Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Legend of the Four Suns








According to Graham Hancock, The Mayans believed we are living under what's called "The Fifth Sun" - after four prior and aborted attempts at creation. In each successive story, the creator became angry with the direction the creation was going, and destroyed civilization. The passage following actually refers to the Aztecs, but the Aztecs inherited the truest form (in the world today) of Mayan culture (according to most anthropologists).



From the book :



"First Sun, Matlactli Atl: duration 4008 years. Those who lived then ate water maize called atzitzintli. In this age lived the giants... The First Sun was destroyed by water in the sign of Matlactli Atl (Ten Water). It was called Apachiohualiztli (flood, deluge), the art of sorcery of the permanent rain. Men were turned into fish. Some say that only one couple escaped, protected by an old tree living near water. Others say that there were seven couples who hid in a cave until the flood was over and the waters had gone down. They repopulated the earth and were worshipped as gods in their nations...

Second Sun, Ehecoatl: duration 4010 years. Those who lived then ate wild fruit known as acotzintli. This Sun was destroyed by Ehecoatl (Winder Serpent) and men were turned into monkeys... One man and one woman, standing on a rack, were saved from destruction...

Third Sun, Tleyquiyahuillo: duration 4081 years. Men, the descendants of the couple who were saved from the Second Sun, ate a fruit called tzincoacoc. This Third Sun was destroyed by fire...

Fourth Sun, Tzontlilic: duration 5026 years... Men died of starvation after a deluge of blood and fire..."




Further on ...



"The symbol of the Fifth Sun, our current epoch, is the face Tonatiuh, the sun god himself. His tongue, fittingly depicted as an obsidian knife, juts out hungrily, signalling his need for the nourishment of human blood and hearts. His features are wrinkled to indicate his advanced age and he appears within the symbol of Ollin which signifies Movement.

Why is the Fifth Sun known as 'The Sun Movement'? Because, 'the elders say: in it there will be a movement of the earth and from this we shall all perish.' "


Unapologetically apocalyptic, to be sure - and the Mayans differed from the Aztecs in that they had a precise and projected date for the end of the world (which we are all undoubtedly familiar with) - estimated December 23rd, 2012. The Aztecs were fans of human sacrifice- believing they were staving off the inevitable by appeasing the sun god who would visit destruction upon the earth. The Mayans, I believe, were also under this impression, until the appearance of 'The Virachocha People', who instructed in the arts of science, agriculture, and architecture. They also taught that the gods would accept sacrifices of fruits and flowers, and that blood was unnecessary.

Animal Collective - "Brother Sport"



(watch this magic in high quality)

Open up your
Open up your
Open up your throat
And let the 'oh'
Let that 'oh'
Let the 'oh'
Let them go

I know it doesn't get any darker
Now that they've taking what you've got
You gotta open up your throat

Matt!
Open up your throat
Noah's brother
Sport

You got to wait all day
While you change what you planned
You gotta wake up in the mornin'
You gotta have a real good time

Whoo! Whaaa x 100.....POHHHhhhhh pohhhhhhhhhhhhh pohhhhhhhhhh poh whooo poh whoo poh whooo poh whoo pohhh *Sick beat*

You're halfway to fully grown
You've got a real good shot
You've got so much inside
Let it come let it come right out

Monday, December 15, 2008

Sometimes I wonder

I wonder what the music at the end of the world will sound like.

When the noise dies down

And the waters pull back

When grass springs in the dark crevasse

And the buffalo test their worn hooves on the dust

When the frail souls reclaim the Earth as it's mother.

I wonder what type of primal beat will emerge

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

"Why God Why" - DJ OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN



Watch this joint in High Quality. The default setting doesn't do it justice.

Friday, October 10, 2008

2001



The birth of violence, as envisioned by Stanley Kubrick.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Hidden masterpiece: "Trader" by the Beach Boys



How do I begin to describe one of my straight up and down favorite tracks of all time? "Trader" (sung by Carl Wilson) is on a proto-Animal Collective tip...seemingly years ahead of it's time with it's use of harmonizing backing vocals, cryptic lyricism, and lush, multilayered production. I'm sure you'll agree that this just sounds so unlike anything else in their catalog. The Beach Boys ain't all about "Surfin' USA," "Wouldn't It Be Nice" and the other bubblegum melodies we (regrettably) associate them with. If you pare away the disposable pop, you'll see that their underlying aesthetic reflected something much deeper (and in some ways darker) than what people perceive.

