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BDSM - Bartosso's Daily Saturnine Musings

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Topic: BDSM - Bartosso's Daily Saturnine Musings
Posted By: bartosso
Subject: BDSM - Bartosso's Daily Saturnine Musings
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2014 at 1:08pm
Table of contents:

http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=108921&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#108921" rel="nofollow - #1 - Can you actually RATE a work of art?
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=109939&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#109939" rel="nofollow - #2 - Music, books and how to make them whole
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=110056&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#110056" rel="nofollow - #3 - Coffins on Io, reviews and other astronomical anomalies
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=110549&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#110549" rel="nofollow - #4 - Metal and independent thinking
http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=110677&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#110677" rel="nofollow - #5 - Deviants, masochists and aesthetics of metal
http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/2014/10/me-music-and-musings-1.html" rel="nofollow - #6 - Me, Music and Musings #1
http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/2014/10/i-didnt-expect-spanish-inquisition-and_29.html" rel="nofollow - #7 - "I didn't expect the Spanish inquisition" and other stories


http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - - Shrine of Llyría

***
#1 - Can you actually RATE a work of art?

Let me preface this rant with a disclaimer:
 
I USED TO RATE not only albums but TRACKS INDIVIDUALLY AND PUT THOSE RATINGS IN REVIEWS!
Phew, there I said it.

I'm deeply sorry as I think it was unwise of me and just unnecessary. Not because no one wants to know that shit. Not because it's impossible to be THAT objective. No, I'm sorry because rating anything that is art, even whole albums not only doesn't do them justice, it hurts you as the audience. Yes, I think rating music (or books or paintings and other pure arts (movies ain't pure ~art naziTongue) harms you and makes your perception of art pragmatic where it should be spontaneous and well... not hampered by cold reasoning in the first place. 

Numerical rating forces you to asses something that can't be assessed precisely. What's even worse it makes you wonder if the rating you've given is objectively justified: "Do I like it as much as this other album? For what reasons?". Also, it often changes the way your review is perceived or even discourages people from reading it - they just check the rating and they're done.

First of all, however, the ever present rating system creates a global, common conviction that art is a product to be rated with cold calculation in mind. A product to be sold. YES, I know it all already happened long time ago, it's by no means a reason to think it's right! We live in a world where hotels, fridges, restaurants, TVs and works of art are all rated with the same 5-star scale. And I think it's wrong and corrosive to culture in general.

Does that mean I think reviews are bad too? Hell no! I think reviews are a good way of sharing your opinion about a work of art, explaining how you perceive it, its core elements and influences, why do you like it or why you don't. But a numerical rating is a different story entirely. That's why I'd prefer reviews with no ratings attached to them. Just that. Write a review, say what you think and use your extensive knowledge about the music to track the artist's influences. Share your opinion and make people read and think for themselves. 

EDIT: A good way out of this is the binary recommendation system - you either recommend it or not, end of story.

EDIT 2: I've moved it to blog section as I've been thinking about writing something on regular basis and also because nobody was interested in the discussion.


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Replies:
Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2014 at 1:16pm
You rated Babymetal Tongue

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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2014 at 1:18pm
Originally posted by ProgMetaller2112 ProgMetaller2112 wrote:

You rated Babymetal Tongue
Sure I did, I had no choice. Besides, everyone knows that I actually worship this band and love every single track by themWink No rating's gonna change that! ^^


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http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/


Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 03 Oct 2014 at 1:18pm
LOL

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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: Bosh66
Date Posted: 13 Oct 2014 at 12:12pm
Shame you can't rate blogs - I'm looking forward to the next instalment. Some wisdom in that argument, Bartosso! As for rating down to a track level - it just removes any sense of the album a unified work for me.


Posted By: Bosh66
Date Posted: 13 Oct 2014 at 12:19pm
Oh and great blog name too. How long did it take to come up with that one? What next - Bartosso's Unique Knowledge and Applied Kreative Insight (BUKAKI) blog?


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 13 Oct 2014 at 1:18pm
haha, thanks. I need some sleep cause I come up with this kind of ideas every time I pull an all-nighter LOL Oh man and it took me like 20 minutes or something! I still like your better! It's so graphic!

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Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 14 Oct 2014 at 7:53am
#2 - Music, books and how to make them whole.

