release date : August 10, 2010 released by : self release info : 17 tracks . www.mkio.com genre : industrial rock/electro industrial reviewed by : Mike Kieffer
Mankind Is Obsolete is one of my favorite industrial rock bands and I was quite nervous when I found this remix album was getting released. I don’t want to hear the organic drums replaced with a crappy 4-4 club beat, or tight guitar riffs being hacked to bits and re-looped with bad cuts. As you can tell I have been disappointed in previous attempts by other bands. So will MKIO be successful in pleasing me? Well let’s start from the beginning, Manic Recession is a 17 track remix album of the 2007 release Trapped Inside in which 9 of the 11 original tracks get treatment and there is also one original song and a cover song. Starting things off is a remix of “Awake” by Mindcube, it is an average attempt that has hints of DnB but really I was just waiting for it to drop hard DJ Hidden style and it didn’t. The second track “Silent Killer” by Steven Rober Meyers Jr. pulled me back on board. This is a solid remix turning the track into a somewhat dance floor friendly or at least provides a beat for the DJ to mix in and out of. One of my favorite tracks was “Troubled Dreams” remixed by The Lunarium, which pretty much abandons the original except for the vocals, and even then they digitalized Natasha Cox’s voice and clipped and chopped it up and added tones of echo.
Overall I found some of the remixes to be good, some ok, and some bad. I still suggest picking this up if you are a fan, but if you are just going to jump into MKIO for the first time get the real album, it is way better and really is that a bad thing?
recommended tracks : Troubled Dreams (Remixed by The Lunarium, Outland 1101 Mix) overall 6 . music 6 . lyrics 9 . recording quality 6
Catch Mankind Is Obsolete on tour in the US starting August 12th with Android Lust.
Jonah Hex has always been one of the more entertaining characters in the DC Comics stable. Now I won’t claim I’m the most knowledgeable individual on the subject of Jonah Hex. Most of my exposure to the character comes from his appearance on Bruce Timm’s Batman cartoon, along with the limited series Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such, but the scarred gunman and his battles with foes both mundane and supernatural were wildly different than the usual super heroics that count as DC’s bread and butter. This distinctive style of comic book storytelling and genre bending endeared the character to me long ago. Also, Hex’s adventures (among earlier stories) served as inspiration for later tales that would eventually come be known as the genre of Weird West fiction, one that I am very much a fan of. I was initially excited when I heard that a Jonah Hex film was in the making, but the old fears whispered in the back of my mind soon enough. This was a comic book adaptation, after all, and not of a household name character. When filmmakers know the audience isn’t terribly familiar with a character, they usually take it as an invitation to screw with the source material in any way they see fit (sometimes, seemingly, just for the hell of it). You may ask if that is what’s happened with Jonah Hex. The short answer is YES. A slightly longer answer is THEY FUCKING BUTCHERED IT.
The plot is a nightmare, thanks in no small part to the piss-poor editing job. Rumors abound that a significant portion of the film was left on the editing room floor in attempt to make the film more action-oriented. This serves to make the film less exciting than disorienting and incomprehensible. Knowledge of the comics isn’t necessary to grasp the plot (if any grasping is to be had), since they throw most of the established mythology out the window and swap it for a Weird West version of The Crow. As it stands, we get Jonah Hex, a disgraced Civil War vet who turned on his commanding officer, Quentin Turnbull, and killed Turnbull’s son (also Hex’s best friend), following of an attack of conscience. Later, after Hex has settled into a quiet family life with his wife and child, Turnbull comes a’ calling, seeking revenge. He kills said wife and kid and scars Hex’s face as payback. This leaves Hex stuck between the land of the living and the dead (don’t ask me how or why, it involves Indians, for some reason), and sees him take up the life of a bounty hunter. Years later, the Army turns up, informing him Turbull is back to his old Union-hating tricks, trying to destabilize the country and incite a new civil war. President Grant himself requests Hex’s assistance in taking down Turnbull and stopping his bat-shit insane plan, which involves causing the breakdown of the Union by attacking the centennial celebration with a super weapon (built by Eli Whittney, no less) that, as far as I can tell, is a gigantic six shooter that seems to be powered by Dragon Balls. I dare you to make more sense of this plot than that. Go ahead, try. I’ll wait. Couldn’t? Didn’t think so.
Brooklyn NY, Saturday, July 21 – The Mermaid Lagoon, a benefit party for the Oceanic Preservation Society and the Gulf Coast cleanup efforts took place at the House of Yes in Williamsburg. The House is a school of aerial arts so full of personalities and stories that is deserves its own book, but on Saturday night it served to host a gathering of angry mermaids. The conceit of the evening was that the ocean home of these mermaids had been gravely threatened by the BP oil spill and they want it fixed. The decor worked with what it was given, an air conditioning-less warehouse crowded with trapeze artist junk. Blue fabrics were draped and twined, lights strung, and a local sculptor contributed large-scale UV reactive foam sea creatures that had an ethereal, if day-glo, effect. The bar was serving alcoholic fruit smoothies, which were reported to be perfect for the temperature indoors.
