In my recent musical adventures, Ive had my face grabbed and thrust directly into a song. I dont know why it was this song, or what brought it on exactly, but its "Major Tom (Coming Home)". Originally by a one, Peter Schilling, it has since been redone for a Lincoln commercial by Shiny Toy Guns.
The original is classic 80s synth pop. The remake is nothing short of a copy of the exact same style, except for the "80s" part of course.
Enjoy, little ones.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Operation Blind Fury 6: Phase 2
I apologize to those of you who have been patiently (or not so) waiting for the rest of this tale. Im sure youve given up waiting and have moved on to some much more fruitful endeavor such as not waiting. So, Ill get right into it.
The Refinery
When I let off we were headed back to the airfield, heads hung in defeat. Not complete defeat mind you, it feels surprisingly good knowing that you and a few of your buddies held an entire town against an onslaught of people in tan uniforms. When we got back to the airfield we had a little time to rearm, eat, and regroup. We got intelligence that there was a downed pilot being held captive in an area known as 'the refinery'. A few squads volunteered (ours being one of course) and a few others were recruited. The refinery was further in the woods than Browntown but, arguably, easier to approach. The 4 or so squads gathered everything they would need and we headed out. We were up front (obviously) and met a little resistance the closer we got to the woods. As we were headed toward the path that would lead us directly to the refinery we made a new friend. A tan was laying in the tall grass on the other side of the path about 15 yards away and proceeded to completely mow over about 10 of our guys. I dove into the nearest patch of tall grass I could find because I was completely exposed. A few seconds later our killer had been taken care of. I got up out of my patch of grass, walked over to him, patted him on the shoulder and said something about how good a shot he was. He was a nice guy and thanked me. (I would see this guy several more times throughout the day.) After we had regained our senses and slowed our heart rates after the near heart attacks we had collectively experienced, we headed into the woods. The refinery turned out to be a little more heavily guarded than we had first thought. I found a cluster of trees directly across the creek from the buildings and dug in. I couldnt see much in the way of people. Every once in a while I would catch a glimpse of someone running from one building to another, and they always seemed to take the same route. I trained my gun on that spot and waited. I got the next two people that tried to run and was beginning to think I could make myself a nice little pile of dead tans when we got the word that the airfield was under attack and we would have to pull back to help reinforce our guys there.
The Recon
There are train tracks that ran all the way across the far northern border of the playing field and they were our route back to the airfield. It was easy to make good time following them because we didnt have much in the way of brush or woods to contend with. The tracks were bordered by tall grass on the inbound side of the field which made for an interesting walk. You never knew when a pesky tan would jump up and start shooting. We didnt get into much trouble until we started getting closer to the airfield. There were a few box car type containers (?) that the tans liked to hide behind. They were dealt with, rather severely, and we headed down into the brush toward our objective. The next few minutes were filled with Vietnam-type "go in here and see if there are bad guys" missions. A teammate would walk toward a tree only to get blasted in the face by a quick burst of fire, then someone else would be right behind him killing whoever had just shot him. And so it went until we had killed everyone threatening our fair base. With all the enemy busy walking back to wherever it is they came from, we had plenty of time to sit and rest, and rest we did. We had plenty of time to reload and eat. Jeff decided to take this opportunity to shove as much food down my throat as possible. Clif bar this and Clif goop that. Im not sure what all it was, but whatever it was worked in the end. Mags and stomachs full we went out into the field and made a perimeter. Richard and myself headed up to the railroad tracks to do a little recon while we sent Prevett to the top of the tower in the airfield with this rifle and a radio so he could do a little recon of his own. Before heading to the tracks, me and Ben thought it would be a good idea to relieve ourselves. We walked over to a small 'helicopter' at the airfield and did our business behind it (number one, dont worry, this is important for later). Fast forward back to me on the railroad tracks. I had set my rifle down and armed myself with a pair of binoculars as they seemed more appropriate given the fact that there werent any enemies for hundreds of yards around. There really wasnt much to talk about. I watched a few civilians talking to some tans for about 20 minutes. This situation quickly turned into the civilians leading the tans away and killing them which was the most entertaining part of the whole thing.