Before I start, a disclaimer, let's make it a tradition:

You have to be a reader and listener in order to understand the following essay. Please do not read if you can't (duh) and also if you don't enjoy/listen to music. As a bonus, kill yourself, no joke. You also should be over 18 years old.

***

Music. One word, countless feelings evoked. Ah, yes, so you came here to read something written by this guy that tries soooo hard. Here you go. Today's essay's about emotional/conceptual associations we make between books and music we listen to at the moment of reading. 

The first time it happened to me was looong before puberty. I think I was 5 - 8 years old at the time. I had a Disney book called "Hercules". It told a disturbing story about a ginger muscle guy, no need to talk about it now. Anyway, somehow I ended up listening to M people cassette while reading the book. Even now, many years later, I still "feel" the book every time I listen to M people... which is never by the way, I don't listen to that crap anymore! So, I felt it, every time I listened to M people. By feeling it, I don't mean any scenes or characters in particular, just the atmosphere in general and feelings the book evoked in me. It's just as if the music were a soundtrack to the story, regardless of how incompatible M People and Hercules are. Another, maybe even sillier example, is Bjork's Isobel, a track from Post. As an avid dinosaurs fan, I read many books about these amazing creatures throughout my childhood. I fantasized about them, I saw them among the trees while looking through the car window, hell, I even pretended to be one! It's not made up, I swear! So, anyway, I used to listen to Bjork quite a lot too at the time. Isobel has become that one track that I instantly associated with dinosaurs. I actually thought it was ABOUT dinosaurs, running through the forest, majestically raising their heads above the treetops. How disappointed I was when I found out, many years later, that the track's name is Isobel (yeah as a kid I didn't care about titles) and what's more, it's absolutely not about dinosaurs.


A few years ago I realized that I could actually enhance my reading experience by listening to one album over and over again while going through a book. It creates a bond. Obviously it can't be just any album but rather one that you already know pretty well and like quite a lot. For instance, I've been reading Murakami's Hard-boiled Wonderland and The End of the World, one of his most surreal books. As I head some awesome experience with Reisefieber by Mikołaj Łoziński and One Armed Bandit by Jaga Jazzist, I started to associate an album with a book and listen to it. If it worked, I had this book "stuck" in the music for the rest of my life. If it didn't, well, I'd change the music or read without any music at all. So, anyway, I listend to Kayo Dot Choir's of The Eye while reading Murakami. And let me tell you, it worked great. Both the book and the album are great but they're even better as a duo. Kayo Dot gives you the sense of wonder, menace and psychedelia and that's exactly what you need to amplify the mood of Hard-boiled Wonderland.


I know it might not be the most groundbreaking thing and some of you have already tried this. Still, if you haven't, give it a shot: pick an album you like, album you think would go well with the books you're reading and listen to it. Bind the album to the book and keep it this way forever.

http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=108921&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#108921" rel="nofollow - - - Back to Table of Contents -


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Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 15 Oct 2014 at 6:43pm
#3 - Coffins on Io, reviews and other astronomical anomalies

Daily Disclaimer: 

You have to know that Io is one of Jupiter's moons and one of the most hell-like places in our solar system, topped only by Venus (not sure about that).  We all know now after all, so no reason to stop you from reading the following mini-essay. Enjoy.

***

I've been listening to the latest album by Kayo Dot for a week now (it was streamed legally before release, no worries), and I must say that it's... great. Review's on the way, what I am about to write here about is not one. Just some thoughts on the album and other stories that concern it to some extent. I hope.

One thing have been bogging me lately. If you went through my first essay about rating works of art, you know that my approach have evolved quite a bit. Or maybe not evolved, I just realized how futile some attempts at being rational were. I realized that saying that "it's good but not perfect" or that "I don't think it's as good as the previous album" doesn't really make sense. And you know what? I love Hubardo, the previous Dot, and I was even tempted to say that I don't think Coffins on Io is as good. But I decided I won't. It's different. And it's genuinely good, like swimming in a remote lake in the middle of the forest with the night sky above. 

