1) Today is Thursday! The beginning of the week was ridiculous: Fir 4's Monday night tradition was started with our Floor Government meeting that was made a lot more interesting by the belligerently inebriated. And last night's floor Karaoke Night was made funner by Monday night's leftovers and was equally amusing (highlights: a male transfer student from Bombay, India performed a chillingly accurate rendition of Aqua's "Barbie Girl", a small Asian boy in a muscle tee sang and danced seductively to "Lady Marmalade", the lack of Smashmouth's "All Star" in the karaoke machine resulted in everyone in the vicinity to yell the whole song together with no background track, etc).

Everyone knew all of the words.

2) If I weren't afraid that my roommates will someday find my blog and read it, I would be able to write essays upon essays about them. I really wish I could fully explain their characteristics, their ways of life, my unique relationships with them... oh. Hahaha ask me directly to learn more, I will gladly fill you in on "Grace" and "Jenny".

3) It is over a week into the month of October. Yesterday, it was 95 degrees.

4) "You got Blogged": a phrase that has become more and more useful in my daily conversations with people. As an avid reader of my friends blogs, I find it useful to refer to their blog posts when I speak to them. For example, Cheryl will start to tell me a story and I will have to interrupt her with "I know, I read it on your blog". However, "You got Blogged" refers to a much more specific context: like when Cheryl came into my room, looked at the remaining pieces of my broken mirror (see "Seven Years") and said "That is a lot less than 46 pieces. YOU GOT BLOGGED". Haha I highly suggest you start to use this phrase in your daily life.

A picture of some pancakes to break up the text on this post.

5) After a week of tryouts and callbacks for a bajillion groups, I am officially a member of Random Voices, one of the acapella groups at UCLA. I am beyond excited! The RV girls kidnapped me and the other new girls from our rooms at 2:30 AM on Tuesday night just as I was about to finally get started on homework - we returned after 6 AM, leaving me just enough time to finish my homework, shower, and get to my 9 AM class. Combined with Monday and Wednesday night's activities, along with the sickness that has started to plague the entire building, and my general bad sleeping habits, I am guaranteed to get really sick, really soon. BUT in any case, I am ecstatic about Random Voices!

That is all for now. Today I had salad at lunch and it had one of the biggest lettuce leaves I've ever seen in my entire life.

Tiffany

Pacific!:  Taking a cue from Pan's Labyrinth?  Longtime childhood friends from Gothenburg, Sweden, Daniel and Björn lost and found each other a few years ago, decided to rent a studio together and make electronic pop for a living.  Oh yeah, they toured with Justice for a while.

Think:  Beach Boys + PBJ + Royskopp

Latest album:  Reveries

Pacific! - Sunset Boulevard

[audio http://www.greatweatherforairstrikes.com/assets/sound/pacific_boulevard.mp3]

Pacific! - Number One

[audio http://turnthatshitoff.com/2008/mp3/snt12/01%20Track%2001.mp3]

Best "every frame can be my silkscreen T-shirt" video:

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.640927&w=425&h=350&fv=m%3D15385026%26type%3Dvideo%26a%3D0]

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PAS/CAL:  This Detroit-based band has been scattering their EPs around for years, and lucky attendees of their concerts described them as "all dressed up in deceptively catchy and meticulously arranged tunes with hooks that would make Johnny Marr jealous and turn Serge Gainsbourg’s head."  A perfect recipe for unabashed twee under the cloudy skies of summer in San Francisco.

Think: Of Montreal + The Zombies + Final Fantasy

Latest Album:  I Was Raised on Mark, Matthew, Luke, & Laura

PAS/CAL - Summer is Almost Here

[audio http://www.romanticair.com/PASCAL-Summer_Is_Almost_Here.mp3]

PAS/CAL - You Were Too Old for Me

[audio http://www.dailyrindblog.com/audio/pascal_youweretoooldforme.mp3]

Why pay at all when you're at Payless?

According to the commercials the P'Zone is "over one pound of cheese and toppings for only $5.99". Wow, what an appetizing description. And accurate too. So if I ordered one, I could expect to open the box to find a big mountain of greasy cheese and toppings mixed together and looking like it was scrapped out of the garbage? Not exactly. As the name P'Zone should tell you, it's actually a type of calzone. Note that nowhere in the commercial do they ever say the word calzone. This is either because they want you to think that the P'Zone is actually a completely original invention of Pizza Hut or because they don't want you to realize that you can probably find a calzone at any Italian restaurant and that it might taste better or cost less.

