Another post about Halloween. Because I think it is needed. Like I said in the previous post, Halloween has definitely lost it's original meaning. But perhaps it has really evolved into something worse. As harmless as is when the majority of our society is naive about the whole thing, thing about what we are celebrating. Think about what we are practicing. What we are seeking. The following is based upon my beliefs and is not meant to offend anyone. I am not condemning anyone by any means.
The original holiday was meant to keep spirits away. Now it seems like we are welcoming them. People dress up as ghosts, witches, and demons, put them in their yards, and celebrate death. But not the kind of death where you go to heaven. A scary death with ghosts and demons. Violence is uplifted. Scary movies, death scenes, haunted houses, and yard decorations. The chainsaws, knives, saws, and other brutal weapons seen as decorations. This...is my real problem with Halloween.
Robert Englund, the actor who played Freddy Krueger, got his inspiration for the movie from Ted Bundy. A real mass murderer. We watch these films with such desensitized eyes that we don't even realize the horrors that are going on. Yes, it is just a movie. But some of them are inspired from real events. And we enjoy them? We like to watch people die. I have not found a clever way to rephrase that. Or take it out of context. When it comes down to it, we enjoy watching people be brutally murdered. The more blood and gore in a movie, the better...right? What attracts people to horror movies? It sure isn't the plot. Because most of them are terrible. It's the same as people that say they listen to rap for the music. The music is all the same now. But I bet they can tell you every lyric in the song.
Now for the religious part. And although seemingly contradicting, the reason I like Halloween. The ghosts and spirits are not worshiped. Nobody dresses up as a ghost to celebrate Satan. When it all comes down to it, we are mocking him. Martin Luther said, "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." I think that is exactly what we do on Halloween. Although this is just as unconscious as watching a horror film, the way we go about evil spirits is a mockery. People see ghosts and laugh. Evil spirits have been made into friendly ghosts. However, there is one spirit that we don't mock. In fact, we thrive off of it. Fear. The bible tells us to fear nothing but God. Yet we choose to go to these haunted houses and watch scary movies in order to fear things of this world. Why are people choosing to put fear into their hearts? Some people can't sleep at night. Some do, but have nightmares. Why is this a good thing? Why do people enjoy this? I have never understood that. I have always hated horror films. I have always hated haunted houses. I don't like forcing fear on myself. I can not go to the haunted house and be ok. Or I can go to the haunted house and get the crap scared out of me. That's just me. But I think it's stupid regardless of religious belief.
So when it all comes down to it, I truly don't hate Halloween. It's all in the way each individual perceives it. The kids dressing up and using their imaginations, trick or treating, and having fun. I'm ok with that. I did it when I was younger and thoroughly enjoyed it. The death and murder stuff...dislike. That is something that is quickly desensitizing our society whether it is all fun and games or not. I think it all comes down to the way we celebrate it. Are we mocking the evil spirits? The witchcraft, the demons and the ghosts. Or are we celebrating them? Welcoming them. Do you go into a haunted house to laugh at the fear that Satan puts into the world? Or do you go in there expecting to be afraid? The bottom line is that fear is an evil spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of a sound mind." Any sort of fear of this world is an evil spirit. God did not give us this. If you think it's all fun and games, it is not. When you can't sleep with the light off after a scary movie, that is the spirit of fear. When you are paranoid about every noise that you hear, that is the spirit of fear. It is not something that God meant for us to have. And I believe that it interrupts our relationship with him. Because when we are filled with the spirit of fear, we forget that God has power over all of Satan's army. We forget that God triumphs over all. We forget that God is on our side and we lose our connection. That being said, an underpaid high school kid with face paint and a fake chain saw is fear that will later be laughed at. But the temptation is still there. The door is opened. We are just letting them in.
My main point is...if God did not give us this spirit, warns us about it, and tells us to say away...why are we looking for it? Why are we not only searching for it, but welcoming it?
29.10.10
22.10.10
Nuclear Explosion From a Bedroom Window
Ever wondered what would go through your mind right before you die? I got to experience that the other day. Well, kind of. I don't normally remember dreams. But this one, I did. And I've never died before in a dream. But in this one I did. It was weird. My dream consisted of the following: I was sitting in my bedroom looking out the window and saw a nuclear bomb go off. I have no idea who would waste a nuclear bomb on Harvest, Alabama, but they did in my dream. It was pretty cool though. I knew I only had a few seconds to live. A lot of things went through my mind in those 5 seconds before it hit. The first thing that ran through my mind was denial. Maybe it won't get this far. Maybe I'll live through it. That quickly turned into, "Oh man, God is going to be maaaaaaddd at me." I quickly started a "hail mary" type prayer (you like that? I thought it was funny) and for some reason, tucked up into a bomb like that would protect me from the explosion coming in my direction or something. The weird part was next. I died. I didn't wake up first. I think the reason we always wake up before we die is because of the stress. We're falling off a cliff or something and then at that last second, we hit a peak in our stress level that jerks us awake. But by tucking up into a ball, I couldn't see the explosion coming and just waited. I was abnormally calm for seeing an atomic bomb explode in my general area. This death, in my dream, was almost worse than knowing you're going to die. I was just floating in blackness. Reflecting on my life. It was almost a sense of purgatory. I started asking all these questions. Did I do this, did I do that. Am I going to heaven or hell? What's next? And I just floated there. Curled up in a ball. Then I woke up.
Why am I sharing this? For one, it's the first dream I've remembered in a long time. Wanted documentation. But the other reason is because it got me thinking about things I normally think about, but from a different perspective. Even though it was a dream, I died. Everything I had been wanting to do and saying I would do could no longer be done. I had a few seconds to break down all of the things I did that were completely pointless after the fact that I was dead. I've blogged about this before when I talked about Ecclesiastes. But this dream gave me a first hand view of what it would be like to truly realize that some of the things we do are completely irrelevant when we die. I can say things are pointless. Anyone can tell you the amount of Facebook friends you have will not matter. But I don't think we will finally realize it until we actually die. And this was just a dream that lasted a few seconds. Imagine eternity. You will have plenty of time to reflect on why you spent 20 minutes of your life angry, all because someone said something about the football team you were a fan of. Guilty. I've spent more than 20 minutes mad at someone for that. And for what? This is a team you aren't even a part of. Much less the fact that all you get is bragging rights when your team wins. You don't get money (unless you bet on it). You don't get a trophy. You didn't even do anything. So why do we get so upset when someone says something you don't agree with?
Think about all of the things we waste our life on. Modern technology has made it almost impossible to not waste a good chunk of your every day. I have 3 stars on every Angry Birds level on the iPhone. Am I going to go down in history for that? No. Heck, in 3 years that won't even matter. But I spent my time doing it. It's hard to pull yourself away from stuff like that. But maybe if I try a little harder every day, I can get to the point where I truly enjoy life for what it gives me, not for what I force out of it. Maybe being entertained isn't about having the latest games or watching football. Maybe I can just spend an hour on my roof and stop taking what God gave us for granted. What did people do before technology? They enjoyed God's creation. I know I've blogged about this before, but I really feel like we're falling farther and farther away from that. God gave us life, earth, and space for a reason. And I have a good feeling that reason wasn't to play video games.
Another thing I thought about after that goes along with the last paragraph. How many things do we say we are going to start doing? How many times do we go to bed saying, "Ok, tomorrow I'll take some time to enjoy creation." Or, "Tomorrow, I'll start reading the bible more." But we wake up and forget about it. Only to remember the next night right before we go to sleep. Then feel bad about ourselves because we never do any of the things that we want to do. We're too consumed with the way we are "supposed" to live life and other distractions. I'll write all night about things I need to start doing and why I want to do them. But in the morning (I should say afternoon. I like sleep.) I wake up and am either too lazy, don't remember, or just don't want to. I don't have an answer for this one. That's all me. And just to level with you all...I still don't do half the things I've blogged about. Very hypocritical, if you ask me. I'll say I'm making an effort. But really, how hard am I trying? Not hard enough is the answer to that one. Saying and doing are two different things. And the effort involved weighs heavily towards the latter.
"We are all going to die. Just a heads up."