I think writing an objective and detailed review with arguments backing every observation with profound knowledge is not, or shouldn't be the goal in itself, yet just one of the means to accomplish something much more important. These days a good reviewer is the one who's impersonal and objective but let's be honest, it's much harder to give yourself on a plate to the reader and then make him follow you with your writing without embarrassing yourself. That's why we don't do it. We don't do it because being emotional is not cool. Before we go any further, I want to say that I don't consider my reviews to be a good example of that approach. I try to follow this path, but I most often fail. I try to let myself go and try to capture the soul of the album apart from describing it with cold blood. Let's face it, though I'm not really that well versed in music and English is still a foreign language to me. I'm also pretentious which can potentially be repelling for some readers.

I remember reading a review by one of our most prominent reviewers here on MMA, a review of Gnaw Their Tongues' debut. I loved how in this particular review he crossed the line, broke the fourth wall and spoke for himself, exposed the thoughts that the album evoked in him. That leads me to an obvious observation that you don't have to be that deeply open every time, just don't stop yourself when you feel something. It makes of your review a work of art in itself, and there's nothing better than that.

***

http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=108921&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#108921" rel="nofollow -


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Posted By: Earendil
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 5:27pm
I really enjoyed the blog.  I like your detached sense of humor, and I added Hard-Boiled Wonderland to my Amazon wish list (for if and if I get to it).  I agree that it's impossible to compare Io and Hubardo.  Both occupy special spheres inside me that don't really overlap, and they'll remain in different ways, along with most of Kayo Dot, some of the most important music to me.


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 21 Oct 2014 at 6:21pm
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the articles and that the humor suits you. I wasn't sure if the blog were a good idea but now I'm definitely going to continue working on it. Hard-boiled Wonderland definitely is a great book, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks again and hey, stay tuned :)

Also, I posted a Part the Second "review" a day or so ago, it's my 100th review so I celebrated big time. It's more like a BDSM blog post so I strongly encourage you to take a look :)


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Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 10:48am
#4 - Metal and independent thinking

Daily Disclaimer:

If the epitome of metal to you is Iron Maiden and nothing heavier than this is listenable, skip this one. You'd look at this text like a dog being shown a card trick. Just kidding, go on.

***

I hate statistics. Mostly because there's a significant gap between required amount of critical thinking to interpret them and the actual intelligence of people doing it. Still, a non-metal friend of mine once told me that there's been a study about correlation between music preferences and intelligence and guess what. People listening to metal are apparently, allegedly more intelligent STATISTICALLY than your average rocker or popper (my word for pop music fans, but also  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poppers" rel="nofollow - THIS ). Ha! You listen to metal, right? You feel better now? Don't get excited just yet.

So, why is that? Why would we be so awesome, you ask? Isn't it obvious, we're outcasts, living on the edge! I started listening to metal when I was around 12 years old. I remember having a Judas Priest and Overkill cassettes from my cousin and played the shit out of them. Mostly of Painkiller, actually, since Overkill bothered me greatly. I listened to Metallica and System of a Down too. And when I was 14, my girlfriend introduced me to Slipknot, my first extreme metal band. Yep, whatever we might think of Slipknot now, they were pretty extreme back in the day. Then I realized Slipknot sucked, I discovered Opeth and my whole life changed. So, anyway, you may think that my music tastes made me an outcast but that's not true. I was one long before all that. And you know what the life of outcast taught me? Always think for yourself, don't follow the crowd, be yourself. Also: don't look'em in the eye, run before they form a circle, hide in the bushes.

According to the study, people listening to metal, and especially to the more underground forms of metal, are statistically more intelligent. I was stumped when I heard that. First of all, most of my intelligent friends (friends that were better at the sciences than me, for instance), didn't listen to metal. The only subject I was really good at was Polish (it's my native language) and history (kind of). I was writing high rated essays, basically. So apparently, from an educational standpoint, I wasn't especially intelligent. Just your average alienated kid that can't play football and hangs out with other alienated kids but they don't form any real group or subculture... although today we could easily be classified as nerds due to our fascination with tabletop rpgs. Whatever the actual level of my intelligence may be, assuming it can be accurately measured by those silly IQ tests, I think the word "intelligence" should be replaced with "independent thinking" in this particular case. We, people of both sexes listening to metal, often are independent thinkers. We listen to music that is harsh, raw, music that most people consider to be an obnoxious noise. We don't follow their judgement, though. We judge by our own standards. And that's the point: why do we consider an ugly, obnoxious noise to be enjoyable or even... beautiful?