This commercial begins with a man walking into a room and his friends all exclaiming "Yo Mooch". This helps to do two things. By beginning the sentence with the word 'yo' we immediately understand that these are cool, modern guys who are not afraid to use popular slang from the 1980s. We are also introduced to the character of Mooch. Pizza Hut has dared to go where very few commercials feel necessary in their 30 seconds. They have established and named a character, someone who, if popular enough, could eventually wind up on some frat boy's t-shirt.

What do we know about Mooch? First, he's a fan of annoyingly curly hair, something that no self-respecting guy would have. So by showing us his hair, he already know he's the kind of guy we might expect to see wearing clothes that he got from Abercrombie or playing acoustic guitar on the street, not for money, but just because. We also know that he's probably not very intelligent as evidenced by the fact that he never says anything. He either asks a question "What you boys got there?" or exclaims it: "That's huuuge!" And finally, from his very name, we know he's a mooch, trying to get anything he can without paying for it. He is, in essence, that one guy everyone knows in real life.

So Mooch walks into the room and what is going on? We have three friends sitting around eating together. There's the white guy, the black guy, and curiously enough, the girl. Notice that we are never introduced to the girl, she never says anything, and we never see her close up. In fact, this may not even be a girl at all but a fourth guy, something unheard of in television commercials which always need there to be a girl and a black guy in every group of friends. And what are the friends doing as they eat? Apparently nothing. There's no visible television or anything else to provide them with entertainment while they eat. But when you have P'Zones, you don't any external stimulation. Watch and listen as the group eats. They moan and mumble things like "Delicious" like creepy sex offenders.

Finally Mooch has had enough. He questions "Soooooooo?" and everyone in unison shouts back "No!" You see, they've dealt with Mooch enough to know exactly how his mind works. But can you blame Mooch? The way I see it, he has every right to be upset and angry with his friends. At some point, around 45 minutes before this commercial began, they all decided they wanted something to eat. They called Pizza Hut and ordered three P'Zones, one for each of them. The P'Zones were delivered and they all sat down around the living room coffee table to eat. It was at this moment that Mooch walked in. Either these three friends had decided beforehand that since they were diverse enough already they didn't need to invite Mooch over (secretly knowing he'd annoyingly show up anyway) or they did invite him and intentionally left him out when ordering. Either way, Mooch was excluded and Mooch knows this.

Now the montage of Pizza Hut P'Zone footage begins. "It's back. The Pizza Hut P'Zone is yours alone." Wait. This whole concept of Mooch, the character who begs for things was created SOLELY so that they could use that stupid throwaway rhyme? It's also at this moment we see the black character grinning like a madman while he chews. This is just to divert our attention for what happens next. A P'Zone is literally dropped onto a postage scale whereupon it bounces and registers the weight as '1.07'. Look carefully at the bottom of the screen and you'll see the disclaimer that says "1.07 lbs average weight of post-baked Classic P'Zone. Meaty and Pepperoni average weights may vary." Because if they didn't, you just know some fat guy would sue Pizza Hut because his P'Zone didn't weigh as much as the one in the commercial.

We are then shown a montage of P'Zones being cut open, pulled apart, and exposing the ingredients within. This footage looks EXACTLY like the footage they show in Taco Bell commercials when they pan over the burritos and quesadillas. In fact, they have the same voice over guy. This is because Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC all belong to the same parent group which is ultimately owned by Pepsico. If you look carefully at the table when everyone is eating their P'Zones, you can see bottles of Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Listen carefully as the prices are revealed. Pizza Hut generously thought to include ridiculous swooshing sound effects for the price fonts so as they are revealed it makes extra noise. And speaking of sound, that music playing during the whole commercial is "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby" covered by Smash Mouth. This is an amazing choice, because when you think Smash Mouth, you can't help but to think of big and cheesy.

Near the end of the commercial, the punchline comes. The black guy says "Hey Mooch, you want one?" to which Mooch exclaims "Yeah!" The black guy then laughs as he says "Order up!", tosses Mooch the phone, and resumes staring longingly at his own P'Zone in one swift and well-rehearsed motion. Watch Mooch's eyes as he catches the phone. You can clearly see he is scared and confused, having not yet figured out the joke his friend played on him. The commercial ends with a red Pizza Hut roof crashing down onto an apartment building. This is not imaginary, it literally is supposed to have crashed onto the roof as evidenced by the startled person walking by on the street looking over at it. We are left wanting to order a P'Zone of our own and having our own houses crushed by Pizza Hut logos while we experience pizza orgasms.

