Grace finds beauty in everything...

Grace Madeline Baty
10-02-2008

We've been waiting all our lives...

Thank you free song on iTunes. Last week, iTunes featured a wonderful little ditty called Buildings & Mountains by a band known as the Republic Tigers. Granted, I don't get too much into the free iTunes singles. Usually they are a bit overplayed or overrated, but I still download the interesting looking ones... and I am glad I do.

I don't know how these guys passed me by the first time, but they are tres fantastique! It's the band I have been waiting to find. They kind of sound Shins-y in one song, and Postal Service-y in the next. Probably not the greatest of comparisons, but definitely worth the price of their album.

Check the mp3's...

Buildings & Mountains

The Nerve

Air Guitar

Golden Sand

What's the story, morning glory?

(Yer man and Liam in Disneyworld.)

I love Oasis, and you should never ever shove Noel. He's the good guy! If anything, shove Liam. Check the 1:30 mark. Watch as Liam FINALLY defends his brother.

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery...

This blog was made to discuss good music, so let me clear my throat for a second...

I, like every other rich white person in America, have a Facebook account. Usually I slag off most of the bizarros and their political passions being posted all over. I also live in Utah, aka super Republican town apparently. I am also a Democrat Mormon. Which is a sin just to say out loud for some people. I really am not that political, either, but I really like Obama... which is apparently also the biggest sin one can commit living in Utah... other than watching R rated movies and drinking Coke... Which I also do. (What an effing Liberal I am!)

Facebook idiots, or "extremely bored people" as I will refer to us from now on, have this "status" that you can update with some cute little saying or feeling or blah blah blah. Now, because this is a highly charged election year, people have taken the opportunity to change their "status"es into something political, i.e.:

"(NAME) thought the RNC rocked! Let's fight those stinkin liberals out of Washington.."

"(NAME) doesn't understand how anyone can look at the last eight years and even consider voting Republican."

"(NAME) is 'a proud mother of five for Palin.' "

"(NAME) is stoked about Sarah Palin's speech last night!"

"(NAME) is already sick of the republican convention."

These are actual current "status"es of "friends" of mine. And I literally could go on and on.... (using quotation marks... " ") These are the tame ones, just so you know.

Anywho, to take the piss out of all of this "so-much-fun-time," I posted the following as my "status":

"Jon Baty is reminding the RNC fans that Jesus Christ was a community organizer, and Pontius Pilate was a governor."

This was an obvious reference to any politicos regarding many of the speaker's (at the RNC) view that Barack O'bama having worked as a community organizer is ridiculous. Here are some quotes from said speakers just in case you want to fact check me:

"I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a 'community organizer,' except that you have actual responsibilities."

Gov. Michael, errr... Sarah Palin (Could have been Tina Fey doing an SNL sketch... Will do more research to prove.)

"Drop 9/11 Everytime I Speak" Giuliani laughed out loud while noting Barack Obama's deep experience as a "community organizer."

...You get my point. So I decided to put that funny little saying as my status. And boy, did my "friends" not like it.

(Update 9/8/2008 - This weekend was not fun.)
I opened my account email each day to find some really AWESOME messages that my supposed friends emailed and commented to me, but they were downright insensitive and unintelligent, so I refuse to put them here. Here's the summation though: I am an embarassment to my religion. I am the Anti-Christ. I am going to Hell. Obviously, told with much more colorful words and phrases. My "good" Mormon friends who know all about persecution with regards to beliefs, decided to use their expansive knowledge and persecute someone for his beliefs.

Maybe these were tries at a joke... leave the jokes to the comedians. (Like me!)

But I still went to Church on Sunday, where my Branch President left me with a wonderful quote: "Just because you are a Republican, doesn't make you holy. Just because you are a Democrat doesn't make you the Anti-Christ." I wish my in-laws were here. I hope they are having fun in Japan.

So yeah, that was my soapbox. Moral of the story is this: we are all different people with different beliefs and views. That's what makes America great. What does not make America great are those same people bashing their views into your skull because they believe that they are God's chosen morally right individuals. But they aren't. We call those people elitist Republican a$$holes.

I keed, I keed.

I am lost in paranoia's most beautiful dream...

Been listening to a lot of grime/dub-step recently. Basically it's like the UK's form of hip-hop mixed with garage and drum & bass.

Kode 9 & The Spaceape are fantastic. I found out about them from the Children of Men soundtrack, and Michael Caine loves them, so... suck it, America.

Roots Manuva has been around for awhile and is prolly one of the bigger names in the UK hip-hop world. Plus he hangs out with the Arctic Monkeys.

Finally, you can't mention garage without mentioning my fave, Dizzee Rascal. While I can't claim to understand most of the things he says... the man is phenomenal. Dance wiv me.

All apologies...

I have been so tired lately, but with so much music news... I will update soon.

When we funk, we'll hear beats.

I have been in a bit of a trip-hop mood as of late... which is weird, because normally my trip-hoppedness usually starts up in the Fall. Blends with the mood of the darkening season, dyaknowhutimean?

Anywho... I have always been a huge Massive Attack fan, so I am interested in all things Del Naja. I have also been trying to get my hands on more of the Tricky kid. Perhaps getting the most play out of my iPogue now is a cover Adrian Thaws does of the Kylie Minogue hot sex track, "Slow."
'Cept Tricky makes it angry. Very angry... maybe sexy angry?

Here's some more musical ideas to spice up your bedroom:

Portishead - Machine Gun
UNKLE - Blood Stain
Massive Attack - Karmacoma (Cross Reference... Tricky - Overcome)
Tricky - Hell Is Round The Corner (Cross Reference... Portishead - Glory Box)

He no longer listens to A-Sides and every song says the same thing...

Thanks to the great mind of Dr. Soffe, I purchased a few songs by the Fleet Foxes. My favorite of theirs so far is the single, "White Winter Hymnal." Basically they sound like older My Morning Jacket/Band of Horses/alt country.


The Arctic Monkeys have been a favorite of mine, so I have been checking out lead singer Alex Turner's side project: The Last Shadow Puppets. I haven't really gotten into them as much as the freezing apes, but they have a great spaghetti western sounding b-side called "Hang The Cyst," that is pure Scott Walker.


Lastly, on a whim, I bought the debut album of Low Vs. Diamond. They could be described as a fun little Killers/L.A./David Bowie glam rock years type of sound. Fun driving music, if nothing else.


Currently listening to: The Mary Onettes - Explosions

Welcome to the debauchery.

Jumping on the bandwagon of blogging friends... a friend wanted me to tell them what music I was listening to, or bands I was currently "into." So this is for that: stalk my music.

Currently listening to: The Good, The Bad & The Queen.
Long live Damon Albarn.