Good question. I'll try to answer it in the next installment of BDSM. For now, that is all. Almost. Before you go... recent studies have shown that all kids are intelligent and everyone is born with a talent. Don't believe those who try to tell you otherwise. What education (and stupid parents) makes us loose, is the ability to think for ourselves. So, if you're young, don't let the education ruin you! If you're old and listen to some sick music, don't worry, you're fine.

http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=108921&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#108921" rel="nofollow -


Posted By: Earendil
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 12:37pm
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the articles and that the humor suits you. I wasn't sure if the blog were a good idea but now I'm definitely going to continue working on it. Hard-boiled Wonderland definitely is a great book, hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did! Thanks again and hey, stay tuned :)

Also, I posted a Part the Second "review" a day or so ago, it's my 100th review so I celebrated big time. It's more like a BDSM blog post so I strongly encourage you to take a look :)

I thought one line in your review sums up the album just about as well as it's possible to do.  It made me pause and go "oh... of course", like it's natural to do when you realize something fundamental.  Anyways, I enjoyed reading it.  This line: What I say may seem quite vague, but this record really sounds as if it were aware of itself. Every sound, every word is there for a reason and for no reason at all.


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 22 Oct 2014 at 8:39pm
Woah, incredible how every quote sounds better out of context ^^ thanks once again, Andrew, your support and thoughtful commentary is much, much appreciated.

Also, nothing cheesy about your Blue Lambency Downward review. We get more and more scared of going poetic these days. I believe that you can't accurately describe a work of art without transcending literal description of genres, influences etc.


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Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 23 Oct 2014 at 8:31pm
#5 - Deviants, masochists and aesthetics of metal

Daily Disclaimer:

If the epitome of metal is Iron Maiden for you... what? I've used this disclaimer already? What can I say, I just don't like this band.

***

Before you kill me, I'll just say that I actually somewhat like Iron Maiden, I'm just a kind of person that would say anything to seem cool and ironic. Basically a kind of person you wouldn't like to know in real life. I have an excuse, though! I'm sick, I sleep eight hours a day and another ten at night, waiting for something to happen. If I'm to be completely honest with you, this blog marks a transitional phase in my life as I learn to accept my health problems despite their life and hearing impairing implications. I have to accept them. Not because I need it to feel better. It's just that after two years of treatment, surgery and inconclusive diagnosing, I feel like resuming my life would be a good move.

I know, I know, it was supposed to be about us, not me. I didn't plan this outburst, I hope all two people who read this won't hold a grudge against me... The question we asked in the previous installment of BDSM was, more ot less, "Why do we like extreme music?". The answer is partly expressed in the question itself (oh how clever!). Extreme situations is what thrills us. Why would people watch thrillers, read horror books or gather around car accidents like idiots, if not for the excitement? It's obviously directly connected to our morbid curiosity and I think at the very basis, that's what gets us hooked on extreme music in the first place. Still music compared to movies, books or real life situations, is abstract. Yeah, sure, Cannibal Corpse lyrics (and cover arts, for that matter) are not particularly abstract and I bet some people find this aspect of their music very exciting. Still, even if you leave aside the conceptual basis of the music, it's still extreme. That's where another thing kicks in - letting oneself go. Extreme music is liberating and helps us relax. It's funny because it usually has an opposite effect on those who don't like it.

Okay, but what about those who find the music not only liberating but also beautiful. If you get shivers down your spine upon hearing a Gnaw Their Tongues track or an emotional arrhythmia while listening to Meshuggah, you're one of those freaks. You are one of these sick deviants that listen to atonal noise and still somehow look like a birdwatcher surrounded by nightingales. That's not normal! I mean really, peeking at birds, come on! So, anyway, we are willing to sacrifice social conformity and often part of our sanity just to explore that music and experience something extraordinary. Or maybe it's just that only extreme music is capable of conveying the full spectrum of human nature? All that we know about, all that we accept, but also things we'd rather forget about or don't even know exist in our subconscious? Knowing and accepting all that shit we have inside is part of our evolution. And yes, we're talking metal here, but also avant-garde jazz or RIO, or chamber music. All music that challenges your limits, opens your mind and forces you to give in to it, is extreme.