-Stephen Christian
Why am I sharing this? For one, it's the first dream I've remembered in a long time. Wanted documentation. But the other reason is because it got me thinking about things I normally think about, but from a different perspective. Even though it was a dream, I died. Everything I had been wanting to do and saying I would do could no longer be done. I had a few seconds to break down all of the things I did that were completely pointless after the fact that I was dead. I've blogged about this before when I talked about Ecclesiastes. But this dream gave me a first hand view of what it would be like to truly realize that some of the things we do are completely irrelevant when we die. I can say things are pointless. Anyone can tell you the amount of Facebook friends you have will not matter. But I don't think we will finally realize it until we actually die. And this was just a dream that lasted a few seconds. Imagine eternity. You will have plenty of time to reflect on why you spent 20 minutes of your life angry, all because someone said something about the football team you were a fan of. Guilty. I've spent more than 20 minutes mad at someone for that. And for what? This is a team you aren't even a part of. Much less the fact that all you get is bragging rights when your team wins. You don't get money (unless you bet on it). You don't get a trophy. You didn't even do anything. So why do we get so upset when someone says something you don't agree with?
Think about all of the things we waste our life on. Modern technology has made it almost impossible to not waste a good chunk of your every day. I have 3 stars on every Angry Birds level on the iPhone. Am I going to go down in history for that? No. Heck, in 3 years that won't even matter. But I spent my time doing it. It's hard to pull yourself away from stuff like that. But maybe if I try a little harder every day, I can get to the point where I truly enjoy life for what it gives me, not for what I force out of it. Maybe being entertained isn't about having the latest games or watching football. Maybe I can just spend an hour on my roof and stop taking what God gave us for granted. What did people do before technology? They enjoyed God's creation. I know I've blogged about this before, but I really feel like we're falling farther and farther away from that. God gave us life, earth, and space for a reason. And I have a good feeling that reason wasn't to play video games.
Another thing I thought about after that goes along with the last paragraph. How many things do we say we are going to start doing? How many times do we go to bed saying, "Ok, tomorrow I'll take some time to enjoy creation." Or, "Tomorrow, I'll start reading the bible more." But we wake up and forget about it. Only to remember the next night right before we go to sleep. Then feel bad about ourselves because we never do any of the things that we want to do. We're too consumed with the way we are "supposed" to live life and other distractions. I'll write all night about things I need to start doing and why I want to do them. But in the morning (I should say afternoon. I like sleep.) I wake up and am either too lazy, don't remember, or just don't want to. I don't have an answer for this one. That's all me. And just to level with you all...I still don't do half the things I've blogged about. Very hypocritical, if you ask me. I'll say I'm making an effort. But really, how hard am I trying? Not hard enough is the answer to that one. Saying and doing are two different things. And the effort involved weighs heavily towards the latter.
"We are all going to die. Just a heads up."
-Stephen Christian
16.10.10
I Hate Halloween.
I don't think there is another holiday I hate more than Halloween. Call me a party pooper, but it really is ridiculous. Halloween, like almost every holiday, has strayed far away from it's origin. Briefly, it is derived from a Celtic holiday in which they wore costumes and masks to disguise themselves to ward off evil spirits. Don't really think that's what we're doing now. But that's beside the point. I don't care where it came from. My problem is that it's just stupid.
So let me get this straight. I'm supposed to go to the store and buy a few bags of candy so I can hand them out to strangers that are dressed in ridiculous outfits because they knock on the door and interrupt me from watching television? They didn't do anything to deserve this candy. What if I want it? I paid for it. Not that I ever do get interrupted because I turn off my porch light. But one year I forgot and the same kids knocked on my door and saw me through the window. When I didn't get up (I was in the middle of an online NCAA Football match on PS2) they just kept knocking. Even after I told them to go away. Where are their parents? I finally got fed up and gave them packs of Ramen noodles. True story. And fuel to the fire of why I hate Halloween so much. Yea, you can say it's my fault for leaving the porch light on. But I shouldn't have to turn my porch light off in order to fight off kids that want candy. Even as an adult, people still want you to dress up. I show up to work. "Hey, why didn't you dress up?" "Uhh...because I'm 23." Driving is a hassle. All of the neighborhoods are filled with kids running in the streets and parents in cars blocking them and yelling at you if you drive over 5 mph. Haunted houses are another thing. "Hey let's pay this guy 20 bucks to get the crap scared out of us!" How does that work? Pay me 10 bucks and I'll make you pee your pants. Call me a weenie, but getting scared isn't my thing. I should rephrase. I know that the dude with the chainsaw is not real. I know I am not going to get murdered. I hate being startled. It is not an enjoyable feeling. I don't know why it is for anyone. Whenever I'm startled, I immediately instinctively punch the thing that startled me. I've never been startled by something and afterward thought...hey, that was pretty awesome. Why would I pay for someone to do that to me? I can go to a pirate website and watch a scary movie for free.
I think it's absolutely ridiculous that people spend so much money on this crap. I guess it's good because it stimulates the economy, but come on. People decorate their yards! And that stuff isn't cheap. Why are you spending all of this money for one night? These costumes aren't cheap either. If you have 3 spoiled kids, you're going to be spending over 100 dollars. For something they'll never wear again.
Girls are the worst. I know this isn't news to anyone, but for them, it's an excuse to dress like a stripper. Since when did a witch have cleavage? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind looking. But it's like one big slut-fest in which every girl tries to out-slut the other one. But for some reason, since it's Halloween, it's acceptable. These costumes are also expensive. As the really slutty ones are at least $50 bucks.
All of this...for what? Most people don't even know where Halloween came from. It's the only holiday I can think of that the majority of people celebrating it can't tell you why. People spend money to decorate their yards and don't even know why. It's almost embarrassing that we celebrate something like this. It makes absolutely no sense. For those saying I'm a party pooper and that I can't have fun...yes I can. I don't need a holiday or an excuse to have fun. I can have fun whenever I want. Halloween is on a Sunday night. So people that have to go to school or work on Monday are going to be miserable. How about I stay up late and have a good time on Friday night, then have all Saturday to sit around and watch football. You go out and celebrate a pointless holiday and hate your life all day on Monday. I'll have an extra 100 dollars in my pocket that I didn't spend on a costume, candy, and decorations. And by Tuesday, life will be normal and the fact that you spent all that money won't even matter. Are you going to wear your slutty nurse outfit to work? Didn't think so. But I hate days like this in which you feel like you are forced to have a good time just because it's a holiday. What if I don't feel good? What if it doesn't go well? You then hate the fact that you have to wait until the next planned good time to have any fun.
But by the last paragraph, I mean just that. I'm not hating on people that do celebrate it. I'm hating on the holiday itself. So don't take this personally if you love Halloween. But when I can't enjoy my normal day because of it, it makes me a bit angry. You go out and have fun. Do your thing. It's your life. My whole point of this is to tell you why I hate it. And why I think it's stupid. I bet half the people that celebrate it don't really enjoy it. They just do it because everyone else is. You can't go to costume parties without dressing up. I think dressing up is stupid. If you don't spend a lot of money or think of something good, you're that weirdo that nobody talks to. Why can't we just have a normal party?
Anyway, there's my rant. Don't argue with me because I'm pretty set on what I think. Any argument about this particular post will be discarded. Because there is nothing you can say that will convince me to like Halloween. It will only make me more angry.