View an alternate Mooch commercial here with additional stupidity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkSz-aR8OIk

Further research into the character of Mooch reveals that he is played by a model named Trent Garrett. He was once model of the week at MODELS.com (available here) which reveals that most of my predictions of his character were dead on. He was discovered WORKING at an Abercrombie store and his hobbies include playing the harmonica and having safe sex. He also inexplicably loves playing characters associated with foods that available in wrapped form. Here he is in a Hot Pockets commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovFhEgNXBp4

Nothing wrong with that, of course.

Today was one of these days where I really wasn't sure what to post. I thought about posting a song called "She Thinks She's Edith Head", but while it may be a cool song, it isn't anywhere on Youtube.

So, I'm going with Smash Mouth. Now you may be thinking, All right, he's going to post 'Why Can't We Be Friends', 'Walking On The Sun', 'All Star', 'I'm A Believer', or something along that line.

Not quite. Actually, all the songs I'm posting today are from the album Fush Yu Mang. Admittedly, "Why Can't We Be Friends", and "Walking On the Sun" were on that album, but I thought I'd focus in a bit on some of the songs that didn't get as much play.

When I got this album, it was totally different from what I had been listening to. So it took me a bit to adjust to their style. Then I started paying attention to the lyrics, and started enjoying them.

Nervous In the Alley

You know, there are an awful lot of songs about drug abuse out there. Nevertheless, I like this one. It's realistic, for one. The lyrics were well done, too. Or maybe I just like songs with the word 'Gonzo' in them. I'm not discounting that possibility.

Heave-Ho

This song feels like they took the writers adage "Write What You Know" to heart. With this song, they've written a rather fun song about their collective whiny neighbor. And you could probably get the same results described if you blast this song loud enough, too.

Flo

Again, I like songs with a story behind them. And this is about someone who's concerned enough about their girlfriend to try to get them back together with their ex. Which I think is cool.

Here they are after getting their makeup and costumes done.

Here's their performance. It is a song by Smash Mouth called All Star.

And here are the glamour girls after their fine performance.

"...ba deci s-a ingrasat ceva, e aproape cat tipul asta cu castile de langa mine"

Noroc ca a inceput melodia celor de la Smash Mouth, I Can't get enough of you baby! Ma binedispune intotdeauna.

Those of you who have been following me since my Xanga days (www.xanga.com/asad123) know that from time to time I like to apply my literary analysis skills to contemporary music. Today I’d like to analyze Smash Mouth’s “All Star” from 1999. No particular reason why, I just heard it on the radio today and thought it would make a good entry. The lyrics, courtesy of lyrics.astraweb.com, follow and my comments are in parentheses.

Somebody once told me the world is gonna roll me
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead
(When he says that world is going to “roll” him, I think he means that the world is going to run him over, like a steamroller. The phrase, “not the sharpest tool in the shed,” like “not the ripest banana in the bunch,” implies that the singer is no genius. And it is his lack of mental prowess that makes him fear the world will chew him up and spit him out. The same person who says the world will roll him also makes a gesture to him indicating that he is a loser. Those of us who grew up in the 90’s remember people doing this all the time, particularly after the movie Clueless came out.)

Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
(I don’t understand what it means to be “fed to the rules.” An alternate version of the lyrics says, “fed you the rules” which makes a little more sense to me. But it’s quite vague and I don’t know what rules he’s talking about, maybe some general wisdom for life. He’s advocating a hedonistic way of life when he says it “didn’t make sense not to live for fun.” While I’m not opposed to people having fun, I don’t think one should live for fun alone. People who work hard in school may become smarter, but they may not get street smarts, which seem to be what he means when he says, “your head gets dumb.” In life, there are many things to do and see. Here “taking the back streets” strikes me as a metaphor for having a different perspective on life than the common man. But one will never get a fresh perspective, if one does not get out, travel, and have significant experiences.)