Watch for the thematic shift at around 2:21. This has got to be one of the most beautiful, arresting, and sublime moments in music. To me, at least...

Making it softly
Like the evening sea, trying to be
Making it go
Creating it gently
Like a morning breeze, a life of ease
Eyes that see
Beyond tomorrow, through to the time without hours
Passing the Eden of Flowers
Reason to live.

Embracing together
Like the merging streams, crying dreams
Making it full
Begging intently
For a slight reprieve, a night of ease
Hands to touch
Beyond the sorrow, on to the force without power
Piercing the crust of the tower
Reason to live.

Hoping
Like a budding rose, humbling shows
Making it.
Struggling lonely
Like a desert field, break the seal, make it real
Ears to hear
Beyond the showers, on to the suns of tomorrows
Burning the flesh of all sorrows
Reason to live.
Reason to continue
Reason to go on
Reason to live
Reason to live
Reason to live

Told you so...

Saturday, September 6, 2008

iPhone Flicks, NY edition

Never realized how much I would depend on my iPhone here. Shit's been my trusty sidekick - serving as my phone, planner, alarm clock (it's dope waking up to "What a Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers), GPS, internet browser, and now camera*. I find it somewhat unwieldy to carry my "proper" cam around...every time I see something I want to capture, I have to whip out it's bag, pull it out, put the wrist strap on, etc. etc.

Note: Does anyone have any reccos on cameras that possess all these qualities?: slim, small, lightweight, can be slung around the neck, high megapixel count, reasonably priced? Something tells me this exists in Japan or Asia somewhere...

One other great thing about the iPhone is that when I'm taking a pic of something, it's less obtrusive and obvious. It usually just looks like I'm checking something on my phone when in reality I'm sneaking in a flick.

Here we go...

I have never seen this product before in my life. This was at a Bed, Bath, & Beyond, mind you. Only in NYC. Props for the creative packaging though, eh?

Taken at a cafe/eatery on 5th Ave. Guess they could have thought of a better name...maybe omitting the "tossed" part altogether. But then we wouldn't have this brilliance.


I finally glimpsed the elusive Gourmets at this shoe spot* (I'm gonna have to get better with names) near the Broadway-Lafayette St. Station. For those who don't know, these kicks take inspiration (OK, who am I kidding here)...they straight rip various Jordan silhouettes and re-do them casual style with canvas uppers and rubber soles. First impressions? Honestly, up close, the quality left something to be desired. I mean, one look at the sizing "tag" said it all. It looked like a cheapo piece of paper textile you'd see sewn into a Payless shoe. Oh, and made in China. All that being said...I wanted a pair of the purple joints but they didn't have my size. $*&*@!!!!!!!

*Note: At the entrance of the place were all these pics of celebs who had popped into the store at some point...I must've spent like 10 min. just observing. They had flicks of the guys from ONYX, Denzel, Chris Mills, Big Pun (RIP), some heavyweight boxers, etc. Personal faves: Liam Gallagher of Oasis rocking a white T and looking really disoriented and a young Chris Webber at the counter with, like, 9 boxes of Timbs stacked up (no joke).



Finally checked out the famed 45 rpm store on Mercer St. Amazing storefront...the interior looks like you've stumbled into a backstreet in Japan. Cobbled stones, subtle lighting, tons of cotton buds stuffed into glass bottles, the smell of fabric in the air, awnings inside the store and, get this - running water on the floor. Admittedly odd, but a nice touch and added to the ambience.

Anyways, checked the denim. Superb quality, albeit all in a one-wash state (i.e. soaked once from the raw state). Maintained most of the "crispiness" regardless. Their staple jean looked decent. Honestly, their premium "Sorahikos" didn't look like that much of an upgrade. But I guess it's all in the details. You can customize the fuck out of them. For example, you can change all the rivets to sterling silver if you so pleased (oooh! blingin'). This is what intrigued me the most: you can actually have them perform different washes right there in the store. I think they range from a wash replicating how the jeans would look with 1-year of washing/wear, 5 years, and 7 years. This leads to the crazy, borderline insane, part. The Sorahikos cost $750 clams. Yep you read right. And according to the sales associate (who was super nice btw...fine girl at the counter as well), if you wanted the 7-year wash applied, rivets replaced... the total would come out to something like $1300 (!). Truly only for the dedicated denim-head. With deep pockets and maybe a trust fund.

Graff at a bus shelter on 1st Ave in the Village. This is only the tip of the iceberg...much more of this type around the city.