all who read this to take a look at what attitude they project not only on themselves but also on others think about this and turn an "i'm not sure" into a "yes" or "no" today! for example i'm not sure - i want to graduate but this is tough, i don't know if i can make it (remains in fear) no - this isn't for me, i'm going to drop out and pursue something else (moves on) yes - i'm going to get my degree no matter what (carries on) take urself out of the emotional purgatory today! pet-peeve Posted by poolboyjames on August 11, 2009 at 8:18 AM comments (0)one thing i hate is when people insult your intelligence or ask u dumb questions or make little negative insinuations about your character
i mean really that truly gets under my skin do i do that to people? i mean why am i subjected to condescending attitudes and people and subtle negative comments so much? what have i done to deserve it? i just want it to turn around round 2 mercury prize edition Posted by poolboyjames on August 11, 2009 at 3:33 AM comments (0)ok a few blogs ago i did 'round 1' which was round 1 of my new music search.. this entry is a continuation of that
let me 1st give some background: i am a big fan of music, however i noticed for the past few years i have been listening to artists i know and no new artists some people get to a certain time or point and they say "music's not good anymore like it used to be in (insert old era here)" i think that is just false period, however even tho i think its false, like i said, i wasn't really finding any new artists, so i decided to begin looking for new peeps hence round 1 and now ROUND 2 (please note this entry is long.. it is the biggest, most ambitiousblog i have ever done tho, so i hope someone enjoys it on somelevel) -------- ok this time around i wasn't exactly sure where to start last time i just imagined who i wanted to hear and downloaded their album this time however, i got the idea to use all of the 2009 nominees for the mercury prize the mercury prize is a music award given to artists in the uk.. when i first heard about the mercury prize years ago, i respected it for what it stood for and also because of the artists it nominated.. sometimes awards are a popularity contest but the mercury prize always seemed deeper than that -------- so basically i downloaded all the albums of the 2009 mercury prize and listened to them so that i could #1. be exposed to new music #2. share my findings with you the only thing you should know about this before u read on is that i was unable to download every single album on the list.. there were 12 nominees and i was unable to find downloads for a few of the albums the albums i did not get to listen to were: Led Bib - Sensible Shoes Speech Debelle - Speech Therapy Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice Born Men The Invisible - The Invisible so obviously, i listened to 8 of the nominees ------- i listened to: Bat for Lashes - Two Suns Florence & The Machine - Lungs Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires Glasvegas - Glasvegas Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum La Roux - La Roux Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew The Horrors - Primary Colours ------- my goal is to first talk about the ones i didn't like so much and then get into the ones i enjoyed.. please note, that is the only order.. they are not ordered like, "least fave to most fave" or "best to worst" .. its just the group of the few i didn't like, then the group of the ones i did like.. i didn't want to pit the bad against the bad, or pit the good against the good so much.. i just wanted to separate the two -------- The Horrors - Primary Colours this album sounded like ambient horror music under wailing (non-aggressive) guitars everything had quite a bit of reverb in it.. i didn't like this album at all.. i didn't even finish listening to it.. i like a good beat but all the beats were drowned out on this cd.. however, still, even though i know this sort of thing isn't my cup of tea, i still have a hard time seeing this band being successful.. i found it to be a bit spooky and unappealing sometimes i see a band and think "i don't like it but someone will" but this band i couldn't figure out who would like it --------- Lisa Hannigan - Sea Sew i must admit i didn't finish this one either.. i didn't give it much of a chance, i was just repelled by it a bit personally, let me explain why ok i listened, and i thought it may have some good melodies, however my patience was wearing thin.. everything seemed like overly soft and slow for me and again, back to the beat issue like with "the horrors".. there was like no beat to any of the songs so then i peeped the genre and it said "pop-folk" so i was just totally out of my element.. i couldn't relate or enjoy this cd at all i imagine this album's audience would be like, meek teen girls who like love songs, or maybe someone 'earthy' like maybe a hippie, or like.. women who don't wear makeup maybe? ---------- Glasvegas - Glasvegas this album was like.. again with the reverb, kinda wailing guitars, songs about relationships i felt like this cd was like a no-frills modern rock cd.. to me that's kindof the problem its like if u bought a rap cd and it lived up to all the cliches of rap, you would say its boring and not special this is kinda how i see this band.. just rather bland.. i didn't enjoy it at all on any level i don't know what kind of people would listen to this --------- OK!! now those were the ones i didn't care for now its time for the ones i enjoyed!!!! --------- La Roux - La Roux ok.. i had been seeing this chick's album cover around but i thought the album cover was horrendous because i couldn't tell if it was a guy or a chick on the cover.. all i knew was whoever it was, had a terrible haircut (the cd cover was like inspired by the 1920s and junk) so had it not been for her being nominated for the mercury prize, i probably never would have listened to her just because the album cover