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2/22/2004
EAR PLUGS
I got a long review of some shows Friday night with photos coming soon.
Meanwhile, here's some CD reviews we've been meaning to get to for a while:
The first time I saw Ani Cordero it was behind the drum kit in local act Number
One Family Mover. Her smile and the joy with which she played was bewitching. A
couple of years later she moved out to Arizona or somewhere, I dunno, maybe it
was Utah. These days she has an act named after herself, Cordero, in New York
City and a new album, Somos Cordero, due out in March. Local label Daemon
Records sent us a copy to review.
I enjoyed their first CD, Lamb Lost in the City, smooth loungey rock mixed in
with random tracks en Espanol over a Latin beat. Sonomos Cordero offers more of
the same but with a hard to put your finger on difference. The rock edge is a
tiny bit rougher, which is nice, but Ani’s voice is still soft and smooth,
making for a nice contrast. The Latin numbers sound like their oozing out of a
smoky basement club in a Hollywood movie, one of those places that doesn’t
really exist but you wish it did. Cool and hot at the same time. Some have a
melancholy theme, such as Come Out With Me Tonight:
If you’re going to end it all
Come out with me tonight
Drown yourself in alcohol
Might as well have a good time
If you’re going to end it all
What’s just one more night?
I won’t try and change your mind
Just come and say goodbye
Not all the songs are downers though. Some are peppered with horns and spicy
percussion, but even then Ani’s voice is ghostly, giving all the tracks sort of
a dreamy, sleepy tone. It’s good stuff.
For more on Cordero, check out www.corderomusic.com
I also got a CD from Abyss, a local act that’s been pestering us to come to
their shows. It’s just a 4 song demo but it’s enough to get the gist. There’s
not a lot of subtlety here – simple power-chord-heavy heavy metal with vocals
that are a little more discernable and a little less monotone than most stuff in
the hardcore genre. It sounds like there’s only one guitar in there, which makes
things sound less muddy than most metal, but they don’t do quite enough with the
guitar. Maybe I’m just too old for this sort of stuff. If you’re into the hard
stuff and want to support the local heavy/hard/hardcore scene definitely give
‘em a try, or check out their site at www.abyssonline.net
BLASPHEMY
Degenerate CP did some editor-baiting last episode and though I’m unskilled at
rational debate, I’ll bite. Then I’ll let CP off the mailing list. Yeah, that’s
rude, but I hate to let another man get the last jab.
CP: I unsubscribed, yes. I still got an email of the recent ezine. And saw a
response from MM. Before thinking, I did this:
DP: Hey, that’s ok, we didn’t put any thought into this mess either. Heck, the
publication, the whole publication HOUSE, started on a thoughtless whim. But we
don’t let that stop us, or you, from shooting our mouths off, do we?
CP: Gay Marriage: Yes, a large part of the debate IS about non-married benefits.
Look at the MA debate right now. They're attempting to ban, with provisions for
civil partnership benefits. John Edwards opposes marriage but is all in favor of
benefits for partners. Again, I ask the question: who would determine a civil
partnership? If you are the owner of a small business, do you savor the thought
of being forced to insure someone's significant other just because two people
swear that it's the case? You think benefits are going to be denied MORE people
in that case? Yep. Businesses will just stop coverage for ANY partner, married
or not. But it's going to be okay. Because the democratic candidates would have
you believe that everyone will have free healthcare. Of course out the other
side of their mouth they complain about the cost of what little benefits did get
passed last year. Money never plays into the picture for anyone but an
incumbent.
Evidently, Bush HAS acted in the interest of the majority. That's what an
approval rating over 50% means. And if this were not your first or second
closely-followed election, you would know that polls pitting an incumbent who
has yet to begin campaigning against actively campaigning opponents are
notoriously skewed.
DP: Uh… since when does the majority opinion make it RIGHT? Fuck, the majority
of people supported slavery at one time. The majority of people favored denying
blacks the vote after that, and women after than. Crap, the majority of people
thought reelecting Nixon was a swell idea.
And since when does some potential financial impact make it right? Crap, slavery
was profitable. Making addictive, life-threatening drugs is profitable. Even
cigarettes are profitable. Should we allow injustice merely because it’s
possibly financially prudent? No, fuck that.
The problem here is church has gotten entangled with politics and government. My
father and I were discussing it last weekend and he made some excellent points.
Churches can still, no matter what government edict comes down, refuse to marry
someone based on their gender, their religion, their fashion or whatever. They
are private institutions.
You want your church wedding, find a church that’ll do it. You want the same
rights granted every other citizen by the government, you SHOULD be able to
apply for the legal certificate and have ‘em. I don’t give a shit if we call it
“civil union” or “marriage” as long as, in the eyes of the LAW, they are the
same thing. So if all you hetero folks wanna get hitched, you can get “married”
at the church of your choosing and a “civil union” certificate at the
courthouse. But if you INSIST on the government calling it “marriage” on your
courthouse-granted certificate, then shut up and let everyone play by the same
rules. Separate is not equal, despite what the majority think. Fortunately, the
courts occasionally are of use in such cases. Unfortunately, there’s enough
right wing power in this country right now that it wouldn’t surprise me if they
could swing a constitutional amendment to get around the court and those
“activist judges.”
CP: The fact that people are making up their minds about the leader and defender
of the United States based on what they read in degenerate press scares the pee
out of me. I’ll read it when it again provides where to go and what to do, not
Creative Loafing-like self justification (no offense mr. Dictator, sir.
Although, now that it’s come up, I’m beginning to doubt your very title as
potentate now that you’ve let political discourse run rampantly over your
much-welcomed anarchy of taste.)
DP: Uh… A) It would tickle the hell out of me if I thought for one moment this
little ezine had any sway in the minds of voters. B) Unfortunately, I doubt it
does.
We occasionally get a heated debate going here and I have yet to hear of it
changing a single person’s mind on ANY topic. I cannot believe the ramblings of
a few lefty lunatics are going to amount to a single change on a ballot. But
hey, if you wanna get reactionary and run off in a huff because you can’t handle
the mangled truth, so be it. But if you think this thing is so powerful, why not
use it for good instead of all the evil we’re apparently doing? Crap, I print
just about anything, right, left or neither.
On a related note, I do want to mention that we DO print just about anything. If
any subscriber submits something and it doesn’t get run it’s 98% likely I just
forgot it or lost it. 1% chance it didn’t’ get here. The remaining 1% is usually
just too large a sampling of another publication. I don’t mind a URL, but I
don’t want to re-run entire articles here, so feel free to submit any and all
commentary on any political system, burlesque show, social structure, concert,
economic policy, or just random jokes.
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