First of all, I love KID CUDI’s production, which is not all hiphop nor all R&B. mixed in are vocals from Canadian rapper DRAKE, who sings over hooks like a character from Peter Pan. I’m more than a fan of this remix, therefore I had to make an alternative music video using the timeless animation of UB IWERKS, whose proto-Disney character FLIP THE FROG inspired the design of MICKEY MOUSE, long before Disney was a known brand. The eye design and walk cyclce came directly through the character FLIP, making UB IWERKS the originator of the Disney style, meanwhile his name gets scrubbed from the title cards of early Disney cartoon shorts. Know your animation roots.
Swedish pop sensation Lykke Li bursts big bubbles in the realm of indie euro-rock. Her voice rings effervescent and sweet like a strong spearmint hard candy. Perfect for remixes, AutoErotique does more than a fair job mixing her vocals over modern synth-house. I got to check her out at FunFunFun Fest, a superbly enjoyable experience, along with stellar appearances by Childish Gambino, Diplo and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien.
Band PHOENIX gets a remix treatment worth a few listens. The original is a quality track, but don’t forget to check out what clever folks have done with the source material. DEF STARR’s version of “Fences” has to be my favorite of what remixes I’ve discovered. Zombies like this sort of meta-music.
Since Roc-La-Familia and the Jay-Z gang started rapping, the production has generally taken a backseat to lyrical dominance. This is why Jay-Z backing tracks consistently sound like shit until some clever punks like Dangermouse or Ratatat come into the garage and turn that ugly rust bucket into a shiny new bike you want to ride over and over again. Example:
You know I love PONTY POOL and believe any original advancement of the end times mythology deserves a loud affirming clap clap clap. That’s why I’m crazy over the dark dubplate style collaboration between Kode 9 & Spaceape on the album Memories of the Future. The specific music video I refer to reveals a stylishly high contrast world. Black and white laboratory study into an apocalyptic auditory infection that kills animals and humans in equally easy measure. 9 Samurai combines both stunning visuals and singularly powerful bass rhythms, heavily influenced by modern UK grime. Turn up the stereo and accept your fate.
Return of the Living Dead is now and always will be patently the most explodingly brilliant survival horror comedy since I can’t recall, largely because when I’m thinking about this movie all other silly comedy splatter spoofs looks like cheap plastic replicas.
ROTLD takes viciously wild punches at most all of the standard clichéd tools used in horrific monster movies, especially those featuring flimsy teen characters prone to vice. Those wacky teenagers, an endlessly excitable bunch prone to poor decisions and quick retribution. Meanwhile every character in Return of the Living Dead lacks all motivation outside the single goal of self satisfaction — sex, drugs, violence — shortly followed by self preservation. One exception: a particularly strange punk rocker played by Thom Mathews (Freddy). Pretty much the youthful protagonist of Dan O’Bannon‘s undead melodrama — the suddenly sympathetic Fred has to deal with a world of occult flesh eaters, government cover-ups and the desires of his recent girlfriend…all this on his first day at work.
Freddy still reveals himself as slightly dumber than a box of hammers, or maybe a bowl of screwdrivers. Whatever simple machine in a container, our friend Freddy ain’t smart and neither is his friendly superior (Frank) played by Clu Gulager. Their combined stupidity is exponential and ever-expanding, especially with the introduction of Frank’s boss (Burt) a selfish dick played by the always intimidating James Karen.
Half of the movie involves these stooges try their best to maintain composure while every piece of death flesh around them comes back to life, a distracting challenge when you work in a medical supply warehouse, next to a morgue…outside a cemetery.
Our friend Freddy is persecuted, not only by his punk pals, each of them pained by reality’s lack of chaos and sententious pleasures. Even though they’re technically protagonists, you pretty much delight when the punks get attacked by the viral zombie contagion, brewed by our rather incompetent military.
Consider this — our primary fear in the 20th century…you know it. Total nuclear oblivion. The final end of human life, the trigger pulled by a willing human hand. Grab your book, El, because the zombie weapon of self destruct was inspired by plagues…AIDS, small pox, Ebola virus, etc. Something about rapid decay. Our nightmare monster shrunk from the size of King Kong to the nanometer scale. In ROTLD our antagonist originates in a spray of weaponized gas created by the corrupt military industrial complex for which we, the uneducated voting public, are responsible. The best part of all this biting commentary is that the audience sees no heavy hand, just solid comedy and gore.
lacks all motivation outside the single goal of self satisfaction — sex, drugs, violence — shortly followed by self preservation. One exception: a particularly strange punk rocker played by 