Localretard-Media

About the new site…

localretard — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 07:32:40 +0000

The idea behind this was to allow myself to do music reviews and show off my original art. The art will consist of drawings, writings, music…anything original that I produce.

The music reviews will by far be the forfront of this site, I don’t know if this has been done before, but I’m going to assume it has considering it’s the internet. Just know this wasn’t meant to infringe upon anyone else.

The new site layout still needs some adjusting but overall it is completed. If anyone…and I mean anyone wants to help produce some music review let me know. I’d prefer some writing background with other sites but it’s not necessary. You won’t be paid. If your interested email me at localretard [@] gmail.com

Not a Gamble

localretard — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:51:12 +0000

Well not much to say about this piece. I was in a weird place at the time, listening to a lot of Bright Eyes (I know…), it didn’t turn out to bad though. It’s kind of clever, if you go listen to the album “I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning” you can see the elements of the songs. I still enjoy this piece, tell me what you guys think.

The Books - The Lemon of Pink

localretard — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:46:33 +0000

The Books may not sound like a familiar name, but I’m fairly certain you’ve heard their music. “That Right Ain’t Shit” was used as the soundtrack in an advertisement for a Hummer vehicle, and “Tokyo” was used in a commercial to spread awareness about HIV. So they are fairly well known considering Nick Drake gain some notoriety the same way (a song was featured in a Volkswagen commercial). The Books are an experimental, aleatory, folk band from New York, who use sound bytes heavily in their music. The founders and consistent members are Nick Zammuto and Paul de Jon, who founded the band in 2000. “The Lemon of Pink” is the second album in their discography.

First off you guys should know “The Lemon of Pink” is a very short album, clocking in at roughly 37 minutes. That being the only downside, to me, because it leaves you wanting more of it’s weirdly enchanting, off key banjo and raspy voiced goddess, that sings with the passion of Janis Joplin, and that’s just the intro song. Many of you probably don’t know what aleatory music is, please allow me to explain, it means that the overall general path of the music is set but the details are left up to chance. This has been around as early as the 15th century, but didn’t gain popular precedent until the 1950’s.

The Books are a very interesting band that have kept me appeased throughout their discography. My only regret is I didn’t hear about them earlier, because then I may have gotten a chance to see them live. There are rumors that they will not be recording another album…let’s hope that not true.

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The Acorn - Glory Hope Mountain

localretard — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 06:28:56 +0000

The Acorn manages to mix Folk with Indie in a way that still manages to surprise me with each listen. While “Glory Hope Mountain” may not be a perfect album, I definitely hold it as one of the best releases of 2007. “Glory Hope Mountain” is The Acorn’s proper first LP release, but is their 4th release in their discography. I personally have not heard any of their other releases, but the fans hold them just as dearly as “Glory Hope Mountain”, and it’s rare to have such a strong back catalog. This album is a concept album based on the life of Rolf Klausener’s (singer/guitarist) Honduran-born mother, Gloria Esperanza Montoya. This name, roughly translated, is where the album gets it’s name.

Klausener’s songwriting skills really shine in this album. The opening track has some of the most memorable lyrics of any song I have heard. Follow the lyrics is the rhythm that The Acorn uses to set the mood and tone for each song, like in “Flood pt. 1″, you can hear the ever constant drums in the background which mimics the steady pushing current of the water, while some haunting background vocals mimic the chaoticness and every changing direction of the current. I did mention “Glory Hope Mountain” not being perfect, and where the album falls short is where a lot of folk album fail, it just gets too repetitive. I have listened to this album a lot and it is hard for me to distinguish some of the tracks apart.

Don’t get me wrong this album is absolutely worth the time, that is if you enjoy the folk-indie genre. If you have ever dreamt of running freely through the woods at night while the moon lights your path…then please do yourself a favor and hear this album. I do recommend to everyone that they listen to the album and get their own opinions though. I personally love this album and listen to it at least twice a week.

Website: http://theacorn.ca/
Download: Sharebee
Watch: The Acorn - The Flood
Buy: @ Paperbag , @ Amazon

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Sunset In The Summertime

localretard — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 08:03:36 +0000

This one always reminded me of “The Big Lebowski” for some reason…I think it is because the naked girl on the trampoline…yes…she is supposed to be naked. I was listening to Conor Oberst’s solo album while drawing this one. I was pretty bored that night and surprisingly this one took a while for me to complete considering how simple and…well…crappy it is. Enjoy!

I’m 20, But Not For Long

localretard — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 09:07:17 +0000

I actually forgot what the inspiration for this was. All I can remember is it was going to originally be a woman in a dress (look between the eyes). I did this at Barnes and Noble, it kind of reminds me of Max from “Sam & Max”.

Stories Within the Sounds

localretard — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 08:20:38 +0000

I’m gonna be completely honest here, I was hanging out with a couple friends…and they were stoned, when I told them that I have been trying to draw recently. I had also told them that I had been in a rut for awhile and didn’t really have any new ideas. We then proceeded to throw ideas out…this one caught my attention and I told them that I would draw it. So here it stands…probably my best work so far.

Forgetfulness the 8th Forgotten Sin

localretard — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:56:47 +0000

I had been listening to a lot of John Lennon’s solo work again, and I decided I wanted to create something like his “My Mommy’s Dead”.

Forgetfulness the 8th Forgotten Sin -

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River Through the Trees

localretard — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 08:28:58 +0000

I was on a Frank Zappa kick…plus I was bored. I really don’t know what else to say about this…see if you can hear the Zappa homage there.

River Through the Trees -

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Rashomon

localretard — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:12:48 +0000

I had actually watched the Kurosawa film for the first time about 3 weeks prior to recording this. I still need to read the book however….Enjoy!

Rashomon -

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