So let me get this straight. I'm supposed to go to the store and buy a few bags of candy so I can hand them out to strangers that are dressed in ridiculous outfits because they knock on the door and interrupt me from watching television? They didn't do anything to deserve this candy. What if I want it? I paid for it. Not that I ever do get interrupted because I turn off my porch light. But one year I forgot and the same kids knocked on my door and saw me through the window. When I didn't get up (I was in the middle of an online NCAA Football match on PS2) they just kept knocking. Even after I told them to go away. Where are their parents? I finally got fed up and gave them packs of Ramen noodles. True story. And fuel to the fire of why I hate Halloween so much. Yea, you can say it's my fault for leaving the porch light on. But I shouldn't have to turn my porch light off in order to fight off kids that want candy. Even as an adult, people still want you to dress up. I show up to work. "Hey, why didn't you dress up?" "Uhh...because I'm 23." Driving is a hassle. All of the neighborhoods are filled with kids running in the streets and parents in cars blocking them and yelling at you if you drive over 5 mph. Haunted houses are another thing. "Hey let's pay this guy 20 bucks to get the crap scared out of us!" How does that work? Pay me 10 bucks and I'll make you pee your pants. Call me a weenie, but getting scared isn't my thing. I should rephrase. I know that the dude with the chainsaw is not real. I know I am not going to get murdered. I hate being startled. It is not an enjoyable feeling. I don't know why it is for anyone. Whenever I'm startled, I immediately instinctively punch the thing that startled me. I've never been startled by something and afterward thought...hey, that was pretty awesome. Why would I pay for someone to do that to me? I can go to a pirate website and watch a scary movie for free.
I think it's absolutely ridiculous that people spend so much money on this crap. I guess it's good because it stimulates the economy, but come on. People decorate their yards! And that stuff isn't cheap. Why are you spending all of this money for one night? These costumes aren't cheap either. If you have 3 spoiled kids, you're going to be spending over 100 dollars. For something they'll never wear again.
Girls are the worst. I know this isn't news to anyone, but for them, it's an excuse to dress like a stripper. Since when did a witch have cleavage? Don't get me wrong, I don't mind looking. But it's like one big slut-fest in which every girl tries to out-slut the other one. But for some reason, since it's Halloween, it's acceptable. These costumes are also expensive. As the really slutty ones are at least $50 bucks.
All of this...for what? Most people don't even know where Halloween came from. It's the only holiday I can think of that the majority of people celebrating it can't tell you why. People spend money to decorate their yards and don't even know why. It's almost embarrassing that we celebrate something like this. It makes absolutely no sense. For those saying I'm a party pooper and that I can't have fun...yes I can. I don't need a holiday or an excuse to have fun. I can have fun whenever I want. Halloween is on a Sunday night. So people that have to go to school or work on Monday are going to be miserable. How about I stay up late and have a good time on Friday night, then have all Saturday to sit around and watch football. You go out and celebrate a pointless holiday and hate your life all day on Monday. I'll have an extra 100 dollars in my pocket that I didn't spend on a costume, candy, and decorations. And by Tuesday, life will be normal and the fact that you spent all that money won't even matter. Are you going to wear your slutty nurse outfit to work? Didn't think so. But I hate days like this in which you feel like you are forced to have a good time just because it's a holiday. What if I don't feel good? What if it doesn't go well? You then hate the fact that you have to wait until the next planned good time to have any fun.
But by the last paragraph, I mean just that. I'm not hating on people that do celebrate it. I'm hating on the holiday itself. So don't take this personally if you love Halloween. But when I can't enjoy my normal day because of it, it makes me a bit angry. You go out and have fun. Do your thing. It's your life. My whole point of this is to tell you why I hate it. And why I think it's stupid. I bet half the people that celebrate it don't really enjoy it. They just do it because everyone else is. You can't go to costume parties without dressing up. I think dressing up is stupid. If you don't spend a lot of money or think of something good, you're that weirdo that nobody talks to. Why can't we just have a normal party?
Anyway, there's my rant. Don't argue with me because I'm pretty set on what I think. Any argument about this particular post will be discarded. Because there is nothing you can say that will convince me to like Halloween. It will only make me more angry.
13.10.10
Money can't buy happiness?
Well a lack of can not buy happiness. And make you frustrated, angry, and hate doing what you love. When I first started recording, a good computer was my lowest priority. Now that I've bought other things, it is the weakest link. I bought a hard drive a month ago. Already went out. I lost all the mixes I've done in the past month. All because my computer is a piece of crap an I'm awful at backing up files. So I desperately need a computer. Which is about 1400 bucks. I can buy one right now. But then I wouldn't have money for the Nashville move and I would still be in credit card debt from other studio stuff. So what are my options? Tough it out and have the computer go down in the middle of an important outside session. Win monopoly at McDonalds. Win the lottery. Find two more jobs. Rob the Mac store (just kidding. Don't call the cops) or lastly...try out a kickstarter. If you don't know what kickstarter is, it's a website that helps you fund creative projects. My computer is my main tool for all creativity (though recently, my iPhone has been more successful). You set an amount and people pledge to give you money. If that goal is hit, you get the money, plus whatever else is raised before the deadline. If you don't get enough money before the deadline, you get nothing. This is where the problem lies. I have about 3 friends that might give me some money. So I might try it, but doubt it will work. You offer rewards (bands give out demos, download packages, shirts, etc) as motives to donate. Another problem. This won't really supply anything tangible. Just peace and happiness for me. And whoever records with me. I could give out free studio time for people who give $50 or more. Maybe recording lessons for $25. Or my old computer for $300. So this is something I'm considering if I can convince myself. If you have ideas of rewards I'd like to hear them. Comment away. Or a way to get $1k besides what I'm trying to save and pay off debt with.
So back to the title. That saying is a bunch of bull. I think it was intended to mean "you don't need money for happiness." Because let's be honest...when is the last time you ever bought something nice and were sad about it? Have you ever got a paycheck and started crying? No. When I have money, I am happier. Because it's one less thing I'm struggling with. If you know me at all, you know the lack of doesn't really make me sad. It frustrates me, yes. But I can tell you 100 non-monetary things that I can find happiness in.
So money can buy happiness. In the form of a Mac Pro. Quad or 8 core. 4gb ram. In case anyone wanted to buy me happiness. You know what? A G5 with a dual 2.2ghz and 4 gigs of ram would almost equally buy me happiness at this point. Anything to never use Windows again. But an Intel processor would make me happier than a G5. So anyway, I'm done being selfish. I'm serious about those rewards comments. Help me out with some ideas. Or just comment for the fun of it. That's one of my 100 non-monetary forms of happiness. Reading your comments. Which normally doesn't bring me much.
So back to the title. That saying is a bunch of bull. I think it was intended to mean "you don't need money for happiness." Because let's be honest...when is the last time you ever bought something nice and were sad about it? Have you ever got a paycheck and started crying? No. When I have money, I am happier. Because it's one less thing I'm struggling with. If you know me at all, you know the lack of doesn't really make me sad. It frustrates me, yes. But I can tell you 100 non-monetary things that I can find happiness in.
So money can buy happiness. In the form of a Mac Pro. Quad or 8 core. 4gb ram. In case anyone wanted to buy me happiness. You know what? A G5 with a dual 2.2ghz and 4 gigs of ram would almost equally buy me happiness at this point. Anything to never use Windows again. But an Intel processor would make me happier than a G5. So anyway, I'm done being selfish. I'm serious about those rewards comments. Help me out with some ideas. Or just comment for the fun of it. That's one of my 100 non-monetary forms of happiness. Reading your comments. Which normally doesn't bring me much.
10.10.10
Hate It Or Love It: Digital Recording
So this post is about the digital age of recording. Why it's bad, why it's good, and so on. For those that know little to nothing about recording, I'll try to include you.
If you don't know what digital recording is, it's recording onto a hard drive of some type. Before that, all they had was tape. To clear things up, I don't mean digital recording literally as 1's and 0's because that was invented a long time ago. I'm talking about recording to a hard drive rather than tape.
It started around 1995 when digital hard drive recorders became cheap. At first, they sounded pretty awful as analog to digital conversion was not grasped very well. Around the century turn, people started using computers for recording. Here's a very stripped down version of how it works: The microphone picks up to the sound and transmits it to a mixer. The analog signal is then sent out of a mixer into an analog to digital converter. Here, as the name suggests, the signal is changed from analog to digital and then recorded onto the hard drive of the computer. (Before a tape machine took the place of the converter and the sound remained analog). This breakthrough allowed almost anyone to cheaply have a recording studio in their bedroom. All you needed was a computer, a digital audio workstation (DAW for short, the software on your computer that reads and writes the audio files), a converter, and a microphone. The piracy age made it even easier to obtain a DAW for free (not legally). Along with computer recording you have plugins. Plugins are digital effects that you can put into the tracks recorded to your computer. Before you needed outboard gear, which was in between the mixer and the tape machine. Examples of these include reverb, compression, chorus, and of course my favorite...Autotune. More on Autotune later.