Veronica Varlow
Desert Sin
The “mermaids” of the lagoon, that is, the performers and staff, presented a broad spectrum of entertainment. The night’s opening act was Desert Sin, a non-traditional bellydance group in elaborate costume. The performance seemed to interpret the darker power of the sea, intense stares and rippling arms abounded. Then came a fire-palm dance by burlesque performer Veronica Varlow. Kai Altair, Varlow’s sister and the MC for the night explained that mermaids are famous for seductive dance and song that lures men to their doom and that this particular one was intended for the BP executives. Altair herself performed her mystical/tropical music with great warmth and enthusiasm later on that night. Other entertainment included Cassandra of Lady Circus in a breathtaking glass-walking performance inspired by the Little Mermaid, and Ali Luminescent (Coney Island’s Mermaid of the Year in 2009) on trapeze. To tickle more academic fancies, a doctor of oceanography gave a lecture both on the ramifications of the oil spill and Japanese dolphin fishing in full mermaid attire. Among other prizes, love letters from Ms. Varlow and prints of the resident oceanographer’s photography were raffled off as further fundraising.
Ohhhhhh ahhhhh! Look at this beautiful paper parasol in tattoo mermaid design by Retro-a-go-go! I’m a delicate flower who easily gets sun stroke while being in direct sun for hours. I want to be able to frolick at; car shows, carnivals, the beach, and do other outdoor shenanigans without wilting, so a parasol is a great tool to shade myself and doubles as an outfit accessory. I really enjoy that the mermaid is tattooed and the lovely pink hibiscus flower details, insanely cute!
The August/September issue is the eleventh issue of Auxiliary, a magazine dedicated to alternative fashion, music, and lifestyle. This issue is packed with interviews, including Android Lust, Nina Flowers of RuPaul’s Drag Race, Michael Swaim of Cracked.com, and Andy Deane of Bella Morte. The issue also contains a military inspired fashion editorial, a beauty editorial that will teach you to get smart, a style editorial guide to wearing harnesses, a mod inspired style feature, and editorials from two notable writers, Clint Catalyst and Grumpy Owl. It also features DJ picks from Volvox, a beauty feature on how to achieve the look of a 2026 starlet, and fashion by Steam Trunk, Cyberoptix TieLab, Dace, S&G, Skingraft, Fluevog, Audra Jean, Garbage Dress, EC Star, Steady, and much much more.
You can download it HERE for free. Print copies are available online HERE and in stores HERE. Enjoy!
I recently went to a car show and picked up some Bloodbath products from a vendor at a rockabilly festival. I had seen Bloodbath’s products on their etsy page and was intrigued by the product packaging and the interesting scent names; Creepy Colada, Cleopatra’s Curse, Screamsicle, just to name a few. I absolutely loved the Zombie Zen for it’s clean smell (it’s unisex too!) that really does last all day long. The sugar scrub left my skin feeling clean and soft without a residue like some other scrubs can leave behind. I paid extra attention to those especially “dead areas”, like the instructions told me too! I definately recommend Bloodbath product for all you creatures of the night and as a great gift to give to your horror fiends.
If you’re in the Toronto area, this is the weekend to shop!
Plastik Wrap’s semi-annual Midnight Madness Sale is happening this coming Sunday, August 1st, both at their Toronto boutique at 2235 Dundas St West and online at www.plastikarmy.com from 8pm to midnight EST.
For those that attend the sale at their boutique, they will have drinks and treats, along with music, a sample rack full of one of a kind pieces for super low prices, and some styles on sale for less than online. Every Plastik Wrap item in the store is going to be discounted just for this one night! If you can’t make it to all the fun planned at boutique, at least make sure you take advantage of the sale online!
image source catslikeus.com, photo on left by Luke Copping
Stop the presses! Miss Beth a.k.a Dolly of Dolly Bag fame is now making dresses?! Here is a Cats Like Us exclusive dress from Dolly’s new dress line called Dolly Valentine. This first dress is the Deliliah dress in the rat pack print and it has caused a big buzz with the Cats Like Us crowd and Dolly Bag fans. The dress design was drafted and sewn with love by Dolly herself, she truly has out done herself ! I love the retro style fabric design, the belt detail, and the fact that this dress is great for any body type! Stay tuned for more Dolly Valentine creations to grace the racks at Cats Like Us and be sure to check out Dolly’s hand bags too!
release date : August 10, 2010
