Prometheon

I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road. - Stephen Hawking

"If he is infinitely good, what reason should we have to fear him? If he is infinitely wise, why should we have doubts concerning our future? If he knows all, why warn him of our needs and fatigue him with our prayers? If he is everywhere, why erect temples to him? If he is just, why fear that he will punish the creatures that he has filled with weaknesses? If grace does everything for them, what reason would he have for recompensing them? If he is all-powerful, how offend him, how resist him? If he is reasonable, how can he be angry at the blind, to whom he has given the liberty of being unreasonable? If he is immovable, by what right do we pretend to make him change his decrees? If he is inconceivable, why occupy ourselves with him? IF HE HAS SPOKEN, WHY IS THE UNIVERSE NOT CONVINCED? If the knowledge of a God is the most necessary, why is it not the most evident and the clearest." -Percy Shelley

I whipped up a quick review. Ignore typos and stuff; I was bored. Disappointing The Arcade Fire – The Suburbs I’ve never fully understood Arcade Fire’s incredible hype and following, and this record does nothing to help. Boring and overdrawn. Avoid avoid avoid. The National – High Violet I’ve been a fan of The National’s other albums, but it feels like their most recent effort tries far too hard to be climactic and intriguing. Ironically, the band has strayed from their “show don’t tell” approach with a record that feels very forced. Land of Talk – Cloak and Cipher Everyone knows how much I adore Land of Talk, but their newest album seems like more of a foray into anthemic indie pop rather than their gritty and distinct rock dissonance. That said, the album isn’t bad per se, it’s just something a little more familiar and less exciting than old-school Land of Talk. The tracks that are the most pleasing are those that stick to their old formula rather than the ones that dip into the formula of everyone else. Let’s see more “Hamburg Noon” and less “Quarry Hymns.” Listen to these tracks: Hamburg, Noon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNac_fovh-4 A melodic and pleasing song that rewards repeat listens. Color Me Badd: Choruses done right! Decent Wintersleep – New Inheritors A very solid record that lacks the special “something” to keep you listening. “Baltic” and “Mausoleum” are highlights, whereas “Encyclopedia” harkens to 90s hard rock with a satisfying twist. Check it out if you like the band. Listen to these tracks: Mausoleum: A haunting song that sticks with you. Baltic: Stars – The Five Ghosts It’s been a great journey to watch this band evolve. The interesting samples and collaborations that make this album are a great twist. It’s nice to see Stars` drummer taking more of a front seat and hammering out some grooves that make me notice, such as the syncopated rhythms on “Wasted Daylight” and the dancy start-and-stop of “We Don’t Want Your Body.” An interesting direction for the band to take, and I’m psyched to see where they go next. With that said, this record has a few too many nonstarters for me. Listen to these songs: Opinions Versus the Sun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvvr9dSmEcE Stars` awesome and chill teamup with Album Leaf. We Don’t Want Your Body: This track along with the previous represents the album’s broad spectrum. From relaxing chillout music to something fun and dancy. Very Good Crystal Castles – s/t Crystal Castle’s second self-titled album is an interesting one. It delivers “more of the same” from their first release, but the whole record feels more refined if not more restrained. It’s wonderful to hear some melody and warmth on tracks like “Celestica.” Truthfully, the Castle’s brand of electronic dance just isn’t my thing, so your milage may vary. Listen to these tracks: Celestica: Baptism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjMt0bMVljI How to Dress Well – Love Remains This record has a sound. It’s difficult to describe, but it’s like you’re listening to everything underwater, through a thick haze of nostalgia and distortion. It’s an interesting effect and the entire album carries and executes it amazingly well. It’s simultaneously incredibly easy and impossibly tough to listen to the whole album through due to its single minded and monumental effort to push this wind-tunnel esthetic as hard as possible. With that said, it’s tough not to really love and find yourself submerged and happily surrounded by the great melodies and sounds that this album routinely offers. Listen to these tracks: Lover’s Start: Ready for the world: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc9xV8tE_-4 Chromeo – Business Casual It’s so strange to hear an album that sounds so much better than its predecessor and yet is overall slightly worse. On Business Casual, Chromeo’s production values have gone WAY up; the album just feels polished and silky smooth. With that said, the second half unfortunately doesn’t match up to the great opener “Hot Mess” or standout tracks “Night by Night” and “Don’t Turn the Lights On.” Still, the album as a whole is addictive, dancy, and just plain fun. Give this one a spin. Listen to these tracks: Hot Mess: The spoken word parts are tacky, but this song is just so hook-heavy you probably won’t mind. “WHAT!?” Don’t Turn The Lights On: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP7mxcvGejQ Great Caribou – Swim Some of the sickest chillout electronica to come out in ages. This album is lovely. Enough said. Listen to these tracks: Odessa: The album’s killer opener Leave House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZbdmibj_OA