Chorus:

Hey now you're an All Star get your game on, go play
Hey now you're a Rock Star get the show on get paid
And all that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars break the mold
(An All Star in sports is an outstanding athlete. I think the singer here is trying to boost the self-esteem of his audience by telling everyone that they can all excel in their own way. He’s telling them to find something they’re good at it and give it their all. By calling people “Rock Stars,” I think he is saying that everyone can be creative or artistic. When he says, “all that glitters is gold,” he’s intentionally misquoting Shakespeare who said in The Merchant of Venice, “all that glitters is not gold.” Shakespeare was trying to say that appearances can be deceiving. But Smash Mouth is claiming that now, image is everything. He’s saying if something looks valuable, it is valuable. So if one puts on a confident face, one will eventually acquire self-confidence. The last line of the chorus is quite intriguing to me. Shooting star is the common name for what scientists call a meteor, a descending piece of space dust. Shooting stars all eventually fall to Earth. He’s saying that to be an individual, to “break the mold,” one has to risk failure. People who don’t risk failure lead boring, unproductive lives.)

It's a cool place and they say it gets colder
You're bundled up now but wait 'til you get older
But the meteor men beg to differ
Judging by the hole in the satellite picture
The ice we skate is getting pretty thin
The waters getting warm so you might as well swim
My world's on fire how about yours
That's the way I like it and I never get bored
Chorus
Chorus
(He seems to be talking about climate change, but instead of global warming, he’s suggesting a coming Ice Age. It is possible that the phenomenon called “global warming” would actually lead to colder temps in some places, but that’s a discussion for another day. The “meteor men” are probably meteorologists, or weathermen. The hole in the satellite picture might be the hole in the ozone layer. Now the singer does a 180 and instead of cooling temperatures, things are getting warmer. When he says, “the waters getting warm,” he may be talking about El Nino, the global weather phenomenon that starts as a warming of the South Pacific. The El Nino of 1997-1998 was especially strong, and for many of us, it was the first time we heard about it. But I could be reading too much into these lyrics. I’m not sure how all this talk about climate fits it with the rest of the lyrics. If I were to venture a guess, I would say the singer is saying that one might as well have as much fun as one can now, because the future looks bleak.)

Somebody once asked could you spare some change for gas
I need to get myself away from this place
I said yep what a concept
I could use a little fuel myself
And we could all use a little change

Well the years start coming and they don't stop coming
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running
Didn't make sense not to live for fun
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb
So much to do so much to see
So what's wrong with taking the back streets
You'll never know if you don't go
You'll never shine if you don't glow
Chorus

This month, Blog of Sound's Picks run a fairly wide spread of genres from early 1990s hip-hop, pop, ska/punk, classic rock, and rock and roll in one of its purest forms. Enjoy these fine selections which you can pick up for less than an iTunes download.

Queen Latifah: Black Reign

Some of our younger readers might know Queen Latifah (aka Dana Owens) more for her work as an actress in films like "Set it Off," "The Bone Collector," "Bringing Down the House," and "Chicago" but before she was lighting up the silver screen she was rap royalty. Sure, she's singing some jazz tunes now but it's hard to look away from a hip hop career that launched in 1989 and produced some of our favorite hip hop tunes. Not surprisingly, most of our favorites come from her 1993 release "Black Reign."

"Black Reign" is fifteen tracks of hip hop that was released before the parental advisory tag took affect and beware: this album is laced with expletives that you might not want younger children to hear. But set that aside and you've got a solid album that showcases Latifah as a rapper and singer. This album hinted at the future for Latifah with songs like "Just Another Day" and "Weekend Love" which proved that not only is Latifah a great rapper but a smooth R&B singer.

These are songs that command respect and illustrates Latifah's refusal to be limited in anyway. All that hip hop goodness for one penny!

Tracks to check out: "Black Hand Side," "Listen 2 Me," "Just Another Day,." "U.N.I.T.Y.," and "Winki's Theme."

Tracks to skip: "4 The Djs (Interlude)" and "Coochie Bang..."

Madonna: Ray of Light

Madonna is the queen of pop for a reason. She's the mother of reinvention and well, an actual mother now. Her first new album since releasing 1994's "Bedtime Stories," "Ray of Light" was evidence that Madonna was back and ready to cause some commotion. But make no mistake, "Ray of Light" isn't the "Like A Prayer"of 1998 this was a deeper album for Madonna (as deep as Madonna can be.) It's mystical, upbeat, transcendental and downright fun.

