Taylor Swift

This is Manny’s happy face. You can tell by the inclination of the scythe.

At E3 last month, Tim Schafer and Double Fine announced they were bringing Grim Fandango back from the dead for a stint on Sony’s various consoles. This odd news was met with an expectant reply: and… and!? Today, finally, a sense of closure: the Grim reboot is headed to PC, Mac and Linux, too. I feel a joyous warmth where my heart used to be.

There’s no word yet what improvements we should expect, but support for higher resolutions seems a given. It’d be great to see a revamped control scheme in place of the original’s Resident Evil-style tank controls–especially now that we know it can be done. Tim and company are working directly with some of the game’s modders, so a point-and-click makeover isn’t out of the question.

After the jump, Double Fine’s crafted a touching retrospective (for they know no other kind) on Grim Fandango, its production and history.

OOIOO are an outfit of genre-transcending Japanese soundsmiths founded in 1995. They’re led by the illustrious Yoshimi P-We, well-known as the primary drummer and one of two consistent members in the legendary Osaka-based noise/psych outfit Boredoms (the other member is Yamataka Eye). Over the decades she’s been a driving factor in Boredom’s evolution from chaotic noise punks into the disciplined mystic-psych apostles they are today. She’s also the namesake for The Flaming Lips album “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.” Boredoms have been relatively dormant in recent years, but in that time OOIOO has managed to put out a couple of albums, including 2009’s Armonico Hewa.

OOIOO seem to reinvent themselves for each album, although complex polyrhythms and epic pop melodies have remained a focus throughout. Their latest album, released stateside early this month on Thrill Jockey, is called Gamel, so named because it features metallophones from the ancient Javanese style of music played on gamelan ensembles. It might just be their most radical release yet.

Gamel’s overall tone is a challenge to Western ideals of harmony and melody, since unlike most Western music, traditional gamelan compositions often don’t measure notes in half-steps, resulting in irregular intervals and songs that don’t resolve into dominant roots the way most Western classical and pop music does. By combining this style with an experimental use of rock instrumentation like drum kits and electric guitars, not to mention meticulous vocal harmonies and chants, they create an absolutely otherworldly sound. That said, the pieces on Gamel flow seamlessly in-and-out of melodious grooving glory, laying down funky beats that will wiggle their way inside your body and make you dance. Indeed, every instrument, from voice to guitar, can be used like a drum for OOIOO. The end-result is a circusy celebration of life, occasionally erupting into moments of euphoric noise while remaining firmly grounded in the repetitive, strange and mysterious sounds of a few souls hammering away on gamelan.

If that all sounds too good to be true, you can experience it in person when OOIOO hits the road for a brief (and rare) U.S. tour next week, making stops in Philly, D.C., New York, Chicago and, yes, Boston, where they’ll be hitting up Berkeley’s Red Room on July 19th. They’ll be joined by Providence’s Black Pus, the primal drum-and-noise solo project of Lightning Bolt drummer Brian Chippendale. Kindred rhythm spirits, it won’t be the first time Chippendale and Yoshimi have shared the bill. Lightning Bolt and Black Pus have both opened for Boredoms in the past, and Chippendale was among the drummers who performed in Boredoms’ original and positively spiritual 77 Boadrum performance beneath the Brooklyn Bridge in 2007. It will likely be a once in a lifetime opportunity, certain to cause regrets in those who miss it, so, you know, don’t miss it.

The post OOIOO – GAMEL appeared first on The Boston Hassle.

Meet Nopi, a 17-year-old student wearing black and white who we met in Harajuku. Her hair is braided in two tails and accessorized with pink bows.

Nopi’s sheer top is from Nadia, worn over a white t-shirt and printed WEGO shorts. Her chokers, fishnet over-the-knee socks and flatforms are all from Spinns, Nopi’s favorite shop. She is also carrying a black rucksack.

When it comes to music, she told us she likes listening to Sexy Zone. Check out her Twitter and Instagram for more details.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.

Even today there are lots of individuals wishing to get a piece of STALKER‘s fame. Another attempt to exploit this topic is Areal, a game developed by West Games studio.