was kinda like.. it made me not want to hear the music so anyway i listened and i had somewhat of a mixed review about this one i think this album kinda has a large audience it can reach because of its poppy appeal, which should work out good for sales and exposure, but sometimes i felt it was a bit overly poppy.. i suppose what i mean by that is like.. lacking soul, maybe the vocals being processed a bit much or just too 'modern' when i say too modern i kinda mean like typical behavior of today.. this cd reminds me of kelly osbourne's music.. its similar to kelly's album "sleeping in the nothing" however i thinksleeping in the nothing was better (not an insult, that album was great) .. and her voice in many of the songs has that airy feel to them when she proves on some other songs she can ditch the airy feel and belt it out.. any of the songs where she has the airy thing kinda wear on me examples of airy and non-airy on the album (1st 4 songs in order) #1 in for the kill (airy) #2 tigerlilly (not airy) #3 quicksand (airy) #4 bulletproof (not airy) my main example of a song where she just ditches the airy thing and belts it is "bulletproof" .. which is definitely one of my favorite songs from the album so basically, the album gains a very large audience due to its poppy appeal, but the poppy aspect also tends to hurt the album's chances of being a classic with timeless soul and feeling i do think there can be a perfect marriage of them, but i don't think this is it.. its like a british britney spears album if that makes any sense (this comparison comes mostly from the airy songs) don't get me wrong tho, it succeeds on some levels too.. like for example the beats are quite creative and danceable.. and this is what i wanted to say the most... THE BEATS SOUND LIKE OLD SONIC THE HEDGEHOG MUSIC i promise i'm not exaggerating!!! but its great too!!! LOL what i mainly want to show in my la roux review is that there is some good and some bad ---------- Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires this album is pretty dope this is more of a good mix of pop and depth.. the songs can be played like probably anywhere for anything (pop) .. however at the same time it has that element of maturity, great instrumentation, soul, vocals not too processed etc etc this is a happy album, great beats if i had to explain what it is, i'd say disco/rock or rock disco.. u can dance to it but it has madd rock elements, they do a great job, u can tell its not forced, this is just what they do.. some of the album also has a hint of 80s mixed in.. "white diamonds" is one example one of the standouts of the album for me was "skeleton boy" but what i mostly want to say is this album is great straight up and down i totally reccommend it to everyone these guys cover a lot of ground in musical genres and they seem do it effortlessly.. very talented and natural! ---------- Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum i want u to peep the title of the album again.. see this album has a sort of western theme throughout.. so when u listen to it then the title makes sense how they followed this western theme so well is rather amazing this album is rock however a surprising number of songs are softer and void of electric guitars.. this isn't necessarily bad, but when u listen to it, the first few songs are like actual rock whereas a number of the later songs veer off into a softer territory this kinda made me think perhaps they should've worked on the tracklist more to mix it up more, because its like u get geared up for the album to be all rock but then its like the last half isn't in the same vein as the first half my main view of the album tho is that its great the direction of the album obviously takes some getting used to, however once u accept that its kindof a western sort of concept album as opposed to a normal rock album then it becomes more acceptable, enjoyable i didn't enjoy every single song, for example the last song "happiness" i wasn't into it.. but honestly this album as a whole totally shines.. great vocals, great instrumentation, great melodies, the western theme is a total curveball, and beyond all that this album straight up is made up of solid material.. i thoroughly enjoyed almost every song and here's what i wanted to say the most about this cd THE SONG FAST FUSE KICKS MAJOR ASS flat-out that is one of the dopest songs like EVER.. i promise that song is absolutely 100% incredible kasabian great job! --------- Bat for Lashes - Two Suns ok.. this album is off the hook totally reminds me of kate bush (who i love by the way) this album is like, very melodic, has a very worldly feel to it, the album is mellow and soothing, however NOT BORING AT ALL.. it also has some creative beats to it the words i'd use to describe the album are mellow, spooky, inviting, and beautiful its like going into a new world of magic or something this album has a depth to it, the vocalist has a sort of mature elegance she covers a lot of musical ground, like she can have a great creative beat but still be mellow, she can have depth but still have a sing-a-long chorus example of great sing-a-long chorus: "pearl's dream" example of great melody: "siren song" here's another thing about this album.. when u play it on repeat and it ends, the ending of the album goes back into the beginning of the album seamlessly that should tell u something about the attention to detail here great album.. no negatives at all.. this chick gets madd respect from me ---------- Florence & The Machine - Lungs this one is another album that reminded me of kate bush, however a bit less of the kate bush signature weirdness i'm just gonna tell u right now.. this album is amazing and incredible on every level i'm just gonna talk about a few things in it this album is more than just music, it has true feeling, depth, and soul throughout the whole thing.. this album transcends just being modern.. it reaches for that higher plateau, people will be able to listen to it for