Twin Shadow – Forget Gorgeous melodies, powerful drums, and weightless vocals will keep this record at the top of your playlist. Despite its easy listening nature, this album actually grapples with some interesting themes in an Animal Collective sort of way. Listen to these tracks: Yellow Balloon: A song about childhood that’s sure to resonate Castles in the Snow: Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today This whole album sounds like a blast from the past. “Bright Lit Blue Skies” simultaneously conjures the images of a Halloween ball with its sound and melody while also bringing to mind a sunny Californian beach with its lyrics. You’ve no doubt heard “Round and Round” by now, and the song, like the album itself, keeps you on your toes just enough to keep you interested. Listen to these songs: Bright Lit Blue Skies: Beverly Kills: Amazing Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz He’s done it again. Adz is a significant departure from Illinois, and it succeeds on almost every level. While Sufjan’s maximalist self-indulgence can sometimes grate on the listener (the sustained repeating choir choruses can get a bit repetitive despite the plentiful orchestration), the album simply delivers on so many cylinders that it’s tough not to love. While slow burners like “Now That I’m Older,” “Futile Devices,” and “I Walked” compose most of the album’s bulk, it’s tracks like the haunting “Vesuvius,” the incredibly dynamic “I Want To Be Well,” and the title track that compose the album’s most interesting moments. This album does have its fair share of aural filler, but the highs are so amazingly high that you won’t care. Stevens even manages to pull off “Impossible Soul,” a 25 minute track that legitimately keeps you completely and utterly hooked for its full duration. Listen to these tracks: The Age of Adz: I Want to Be Well: Girl Talk – All Night Oh yes. Girl Talk is back in a big way with All Night. Gregg Gillis has evolved as a mashup artist. Since Night Ripper and Feed the Animals, the lyrical and musical samples are growing in duration and focus, the signs of a maturing artist overcoming his ADD and impatience. It’s an interesting move that makes this album a marked distinction from past works. That said, his ear for hooks is unparalleled, whether you love Ludacris, Daft Punk, Blue Oyster Cult, U2, Portishead, The Ramones, or any of the hundreds of other pop artists Gillis liberally samples. This is the party album of 2011. Start dancing to it now. Listen to these tracks: Oh No: Jump On Stage: Portishead and Radiohead! Best of 2010 Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye may be an asshole and publicity whore, but it’s tough to deny that he knows what he’s doing. No matter your stance on Kanye, it would be foolish to not recognize just how accomplished this record really is. It’s ambitious, gratuitous, completely ridiculous, and unbelievably good. “Dark Fantasy” opens with some voiceover narration to set the tone and assure the listener that they’re getting more than just an album. “All of the Lights” is preceded by an interlude that could be taken from a power metal ballad or a Beethoven symphony. “Monster” attacks the listener with an assault of artists and hooks. The album simply does so MUCH. The beats are beautifully produced and frequently peppered with tasteful pauses, breaks, and embellishments. They’re more than just looped samples; these beats are fleshed out, orchestrated, and given room to breath and flow. The vocals are dynamic, crystal clear, and easy to listen to. There’s an incredible cast of artists and they all deliver. When given only a few short lines, The RZA absolutely destroys “So Appalled” when he shouts “Cars for the misses and furs for the mistress/you know that shit is fuckin ridiculous” and Rick Ross draws some humor when he claims that he’s got “so many cars DMV thought it was mail fraud.” The album is simply jam packed with moments like this, where lines stick with the reader and have an impact because of their delivery, content, supporting music, or all three. The record beautifully and subtly weaves humor into the songs in a way that leaves you questioning the presence of intent. I’ll give you the answer: it was definitely there. There are a few sticking points, such as “Runaway” being a touch too long and “Hell of a Life” fighting a little too hard for affection, but the album as a whole is undeniably excellent. The whole thing feels like the culmination of a long and difficult calculation. Every song is crafted with care, every line dropped with emotion, every word aware of itself and its context. And I’m not even being a snobby music asshole. This record is actually just straight-up great. You may not think you like Kanye West or his style of music. Listen to this record. I bet you’ll change your mind. Listen To These Tracks: Monster: Lost in the World: These two tracks beautifully illustrate of just how diverse the palette of this record really is.

It's just different and less ADD than some of his previous albums, but I think it's the natural next step in the trend he started with the transition between Night Ripper and Feed the Animals. Also...holy shit Ryan, that Caribou album is fantastic. Def in my top 10.

Cool. So what's Maynard up to nowadays?

Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti Kanye Twin Shadow (how has no one mentioned this!?) Crystal Castles Basia Bulet Best Coast Chromeo Sujan Stevens (how has no one mentioned this!?) Das Racist Girl Talk (how has no one mentioned this!?) Stars Wintersleep (I dug it) How to Dress Well Edit: Land of Talk's new album was a big disappointment, but it's definitely grown on me.