A couple of weeks ago an announcement of a new project was made; a game allegedly developed by creators of STALKER. Great news, isn’t it? However, this announcement was accompanied by few controversial points that darkened the joy in some way.

I won’t go into details, just want to point out some key moments of this story.

GMBox tried to collect as much info they could.

So, what do we know about Areal? The project got into the spotlight of gaming press by the end of June. On June 24 it started a Kickstarter campaign. It was claimed that West Games is comprised by the key developers from GSC Game World. Moreover, Areal’s game setting is obviously inspired by its famous ancestor: post-apocalyptic world, open-world shooter mechanics, mutants, etc.

Questionable matters came to light right from the beginning of the Kickstarter campaign. Seriously, the goal to collect $50,000 looks too humble for a triple A project which Areal tries to be. This amount may be enough for making a demo for investors, but not for an entire project.

A promotional video at the Kickstarter page contained snapshots taken from Unity’s tecnhical demo and STALKER‘s early builds. In addition, many Internet users recognized one promo art being taken from the cover of the book “Areal: State within a state” [rus. “Ареал: Государство в государстве”] by Sergey Tarmashev, but no references to the book, neither to its author were made.

UPDATE. Now it is officially confirmed that the game is developed on the basis of Sergey Tarmashev’s book.

Areal’s promo art

Front cover of Sergey Tarmashev’s book

A screenshot from Areal

A screenshot from technical demo of Unity 3d game engine

Anyway, the fundraising campaign started well and West Games managed to collect over $30k during first hours since its launch.

Then the other “people behind STALKER“, Vostok Games (Survarium) accused West Games of fraud and use of someone else’s materials, exploitation of STALKER‘s and GSC‘s names and a reputation parasitism.

I’m not going to take sides in this matter, but I think this moment is quite self-explanatory:

On Vostok’s claims that West Games is not comprised of true S.T.A.L.K.E.R creators, West Games’ Igor Buryak stated, “Oleg Yavorsky says we have no former GSC employees. He points out high staff turnover in GSC. Well, this wasn’t addressed to West Games. He can’t make such a statement because it would simply be a lie. Since we’re at the very beginning of our work we can’t (and should not) make our whole team public, because as soon as we do that they’ll get caught up in gossip and accusations made by our competitors.”

Dave Cook from VG247 has been monitoring the situation from its start.

He makes a reference to the statement of Vostok’s Oleg Yavorsky made in personal correspondence “I think instead of blaming press, the Areal guys should really be grateful for all the hype the press helped them make for their yet non-existing project. If they are accusing press of non-professionalism, the best favour you could do for them is simply stop writing about them”

Only time will tell who’s right, but, honestly, I can’t remember an honest project causing such amount of informational noise (except for GTA‘s Hot Coffee, of course :-)) All I can say is that the whole situation with West Games is generating more questions than giving the answers.

Looks like the members of Western MA punk mainstays AMPERE have a big crush on the dreamy sounds of the 80s and early 90s. Last week we reviewed KINDLING, the noisepop project of vocalist Stephen Pierce and his partner Gretchen Williams. This week we bring you SIAMESE TWINS, which includes Ampere bassist and local show promoter Meghan Minior. The band’s members are states apart (doing time between MA and IL), yet their sound is a cohesive send-up to the sounds of classic 4AD and Creation Records.

“Submission” is all delectable bliss-pop, its reverbed magic anchored by a heavy drum machine and the absolutely smooth-as-silk vocals of guitarist Liz Panella, who also screams in Boston hardcore heroes LIBYANS. Panella’s vocals remind me a bit of Miki Berenyi of Lush in her wistful, breathy delivery. The video is a colorful collage of flower-print patterns in tasteful pink and turquoise hues in a decidedly sinister twee vibe. They also recently announced that they might “potentially” be playing some shows this Fall, so look out! Check out this enlightening interview they did with Pitchfork in the meantime.

Their excellent new LP Still Corner is out NOW on EUNUCH Records.