So now that you're well on your way to becoming a studio guru, I'll explain my feelings towards the digital age. I wasn't alive for the majority of the analog tape age, and when I started getting into recording, it was mostly digital. I have, however, done my fair share of recording on tape. First things first. Digital wins. In almost every aspect. But almost everything good about it, is also annoying to me. As in almost every profession, you want to be the best. If not, you need to find another career. One of the things that bugs me the most is people that take shortcuts and are considered better. There weren't many shortcuts with tape. You got what you tracked. But with digital, you can take an awful sound and turn it into a hit. I'll try to do this without calling people out in case I need the connections later, but I'll show you some examples of these shortcuts.
If you ever listen to an album in the pop/punk/alternative genre, you will find that a lot of things are very compressed. Compression, in short, brings the low volumes up and the high volumes down. Compression is a great tool. But some people use it as shortcuts, on vocals especially. A quick way to ensure that your vocals stand out in the mix the entire time is to throw a bunch of compression on them. While this works, it is a cheap and lazy shortcut. The outcome is something only a few people notice, but I find it atrocious. What do you get? A very squashed vocal track with no dynamics. Meaning a breath or sibilance (that annoying ess sound) is just as loud as a scream. Since the average consumer cannot tell a difference, they get away with it. But for me, it's kept me from enjoying otherwise great albums. The non-shortcut way is to go in and automate the notes. Automation is drawing out the volumes manually. So if a certain note isn't loud enough, bring up the volume. If something is too loud, bring it down. This keeps a more natural sound and doesn't squash the loud notes.
Another shortcut is Autotune. If you don't know what Autotune is by now, you can turn on any rap or R&B station and hear it on practically every song. Autotune, in short, reads the frequency of the pitch and tunes it to the desired note. It was created to help vocalists, but was first used as an effect by Cher in that Do You Believe In Love song. I hope it's stuck in your head the rest of the day. I don't have a problem with Autotune. I really don't. It's a great software. I do have a problem with it's overuse, just like compression. It is now a shortcut. The shortcut I'm talking about at the moment deals with using Autotune as a pitch correcter, not an effect. There are other ways of tuning vocals without Autotune. Melodyne is one of them. The difference being, in Melodyne, you manually tune the vocals. I've even heard people shortcut Melodyne. There are so many things you can do to each and every note. You can split it, you can tune it, you can change the modulation, you can change the pitch drift, you can change the amplitude, you can change the formant, and you can move notes. But it also includes a correct all button. Which is essentially Autotune. People use this. And they get by. Because the average consumer cannot tell a difference. Well what's the difference, you ask? Every voice is different. Every note is sang differently. Some of them have vibrato, some of them are loud, some of them are soft. If you treat each note the same, you will have some funky vibrato going on, weird pitch changed, and things that just don't sound natural. An example of this is that Airplanes song with Hayley Williams from Paramore. If you listen closely, her vibrato is weird, and you can practically hear the computer changing the notes for her. She is an incredible singer and probably need little to no tuning. But it was slapped on there anyway. Any more and it would have been there clearly as an effect. But I don't think it was intended to be that way.
Now onto Autotune as an effect. Is this old to anyone else yet? You can literally turn on a rap station and hear it on every song that has a melody. My problem with this? It's become a shortcut for people that don't know how to write a good song. They rely on Autotune. It's like the modern day key change. It's almost like the following conversation happens.
Artist: "Hey, this song is boring. What should we do?"
Producer: "Uh...how about Autotune!"
Next scene...number one on the charts.
I guess the thing that bothers me the most is the fact that people still buy into this. It literally takes 0 talent to sing with Autotune. Since you can also pick the notes as well as have the correction, anyone can walk up to a microphone, sing one note the entire time, and turn it into a melody. I'm not lying. It's that good. While I do admit that some of the Autotune stuff is pretty catchy, I think it's taken away from real talent. Why are they Autotuning Usher? People argue that it makes the song catchier, but how far will it go? You can't tell who can sing and who can't anymore. It's whoever has the connections and the money. I will make a bet with anyone will challenge me. Come record with me and do your worst. Sing out of key. Sing monotone. Or just kind of talk. I will make it sound like a hit record.
So why the fuss? To be honest, because I'm jealous. These are only a few examples of shortcuts. And the people that use them are more successful than me. And I've never been one to get angry or dislike people that are successful. If you can cheat the system and make money...do it. You're making money. My problem boils down to this. Rick Hall once said, "A good engineer might notice, but a girl with a $20 dollar bill won't." And that's the truth. People are eating up, in my opinion, talentless, absolute crap. A producer that knows how to hit the record button and use Autotune can get rich. And I'm not saying there aren't producers out there that are great. I'm saying anyone can do it. If people are buying it, why stop?
But that is also the reason why digital recording is great. Without it, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. There is no way I could have afforded a 24 track tape machine, outboard gear, a DAT machine, and buy the tapes I need for every session. I use these plugins. I use compression. I tune vocals. I do all of this. I just don't shortcut it. So in the end, I don't really care. This fad will fade out and people will realize the songs aren't all that great anymore. There's no creativity to it anymore. All I have to do is suck it up until someone that knows a good mix hears my stuff. But knowing what a good mix sounds like kind of sucks when I listen to music. I can't listen to some stuff without hearing these shortcuts. My friends can't stand it. They hear a good song. I hear the crap behind it. I hear the over compressed vocals. The squashed master that leaves the song completely anti-dynamic. The botched tunings. The overuse of reverb. I like to compare it to someone playing Street Fighter. You can get by just mashing random buttons. Some people can be pretty good at it. Then some people know what each button does. Every attack. Every combo. When they get beat by a button masher, they can't help but be mad. They beat you. But in your mind, they cheated. Sounds kind of dumb. But it's true. I'm getting beat by button mashers. If you're interested in hearing what I'm talking about, send me a comment. I don't feel like publicly calling out producers and engineers. But next time you listen to a song...listen closer. And seriously...hurry up and end, Autotune fad. You are annoying.
If you don't know what digital recording is, it's recording onto a hard drive of some type. Before that, all they had was tape. To clear things up, I don't mean digital recording literally as 1's and 0's because that was invented a long time ago. I'm talking about recording to a hard drive rather than tape.
It started around 1995 when digital hard drive recorders became cheap. At first, they sounded pretty awful as analog to digital conversion was not grasped very well. Around the century turn, people started using computers for recording. Here's a very stripped down version of how it works: The microphone picks up to the sound and transmits it to a mixer. The analog signal is then sent out of a mixer into an analog to digital converter. Here, as the name suggests, the signal is changed from analog to digital and then recorded onto the hard drive of the computer. (Before a tape machine took the place of the converter and the sound remained analog). This breakthrough allowed almost anyone to cheaply have a recording studio in their bedroom. All you needed was a computer, a digital audio workstation (DAW for short, the software on your computer that reads and writes the audio files), a converter, and a microphone. The piracy age made it even easier to obtain a DAW for free (not legally). Along with computer recording you have plugins. Plugins are digital effects that you can put into the tracks recorded to your computer. Before you needed outboard gear, which was in between the mixer and the tape machine. Examples of these include reverb, compression, chorus, and of course my favorite...Autotune. More on Autotune later.
So now that you're well on your way to becoming a studio guru, I'll explain my feelings towards the digital age. I wasn't alive for the majority of the analog tape age, and when I started getting into recording, it was mostly digital. I have, however, done my fair share of recording on tape. First things first. Digital wins. In almost every aspect. But almost everything good about it, is also annoying to me. As in almost every profession, you want to be the best. If not, you need to find another career. One of the things that bugs me the most is people that take shortcuts and are considered better. There weren't many shortcuts with tape. You got what you tracked. But with digital, you can take an awful sound and turn it into a hit. I'll try to do this without calling people out in case I need the connections later, but I'll show you some examples of these shortcuts.