The Airfield Attacked
The next bit is a little foggy. For some reason we ended up back at the airfield, regrouping I believe, when we saw almost the entire tan team making their way across the field toward us. Everyone split off and took up positions. Jeff, Ryan, and myself headed toward the tracks (yet again) and hunkered down in a big patch of tall grass. Im not sure how many there were headed our way. It had to be at least 75. We didnt move. We could hear them getting closer and closer. A few of them had walked past us by the time the first shot was fired. Jeff shot a quick burst and killed one. None of the tans around had any idea where it came from and just started shooting wildly into the brush. We werent hit, not yet anyway...I saw a medic running up to the gut Jeff had just killed. It was a bad move on his part, but an entertaining one. Just as he got to his fallen comrade Jeff let loose with another burst killing the medic with a hail of BBs and yelps. This time, they found Jeff. He was killed in a matter of seconds. Me and Ryan were still in our positions, only feet away from where Jeff was killed. More of the tans had started getting closer and surrounding us. It was almost an unspoken plan between the two of us. As soon as Ryan had a shot he stood up and took it, and I did the same in the opposite direction. I stood up and fired a burst, killing two people. As I was going to kneel back down I realized that no one was shooting back which meant they hadnt figured out where I was yet. So there I stood, popping off round after round into the unsuspecting hoards of tan uniforms. I got 5 when all was said and done. Thats when they found me. I dont think Ive ever been hit with as many BBs as I was then, but it was worth it. We threw our red death rags on our heads and stepped out of the brush and slowly made our way toward the airfield, which was all but overrun, we were just watching the spectacle unfold. It was at this point that I noticed a few members of the tan team making a break for the 'helicopter'. Why yes, it IS the same one I mentioned Ben and myself peeing behind! And wouldnt you know it they dove right behind it, Im 99% sure, directly into our urine puddle. Even though the airfield ended up being taken, me and Ben won ourselves a small victory.
The Refinery
When I let off we were headed back to the airfield, heads hung in defeat. Not complete defeat mind you, it feels surprisingly good knowing that you and a few of your buddies held an entire town against an onslaught of people in tan uniforms. When we got back to the airfield we had a little time to rearm, eat, and regroup. We got intelligence that there was a downed pilot being held captive in an area known as 'the refinery'. A few squads volunteered (ours being one of course) and a few others were recruited. The refinery was further in the woods than Browntown but, arguably, easier to approach. The 4 or so squads gathered everything they would need and we headed out. We were up front (obviously) and met a little resistance the closer we got to the woods. As we were headed toward the path that would lead us directly to the refinery we made a new friend. A tan was laying in the tall grass on the other side of the path about 15 yards away and proceeded to completely mow over about 10 of our guys. I dove into the nearest patch of tall grass I could find because I was completely exposed. A few seconds later our killer had been taken care of. I got up out of my patch of grass, walked over to him, patted him on the shoulder and said something about how good a shot he was. He was a nice guy and thanked me. (I would see this guy several more times throughout the day.) After we had regained our senses and slowed our heart rates after the near heart attacks we had collectively experienced, we headed into the woods. The refinery turned out to be a little more heavily guarded than we had first thought. I found a cluster of trees directly across the creek from the buildings and dug in. I couldnt see much in the way of people. Every once in a while I would catch a glimpse of someone running from one building to another, and they always seemed to take the same route. I trained my gun on that spot and waited. I got the next two people that tried to run and was beginning to think I could make myself a nice little pile of dead tans when we got the word that the airfield was under attack and we would have to pull back to help reinforce our guys there.
The Recon
There are train tracks that ran all the way across the far northern border of the playing field and they were our route back to the airfield. It was easy to make good time following them because we didnt have much in the way of brush or woods to contend with. The tracks were bordered by tall grass on the inbound side of the field which made for an interesting walk. You never knew when a pesky tan would jump up and start shooting. We didnt get into much trouble until we started getting closer to the airfield. There were a few box car type containers (?) that the tans liked to hide behind. They were dealt with, rather severely, and we headed down into the brush toward our objective. The next few minutes were filled with Vietnam-type "go in here and see if there are bad guys" missions. A teammate would walk toward a tree only to get blasted in the face by a quick burst of fire, then someone else would be right behind him killing whoever had just shot him. And so it went until we had killed everyone threatening our fair base. With all the enemy busy walking back to wherever it is they came from, we had plenty of time to sit and rest, and rest we did. We had plenty of time to reload and eat. Jeff decided to take this opportunity to shove as much food down my throat as possible. Clif bar this and Clif goop that. Im not sure what all it was, but whatever it was worked in the end. Mags and stomachs full we went out into the field and made a perimeter. Richard and myself headed up to the railroad tracks to do a little recon while we sent Prevett to the top of the tower in the airfield with this rifle and a radio so he could do a little recon of his own. Before heading to the tracks, me and Ben thought it would be a good idea to relieve ourselves. We walked over to a small 'helicopter' at the airfield and did our business behind it (number one, dont worry, this is important for later). Fast forward back to me on the railroad tracks. I had set my rifle down and armed myself with a pair of binoculars as they seemed more appropriate given the fact that there werent any enemies for hundreds of yards around. There really wasnt much to talk about. I watched a few civilians talking to some tans for about 20 minutes. This situation quickly turned into the civilians leading the tans away and killing them which was the most entertaining part of the whole thing.