Nowadays, especially nowadays, in the postmodern age, extreme music is a perfect artistic vessel to express things otherwise inexpressible. Bands like Kayo Dot, Unexpect, Cloak of Altering, Thy Catafalque, however different they are, all aim at transcending the borders of art in order to achieve the ultimate goal - ecstasy, freedom, spiritual unity of body and mind. Without dogmas, prayers, or masturbation. Just you and the sounds. And when the silence comes, you're a changed man.

***

http://www.metalmusicarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9934&PID=108921&title=bdsm-bartossos-daily-saturnine-musings#108921" rel="nofollow -


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 24 Oct 2014 at 2:08pm
http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - - Shrine of Llyría
-> BDSM from now on available also on my refurbished blog.


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Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 26 Oct 2014 at 1:10pm
Check out new post:

http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/2014/10/me-music-and-musings-1.html" rel="nofollow -




Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2014 at 5:30pm

http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/2014/10/i-didnt-expect-spanish-inquisition-and_29.html" rel="nofollow -



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Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2014 at 8:58pm
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

#4 - Metal and independent thinking



Is there such a thing as Independent thinking? Geek  LOL


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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2014 at 9:50pm
Originally posted by ProgMetaller2112 ProgMetaller2112 wrote:

Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

#4 - Metal and independent thinking



Is there such a thing as Independent thinking? Geek  LOL


Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 29 Oct 2014 at 11:30pm
Originally posted by Polymorphia Polymorphia wrote:

Originally posted by ProgMetaller2112 ProgMetaller2112 wrote:

Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

#4 - Metal and independent thinking



Is there such a thing as Independent thinking? Geek  LOL

LOL
 

I live in a country where Independent thinking is shrinking Shocked


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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 8:02am
^ thanks Polymorphia, that question had me worried for a moment that there's actually no such thing! It would make me look sillier than I already do! What a relief Beer

Btw, anime avi bros unite! ^^


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Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 8:33am
Beer *in Misato Katsuragi's voice* Ahhhhhhh! So good!

Independent thinking can be a little overused to mean totally not independent thinking, but the gist of it is in tact— not necessarily taking people's word for things right off the bat until you've thought through it, and also not succumbing to kneejerk cynicism (believing the opposite of everything you've been told for the sake of it).


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 8:39am
Originally posted by Polymorphia Polymorphia wrote:

Beer *in Misato Katsuragi's voice* Ahhhhhhh! So good!

Independent thinking can be a little overused to mean totally not independent thinking, but the gist of it is in tact— not necessarily taking people's word for things right off the bat until you've thought through it, and also not succumbing to kneejerk cynicism (believing the opposite of everything you've been told for the sake of it).

I see, okay, so that's basically what I thought it meant. I'm not a native-speaker as you've probably noticed already, so it may happen that I use terms that mean something else or don't exist at all. 


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Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 10:02am
You explain your terms in your essays well enough. If you use a term that doesn't exist, you can claim it as your own. Afterall, naming things yourself is a form of independent thinking.


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 10:37am
^ well said, I couldn't agree more. Thanks for checking out my essays, too.

...also, initially I planned to keep that back... as it's shameful of a seinen anime fan... bur I've not seen Neon Genesis Evangelion yet.


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Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 10:47am
It's a "classic" in a manner of speaking, but it isn't a perfect anime. I liked parts of it a lot, but I kinda regretted watching it just a little, especially because I watched it slowly. All in all, you probably should watch it, but it isn't horrible that you haven't.


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 11:48am
yeah, I've noticed some criticism of some aspects of the series. But still, I've seen Rahxephon, which is allegedly a NGE rip off (mecha with symbolism-heavy themes, basically) so I'll definitely watch it some day. 

Right now I'm going through Texhnolyze, have you seen this one..?


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Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 3:03pm
I've seen the first episode of Texhnolyze. I was confused, but intrigued. I plan to get around to the rest of the series eventually.

I've also seen RahXephon. I enjoyed parts of RahXephon as well, but it did feel like it tipped its toes into way too many aesthetics and the comedy moments and slice-of-life parts felt so different from the rest of the series in a way that was kind of hard to reconcile. NGE does slightly better in these arenas, but also goes in directions the show didn't seem geared for. Both are generally good series, though. I just had some other anime I was excited to check out when I watched NGE, and I'm generally a one series at a time kind of person.


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 3:40pm
It's been a few years since I saw RahXephon (you're right it's X :)) but I would certainly agree on the series being a little inconsistent and uneven. 