If you ever listen to an album in the pop/punk/alternative genre, you will find that a lot of things are very compressed. Compression, in short, brings the low volumes up and the high volumes down. Compression is a great tool. But some people use it as shortcuts, on vocals especially. A quick way to ensure that your vocals stand out in the mix the entire time is to throw a bunch of compression on them. While this works, it is a cheap and lazy shortcut. The outcome is something only a few people notice, but I find it atrocious. What do you get? A very squashed vocal track with no dynamics. Meaning a breath or sibilance (that annoying ess sound) is just as loud as a scream. Since the average consumer cannot tell a difference, they get away with it. But for me, it's kept me from enjoying otherwise great albums. The non-shortcut way is to go in and automate the notes. Automation is drawing out the volumes manually. So if a certain note isn't loud enough, bring up the volume. If something is too loud, bring it down. This keeps a more natural sound and doesn't squash the loud notes.
Another shortcut is Autotune. If you don't know what Autotune is by now, you can turn on any rap or R&B station and hear it on practically every song. Autotune, in short, reads the frequency of the pitch and tunes it to the desired note. It was created to help vocalists, but was first used as an effect by Cher in that Do You Believe In Love song. I hope it's stuck in your head the rest of the day. I don't have a problem with Autotune. I really don't. It's a great software. I do have a problem with it's overuse, just like compression. It is now a shortcut. The shortcut I'm talking about at the moment deals with using Autotune as a pitch correcter, not an effect. There are other ways of tuning vocals without Autotune. Melodyne is one of them. The difference being, in Melodyne, you manually tune the vocals. I've even heard people shortcut Melodyne. There are so many things you can do to each and every note. You can split it, you can tune it, you can change the modulation, you can change the pitch drift, you can change the amplitude, you can change the formant, and you can move notes. But it also includes a correct all button. Which is essentially Autotune. People use this. And they get by. Because the average consumer cannot tell a difference. Well what's the difference, you ask? Every voice is different. Every note is sang differently. Some of them have vibrato, some of them are loud, some of them are soft. If you treat each note the same, you will have some funky vibrato going on, weird pitch changed, and things that just don't sound natural. An example of this is that Airplanes song with Hayley Williams from Paramore. If you listen closely, her vibrato is weird, and you can practically hear the computer changing the notes for her. She is an incredible singer and probably need little to no tuning. But it was slapped on there anyway. Any more and it would have been there clearly as an effect. But I don't think it was intended to be that way.
Now onto Autotune as an effect. Is this old to anyone else yet? You can literally turn on a rap station and hear it on every song that has a melody. My problem with this? It's become a shortcut for people that don't know how to write a good song. They rely on Autotune. It's like the modern day key change. It's almost like the following conversation happens.
Artist: "Hey, this song is boring. What should we do?"
Producer: "Uh...how about Autotune!"
Next scene...number one on the charts.
I guess the thing that bothers me the most is the fact that people still buy into this. It literally takes 0 talent to sing with Autotune. Since you can also pick the notes as well as have the correction, anyone can walk up to a microphone, sing one note the entire time, and turn it into a melody. I'm not lying. It's that good. While I do admit that some of the Autotune stuff is pretty catchy, I think it's taken away from real talent. Why are they Autotuning Usher? People argue that it makes the song catchier, but how far will it go? You can't tell who can sing and who can't anymore. It's whoever has the connections and the money. I will make a bet with anyone will challenge me. Come record with me and do your worst. Sing out of key. Sing monotone. Or just kind of talk. I will make it sound like a hit record.
So why the fuss? To be honest, because I'm jealous. These are only a few examples of shortcuts. And the people that use them are more successful than me. And I've never been one to get angry or dislike people that are successful. If you can cheat the system and make money...do it. You're making money. My problem boils down to this. Rick Hall once said, "A good engineer might notice, but a girl with a $20 dollar bill won't." And that's the truth. People are eating up, in my opinion, talentless, absolute crap. A producer that knows how to hit the record button and use Autotune can get rich. And I'm not saying there aren't producers out there that are great. I'm saying anyone can do it. If people are buying it, why stop?
But that is also the reason why digital recording is great. Without it, I wouldn't be able to do what I do. There is no way I could have afforded a 24 track tape machine, outboard gear, a DAT machine, and buy the tapes I need for every session. I use these plugins. I use compression. I tune vocals. I do all of this. I just don't shortcut it. So in the end, I don't really care. This fad will fade out and people will realize the songs aren't all that great anymore. There's no creativity to it anymore. All I have to do is suck it up until someone that knows a good mix hears my stuff. But knowing what a good mix sounds like kind of sucks when I listen to music. I can't listen to some stuff without hearing these shortcuts. My friends can't stand it. They hear a good song. I hear the crap behind it. I hear the over compressed vocals. The squashed master that leaves the song completely anti-dynamic. The botched tunings. The overuse of reverb. I like to compare it to someone playing Street Fighter. You can get by just mashing random buttons. Some people can be pretty good at it. Then some people know what each button does. Every attack. Every combo. When they get beat by a button masher, they can't help but be mad. They beat you. But in your mind, they cheated. Sounds kind of dumb. But it's true. I'm getting beat by button mashers. If you're interested in hearing what I'm talking about, send me a comment. I don't feel like publicly calling out producers and engineers. But next time you listen to a song...listen closer. And seriously...hurry up and end, Autotune fad. You are annoying.
7.10.10
Invented: Album Review
So here goes my first attempt at an album review from an engineers standpoint. Good thing Jimmy's mixes are near perfect so I can focus on the music and not be bothered with over-compressing and bad tuning.
Artist: Jimmy Eat World
Album: Invented
Heart Is Hard To Find
Wow. This song is incredible. Quickly jumps to the top of all time favorite Jimmy songs. The guitars are crisp. Sounds like SM81's. Two tracks panned hard left and right. I could be wrong, but each hand clap sounds different. No looping. It gives it a more real feel. The strings that come sound amazing. I really like the way the oohs, ahhs, la's, and na's in the background compliment the strings rather than overshadow. Aside from a perfect mix, the production in this song could not have been done any better. There is not a thing I would change about it. Very simple chorus lyrically, but gets the point across and stays in your head.
My Best Theory
Distorted bass guitar? Whatever works, I guess. This song isn't my favorite on the album, but good nonetheless. I like how the song is not chord driven. The chorus is made up of a note riff. Ooh, nice use of panning in the bridge. The harmonies are panned a little bit right and the lead is left. And now that I notice, in the chorus too. There's a lot of vocal layering. It's hard to keep up with it in one pass. Overall a good song. I never lose interest. But I don't think it's a chorus that will stick with me. For the style of the song, melody is key.
Evidence
I think Jimmy proves that they are kings of ambient background noise in the beginning of this song. There are so many things going on in the background that are mostly unnoticeable, but add some elements. 2nd verse has two riffs going on. One on an electric guitar in the left ear, and one on an acoustic in the right. Meanwhile, a slightly distorted guitar is keeping the chord structure with the bass right in the middle. Great way of filling out the verse. I love the guitar tone in the heavy after-verse, but don't really care for the way it goes nowhere. I feel like there should be some vocals or something there. The bridge is kind of boring and filler. Musically, this song is great. Vocal wise, I would have changed a few things. But the music makes up for it.
Higher Devotion
Explosive vocals right off the bat. These sci-fi noises going back and forth in the verses are cool. I don't like the high octave part in the chorus. Reminds me of that "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" song. Nice use of guitar panning after the second chorus. I think this is probably my least favorite on the album. Not a necessarily a skip song. But one I find to be the least creative.
Movielike
Love it. Same acoustic guitar setup as Heart Is Hard To Find. It sounds like they are only hitting one guitar note instead of a chord in the chorus. I like that for this song. It gives it a feeling of driving, but not loud. Also, the claps go from fake to real in the first chorus. But they aren't here now? Then come back after the second chorus. Then go away again. The claps are pretty random, but it works. I again like the use of vocal layering, especially in the bridge. It's cool how they use a bunch of voices without making it sound epic. I really like the vocal melody. Not really catchy, but pretty. The ending is good. Nice fade.