The post SIAMESE TWINS – “SUBMISSION” appeared first on The Boston Hassle.

Last weekend’s chilling Washington Post story by Barton Gellman, Ashkan Soltani, and Julie Tate revealed that the National Security Agency keeps pictures you sent to your girlfriend of your masturbating, the OK Cupid chatroom discussion in which you lurked, and the exchange between you and your mother about the speeding ticket you still haven’t paid for. The agency does not destroy the information. It keeps the information because to destroy it would undermine its utility:

Most of the people caught up in those programs are not the targets and would not lawfully qualify as such. “Incidental collection” of third-party communications is inevitable in many forms of surveillance, but in other contexts the U.S. government works harder to limit and discard irrelevant data. In criminal wiretaps, for example, the FBI is supposed to stop listening to a call if a suspect’s wife or child is using the phone.

There are many ways to be swept up incidentally in surveillance aimed at a valid foreign target. Some of those in the Snowden archive were monitored because they interacted directly with a target, but others had more-tenuous links.

If a target entered an online chat room, the NSA collected the words and identities of every person who posted there, regardless of subject, as well as every person who simply “lurked,” reading passively what other people wrote.

Kevin Drum, as previously noted not by any leap a radical, wrote on Sunday: “If someone in Congress isn’t seriously pissed off about this obvious evasion, they might as well just hang up their oversight spurs and disband.” National Review Online, the sparkling online community known by cognoscenti as The Corner, published nothing significant. I checked a couple of minutes before posting. Whaddya know — Charles W. Cooke posted a sober but redundant answer (find it yourself) to Conor Friedersdorf’s much better dismissal of critics who prefer questioning Edward Snowden’s motives to analyzing the consequences of the information he shared with The Guardian, WaPo, and other newspapers. That’s it. But Andrew Johnson, no relation to the seventeenth president of which I’m aware, posted clickbait with the title “Study: Average Reader Doesn’t Get Past Page 33 of Hillary’s Book.”

Dianne Feinstein, steward of the national security state, has not commented.

Your favorite tape slingers will be releasing their 50th. This very special release will be a 3 tapes compilation bringing together all the best in the New England experimental/noise/weirdo scene. This obscenely awesome show will be an all day affair.

Tons of awesome people playing:

Life Partners
Quits
TVE
Matt Krefting
Article Collection
Wilted Woman
Michael Rosenstein
Patrick Emm
Alan Gesso
Solid State Entity
Mares Laig
Gay Shapes
Via App
Nick Neuberg
Morgan Evans-Weiler
Zerfallt

DJ YDL pumping tunes inbetween.

Show starts at 2pm and goes to 11pm.

Saturday, July 19 @ 2pm
@ Washington Street Art
321D Washington St, Somerville, Massachusetts

FalseBarf EVENT

The post YDLMIER 050 Release Show @ WSAC appeared first on The Boston Hassle.

How Much Wizardry Can You Take?

The New York Times has an article (online today, in print tomorrow) entitled “Text Games in a New Era of Stories,” about ye olde interactive fiction and new-fangled manifestations of it, including Ms. Porpentine’s Howling Dogs and Ms. Short’s Blood & Laurels.

(Okay, it must be admitted that even The New York Times didn’t refer to the author of Howling Dogs as “Ms. Porpentine.”)

4AD have launched a site for a collaboration between Stephen O'Malley's Sunn O))) and Scott Walker. A source from the label is quoted as saying that Sunn O))) and Walker are "working together, and there is a record coming later in the year".

No more details have been announced, although there is a microsite for the Walker & Sunn O))) project here.

[Hat tip: The Quietus]

Matching thrift store clothes and thrift store couch series by Jasmine Deporta via still the sky is blue.

WHY THE INTERNET was invented: this single-page, no-frills website presents a trove of original, old-school hip hop party posters mainly designed by Buddy Esquire and Phase 2, and featuring legendary rappers before they got famous. Word to your mother.

Hat tip: Fred Gates Design.