As for Texhnolyze, yes, it's definitely one of the more experimental and bold anime series. It's a little bit like watching a Lynch movie set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world. It's brooding and mysterious, full of ambiguous scenes and sparing in dialogues. And the soundtrack is just amazing! I thoroughly enjoy it so far, but it's not a series to watch in one go if you want to keep your sanity intact. 


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Posted By: Polymorphia
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 4:01pm
What sanity? Wink


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 4:36pm
Oh dear, I used a meaningless word again Tongue

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Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 6:00pm
^^ Sexy avatar, Bart Tongue

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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 6:16pm
Originally posted by ProgMetaller2112 ProgMetaller2112 wrote:

^^ Sexy avatar, Bart Tongue
Thanks mate, it's actually one of the most fleshed out female characters in anime, Senjougahara Hitagi from Bakemonogatari. I love her, manStar



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Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 9:23pm
^^ Even better looking when moving LOL

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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 30 Oct 2014 at 10:02pm
Yeah, well, a girl I was in a relationship with in high school was kind of similar to Senjougahara, not so much in the visual department (even though they're both charming in a similar way) as the mental one. A tsundere, basically. A very difficult personality with a complicated past making everything even harder. I think I'm actually attracted to that kind of women - troubled, dominating bitches with a soft side to them... Which is why I decided to stay single LOL 

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Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 31 Oct 2014 at 6:05am
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

Yeah, well, a girl I was in a relationship with in high school was kind of similar to Senjougahara, not so much in the visual department (even though they're both charming in a similar way) as the mental one. A tsundere, basically. A very difficult personality with a complicated past making everything even harder. I think I'm actually attracted to that kind of women - troubled, dominating bitches with a soft side to them... Which is why I decided to stay single LOL 

LOL


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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 01 Nov 2014 at 1:48pm

http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/2014/11/shinsekai-yori-from-new-world.html" rel="nofollow - -> it's an anime review... but check it out anyway, please. Tongue

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Posted By: ProgMetaller2112
Date Posted: 03 Nov 2014 at 7:19pm
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

Yeah, well, a girl I was in a relationship with in high school was kind of similar to Senjougahara, not so much in the visual department (even though they're both charming in a similar way) as the mental one. A tsundere, basically. A very difficult personality with a complicated past making everything even harder. I think I'm actually attracted to that kind of women - troubled, dominating bitches with a soft side to them... Which is why I decided to stay single LOL 

Does it get frustrating?? Staying single? Personally, I get frustrated 

 LOL


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"Before you see the light you must die!!!!!!!!!!" - Slayer

"Today is born the seventh one, born of woman, the seventh son" - Steve Harris


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 01 Apr 2015 at 12:37pm
Never say... "perfect"

Just a short thought that I might rewrite into something more "serious" in the foreseeable future if it proves good enough. I try to keep distance from my ideas for some time, they often turn out to be ridiculous despite seeming great at first glance. 

So, it's basically a kind of extension of my first article here, the one on numeral ratings and why they suck satan's scaly member. You know, when you give a 10/10 rating and that would mean the album is 100% perfect, flawless, mind-blowingly awesome and you should totally buy it now IT"S worth EVERY PENNY! etc., you know, that kind of PERFECT bullshit. First of all, I strongly believe there's no such thing as "perfection", even less so when it comes to art. That's why perfectionists are never happy - they just keep improving stuff until they die. Funny, cause death is one of those rare, pure phenomena that I'd actually dare to call perfect. Hah, ironic. Would that mean we're all perfectionist as we all die, eventually? Okay, I'm getting carried away. Right...

I'm loosing steam already. Perfection, la la, what was I about to... ah okay. Language. Language is inherently imperfect. Language is imperfect. Even this short statement is imprecise and therefore can be interpreted in many different ways. We don't have time to talk about linguistics here, though. It's just a canvas for my main thought: Imperfection is beautiful. Language is a code, it's imperfect so it leaves room for interpretation, for vagueness. Hence it's beautiful. DNA, the code of evolution is imperfect, flawed - AND THAT"S WHY we exist by the way, we were such an evolutionary fuck-up, that we needed to develop two most dreaded, disgusting features (or you can count them as one), self-awareness and intelligence, in order to survive. And look at us now: lost, conflicted and violent; neurotic and gentle or cold like degenerated predators. We invented perfection even though (or because) we're the least perfect of all things. Fuck, it's got so deep, I can barely reach the keyboard. Depths of metaphysics, I feel like a poor imitation of Emil Cioran right now! He loved those nihilistic aphorisms. They didn't make much sense sometimes but boy, did they sound good!