Coffee and Cigarettes
Love the lyrics to this song. This is probably my second favorite on the album. Side note, Otis Redding recorded at FAME. I've tracked on the same console and used the same mic that he did. That's kind of cool that they mention him. I guess I like this song so much because I've always wanted to go out west on a road trip. To not have debt or obligations. Just get in a van and go. It makes you appreciate the simple things in life and really reminds me of the book Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller. Again with the vocal layering in the chorus. It makes it sound huge. The use of Courtney Marie Andrews is great. She has a very pretty voice, but it's not too powerful or distracting.
Stop
Courtney's voice is so perfect for these songs. I like how this song slows down the tempo of the album, but keeps it driving. I think Jimmy can drive slow and softer songs better than anyone else. Open high hat in the bridge sounds kind of funny to me. Maybe should have gone with a ride cymbal or something there. I like the line, "You want to make me mad? Stop cause I am." Nice reverse cymbal on the end to tie the song off.
Littlething
Reminds me a bit of Dizzy from the last album. Has that same driving feel to it. The guitars are pretty gainy but are in the background until the chorus. I love their mixes. In the chorus, it's pretty heavy, but you can still clearly hear the piano riff that's slightly panned right. I like how it continues in a lower octave throughout the verse. Oh, there goes the album name. Second verse. The strings sound awesome. If those are virtual, I want to find out what they're using. But there's no way. Those have to be real. The string arrangement on the last chorus is great along with the snare hits on 2, 3, and 4. Good driving song.
Cut
Is that a Hammond I hear? Has to be. I can hear the Leslie. I really like the drums on this. Very simple, yet adds just enough. And by drums I mean toms. The shaker/tambourine combo fills up the rest of it. Adding the snare on the chorus gives it that extra boost it needs. That really epic reverb snare. Really like that chord that goes out of the key halfway through the chorus. Those ahhs sound really epic.
Action Needs an Audience
Ah, another loud song. I like how Tom is singing the leads. It adds something different. Especially since he hasn't sang a lead part since Clarity. But after hearing this song, I am glad they switched to Jim. He fits this song, but would not on the rest. Guitars are doubled and panned hard left and right. That really fills it out without muddying up the mix. Near the end of this song, I'm starting to miss Jim.
Invented
The acoustic songs on this album are my favorite from any album. This song slows the tempo back down and goes back to that Jimmy ballad feel. I don't know what that noise is before the chorus. I guess it was intended since they didn't cut it out. Makes it sound more real I guess. I like how Courtney sings in this song. Her voice really adds the prettiness to the song. I like the high/low passes on the acoustics after the break in the music. It's cool how this song is 7 minutes long, but you stay attached the whole time. Very pretty song.
Mixtape
Ok, that's definitely a Hammond and Leslie. Wouldn't be surprised if it were a B3. I really like that 16th note tambourine part with the accents on the downbeats. Then it transfers to a shaker playing the same part in the opposite ear. The ambient noise in the background is nice. Very raw feel to it. No vocal layering besides a bit of harmony. I really like that simple guitar riff after the chorus that the drums come in. Couldn't be an easier part, but couldn't fit the song better. Now there's a tambourine/shaker combo. Playing the same part, but panned in different ears. That kick drum sounds so huge. If they got that room sound without sampling, I am very impressed. This, like the previous song, is long but never let's up. It keeps you interested until the very end. Cool how they bring back the ha ha's.
There are many reasons I like Jimmy so much. The first is that they are the best at what they do. They don't have many "rocking" songs, but they all drive. And when they need to be, they are all powerful. The second reason is that I don't think another band has a better mix. Everything about it is incredible. The drums pop, the guitars are powerful, and the bass always fits in there perfectly. It amazes me that they can use all the instruments and layering that they do without it sounding cluttered. I'm really glad they brought Mark Trombino back in. He has produced some of my favorite albums including Bleed American. The most impressive thing about Jimmy Eat World is the fact that from Static Prevails to Invented, all of the albums have been incredible. So many bands have dropped on the favorites list because of not so great albums, but Jimmy keeps it going with another great one. I love the visualizations I get from this. With his story-telling type lyrics, I almost feel like I'm watching a movie with some of the songs. I still don't know if I like this better than Chase This Light. But I still don't know if I like Chase This Light better than Futures.
Final score: 8 out of 10.
Artist: Jimmy Eat World
Album: Invented
Heart Is Hard To Find
Wow. This song is incredible. Quickly jumps to the top of all time favorite Jimmy songs. The guitars are crisp. Sounds like SM81's. Two tracks panned hard left and right. I could be wrong, but each hand clap sounds different. No looping. It gives it a more real feel. The strings that come sound amazing. I really like the way the oohs, ahhs, la's, and na's in the background compliment the strings rather than overshadow. Aside from a perfect mix, the production in this song could not have been done any better. There is not a thing I would change about it. Very simple chorus lyrically, but gets the point across and stays in your head.
My Best Theory
Distorted bass guitar? Whatever works, I guess. This song isn't my favorite on the album, but good nonetheless. I like how the song is not chord driven. The chorus is made up of a note riff. Ooh, nice use of panning in the bridge. The harmonies are panned a little bit right and the lead is left. And now that I notice, in the chorus too. There's a lot of vocal layering. It's hard to keep up with it in one pass. Overall a good song. I never lose interest. But I don't think it's a chorus that will stick with me. For the style of the song, melody is key.
Evidence
I think Jimmy proves that they are kings of ambient background noise in the beginning of this song. There are so many things going on in the background that are mostly unnoticeable, but add some elements. 2nd verse has two riffs going on. One on an electric guitar in the left ear, and one on an acoustic in the right. Meanwhile, a slightly distorted guitar is keeping the chord structure with the bass right in the middle. Great way of filling out the verse. I love the guitar tone in the heavy after-verse, but don't really care for the way it goes nowhere. I feel like there should be some vocals or something there. The bridge is kind of boring and filler. Musically, this song is great. Vocal wise, I would have changed a few things. But the music makes up for it.
Higher Devotion
Explosive vocals right off the bat. These sci-fi noises going back and forth in the verses are cool. I don't like the high octave part in the chorus. Reminds me of that "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" song. Nice use of guitar panning after the second chorus. I think this is probably my least favorite on the album. Not a necessarily a skip song. But one I find to be the least creative.
Movielike
Love it. Same acoustic guitar setup as Heart Is Hard To Find. It sounds like they are only hitting one guitar note instead of a chord in the chorus. I like that for this song. It gives it a feeling of driving, but not loud. Also, the claps go from fake to real in the first chorus. But they aren't here now? Then come back after the second chorus. Then go away again. The claps are pretty random, but it works. I again like the use of vocal layering, especially in the bridge. It's cool how they use a bunch of voices without making it sound epic. I really like the vocal melody. Not really catchy, but pretty. The ending is good. Nice fade.
Coffee and Cigarettes
Love the lyrics to this song. This is probably my second favorite on the album. Side note, Otis Redding recorded at FAME. I've tracked on the same console and used the same mic that he did. That's kind of cool that they mention him. I guess I like this song so much because I've always wanted to go out west on a road trip. To not have debt or obligations. Just get in a van and go. It makes you appreciate the simple things in life and really reminds me of the book Through Painted Deserts by Donald Miller. Again with the vocal layering in the chorus. It makes it sound huge. The use of Courtney Marie Andrews is great. She has a very pretty voice, but it's not too powerful or distracting.
Stop
Courtney's voice is so perfect for these songs. I like how this song slows down the tempo of the album, but keeps it driving. I think Jimmy can drive slow and softer songs better than anyone else. Open high hat in the bridge sounds kind of funny to me. Maybe should have gone with a ride cymbal or something there. I like the line, "You want to make me mad? Stop cause I am." Nice reverse cymbal on the end to tie the song off.
Littlething
Reminds me a bit of Dizzy from the last album. Has that same driving feel to it. The guitars are pretty gainy but are in the background until the chorus. I love their mixes. In the chorus, it's pretty heavy, but you can still clearly hear the piano riff that's slightly panned right. I like how it continues in a lower octave throughout the verse. Oh, there goes the album name. Second verse. The strings sound awesome. If those are virtual, I want to find out what they're using. But there's no way. Those have to be real. The string arrangement on the last chorus is great along with the snare hits on 2, 3, and 4. Good driving song.