"Religion is like a penis. It's fine to have one, it's fine to be proud of it. Just please don't wave it around in public or try to force it down children's throats." Too funny.

"No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible" - Voltaire

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her. David Bissonette

A girl I used to date sent me nudes once, does that count?

I'd do it again, provided I didn't have to send or receive from SDT. As Lauren said, that's total bullshit.

"There is no great writing, only great rewriting." - Justice Brandeis

I thought that the premier was pretty bad. Hopefully this season picks up.

I just bought an iPhone 4 and am looking for some sweet apps to download. Angry Birds was a lie. What a stupid game. I am enjoying Plants vs. Zombies though, although so far it's really easy. Any recommendations? I could use 1 good productivity app, sweet games, etc. Also discuss your fav apps and apps in general.

I liked the film, but it wasn't AMAZING. I actually wouldn't have minded it being a bit longer to flesh out the characters more. Neither Ramona or Scott is really developed at ALL. He likes her cuz she's hot, she likes him for no apparent reason at all. Meh. A solid 7/10. The fights were very entertaining, I laughed quite a bit, and there were a lot of awesome video game references.

LOVE that Frost poem. Thanks for making me remember it.

Fuck putting this in Showcase Review. This is something to talk about. Consider it a gaming topic where you can share real-life experiences that played out differently because videogames exist. How savepoints changed our lives. Owen Leskovar. Before savepoints, videogames were fucking hardcore. You had to either finish the whole thing in one sitting, or leave your system on and piss off both your parents and David Suzuki. But then technology evolved (like a Bulbasaur at level 16). Checkpoints were upgraded to savepoints, and passwords were replaced with memory blocks. What this shift meant was two things: that video games were moving one step further from real life, and that real life was generally shittier. I know what you

To lead the orchestra, you must turn your back on the crowd. - Max Lucado

Thanks Toady. Your point is obvious, but also incredible in how many people overlook it. Definitely a good one to throw out there. A similar one is "absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" which counters a lot of religious claims of "well how did life begin?" Just because we don't have the answer doesn't mean there isn't a rational one.

I'm playing the odds and following logic. "You can't prove it!" isn't an argument from the believer's side: the burden of proof is on you.

MSR is decent, but god still isn't real. Sorry.

I'm not going to go into details, as I just had a LONG discussion about this just two days ago and I'm burnt out. Point form notes: -There is almost certainly no god. -I think you're naive and lack a certain sense of critical thinking if you believe in one. -The biggest two issues with "religious people" are these: 1. They think that if it would be nice if something were true, that it is more likely that that thing IS true. 2. They commit logical fallacies all over the place by using God to fill in gaps. "Well, how do you explain how life started then? Scientists still can't make cells from inorganic matter!" Sure...so science doesn't have the answer yet. That doesn't mean that god wins by default. I have no idea where people get this notion, but it is widespread and idiotic. -moderate religion is not "harmless" and it's not a "personal choice." Religion is granted special privilege by society BECAUSE so many normal moderate people value it highly. Therefore, religion as a subject is granted a special umbrella of unassailability that more extreme beliefs can also hide under. As a society we also freely label children as being part of the religion of their parents. The kid who was baptized, first communion`d, and confirmed, all before they were 15 didn't really have a lot of choice. This is especially true for things like Islam where kids are taught (in SCHOOL) that apostasy is punishable by death. Do you really have freedom to make your own choice when you're taught from age 0 that if you do deviate you will burn in hell, be disowned by your friends and family, and in some cases killed? This is NOT "freedom of religion." -this is debatable, but to me it is quite clear that if religion didn't exist there would be FAR less evil in the world. It does FAR more harm than good, period. (though this goes with another point above. This has NO bearing on whether or not it's TRUE. This point just suggests that even if there IS a god, it's STILL wrong to believe in him.) -there is o inherent virtue in 'faith.' 'Faith' is seen as a positive, desirable trait. Why? What's good about faith? And what's the difference between 'faith' and 'blind faith'? Edit: and a question for the religious people: WHY do you believe in a god? What has happened in your life that has made the existence of a supernatural being seem likely to you? I'm not being a dick, I'm genuinely curious.

Primer. Super awesome time-travel movie made on a $7000 budget. The most 'believable' and also most confusing time travel movie I've ever seen. Definitely a good one to catch.

The only things I can really think of are: Sodamntired has MS and is now MORE annoying Meg's engaged Evan had a pretty sweet-lookin` kid Charles has burned through the ladies Anton killed a hooker A lot of awesome people don't show up anymore.

^ Woo Land of Talk! And Shade, that Sun Kil Moon track is wicked.