The Airfield Attacked
The next bit is a little foggy. For some reason we ended up back at the airfield, regrouping I believe, when we saw almost the entire tan team making their way across the field toward us. Everyone split off and took up positions. Jeff, Ryan, and myself headed toward the tracks (yet again) and hunkered down in a big patch of tall grass. Im not sure how many there were headed our way. It had to be at least 75. We didnt move. We could hear them getting closer and closer. A few of them had walked past us by the time the first shot was fired. Jeff shot a quick burst and killed one. None of the tans around had any idea where it came from and just started shooting wildly into the brush. We werent hit, not yet anyway...I saw a medic running up to the gut Jeff had just killed. It was a bad move on his part, but an entertaining one. Just as he got to his fallen comrade Jeff let loose with another burst killing the medic with a hail of BBs and yelps. This time, they found Jeff. He was killed in a matter of seconds. Me and Ryan were still in our positions, only feet away from where Jeff was killed. More of the tans had started getting closer and surrounding us. It was almost an unspoken plan between the two of us. As soon as Ryan had a shot he stood up and took it, and I did the same in the opposite direction. I stood up and fired a burst, killing two people. As I was going to kneel back down I realized that no one was shooting back which meant they hadnt figured out where I was yet. So there I stood, popping off round after round into the unsuspecting hoards of tan uniforms. I got 5 when all was said and done. Thats when they found me. I dont think Ive ever been hit with as many BBs as I was then, but it was worth it. We threw our red death rags on our heads and stepped out of the brush and slowly made our way toward the airfield, which was all but overrun, we were just watching the spectacle unfold. It was at this point that I noticed a few members of the tan team making a break for the 'helicopter'. Why yes, it IS the same one I mentioned Ben and myself peeing behind! And wouldnt you know it they dove right behind it, Im 99% sure, directly into our urine puddle. Even though the airfield ended up being taken, me and Ben won ourselves a small victory.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
New month, new band pt. IV
St. Vincent
I rather enjoy doing this. It makes me go out of my way to find new music every month.
This month we look at St. Vincent. Simply going by the name I wouldnt have expected what I got when I started listening. I was greeted by the voice of the lovely Annie Clark with her bushy black hair and big beautiful eyes. While the latter two add little or nothing to the sound of the music, Im glad I know they exist. A fact that Im reminded of often as her face is plastered prominently on the front of her latest album 'Actor'. She has a unique sound, Ms. Clark. Her voice would lead you to believe that her lyrics are harmless and innocent when, in fact, the opposite is sometimes true. 'The Bed' is a perfect example:
I didnt know what I thought about her at first, but having listened to 'Actor' several times through Ive become quite the fan. I may also have a bit of a crush... :)
Here are just a few songs of hers:
I rather enjoy doing this. It makes me go out of my way to find new music every month.
This month we look at St. Vincent. Simply going by the name I wouldnt have expected what I got when I started listening. I was greeted by the voice of the lovely Annie Clark with her bushy black hair and big beautiful eyes. While the latter two add little or nothing to the sound of the music, Im glad I know they exist. A fact that Im reminded of often as her face is plastered prominently on the front of her latest album 'Actor'. She has a unique sound, Ms. Clark. Her voice would lead you to believe that her lyrics are harmless and innocent when, in fact, the opposite is sometimes true. 'The Bed' is a perfect example:
"We're sleeping underneath the bed
To scare the monsters out
With our dear daddy's Smith and Wesson
We've got to teach them all a lesson
Don't move
Don't scream
Or we will have to shoot"
I didnt know what I thought about her at first, but having listened to 'Actor' several times through Ive become quite the fan. I may also have a bit of a crush... :)
Here are just a few songs of hers:
A good cover is a terrible thing to waste, pt. III
Whilst stumbling around Stereogum today (which is the only way to peruse that site) I came across an interesting link: "Taken By Trees covers Animal Collective's 'My Girls'". Now, I had never heard of Taken By Trees, and still havent if we're being honest, but this might be one of the better covers of a song Ive ever heard. Not only does this give me an excuse to post a cover of a great song, but it gives me an excuse to post an Animal Collective video. So, with nothing else to impede your curiosity, I shall give you two videos to enjoy.
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