Cut
Is that a Hammond I hear? Has to be. I can hear the Leslie. I really like the drums on this. Very simple, yet adds just enough. And by drums I mean toms. The shaker/tambourine combo fills up the rest of it. Adding the snare on the chorus gives it that extra boost it needs. That really epic reverb snare. Really like that chord that goes out of the key halfway through the chorus. Those ahhs sound really epic.
Action Needs an Audience
Ah, another loud song. I like how Tom is singing the leads. It adds something different. Especially since he hasn't sang a lead part since Clarity. But after hearing this song, I am glad they switched to Jim. He fits this song, but would not on the rest. Guitars are doubled and panned hard left and right. That really fills it out without muddying up the mix. Near the end of this song, I'm starting to miss Jim.
Invented
The acoustic songs on this album are my favorite from any album. This song slows the tempo back down and goes back to that Jimmy ballad feel. I don't know what that noise is before the chorus. I guess it was intended since they didn't cut it out. Makes it sound more real I guess. I like how Courtney sings in this song. Her voice really adds the prettiness to the song. I like the high/low passes on the acoustics after the break in the music. It's cool how this song is 7 minutes long, but you stay attached the whole time. Very pretty song.
Mixtape
Ok, that's definitely a Hammond and Leslie. Wouldn't be surprised if it were a B3. I really like that 16th note tambourine part with the accents on the downbeats. Then it transfers to a shaker playing the same part in the opposite ear. The ambient noise in the background is nice. Very raw feel to it. No vocal layering besides a bit of harmony. I really like that simple guitar riff after the chorus that the drums come in. Couldn't be an easier part, but couldn't fit the song better. Now there's a tambourine/shaker combo. Playing the same part, but panned in different ears. That kick drum sounds so huge. If they got that room sound without sampling, I am very impressed. This, like the previous song, is long but never let's up. It keeps you interested until the very end. Cool how they bring back the ha ha's.
There are many reasons I like Jimmy so much. The first is that they are the best at what they do. They don't have many "rocking" songs, but they all drive. And when they need to be, they are all powerful. The second reason is that I don't think another band has a better mix. Everything about it is incredible. The drums pop, the guitars are powerful, and the bass always fits in there perfectly. It amazes me that they can use all the instruments and layering that they do without it sounding cluttered. I'm really glad they brought Mark Trombino back in. He has produced some of my favorite albums including Bleed American. The most impressive thing about Jimmy Eat World is the fact that from Static Prevails to Invented, all of the albums have been incredible. So many bands have dropped on the favorites list because of not so great albums, but Jimmy keeps it going with another great one. I love the visualizations I get from this. With his story-telling type lyrics, I almost feel like I'm watching a movie with some of the songs. I still don't know if I like this better than Chase This Light. But I still don't know if I like Chase This Light better than Futures.
Final score: 8 out of 10.
4.10.10
Part 4 - Barack Obama is not the Antichrist
As the title suggests, this is more of a history lesson than anything. It's what I discovered when I decided to research religion in itself. An attempt to answer the "which one is right" question. Instead, I got into prophecies. I think it's cool to see things that have historically come true. I based most of it from the bible, so maybe it's biased, but the bible is pretty historically accurate. If you don't believe in the bible, then you should just go ahead and skip this whole thing. I'll break down the basics of what I learned.
First of all, the split of religion came from Abraham. The three that came out were Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The descendants being Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. God promised Abraham many descendants, of which would become kings of many nations. His wife, Sarah, was barren and could not conceive. So she became impatient and had Abraham conceive with their servant, Hagar. Thus came Ishmael. One of his 12 sons was Kedar and one of Kedar, and from him came Muhammad. This is where the nation of Islam came from. After Abraham and Sarah's first son Isaac was born, Ishmael began to feel envious towards his brother and thus was the beginning of the conflict between religions. So yes. The reason that there is war in the middle east is because Sarah tried to help God because she didn't believe she could have kids. Women always making things worse...kidding. Don't get mad.
The next interesting thing was the interpretations of King Nebuchadnezzar's dreams by Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. He had a dream of an image with a head of gold, breasts of arms and silver, belly of thighs and brass, and legs of iron and feet of iron mingled with clay. The following verses describe the interpretation:
Daniel 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Daniel 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Daniel 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Without going into detail (I can but for your sake and the sake of my fingers, I will not) the four kingdoms represented are Babylon, Medes Persians, Greeks, and Romans in that respected order. All of these kingdoms fell according to the history books. The history books state that the last one, Rome, fell in 476 AD. But it did not. Rome still has one of the greatest kingdoms in the world. The Roman Catholic Church.
This brings me to Revelations 17. I liked reading the end of the world stuff. Here are the verses.
1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
3Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5This title was written on her forehead:
MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
9"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. 11The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
Ok. My quick breakdown. I could probably write a mini series on this in itself, but I will try to hit the high points. Note the my. Meaning I am not stating this as fact, only what I believe. Also, Revelations 13 is equally important, but if you are truly interested in this, you should read it for yourself. The whore was named Babylon. If you trace that back to the interpretations of Daniel, you can see that she represents these four kingdoms. The last one being Rome, which is the only one still in power. The part about the seven kings is what really interested me (verses 10 and 11). Five have fallen could be referring to the 5 popes that were crowned as kings since Pius XI in 1929. The 6th pope "who is" would have been John Paul II. Meaning Benedict XVI would be the other that has not yet come. So if this prophecy is indeed about the Catholic Church, we are right in the middle of it! The eight and final king would be the next pope.
To clear things up, I do not believe that the next pope will be the Antichrist. Revelation speaks of two beasts. One from the land, one from the sea. One being the false prophet and one being the Antichrist. What I have discovered is that a lot of people jump to the conclusion that the Antichrist will come from the Catholic Church because it is identified as the beast. But there are two of them. I don't really understand how people can do all this research and not realize that. I feel like I'm missing something, but after reading it over and over again, I know I'm not. Revelations 13 clearly states two beasts.
So, yes. I believe that the pope could very well be the false prophet. I can't say who the Antichrist will be. I do know that he will come from one of the Islamic nations. However you interpret Revelations and Daniel, it is clear that the Catholic Church will have something to do with the end of the world. There are a lot of other things pointing to it. I just don't have the time to break them all down. You can read for yourself if you'd like. Most of this research came from Daniel and Revelations. I do know that the Catholic Church has power. Enough power to change the Sabbath to Sunday instead of Saturday. I do know that they have over 1 billion members. That's one sixth of the world.
Maybe I'm wrong. After all, this is all interpretation. But if the current pope dies, resigns, or whatever popes do to quit soon...it might be true. As "he must remain for a little while." Anyway, thought I would share. Take it or leave it. To anyone that knows anything about this, I understand I have left a lot out. Mostly because if I mentioned it, I would have to write another three paragraphs explaining it. Part 6 will be coming soon and will wrap everything up. This was kind of a departure from the rest of it, but the reasoning will be explained in the next one. I felt like I couldn't tell the end of the story without all of that. Actually...there isn't an end yet, as I'm still alive. The end to the series, rather. And clearly...Barack Obama is not either beast. If you want to go even farther, the US won't even be around during his reign. But that's another story.
First of all, the split of religion came from Abraham. The three that came out were Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The descendants being Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad. God promised Abraham many descendants, of which would become kings of many nations. His wife, Sarah, was barren and could not conceive. So she became impatient and had Abraham conceive with their servant, Hagar. Thus came Ishmael. One of his 12 sons was Kedar and one of Kedar, and from him came Muhammad. This is where the nation of Islam came from. After Abraham and Sarah's first son Isaac was born, Ishmael began to feel envious towards his brother and thus was the beginning of the conflict between religions. So yes. The reason that there is war in the middle east is because Sarah tried to help God because she didn't believe she could have kids. Women always making things worse...kidding. Don't get mad.
The next interesting thing was the interpretations of King Nebuchadnezzar's dreams by Daniel. King Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. He had a dream of an image with a head of gold, breasts of arms and silver, belly of thighs and brass, and legs of iron and feet of iron mingled with clay. The following verses describe the interpretation:
Daniel 2:37 Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory.