Jad Fair's Half Japanese are releasing their first new album in 13 years on 3 September. Overjoyed is released on Joyful Noise, with the current line up of Jad Fair, Mick Hobbs, Gilles Rieder, John Sluggett and Jason Willett with Deerhoof's John Dietrich on production.

While new material has been a long time coming, there's been a slew of releases and retrospective efforts in recent years. Along with Joyful Noise's 7" of tracks from the forthcoming album earlier this year, Fire records released a triple LP of Half Japanese albums from between 1981–85 for Record Store Day, which was the first in a series of four volumes, following up on a number of reissues in 2013.

Half Japanese also just joined Facebook.

Ricardo Pau-Llosa, one of the country’s best poets and a Miami native, needs more exposure. His best collection Parable Hunter(2008) contains “Seven Mile Bridge, Florida Keys.”

For one mile of it or thereabouts a pelican
flew beside us, glided exactly above
the concrete wall of the bridge, barely
a feather or muscle moving, exact
as a line thrown on the page of the world
with a ruler. From a quarter mile back
I saw the bird lift syrup slow, then suddenly
aright itself and take to an invisible
track four feet or so above the barrier,
and I knew I would have to brake a bit, and more
as we got closer, to cruise along his glide
in that joy exclusive to parallels.
Never mind that we were coming home
from a honeymoon, and that any dicethrow
of weather, bloom, sand, cloud, any dicethrow
spoke utterly of harmonies. Never mind love.
We, axle-bound and land-held, got to glide
along with Icarus, red striped chest, grey and white,
thick as purpose, as if designed for nothing
if not for this trajectory, this one flight
to escort the poetry of coincidences.

Martin Schemitsch (a.k.a. Martinland) has compiled and released a disk to accompany our book 10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10, one that’s full of BASIC and assembly programs. These include the programs in the book and the later, more compact versions of our demo thread. The disk was just released at Commodore-Treffen Graz $14, and of course the disk image is available for download. It’s a nice companion to the 10 PRINT book and a Commodore 64 emulator, although, as you can see, it also works perfectly well on a vintage Commodore 64.

Read the full article at: JavaScript Once Function

Every so often you have a function which you only want to run once.  Oftentimes these functions are in the form of event listeners which may be difficult to manage.  Of course if they were easy to manage, you’d just remove the listeners but that’s a perfect world and sometimes you simply want the ability to only allow a function to be called once.  Here’s the JavaScript function to make that possible!

The JavaScript

Think of this once function as a wrapper for the function you provide:

function once(fn, context) { 
	var result;

	return function() { 
		if(fn) {
			result = fn.apply(context || this, arguments);
			fn = null;
		}

		return result;
	};
}

// Usage
var canOnlyFireOnce = once(function() {
	console.log('Fired!');
});

canOnlyFireOnce(); // "Fired!"
canOnlyFireOnce(); // nada

The wrapping function is fired only once because a tracker variable is used to ensure the function is only executed once.  Many JavaScript toolkits offer this as a feature but the code to accomplish this feat is so small that it’s good to have available in the case that you can dodge a JavaScript toolkit!

THE SOFT PINK TRUTH is Drew Daniel, one-half of the Baltimore-based experimental electronica duo MATMOS. On “Why Do the Heathen Rage?”, Daniel explores and profanes the sound as well as the sometimes-questionable politics and philosophy of a well-selected collection of black metal covers in the form of winking, sexy club tunes.

Daniel’s work, both as SPT and with Matmos, has always had a strongly conceptual element, and this isn’t the first time he’s expressed an interest in harsher, more abrasive musical realms. He’s already released DO YOU WANT NEW WAVE OR DO YOU WANT THE SOFT PINK TRUTH?, an album of punk and hardcore covers. He wrote an entry in the 33 1/3 book series on THROBBING GRISTLE’s 20 Jazz Funk Greats. He also has a sincere love for black metal. He’s written a beginner’s guide to DARKTHRONE and essays with titles like “Corpsepaint as Necro-Minstrelsy” and “Confessions of a Former Burzum T-Shirt Wearer”. His picks for covers show a breadth knowledge on black metal: we’ve got VENOM, BEHERIT, SARCOFAGO, SARGEIST, DARKTHRONE, AN, MAYHEM, HELLHAMMER, and (hilariously) “Grim and Frostbitten Gay Bar” by Newton, MA’s own IMPALED NORTHERN MOONFOREST.