Alright, final thought, I'm tired. Please, if I may consider myself entitled to ask you to do so, next time you'll be about to use the word "perfect", ask yourself what do you actually love about the piece of art you're referring to: the fact it's "perfect" and works like a swiss clockwork, almost like it was not created by a human being but by a supercomputer, or for what it is, with all its imperfections, human weaknesses and subtleties? Yeah, all that may depend on your taste, the genre and so on and so forth, but I think it lets you write a review or voice an opinion that is not about your rating, your assessment but about the music itself. I myself am still trying to put this idea into practice, and even though it may not work "perfectly" just yet, I certainly feel better now, every time I voice an opinion about a piece of art. It just seems fairer to me to just say "I love it, and there's why..." instead of "not exactly a perfect masterpiece, buuuuuuut...". You know what I mean? Was it all obvious to you from the start? Oh well...



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Posted By: Time Signature
Date Posted: 12 Apr 2015 at 6:51pm
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:


Daily Disclaimer:

If the epitome of metal to you is Iron Maiden and nothing heavier than this is listenable, skip this one. You'd look at this text like a dog being shown a card trick. Just kidding, go on.


My favorite band is Iron Maiden, and I hold a PhD... so there's that. ;-)


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Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 12 Apr 2015 at 8:55pm
Originally posted by Time Signature Time Signature wrote:

Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:


Daily Disclaimer:

If the epitome of metal to you is Iron Maiden and nothing heavier than this is listenable, skip this one. You'd look at this text like a dog being shown a card trick. Just kidding, go on.


My favorite band is Iron Maiden, and I hold a PhD... so there's that. ;-)

As far as I remember you do listen to extreme metal, damn, you even play in an extreme metal band! So don't worry, it doesn't apply to you, Kim Wink It applies to people who, in general, not just IM, listen to mainstream band(s) but do not embrace the "full spectrum" of what metal has to offer. I'm not even criticizing them, it's not the point of my article. Honestly, I don't give a shit about what people listen to as long as it's not entirely brainless pop/techno crap. I can get slightly judgmental if someone says that Miley Cyrus is their favourite singer. And Maiden ain't brainless, obviously. I like the band, actually, just not very much.

The fact you've taken my joke seriously means it's not funny. An important lesson for the future, heh.


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Posted By: Unitron
Date Posted: 12 Apr 2015 at 9:08pm
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

Originally posted by Time Signature Time Signature wrote:

Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:


Daily Disclaimer:

If the epitome of metal to you is Iron Maiden and nothing heavier than this is listenable, skip this one. You'd look at this text like a dog being shown a card trick. Just kidding, go on.


My favorite band is Iron Maiden, and I hold a PhD... so there's that. ;-)

As far as I remember you do listen to extreme metal, damn, you even play in an extreme metal band! So don't worry, it doesn't apply to you, Kim Wink It applies to people who, in general, not just IM, listen to mainstream band(s) but do not embrace the "full spectrum" of what metal has to offer. I'm not even criticizing them, it's not the point of my article. Honestly, I don't give a shit about what people listen to as long as it's not entirely brainless pop/techno crap. I can get slightly judgmental if someone says that Miley Cyrus is their favourite singer. And Maiden ain't brainless, obviously. I like the band, actually, just not very much.

The fact you've taken my joke seriously means it's not funny. An important lesson for the future, heh.

Honestly, if someone came up to me and said Miley Cyrus was their favorite singer, or even liked her for that matter, I would have to play some metal to give them a taste of good music.


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If I say fuck two more times that's forty-six fucks in this fucked up rhyme


Posted By: Time Signature
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2015 at 5:33am
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

Originally posted by Time Signature Time Signature wrote:

Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:


Daily Disclaimer:

If the epitome of metal to you is Iron Maiden and nothing heavier than this is listenable, skip this one. You'd look at this text like a dog being shown a card trick. Just kidding, go on.