Daniel 2:38 And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold.
Daniel 2:39 And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule over all the earth.
Daniel 2:40 And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise.
Without going into detail (I can but for your sake and the sake of my fingers, I will not) the four kingdoms represented are Babylon, Medes Persians, Greeks, and Romans in that respected order. All of these kingdoms fell according to the history books. The history books state that the last one, Rome, fell in 476 AD. But it did not. Rome still has one of the greatest kingdoms in the world. The Roman Catholic Church.
This brings me to Revelations 17. I liked reading the end of the world stuff. Here are the verses.
1One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters. 2With her the kings of the earth committed adultery and the inhabitants of the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her adulteries."
3Then the angel carried me away in the Spirit into a desert. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. 4The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet, and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. 5This title was written on her forehead:
MYSTERY
BABYLON THE GREAT
THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES
AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. 6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus.
When I saw her, I was greatly astonished. 7Then the angel said to me: "Why are you astonished? I will explain to you the mystery of the woman and of the beast she rides, which has the seven heads and ten horns. 8The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.
9"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. 10They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while. 11The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.
Ok. My quick breakdown. I could probably write a mini series on this in itself, but I will try to hit the high points. Note the my. Meaning I am not stating this as fact, only what I believe. Also, Revelations 13 is equally important, but if you are truly interested in this, you should read it for yourself. The whore was named Babylon. If you trace that back to the interpretations of Daniel, you can see that she represents these four kingdoms. The last one being Rome, which is the only one still in power. The part about the seven kings is what really interested me (verses 10 and 11). Five have fallen could be referring to the 5 popes that were crowned as kings since Pius XI in 1929. The 6th pope "who is" would have been John Paul II. Meaning Benedict XVI would be the other that has not yet come. So if this prophecy is indeed about the Catholic Church, we are right in the middle of it! The eight and final king would be the next pope.
To clear things up, I do not believe that the next pope will be the Antichrist. Revelation speaks of two beasts. One from the land, one from the sea. One being the false prophet and one being the Antichrist. What I have discovered is that a lot of people jump to the conclusion that the Antichrist will come from the Catholic Church because it is identified as the beast. But there are two of them. I don't really understand how people can do all this research and not realize that. I feel like I'm missing something, but after reading it over and over again, I know I'm not. Revelations 13 clearly states two beasts.
So, yes. I believe that the pope could very well be the false prophet. I can't say who the Antichrist will be. I do know that he will come from one of the Islamic nations. However you interpret Revelations and Daniel, it is clear that the Catholic Church will have something to do with the end of the world. There are a lot of other things pointing to it. I just don't have the time to break them all down. You can read for yourself if you'd like. Most of this research came from Daniel and Revelations. I do know that the Catholic Church has power. Enough power to change the Sabbath to Sunday instead of Saturday. I do know that they have over 1 billion members. That's one sixth of the world.
Maybe I'm wrong. After all, this is all interpretation. But if the current pope dies, resigns, or whatever popes do to quit soon...it might be true. As "he must remain for a little while." Anyway, thought I would share. Take it or leave it. To anyone that knows anything about this, I understand I have left a lot out. Mostly because if I mentioned it, I would have to write another three paragraphs explaining it. Part 6 will be coming soon and will wrap everything up. This was kind of a departure from the rest of it, but the reasoning will be explained in the next one. I felt like I couldn't tell the end of the story without all of that. Actually...there isn't an end yet, as I'm still alive. The end to the series, rather. And clearly...Barack Obama is not either beast. If you want to go even farther, the US won't even be around during his reign. But that's another story.
3.10.10
Open your eyes.
Ok. The mini-series is on hold. Partly because I made the mistake of writing 4 of them while I had no internet and was very bored and jobless. I haven't gotten around to it, and for that I apologize. I have something else I want to talk about though. I had one of those experiences tonight in which words will not justify. But I'm going to try. And I'm really upset that computers don't autocorrect contractions like iPhones do. More work for me.
If you know me, you know that I over-analyze everything. And by everything, I mean just that. A light bulb is not just a source of light, it is a bulb that holds filament that electricity runs through and creates light through resistance. I see a car and I see sparks igniting, pistons turning, and a transmission moving the wheels. This also applies to my social life. I'll take one sentence that someone says and break it down to every possible meaning. I boil down the pros and cons of every relationship. I like to figure out how people think. I hate it sometimes because I can't just see a computer and say, "It's a box thingy that lets you get on the internets." One thing I still can't wrap my head around is creation itself. It is a truly beautiful and wonderful thing.
I'll paint the scene. I was driving home from Florence around the Rogersville area and happened to glance up at the sky. After seeing more stars than I ever get the chance to see, I felt the urge to pull over. So I did. Using the hood of my car for warmth, I laid on top and just stared into the abyss. Jimmy Eat World barely audible from the car speakers. To the east, I could see the glow of Huntsville and Decatur and to the west, Florence barely making a light. Straight up was an array of stars that just blew my mind. Naturally I started analyzing things but ended up with nothing, so I did something I never do. I stopped. And just took it all in. Stopped asking questions. Stopped trying to figure things out. Just took 10 minutes out of my life and stared. It was beautiful. All of the things going on in my life, good or bad, didn't exist. I realized that you don't have to go to Portland or New Zealand to see beauty. It exists all around us. Some of the most serene things are in my own backyard or on the side of the road. I'm just always to "busy" to notice it. I put busy in quotes because no matter how busy I am, I still waste time. How much time do I spend checking facebook? Or daydreaming about the day that I have enough money to move away and experience something. Why can't I experience something now? Those 10 minutes I spent staring at the stars gave me more peace than almost anything I have ever felt in my life.
I don't get it. I don't understand why we're so driven to "succeed" that we forget to stop and appreciate creation as it is. Every time I do something like this, I keep telling myself I need to continue. To take time out of the day. But I don't. I just keep worrying about what I'm going to eat later, or how I'm going to pay off all of my debt. That's one thing I can't grasp. How the most serene things are all around me, but I can't ever find them. Because I never look. Open your eyes.
If you know me, you know that I over-analyze everything. And by everything, I mean just that. A light bulb is not just a source of light, it is a bulb that holds filament that electricity runs through and creates light through resistance. I see a car and I see sparks igniting, pistons turning, and a transmission moving the wheels. This also applies to my social life. I'll take one sentence that someone says and break it down to every possible meaning. I boil down the pros and cons of every relationship. I like to figure out how people think. I hate it sometimes because I can't just see a computer and say, "It's a box thingy that lets you get on the internets." One thing I still can't wrap my head around is creation itself. It is a truly beautiful and wonderful thing.
I'll paint the scene. I was driving home from Florence around the Rogersville area and happened to glance up at the sky. After seeing more stars than I ever get the chance to see, I felt the urge to pull over. So I did. Using the hood of my car for warmth, I laid on top and just stared into the abyss. Jimmy Eat World barely audible from the car speakers. To the east, I could see the glow of Huntsville and Decatur and to the west, Florence barely making a light. Straight up was an array of stars that just blew my mind. Naturally I started analyzing things but ended up with nothing, so I did something I never do. I stopped. And just took it all in. Stopped asking questions. Stopped trying to figure things out. Just took 10 minutes out of my life and stared. It was beautiful. All of the things going on in my life, good or bad, didn't exist. I realized that you don't have to go to Portland or New Zealand to see beauty. It exists all around us. Some of the most serene things are in my own backyard or on the side of the road. I'm just always to "busy" to notice it. I put busy in quotes because no matter how busy I am, I still waste time. How much time do I spend checking facebook? Or daydreaming about the day that I have enough money to move away and experience something. Why can't I experience something now? Those 10 minutes I spent staring at the stars gave me more peace than almost anything I have ever felt in my life.
I don't get it. I don't understand why we're so driven to "succeed" that we forget to stop and appreciate creation as it is. Every time I do something like this, I keep telling myself I need to continue. To take time out of the day. But I don't. I just keep worrying about what I'm going to eat later, or how I'm going to pay off all of my debt. That's one thing I can't grasp. How the most serene things are all around me, but I can't ever find them. Because I never look. Open your eyes.
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