This is the album that produced the title track "Ray of Light" complete with its frenetic video that could almost induce seizures, and singles "Nothing Really Matters," "Frozen;' and "The Power of Good-Bye." Madge's voice was stronger than ever on this attempt and its perhaps the most artistic and creative album she's ever released. It's electronic, pop, techno, and dance all at once. Hell, it's Madonna (and it's only one penny!)

Tracks to check out: "Ray of Light," "Nothing Really Matters," "SKy Fits Heaven," "Frozen," "The Power of Good-Bye," "Little Star."

Tracks to skip: "Candy Perfume Girl," "Shanti/Ashtangi," and "Mer Girl."

Frank & Louie's Greatest Hits

If you were alive in the 1990s then you probably remember the Budweiser Frogs. But do you remember the Budweiser Lizards, Frank and Louie? We do! And there's nothing like the wit and wisdom of two beer-loving lizards to get you thinking about classic rock. And thanks to Budweiser you can listen to their hilarious commercials and listen to some tunes at the same time. If you're like us, the commercials are the real attraction, however.

Aside from the commercials, there's lots of great music on here ranging from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Tone-Loc and Quiet Riot. And of course, don't forget about Frank and Louie. Did we mention those classic commercials are on this disc for one penny?

Tracks to check out: "Sweet Home Alabama" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "My Sharona" by The Knack, "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen, "Cum on Feel the Noise" by Quiet Riot, and each of the commercials...

Tracks to skip: "Get Down Tonight" by KC and the Sunshine Band, "Wild Thing" by Tone Loc, and "Come Baby Come" by K7.

Smash Mouth: Fush Yu Mang

Before they were "All-Stars" Smash Mouth was "Walking on the Sun" with their release "Fush Yu Mang." This is as close to true Smash Mouth as you can get before they became the biggest sell-outs since GreenDay. This is punk/ska rock that is hilarious and catchy. There might be only 12 tracks but this 1997 debut release is perhaps our favorite Smash Mouth release ever. And for a penny you can't go wrong now, can you?

Tracks to check out: "Flo," "Walkin' on the Sun," "The Fonz," "Pet Names," "Disconnect the Dots, and "Push."

Tracks to skip: "Let's Rock," "Padrino," and "Why Can't We Be Friends?"

The Donnas: Spend the Night

If you've never heard The Donnas before, this might be the best introductory album you could get. It's not their best work but it's a damn solid album that will have you coming back for more everytime. This is the band's fifth studio album, their first with Atlantic Records, and it produced the hit "Take it Off" which is now featured on "Guitar Hero." Forget that The Donnas are an all-girl band and forget that they're H.O.T. These ladies are a force to be reckoned with. They can rock harder than most guys and they put on a live show that would make Mick Jagger proud.

"Spend the Night" is straight ahead, balls-to-the-walls, all killer no filler rock and roll. From it's first track "It's on The Rocks" to it's final track "5 O'Clock in the Morning" The Donnas will have you rockin (and if not, you don't have ears. See a doctor. Immediately.) This is our splurge of the month, clocking in at 78 cents, "Spend the Night" is an absolute must-have for every self-respecting rock lover's music collection.

Tracks to check out: "It's on the Rocks," "Take it Off," "Who Invited You," "All Messed Up," "Dirty Denim," "You Wanna Get Me High," "I Don't Care (So There)," "Pass it Around," "Too Bad About Your Girl," "Not the One," "Please Don't Tease," "Take Me to the Backseat," and "5 O'Clock in the Morning"

Tracks to skip: NONE. Check them ALL out. Now. Do it. Dammit. NOW!

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/01/PID_013325/Podtech_INTEL_CES_SightsSounds.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/4862/intel-at-ces-2008-go-off-and-do-something-wonderful&totalTime=123000&breadcrumb=5112bc7b5f5f46cface4ca7b040f802a]

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Anyway, here's one of the group's music video, Your Man (from the album Smashmouth).  It's completely retro-80's sounding and the video reflects it (i.e., cheesy, corny plotting, and bad acting).  Why did I pick this video?  Well, not only do I dig the 80's sound, but almost at the end of the video, we see Steve with both arms outstretched while standing by the bathroom door.  Unfortunately, this woofy bear is not unclothed.  Boo!

Oh yeah, and this is my first YouTube upload.  Yay.  Welcome to the 21st Century.  I am now cool and hip.

[Related Posts - Steve Harwell]

M. Fubah