a very very long time without it feeling dated this vocalist seems like she has been through some things and it seems to come out in her vocal inflections, the power/strength she exudes when singing, and also her lyrics "a kiss with a fist is better than none" this album is a very ambitious, and strong effort, in a lot of ways it totally represents what music should be this album has a general atmospheric, and worldly feel... the singer is full of versaitlity, range, power, i mean this album is just great and whats more is that I HAVENT EVEN LISTENED TO THE SECOND DISC YET the first cd is THAT GOOD that no matter what is on the second disc, the cd is still worth every penny of the price of admission this chick gets madd respect ----------- FINAL THOUGHTS: my favorite ones were: (in no particular order because they were all great) Bat for Lashes - Two Suns Florence & The Machine - Lungs Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires Kasabian - West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum i would reccommend all 4 of these albums let me do some awards for each of them: ------------ most ambitious - Florence & The Machine - Lungs most danceable - Friendly Fires - Friendly Fires most continuity - Bat for Lashes - Two Suns most energetic and fun single song - Kasabian for "fast fuse" ------------- i think the winner of the award will either be florence and the machine or bat for lashes its a tough one between those two no joke but i'm totally certain it will be one of those two ... i kinda lean toward florence and the machine to take it home tho because its so ambitious, covers so much ground, so many diff emotions, and is a double album ------------ winner will be announced september 8th kitty Posted by poolboyjames on August 11, 2009 at 7:10 AM comments (0)i love kitty from that 70's show
whenever i see her i think, "man it would be great to have a wife like that one day" i love how she tries so hard to see the good in everything she tries to always be a ray of sunshine for everyone and her approach towards everyone is gentle and loving i also like that when it comes down to it she will tell you the truth that u need to hear every once in a while, and u listen because you know she would never steer you wrong she is sweet and has an effortless charm she knows red is always angry and so she tries to help him relax and see things from a healthy perspective i'd definitely like a woman like her in my life one day u might be right Posted by poolboyjames on August 7, 2009 at 6:41 AM comments (0)how about earlier i read where someone criticized hip hop artists for sampling
it made me think maybe i should strive to only do original music i'm not afraid of some opinionated blogger telling me i need to stop sampling its just.. on some level it makes sense to just do original music the obvious issue is when u sample something, u kinda know its good because someone else ok'd it at some point, all their fans ok'd it, plus u ok'd it.. so u know the song should basically go over well (music-wise) with anyone who hears it but when u make something brand new the main issue is like "am i the only person who will like this beat?" LOL this is why its important for an artist to have people around them who tell them the truth in my life, i always felt like my sister did that for me she is responsible for one of the songs people tend to say is their favorite of mine i don't even think she knows it either, so in a sense, her ear is an effortless thing she has anyway the main point of this was that opinionated internet guy really got me thinking no more sampling? i say good idea identity is priceless Posted by poolboyjames on August 7, 2009 at 5:38 AM comments (0)i was thinking about video games in general today again and saying to myself "i'm tired of all these 'guy-with-a-gun' games"
what occurred to me though was the fact that the game industry is still suffering from the impact of grand theft auto gta3, vice city, san andreas, and gta4 have pretty much dominated this entire decade of gaming and so in gta's wake u obviously have clone after clone after clone after clone "oh gee, another free-roaming 3rd person game where a guy has a gun.. how innovative" the thing is this.. these companies see a successful game and seem to only see the outside surface.. "people bought that, so i'll make one just like it!" but the fact is, success is made up of principles and not a specific formula for example: gta3 was successful because it was innovative, not simply because it was a 'guy-with-a-gun' game thus a game company should say "lets make an innovative game" ..rather than saying "lets make a gta clone" the same thing goes for music... u have a successful artist and then u have 5billion cheap knock-offs.. i want u to think about what i'm saying next time u see a rapper talking about selling kilos when u know he works at UPS these rappers don't understand, its not a specific formula, its principles if emcee bust-a-cap is successful think about how he became a success did he associate with the right people? does he have a great charisma? is he a lyrical genius? does he choose the best beats? these are questions of principle.. non-specific questions about your role-model's conduct don't say "he is successful so i'm gonna cop that jacket he has on" or "he is successful, so i'm gonna sell crack like him" or "i'm gonna ride 20s like him" i guess in a sense i'm saying look at the root of the plant rather than the plant itself shoot for another person's success, use their success as a target.. but make sure u keep your identity, do it but do it on your own terms hopefully that made sense to somebody out there other than myself if not......? then i guess being a fake someone else is better than being a real you peaCe |
JaimsThese are my blogs from 2009. I started them in May of that year when I couldn't work on music but still needed a way to express myself. Archives
December 2009
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