My favorite band is Iron Maiden, and I hold a PhD... so there's that. ;-)

As far as I remember you do listen to extreme metal, damn, you even play in an extreme metal band! So don't worry, it doesn't apply to you, Kim Wink It applies to people who, in general, not just IM, listen to mainstream band(s) but do not embrace the "full spectrum" of what metal has to offer. I'm not even criticizing them, it's not the point of my article. Honestly, I don't give a shit about what people listen to as long as it's not entirely brainless pop/techno crap. I can get slightly judgmental if someone says that Miley Cyrus is their favourite singer. And Maiden ain't brainless, obviously. I like the band, actually, just not very much.

The fact you've taken my joke seriously means it's not funny. An important lesson for the future, heh.


No, it was funny. I was joking, too... which means that it was my joke which wasn't funny. Now, that's the important lesson :-)


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Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2015 at 6:13am
okay, I may have taken it a bit too seriously LOL 

By the way, the card trick bit is a paraphrase of one of Bill Hicks' jokes. So it's not really mine :)


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Posted By: Time Signature
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2015 at 7:13am
Speaking of mainstream pop music, my impression is the mainstream pop music today is generally more boring than mainstream pop music was in the 80s for example.


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Posted By: Bosh66
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2015 at 7:25am
Which was even more boring than pop music in the '70s (disco aside).


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2015 at 7:25am
Originally posted by Time Signature Time Signature wrote:

Speaking of mainstream pop music, my impression is the mainstream pop music today is generally more boring than mainstream pop music was in the 80s for example.

Definitely, I've even written a little article about that http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/2014/10/i-didnt-expect-spanish-inquisition-and_29.html" rel="nofollow - HERE . 

I think pop music always reflects the state of society. The way the aggressive consumerism has changed us over the last century is quite alarming. As long as the music sells, it's alright, apparently. That's why we have the same crappy r'n'b about sex all over and over and over again. Most of the good stuff left the mainstream long time ago.


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Posted By: Time Signature
Date Posted: 13 Apr 2015 at 8:48am
Quote Which was even more boring than pop music in the '70s (disco aside).


Even disco had more to offer than, say, house/dance of the 90s and today's club music.

Quote I think pop music always reflects the state of society. The way the aggressive consumerism has changed us over the last century is quite alarming. As long as the music sells, it's alright, apparently. That's why we have the same crappy r'n'b about sex all over and over and over again. Most of the good stuff left the mainstream long time ago.


Word!


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Posted By: Tupan
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2015 at 6:59pm
For me, this is the proof that the pop music in the 70's was way better:





Posted By: Unitron
Date Posted: 22 Apr 2015 at 7:03pm
Originally posted by bartosso bartosso wrote:

Originally posted by Time Signature Time Signature wrote:

Speaking of mainstream pop music, my impression is the mainstream pop music today is generally more boring than mainstream pop music was in the 80s for example.

Definitely, I've even written a little article about that http://shrineofllyria.blogspot.com/2014/10/i-didnt-expect-spanish-inquisition-and_29.html" rel="nofollow - HERE . 

I think pop music always reflects the state of society. The way the aggressive consumerism has changed us over the last century is quite alarming. As long as the music sells, it's alright, apparently. That's why we have the same crappy r'n'b about sex all over and over and over again. Most of the good stuff left the mainstream long time ago.

Agreed, sex sells in the world of pop music.


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If I say fuck two more times that's forty-six fucks in this fucked up rhyme


Posted By: aglasshouse
Date Posted: 28 May 2015 at 8:26am
Today is different from the 70's. Modern musical creativity as a medium is basically an absurd, and even laughable thought in today's music. Everyone repeats and builds off each other, but refuse to effectively expound on ideas given to them. Yet another reason why the myth of the dying of the music industry is getting more and more widespread, but now it doesn't seem like much of a myth anymore. 


Posted By: bartosso
Date Posted: 28 May 2015 at 3:24pm
Personally, I'm done with being entirely negative about present - postmodern - tendencies. I've already heard people whining about literature being dead, music being dead and all going to shit. And I refuse to spread that defeatism. I think we've just changed the way we create stuff, that's all. It's not necessarily bad. It's not good. But it's different.

What's bad is that mainstream art has become worthless, no doubt about that. At the same time, however, the "underground" has never been more prolific. And I love that.


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