There are precedents for the cultures of black metal and electronica crossing paths. Fenriz of DARKTHRONE has professed a deep love of dance music and a number of these groups have experimented successfully with electronic sounds and textures . However a certain subset of black metal fandom is well-known at this point for the invective they spread at bands who deviate from the traditional black metal style. Occasionally, the purists have a point: not every deviation or experiment is necessarily successful. But by and large, this experiment is a success!

Drew Daniel (with some help from Antony Hegarty, Daniel’s boyfriend/Matmos partner MC Schmidt and members of HORSE LORDS, LOCRIAN and WYE OAK) have delivered a thought-provoking but also deeply enjoyable and loving send-up. The riffs and chord progressions are largely unchanged, except in terms of the instrumentation used to produce them. Daniels’ trademark dense, heavily-detailed production is in full effect, from the drum and bass take on HELLHAMMER’s “Maniac” to the soulful diva house on AN’s “Let There Be Ebola Frost” to the cheeky samples of Rihanna and SNAP!’s “I Got The Power”. The whole thing occasionally veers into a camp industrial style not dissimilar to MY LIFE WITH THE THRILL KILL KULT. Especially since once you remove the shrieked delivery and sometimes dodgy recording quality of the originals, some of these lyrics sound really homoerotic and occasionally downright silly. A lot of the lyrics, however, manage to retain every bit of their coldness and ugliness, and the album’s various singers do a great job of delivering the lines in a way that highlights both the goofy and the grim.

The lyrics are, of course, in some places pretty reprehensible. Black metal can be racist, homophobic, fascist, misogynist and just plain anti-social. Obviously there’s a larger dialogue to he had about the issues of enjoying art that you find philosophically questionable, especially as a member of a group targeted by that philosophy. Drew Daniel himself could speak to how that factors into this project much better than I could. Luckily, he did. So I leave you with the disclaimer he wrote to accompany this album’s release:

“Aesthetics and Politics are neither equivalent nor separable. Black metal fandom all too often entails a tacit endorsement or strategic looking-the-other-way with regards to the racist, anti-Semitic, sexist and homophobic bullshit politics that (still) pervade the scene, on behalf of either escapist fantasy talk, shaky invocations of art as a crypto-religious path to transcendence, or–the oldest cop out in the book–the quietist declaration that “I just like how it sounds.” Just as blasphemy both affirms and assaults the sacred powers it invokes and inverts, so too this record celebrates black metal and offers queer critique / mockery / profanation of its ideological morass in equal measure. Mixed emotions about a murky, diverse and self-differential scene are all very well, but, as Barack Obama is so fond of saying at press conferences just before legitimizing drone warfare, let’s be clear: No apologies, no excuses, and no escape clauses are hereby offered. Murderers are murderers. No safe space for fascist garbage. The Soft Pink Truth hereby abjures black metal homophobes, racists, and Nazis categorically and absolutely: MAY THIS CURSE BIND! Remember Magne Andreassen!”

The post THE SOFT PINK TRUTH – WHY DO THE HEATHEN RAGE? appeared first on The Boston Hassle.

This is Akane, a girl with cute blonde twin tails who we recently snapped in Harajuku. She’s 20 years old, she works at Spinns on Harajuku’s famous Takeshita Dori shopping street.

Akane is wearing a graphic t-shirt with flag print suspender pants from New York Joe Exchange and a sheer coat from Panama Boy. Her blue backpack is from WEGO and her paint splash platform sneakers are from Yosuke. She told us her accessories are from her favorite shop, Spinns – we noticed flower and bow hair ties, anchor print socks, a seashells charm necklace, and a ribbon bracelets. She is also wearing a denim hat and pastel nail art.

Miliyah Kato is Akane’s favorite singer. You can find out more about her by following her Twitter.

Click on any photo to enlarge it.