Absolute Sonic Pwnage

I know, I know: two music posts in a row. Get over it.

There are a couple shows looming that I am equal parts pumped and bummed about. First, Explosions in the Sky is playing ATP up in Monticello this labor day weekend. Awesome. Tickets are like a hundred and forty bucks. Not awesome. Second, Godspeed You! (motherfucking)* Black Emperor is curating Nightmare Before Christmas in the beginning of December. Fucking killer! It's in England. Huge buzzkill.

I've often said, and these shows legitimize this theory, that I'd much rather be independently wealthy or British than not independently wealthy or British.

With that as a backdrop, do yourself a favor and listen to a.) Godspeed's Dead Flag Blues - when I was reading The Road I imagined that song being played the whole time and b.) Godspeed's Static. The song is long as shit, but the payoff is so, so worth it. It absolutely obliterates everything in its path at around the 16 minute mark - but you gotta just wait for the build up.

Explosions is like the Cliff's Notes version of Godspeed. That is in no way a slight, by the way. They are able to produce the same effect in much, shorter, much more accesible songs. Catastrophe and the Cure is one of my favorites. But, you can literally pick up any of their albums and get rocked pretty quickly. Maybe the payoff isn't quite as incredible as Godspeed, but really, it's negligible.

It's like tantric sex, really. The orgasm is just going to come and it can only be so big, no matter how long you wait. Whatever, this isn't a competition. They're both awesome, Godspeed's dick just might be a little bit bigger, that's all.

*I say add the (motherfucking) part. It just works. Especially coming off a seven year hiatus. They've been all over the map with their weird punctuation changes, just embrace it and accept the fact that when people talk to their friends they say "did you hear? Godspeed You! (motherfucking) Black Emperor are getting back together."